Running with the Wolves

Camp Bisco Festival 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:52:00 +0000

The Search For Leadfoot - Episode 1

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:35:00 +0000

I want to believe!

Gutter by VWK

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:46:00 +0000

The Gift of Documentaries for those Lazy Holiday Days

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:38:00 +0000

How Big of a Win Will it Be???

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:31:00 +0000

YES WE CARVE

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:20:00 +0000

What a way to celebrate Halloween!!!!

Mike Judge Has Seen the Future: A Cautionary Tale

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:47:00 +0000

About six months ago, I finally got around to watching Mike Judge's latest film, "Idiocracy". It was outrageous, it dragged in lots of places but in light of the current election decisions we have to make, I'd recommend that you watch it. I recommend it in particular for anyone who is considering voting for the McCain/Palin ticket. The overall message of the film is that America is headed down a road where at some point in the future we will have destroyed our country. We will have elected so many "Joe Six-Packs" as president, and we will have devalued education so much, and the smartest people in the country will choose not to have children that we will become a nation of idiots speaking in a language that is gibberish and calling people who actually speak proper English, "gay". A nation where we've destroyed our environment, elected a cool rapper as president and watered our crops with sports drinks. Sounds crazy, right? Maybe not. Look at the last eight years. We elected a guy solely based on our feelings that we'd like to have a beer with him. We are on the road to becoming idiots and some of us are further along that road than others.

Take this current election. We have a ticket that includes a woman with a less than stellar education, complete confidence that she knows everything she needs to know and has never been wrong - a hockey mom that could be your next door neighbor and who understands what it's like to have children and work. Look at your next door neighbor and tell me that you would seriously want that person to be a heartbeat away from the presidency... really? I actually saw a hockey Mom on CNN say that because Sarah Palin has five kids, is a hockey mom and knows what that is like that she is qualified to run the free world. When the CNN reporter asked the woman, "Does that mean that you could be President?". The woman actually said yes with a straight face. Have we lost our minds? Are we so self-absorbed and been so brainwashed into thinking we can do anything that the average person on the street really believes they are qualified to be President?

Some people will accuse me of being an elitist with this statement and I don't care. We need more elitists in this country. Contrary to idiotic belief, elite is not a bad word. I want the leader of the free world to be better than me. I want them to have an Ivy League education. I want them to have travelled the world. I do not want to look at the President or Vice President of the United States and think to myself, "hey, I could do that". What is happening in our country? I am all for telling our children that in this country they can be anything they set their mind to. And, I believe it. But in the small town, blue collar household I grew up in, my parents qualified that statement with "as long as you work hard and get a good education". And I think there are a lot of people out there who received that same message. You can't be anything you want to be by just wishing it, or being pretty or saying clever things. You have to work at it and you have to travel a road that actually leads to where you want to go.

In so many elections, the VP candidate hasn't mattered. In this election. It matters. John McCain is an old man. If you look at the actuarial science on aging and death, you'll find that the odds are decent he could die in office and Sarah Palin would be president. That is so terrifying to me that I am losing sleep worrying they may be elected. And I keep finding the images from Mike Judge's film running through my mind. I'm actually finding those images plausible. And believe me, that's terrifying. Which is why I want McCain/Palin supporters or potential supporters to watch the movie. Maybe it won't change anyone's mind. Maybe they are so blind to the truth that nothing will make them see the error of their ways. Maybe we already are a nation of idiots and there's no way to change our destiny. Maybe Mike Judge has seen the future. And just maybe that future is already here.

Moose Hunting Mama (A Heart Beat Away)

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:34:00 +0000

I think this pretty much says all we need to know.

Memory...

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:24:00 +0000

The internet is an amazing tool. Great for information. Great for finding things. And, great for reconnecting with old friends and bringing the world just a little bit closer. I was skeptical of MySpace and Facebook, but several friends kept bugging me about getting a Facebook account. They said I'd reconnect with people I hadn't spoken with in years. And, it turns out, they were right. As with any life, people come in and out of it and if you lose touch there are moments that you think about them and wonder how they are, what they are doing, where their paths took them. I was fortunate to reconnect with a good friend from high school and even more fortunate that he shared this photo with me. My 8th grade band solo. Memory from Cats with my friend David on piano. Now back in touch thanks to the internet and Facebook. Now that makes me smile!!

Sly Fox

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:21:00 +0000

I've never been a big rap fan. Mainly because I don't really relate to the life experiences that rappers rap about (thank god!). However, I saw Nas on The Colbert Report last night and was impressed with what he had to say. This video I can definitely relate to. I once started a Feeding the Beast media tour at the Chamber of Commerce to teach businesses how to harness the power of the media to their benefit. It's gone way beyond that now. The media has turned into a beastly corporation schilling for corporate interests. The news is no long there to inform the public nor is it the institution our founding fathers had in mind when they talked about freedom the press. The press is not longer free.

