Jan 31, 2010

Pic of the Week: Snugs with Logan

Day 92

One thing that I did not expect as becoming a dad is how much I like to sit and snuggle with my kid. Tuesday nights Kristy is out with the Young Women (a church group) and it is just Logan and I. We will usually watch something special, something just for the two of us. Lately it has been the Jeff Corwin Experience.


Logan really spoils me. He is still good for a hug and cuddle. Sunday nights are just as fun. We typically make some treats (usually Muddy Buddies) and watch America's Funniest Home Videos.


Which is what we are doing right after I publish this blog.

Jan 30, 2010

From the Soap Box: Negative Nelly's

Day 91

You know what I can't stand? Negative Nelly's. People who are ALWAYS negative. We are talking about every word from their mouth is some sort of complaint against the world. We all know someone who is like this. Whether it is at the office, a friend who always posts complaints in their Facebook status, the one that calls you NOT to see how you are doing but to complain.


Now I can be negative at times. I think everyone has the right to be negative and air their beefs to the world. But for heaven's sake people, get a grip and quit being so negative all the time!

Is life that bad that you can't see any good? Has your heart hardened to the point where you cannot see beauty that is all around? I have some friends that are unfortunately like this. It is extremely difficult to spend time with them or talk with them when all they do is spout some bile and venom. I am your friend and I am happy to be a sounding board of sorts, that is what makes a friend a good friend. They will let you fly off the handle. But not all the time! Seriously, I am at the point now where I dread answering the phone or reading an e-mail I get from these Negative Nelly's. I know why they are contacting me, they are wanting to vent and to tell me the same sad stories I have heard time and time before.

I am sure you can see the irony of this post. Here I am complaining about people who complain. But this is different. How many other of the 90 columns have I wrote have been a complaint of some sort? Maybe two of them? Counting this entry?

So my advice to those Negative Nelly's is to buck up and change. I am a big believer in the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy which essentially is you are what you believe. If you think your life sucks then it WILL suck. I am also a big believer in karma too. What goes around comes around. If you are negative and complain about everything without seeing the fun and good around you, then at some point the Karma Police will remove even that from you and you will see how horrible life can be.


So chin up soldier and press on. Change your life forever and find good in the life you lead. Quit being so pessimistic that you will lose whatever friends you have left. Quit dragging us down, our relationship can be very taxing!

Jan 29, 2010

List-Mania: Queen Songs

Day 90

My cousin and fellow blogger Jaimee recently posted some of her favorite songs and I thought that would be a perfect List-Mania entry.

I am sure that I have mentioned that I am a huge Queen fan so I thought I would start with them first. Here are my top favorite Queen songs of all time.

5) These are the Days of our Lives

YouTube just doesn't have a real good clear version of this beautiful song. When I bought the album Innuendo it was my first Queen album I purchased right when it came out. It is one of their best albums but it was also one of their sad. Freddie knew he was going to die and his songs reflected that. The video is just as sad, you can see how devastating the AIDS virus was on him. He didn't look like the Freddie I knew. I absolutely love this song, makes me look back on life and realize that I have had a good life.

4) Hammer to Fall

This is pure rock. I really like the slowed down version featured here that they played when they toured with Paul Rodgers.

3) Flash

AHHHH! He'll save every one of us! The movie Flash Gordon is one of my guilty pleasures. I can watch this movie anytime, anywhere. From the moment I heard this song, I loved it. If I had a cell phone, this would certainly be my ring tone. Funny thing, I always thought that General Kala said "Dispatch Water and Ajax. To bring back his body." So they are going to wash Flash's body with Ajax and water?

2) I Want it All

Gosh, I still remember the day this video debuted on MTV. I only was familiar with the early Queen and not their new stuff. It was only a few days later that I bought The Miracle on cassette. Yes, cassette. What I would give to hear Freddie and Queen belt this one out live.

1) Fat Bottomed Girls

What else more can I say about this song? At times while I was listening to the tape Dave got me for my birthday (Queen's Greatest Hits) that I was listening to a rock opera. Each song had its own unique voice and this one was just so awesome. Would my mom let me listen to this? This is probably my favorite song of all time.

I know what some of you might be saying. No Bohemian Rhapsody? What about We Will Rock You? I love all those songs, there really isn't a Queen song that I dislike. But these are my personal favorites.

I remember one time I played Bohemian Rhapsody for my cousins way before the movie Wayne's World and they looked at me like I was some sort of idiot. But then the movie came out and guess who liked it? Yup, you guessed it. ;)

If you are interested in some cool Queen music, I would be happy to send you a mix of songs that I did for a CD club a few years ago.

Jan 28, 2010

January Day(s) of Reckoning II

Day 89

Is it the 28th already? It has been two weeks since the last time I posted a Days of Reckoning column? Time has certainly passed by pretty quickly. Let's see how I did.

WRITING:

I have not worked on it as much as I wanted to but the last few days I have made significant progress. I have edited about 44,883 words from my first initial draft and I have 39,547 words to go until I am done. So I am about half way done but I am at a part that I am not satisfied with and I am writing a lot of new stuff from scratch. I need to add more back story of one of the main characters and the plan is to write that and when I get tired or when I hit a wall, I go back editing what I have now. I don't want to toot my own horn but there have been some parts that I have been quite happy with. This is the first time that I have gone back to read it. Now I just need to get the stuff I have to some other people for some editing and review and finish what I have left and go from there.

READING:
Since it is still January I can say that I have accomplished this goal. I read 'Beat the Reaper' by Josh Bazell. The next book that has been recommended by my friend Steve is 'Then We Came to the End' by Joshua Ferris. I have already picked this up at the library but I have not started it yet.



I have started another book, a book which has self-contained chapters so I can just read a chapter at a time anytime. That way I have a book I can read anytime and I can count it as one of my months. The book is called Veeps: Profiles in Insignificance.


Here is a description:

"It's a tired but true cliche that every American Vice President is just a heartbeat away from the most powerful job in the world - a job they've often never really interviewed for. Who are these people? Over more than 200 years, the American voters have sent a platoon of rogues, cowards, drunks, featherweights, doddering geriatrics, bigots, and atrocious spellers to Washington D.C. to sit one bullet, cerebral hemorrhage, or case of pneumonia away from the highest office in the land. Veeps tells the sordid, head-scratching, perversely-entertaining stories of these men we've chosen to ride shotgun in the biggest rig in democracy, without ever seriously considering the possibility that they might have to take the wheel."

