Got Snow?

If not, we'll let you have some of ours... we have plenty to spare.I am now officially sick of snow thanks very much. Two blizzards within a week of each other? Give me a break. At least this one seems to have fizzled out as we have clear blue skies on this fine Saturday morning eve of New Year's Eve. Thank you Lord for small miracles!






At least it's not as cold as when this picture was taken way back in 1911 of when Niagra Falls froze up. Pretty cool, eh?




So... what else is going on: my St. Louis Rams still have a slim chance of squeaking into the NFL playoffs. But only if three other teams (NY Giants, Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons) all lose and the Rams beat up on the Minnesota Vi-queens. Hey, it's good to have a dream ya know. If nothing else, their running back Steven Jackson has turned out to be the real deal.

I alluded to getting some very cool beer "stuff" from my wife and family this Christmas. First up is this 24" handcrafted Sam Adams barrel sign. It has the "number of miles to the brewery" based on the "ship-to" zip code. Mine will Say "Eli's Place." Woohooo!

I got a few beer T-shirts and some PJ bottoms that say "Beer - It's What's for Dinner!" along with a very cool neon Guinness pint sign. To round out the beeraphenalia, my folks got me the latest Corona porcelain parrot mug and a tres cool Corona tote cooler... which should easily hold at least 24 bottles of whatever I happen to be imbibing when I tote it along with me (New Year's Even Partaaay at Nay Nay's!). Yes, I am the beer man.

Speaking of beer... I recently picked up a 2004 movie called American Beer, which recounts a coast to coast road trip five friends took in 2002. Their goal? Visit 38 breweries in 40 days. Now that's a road trip!

Superhero movie update! The upcoming Iron Man movie now has a live website. Nothing on it per say, but it's up!

Speaking of superheroes... for those gamers out there who know what Massive Multiplayer Online games are, you likely know what guilds are. In the case of CoX (City of Heroes/Villains) they're called Super (or Villain) Groups. The ones I belong to - which are run by the same group of folks, the Legion of Valor (Heroes) and Fallen Legion (Villains), has it's very own artist. Curt Allen does some absolutley amazing work. He has his own business, but his website is down due to taking a break. Actualy, he's so busy doing commission work for the two above mentioned groups (which totals over 250 members) that he doesn't have time for anyting else. So I commissioned a portrait of my long time (and still not at level 50) super hero, Rock Bottom. It turned out GREAT!


But back to beer... I've been remiss in posting beer quotes and facts, so as we wind down 2006 (where did the time go?) I leave you with a double dose!

Beer Fact #1: The term "butt" refers to a very large cask or barrel that holds beer, water or wine. In England a butt contains 108 Imperial (26 US) gallons. Next year I wanna butt of beer for Christmas please! Say... filled with Santa's Butt!

Beer Fact #2: Winter Ale dates back to the 8th century when it was brewed to celebrate the seasno's solstice. Back in the Middle Ages it became so popular taht farmers who didn't save their best grain for brewing risked conficscation of their farms. I love it when people have their priorities in order! Like the saying goes: "Those who cannot learn from the past are doomed to repeat it."

Bear Quote #1: "The Wassailing bowl, with a toast within, Come fill it up unto the brim; Come fill it up, so that we may all see; With the wassailing bowl I'll drink to thee." (traditional English carol)

Beer Quote #2: "I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, a pocket full of money and a cooler full of beer." (Anonymous, but I wish it was from me!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

To Do List...

Christmas. Done. It came and went faster then ever this year. And for some reason it seemed to take more out of not just me, but all of us. Might have been the big snow we had a few days before.

Clean up from Blizzard #3 of 2006. Check. Wow. I'm officially getting sick of snow. Snow blower or not, three feet of snow is a pain in the butt to deal with.

Blizzard #4 (due in tomorrow afternoon some time). On schedule. Apparently, this is how it used to be around these parts... before El Nino blew in some time ago. This is the most snow we've had since we've lived here, and it's cold to boot. This is winter! Ironically enough, we hit a record high last year at this time of 64 degrees. We haven't seen anything close to that in many months.

New Year's Eve party and resolution. Check and check. That is, if we don't get snowed in again. The one last week had us socked in for 2 days. My resolution: to have a finished, submittable draft of my "never ending novel" done by this time next year. I've been working on this thing for what seems like several years now, and it's time to "git-r-done" or call it quits. Since I'm a writer not a quitter (apologies to McCartney and Jackson)... well, I've got no choice but to bang this thing out. Plus, I did go and promise my wife that house on the beach. ;)

I have a penchant for a few things (aside from my wife that is). Beer you already know about (and I got a lot of nifty beer "stuff" for Christmas which I'll get to later). Two other things are superheroes - ya, the cape wearing spandex type - and video games. I am an Associate PC Editor for AOL GameDaily after all, so I better like games. I'm lucky enough to be able to combine those two things. My World of Warcraft is the City of Heroes and City of Villains games. I've written several articles about both for AOL GameDaily as well as Beckett's Massive Online Gamer Magazine. I love the new NBC show Heroes. If you haven't been swept up in the phenom yet, there's a marathon on January 1st - be sure to catch it! Plus, I'm a sucker for the spate of superhero movies (my fave up to this point being Batman Returns).

