02/28/05 (02:30 AM) -- Who Needs Sleep?  [Music: "Make The Most Of This" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: Tired]

Duuuuude ... this no sleep stuff is killing me right now!  I am so tired from being so busy lately.  And today was so productive!  I got all I wanted done, I took time to rest and catch most of the Oscars, at least the more important categories.  And so like I am so done and ready for bed, but for the life of me I cannot freakin' fall asleep!  For the last few days all I have been yearning for is a good night's sleep, and here I have an opportunity to get one, and nope!  Not happening!  Ugh, I am so pissed!  Oh well, I am catching up on other stuff right now since I am still awake.

Once again, I am SO backed up on e-mails from people.  As always, thanks for sending them in.  I'll eventually answer everyone soon.  Hopefully I might have some time tomorrow (today ... whatever) to put a dent in this pile.  So, also as always, have patience.  I'll respond to all the letters at my first opportunity.  As it is, it's freakin' 2:30 AM right now and I am hammerin' out some as I am typing this!

So yeah, the Oscars were tonight.  I pretty much expected Million Dollar Baby to kick ass, which is exactly what it did.  I've been tellin' y'all, I really liked that movie back when I saw it.  It was no surprise to me that Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman won acting statuettes, as well as Dirty Harry himself winning for directing.  Personally, I think Freeman was due for an Oscar.  He is a badass actor.  I loved him in Lean On Me, Driving Miss Daisy, Unforgiven, and Shawshank Redemption.  I'm really glad the Academy finally recognized him for a performance.

Of course all the buzz was about Jamie Foxx though, and rightfully so.  It's still kinda weird to say Jamie Foxx and Academy Award Winner in the same sentence, especially when people like John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt (yes I think he is a good actor), Clint Eastwood (for acting), Mel Gibson (for acting), etc. are all still Oscar-less.  I mean, this is still the Jamie Foxx that was Wanda from In Living Color, and made Booty Call of all movies!  But make no mistake, he earned his award tonight.  He did such a great job in Ray.  I was really happy for him and I hope this really helps his career.  His speech was really awesome too.  He seems sincerely humbled by all this attention, and I like that in him a lot.

Anyway, so since that was over I have been unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep, and then working on a few things.  Okay, so I have answered a few e-mails, scanned some pictures, updated a few things on the site ... that's good enough for me for right now.  Time to try again at this thing everyone calls "sleep".  Everyone cross y'alls fingers now ... and wish me luck!  Sleep, here we go again!  -- Michael

02/27/05 (12:00 PM) -- Oscar Night  [Music: "What Are You Waiting For?" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: Exhausted]

Dude, I am so tired right now.  I have got like no sleep over the last few days.  Yeah yeah yeah, I know ... y'all have heard this song and dance before.  Well, it's true.  Since I went to go check out the band two nights during this past week, and don't get me wrong it was well worth it, I totally have been paying for it over the last few days trying to catch up on things.  I actually wanted to head out of town this weekend too, but time just didn't permit.  Last night, I actually got a somewhat decent amount of sleep too ... for me at least.  But I am still sluggish as hell this afternoon.  I just need rest, and I need it bad!

It's great to hear that Justin's band had a great week during the one that just passed.  There was a good crowd at the two shows I went to.  And Gabe and Jenny both went to the one in Houston on Friday night and said they kicked ass.  All of us have been buying CDs to support the group, which is great.  This coming week they'll be in Dallas on Tuesday.  I know Hunter and hopefully a few of his friends will attend.  For anyone in the Dallas area, check them out!

So yeah, the last few days have sucked because of the catching up and driving.  I wanted to try to get the next round of pictures up by this weekend, but there is no way that is going to happen.  Hopefully, I'll MAYBE get them done by next week, but even that will be a stretch.  There just isn't enough time right now, and unfortunately things like that are the ones that will have to take a back seat for the time being.  They'll be up soon though.  As it is, I still have stuff to catch up on for the rest of this afternoon.  And it sucks because, tired as I am, right now is it so sunny outside which makes me really want to get out and do something fun.  Can't do it though damnit!  Maybe next weekend.  Anyway, I'm going to go at it for the next few hours and probably stop around dinner time so I can eat and relax for a bit.  Tonight's the Oscars, so I'll watch that too.  I saw some of the movies that were nominated, so I want to see who wins what.  Personally, I hope Million Dollar Baby cleans up.  I liked that movie a lot.  Of course, I want to see Jamie Foxx win Best Actor though.  Between him, Clint, and Leo, it should be interesting.  I think it's pretty safe to say that Jamie's got it in the proverbial bag though.

Okay, time to grab a quick lunch, shower, and get back on task.  I'll talk to y'all tomorrow!  -- Michael

02/26/05 (12:00 AM) -- Tired  [Music: "The Honeymoon Is Over" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: Tired]

The Levi Smith Band performs at The Watershed in Lubbock, TX @ 7:00 PM!

02/25/05 (05:15 PM) -- Tired  [Music: "Slowly Walk Away" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: Tired]

The Levi Smith Band performs at The Sidecar Pub in Houston, TX @ 10:00 PM!

02/24/05 (06:30 PM) -- Tired  [Music: "Close Enough" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: Tired]

The Levi Smith Band performs at The Basement in Falfurrias, TX @ 7:30 PM!

