Inspired by Slate.com’s interactive guide to the best movies of the decade, I decided to compile my own list. I was surprised to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to top Slate’s aggregate list. The movie was good, but I never saw it again after the first viewing. If I want to see a movie more than once, I pretty much love it. So I’ve looked my DVD collection and decided….THE BEST FILMS OF THE DECADE (AND BY DECADE, I MEAN FROM 2000-2009 FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG POST AND BY FILMS, I MEAN FILMS I WANTED TO SEE IN THE FIRST PLACE).
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The Angels team that came out to play the Yankees were a completely different team. There were glimmers of hope that the team I saw all season came back to play aggressive, confident Angels baseball, but it never fully came back. Against the Red Sox in the ALDS, the Angels played the way they had during the regular season. Great pitching, great situational hitting, aggressive baserunning, good defense.
Against the Yankees in games 1 and 2, the Angels didn’t believe in those things anymore. That first error in game 1 where Aybar and Figgins let a potential 3rd out drop set the whole tone. I think from that point on, the team was doubting itself. Pitchers lose a lot of confidence when their teammates behind can’t back them up. The team pressed to get runs by doing the opposite of what they’ve learned by swinging big and missing big. In contrast, the Yankees played like they usually played. Besides A-Rod’s tying homerun in game 2, the Yanks didn’t do anything particularly special. They just played good fundamental baseball. The Angels beat themselves.
In game 3, the Angels won because they took advantage of Joe Giraldi’s micromanaging and some good clutch hitting at the end. Game 4, the Angels were blown out because of CC Sabathia’s command of the mound and the Angels pitchers couldn’t hold the Yankees down. Game 5 saw the emergence of the old Angels. They got runs early on and then counter-rallied back to win. But game 6, the self-doubting Angels returned. Behind only one run in the 8th, the Angels defense fell apart again on simple bunt plays. It was a sign that the team hasn’t yet fully mentally matured. The Angels made a total of 8 errors in 6 games against the Yankees (5 in the first two games alone).
The way the Angels played against the Yankees this year isn’t new. In 2008, the Angels had 4 errors in 4 games against the Red Sox. Maybe Mike Scioscia can take a page from Phil Jackson’s book. From what I’ve heard, Jackson does all his work during his practices and when it comes to game time, he tells his players they’re all on their own. This places accountability to perform solely on the players when it counts and teaches them to think on their own. They can’t rely on their coach to fix things for them. I don’t know if this method works in baseball, where managers often call pitch-outs, steals, bunts, and decides when to sub players. But something has to be done to the Angels’ mental toughness.
After a few months into the new Tonight Show with Conan, I’ve finally made an assessment. It has the makings for a great show, but it’s not living up to my expectations. Great set, band is the same with the addition of auxiliary percussionist (and Max back-up) James Wormsworth, the return of Andy Richter, and more or less the same writing team as before. All the characters are there, but the show is missing plenty of sketches that made Late Night so good and irreverent.
Of all the Late Night bits, the “Clutch Cargo” (aka moving lips) bit would connect to mainstream America the most. It has yet to appear. They could be satirizing Obama, Cheney, the Clintons, Arnold, and celebrities every week. I wonder why they’re holding this back. I wonder if there’s a legal/copyright issue.
With Andy Richter back, I was also expecting the return of the “Staring Contest” bit. It’s one of my favorite bits and it was a classic exercise in absurdity. Conan and Andy would challenge each other in a staring contest, but for some unknown reason, various actors would come out behind Conan and do the most disturbing things ever (check out this .mpeg clip). Andy would always eventually break and be entitled “Staring Contest Loser.”
Other sketches that would still be popular are “Conan and Andy at the Movies” and “Satellite Channels.” The latter being another exercise in the absurd. For instance, one unforgettable channel they found was the “Lincoln Money Shot Channel.” Conan and Andy’s reaction at the end is great.
I found this simple recipe for chicken and made it simpler. Way simpler. Instead of buying and finding a bunch of curry spices, why not just use curry powder? DUHHHH.
Lemon Curry Chicken
Ingredients
- About 6 chicken legs (a little over a pound)
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- 2-3 cloves of garlic smashed
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (I think I used 1/2 tbsp instead)
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
- 1 tsp of fresh black pepper
Sprinkle some salt on all sides of the chicken and place in a strong ziplock bag. Whisk the rest of the ingrediants in a bowl and pour into the bag. Let it marinade in the fridge for a few hours. I did mine for 6 hours.
Cook at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Make sure the chicken is browned and slightly crusty. Yum!
