RunOutTheClockSituation.com

So I am backing away from the Kindergarten diatribes I have been spewing all week. Let’s focus on something fun, like the new fall TV schedules. I am a huge TV buff, and I have real problems going into the fall season, not because of the lack of shows, but because of the amount of shows and lack on space on the DVR (never teach you son how to record shows). So I will try to address each day, with the highlights for me and something that I like about the returning shows, or what I am interested in a new show. We will start with Sunday and work our way through to the dismal Friday and Saturday schedules. Off we go

Sunday – typical a day when I DVR quite a bit, since we are away from the house, or I am consumed by Football, and it’s no secret about my football addiction. Hothairdresser and I have an agreement, this 17 Sundays are mine, when there is a bye week, we will act accordingly, but for the most part she is a top notch wife, and allows me this addiction. So let’s start it off. (All times listed in Central, because the Central time zone rules)

6:00 pm: Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football – This will consume most of my evening, since I usually have fantasy players playing, and I am usually up by a few or down by a few. It’s nerve wracking, and leaves me sleepy eyed in the morning. But nonetheless, this is the must see event on Sunday nights for me. And nothing looks better than Football in HD, period.

7:00 pm: Amazing Race – Now this comes with the caveat, that the contestants must be good; there must be a good team, a bad team, an evil team, and an annoying team. Last season I faded on this for a number of reasons, the most being that the CBS game at 3 always runs late, which then pushes 60 minutes to go into my recorded time slot for this program, so I would get about a half an episode every week, and never got to see who got kicked off. That is a real problem, plus looking at the 60 minutes crew in fast forward was so painful, it’s like they were sucking the life out of my brain in 300x.

9:00 pm: Entourage – Ok, this might be my favorite show on the schedule this fall, but I cancelled my HBO subscription following the end of Sopranos last season, but it was a sweet move, got rid of HBO, increased my channels by 100, and only paid 2 bucks more, it will go down in the history for me as the time I got over on the man. Anyhoo, Entourage, picks up where last season left off I assume, with the premiere of the disappointing Medellin, and what Vince will have to do to get his career back on track, and what it will all mean with his relationship with Ari, and E. Man, I am pumped, love this show, if you haven’t seen it, it’s a series that follows a hot Hollywood actor and his 3 frie3nds out in Hollywood, the ins and outs of the business, and with a hilarious agent, Ari, played by Jeremy Piven. Go buy the DVDs, like now, stop reading. But in order for me to watch this season, I will have to go the download route, which could pose a problem.

9:00 pm: Californication – This was my favorite new show last season, maybe, pretty close if not, because I might say later on in this article, this is my favorite new show of last season, so I am covering all bases. Show revolves around Hank Moody, a self destructive novelist, who is trying to raise a 13 year old daughter with his former ex-girlfriend, all the while, drink, humping, and doing drugs throughout Hollywood. Great show, great cast, ready to see what season 2 will bring. We left off with Hank, his ex girlfriend, and daughter escaping, running from his ex-girlfriends fiancée, leaving him at the altar. Checking out season, the DVD hits stores this week I believe. It’s a very ADULT comedy, complete with nudity throughout each episode, and the nudity would be the easiest part to hide.

9:00 pm: MadMen – OK, this is my favorite show from last season, I will be saying this a lot so get used to it. The season has already started, and I am already behind, but it is brilliant. It’s set in the 1960’s, advertizing agency on Madison Ave., hence the name MadMen. Its style is unlike anything else on television. And if you want to see how far HBO has fallen off since Sopranos left, look no further than here, they passed on this series, and many others, someone needs to get control over HBO quickly. This show would have been perfect on there Sunday lineup, instead, it was picked up by AMC, not sure if you have that channel or not, if not pick up season 1 DVD that came out a few weeks ago. It is up from something like 16 Emmy’s for various performances from last season.

That wraps up Sunday, a few other notables, Family Guy, American Dad, the Unit, and Dexter, with Dexter being the best of the bunch, I have watched about half of season 1 of Dexter, I look to complete that season somewhere in 2010.

Monday – This is one tough night on the DVR also. Bunched up are returning favorites, 4 of which battle at the same time slot. And let me get this straight right off the bat, I am heterosexual, and Dancing with Stars will make the list, this is a family favorite at the house, and this show more than others, clogs the DVR like you would not believe, especially earlier in the season when it is on 3 nights a week, that an American Idol are show that are not missed at our house, simply because it involves all 3 of us, and we get to enjoy it together. Without further ado, I give you Monday Night.

