September 10, 2007
Toe Meets Leather
What a great start to the college football season. Georgia Tech is off to a 2-0 start and both games have been great experiences. Week 1: Notre Dame On the Thursday before Labor Day a bunch of us headed up...July 21, 2007
Harry Potter and the Greener Pastures
/images/antiwalmart.gif"/> Here's a play-by-play of my excursion to pick up Harry Potter Book 7 at midnight tonight: 11:50: Leave house. Destination: Wal-Mart. 11:54: Arrive at Wal-Mart. 11:55: Enter store and approach front of line. Begin walking to the back of...July 11, 2007
Bad Boys
If you haven't seen The Wire, and you love quality television, you need to find out what you've been missing now. For years now I've been hearing from various sources that this show is the best on television, but I had a hard time believing it, mainly because I had no concept of what it was about, and figured that it would win more awards than it does if it were truly that great.
Well, I'm here to report that the rumors are true; this show is as good as advertised. Despite my love for 24 and Lost, I must admit that The Wire is probably the finest TV drama I've ever seen. That's not to say it's for everyone; on the contrary, it's probably only suited for a small segment of the TV-watching population. It has a huge assortment of characters (over 50 at last count), an extremely thorough and slowly-developing storyline, and lots of different side plots. Add to this a focus on the drug trade, and a heaping ton of harsh and profane slang and you have a show that is a daunting (and likely insurmountable) task for the casual viewer.
So what's so good about it? Well, the acting is out of this world. The story is utterly realistic and very rich with detail. The characters are a portrait of reality; there is no obvious "good" and "bad", just "human" (very much like The Shield). But most of all, the writing will knock you over. With honest brutality the show examines the Balitmore drug trade and all the scenarios surrounding it, including the relationships between dealers and cops, politicians and their unwillingness to help out the defenseless, drug suppliers, the school system, and the street environment which funnels children into drugs. It is so frank and heartbreaking that it will open your eyes to a whole new universe.
If you're not scared off yet, I urge you to check it out. Buy the DVDs or rent them from Netflix/Blockbuster. Order HBO if you have to. In fact, I'll probably do this when Season 5 (the final one) airs, because I know I'm not going to want to wait to see how this one ends. You think The Sopranos is good? I'm telling you, it can't hold a candle to The Wire. It's not even a fair fight...June 17, 2007
Changing My Tune
Those of you that know me know that I'm not particularly interested in Apple products. Despite being surrounded by Apple fanboys wherever I go, I've just never been particularly fond of their style and philosophy on computer interaction. While I admire their capacity to push the creative envelope with technology, their style is just not my type...
... which makes it all the more ironic that I bought an iPod. Now, to be honest, I didn't buy one as much as contribute to the purchase of one. Due to a gift I received from my company for being named "Employee of the Quarter" sometime last year, I was able to get an iPod on the cheap. I will admit that this is one of the few Apple products that has at least intrigued me, because I am passionate about music and see the upside of having all my music with me at all times. So I splurged and bought one of the brand-new 80GB video iPods.
