FML? Seriously? Get over yourself...

The other day I was playing on Facebook and watching FOX NEWS. As I was reading FB I saw someone had a bad day at work. They finished the post with FML. On the news I was seeing a body was found in the woods.  

I got a bit angry. Someone has a bad day but has pretty much everything else going for them and they think to themselves Fuck My Life. You know what? Get over it. Shit happens but it could be fuckin' worse.

You know who should be thinking FML?

- The parents of Levi Aron.
- The people of Japan who lost everything including their family and friends.
- The troops who go out there everyday and risk their lives.

I could go through plenty more but I hope you get my point.

Shit happens but it could be worse. Remember to be grateful for what you do have. Think FML to yourself and if you have to write a post about how your life is so bad end it with CBW (could be worse) because you will not get pity from me.


I was actually going to really go off on Friday. But after cooling off a bit I thought this would be better.

Mothers Day

Mothers Day is this Sunday and I really wanted my Mom to know how much I love her. She has done so much for me and my siblings. Since her stroke she has lost the use of her right arm. So she can only do things with one arm. She loves to read so I figured a Kindle would be perfect. So my brother and I decided to get her one and a gift card.

I hope she likes it. I also hope she will learn how to use it.

Softball Part 2: It Hurts

The past 2 years have not been easy for me. I was diagnosed with depression. I have lost my wife and home and I did nothing wrong. And that wa only a few weeks after we were discussing having children. One of the few things I have looked forward to in my life. I contemplated suicide a few times. I have moved at least 6 times. The only woman in my life that did not abuse me, leave me or get tired of me had a severe stroke while I was in the next room. So while dealing with softball this is what was going on in my mind and life.

I missed one doubleheader the last few years. That was because I was depressed. I needed some time to myself.

Now its a new season and I can't get a reply from half the people about softball. They don't care about the things I have gone through or the things I have done for them. And thats fine. I am getting used to selfish people.

When you joined the Wolves you became one of my boys.

- I have fought for you.
- I have been thrown out for you.
- I have told umpires to suck my balls for you.
- I have picked you up and taken you to and from games and practices.
- I have spent money out of MY pocket for you to play. Not counting my own league and ump fees I have spent over $300 in league fees, ump fees and forfeit fees.
- I have listened to you whine about hitting low in the order even when you couldn't get on half the time.
- I have listened to you tell me you do not want to hit last but then procede to go 2 for 7 the whole day.
- I have listened to you complain about your playing time even though you didn't show up last week.
- I have listened to you whine when I ask you to play RF. Or Catcher.
- I have seen you swing at ball 4 because you didn't want to walk.
- I have seen you hit a fly ball and walk 2 steps towards 1st base.
- I have heard you complain that I bat too high in the order.


And YOU don't want to play for ME???

I wonder why I want you to play for my TEAM. A teammate:
- fights for his team.
- gets thrown out for his team.
- tells umpires their wrong for his team.
- knows their responcibilities. Be it getting to games, calling if not playing and paying their part.
- earns their spot in the order.
- confidence is good. Ego is bad.
- earns their playing time and makes the most of it when they play.
- plays wherever they are needed.
- takes a walk.
- runs it out. Last season I had 4 hits on groundballs right back to the pitcher.
- gets on base.

I have worked hard to be a good teammate. Would I rather come to the plate 4 or 5 times and swing as hard as I can? Sure. But I want to win. A Teammate sacrifices for the good of the team. I can hit 2Bs and 3Bs. But I'd get on 50% of the time. Some of you might be happy with that. Not me. I get on 65% of the time and let my teammates knock me in. I will take a pitch. I will take a walk. If it helps the team I will bat last. Would I like to play every inning? Yup. But I will take myself out so someone else can get into the game.

This is softball. You don't need a speedy leadoff hitter when you can't steal bases. You want the people who get on the most near the top.

To Be Continued...

