Seth Gunderson

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April 30, 2005

THIS Is Newsworthy?

Those of you tired of seeing stupid-ass stories on national news, please, raise your hand. Right, looks like about all of you. The whole Terry Schiavo story, while sad, annoyed me because I didn't think it deserved all of the national attention it received. In general, I feel that the news is too negative. I don't watch local news because it's worse.

But this new story is just silly. Have you heard... of course you have, it's all over the damn news... the story about the bride-to-be that faked her own kidnapping? I feel so sorry for this gal (yes, I said gal, I say that word). First off she gets cold feet before she's even married. SUCK! Then, she freaks and decides to run. STUPID! To make things worse, she calls the cops in hysterics, saying she's been kidnapped! INSANE!!! Poor girl, it was only a matter of time before the cops figured it out.

So now, the story has been solved. She wasn't kinapped. She's safe. All that happened was that she got cold feet and freaked out. I don't know any statistics about this, but I'm willing to bet this (getting cold feet) happens quite often. Everyone rejoice, she's okay!!!

Not so fast, says the national news. We need to make a mockery of this lady. We need to humiliate her further. We need to talk about her on television and publish main story blocks about her on CNN.com. WE NEED AMERICA TO KNOW THAT THIS CRAP CANNOT CONTINUE TO HAPPEN!

Damn straight! Or... how about you leave her alone. Don't you think she already feels stupid enough? First off she LEFT HER FIANCE! Then, she lied... and was caught! That's enough to put people in a terrible state. Let it go.

Let's report on more newsworthy stuff, please. Like, why Bush decided to pre-empt Joey on the first night of sweeps. Jerk. Better yet, how about a kitty in a tree? Or how about a banana-hammock ban being lifted? Not THAT'S newsworthy.

Posted by Seth at 05:35 PM | Comments (1)

Some of You Will Be Pleased

At the urging of some of my good friends, I've decided to create a NEW BLOG DEDICATED TO 24's LOUSYNESS!!! That's right, no more posts here about 24. Or how much the plot sucks. Or how much the acting sucks. Or how much the writing sucks. Yep, no more. Not here. Not again.

You're welcome.

Posted by Seth at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)

April 28, 2005

That Wacky Vader!

Something you don't know: I love Star Wars. What? You DID know that? Crap. Hmmmm. Ah, yes, something you don't know: I wish I were a Star Wars character. You knew THAT, too? Shit. But did you know that I have a soccer jersey with the number 69!?! Right. You do know that.

Here's something you may not know, and if you like Star Wars as much as I do, or even half as much... hell, a tenth as much... then there's a good chance you'll find this hilarious.

Since you're reading my blog, I'm betting that you don't mind the idea of blogs in general. And if you like Star Wars, then you're in even more luck. I present to you Darth Vader's blog. Enjoy.

Posted by Seth at 09:53 PM | Comments (0)

April 24, 2005

How To NOT Joke With New Friends

Two weeks ago when finishing up soccer practice, the team leader (manager, boss, whatever) mentioned that they were going to get jerseys for everyone and asked if anyone wanted a specific number above 20. Not remembering that hardly anyone on this team knew who I was (Aaron and Justin were not present), I quickly blurted out the following quote:

"I don't know about ya'll, but I want 69! Right guys!?! Right!?!"

I'll make sure they know me and my sense of humor next time.

Originally uploaded by barkertron.

Posted by Seth at 07:26 PM | Comments (2)

April 23, 2005

Four-Month Check-Up

I can't really believe it, but it has now been four-plus months since I left VML to work at SHS... and the popular question for everyone to ask me is "how do you like the job?" I sometimes go into great detail about why I'm loving it so much (with my arms flailing – I use my arms too much, I'm working on that) and other times I may give a two word answer.

The Two Word Answer:
It's awesome.

