I heard an interesting discussion on the radio this morning, "Best movies of the 2000's". With this decade coming to a close this is a valid topic. And it got me to thinking about it, so I figured I'd throw in my own top 10 list. I always find it interesting to hear other peoples take on movies. Critics usually lean towards the more 'meaningful' or 'artistic' movies to be labeled as the best movies. I don't agree with this philosophy. I go to the movies for one purpose: to be entertained. That can be in the format of drama, comedy, horror, historic, whatever. Depends on my mood. My list is based on the pure entertainment factor. If you disagree with me, I want to hear your opinion. Note that I am right and you are wrong. But it's always cute to hear otherwise.

10. Training Day. Denzel Washington is a bona fide bad ass in this movie. I wish he would do more bad guys movies because he plays it so well. And Ethan Hawke plays the role of the wide-eyed narcotic rookie to perfection. Just a good story and good acting. This movie kind of made me wonder how of this type of thing actually happens within the police force. I wouldn't doubt that some is this happens. I guess I don't want to really know. If you haven't seen this movie, you have to check it out.

9. Seabiscuit. This was a really inspiring movie. It takes place during the depression era. It's a true story about a beaten down horse jockey (Tobey McGuire) who got teamed up with an even more broken down horse (Seabiscuit) in a depressed era who were both given a second chance by Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges). All pulling together they were able to achieve greatness against all odds. This movie was quite moving. I definitely had more respect for the sport of horse racing after watching this movie.

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That's right bitches! The best time of year is almost here... you guessed it - Packer Season (some call it football season, whatever). The summer is a rough time for the average sports fan. After the NBA finals are done, it's a long few months before football rolls around. Sure, there's baseball (yawn). Hey, why don't we play 162 games and see if anyone cares! Guess what... we don't. Wake me up when the world series arrives and I'll read about the highlights. Sure, there's NASCAR (ya right). Golf? Tennis? Please. There is nothing like football and I will debate that with any sports enthusiast to the death. But I digress.

I love this time of year. Your favorite football team hasn't lost yet (of course they haven't won yet either - lol). There is a certain optimism in the air. Anything can happen. 2008 Cardinals... enough said. You gotta love it. Oh the drama. NFL off field antics with the likes of T.O., Michal Vick, Plaxico Burress, etc.. is men's version of tabloid drama. It's like watching a car wreck. You know you shouldn't enjoy watching it, but ya just do. It's human nature. So many talented players self implode. It's crazy! You just can't make some of this stuff up! Seriously. I have a vivid imagination and no way I could script some of this stuff.

But more than the drama, unbridled optimism that your team will win it all, and sheer relief of boredom from summer sports is the anticipation. The anticipation of last possession comeback drives; bonecrushing hits; fumble recoveries; 53 yard walk-off fieldgoals; blind side sacks; long touchdown bombs; hail marys; all out blitzes; cheerleaders; overtime; playoffs; (I could go on). Are you getting excited?? I am aroused just writing about this stuff. So tell your wife/girlfriend that you regret to inform her that she is officially a 'football widow'. See you in February sweetie. You are now married to football for the next 5 months. And your marriage is good.

For your referencing pleasure I have included an unofficial NFL countdown. Which incidentally is Steelers vs. Titans on Thursday night football.

Let the games begin!

So, I have a grievance to air. What is the deal with people in the service industry?? More specifically, people who deal with anything home related. Construction, electricians, plumbers, painters, etc.... most anyone who make their living doing something related to providing some type of service to your home. Of course this is a generalization, and I'm sure there are reliable people out there, but overall in my experience these people are complete flakes. Landscapers are the worst. Holy crap! I don't know if it's just this region of the country or what the deal is, but landscapers are the worst. I've never owned a house other than in Arizona so I have no frame of reference; but I wonder if it's like this all over the country. I swear to baby Jesus landscapers must be the most flaky people out there. 13 year old retarded kids look at landscapers and are like 'damn, you guys need to get your shit together'. Sometimes I wonder if being a complete flake is a prerequisite in order to mow lawns and operating a leaf-blower for a living. Once upon a time I owned all my own equipment and I took pride in taking care of my own yard including the lawn, trees, drip system, everything. This was when I bought my first home back in the late 90's. I thought it was actually kind of cool having my own yard to take care of. But after some time the novelty wore off and pulling weeds and mowing/edging became less sexy in 113 degree heat. Not to mention burning the better part of every Saturday doing the outdoor chores.