Softball Part 1: Good and Bad Times

Background:

Over the past few years I have been running a softball team. The first year it was mostly just getting people together to go out and have some manly fun. We lost a lot of games but we got to run around and be with other guys. No family drama when we were on the field. Playing for a friend I hurt my foot. But it was near the end of the year so it was nothing major.

But the next year things changed. I had been going to a therapist because I had a bit of depression. Things started looking up in the spring. I was so looking forward to softball that I guess I missed the signs at home. My wife and I seperated soon into the season.

My only escape at the time was playing ball. Its the only time I did not feel dead inside. I hit better then ever and we even won some games. But I got overwhelmed. I think I overdid it. A few times my foot injury flared up and I could not walk for a day or two.

Last year things just kept falling apart with people not showing up more then ever before.

Some of The Good/ The Bad:

Good - Family & Friends - Getting to play with friends and family was great. Because of family and work I barely got to see my friends much. But during the season I'd have a couple of hours a week to catch up with them all and see whats new face to face.

Bad - Unappreciated - People seem to think its easy getting people together for softball. Its not. You'd think adults would get a schedule and just show up when they are supposed to... but they don't. There are exceptions but the majority was just an issue.

Good - Competition - Be it us vs them or a friendly in team competition to see who would finish with most HRs or hits.

Bad - No Show/ No Call - People know ahead of time that they have things they are doing but do not let me know. The people on the team look at me like its my fault. Its a group full of adults, I am not the father. People don't call or email or anything just shows no respect for anyone on the team.

Good - Great Plays - Watching someone pull a play out of their ass always brings a smile to my face. I have done it. Others have done it. But nothing is more fun then seeing the face of someone on the other team go from happy to annoyed in 1/2 a second.

Bad - No Respect - No one seems to care about the shit I have done for them. I have been thrown out of games defending my players. I have driven half an hour out of my way to just pick someone up for practice. If someone plays for me I will always have their back. But I am not even given a little bit of respect.

Good - First Game of the Year - I am usually the most pumped about the first game. The day is a little brighter, the smell is a little sweeter. Everyone is exactly the same 0-0.

Bad - Best Friends Quit - Some of my best friends quit on me. Sure some were tired of the crap from people on the team but the team is me. My friends are very important to me and I started my team to be able to play with them. I have gotten up in the middle of sleeping to help them. Always there and always will be. But it will always feel like I was quit on no matter what they say.

Good - Winning - When it happens after a hard fought game it felt great. I could not fall asleep for hours after being so pumped up.

Bad - Egos - Som people have huge egos that I had to deal with. Sure one week they will do whatever they need for the team. And then the next they are a superstar that wants to play every inning even if they misplay half the balls hit to them. They get upset when I play someone who they do not think is as good as them. Not thinking that everyone should get to play. Especially the guys that showed up when they decided to no show/no call.


To Be Continued...

Random Thought of the Day

While taking a shower I had an odd thought about residue. Even though totally clean since everyone uses soap what if there is a minute amount of residue left over?

Well with that in mind I had to wonder: Do I wash my Balls first then my ass or my ass then balls?

What if aliens come to earth with super smelling? If I am the first person they come in contact with do I want them to meet me with Balls that smell like ass? Or ass that smells like balls?

I am guessing most would not want ANYTHING smelling like ass. But how many straight guys would think they'd want their ass smelling like balls? Its a conundrum.


Don't judge me. Like you have never had a weird idea-thingy pop in your head.

Been Sick and Tired...

**********Disclaimer: I thought it deleted. But it was saved in the draft section**********


I returned from Maryland with an ear infection. It has kicked my ass for about almost 2 weeks. Great, right? Yeah, not so much. My abs feel like I have been working out 10 hours a day. My head feels like its going to explode. And this is now when I am feeling better.

So what does a man do when he is sick and has no one to take care of him? Drinks a lot of Cherry Dr Pepper and eats a lot of Chicken Noodle Soup. The rest of the time was spent watching movies or sleeping. The majority of it was sleep.

