The Beatdown Blog

I designed the Sears Tower, I make two grand an hour, I cook the world's best duck flambe...

2012-02-11T10:45:00.000-05:00

T-minus 35 days 'til St. Patrick's Day!

Radiating Awesomeness

2012-02-01T14:01:00.000-05:00

I'm still pretty new to the whole Dubstep thing - I really do like quite a bit of it - big, big fan of deadmau5 (even his non-dubstep, club/trance/house stuff)...Skrillex is pretty good, too.

I recently came across this gem and had to share.

This is Nero.

"Guilt".

AWESOME song, and a WICKEDLY EPIC video.

This Is Not A Rebel Song, This Is Sunday Bloody Sunday

2012-01-30T17:58:00.000-05:00

On January 30, 1972 - a full 9 months prior to me even being born - in a small town called Derry in Northern Ireland, 26 protesters were shot by British police...14 of them died. Many historians say that this one day - this one event - was the most significant, the most horrific, and the most violent event of the far too long conflict in Northern Ireland that later became know simply as "the Troubles".

January 30, 1972.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday.

This entry into the Beatdownblog is dedicated to the memories of:

Paddy Doherty (31)
Gerald Donaghy (17)
Jackie Duddy (17)
Hugh Gilmour (17)
Michael Kelly (17)
Michael McDaid (20)
Kevin McElhinney (17)
Barney McGuigan (41)
Gerald McKinney (35)
Willie McKinney (26)
William Nash (19)
Jim Wray (22)
John Young (17)

My State of the Union

2012-01-25T09:13:00.004-05:00

Good morning!

It's really quite simple, my fellow Americans. The state of our Union isn't quite as good as it could be; dare I say as it SHOULD be.

The bi-partisan politics in Washington DC has created a toxic environment where good ideas on how to fix our country die on party lines, regardless of the feelings and desires of the MAJORITY of we the people...the electorate.

The lack of term limits in Congress has led to reelection bids and holding onto power being far more important to members of Congress than doing the job they were sent to Washington DC to do - govern according to the will of the MAJORITY of their respective legislative districts.

Corporate money, special interest groups money, and lobbyist money has become the decision making fodder for members of Congress & the President, and the voice of the people has faded into the background, barely audible over the din of party line politics, flashy campaign slogans, and hallow promises never intended to be kept.

The government has gotten so big, so cumbersome, that it works against itself; departments within agencies work against each other, grossly overlap responsibilities, or make far reaching decisions only to justify their existence and reason to collect a paycheck - a paycheck provided by tax payer dollars. Corporations throughout our country have had to make cuts...they've been forced to work lean and give more responsibilities to the employees they have. Washington DC should be held to the same standards. Congress member staffs must be trimmed. Agencies need to be "right-sized"; some eliminated.

The welfare system must be overhauled; as the President said, rather than unemployment benefits, the goal must be re-employment. No one should have an opportunity to take advantage of the system; and it does happen.

Social Security must be overhauled to ensure its continuation. People have money taken out of every paycheck for their Social Security benefits; it must be available when the retire and need it. I think the most prudent course of action is to invest the money, similar to 401(k) accounts, in regulated, steady growth funds.

We must work to become less dependent on foreign energy sources, and work to be the pioneer for clean, efficient, and affordable energy.

We must solve the immigration problem. Illegals should face consequences, not be rewarded. Upstanding, working illegals should be given the opportunity to earn their citizenship. Our country, despite it's current challenges, is still a beacon of hope - we should integrate those that want to be here, legally.

Our education system needs to be improved so we can compete with other countries in terms of math and information technology skills. And to quote the President, stop teaching for the test; teach skills and knowledge that will translate into preparing students to go to college, enter the workforce, and compete on the world stage for the jobs of tomorrow. And speaking of college, it must be affordable; loan interest rates can't be at levels that will cripple new graduates with huge bills that will chew up their starting salaries; after all, these young adults go to college to better themselves, and begin their paths to professional excellence.

Companies need to be encouraged and rewarded to keep jobs in America; companies that outsource shouldn't. It's pretty a simple solution to add jobs. Provide incentives to companies that keep jobs here, that provide necessary training and re-training of skilled workers, and keep communities alive.

And lastly, we the people must shoulder some of the blame for the current state if the union. For too long have we focused on greed, immediate satisfaction, entitlement rather than empowerment, and not wanting to sacrifice anything for the greater good, as previous generations have done to allow us to have all that we do. Hard decisions have to be made; some painful. We can not continue to spend more than we take in. We can not continue to borrow money from other countries. Taxes must be raised. The rich must pay their fair share. Loopholes in tax law need to be closed. A billionaire paying less of a tax rate than his secretary is ridiculous. It can't happen. We all need to shoulder the burden and, to fix our country, pay more - for a leaner, more efficient government. We need to stop expecting handouts. We need to stop trying to keep up with the Jones'. We new to rethink the American Dream, and make some sacrifices in the short term to ensure future generations - our children and grandchildren - have the chance to see that American Dream.

It won't be easy. It will be a complete 180 degree turn on current policies and track of thought. But if we as a nation agree to get back to basics, work smarter, and pay our share, the Union will persevere. The Union will heal. The Union will grow again. The Union will be all that we want it to be. The Union will be all that it SHOULD be. For all if us. For we the people can, and we the people will!

May God Bless you all, and may God Bless the United States if America.

Some Men Just Want To Watch The World Burn

2012-01-19T18:35:00.000-05:00

"Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

I Dig This Song

2012-01-19T18:11:00.000-05:00

Attach Attack! - The Wretched

For Pop

2012-01-18T11:13:00.000-05:00

So I'm not exactly sure why, but ever since he passed away back on May 7, 2005, this song has reminded me of my dad.

Perhaps it's the line, "From hand to hand, Wrist to the elbow, Red blood sand, Could Dad be God?"...because there is always (at least for me) the thought when we are children that our dad is the end-all, be-all.

Dad would have been 68 years old today.

There isn't a day that goes by where I don't think about him, wish he and mom were still around...

This one is for my dad. My hero.

I love you, and doing the best I can to make you proud each and every day...

O-M-G!

2012-01-17T08:29:00.000-05:00

WOW!

MLK Day

2012-01-16T14:09:00.000-05:00

For Martin Luther King, Jr., today, yesterday, and tomorrow...

Some Advice

2012-01-16T13:32:00.005-05:00

Happy Monday from a bright and sunny, albeit chilly, Pasadena, Maryland.

A quick piece of advice...take it as you will, and for whatever it's worth coming from yours truly.

When it comes to relationships, be it marriages, domestic partnerships, or long-term-definitely-going-somewhere kind of gigs...ALWAYS carve out some time for one another, to spend some quality time together, just the two of you.

In the immortal words of one Ferris Bueller, "Life moves pretty fast...if you don't stop and look around every once in awhile, you could miss it".

So very true, in all aspects of life.

We are all busy. Jobs, looking for jobs, homes to keep clean, maintain, and update, kids, pets, friends, family. The list of things to do, places to be, and people to see is never-ending. It sometimes gets a little too easy to be distracted, to forget that special someone...to take them for granted.

You hustle and flow, and plow through the daily grind and that never-ending to-do list. It becomes routine. And next thing you know, you and that special someone hit a fork in the road and start down seperate paths. And the longer you continue down those paths without one another, the farther away from your relationship you get; and unfortunately, it seems to happen more often than not nowadays that more and more people take their seperate paths and eventually end their relationships.

While sometimes it is for the best, a lot of times it is tragic. And avoidable. All it takes is making time to step away from the daily grind and spend some time together. No kids, no housework, no nothing. Just the two of you doing whatever it is that you both enjoy, whatever it is that brought you together in the first place.

Make the effort. It's worth it. And for all those that think there will be time to spend together "later"...when the kids are grown, when the bills are all caught up, when the bathroom is painted, when the house is spotless, when the laundry is done, when the promotion is obtained...remember one very important thing...you're never promised tomorrow. So don't wait until later, because you might not have a later.

To young couples everywhere...spend time with your significant other, and seriously figure out who the two of you are together as a couple. As one. And just as important, take time and space to figure out who you are as an individual, because until you figure that out, you won't be a successful partner or better-half to anyone.

To newlyweds...enjoy being married, enjoy each other for awhile. Adjust before starting a family; because once the bundles of joy start blessing you, all priorities shift to the children.

For couples with young children...do stuff as a family, enjoy shaping the minds of your Littleheads, but do whatever you can to take a break, weekly, bi-weekly, or at the very least monthly, to go out with your partner...just the two if you...and make sure you're staying on the same path...together, hand-in-hand, side-by-side.

Relationships shouldn't be a job. They should just be. But they can't be anything without nurturing them with the most important - and readily available (with the right help) - building block - togetherness.

May all of your relationships stay awesome; help the cause by making sure to take the time for just the two of you to reconnect as often as possible without any distractions...ensure you're staying on the same path, side-by-side, by spending some quality time - together. Don't get caught in the hustle and flow and drift apart beyond hope of reconnecting. Always take a moment and remember - and celebrate - what it was that brought you together in the first place.

Until next time...

A Quick Tebow Note

2012-01-15T10:23:00.000-05:00

Yes, Tebow lost last night.

His stats were dreadful.

But last time I checked, there are 10 other guys on offense and 11 on defense.

Tebow didn’t lose. The Broncos lost.
While it's the "in" thing to do to bash Tebow, look at the O-line for Denver - no QB would have been able to fair well with that kind of coverage on his receivers and dreadful pass protection and run blocking. Look at their defense - Tim Tebow did not give up 45 points. He's a QB and doesn't play defense.

For the record, Tebow is 9-7 in his first 16 games, including play-offs. I’m pretty sure the only QB with a better record than that is Tom Brady.

Tebow is a lightning rod because of his faith, and because he isn't afraid to show his love for God and Jesus Christ on the field and during interviews. He's a lightning rod because his style is unconventional. He's a lightning rod because of the immense amount of hype the media thrust on him.

But...

Tim Tebow has got an intangible quality that will make him successful in the NFL…he’s a leader. In good and bad, he leads. He knows his role, accepts his mistakes, and does what he can to improve on them. He doesn't blame others, his coaches, or anyone but himself. That's a trait a lot of other quarterbacks in the NFL sorely lack.

One thing is for certain...Tim Tebow WILL get better and grow from his experience this season...he’ll be back next year and I for one think he'll prove the nay sayers wrong.

Great season, Tebow - looking forward to seeing what you and the Broncos can do next year.

Lastly - GO RAVENS!

25 Lessons Learned In 2011

2011-12-30T16:10:00.001-05:00

1. Never judge a book by it's cover - the old adage rings true. Be it a company, a job, a person, or an actual book - what you see on the outside isn't always what you get on the inside, and sometimes what you find inside is a MAJOR disappointment.

2. Never compromise who you are - for anyone or anything.

3. "You never really change like they say, you only become more like yourself". Thanks, Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction for that nugget.

4. Trust your instinct. Gut. Feeling. Feelings. They are more often right than wrong.

5. Don't dwell in gossip; jumping in that pot perpetuates it. Stay above it and it will simply go away.

6. When you put something out there on social media and it's read - even by one person - it's engraved in stone. While it can be deleted from the surface, it's always there.

7. Work for success rather than money.

8. Being happy where you work is way more important than the paycheck you bring home.

9. As Stephen Covey said, "The best way to predict your future is to create it".

10. As Jodi Picoult said in Keeping Faith, "The worst thing about endings is knowing that just ahead is the daunting task of starting over".

11. The Kardashian's, Teen Mom, Jersey Shore, House Wives of (Fill In The Blank), and other garbage reality television programs similar that have become focal points of daily conversation are seriously on the list of causes for our once great country falling apart at the seams...using the word "reality" for any of them is a joke in and of itself.

12. Forgiving is easy. Forgetting isn't.

13. As Maya Angelou once said, "people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel".

14. Another Maya Angelou nugget, "you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back".

15. To paraphrase a Robert Frost quote, one thing is for sure about life - it goes on.

16. Most people never truly listen.

17. Don't rain on anyone's parade - we all have cruddy stuff we deal with daily.   No need to send out invites to your own little pity party. Revel in other's success, because success - as well as negativity - is contagious.

18. Be mindful of sharing your opinion just for the sake of being a dissenting voice.

19. Stop always looking for the answers...Stop always asking the heavy questions...Just be...Enjoy the here and now.

20. Say "Thank You" - daily.  It's a powerful and lasting phrase.

21. Don't straddle yourself with regret.

22. Give unconditionally - thoughts, encouragement, prayers, time, patience, friendship, love, service.  Everyone can use one or all, and any one of these simple things could be the lighthouse in someone's storm.

23. Take the time to learn the lessons from the challenges we face.

24. All any of us can do is put forth the right effort for the right intentions - we can pursue what is right for us...the results of the effort and intentions will fall as they will. Period.

25. When in doubt, always follow one simple rule - WWHBD - What Would Honey Badger Do? http://youtu.be/4r7wHMg5Yjg It'll never steer you wrong!

2011 - quite a year personally. Looking forward to its quick exit and on to bigger and better things in 2012.

I'm not going to make resolutions. I'm going to start revolutions.

Get on or get out of the way.

Fitting

2011-12-22T08:57:00.000-05:00

“The worst thing about endings is knowing that just ahead is the daunting task of starting over.” - Jodi Picoult, Keeping Faith

Fitting theme for dreaming it all up again...

Dreaming It All Up Again

2011-12-20T08:39:00.000-05:00

5 days 'til the jolly old elf comes to visit, Beatdowners! Are you doing your part to stay on the "Nice" list???

As I stated in my final blog, I need to step away and dream it all up again.

It's a process.

And I think part of the process can be incorporated into 2012's New Year's Resolutions.

Here's a few things...

Don't rain on anyone's parade - we all have cruddy stuff we deal with daily. Some of us tend to wear the negativity like a tacky Christmas sweater - loud and proud.  It's okay to seek advice and solace with friends, but don't make it a daily routine to pee in someone's Cheerios when the cards aren't falling the way you hope. No need to send out invites to your own little pity party. Revel in other's success. I'm a firm believer that success - as well as negativity - is contagious.

Let's face it - opinions are like buttholes - we all got 'em, and they all stink. Sure, if someone asks your opinion, give it. But be mindful of sharing your opinion just for the sake of being a dissenting voice.

As I mentioned before - stop always looking for the answers. Stop always asking the heavy questions. Just be. Enjoy the here and now.  Live each day as if it's the best day ever. Live each day as if it is your last, because one day it will be; afterall, we are never promised tomorrow. Stop solely enjoying the "remember that time" stories. Stop solely enjoying the anticipation of the trip, the party, the whatever. Just take it all in as it's happening and live in that minute!

Say "Thank You" - to co-workers, to friends, to family.  Daily. Let go of bitterness. It ages you, way more than you realize. Being thankful and grateful to those around you doesn't cost anything, and could start a trend of paying it forward - wouldn't it be awesome to brighten someone's day with 2 simple little words?

Don't straddle yourself with regret.

Forgive. Let go of grudges.  And most importantly, forgive yourself. Pause, acknowledge, turn the page and move forward.

Give unconditionally - thoughts, encouragement, prayers, time, patience, friendship, love, service. Everyone can use one (or all) of the above, and again, none cost anything.  And any one of these simply things could be THE very spark that someone needs to prevent them from throwing in the proverbial towel. Any one of these simple things could serve as the lighthouse in someone's storm. Any one of these could be the crutch we all need to lean on from time to time.

And a common thread throughout all of this message is take the time to learn the lessons from the challenges we face. Once the lesson is learned, we adapt...dare I say we evolve. Once the lesson is learned, the challenge can't burden us again. We simply move around it, plow through it, or act as if it simply doesn't exist.

And by all means - share those lessons.

5 days until Christmas. 11 days until we ring in 2012. Take an inventory of everything you have to be thankful for, for every gift you receive daily. Granted, some may be harder to find and recognize - but if you look hard enough, they are there, standing in front of us in broad daylight.

Until next time...

A Christmas Blog

2011-12-17T09:13:00.002-05:00

Okay, so here's another blog entry, Beatdowners - composed completely from my iPhone (later edited from my 'puter)...I did say I may have a few quick one's about Christmas, so I'm entitled.

I'm not feeling the Christmas Spirit this year. Plain and simple.

Why?

The weather being more like Spring than late-Fall/early-Winter?

The horrible commercials showing parents one-up'ing Santa, destroying Littleheads dreams, wonderment, and believing?

The continuation and further commercialization of Christmas?

Not having a job?

Visiting with friends and family being far too infrequent?

The dread of having to drag the Littleheads out and about on Christmas day, rather than having it at my house, where I want it to be?

The lack of any Christmas tradition in my life (with the exception if hanging with my brother for a few pints on Christmas Eve, which looks as if it'll be derailed this year)?

One certainty - not attending Mass has 110% contributed.

Actually, it's safe to say that it's in part due to all of the above.

But there is one week left. One week before Christmas.

I'm going to make the most of it to salvage some part of the Holiday Season - for me, for my family, and for any one else who wants to come along for the ride.

While Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus, it's also about joy, cheer, friends and family gathering, miracles, and Festivus!

Now to just find it...or better yet, now to just let it happen...

And if all else fails, I can fall back on the advice given by Buddy the Elf in the now-Christmas classic film Elf:

"The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear".

A Final Thought

2011-12-12T19:51:00.003-05:00

Happy Monday, Beatdowners.

This is going to be my last blog of the year - well, my last blog besides maybe a few quick quips about CHRISTmas...this one is it...a final thought.

As some of you know, I've been out of a job since October 25th. I've ran the gamut of emotions - anger, fear, worry, relief. I've been actively looking - a few leads. Some disappointments. Reaching out to my network. The usual cycle.

I have a decent support system, if you will, around me - could always use extra words of encouragement, extra assurance that everything will be okay...but I'm getting through.

During my time off, I've looked inwards and learned a few things...a few that I want to share...

1. I won't compromise my values or beliefs for anyone, for anything. Matt Stone will always be Matt Stone. And I'm perfectly fine with that.

2. All any of us can do is put forth the right effort for the right intentions - we can pursue what is right for us...the results of the effort and intentions will fall as they will. Period.

3. All of us want answers - not the "Where are my dang keys" or "What are we getting up to tonight" kind of answers - I'm talking about answer about life, our ultimate purpose, our place in the grand scheme of things.

Anyhow, I'm pretty sure that we have to first take a look at our questions before looking for the tangible answers; I say that because I'm pretty sure that the source of both the question and the answer is the same.

The source is US, as individuals.

However, I've also come to find out - especially over the last two-plus years - that sometimes the most prudent move is to stop looking for the answers....stop asking the questions...just enjoy the moment, the now...just "be".

4. Life is all about growth - experiencing life fuels that growth. Growth (in terms of life) is sort of like climbing a staircase; at some point, we all reach a landing - a comfortable spot. And we stop climbing when we should be moving to the next step and the one after that - you know, to continue growing (sorry for all the philosophical stuff!).

I think I've gotten a little too comfortable.

I've had a lot of fun, a lot of anguish, a lot of love, a lot of loss, a lot of mistakes, and a lot of triumphs over the past few years. To all my friends and family, near and far, here and departed, THANKS for coming along for the ride with me.

I don't really know what all of this rambling is or what it all means, but as 2011 comes to a close, as the Christmas Season kicks into high gear, I feel like it's the end of something for yours truly.

I fully intend to get my Christmas celebrations and New Year celebrations on to the fullest; sort of make each moment a party for myself, if you will.

Now don't fret, it's no big deal - this isn't a cry for help or anything remotely bad...

I think I just need to step away for a moment, and dream it all up again...

Until then - thanks for reading and stay tuned.

"That Guy"

2011-11-30T13:27:00.003-05:00

Happy Humpday, Beatdowners.

I decided to take a break from my job search for a bit today - I ventured up to the Barnes and Noble in Ellicott City hoping to find a book I heard about - "The Breath of God", by Jeffery Small.

I find the book, buy it, and decide to read for a bit while the tiling of the master and hall bath gets finished up at home.

This Barnes and Noble has a Starbucks - so I decide to enjoy a Grande Decaf with Skim Milk and 3 Splenda.

I sit down, crack open the novel and blaze through 11 chapters, all the while sipping on the Starbucks coffee.

Then it hit me.

I was "that guy".

Trendy.

Yuppie.

Sickened at the mere thought of being "that guy", I wrap up the chapter, polish off the coffee, and quickly exit the store. I hop into my VW Jetta, select a playlist from my iPod nano, and head home to my townhouse in suburban Pasadena.

The song queued up on the nano? "Caring Is Creepy" by The Shins.

Holding on to my last ounce of self respect, I won't continue this blog.

I suppose it could have been worse - I could have been reading from a Nook eReader.

Perhaps I can do that after Christmas.

Until next time - stay hip.

Too AWESOME Not To Share

2011-11-28T10:55:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday, Beatdowners!

I saw this one on a friend's Facebook page - it's simply too good to NOT share. I think we could all use a little pick-me-up every now and again; this one will come in handy for me, that's for certain!

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit -
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Dark and Twisted

2011-11-15T20:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday Beatdowners...

I again have been slacking. It's been a crappy few months - perhaps if I had used this platform as a sounding board, it could have been easier than persistently internalizing everything.

I digress. My mood isn't the bestest. It will pass. Always does. However, I'm stewing a bit in this dark and twisted mood. Watching awesomely epic flicks - Fight Club, Pulp Fiction, The Dark Knight...

I came across one of my all-time favorite movie quotes that I decided to share with you all. It comes from the 2008 Christopher Nolan film, The Dark Knight - you know, the Batman movie in which the late Heath Ledger stole the show with his role as The Joker...a conversation between Albert and Bruce Wayne...Albert is talking about when he was younger on an expedition in Burma and his group encountered a man that stole jewels from their caravan...and never traded or sold them...he's comparing that person with Batman's latest nemesis, the Joker...

Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn...

Indeed.

How To Kill A Vampire - A Bet Lost

2011-10-10T11:02:00.002-04:00

So a coworker told me today that you can kill a vampire with a silver bullet.

"HA! You silly fool - everyone knows only a stake through the heart kills a vampire. It's a werewolf that requires a silver bullet", I proclaim.

"Nay", she says. "A silver bullet can cause the demise of the living dead bloodsuckers".

"I'll bet you a dollar", I retort.

"Done", she steadfastly answers.

After some intense investigations, I'm short a dollar, and gladly much more wise...you know, in the event I ever have an encounter with a Nosferatu.

Per Ask Mystic Investigations - the OBVIOUS leading source for all things supernatural as well as all things in the nefarious underworld of human evil...

The following 10 methods have proved reliable in the eradication of the vampire menace:

1. Vampire Death By Fire: Vampires will not burn easily using conventional flames since their paranormal body provides protection from a variety of environmental factors. Simply touching them with a flaming torch won’t set them ablaze. A good dousing in gasoline or even better, garlic oil, will send that pesky vamp straight to hell in a magnificent fiery inferno. For a speedy end to a vampire you will need special holy flames, sometimes called holy fire. These are holy cleansing flames blessed by the Priest of any religion in the name of their God(s), or Goddesses(s). Christian Priests generally produce the most powerful holy fire due to the widespread belief in Christianity. Most likely you’d have a Priest bless a torch of normal fire blessed and then go into battle with a vampire. You can light other people’s torches and their flames will be holy as well.

