My 400th Post: Man, I LOVE Christmas Break

I'm floating on a cloud right now. The Christmas tree is lit, Star Wars is on TV, gifts are being wrapped and I have a the lastest Captain America comic book in hand. I'm sipping orange-flavored Sunkist soda with a splash of my favorite spirit (to add some holiday cheer to the mix, true believers).

Earlier, my daughter and I had a lightsaber battle with my life-like Force FX lightsabers (I had red, she had blue ... then we switched and she demanded that Princess Leia is allowed to use a red sword, so I allowed it). After that, I read her a new comic book version of Alice in Wonderland and she was off to bed.

I'm having my cake and eating it too. I had a good day at work, tied up a TON of loose ends and got out of there early enough to beat the insane mall traffic that jams up the parking lot in my office complex. It feels like a weight is off my shoulders and I can enjoy the next 10 days to eat, drink and be merry without work, e-mails, voicemails and everything else that comes along with a corporate gig.

Tomorrow I'm free to enjoy Christmas Eve with just my immediate family ... it's what I've always wanted. My parents have to wait till Friday, the inlaws get Saturday, then I get Sunday for my boys to come over to eat, drink and play with all of our new videgames and Blu-ray movies.

To top this off, I'm ONE WEEK AWAY from being able to exercise again, after an unexpected surgery and recovery. All is right with the world ... thank you Baby Jesus, 3 Kings and dude that allowed Mary and Joe to stay in the manger.

Here is my gift to you, friends. Check out the AWESOMENESS of this fan-made Star Wars video told by some random chick that has kind of, sort of seen Star Wars ... but not really. May the FORCE and CHRISTMAS be with you!

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas, True Believers

'Tis the season for Mexican hot chocolate and store-brand Oreos dipped in fudge.

Yummerz.

Iron Man 2: Electric Boogaloo ... literally

Dope:

Jon Gruden: All (The Raiders) have to do is ask

So, I hear that former Raiders coach (and current ESPN Monday Night Football rockstar) Jon Gruden was back in Oakland yesterday to host a reunion for players and staff from his era (1998-2001) at Ricky's Sports Bar.

Supposedly Ricky himself asked Jon if he'd ever consider coaching the Raiders again and Gruden replied "all they have to do is ask." You heard it here first: if Al Davis brings Chucky back, I will have a heart attack. I don't think it'll ever happen due to the largess of Davis' ego against the popularity of the snarling Chucky-look-a-like Gruden.

Here's to a silver & black fantasy: a second time around would be sooooo sweet.

Dream about that, true believers.

Balloons make me happy - THE POSTMARKS

As seen on TV's Yo Gabba Gabba!, the Postmarks with a nice little pick-me-up tune, "Balloons."

I couldn't find the full-on video, as I suppose it's too recent. Oh well, this is better than nothing.

Enjoy.

Heisman Hoax

What a joke. Stanford's Toby Gerhart should've won the Heisman. I'm no Stanford fan, either - I love me some Cal Bears.

I take nothing away from the kid from Alabama, but just look at the stats: Gerhart led the NATION in yards, touchdowns, runs over 10 yards and basically did his biggest damage against the biggest and best opponents. Ingram is from Flint, Michigan, and back in the day, he'd have been a Wolverine ... but there's not a prayer of that type of running back coming to Michigan to play in Rich-Rod's spread offense. Too bad, Michigan used to run the Oakland Raiders offense: power running with two backs, deep passing on the outside with WRs, hit the tight end on 3rd down, move the chains by hitting a full back in the flat with an outlet pass. Now it's all WRs with virtually no room for Tight Ends and Full Backs on the roster.

But enough about the woes of my Wolverines. Here's a hearty congrats to Gerhart, who came in second in the closest race in the history of the Heisman Trophy. Too bad there is so much voting bias around the country, otherwise whe would've won ... and deservedly so.

The rise and fall of N.W.A. - the world's most dangerous group

VH1 is running the dopest documentary about the rise and fall of N.W.A - The World's Most Dangerous Rap Group. Fascinating stuff about the humble beginnings of N.W.A. and how unlikely it was that they came together ... and how they eventually fell apart. Sadly, the documentary ends on the sad note of Eazy E's death from AIDS. It's worth a watch, true believers.



