Tommy's Wok

The Missus and I decided on a place in downtown Carmel for dinner
called Tommy's Wok. Yelp, my latest iPhone app said it's the best
Chinese in the area.

There are two doors into the place apparently. The first one we found
led directly into the dining room which is basically smaller than our
living room. There was no sign of a hostess so we bailed out to look
for another door. We found one on the other side of the building that
led into the kitchen - surprisingly this is the right door. You can
wait outside in the cold or inside in the kitchen. I picked the
former, she picked the latter and is now sniffing her hair.

While waiting I saw a review for a bar 15 feet away that apparently
shows UFC shows. Curse my luck. Well, I really only want to see
Silva fight so maybe I'll make it still.

Stay tuned!

Sent from my iPhone

Carmel

Arrived in Carmel finally. It's foggy and a little chilly. There's a
Mexican restaurant behind the hotel named "Hola!". You've gotta
respect a place that's "keepin' it real" enough to basically just
admit it's not "authentic" at all.

Check out the funky mood lighting on the headboard.

On The Road Again

Just a quick note to let you all know that the Missus and I are headed out of town this morning for the Bridge School show up in Mountain View. We're making stops on the way up and back so this is a little mini-vacation for us before the holidays arrive.

That being said, expect this blog to be a bit of a travel blog over the next few days. Lots of pictures and short posts, I'd imagine. But I may liveblog [sorta] between sets from the show thanks to the wonders of my new iPhone! Look forward to that, kiddies!

As always, I'll make my very best effort to at least spit out some random rambling every day.

Now someone find me a sports bar in Carmel so I can watch Anderson Silva!

Makeup, Please!

I tried to avoid jumping on the bandwagon for bashing the Republicans for their decision to clothe Sarah Palin and family. I tried to stay off this one because, quite frankly, the punchlines write themselves and even if they hadn't, every comedian, political commentator, and even some Joe The Plumbers have made their own.

But...

Well, I just couldn't resist this little gem.

The highest paid staff member on the McCain campaign is Sarah Palin's make-up artist, it emerged today, in a fresh blow to the vice-presidential candidate's image as an average "hockey mom".

Just as Mrs Palin was struggling to defend herself against criticism of her $150,000 wardrobe budget, it was revealed that Amy Strozzi, who once did makeup work on the television show "So You Think You Can Dance?", received $22,800 for the first two weeks of this month, more than the candidate's chief foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann, according to a filing report.

She tried to dance away from the controversy with a "oh gosh, oh gee, not me" at a speech today claiming that her favorite clothing store is a secondhand clothing store called "Out Of The Closet."

...

Yep, you can write your own punchline for that one too.

Oh, Stephen Colbert had the best political joke of the week I've seen so far too. For your amusement...

It's No Sweet Child Of Mine But...

As a follow-up to the GNR post, here's the first song released. It's the title song off the new album "Chinese Democracy." Now to decide if it was worth the wait...



Thoughts?

More Than Meets The Eye?

Earlier this week, news broke that Universal was developing a Transformers attraction for both the Hollywood and Singapore parks. The news was met by initial apathy from me because I think the last the last time Universal made an effort to really put something special in the Hollywood park was Jurassic Park [although I haven't been to the park in years.]

But as the press release went on, it quickly sounded like this was no mere stunt show or small add-on to the Tram Ride or any number of "quick-fix" attractions that Universal Hollywood is known for. This sounded like a serious effort to put a high-dollar, high-entertainment attraction in the park. So, I was cautiously enthused by the announcement and started wondering if Universal putting big money into Transformers and Harry Potter [in Florida] would drive the Mouse to step up their game as well.

I remain enthused - but I had to share Michael Bay's thoughts on the project because... well, he's a jackass. An incredibly rich jackass but a jackass nonetheless. Take a look...

The Transformer Ride at Universal making all the press rounds - not sure yet - they had me in a press release saying I supported it - but Universal has a long way to go in my mind. I don't support it - I'm not involved and not sure the story of the ride works, and I know Optimus is not going to just show up to be directed by some new people that have never worked with him. I hate when people bullsh*t a quote from me that I never said.

I'll keep you informed. Maybe the guy making the rides at Universal will direct Transformers 3????

It's an amazing thing to see someone who is pretty much treated as a punchline to most "bad director" jokes take himself so seriously.

But hey, he's rich and making a movie that I'd gladly kill him to have the chance to make so I guess I have little ground to stand on.

Manny Watch: DAY 9

I talked about it a little bit last night but this morning, according to this article, the Dodgers have made a two year, 60 million dollar offer to the big slugger.

Wow.

That's a lot of dollars, no?

The NY Post reporters in the article listed above speculate the Dodgers know there's no chance in hell that Satan Boras will accept such a deal and that's simply a PR offer so the McCourts can shrug their shoulders and say "We made a fair offer" when Manny signs elsewhere.

