Various Thoughts- 05/16/2011
TV: "Boston Rob" won Survivor last night. I checked out more than halfway through the season. Survivor, at it's best, is a great mixture of smart strategic playing with just enough 'characters' to make it more than a chess game, with just enough twists to make things unpredictable.
This year, it was all characters, no thinking. I don't want to accuse the producers of stacking the deck, but no one on the show outside of Boston Rob acted like they were trying to win the game. And the "Immunity Idol" are far too game-breaking- they should be finished by the final 6.
TV: Been watching Discovery Channel's "Dual Survival". Absolutely fantastic show. The concept is simple- two survivalists are sent into various survival situations for a few days.
Both guys are badasses in different ways. Dave (army ex-sniper) has built weapons out of local materials to hunt animals for food, killed alligators, and used black-powder to cauterize a wound... and he may not nearly be as tough as Cody, who builds his own shelters and has gone 20 years in shorts and without shoes. Which, considering some of the survival locations include snow-covered mountains, is impressive as hell.
There's a lot of shows like this- the best ones are both entertaining and educational. Hell, I HATE camping and find this show fascinating.
Politics: Mike Huckabee announced he won't be running in 2012.
I was never a Huckabee supporter- never agreed with his economic ideas- but he's a great speaker and was a serious candidate in 2008. I can't blame anyone for not wanting to run for President. The way campaigns are run, you need to be running for two years or more constantly, and your reward is a job for four years where you are blamed for every problem on earth. I completely understand why someone wouldn't want that.
I'm glad he's not running, because I don't think I'd be very happy with the decisions President Huckabee would make. But I wish him health, wealth, and happiness.
Sports: The Bulls beat Miami in game 1
I don't like LeBron James. (that's pretty obvious to anyone who knows me). I think he used Cleveland's past pain as a way of spotlighting his own ego, and I think he quit on the team in 2010 against the Celtics.
I don't like Schadenfreude To me, I shouldn't wish ill upon people I don't like. I'd rather me succeed instead of tearing down others. But this past year, I've been indulging in it. I've jumped for joy every time the Heat lose, and I don't care who wins in the NBA this season as long as it's not the Heat. Hell, I even named my fantasy team name "Dwayne Wade and His Amazing Sidekicks".
So to see that thrashing by the Bulls (who had the best record in the NBA this year?) Yeah, I'm happy. Let's see three more just like that.
This year, it was all characters, no thinking. I don't want to accuse the producers of stacking the deck, but no one on the show outside of Boston Rob acted like they were trying to win the game. And the "Immunity Idol" are far too game-breaking- they should be finished by the final 6.
TV: Been watching Discovery Channel's "Dual Survival". Absolutely fantastic show. The concept is simple- two survivalists are sent into various survival situations for a few days.
Both guys are badasses in different ways. Dave (army ex-sniper) has built weapons out of local materials to hunt animals for food, killed alligators, and used black-powder to cauterize a wound... and he may not nearly be as tough as Cody, who builds his own shelters and has gone 20 years in shorts and without shoes. Which, considering some of the survival locations include snow-covered mountains, is impressive as hell.
There's a lot of shows like this- the best ones are both entertaining and educational. Hell, I HATE camping and find this show fascinating.
Politics: Mike Huckabee announced he won't be running in 2012.
I was never a Huckabee supporter- never agreed with his economic ideas- but he's a great speaker and was a serious candidate in 2008. I can't blame anyone for not wanting to run for President. The way campaigns are run, you need to be running for two years or more constantly, and your reward is a job for four years where you are blamed for every problem on earth. I completely understand why someone wouldn't want that.
I'm glad he's not running, because I don't think I'd be very happy with the decisions President Huckabee would make. But I wish him health, wealth, and happiness.
Sports: The Bulls beat Miami in game 1
I don't like LeBron James. (that's pretty obvious to anyone who knows me). I think he used Cleveland's past pain as a way of spotlighting his own ego, and I think he quit on the team in 2010 against the Celtics.
I don't like Schadenfreude To me, I shouldn't wish ill upon people I don't like. I'd rather me succeed instead of tearing down others. But this past year, I've been indulging in it. I've jumped for joy every time the Heat lose, and I don't care who wins in the NBA this season as long as it's not the Heat. Hell, I even named my fantasy team name "Dwayne Wade and His Amazing Sidekicks".
So to see that thrashing by the Bulls (who had the best record in the NBA this year?) Yeah, I'm happy. Let's see three more just like that.