So I made a conscious decision after a couple of houses that I would let someone else do it. Sure, I have to pay them. Totally worth it. Then I figured out how flaky landscapers are. It's like pulling teeth just to get someone to regularly show up at your house. Never in my wildest dreams would I consider not showing up and also not calling with some kind of explanation. But that is the regular practice of landscapers. Unbelievable. I have gone through so many I can't even remember. Is my business really that unimportant to them?? Must be. Could you imagine just not showing up for work on a regular basis without any explanation or justification? It's sad when just showing up when your supposed to is a big deal. I recently placed a phone call to find someone new (cuz my current landscaper hasn't shown up in a month or so). His flyer looked promising. He actually takes credit cards (almost nobody does). And he makes a point to mention how RELIABLE he is. Guess what, not a return phone call. Imagine that! I think I'm going to open up my own landscaping business. Hell, all I would have to do is show up for every appointment and I'd already be the best company in town

-Jim

I recently saw the movie The Hangover with Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms (The Office), and newcomer Zach Galifianakis (well, new to me anyway). This movie made me laugh pretty hard just from the previews. If a trailer can make me crack a smile then the actual movie can't be half bad. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, but these types of zany movies with thirty somethings (Wedding Crashers, Old School, Most any Ben Stiller movie, etc...) seem to be the trend these days. I credit this movement to the aging of this generation. When I was a teenager the more memorable comedies were the old John Hughes flicks (Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, etc...). Those teenagers from that genre are the present day thirty-somethings (including myself). So the teenage comedies that were popular in the 80's have now been replaced by such films as Meet the Parents and Old School. It's just a shift in genres with the same audience. We've just grown up a bit now. But the inner Ferris Bueller inside of all of us is still there and craves the wacky day-off scenario where we let go of reality and get a bit crazy. But I digress...

The basic premise of The Hangover is pretty self explanatory from the previews. Bachelor party in Vegas party gone over the edge. We are just left to fill in the pieces. Without giving too much of the movie away I can tell you that this movie is hilarious! It's a good cast of characters with the a good balance of physical, smack you in the face funny mixed in with more subtle humor. Galifianakis (that would be the little bearded guy in the movie) actually stole the show. His character is this freakish little quirky guy who we all come to embrace as a little brother figure. Yes, there is a Mike Tyson cameo which is actually kind of funny too. I would give this movie a high recommendation. Don't take your kids (lol). It's definitely for adults. Definitely worth seeing if you want some hearty laughs.

-Jim

View my Grand Canyon pictures

I believe that sometimes you have to step outside of your comfort zone. It is healthy and necessary. Some of my friends are into hiking and take occasional hiking trips to the Grand Canyon. I feel I've become somewhat stagnant in the last couple of years so I expressed interest in joining the next Grand Canyon adventure which was lined up for this summer. At the time there were no spots available as there is limited space for cabin room. But my buddy Steve who arranged the whole trip kept me in the loop and notified me that a spot did actually come available. So I jumped in with both feet and committed to joining the trip. The kicker was that this trip they were planning on hiking 'Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim'. If you're not familiar, this means hiking from the South Rim of the Canyon to the North rim, then hiking back from the North Rim to the South Rim. Did I mention that I've never really hiked before?? I did some research apparently this type of hike is highly discouraged and is typically reserved for seasoned hikers in extremely good condition. Eh, I am a novice hiker at best, and at the time I was not in very good shape. Well, how steep is the Canyon really anyway. Oh, did I also mention that I've never actually been to the Grand Canyon before either??

From the south to north rim going down South Kaibab trail it is over 21 miles and would take somewhere between 8 and 12 hours depending on your pace. On the way back from the north rim to the south rim taking Bright Angel trail up to the top (less steep route) it is more like 24 miles. The plan was to rest a day in between hikes to recover. Once Steve told me I was 'in', he proceeded to advise me on how to train for this endeavor. It was described to me how punishing this hike was. This motivated me to make a full commitment to preparing for this extreme hike. I only had about six weeks to get ready. Would it be enough time?? I would find out shortly. I quit drinking, I ate healthy and I hit the gym hard like an NFL linebacker. Mostly leg work (squats, leg presses, lunges) and cardio (elliptical machine and quarters a.k.a. suicides). In my six weeks of training I lost about 12 pounds; which was part of my goal. Twelve less pounds I'd have to haul across the Canyon. I invested in some decent hiking equipment and made a point to do at least one or two good hikes a week. I got in better shape and I noticed that it made a huge difference of some of my more strenuous hikes. But I still wasn't sure how it was going to play out on the long trek across the huge crater. Time would tell.