2. Vampire Extinction By Sunlight: Sunlight has always been the number one weakness. A weakness that keeps them confined to the darkness of the night cowering away at first light of dawn. Exposure to sunlight causes them to burst into flames and die. The more sunlight the quicker it will happen. Depending on their age and power they may be able to withstand a certain amount of sunlight and will only smoke during that period of time. You will need to trick them into the sunlight, or use mirrors in a clever manner. You can also capture them and shackle them outdoors until sunrise. Just be sure to use silver shackles or hang religious artifacts on them. Tying them to a holy cross would work as well so they don’t escape. See number 8 about religious artifacts below. There’s also some anecdotal evidence that has claimed that some powerful wizards, and sorcerers can conjure up a mini sun to duplicate the suns rays. However this is quite dangerous and left only to the magic pros.

3. Vampire Termination By Blood: A little known method of killing vampires is to somehow get them to ingest certain types of blood, or inject it within them. The only two types of blood known to instantly kill a vampire in any quantity is Angel blood and Sasquatch (Bigfoot) blood. Both of which are nearly impossible to come by. The odds of an Angel taking physical form are beyond rare although the vampire will be drawn to it without reason and will sink it’s fangs within it’s holy body. The holy cleansing blood of the Angel will kill the supernatural vampire virus that is intertwined with it’s DNA. It’s unlikely they’d go after a Bigfoot, however if you’re able to get some Sasquatch blood you can either trick them into drinking it or inject it into them with a silver syringe. A normal syringe won’t penetrate vampire skin. Also the silver syringe itself isn’t big enough to cause any serious ill effects. It is also known that zombie blood is poisonous to vampires so they’d never drink of their rotted living dead corpses. Angel and Bigfoot blood only requires mere drops to kill while zombie blood demands you to inject the entire syringe full within them. The same goes for dead human blood which is also a poison to vampires. Tricking a vampire into drinking deceased human blood is probably the easiest termination by blood method there is if the human just died recently. In fact the blood of other dead paranormal beings will have the same effect as well. Unfortunately this doesn’t apply to animal blood. Creating tranquilizer darts with silver tips filled with the blood types mentioned above would also be an excellent delivery system for vampire eradication. Although it might take multiple shots to get enough into them when it comes to zombie or dead human blood.

4. Vampire Eradication By Injection: As mentioned above you can inject various types of blood with a silver syringe. You can also inject silver into them. It’s not likely you’ll be able to fill a syringe with 1763 °F molten silver but you can use high concentrated colloidal silver to get the same job done. You can also inject them with pure garlic oil which will cause a slow painful death. The tranquilizer dart gun method mentioned previously would work as well.

5. Vampire Extermination By Silver: As mentioned above colloidal silver and molten silver will kill a vampire. As will silver bullets, silver swords, silver knives, and silver stakes. Silver, specifically colloidal silver, has been known for ages as a bodily cleanser and cure for many ailments in the mortal world of humans. It seems that silver also has the same effect in the paranormal world to varying degrees. Although it doesn’t cure a blood sucking beast of his vampirism. Instead it acts as a living dead Kryptonite of sorts. **THE SILVER BULLET ON COSTING ME A DOLLAR**

6. Vampire Annihilation By Stake: The most famous method of killing a vampire has always been the trusted wooden stake. Any sturdy wood formed into a pointed stake will be able to penetrate the vulnerable spot over the vampires heart. Once the heart is punctured by the wooden stake, it must be left in for a number of seconds or even minutes before he or she dies. Depending on the ancient nature and power of the vampire they may last for varying amounts of time but once it’s in they are virtually paralyzed and won’t be able to remove it. The death will be quite agonizing. The most effective wood stake is that fashioned out of hickory. The stronger the wood, the easier the penetration, and the quicker the death will be. If you’re looking for an instant death then try the silver stake mentioned above.

7. Vampire Death By Beheading: Removing a vampires head by any means will cause death to fall upon him. This has always been a trusted technique for the extermination of all immortal beings. A strong steal sword, preferably silver plated, will take the head of any vampire nicely. Some how tricking it into a guillotine or onto a rail road track as a train roars forth is another option.

8. Vampire Destruction By Religious Artifacts: All religious artifacts from ancient religions to Christianity have varying repellent powers when it comes to vampires. However if you can somehow get it to ingest some of the artifact, or stake them with it, then they will die. This includes religious texts such as Bibles, along with other things like crosses, crucifixes, Jesus statues, etc. The power of these artifacts comes from the collective consciousness of the human masses believing in a certain religion. This is made possible since the foundation of our reality and magic in general is pure thought. Since Christianity is the most believed in religion, it’s artifacts are the most effective at repelling and killing.

9. Vampire Expiration By Holy Water: Holy Water is formed when a priest of any religion blesses normal water in the name of their God(s), or Goddess(s). This is another religious artifact that repels vampires but if you trick them into ingesting, or inject them with holy water then it’s burst into hellish unholy fire time. The death will be slow and beyond excruciating which would be perfect for a vampire who may have mercilessly tormented you and your loved ones. If you want an instant death then find a way to dunk them into a body of holy water. A Priest should have the power to bless a large tank or even a small pond. For larger bodies of water it may take a number of Priests to create holy lakes or seas.

10. Vampire Death By Magic: This method of vampirical death is only possible for those who practice the various magical arts whether they be witches, warlocks, wizards, sorcerers, or some manner of magical being. Vampires may be the hunter when it comes to human prey but in the paranormal world they aren’t Gods, and sometimes they can end up being the prey for beings more powerful than themselves or humans who possess knowledge of magic. All vampires on Earth are born beholden to a magical global curse that denies them entry into any private home without first receiving an invitation. This is where their vulnerability to magic begins and allows for various creative spells and potions to eradicate them along with those whose bodies are imbued with active magical powers which usually encompass the various forms of Psychokinesis. In light of the magic threat some vampires learn defensive magic. However higher powers that dispense magics generally shun vampires and therefore the ones who know magic are the ones who practiced it while still human. In addition, very ancient vampires of the first generations have some immunity to magic just as they have some immunity to the various method of vampire murder mentioned on this page. Luckily the odds are slim you would run across one of them.

I hope this helps in your continued fight against all that is Unholy.

Until next time...

"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

2011-10-06T21:44:00.000-04:00

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary".

Steve Jobs, 6/12/05, Stanford Commencement Address.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

R.I.P., Mr. Jobs. And thank you.

CONVICTION

2011-10-05T21:34:00.000-04:00

Happy Hump Day, Beatdowners...

Easing back into blogging. Throwing a few quick ones out there, seeing what sticks.

Conviction - a belief or opinion that is held firmly.

Sometimes, conviction isn't the easiest thing to have.

Sometimes conviction leads us - one and all - to bash our shins into the proverbial "Stumbling Blocks" that pop up during the AWESOMENESS that is life's journey.

The journey is never on a clearly defined path, and the path is never, E-E-EVER narrow. The journey meanders through increasingly broad lifescapes, and every gate or door we come across is a lot wider than we think...and a lot wider than some hope it to be for us.

All the dirt that soils us during the journey - my journey, your journey, OUR journey - doesn't ever disqualify us from passing through the gates or the doors.

Conviction. Never lose it. And if you don't have it now, it's never too late to find it.

Until next time...

Fitting

2011-10-04T14:09:00.000-04:00

Fitting - especially today.

"Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big."

Theodore Roosevelt

I suck

2011-09-21T14:09:00.000-04:00

Greetings and salutations, fellow Beatdowners.

Two words - I SUCK.

I've been neglecting the blog for far too long - I've neglected you all from my epic, stellar, and awesome ruminations, revelations, and assorted lagniappe.

I've missed talking about hurricanes, earthquakes, and comets, oh my!

I've done a disservice to you all by not inserting my two cents on the potential government shutdown months ago.

I've failed you all.

Have no fear, though - the rants shall continue, the entries will become more frequent.

We have quite a bit of catching up to do.

Stay tuned.

Until next time, you stay classy.

Facts

2011-07-24T21:06:00.000-04:00

The time of partisan politics has come and gone.

The time for big, expensive government has come and gone.

The time for lobbyists, big money, special interest groups, and the almighty dollar dictating policy in Washington has come and gone.

The time for political theater has come and gone.

The time for sound byte politics has come and gone.

The time for the politicians in DC to listen to the PEOPLE is NOW.

The time for a true government OF THE PEOPLE and BY THE PEOPLE - is NOW.

The time for true change (not just a feel-good campaign slogan) is NOW.

We the People can. We the People will.

A Quick One

2011-07-14T09:17:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday, Beatdowners.

A quick one from my iPhone (still get a kick out of being able to blog from this thing!)...

To paraphrase and downright steal some words from Aung San Suu Kyi (Burmese opposition politician and General Secretary of the National League for Democracy)...

When we raise our voices, we can be heard in America; we can be heard around the world. Our voices are louder than any rock band, any army, any rocket fired, any fighter jet.

Our voices are the future; the voices of reason, equality, and justice.

We are not bistandards in our own history...every one of us writes a story that will be told.

The struggle may take time, but if we demand it, CHANGE will come.

This year, America will be the home to over 310 million people...but to bring about change, it starts with just ONE person.

ONE.

The Budget Mess

2011-07-12T15:57:00.000-04:00

No greetings, no frivolity today.

Just an honest to God question for our representatives down in Washington DC...WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!?!?!?

As everyone is seeing on the news, the United States government will - for the FIRST TIME in our great country's history - DEFAULT on our loans if our representatives don't come up with a deficit-reduction plan that would allow us to increase our debt ceiling prior to August 2nd.

Just what we need as a country - more debt.

Anyhow, the political theatre is grandiose.

You have Republicans balking at tax hikes.

You have Democrats balking at entitlement cuts.

You have the president saying Social Security checks won't come out in August.

You have Senator McConnell saying a "real solution" to the U.S. debt problem was unlikely while President Obama was in office.

You have re-election bids determining the solvency of America, on both sides of the isle.

This is bullsh*t, folks.

We are closing in on torches and pitchforks time, don't you think?

Who the Hell do these people think they are?

Seriously...this is as bad as it gets.

Say we all default on our loans...what happens to us? We lose everything; our house, our car, our credit scores for any future purchases...

What happens if the government defaults? We get screwed. The millionaires in Congress and the White House stay rich. Stay employed. Stay housed. Stay fed.

What's it going to take for the great populace to realize some painful truths?

Federal government spending MUST be cut...entitlement programs included.

The size of the federal government MUST be trimmed (i.e., all the Congressional staffers that aren't essential must be cut).

Hell, have Congress and the President NOT collect a paycheck - that'd help some!

Taxes HAVE to be increased.

Spending MUST be cut.

While preserving freedom across the world is important, it's time to put as many of our resources as humanly possible to fix our homeland.

Cut the red tape.

Cut the politics.

Term limits would help.

Do what's right for the people. Not what's right for your re-election bid. Not for what's right for the lobbyist group that funds your entertainment, your car, etc.

To all elected officials in DC - DO NOT default on our loans...and if you do, I pray that everyone wakes up and defaults on you.

Realize it folks - WE THE PEOPLE CAN. WE THE PEOPLE WILL.

Things I'm Digging Today

2011-06-21T15:08:00.003-04:00

It's Tuesday, Beatdowners - the day with absolutely ZERO redeeming qualities...

But I gotta find something to be positive about, so here is a list of stuff I'm digging today...

1. I'm going to see U2 tomorrow at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Really, it doesn't get much better than that.

- Or does it? -

2. I'm going to be in Federal Hill pre-gaming for said U2 concert and celebrating the most excellent Shannon R.'s 7th Anniversary of her 25th Birthday...by 2pm.

3. Hurricane Henderson is blowing in from Jacksonville for a stay with the Stone's to wreak epic awesomeness until 6/26.

- Sh*t's gettin' real! -

4. The smell of fresh McDonald's french fries.

5. Spaghetti and Meatball burritos - my 4 year old's invention that are ridiculously good.

6. "Helena Beat" by Foster the People.

7. Maryland Crab Soup from Seaside, either location - the Dena or Glen Burnie.

8. Nailing a $10,000 sale...as the Purchasing Manager.

9. My "Power Desk" in my office at home - it's big, it's bulky, it looks important...I dig it, but I must get rid of it and make a more efficient use of the space. All good though - it has served its purpose.

10. The Blarney Stone's, where I'm sure a large amount of time will be spent over the remainder of the week.

That's quite a list for a suck day like Tuesday...

Really looking forward to tomorrow, but pretty damn thankful for today, too.

I can dig it.

Until next time...

Hey LeBron - You're an Ass

2011-06-13T20:02:00.001-04:00

Happy Monday, Beatdowners!

Congrats go out Dirk and the Mavs on their improbable NBA Title win last night! I'm by no means a fan of the NBA, but I was pulling for them - actually, I was pulling for ANYONE but Miami and "King James"...well, them and the Lakers, since Kobe is a piece of crap, too.

Back to LeBron...

He had the balls to post the following Tweet today - "The greater man upstairs knows when it is my time. Right now isn’t the time."

So God chose for the Mavs to win, and not LeBron and the Heat.

Seriously, LeBron?

While I can say I don't personally "know" God (I do believe in Him...we just don't "hang out", per say), I'm fairly certain that He isn't too concerned about who wins what sporting event...at least I don't think so.

Why?

Well when I look around the world, I see and read reports that there are AT LEAST one billion people in the world that are hungry, countless millions below the proverbial poverty line, there are quite a few deadly conflicts in various regions of the world, and every time I turn on the news, there is another natural disaster that people are trying to contend with.

LeBron James is a great basketball player, don't get me wrong. He'll probably go down in history as one of the all time greats. But that Tweet proved he doesn't have the HEART of a champion...or as I saw in another article today, someone said he doesn't have the "the ability for correct introspection".

At least in his Tweet, LeBron had one thing right - God certainly is greater of the two.

Is God so much a Mavericks fan that he specifically decided it wasn't LeBron's time? Is God partial to Dirk? Was God rooting against the Heat?

Not the God I believe in. I really hope He has more important things to worry about and intercede in.

Everyone should thank God for things that matter - you know...your health, your family, opportunity...but not for sports victories. I've played sports - I've prayed to win. But I didn't blame God when I didn't.

LeBron needs to man up, admit that the better TEAM won, look deep inside himself and figure out how he could improve as a player...face it, he choked in the fourth quarter of each game in the series.

And more importantly than that, he needs to find HEART...because he has none.

He's classless.

He's a megalomaniac.

He's an ass.

What gives me the right to say all of this?

Last time I checked, I have as many NBA Championships as LeBron.

Until next time...

Foster the People Performs "Helena Beat"

2011-06-06T13:23:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday, Beatdowners - I got to get back to a more regular cycle of blogging - I know I've missed some blog-worthy news stories, some general silliness, and obviously some awesomeness...I'll work on getting better with posting.

I have to share this one and spread this brand of awesome...it's too good not to.

Foster The People with their tune "Helena Beat".

This song makes me happy...makes me feel good...it's going to be on heavy rotation on my iPod(s) this Summer, that's for certain.

And is it just me, or do they look like they are having a blast jamming this one?

I give it a 4.25 out of 5 on the EPIC AWESOME scale.

Until next time...

Get at it.

Holy Sh*tballz..."End To The Lies"

2011-05-27T15:16:00.001-04:00

Happy Memorial Day Weekend Friday, Beatdowners!

**PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED**

**MATURE THEMES & BAD LANGUAGE BELOW**

So I'm behind the times - back on April 7, Jane's Addiction released a new single..."End To The Lies". It's going to be included on their forthcoming album, The Great Escape Artist.

Anyhow, the song is a bitch-slap of truth.

It's a swift kick in the balls.

It's everything you'd expect from Perry Farrell and Jane's Addiction.

The song starts innocently enough...a funky bass and high hat combo...a straight, funky groove...

Then it happens...

Perry's voice rips into your soul.

Dave Navarro's guitar howls in the distance like a wolf yearning for a meal...or a mate.

The song is the FUCK YOU you've always wanted to say to the nay sayers.

"You never really change like they say,

Oh, you'll only become more like yourself"

The song is the FUCK YOU to those that have talked shit behind your back to make themselves look good to others.

"You talk about me so much,

That I think that you're in love with me,

Yea, you do, it's true man, you're busted,

You talk about me to your friends,

Or anyone with time to listen"

This song is the smut on the floor of the awesome bar in the really seedy part of town.

This song is the primal lust that hangs in the air of that bar.

This song is taking "that girl"...the one you want in your dreams, the one you'd never take home to mom, the one you just want to get Medieval with...into the bathroom stall of that bar and having at it, all the while hoping your significant other doesn't walk in and catch you in your moment of unadulterated, filthy lust.

This song is the sweat that entwines two lovers as they get dirty with each other.

This song is everything you have WANTED to do, but that little voice in your head prevents you from doing.

"Now you,

You were the foreskin,

I was the real head,

You were the foreskin"

This is the song that you need to stop what you are doing, log on to iTunes, and download. Right now.

This song is "End To The Lies" by the incomparable Jane's Addiction.

Until next time...

"He thought he knew me back in the day,

When I was down but now I'm still flying"

Wicked Awesomeness

2011-05-24T22:09:00.000-04:00

**REPRINTED WITHOUT PERMISSION**

Elvis Ate America - U2, performing as Passengers

Elvis...white trash,
Elvis...the Memphis flash,
Elvis...didn't smoke hash,
Would've been a sissy without Johnny Cash.

Elvis...didn't dodge the draft,
Elvis...had his own aircraft,
Elvis...having a laugh,
On the Lisa Marie in a colour photograph.

Elvis...under the hood,
Elvis...with Cadillac blood,
Elvis...darling bud,
Flowered and returned to the Mississippi mud.

Elvis...ain't gonna rot,
Elvis...in a Memphis plot,
Elvis...he didn't hear the shot,
And Dr. King died just across the lot from...

Elvis...vanilla ice cream,
Elvis...girls of fourteen,
Elvis...the Memphis spleen,
Shooting TVs reading Corinthians 13.

Elvis...with God on his knees,
Elvis...owned three TVs,
Elvis...here come the killer bees,
Head full of honey potato chips and cheese.

Elvis...the bumper stickers,
Elvis...the white knickers,
Elvis...the white nigger,
Ate at king burger and just kept getting bigger.

Elvis...sang to win,
Elvis...the battle hymn,
Elvis...the battle to be slim,
Elvis ate America before America ate him.

Elvis...

Elvis...stamps.
Elvis...necromance.
Elvis...fans.
Elvis...psychophants.
Elvis...the public enemy.
Elvis...don't mean shit to Chuck D.
Elvis...changed the center of gravity,
Made it slippy.

Elvis...Hitler.
Elvis...Nixon.
Elvis...Christ.
Elvis...Mishima.
Elvis...Markus.
Elvis...Jackson.
Elvis...the pelvis.
Elvis...the psalmist.
Elvis...the genius.
Elvis...generous.
Elvis...forgive us.
Elvis...pray for us.
Elvis...Aaron.
Elvis...Presley.

Elvis...

A List of Ten Things I'm Digging Today

2011-05-10T21:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Tuesday, Beatdowners!

It's been a hot minute since I put a blog up, and feel like I'm depriving the masses from my epic and awesome revelations, ruminations, and assorted lagniappe...so here's a quick one for y'all.

Great quote from the 80's classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off..."Life moves pretty fast - if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it".

Ain't that the truth?!?!?

So as I was getting my grub on at dinner tonight, I started thinking about some of the stuff I'm digging at this very moment in time.

I narrowed it down to 10, and they're not in any particular order.

1. Drinking beers at the most awesome of bars, The Blarney Stone's.
2. Grilled asparagus.
3. My iPhone 4, from which I am posting this entire entry in The BeatdownBlog.
4. "Chicken Fried" by the Zac Brown Band.
5. Sunshine & mid-70's.
6. My family & friends; the ones that are close, those with whom it's been awhile, those no longer with us...all of 'em are kickass.
7. My playlist Seven Days in Sunny June, which reminds me of an epic visit from the one & only Hurricane Henderson.
8. "#41" by Dave Matthews Band...specifically the live version on their album Europe (2009).
9. Kellog's Apple Jacks.
10. Being AWESOME.

That's all I got at the moment.

Until next time...

An Interesting One...Forwarded By My Aunt

2011-05-02T09:25:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday, Beatdowners!

So Bin Laden is no more - I'm against celebrating any person's death, but I'm glad the mission started by President Bush and carried on with Secretary Gates and President Obama has been accomplished.

I hope anyone that has ideas of attacking our country realize that we will not stand for it, and no matter how long it takes, we will find you, and justice will be served.

I opened my e-mail this morning and found a good one from my wonderful Aunt Janet, and thought it too good to not share...

A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be very liberal, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favor of more government programs, and a basic redistribution of wealth.

She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch conservative, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.

One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs.

The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father.

He responded by asking how she was doing in school.

Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.

Her father listened and then asked, "How is your friend Audrey doing?"

She replied, "Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over."

Her father asked, "Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA."

The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, "That's a crazy idea, how would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!"

The father slowly smiled, winked, and said gently, "Welcome to the conservative side of the fence."

If you ever wondered what side of the fence you sit on, this is a great test!

If a conservative doesn't like guns, they don't buy one. If a liberal doesn't like guns, they wants all guns outlawed.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, they doesn't eat meat. If a liberal is a vegetarian, they want all meat products banned for everyone.

If a conservative is down-and-out, they think about how to better their situation. If a liberal is down-and-out, they wonders who is going to take care of them.

If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, they switch channels. If a liberal doesn't like a talk show host, they demand that those host's shows should be be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church. If a liberal is a non-believer, they want any mention of God and religion silenced...unless it's a foreign religion, of course; and then they will fight for that groups rights!

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it. If a liberal decides they need health care, they demand the rest of us pay for theirs.

If a conservative reads this, he'll forward it so their friends can have a good laugh. when a liberal reads this, they'll pick it apart, talk bad about how posted or forwarded it, and say that it's "offensive".

Their is a happy medium, Beatdowners.

Do you part to meet their, today and every day.

Until next time...

Friday PSA

2011-04-15T08:52:00.002-04:00

Happy Friday, Beatdowners!

This Public Service Announcement brought to you thanks in part to throngs of women in the greater Pasadena and Glen Burnie areas, their excursions on the town (that sometimes make their Jersey Shore heroes look like amatuers), and their Facebook or MySpace pictures.

Speaking as the silent majority, NO ONE wants to see your muffin top.

NO ONE wants to see your belly that shows your familiarity with the most excellent combination of barley, wheat, hops, and delicious alcohol.

Look at yourself in the mirror before you venture out for a night on the town, be it in the Dena, Glen Burnie, "Naptown", "Fed", or "Fells".

If you MUST wear a shirt that is obviously not right for your figure (probably in hopes of showing off your boobs in an effort to attract a man - and trust me, you'll surely get a winner if that's your only charm), at least get one to cover the gut.

Additionally, get some pants that fit - no need to squeeze into pants that look like they are painted on (again in hopes of attracting a man with the shape/size of your badonkadonk), which in turn will unquestionably create the aforementioned muffin top and beer belly.

