Daniel & Lisa

Congratulations to you both!

Since all weddings have "corny" love songs that couples dance to, let's give them suggestions (they have 2 years to decide).
Here's mine:
"Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx - probably the all-time cheesiest wedding song sung by a Canadian artist with a mullet.
All Songs by the Backstreet Boys, N'SYNC, 98 Degrees - Need I say more?
"How Deep Is Your Love" by the Bee Gees - Yes, we all love this song but do people have to play it at every wedding?
"Truly, Madly, Deeply" by Savage Garden - Truly, sadly, awful-ly!
"Endless Love" by Lionel Richie and that other person - Too mooshy, too dramatic.

Mac's List:
"Never Say Goodbye" by Bon Jovi
"Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns and Roses
"Open Arms" by Journey
"I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner
"I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore" by REO Speedwagon
"You Make My Dreams Come True" by Hall & Oates
Anything by Air Supply
Anything by Bread
That Peter Cetera stuff from the "Karate Kid" soundtrack

Lem's:
"From this Moment On" by Shania Twain

Daniel's (Future Groom):
"2 Become 1" by The Spice Girls

Other:
"Still the One" by Shania Twain

Why We Love Women's Beach Volleyball

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(Grinning)

Being Roger Ebert

RENTAL

13 Going On 30 (Comedy, pg-13)- I’m not embarrassed to admit it. I LOVE THIS MOVIE! I loved it when I saw it in the theaters and I still enjoyed it as a rental on DVD. I know movie-goers were turned off from seeing this film because of Jennifer Garner (Daredevil, Alias), but this is a totally different role for her. She’s great in this film; pretty convincing as a grown-up playing a 13 year-old. The plot and the writing is not going to win any Oscar nominations but it is sweet and simple enough for those who love feel-good movies. And that’s what it is – a great feel-good movie about friendships, dreams, and knowing the importance being young at heart. Plus, the "Thriller" scene is unforgettable. Don’t let your negative opinion of Jennifer Garner stop you from seeing this film … you’ll be missing out. Grade: A

Welcome to California - Land of the $4 Tolls

The "Governator" said yesterday that the Bay Area should pay for the additional costs of the Bay Bridge project. Guess who's going to suffer? Us. A proposal is now on the table to increase the toll to $4.00. Mind you, they just increased it to $3.00 a few months ago. It's time to boycott California highways. Take the BART kids. Or better yet, let's bike to work. There's nothing like a smelly and sweaty office.

USA! USA! USA?

The Olympics have finally started. The events so far haven't been very dramatic. The opening ceremony, as expected, had some good moments but it was over the top as a whole. The parade of countries is still something to look forward to. Thanks to NBC, they only showed about 3 seconds of the Philippine contingent. These poor kids, they can't even get any camera time. Good one Bob & Katie.

Michael Phelps - overhyped, overated. All year long NBC and big corporations commited time and money to make this a great story. Big mistake. Don't get me wrong, I still think he's a great athlete, but he's no aquaman. Who ever thought this guy could win 8 gold medals? Let's give him 4 more years of training and experience and then we'll talk about "best ever".

But the biggest bust of all (so far) is the U.S. Men's basketball team. They were defeated by, of all people, PUERTO RICO - the same country that brought us Menudo and Ricky Martin. They just didn't defeat us, they destroyed us. This proves that NBA basketball is not as great as it's used to be. The NBA has now become an above average version of street ball. Can someone tell these guys that they are allowed to pass the ball? It's obvious now that one-on-one ball doesn't work in the Olympics. Ok, it's still early. This team could eventually still win gold. But, this really goes to show that the talent level in the NBA has declined while the rest of the international community has caught up. Can we now stop the debate on whether players in the 80's and 70's were less talented than today's players?

In any event, I will continue to cheer for our American atheletes (since the Philippine delegation have no shot in winning medals). Despite early disappointments, we can always remember the real meaning of the games -world unity and pride of country.

The best event so far - women's beach volleyball. Enough said.

Biggest feel good story of the first few days of competition - the Iraqi soccer team.
Big props go out to Iraq and Afghanistan. I commend them for competing despite the war within their respective countries.

And last, let's make it our American duty to continue to support our women's beach volleyball team - better yet, let's support all of the women's beach volleyball teams. Gotta love the Olympics.

Top Ten

Almost everyone has their own Top 10 List. Here's my very first one. Mind you, this is subject to change, but it's pretty solid.

My All-Time Top Ten Favorite TV Shows:
10) Family Guy - Very short-lived series but it was good while it lasted
9) SportsCenter - Can't live without it
8) Late Show With David Letterman - The show's writing has gone downhill for Dave but it's still a late-night gem.
7) Party of Five - They were never happy but they had each other
6) X Files - SciFi Classic
5) Simpsons - Still one of the funniest shows on TV
4) Sopranos - As dysfunctional a family as you can get
3) Law & Order - Compelling, addictive
2) Seinfeld - Two words, "man hands"
1) Wonder Years - Kevin, Winnie, Paul, and the 70's ... the best show ever.

Almost in the Top Ten:
V - Human vs. Reptile-Aliens. Ok, it's cheesy now in 2000 but back in the 80's, this was the bomb.
Friends - A show for beautiful people by beautiful people. It's a funny soap opera.
Wild Boyz - Grotesque, educational, hilarious.
Reno 911 - Braindead cops. Nobody watches this show except for me.
Nip/Tuck - Secret lives of plastic surgeons revealed.
Felicity - A grown-up version of Dawson's Creek set in New York City. Great first 2 seasons.
Knight Rider - Admit it. You guys thought this was a cool show at some point in time.
The Muppet Show - The only puppet show that mattered.

Ringing In My Head

I have a song that's stuck in my head. I know everyone has had this experience before. Why is that that certain tunes have a way of just sticking with us until either insanity sets it or we find another annoying tune to replace the pre-existing song that drove us nuts in the first place? Most of the time, almost unknowingly, we just start bobbing our heads or tapping our feet until we realize, "Man, I hate this song!" And minutes later, it starts up again. "Let's Get It Started" by the Black Eyed Peas is one of those songs that has haunted my daily life since Saturday. It goes everywhere I go - the bathroom, in the shower, in my cubicle, on the phone, while driving, while eating, it goes on and on and on. It repeats over and over, "Let's get it started, let's get it started (yeah), let's get it started ..." I don't even know what the rest of the lyrics are. It just goes on and on and on. WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?!

Apparently, there's a new, REAL terror threat in the New York area. Didn't our president say a few weeks ago that we are now safer than ever before? Safe. Not safe. Safe. Not safe. Which is it? Today, according to Tom Ridge, the intel they received about the threats were 3 to 4 years old. Again, are we really suppossed to be afraid of something? Or someone? Here's a message to our dear leader, "Quit playing games with my heart."

Useless Fact About Me: I'm boycotting all reality TV shows. They are such a waste of time.