We know the term Trekkie, a fan (maybe devout fan) of the fictional Star Trek universe and most likely well-versed in the canon. Now that JJ Abram’s made a hip, flashy, crowd pleasing version, I’m coining a new term: the Trekster. A Trekster is a person who became a fan only after of JJ Abram’s cool, action-focused reboot. I would call myself a Trekster. Even though I enjoyed some of the previous Star Trek movies before this new one, like Wrath of Khan and First Contact, I never became a true fan. I didn’t watch the TV series and I knew little of the canon. I had a general understanding of the concept. But with JJ Abram’s prequel, I’m starting to care more about the characters, concepts, and fictional universe that were originally created by the late Gene Roddenberry.
Being a teacher, I really appreciated Pres. Obama’s decision to turn a controversy into a learning opportunity. The president spoke yesterday for Arizona State University’s commencement even though the university chose not to confer an honorary degree to him because his “body of work has yet to come.” There was some criticism of that decision because some say Obama’s historical win as the first minority president is enough for a degree.
Obama came into his speech with humor and grace. He brushed off the controversy and essentially admitted that the university is right: a title, even president, means little and it’s what you do that counts. His entire speech was about one’s body of work and he challenged the ASU graduates to reflect about their own body of work. It was quite memorable to hear on CNN and I felt the university was extremely proud of what Obama taught to their graduates.
That’s a good motto for all of us – find someone to be successful for. Rise to their hopes and their needs. As you think about life after graduation, as you look in the mirror tonight, you may see somebody with no idea what to do with their life. But a troubled child might look at you and see a mentor. A homebound senior citizen might see a lifeline. The folks at your local homeless shelter might see a friend. None of them care how much money is in your bank account, or whether you’re important at work, or famous around town – they just know that you’re someone who cares, someone who makes a difference in their lives.
–President Barack Obama, 2009 ASU Commencement
I was just thinking about some GOP talking points that have enraged me recently. The most recent was the whole TEA Party nonsense. First, people were protesting tax rates that haven’t been raised yet. Essentially, they were protesting Bush-era tax rates, which are lower than Clinton-era rates. Even if these people were protesting the tax hikes promised by Obama, they’re only going to be raised to Clinton-era rates. Remember the Clinton years? I remember a budget surplus. Stop blaming high taxes for deficits.
Second, what’s the travesty of a slight increase in upper bracket tax rates? It’s hypocritical for Republicans to easily push for a war in Iraq and repeat the mantra “Freedom isn’t free!” while arguing that income taxes are unconstitutional. It’s wholesome of them to remind us that sacrificing the lives of American soldiers is the cost to live free and that it’s sometimes necessary for the greater good. But when the president asks rich Americans to pay a little more for the war, health care, education, and clean energy, it is a travesty. “How dare the president asks us to sacrifice a little bit of my paycheck for a better country? He must be a socialist. By the way, I support the troops dying for my right to keep my all my money.”
Then there are Republicans who are still arguing against the progressive tax. What is this? 1862? Every president since 1913 has supported the progressive income tax…even Ronald Reagan! Stop saying this is Marxist communism. Are we living on communal farms and starving to death? No? Then we’re not communist.
Goood times. I had fun as being a groomsman at Michelle and Bryan’s wedding. I’ve never been involved like that in an American-style wedding. I learned a lot about the traditions of the ceremony. I also got the intimately witness some of the games during the reception. Quite crazy. Coming soon: the wedding party’s Thriller routine. It’ll be on YouTube soon.
I had another discussion on the game tonight with somebody who insisted that there’s a very specific way in playing it well. I think that while her advice is surely legit (it works for her), it doesn’t mean it’s the way to play the game. Everybody has a different story and different way to play. Being able to succeed on your own terms is part of matching compatibilities. If somebody doesn’t like me just because I happen to call on the wrong day, then that’s just downright silly. Just like everything else I’ve accomplished in my life, I can’t be mad at myself if I tried my best. I’ll continue live, learn, and improve.
Remember the Facebook Terms of Service outrage? People sent me reading. The major news outlets were covering it. Friends were encouraging me to join an online protest group. After 2.7 millions of Facebook users joined the MILLIONS AGAINST FACEBOOK’s NEW LAYOUT & TERMS OF SERVICE Facebook group, Facebook actually responded by giving users the power to vote on newly proposed policy documents. And despite all the initial outrage and call for change, a whopping .32% of Facebook users have voted. This is far from the 30% needed to even make the vote official. Congrats, Facebook users. You have just participated in slacktivism.
Slacktivism is the perfect word for people who enjoy getting mad at something and do little to enact effective and long-term reform. When people participate in slacktivism, people feel like they’re bringing change to their world, but they really aren’t. Like Earth Hour, it’s a way for people to feel good about themselves without taking too much of their time and energy. Why should I take the time to read, research, analyze, and vote on two lengthy documents that would determine my rights on Facebook when I could just simply click one button and join an online group? Why should I change my lifestyle for the environment when I could just turn off my TV and computer for one hour of the year?
If you really care about activism, I actually suggest looking at the Wiki for it. They got some great examples of true activists.