I am a few chapters in it and I am surprised at how some of our VP's have acted. The book is filled with a ton of neat facts as well. If you like history and political science, I highly recommend it.

ART:
I have not done anything new except for one doodle I did at my dad's house of some potential cover art for my novel.

EXERCISE AND EATING RIGHT
Ugh. I exercised good the first week but this week was a lot more difficult. I was not in the mood Monday and I did a half-arsed workout. Tuesday was normal and I went and got some extra exercise that night by playing basketball with a couple of guys from the neighborhood. I am so out of shape. Unfortunately, I came home and had a major asthma attack, I have not had a big one for years and this one was awful. So I didn't exercise yesterday. I am feeling better and did a workout today and I hope that I can continue but my chest is still tight. I felt that I have been eating better since the amount of candy and chocolate is getting scarce around here. And I am trying a new thing too. Did you know your brain needs 15 to 20 minutes to register signs of fullness? So I plan on eating slower instead of my usual world-is-ending-scarfing routine. Drink in between bites as well. According to WiiFit, I am done a few pounds.

All in all, I am happy with some of the progress I have made. Hopefully the exercising and eating right are now habits. We'll see Feb 14th.

Jan 27, 2010

School Daze: Roll Call

Day 88

As you might have guessed it, authority and I have never really gotten along. Especially when the one in authority really gets his jollies by pushing people around. For the most part I got along with my teachers throughout my schooling but there were a few teachers that I did not see eye to eye with.

I admit it, I was never good at math, especially algebra. I struggled to learn the concepts and it was generally a hard subject. My teachers were no help either. I only had one good math teacher while I was in high school. But one teacher in particular I absolutely had problems with. Unfortunately I had this guy twice and the second time around was horrible.


Because I struggled with learning the concepts I didn't do that great on my tests, quizzes and homework. At first he tried to help but when I was not picking up on it, he decided that ridicule would be the best way to motivate me. He would pick on my on purpose during class time to humiliate me. I don't know if that was his true intent but at the time it sure seemed that way.

During my second class with me I decided that I have had enough. Every day at the beginning of class he did this annoying tradition. He would announce that he was going to call roll and then he would say "Here Roll!" for a cheap laugh. Now it may have been funny the first time but day in day out hearing him say this grated my nerves. So one day my friend Forrest and I decided it was time for some payback. When he made his little pun, Forrest and I laughed as loud as we could and then I tipped my desk over pretending to be laughing so hard.

He was not amused. Forrest and I were amused as were some of our fellow classmates but our teacher was not amused. He promptly kicked us out. He slammed the door behind us and we high-fived each other and laughed not knowing he was right behind us. And boy did he let us have it. When he was done I said, "Respect? It goes both ways. And have a nice day!" We left the school and treated us to some donuts. Surprisingly he was much nicer to me the next day. I found out a few years after I graduated that he lost his teaching license.

Jan 26, 2010

Stupid Things I Learned: Vaseline

Day 87

Before I left on my LDS mission to New York, I was having quite a fun time socially. Since I was leaving on a mission shortly, I was able to date without having to be serious. My group of friends had made friends with a set of girls from the southern end of the valley. We hung out with these girls quite a bit, they were a fun bunch. Most times they would call us and we would have this huge group date.

My friend Angie called me up and asked if me and my friends would be interested in going to a Girl's Choice Dance. I had no problem with that so we coordinated so all my friends had dates. It was a fifties style date, we were asked to dress accordingly for it. I borrowed a leather jacket and Lared and I greased our hair with Vaseline. Isn't Vaseline water proof? Yes, it is. I didn't know that at the time though.



We went on the date and we had a ton of fun. Angie and I hung out longer than everyone else and I didn't get home until late. It was around two in the morning when I came home and I was cold and I wanted to get this grease out of my hair. It was so cold (how cold was it?), it was so cold that the pipes froze. I had no hot water at all. My mom got up and told me as I tried to run the shower. I told her what I did and she laughed. "Didn't you know you shouldn't put Vaseline in your hair? It is waterproof!" Yeah, I obviously didn't know. I know what you are thinking, why couldn't I just put some hair gel in my hair. Straight answer. I have absolutely no clue at all. But what's done is done. So we boiled some water and it didn't come out. So I went to bed and went down to my grandparent's to use their hot water.


I also tried a variety of soaps, shampoos, Soft Scrub, pretty much anything but to no avail. It just didn't want to come out at all. My scalp felt so rare after awhile, that Soft Scrub burned like nothing else! It took a few weeks for my hair to comeback to normal.

So here is a tip. Don't put Vaseline in your hair. Use hair gel.

Jan 25, 2010

Matt at Work: The Sales Test

Day 86

At my last place of employment one of the things that I was in charge of handling was the quarterly Sales Testing for everyone in the company. The attitude of our CEO was that everyone that works for his company should be salesman too. I can agree with that to a point, obviously if you work for a company you should have some BASIC sales knowledge about it but what these guys wanted was far beyond that.



My old boss suggested the idea of doing sales testing with those employees that have direct communication with our clients, more importantly it was for the Technical Support Department since they were around 24/7 and the Sales Department was only in the office during normal business hours. They needed to be trained on basic sales issues. That small great idea quickly turned into a major nightmare. Now we had to give the test to everyone in the company each quarter. Even those that never speak to clients had to take this test and this was not your average test either, these were hard questions. When my old boss quit and my department was split, I had to write the test as well as administer it. I made what I thought was a decent test and sent it to our CEO for approval but it was "too easy" so I had to make up questions, questions that I RARELY got from clients. Once the test was approved (which took weeks) I had to give the test out every quarter within at least two weeks. That in itself was difficult considering I had to yank people off the phone (along with me, the only one in the Sales Department) and I had to work with people who worked a completely different schedule as mine.

I know a lot of people within the office were not fans of taking the Sales Test and thought it was a waste of time. They had to take the test and pass it with at least 95% correct and this test was 80 questions long! And then I had to meet with each one that failed and reviewed it with them and then schedule another retest. It was a major undertaking and my CEO and his puppy VP would nag me to death about getting it done. As a company we had other bigger problems. We barely had enough staff to handle Technical Support and now I had to take them off the phones. I personally don't think that this was serving our clients effectively. Sure, it was important but not as important as other things.