The Longer Drawn-Out Answer, With Arms Flailing:
Before I had even talked to anyone at SHS, I knew that it was a different place. Aside from that, and some of the work I had seen from them, I didn't know much more about them. My assertion was right on. SHS and VML, while in the same industry and same city, are very nearly world's apart. I liken SHS to what VML might have been about eight years ago (VML was already going through some major changes by the time I arrived). SHS is a smaller environment and everyone knows everybody. At any random moment one could hear burps, guitars or Nick Drake coming from somewhere in the office.

The pace is very different, too. SHS is a much more relaxed atmosphere. That's not to say that there aren't tense moments, but on the whole (Preparation H feels good) it's much more sane. I can actually think about the work I'm doing. Instead of reacting, I plan. Very different.

But the main difference is the work that I'm actually doing. I'm not just coding sites anymore (which I still love). I've done flash pieces, banners, usability studies, and have had many interactions with clients. Not only that, but I've also proposed several big ideas to clients about some interesting, and different, branding opportunities – I'm an interactive guy, remember, but they love it when different perspectives are given.

So, yes... I'm loving it. It's awesome. And it's a place that I could see myself being at for a long time.

Posted by Seth at 07:54 PM | Comments (0)

American Copywriter: The Blog

The continued success of American Copywriter: The Podcast, has now given birth to American Copywriter: The Blog. This will be a site where we discuss more American Copywriter things in depth (well, maybe not in depth), but it definitely allows more interaction with all of those involved in the show. So, please, go check it out and let me know what you think. Also, pay close attention during next week's podcast, someone you know might be in the show.

Posted by Seth at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)

April 19, 2005

I Wasn't Even Finniched

This weekend I had the chance to enjoy a meal from Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits. Before the meal, I was excited – I just LOVE Popeye's spicy chicken, red beans & rice and their biscuits... man, oh man. Unfortunately, after the meal, I was left a very broken man. I wasn't even entirely done with my meal before my gallbladder-less body decided to give up on the greasy food. Damn quitter.

So, I guess I'm gonna have to add it to the Crappy Pleasures List:

• Popeye's Chicken (must be the batter and vat of grease it's cooked in)
• Qdoba (I'm thinking it's either the meat marinade or cheese)
• McCoy's Public House Macaroni and Cheese (definitely worth the pain)
• Cashews???
• Pilsbury^® Toaster Strudel™ Frozen Pastries

I'm sure there's many more, I'll keep you all informed.

Posted by Seth at 03:26 PM | Comments (6)

April 15, 2005

A Sad Day, With A Twist

This morning I received a phone call from Wendy. It was a phone call we both knew was coming, yet never wanted to receive. After several seconds of her choking back words, she informed me that her grandfather had passed away – I never heard whether it was last night or early this morning.

So that makes today have a sad tint to it. Harold Boetzel was a very kind man with a very wonderful and dry sense of humor. I didn't know him in his better years, but the time that I did spend with him, I grew to love him very quickly... even though he called me "Fess" for a period of time. I will miss him greatly and his family will miss him even more. But it's a blessing to have known such a wonderful man – a man who kept impeccable records of bills and everything he bought, a man who moved his wife here from Wisconsin after operating a hardware store during the depression and a man so hard-headed that he out-lived the dog that was supposed to out-live him.

I love you Harold and I'll miss you very much.

The twist...

My good friend, Brett, and his wife, Maya, gave birth to their second child yesterday. Now Emory has a brand new sister and I'm sure they're very excited and happy. I would tell you the name and vitals of the child, but I don't know them yet. I suggested the name "Frankie-B," but I don't think they chose that.

Congratulations Hammond family, I can't wait to meet the new princess.

Posted by Seth at 03:14 PM | Comments (1)

April 14, 2005

Not Hot Hot Hot

Appalachian State University, in Boone, North Carolina, must have a very hard time recruiting perspective students to walk through their door. If that statement was true for the past, I guarantee that it's not the case anymore!

I present to you the Appalachian State University recruiting video!

Building our hopes
upon a great tradition
speaking the language
of a brave new year.

What in the hell does "speaking the language of a brave new year" mean!?!