Too Funny To Pass Up

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:16:00 +0000

It's sad when Paris Hilton sounds smarter and more informed than John McCain. The silly season, indeed.

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

The Summer of My Discontent

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:24:00 +0000

Yes, yes. I know I haven't posted in forever. That's because I've been disgusted with the coverage of the Presidential campaign, overwhelmed with work and my Mama taught me that if I didn't have something nice to say, don't say it all. That said, I have something nice to say. This photo is the reason I live in New Mexico. It's one of those perks Mother Nature so nicely provides for those of who are privileged to live here. Wow.

Being President of the US is less about middle managing and more about setting the tone. This video proves it can work. Yes, we can!

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:52:00 +0000

America... You're Making Me Mad

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:07:00 +0000

Let's just say that when the race for the Democratic Nomination began, I was happy. I had supported John Edwards last time around so, I liked him. I liked Obama. I liked Hillary. I thought I would be happy with any of them as the nominee. That time has passed. Hillary Clinton is a liar. There, I said it. She traipsed all over Ohio telling the people there that Obama had called the Canadian government and told them to not pay any attention to what he was saying against NAFTA - that he didn't really mean any of it. Even after the Canadian Government came out and said that it was untrue - she and Bill Clinton continued to talk about it as if it were a fact. That's called lying people. Haven't we had enough of being lied to by the current president? Are we an abused people? Is it all that we know, and therefore, familiar and comfortable?

Please, America. You're better than that. Don't force me into staying home or voting for John McCain in November. And don't tell me to hold my nose and vote for her if she's the nominee. I won't do it. I won't put another liar in the White House. Wake up America. Wake up and smell the truth.

Enough is Enough with the Words Don't Matter Speech

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:41:00 +0000

The moment I heard Hillary Clinton's first attacks on Obama's "pretty speeches" I was irritated. But, I thought, I'll give her a break. She'll realize the error of her ways and not continue down the words-aren't-important road. Well, she didn't. Last night I heard her latest stump speech in Texas on CNN and she reiterated her position on The Daily Show - we don't need a president who just speaks pretty words - we need a president who can roll up his/her sleeves and do the work of the American people.

First, let's get real here. I'm not disputing that being the President is hard work. God knows we heard that sound bite from George Bush enough, "Bein' President is haaarrrrd. It's harrrd work". We get it. It's a hard job. I guess what it all boils down to is your perspective. I firmly believe that the President of the United States sets the tone for the nation - at home and around the world. I also believe that no one person alone can accomplish the important tasks in front of us. No matter who is in the White House rolling up their sleeves, they are going to have to have a silver tongue to convince others to join them in their work. For too long we've been lulled into a stupor in this country. Someone, alone rolling up their sleeves is not going to spur us all into action. No. That takes the power of persuasion.

Throughout history, humans have taken several tacks when it comes to persuasion. There's persuading through brute strength. There's persuading through black mail. And there's persuading through the use of language. In my opinion, persuading through the use of language is the best way... but it is also the hardest way. Our greatest accomplishments began with someone persuading someone else to join them in action, and in using words to persuade others to join the cause.

Let's face it, if humans had not acquired the ability to speak and use language we would still be roaming the earth in packs following the strongest member of the pack. And make no mistake about this, the most physically strong member of the pack would be a male member. Hillary Clinton is bashing words. But words and the use of language are the very things that have allowed women to be viewed as, and ultimately become leaders of the pack. No more is about who can beat up who physically. It's about who can persuade others to follow them. And that takes words.

I look forward to the day when there is a woman worthy of voting for. One who not only understands the importance words have played and will continue to play in human evolution but also celebrates words as the identified catalyst in the rise of female leaders around the world.

Yes, the presidency requires hard work. But it also requires someone who uses words to their full advantage. Barack Obama has certainly proven himself worthy in that department.

Is it Live or is it SNL?

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:06:00 +0000

Seeing clips from the recent Clinton/Obama debate, I wasn't quite sure whether I was watching a real debate or a re-enactment of the weekend's SNL. Did Hillary realize that she sounded exactly like her SNL character when she complained about getting the first question? I can't believe she actually referenced the skit when she wondered if Obama was comfortable or whether he needed a pillow. She did not come off as funny. Now the SNL skit, that was funny. Here it is:

Super Tuesday Reaction

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:26:00 +0000

I wanted to wait a few days and let the media-induced dust clear before sharing my thoughts on Tuesday's Democratic Caucus here in New Mexico. By now, most people have the impression that New Mexico is either disorganized, stupid, backward or all of the above. I must admit that as I was falling asleep on the sofa watching CNN and waiting for New Mexico results, I feared the worst. Tuesday morning I was downright embarrassed. And as the various media outlets reported results - Clinton won the popular vote, Obama won more states, Clinton won more delegates, Obama won more delegates, Clinton won the big states, Obama won the most states, and... oh by the way... New Mexico is still counting, I just felt deflated. Not only because I was hoping that Obama would be the undisputed front-runner and all the manufactured media drama would be over, but also because, once again, New Mexico looked like a backward Banana Republic.