But from the looks and sounds of people lately, I was not the only sick one. It actually seems like the majority of everyone has come down with one illness or another. Is it because the weather changed so fast? 9 degrees one day and 55 a few days later. I think thats the most likely.

I am pretty happy I slept mostly through Valentines Day. Its a day of love. Something I do not have right now so I prefer to ignore it. Give me Spring Training anyday.

Well, I am just rambling so I am going to finish up. I think I will do a blog about Movies and Games tomorrow. Nothing earth shattering but maybe someone will find a gem they have missed or will learn to love a new movie they never thought they might like or never heard of before. Later.

Entertainment Review 2/20/11

I have been ill and not really in the mood to blog lately. I did one yesterday but it didn't save or something and went poof. And since that pissed me off I just quit and went to bed. Anyway lets get to the reviews. I'm going to officially review 10 things. And unofficially mention someothers during the reviews.

Movies:
Kick-Ass (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) is a very different type of superhero movie. The main character is alright but the little girl (Hit Girl) is bad ass. Its got Nic Cage. You know its gotta be a bit different but somehow awesome. Also I just saw you can get the 3 disc combo for like $13. Well worth it. 7.5/10

Saw: The Final Chapter (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (Formerly Saw 3D) is not one of the better Saw films but it does wrap up a lot of the questions. Especially if you are like me and wondered what happened to the Dr at the end of the 1st movie. Also its pretty cheap: 5.5/10

Piranha [Blu-ray] is exactly what it looks like. A gorefest surrounded by topless women. Its all B-Movie awesomeness. I do not know how to make it sound better. It is what it is: 8/10

Let Me In [Blu-ray] is one bad assed vampire movie. Unlike most movies starring kids I don't want to punch myself in the face. Usually kid actors are horrible. Go see Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition) for an example. Hit Girl plays the Vampire in this flick and yet again she is bad ass. With all the pansied vampire flicks lately its nice to see one that they are still pretty damned evil. Also its got the dude that played Casey Jones. 9/10 ... Yes its a remake to Let the Right One In [Blu-ray] which gets the same rating)

Faster [Blu-ray] is my 2nd favorite The Rock movie. The Rundown is still my favorite one. But this movie is all bad ass and attitude. Nothing quotable just a revenge fantasy come to life. 7/10


TV:

Modern Family: The Complete First Season is just awesome. I tuned in because it had Ed O'Neill but I stuck around because it was hilarious. Its done a bit like The Office in style. The whole cast is brilliant. 9.5/10

Angel: Seasons 1-5 (Collectors Set) was a spin off of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer but they were very different. Angel still had a sense of humor but it was darker. It started off slow but got great. Sadly it was killed before it should have been. After watching this you should wonder how One Tree Hill is on its 8th season while Angel only got five. 9/10

Speaking of Joss Whedon shows killed too soon: Firefly: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]! Yes, everyones favorite space western. FOX killed it before it had a chance to shine. But it does shine. Its got heart and humor and bad-ass-ed-ness. Very quotable and it even got its own movie Serenity [Blu-ray] to try and finish the story. 9.5/10


Video Games:
I'm going to double up on this review of Mass Effect & Mass Effect 2. I remember when I was a kid and watched Star Wars for the first time. These games remind me of that feeling. Its an epic space opera with so many choices and possibilities. Its part shooter, part RPG and all awesome. You create your own Commander Shepard being male or female. You make life or death choices for your team and you can even find romance. If you take your time you can spend 100 hours in your own epic adventure to save the universe. With the 3rd Chapter set to come out at the end of the year you'll want to catch up. You can buy both games on the 360 for less then $20 each. Both games 9/10


