I've found as I get older that my tastes become more refined. Maybe thats because as I become more financially secure, I am able to experience finer things. More likely, as I'm older I've been exposed to more ads thus they have imprinted themselves on my subconscious.
One thing I've always loved however is the sweet succulent tastes of meat. Meat is delicious and wonderful. And anyone who tells me that eating meat is a bad or inhumane choice instantly loses nearly all credibility with me.
Now, I've been thinking about what kinds of delicious snacks and goodies I want to have on hand for the grand-daddy feast-day for all men. The Super bowl. I noticed a link to some amazing Super bowl recipes on Yahoo and in my being naive I went and looked at them. What was I treated with you ask? Surely it would be chicken wings, bratwursts, salsa, guacamole, and other artery clogging goodness. No! It was things like goat cheese spinach salads, and vegetarian delights!
If you're a vegetarian and you're worried that I wont have a vegetarian delight meal prepared for you to enjoy with the superbowl, then I don't want you at my house watching the game!
Living Off the Cluff
23 January 2007
Customized M&Ms
I think this may be the coolest thing ever.
http://www.mymms.com/business/index.asp?src=111661&sc_cid=DR_BNO_M2BA0700DAB11046
Yes, you can customize your M&Ms -- put whatever you want on there, as long as it's not too foul or trademarked.
How come they didn't have this when I was a kid??? I guess because I couldn't afford it then, or now.
http://www.mymms.com/business/index.asp?src=111661&sc_cid=DR_BNO_M2BA0700DAB11046
Yes, you can customize your M&Ms -- put whatever you want on there, as long as it's not too foul or trademarked.
How come they didn't have this when I was a kid??? I guess because I couldn't afford it then, or now.
16 January 2007
Best Television
Watching the season premiere of 24 (season 6) got me thinking about the best television shows.
I was never one to watch much television. Well, thanks to superior programming, that has changed. I've tried to catagorize the shows, with a limit of 5 shows per catagory. A few years ago the idea of watching 5 different shows would have been crazy.
Can't Miss Shows (5)
24 - I missed out on the start of this show, and never started watching, even though I knew I wanted to one day. That day came last summer, when my wife and I borrowed season 1 on DVD. We then watched the other 5 seasons on DVD, and are now following Jack Bauer through season 6 on air.
The Unit - This is one of the best shows I've ever seen, it follows a squad of elite special forces, but not only do we follow their missions in remote parts of the world, but we follow their families back home, and the lives they lead, supporting their husbands, while even their closest friends can't know what their husbands really do. This is very character driven.
The Office - This is the single most funny event on television, possibly ever. It's not too often that the remake (American) far surpasses the original (British version), but this show has. Of course you can't fault the Brits for not having the comedic genius of Steve Carell. This show has all the awkwardness of a real office, but much more comedy.
Heroes - May be the best new show. It has accomplished what Lost and other similiar shows tried but failed to accomplish. This examines the lives of people who begin to realize that they have abilities and powers beyond the normal. How they react, and what they do with them.
Friday Night Lights - This, along with Heroes, may be the best new show. Welcome to small-town Texas, where Dillon highschool football is life. Follow the town and the team as they struggle on and off the field.
Good Shows (6)
Criminal Minds - Show about profiling serial killers, you can't go wrong with that. I'm glad they got rid of Elle, plus it's got Greg from Darma and Greg.
House - House is a mean old jerk whos addicted to pain meds. So why should I care about him? Because he's also clever, non-pc (at Princeton???) and the best darned Doc in the world. House doesn't let the little things like human nicety get in the way of discovering what is really wrong.
CSI - This show has kinda slipped over the last year or two. It's still fun to watch, but it doesn't have the same punch. It's hard to top the dramatic Season Finale they had though, with Nicky trapped in the coffin. Grissam is leaving now, which could hurt, he's one of the best reasons for watching.
Las Vegas - This was a tough one, I could have put it in the catch it if nothing else is on, category, but I think that would be a disservice. The show is good, and although it's not something I'd worry about missing, it's more than just something I'd leave the channel on if I were flipping through. This show doesn't bother a lot with believable plots, it's just hi jinx and fun in Las Vegas with pretty boys and pretty girls.
Beauty and the Geek - The first season was probably the best, but this show which teams up 1 geeky guy and one beautiful girl and sets them through challenges does have its moments. The guys who are very geeky have to perform social tasks like do standup comedy, or ask an attractive woman for her phone number, while the girls, who range is beauty, have to do book smart tasks, like guide a museum tour. It's fun to watch over the season as these shallow people, and yes, being so one dimensionally geeky does make you just as shallow as being one dimensionally beautiful, become more well rounded individuals.
