Dear __________, I'm sorry I haven't been myself lately. Y'see this thing called "work" has been pre-occupying my mind, body, and soul, and it's not right. I don't like who I've become, and I don't like who I am because of what I've chosen to do. Working 45 hour weeks is not who I am, not what I represent as a person, but it is merely a means to an end. This in itself is a contradiction as I've always preached to cherish each living moment. As much as this will give me an opportunity to move on to the next level in my career and in life, it is still no excuse that we have not been able to spend time together like we used to. Literally, I come home bagged, drained, exhausted mentally and physically. This is not right, no. I promise, we will fix this. We will change this. We will ammend what once was all good. Yes, we can. Sincerely, Homee.
Yikes! I just heard the news today: Vibe Magazine is shutting down! Wow, after 16 years of reporting the world of hip hop, the run is finally over! I still have my Feb 01 issue, and all the others that faithfully follwed until March 08. They blamed their troubles on advertising woes, but there were certainly bigger issues at stake. Questionable content, falling page counts in the face of a recession, and the inevitable surrender to the internet. No word yet on when the last issue will hit stands, but I'll probly cop two just in case! Good luck Danyel Smith, and the staff at Vibe, and thank you for a great generational run.
Fully recovered from a wild and crazy weekend, and Monday falls with doom and gloom! More deadlines to face this week for work, and more crazy idiocy getting in the way of those deadlines. What to do, what to do? Oh, and then there's a holiday smack dab in the middle of the week? How does that work out? Insanity!! Jon and Kate was a "recap" show today, showing highlights of their years on the show. They really didn't have enough footage for a full hour episode, so it was a bit awkward. Basically, they had tons of Kate footage with the kids, but not enough Jon footage with the kids as they have already seperated. I really do hope the best for them, regardless of the show, the papparazzi, and the media.
Cool hairstyles, and even cooler photography (and even cooler models!!): By Gregory Dean and Solve Sundsbo.
What a hectic day! Head is pounding from the drinking festivities last night, and I still have so much to do to get ready for the Surprise Baby Shower for Capital M! Lucky, Capital M has really sneaky friends, so she went out to brunch with Marv, and then Mich and Church took her halfway to Hamilton and back. This gave me time to clean up the place, and just as I started to put up the decorations, all the guests started arriving early so as not to ruin the surprise! DOH! I was still in my football jersey, and just putting stuff on the walls! A couple of the girls helped me with the remainder of the decorations, and Car, Che, and everyone else helped finish putting together the lootbags and giveaway prizes! I completely forgot to buy juice, pop, plastic utensils, and ice, so I had to make one last minute run to the Loblaws and had about 5 mins to spare before the guest of honor showed up!! She was TOTALLY surprised, so the distraction tactics throughout the day and the week totally worked! We ended up playing games like baby word scramble, name that nursery rhyme, guess the circumference of mommy's belly, and pin the diaper on Daddy! (Not my best moment in time!) Thanks to Car, Mich, Marv, and the rest of everyone who came out! Baby girl totally racked up the shower gifts with a playpen, jolly jumper, Snugli, tons of clothes, bibs, rattles, diapers, a monitor, some travel items, and tons of stuff for mom-to-be also!! Thanks again to everyone for the generous gifts, and for bringing the yummy food and desserts for the potluck also!
Check out my lovely decorations job! Party Packagers saved my butt!
One-Stop shopping for all your party needs!
This was the word scramble game.
Then there was "Name that baby food!"
Some people had to leave early, so we took an early group shot.
Then there was pin the diaper on Daddy game. No pics, no evidence!! Then there was the one-handed diaper change contest.
Alex was the happiest baby in attendance! I only wish that our baby is that smiley!!
Friday finally arrives, and the crazy weekend from heck begins! We have the brother in law bday party tonight, a surprise baby shower for Capital M on Sat, and regular Sunday chores to deal with. So much for a lazy Sunday! Cherish the weekends!! The Bro in law decided to have his bday party at Hemingway's over in Yorkville. We originally reserved a table for 15 which by the end of it all ended up only being 10. If you've ever been to Hemingway's, you'll know that even getting a rezzo for FOUR people is hard enough! Ultimately, we worked our magic and managed to get three tables together. Two pints, three Grey Gooses, and one glass of Sangria after my Lamb Chops, and it was time to hit the streets of Yorkville! Alot of what happened next was a blur as we went from pub to pub, lounge to lounge, and the brother in law had a great time telling everyone that he met that it was his bday! (His real bday is on Saturday tho!)
I still can't fully believe that Michael has left us... Thank you for your contributions, and thank you for the legacy you left with us while you were here. RIP Michael Jackson.