Well... we got several more movies coming down the pipe including Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider, and the new Fantastic Four movie. The trailer for Rise of the Silver Surfer was just released! Catch it here!

Are you prepared to be Transformed!?

Right now I' m looking out the window at another blizzard (the third one in as many months) in full effect here in the Springs. Sustained gale force winds of 40+ MPH perpetually blow the snow sideways. We're supposed to get upwards of 24"... but we'll see about that. It's a good day to be inside out of the elements, watching movies next to a roaring fire with your honey, sipping hot toddies. Or at work wishing you were home.

It's been pretty hectic the last few weeks what with all the Christmas hubbub of shopping, parties, and the like. Haven't had much time to actually sit and write a blog, so instead I've force fed you a haphazard string of videos. And I'm gonna do it again today.

I'm not much of a Transformers fan, mainly because I'm not a Japanese Anime fan. So all the buzz about the new Transformers movie was totally lost on me. That is... until I saw the new trailer. Go here, click on the "View Full Screen Trailer" and prepared to be - transformed! ;)

Man Law #231: Male Restroom Etiquette

Following up that heart wrenching commercial, I give you something that will make you tear up with side-splitting laughter.

Thank You!

Crack out the tissues...

It's all about the beer(d), man!

I've decided to take the (More) out of my blog name and just go with the original title. Why? Several things have changed over at the new and improved AOL GameDaily, one of which is the removal of titles from the blogs. So, with that... this now becomes the MAIN home for "Ramblings of a Mad Man."

Over the 4-day turkey festivus I was fortunate enough to try out some rather lovely new brews. Not only am I lucky to have my folks living in the area (aaaaah!) but they're also aficionados of fine beer... who just so happen to run a liquor store not five minutes from my house! Often times they get sample beers from the sales guys. In this case they dropped off two international dandies: Lion Stout brewed by the Ceylon/Lion Brewery in Sri Lanka, and Saxo Blonde Belgian Ale brewed by Caracole in Belgium. These two beers are complete opposites (Lion is a bold, dark stout, while Saxo is effervescently wheaty), but both are exceptionally tasty. If you can find them, give 'em a whirl.

My good friend Renee, who is also a beer connoisseur - just not the "beer snob" that I am - found a veeeery interesting brew from Fort Collins Brewery called Z. If you dig BBQ as much as we do, this is perhaps the best set o' suds I've ever stumbled across for just such an outdoorsy occasion. It tastes like BBQ, smoky flavor and all. I highly recommend this adult beverage for all your summertime get togethers (and wintertime if you're brave enough to fire up the Que)!

Beer Fact of the Day: "... in the religious mythologies of all ancient cultures, beer was a gift to women from a goddess... and women remained bonded in complex religious relationships with feminine deities who blessed the brew vessels." Hell ya! (taken from 365 Bottles of Beer for the Year)

Beer Quote of the Day: "Whoever serves beer or wine watered down, he himself deserves in them to drown." (a medieval slogan demanding all pubs of the day sell untainted beverages)

Oh, an while I'm on the topic... I'm but an amateur when it comes to beer knowhow. If you REALLY wanna talk brewski technicalities, you need to go check out Ed Sealover's Beer Run Blog. Ed is The Gazette's resident beer critic. When he writes about beer he does so in a way that makes you feel like you're drinking one down as you read his column.


Lastly... I'm sportin' a new contemplative, professorial, "thinking" Mountain Mad Man look if you will. OK, so I got tired of shaving every day - sue me! Plus, it's getting darn nearply here in Colorado. In fact, we're due to be hit by another right hook from Ole Man Winter tonight (temps dropping down into the minus regions, along with 6" of the white stuff). When walking Osa (our spoiled Alaskan Malamute) at 5:30 in the AM, it's kinda hard to keep the face warm and the beard helps!

Whatcha think?

Not Dead...

... just really busy. When is Thanksgiving NOT busy though, right? I mean, aside from stuffing your face for 4 days straight with a meat that releases a chemical (tryptophan) known to cause drowsiness, there's the realization that in one month Christmas (not "Holidays" or some other PC crock of crap verbiage) will be upon us. Which means the year is almost over. I coulda sworn I was JUST toasting in 2006.

