Understanding the Struggle

ESPN and Make a Wish

ESPN has been profiling some of Make a Wish Foundation's wishes, which include sports stars like Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Wayne Gretzky, Roger Clemens, etc. These are some of the best stories I have seen in a long time, in part because they are heart felt and really because you are able to see the change in these kids in just a small amount of time.

Most of us are so lucky to have our worst day painted with a bad experience. Perspective is so large in life and perhaps a better glimpse at true perspective is what these stories really give us.

If you get a chance, check them out and see how ordinary people make all the difference.

The Contender

Another season of The Contender has begun and the the first episode of the season rocked! If you like boxing and a little drama, you will enjoy The Contender.

My pick for winning it all is Steve Forbes. Although, as I watched the first show it is hard to pick a winner when they haven't even fought.

Popeye...urrr gimme me Spinach!

I grew up thinking Popeye was cool, but also that he was a way for adults to talk us kids into eating healthy stuff like spinach. While there is probably a little truth to that, my love for Spinach has grown like a lawn with just enough water and sun.

I CAN'T GET ENOUGH!!

Let me clarify. The spinach I really enjoy is sauteed with garlic and a pinch of salt. Freakin rocks! What is crazier is that this taste for the green stuff has been going on for a couple of months now. That is out of the ordinary for me for sure.

Anyone else like the green stuff?

Nicest/Most Aggressive Bag girl

I just got home from Publix (dinner is already in the oven. yes I am the complete man...ha) after a long day at work, but I must comment on what just happened at the place where shopping is a pleasure.

I am in the checkout line and as I am swiping my card (more on this later) I can see the bag girl (is that proper?) out of the corner of my eye waiting to wheel my cart out. She isn't just standing there, she is turned towards the door, both hands on the cart bar (the part you push), weight leaning forward (exaggeration there for story telling purposes...ha). Anyway, she is ready to go, so I pay, get my receipt and as I step to the cart, she moves the cart slightly towards the door before I can even do the usual, "It's OK, I got it. Thank you!" routine. So I do the routine as she is moving the cart and she says (still moving the cart), "OK, but it's complimentary service that Publix offers to you the customer."

First, who says that? What 18-22 year old girl says that? Unfazed, I repeated the routine adding "No, really" and a smile. As she releases (just one hand) and says, "Are you sure??", I began to recall my first job bagging groceries at IGA. That job sucked! If any parents are reading...it taught me NOTHING! That whole teaching you responsibility line of crap is so untrue. OK, I feel better now...back to the topic at hand.

So I recalled my first job at IGA and how at times I would do anything just to get out of the store. So as she asked me, "Are you sure??" I said, "Yeah, I got it. Unless you just want to get out of the store." Both hands clinched the cart bar once more and smiling she wheeled the cart out.

As I was leaving Publix I began to watch the people coming in. Here I was a fairly young dude, with no physical problems, having an even younger girl push my cart. Kinda ridiculous, but I was doing the girl a favor. As we walked I told her a story of my IGA days and how some old lady had me take out her groceries in the rain one day and I got soaked (and no, no raincoats at IGA).

So we get to the car, I pop the trunk and then tell her, "Thank you, I will get it from here." Do you think she would let me? No, we both put the bags in. Crazy! This girl was determined to stay out as long as possible...ha.

Then as she clinched the cart bar once again and my story closed (the one about the old lady) I began to wonder as I am talking to her, is she expecting a tip? Here's the thing, if it is a thing. I drive a Mercedes and when I was a bag kid I would appreciate a tip, but not expect one. So if some dude or lady drove a nice car, my expectations would go up. I don't mind tipping either, but here's the thing, I DON'T CARRY CASH...EVER! So no tip for the girl.

The whole experience was pretty cool though. I got to see what it feels like to be old and have your groceries pushed out and unloaded. It was really nice of her to do that, even if she was the most aggressive bag girl I have ever seen:-)

Survivorman!

Last night I watched something new to me called Suvivorman. Basically a guy, Les Stroud, gets dropped off in the wilderness with no food, water, shelter, tools, or camera crew and has to survive for seven days. Pretty remarkable stuff!

Being all alone in different locations with shelter and food and water would be tough enough for some. Imagine it the other way, with nothing. Crazy really!

