respect the LMNO

The University of Alabama faces off against Florida tomorrow in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is famous for playing to the level of their competition (see: last week v. Arkansas) so I'm hopeful that they will step up their game, use the home field/crowd advantage and beat the gators in traditional Crimson Tide fashion.

I think Defense will either make or break this game for us.

And Vanderbilt has a stirking chance to be 5-0 after facing MTSU. Their first appearance on ESPN 2 since 1999. How about that?

And I'd like to see South Carolina step up and win over Auburn, but that's an improbable hope.

Now begins the three game series between the Red Sox and Yankees to end the MLB season. The Curse is broken, they're in Fenway and they need two of three to knock the Yanks out of the playoffs (with the exception of the Yanks potential wild card shot). You just can't beat this time of year.

as vicious as roman rule

John Roberts is in. I'm glad. I think he'll be good for the court and the country. After reading and listening to a lot of what he and others have had to say I think he is a quality guy and will be true to his word as Chief Justice of the United States. The Senate must feel the same way too, because with a 78-22 vote the confidence must have been extremely high.

In other political news Senate Majority Leader Tom Delay has (temporarily) stepped down while under the indictment of shady campaign financing. He spent a lot of time on the air yesterday on FoxNews with Brit Hume and on MSNBC's Harball with Chris Matthews. On both shows he pretty much had the same things to say, but he seemed very confident in his innocence and seemed willing to give testimony under oath. He was also very quick to answer any question the media had for him. He did have some attacking statments against his accusers, but I guess it's better for him if he discredits them early.


In movies, I saw the extended preview for the new Harry Potter movie. It looks really amazing. I need to watch the second and third to catch me up on the story. That along with The Chronicles of Narnia are going to make this holiday movie season spectacular.

get down girl, go ahead get down

So I've done this once before and I think it's time again to do my version of the Upgrade/Downgrade in the world today.

First major Upgrade for Ashton Kutcher for marrying Demi Moore. She's hot, she kicks major butt (see: Charlies Angels 2, GI Jane), and she has major child support checks coming in from Mr. Bruce Willis. Now speaking of Mr. Willis, Ashton does have to overcome one aspect of this marriage. Everytime he's in the same bed with Demi he has to realize that John McClain (Willis' character from Die Hard) is looking over him saying, "come ashton, don't be stupid."

Now a downgrade goes to Demi Moore. I mean seriously...Ashton ("You got punked bitch") Kutcher? He's a child in a 27 year old's body. He could be her child seeing as how she is nearly twice his age. I'm curious to see how Kelso from That 70's Show will be as a father to Demi's girls, Scout, Tallulah and the other one with a weird hippie name.

Upgrade No. 2 goes to Britney Spears. Despite my utter disgust for everything Britney, she is now a mother and that is a wonderful thing...even if it is with a nice piece of ghetto faboulous white trailer trash. Hopefully her status as Mom will help her gain some responsibility (no more quikie marriages in Vegas Brit) and help her to clean up her act. Maybe not, but I can be hopeful.

Downgrade No. 2 goes to Britney's baby. Sorry dude, but your mom is made love to Kevin Federline to have you. Need I say more?

Upgrade No. 3 goes to Lost on ABC. As I've continued to read about the show on forums and theory sites (yes, I'm a nerd) I've realized that the writers are pure genious.

Downgrade No. 3 goes to Commander in Chief on ABC. This drama places Gina Davis in the role of Vice President who accepts the role of President of the United States of America after the sitting President dies of a stroke. I guess someone at Disney/ABC wanted to stir up some controversy/momentum with this leftist propaganda bull crap.

That's all I have for now, but that's more than enough. You make your own opinions. These are just mine and remember....I'm an idiot

Ashes

The Shield on FX is an amazing show. It's packed full of action and bald-headedness and is worth watching every season.

You bow to no one

I got to see Sufjan (pronounced Soof Yon) Stevens at the Cannery Ballroom. Despite that being a horrible venue the performance was entertaining and great. He is kind of quirky but it's more interesting that a lot of what's out there today. I would gladly see him perform again if he were to return to this area.

More in music, I will be attending Dillinger Escape Plan in the next few weeks. That is a show that is more exciting/scary than any I may have every seen.