It's possible but it's also possible they consider it a legit offer as we've seen them go high dollars/low years on several deals in the past few years [Furcal, Andruw Jones.] Whatever the situation is, I don't expect Manny/Boras to accept the offer as they'll definitely be shopping around to see how long of a deal they can land.

The plot thickens.

Oh, and another Dodgers note from that article, apparently Larry Bowa has yet to tell the team whether or not he'll be returning for next season. The Yankees have their eyes on him to fill their third base coach slot as well so he's got another job waiting in the wings. Personally, I hope they manage to keep him because I think he's one of the few guys left in the game that can provide some fire in the belly for a team and I still love him for calling out the team for their lack of heart back in September.

Random Stuff

Some thoughts on some stuff from my Google Reader...

Does Heroes Need Help?
I've made no secret that I think Heroes started off very badly this season. Once one of my favorite shows, it quickly turned into a show that I only watched out of habit and hope. The Missus has abandoned said hope with the horrible first couple of episodes from this season and hasn't come back to the fold yet. I'm of the opinion that the show has gotten better in the past couple of weeks and while it hasn't returned to the list of my favs, I don't dread watching it for the time being.



This would be considered the opposite of Heroes - a show that totally redeemed itself after some challenging periods and has once again become the number one show on my list of most anticipated and this quick teaser does little to whet that appetite. The shit be on.

Now, Harry from AICN called this the greatest thing he saw today. I have to agree - even with the awesome Lost teaser footage. Check it out.

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Double Dose Of Dodger Good News
Kim Ng lost out on the Seattle job. While I hate to celebrate the fact that she was unable to become baseball's first female GM, I have to be a little bit happy she remains in Dodgertown... for now. Also, early news says the Dodgers will be deep in the mix for Manny. Details are sketchy but it appears they'll go big on dollars if they can go short on years. Boras wants six. Reports are the Dodgers may look as low as two. I expect they'll meet in the middle when all is said and done. Expect either four guaranteed or three with a mutual option. Now, the dollars? That's another story. Early rumor says McCourt may be willing to cough up A-Rod type dollars if the years are right. That's a looooooooot of money. We'll find out soon enough.

Rays Come Back To Tie Series
A Philly fan at work tried to rub it in today that the Phillies were "one win closer to being World Champions." My legit, non-sarcastic response was: "What? The World Series started?" Who knew?

And that's that for now!

In Other News, PIGS HAVE WINGS!

It's the day that so many rock music fans have waited ages for - if you believe it.

Today, Guns N' Roses announced that Chinese Democracy will at long last be hitting "record stores" (how many of those still exist?) on November 23rd.

If it happens, this will be GNR's first new album release since 1991 when both Use Your Illusions were released in a shocking dual release. Apparently, they're jumping on the AC/DC bandwagon and going with an exclusive release - this one limited to only Best Buy stores. That kinda annoys me but I'm eager to hear the finished product.

Of course, I heard some of the songs when I saw them in concert a couple years ago but hearing the actual recordings will be the real test. I have to admit that I was stunned at how fun the concert I attended was so I'm really hoping the album lives up to that night.

And even more exciting is that you have to assume that they'll tour in support of the album... and I seem to recall someone who was too drunk to remember the show and made me spend the evening a] searching for him, b] carrying him to the car, c] watching him urinate all over the place, d] be very concerned he was going to vomit in my car... wait, where was I going with this?

Oh yeah. I'm pretty sure he said he was buying tickets for us the next time they come through!

Rock on, people.

Liveblog: The Shield (10-21-08)

Alright, alright... before I press play, let's clear the air. The Missus says I may have gone a little too far in my rant against Halloween last night and that I may have hurt some feelings in the process. Let's be clear that it wasn't my intention to hurt anyone's feelings. I was just being me. And me at that particular period of time wanted to discuss how I'm sooooooo sick of everyone at work gushing over Halloween, I just had to rant about it for a bit. I'm not a fan of the holiday - if you are, rock on and more power to ya. Oh, and for future reference, I probably shouldn't write after getting out of bed because I get cranky.

In summation, if you felt stung by my words from last night, I apologize.

Now, for tonight's words of wisdom, let's stick with something a little less controversial - The Shield. I've made no bones about the fact that I think The Shield is the best show on TV right now and I've been super-stoked about tonight's episode. Between bad days at work, my family situation, the Dodgers, and all that jazz, I've really had a pretty shitty week and I'm hopeful tonight's episode of The Shield will knock me off my feet and make things all better.

Thus? A liveblog!

10:00 - VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED! Hell yes it is.

10:01 - Previously On The Shield - Bad, bad shit went down to set up tonight's episode that looks like even more bad shit is going to go down. This is gonna rock. ROCK!

