Just L-I-V-I-N..

Continuing the Classics..

2009-04-13T16:06:00.003-05:00

32. Classic Movie (13/33) - I have continued my quest to see every Best Picture winner since 1950 at a pretty good pace lately. Since Silence of the Lambs, I've seen Chariots of Fire ('81), The Deer Hunter ('78), Oliver! ('68), On The Waterfront ('54), and Driving Miss Daisy ('89).

Here are my quick reviews of each film:

On The Waterfront surprised me. I have never been a huge fan of old movies. I think it's my ADD kicking in when they involve too much dialogue and not enough action. However, I really liked this movie. I had never seen Marlon Brando as a young actor, and I thought he was terrific in this film, and it kept my attention the entire time.

My Rating: 8.0/10

Oliver was another one that surprised me. I think I'm starting to gain a bit of appreciation for older flicks. This one surprised me mainly because it was a musical, which I typically do not like, however I highly enjoyed this movie. I never lost interest in the plot and never found myself looking at my watch like I normally do in musicals.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Chariots of Fire was ok. The first hour and a half moved so incredibly slow, but it ended pretty well. It took me awhile to understand what the movie was about, and even though I love competition and sports, I was not that big of a fan of this film.

My Rating: 6.0/10

Talk about an intense film. I had been told all my life that I needed to see The Deer Hunter, and I'm glad I did. Some scenes moved slow, but some scenes were so intense that you start wondering if you are actually there. This was a film that I wasn't crazy about right after seeing, but the more I thought about it, and I did quite a bit, I liked it more. Not quite "legendary" status in my book, but close.

My Rating: 8.0/10

Driving Miss Daisy is a movie that all should see. There is no real solid plot, but you will love the characters and will learn quite a bit from the film. Morgan Freeman was outstanding, and I can't believe he didn't win Best Actor (even though I never saw Daniel Day-Lewis' performance in "My Left Foot"). I had always considered his role in Shawshank to be his best ever, but this role clearly surpasses that. This is a film about friendship and attitude. My favorite scene by far was when they were on their way to Mobile, and he had to use the restroom, and Miss Daisy tells him not to stop, but to continue, and he stops the car and tells him that he's not just a chauffeur, he is a man as well. This scene hit me because most of the movie, you start thinking that he is her slave by the way she treats him, and it hits you that the setting is the 60's, and he is indeed just at his job. I thought this film was fantastic and right to the point.

My Rating: 8.0/10

Rollin Rollin Rollin...

2009-03-18T08:57:00.002-05:00

60. Buy 2 new tires - Finally got this done. I had bought 2 tires last year at $240, so I was kind of putting buying the other 2 off. Well, a co-worker came to me yesterday afternoon and was like "Man, your back tire is BALD." I went and looked at it, and sure enough, it was about to blow. So, I went straight from work to NTB to get 2 new tires at $300 (funny how that works, huh?). But now I don't have to worry about my tires blowing out.

You know what's amazing? I have owned 3 vehicles since I turned 16. Not once have I had a blow out, flat tire (except for that time they were slashed), or mechanical problem with a car. I've been pretty freakin lucky...

"A census taker once tried to test me..."

2009-03-04T09:43:00.002-06:00

32. Classic movies - If you know the beginning of the quote in the title, you have seen this classic, brilliant film that is "The Silence of the Lambs." "...I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."

Many people who found out I had never seen this movie were surprised. I was even surprised. It's one of my dad's favorite movies, its a suspense thriller (my favorite genre), and it is considered one of the best films ever made. Well, thanks to my Best Picture project, I ordered it on Netflix.

This 1991 Best Picture winner is just a brilliant film, if I can sum it up one word. The acting is phenomenal, the storyline is intriguing, and the suspense is thrilling. The dialogue between Dr. Lecter and Clarice Starling is just absolutely genius. SPOILER ALERT! The story behind the "silence of the lambs" leaves the viewer thinking deeply into it, the way that Clarice figures out who Buffalo Bill is and the scene where Dr. Lecter escapes is just brilliant. That scene, when the cops figure out that the body on the elevator is not Dr. Lecter's, but yet the injured cop with no face, was so amazingly portrayed.

The only negatives that I saw was that there were some parts that were hard to understand, and I also didn't fully understand the point behind the flashbacks that Clarice kept having with her father dying. They never really summed that up, and I just felt like it was just there. I kept waiting on some sort of symbollism, but it never came.

I don't know why it took me so long to see this film, but I am so glad that I finally did.

IMDB Rating: 8.7 (#24 all time) My rating: 8.5

Catching Up..

2009-02-27T09:12:00.003-06:00

32. Watch a classic movie each month - Ok, I know I haven't blogged about any movies since November, but I really have been watching movies. However, I am making a slight change to this goal, but it stays on the same concept.

I just recently joined Netflix (amazing so far), and with this, I am making a goal to see every Best Picture winner since 1950 that I haven't seen. I had seen 18 of them before starting this. These are all considered classics, so it stays on the rules of this goal.

I have seen 2 movies since joining, and they are:

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - I watched this in high school but didn't pay attention, so I wanted to make sure I watched it. I thought it was alright. I expected a war film, and instead got a slow-moving, dragging 2 hour, 40 minute movie about something I could have made in 15 minutes. The ending was awesome, but the middle parts just dragged. I know I have to view movies made in the 50's differently than in the 90's, but my attention span doesn't go much farther than 2 hours, and this movie was very hard to stick with. But in the end it was an interesting story line, I just wish they had made it in 2 hours instead of dragging it out. I believe I would have liked it much better.

IMDB rating: 8.5 My rating: 5.5

Million Dollar Baby (2004) - I had been wanting to see this movie for quite some time. I had heard about it, had heard it was depressing, but the hype around it made me very excited to see this movie. It was very disappointing. SPOILER ALERT!!: I thought that they tried way too hard with the end story line. It was mind-boggling to me that he ended up killing her. I know that she wanted it, and I know that he felt he had to do it for her, but what he did was highly illegal, and upon an autopsy, he never would have gotten away with it. Hillary Swank's acting was absolutely phenomenal, but it wasn't enough to save this movie. It was all a little too unbelievable. They tried too hard with her family being greedy, they tried too hard with her wanting to die, they tried too hard making her so successful. The underlying story-line with the retarded boy at the gym made no sense. What was the point of that?? So he's retarded and gets beat up by one of the other guys at the gym, he comes back in the end to train, what's the point? What did Morgan Freeman's character mean by "her ghost walked through the door?" I was just left puzzled at that. I thought the beginning of this film was so interesting and so awesome, but it became a train wreck about half-way through, and can only think the only reason it won Best Picture was because of the directing and acting by Clint Eastwood.

