Reunited, and it feels so good.

Seriously, I'm like as giddy as a school girl about to take part in a hopscotch tournament.

After living the first 18 years of my life without Cable Television, I was way behind the curve on the MTV Real World phenomena. In fact, my first memory of the Real World was in my freshman year of college - but it wasn't watching the show for the first time. Three "cast members" from the Seattle season sat up on a stage in the Union in a pseudo lecture / Q&A session.

I don't remember what they said, just the lunacy of the experience. Every other question was basically, "Now who hooked up? Really... Who hooked up?" However, there was one memorable moment when a "little person" attempted to ask a question. The Real Worlders kept asking the guy to stand up, which he was... Finally he climbed to stand on his chair to ask his question, "Did any of you guys make-out or what?"

I decided to start watching the show. The drunk driving filled Hawaii season was before the pre-Katrina New Orleans season. (That N.O. season produced a "Come on be my baby tonight..." bit that I still randomly laugh at today)

Then there was the Las Vegas season.
The season that confirmed what everybody suspected about MTV Real Worlders in addition to bringing it to unprecedented levels of debauchery, drunkenness, declothing and demagoguery.

I stopped watching The Real World shortly after that. The seasons that followed attempted to repeat the model of Guys Gone Wild that made the Vegas season successful. It became too tiring for me.

But now, five years later, MTV is bringing the Las Vegas cast pack to the Palms for two more weeks. I have never been this excited at the prospect of a reality show.

I especially want to see FRANK! MTV had a mini-marathon over Memorial Day of the Vegas season - and I was lucky to catch the premiere episode that featured Frank - on his first day - confessing that he was interested in Trichelle to Steven. That night Frank was literally caught in the middle between Trichelle and Steven. Frank leaned out of the way, looked to the camera, and pantomimed a self influenced pistol shot to the head. CLASSIC!

The season premiere of Real World Las Vegas: Reunited is this Wednesday. Can't wait to see Frank again!

You Don't Know Jack, but I'll gladly introduce him to you...

24 debuted in the fall of 2001. You Know What delayed the pilot episode. I remember watching previews during the 7 game Arizona / New York World Series. Kiefer Sutherland leaning down to a seated Sarah Clarke while yelling, "WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR!?"

I don't remember where I was when the pilot episode aired. I was probably held captive in one of the many GROUP PROJECTS that was a standard in every class I took after my freshman year at Marquette University. Thankfully, my friend Stefan was also interested in the previews and taped the pilot. I was instantly hooked. After a few episodes, citing too much relevance on cell phones to support a plot, Stefan left me alone with my addiction. I couldn't find anybody else who was watching this show. It killed me every week not being able to discuss it.

I've been in a quest to make up for that ever since.

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In the winter of early 2003 I was already out of school and knee deep in season two. I was at my friend Tom's townhouse with a couple of his friends - a married couple by the name of Bill & Sydney. A few weeks earlier I had lent Tom my season one DVDs and I had chosen this night to mildly interrogate into why he hasn't watched an episode yet. Well, there wasn't much on television that night - so I convinced Tom, Bill & Sydney to watch the first episode. We instantly watched the second episode and the third too... They were hooked.

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Tom, Bill, Sydney and I watched the first season together - it was a great time, as we'd watch a full disc about every other weekend. By the time season 3 began in Fall 2003, we were able to finish my newly purchased season two DVDs just in time - right down the the ticking clock - pure 24 style.

I finally had what I wanted, a core group of 24 addicts to watch shows with me as they happened - with full e-mail forum discussions in the six long days between episodes.

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While visiting my friends Skip & Tamara in Charleston, IL (they were students at Eastern Illinois University), I bought with me season one. They also became instantly hooked as their obsession began with an 8+ hour introductory marathon.

When the major plot bomb of that season dropped in episode 23 - Skip called me instantly (it was about 1:30 AM) speaking in tongues from the sheer awe.

This conversion occurred during the show's fourth season.

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My life had a major change during season five - I got a better job. One of the better aspects of my new employment was that the company was exponentially larger. This made it easy to find a core 24 fan club among coworkers. And also easier to scout new converts.