South to North Rim
We drove up to the south rim on Thursday and stayed at the Maswick lodge. I had never seen the Grand Canyon before in person. So after dinner we took a little walk over to the observation area so I could see the Canyon. We tried to hit the rack early because we were waking up at 3:00am to get out on the trail early to beat the heat. But I don't think anybody slept very well that night. We were too wired up for the hike. The moment finally arrived the next morning when our wake up calls blew up at the crack of 3am. We were up, packed and ready for the hike before long. We were on the shuttle over to the South Kaibab trail. I can't lie - I was terrified on the inside. Never having even seen the Canyon before, this whole thing was more than intimidating. Especially for a rookie like me. On the shuttle ride to the trail head I had a very anxious feeling I haven't felt since I was on a cattle car on the way to get dropped off in basic training when I was in the military. You knew the pain was coming. But once we got to the trail head and filed out of the shuttle it was all business. Outside of the fact that there was an Elvis sighting at the trail head (literally!). When we started hiking down the trail and we settled into a reasonable pace I felt more comfortable. Before long we were a reasonable ways down the Canyon. The sun started to come up and it gorgeous. I took plenty of pictures. We got down the canyon in less than three hours. We rested at Phantom Ranch (beyond the Colorado river) for a bit and started through 'The Box'. The Box is what is commonly referred to as the trail between the south and north rim - because of it's nature of being lodged in between steep Canyon walls and giving it a boxy effect. We were blessed with phenomenal weather. This was a huge relief considering I was prepared for the worst. The weather in The Box can get well into triple digits as it is the same elevation as Phoenix. The long trip across the bottom of the Canyon was definitely lengthy, but manageable considering the great weather we had. By the time we got to the next resting point (Cottonwood) we were about 2/3 of the way complete, and it wasn't even 11:00 yet. I was happy with this. However, I knew the toughest leg of the hike was yet to come... the North Rim. This is what gave me nightmares for my entire training period. This is what caused me to do that extra set of leg presses. This is what forced me to do extra cardio work. This is what got me out of bed at 4:00 before work to hike Camelback. The stretch from Cottonwood to the Roaring Springs Falls was gradual to not so gradual assention. Once I crossed the bridge after Roaring Springs, it was on. This is what they told me about. Switchbacks and steep. The last 4 miles or so was quite brutal as advertised. The fact that I already hiked over 17 miles down and through the Canyon made it tough. The elevation is a killer. The North Rim is actually about 1,000 ft higher than the South rim. It just keeps going. You seem to keep hiking and the top of the Canyon doesn't seem to get any closer. After some time my legs were quite fatigued and they started to cramp a bit. But I made it to the next water point which was about two miles from the top. It wasn't a comforting sign to see a girl nearly passed out next to me and a mountain rescue team on the way down to drag her out of the Canyon. But I topped off my Camelback with water, had a Powerbar and pressed on knowing that I was only a couple miles from the top of the rim. I started the rest of the treacherous hike. My cardio was holding up very well, but my legs were completely spent. I had to take a few short breaks just to keep my legs from completely seizing up. It seemed like forever, but after some time I looked up and I saw a truck. And a road. And I realized I was finally at the top! That was one of the sweetest sights I have ever seen. I'll never forget it.

Day of Rest
We rented a couple of cabins on the north rim and stayed the night. We all got showers, cooked up some brats, drank beer and celebrated our victorious journey to the North Rim. It was a well deserved celebration. We were all spent from the hike. Our legs were stiff, we were sore and chaffed all over and we could barely walk. But it was a satisfying feeling knowing that we accomplished such a feat. We ended up crashing out early and getting some rest. The next day we took it easy. Just hung out and got some food. Did some more drinking. Enjoyed the cool weather. Soaked up the scenery. I took lots of pictures. That night we ended up hitting the rack relatively early again. We need to hit the trail early once more for the hike back to the South rim to avoid as much of the sun as possible.

