The resolution will be televised

To bring in the new year and to honor Samuel L. Jackson, here are my resolutions for 2008.

Now, I know you might find it shocking that someone as cool and together as myself has New Year's resolutions, but believe it or not, there are things that even EmawKC can improve upon. Forthwith - if I could have a little music, please...

At the top of my list: "Continue to kick ass"

And then I hope to "Be as bad as I know I can be."

Also, to "Really put it out there, and by it I mean EmawKC's mojo."

In addition, I plan to "Give it as good as I get it," "Be all that and more" and "Lose my shyness, vis a vis the rocket in my pocket."

Plus, I plan to "Work my voodoo on the lady fans," "Take a thorn out of some cat's paw" and "Build a shrine to my own bad ass."

Then it's time to "Give the demons what for," "Spare the rod and spoil the face" and "Continue to kick ass."

After which, I'll "Show the bad men what it's all about," "Release a dove from a ghetto rooftop" and "Cradle a newborn baby in the ruins of a church."

Finally, this year, I will "Stick it to all the suckas" and I'm gonna "Show the man that I mean business"

..and I'm gonna "Take a computer class."

tagged: New Year's, Resolutions, Samuel L. Jackson, pop culture

Random Photo VIII: San Francisco, 2005

Here's a shot I took of the breadbasket at Boudin Sourdough Bakery & Cafe, one of San Francisco's best tourist traps lunch spots.

I have to admit that Pier 39 isn't my favorite area of SF, but it makes for some good pics, no?tagged: photo, picture, San Francisco, Boudin, bread, sourdough

Friday Blogthing: A Long December

I know it's a little late, hell it won't even be this year before most of you see this one, but I caught this "December" music quiz on mental_floss and made a decent 80%.

Singin' 'bout December


Score: 80% (8 out of 10)

tagged: Friday, test, songs, December, knowledge, meme, blog

Happy Festivus

We're getting ready to make like a baby and head out. Going to western Kansas to visit the fams.

I'll see all you chumps next year. In the meantime...


tagged: Festivus, Seinfeld, George Costanza, Human Fund, Christmas

More holiday fun: Handbell Hero

Excellent KC-based interactive marketing agency VML produced this cool flash game Handbell Hero.

It's kind of like Guitar Hero, but without the poseurism and price tag. Try it out. I totally shredded Jingle Bells.

PS- The bell choir stars local blog queen Pensive Girl from They Pay To Kiss Your Feet. Well done, PG!



tagged: Kansas City, VML, online game, Guitar Hero, holidays, marketing

Friday Blogthing: For relaxing times, make it Suntory time

I know pretty much everyone had already done this one, but it is surprising how accurate it is. Suntory isn't my brand, but maybe I should give it a try...


tagged: Friday, test, booze, alcohol, whisky, Bill Murray, Lost in Translation, meme

I need help

They say the first step to getting better is to admit you need help.

Well here I am, admitting it. There are several problems I've been wrestling with lately, and I'm finally going to admit that I'm stuck.

So I'm reaching out to you, my (two) readers, to see if you can look into your hearts this holiday season and see your way to giving me some much needed assistance on these three problems that have been vexing me lo these many months.

• First, I gotta find a pillow that is comfortable. My supermodel wife recently threw out the pillow I've been using for the last few years. Part of me knows it was time to toss it, what with the smell of sweaty corn chips and all. But the pillows that have replaced it have either been too flat or too fluffy.
  
  You see, I'm a back sleeper. So I need to find something that isn't so thick that it pushes my head up so I'm looking at my feet, but it can't be so flat that it might as well not be there. Does anyone have a good pillow suggestion? I'm dyin' for a decent night's sleep.



• A couple of weeks ago I spent wasted 45 minutes trying to solve the puzzles on Guest House. If you're not familiar with this style of online game, it essentially a simple Flash program.
  
  Your character is placed in a room and your assignment is to get out of the room. The problem is there are no instructions. You have to not only find the clues, you have to decipher what the clues mean and what to do with the objects you find.
  
  Well, I figured out all of the clues. I solved the combination, turned on the respirator, got the soda can from the vending machine, put the fuse in the fuse box and even poured the soda down the mouth of the sleeping chick. And I still couldn't get the freaking door open. I must be missing something but I can't figure out what it is.
  
