Moving On

I am no longer here. Most of you likely already came to that conclusion seeing as how I have not posted anything since last year. Many things conspired to this lack of activity. I will cover none of it here. For those of you interested, I have begun again somewhere new. You may find my blog at the link on the left (the only one there so there should be no confusion). So let us bid farewell to the Superiority Report. Hope to see you on the other side.

Defending Pacman

Living in Tennessee these past 2 1/2 years, I've become quite a big Titans fan. I've enjoyed seeing a team that was lousy when I got there become good enough in 2 short years to make the playoffs at the end of last season. The only aspect of the team I did not like was cornerback/kick-returner/malcontent Adam "Pacman" Jones. Although he is a talented, exciting player his off field fiascoes far outweighed any benefits he brought to the team (at least in my mind). I am not one of those fans who believe in win at all costs. I like to see things done the right way and with players that you are not ashamed to cheer for. Granted, it is becoming increasingly rare in this day and time, but it is still possible. Anyways, Pacman is the guy who got suspended for the year by the NFL last season for running afoul of the law a number of times, mostly for being in strip clubs and behaving badly. It didn't bother me that he got suspended even though he was never actually charged or convicted of anything. He was clearly a nuisance to society and got what he deserved. At least that's what I thought at the time. However, in the last couple of weeks I've seen little blurbs at the bottom of the screen during SportsCenter referring to players who have been convicted of crimes (in some cases doing time) not receiving any fines or further punishment from the NFL. What the hell? Where is the justice in that? A man who has never even been in court for his behavior gets suspended for the year while others who get convicted don't have anything happen to them? Yes, I realize jail time is a punishment but you try and get arrested and see if you're still employed with the same company. Furthermore, Ahmad Bradshaw, a running back for the New York Giants won't even have to serve his six months in jail until after the season is over. You go ahead and go get yourself arrested and convicted then see if you can get them to delay your time served six months or so and still have your same job when you get back. Go ahead, let me know how it works out for you. I never thought I would defend Pacman Jones but I really believe now he got a bum deal from the NFL.

Chaos Theory

Well, I finally got to see The Dark Knight last night. I'm really still absorbing a lot of it so I'm not sure how I truly feel about it. I liked it well enough and there are some genuinely jaw dropping moments but I'm not convinced it lives up to all the incredible hype. Really though, how could any movie? The theme of the movie seems to center around chaos as a tangible force. It's the reason the Joker thrives in Gotham, it's what inspires him. He sows discord throughout the city by appealing to man's basest natures, namely greed and the need to survive no matter the cost. Unfortunately, the Joker consistently uses the same ploy to sow chaos which to me seems to be a much too organized way of creating chaos in the first place. I think the only thing that truly annoyed me about the movie was the damn music. Every time (and I mean every damn time) something major was about to happen you would hear this one freaking note that would get louder and louder until the "shock" came. I was kind of disappointed that Christopher Nolan would resort to using this hack method of creating tension. The story and the surprises were good enough that the music was unnecessary. After awhile it actually took away from the scene. Leave that crap for stupid slasher films, man.
Heath Ledger was as good as advertised. This is the best Joker ever put on film, no contest. Anyone giving me Jack Nicholson needs to go back and watch that original Batman film again (I did recently and was disappointed I ever thought that movie was good). Aaron Eckhart did very well as Harvey Dent also. Nobody else in the cast really stood out. In fact I thought that Christian Bale did a terrible job as Batman this time out (though he was quite good as Bruce Wayne). The deep voice he affected when in costume seemed a little cartoonish. The batsuit itself did not look very intimidating either. I also did not like the way Batman finally tracked down the Joker. I know he's always relied on gadgets to fight crime but the method he uses here seems pretty far fetched even for a "comic book" movie and especially for a Batman film directed by Nolan. I think in the final analysis I enjoyed Batman Begins much more. And as far as a Nolan/Bale collaboration goes, I enjoyed The Prestige even more (that film gets better with every viewing, believe me). I guess I have to say that I really did like Dark Knight but there were some minor things that kept it from being a great film in my eyes. Make no mistake though, it's still a very good film. Just don't believe the hype.

