Who is in line for an iphone right now? Anyone? Anyone?

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30 Years

I'm thirty today. Which means my sister Heather is thirty today as well. I know there's that whole thing about how you're not supposed to tell a lady's age or ask a lady about her age or something along those lines, but hey...too late.

Too many memories to recount, too many stories to tell so I'll just say this: There are very few people that I love and respect as much as my older sister.

Happy birthday Heather Shea.

Don't Stop Believin'...Ever

There's been a dim chatter in the media recently about the use of the song "Don't Stop Believin'" as the last thing you'll ever associate with The Sopranos. If I'm not mistaken, the same song was the 'theme' of "Monster", that film I didn't see with Charlize Theron in makeup where she won the Oscar but the person who did her makeup didn't even get nominated. Maybe it was another Journey song they used, I'm not sure.


There was a time years ago, when I'd be riding in a car with someone I didn't know very well and a Journey song would come on the radio and I'd chuckle and say "Journey" in a tone often associated with Bill S. Preston, Esquire and Ted Theodore Logan. Journey was an automatic subject of ridicule, despite the context. And I played along, like a sheep.

These days, I find my confidence in my musical appreciation is much stronger and I'm proud to admit that I like Journey. I'm not sure if it's pure nostalgia or if it's simple pleasure centers in my brain interacting with the irony neurons strengthened during my college years. Perhaps, it's just good music from a bygone era that my heart will no longer allow my mind to ridicule. Whatever it is...it rocks. So don't be surprised if you're in the car with me, you hear that bass line that I taught myself to play a few years back, and you hear me confidently ask "would you mind if I turn this up?".

I'm not sure WHY this is as funny as it is, but I can't stop watching it OVER and OVER and OVER again.

Do Not Taunt Föm

Micro-bead-filled Föm pillows have unusually large tags filled with warnings. Reminded me of SNL's Happy Fun Ball, a classic.

On the Road

Hello there. This is a truly mobile blog post. I'm cruising down 81 South through Virginia as I type this. It's Dad's turn at the wheel of the 22 ft. rental truck. I'm not sure if we'll make it all the way through to Georgia tonight. It'll be pretty late. Erin and Matthew are safe and sound at my folks' house waiting for all their stuff to arrive. It's been a very strange fortnight and I've been continually reminded of the love and support that's helped me and my family through so much over the years and for that, I'm grateful beyond expression.

directed by Mikael Håfström!!!

I was just watching TV and an ad came on for the new film 1408 starring Sam Jackson and John Cusack. At the end, you hear the disembodied trailer voice say: "directed by Mikael Håfström". Can ANYONE tell me why they make a point to tell you that this fellow directed the film? Has ANYONE ever heard of Mikael Håfström??

I can understand "directed by Martin Scorsese" at the end of an ad for The Departed. That could certainly persuade a person to see the film, but Mikael Håfström? My only conclusion is that the studio's trying to build name recognition for the guy because they believe he has potential to be the next Scorsese. I think it's a fairly new phenomenon. I've noticed it over the last five years or so, I guess. Does anyone else have a theory about why this is done?

Obama on Faith & Politics

I just finished listening to Barack Obama's keynote address on faith and politics at a Call to Renewal conference in June of '06. It's worth a listen, no matter your political beliefs or faith. If you'd prefer to read it, click here.

This is fun...and nerve-wracking.
I thought I'd get 'em all no problem.
I missed THREE.
**Erin only missed two.
Add a comment. Let me know how YOU did.

Head

If you're my age, you're familiar with The Monkees from the incessant re-runs that plagued Nickelodeon in the 1980s. What was I supposed to do? Play outside?

Anyway, TCM played their film oddity, Head, in the middle of the night. Curiosity won and I TiVo'd it. A few fun facts: Terri Garr is in it, but her name's spelled Terry. Also, Zappa's in it for like 15 seconds. Very odd. The film was co-written by Jack Nicholson with director Bob Rafelson. The two made Five Easy Pieces together a couple years later. Toni Basil (Hey Mickey!) choreographed the thing, and there's a section of the credits where the names and roles are spelled backwards.

How was the movie? Well, I watched it primarily in fast-foward and I'm pretty sure I didn't miss much.

Knocked Up

If you enjoyed The 40 Year-Old Virgin, you'll probably love Knocked Up as much as I did. It's a very funny comedy from the same director, Judd Apatow, and actors Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, and other funny folks. I just looked at the box office numbers for Friday night and it looks like it's doing very well. About three quarters as many screens as Shrek and it's grossing more so far. There's an abundance of memorable scenes & supporting characters. Let's just say I'm really glad our obstetrician wasn't at a bar mitzvah in San Francisco when Erin gave birth to Matthew.