Time to Party

It’s that time of year. Time to bust out the champagne, get some party poppers out, wear a goofy hat, and blow on a kazoo.

Yes, The Blog of Mikey has just made its one year anniversary.

Just remember to drive safely after throwing your big Blog of Mikey anniversary party tonight.

Sicko

Over this weekend, I got the chance to watch the Michael Moore movie, Sicko.

A couple of things about me before we get into the movie review. First, I like documentaries. I have no problem with what others would classify as “boring.” Second, I’ve never been a fan of Michael Moore’s. Honestly, the worst movie I’ve ever seen is Fahrenheit 9/11. In the same vein, I gave Bowling for Columbine 2 stars out of 5. Third, despite my dislike for Michael Moore movies, I am not a Republican. I tend to agree from the side of the argument Moore comes from, but I just dislike the way his movies jump to bizarre conclusions.

Now that we have all that out of the way, what about his newest movie?

If you don’t know already, Sicko is a documentary about the American health care system. Through the movie, Moore gives anecdotal examples of the health care provided in the U.S. with the health care provided in other industrialized countries.

If you live in America, you should probably check the movie out. It is by no means a perfect movie. But it does shed light on an important issue. Honestly, before I watch Sicko, I sided with the group against Universal Health Care. Now that I have watched it, I have looked further into the topic and I’ve swayed over to the UHC side.

Sure, Moore does things a little over-dramatically throughout Sicko, but the end result is the raise in awareness on a subject. Really, isn’t that what any documentary hopes to do?

Overall I gave Sicko 4 stars out of 5 on Netflix. I strongly encourage every American to watch the movie once and/or look into the topic of Universal Health Care (Honestly, why is America the only industrialized nation to not have UHC? Also, if we have public education, public fire departments, and public law enforcement; why don’t we have public health care?).

The Mike Naretta Story

A few days ago, I posted some questions (generated by Chuck Klosterman) and answers (generated by me). Among those questions, one asked about if couple of movies were being made about your life (an independent documentary and a big budget Hollywood biopic) which would you be more excited to see?

I went with the biopic. Then I started thinking about who would be cast in what roles. Here is my take on some actors that could fill the roles of my family and me.

In the role of me, I came up with a large list of actors that could to a good job. Based on looks, the obvious pick would be Wes Bentley. But if you were making a big budget movie, would you give the lead actor role to the kid from American Beauty (or Blackheart from Ghost Rider)? I didn’t think so.

So, going with a little further away from me in looks, but better acting talent (and better box office strength) we open a few more options. The first couple of actors that come to mind would be Tobey Maguire and Elijah Wood. Both are pretty good, and I could see them doing a good job as me. Continuing on this same angle, I would also throw in Emile Hirsch and Jake Gyllenhaal as possibilities. Really, any of these four actors could step up to the plate as me. I’d give a slight edge to Tobey Maguire (despite him being my least favorite out of the four actors). His look is more similar than the others, and he tends to mumble (which I do also).

For the role of Patti, it is a lot more difficult to come up with actresses. Chris had suggested Alicia Witt. Which is good, but she hasn’t really done anything of note lately. Then you have to think about how the character would stack up (Patti the character would have to be quirky and fun loving). A decent option might be Natalie Portman. Especially with the short hair. I also suggested Lauren Ambrose, Jenna Malone, or maybe Christina Ricci. It would depend, at least partially on the chemistry between the lead actor and actress (i.e. I don’t think a Tobey Maguire/Christina Ricci coupling would work, do you?).

Moving on to the supporting characters. First off we will try and figure out the role of Chris. This one is difficult. First off, he is 6′3″. That alone is difficult to find. Then throw in the ability for great outbursts of comedy and it is almost impossible. The first name I thought of was Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He is a bit tall and has floppy hair, but his comedic stylings are different than those of Chris. After discussing this with Patti, she came up with the winner (in my book), Jason Segel. He pulls off the look decently (but not great), but he is able to nail the comedy aspect.