IMDB Rating: 8.2 My Rating: 4.0

The Bad Dog Club..

2009-02-19T13:05:00.004-06:00

#6 - Read a non-fiction book - I might as well be a part of the Bad Dog Club the way I have been ignoring my blog and goals lately. But I did knock out a goal recently..

I finished reading "Marley & Me," something I wanted to do before seeing the movie. I am a sucker for dog books, and had heard this one was good, so decided to give it a go. I am so glad that I did.

"Marley & Me" is a phenomenal read that keeps moving and keeps you hooked from the very beginning. It has countless stories that involve laughter and sadness, leading to the imminent very sad ending. I read "Where the Red Fern Grows" when I was younger, and cried at the ending, and this book was no different to my feelings. It doesn't help that my Shadow is growing older and weaker and may not be around much longer, but maybe it did help me in that it began preparations for losing her. Whichever affect it has on me, I am so happy that I read this book. I will definitely re-read it down the road, and now I have to see the movie.

I highly recommend this book for a casual read for dog lovers, you will love it. Now it's time to find a fictional novel for another goal..

Seein the Texans and Da Bears!

2009-01-04T15:27:00.007-06:00

83. Go to a sporting event with just my dad. - I have been slacking big time with my blogging, so this one will be sort of a catch-up blog on my goals.

First, some bad news, one goal is now listed as unachievable, as I failed to go to the dentist in 2008. I'm really upset at this one, but I waited too long, and before I knew it, I was way too busy to do it. I'm sure that being terrified of the dentist had nothing to do with it.

Second, I am in the middle of a few goals. I need to update my classic movies, I did watch one for November and December, just haven't written about them yet. I am 70% done with my non-fiction book, and I am almost done with Season 1 of my recommended t.v. series from the beginning (The Sopranos).

Thirdly, I was able to knock out a goal last weekend, when I went to the Texans-Bears game with my dad. My mom's doctor (shes a nurse) has season tickets and couldn't make it, and offered us his tickets. We said yes not even knowing how amazing the tickets were. When we got them, I freaked out seeing that they were Section 107, Row F (that's 6). I looked up Section 107 and found out that that's on the 45 yard line. Basically, you can't get much better seats than these.

I wanted to go to a sporting game with just my dad so that we could bond. We had gone to countless Astros and Oilers games together growing up, and as I got older, I started going with girlfriends and friends instead, so this was a perfect opportunity for us to go to a football game together and have a good time. My sister and her boyfriend were also going to the game, but their seats weren't anywhwere near ours, even though they came down and sat in 2 seats behind us in the 4th qtr.

We had an amazing time at the Texans game. The seats were unreal, getting to watch the players in all their motions right in front of us. Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter and Steve Slaton (my favorite player) all sat on the bench right in front of us, about 20 feet away. It was surreal seeing all this in person, I felt like a kid all over again. My dad and I had a good time, getting to bond and talk and enjoy the game in front of us. Plus, the Texans won and knocked the Bears out of the playoffs!!

I took a ton of pictures, here are a few of the best ones:

Movin On Up...

2008-12-17T16:10:00.003-06:00

66. Move into my own apartment - Wow, it has been forever since I have blogged. I have been so busy with the holidays and the Big Move that I have totally forgotten to post, but I am still knocking out goals in the process.

I finally moved out of the lease house that I had lived in for over a year and got my own 1-bedroom apartment. It is really, really nice, and I was the first person to sign a lease in the whole place. It is brand new and they are still working on the other buildings.

The clubhouse has a Resident Lounge with a plasma tv, chairs, pool table and demonstration kitchen (Benihana style); the fitness center has tv's on each treadmill and eliptical and is open 24 hours; the Wi-Fi lounge has a plasma tv, chairs, computers, and a free coffee bar; and the pool is a wade-in pool with fountains, grills on both sides and outdoor fireplaces with lounge chairs.

My apartment is about 800 square feet, 1 bed, 1 bath, and it is just awesome. I haven't been able to take many pics yet, but everything in my living room is brand spankin new, including brand new furniture and a 42" plasma HD tv and tv stand.

I am so happy to have been able to take this step in my life and I feel so fortunate to be able to have a place of my own. I can't express how happy I actually am that I have accomplished this goal.

Here are a few pics from a house-warming get-together I had:

2008-11-17T21:28:00.003-06:00

22. Get a physical - I know, I know, corny picture, but I got a physical this morning!! This is one goal that I can completely credit to this list. If I hadn't have made this a goal, I wouldn't have done it.

I figured I was 25, it was time to get one, and I'm glad I did. I took the morning off of work and Jennifer went up with me. Turns out, I'm very healthy and don't have any problems.

I did have to give blood for the blood tests, and for those of you who know my history, I don't do too well with that. But I did make it through this time, just got a little light-headed.

I'm waiting on the blood tests to come back, but I'm not all that worried about it. I am just very happy that I knocked this goal out by the end of this year. Now comes the hard part...the dreaded dentist appointment..

Let's Go Clubbin!

2008-11-11T15:22:00.002-06:00

95. Go to 10 new Houston bars (2/10) - A few weeks ago, it was our President Ginger's 40th birthday, and we all (about 30-40 of us) got together to celebrate. The night started at the Rockstar suite at Hotel ZaZa (coolest hotel in Houston, and then we all took a party bus to Status.

I had never been, and even though I am not a clubber whatsoever, we had a great time. The outside is the coolest part, away from the dancing. They have a patio that stretches from the building to the street, and it's all Miami-ed up. They have little sections separated by walls, with couches and tables in each one, so you could have your own little private area. There was even a bar outside.

