Who Cares?

Ok, well, I must care because I'm blogging about this. But, in a very short time, I won't care, because I'll find better things to do with my time. On a day when an 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan, causing loss of life and potentially billions of dollars in damage, the NFL players union decertified in the on-going labor strife with the NFL owners. In a time when there is 9% unemployment, Billionaires (owners) are fighting with Millionaires (players) over $650 million dollars a year. If you ask me (and I hope most normal people)...this is ridiculous!

The NFL is the golden goose, and greed is going to kill the golden goose. Well, greed and pride...as the NFL Players Association Director DeMaurice Smith put it, “Well it is with a great deal of pride that the members and the players of the National Football League said ‘No…We are going to demand as your business partners that you meet us halfway and justify taking any money from us.” As Proverbs 16:18 puts is..."Pride goes before disaster, and a haughty spirit before a fall." There's obviously way too much pride here, and this decertification is a disaster for the NFL. The decertification starts the process of allowing the players to file anti-trust lawsuits against the NFL owners, which could lead to the loss of the 2011 season.

When baseball lost the 1994 World Series due to labor strife, fans stayed away. In fact, it was around that time that the NFL surpassed baseball in popularity, and it's remained that way ever since. Now, in their pride and haughtiness, the owners and players have decided that they will put the fans to the test. They are going to risk the future of this league, betting on the fact that the fans will come back after this mess is over. If history is any indication, the NFL is in for some lean years if this labor clash results in missed games. Fans will find other things to do with their Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings, because there are other options out there. Yes, I think the NFL is in for a fall, and both sides are to blame.

This is the last comment you will hear from me on this topic until it is resolved. I don't care what kind of garbage each side puts out there. I'm sure DeMaurice Smith, who is a trial lawyer by trade, will represent the players in this mess, and he has proven capable of saying just about anything. In fact, a conspiracy theorist could hypothesize that Smith orchestrated this whole thing, knowing that he would, most likely, get to represent the players in their litigation against the league. On the other side, you have owners who are very wealthy and full of pride. They are used to getting their own way, and I expect they won't budge, and will probably say some ridiculous things along the way as well. But, I plan to remain silent...this mess gets no more time from me.

So, I'm signing off on this topic for the duration. Over and Out!

Top 5 Silly/Spoof Movies

As you'll see from this list, they just don't make silly and/or spoof films the way they used to. From this top 5 list, you'll see that, in my opinion, Hollywood stopped making good spoof films in the early 1990's.

Without further adieu, the Top 5 Silly/Spoof Movies

5 - "Hot Shots!": This is the newest film on this list (made in 1991) and shows how funny Charlie Sheen and Cary Elwes and be. Note that Elwes was also excellent in "Robin Hood: Men in Tights", which would be around #8 if this list was a top 10 list. But, whenever he's on screen, Lloyd Bridges steals the show as Admiral Benson. "Hot Shots!" is a spoof of "Top Gun" and Charlie Sheen plays Topper Harley...the world's greatest pilot, who also happens to have mental issues. "Hot Shots!" was directed by Jim Abrahams, who I think you'll see again on the list.

4 - "The Naked Gun": Directed by David Zucker, "The Naked Gun" is classic Leslie Nielsen. As Lt. Frank Drebyn, Nielsen stumbles and bumbles his way to stopping the evil Ricardo Montalbon. Along the way, he falls in love with Priscilla Presley, umpires a baseball game, tackles Reggie Jackson and makes a fool of the Queen of England. You'll be laughing from start to finish.

3 - "Spaceballs": The only Mel Brooks movie to make my list, though "Blazing Saddles" "History of the World Part 1" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" are in the conversation, this is the only one I could put in the top 5. "Spaceballs" is a spoof of "Star Wars", starring Bill Pullman as Lonestar, John Candy as Barf (the mog...half man/half dog...he's his own best friend) and Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet, "Spaceballs" was my introduction to the spoof film genre in 1987.

2 - "Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail": It was really hard for me not to make "Holy Grail" #1 on this list. Just say "Holy Grail" and people know what you are talking about. One of the funniest, silliest movies ever made, from the craziest British comedians of all time. King Arther, Sir Lancelot, and the whole crew are on a quest for the Holy Grail. Along the way, they face off against French Taunters, the Knights who say "Ni", the Castle Anthrax, Tim the Enchanter and finally the Police. Oh, and you've also got the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. You have to see it to believe it...classic in every way.