North to South Rim
We got on the trail head about 4:30am. Boy, I tell you the trip down the North Rim is a much different experience than hiking up! We made it two miles down to the first water point very quickly. We didn't take much time there; just topped off our water and cranked down to Cottonwood relatively quickly. It was still early and we were in good shape. We zipped across The Box back to Phantom Ranch with no problem. We took a short break at Phantom Ranch to grab some food and water and rest our legs for a bit. We were getting ready for the last leg of the hike - the climb back up out of the Canyon. We were taking the Bright Angel trail back up to the South rim instead of South Kaibab because of the steepness factor; although Kaibab is short as the crow flies. A few of the advanced hikers decided to hike up South Kaibab, but from what I gathered that made it a very rough climb. I'm glad we stuck with our original plan and took Bright Angel out. It got a bit warm starting on the ascent up. But we powered through to Indian Gardens where there was more water. After a short break there, I took off for the last 4.7 mile leg of the hike. After getting started I caught a miraculous second wind. I got into a really good groove and actually passed up the last two water stops. I don't know if I was just anxious to be done or what my deal was. But I made the last 4.7 miles without stopping except for one brief water fill (probably less than a minute). Before I knew it I was at the top. My journey was over! And I actually felt pretty good. My knees got the worst of if anything. They were extremely sore from all the repetition. That was an amazing feeling of accomplishment.

Overall I would say the hike was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. Partly because I've never seen the Grand Canyon before. But also due to the fact that we were so up close and personal. It was a whole different experience from what most people probably encounter when they see the Canyon for the first time. I'm not gonna lie, there were times when the hike was brutal and unforgiving. But as punishing and strenuous as it was, it was equally as rewarding. Some of the most scenic views I have ever seen in my life. And going from almost no hiking experience, to hike ready in six weeks where I can say that I did a hike that only elite hikers from around the world have accomplished, I can say that I am happy with what I was able to accomplish. I could see myself doing some more hiking in the Grand Canyon in the future! Maybe next time I'll introduce a couple rookies to the experience. Any takers???

-Jim

Last night I saw the NINJA (Nine Inch Nail, Jane's Addcition) concert at Cricket Pavillion in Phoenix, AZ. I didn't have any set expectations for the show as I have never seen Jane's Addiction before; but I did see NIN open up for David Bowie in 1995. They were spectacular and I was left scraching my head as to why they were opening up for David Bowie... who is 25 years past his time. But I digress.

We arrived to the show after Street Sweeper performed. We had lawn seats and hadn't made our way into the lawn yet when the first headliner took the stage. I was quite curious as to who was actually going to merit top billing on this tour months before the concert. I did some poking around on internet forums to get some answers and I didn't find any defnitive responses as to the format of the show. I read that NIN was going to be the main act. I also read that Jane's Addiction was going to be the main act. And I also read that they were considering alternating the order per show. So I didn't know what to expect up until showtime.

The first main act started playing as we were getting settled in and it was NIN. I immediately shook my head and said to myself 'you gotta be kidding me'. Don't get me wrong, I love JA. But

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I recently took my fiancee (Kelly) back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a vist to meet my family. Well, family on my dad's side anyway. I tried to show Kelly some of the very Milwaukee-centric sights and experiences. I thought it would fun to break each activity up into a series of individual posts so I can share the full experience of each Milwaukee moment. Consider this the first entry.

Friday night fish fry - Milwaukee has many traditions unique to the area... many of which revolve around food. One such tradition is the Friday night Fish Fry. There's really not much to explain here. On Friday evening most restaurants will offer a Fish Fry. Typically the meal will come with fries, coleslaw, rye bread, and of course Fish (usually cod). The Fish is lightly breaded and deep fried. Any respectable Fish Fry is all you can eat, and many times banquet style where there are many tables set up (similar to a wedding). We arrived in Milwaukee on a Friday, so of course we went to a Fish Fry for dinner. We ended up going to Cliffords which is ranked as one of the better Fish Fry's in the area. I guess I've spent too much time recently in the Phoenix area where most restaurants are set up for the dinner wait where. Typically in Phoenix area eateries they don't take reservations. You just show up, put your name on the list and they quote you a wait time, then they give you a pager. But then you just go to the bar and have a drink or two while you wait. It's not a perfect system but it's just a matter of waiting patiently, maybe enjoy a cocktail or two while you wait. You just have to plan for it. You will most likely have to wait but it's structured for that.

