Friday, November 20, 2009

Random Movie Fact...

There are many movies that I viewed when I was in elementary school, but do not remember the slightest thing about these days. With remakes taking over the movie market, I try to catch up on the originals. Rumor has it that a new, updated Mad Max will be released in the next couple of years.

For those who do not know Mad Max, it was one of Mel Gibson's first flicks. It was an Australian film of a future world where vigilante road gangs ruled the landscape. Gibson, an Australian road cop, kills one of the gang members in a high speed chase. This leads to the rest of the gang to kill his partner, wife, child and dog. Just like all action movies, he seeks revenge and destroys the gang all by himself.

I watched the movie this week from my DVR. The trilogy came on AMC (still have Mad Max: Road Warrior and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome to go) and I recorded the whole set. The original was actually a great movie. Using Australia as its backdrop, the director created a beautiful setting for viewers. The music was excellent, along with great cinematography. My favorite scenes are these 1-second flash clips of the bad guys' eyes bulging out just before they die.

Now to the reason that I wrote this blog. I am a horror film freak. When I was little, I stayed up all night on Halloween watching Friday the 13th Movies and Nightmare on Elm Street on the USA Network. Lately, I catch all of the Saw movies and Halloween remakes. I am also looking forward to the new take on Freddy and return of the Scream series in 2010-11.

The original Saw was based on a man getting a choice... die in a room where no one will ever find you, while chained to a bath tub or cut off you leg at the ankle with the rusty hacksaw on the floor and crawl to safety. Come to find out, this idea was not original to Saw. Those guys stole it from the original Mad Max. At the end of Mad Max, he catches the last bad guy and handcuffs him by the ankle to a flipped over car that is leaking gas. Max gives the guy a saw and tells him that he has five minutes to saw his leg off or burn/blow up with the vehicle.

Who knew that Mel Gibson was the original Jigsaw!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Free is always better...

Myself, Jeff, Robert and Jonathan took Starkville, MS by storm on Saturday. This was our second trip to the Cow Palace this football season, but this trip involved our beloved Alabama Crimson Tide. While this trip did not live up to its legendary expectations, it still had plenty of entertainment, excitement and FREE TICKETS!


1. Scalpers can kiss our booties: Taking Starkville by storm without tickets to the game was not looking like a smart decision 45 minutes before kickoff. Tickets were in the $75-100 range and we are not the wealthiest group of friends. We were looking for the $30 range which did not seem to exist. After talking with about 100 scalpers, who all wanted to rip us off, we struck gold. An older, distinguished man beckoned us to his side. He presented us with four, lower level tickets in the Alabama section. We expected them to come with a hefty price tag, but his words took us by surprise... "These tickets are courtesy of the Mal Moore and the Alabama Athletic Department" JACKPOT!!!! In our minds, we just won the lottery. What a great way to watch an Alabama football game... Free and in the Alabama section. It gets no better than this.

2. Jonathan's Anger: Most people think Mr. Brewer is any easy going person without a temper. From personal experience, I knew it took a lot to get him agitated to the point of cursing or fighting (repeated shots to the private parts or an extended period of time with Robert). Either old age, lack of marital relations or the airline industry has changed this once patient man. The anger started at the Cowbell Sports Bar. Evidently, Mississippi does not ban smoking in restaurants. As we are eating our wings, a few people around us begin to light up. Cigarette smoke evidently turns Johnny into the Incredible Hulk. He turns a funny color, his voice gets deeper and his temper flares. He starts yelling out loud how he hates smoking. He is ready to leave the restaurant. I begin to get worried, but play it off as nothing. Next, we learned in the car ride to the game that Jonathan hates overweight people. Watching big people eat, grosses him out. He gets angry watching an obese person down a hamburger. Finally, Jonathan's temper reaches its peak at Chili's in Columbus. His hamburger comes out and it is not the largest burger in the world. Instead of being round, it is more of the McDonald's Rib-a-Que shape. This sets off Jonathan's last nerve. He pulls a Mr. Pate. He fusses at the waitress for the size of his burger. He sends his burger back for a new one. Jonathan has officially ripped out of his clothes and turned green. About 20 minutes later, his new burger arrives marinated in the cook's bodily fluids.