02/23/05 (04:00 AM) -- Sex, Drugs, & Rock 'n Roll  [Music: "She's Overrated" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: Charged]

Happy Birthday George Yesian & Niko Cantu!

The Levi Smith Band (Levi Solo) performs at Zulu's in Corpus Christi, TX @ 9:30 PM!

Dude, there is just no other way to say it ... Justin's band brings it.  I'm not blowin' shit up y'alls asses.  Those guys killed it last night.  There show was well worth the trip.  They rocked The C.C..  I hope they play Austin soon!  Their CD sounds excellent, but they sound even better live.  I really suggest y'all give them a listen and/or check them out for y'alls selves when they visit a town near you.  I'd me more than happy to share their music.  Write me up for it if y'all want.  So far, all those who requested it have loved it.  Okay, so here's my review of the show...

Larry and I went to the show and met up with a bunch of friends.  We got a good group of peeps out there, especially on short notice.  Those who weren't able to make it, Carrie, Kassy, Lindsey, AJ, Rudy, etc ... y'all fuckin' missed out.  Sorry I gave y'all short notice, but next time y'all need to come.  Anyway, we all got there and it was freakin' standing room only!  The damn place was full!  Apparently they have a little cult following, which was great to see.  We got there midway into the opening band.  So we just hung out and chatted in the back and Justin came to hang with us which was cool.  He seemed genuinely happy to see so many of our familiar faces there to support him.    Levi was pretty cool also.  So was Trevor.  That was the first time we met them and they're very cool cats.  When the opening band was finished, there was a little bit of a shuffle in the crowd while the band set up.  It was probably rude of us, but we shisted some seats up front from a group that got up.  Haha, I think they came back and were kinda pissed.  I didn't care though.  We were there to see Justin and so we wanted to get up front, and that's exactly where we were.

They opened their set with a great up-beat tune to get the crowd going.  We were all impressed with how fuckin' good the band is, but especially Justin.  It was really cool to see him in his element.  For me, it was always cool when a friend(s) would be in the stands for competition.  I remember one time Hunter was in from SoCal so he went to the gym with me and watched while I was at practice, I was working a quick set on the rings, and when I was done he started clapping because he was impressed with the routine.  It's one thing for people in the crowd to do so, but it felt awesome for a friend to do that, and especially because it was just practice!  It's the same when watching Larry pitch, or Jason swim, or Hunter act, or Mark play, etc.  Watching Justin hammer those drums and sing was the shit.  Our whole group loved their set.  But Larry and I especially were tuned in because we both have played drums (Larry's better than me) so we know how talented Justin really is.  His combinations and rhythms are hard as hell.  And he kicks at them.

Levi is a great lead vocalist and has a lot stage presence, very charismatic.  They are all totally in their element performing.  For a indie band, they have a ton of loyal fans, fans that know all the words to their songs.  That's gotta be so cool ... to be on stage playin' and singin' your own music and looking out into the paid crowd and seeing them sing your words right back to you.  I can only imagine.  All eleven of their original songs sounded excellent, especially crowd favorites such as "Dallas To Denver", "What Are You Waiting For", and "Bitterness Is Sexy".  "Slowly Walk Away" brought the house down.  They also played a few cover songs that were all done plenty of justice.  Their set lasted a very generous hour and a half and they also came back out for an encore.

...All in all, I had a great time listening to some great ass music.  Afterwards, we talked and hung out for a good while, which was a lot of fun.  In fact it was so much fun that I got in so damn late!  We hung out, chatted, went out to eat, etc.  I got home and sadly had to finish some quick work, which thankfully though only took me a few minutes to finish.  But then Ryan IM'd me so I talked with her for a little while.  And then McGuire called, so I am actually talking with her right now as I am finishing this post.  Haha, she's an insomniac!  Anyway, I am totally going to be hurtin' in like a couple of hours.  But hey, it's a small price to pay for good ol' sex, drugs, & rock 'n roll!  Okay, so there was no sex, nor any drugs.  But there sure as hell was some badass fuckin' rock 'n roll!  -- Michael

02/22/05 (10:45 AM) -- This one's for my die-hards  [Music: "I'd Like To Think So" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: VERY Tired]

The Levi Smith Band performs at The Station in Corpus Christi, TX @ 9:30 PM!

Okay, so this post is for my die-hards out there!  I got some great friends and great people that visit the site multiple times daily.  They are always writing in to me, providing great feedback, reading the posts, etc, etc, etc.  Also, they're always the ones that let me know when it has been a few days since I have written anything substantial.  Well, right now I feel sick as hell.  But for y'all ... for the die-hards ... this post is for y'all!  Y'all are all great people and I appreciate all the communication and site visits.  In appreciation of y'alls interest, I'll take a few minutes and sacrifice a bit of rest to write a good post for y'all.  Here it goes...

Justin's Band:  If case you live under a rock, or maybe you just don't read the site often, everyone should know by now that Justin' Lentz' band fuckin' rocks!  They straight up are kick ass musicians.  Justin was totally cool with me sharing their music.  So I gave it to a few people that asked for it, and all thought they were really great.  It's really cool that, maybe in a small minute way, this site is helping to broaden their fan base.  Anyway, tonight they are playing in The C.C., and they have other dates across the state this week.  Read up on the post from 02/17/05 for more information.  If anyone is in The C.C. tonight, I SERIOUSLY suggest y'all check them out.  Likewise, when they come to your town, the more people in their crowd supporting them the better.  So do it y'all.  The Levi Smith Band ... check 'em out!

