Ramble On at 3:29 PM

It doesn't feel like it's been so long since my last post. You'd think I've had a lot going on, but that hasn't really been the case. I suppose we're getting ready for the baby to get here, but other than that, I've just had a lot on my mind I guess. At least we finally have the crib put together and the car seat in the car...and all this with a whole three weeks to go till the due date. We're hoping it doesn't go that long, though. Of course, there are a few other things going on right now, of which I am forbidden to speak. These things...well...one in particular, will be revealed at a later date. How's that for suspense?

On to another item of business: I know there are a few readers other than my friends checking out the blog on a semi-regular basis, so thanks for stopping by. If I could make one request, it would be to email me your questions. Just click on the "Ask Tha Docta" link in the upper right corner. It doesn't neccessarily have to be about a subject that one would normally bring to Tha Docta of Love, mind you. I've just been waiting to do the first "Ask Tha Docta" column, and I'd rather not make up my own questions. Thanks to those of you who have sent in questions. Yours will be addressed in the first edition.

Can I just say that I enjoy old movies? I watched Dial "M" For Murder the other day. Hitchcock movies are awesome. I'll give you that people probably never did talk in real life the way they did in the movies back then, but it's just fun to watch. And speaking of Hitchcock, if you've never seen Psycho, you should really check it out. It will be especially good if you don't already know the ending. I promise.

On the music front, I've got a mini list of songs that make you turn up the radio when you hear them.

-Alice in Chains: "Man in the Box"
-The Darkness: "I Believe in a Thing Called Love"
-AC/DC: "Back in Black"
-Ozzy Osbourne: "Crazy Train"
-Pearl Jam: "Evenflow"

Five bucks says you can't not turn up the volume when you hear these songs. And don't leave it turned down just to spite me. Try it. Sometimes when these songs come on the radio or on when I'm randomly playing mp3's, I'll catch myself unconsciously growling "yeeeeeessssss" as I'm hitting the "up" button. Sure, that makes me wonder about myself a little bit, but this stuff rocks.

Slow dance with your lady tonight.

Call Turk at 7:33 AM

Hey, remember that Scrubs episode where Turk changes his cell number to (916) CALL-TUR(K)? Well, that number works. I called it, but they're on vacation. Though there's still a message from Donald Faison. And they're going to start answering it again when they get back. I left a message asking if Donald Faison thinks football is fun. (If you get that, good for you.)

The List: Awesome Bands at 5:09 AM

As a preface to this post, I have to say that this is by no means an all-inclusive list, nor does it appear in any particular order. My only goal here is to list some awesome bands.

• Aerosmith: Yeah, their older stuff is better than their newer stuff on the whole, but for those who think they haven't done anything good in a long time, check out "Honkin' on Bobo". It's an all-blues album where they also did their own producing. Not bad for a bunch of guys in their mid-fifties. I think it says something about a band when they've got the original members still together after over 30 years. There's a certain chemistry there. Also, I've seen them in concert twice, and they put on an excellently awesome show.
• Pearl Jam: When Pearl Jam first came out, I was in a stage where I was determined to dislike the things that the cool kids liked, because I was the cool one, and I didn't like stuff just because everyone else did. So it took me a while to realize what a brilliant album "10" was. And since then, Pearl Jam has kept putting out good music. Not only that, but how many different sounds have they tried out? Yeah, sometimes they let you know about their political views (it drives me insane when bands do that--just play your friggin' music already), but they're good enough that I can forgive that.
• Led Zepplin: Can you tell me a Zepplin album that wasn't good? I didn't think so. This one goes without saying. Not only were the vast majority of their songs awesome, but they were different. Look at the difference in these songs: "The Rain Song", "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You", "Immigrant Song", "Stairway to Heaven". I could go on, but do I really need to?
• Soundgarden: Roger Daltry was probably the best screamer that rock music has ever known. If anyone thinks different, please say so and I'll say you're wrong. But the thing about Chris Cornell is that his screams seem more controlled. His screaming still sounds like singing. The guy just has an amazing voice. Unfortunately, I guess after Superunkown, there was nowhere for this band to go but down. So they broke up. It's a shame, really, but they put out some great music. Chris Cornell is still awesome, though, in Audioslave (with the instrumental stylings of Rage Against the Machine).
• Stone Temple Pilots: This band is in a special category, because they really only put out one good album. The thing is, that one album was so good that people continued to buy their subsequent albums until they were just flat-out bad. Core is one of the best albums I've ever heard, but they never did anything remotely close to it afterward.
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Do I even need to say anything here? The man oozed awesomeness. One of music's true tragedies is that he didn't live long enough to give the world more great music.

Well, I could go on, but I'd probably never stop and this post would be inordinately long. So maybe there'll be a volume 2 of awesome bands.

Take your lady somewhere special tonight.