Check out the Discover Channel's site on Survivorman so you too can see what it takes to truly be a Survivorman.

(Survivorman TV Schedule)

I beat a game!:-)

OK, so there are more posts on this blog about video games than there should be, if one was trying to get a handle on my video game playing time. Having said that though, I did BEAT a game last night. The game is Condemned (Check out IGN's Review) and it's a pretty freakin scary game.

The time to complete the game came due to me feeling a bit under the sun/rain while I was on vacation. That meant I was home staring at the tube, so I pushed the start button and off I was. The funny thing is, I never complete games. Ever! Even though it's a mere video game, it feels good in a "I'm 12 yrs. old" kinda way...ha!

Time for food and rest...I feel horrible. Did I mention that I beat a game?:-)

53 and 3/4 in 12 minutes! Impressive!!

Yesterday, on the 4th, I ate two hot dogs. I'm not a huge hot dog fan, but when they are grilled I enjoy putting some mustard on them and giving them a tour of the belly. Having said that, two is pretty much my max...no more.

Yesterday, on the 4th, a new record was set in the annual Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest. Six time defending champ Takeru Kobayashi, who is all of 160 lbs., put down 53 and 3/4 hot dogs in 12 minutes to take another title and keep the belt (see above). Are you kidding me?

How long would it take you to eat 53 and 3/4 dogs? I don't think I have eaten that many in 20 years. Here's the breakdown....

Breakdown:
53 dogs over 24 hours would be 2.2 hot dogs per hour. Nasty!
53 over a week would be 7.57 dogs per day. Nasty!
53 over a month would be 1.7 dogs per day for 30 days straight! Uh, nasty!
53 over 6 months would be 8.8 dogs per month. Still nasty!
53 over 1 year would be 4.4 dogs per month (one a week). Still couldn't do it.
53 over 20 years would be 2.65 per year. Now that's more my speed!

The Devil wears prada

Last night we (Bob, Ang, Charissa and me) loaded up the car and went to check out The Devil Wears Prada. While it really is a chick flick, my judgement based upon a theatre filled with women, I thought the movie was great. It had me laughing, feeling and thinking.

Meryl Streep was awesome! She will be collecting some awards for this movie for sure. Anne Hathaway (see picture), whom I've not really seen before, played her role perfectly. It never hurts that a girl like Anne is hot, in a I'm rooting for ya kind of way, either:-) Adrian Grenier (Entourage) did his thang too.

After a long string of movies that weren't worth the leftover popcorn, I must again recommend this movie The Devil Wears Prada. The last two movies I have seen (Superman Returns and The Devil Wears Prada) have been just really good movies.

Now get out the door and go see for yourself!

I wanna be like Dwyane

I just made the purchase for my very McDavid Hexpad Shorts. Hopefully they will be here in the next week or so, just in time for me to get back on the court.

(Check out McDavid Hexpad Shorts)

Superman for XBOX 360

Say it ain't so Opie! Yep, it sure is paaaaa! Superman is coming to the Xbox 360!! I've watched the quicktime video for the game and it looks awesome. Can you tell I like Superman?

Here are some of the game features (taken from the game site):

The Authentic Superman™ Experience
True to the fiction in every respect, this is the game based on the Superman universe that fans have been anticipating for decades.

Metropolis Comes to Life
From excited citizens to the traffic on the streets, every detail of this vibrant city has a mind of its own. These 80 square miles are brought to life for the first time in a videogame.

Huge Open World
Go anywhere and do anything in Metropolis as Superman. Non-linear gameplay allows you to explore and play the game exactly how you want to at your own pace. Where and how you fly - to the top of skyscrapers, dodging elevated trains - is completely up to you, since gameplay is designed as a true open world experience.

Missions and Mini-games
With notorious villains like Metallo and colossal challenges only Superman can overcome, you must navigate the Man of Steel™ to monitor and protect Metropolis from destruction.

Varied Gameplay
Three distinct types of gameplay - Flying, Rescue, and Combat - will keep the action constant and the challenges relentless. Play both film-inspired missions as well as original content created exclusively for the videogame.

Next-Gen Technology
Graphics, sound, and gameplay have been taken to the next level to create a Metropolis like you've never seen it, with three dimensional sound, a complete orchestra soundtrack, and Oscar-winning sound designer.

Check out the game yourself!