But it's been a few days and I have a better perspective. There's one thing that has stuck with me since voting on Tuesday. It was one of those days I'll always remember. In fact, when I pulled up to the polling location I was as excited as I was when I turned 18 and I could vote for the first time. It felt like the first time all over again. The combination of looking at the disastrous 8 years of the Bush administration finally in the rearview mirror and having the opportunity to vote for a candidate who is not the lesser of two evils was exhilarating. Yes, I stood in line for 30 minutes (much less time than a lot of people), but everyone was talking excitedly about both Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama. We all saw neighbors and friends. Caught up with people we may not have seen in awhile. And, at Highland High School where I voted, the kids moved through the hallways going to lunch, changing classes and actually said "Thanks for voting" or "excuse me" or "wow, look at all the people voting". It was good for them to see, and it was good for us to have that energy. And, it was good for me to have that first time feeling again.

So, all in all, no matter what the end result is or whenever New Mexico finishes tallying the votes, I would have to say that Tuesday was a good day for democracy. And, a good day for the future of America.

Robert DeNiro Endorses Barack Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:22:00 +0000

In a surprise appearance, DeNiro showed up at an Obama rally at the Meadowlands today. He said to the crowd: "You wanted to vote, you just didn't have anyone to vote for. Well you know what? I felt the same way. Until now."

Enough said.

And in other breaking news, Fox News viewers will get to spend Super Tuesday and every day with Karl Rove. View the video promo from Fox News here. View it if you feel the need to vomit repeatedly. Seriously, who would want to watch that disgusting, pasty, hairless mole in a suit? I wish that he actually was a mole and that he would dig a tunnel too close to the surface of some OCD lawn owner who would then run over him repeatedly with a lawn mower blade set too close to the ground. There. I said it. I feel better now.

Bowl Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:59:00 +0000

Running With the Wolves is live and on the scene, blogging as the Super Bowl happens with thoughts and reviews. It is 4pm and time for the official Super Bowl Start!

So, who is in the commercial break right before the official start? The local line-up.
Beaver Toyota - running a similar spot that they ran last year with collected bloopers of Linda Beaver. Yawn.
Coleman Vision - nothing new. Yawn.
Santa Fe Chevrolet - running a spot with an announcer yelling at us.
UNM Hospital. Nothing new.
Dick Knipfing promos the news coming up after the Super Bowl.

And we're off into the Pre-Kick Show. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman blabbing.
Michael Strahan says the Giants are relaxed. He says, "we are going to do what we do".
More blabbing from Buck and Aikman.

1st Break before Kick-off
Ford Focus: nothing new.
Verizon Voyager: nothing new.
Overstock.com: a 24ish package tracking spot. Could be new. Not sure. Nothing special
Apple MacBook Air: not new
American Idol promo

The Giants define the word Resiliency. They call themselves Road Warriors. "We Are the NY Giants". And the Giants take the field to a Kanye West song.

The Patriots talk about breaking the records. Winning. 1 Final challenge to meet with teamwork. "We are the New England Patriots". And the Patriots take the field to an Ozzy Osborne song.

Who picks the music for the teams I wonder??

2nd Pre-Kick Show Break
Vantage Point movie promo. Seen it.
Ronald McDonald House Charities. Not new.
Sprint Blackberry Pearl - not new
Sync Powered by Microsoft in Ford Focus = new one I think in their ongoing series.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles promo for new episode.
House promo for new episode
Matt Hasselbeck story as part of NFL's super story promotion.

Everyone please stand for the national anthem. American Idol finalist and Glendale girl Jordan Sparks performs. Tom Brady and the officials put their hands w/hats over their hearts. Nice rendition. Jets fly over.

Commercial Break:
Drillbit Taylor movie promo. Typical Owen Wilson vehicle.
Chase Fraud Alert to secret agent man. Yawn.
AT&T little girl gives her dad stuffed monkey and he sends photos of it from his business trip. I've seen this but it's very sweet.
Dell XPS1 Will I be pretty. Whatever.
Prison Break promo - they break into the Super Bowl this time. How long can this series go on? What will they break out of or into next?