Photo Album:  Duuuude, I have received so many great pictures from people!  Thanks very much to everyone who has sent me some.  I have already posted some of those received pictures, and still have tons more that I have yet to post.  They all will make the Photo Album that much better.  Y'all do need to cut me some slack though.  Doing this shit requires a lot of time.  I'm doing my best, but it does require a lot of work.  I set up a schedule for the further completion of the section, and now it looks like that schedule might have been a little premature.  I will really TRY to get 2002 done by the end of the month.  I'm almost done.  But then I have all the new pictures people have sent me.  2003 probably won't get done until MAYBE the end of March.  And then 2004 hopefully end of April, and 2005 sometime in May.  Again, I'll do my best, but please be patient.  They will come soon enough.

Classmates:  It's been great to hear from all the new people who have joined the section this month.  Ashlee, Kimberly, Stephen, and Nicole are all new names to she sections.  In addition, Katie (S.),  Jennifer, and Adrienne have all gotten in touch.  I hope y'all decide to list as well.  The more the better.

Reunion:  The reunion stuff is coming along nicely.  It's proving to be a ton of work though.  We have a good group of people working on it.  As time moves on, I'll be posting more information about it as it becomes more concrete.  So be on the lookout for that.

The last few days:  Things have been so hectic recently.  And when I say that, I totally mean it, to the tune of getting like zero sleep.  It always irks me when people are like, "OMG, I have been SO busy.  Things have been unreal!", and then they immediately tell me about all the TV they watched the night before.  Please!  To me, when things are busy as hell, stuff like TV and sleep fall to the wasteside!  So yeah, it annoys me when people say that shit.  For me though, it has been much busier than normal.  I worked my ass off last week in order to clear up Saturday for me.  That was cool, but I was tired.  Sunday, I decided to take a few hours to relax a bit, so AJ and I got out for a bit to sweat and we played tennis.  And yes, I kicked his ass.  Granted, he didn't know what he was doing since he had never really played before.  However, he's got that athlete mentality where he thinks he will be good at any sport.  And or course tennis looks so easy on TV right?   Haha, I took it easy at first, but when his 'tude started kicking in, I had to unload.  And actually, I was pretty surprised at how well I was striking the ball.  I was nailing a lot of shots.  A few were missing, but just by inches.  But it felt good to hit full force, feel off the ground, and get after it.  Hopefully I'll be able to get out and play again soon, because that was fun.  I'm also pleasantly surprised how my ankles aren't too sore today.  Sweet!

So yeah, I've been up to my you-know-whats in stuff recently, especially the extra-curricular volunteer stuff!  As Marisa says, I definitely take on too much sometimes.  All that can at times get me sick.  Speaking of which, time for me to rest for a few minutes since I am out of commission today.  Today in The C.C., so I hope to see some of y'all out at Justin's gig tonight.  E-mail me if you have any questions about it.  Laterstz!  -- Michael

02/21/05 (05:15 PM) -- Tired and Busy  [Music: "Carry On" by Pat Green  I  Mood: Tired]

Happy Presidents' Day!

Happy Birthday Ava Landa!

The Levi Smith Band performs at Cool Bean Coffee Co. in Temple, TX @ 9:30 PM!

02/20/05 (12:15 AM) -- Still Tired  [Music: "Thriller" by Michael Jackson  I  Mood: Tired]

Damnit, I can't sleep, so I am back online.  I am gonna grab a quick bite though.  Okay, so this was a pointless entry.  Yeah, I need food.

02/19/05 (11:45 PM)  -- Tired  [Music: "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson  I  Mood: Tired]

Tired dude, will write tomorrow.

02/18/05 (03:00 AM)  -- I HATE TIVO!!!  [Music: "What Are You Waiting For" by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: Pissed]

Okay, so I really don't hate TiVo, especially after yesterday I was raving about it.  But duuuuuuuude I am SO pissed!  I TiVo'd all my Thursday shows like usual because I probably won't get to watch them until the weekend.  Anyway, long story short, something happened, the cable fucked up for a second, the box had to reboot, and I LOST ALL MY RECORDED SHOWS!!!!!  I can't believe I am now going to miss this week's ep of The O.C.!  One of y'all bitches had to record it, right?  -- Michael

02/17/05 (05:45 AM) -- Justin's Band  [Music: "Dallas To Denver"  by The Levi Smith Band  I  Mood: VERY Tired]

Man, I am super ass tired today.  I have had literally like no sleep over the last few days, trying to get tons done this week in order to free my weekend for an event I want to attend.  It's been hell, but I'm used to it though.  Just two more days left in this week!  I'll be glad when Saturday rolls around!

I was really busy last night, so I had to TiVo Lost.  So if y'all saw it, don't write me and tell me anything about it because I haven't seen it yet!  I sure as hell hope they finally get to some 'splainin' on that show.  It's great and suspenseful and stuff, but they gotta start givin' us something, right?  Watching that show is gonna have to wait 'til the weekend, along with my Thursday shows.  Man I love TiVo!  I highly recommend any of y'all get into the DVR crowd.  TiVo totally kicks!

