My Favorite Christmas Movies... #2

I don't think that this movie gets enough credit for how great it is... I almost made it number one, but I feared what might happen to me if number one wasn't... don't want to give it away do I?

This is a British film starring Hugh Grant and a host of others that you will know. I don't know how to explain the emotions it brings out in me and I'm not afraid to admit it makes me cry every time I watch it.

Love Actually



Love is a wonderful thing...

My Favorite Christmas Movies... #3

Honestly, I really was not that impressed with this movie the first time I saw it. I went to see it with my friend, Chris, and Cheryl has never let me forget that I saw it that year and she didn't.

Well, all these years later and Cheryl and myself seeing Will Ferrell many, many times, this one has moved it's way up the list slowly but surely...

Elf

My Favorite Christmas Movies... #4

A total goofball movie filled with slapstick, but a movie that has become a classic comes in at number four. Clark Griswold again takes us on a vacation with his very strange and quirky family. Just sit back and laugh a little while you enjoy...

Christmas Vacation

My Favorite Christmas Movies... #5

Another John Hughes movie... I'm a fan what can I say?

Whether you like to admit it or not, you all loved this movie... I still do. It made people all over the country smack their hands against their faces and scream, "Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

Yes, Macaulay Culkin was just a cute kid back then in this Christmas classic...

Home Alone



Go ahead and smack your hands on your face... it's Christmas.

My Favorite Christmas Movies... #6

Number 6 on the list is probably not for the faint of heart... Denis Leary and Kevin Spacey are great in this movie. This is actually the movie that made me love Leary. We're talking about Denis Leary here folks, so the language is strong, cutting and witty, but this film is one of the best dysfunctional family Christmas movies ever...

The Ref

My Favorite Christmas Movies... #7

This movie would most likely be higher on a lot of other Christmas movie lists, but it's in my top ten, so back off! Sorry... Bill Murray is always a favorite of mine and this is one of his better films...

Scrooged

My Favorite Christmas Movies... #8

One of the movies that Cheryl and I really loved was The Holiday. Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz and Jack Black star in this movie about two women trying who trade lives at Christmas to escape their relationship problems.

This is definitely a chick flick, but I am totally secure in my manhood to say I enjoy them. Trust me this film is enjoyable, give it a try.



Honorable mention: Cheryl is crazy about You've Got Mail and I have to admit I have grown to love it as well. There are just a few brief Christmas moments in this one, but it's always a good one to watch.

My Favorite Christmas Movies... #9

This one actually happens at Christmas... and Hans Gruber is on Santa's naughty list, but John McClane will makes sure he gets a stocking full of coal. Well, honestly he is going to kill lots of bad guys, Christmas style!

Die Hard (Honorable Mention - Die Hard 2)



Yipee ki-ay... Christmas lovers!!

My Favorite Christmas Movies... #10.1

I had to include this little John Hughes film which is another road trip/buddy movie starring Ed O'Neal and Ethan Embry.

Dutch

Again, this little movie is filled with funny moments that will bring you some holiday cheer.

Ethan Embry is an uptight bratty kid who meets his mother's new boyfriend, Ed O'Neal, when he comes to bring him home from school for the holidays.

Not critically acclaimed, but just a fun movie... we're not talkin' Oscar here.

A Shoe In...

This is what's come to... absolutely insane!

America... Where Art Thou?

Where is the love for this country?

When did we become so jaded and concerned only with ourselves?

The events that are unfolding in Michigan over the past few weeks and the action taken by Washington to bail out failing banks and Wall Street, have made me think long and hard about my country.

As I talk with friends from around the country, including Michigan, I am surprised to here the utter disgust and hatred for the Big 3 in Detroit. I am biased, there is no doubt about that. I grew up and benefitted greatly from Ford Motor Company. My father, David, worked at Ford for 40 years. He worked hard and provided for his family. Except for his early years there, I don't think my father was part of the UAW. Regardless, he worked very hard all of his life inside of factories and office buildings for Ford Motor Company.

My heart hurts for Detroit. I will always love the city and suburbs of that town. I realize that many bad decisions were made and that greed and resting on laurels contributed to the state that the Auto Companies are in. The UAW has to wake up to the present day America in which we live. No one is entitled to anything anymore, the global economy won't allow it. The CEO's and executives at all levels need to make sacrifices for the benefit of everyone, not just themselves, but is there no love for America?

Why do we have no regard for America any longer? Why don't we cheer for and hope for all things American? Are we just out for the best deal we can get? Many would say yes. Are we ready to turn over all manufacturing of goods to foreign countries? I would say we pretty much have.

"But Scott, Honda, Toyota, BMW & Mercedes all build cars right here in the United States." True, they do, but do they have America's best interests in mind? Are they proud to be an American... oops they can't be. Do they look for ways to make this country better? Maybe, but at the heart of those companies, there beats a foreign interest. An interest to benefit from our economy.

Does anyone think that if the United States were to fall into economic disaster that these companies might not decide they should take there ball and go home? They have no allegiance to us. They are just here using us and our money to benefit themselves... just like we use India and China to benefit all of our consumeristic desires.