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I was on my way to work this morning, and I ran into some construction. It was kind of a mess but it wasn't anything worth getting upset about. It was mainly contained to one intersection. Everyone had to merge into one lane (all four directions) and there were no left turns allowed because of the one lane deal. Of course there was one lady in her SUV who was trying to turn left. Of course, the rest of us behind her were stuck in no mans land because there is only one lane and she's waiting to make her illegal left turn. There were huge signs all over the place indicating 'No Left Turn'. Which tells me that she is either a complete idiot and can't read, or is fully aware of the situation but just doesn't care that she's not only breaking the law but screwing the rest of us behind her. We were all dead in the water until she made some kind of move. Fortunately for the rest of us there was a traffic cop on site managing the intersection. He noticed that she was attempting to execute a left turn. So he stepped in and wave her forward. Of course she wouldn't go forward; she is special and wanted to turn left. Then the cop physically stepped in front of her car so she couldn't turn left and viamently motioned for her to move forward. At that point she was threw her hands up in the air as if to signal - 'how rude. I need to go left and you are in my way'. That got me to thinking. This type of attitude really pisses me off. Ok, you have to get somewhere that requires you to go left. Well you know what, we all have to get somewhere. You are jacking up this whole system just so you are not inconvenienced. What gives this lady this sense of entitlement? It makes me wonder what goes through peoples minds sometimes. Now all of us behind her have to wait another one or two light cycles because of this biaatch. Ya, traffic sucks for all of us. But we're all in this together people. Sometimes following the rules is inconvenient. But it's inconvenient for all of us. And you wonder why you see 'road rage' incidents on the news all the time...

-Jim

If the devil took a 1600 pound shit and split it into 9 equal pieces, and those pieces dawned masks and matching jumpsuits on stage with various instruments and started thrashing around with reckless abandon, that would be Slipknot. They played last night at Jobbing.com arena in Glendale, AZ - promoting their new album 'All Hope is Gone'. At a glance to the untrained eye if you saw this spectacle you would think that there was an escape from the local insane asylum and you should call the authorities. But Slipknot has set themselves apart from most bands with their raw energy, the crazy masks that they wear and their over the top theatrics. I didn't quite know what to expect out of this concert but I figured if nothing else it would be entertaining and make for good people watching. But I must admit, it was a much better show than I had expected. The best way I can describe their show is a cross between the energy of early raw Metallica, the theatrics of Kiss, and the showmanship the Blue Man Group.

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This post is inspired by a Facebook note that has been going around. I thought it would be fun to throw out some stupid facts about myself and see who else can come back with some stupid yet interesting facts about yourselves. I welcome and look forward to your comments.

1. I am superstitious. It pretty much goes against most of what I stand for (logic, fact, etc...). It's mostly with sports. For instance, if I'm going to play basketball, I can't warm up too much or I won't have a good game. I have to work myself into it.

2. I'm not a spiritual person, but I do believe in Karma. I do think the universe tends to balance itself out by rewarding the positive and squashing the negative.

3. In 2006 I took 8 months off work. I was going through a life transition. The state of my company was up in the air. I wasn't sure if I was going to stay in the Phoenix area or move out of state and start over. Plus I was getting a bit burnt out from work. It just felt right. It was quite expensive and on paper it was a terrible decision (mostly financially); but it did wonders for my mental health and I felt rejuvinated when I eventually did go back to work. I highly recommend it to anyone who can get away with it!

4. I am a total metalhead. I love heavy metal. Hard core speed metal, angry thrash metal, it's all good. Some of my favorite bands are Metallica (mostly old Metallica - first three albums), Pantera, Godsmack, Slipknot and Coal Chamber. I've seen all of them. I've lost track of how many times I've seen Metallica. I want to say about 25 times.

5. I'm a huge Packer fan. Most people who know me are quite aware of this.

6. I absolutely hate talking on the phone. If it were a viable option I would never speak on the phone again. Text, email, carrier pidgin, anything other than a phone conversation. Unfortunately with so many friends/family out of state I need to make the periodic phone call to keep in touch.

7. I am claustrophobic. I figured this out when I was in the military. One time while in the field I freaked out when we got gassed. I had to dawn my gas mask and I couldn't take it off for some time. Just the feeling of knowing that my face had to be surrounded by this device wigged me out. This extends to generally being in small, cramped spaces. I deal with it better than I once did; but it still freaks me out.

8. I'm completely ticklish. I can't let anyone touch my feet. If I get a massage the first thing I note is that they will not be touching my feet. They always want to but I insist that they don't. I hate it.

9. I have a ridiculous mastery of 80's music. I can go toe to toe with anyone. I'm a product of the 80's.

10. I am a huge animal lover. I like animals more than people.

I'd like to hear yours...

-Jim