Also, My Morning Jacket will be playing Nashville's City Hall on Oct. 8. That is one to look forward to as well.

In movies I finally invested four hours in the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King extended cut. It's amazing. The added scenes really added to the entire story, but were good to have been taken out of the original cut. I'm certian that this Trilogy is the most epic story ever.

In sports, the Yankees and the Red Sox are still tied for first place in the AL east. They both have four home games against weaker opponents before the Yanks head to Fenway to spend the last three days of the season playing the Sox. It's 100% pure nail-bitting excitement.

Race you to the top!

Last night I sat down and watched the first episode of the new season of Lost on ABC. I have to admit...I've been sucked in by this seemingly idiotic plot. I don't even know why I started watching the first season, but after one episode I was hooked. The character development is especially interesting and the writers have done a great job of making the lives of the strangers be wildly connected. Aside from 24 on Fox this is one TV drama that I will keep myself involved in. I don't know why, but it's just good.

Now if I could just get the NY Yankees to lose a couple in a row everything would be peachy.

Where are you going?

It seems that the Democrats are divided on their endorsement of John Roberts to be the Supreme Court Chief Justice. Personally, I was a bit skeptical of him at first, but after hearing a lot of what he has to say, I've had a change of mind and I really think that he would be good for our Supreme Court and great for our country. I truly believe that he will not let his personal beliefs get in the way of the law. He is a firm and upstanding man and I hope that the senate makes the right decision in this situation.

It's more than a feeling

This picture is one that will always crack me up. I still like to go back and watch the clip of this speech and realized that due to that speech one of the biggest political collapses in history took place. My good friend and future US Senator Kevin Myles and I still like to poke fun and wonder what Dean's thoughts on other things may have been, like Hurricaine Katrina: "Then we're gonna take the hurricaine, then we're gonna go to the fault line and take the earthquakes, then we're gonna go to the floods and take them YAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Sometimes I amuse myself. Most times I'm an idiot.

A movie script ending

So the New York Yankees have somehow sneaked their way into a position where they could actually still win the AL east. They are now within a half game of the Red Sox. I have to give it to the Yanks...they are resiliant, but I honestly thought they would just have to sit this year's playoffs out. I'm still hoping the Sox can edge them out, but then again I don't really want to see the Sox make it all the way to the Series, because then it will be a repeat of last years Cardinals/Sox series and the Sox are one of the only teams in baseball who could sweep my Cards.

Either way things turn out, the end of the season is turning out to be a nail-bitter. This is why I love baseball. The tension, the pride, the trash talking, the walk-off homeruns to win by 1 and the teams that aren't going to give up until they've secured their spot in the playoffs.

To remind them why they came...

According to the Associated Press, North Korea agreed today to stop building nuclear weapons and allow international inspections in exchange for energy aid, economic cooperation and security assurances, a breakthrough that marked a first step toward disarmament after two years of six-nation talks.

A representative for the U.S. stated that this is a "win-win" situation. I agree. We give them aid they need (which we would have been giving them all along had they disarmed years ago) and they get rid of the nukes and allow regular inspections.

I am a bit skeptical of this though, because in years past there have been "talks of agreements" and nothing has come to fruition. I'm really hoping that the US can push this agreement through because I am certain that it would help ease so much political tension not only between the two of us, but among many other Eastern countries.


In sports Vanderbilt University is now sitting pretty in the SEC east with a nice 3-0 record, two of the wins coming against SEC teams. Alabama's Crimson Tide is off to a nice start as well at 3-0 demolishing Steve Spurier's S.C. Gamecocks on Saturday. It's also good to see Phillip Fulmer's fat face get rubbed in the mud...even if the loss did come against Florida. I just hate UT that bad.

and I, for one, have felt its bruises

Last night I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Coldplay concert under the shed at Starwood in Nashville. Unfortunately I missed Rilo Kiley's opening performance, but that was the least of my worries. This was the second time I've seen Colplay live and it topped the first performance hands down.

To see the guys really show a true appreciation of their fans is amazing. I really get the feeling that the band truly understands what it means to be a fan. After all, Chris Martin did offer some amazing insight into the band's obsession with Johnny Cash's music. And during the performance of "Kingdom Come" the four guys sat up front stage (which reminded me of a bluegrass performance) and after the song ended went straight into an amazing rendition of "Ring of Fire." It was amazing and beautiful and respectful.

