Thunder Beach

Panama City Beach is having their annual Thunder Beach motorcycle rally this weekend. We were out on the beach for one hot minute today and I took a few pics. I'm starting to act like Kirk, carrying my camera with me at all times. I'm glad too because I've been getting some good stuff lately.

I'm gonna have to get some more pictures and some better ones this weekend. It should be easy to get some since there are literally lines hundreds of feet long of motorcycles parked outside every business on the beach right now.

Even some of the signage around town has been tweaked for Thunder Beach, from the obvious "Welcome Thunder Beach" signs, to the more daring "Biker Owned And Operated" sign at the BP gas station.

Should be cool.

***UPDATE***


I was out on the beach with Crystal this morning so she could look in the beach and surf shops for a Superman visor to wear on our trip to Orlando. We were honestly looking specifically for a sun visor with a Superman logo. Which made about as much sense as me jumping out of bed and running out the door this morning to find a George Formena grill signed by Muhammed Ali - a little ridiculous.

Well, needless to say our search was fruitless. Although while we were out there I got a few more shots of the riders. I notice a few things about the whole scene as well, that I'd like to share.

1) There are more black bikers than you would think, or at least than I had thought. And they usually had the best looking white biker mamas.

2) There was a nice mix of weekend bikers and the "I just got out of prison for selling meth" bikers, at Thunder Beach.

3) Biker mamas, 9 times out of 10, aren't that attractive. I saw a lot of banana breasts and "mom butt" out there. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I like a girl whose belly doesn't stick out farther than her boobs. It's just my preference.

All joking aside, most of the men and women at Thunder Beach are pretty cool people. I do wish that more of them were wearing helmets and not taking advantage of the "no helmet" law in Florida. On our way back from the beach we saw an accident in the opposite lane, looked like tow or three bikes and a pickup truck, one man was down holding his leg which seemed to be broken and he was bleeding from the head. A woman was lying about 30 feet away from him face down on the road, not moving. On our way across the bridge back into town we saw at least three seperate ambulances heading to the beach. It happens every year.

But besides a few accidents, Thunder Beach is usually just a good time with loud bikes and discount beer specials at the clubs.

And now back to the news...

Got in a bit later than usual tonight. Crystal, my wife, had her graduation and pinning ceremony tonight to mark her completion of the Physical Therapists Assistant program. Thank God it's actually the very last graduation and she's completely finished with college after four years. I know she's been waiting for this day for a long time now and so have I. With it all said and done, I can't tell you how nice it's gonna be to have the two of us both bringing in money again.

There wasn't that much hoopla for the graduation, just a pinning ceremony, two awards to hand out (Crystal got the Spirit Award), a slideshow (which I put together for them), and some platters of food for the friends and family. In all, I think the whole deal was about an hour long. I took tons of pictures and I'll have go through them and post a few. Oh, also the college told me that they liked the slideshow that I put together so much that they plan to use it for a promotional tool on the college website, so that's kind of cool.

Other than that, I see there's been a bunch of different stories in the news today.

Let's see, uh...

Moussaoui was sentence to life in prison. I can see the message being sent by not executing Moussaoui and making a martyr out of the potato headed bastard. I can also see how some families could feel cheated.

Al Qaeda's No. 2 man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi can't seem to work his weapon (that's what she said!). I think the footage the U.S. found came from Al Jazeera's Funniest Home Videos.

The Vatican excommunicated 4 Chinese Bishops. They were ordained without Vatican approval and now must go straight to Hell. At least that was the decision after the Pope got a call from God on his red emergency Pope-phone.

Bill Gates wishes he weren't so rich. You know, I'd like to have that complaint someday. Know what I'm saying?

According to Scott McClellan President Bush speaks el bad-o spanish-o. But reportedly this has not hampered his love of tacos. Also, apparently Stephen Colbert's (funny guy, by the way) routine at the White House press dinner didn't go over so well with W and the press in attendance, but I have to say I found it rather amusing. It was like Bush thought it was suppose to be a dinner and Colbert thought it was an episode of Yo Momma! I loved it, man.

And also, sadly Tiger Woods' father,Earl Woods, passed yesterday at the age of 74. He lived a very interesting life and wasn't a very demanding sports father, even though he helped his son become arguably the greatest to ever play the game. Probably one of the most fascinating obituaries that I've ever read.

And that's the news, folks! Lots of interesting things going on at once right now. I haven't really heard anything new in the Duke rape case since the New Black Panther party stepped onto the scene and made themselves look and sound fairly stupid on FOXnews (where else?), and on the Sean Hannity radio show (of course!). But I'm sure that will be a whole post unto itself in the future.

Videoblog: Office Tour

I took a few pictures around my office today during work to give everyone an idea of what it's like where I'm at 8 to possibly 12 hours out of the day. I poked fun at some of the office supplies not working and a few other things about the place (it's an old buidling and seen better days, the company admits it), but I have to say I love my job and the people I work with, it's a great company to be with. Old equipment and all.

Besides, IT is supposedly on their way to fix all my problems soon and we're moving to a new office space in a few months.