Simpsons - The Simpsons is probably just barely hanging in the Good category. It's hard to stay fresh with a show thats in it's 50th season (give or take). But Homer is still a hero of mine, and the best part of the show. As long as they make Homer Homer, I'll catch it.
Shows to Catch if Nothing Else is On (5)
Law & Order - Criminal Intent - The reason this show is here has to do with the time slot. It's just on at a horrible time. It's on at the same time as the Unit and House. That and the fact that Vincent D'Onofrio is too lazy to act full time. No offense to Chris Noth, but Criminal Intent is Detective Goren and Eames.
CSI - Miami - This show is OK, I can appreciate the fact that they thought to themselves how can we take CSI and make it even better? Lets add pretty people! It just doesn't work as well.
MythBusters - I nearly put this in the Good category, but I had to be honest with myself? When do I watch this? Usually Sundays when nothing else is on. That pretty much describes this category. It is fun to watch Adam and Jamie take popular myths and urban legends and actually construct tests to see what is true and what isn't. The other crew of Mythbusters are just ehh to me.
American Idol - This is my wife's favorite show, so I watch this much more than just "if nothing else is on" but thats pretty much how I feel about it. I like watching the bad singers make fools of themselves, and I like some of the final contestants, but it's not a huge draw for me.
Survivor - Another one of my wife's favorites that I think is just OK. It's funny though, because I think I got her to like it. Survivor is survivor. You know what you're getting into if you watch this. It's exactly what you expect.
Frustrating Shows (4)
Scrubs - A show that used to be funny and interesting, but lost that about a season and a half ago. You'll still find your occasionally funny moments but this is yet another medical show that is flat lining.
Jericho - This show is a cool idea, nuclear bombs go off across America and a rural town in Kansas has to carry on without communication to the outside world, without knowing what caused the explosions, where they exploded, who is responsible, or anything. The implementation of this great idea has been somewhat lackluster so far, but this could turn into an interesting show.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - A look behind a Saturday Night Live show. Wow, this could have been cool, wow, was it ever not. I've never seen a more in your face blatant PC crap. The most damaging part of this show however, was for a show that was about saving a sketch comedy show, every single sketch they showed was horrible. Thankfully they showed very few.
Crossing Jordan - Cross out Jordan and this show would be watchable. She's a terrible actress, with a terrible part and everytime I think about this show about Morgue Docs who conviently are also CSI "like" field technicians, I wish it were Jordan on the table.
I was never one to watch much television. Well, thanks to superior programming, that has changed. I've tried to catagorize the shows, with a limit of 5 shows per catagory. A few years ago the idea of watching 5 different shows would have been crazy.
Can't Miss Shows (5)
24 - I missed out on the start of this show, and never started watching, even though I knew I wanted to one day. That day came last summer, when my wife and I borrowed season 1 on DVD. We then watched the other 5 seasons on DVD, and are now following Jack Bauer through season 6 on air.
The Unit - This is one of the best shows I've ever seen, it follows a squad of elite special forces, but not only do we follow their missions in remote parts of the world, but we follow their families back home, and the lives they lead, supporting their husbands, while even their closest friends can't know what their husbands really do. This is very character driven.
The Office - This is the single most funny event on television, possibly ever. It's not too often that the remake (American) far surpasses the original (British version), but this show has. Of course you can't fault the Brits for not having the comedic genius of Steve Carell. This show has all the awkwardness of a real office, but much more comedy.
Heroes - May be the best new show. It has accomplished what Lost and other similiar shows tried but failed to accomplish. This examines the lives of people who begin to realize that they have abilities and powers beyond the normal. How they react, and what they do with them.
Friday Night Lights - This, along with Heroes, may be the best new show. Welcome to small-town Texas, where Dillon highschool football is life. Follow the town and the team as they struggle on and off the field.
Good Shows (6)
Criminal Minds - Show about profiling serial killers, you can't go wrong with that. I'm glad they got rid of Elle, plus it's got Greg from Darma and Greg.
House - House is a mean old jerk whos addicted to pain meds. So why should I care about him? Because he's also clever, non-pc (at Princeton???) and the best darned Doc in the world. House doesn't let the little things like human nicety get in the way of discovering what is really wrong.
CSI - This show has kinda slipped over the last year or two. It's still fun to watch, but it doesn't have the same punch. It's hard to top the dramatic Season Finale they had though, with Nicky trapped in the coffin. Grissam is leaving now, which could hurt, he's one of the best reasons for watching.