3. Jeff picking a fight: Jeff and the art of fighting do not go hand-in-hand. When a fight gets ready to take place, Jeff can typically be found hiding behind a book case at Barnes and Noble (inside joke from back in the day). Now that Jeff has gotten buff, married and expecting a child, he has gotten brave. This was no more evident than Saturday night at the game. Jeff is getting irritated by all of the drunk Alabama fans during the game. He decides to place a mustard packet on the bleacher in front of him and stomp it. This sends mustard flying through the air and on the intoxicated boys in front of us. About 30 minutes later, the boys realize their Shirt Shop pants are covered in yellow. They start running their mouths and staring at Jeff. Each of us offer Jeff a solution to the problem. I think Jeff should keep staring back. Robert thinks Jeff owes them an apology and a hug. Jonathan wants Jeff to ask them if they want some ketchup with that mustard. Jeff chooses option D, run away and do not look back. Maybe I was wrong about Jeff's new bravery!

4. Robert's New Girlfriend: As Robert, Jeff and Jonathan head to the bar to get a drink, I stay at the table to adhere to my strict Southern Baptist principals. Robert leaves his cell phone lying on the table. Bored, I begin to view his phone book, just to see if there is anyone that needs a random call from me. As I get to the letter S, I notice a peculiar name that I do not know. This must be a friend of Roberts that I have not met. Her name... Suzy Fun Buns. My first thought is that this must be a nickname for his wife Sara. So, I hit view the number and automatically pick up the first four digits 1-900. Uh Oh, Robert has a problem that might need to be addressed on this trip. I am the type that handles things upfront, so I walk to the bar and ask loudly in front of the good-looking bartender and other patrons sitting around, "Who is Suzy Fun Buns?" and hold up his phone. It is not easy to embarrass Robert, but this got him. He was caught off guard by the revelation of this info. According to Robert, the guys at work like to play tricks on each other and this was a clever scheme by his friends. But if I am Sara, I take a look a little more closely at his phone records.

5. Times have changed: A few years ago, our topics of conversation could not have been more different than they were this weekend. Instead of talking about how hot the college girls look in the short dresses, we swear that our daughter will never get caught dead in that outfit. Instead of attempting to pick up girls, we give Jonathan advice on the pros and cons of marriage. Instead of picking on Jeff, well we still do this (wearing his pants way too high), but we also give him tons of advice on fatherhood. Instead of planning our next wild adventure, we scheme of ways to convince our wives to let us do something that doesn't involve the park, Walmart or Sunday School Parties. Listening to Robert talk about his 401K, Roth IRA and diversified portfolio, Jeff talk about keeping his baby at night while April is at class and Jonathan contemplate joining the Air National Guard are in stark contrast to the past conversations of Halo, hot girls in our classes and intramural games. I can't imagine these conversations in 10 years... topics may include colon cleansing, a mid-life crisis and hair implants.

6. The Game: The actual football game was awesome. We had great, free seats. We sat with all Alabama fans. MSU fans left midway through the 3rd Quarter, so we had the entire stadium to ourselves. I hate halftime shows, but this one actually rocked. It was a Veterans' Day tribute. The game was awesome. Mark Barron proved why he may be one of the best young defensive players in the nation. Mark Ingram booked his trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy Presentation. A couple of more solid weeks and we are looking at Bama's first Heisman winner. Maze and Hanks stepped up to help out Julio, while Marcel Dareus will break all kinds of Alabama sack records before his career ends after three seasons. We have one more home game this weekend and I can't wait. I will not be in attendance for the Iron Bowl (beach with family for Thanksgiving), but plan to make Atlanta and possibly another place (I do not want to jinx the Crimson Tide).

7. Next Trip: Our next guy trip may be to the place not mentioned above on the other side of the country that has a big Hollywood sign on the side of a hill. But it will not actually be a true guy trip, as our scheming led to us inviting our wives on this trip!

Friday, November 13, 2009

ER, Veterans Day and Random Stuff...

I am not a daily blogger. I do not think that people, need to know or want to know, what my family does on a daily basis. But ever so often, I will create a post about some events that have occurred in our lives over the past few days or past couple of weeks.

1. First Emergency Room Visit: Saturday started out so perfect. We slept in on Saturday morning, went to the Quad with friends before the Bama-LSU Game, I attended the game while Sarah and Brynn hung out with her parents, I tailgated with Jeff, April, Jonathan and the Newmans after the game, and finally returned home to watch free MMA on CBS while holding my sleepy daughter. This was the culmination of the Perfect Day!

Boy, things can change quickly. As I get done seeing Fedor destroy Brett Rogers with one punch, Brynn begins to cough in her sleep. I turn on the DVR of the Bama game, so I can see up-close the controversial calls. The cough begins to get worse. Brynn is having trouble catching her breath. Sarah is dead asleep in our bed at this time, but I decide to take a chance that she will not verbally abuse me for waking her up. I tap her on the shoulder and tell her I think Brynn is sick. She lets out some form of a sentence that I am going to pretend was "Matt you are so great!" After a second and third tap, I get her awake and listening to Brynn's breathing struggles. We phone the on-call nurse and she listens to Brynn over the phone and says it sound like Croup. We are sent to the DCH-ER. Not a fun place to be after the Bama-LSU game.

