With two more weeks to go in this season of WWE Fantasy, Churn Life is finally back where they belong. As general manager of Churn Life, I'd like to thank everyone on our roster for all their hard work. It's hard to believe that we were once in next-to-last place, but we can't be complacent with two more weeks to go. Courage, Mike G
 

Home Again...

Hope everyone had a good holiday. It was nice to put my own life on hold for a few days and spend time with the family.

I did get volunteered for Black Friday duty, since noone else in the house was willing to brave the crowds at our local supercenter. All I can say is I hope that niece of mine appreciates what I went through so she could have that Cabbage Patch Baby. Of course, she's not even two years old, so she'll probably have as much fun with the box.

The dinner was a real family affair, and even though my pecan pie wasn't a complete success[a rare misfire], my pumpkin pie seemed to make up for it.

On the way home [thank you Southwest] I got to engage in a bit of people-watching, since I usually blend into the background pretty quickly. I got to witness your everyday Abercrombie and Fitch guy use every move at his disposal in an attempt to win over a very pretty young lady across the aisle. I was especially impressed by his tactic of linking 'common friends', when it was pretty clear that he had no clue. Unfortunately for him, the young lady's flight continued on to San Antonio. Best of luck to her and her future modeling plans, and better luck next time to Mr. Fitch.

Courage,
Mike G.

Weak Signal...

I'll be vacating Churn Central for a short while to celebrate Thanksgiving with the family. I'll try to make updates somehow, probably in the form of audio posts from the wilds of West Texas.

Hope everyone has a great Turkey day, and please be careful as you battle the crowds for that $68 digital camera on Friday.

Courage,
Mike G.

The Learning Corner...

When roasting potatoes, I've found it's best to use a glass dish, as the potatoes and seasonings will be less likely to stick and burn.

Also, while it may smack of suburbia and laziness, the recipe on the side of the Lipton soup package isn't half bad. [I would take care, as it's easy for the onion pieces to dry out and burn]

Courage,
Mike G.

Small Triumph...

It's hard to learn anything important from TV, but I saw something that really made me think today.

I don't think I've ever seen a better example of pure joy, vindication, bitterness and braggadocio than I saw on an episode of the Maury Povich Show.

It was one of his sure-to-be-classic 'Who's the Father' episodes where a young lady's previous encounters are tested to see if their DNA matches her [usually]adorable child.

When the young man is proven to not be the father, you would think the man in question scored the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl. While I can understand some show of emotion, I might stop short of doing the Ickey Shuffle.

Just a small observation on a chilly afternoon.

Courage,
Mike G.

Sad Goodbye...

Reports are coming in that pro wrestler Eddie Guerrero has passed away. Sources are saying he may have died from a heart attack. 411 has a great summary of his career, so I won't try to duplicate it. WWE also has a quick retrospective here.

Eddie could work both sides of the heel/face persona to perfection. Even when he was given less than quality material to work with, he made the best of it. One of my favorite Eddie memories is his win at Wrestlemania 20 where he outsmarted Kurt Angle to retain the WWE Championship. Eddie's celebration with Chris Benoit after he won his first Heavyweight Championship is something special. WWE's been kind enough to post the video of that moment here.

My condolences to Eddie's family. It was known that Eddie had struggled with his share of demons, but he had been clear of them for a while now. So far, the news is that both RAW and SmackDown will be tribute shows.

Courage,
Mike G.

The Blogosphere Comes Through...

Special Churn thanks to Tivo Lovers for setting me straight.

I think the point about the extra features cuts both ways though. I don't want my recorder finding stuff for me, and I'm certainly smart enough to figure out when my favorite shows are on. If I want a show on my PC...well, that's what BitTorrent's for. Also, none of the networks can stop me from recording a show or erase the tape after a week. I just don't like how this new technology assumes that you're a moron that needs everything done for them automatically.

I just can't believe that there isn't a market for a simple PVR that doesn't require a monthly fee to use.

Courage,
Mike G.

Tivo Question...

While doing some Tivo research, I got confused about some of its features, and I was hoping that some of the more technically inclined members of the Churn Family could help.