We set a goal on when this will be completed (well, I didn't set a goal, that goal was set for me) and I got everyone to take it and pass except for one of the techs. She was scheduled a couple of times but she was needed more in Tech Support than taking some test that she will forget later on. So get this... Management asked why she didn't take the test and I told them why thinking that they would understand. But since I worked in Bizarro World I was told that she needed to take the test NOW! I had one ready and said she could take it anytime. Well, come to find out she is heading to Idaho Falls on her time off. SO HE CALLS HER ON THE PHONE AND GIVES HER THE TEST ORALLY! Seriously. As she was driving. They actually called her while she was driving to Idaho just so she could take the test. Just so was say we accomplished the goal. Even though at the time we were seriously struggling with keeping employees and serving our own clients.

In all honestly, if my CEO and his puppy ever found out how I gave out the tests they probably would have fired me. I made every effort to make sure they passed. I would openly discuss any questions and help them get the answer. I'm sure they would have freaked out knowing I did that. But I did it because what they were expected in knowing was fairly ridiculous. I remember when I was testing one certain individual I got his test back and he had written on the back, "If I don't pass this test you can kiss my ass."

Classy.

At times I do miss some of the things about my last job but then I remember things like this and I am so glad I am no longer there.

Jan 24, 2010

Sunday Confessional: Wait Till Next Year

Day 85

Tomorrow I take all my Jets clothing that are hanging in my closet and I put them away until next year. This is a sad occasion but I can say that I was proud to wear my colors for an extra three weeks into the postseason. Something I have not done since 1998.

Those who know me well, know that I take losses hard. And today was another hard loss that will take days for me to get over. And I don't want to talk about it and I don't want any pity. It'll take some time but I will recover, I always do.

I remember in my first college class, Sociology 101, we took a lifestyle test to compute how long we could live. I scored pretty high until I got to the question about competition. It's funny, I don't think that I am that competitive. When I play sports, I play for fun and I absolutely hate it when some stupid jock ruins the game by being overly competitive. But I am extremely competitive as a fan. I am not the type to brag about my teams, I hate those types of fans. I believe in sportsmanship, not being a loud-mouthed braggart.


But I am loyal to my team. I cheer loudly for my team, I become invested in my team. In the extreme sense, I feel that I am a part of that team. And with the heartache of a loss, I suffer that same heartache. Because of this, I lost five years of my life in that sociological test. Being such a devoted fan has robbed me five years of my life. Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. I will be a New York Jets fan until the day I die. Which is five years closer than I thought.

But I have to admit that this Jets season was special. Especially since we played 3 more games past what I thought was the end of the season. And I see a tremendous potential in the future for my Jets team. But I'll blog about that next year when the new season starts. Wait until next year.

Jan 23, 2010

Pic of the Week: The Ice Man Cometh

Day 84

A couple of years ago we had a Breinholt Family Reunion up here in Logan and we went up to the lake at Tony Grove, up in Logan Canyon. It was a pretty good time although I will remember it for entirely other different reasons, which I probably shouldn't blog about here publicly.

But for the most part, the reunion was a lot of fun. I remember one incident in particular which made the event memorable (in a good way).


A couple of us (that is me throwing the rock, ahead of me is Steven and Andrea and Renae (yawning) with Logan and Gregg at the front) all decided to go and take a hike on this trail around the lake. It was a nice summer day, the sun was shining (and burning my poor bald head) but it was still very cool up in the mountains. Some of the surrounding areas even still had a few inches of snow. We stopped a few times to try and skip rocks off the lake. My son Logan was having the time of his life. He saw a ton of animals (mostly chipmunks and squirrels) and got to throw big rocks into the lake. Logan is a little competitive kid (wonder where he got it from) and he always wanted to be in the lead and be first down the trail. He was always fighting with his uncle Steven to stay in the lead. Steven had taken the lead and so I told Logan to grab some snow and rub and place it on Steven's leg (he was wearing shorts) to get him out of the way.

Logan was thrilled with this awesome plan and he quickly stopped to pick up some snow. As he was scooping up some snow, a man and his wife (not from our party) walked past us and ahead of us on the trail. Logan finally got some snow and ran towards Steven, at least we thought he was running to Steven. He pushed Steven out of the way and was heading toward the man that passed us thinking it was Steven. I yelled out "That's not Steven!" but it fell on excited and deaf ears. Logan iced the guy that passed us and not Steven. The funny thing is that the guy saw Logan coming and ran away like a frightened little girl. Logan caught him anyway and he yelped out (also like a little girl) when Logan iced him. Logan laughed deviously and then he realized that he iced the wrong guy. He was momentarily stunned and then he tried to get Steven. The man was not happy with what had happened but took it all in stride.

Jan 22, 2010

List-Mania: Top Soundtracks

Day 83

Boy, do I need to get my butt in gear. Because of the various computer problems, I have not spent as much time editing my novel as I wanted to this week. Right after I publish this blog I will be writing and editing at a furious pace. So I will need a lot of music to get me through it. As I have mentioned before, I love music and I love to write to music. I listen mostly to movie soundtracks and some other instrumental albums while writing. Here are five of my favorite soundtracks. If you like classical music/movie soundtracks, you need to do yourself a favor and track these down.

Bram Stoker's Dracula by Wojciech Kilar
Hauntingly beautiful and romantic. It is hard to describe in words how fantastic this score truly is. I am amazed at how Kilar is able to create such beautiful music with an underlying tone of horror to it. The use of a choir really amps up the chill to this music. If you want a taste of it, I recommend listening to the End Titles, it samples each of the main tones. The last song, Love Song For A Vampire sung by Annie Lennox is quite beautiful and haunting itself. I personally listen to that song on its own, it feels out of place when listening to the score.

Alien 3 by Elliot Goldenthal
I only wish that the movie was as great as the score. Watching the documentary of the making of the film, especially about the composer and how the music was made really gave me a deep appreciation of the film and the score. He made music that fit perfectly with the bleak atmosphere of the movie but yet is quite beautiful. While this score is not for everyone, I highly recommend The Entrapment and Adiago.

Trailerhead by Intermediate Music
Intermediate Music is music company that specializes in composing music for movie trailers. They didn't sell their music to the masses, they only sold them to film companies. Finally, they released their own album filled with music that you would normally hear in movie trailers. What you get is a mix of exciting and short pieces of music.


Children of Dune by Brian Tyler
One of the most complete scores I have ever heard. This score reminds me a lot of the Lord of the Ring scores, very uplifting and magical. This has it all.







The Empire Strikes Back by John Williams
Not only is it my favorite movie of all time, the score is probably my favorite of all time as well. Lots of well known musical themes here, from the fantastic Imperial March to the lovely Han Solo and the Princess theme. My personal fave, especially when I am writing some sort of chase scene is The Asteroid Field.

