Pacquiao vs. Marquez part II announced

On March 15th, 2008 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas there will be a rematch between these two fighters, four years after their first fight. This is a much anticipated rematch between the two after the first fight being so dramatic. In the first fight, Pacquiao knocked Marquez down three times in the first round, but Marquez fought back to have the fight ruled a split draw. After four years, this next fight is bound to be a great one.

If you're going to be in the Las Vegas area on March 15th, you should look into some Manny Paquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez tickets. And if you're not planning on being in Las Vegas area, maybe you should change your plans. This would be a great opportunity to get out and do something that you've never done before.

Since their last meeting, Manny Pacquiao has gone 7-1 with the lone loss being to Erik Morales. Marquez has gone 6-1 losing only to the undefeated Chris John. I'm sure most boxing fans are looking forward to this fight, and if you're not already a boxing fan, it's probably a good time to check it out. Plus, once you're there at the fight you'll have the chance to check out all the other things Las Vegas has to offer.

This is a sponsored post.

Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl Miracle

I was able to watch the Las Vegas Bowl between Brigham Young University and UCLA. We didn't have it on regular TV, but we were able to access espn360 and then project it onto the ceiling. I didn't think that it would be a close game really since UCLA was playing something like their fourth string quarterback. I didn't forget, though, that it was still BYU who is notorious for choking late in the game.

The first half went pretty much as expected with BYU scoring a couple of touchdowns and holding UCLA to a couple of field goals. It wasn't until the final minute of the first half that BYU showed their true colors. Deep in their own territory with under a minute to play, they decide to run the ball of all things and ended up fumbling it. They should have taken a knee and gone in at half-time with a nice lead. They can't have thought that they would score on a run from their own 10 yard line, and if they had realistic hopes of scoring, they should have thrown the ball. But BYU did what they do best and gave up a last minute touchdown.

The second half was uneventful at best. UCLA did manage to score another field goal, and the Cougars didn't feel like scoring I guess. BYU did manage to give up a big play at the end of the game giving UCLA an easy chip shot instead of a more difficult field goal. While I'm not a fan of the prevent defense, I don't think they should have run the blitz either. The last play of the game somehow went in BYU's favor though. What should have been an easy field goal ended up being blocked/tipped. BYU should have lost the game in my opinion (even though I'm glad they won). And as for Bronco's hope of gaining credibility with the BCS, it's pretty much shot due to poor coaching.

School Fundraising with Schoolpop

I'm sure you've all seen some type of fundraiser for schools. I remember selling chocolate candy bars from door to door, holiday gift baskets and other knick knacks, or just participating in a bake sale or pizza sale. I suppose they've all served their purpose, but they didn't seem like the easiest way to do things.

There's now a new way to earn money for school or raise funds for special school activities. Schoolpop.com provides a non-traditional school fundraiser opportunity. As school fundraising supporters, by shopping at some of your favorite retailers in their network you can allocate some of the funds to your school's fundraising programs. If you'd like to put a different spin on fundraising, you ought to see what they have to offer.

A Tribute to Victor Wooten, The Musician's Bassist

For about as long as I can remember I've been passionate about music. Growing up I played the viola, sung in choirs (my least favorite mind you), and played the trombone (a little baritone/euphonium as well). I've played in orchestras, bands and jazz bands. And ever since I was introduced to the world of jazz, I've loved it. In my last couple of years in high school I also picked up the bass guitar and fell in love with it. I've been playing it ever since.

And every bass guitarist worth anything will be able to tell you about Victor Wooten. I heard a couple of CDs from friends that initially got me interested in him, but then I saw him live for the first time and was blown away. I've now seen him play at least five different times and he's the only artist that I'll never grow tired of seeing. I've seen him play in the Salt Lake City area as well as in Springfield, Illinois. Most recently I saw him at the House of Blues in Chicago.

The concerts I've seen the most are of the Victor Wooten Band. He is obviously the main part of the show, but the whole band is extremely talented. His brothers also usually play with him. Just so you have an idea what I'm talking about here's a little battle between him and his brother Reggie. Victor's the one on bass.



Victor also plays with a band called Bela Fleck and the Flecktones that includes Bela on banjo. Here is one of Victor's amazing solos on their song Sinister Minister. About three minutes into the solo he breaks his top string, yet it doesn't seem to phase him and he keeps right on going.



He has also played with the likes of DMB and you can watch him play one of his more melodic solos with them. [Disclaimer: I don't really like the Dave Mathews Band, but I will acknowledge their talent. And I'll give them a pass when they play with Victor.]

If you haven't seen Victor play or haven't ever heard of him, do yourself a favor and check him out. He's an artist that you won't regret seeing.

