Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It's a time for eating, family and giving thanks. It seems to me however, that giving thanks often takes a back seat to a great meal or family or football. This got me to wondering, why is that?

Well, here's what I believe. I believe we have been undereducated when it comes to what Thanksgiving is really about. When the Pilgrims came over, they had a difficult winter and many people died. But, the Native Americans were kind to them by teaching them to grow corn and hunt the native animals, among other things. Once they pilgrims had these abilities, they could survive, so they had a giant feast with the Native Americans to give thanks. But, Who were they thanking? The public school system would have us believe that the Pilgrims were thanking the Native Americans, and that's it. No doubt, the Pilgrims were thanking the Native Americans, but they were also thanking God. For they believed it was God who brought them to the new world. It was God working through the Native Americans teaching them how to survive. And now, they were thanking God for their blessings.

I believe this lack of education is why going to church on Thanksgiving is not a regular event like it is on Christmas and Easter. When I was growing up, we didn't go to church on Thanksgiving. I don't blame anyone for that, it's not expected. However, our family started the tradition of going to Mass on Thanksgiving 5 or 6 years ago. Now it feels wrong not to go. Going to Mass on Thanksgiving really puts me in a mindset to thank God for all the good, and sometimes bad, things that are in my life. It's a good thing, and I wish more people would make it practice to spend an hour with God on Thanksgiving, because it is from Him that all things come.

With that in mind, this Thanksgiving, I thank God for my wonderful wife, my 2 great kids, my parents, my in-laws and the rest of my family and friends. I'm thankful for my dog, my health, and that I have a warm place to live and food to eat. I'm thankful for the opportunities I've been given to grow in my faith this year. I'm thankful that I get to play golf. I'm thankful that I live in the greatest country on earth. But most of all, I'm thankful that I am a child of God!

Movie Review: Batman: Gotham Knight

Confirming my nerd-dom, I got this from Netflix and watched it the same day. "Batman: Gotham Knight" is a set of 6 short animated films. Each animated film is done in a unique style, but all 6 form a continuous series.

If you are a Batman fan, this is a must see. If you are not a Batman fan, or prefer the old "campy" 1960's Batman, then stay away from this. The story bridges the gap between the movies "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight". It does an excellent job of delving into the psyche that makes Batman who he is. I found it dark at times, but in a good way.

Overall I give it 4 stars. Some of the animation style was hard to adjust to, but it was true to Batman in a way that I really enjoyed and appreciated.

The Joy of Bowling

I've been bowling ever since I was a little kid. When I was in 6th grade, I joined a Saturday morning bowling league with 3 friends from school. From 6th grade through high school, Saturday morning became "bowling day". The best thing about bowling day was getting to spend 2 hours with friends, doing something I enjoyed, and something mildly competitive. Over time, I became a decent bowler, but it was still always about fun.

I went away to college and didn't bowl for a couple of years. Then, my junior year, I went to the bowling alley on a whim to see if I could sub in a league. Well, it just so happened there was a league with an opening for a full fledged team. I quickly called 2 friends and we made a team. That league is one of my favorite college memories.

Then my wife and I had kids, and my bowling was curtailed. When I finally did start again, it was in a 2 game a week league over lunch on Tuesdays. I've been bowling in this league now for 4 years, and while I enjoy myself, it's never been as fun as it was when I was younger. I figured I'd never recapture the joy I felt when I was younger. However, this made it easier for me to turn people down when asked to join other leagues.

That was until this Tuesday. Our league is a mixed league, and my teammate and I were paired against 2 women (one of whom is a very good bowler). They were nice people and we were having a pleasant time. None of us were bowling great, but the 1st game was close. In fact, we were tied in the 10th frame. I was up to bowl, and the super good bowler on the other team was up. She went first and got a strike. So, now I had to strike, and I did. She went again and got another strike! Then I went and got another strike. When I got back to the ball return, she was waiting for me with a high five...that was very unexpected. We each had 1 ball to throw. The other player went first and got a 3rd strike in the 10th frame. I greeted her with a high five. Now, I needed to strike just to tie the game. I managed to get the 3rd strike. Our teammates were thrilled, and everyone had a good time.