Youth Is Wasted

"Youth is wasted on the young". I've always hated that expression. Unfortunately though, as I get older the more I realize the truth of it. That's not to say that young people don't know how to enjoy life. To be sure, there are many that take every opportunity presented to them. I've had friends that have taken road trips, traveled to other countries, had adventures I always regretted not having. Naturally, life is full of regrets regardless of who you are. Life is filled with moments not savored properly, of doors never opened. In times of reflection I've often regretted not being bolder with my choices, with not savoring that certain kiss even longer (note to wife:yes, there were girls before you) or with not going away to college. I've regretted not ever have gone to Europe or Japan or even on a cruise. Yes, some of those things I can still do but when you have kids it's a little harder. When everyday life is always there, spontaneity is taken away. Scheduling an adventure is just not as good as being able to leave it open ended. There have been relationships I've regretted not pursuing, friendships I wish I would not have let go of. There are regrets with my children, even though none of them are yet teenagers. I'm afraid I've not been as good a parent as I could have been. In fact, I know I have not. So yes, youth is wasted on the young. It's not as insulting as it sounds. It's just one of those facts of life that makes bitter memories just a bit more so.

Summer in New Orleans

I've remembered what my least favorite thing about New Orleans is...summer. This is kind of a problem because it is almost always summer in New Orleans. The heat is ridiculous and the humidity makes it even more so. If you are not from the southeastern or southwestern part of the U.S. do not tell me that you know what it is like to deal with humidity. You don't. I've been and lived in lots of places north of say, Tennessee, in the summer. Yeah, it can get hot but it is still nothing like what we endure in the Deep South. I can't speak for other parts of the world having never been anywhere other than Canada (for a day) and the Caribbean (for a week). Another problem with the summers here is the endless amount of rain. Seriously, it rains here every day and usually it is a torrential rainfall. I know, people in Seattle are thinking "suck it up, whiner". But if you live in Seattle you have it a lot better than we in New Orleans do anyways. This summer weather makes me even happier that I have started my new job. It's indoors and it's air-conditioned. Plus it's not too strenuous (always a plus in my book). I know this sounds like unnecessary complaining and maybe it is. I'm just sick of the rain and the heat and the humidity already and it's only June. Oh well.

Better Late Than Never

This is the first chance I've gotten to offer congratulations to the Boston Celtics for winning the NBA Championship last week. It is very rare that a team I pick to win it all before the season starts actually goes on to do so. I was very glad to see Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and P.J. Brown (a New Orleans area native) finally win a championship after so many years. I was also happy for Ray Allen (who always has seemed like a class act), Doc Rivers (who I loved watching as a player) and for Glen "Big Baby" Davis (an LSU guy in his rookie year). What made it even better is that it came at the expense of Kobe Bryant. I just can't stress how much I don't like this guy. Yes, I realize all athletes are prima donnas to one extent or another. And he certainly isn't the first to push publicly for a trade. What made that worse though was that he demanded a trade from a team he created. He's the one that pushed for Shaquille O'Neal to be traded to the Miami Heat (where he promptly won a championship). He helped push Phil Jackson out the door even thought Jackson later returned. What's even more annoying about the guy are the comparisons to Michael Jordan. Of course, Bryant has no control over what others say about him but it's ridiculous to compare Kobe to Michael. Is Bryant one of the top players in the league right now? Of course he is. Is he so far above everyone else? Of course not. To insinuate that is so is ludicrous. LeBron James is at least Kobe's equal if not superior. Kobe has benefited from playing in a major market his entire career and with perhaps the greatest center ever in O'Neal. Let's be realistic. If Kobe played in Memphis or Portland or Charlotte people would say he's a good player but nothing special. What does he do that any other franchise player does not? Nothing. Okay, this has become an anti-Kobe rant when it was meant to be a celebration of the Celtics. Sorry, I just can't help it. Kobe really rubs me the wrong way and even worse are the supposedly knowledgeable people who perpetuate the hype. Anyways, congratulations Boston. Hopefully, the Red Sox will continue the Boston party this fall. Too bad the Patriots blew it on their end.