The first person we see is a drunken, LSU fan with a smashed right cheek. According to his side of the story, he was minding his own business as he walked down the street and an Alabama fan did not like the way he looked, so he was slugged in the face. This guy got drilled. His face was messed up and I am pretty sure he was not Mr. Innocent. He did not shut up the entire time and eventually had the cops called on him.

Luckily having a young child, we are carried back into the ER quicker than everyone else. I do my best to name drop Tara Anders' name to the other nurses in search of preferential treatment. I think it might have worked a little! The staff at the ER was incredible. Everyone was super nice and friendly. They all took their time to entertain Brynn and make sure we were comfortable. Brynn was perfect through the entire ordeal. She let the nurses and doctor poke and prod all over her. She lay perfectly during an X-Ray. She took her breathing treatment like it was a game. The steroid shot at the end did result in a few tears, but quickly dried up as she fell asleep on the way home. In all, we were at the ER for about 3 hours. I was able to finish Twilight for about the 20th time, so it was a productive trip.

In the end, Brynn had the Croup and a sinus infection. She ended up with 3 shots, all in her thighs and taking medicine for her infection.

2. Veterans Day: Being a teacher has many perks. One of those was receiving an off day for Veterans' Day. My morning began early, as Scott and I had a tee time at 8 AM. It was the perfect morning for golf. The sun was out, the temperature was perfect with a slight breeze and no one played in front or behind us. We both played extremely well and had a blast.

Following golf, the wives and children joined us at Wings for lunch. We had a great Hot Lips Platter for $5 which is their Wednesday special. The kids were well behaved, except when Spencer tried to show Brynn how to properly use a steak knife.

After lunch, we went shopping at Old Navy and got Brynn three outfits and daddy one long-sleeve polo shirt. We then went home and took a nap as a family, before heading to the park so Brynn could swing. That night, we spend plenty of time playing with Brynn and watching TV. In all, it was the best holiday I have had in a long time.

3. Update to List of Top TV Shows: For some reason, I forgot to include one of my favorite shows to my list on last week's blog. This show would definitely be in my Top-3. The show comes on ABC on Monday nights at 9 PM. What is this wonderful show, you may be asking. CASTLE!! That is right; it is thrilling and hilarious, all-in-one.

4. Basketball Update: The Hillcrest Lady Middle School Patriots are off to a rough start on the season. We are currently 2-4 with victories over Riverside and Bottenfield. We have lost to Westlawn on three occasions (2, 6, and 7 point differences) and Eastwood in a blowout. We are the most talented team in the city/county, but we are having trouble playing together, listening to coaches and staying out of foul trouble. I predict a City/County title, but we have a long way to go!

5. Brynn Update: Brynn is growing up everyday. She has now progressed to crawling in the correct position on a permanent basis. She does not resort to military crawls anymore. She can pull up on anything. She is attempting to be Spiderman on a daily basis by crawling up flat surfaces like the wall or our front-glass door. She also has a new toy. It is a baby grocery cart. She is able to pull up on the toy and then walk behind it. The girl can scoot across the floor with her cart. I predict walking by Thanksgiving (9 months), but Sarah says Christmans (10 months). I started teaching her to throw left-handed this week. She has not shown a strong distinction towards either hand. She uses whichever hand is closer to the object she wants in her mouth. But the process of creating a deadly left-handed volleyball server and softball pitcher has begun!

6. Upcoming Events: The Perdue's Calendar is full over the next few weeks. This Saturday, I will be going with the boys to Starkville for Day Out 2. We will be watching Bama continue their perfect season at the expense of Dan Mullen's puppy dogs. I will be sure to update my blog next week with a recap of this, wait for it... legendary trip!

During Thanksgiving, the Perdues and Storms will go to Orange Beach for 5 days. Both families have decided to enjoy the holidays beachside. It will be a week full of tennis, indoor swimming and seafood. We also plan to hit some stores on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

I am still in the process of finding a way to get to the SEC Championship on December 5. Jeff is my best bet, but if anyone else wants to take me, I fit into most trunks.

On December 18-20, Sarah and I will celebrate our 3rd Anniversary at Joe Wheeler State Park in North Alabama. Her father is so proud! We plan to hike, play golf and sleep without being woken up by Brynn.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Fall TV Favorites

There have been many things that were invented, created or developed in my life time that I do not know how I lived without. As a child, I do not know how I lived without my original Nintendo Entertainment System. I played Mega Man, RBI Baseball, Contra, Duck Hunt or sprinted against the Cheetah on my Power Pad everyday, all day.

