Newman's Own

I felt it was necessary to offer a few thoughts on the passing of Paul Newman...

I remember saying to Kristi a few weeks ago, "Baby, Paul Newman is probably going to die soon." When it came down to brass tacks, this guy put his money where his mouth was.

How many realize that this guy took out a full page ad after feeling he performed poorly in a film...apologizing to audience members, and basically promising the best was yet to come.

Maybe it'll help to explain that my two computers are named Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid.

Maybe it'll help to explain that a career like Paul Newman's is why people like me happily continue to struggle and fight.

So. Here's to you, Butch, Luke, Hud, Fast Eddie - it has been, and will always be a pleasure to view your work, and continue to enjoy your legacy.

Jury Ransom

Truly, why don't they just call it what it is...? A civic duty?

Kristi has been stuck on a trial for nearly two weeks. They were to deliberate last Friday, which was bumped to Monday and has been extended until Tuesday. (Tomorrow) They were then informed by the judge that depending on what they decide, they may have to be retained. Seriously, it's gonna go two weeks. And what will this jury of "peers" be awarding? Millions. Fortunately, they pay $15/day for service in Los Angeles, so that'll definitely make up for what she's lost at work...heck, I'm a little concerned that it might bump us into the next tax bracket.

Here's where I usually complain about being a two income family paying two-times in rent what most people pay for a mortgage, etc. But you know, it's a small price to pay for livin' in the good ole U.S.A. So long as the LSU Tigers keep winning, and Tony LaRussa's contract comes closer to an end, I'm a pretty satisfied fella.

September 2nd, And a Few Thoughts

Welcome to the obstacle course...

Any tennis fans? I really like Rafa Nadal. Great sportsman, great athlete, I dig the way people dig him, but his left arm is so much bigger than his right, it honestly bothers me a bit.

I think Roger Federer is one of the few players that doesn't annoy me with a grunt...or even worse...the "ehhhhhhhhh..." that people so frequently use these days. Thanks, Monica Seles. Thanks for breaking the tennis sound barrier.

My Grandmother, whom I adore, called me the other night and it seemed she wanted to chat politics. (My Grandfather was a staunch Democrat, and me, a member of the Young Republicans Club - we would have great political arguments. I never knew what he was laughing about until I entered adulthood. That being said, I usually vote a nice mix of parties - and claim independence from party registry.) So, Grandmother is really diggin' on Barack Obama. I can't disagree with her vibe. Mentioning that, and the fact that I've given a few bucks to the "no special interest $$" campaign that the Obama camp has pledged allegiance to, she asked me for an address so that she might donate as well. Make no mistake people - there are those of us who are willing to believe that even without ALL of the answers, there's more influence in hope and the power of positive thinking than there is in continued war against terror. Quite frankly, another year of a regime similar to Dubya's is terrorizing!

Just finished a screenplay. At this point, it's tentatively titled, "Dead To Me" . It was fun and very challenging to write, and hopefully fun and less challenging to read. I consider it my Neo-Spaghetti Western. 120 pages, juiced with 186 scenes. Delicious.

My St. Louis Cardinals (yes, I own them) have fallen apart. I don't even want to check tonight's score. The door has been open over the past few weeks, and they've just stood outside like a confused teenager hoping to ask a girl out...doin' nothin'. This should do it for LaRussa in the city of St. Louis. Maybe we can go get Bobby Valentine from Japan.

Here's something I bet you didn't know. I tried out for MLB this summer. MLB as in Major League Baseball. The only mistake I felt I made in the tryout was listing my actual age on my information card. I bet a lot of you peeps didn't even know I liked baseball that much, eh? Well. It's true. I was the 2nd oldest of the 250+ players that showed to the open try-out. My day consisted of running and throwing. I smoked the kid I ran against, but didn't run my best. And my throws from outfield to home lacked the velocity I hoped for. To say the least, I was disappointed in my overall performance, but thought I still might be asked to scrimmage - I wasn't. I out performed the vast majority of the outfielders there, but couldn't remember one detail from my days of competitive athleticism. Will I go back? You bet Jurassic. Why? What's the point of setting fitness goals if you don't use your potential? If you're only interested in the way you look, you might as well simplify life and get a job as a mannequin. And how old will I be next time around? 24. ... ...24.

Dru and Chloe started another year of school, and with their advancement, we've advanced their punishments. To be honest, these two kids are so outstanding they're rarely punished. And now, Kristi and I have to nitpick to find anything to punish in the first place; however, I never like finding things in the carpet, day-old grits for example, as I'm lying down for a little rest. We also have issues with some house rules - so...new punishment? Push-ups. The most beautiful thing about it, they reluctantly love it. They'll act truly bummed when I say, "Give me 10 push-ups," but you can tell they love the physical challenge...and the Boy/Girl vs. Gravity.

Summer Adventure

I'm happy to report that I've had no time to put the fingers to the keys in regards to blogging this summer. Busy summer, full of family and friend activities, as well as travel and a slice of relaxation for the sake of sanity. Stories, insights, mishaps and complaints to come... ...but right now I have Olympic Fever, so who's with me?

Quickly, I'll admit that I was tempted to blog about the Brett Favre madness that has come to a end. It's nice to see him in uniform...that's all I'll say.

Hoppin'

I'll be all over during the summer, and thought a little update would be appropriate.

That being said, I'm gonna pause and share a little somethin' - somethin' that I read earlier today:

I woke up this morning to watch Empire of the Sun for the first time. Being a HUGE Spielberg fan (please don't bring up the latest Indy installment, I'm still in mourning...) as well as a MONSTER Christian Bale fan, I can't believe I hadn't seen this film before today. Regardless, I caught it on HDNet, bumped from its life in 35mm to HiDef, and it was absolutely gorgeous for a film that is 21 years old. Knowing it was Christian Bale's first leading role I was reading up a bit on America's favorite British superhero. (He's Batman, if you were unaware.) I was informed by the age-old eye to word combination that Mr. Bale was in deep financial duress a few short years ago - even amidst a film career that had blossomed for over a decade. Why bring this up? The last few months have been a wonderful financial struggle...which I pray is coming to an end. Regardless, reading of the struggles of a contemporary that I truly admire, the light at the end of the tunnel seemed more apparent.

SO.

The next few months...I'll be picking up where I left off last year in San Francisco at the Major League Baseball FanFest. Due to the popularity of the game, and the growing popularity of MLB's RBI Initiative (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities), KPMG, the corporate sponsor, has been booking me right and left to work my hosting mojo - I love them for it. I'll even get to team up with good ole Nicholas Coleman in NYC for the 2008 All-Star Break and MLB FanFest.

If you find me somewhere in transit, I'm always game to connect.

I'll be in Atlanta on Wednesday 11 - Friday 13 of this week. NYC July 10-18, and Phoenix at some point in August for a couple of days. There are dates out here, and stuff may be added after they get a dose of my 2008 awesomeness. In between all these dates, I'll be finishing up Wid Winner and the Slipstream, which I'm more excited about now than when the project began. Got some re-writes from Alex "Sascha" Gaynor this morning, and I got a little excited while reading them. I still owe some video evidence of this project, don't I? As my mom used to say, "Hold your horses."