The 2nd game was eerily similar. We ended up winning by 5 pins. But when we left, my teammate and I were talking more about what a great time we had than the winning or losing, which has been rare in this league.

Those 2 games recaptured everything I loved about bowling as a kid. It was about fun, with a little competition sprinkled in. Hopefully we can continue that attitude for weeks to come. Of course ,that will make it much harder for me to say no next time someone asks me to join another league!

Movie Review: Journey to the Center of the Earth

I watched "Journey to the Center of the Earth" last night. I had pretty low expectations because I'm not a big Brendan Fraser fan. I've discovered that low expectations is one key to a good movie watching experience. If you have high expectations it's so much easier to be disappointed.

I have to give this one 3 stars. It had good adventure scenes and some nice effects, but I felt like the story was weak and Brendan Fraser was pretty stiff. At only 92 minutes, it was just too short to develop a top notch story. It would have been cool to see it in 3D, though. I could tell that some scenes were shot specifically for the 3D effect in the theater.

"Journey to the Center of the Earth" is rated PG. I think it would be appropriate for a 9-10 year old kid. Some of it would be over the head of a younger kid, but there's no foul language or anything that would preclude someone younger from watching it.

Explanation of Movie/TV Ratings

I realized that I've never explained my movie rating method. I base this off of Netflix's 5 star method. Here's how I rate them:

5 Stars - Great Movie, I want to own it!

4 Stars - Really Good Movie, I would watch it again, but I don't need to own it.

3 Stars - Glad I saw it once, it's ok if I never watch it again.

2 Stars - Flat out awful!!! I should note it's really hard to get less than a 3 with me. I like most movies enough to give them a 3.

1 Star - I likely didn't even finish the movie, because it was that much of a waste of my time.

A Denver Broncos Rant!!!

As I write this, my beloved Denver Broncos are in the process of losing to the hated Oakland Raiders. It's currently 31-10 with about 7 minutes left in the game, so I feel pretty safe that I won't have to go back and amend this rant because the Broncos pulled out a miracle win. I hope I have to go back and amend this, but I don't think I'll have to. I'm hoping this is therapeutic for me because I'm really torked off about this...please forgive me if this doesn't make any sense.

BTW - I know, it's pretty stupid to get upset about a football game, but I do...it's a process, and I'm working on taking this less seriously.

This loss will mean the Broncos are 6-5 on the season, and still in 1st place. So, what am I ranting about? Two of their losses have come to the 1-10 Kansas City Chiefs, and the soon to be 3-8 Oakland Raiders. They also have a loss to the 4-7 Jacksonville Jaguars. They seem to play down to the level of their competition!!! If you want to be a contender in the NFL, you can't lose games to bad teams.

What this really comes down to is coaching. When a team shows up completely unprepared against a bad team like the Raiders, that's coaching, plain and simple. These guys are all professionals, and if you don't prepare you are going to lose, even to a bad team.

Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan won 2 Super Bowls in the 90's with Hall of Fame Quarterback John Elway. Since Elway retired, Shanahan has won 1 playoff game, and gone through 4 starting QB's. It's time for Shanahan to go! I didn't want to say that. I think he's one of the greatest coaches ever, but it seems like he's lost this team. Every year he manages to field a team that finishes somewhere between 7-9 to 10-6, so as a fan, you continually feel like your team is on the verge of breaking through. But, they never break through! Every year the defense stinks! Every year the special teams is far from special! Every year the offense gets worse! The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.

I think the problem really boils down too one simple problem...players don't seem to develop under Shanahan. The Broncos have a good young core, with 3rd year QB Jay Cutler, 3rd year receiver Brandon Marshall and rookies Eddie Royal and Ryan Clady. However, Cutler and Marshall seemed to have plateaued or even regressed since the start of the season. They need someone now who can be tough with them, but pick them up at the same time and help them get better. I don't think Shanahan can do that.

We've seen 10 years of Shanahan trying to rebuild this team after Elway. He's brought in good players, but never found the chemistry to crack the upper echelon of teams again. As much as it pains me to say this, it's time to give someone else a shot in Denver.