Tv and a Crazy Dream

I've been desperate for something new to watch on TV. There is only so much Deal or No Deal and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader one man can stand. So I read about this show on AMC called Breaking Bad. I forgot to set the DVR on Sunday when it premiered, so I scrolled through the guide last night and saw that they were replaying the pilot at 10PM. Holy crap is the show awesome. I'm actually a little worried because the pilot was so good, I don't see how they can possibly keep that level of suspense and "interestingness" up for an entire season. I guess the show may have originally been pitched to Showtime and HBO because there were curses that they had to bleep out. The show stars the guy who played Malcolm's Dad on Malcolm in the middle. He was also the crazy dentist on Seinfeld. It's a very dark show, but very entertaining. I highly recommend it.

Maybe it was the influence of watching Breaking Bad for bed, or maybe it was the turkey pepperoni I snacked on before bed, but man did I have a wacky dream...

I was sitting in a steam room with Matt Lauer, Alex Trebek and Stephen King. I'm not sure where I was, but it appeared to be some kind of resort of some kind. This is really weird because I don't think I've ever been in a steam room before in real life.

Stephen King was wearing his signature coke bottle glasses and he was getting angry because they kept fogging up. He said something like "I paid $3500 for these glasses, they aren't supposed to fog up!" And he curses a lot in short bursts like he had tourettes.

Then Alex Trebek kept handing me these little cards that had sex shops and whore houses advertised on them. He kept telling me which places were the best. When you go there, ask for Chelsea and tell her you're friends with Alex! Thankfully he didn't make a "daily double" joke.

Matt Lauer was talking angrily to someone on his cell phone. He kept rolling his eyes and slapping the walls. I remember him saying something about getting the other line, then the next thing I remember we were all in a cab. We were all dressed like 1920's gangsters with fedoras and pin striped suites. Then I woke up. Or at least that's all I remember. WTF?

On my mind...

I'm so pumped for the start of Lost next Thursday. It's been a long 8 months since the last episode. It will be a bitter sweet start though. While it will be great to see the show start up again, it will suck knowing that there are only 8 episodes because of the writers strike. And apparently the part where they stopped filming is a pivotal part of the season that will leave fans wanting more. Of course noone knows how long the strike will go on, so it could be years before we see a conclusion.

At work they offered a Net benefits plan for our 401k. It's advertised as being somewhat of a no brainer approach to investing for your retirement. You let Fidelity manage your account and they are supposed to rebalance which funds you invest in periodically to maximize your returns. Well when I was managing my own 401k, I was up 12% for the year. Last year when Fidelity did it, I was up only 6%. In the 3 weeks they managed it in 2008, I've been down over 10%. Considering I've been contributing to my 401k for 8 years now, I lost a sizable amount of money. So I took the bull by the horns and opted out of the net benefits account and opened a brokerage account. I started buying and selling my own funds this week. We'll see how things go. The market has been crazy since the 1st of the year will all the talk of recession, the upcoming election and the value of the US dollar dropping like Lindsay Lohans panties. So it should be interesting. I purchased some mutual funds last year with my annual bonus, and the one TROWE Price fund I bought was up 27.91 percent for 2007. So I hope all the funds I pick do so well. Not likely, but I can dream.

Im totally addicted to this online flash golf game. Supposedly as you play and get better more courses and equipment become available to you. And hey, I think it's for charity.

I don't get the appeal of American Idol.

The woman who wrote the screenplay for Juno is kinda hot.

John Edwards was on Letterman the other night and listening to him and seeing him, he reminded me of Kenny from 30 Rock. Maybe it's just their accents. It was great when Letterman tussled John Edwards hair.

RIP Sam

I was sad to hear that Allen Melvin, the actor who played Sam the butcher on the Brady Bunch passed away. I liked Sam. I wish they would have explored his character more on the show. But any man who can give Alice "the meat" is a hero in my book. RIP Allen.

Fowl Terrorism????

I just pulled up the CNN website and saw this headline:
20 injured by bomb in Turkey

What kind of sick bastard puts a bomb in a turkey. Turkeys are supposed to be jammed full of stuffing, not explosives!!! I'm expanding my personal war on terrorism to include Frank Perdue and those maniacs at Butterball!!!

Oh wait...Turkey as in the country?

Looking Back..Looking Forward

2007 was a big year to say the least. Rachel started a new job, which gave her more stable hours and more time at home. We got pregnant. I went from feeling down in the dumps about my career, to getting it back on track. My golf game took a turn in the right direction. I began jogging which in turn shrunk my waist by 2 inches. And of course, I became a dad.

Rachel getting a new job was really the turning point. For years she wanted out of retail, and she finally got her chance thanks to her friend Ingrid setting up an interview for her. When she worked retail, it wasn't uncommon for her to get home at midnight, sometimes later during the holidays. She was guaranteed to work at least one day every weekend, and it was just something she didn't feel passionate about anymore. We wanted to start a family, but retail made it pretty tough. Not only would I not want a woman in her third trimester working 10 hour days and being on her feet all day, but it wouldn't allow Rachel to have much home time with me and the baby either. It would have been more like two single parents raising a child instead of a couple doing so. Rachel started her new job in February, we found out she was pregnant in April. Our lives were forever changed.

Careerwise, I was afraid to admit that I was unhappy where I was. I've been with my current employer for just over 8 years now. I guess I had gotten complacent and things started to feel a bit stagnant. SO I voiced my displeasure to the powers that be at work, and luckily for me, they valued me enough as an employee to make some changes, open some doors and make me happy again. Plus having a VP and a director from two different groups fighting for you is great for ones ego. So I start 2008 with a renewed sense of self worth and with great optimism.

Becoming a dad pales everything else by leaps and bounds. I know it sounds cliche and corny, but it really is the most wonderful and rewarding experience. It's been hard at times, very frustrating at times, and very trying at certain points, but overall it's been a very positive experience for Rachel and I. While it's very rewarding, it's also a lot harder than I ever imagined. Keeping a newborn happy is a full time job in itself. Trying to do that while sleep deprived and trying to work full time makes things even more challenging. Thankfully I have a wonderful partner in Rachel. She's been a rock, and we've been each other support systems. Without each other, none of this would have been possible.

So what about 2008? First off I'm not making any resolutions. Resolutions are impractical for many reasons. Usually we start off the year with lots of enthusiasm and feel like we can conquer the world. So we set these goals for ourselves which are just too demanding and unrealistic. Sure I would like to run 5 miles every day. But it's not realistic. If I run 2 miles 2-3 times a week, I would be happy. I'd like to think that I could go without friend foods and red meat. But I know it's not going to happen. So I'll try to eat more chicken, and grill or bake it when possible, but I know there will be days when I crave some Popeyes or Taco Bell. I'll definitely make little steps like continuing to use the stairs at work instead of the elevator, and drinking less soda in the coming year. Those are realistic goals, at least to me.

My final goal is spending money more wisely. I don't have any outstanding debt, and I have a house, so I'm doing something right. But I have a tendency to succumb to impulse buys. Someone at work will tell me about a great new gadget, and I have to have one too. This year I want to try to stop myself from making those impulse buys and instead use some of the money to put into a college fund for Max or into my own personal investments. I find the stock market and mutual funds to be fascinating. I did pretty well in 2007 with personal investing. I hope I have the same luck this year.

Wishing you all a great 2008!