You know, I watch the West Wing in reruns on Bravo, and I see a White House that loves this country. It's fictional, I know, but I am moved by the duty they feel for America. I am inspired by their love of country and desire to see the best for all Americans. I applaud their willingness to fight for what is right.

There are voices out there that still cry out and take pride in America. People who love this country and want what is best for her. They are becoming fewer...

We find ourselves in a time where there hasn't been much to be proud of as an American. The past few years have created a lot of animosity and division among us, but we need to find that place inside of us that has pride and hopes for a greater America. Look deep inside yourself and find something, anything that makes you remember the freedom and liberty you have in the United States.

Tough times are ahead... tough decisions must be made, but my hope is that someday, somehow, we might again be proud to be Americans again.

My Favorite Christmas Movies... #10

Cheryl has been Blogging about her favorite songs for Christmas, so I decided to steal the idea and tweak it to be my favorite Christmas movies. I'm sure I'll miss a few of your favorites, but I would love to hear what they are and hopefully I will shed a little light on a new holiday favorite for you to enjoy this year.

So here we go...

My first movie is actually more of a Thanksgiving movie, but it always kicks off Cheryl and I's holiday season each year, so I am giving it the #10 spot on my list...

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Steve Martin and John Candy makes this John Hughes movie a holiday classic. If you haven't seen it yet - first of all, what's wrong with you? - it does have some adult language, so be careful with the kiddies. It's just a great road trip/buddy movie for the holidays.

Give it a watch and let me know what you think...

Ten more days until Christmas... Nine more movies to go until my number one movie for Christmas. I hope I can decide by then...

I'm Not as Biased as You Think...

For as many years as I can remember, I have been defending the Big 3 US Automakers (GM, Ford & Chrysler). 

A lot of friends and family over the years have seen me passionately explain to them all the myths about Honda, Toyota, etc.

I've been routinely dismissed for being biased and not having my facts straight... so with our country in recession and the US economy on the brink of disaster, does anyone think they should have listened to me? Probably not... I can still hear the choruses of my friends telling me how "crappy" American cars are. How American workers are lazy and unions have priced the cars to high. If they would only make cars people wanted to drive... blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

This hate for American cars is starting to come full circle. The White House and the Congress are trying to figure out how or even if they should help the automotive industry. 

I read the Detroit papers and I am astonished at the replies to articles of those living in "the Motor City." People saying that the government should let the Big 3 fail... "they got themselves into this mess, let them fail." Do people realize that Ford, GM and Chrysler create jobs all over the Midwest and really the entire country? There are industries and jobs that you would never think have connections to the auto industry that will collapse right along with the Big 3 if they are allowed to fail. Yes, that means your job might be affected.

While reading the Detroit Free Press today, I read an article about the myths of the Detroit Auto Industry... give it a read and tell me how biased I really was all these years.

Maybe it's time to change your mind about the Big 3...

President Obama

I haven't had a lot of great things to say about Barack Obama or the Democrats in general on this Blog in the past few months.

The truth is, a few things morally made me change my mind about Obama toward the end of the Summer. Until that point I was leaning heavily toward Barack Obama.

As a person who grew up as a "Republican" from a very young age, the fact that I even considered Obama was a huge step. Being a Christian has left me with a lot of conflicted feelings. Ultimately, his stance on certain moral issues made me feel like I could not support him for President.

When you throw into the mix the fact there are so many Democrats (and Republicans) that have raped America (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac & the Bailout), I felt like I needed to temper the power that the Democrats would hold by voting for McCain.

On the topic of McCain, the Republicans could not have put up a more pathetic candidate. McCain never had the charisma or a strong conservative stance that got the base excited. The fact that him choosing Sarah Palin was the thing that excited Republicans tells you a lot about John McCain's strength as a candidate. I love Sarah Palin by the way... many people hate her, but she is amazing and I look forward to seeing where she ends up in the future.

I respect John McCain, but he just didn't have that "it" factor. He finally got his shot at the Presidency and I am happy for him on that front, but in the end, he was just up against an unstoppable force.

Barack Obama brought hope to so many American's lives at a time when we needed hope of some kind. We can only hope that President Obama can bring our country together and usher us into a brighter future.

I can now say that I support this President and more importantly will pray for him and his staff and hope for better days. We are all Americans and for all the complaints that we may have, this is still the greatest country in the world.

God Bless America and God Bless our new President Elect, Barack Obama.

Please Count My Vote...

I was watching Anderson Cooper 360 tonight on CNN (my first mistake) and heard more than one story about how African Americans fear that their votes will not be counted. 

Even the almighty Oprah talked about how she almost didn't vote for President due to her electronic voting machine not counting it. She went back through the ballot because she had "a bad feeling" and noticed that she had indeed not pressed the correct button.

Over the past few weeks I have heard and read stories about how if Obama does not win, there will be riots in the street. These stories come off as threats - just like Biden's threat that Obama's mettle will be tested in the first six months of his Presidency. 

So basically if you are afraid of being a racist, you had better vote for Obama.

I cannot even begin to fathom what Black's in this country have gone through. The things that have happened in our country when it comes to race are despicable. There is no denying that we have a long way to go, but may I suggest something? Maybe this whole race thing is a two way street...