Las Vegas - This was a tough one, I could have put it in the catch it if nothing else is on, category, but I think that would be a disservice. The show is good, and although it's not something I'd worry about missing, it's more than just something I'd leave the channel on if I were flipping through. This show doesn't bother a lot with believable plots, it's just hi jinx and fun in Las Vegas with pretty boys and pretty girls.
Beauty and the Geek - The first season was probably the best, but this show which teams up 1 geeky guy and one beautiful girl and sets them through challenges does have its moments. The guys who are very geeky have to perform social tasks like do standup comedy, or ask an attractive woman for her phone number, while the girls, who range is beauty, have to do book smart tasks, like guide a museum tour. It's fun to watch over the season as these shallow people, and yes, being so one dimensionally geeky does make you just as shallow as being one dimensionally beautiful, become more well rounded individuals.
Simpsons - The Simpsons is probably just barely hanging in the Good category. It's hard to stay fresh with a show thats in it's 50th season (give or take). But Homer is still a hero of mine, and the best part of the show. As long as they make Homer Homer, I'll catch it.
Shows to Catch if Nothing Else is On (5)
Law & Order - Criminal Intent - The reason this show is here has to do with the time slot. It's just on at a horrible time. It's on at the same time as the Unit and House. That and the fact that Vincent D'Onofrio is too lazy to act full time. No offense to Chris Noth, but Criminal Intent is Detective Goren and Eames.
CSI - Miami - This show is OK, I can appreciate the fact that they thought to themselves how can we take CSI and make it even better? Lets add pretty people! It just doesn't work as well.
MythBusters - I nearly put this in the Good category, but I had to be honest with myself? When do I watch this? Usually Sundays when nothing else is on. That pretty much describes this category. It is fun to watch Adam and Jamie take popular myths and urban legends and actually construct tests to see what is true and what isn't. The other crew of Mythbusters are just ehh to me.
American Idol - This is my wife's favorite show, so I watch this much more than just "if nothing else is on" but thats pretty much how I feel about it. I like watching the bad singers make fools of themselves, and I like some of the final contestants, but it's not a huge draw for me.
Survivor - Another one of my wife's favorites that I think is just OK. It's funny though, because I think I got her to like it. Survivor is survivor. You know what you're getting into if you watch this. It's exactly what you expect.
Frustrating Shows (4)
Scrubs - A show that used to be funny and interesting, but lost that about a season and a half ago. You'll still find your occasionally funny moments but this is yet another medical show that is flat lining.
Jericho - This show is a cool idea, nuclear bombs go off across America and a rural town in Kansas has to carry on without communication to the outside world, without knowing what caused the explosions, where they exploded, who is responsible, or anything. The implementation of this great idea has been somewhat lackluster so far, but this could turn into an interesting show.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - A look behind a Saturday Night Live show. Wow, this could have been cool, wow, was it ever not. I've never seen a more in your face blatant PC crap. The most damaging part of this show however, was for a show that was about saving a sketch comedy show, every single sketch they showed was horrible. Thankfully they showed very few.
Crossing Jordan - Cross out Jordan and this show would be watchable. She's a terrible actress, with a terrible part and everytime I think about this show about Morgue Docs who conviently are also CSI "like" field technicians, I wish it were Jordan on the table.
03 January 2007
Best Movies of 2006
I've ranked every movie I saw in 2006.
You can call it my top 25 movies of 2006. I only saw 24 movies in 2006 however, so there will be one vacant spot.
#24. Eragon
Wow, I never read the book, and I only went and saw this because the power at my work went off and I had to kill 4 hours before my wife got off work and I could go home. The plot was terrible, the acting was bad. The only good thing about this movie was the Dragon was remarkably well animated, but her voice was uninspiring.
#23. Church Ball
LDS Movie starring the latest and greatest C-List stars. It's about what you would expect from a movie made about playing church basketball.
#22. 16 Blocks - It's good to see Bruce Willis still working. He's a nice enough, seemingly, guy. This movie was okay, if a bit silly at times.
#21. American Dreamz - A mock look at American Idol. I really didn't think I'd like this very much, but it had some funny parts. Anytime you can make fun of Muslim extremists and reality TV, you're in for a time.
#20. She's the Man - Another mildly amusing look into the teen brain. I watched this to relive my early childhood memories of a very similiar movie, Just One of the Guys. In She's the Man, a girl proves she's every bit as good of a soccer player as the guys by posing as a guy. Hilarity ensues.
#19. The Break-Up - The famous Vinciffer movie. It was okay, but I came away remarkably unfulfilled. Vince Vaughn is a pretty fun guy though. I guess if you like watching people have real relationship problems and arguments, this is the movie for you.
