Reasons to watch the Super Bowl when you don’t like football

Football is not one of my favorite sports. I do like to watch when Younger Son plays, and I am always up to watching the UND Fighting Sioux play any sport. However, it’s not a sport I understand so well, or have any emotion for.

So what to do when this big event is happening if you could really care less who wins, let alone about the game in general? Here’s a list reasons to watch the Super Bowl, whether you like football or not.

1.The commercials – Companies pay big bucks to wow us during this big event, and generally come up with some pretty imaginative stuff. I’m looking forward to what they’ve come up with this year.

2. The National Anthem sung live – I’m a sucker for our National Anthem, and I love to hear it done well. This year, I just heard Kelly Clarkson, backed up by a children’s choir and drum band, sing a fabulous rendition of it. A+!

3. Since you don’t like football, and won’t be watching the actual game, it’s a great time to get stuff done around the house, between the commercials: I’m a big fan of what I like to call “Commercial Cleanup”, where you get up and do chores while commercials are on, especially if you have been waiting for a particular show and don’t want to miss it. In the case of the Super Bowl, I just turn it around and make sure I come back to the living room in time for the commercials. It’s a win-win!

4. If you have been invited to hang out with friends for the Super Bowl, no reason to stay home if you don’t care for the game:

A. Take a hand craft with you – I love to crochet, and those types of projects are small enough you can take them with you and work on it between the commercials

B. You are not alone…there will most likely be another friend at the party who could care less about the game, and would love to chat, play cards, etc…

C. Super Bowl food is fabulous. That alone is reason enough to sit through hours of a game that just does nothing for you. Make sure to take lots of whatever you are bringing,  go hungry, and  leave happy!

5. Halftime entertainment: There is always something interesting to see during half-time, and I am not talking about costume malfunctions. The entertainment is usually decent and is at least worth checking out.

Well, there it is… just a few reasons to watch the Super Bowl, when you generally could really care less about the game. Here’s wishing you a good time, and for those who do enjoy the game, I hope your team wins!

 

 

Hi, I’m Sparrow, and I’m a Torchwood junkie…

I don’t get a lot of time to watch TV, but there is one show that has caught my attention recently: Torchwood. 

Torchwood was originally a BBC production, a spinoff from the Dr. Who series. I haven’t invested any real-time in watching the most recent incarnation of Dr. Who, but I think I will. Having watched Torchwood, I think I have not given British television enough credit. Not only does Torchwood give me a good Sci Fi fix (very much like Falling Skies and its mooing evil alien robots), but it’s so easy to become emotionally invested in the characters because they written so well. Each episode, while dealing with something extraterrestrial, is character driven and deals with the humanity of the issue at hand.

The first three seasons of Torchwood can be found on Netflix, and I am sure on other sites as well. Apparently it was cancelled by BBC, (Editor’s Note: I hear now it wasn’t cancelled, just relocated to the US) and Starz has picked it up. The fourth season has begun in earnest and I’ve spent an hour trying to find episodes 2-4. Episode one can be watched at Starz.com for free, but none of the others can be. I did manage to find the rest of the existing episodes (episode five comes out this Friday), but I see that the place I found it is having trouble streaming it, and it cuts out quite a bit. So, I watch a little bit, and the I write a little bit. And then, I watch a little bit more and curse soundly at the inability of the video to just load all the way so I can watch  it all in one go.

I have a sneaking suspicion that there other Torchwood junkies just like me who have stumbled onto the rest of the this season’s episodes on this free website and they are all trying to get their fix too.  I might be up a little late tonight watching episodes three and four as well before The Powers That Be have it taken down.

It’s been a while since I’ve picked up a show that has caught my interest this completely.  As little time as I have to watch tv, it’s probably a good thing that most of the tv produced in this day and age is complete garbage, or I’d get nothing done.

So who’s my favorite character? It’s a tough call between Gwen and Captain Jack, but I think I’d have to decide on Gwen. She kicks ask and takes names. The world needs more good female characters. She’s not perfect, none of the characters are written without flaws, but she’ll do.

If you’re looking for something good to watch, especially which doesn’t involve any kind of  so-called “reality” tv, check out Torchwood. It’s a fabulous bit of escapism.

Let me put in a bit of a disclaimer here. British television is not for the puritanical. Europeans are less squeamish about swearing and homosexual situations than Americans are. Is there swearing in Torchwood? Yes. How about guys and girls kissing guys and girls? All the time. It doesn’t bother me, but it may bother others, and I thought fair warning was appropriate.