Don't get me wrong - women with curves are 100x more appealing IMO than the stickly figures that grace the cover of so many magazines...but most have something that a vast majority of women in this neck of the woods that go out to party don't have, and that's CLASS.

CLASS. Try some.

Until next time...
1. Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.
2. Have an awesome, kick-ass day.

TGIF!

U2 360°

2011-04-11T11:58:00.002-04:00

Happy Monday from a beautiful day here in Maryland, Beatdowners!

Anyone that knows me is well aware of me being a huge fan of U2 - I have been ever since I can remember. I'm anxiously awaiting their 360° Tour to land at M&T Bank Stadium on June 22nd - only 72 days away!

Anyhow, the tour currently has the lads from Ireland in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They played there on the 9th and again last night, and they have one more show schedule for the 13th.

Last night's set list is amazing, and hoping to see and hear a similar one in June...

They opened up with the energizing Even Better Than The Real Thing (from their EPIC album Achtung Baby).

Next came Out Of Control (from their debut album Boy), making it's first appearance on a set list for this tour - prior to last night it hadn't been played since December, 2006.

They then jammed two of my favorites from No Line On The Horizon, Get On Your Boots and Magnificent.

Mysterious Ways came next, followed by Elevation, Until The End Of The World, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and Pride (In The Name Of Love).

They played a new song (from their upcoming yet-to-be-named release) called North Star, and followed that one up with Beautiful Day and Miss Sarajevo (wasn't a big fan of this one live when I saw them on the How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb tour).

Next up - Zooropa. WOW. That's one I would LOVE to see live. This was the first time they ever played the full version, as the other 3 times they ever played it they began the song at the verse that starts off, "And I have no compass...". The last time they played this one live in any capacity prior to this show was WAY back in August of 1993. Really hoping this one makes the list in Baltimore, it's one of my favorite tracks from one of my favorite U2 albums.

Then came City Of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet (from October), and finally Walk On.

For encores, they played One, Where The Streets Have No Name, Ultra Violet (Light My Way), With Or Without You, and closed with Moment of Surrender.

Quite a show, if you ask me. The only songs I didn't see on here that would make it even more awesome is my 2 all time favorite U2 songs, New Year's Day and Drowning Man.

Looking forward to the show in Baltimore...it will be MAGNIFICENT, a bit OUT OF CONTROL, and a BEAUTIFUL DAY for sure!

Until next time...

Sunday Morning Randoms, Completely From My iPhone

2011-04-10T09:26:00.000-04:00

Top of the morning, Beatdowners!

I'm writing this one entirely from my iPhone. A virtual computer that I can hold in one hand...amazing how far technology has come in my lifetime.

So here is some complete and total randomness. Take it for what it's worth...

Political conversations with people who believe their way is the only way & whoever differs in opinion is wrong can be so trying. I don't even know why I engage in them.

The blinders people put on re: politics, be it friends, family, or elected officials drives a majority of problems our country has. Working together, compromise, being open to differing opinions...knowing that sacrifices must be made...crossing party lines...that's what we must have; without it, our country is doomed.

$0.68 of every tax dollar our government collects is used for entitlement programs. I'm all for helping people get back on their feet, and think the general purpose behind the entitlement programs are necessary; however, they MUST be reformed. No one is entitled to have a free ride.

$0.41 of every dollar our government spends is borrowed; I sure hope the lenders don't come calling the debt...if so, bye-bye USA.

Hearing the little dudes (and their folks) call me "coach" for CYLA lacrosse is one of the neatest feelings in the world.

Why doesn't my iPhone battery hold a longer charge?!?!?

I think I've mentioned this before, but Mumford & Sons has restored my faith in music.

Watching someone morph into a troll (sorry for the Sheen-isms; but I find them hysterical), especially someone I was tight with, isn't fun.

I'm in the mood to sit at a bar & listen to some tunes and have some good conversation today; all day. Who's with me???

BSSC football games are canceled today because of wet fields; that sucks...playing football in the mud would be wicked cool.

I hate the fact that I give & give, be it advice, help, opinions, picking up tabs, an ear to bend, a shoulder to cry on, etc., and get sh*t on in return; the ONLY thing I want in return from anyone is respect.

The South got pummeled with baseball sized hail; imagine taking one of those to the dome...OUCH!

Stink bugs suck.

The O's are off to a great start...hoping the keep up the intensity and competitiveness all the way through the season...could be a lot of fun to watch!

I watched a "rockumentary" about the Foo Fighters last night on VH-1 - I've always liked the band, from day 1...but my respect for them grew 100 fold after watching the show. Excited for their new album coming out Tuesday (4/12/11).

Equally excited for the new Beastie Boys album due out 5/3/11 - HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PART TWO.

Off for another week - looking forward ti getting back in the game...chomping at the bit ready to come out swinging.

Hoping for some Sunday Funday activities - I'm bored out of my freakin' mind.

Until next time...

"Actions Speak Louder Than Words"

2011-04-07T11:25:00.004-04:00

Happy Thursday, Beatdowners.

So I saw a status updated on Facebook that got me thinking about the origin of some sayings, a ton about hypocrisy (considering who posted the saying), and a ton more about the idiosyncrasies of certain people (of which I won't get into in this public forum).

So to the point, then..."Actions speak louder than words".

We've all heard and/or read that saying a million times before.

Where did it come from?

I did a little digging and came up with this:

The 16th-century French writer Michel de Montaigne is usually given props for coming up with the saying when in one of his essays he wrote, "Saying is one thing and doing is another".
Before him, St. Francis of Assisi (the dude that founded the Franciscan Order of friars in the Catholic Church) had been credited with saying, "Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary"; essentially, he's saying always do good deeds, and speak of doing good deeds only when necessary.

Pretty neat little factoids, if you are a geek like me.

Anyhow, do actions speak louder than words?

In this bloggers opinion, ABSO-FRIGGIN'-LUTELY.

Actions unquestionably "prove" things better...more clearly.

Actions show who a person is, where their head is, and where their heart is; most importantly, actions show an individuals genuineness.

Far too often, people say they will do something, say they want to do something, promise this, that, and the other, but they don't follow through. They say whatever sounds good at the time to appease the masses, to avoid conflict, to be "safe", and/or to hold on to something or someone that benefits them.

That's bullsh*t. That's cowardly. That shows what they are inside, and that ain't pretty.

You have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

Life is too short to not be honest. Life's too short not to tell it like it is. And the world is full of bullsh*t - don't add to the heap.

If you say you are going to do something, DO IT.
If you have no intentions, be honest about it - don't lead people on, don't lie, don't create a powder keg that 100% guaranteed will blow up in your face one day; while you may hurt someones feelings by being blunt and brutally honest up-front, you'll prevent many more sticky situations, hard feelings, and poor opinions being formed of you in the long run...opinions that will always be in others minds no matter what.

Trust me, I'm talking from experience.

That's all I got.

Get out there and climb another rung on the ladder of AWESOMENESS today.

Make it count.

Follow through on something you said you were going to do and haven't yet.

Until next time...

The Budget Mess

2011-04-05T21:03:00.000-04:00

I'm worried, Beatdowners.

The budget fiasco in DC right now and pending government shutdown underscores a very simpe and very undeniable truth - if our government continues to spend at the current rate, we're done for. It will cause an economic tsunami that will cripple this country for decades.

Take a look at this article...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/opinion/05brooks.html?_r=1

Some highlights...

Last fall, the Simpson-Bowles Deficit Commission released a report on how to avoid an economic catastrophe; the report got the attention of various think tanks and government offices who suddenly were overflowing with proposals to reduce debt and reform entitlements, the tax code, and just about every other government program..
As soon as a poll came out that registered and likely voters weren't willing to accept any tax increases or benefit cuts, President Obama and other government officials bailed on the idea; it would be political suicide.
The President walked away from the Simpson-Bowles package and instead submitted a budget that would double the country's debt over the next decade, according to the NONPATRISAN Congressional Budget Office.
Over the last few weeks some highly respected economists (including the ex-chairmen of the Council of Economic Advisers) have cited in letters to our governement that the debt situation is so explosive, that simply doing nothing is "not a survivable option".

I concur with one fact that the article drives home - WE AS A COUNTRY LACK ANY AND ALL COURAGEOUS POLITICAL LEADERSHIP - as the article states, we do not have "a powerful elected official willing to issue a proposal, willing to take a stand, willing to face the political perils".

Afterall, it's all about holding on to power inside the beltway. I mean the President - in the midst of this potential Doomsday situation - announces his re-election bid for 2012 and starts - you guessed it - FUND RAISING ACTIVITIES.

However, everyone should take note of Paul Ryan, the chair of the House Budget Committee; he's going to release what some are calling "the most comprehensive and most courageous budget reform proposal any of us have seen in our lifetimes".

Ryan proposal will tackle the real issues...not about simply cutting a few billion dollars, but seriously looking at the very foundations of ALL domestic programs in 2012 and beyond. It will show all arguments in proper context, that the current welfare state can not be sustained and a new deal of the social contract has to be invented.

The press will nail Ryan on his top number of $4 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years; but, I'm sure they will ignore his proposals on HOW he would reform programs. He would reform the tax code along the Simpson-Bowles lines, but without the tax increases. Medicare isn't changed for anyone over 55, and for younger people it turns into a DEFINED contribution plan..."Instead of assuming open-ended future costs, the government will give you a sum of money (starting at an amount equal to what the government now spends) and a regulated menu of insurance options from which to choose". It will also turn Medicade into a a block grant, which gives states more flexibility.

It tackles agriculture subsidies and other corporate welfare.

It consolidates the job-training programs into a single adult scholarship.

It reforms housing assistance and food stamps.

It stares down almost every single "politically risky issue" without worrying about re-electability.

It does NOT (although will be painted to) take the proverbial meat ax approach; it emphasizes social support, social mobility and personal choice.

Most importantly to me, at least, is that it is going to force President Obama's hand. Is he going to be the catalyst of change he campaigned about and look at this proposal and COMPROMISE after coming up with a counterproposal, or will he do what I fully expect - politicise the issue by ranting about "savage", "uncaring", "protecting only the wealthy", "previous administration's fault", etc., Republican proposed cuts and continue to turn a blind eye to the glaring and very real long-term fiscal consequences?

I can't wait to hear what Pelosi will have to say as she will be on the attack from the word "Go".

And we as a country have to look at the very hard and ugly truth; the government can't afford to continue spending the way they are without raising taxes and cutting and reforming some programs, including social programs. The majority of American's need a STRONG dose of reality, and we ALL need a leader to have the grapefruits to tell us what is needed to prevent our country from going bankrupt...and I can assure EVERYONE, if that happens, the pain and inconveince will be 100-fold stronger than any proposed cut or tax hike.

ENTITLEMENT doesn't work anymore.

Stop the spending, reform ALL programs, and save our country!

Until next time...

There Ain't No Grave...The Johnny Cash Project

2011-04-05T12:28:00.000-04:00

I became a fan of Johnny Cash over the last 6 years or so. Words really can't do justice to his music. I won't even begin to try. And the attached video for "Ain't No Grave" is more than a fitting tribute to The Man In Black. Interesting note regarding the vid - it's been put together by a group called The Johnny Cash Project (www.thejohnnycashproject.com). The Johnny Cash Project is a worldwide art project, in the most simplistic terms...people from around the globe draw their own personal image of Johnny Cash, basing it on a specific template they are provided with. The key to the picture is to make it personal - YOUR vision of Johnny Cash, the man, the artist, the sinner, the saint. All of the individual portraits are then combined and made into a moving video for the haunting hymn, "Ain't No Grave". It's remarkable that the one-of-a-kind portraits of the Man In Black flow together so well. And the best part of the project - the video will continue to evolve and change as more portraits come in from around the world - so the video I attached is one version - another is sure to follow and will be totally different. The video will change and continue to change as long as the portraits of Johnny Cash continue to be submitted - it's a tribute that grows; dare I say LIVES. And it's awe-inspiring. Enjoy, Beatdowners. Happy overcast and wet Tuesday from Maryland. Until next time...

MLK

2011-04-04T07:55:00.001-04:00

"WE AS A PEOPLE WILL GET TO THE PROMISED LAND!". Amen, Dr. King. A man for ALL of us - black, white, red, yellow, or anything inbetwwen. Rest in Peace, MLK - 1/15/29 - 4/4/68.

Doing Nothing Just For Fun - Blogging to Waste Time

2011-03-30T15:38:00.004-04:00

Happy Wednesday, Beatdowners!

So I'm down to 2 days left in the current chapter of employment. On to bigger and better things, sooner than later. I'm sure I'll blog about it in the very near future...but not today.

Anyhow, 2 days left.
I've checked out.
I'm on autopilot.

I've got to figure out ways to pass the 16 hours (and change left today) in front of me.

I can play Words With Friends on my iPhone (look me up - screen name Stone972).
I can IM with my boy CGD down in Sterling.
I can stalk people on Facebook.
I can come in late, take extended lunches, leave early.

Who am I kidding - all of those are bound to happen anyhow.

So I'll blog to waste a bit of time today...and I'm kinda in a suck mood (out of boredom, frustration, and anxiety), so this will probably be more of a b*tch session than anything.

STILL not a fan of people saying they will do something and don't...and have no intention of doing it when they say they will; seriously Trolls, if you have NO intentions of doing something when someone asks, TELL THEM YOU HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF DOING IT!
No need to lie to save face, lead people on, or inflate your ego...GROW A SET & KNUCKLE UP! Acting like a Jitbag and Poser makes real people think less of you as a person.

Gnarls Gnarlington - would you please do us all a favor and simply get on my level already?!?!?!? What level, you ask? WINNING, 24/7.

This evening, me thinks, is going to start and end with a bottle of red.

I still believe that some people deserve a swift punch right in the neck.

I'm kind of pissed right now about my own EPIC misjudgement; it's such a downer when people, jobs, and/or situations don't turn out to be how they sold themselves and/or appeared to be at first. Those rose-colored glasses can really paint things much prettier than they will EVER be.

Things that are EPIC FAILS in Facebook pictures:

The Duck/Fish Face - you look like fools, not attractive at all, complete fail.
Skin tight clothes that show off a love for beer - in the wrong spots. Nothing like a pot belly busting out of a supposedly "sexy" top.
Girls wearing clothes to show off their boobs in hopes that a guy will talk to them...seriously, if you rely on that to get a dude's attention, you are fishing at the bottom of the barrel.
The classy pics - you know, the uber drunkeness, the draping yourself over peeps like a cheap suit...stay classy, guys!

Miller Lite is GROSS...I'm thinking a combination of Sasquatch urine and sewer water. Blah.

Placebo's version of the Kate Bush classic "Running Up That Hill" is friggin' EPIC.

I dug Get Him To The Greek - right up until the Debby Downer scenes near the end on the roof. I digress, Diddy was a RIOT. I don't ever want to get Jeffrey'd!

Disappointed I'm not going to Beef, Bourbon, and Beer this Saturday.

Where the Hell is Spring?!?!? 40 degree weather isn't WINNING anymore!

Isn't it sad that the Orioles would be considered to have a successful season if they finish .500? I remember as a kid when they were playoff contenders more often than not. I wish we had an owner that would put a winning team on the field, or sell to someone that would.

84 days until U2 brings their 360 tour to M&T Bank Stadium - so psyched!

I give advice that is usually dead on and to the point; if you ask me for it and don't take it, you have one person to blame, and it ain't me.

I could go for some Bang Bang Shrimp from Bonefish.

I can't remember the last time I went on a date; that's sad.

I'm looking forward to sitting at MR Ducks in OCMD often this summer enjoying Orange Quacks, canned beers, and wicked good company.

BOOM.

It's a problem.

DTB.

WTF is "Spongebobbin'"?!?!?!?

I'm after a solid 24 hours of ME time.

I BRING IT.

That's enough for now...I gotta pee.

Until next time...

A Monday Blog...or On Success

2011-03-28T11:54:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday, Beatdowners.

It's Monday - my final week here at Shepherd Electric Supply. Overall, it's been an "enlightening" run here since last May.

I've come to realize that the only thing worth doing is something you are passionate about.

I've come to realize that money shouldn't be THE deciding factor when accepting a position.

I've come to realize that respect is critical in the workplace; when you don't get it and you know you've earned it, there is a significant disconnect.

I've come to understand that sometimes, no matter what, perception takes precedence over reality.

And most importantly, I know that much better opportunities are right around the corner...opportunities that will unquestionably lead to success for yours truly.

Success.

I dig that word.

Seth Godin (entrepreneur, author, and public speaker) wrote a book called "Poke the Box" (snicker, snicker) that spoke of success...

One thing he said makes more than perfect sense...he said that being successful doesn't necessarily mean succeeding every time; rather, being successful is all about getting another chance to succeed.

Makes sense, doesn't it?

I'm looking forward to my next opportunity to succeed, which is right around the corner.

If you try and don't come up smelling like roses today...if you get knocked down a few notches...get back up and in the game...go out and grab another opportunity to succeed.

That's all I got at the moment.

Dominate the week. Bring it! DO EPIC SH*T.

Until next time...

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

2011-03-25T10:03:00.000-04:00

TGIF Beatdowners!

Let's take a quick trip back to December, 2007.

"The president does not have power under the constitution to unitarily authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent attack on the nation."

Do you know who said that?

A young man from Chicago, Illinois who happened to be running for President of the United States.

That's right. President Obama said those very words, as part of his campaign...his campaign that focused on saying how God-awful the then-current administration was.

And yet here we are, 3 years and 3 months later, and he's chucking Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya.

Don't get me wrong, Moammar Gadhafi is a nut job and needs to go. Bravo to the US and our Allies for the action.

But seriously...THIS is what's wrong with the political landscape today; President Obama campaigned SO hard against President Bush and his decisions, especially on military action.

And when he's the Commander in Chief, he makes a call that would have unquestionably crucified W.

It's garbage.

It's a game to the trolls in DC.

It's not to me.

And it shouldn't be to you.

The two party system is broken. All it is anymore is "where image takes precedence over wisdom, Where sound bite politics are served to the fastfood culture, Where straight teeth in your mouth are more important than the words that come out of it (Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Television, The Drug of the Nation)".

Enough is enough.

Term limits.

Of the people, By the people.

WE THE PEOPLE CAN. WE THE PEOPLE WILL.

Until next time...Keep on rockin' in the free world.

A WTF Blog

2011-03-16T14:54:00.001-04:00

Happy Wednesday, Beatdowners.

Warlocks vs. Trolls - choose your side!

Tomorrow is the most excellent holiday of St. Patrick's Day - get your Irish up, and be safe out there!

A quick one for this glorious Hump Day...glorious b/c it also is technically my Friday, since I am not working tomorrow or Friday this week...

I digress...

From an article on foxnews.com titled "President Obama's Final Four Picks", written by Ms. Kimberly Schwandt...

"Critics have charged the president shouldn't be spending so much time on sports, like playing golf or filling out the bracket in a time of international crisis -- with Japan's earthquake aftermath and the situation in Libya intensifying."

Are you !#$%ing kidding me?!?!?

I very rarely defend any politician, let alone on that I'm not a fan of at all...but to these critics, I have one thing to say...

Eat a bag of sh*t. You suck.

Yes, he's the President of the United States.

Yes, the world is facing unprecedented challenges, with Japan and the situations in Libya and Bahrain being at the forefront.

But c'mon, guy.

He's a HUMAN BEING. He isn't SUPERMAN. He has the right to pursue hobbies just like the rest of us.

That's a big friggin' problem for yours truly - the elevated superstardom that comes with our elected officials. They aren't the end-all, be-all.
They are just like you and I (although probably a TON richer).
If we treated them as such, maybe they'd pull their head's out of their butts and do what the majority of their constituents ASK for rather than what the top bidder(s) pay them for.

Way to go, Mr. President...I hope you filled out a few brackets, joined a pool or two, and I wish you luck with your picks (except for the Blue Devils - NOT a fan).

Go hit a round of golf, run the rock with some friends, have a beer with some buddies, whatever floats your fancy.

You (and everyone else in DC) need to remember that you are one of the people you represent.

That's all I got for the moment.

Erin go Bragh? More like WINNING go Bragh.

Until next time...

Sheen-isms

2011-03-14T21:45:00.001-04:00

So I'm having a total crap day. Been having a few of them, to say the least - trying to make a change. We'll see.

Anyhow, the capper - my iPod deletes all 16,522 songs it had on it. And I can't seem to re-sync with iTunes.

I'm about to go Charlie Sheen up in this biz-atch.

Speaking of Charlie Sheen, I've collected some of my favorite Sheen-isms, as I've come to call them - I'll probably use this fodder for my Facebook status updates for a bit...

Enjoy.

"People are mystified by this odyssey that refuses to quit calling itself Charlie Sheen."

"Winning, anyone? Rhymes with winning. Anyone? Yeah, that would be us. Sorry, man, didn’t make the rules. Oops!"

"I am battle-tested bayonets, bro."

"I’m so tired of pretending my life isn’t perfect and bitching and just winning every second and I’m not perfect and bitchin’."

"Look what I’m dealing with, man, I’m dealing with fools and trolls."

"It’s just strafing runs in my underwear before my first cup of coffee, because I don’t have time for these clowns."

"They lay down with their ugly wives and their ugly children and just look at their loser lives and then they look at me and say 'I CAN’T PROCESS IT,' well, no, you never will, just stop trying. Sit back and enjoy the show."

"You have the right to kill me, but you do not have the right to judge me. Boom. That’s the whole movie. That’s life."

"Check it, Alex, I embarrassed (Two and a Half Men creator, Chuck Lorre) in front of his children and the world by healing at a rate that his unevolved mind can’t process."

"I’m sorry man, I got magic and I’ve got poetry in my fingertips, you know, most of the time, and this includes naps. I’m an F-18, bro."

"Oh wait, can’t process it. Losers. Winning. Buh bye."

"I’m not fair game. I’m not a soft target. It’s over. There’s a new sheriff in town. And he has an army of assassins."

"There are parts of me that are Dennis Hopper."

"I don’t live in the middle anymore. That’s where you get slaughtered. That’s where you get embarrassed. From the prom queen."

"The only thing I’m addicted to right now is winning."

"I’m not Thomas Jefferson. He was a pussy."

"I dare anyone to debate me on things."

"I have a disease? Bullshit. I cured it with my brain."

"If you’re a part of my family, I will love you violently."

"I have defeated this earthworm with my words. Imagine what I would have done with my fire breathing fists."

That's all I have at the moment...goodnight, Warlocks...or Trolls, whichever side you're on.

Until next time...

OMG Quick Monday Blog

2011-03-14T16:17:00.000-04:00

First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to all of the people of Japan - the victims of the earthquake and tsunami, their families, and the millions left to clean up, endure, and move forward.

A few OMG factoids about the quake:

The earthquake was the world's fifth largest ever recorded.
The tremblor caused a rift 15 miles below the sea bed that ran 186 miles long and 93 miles wide.
The quake moved - yes, MOVED - Eastern Japan about 13 feet closer to the United States.
The quake shifted the Earth's axis by 6.5 inches.
The quake shifting the Earth's axis caused the day to be shortened by 1.6 microseconds.
The quake caused Japan to sink down about 2 feet.

Holy smokes...pretty mind boggling...

