A Week in the Life - Yes ... again... part 2.... the Quickening.

Welcome back to those of you who tuned in earlier only to discover that I had postponed my usual weekly postponement for a later time. I do apologize for the incovenience. But I'm back again to finish out my weekly summary of all things Jimmy.

This week starts out uneventful, although the weather here is fucking things up temperature wise. One day sunny and 75° and the next hella windy, overcast, and a balmy 50°. What gives, Jesus? Is it a sign of the impending apocalypse? Is Stone Cold coming back to professional wrestling? Did we forget to flip over the Mayan calendar to see the 5126 year period on the backside? Either way, it's funny weather regardless of the inconvenience of the truth.

The parents were in town on Monday and again today. Various doctor's appointments bring them over from Alamogordo to Las Cruces every now and again. Both nights we ordered in for pizza and just sat around shootin' the shit. Monday was TV and conversation, Wednesday was a screening of Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, and more on that later.

Tomorrow, as soon as I sneak out of work we're off to Roswell for another concert with the Roswell Symphony Orchestra. We'll be playing some of the more popular arias from Verdi's opera La Traviata, which you'll recall from this post back in November when I played the whole opera with the Juarez Symphony Orchestra. If you need a refresher, I believe the post has a link to some information on the opera, or you can click here.

A clip of Brindisi "The Drinking Song" from the opera.



We'll return from Roswell on Sunday, and it's off to our friend Daniel's house for a good ol' Daytona 500 party. I can't say I'm the biggest NASCAR fan in the world, but even the smallest appreciation for the challenge of the sport is multiplied by the presence of a friend who knows the ins and outs of it. This goes for you CJ_ATC and LaCrosse as well.

And that's the upcoming week. I'll be stuck in a small hotel room in Roswell as of tomorrow night, and won't have to be at work by 7am on Friday so tomorrow I'll try to start stacking up some entries and saving them for the purpose of future posting. That is, if the laptop can't handle the latest World of Wacraft expansion.

Love and Cheez-its,
Jimmy

A Week in the Life - Yes ... again.

Now usually "A Week in the Life" is an intermittent, weekly series that basically sums up the goings on and current events in the realm of JRTW. And by intermittent, I mean it should interrupt the regular flow of brain droppings one would normally find in a joint like this. Instead, here we are, three in a row with no funny filler. And what's worse, this is just the precursor to the actual post. I just need to finish up some schoolwork and then I'll be right back... no really.

More to come,
Jimmy

P.S. Here's a pointless clip to tide you over.

A Week in the Life - Nothing short of perfect.

It's not what you think. I just meant that this post is nothing.... and that it is short of perfect. Greetings on an otherwise uneventful Friday night. Another busy week come and gone in a flash.

First off, hello again, and I hope you've all had a great week.

Now, this week like the many to follow was a Symphony week. The locals this time, as the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra presents is 4th Classics concert of the current season. An absolute ordeal for violinists, the two orchestral pieces demand an exhausting level of play and concentration from those fortunate enough to play at a professional level. Coupled with a fine piano concerto, it makes for quite an epic music experience... if that' s your thing.

The Symphony opens with Rimsky-Korsokov's Russian Easter Overture.

Followed by Liszt's 1st Piano Concerto which can be heard here.

And last but not least.

Brahms Symphony No. 2., 4th movement.

So while you're browsing the net in another tab, feel free to give a listen to the above, and you'll get a rough idea of my week, 78 glorious minutes of violin madness!

Otherwise, work is work, fatherhood is great. Caitlyn and Crystal are good. Next week is more of the same as I'll be in Roswell for Valentine's Day weekend playing with the Rosewell Symphony Orchestra and visiting my sister and her family.

Blog wise, some big things in the works as I try to hammer out a weekly post pattern... you know one thing every Monday, another every Tuesday.. and so on.

Enough for now, I've got to play some video games, write a friend or two, hang out with the kid and set the timer on my VCR.

