Reality: Moment of Clarity

IMPORTANT: READ

2011-02-26T22:46:00.001-05:00

I have decided to end REALITY: MOMENT OF CLARITY on blogger. It has MOVED to Reality! on Wordpress.

All new posts will be made on the new site.

I'll Have A Coffee, Please. Thank You.

2011-02-23T16:33:00.000-05:00

Question of the week: What is Spring break?

I'll tell you what it is: a week of waking up late, walking around without any pants on, thinking of having fun until you realize you need to study and do some research for upcoming essays, and making acquaintance with your new best buddy, Mr. Coffee.

That's what it is.

Some say it's about taking a break from school, going to the beach (if there is one near where you live - geez, I would love this), vacation to another continent, state, country, and whathaveyou. I say, "No, you have clearly been spending too much time on the internet." Not sure what that would have to do with spring break not being a break, but let it be whatever you make it to be.

The point is (if there actually is one) it only encourages you to become even more lazier than you are. Oh, sure it gives you a boost of "oh, yeah time for relaxing and a week off school" until you return to school only to realize you haven't studied for an exam. Mind you, I have never done that but I have drunk so much coffee during spring break two years ago that I had to stop drinking it for my health. Ya, four to five coffees per night will do that to you, and that's not even counting the amount during the day.

I would say (you know I love to ramble about stuff) that the worst part about spring break is that the NHL Trade Deadline is always the following week while I'm at school. Yes. However, lucky for me, the Boston Bruins have made their trades early (last Friday). OK. Enough hockey.

It's a blog about nothing and everything.

The 11th Hour

2011-02-22T16:12:00.000-05:00

I'm starting a new blog called The 11th Hour, in which I will be working intensely on for the next month or so. It is a solo course project based on the present media; the stress of economic failure, decline in employment, education and living, negative aspects in the world, and how it all ties into the end of the world.

I have not started anything as of yet. No blog post or introduction in the new blog, but I will as soon as possible.

Ask yourself, Is it the end?

Nhl Trade Update

2011-02-19T18:18:00.000-05:00

Several changes have been made via trades.

Eric Johnson (ST.L) was traded to Colorado
Eric Brewer (ST.L) was traded to Tampa Bay
Tomas Kaberle (TOR) was traded to Boston
Rich Peverley (ATL) was traded to Boston
Jarkko Ruutu (OTT) was traded to Anaheim

Trade Deadline 2011: Bruins Edition

2011-02-14T21:49:00.002-05:00

Get your NHL apps on your Iphones or blackberry's. It's that time of year again - in two weeks actually (February 28). Trade Deadline. Buyers. Sellers. Winners. Losers. Picks, picks and future considerations. Overpaying stronzo's because they can. Last playoff push. More Leafs fans crying and smacking their heads on their keyboards (youtube that shit. Would be great if there is a video of this). Other fans bitching that their GM didn't give away the teams future for Ilya Kovalchuk ... oh wait.

I'm not a pro at this, I'm just a die hard Boston Bruins fan. And you can take that to the bank.

Alright, alright. Let's get down to business. What do you want for Zach Bogosian? A pair of skates and tickets to a Justin Bieber concert? Hell, take his fucking hair piece.

Every has been blogging about trade rumors, players they want their team to acquire and you get the drill. Don't worry, this isn't a "I'll trade you Claude Julien and a bag of pucks for a book on how to have a successful Power Play!" Though some idiotic Bruins fan would consider it.

OK. Today I thought about the potential players that the Boston Bruins would be interested in and would definitely help the team improve this year, and hopefully in the long run. There are two things the Bruins are looking for: A puck-moving defenseman (PMD) and a center. There is also a good chance that they acquire a winger and have Seguin play center for the rest of the year, or have Wheeler as center if he is still with the club after the trade deadline.

After going through a load of players I came up with this list of D & FWD.

DEFENSE:
Zach Bogosian
Joe Corvo
Joni Pitkanen
John-Michael Liles
Fedor Tyutin
Brent Burns
Erik Johnson
~~Eric Brewer~~
~~Tomas Kaberle~~

FORWARD:
C ~~Rich Peverly~~
RW Milan Hejduk
LW R.J. Umberger
RW Jakub Vorachek
C Brad Richards
RW Ales Hemsky
C John Madden
C Jason Arnott
LW ~~Jarkko Ruutu~~
RW Scottie Upshall
C Andy McDonals

Obviously there are some players on there that will cost the Bruins a whole lot, and may not even be worth it in the end. For example, Tomas Kaberle is what the Bruins need - a PMD - but not only would his future in Boston be up in the air since he's a UFA at the end of the year, it will cost Boston at least a first round pick, a good prospect and a roster player (perhaps Wheeler). Personally, if I'm the Bruins and I really want Tomas Kaberle, I wait until July 1st. Yes, there will be competition, but the Bruins will have cap space. Joni Pitkanen & Andrei Markov are also free agents. However, I'm quite skeptic about Andrei Markov.

Here are my top 3 from the selected Ds & FWDs (top being the greatest chance, in my opinion, of being a Bruin):

DEFENSE:
1. Zach Bogosian
Smooth and speedy defenseman who is can definitely helps the Bruins on the PP. However, every star comes with a price to pay. He's young and has enormous potential on being a solid #2 in Boston. This will cost Boston a first round pick (more or less Boston's, not Toronto's), Blake Wheeler, Mark Stuart and a good prospect.

2. Fedor Tyutin
Many don't know much about him because he has been playing in Columbus, but he would be a pretty good addition to the Bruins PP. I do not think he is the best D available, nor do I think he is awesome, but I can definitely see the Bruins acquire him. A hunch, I guess.

3. John-Michael Liles
Honestly, this is the guy I want the Bruins to acquire if they cannot land Bogosian. Apparently, there is a rift between Liles and Avs coach, Joe Sacco. He's making around 4 million per year, but he would be a great addition for the Bruins. If it gets done, then look for one of Boychuk or Stuart going to Colorado along with a 2nd round pick and prospect. Maybe more, but I can definitely see 2 of those 3 being included in the package.

FORWARD:
1. ~~Rich Peverley~~
Well, we all know the Bruins are shopping for a center. Probably not one that is signed for another 2-3 years because we are still not sure about Marc Savard. I know, I know. Peverley is signed for another year. However, he does not make much and will also come with a low risk, high reward. Peverley does have the instincts of a good passer; he is the poor man's Savard. Still good.

2. John Madden
Before you bitch about this, here me out. Madden is a superb shut down center. Yes, he's close to forty years old but he is also a free agent at the end of the year and won't cost much to acquire. Maybe just a 4th rounder. If the Bruins do acquire him, then there is a good chance Greggory Campbell gets a shot at the third line for the time being. And I would not have any trouble with that. Wheeler-Campbell-Ryder & Seguin-Madden-Thornton. Sign me up.

3. Brad Richards
I just had to put him in the top 3. Do the Bruins acquire him by the 28th? Probably not. In fact, I highly doubt they do get him. But you just never know.

Monsters of the Week

2011-02-12T14:32:00.000-05:00

Two things have been bugging me for a while. One dates back to last April, and the other last November. Supernatural and Fringe, respectively.

I still believe, strongly that is, that Supernatural should have ended last year - their 5th season. It should have been it, series done.

Sam accepts to be Lucifers host, and successfully throws himself in the cage. As a result, Lucifer cannot destroy the world, Sam sacrifices himself for the good of mankind, and his brother, Dean, goes on to start a family and live a normal life.

It should have ended there. I was satisfied with that ending. I really was. However, they did make Sam reappear at the end to provide a "twist" for the following season. Dumb. The main creator and writer, Eric Kripke, had planned 5 seasons, and did so. He left the show in the hands of other writers - some had been there from the beginning - to continue the series. To fuck it up ... I mean, provide more arcs. Sorry.

The sixth season is already underway (right now it is at their fourteenth episode). Although it has some decent moments, some pretty good episodes, it is convoluted and filled with bad stories and a plot (which is wishy washy) that is clearly being rushed and slightly forced. Shit, I cannot believe I said wishy washy. I love the show, I really do. Anyone that knows me, knows that Supernatural is my favorite show. And I will continue to watch it because it is something I started watching from the beginning and it is a show like no other. I just hope that the CW network don't fucking milk this series like they did with that piece of shit series called Smallville.

As for Fringe, and I'll make it quick, it is not going to last much longer. Why? Because Fox is a fucking douche bag. They ruin every good show or shows that have the potential, yet keep stupid, dumb fuck shows such as American Dad, The Cleveland Show, Glee, etc etc. What happened to shows like Firefly? Arrested Development? Yeah, I know. So Fringe, which was on Thursdays, has moved to Fridays in 2011. And yes, their ratings are falling. Falling, falling, falling. There is still hopes for a 4th season, but it is starting to look dim right now. Honestly, I would not be surprised if Fringe is renewed for a fourth season only to have pulled within 5-10 episodes into the new season.

Third Week & Clock Is Ticking

2011-01-24T18:00:00.000-05:00

Don't know what I will be writing about. Though it does make it more exciting, no? Maybe I will talk about anthropology, or this kick-ass novel by Don DeLillo called Players. Or maybe this awful, weird looking, tastes-like-shit beer I am having. Don't know how I have drank half at this point. And I keep taking sips. Damn, this beer is something, huh? Bare with me, I have 4 1/2 hours to kill before the hockey game.

Alright, back to this "beer." It's light, shiny yellow - the color of piss. It's two weeks in a row that my father bought this beer .... two weeks in a row. Last week I tried it for the first time. I thought it was at best O.K. At best. Then I thought, "well, maybe the pizza I was eating had an effect on my perception of this beer." OK, so I had my second the other day. If the pizza had any effect on the beer, then it only made the taste less awful - if that is possible. Yeah.

Today, right now, is the third time I've opened this type of beer. Why? Well, I honestly thought it was Brahma (Brazil beer) until I had a sip. Damn, was I ever fucking wrong. Nope. It's Sleeman: Silver Creek Lager.

Wake up Mr. West, Mr. West, Mr. West

2011-01-14T14:35:00.000-05:00

I can sit here all day and tell you about all sorts of things like why I love Rage Against the Machine, or why watching sports isn't as fun as it used to be, and so on. OK, not all day, but you catch my drift. Too many things to talk about, and to be honest, I don't want to clutter this blog with posts-after-posts of utter crap or unimportant stuff. Then again, I probably already do. But at least I'm limiting it, right?

Alright, without further ado I present to you my choice of Best Album of 2010: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West. If you ask me (which you probably are), Kanye West is an underrated artist. Sure he has said and done a lot of dumb things while being in the limelight, but his music talents (vision, producing music, rapping, etc) should not be brushed aside. We all know about the whole Taylor Swift incident: Kanye interrupting Swift's one true moment of "honor" by saying Beyonce should have won the award. Immature? Yes. Was he right about America turning a blind eye to real/true art and culture? Of course he was. Hate him all you want, but Kanye never tries to be someone he's not. It's like watching a Guns N' Roses concert live: Axl Rose will come on stage late - always has, and always will - don't expect him to perform on time. Kanye West is, well, Kanye West. Talented, big ego (oh, does he ever), says what he feels when he feels like it, and so on. He admits it himself.

Despite doing some dumb things, Kanye West is a great artist who goes beyond the limits in the musical world, and isn't afraid to deliver a different style of music. In other words, Kanye West invests heavily in the art of music.

Enough of my rambling. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy gives off the impression of an egotistic maniac trying to do so many things in a short amount of time. Add the sexual fantasies, twisted humor, insanely good flow in both the beat and the singers/rappers, and a bit of almost every genre, and you've got My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Sounds a lot and all over the place, and in a way it is - but in a very good, yet complex way. Sort of a big sound. Kanye, again, trying to deliver something different from his other albums. Mission accomplished.

I will admit it. The first two, three times I heard the new album, I said to myself, "Different. Seems loud (rhythm, layers, etc), and it's missing something." It was missing something alright: my deep attention. I expected something more akin to Late Registration or Graduation, but what I got was something totally different - something that tested the waters and was different than any rap album. Kanye did it again.

Song list:
1. Dark Fantasy
2. Gorgeous
3. Power
4. All of the Lights (Interlude)
5. All of the Lights
6. Monster
7. So Appalled
8. Devil in a New Dress
9. Runaway
10. Hell of a Life
11. Blame Game
12. Lost in the World
12. Who will Save America

Ones in bold are my favorite. The first half of the album is in-your-face, heavy rhtym and vocals; the second half is more light, and artsy. Runaway is a perfect example of Kanye breaching the limits and delivering Art.

It's Like That Y'All

2010-12-31T14:57:00.000-05:00

Things, music and some bullshit (pronounced: buuuuull-sheeeeeet).

If there is one thing I failed to do this year (among many, I guess) it is keeping this blog fresh and updated every week. There was less quantity and less quality this year. A shame. I do not post for the sake of posting. Well, you already know that. Though I haven't posted much quality stuff either.

Fuck. I've said this way too much. However, once again, I will say that I will try hard to post a lot more - quality - on this blog.

Passionless, Horse Shit, Disinterested and Lost: It's Called Bruins

2010-12-16T23:00:00.000-05:00

Let's end this year with a bang - this blog, I mean. Something that has been itching within me lately. More aggravating than usual. Less fun and more horse shit, to be honest. Now, I'm not the one to bitch and complain about things. Those that know me, know that I am a passionate hockey fan - a Bruins fan.

I'm not biased, but I can be too faithful to my team. Let's face it, every sports fan does this. However, I am fair as much as I can be. If a bullshit penalty is given to the opponent, then I will say it is bullshit. If a goal should have counted, for the bruins or the opponent, then I will say it should have counted. Obviously, if it is the opponent I would say something like, "That is a fucking goal, but lucky for us (bruins) it didn't count. Once again, the refs and this league are inconsistent and do a fucking garbage job." Yes, I used profanity because I'm being true to you and myself. That's what I would say, more or less.

For example, last night's (Wednesday) game against the Sabres, the bruins could and should have taken the lead. Miller (Sabres goalie) purposely came out of his crease to stop the puck. Simultaneously, Thornton (Bruin played) collides with Miller. The puck did not touch Thornton or Miller, but it landed on Marchand's (bruin player) stick and he banked it in easily. The goal was called off because of goalie interference. Thornton was penalized, and this changed the momentum of the third period in favor of the Sabres who ended up winning the game. I have an enormous problem with the refs call. No way should the goal have been called off. Miller decides to be a jackass that he is and leaps out of his crease in anticipation of the shot from the blue line. The puck never reaches him. He was out of the crease - out of the crease. Sure, Thornton collides with him (no intent which is seen on the play). Once again, Miller was way out of his crease - about a foot or two. Once a goalie is out of his crease to challenge a shot, then all bets are off unless the intent is obvious - the player clearly vying to knock the goalie out. This was not there last night (Wednesday). Thornton was heading for the top of the crease - standing in front of the goalie when your team is in the offensive zone is part of hockey. However, Miller decides it would be fun to go out of his crease. Hell, he might be looking for a cookie for all I know. That's the story.

I'm sick and tired of these so-called NHL refs continuously being inconsistent. Sure, humans make errors. It's a given. But aren't you sick and tired of this excuse? I know I am. They call a penalty to one team, but don't seem to think it's a penalty when the other team does it. Then they get offended that they're being called names on the ice. Oh, shut up! If you were doing your job right, then you wouldn't be hearing players calling you out.

For example, last night (Wednesday) - yes, I'm going back to the same game - Milan Lucic (Bruins) makes a legal hit - crisp and clean as it can get - yet he is called for boarding. This is in the first period. Complete bullshit penalty. Oh, and the Sabres capitalize to tie the game on the powerplay. Then later in the third - late in the third, actually - Vanek and Myers (both Sabre players) do the exact same thing to Lucic. Exact same sort of hit. By the way, Lucic did not have the puck. Refs don't call it, so Lucic let's the refs have it. After the game, Lucic said he called the refs a "joke" and an "embarrassment." Rightfully so, if I may add. For those comments (with less than 2 minutes left in the game while the Bruins trailed by one), Lucic is assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct. What a way for a ref to look big and tough, huh? Stupid. Just stupid. Give the guy a misconduct (10 minutes, out of the game and NO power play for the Sabres), but not an unsportsmanlike conduct that put the Sabres on the power play - basically giving the game to the Sabres. Once again, let me reiterate, I'm not being biased here. Plain and simple: a ref should not penalize a player like that with less than 2 minutes for something said that did not warrant a penalty to begin with. Hell, if unsportsmanlike conducts were given for every time a player says something like that on the ice, then the game would be incredibly slow and just painful to watch. Bottom line: the ref (if he really needed too, apparently he did) should have given Lucic a misconduct. It seemed, to me at least, that the ref (O'Rourke) took it as a way to punish the Bruins and not Lucic.

On to the next one.

Tonight's game against the Montreal Canadiens. Rivalry game - game that should easily pump up both teams no matter how bad they have been playing lately. How should I say this? I'll sum up the bruins performance in tonight's game in two words: horse shit. And I mean every fucking word. There is too much anger from my part towards the bruins players right now after watching this horse shit of a performance. Lack of everything - passion, compete level, heart, skating, desire. Everything. It's missing, and I am starting to wonder what goes on in that locker room. I like Zdeno Chara, but games like these make me question his leadership, his captaincy, which he got without even playing a single game for the bruins.