So dude, let me tell y'all ... I was TOTALLY blown away by the talent of Justin Lentz' band!  No offense to Justin, but y'all know how when you have a friend who is in a band ... for some reason it just seems like "okay, that's cool".  I mean, for some reason when someone tells me that, it's cool but I just think of a few musicians hanging out in a garage playing their instruments together, you know?  Who knows, maybe that is just me?  I just picture something very amateur-ish.  Well dude, Justin's band really kicks ass!  And I honestly mean that.  The group is very John Mayer/Dave Matthews Band-ish.  He's told me about his band before, and I have tried to make a show, but I just have never been able to.  And to be honest, there have been a few times when I was so tired I didn't feel like making it out.  Well, I am convinced that I have totally missed out on those occasions!

The band is his buddy Levi Smith on lead vocals, with Justin on drums and background vocals I think.  They got the other stuff too, bass, etc.  Anyway, two nights ago (Tues. night), I was trying to finish stuff and trying to stay awake and in doing so, and I was tired of my music selections.  Somehow I was looking at the site, went to their band's site, and noticed that a few of their songs are available for download.  So I downloaded those songs, and again, I was blown away at how good they are.  I had no idea.  I mean, in my opinion, this stuff belongs on the radio!  They're THAT good.  And that's because I consider myself a fairly competent music aficionado.  Shut up!  I can already hear some of y'all bitches laughing with, "Music aficionado?  You listen to Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, etc.".  Well screw y'all.  I think Larry can back me up on this.  I really like the art of music.  I used to play drums, and still love the piano.  I don't just listen to music for it's radio appeal.  I pay attention to the words, hooks, bridges, verses choruses, chords, etc.  I really like the art of music and very much respect talented artists, no matter what their genre of music.  I dig the vibe.

Justin's band's sound is very impressive, as is their song writing ability which is all done in house.  After hearing their songs, I immediately shared them with a few friends, and they shared the same sentiment.  I don't know what else to say about them.  They are very talented musicians, and are one heck of a band.  They get my full and complete endorsement.  If you don't believe me, check them out for yourself.  Whether they are playing a festival of 1000+ people (which they have), or a small coffee house, their energy and effort is the same.  Plain and simple, they fuckin' rock!  Their up-coming dates are below.  If you are near, I highly recommend y'all check them out.  And with Justin's permission, I'd be more than happy to share their mp3s that he gave me.  Even so, I'm still going to buy their CD to support the group.  -- Michael

The Levi Smith Band Upcoming Live Dates:  LeviSmith.net

02/16/05 (12:30 AM) -- Photos  [Music: "Back When" by Tim McGraw  I  Mood: Accomplished]

Hey y'all.  I haven't written anything extensive in the last few days.  I have a little bit of time right now though, so I thought I would touch base with y'all folks.  Dude, the responses from y'all peeps regarding the Photo Album have been great.  I've received tons of pictures, mostly from the high school years.  I think, for the most part, I have added most of them accordingly.  So as of right this moment, the high school pages are up-to-date.  I know more pictures are on their way, so I'll be looking out for those, and will get to them when I have time.  In the meantime though, I'll start to work on 2002.  This stuff takes a long time, so be please be patient.  I'll do my best though.

I'm glad to finally get Austin's pictures from Iraq back up also.  I wanted to get those on the site again now because, God willing, he will hopefully be back stateside in the next month or so.  We're looking forward to his safe return.  The pages are from him own camera, and entirely written in his own words.  I wanted to get them up while he is still out there so y'all can have a look as to what it is like for he and his men in Iraq.  He's very generous to share such things with everyone.  It's very much appreciated.

Okay, so like I said, this stuff takes a long time to complete.  And it all depends on how much free time I can devote to it too, which most of the time usually isn't that much.  However, for the most part I am happy with where the section is at this point.  That being said, my goals for the rest of the pages is as follows:  2002 (hopefully by the end of the month), 2003 (end of the month or by Spring Break timeframe), 2004 (end of March), 2005 (mid April).  Hopefully, things will get done sooner, however that seems like a doable timeframe for completion.  Of course, as pictures continue to get sent to me, I'll try to work them in accordingly.

Okay, so that's it for this post.  I have more to write, but I'll wait for tomorrow.  So stay tuned batfans, more to come...  -- Michael

02/15/05 (01:10 PM) -- SO Tired!  [Music: "Monday Morning Church" by Alan Jackson  I  Mood: Tired]

Happy Birthday Joe Carrizales (My Daddy)!

02/14/05 (02:00 PM) -- Busy  [Music: "American Idiot" by Green Day  I  Mood: Busy]

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Birthday Haley (Rogers) Duke!

02/13/05 (12:00 AM) -- Tired!  [Music: "Mr. Roboto" by STYX  I  Mood: Tired]

Happy Birthday Cathy Berlanga!

02/12/05 (11:50 PM) -- Tired!  [Music: "Come Sail Away" by STYX  I  Mood: Tired]

Happy Birthday Jay Kutnick!