Again, God Bless the people of Japan...

Until next time...

Surviving Z-land

2011-03-11T16:15:00.003-05:00

TGIF, Beatdowners.

I've totally checked out for the week, so here's another time waste blog.

Actually, strike that. This is a good one.

A survival guide.

The zombie apocalypse is on the horizon.

Are you ready?

I'm borrowing most of these from the movie Zombieland - sue me. They know what they're talking about.

1. Cardio - zombies will get the fattys first.

2. The Double Tap - two shots to the dome to put the living dead down for the count.

3. Beware of Bathrooms - zombies lurk in the stalls.

4. Wear Seat Belts - never know when you are going to have to jam on the brakes to throw a zombie off your ride...don't need to help their cause by flying through the windshield and splattering on the road like roadkill...for the zombies to eat.

5. Swiss Army Knife - have one, and use it a la Macguyver...it could be a key to your survival.

6. The "Skillet" - solid household items - like an iron skillet - may save you from the undead if you have no other weapons around...just make sure to whack the sucker TWICE (see Rule# 2) in the dome.

7. Travel Light - too much stuff slows you down, making you slower, making it easier for the undead to go nom nom on your brains.

8. Get a Kick Ass Partner - hanging with unawesome types will surely lead to being eaten. Maybe keep a third wheel - someone slower than you - to use as a sacrificial lamb to the zombies when necessary.

9. S'mores Pop Tarts - they'll make you think of better times, keep you nourished, and are just plain AWESOME.

10. Don’t Swing Low - if using a bat or a sword or an iron skillet (see Rule# 6), don't swing for the zombie's stomach, their junk, their knees, or their shins. GO STRAIGHT TO THE DOME.

11. Use Your Foot - whether it's running from the undead, jumping over fences to evade them, or kicking their head's in - use your feet.

12. Bounty Paper Towels - keep them handy - killin' zombies is a messy business.

13. Shake It Off - don't dwell on the times a zombie almost makes a meal out of you. Shake off the encounter and get back to working for Zombie Kill of the Week.

14. Always Carry A Change Of Underwear - encounters with zombies may literally scare the sh*t out of you.

15. Bowling Ball - another solid object able to smash a zombie with - you can even throw one at them so you don't have to get too close to them ugly, brain-munching horrors.

16. Opportunity Knocks - knock before entering - you'll hear the undead moan and groan and know to be ready to kick some zombie butt.

17. ~~Don’t~~ Be A Hero

18. Limber Up - you don't need to pull a muscle and incapacitate yourself, becoming easy prey for a gaggle of zombies.

19. Break It Up - sometimes you need to blow off some steam...and a perfect way to get rid of the stresses of surviving the zombie apocalypse is to go bat-sh*t crazy and smash some stuff.

20. It’s A Marathon, Not A Sprint...Unless It’s A Sprint, Then Sprint - take your time making your way through the world after the zombie apocalypse...rushing everywhere will wear you out and make you a prime target to be a meal...but if you have a gaggle of the undead coming for you, run your ass off.

21. Avoid Strip Clubs - nothing worse that a naked zombie coming to chomp your brains.

22. When In Doubt Know Your Way Out

23. Fire - always have a way to start a fire...lighter, flame thrower, etc. Zombies hate fire.

24. Use Your Thumbs - zombies seem to forget that they have opposable ones.

25. Shoot First

26. A Little Sun Screen Never Hurt Anybody

27. Zombie Kill Of The Week - get a little creative...put 'em down with some flare...work for the Zombie Kill of the Week.

28. Double-Knot Your Shoes - stopping to re-tie a show will lead to your brains getting munched on.

29. The Buddy System - two is better than one when fighting off gaggles of zombies.

30. Pack Your Stain Stick - you're going to get dirty...this one kinda couples with Rule# 12.

31. Check The Back Seat - nothing worse than thinking you have a ride out of a zombie infested area only to have one of the undead chilling in the back seat of your vehicle ready to chow down on you.

32. Enjoy The Little Things

Now you know. Live it. Learn it. Know it.

Federal Hill Irish Stroll tomorrow (Saturday, 3/12)http://www.lindypromo.com/fliers/110312_FedHillIrishStroll.jpg

Until then...or the zombie apocalypse, whichever comes first.

A Wasting Time Blog

2011-03-10T17:01:00.000-05:00

Holy Rain, Beatdowners!

I've checked out for the day and need to waste some time, so I'll throw some randomness down here to pass the time.

I got the Pandora Radio app for my iPhone - it's wicked cool. I like it and highly suggest you sign up for it, even if it's just on your home PC.

I think I've heard that a certain original band member may be returning to my brother's band Voodoo Economics - and if so, it would behoove you to DRUM up a gaggle of people and get yourself to Cheeseburger in Paradise in the Dena on Saturday, March 26th to get your 80's on.

I'm hoping March ends with a bang and April brings some new and exciting opportunities all around...keep your fingers crossed, Beatdowners.

$4/gallon 87-octane gas will be a reality much sooner than later in Maryland.

104 days until U2 rocks M&T Bank Stadium - and I'm super stoked for it.

The iPhone - I'm a believer.

I'm still not a fan of people that say they will do something and don't; it happens far too often from far too many people. Don't say it if there are no intentions...all you do is make people - more importantly ME - think less and less of you.

Get on my level already.

Morrissey is a genius.

I'd rather be sitting at the bar at Cheeseburger in Paradise right now, chatting it up with the likes of Shannon, Ashley, Megan, Drew, Casey, Jason, John, Tiffany, Alicia, Ryan, etc.

I'm split on that last statement...I really wouldn't mind being at Brian Boru right now, either.

How Soon Is Now?

Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before.

Sustainability - read up on it; I'm a believer. Critical for our futures, as well as the next generations.

The Terps WILL knock off NC State tonight - bring on the Blue Devils!

Some people deserve a punch in the neck.

Some of the biggest disappointments I've felt are when people don't turn out to be how they sold themselves/appeared until the rose colored glasses came off.

I'm ready for warmer weather...like NOW.

"Anyone that needs what they want and doesn't want what they need, I want nothing to do with...".

Doing things differently leads to something exceptional.

I concur with Ferris...I don't believe in -ism's, I just believe in me...and I think that was ripped from John Lennon.

Some people have no clue what is going on in the very fiber of everyday life; they scare me, and are far too often in leadership roles.

I remain steadfast in being proud to be AWESOME.

I think it's high time I win a major lottery jackpot.

One of the greatest things in life is when the Littleheads are excited about something, proud of themselves, or laughing...I truly think that is one of God's ways of saying, "Hey Stone, I'm right here in front of you".

I was talking with a veteran today...as a quick aside, I said "Thank You". I saw a tear come out of his eye. Whether you agree with any conflict our men and women are serving in today or have in the past, we owe our thanks to them each and every day...if you know a veteran or someone serving in the military today, THANK them.

Pardon Me.

Wish You Were Here.

Are You In?

"Every once in awhile, I think about her smile, one of the few things I do miss...".

Victor Hugo says it best..."Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent".

I'm craving an Ann's chocolate shake.

Really, really glad tomorrow is Friday.

It's quittin' time.

I'm out.

Until next time...

The Fat Tuesday Blog

2011-03-08T08:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Fat Tuesday, Beatdowners!

A quick history lesson:

All Catholic and some Protestant countries traditionally call the day before Ash Wednesday Fat Tuesday. Fat Tuesday is called that because of the common Christian tradition of eating special rich foods containing eggs, milk, and sugar before Lent, a fasting season, begins. What kind of rich foods? Pancakes is a big one. Pastries. Wicked cool stuff like that.

Anyhow, back to the history lesson:

Fat Tuesday is more commonly known in the religious community of English-speaking Christian countries (the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and the USA) as Shrove Tuesday, and is always the day preceding Ash Wednesday (the first day of the season of fasting and prayer known as Lent).
The word shrove is the past participle of the English verb shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one's sins by way of confession and penance.
During the week before Lent, sometimes called Shrovetide, Christians were expected to go to confession in preparation for the penitential season of turning to God.
Shrove Tuesday is noted in histories dating back to 1000 AD.
The popular partying aspect of Fat Tuesday came into play way before any of the the Protestant Reformations, and was more often than not associated with "releasing high spirits before the somber season of Lent"...that's where the whole carnival tradition associated with Mardi Gras comes from.

Not too sure where the beads for boobs aspect came from.

I digress...I'm going to make it count today...I'll get some grub on and party it up a little...because I've got a little list of things I'm giving up for the 40 days of Lent this year...

1. All beef, pork, and poultry - yeah, going that route again. It's tough. But it's a sacrifice, and that's what the season is about.

2. Starbucks Frappucino's - I'm addicted to those damn things. I have one usually ever weekday morning. It'll be another challenge. But I don't need the sugar, the calories, or to spend the $2-plus every day.

3. Saying bad words. I'll start a Swear Jar and put some $$$ in it every time I slip up...and give that to the Easter Sunday collection at Church.

4. I'm hitting the gym again. Hard. So what's that giving up? Being sedentary...lazy. Being sick for the last few weeks and some other daily stresses have gotten me off my routine, and that ain't cool. Time to put the proverbial foot up my butt and get it going again...afterall, Summer starts in a mere 83 days away (that'll be Monday, May 30th, which is Memorial Day).

I've got a few other things rolling around in the dome about what to give up...things that would be a sacrifice...but I'll keep them close to the vest...those will be between me and the Man Upstairs.

Until next time...it's party time, Mardi Gras style...make it count...and earn some beads, too!

Going On

2011-03-03T16:40:00.001-05:00

So I'm a mark for music - I love it - the beats, the words, the meanings...it's rare in today's musical landscape for a song to come out that stirs up so much emotion in me...a song that reaches into my soul...a song that takes me back to moments...to places...to people...good, bad, and everything in between.

This song is one that hits me. This song is one that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up every time I hear it. This song is one that takes me back to moments, to places, and to certain people. This song is straight jammin'.

This song is "Going On" by Gnarls Barkley.

The video is brilliant...

Lyrics...posting without permission, I don't own 'em...tough...written by Gnarls Barkley (Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo Green).

I've seen it with my own eyes
How we're gettin' otherwise
Without the luxury of leavin'

The touch and the feeling of free is
Intangible technically
Something you've got to believe in

Connect the cause and effect
One foot in front of the next
This is the start of a journey

And my mind is already gone
And though there are unknowns
Somehow this doesn't concern me

And you can stand right there if you want

But I'm going on
And I'm prepared to go it alone
I'm going on
To a place in the sun that's nice and warm
I'm going on
And I'm sure they'll have a place for you too

Anyone that needs what they want
And doesn't want what they need
I want nothing to do with

And to do what I want
And to do what I please
Is first off my to-do list

But every once in a while I think about her smile
One of the few things I do miss
But baby I've got to go
Baby I've got to know
Baby I've got to prove it

And I'll see you when you get there

But I'm going on
And I'm prepared to go it alone
I'm going on
May my love lift you up to the place you belong
I'm going on
And I promise I'll be waiting for you...

A Quick Opinion

2011-03-02T16:24:00.000-05:00

In my humble opinion, all of our country's issues, and dare I say, all of societies issues are a result of two universal debates that haunt individuals, companies, and governments...

RIGHT vs. RESPONSIBILITY

- and -

ENTITLEMENT vs. EMPOWERMENT

I'm finding more and more that we as a people are increasingly on the wrong side of these debates, and it's quite bothersome...

That's all I got for the moment.

Until next time...

Six Years Ago, Yet Seems Like Yesterday

2011-02-23T09:55:00.005-05:00

Six years is a long time.
It's 2,190 days...52,560 hours...3,153,600 minutes...189,216,000 seconds.
Big numbers there.

Yet I remember 6 years ago today like it was yesterday.

It was the day my mom lost her battle to cancer.

Now forgive me in advance...this isn't going to be a light-hearted blog...or an in-depth opinion piece of the latest and greatest political fiasco in the news...this one is just raw. But that's where I am today. That's where I've been every February 23rd for the past 6 years.

Mom was diagnosed with colon cancer in April of 2004. She did chemo and radiation. She had a significant set-back in July of 2004...the treatment, which is a brutal assault on the body, actually led to her bowel splitting open.

She almost died then. But she fought. She held on. At one of her viewings, an old co-worker of hers, Searle Mitnick, told me that Mom held on to make sure she saw my oldest son's birth. I think he was right. That's why he carries my mother's maiden name as his middle name...he was the reason Mom kept fighting, even when all hope was essentially lost.

That set back made her treatments stop. For awhile. She was too weak to endure the chemo or the radiation. The treatment would have killed her.

She got over the bowel thing. Eventually restarted treatments. But cancer, being the wicked disease it is, was just a little bit stronger. It spread. Fast.

February 2005 rolled around. Mom was in bad shape. Weak. She took a spill in the bathroom at home early in the month and had to have a partial hip replacement. Another set back. But again, she fought through it.

February 16th, Dad got the news...the cancer had spread to a point where there was nothing left the doctors could do. Tumors were growing on her brain stem. Game over.

Dad told Mom the doctor's couldn't do anything else to treat the cancer.

She said, "So I guess that means I'm going to die".
Dad said, "We're all going to die, you are just going to a little sooner".

Mom had three requests...
1. She didn't want to die in a hospital.
2. She didn't want to be in pain.
3. She didn't want to be buried under ground.

All three requests granted. She came home on Saturday, February 19th. I didn't go over that day. I think me staying away made it seem not real...not final. I wish I would have because that was the last day she was pretty "with-it" still.

I went to see her Sunday, February 20th. She was laying on her side, I was standing in the bedroom doorway...talking to her about wiper blades for my car and me having a hard time finding them...seriously, that's all I could muster up. The only words she said were "yes" and "no" during our chat.

Dad asked me Monday, February 21st to come over and help him...every few hours, Mom had to be turned from one side to another so she didn't drown in the fluid building up in her lungs. Hospice only came in to monitor the drugs keeping Mom pain-free. Dad couldn't do it alone. And for whatever reason, Dad asked me, the youngest, to be the one to help. Reluctantly, I accepted and went to do what he and Mom needed me to do.

I won't go into too many details, but I wouldn't wish my next 48 hours on my worst enemy.

Mom had a fever. A high one. You could feel the heat coming off of her without touching her.
Her breathing was labored and gargled due to the fluid building up in her lungs.
She had an pretty good sized open sore on her back (from the radiation) that never really healed.
While moving her at one point, we dislocated her redone hip.
She was skin and bones.

Those days were 100x worse than anyone could ever imagine.

And on top of everything else, the room had a smell to it...Death.

Tuesday the 22nd I was helping to turn her before I had to run to an appointment I had that evening (I was dealing with a slew of personal issues at the time on top of everything else)...I knelt down at Mom's bedside before heading out, told her it was OK, we would take care of Dad, and to let go.

Fact of the matter was, I didn't want to have to do this anymore. I was, in essence, praying for her to pass before I had to come back and do it again.

She held on.

That night, as we were turning her, one of her eyes appeared to open...like she knew we were there. My Dad stopped, leaned down, said "Hey there, girlie...you're doing great..."...then he leaned down and kissed her head.

I'll never forget that one moment.

Dad had a split second of hope in his voice. But I'm pretty sure that was the moment that Dad said goodbye...that was the moment Dad gave up.

She made it through another night.

Wednesday morning, I stopped by before heading into work. Mom-Mom (my mother's mother who lived with my folks since I was 3 weeks old) had just gotten home from the hospital the day before...she was at her usual spot at the kitchen table having her coffee and a Tastycake or donut...I went back, helped turn Mom (for the last time, thankfully), and started to head out to work.

When I got to the kitchen, I noticed I hadn't taken off the surgical gloves - we had to wear them because of that open sore on Mom's back. Mom-Mom saw the gloves, asked why I had them on, I told her I didn't want to get messy before heading into work.

She asked, "She isn't going to make it is she?"

I said, "No".

She asked, "When do you think she's going to go?"

I said, "Today".

Here I was telling the woman that helped raise me, Mom-Mom, that her only child, my mother, was going to die...really soon. Another surreal moment I'll never forget.

I left for work. Dad came out and told Mom-Mom that he thought the end was a matter of minutes away, and if she wanted to be back there, she should come back right away.

Mom-Mom went to the bedroom, picked up Mom's hand, kissed it, and at that very moment, Mom slipped away into the hands of God.

She was gone.

It's a damn shame that most of my memories of Mom seem to be of that last week. It was traumatic for everyone. Left some scars that will never heal.

She was a wonderful woman. The best Mom I could have ever asked for. Everything she did, she did for my brothers and I, and for Dad. Mom was the glue for the family.

She talked. All the time. To everyone. She got along with almost everyone. She just had that way about her. She was down to earth.

She loved her grandkids...I know my two boys would have kept her and my dad busy...and it wouldn't have ever been a chore...I think we would have had to tell Mom and Dad that they couldn't take the kids more often than needing to ask them to! That's just how they were.

I miss her everyday.

And I hope I'm making her proud.

Rest In Peace, Mom.

Ann Rita Stone. August 15, 1944 - February 23, 2005

An Interseting History Lesson..or The Horse's Ass Blog

2011-02-15T09:31:00.002-05:00

This one is too good not to post...

INTERESTING HISTORY LESSON

Railroad tracks...

The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches.

That's an exceedingly odd number.

Why was that gauge used?
Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates built the US railroads.

Why did the English build them like that?
Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.

Why did 'they' use that gauge then?
Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.

Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing?
Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England, because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts.

So who built those old rutted roads?
Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (and England) for their legions. The roads have been used ever since.

And the ruts in the roads?
Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.

Therefore the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot.

Bureaucracies live forever.

So the next time you are handed a specification/procedure/process and wonder, "What horse's ass came up with this?", you may be exactly right.

Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses (two horse's asses).

Now, the twist to the story -

When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank.

These are solid rocket boosters, or SRB's.

The SRB's are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah.

The engineers who designed the SRB's would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRB's had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site.

The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains, and the SRB's had to fit through that tunnel.

The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds.

So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ass.

And you thought being a horse's ass wasn't important?
Ancient horse's asses control almost everything...and CURRENT horses asses are controlling everything else.

Happy Tuesday...or, Happy Day With No Redeeming Value.

Until next time...don't be a horse's ass, Beatdowners.

The Bad Mood Blog...or The List of Stuff I Can't Dig

2011-02-10T20:37:00.005-05:00

**WARNING** If you are offended by overwhelming negativity, stop reading this entry and go on your hap-hap-happidity doo daa way...

Happy F'ing Thursday, Beatdowners...

I haven't really written a carefree kind of blog in awhile, so I might as well right now...

This will be a dozy because I'm in a suck-ass mood.

Why?

Dunno.

I'm just not satisfied.

And I hate February. Lots of bad memories. Too many.

"Hate". That's a strong word. I "REALLY DISLIKE" February.

Anyhow, I'm in a mood. A wicked bad one. And what better way to vent than to blog about stuff I strongly, mildly, and/or obsessively dislike?

In no particular order....

1. I don't like Tuesday's.
2. I don't like February.
3. I don't like cauliflower.
4. I don't like when people say they will do something, or ignore questions and/or requests purposefully to avoid conflict, or what they may perceive to be conflict...if someone asks you something and the answer is "NO CHANCE, BUB", grow a set and say it instead of making the person asking look like a fool, or keeping them around like a little puppy dog for when you are bored or for an ego boost.
5. I don't like pennies.
6. I do not - DO NOT - like the word "moist".
7. I do not like when piss shivers are so strong that you accidentally pee on the wall and the floor rather than in the toilet bowl...c'mon, that can't just be a Stone thing.
8. I do not like when people leave floaters in public rest rooms.
9. I do not like the phrase "ON THE BRIGHT SIDE"...be real, if you have to say that, chances are sh*t sucks all around.
10. I do not like when people (girls, guys, and anything inbetween) think they are all that and a bag of chips when chances are they are most likely average at best...sure, you may have big boobs, a nice butt, big muscles, money, what have you...but don't be bigger than your britches...chances are you get the time of day because alcohol is involved, someone is looking for a sure thing, or someone has low confidence...these people I refer to are the usual suspects on Facebook who have no shirts on in their profile pic, who have their bikini on in the profile pic, who have booze in their hand in most pics, and/or who wear paint-on tight clothing (that laughably usually shows off their adoration of Big Macs, milkshakes, burritos, and beer in the form of a muffin top or beer gut) and bend over to spill out of their tops or show off their ass(sets).
11. I do not like judging a book by the cover only to find the story inside is a sh*tshow.
12. I do not like ingrown toe nails.
13. I do not like infected hair follicles.
14. I do not like those super small - and SUPER painful - zits you get in the corner of your nose.
15. I do not like Justin Beiber.
16. I do not like missed opportunity.
17. I do not like girls that wear white shoes/loafers and colored socks...I knew this chick in high school that did that...we affectionately called her Puff Socks...and Weedwacker.
18. I do like like quitters...not talking about when someone gives up on something, I'm talking about socks that lose their elasticity at the top and they sag on you all day. F'ing quitters.
19. I do not like treading in dog poop.
20. I do not like when you order food for delivery and you are so psyched for it, and when it gets to your house and is all paid for and the happy little driver is on their way, you open it and it's WRONG.
21. I do not like indecision.
22. I do not like ruts - especially the current one.
23. I do not like being unmotivated.
24. I do not like hangers...you know, boogers that kinda slide on out there for the world to see - usually at the most inappropriate times.
25. I do not like when women allow douchebags to treat them like dirt and they keep going back for more.
26. I do not like telemarketers.
27. I do not like it when I don't have the winning MegaMillions ticket.
28. I do not like scrapple.
29. I do not like Oil Slicks...but watching the after effects of people doing them is pretty fun, even when it's me ralphing all over the parking lot of Cheeseburger in Paradise.
30. I do not like mistakes I've made...but do like the fact that I've accepted them and risen above them...so does that one even count?
31. I do not like being labeled.
32. I do not like people who see only one side of things...people who refuse to compromise, listen, or accept a difference of opinion.
33. I do not like gutless turds who talk smack behind people's back and won't to someone's face.
34. I do not like being misled.
35. I do not like tequila.
36. I do not like cigars.
37. I do not like my meat well done.
38. I do not like people mispelling every second or third word on their Facebook status...or worse, talking "Urban" when they are most certainly NOT.
39. I do not like jitbags and posers.
40. I do not like the font Wing Dings...seriously, WTF?!?!?!?
41. I do not like emptying the dishwasher.
42. I do not like always picking up the tab.
43. I do not like when people snort back snot...blow your friggin' nose already.
44. I do not like gas stations charging the extra .009 cents per gallon all the time.
45. I do not like lime flavored beer.
46. I do not like Cadberry Eggs.
47. I do not like people who take themselves too seriously.
48. I do not like flat soda.
49. I do not like how political correctness has made everyone so friggin' uptight.
50 I do not like knowing that I'll post this and have another 50 things pop in my head that I shoulda posted.

Ah well.

F it. There is always tomorrow. TGI f'ing F.

Sh*t mood continues. Feel free to leave comments on things you don't like. Or suggestions on how to snap out of this mood...

Until next time...

Quickie

2011-02-09T08:49:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday Beatdowners...