Cliffhangers and aliens that moo

I love a good cliffhanger. I don’t get to watch a lot of  T.V. in recent days, but one show I’ve been making time for is Falling Skies, starring Noah Wylie.  This show is right up my alley given that I am a Science Fiction fan. Without giving too much away, I will say that this show is about the Earth being invaded by aliens and how humans react and survive. One of my favorite things about this show is the “mechs”, or mechanized aliens. They are giant alien machines that stomp about on two legs, mooing as they go. That’s right… mooing alien robots. They are supposed to be menacing and evil, but I can’t help but chuckle every time one of those comes on the scene. This show ended its first season tonight with one humdinger of a cliff hanger, which is how good television ought to be. I’ll be looking forward to season two next summer.

This show is an interesting study of how humans cling together, and fight each other, when disaster happens. I can’t help but wonder what kind of bad things are coming given that there is so much in the news about survivalism. Even NASA has sent an email to their employees with a video link showing one of their administrators asking them to make a preparedness plan for their families. I’m not going to worry too much about it, as having an emergency preparedness plan is a good idea for everyone, but I think it’s interesting that it’s such a hot topic these days.

Preparedness is something that’s really been on my mind a lot lately. I’m terribly unprepared for any emergency, so stocking up on things is on the next order of things to do. I’ve been redoing things in my basement, and a new pantry is one of the things that’s top on the list.  I’ll be taking pictures of that project as I go along, so more on that later.

For right now, the world is safe as there are no mooing evil aliens outside. I guess it’s time to throw a load of laundry in and get some shuteye. Good night all!

You have all the weapons you need…now fight!

I just got home from taking the boys to see Sucker Punch.

When I asked the boys what they thought about it, Younger Son said: “Hot girls with weapons. What’s not to like?”  I asked Older Son what he thought, and he indicated that it was “pretty good”, but that was only because there are hot girls with weapons. This is what I get for asking teenage boys what they think about a movie with hot girls kicking ass like hot knives through butter. Not only that, but there was lots of good explosions and other interesting graphics.

What did I think about it? It was a different movie, very existential and layered with symbolism; a story that is actually stacked about three stories deep, almost an Inception style concept. My favorite part of the movie was this recurring phrase: “You have all the weapons you need…now fight!” I like this theme. I like it a lot.

Another theme that ran through this movie was that you never know when help will arrive, or what form it will take. You must keep your eyes open and think on your feet.

I don’t know that it was worth paying theater rates, but it would definitely be a good rental. While this movie displays a lot of violence and cruelty, it also has an interesting undercurrent of empowerment in the face of adversity…albeit in a cheese-tastic sort of way. And, while I tend to be a lover of happy endings, this one had a mixed ending. I won’t spoil it for you, but I will say that it’s not going to be the ending you think it might be…or should be. It’s certainly not the ending I would have chosen, but it did work.

I’ll give this movie one big thumb up, out of a possible two. Good movie, but not worth the theater charges. Make this one a rental.

 

The only tv show my family agrees on

I have fond memories of sitting around the living room with my whole family watching our favorite shows when I was a kid. It was easy back then as the shows were good and there were so few of them that it was an event to sit down to your favorites. Some of my favorites were the Flip Wilson Show (yes, I’m that old), Happy Days and Mash. Oh, and lets not forget classics like Mork & Mindy, and Taxi.

These days, it’s a little harder to find programing that the whole family can sit down to watch. Not only do we all have different taste in television programming, but there’s just not much on these days that’s terribly good for family viewing. There’s so much garbage on tv these days. If it isn’t provoked drama (“reality” shows), it’s sex and other things that aren’t appropriate for viewers of all ages.

So, I finally found a show that we can all watch together: Wipeout. Or, in the case of this season, Winter Wipeout. This show can be found on your local ABC channel, and is funny the same way America’s Funniest Videos is. Where AFV is all about people catching each other and their pets doing silly things, Wipeout is a about people trying to get through several levels of an obstacle course. It’s modeled after MXC which originated in Japan, but Wipeout is a little more family friendly.

I don’t know where they get the contestants for Wipeout, but they are all pretty good sports. Very silly people, but good sports nonetheless. And they are terribly unbreakable. It’s astonishing to me how these folks can take such a beating and still keep going. Here is a good example from an earlier season:

There’s lots of silliness to be had,

and lots, and LOTS of mud:

I am not sure why I find this show so funny, but I do. Even better, it’s something the three of us have in common, and we can all laugh together about. The nice thing about this show is simple humor that perks me up at the end of a long day. These clips aren’t near as funny as watching a whole show, as they generally have a theme. There’s a lot more on You Tube…give it a whirl if you’re looking for some cheap laughs.