02/11/05 (04:30 PM) -- Thanks Kelly!  [Music: "Lonely No More" by Rob Thomas  I  Mood: Busy]

I received a ton of great pictures from Kelly to add to the ones that will be added in the next round.  Thanks to everyone who keeps sending in.  I'm pretty busy right now, so I'll talk to y'all tomorrow.  Bye!  -- Michael

02/10/05 (04:30 AM) -- Lesbo Action?!?!  [Music: "California" by Phantom Planet  I  Mood: Mellow]

Thanks to goes out to everyone who has taken the time to contribute a picture, or two, or three, or four, to the Photo Album over the last month or so.  I definitely appreciate it.  The more pictures that are sent to me, the better the album will be.  I invite anyone and everyone to please continue to do so.  Just to let y'all know, people have e-mailed me some.  Others have actually mailed pictures to me in the mail so I can scan, and then of course I return them to the sender.  And some people have also hand delivered pictures to me.  I scan those, and then return them as well.  In fact, some pictures are being delivered to me by a great friend this afternoon.  So yeah, sent me anything y'all like, by way of any of the above mentioned methods.  I added 2000 and 2001 today.  Before I work on 2002 and 2003, I am going to get Austin's pictures back up on the site.  God willing, he is scheduled to return home from Iraq in early April.  So I'll try to get his pictures up next so we can keep him in our thoughts and prayers while he is still out there serving.  I'm sure he is in them regardless.  Nonetheless though, I'll work on getting his pictures back up soon.

I don't have much else for y'all this mornin'.  It's been a pretty frustrating and tiring week so far.  Hopefully today will be better.  I do love Thursdays though because of the good TV that comes on.  Like I said before, no matter what I have in front of me or what I happen to be working on ... things shut down for me at 7:00 PM when The O.C. comes on and don't pick up again until 10:00 PM after ER is over.  Oh dude, and tonight is going to be the good episode too!  Marissa and Alex are going to get some lesbo action going on tonight!  I can't wait!

Okay y'all, I hope everyone has a fun and stress-free day!  Have a good one and I'll talk to y'all bitches tomorrow.  -- Michael

02/09/05 (04:00 AM) -- Things coming up  [Music: "Your Love" by The Outfield  I  Mood: Frustrated]

Ash Wednesday!

I really don't feel like writing much right now.  There's really not much to write anyway.  I've been a little frustrated recently.  No particular reason, I guess it's a host of them really.  Things have just been very busy, and I'm really tired.  Anyway, I hope to have the next round of pictures up on the site soon.  I am almost done with them.  Once they are done, I'll then work on my next round for the site, and I already know which ones those will be.  Plus, since the reunion committee is in full swing, I might as well starting hitting y'all up now for info.  If you are listed on the site, please update your information if it is out-of-date, especially y'all from CHS 1996.  If you are reading this and are not currently listed, please submit your information to be listed, again, especially CHS 1996.  When the time comes, how the hell do you expect to be invited to the event if we don't know how to get a hold of you?  I'll have a reunion page up soon.  As far as CHS '95 is concerned, I haven't received any new information regarding their upcoming reunion.  If and when I do though, I'll have it up on their page accordingly.  Alright, I am out.  Laterstz!  -- Michael

02/08/05 (05:45 PM) -- Mardi Gras!  [Music: "I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts  I  Mood: Rushed]

Happy Mardi Gras!  Laissez le bon temps rouler!

Y'all like my musical choice for right now?  Haha, Friends is on in the background.  Anyway, I am about to be late for a dinner meeting, so I'll talk to y'all later.  Bye!  -- Michael

02/07/05 (06:00 AM) -- Dynasty?  [Music: "Rock Your Body" by Justin Timberlake  I  Mood: Relaxed]

Happy Birthday Chris Gates!

Alright, let's get down to business.  Let's talk about ... The Super Bowl!...

The Pregame show: I didn't get to see much of it.  But from what I did see, IMO it pretty much sucked.  The banter between Terry "I ain't stupid" Bradshaw, Howie "My movies suck" Long, Jimmy "Shoulda stayed a Cowboy" Johnson, and James "Never played a down of football" Brown is getting very tired and old.  They can only call Terry Bradshaw stupid so many times.  James Brown never knows what the hell he is talking about.  Jimmy Johnson always sounds drunk.  And the only thing worse than Howie Long's shitty ass acting and Radio Shack commercials is his shitty ass sports commentary.  Someone give the guy some speed or something!  At times he is worse than a stoner at a Pink Floyd concert, "Uhh ... yeah ... the Patriots ... they are ... uhh ... good"!  Seriously Fox, y'all gotta do something about that bonehead!

I also think they swung a big wiff with their pregame "celebrity" guests.  American Idol's Randy "I'm not good enough to be a real..." Jackson is WAY past his fifteen minutes!  If I hear one more "Yo Dawg" I am going to torture myself by actually watching American Idol when they are NOT showing the shitty, though very funny, singers!  I can handle Kelly Clarkson's singing, but on a Super Bowl pregame?  Someone missed the call on that one.  And then John Fogerty?  John freakin' Fogerty?  I mean c'mon.  All of a sudden I expected to see Packers come out of the tunnel led by Vince Lombardi because we HAD to be back in the 60s if Fogerty was performing, right?!?!

The highlight of the pregame when they had former Presidents Bush and Clinton on the set, together, talking football.  It's just surreal anytime you see a President.  For some reason, I always stop what I am doing to listen in.  I especially love when they are no longer Presidents and you get to see a glimpse of their real lives.  Bush is great, although sadly he is starting to show his age.  Slick Willy is still a P.I.M.P..  That smile he always had on his face ... I could only imagine how hot the chick was that he had under the table workin' him.  Way to go Fox!  You did good on that one!

