2009 MLB All-Star game

Well, another year goes by and the talks begin again about how the A.L is so superior to the N.L. Being a huge N.L. fan, I am beginning to believe it. But that most disappointing thing about this year's events was not the N.L. losing the game (Prince Fielder did win the Home Run Derby, and he plays for Milwaukee in the N.L.), it was Albert Pujols. What a joke!!! First of all, the game was in St. Louis, where he plays. He couldn't hit a home run for that one guy, he could barely get one out of the park in the Home Run Derby, and he barely got into the second round. He then went 0-3 in the game, but he did have a 1 in one column. He receive an error on one of the first batters of the game, allowing 2 A.L. runs to score in the first inning. How embarassing!!

Grover's Bad Awful Day

Well, it wasn't just a bad day, but a bad week. First came the death of Ed McMahon. He was brilliant on Johnny Carson and made a fortune out of Publisher's Clearinghouse. He had health issues for the past few years, but it is still sad to see him go. Carnac couldn't have predicted what would come next. The world lost 2 influential people in one day. First, Farrah Fawcett. While this was very upsetting, I think everyone knew it was coming, making the blow of her passing just that much easier to deal with. And then Michael Jackson. This was a shocker. No one saw this coming. In fact, I thought people were just screwing with me. I just find it almost funny how many albums and youtube hits he has had ever since. There, Michael completed the infamous "rule of 3" (they always say deaths come in 3's). But then in comes Billy Mays too break that rule. He passed away the next day!!! Too much to handle in one week, all pioneers.

I recently just got a Twitter. It is pretty cool. But gets kinda old once you find out only celebrities and companies are on there. Oh well.

Just got a new dog!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsjMDj5K32Q That was filmed on my new iPhone 3Gs. Molly is a Jack Russell and Whippet (we think) mix. Darling.

Longhorns lost the CWS, Tippett was fired from the Stars, and Da Bears still suck!!

Peace!!

PETA freaks out over Obama and fly incident

Well, I am sure everyone has heard by now about the Obama interview, where he is pestered by a fly. It ends up landing on him and he kills it (typical human response). PETA is up in arms about it, of course, because they have never killed a bug that has 1000 times more inhabitants on the planet than humans do. They kill bugs everyday when they drive their cars to work, or to the grocery store to buy their vegan groceries ( Thank you Jordan!). If you haven't been able to tell by now, I am not too fond of Obama as the president, but I do understand that he is human, and I think PETA should stand down and give it a rest.

I am predicting a new sports blog will be up soon, as my friend wants to become an opinionist and a sportist (Webster's, I am still awaiting your phone call). I am looking forward to that, so I will let all 3 of you reading this know when the time comes.

Sorry it has been so long. Any good movies? Topics? Suggestions? Let me know!

Joey

California's Prop 8 Debacle

I thought this picture was funny, and a good segue into what is about to be discussed.....

Everyone, by now, should be well aware of what is going on in California with this whole Proposition 8 problem. For those of you who are not familiar with it (and can't figure it out from the picture above), it is dealing with same sax marriage and same sex couple rights. This issue has been voted on multiple times, and each time it gets sent to the California supreme court. This has been an ongoing story for the past few years now, but the overall case of same sex couples' rights goes back even further. A few states (mainly in the northeastern U.S.) have same sex laws in favor of the couples, with states being added to (and taken off of) the list daily. Here is my view of the California government and it's handling of Prop 8.

If you are sensitive to foul language, please discontinue reading now.............


Being the die-hard conservative that I am, I can honestly say that I am ashamed of the bullshit that the California Supreme Court is pulling. Not only is this an equal rights issue, but is it a direct violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, found in the Bill of RIGHTS.

The reason it is a violation of equal rights is obvious. We are taking away these people's rights to have a legalized institution because of their sexual preference. This is ludicrous. People in the Supreme Court who have vetoed the bill over and over (Voting NO is for equal rights, voting YES is against) over a God Damn definition. The first definition given by dictionary.com of "Marriage" is:

"------the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc."

Ok great, we are controlling people's futures and love lives by a definition. Ridiculous. We change the definitions of words every day, but for some reason, people actually have a democratic vote in the greatest country of all, and they still can't change one little thing. But does this really come down to a definition of legality?