Posted by Seth at 08:35 AM | Comments (2)

April 13, 2005

Robin Hood Ain't Never Been Crunked

The music genres Hip-Hop (or Hippity-Hoppity) and Soul need some help. They're not in any trouble financially, nor are they in trouble of losing listeners. While some artists are consistently creative and others are one-hit wonders, neither of these are problems that I'm referring to. The trouble is brewing from the producing world, specifically from one man – that happens to have more than $30,000 worth of gold in his mouth.

The man I'm talking about is Lil John, formerly (or is he still?) a part of Lil John and the East Side Boyz. Before you say you've never heard of him, I dare say that you have actually HEARD him in a rap song. Or two. Or 14. How would you know that you've heard him? Simple... ever listened to a recent rap song that has some dude yelling the words "What!", "Yeeeeah!", "O-kaaaay!" or "Lil Jooooohn!" – not to be confused with the yelling that DMX does. Lil John's yells are unmistakable and it's in about 90% of the songs out there right now.

The reason is because he's one of the industry's top producers (the guys that come up with the snappy tracks in the backgrounds of songs). He's no where close to being as good as Dr. Dre (Detox will drop in 2005, finally!), in my opinion, but being such a powerful and popular producer allows you to jump in any song and add your own flare to it. In the case of Lil John, it's to yell stupid words in a stupid way... but fans must not be able to get enough of it, hence the influx of Lil John screaming everywhere. Interested? Not surprisingly, you can even get Lil John ringtones.

Dude's a total freak. We saw some show about him while on our snowboard trip and the guy is a nut. Anyone that spends that much money on jewelry for your mouth, neck or fingers... well... I don't know... HE'S A FREAK!

I really think he doesn't add anything to the music he produces with his yelling and it makes me wonder what Boyz II Men (when did they lose a member?) and Run-DMC would've sounded like back in the day had they used him. Ew.

Want to have some fun? Play with the Lil John Soundboard!

Posted by Seth at 06:59 PM | Comments (1)

April 11, 2005

It's Getting Worse

Why do I keep torturing myself like this? I now have the computer on my lap as I watch the episodes, pausing the show to jot down all of my thoughts. I show no mercy and I'm picking at it to death. I'm sure you can do this with a lot of shows on television, but I choose this one because it has so much potential on being cool and fun... and fails. I'm not sure if I liked last week's numbered entry, so I'm gonna do it like I had previously:

• Air Force One Is Wacky!
  "This is Air Force One... we are declaring an emergency." What you didn't know is no Government agency in the United States can do anything regarding Air Force One until an "emergency" is declared... I guess. Alright CTU, you heard the plane, now figure out something ingenious on how to save it.
  
  "Why did the signal fade? Why did we lose contact?" I'm not entirely certain, maybe BECAUSE THEY'RE CRASHING! And for the record, I'm pretty sure that simply changing the frequency isn't going to help regain contact. Whoops, I was wrong! I guess it's kinda like those portable phones you had in the house... the ones were you could change the "channel" you were talking on... did that ever work for anyone?
• Hide, The Satellites Are Watching!
  
  Within 5 seconds of Air Force One going down, Audrey walks into the room and says that she has satellite photos from DOD of scattered ground flashes. In case anyone was wondering... yes, the DOD has real-time satellite imaging. It doesn't seem fair that CTU had to watch their Atari Satellite Radar screen when those two agencies are working so closely on this day.
• The Winner Is...
  