Here's a sneak peak from VH1:



Can't forget about the timeless spoof from Dynamite Hack:

New STAR WARS Game: The Force Unleashed 2

Just as I finally took the time to finish and beat 'The Force Unleashed,' I caught the world premier video for the sequel on Spike TV's Video Game Awards.

Can't wait. 'Nuff said.

Raiders defeat Steelers 27-24

Eat the Silver & Black shorts, all of you annoying, band-wagon Pittsburgers!

It reminded me of the good old days; the glory days when the Raiders/Steelers rivalry dominated the NFL for years and years. A nice bit of living in the past today ... I'm going to savor every delicious memory.

Saturday morning cartoons and afternoon matinees

When I was a kid, getting up on Saturdays to watch cartoons was like the proverbial fruit at the bottom of the yogurt cup. Nowadays, cartoons are on 24-7 on cable, not to mention OnDemand and the advent of the DVR. So, cartoons as a Saturday treat has really gone by the wayside.

But every now and again, I'll stumble upon something that reminds me of what Saturdays are all about. Take today for, example. I caught one of my all-time favorite flicks from childhood, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure on cable, in HD no less. In the words of first-time director Tim Burton, "it's the perfect movie to watch on TV on a Saturday afternoon." The movie is packed with Burton's signature aesthetics - a make-believe fantasy world full of wonder and all things fantastic. Burton's vision is so clear and well defined, that within 10 minutes, one of my kids asked "Are all the grown ups really kids in this world?"



So, with that, I salute you, Tim Burton. Thanks for making such an enduring classic to be enjoyed while snuggled up on the couch on a Saturday afternoon in December.

With that, I also salute the obscure Captain America cartoons from the 1960s. I used to watch these at 6 am on an even more obscure Asian-language UHF channel back in the 1980s ... and that was long before cable and the VCR (or Beta-Max)!



Just for good measure, here's Hulk and Spidey too:





Ahh, what the heck, here's Iron Man and the Fantastic 4, for your Saturday Morning Viewing Pleasure:





If you really want to dig around, you can find similar YouTube videos for Sub-Mariner and Thor ... meh.

The GREAT Christopher Walken performs "Poker Face"

The man is pure genius, plain and simple. Now that I'm laid up for a week, I'm totally catching up on the gold of the Earth, such as this video and Season One DVDs of: The Transformers, Voltron, Ultra-man, Mad Men and Sons of Anarchy.

The Appendix Episode

So, it was Black Friday, and there I was at Toys R Us, standing in a line that wrapped around the store. All morning my stomach wasn't quite right and by 2 pm it was getting pretty uncomfortable. Surely, I thought it was just a passing situation due to Thankgiving, beer and playing football the day before.

Not so fast, said my appendix - a part of me I'd never considered until Black Friday.

Needless to say, it needed to get removed, with the quickness. I was admitted to emergency about 9 pm after having spent most of the evening dry heaving and sweating from that funky freezing/burning fever that usually comes with the flu. Anyway, by 9 am Saturday, I was on the operating table and going under. I was on so many meds, all I remember was waking up and they said, "you're all done."

I took a peek down and saw that they took the liberty of giving me a little shave job just below the belly button. I don't know how I feel about that ...

Anyway, I have 3 band-aids, 3 prescriptions and 3 days since I've had a shower. For someone that is used to showering twice a day, I am miserable about it. Oh well, doctor's orders ... which includes no work for a week and no exercise for 30 days! True believers, please pray for me that I don't balloon up to the weight I was carrying before I started working out regularly 2 years ago.

Free at last ...

Today felt like the first day of the rest of my life. I am so at peace and so calm with the positive vibes in my new environment. It's amazing how one change can make such a difference in the quality of life - and it's a change I would make 100 times out of 100.

Today felt so perfect, so picturesque. The sun was bright, and the sky was a perfect blue, not a cloud in the sky. I walked around outside with no jacket, no hat, no scarf, no mittens and without my signature ear muffs. The air was brisk, but not too cold. It was a glorious East Bay day ... just a few days away from Thanksgiving, but it could have passed for Labor Day anywhere else in the country.