No, it is strictly religion. Yes, once again these religious nutjobs step in and let their minister tell them what the Bible says. As a matter of fact, homosexuality is common not only in the bible, but is referenced to some of the greatest minds in the world's history. Names like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle all participated in these acts. Some of the stories from the bible use language that doesn't quite convey the point. When you here of men saying to other men "Come here so that I can know you", that is referring to these acts. So these people saying that God does not condone homosexuality is so far gone, because it is referenced as being commonplace in the "Holiest of Books". Why is it that thousands of years later, it is such a horrible thing? Why can't our government allow such couples (some of which are more loyal to their partners than in heterosexual partnerships) to share the same benefits and protection that Man/Woman marriages share?

OK OK! I understand that changing a "tradition" is a lot harder than it seems. So why not set up a new one? Or even call gay marriages by a different word or phrase other than marriage? We could call it "partnerships" or "recognized union".

California obviously can't get this right, which then turns into a Federal problem due to the First Amendment Right of ALL Americans. We are entitled to a separation of Church and State. Doesn't sound like California is practicing that at all.

So then it comes down to a human rights issue, where it all started to begin with. I have family and friends that are directly impacted by this decision, but that isn't why I have formulated my opinion. I just know that deep down inside, it is just right to give all people the same rights and legal protection as their neighbor, regardless of skin color, religion, ethnicity, gender, etc. We have made huge steps in all of these areas, so why not sexual preference?

Now, I know a lot of people may be grossed out or "Homophobic" or whatever other stupid reason they can come up with to disagree with all this, but something needs to be done. I did not vote for Obama, but he did promise "Change". This is change we should all believe in. To not do something about this would be a huge failure to his administration (I think he is failing already, but that is another story for another day).

I have written all this in a span of 10 or so minutes, so it may seem like I am rambling or my words don't run together well. I am not a professional writer, just an "Opinionist" (I just made up a word, I think). I wanted it to seem like I am venting, which I am.

Please share this with anyone you know, whether they are for or against gay marriage, or impartial altogether. This is an issue that my generation (I am 24) needs to have resolved, and we are going to have to be the ones to do it. Please comment and share your opinions. I will post updates and responses to this topic.

Joey

T.V. Shows

Love this show. This has to be one of the best shows on Television. It comes on right before Heroes, which is going downhill. Chuck is a very well written show on NBC. The humor, action, and yes, even the sappy love story makes it an awkward adventure each time. The quirky humor of Zachary Levi is what makes the show, as well as the rough, no sense of humor character played by Adam Baldwin (yes of the Royal Family of Baldwin's). It's season finale was 2 weeks ago tonight, and I am already going through withdrawals.

NBC seems to have the best line up of shows, with The Office, Chuck, Heroes, and 30 Rock, NBC seems to know what is going on these days. I have never been into the CSI's or the Law and Order's. My attention span can't last for one hour (unless I am laughing my ass off). I am not a big fan of reality shows, but, as you can see, I do watch American Idol. I started watching because of the rejects in the first few episodes, but once I start watching a show, I feel the need to finish, much like how I feel about Heroes right now.

Lost is another good show, that just aired it's season finale. It is coming into it's last season and still has some questions to be answered. The finale seemed to rap up a few loose ends, but just seemed to make us even more puzzled. Great show, but I am surprised the writers were able to keep a show going for so long about people stranded on an island (I can hear you mentioning Gilligan's Island right now).

The reason I am writing about GOOD shows is because Stacy is making me watch the Season Premier of the Bachelorette on ABC. BORING!!!!! These shows always end the same way: the "winners" breaking up 2 weeks after the finale airs.

Now on to the sad stuff:

Jay Leno will be airing his final episode a week from this Friday, giving him 10 episodes left. Conan O'Brien will be taking his place, but not "replacing" him. Jay is a legend, and Conan is just goofy, but Conan is growing on me. When I heard that Jay was leaving and Conan was stepping in, I decided to watch Conan to try and get used to him. He is slowly growing on me. Everyone reading this (all 6 of you) please watch Jay these last few nights, because you will never see any new episodes after next Friday. Monday nights he does Headlines, which are Newspaper ads from around the country that have funny lines or content that an editor should have caught. So definitely watch next Monday night on NBC at 10:35pm central.