7:00 pm: Dancing with the Stars – Ok, I mentioned it previously, and right now there are a group of guys reading this, laughing, snickering, and probably re-posting this somewhere with a picture of me photoshopped humping Clay Akin, but nonetheless, I will stick by my guns and continue to watch the show. It is cheese entertainment, something that lightens the mood around the Boyd house, a reason for my son to jump up and randomly dance in his underwear. You know the show, you have seen it, no need in explaining it further.

7:00 pm: Chuck – Here we go again, one of my favorite new shows from last season. Chuck is a geek, like me, he likes crappy movies, gets excited about video game releases, and daydreams. He, unlike me, has had an email of top secret government secrets subliminally placed into his brain that fires off when he comes into contact with something or someone that is on the list. He has 2 agents that protect him, one a hot female, the other a stick in the ass male, played perfectly by Adam Baldwin, you know him best from Firefly or My Bodyguard, take your pick. Chuck works at a Buy More, it’s like Best Buy, and all the secrets of the world are in his hands, and it is delightful television viewing with great pop culture references, and great movie studio action.

7:00 pm: Terminator- The Sarah Connor Chronicles – So as much as I enjoyed this show last season, something has to give in this time slot, and I think Terminator will have to go. It will fall into the download category, where TV shows go to die on my PC. It sucks, but what is a man to do, too many on one night, and we still have 3 or 4 to go. So I won’t talk about this show, you can probably guess from the title what it is about if you are a fan of the movies.

7:30 pm: How I Met Your Mother – Oh boy, here is the dilemma, Wife’s favorite show, on during the time when Chuck is recording, again Wife’s favorite show, I hog just about every other night on television, plus the 17 week Sunday football schedule, this show will be DVR’ed, I have no choice, which means Chuck gets moved to the land of downloads, sucks. But Barney, Ted, Lilly, and friends is too good to pass up on. Plus who knows when Robin Sparkles will make another appearance.

8:00 pm: Heroes – Geek Boner Alert! Finally after what seemed to a like a 20 year hiatus (actually 1 year) the show on all of the nerd’s list is back, and I can’t watch. The direction of the new season seems to point towards the Villains and how the Heroes will have to go out and get them or possible work with other Heroes to capture the ultimate baddie, Syler. Show has been around for 2 seasons but the episodes have been so far in between that it seems like we have only had one season, thank you writer’s strike, f-ing a-holes. How will Hiro and the rest of our favorites recapture the glory of season 1, no clue, but the webisodes and trailers have been perfect, and have built back up the fan base. Must watch!

8:30 pm: Worst Week – Ah the first new show to make the list, the only reason why, is because the commercials crack me up. The premise of the show is on Sam Briggs, who will do anything to please his girlfriend’s parents, but instead becomes a complete bumbling boob in front of them. The last commercial I saw had the main character Sam, faced with the dilemma of needing to turn the television station, but the remote lied directly in his father-in-law’s crotch. He goes for it of course, and the father-in-law (played by the dad from That 70’s Show, Kurtwood Smith) wakes up immediately and asks him what he is doing, high comedy, can it work from a full show, not sure but I will try it out for a bit.

9:00 pm: My Own Worst Enemy – Ah yeah, after years of exile Christian Slater returns to our lives, rejoice. My Own Worst Enemy is a new series with him, where he plays Henry Spivey, a middle class family man in the suburbs, and Edward Albright a CIA operative that is trained to kill anything and everything. Yes you read that right, he has a split personality, and I’m sure hijinx will ensue once he figures out who is who, or what is what, or Henry versus Edward. Not sure how good the show will be, but I see fighting, hot chicks, things exploding, and the guy who was in the Kuffs. Which for the record, I would have rather seen made into a television show. Maybe I will just pop in my Kuffs DVD instead of watching this on Mondays.

I don’t think I left out any shows on Monday, it’s a crowded schedule, oh but wait, I did. MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, yes I almost forgot, those last minute fantasy guys that can make or break your season. Also on Monday, Gossip Girl, which I have never seen, but heard it is quite good. Wow, and Mondays are suppose to be hated, not on my DVR.