Much love,
Jimmy

A Week in the Life - The Life of the Weak

Bleh, trust me when I say nobody is more annoyed by the diminishing frequency of my posts. In a week when by all accounts I should have time for these sorts of things, I simply don't. Anxious for that 3rd chunk of television related anger, me too. Heck at this point, even an over linked youtube video would be more than enough.

Excuses? None. Work is work, family is family, school is school, and symphony is ... you guessed it. While none of these individual horses is completely responsible for my lack of blog related time, on the whole I'm sure you can see where things get a little bit drawn and quartered, time wise.

Still, here I am. Arriving home from work around 4pm, spent some quality time with Caitlyn. Washed the dishes and helped the wife with dinner. Cracked open a bottle of Belle de Brillet, which we received as a gift from my sister on Valentine's day a year or two ago.

I had no idea the intensity of this stuff. According to the bottle it takes about 20 pounds of pears to create each bottle. Upon first pour, the cognac smelled more strongly of alcohol, almost like a whiskey. However, the moment it touched the tongue, a sweet syrup of natural pear flavor overtook the senses. Strong presence, sweet flavor, and ounce for ounce quite remarkable. Highly recommended for a dessert or after dinner drink.

Anyway, sips of cognac aside, we ate dinner and then watched the usual Thursday night lineup on NBC, albeit everything was a repeat. I promptly crashed, falling asleep for the next three hours. Whether this is a result of cumulative exhaustion or the calming effect of the alcohol, the world may never know.

For what it's worth, I haven't played any video games all week, so don't jump to any conclusions. Normally the vice of World of Warcraft would be just as culpable as any distraction. Realize that I, more than anybody, would be satisfied if this were the case. But alas, no. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

But rest assured, loyal viewers, I have not forgotten you. Elwood will surely get his meme fix. CJ_ATC will catch the bait for a "you've been in college too long" sucker punch. All will be well in the LC.

So enjoy this unlikely post. I woke up around 10:30pm just to write it out of guilt. Fortunately tomorrow is Friday and the weekend approaches. No guilt or worry from staying up too late. Should make for a good night on the blog and in the intangible world of Azeroth.

WTF! - The Old Switcheroo

The 2nd in this weeks series of television related rants.

If there's one thing we've learned these past few months, it's that what's old is new again. From grassroots presidents to the Not So Great Depression, Americans everywhere are experiencing a rebirth of ideas.

What we have on television is, instead, an afterbirth of ideas.

Again this particular take on the degrading quality of television has nothing at all to do with actual programming, which for the most part has taken stride with a happy medium of sitcoms, drama, and reality tv. Nay, this declaration involves advertising once more. Today's subject, the old switcheroo.

Here's a comedic taste of what I speak of by our beloved Farley.

Just golden, rest in peace my chubby friend.

Anyway, back to business. This particular skit mocks a popular advertising tool from the time, swapping out real brewed coffee for instant coffee crystals. Hidden cameras revealing that normal everyday people can't tell the difference. The clever little bastards behind the scenes reveal themselves and everybody has a good laugh. Farley notwithstanding, it's a cute trick that exploits the assumed power of assumption. In that half of believing something to be is not knowing there's a chance it isn't.

On a side not, I'm almost positive that somewhere somebody just defended a masters thesis on this concept ... a testament to my wasted genius.



So, again back to bad marketing. And by bad I mean Pastamania bad. Don't know? I think you can figure it out for yourself.

So in today's day and age what do we get for our marketing dollar? The same old bullshit, with the clean fresh 21st century smell of Febreeze™.

Only this time it's Pizza Hut. Purveyors of gimmick pizza after gimmick pizza (i.e. The 14-cheese 2-layer chicken wing lasagna pizza bordered by cheese-filled chocolate-dipped tear-n-share bread sticks with buffalo ranch dipping sauce).

Yes Pizza Hut is regurgitating the ads of old. Taking unsuspecting everyday people and replacing the shitty pasta they ordered with an entirely different shitty pasta transported from all points foreign. Enter the viewer, in a staged upscale dining establishment.