I better get back to some writing.

Jan 21, 2010

School Daze: Kindergarten

Day 82

Yesterday's column certainly generated a lot of interest to the identity of the Potato Sack Lady. Aside from the comments here I also got a few Facebook messages demanding to know who she is. Before I give out some major clues here I do want to say that I hold nothing against her and I am sure she is a fine person. Her initials are H.B. and her first name is Heidi.

It has been a lot of fun reminiscing about the past and I wish I would have done this a long time ago. I wish I had kept a journal so I could remember my past. I was thinking of elementary school in particular. My son Logan is in 1st grade and I was thinking about what I was like in 1st grade and I can hardly remember anything!

So I am going to start with Kindergarten and what I can remember about it.


Can you find me? My teacher's name was Mrs. Sliwkanich. She was pretty nice most of the time. But when she got mad she really let us have it!

-My best friend in Kindergarten was Michael Fixson (4th from the right on the top row). It was nice to already know someone first when I attended school. I knew him from church, sadly he moved away the next year.

- There was an annoying kid named Tommy (end of the top row on the right) in this class. He lived a few houses down and there were a ton of times you could hear this kid yelling and being loud. Sadly, my birthday was the same day as his. We would be linked forever with that!

- I had a crush on a girl named Heather (3rd from the right on the bottom row). She also moved after Kindergarten.

- I remember my mom coming to help out. One day we were in gym learning how to dribble a ball (which I sucked at) and instead I showed my mom that I was better at bouncing the ball against the wall. Instead of being happy for me my mom told me that I should be dribbling. I was so crushed! ;)


- I had morning Kindergarten. I only lived two blocks away from Sifton. This a pic of me going to Kindergarten on my first day. I was so excited! I had to carry a snack to Kindergarten and that was my Star Wars thermos and lunchbox.

- My friend Michael and I would hide these special Lego pieces so we could make Vipers from Battlestar Galactica during playtime.

- I absolutely hated the smell of those sponges we would use to clean the table with after snack. Every once in awhile I will get a whiff of it and it totally takes me back to Kindergarten.

- I do remember that Kindergarten was a lot of fun. But I don't remember what I learned or did. Sadly, this was all that I could remember.

I have better memories of my first grade which eventually I will blog about.

Jan 20, 2010

The Potato Sack Lady

Day 81

Thinking about my boxing experience yesterday certainly brought up a ton of memories. Like I said before, I had great friends in high school that liked to have a great time together. My friends and I always double-dated, in that way if our date was not so great we could at least hang out as buddies. I never thought that would save me before but one fateful day it did.

I didn't have the greatest self-esteem back during my high school days but I was not afraid to ask a girl out. It could be any girl whether she was older, whether she had a boyfriend, it didn't matter to me. When I found a girl I wanted to date, I would date her. It was just that simple.

There was this girl a year younger than me that I had my eye on. I won't reveal her identity but if you really want to know just ask. She was a real cute girl and seemed pretty popular (she was a cheerleader). But that didn't scare me at all, I knew I would have a good time with her since my friends and I planned the coolest dates. So I called her and it seemed that I could never get a chance to take her out. Finally she relented and we planned a date for that next Saturday.

Damond and I (and his cousin) decided we would take the girls to 1st dam and teach them how to fish and play on the small beach there. Then we would have a picnic and then play some games after and perhaps get some ice cream.

I remember the beginning and ending of this date like it was yesterday. I went and picked her up and her mom was in the front doing some yard work. We took off and did some fishing. All of the other girls were having a good time, at least we thought they were. At least if they weren't, they were fantastic fakers.

Except for my date. She just sat there. She barely said a word and would barely talk to any of us. She was not nice either, she would say things that would make all of us shake our heads. She was as lifeless and sat there like a SACK OF POTATOES! There is just no other way to describe it. In fact, potato sacks are a lot more fun!


I was tired of her so I told Damond to take us home. We got to her house and her mother was still doing yard work, she was mowing the lawn! I barely walked her to the door I was so ticked off at her. Then she had the nerve to tell me that we should get together some other time. You blew it honey! You had your chance.

She forever will be remembered as the POTATO SACK LADY to my friends. After I dropped her off I went back and hung out with everyone else. Even Mrs. PotatoHead would have been a funner and better date!


Funny thing is that many years later, my then future wife met her in one of her classes. Kristy told them that she just was engaged and one of the girls asked who she was engaged to. Kristy told her and she said that she once dated me. That was like five years after! Kristy told me and I told her that she had the pleasure meeting the Potato Sack Lady.

Jan 19, 2010

The Boxing Match

Day 80

I had some real good friends in high school and one of my best friends was my neighbor Damond. We would do almost everything together and one of the things we used to do was double date. Our dating planning sessions were almost as fun as the date themselves. One night we were planning our date and we had all of the guys over to help, if I recall it was for Junior Prom. It was me, Damond, Darby, Kelley and Jester. I must have been in a crabby mood (which I was) and Damond got tired of it. I was slamming everyone and being a complete jerk and Damond was tired of it. He suddenly piped in "Who wants to box?" in the middle of our planning session. He thought that would shut me up considering Damond was quite muscular and I was this skinny kid. But it didn't shut me up, I quickly took him up on his offer. So he went off to grab his brother's boxing gloves.


I admit it, I was in the mood to fight. He could only find three boxing gloves but that didn't stop me from wanting to box. I took a pair and we wrapped a towel around his other hand. We pushed and shoved a bit in the small room by the kitchen but it wasn't doing anything. So Kelley suggested we take it outside and so we did. We went outside into his backyard to start the fight. And that is where the fun began.

It was a pretty silly fight, in the beginning that is. Damond would run towards me throwing all these haymakers and barely hitting me. Then he would run away and then I would do the same. Although we did connect on our punches, they didn't hurt or make any sort of impact. That is because we were swinging so wildly and we both had adrenaline pumping in our veins. All these tiny punches did was infuriate each other. The more he hit me, the more bloodthirsty I became, even though these punches that were thrown did not hurt. It was the same for Damond, the more I hit him the more mad he got too.

This lasted for about ten minutes when finally a punch was thrown. For some unknown reason, Damond dropped his guard. So I hit him square in the mouth with a solid right. It jerked his head back violently and when his head came back down he was looking at right in the eyes! I hit him pretty hard and it didn't do anything, oh great, I ticked him right off! And now he was going to kill me. All of my friends that were watching yelled out. They couldn't believe I connected and that Damond was unfazed. So what did I do? I did what any other sane man would do in the face of annhilation! I ran away.