For the most part I've been happy. The huge hard drive meant I could put my entire music library (3000+ songs) on there with plenty of room to spare. I can take it into the car, to my desk at work, on walks with the dog, when running, etc. It was a real hassle up-front (to the tune of several days) to get my music organized and onto the iPod, and I have all kinds of issues with iTunes (which I won't discuss here), but for the most part it's been a positive experience.June 10, 2007
TV Report Card 2006-2007
Now that all of my TV shows which I watch have wrapped for the year, there's no better time to hand out some grades and accolades....April 26, 2007
April 25, 2007
Oscar's Story: Part II
The continuing saga about the adventures and misadventures of dog ownership......April 24, 2007
Oscar's Story: Part I
For those who don't know, I got a dog about 8 months ago. So, this is way overdue, but I figured I would chronicle the events surrounding my first few months of dog ownership. It's been an interesting ride, stressful...February 25, 2007
Oscar Predictions 2007
CategoryMy FavoriteMy PickWinner Best Picture:Little Miss SunshineBabelThe Departed Best Director:Martin Scorsese (The Departed)Martin Scorsese (The Departed)Martin Scorsese (The Departed) Best Actor:Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) Best Actress:Abigail Breslin...Back From the Dead
After a long 7-month hiatus (most of which I'm blaming on the dog), I'm getting back into the swing of things. Look for several posts in the next week or so, including Oscar predictions, an update on my dog, and...July 2, 2006
End Of An Era
Well, I believe the worst of my website worries are behind us. As of now, I am officially hosting my website on my own computer. The downside is that if my machine goes down, the website goes down. But since...June 27, 2006
The Times They Are A-Changin'
I apologize for the site downtime. As a heads-up to my loyal reader base, I wanted to inform you that I am in the process of moving my website off of my fraternity web server and onto a professional hosting...June 8, 2006
Downsizing
It's that time of year again: due to a time-honored but controversial schedule for the professional tennis season, two of the premier tournaments are played nearly back to back: The French Open and Wimbledon. It's really the only time of year that I get as much (or more) tennis as I can stand. The French is almost over, with the field already narrowed to the semifinalists, but the best is yet to come with the highly-anticipated #1 vs. #2 men's championship (Federer vs. Nadal). And if that wasn't enough... Wimbledon starts in 3 weeks. I get anywhere between 5-10 hours of coverage a day, for an entire month - I'm like a heroin addict waiting for his next fix. It keeps me glued to the TV.
And now for a counter-example: as I'm sitting here writing this, my roommate has "That '70s Show" blaring in the background. Naturally, I now have a world-class case of writer's block. I can barely hear myself think, what with this pathetic excuse for a comedy infiltrating my ears. As a result, I apologize in advance for what will likely be a substandard blog entry from me. I'm sure I've ranted about this before, but I simply cannot understand what people see in shows like that. "That '70s Show", "Everybody Loves Raymond", "Two And A Half Men"... the list goes on and on. The problem is that the writers completely miss the golden rule of humor: the funniest thing is real life. Sitcoms usually setup completely unrealistic situations and contrived scenarios and count on the audience being brainless enough to enjoy the forced jokes. Oh, and did I mention the laugh tracks, possibly the worst idea ever devised by man? Don't even get me started...May 24, 2006
Hurry Up And Wait
Well, after finally scheduling a trip to visit the breeder and see some of his dogs, I've made the plunge and put down a deposit for one of the Brittany puppies from his next litter. It feels a little weird buying a dog that hasn't even been bred yet, let alone born yet, but that's the way these kind of things work I guess. The really fortunate thing for me is that, when I originally spoke with this breeder, he had an upcoming litter of which 4 of the dogs were already spoken for. That meant my chances of getting what I wanted, or getting one at all, were somewhat low. However, it appears that the original breeding did not take, so they are breeding two different dogs instead. All of the people "in line" ahead of me wanted a pup from that original breeding, so when that didn't work out, I jumped straight to the top of the list. It seems fate is on my side...April 16, 2006
Man's Best Friend
So, after wanting one for forever, and thinking about it for a long time, and researching it seriously for the last month or so, I'm finally getting close to having a dog again. The itch has been there for a long time - I've had a dog in my home for most of my life, including just about my entire time in Jacksonville, as well as most of my time in the fraternity. It's been almost three years now since I've had a dog, and while I missed having one the whole time, for one reason or another I got real serious about it lately. I think that part of the reason it took so long was that, though I've always had dogs, I've never purchased one, nor have I been the sole owner for one, so admittedly I was a bit nervous.
For months I've been considering what I would want to get, and my initial thoughts were to get a beagle. I can't say why exactly: maybe it's because I simply love the way they look. It's more than just that though - I love their energy, loyalty, adventurous spirit, and low-maintenance coat. But I was hesitant because of their stubbornness towards obedience, high cost, and tendency to bay quite loudly. In the end, I decided that it would be a safe move to avoid a beagle. This means that it's unlikely that one of my roommates or neighbors will kill me due to the barking at all hours, so I guess that's a good side-benefit.