1 - "Airplane!": The entry film for the directing team of David Zucker and Jim Abrahams, "Airplane!" is the quintessential spoof film. Starring Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Hays, Robert Stack, Peter Graves, Kareem Abdul Jabaar and Barbara Billingsley, this movie literally has everything. You have to watch it multiple times to catch every joke and gag. The best part, and the reason this is #1, is this is really the original spoof. All the actors take the entire movie very seriously, and deliver every line with a perfectly straight face. While they do, you are cracking up every minute. Classic does not go far enough with "Airplane!".

Happy Lent Everybody!

Yeah, I know...Lent and Happy are not supposed to go together. Well, unless you understand what Lent is about, then, like me, you'll love Lent. For those who aren't aware of the Liturgical Calendar, today is the first day of Lent...Ash Wednesday. In just 6 weeks, we'll celebrate the biggest day on the church calendar...Easter.

As I get older, I get more perspective on Lent, and this is especially true since I converted to Catholicism. This is really a special time of year...a time for reflection and penance, and most importantly a time for spiritual growth and a deeper relationship with God. I know, some of you are probably saying, "why don't you focus on that year around?" and you do, but Lent seems to ratchet up the intensity of that focus and makes it more intentional. Every year, I pick something to work on during Lent, rather than giving up something like chocolate. Some years, it sticks better than others. I believe I have picked something this year that will really help me grow, and I ask for prayers that it will. I'm not sharing what I am working on. When Lent is over, I'll let you all in on the secret, and I'll let you know how I did.

I hope all of you are able to find time for spiritual growth over these next 40 days. Read the Bible a little more, spend a few extra minutes each day in prayer, try being nicer to your friends and coworkers, if you haven't been going to church, start going to church...or do all four. I pray that all of you experience a deepening of your relationship with God this Lent, and I hope you will pray for the same for me. God Bless!

Movie Review: Invictus

I think it's time we acknowledge that Clint Eastwood is the best director of our time. He's better than Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Ron Howard, and really anybody else that you can think of. The guy has won best director twice and been nominated a couple of other times. And, the thing about Clint Eastwood is, he directs movies that normal people want to see. I look at the movies he's directed, and I've actually seen a bunch of them, including my all time favorite western, "Unforgiven", along with "Gran Torino", "Pale Rider" and "Absolute Power." He tells stories that everyone wants to see and he tells them well. I think this realization means I have to go back and watch other Clint Eastwood directed movies that I've skipped.

So, on to the latest Eastwood directed film that I watched and really liked, "Invictus", starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. "Invictus" tells the story of the 1995 World Cup of Rugby, played in South Africa. But, it's much more than a sports movie, it's about the unification of the country around Rugby after Apartheid ended and Nelson Mandela was elected President. Mandela banks a lot of his Presidency and his plans for unity on the ability of this Rugby Team to unite the country, which makes for a very interesting and compelling story. The fact that it's based on actual events makes it all the more meaningful.

Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela, and is perfect for the role. His performance is excellent, yet humble. You can tell that he really felt honored to play the role of Mandela, and I think he did a terrific job. Matt Damon plays the captain of the South African Rugby team, Francois Pienaar. It seemed that Damon was definitely in the supporting actor role, but he did a terrific job. Apparently both Freeman and Damon received Oscar nominations for their roles in "Invictus". Add in a good story, and you had a 4 star movie. In fact, the only complaint I have is that it took way too long to adjust to the various accents used by the different actors. Still, a good movie, and definitely worth 2 hours of your time.

Book Reviews

I've read two books over the past couple of weeks. It's complicated having two books going at once...but I press on regardless.

"The Rook": The first I'll review, is "The Rook" by Steven James. This is the 2nd book in the Patrick Bowers Files series, which is up to 4 books at this time. In this installment, Agent Bowers is in San Diego, investigating a string of 14 fires that the San Diego police believe to be the work of the same arsonist. At the same time, Bowers stumbles across some mysterious murders, and a possible corporate/government cover-up. All the while, the mysterious "Shade" seems to be pulling every one's strings. This is a fast paced thriller that didn't disappoint after the successful first book, "The Pawn". I look forward to reading the next 2 books in this interesting, thrilling series.

"Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor": In "Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor" by Allen Hunt, we see the story of the 15 year conversion process of the author, a former Methodist Pastor at a church of 15,000 in Atlanta to a member of the Catholic Church. This is one of the books that I picked up at the Matthew Kelly conference a few weeks back, and I'm glad I did.

I'm not going to sugar coat it...the biggest reason I became Catholic 8 years ago was because my wife and son were Catholic. We had another baby on the way, so I figured it was time to convert. I wasn't that serious about my Lutheran faith anyway...I think we all go through that in our 20's. At least most of us. Over time, I've come to feel at home in the Catholic church, and I really believe it is the best place for me to grow in my faith and become the person I should be. However, having rather shallow reasons, initially, for converting, I always like to hear conversion stories of people who genuinely discerned the will of God in their life and came to the conclusion that the Catholic Church is home.

