A Perfect Sunday Morning...

Watching "The Soup" with Mosh Goose over New England Coffee...

MMMMMMMMMMMMM...

80 Skillz

Stolen from The Garvey at Royal Toy Box... :

Here's a list of 80 things every man should know how to do. Let's see how I do (what I can do is bolded- ok, what I feel I think I should be able to potentially do if I have to is bolded).


Automotive
1. Handle a blowout
2. Drive in snow
3. Check trouble codes
4. Replace fan belt
5. Wax a car
6. Conquer an off-road obstacle
7. Use a stick welder
8. Hitch up a trailer
9. Jump start a car

Handling Emergencies
10. Perform the Heimlich
11. Reverse hypothermia
12. Perform hands-only CPR
13. Escape a sinking car

Home
14. Carve a turkey
15. Use a sewing machine
16. Put out a fire
17. Home brew beer
18. Remove bloodstains from fabric
19. Move heavy stuff
20. Grow food
21. Read an electric meter
22. Shovel the right way
23. Solder wire
24. Tape drywall
25. Split firewood
26. Replace a faucet washer
27. Mix concrete
28. Paint a straight line
29. Use a French knife
30. Prune bushes and small trees
31. Iron a shirt
32. Fix a toilet tank flapper
33. Change a single-pole switch
34. Fell a tree
35. Replace a broken windowpane
36. Set up a ladder, safely
37. Fix a faucet cartridge
38. Sweat copper tubing
39. Change a diaper
40. Grill with charcoal
41. Sew a button on a shirt
42. Fold a flag

Medical Myths
43. Treat frostbite
44. Treat a burn
45. Help a seizure victim
46. Treat a snakebite
47. Remove a tick

Military Know-How
48. Shine shoes
49. Make a drum-tight bed
50. Drop and give the perfect pushup

Outdoors
51. Run rapids in a canoe
52. Hang food in the wild
53. Skipper a boat
54. Shoot straight
55. Tackle steep drops on a mountain bike
56. Escape a rip current

Primitive Skills
57. Build a fire in the wilderness
58. Build a shelter
59. Find potable water

Surviving Extremes
60. Floods
61. Tornados
62. Cold
63. Heat
64. Lightning

Teach Your Kids
65. Cast a line
66. Lend a hand
67. Change a tire
68. Throw a spiral
69. Fly a stunt kite
70. Drive a stick shift
71. Parallel park
72. Tie a bowline
73. Tie a necktie
74. Whittle
75. Ride a bike

Technology
76. Install a graphics card
77. Take the perfect portrait
78. Calibrate HDTV settings
79. Shoot a home movie
80. Ditch your hard drive

49... not too shabby...

Johnny The Office Boy

My 2009 Oscar Predictions (So Far)

If God sent me a text saying, "The most important movie awards of the year are tomorrow and you decide them- ONLY based on the movies you have seen in 2008. Send me your nominations NOW" what would I do?

I would listen to him.

So, if I had to give out "The Best-Of-The-Movies-I-Have-Seen-In-2008-SO-FAR" Awards, here's who and what would be nominated (so far- there are 24 more days left- TONS of time for these to change!):


Best Movie
The Dark Knight
Wall-E
Tropic Thunder
Rachel Getting Married
The Visitor

Best Actor
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Christian Bale, The Dark Knight
Robert Downey, Jr., Iron Man
Josh Brolin, W.
Ben Stiller, Tropic Thunder

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Frances McDormand, Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City
Sallie Hawkins, Happy Go Lucky
Angelina Jolie, Wanted (this is kind of bottom of the barrel...)

Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder
Eddie Marsan, Happy Go Lucky
Richard Dreyfuss, W.
Ciaran Hinds, Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day

Best Supporting Actress
Vera Farmiga, The Boy In The Striped Pajamas
Amy Adams, Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
Cynthia Nixon, Sex And The City
Rosemarie Dewitt, Rachel Getting Married
Debra Winger, Rachel Getting Married


Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted)
Wall-E
Sex and The City
The Visitor
Tropic Thunder
The Dark Knight

Hopefully I'll be able to pull some double feature movie days in the weeks to come.

Warn Fuzzies...

My show closed today- the one I wrote, directed and choreographed, inspired by my father.

He gave me a hug, the first in years, today. "I'm proud of you."

It was sad and wonderful all at the same time.

He IS Sasha Fierce

Dear Katie:

I listened to the song (as you asked). I watched the Beyonce video (as you asked). BUT... I heard about this guy on Youtube and I had to share this with all the Beefy Cats out there, including you.

Shane Mercado on The Bonnie Hunt Show
Uploaded by TheDlisted

It is BRILLIANT. Shane Mercado- you're a talented little flitter!

A Facebook Experiment

Last week, I unfriended a person on Facebook and got an email.

"Hey there- why did you unfriend me? Aren't we friends anymore?"