The Actual Pregame: What's the difference you ask?  Well, I consider the pregame show to be the telecast with studio analysts before the game that actually talks about the game and other stuff.  The actual pregame is the before the game stuff.  The player intros, national anthem, coin toss, etc.  This was very well done.  The only problem was their choice of musical selections.  Don't get me wrong, I am all for the devil going down to Georgia and shit, but I can do without Charlie Daniels performing with the Black Eyed Peas.  They could have picked a better pair of performers.

They also screwed the pooch with who they chose to introduce the teams.  They could have chose A LOT of people to intro the Pats.  There are tons of people from the Boston area.  Ben Affleck, I think would have been perfect.  Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, heck The Tonight Show heir apparent Conan O'Brian could have done a decent job.  For that matter, Survivor's Boston Rob Mariano has the accent down pact!  But who the hell is Michael Chiklas?  Does anyone really watch The Shield?  What channel is it on anyway?  Introducing Philly was much better with Will Smith.  Though I thought it kinda funny how as The Fresh Prince was intro-ing Philly in the Super Bowl, DJ Jazzy Jeff is doing sound bites on VH1's I Love The 80s.  What used to be "He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper" is now, "He's The Has-Been, I'm The Star".  Again, good choice, though I think perhaps Sly would have been better.  I mean c'mon ... who doesn't think about Rocky when thinking of Philly?  Especially with the Eagles being underdogs and all.  Stallone would have been a great fit for Philly.  Man, for some reason I am craving a cheese steak sandwich right now!  Is Texadelphia open this early?

The highlight, without a doubt, was the focus on the armed forces during the pregame.  It definitely touched me seeing the military choir sing the national anthem.  It was great seein' the military heroes being introduced before the game.  And again, seeing the two former Presidents being present was awesome.  Just seeing the former soldiers, thinking of what they went through ... it made me think of a lot of things.  I thought about my grandfather fighting in World War II.  I thought about what the US went through during the 60s & Vietnam.  I thought about my cousin in the first Gulf War.  And I thought about Austin and other friends in Iraq right now.  Then Fox cut to a shot of military bases in Afghanistan and Iraq, showing soldiers standing in salute watching the live satellite feeds of the pregame, watching the above mentioned former soldiers and former Presidents.  I couldn't help by stand up myself.  I was touched.  Way to go Fox!  Home run on that one!

The Game: I'll tell you when I knew the game was over.  It was actually before it even started!  During the pregame team introductions, the Eagles came out jumpin' and hollarin' and all that crap.  They were all bright-eyed and smiles.  All of them!  Yeah, great, you're excited ... we get it.  The thing was though, they were just walking to the sidelines!  Then they cut to the Patriots walking out.  Some of them were also the same way, but most of them were a little more subdued.  And then they show Tom Brady.  That boy is as cool as John Travolta.  He is as calm as Clint Eastwood in a western movie.  His face was all business!  He wasn't there to jump, jive, or wail.  Tom Brady was there for one reason, and one reason only.  He was there to win!  The more I see this dude, the more I like him.  Flat out, this man just has it.  When I saw that, the game was already over to me.  I knew no matter, the Pats were going to win so long as Brady doesn't get hurt.

Sure enough I was right.  The Eagles played well at first, but as the game wore on, their inexperience in the big game showed.  That Pats have just been there before, time and time again.  The whole game, it seemed like it was just a matter of time before the Patriots separated themselves for good.  Before the game, I called the Patriots to win by 10.  And with less than two minutes to go in the game, I was right on the money!  But then McNabb exposed the rookie free safety and hit Lewis for a great touchdown pass.  Too bad McNabb also had three interceptions!  In the end, a 24-21 win by the Pats is just as good as a blowout.

The commercials:  Overall, I thought they were okay, though not as good as previous years.  The first one was the best.  The sky-jumping Bud Light commercial was freakin' classic!  I died laughing when I saw the pilot go out the plane, sans parachute, after the beer!  That was so funny.  The Pepsi P. Diddy one was okay.  So were the other ones, though none really jumped out as much as the Bud Light one.

Halftime: I gotta admit, I was very surprised and impressed with Sir Paul McCartney.  I initially thought all the Janet backlash was so stupid.  Three years ago, the former Beatle didn't exactly rock my socks off.  But this time, I really think he did a great job.  The production, as a whole, was really well done.  Perhaps it was the fact that it was a good, close, tie game at the half that kept me in a great mood.  But Paul put on a good show, especially for someone his age.  It made me think about what it would have been like to see The Beatles in their heyday.

...So that's my Super Bowl wrap-up.  Overall, I give the entire broadcast a B.  Who really cares about the pregame show?  The actual pregame was superb, probably only surpassed by Super Bowl XXV's Whitney Houston national anthem and fighter jets in 1991.  The game itself was good, but not quite as good as last year or others.  The commercials made me yearn for the days off Michael Jordan's and Larry Bird's "through the window, over the rafters, off the scoreboard, nothing but net".  Halftime was better than I expected, but it wasn't as good as last year, Britney/*NSYNC/Nelly/Aerosmith in 2001, or especially Michael Jackson in 1993, still the best halftime show ever!  Thoughts, comments ... white me up!  -- Michael

02/06/05 (12:00 AM) -- Gone  [Music: "Gone" by *NSYNC  I  Mood: Mellow]

Super Bowl XXXIX !!!  NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles vs. AFC Champion New England Patriots at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, FL @ 5:30 PM on FOX!