To pair up with Chris, we have my sister Diane. She looks just like the chick from Even Stevens. The only issue would be the fact that no one knows the Even Stevens chick. But seeing as though the role of Diane is just a supporting one, we will role with it.

The easiest role to cast was the role of Dad. The only problem is that the perfect actor is 20 years too old for the part. If we could work the make-up department to take the years off him, the role has to go to Martin Landau. I mean, he’s got the hair, the bushy eyebrows, and the glasses. Next time you get the chance, check out The Majestic and tell me that Martin Landau doesn’t look like dad.

The rest of the roles left me stumped. It always came down to either someone being too old, or someone not having the right look/personality (honestly, how do you cast someone for a 6′4″ red headed guy with a crazy goatee? It just doesn’t work).

Feel free to comment on your picks (naturally, this is a bit of a inside blog post in this case). Seeing as though only people who know me and my family would get any of this.

Uh huh huh. Hey, baby.

I was just checking out the top ten baby names for both girls and boys on MSN (you can check the list here).

For the most part it was quite boring and predictable. But there was one name that stuck out to me as really weird.

4) Jayden

Really? The fourth most popular boy’s name was a name I’ve never even heard of? Honestly? This has to be some kind of joke.

Almost as bad - still in the boy’s names – is number 7, Jackson. Last I checked, that was a last name (unless you are a big name modern art “painter”).

What’s going on with parents?

Klosterman Questions

I’m currently reading Chuck Klosterman’s Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs. In the middle of the book, Mr. Klosterman offers up 23 questions that he asks to see if he will like a person or not. I’ve decided to repost the questions here and post my answers to the questions. Feel free to comment on my answers and/or post your own answers in the comment section.

1) Let us assume you met a rudimentary magician. Let us assume he can do five simple tricks – he can pull a rabbit from a hat, he can make a coin disappear, he can turn the ace of spades into the Joker card, and two others in a similar vein. These are his only tricks and he can’t learn any more; he can only do these five. HOWEVER, it turns out he’s doing these five tricks with real magic. It’s not an illusion; he can actually conjure the bunny out of the ether and he can move the coin through space. He’s legitimately magical, but extremely limited in scope and influence. Would this person be more impressive than Albert Einstein?

Yes, this magician guy can do all these tricks; Albert Einstein doesn’t do much of anything anymore.

2) Let us assume a fully grown completely healthy Clydesdale horse has his hooves shackled to the ground while his head is held in place with a thick rope. He is conscious and standing upright, but completely immobile. And let us assume that – for some reason – every political prisoner on earth (as cited be Amnesty International) will be released from captivity if you can kick this horse to death in less than twenty minutes. You are allowed to wear steel-toed boots. Would you attempt to do this?

Nope. The problem is that the horse is tall. In order to kick the horse in places that would actually lead to its demise, I would have to be able to kick really high (or be able to kick well from a ladder). I know my physical limitations. I would end up beating the heck out of the horse, but not enough to kill it. So we would end up with a beat up Clydesdale and all the political prisoners still in captivity.

3) Let us assume there are two boxes on a table. In one box, there is a relatively normal turtle; in the other, Adolf Hitler’s skull. You have to select one of these items for your home. If you select the turtle, you can’t give it away and you have to keep it alive for two years; if either of these parameters are not met, you will be fined $999 by the state. If you select Hitler’s skull, you are required to display it in a semi-prominent location in your living room for the same amount of time, although you will be paid a stipend of $120 per month for doing so. Display of the skull must be apolitical. Which option do you select?

I think it is obvious to go with Hitler’s skull. It is a really interesting conversation piece (actually, the same could be said about any human skull in a living room). On top of that, you get $120 a month for two years (a total of $2880). On the other hand, my cat would likely kill the turtle within a week and I’d be subject to the fine.