Last time we spoke was in 1991, so I didn't really think we were friends anymore and I was doing some housekeeping with Facebook anyway. But this person really seemed to be upset by my lack of comraderie that I decided to friend him again, just for the hell of it.

A few weeks before that, a very good friend and professional colleague of mine got into a rather heated argument with me (we were both working on the same show). I went onto Facebook the next day to find out that I was "unfriended" by her. I emailed her:

"Did you really unfriend me on Facebook?"

Her reply: "Damn right I did."

Wow. Seriously, I mean, c'mon. It's Facebook, people. Did she really expect that to piss me off to the nth degree? I half heartedly expected her mom to call my mom and tell on me for calling her out in the middle of a meeting. Then what would have happened? Bedtime at 9:30. Oh, pooh.

But both of these incidents got me thinking. I logged on to my Facebook account and saw that I had 467 "friends". 467. Sweet mother of God. 467 people are my friends? I, I, I usually only talk to 6 people a day, but if Facebook says I have 467, then I must be pretty popular.

So, since my satellite dish is down because of the lake effect snow that is coming in as I type, I decided to do a little statistics on my Facebook "friends." How exactly do I determine who is really a "friend" and who really is just a person in my cyber life?

It's pretty simple, really. OK, in theory it's pretty simple, but in actuality it really isn't. I set up 2 types of data: In My Life and What I Consider. In My Life consisted of 3 subsets:

Everyday Life People (people whom I speak to or think about on a daily basis)
Sometimes in My Life People (people whom I sometimes talk to or think about- more irregularly than regularly)
Never in My Life People (self explanatory- these people are never in my life on a daily basis.)

What I Consider consisted of 5 subsets:
I Consider Family (those people whom I have strong connections with, either through long friendships or familial binds)
I Consider Friends (those people whom I hang out or whom I have shared details about my life with on a rather frequent basis)
I Consider Acquaintances (those people whom I know, but don't socialize with or speak to ona regular basis)
I Don't Ever Consider (those people who may have been in my life once, but aren't a facotr in it anymore)
I've Never Met (those people whom I have never met)

The results were astounding to me.

In My Life Results
Everyday Life People: 32
Sometimes in my Life People: 50
Never In My Life People: 385

385 people who aren't in my day to day life.

The next results were more astounding.

What I Consider results
I Consider Family: 17
I Consider Friends: 22
I Consider Acquaintances: 114
I Don't Ever Consider: 282
I've NEVER MET: 32

Now, I was hesitant to post these findings because many of you may be thinking "Jesus H., what a douchebag" or "Can't he hang out with one of his 22 friends or 114 acquaintances to keep his mind off of freakin' lame ass statistics?"

No, I'm not a douchebag. And no, I am in for the night. So there.

Seriously, though- haven't you ever looked at your Facebook and thought to yourself "how did this happen?". I am "friends" with a girl I made out with when I was 9. I am "friends" with people who used to make fun of me in high school. I am "friends" with a straight man whom I slept with in college.

Are these people my friends??? No.

But is it fun to see what my french kissing partner from 1982 is doing now?

Yup.

Is it fun to see that those who made fun of me in high school are now balding and chubby, running around with 3.86 kids, and I am praying to God that they teach them how NOT to bully others?

Yup.

Is it fun to see the straight guy still straight, even though he wears way-too-tight turtleneck sweaters and loves Liza Minnelli?

Yup.

Facebook is ingenious. Therefore, I will keep all of my "friends". Because even if I don't think of them on a daily basis, or talk to them monthly, or have never even met them, it's fun to see what their normalcy is compared to mine.

And I know- straight guys can like Liza Minnelli-while wearing a turtleneck sweater.

Oh- and if you decide to "unfriend" me because of this, that's fine. Just be upfront about it. And don't say "Damn right I did."

It's already been used on me. By a friend- or someone I considered a friend.

How Bored Am I?

I am watching Scrubs. Season 5.

Beefy Best Buy

Dear Santa, or Anyone:

All I want for Christmas are Best Buy gift cards. I want a new 42" LCD TV. Any and all denominations are welcome.

Lots of love and candy canes-

Michael

Bell's What?

Being sick meant staying in all day, except to go find Bell's Seasoning to make stuffing for a turkey that will never be made. My brother made the most kick ass stuffing (sorry Mom) on Thanksgiving, and I felt the need to attempt to recreate it today. Yesterday I went out and bought the celery, onion, white bread and Bob Evans sausage, but he said the secret ingredient was Bell's Poultry Seasoning. Could I find it yesterday? Um. no. Could I find it today- yes! But it was Bell's Lemon Pepper seasoning- so I went with McCormick's poultry seasoning instead.

Wrong move.

The smell of Thanksgiving was in my kitchen, but it was more of a Thanksgiving Lite feel because I didn't have the Bell's. Even after it was baked it *looked* like my brother's stuffing, but it definitely didn't have its flavor. But, for a first time attmepting to make it, I didn't do too bad. I will still eat it. I eventried to help it along by using my old standby seasoning- OLD BAY.