The roof is closed in Glendale. It will stay closed according to Joe Buck.
Time for the coin toss. Special presentation of 2007 Walter Payton man of the year to Jason Taylor of the Miami Dolphins. Okay now time for the coin toss. No. Honoring Bill Walsh. Walsh family and other players participating in coin toss. Saluting his legacy.

Hey, it's my favorite NFL official Mike Carey officiating his first Super Bowl. Cool. Oops. I missed the coin toss. LZ tells me Giants win.

Commercial Break:
Mira Sorvino on House "Frozen" promo.
Troy Aikman Superbowl promo. We're watching already for crying out loud.

Tom Brady is pain free. Plexico Buress will play.

Another Commercial Break:
Ford F150 focusing on tow-hooks.

Finally Football.
Whoa! Why is Bill Belichick wearing a red sweatshirt? That is messed up. If the Patirots lose I know why!

Injury time out Commericial Break
Bud light - fire breathing man lights the candles and sets the cat, the table and his date on fire. Very funny.
Audi R8 Old luxury just got put on notice Godfather spot-just as gross as the horse head in the bed scene. Can you feel the engine oil on your feet? Yes you can.

Randall Gay is questionable to return for the Patriots.
And the Giants kick a field goal. 3-0 Giants.

Commerical Break:
Diet Pepsi Max - take off on the Saturday Night live Chris Katan skit - very funny. Especially Joe Buck.
Salesgenie.com -awful. Awful Indian accented animated thing. Offensive.
Terminator promo

Amp energy bikers powered part of the energy needed for the pre-show. Weird.

Now it's the Patriot's turn.
43 yard return and good field position for Tom Brady.

Commercial Break:
Dude That's Some Serious Cheese (hiding the Bud Light)
Under Armor - they make shoes now. Scary commercial. Looked like Sauron rousing the troops in Mordor.

What will Tom Brady do? Not much yet. LZ says Maroney should be the MVP for the Patriots. Soon after, Buck and Aikman jump on the Maroney fan band wagon.
Ooh. You can log on to myspace.com/superbowlads after the game to watch all of the commercials.

Maroney tries to get in the end zone. Doesn't happen. End of 1st quarter.

Commercial break:
Screaming animals, screaming woman, Bridgestone tires.
Doritos Kina Grannis music video - buy it on I Tunes
Promo for some Fox show which I missed somehow.
UNM Cancer Center spot

Back to the game: Only 2 possessions in the first quarter. Whoa. Touchdown New England (Maroney). And the kick is good. 7-3 New England.

Commercial Break:
Wanted Movie promo.
G2 from Gatorade plugged by Derek Jeter. Grass grows wherever he goes.
Go Daddy.com promo for online commercial with Danica Patrick. Too gimmicky for my taste.
Dell Red promo. Geeky guy gets treated like celeb. Kissed by a girl. A real girl.

Back to the Game. Giants start at their own 40.

Commercial Break:
Giant Pigeons vs Fed Ex
Cars.com commercial using online service versus fire circle of death.
Silence the Stain for Tide

Shots of Giselle Budchen, Jim Carey and Jenny McCarthy. Pamela Anderson. Do we care? No.

They run a play which I miss because I'm typing. It's 2nd and 7 for the Giants. Incomplete pass to Burress. 38 yard pass to Toomer. Yikes. Delay of game on Eli. Eli throws an interception. YES!! Steve Smith should have caught it but Ellis Hobbs will take it.

And we go to Commercial Break:
Budweiser horses - always a favorite of mine. Hank doesn't make the team. He's trained by the Dalmatian like Rocky. Awesome. Love it. Can't go wrong with horses and dogs for me. Hank high-fives the dog. I get a tear in my eye.
Iron Man movie promo

Now what will Tom Brady do? I think Maroney won't have a spot on his body that won't be bruised after this game. Huge stop by the Giants. Why oh why can't they just fold like a cheap suit? It's all Coach Bill's fault and his stupid red sweatshirt.

Commercial Break:
Toyota Corrola sleeping badgers - very funny.
Leatherheads movie promo
Garmin and Napolean. Clever. Good music.

Gotta run to the kitchen for chip and dip... while the ball is at the 36 for Eli. And he's sacked. Now I'm going to get chips. WTF? How did the Patriots not recover that fumble? Wait it looks like they did. It looks like the officials don't care. Isn't that reviewable? WTF? Doesn't matter. The Patriots go back to work on a Wes Welker return.

Commercial Break:
Careerbuilder.com: beating heart quits. I wasn't sure if this was a PSA on heart disease or what. Worked better as a PSA for heart disease what with the guy eating the lobster and all.
Thriller lizards for Life Water- hilarious. I think I like this one the best so far.
Drug dealer complains kids don't need him anymore. Kids are huffing what parents have under sink PSA.