What I didn't see with my back turned (as I was running) was that I did hurt him. His head dropped a bit and he lost his balance. I could have finished it then but I wasn't paying attention. I was only thinking of preserving my life! When he finally came to his senses he took off after me with an insane look in his eye. He started wailing on me (again with haymakers) and I just ducked for cover. I tried to get out and push him away but he backhanded me with his toweled hand. He hit me behind my ear and ripped the skin behind it and I could feel the blood trickle down, it immediately started to bleed. If he would have hit me any harder, he could have tore off my ear. It also knocked out my hearing too.

I jumped back away from Damond and I looked up at him. His guard was up and he was yelling at me but I couldn't hear what he was saying. I read his lips though and they were telling me "C'mon! You started it! So let's finish it!" That was what I thought he was saying. What he really was saying was "Matt? Are you hurt? Are you okay?" The look on his face to me was not concern but anger. But it really was concern. The reason he kept his guard up was in case I would sucker punch him which I admit did cross my mind. But he was bleeding and I was bleeding so we called it off.


The funny thing is that we became better friends because of it and it did lighten my mood. We definitely had something we could talk (and laugh) about in the future. That is probably one of my favorite memories of my friend Damond. He was such a great friend, one that I needed at the time and I am thankful that I am still friends with him. Even though we don't communicate as much as we used to, I can still call him my friend.

Jan 18, 2010

Well, Do You Feel Lucky Punk?

Day 79

For Christmas Santa gave the family a set of guns.

These were not your ordinary guns either, these were special. These came with a laser scope so you can easily target your victims.


We each got the same type of gun with a ton of extra ammunition. Spontaneous gunfights are something that is a regular occurrence around here. You have to keep your wits (and your gun) with you.

Since all of our guns are the same we had to mark them so we would know which was our weapon.


I named my gun The Punisher, geekily named after the comic book character of the same name. Kristy named hers The Enforcer and Logan affectionately named his the subtle yet amply name The Killer.

You better watch your step around our house.

Jan 17, 2010

J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets!

Day 78

The Jets are in the AFC Championship!



I am still having some browser issues, I have to make this quick before it crashes again. Sadly my sister is having computer problems too.

Jan 16, 2010

Ugh

Day 77

I stood up way too late last night trying to fix these stupid browsers. I am still using Opera which I kinda like although it does not seem to play good with hotmail and blogger. I didn't sleep too much either, I was plagued with strange dreams of horse people and bloated killer cats. I guess I shouldn't read the Walking Dead graphic novels as a way to relax right before bed.

I feel a bit sick today too. Which really bums me out. At least this all happened at once and the only thing that I need to make a perfect storm is if the car breaks.

So not much of a blog today and probably not much of one tomorrow either. I have 2 big NFL games that I want to watch this afternoon, I want to finish off those Walking Dead books and I have a ton of Mountain Dew Livewire to throw back.

Now that is my type of a perfect storm!

By the way, I might as well make a suggestion here. The Walking Dead is one of my favorite comic books. It is all about how these survivors survive a zombie apocalypse. I love the zombie genre and these books are fantastic. I highly recommend snagging the first trade paperback. It is cheap and will no doubt hook you like this sort of thing. Click on the bottom link to see the book at Amazon and to read some reviews.

The Walking Dead Volume. 1: Days Gone Bye

Jan 15, 2010

I HATE COMPUTERS!

Day 76

I have spent all frigging day trying to get on the internet. No luck, for some reason IE 8 broke and I cannot reinstall or uninstall. So I downloaded FireFox. That stupid browser won't even stay up for longer than a minute. I have cleaned out my computer, MacAfee says no viruses, Microsoft said the same thing. But I cannot get into a web page for the life of me.

So I tried Opera and so far I can at least blog for today. I prefer the other browsers but I guess I can learn a new one.

Computers that won't work rank right up there with tooth and car problems.

Jan 14, 2010

Day(s) of Reckoning

Day 75

We love the Simpsons here at the Platis household. We have a ton of Simpsons games and one of them is the Simpsons Game of Life. It is not the same Game of Life that I remember playing as a child. Now instead of the Day of Reckoning they call it retirement. That certainly takes the edge off of it. I prefer Day of Reckoning which is why I have named this column that.

It has been two weeks since I have unveiled my New Year's Resolutions. So now it is time for some accountability. On the 14th and 28th of every month I plan on blogging about how I am doing. The good thing about doing this is that I don't have to come up with 2 blogs a month. The bad thing is that not only will it bore some to tears but it will also show how lazy I am. Hopefully that will not be the case.

So without further ado...

WRITING:

I have worked on my novel these last two weeks and I think I have made a nice bit of progress. I have a brand new beginning all written out which I am pretty satisfied with. This will introduce the main character in a much better way and also makes the impact of the first cliffhanger all more important. I have also started to edit my novel and I have got a good chunk of it started. It has been pretty interesting considering this is the first time I have read it. I am pretty happy with the progress of this goal. My other writing goals I have not started but that was to be expected. I only have a few months to knock this one out of the park.

READING:

I actually accomplished a goal by reading a new novel this month and I finished it way ahead of schedule. I read 'Beat the Reaper' by Josh Bazell. It was a fairly quick read, it was very easy to get through and flowed very well. And the more you read, the more interesting and hard to put down it got.

THE GOOD: Very quick and highly interesting. I thought it had two things that made it an excellent read. The footnotes were highly interesting with some neat facts, stuff I never knew. The book also peeled back the main character's past in an interesting way. One chapter dealt with the now and the author would reveal some tidbits and then the next chapter was in the past. So you can learn how events actually came to be.
THE BAD: I was not a huge fan of the ending. It was definitely exciting but it seemed to quick and some of the actions of the main character were almost too unbelievable. But that didn't take away from my enjoyment.

For those that like a step on the wild side, you should read this book. It does have quite a bit of colorful language and had some disturbing things so be forewarned.

The next book that has been recommended by my friend Steve is 'Then We Came to the End' by Joshua Ferris. I might pick up this book at the library and get a head start.

ART:
Nothing down with art although I did do some doodling of potential cover art for my novel. When I get a collection of them I will try to scan them in and post them.