Anywho... until such time as I have time to write another outrageous blog o' fun, check out the trailer for the kick ass new flick called Pathfinder coming in January!! Go to the site and watch the QuickTime version. (Thanks for telling me about it Nay!)

Oh, and check out the new trailer for this upcoming game called Hellgate: London. WOWZER!

Focus... it's all about the focus!

My WTF file doth floweth over this week boys n' girls! Lock and load (you'll appreciate the irony of that in few minutes)... cuz it's time to get all Dirty Harry on some more of the bumbling baboons here in the Springs!!!!!

First on the docket... Focus on the Family. Or as Captain Dobson and his Rampart Rangers would say - focus on the target with your military assault rifle. If you happen to read our little village's newspaper (The Gazette), you may have seen the YourHub pull out section in Thursday's edition. Did you read it? If not, go ahead and click -> Cult With its Own Highway Sign.

But wait! Before you read that little gem you first need to clickety click over to the Colorado Springs Independent website and read this article, How Focus on the Family Deals with 'Difficult Guests'. Be prepared, it's disturbing.

Allllrighty then... now go back and read the "Cult" article. It follows up on the "Difficult Guests" article. Don't worry... I'll wait. I'm not going anywhere.

(thinking as you read) Better make sure I have enough beer for the weekend. Can't run out of Sam Adams while I partake in my Battlestar Galactica Marathon (only one of the best shows on TV!)... Need to fill the other propane tank so I don't run out of gas while deep frying Thursday's tasty turkey... Must not forget to watch the OSU/Michigan game on Saturday... Who cares about Air Force? As long as Fisher DeBerry is coach, they're never going to win. I respect the guy, but the option offense?! Notre Dame sure gave 'em a lot of "options" didn't they?! Lose, lose... oh, and lose!

Oh... you're back! Watcha think of ole man Dobson and his Holy Army now? Does this look like a guy who could lead an insurrection? A mass suicide maybe (did I just see the ghost of Jim Jones' face in that pic?), but not a "holy" war. Nope, that's why they're hiring a "Security Officer." But why? And what in God's Amazingly Green Earth does Dobson and his Rampart Rangers need 2,000 firearms for exactly? Scary thought isn't it?

Pretty darn interesting that the two major "religious" (one has to wonder if they know what that term really means) factions in this state have come under scrutiny at nearly the exact same time. "There are no coincidences, only the illusion of coincidence." What do you all think?

Moving on to the next WTF item... Fran and I were driving to work Friday morning, dodging falling Cosmix cranes, and laughing along to The Bob & Tom Show on KKFM like we normally do. During one of the commercial breaks Chuck Squire, the morning DJ for KKFM, reported on the recent plea bargain of one Joshua Patsch, an ex-marshal for Green Mountain Falls (up the Highway 24 pass from the Springs). You can read the whole article in Friday's Gazette, or click here if ya tossed it into the trash (although if you didn't read the Go! section and how bad ass the new Bond is - shame!), but here's the gist of what went down...

In August of 2005 Patsch was fired for - hold on to your mouse boys and girls - taking guns from the precinct evidence locker, selling them (for about $1,200) and pocketing the money for himself. Yup, you read that right. Oh, but it gets better! Instead of getting a felony theft conviction (which would have earned him some righteous time in the hoosegow), Patsch was allowed to plead guilty to a petty offense of official misconduct. Do ya know what the potential penalty for this plea bargained charge is? Max of six months in jail and a $500 fine. Know what he got? 500 hours of community service, and... that's it. Owie, that slap on the wrist really (didn't) hurt.

In the end we have multiple people to blame here. Aside from Patsch, who got the ball rolling, we have the "Special" (my ass) prosecutor from the Pueblo District Attorney’s Office who made the deal. He declined comment after the hearing on Thursday by the way. Gee, imagine that. Finally, we have the last clown (you'll know why I'm calling him this) in this circus... the "dishonorable" (and this) District Judge Patrick Kelly, who just so happens to be a former police officer. But here's the real kicker! Drum roll please... Judge Kelly also called for Patch's record to be sealed after six months, making him eligible to become a police officer again. Can you frackin' believe THAT?!

I come from a law enforcement background. Members of my family have been cops, I have a degree in Criminal Justice, and was a private investigator for several years. Some of my best friends are or were cops. I respect them. Not all cops are bad cops, just like not all Raider fans are criminals or all Bronco fans are complete assmonkeys. Making blanket assumptions about a group of people is as bad as what just happened under the big top here with Patsch. But if it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, and walks like a duck... well, it's gotta be a damn duck now doesn't it?!