It hasn't been a good morning. I was running a little late this morning, I tread in dog poop, I got stuck behind a school bus on my way into work, and to cap it all off, I got pulled over by a fine MTA police officer that delayed me even more, but thankfully only gave me a warning for a burned out tail light on my car...I think it's high time for me to get that fixed.

Anyhow, I get into the office some 20 minutes late (which is never, ever fun to do), turn the computer on, open my purchasing program and my e-mail...and in my e-mail, I see one message waiting simply titled QUOTE OF THE DAY.

I want to share...

"Fathom the hypocrisy of a Congress that requires every citizen to prove they are insured...but not everyone must prove they are citizens" - Author Unknown

NO, THAT ISN'T SOME BS BIRTHER STATEMENT COMING FROM ME, AND I THINK THAT WHOLE ARGUMENT IS BS...SO CHILL MY BLEEDING HEART FRIENDS.

But isn't that the truth?

Obamacare DEMANDS that everyone has insurance...yet illegals - or should I call them "New Americans" as our esteemed Governor Martin O'Malley did in his second debate with Gov. Erhrlich back in October, 2010 - continue to collect paychecks, skip tax payments, and COST hard-working, honest, and legal taxpayers money each and every day.

Damn shame if you ask me.

Think about it...if it bothers you as much as it bothers me, make a change - demand a change.

We the People can. We the People will.

A Quick One...or A Gen X Anthem

2011-02-08T20:48:00.000-05:00

Nirvana. "Smells Like Teen Spirit". I randomly heard this song today and thought back to the first time I heard it back in 1991-1992.

The song blew my mind.

Dare I say it changed me...I officially got pissed. I officially realized my Generation X roots. I was 20.

And today, as it blared through the speakers of my Jetta, I quickly realized that a fair amount of Gen X has grown up, and probably forgotten about the attitude of our youth.

The way we gave the proverbial finger to the status quo.

The way we questioned and resisted listening to the mass media, to the politicians, to the mainstream.

And I think it's OUR time to do it again.

Give a good ol' whirly bird salute.

Don't fall victim to the Pied Piper that is the mass media.

Tell the politicians in our states and especially in DC that WE call the shots. WE dictate policy...not big banks, not lobbying firms, not political action committees...and that we won't allow BIG government to run our lives.

Eliminate the attitude of ENTITLEMENT.

Embrace the attitude of EMPOWERMENT.

Generation X, we move through our 30's and into our 40's...this country's future is on our hands now.

WE the People can.

WE the People will.

A Little Bit of Chicken Fried...

2011-02-04T12:19:00.000-05:00

TGIF Beatdowners...

So a quick one for you...

I'm not much of a country music fan.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some of the more upbeat, beer drinking tunes that make me think of summer or a NASCAR race infield party...

Chicken Fried by the Zac Brown Band

Beer in Mexico by Kenny Chesney

I Love This Bar by Toby Keith

It's Five O'Clock Somewhere by Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffett

Pretty Good at Drinkin' Beer by Billy Currington

You get the picture.

Anyhow, a guy I sit near at work plays WPOC (Baltimore's country station) all day now that the football season is over (since the Ravens got bounced by the Steelers)...and I gotta say, that station has my upmost respect.

Why?

Every day (during the week, at least) at Noon, they play the Star Spangled Banner.
Without missing a beat.
High Noon.
A different country star's version.

An outstanding tribute.

An amazing patriotic act.

One that makes me proud to be an American.

Thanks, WPOC for keeping it real, for the daily reminder that despite all the BS we do live in the greatest country on Earth, and for reminding everyone listening that when it all comes down to it, we are AMERICANS first and foremost.

That's it.

Until next time...

ONE...

2011-02-03T22:18:00.000-05:00

It's becoming painful to turn on the TV.

Turmoil in Egypt.

Cyclone Down Under.

Snowmageddon acorss the US.

Mom's shooting their kids.

The Mexican Drug Wars coming closer and closer and closer to our country.

Foreclosures.

Unemployment.

Attempted assisinations of Congress members, and sick and twisted politicians using it for fodder in re-election bids.

And America more divided than ever, thanks to the BS political games throughtout the country...red states, blue states, Liberals, Conservatives, Tea Partiers, Birthers, and everything in between.

What's going on in the world?!?!?

I'm goin' crazy!

"It's not a hill, it's a mountain as you start out the climb"...time to start the climb, folks, Time to fix things. At home. Here. Now.

To quote Bishop Tutu..."Yes, there are many obstacles...of course there are always roadblocks in the way of justice...but God will put a wind at our backs, and a rising road ahead, if we work together as ONE".

ONE.

We the People can. We the People will.

Tuesday???

2011-01-25T13:57:00.000-05:00

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, redeeming is an adjective meaning “serving to offset or compensate for a defect”.

Is it just me, or do Tuesday's have absolutely NO redeeming qualities?

Seriously, think about it.

Besides Fat Tuesday (March 8th this year) for the partiers, Super Tuesday for the political geeks (like me), and Patch Tuesday (the second Tuesday of every month where Microsoft releases patches for their products) for the computer nerds, there really isn’t anything outstanding about Tuesday’s.

Sure, new music is released on Tuesday’s; but with 99% of the drab coming out nowadays, I really don’t look forward to it (unless it involves a release from one of my favorite bands).

Let’s look at the other days of the week...

Sunday – NFL football. NASCAR. Sunday Funday. Church. Brunch. Cook-outs in the summer. ‘Nuff said.

Monday – NFL football…Trivia Night at Brian Boru in Severna Park…that’s about it…thankfully for 5 glorious months, there is football. As I’ve mentioned before, after careful consideration, I’ve come to the conclusion that Monday’s suck. But looking at it in a perspective of the glass being half-full, Monday has the redeeming quality of being a day for bitching and complaining about anything and everything...hey, it ain’t much, but it’s something!

Wednesday – Hump Day. Halfway to the weekend. You’re on the downside of the work week.

Thursday – Usually the unofficial start to the weekend…your local pub and grills surely have some kind of Happy Hour special, and probably some kind of special to draw folks in for the evening (a la Karaoke at Cheeseburger in Paradise in the ‘Dena, or Trivia Night at Hero’s in Annapolis, Thirsty Thursday’s at Bamboo Bernies, etc., etc.).

Friday – THE WORK WEEK ENDS AND THE WEEKEND OFFICIALLY BEGINS! It’s 5 o’clock somewhere all day, every Friday!

Saturday – Weekend shenanigans. College football. College basketball. Cookouts. Trips to the beach. Lunch out with the Littleheads. Always something to get into and up to on Saturday.

Tuesday is the odd day out.

In college, we used Tuesday’s to give our livers a break and catch up on studying.

Now it’s the LONGEST day of the work week (for me at least).

Tuesday. The Official Day With No Redeeming Qualities.

That’s all I got today.

Happy Tuesday, Beatdowners.

Until next time…

A Quick One

2011-01-24T15:35:00.000-05:00

After careful consideration, I've come to the conclusion that Monday's suck...especially after a Sunday Funday.

I need to find a legal way to secure multiple hundred's of thousand's of dollars...Heck, perhaps even millions...and figure out a way to become my own boss...

My first edict as boss would be Monday's start whenever I feel like, not at the butt-crack of dawn.

That's all I got right now.

Until next time...

MLK

2011-01-17T17:31:00.005-05:00

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

I often go back and read the speech he gave back on April 3, 1968...the speech known by most as "I've Been To The Mountaintop"...in support of sanitation workers on strike in Memphis, Tennessee.

Dr. King was shot and killed on the balcony of his hotel the next day.

Back to the speech...it's amazing how timeless MLK's words are...how they can be about so much more than equality based on race...amazing how fitting they are today...MLK spoke of when he would like to be alive in history...

He says, "Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, 'If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the twentieth century, I will be happy.' Now that's a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around. That's a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century in a away that men, in some strange way, are responding — something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee - the cry is always the same - 'We want to be free.'

And another reason that I'm happy to live in this period is that we have been forced to a point where we're going to have to grapple with the problems that men have been trying to grapple with through history, but the demand didn't force them to do it. Survival demands that we grapple with them. Men, for years now, have been talking about war and peace. But now, no longer can they just talk about it. It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world; it's nonviolence or nonexistence."

Truer words never spoken...and, in my opinion, timeless, and able to be said today with as much meaning now as then, albeit under a different circumstance.

Dr. King also said, "All we say to America is, 'Be true to what you said on paper'. If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right."

Fitting words in today's tense and hostile political climate in America, don't you think?

He says, "Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation."

Those words - those very words - are why I want to run for office...to take on the challenge of making America what it ought to be.

But that's nothing I - or you - can do alone.

That's nothing the Right can do alone.

That's nothing the Left can do alone.

That's nothing a Tea Party Movement - ANY political movement - can do alone.

That's nothing a Red State or a Blue State can do alone.

America can be what it ought to be by compromise...

By reaching across the isle...

By saying "NO" to big government...

By saying "NO" to Political Action Committees, Special Interest Groups, big lobbying firms, and big corporations buying policy with donations to our elected officials' re-election campaigns, and our legislature as a whole...

America can be what it ought to be by saying "YES" to WE THE PEOPLE...

By saying "YES" to OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE...

And what better way to close, on this day, than with the greatest and most moving part of this MLK speech...no, not speech...dare I say, this MLK sermon...

"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land."

MLK...1/15/29 - 4/4/68

Sleep
Sleep tonight
And may your dreams
Be realized
If the thundercloud
Passes rain
So let it rain
Rain down on him

My Take On Tucson...or Leave the Politics Alone

2011-01-13T11:51:00.004-05:00

On January 8, 2011, Jared Lee Loughner - a mentally ill young man - went to a rally/meet-and-greet that United States Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was holding in the parking lot of a supermarket in Tucson, Arizona.

He had bad intentions.

He open fired with a semi-automatic weapon, wounding 14 people, including Congresswoman Giffords, who was shot at point-blank range in the head.

He also killed 6 people...
Dorwin Stoddard, 76, who shielded his wife from the gunfire...she was wounded, but survived.

Gabriel Zimmerman, 30, one of Congresswoman Giffords' community outreach directors.

Dorothy Morris, 76.

Chief Justice of the Arizona District Court, Judge John Roll, 63.

Phyllis Schneck, 79.

Christina Taylor Green, 9 years old, born on 9/11/01, and one of the babies featured in the book Faces of Hope: Babies Born on 9/11.

A horrible, senseless act of violence from a deranged individual.

Yet the media started running stories of people blaming Sarah Palin. Her rhetoric. Her web page media.

She responds using the term "blood-libel".

For real, people?

Right, Left, or Middle...POLITICS DOESN'T BELONG IN THIS MIX!

As I stated - it was a senseless act of violence committed by one man who had more than his share of mental issues apparently.

One man, not Hell-bent on attacking the system, not Hell-bent on attacking a Democrat...just one sick and twisted man Hell-bent on hurting. Killing. Terrorizing.

President Obama gave the speech of his presidency in my opinion last night...and acknowledge that YES, there is a palatable discourse in the American geo-political landscape...and using this tragedy as a political tool will only stoke those flames of anger, those flames of discontent, and those flames of war-drum rhetoric.

And wouldn't you know it, this past Tuesday (1/11/11), one Democrat threw a powder-keg on the fire...Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

This guy should be impeached...thrown out of office for his sickening indecency on trying to use the Tucson tragedy as a campaign tool.

Tuesday afternoon Senator Sanders sent out a mailer in order to drum up some fundraising for his campaign, hoping to raise money to "fight Republicans and other right-wing reactionaries responsible for the climate that led to the shooting".

Yes, indeed, that's a direct quote.

The Senator wrote:

Given the recent tragedy in Arizona, as well as the start of the new Congress, I wanted to take this opportunity to share a few words with political friends in Vermont and throughout the country. I also want to thank the very many supporters who have begun contributing online to my 2012 reelection campaign at www.bernie.org. There is no question but that the Republican Party, big money corporate interests, and right-wing organizations will vigorously oppose me. Your financial support now and in the future is much appreciated.

Senator Sanders went on to list several events that tied right-wing rhetoric to the tragedy is Tucson, and continued:

What should be understood is that the violence, and threats of violence against Democrats in Arizona, was not limited to Gabrielle Giffords. Raul Grijalva, an old friend of mine and one of the most progressive members in the House, was forced to close his district office this summer when someone shot a bullet through his office window. Another Democratic elected official in Arizona, recently defeated Congressman Harry Mitchell, suspended town meetings in his district because of the threatening phone calls that he received (Mitchell was also in the cross-hairs on the Palin map). And Judge John Roll, who was shot to death at the Giffords event, had received numerous threatening calls and death threats in 2009.  In light of all of this violence – both actual and threatened – is Arizona a state in which people who are not Republicans are able to participate freely and fully in the democratic process? Have right-wing reactionaries, through threats and acts of violence, intimidated people with different points of view from expressing their political positions?

Way to pray on emotions, Senator. Way to exploit a tragedy.

You make me sick, and as an American, I am ashamed that you represent ANYONE in this country down in DC.

I'm sure some on the Right will do/have done the same. I feel the same exact way about you.

And Governor Palin - "blood-libel"? Seriously? I know one person who won't get my vote in 2012.

Remove the politics. Focus on the victims. Their families. The wounded. Those heart-broken.

I quote the great writer J. R. R. Tolkien...
One character says, "I wish none of this had happened".
Another character responds, "So do all who live to see such times; but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us".

Stop playing the politics, guys - in the time WE have, the time that Dorwin Stoddard, Gabriel Zimmerman, Dorothy Morris, Judge John Roll, Phyllis Schneck, and Christina Taylor Green do NOT have - show compassion. Do your part. Listen. Open your ears, your eyes, and your hearts. Make that which seems so IMPOSSIBLE right now POSSIBLE.

Prayers for peace and hope go to the wounded, those no longer with us, and their friends and families...God Bless.

Until next time...

The End is the Beginning...or 2011 - The Year of Opportunity

2010-12-30T12:13:00.002-05:00

2011 is a mere 36 hours away.

Time to put the best and worst of 2010 behind.

Time to make resolutions (and stick to 'em!).

A little something we should all do in 2011...

We are going to open a book.

It's pages are BLANK.

We are going to put our own words on those pages.

The book is called "OPPORTUNITY".

And it's first page is New Year's Day.

From me and mine, to you and yours...Have a Happy, Healthy, & Prosperous New Year.

Until next time...

An Angel Went Home Today

2010-12-24T23:46:00.008-05:00

So this is a blog I wish I never had to write. I wish the Mayo Jar was truly gonna be my last blog of 2010.

The Man Upstairs had other plans, though.

Ten years ago, I met my future cousin-in-law Alyssa. She was 9. She was wearing a soccer uniform...her jersey was red.

She had amazing brown eyes. Those big brown eyes that drew you in, and would make you give her anything she wanted...another minute of playtime...another scoop of ice cream...another few minutes before having to come inside for the day.

She had the brightest smile I'd probably ever seen.

And she had a laughter that was contagious...heartwarming...and pure.

She was beautiful...stunning...both inside and out. I joked to her mom and dad that she should go into modeling.

She grew up to be a wonderful young girl, and into a beautiful young woman.

She babysat our children; they loved her, and she loved them.

She sometimes was dealt a pretty crappy hand, but she didn't fold. She kept her poker face on and stayed in the game...even when it seemed like there was nothing good that was going to come from the proverbial cards she was holding.

She had character.

She had heart.

She had a love for life, and life loved her back.

Everyone that met Alyssa loved her.

You couldn't help but not to.

She had "it".

But, for whatever reason, God thought it was time for her to come home at 3am this morning (12/24/10).

She would have been 20 on Monday.

The Lord works in mysterious ways. Sometimes so mysterious, that we say to ourselves, "What the heck are you trying to tell me, Lord, because this isn't the way I need to hear it!"

Today is one of those days for me.

I got to see her and hang with her for a bit at Cheeseburger in Paradise last night...she was planning on coming over to the house on Christmas Day after dinner to see the kids and spend some time with us because it had been awhile...the whole hustle-and-bustle had caught up with her and with us.

The last thing she said to me as she was heading out to meet up with some of her friends was , "I'll see you tomorrow"...

I fall back on something my Grandmother said to me after my Mom and Dad passed away a few years back...Mom-Mom said, "Matt, one day this will all make sense...maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day, you will know why it happened the way it did".

I pass those words on to Gary, Kitty, Holly, Christie, Ryan, and Ashley...to all of the Bennett's...to all of Alyssa's friends and family.

One day, it will all make sense.

Just not today.

She was the little sister I never had.

She was a bright light in a dark sky.

She was an angel.

And she went home today.

Rest in Peace, Alyssa. We love you and always will.

The Mayo Jar...or 2010's Final Blog

2010-12-20T07:18:00.003-05:00

Dateline: Monday, 12/20/10, 7:07am

Barring any major new story that I have a rant about, this is probably my last blog of the year, considering how hectic the next 11 days are sure to be with Christmas and New Year's and all of the hustle and bustle associated with each...and that very hustle and bustle always reminds me of a story a professor told his college class...a great lesson here....ENJOY!

Wishing you and yours a Verry Happy Christmas, and an equally Merry New Year.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full.

The students responded with an emphatic "yes."

The professor then produced two bottles of beer from under the table and poured them both into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life."

"The golf balls are the important things. Your family, your children, your faith, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions...things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."

"The pebbles are the other things that matter. Your job, your house, and your car."

"The sand is everything else. The small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised their hand and asked what the beer represented.

The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend."

See y'all in 2011...

What Christmas is All About...

2010-12-18T15:51:00.000-05:00

Happy Saturday, Beatdowners!

A quick one again...I watched Charlie Brown's Christmas this week with the Littleheads, and had completely forgotten about the scene above.

Linus delivers the mother-of-all monologues telling Charlie Brown what Christmas is all about.

Thank you, Charles Schultz for this. In the trite and commercialized quagmire that the Christmas Season has become, you have the balls to drop some knowledge on why we celebrate Christmas to begin with...yes, it's awesome to get all festive about the fat, jolly old elf, Santa Claus, and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, and Frosty the Snowman...it's great to hear the songs about Jingle Bells, Sleigh Rides, and the Holly Jolly time of year...but that's all just the pretty paper on what Christmas TRULY is - the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the King of Kings.

I'm shocked the ACLU hasn't deemed this unfit to air on TV and sued someone...you know, in their spirit of the season.

The symbolism in this scene is pretty epic as well. In any and all of the Peanuts cartoons, Linus is ALWAYS scene holding his security blanket. ALWAYS.

Yet in the scene above, he drops the blanket when saying this verse from the Gospel of Luke (Chapter 2):

For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angels a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men.

Pretty significant, don't you think?

Celebrate the Reason for the Season.

Until next time...

Christmas Food Court Hallelujah Chorus

2010-12-15T21:11:00.003-05:00

This is simply stunning. Worth the 5 minutes of your time. And again, perfect for the Season.

Damn shame this couldn't happen in the USofA without fear of reprecussions from the ACLU.

Until next time, Beatdowners...

The Almighty has done great things and Holy is His name,
He has sold strength with His arm,
He has scattered the proud,
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty,
He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exhaulted those who were humble...

And He shall reign for ever and ever...

Worth Sharing...or Something All Parents Should Read

2010-12-09T15:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday, Beatdowners!

My buddy Pete sent me a link to a story on CNN that I HAVE to share...the article is written by Jamie Gumbrecht...text below (link - http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/12/09/katie.starwars.geek/index.html?hpt=C1).

(CNN) -- Katie Goldman's universe extends from her home to her first-grade classroom. She is a big sister to Annie Rose and Cleo, a piano player, a Spanish student, a wearer of glasses. She loathes the patch she has to wear for one lazy eye. She loves magic and princesses and "Star Wars," an obsession she picked up from her dad.

The 7-year-old carried a "Star Wars" water bottle to school in Evanston, Illinois, every day, at least until a few weeks ago, when Katie suddenly asked to take an old pink one instead. The request surprised Katie's mom, Carrie Goldman. It didn't make any sense. Why would her little sci-fi fan make such a quick turn?

Goldman kept pressing for an answer. She wasn't expecting Katie's tears.

Kids at school insisted that "Star Wars" was only for boys, her daughter wailed. She was different enough already -- the only one who was adopted, who's Jewish, who wears glasses, who needs a patch. If sacrificing Yoda for the color pink would make her fit in again, so be it.

Goldman's heart sank.

These weren't nameless, faceless bullies who taunted her daughter. They were good kids Katie ran around with on the playground. They were getting older, though, and starting to see what made people the same -- and different.

Now, it was about "Star Wars," but Goldman wondered what lunchroom teasing would progress to in middle school, high school or college.

"Is this how it starts?" Goldman wrote in her blog, Portrait of an Adoption. "Do kids find someone who does something differently and start to beat it out of her, first with words and sneers? Must my daughter conform to be accepted?"

'I NEED YOUR HELP'

A few days later, in Orlando, Jen Yates clicked on a link that led to Goldman's blog. Yates couldn't shake Katie's image when it flashed across the screen -- a little girl with long blonde hair, no front teeth, square-rimmed glasses.

"When you hear about bullying, it's like an abstract concept," Yates said. "When you put a face on it, an adorable little girl's face, with glasses, it brings it home."

Yates remembered the isolation of being the weird kid at her high school. She was the teen who hit "Star Trek" conventions on weekends and got snide comments about it the rest of the week. She was the lone geek girl among her friends, mostly geeky boys.

Bullying tragedies dominated headlines this year after a spate of suicides. Studies revealed how deeply the bullies at school, home or online can traumatize kids. The federal government laid out new anti-bullying guidelines for educators trying to combat the issue.

It's tough to lay out anti-bullying rules for kids so young, but tougher still to know how to protect the bully's perennial target: geeks, nerds and anybody whose interests stray from the norm. Whole genres of pop culture are devoted to ridiculing them and Yates knew that Katie's story was how it starts.

"We've all had those kinds of experiences, if you call yourself a geek," Yates said. "It was about Katie, but it was about every girl out there, every geek out there. It transcended gender, it transcended age.

"I know a Katie. I was Katie."

So Yates did what any geek would -- she went back to her computer.

"My fellow geeks," she wrote on her blog, Epbot.com, "I need your help."

'YOU ARE NOT ALONE'

Later that day, in yet another time zone, Catherine Taber clicked Yates' post about a little girl and her "Star Wars" water bottle -- Katie.

Taber grew up on science fiction and fantasy, from Stephen King to "Star Wars," but she wasn't bullied. She was an Army brat, always the new kid at school. With each new place, her parents reminded her to be whatever she wanted, and be proud to share it with the world.

Catherine Taber, who voices Padme Amidala, saw Katie's story, and shared it with her castmates."I immediately had to say something," Taber said. "The whole theme of the 'Star Wars' universe is an anti-bullying theme. It's good versus evil, standing side by side with your friends, doing what's right. One of the most important things to stopping bullies in their tracks is to empower kids to stand up for themselves."

Taber found Katie's mom's blog, sent it to everyone she knew, and left a comment she hoped would help.

"I am [the] actress who has the great honor of being Padme Amidala on 'Star Wars: the Clone Wars!' I just wanted to tell Katie that she is in VERY good company being a female Star Wars fans," Taber wrote. "I know that Padme would tell you to be proud of who YOU are and know that you are not ALONE!