Walking around the office today was awesome. The sun seemed like it was shining in on me no matter how much, or where I walked around the building. My mood was uninterrupted all day long. When is the last time that happened? I've been trapped in a negative cacoon for so long, that today I felt like a butterfly breaking through for the first time.

To top it off, the Raiders won yesterday! If only Michigan had beaten Ohio State, I might've taken my chances with the California Lottery. Ahh, who needs the lottery, I feel like a million bucks today - and I think it's going to be that way for the forseeable future.

'Kick Ass' movie teaser trailer

My guess is 1 in 4 movies are now based on comic books/graphic novels, or cartoons, or toys, or videogames. It's a golden era for geeks, that's for sure.

The airport of life

I am sitting at the far end of Terminal B at the airport. I'm not even sure anyone or any airline flies in and out of this empty, desolate corner. I am lonely ... my soul seems to crave the usual hustle and bustle of a crowded airport ... but there is no one around.

After a week of intense corporate training classes and camraderie, I am drained. Both my mind and body are ... just ... empty. I am 3 hours seperated from being in a room full of 30 type-A personalities. I am 3,000 miles away from my wife and kids. I am in between ... in the solitary void of a New York airport. It feels like pre-holiday purgatory.

I sit in the middle of a long row of non-descript, black airport chairs - you know the type. I stare out into the deep, lifeless void of Terminal B. It stares back. I marvel at the massive, wide, empty space in front of me. The deep, yellow glow of the late afternoon sun highlights my body with flecks of warm light and casts long shadows on the tiled floor.

It feels like I'm staring at the rest of my life - a wide open space to do whatever I want with. What shall I do with this long journey in front of me? Where will I go? When will I go? How will I go? Will I kill some time on the Ms. Pacman arcade game to my right? Will I eat at the pizza place and have a beer? Will I try on some sunglasses? Will I buy a travel pillow for my neck? Will I walk on the conveyer belt on the ground to get to my designated gate just a little bit faster? So many choices ... and nothing but time and space to ponder them.

The more important questions bubble to the surface of my jumbled mind. Will I fulfill my destiny on this Earth journey? Will I ever get to travel into outer space? Will I make it to the dimension most commonly referred to as Heaven, as I've always thought I would? If I do, will all of the secrets of space, time, and the infinite be revealed to me by my Creator? In my heart, the answer to all of these questions is a resounding yes. Every fiber of my being is telling me that if I can just attune myself to the power of the universe, I can unlock whatever destiny I choose.

God has given me many treasures on my journey up to this point - and I have felt his guiding hand throughout life. I may not always understand why some things happen, or don't happen ... but I trust the mystery of it all and look ahead to the future.

Suddenly, I don't feel so alone, knowing that there is a plan for me - and I am complicit in that plan. The wide open space and the light of the setting sun feel comforting now. I'm 30 minutes away from boarding an airplane full of people heading back to California. Back home - home to their loving families and friends. Back to the places and people that make them feel welcome.

I'm now digging around in my pocket for some quarters. I prepare to end this electronic journal entry. Ms. Pacman, here I come ...

Snakes on a plane? Try FISTS on a plane!

I have just witnessed my first fist fight aboard an airplane. To borrow from Peter Griffin: freakin' sweet. The plane landed and there was the usual uncomfortable anticipation before you can wiggle out and grab bags from the overhead compartment. It's a delicate dance to time it just right - you don't want to stand up too quickly, especially if you have the window seat. People get visibly agitated waiting for their turn to grab their stuff and get off the plane ... it's kind of amusing actually. This time, it was extra amusing, to say the least.

I guess quarters got too close and two groups of travelers got on each other's nerves during the overhead compartment tango. A dude and his woman started throwing down with two guys - all the brawlers probably between the ages of 25-35. The less-than-masculine airline attendants were powerless in stopping the battle-for-the-bags. The JFK melee seemed to last longer than the Pacman vs. Cotto title fight last night, it went on for a good while.

What a way to start this trip! It was 7 am Eastern, but still 4 am Oakland time. It got my blood pumping and ready for some sausage and pancakes, mmmm. To borrow from Homer Simpson: mmmm, syyyyyrup. I'm starving. This shuttle ride to the hotel can't go cast enough. Although the Connecticut landscape is fun to look at - all the leaves are red, orange and yellow.