After doing some research and trying several online "dog breed picker" surveys, I stumbled across the Brittany (above, left). Honestly, I had never heard of them before, and still have not seen one in person, but everything I have read about them sounds fantastic. The first thing I noticed is how sharp they look - though they have several coat colors, orange/white is the most common, and I think it's a great look. Plus, they have a really intelligent and alert face, which isn't just pretend: they are a highly intelligent and aware breed, which comes from years and years of being bred as a bird hunting dog.
Beyond their appearance and intelligence, they have a lot of other good traits:
- Like beagles, they are a very high-activity breed, though not as hyperactive. They love a good run/swim/hunt, which fits in nicely with my desire to have a running partner.
- Their coat, though medium in length, is surprisingly low-maintenance, and produces minimal shedding.
- They are hypoallergenic, making them great for people with allergies.
- They are highly sociable dogs - they get along great with other dogs, humans, and children.
What's Wrong With This Picture?
First, a disclaimer: Netflix is a wonderful service, and has consistently provided me with good movie recommendations based on my personal tastes. But I guess even the best are prone to an error in judgment on occasion. Either that, or...March 26, 2006
Fooling Yourself (or, The Angry Young Man)
It's amazing how quickly time can slip away. It seems like yesterday that I wrote my last post on here, when in reality, it's been a month. Blogging is funny; my itch for writing seems to go in streaks. Sometimes...February 27, 2006
Shaun Does Dallas
Well, I'm back from Dallas, where I spent the last four days at PyCon, a software development conference centered around the Python programming language. Sounds like a blast, huh? I went with a group of 5 co-workers, and all in...February 6, 2006
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
So, Super Bowl XL was mediocrity executed to perfection. From the teams involved, to the game itself, to the halftime show, and even the commercials, nothing was memorable or particularly exciting. In fact, as a sports fan, the only tangible...January 16, 2006
Save Our Bluths!
Have you ever watched this show? If not, you're missing out. Arrested Development is, by far, the best comedy on television. Unfortunately, it might not be on TV much longer. The critically-acclaimed but chronically ratings-challenged sitcom recently had its 3rd season lineup cut from 22 to 13 episodes by FOX.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm part of the problem. Up until two weeks ago, I had not seen a single episode of AD, nor had I even heard a positive word about it. Coupled with FOX's questionable marketing practices with the show, I never really had the motivation to check it out. Little did I know what I was missing! Thanks to Netflix, who recommended the Season 1 and 2 DVDs to me, I raced through the first two seasons in a weekend. And I was laughing all the way.
Arrested Development is a lightning-quick, brutally witty and inventive comedy. It thinks completely outside of the box of "traditional" sitcom TV, which is exactly why I love it. No laugh tracks. No predictable storylines. No force-fed humor. The show makes its name on edgy comedy, awkward humor, inside jokes, and self-references. Led by an absolutely all-star cast, it is such a shame that a show like this cannot generate more than 4 million viewers - especially when crap like "King of Queens" and "Two And A Half Men" can dominate the ratings.
So, I'm doing my part by informing you all of how amazing this show is, and recommending that you should check it out immediately. Unfortunately, your chances to catch new episodes might be limited for awhile.
FOX is planning to air the remaining 4 episodes of the season in a 2 hour block on Friday, February 10.
That happens to be opposite the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, but who cares about that anyways? If I have to choose between smart, hilaroius comedy or a bunch of people waving flags, I'm going with the former. That will likely be the end of the road for Arrested Development on FOX, but it might not be the end of the story. Apparently ABC and Showtime have expressed great interest in picking up the show, assuming FOX cancels it (which hasn't happened yet). Either way, it looks promising that AD will have a future, somewhere. And it rightfully should - great comedies don't come along very often, and when they do, they should be appreciated. So, go watch Arrested Development. I can almost guarantee you'll like it. More likely than not, you'll find yourself in the same position as me - hoping for more, and wishing you hadn't stumbled onto it at the last minute...