"THE FORCE is with you Katie!"

'PART OF A VERY TIGHT COMMUNITY'

Back in Evanston, Carrie Goldman was feeling good. Since she had written about the water bottle incident, other parents at Katie's school had talked to their kids. School leaders were supportive, and working on an anti-bullying program.

Something else was happening, too: Traffic on Goldman's blog was exploding.

Some 1,200 people had left messages there for Katie. Readers were coming from Yates' blog, where more than 3,000 more comments stacked up. There were links from "Star Wars" message boards, parenting blogs, tech sites. A Twitter hashtag, #maytheforcebewithkatie, streaked across social media.

Guys and gals of all ages wrote about how they'd been bullied, and how life had gotten so much better since then. They shared that they loved "Star Wars," that they wore glasses, that they were adopted -- just like Luke, just like Leia, just like Katie.

ThinkGeek, a nerdy online retailer, sent Katie a lightsaber. Artist Scott Zirkel sent a cartoon of Katie as a Jedi, glasses and all. A first-grade class in California sent letters to Katie as a show of support.

Taber and the rest of the cast of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," sent "Star Wars" merch. Ashley Eckstein, who voices the female Jedi Ahsoka Tano, sent Her Universe clothes tailored for girls. Tom Kane, who voices Yoda, escorted the Goldmans to a screening near their home.

Ashley Eckstein, center, the voice of Ahsoka on "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," sent Katie some girl-friendly gear.The thousands of comments left online will be bound into a book for Katie to read whenever she needs it. To keep a sense of normality at home, the family reads just a few every night.

Katie, and her parents, have learned that the universe is so much bigger than the first grade.

"You realize how, if you want someone who has something in common, all you have to do is reach out," Goldman said. "It feels really, really good. What we want is for it to feel good for other people."

Katie is donating many of the books and toys to other kids.

A fan created a Facebook event suggesting that people wear "Star Wars" gear on December 10 to support Katie. The Goldmans also asked participants to donate Star Wars toys to charities for the holidays. About 20,000 people have signed up.

"What strikes me is how these individuals who were once so isolated are now part of a very tight community," Goldman wrote on her blog this month. "They have found each other; they are plugged into each other, and they have each other's backs. Now they have Katie's back, too."

Katie isn't doing any more interviews. There are scales to practice, Spanish words to memorize, baby sisters to play with. She still has to wear the dreaded eye patch, and eat lunch with the kids in her class. She is very busy being 7.

But on December 10, her school will host Proud To Be Me Day. Kids will be encouraged to wear something that shows what they're interested in, whether it's princesses, sports, animals and anime.

Katie will have the force of thousands behind her, and a "Star Wars" water bottle.

A Gift...

2010-12-07T23:00:00.001-05:00

Worth 10 minutes of your time to view the video...

We are each given a gift.

What gift will you give this Christmas Season?

A Holiday Blog...or The Season of Giving

2010-12-02T20:25:00.002-05:00

Happy Thursday, Beatdowners! The Christmas Season is alive and kickin' in the Stone household...I hope you and yours are well on your way to having a very Happy Holiday Season, regardless of which one you celebrate!
So last year, I saw the movie Fred Clause for the first time.

Loved it.

Definitely one of my favorite Christmas movies.

This (above) is one of the better scenes in any Christmas movie - the elves gather around the snow globe and watch all the children open their presents on Christmas Day, while Sinead O'Connor's beautiful rendition of Silent Night plays in the background.

I gotta admit, the first time I saw it I got a little choked up.

Anyhow, there is a line in the movie where Fred says, "There's no naughty kids...every kid deserves a present on Christmas".

I couldn't agree more.

Times are tough. The economy still is shaky at best. Spending has been reeled in a bit, probably from almost everyone. And giving to charities has, generally speaking, been put aside as every penny counts a lot more than it used to.

But I ask a favor, of anyone that reads this blog...forward this message to anyone and everyone you know.

Go out and spend a few dollars on a new, unopened toy and donate it to Toys For Tots, your local Church, the Salvation Army, Santa Claus Anonymous, any children's home/orphanage, or any other charity you believe in supporting.

It doesn't have to be a Xbox. It doesn't have to be the latest and greatest tech gadget.

It just has to be something that lets a child know that there is hope.

It just has to be something that lets a child know there is joy and happiness.

It just has to be something that lets a child know there is good out there, and something that lets them smile.

It just has to be something that lets a child know there is a reason to believe.

Because when you sit down and think about it, "there are no naughty kids...every kid deserves a present on Christmas".

Until next time...

Wow

2010-11-26T20:18:00.001-05:00

They just don't make 'em like this anymore.

This is as EPIC a performance and song as you will ever find.

This is AWESOME.

This is blues.

This is something crawling on the floor of some hole-in-the-wall, dark, skanky, sweaty, smoke-filled gin-joint sitting at the gates of Hell.

This is Muddy Waters.

This is Mannish Boy.

Wow.

The Thanksgiving Blog

2010-11-24T15:59:00.002-05:00

Greetings and Salutations on Thanksgiving Eve!

So here we are, the start of the Holiday Season - tomorrow is Thanksgiving.

Here in the good ol' USof A, Thanksgiving has been an annual tradition/Holiday since 1863, and marks the celebration that happened at Plymouth Plantation (Massachusetts) in 1621. You see, back then the Wampanoag Native American Indians helped the Massachusetts pilgrims harvest the land, saving them from certain starvation; and, together they had a celebration steeped in traditions of harvest festivals that were commonplace in Europe at the time.

Anyhow, Thanksgiving has become a time for us to reflect on things we are thankful for...a time for us to take a personal inventory, so to speak, and give thanks to those around us and to the Man Upstairs, and to count our blessings, no matter how big or small.

So here is my list of what I am thankful for this year...

1. I am thankful for Steph, Gabriel, and Michael. It goes without saying, you are the push and the inspiration for me to keep going.
2. I am thankful for Gordon, Kim, Greg, Nancy, Ethan, Eric, Alex, Izzie, and Kelly for all being the best brothers, sister-in-laws, nephews, and nieces anyone could ever ask for.
3. Even though they aren't physically here anymore, I am now and forever will be thankful for Dad, Mom, and Mom-Mom...everything I have today is due to you guys and the foundation you provided.
4. I am thankful for my own and my family's health.
5. I am very thankful for my friends, my extended family, and my friends who are family - you know who you are, and I love you all.
6. I am thankful for my home, which keeps me warm when it's cold, cool when it's hot, and dry when it's wet.
7. I am thankful for my car, which allows me to get where I need to go and when I want to go.
8. I am thankful for the food in my fridge.
9. I am thankful for the beverages in my bar.
10. I am thankful for my job, which allows me to keep and maintain #6, 7, 8, and 9!
11. I am thankful for the mistakes I've made, the challenges that I have overcome, and for the personal growth that has stemmed from them all. Right, wrong, or indifferent, I'm okay with who I am today.
12. I am thankful and grateful for the brave men and women and their families who serve our country, and ensure my freedom.
13. I am thankful for believing...
14. I am thankful for opportunity...
15. I am thankful for today...
16. I am thankful for where I've been...
17. I am thankful for wherever I may be heading...
18. I am thankful for my many blessings...
19. I am thankful for all the small things in life that I seemingly take for granted every day...

AND OF COURSE...

20. I am thankful for being able to rock AWESOME like no one else.

Ask yourself today, tonight, and tomorrow - what is it that you are thankful for?

Here's hoping that you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving...

A Quote I Forgot...or My 50th Blog!

2010-11-23T19:14:00.001-05:00

Forgot to throw this one in there last night...

Is it cheeseball? Probably.

Is it pertinent? Abso-friggin-lutely.

"We all need somebody that we can lean on,
When you wake up look around and see that your dream's gone,
When the earth quakes we'll help you make it through the storm,
When the floor breaks, a magic carpet to stand on,
We are the World united by love so strong,
When the radio isn't on you can hear the songs,
A guided light on the dark road you're walking on,
A sign post to find the dream you thought was gone,
Someone to help you move the obstacles you stumbled on,
Someone to help you rebuild after the rubble's gone,
We are the World connected by a common bond,
Love,
The whole planet sing it along..."

from We Are The World 25 for Haiti.

I sure wish more people around the world would subscribe to this one...

Is This Seriously the Way to Start the Season...or WTF?!?!?

2010-11-23T12:05:00.001-05:00

Holy smokes, Beatdowners...not even 24 hours removed from my feel good quotes blog, this is the headlines today...

South Korea Vows ‘Enormous Retaliation’ After North’s Deadly Island Bombardment

Ain't that grand?!?!?

South Korea was doing some naval war game activities, the North didn't approve, and they take it upon themselves to shell a boarder island that is part of the South.

The North follows with a statement on their official Central News Agency saying that if South Korea "violated" their disputed sea border "even by 0.001 millimeter", they'd continue the military strikes.

The South throws some gas on the fire by saying they would strike back with the aforementioned "enormous retaliation" if they are hit again.

Talk about a proverbial powder keg....

And the underlying factor that is pretty friggin' scary (at least to me)...China fully supports the North, the USofA fully supports the South, and China is PISSED at us due to our plan to print some $600 billion and devalue the dollar, which would directly impact China's export business.

North Korea vs. South Korea is not awesome. China vs. the USAis EPICALLY unawesome.

Keep an eye on this one - A new hi-tech nuclear facility in the North was uncovered over the last few days, and now this...stock markets around the world aren't reacting favorably to the news.

Pray for peace...'Tis the Season, afterall.

Random Quotes

2010-11-22T22:15:00.003-05:00

Happy Monday, Beatdowners.

The Holiday Season kicks off officially in 3 days...make sure you remember what the Season is about. Be thankful for all that you have, and worry a little less about what you don't. More importantly, do your part - spread good tidings, festivus maximus, and awesome merriment!

A quick one tonight...

I've been reading a ton the past year...and listening to tunes and watching flicks...and listening to and/or seeing way too many political speeches during the past few months.

And man, oh man...what a collection of quotes I've gotten from all sources! Some are epic, some are fun, and some make me scratch me head...and some even make me wonder to myself if that person has any clue what's going on in the real world!

Here's some of my favorites, for varying reasons...enjoy. And maybe apply some of them to your daily life...you never know it may make you just a tad more awesome!

"The best way to serve the age is to betray it" - from Brendan Kennelly's The Book of Judas.

"Trajectory is everything. One inch out as the rocket launches and you miss Mars and end up on Venus. If you're lucky - and I have been - you discover it was always where you wanted to go" - Bono, from U2BYU2.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains" - from Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

"I get excessively drunk at inappropriate times, disregard social norms, indulge every whim, ignore the consequences of my actions, mock idiots and posers, sleep with more women than is safe or reasonable, and just generally act like a raging d*ckhead. But I do contribute to humanity in one very important way: I share my adventures with the world" - from Tucker Max's I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell

"But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of controversy" - FORMER House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a March, 2010 speech during the Legislative Conference for the National Association of Counties.

RELAX MY LEFT LEANING BEATDOWNERS - MY 2 FAVORITE W-isms TO FOLLOW...

"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream" - President George W. Bush in a speech he made in October, 2000, LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

"There’s an old saying in Tennessee - I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on, shame on you. Fool me - you can’t get fooled again" - President George W. Bush in a speech he made in September, 2002, Nashville, Tennessee.

"If Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, ‘We’re going to punish our enemies and we’re going to reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us’, if they don’t see what kind of upsurge in voting in this election, then I think it’s going to be harder, and that’s why I think it’s so important that people focus on voting on November 2" - President Obama during a radio interview on Latino station Univision, October, 2010.

"But joy is a very hard thing to conjure and happiness won't do" - Bono, from U2BYU2.

"Supermodels are beautiful girls, Will. A beautiful girl can make you dizzy, like you've been drinking Jack and Coke all morning. She can make you feel high full of the single greatest commodity known to man - promise. Promise of a better day. Promise of a greater hope. Promise of a new tomorrow. This particular aura can be found in the gait of a beautiful girl. In her smile, in her soul, the way she makes every rotten little thing about life seem like it's going to be okay. The supermodels, Willy? That's all they are. Bottled promise. Scenes from a brand new day. Hope dancing in stiletto heels" - Michael Rapaport in Beautiful Girls.

And a perfect one to end this rambling and set the table for the upcoming Season...

"There's no naughty kids, Nick. Every kid deserves a present on Christmas" - Vince Vaughn in Fred Claus.

Until next time...

A Feel Good One...or Don't Let The Opportunity Pass You By

2010-11-19T08:57:00.001-05:00

TGIF, Beatdowners!

So this is just a quick one that I think is worth sharing...my Aunt Janet sent this e-mail out to me today, and it's got a good message...live for today, don't hold anything back, and most of all, tell the people that matter and that you care about the most that you love them...TODAY.

Thanks for reading. Thanks to Aunt Janet for forwarding this one. And love to you and yours.

Until next time...

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.

It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling.

"Really?", she heard whispered, "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!", and, "I didn't know others liked me so much", and other comments like that.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another.

That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students, Mark, was killed in Vietnam, and the teacher attended the funeral. The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to walk by and pay her respects.

As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her and asked, 'Were you Mark's math teacher?". She nodded yes. Then he said, "Mark talked about you a lot".

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon.

Mark's mother and father were there, and they wanted to speak with his teacher.

"We want to show you something", his father said. The father took his wallet out and said, "They found this on Mark when he was killed...we thought you might recognize it".

Carefully opening the two worn pieces of notebook paper that had been taped, folded, and refolded many times, the father held it out for the teacher to see.

She knew without reading the papers that it was the list of all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him so many years ago.
"Thank you so much for doing that", Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it".

All of Mark's former classmates gathered around.

Charlie smiled and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home".

Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album".

"I have mine too", Marilyn said. "It's in my diary".

Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times...looks like we all saved our lists".

That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.

The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be. So please, tell the people you love and care for that they are special and important. Tell them, because one day you won't be able to.

Through The Looking Glass

2010-11-15T08:38:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday, Beatdowners! Hard to believe there are only 10 days 'til Turkey Day, and (GULP!) 40 days until Christmas...perhaps it's the warmer weather we've had over the past week or so, but it surely doesn't feel like that Most Wonderful Time of Year is right around the corner!

Anyhow, a quick one...

I really, REALLY do not like getting my picture taken. Random, posed, whatever - I just hate it. I find imperfections in any photo, and regardless of what anyone else says, there is no such thing as a "good" picture of yours truly.

Facebook doesn't help matters with that whole "Tag" feature...I'm bound and determined tonight to figure out a way to disable that darn thing...because it's always the worst of the worst pictures possible that end up tagged (thanks assh*les).

Now I've come to the general conclusion that I am not what you would call a good lookin' man - all is well and good though, I make up for it with my shear awesomeness.

But still...every single picture I see of me, I would hang in basements to keep the rats away. The images I see could stop a friggin' clock. Really. If you are in a picture with me, I'm certainly going to make you look a whole lot better lookin' than you really are. If you are having a day when you aren't feeling too pretty or handsome, take a look at a photo of me and you'll instantly say, "it could be worse, I could look like that". Forget the ugly stick, or the ugly tree...I got hit by the ugly forest in most pictures.

I make due with the cards I've been dealt in the looks category...and I've done pretty well with what I have. But man, oh, man do everyone a favor and don't get camera happy around me...it'll end up UGLY!

Have a great Monday...and until next time, stay handsome out there!

Thank You, The Hits Keep Coming, and Remember...

2010-11-11T09:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday, Beatdowners!

First and foremost, THANK YOU to all of the brave men and women who have served the United States in the past. THANK YOU to all the brave men and women who serve today. And THANK YOU to the brave men and women and their families who have given the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedoms and our country.

Today, to honor those men and women and their families, I hope for ALL of us to lose the label of Democrat, Republican, Liberal, Conservative, Tea Partier, Righty, Lefty, etc., and subscribe to the only label that truly matters...AMERICAN.

Now on to a quick one...not too sure how to feel about this one...often worried that the world is going to Hell in a hand basket because of stuff like this...

The United Nations' Security Council charged a panel (made up of representatives from the U.S., the U.K., China, France, Russia, Japan, and South Korea) with the undaunting task of monitoring the enforcement of the already imposed UN sanctions on the North Korean regime that effort blocking their advancement of a nuclear program.

Some of these sanctions are aimed to ban North Korea from exporting or importing weapons, nuclear technology, and/or missile technology.

The panels findings, which finally went to the Security Council yesterday (China had been doing its best to prevent the report from being distributed, but finally allowed it), shows that North Korea, despite the UN sanctions, exports $100 million in weapons and missiles each year.

$100 million.

The report (all 75-pages worth) also provides evidence collected by the International Atomic Energy Agency, different governments across the world, and varying news reporting agencies that states North Korea is involved in "nuclear and ballistic missile related activities in certain other countries including Iran, Syria, and Myanmar (Burma)".

The report does cite that the sanctions seem to be limiting North Korea's arms sales, but still...$100 million?!?!?

Now I'm not saying we, or any other government, should go in and engage North Korea militarily. This isn't saber-rattling.

Just something to keep an eye on...dangerous times. Bad sh*t all around. Wars and rumors of wars. Regimes Hell-bent on wiping countries and people off the face of the Earth. It's a sh*tshow out there.

The Holiday Season is right around the corner...it kicks off in a mere 2 weeks.

Regardless of faith, regardless of nationality, regardless of political affiliation, remember one underlying and unified basic fact about what the Season is all about:

PEACE ON EARTH, GOODWILL TO MEN.

Holy Sh*tballs...

2010-11-09T15:03:00.002-05:00

Happy Tuesday, Beatdowners.

I dig conspiracy theories. They are sometimes amusing, sometimes fascinating, and sometimes down right scary.

Ever hear of the Web Bot Project? Look it up - interesting. A quick summary - the collective unconscious of individuals can be used to predict certain future events based on words people use in internet search engines. Kind of ridiculous and a stretch, but intriguing.

Anyhow, the Web Bot guys, Cliff High and George Ure (they call themselves the Time Monks - snicker, snicker), have been noted as saying there would be some major "tipping point" between 11/8 and 11/11 that would lead to a catastrophic nuclear confrontation in the world.

That'll suck...really put a damper on my weekend plans.

Anyhow, nuclear war or some massive war breaks out this week...or some actions that "tip" the pendulum of war, and we start speeding down that spiral. Interesting read, makes me go, "Hmmmm", and makes me hug the Littleheads a little tighter the next few nights at bedtime.

No harm, no foul.

BUT...

I look at the news today and come across this headline...

Missile Shot Off Los Angeles Still a Mystery for Pentagon Officials

Anyone hear about this last night? Doubt it.

But a local CBS news copter filmed the mystery missile launch that happened around 5pm PST about 35 miles off-shore west of Los Angeles. As of this afternoon, our government, our military officials, or commanders at the North American Aerospace Defense Command can not explain what the projectile was, where it came from, or (gulp!) if it was one of ours.

The Missile Defense Agency has went on record saying it did not launch any test missile Monday night that could possibly explain what was filmed. Better than that, both the United States Navy and Air Force couldn't come up with anything to explain this launch.

WTF?!?!?!?

Thirty-five (35) miles off of the American coastline, a missile is launched and we don't know where it came from, who dun it, or why it happened.

Seriously?!?!?!?

Almost 10 million people live in the Los Angeles area, an apparent big-ass missile is shot off that could have easily reached the city's population center(s), and we have no friggin' clue what's going on?!?!?!?

If that's the case (and the military isn't just playing dumb), we're f*cked.

Should be interesting to see the spin on this one the next few days.

Here's hoping we aren't about to all get blowed up!

Until next time...

Someone Got It Right...or Not Throwing In The Towel on the US Just Yet

2010-11-05T09:44:00.000-04:00

TGIF, Beatdowners!

A real quick follow-up to my blog from 10/25/10 - the one about the woman who had a civil rights complaint filed against her for posting an advertisement at her Church in which she said she was seeking a "Christian" roommate.

As previously blogged about, the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan accused the young woman of posting an ad that "expresses an illegal preference for a Christian roommate, thus excluding people of other faiths".

What a crock of sh*t. I still can't believe that...essentially saying it's illegal to choose who you want to live with.

Anyhow, on to the update...the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department did the right thing...they dismissed the civil rights complaint. Their statement said:

"In light of the facts provided and after assessing the unique context of the advertisement and the roommate relationship involved in this particular situation potentially involving the sharing of personal religious beliefs, the Department defers to Constitutional considerations in reaching its conclusion. Accordingly, the Department finds that there is no reasonable cause to believe that the Act was violated in this matter".

FINALLY! Common sense prevails!

While my frustrations continue, things like this make me refrain from throwing in the towel on the good ol' U.S. of A...for now.

Hey Republicans and Tea Partiers - a quick note to you - WE gave you a chance to work to fix all that is wrong with the general state of the Union...don't blow it...if you do, we'll fire you in November of 2012. Everyone in DC needs to understand one basic fact - COMPROMISE IS NOT A DIRTY WORD.

Questions...or Things That Make Me Go "Hmmmmmm"...

2010-11-04T17:00:00.000-04:00

Greetings and salutations from a cool and rainy Maryland, Beatdowners.

Just a quick one...some questions that sometimes keep me awake at night...

1. If you have relations with a prostitute and roll out without paying, is that considered shoplifting?

2. Is it possible to cry underwater?

3. What characteristics must a person have to be considered assassinated rather than just plain ol' murdered?

4. Why is it a "spork" and not a "foon"?

5. People "put their two cents in" to conversations, but only receive "a penny for their thoughts"...where exactly is that extra penny going?

6. In the afterlife (Heaven or Hell), are you seriously stuck for all eternity wearing the clothes you are buried in?

7. Pizza is round, but it comes in a square box...why?

8. How is it that man has walked on the moon well before someone thought it'd be smart to put wheels on luggage?

9. Why do people say they "slept like a baby" to denote a good night's sleep? Last I can remember, babies wake up every few hours and generally aren't really happy when the do.

10. Why are actors IN a movie, but ON TV shows?

11. Why do toasters have a setting that allows the bread/bagel/waffle/etc. to be burned to the point of resembling a charcoal briquette when there is NO way any normal person would consume it?

12. Jimmy cracks corn, and no one cares...then why the song?

13. Goofy and Pluto are both dogs...why does Goofy walk like a person and Pluto remains on all fours?

14. Gilligan's Island...the Professor...he could get all MacGyver with a coconut, but he really couldn't fix a hole in the boat?

15. Wile E. Coyote apparently had a ton of money lying around to buy all of those crappy Acme items he used to try to catch the Roadrunner...why didn't he just use that money to buy himself some dinner instead of always being blown up by whatever it is he bought for his latest ploy?

16. Why do Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and The Alphabet Song have the same tune?

17. You just tried singing both of those songs to see if I was right or wrong, didn't you?

18. Why is it that when you blow in a dog's face, they get pissed, but when you throw 'em in the car and roll the windows down, they happily stick their head out of it and get buffeted with 20, 30, 40 MPH-plus wind gusts?

19. Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?

20. Is there something wrong with me since I can't lick my own elbow?

That's all I got. Have a good one, Beatdowners.

Until next time...

Stop trying...you can't lick your elbow either!