As I understand it, unless you buy a Tivo with Dual Tuners, you won't be able to record one show while watching another.

That seems to be a huge drawback, since I'm able to do just that with my ancient VCR.

Secondly, since your standard DVR is just a big hard drive with some software attached, why aren't there more alternatives? I know there's 'homegrown' projects like MythTV out there, but I'm wondering why the market hasn't opened up.

Courage,
Mike G.

No Title Needed...

Sigh...

Keeley Hazell has a 2006 calendar out.

The folks at TeamGSB have been kind enough to post scans.

NSFW*NSFW*NSFW
I really don't want to get anyone fired or sent to HR for a meeting, so just wait till you get home.

For everyone else, enjoy.
NSFW*NSFW*NSFW

To balance that out, here's some cool clothes you can buy. As an added bonus, I get no cut out of any purchases you might make.

Courage,
Mike G.

So Far, So Good...

In another edition of my series of Comic Book Movie posts, it's been released all around the net that one of the villians in the next Spider-Man movie will be The Sandman, played by Thomas Haden Church.

For those unfamiliar, Flint Marko was bombarded with radiation after an experimental reactor exploded. He was left with the ability to convert his body to a sand-like material, and can even add to his mass and create weapons out of his own body. Here's a quick pic of the comic version of The Sandman:



And thanks to the fine folks at Sony, here's a promo image with Mr. Church:



The Spider-Man franchise has been the powerhouse for Marvel movie wise, and it looks like everything's on track for another good outing. The rumors are that this time around Spidey will be facing 3 villians, so I expect we'll hear word on them soon.

Courage,
MIke G.

A Poor Investment...

Big companies spend millions on research to find people who are likely to buy their products and services. Sometimes they'll spend tons of money to lure these people, treating them like an investment. Over the long run, they figure the money spent now will pay off in the future.

Somehow, I was pegged as ripe for the picking by the fine folks at Nordstrom. I'll be honest, the closest I've ever been to a Nordstrom is the GameStop two doors down. But there was something about the invite that really caught my eye.

...Complimentary meal in our bistro.

So I figure I'll have a free sandwich, look around, and be on my way. I decided I would dress up a bit for the occasion. By 'dress up' I mean jeans instead of shorts, and a long sleeve shirt. And no hat.

My first clue that I may have miscalculated was seeing the valet station. Seeing the actual 'bistro' was the second. It was about 4 times nicer than any place I've eaten for the past few years. I'm no hick, I'm just not that fancy. Also, I was a bit younger than the rest of the folks who were there.

I will say that everyone there was incredibly nice. I guess they must have thought I was some nouveau riche.

Some quick observations:

1. There is really no subtle way to ask the question, "Is this meal free?"
2. Upon receiving the answer to said question, it takes a bit of finesse to order a steak.[medium well, please]

After the meal[I felt ordering dessert would be taking advantage], we were invited to browse the store. I don't want to bore you kind folks any more with my ramblings, so I'll skip to the punchline...

I was unable to tell the difference between the 50 dollar T-Shirt and the 20 dollar T-shirt. I guess it's back to Old Navy for me, where if you're smart you can buy clothes by the pound.

Bottom line, I got to live way outside my means for a night. Special thanks to the marketing firm that picked my name out, and I hope someone else takes up the slack shopping wise, since the odds are pretty steep I'll be back without some sort of bribe.

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone for visiting Churn, and adding the feed to your various readers and aggregators. You can also sign up for Feedblitz and get the latest Churnings via email. It's located right at the bottom of the ad column, which has surpassed all my expectations by netting me a cool one dollar and fifty-seven cents.

Courage,

Mike G.

Look, WAY Up in the Sky...

Thanks to Newsarama for the info.

A few years ago, some IMAX theaters would show traditional 35mm films. They would be a bit on the grainy side, but still look pretty cool. But now they've developed a process to re-master the film to take advantage of the unique IMAX setup.

If you're able, I highly recommend seeing a film in the IMAX format. When Attack of the Clones came out, I had to see Yoda jumping and flipping about on a multi-story screen. Was worth it.

Courage,
Mike G.