There are things to be worked on and fences to be mended on both sides of this issue. We all have work to do. We all need to see one another they way God sees us. We need to love one another... we need to love our enemies as well.

When I turned in my ballot early here in Ohio, there was definitely a part of me that had some fear as well. Will they count my vote? How many votes will be thrown out for some reason? How many fraudulent votes will be counted because of ACORN?

My point in all of this is, whether you are black, white, brown, purple or green, no one seems to trust this government anymore. Maybe we're all getting screwed...

The only "hope" we have and the only "change we can believe in" is that of our God. Barack will not bring about change that matters. John McCain will not give us hope. Only the hope we find in Jesus Christ and the change that our Father brings matters.

A wise man once said, "Everything is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." Eventually he found his hope and change... hopefully we will too.

No One is to Blame... Really?

I just have to ask... does anyone care?

Watch this video to see what these crooks have done to our country... ask yourself, "What Will Obama (especially with the financial wisdom of Frank Raines by his side) Do?"





Wake up America!

When Late Night Attacks...

No wonder McCain blew him off...

After watching David Letterman this evening, it was perfectly clear to me that Dave thinks he is some kind of investigative journalist.

During the first few minutes of the interview (if

 you can call it that), they joked back and forth about Senator McCain ditching Dave a few weeks ago. Dave has been relentless about McCain not showing up and has been cracking on the Senator ever since.

Once most of the pleasantries were over, Dave began questioning John about Sarah Palin. He just hammered and hammered John about whether or not she was ready if she had to take over as President. Of course, Senator McCain backed his VP, but Dave continued. Finally at one point, John pointed out that there was this little known Governor from a relatively small state, Arkansas, that turned out to be a pretty good President (some might disagree)... Bill Clinton.

In the midst of all this, Dave said he would love to have Sarah Palin on the program... yeah, let's get that set up for you right away Dave. I'm sure you'll give her nothing but the respect she deserves...

Dave wasn't finished yet. His next "To Catch a Predator" moment was bringing up how insignificant it was that Obama knew William Ayers. Dave said that Obama's relationship with Ayers was nothing more than McCain's relationship with G. Gordon Liddy. The only problem with that comparison is Liddy burglarized the Democratic Party (Watergate) and Bill Ayers bombed the Pentagon (and other places).

I had a feeling that Dave didn't treat Senator Obama the same way. After doing a little YouTube-ing and seeing Barack on Letterman (multiple times), there is no question that Dave served the Senator a bunch of softballs for him to knock out of the park. Not one single confrontational question for the Senator with a whole 3 years of experience in the Senate.

I've been holding back from saying this - I hope I'm wrong - but the Media and the fringe in this country may get exactly what they have always wanted if Obama wins. Utopia... a country where the government helps us "spread the wealth."

It's called socialism... enjoy.

Calling All Cars...

While driving through town today, one of my favorite pet peeves was in full effect... 

Drivers on cell phones.

I was headed off to run a few errands and all along the way, people talking on their cells. Driving badly and yapping away. I decided to count how many people out of ten drivers were on their cell phones.

The number was not as staggering as I thought... 4 out of 10. I noticed something that made me decide to retry my little experiment. How may women driving were on their cell phones?

I hate to blow everyone's mind with my results (sarcasm implied)... there were 8 women out of ten on their cells.

 Two of those women were texting or at least dialing (one while turning left in front of oncoming traffic). 

No need to think ill of me for pointing out the women cell talkers, men are just as bad.

Why are so many people on their phones while driving? What is so friggin' important that you have a phone glued to your head while you're driving? 

Don't worry, it's not heavy machinery that you are operating... I'm sure no one has ever crashed their car while talking on the phone. You go right ahead and continue that important call.

There is actually an old episode of Mythbusters that ended up - through many tests - showing that driving while talking on a cell is worse than driving drunk (legally drunk).

The thing that really blows my mind are the number of people on the phone while driving to work in the morning. Who are you talking to? What could you possibly need to be talking about at 7:30 in the morning?

I wonder when someone will create a laptop computer that will fit nicely in your car... oh, wait, I have one of those, it's called an iPhone. 

Maybe Blogging while driving will be the next big thing.

Hockey Night in Canada

Hockey Night in Canada was an amazing memory from my childhood. I can remember sitting in the living room with Dad and watching the Red Wings or the Maple Leafs on Saturday Night.

To this day, the song that plays as Hockey Night in Canada begins gets me excited to watch the game. Hockey Night in Canada was kind of like Monday Night Football in America. The games were always exciting to watch. People played with a little more passion, skated faster, checked harder and celebrated with more gusto on Hockey Night in Canada.

After many years, Hockey Night in Canada has a new theme song. When I first heard this, I was a little skeptical. The composer of the original song was holding CBC television hostage to continue using the original song, so they decided to ask Canadians to give it a shot... here is the song that won the contest (Matthew & I especially enjoyed the bagpipes).

I Just Had to Do It...

By no means am I endorsing a candidate...

This message paid for by no one... I saw it on Glen Beck's website.

Boy are we screwed.