As most of you have heard, Peter Jackson has basically been shut out of directing The Hobbit. Sad 
Now there’s talk of Sam Raimi helming the project:
Amid scores of rumors over the last several months about who New Line would choose to replace Peter Jackson as the next director for the Tolkien prequel to [LOTR] titled “The Hobbit,†The Los Angeles Times, relying on certain trusted insiders, has decided to throw its hefty weight behind the idea that “Spider Man†director Sam Raimi is New Line’s top choice. This news comes even though New Line claims no direct contract negotiations with Raimi have been concluded. Also, MGM, the ultimate distribution owner of the franchise, has already stated quite adamantly that Peter Jackson is their man for the job and they will not be satisfied or allow for anyone else in that center-seat.
The paper is reporting today that Raimi has been talking to “associates, as well as his corporate masters at Sony†giving the heads-up that he is seriously considering New Line’s offer to helm “The Hobbit†project.
Sam Raimi, also of The Evil Dead, The Grudge and the The Messengers fame…I know this is just a rumor, but I don’t see this as a good fit. We Want Jackson!
For the first time in I don’t know how many years (but back when it was the WWF, not the WWE), I went to a wrestling Pay-Per-View party. Last night was the Royal Rumble. Every month, my friend Tim has a get together on the night of the Pay-Per-View and invites everyone over to watch it. I used to go to these parties quite often. Many of my friends are big wrestling fans and in college, they eventually got me into it. More than the wrestling was the fellowship – tons of people show up for the PPVs, a good time to see people that I didn’t see often and just have a good time with everyone. The wrestling events, RAW, Smackdown and the PPVs, were fun, but I eventually I stopped watching them. It just wasn’t something I enjoyed or felt comfortable watching anymore, plus I was getting “old” and the “late” nights weren’t for me any more. 
Last night was a friend’s birthday and everyone was getting together at the PPV, so I decided to go. Lots of things have changed (beyond just the name), since I last watched it, while some things are the still the same. It’s still as fake and “soap opera-y” as always, and I got a good chuckle out of that. To my surprise, some familiar faces were still around, such as the Undertaker (isn’t he a senior citizen by now?), Edge, the Hardy Boys, Chris Benoit, Booker T (er…King Booker, now) and Ric Flair. Kane was still around, though without his mask, which was a surprise to me. Gone was The Rock, but in his place was John Cena. Gone was one of my fave wrestlers, Rikishi, but his brother Umaga was in his place. My fave tag-team was the Dudley Boyz (and let’s not forget the Duchess of Dudley-ville, the one and only Stacey Keebler), but they’re not around anymore. Also missing was Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Big Show. To my surprise, Hardcore Holly and Rob Van Dam were still around, and HBK (a.k.a. Shawn Michaels) was added to the lineup. Isn’t he a senior citizen too? MIA, though still around from what I heard, are Triple H, Jericho and Kurt Angle. I think they’re all hurt or taking time off.
Not something I’ll be getting into again, but it was still fun, especially watching my wrestling-crazed friends.
During my forced walk/run tonight, I realized that I really like being in shape. It’s great to be able to play ultimate frisbee and keep up with everyone. It’s great to go hiking and not feel it in every muscle the next day. It feels good to be able to play racquetball and not get winded to quickly.
I also realized that I hated having to stay in shape.
After all my work getting ready for the 5K last year, I’m essentially back to square one this year. Sure, maybe I can ramp up to where I was last year quicker, but it’ll still take time, motivation and determination. Wouldn’t it be great it being in shape was like riding a bicycle or tying your shoe – you never forget. Well, in this case, if my body never forgot. I wish I could pick right up where I left off last year and push forward for the a 10K run.
That’s not the way it works, though – and that’s what makes accomplishing goals such as this all the more meaningful and triumphant!
Uh, oh – UK’s in trouble. The basketball team lost to Georgia tonight after blowing a 17pt lead. This is on the heels of a loss to Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt? That’s three straight we’ve lost to Vandy – something’s definitely wrong. And this was supposed to be the easy portion of the conference schedule. We haven’t touched the hard part yet, with Florida, Tennessee, LSU, Alabama looming down the road. I thought we were doing better, having had an 11 game win streak before the Vandy loss last Saturday. We needed to take care of business early on in the conference schedule to make up for the tough later games. Now that we’re losing the games we should win, the season is going to get very, very long… Hopefully they can turn it around, but they way they’ve played the last two games, or we may very well miss the tournament.
The first thing anyone says when they come over is how BIG Smokey is. I don’t think he’s really that big, and by big, I’m assuming people mean fat. Maybe it’s because I see him every day and don’t notice his changing weight.