Back to the game. Hand off to Maroney. Gain of only 1. Brady tripped up by Mitchell and Strahan. Now Brady sacked. Steve Neil is hurt it looks like. Giants start outside their own 40. Once again, I blame Coach Bill and his red sweatshirt.

Commercial Break:
Artsy-fartsy spot of guy rolling boulder up hill for the Yukon Hybrid from GMC. Boring.
Bud Light with foreign accent guys picking girls up. Bud Light is the beer for immigrants. What is with all the commercials with dumb, stereotypical accents?
American Idol promo

Back to the action. Brandon and Giants inches short of first down. Bradshaw breaks loose for 13 yards. Jacobs bulls his way through to another 1st down. Jesus. Manning is sacked. Loses the ball. Steve Smith ends up with the ball. But there's a flag down. Illegal batting the ball forward by Bradshaw. 3rd and 18. Manning almost throws an interception. 4th down, breathing easier.

Commercial break with 1:54 left in the half:
The next Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian promo.
Cankles, unibrow, overbite. She's atrractive. She uses Planters peanuts as perfume. This one is in the top three I think.
TMobile Fave 5 with Charles Barkley. Semi humorous.
Youth Fitness with United Way and the NFL prmo

Feagles punts. Faulk with the fair catch at the 11 for the Patriots.

Commercial Break:
Justin Timberlack sucked through a straw - looks painful, very funny, Pepsi.
Doritos mouse trap. Big mouse flies through wall. Attacks guy. Hmph.

Buck and Aikman blab.

Brady puts it up. Way up. He's on the ground. Ball goes to no one. Half the Giants drag down Maroney for a loss of three. Ugh. Brady puts it up. Way up. Goes to no one. Good grief. Faulk makes a good run. Penalty on New England for holding. Time out New England.
Joe Buck takes us on a trip down Super Bowl memory lane. Clock is a-running. Faulk has a first down. Phew.
Joe Buck again takes us on a trip down Super Bowl memory lane. 28 seconds left. Brady hits Moss in his first catch of the game at the 44 yard line. Brady loses the ball. Damn' you Bill and your stupid red sweatshirt!!! Damn' you!!!!

Manning throws through the hands of Smith. Moss is deep expecting a Hail Mary. New England takes a time out. Buck and Aikman take a look back at game tape and blab about past games. Five seconds to play to the half. Jump ball in the end zone with half of both teams. Nothing. It's 7-3 New England at the half.

Commercial Break:
Daytona 500 promo
Davis Cadillac - must be the start of the local break. This should be shlocky at best.
UNM Cancer Center - they've spent some bucks. A spot in every local break so far.
IHome system spot from Longford Homes. Amusing.
Howie picks up guys whose trucks have run out of gas. Same old. Same old.

And it's the half time report which I'll be skipping. Along with Tom Petty the Crypt Keeper. See you back here when the game starts again! Gotta refill the food platters.

Ahh. Winey Petty has left the building. Yum. White Castle cheeseburgers, buffalo mozzarella sticks and potato skins are loaded onto the platter and prepared for the 2nd half. Commercials are on again.

Daytona 500 promo. Loud. Obnoxious in HD.

Welcome back to the Superbowl. Buck and Aikman blab about the Giant's defense. What is with Aikman's hair? I think a herd of cows licked his head in the dressing room before the game. Footage of some little boy waving and handing the ball to the officials. Something about youth fitness.

Commercial break:
Zantac. Yeah, a bunch of people are going to need that. Heartburn. Zantac.

Buck blabs about Brady's record setting season. Now we're down at the sidelines. Bill's getting re-wired through his damn' red sweatshirt. Going to commercial again.

Commercials:
Will Ferrell is Jackie Moon Semi-Pro.
Carl Edwards shills for Claritin.

We're back and Relaxed Bill talks on the phone while Buck blabs. Here we go. Kick off to Maroney. Down around the 20. Pam Oliver blabs about the Giants. New England starts at their own 21. Welker gets the first down. Maroney has a nice run for 7. Strahan tips Brady's pass. Defensive Coordinator Spagnola on the Giants' sideline makes the sign for crazy. Patriots get another 1st down. Welker picks up 7 but he's hit hard. Faulk gets wrapped up short. Hanson punts.

Commercial:
Cars.com. It's the geeky trust fund guy from Bones! He's cool. He brings a witch doctor with him to buy a car. Funny.
Now we have a terrible Chincese Panda animated spot for salesgenie.com. I really find these totally offensive. Let's see, first an Indian accent. Now Chinese. What's next? Rwandan?
Horse race with Shaq. Vitamin Water commercial.
Promo for Terminator.