  Doing his best Bush-during-the-September-11th-attacks impersonation, the award for Doing Absolutely Nothing in a Major Crisis goes to the Vice President! Please sir, accept this award with the promise that you will continue doing nothing for this country when its President could possibly be dead. There is such a thing as a temporary swearing in... I saw it on The West Wing! And yes, It's official, the VP is a wuss. I think he crapped his pants when he was told that he had to invoke the Twenty-Fifth Amendment and take over. That's leadership folks! He wouldn't listen to his friend of 15 years (Muppet Man – doesn't he look like the Bald Eagle dude from The Muppet Show?), but now that it's confirmed that the Pres is in bad shape, he'll go change his diaper and get sworn in. One more thing, yes, Muppet Man did stuff without your permission... since you were so busy STANDING AROUND IN YOUR OFFICE DOING NOTHING.
• All The King's Horses
  
  The DOD's "Top Priority" is to get the football back. So, Edgar readied the "team" and they promptly took off. The "team" flies all the way to the power facility and are ready to encounter the terrorists. It's the four bad guys versus the two, yes TWO, CTU agents. Now THAT's a team! I don't even think doubles tennis people are called teams, merely pairs. Anyway, go kick some butt guys and then answer this: why didn't you blow up the Jeeps when you arrived at the power plant? That way, the terrorists can't escape in the only other mode of transportation!
• From Jason To Kelly
  
  Kelly is one HEAVY sleeper! She slept through a large plane crashing no more than 50 yards from their tent. Jason, on the other hand, woke up to what he thought was an explosion... but wasn't sure what he heard. It didn't seem to bother him too much, he was ready to go "make a baby." I know that some people can sleep through a lot of noise, but a PLANE crash? But, to back them up, the plane debris wasn't too scattered... I guess that "24" defers to "Lost" on how to make a plane crash look really good.
  
  
  When, oh when, will we get reception as good as the government gets? The CIA, or Secret Service, agents had ZERO problems talking to Jack just minutes after the crash, but Kelly's cell phone barely gets a signal? That signal never cut out during the rest of the episode... and that could've an interesting twist. Way to take advantage, writers!
  
  
  The entire conversation between Jason and Jack... lame. They're inserting dialogue to show how smart they are... educating the viewers, so to speak. So, Jason HAS to remove the transponder... it's a good thing he brought the compass with them to check out the plane crash. Wait, he had a compass but not a knife? Take his Totem Chip away!

Random Bits

• Whoa... wait! That's it? The Stealth Fighter was spotted and shot down? That quickly!?! Talk about not renewing someone's contract or wanting to pay some extra royalties. This was a MAJOR storyline!
• Good lord, Michelle. I think this is the fourth episode in a row where you tell everyone to re-focus their efforts on finding Marwan. I think everyone, including people who don't watch the damn show, know that by now.
• The rescue teams are finally inside Air Force One, which looks to be a hollowed hull of a plane – there are papers scattered everywhere and hardly anything else... except bodies. It's no wonder that so many people are dead, there were no seats for them to sit in!
• "Its got a funny name. I read this article once. It's got our nuclear codes." Good writing, or bad acting? I suspect both.
• Was Jack was really going to put Audrey on call-waiting?
• How far away is LA from this crash site? Marwan made the trip in less than an hour and Jack is flying via helicopter in less than 30 minutes... is this right or are we in time-warp land again?
• The power station is un-manned and Jack said to turn off their flashlights – to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Good thing all of the lights are on.
• How long does it take you guys to turn on your cell phone? It takes me about 15 seconds... that's when the battery is in. Jason managed to insert his battery, turn the cell phone on AND make a phone call in seconds. Also... reception in the desert sucked, but inside a large concrete power facility... it's perfect. Remember that.
• Jack kicked the gun away from the dead guy this time. What's wrong Jack, can't handle being shot at from a dead guy twice in the same long ass day?
• "There are thousands of warheads, it'll take an hour to clear the slate." No problem, Air Force One crashed one hour ago so you should be about done... right? Or are you meaning an hour from NOW, which would give the terrorists (aka Marwan, since everyone that tries to help him dies) an entire episode to get a warhead next week?

So, this isn't quite in the same vein as "Super Size Me" or "The Pepsi Spice Project," but damn...