The first period was .... wait for it .... horse shit. Absolutely horse shit. The penalty shot awarded to the Canadiens did not exist. You are going to tell me that that entitles a penalty shot? Really? That? Should I clean your glasses because they look fogged to me. That short penalty shot, surprisingly, ended up costing the bruins the game. That's what some fans would argue. I'll take it in another direction. That penalty shot was bullshit, did not exist, but it was not what costed the bruins the game. Sure, it took away any momentum from the bruins - did they even have any? - but it was not the reason for the bruins to play like ... wait for it ... horse shit.

Sloppy everything. Sloppy passes. Sloppy skating. Sloppy energy. I would probably be more entertained watching a horse attempt to skate on ice than see this bruins team play like that again. Scratch that, I would be entertained. Hell, I'll go fucking dance with the fucking horse. I'll be the first in line.

The bruins need to pull their heads out of their asses - if it is not too deep in there - and start playing for the B-crest on the chests. Enough of the horse shit plays and lack of everything. Memo to the so-called bruins players: the third period is not fucking Christmas every fucking game! You're not going to pull comebacks every fucking game. Enough is enough. I definitely enjoyed kicking my bruins cap in frustration after the second period. Damn, did it take a beating - just like the bruins tonight.

Oh, and that power play. Don't get me started on the power play. In fact, I will cut this short before I throw this laptop into the snow. The power play is a joke. A total joke. Horse shit. Disaster. You name it - for the record, I'm calling it horse shit just like the teams performance last night and tonight (Thursday). Three power plays in the third, when you are trailing by 2 goals, and you only manage to have ONE fucking shot?!! ONE? ONE? Really? ONE fucking shot? Mind you, the Bruins scored on that lone shot (that was on their third power play in the third period). But ONE? One fucking shot? Wow, I'll tell you what, the bruins were motivated and really wanted to win the hockey game.

Fuck that shit.

A Reminder

2010-12-01T09:47:00.001-05:00

I'm going to keep this brief. Just a few things to keep in mind. I was going to write about the whole Colin Campbell - Marc Savard news - emails about Campbell's criticizing NHL refs and Savard for being a "little faker" - but decided not to. If, by chance, I decide to change my mind, then I will write about it - I'll give myself November 24th as the last day to write it.

Furthermore, the shit loads of essays and exams have clogged my preferred schedule of writing on this blog at least twice a week. It's tough, and it will be tough to do so until December 13. I haven't even posted anything on my poem/lyrics blog this month. It seems like it will be the first time ever that at least one poem/lyric is not blogged.

I have not written much on here for the last month or so. It is a shame, really. I will not abandon this blog, though. That's a guarantee. Anyways, I do want to start working on a short story - a story that will rise as I write. Or go up in smoke.

- Claudio

November Edition Updated

2010-12-01T09:47:00.000-05:00

Same as the October edition. And yes, I promise to get back to blogging stuff other than predictions.

November:
(3) @ Buffalo 5-2 W Brad Marchand 1G (SH) 1A [BINGO]
4-2 W Nathan Horton 2G

(5) @ Washington 5-3 L Michael Ryder 1G 1A
3-1 W Tim Thomas 37 saves

(6) St. Louis 2-1 SOL
4-1 W Nathan Horton 2G

(10) @ Pittsburgh 7-4 W Shawn Thornton GWG
2-1 OTL Tuukka Rask 34 saves

(11) Montreal 3-1 L
5-1 W Milan Lucic 3G

(13) Ottawa 2-0 L
3-0 W Michael Ryder 2G

(15) New Jersey 3-0W [BINGO]
3-1 W Patrice Bergeron 3A

(17) @ NY Rangers 3-2 W [BINGO]
3-1 W Tyler Seguin 2G

(18) Florida 4-0 W [BINGO] - Lucic 3G, Horton 3A
4-2 W Nathan Horton 2G 2A

(20) Los Angeles 4-3 SOL
3-1 L Jordan Caron 1G

(22) @ Tampa Bay 3-1 L
5-3 W David Krejci 4A

(24) @ Florida 3-1 W
3-2 L Greggory Campbell 1G (his first as a Bruin)

(26) Carolina 3-0 L
6-1 W Brad Marchand 2G

(28) @ Atlanta 4-1 L
3-1 W Zdeno Chara 2G

Home Games: 7
Road Games: 7
November Record: 4-10
Prediction Record: 8-14 (4-4)

Schedule Predictions: October Edition *Updated Oct 31

2010-10-31T12:31:00.000-04:00

Alright, folks. I have decided to stick with hockey for this blog post. This is going to be used for predictions (games | goal scorers) concerning the Boston Bruins only. I have written my predictions from the beginning of this season on a small piece of paper, and have now just decided to shove it here. Yes, shove it.

I will bump this blog post during and after every Bruins game. I also have zero intentions of altering the predictions in my favor; this would just defeat the purpose of having some fun. My prediction of the score, and which Bruins will have a great game, will be posted under the scheduled game. Beside the team will be the actual score.

Games from October 9 to 21 have already been played, but I will put what I thought was going to happen the day of the game.

October:
(9) Phoenix (Prague) 5-2 L Horton 2G
4-1 W Nathan Horton 2G 1A

(10) @Phoenix (Prague) 3-0 W Krejci 2A [Bingo]
4-2 W Milan Lucic 1G 2A

(16) @ New Jersey 4-1 W
2-1 L Greggory Campbell 1G

(19) @ Washington 3-1 W Krejci 1G 1A [Bingo]
4-3 OTW Michael Ryder 2G (GWG)

(21) Washington 4-1 W Bergeron 2A
4-2 L Patrice Bergeron 2G

(23) New York Rangers 3-2 L Horton 1G 1A
3-1 W Blake Wheeler 1G 1A

(28) Toronto 2-0 W Seguin's 1st goal in Boston [Bingo]
5-2 W Michael Ryder 2G 1A

(30) @ Ottawa 4-0 W Tim Thomas back-to-back shutouts [Bingo]
4-1 W Nathan Horton 2G

*October 23: Prediction for that game is in. So far I am 2-3 (right-wrong: terms of predicting wins/losses). There are 3 games remaining this month, and the only team that I can see us having a tough time beating is New York because of Henrik Lundqvist.

*October Record: 4-4

A Month Of [Heavy] Rain (Hold Onto Your Minds)!!

2010-10-27T19:03:00.001-04:00

November, November, the month not to remember.

Indeed. In-deeeed. A surplus of shit. A tower of books to read, highlight, note and shut. Revise, crack fingers, stretch and look at notes again. Get up, stretch (again), look at the books, look at the floor, then the books again.

Open the front door. Put all the books, which are needed to complete a load of essays, on top of each other. Take a couple of steps back. Stop. Stretch neck. Stare at the tower of books. Now look outside. It's raining. Heavy rain. Thunder. You hear thunder. Get ready. Get that adrenaline pumping. Faster. Faster. Now charge and kick those books out of the freaking house.

At that moment you will wake up. A smile planted on your face. A great dream. A great idea. Yeah.

Countdown: Top T.V Shows [6-10]

2010-10-25T21:02:00.000-04:00

A few blog posts back (I believe the one before the hockey stats) I went on sort of a tangent discussing about the Wire. I stopped, then began talking about an idea for my next blog post: my 10 favorite shows (airing and have aired). From there I do not know what the hell I was writing or thinking at the moment. I know I did not go into much, or any detail about why I like the Wire, but I decided to blog it nonetheless. Remember, the point of this blog is not to be articulate, fancy or some New York Times fucking report. Sorry about the profanity, I just had to. No, this blog is more about saying whatever comes up in my mind.

Anyways. I decided to split this in two parts. At first I though, "sure, I'll blog my top 5 favorite shows." But I decided it would be more exciting if I would blog my top 10 shows and split it in two blog posts. Suspense, I guess. If there is any. No big deal.

I figure it would be boring if I just listed the show with a number attached to it. No purposes blogging that, really. Instead, for each show I list there will be a short paragraph about why it's listed, the good/bad, ect ect. What makes the show better than the others.

Let me tell you this, it is not easy to come up with the top 10. It's even harder to come up with my 5 favorite shows. In order to be ranked in my top 10, the show must have completed at least one season. Though, I must admit that I already knew what show was my number 1. Without further blabbing, let's get this ball rolling.

10. Curb Your Enthusiasm

The last of the pile; the last piece to the puzzle, but certainly not the least favorite show. Although it was not hard choosing my number 1 favorite show, choosing the tenth was a challenge. More like having one last lollipop, but two kids who want it. OK, that's not a great example, but it points out the problem. It was either 24, the thrilling, action-packed shoot-'em-up-and-ask-questions-later (OK, not really. Opposite that last point), or a comedy show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, about an arrogant, pain-in-the-ass dude who created the show Seinfeld. (24, as you already know, or should, is about Jack Bauer, CTU [Counter Terrorist Unit], who fights terrorism in ONE day!).

Fuck was this one hard. I love both shows. However, it came down to which show was more consistent throughout its seasons and which was more entertaining. Curb Your Enthusiasm won the number tenth spot; it has had seven solid and entertaining years. A show filled with stupid comedy, which always satisfies me. This is not to say that 24 is awful or not entertaining. It was to a certain point; the first three seasons were brilliant - great pace, solid story, good cast, and just enough action. However, the next 5 seasons weren't as close to the glory of seasons 1,2 and 3. Now this is not to say it wasn't a good show. The show in my view began declining by season 6. I still watched it because I liked Jack Bauer and the action, though silly at times, provided just about enough to continue watching. After a while it came to the point that I was just watching out of loyalty (this was season 7-8).

Curb Your Enthusiasm, on the other hand, had great guest stars (Ted Danson, Super Dave Osborne, and a shit load of other greats!), and very little dull moments (very rare actually). Some of the conversations Larry David (creator of Seinfeld and main character) has with other characters on the show are outright hilarious and stupid at the same time. One of the few shows that I can quote from the top of my head. Seven solid seasons, folks. Consistent.

Here's a scene from the show: Doctor's Phone.

9. Lost

Remember that show that everyone was talking about six years ago? A plane filled with passengers crashes on a mysterious island. A dozen or so survive. Then weird stuff begins to happen: smoke monster, disease/physical and mental problems are mysteriously healed, numerous hatches underground, and odd folks, a.k.a the Others, living there for many years. Yeah, that freaking show. Some followed it religiously, others tuned in to see what the fuck was happening. Others didn't give a fuck. Well, I was tuned in to find out what was happening. Luckily I never became obsessed with the show. Sure, I read message boards and had discussions about the show and what was happening, but christ I never became obsessed with it while wearing tin foiled hats.

It was a good show. Great marketing, too. For six seasons the writers enjoyed fucking with the viewers mind. Six freaking years. Take a moment to grasp that. Six. There were times where it was beyond confusing - just stupid. And there were times when the show strived and looked brilliant - i.e. developing characters in the first 3 seasons. The flashbacks were superbly done, and then they switched to flash-forwards, which was handled well, too. Although the writing and direction of the show became more shaky in the second half of the series, it was structured well enough to provide entertainment and build mystery to characters - some that never appeared again, or were never fully develop. More like lost in the smoke. Yet, it was by far one of the most entertaining shows in the last 6 years. Perhaps the most successful in building the mysterious Island.

One day I will re-watch all the seasons, but that will be a hell of a summer. Evangeline Lilly is a bonus.

8. Seinfeld

Another show that involved Larry David. Seinfeld. Classic, I must say. This will be the shorter of the bunch here. What can I say that has not been already said all these years. The show, which last aired in 1998, had eight brilliant years. Repeats are always on t.v. (check, you will see them), and watching the same episodes never get old. George's Exploding Waller, Tribute to Kramer,George's Blind Date

7. Californication

The show about sex, I mean writing. I mean sex. OK, a bit of both. Well, plenty of sex. Necessary to the writing of the story. Let me pause for a moment. Fooling around, making love with women and being a famous writer who has hit a wall - yeah, that writers block thing. That's Hank Moody (David Duchovny). Sex addict. Fiend. Mr. Wood.

There are those who get turned off by the amount of sex in a show like Californication. 'It's too much'. 'Is it really necessary?' And then you get the casual, "God damn it, Moody. Keep for dick in your pants and write a fucking book!" I find those people weird and just plain boring. Well, fortunately for viewers who enjoy a good story with great dialogue and a purpose, Hank Moody does not keep his dick in his pants all the time. But since I'm on the topic let me assure you that the show is not about sex. Sure, there is sex in the show - it is necessary. However, sex is used by Hank Moody to release stress, deal with insecurity and writers block. His life is fun and full of exotic excitement, but his family life is in most part in shambles. He's not married, but has had an on-and-off relationship with the mother of his only daughter.

It's a show that, unlike other comedies, does not focus on delivering punch lines, sex jokes or adding dumb viewers. Though it can never be tiring to hear sex jokes. It's fresh. I think that is how I can describe it best. I am sure that there have been many shows before Californication that have tried to come off fresh and put forward this sort of story and focus, but I cannot think of any that have done as great a job as Californication. It's different and fresh. There is not any laugh track (thank goodness) and the jokes aren't forced, repeated or even focused on. You need to pay attention to the witty dialogue; it demands the attention of the viewer, which is always good for a show.

Here's a scene from the first season that gives you a glimpse of what the show is about, and how sex, comedy smoothly merges into a serious situation: Hank Moody goes to Church.

6. True Blood

This could have been slotted as my fifth favorite show, but some thought and hard decisions later I came to agreement that True Blood belonged at number six. This is not your typical Vampire genre where love is displayed as some sort of emo thing, and vampires are sucking blood from every useless woman's neck. Twilight series and Vampire Diaries can take their bullshit and shove it straight up their ass. Those two shows are an embarrassment to the concept of Vampires.

Unlike the Twilight series (novels), True Blood takes pride in building characters and delivering a solid and satisfying story of vampires and other mythical creatures. Sure there are one or two annoying characters in the show, but it is not because they are badly written or because they lack acting. No. It fits what the character brings to the show and how he or she is utilized (properly of course!). For example, Jason Stackhouse, the sister of Sookie (mind reader, hot body, not the typical blond, and loves Bill, a vampire), is promiscuous. He is dumb, fucks almost every girl he lays eyes on, but has a good heart. To me, he is not annoying. But I can see how he can be annoying for some.

Like Californication, sex is part of True Blood; the good thing is that both shows do not overuse it or just put it in the show for the sake of putting it. No. I am not a passionate fan of Vampires. I am not interested in learning about Vampire history or watching a show/movie about Vampires. But, True Blood is an exception. Unfortunately, I cannot remember how I got into this show. The characters and story are better developed and far more interesting than the shows above (Californication, Seinfeld, Lost & Curb Your Enthusiasm). There are a lot of great characters that bring something different to the table: Lafayette (Cook, and part-time drug dealer), Sam (transforms into animals, and is the owner of the local bar/restaurant), Tara (troubled childhood, best friend of Sookie, and always gets stirred up in some shit), Andy (local police office turned sheriff, witty, and always looks out for the betterment of others), etc etc.

Here's a scene with another great character, Eric (Vampire): contains spoilers Eric visits the Queen.

And there you have it, my favorite shows from number ten to six. The top five will be blogged sometime this week, but I cannot promise on a certain date because I am quite busy.

Countdown: Top T.V Shows [1-5]

2010-10-25T20:59:00.001-04:00

*[This has been written after the blog post above. I figured it would be best to have the top 6-10 before seeing the top 1-5.]*

As promised, I will post my favorite five television series. Some are currently airing, while others have already ended airing. Like any other topic, there will be debates on why this show is ranked higher than that show, and vice-versa. Or there won't be any debates on this post simply because people are too shy to comment (Don't be!). Either way, I still write and have fun; that is the important thing.

Keep in mind that I am not suggesting, implying or dictating that these are the best t.v shows being televised or have been televised. Simply not the case. This is just one man's opinion on what are the 10 best shows for him (yes, that is me). Then again, I have already stated this in the blog post, Countdown: Top T.V Shows [6-10].

Note: This has been around for the last 10 days, and I haven't gotten the chance to include reasons for all shows. Therefore, I excluded the reasons I did have (which was very little) and decided to post this (what you have below this). I will include my reasons shortly; I just thought it would be best to get this out there before I forget.

5. Fringe
4. Breaking Bad
3. The Wire
2. The X-Files
1. Supernatural

Bruins Current & Potential Lineups

2010-10-15T13:31:00.000-04:00

Minor changes to previous blog post (2 down posts down), Projected Stats: Boston Bruins Edition. My predictions have been finalized by October 7. However, I feel that I should add the various projected lineups here. As already stated, Marco Sturm is projected to return to the lineup in late November, while Marc Savard status is unclear. It was said that perhaps Savard may return in December, maybe in 2011. The thing with concussions and depression is that there isn't a timetable. But Savard will undergo a test or two in the next 10 days and that may help determine a sort of timeline when he might be back. Let's hope for the best.

Here are my projected lineups

Offense (To start the year) Without Marc Savard

Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton
Jordan Caron - Patrice Bergeron - Mark Recchi
Blake Wheeler - Tyler Seguin - Michael Ryder
Daniel Paille - Gragory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand

There is still a good possibility that Jordan Caron is sent down; Marchand would be on the third line, Wheeler would move to the second line and Brian McGrattan would be the scratch.