And we're back and I'm running to the kitchen while Bill throws his challenge flag.

Commercials:
Recapped by LZ: Carmen Electra commercial is stupid. Bridgestone commercial with celebrities okay. The highlight was probably Fox's own promo for the Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles.

12 men on the field for the Giants. This is huge! Chase Blackburn couldn't get his butt off the field so New England gets a first down by penalty. Faulk falls forward on the third down. Thank you Giants for pushing him forward. Buck and Aiken blabbing about the Giants pinning their ears back. What? Strahan sacks Brady. Crap. Brady goes to the end zone for Gaffney. Nothin' doin'. Again, crap.

Commercials:
Hyundai Genesis makes it's debut during the big game. Big deal. Whoopee.
Promo for Disney's Wall E movie. Kind of corny.

And we're back. Aiken and Buck wonder why Bill o' the red sweatshirt didn't go for a field goal. They wonder about Faulk's hammie. Toomer makes the catch for the Giants. Manning throws again. Toomer makes the catch again for a first down. It's right about now I wish this were a podcast because I'd do my best impression of Arnold Schwartzeneggar saying "Eli has a Toomah". You'll just have to imagine it. Eli goes wayyy deep for Burress. Incomplete. Yes! Pig pile on the field. Chris Myers says Patriots kicker is fine and so is Faulk. Manning goes incomplete again for Burress. Key stop for Randall Gay. Pat's will start at their own 10. Still 7-3.

Commercials:
Promo for Jumper movie. Samuel Jackson will most definitely have another line like "I am sick and tired of these motherfuckin' snakes on this motherfuckin' plane." Yes!
Baby talks. Baby trades. Baby barfs. I don't know what this commercial is for. I still feel like throwing up.
Guy flying gets sucked into jet engine for Bud Light. Could have been really gross. Wasn't.

Worst starting field position for New England in this game. Now we have a false start on Watson. Should have been called on the Giants. Whatever. Brady gets it off but just barely. Brady to Welker with a big catch for 16 yards. Maroney picks up 9. Pam Oliver blabs about bananas and cramping on the Giant's sideline. Shots of bananas on the sidelines. Brady to Welker for 19 yards. He is the little engine that could. Brady throws it out. Brady yells at someone for running the wrong route. False start on New England. Brady airs it out down the field looking for Moss. Incomplete. Does anyone else think Brady should have layed off hanging with the Super Model and spent more time working on his game? Wouldn't there have been plenty of time for dalliances with a a Super Model AFTER the Super Bowl. Geez.

Commercials:
Chester Pitts is living the dream. Going from grocery store checker to playing for the NFL. Now that's cool.
It's Vaughn Wedeen's Mihijito spot for the Department of Transportation. Leef him in jail. Yes!
Stupid Alltel Wizard commercial. Wish I had a wizard. I'd make this commercial disappear.
Feel Better NM commercial for Presbyterian. I don't really get it.

It's the 4th quarter. Punt goes into the end zone. The Giants take over at their 20.

Commercials:
Marilyn, Shakira, Madonna commercial for Sun Silk.
Stewie and Underdog balloons fight for the Coke balloon. Charlie Brown gets it instead. Awesome.

They show us more celebrities in the stands. LL Cool J. Frank Caliendo. Some other people. Again, who cares. Peyton watches his little brother play. Looks like he's sweating.

Eli throws to Boss. Oops he trips or it looks like he trips. Coulda' been a touchdown. Wasn't but it was 45 yards. Are the Giants better with Boss instead of Jeremy Shockey? Discuss amongst yourselves. LZ and I discuss amongst ourselves. I tell him to stop dissing my fellow UM alumn. We miss a couple plays arguing. It appears the Giants will score at any moment. Maybe Eli will throw another interception. Touchdown Giants. David Tyree. CRAP-O-RAMA. And the kick is good. 10-7 Giants. Peyton goes crazy in the stands.

Commcercials:
James Carville and Bill Frist share good times and Coke. Great fun for political wonks like myself.
Toyota Sequoia shredder commercial. LZ likes it. He thinks Coke and Toyota doing the best commercial-wise.

Maroney gets to the 33 yard line for the Patriots but there's a 10 yard penalty for holding.

Commercials:
You Don't Mess With a Zohan movie promo, typical Adam Sandler vehicle.
Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles promo

Buck blabs about Boss huffing and puffing on the Giant's bench. Brady throws for Randy Moss. Only his 2nd catch of the game. Nice moves by Welker. He's brought down by some fancy high school wrestling moves. Dammit Brady!!! He overthrows the mark again! And incomplete again!!! No Bundchen for you after the game Brady!!!