That's enough for tonight. Go Nuggets and Cavs, they are both going to the Finals, just watch.

Joey

Dedication......

The guys name in the middle is Robert Kraft, but many know him as "The Raven". This man is over 50 years old and has reached his goal, and he is still going. His goal: to run over 100k miles in his lifetime. Yes, one hundred THOUSAND miles!! Ridiculous. Watch the story by clicking on the link above. This guy has run 8 miles every day for the past x number of years. I can't even keep up with my Word of the Day tear away calender. I get it on Christmas and end up getting to about January 27th. Inspiring.






I finally went and saw Star Trek, and it was freaking amazing!! Although I am not a huge Trekkie, I would definitely go see it again in the theatres, which I never do for movies. Big props to J.J. Abrams for putting that all together and making it believable (I now know what a planet imploding looks like). The story line is easy to follow (could have done it without the whole time travel thing). The casting was perfect, even though I was skeptical to see Harold from "Harold and Kumar" in there.





Well, the Rockets lost in Game 7 to the Lakers. It was fun while it lasted. I predict it will be the Nuggets and the Cavs in the Finals, with the Cavs winning in 5.




Stacy's graduation was this weekend, and I was proud to see her walk across the stage. I am excited to see where her path leads her now. I guess we will just have to see!! Graduating college, now that is Dedication!

It's been a long time, shouldn've left you.....

....without a dope blog read to, read to re read to. Aww the good ole days when rap was good.

I don't know if you can read the fortune I received here on the left, but it reads" Share your insights with close friends for rewards this week". So to everyone reading this, PAY UP!!

Ok, so the Mavs won a game, at home, by two. They are not about to go into Denver and beat the Nuggets at home for game 5. Sorry, just not going to happen.

As for the Rockets, who knows what is going to happen. After losing Yao to a broken foot, Houston's chances seemed slim to known, but they pulled out a big win against L.A. at home. Tonight they play in L.A. for game 5. Hopefully the newly crowned King of Houston, Aaron Brooks can lead Houston to another road win.

So I have gonna a little vintage the past few nights. I went out and bought a Calvin and Hobbes book. If you haven't read any of this comic strip, please do. It is freakin hilarious. I also downloaded Lemonade Tycoon on my iPhone. It was a free App so I went ahead and downloaded it, it consumes about 30% of my time now. A while back, I downloaded the old school Oregon Trail game that was on the computers we used to play on at elementary school. If you want to get directions on how to download it, click here and read "Escapements" post down at the bottom.
I was also in a mood to listen to a little Mr. Pookie and Mr. Lucci last night. They were bug with my group of friends because we grew up right next door to these guys (yeah, we were gangster). Some of those songs bring back memories. It is always good to take a trip down memory lane, next week, I will blog about how I T.P.'d someones house, just for ole times sake.

OK so now I am going to talk a little bit about Hockey. There, I did it.

Alright. I will probably get back on tonight after Orlando and the Rockets win, as well as my Astros.

And congratulations to Stacy, who is graduating college this Saturday. I am very proud of her, and can't wait to do the same thing in August. Congrats Stacy!

Joey

Let's Vent!!!!

Ok, so I am not going to talk about how much I love the new Coors Light vented cans, I honestly can't tell the difference. It seems that all beer companies think they can't make their product any better or differentiate any more, so they find other ways to sell to the customers (Blue mountains, vented cans, funny commercials, etc.). But that is not what I am here to talk about.





I am really here to talk about Rockets/Lakers part Deaux.


Ridiculous. Childish. Whatever you want to call it, L.A. was acting like a bunch of spoiled brats. Odom was all over Scola the whole night, and then what Fisher did? Make sure and watch the video here. It's almost as if Fisher and Bryant were having nationalized tryouts for the L.A. football team that doesn't even exist!!





Even Luke Walton tried getting into the mix. But when it was all said and done, Fisher was thrown out (and eventually suspended for a game), rightfully so. Then, along comes spoiled step child Kobe Bryant. He through an unnecessary elbow at Ron Artest (seen here, but the video is quick, watch around the 4 second mark). Kobe was not suspended.





Favre is staying retired, I guess he reads my blog......