Blog Construction

I've just added a flash player to the blog as you may have noticed.

And I'm probably looking at maybe a template change in the future.

I'm not going to put a timeframe on it though since that seems to never work out with me.

**UPDATE**

I've decided to simply widen my content margins and clean up my sidebar instead (what can I say, I'm fickle). Let me know if it doesn't display properly. But there really shouldn't be any problems (unless you're one of the last people displaying at 800x600).

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

I was home sick yesterday instead of at work. I got out of bed around 6 a.m. as usually do and dragged myself to the shower. I felt like death warmed over beforehand, but I thought,"hey... all you need is a shower,"

Eh... not really. I was sick. So, I called into work, which took about 30 seconds, and I wento back to bed. Well, from about 7:20 in the morning until about 2 in the afternoon, I hybernated like a tranquilized bear. I needed it and it felt great.

After I finally came out out of the bedroom and turned on the television, I decided to watch a little He-Man and the Masters of the Universe on DVD. Not the live-action film starring Dolph Lundgren (which is whole other can of worms), but the original animated series.

I bought Season 1 Volume 1 at Best Buy on Sunday and since I was laid-up in the house alone I had nothing better to do and I really didn't feel like doing anything else.

Now, before I get into defending myself for buying and watching He-Man, let me talk more about the show.

Filmation produced the show based on the action figures by Mattel in 1983-1985. Mattel wanted nothing more than a marketing device for their action figures and wasn't expecting much out of the cartoon and didn't give much in the way of a budget to produce it. With no real expectations for it, it came as a surprise to many when the animated series became a huge success.

A large amount of the success has to go to Filmation, who with a very limited budget delivered a show that was actually well animated and had good writing. The animation's solid look can be credited to the fact that several Disney animators intinially helped with the series, and also the "stock sequence" library that was amassed for the show. Many sequences were drawn very well, but were recycled to save time and money. Usually the backgrounds would be changed, or the sequence would be mirrored to give it a different angle. This technique was used heavily throughout the show. It was also a neccesity because of the production schedule of the show.

He-Man was not a Saturday morning cartoon and it was not a part of any of the major networks. It was a weekly syndicated show airing five new episodes a week, a first on both counts in the world of animation. It was also the first show to have 65 episodes ordered for it's first season, which was why time and budget were very small for the show. In all, there would be 130 episodes of the original series, and a spin-off show, She-Ra: Princess of Power.

When I was a kid I was all about the cartoon. I now know that Mattel was only using the show to sell action figures, but to me the action figures were secondary to my love for the cartoon. I watched it so often that my dad even made me a tape of episodes with the commercials cut out that I would watch constantly in Puerto Rico.

Since then I 've grown older, gotten married, and started a career. But I'm still nostalgic about my childhood and the things that made it fun. When I saw the box-set at Best Buy I was genuinely excited and if that sounds stupid I really don't care. I wanted to the see the show again, man.

Now, I've heard people say things about He-Man, like - "It's the most homoerotic cartoon ever made...". Hmmm. What exactly does that even mean? Look, I watched the show as a kid because of the action/adventure. Back then I didn't even know what "gay" was! I never saw anything strange. Now as an adult, I've watched some of it again and I still don't see what the hell people are talking about! Is it because He-Man's body isn't completely covered and sometimes he picks up a rock and throws it, or struggles with a falling drawbridge? I mean, honestly, if you get a half-chub because a cartoon barbarian lifts something over his head, that's your problem, not mine. I think "homoerotic" is another word for someone saying "I felt funny and didn't like it", or "that show brings out my homophobia - BURN IT!!!" Some people, man - see the "gay" in everything!

I know a lot of people prefer Transformers or G.I. Joe to He-Man and that's cool, I understand. They're actually superior shows. But I always thought of Masters of the Universe as the "Little Engine That Could" and I stick by it. Plus, I genuinely enjoy it for all it's accomplishments and all it's flaws. It reminds me of my childhood and that's something I always enjoy. Does that make me weird? I don't think so.

I still like beer. I still like sex (with grown women). I just also happen to like a cartoon.

BY THE POWER OF GREYSKULL.... I HAVE THE POWER!!!!

Pity the Fool...

Pity the Fool Who Doesn't Listen to Mr. T
Tuesday, May 02, 2006

NEW YORK — If Dr. Phil can dispense advice, why not Mr. T?

The TV Land network announced Tuesday that it will start "I Pity the Fool," a series where "The A-Team" star travels across the country dispensing inspiration and advice.

"The 'T' stands for talking," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm going to talk it up. It's what I've been doing all my life."

The series starts in October. He'll offer help to people struggling with personal or professional problems.

"My show ain't no 'Dr. Phil,' with people sitting around crying," he said. "You're a fool — that's what's wrong with you. You're a fool if you don't take my advice."

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When I read a story like this it puts a smile on my face and assures me that there is a God... and he likes to make me giggle.

Mr. T will always be the man in my book and I hope his show does well.

United 93

I saw this article on FOXnews.com and found it odd. Read it and see if you notice the same thing.