EXERCISE AND EATING RIGHT
I have exercised for two weeks straight and I do feel like my body is responding. Sadly, I am not eating so great yet. I have loads of Christmas candy that needs to go. So the plan is to eat it all up so I don't have anymore left. Yeah, I know, doesn't totally feel like a solid plan. I was happy the first day I started, I was on the Wii Fit Plus and weighed myself. I was only a pound more than I thought, which was good considering I was eating like a pig over the holidays. I do the Wii Fit every other day and when the next time came, I was up three pounds! D'OH! So now instead of 7 pounds, I have to lose 10 now. But I have lost some since then so at least I am heading in the right direction.

As far as my other goals have gone, I have not had any time yet. The novel is my focus for now. We'll see how I am in another 14 days.

Jan 13, 2010

From the Soap Box

Day 74

My sister inspired me for the debut of this new column. A couple of days she listed a few pet peeves and it got me thinking. And I am feeling a little cranky today so this might be a perfect match!

I am cranky because I had to wake up early and go get some blood work done. It was all my choice and no, nothing is wrong. I am taking part of another study at Utah State University. This study will not be as intensive as the last one but should be interesting. We are taking a product called ASEA. ASEA is a liquid dietary supplement that is currently available on the market, and is sold through independent distributors. It is comprised of water and sodium chloride that has been electrolyzed. The company claims that drinking ASEA has health benefits that support the immune system, and they have anecdotal information that consuming ASEA might lead to a rise in blood levels of antioxidants (carotenoids are considered to be antioxidants). So, the purpose of this study is to determine if consuming ASEA actually has any effect on blood levels of carotenoids, lipids, and vitamin E. If accepted I have to take it for two weeks and get more blood work done.



This combined with the air quality in the valley has made me a little cranky. My town has the #1 Worst Air Quality in the nation! Check out the map and now you can see where I live! The air has made my throat sore and my stomach feeling a little queasy. Our air during the winter does get bad from time to time but this year has felt like the worst.



Anyway, that is not what I wanted to blog about today even though I am annoyed. One of my biggest pet peeves has to do with littering and smoking. I am not a smoker but that is not why this pet peeve ticks me off so much. If you want to smoke, more power to you. I have no problems with people who choose to smoke. What really annoys me are people who throw their cigarette butts out of their car and to the ground. I have a few problems with this.

First of all, are you that lazy that you cannot take care of your own trash? If you don't want it in your car, what makes you think that everyone else wants it on the ground? It is plain lazy. There is no excuse for this. Besides, littering of any kind is against the law.

Cigarette butts are NOT biodegradable. The filters can take many years to decompose. One of the biggest excuses I have heard is that a cigarette butt is so small that it cannot possibly pollute or harm the environment. That is probably true if it was ONE cigarette but we are taking millions of cigarette butts. Be part of the solution instead of being part of the problem.

And it is dangerous. A relative of mine was riding his motorcycle on his way to work and passed a car right when the driver of that car tossed out his cigarette. It landed in her lap and burned a small hole in his pants. He was lucky enough to grab it and put it out and then carried it to his work and properly disposed of it. Another time my dad and I were driving along the highway and we saw a small fire on the side of the road. It was small enough that we were able to stamp it out and pour what water we had on it to put it out. On the side of the road, in the gravel were a bunch of cigarette butts. Now I don't know if they were the cause for sure but just think about it. It could have easily caused the fire.

So if you are smoker, fine. Go ahead and smoke, I have no problem with that, just dispose of the butt when you are done okay?



Kindly pick up your butts!

Jan 12, 2010

When Kristy Met Matt: Sweeney Taco

Day 73

By now you should already know that I love musicals. I can't explain it but for some reason I just love musical theatre. I have seen many musicals but by far one of my favorites to see live was Sweeney Todd.

My sister Jennifer introduced this dark macabre musical. She had seen it live at Utah State and bought the CD. I borrowed the CD and LOVED it. Angela Lansbury (the old lady from Murder She Wrote) was Mrs. Lovett on the CD and she really stole the show. For those that don't know, Sweeney Todd is a man who seeks revenge‚ he kills people in his barber shop and she makes the dead bodies into pies. I had never seen it live until a fantastic production at the Pioneer Theatre at the University of Utah. Jennifer and I were so excited to go. I invited Kristy to come with us (we were dating at the time) and we headed down to Salt Lake to see it.


Poor Kristy, she had to endure both my sister and I singing in the car. We sang much of Sweeney Todd and my other favorite musical Chess. Jennifer drove and I was in the front seat and we banished Kristy to the back seat. We finally arrived at the theatre (much to Kristy's relief) and we took our seats and the show began. It was a fantastic show, the acting and voices were spot on. Even if you have seen the movie, you HAVE to see this live. The ending is much different and a lot more spookier but then it is something that only the stage version could bring. You'll just have to see it. Trust me on this.

Afterwards we were starving so we hit the local Taco Bell and got a ton of tacos. I think we got a 12 pack if I remember correctly. We scarfed the tacos down fast since we were so hungry. Now what happens next is what I remember. It may not be completely factual (I'm sure someone will argue it) but this is how I recall the events.


We had eaten our fill, or at least we thought we had. There was one taco left. I was too full to even think of eating another one. I think Jennifer felt the same. She offered the last taco to the rest of us when suddenly, like a flash of lightning, this hand reached from out of the darkness of the backseat and quickly grasped the last taco. We heard a Gollum-like voice accompany it. "I'll take it!" Then we heard the wrapper of the taco being torn apart ferociously. Jennifer and I just looked at each other, we didn't say a word. We might have been to scared to say anything.

Okay, I admit that this has turned into a real fish story. Some part of it may have been exaggerated. I'll let you, the reader, decide.

Precious tacos...

Jan 11, 2010

Hunting with my Dad Part I

Day 72

A couple of months ago my dad, my brother Nathan, Kristy, Logan and I headed up to the mountains above Richmond. Nathan had a project in school to take some pictures of the fall and my dad invited us to come with.

It was a cold and clear day and we got some real pretty pictures. There was some snow on a bridge by the creek. Now we are trying to teach Logan how to throw a football and I think actually listened. Logan picked some up and throw a snowball at me. I saw that it was going to hit me right in the chest so I turned and instead put the back of head in the way. BOOM! It hit me hard and the ice snow was so cold running down my back. Logan, of course, was absolutely thrilled.