So, as some of you know, Allison was voted off American Idol. I thought the female fans would vote to keep her in, but I guess their love is too strong for the 3 remaining guys.

Picture above is the Jolokia pepper, named by Guinness (Records, not beer) as the hottest pepper in the world. I am a huge fan of trying spicy foods, but I am still looking for the spiciest in the DFW metroplex. The spiciest I have found is the Atomic Wings at Wingstop. They are really good and have quite the kick to them, but I am still looking to be knocked off my feet. I am willing to try anything, so please make recommendations. The only thing I will not try at this time is curry because I think it smells like crap. But I will make anyone reading this a challenge:

1) You choose the place and the dish.

2) Attend the restaurant with me

3) If i can not finish the dish, I will by both of our lunches (or dinners)

4) If I can, you have to pay for your own mean.

Let me know, like I said though, no curry. I am interested in finding something to challenge my taste buds.

Thank you for reading.

Joey

Who thinks Favre should stay retired?

I do! I do!

Brett, put your hand down. All you are doing is making an ass out of yourself. As a huge fan of yours and of the Green Bay Packers, you are beginning to become a disgrace. Honestly, I don't know what it's like to play football my whole life, and then be to the point where I don't think I can play anymore. But come on, if the only team willing to take you back after you retire TWICE is the rival of the team who gave you your fame and fortune, then it is time to rethink things. Signing with the Vikings would be a huge mistake. Your fans would feel that you had betrayed them, and the rest of the league will think you are a joke. Don't do it. I am a huge fan of yours living in Dallas, and while the Packers have a large following in Texas, it is no mistake that they idolize you over Tony Romo. Don' tarnish your career by going to the Vikings. Stay retired and get a coaching job with the Pack, or with Southern Miss. You won't be sorry.....

Joey

OK here it comes.......

While I do feel bad for the fans in Dallas, I don't think it is quite over yet. While trailing in the series 0-2 to the Nuggets, the Mavs have a lot to look forward too. They come home to play Denver for 2 games. I do not expect Dallas to go down quietly in these 2 games, but I do expect Denver to win one of them, eventually winning the series at home. Sorry Mavs, you ran into a team who wanted it more.

Back to the Rockets and Lakers. The Rockets move on to play the Lakers in LA again on Wednesday night. I think the Rockets caught the Kobe's off guard monday night, and have a much tougher test ahead of them. I still believe this is going to be a tough and physical match up for both teams, but the Rockets need Yao to stay healthy, or else we have no one that can match up against the 2-headed monster of Gasol and Bynum. Go Rockets!!!!

Yes, I am about to talk about American Idol.

I hate Adam Lambert, I think Danny sounds the same, and I think Allison is annoying. I want Kris to win the whole thing, but still think Anoop had better vocals than the first 3 I named. Adam sucks. He whines and makes noises that only cats in heat make. And the judges praise him, and the little girls love him not realizing he "bats for the other team". I think his voice is annoying and he is over the top. I hope he gets voted off. We will see tonight.

That's it for now, I will post after the Rockets game, and might have time to watch the Results show.

Joey

Rockets Stay Out of Reach of Lakers

After beating the Rockets 4-0 through the regular season, the Rockets march into the Staples Center and beat the Lakers 100-92. This is a huge win for the Rockets. Winning one in L.A. is exactly what we needed. Yao's knee injury tonight proved to America that he is as tough as they come. Battier's bloody eyebrow (that eventually led to 40+ stitches), and Pau Gasol's skin tear above his eye lid tells me that this is going to be a tough series. I can't say that it will have the same intensity as the Bulls-Celtics series, but it sure looks promising. As I said before, I have the Rockets taking this in 6. The win here tonight made me feel a lot more confident about my pick.

Turning away from the sports scene now, I want to talk about the show Chuck on NBC. I don't know a lot of people who watch it, but I think it is one of the best written shows on T.V. I read an article the other day about how it is in trouble of been canceled, I say BULL!! (As I am typing this, Phil Jackson in being interviewed live, he just seems not to care anymore). Chuck is one of the best shows on T.V., coming on right before a Heroes show that I believe has completely tanked, only watching it still just to see how far off they can spin things (plus I feel it is too much like X-Men to earn any originality awards). The Office is still the best show on T.V., without a doubt.