10:02: Shane has gloves on and a gun in hand. Uh oh. Bad combo. He looks quite anguished. Maybe killing a second friend isn't easier than the first. He's plotting with the Missus, setting up an alibi for himself. Must be nice to have a spouse who'll cover for you killing someone.

10:05 - Mackey has to try to extort the closing of a church. "I wouldn't want to piss off Jesus along with everyone else." May be a little late for that, Vic.

10:06 - Someone takes a shot at Ronnie! Is that Shane? Nope. Shane's hanging out in Vic's apartment, ready to blow his best friend away. Whoops! Ronnie called Vic just before Vic walked into the waiting trap. Shane's plan got FUCKED! Cue the Opening Credits! Two attempts to kill cops before the credits? This show rules.

10:12 - Vic and Ronnie figure out that Shane's involved. That didn't take long. Ronnie says he's going to find the guy himself - but he looks pretty pissed when he tells Vic to take off. Anyone getting the feeling that Ronnie's going to play the key role in ths finish of this show?

10:16 - God damn, that hooker's ugly. Someone would actually pay for that?

10:18 - Hey! The priest that Vic went to talk to is that guy who played Haywire on Prison Break. I just can't take him seriously as a priest after seeing him on PB.

10:21 - Pezuela offers to help make Aceveda mayor with the help of the Blackmail Box. "I've got leverage you can't begin to understand." Wouldn't be sore sure about that.

10:24 - Rookie cop nails Two-Man, Shane asks nervously, "Hey, is he, uh, talking yet?" Dutch and Billings get first crack at him. That should be interesting.

10:31 - Oh jeez. Shane snuck into the interrogation room to try and find out where the gun is. What an idiot. Claudette spotted him too. And saw that he turned off the camera.

10:33 - Vic trying to get the Feds to let him work with them undercover. Awesome! Aceveda is in to talk to ICS too! A spinoff with Vic and Aceveda as buddy cops would be almost as cool as the Sylar/HRG buddy cop spinoff idea. Vic tells Aceveda, "Don't worry. Pezuela wants you taken out, I'm the one he hires to do it." Now THAT would be a fun way to end the show. God, this rules. Vic Mackey is one of my favorite all-time TV characters.

10:44 - Ronnie catches Shane trying to give hand signals to Two-Man. Ohhh my. This should be fun. OHHHH SNAP! The guy is gonna spill it! Two-Man is ratting him out! Shane's trying to run for it! Shane's in the parking lot! RONNIE AND VIC ARE GOING AFTER HIM! JULIAN TOO! SHANE'S PEELING OUT OF THE PARKING LOT! OHHHH SHIT! Too late! He's gone!

10:52 - Shane's wife goes to see Vic's ex. Shit be goin' down now. Ohhh shit! She's telling Corinne about Terry, about the Money Train... ohhhh damn.

10:55 - Corinne confronts Vic. Holy shit. Good scene. She says she'll help Vic one last time and then her and the kids are out of Vic's life forever. That's "the price he has to pay."

10:59 - AHHHHHH! VIC QUIT! He told Claudette to "kis his ass." Two guesses where he's going and who he's going after. Claudette threatened to lock "his corrupt ass up" if he interferes in the Shane search. Vic turned in his gun. Holy shit. He's done! I can't believe it. I never thought he'd be out of the Barn before the season ended.

Next time on THE SHIELD...
Vic's on the rampage
Claudette's on the hunt
HOLY FUCK!
Either that was deceptive editing or Vic finds Shane next week! EEEEEEKS!

This is as close to some of those "oh fuck, how can I wait til next week?" feelings I've had since Lost.

Well, shit - that definitely made me feel better.

All I Wanted To Do Was Go To Sleep

I've been doing daily posts on here for quite a while now - several months at least. I've gotta say, it's not always easy.

I take plenty of grief from all y'all about "mailing it in" or just tossing up a YouTube vid instead of actually writing stuff every day but man, it gets tough. It's actually gotten even tougher since I started working in retail again. With the wonky hours, it takes a conscious effort to find time to write every day - let alone find something interesting to write about.

Tonight, I got home at 8:45ish, had dinner, watched some TV, and went to bed.

Which then prompted a "God dammit, I didn't blog yet."

So, I dragged myself out of bed to the computer to try and find something worth writing about.

...

Obviously, I had no luck.

Here's one for you...

What is the big deal about Halloween?

I think Halloween is actually my least favorite holiday - is it even really a holiday? I don't even know if I really liked it as a kid. I remember costumes I wore for Halloween but I don't remember if I actually wanted to wear them or if it was my family of females playing dress-up with a small human. And as I got older, I got more annoyed by the "holiday."

Apparently it's a big party night - who knew? The twenty-somethings around my work were all atwitter over the past couple weeks trying to position themselves to get that night off, discussing their costume options, all that jazz. I just don't get it. I suppose it's partially because Halloween is also apparently an occasion for most girls to dress super-slutty and "disguise" it as a costume.