During high school and college, the emergence of cellular phones has taken me and nearly everyone else on this Earth by storm. I can't ride in my car, sit at my desk or go to a ballgame without calling or texting my wife or friends. I get mad at my students who try to text during class or drivers who don't pay attention because they are talking, but I am just as guilty as any of them. I have, however, taken a vow to my wife that I will not text and drive with Brynn in the car.

The most recent addition to the Perdue lifestyle has been DirecTV HD DVR Service. I have heard from friends how great TiVo or DVR players can be, but I never thought them neccessary since I did not watch many shows religously. I was sooooo wrong! We love our new DVR. I am currently watching about 20 different series ranging from sports to suspense to romantic comedy.

I have decided to compile a list of 10 Favorite shows of the Fall. Some are obvious, while others have become a guilty pleasure.

BUSTS

10. Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice: I watched the first episodes of both shows this season and have not watched since. Major Disappointments! Actually, Grey's lost me when Katherine Heigl started seeing a ghost-boyfriend last season.

9. TUF (Ultimate Fighter Reality Show) : This show has been a major disappointment since it was supposed to be the best season, EVER! With heavyweights, I expected some great knockouts and pranks inside the house. Instead, I have gotten seven fights were the combatants were gassed within 3 minutes. The show was built around Kimbo Slice, but he lost his first fight and hasn't played a major role. The season still has a ways to go and hopefully can turn itself around.

8. The Office: This show has always been one of my favorites, but has been a let down this season. I have laughed alot, but nothing out of the ordinary. I must say, however, I was thrilled with the wedding episode. I just think it should have opened or closed the season. I am not sure where the show will go in the future.. but I expect it to center around Jim and Pam having a child, Michael finding a wife and Dwight doing something random.

Better than Expected

7. Cougar Town: This is my new guilty pleasure. The show only last 30 minutes, but I am constantly wanting it to go for a full hour. Courtney Cox is definitely back in her element, which is comedy. The parade of supporting characters all bring something different. I love her ex-husband, the golf pro, who lives on a boat which is docked in a parking lot across the street from the beach and drives a golf cart, instead of a car.

6. Flash Forward: I have always been anti-Lost. This show was promoted along the same lines as Lost with the sense of suspense, mystery and intrigue. I did not have high hopes for this show and thought it might not last long. I was proven incorrect. This show is great with a great storyline and great characters. It brings in solid mystery every week, adds elements of surprise and decent firefight scenes. This past week, a hobbitt joined the ensemble and made the episode complete. I look forward to seeing how long this show lasts and what direction it goes. Please no Aliens!

5. Modern Family: This is my surprise comedy hit of the season. I was excited about this show's premiere, but feared all the funny spots were in the promos. I could not have been more wrong. The characters are what makes the show. Each is very different, but someone that I have interacted with at some point during my life. Even the young children on the show are very funny, especially Manny, a 10-year-old boy who acts like a 50-year old man and provides the adults with plenty of life advice.

My Favorites

4. Numbers: I watch this show so I will feel smart. I do not know what is going on most of the time, but whenever I do get the math equation that solves the murder, I feel extremely intelligent. Too bad this only happens about twice a season.

3. Law and Order SVU: This has been one of my favorite shows for a very long time. I do not like any other Law and Order, but find this show very entertaining. Many episodes can be very disturbing (Sarah avoids this show), but it is a part of crime that you do not hear much about.

2. CSI: NY: This has become my favortie non-comedy show on TV. The show is led by Lt. Dan from Forrest Gump with help from Tag of Friends. Yes, I have watched way too much TV. I do not watch Vegas or Miami, but have settled upon New York for some reason. Most of the storylines are very interesting and Sarah has really taken to this show. It is one of the few suspense type shows or movies that I can get her to watch. Plus, they killed off a main character at the end of last season and anytime that a main person goes down, I respect the writers for taking a chance.

1. How I Met Your Mother: The best show on TV! Barney, Robin, Ted, Marshall and Lily form the best cast since Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Ross, Joey and Chandler. Whether the cast is making a Slap Bet or "hearing bag pipes" from their upstairs neighbors. I love the humor. What makes this show great is that someone can watch it for the first time and laugh their heads off, but someone who has seen every episode can watch it and laugh their head off at completely different jokes. The reason... this show provides tons of inside jokes from season to season that gives the regulars a new giggle.

Honoarble Mention (almost made the list): So You Think You Can Dance, Cold Case, Vampire Diaries, Dancing With the Stars