Posted by Seth at 11:52 PM | Comments (0)

April 08, 2005

Coupons.wrong

Does anyone read the newspaper anymore? I wouldn't be completely surprised if anyone reading this said "no Seth, I don't." That's not the point I want to make. How about this... does anyone read the Sunday edition of the newspaper anymore? I do, every week. I have a subscription to the Kansas City Star and I receive the Friday, Saturday and Sunday editions of the paper. The Friday and Saturday papers go right into the recycling bag, sorry boys, but the Sunday paper is read almost every week... in this order:

1. First section
2. KC Metro
3. Sports
4. Arts/Entertainment
5. Best Buy/Ultimate Electronics/Circuit City flyer
6. Moneywise
7. Parade
8. Target flyer
9. Comics
10. Coupons

I'm not sure what's more strange – the fact that I know what order I read the paper in, or the fact that I wait until the end to browse the coupons. I'll make it even more weird... ready? I actually get excited to look through the coupons! Yeah, I = freak.

It's not quite the same excitement that I get when I know I have mail (again, weird), but I love going grocery shopping at Hen House and watching the little monitor that keeps a running tab of how much I've saved (by purchasing items on sale or using coupons). I usually average around $10 a shopping trip, which in my book is a success. Saving money when buying food just because I took time to clip a little piece of paper out of the newspaper... that's worth the time, in my opinion.

What's not worth my time is writing about coupon statistics... I'll let you read about that on your own time. What IS worth my time is telling you about something that I encountered today when working on a Captain D's project.

I was creating small icons for a new local marketing materials web site we're creating, and the need for a coupon-ish looking icon came about. So, I headed on over to coupons.com to see if I could find an example of a coupon icon. The first thing my eyes were drawn to was the RSS image on the site. [Editor's note: for those of you who know me, I'm a BIG fan of RSS – it really will change the way you browse. For those of you who don't know, read this.]

Whoa! You mean I can subscribe to this RSS feed and receive coupons via my RSS aggregator!?! That's a freakin' deal! It took me about ten seconds to copy that URL and subscribe to it... sure enough I received about 30 entries with titles like: "Save $0.75 off Nestle Coffee-mate" and "Save $1.00 when you buy JUICY JUICE." Hell yeah! I was so impressed that I nearly didn't click on any of the offers.

I'm glad I did.

This thing is crap. A hoax. A sham. B. S.

Want to save $0.75 on Dannon yogurt? Here's your "coupon." Want to save $0.75 on Coffee-mate? Here's your "coupon."

To get most of the coupons, you have to sign up for some email thing on their web site. Other times, you have to install a "small" program to get your coupon. How's that? I can buy a newspaper for $1.50 and have access to $140 worth of coupons, but to get one off of the internet, I have to sign up for some spam? You're not foolin' me.

Posted by Seth at 10:40 PM | Comments (11)

TTTT (Two Times The 24)

Last night, I caught up on the last two weeks of "24." Shoosh! Let me tell you what... nah, let me show you what (in chronological order):