If you haven't tried Old Bay, do it. It makes everything taste better. Soups, chowders, chocolate- anything.

Mosh Goose brought over leftovers from his mom's Ohio Thanksgiving dinner. I have to admit- there was a sweet potato casserole that was pretty kick ass. Sweet, nutty, very dessert-esque. I'm so not about the sweet potatoes or yams, but this casserole was pretty rockin'.

If you have any Bell's seasoning left over and you want to send it to me, I'm all about charity. Muchas Gracias.

Ugh

I wonder why I get really sick the day after I see my brother's kids.

EVERY flippin' time.

Yuletide Bullseye

I love Target at Christmas. I went last night with Mosh Goose and today I went after my rehearsal. I got so much stuff that I needed, including:

- glittered snowflakes
- 2 MORE rolls of wrapping paper (up to 4 now)
- an Anakin Skywalker Modified Jedi Spaceship
- a baseball bat
- 4 robe boxes (even though I haven't bought a robe. Or 4.)
- kitty litter deodorizer (ok- that isn't too Christmas-y- but it does smell like pine!)

AND... the best of 'em all...



- Season 1 of Charmed (it was $8.98... SUE ME)

I'm still a bit hot for Alyssa Milano. Somehow I want to scream at her "WHO'S THE BOSS? WHO'S THE BOSS, BITCH?"

Digression complete.

2 years ago today...

This is what I posted. I still love it and it still inspires me.

I can't believe BCA started almost 2 1/2 years ago. Suh-weet Moses on a stick.

I, Like Rachel, Am An Addict

I am fully prepared to not be available for anything substantial in the next couple of months. I have warned Mosh Goose that I will be going to see as many movies as possible to prepare for The Oscars. I started months ago by being one of the only people in Buffalo to see Richard Jenkins' subtle yet amazing performance in The Visitor...


I have seen The Dark Knight (jumped on the bandwagon for a while, but I'm more interested to see if Robert Downey, Jr. will get the accolades he deserves for his performance in Tropic Thunder. I have also seen Rachel Getting Married, a strong contender for best movie, best actress (Anne Hathaway), best supporting actress (Rosemarie Dewitt and/or Debra Winger), best supporting actor (Bill Irwin), and dreamiest newcomer who has sex in a basement with an addict at her sister's rehearsal dinner (Mather Zickel).
This week I am preparing to see Synecdoche, NY and Australia . In the next few weeks comes Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
I have been playing Academy Idol over at The Oscar Igloo and have been stuying IMDB.com for all of the latest gossip, polls, interviews, everything.

Bottom line is I WILL be prepared this year to win the Oscar Pool. Take that, Doug.

OH! P.S.- I also saw The Boy In The Striped Pajamas. If you have seen it, let me know. I'd love to discuss it over getting some fillings at the dentist's office. I wonder what would be more numbing?

Where's the Nutshell?

I need to thank BCA readers Zacki and Kelly for lighting a fire under my fat ass to get Beefy Cat Angus up and running again. I have taken a long hiatus from this little piece of the blogosphere, and I feel it is time to get back to doing what I do best- writing about nothing and everything at the same time.

In a nutshell, here are the last 6 months of my life:

- I wrote a musical and it's currently running (check out Musicalfare's Website). We close December 7th. I even gave Special Thanks to Beefy Cat Angus in the playbill (as well as Zacki- he helped me with my set! I love talented bloggers!)

- I found a good man. 3 months now, going very strong. He's on TV here in the B-lo, so I won't give out his name. (but it sounds like Mosh Goose).

- Dad is ok. He's still truckin' along, and although Parkinson's has beat him down with a very large proverbial stick, he's still not out. Mom's medical tests all came back negative. Yay for parental units!

- living with Semi-Goth is fine, even though I cannot put up any Christmas decorations. Damn agnostics. (If I offend any readers by saying that, so be it. She's sold me on the "All Agnostics hate Christmas" deal. She is into black and skulls, however. Maybe I'll put up a black tree with Danzig ornaments...

- my photography took up a lot of time in the summer. I love it love it love it.







- Beefy Cat Angus is doing well, although I think he hates me. No, seriously. I think he does. Mosh Goose got him all these toys and Angus is all happy when he comes over. Mosh'll play with him. Give him treats. Me? I just sit and hope he doesn't claw my furniture. And I throw him off my bed at 3 in the morning. I guess he has reason to hate me.

Anyhoo, I'm back. I've said it once and I'll say it again. I'm in rehearsals for my next gig already, but I am sure I'll have tales to tell of mean cats, happy dancers and all around fierceness.

I've missed all of you.

High School Tony Awards

High School Tony Awards Honor Nation's Biggest Drama Club Nerds