No Place for Cell Phones

I've been meaning to write about this for quite some time now, and it's finally here. It's another one of my pet peeves that I see every now and then at work. Let me just make this blanket statement:

"Cell phones have no place in public restroom stalls."

I don't really care what the reason or excuse is or may be. I will not retract this statement. I just don't understand what some people are thinking when they're talking on their phone while sitting on the porcelain throne. I'm sure the party on the other end of the line is thrilled when they hear the high pressure flushing that goes on in this public place.

There are also sanity concerns with this sort of activity. You just shouldn't touch your junk and then your phone. I shouldn't need to say this. Some people however will say that they are the only ones that use their phone so it wouldn't matter. For everyone else's sake, I hope they're correct. But people usually wash their hands after going to the restroom. I don't believe that they wash their cell phones.

I also don't believe that anyone is so important, busy, or otherwise that they need to subject others to this sort of behaviour. It was only a few years ago that most people didn't even have cell phones. It is a wonderful convenience and privilege but it shouldn't be extended into public stalls. This is all.

Top 5 Greatest Fight Scenes

I'm not quite sure what got me thinking about this topic, but I've decided to put together the Top Five Greatest Fight Scenes. Fight scenes are an integral part of any action movie and often are the reason people go to see a movie in the first place. Honestly, what would some movies be without them?

Now, I'm not going to get into the decision process and the underlying criteria for these choices because they are what they are, the greatest fight scenes ever:

5. Nada versus Frank (They Live 1988): This is just an all out street brawl between 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper and Keith David. The fantastic wrestling moves are what put this scene over the top. You'll have to watch it to appreciate it.

4. John Matrix versus Bennett (Commando 1985): Not only is this one of the greatest fight scenes of all time, Arnold delivers one of best lines at the conclusion.

3. Frank Dux versus Chong Li (Bloodsport 1988): This has all the elements of a great fight scene. Great martial arts screams, an emotional flashback, the Chong Li cheer, it's all included.

2. The Transporter (2002): I thought about this one for a while, and I'm not able to narrow it down to one scene. It's just too good. The double punch, the bike pedals, and who could forget the transporter move on the 18 wheeler.

1. Mr. Miyagi vs. the Kobra Kai (Karate Kid III 1989): I think my favorite part of this scene is the strategic turning off of the lights. It really sets the mood.

Will Smith Sings for Linkin Park

An often played song on the radio these days is the Linkin Park song, Bleed It Out. In the past I have been a pretty big Linkin Park fan, and I even went to see them in concert when they came to Salt Lake. That being said, this song doesn't really live up to what I've been used to in the past. It's a pretty repetitive and formulaic song that doesn't have much musical/acoustic variety. I'm just not all that impressed with it.

One possible reason for this though, is that they've apparently enlisted the services of a new front man, Will Smith. If you haven't already, click on the above link to listen to the song and you'll hear what I mean. He's the first voice that you'll hear. I'm not sure how they did it, but I wonder if Will Smith is going to go on tour with the band. That would be something.

Note: As I was writing this my wife wanted to read it, and she actually believed that Will Smith was the new front man for Linkin Park.

The GMAT Lost...

As you may know if you read my other blog Fiscal Musings, I recently took the GMAT. With only two and a half weeks of studying I didn't really know what type of score to expect. Mostly, I just wanted to be done with it so I wouldn't have it hanging over my head.

Interestingly enough though, it seems that I murdered the test. Somehow I managed to score a 750. I know that I was pretty tired after nearly four hours of answering the most mundane questions but I'm pretty sure I heard it say "mercy" as I was leaving. So if you're planning on taking the GMAT anytime soon, I'd give it some time to recover.

Outsourcing At Its Finest...

This is a picture of an actual error message that I got from a software program at work. What it's trying to say is that I entered an "Illegal minimum angle", in the Minimum Angle field which you can see in the top right. I can safely say that this is the greatest error message that I've ever received.

I also can't say for certain, but I'm pretty sure we're seeing outsourcing at its finest. I would have thought they would have at least gotten someone who spoke a little English. Apparently, this would have been too much to ask. I don't have any more to say about this, but I thought you might get enjoy this half as much as I did.