Stephen & Maureen sat next to each other. I lent season one to Stephen, and ended up giving season two to him while passing the returned season one over to Maureen. They were both instant Bauer lovers and this round-robin cycle of CTU may be the most efficient DVD watching protocol in the medium's history... They were up to speed in time for the next new season

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And currently, as the sixth season has just concluded - I am about to loan 24 season DVDs to Brian, my 8th recruit. I would have had 9, but my friend Paul doesn't live locally. If he did, I surely would make a stop near his house for my bandwagon tour.
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However, I should note that Brian will not be loaned season six from me. Sadly, the show's sixth season was a catastrophe... I will not buy it, breaking my streak. But I still have 120 magnificent episodes ready to be lent out on a moments notice...

Only one catch: You have to tell me exactly where you are while borrowing them - because I want to know exactly what to discuss!
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(I'd like to take moment for a personal message to my readers. If you have read this far - thank you very much. This is my 200th post on this blog and I'm very happy to see that it's traction is not in any jeopardy. While noticing this impending milepost a few weeks ago - I had planned on debuting a classic story from my youth that is THE most rarely told. However, when I take into account that I've been flowing well lately with subject matter - I'm going to take a pass. Also, I sadly relayed the unabridged version to somebody less than a month ago.... And in hindsight, that may not have been the best idea. And with that story, saying it once a year is far too frequent. If any of you even remember this cliffhanger that I foreshadowed about - again, I appreciate your focused reading.

Much obliged,
TQ)

More like a movie with Transformers than a Transformers movie?

Doesn't anybody realize that there were NO humans in the world of Transformers?

I saw some of the clips for the upcoming Michael Bay movie... And I don't remember any young kids with curly hair wearing Rock Band T-Shirts anywhere in the cartoon of my youth.

These were my favorite toys growing up - and I sure as hell didn't imagine Optimus Prime (who has been curiously ABSENT in all these trailers) in any scene remotely like a suburban backyard inground pool.

However, this movie may be the movie of the summer that is worth being a part of the massive crowd on it's opening night. It's too bad I'll be in Las Vegas during this time. And it will be very bad if events transpire that makes me end up seeing this movie in Vegas.

(the sound of an exhale that's not quite a sigh, not quite a moan)

The plan was to wake up early, get to work an hour earlier to leave work an hour earlier, get to the Skokie Swift by 4:15 & downtown by 5, out of the NetFlix focus group by 6:30 and home before 8.

Things didn't go quite as planned. However, the ultimate result remained the same.

By the time I got to the parking lot in Skokie, the Train was on the rail waiting for me. (For those out of towners - the "Skokie Swift" is an express CTA train that goes from Skokie to a downtown transfer point and back). It was also there when I was paying for parking, but after I had charged up my fare card, and got through the turnstile, I watched it leave... That cost me 15 minutes.

At just after 5 pm, about to just head underground, I phoned the focus group office to say I was running late - but I would be there... I didn't walk into the place until 5:20 (a full 15 minutes after I was supposed to be there and 5 minutes after the focus group was about to begin.)

I sign a sheet upon check in - and was surprised to realize I'm only the 3rd one there. I take a seat next to two other men that are in my demographic, but less than one Amy Winehouse track on my iPod later they're both called away leaving me behind.

As soon as they are out of earshot I am told that they overbook these groups on purpose, that I am not needed - but will still get compensated 6 months of NetFlix for free.
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The platform beneath the corner of State & Grand is packed. It's 5:30 and the amount of business casual and New Balance is suffocating... Suffocating to the fact that the next train arrives at the stop at full capacity. That doesn't stop people from boarding the train. I decide to lay low, I'm in no rush. the next train is equally as packed, but by this time I'm surrounded by highly attractive tanned downtown shoppers. It was like the major league of mall beauty. Take every hot girl you remember from high school walking a mall and add 10 years of added beauty.

Obviously, this is the train that I want to get packed into a sardine can with, but sadly - America's Next Top eL train departs without me.

By the time the third train arrives, I know exactly where the doors line up on the platform - and I'm there to push in no matter what. The next 25 minutes of my existence are in constant contact with 3-4 strangers - depending on the momentum. One bumps me right into the next.