Commercials:
Talking Baby. Rents a clown. Underestimated creepiness.
Mariachi's make office workers sit down and enjoy their Taco Bell.
Dog drinks a lot of water. Noisily. My dog ignores the TV. She is not impressed. Gatorade. Man's best friend.
Promo for tonight's special episode of House.

Buck compares Brady and Manning. Rating is about even. Pig pile on the field. Aikman apparently spent the break having his hair licked by a herd of cows again. Manning in trouble, runs, dumps it off but overthrows Burress. Good. Giants' punt team takes the field. It's now or never Patriots. Officials are discussing. There's a clock issue. Tom Coughlin is yelling and gesturing. Fair catch by Welker.

Commercials:
Jackie Moon and Bud Light promos together. Bud Light. Suck one. The whole Will Ferrell spoofing things is getting old don't ya think?
Ad for a $40K Hyundai. Wacky. Not the commercial. The fact that they think someone will spend that kind of money for a Hyundai.
The Moment of Truth Promo with ocho cinco.

Some dude for the Giants has been a trainer for them since 1947. He's hanging it up after the Super Bowl. That's a whole lot of years of sweaty towels and athlete's foot, man. Randy Moss gets the ball for the third time. Maroney is half a yard short of of a first down. Brady throws a bullet to Welker. His 10th catch of the night. Welker with another catch (number 11 for those of you counting) and he's inside the 30. Moss makes another catch. Over the middle to Faulk. It's now or never for a touchdown. The Giants' Robbins is down on the field giving Buck and Aikman another opportunity to take a trip down Super Bowl memory lane. Brady throws for Moss in the end zone. And, he misses. Brady throws for Welker. And, he misses. The Giants' Butler is down on the field. Not their actual butler. A player named Butler. C'mon. C'mon. Yes! Brady to Moss. TOUCHDOWN! It's 14-10 New England with 2:42 left to play. Bruschi and Seau make out on the sidelines. Not really. But close.

Giants get only a 14 yard return. Will Eli be able to answer Tom Brady? Peyton wobbles back in forth in his seat. Eli gets a first down with an 11 yard gain. Low snap and then Eli throws it too high to Burress. Four seconds away to the two minute warning. Manning throws high and incomplete to Burress.

Commercial Break:
Victoria's Secret Valentine's Day ad. Dumb.
Fat guy with jumper cables on his nipples drinks Amp and fires up a little car. Ew.
Ben Roethlisberger sings that awful Pina Colada song. Janitor disses him. Promo for American Idol.

Joe Buck puts his glasses back on. Aikman still looks like his head was licked by a herd of cows. Eli completes to Toomer. And they measure. He's a yard short. Looks like they're gonna go for it. And looks like Brandon Jacobs gets it. Bummer. How did hte clock go from 1:22 to 1:28? Manning runs for 5. Loses the ball when he hits the ground. Tom Coughlin runs out on the field to call time out and is pushed by the official. Buck lavishes praise on Coach Coughlin. Samuel almost intercepts Eli's throw. What's with the low snaps? Eli's being pulled down but he gets away and let's it go way down the field and it's caught amazingly by Tyree. CRAP-O-RAMA TWO. Oh this is so not good. Get him! Get him! Manning's sacked by Thomas. Whoa. Tyree almost pulls in another amazing catch. Thankfully, incomplete. Steve Smith out of bounds right at marker. Giants are inside the 14. This sucks. touchdown. with only :35. I can't believe it. People are going crazy. Extra point is good. Frickin' Bill wearing a red sweatshirt. What was he thinking?

LZ seems to think Brady can pull it out and get within field goal range. I'm not buying it. LZ asks that I note that rich people who own football teams all wear blue shirts. He's annoyed by this. I'm annoyed that Brady was just sacked by a rookie. It's New England time out. Hail Mary to Moss is no good. Second time out for New England. Buck goes down Memory Lane to the 1972 Dolphins. Blah Blah Blah. :10 left on the clock. Hail Mary to Moss is no good. Everyone starts celebrating and running on the field. But, there's :01 on the clock. Officials are trying to get everyone off the field so that the Giants offense can take the field for one last time. Just the Giants are on the field. Bill's left the field altogether and is up the tunnel. The Giants have won the Super Bowl. Huh.

I sure hope Super Tuesday turns out better than Super Bowl.

Yes We Can!

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:46:00 +0000

Won't it be great when we have a president who inspires us instead of embarrasses us.

