Paying It Forward - Part Two?

Good Evening Ladies & Gentlemen,

Last night after work, JL Clyde & I nerded out on Cinco de Mayo and watched five more episodes of Battlestar Galactica (almost done with Season 3) and split a 6-pack of Coronas...and then accidentally beat the neighbor's Shih Tzu mistaking it for a pinata. I'm just kidding, they don't allow pets in my complex...and I already apologized for destroying their lawn gnome...but he had beady eyes...and I warned him weeks ago to stop staring at me. Anyway, good times...and lots of sexy robots.

This morning, I may have found the opportunity to do my 2nd Great Deed in the Pay It Forward method. As I've mentioned before, a few years back I loaned an obscene amount of money (for a college student) to my best friend since 2nd grade...and he has yet to pay me back. My sister-in-law called me this morning a little frustrated...and she wants to quit school. So after threatening to kick her ass if she quits school again, she explained the situation. As I may have mentioned, she's in a custody battle for her 4-year old daughter Kelaudri...and the lawyer's asking for another retainer fee (because all lawyers are basically worthless) and she obviously doesn't have the money...and neither does my mom (because she's paying all the other bills and going in debt because of it). She's explaining this to me...and so I ask "How much are we talking?" "About a thousand dollars." Hmm, I did just get that check from Dubya for $600...but do I really want to lend another family member money? I've been screwed over and out so many times before. Hell, she still owes me $100 from another time that she quit school two years ago. However, I know that Kelaudri doesn't like living with her dad...and I know that Ashley knows this...and it tears her apart. However, how can they afford to raise three kids when they can't afford to raise two? That's basically what it breaks down to me as. Even then, after spending all this time & money, will she get her? I know that the Justice system fears change...and they'll usually just leave things the way they are unless it's GROSSLY OBVIOUS that the child is in danger...and even then, it's 50/50 like the flip of a coin. Anyway, I'm considering loaning her the money...and by loan, I mean not expecting to never see it again because it's giving money to family. Am I retarded for considering it? Am I just a sucker...all the way down to the soggy stick? Holla back. In the meantime, here's some movie news...

Anchorman 2 - Director Adam McKay ("Anchorman") was out promoting his new movie "The Foot Fist Way" when he said that a sequel to "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" with Will Ferrell is in the works...allegedly. "We're dying to do it. Unless we can't get the cast together, which is always kind of a tricky thing. But, I think, with that cast we're all friends, so yeah, we want to do it." What's the time frame? "I'm looking to do another movie, I might do this other movie called 'Channel 3 Billion' which is kind of this 'Brazil' type comedy. Then after that, Will and I are like let's do 'Anchorman 2'.... so you're talking like two years maybe we'll do it. But we're going to do it, for sure." For sure? Cuz like...let's get to it. I love mocking direct quotes. Anyway, can't wait...but will apparently have to. Stay classy, Slick City!!!

Comic Movie Nerdiness - Okay, so "Iron Man" opened this weekend and grossed over $200 million in three days worldwide...and that's some serious profit (except maybe for the marketing campaign...but that'll pay off with DVD sales). With the highly-anticipated "Dark Knight" coming out not too soon in July, obviously comic book stories are still box office gold (despite efforts like "Spawn", "Daredevil", & "Elektra"). Now, "Iron Man" was the first movie released with significant control by the comic book company Marvel Comics...and hot on its success, Marvel has announced plans for its next few movies. Next up is the "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" movie that keeps getting more intriguing the more that I hear still due out May 2009. Next up, "Iron Man 2" for April/May 2010, followed by "Thor" in June 2010, "First Avenger: Captain America" in May 2011, and apparently coupled with a full-on "The Avengers" in July 2011 (not that horrible "Avengers" movie with Uma Thurman & Ralph Fiennes).

Apparently, the new "Avengers" movie will team up Captain America with Iron Man, the Hulk, and Thor...but here's the deal. They've been trying to make a "Justice League" movie for decades now...and they can't seem to get all the actors that they want at the same time...and licensing...and all that crap. This Avengers movie (because they're all backed by Marvel Comics) might happen...at least in some form...but is it possible have a budget high enough (and script good enough) to bring Iron Man (Robert Downey jr), the Hulk (Edward Norton), Thor (??? - Gerard Butler), and Captain America...who the leading candidate is apparently Matthew McConaughey to play the great Steve Rogers/Captain America? We shall see. I'm optimistic...but yeah, that still hasn't gotten me a "Wonder Woman" movie in the last 25 years. We love you, Linda Carter!!!

Ooh, speaking of which, I was coming back from a jog to pick up some groceries...and I was flipping through the channels and saw this new VH1 40 Hottest Hotties of the '90s (I kid you not, it's the name of the show). Before I knew it, I had watched this thing for two full hours. Though I really didn't agree with some of their choices. Marky Mark was #1 & Pamela Anderson was #3...and I'll admit that they have their appeal, but just not for me...especially Marky Mark. So I thought that I'd share with you my top 5 Hotties from the 90's...and please keep in mind that during the 90's, I was ages 8-18.