OPTION A
Offense: With Marc Savard (No Marco Sturm)

Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton
Blake Wheeler - Marc Savard - Michael Ryder
Mark Recchi - Patrice Bergeron - Tyler Seguin
Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand

Jordan Caron would be the likely candidate sent down. I can see many different combination's when Marc Savard returns. However, I do think Krejci-Horton will be a tough line to break, and Savard will need sometime to get back into the game. Eventually when Savard is back on track, he will be re-united with Lucic and possibly have Seguin on the other wing.

OPTION B
Offense: With Marco Sturm (No Marc Savard)

Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton
Blake Wheeler - Patrice Bergeron - Mark Recchi
Marco Sturm - Tyler Seguin - Michael Ryder
Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand

OPTION C
Offense: With Marco Sturm & Marc Savard

Milan Lucic - Marc Savard - Nathan Horton
Blake Wheeler - David Krejci - Tyler Seguin
Marco Sturm - Patrice Bergeron - Mark Recchi
Daniel Paille - Gregory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand

This makes for a very interesting and dominant lineup. With both Savard and Sturm back, Boston would have to shed some salary since they will be over the cap. The most likely target would be Michael Ryder and his 4 million cap hit. But who would take him? His value would be very low, but considering he will be a rental there might just be buyers early in the month. There isn't any space to have Savard, Sturm AND Ryder at the same time unless someone else gets hurt and lands on the LTIR.

I really like Option C. Stanley Cup contenders? I believe so. Boston have a great shot at winning at least one Stanley Cup in the next 4-5 years. Reason? Mainly talent, system & depth.

Projected Stats: Boston Bruins Edition Updated: Final!

2010-10-07T11:59:00.002-04:00

Projected Points:
Centers
David Krejci: 80GP 22G 66A 88PTS 28PIM
Patrice Bergeron: 78GP 19G 43A 62PTS 28PIM
Tyler Seguin: 82GP 17G 27A 44PTS 34PIM
Gregory Campbell: 80GP 6G 11A 17PTS 51PIM
*Marc Savard: 40GP 10G 22A 32PTS 24PIM

Left Wingers
Milan Lucic: 76GP 23G 28A 51PTS 137PIM
Blake Wheeler: 82GP 25G 25A 50PTS 49PIM
Jordan Caron: 22GP 3G 7A 10PTS 19PIM
Daniel Paille: 76GP 8G 12A 20PTS 26PIM

Right Wingers
Nathan Horton: 78GP 38G 38A 76PTS 69PIM
Michael Ryder: 82GP 27G 24A 51PTS 22PIM ***
Mark Recchi: 82GP 17G 28A 45PTS 46PIM
Shawn Thornton: 67GP 1G 7A 8PTS 164PIM

Scratch
Brad Marchand: 33GP 2G 5A 7PTS 48PIM
Brian McGrattan: 15GP 0G 0A 0PTS 37PIM
Zach Hamill: 8GP 1G 1A 2PTS 2PIM
*Marco Sturm: 47GP 13G 11A 24PTS 26PIM

*** If Michael Ryder gets traded when Marco Sturm & Marc Savard come back, then here's the numbers I think he'll put out:
40GP 15G 12A 27PTS 14PIM

Defense
Zdeno Chara: 81GP 15G 39A 54PTS 109PIM
Dennis Seidenberg: 76GP 5G 31A 36PTS 67PIM
Johnny Boychuk: 78GP 12G 19A 31PTS 74PIM
Matt Hunwick: 73GP 6G 13A 19PTS 41PIM
Mark Stuart: 82GP 3G 6A 9PTS 111PIM
Andrew Ference: 47GP 0G 5A 5PTS 42PIM
Scratch
Adam McQuaid: 31GP 1G 2A 3PTS 37PIM
Andrew Bodnarchuk: 15GP 0G 0A 0PTS 12PIM
Matt Barkowski: 7GP 0G 4A 4PTS 8PIM

Forwards: 220-232 Goals
Defense: 42 Goals
Total: 262-274 goals

Realistic?

* Will start the season on LTIR. Savard will miss the entire month of October; date of return is uncertain. Marco Sturm is projected to be back late November-mid December.

Projected Lines

Offense (To start the year)
Line 1: Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Nathan Horton
Line 2: Jordan Caron - Patrice Bergeron - Mark Recchi
Line 3: Blake Wheeler - Tyler Seguin - Michael Ryder
Line 4: Daniel Paille - Gragory Campbell - Shawn Thornton
Scratch: Brad Marchand

Note: This is all speculation, but the third line will certainly consist of a rookie (in my opinion, it will be a battle between Hamill [center], Jordan Caron [left wing] and Joe Colborne [center]). Brad Marchand winning a spot on the third line seems like a long shot. Expect Hamill (21 years old) to get the spot, at least for the month of October. Caron is making a case for himself, though. Hamill doesn't deserve a spot on the third line, but him being there will allow the Bruins more time to carefully develop the young players. (September 27 2010)*

Lineup will change once Marco Sturm and/or Marc Savard come back. Expect a young player (Hamill or whoever wins the spot on the third line) to be sent down, and a possible trade (most likely involving Michael Ryder). But, what happens if Ryder begins the season by tearing it up, popping goals right and left? I cannot see Sturm or Ryder on the fourth line while Shawn Thornton, Greggory Campbell or Daniel Paille sit out. It will be interesting to see what unfolds. (September 27 2010)*

Notes (October 2): Zach Hamill was sent down to the AHL this past week, which left the two remaining spots (second line forward and 13th forward). Brad Marchand, Jordan Caron & Brian MaGrattan are now fighting for the remaining two spots. It does seem that Jordan Caron will win a spot on the second line. Caron has been skating a ton with Bergeron & Recchi, while Tyler Seguin has been centering Wheeler & Ryder this past week.

Defense
Line 1: Zdeno Chara - Dennis Seidenberg
Line 2: Johnny Boychuk - Matt Hunwick
Line 3: Mark Stuart - Andrew Ference
Scratch: Adam McQuaid

Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask

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Notes From The Other Side: An Unfinished Thought

2010-10-04T22:29:00.000-04:00

It's been a while. It has. In fact, I cannot remember the last time I sat here and took my time to write something on this blog other than predicting Bruins stats. I haven't written anything down besides numbers. Well, that is if you don't count school work. So, the question is what the fuck have I been doing lately.

I'll tell you what the fuck I've been doing lately, the Wire. Not humping it or anything like that. Fuck no. I've been watching it, you dirty minded ass. Back to the magnificent drama t.v series called the Wire. A show that began in 2002 and ended in 2008. A show that not many heard or watched until it was coming to an end. That's partially because it aired on HBO. It focused more on developing characters and the story properly.

It is rare for a show to have an abundance of characters that are all properly developed, and none left behind to rot and slowly disappear like other shows (i.e. Lost, Smallville, and all those bullshit Vampire shows not named True Blood). 5 seasons, each focusing on a particular institution (School, politics, newspaper, port) and drugs, all the while tying every loose end.

All this talk and thought about the Wire has made me think about what are my top 5 favorite shows. I can seriously have some fun with that. In fact, my next blog will be dedicated to my top 5 shows. However, it will not just be a list of the 5 shows. Nope. I will briefly describe what the show is about, why it is in my top 5, and why you should be watching it. Fuck, that is a splendid idea.

It's Gold, Baby, It's Gold!

2010-09-11T16:51:00.000-04:00

It's been a while, hasn't it? It sure has. I didn't miss the internet, I can tell you that much. It's better to spend one day as a lion then a hundred years as a sheep. I'm paraphrasing. Don't ask me why I have written what I have written. Meh.

Alright. Oh, almost forgot. I've been in Italy and Switzerland from 15th August to 5th September. The only regret was that I wish I could have stayed longer. Oh, and McDonald's better start selling beer with their hamburger trios. That's right, beer. It's how it's done in Europe.

Switzerland. Magnifique. I can never get bored of seeing mountain after mountain. Such beauty. And the french in Geneva - french from France of course - is romantic, and better than this so-called french here in Quebec. Fuck that. It is so much cleaner, and more enjoyable than here. But shit is expensive. Oh yeah. Zurich too, but it, too, is magnifique. More German, though, since it's near the border of Germany. I stayed in Lugano, too. South of Switzerland, near border of Italy. Sweet. Surrounded by a great big lake (forgot what it's called. Specific name, I think).

I love Switzerland. And the women there too.

Italy. I went to a bunch of places. Florence: the art of love. Beautiful architect, and lovely history (though not as eye-opening as the history of Rome. Sorry Florence). Padova: their passion for Sant' Antonio. Religious, but a lovely and passionate city. Venice: You need to see it to believe it. Panni: Great town on a mountain. Homes crammed together, seeing the same people every day, and feeling like one big family. Roccamonfina: the little brother of Panni (in my eyes). Rome: aaahh, Rome. Ancient history. Ruins. Romans. Colosseum. Roman Forum. Fountain of Trevi. The list goes on.

That's all for now. I know you're disappointed in the lack of detail, but life isn't fair is it?

Goin', Goin', Gone: (Paradise)

2010-08-14T13:00:00.001-04:00

As of today, I hand in my resignation. This blog will be put to sleep for a good while. I haven't taken the opportunity to come up with anything witty, intelligent or tear-jerking. I saved you whatever that may be - unless you are a cold hearted bitch, then well, I saved you nothing. What can I say? I'm not going out with guns blazin' or whippin' shit, and whatnot.

If you have read this far, then you are most likely jumping for joy, pumping your fist, or just so drunk that you stumbled upon this blog thinking, for some odd reason, it's about porn. Meh. Well, you know, the Entertainment Factor and all.

Farewell, followers of all types, and those invisible, not wanting to show they are following. A sweet hearty laugh. I need to stretch - my legs, arms .... actually, after this I'll have to get off my ass.

I'm going to go find my November Rain, my Sweet Child O' Mine, My Michelle, and my Maria. It'll be a journey. A fun one at that. For sure, for sure. Write a bundle of poems/lyrics, drink champagne, soak myself in the water, and find what it is I find.

The lost is not forgotten. The found is not memorable. Love is a journey within a journey. Silence can be violence. Noise can be a man's best friend.

Pause. OK. Pause. I have a confession to make. I am not resigning. This is not my last blog post on this blog. But I will be away for some time. Away. Goin', Goin', Goin', Gone.

For now, this is the end .... for a while.

The end.

Short Story: On Hold

2010-08-13T15:06:00.000-04:00

This is going to be short, I promise. Remember the short story I talked about writing in my last blog post? Of course you don't. Well, go remind yourself by reading, Fuck! Where's The Motivation blog post.

It will be done. It will. But not right now due to being too busy at the moment. I'll be honest, I don't have a clue what it will be about. Though, that will change.

More tomorrow. That is a guarantee.

Fuck! Where's The Motivation?

2010-07-31T23:43:00.004-04:00

This is going to be a short one, I tell you.

I want to stray away from sports - hell, this isn't a sports blog, but I have talked about it in previous blogs. I won't chatter about how there is one month left before another year in University either. No. That's too boring, and irrelevant to talk about now - simply because school should not be the focus of summer. Well, at least not for me. I'll put it this way. When summer arrives (say, from May to end of August), the last thing I want surfacing on my mind is school. End of August, early September is different though. Yes, I know Summer ends September 21.

No. Today I will talk about bagel with cream cheese. Yes. Run, god dammit, run! OK. Don't. Gotcha. As if I'm going to bore you to death (as always) by writing about freaking bagels with cream cheese. Mind you, it's pretty damn good to have for breakfast. Not the healthiest of foods, but I believe it's great to have once, twice (hell, three!) times a week. OK, have it every single day for breakfast, lunch and supper. See if I care! Yes, yes I do care. Don't do it, just don't.

I have been thinking about writing a short story and blogging it here just for fun. I do not know what it would be about - some ideas here and there - but it would be a splendid side project introduced to Reality: Moment of Clarity. I will ponder a bit more, and see what I can come up with. I will blog about this in the next few days, should I choose to write a short story. Again, no promises just an idea. A side project.

Bad Habits Die Hard

2010-07-23T20:01:00.000-04:00

So, the other night I decided to drink Rum - a grand total of 6 glasses (with Orange juice). Well, at least 6 glasses that I remember. Instead of opening the delicious bottle of Cuban Rum, Havana Club, that my parents bought me last year when they went to Cuba, I opted for Appleton Estate. That, my friends, is some good Jamaican Rum.

I don't drink to get drunk - those who do are simply idiots and crave for stupidities. I'm not the type. I drink to expand my alcoholic expertise (Ha!). Really, I will drink to enjoy the booze, to chill out with friends, and so on. It's tough to enjoy, say a particular rum, when you're drinking to get drunk, to feel that buzz.

My favorite alcoholic beverage is whiskey. Irish. Jameson. However, I haven't had any in 2 years. I even remember the last time I drank some Jameson. March 17, 2008. St. Patrick's day. I drank 3/4 of a Jameson bottle (along with other drinks I don't remember). Let's just say I was heavily drunk and passed out on the couch. Now, I didn't decide to quit drinking Jameson, whiskey or any alcoholic beverage. In fact, I am not a heavy drinker - I will have a drink or two every once in a while (say, every 2 weeks). Hell, I might go a month or two without touching wine, beer or whiskey. But that was the last time I had Jameson. The main reason was because I began working the nightshift throughout the entire summer and barely had any time to drink wine, beer or whiskey. Time went by, and I decided to only have Jameson on special occasions - same goes for smoking Cigars. Soon. Soon.

OK. Back to wherever I was trying to go. So, the other night I drank Rum & orange juice. A lot. In my room while listening to music (LCD Soundsystem <- boy, is that shit dope). Getting to the point where you're tipsy/drunk is a tricky thing. It's different for everybody. For me, I have a bad habit of texting and calling friends. Unfortunately, my cousin received a shit load of texts & emails. I won't even get into the details (Ha!). I am a fun tipsy/drunk guy - at least that is what friends and cousins have told me. Fun to be around. And I like that a lot. I also blanked out from 1am to 4am. Must have fallen asleep ... that is what I keep telling myself. Yes, drinking can be a tricky thing. Anything can happen. Sometimes I feel and know what I am doing, but I choose to be loose and see where it takes me. Now, that doesn't happen all the time. I forget a lot. And if I'm drunk/tipsy there's a very good chance I won't remember most of what happened. That is why I always check my phone for texts sent, email, and so on. There is a sense of freedom, feeling loose and content. But I do not drink because I feel the need for freedom or to be happy. You do not need to drink to feel loose, content or free. Though, it does come with the territory of drinking.

I like my wine, too. Bitter & strong. Not sweet. When I'm drinking red wine I don't want to feel like I'm drinking passion fruit (Oasis) - disgusting. I hate sweet drinks, then again the term sweet differs to everyone. Speaking of which, I don't dig girls who drink hard stuff - heavy drinkers. Not a white wine guy, either. Red, red wine.

Where was I? I actually wanted to see what lyrics/poems I could come up with while drunk/tipsy. Yes, yes this contradicts what I have been talking about above. I'll admit, I wanted to get that buzz to see what I could come up with (lyrics/poems). Unfortunately, the experiment failed as I did not write any bloody poem/lyric. Yeah, and I am not trying this again anytime soon. OK, maybe in a few weeks. Yes?

The Summer of Reading 2.0 Updated August 11

2010-07-05T07:33:00.001-04:00

This is another edition of summer reading for me. Last year I read 9 novels during the summer while at work. For those of you who don't know, last summer I worked the graveyard shift at Home Depot. I spent my 2 breaks (15 minutes) and lunch (30-45 minutes) reading.

Here's what I read last summer:
Shutter Island
White Noise
The Road
Cannery Row
The Winter of Our Discontent
Telex From Cuba
The Grapes of Wrath
We The Living
The Bourne Supremacy

Here's what I would like to read this summer:
Underworld
The Lost City of Z
The Closers
The Secret Agent
End of the Affair (currently reading)
Bright Shiny Morning
Atlas Shrugged
October Country
The Regulators
Sold As A Slave
House of Sand & Fog (My third attempt)

*I may be adding and/or subtracting from this summer's list.

The Pictures on the Coasters

2010-07-01T15:52:00.001-04:00

Still reading Underworld, and still editing lyrics. It's been two weeks since I started a fresh lyric, and that one's still not done. I would not necessarily say I've hit a wall, but I do think I should take a short break from writing. Perhaps stray completely away from it all for a while. Do something else. Continue biking and help my brother become a better soccer player.

Soccer. Speaking of which, I have thought long and hard about getting back into the sport. I have not played in an actual team, or in any sort of game for a little over two years. The reason? My knees. I would not say I'm slower in defence, but I'm not nearly as fast as I used to be. I played an aggressive style, and I would say I intimidated my opponents. The stories I have, the injuries I have caused (by accident. Not done on purpose, but it comes with the territory), and the thrash talk on the field. I miss it. Kind of. I have been thinking about getting back to playing soccer in a team or with friends again. I do become quite competitive as well.

Back to reading. I am eager to finish Underworld. I've been reading it since May! I rarely take this long on a book, even though it's 832 pages. I am very close to finishing it - about 160 pages left. I am not sure which novel I should begin once I'm done Underworld. Either finish Regulators by Stephen King (Never finished it last summer. Half way through), or start The Lost City of Z by David Grann, which seems really interesting.

Well, time for me to change my Miss Caribbean Tan International calender to July. Who will be the lovely Miss?

