Perhaps cremation is better

The following video clip returns to the theme of humor and death that has been prevalent in several of my recent posts. It is from one of my favorite television shows- "Reno 911!"

All I have to say about the clip is that I sincerely hope that does not occur during my funeral.

(Video link):

Clouseau's anticipation

It's been a topsy-turvy month so far which is why I've been publishing so few posts with most of them being video clips.

Tonight is not an exception to this.

Below is a brief portion of one of my favorite movies- "A Shot in the Dark." The 1964 comedy was the second film in the "Pink Panther" series, and stars the inimitable Peter Sellers as Inspector Jacques Clouseau as well as Elke Sommer as Clouseau's love interest.

The scene has Clouseau nervously awaiting Sommer's character for interrogation at his office. Despite getting a burst of confidence it is only fleeting by the scene's end.

(Video link):

Death according to Woody Allen

"Wheat."

"Wheat."



(Video link).

Be prepared

Rather than mope on the subject of death, I'm opting tonight to sort of fight back. With humor.

(Video link):


(Via Metafilter).

Off tomorrow to campus to tie some loose ends. Hope it goes smoothly!

Ashes to ashes

Just a few minutes ago I received some unexpected news; one of my best friends and classmates from high school passed away on Saturday. He was disabled with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and it appeared as if he passed away due to complications related to that.

It has been very sobering news and it's incredibly hard to come to grips with it. I hadn't heard anything about him in about five years. Hence, to be told that he died has come as a terrible shock.

Despite my not being in the best condition emotionally over this news I will find out if there will be a wake this week. If possible I shall try my best to attend not so much for my sakes but as a representative of his fellow class and school alumni.

In the meantime I will reminisce the many great times we had years ago. He passed away far too soon, yet I feel very fortunate to have known him. It's unjust that he had to die, yet we cope with it and try to emulate the good examples he taught.

Rest in peace, old friend.

Happy birthday guys!

In the fifteen or so minutes remaining today I want to wish you guys a very happy and joyous twenty-fifth birthday. Despite the quarrels and disagreeents we may have I am very proud of having you both as my brothers. I wouldn't change it for the world and I sincerely hope your future is bright and that all your dreams can come true.

All corny mushiness aside I hope you both enjoy these videos:

Longing

I miss her.

I really miss her.

It has to be the reason why I oftentimes think of her suddenly and without warning.

It's weird because I've had plenty of crushes and "puppy love" situations before, but she has been the only one really felt something significant towards. My cynical voice doesn't believe such feelings would qualify as love, yet my self-doubting voice disagrees with such an assessment.

One thing I would not call it is infatuation since all I have are simple, "what-if" thoughts and nothing more. I haven't heard from her in nearly two years, but I feel no particular rush in communicating with her. Perhaps it would help to send a benign and friendly message though I'm leaning towards allowing Fate to decide our respective courses.

I think that another reason why I've had this longing for her has been since Venegas has politely turned down my invites for a date. (She's been very occupied and recently started a new job). No, I haven't mentioned to her that I wouldn't mind for us to be a couple and it will most likely stay that way especially with my feelings towards the one left behind. (I still haven't figured out a pseudonym for her).

For now I shall continue biding my time and conforming to whatever happens happens. As I've learned a long time ago, often one's best laid plans never come to fruition. Thus, I will keep hoping that a prime opportunity is around the corner irrespective of the odds of that happening.

The benefits of benevolence

I've been a wreck for the past few days. Mourning and being nostalgic for my father doesn't usually brighten my spirits. Much like last year I try to live without regrets and move forward little buy little. Yet the pain from dad's death as well as 9/11 continue to hover like a fog in my mind.

One of the many lessons my dad taught me is never take things lying down and to always fight for justice. For the most part it has its advantages in that I've learned to try to be virtuous and become a more independent person. The downside to which I fall trap of is that I sometimes cross the thin line between being correct and being bullheaded.

head of the household since his passing away. In doing so, I've taken up a multitude of responsibilities that have been thrust upon me. It's a role I take great pride in doing even in those rare occasions that I Yet my main point is that he was wise in telling me his advice since I've become the de factowould not like to.

My ultimate hope is that when all is said and done I've done an extraordinary job not necessarily for my sake but for my family and loved ones.

I am certain he would not have wanted it any other way.

Weeping and praying

Tomorrow and Tuesday constitute the toughest 48-hour period for me to get through. September 10th will be the second anniversary of my dad's death while the next day will be the six-year mark of the 9/11 attacks.

control her emotions. It's incredibly hard to put up with so much suffering and I don't blame her for her constant crying and lamenting. Unfortunately, such actions provide me with little solace and Tonight was very difficult in that we were praying all together yet my mom justifiably could notonly serves to feed the hidden anger I have over his passing.

Two years.

It's quite a long time.

I don't know with what strength, energy, or sanity we've managed to make it to this point. But even in my grief and sadness I'm glad that we've gotten to this point.

And hopeful that we will continue for many years to come.

Moz on the Great White Way

Image of Lt. Jim Dangle with his trusty Morrissey shirt on via RGJ.com

Last month I wrote about had expectations that the rescheduled concerts by Morrissey in New York would be reasonably priced. Instead to my chagrin tickets are being sold in the presale at $65 a seat. Hence, I would not push for going to one of his gigs.

But a few moments ago I read something on NME.com that caught my attention:

"A 'We Will Rock You'-style musical based on Morrissey's songs is currently in the works.

The idea has been conceived by Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, who both starred in 'Reno 911!'...Lennon told New York Metro: "I have an outline in my head, like 'Mamma Mia'- type musical but with them music of Morrissey called 'I've Changed My Plea To Guilty'. It's for a very diehard set of fans."

Oh yes!