On to more enjoyable things...I'm going to start a new section devoted to one of my favorite things: beer! As many of you know, I'm a beeraholic. Not just any beer will do though - only microbrews. Yes, I am a bona fide beer snob. In this section I'll include links to some of my favorite brews, interesting beer quotes and facts, and pictures of sojourns to the many beer festivals in this great state of Colorado - a true beer lovers paradise. So let me start from the beginning. To prove my love of beer, I present for your approval... my "beer room."


Beer Quote of the Day: "I drink when I have occasion, and sometimes when I have no occasion." (Miguel De Cervantes, from Don Quixote)

Beer Fact of the Day: According to legends, Tommyknockers were mischievous elves who slipped into Idaho Springs mining camps along with Cornish miners who arrived there in the 1850s. (taken from 365 Bottles of Beer for the Year calendar)

Microbrewery of the Day: Saluting those mischievous lil elves, I give you Tommyknocker Brewery up in Idaho Springs, Colorado. They got some seriously strong beer, so lovers of mass produced swill, er... I mean "beer" (i.e., Coors, Bud, etc.) probably won't be able to handle this stuff. My faves are Black Powder Stout (during the winter) and Jack Whacker Wheat (during the summer). I have some Ornery Amber in my beer fridge, and I have no idea who left it (I'm not a red/amber fan).

Until next time... Prost!

Tank God it's Friday!

Back in the day I used to be a paintball fanatic. As I've mentioned, I was a certified comic book collecting, sci-fi reading, cyberspace cruising, Star Wars watching, paintball flailing GEEK.

My buddy Steven, who was part of our merry band of Star Wars geeks lo those many years ago, found this - the ultimate paintballer's dream... Tank Paintball Wars!!

If that don't get ya stoked baby, nothing will!

In case you haven't seen it yet, the new trailer for Spider-Man 3 just hit the net. To quote my amigo Steven, "I think I just wet myself." This will undoubtedly be the ultimate Spidey flick! Take a gander and see for yourself!

Like many of you, Fran and I tend to watch the occasional reality TV show, such as American Idol. The first few episodes of each new season are usually filled with a plethora of seriously disillusioned people as they try to get on the show. For some ungodly reason, these wackjobs literally think they can sing... when many times they make the screeching of an alley cat sound harmonious. Who in their life told them they were good enough to go on a show watched by millions? It's absolutely hilarious watching these - say it with me now - sheep argue with Paula, Simon and Randy on the virtues of their "outstanding vocal talents" even as the three judges are trying to stop the profuse bleeding gushing from their ears. Take these "singers" for example...

Last season we saw Chris Daughtry get booted unceremoniously near the end, for no apparent reason other than he's a "rocker." Forget the fact that he was without a doubt the best damn singer on the show. Apparently American Idol simply can not allow a "rocker" to win. Instead they got Tylor Hicks, a 29 year old who looks like he's 59. Admittedly, the guy has a good voice and the charisma (which is the real reason he won), but... come on. Thankfully, Chris didn't let that stop him. On November 21st, his new album entitled Daughtry (which is also the name of his new band) comes out. Check out clips from his 12 new songs here. This thing is gonna RAWK!

Have a great weekend... it's only a few hours away from Beer:30. Tank God!

Pan's Labyrinth

My good buddy Steven passed this trailer of an upcoming film along to me, which I had heard nothing at all about.

Pan's Labyrinth is the new film by Guillermo del Torro (who directed the fabulous films Hellboy and Blade II). It comes out December 29th, and looks absolutely mesmerizing.

The Castaways, a Pastor and Politicians...

Is anyone else as disappointed with the fall finale of Lost as I was? I mean, it was OK, but it didn't have the POW! that it should have had. Maybe it's because I'm now used to the weekly jaw dropping ending to virtually every episode of Heroes. But you'd think that the folks at Lost would want the last episode to end on such a mind blowing cliff hanger that you'd be forced to come back - IN THREE MONTHS - to watch what happens. Not the case here. Sad really.

Found this cartoon about Pastor Ted and his "friend" that pretty much sums it all up. I find it ironic that the other big wig religious leader here in the Springs, James Dobson (the same Dobson who accused Sponge Bob of promoting homosexuality) of Focus on the Family, has decided to back out of counseling Mr. Haggard because he doesn't have the time. Hmmm... wonder what the REAL story is behind that because something don't smell right. In case you missed it, Mike Jones - "the male escort", was on KVUU 99.9 radio yesterday morning. You can hear the whole thing here, or read about it here.

You may have noticed that I haven't said diddly about the election. It's because I simply don't give a rat's ass. I didn't vote this year. Now, some may call me to task on not doing my "civil duty", or that I take for granted the right to vote that our forefathers fought for during every war we've ever been involved with. To that I say... bullshit.