The Boston Bruins: Brief Notes/Updates

2010-05-06T17:06:00.000-04:00

OK. The Boston Bruins. A complete surprise to see them thriving at this point of the year. Let's face it, the Boston Bruins should not have made it this far (second round, and possibly Eastern Conference Finals) with the way they played int he regular season and the never ending list of injuries. In fact, the only this consistent in the Bruins 09-10 season was the injuries. They beat the Buffalo Sabres without 2 of their top 4 D (Seidenberg & Stuart) and their top offensive threat (Savard).

Second round against the Philadelphia Flyers seems to be a complete Bruins domination. However, the Bruins have not been as dominating as the numbers show. The Bruins lead 3-0, but the series could have gone either way. Krejci is gone for the season with a dislocated wrist obtained last night from a Mike Richards (yes, that punk) hit (clean hit, by the way). Adam McQuaid also left last night's game with a lower body injury - he will not play Friday. Mark Stuart may return for game 4, but nothing is certain. As of now, the Bruins need to fill the void in D, and 1 more spot in the offense.

My prediction: Brad Marchand is inserted on the fourth line, while Mark Stuart makes his 2010 playoff debut tomorrow (Friday).

Summertime Rolls

2010-05-06T17:04:00.000-04:00

Ah, the beautiful month of May has arrived. The sun shining, flowers begin to bloom, plenty of blue in the sky and playoff hockey. Oh, and lots of rain, too. Splendid. As I am typing this, I cannot emphasize enough how dirty my MacBook keyboard is. Damn, it looks filthy. A good chunk of the keys (and I am talking about 85%) have lost three-quarters of their whiteness. Damn. OK, back to the summertime blues ... errr ... I meant to say, the summertime delight. That sounds corny, but I'll stick to that for now.

At home feeling exuberant and relaxed. Sometimes bored and wishing for the Boston Bruins games to start. Other times, reading novels (well, trying too) and making lists of things to do even though I know I won't do them. Yeah, the summertime is here. Who really wants to sit indoors and do nothing? Look at the ceiling and asking yourself, what if? Staring at your dirty keyboard and yelling out load, what the fuck? Or staring at a book you really want to need, but keep procrastinating and telling yourself, "when the time is right." Well? I've spent most of my days this past week hibernating inside ... OK, well, no. I've watched t.v., stood in-front of a mirror with my eyes closed, rolled on the floor laughing hysterically until I didn't know what I was laughing at anymore, and threw the occasional 60-70 pitches (baseball, people!) in my back yard, using my catcher/home plate/batters as the hockey net. It is a pleasure.

The National: A Must for Music Lovers

2010-04-25T18:08:00.000-04:00

I don't normally do this, but at the end of this blog post there is a link to a fantastic New York Times articles on the band The National. The best band I have heard in the twenty-first century, and definitely in my top five. It's an indie-rock band that blends rock, catchy rhythms, inspiring and dazzling lyrics, and a voice that grabs your attention like no other.

This is the New York Times article, "The National Agenda," written by Nicholas Dawidoff. You can find the entire new album, High Violet (comes out May 11, 2010), streaming on the left side of the article.
Read About The National

A Whole Lot of Nothing: Part X

2010-04-08T15:54:00.001-04:00

Are you ever in the mood to write, but not sure what to write about? I am in that mood this minute. Rambling about this, rambling about that. Nothing to ramble about that would be anywhere near entertainment. But is this really a blog to entertain or to be entertained? The former. Or can it be the latter? Who knows. This is not some sort of clusterfuck or whatnot. Nor should it seem like one. Hell, I don't even know what I am talking about right now - I'll just keep on writing.

I feel like I should write three to five times a week on this blog, but something else always comes out or stands in the way. Meh. I have debated about writing movie reviews on this blog, but I find it would signify the meaning of this blog. Random. Excitement. Anything Goes. About Nothing. Maybe I should just get drunk and see what I end up writing. What if?

Actually, I should point out (because, you know, I got nothing much more to say) that I have been working a lot on writing lyrics/poems these last few months. Maybe too hard. I barely posted any on my lyrics blog. More raw, heavy and anger. The stuff that brings out the best in me.

The Season Begins

2010-04-06T16:32:00.000-04:00

Baseball season has started and that means many more distractions for me. I follow several sports with a deep passion - hockey, soccer and baseball - but none are as deep for opening day baseball. Sure, you think it's boring, stupid and pointless. For some it is, for others it's about statistics, dueling, strategy and intense entertainment. It's also about watching young players develop and make their way into the big club - rotation and starting lineup. Then again, you need to like the sport. However, I hate it when people say "it's boring, stupid and pointless" when they don't try to understand it or even watch it.

I always get excited for baseball's spring training (month of march) even if the Boston Bruins are having a tremendous hockey season - e.g. last season. I am a Boston Red Sox fan. Surprised? Unlike the many morons who wear the red sox caps and say they're fans, I have followed the sox for a good 14 years. These fans I call "morons" only wear the cap and "follow" the team because they won their first World Series in 86 years (2004).

Will Justice Be Served Tonight? Update [My Response Is In The Comment Section]

2010-03-18T18:04:00.002-04:00

The Boston Bruins vs. The Pittsburgh Penguins

Everyone knows what happened to Marc Savard earlier this month. If not, then let me remind you. Matt Cooke, a dirty Penguin player (has a history of dirty hits), decided to K.O Marc Savard in the late third period. Cooke aimed for Savard's head - blindspot! - and successfully accomplished it. Penguins won the game 2-1.

Marc Savard suffered a grade 2 concussion, which is very similar to the concussion Patrice Bergeron had 2 years ago. It's been eleven (11) days since the hit and Marc Savard is still feeling tired and weak. Many of his teammates have said that Savard is not doing well.

Here are some quotes from Joe Haggerty's article, "Bruins Notes: Wheeler, Wideman and Boychuk Questionable:"

When asked about the possibility of Colin Campbell or an NHL representative talking to the Bruins players in the dressing room prior to the game

"I just found a couple of minutes ago that somebody is going to talk to us," said Krejci. "I'm probably going to play with the soccer ball outside. Just warm up a bit."

The Best Quote

David Krejci on Matt Cooke:

"Tonight If there's a chance to finish that guy. We're not going to hesitate. We're going to do it."

From James Murphy's article, "Colin Campbell Not Welcomed in Bruins' Dressing Room:"

Mark Recchi:

"No, no, no. No interest in having him in our dressing room."

Will the Bruins retaliate tonight and get the justice Marc Savard deserves? Every hockey fan knows that Colin Campbell, Gary Bettman & Co. are full of shit. Complete fucking assholes who continue to make the NHL look like a joke. A mockery!

I do not think there will be a brawl, but I do hope to see the Bruins play with passion tonight. I want to see the fire in their eyes tonight.

Nothing, Absolutely Nothing

2010-03-16T16:59:00.001-04:00

It's been way to long since my last blog post. Time to write about something, then again if you've read my blog I tend to ramble on all kinds of things. Most of the time I start writing without having a topic in mind. Just write. Shit happens, stuff may come out on their own. Take this post as example. I have no idea what exactly I'm going to say or do, but I do know something interesting (to say the least) will appear.

No "school or essay" bullshit here. Not the time, nor the place to talk about that. No need to preach either, hell I know I don't. See what I did there? Not really creative or like pulling a rabbit out of my ass ... I mean hat. Words tend to slip, I guess.

OK. I got something. Yeah, I do. Check out a band called Streetlight Manifesto. Awesome punk (some would put it in the ska punk genre) band. Even if you do not like punk, I highly recommend it to you. Trust me. Click HERE to listen to Keasbey Nights by Streetlight Manifesto.

A'ight, I'm out of here.

The Boston Bruins: Trade Deadline Edition

2010-03-03T21:12:00.000-05:00

That special time of year for all NHL fans. That zealous feeling. Something sweet in the air. Mysterious - one word to describe the day. That is the Trade Deadline, folks. Sometimes too much clatter and little results. Other times, there is an equal amount of clatter and results (trades). What do fans look for? Sure, every fanbase wants their team to acquire a player - some sort of impact player. Any player, really. OK, maybe not just any player, but someone. This feeling, this need lies within every hockey fan. You cannot hide it and you should not feel guilty to speak about it. This rumor, that rumor. Did you hear (insert team) is interested in (insert player)? That Piece of shit (insert a player from your favorite team) better be traded - overpriced assface! You know how it goes, right? The Trade Deadline.

That being said, let's move on to what I intended to write about - the Boston Bruins. What did they need? Well, there were two things they needed: 1) (high priority) scoring, 2) puck-moving defenseman. Boston is dead last in scoring - these offensive players cannot buy a freaking goal. Seriously, quite pathetic. The offensive players on the Bruins team should be scoring. There shouldn't be any struggle for scoring. Really, there should not be. However, the fact is Boston lack scoring. Marco Sturm leads the team with 19 goals in 55 games, second is Michael Ryder with 15 in 61 games. Marc Savard doesn't have a winger that can put the puck in the net. In fact, Savard has played with Dan Paille, Miroslav Satan, Michael Ryder, Blake Wheeler, Marco Sturm and Byron Bitz on the right wing. Nothing, nothing worked. Trade Deadline came and went. Boston did not get a scorer. Quite surprising considering how awful the Bruins offense has been this year. Should the fans be upset? Damn right they should be. I am definitely angry (though I cannot say I am surprised considering Peter Chiarelli's record on Trade Deadline day). Before I write about that let's look at what the Bruins did do.

Derek Morris was dealt to Phoenix. Yup, I was very shocked at that. I cannot say I was surprised about where he is going (quite ironic though), but I was surprised that he was dealt. His number were fine in Boston: 58 GP 3G 22A 25PTS -2 26PIM and 12 PPP. Responsible in his own end and one of the very few defenseman who actually played well so far. The other good defenseman so far is Mark Stuart (only 40 games) and Johnny Boychuk (only 31 games). Not good when you have Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman. Morris signed with the Boston Bruins this off-season: 1 year at 3.3 million. I thought that was a fair deal, and like I said he played pretty well with the Bruins. It was confirmed by Peter Chiarelli that the trade sending Derek Morris to Phoenix for a 4th round pick was made for the purpose to dump salary. Ok, fine. Boston were very tight against the salary cap and at that time I thought "maybe they will make a stronger push for Danny Hamhuis." However, what bothered me the most was the little return Boston got for Derek Morris. Now, that 4th round pick will turn into a 3rd round pick if Phoenix re-signs Morris. That is good, but considering Islanders got a 2nd round pick for Andy Sutton and Carolina got a 3rd round pick for Andrew Alberts, Derek Morris should have easily gotten a 2nd round pick. Easily. Terrible.

The Derek Morris deal means that Boston were going to make another trade - they needed to fill the empty spot in defense. Who did they get? Dennis Seidenberg and a prospect D for Byron Bitz, a prospect and a 2nd round pick (Tampa Bay's). Seidenberg is a good solid defenseman, but he is also an unrestricted free agent who gets a 1.25 million dollar bonus on June 30. Yes, you read that right. Boston could very well lose him. If they do, then they have just given away a 2nd round pick for 20 games of Seidenberg. Not good. Is Seidenberg an upgrade over Morris? I cannot say it is. Sure, Seidenberg is cheaper but he doesn't have Morris' passing and vision. If the Bruins wanted Seidenberg that bad (and Peter Chiarelli said he did) why didn't they sign him instead of Derek Morris? They would have easily saved money. Eh, it's called Bruins.

The Seidenberg deal was made at noon. Now, I'm thinking that the Bruins are not done - hell they should not be - and would acquire a scorer. Who would be gone from the Bruins roster? Well, top of the list would be Michael Ryder and his 4 million dollars. I have stuck behind him since the day he was signed, not many Bruins fans did. Ryder was great last year, but so was every other Bruin. He had 27 goals in the regular season and he manhandled the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. This year? 15G 10A 25PTS. Not the numbers you're sniper should have by the 61st game of the season. Oh, and did I mention he gets paid 4 million dollars? Ouch. I have stuck by him and continued to stick by Michael Ryder. But if someone has to be dealt to improve this offense, it's Michael Ryder. That's what happens when you have a GM that gives out an ample amount of bad contracts (I will get to that shortly). Scoring is an issue. Did the Bruins fix it? Did they acquire a scorer? The answer is no. Plain and simple, and it says a lot. Peter Chiarelli said in his press conference today at 4:30pm that the price for the forwards he was interested in were too high. But how high? Raffi Torres went to Buffalo for a 2nd round pick and defenseman Paetch. And you are telling me the Bruins couldn't give Columbus a similar offer? That is bullshit. By the way, there is a high possibility that Raffi Torres was one of the 8 players Chiarelli was interested. I say 8 because Chiarelli stated so during the press conference, but he did not say who. The rumored players he was interested were: Keith Tkachuck, Erik Cole, Ray Whitney and Raffi Torres. Oh yeah, we need more older players (Tkachuck and Ray Whitney). Come on. Erik Cole would have been nice.

Chiarelli failed to get a scorer. Tomorrow nights Boston Bruins will be the same as those of last night. Pathetic. The Bruins rarely score more than 2 goals. Hell, it seems like it's a miracle for them to score 3 freaking goals. It's really sad. But, you see, the Bruins would have never been in this situation had Peter Chiarelli not given bad contracts. Here is what I am talking about:

Milan Lucic: 3 years 12 million dollars (4 million dollar cap hit). Great potential, but not worth that much right not. Could have easily been signed in the 2-3 million dollar range.

David Krejci: almost identical contract as Milan Lucic. Sure, Krejci will be an awesome center, but after having one good year that is a huge raise.

Tim Thomas: 4 years 20 million (5 million dollar cap hit) with No Movement Clause. Terrible, just terrible. 5 million dollars for this aging goalie. Really? Tim Thomas could have easily agreed to 3-3.5 million dollars. Over-payed.

Matt Hunwick: 2 years 3.5 million (1.75 cap hit). Too much for a defenseman that played his first full year in the NHL. Oh, how awful he has been this year.

Marco Sturm: 2 years left (including this year) 7 million (3.5 million dollar cap hit) with No Trade Clause. Not worth the NTC. Nope.

How much will Peter Chiarelli pay Blake Wheeler, who is set to be a restricted free agent this year? 5 million? Ya, why not. Oh, and don't forget the tradition No Trade Clause attached to the contract. Sign on the dotted line, alright?

That Time Of Year

2010-02-25T17:14:00.000-05:00

Well, it's that time of year again. The following month may very well be one of my favorite months of the year (October a close second). March is something sweet and oh-so fulfilling. It's not the "March Madness" (not a fan of basketball) or even spring that compels me the most. No, it's baseball's spring training. Yes, you read that right. Baseball. One of my favorite sports along with hockey and soccer. It doesn't take a genius to know that I am a Boston Red Sox fan, and have been for a dozen years. I'm not one of those fucking bandwagon jumpers who began to call themselves "Red Sox fans" once they won their first World Series in over 86 years in 2004. They piss me off. I am not only a Red Sox fan; I also follow Atlanta Braves and the Florida Marlins.

Instead of rambling on and on about baseball, I will only say a few things about it. If there are any questions or if you want to carry on the discussion, then please feel free to leave a comment. For the entire month of March a surplus of players (40 or so) of every baseball team (MLB, 30 teams) head south of the USA to practice, play exhibition games, while some will try to make the team. It's similar to hockey's pre-season, but with more sunshine, more positions to fill and more exhibition games (25-30). I am pretty sure a lot of people, especially non-Americans, hate the sport simply because they deem it "long" and "boring." The one thing I hate about that opinion/arguement is that baseball is not the only sport that can be "long" and/or boring. Hockey can be very boring if you watch to teams playing the trap. Soccer can be very boring (and long!) if both teams play defensively or don't have enough talent to score goals. However, the length of each baseball game (nine innings minimum, extra innings if game is tied) averages close to three hours. That may be very long to some, but to others time is not important. Personally, I don't look at how long a game is or how long it may be. I don't watch games thinking about it. Sure, there are some games that feel long, but what sport doesn't have that? I am more interested in the technique of the sport. The pitching. I love pitching. That is one of the reasons why I am a huge Red Sox fan, and also follow the Braves and Marlins.

I am not a die hard fan of the Braves or the Marlins - far from it - but I would like to think of myself as a real (die hard) fan of the Boston Red Sox. Sure, Boston's payroll is around 130 million (top 5 in the league, but far from New York yankees #1 with 200+ million) but they do develop a lot of good prospects. The reason I like the Florida Marlins is because of their ample young players with massive potential - not many teams have this. The ironic part is that the Marlins have the lowest payroll (if not lowest, then certainly very very close). They cannot afford to buy star players, but they do develop many of their players into stars. As soon as a Marlin player begins to get near star status the Marlins trade him for younger prospects. The reason? Money. They simply cannot afford to sign them to long deals worth a lot of money. That, or they just don't want to. Then again, hardly anyone comes to watch their games.

To give you an idea of what the Marlins produced before shipping away to other teams: Miguel Cabrera (3B, traded to Detroit), Josh Beckett (SP traded to Boston), Brad Penny (SP traded to LA - he isn't good now, but he certainly was in 2004), Jeremy Hermida (OF traded to Boston - not a star, but a pretty good young player), etc etc.

That said, I am very excited for the Red Sox this year. Arguably the best rotation (Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka & Clay Buckholtz) and defense entering this season. However, our offense is a question mark. Oh, and I love the addition of John Lackey - a real fucking bulldog on the mound.