Tuesday – Here is where we start to get some breaks in the crowded schedule. Maybe a chance to catch up on some shows from Monday night, but actually there are some titles to stand up and take notice of, and number 1 on my list.

9:00 pm: The Shield; The Final Act – That’s right people, one of the best shows of all time is entering its last season. Sad yes, but they may be getting out while the getting is good, and earlier reviews have this season being one of the best. Vic Mackey is, and has been, one of the best, most complex characters to ever grace the television, and seeing a conclusion to his and Shane’s epic battle may be a television gold. If you are late to party, pick up all 6 seasons of the DVD, watch them back to back until you can’t see straight and then sit back and enjoy the final season, starts next Tuesday.

7:00 pm: 90210 – Is it possible to call this a new show, or a old remake, or something in between, either way I was a big fan of the original, so I will give this a shot, even if it is for only one week. Brenda, we have missed you oh so much, now if we can find room for Valeria the world will be perfect again. That and some drastically cut gas prices to reflect when the show used to be on.

8:00 pm: Fringe – Anything in my eyes that JJ Abrams touches is gold. So when I read about a new series from him, I simply had to say yes. Here is a write up about the show from IGN website.

From J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, comes a new drama that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality. When an international flight lands at Boston’s Logan Airport and the passengers and crew have all died grisly deaths, FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) is called in to investigate. After her partner, Special Agent John Scott (Mark Valley), is nearly killed during the investigation, a desperate Olivia searches frantically for someone to help, leading her to DR. Walter Bishop (John Noble), our generation’s Einstein. There’s only one catch: he’s been institutionalized for the last 20 years, and the only way to question him requires pulling his estranged son Peter (Joshua Jackson) in to help.

Not sure if that did anything for you, but I will check it out and let you know later in the season, plus Paisey is in it.

7:00 pm: Biggest Loser – Another family favorite around the house, and quite a motivating program. Watching people lose weight nearly makes you want to get up and lose weight as well. Jax for whatever reason loves this show, yet he has not an ounce of fat on his body.

That wraps up Tuesday nights lineup, like I said, a little more lite than Monday’s action packed schedule. Moving on.

Wednesday – OK, something new, something old on this night as well, I am concerned about one of my favorites shows though, as it states it will be shown on channel 101, perplexing, more on that in a bit.

7:00 pm: Pushing Daisies – Started watching this show last season because a friend of mine is an extra/character on the show. The show is about a guy who with one touch awakens the dead, but with a second touch put them back to permanent sleep. Also he makes incredible pies, and does odd jobs for a PI, and has a girlfriend whom he awaken after her death, so he can not touch her or enjoy the fruits of a relationship if you know what I mean. It’s a strange, quirky show, and I didn’t follow it too much last season, but I am willing to give it another shot.

7:00 pm: Knight Rider – After a successful re-launch movie last year, NBC has brought back the show as a weekly series. Now there were plenty, and I mean plenty of problems with the re-launch show, so the jury is still out on how the ‘new’ series will be. But the car is cool. Hassellhoff will need to be involved if they want me around.

7:30 pm: Gary Unmarried – Jay Mohr, nuff said

9:00 pm: Sons of Anarcy – A new FX series, about a biker gang, where do I sign up. As The Shield sunsets, FX looks to produce another successful show, this time about a gun running biker gang in the town of Charming, California. I will tune in.

8:00 pm: Friday Night Lights – OK, this has been my favorite show for the last 2 seasons; my wife has even grown to love this program thanks to Riggins. But on a channel called The 101???? I assume this is the deal they worked out with Direct TV to keep the acclaim but seldom viewed television series about middle town Texas and there football teams highs and lows. Great show, catch it if you have Direct TV, I will have to download and give my wife a little private time with Riggins.

Wednesday night is a wrap, moving on to the once great Thursday night.

Thursday – The once mighty Thursday night, must see lineup is back, even if it stretches across multiple networks.

7:00 pm: My Name is Earl – After rocky 3rd season, Earl is back. This time is hopefully out a jail for good, and possible married or unmarried, either way, this is the last hope for this once promising show. Season 1 was so good, and it has been downhill ever since, I am a huge Jason Lee fan, hell I wanted to name Jax, Brody Bruce Boyd, after his beloved character on Mallrats, but last season was a waste, they need something good to start very quickly this season.