Reviews:
9.5/10 - Modern Family: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray], Modern Family: The Complete First Season (DVD)
9.5/10 - Firefly: The Complete Series [Blu-ray], Firefly - The Complete Series (DVD)
9/10 - Let Me In [Blu-ray], Let Me In (DVD)
9/10 - Let the Right One In [Blu-ray], Let The Right One In (DVD)
9/10 - Angel: Seasons 1-5 (Collectors Set)
9/10 - Mass Effect (360)
9/10 - Mass Effect 2 (360), Mass Effect 2 (PS3)
8.5/10 - Serenity [Blu-ray], Serenity (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)
8/10 - The Rundown [Blu-ray], The Rundown (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)
8/10 - Piranha [Blu-ray], Piranha (DVD)
7.5/10 - Kick-Ass (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)
7/10 - Faster [Blu-ray], Faster
5.5/10 - Saw: The Final Chapter (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (Formerly Saw 3D)
4.5/10 - Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition)


As always if tere is anything you would like to see me review just let me know.

Social Network Annoyances

Its the middle of the night and I still feel like crap. But it will not stop me from being opinionated. This column will be discussing the crap I see or read on the current Social Network Favorite aka Facebook.

Facebook, like MySpace and Friendster (and others) before it, is where people go to be social with people they barely if ever see. Do you wanna: Catch up with some old friends? See how whathisface from High School is doing? Or how someone you don't know's Farm is doing? You can get that all here!

But tonight I am going to look deeper into it. Find the annoying and pointless side of it. This is my opinion. Do whatever you want with your stuff. I am just writing what I consider lame.

Avatar - These are used for people to know who you are. Some people put themselves or their children. Others put things that they feel represent them. Great! Thats how I know who you are. But I reaaaally feel that they should also have a few boundaries.

Men: Flexing in front of the mirror with your shirt off is just sad. Its screaming for attention. Unless you are Ryan Reynolds or Hugh Jackman you really don't have much to show. Worst is when you have a group of guys with their shirts off. Unless you are trying to put over that you are into male only orgies thats fine. But it might be better kept to yourself.

Women: Stop with the weird ass fish face! Its like a half kiss half sultry thing and it looks funny. Sure if you are pretty you can kind of pull it off. But give me a smile or a little smirk and you'll look 10x hotter. And lets throw in the lack of clothing in some of these pictures. I need a little less muffin top popping out. Stick with the popular angle from up top shooting down to show some boob. Its classic and its nice.

Other: The avatar is suppose to represent you in an inch by inch frame. Don't put a fucking car, celebrity or any of that shit. If your car is who you are then you have no redeeming quality other then having a pretty car. If you represent yourself with a picture of Bella Swan then you really do not like yourself. Be who you are. Don't pretend to be anything else.

Status Updates - These are the majority of the things you see on Facebook. It lets you know the stuff everyone is getting into and make the people like me who are home sick feel worse. Dicks... Well anyway I think there is a need to filter them a little more.

Song Lyrics: Great you like a lyric to a song. Could you at least tell me which song its from? Not a major compliant but I do not know every song ever written. And please if you use that song lyric today wait at least a week before using it again. How many times a day can you 'Really need a wish right now... a wish right now'

Movie/TV Quotes: Yes, I do this a lot. I am ok with the majority of them. The only issues I have is when someone quotes some of the bile that comes out of the mouth of REALITV. Please don't. Snooki is not exactly on the same level as The Crow in terms of quotability.

I'm Here: Phones have all the apps that can tell you where I am and who I am with. Thats great... if I was STALKING YOU. Seriously, I don't care where ya are on a map. Stop facebooking and have fun. Otherwise you are just bragging and no one likes that.

Picture Updates: I love pictures. I really do. I like seeing the fun people had and how big their child is getting. I just ask 2 things. 1. Don't tag me in a photo that I am not in. 2. Don't 'SHARE' your photos until you are done uploading them all. 'Oh look 4 new pics ... aww how cute. Now its 14... 22... 40.' Its an evil trick.