I definitely want to go back sometime. Not neccessarily to dance or for the inside, but to hang out on that patio. I have also heard the crowd can get very interesting there. But overall it was a very fun experience.

Nothing Like NFL Sundays..

2008-11-06T11:10:00.004-06:00

95. Go to 10 new Houston Bars (1/10) - I need to get onto these goals, I have a lot of stuff left to do and time is ticking along. I know I've been to some new Houston restaraunts but of course I have forgotten them and not blogged about them. It's hard to always be thinking about the goals.

I have been to Norton's Pub & Grill twice so far this NFL season for the games, and we have had an amazing time. The food is above average and there's a huge selection, and the setup is great for watching NFL games. They also have the new Big Buck Hunter and Silver Strike. I give this bar a 8/10.

Workin Hard...

2008-10-29T15:57:00.007-05:00

58. Get a client to buy 10,000 gallons in 1 month. - I finally went out, got my own client to join our fuel program, and got them to buy 10,000 gallons in a single month! It took quite a few clients to get my big one, but once I did, they started buying and haven't looked back. They bought about 7,000 domestic gallons and about 6,000 international gallons, bringing their September total to 13K!

I can't reveal the client on a public forum for legal reasons, but I can say that they fly several Gulfstream III's like the one pictured and I am just very happy that I've finally got a client that I'm proud to have! I should buy them a gift card for helping me knock out one of my goals..

Now, for that 100,000 in a month goal...wow. That's going to take a HUGE client to be able to knock out, but it can be done..

Psycho!

2008-10-27T22:31:00.003-05:00

32. New Classic movie each month- (BEWARE SPOILERS!) I love watching a scary movie at home when its cold and rainy outside, it really is one of my favorite pasttimes. I have always been a HUGE horror film fan, and it being Halloween week, I figured to watch a classic horror movie for my goal.I hadn't seen one of the all time classics yet before tonight, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. I had heard all about the shower scene, the stabbing motion, Norman Bates' mother, but I never knew the big spoiler, and I'm glad I didn't.

I thought the movie was solid. In a way I like how the older classics didn't rely on gore and guts to classify as a horror movie, but I do wish there were more jump scenes. There was not a single jump scene in this movie, and that was the only negative considering its considered a horror classic.

I thought the music was superb, kept you on your toes the entire time. The concept (abandoned hotel, creepy manager) was very original for its time. The acting was great, and the storyline and twists were phenomenal.

My only complaint would be that it's not so much of a horror movie for me when there's no jump scenes. The music seemed to build up far too often with not enough punch. But for a suspense movie, this was definitely one of the better ones.

I would however not put this ahead of The Shining.

IMDB Rating: 8.7 / My rating: 8

2008-10-24T19:44:00.002-05:00

18. Vote for my choice - Today, I voted early. I was going to wait until Election Day, but I got off work early, and early voting was going on, so I went ahead and voted to avoid the lines on Election Day. It was actually my first Presidential election to vote in. I was too lazy 4 years ago to get out and vote when I was 21, and I set voting in this year's as a goal to force me to do it. It felt very patriotic to do my civic duty and vote for our next President. Now its wait and see time...

The 3rd and Final Debate...

2008-10-16T09:42:00.003-05:00

17. Watch a Presidential Debate - I caught most of the 1st debate and missed all of the 2nd debate because I was out of town, so I was forced to watch all of the 3rd debate to knock this goal off, since it was my last chance. I'm really glad I did and I doubt I will ever miss another debate again based on my experience with this one.

I did not like the 1st debate very much. It was sort of like a quarterbacks' first start (you know me with the sports analogies). It was very unorganized, sloppy, and just didn't feel right. This one was a night and day difference.

I was proud of both candidates for helping the moderator keep the pace of the debate and for their attitudes about having a great debate. I thought they both held their own very well and both acted like they should be President.

I don't want to get into the actual issues so much as I want to just break down the debate itself, like I did with the VP debate. So again, just a few quick hits:

- I prefer the sitting at a table debate, it feels like they are right there with us as Americans, and it shows them off more as businessmen trying to sell their product to the viewers as opposed to standing and pointing fingers as if theyre already a dictator. I think all debates should be sitting at a table.

- I loved how the first question of "What are your new plans to help the economic crisis" ended with the 2 discussing how much they were going to cut taxes for small businesses and those making X amount salaries. It's funny how off base they can get..

- The moderator I thought did a terrible job of letting them interrupt one another. They really need to get someone like myself in there who will tell them both to shut the hell up when the other is speaking. It is SO annoying as a viewer to have to listen to them both talk at the same time. That garbage needs to stop.

- The health care topic was a debacle, both of them did not make any sense with their answers, and they both kind of avoided the topic by changing the subject.

- The abortion topic was one of the most interesting, and I did respect Obama for saying that he's not for abortion and promotes adoption even though he votes for women's rights. It did make sense..

- The education issue was the most important in my opinion, since my fiancee is going to be a school teacher, and I loved McCain's policies far more than Obama's. Obama's "trade 4K in college tuition to students for community service" made absolutely no sense, it could never happen, and it seems so far out of this world. The only thing that would do is increase the deficit drastically. I loved McCain's strategies of awarding those good teachers out there, letting military personnel go straight into training for their teachers' certificates, and having more choices among charter schools to attend. I feel that these 2 candidates are going to be putting into place the school system that will be there when my kids are old enough to go to school..

All in all I highly enjoyed the debate last night. I absolutely LOVED John McCain's aggressiveness. He made Obama look like a little girl up there as he kept backing down from McCain's attempts to get him to respond to his threats.

I can not stand how often that Obama ad runs. He has spent so much more money on advertising than McCain has. In this time when our economy is falling apart, thousands are losing jobs, Obama is running the same ad bashing McCain on every channel about every other 15 mins. I watched the Cowboys-Cardinals game that McCain and Obama referred to, and the commercial got so annoying. At least change it up. And I am so glad that McCain pointed that out.

McCain won this debate in a landslide in my opinion. Don't you dare call me biased either because I said Biden beat Palin in a landslide as well. I watched these debates as non-biased as I could, and I could not help but see McCain as our future President while Obama kept avoiding issues, asking McCain to stop asking him questions essentially, and backing down from the fight.