This was also the place where I had my first deer hunt. My dad hunted and so did his dad so it was expected I did too. We hiked up in the mountains with my Uncle Kurt and it was so cold. We sat on the hill right in front of the forest clearing and waited. The sun was not even up and it was so cold. I complained and complained how cold it was and my dad would not waver. It was not cold he told me. I finally relented when my Uncle Kurt arrived and said, "Man, it is sure cold to be hunting!" Thanks Uncle Kurt for supporting me.

The next day we went out to the same place but we had a small creek to cross. My dad went first and found a way to cross. The creek was not frozen but there was some ice and snow on the rocks and it made it tricky to cross. I started to cross and I got to the point where I don't think I could jump across. Dad asked for my gun and I gave it to him and he shot me! (just seeing if you were paying attention!) I gave him my gun and then he extended his hand so I could use him to help get across.

Instead of using my dad for balance I just jumped and grabbed a hold. My dad was not expecting this. I grasped his hand with both of mine and my feet barely planted on the rock he was on. Then I could feel us falling backward. I panicked and basically shoved my dad out of the way. He fell into the cold creek and grabbed my back for support and I fell in. Well, he had to use his arm to stop himself from getting completely soaked but the splash back got him pretty good. I stayed relatively dry, only my boots and part of my leg was soaked. The creek was only a few inches deep! Yeah, we were afraid of a few inches of water! I would have been less soaked if I had just walked across. Dad was a little mad but when we looked up ahead toward the creek we saw a nice bridge that crossed the creek we laughed and laughed!

We pretty much gave up deer hunting until I got my bow and we tried deer hunting with a bow.

Jan 10, 2010

Life with Logan: Sunday Night

Day 71

Late church (1:30!) + NFL playoffs = Late Unthought-of Blog.

I just don't know what I should blog about today. And to be honest, I am not in the mood to blog today either.

After watching the Cards win against the Packers with a defensive touchdown (a real rarity for those watching the games) we ate dinner (Sweet Pork Tacos) and then watched AFV (Logan's favorite show). After we caught the Simpsons and Logan was so excited to watch the 20th Anniversary Special since it was in 3D and on ice. He ran to find his glasses just so he could watch them. I warned him beforehand that he would have to go to bed before it was over. So he got ready as quickly (well, as quickly as Logan could) get ready for bed so he could spend as much time watching the show.


About half way into it, a commercial came on and I told him let's go to bed. He was FURIOUS! "I didn't even get to watch anything!" He exclaimed. For those that didn't watch the special, it was just a documentary on how the Simpsons were made and what effect they had on culture. Logan thought it would be a cartoon and he was mad. He started to cry a bit and stated "I hate this show, it is stupid!"

Unfortunately Logan learned a valuable lesson about life. Things will never live up to your own hype!

So tomorrow night, we are going to watch a "special" episode of the Simpsons. He was so looking forward to seeing it in 3D. Kristy and I laughed our heads off at the end of the special when the Simpson's themselves complained that there was no 3D. Then for the last minute or so they had it.

Jan 9, 2010

Full Moon Funeral

Day 70

Quick blog today. I am still high from the Jets winning this afternoon that I am in no mood to blog. Which is why this blog is being posted so late in the day.

Kristy was saying to me yesterday that she was running out of stories to blog about. I listed a ton of Breinholt family stories that I have heard a thousand times by now that she could blog about. And we remembered a funny story that I thought I should blog about.

It was at Kristy's grandmother's funeral. I know, I know, should I be laughing at a funeral? One of Kristy's favorite memories which she covered earlier in her blog was at her funeral too.

We were all sitting in the chapel at the local church and listening to some people speak about grandma. Those talks were loaded with fun stuff but that was not what was funny. Someone in front of us and to get up so the people on the bench in front of us got up. Kristy's younger cousin Courtney stood up right in front of me. I looked and furrowed my brow, as did Kristy. The pink/red color we saw in front of us did not match the color of dress that she was wearing. Then it hit us, her dress had slipped right off her bum and what we were seeing was this bright underwear moon.


(The moon I saw was more pink than this color.)

Her mother quickly yanked it up and we all tried to stop laughing. Courtney didn't notice at all and when she turned around she saw me covering my face with my tie. She put her hand on my shoulder and told me that it was alright to cry.

She thought I was crying because of Grandma.

That made me laugh even harder. It was very sweet of her to be concerned about my feelings. If she only knew!

Jan 8, 2010

List-Mania: Favorite TV Shows

Day 69

Some of my fellow bloggers have covered some of their favorite TV shows and now it is my turn. I have listed my favorite TV shows along with my favorite episode too. They are in no particular order but if you asked me what my favorite TV show of all time is I would say either Arrested Development or The Simpsons.


Arrested Development "Pier Pressure"
This was the first episode that I watched and I was quickly hooked. This was the one with the one-armed man and the lessons that George Bluth taught his kid. I was so happy to see these lessons continue throughout the series. Kristy and I will watch all 3 seasons in a row a few times a year. And every time we start them again I find something new that is funny. I like shows that don't tell me what is funny, I like figuring it out for myself. I love all the characters but I think Tobias is the one that floats my boat.

M*A*S*H*: "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen"
MASH is something that I can always watch no matter what and has had quite an effect on me. I have noticed that when I am writing and I come up with an idea it usually is because I have seen it already on a MASH episode. So many memorable episodes come to mind but the one where Hawkeye gets sick because he is reminded about a terrible family memory about his brother and Sidney comes to help him. That one struck a nerve for some reason but the final episode is one that bothered me as a kid and still does. I will never forget that Korean mother smothering her child to death to keep him from crying so the enemy soldiers do not discover them. I love this show.


The Simpsons: "Last Exit to Springfield"
The Simpsons are a mainstay here in the Platis household. Kristy and I are ALWAYS quoting it. In fact we don't even have to quote it, we just look at each other and we know exactly what Simpsons quote we are thinking of. This is my favorite episode, this has to be the closest to being the perfect Simpsons episode. I just love Mr. Burns. Dental Plan!

Seinfeld: "The Airport"
I got into this show after it was finished and I missed out. Few shows make me laugh out loud every time but this one gets me the giggles each time I see it. This is the one where Jerry and Elaine take a flight back home and Elaine gets stuck in coach. She was so awesome in this one. It seems like every time she is on a plane it is awesome.


WKRP in Cincinnati: "Turkeys Away"
This show directly influenced me in what I wanted to do in life. I wanted to be Dr. Johnny Fever. I used to play "DJ" and play songs off my stereo (I would use my double tape player and my sister's record player so I could play songs almost seamless) and I would have my own Top Ten lists of my favorite songs. And I had a HUGE crush on Loni Anderson. This is the one where they dropped live turkeys from a helicopter as a Thanksgiving promotion, not knowing that turkeys cannot fly. "Oh the humanity!"

