My opinion of the fact that the "World" Cup has the same teams as always...

This just in: why I love American sports

Why do I love American sport? Because the athletes are willing to duke it out to settle differences, unlike Euro "athletes" that fake falls, injuries and fouls. As you can see, brawling is a time honored tradition:

Baseball
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyDN2y3S3iE

Basketball
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kH0Hj1CdOs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GL6LYmFaMA

I'm a moron

I've turned off comment moderation.

When the Beast and I were trying to out Big John (um, only to find out who it is, not out of anything else), I didn't realize how comment moderation worked - I didn't know I had to approve comments.

TOO much work that is.

Besides, now that the Nate Appreciation Society has his/her own blog, it doesn't matter - flattering in a way.

2 for the price of 1!

Alright, my Natemare reading public... I've got 2 lists for you: List 15 and List 16.

List 15: Chillout Songs
If you haven't realized by now after reading previous lists, I'm pretty big on music... in fact, you could say that I've been shaped by music at almost every point in my life. I like oldies from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, some 80s, 90s grunge, some music from today... classical, rock, country, rap, r&b... you name it, I've probably got an example stashed away in my private collection.

But the collection doesn't really help for EVERY situation. Sometimes you want music to drive to, sometimes you want music to work to, and sometimes you want music just to listen to while you're doing "something" else.

And sometimes, you have a beer, a cigarette, and you want to chill.

A good chill song is a song you don't necessarily need to concentrate to, but a song that will carry you away with your thoughts while you watch the sky and take a drag off the cancer stick.

So here they are, my favorite Chill Songs:
10. Filter/Take a Picture - yes, I know. This was their sell-out song. And it's a bit harder than the other songs on this list. But it was a good song to just listen to at the time.
9. Moody Blues/Nights in White Satin - you heard me. Shut up :-)
8. Sarah McLachlan/Sweet Surrender - yeah, I like her. She's got a good voice to chill to.
7. Kid Rock/Only God Knows Why - a good story about life on the road. I don't really like the rest of his stuff, but this one pretty much fits the bill.
6. The Sundays/Wild Horses - a cover of the Rolling Stones hit. I like this version better, and it's good to chill to.
5. U2/I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - just a great song... they were already big time when this song appeared, but this one took them to that "legendary" plane. And of course, it's still good for chilling :-)
4. Massive Attack/Teardrop & Exchange (tie) - both from their Mezzanine masterpiece. Both are good just to chill to - I recommend you pick up a copy of this one, as I prefer this one to Blue Lines, Protection, and the newer non-Massive Attack crap.
3. Blue Oyster Cult/Don't Fear the Reaper - this one was also on my Driving Songs list. Just a great riff song, as well as a good flow to chill to.
2. Bob Marley/Jamming - oh come on, don't tell me you don't wish you were, um, "smoking" when you hear this song come on the radio....
1. Boston/More than a Feeling - When I was back in the US, before going to sleep I used to sit on the sill of my apartment window, pour myself a stiff drink, turn off the lights, and smoke a cigarette. And put on some Boston.

List 16: Best Action Stars
You know who these folks are. With a machine gun, grenades, or just their boot they shot, kick, and stomp their way through the bad guys to rescue innocent civilians.

No other introduction needed!

Honorable Mentions - Jackie Chan, Chuck Norris, Keanu Reeves, Pierce Brosnan, Will Smith. Each of these are really, really good, but they either a) did "drama" movies that took points away, b) took action parts too seriously, or c) added atrocious humor to their movies.
10. Jean-Claude Van Damme -
His acting is horrible. His movies are cheesy. But their fun to watch!
9. Steven Seagal -
His acting is only slightly better than Van Damme. His movies are cheesy. But when he's on the revenge path, people die... and is there anything better?
8. Jet Li -
His acting is better than the previous two, and something tells me that if he did more movies about revenge he will leapfrog the two people coming next...
7. Samuel L Jackson -
come on, is there a bigger Badass in Hollywood? He's got probably the best acting chops of everyone except number 1, 2, and 3.
6. Sigourney Weaver -
You gotta like Alien(s)/3/Resurrection :-)
5. Bruce Lee -
He was never quite big on acting. But there has never, EVER been another martial arts star that made you feel and see the power of the punch.
4. Arnold Schwarzenegger -
He would be higher (a lot higher), but in half his movies, he doesn't say much except killing, and in the other half you don't know what he's saying anyway.
3. Bruce Willis -
as the Beast says, he mastered the "method acting through a vest." You know he means business when he's got lots of stuff on the vest and he's flinging them at people.
2. "old" Sean Connery -
I'm not talking about the man who is too ashamed to realize that you can say no to a script like League of Extraordinary Gentleman, I'm talking about the man who was, and still is, BOND. JAMES BOND.
1. Clint Eastwood -
the Man with No Name, the Outlaw, Preacher, or Dirty Harry... Mr Western Bad-asssss, Mr Don't-Take-No-Shit. Mr Die-by-the-Gun. And in my book, the one, the only.

Until next time... THE NATEMARE STRIKES AGAIN!

Now is the time to force out the mysterious folks....

... by not allowing anonymous comments!

MWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Take that!

Don't worry, I might allow them again soon...

Coming soon, to a theatre near you...

... hopefully my next blog!

*cheers and shouts*

Unfortunately, you will all just have to wait until this week is done. Remember my last post, how there could be aftermath to busy-ness? Well, I'm in it now...

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten all of you - you'll see me soon.