If musicals on ABBA and doo-wop music can gain prominence on Broadway than so can one based on Mozzer. More so if it's co-written by such a great writer and huge Moz fan as Lennon is.

I will be on the lookout for when and where the musical opens. I don't know how, but I will somehow find cheap tickets for that musical since I wouldn't want to miss it at all!

Ciao Luciano

Last night I mentioned that I would discuss futbol for today’s post, but the death of opera legend Luciano Pavarotti has taken my attention.

I am far from being an opera buff and those that know me best are surprised to know that I have a dislike for opera.

Yet one would be an imbecile to not acknowledge the impact Pavarotti had on the music scene. For several decades he was the tenor. It was an event to hear him perform in operatic plays despite his supposed difficulties with acting. His concerts where the main ticket in town. No ifs ands or buts. Even his recent personal problems became front page tabloid fodder.

Nobody in my immediate family are big opera fans. Not even my dad who had a very keen and broad ear for music. But when “The Three Tenors” gained prominence nearly twenty years ago he was vociferously singing their praises. I long ago lost count of the number of times he watched the trio of Pavarotti, Carreras, and Domingo on TV. I could never figure out why he was so enthralled by them and to this day it’s still a mystery. Yet he absolutely appreciated them. His enthusiasm taught me a valuable lesson: be appreciative and receptive of all things even if you don’t like them.

The following is a live concert clip of Pavarotti performing with legendary Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso. Pavarotti’s versatility is on display in his fantastic interpretation of “Manhã da Carnaval” (video link):

"This is Telemundo! The Spanish language....television network!"

Tomorrow I'll reminisce over a very happy day as a soccer fan and Colombian hincha that occurred in 1993. (Here's a small hint).

In the meantime, as I was looking at futbol clips on YouTube I found an absolute gem. It's a goal from an early 1990s match between the U.S. and Colombia that prominently involved two future MetroStars: Adolfo "el Tren" Valencia and Tony Meola.

The most interesting part of the clip is the voice calling the game: Tony Tirado. The former NASL goalie was a staple of soccer broadcasts on Univision's precursor: SIN. Tirado bolted to Telemundo after Andres Cantor become the head play-by-play announcer on that network. Tirado's deal included hosting a weekly half-hour show- "De Gol a Gol"- that lasted only a few months. Yet the bigger change was that despite having Norberto Longo as the color commentator on SIN, Tirado announced many (if not all) matches alone in the booth.

Tirado's style of narration was simple without adding an overabundance of details nor speaking at breakneck speed. Still, he was keen on narrating along with the flow of action and he left little dead air.

He was also very prescient in knowing that not everyone watching the matches was fluent in Spanish. (Remember, he was on TV in the pre-MLS days when watching a tape-delayed World Cup game was cutting edge). Hence, he peppered the games with phrases in English; one of them being the title to this post.

With that said, here's the clip. (Video link):

Cheers Tony!

The bliss that is Guinness

Mercifully, I am in a much better mood than last night. For the time being I will stick to what I said though in better spirits than when I wrote last night’s entry.

Aside from my improved mood, very little can be said for today aside from the fact that I was a lazy bastard and sat in front of the TV all day. (“Reno 911” in the morning, “No Reservations” and Pedro’s return to the mound in the afternoon, and VH1 Classic at night).

I will say little else for tonight except to show this clip from the beginning of the episode of “No Reservations” on Ireland. It’s amazing what a pint of Guinness can do to bring people together (video link):

p.s. Hey! I just realized that yesterday’s post was my hundredth for the year! Hooray-ah for me (*in Strong Bad’s voice*)!

The pitfalls of benevolence

Over this holiday weekend I learned a very valuable lesson:

Be more selfish.

For over a month I have planning for the family to take advantage of the Labor Day Weekend in order to go out and have fun. The original plan was to go to Coney Island on Saturday but decided to change that mainly since I did not want to put up with the massive crowds that would descend there. (It’s a pet peeve of mine, I confess, to be around huge crowds of people. This is why I don’t like tourist traps.)

As a viable alternative I suggested going out to eat instead. Several ideas were floated and then supposedly decided on but they would be scrapped in favor of going to another restaurant or not going out altogether. Throughout the process I was more than willing to go along with everyone else for the sake of trying to find a solution best for all of us. It may not have been my choice to go to restaurant “A”, for instance, but if they wanted to then I would be comfortable with that.

Unfortunately the storm of indecision was leaving me drenched in anger and disillusionment.

Take this morning for example. Last night we all agreed to go Monday to a nearby Dominican joint and that I would call Access-A-Ride Sunday afternoon to arrange transportation. Yet shortly after waking up and getting the phone I was told that everyone else changed their minds and would be going to a Colombian place in Jackson Heights. My enthusiasm for going to what was originally chosen vanished as yet again plans were made then modified at the drop of a hat.

The straw that broke my back was that after arranging transportation to go to Jackson Heights my mom changes her mind s she could stay home and watch the Mets game. I couldn’t take it anymore after conforming to everyone else’s always-changing preferences for two days. I really wanted to go out this weekend and I eagerly anticipated doing so. Only that notion went up in a proverbial poof of smoke.

Worse still, I’ve been getting blamed for thinking of others ahead of myself. “That’s always been your weakness,” mom accusingly told me. “You’re too much of a conformist” she tries to rub in my face with.

With all my faults being tossed at me I came up with the obvious conclusion:

Be more selfish.

There are inherent risks with acting in that manner; chiefly, it is of not saying what I mean as well as rubbing others the wrong way.

But at this point I’m just disgusted and upset and disappointed and rattled. If things didn’t work out before then perhaps a different tact will get results.

If not then I’ll revert back.

I don’t care what works as long as it does.

Right now I’m at my wit’s end and desperately want something to work.