Memorial Day With The Kids...

This is how Memorial Day should be for kids... eating after getting out of the pool on a nice, hot, sunny Memorial Day with not a care in the world... wish I was them again...

Happy Memorial Day 2006!

Cable TV Best Look Out

Almost a year ago I switched from cable tv to Direct TV and have really enjoyed Direct TV with no complaints. So yesterday I receive an email from Direct TV informing me that I am eligible to receive a free DVR. So what the heck I think, I call Direct TV up and order up the DVR which will be installed tomorrow. Here is why that whole experience is 1,000% more pleasant than any dealings I had with our local cable company and why I think cable tv, if they haven't already, will begin to see a decline for their services.

Well, we'll start out with the obvious...there is no way our cable company is giving away free DVR's in the first place. Cable raises their rates when they add channels to your tier, you look at the channels they added - touted as 30 new channels added to your basic teir - there are 25 home shopping networks, 2 community channels and 3 channels that focus around women...and not that women don't deserve more channels but I haven't been able to really spend any time watching the 18 current channels devoted to women...

After placing my request I am thinking that they will merely ship me the DVR and I will hook it up myself...but no. The first question to me was "How soon would you like this installed?" I about fell over. The last time the cable company 'installed' cable at my house it was them dropping off some coaxial cable and a bill for $60...thanks for the 'install'. But Direct TV pays someone to bring a DVR and hook it up to your TV...wow! And finally, the "How soon..." question... How soon? Are you actually saying I can say how soon I want this? Cable company response: We can have someone over next week but you will need to wait at home from 8 AM until 10 PM for service calls.

For so long cable companies could essentially dictate how 'good' their customer service should be...and to be honost it wasn't good at all. Every dealing I have had with Direct TV has been positive. I find it highly doubtful that I will ever go back to cable tv again....and I'm not really all that sad about it either.

Moron Reading The News

So Charles Gibson was just named the ABC News Anchor. Not that I had much of a reason to watch ABC News in the past but this pretty much clinches the deal.

During my career in television I had the 'pleasure' of seeing Chuck on Good Morning America on an almost daily basis for a few years. There is nothing that will display a person's true intelligence then live television and if there is one thing I learned from watching Chuck Gibson on Good Morning America is that Charles Gibson is a complete moron.

Network television proving everyday that it is made for stupid people by stupid people.

Barbaro's Ankle X-Ray

Yahoo! News Photo: "Handout image of radiograph (side view) of Kentucky Derby champion Barbaro, made following a surgery at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center May 21, 2006. The life of Barbaro hung in the balance after a delicate operation Sunday to repair a life-threatening leg fracture suffered in the Preakness Stakes. The colt survived the surgery at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center for Large Animals in Kennett Square, Pa., and was in his stall, officials said NO SALES NO ARCHIVES REUTERS/University of Pennsylvania/Handout"

Tool - Video Clips

Looks like there's some bootlegs out there from the show I attended... I know there is a complete audio version of the show and here are 3 clips that someone has on YouTube:

46&2:



Jambi:



Vicarious:

Skewed Morality

Last week I was out with some people enjoying a couple of drinks. When 2 in our group decided to go outside to have a cigarette one of the ladies I was with made the comment how she wish they would quit smoking if not for themselves but for their children. Ok, point taken. Shortly after this the same gal (who has children) then goes into a story of a recent trip she was on and detailed how they would be drinking as they drove to their destination.

It's easy for a person to sit back and see the skewed perspective this lady has but it is exactly what society is creating. Right now the assault on smoking and smokers is relentless from all angles, the media, government, employers, etc... It's easy for most Americans who essentially develop their opinion in 1 second after seeing any Dateline, 20/20, 60 Minutes, etc... type report. These people walk around feeling better about themselves because they know that smoking is bad and they don't like smoking and feel concerned about those they know that do smoke cigarettes.

Yet, around 80 years ago alcohol was the scourge of society and couldn't be tolerated at any cost. Smoke, heck your doctor may have been smoking when he examined you. There was no such thing as a 'No Smoking Section' anywhere. At no time did anyone that smoked even consider inquiring whether or not it was acceptable to smoke in a business/residence/anywhere because it was implied that you smoked any and everywhere. Yet, you could not have a drink of alcohol anywhere. Now you fast forward the clocks 80 years and the situation has reversed itself.

What made me think of this skewed perception of 'evils' is something someone said after the Tool concert I was at on Friday. Security personnel were all over anyone even attempting to take a picture with your phone (or other device) but it seemed that the security was less concerned with those smoking pot. This particular person joked that the person in front of him was telling people to stop trying to take pictures so he could light up a joint... it made me laugh...but it is exactly what society has become today... at any point in time one thing will be seem worse than another to most Americans due to perceptions planted in their minds and you never know when or what it will be...

Most Excellent Time

Tool At The Minneapolis Orpheum Theatre, May 12, 2006 - A Most Excellent Time!