4) Genetic engineers at Johns Hopkins University announce that they have developed a so-called “super gorilla.” Though the animal cannot speak, it has a sign language lexicon of over twelve thousand words, an I.Q. of almost 85, and – most notably – a vague sense of self-awareness. Oddly, the creature (who weighs seven hundred pounds) becomes fascinated by football. The gorilla aspires to play the game at its highest level and quickly develops the rudimentary skills of a defensive end. ESPN analyst Tom Jackson speculates that this gorilla would be “borderline unblockable” and would likely average six sacks a game (although Jackson concedes the beast might be susceptible to counters and misdirection plays). Meanwhile, the gorilla has made it clear he would never intentionally injure any opponent. You are commissioner of the NFL: Would you allow this gorilla to sign with the Oakland Raiders?

My first instinct was to say no. But after thinking it through, I’d allow it. Really, what is the difference between the gorilla and every other football player? 350 pounds? That’s it. Also, I’d like to see the gorilla unleashed on the New England Patriots (preferably in week 16 of a season where the Pats had a record of 15-0).

5) You meet your soul mate. However, there is a catch: Every three years, someone will break both of your soul mate’s collarbones with a crescent wrench, and there is only one way you can stop this from happening: You must swallow a pill that will make every song you hear – for the rest of your life – sound as if it’s performed by the band Alice in Chains. When you hear Creedence Clearwater Revival on the radio, it will sound (to your ears) like it is being played by Alice in Chains. If you see Radiohead live, every one of their tunes will sound like it is being covered by Alice in Chains. When you hear a commercial jingle on TV, it will sound like Alice in Chains; if you sing to yourself in the shower, your voice will sound like deceased Alice vocalist Layne Staley performing a capella (but it will only sound this way to you. Would you swallow the pill?

Here’s the deal, my soul mate may or may not stay with me for the rest of my life. On the other hand, once that pill is swallowed, you are stuck with it for life. We are talking about maybe 60 years of Alice in Chains. I’m going to go the selfish route and leave the soul mate’s collar bone broken.

6) At long last, someone invents “the dream VCR.” This machine allows you to tape an entire evening’s worth of your own dreams, which you can then watch at your leisure. However, the inventor of the dream VCR will only allow you to use this device if you agree to a strange caveat: When you watch your dreams, you must do so with your family and your closest friends in the same room. They get to watch your dreams along with you. And if you don’t agree to this, you can’t use the dream VCR. Would you still do this?

As you said, I can watch it at leisure. This means that I could just watch it when there was a dream I really wanted to relive. Knowing how crazy/funny some of my dreams are – and the fact that I spend a lot of time telling my friends and family about them – I would totally do this. I would start saying something like, “Dude, I had this crazy dream with Lou Diamond Philips in it… wait, I’ll just show you.” Then we’d grab some popcorn and watch the greatness of my dreams.

7) Defying all expectation, a group of Scottish marine biologists capture a live Loch Ness Monster. In an almost unbelievable coincidence a bear hunter in the Pacific Northwest shoots a Sasquatch in the thigh, thereby allowing zoologists to take the furry monster into captivity. These events happen on the same afternoon. That evening, the president announces he may have thyroid cancer and will undergo a biopsy later that week. You are the front-page editor of The New York Times: What do you play as the biggest story?

I think it is obvious that you have to go with the finding of two supposed mythical beasts as the top story. At that point, they are definite things. On the other hand, the President’s disease is still only a potential problem. It is more important to make a big deal about something that is a fact than something that may or may not end up happening.

8) You meet the perfect person. Romantically, this person is ideal: You find them physically attractive, intellectually stimulating, consistently funny, and deeply compassionate. However, they have one quirk: This individual is obsessed with Jim Henson’s gothic puppet fantasy The Dark Crystal. Beyond watching it on DVD at least once a month, he/she peppers casual conversation with Dark Crystal references, uses Dark Crystal analogies to explain everyday events, and occasionally likes to talk intensely about the film’s “deeper philosophy.” Would this be enough to stop you from marrying this individual?