Overflow Standing Room Only for Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:00:00 +0000

Flutephobia, the Giants Fan (aka our boss) and I headed over to the Albuquerque Convention Center at 11:30am today to get in to the Barack Obama event. Unfortunately, many people were there much earlier and the line snaked out of the building and around the corner. Little did we know that once we actually made it inside the Convention Center we would end up following a line that led through the downstairs convention space, up the stairs, through another ballroom and alas, back down the staircase to the overflow room. I know the media has been talking about a recession and job loss, but the fact that so many people were able to come downtown and stand in line all day for this event either means they are one of the jobless or they don't have a work schedule quite like mine. I don't know whether to envy them or feel sorry for them. Or feel sorry for me. I don't know. I'm conflicted. Anyway, the number of people and the diversity of people was amazing. Our trio commented on the fact that we had never seen such a diverse crowd in Albuquerque. Flutephobia said she'd never seen so many hip people in Albuquerque. And, unless you know her, you wouldn't realize what a huge statement that actually is coming from her.

Back to the action - Obama came into the overflow room (or so we think - we heard his voice and we saw the crush of people with cell phone cameras raised) but we did not catch a glimpse of him. We stood forever waiting for him to get upstairs to the Kiva to actually start his speech so we could watch it on the big screen they set up in the overflow room. I guess he went outside to talk to all the people who never even made it into the overflow room. Very nice of him, but not so nice on my feet. Finally, someone approached the podium. I don't know who she was or what she was saying but she did finally introduce Obama. He explained that he was going to talk for 10 -15 minutes and then turn it over to his panel of economic experts because this was a town hall meeting to discuss the economy. So, we listened to his speech (which was good but most of which I had heard before) and then we came back to work. We're doing our part for the American economy by attempting to work at least a few hours.

This post probably sounds less than enthusiastic about the event. It shouldn't. It was really great and I hope that he comes back through New Mexico when he's the nominee. I'll make sure to use some vacation time and take the entire day off from work. At least I have vacation time to take. A lot of people don't have jobs, hence no vacation time. And, that, my friends is what this election is all about. Putting Americans back to work, making health care affordable and available... and getting the hell out of that quagmire Bush calls "the war". Go Obama, Go!

A Gift from our Grandfathers

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:08:00 +0000

This is an amazing image. Titled "Human Statue of Liberty", it was taken in 1918 and used 18,000 men preparing for war at Camp Dodge in Iowa.

UPDATE: Special thanks to photographer Nick Tauro, Jr. He tracked down more photos by the same photographers who took this one. You can view them at Carl Hammer Gallery in Chicago. If you'd like more information about the story and history, click here.

I Just Can't Give the SOTU a Pass

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:43:00 +0000

I confess... I did my patriotic duty and watched the entire State of the Union address Monday night. I didn't want to, but it's always like watching a car wreck. You just can't tear your eyes away from the little capuchin monkey in a suit. I was hoping he'd show up wearing a little red cap and carrying an organ grinder. But, alas, no. Hope springs eternal.

Anyway, by about 7:30 pm I had had enough. I got up from the sofa, poured myself a drink and decided that for every time the POTUS said new-Q-lar instead of new-clee-ar I would take a drink. It did the trick. I was completely buzzed by 7:45. And at 8 pm when he finished the droning, the heh=hehing, the grinning with the little thought bubble over his head "they like me, they really like me" every time the congress stood and clapped - I stood up and sang the nana-nah-nah, nana-nah-nah, hey-hey- good bye song. But, the swaying made me dizzy and I had to just curl up on couch in the fetal position and rejoice that this was the last time this President will deliver the SOTU address.

Hallelujah!

PS.
Senator Ted Kennedy will be at the National Hispanic Cultural Center on Thursday at 10am to speak on behalf of Senator Barack Obama for President. And, Senator Obama will be in ABQ on Friday. Time and place TBD. Check the New Mexico for Barack Obama site for updates!

Happy 50th Birthday Smurfs!

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:09:00 +0000

I couldn't believe the news. I picked up this week's Entertainment Weekly and there it was. The Smurfs are celebrating their 50th birthday. I had no idea that they were so much older than me. I can still remember those lazy Saturday mornings my brother and I spent munching on our Captain Crunch and Boo Berry cereals watching the Smurfs. And, yes, I can still sing the theme song. And yes, every time someone says "Are we there yet?" I immediately want to say in my best Papa Smurf voice "Not far now". This is especially true when hiking up the side of a mountain. Gargomel and his cat Azrael are still my favorite villains. And I still feel a bit sorry for Brainy Smurf, but you have to admit he was a little annoying.

Get set for 2008 to be the year of the Smurf. There's a 3D movie planned, a re-vamped TV Series and a comic book all in the works. The Smurfs are also set to star in a new ad campaign for UNICEF. I guess everything old is new again. Or should I say, blue again.

Lah-lah-la-la-la-lah, lah-lah-lah-lah-lahh....

Busy but not too busy to announce: I'm supporting Barack Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Raven) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:54:00 +0000

Start your own timeline at OurStory.com