1. They're pulling all their resources to find Marwan, thanks for the leadership Michelle... but wasn't everyone ALREADY LOOKING FOR MARWAN?
2. "I got onto the base and through two layers of security using the pilot's id...," this was explained for anyone who doubted that he could just waltz in to a military base. No one talks like this... Marwan doesn't care how dude got in because he was the one who planned it.
3. So, let me get this straight... the only actor on this show that was worthwhile (the guy attempting to fix the plane) gets shot? Man!
4. "I don't want Audrey interfering." Hmmm... she's been "interfering" all day.
5. "Who was in charge of this operation?" Who in the hell do you think Audrey? Chloe... no, too bitchy. Edgar... no, too nerdy. Tony... no, he's a drunk. Who's left? Oh, that's right! The DIRECTOR OF CTU!!!
6. Someone on this writing staff has Bond-syndrome... just kill Jack already. Marwan, you've done your homework on him, right? He single-handedly prevented three other seasons of "24" from going badly. Get rid of him, then it can be YOUR show!
7. Remember that time-warp land that CTU resides in? You know, the city where you can drive across town or show up to work in 5 minutes? Well, a kidnapped-Jack must not be in that city anymore... when we left him at commercial, he was trying to reach something but was being stopped by the length of his handcuffs, when we returned, he was still trying to reach it... shouldn't he be out of his cuffs, killed all the bad guys and back at CTU in Audrey's confused arms by now?
8. The dead pilot's family has been reported missing and the news isn't hitting the newswire for another 15 minutes. THEN THE CRAP HITS THE FAN! Wait, how exactly is this news (Chloe asked the same thing)? People go missing for days and things aren't filed. Think about this though, what if they were found dead? If so, the terrorists don't need to worry, because it's flagged as an important notice and it'll go out sometime soon (15 minutes) to all of the local authorities and CTU. They're just proofreading it to make sure all the grammar and spelling are correct.
9. Plot-hole! Marwan wants Behrooz in exchange for Jack... it's a damn good thing Behrooz escaped his killing in the mountains earlier, or there'd be a lot more dead terrorists now.
10. Chloe confirmed that it indeed WAS Marwan on the phone call. Cool. She confirmed it by getting some audio recordings from McClendon-Forrester. I'm glad they're cooperating now. Whoa! Wait! Didn't all of their electronic stuff essentially evaporate when the EMP bomb went off!?! No biggie, I bet they sent over some cassette tapes for her to check.
11. For some reason, Audrey seems a bit more tan this week... what is it with me and tans???
12. Why do the writers insist on showing us that American Counter-Terrorist Units LOVE to interrogate people by torture? Are we THAT mean of a country?
13. Over the four seasons, I've never seen them worry about "the hourly's" coming into CTU. Nor have I seen the connectivity these people have with their computers – "just patch me through..." – what the hell? These people are geniuses. Also, Meg... is it? Yes, we know how busy you are down there, but we're having a party up here, can you please take on more work while I do a keg stand? You're a peach.
14. Remember the guy that checked out the plane and said they'd have to order a part? Yeah, the same guy that said "I'm about to go and tell the crew chief now..." Well, he must've told the chief from the afterlife, because I'm pretty sure he was shot. And killed. Dead.
15. One minute Audrey's pissed and doesn't want to think about Jack because Paul is still in surgery... the next she's badgering Tony about the Jack/Behrooz trade off... women.
16. THEY DID AN MRI ON BEHROOZ WHEN HE WAS BROUGHT IN!?! I had an MRI done on the middle of my back the other day – it took them 45 minutes to do just my back. A full body scan probably would've taken 5 episodes. Should I even question if they actually have an MRI machine in the building there? Silly me, of course they do! It's right next to the dry cleaners and cotton candy machine.
17. Whoa! Jack just kicked one of my terrorist friends to the ground... I'll show him, I'll run right at him a... KICK... ouch... damn, he's good.
