8/1/2005


Has it been ten years already? It was ten years ago this month that my life changed for the good and the bad.

Let's start with the good, shall we. It was ten years ago this month that I first developed a crush on SNL Band's drummer, Shawn Pelton. It was on the night of (either) the 15th or 16th that I was watching an episode of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" with Charles Grodin, producer Don Was and musical guest Edie Brickell. When Edie performed later on the show, I saw Shawn for the first time and then I've fallen in love with him. Five years later, I've created a website because there weren't any fansites dedicated to him.

And now, the bad. On the morning of August 30th, 1995, I was watching VH1 when the news ticker flashed with the news that SNL Bandleader G.E. Smith got fired. I later found out that the scorpian who stunged me with the news was Don Ohlmeyer (later of ABC). The same scum-sucking pig who later fired Norm MacDonald from said show three years later is the one responsible for firing my guitar hero from a show he worked on for ten years and the last nine was spent as co-music director alongside keyboardist Cheryl Hardwick, including the tumultuous (although I deny it) 20th season.

My fortune's right, folks: I've got to take the good with the bad.

7/24/2005


It's official, folks! Lance Armstrong won his 7th straight Tour De France! Way to go, Lance!!

Here's an article from the Austin American-Statesman:

It's official: Armstrong wins 7th Tour de France Tour organizers move up finish as rain coats streets of Paris AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Sunday, July 24, 2005 Lance Armstrong rode into Paris victorious today, bidding adieu to the cycling world with an unprecedented seventh Tour de France championship.

Armstrong sipped champagne and then avoided a crash that brought down two of his teammates as rain tried to dampen the coronation ride to the Champs-Elysees.

Peter Dejong/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lance Armstrong pedals past the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on his way to win his seventh straight victory in the Tour de France on Sunday.

Because of the slick cobblestones on the grand boulevard, Tour organizers declared an early end to the race. Armstrong officially won his seventh consecutive title when the peloton passed under the finish line on the first of eight laps in Paris. The cyclists then completed the remaining laps to determine the winner for Stage 21.

Kazakhstan's Alexandre Vinokourov, once considered a primary challenger to Armstrong, claimed that final stage victory, as a celebratory Armstrong played it safe and did not get involved in the final sprint. He finished with the pack today, in 118th place.

Earlier, two Armstrong teammates — George Hincapie and Yaroslav Popovych — crashed in front of him on the approach to Paris. Armstrong was able to avoid the fallen teammates, both of whom soon rejoined the pack. Popovych went on to claim the white jersey signifying the best rider under age 26.

Thor Hushovd of Norway claimed the green jersey as the best sprinter, and Mickael Rasmussen of Denmark won the polka-dot jersey of the top climber.

For the yellow jersey, Armstrong's margin of victory was 4 minutes, 40 seconds over Italy's Ivan Basso. Longtime rival Jan Ullrich of Germany finished third, 6:21 behind Armstrong.

Armstrong has said this would be his final professional race before retiring in Austin.

It was fitting that he chose the Tour de France as his farewell stage. He made cycling's grandest and most grueling race his personal goal after recovering from cancer, winning it for the first time in 1999, less than three years after his cancer diagnosis. He defended his title in 2000 — and every successive July through this one. Before Armstrong, no one had won more than five Tour de France championships.

As Armstrong strode to the podium to receive yet another yellow jersey and Tour trophy, the sun came out. He was joined on the podium by his three young children, whom he has often cited as his motivation for saying goodbye to competitive cycling.

FINAL TOUR DE FRANCE STANDINGS

1. Lance Armstrong, 86 hours, 15 minutes, 2 seconds

2. Ivan Basso, 4:40 behind

3. Jan Ullrich, 6:21 behind

4. Francisco Mancebo, 9:59 behind

5. Alexandre Vinokourov, 11:01 behind

7/22/2005


Mwa-ha-ha-ha! I'm a real-life Kitiara Uth Matar (from Dragonlance). Don't believe me? Then check this out:

You scored as Dark Knight. Your a Dark Knight. You enjoy killing people. You stand out from the crowd in your horrific armor. When people see you charging at them, they turn around and run. You just, a evil shell of a person. Dark Knight 100% Black Mage 97% Ranger 97% Red Mage 94% White Mage 94% Ninja 91% Paladin 88% Samurai 81% Summoner / Beastmaster 81% Warrior 78% Thief 78% Dragoon 75% Bard 75% Final Fantasy 11 Job created with QuizFarm.com

Extra special thanks to Dawezy for the link. I'll be looking forward to purchase FFXI in the near future.