Now far be it for me to say that when you're opening an "upscale" restaurant you should probably spice up the menu beyond say... two dishes with the culinary complexity of a bread sandwich, but that's neither here nor there.

Ok, whatever, pasta at a pizza place. Feign excitement, roll eyes, continue watching The Office.

Now, I'm ok with the repetitive advertising, as there have been at least two to three tangible generations born and raised with no concept of the concept. It happens all the time I know, as do you, for I'm sure you as well as I have watched most of our beloved childhood toys re-released. And what's worse re-released, politically corrected, modernized, and mass-produced as though they were collectible before they were imagined on paper.

I don't want a neon green water gun. When I'm squirting water at my wife-beating step father I want the satisfaction of imagining I'm actually killing him. Neon green does not a weapon make. I want a jet black water gun molded from the same mold as the 9mm pistol the cops will inevitably kill me with after mistaking my water gun for an actual gun. If you want to rob a vending maching and don't want the cops shooting you, paint your own gun green!*

*It should be noted that the cops may still shoot you based on ethnicity, fashion, or neighborhood. This chance is multiplied by one order of magnitude for every jelly doughnut in your possession at the time. Also, Jimmy Rules the World in no way supports the use of fake weapons as real weapons. Opinions in this blog are solely those of Jimmy and should in no way be misconstrued as the opinions of Jimmy, Jimmy Rules the World, or it's parent companies or subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Not valid in AK or HI. See rules for details.

But I digress!!!

This isn't about me this is about shitty advertising. The old switcheroo as it were. I was willing to take it once but not a second time. And what do we get from Pizza Hut?

"The Natural"

Please sweet Jesus not again.

So here we are watching some douche of a chef preparing a fancy-ass pizza with "all natural" ingredients. Only to surprise an unsuspecting room of even douchey-er people with mouths agape at the concept that the pizza they've eaten came from a restuarant and not from an actress in chef's clothing.

Last time I checked the utilization of a chef was the only way for a restaurant chain to mass produce a dish. Do you think this shit just falls out of the air? Pizza Hut no doubt has dozens of people researching recipes and cooking full time, looking for that new gimmick or local favorite to rip-off. Even if the idea is simply ripped from pop culture, like The Natural, it still requires months of work to streamline for mass production and marketing. Why so shocked you moron, a shitty pizza is a shitty pizza, be it from a staged cooking show or a staged pizza delivery. It's all fake, get used to it. Cut, wrap, print.

And another thing! Thanks for reiterating the fact that every Pizza Hut pizza I've ever eaten was the polar opposite of "natural".

Natural pepperoni? What the fuck was in the original pepperoni? Newspaper clippings and old gym mats (bonus points for the reference).

Wow, tomato sauce made from tomatoes. Unreal!

And that whole grain crust. Bread made from whole grain wheat? Holy shit, stop the presses!

And the cheese? Actual mozzarella!! I'll be damned!

Well butter my butt and call me bread. Pizza Hut... you've almost made a pizza.

Now stop while your ahead.


Again, thank you and goodnight.
Jimmy.

P.S. Next month at Pizza Hut for $11.99. Oh yeah, they'll make it look like a large in the commercials but it's really a medium.

WTF - Pretentious Cat Food!

Ok, ladies and gentlemen, birthday week is over. Back to business. And by business I mean bitching about things I have neither the resources nor wherewithal to change.

So here we are in the first of a series of television related rants. I felt the need to split these up seeing as how I can't seem to make enough time in the day to publish a nice long juicy post. Couple that with the fact that each of these little TV nuisances provides me with a full day's worth of frustration, nudging me ever-closer to spending the remainder of my days with just my wife, my baby, and my computer; relinquishing myself from the indentured servitude of commercial and/or pay television. Anyway, on with the show.

FYI, the trademarks (i.e. ™) were gumming up the works, so they're omitted. I'd appreciate it if the two of you still reading this blog would be so kind as to not report my infringement.