I don't take any of those things for granted. But a lot of other people - people who vote - do. It's obvious by the direction our country is headed. Pull your head out of the sand (or your ass, depending on how blind you are) for a second and take a gander. It's not a pretty picture.

The fact of the mater is our country's political system is a joke. It lost my respect long ago, and has done nothing to EARN back my vote. I'm not going to vote for the sake of voting. There isn't a candidate on any ballot anywhere that I'd vote for. Every last one of them is a crook, double speaking to tow the party line, or is controlled by some special interest group somewhere. I'm tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. And don't get me started on how difficult it is to understand the plethora of referendums, propositions, bills, measures... and whatever else they call 'em. They've made it so you have to have a law degree to truly understand what you're voting for (that's by design by the way). To that I say... bullshit.

Politics today is a "profession." The Founding Father's who created the groundwork for this great country are rolling in their graves right now because they NEVER intended it to be that way. You were supposed to serve your country and countrymen, and get on with your life. Like most things in this world though, things start off with great intentions... but man always screws it up.

As for your vote counting? Well, before I moved here to this great state, I lived in the not-so-great state of Calexico, er... I mean California. Oh sure, it's pretty, with great weather... but that's all its got going for it. The cost of living is outrageous and the traffic and overpopulation is out of this world. Back in 1994 a proposition was on the ballot - the "infamous" Proposition 187. It was designed to deny ILLEGAL immigrants social services, health care, and public education. Key word being "ILLEGAL" here folks. It passed with 58.8% of the vote. Guess what? Some conservative mamby pamby judges overturned it. We the people voted... and it didn't matter a damn bit.

So, on election day... when you're forced to have an interpreter standing there explaining to you what you're voting on, and you're deciding on whether to elect Sleazy Politician A or Sleazy Politician B... buck the vote and tell 'em all to go to hell.

Hypocrites, Hypochondriacs and High-Def

A year ago the wife and I sprung for a Toshiba 62" high-definition television. We had some issues with it during the summer, when the power supply crapped out on us and we discovered - much to our chagrin - that the local "authorized" service provider for Ultimate Electronics was run by a bunch of retarded baboons. It took 3 months to fix. But that's a sordid story for another time...

What I want to rant about today is the inability of our local television stations (mainly the CBS affiliate, KKTV, which is my fave station ironically) to keep their High-Def broadcasting functioning. I know it's not just a problem at our house either because this very same hit/miss/working/not working randomness is happening with a friend of ours on the far south side of town as well.

Take for instance yesterday. My St. Louis Rams were playing (poorly) the Kansas City Chiefs in the early game (11am). NFL games are broadcast in HD, but not this one. In fact, even the first 15 minutes of the Broncos game wasn't in HD. But magically, around 2:30 PM, the broadcast popped into HD and stayed that way the rest of the night. And it's not just NFL games. Over the last several weeks we've noticed this random HD/not HD broadcasts occurring during our favorite shows. Why?

Before the NBC affiliate here (KOAA) finally got off their collective asses and got their HD working (after promising to have it ready to rock for the Olympics, and never did), KKTV had the best, most reliable HD service in "our little village." Not anymore. It's now actually the worst. I have no idea what's going on, but it's REALLY starting to tick me off. Did some rats get up in there and chew on the cables or what? GET IT FIXED NUMNUTZ!

Speaking of imbeciles... I don't know if you anyone else saw the new advertising campaign for Haggar (not Haggard, as in Ted - I'll get to him in a minute) Slacks yesterday during football, but it's hilarious! "Making Things Right with Pete & Red." If you want to see the uncut version of the one we saw yesterday, click the play button below... and be prepared to laugh your ass off! These guys are my new heroes!



Trap a mime with Plexiglas?! CLASSIC! There are three other commercials in this series that are equally as funny. One about washing the car, another on how toss your daughter's boyfriend out a window, and lastly... giving back dog crap! Go here to check them out!

While we're on commercials... why is it that when you watch a commercial for some new drug that half the commercial is spent listing the side effects? Why the hell would ANYONE take a drug to fix ONE problem when it causes 14 others? We've turned into a country full of hypochondriacs.

Lastly... wonder how the folks over at New Life are going to cover up, er... I mean deal, with the fall of their drug buying (but never using - ya sure right!), paying for sex from a male prostitute, Pastor. Ouch. And his wife is going to stand by him "until death do us part"? Or at least until the hubbub dies down. Then... ADIOS pervert!

Hypochondriac, hypocritical sheep. Nice.

Another One Bites the Dust!

And another one gone, and another one gone... another one bites the dust!

Ironic that a musical group led by an openly homosexual man (in Freddie Mercury of the rock and roll band, Queen) would be the most appropriate "farewell" song for the now ex-Pastor Ted Haggard of New Life Church.