Battlestar Galactica (original): "War of the Gods Part I and II"
Sundays were my favorite days to watch TV. This was on and then the Muppet Show. These episodes bothered me a bit as a kid because of the character of Count Iblis. He was some sort of devil and was really spooky. Surprisingly the stories are pretty good although they can be quite cheesy. I have not warmed up to the new ones just yet and I will always feel that the classic show was the best. I totally wanted to be Starbuck.


SCTV: Any Episode
I used to stay up late at nights and try to watch this program while my parents were sleeping. So many good memories here. The news with Floyd Robertson and Earl Camembert, The Great White North, Bill Needle, Monster Chiller Horror Theatre, Tex & Edna's Organ Emporium and my favorite, Pirini Scleroso. I could go on and on and on about this one.

Lost: "Deus Ex Machina"
I was already hooked to this show when this Locke-centric episode came up. This cemented my love for this show. I was shocked and saddened by how Locke's father treated him. This was the first we learned about Locke's dad. I really need to start watching them over again from the start. I cannot wait for the final season starting next month! I bet that Kate bites it.


Celebrity Fit Club: "The Zorb Challenge"
This is a big (no pun intended) guilty pleasure of mine. Nothing like watching celebrities melt down while trying to lose weight. This show does motivate me though, if pampered celebs can do it, then so can I. Season 2 was my favorite, Willie Ames and Gary Busey just stole the show. Willie Ames meltdown when Harvey sends a personal trainer early to his house was the best. Willie was not having it and he has this fit, I wish I could find video of it. And Gary's zen quotes always entertained. I'll never forget his explanation of what fear is.
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

All the seasons have been a lot of fun to watch and I cannot wait for the next installment.

The Jeff Corwin Experience: "Mexico: The Great Snake Hunt"
I love Animal Planet and Jeff Corwin is probably my favorite host. His show was much like the Crocodile Hunter but Jeff injected a lot of humor into his shows. My favorite one is when he hunted these poisonous snakes all through Mexico. I love snakes, I am fascinated by them and I love learning about them


Glee: "Mash-Up"
Sue rules. I watch this for Sue. This show is right up my alley. Extremely cheesy with cheesy music. And I wouldn't have it any other way. There is a ton of talent on this show, I was impressed with how fantastic they can sing. And the arrangements are done very well. This episode makes me laugh especially when all the guys are hyped on some cold medicine and they all sing with their eyes wide open and over excited. Fun show but it all comes down to Sue. Yes we cane!

The Office: "Dinner Party"
I felt like I worked here at times and I think we all feel like that at times. This episode is one of the ones that I hate to watch. The writers of the Office are so clever, at times I hate Michael and at times I feel bad for him and this episode really made me feel for Micheal. I love this episode because of that awesome CD Jan listens to and the way Pam and Jim try to get out of the party.

I think I watch too much TV...

Jan 7, 2010

The Monday Night Miracle

Day 68

I think yesterdays column surprised a few people. I don't mean to be such a downer or anything. Perhaps I just wanted to get that off my chest, I don't think I told anyone about that.

Anyway, this column will be a much lighter column. I am sure you know by now that I am a football fan and my favorite team to follow is the New York Jets. To share the pain of being a Jets fan, I made my son Logan a Jets fans too.


Being a Jets fan is hard on the soul. While there are some bright moments they are usually overshadowed by greater moments of failure. But today I am going to blog about history, I watched the game between the hated Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. Well, I watched most of the game but more on that later.

I am referring to the Monday Night Miracle, the game voted as the greatest Monday Night Football game. It was on October 23rd, 2000. And I remember it like it was yesterday.

As a Jets fan, you HATE the Miami Dolphins. Nothing against them and their fans, it is merely business. And I was looking forward to watching my team kill them. That had to be the most frustrating game I have ever watched with the Jets. They had no heart, they were manhandled by the Dolphins all through the first half. I admit that I had lost faith in my team.

At halftime, Arnold Schwarzenegger visited the broadcast booth at halftime and he had much more faith than I did. While I was proud that he was a Jets fan I laughed when he said "Wayne Chrebet is going to pull it off. I think as usual the Jets are going to come from behind, you will see... I think the Dolphins have to be terminated."

The Jets were awful to start the 3rd quarter and like most of the fans in the stands, I left. I was utterly ticked off and I had to do something about it. So I took my beard trimmer and I shaved my head.


Yeah, you heard me right. I took a beard trimmer and cut my hair. I didn't shave my head completely bald but I cut everything off but an inch. I had never done this before either. After I cut almost all my hair off, I took a shower and then went back to check the score. And I saw a miracle brewing, the Jets were marching down the field and Vinny Testaverde hit Laveranues Coles (his 1st professional TD) with a 30-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. And so it began.

A few minutes later, Testaverde threw another touchdown to Wiggins and suddenly it was only a 10 point game. The Jets defense played hard and the Jets were able to kick a field goal and now with about six minutes left we were only behind by a touchdown. And just like me, fans began to come back to watch the game. And then the unthinkable happened, Testeraverde hit Wayne Chrebet with a 24-yard touchdown with 3:55 to go to tie the game. We were TIED!


And then reality hit just as it always does to Jet fans. Just one play later, the Dolphins threw a 46-yard touchdown. I stomped the floor angrily, the Jets were minutes away from taking the game and they just let the Dolphins waltz into the endzone. But call it fate or destiny, Vinny and the Jets would not be denied. The Jets marched down the field again and they called a play, a pass to tackle eligible Jumbo Elliott. Are you kidding me? A pass to a Tackle? His diving, bobbling touchdown catch (and his only catch in his whole career) completed this historical Monday Night Football miracle. We are going into overtime!


The Dolphins still had a chance at winning the game, but the Jets defense stood up against them. Marcus Coleman intercepted a pass and ran it down back into the Dolphins territory but it was called back because of a penalty. My heart stopped. I remember yelling at the TV, telling the Jets to do it again. And sure enough, Marcus Coleman picked off Fiedler again to set up Hall's game-winning 40-yard field goal.

THE JETS HAD WON! I woke up Kristy screaming and cheering. It was close to midnight and I didn't care. I think my impromptu haircut surprised her more.

I think this proves that I am a die hard Jets fan. I would cut my hair in an instant if it made the Jets win a big game. Maybe this Saturday...