Pardon the Interruption

The cat's way out of the bag on this one but it drives me insane every time I see it. If you watch t.v. for even only five minutes, regardless of what station, you've noticed the ridiculous amount of pop-ups that appear on the screen every couple of minutes. Most of them are for shows that you're going to see a commercial for in about six minutes but that doesn't seem to matter to the powers that be. The most egregious example I've seen is on TBS. Not only do their ads take up half the screen, they've now taken to pausing their shows to advertise the Bill Engvall Show. I've never seen the show. Maybe it's a great show. But I'll never watch it just because they've pissed me off so much by freezing the show I'm watching so Bill can do his little spiel. I really want to throw my remote through the t.v. sometimes. I realize it's way too late to do anything about this problem. It's only going to get worse. I just had to get this off my chest. It's a good thing I love to read. Luckily they haven't found a way to put pop-up ads in my books yet.

Checking In

Haven't much to say this time around. I started my new job this past Monday. I can't really say if I like it or not yet because all we are doing is sitting in orientation classes for the first two weeks. It doesn't seem like it will be a bad job as most of the machinery is fully automated. There is some physical labor involved depending on the department I end up in but certainly nothing worse than some of the jobs I've had. It pays well and the benefits are good so I think any aggravations will be outweighed by my paychecks. On other fronts, my wife and I still have not had any luck selling our house in Tennessee. We are both starting to get worried because there is no way we can afford rent and mortgage. We have family we can stay with here but obviously with a baby on the way that is not an ideal solution. So we shall see. Not much else today. Life is kind of on hold right now with waiting for the baby to arrive and trying to get fully relocated back in Louisiana.

Red Ring of Death

Well, my day is starting great. My oldest son was attempting to play a game on the 360 when he told me it kept freezing and the screen was going red. When I went to investigate and turned it off and then on again we got the dreaded "red ring of death". If you're not a gamer you have no idea what I'm talking about. If you are, then you are probably cringing with me. For those that don't know, the red ring basically means your unit is fucked. Now, I heard that Microsoft was replacing units that get the red ring but I'm not sure if they still are or if it matters when the manufacture date of your unit was. We purchased the extended warranty from the store when we bought it so hopefully we can get something done. With a baby on the way and us relocating to Louisiana the chances of me buying a new one anytime within the next year are virtually non-existent. Anyways, that's how my day has started. The good thing is that I start my new job tomorrow. It is the same one my wife and I were hoping I would get so we are both very excited. It's not like we will suddenly be living in the lap of luxury but once we sell our house in Tennessee we will be doing alright at least. I guess you really do have to take the good with the bad sometimes. That's a ridiculous statement, but true nonetheless.

David Stern Gets His Wish

Let me say first that I generally do not believe in conspiracy theories. I especially think it is absurd to believe that sports can be manipulated to fit into a pre-ordained outcome. Having said that, it sure is remarkable that the NBA actually ended up with the Finals match-up it most desperately desired, Celtics vs. Lakers. Of course the Celtics were the cream of the crop in the East. Their only serious competition this year came from the Pistons and the Celtics just flat out wanted it more than the Pistons did. However, by no stretch of the imagination were the Lakers head and shoulders above the rest of the Western Conference. Yes, they were the number one seed but that was only by a game and only because the Hornets faltered the final week of the regular season. They were decidedly superior to both the Nuggets and Jazz in the playoffs but then drew likely the easiest match-up they could have in the conference finals when they got the Spurs. Yes, I know the Spurs were the defending champs and no, this is not bitterness because they ousted my Hornets. The Spurs were lucky to survive New Orleans. Yes, lucky. Just compare their shooting percentages from the New Orleans series to the Lakers series (and the Hornets played excellent defense against them). So the Lakers got the older, less athletic team which had no legitimate answer for Kobe, Gasol, or Odom as opposed to the one that did. Now, did the NBA influence the outcome of the Spurs/Hornets series? I wouldn't say that but they sure got lucky. Now they get the Finals match up that will likely give them their highest ratings since Jordan retired the second time. The ratings in Boston and L.A. alone will probably be higher that last year's bore fest that was Spurs/Cavaliers. So David Stern is jubilant and Kobe gets the spotlight (which is all he really cares about). But my hope is that Kevin Garnett (a more complete player and classier guy than Kobe could ever be) gets his first championship. I won't give a prediction as far as how long the series will last but I will take the Celtics all the way.