RANDOMOCITY :: 01/25/10

I'm sure everyone has seen the Dr. Dre Dr. Pepper commericals and all I can think of is what a sellout the legendary rapper/producer has become. I never would have imagined a founding member of N.W.A., much less the artist behind Ain't Nothin' But A G Thing, becoming a corporate pitch man for a soda product.

I'm not sure why I do it but I must confess to watching movies on TV that I already own on DVD. When a commerical comes on I often question why I'm watching it on TV when I could just plop in the DVD and watch it without interruption. Odd.

True happiness is doing a load of laundry and finding pairs for all the socks you washed.

No offense to bowlers, but bowling really shouldn't have its own professional league that I'm forced to watch on ESPN. Unlike "sports" like billiards, poker, and the like, there are literally no variables to bowling during competition. The bowlers try to duplicate a strike every single time. No weather to account for. The opponent can't change the outcome of a roll. Fatigue can hardly play a factor since fitness is nary a requirement. I certainly enjoy bowling, I've socially bowled boatloads of times, but similar to my disdain for darts on ESPN, I really wish they'd do away with bowling.

Father Bill had a unique observation about the situation in Haiti last Sunday at mass. He said what struck him most about the devastation in Haiti was not all the demolished buildings, decaying corpses, or mass destruction in general, but rather the lack of fires everywhere. Typically in a disaster such as this, gas lines are ruptured, flammable things ignite, etc. and thus uncontrolled fires reek even more devastation than the catastrophe itself. But Haiti is so poor they have no gas or propane pipelines, barely any electricity, and hardly any vehicles. Not sure if that's a blessing or a sad reflection on the state of their country, but certainly an interesting observation from a priest.

I added Body Count to my workout mix not too long ago and couldn't be happier with the additional motivation I get now when doing butterfly curls.

Speaking of working out, I always get a chuckle when I spot some chauncey at the gym with a cutoff Affliction shirt and gallons of product in their 'do. I thought gyms where a place to sweat and get dirty, not a fashion show for metrosexuals.

If there's one great benefit to Youtube, it's that you can find a bazillion cover versions of your favorite songs, usually done in interesting and unique styles. The live versions are typically fantabulous as well. Thank you Youtube!

I'm not sure I can ever remember the officiating in the NFL being as bad as it has been this season. They miss calls that are obvious and flag petty stuff that kills the flow of the game. Exhibit A: The Packers drive in overtime against the Cardinals in the playoffs where a personal foul was missed on one play and a facemask on another. Those were some pretty big misses.

How do NBA players get hurt so often? They play a sport where the whole point is to NOT touch guys on the other team. I've never seen so many pro athletes get "back spasms" or "strained pinkies".

With all the terrorism shenanigans over the Christmas holidays I can't help but think that it really is just plain luck whether or not you end up on a plane with a bomb or not. Let's not kid ourselves, the terrorists always seem to be one step ahead and if they want to blow something up, they will. I just keep hopin' karma is on my side.

Glad to see the Wikings fans get a taste of what Packers fans had to endure for you know who's waning days in Green Bay. Brett Favre is a great quarterback and certainly would make most teams better at the QB position, but if the overall goal is to win a Superbowl, he just isn't the solution. Personally, I think the Vikings truly only brought him in to make the team more competitive so pushing for a new, publically funded stadium would be an easier sell to taxpayers. I predict Favre comes back for another year, the Vikings make the playoffs again, and subsequently bow out before the Superbowl again.

I truly hope scientists can someday find a way to invent a time machine. Actually, I hope it happens sooner rather than later. Why do you ask? Because my one wish in life is to see the entire cast of Jersey Shore placed smack dab on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day. Nuff said.

This winter, I've been lucky enough to rekindle my enthusiasm for skiing by way of some day trips with the Wiereks to Alpine Valley. Some background information first - I first skiied when I was 21, at Alpine, and had a fantastic time until I broke my nose skiing down Broadway late in the day. Me being the risk taker that I was that day, gradually gained confidence in my skiing ability and decided I could conquer Broadway, one of the black diamond runs, in the late afternoon before we went home. As any beginner knows, if you say you are a beginner and rent skis, they set your bindings fairly loose, obviously to prevent major ankle injuries in the event of a fall. I hadn't skiied down Broadway more than 40 ft. before I lost my balance, lost my ski, and had it smack me in the face broadside. There was red snow all around me and I felt a ton of pressure on my nose and sinuses. At least I entertained the people on the skilifts who serenaded me with chants of "Oh my God, did you see that guy's face?" and "Hahahahahahahahahahaha. Ouch". I toughed it out though, stood up, wiped the blood off my face, popped my boot back in the ski and finished the entire run. Flash forward to 2010 and I've now had two injury free days of skiing delight at Alpine Valley. It probably doesn't hurt that I have yet to brave a black diamond slope again, but hey, going home in one piece is a sweet reward for this guy. One observation I have about the skiing environment. Snowboarders are nuts! I'm not some kind of skihill historian, but I'm guessing at one point snowboarders were few and far between. Now, they outnumber the skiers and I'm not sure that's a good thing. I can't tell you how many times I've seen some clumsy snowboarding newbie (at least I hope they're newbies) wobble down 1/10 of the hill, lose their balance and just face plant right in the snow. Many times, they just sit there, for quite some time, possibly out of pain, embarassment, exhaustion, or a combination of all three. Either way, snowboarding does not look like something I will EVER feel the need to learn.

     

I have little doubt that Serena Williams could beat me in arm wrestling.

In all the years of my existence, I have never had the need to dial 911 for an emergency. In the past month, I've dialed it twice. First was on the Beltline in Madison driving in a snowstorm when I witnessed quite the automobile accident. 5-6 cars skidding out of control, some smashing into each other, some into the median divider, some clear off the road. Luckily, I was driving in the opposite direction but I still felt compelled to give the cops and paramedics a "heads up" as I literally watched it unfold. The second time happened just last night at trivia when an elderly women had multiple fainting spells and wound up face down on the carpet, then proceed to wake up, shake it off, and proclaim she was fine. The paramedics did arrive, but she refused care and we saw her leaving later that night with her husband. I hope she truly was alright.

The late funny man Chris Farley playing rugby at Marquette in the 90s...

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Lazy Sunday (oldie but a goodie)