The Olympics: Men's Ice Hockey

2010-02-19T16:04:00.000-05:00

This is not going to be about how well/awful a country is doing in the men's ice competition, but more-so about the roster each country has. Now, let me say this: I do not assume everyone will agree with me. Also, I would like to add that it is also hard to imagine Canada's Men's Ice Hockey team without so many bloody NHL star players.

For the purpose of whatever argument I bring up, I will focus on Canada's team. Their roster is pretty damn disgusting and terrifying. Their team is built to win Gold and nothing less - hell, a silver or bronze would seem like the greatest disappointment in Canadian sports history. Believe me, it would be to Canadians. As I said, Canada's roster is disgusting and terrifying. Every player on that roster is a star (to a certain extent) for their NHL team. The thing about Canada is that they lack real role players like they used to with Draper and Maltby (I cannot remember others at this point). No matter how much offense a team has, no matter how big and strong the defense is, every team needs role players (hard workers who simply finish their check, create motivation, may play better two-way hockey, etc etc). Canada doesn't really have that. Correct me if I am wrong, but they don't really have forwards that play good two-way hockey other than Patrice Bergeron and somewhat Jonathan Toews; no real role players. Sure they're powerful and should score plenty of goals, but they can't just rely on that because it will hurt them badly when they play countries like the US, Russia, Sweden and Finland.

The next thing I wanted to mention is Canada's roster compared to other countries. They're stacked everywhere, but I already briefly touched upon that. They have everything. As for other countries such as Germany, Latvia (what are they doing there, seriously?), Norway and Belarus .... well, they really cannot compete. They can't. Each of those countries has maybe a handful of NHL players, while the rest of the roster is more european and somewhat lesser talented. Now, don't get me wrong. I am NOT trying to say that the NHL is better and far superior than any other league (well, maybe it is), but talented players do come from other national leagues. What I am saying is that it seems that when Canada, Russia, United States (even though they are not as good) play Germany, Latvia, Norway and Belarus the viewers are watching the NHL players vs. AHL players; experienced players vs. inexperienced players. You get my point. You start feeling bad for these countries when they play Canada, Russia and the USA. It's more unfair then them being a terrible team. It's like having a baseball team like the New York Yankees (payroll ++ 200 million dollars) against the Florida Marlins (practically tied for lowest budget, 30-45 million.

I saved this point for last because it's about Patrice Bergeron. There was this article by John Grigg of The Hockey News. I think it just speaks for itself on how fucking stupid John Grigg is. The Ironic part, this is a guy that vowed for Alexander Burrows to be on the team. I encourage you to read it.
Link

Hopefully I made myself clear on these points. As I have mentioned within this blog, I am not trying to bash countries other than Canada, USA and Russia. What I am saying is that it's unfair

Just around the corner

2010-02-14T14:55:00.000-05:00

Honey, I can feel it. I can feel it. Right around the corner! Itching for a break. For some relaxation. Itching, just itching. Spring break. Soon. Begins Thursday afternoon for me. I can feel it. Damn. Not the right moment for me to sound all poetic. You know what makes this feeling even better? A music band with a specific name. Do you know who I am talking about? No, not Guns N' Roses or Rage Against the Machine. Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen, that's who. Such great music for this time of year.

Anyone going to watch the Olympics? Hockey (not the NHL)? I guess I should blog about the pros and cons about hockey (with NHL players) in the Olympics. Maybe later this week when I have ample time.

The Usual Shit: Fuck, I Need A Cigar!

2010-02-11T11:15:00.001-05:00

This is not about hockey. There, happy? However, as usual, I don't fucking know what I will be writing about. Again. Don't worry, nothing pornographic. A chuckle here, a chuckle there. Nothing school related since I do not believe this blog should be a tool for it. I'm sure I mentioned something related to school way back when, but that was then. This is now. So, no school related shit.

I guess I can write something briefly about my lyric/poem blog, which is limited to a handful of people. I think 2010 will be a quite year for the blog only because I won't blog just about anything I write - not that I have in the past, but I tend to notice some lyrics/poem don't belong in the blog yet. The last one I blogged, Start of Something, is probably one of my worst ones I have written in a while. Not because of a friend's "critique" of the poem/lyric, but more due to the fact that despite the message being clear, it doesn't give me much of a vibe. Hard to explain, I know. That said, I will not take it out. You got to take the bad with the good.

Moving along. I cannot wait until spring break arrives. February 18th being my last class of the month. Feels like it is just around the corner. I plan to keep busy; other than writing fucking essays and studying for an exam, which takes place the first day back, I plan to go skating, relax, hang out with friends/cousins, sleep more and I'm sure other stuff will come to mind.

Oh, and just like the title says. I haven't had one since last September. Cuban cigars are amazing. Soon, soon.

The Boston Bruins (and Ilya Kovalchuk trade): Season Down the Drain (Part faux Deux)

2010-02-05T14:10:00.001-05:00

OK, I said I would have a part two concerning my frustrations on the Boston Bruins, who lost for the ninth (9) straight time last night. But I decided to back off and bury my frustrations on the team for now. Yes, it took a lot in me to keep away for a while. That's all I wanted to say.
Well, since I'm on the subject I guess I'll briefly talk about the Ilya Kovalchuk trade that took place last night. He is, of course, one of the few players in the league along with Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and (yes, him too) Evgeny Malkin that can be called a superstar. Ilya Kovalchuk. Yup. Sniper. Yup. Well, he was dealt to the New Jersey Devils. Who would have thought the Devils of all teams would trade for him? I certainly didn't. Not many did. In my opinion, Don Waddel (Atlanta's GM) once again failed to achieve a substantial return for Kovalchuk - just as he failed to get anything for Hossa two years ago.
New Jersey sent Atlanta the following: this years first round pick, Niclas Bergfors (FW), Johnny Oduya (D) and Patrice Cormier (NJs second round pick last year). Bergfors has potential to be a second liner at best; Johnny Oduya is a solid defenseman who is having a tough season; Patrice Cormier could be a bust like Angelo Esposito (part of the return from Pittsburgh for Hossa two years ago) and the first round pick (looks like it will be somewhere between 25-30) can be a toss up. Now, I understand that Kovalchuk is considered a rental player as far as anyone is concerned. And I can also understand Waddel desperation to trade Kovalchuk now before the Olympics to avoid any possibility that Kovalchuk gets hurt (if that were to happen than it is safe to assume Atlanta was fucked), however, Waddel did not get any player that would generate any excitement from Atlanta fans to attend home games. Lets face it, a good chunk of Atlanta fans, or any hockey fan attending a Trashers game, went because they wanted to see Ilya Kovalchuk. Now who do they go watch? Certainly none of the New Jersey players coming to Atlanta. That's a safe bet. Rich Peverley? Hmm, OK. Good hands, but who will he pass to? Maxim Afinigenov? That's a charm *sarcasm*. Nik Antropov? lol.
Not much there. That's not to say Atlanta will suck for the next couple of years. Oh, no. They won't be great or as entertaining, but they will be an OK team in the mist of developing their D and offense. What puzzles me is that Waddel stated that New Jersey's offer was the best. Why didn't Waddel pry Travis Zajac from New Jersey. I know I would have. Maybe he tried, and he most certainly failed. Despite all of this, Don Waddel is still one of the worst active GMs in the league. Oh, yes he is.

The Boston Bruins: Season Down The Drain (Part One of Two)

2010-02-02T23:41:00.002-05:00

Warning: This Is Long

OK, I promised I would not blog too much about hockey but I really need to unleash my frustrations on the Boston Bruins. Oh, do I ever. I warn you, this might get heavy and filthy. Let me just relax for a few minutes before I toss this laptop out the fucking window.

Alright, where do I begin? Is it Claude Julien's fault? Do you fire Claude Julien? Do you make trades? Many trades? Get rid of a lot of players? Cleanup? What the fuck do you fucking do to turn this team around? I guess I should shed out some stats so that you, the reader, can have a glimpse of why I am so fucking frustrated! The Boston Bruins have lost eight (8) straight games. This year, 2010, they have won 3 games, while losing 12. In other words, they are 3-10-2 in their last 15 games and have fallen out of a playoff spot - currently tied for 12th (12/15) in the Easter Conference. Only 10 pts ahead of last spot in the conference. Yes, it is pretty bad. They have the worst offense in the league despite having guys like Marc Savard (one of the best playmakers in the league), Marco Sturm (20-25 goal scorer), Michael Ryder (25-30 goal scorer), Blake Wheeler (scored 21 in his first NHL season last year), Patrice Bergeron (reached 31 4 years ago before suffering a concusion. Has scored 20+ goals in the past), Zdeno Chara (15-19, defenseman), etc. You get the fucking point.

Problem: loads of fucking injuries. Motherfucker. Marc Savard has missed 23 games, Lucic 32 games, Sturm/Bergeron 6 games, Ference (D) 11 games (currently hurt for another 2 weeks), Mark Stuart (D) 14 games and counting, etc etc. The point is, these injuries have hurt the Bruins from gelling any consistent chemistry on the ice. What is sad is the lack of goals from the goal scorers. Despite playing decent (at best) all around hockey, Michael Ryder has 12 fucking goals (8 assists) in 54 fucking games. What. The. Fuck? Marco Sturm has 16 goals, but, like Ryder, he is a motherfucking streaky scorer. Blake Wheeler has been up and down this year - average at best. He is very skilled and will be an incredible player for years to come, no doubt. But he seems afraid to shoot the fucking puck and over-skates too much. Always offside. 12 goals, too. He seems like a fucking pussy when he has a chance to shoot. Damn, I forgot to add an interesting point and defense to Michael Ryder. I'll say it here. OK, so Ryder is having a rough season, but I have never, ever seen a guy more snakebitten than Ryder. Never. It must be a confidence killer when the opponent's goalie stones you every fucking time. God dammit. Like tonight against Washington, Jose Theodore robs Ryder four (4) fucking times. I could not believe my fucking eyes. Insane. Frustrating! Fuck, if I were Michael Ryder I'd be smashing my stick against the fucking walls after being robbed the way he has been all year.
Our best player all year has been Patrice Bergeron, hands down. God, is it something to watch him play the way he has been playing this year after suffering two concussions in two season. One of the best two-way forward in the NHL right now. No doubt about it.

Our Power Play sucks major fucking balls. I don't know what Boston's PP numbers are right now, but I can tell you that they are anything but fucking good. Fuckers seem to be afraid to shoot the fucking puck. Nope, "we need to pass, pass, pass, pass, ooops I fell on my ass, pass, pass, ooops he's not on my team" ... you get the idea. I can understand why Zdeno Chara isn't taking his monster of a slapshot often - he's been playing with a dislocating finger all year, just removed his cast last week - but for fucks sake Julien, why don't you fucking park Chara in front of the fucking net??!! Everyone knows he won't be taking his monster slapshot, so would it fucking kill you to move him in front of the net and have Boychuk and Morris on the point? Fuck Denis Wideman. Don't get me wrong, I think he is a skilled defenseman and it is quite obvious he is having a terrible year (that's an understatement, actually!), but I have never seen a defenseman miss the fucking net that many times in a season let alone game. Christ! Somebody needs to teach him out the aim the fucking puck. It's been killing the Bruins all season. Now, that's not to say the other defenseman can aim. Oh, fucking no! Chara misses the fucking net, too. Andrew Ference doesn't even know what a fucking slapshot is. Derek Morris has been our best D, hell he is an artist/master when it comes to aiming the fucking puck. Mark Stuart has been OK on aiming. Matt Hunwick? Oh Christ! The speed of a cheetah, the skills of a carpenter, the strength of shit .... piss poor everything from Hunwick this year. Fucking cocksuckers. It's frustrating to see a team deep in talent, offensive threat (supposed to be) and great defensively on paper, but co fucking terrible on ice.

Should Boston make a trade? Yes and no. I don't think the Bruins need a complete makeover. No. The funny thing is, as bad as the Bruins are right now they still have a very good shot at making the playoffs. So, they're not sellers yet. Is it worth giving away a first or second round pick (Carolina has been asking for) for Ray Whitney? No, I do not think so. Sure he can score goals, but he is not the answer. And I am getting fucking tired of hearing, "Boston need to get Kovolchuk!" No, they do not. A trade for kovolchuk would most certainly jeopardize Boston's young forwards/prospects. Instead of having 3 "scoring" lines, we would have one at best. Also, he would be a rental at best for Boston. I cannot see Boston giving him 10+ million per season. Nonetheless, a trade will be made. Who will be dealt? My bet is Michael Ryder and Mark Recchi (only if the Bruins are out of the playoff picture).

Moving on. One player that has been frustrating me since the beginning of the season is Tim Fucking Thomas. Before this season I had already known that he doesn't have a style, but makes the extra effort to keep the puck out of the net by any means necessary. Also, backup goalie Manny Fernandez wasn't all that good. However, this year .... oh, Christ. Always out of fucking position. Always. One of the worst goalies at five-hole. Wow! Thing is, I love his passion, but after watching Tuukka Rask (arguably world's best young goalie) play - so well positioned and fun to watch - it is hard to have confidence in fucking Tim Thomas. Motherfucker! Every fucking game Thomas deems necessary to allow a soft, piece of shit goal. It's a tradition, I tell you. Everyone has heard cheesy lines like "my grand-mother could have saved that, and she doesn't even know how to skate!" Clearly you have. And trust me, as cheesy as it may sound it's fucking true when it comes to Tim Fucking Thomas and his wonderful tradition of allowing at least one soft, piece of shit goal per game. Considering that the team already has fucking trouble scoring, it clearly kills this confidence/spirit. Terrible, terrible this year. Garbage. But Tuukka Rask has been great to watch.

Despite all my frustration and the way the Bruins have been this year, one this is for sure .... this team has a bright future will the ample amount of young (great potential) forwards on the rise (Krejci, Wheeler, Cobourne, Hamill, just to name a few) and a number one goalie in the future (Tuukka FUCKING Rask). This will be continued later this week or the next. Who knows.

Guns N' Roses Concert: Axl Leaves a Longlasting Memory

2010-01-31T16:00:00.002-05:00

Going to make this short and sweet. The Guns N' Roses concert was electrifying and an additional boost of adrenaline throughout the body. The two opening bands (Danko Jones & Sebastian Bach) provided energy (as if there really needed to be with Guns N' Roses playing later that night) and an extra dose of anxiousness (if that is even possible) for Guns N' Roses. By the time both musicians finished it was almost 9:30pm. If there was any flaw that came with Guns N' Roses it was waiting. Then again, waiting/delaying the concert has been part of Axl Rose since he began thrashing and rocking the music business in the early 1980s.
The concert was indeed electrifying; numerous explosions and effects. Fire! You name it. One song after another for 2 hours and 40 minutes. Well, of courses in between some songs Axl Rose spoke to the audience (you can read some of his quotes in the previous blog post. Right under this one). And for those who called (and still do!) Axl fat, let me just say that he was running (as usual) around the stage throughout the concert. Sure he has gained weight. Fuck, he's 48 years old!! He's bound to put on some weight. However, I would not say he is "fat." I would say he is bigger, but more in shape than "fat," if you know what I mean. As for his voice, it was remarkable. Almost as good as he sounded in the early 90s - and that is saying a lot. Sure he is older and his voice is different, which is common. But he still sounds phenomenal and breathtaking. If there truly is a heaven, then this was it. The best night of my life.
A scarf was thrown at him at the beginning of the concert, followed by a bra in the latter part, and finally a Quebec flag during the last song of the concert (Paradise City). Yes, he did take the Quebec flag and wrapped it around himself while singing the last part of Paradise City. He ended the concert with a bang (no, not by having sex on stage). He tossed his beloved microphone into the crowd (those on the floor), was encountered by two lovely women who brought a handful of shots (not sure what alcohol); he then shared the shots to several people in the crowd, the women and himself ... and well, you guessed it - he saluted the fans, the city and drank. His last words were:

"You deserve the truth, but not tonight."

-referring to the decade-long controversy with former GNR member, Slash.

*Keep in mind that I might write more on this in the future.*

A Small Preview: Review of GNR Concert Underway (posted later this week)

2010-01-28T13:23:00.001-05:00

I think I recognize some of you ... That's right!!!

- Axl Rose referring to the riot 17 years ago - the last time GNR were in Montreal.

I remember a few years back we did the MTV awards and people said I was out of breath!"

- Axl proceeds to tell the story of how he ran from the cops to be on stage for the VMA's (MTV).

They thought I was Kid Rock!

- Axl Rose referring to the people he "ran" by while being "chased" by the cops.

January 27, 2010

2010-01-23T18:05:00.001-05:00

I am debating if I should write some sort of review next week on the upcoming Guns N' Roses concert. The reason I am debating is based on time, which I may not have in the next few weeks, lack of memory of the songs played (yes! It is important if I am going to be expressing vocals/riffs of certain songs, and so on.), etc. Editing, too. But I guess I can list some songs I wish to hear next week.
The songs that will certainly be sung are: Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, November Rain, Chinese Democracy, Better and You Could Be Mine. 100% certain. However, these are the songs (not always sung, if ever) I would like to hear as well:
Estranged (it would leave me breathless!)
Prostitute (from new album, but only played 2-3 times live during this tour)
There Was A Time (same as Prostitute)
Locomotive (would be fucking intense)
Garden Of Eden (I HIGHLY doubt this will ever be played live again. Hard to imagine Axl pulling it off live anyways)
Breakdown (same as Estranged)

I shall see ...