When we are attacked by terrorists or threatened by other countries, I don't want a man up there who won't step up to the fight, I don't want somebody up there who has zero experience in foreign policy and who will let others push him around while avoiding the issue. I want a war veteran, a man who will call out his debate partner and won't back down until he gets answered, I want a man who will step up to the terrorists and enemies and call them out as Reagan did.

Those of you who want Obama to win because of George W. Bush's administration, I quote John McCain last night as he once again looked Obama in the eyes and put him in his place: "If you wanted to run against George Bush you should have ran 4 years ago, I am not George Bush."

John McCain won that debate and John McCain will get my vote on November 4th.

No matter who you vote for though, make sure you get out and vote and do your part..

My First VP Debate..

2008-10-02T21:44:00.003-05:00

Tonight I watched my first Vice President debate. I had never watched one before. I try to watch the Presidential debates, but never thought a VP debate could be interesting. I knew this one was historic and would be entertaining, so I tuned in..
My thoughts:

- I am a Republican. I watched the McCain-Obama debate and thought McCain won that. I will blog about their second debate because the first one was a mess. I hated the way both of them acted, I hated the interruptions, I hated the mockery and below-the-belt punches, it was just a big ole mess. Hopefully they will correct that the second time around.

- I loved the Palin-Biden debate. They seemed to have much respect for each other, and I loved how they didn't interrupt one another and they smiled when one jabbed at the other. It was exactly how a debate should run.

- I thought Biden used his time much more successfully. He spoke probably 3 times as much as Palin, mainly because she kept her answers short. She really should have used as much time as possible. Hopefully it wasn't because she didn't have enough to talk about...

- Sarah was smokin hot as usual tonight. She really is a hottie for her age, John chose well with the "sex appeal" aspect.

- I hated how Biden always got the last word. I was very dissapointed in the host in that she kept giving Biden the final argument each time. Every time you thought Palin had the last word, she would let Biden retort. This wasn't fair.

- I loved Palin's little quirks. I love the way she talks ("say it ain't so Joe," "doggone it," "at the end of the day, its all gonna be alright). Her little witty comments really made her connect to most of small-town America.

- I wish Palin hadn't have talked about Alaska so much. It was Alaska this, Alaska that. I know she's the Governor, but she's interviewing for VP of the country, I wanted her to discuss more of what she would do rather than what she has done as Governor of a state that most of America knows nothing about.

- I'm glad Biden didn't degrade Palin as his reputation suggests. I thought he conducted himself very well, and I.....

thought he won this debate handidly. Palin got her jabs in and won a couple rounds, but Biden won this debate hands down. I was highly impressed with Biden. In fact, I will agree with my roommate Hunter that the only 2 of those running qualified to be President are John McCain and Joe Biden. He was excellent and really showed Sarah how to debate. He never let a single incorrect statement she made go by without correcting her, and he did it in a respectful way.

Sarah Palin did an excellent job and I only wish they would do this again so she could have a second bout with Joe, because I think she would correct her mistakes and speak longer on her answers, but Joe Biden was more prepared tonight and he showed it.

That said, I'm still a Republican!

Finally...INDIANA!

2008-10-01T09:18:00.003-05:00

32. Watch a classic movie each month (2/33) - I know, I know, laugh it up. I had never seen an Indiana Jones movie in my life. Well, Jennifer recommended I see it as part of my "Classic movie" goal, so I did.

It was a lot like I had envisioned it. Reminded me a bit of Pirates of the Caribbean but without the comedy. It was very adventurous and fast-paced. That said, it still wasn't my cup o'tea. It did however surprise me with the bloog and guts scattered throughout the movie, I did nto anticipate that. I thought it was going to be more of a Disney-style adventure movie.
(SPOILER ALERT BELOW)
I've never been into all that sci-fi stuff. The movie had me interested all the way until the scene towards the end when the spirits come out of the ark and kill all the Nazi's that are looking at it, but Indiana and his girl don't die because they didn't look at the ghosts directly? I know it was made in 1982, but still, that's the best the writers could come up with? I really didn't like that scene at all.

Overall, I guess you have to leave your seriousness behind when seeing this. I've always had trouble using my imagination when watching movies, I'm a realist. But I was kept interested throughout most of the film and that's what is important.

IMDB Rating: 8.7 (17th all time) My Rating: 7.0

The Land of Micro-Breweries..

2008-09-17T12:52:00.014-05:00

#25 - Try 20 New Beers - I like the way that beer tastes for the most part. I'm not talking about Lets-Go-Out-And-Drink-Till-We-Pass-Out taste, I'm talking about legit, sober tasting of new beers. I like the different flavors and after-tastes of beers I have never tried before. I used to be very closed-minded about beer, but now I want to get out and try some ones that may peak my interest.

Denver and the state of Colorado are known as the Micro-brewery capital of the U.S. There are micro-breweries everywhere. Even popular ones such as Coors, Fat Tire and Blue Moon are brewed right there around Denver.

Well, I don't have long write-ups, just short little notes I took on each one, but here goes a few I tried:

1. Mothership Wit, Wheat-White, Ft. Collins, CO - Very wheaty but light, aftertaste a tad bitter. Great head throughout. I did not like this beer very much.

2. Mothership Wit, Wheat - I tried this one, the Wheat, at the ESPN Zone in Denver, and I liked it a lot better than the Wheat-White. It had a much smoother aftertaste.

3. Buffalo Gold, Rock Bottom Brewery - We went to the Rock Bottom Brewery in downtown Denver, and we got the Beer sampler, which is about a 4 ounce pour of each of their 8 beers. Jennifer was not too crazy about most of them, I liked about half of them. The darker ales just are not my style. I definitely liked the Buffalo Gold though, it reminded me a little of Fat Tire.

4. Autumn Ale, Breckenridge Brewery - We went to Breckenridge Brewery in downtown Denver as well, and we loved it here (We both even got a shirt!). Our waitress was awesome in explaining everything, and we both liked these beers a lot better than Rock Bottom. This Autumn Ale was the only ale I liked. It was dark, but it was their seasonal beer, and I respected it.