Ain't It Awesome...or The LEFT or RIGHT is WRONG

2010-11-02T19:02:00.003-04:00

Rant time, Beatdowners.

I live in Pasadena, Maryland. Polls here close at 8pm, and our area code is "410".

There is a "202" area code calling Maryland residents right now. It's a robo-call, as they call them (automated mass calling message).

Again, polls close at 8pm here.

The message is the recorded voice of a female. She states:

"I'm calling to let everyone know that Governor O'Malley and President Obama have been successful. Our goals have been met. Our polls were correct and we (inaudible). We're okay. Relax. Everything is fine. The only thing left is to watch on TV tonight. Congratulations and thank you."

Plain, simple, and undebateable - tactics to keep people from going to the polls and voting.

"Psh, why bother, O'Malley has already won".

Wrong.

This sh*t is WAY out of line. When called back, no one answers.

O'Malley and the Democrats, or the GOP and Ehrlich...someone is playing games here. Whatever.

These are the individuals you want running our state and our country? EPIC FAIL.

Go ahead, my left leaning readers - blame this one on Bush, too.

And to my right leaning readers, if this was a GOP trick, you would be okay with this kind of leadership to bring about an end to your (and my) frustrations?!?!?!?!?

Whomever is responsible, stop adding to the problem. Take your blinders off. COMPROMISE IS NOT A DIRTY WORD.

More importantly, THIS is what America has become, over the last 2 years, the last 10 years, etc.

Aren't you proud?

An Election Day Blog...or Obvious Generalizations

2010-11-02T09:56:00.000-04:00

Happy ELECTION DAY Beatdowners!

Do your part. Go out and cast your vote today. Regardless of your party, your views, or who you intended to vote for, take part in the process...it's one of the greatest "freedoms" we have as Americans.

Now then, on to some obvious generalizations...take it for what it is...and understand that when the actions of the few summarize the many, no body moves forward.

If someone on the right doesn't like guns, they don't buy one. If someone on the left doesn't like guns, they want all guns outlawed.

If someone on the right is a vegetarian, they don't eat meat. If someone on the left is a vegetarian, they want all meat products banned for everyone.

If someone on the right is homosexual, they quietly lead their life. If someone on the left is homosexual, they demand legislated respect.

If someone on the right is down-and-out, they think about how to better their situation. If someone on the left is down-and-out, they wonder who is going to take care of them.

If someone on the right doesn't like a talk show, a talk show host, or a news programs, they switch channels. If someone on the left doesn’t like a talk show, a talk show host, or a news programs, they demand that those they don't like be shut down and deem them as a non-news entity.

If someone on the right is a non-believer, they don't go to church. If someone on the left is a non-believer, they want any and all mention of God and religion silenced.

If someone on the right decides they need health care, they shop for it, or they choose a job that provides it. If someone on the left decides they need health care, they demand for the rest of us pay for theirs.

If someone on the right reads this, chances are they'll get a good laugh. If someone on the left reads this, they'll probably get angry, blame Bush, and delete it because they are "offended".

Again, take it for what it's worth.

And again, regardless of leaning right or left, VOTE TODAY!!!

An AWESOME Monday

2010-11-01T09:07:00.000-04:00

Yes, this is about Monday being AWESOME.

On my way into work this morning, I'm listening to 98 Rock (http://www.98online.com/), as I do most days. And what wondrous BREAKING NEWS do I hear?

U2.
June 22, 2011.
M & T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland.

Anxiously monitoring my e-mail for the pre-sale info for my U2.com subscription.

The Irish are coming to Baltimore.

And I'll be there.

It certainly is a BEAUTIFUL DAY!

Happy Monday, Beatdowners!

55 days 'til Christmas, BTW...make this Holiday Season count!

Another Political Blog...or a Quick History Lesson

2010-10-28T16:42:00.002-04:00

So here is another political blog, Beatdowners. Sorry. But some things I reading, hearing, and seeing has me beyond frustrated with the direction this country is going. The grid-lock sucks. It's time for people to COMPROMISE. It's time for people to take blinders off and stop blaming Bush. Sure, his administration made some mistakes. But so did Clinton's. And so is Obama's. Get over it.

The word FORECLOSURE is becoming a little TOO repeated, don't you think?

Here's a quick history lesson...and by all means, double and triple check my facts. I can assure you, I am right.

Over the last decade or more, there has been a strong liberal base in Congress (this includes left-leaning Republicans) that pushed hard...perhaps even MANDATED...for banks to give mortgage loans to just about anyone, regardless of poor(er) credit histories and perhaps "inadequate" fiscal means to repay the loans, especially after certain grace periods of low interest rates expired. We have seen, since 2008, the obvious...a large percentage of these loans were defaulted on, and foreclosures have been happening at break-neck speed. All of these foreclosures contributed significantly to the housing and mortgage meltdown, which has served as THE foundation for the current mess our economy is in today.

The housing market tanked, the economy tanked, and the inevitable started - businesses shutting down and laying people off. Hello current unemployment crisis (face it, guys...it's WAY more than a mess, even when we see good numbers like came out today).

My opinion...when ultra-left liberalism succeeds, America fails.

Some points of historical FACT:

1977 - Jimmy Carter (D) signs the Community Reinvestment Act, guaranteeing home loans to low-income families.

1999 - Bill Clinton (D) puts the Community Reinvestment Act on a whole new level by pushing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to increase the number of sub-prime loans they approve.

2003 - The Bush Administration cites Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as a "systemic risk". The White House urges Congress SEVENTEEN SEPARATE TIMES to enact new regulations.

2003 - Good ol' Barney Frank (D-CN) boasts that Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac are "not in a crisis". He straight bashes any and all Republicans for "crying wolf". Further, Mr. Frank says Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are both "financially sound". The Democratic Congress blocks the Republican-sponsored regulation legislation.

2005 - Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan warns that the accounting principles of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are "placing the total financial system of the future at a substantial risk".

2005 - Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) states, "I think Fannie and Freddie over the years have done an incredibly good job and are an intrinsic part of making America the best-housed people in the world...if you look over the last 20 or whatever years, they’ve done a very, very good job".

2006 - Senator John McCain (R-AZ) takes up the calls for reform. He says, "For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the marketplace...the Government Sponsored Enterprises' need to be reformed without delay".

2006 - The Democratic Congress AGAIN blocks reform legislation, this time that had some bi-partisan support.

2008 - The housing market collapses...and, without hesitation, Democrats blame the Republicans and the Bush Administration.

Again, double and triple check my facts. They are spot on. To my liberal friends - sorry, facts are facts. Take your blinders off. Stop being sheep. Open up to other ideas. Obama is NOT the savior he was touted to be. Palin is certainly NOT the answer. The only answer is REAL and TRUE representation. PAC's, Special Interest Groups, and ideology that doesn't work don't belong in government; they never did, but their influence has swallowed the system and made it a whore.

To BOTH sides of the isle - stop pointing fingers. Stop slinging mud. Stop the perpetual campaigning. COMPROMISE. Our country is in the proverbial sh*tter. Work to pull us out.

I, Enemy...An URGENT Political Blog

2010-10-27T09:17:00.003-04:00

It’s Wednesday, Beatdowners, and time for a quick political blog...

Dateline: MONDAY, 10/25/10

President Obama did a radio interview with the Spanish-language Univision network to drum up support for his party’s candidates in the upcoming midterm elections. No big deal, right? After all, politics today has become all about re-election bids and holding on to power and less and less about the common good for us, the average, ordinary citizens.

However, during the interview, the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES said this (direct quote here, too):

“If Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, ‘We’re going to punish our enemies and we’re going to reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us’, if they don’t see what kind of upsurge in voting in this election, then I think it’s going to be harder, and that’s why I think it’s so important that people focus on voting on November 2”.

Seriously. President Obama said this. "...PUNISH OUR ENEMIES...".

Days after his remarkably distasteful remark during another campaign stop where he said, “We don’t mind the Republicans joining us. They can come for the ride, but they’ve got to sit in back.”

He didn’t say “political adversaries”.

Hell, even “political enemies” would have been more tolerable.

No, he just referred to John & Joan Q. American as his, his party’s, and Latino’s “enemies”.

Let it sink in.

A few questions, Mr. President…

Who are the “enemies” you are referring to?

Are they the vast majority of Americans who wish to see much-needed immigration reform?

Are they the vast majority of Americans who wish to see immigration laws enforced?

Are they the vast majority of Americans who wish to see our borders secured?

I’m fairly certain you were talking directly about ME.

And well, Mr. President, I am no enemy of America. In fact, I am more American than you ever will be.

Your “enemies”, Mr. President, will hopefully come out in droves on November 2nd and vote as you called for.

And, God willing, they will vote people like you out office...for the betterment of the United States of America.

I’ll finish with a quote and an opinion…

The late Ronald Reagan, on March 28, 1985, said this in a speech to the students, faculty, and staff at St. John’s University in New York, New York:

“If we’ve learned anything, it is that government that is big enough to give you everything you want is more likely to simply take everything you’ve got. And that’s not freedom, that’s servitude. That isn’t the way Americans were meant to live.”

Opinion – the system is broken. WE have the power to fix it. VOTE. Run for office. Get involved.

The more we sit on the sidelines, the more we continue down this slippery slope, the further our freedoms evaporate, and the further into servitude we slide.

Vote all of the bastards in DC out. The United States Congress and the President of the United States have my vote of “NO CONFIDENCE”. Join in that vote and replace them.

T-H-E Rant About Beautiful Girls

2010-10-26T23:41:00.003-04:00

Greetings and Salutations this fine Tuesday evening, Beatdowners.

I'm thinking of swithcing things up a little on here...rather than only posting somewhat long and complex (I use that term VERY loosely) blog entries, I'm just going to start throwing a little more randomness in the mix. A little more free form.

So here goes nothing...

I stayed up last night until nearly 3am watching one of my favorite flicks...Scott Rosenberg's 1996 classic, Beautiful Girls (directed by Ted Demme, starring Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman, Michael Rapaport, Mira Sorvino, Noah Emmerich, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Max Perlich, Lauren Holly, Rosie O'Donnell, Martha Plimpton, Natalie Portman, and Anne Bobby).

I won't go into detail on the plot. It is NOT a "chick flick"...it is awesome. You will undoubtedly find yourself relating to one, if not all, of the characters, depending on where you are in your own jounrey through life.

One of the best scenes in the movie, and one of my alltime favorite movie moments comes when Michael Rapaports character, Paul, is telling Timothy Hutton's character, Willy, why he has pictures of super models hanging all over his room, and exactly what a beautiful girl is and can do.

It's epic. Enjoy...

Why the US is a Sh*tshow...or EPIC FAIL

2010-10-25T12:35:00.000-04:00

Someone has a case of the Monday's today, Beatdowners.

So I'm getting on my soapbox for a minute. Deal.

I 110% firmly believe our once great country is going to Hell in a hand basket. Seriously.

Sexual affairs of pro athletes is top news stories.
Lindsay Lohan's run-in's with the law are top news stories.
EVERY elected representative in DC is out for one thing - themself, their reelection bid, and whoever contributes the most money to them and/or their campaigns.
"Political Correctness" is reaching extreme levels.

And that "P.C." thing is what this blog is about.

Last week in Michigan, a civil rights complaint was filed against a woman who put an advertisement on her church's bulletin board back in July searching for a Christian roommate.

Yes, you read that correctly.

The woman posted the ad on her church's bulletin board and someone who saw it decided to be a friggin' jitbag and complain to the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan; and of course, the Fair Housing Center of Western Michigan (who obviously has WAY too much time on their hands) filed the civil rights complaint on grounds that the ad "expresses an illegal preference for a Christian roommate, thus excluding people of other faiths".

Let that sink in.

Whether there are laws on the books or not regarding this (the Fair Housing Act prevents people from publishing an advertisement stating their preference of religion, race or handicap with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling), in a nutshell and very plainly, the woman's right to have a roommate with a background of her choice is unimportant. All that matters is offending someone with the ad because it specifically says CHRISTIAN ROOMMATE WANTED.

People have a right to pick and chose who they want to live with, be friends with, hang with, etc. But apparently in America, you only have that right if you don't offend anyone.

No one (religious belief, color, nationality, sexual preference, etc) should have to worry about being punished by the government for being whatever it is they are - Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Black, White, Asian, German, Irish, Indian, straight, gay, etc.

It's a sin to bring any civil rights issues against a young, single Christian woman for PRIVATELY at her church to look for a roommate with a similar CHRISTIAN background like hers. Maybe I'm wrong, but that should be protected by law...1st Amendment, Freedom of Religion...we have the right to live with someone of the same religious faith.

Period.

Another example of taxpayer money being wasted for BULLSH*T.

Take away our liberties.
Take away our freedoms to live as we want as long as we aren't hurting others.

And you know what hurts my feelings and offends me?

Being frowned upon for saying "Merry CHRISTmas", "GOD bless you", "...one nation under GOD...", "in GOD we trust"...reading that the ACLU doesn't want to see any religious symbols on federal property...hey assholes, tell that to families of the brave men and women buried in Arlington National Cemetery that have crosses, Stars of David, etc., marking their loved one's final resting place...the same people who made the ultimate sacrifice to give you the freedom to take up causes intent on destroying our country and causing divide instead of unity and tolerance.

It's a shame we have become a nation of sheep. Wake up before it's too late and we aren't allowed to do or say anything without facing fines, criminal charges, or worse.

Think about these things before voting next week.

And if I offended you, go F yourself. If America is so unfair and biased against you, move.

Happy Monday Beatdowners. Until next time, wake up, take America back, take your freedom back, and may God bless you and yours...

If I Had A Million Dollars...or Killin' Time on a Friday Afternoon

2010-10-22T15:16:00.000-04:00

TGIF Beatdowners!

Quick update on the work-out/bettering myself plan...

Been to the gym 6 out of 7 days per week since I rejoined. Feeling 100x better. I'm loving the work-out high. I find myself challenging myself, too..."One more minute on the treadmill", "Just another quarter-mile", "5 more pounds on this set", etc., etc. Still a ways to go to get where I want to be, but enjoying the first few weeks!

Quick Halloween costume side bar...

I'm dressing up as Jesus. I'm hoping He will forgive me. I'd be willing to bet He was a cool Dude with an awesome sense of humor. No offense intended. Just kind of snicker when I think about it. I'll be posting pics on my Facebook page, I'm sure. Lord, please forgive me. I'm an a-hole.

Now then, on to the blog...

The Mega Millions jackpot is up to a staggering $101 million. That's a MOBYDONKULOUS amount of loot. I'm buying tickets for it tonight without a doubt.

$101 million. Could you imagine? I'd immediately go for the cash option, which I think is in the neighborhood of $70 million. From everything I've heard/read, you clear about a third of the cash pay-out after taxes, etc. A third of $70 million is $23,333,333.33.

TWENTY THREE MILLION DOLLARS.

I'm finding the day is dragging, and I've mentally checked out, so what better way to pass the time than to figure out what to do with that kind of loot...

I won't bore you with the obvious...I'd donate to worthy charities, I'd help family and friends (Tommy J. would get that $0.33), and make sure my 2 Littleheads had a trust fund.

But I'd have some wicked fun, too. And here is some of what I'd spend recklessly on...

1. I'd rent a sky box at Ravens Stadium for the remaining home games.
2. I'd go to the Super Bowl.
3. I'd by a few new cars...all of them LOADED. In no particular order: a Ford F350 Crew Cab, black, with a big ol' lift on it...a Black BMW X6...a black Chevy Camero (the new ones)...and an old, fully restored 1970 Chevy Nova SS...black.
4. I'd buy a personalized jersey for every NFL team...I'd buy the home, away, and alt colors for a few of them, too.
5. I'd buy a bar. I'd let someone else run it, I'd just bar tend there.
6. I'd buy a big piece of land, and have a log cabin built on it...a big one...a rancher...with an enormous man cave of a basement full of sport memorabilia, a full service bar, a few TVs, including one ginormous one (60+ inch).
7. I'd go to Ireland, Scotland, England, and Germany.
8. I'd buy an RV and do some fun road trips across the country.
9. I'd spend a week in NYC during the Holiday season.
10. I'd go to Vegas. On a chartered private jet. 'Nuff said.
11. I'd quit my job, and go back to school. I'd get a minor in Pop Culture Studies from UB, just because (A) pop culture fascinates me, and (B) one of the requirements for the minor is a class about zombies.
12. I would throw a concert on some big-ass farm, sell tickets to it, and throw all proceeds from ticket sales to a children's center/orphanage to ensure a good Christmas for all of the kids there.
13. On Black Friday of this year, I'd wander around and give complete strangers $100 every 30 minutes, and wish them a MERRY CHRISTMAS. Take that you ACLU fer's.
14. I'd go to a few of my favorite watering holes and pick-up the tabs of the patrons.
15. I'd buy some major beer brewing equipment and a garage and start my own brewery; after someone teaches me how to brew beer on a distributor level.
16. I would sponsor a bar crawl through Federal Hill sometime in December; the catch - you have to dress like Santa, an elf, or Mrs. Claus to participate.
17. I'd buy a condo in Ocean City.
18. I'd start my own wine cellar...just for shits and giggles.
19. I'd get tickets to as many U2 shows for their Summer 2011 North American tour as I could handle - and I'd travel to them in the aforementioned RV.
20. I'd hire Philly J to film me going to bars across Maryland (again in the aforementioned RV - with a hired DD) for a reality TV series a la "Man vs. Food" or "Zane Lamprey's Three Sheets". It'd be a Direct-to-DVD project. It'd probably sell 3 copies. But it would be legendary. Title TBD...the words STONE and AWESOME would certainly be in the title somewhere.

There's a Top 20...and I'd be willing to bet I haven't even spent $2 million yet.

It's good to dream. Especially when you have to kill the remaining 118 minutes left in the work week.

A toast for all of the Beatdowners...

Here's to a long life and a merry one.
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one.
A cold beer—and another one!

Bottoms up!

Until next time...be awesome to each other. And party on, dudes.

An AWESOME Friday Blog...or WWPD?

2010-10-15T11:43:00.005-04:00

**DISCLAIMER – YES, I AM AN ASSHOLE…SO TAKE THIS AS IT IS INTENDED, WITH A GRAIN OF SALT – TGIF!***

There are 3 things in life I am 110% certain about.

1. There is a God.

2. I am not Him.

3. I – Matt Stone – am awesome.

How did I get so awesome?

Good question.

It wasn’t easy. While it’s hard to admit (choking back the tears of this painful memory), there were times when I was...so hard to say...simply normal...perhaps even slightly lame.

However, I persevered.

I worked long and hard and became special. I enjoyed it there but knew I had more inside.

I kept pushing and broke through the barrier of being truly great.

Just for shits and giggles, I even tried out being infamous.

And then, like a phoenix rising from the flames, the inner awesomeness that was always there broke through, and continues to shine to this day.

Obviously, very few of you will be able to reach my levels of awesomeness. However, you can try day-in and day-out to achieve my heights of brilliance; and, as a public service, I will point you in the right direction, so that one day you can proudly say, "I am almost as awesome as Matt Stone".

A Guide to Awesomeness

The single most important part of being awesome is to exude awesomeness in all that you do.

In today’s world, you are immediately judged by your appearance. So looking awesome is the first step.

Now don’t get me wrong...I in no way, shape, or form can make you beautiful, handsome, tough, or show you how to find a style that best suits you.  But what I can do is tell you that having an "I Don’t Give A Sh*t" sense of style goes a long way to cover up any imperfections you may have and need to compensate for.

If you are a guy, you have 2 options – (1) Never cut your hair, or (2) shave it off, Telly Savalas style (I opted for option 2 here).

How does this contribute to awesomeness, you may ask? Take a look back at history.

Long hair – Jesus. There was a dude who is to this day world renowned, and billions still talk about Him daily. We don't know a whole lot about Jesus’ everyday life, with the exception of what is in the Bible, but take a look at most renditions of him in art...nearly all artists depict him with awesome long, flowing locks of hair.

Bald – The Dalai Lama.  He is a righteous dude...and he's bald. ‘Nuff said.

Having long hair or being bald undoubtedly boosts your sexual potency. Either style will certainly result in frequent promotions at work, sometimes even jumping 2 levels on an organizational chart.  Long hair or the cue ball will definitely make everyone think you are in a rock band. And lastly, by nixing the haircut or by shaving your own head, you will save countless amounts of moola by never having to go to your local barber again.

Any hair style remotely in between baldness and long hair results in you looking like you have been assimilated into being one of "them".

Dress like you are awesome. Get the wicked cool t-shirt I saw at Target that has “PROUD TO BE AWESOME” emblazoned on the front of it. Definitely wear sunglasses indoors. Unquestionably never – E-E-E-Ever – wear anything that jitbags or posers would wear (the popped collar, the skin tight painted on jeans, the emo, the extra small t-shirts to make you look more "buff", etc). If you have any articles of clothing that may be seen on an episode of Jersey Shore, burn them immediately...I guarantee that your levels of awesomeness will increase immediately.

Ironing. Completely and totally not worth your time. All it does is make you look like one of "them"...don’t do it anymore. Ever.

No Smoking. Smoking is NOT awesome. If you smoke, take a look in a mirror while pulling a drag. That alone should make you quit cold turkey. If not, smell yourself after a few cigs. You smell like shit. And that isn’t awesome...not even a little...not even at all.

Now the important – perhaps THE most important – part of being awesome.

Feeling awesome is just as important as looking awesome. It truly isn’t all about the appearance.

It most certainly is about having an attitude that screams, "I am so awesome that if awesome was an energy source, I could power the entire Eastern seaboard". That's the kind of attitude that distinguishes the awesome from the also-rans.

How do you develop and hone that attitude? It’s quite simple.

Give less of a shit. The constant inner-debate over every single little daily decision (i.e., is the road is clear? Should I have that beer? Is hemlock actually perfectly safe in small doses?) does nothing but waste the most precious commodity there is – time that could be spent being awesome. Don't fret over the smaller things in life...they always work themselves out...and if they need some extra attention, that’s what your groupies (those that hang out with you in hopes of being awesome by association) are for.

Be enthusiastic, about everything you do and everything that happens to you. God forbid something tragic comes your way, but if it does, the only thing you can do is embrace it. For example, if you are stuck in a lame meeting at your job, or if you are still in school and knee-deep in the most boring lecture, embrace the horror by asking a question every ten or fifteen minutes...or better yet, offer to get up and take over the meeting or teach the class. And of course, if your co-workers or professor would oblige and hand the reigns over to you, run with a lecture centering around your own awesomeness...or mine if you are still taking baby steps towards the goal.

Walk everywhere, as much as you can. Why? Because no one can see your awesomeness if riding in a vehicle solo, and public transportation only confines the awesomeness to the privileged people around you. Also, walking will ensure that you ALWAYS arrive fashionably late.

Publicize yourself. Create your own magazine or blog that showcases your awesomeness. Make all of the articles or entries about YOU. Get business cards made that simply have your name and the word AWESOME on them. Hand out flyers with your face on them that, in 25 words or less, proudly and definitively proclaim your awesomeness. Get a megaphone and state your levels of awesomeness to anyone and everyone within an earshot. Grab any and all...or better yet, CREATE your own...opportunities that will make you (and therefore your magnitudes of awesomeness) known to the masses...to "them". The more people that know you and your degree of awesomeness, the more awesome you will become de facto.