18. Ray mentioned this to me the other day... remember the information Edgar made Meg look at because he was too busy? Well, apparently she can't zoom the information back to other computers... no, she has to burn the stuff to a disc and then hand-deliver it to Edgar. He tells her to put it down on his desk. Yes. Right there on all of the other colored CDs, now it's sure to get lost... well done! Now no one will know, or care, about the family that's been missing for two hours. Someone, anyone, the next time I'm in a meeting for more than two hours, please alert the authorities... I'm sure the meeting isn't that interesting.
19. "Audrey, any word on Paul?" "We still don't know yet." What do you mean you don't know yet, just 4 seconds ago the nurse said he'd be out of surgery within the next hour... that's SOMETHING!
20. Is it odd that America doesn't negotiate with terrorists, yet CTU does?
21. Marwan's called three times now, each time reaching Edgar. If I were Marwan (notice I didn't say, "If I were a terrorist"), I wouldn't call Edgar anymore, I'd call Michelle directly. If I were a geeky tech guy (notice I didn't say, "If I were Edgar"), I'd leave the bastard on hold so we could track him.
22. "How are you transporting Behrooz." "In one of our tactical vehicles." [insert edited footage] "What the hell is a tactical vehicle?" "It's an SUV." "Why didn't you just say by SUV or even by car?" "Because tactical vehicle sounds cooler." "Seems like more work, but you're right, I was impressed."
23. Is that really Marwan's cell-phone ringer? I figured he'd have the Donkey Kong theme on there or something a little more sinister. Maybe the cheap faked sound of an electronic grenade? The crazy frog?
24. Yeah, the CD will get misplaced... WE GET IT!
25. Nice try with the obvious stock footage of the stealth plane.
26. Jack, stop with the personal phone calls... if time is of the essence, then make sure you remember that YOU HAVE A TERRORIST TO CATCH!
27. "Where's the hard drive?" "Yeeeeeeaaaaahhhhh... I'm kinda busy flying a stealth bomber right now... I'm gonna have to get baaack to you on that one. Okay?"
28. The terrorists are using last-ditch efforts to delete stuff from the hard drives! Ooo! Ooo! Make sure you empty the Recycle Bin before you're shot!
29. Watching Jack kill bad guys is still cool! Even if the footage is juxtaposed by the gun-shot sensing satellite (remember, the one that doesn't see fire, or explosions, or body heat...).
30. That explosion made NO sense. When things explode they create an energy wave that extends outward from the blast origin (think atomic bomb and mushroom cloud). Yet, when the things in this room exploded, they made the windows shatter INSIDE the room... must be one of those new black hole bombs.
31. "You can't stop it," says the dying terrorist. "Stop what," yells Jack!?! Do you really think he's going to tell you now? No! He's gonna let it hang over your head that he knows something you don't know for the last 7 seconds of his life... and by the way, that's a hell of a bull riding time, if you didn't know.
32. Would you trust a doctor with bad hair and a ringer-tee underneath his scrubs? Me either? And did anyone else want Audrey to karate-chop Paul's legs, just to make sure he wasn't paralyzed?
33. "How did you that (letting Marwan escape) happen?" Dude's an extremely resourceful terrorist, how do YOU think he escaped? WHOA! Did that guy just put the moves on Michelle!?! Yes, he did, and the love triangle just keeps on growing, unlike my interest in this show.
34. Go right on in Ms. FBI Agent that looks like Jack's old wife! First, just enter the terrorist's unlocked house. Second, make sure the entry way is secure. Third, get cell phone out to ca... FOURTH, GET SHOT!!! Bueno! Just like when you failed the scenario at the academy. And this is why you don't have a permanent cast spot.
35. I'm sure Americans will rest easier knowing an 18 year-old helped the President of the United States of America figure out what he was going to say in his address to the nation. Why not lower the minimum age to be President to 16? Hell, we're driving by then... we can run the damn country!
36. Jack can overhear the fake agent talking on her cell phone, but doesn't hear his guy find the external hard drive? And again with the genius stuff about computer knowledge! I just tried that "locking/unlocking" trick with my external hard drive... no go.
37. Anyone think Jack tried out the Stealth Fighter flight simulator program? I would've!
38. I like the stealth fighter story line... except the glaring mistake that the President said he had four fighter planes and the radar showed five. That's some goo-ood writing!