Paying it backwards at Starbucks

The other morning, I had some extra time so I stopped at Starbucks to pick up a Dark Cherry Mocha…hmm…yummy!

Unfortunately, they replaced my favorite coffee with Pumpkin Spice Latte. I definitely got the impression that the Coffee Gods had abandoned me. Well, what to do? Order the next best thing, a White Chocolate Mocha.

When I got up to the window, the lady told me that the person in the car ahead of me had paid for my coffee!! I love it when this happens. Not because I get a free coffee, because I don’t. If someone in the car ahead of me pays for my coffee, I always put my money toward the coffee in the car behind me. It’s like a great big chain of coffee-laden generosity that just keeps gaining momentum. Last year, while in the middle of one of these occurrences, the Starbucks Lady told me that I was car #20 that had participated that morning. I hoped it went all day long.

Paying it backward, if you’ll forgive the turn of phrase, is a good way to get yourself out of a crabby funk. One day I went there to pick up a coffee, and I was feeling so completely miserable I didn’t know what to do with myself. So, I pulled out a $20, paid  my coffee, the coffee in the car behind me, and gave the rest to the Starbucks Lady.  It didn’t necessarily make me feel better that I paid for someone else’s coffee, but it did make me feel better to think about the smile on the Starbucks Lady’s face, and about the surprise the car behind me was going to get. It also made me feel better to think that perhaps I started a chain of coffee-laden happiness that lasted for more than just a few cars. I doubt that it went on all day, but one can hope.

If you haven’t ever done this before, give it a try. You don’t have to wait until Christmas, though that is the most common time of year to experience it, and you don’t have to only do it at Starbucks. This should work in pretty much any drive through. Give it a try. I bet it will make your day.

 

It’s the mystery that’s the interesting part…enjoy the journey.

I love to watch movies in the theater. There’s something about being totally immersed in a story played on the big screen that is like

nothing else.  I generally don’t waste my money on movies that are just as good on the small screen, but I really love the ones with lots of effects, stunts and explosions.  I love a really good escapism…anything that will let me forget about everyday stuff for a couple of hours.

I especially like to watch sci-fi movies in the theater, which is why I was so intrigued by a trailer I found on-line for a movie being released in November, called Skyline. The first trailer sets the stage for what looks like an alien invasion of some kind. It looks ominous, and interesting. I was instantly hooked and couldn’t wait to see it. It was mysterious because there had been very little information published about it, and there was only the one trailer available on the web with only two months before the movie was to be released.

What the heck? Usually when block-busting alien movies are getting ready to open at the box office, there’s no getting away from the advertising. Very unusual. Hmm…

So, why was I so put out when a 2nd trailer finally showed up? I was initially kind of excited…here’s more info about this cool movie that I know that I want to see! I went right out to watch it, and was instantly disappointed.  I’ll post the two trailers below:

This is the first:

Here is the 2nd:

Looks like a big budget alien thriller, but in actuality it’s a low-budget film that is mostly all CGI. Pretty clever stuff, really, and I am still going to go watch the movie. I think that the reason I was so disappointed with the 2nd trailer is for two reasons:

1. This is starting to look like just another big monster movie. It’s not a bad thing, but I am really hoping it turns out to be something more original. And,

2. The mystery of the whole thing  just evaporated.

Live in the moment...don't worry about what's at the end of the trail

It’s true what they say…it’s the getting, not the having. Once you get to the point of having something or some knowledge that you have been looking for, the mystery is gone and then it’s not so interesting anymore. Yeah, I know we’re just talking movies here, but the same applies to everything else in life. It’s a good reminder to me to enjoy the journey and not just focus on what’s at the end of it.

 

Football and bellydancing

I went to Younger Son’s football game Thursday night, and it was a beautiful night for it. We are in the middle of a blessed Indian Summer and the weather has been heavenly. But Thursday night, it was amazing. There’s something about the air in the Autumn that is just intoxicating, and it’s so sweet you can almost taste it. It reminds me of sweet water I drank from a natural spring once… it was so fresh and so good, I just couldn’t get enough. At the game, it’s a wonder nobody reported me for odd behavior, as I was doing a LOT of deep breathing. These kind of days are so rare and I was so grateful to have the excuse to spend a few hours outside.