I noticed it this past Saturday, though.
I took Smokey to the vet for his annual checkup. Last year, he weighed 13lbs. The vet made a comment then that he was a little pudgy, but was wearing the weight pretty well. Since then, I’ve developed a feeding routine and maintain a consistent feeding amount. I feed him one cup a day of Iams Weight Control, spread out over three feedings. Those of you how have met him know he’s active, loving to play with his toys and such. Surely he wouldn’t have gained much, if any weight, in the past year.
Wrong! He’s up to 15.9 lbs now. Geesh… Guess I should cut back to 3/4 of a cup now.
Wonder if he’ll go running with me… 
This is handy and a good reference:
MythBusters Results, a comprehensive archive of the results from every myth tested on the American television series MythBusters.
Wow! On 17 January 1947, my paternal grandpa and grandma, Prentice and Mildred, were married in a small ceremony in western Kentucky. Sixty (60!) years later, they’re still happy and together. This past weekend, the family got together to celebrate this truly remarkable accomplishment with them. It was great seeing family again and hearing stores of their first dates, their wedding, and other memories from over the years. Very interesting stories that I had never heard before!
Prentice and Mildred have been a great example over the years and I am truly proud to be their grandchild. Trips to their farm in western Kentucky, though unfortunately few and far between, are something I look forward to throughout the year. Their faith has been evident in words and deeds, their love knows no bounds…and they sure know how to fill my tummy with great food! I hope I can be as great a grandparent to my grandchildren as they have been to me. I love you grandma and grandpa! Thanks for everything you have done in my life. It is truly appreciated!
What a great looking couple they make!
Past my bed time, so all ya get today is this:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Trailer 2
Look for something extra special tomorrow, though…
OC Supertones…o’ how I miss thee!
As I mentioned in my previous post about this year’s goals, I wanted to have a better plan to achieve each one by applying lessons I’ve learn from work – making each goal SMART.
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timely
Not all of my goals will fit into this mold, or all of the criteria, but I’m going follow this as much as I can for it and outline what I can for each.
Run the Flying Pig.
Specific goal: Run the entire Flying Pig 5K
Time of completion: 5 May 2007
My goal is to at least run the entire 5K, though I’m going to shoot for the 10K. The event is May 5, so I have a little under 5 months to get ready. For starters, I’m going to take the first 2-3 weeks to get ready for the running by taking a brisk walk 4-5 times a week for at least 30 minutes. I started this past Monday. After these first couple weeks, I’ll follow the same program that I did last year (Couch to 5K), with slight variances along the way.
Break a bad habit
Time of completion: end of 2007
Specific goal: For starters, my goal is to stop chewing on pens
To achieve this, I first need to be consciously aware that I’m doing this, then I can start focusing on preventing myself from wanting to do this to begin with. I’m already well along in breaking this habit. I’m very much aware I’m doing this now, and take the pen out of my mouth almost as soon as it goes in. Now I need to work on suppressing the urge to start chewing, maybe by chewing more gum.
Save up for a trip to Australia/New Zealand
Time of completion: end of 2007 (ongoing)
Specific goal: Have 33% saved by year’s end
I’m going to start off by putting twenty dollars from each paycheck into a special account. Once I’ve grown accustomed to that, after approx 3 months, I’ll bump it up to thirty, then forty, etc. I hope to have at least a third saved by year’s end. This leads to the next step of determining how much I need to save. I hope to have a pretty good idea by mid-2007.
Learn how to cook a “signature” dish
Time of completion: July 2007
Specific goal: Learn how to make my paternal family’s cheese/sausage dip
Though I have something in mind, I want to explore my possibilities. During January and February, I’ll explore possibilities. March through may, I’ll experiment and try out various recipes. In June or July, I’ll through a party and introduce my dish.
Become comfortable with the ASL
Time of completion: end of 2007
Specific goal: Know the ASL alphabet thoroughly
First step is to re-learn the ASL alphabet. I still remember most of it, so this shouldn’t take long. Next step is to have some one “quiz” me on this by randomly saying a letter and have me sign it. After that, I’ll have someone sign a letter and I’ll say what it is. Then I’ll move on to spelling words, at a slow pace initially before working up to a faster speed.
Learn how to pick a lock
Time of completion: end of 2007
Specific goal: Be able to pick my practice locks
I have the basic lockpick kit and some practice looks. I need to mount these lock then start practicing. I already have several sets of instructions to follow, so it’s just a matter of practicing.
Accomplish all these goals!
Time of completion: end of 2007
I should be far enough along with these goals in three months, so I hope to have an update by then, if not before. Wish me luck!
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