Until next time... (no striking yet)

Bat out of Hell!

And other clichéd intros (Back with a Vengeance, Hard to Kill, Here We Go Again)...

Anyway, apologies for the wait from last week. I had a terrible time both with school and work, and just didn't get anything done. So I would like to make 3 posts today: Thought 9, Event 5, and List 14.

Thought 9: Playing Catch-Up
Have you ever had a week were everything seemed to just take longer? And by the time the week ended, you realized that you were so far behind in work/home/school that it would take another week to catch up? That's just like the week I had. There was just too much to do, and not enough time...

But I really shouldn't complain. Mainly because there are some out there that have this, but over months and years!

So I sat down this weekend and thought it over. These types of weeks, months and years are called Catch-Up. In other words, you are constantly in a state of catch up just to keep your head above the water. There are mainly 5 stages of the Catch-Up:
1. The Initial Flood - you're expecting a normal week. Instead, you get a sudden rush of stuff to do... and while you are planning how to handle the first rush, a second rush comes on top of the first... then a third... and a fourth...
2. The Sense of Foreboding - ... and after the fourth, the stream continues. You begin to sense that you might be in for a long week. You tackle as much as you can, and you try to keep your head above water. And you begin to think of how in the hell you are going to finish everything in the next couple of days... so you begin to look into the future, realizing your schedule is shot...
3. The Stress Factor - ... and so begins the stress. You begin to feel crushed by the flood, and you're just trying to get as much done as you can, and hope for the best. You may or may not be able to sleep...
4. The Crunch - ... and then the crunch happens. Do or die. You work in a frenzied pace, and you tick them off: that's done, this is done, this will be done tomorrow morning. You begin to realize that maybe, just maybe, you've got it all under control. So you get it all done, and on that final day you work really late. 3....2....1.... final tasked finished!....
5. The Aftermath - .... and you're in the clear! Except for one fact: you have to deal with the aftermath. If you got everything done on time, you get the accolades. If you caused the problem, or you were still really, really late, you get the blame. We all know what happens at this point, good or bad.

Event 5: The World Cup
As stated before (and in spite of my previous list), I actually like football. Except for one thing... I'm really getting tired of the World Cup, and it hasn't even started! Every little bit of news gets front page coverage, and every single store in my neighborhood has "Countdown to World Cup" signs, and everyone is flying those little flags (which is funny, because everybody here makes fun of people flying flags the rest of the year). And it seems to me that every commercial on television has some sort of tie-in with the World Cup (with people jumping on to new sofas to save a goal - but wait, the sofa's on sale!).

I'll still watch, but aren't you just a little bit tired of all the coverage? Just let us get on with it!

List 14: Best Voices
You know who these are. The voices that crone the ballads that make us think, make us feel, or just make us feel good. Some on this list are legends, others will be eventually, and others are just my personal favorites. There aren't any frontmen/women to bands, as I consider those to be the band as a whole (a list for another time).

PS - you won't see Elton or Barbara on this list. Mainly because it's my list dammit :-)

10. Tie: Sarah McLachlan/Sade - this is my list dammit, so they're both on there :-) For Sarah, her pinnacle was Fumbling Towards Ecstasy... just a fantastic blend of vocals and acoustic guitar. Possession is still one of my Top 5 songs, all time. For Sade, it's a case of the right mood... admittedly, you won't be listening to her stuff while driving or working. But there are "certain" times where it is just right...
9. Johnny Cash - you knew he would be on here. His songs are legendary, and so is his voice. You know he's singing about the hard time, and about the hard life. It was a real shame that the Man in Black died this year.
8. Patsy Cline - "Crazy... I'm crazy for feeling" Everybody knows this voice. She is a true legend in the country/western sphere.
7. Ray Charles - the absolute KING of gospel jazz/blues. His voice, his music, and his downright giddy attitude are known the world over. "But you don't know me..."
6. Billy Holiday - A legend of the first half of the 20th century (specifically WW2). Her music is played in every war film, and although her life was tragic she managed to record music heard today.
5. Nat King Cole - another legend... probably the most dignified person on this list, he led a quiet life while singing it up.
4. Bing Crosby - the man was a jerk, and many people didn't like him, but his voice was universally renowned.
3. Dean Martin - a personal favorite... one of the big members of the Rat Pack, I think he sang better after 3 packs of cigs and 10 whisk(e)y drinks...
2. Aretha Franklin - all she wants is a little R - E - S - P - E - C - T. And I'm giving it to her!
1. Frank Sinatra - come on... Ole Blue Eyes will always be number one, in anybody's book. He turned numerous Cole Porter songs into international hits, and his life and career are legendary. Can you believe he won an Oscar???

List 14a: Natemare's Top 5 Songs, All Time
Just my list, and making it short and sweet.
5. "Halcyon&on&on"/Orbital - this song is long, but it has the right flow to it. There is just something about it that really chills me out, makes me want a cigarette and a beer.
4. "Magic Carpet Ride"/Steppenwolf - come on! When I hear this song, I just have to stop and sing along. One thing though... they certainly bastardize this in too many damn commercials...
3. "Possession/Sarah McLachlan - the song is slightly disturbing in a "possessive" way, but it's got that something...
2. "Jane Says"/Jane's Addiction - this song just has something about it. It's a song of defiance!
1. "Teardrop"/Massive Attack - there is just something about this song... it's got a hold on me, and although you won't hear it on the radio you will see me stop when they play it in a movie or at the store...

Until (hopefully soon)... the Natemare strikes again!