Nope, I mean that’s not much different than me peppering my conversation with quotes from Big Lebowski, Joe Dirt, Super Troopers, et al. I’ve never seen Dark Crystal, but if it floats her boat, that’s fine by me. Really, I’m not going to be hypocritical here.

10) This is the opening line of Jay McInerney’s Bright Lights, Big City: “You are not the kind of guy who would be in a place like this at this time of the morning.” Think about that line in the context of the novel (assuming you’ve read it). Now go to your CD collection and find Heart’s Little Queen album (assuming you own it). Listen to the opening riff to “Barracuda.” Which of these two introductions is a higher form of art?

“Barracuda” is the higher art form. No one’s ever heard of the book, but everyone knows Barracuda as soon as that riff starts. That instant recognizability makes Heart’s song a higher form of art.

11) You are watching a movie in a crowded theater. Though the plot is mediocre, you find yourself dazzled by the special effects. But with twenty minutes left in the film, you are struck with an undeniable feeling of doom: You are suddenly certain your mother has just died. There is no logical reason for this to be true, but you are certain of it. You are overtaken with the irrational metaphysical sense that – somewhere – your mom has just perished. But this is only an intuitive, amorphous feeling; there is no evidence for this, and you mother has not been ill. Would you immediately exit the theater, or would you finish watching the movie?

You have to finish watching the movie. First of all, it is just a hunch you are having. Second, if she did in fact die, her status will not change in the next 20 minutes.

12) You meet a wizard in downtown Chicago. The wizard tells you he can make you more attractive if you pay him money. When you ask how the process works, the wizard points to a random stranger. The wizard says, “I will now make them a dollar more attractive.” He waves his magic wand. Ostensibly, this person does not change at all; as far as you can tell, nothing it different. But – somehow – this person is suddenly a little more appealing. The tangible difference is invisible to the naked eye, but you can’t deny that this person is vaguely sexier. This wizard has a weird rule, though – you can only pay him once. You can’t keep giving him money until you are satisfied. You can only pay him one lump sum up front. How much cash do you give the wizard?

I’d give him whatever cash I had on me. I usually carry only about $20. So, that seems about right. I mean, I’m already a good looking dude. Add in the fact that if I get more than $20 hotter, no woman that saw me would be able to focus away from me. So, if I walk through a business district, we are going to have a local economy crash because half of the work force is going to be chasing after me. Also, then I would have a mob of crazed women chasing after me, which I know I wouldn’t be able to outrun forever. So, for the benefit of everyone (except the wizard) I would only pay $20.

13) Every person you have ever slept with is invited to a banquet where you are the guest of honor. No one will be in attendance except you, the collection of your former lovers, and the catering service. After the meal, you are asked to give a fifteen-minute speech to the assembly. What do you talk about?

I’d probably just spend 15 minutes doing that lame removable thumb magic trick. Who doesn’t like that?

14) For reasons that cannot be explained, cats can suddenly read at a twelfth-grade level. They can’t talk and they can’t write, but they can read silently and understand the text. Many cats love this new skill, because they now have something to do all day while they lay around the house; however, a few cats become depressed, because reading forces them to realize the limitations of their existence (not to mention the utter frustration of being unable to express themselves) This being the case, do you think the average cat would enjoy Garfield, or would cats find this cartoon to be an insulting caricature?

I’d think cats would enjoy Garfield. It is similar to white folks enjoying the comedic stylings of Chris Rock or Eddie Murphy. It’s funny because it is true. I think cats would get the same feeling with Garfield (except for the Lasagna eating. That just doesn’t make any sense).

15) You have a brain tumor. Though there is no discomfort at the moment, this tumor would unquestionably kill you in six months. However, your life can (and will) be saved by an operation; the only downside is that there will be a brutal incision to your frontal lobe. After the surgery, you will be significantly less intelligent. You will still be a fully functioning adult, but you will be less logical, you will have a terrible memory, and you will have little ability to understand complex concepts or difficult ideas. The surgery is in two weeks. How do you spend the next fourteen days?