5. Avalanche, Breckenridge - This was my favorite beer I tried all weekend. It was really awesome. It was a very smooth taste, smelled great, and had a really good aftertaste. I need to find out if they sell this beer down here anywhere, cause it was definitely worth it...

Yeah...it's the Rockies!!

2008-09-17T12:52:00.005-05:00

#56 - Visit a National Park - I'm sure most of you have checked out all our pictures from our Colorado trip, but I have to blog about visiting a National Park.

I had been to Rocky Mountain National Park before, but not since I was 3 years old. I've also been to Big Bend National Park. This was Jen's first, also her first time to see mountains!!

We had a blast, considering I proposed in RMNP, but we also got to see some amazing scenery. There really aren't words to describe what it looks like being that high and seeing those mountains.

We got to see some really cool elk:

And the Alluvial Fan is a must-see when visiting the Park!

We really had a great time, and Rocky Mountain National Park is definitely a must-see for everyone before you die...

Best Purchase of my Life..

2008-09-16T14:39:00.002-05:00

#99 - Secret Goal - This one I obviously wrote out as a secret goal that only I knew about. The goal was to buy an engagement ring. I had been looking around for awhile, and knew it would happen soon, but made it a goal just to keep me going and it really helped me to stay focused.

When I decided that I was ready to get engaged to Jennifer, I knew I wanted to buy a perfect ring. I had little knowledge of diamonds and bands and rings, and wanted to really get into it. I didn't want to just walk into a store and buy the first ring I saw that I liked. So I did a little research.

After a few months of looking around and researching, I believe I am very educated on diamonds now. It realy is an interesting and fun subject to learn about. Basically, there are 4 C's in diamonds: Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat, each having a rating system and each very unique to itself.

I went to several stores and looked online quite a bit before I found the perfect diamond. I was able to see the diamond outside of the setting as the diamond company I went to had just gotten it in stock. It wa sa full carat, which was exactly what I wanted. The cut was Ideal, almost perfect. The color and clarity on it was much better than what I originally thought I was going to get. When I saw the diamond under microscope and in the lights, I knew it was the one.

The band was pretty easy to pick. It is 14K white gold, Tiffany-style. I loved it right away. I picked this ring and actually paid for half of it prior to seeing the final product, but when I went in to pay the other half and see it for the first time, I was blown away.

I believe I made a great call with this ring, and am so happy to have this step taken in my life, as it is a very exciting time! I also have paid for it in full, something I have always wanted to do.

Here are the same 2 pictures of the ring. We are going to get some better pics taken, but all you have to do it see us together if you want to see the ring in person!

MLB Park #10..

2008-09-10T09:43:00.007-05:00

#87 - Go to a MLB park other than Wrigley that I have never been to - So while in Denver, Jennifer and I went to a Rockies game at Coors Field. One of my lifetime goals is to go to a MLB game at every active ballpark, and even though that is going to be very hard to achieve, I have to give it a try in every city I am in, right??

Well, it just so happened that the weekend that we planned to go to Colorado, the Astros were in town!! So not only did I get to go see a new ballpark in a new city, but I got to go to my first ever Astros road game!

I had heard plenty about Coors Field before, and how many have called it the most beautiful park in the Majors. One of the factors of this being that if you sit on the 1st base line all the way to center field, you have a clear picture of the Rocky Mountains out of the left field wall. Well, it just so happened for us that Denver decided to get their first muggy, cold day of the year on this Friday, and the clouds were too low for us to see the mountains. Although I had hoped to be able to look at the mountains while watching a baseball game, it was ok because we had already seen plenty of them the day prior and even gone up them.

The game was very cold. I questioned how people live in that city. It was September 5th, and the weather was miserable for baseball. The temps were in the 40's, and the wind was blowing in from left field, so every now and then you would get a nice cold breeze in your face. Even the locals were bundles up in sweaters, coats, blankets. That's not how baseball is supposed to be watched.

The park however was absolutely gorgeous. They had a lot of neat little perks, including a row of seats in the upper deck that went all around the stadium colored purple, which marked one mile high from sea level. I thought this was very interesting..

The fans reminded me a lot of Astros fans. Generally not paying attention to the game, starting the wave at random times, having to have the scoreboard operator tell them when to get loud, but nice and they get into it when they need to. They had stands around the park for Colorado brewed beers (Fat Tire, Blue Moon, etc) that were only $6 each. Even Coors Light was only $6. Compare that to almost $9 at MMP.

The Stros lost. And what's funny is it's their only loss in the last 14 games. Since the All-Star break, we have the best record in the Major Leagues. We are now 4 games out of the wild card. What in the world is going on?!

Overall, I don't think I would put Coors over MMP. I know that sounds strange, and maybe it's cause I couldn't see the mountains, but I have a soft spot for our stadium. I really enjoyed my experience at Coors though. The best part by far is the restaurants and bars that surround the stadium. MMP has a few, but Coors has so many places to go before and after the game, all around the stadium.

Here's a few more shots from Coors Field:

ENGAGED!!

2008-09-08T15:56:00.014-05:00

#4 - Get Engaged! - Ok, I know I have not blogged in a long time, but I was anticipating this trip coming up and being able to knock out a few goals, and as it turns out, I am knocking out 4 goals and I have progress on another goal. So I have many posts to post about my goals, then another one or 2 about the trip.

But as most of you know, Jennifer Nicole and I are now ENGAGED! Last Thursday, we left Houston for our vacation trip to Colorado. We flew out early Thursday at 7:20am and arrived in Denver around 8:30 or so Mountain time. Flying while already being nervous is not very good on the stomach, but I made it ok. I knew the whole time that the hours were counting down before I was going to pop the question!

We got into our rental car and began the drive to Estes and then beyond. I had heard about Bryan and Kristen's trip up there from them, and figured this would be an ideal and unique location to propose. We drove through Boulder where the University of Colorado is, and me being a sports buff, I had to stop and take a picture at Folsom Field..

We continued the trek into the mountains on our way to Estes Park. The drive was fun, but long, especially knowing what was in store. Jennifer, not knowing anything, surely enjoyed the trip..