Idea Man, and some other stuff at 8:14 AM

I started the next edition of The List yesterday. This one will be a list of awesome bands. However, I've hit a wall with that one for the time being, so that will have to wait till next week. Hopefully early next week. I'm starting to post more at work now, which can't be a good thing. Oh well. Every time I think of the things I need to do, I start to get nauseous, so I'm putting it off. I work better with less time to finish anyway. It helps me concentrate.

I have way too many ideas and hobbies for my own good. I keep thinking I should start a business, and I've had no shortage of ideas for this ( a bowling alley/sports bar, a ton of different websites, etc.), but my problem is I have a family and no money. If I was a single guy, I think I already would have done it. (Not to say I regret anything--my marriage has been the most rewarding experience of my life. It's just a comment.) Then again, if I were to start a business, I'd have less time for all of my hobbies. Oh well. I suppose I should decide whether I want to have my cake or eat it. I imagine I'll start something when I'm a little more established, but for now, I'll just continue to compile ideas. With all the stuff I can think of between now and this undefined later period in life, at least a few have got to be viable, right? Right?

I suppose I should get on Limewire and download a few tracks from the Green Day album. I absolutely HATED the title track, "American Idiot", but the current "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is pretty catchy. I wouldn't bother, but with all the fuss over this album I suppose I should check it out so that I can offer a more informed opinion. My fear is that there's more tracks like the title. For those who haven't heard it (which, if you are exposed to popular music radio stations, you have), it sounds like a Ramones song. I never understood the fuss about the Ramones or punk in general, to be honest. I never thought of the music as fun or innovative. It always seemed to me like music that was made only to be different and/or to make statements about something or other. This would be fine if it was actually good. I just can't listen to the same three chords and some guy with a sore throat and weird punk accent for 2 minutes. Where is that accent from that all punk singers have, by the way? Do they all come from the same place? Whatever. I don't care. I probably haven't even heard enough of the stuff to know that they don't all have the same accent.

On a brighter note, I finally found a decent radio station here. It's a classic rock station, which still doesn't help me find good new music, but at least it's good to have on in my office at work (where I am now). Anyway, I've got a few things to take care of now, so I'll be on my way.

B(C)S at 7:28 PM

I wasn't going to post today, but I'm still at work with not much to do, so here we go. With all the talk about college football and coaches lately, I feel I should weigh in on a different aspect of the same subject. Namely, the BCS. I know many have voiced opinions before, but I've got all this pent up hostility that I need to let loose, and if my wife hears me talk about the subject any more, I think she might lose it.
It goes without saying that the BCS is an unfair way of determining a national champion. All you have to do is look at the basic format, which disqualifies schools based solely on the conference in which they play. If you want to see who the best team is, you let everybody play. Maybe they get trounced in the first round. Big deal. It works for the basketball tournament, doesn't it? That reminds me of another aspect where the BCS doesn't make sense. Money. It's obvious that the big time BCS schools make out like bandits under the current system, because the BCS bowls pay a lot more to the conferences that can actually participate in them than the "other" bowl berths pay. Take a look at March Madness. It's a money-making machine! Can't the powers-that-be see the potential in having a playoff system? With the popularity of college football right now, how much more excitement would there be in a format where more than two teams had a chance at the national championship? How about a football Final Four? Are you kidding me? It would be awesome! Even for college hockey, which is mired in obscurity for the entire season, the "Frozen Four" and the championship game get coverage on ESPN. And don't tell me there's no time for a playoff. Every division that I'm aware of outside of Division I-A has a playoff format (the Fightin' Blue Hens of Delaware were national champs last year in Division I-AA, by the way). Sure, there's way more teams in Division I-A, but consider the novel idea of having everyone play (gasp) the same amount of games! Maybe the season could start and end at the same time for all of the teams! There's at least four weeks every year that could be used as playoff space where some teams have either started or ended their seasons and other teams are not yet or still playing. And get rid of these conference championship games, for Pete's sake. Make the conferences equal sizes and everyone in the conference can play everyone else in the conference. Why don't they do this right now? Because the big schools need about five games against schools no one has heard of in order to blow them out and gain some edge in the computer polls. It's insane. Doesn't this seem like common sense to anyone else? Let me lay it out for you:

-Equal size conferences where everyone plays each other and there's a regular season champion
-All conference champions make it to the playoffs with a few wild card bids (it's possible to lay down numbers here, but I'm not gonna do it right now. Perhaps in a later post)
-You mix traditionally stronger teams in with traditionally weaker teams for the conferences. That way you don't have a conference full of strong teams that only gets two bids.
-At the end of the regular season, let the brackets begin!

Of course, I realize this will never ever happen. It's not realistic to think that the guys with all the money want to risk losing a small piece of it (even though chances are the big guys would still come out on top in the long run--again see college hoops). My point here is that there is a better way than what's being used now, and it's not that hard to implement it.