No Thank You!

Like a lot of people, I play the game Words With Friends on smart phone. I am too cheap to spend 99¢ on the full version so I get advertisements after I make a move. Occasionally I get this one --

I guess this is some sort of flirting/dating app?  I am a happily married man but seriously, who is this supposed to appeal to?  I honestly can't tell if this is a man or a woman.  Who sees this 12-year old Eskimo boy (?) and thinks, YES, I want to flirt with that!

I regrettingly ended up spending the dollar to upgrade my version of the app because Eskimo boy (?) disturbs me too much.

Podcast Overload

I think I may be "over" listening to podcasts.  There were some days at work when I'd have 4 or 5 different podcast shows to catch up, each with multiple episodes.  I wouldn't get to listen to any music and at the end of the day, I would find myself not remembering anything significant about the podcasts.  So if none of these podcasts were making any impression on me whatsover, why was I spending so much time listening to them?  Plus I get pulled away from my desk a lot so it's hard to listen to a continuous conversation.

I started cutting back on my subscription list by axeing I Want Wrestling, Kevin & Bean Show, Mohr Stories and even my beloved Walking the Room.  Sorry, guys.  Even a weekly podcast seems so disposable when you realize you can't remember what they talked about last week.  The only one I listen to daily is Adam Carolla, and I am still subscribed to The Art of Wrestling and the B.S. Report but I will only listen to those if the topic/guest seems entertaining.

At least I have a lot more time to listen to music.

Is anyone out there listening to any podcasts, or multiple podcasts, with regularity?

Improv Blah

Improv this week was kinda challenging.  We didn't have a lot of time for scenes and for some reason, I tend to wait until the middle, or near end, of the volunteers to go onstage.  I need to get better about being proactive.  So I went up and had a not very good scene with a super nice guy that owns a restaurant in Camarillo.

Earlier in class, the teacher said that a lot of students will ask him, or wonder to themselves, after a scene, "What could I have done to make that better?"  And his answer is "nothing."  The scene is what it is.  Improv is about the moment.  The moment is over so forget about it and move on.  I tried to incorporate that after I walked offstage but it was hard.

Time was running out in class and everyone had gotten at least once scene in, so people were allowed to start going up again.  Once more, I sat out, feeling that this just wasn't my night.  I finally just said to myself "F it" and I went up and did the last scene of the night with my coworker that I carpool with.  I purposely try to avoid doing scenes with him because even though we are friends, I don't want it to seem like we have some master plan to do a bunch of our scenes together.

Luckily, our final scene went well and I ended up leaving the class with a good feeling.  I thanked my coworker on the way home because otherwise, that night would have been (mostly) a waste to me.  Ah, a nearly frustrating evening saved by a 3-minute scene about carving a chair for my scoliosis-laden dad.  Thanks, improv.

Super Bowl

I saw quite a few of my friends on Facebook comment that they are not looking forward to the Patriots/Giants rematch coming up in the Super Bowl.  Some even said the first game between the two of them was boring or that they don't like to see teams re-matched in the big game.

My memory may be little hazy with details but I thought their first go around in the Super Bowl was a good game.  Sure, it wasn't high scoring but what a dramatic finish to that game.  The game ended with a Giants victory which ended the Patriots run at a perfect 19-0 undefeated season.  It was the perfect David and Goliath story in 2008 since the Giants limped in on a wild card, and no one gave them a chance at all to beat the Pats.

And the best part about this year's Super Bowl?  It's the same two coaches from the 2008 game.  The same two quarterbacks from the 2008 game.  You don't think the Patriots want a chance at revenge?  You don't think Eli Manning wants to prove he's one of the best quarterbacks and win one more ring than his older brother?  Plus there's the whole New York / Boston rivalry!  Come on, these are perfect storylines heading into the game!

I'm super excited for this game.  Of course, I'd be more excited if my beloved Saints were in it, but still.  Let's go Super Bowl - get it on!

Gleek?

Against my personal wishes, I have become a fan of Glee.  It started out when I just "happened to be in the room" while The Wife was watching season 1 on Netflix instant.  Then I heard quite a few songs I recognized and halfway paid attention to a few plotlines.  Then I started paying more attention as season 1 went on and it wrapped up.  I thought it was overall just okay, and then season 2 appeared on Netflix instant.

Oh how dare you, Netflix!  I missed a few episodes in season 2 but The Wife watched the whole thing regardless of me being there or not.  And unexpectedly, I'm going back to watch the entire season.  I know this isn't manly of me at all, but it's introduced me to a few good songs.

Some of the stories and songs are cheesy and I have a very hard time believing a 30 year-old is really in high school in Ohio BUT the show is fun.

I admitted I watched this show to some coworkers and this young girl who is...maybe 22 rolled her eyes at me.  But the thing is, this girl's favorite show is American Idol!  A karaoke game reality show!  At least Glee has plotlines, scriptwriters, actors and choreography...okay, maybe I'm getting a little too defensive here.

Enjoy one of my favorite songs/dance numbers I've discovered thanks to this show -

LACMA

Went to check out the Los Angeles County Museum of Art this afternoon and walked away with this lingering thought -- why don't they give out stickers/hand stamps or a wristband with a ticket admission?  Their collection is spread out amongst 8-9 different buildings and each time you have to dig your ticket out of your pocket and show it to the person.  It's a waste of my time and your security's time when they can just look at a sticker or hand stamp.

Other than that, our LACMA adventure was absolutely lovely.