$teve's Top 5 Hotties of the 90's

1. Cindy Crawford - Okay, so that Pepsi commercial came out during the Super Bowl when I was...I think ten years old...and that very well may have been the moment when I realized that I was a Man...and a straight Man at that. Not that I was questioning my sexuality at that early age...but I was just a tall boy until I saw those new cans on that commercial. Honestly, you all know that she's hot...so I really don't have to elaborate. I mean, she's STILL hot almost twenty years later and peddling home furnishings with the line, "I can't wait to be part of your home." You always have been...at least up against the wall.




2. Gabrielle Reece - She's a 6'3" SoCal beach blonde volleyball player with beautiful eyes and a body like it's dipped in bronze and covered with a layer of coconut oil. Oh yeah...and her work uniform was a bikini...and she jumped around a lot...and grunted ever so viciously as she pounded the crap out of some giant white balls. In my humble opinion, they don't have enough volleyball on television...or swimming (shout out to Amanda Beard, this decade's Gabrielle Reece).




3. Mariah Carey - So she came into the music industry as this sweet, naive Midwestern girl with a bangin' set of pipes & lungs that used to be Whitney's backup singer or something...and by the end of the decade, she was just about the sexiest recent divorcee ever. Now, 18 Number One hits later, she's still really damn hot. Oh yeah, I have a few CDs.




4. Tiffani Amber Thiessen - Okay, I watched a little "Saved by the Bell" back in the day...but seriously, the show had Kelly Kapowski and the chick from "Showgirls" to go along with Slater and...was it Zack that was the reason girls watched that show? What's he been up to since then? Sadly, this is not my saddest fact about things that I watched to see this stunningly hot girl next door with a kinky side. No, I've never watched Melrose Place (even though Heather Locklear was in it) but this succubus made me watch "Son-In-Law" THRICE!!! Not only that...but I used to think that she was at least two different people...because some things she was credited as Tiffani Thiessen, others Amber Thiessen, then Amber Thiessen-Smith, and now apparently Tiffani Amber Thiessen. Not that I minded thinking that there were two incredibly hot sisters out there in Hollywood...but yeah, it finally clicked one day. Like I said, I was eight to eighteen in the 90's. I was learning so much during that decade.




5. Neve Campbell - Okay, my major gripe with VH1's list...is that Neve Campbell wasn't on it...and I know that the Mad Scientist agrees with me. She was briefly mentioned with two others on the list...for being superhot on "Party of Five" with Jennifer Love Hewitt & and super-duper nuclear on "Wild Things" with Denise Richards. Also, while watching this VH1 thing, I was flipping back to Mad TV on Comedy Central...and it was an episode that she hosted. She was...and really still is really hot. She's got the beautiful dark squinty eyes, dimply smile, nice body, and she does...I don't know if anybody else has noticed this...but she squeaks. When she's laughing or trying to do some emotional scene or gets overly excited (giggidy) and tries to catch her breath, she squeaks...and I have longed to make her squeak in an intimate setting. It's like making Mariah hit that high note (admit it guys, you've all thought about it) but it's just so damn cute & sexy at the same time. Anyway, that's my list. Pick it apart as you will.

Have a great night everybody!!! See ya tomorrow probably!!!

BEHOLD!!! A GOD IS BORN!!!

Good Evening Ladies & Gentlemen,

What a way to have one's 200th blog entry!!! Today was just supposed to be an average lazy Sunday…but then I received a text message around 8:30 AM my sister-in-law basically saying "My water just broke. We're heading to the hospital." I was really excited to hear it…but worried that it was too early and there might be complications…but somehow, I still managed to fall back asleep within about twenty seconds. An hour later, I got a text message from my brother saying they were at the hospital and okay. I took this as a good time to actually get out of bed. It had snowed overnight (as I think it has snowed at least a little every day the past two weeks) and I felt like I should go to see them in the hospital an hour's drive away…but something kept me from going. You can say it's laziness…and you're probably right…but I decided to stay home and watch football and try to finish up downloading my songs onto my iPod (over 3500 songs now). A few hours later, I received word from my brother that all is well, baby, mama, and daddy are all doing okay…and Kiel, jr. a.k.a. Vinny a.k.a. Dr. Aquafresh a.k.a. my nephew was born at 5 pounds and 17 inches. Not bad for a guy coming out about five weeks prematurely. SO BEHOLD!!! YOUR NEW GOD…AND MY NEW NEPHEW, VINNY!!!








After receiving this picture, I called them up and congratulated them. I'm planning on going to visit the hospital tomorrow morning before work, so I should have pictures for tomorrow's post. Until then, just know that this uncle is tickled pink about meeting the little guy…but has to work all night. You may be asking yourself, "So…why didn't you go visit them in the couple of hours before work today?" Well, it was snowing…and I'm sure all parties involved were exhausted anyway…and already had to put up with family & friends stopping by at all hours…and I had work…and they'll be there tomorrow morning bright eyed & bushy tailed. Also, I just had a feeling that I should stay home. I couldn't really explain it…until around two o'clock, I got a call from Bubbles. She was crying…so being the superhero that I am, I jumped into action. Apparently, her dog ran off with a neighbor & her dog…they went to the park…and the neighbor & her dog came back…but not Bubbles' dog. "Where's my dog?" "Oh…he didn't…come back." Awesome, right? So they (her mom too) drove around for a few hours to look for him…and didn't notice their fuel gauge reaching empty…and it was snowing (as mentioned several times already). So Dr. Love hopped into his Poor Man's Maybach and helped them out. They were obviously very appreciative for the assistance…but it's all in a day's work honestly. As I've said multiple times (especially this last week), "There's no need to thank me, just pay it forward." Hopefully they find their dog…and I'm sure he'll turn up when he gets cold & hungry.