  If any of you computer game savants figure this out, do me a solid and drop me a hint in the comments section, because it's driving me crazy.


• Finally, I got this email earlier from Jon Swift, a very powerful and influential blogger who also happens to be one of the best and funniest writers out there. He's asking me, ME!, to send him what I think is the best blog post I've written this year for a year-end review.
  
  Problem is, it's hard for me to choose the best since I think they all kick ass. I'm leaning toward sending this recent post breaking down some new TV shows, only because it contains the phrase "pseudo-lesbian wire-fighting battles."
  
  But before I make my final decision, I want your input. So go back and read every single post I've written for 2007 and let me know which one kicks the most ass. (or you could just start with these, but it's not an exhaustive list.

That's it. I'd like to have these things buttoned up by COB on Friday (that's "close of business" for you non-corporate types), so get right on it, mmmmkay?

tagged: help, sleep, pillow, online game, guest house, blog, Jon Swift

3A.M. Poll: Gift emergency

Okay I know this is a little last-minute, but I'm completely stumped and I need a little input here.

You see, I've got just about all my Christmas shopping done. My supermodel wife, my kid, my parents and my brother... even got a present for the White Elephant gift exchange at work today.

But for the life of me I haven't been able to figure out what to get you. I've been everywhere, shopped for hours online, but nothing seems right. So throw an desperate shopper a bone here, will ya?

What's at the top of your gift list this year?



tagged: poll, Christmas, gift, list, kiss, Red Ryder, hippopotamus

Goin' downtown

Me and 17,000 of my best friends went to the K-State v. FAMU basketball exhibition at the Sprint Center last night.

You can read the Star's coverage of the event here.

It was a beautiful night to be downtown. We started our evening with a couple rounds at The Cigar Box just down Grand from the arena. It was a few blocks walk from where I parked in the Town Pavilion lot ($10, no waiting -- so much for the downtown parking doom sayers).

The place was packed when I got there to rendezvous with the rest of the group. Making my way through the bar, chest to back with all of the other patrons, remided me of my college days squeezing through a packed Rusty's Last Chance in Aggieville. But I digress.

The game was a predictable blowout, so that was fun. One of my favorite moments was the K-State fan flashing a poster on the scoreboard jumbotron which read "Bill Walker Pisses Excellence" -- a reference to the call of nature a few weeks ago.

After the game we capped the night at McFadden's across the street -- another packed house which led us to stand outside on the back terrace drinking our beers, reminiscing and making plans for next time.

It was a good night out.

Here are a few more pics.

I really like the way this shot of the exterior of the Sprint Center bowl turned out. It was taken with my kick-ass cell phone camera (2 megapixels, baby!).

Here's a shot of the inside of the glass skin, looking down from the top level concourse.
Here's a (fuzzy) view of the concourse from the escalator going to the top level. The guy we put in charge of buying tickets managed to score us seats FOUR ROWS FROM ETHE ABSOLUTE TOP!!! It was great once my nose stopped bleeding and I became accustomed to the thin air. Still the view was pretty damn good.



tagged: sports, basketball, K-State, KSU, Wildcats, FAMU, Sprint Center, Kansas City, downtown, The Cigar Box, McFadden's

Homecoming

As I sat on the pull-out bleachers in a general purpose building on a remote corner of Fort Riley, I wasn’t quite prepared for the emotion that was about to strike.

Certainly I was expecting some emotion. It was an emotional event. My brother-in-law Nick was returning with his command unit from a 15-month deployment in Iraq.

About 80 soldiers stood at attention while the ranking officer gave a short speech welcoming them home and thanking them for their service.

To his credit he only spoke for about a minute. And then, after 15 months in the desert and 30 hours on military and civilian airplanes, the soldiers embraced their families and friends.

It was very moving. I have to admit that even a crusty old cynic like me had moist eyes.

The joy was palpable. It a very genuine, understated flavor of joy mixed with a dash of relief that the soldiers were finally home.

But though it was understated, it was no less intense. Grown men had tears in their eyes and they hugged their comrades in arms goodbye and their families hello.

Buying Nick and a couple of his comrades lunch and throwing them a reception the next day was nice. But I'm sure it was nothing to them compared to just being home.



tagged: Iraq, war, deploy, family, homecoming, soldier, Fort Riley