Fuck You Kovalev! (hahahaha)

2010-01-16T13:15:00.001-05:00

Not sure what to say really. This isn't some sort of diary where I keep secrets. Therefore, do not think I will reveal anything spicy. Or will I. Hmmm. Nothing adventurous today folks. Well, tonight I will be seeing the Habs take on the Senators.

FUCK YOU Kovalev, you better do NOTHING tonight because you no longer belong to me in the hockey fantasy pool!!

Anyways, as I was saying. My friend invited me to go watch the game. Hopefully this time I give the habs some bad luck. There was one condition for coming to the game: my friend asked me not to wear anything Boston Bruins related. Sadness. How can I support my team when I enter the Hab land? Sad. That said, I will cheer on the Sens!

And seriously, Kovalev you better do NOTHING. NOTHING. Plain and simple. Actually, it shouldn't even be hard for Kovalev since he shows up to play 10% of the year. What a lazy bum.

Two More Weeks

2010-01-12T16:41:00.001-05:00

Two weeks until I lose most of my voice. Yup. Guns N' Roses is coming to the city !!! And I will be singing all night loooooooong. I have been filled with adrenaline and excitement ever since I got my tickets early November. I have been listening nothing but Guns N' Roses lately. To those who I haven't bugged yet (about GNR), you're about to be bugged and hear nothing but Guns N' Roses. :P

Winter Classic Game

2010-01-02T16:02:00.003-05:00

First and foremost, happy new year to everyone. May 2010 be better than 2009. For me it was an OK year, but that is to be discussed another time. Well, now that I got your attention let me direct you to the Winter Classic Game that is taking place today - right now as I type this.

Well, I had forgotten to continue this blog post yesterday. I guess I was too excited watching Marco Sturm (Boston LW) score the game winner in OT. woooooooo. And now I have a headache.

No texting, no blackouts .... just fun

2009-12-28T15:37:00.000-05:00

Oh God I feel stuffed like a fucking pig. OK, that picture looks terrible. I admit it. It's not my fault, it's the holidays! OK, slightly my fault. Christmas get together turns into an all you can eat buffet and unlimited alcohol until your mother decides you had enough. I didn't eat too much, but I did end up drinking quite a bit. Glasses and glasses of wine. Then came the rum (El Dorado, Guyana rum) n' coke. And there I went.
Now, let's get one thing straight, I am NOT an angry or fucked up when tipsy/drunk. In fact, I am the opposite. I am pleasant to be around, I continue joking to make others laugh, I sing (Yes, that is something I ALWAYS do when I drink .... even if I am a little shy or don't really want to sing), I will dance (thank God I did not on Christmas eve), and so on. I am FUN when tipsy/drunk. And I am glad I am that way when I drink because I never want to make others feel uncomfortable around me.
What surprised me the most is that I did NOT drunk text anyone !!! I am quite happy I did not do that. I think this is the first time I did NOT text while drinking alcohol. I am shocked. I am surprised. Let's celebrate *raises glass of Champagne*

**To be continued**

No texting, no blackouts .... just fun (Part Two)

2009-12-28T13:45:00.003-05:00

So, I guess I said there would be a part two. Or if you would like to call it, a continuation from the last blog. Well, sorry to disappoint, but I got nothing. Zero. I have craving for chocolate, though. Fuck. Crunch. Crunch.
Oh, and in case you are wondering, I wrote this blog MONDAY, but since there are TWO parts to it I decided to change the date it would be blogged. Confused? Well, figure it out for yourself. Geez. Seriously, I got nothing. I just wanted to waste your time.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

OK.

Like The Sun Disappears Only To Reapear ....

2009-12-19T13:59:00.000-05:00

Yes, one of my favorite Rage Against the Machine song is called Maria. Such a great song lyrically. In fact, it is so well written (and powerful too!) that I will post the lyrics here. For Video.

Maria by Rage Against the Machine

The sun ablaze as Maria's foot
Touches the surface of sand
On Northern Land
As human contraband
Some Rico from Jalisco
Passed her name to the boss
She stuffed ten to a truckbed
She clutches her cross
Here come the exhaust
And it rips through her lungs
Shes off fast to the pasture
Like cattle shell cross
Degree 106
Sweat and vomit are thrown
And she prays and suffocates
Upon the memories of home
Of Yankee guns for blood debts on the loans
Of smoldering fields, rape, rubble and bones
Of graves hidden trapped up in visions of war
Of nothing, no one, nobody, no more
These are her mountains and skies and she radiates
And through history's rivers of blood she regenerates
And like the sun disappears only to reappear
Shes eternally here
Her time is near,
Never conquered but here

To tear away at the mask

And now she got a quota
The needle and thread crucifixion
Sold and shipped across the new line
of Mason Dixon
Rippin' through denim
The point an inch from her vein
The foreman approach
His steps now pound in her brain
His presence it terrifies
And eclipses her days
No minutes to rest
No moments to pray
And with a whisper
He whips her
Her soul changed to his will
"My job is to kill if you forget to take your pill"
Her arm jerks
The sisters gather round her and scream
As If in a dream
Eyes on the crimson stream
Numb as her wrists spit shots of blood to the floor
I am nothing, no one, nobody, no more
These are her mountains and skies and she radiates
And through history's rivers of blood she regenerates
And like the sun disappears only to reappear
Maria she's eternally here
Her time is near,
Never conquered but here

------

I know I said I wouldn't talk about Rage Against the Machine for a while, but I just had to mention this song. I had to. :P

The Right, The Left, The Left

2009-12-17T21:34:00.000-05:00

At it again. Should be studying for my Italian exam tomorrow, but I really haven't been able to settle myself in. I know that there is not a legit, or at least a decent excuse for it, but when you have to wait a full two weeks for an exam you do get careless. Not saying that I am being careless - I have been overwhelmed with other "things." Nothing sexual you dumbass! I needed a laugh. That said, tomorrow night brings an end to this OK semester. I say OK because it had its ups and downs. However, it was better then the previous two semesters. :)

Lesson of the day: Do not wear a cap in winter! I walked into the dentists office with red fucking ears. UGH! Paint my face white, add some sparkles, a wig and I would look like a clown. The only place in my house that is warm right now is my room. Yes, I've locked myself inside for the past 5 hours! I need warmth!

I wish I can enlighten your day even more, but I don't have anything else to add. However, I think I will be blogging much more in the next 2-3 weeks. Of what? Who knows? Fun to be 21.

The Bandanna is Back: I am psyched

2009-12-15T16:12:00.000-05:00

I am fucking ecstatic! Fucking "A." Seriously. I know I should be studying Italian for my upcoming and only exam this Friday, but it is really hard. I just saw plenty of footage on the Guns n' Roses live concert in Taipei, which was December 11 - the start of their Chinese Democracy tour. Holy Shit. Damn. I heard and saw Axl Rose sing live in 2006 (on youtube of course) and I thought he still had some considering not singing live in many, many years. And the fact that at the time he was 44 years old, but let's not forget how he still has a voice after all the yelling in the late 80s and early 90s.
Anyways, I saw a shitload of their live songs in Taipai and I've been blown away. Fuck, Axl Rose still has it. Even BETTER than his voice in 2006. You already know, but I will say it again because I am too excited - I am going to watch Guns n' Roses live in January! :D

Welcome To The Jungle live in Taipei, 2009

Paradise City live in Taipei, 2009

OH, another thing ..... the BANDANNA IS BACK!!! w000000000000000000t

So, here I am sitting on my ass ......

2009-12-13T15:07:00.000-05:00

I guess it's some sort of coincidence that my last three blogs (including this one) happened on a Sunday. Baaahaaa, I guess I should pat myself on the shoulder. Enough of these kinky remarks and weird expressions that build up to nothing. Actually, let me take a break and rethink what the fuck I just wrote. Now, I know what you are thinking, "why don't you just edit and delete what you wrote if you are not satisfied or if you think (and it does) sound stupid, dumbass!" Well, you see by doing so it would defeat the whole purpose of this blog. Now, maybe I should take a real coffee break to let all that sink in to you.

Fuck, I could talk about hockey but I'm not in the mood and I think that would bore you to death if you are not already. I did take several days off from writing this poem/lyric I have been working on last tuesday and wednesday. I am trying to make it into a five (5, for the dummies) part poem/lyric. I wrote five and a half (5 1/2, for the dummies ..... again), but I only kept four (4), which still need some editing to be done. I'm thinking that my current fourth (4) part will be my last part (fifth .... 5). That said, I need a fourth (4) part, which at this moment I am not sure how to start it and what to say, really. I guess the smartass' can say I have that thing you call writer's block. Yeah, I called you (whoever is reading) a smartass!

On to the next one. Oh, and by the way I am not blogging the five (5) part poem/lyric on my other blog when it is done. Not anytime soon, anyways. Just thought I'd shove it out there. You know? So, what else can I beat you with? Having days off and not working sucks. Yup, seriously. I have to wait until next friday for my ONLY exam. It is the same day when I can hand in my final essay paper. So, I guess the smartass' would say, "hey there, that's two birds with one stone." Yeah, ummm .... then I am done. That said, I really need to keep busy these next 10-20 days. Active. Keep active. Fuck.

Knees, Shoulders and Pads

2009-12-06T18:12:00.000-05:00

What's there to talk about? Well, today I have been drinking coffee like water. O.K that sounds weird, in a way. Then again, the whole point of this blog is to bring laughter, comic and fun. I don't think I need to remind you of that, but I am just in case there are new insane bloggers sneaking in.
As usual, I have nothing to talk about or anything to bring up that I would think would interest you ghosts. Then again, that is the point of the blog. It's about NOTHING. Like Seinfeld, but with inferior writing skills to Larry David.
Oh, I did play street hockey for 3-4 hours yesterday with my cousins. God was it intense. Boy, did I realize that I am not in shape. Physical game, of course. Loads of checking. I like playing that way anyways. And I am not the type to exaggerate, but I do have a wicked wrist/toe-drag shot. Pretty damn accurate. Anyways, I suffered. I woke up with pain. It is a bitch to walk up the stairs. For some reason my ass hurts (NO, nothing sexual!!!). I almost dislocated my shoulder twice - one being the fact that I put all my force in a slapshot and I missed (fuck, did that hurt!), the other .... well, I was checked into the cement wall. That's nothing, there is more. I got hit in the left ear with the ball (thank God it is not a heavy ball) - still a lil' swollen. Then, knee first into the cement while attempting my Brett Hull one timer! OOOhhh, that stung. But I got to say, my Brett Hull one timers are pretty fucking sweet.
Although I suffered from playing hockey, I will play again and again and again. In fact, my cousins and I are planning to play every weekend. Probably move to ice hockey when the weather permits.

There, I got nothing else.

Good Afternoon to you, too

2009-11-22T13:06:00.001-05:00

Debates. Nothing like them, huh? Oh, some can be extremely exciting. Others, well can be a pain in the ass, but still fun to listen to. Take for example my cousin and our friend debating about what a slut and a whore is. That was 3 weeks ago. Conclusion: well, they had their mindset on what each was and agreed to disagree. Hell, I fucking suggested they look in a dictionary or something to see who is right. Did they? Nope. Stubborn bums. LMAO. Anyways, fast forward 3 weeks and we still got the same debate going on. Stretching for a good half hour in the car. As this went on, I couldn't help but laugh the entire time. Hey! You would too. Oh, and by the way my cousin is a girl. Just in case you were thinking it was two guys debating what exactly is a slut and a whore. Debates can be fun. Yup.

Tough Decision to Make

2009-11-18T08:28:00.000-05:00

Oh man. Marc Savard MAY be returning tomorrow night against Atlanta. But he may not. Either way I need to start thinking who to drop in my Fantasy hockey team as it is the only way to activate Savvy. I am definitely not dropping a winger. I cannot.

Here's my team:
C- Henrik Sedin
C- Patrice Bergeron
LW- Alexander Ovechkin
LW- Dennis Penner
RW- Daniel Alfredson
RW- Ales Kotalik
D- Scott Neidermayer
D- Drew Doughty
D- Dennis Wideman
D- Kimmo Timonen
UTILITY- Bill Guerin (RW)
BENCH- Derek Morris (D)
BENCH- Mike Fisher (C)
BENCH- James Neal (LW)
IR- Andrei Markov
IR- Marc Savard

I think it will be between Patrice Bergeron and Mike Fisher. FUCK!! I love Bergy as a player and I still believe he will have an awesome year. As for Fisher, well he started the season very well with 9 goals and 5 PP points (also important in the league). I am currently in first place (I have been in first place like 90% of the time so far this season). The thing is, if Savvy does not play this week, then I can wait another weak before making a decision. Then again, what if Savvy plays tomorrow and I still have him on IR??? That can mean I cannot use him for Friday either (that's TWO games!!!) since it takes a day or two to active a player off IR. Bitch! Any advice?? Yes, I know I have several Boston players (Thomas as goalie as well, along with Emery and Rinne). But it is not like I choose the worst ones. Come on!: Wideman, Savvy, Bergy, Morris, Thomas!!

Quite funny

2009-11-13T14:36:00.002-05:00

So, I have been really enjoying this Harry Connick Jr. guy. Great voice. I never thought I'd really get into that kind of music. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but I never thought it would really get to me. Good shit!

Discuss.

Why do I keep drinking this coffee?

2009-11-07T22:55:00.000-05:00

Come to think of it, I should get back to blogging some neat stuff on this so called blog of mine. Who knows, maybe I'll be talking about toys, cartoons, pens, folders, painted walls or something exquisite. Hell, why not birds? There is no moral lesson in this blog post. Sorry, father and the holy spirit. Hell, I don't even think I engaged in any sort of moral lesson in this entire blog. OK, maybe once. Twice? Three times? Max. Anyways, what was I trying to say? You know, more often than not I can concentrate while having music playing (not too loud, of course), but this time I cannot (some Portuguese music!). No, I do not understand one single freaking word. Don't even ask me to pronounce any of the words. Actually, come to think of it, I may be able to read some of the words. Sipping this coffee, milk bullshit thing isn't helping either. Anyways, what was I saying? I'm not in the mood to start rereading my bullshit. Bullshit is not meant to be reread. Fuck, I don't even know where I was going with that: I guess I'll just leave it in this mindless, endless (?) ongoing blog entry.
Don't worry, I won't bore you with whatever you think I will be talking about. I don't know what you think I will talk about and I don't want to know what you think I will be talking about. Going to be a sweet busy upcoming week. I guess I already mentioned that in my previous blog entry. Hmm, what next? Any rabbits being pulled out of a hat? Where? Where? Speaking of which, this coffee tastes like shit. Well, actually I don't know how I went from rabbit to coffee, but who cares. Also, I guess I should mention, I have never really tasted shit. That said, what I have stated about the coffee I am currently having (not anymore!) cannot really taste like shit. Should I pull my sleeves up and get into a fist fight now?!! Just take the coffee-shit ... thing ... as an expression, stuff thing. Whatever! Fucking Maxwell. Maxshit! I am blinking. I am not going to reread what I have written here. Ha, reread? Ha.

Bring on the Blitzkrieg!

2009-11-04T17:56:00.000-05:00

A massive headache coming from the dentist today. The female dentist (assistant) was aggressive and rough. It was a fun experience though. My teeth hurt for a while. Yeah, it felt like a fucking blitzkrieg. Then, of course, I get a headache while heading to class. Long story short, I went home after one class. Fun.
OK, on to something else. I have a wonderful 15-20 page essay to begin sometime this week. Teacher has a knack for either not responding emails or responding them very late. UGH! Due November 18. Mark down November 19 or 20 as the day I celebrate by smoking a Cuban Cigar. Oh, shut up!! It's not like I smoke them every fucking day. Only on special occasions or to celebrate something.
The best medicine is MUSIC!!

Guns N' Roses: About Fucking Time

2009-10-29T11:27:00.000-04:00

Seems like forever. Really has. Feels like a Guns N' Roses marathon every single day. Yeah, it does. Fucking ecstatic about getting tickets to their concert in late January! It was pretty upsetting that all the bands I love either broke up, were not touring or weren't touring here. Bands like Rage Against the Machine (broke up 1999-2000, got together again for a tour last year but didn't come here), At the drive-in (broke up in 2001, but the singer and guitar player formed The Mars Volta - a band I love, too. I also missed them live early this month!), Bruce Springsteen (came here 3 years ago), The Strokes (broke up on & off), Jane's Addiction (reunited), New Found Glory (came here 2-3 years ago, didn't go), etc etc.
The point being: Guns N' FUCKING Roses is coming here and I got two tickets. I know the hardcore fans will criticize Axl Rose because GNR consists of one original member, Axl Rose. Long story short, those who like Axl Rose tend to support him, those who prefer Slash don't support Axl. A vicious circle. No one will know the full truth between Axl and Slash; only they know exactly what happened. That said, Axl Rose is one of my favorite singers of all time. He is up their with Rage Against the Machine's singer, Zack De La Rocha.
I cannot wait! I hope I don't go deaf!

*Oh, almost forgot to mention: the last time Gun's in Roses came to Montreal was way back in 1994 when they left 45 minutes into their performance because of technical difficulties (vocal sound was very bad and Axl had to yell louder just to get the sound at average: yes, he could have lost his voice then and there). As a result, the famous Montreal riots began. It should be very interesting to see what Axl does when he comes back to Montreal. Perhaps something special??

