You gotta see this!!!!!!

I am a closet TOM JONES fan. Loved his show when I was a wee lad

Click on the link and see some wacky manic Tom Dance moves!!!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mVIJFptl0sg

Gotta love it! Maybe Will Ferrell can spoof this! :-)

Blades of Glory!

Ok.....I am exictied about this movie coming out. Yeah I know that Will Ferrel movies are not everyones cup of tea, but he always makes me laugh. What can I say, I like over the top humor ( Steve Martin, Jim Carrey) and movies that spoof topics that are ripe to be skewered!

This latest movie will be taking on Ice Skating. As a guy that appreciates the skill involved with a quality skater, I am also a guy that watches because he likes to see a good fall!!! In the past, Ferrel has messed with TV ( Anchorman) and Nascar ( sorry Jeff, Talladega Nights was hilarious!) and even Santa ( Elf!). I cant wait to see the results!

In other news, the sun has finally peeked out in Minnesota. We hit a balmy 60+ degrees today! You will never see a happier guy in the world than yours truly sweeping his dirty garage out on a bright sunny day!

Yeah, Minnesota will drive you insane like that! :-)

Till the next post!

Still out there!

Sorry for the break in writing. Just havent had the bug to write anything of late. Well, errrr thats not entirely true....plenty to write about....just lack of motivation.

The weekend is just about here....I plan on sitting down and crafting a "proper" blog entry.

Like I know what that is! :-)

For your enjoyment....here is a pic from Dog agilty! ( not reggie...but a stunning re-creation!)

Overated.

Last night can really be summed up by the word "Overated". Even the snow storm that was supposed to put my life into peril was overated. Now onto the review.

Icarus band/Wolfmother-

Lets start with the opening act. The Icarus Band was impressive for about 2 minutes. Very visual and barely musical, the lead singer had all the Steven Tyler moves and the lead guitarist had Keeef Richards down to a tee. Sadly, they had none of the music or personality of both of these rock legends. After the 2nd song....there were moments where I was actually laughing at some of the stuff I was watching on stage. And I know this was not supposed to be a comedy act.

After 35 minutes of the above act....it was time for the headliner Wolfmother. Although much better than the opening act, they suffer from similar problems. This band has raw talent and knows how to play to its core crowd ( male 18-to 30 somethings), it does not have a catalog of songs that can effectively change gears and show depth. I truly was getting bored by about the 4Th song. They really all sounded the same. The energy was there in excess, but the connection was not. This band needs to show it can play a song that isn't the same structure over and over and over. Maybe after a second CD and some seasoning....more depth will surface.

The night wasn't a total washout....I got to see the lead singer from wolfmother dodge a wayward cell phone bearing down at his head and see it smash into about 40 pieces!. Also, watch the meathead 18 year olds throwing elbows and drawing blood down in the first rows....( I avoided this section for some reason).

2 stars out of 5
(WHEN DID I ADOPT A STAR SYSTEM?????) :-)

TONIGHT.

With a snowstorm on the horizon...I will be venturing off to a rock show. Tune in tomorrow for a review.

Today its your birthday!

Its my sons birthday!

Like all parents, its a bittersweet day when your child has a birthday. You look at your child and see how much they have changed and matured, and also you are reminded how fast time passes by. You reflect on those early times when he or she was just a infant and they looked at you as the center of thier world. Witnessing first words,steps and other milestones. It all seems like yesterday as you look at your growing child.

This past weekend we took Steven and 5 of his friends to the Target Center to see the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Washington Wizards. We were able to get his name on the scoreboard and get down on the floor and snag some autographs. For most of the kids it was the first professional basketball game they had ever been to. I know they had a good time ( and yeah...Dad had a blast) and Steven was all smiles.

My Son gives me a very different perspective on my world. He is a very kind and gentle soul, who never seems to be angry or cynical. I look at him and love him for his uniqueness, and want to protect that in him. But I know that I have to let him take his own path and experience the world. Its the challenge all parents face, to want to cushion and protect and yet let your child grow and experience hardships so they are prepared for what "real" life will deal them.

Happy Birthday Steven!
Your Dad loves you more than anything and is so proud of you!

Godfather Of Soul, Mr. Dynamite, Hardest Working Man in Showbusiness!

I know James has been gone for almost 2 months ( and they still haven't buried him! You think Anna Nicolle Smith has a messed up final resting place battle!) but lately I have been really digging into his back catalog of music. Its amazing to explore the road he traveled musically and also what a impact he had on so many styles of music.

