I know a lot of people come here for the news on the Rubberband Man, and I came across this because of a reader's comment, and a note on CNN...
Apparently, Eddie Steeples, the man that plays the Rubberband Man was in Thailand during the tsunami, and no one knows where he is.
Anyone able to debunk this?
I donated $5 today on the Amazon page set up for donations to the Red Cross. The donations go to help victims of the earthquake and tsunamis (tsunamii ?) in Southeast Asia. Most of you, especially if you're in the IT industry, know people who are from that region.
The tragedy is incomprehensible, and horrible, and they need all the help they can get.
I hope you donate too.
Thanks
It's easy to focus on the bad things that happen in the family when we're in the house with all of them for several days. A home begins to feel like a cage, and all the ugliness builds up until someone, or everyone, has an eruption. It's nasty and painful and further sours the family relationship.
The problem is that many times, people have deeper issues that they're dealing with when they start arguments, or get involved in arguments. A ruined pot roast becomes a beacon for those deeper issues, and without naming the issue that's deep down, they far exceed what's acceptable for the ruined dinner and turn nasty.
The question that I struggle with is this: is it acceptable to name the deeper issue and try to confront the issue head on, or should each person seek out their own way of dealing with the family bones we're all chewing on?
As I sit here and type this, I think it's better that each person seek out a therapist and learn the tools they need to deal with the toxicity they face in their own families. You can't force healing and change on another person, and shining light on an issue in front of the whole family probably will not fix anything. And that stinks. But it's true...
I don't mean to be down this soon after Christmas, but this has just been something on my mind from before Christmas. Not even because of my in-laws or my own family. They've been great. I don't even remember why this train of thought left the station. It just did. So I figured I'd follow it to it's destination.
It's 4.19 AM on Christmas morning and I'm going to bed, finally. I've spent the last 6+ hours wrapping gifts, assembling toys, and watching movies. Reviews to follow on those, by the way.
It looks like my wife mugged Kris Kringle and took everything he had and put it under my tree. I've got shots from the Handycam I'll share with everyone later.
Anyway, peace to you all, and good night, and I hope that your Christmas' are all wonderful.
With love,
Maurice
Spike TV put aside the boobs and explosions for a night of showing us "Real Dads", a documentary that talked about what it means to be a dad, and profiling fathers. It was a beautiful show, and wonderful to watch. It made me think about how good of a father I'm being and what my own shortcomings as a father are. I know that I need to be more interested in what my kids are doing, and more there for them.
I think that an essential part of modern fatherhood, something I hear from every father I talk to is living with worry and fear and love and elation. Do we let ourselves be the buddy to the kid and end up skimping on the discipline? Do we make sure the kid gets the discipline and lose some of the playtime? I wrestle with all the different hats I have to put on during the day.
I don't think for a second that Heather doesn't have to deal with these issues either, it just feels very different as a father, and Spike TV did a great job catching that.
I know my commenters have been talking about this for a while, but I have to say that I adore the new commercial with the Rubberband man in old-style Christmas claymation. VERY WELL DONE.
If you haven't seen it already, you can see it, and other, here. Thanks to reader Barbara for passing along the link.
I've started doing Yoga this week. I can see and feel a difference already, both in waist size, flexibility, and sense of health.
It's been fantastic. I'm really looking forward to doing some more tonight. In case you're curious, I'm doing the set from "Yoga for Dummies DVD" with Sarah Ivanhoe. You can find it here.
Alright, help me get a free iPod: Please, someone sign up for the offer and get me a free iPod. I only need 5 people to go here and sign up for one of the offers, for example, Blockbuster's DVD Rentals by mail service. That's what Heather and I did, and we cancelled after the free service was over so we didn't get charged and we still got credit.
Won't you help a brother in need?
Please?
Heather and I are planning an L Word Season Premiere Party to happen in February. We're calling it the "Libations and Lesbians" party. If you know me and you want to go, and I haven't asked you yet, let me know you're interested, and I'll add you to the list.
OMG
The Redskins were SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO close to winning it.
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO close you could hear every sphincter in the Washington DC metropolitan area constrict in those last two minutes.
Only to have Ramsey lose his cool and gift a whole gaggle of geese...I mean Eagles...with the ball in the end zone. Thanks Pat.
Dear Redskins,
Please STOP GIVING THE GAMES AWAY ON penalties.
Thanks...
ps - you guys on the Skins defense, you rock. Thanks for giving me something to be proud of, even if the offense can't seem to hold anything together.
I'm sure you've seen that commercial...the one with the faceless girl using the drill Marlboro sent to her to build a sign in front of the office building with the words "Why do you sell products that kill your customers", all the while one of those damn harpies from TheTruth.org is hectoring the crowd with a bullhorn.
The big question they're trying to shock everyone is "why does big tobacco sell a product that kills their customers?"
Oh heavens! You mean tobacco's bad for you? Seriously? Well shit. So I shouldn't have started the kids on their first pipes? I shouldn't be using tobacco juice as a marinade?
*sigh* How long are we going to have to hear from these sanctimonious pricks telling us what we already know, and acting like tobacco executives are evil? We all know that those things that we really enjoy kill us. Why not just let us enjoy it without all the self-righteous preaching?
Does anyone know where I can find a German Deli in the Philadelphia area? I've got a serious jonseing for some traditional foods.
Happy St. Nicholas Day everyone. This is indeed an exciting day, and I hope none of you got switches and coal in your shoes this morning.
I went with Heather to Michael's Craft Store today in an attempt to get some items to make an advent's wreath. An advent's wreath is a tradition in parts of Europe (such as Germany where my family is from) (and especially with us Lutherans) that is some sort of round wreath that lies on the table and has a spot for four candles around the edges and one in the center. Each Sunday in Advent, you light a candle in an attempt to count down the weekends until Christmas. It's a time for family to get together and spend some time, eat some cake, and look forward to the holidays.
Someone shot me a link to some badass reviews on Amazon from your friend and mine: Chad Kultgen, who is probably the biggest fan of Top Gun EVER.
Check his reviews out here
So, Foxnews is running an article about a German study that shows an increase in psychotic behavior in people who smoke pot. In the middle of a list of symptoms is the following ominous sentence: "possible psychotic symptoms are incoherent speech, confused thinking, and strange behavior".
Cue the spooky music! Who would have thought that smoking pot would make you a bit incoherent, confused, and acting strangely? Shit, sometimes I wake up in the morning from a bad night of sleep incoherent, confused, and acting strangely. Maybe sleep made me psychotic. I've gotten that way after a heavy night of drinking. I guess alcohol makes me psychotic. I think old age will make me incoherent, confused, and acting strangely. OLD AGE MAKES YOU PSYCHOTIC.
Seriously, what kind of bullshit study was this?