After every average to above average attractive person gets off the train at the Addison stop, I'm able to breath again... I return to my condo shortly before 7:30.

Was all this worth it? Only my queue will tell...

Schilling & Kavanaugh

I was treated this evening to a rather long IM conversation with an old friend. To say our friendship is "modern" would put it mildly. How do we usually keep in touch? By reading each others blogs but of course. I haven't spoken to him on the phone in easily 6-7 years - we do not even have each others' phone numbers... But you couldn't tell that from our conversation tonight. Of the things we discussed tonight: Jack Bauer and Vladdy Guerrero...

He's a big baseball fan, and wanted to know what I thought about Bonds. I told him that I meant to blog on him a few weeks ago - but was preoccupied and didn't get around to it. Also, another nugget popped up in the news about him today. Hank Aaron went on the record a little over a month ago citing not wanting to travel as a reason for why he was not going to be in attendance for Bond's "record breaking" moment. Today he said that even if Bonds is on the verge during an upcoming road trip to Atlanta (Aaron's home town) he will still refrain from attending...

(Pardon me as I back away from the keyboard, stand up, and begin applauding)
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Pretend this was posted a few weeks ago, shortly after the Curt Schilling controversy:

Curt Schilling said the following in reference to Barry Bonds on Tuesday May 7:
"I mean, he admitted that he used steroids. I mean, there's no gray area. He admitted to cheating on his wife, cheating on his taxes and cheating on the game, so I think the reaction around the league, the game, being what it is, in the case of what people think. Hank Aaron not being there. The commissioner trying to figure out where to be. It's sad. And I don't care that he's black, or green, or purple, or yellow, or whatever. It's unfortunate … there's good people and bad people. It's unfortunate that it's happening the way it's happening."

I wholeheartedly support anybody in a Bonds bashing. I was not only jubilant at the force of Schilling's comments - but it made me laugh as it reminded me of a scene from The Shield that has become a favorite bit between another friend and I.





Long Story Short: I hate Bonds, and I too am afraid as to what he'll do next.

My Opinions Will Finally Pay!

If you know me, you know I like NetFlix

Now, although I have much love for NetFlix, it ain't unconditional dollfaces!
Luckily for me, those boys down at NetFlix have invited yours truly downtown to participate in a focus group-type thing. They want my opinion, and ladies and gents – I've got opinions on NetFlix.

For my time, they are going to comp me five months! This is a great win-win situation, I want to tell them how they're going well and how they can improve… But just in case I run out of material (not very likely), let me know – SOON – if you have any opinions for me to share with them.

Hopefully the evening will be a blog-worthy event.

Your Secret

Somebody at work asked me if I've read The Secret. I instantly responded, "I convinced myself that I had read it."

This obviously put the person in their place.

People are still reading that book. Don't ask me why. Everybody wants to be brainwashed? Don't understand.

I had a good friend e-mail me asked me if I had seen the film The Secret. Supposedly she gave it to her Mother for this past Mother's Day. I bad part of me thinks that might have been a typo - that she is in fact referring to the book. This would go along with her recent claim that I am being too negative with my thoughts...

Not wanting to pick a fight - which would only support her theory - I left that comment fall by the wayside.

Today NBC aired the end of their National Heads Up Poker Championship (I'm six weeks away from Vegas by the way!). Shannon Elizabeth had a majestic run to the semifinals. yeah, that's Shannon Elizabeth the actress:


She's really taken an interest in competitive poker.


I found that respectable - and I all but forgotten her film credits. Until she cited The Secret as to why she's playing so well as of late.

Am I alone here? Does anybody realize that the heart of the book is about selfishness? I feel so strongly about this - I almost want to read it just to knock it (Similar to how I watch The Sopranos - only to curse it.)

Yes, I'm negative. Yes, I realize that can be a drag on others. Yes, I use that positive term in a sarcastic cynicism more and more.

Oh, and I fully expect to get e-mails from pro-secret people... but if you honestly believe it, don't pick a fight with me... Just convince yourself that you already told me off and made your best arguments to a dumbfounded TQ.