Funk, Soul, R&B, Rap/Hiphop would have been drastically different without his influence.

Its a shame that so many have the memory of him in his later years. His life was often turbulent and he had a ego the size of Texas......but his drive for perfection and success took him to heights that few have ever approached.

If you look to the right. I made comment about 2 songs that have really dug into me. If you can find them on I-Tunes or whatever look them up. It might surprise you how literate and biting the lyrics are in these songs.

James was always about the groove first, but the man truly could sing and the showmanship has influenced Prince and Michael (when he was cool) greatly, and they both acknowledge it.

tagged!

A loyal reader ( sometimes) of mine tagged me with a interesting topic.

Drumroll!!!!!!!

6 strange facts about me!

1. I am left handed, but do many things right handed.
2. I am my own worst critic and too hard on myself.
3. Even though I am considered very talkative by many, I feel anti-social at times.
4. I was born with a pointed head! ( this really should be #1)
5. I am a hopeless romantic.
6. Sometimes wish I was born in a different era.

I am sure I can think of some other weirdness!!!! But hey! Weird is all in the eye of the perciever! :-)

READERS! Share with me your weirdness! I wont include them in my Christmas letter. PROMISE!

A MESSAGE FROM MR. T!!!!

HAPPY BALINTINES DAY FOOL!

WOLFMOTHER 2/28

I have tickets to see this band! I thought their debut CD was one of the best of 2006. A nice cross between early Zep/Black Sabbath and The White Stripes, these 3 Aussies know how to deliver it live. As you can tell by the pic....they are high energy and the guitarist does a pretty good "Pete" leap! :-)

One nice thing about seeing "young" bands like this.....tickets are cheap...and they usually play like they have something to prove. Should be a fun night.

http://www.wolfmother.com

Prince! Family Entertainer!!!!!

As a self professed Prince freak, it was a bit weird to see "The Artist"being chosen as entertainment for the Superbowl halftime show. I cringed at the thought of a "neutered" Prince brought out to play the obligitory "Purple Rain, Lets Go Crazy" thing, with perma smiled leotarded models flitting around. But what really disturbed me was the fact that he has become so safe that they would even consider him for this! You would never had seen the Prince of the 80's-late 90's EVER being on such a commercial show. (uhh...see pic to the right.....DIRTY MIND 1980...his best in my opinion)

That being said. Yes my nightmare of hits came true, as did the spandex dancers....but. I thought it was cool to see him out there, in the pouring rain...letting his guitar rip. I was amazed the little feller didnt get electrocuted!!! :-) My wife commented "what is with that thing on his head ( he wore a lucy like do-rag) and that baby blue suit?" I could only comment " He is Prince, and he can get away with that!"

Prince still has "it", its just a little more mainstream.

Movies....Superbowl.....global warming

Wow....what a catchy title!!!

Well after all of this talk about HDTV and home theatre, I am sure you get the idea that I like to watch a movie or two. Between my Netflix 2 at a time program ( those of you that dont know of Netflix yet....check it out http://www.netflix.com ) and the occasional traditional go to the theatre thing.....I see a fair amount of movies. Good and BAAAAAAD.

Here is a quick little list of some recent films that I liked.

1. Little Miss Sunshine- Quirky, funny, sad and about dysfuntional familes!!!! What else could you ask for!!!!

2. Dreamgirls- I like a musical once in a while. Even though I love to sing...I dont usually break out into song whenever something important occurs (maybe I shoud!) , so if you get past that little "weirdness" and get into the strong performances ( yep, Eddie Murphy will actually remind you that he is talented!!!) and the parallel between the Motown story.....you will love it!

3. The Illusionist- Interesting story about a ( yeah you guessed it!) and his love for a girl he loved in childhood that was royalty and was shunned from because he was of a lower class. The movie moves past that well worn plot and gives some surprises that make this movie a good one to catch.

Ok....movie corner closed. The Superbowl.....Bears vs. Colts..... I am rooting for the Colts....only because I happen to like Tony Dungy as a coach and as a person. But, in reality.....I will be happy whoever wins.

BECAUSE??????

I AM WATCHING IT IN HIGH DEF!!!!! :-)

And last but not least, its -3 degress here today.......GLOBAL WARMING IS A SHAM!!!!! Please, people around the world....use your spraycans and open a bigger hole over Minnesota!!!! I am beggin ya!!! :-)

The Beginning of a new era

As you can see, I have my new Samsung television in place in my home theatre! The bottom pic is of my Sony that is now freshly mounted in our bedroom.