Hrmm.

Maybe if I went to more parties like that when I was younger, I'd have a greater appreciation for it!

Instead, I have to listen to people talk about their costumes and their big party plans and how awesome it's going to be. I just shake my head. I really can't stand it. Someone's dressing as a shower. How original! Well, unless you saw Karate Kid. Someone else wants to be Nick Fury. I guess it's a good excuse to buy an eyepatch. Someone else said Adam West Batman. At least I thought that one was clever.

But I still don't understand the obsession with adults playing dress up - even if it's just for one night. And the people who claim Halloween as their favorite holiday? Good lord. Just ship them out right now because they do not belong in any country of mine, gosh darnit!

I'm rambling, I realize... but in closing, my bottom line is that if you don't have kids dressing up for Halloween, calling Halloween your favorite holiday really should be a bit embarrassing for you.

Baseball Season Ends

Technically, it ended a few days ago as I really couldn't bring myself to care after the Dodgers were eliminated but since I consider the Sox my "American League team" and have done so for over twenty years now, I maintained the slightest bit of interest until tonight. With the Sox out of it and facing the idea of a Tampa Bay/Philly World Series [Bud Selig may kill himself tonight,] it's officially time to say "Wait til next year."

But the Hot Stove season is already in full effect with the majority of speculation falling in three spots: Manny, CC, and Peavy.

Let's take a look at some of the early rumors regarding the Dodgers so far...

It's pretty much a given that Lowe is gone. Penny is probably gone too. I'm guessing Saito will be gone. Blake too. I'm thinking Raffy will stay.

Really, that just leaves Manny.

McCourt was wishy-washy about it, talking about how it takes two to tango and all that jazz. It was him preparing Dodger fans that it's not gonna happen. I'm guessing the Dodgers will offer three years with an option for a fourth. Unless they highly overpay, I don't think that'll get it done. I can't imagine someone won't go four guaranteed. Maybe even five. I don't think anyone will go six like Boras is looking for but four or five shouldn't be a problem and I'm guessing that takes the Dodgers out of the Manny market unfortunately.

Joe Torre wants pitching - and made no secret about it. With Lowe and Penny gone, that'll leave Kuroda, Billingsley, and Kershaw in the starting rotation. McDonald might be a possibility for the fifth spot since he did well in his limited action in the callup. So, if you figure the Dodgers are shooting for at least one starter and maybe two, there are some targets already being mentioned that are pretty intriguing.

CC Sabathia is obviously the number one target for starting pitching for all teams this offseason. The Yankees are going to go in and go in big for CC. The rumors all say that Sabathia wants to stay on the West Coast but it'll take a pretty big offer to make him turn down the kind of dollars the Yanks are going to offer him. The Dodgers will make a big offer, I'd imagine - if for no other reason to make it look good that they tried. If I had to guess, I'm thinking Sabathia won't end up in Dodger blue. And frankly, I don't know if I'm that upset about that. Long-term, big dollar deals for starting pitching hasn't worked out so well in recent years for my team.

The number one trade target for pitching is going to be Jake Peavy. We've already heard that Peavy picked five teams that he'd waive his no-trade for with the Dodgers being one of them. The Pads are looking for middle infielders and young pitching to make the deal. I'd dangle Hu and McDonald - see what happens. If they want a lot more, move on.

There's been pretty persistent rumors of the Dodgers' interest in Robinson Cano for a while with Yanks fans thinking a Cano for Kemp was fair. While I wouldn't go that far, it's probably a conversation worth having since they apparently don't feel that Blake DeWitt is a good long-term solution at second base. With Kent likely to retire, second base will be a hole that needs to be filled this winter.

Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones have both requested trades if they won't be played. I have no problem with either of those - but I'm sure Ned Coletti will have quite a problem with making a deal for either. Both would require taking on a bad contract in return. Any ideas?

Nomar thinks he might retire. Might not be a bad idea for him. If he wants to stick around as a super-sub/pinch hitter for cheap enough, I'd keep him for that purpose as long as he knows his role.

Some talk about Randy Johnson possibly coming to the Dodgers or Angels. I could live with that as a 4th or 5th starter. It'd kinda be like Greg Maddux but... well, a lot different. If the price is right, I'm cool with that deal.

Saw some speculation today that the Cubs might be interested in Manny and might try to move Soriano or Aramis Ramirez to the Dodgers to clear payroll to accomplish that. I'm not overly fond of either of those deals but they're interesting ideas.

Okay... so, I know it's the time of year for weird rumors but this one took the cake for sure...

The Dodgers might be exploring trades for Russell Martin?

I'm going to hold firm and deny, deny, deny there's any way that's true until I hear more details.

It's gonna be an interesting six months.