Get Help at Relocation.com

So many people are moving or relocating every day. Gone are the days of working for one company for an entire career, and instead people are always looking for the next best thing. At Relocation.com, you can find many different resources aimed at helping your relocation go as smooth as possible. They have a section for moving that includes information about moving companies, auto transport, storage and much more. They want to be as helpful as possible so that you don't leave anything out when you're making your plans. They even have information about real estate and apartments for rent or career options. So if you're looking to relocate at some point, check the site out and see what they have to offer.

The Second National Treasure

The other night my wife and I watched National Treasure again. It's a pretty good movie on it's own, but I can't help but remember that it came out around the same time as the Davinci Code when everyone was obsessed with secrets, codes, and secret societies. We watched to movie though, because my wife really wants to see the new National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

Like the previous movie, this film will star Nicolas Cage and he will go on another treasure hunt filled with secrets and clues. It'll most likely be a fairly entertaining movie. I'm sure there will plenty of twists and turns to keep the audience guessing and plenty of semi-interesting history/trivia. I'm also expecting pretty average action sequences. Nicolas Cage isn't exactly known for his uncanny ability to pull off exciting action scenes. I need only point you to Ghost Rider.

If you're looking for a decent movie to watch this weekend, you'll probably find that with this movie. I'm looking for it to be about a 7 out of 10. I probably won't watch it until it comes out on video, but you can just check out my other blog for why.

Johnny Depp Films

Looking back on the movies that star Johnny Depp, it's tough to pick out one favorite moment. He's come a long way from "21 Jump Street" back in the late eighties to star in such movies and Pirates of the Caribbean and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

One of my favorite movies of his was Edward Scissorhands in which he played the title character, a gentle young man who happened to have scissors for hands. It's kind of an odd premise but he plays the role with such great emotion that you can't help but like it. I especially like the part where he just goes at the bushes. Who wouldn't want to have scissors for hands?

The other movie of his that I really like was the first Pirates of the Caribbean. One of my favorite parts of this movie was when his character was first introduced and he comes into port standing high upon the mast of his small ship as it sinks and he effortlessly walks on to the dock. I also enjoy pretty much any time he says "savvy" in the movie.

Overall, I think I like the pirate movie better than Scissorhands but it's pretty close. I'm also hoping for a great movie in Sweeney Todd which comes out December 21st. For more information visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site. Or you could visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace.

The American Gladiators Resurgence

If you haven't heard by now, then it's time that you found out. NBC is bringing back what is possibly the greatest action game show ever in American Gladiators. The original show ran from 1989 to 1996 (I had no idea it was still on in '96). Joe Theismann was also one of the original hosts of the show. But enough of the interesting facts about the show here's a look at the Intro of the original show. The opening line is just classic, and interestingly enough I remember Mark Ortega and the stellar finish in season 3.



So the basics of the show are as follows. Normal everyday people from all walks of life compete against each other in some of the greatest tests of strength and fitness. There are of course the gladiators, but they're there just to make the contestants life as miserable as possible. The contestants would usually compete in games against the gladiators and earn points for their performance instead of competing directly against each other (until the Eliminator of course).

I'm not sure what type of events the new show will have, but I can only hope that they're as good as some of the old ones (Assault, Powerball, and Hang Tough to name a few). NBC.com does report that the classic games will get a new twist for "bigger thrills, bigger impact, and the biggest action show of the 21st century." Hopefully it will live up to the hype.

The new show will be hosted by none other than Hulk Hogan and then Laili Ali (some hot chick I've never heard of). The show premiers on Sunday, January 6th at 9 p.m. EST. It's a two hour premiere and I'm pretty sure I'll be there to watch it. Until then you'll have to settle for the commercial.

CreditNet: A Credit Card Resource Site

Most of us have used credit cards or are at least familiar with them, but when it comes to the specifics of the different companies and cards things can get kind of confusing. CreditNet is a provider of credit card resources such as company reviews and card applications. They provide information through discussion boards, live chat, and peer to peer help. You can also look for no interest credit cards among other things. There are even resources for merchants, not just consumers. So check them out to learn more about credit cards and to get help when you need it.

You Can't Help But Laugh... Again...

Earlier this week I wrote a post entitled you can't help but laugh, and who would've thought that I would have a follow up post so soon. By now you've probably already seen this video clip, but it's still hilarious. And if you haven't yet seen this, you're in for a treat.

I've seen my share of local news casts, but never anything like this. I actually wish that the local news were more like this sometimes. The two newscasters just can't stop laughing. I would definitely watch more local news if I had something like this to look forward to.