I am also starting to get hooked onto Deadliest Catch again. For some reason, that show always drags me in.

Back to sports, I am glad the Orlando Magic beat the Celtics tonight. I am sick of the Bostonian sports reign (Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots, but not quite the Bruins). Dwight Howard is amazing to watch, and I think the addition of Rafer Alston was key in not only allowing them to make the playoffs, but moving on to the second round as well.

Please keep reading, I am hoping that more and more join in and read what I have to say, as well as comment. I enjoy hearing people's opinions, if if I know they are wrong....:-)

Alright, there is one more thing I wanted to talk about. Hydroxycut is being pulled off of the shelves because someone died from liver failures from it in March 2007. It is a dietary supplement that people take to help them lose "X amount of weight in Y amount of days!". It was a drug that was not approved by the FDA that was stilled allowed onto the shelves. It was allowed on because people were really losing weight, but as the poor kid in March 2007 found out, that cost was a lot more than $40 of pills and a few pounds. The healthiest and most natural way to lose weight is 1 pound per month, although a few more pounds might be acceptable due to certain circumstances. People are taking these pills in hopes that they can pop a pill, drink a glass of water, and then sit in their bean bag chair, in their underwear, eating Cheetos, watching TV (Thank you Ron White). These companies are exploiting lazy Americans, and they know it. So the consumer needs to wise up and know what they are putting into their bodies. People need to get up off their asses and exercise and eat better, because that is the only true way to be healthy and lose weight, and it's cheaper. It is free to run and do push ups and sit ups. It is cheaper to buy produce and meat from the Grocery Store, than getting a #5 with cheese, biggie sized. I bought 12 chicken thighs and 20 chicken legs (uncooked) from Kroger the other day for a total of $5.50, came home, seasoned it myself, baked some of it for an hour, worked out during that hour, and then sat down to eat. Easy. Where else can you get 32 pieces of chicken for that price?

So quit buying these miracle drugs, because like yo momma used to always say, "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is". Listen to something else your mom used to say"Eat your vegetables" and "quit watching TV and go outside and play". It is all starting to make sense now.

Sorry about my rant, but it is something I have always despised about today's American Consumer. We are always looking for the easiest way out, and will believe what the "beautiful" people say about the pills or drinks or other things Corporate America is trying to sell.

At least try working out, it may suck while you are doing it, but you feel a sense of accomplishment afterwards. Eat better, vegetables may not taste good, but at least you know you are doing yourself a favor by eating just a few bites.

Cut down portions. It is not a race to see how fast you can eat. Take time between bites, chew twenty times, you will be amazed at how "truly" full you can get from a 6oz steak as opposed to a 12oz with the baked potato and everything.

I hope that all 3 of the people reading this will pass it along. I feel that by passing it along, you could very well help someone. I know I am not a nutritionist or a licensed doctor, but you shouldn't have to get a license to preach common sense.....

J.J.

Wanted to talk about 2 things tonight, both involving Dallas sports teams.

First of all, I am glad the Mavericks lost. I am not a Denver Nuggets fan, but I am a fan of a team that doesn't think their "crap" doesn't stink (Chris "The Birdman" Anderson is the only guy that thinks he is the shiznit). The Mavericks just came off a big series, beating a tough Spurs team 4-1. I have a feeling the Mavs thought that they could just waltz into Denver and win. I expect the Mavs to shape up, but lose to the Nuggets in the series in 6 games (4-2). I bet you they wish they had Devin Harris instead of Grandpa Kidd right now. Now my Rockets aren't in good shape either. We have to go play the Lakers in L.A. While I do think they will put up a good fight, I believe Kobe and company will get the best of them, in Game 6 or in Game 7.

The second Dallas team I wanted to talk about was the Dallas Cowboys. While I think they made a huge mistake in drafting Stephen McGee, the QB from A&M ( I am a huge UT fan, but that isn't the reasoning behind my opinion), that isn't the mistake I wanted to talk about tonight. I just saw on the news that the Cowboys practice facility "roof" was brought down during the storms on Saturday. This "roof" was a freaking cloth bubble. What wise man would build a pro sports facility in Tornado Alley with a cloth roof? Jerry Jones. Smart. Very Smart. Thankfully someone wasn't killed, but a few people were injured, in an event that could have been avoided by ponying up and paying for a more stable roof.