Texas Ranger Beat Downs

As you are probably already aware, the Texas Rangers steam-rolled the Orioles yesterday on the order of 30-3. Aside from it being a record setting game, it was done by one of my favorite teams. It makes it all that much sweeter.

But, I don't want to dwell on this one game. All the focus makes me think of other beat downs delivered by the Texas Rangers. The one that comes to mind most readily is the friendly encounter between Nolan Ryan and one Robin Ventura.

There is also the stellar outing of Kenny Rodgers in 1994 where he threw a perfect game against the Angels. The opposing lineup included Jim Edmonds and the famed Bo Jackson. If the perfect game wasn't enough, Jose Canseco knocked 2 homers and Juan Gonzalez added one of his own.

The Rangers definitely aren't going anywhere near the playoffs this year, but as I see it, there's always next year. Until then, we'll have to live with inconsistent greatness.

A Little About Patrick Warburton

This is Patrick Warburton. I was watching an episode from the last season of Rules of Engagement and realized just how funny this guy is. He has his own unique style of humour coupled with his unique and recognizable voice that even makes things funny that usually wouldn't be. He's also able to always maintain a straight face which is something a lot of comedic actors have trouble with (I'm talking about you Jimmy Fallon).

As I've already mentioned he's starring in the newer series, Rules of Engagement and has also had a role in Family Guy. What you might not have known about him is that he's had roles in The Tick, News Radio, and Seinfeld. You should also know that he had a small role in one episode of Quantum Leap. That just screams superstar.

He's also scheduled to be in a couple movies in 2008, Space Chimps and Made for Each Other. I'm not exactly sure how these will fare (I smell an inflated rating), but he's funny regardless.

Awful News Coverage of the Utah Miners Incident

One of the biggest stories in the news over the last week has been the 6 trapped miners in Huntington, Utah. It's a terrible situation that hasn't seen seen any improvements; in fact, 3 would be rescuers were killed and another 6 injured. Now, as emotional as the situation is or may be, I'm a little tired of the constant news coverage.

It's not really a problem with the local news outlets. They mention it, and then they move on with the other stories they need to get to. The cable news channels are a completely different story however. Every day this last week during lunch I've seen CNN covering what they call a "Developing Story".

I don't know what's "developing" about it. Other than the second cave in, the situation hasn't really changed. They've been drilling new holes and trying to tunnel in underneath, but the fact that six miners are trapped hasn't changed.

I'm also not just talking about a quick update here and there. It's been the only story that they're covering for hours on end. They're showing live coverage of the many press conferences. I thought the press conference was for the press and then they would deliver the important points to us, the viewing public. The press conferences also haven't been saying anything new. Mostly different people expressing their condolences and saying that the rescuers are focused.

By far the worst part about these endless broadcasts is when they show the President of the mining company standing in front of a TV that's broadcasting different shots of the rescue workers. Every once and a while he would say something about what was going on, but for the majority of the time, we were watching another man watch TV. Unbelievable.

To reiterate though, it's a sad situation there for the miners and their families, but the cable news is turning it into a cross between a circus act and National Geographic. Enough already.

CSI: Miami, Caruso Style

CSI: Miami is one of those formulaic TV shows of which there are far too many. What sets this one apart, however, are the quick one-liners delivered by the shows main character. They're pretty much awful, but they do provide some unintended entertainment value. This clip has my vote for the all-time worst so far:

I'm also not the only one who sees these comments as ridiculous; in fact, I don't know how one could actually take them seriously. Now, I give you this clip of Jim Carrey and his rendition of this "quality" programming.

The Milk Crate Resurrection

It has been quite some time since I've written on this blog, but I'm going to make a comeback. As I've said before, I have plenty of opinions and will gladly share them with whomever cares to read them. Take a quick look at what's already been posted as sort of a primer for what's to come. Seriously, there isn't that many posts so read them all.

As for tonight, I will leave you with this: It's no fun to be outside packing a pod to help someone move in triple digit heat. If you ever have the opportunity, I wouldn't take it. You really don't want to know what I'm talking about.