NHL Season Preview [Standings]

2009-09-30T22:12:00.000-04:00

A'ight, I have completed my NHL season preview concerning the standings - both the East and the West. I don't think I need to go into any details why I choose certain teams to finish where I believe they should. However, if you want an explanation then write a comment on this blog.

NORTHEAST:
1. Boston
2. Montreal
3. Toronto
4. Ottawa
5. Buffalo

ATLANTIC:
1. Philadelphia
2. Pittsburgh
3. New Jersey
4. New York Rangers
5. New York Islanders

SOUTHEAST:
1. Washington
2. Carolina
3. Florida
4. Atlanta
5. Tampa Bay

EAST:
1. Washington
2. Philadelphia
3. Boston
4. Pittsburgh
5. Carolina
6. New Jersey
7. Montreal
8. New York Rangers
--
9. Toronto
10. Florida
11. Ottawa
12. Buffalo
13. Atlanta
14. Tampa Bay
15. New York Islanders

*I would not be surprised if Toronto bump the Rangers off the 8th spot. Watch out for Carolina. And as you can see I did not put Boston #1

NORTHWEST:
1. Calgary
2. Vancouver
3. Minnesota
4. Edmonton
5. Colorado

CENTRAL:
1. Detroit
2. Chicago
3. St-Louis
4. Nashville
5. Columbus

PACIFIC:
1. San Jose
2. Anaheim
3. Los Angeles
4. Dallas
5. Phoenix

WEST:
1. San Jose
2. Detroit
3. Calgary
4. Vancouver
5. Chicago
6. Anaheim
7. St-Louis
8. Minnesota
---
9. Los Angeles
10. Dallas
11. Edmonton
12. Nashville
13. Columbus
14. Phoenix
15. Colorado

* #6 to #8 is anyone's spot (those ranked from 6-12); that's how weak the WEST is

Less than a week away

2009-09-27T19:13:00.000-04:00

Hockey season about to begin Thursday! Oh, fuck yes! I am thinking of writing a mini prediction of the NHL this season (standings, sleepers, overrated players, etc). Perhaps before Thursday - seems unlikely though. If not, then by the end of this week (Sunday) for sure. Everyone knows I was born a Boston Bruins fan - Diehard fan! And everyone knows the Montreal Canadiens SUCK - Bunch of pansies :P

Feels like November Rain . . . (feels good!)

2009-09-15T22:14:00.000-04:00

Been a while. Yes, I know. Nonetheless, I have been in a real good mood since the beginning of the semester. I've claimed before the semester started that it will be a great one, and I promise to fulfill that belief. Obviously there are ups and downs, always are, but when your confidence is high (not too high! because it can lead to problems) nothing can put you down.
You have to play with the cards you are dealt to the best of your abilities. I do not regret anything that I have done or said since the end of last semester. Despite being tired from Thursday to this Monday, I have been in a very good mood lately. Times a changin'. It's tough to explain why I am in such a good mood - not because I do not want to. :D

Time for bed because I just realized that I have a dentist's appointment tomorrow morning.

What we talkin' bout?

2009-09-06T22:41:00.000-04:00

Yes. Yes. Yes.
Oh. Oh. Oh.
W00t. W00t. W00t.
What? What? What?

*clears throat*

I finally got some Cuban cigars. My parent's arrived today from Cuba with a box of Cuban cigars for me. Sweet. No, I don't smoke cigars like I drink water. Only on certain occasions - usually special ones. To celebrate something or someone. For example, I have made it a tradition to smoke one cigar after each semester. Special moments, too. You name it. But I do not smoke cigars everyday, nor do I drink everyday. And I hate cigarettes. Complete shit. I just got to make sure I don't have cigarillos or cigars with me when I go out drinking. Last time I went drinking with friends (sometime in March) I smoked 5 cigarillos. Yeah, I was pissed at myself the next morning when I noticed half the box was gone. Not cool.

Almost there. Watch your HEAD! OUCH!

2009-09-02T15:34:00.000-04:00

Six days until school. Time off from school has gone by pretty fast. All good. Tuesdays should be ..... interesting. Religion class (1:15-4) and U.S history (6-8pm). Mondays and Wednesdays are identical: Italian (1:15-2:30) and Enlightenment (2:45-4). Thursdays and Fridays off. Fantastic.

I feel like having some yogurt.

I should write about TRUE BLOOD sometime soon. Therefore, expect it.

Cuba and some Adventureland

2009-09-02T15:29:00.000-04:00

Early afternoon and a few beers later. What is up, homies? Hopefully my parents bring back some Cuban Cigars (and some Cuban Rum!) back from Cuba sunday. Oh, yeah. Incase you were wondering the beer I've had is called Brahma - Brazillian beer. Pretty. Pretty. Pretty good. No, I am NOT an alcoholic. In fact, I have become a lightweight. But that is a story for another time.
Hmmm. I should read. I started reading Shutter Island; movie, which is based on a book by Dennis Lehane, comes out in February, 2010. Only read 90 pages, not so much I can say about it. Good.
This week has been fun to say the least. Rented two movies last night, Adventureland and Max Payne (there wasn't anything good that I hadn't seen). I will be watching Max Payne later tonight, but I did watch Adventureland last night. Oh, so good! Adventureland is about a young guy (20) who gets a crummy job at a theme park called Adventureland. Meets a girl (cute!) and falls in love. That's what it's about Seems like those cliche teen-love stories, and in a way it is. However, it is done real well. The trailer sells it as a comedy, but it's really drama.
I strongly recommend Adventureland!
Next.

Guitar Crackin'

2009-08-30T13:03:00.001-04:00

I should really pick that guitar up once again and start relearning how to play. I used to be a decent player, but the last time I played was 4-5 years ago. I tried picking it up and starting where I left off, but I have noticed that I will need a lot of practice to get to half of what I was. Oh my. It would also work with the lyrics I have been writing.

Hey! Maybe I'll be able to fulfill a dream of mine (well, kind of) to be the singer of a band even for a brief moment.

CAFFEINE WEEK

2009-08-29T21:00:00.000-04:00

Caffeine, caffeine, caffeine and more caffeine. Coffee is something, isn't it? Oh yeah, for some it's a necessity in their life - morning, afternoon, supper, and (for the insane) before going to bed. I am not an addict. In the past I would drink about 3-4 cups of coffee's per week. However, the consumption of coffee during my second semester in University practically doubled. Early on it became 5-6 coffees per week when I went to school (4 times a week) and, say, 2 or 3 the other days. It all began last spring break - what a fucking pointless "break". I had 3 essays to write, including 1 take home exam. Each essay was 1,500+ words. That week, my insane friends, was CAFFEINE WEEK. Believe it or not, I was having 3-4, sometimes even 5 cups of coffee at night (9pm-1am). The amounts of coffee I had that week. I quickly became sick of it.
That's when I decided to stop drinking coffee.
Now, I begin again. Not as often as the good old days. Three times a week at most. However, I must say this Colombian Coffee (by Juan Valdez) is insanely good - sweet coffee bean smell (before water is poured in cup), strong taste (once hot water is poured in cup). It is definitely not one of those cheap ass coffees.
Not to worry, I will not be drinking anymore than 3 coffees per week......until school starts...

*GIVE ME MORE COLOMBIAN COCAINE*

*I mean COFFEE*

What's left of 2009

2009-08-25T21:41:00.002-04:00

Things to accomplish by the end of this year (in no particular order):

- Karaoke (Guns n' Roses)
- Be Axl Rose for Halloween? HAHAHA (I rather sound like him for one day)
- Exercise (lose 5-10 lbs)
- Get a part time job
- Get atleast A's in 2 out of 4 courses
- Get tickets to a Boston-Montreal game (go with friends)
- See a band I like live
- Grow my chin beard (the sacredness lol)
- Read atleast 2 novels
- Improve my Italian
- Cuban cigars (smoke one, and only one, at the end of the fall semester)
- Although I know alot about CHE, I want to read more about him and Cuba.

*This will be updated*

**Any suggestions?**

Back To School

2009-08-25T20:06:00.000-04:00

My summer will be quite short - three weeks actually. Once that is over, my second year in University begins (September 8th). Two weeks left before it begins. Fuck, I feel like i'm rambling about all kinds of stuff. *laughs* No, seriously I am excited to get back to school for many reasons. To name a few: going to re-learn Italian (from scratch because I have lost a good chunk of it, sadly), fun history classes, being back in downtown, coffee (oh boy!), meeting new people, being with friends again (fucking work limited me from hanging out much with friends this summer), and so on. Oh yeah, also that thing they call learning. *laughs* No, no. I enjoy learning about history and reading books about history. Then again, a good chunk of the stuff is biased. That is why you got to read a lot of books/articles about the same event, just different perspectives.

Should be a 'fun' semester/year.

Two

2009-08-24T16:45:00.003-04:00

Wow. I think I am on to something. Maybe not. But I did manage to write two new lyrics on my other blog, while fixing up another. I also finished editing Calignosity somewhat, but I am not completely satisfied with it. Although it is a pretty long fucking lyric.

My TOP 10 Guns N' Roses songs

2009-08-23T16:38:00.003-04:00

1. Paradise City [6:46]
2. Estranged [9:24]
3. Locomotive [8:42]
4. Breakdown [7:05]
5. Back Off Bitch [5:04]
6. Sweet Child O' Mine [5:56]
7. You Could Be Mine [5:44]
8. November Rain [8:58]
9. Welcome To The Jungle [4:34]
10. Prostitue [6:15]

Anything else?

2009-08-22T11:55:00.002-04:00

Damn fucking headaches twice a day. *blinks* Finally some nice weather here. Then again I have missed the majority of this summer's weather thanks to my job at night - yes, I slept throughout the day. Oh well. What is done is done. Now, my first full week of summer is almost completed. Not bad, actually. Decent weather. Sun shining. Who doesn't love that? Well, I don't when it's bloody fucking dry and humid out there. Don't get me wrong, sun is great but I like that breeze that usually comes with it. Today isn't too bad. Sunny but not too hot. Finally found my sunglasses, too. What a savior.
I had 1/4 bag of butter popcorn and I feel fucking full. That's all I have had for lunch so far, but I doubt I'll be eating anything else until supper time. Hmm. What should I cook? Maybe order a pizza? Hmm. I don't know. Something though. Not fucking pasta. I think I had enough of that this week. Come to think of it I think I had pasta only once this week. Still, not in the mood for pasta. Why the fuck am I thinking about food? I just finished stating that I am full and my stomach hurts (O.K. I did not state that before, but I am now). Now I am thinking about what the fuck to eat. Jesus Christ. *Drops a bucket of water on his face*
Next.
I am glad I went shopping for clothes last week. I am good for summer and fall. Let me go dry this wet face. Fucking bucket of water!

Have you ever.........?

2009-08-20T11:37:00.003-04:00

Have you ever layed down on the bed (or couch) close your eyes and listen to music that speaks to you? I am not talking about trash genre, or metal music. It could be slow music, acoustic, even rock n' roll (but not to heavy on the beat). Whatever band that suits you. Whatever song that suite you. It could also be the beat that sweeps you off your feet, or the lyrics that touch your heart. Maybe the song (beat and/or lyrics) reminds you have a great time in the past (or present). Maybe the song (beat and/or lyrics) gives you an impression or opens your eyes to certain things, situations or person. Different reasons, different stories.

A little bit of nothing

2009-08-20T11:20:00.000-04:00

I see that I haven't been blogging much lately. Partly my fault - other half belongs to Tommy Gavin, fictional character from the show Rescue Me. That show is bloody addictive. A brief idea of what the show is about: firefighters dealing with everyday issues including: sex, alcohol, friendship, death and life. First three seasons were great (my favorite were seasons 1 and 2). Fourth season was a little dull, but season five which is 24 episodes and not the usual 13 (currently at episode 20) is pretty damn good so far. Be prepared for dry humor (you got to have a sense of humor!) about sex (yes. Incase you are wondering I am talking about dicks and vaginas!). Anyways, why am I talking about Rescue Me? Don't know.
O.K. Down to business now. I seriously need to get back to blogging. I began (again) reading House of Sand and Fog last week to which I stopped because it was too slow and boring for me. The book is apparently really good to book critics, but everyone's got his or her taste. I guess you feel the difference when you go from books that are fast paced and always some sort of action (not necessarily violence and weapons!) to a slow paced and minimum action. Fuck, I think I need an espresso.

hmm....

Books to read/finished UPDATED (August 12)

2009-08-12T21:42:00.002-04:00

UPDATE: Finished Telex From Cuba. That is book #9 since I started working (end of may/beginning of June)

I decided that I should read a shit load of books this summer. Which books? Not sure, but I will start with one at a time. The last two summers I read almost a dozen novels - mind you, they were all more than 400 pages. But that is besides the point.

Spring/Summer 09:
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince (606 pages)
The Bourne Supremacy (646 pages)
Lolita (288 pages)
Grapes of Wrath (476 pages)
We The Living (467 pages)
The Road (287 pages)
Cannery Road (196 pages)
The Winter of Our Discontent (279 pages)
White Noise (326 pages)
Telex from Cuba (322 pages)
House of Sand and Fog (reading)
Sold As A Slave (to begin)

If . . . . Fuck I want another ODAAL album!

2009-08-07T09:59:00.004-04:00

Dear Zack De La Rocha,

Brief and simple. ZACK, please make some more music. Please. Although more RAGE concerts would be wonderful, we both know that will not happen (again) anytime soon. That said, when is your next album of One Day As A Lion coming out?

--------

O.K, seriously. It's been a year since the EP. Possible album in late 2009 or 2010. FUCK!

NEW HAIR STYLE

2009-08-01T08:25:00.003-04:00

So, I finally got what I have been wanting to try since last fall (about a year ago). Dreads. Since my hair is thin (unfortunately) there aren't many braids (yes, braids). Having braided hair, which leads up to actual dreads, is pretty new to me (duh!) and feels a little weird at first. However, after a couple of days it feels fun - the texture of the braids, the hair bouncing against your head various times, and so on. It feels fine so far. It is a style that may or may not suit everyone. The question is, will I keep it for a long time? The answer is, no. It is something I wanted to try, but I will keep it for atleast a week, probably a month. Yes, probably a month. The thing is, when I do decide to get rid of the dreads I will have to shave my head. I have never shaved my head before. Actually, maybe I'll just cut it really short so long as my hair can be seem on my head.
Process:
On to some important topics about dreads/braided hair. Right now my hair is braided and tied. For the dreads to really develop they must be waxed to keep the texture and keep it firm. It takes about two months for the dreads to gel and take it's permanent shape. I say permanent because I can't really think of a better word for it - fuck, it's the morning for everyone, but since I work the nightshift I am tired. Moving on! I bet you are asking, does this mean you won't wash yourself? *stares* For fuck's sake, of course I will take showers and wash myself. Fuck. What the...? Jesus Christ! As for the dreads, I will be cautious about them. Washing them? Yes, but not right away. I want to do it exactly right or else the braids will expand and make my hair look like a fucking disturbed nest! Got to buy the shampoo (without residue) for dreads asap!
Zack De La Rocha:
Those that know me, know that I love the political music band, Rage Against the Machine. They also know my idol is Zack De La Rocha, the lead singer of Rage Against the Machine. I will not make this topic dwell into why I respect Zack, so on and so forth. But let me make this clear, I did NOT decide to braid my hair (dreads) for the purpose of looking like him. Get that part straight. Seriously, let that sink in your head. Sure I respect Zack a lot. Sure I enjoy hearing his voice. Sure I think he is the best thing about Rage Against the Machine. However, I have always found dreads interesting to try atleast once in my life. The problem was, I was young then (early high school era), my hair never got to grow that long because I didn't want to wait more than a year, summer's would be a bitch with long hair (should I say why? I don't think so), etc. However, at my age it's easier to decide certain things or take a certain path. Life is, well, complicated, fun and other things. You must do what makes you happy or else you will sink into a world of misery and wreckage. Simple as that. I must say, it is even better listening to rock music or heart pumping music from Rage Against the Machine.
Respect:
All but one of my friend (hopefully it gets better with her) have no clue how I look (my hair of course!!!) and that I actually went through with the dreads. Should be fun witnessing their reactions. I'm not expecting them to love it or to like it, but if they choose to tell me they don't like it hopefully they do respect it. This goes for everyone. You see, people tend to judge a person based on certain features. And that is simply ridiculous. Full of shit. I have seen it before. In fact within 2 1/2 days of having these dreads I walked by an older man in downtown who looked at me and said "colisse" (wrong spelling I think!). Made me laugh for a bit, but these are reactions I will probably get. Others with dreads, or other body features will or often do get. It's not fair, but that is how people are in the world. Judging by appearance before knowing the person. Unfortunately, this doesn't always happen with people who don't know you. The key word here is respect. Hate it (my dreads in this case) or love it, bottom line is atleast respect it. It is not you who is wearing the dreads. It is not you walking around in public with them. So what if a fat guy is sitting next to you on the bus or metro. Big deal that someone is driving an old, rusted car while you have a porsche or whatnot. Respect the person. Anyways, I cannot wait to get my friends reactions and the reactions for strangers as well. In fact, my hair is a success at work. Well, my co-workers seems to like it, not mind it. One co-worker who has cornrow braids (also a lazy motherfucker) said he likes my hairs and that I look like a gangster........damn. A boss from the other shift (big guy, early 50s) saw me the first day with the new hair, stopped his lift (electronic machine to pick up skids and whatnot), looked at me, smiled and told me how he likes them and how he always wanted to get cornrow braids, but is too old. I cannot fucking picture him with cornrow braids! But if it makes him happy, then by all means he should try it out. Do what makes you happy.
Sometimes I feel that getting a certain hair style, wearing certain clothes or shoes, driving a certain car (etc), brings out the real character of people. I will see how it goes. LMAO. Bottom line (again!), be honest with me. That's all. Honesty and Respect. Different hair, same person!!
Keeping it?:
Probably mentioned it above, but when I got my hair done I was not thinking long-term. How long I keep the dreads depends on how I feel with them within the next few days or weeks. I would like to keep them for atleast a month or so. I am happy right now.