Out of a scale of 10 I would probably give it a 9.5. The only reason I wouldn't give it a 10 is I personally feel that they could have added another song or two into their setlist. But then again, I understand that Chris has been sick recently so maybe I can be gracious.

Having seen Sigur Ros and Coldplay within a few weeks of eachother has been great. It's renewed my faith in music and made me hopeful for the few live performances I'm anticipating in the near future.

We're shooting to kill

Last night I was able to score a free sneak preview pass to see Tim Burton's new film Corpse Bride. I anticipated this being an awesome movie and I was definately not let down. The characters were amazing, the music was Danny Elfman at his best and the fact that the whole thing was done with start/stop animations blows me away.

Apparently Burton started conceptualizing this idea in 1995 and has been working since then to make this movie the most flawless start/stop film around. Well, he did a pretty good job. It's ublievable to watch these characters movements and know that it was all done one frame at a time.

A time to live

So, as I changed my age by one year I decided I should change some other things as well. Therefore, my blog has changed. It may change again soon. Being 25 has made me indecisive.

Let Us Sing

A LOVE SUPREME

"I will do all I can to be worthy of Thee O Lord.
It all has to do with it.
Thank you God.
Peace.
There is none other.
God is. It is so beautiful.
Thank you God. God is all.
Help us to resolve our fears and weaknesses.
Thank you God.
In You all things are possible.
We know. God made us so.
Keep your eye on God.
God is. He always was. He always will be.
No matter what....it is God.
He is gracious and merciful.
It is most important that I know Thee.
Words, sounds, speech, men, memory, thoughts,
fears, and emotions-time-all related
all made from one...all made in one.
Blessed be His name.
Thought waves - heat waves - all vibrations -
all paths lead to God. Thank you God.
His way...it is so lovely....it is gracious
It is merciful - Thank you God.
One thougt can produce millions of vibrations
and they all go back to God...everything does.
Thank you God.
Have no fear...believe...thank you God.
The universe has many wonders. God is all.
His way....it is so wonderful.
Thoughts - deeds - vibrations, etc.
They all go back to God and He cleanses all.
He is gracious and merciful....thank you God.
Glory to God....God is so alive.
God is
God loves.
May I be acceptable in Thy sight.
We are all one in His grace.
The fact that we do exist is acknowledgement
of Thee O Lord.
Thank you God.
God will wash away all our tears...
He always has...
He always will.
Seek Him everyday. In all ways seek God everyday.
Let us sing all songs to God.
To whom all praise is due......praise God.
No road is an easy one, but they all
go back to God.
With all we share God.
It is all with God.
It is all with Thee.
Obey the Lord.
Blessed is He.
We are from one thing....the will of God...
thank you God.
I have seen God - I have seen ungodly -
none can be greater - none can compare to God.
Thank you God.
He will remake us....He always has and He
always will.
It is true - blessed be his name - thank you God.
God breathes through us so completely...
so gently we hardly feel it...yet,
it is our everything.
Thank you God.
ELATION - ELGANCE - EXALTATION -
All from God.
Thank you God. Amen"

-- John Coltrane, December 1964

I've memorized what it says to me

Tomorrow Sigur Ros's new record Takk hits stores. It is streaming here if you would like to listen. The entire album is amazing, but there are especially a few stand-out tracks that are wonderfully put together.

Recently I was able to watch a DVD titled "Drive" which documented a bit of skateboarding legend Mike Vallely's life as a skater and an artist. This is seriously one of the most amazing stories, not to mention that the video is beautifully shot, the music is amazing and the skateboarding is unreal. I will be purchasing this DVD very soon along with the Sigur Ros record.

I guess I'm glad that these two things are available at the same time because I've been in a bit of a musical and movie lull lately and now I have one of each thing to be really excited about

Is that what you love her for?