We arrived into Estes, and decided to go ahead into Rocky Mountain National Park, on up Trail Ridge Road, the highest highway in the country. It was definitely quite a haul up the mountains. It seemed like it would never end, especially as my excitement grew more and more. We stopped a couple times up the way to take pictures. I do not look myself in these pictures probably because of how nervous and excited I was. I was however captivated by the amazing scenery that the Continental Divide can provide you with. It really is breath-taking..

Finally, at about 1:45 mountain time, 2:45 central, we arrived at the top of the drive. We got out, I sneaked the ring box from my laptop bag into my jacket pocket, and we began the hike up to the top. Now, here's where it got tricky for me. It was a long hike up. It may not look it from this picture below, but it really was. Not to mention it was our first time outside to really breathe the air, and it had gotten very cold way up there. The air is extremely thin, so it already is very hard to breathe. So if you add that to a long hike, PLUS my heart racing about a thousand beats per minute knowing what I was about to do, I felt like I was going to die. Even Jennifer, who is in amazing shape, had a tough time getting up..

Well we get to the top, which is 12,000+ feet high!!! We take a few pictures, including this final picture of us not engaged, at the elevation sign (look carefully, you can see the ring box in my left jacket pocket, I have no idea how she didn't notice it!!):

Now I know some of you wanted me to have someone take a pic of the actual proposal, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to keep that moment private. I wanted that moment, those words, those tears, to be strictly in our memory. I did however get the pre and post pictures. It worked out so perfectly. It worked out just the way I prayed it would. A few people were up there when we first got there so we could gather our breath, take a few pictures. Then they left. So I had her all to myself at 12,000 feet high. So I did my thing, and got down on my knee, and asked her to marry me. She said YES! And of course, I pull the ring out of the box, and drop it (hands shaking so bad). It sucked, but it made it more real. So we got our moment. And shortly after, a man comes up, and I ask him to take our picture and tell him we just got engaged. He was very congratulatory, and took our first picture as an engaged couple:

Then we took a few more, even one of us kissing, with my hat off (which I took off during the proposal by the way):

It was simply amazing how it all worked out so perfectly, just as I planned it. I had never been to this place before, but in my dreams and in my plans, it worked out just as I hoped it would. Plus she said YES!!! We were soo happy and excited. And I was so relieved to have that behind me and our entire future in front of us.

We had an amazing weekend after that, visiting Estes Park and Denver. I will blog plenty more and post more pictures later about our trip, but I know many of you anticipated the actual proposal story.

The ring, as many have asked, is a full 1 carat circle-cut solitaire with amazing quality, on a 14k white gold Tiffany-style band. Here it is below. We are going to have to get better pics when we have our engagement pictures done, cause there's a glare in every pic she takes with the flash. Maybe that just shows off the BLING! Ha, just kidding. Actually I'm not, it really is beautiful.

Ok, thank you to all of you for your Congrats! We really do love all of you and appreciate everything. Our wedding will be in early 2010, we both want her to finish school first (Dec. 2009) so that she doesn't have a wedding being planned in the middle of her final year. We are looking at February or early March as a date, nothing set yet, but will be soon.

I have plenty of more blog posts to come, including a very, very interesting story from the famous haunted Stanley Hotel that many of you will find interesting. Let's just say we both had our first very real ghost encounter...stay tuned!!

Thank You Michael..

2008-08-17T15:17:00.003-05:00

Sports fans owe Michael Phelps a "Thank you." With the Astros in an unrecoverable tailspin, we needed something this August to keep us sane before football finally kicked into gear. Michael gave that to us.

Prior to the Olympics, I didn't have much interest in it. But that first race that Michael one, and especially the Relay win over France, got me hooked. I never missed a race (watched 1 later in the night), and I was hooked every time.

What he has done this week was absolutely supurb. 8 gold medals, 7 world records, 7 days. Other swimmers have told me what kind of grueling schedule that is, how impossible it really is. But Michael did the impossible.

He deserves all this media frenzy, he deserves the nickname "Mr. Gold." Thank you Michael, for making August a sports month we will never ever forget.

It's a scorcher out there...

2008-08-16T12:50:00.004-05:00

#91 - Mow Parents yard for no reason - My parents went to New York and Canada on vacation this past week and asked me to take care of the animals, so I decided that it would be a god opportunity to knock out one of my goals early. Today, Saturday, they day that they get back, I mowed their yard for them. The worst thing to do when getting back from a vacation is to have chores and yard work to do, so I figured this would be a nice surprise for them. I'm not even going to tell them I did it until they ask me.

Mowing is no easy job. Especially when its high noon, 100+ degrees, the day after a hard rain, and long deep grass. I did it for my parents all throughout my childhood and while I lived there, but each time is quite a challenge.

This goals project is the coolest idea ever. It really has changed my life and the way I look at things. I highly recommend everyone do it. You will find yourself thinking about things differently.

Goin to the Stros game tonight. And Dave Matthews was FREAKING AWESOME last night. Not a great picture at all (Jen has the camera, I have my phone), but just a little taste.

.01

2008-08-16T00:38:00.002-05:00

If you saw it, you should feel priviledged. If you didn't, go find a replay online. It's the best you will ever feel watching sports. Wow.

VI

2008-08-15T14:19:00.003-05:00

This is just getting ridiculous. 6 golds, 6 world records, 6 days. I'm going to have to miss tonight's race because I will be at Dave Matthews, but I will see him break the record tomorrow in the relay.

Also, big congraulations to Nastia Liukin for winning gold and Shawn Johnson for winning silver in the all-around women's gymnastics.

I Got SCAMMED!!

2008-08-15T12:05:00.005-05:00

Let me preface this by saying I am extremely organized when it comes to my finances. I check my bank account at least twice daily, and especially on pay days (TODAY!!). Well today I get on and notice a charge of $12.00 from a "Reservations Rewards." I think long and hard about what I must have spent an even 12 bucks on, to no avail.

So I decide to Google "Reservation Rewards" to try to figure out what it is I bought, and this is what I find:

"On November 2, 2004, I purchased airline tickets from the website onetravel.com.