Now if that didn't make you laugh, I'm not sure you can be helped. And by the way, now is as good a time as any to subscribe to The Milk Crate.

One of the Greatest Sandwiches

A little while back we made a pork roast in our crock pot with potatoes and other things. As I was cutting it up it was so tender that it basically just fell apart. That was when I was reminded of barbecue pulled pork. So when I found another roast at a pretty cheap price, I picked it up.

Making it in the crock pot was one of the easiest things I've ever made. It just sat there and cooked for a couple of hours, I pulled it all apart and added a bunch of barbecue sauce. Then I let it slow cook another little while. It can't really get easier than that.

Now what would a pulled pork sandwich be without a fantastic bun to put it on. Since we didn't have any at the time and I didn't feel like going out to the store to get some, my wife decided to make some. And I couldn't have asked for a better bun. When we make these again (which will probably be very soon), it'll definitely be on these home made buns.

I really wish I had taken a picture of our actually sandwiches instead of having to use this canned image, but it did look surprisingly similar. Perhaps when we have them again I'll take a picture and post it then.

You Can't Help But Laugh...

I don't usually browse the internet looking for useless videos, mostly because I'm generally disinterested, but also because I'm far too impatient to sift through all the mediocre (at best) videos to hopefully stumble across a good one. Fortunately though for all of you, I didn't have to find this video; it was sent to me. And it is possibly one of the funniest video clips that I've seen in a really long time.

It's only 17 seconds long so it's short enough to view a couple of times, which you'll probably need to really see all of what's going on. But I'm not going to say any more about it and just let the video speak for itself. Feel free to leave your comments about it though.

Great Media Deals at Supermediastore.com

This holiday season people will be giving all sorts of gifts with many of them being some sort of electronics. Computers, video games, wireless devices, mp3 players and cameras will probably be some of the most often gifted. With these gifts though you can't forget some of the needed accessories. And Supermediastore.com is a major reseller and wholesaler of all sorts of media and electronic accessories. You can find blank CDs and DVDs, jewel cases, photo paper, memory cards and even cheap Samsung toners. They have great variety and a huge selection. So check them out for all the things you'll need to go along with your holiday gifts this year.

Rock Band on Play Station 3

Even though I don't even own a video game system at the moment, I've had the opportunity to play the new game Rock Band for the PS3. And now having played the game, it has been requested that I give my thoughts on it.

As far as the game play is concerned, it's very similar to the Guitar Hero games except for the fact that the notes are now rectangular bars instead of circles. You won't notice much difference in the guitar parts, but they are not nearly as difficult as what you'll find in the Guitar Hero series. What does set Rock Band apart though is the addition of the drums and vocals.

Begin With What You Know


Even though most people interested in this game will already be familiar with fake plastic guitar, Rock Band does have something different to offer. The guitar for this game is a replica Fender Stratocaster and it is a little heavier with a more durable feel. The buttons on the neck are also a lot better integrated. They are flush with the neck allowing for easier slides and hammer-ons. There is also another set of five buttons lower on the neck to give you another feel on the solos. There is a switch that allows you to pick different effects as well. The biggest difference though is probably where you strum the guitar. The lever is curved concave in and doesn't make a clicking sound. It takes some getting used to if you're already used to the Guitar Hero guitars, but I think it's a little more true to life.

It's Time To Beat The Drums

The drum set that comes with the game is actually a lot higher quality than what I had expected. The four drum pads are durable and have a decent bounce-back when hit with the drum sticks. I don't want to give the impression that it feels like you're playing an actual drum set, but it is better than expected. The bass drum pedal also has a nice spring action and fluid motion as opposed to just feeling like cheap plastic.

The drum parts now are pretty difficult. It takes a lot more rhythmical coordination than it does to play the guitar. Contrary to what I've heard others say, I don't think you'll be able to play a real drum set after mastering this toy set, but it will help you develop your hand and foot coordination needed to play the drums. Regardless of the realism though, it's a great interactive addition that will take quite a bit of time to master.

Do I Have To Sing?

As for the vocal part of the game, many people have been confused as to how it actually works. Well, the system senses the pitch of your voice as well as the presence of your voice. The words are streamed across the top of the screen as well as relative pitch lines. Your voice is represented by an arrow that tracks the pitch levels that come across the screen. It sounds pretty simple, but it's actually a lot of fun. And as long as you're not too self-conscious you can have a great time with the vocals.

To Sum It All Up

Overall, the game is a lot of fun to play. With all the different parts to play, it's not something that you'd get bored of easily. I do think the guitar parts should be a little more difficult on the expert level, but the difficulty of the drums more than makes up for it. It's also a great party game to play with a lot of friends. If you have been wondering whether or not you will like the game, it's probably a pretty safe bet that you will.