In case you missed it, he's been dismissed by the Church. Check out the press release here.

All I have to say is, there's a reason I no longer go to church. I don't need any man, especially a hypocritical one - for what goes on behind closed doors no one knows - telling me how to "improve" my relationship with God or live my life, when man is the most vile and infallible thing on the planet.

I believe in God. I believe in the Bible. I've accepted Jesus as my Savior. That's all I need, thanks.

Strap in boys and girls... 'cuz I'm about to introduce you to one of my tirades that folks over at GameDaily have come to expect from "The Mad Man."

First on the docket... The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and their latest list of potential inductees. The list includes: R.E.M., Chic, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Van Halen, Patti Smith, the Dave Clark Five, the Ronettes, soul singer Joe Tex, and the Stooges (the early group of Iggy Pop). Now, most of those I'm down with. R.E.M. I can understand, even if I never did like their stuff a whole lot. Van Halen defined rock and roll in the '80's. It's a travesty they haven't been inducted before now. Dave Clark Five and even Iggy Pop to some extent. But how in the hell does Chic, Grandmaster Flash, and soul singer Joe Tex (who may have been great) rate as "Rock n' Roll"? They don't. I have nothing personal against any of those people or groups, but they are simply not rock and roll! Grandmaster Flash is a DJ/MC/rapper (can't spell "crap" without "rap"). I'm appalled that a rapper is even being considered as a nominee. Especially when the likes of Van Halen isn't even in there yet. And Chic? While I dug their music back in the day, they were a disco band. Which is NOT rock music. Inducting Chic and Grandmaster Flash into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" is like inducting Johnny Bench or Babe Ruth into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. it doesn't make any sense! Not only that, but it completely taints the validity of the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" itself.

It's ironic that I made a comment in a Blogger forum the other day about Colorado drivers. Ironic because my wife and I nearly get T-boned by a blind @$$ driver the very next morning. A driver who not only didn't fully stop at a stop sign, but somehow did not see me coming and nearly plowed straight into us... when I had the right of way and no stop sign to stop at! I actually had to slam on my breaks and honk my horn in order to avoid the crash. Idiot. This state has the absolute worst drivers I have ever seen! And I've seen a lot. If they're not tailgating your ass, they're going too slow in the fast lane (even though that law has been in effect for some time now) while driving Miss Daisy, or they think because they have a four wheel drive they also have four wheel stop. I've had three 4x4's while living most of my life in California, and know how to drive 'em better than 95% of the people who live at 6000+ feet and who have snow during the winter. GET A CLUE PEOPLE!



While I'm ranting... what the hell is the deal with native Coloradoans not liking people from California and Texas? Can someone please explain that to me? Having done business in this state for 4+ years now, and dealing with some natives... I have my theories. You wouldn't like 'em. It'd just give you one more reason to hate us.

Guess I spoke too soon about my show Kidnapped. It's not even going to air another episode on Saturday's. It got pulled completely from the schedule. Good idea NBC. Brilliant! You keep your studio exec favorite Friday Night Lights around while viewers leave in droves. That's right... nice execs ya got working there. Might as well just throw another insipid reality TV show up. Maybe something inane, so the drooling sheep will flock to it in gaggles.

The Boo-b Tube...

Never was there a more appropriate term for a more appropriate day. It's Halloween, and a bunch of television news has trickled out over the last two days that is frankly, both mind boggling and horrifying.

In the Life section of yesterday's edition of The Gazette, Diane Holloway of the Cox News Service wrote an article about how NBC was being patient even though their show Friday Night Lights was losing viewers by the droves on a weekly basis. No matter where they shuffled the thing in their weekly lineup. I'm not a fan of Lights. It's Beverly Hills 90210 on a football field in Texas. But that's cool... different strokes for different folks and all that. 'Cept in this case, NO ONE is watching it. Yet, for some odd reason NBC is clutching on to it with the grip of a dead man. Why didn't they do this with what I feel is a FAR superior show in Kidnapped?

I've read that Kidnapped (which is on its way out after its initial 13 episodes have played out), along with CBS' Smith (which was axed after 3 episodes and also contained a stellar cast) are "too complicated" for the average mindless couch potato to grasp. Which makes sense considering that gawdawful shows like Dancing with the Stars, The Biggest Loser, and Extreme Makeover are what really excites the mass of sheep who sit in front of their TV screens every night with drool trickling down the side of their mouth.

I read Andy W's column in today's Colorado Springs Gazette, and found more horrifying news. First, let's address ABC and their slipping rating's juggernaut, Lost. So ABC is going to fulfill it's promise of not showing us Lost reruns by going off the air for 3 months?! NICE! I'm sorry, but that's out and out crap. My response? "Get lost, ABC. And take your lil show with you."