I would spend the next fourteen days making notes on everything I have and it’s use. While this wouldn’t be necessary, I feel it would make the move to my new life of idiocy a little bit easier. Besides that, I guess I would sell off all of my movies and music, then go back and buy the Vin Diesel collection and possibly some Creed.

16) Someone builds an optical portal that allows you to see a vision of your own life in the future (it’s essentially a crystal ball that shows a randomly selected image of what your life will be like in twenty years). You can only see into this portal for thirty seconds. When you finally peer into the crystal, you see yourself in a living room, two decades older than you are today. You are watching a Canadian football game, and you are extremely happy. You are wearing a CFL jersey. Your chair is surrounded by books and magazines that promote the Canadian Football League, and the there are CFL pennants covering your walls. You are alone in the room, but you are gleefully muttering about historical moments in Canadian football history. It becomes clear that – for some unknown reason – you have become obsessed with Canadian football. And this future is static and absolute; no matter what you do, this future will happen. The optical portal is never wrong. This destiny cannot be changed. The next day, you are flipping through television channels and randomly come across a preseason CFL game between the Toronto Argonauts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Knowing you inevitable future, do you now watch it?

I would not watch it. First, I am big at doing stuff even though it is futile. It’s the thought that counts. Second, everyone knows I’d be a Hamilton Tiger-Cats fan. I don’t care about a preseason game between two losers like the Argonauts and the Roughriders.

17) You are sitting in an empty bar (in a town you’ve never before visited), drinking Bacardi with a soft-spoken acquaintance you barely know. After an hour, a third individual walks into the tavern and sits by himself, and you ask your acquaintance who the new man is. “Be careful of that guy,” you are told. “He is a man with a past.” A few minutes later, a fourth person enters the bar; he also sits alone. You ask your acquaintance who this new individual is. “Be careful of that guy, too,” he says, “he is a man with no past.” Which of these two people do you trust less?

I don’t trust my soft-spoken acquaintance. Honestly, how does he know so much about these to guys? Anyway, I would trust the guy with no past less than the guy with a past. Having no past makes you less human, thus less trustable.

18) You have won a prize. The prize has two options, and you can choose either (but not both). The first option is a year in Europe with a monthly stipend of $2,000. The second option is ten minutes on the moon. Which option do you select?

I’m going with Europe and $2,000 a month. It would be a fun year, and I don’t really need to do anything spectacular in my life (like go to the moon).

19) Your best friend is taking a nap on the floor of your living room. Suddenly, you are faced with a bizarre existential problem: This friend is going to die unless you kick them (as hard as you can) in the rib cage. If you don’t kick them while they slumber, they will never wake up. However, you can never explain this to your friend; if you later inform them that you did this to save their life, they will also die from that. So you have to kick a sleeping friend in the ribs, and you can’t tell them why. Since you cannot tell your friend the truth, what excuse will you fabricate to explain this (seemingly inexplicable) attack?

No excuse. I would simply say, “You are welcome!” and walk away.

20) For whatever reason, two unauthorized movies are made about your life. The first is an independently released documentary, primarily comprised of interviews with people who know you and bootleg footage from your actual life. Critics are describing the documentary as “brutally honest and relentlessly fair.” Meanwhile, Columbia Tri-Star has produced a big-budget biopic of your life, casting major Hollywood stars as you and all your acquaintances; though the movie is based on actual events, screenwriters have taken some liberties with the facts. Critics are split on the artistic merits of this fictionalized account, but audiences love it. Which film would you be most interested in seeing?

I would go for the big budget Hollywood movie. I’ve already lived through the brutally honest life. I’d like to see how someone would make my life more entertaining. Plus, I’d like to see the casting choices and see if I agree or disagree.

21) Imagine you could go back to the age of five and relive the rest of you life, knowing everything that you know now. You will reexperience your entire adolescence with both the cognitive ability of an adult and the memories of everything you’ve learned from having lived you life previously. Would you lose your virginity earlier or later than you did the first time around (and by how many years)?