'RV' Tops 'United 93' at Box Office
Sunday, April 30, 2006


LOS ANGELES — Audiences hit the road with Robin Williams as his family-vacation romp "RV" opened at No. 1 with $16.4 million, while the acclaimed Sept. 11 drama "United 93" debuted with $11.6 million.

Studio estimates Sunday had Universal Pictures' "United 93" in second place, just ahead of Disney's sports comedy "Stick It," which premiered with $11.3 million. Those rankings could change once final numbers are released Monday.

The weekend's other new wide release, Lionsgate's spelling-bee drama "Akeelah and the Bee," was No. 8 with $6.25 million.

The 20th Century Fox release "RV" was expected to debut on top, but "United 93" had been an unknown quantity, with Hollywood analysts wondering whether movie-goers were ready to relive the horrors of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"It's not about the positioning of the film. It's about the fact that the American public spoke out," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal Pictures. "This is a wonderful result. What they said was that it wasn't too soon for a film about Sept. 11."

Married couples accounted for just over half the "United 93" audience, and 71 percent of viewers were 30 and older, according to Universal.

With painstaking authenticity, "United 93" recounts the horrific end of passengers who fought back against their hijackers aboard one of the commandeered planes, which crashed in rural Pennsylvania.

Families of those killed aboard Flight 93 cooperated with director Paul Greengrass ("The Bourne Supremacy," "Bloody Sunday"), who re-creates the experiences of passengers and air-traffic controllers in a documentary-style drama. "United 93" earned widespread praise from critics.

Shot on a modest budget of $15 million, "United 93" should easily turn a profit once theatrical, television and DVD revenues are tallied. Universal said it will donate 10 percent of the first weekend's grosses to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.

Playing in 1,795 theaters, about half as many as "RV," "United 93" averaged a solid $6,462 a cinema, the best results among the top-10 movies.

"We can now kind of put to bed any idea that people are not ready to see this type of movie. The numbers speak for themselves," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Coming this August is Hollywood's second Sept. 11 dramatization, Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center," starring Nicolas Cage in the story of two Port Authority policemen trapped in the rubble of the twin towers.

"RV," starring Williams as a dad taking his family on a slapstick-filled vacation, debuted in 3,639 theaters and averaged $4,507. The gymnastics tale "Stick It," starring Missy Peregrym and Jeff Bridges, averaged $5,523 in 2,038 theaters.

Overall business rose for the sixth-straight weekend, with the top-12 movies taking in $90.7 million, up 12 percent from the same weekend last year. After a big slump in 2005, attendance is running 4 percent ahead of last year's, with Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible III" opening Friday and kicking off what is expected to be a huge summer at the movies.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "RV," $16.4 million.

2. "United 93," $11.6 million.

3. "Stick It," $11.3 million.

4. "Silent Hill," $9.3 million.

5. "Scary Movie 4," $7.8 million.

6. "The Sentinel," $7.6 million.

7. "Ice Age: The Meltdown," $7.05 million.

8. "Akeelah and the Bee," $6.25 million.

9. "The Wild," $4.7 million.

10. "The Benchwarmers," $4.4 million.

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What caught my attention was this - I've never read an article where so many people were applauding a major motion picture for making a little more than $10 million on it's opening weekend. Even low-bugdet action films starring The Rock weren't considered to be major triumphs after making more than $15 million on opening weekend!

First, it's obviously "spin". Possibly trying to get people who still haven't seen it to go and check it out. Or maybe so Hollywood can hedge their bets for when the next 9/11 movie comes out, so it's not dismissed - from "guilt by association". Whatever the thought behind it it's obviously "spin". Hollywood doesn't give so much praise to so little an accomplishment. It may also be Hollywood trying to drum-up justification for their cashing-in on this tragedy so soon.

They say more than once that this is proof that America is ready for 9/11 on the big screen, but I would say it's the total opposite. In fact, I'd have to say - at $10 million, this movie is a failure. More people weanted to see Robin Williams sticking to the front of an RV than wanted to watch Flight 93 crash in a Pennsylvannia field. I really don't find that very surprising. I rarely walk into an obvious "downer" of a situation when heading into the theater.

Back to the subject of spin - don't let it it be lost that I do realize that I found this article on FOXnews.com. Many people will tell you that FOXnews is blatantly slanted to the right. I don't disagree. I don't think it's as bad as some believe, but I do see the slant on a daily basis on the cable news channel. I see the same thing to the left on CNN as well. I'm not surprised to see this on FOX, I just think it was too apparent in it's agenda to not stand out on their website as another biased piece.

Whatever the reasoning behind it, I think it's lame on all counts. I was hoping for United 93 to not do well because I think it's obvious that it's being done simply as a way to make money off human suffering at this point - well done or not. And some may call it a success at $10 million, but I completely disagree and I'm glad that people saw it for what it was and chose not to be sucked in. Hopefully, World Trade Center, coming out later in the summer, will do just as well.

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If you agree, disagree, or saw the United 93, I'd like to hear what you think.

Thanks.