Now here's a small test for you.

Which of these delectable meals was manufactured for cats, and which one was manufactured for human consumption.




Answer: The food item on the left is cat food... on the right is risotto primavera.


My point being this, at which point did we decide that our cats should eat better than we do? Are they not prone to tongue-bathing their own asses? Do they not mate like rabid furr-banshees, making noises akin to a stuck pig in salt water? How did the cat go from the preferred "I can leave it home by itself" animal, to the Mooby of pets?
Don't ask him. He doesn't know.

Now I'm all for good pet nutrition. I've bought my fair share of Free Range Organic Hill's Science-Diet where applicable to any given pet. I can appreciate the complexity necessary to balance a diet of hair, white dog shit, and small Peruvian lizards.

But lavish and extravagant vittles for an animal who'd kill it's own mother to grasp laser light? It just doesn't add up.

Why in this day and age is there still a vast global famine, yet we feel compelled to dish up restaurant quality meals for ol' Boots here?

It's not to say that I can't appreciate cats, or the need to spoil them like children. But it all has a sort of Douglas Adams stink to it, in that someday, when it's all said and done and we're on the brink of Armageddon. The cats will leave us with a nice "so long, and thanks for all the fish".

Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm just being jealous.
After all, I eat goddamn Chef Boyardee. No! Scratch that. I eat whatever bastardized version of Chef Boyardee I can afford at Wal-Mart for 97¢ a can. And it sucks. But it's cheap, and you can survive off of it. In fact, it's probably closer to actual cat food than that hoity-toity bullshit pictured above.

Christ, I just can't take it anymore.



The real crotch-kicker here is that I love cats!?!! So the only people left to blame are the money-grubbing bastards at Purina. It's like they're preying on little old ladies who have personified their pets to the point of Waterford Crystal collars and self-scooping robotic litter boxes. So knock it off Purina! Leave the exploitation of the elderly to organized religion, the Hoveround, and CBS.


Jimmy out!

P.S. Next time: The ol' switcheroo! For now, a souffle.




Oh yeah.

That's right.

It's cat food.....

A Week in the Life - Another year older!

Well, to say the least my cake was not quite as cool as this one. Still, yesterday (11th) was my birthday. A fun time was had by all, and by all I mean myself, Crystal, Caitlyn, and my parents. We spent the day having pastries and coffee while watching the Eagles/Giants game. I played a pops concert with Steve Lippia and the LCSO. Got home around 5:30 and then it was off to Texas Roadhouse for a nice thick ribeye, medium rare of course. Saw the parents off to Alamogordo, then settled in for a cup of coffe before hitting the sack at a relatively decent hour (midnight to be exact, far from my 2am average).

Fun day, and lots of well wishers made it one of the best. Looking forward to another grand year. And hey, maybe I'll make it out of college...

More to come,
Jimmy

VOD - Not my daughter, but maybe in time.....

Here's a nice one. Now, I'm not sure which school of thought you'll come from. Either you'll think this kid is a super-awesome gaming prodigy. Or you'll think her father's only form of entertainment is to sit her next to him while he plays video games all day. Either way, her comprehension is impressive. Enjoy for now, and have a good weekend if I don't talk to you before long.

THE BIG UPDATE!

Ahh, loyal viewers, how I have neglected thee.

It's been too long my friends so here goes:

Christmas week was jam packed with excitement as I juggled work, playing and a visit from my brother, whom I hadn't seen since sometime around spring break of 2007.

I was playing Christmas week for the Abundant Living Faith Center. A large, large, large church located on the east side of El Paso, TX. Now, I won't get into details, but as most of you know I'm not the biggest fan of organized religion. That being said, I'm also not a big fan of biting the hand that feeds you, plus I appreciate the positive aspects and beneficial works that religious organizations provide. Ibso facto... I do it for the good of the community. Their Christmas show is second to none, consisting of roughly 300 cast members, a wire team from the same company that handles Cirque du Soleil, and a church that seats about 3500. It's a yearly thing for me, and I've been doing it long enough to not remember how long I've been doing it. All in all the show was seen by about 18,000 people in 2008, a new record for the church. If you're ever in town for the four days before Christmas, check it out.