Farmville/Vampire Wars/ETC: Guess what? I don't mind them. You know why? Because I hit the X that allows me to never see them. The only thing that bothers me is the people bitching about them and not just turning them off. Also thanks for all your help with the gifts you have been giving me. But I don't play Farmville anymore so STOP.

Whoops!: Yeah everyone can make a mistake on an update or a comment on an update. Go ahead and fix it. But before you do that could you please delete the mistake? Its not that hard. Its just clicking the X in the corner.

Understandable: I want to read your updates. I like to know whats up. But when you don't know how to spell or say things correctly I get confused. SMH or LLS is not an update. Writing a sentence that has no vowels in it makes it hard to read. I also love when people throw an extra vowle into stuff. Like 'Lose' people love to throw an extra 'O' in there. Speaking of There:

Your-You're/They're-There-Their: Come on people these aren't that hard. English was not my best subject but at least I know the differences. Once you are old enough to use a computer you are old enough to know the difference in these words.

Requests - These are usually people wanting to be my friend or wanting me to play a game with them.

Games: I'm good. Games are a fun way to waste some time. But I do not need to play every game. I have 1 or 2 that entertain me when I need to be entertained. So if I do not join the game the 1st 6 times you ask feel free not to ask another 30.

Gifts: I love gifts. But I do not have room in my games for the majority of the crap sent to me. And if its a Farmville thing I don't want it. Currently I sit at 76 'game requests' 68 of them being Farmville crap. I do not mind clicking a button to send you the stuff you need for your farm or city or w/e. But unless you actually tell me, I'm just going to ignore it.

Friends: Do I know you? That should be the most important thing. Do you know a lot of the people I know? Ok then I guess you could be cool. Are you a hot woman? SURE lets be friends. Are you some random person who plays the same games as me? Ok I can do that. We have no friends in common and you have the same name as someone who used to date one of my friends? Sounds like a Stalker... Ignore.

I'm pretty open to making new friends. I enjoy the banter. Except when I am sick. Also being a pretty lady who posts lots of pics is great.

Final Annoyances - This is just random shit that I can't find a category for.

Don't ask me to comment on something. - If I have something to say I will do it on my own.
Don't tell me what I should or should not post. - My page so STFU.
Don't like what I have to say? - Delete me. Or if you can't stand to lose 1 'friend' put me on ignore.
Didn't wish me a Happy Birthday even though they tell you who's B-day it is in the corner? - You're no friend of mine.
Didn't wish me a speedy recovery from my illness? - See above
You're only updates talk about the new love of your life. - I'm happy for you. I don't need to read it 4 times an hour.
You're an average looking chick who thinks she's hot? - Bwahahaha that is some of the funniest stuff to read.
You're a beautiful woman who can't find the right man? - Seriously? I thought that only happened in romantic comedies. Well my name is Shawn, 34, I'm an Aquarius...

Well thats enough for now. I'm burning up and need to lay down. I might have more annoyances later. Either way enjoy.

Some Good and Some Not

You will noticed linked items on my blog. Apparently if someone clicks one of the links on my blog and purchases the item from Amazon I get a 15% commission. Good for me? Sure. I love Amazon. I have never had issues with it.

Its my birthday today (Thank You, please hold the applause) and I figure I'll discuss some of the things I bought or were bought for me.

Last year for my birthday I got a 2-liter of Cherry Dr. Pepper. One of my favorite drinks. I do not know how to describe a drink other then yummy so I'll just give the rating of 8/10.