This was a fantastic show. My seats were really close..about 12 rows back and the theatre was small. Probably the first time (out of 7) that I really was able to see Maynard clearly and his expressions throughout the entire show. The entire band sounded really good. Maynard came out in what my friends and I have dubbed as the "Brokeback Maynard" outfit. Spiked mohawk - but wearing a cowboy hat for much of the time, mirrored sunglasses, jeans with a big cowboy-esque belt buckle, cowboy boots and no shirt. They played for about an hour and a half and was a solid selection of great Tool songs. They played a healthy dose of the new album - Jambi, The Pot, Vicarious, for Rosetta Stoned Maynard had this fanny-pack contraption that had a CB-style microphone that he used for the majority of the song. The crew really struggled early to get Maynard's vocals right...first they were too quiet and then would abruptly be really loud. The sound for the show cut out twice, once during Schism and then literally right at the end of the show as Aenema was finishing.

The drummer, Danny Carey, is freakin' unbelieavable. I don't think there is a better drummer playing out there right now. To see him perform live is a treat. Of course Adam Jones is awesome - my friend I think described him best as a 'technician'. Justin Chancellor - the bassist, is also fantastic. There are so many portions of songs that you wouldn't think a bass is playing but when seeing them live, there's Justin cranking it out...it was awesome.

All-in-all was a great time. Rain pretty much all day. Wasn't as bad when the show ended. The line to get in was backed up pretty bad...show started over a half hour late - probably due to that.

I can hardly wait to see them again...but it will probably be a large venue.

Addendum:

The friend I went with and I concluded our trip with the following summary: "It would have been awesome to hear more of the new stuff but now that just means we got to go see them again."

10,000 Days #1 Album

No surprise to anyone...I don't think...but according to Billboard Magazine Tool's 10,000 Days album debuted at #1 in album sales last week. Selling 565,000 units. Almost twice as much as Pearl Jam's latest release.

I, of course, am just over 24 hours away from seeing them live... I can hardly wait!

I Thought This Was Funny

10,000 Days First Review

So Tool's 10,000 Days LP was released yesterday. Of course I purchased the disc and I highly recommend everyone else to do the same. Of course Tool, like Aenema and Lateralus, had to have a unique, yet awesome packaging of 10,000 Days. 10,000 Days comes with a viewpiece that when looking through at the disc artwork appears in 3D. There are several pictures including a separate picture of each band member, all of which look cool. Tool will always win the Grammy for best packaging...maybe one day they will be good enough to actually win a Grammy - and that of course is spoken with as much sarcasm as one can apply.

My network of friends are all big Tool fans so of course I have had several conversations with them already about the new Tool and initial reaction from several of them are that they think it is already better than Lateralus. I think it is too early to make that definitive of a statement, but we all agree that 10,000 Days is some good stuff.

This album further entrenches Tool with it's already hardcore fans and I think it will also rid the band of all the 'bandwagon' fans...those that think Sober is the greatest Tool song of all time. This album, along with Lateralus, are requiring all new Tool fans to really 'pay their dues'. That is, if you haven't heard of Tool and were to 'get into them' then you are doing what the band wants you to do...that is listen to their entire album because that is what you have to do to fully appreciate Tool. 10,000 Days is a complete concept/theme album. Lyrical songs are all 6+ minutes in length, going through several degrees of rocking. Of course there are a variety of interludes that transition the listener from one song to the next.

Tool doesn't make music, they create an atmosphere. If there is a 'downside' to Tool is that it is very difficult to find appropriate times to just listen to a song or 2 here or there - but I usually suck it up and do so anyways. The upside is that when you are able to listen to their complete album wire-to-wire (especially with headphones!) your experience is always different, yet always a good one.

Tool is by far the band I enjoy the most and they are continuing their career as I would like to see it. I really don't think that 10,000 Days will be a huge commercial success - yet by industry standards will be. Tool remains a fairly unknown popular band primarily because their music isn't 'radio friendly', as I think the band predeterminates. The band continues to put out excellent music, interesting album artwork and I'll find out next Friday what the new live Tool is shaping out to be...but I'm fairly confident they will be as awesome as in the past, never a disappointment.

What's Your Time Worth?

Here's an interesting dilemna I ran into this week...

About a month ago my cell phone wasn't working properly. With the warranty, I was able to exchange and get a brand new one (same model) for free... I thought this was great. But now my new phone's battery is not holding a charge. I know I can take it and get a replacement battery if I were to take it in again...but here's the dilemna... where I need to take it is about a 15 minute drive one way...not bad... but I will also end up waiting approximately 30 minutes (minimum) to see a customer service representitive and then about another 15 minute drive home, a total of about an hour to get a new battery. The battery can be purchased online for about $20 and mailed directly to me, no hastles but $20 out of my pocket. As much as I like to be frugile with my money, the pain of wasting an hour at the mall just didn't seem worth it... I purchased the battery online. Obviously each case is different, but to me a lot of these companies are willing to give you good customer service when you eventually get to speak with someone but they make the process one that is far from pleasant which I think in turn is a natural detterent from using their customer service in the first place. What I also noticed at this cell phone store is that 80% of the store is set up to sell phones and accessories to new customers with several avaialable sales representative to help anyone that should need it, with most of the sales reps. just meandering around with no new customers to even assist. On the customer service side, there were 3 representitives and a line of 12 waiting individuals in a section of the store that was less than 10% of the total area available for customers.