One thing I’m not grateful for is angry football parents. You know the ones…they shout at their children from the sidelines, as though they know better than the coaches. Not only that, but they aren’t afraid to tear their kid down in public. It’s amazing to me the foul, caustic things that come out of some of these parent’s mouths. It’s just unreal and, that evening, I think I hit a wall with it.

Most of us parents who go to the football games walk up and down the field, following the players. This one guy walked up and down, and did a lot of muttering. I didn’t notice him shouting so much, but he talked to himself an awful lot. He was kind of weird, so I did my best not to make eye contact with him and just kept my distance. At one point he walked behind me and did say something to his kid from the sidelines that I couldn’t ignore:

“You ought to have broken that faggot in two!”

Yeah, that’s right…that’s exactly what he said. The kicker is that I heard this through the headphones I was wearing, as I had been listening to some podcasts I wanted to catch up on, so you know it was loud.  It shocked me so badly, I turned around, looked him in the eye and asked, “Did you really just say that out loud?”, to which he replied, “Yes… I did” and walked off. The good news is that  the guy went to one corner of the field and stayed there after that. Perhaps just confronting him once will be good enough to carry him for the rest of the season? One can only hope.

Anyway, despite that bit of nastiness, it was still a lovely evening to hang out and watch my kid play. I sure wish I could find a way to bottle that good clean Autumn air!

By this time, you must be asking yourself, what the heck has that got to do with belly dancing? Nothing, really. I just found this really cool video over at Wandering Soul and had to share it with you, my faithful 10 readers! I didn’t realize it until I saw this, but apparently belly dancing has really taken off in the US, and there is even a festival in Sebastopol, CA which showcases it called Tribal Fest.  I also didn’t realize that belly dance could be so fabulous when done in slow motion. We’ve all seen whirling belly dancers on TV, but this takes it to a new level of art. I really, really want to be a belly dancer, just like this lady (Rachel Brice), in my next life…this stuff rocks. Enjoy!

It’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

I was out surfing around my favorite blogs just now and ran across something fantastic at Gypsy Heart’s blog: It’s international Talk Like a Pirate Day!

One of my personal favorites...as pirates go.

Lots of people are fascinated by pirate culture, real or imagined. There’s an interesting article at CNN that talks about what makes people interested in dressing up and acting like pirates.Personally, I like pirate movies…but I don’t know that I’d want to be one for real, in old or modern times.

It’s very easy to view pirate times in a romantic light. Just think about being your own master, out on the open water, with nothing but a ‘code’ to get between you and utter freedom. Go where you want, do what you want, and wear really cool piratey clothing. That sounds great until you factor in the fact that there weren’t any girls allowed on the ships, generally speaking (bad luck, you know), unless you were a lady of the evening. If you were a guy, then you had to worry about things like scurvy, injury and abuse.

Editor’s note: I stand corrected. There were some female pirates, one in particular by the name of Anne Bonny, which you can hear more about at the History Channel website

The movie versions make it look like a swashbuckling good time, especially with yummy movie stars like Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. The truth is probably much, much farther afield from that, but it’s nice to dream!

So, in the spirit of celebrating the spirit of pirates and pirate culture, I’d like to share with you a neat little video from Ol’ Chumbucket and Cap’n Slappy who give a quick tutorial on the “five A’s” of pirate speak. Enjoy!

Hmm…did you get new glasses?

Isn’t is funny how you can change one little characteristic about a person and it makes them look totally different? I know I’ve had a haircut, and then come back to work and people I haven’t seen for a while will ask me if I got new glasses. Sometimes if you haven’t seen someone for a while, it’s hard to pinpoint what that difference is.

I was over at The Idiot Speaketh this morning, and there is a yummy picture of Robert Redford posted. It got me to thinking about how people change over time, and then I began to think of Burt Reynolds. Boy, wasn’t he a cutie back the day! Smokey and the Bandit continues to be one of my all time favorite movies.

So, I surfed around a little bit, and I found a bunch of pictures I’d never seen before of him with his mustache shaved off. I had to look twice to make sure it was Burt Reynolds I was looking at:

Here is one I found of Burt without his toupee. Isn’t it funny how he looks still more like the Burt Reynolds we all recognize without his hair, as opposed to when he had no mustache?

Ah, and here is my favorite:

I think Burt Reynolds was my first movie star crush as a kid. What is it about today’s actors that they don’t seem to have the same charisma as the actors of the 70 and early 80′s. Or is it just me? I think Russell Crowe comes close to having that sort of quality, as does Liam Neeson, but I’m hard pressed to come up with any other names. You tell me…who am I missing?