This year for my birthday I got the (360 version of) Batman Arkham Asylum: Game of the Year Platinum Hits. This game is pure awesome. Pretty much being the best superhero game I have ever played. Its a combination of Metal Gear Solid and Assassin's Creed. My favorite part is the fact they used most of the important voice cast from Batman: The Animated Series, Vol. 1. Its a great deal for the price. 10/10

Working at Walmart I got a pretty decent discount. So I used that to purchase a Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade - Game console. My old system had issues with the DVD driver. Its a pretty basic system so its nothing special but it was a cheap version. 7/10

I enjoy killing zombies in many games. The best one this year was Dead Rising 2. There are so many ways to kill and main that it never gets boring. So much to explore and destroy. I enjoyed the new weapon creation system. But I did miss the camera. 8.5/10

After playing Fallout 3: Game of The Year Edition (10/10) for months I was looking forward to Fallout: New Vegas. But after playing it I do not this it had the same appeal. I played 3 for almost 200 hours and still felt I missed some stuff. After 70 hours of Vegas I felt I did everything. Sure I could go and do the story differently. But I didn't want to. Still fun but not as much. 7/10.

Fable III is the last game I am going to bring up for now. You know how they say lets save the best for last? Well I am not. This game has very little challenge and seems to be holding your hand 90% of the way through it. I did enjoy the simplified combat but thats about it. It promises hard choices but there are none. I think of it like Legend of Zelda for beginners. I blame the casual gamers. 5.5/10

I have watched many movies this year so I'll just throw 5 out. You will most likely notice that I have linked the Blu-ray and DVD Combos. I think they are the best value. Even if you do not have a blu-ray player yet.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) is by far my favorite summer movie this year. It did not do too well at the box office but for some reason Edgar Wright films haven't done well here. But the director of Shaun of the Dead [Blu-ray] (9.5/10) and Hot Fuzz (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray](9/10) has made himself another visually stunning film. Being a gamer, I can see so many of my old favorite game cliche's within. Its a romantic comedy for men and women. 9/10

Iron Man 2 (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) is a lesser movie then the original. The action scenes and RDJ are great. But they threw too much into it.

The Expendables (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) is an old school action movie. I disagree with some of the advertising of 8 or so old action heroes. Stallone, Statham, Li and Lundgren all make sense. Arnold and Willis have nice cameos but the rest aren't action heroes I grew up with. where is Wesley Snipes? Kurt Russell? Jean Claude Van Damme? But still it was a wonderfully thought out idea. And now it seems to be pretty cheap to purchase. 8/10

Piranha [Blu-ray 3D] is the type of movie I love. But its also a movie I am surprised would get made. It is an old school type of horror film. Its filled with nudity, gore and nonsense. Its Jaws for the ADD generation. I loved it and can't wait for another one. 8.5/10

And for my last Movie review I have to find something different then Action or Horror. Hot Tub Time Machine (Unrated) [Blu-ray] has its moments of greatness. Its not The Hangover (Unrated Edition) [Blu-ray] (7/10) but it was entertaining and worth seeing. I enjoyed the Hangover but I did not think of it as the greatest ever. HTTM is a solid 6/10. Even with a nice use of one of the 80's best bad guys.

So here are my ratings:
10/10 - Batman Arkham Asylum: Game of the Year Platinum Hits (360) / Batman Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Greatest Hits (PS3)
10/10 - Fallout 3: Game of The Year Edition (360) / Fallout 3: Game of The Year Edition (PS3)
9.5/10 - Shaun of the Dead [Blu-ray]
9/10 - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)
9/10 - Hot Fuzz (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]
8.5/10 - Dead Rising 2 (360) / Dead Rising 2 (PS3)
8.5/10 - Piranha [Blu-ray 3D]
8/10 - The Expendables (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)
8/10 - Cherry Dr Pepper
7/10 - Fallout: New Vegas (360) / Fallout: New Vegas (PS3)
7/10 - Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade - Game console
7/10 - The Hangover (Unrated Edition) [Blu-ray]
6.5/10 - Iron Man 2 (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)
6/10 - Hot Tub Time Machine (Unrated) [Blu-ray]
5.5/10 - Fable III

Everything on the list has its good and its bad. These are just my opinions. I do not want you to think if you enjoy something and I do not that makes any difference. This is just one man's opinion.

I think I'll be doing a review blog once a week. I'll review about 10 - 20 things. Any suggestions of items to review feel free to pass them along.