02/05/05 (12:00 AM) -- Gone  [Music: "Gone" by *NSYNC  I  Mood: Mellow]

Gone.

02/04/05 (03:00 PM) -- Busy  [Music: "Carry On" by Pat Green  I  Mood: Busy]

Happy Birthday Jennifer Cole!

02/03/05 (02:30 AM) -- She Bangs!  [Music: "She Bangs" by William Hung  I  Mood: Tired]

Annnnnnd it's another late night for Mikey!  At least tonight I had fun though, and it wasn't spent on readin' or crap like that!  The day was spent bein' productive ... very productive.  I got like no sleep last night because I have been tryin' to get caught up on things, and also in part because I am being slightly proactive in case I head out this weekend.  So yeah, during the day things were gettin' done.  I talked with Larry late afternoon.  It was funny because I was tellin' him how I have been feelin' sick for like a week now.  I was so tired, but like not tired enough to sleep, you know what I mean?  Anyway, so I took a break and watched the shitty singers on American Idol since Lost was a repeat.  Man, some of those singers suck ass.  Y'all readin' this, do me a favor?  If y'all have a friend (there's ALWAYS someone) who is like constantly singin', and sometimes they either ask you what you think or they give you that look like expecting for you to give them positive feedback ... fuckin' tell them the damn truth!  All those idiots that go on that stupid-ass show, they actually think they can sing!  And why is that?  It's because their friends fuckin' lie to them because they probably don't want to hurt their damn feelings!  So please y'all, do America a favor and be straight up with your peeps.  There is only room form ONE William Hung!  ("She Bangs She Bangs!!"  Classic!)

After the show I started to respond to the mountains of e-mail I still have, while half-ass listening to 'ol G-Dub's state of the union address.  I swear sometimes it looks like a freakin' exercise class in there (sit, stand, sit, stand). I did that until Ryan called me and said her and her posse were gonna go out "just for a little while".  Considering it was a long day, I thought I could use the break.  So I worked on that stuff for about the next hour before I met them out.  It was a lot of fun actually.  Her, Jess, and I chilled while we shot the skinny and hung out.  Of course I should have known better.  I thought I would just go for a little while.  I ended up havin' a lot of fun, stayin' later than expected in the process!  The night just went it's own way and it was a blast.  I think I somehow committed myself to head to "Nawlins" this weekend too!  Haha, that will be spur of the moment.  Needless to say, here I sit thinking about the sleep I'll miss tonight.  I talked to McGuire on the tele when I got home, and that was my night.

I'm gonna end this bitch here though for a few reasons.  One, I smell like smoke (which I hate) because of that place so I gotta shower this stank off me.  And two, right now Chloe is literally laying half on my arms and half on my hands which are on the keyboard!  It's amazing I was able to type this much with her on me like this!  I'm glad I am a pretty efficient typist, and one that can do so without looking at the keys!  She's bein' a great pet, but I think she wants me to feed her.  Yeah, it must be because Fig is standin' by the bowl waitin' for some grub too!  So I'm gonna feed my baby girls and then scrub.  Talk to you mothertruckers later!  -- Michael

02/02/05 (04:15 PM) -- Busy  [Music: "Georgia On My Mind" by Ray Charles  I  Mood: Busy]

Happy Groundhog Day!  Six more weeks of winter ... supposedly!  -- Michael

02/01/05 (03:00 AM) -- Finally!  [Music: "Take Me Out (To The Dancehall)" by Pat Green  I  Mood: Tired]

I'm baaaaaaaack!  What's up my bitches?  How's everyone doin'?  Dude, it feels like it has been forever since I have written on the site.  I mean, I coded the site to auto-update during this past week, so at least y'all had a little somethin'.  But yeah, it's been over a week since I have actually been able to sit down and write.  It's late and I just finished talkin' with my friend Noelle.  It was good catchin' up with her.  So now that conversation is over for the night, and since I'm back from my break ... here goes the update...

This past week or so has been a great breath of fresh air.  It felt good to relax and take a break for a little while.  I also was able to visit a close friend during that time, so that was good.  Anyway, that is boring stuff that no one wants to hear about, so I'll get to more pressing information...

Announcements:  I have really been lacking in this recently.  My apologies to out to all the peeps.  Better late then never, though, right?  So yeah, I have a lot of congrats that are going out to y'all.  Let's see here, where should I start?  How about birthdays ... HBs go out to Tarah (Rogers) Durban, Carrie Frazier, Adrian Luna, Clinton Kennedy, Game Martineztz, Andres Fernandez, Amy (Foster) Allen, Aakash Gajjar, DeLana (Ethridge) Mullins, Manual Amparan, and Stephanie Tarske who all had birthdays recently.  Babies ... baby powdered congratulations go out to Mark & Kim (Besson) Lee, Robert & Janene (Rhodes) Holcomb, and Travis (Hunter's and Darren's older, smarter, wiser brother) & Stephanie Thompson.  Janene and Kim are both preggers and about to receive special bundles soon.  I think Holcomb should be any day now, while Markustz & Kimbo are a March timeframe.  Travis & his better half had a child during the beginning of the month.  And Weddings ... Congrats to Oscar Viveros and his wife, as well as Laura Hogan and her new hubby.  Both couples got married during the month of January.  Engagements ... Hunter Young and his gf got engaged recently.  Actually it was over the summer.  I've just been a little late to report.  Anyway, big congrats go out to them.