This is one of those stories. Allen Hunt masterfully mixes storytelling, with a little bit of apologetics, and a whole lot of appreciation for the "Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church." Hunt describes the Catholic Church as an "old house", and walks through the rooms of the "old house" to discover that it had everything he needed all along. I expected chapters on Mary, Papal Infallibility, Purgatory and Praying to Saints, which are the 4 areas that Protestants get hung up on. Instead, I got an entire book devoted to the Eucharist, the Holiness of the Church, it's Authority and it's teaching, along with some discussion of the problems with having 33,000 different types of Protestant faiths. This was definitely a surprise, but as Hunt put it, (I'm paraphrasing) 'once you've come to realize that the Church is right about the big things, everything else falls into place.' Not what I expected, but also so much more than I expected.

"Confessions of a Mega Church" pastor is just a really good book and one that I'd be happy to loan out, after my wife finishes.

Top 5 Bill Murray Movies

In honor of Bill Murray winning the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am a few weeks back, I decided this week, I'd hit the top 5 movies from the distinguished career of Bill Murray.

Here's the list:

5 - "Zombieland": Yes, it was just a cameo appearance, and yes, he was playing himself, but it was possibly the greatest cameo appearance in movie history. And, the fact that it was in a really funny movie makes it that much better.

4 - "Caddyshack": "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!". Many of the great quotes from "Caddyshack" were uttered by the groundskeeper, Carl Spackler. Murray's character is the best character in a really good movie.

3 - "Groundhog Day": As Phil Connors, Murray is stuck living the same day, February 2nd, over and over again in Puxatawney, PA, home of the official groundhog day groundhog. The transformation of Phil from a self absorbed jerk to a character you root for is outstanding...and this is just a really funny movie.

2 - "Scrooged": When people ask me to name my favorite Christmas movie, "Scrooged" always tops my list. Bill Murray portrays Frank Cross, a TV executive who has forgotten what is important in life. In a great retelling of Dickens' "Christmas Carol", Frank is visited by the 3 ghosts and discovers what is really important in life and in Christmas. "Scrooged" is funny and touching. If the final scene doesn't get you, you've got no heart.

1 - "Ghostbusters": Was there any doubt? Peter Venkmen is one of the greatest characters in movie history, and it's Bill Murray at his sarcastic, deadpan best. "Ghostbusters 2" would have made this list too, but I figured one movie from the series was enough. Murray pulls off some of the greatest one-liners in this movie, and along with Dr's. Raymond Stantz and Egon Spengler, we get a great "underdog hero" movie. One of the best movies of the 1980's.

A Couple of Family Favorites

I thought I'd share a couple of our family favorite recipes. These are two of our "go to" meals that are healthy and taste pretty darn good. I hope you'll enjoy these recipes as much as we do.

Homestyle Turkey/Chicken Hash:

Ingredients:
2 Cups Pre-cooked/Cubed Chicken or Turkey Breast
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1/4 of a Red Onion, diced
5 strips turkey bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups frozen potatoes (we like potato rounds from Schwan's, but breakfast potatoes will work too)
1 cup prepared turkey gravy

Directions:
1. Cook potatoes according to package directions.
2. In a skillet, cook the bacon and then set aside to cool. Once cool, dice the bacon into 1/2 inch strips.
3. Add olive oil to the bacon drippings as needed to ensure about 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet.
4. Add Red Bell Pepper, Green Bell Pepper and Red Onion to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes
5. Add bacon and chicken to the vegetables in the skillet and cook for 2 minutes
6. Add potatoes and cook for another 2 minutes

Serve with the gravy. This is good for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I like to cook this in my cast iron skillet...it just adds a little more flavor.

Italian Chicken Pasta Toss:

Ingredients:
6 oz. uncooked bow tie pasta
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 small red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 lb. pre-cooked chicken breast, cubed into 1/2 to 1 inch cubes
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2-4 large garlic cloves, minced (depending on how much you like garlic)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1) Cook pasta according to package directions.
2) Heat the oil in a skillet, then add garlic, onion, zucchini, bell pepper, peas, Italian seasoning and salt. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
3) Add tomatoes and chicken and cook for another 1-2 minutes
4) Stir in warm pasta leave on heat for 1-2 additional minutes

Serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese. The bow-tie pasta really makes this dish. It's very healthy and really easy to pull together on a week night.