No one said this would be easy

Today's good o-dogg music brought to you by ... THE POSTMARKS, as seen on TV's YO! GABBA GABBA. Very James Bond, very cool ...
Look 'em up on Facebook, Twitter and all the rest, true believers. Enjoy.

The Raiders must fire Tom Cable ... NOW

Perception is reality. Whether these women are out to get Tom Cable or not, court documents and police reports going back 20 years do not paint a pretty picture. Domestic violence is just not acceptable, and this seems pretty damning.

The Raiders will surely lose to San Diego today and then are off for 2 weeks with a bye. It's the perfect time for a clean break and to put an interim coach in place. My goodness, how the mystique of the renegade, outside-the-law Raiders just continues.

Al Davis needs to take control of this situation and then cede control of the team's day to day football operations to a younger, more legitimate football man, such as John Madden. What say you, Raider Nation?

HBO's BORED TO DEATH ... hardly boring

Love this show. How can you not love it? It's on HBO and features the comic stylings of Jason Schwartzman - the star of one of my all-time favorite flicks, RUSHMORE.



Episode 6, where George and Ray help Jonathan spy on a hooker from craigslist, was pure genius. Where else can you find funny adventures that tie in comic book art, pot, spy gear and prostitution with the comic delivery of a Schwartzman? No where but HBO, I tell you, true believers.

Alien Abuctions ... of THE FOURTH KIND

I am there opening weekend. Can't wait.
Good feature if you have 5 minutes to watch:

Voltron: down with the ro-beast!

Good stuff, true believers.

My life is now almost complete ...

... all I have to do is live another 70 years with my wife, see the Raiders win another Super Bowl, travel to outerspace, and dote on grandchildren as beautiful as my two little munchkins.

Other than that, now that The Sounds have been confirmed to be on Yo Gabba Gabba!, I am fulfilled.

If only they made adult shirts and hoodies of my favorite Yo Gabba monsters ... if only ... //sigh//.

THE SOUNDS in concert = Kick Arse

I saw The Sounds at the historic Warfield Theatre on Market Street last night. The good news was, it was right off the Powell Street BART station, so it was a nice ride door to door from Pleasanton, practically to the front porch of The Warfield. Weather was perfect, as it usually is with the gorgeous and warm Octobers we get here. The bad news was, frakkin' BART runs the last direct train back to Pleasanton at 12:15 am and we had to leave the show early. Oh well, at least we left on a high note: the last song we saw before making a mad dash for the BART station was my all-time favorite electro-pop-rock song, aptly named "Rock and Roll."

The first two opening acts left a lot to be desired. Foxy Shazam was all gimmicks and no substance; the lead singer danced around like a monkey, ate a cigarette, kicked water bottles around and generally made an arse of himself. Semi Precious Weapons was a grown up version of Foxy Shazam, with less gimmicks, but a lot of 70s glam rock schtick including sheer, golden tights and diamond-studded high-heeled boots. It was very "Battle for Milkquarious," and "Velvet Goldmine," to say the least (both flicks worth watching, btw).



Then, Shiny Toy Guns came out and saved the day with a professional set of legit rock songs, including "Le Disco," which was cool to hear in person. If you ask me, "Major Tom," blew the roof off the place and that's where the show really got religion for the crowd. The lead singer's rendition of this classic gave me goose bumps; she sounded like an inter-galactic pixie, belting out the lyrics Earth below us, drifting falling, floating weighless, calling home ... hoooooome ... ho-oo-oo-oo-ome!



Last but not least, The Sounds came out and rocked the bacon, looking, acting and sounding like a legit headliner. It was sweet while it lasted. We went out on a high, having seen "No One Sleeps When I'm Awake," "Midnight Sun," and "Rock and Roll" all in a row. What a show. Too bad we had to cut it short. Thanks BART.

I gotta feeling that I don't belong

Another winner from Apple iPod's line of catchy TV ads, this tune courtesy of Miss Li & Amanda Jenssen's "Bourgeois Shangri-La."

Enjoy.

New Levi's TV Ad Campgain

This is really good stuff. Very inspired effort from Levi's ad agency, whoever they are. I just bought a pair of GAP jeans, but now I'm inspired to make my next pair Levi's because I like what they stand for in these ads: THE PIONEERING SPIRIT OF FREE AMERICANS.