This is a picture I received recently. It is in the wake of Hurricaine Katrina off the coast of Alabama. There is a series of similar pictures and all are absolutely beautiful. I guess it really made me understand that something that can cause such distruction, loss, fear and pain can also be as beautiful as almost any natural occurance I've ever seen. It is wonderful to see that God has made even the most seemingly horrible things look beautiful. It makes me hopeful to look ahead and know that in the midst of something so terrible that there is something lovely.

why stop with this word

I've been spending a lot of time on Mtv's Overdrive lately. They have an amazing selection of music videos from hundreds of artists and they player they show them on is fast and good. I find it to be a lot better than Launch at Yahoo.

I also recently received the 1st season of Arrested Development on DVD. This show along with The Office, Family Guy and Seinfeld is some of the most genious comedy around today. The comedy is really smart, but there is a good dose of traditional slapstick stuff. I highly reccomend anyone to watch this.

Also, I just finished the Band of Brothers series. I don't think I've ever been more impressed with a TV mini series than I have with this. Everything about it is so well done and the fact that the story line is biographically based is wonderful and un-nerving at the same time. It's hard to see what these guys went through for our country. How they sacrificed life and limb literally as a part of the 101st Airborn. This will definately be something that I will invest time in again. It is well worth the time and money

A new addiction

Last night I was lucky enough to attend Sigur Ros's at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta. The performance was amazing. Not quite what I would call flawless, but easily one of the best live performances I've ever seen. The only other live performanes to rival this one were Radiohead, REM, Emmylou Harris, Elliott at Furnace Fest 2001, Coldplay and of course Sigur Ros's perforance in 2003 at the House of Blues in New Orleans.

The lighting of the show was very well done, the selection of songs was great and the venue was an amazing setting for a concert like this. And it was really nice to see a band receive the cheers and applause they did and to see the members make a curtain call at the end of the encore.

I'm currently looking forward to the release of their newest album "Takk."

Break the Silence

Funny quote for the day from Alan Partridge:

"I've always felt that God created Adam and Eve...not Adam and Steve. I guess I'm a bit of a homo-skeptic"




It's great to know that in the midst of confusing, doubtful, uncertain times that you can always find yourself in your hometown on a familiar front porch with a stogie, a nice drink and a familiar friend.

Do not tell me that is from an old ball!

I've been going back into my music archives lately and the music I find myself listening to the most is the Beastie Boys. Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and To The 5 Boroughs have been in regular rotation for me. The guys may be a bit silly at points and some of their stuff is pretty off-the-wall, but it's creative and really fun to listen to. There are a few songs in particular on Hello Nasty that I think are pure genious.

I've also had some Rage Against the Machine come into my rotation as well as early Michael Jackson, Blink 182 (pre- "what's my age again") and Alice in Chains.

I don't know if I'm being nostalgic or what, but I've come to realize that all of the records I've been playing are all great in their own right and I'm glad to know that when current music is in a lull, that I can rely on music that I know will never dissapoint.

Roll Tide! Let's see the boys in crimson get a home win for their first game of the season.

Enjoy Labor Day!

God does not play dice

The scenes from New Orleans look to be truly chaotic. There is no sense of control. There is no sense of relief and it seems so crazy when just a state away people are going about their normal daily lives. People in New Orleans are acting barbaric and well outside of the means of survival. All medical evactuations were suspended this morning when shots were fired at a military helicopter outside of the Superdome. Story Here. There is absolutely no reason to be firing at at anyone or anything who is aiding in the evacuation proceedure. All of these gun gangs and desperate people are going to run out of options very soon. Being territorial in New Orleans is useless because it is a major health risk with anything and everything floating in the waters and supplies and resources for survival are running out.

Two points I found very interesting about the whole thing is that many of the people who were financially unable to evacuate in time were mostly of the lowest income demographic and were on government financial support which comes at the first of each month. But with the disaster coming in the last week of the month, many of these people who rely on government checks had no money to evacuate.

Another interesting point I heard was that if you lay a topographic map over a socio-economic map of New Orleans, the lowest income neighborhoods and housing are at the lowest elevations (see: sea level) and the higher elevations were where the upper and middle class neighborhoods were built. I just thought that was interesting point.


In more positive news, Price Fielder (formerly of the Nashville Sounds) of the Milwaukee Brewers smashed a walk-off homerun to beat the Pirates in the 9th. My St. Louis Cardinals also gave the Florida Marlins a good ole' fashion whoopin' beating them 10-5.