What I didn't know is that Fox's Prison Break is also taking this path. Why? ARGH!

Some days I just want to dress up like a gladiator and hack n' slash my way through the throng of sniveling, mindless bobble heads that run things.

Know what I mean?

This just in from the "WTF"!?! file...

While perusing the Food Section in Wednesday's edition of The Gazette I came across an article about one Justin Gignac. Justin is a "waste disposal manager." Or as some might say, an "art" collector. That is, if you call GARBAGE art. Seriously... he goes around the streets of New York City picking up stuff that other people throw away and stuffs it into little plastic boxes.

Sure... our world is chalk full of nutbags, and NYC has more than their fair share of them, but this particular wackjob - er, I mean "entrepreneur" - then turns around and sells his collected crap in a box to other nutbags (or as I like to call them - sheep, because they're as dumb as the woolly beasts) who are asinine enough to pay him $50 a pop for a Snicker's wrapper stuck inside a fifteen cent plexiglass cube and call it @*#$ing art! If you're so inclined - and please don't let me know that you are - check out his work at NYC Garbage.

Or... you can go outside, look into your trash can, and find the exact same thing! For free. Your choice.

I suggest that everyone stupid enough to have purchased one of these "works of art" be taken out behind the barn and beat unmercifully about the head and shoulders.

I may not be a proponent of Darwin's evolutionary speculations, but sometimes ya gotta wonder!

Well I'll be a...

The local weather dudes nailed this one! The snow started falling between 3:30 and 4:00 AM MST and kept on dropping until around 4:30 PM. When all was said and done approximately 24 inches had fallen up at our house on the north side of Colorado Springs. Thanks to my neighbor's snow plow (thanks for letting me borrow it, Bob!), after an hour and a half I was able to dig our driveway out.

I gotta give props to the Springs DOT, because this morning as we made our way to work (on the extreme far south side of town), the roads were in great shape! KUDOS!

The news coverage in our little village was done really well. KKTV (Channel 11) was all over it like a well oiled machine. Until they went off the air due to a power failure! Fortunately we have the hi-def Moxi box programming, so it didn't effect us much.

While I'm not a big fan of Shannon Brinias or Don Ward, I like the rest of the crew. And like I mentioned, Brian Bledsoe is THE MAN when it comes to weather men in this area. I hate - and even that's not strong enough - the Fox affiliate here, KRXM. Ironically, I enjoy Stephanie Pytlinski and Joe Cole the most out of all the anchors in the city, but detest nearly every other person (especially all the new people) they have on their crew. For starters, NONE of them should be on television. It's not that they're not attractive enough, they just don't belong on TV. Nor do many of them appear to have ever been in front of a camera before. I'm not saying I can do better, but then... that's not my job. Secondly, it looks like they're broadcasting out of someone's garage. HORRIFIC set, poor video quality... come on - I can do better with my Sony Handycam! I know they just went through a major revamping of the station, but it's looked bad for as long as I've lived here, so it's not that.

Speaking of weathermen... last night we watched "The Weatherman," starring Nick Cage. It was... interesting. Not good, not bad, just... weird.

Ok, back to shoveling the snow.

T-minus 9.5 hours until the Blizzard of 10-06 opens up a can of whoop ass all over Colorado Springs.

According to all the talking bobbleheaded weathermen around here, sometime after 9pm this evening we can expect a massive storm to roll into "our little village." A moisture filled warm front coming up out of New Mexico is going to collide with a frosty cold one coming down from the north - right above our wittle heads. They're predicting 30-50mph sustained winds, with gusts hitting the 60mph mark. The Springs proper is looking at getting upwards of 8 inches of snow, while those of us lucky devils up near Monument (which would be yours truly) might be seeing 14 PLUS inches. WOOOHOOO!

However, as predictions go here - who knows. They didn't call the 9+ inches we got in the middle of last week (Tuesday/Wednesay), but then predicted doom and gloom for the second one that hit over the weekend, that dumped - ZIP! I'd love to have a job being a weatherman. I mean, if Jillian Barberie (the ex-Fox Sports weather gal) can do it... anyone can. I'd say a good 80% of the time they're just straight up wrong. Who wouldn't want to have a gig where you can be right a mere 20% of the time and somehow manage to keep your job!? Although I gotta give huge props to Brian Bledsoe (weather dude for the Springs KKTV Channel 11) for taking meteorology to new heights around these parts.

I'll keep ya posted!

Let me rant a bit about myself before this blog gets too far.