7:30 pm: Kath and Kim – New comedy from Australia that stars Molly Shannon and Selma Blair. Recently this show has been lampooned because some believe it doesn’t do the original show justice, but I say screw that, these same fools said the Office would never work and was a disgrace to their beloved Ricky Gervis. So FU critics, I will give this a shot and decide on my own.

8:00 pm: The Office – Now long time followers of this site, know what the Office means to me. The title of this website comes from the show itself; so needless to say, I cannot wait for its glorious return. Michael, Jim, Dwight, Jan, Stanley, Oscar, Pam and the rest of the crew return to reclaim their title of best comedy on television.

8:30 pm: 30 Rock – The second best comedy on television is finally back as well. And let’s hope they pull it in a little tighter this season than last. They had slipped a little towards the end. But even if it is off pace, it’s still better than almost every other show out there, so suck it. Comedy Night, Done Right indeed.

7:00 pm: Smallville – Talk about slipping, this show is on life support. And they just lost the best villain the show had to offer, when Lex Luthor decided not to sign back on for this 8th season. You know what the show is missing, Superman F-ing flying people, I’m tired of seeing him run really fast, save that crap for The Flash TV show. Oh yeah, and get I think they lost Lana as well, which is good and bad, good because her character had become suck, and bad because she is one of the hottest women on television. So here’s to the Superman, RIP

9:00 pm: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – This is best comedy, you are not watching. I can’t even come up with a write up about this show’s awesomeness, simply go buy all the DVDs, and watch them, it is the most outrageous show on television, and Green Man needs to been seen to believe.

8:00 pm: Grey’s Anatomy – Ok, you are probably thinking I am a complete queer again, but truth be told, this show is perfect dramacheese (I just made that word up). It blends a little of everything for a couple to enjoy while watching together. And part of my son’s name comes from my wife’s love of this show, Greyson. Yes, the show is not for everyone, but when it is good, it is really good, like season 2 of ER good, when it is bad, its season whatever they are on now of ER.

Wow, Thursday will be bumping, add in the occasional Thursday night football game, Ugly Betty, and Survivor, and you got yourself another DVR dilemma. Enjoy people, we are almost finished

Friday night – There is not one show that I care to watch on Friday night, simple as that, not one, here is the rundown; Crusoe – No, Are you smarter… Yes, because I will not watch, so No, Wife Swap… only if it was on Cinemax, 20/20.. are you kidding me, this crap is still on, oh wait, Amercia’s Toughest Jobs, now this show was on Monday night this week, so if they are moving it to Friday, then I guess I will have something on the recorded, so victory for NBC on the Friday Night Suckage.

Saturday – even worse than Friday, that should be what they call the programming. Only thing to watch, Saturday Night College Football. That is it people, go out and do stuff on Saturday night, and don’t worry about what is on, that is what the networks are telling you with this lineup; Misc. Series Repeats on CBS, Cops on FOX, Dateline on NBC, My Saturday Night Movie on My Network TV, and some show on BBCAM that involves a dinosaur I believe, here is picture.

I’m done people, this is the longest post in a while, and my hands are toast, I have to get them in game shape for Tiger Woods 09 tomorrow.

Later (total number of words in this post – 3,599)

Jaxwing (3,600)

All the worrying from yesterday was for nothing, he was completely happy and had a great day.  Won a prize from the teacher for being the best listener, and even finished all of his lunch.  So you can image my excitement for the new day.  Ah crap, more of the same, crying in his breakfast, grabbing and clutching his mother before ultimately leaving with me in the truck.  Once in the truck, more tears and the hysteria of getting out of the truck, topped off with a wave goodbye and tears pouring down his face, a lasting image for his father to take with him the rest of the day.  So here we are the same spot as yesterday, worried, wondering, and hoping for the best result when I call at 3:30 today. 

This shit sucks, and I wish we could fast forward to when he is happy to go to school, and excited to see his friends.  But for now, we will keep talking about the positives each night, and explaining everything again each morning, until there are no more tears.  Driving away in horror is not how I want to start the day, and I’m sure it’s not how he wants to start his day, it’s just impossible for him to relax, and calm his nerves right now, and it makes sense, big new world, strangers, and all the while you have to do it without any assistance.  I guess it’s a good thing I can’t remember my kindergarten years.

Meanwhile, stress over the situations has caused all of the following to my body:

headaches, acid reflux, heartburn, nightmares, insomnia, some kind of eye socket pain, nervousness, over-eating, and permanent scaring in my brain of my son crying and possibly hating me forever as I usher him out of the truck at 8 in the morning.