Holiday Hypermarket

During the holiday season most pepole try to get together as family, and this usually occurs at someone's home. This doesn't have to be the case however. Perhaps you'd like to try something different this holiday and just get away all together. Well, one of the largest travel agencies in Europe wants to help you find some last minute deals and cheap flights to many destinations all over the world. Among other things they can help you find cheap holidays in Cyprus out in the Mediterranean. Holiday Hypermarket offers tons of holiday or vacation packages that are all inclusive. Check them out to see what they have to offer.

Kitchen Nightmares with Gordan Ramsay

I'm not really a huge "TV watcher" in the sense that I have favorite shows I just can't miss. I pretty much just watch whatever intrigues me at the time. Over the past few weeks, though, I've watched a few episodes of Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay and I actually really like it.

It's probably because it combines two of the things that I'm really interested in: Business and Cooking. Aside from the entertainment aspect that the show is going for it's interesting to see how restaurants actually function. I'm sure there is a lot that they don't show, but it's at least semi-educational. I also enjoy the confrontational aspects of the show, but that may just be me.

At some point I'd love to own a restaurant, or even a few, and the show has some great ideas to make them successful. I'm not going to say that they are anything like case studies in the restaurant business since it's mainly meant for entertainment, but I've enjoyed watching it.

NFL Timeouts: What's the Rule??

I've been watching quite a bit of football the last couple of weeks, and especially enjoyed the recent victory of the Dallas Cowboys over the Green Bay Packers. I did, however, wonder why some of the timeouts called were "full" timeouts and others were 30 second timeouts. I wasn't aware that there were different timeouts in football like there are in basketball so I did a little research to find out why.

Apparently it has to do with the television coverage of the game. Normally timeouts are for 1 minute 50 seconds and the coverage usually goes to a commercial break. However, if television doesn't utilize the timeout for a commercial break, the time is reduced. The mystery has now been solved for me. Hopefully this has also cleared things up for some of you out there who have also wondered about this.

Local News and Entertainment in North Carolina

If you live in the Triad area of North Carolina, there is a local news and entertainment portal that might interest you. For those of you not in this area, it consists of Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem. The site has a clean layout and is able to present a lot of information without seeming too cluttered. I've thought about moving to North Carolina since I'm looking to go back to school to get my MBA, and this site would be a great place to get reviews on local restaurants and other entertainment choices. It's more or less a one stop shop for local information in the Triad area.

This is a sponsored post.

Separated at Birth...

I'm sure many of you out there have wondered where this guy Zachary Levi, better known as Chuck, came from and how he ended up starring in a new show on NBC. Well, the mystery has finally been solved. Once Jimmy Fallon found out that he had a brother, he wanted to help him out in any way that he could. And since the only way he knows how is to put his goofy face on TV, he was able to get his brother just such a gig. It's just the beginning for Zachary, but maybe someday he'll too be able to share the silver screen with the Queen.

Climate Control Undressed and Exposed

As I'm sure many of you are aware, some of the more upscale cars or vehicles offer a feature called climate control. For both of you who don't know what this is, instead of just being able to blow cold or hot air out of the vents it will automatically maintain a certain temperature. This seems like a great feature and one that I would actually enjoy, but the story doesn't stop here.

Car makers have taken it one step further and offer dual climate control which allows both the driver and front passenger to select their own temperature independent of each other. This is where I begin to have an issue. I mean, is this actually possible?

As a high school graduate, a college graduate, an electrical engineer and just a sane rational person, I'm going to tell you that dual climate control just isn't possible. The driver and passenger are sitting too close to each other for me to believe that each one is enjoying their own separate temperature. I'm not aware of any invisible barrier that keeps the two regions independent of each other. I will concede that the vents can work independently, but the cabin area is just far too small to maintain separate temperature zones.

As a result, there is no way that I would pay extra for a vehicle to have dual climate control. If there's a car I want that has this feature in the base model, I might go for it. But I definitely wouldn't seek it out.

Allstate Car and Limousine

Allstate Car and Limousine is the Special Services division of the Corporate Transportation Group. They provide classy transportation in the New York area with many different options to choose from in order to service almost any need. They have luxury sedans, vans, and coaches, or you could opt for their limousine service New Jersey. They have their own call center and dispatch facility located in Manhattan that is available 24 hours a day. They have been described as "The Best Car and Limousine Service in Town" and serve many high profile clients. So if you're in the area and want to travel in style, check out their website to find out more.

This is a sponsored post.