Paying It Forward - Okay, for those of you who don't know of the concept (or haven't seen the movie with Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and Haley Joel Osment), Paying It Forward is a term that I tend to overuse. In the movie's context, it's basically a great idea about each person doing three GREAT things for a complete stranger in their lifetime. Examples in the movie were a guy tossing somebody else the keys to his luxury car because they had a flat tire or something like that…and some kind of super-drastic act of random kindness…and when they thank you, you should respond "No need to thank me, just pay it forward" and then they do three GREAT things for a complete stranger in their lifetime. Now, I'm not exactly in a position where I can toss even used car keys at somebody who ran out of gas…but that doesn't mean that I can't help in my own little ways…and ask for nothing in return other than knowing that I made a difference. The closest that I've come to one of these GREAT things is giving my best friend $3000 a few years ago when he was going through a divorce & trying to get his life in order. Now, this doesn't qualify because he's not a stranger by any means…but it was quite a commitment for a starving college student who had saved that money up for a down payment someday. The only stipulation - "Put it to good use…and pay me back eventually if you can." "Dude, I'll pay you back as soon as my taxes come back." "No you won't…but it's okay. Just put it to good use…and pay me back if you can. Period." Since then, his legal fees have been paid, he started his own company and is getting that off the ground, and has met a great girl and proposed to her a few weeks ago. Complete turnaround from where he was.


Sometimes, especially around New Year's with resolutions and all, we say we need to do more for others. We say, "This year, I'm going to donate more time & money to charities, help those in need, join the Peace Corps, whatever needs to be done." Then a few weeks later, the bills from Christmas come back and we're squeezing the life out of pennies or working overtime to pay off debts…and by the time Valentine's rolls around we've completely forgotten about our resolution to help others. Let me tell you though, you don't have to do huge things to help out your fellow man (or woman), and it's really one of the greatest feelings you'll get with your clothes on. If you see somebody on the side of the road with their emergency lights on, stop & see if they're okay…or at least if they need to call a tow truck or something (pending you're not an automotive genius). If somebody needs help moving, help them out. If somebody's having a bad day, just lend them a sympathetic ear or get them a coke or a cup of coffee. It really does help. Of course, common courtesy things like holding doors for people, cleaning up after yourself, offering to help carry stuff, and all that should be customary anyway. My suggestion is just to make a conscious effort to help others. It usually doesn't even cost a thing other than your precious time…but they'll be eternally grateful for it. Worst-case, they're not grateful…but Karma will still come back around on you…so it's all good. Anyway, that's my rant.


Let's see. Yesterday, I spent the day watching football with my dad and eating pizza, nachos, almonds, cheetos, and all the other great delicacies of the football watcher. I also received a belated Christmas present from my stepsister that was an assortment of Asian cooking sauces like soy sauce, sesame seed oil, peanut sauce, teriyaki sauce, and something called classic stir fry sauce…which I assume is a fancy way or saying soy sauce. Now I can really put my wok to use. After watching two really good games, we watched "Shoot 'Em Up" and as expected, my dad loved it. After that, I went home and got a call from a friend that I hadn't seen in 18 months…and hadn't seen before that (graduation) in a few years, Aaron. He was calling to see how I'd been…and get added as a friend on my MySpace account. We caught up a little bit…and I told him about my new nephew coming soon (little did I know it'd be within 12 hours). It was pretty cool…and then today at work, a friend that I hadn't seen in almost a year because she took a leave of absence for family stuff…we'll call her Ariel. She was in a great mood for the first time in too long…and she even gave me a peck on the cheek. See what I mean? Little things like that can turn a day around completely. Were I not already trippin' balls on happiness from a new arrival to the family, helping Bubbles, and hanging with the Mad Scientist at work, that would have done it too. It's truly a great day to be me. I don't mean to brag or promote jinxing of the situation…just showing that I recognize my good fortune. I'm truly lucky to have such great friends & family. Thank you all so much!!!


Well, I really don't have much to talk about other than all that except that I'm going to try to watch American Gladiators between tasks at work…but we'll see how that goes. If I miss it, please let me know how it is. I noticed from the commercials yesterday that they fall into water instead of the mats like the old version. That should be interesting…with the ladies…in spandex. Mmm…


Have a great night everybody…and I'll try to be more entertaining tomorrow…and have pictures of my new nephew. Drive safely and say hi to your mom for me!!! Oh also, I think it's a little funny that my nephew shares a birthday with Mr. Bean & Joan of Arc.