7-13-2005


On my last day of unemployment winds down (Yesterday, I got hired to work as a Sign Waver at Firehouse Subs, or, I wear a sign to promote the place and get customers to come and see for themselves), I've decided to add this to my blog:

6/24/2005


San Antonio Spurs 81

Detroit Pistons 74

Congratulations to the San Antonio Spurs! 2005 NBA Champions!

6/22/2005


So close, and yet so far.

Detroit 95

San Antonio 86

Final

Can the Spurs win Game 7, or will the Pistons usurp the Silver and Black's chances of a third trophy? Only time will tell, and Game 7's tomorrow night. GO, SPURS, GO!!!!!!!

5/18/2005


Tomorrow's the big day. That's right, I'm talking about Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. As of this typing, I'm currently watching Episode I: The Phantom Menace and then Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

This third and final chapter of the Star Wars prequels officially starts at 12:01 AM at certain theaters in certain cities. I can't list them all, so you might want to check the showtime listings on either your local paper or on websites such as Fandango, Movietickets.com, or Yahoo! Movies for more details.

But you're thinking: What about the ORIGINAL Star Wars trilogy, Episodes IV-VI? Fear not, folks. I'll head to my neighborhood Blockbuster Video and rent the DVDs, after I watch Episode III. Maybe I should've asked for the Boxed Set for Christmas.

May the Force be with you.

2/25/05

There's a lot of catching up to do. First, last September, I should've mentioned a new addition to the family: a 4-month old orange and white Tabby kitten named Butters. He's the ULTIMATE munchkin for our family, just like Snicklefritz and he's even got orange eyes, just like Tuffy. I'd like to thank Joe (family friend) for saving his life and, along with wife Rosalinda, hand-feeding him like two surrogate parents.

Second, I'm planning on seeing "Be Cool" with John Travolta when it opens next weekend. It's the sequel to "Get Shorty" which ran away at the box office ten years ago. I remember one cold and rainy Sunday in October, 1995 and the theater where the film was showing got packed, and was I lucky enough to get in. One year later, I even picked up a hardcover copy of the novel at Half-Price Books and I was thrilled by it. I did listen to the unabridged copy of "Be Cool" once it arrived at my library, and have been looking forward to the silver screen adaption ever since. I can't wait until next week.

Flame of Eternity Sneak Preview

Third, tomorrow's a big day for me. I'm heading to my first-ever Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament. Since I'm living in San Antonio, I'm heading to Crossroads Mall and even participate in a duel or two. I'll even get a promo Cyber Harpie Lady (printed in English for the first time, while supplies last) and even get 5 Flaming Eternity booster packs just to give my deck the juice it needs to give my opponents migraines.

Don't worry about the last thing I've mentioned on that paragraph, folks. It's that I've played Yu-Gi-Oh games (from Game Boy Color to PS2) and have collected a lot of cards, game-wise that is from them, but this is my first time dueling in person, so I might even beat you or turn out to be a good loser after all. I'll see you tomorrow bright and early at 10 AM at Crossroads Mall.

2/12/2005

I know I haven't posted since Dec. 19th, 2004, but I've been through a lot since then. First up, I underwent a successful gastric bypass surgery on Thursday, Feb. 3rd which took place at Sounthwest General Hospital in San Antonio and I went home two-and-a-half days later.

Second, shortly after my birthday (which was two months ago), we finally got Dish network and said "Sayanora" to Time Warner Cable once and for all. Dish network's cheaper than cable and they have more channels such as Nicktoons, Boomerang, and Reality TV as well as local channels. One problem: my parents have the DVR in the Den and I'm stuck without one. How am I suppose to record shows such as Saturday Night Live and Power Rangers S.P.D., if I don't have a DVR to back them up?

And, third. I went back to Arkansas for the first time since March, 2003, to celebrate the holidays with my sister, Scarlette, and her family. I celebrated my first-ever White Christmas when it started to snow on our first day in Little Rock, and I had some trouble traversing in snowy terrain because I was afraid that I'd slip and fall, but I made it after all. If only South Texas got that lucky. But, I had a wonderful Christmas after all.