#18. The Benchwarmers - Your basic slapstick comedy. It's funny, it's mindless, it's a way to spend 2 hours.
#17. Nacho Libre - From the makers of Napolean Dynamite. This movie while funny, lacks the charm and inherent likability of Napolean Dynamite, but it was fun to watch. Good for a few laughs.
#16. Akeelah and the Bee - Saw this on DVD, and while I wasn't engrossed by it, I did enjoy it. It was a nice story, acted very well. I certainly didn't have any urge to watch national spelling bees on ESPN-Nerd afterwards, but I was pulling for Akeelah.
#15. Firewall - I enjoyed this movie, it was fun and entertaining. I've always been a fan of Harrison Ford, and probably will until the day I die. He's getting up there, so it was a stretch to see him fighting a lot. But at least he wasn't in a boxing ring.
#14. Superman Returns - This Superman was so much better than the previous offerings. It was like a return to glory, not quite to the Batman level, but at least there may still be life left in this franchise afterall.
#13. Cars - A very fun Pixar Animation, that just didn't have quite what it took to make it into the top 10. Some of the most fun I had in this movie was watching for all the little car details in the background scenes. Maybe if they had focused a little more attention to the foreground it would have moved up.
#12. School for Scoundrels - I'm a fan of Jon Heder, and it's fun to see him take on the tough guys. I thought it was a great pairing having Heder and Billy Bob Thornton, though this movie isn't for those easily offended.
#11. Eight Below - a heartwarming tale of survival by a pack of sled dogs left in the arctic over the winter. This is a Disney movie, so it's been disneyfied, but it's still a good story, with some beautiful cinematography.
#10. The Da Vinci Code - Enjoyed the book and enjoyed the movie. Some people take it far too seriously, if you just sit and enjoy it as a nice work of fiction, I think you'll come away enjoying it.
#9. Glory Road - A great and inspiring sports story chronicling the UTEP basketball team and the challenges and racism they had to overcome. It's kind of like Remember the Titans, but not nearly as good.
#8. The Lake House - One of the more enjoyable chick-flicks I've seen recently. I ended up liking both characters. The movie was predictable, but I didn't care, I was still happy to go along for the ride.
#7. Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas (3-D) - Rereleased in 3-D for Halloween. This is a Cluff-Classic already, and the 3-D version was an improvement on that. I will always take any chance I get to see this on the big screen.
#6. The Work and the Glory: A House Divided - The third installment (and final?) of the Work and the Glory series. I'm a fan of the books, and have enjoyed the movies. I thought the 2nd movie rushed too quickly through some very important events, and when I heard that they weren't going to make any more after the 3rd one I was afraid that they'd rush though it as well. I was pleasantly surprised to find the movie was paced very well, and it lingered over the important moments. It meant we didn't get to the real end of the story, but theres always hope they will make more.
#5. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - Right now Johnny Depp can do no wrong. Neither can Jerry Bruckheimer. The movie was great, even if I could have hoped for a more conclusive ending. I'll be waiting for part III. Besides, any movie with a swash-buckling Keira Knightley is a movie I need to see.
#4. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - This movie is laugh out loud hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing. The cast was comedic perfection, and I loved almost everything about this movie.
#3. X-Men: the Last Stand - Best superhero movie I've seen since Batman Begins. Always an X-Men fan, but this movie easily blew Superman (which was a good movie in it's own right) out of the water.
#2. Mission: Impossible III - Best Mission: Impossible to date. Much better than the 2nd, which was pretty, but fluffy, and even better than the first, which was intriguing, but had too little action. The only reason this movie wasn't huge, is because Tom Cruise is a freak. If you can suspend your rightful distaste for him, this movie will blow your socks off.
#1. Casino Royale - I never thought I'd want to see another James Bond movie again. Like Batman Begins, this movie took a franchise that was dead and gave it new life. What had become a cheese factory of unrealistic gizmos and gadgets (invisible cars? Please!) and turned it into a tough, gritty action film again. I loved this movie.
You can call it my top 25 movies of 2006. I only saw 24 movies in 2006 however, so there will be one vacant spot.
#24. Eragon
Wow, I never read the book, and I only went and saw this because the power at my work went off and I had to kill 4 hours before my wife got off work and I could go home. The plot was terrible, the acting was bad. The only good thing about this movie was the Dragon was remarkably well animated, but her voice was uninspiring.
#23. Church Ball
LDS Movie starring the latest and greatest C-List stars. It's about what you would expect from a movie made about playing church basketball.
#22. 16 Blocks - It's good to see Bruce Willis still working. He's a nice enough, seemingly, guy. This movie was okay, if a bit silly at times.