My brother, the coolest cat this side of the Pecos, was in town for a week from December 23rd to the 30th, a week that went by way too fast. We spent some quality time playing video games, which as you all know is about as "quality" as my time gets. After Christmas week he was off to Chicago to meet up with his friends Jen and Paul whom he met during orientation for Teach for America a couple of years ago. For Christmas, we all pitched in and picked him up a lovely new Xbox 360 Pro, which means for the first time in his life he owns all the current gen consoles. Quite a feat if you ask me. My take wasn't too bad either, as I received Super Smash Bros. for the Wii from him. Before he had to leave we made sure he was filled with the best authentic Mexican food Las Cruces has to offer, which you all know you just can't find anywhere else. Thanks for the visit Chris, miss you, love you, see you soon. (above pic from my wedding, in which my brother acted as minister)

My final Christmas show ended around 9:30pm on Christmas Eve and from there it was back to Las Cruces to spend time with Crystal's family. We hosted Christmas at our house for Crystal's mother's side of the family. It was a most enjoyable evening, complete with the ritual White Elephant gift exchange and a traditional meal consisting of a variety of sides and a giant pot of menudo. A visit from Santa, a warm cup of coffee, and then off to bed once we bid goodnight to all. (shown, assorted aunts, cousins, the baby, and Pere Noelle)

Christmas day was the usual family runaround. I awoke a the asscrack of dawn to make a special Christmas delivery for a friend, I'd go into details but I refuse to spoil anyone's perception concerning the existence of the fat man. From there it was back to bed, then up again in time to be ready for a visit with Crystal's father John. We spent the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon filling up on turkey, ham, and conversation. Again, good food and time well spent with family.

We ran back home to unload gifts from the trunk and repack it with gifts for our next stop, my parent's place in Alamogordo. It's not to say we had sooooo many gifts that we had to make a stop, but when you're packing a car seat, a stroller, a diaper bag and assorted baby goodness, it doesn't leave much room for presents. We went to gas up only to discover that the gas at this particular station was the cheapest I've seen it in a very long time. Man alive, $1.19 a gallon. Boy will I ever miss you. Seven dollars later we were on the long road to home.

Alamogordo was that same as it's always been. It seems that for every business that opens or remodels, there are two that either go out of business or look like they belong in a Rob Zombie movie. At this point it's like polishing a turd. No offense to the hometown I love and grew up in, I just couldn't think of a better cliche to describe it. Turd polishing pretty much sums it up. If you disagree, you didn't grow up there. Either way, go Tigers...

Sooo there we are at my parents house, spending time with my brother, my sister's family, and my parents and pretty much just pissing the day away enjoy my mom's spiced cider and another double helping of meat. The selection consisted of deep fried turkey, slow cooked brisket, and succulent ham. I pretty much ate my share of all three, and your share. Belt loosened, we watched assorted Christmas movies, played some card games (which I totally sucked at btw), and drove home in time to sleep enough to work the next day.

(Mom snapping a photo of Chris and Caitlyn)

Worked the next day... bleh.

Friday night we returned to Alamogordo, again filled up on meat, and stayed overnight. On Saturday we lounged around and enjoyed the inch or so of snow that had fallen during the night. In true New Mexico fashion, it was gone by noon. Now keep in mind I did have to prioritize family and what not over computer time, so my blogging nuts had been for the most part castrated during this time. I'm not trying to make excuses, I'm just sayin'.

