Celebrity Weight Lifting

Available during my free trial of Hulu Plus.

Day one: on the way

This is the expanded and packed version of all I'm bringing.

Open thread

I recommend you watch it with the sound up and in HD.

A bold move forward...

I'm giving notice at my job today. I've been working with the company for over 7 years. This is the longest I've ever been with a job. Starbucks has been through some changes over the years. Most of those changes I've been proud to be a part of.

But life has presented me with a great opportunity and I am now committing myself fully to that. Stay tuned!

Re-imaging ourselves...

The Red Sox are in the World Series again. The Patriots are 7-0. They tell me the Celtics look good this year. I don't follow college football at all, but I know Boston College is rocking because people keep telling me so. (Hell, I live in the armpit of BC.)

In New England, we've had an underdog quality. It's ingrained in the culture for me. Growing up, the Sox were always favorites, but "the Curse" became something that I think folks who weren't baseball fans were aware of.

In 1986, the Patriots got creamed in Superbowl XX. Because they lost, the fact that they actually were there seems to not matter to many.

In 1996, The Figgs recorded a song called Bad Luck Sammie. It's about a guy who's the perennial loser. Amongst the things that make him such a loser is "Football favorites have always been the Patriots. Losing ticket to the Lotto, bought one every time."

This makes me think of several articles I've read on lottery winners dealing with their newly acquired riches. They often are unable to deal with the sudden wealth.

Since 2002, when the Patriots won Superbowl XXXVI, we've won plenty here in Boston. (The notable exception being the 2004 presidential race. That one's debatable of course and still a sore point for me.) Three Superbowls and one World series win seem like the beginning of a new era. We'll see in two weeks of course.

What's my point? Perhaps we're more than underdogs in this city. Maybe Manny Ramirez is right when he talks about next year. “… “It doesn't happen, so who cares? There’s always next year. It’s not like it’s the end of the world.'’ Maybe the playing is the point and we hang a lot of our pride and our dreams on our teams. I know I do.

No one, on their deathbed, says, "I wish I'd spent more time at the office."

I saw a billboard for Grand Marnier tonight. It simply said, "Shut down the computer. Restart a friendship."

I concur. If you find that an old friend keeps entering your mind (3 times in a week, for example) and you haven't called them or seen them in a while, contact that friend.

If you find you haven't talked to an old friend in ages because of some argument and you are not clear what that argument was about, contact that friend. For Pete's sake! Would you rather be happy or would you rather be right?

Of course I'll want to hear it...

Shatner to release new album
CBC News Online

NEW YORK - According to the New York Post newspaper, William Shatner is set to release a new album.

Guest musicians on the new disc, which was produced by Ben Folds of the Ben Folds Five, include former Black Flag lead singer Henry Rollins and country star Brad Paisley.

The new album isn't the first foray into recording for the Montreal-born actor best known for playing James T. Kirk, the captain of the starship Enterprise on the original Star Trek series.

In 1968, Shatner released his first album The Transformed Man, which includes spoken-word cover versions of the Beatles' Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds and Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man.

Although Shatner intended The Transformed Man to be taken seriously, it's become something of a camp classic.

The Hip Surgery Music Guide, an internet guide that celebrates offbeat musical genres, says the songs can be taken as examples of "either impassioned intensity or pompous overacting."

Shatner has made a living in recent years by spoofing his own overdramatic acting style.

In 1998, he played himself in the comedy Free Enterprise. He also recorded a song called No Tears For Caesar for the film's soundtrack. It combines elements of hip hop and a Shakespearean sonnet.

I was reading in another article that Joe Jackson is also working with him. I've been a big fan of Joe Jackson's for almost 25 years and I don't know whether to be pleased about this turn. I don't think the issue with William Shatner was ever about having quality musicians to support him. Of course, no matter what, I'll want to hear it. That's what they're counting on isn't it? I just don't know about owning it.

"The greatest trick of the conservative media."

Al Gore has thrown his support behind Howard Dean. I don’t know that I’m surprised, but it seems a bit soon. I still like Clark, but Gore’s support of Dean… well that changes things. Still, I wonder to whom Clinton is going to give his support.

I’ve been concerned with Americans believing there is such a thing as the liberal media. I find I have to go out and search for real liberalism. I think I’m a lot more liberal than much of Middle America. I'm still sore about Iran-Contra. I voted for Clinton twice and if Hillary were to run, I'd probably support her, too.

To paraphrase the Usual Suspects, "The greatest trick the conservative media ever pulled was convincing the world it didn't exist."