I would go with earlier… probably a year or two or three earlier.

22) You work in an office. Generally, you are popular with your coworkers. However, you discover that there are currently two rumors circulating in the office gossip mill, and both involve you. The first rumor is that you got drunk at the office holiday party and had sex with one of your married coworkers. This rumor is completely true, but most people don’t believe it. The second rumor is that you have been stealing hundreds of dollars of office supplies (and then selling them to cover gambling debt). This rumor is completely false, but virtually everyone assumes it is factual. Which of these two rumors is most troubling to you?

The gambling rumor is far more troubling. Honestly, if that rumor gained enough ground (which it sounds like it may have) it could lead to me being fired and quite possibly arrested. What’s the worst outcome from the other rumor? People think I’m a smooth operator. There’s nothing wrong with that.

23) Consider this possibility:

            a. Think about deceased TV star John Ritter.

            b. Now, pretend Ritter had never become famous. Pretend he was never affected by the trappings of fame, and try to imagine what his personality would have been like.

            c. Now, imagine that this person – the unfamous John Ritter – is a character in a situational comedy.

            d. Now, you are also a character in this sitcom, and the unfamous John Ritter character is your sitcom father.

            e. However, this sitcom is actually your real life. In other words, you are living inside a sitcom: Everything about your life is a construction, featuring the unfamous John Ritter playing himself (in the role of your TV father). But this is not a sitcom. This is your real life. How would you feel about this?

I’d like to know who would be my mom in that situation before jumping to any hasty conclusions.

Punny

Which is worse, when someone says “pun not intended” or “pun intended”?

When someone throws out the pun unintended, they are telling you that the previous statement wasn’t for joke reasons. But regardless of that, you go back and reread the statement to see what the pun that the writer had unintended. In my opinion, half of the time the writer throws out the “pun not intended” line despite the fact that he or she really did intend the pun. The writer throws in this line in to draw your attention to the pun (which came off so cleverly in their mind) but still act like they didn’t go the cheap humor route. The writer recognizes that the pun is quite possibly the worst joke form ever (really, it’s about 50% of the reason Star Wars Episode 1 and Episode 2 were terrible) but they can’t control their urge to throw in the awful joke. Then they wipe away any fault by saying it was not intended.

On the other side of the coin, the writer using the “pun intended” line is just as bad. They went through the same progress of thinking up a pun. Then instead of abandoning responsibilty for the pun, they go completely off the other end. In this case, they are accepting full blame/credit for the pun, but in addition they are throwing in an additional bad joke by commenting on the people who use “pun not intended.”

Based on all of this, I would probably go with the writers who use “pun intended” (even though my opening question was supposed to be rhetorical).

Really, the only solution to the pun situation would be to not make note of it in anyway. The reader doesn’t care whether it was intended or not, and sometimes they won’t even notice it is a pun. So, put the pun in and just leave it to the reader to figure things out… or better yet, figure out a way to not use puns. 

-This rant brought to you be LZ Granderson of ESPN’s Page 2 from the article about Martina Hingis’ career’s eulogy.

Dexter

I just finished reading Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. In short, the book was no where near as good as the TV show.

The book and the TV show start off almost exactly the same. But as each goes on, they head in different directions. The TV show takes us on a journey into the psyche of a serial killer with a thriller style story running along with it. While the book turned into the opposite, a Thriller story that just happens that the main protagonist is also a serial killer.

The issue with the book becomes the fact that the thriller plot line isn’t anything new. The only thing it has going for it is the intrigue of the unique main character and some dark humor thrown in. But because those are a little de-empahsized in order to figure out the thriller/other killer plotline, the book suffers. In the end, the book leaves an impression of it being decent, but we’ve already treaded on this ground before.

On the other hand, the TV show focuses on all the things that make the story interesting and fun. As a result, a similar thriller plot line keeps us just as entertained, but it never comes off with a “seen it” vibe.