It's like most every service in this country these days... as long as there are no problems or issues with your service everything is great. But the moment you have problems be prepared to be put to the test with your patience.

They have arrived!

The picture is a little blurry... but my tickets are here! I can sleep easy tonight knowing I will be seeing Tool in about 3 weeks!

Tickets Have Been Acquired

I have acquired 2 tickets to the May 12th Tool show at the Orpheum in Minneapolis.

I have yet to have them in my possession - which makes me a little apprehensive at this point - but there is no reason for me to doubt that the tickets are in route to my house as we speak.

The show was said to have sold out in under 5 minutes. I know of no one that was able to get tickets online and Ticketmaster outlets were sold out almost instantly. Tickets on EBAY and various other online ticket distributors have them priced at $150 to $1,000 (front row) for those still looking... and no, mine are not for sale! I'll see you at the show!

The NFL Draft...Why I Don't Care...

So Saturday is the 2006 NFL Draft and I, as a self-proclaimed football fan, really don't care all that much about it. What? How can that be? Right now there are people planning to spend all of Saturday parked in front of ESPN to witness every first round move. The draft gives all teams hope, if not just for one day.

But you see I've 'evolved' past the draft. Yes, at one time I did care about the draft. I too would be parked in front of the TV waiting and watching all the action of the NFL draft. But that was many a year ago now and here's why...

First, it's the whole draft ordeal. It is not interesting to watch on television in any way, shape or form. You wait for 20 minutes for a team to announce their pick...or better yet that they traded their pick... and wait for another 20 minutes. Yes, this is the ideal television to have on if you plan on drinking all day and essentially not doing anything and as much as I am a proponent of that activity, the draft still isn't enough interesting to justify that.

Then there's the whole post-draft world...and let's face it, the number of players that fail to make the NFL versus those that do is greatly skewed. First round busts aren't uncommon anymore, they are the norm. No matter how highly touted a player is, the likelihood of that player making an impact on an NFL team in the short-term is slim to none. And let's face it, that's where all the 'draft hype' is really at... the first round, maybe the second round. Any player drafted in the later rounds of the draft are rarely considered a 'bust'.

I think in conjunction with the whole 'draft hype', knowing that a team is likely to spend way too much on an unproven player is why I have trouble even caring about the draft anymore. Yes, I'll admit that maybe the Ryan Leaf experience may have biased me but if so then I am glad it did. It just further illuminates my point. To be tuned into that draft and to be excited about Ryan Leaf was just false hope.

Is the draft a COMPLETE waste of time? Absolutely not. I am certain I will flip by ESPN on occasion to see who the Chargers have picked but that will be about the limit of my caring...

10,000 Days First Listen

So I've managed to listen to the full 10,000 days album...

Tool seems to be reaching for a 'deeper' feel to their music without getting overly 'heavy'. Without question they are putting out music that is different than anything anyone else is doing right now and Tool is doing it in a manner that you can clearly see is masterful.

There is no way you can label Tool a 'heavy metal' or a thrash-rock type act. They are their own entity. Not progressive rock (ie: System Of A Down), they are better than any of that. Today's 'heavy' bands all just scream and shred. Tool is melodic and their lyrics mean something on many levels.

Like all of Tool's albums (except Opiate which really is an EP, imo) 10,000 Days has a 'feel' that is maintained in every song. It's nice to hear some new Tool, but what amplifies my appreciation for their music 1,000 fold is hearing them perform it live and any/all Tool performances have been unbelievable! I can hardly wait!

Toughest Ticket Around

Tool is playing in Minneapolis May 12th at the Orpheum Theatre. A tiny venue that holds around 3,000. Tickets go on sale this weekend. I am going to try and get tickets but am pretty sure that this show will sell out in minutes. This obviously won't be their full tour but they are playing small venues for a month or so after the release of 10,000 days then head to Europe. I'm sure we'll see the full awesome Tool show later this year where tickets will be cheaper and easier to get...

But if I am so lucky to somehow get a tickets to this May 12th show...that would be awesome!

Happy Easter

Son Watching Son

Because I just started using YouTube (which is pretty cool imo), here is a video of my son watching the video of himself and sister (previous post).

My Crazy Kids...

Video of my kids chasing balloons...

Godfather...

EA Games' Godfather... I've been playing it lately...

Sure, it resembles GTA a lot, but it's the mafia...extort businesses, take over rackets and wage war against the other families to become the Don of New York.

It's pretty fun...

(More screen shots on my Xfire profile page.)