Wow. Everyday that passes by you experience something new. Something new happens each and every day. Learn from it. The choice is yours to learn from what life brings your way or ignore it and live in ignorance. Michael Jackson passed away today.
I'm lucky enough that I learned in 05 when my grandfather passed away that life is precious. You are given one life and one life only. Make the best of it. Not only to cherish the weekends, but as well as each and every moment that life brings your way. We are all merely here just bumping around and into each other like particles floating in the wind. Our paths may cross and some may even collide, but as people we experience and learn from each interaction. Michael Jackson showed us all many things. Beside the obvious that he brought us the music, the lyrics, and the emotion. He also brought us the signature dance moves, the methodical choreography, the vision of his own appearance, his perfectionism in performance, and his flawless entertainment. Forever will last his studded glove, his white socks with black shoes, his red jacket, the aviator sunglasses. the moonwalk, and his spin and lean. I will remember him for his pioneering the Epic Music Video, making the music video into a movie, a global event. He is also responsible for the Epic choreography routine. Even Janet has to give credit to her big bro that he brought the group dance routine above and beyond where it is today. MJ's world concert tours were also Epic. Only a handful of bands can boast bigger grossing world tours, and not many solo performers can compete with what he accomplished internationally. Even his Epic albums spawned so many number one hits, it's mezmerizing that so many hits could come from so few albums. He was the King of Pop indeed. His songs were heard by each and everyone no matter what walk of life you were. Take time out today to remember where you are. Remember what you are doing. Freeze this moment in time for you to tell the next generation about what you learned today, how you felt, how your life changed. Yes, my friends we are getting old. A generation is passing. Time does cruel things to everyone. Time we can never get back, and never replace. So the next time someone asks me why I smile all the time, and how I can laugh all the time, you will know. It's not that I don't have the capacity to be serious. I can be serious when I feel like it or when the situation calls for it. But in the meantime and in between time, WHY SO SERIOUS? Live life! This is it folks, this is all we get. Make this your own time. LIVE LIFE!
Song of the Day: Heal the World - Michael Jackson RIP Michael Jackson
Yup, Still sick, still hopped up on drugs, but I toughed it out. Got too much to do this week, and it's definitely taking a toll on my system. Then there's the weekend from hell, and not much time to recuperate from this flu either. I'm doomed.
The one thing I was able to look forward to today was the premiere of Transformers 2, Revenge of the Fallen: Now, I'm not gonna ruin it for anyone, but it is a MUST SEE movie this year! The action was intense, and definitely blew the entire budget for Michael Bay. Some pretty cool things came of it, the return of Shia LaBoeuf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese, and the main principles. The cameos by Rainn Wilson and Deep Roy were priceless. The introduction of the real FemBot (Alice) was a bit contrived, but necessary. Dreamworks and Industrial Light and Magic made a TON of money on this project, and Hasbro is going to reap from the toys revenue on this one. Overall, the action and special effects were 11/10, but the writing and storyline was 6/10. I have to be harsh on this film only because I've been waiting on it since the first movie! The romance between Sam and Mikaela was so corny I rolled my eyes so far back in my head I was looking upside down at times! Totally not needed in the movie at all. Don't worry fellas, he only kisses Megan Fox 3 times, and they were all horrid kisses. HORRID. The introduction of the Constructicons and Devastator was not done well at all. No story, no intro, just "HERE'S Johnny"!! Mudflap and Skids were comedic relief, but I would have rather seen some stronger Autobots take character development. Starscream was developed a bit more, and had more speaking lines than in the first film, but I guess the fans wanted to see more of his foolery. I really thought that they should have brought in Rodimus Prime in this movie, but I guess they're milking the Optimus angle for as long as they can sell toys (Boo Hasbro)! Also, seeing as they didn't develop any stronger Autobots, there really was nodoby to take the reigns over. Ooops, I've said too much now. I call for the DinoBots to take shape for Part 3 if they were smart. All in all, the action was non-stop. For the casual fan, or even someone who doesn't know what the Transformers are all about, you might enjoy the action but you definitely won' get the plot. The plot was a bit complex, and you would have to know something about the Transformers, their history, and the Decepticons organizational chart. (Fallen, Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Frenzy, Ravage, etc) Something cool to note: Shia LaBoeuf's personal Driver got into the credits because of Shia LaBoeuf's little DUI problem. The movie references the President as Obama, something Hollywood rarely does!
Overall Homee Rating: 7.5/10. Definitely go see it. And you have to watch it with an open mind!It's worth the price of admission, and a pop. Hold off on the popcorn, you'll be too busy watching the fights and sparks flashing across the screen.