BY THE WAY.....

I am hearing mixed reports on the new Wolverine: Origins movie. Has anybody seen it, and if you have, please share what you think. I am debating whether I should go see it or not.

J.J.

Just another day.....

I am so sick of hearing about this swine flu business. Fort Worth ISD, Carollton ISD, Lewisville ISD, etc. all closed down because of this "epidemic". These kids are missing school (and not having to make up for the days missed) for no apparent reason. They say they are cleaning the schools and making all preparations for the H1N1 Influenza A virus. I called it by it's scientific name because The WHO (no not the band, the World Health Organization) said that people are being discourage from buying pork products. I think this whole thing is going to blow over like the storms did tonight; yeah they came and caused a few people to be uncomfortable, but they are gone now and we will have forgotten about them by next week. Federal, state, and local governments are spending a lot of money for vaccinations that actually killed more people than it helped the last time this Swine Flu came around (no one remembers that, huh?), as well as costing tax payers money buy closing down local schools. Texas and Alabama went as far to cancel school sports and other related programs.

The Chicago Bulls lost to the Boston Celtics tonight. This intriguing match up saw 7 OT periods and had the most OT games in an NBA playoff series. I was pulling for the Bulls, but Boston came out on top just to go lose in the next round.

If no one knows about him yet, check out Bo Burnham on youtube. Funny, but offensive, as hell. (As soon as I figure out how to add hyperlinks on here, I will).
If anyone knows of any funny or amazing youtube videos, or other cool websites, let me know. I get bored at work pretty easily.

Thank you for reading and please "follow" my blog by clicking on the button to the right. It will send a message to your e-mail letting you know that I have posted something new. Please comment on anything I say, I enjoy debates and hearing what people my age (or anyone for that matter) are thinking and why they feel a certain way.

Now I will leave you with a quote from the comic book "Calvin and Hobbes", one of my favorite comics when I was a kid ( when I was 14, and still read it today).

"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

Thanks for reading today. Please come back!

Joey

Star Date- B105C-DN3

To all of you Star Trek fans out there, that first line will make sense. To the rest of everyone out there, it makes no sense at all. The only reason I know what that means is because I used to have to watch Star Trek with my step-dad every night. No I am not a Trekkie, but I sure am excited about the movie coming out on May 8th, but that is a different story for a different day.

Why am I starting a Blog?

I started using Facebook and got tired of everyone constantly updating their status's. And then along comes Twitter, where all you can write is 140 characters (pretty much just Facebook updates). I am a pretty opinionated person, who always has something to say. I feel that if I have expressed my opinion to at least one person, then I have been heard, and I encourage everyone to voice his or her own opinion, instead of sitting back and and letting other people do the talking for you. Here are some of the topics I intend to talk about, but they are not limited to these topics alone:

1. Sports- I am a huge sports fan. My favorite teams include the Houston Astros, Houston Rockets, Green Bay Packers, and the Dallas Stars (just of the major 4). I keep up with everything though, from soccer to rugby, and even sometimes NASCAR (rants to come on this topic).
2. Movies- I would love to call myself a movie buff, but I'm not. I am just your average moviegoer who enjoys any type of movie, as long as it is good.
3. T.V.- I currently have about 15 shows that I have on my DVR recording list. Be prepared to discuss shows.
4. Games- Yes, I like to play video games still, I have my X-Box and my Wii, so who is up for a challenge? Just let me know.....
5. Politics- I am conservative, but open-minded. I know what I believe in, and am willing to discuss with anyone. I don't like to think I am an expert by any means, but it effects us all and we should all pay attention to it.
6. Religion- Yeah, I will be going there......
7. Work- Pretty much just griping is what is to be expected in this category.
8. News Stories- Current Events will be discussed and made fun of.
9. Misc.- Whatever else I can think of later on down the road......

I am new to this whole blogging thing, so please send me your questions, comments, or suggestions. I hope to get good at this soon. I will try to post something new everyday, so please subscribe, bookmark, or whatever the correct term is. I look forward from hearing from everyone.

Joey