#21. American Dreamz - A mock look at American Idol. I really didn't think I'd like this very much, but it had some funny parts. Anytime you can make fun of Muslim extremists and reality TV, you're in for a time.
#20. She's the Man - Another mildly amusing look into the teen brain. I watched this to relive my early childhood memories of a very similiar movie, Just One of the Guys. In She's the Man, a girl proves she's every bit as good of a soccer player as the guys by posing as a guy. Hilarity ensues.
#19. The Break-Up - The famous Vinciffer movie. It was okay, but I came away remarkably unfulfilled. Vince Vaughn is a pretty fun guy though. I guess if you like watching people have real relationship problems and arguments, this is the movie for you.
#18. The Benchwarmers - Your basic slapstick comedy. It's funny, it's mindless, it's a way to spend 2 hours.
#17. Nacho Libre - From the makers of Napolean Dynamite. This movie while funny, lacks the charm and inherent likability of Napolean Dynamite, but it was fun to watch. Good for a few laughs.
#16. Akeelah and the Bee - Saw this on DVD, and while I wasn't engrossed by it, I did enjoy it. It was a nice story, acted very well. I certainly didn't have any urge to watch national spelling bees on ESPN-Nerd afterwards, but I was pulling for Akeelah.
#15. Firewall - I enjoyed this movie, it was fun and entertaining. I've always been a fan of Harrison Ford, and probably will until the day I die. He's getting up there, so it was a stretch to see him fighting a lot. But at least he wasn't in a boxing ring.
#14. Superman Returns - This Superman was so much better than the previous offerings. It was like a return to glory, not quite to the Batman level, but at least there may still be life left in this franchise afterall.
#13. Cars - A very fun Pixar Animation, that just didn't have quite what it took to make it into the top 10. Some of the most fun I had in this movie was watching for all the little car details in the background scenes. Maybe if they had focused a little more attention to the foreground it would have moved up.
#12. School for Scoundrels - I'm a fan of Jon Heder, and it's fun to see him take on the tough guys. I thought it was a great pairing having Heder and Billy Bob Thornton, though this movie isn't for those easily offended.
#11. Eight Below - a heartwarming tale of survival by a pack of sled dogs left in the arctic over the winter. This is a Disney movie, so it's been disneyfied, but it's still a good story, with some beautiful cinematography.
#10. The Da Vinci Code - Enjoyed the book and enjoyed the movie. Some people take it far too seriously, if you just sit and enjoy it as a nice work of fiction, I think you'll come away enjoying it.
#9. Glory Road - A great and inspiring sports story chronicling the UTEP basketball team and the challenges and racism they had to overcome. It's kind of like Remember the Titans, but not nearly as good.
#8. The Lake House - One of the more enjoyable chick-flicks I've seen recently. I ended up liking both characters. The movie was predictable, but I didn't care, I was still happy to go along for the ride.
#7. Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas (3-D) - Rereleased in 3-D for Halloween. This is a Cluff-Classic already, and the 3-D version was an improvement on that. I will always take any chance I get to see this on the big screen.
#6. The Work and the Glory: A House Divided - The third installment (and final?) of the Work and the Glory series. I'm a fan of the books, and have enjoyed the movies. I thought the 2nd movie rushed too quickly through some very important events, and when I heard that they weren't going to make any more after the 3rd one I was afraid that they'd rush though it as well. I was pleasantly surprised to find the movie was paced very well, and it lingered over the important moments. It meant we didn't get to the real end of the story, but theres always hope they will make more.
#5. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - Right now Johnny Depp can do no wrong. Neither can Jerry Bruckheimer. The movie was great, even if I could have hoped for a more conclusive ending. I'll be waiting for part III. Besides, any movie with a swash-buckling Keira Knightley is a movie I need to see.
#4. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - This movie is laugh out loud hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing. The cast was comedic perfection, and I loved almost everything about this movie.
#3. X-Men: the Last Stand - Best superhero movie I've seen since Batman Begins. Always an X-Men fan, but this movie easily blew Superman (which was a good movie in it's own right) out of the water.
#2. Mission: Impossible III - Best Mission: Impossible to date. Much better than the 2nd, which was pretty, but fluffy, and even better than the first, which was intriguing, but had too little action. The only reason this movie wasn't huge, is because Tom Cruise is a freak. If you can suspend your rightful distaste for him, this movie will blow your socks off.
#1. Casino Royale - I never thought I'd want to see another James Bond movie again. Like Batman Begins, this movie took a franchise that was dead and gave it new life. What had become a cheese factory of unrealistic gizmos and gadgets (invisible cars? Please!) and turned it into a tough, gritty action film again. I loved this movie.
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