We returned on Saturday night to Las Cruces with my brother. From there it was a late night of gaming and a Sunday complete with a stop at the flea market. My brother and I had lunch at Sonic, which he can't get in Hawaii. It seems fair, no Sonic for him, no tropical island paradise for me. My parents came into town on Sunday night, so we spent some more time family-style and then they took him back with them to Alamo. On Monday Crystal, Caitlyn and I slept in, then later on that afternoon went back to Alamo for one last visit with my brother. On Tuesday the 30th it was back to work, and my parents accompanied my brother back to the airport in El Paso to see him off. That evening we visited our good friend Geoff and his mother for coffee and a quick exchange of gifts.

New Years Eve was spent at work during the day, at night we went to Crystal's mother's house for an impromptu party she was throwing. The food again was excellent, another testament to the idea that I married into the right family. We retired early for the baby's sake, returning home and cooking up a late night dinner for ourselves and my friend Geoff and his mother, whom we had invited over the night before.

I was off on New Years Day, but went into work for a few hours of overtime. Otherwise it was a mellow day.

The rest is as follows... work... dinner.... baby... sleep and/or playing World of Warcraft. Geoff had downloaded a trial of the new expansion of the game but unfortunately (and I know this only means something to half of you) you can't create a Death Knight unless you already have an existing level 55 character on you server, even with the trial. So the past few days I was helping him level his character from 45 on up. As of Saturday I had made it to 51, but life calls, and I know better at this point than to place computer time over family time.

So all in all it was a busy couple of weeks. The first section I simply couldn't help, it was a whirlwind of family, limited computer access, poor cell phone reception, and more driving that a newborn should be subjected to. This last week I was recuperating, and leveling a feral druid. I can't really justify that last part, but fuck it, if your feelings are hurt, come by the house and I'll give you a Twix™.

Many thanks to Serry and Tarah (names poorly changed to protect the innocent), who visited us this last Friday and Saturday. Serry's father got married on Saturday, and we wish him all the best in this newest chapter of his life. We were dog sitting while they were at the wedding, and while they may thank us, it's our pleasure if only to get a chance to spend time with good friends.

Plus they picked up our lunch at Chilito's, it's not really relevant, but talking about it makes me smile. I had the red enchiladas with red chile meat and an egg on top. Heavenly!

What else what else....

Saw a few movies, not the theater kind of course just on DVD. Crystal wasn't to impressed with Mama Mia or The House Bunny. I made sure I was on the computer at the time. Eagle Eye maintained our firm belief that Shia Labeouf is good enough an actor to make you forget you're watching Shia Labeouf. Hamlet 2 was excellent, go watch it. Meet Dave was standard modern-day Eddie Murphy comedy, mildly funny yet a little too tame with a splash of cheesy. Eddie Murphy still manages to be one of the best actors alive today, it's just often overshadowed by family friendly packaging and scripts which place him in roles which are often revisions of characters he's played before. We rented Pineapple Express today (Marisa, if you're out there, can't help but think of you when I see this movie) and laughed our asses off. Such a good movie. Lots and lots of tiny quotable snippets, which we all know is the best asset a comedy can have right? I saw it three times in the theater, and it still felt fresh on DVD. Good stuff. The only complaint I have is that for being "unrated", there was only about 2 minutes of extra material, and none of it moved beyond it's R rating.

The baby is doing great. She's beautiful, and not in that "she's mine so I have to say it" kind of way. She cries when she needs something, and stops when she gets it. It's about as good as we could have hoped in that department. No random endless crying, knock on wood. She's a little over two months now and growing like crazy. She's well into smiling, laughing, and carrying on conversations in whatever language she can muster. Every day you ask yourself how it's possible that so much could come from so little ... /smirk

(mom and Caitlyn shown)

Life is good.

Miss you all, love you all,

Jimmy

P.S. Here you go, for your adoring pleasure.

FPOD - I know it's two in a row, but I couldn't resist.

And you think you've got problems!

This week is a busy one friends... Christmas is fast approaching, my brother comes into town tomorrow, and it's solid work/play from now until 11pm Christmas Eve. Joy! I'll probably post up a Christmas Card at some point because there's no way in hell I'll be able to mail them at this point, true to form.

More to come, enjoy your Monday night.
Jimmy