I do more than post the view's of others and just agree with them. This is actually one of a two blogs I storm around in. My other blog, the original Ramblings of a Mad Man, is a game oriented blog that I do for GameDaily.com, which was recently purchased by the mega-conglom known as AOL. I serve as their Associate PC Editor. I limit that particular piece of cyberspace (as much as humanly possible) to ranting about the video game industry, its wares and moronic machinations.

On occasion (OK, more than that...) I would ramble about non-gaming topics. While I wasn't directly asked to stop, I was getting the ole "evil eye." Because I can't stop rambling, and I didn't want to lose my cushy gig at GD/AOL, I decided to start a second "Ramblings" where I could conduct my personal rants and raves about all things NOT associated with gaming. Politics, religion, sports, stupid people (politicians, religious leaders, athletes) doing stupid things... nothing will be off limits here. Of that you can be certain.

I meant what I said about Rich Tosches. The guy was great, and I'm sorry he's gone. Every place needs a person like Rich. Hopefully I can do him a modicum of service by picking up his torch and... you thought I was going to say "run with it," didn't you?

Oh no. In my case, it's... "light fires under the asses of the ignorant masses!"

Strap in and hold on tight boys n' girls... 'cuz the Mad Man is here to stay!

Andy Rooney (of CBS' long running news program 60 Minutes) is an old codger with insanely bushy eyebrows. But sometimes he drops the wisest nuggets 'o knowledge this side of Solomon. Here are some of them...

I don't think being a minority makes you a victim of anything except numbers. The only things I can think of that are truly discriminatory are things like the United Negro College Fund, Jet Magazine, Black Entertainment Television, and Miss Black America. Try to have things like the United Caucasian College Fund, Cloud Magazine, White Entertainment Television, or Miss White America; and see what happens. The AC.L.U. and Jesse Jackson will be knocking down your door.

Guns do not make you a killer. I think killing makes you a killer. You can kill someone with a baseball bat or a car, but no one is trying to ban you from driving to the ball game.

I believe they are called the Boy Scouts for a reason, that is why there are no girls allowed. Girls belong in the Girl Scouts! ARE YOU LISTENING MARTHA BURKE?

I think that if you feel homosexuality is wrong, it is not a phobia, it is an opinion.

I have the right 'NOT' to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird, or tick me off.

When 70% of the people who get arrested are black, in cities where 70% of the population is black, that is not racial profiling, it is the Law of Probability.

I believe that if you are selling me a milkshake, a pack of cigarettes, a newspaper or a hotel room, you must do it in English! As a matter of fact, if you want to be an American citizen, you should have to speak English!

My father and grandfather didn't die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come over and disrespect ours.

I think the police should have every right to shoot your sorry ass if you threaten them after they tell you to stop. If you can't understand the word 'freeze' or 'stop' in English, see the above lines.

I don't think just because you were not born in this country, you are qualified for any special loan programs, government sponsored bank loans or tax breaks, etc., so you can open a hotel, coffee shop, trinket store, or any other business.

We did not go to the aid of certain foreign countries and risk our lives in wars to defend their freedoms, so that decades later they could come over here and tell us our constitution is a living document; and open to their interpretations.

I don't hate the rich. I don't pity the poor.

I know pro wrestling is fake, but so are movies and television. That doesn't stop you from watching them.

I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny he made and continue to make more. If it ticks you off, go and invent the next operating system that's better, and put your name on the building.

It doesn't take a whole village to raise a child right, but it does take a parent to stand up to the kid; and smack their little behinds when necessary, and say 'NO!'

I think tattoos and piercing are fine if you want them, but please don't pretend they are a political statement. And, please, stay home until that new lip ring heals. I don't want to look at your ugly infected mouth as you serve me French fries!

I am sick of 'Political Correctness'. I know a lot of black people, and not a single one of them was born in Africa; so how can they be 'African-Americans'? Besides, Africa is a continent. I don't go around saying I am a European-American because my great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather was from Europe. I am proud to be from America and nowhere else.

And if you don't like my point of view, tough!

Amen brother... AMEN!

The following was written by Ben Stein who recited it on a CBS Sunday Morning Commentary. It was taken from here http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/benstein2.asp. I may not have written it, but I sure as hell agree with every single word of it.

Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important?

I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife.

Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are.

If this is what it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.

Next confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

Recently someone added the following (not written by Ben Stein) to this piece. It combines older items about a TV appearance that Anne Graham Lotz (the daughter of evangelist Billy Graham) made just after the September 11 terrorist attacks and the false claim that the son of child care expert Dr. Benjamin Spock committed suicide:

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this Happen?" (regarding Katrina)

Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.

And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said
OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an
expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong,and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their
classmates,and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell!

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible
says.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But,if you discard this thought process,don't sit back and complain about the bad shape of the world.