I decided to make the switch with the Samsung from its original intended location ( the bedroom) to the home theatre because it is a High Definition Television. I have been slowly building my home theatre for years and years. I absolutely love being able to sit down after a day at work and watch a movie or a game and make the house rattle! :-) HDTV is just the next step in moving with technology. Its kinda scary how lifelike the images are in HI-DEF, you can see every little blemish or imperfection.Plus it transmits in digital sound ( 5.1 on some stations!!) In 2 years all television stations will be forced to send all of thier signals out in digital instead of analog. So, its coming people.....even if you really don't want it! Fortunately, even if you have a "old" analog tv...the cost for a converter box will be cheap, and the signal is free! This made my decision to buy a HDTV a easy one. Rather than paying even more to the cable company($10 a month extra) to provide me HDTV programming...I found a indoor antenna after some research(TERK HDTVI $39.00) that I just sat on top of my home entertainment center and pointed at the local towers, and bingo!!! I have 10 channels of HDTV( just missing 1 channel that the cable would have provided me). Yep, Mike will be watching the Superbowl in style and saving $$$$$!

Hope that didn't bore ya too much....but I am like this. When I get into something....I get into it big and learn as much about it as much as possible. So if any of you have questions.....I am full babble mode.....so fire away! :-)

My old TV ..see the post below.....met a ugly end. The Circuit city dudes that came to deliver ( hey they had free delivery!!! I am usually not a wimp!) the new one and take away the old one....dropped the old one on my front step and it broke in about 5 pieces right in front of me. Kinda bummed me out to see 24 years of care get smashed in front of me. Well, bummed out until I plugged in the new one. :-)

The Sony that I mounted in the bedroom is a great TV. I actually like the picture on that one better that the Samsung, when playing regular cable. I will probably have to get Digital cable for the sammy.......but that will have to wait.... When came to mounting the SONY....I had to buy a new bracket that could support a 107 lb TV. Not a easy task...most are rated for 90. Good ol Menard's had one for 130 lbs....and cheaply priced....$45. So I mounted that bracket...and in a fit of "incredible hulk" like strength...hulked the tv up on the bracket myself!!!

I hope this wasn't too boring! I know I am excited by it....but when I talk about it...I see the glaze on peoples eyes start to form quickly!!!!!! I know....I do the same thing when I hear about Oprah! :-) Little joke there!

The end of a era.

The era I speak of is the good old non cable ready tube television.

Today I purchased a new televison to replace the one you see above. I have to admit, I feel a little sad about having to replace it. Its like seeing a old friend go away.

Now why would Mike get all misty eyed over a Tv???? (no tears...but it makes for entertaining writing) Well, I have had this TV since 1983. It was my first major electronics purchase and I remember how proud I was when I first plugged it in! Yeah I remember dopey stuff like that, and I also remember thinking I was so cool to have my own TV.

I bought it at Sound of Music on 12/13/83 ( sound of music was the original name of Best Buy....trivia for ya kiddies!!!) for $449.00. A Sony Trinitron 17' model.

24 years later....its lost its crisp picture and has a long crack in the cabinet. I have had to use my VCR as a tuner for years and years to get cable ( remember this was a non cable ready model) and its taken a backseat to several other TV's over the years.....but its always been my favorite.

Friday it will be taken away....but it will always be in my heart.....

Thanks for the memories ! :-)

( Ps....I bought a new samsung for about the exact same price as the old tv....tons of features and about half the weight.....I can only hope that I get 1/3 of the life I got out of the relic!)

24/American Idol

So, tonight is the first night of American Idol. While I am not a fan of the robots that show churns out season after season. I LOVE to watch the first week or two. The bad singers ( ala william hung and the classic 'She Baaaaaaaaaaaang' renditon) are the best part of this show. My wife thinks its mean that I take such glee in a persons failure, but I tend to beleive that most of these people come into this sort of thing with eyes open. Anyway, its probably the best comedy show of the year.....check it out!!!!