On my most recent credit card bill, I noticed a charge for $9 for a transaction on 12/2 posted on 12/5 for WLIRESERVATIONREWARDS 800-7327031 CT. I had no idea what the charge was, and was certain I hadn’t signed up for any “reservation rewards” program, so I did a web search for the phone number for the item. Apparently, many other people have had the same exact charge for the same item without ever having ordered it.

I called the company to dispute the charge, and they insisted that I had signed up for some kind of rewards service when I purchased airline tickets. I insisted that I had never signed up for any such service, but they claimed they had sent me three emails confirming the service, which apparently is a monthly subscription for $9 per month which gives you discounts on some products or services online.

When I complained that I was sure I had never signed up for any such service, they said that they had “millions of satisfied customers” and that the complaints were just a few.

Since I maintain my own mail server, I was able to search back over the last 60 days of mail logs, and there was no record of any email originating from this company. Even if such an email had been caught by a spam filter, it would still show up in the mail log. I am thus certain that they never sent any confirmation emails.

Finally, I threatened to contact my state attorney general, and at that point they agreed to refund the $9 and cancel my subscription.

I checked the Connecticut Better Business Bureau website for this company, which goes under a dozen aliases, and saw that there have been many complaints along similar lines."

Immediately I picked up my phone and called them. I was fairly heated during the call, and asked what kind of business they are running. She stated that I had gone to orbitz.com and purchased airline tickets. I told her that was incorrect, I said that I had bought recent airline tickets from Southwest Airline's website. Then she corrected herself and said it was movie tickets from movietickets.com. I told her that yes, I had purchased 4 tickets to The Dark Knight a couple weeks ago. She said that I had also signed up for the Reservations Rewards program by putting my email in twice. I told her that there was no way in hell that I would have signed up for anything like that.

She cancelled my "subscription" and told me my money would be refunded (which I will follow on, it's only pending right now) pretty quickly, probably knowing how heated I was.

I then proceeded to ask her and her supervisor how they sleep at night knowing that their paychecks come from stolen money, to which they both responded that they sleep very well. I told them that their company was b.s. and all over Google searches as a fradulous company.

How in the HELL do companies like this run? How do they not get caught and shut down by our government?? If I didn't check my account daily, I never would have caught this, and they would have just swiped 12 bucks from me.

I write this to warn all of you, and to advise you to check your account daily and to also be careful when purchasing things online.

I will NEVER EVER EVER again use www.movietickets.com, and I advise all of you not to. If this stops one other person from credit card fraud, then I am successful. Don't let people make a living off of your hard work!

"I think I remember the film...And as I recall, I think, we both kinda liked it.."

2008-08-13T22:33:00.011-05:00

32. New Classic movie each month (1/33) - I finally saw Breakfast at Tiffany's tonight. I actually got it for Jennifer for Christmas (along with a bracelet from Tiffany's) and she had watched it and loved it, but I kept putting it off. I figured it would be a good one to watch as my first classic that I hadn't seen yet. See, without this goals list, no telling when I would have watched it.

First off, Audrey Hepburn is pretty smokin hot for her day. Even though she is very skinny in this film, she definitely fits this role perfectly.

I thought the film was entertaining. Moved a tad bit slow at times, but had a great plot and a sappy good ending. I didn't expect much comedy, but surprisingly got some. I thought the scene at Tiffany's with the salesman was hilarious. I find it hard to believe that "Fred" is going to be able to contain Holly in the future after that 1 speech, but it was a good ending.

Pretty much what I expected, with a few laughs and a feel good ending. Good music too (won the Oscar for Best Music and Best Song).

IMDB Rating: 7.8 / My Rating: 7.0

Another Night, Another 2 Golds..

2008-08-12T22:28:00.004-05:00

I'm typing this as the 4x200m Relay is still going on. We have the world record by almost 4 seconds, and we are smoking everyone else in the pool.

Phelps won his butterfly final earlier, breaking a world record, and our boys are taking the Relay tonight also, smashing the world record by........about 5 seconds. Phelps with 5 golds and 5 world records. The first ever 4x200 under 7 minutes. These numbers are just baffling.

5 down, 3 to go for Michael. Next event: the 200 Individual Medley, Thursday night at 9:48pm. We are witnessing world sports history, folks....enjoy it.

III

2008-08-12T01:24:00.004-05:00

I will blog about each of Phelps' Golds, and I can also say that I am 3/3 in watching him win Gold. Tonight was the 200m Freestyle, another Gold, another world record for Michael Phelps. That's 3. One more breaks the all-time Gold's record, and he needs 5 more this Olympics to break Spitz's record of 7. When he turns it on, he freaking turns it on. 3 down, 5 to go. Props to Peter Vanderkaay for winning the bronze, also an American.

Next up, the 200m Butterfly and the 4x200 Free Relay. Tomorrow (Tuesday) night.

Also, congrats to Natalie Coughlin for winning the Gold in Women's 100m Backstroke (EDIT: AND Aaron Piersol's Gold later in the night, thanks Tab!). We need all the Golds we can get!

Best Race Ever..

2008-08-10T23:23:00.004-05:00

I can't be more happy that I watched that race tonight, and I really hope that everyone I know watched it as well. The heart of those 4 guys tonight was what Americans are about. Great job you Frenchies of running your mouth before the race, all that does is fuel Americans' spirit, hasn't the rest of the world figured this out yet??

In case you missed it, Phelps went first and trailed. We were losing to the French (the favorites) until the last guy, after the turn coming home, and halfway back, by at least a full body. And just when you thought it was over, the anchorman gave everything he had and beat the Frenchie in the very last second by .08.

It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen in sports. I was so excited for those guys. 2 golds for Phelps now, but that was simply a portrait of American athletes having more heart than any others in the world. Yeah, I said it.

XXIX

2008-08-10T14:20:00.003-05:00

So I'm trying to get into the Summer Olympics, how bout you? It's kind of funny to me how about half of Americans don't care one bit about the games. I wasn't excited or looking forward to them, but now that they have started, I am getting into it.

