Don't fear the reaper

Did everyone have a wonderful Superbowl weekend? Saturday morning I rented the movie The Basketball Diaries. It is a 1994 movie starring Leonard DiCaprio. It doesn't really have anything to do with basketball but more to do with the underground coke and heroin scene of Manhattan in the 1980s. It is really dark, and depressing but the acting is fantastic. Leonardo DiCaprio, to me, is one of the five best actors in Hollywood. I would give the movie a B+. Saturday night, I ended up seeing another movie, The Wrestler. I give the movie a C-. I thought the plot was uninspiring, and I felt mildly disgusted by the main character. I didn't hate him, or pity him... I just felt mildly disgusted. I guess don't take my word for it since it seems everyone else in the world loves it. Sunday morning I woke up early, went to church, worked out, and then helped my parents cook the rest of the afternoon. Later in the afternoon/evening, we hosted a small Superbowl party. It was fun, the game was excellent, and it capped off a very nice weekend.

1. So far so good on the diet front. One week after the diet began and I am down to 156.6 (158.7) lbs and down to 18.1% body fat (from 18.7%) last week. The goal is to lose one to two pounds a week; so I am right on track.

2. Rush Limbaugh needs to be pushed off a cliff. This trencherman has too big of ego and too much power for his own good. He is currently listened to by over 20 million people every day and he is probably the most powerful Republican in America. I will give you an example. Last week, he un-patriotically said he wanted the Obama presidency to fail. (By the way, can you imagine if a liberal commentator said that about Bush? Rush would have wanted him strung up!). I digress. Anyway, Republican congressman Phil Gringey from Georgia when asked about Rush's comments basically said it is easy for guys like Rush and Sean Hannity to sit on their soapbox while lawmakers are in the trenches trying to get the real work done. He is absolutely right by the way (and that goes for both liberal and conservative commentators.) Anyway, he got so much hate mail from his constituents that he was forced to call up Rush and offer an on the air, boot licking, head up his ass, apology. It was disgusting that a grown men and women in the senate who are Republican can't offer their opinions when they disagree with the corpulent one or they will be subjugated to intense criticism from their constituents, donors, and the Republican media. This is just another step backwards for America.

3. From http://www.minnpost.com/, writer David Brauer has an interesting take on Norm Coleman: The New Republic's Jon Chait does the deed, and Norm comes out the worst. Here's just a taste of "Spare the Rod": I can't think of a good reason why Rod Blagojevich has become the most hated man in America while Norm Coleman still walks the streets with his head held high. What, you say — Norm Coleman? Yes, Norm Coleman! Let me explain. The soon-to-be-former senator's scandal is pretty simple. Nasser Kazeminy, a wealthy businessman and close Coleman friend, allegedly paid him $75,000 under the table. And by "allegedly," I mean "almost certainly." Some differences in the scale of relative guilt do present themselves. In Coleman's defense, he's currently just a subject of an FBI investigation, while Blagojevich has been voted out of office. And, of course, Coleman hasn't been caught boasting about his scheme. On the other hand, Coleman is accused by a Houston businessman of having actually accepted illicit funds, while Blagojevich is merely being accused of harboring an intention to sell his Senate seat. It's risible by design, and almost gleefully unfair, but the problem with this final assertion is that it's simply wrong. Paul McKim, the businessman making the DonorGate allegations, has not accused Coleman of accepting the funds, only that Kazeminy tried to throw the money Norm's way. Don't misunderstand; I think DonorGate stinks and I'm glad the FBI, the Senate, a Texas court and McEnroe & Kennedy are on the case. But the reason the public doesn't equate these cases isn't just that Norm Coleman's made less noise. There's less proof, for now, and that's worth respecting. If the evidence emerges, few will Spare the Norm.

4. Did anyone watch the episode of The Office after the Superbowl? The episode was decent and the Cloris Leachman/Jack Black love affair was absolutely hilarious. When she gets stuck riding up the stairs, I almost fell off my chair laughing.

5. Did anyone have any favorite Superbowl ads? My favorite was the Conan Bud Light commercial followed closely by Pepsi's McGruber.

6. Currently listening to Jason Mraz featuring Colbie Caillat: "Lucky". This song has been stuck in my head all day; not that that is a bad thing. It is catchy in the good way. How can you not feel happy after listening to it?