So, if you are scoring at home; rent the first season of Dexter on DVD, but pass when it comes to reading the book by Jeff Lindsay.

NBA Playoffs

I was checking out the current NBA standings and thought it was a bit interesting. Check out the current (12/24 at 11:36 AM) playoff standings:

EAST PLAYOFF TEAMS

1) Boston Celtics – They’ve been playing great basketball against a bunch of crappy to good teams.

2) Detroit Pistons – I thought they would be worse, but they just keep chugging along.

3) Orlando Magic – A bit of a surprise that they have gotten this good. Dwight Howard has blown up.

4) Atlanta Hawks – Ugly uniforms, good play.

5) Indiana Pacers – What?! The Pacers are currently the fifth seed in the East? Wow, I did not see that one coming. I would have said they would be fifth in the Central Division.

6) Toronto Raptors – This is about right, especially when you look at the list of injuries they have had.

7) Washington Wizards – Only surprising that they have done it with out Gil.

8) New Jersey Nets – Yes, with a record of 12-15, the Nets are currently holding the last playoff seed in the East.

WEST PLAYOFF TEAMS

1) San Antonio Spurs – yawn

2) Phoenix Suns – yawn

3) Dallas Mavericks – yawn

4) Denver Nuggets – A little surprising that they are leading their division, but not a big deal.

5) New Orleans Hornets – They are a legit playoff team. I would have guessed they would be closer to the 8th seed.

6) L.A. Lakers – Another team I guessed would be around the 8th seed. They are playing really well right now.

7) Golden State Warriors – They have been playing above themselves lately. They are really just a .500 ballclub.

8) Portland Trailblazers – Their team is reminiscent of the old Spurs. Back when David Robinson was the big ticket that lead the team to the playoffs. Then they got Tim Duncan and went nuts. The Blazers are going to do the same thing in the next year or two (with Oden coming back).

LOTTERY TEAMS

14) Utah Jazz – Yes, last year’s Conference Final contender is currently in line to play the lottery (current record is 15-14).

13) Houston Rockets – Do you remember before the season when people were saying the West weren’t a big three anymore, they were now a big four? What happened to that?

12) Cleveland Cavs – They’ve been a mess at the start of the season. They are getting it back together

11) Milwaukee Bucks – They have had runs where they rocked teams and runs where they got rocked. They need defense.

10) Sacremento Kings – They’re just about where they should be.

9) Philadelphia 76ers – They are pretty much the same team as last year.

8) Charlotte Bobcats – same old same old

7) Chicago Bulls – Their offense is terrible. I would have thought them to be a bit higher, but they are known for their slow starts.

6) L.A. Clippers – Injuries killed this team.

5) New York Knicks – I thought they would be in the running for the 8th seed, but I didn’t count on them turning into a huge mess.

4) Memphis Grizzlies – Another team I thought would do better. I made the mistake of basing a prediction on results from two years ago.

3) Miami Heat – The only thing surprising here is that they have won 8 games already. This team is bad, if you thought differently at the beginning of the season you were only folling yourself.

2) Seattle Supersonics – With 8 wins so far, they are doing a little bit better than expected. They started getting a few wins once Kevin Durant decided to do more than just shoot the ball. Someone make sure that kid knows that.

1) Minnesota Timberwolves – Last year’s Celtics were always destined for a high draft pick this year. It just shows why McHale is one of the greatest GMs ever.

Holiday Gift Lists

What’s the point of making a Gift List if out of the 6 gifts you get, only one of them was on your list?

A National Treasure

Over the weekend, I went to see National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

It was really good. Actually, depending on the genre classification of Hot Fuzz, NT:BoS is my first or second pick for action/adventure of the year.

The movie has tons of great jokes and good action sequences.

I would go into more details about the movie, but I’m doing this review half-assed (not even half, more like quarter-assed).

Overall, I really enjoyed National Treasure 2 and I gave it 5 out of 5 stars on Netflix. Go catch this movie in the theaters. It is fun and entertaining.