When does Palmer come back!?!

Posted by Seth at 07:18 AM | Comments (6)

April 07, 2005

Screaming Pink

This is becoming absurd. The pink jersey story has been covered nationally – it's been on SI, ESPN, major newspapers on the East and West coasts and even good ol' Rush Limbaugh weighed in on it (the same guy who said that Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed – how did that work out for you, Rush?). Give it a rest!

It's a freakin' pink jersey! It deals with sports! STOP BEING IDIOTS!!!

In today's Northwest Arkansas Times, there's an article that says the controversy won't go away for Nutt. This time, I think things have kinda backfired on those who made a fuss...

Wednesday, Nutt said he received calls from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation that they had not been offended by the pink jerseys and that now in Nutt

Posted by Seth at 09:42 AM | Comments (1)

April 06, 2005

Pinky and the Lame

Has something ever happened that offended you? Probably so. Has something ever happened and you were so offeneded that you mentioned it to someone? Eh... maybe. But has something ever happened, and it made you and your organization so upset, that you made phone calls to the people in charge and said they were being insensitive?

That's what happened this week when the new head defensive coach at the University of Arkansas made the decision to make loafing defensive players where pink jerseys to make them stand out. No one wants to be pointed at in football practice and examples needed to be made. But for heaven's sake guys... now you've got the breast cancer community upset. Didn't you know that they have the color pink copyrighted and trademarked?

Wait... WHAT!?! They're upset that you're WEARING PINK??? This is a joke, right?

Please understand that I'm not trying to offend:

• Anyone diagnosed with breast cancer
• Anyone who has survived breast cancer
• Anyone that has lost someone to breast cancer
• Anyone that is suffering along with a breast cancer victim
• Anyone associated with Komen or Race for the Cure
• Anyone that is aware of breast cancer and donates to help find a cure (myself included)
• Anyone who makes pink ribbons

Basically, I'm not trying to offend anyone that is anyone when I ask, "Since when did wearing pink automatically mean that we're offending breast cancer survivors?"

Coach Nutt and his staff have already made the decision to switch to a different color, which is nice. But I implore them to NOT choose the following colors:

• Yellow – First off, yellow means "cowardly," that would just be plain silly... and secondly, we don't want to offend people supporting our troops (also, please don't make them wear LIVESTRONG bracelets, you don't want MORE cancer awareness people on your backs)
• Red – This is usually a color of anger and we don't want to make the already-pissed off players more upset, nor do we want to offend AIDS awareness folk
• Blue – We don't want sad football players and then there's colon cancer awareness, a definite no-no
• Green – Enviousness aaaaaaaand the Irish, 'nuff said
• Polkadots – We don't want to offend horse jockeys OR previous Best Climbers
• Forget this... just take a look at this list
• Or better yet, this list

Sorry Coach, looks like your players are going to be shirtless during practice, and that could be more humiliating than any color they could wear.

And if breast cancer survivors are pissed about football jerseys, I'd hate to see what they had to say about this and this. And just WHAT is the target on the chest supposed to insinuate? Tasteless.

Posted by Seth at 02:45 PM | Comments (4)

April 04, 2005

Hitch Off

Man, am I still super exhausted! I got back into Kansas City yesterday afternoon and have been dragging (not the dressing-up-as-a-girl dragging, the kind where you're very tired) ever since. This three-day weekend in Fayetteville for Aaron and Bev's wedding was just crazy fun. Of course, any time I get to see the boys and all of my other friends in Fayetteville, it's always a fun time.

The rehearsal was fun, the rehearsal dinner was fun and the reception was fun too – I guess any time you write "Doo Doo," "Whooo Pig Sooie," and someone draws a wiener on the windshields... you're bound to have a good time.

Yes, much fun was had. But the story that takes the cake, in my opinion, deals with the wedding photos that were taken before the ceremony.

After arriving at the church and getting dressed, we made our way to the chapel. On the way there, we noticed name tags and sharpies everywhere. Instinctively, we made name tags for each of the Groomsmen. As the time grew near for us to head to the front of the church for pictures, we were ready for our boutonnieres. Aaron's mom was putting Todd's boutonniere on and Bev's mom was putting Trip's boutonniere on...

Trip: Why do we have to wear these?

Seth: Yeah, why do we have name tags on?

Bev's mom: Where did you get those?

Todd: She said we had to wear them.

Aaron's mom: Who said that?

Seth: Bev did. She told us to put them on.

Bev's mom: My Bev?

Todd: Yeah, she said to put them on.

Aaron's mom: Noooo.

Bev's mom: Huh-uh, she didn't say that.

Aaron's mom: No. Name tags.

Bev's mom: Sorry boys. *ripping off the name tags* No name tags.

Todd walks two steps away, turns to me and says...

Todd: Good thing I've... *pulling something out of his pocket* ...a back-up name tag.

I lost it. I laughed a lot this weekend, but that one was the hardest I laughed. Man, that was fun!

Posted by Seth at 10:09 PM | Comments (1)