Tonights show focuses on the Minnesota Auditions that were here in town last Sept. ( yeah, I know I will be hooked after week two and ride this show out to the end.) So, how many of you out there watch this show??? How many of you watch paula abdul and think...."how in the world can this woman judge what a good singer would be?" and "how many adult beverages has she consumed before wobbling on camera??" I think Simon is the only one that actually knows what talent is, Randy on the other hand........too many "DAWG YOU NAILED IT" and " It was aaaaaaaaigh....but a little pitchy in the middle" to have me believe that he even cares.

24 is back on the air. I love this show. Great writing and it never bores me. Jack Bauer can get out of any situation!!! How many of you out there watch it????

lyrics removed

well, after a few days....I decided to remove the lyrics. They seemed a bit "DOWNBEAT", and they bummed out my Mom. :-)

Time to pull out my Lawrence Welks greatest jams mix cd. :-)

annnn a onea and a tooooowa.......

Video games

Before I get too far into this, I have a side of me that is immature. I have come to grips with it, embraced it and accepted it. Dont you all feel better???? Good, now read on. :-)

This year I received $$$ for Christmas. I usually ask for $$ to buy one big item gift. This year I purchased a XBOX 360 video game system. As a old school gamer from waaaaaaay back into the Pong days ( remember that huge console and the wires hooking up to your parents TV ???) being facinated by the pa- plink sounds and blips??? Then becoming a instant friend of any kid that happened to have a Intellevision gaming system??? Maaaaan have things changed.

Let me track the systems I have owned. ( bless you for putting up with this topic!)
1.pong-great basic fun
2. Commadore 64- My first PC (uh sorta)...blew my eggshell mind :-)
3. Sega Genesis- Loved this system...very fun and affordabe
4. Playstation- liked it...wasnt as great as Sega
5. Xbox- was first in line for it...didnt sleep out...live in a sleepy town...was lucky!!
6. Xbox 360- read below

What I really love about the 360 is that they ( Microsoft) have finally made a system that takes the best part of PC gaming ( online downloadable content) and gaming consoles ( great graphics and dependable performance) and put it into one box. As stated above, I have owned the xbox for years and (gasp!) really had got to the point where it was starting to gather dust. This new system has reignited my enjoyment of playing games again. I bought a VGA cable that enables me to hook this up to my computer monitor ( High def graphics!!!) and my speakers with subwolfer!! I have actually played some NBA 2k7, online with other xbox360 users and its a blast to be playing with someone other than the computer. ( I dont know if I am being beat by a15 year old....but I dont need this info!) :-) There is a option where you can plug in a headset and talk to the person that you are playing......sorry, I still am not that geeky!!!

The controllers are wireless.....its great to not have to worry about the dog or whatever tripping over wires and getting the wrath of kahn from me! Steven and I have enjoyed the system quite alot....I dont let Steven use the online gaming....its a bit rough out there....and he doesnt need that ! Do I???? OF COURSE! :-)

2007....the return of Mike the gamer???? maaaaaaaaybe :-)

pics of snow!

We received about 3 inches of snow right before we headed out to church on New Years Eve. Very nice! I took some pics today....enjoy!

Christmas Love!

Ah yes. Steven is happy after opening his gifts!!! I am smiling, and Reggie is cleaning my ears out! What more can a guy ask for!

Sprucing up the blog!/ Christmas recap

If you look to the right.....you can see that I have added a counter to see how many people actually look at this thing we call "the blog"! I have also added a list of music ( called "music of my mind") that I am currently listening to. Yes, you can either look into it and see if you might like it....or do as most.....shake your head and say...."why doesnt this guy listen to anything that I have heard of!" :-) Last but not least.....I have updated my list of links....I will be adding more to this at a later time. The new version of blogspot is very easy to use and customize. (Otherwise I wouldnt be doing all of this spucing!) Ok....enough spruce talk!

Christmas was very nice. We spent Christmas Eve at my Moms, along with My brother and his family. Most of us were "under the weather" and not 100%, but had a great time laughing and EATING! Christmas Day was pretty low key, Cherols brother and his girlfriend were there and we had a fun time watching Steven play with his new gifts! ( I had a stiff neck and walked around like Frankenstein all day!!! very attractive!)

We received snow about 3 days before Christmas. Not much, but enough to pass as a grey Christmas. So we have got that goin for us! :-)

On Christmas Eve, the priest had a very interesting sermon. The main point was to NOT try and strive to make Christmas perfect. In fact, realize that like everyday, the day will be filled with imperfections. Enjoy the day, love the moment. I loved the message. I hope that many were able to just relax and let the blessing of the day wash over them.

Just a few days left in 2006!