Think like a pirate. Beyond a shadow of doubt, pirates are universally considered to be awesome. I should clarify, I’m talking Jack Sparrow or Captain Hook pirates, not the jitbags in and around Africa or the Middle East...they suck, and are the lamest of lame.

I digress...if you are ever in a situation and are having any inclination of doubt about a course of action, ask yourself WWPD? – yes, I went there – What Would Pirates Do?

Unquestionable guaranteed success.

Example: You are out with a lady friend and she asks you to hold her purse for a minute. You ask yourself, "WWPD?" Obviously, you quickly whip out your cutlass sword, stab everyone in sight, and plunder their booty...follow it up with slinging your wench over your shoulder, swing on a rope back to your ship, tie her up, and get slurringly, shitcan drunk on rum and grog.

Awesome.

Read it. Learn it. Live it.

Have a great weekend Beatdowners. Rest assured, I’ll continue being awesome.

Until next time...

Say What's On Your Mind...or Grow A Set

2010-10-14T18:50:00.002-04:00

Happy Thursday! Feeling more and more like Fall...and I'm loving every second of it!

Quick update before I dive into my tirade...over a week into my adventures back to the gym, and I'm loving it. I've been every day except last Friday (day of rest) and Sunday (Gold's closed at 8pm...so I went for a long jog around my 'hood). So I've been at it for a bit, and I'm feeling good...REALLY good.

Now then, on to my latest rant...this is coming from multiple angles, some past, some present. But it's something that drives me flippin' ape-shit.

Why can't people speak their minds?

Why can't they say what it is they should and want to say instead of ignoring whatever situation they want to speak about in hopes that it just goes away?

Seriously...

We've all been there, done that, seen that, heard that.

At work.

At school.

In relationships.

With friends.

With family.

Advice to the quiet, the meek, and those that won't say what's on their mind...

GROW A SET.

One of the best things about being a person is individuality. And a SIGNIFICANT part of individuality rests in the opinions and feelings people have, on a wide breadth of subjects.

Don't hold them back!
Say what you think.
Say what you feel!
Otherwise, you are no one.

Otherwise, you are vanilla.

Sure, there are going to be some who don't appreciate your opinion, and even more who will get mad or hurt by what you think and feel.

Honestly, who cares? You have to stay true to yourself.

Case in point - a few of my bestest friends in the world (Ex and Ra) are MOBYDONKULOUS liberal. Like so far left, they can't even see the right. Rest assured, when we get together, politics ALWAYS comes up...and we are polar opposites. The spout their liberal theology at me like a preacher pushing redemption. I disagree with 75%+ of what they say. And they always say my counter arguments are asinine...and of course, they blame my opinions on W. Anyhow, we are still bestest buds, and we have (at least in my mind) the utmost respect for each other, in no small part because we speak our minds.

Opinions are like assholes, everyone's got one, and they all stink.

Now on to relationships. I am so sick of seeing guys and gals playing the game, so to speak...and I know the game because I've played it far too many times in my life...and won't get out of relationships or situations because they don't want to hurt someone's feelings, be it the person they are in the relationship with or a circle of friends who approve of that relationship.

IF YOU AREN'T FEELING IT, SAY IT...DRAGGING IT OUT LEADS TO ANGER AND PAIN.

At work...too many supervisors try to be "buddies" rather than supervisors. If someone is working FOR you and they F up, be honest. The only way someone will grow is to be challenged. Sink or swim was a phrase used far too often at a previous job...but I FULLY get it now. You can't do someone's job for them because you like them/feel sorry for them/want to be friends with them. Not only are you being a schmuck, but you are doing the person that reports to you a HUGE disservice by keeping them from growing professionally.

I speak my mind ALL the time.
I hurt people's feelings because they don't like what I have to say.
I make people angry because they don't necessarily agree with my point of view or my feelings.

But at the same time, people know they will get 100% blunt-force truth when asking my thoughts on something.

Am I always right? HA! Not even close.

But I'm always true to myself, and in the end, that's what matters.

Stop avoiding issues in hopes that it will correct itself and go away.

Stop going with the flow just to make sure you won't rock the boat.

Start being YOU, even if you have to ruffle a few feathers.

Do me a favor Beatdowners...if you have something on your mind, GO OUT AND SAY IT, ESPECIALLY IF SOMEONE IS ASKING YOUR THOUGHTS OR FEELINGS!

Off to the gym as soon as my sweatpants are out of the drier.

See y'all soon...until next time, be awesome, don't whore anyone up, and for God's Sake, let people know what you think and feel!

The Challenge...or Me Putting a Boot Up My Own Ass

2010-10-05T14:33:00.006-04:00

Happy F'ing Tuesday, Beatdowners.

Can you taste the sarcasm dripping from my pie-hole at the moment?!?!?!?

No???

Well let's get straight to the point then – today sucks dog-ass…as have a sh*t-ton of days of late.

While I'm still AWESOME (seriously, that will never change), I'm in a wicked funk.

I've grown LAZY. It sucks.

Where does it stem from?

Boredom.
Not feeling challenged.
Not challenging myself.

Whatever it is, it has to stop, like NOW.

Seriously...it's taking a toll.

Does that happen to you ever, or am I just a walking violation to the Laws of Human Nature?

The aforementioned boredom, not being challenged, and not having that proverbial kick in the ass has made me a SLUG.

Working out? Psh, forget it.
House work? I say Nay! It'll be there tomorrow.

Goodbye motivation, hello procrastination.

Goodbye productivity, hello inefficiency.

I'm seriously starting to get on my own damn nerves; I can't imagine what I'm doing to those that have to be around me on a regular basis.

So what to do about it?

CHALLENGE MYSELF.

There are 86 days left in the year as of midnight tonight.

So my challenge – better myself in 86 days.

I vow to:

1. Create a work-out routine, and stick to it...no time like the present to renew my Gold's Gym membership and start going again.

2. Go on a strict diet...I'm seriously going to start writing down everything I eat...calories, fat grams, etc. I'll probably end up getting a little obsessive with it, but who really cares…if it motivates me, it's worth it.
I'm going to portion everything.
I'm going to bring my lunch to work.
Perhaps I'll give up beef and pork again.
My brother and sister-in-law had some pretty good success from the Weight Watchers points program...maybe I'll tailor a diet based on similar principles.
I'll give up Starbucks Frappacino in the morning.
I'll give up the daily soda.
I'll eliminate those “hollow calories”.

3. Do more housework. I won't let towels pile up. I will vacuum more than once a week. I won't let clutter collect.

4. Cut my losses wherever possible in any and all aspects of my life, and move FORWARD rather than round and round in a circle. I've done it before. I will do it again.

5. Spend more time doing what I like to do rather than bumming about what I can't do...as I say on my Facebook profile, "Aut viam inveniam aut faciam"...I will either find a way or make one...

This is my contract with myself. It starts at midnight, perhaps earlier if I can get to Gold's Gym tonight.

Every journey has a beginning. Here's the beginning of my 86-day journey.

I'll post updates.
I'm sure some will be me b*thcing and complaining.
Certainly some will be me whining.

Whatever they may be, do your awesome blogger (that’d be ME) a favor and post encouragement when you think I may need it.

The ride is gonna be a fun one - jump on board! Time to get the Boomstick Swagger back!

See you on the flipside, Beatdowners - gymin' it this evening!

I Hit The Wall...

2010-10-01T12:50:00.002-04:00

TGIF Beatdowners!

Big weekend on tap, and looking forward to it with baited breath...kid free, Fell's Point Fun Festival, and Ravens-Steelers Sunday. It'll be a doozy!

Anyhow, in an earlier blog I mentioned the fact that it's a universal guarantee that at some point in time during the day, you will realize that you will do nothing productive for the remainder of that day.

It's 12:58pm, and I've hit my wall.

I've mentally checked out.

Your boy Stone has jumped on the SS Slacker, and is sailing the seas of It's-Five-O'Clock-Somewhere.

There will be nothing productive coming out of me for the next 4 hours.

Not really sure why I felt the need to blog about it, but what the Heck, it kills some time.

Some random thoughts going through my head this first day of October, 2010...

1. I really want some Bang Bang Shrimp from Bonefish.

2. I'll be putting up the Christmas tree in 8 weeks from today.

3. I hate crickets.

4. Wonder what everyone would do if I just stood up, screamed at the top of my lungs, threw my arms in the air, and ran out of the building while shouting "The clowns are after me!"...I'd bet it'd throw a wrench in the rest of this office's work day.

5. What is that smell?!?!?!?

6. If I could have one super power, it'd be the ability to use the Force...that way, I could convince anyone to do anything. Sit on that one a bit...it'd be pretty friggin' wicked awesome, huh?

7. I'd like to own a police-style bullhorn...I would stand on the corner of some busy intersection and use it to LOUDLY insult jitbags and posers as I deem necessary, whether they are in their cars or simply walking the streets...

8. Seriously, WTF is that smell?!?!?!?

9. Gin and juice...

10. Sing with me! "Cause your kisses lift me higher, Like the sweet song of a choir, You light my morning sky, With burning love, With burning love, Ah, ah, burning love...I'm just a hunk, a hunk of burning love..."

Is it 5 o'clock yet?

Have a great one, folks.

Until next time...

STONE IS AWESOME...or What's It Take To Be A Success

2010-09-29T14:27:00.005-04:00

Happy Wednesday, Beatdowners!

Here I am stuck in a week of never-ending Monday’s...which always leads to me blogging just a little bit more!

I recently read an article on what it takes to be a success...and while I agreed with some of the points, I tend to view things a little outside of the box and therefore had some differing opinions than the article's contributors.

Let’s start out simple.

What exactly does “success” mean, anyhow?

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, “success”:

noun, (1) a favorable or desired outcome, (2) the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence, and/or (3) one that succeeds.

Pretty cut and dry. I actually have nothing witty to add.

So how does one become successful? How does one become a success?

There are the obvious answers here.

Work hard.
Be an innovator.
Don’t quit when the proverbial chips are down.
Surround yourself with the right team.

Again, it isn’t really rocket science.

BUT...

Is it really that easy?

Unequivocally NO!!!

Here are a few tips on being successful from me...take it for what it’s worth.

1. Don’t be afraid to rock the boat. Seriously, speak up! Silence, in my opinion, dictates that you are fine with how things are, and agree with whatever is being discussed 100%. You’re totally onboard sitting there in your silence. Take on the controversial stances with reckless abandon, as long as you TRULY believe what you are saying...in other words, don’t be a tool just to be a tool. Sure, people may scoff at your ideas. They may roll their eyes. They may even laugh. But I’d be willing to bet that they’d respect YOU for not backing down. Sure, you won’t always be the popular voice; but, you will always be heard...and that is 100 times better than being a bump on the log conforming to whatever the popular opinion is.

2. This is sort of an extension of #1…don’t follow trends just to fit in. Don’t dress, walk, talk, laugh with, sit with, and socialize with the “in” crowd just to be part of the aforementioned “in” crowd. You were born an original. Stay one...don’t become a copy. Be yourself. Follow the beat of your own drum. That’s the only way to self discovery, the only way to figure out who YOU are...and you have to know who YOU are to be successful with any aspect of your life!

3. Don’t be afraid to fail miserably! No great reward comes without great risk, or however that quote goes. Make sure your heart is in whatever it is you are trying to be successful at...work, love, friendship, etc. Have the balls to throw caution to the wind and follow your dreams. Always ask yourself if your heart is in what it is that you are doing, and if it isn’t what would you rather be doing instead...and only YOU can determine what that is.

4. Dive right into the deep in. Get in over your head. Put yourself at risk. You’ll never know how strong you are until you try something that you think is beyond you. Most of the time, high-risk situations won’t kill you. They will make you stronger...and speaking from the heart and from experience, we are all much stronger than we give ourselves credit for. And it’s always the right time to remind yourself of that.

5. Give yourself an attitude. Believe in that attitude. The more you put that attitude out for all to see, the more people will buy into it. And make sure the attitude is a positive one. Hell, let it be over-the-top…let it be AWESOME. Again, people may laugh at it, but people won’t forget it. And as history proves, if something is shoved in the masses face, preferably in a positive way, chances are they will start to believe it. And if they believe it, they will follow it.

That’s all I got right now...back for more fun and frivolity sooner than later.

Until them, remember one thing...STONE IS AWESOME.

Catch you on the flipside, Beatdowners...hopefully see some of you at the Fell's Point Fun Festival this weekend!

Some Absolute Truths...or Blogging Because I Have a Case of the Monday's

2010-09-27T11:55:00.004-04:00

Oh boy, is it ever a Mother-Loving Monday-and-a-half!

It's raining.

The weekend was a little too much fun, but at the same time, a little bit of a downer (was supposed to be Littlehead Free, but the croop ended that dream).

My dog ate $100 of money that isn't disposable income - at all (disposable income - is that real anymore for any of the average folks out there?!?!?).

And now my work computer system crashed AGAIN.

I seriously can't wait to go home at 5pm, to do nothing...nothing at all.

Anyhow, I'm tweaking an e-mail joke I got today to lighten the mood a little bit. Enjoy!

Some Absolute Truth's

1. A true best friend should be required to do one thing immediately upon your death - delete your computer's seach history!!!

2. There isn't a whole lot that sucks more than that fleeting moment during an argument when you realize you're 100% wrong.

3. I would love to take back all those times I didn't want to take a nap during the day when I was younger.

4. Someone needs to create a font for e-mail and MS Office called SARCASM...like today.

5. Why even bother trying to fold a fitted sheet...it's such a pain in the ass.

6. Cursive...seriously, was it really necessary to learn?

7. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on step 5 in most cases, because if you don't know how to get out of your neighborhood, you shouldn't be driving...EVER.

8. Reading obituaries would be way more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least a little bit tired.

10. Bad decisions ALWAYS make good stories.

11. It happens to everyone. Every day. There comes a moment at work when you know there is ZERO chance of you doing anything productive for the remainder of the day. You never know when it will strike, but it does. Mine did around at 11:32am this morning.

12. There are some people's phone numbers we keep in our cell phones just so we know not to answer when they call.

13. Kay Jewelers has it totally wrong...I'd be willing to bet on any given Friday or Saturday night, more kisses begin with booze than they do with Kay.

14. Google Maps and MapQuest needs to have an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

15. There is a fine line between boredom and hunger, and as I get older, the line becomes less and less visible.

16. There needs to be a standard set for the appropriate number of times to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word someone said.

17. One of the most satisfying things I see regularly is the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent some Jitbag from cutting in at the front of the line...especially during the commute to and from work. Keep it real, folks!

18. Shirts and underwear get dirty, pants do not. You can wear them back-to-back-to-back days as long as you want.

19. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble finding car keys, cell phones, wallets, or pinning the tail on the donkey...but just about everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away in about 1.2 seconds, eyes closed, and on the first try!

20. There truly are some days when it's better to call out sick and do nothing than torturing yourself (and probably others) by venturing out of your house into the working world.

Happy Monday, Beatdowners.

Until next time...

A Quick One Worth Sharing

2010-09-22T13:59:00.006-04:00

Happy Hump Day, Beatdowners! And a very BIG welcome to my favorite season, Fall, which officially starts this evening at 11:13pm, Eastern Standard Time, in the Northern Hemisphere.

Fun Fact: This is the first time it's been a full moon on the Northern Hemisphere's Autumnal Equinox since 1991, some 19 years ago.

For any and all of you scientific freaks out there, did you know that the moon won't actually be "Full" this autumnal equinox until 5:13am on 9/23, which is actually 6 hours after the start of Fall...what's so significant about that you may ask?

It's my 38th birthday on 9/23!

I digress...

I received an e-mail today that pulled some quotes from a Dale Carnegie seminar. I like it, and I think it's worth sharing...

How To Cultivate a Mental Attitude That Will Bring You Peace and Happiness

1. Fill you mind with thoughts of peace, courage, health, and hope.

2. Never try to get even with your enemies.

3. Expect ingratitude.

4. Count your blessings, not your troubles.

5. Do not imitate others.

6. Try to profit from your losses.

7. Create happiness for others.

I can add a few...

8. Regret nothing.

9. Take time to make create happiness for yourself.

10. Be awesome.

Pretty simple, huh? I know it's a list of things that I'm going to work on.

How about you?

That's all I got. Until next time...

Lessons Learned since 9/17/09...or A Retrospective

2010-09-17T11:48:00.002-04:00

TGIF Beatdowners!

Here we are - September 17, 2010 - how quickly a year has passed! While it's just another day on the calendar...whoa, wait a minute, it's Halfway To St. Patrick's Day...strike that last comment! It's a GLORIOUS day!

I digress...to MOST, it's just another day on the calendar. But for me, it marks the end of one of the more challenging years I've had (typing that sort of made me chuckle, because I've had a few sh*t ones lately)...being unemployed for over 5 months in the toughest job market I've ever seen, a DUI, ridiculously unawesome stories being told about why I left my former job, savings being depleted to keep the house, car, and the kids clothed and fed, etc., etc.

But the past 365 days taught me some things...about myself, about people, and about what matters.

So here are some things I've learned since 9/17/09...in no particular order...

1. Stay-At-Home parents have THE hardest job in the world, and deserve every one's respect.

2. Seeing my children's smile and hearing them say "I love you, Daddy" are THE best medicine.

3. Never - E V E R - judge a book by it's cover. What may seem to be the bestest of everything on the outside can be a life and soul sucking sh*tshow on the inside.

4. U2 is THE greatest band on the planet.

5. The self-proclaimed righteous tend to be the most devious...to quote Coheed and Cambria's epic "Welcome Home", some people are "whores in sheep's clothing". You know these people...they are "friends", they are "lovers", they are "boyfriends" or "girlfriends", they can be "bosses", they can be "Representatives", "Senators", and even "Presidents". They are everywhere. See #3 above.

6. Everything happens for a reason.

7. Friends are not the ones that are around out of convenience...friends are ones that are around always.

8. I want to contribute to "the greater good".

9. Blinders in life - be it with religion, politics, people - only leads to ignorance.

10. Sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make the perfect omelet.

11. The key to being happy is to LIVE life...don't be a prisoner to expectations, the past, gossip, stereotypes, or your age.

12. It's critical to do NOTHING every once and awhile.

13. Every minute of every day, you have a choice...choose wisely. And if you don't, learn from the mistake and move forward.

14. Forgiveness is easy. Forgetting isn't.

15. The grass most certainly is NOT always greener.

16. "The best way to serve the age is to betray it". Don't become the person that the nay-sayers paint you to be...don't be a copy...go against the grain...be exceptional. Do something positive that no one would expect you to do...do something positive that you wouldn't even expect yourself to do.

17. Sometimes people you thought you knew nearly your entire life are sometimes people you don't know at all.

18. Life's too short to NOT have fun.

19. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and acts like a duck...chances are it's a duck.

20. MATT STONE IS AWESOME.

There are a ton more things I learned...some may come up again as a subject in a future blog. But it isn't the time right now.

It is time to be thankful though. For TRUE friends. For family. For work. For home. For health. For life.

A few shout-outs: Thank you Steph, The Littleheads, Pete & Mandy, Greg & Nancy, Gordon & Kim (wish you guys were closer - we miss you guys every day!), Matt & Kris, Rahul, Tommy, Shannon, Sharon, Jeff M (for reading this, for always listening, and for seemingly never judging), Dave & Katie, Granny & Pop, Stephen & Ami, Hurricane Henderson, Ruggz, Shelby, McDizzle, Margaret, Kim, the folks at US Foodservice who gave me another shot, Michael I and the entire staff at United Source 1, everyone at Shepherd who have helped my learning curve, and the guys and gals at Cheeseburger in Paradise. You made it all a little more tolerable

It's been a rough 365...but all-in-all, worth the ride...I have no problems looking in the mirror and being okay with the person I see staring back at me.

So Happy Friday, ladies, gentlemen, and children of all ages...have a great weekend...do something blog-worthy!

NEVER FORGET

2010-09-10T21:00:00.004-04:00

On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the United States of America.

Many died that day...men and women, fathers, brothers, and sons, mothers, sisters, and daughters, Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, Liberals, and Moderates, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Jews...ALL of them AMERICANS.

To paraphrase something Bishop Tutu once said, "Of course there will be roadblocks on the way to freedom, on the way to justice, and on the way to peace; but God will put a wind at our backs, and a rising road ahead, if we work with each other as ONE."

NEVER FORGET

May God Bless us all, and may He continue to Bless the United States of America.

I Think I'm Gonna Hurl

2010-09-10T14:17:00.006-04:00

It's a double-blog kind of day, most excellent Beatdown Blog (few and) faithful. This one is a Public Service Announcement. We can call it my efforts to save your stomachs from a most unawesome experience.

I had to take a speedy lunch today - line for Panera was out the door, so I opted to see if I could find something not so unhealthy at McDonald's. I quickly realize McD's has almost NOTHING that isn't unhealthy, and I wasn't about to ask for a bag of lettuce. I saw a grilled chicken sandwich option on the menu with a fancy name - the McBistro. What the Hell, I'll try that. I order the grilled McBistro, plain - no lettuce, no tomato, no cheese, no "sauce" - just a grilled chicken breast and bread...figure if it's kept simple, it can't be that bad, right?

Holy sh*tballs, EPIC WRONG!

My experience was as follows:

Bite# 1 – “Wow, it really can’t be this bad…probably just the gnarly end part”. Swallow.

Bite# 2 – “What the f*ck?!?!? This can’t be chicken, can it?" I take the top of bun off to inspect the sandwich to see if they messed it up somehow. Nope, just chicken. Swallowing this bite was a challenge...you know when you chew something and hold it in the side of your mouth until you psych yourself up enough to actually swallow it? C'mon, you've been there, done that. It was a risky move, but I got it down.

Bite# 3 – Two chews, open McD's bag, say, “Hbmgryack" (or however you spell the noise you make when you dry heave - and yes, I dry heaved to the point of tears welling up in my eyes), and spit it out into the aforementioned McD's bag.

I feverishly wash my mouth out with the HiC Orange Drink I got. Gargled with it. No avail. This was sticking with me (and still is some 2 hours later).

And now a Public Service Announcement from Matt Stone - "I once tried a McDonald's McBistro Sandwich. Do yourself a favor. Don't. Ever. Just say 'No' to McBistro".

Seriously, never – E V E R – get one.

Some notes:
1. Texture – if you marinated a human tongue in molasses all day and nuked it – that’s probably as close to the texture of the chicken.

2. Flavor – Snot mixed with raw oysters and a subtle hint of smoke/grilled liquid flavoring.

3. Smell - Yes, I am a glutton for punishment – after the tasting experience, I took the “chicken breast" off of the roll and sniffed it. Anyway, I sh*t you not, the "chicken" smelled like sweaty feet. Sweaty feet that had tromped through a sewer. Sweaty feet that had tromped through a sewer after a heavy rainfall. Sweaty feet that had tromped through a sewer after a heavy rainfall that caused runoff from the sh*t-processing center over in Essex/Middle River.

The 2 bites I swallowed are actually doing somersaults in my stomach.

I may barf.

I may sh*t my pants.

I may need immediate medical assistance.

Not good.

TGIF.