I missed the Opening Ceremony's because I had court on Friday night (yes, Friday NIGHT, at 8), but I heard they were spectacular. I wish they would reply it so I could see them. But I woke up on Saturday and started watching Handball. Has anyone seen this sport? Has anyone seen half these "sports?" It's crazy. It's like a combination of soccer, basketball, hockey and lacrosse. It was pretty interesting to watch, mainly because I had never seen anything like it.

Watched a little bit of the women's fencing, which we won all 3 medals in! And then last night I watched Michael Phelps win his first of 8 golds. This story is obviously the biggest story of the Olympics. 8 gold medals. That is absolutely crazy. I heard somewhere that if he does get the 8 golds, it's the physical equivalent of running a marathon every day for 9 days. Don't know how true that is, but it's still going to be a hell of a story.

Anything less than a gold from the basketball team would be a disappointment. I just don't see how this team could even lose a game, and I don't think it's going to happen. I may be being a little too much of a "homer" right now, but I'm gonna go on a limb and say the basketball team won't lose a game, and that Phelps will get 7 golds, tying Spitz's record.

Off to go watch water polo or rowing or whatever is on right now. Go US and A!!

Goal #1 Accomplished!!

2008-08-08T15:19:00.007-05:00

Well, goal #1 is finally crossed off as I finished my 101 goals list. That was absolutely much tougher than I thought it would be. Any list of 100 things is hard to do, let alone a list of goals and things you want to accomplish in the next 2.75 years. Some goals are easier than others, some will be accomplished soon, some later.

A little breakdown:

2. Catch a fish - That is correct, I have never caught a fish before. It is my ultimate goal in life. Granted, I have only been fishing about 4 times. I find fishing to be boring, but I will catch one sometime in the near future.

3. Own my own house - I have 'own my own house' and 'move into my own apartment' on this list. Reason being is the house I live in now is a rent house, and I plan to move out in Dec. into my own 1-bedroom apartment, something I have always wanted to do, then after that be financially stable to buy my own house.

10. Go to Disney World - Definitely something I want to do before I have children. I want to go with children, but definitely want to go again before I have kids. Plus, Jennifer has never been, so I want her to experience it without kids.

12. Get a raise/promotion - Just got one recently, so this is for a future raise..

27. Get concealed handgun license - Always wanted to do this, this will push me to get it done.

32. Watch a new classic movie each month - By classic I mean those movies that everyone has seen that you haven't, movies like Gone With The Wind, Casablanca, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Natural, etc. Movies that have a rating on IMDB of at least an 7.5 that I haven't seen.

34. Non-Texas college football game - Can't decide if it can include a Texas team, but I'm leaning 'no.' I'm talking going to a LSU-Ole Miss game for no reason.

38/46. Go to the dentist... - Going to the dentist is like sky-diving to me...I can't stand it.

40. Play in snow - Basically motivating me to go to a snowy destination, maybe Colorado will work in a month.

41. Get a massage - Yeah yeah...I've always wanted to.

47. Buy 5 original Disney DVD's - Not crap like Ratatouilee or Wall-E, I'm talkin the classic, like Aladdin and Bambi, etc.

50. Go to a movie solo - I've always wondered how this feels..

55. Watch an entire recommended t.v. series - I'll take recommendations, but I'm leaning towards Six Feet Under and The Wire. I heard Weeds is awesome too.

56. Visit a National Park - This one is kind of cheating, seeing as how I am going to Rocky Mountain National Park in Sept.

62. Go to an NFL game outside of Houston - This one is going to be a lot tougher than you think..

70. Go a full month without eating fast food - I typically do not eat that much fast food as it is, I just want to go from 1-31 one month not being allowed to go.

72. Go to 3 concerts of bands I have never seen - Saw Journey a couple weeks ago, and that influenced me to look up bands coming into town..

74. Read a book recommended by Andrew - Andrew Tarpinian reads more than anyone I know, and he has already recommended '1984' to me. This does not count as the 2 previous book goals.

81. 10 new Houston restaurants - Not new new, but new as in I've never been...

82. Movie showing at Alamo Drafthouse - Every now and then they show older movies from like the 80's and 90's for free. I want to go to one of these.

88. Learn the Presidents' in order - This could be a little tricky, but it's something I've always wanted to be able to do..

90. Go to a movie not knowing what I'm seeing - I just thought of this, and it may sound corny, but I think it would be a lot of fun. Don't look at the ticket, don't look at the doorway. Watch the previews in suspense, and then find out what you're seeing...

93. Murder Mystery Dinner - Something Jen and I have talked about many times, just haven't done yet.

99. You guys will find out what this goal is soon, but its a short-term goal just to keep me motivated..

I will continue to blog about each goal that I cross off the list. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!!

Back to Blogging!!

2008-08-07T13:29:00.000-05:00

Phew, I hope I don't miss any SportsCenter coverage on Brett Favre's every step...I better make this quick.

Those of you who know me well enough know that I have blogged quite a bit on Myspace. To read past posts go to myspace.com/chrislineb and then to my blog section. I haven't written one since the start of the MLB season, and to be honest, I kinda miss it. I enjoy writing, I enjoy people who read my writing, and I just wanted to get back into it.

Why did I stop? Probably because Myspace is in an absolute tailspin. I have resorted to checking my Myspace about once daily, and Facebook quite a bit more than that. It took me awhile to adjust to facebook and to realize what everyone was saying, but it finally got to me. I am starting this one mainly after reading Tabatha's Blog, which is entertaining as hell (http://mrsmillertime.blogspot.com/).

One of the things that she blogs about most is something she began awhile ago called "101 Goals in 1001 Days." I am absolutely intrigued by her goals and her chronicling of her accomplishing of them, so I am going to follow in her footsteps and do the same thing. Some goals will be funny, some will be fun, some will be very challenging, but all of them will be achievable within 2 and a half years. The first goal, as Tabatha put, is to put the list of 101 together, which could be tough enough in itself.

I will continue to blog about sports, life, things that interest me, things that irritate me, but I will also blog about each goal that I accomplish.

Thanks for stopping by and checking my blog out. I should have my list of goals up soon!

Now, off to ESPN to see what Brett Favre is having for dinner...