The Eclectic Eccentric: Don't Go Into 1408!!!

Good Morning Ladies & Gentlemen,

Probably just gonna give you a quickie this morning. Only because I really don't have a lot to talk about or a lot of time to talk about it. I did watch "1408" with John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson last night. It was okay. Having worked in the hotel industry before and visited a lot of places, you can kind of throw yourself into the story...a little bit. Honestly though, I probably would have headed Samuel L. Jackson's warning. He was genuinely creepy in the delivery. Basically, Joan Cusack's character writes "Top 10 Haunted..." books and gets a postcard for this hotel saying, "Don't Go Into 1408." So what does he do? He DEMANDS to go into it...because he's a cocky cynic. I can understand that. Anyway, he's forced to go against not only his own fears...but the powers of HELL!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!! It's an adaptation of a Stephen King story. I've heard that he using a lot of sleeping aides and other hallucigens to get his trippy dreams and basically writes them down. That may be an urban legend or something, but I'm sure that it works. Were I a writer (bloggers a different...and much sexier) then I might give it a shot. I've already written down my dreams...and they don't make sense to me...or anybody else apparently. Anyway, it's worth a rental for a scary movie night.

Marion Jones - The five-time medal winning Olympian admitted that she doped before the 2000 Sydney games. She faces jail time and will obviously be stripped of her medals (no word if silver gets to keep them or they'll just use them in Beijing next year). Maybe she just waited until her Nike contracts and everything expired from those games to admit it...but at least she's willing to finally admit it. I really don't like steroid users. Is it because they're bigger than me? No. Is it because they're better athletes than me? No. Is it because they're better basketball players than me? Not possible. It's because they break the rules. I'm not talking about paying attention to the other team calling the plays like the Patriots. This is more like putting a steel plate in your forearm pad to smack a lineman across the head a few dozen times a game. She should be stripped (of her medals too). She should serve some jail time (though I hate to send another African-American woman to prison for using substances).

Who's the person that really loses out in this though? The little girl who looked up to her and admired her nearly a decade ago...and has now grown up inspired by her and tried her hardest no matter what the odds...and then now hearing that she cheated. That's how she won. That's who loses out. When our heroes are exposed for the frail and fragile human beings that they are, that can be a trying situation. Marion Jones made a HUGE mistake. Can she ever repay that to her fans and admirers? Maybe...but it'll take a while. Kids, stay in school. Don't do drugs (whether recreational or performance enhancing...except maybe Viagra...but that's not for the kids I'm talking to). Just be the best person that you can be everyday, live for others, tell others how much you love them, and you can't go wrong. Marion, I forgive you. Thank you for letting your conscious win instead of pride. Now, any other athlete out there that has something to say...I listening.

Another Doper - Travis Henry has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs as well. This one really baffles me though because he's got probably the sweetest non-kicker job in the NFL, running back for the Denver Broncos. What does that mean? Well, besides the fact that I could probably run for a thousand yards a year behind that Denver offensive line, not much. I hate to say it, but the Broncos are a pretty good team...and they have made stars out of people like Olandis Gary, Reuben Droughns, and Mike Anderson at running back. If you're response to that last sentence is "Who?" then you've proven my point. I knew Mike Anderson before because he went to the University of Utah...but they all ran for over a thousand yards, got a big contract elsewhere...and well, you haven't heard from them since. Travis Henry got a thousand yards the past few years with the Buffalo Bills. Yes, they still have a team. So this year, he signed with Denver...and is leading the league in rushing...but now will be suspended. Great job Mr. Henry. Don't worry, there's plenty of other guys waiting to take your sweet gig. Enjoy the rest of your career as a backup running back in Arizona.

Anyway, sorry for the negative blog today...but that's what I'm hearing about. How about this fun little bit of advocacy. The San Diego Zoo wants help naming their new panda cub in the next few months. As previously stated on my blog when the cub was born, I would like to name the panda Ling Ling. Not just in honor of the great battlecard warrior from "Drawn Together" but in Chinese, with the proper tones, it means "Towering Mountain." Now that's a bad ass name with a bad ass meaning. So what I think that we should do is advocate for the zoo to name it Ling Ling. Then, we can know that we made a difference. However, the thing is that the zoo is only taking suggestions from people going to the zoo, starting today...over the next ten days. Lame. However, if you know anybody in the San Diego area, give them a call and have them stop by for you. I still think that we can do this. So please, join me in petitioning the San Diego Zoo to name the panda Ling Ling. Or you can go to this link for more information. We can make a difference. Have a groovy day!!!