Gabe Rodriguez popped it to Jenny a few weeks ago and of course she said, well, "of couse".  It was cool because we all met up to be there for the question.  I see Hunter Thompson's ugly mug all the time.  I talk to Gabe well enough, and saw him recently also.  We all wish Big Jase might have been able to fly in, but the life of a resident keep him plenty busy.  OG was able to make it though, which was great.  We hadn't seen him in a few years, and believe it or not that weekend was the first time in about five fuckin' years that all four undergrad roommates were back in the same room again!  Crazy, I know!  But yeah, it was great to all get together, with Jenny and other friends from undergrad, and be there for Gabe's and her moment.  Hmm, did I miss anybody?  If I did, my apolos.

I do have one more though.  A very big congratulations go out to a friend who is gettin' ... yes ... divorced!  Haha, before y'all bastards go bitchin' at me for bein' distasteful-n- shit, here it out.  One of the divorcees actually told me to write that!  The person, because they are happy about it, told me they wanted me to write about them goin' through the big 'D' and I don't mean Dallas!  So there you go, I wished you a public congrats.  Even though they wanted me to use their name, I'm not 'cause I don't roll like that!  Haha, their soon to be former spouse is a motherfucker, so I am glad for them that they are separating.  They deserve better.  Anyway, all y'all curious cats don't bother writin' me askin' who the diddy is about, 'cause I ain't spillin'.  Even though my friend told me to write, and even told me to write names, I'm not because, as much as it probably isn't deserved, I'm going to respect the other party's privacy in the matter.  Big Mikey is such a nice guy ... all together now ... ready ... "awwwwww".

Photo Album:  I added the undergrad sections recently.  I'll be making updates as they become finished.  I'll hopefully have 2000 and 2001 up soon.  Thanks for sending in the pictures, and please continue to do so.  I'll do the best I can, time permitting, in terms of getting them up on the site.

Communication:  Yes, yes, I know ... I can sometimes be incommunicato.  It happens y'all.  I do appreciate the lines though.  I have an ass-load of e-mail to respond to.  I'll get on that and try to hit back everyone as soon as possible.  Quick is the way and patience is the word.   I promise, I'll write back to y'all, just give me a little bit of time.  And yes, my phone sucks ... I know!  I'll get to remedying the situation ... eventually.  In the meantime though ... deal!

Super Bowl:  I am SO pumped for next week.  Patriots all the way baby!  I totally hate the Eagles as a franchise.  In fact I hate Philadelphia as a city in general!  The town sucks, and the fans blow.  Donavan McNabb is okay at times, but the rest of the team sucks ass.  Terrell Owens needs a freakin' slap upside the head, Freddie Mitchell needs a mirror (did y'all see that stupid ass hat and bowtie he wore to the press conference?!?!), and Brian Dawkins needs Hooked On Phonics!  Seriously Brian, try it.  Who knows, you might even get an endorsement out of it "Duh, hookked on fonics workkzed for meee!".  Someone needs to keep that jackass away from on-camera interviews!  I like to Pats a lot.  Tom Brady is the real deal.  He just wins baby, Montana-esque.  He's gonna grab his third SB trophy and third MVP this weekend.  He's easily this generation's Joe.  Good luck boys!  Kick ass in Jacksonville!

Australian Open:  For y'all non-sports fans, that's a tennis grand slam tournament bitches!  This Aussie Open was one of the best tennis grand slams that I can remember!  All the second week matches were tremendous!  As always, I really wanted Andre Agassi to win it all, but he lost to Roger Federer in the quarters.  It was a great match, and Roger had to play out of his mind to beat Andre.  The shot making in that match was crazy!  Roger proved he is #1 in the world ... until the next round when his 26 match win streak was stopped by Marat Safin (who has a hot ass gf!  Props to ESPN for always keepin' a camera on that hot piece!) in the semis.  Oh please, stop with all the "Mike the Sexist"  nonsense.  I can call her a piece of ass if I want to.  I'll tell y'all what ... if they are still together at the 2007 Aussie Open, I'll apologize and take the comment back.  I have a feelin' she'll be discarded by then though!  Work it Marat!  Leyton Hewitt ended up coming out of the other half of the draw, gettin' through epic matches with David Nalbandian and Andy Roddick.  It would have been great to see Leyton, an Aussie, win the open in his home country, but it was for not.  He lost to Safin in four great sets.  The women were great too.  Serena Williams fought off match points to come back and win against Maria Sharapova, who's the new Anna Kournikova, though Maria has actually won tournaments!  Senera came back again in the finals against Lindsey Davenport.  I was kinda rootin' for The Big D, but Serena proved too strong.  All in all it was a great tourney ... probably the best since the '99 French when Agassi and his now wife Steffi Graf took home the hardware.

...So yeah, I guess that was a good attempt at gettin' up-to-date.  It's long enough at least, so it will have to do.  I'll write more tomorrow.  Don't know what the topics will be yet, but I'm sure you'll like it.  -- Michael