Man this site used to have happier times, now it is sounding like a Cure song

Sorry for all of you that miss those better days here, with pictures of crack heads and links to non-news of the day.

Jaxwing

Not so much, I thought Day 2 of Kindergarten would be easier for Jax and myself, but I was incorrect on many levels.  First off, last night, everything seemed fine, he seemed excited about his day, then as night closed in and the reality of tomorrow, tears began to flow.  Finally after a good night’s sleep he arose with the hesitation and nervousness as the day before.  Nothing starts the morning off worse than watching a 5 year old cry in a blow of cereal.  Finally out the door we begin our trek to school, this is where the mistakes begin to pile up for me.  A 10 minute walk to school is plenty of time for a 5 year old to make you feel miserable.  He cried the whole walk, pleaded, begged, and then finally succumbed to the moment, and entered his 2nd day of school, tears in his eyes and a stranger helping him.  I was devastated.   My 5 minute walk back seems like hours, as I thought of all the things that must be running through his head as he sits at his table.  As the day as moved on, time has not been kind, I keep checking the clock, wondering about him, hoping for the best.  And thinking of ways to improve tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we will attempt car pool line, might be easier if we cut the cord quicker, rather than the 10 minute pulling of the Band-Aid that was the walk to school this morning.   He should be home soon, and I will be calling like crazy in about 20 minutes to talk with him.

Poor Little Man

Jaxwing

Well it has happened, school has started, Day 1 in fact, and my son is currently sitting with strangers for the first.  He reacted as most kids probably did today, Fear, Nervous, Tears, and probably Rage.  There has not been a more difficult task for me then taking him to Kindergarten for the first time, if I had those feelings, his must have been amplified times 10.  But he is a trooper and I’m sure he turned it off as quickly as he turned it on, it was just a horrifying experience nonetheless.  4 Teachers crowded around him, trying to calm him down as his mother, father, and baby brother walk away holding back tears.  It should be interesting when I get home this evening, I may have to sleep with my eyes open for fear of what he might do to me in my sleep.  But he looked great, looked the part, backpack, lunchbox, snack, new shirt, shoes, and pants, and an awesome belt to go with it all.  He was excited, but let his mind control the rest once the reality of the moment sat in.  But he was not alone, kids everywhere were crying.

But my morning did not end there, for I too was going back to school, well not school - school, but training, or so I thought.  Upon my arrival to training campus, and asked what class I was there for, I immediately sensed problems.  ‘Oh, ok , sir, if you could, please follow me, and Whatever her name is, will explain everything to you’.  Turns out, that the class was a hoax or something, and error in the scheduling, not my fault, or my company’s fault, but something that has happened since the training company was merged with another.  AKA, Tough Luck Eric.  So I was glad that I had pants on, since I thought about wearing shorts to my class, but at the last minute decided differently, just in case something happened.  Well that something definitely happened, and I proceeded to work instead. 

I will update tomorrow on the first day of kindergarten.  I have purchased a coloring book of Batman, and a Star Wars toys to heal any wounds from today.  Hopefully that will work.

Bonus - Guess the song that the title of this post is from.

Later

Jaxwing

This weekend, I was excited to get away and enjoy the weekend with hothairdresser.  We got off tot he great start, drinks, food, friends, and someone got the kids, nice.  We stayed downtown at hotel Icon, its good to know people, I know no one, but hothairdresser has all kinds of friends and colleagues, and one set us up at the hotel for a very discounted rate, and I thank her.  On top of that, Nine Inch Nails was staying at the hotel with us, my mind raced at the thoughts of being face to face with Trent Reznor and having to act like I wasn’t a fan, when inside I would be peeing myself.  Anyhoo, after dropping off the bags and heading out tot he concert, the fun began.  Basically it went like this, no cabs were showing up to drive us to the stadium, so we made one bad - bad decision, we took the Light Rail.  Now, I love my city, but I know we have problems, I’m well aware what is walking around downtown, and I am well aware of public transportation in general, but we wanted to get to the concert, and this was the only way.