Song of the Week

2009-07-27T10:52:00.003-04:00

This song has been stuck in my head for a week! It's called "I Don't Wanna Know" by one of my favorite bands New Found Glory.

I don't wanna know
I don't wanna know

Your eyes were covered in sunglasses
When they first met mine
I sat there and stared at you
You didn't seem to mind
The awkward ways we meet

First comes heavy breathing
Staring at the ceiling
What will happen next
I don't wanna know
I don't wanna know

I never cared how i dressed before
But i cared that night
Anticipation ran through my bones

And my clothes never fit right
I can't wait 'til we meet again

First comes heavy breathing
Staring at the ceiling
What will happen next
I don't wanna know
I don't wanna know

Framed pictures start to be put on the walls
Constant visits while im out on the road
Its hard to leave sometimes
But you know where i lay my head at night

First comes heavy breathing
Staring at the ceiling
What will happen next
I don't wanna know
I don't wanna know

On A Roll

2009-07-26T21:40:00.002-04:00

Wow. Geez. Words coming off the top of my head - rolling smoothly out my tongue. Kickin' that funky Cypress Hill shit. This of course is directed to the fact that I have surprisingly written and blogged 5 lyrics/poems in 3 days! Now, I do not think they are my best stuff or anything close to it, but let's just say I am satisfied with the results so far. There is some tweaking to do with some of the lyrics/poems, but there is no hurry for that. Make your own interpretation of each lyric/poem.

In about an hour I will watch The Haunting in Connecticut while everyone at home sleeps.

The Winter of Our Discontent

2009-07-21T10:34:00.002-04:00

Last novel by John Steinbeck, who is becoming a favorite author of mine. Up there with Ray Bradbury and George Orwell. Brilliant American writer. He knew how to grab the reader's attention and hold it firmly throughout the novel (one's I read, Cannery Road, Of Mice and Men and Grapes of Wrath). I have not finished The Winter of Out Discontent - 100 pages left - but so far it has been pleasant and impressive. John Steinbeck presents a different style of writing from his previous classics; Grapes of Wrath was written about 20 something years prior to the publication of The Winter of Our Discontent. The language in TWOD does not have any southern accent; then again, perhaps it is because the novel takes places north (New Yorkish setting). There is a lot more dialogue, which helps pace the story and speeds the reading. It is hard to top Grapes of Wrath, but The Winter of Our Discontent, so far, is close.

Losing it

2009-07-16T08:48:00.002-04:00

Some have told me that I have lose weight and that my upper body is more built. I don't see it. I mean, I can tell that I have more muscle on my arms considering the job I have, but I don't see how my upper body (shouldering, chest, etc) is that much different than it was before I began working. I guess that seeing yourself everyday vs. others not seeing you everyday plays a key role. Maybe. Somehow. Perhaps. I guess. The problem with gaining muscles is that once you slack off, or don't do as much physical activities as before, you quickly lose it. That said, I will be going to the gym once school starts (again).
You know what, I am looking forward to my third semester. I'll be in the heart of the city more often than now (summer). Hopefully, I will get a part-time job (I do not want to work where I am working now when school starts). I will see certain people again.
Fuck, I need to go to the beach. Who's with me?

Da Morning

2009-07-16T08:40:00.002-04:00

For fuck's sake, as some would say in mindless situations. For fuck's sake. Not that my mind is wondering around in a fucking zoo. That's a weird thing, isn't it? Mind wondering around in a fucking zoo. Bloody orange juice - actually, some Tequilla at this time would do the trick. Pony Up! Fuck. It's been a while since I had Jameson - a long while, actually. Not that I am in any way lusting for some - not even a shot. Nope. Almost 9 in the morning and I am thirsty as fuck. Can you say that? "Thirsty as fuck." Christ, it doesn't even make sense yet, people say it quite often. O.K, maybe not your average Christian follower - or most religious people at that. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Hell, one must feel free to do what he or she pleases, no? Anyways, fuck, what in god's name am I blathering about? I would like to know.
Damn, it has been a while since I posted any of my lyrics on my other blog. In fact, it has been a while since I written one - atleast it does seem like it to me. I should get crackin' on that. First, I must finish this second bloody orange juice.

The Road (novel) by Cormac McCarthy

2009-07-13T09:15:00.000-04:00

Reviewing novels/literature, whichever you choose, is not my forte. Therefore, I will keep this short and sweet. I do not believe in "oh, this is the best fucking novel ever" bullshit. Doesn't exist. The novel is either good or bad - some striking one's imagination better than others. Novels that have struck me with a handful of after thoughts, what if's, "oh, that was foreshadowing at the beginning", and those that just stick to you for a long time. None of the fan fiction crap. However, those that have struck me are the following (to name a few): Fahrenheit 451, 1984 and The Quiet American.
Now that I have yelled that out, let me say that The Road left the same feeling of awe, sadness, tension and (for a short yet, thick in detail) left me pondering what and how (you will understand once you read the novel). All you need to know about this novel is that it takes place somewhere on Earth where everything has been destroyed - yes, the apocalypse. The novel focuses more on the relationship between the son and the father. I strongly recommend this novel.

In DA house

2009-07-06T12:24:00.002-04:00

What's new? Mucho, mucho. Life is sweet and awesome. Yes, indeed. Loads of reading, too. I will update what I have read shortly - after I blog this motherfucker. Yo! Although it is noon, it still feels like morning to me. Work is a'ight - I'm bringing home DA Benjamins *wink*. Some assholes - lazy - motherfuckers at work, but it comes with the territory, I guess. Mo' money, mo' problems. But that's the funny part - I don't have any problems so far. As I said, life is sweet and awesome right now. Fuck, I feel like writing some lyrics and some (or one) short story. Maybe. Maybe not.
I don't know. I am in such a good fucking mood. Not really sure why though. Bring on the vulgar words, yo! Mo'fucker. Beeatch. Manegia, I think this is my first blog in july. Holy crap!! First in a while. Guess whose in DA house?

Take me hooooooome!

2009-06-22T13:23:00.003-04:00

Seriously, I love singing when I'm tipsy or lil' drunk but damn I sounded terrible on Saturday night while singing "Sweet Child o' Mine." I do not think I sang past the first two lines, sadly. *shakes head* Another pint of Guinness, please! I most likely embarrassed myself. hahahaha s'all good. I should have gone with Paradise City!

"Take me down to the Paradise City where the grass is green and the girls are pretty. Take me hooooome!!"

Anyways. Pretty. Pretty.

Street Sweeper Social Club album review

2009-06-19T08:13:00.002-04:00

O.K, so I decided to check this SSSC debut album out. All you need to know is that the band is formed with Rage Against the Machine's guitarist (my favorite guitarist) Tom Morello and The Coup's singer/rapper Boots Riley (not his real name). What the band is about is simple; political (revolution, government is criminal, etc). Those who know me, know that I LOVE listening to Zack De La Rocha (singer of Rage Against the Machine). For me, Zack is the creme of the crop when it comes to political music. I judge bands/singers (political ones) by comparing them to Zack's energy, anger, passion, so on and so forth. Some may not agree with me, but if I find the singer/band comes close to Zack energy, anger and passion, then I conclude that they/he is good (but not as good as Zack of course!). That said, let me give you a short review of the Street Sweeper Social Club debut album, self titled.
It contains 11 songs:
1. Fight! Smash! Win!
2. 100 little curses
3. The Oath
4. The Squeeze
5. Clap for the Killers
6. Somewhere in the World it's midnight
7. Shock you again
8. Good morning, Mrs. Smith
9. Megablast
10. Promenade
11. Nobody Moves (til we say go)

The entire album is really average at best. It's said that the album is political, but Christ it is NOT a meter close to how deep Rage Against the Machine's lyrics (political) were, which were written by Zack. Now, I know I should not judge solely on that reason. That said, SSSC lyrics aren't that compelling and they do not urge you to rap to the song or raise your fist in the air. The only reason I will listen to this album a little more than I should is because of Tom Morello; that dude can fucking play. He never disappoints. However, there are no splendid, mind blowing riffs as heard in Audioslave or Rage Against the Machine because it could have really saved the album big time. The lyrics are really average at best. Christ, I, too, can mention a couple of historic events, names or years and declare the lyric POLITICAL.
Favorite song (well, a song that I will listen to more than once): The Oath. Megablast and Promenade a close second.
Worst song: 100 little curses. What the fuck?!! Lyrics aren't good. Weak song. Probably a song you will hear on commercial radio, though. That's how bad. hahaha

Score: 2.5/5

Bourne to party

2009-06-13T15:41:00.002-04:00

So, what did I do last week besides work? Well, I did ride my bike to future shop on a cloudy morning. It took about 40 minutes to get there. I bought The Bourne Conspiracy (xbox360) & Stranglehold (xbox360), 19$ and 9$ respectively. This was tuesday morning. The only time I got a chance to play was this morning. Hahaha. By the way, the sale for these games was until wednesday in case you are wondering.
Exercise

The Sunrise

2009-06-07T08:59:00.001-04:00

Watching the sunrise is one of the most beautiful things ever. Imagine watching it as you site by the ocean. Oh yeah

Don't play dumb

2009-06-05T15:40:00.002-04:00

What happenin' n' DA hood, yo? Nodding my head to DA beats. Aight, aight. It has been a quite but fast moving summer. Damn, feels like yesterday that I was preparing for a final exam. Why do I feel so good? hahaha Some people are funny, some just confuse themselves.

Don't play dumb,
Dumb diggetty dumbb diggetty dumb!!

This summer will be wild. I have many goals to accomplish; exercise, lose some weight, eliminate soft drinks, read loads of books, make el dinero, bike, write a shit load of songs, form a band (?), just to name a few.

Fuck this. Time to go outside and blast some music.

And so it is

2009-05-28T18:22:00.003-04:00

Raise your glasses of wine or alcohol. Sing out loud. Sing proud. Don't be afraid to let you're voice heard! Sit back and let it all out. Beat the drums. Slap some bass.
Fuck it. Just do it!

All The Wine

2009-05-27T19:58:00.002-04:00

*laughs*
Productivity.
What up n' DA hood, yo?? Is anybody alive out there? I'm home chillin' like a penguin, enjoying my days off before friday night. Also, I am still feeling the buzz from last Friday night's concert by The National. OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!! Best concert I have ever been to. They are one of those rare bands that are so much better Live. Just to let you know, their albums are DA shit *wink* *wink*

Looking for Astronauts

2009-05-24T00:30:00.003-04:00

Wrote two poems tonight (Saturday); I think they are decent. I hope so. I still got to edit and fix some minor things, but it is ready to be blogged. One's called "Rewind Back Time" and the other (title may change) "Chernobyl". Each song is about something different: "Rewind Back Time" is about choices, decisions, while "Chernobyl" is about a hopeless town.
I am still working on that special and long poem. It will take me some more time.
Why that title? Well I decided to give the title of this blog to the song I am listening to right now: "Looking for Astronauts" by The National.

Job Interview #2

2009-05-19T16:37:00.003-04:00

Not at the same place. This time, Cone is hitting the bizzznizzz. Telemarketing. Yeah, I know. I emailed the manager this morning at 10am and got a call by 1pm ..... either someone is desperate or my CV fits his bill. Interview tomorrow at 11:30.

I need something.

Me as a telemarketer: "Yo, bro. How ya doin'? Wanna buy some shitz that'll spice ya life, huh bro? How 'bout a two fo' one deal, huh? Sounds sweet huh? Ya me knows it does. I talk good huh? Bro, I give you the best mo' deal ya eyes eva see. Hey, wiseguy. I need to feed my family, bro. Come on, buy huh? Bro, come on"

BOOM!!!

2009-05-18T23:43:00.004-04:00

My new favorite song this week:

Superhero by Jane's Addiction

you were smiling by my table
had to call up everyone that day
beautiful mind and body
what a happy image i see
my mind had been enabled
in the memory you overflow
wanna be your super hero
even if i tumble fall

i'm ok
you have that affect on me
but i need you desperatly
you know i need you desperatly

brick stone
cannot hurt me
mad man
around the city goes
they attack
i bring 'em down
or make thier chances
super low
my, my pretty navel
dimple cheek,
her face i adore
wanna be your super hero
falling from a running horse

i'm ok
you have that affect on me
but i need you desperatly
you know i need you desperatly

i halted that illusion
i'm not your average guy

other guys
they won't dare to
join the line
and order you back
when i introduce me to you
my face had turned to super red
your steady
beck and call boy
playing on piano
wanna be your super hero
i'm not afraid to tumble or...

i'm ok
cause you have that affect on me
but i need you desperately
you know i need you desperately
i'm ok
you have that affect on me
but i need you desperatly
you know i need you desperatly

i wanna be your super hero
baby i wanna be your super hero

Game 7 BABY

2009-05-12T21:49:00.002-04:00

OH YEAH!! The Bruins down 3-1 (series) have forced a game 7 with Carolina this Thursday. It's a date, baby! Incase you are wondering, yes I did drink a beer during the game - two Stella Artois. Baby, it doesn't get any better than that.
It was a great team effort. Key word, Team. Patrice Bergeron was my number 1 star of the game. To the idiots out there, I choose Bergeron as the game's #1 star NOT because he collected 2 assists, but because he brought exactly what the team was missing in Games 2,3 & 4: leadership, leading by example, two-way hockey, backcheck, drive for the puck, great passing (except for 1 turnover), puck handling and clean, crisp hits. The second star for tonights game goes to Tim Thomas; however, one may argue that he was the first star. In any way you look at it, Thomas was just as good as Bergeron throughout the entire game. I know that many people hate Thomas because they claim he is "lucky, unorthodox style, horrible to watch, etc". I just cannot see how fans do not like Tim Thomas. This 35 year old goalie plays with his heart EVERY SINGLE GAME. Not many goalies do that. I know it must be said a million times "this goalie plays with his heart", but Tim Thomas is one of those rare players that actually does play with his heart.
Timmy has got a real heart-warming story too. I am not going to get into every single detail, but his parents sold a lot of their belongings (including wedding rings) just to get Timmy into goalie school (this is before he turned 18). Tim's parents continued to do so. Fuck, Tim's dad was even told that he would be fired if he missed work to go see his son's game. Guess what? Tim's dad went to watch his son play hockey.

How can someone HATE Tim Thomas? Bunch of assholes.

Drinking Beer/Alcohol = Boston Win

2009-05-10T21:15:00.002-04:00

Check this out folks.
When I drink a beer/alcohol (rum n' coke) during the playoffs: Boston 5-0
When I DON"T drink a beer/alcohol during the playoffs: Boston 0-3

Fuck, I should have drank beer during the last 3 Bruins games. FUCK!!!

*Note: I did NOT make this up.

**UPDATE: Boston is 6-0 when I drink beer/alcohol.

Job Interview Tomorrow

2009-05-10T21:13:00.001-04:00

DAYUUUM! Demain a midi. Damn.

Strays

2009-05-08T15:17:00.001-04:00

w00t. Finally I am listening to Jane's Addictions 2003 album, Strays. Damn. I feel like I accomplished everything today. Only thing I am more excited for is tonight's hockey game between the Bears and the Canes. Oh yes for Jane's Addiction.
*leaves. opens Itunes. plays "Just Because"*

Some Positive news ....... WATCH OUT

2009-05-06T22:35:00.003-04:00

Tonight I got some positive news. Freaking Bruins damaged my day though. Positive news. Home Depot called me; the dude asked me if I was interested in working the grave yard shift 10pm-6am (I guess placing stock, etc). I said "sure, buddy. What's up?" (No, I did not say that word for word. GEEZ!). I said yes. Personally, I just want a job to get cash and be busy instead of doing nothing. Nothing is official yet. I have to go in for an interview sometime....in the next 7 days. I definitely do not want to work 7 days a week at those hours. 4-5 days is fine. LEAVE the weekend free, please!

Another One Bites the Dust

2009-05-06T22:30:00.002-04:00

What a night, what a night. Upside down, inside out. Bruins-Canes Game 3. First period was decent, Boston up 1-0 seemed in control. Then came the second period - Montador decided to act as if he never played hockey....TWICE. Montador coughed up the puck on the PK, which resulted in Staal's tying goal. Once again, a minute later Canes take the lead thanks to a sloppy play from Bruins defenseman. Guess who? *waits* If you guessed Steve Montador, then give yourself a nice tap on the shoulder. Brutal period for that dude. Pissed off, angry, you name it. Third period was....well, let's say Recchi kept my sanity. OT comes along and the Bruins could have ended the game, take the series lead......FIVE fucking times!!!! Ward was OK in OT, but the Bruins just fucked their chances to the core. Then of course, the Canes have ONE rush in OT and BANG. Winner. DING DING DING!!!
Thomas was a beast though. Series not over, but I don't like this.