This trailer came on in our theater for M.Night Shyamalan's "The Last Airbender":
I got sick with a cold/flu today and it was from my boss! The nerve of some people's children, I swear. NO it's not H1N1, and NO it's not Swine Flu! Not much to blog today, I'm too hopped up on drugs and need some time for the Nyquil to take effect..... I leave you with:
Turns out that after all the Jon and Kate Plus 8 drama last night that TLC has decided to react by putting the show on hiatus!! Last night's show drew 10.6 Million viewers, a record for TLC!! After filming only 6 of the contracted 40 upcoming episodes, the next new episode won't air until August 3rd. This is good because it will give them all time to regroup, but it still won't stop the papparazzi from being the jerks that they are!!
Song of the Day: I Miss You (Come Back Home) - Monifah
Monday mornings on 3.5 hours of sleep are not well advised. I was moving in total slow motion at work today and was extra extra exhausted by the time quitting time rolled around. I swear, I gotta start drinking coffee. No wait, I already did that. Obviously it's not working. Monday also means that you have 4 days to decide that you're going out on Friday night. So come out and join the TOFLO folks as they relaunch their site! Cocktails? Yes please!
So Jon and Kate made their big announcement today on their weekly show. It was a bit misleading because they officially announced that they were SEPERATING at about 45 mins into the show. Then, not 5 mins later, a black screen shot comes up and says that on June 22nd (TODAY) they filed for the dissolving of their marriage (DIVORCE)!! WTF? Wow, what a turn of events! No word on how the proceedings are actually going to move forward, but it sounds like Kate will live in the big new house with the kids, and Jon will have visitations and selected episodes. Apparently, they decided to Seperate a few days before Mother's Day, and they filed for Divorce the day after Father's Day. Wow. That alone spells so much drama! Being a follower of this couple's life since the very beginning of the show, I feel that I've just lost a family member. I was really rooting for these two to set an example for young parents all over the place. If Jon and Kate can raise 8 kids, you can surely raise your one or two brats! I guess that pipe dream is over. Not to say that they could still salvage their marriage, but it looks like their communication has just totally broken down! :( I will forever take Jon's side. A father of 8 kids at the age of 28, married way too young, his wife totally overbearing and a control freak. True, he made a grave mistake by not standing his ground in the marriage, but how could he? She would bark right down his throat at any mistake he made! And as a trained nurse, she all of a sudden decides that she's now a writer, and goes on a nationwide book tour and autograph signing session? Uhhh, if anyone's signing autographs, shouldn't it be the whole family? Kate, you are way too selfish and delusional, and you read too many of your own ego boosters. I am not saying that Jon is without blame either, but she really did drive him away. Notice when you watch the repeats that she says "MY kids" and he always says "OUR kids". That right there tells me that she's already given up on their marriage on her end and is in full "protect MY kids" mode. Now, at the age of 32, and having to deal with choosing between his kids or holding his marriage together, that's a choice nobody would wish they would have to make. But really, it's KATE who's the one who's forcing him to choose by not being as accomodating of his help and his contributions to their parenting. And now her worst fears of being alone have been fulfilled. And the tabloids, media, and papparazzi have NOT done anything to help either. I swear if I ever come face to face with papparazzi, I will not have any mercy on their souls. They are scum of the earth. They give the media a bad name. They make the news, bad news. Sad, but true, when you look at the situation total total, it's one fine mess. Many criticize the parents for putting the kids through this show and the whole ordeal, when in fact, it's the show that afforded them so many opportunities and even college tuition! Their trip to Hawaii to meet Jon's family would have never happened without the show. Disneyland would never have happened. Their new bigger house would not have happened. So many opportunities for them to live like "normal" kids or at least have the opportunities that most other kids take for granted, all because of the show revenue! What else would they do if Jon was still an IT clerk, and Kate a PT Nurse at a hospital? Add on to that two full time babysitters (or more), and kids that would be going stir-crazy bonkers because they couldn't go anywhere!?!? AND in the middle of a full blown Recession in the US?? True, there is a fine line between what a "normal" kid would have available to them, but also factor in that there are 8 kids to deal with also! I do wish all of them (Jon and Kate and the kids) the best out of this. From episode one, I've watched them grow, and often I'd put myself in Jon's shoes like, "Would I be able to handle 8 kids when I was 28?" Dude, when I was 28, I was still partying in my second year in Toronto, and Livin tha Life! 8 kids?? That's the reality check of all Reality Checks! Good luck Gosselins, and God Bless.
Those who know me, know how much I love animation, anime, and cool stuff. Here's a little project that caught my eye: This was contracted by top artists to portray their best interpretation of beauty. I have to start investing in art.
All the chatter on Twitter about the events in Iran prompted this picture: HILARIOUSNESS!!!
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