I’m sure you have made a decision and about 10 seconds into, you see it as the worse possible decision, well here it goes, those 10 seconds for me, or at least what first felt like 10 seconds, aged me by about 6 years.  Walked up to the ramp, boarding area, purchased 2 tickets, 2 dollars, great, that would save us at least 20 bucks to spend on beers at the stadium.  After the tickets were printed, I turned and was greeted by a homeless man who told me the south bound train is busted, you had to catch the north bound going south and then exit, and get on a working south bound train.  Now the previous sentence you just read, had no typos, and yes it does sound like some crazy geometry / word problem from math class.  I thanked the man, grab hothairdresser moved her quickly on, for fear of prison style weapons being pulled on me and me in turn having to sell her.

Once we make it to station where we need to catch the south bound to get to the real south bound train, the fun escalated.  First off, more homeless people, this time more forceful with the requests for change, I brush them aside, then handicapped people, no worries, I will move faster than them so I was guaranteed a spot, and then the rare combination of the 2 with a gender problem.  Yes, indeed, a disable, homeless, transvestite, the trifecta.  I didn’t think it was possible to see all 3 in one person again, since my last time I have ever purchased anything from Wendy’s, but is a story for another time.  Let’s just say it involved a rogue fry, pressed between 2 fingers, then handed to me.

Finally, the train is arriving, me being one of the smartest people waiting for the train, I position myself and hothairdresser for the arrival and where I think the doors will open up.  Yahtzee!!!  A perfect plan, as hothairdresser and myself make it on the rail and a seat to boot!  Others don’t have the same luck,  lots of people standing, some arguing, some pushing, and others getting injured, I love H-Town.  Another stop, more people, more pushing, we are at capacity.  Next stop, more people, at this point, I have started to use my blackberry to type up my last Will and Testament.  Train takes off again, some lady falls, onto another girl, who recently had surgery, she begins to weep, I too weep, but not for her, for all the brain cells I must have lost over the years that ultimately helped me produce such a horrible plan of attack.  I said I was the smartest person taking the train, well at some point that becomes the equivalent to being a manager of McDonald’s, yes you are in charge, but you are in charge of McDonald’s, they don’t really make a hallmark card for that. Congrats for not being the worst person at work, here you get to be the manager of this other people whom may or may not be missing some chromosomes.

Finally, after what seems to be four scores, we arrive at the stadium, ready for the concert, some people happy, some relieved, and some like me, wondering if I was being video tapped for some reality show. IN closing, the rest of the night was aces, concert was great, Gary Allan is the man, and 10 bucks a beer is as crazy as it sounds.   But all in all, we had a get away night, and that is all 2 tired parents can ask for, thanks to all the babysitters out there.  And thanks to Mayor White for having such an awesome public transportation option, you will have a greater appreciation for the cab driver after one trip on that train.  But at least we didn’t hit anyone.

Jaxwing

Ok,  just a little something for the day, as I tryto recover from some kind of illness

FaceYourManga

This allows you to make your own Manga Avater

Here is mine

Pretty good stuff

Have a good weekend all, I will be away tomorrow as I prepare for the all day concert on Saturday for me and Hothairdresser.

Later peeps

Jaxwing

Being a parent, means shape a mind or minds, or at least helping them develop and pointing them to knew things to witness and open there minds too.  Jax is a tough nut to crack, he hates almost every food, his diet consists of soup and chips, but there are things his mind is open too.  He loves sports, movies, video games, and I Spy.  Probably the norm for most kids, but exciting nonetheless for a guy that isn’t much of an adult either.  Point to the article, well the Olympics have opened up a whole new world for him, he watched every bit of it with me this weekend, he is a huge LeBron James fan, but knowing the USA team was winning easily over China, he asked for me to turn it back to Archery, really?  Archery??  Yes, he was interested in seeing who would win between the Chinese and Korean teams, strange, but I too wanted to see the conclusion, and we cheered on the Koreans when they pelted 2 bulls-eyes daggers in the heart of the Chinese faithful, good stuff. So, as I often do, I think to myself do I make the right decisions as a father, or am I leading my son down a tunnel of doom, when his beloved teams fail, or those glorious moments when they succeed (1994, I will never forget you).  Then I saw something last night, that brought me out of bed and openly cheering for a sport that I watch every 4 years, the 4 X 100 Men’s Freestyle Relay, and I remember why I fell in love with sports, and video games, and movies, and I Spy, its an escape, truth be told my Olympic dreams for myself were dashed at about age 13, when I realized I have no good ankles, and I’m slow, and I like to sit around a lot.  But with Jax, he thinks he can do anything now, and we encourage him, ‘you want to be a golfer, here are some clubs’, ‘you want to learn karate, here are some lessons’, ‘you want to tame lions, here is a whip’, all but the last one is true.  And there in him lies his escape, if you can indeed have one at 5, he’s adventurous in every sense, although he knows what it means to fail and lose, it goes by as fast as 4 X 100 relay, and he is right back on that horse trying it again, never more obvious to me when at the Rodeo last year he rode a sheep in front a crowd of people with absolutely no idea what was going to happen to him.  Good kid, even though he doesn’t eat properly.  Now Grey on the other hand, time will tell, but he has already climb out of his crib and attempt a trek up the stairs, 7 months and counting, what will tomorrow bring. 

While surfing the net today, I stumble on a great article about what a father did for his son, to get him to learn again.  Apparently its not for everyone, but neither is parenthood, and although there are book and books out there on the subject, each person’s experience, ideas, and methods are individual, personal, and different.  And for that I feel better about Jax’s journey, and Grey’s ultimate path.  Now its back to watching Team Handball, and Water Polo.  Go USA!

Jaxwing

SO I was working from home yesterday in anticipation of TS Edouard, and the damage and destruction it would cause, since the media had been telling me about it.  Well, it was little more than a normal rainy summer day in Houston, not to make little of it, I’m sure some people had damage and flooding, but in the land of Sugar, I actually thought about firing up the grill around 3 PM., when the sun came out.  But nothing could have prepared me for the high comedy television I witnessed by our ‘news’ stations.  For most of the morning I kept the TV on to get the latest on the storm, which opened up some great memorial moments.

One reporter was on the beach, sun looked to be out, and people were walking holding hands, that is when the reporter dropped 2 bomb shells on me

1 - ‘Things might be clearing up, and some people are returning to normal activities’ - Thank you news man, seeing the people walking on the beach must have clued you in on the obvious.

2 - ‘One man is out here waving the American Flag, just to make a statement’ - WTF, a statement that the terrorist will not win the war on hurricanes?  I am completely confused as to the statement to was making, and I’m completely pissed they did not get this guy on camera for an interview

Another Reporter, was indeed, stationed in some rain, well it looked more like mist, but he was calling the effects of Edouard, when the camera panned to the left, a woman dressed, in biker shorts and a sports bra jogged by, the quick witted reporter proclaimed, the woman was running for the rain produced by Edouard - Uh, no jackass, the lady was running to stay in shape, and since it was nothing more than a few showers, I think it was safe to say she was JOGGING, just great reporting there.

It was as if the news stations and reporters were pissed that this was all we got from Edouard, another highlight came, when a news van was close to accident scene involving an over turned truck, 3 in the truck, no real injuries, but the reporter was right there with the camera talking about the devastation that Edouard was inflicting.  After yesterday I remembered why I don’t watch the news anymore, just an embarrassment.  Talking Heads

OK, so we all know by now that the movie is kick ass, and might be one of the greatest of all time, but financially it is entering rarified air.  Check out this piece from ComingSoon.net

Racking up its third weekend at #1, The Dark Knight added an estimated $43.8 million to its staggering $395 million take after just seventeen days, putting it in line to cross the $400 million mark tomorrow, the first movie to ever make that amount in just 18 days. (Shrek 2 was previously the fastest movie to hit $400 million, which it grossed in 43 days, so "Dark Knight" did the same two and a half times faster.) Currently, The Dark Knight is the eighth-highest grossing movie of all-time and Warner Bros.’ top grossing movie, but by this time next weekend, it’s likely to be the fifth or sixth highest grossing movie domestically as it starts targeting Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. From there, it’s only $70 million away from becoming only the second movie in over 80 years of filmmaking to gross $500 million domestically, not accounting for inflation.

Internationally, The Dark Knight added $37 million for a total of $202.5 million overseas and a worldwide total of $597.5 million.

Directed by new helmer Rob Cohen, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor brought in an estimated $42.5 million in its opening weekend in 3,759 theaters, an average of $11,300 per site. To put those numbers in perspective, the third "Mummy" movie grossed less its opening weekend than the original movie in 1999, while The Dark Knight made more in its THIRD weekend than Tim Burton’s Batman made its opening weekend 19 years ago.

That is some serious cheese.

Update you guys later

Jaxwing