Reel Lines (21) Film Festival

Hans Gruber: You know my name but who are you? Just another American who saw too many movies as a child? Another orphan of a bankrupt culture who thinks he's John Wayne? Rambo? Marshal Dillon?

John McClane: Was always kinda partial to Roy Rogers actually. I really dig those sequined shirts.

Hans Gruber: Do you really think you have a chance against us, Mr. Cowboy?

John McClane: Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker.

John McClane: Just once, I'd like a regular, normal Christmas. A little eggnog... a fuckin' Christmas tree... a little turkey. But, no. I gotta crawl around in this motherfuckin' tin can.

John McClane: Why me? What's he got to do with me?

Inspector Cobb: I have no idea, he just said it had to be you.

John McClane: It's nice to be needed.

John McClane: You know what you get for being a hero? Nothing. You get shot at. A little pat on the back, blah blah blah, attaboy. You get divorced. Your wife can't remember your last name. Kids don't wanna talk to you. Get to eat a lot of meals by yourself. Trust me kid, nobody wants to be that guy.

Too Little, Tulane

Game Day!

The Pirates will give the Green Wave goodbye to Tulane

In Greenville today at 1:00 eastern

Where it will be a...

First Down... PIRATES!

We got our bowl game...

Depends on how we play today what bowl we get.

35-12 Pirates Paint this one purple!

Hey Turkeys!

After the day I've had, it's tough to think of things to be thankful for. Just know that I am thankful for friends, and family especially when friends seem like family and family are friends. Thanks.

Highway Robbery

Austin has decided to add toll roads to ease the congestion on the I-35 corridor from just north of Georgetown to south of Austin. Toll road 130 now runs from Georgetown to hwy 71... Just north of downtown where all the congestion actually is. Well the good news for me (or so I thought) is that I live just west of where the toll road stops, so maybe I could save time and headaches.

My commute is about 30 miles all total. I'm driving against traffic both ways, so with a 65mph speed limit on the interstate it takes me 25-35 minutes on a normal day. Add 15-20 minutes going home around the Christmas season due to all the shopping centers I pass. I keep hearing on the news how few cars use the toll road, that and a lack of shopping would seem to make it ideal for me. The blue route on the map is I-35, the red Route is the 130 toll road.

A week or so ago I hopped on the toll road for a test run. There were three cars going the same way as I, and I passed about three cars a mile going the other way. No traffic at all. This was great.

First toll booth... $1.50. OK, three dollars a day to save time on a big empty six lane highway, no big deal. I handed the girl my quarters and off I went.

Second toll booth... $1.50. Now it's three bucks each way. That's a little more than I wanted to pay, but, oh well... no traffic at all around me because the other cars had a TXTag (a prepaid account that allows you to keep driving instead of stopping at the booth).

Third toll booth... $1.50. Now I'm scrambling in my cup holders and on the dash to find enough change. Not only that but I'm up to $4.50 each way. That's $9 round trip. That's almost double what I spend on lunch.

I work six days a week. That comes to $54... About the same amout that I spend on gas in the same time period.

Over $200 a month. That's more than my light bill... And I have an old, non energy effecient house.

Totaled up that is a whopping $2800 a year. I could buy a huge Plasma screen TV. I could fly home to North Carolina to see Ma every other month. I could go to Europe on vacation.

Not to mention that because I had to stop at each booth it added ten minutes to the drive, and it dumps me out on regular roads several miles further from my house than 35 does so add another ten minutes. Now it's nine bucks a day, and as much as twenty minutes longer each way on a normal day.

What about the TXTag? that'll save time and money. You get a 10% discount if you use TXTag. So instead of $2800 a year it's only $2500 a year and it'll only take 10 extra minutes. Whoopie.

I'll take the traffic. If I ever figure out this ipod thing, I'll just carry some cool tunege. Hell if I don't use the toll road I can buy the best ipod out there in under two months.

We Aren't Marshall

Game Day!

The Pirates

Are in West Virginia again

This time in Huntington

to face Marshall

it will be a...

First Down... PIRATES!

10-0 Marshall at the half.

26-7 final.

Side note: The 1970 plane crash that killed the Marshall players and staff and is subject of the movie was on the way home from Greenville, NC after losing to the pirates 17-14. Here are the final moments of that game.

In 2001 the Pirates lost to Marshall in the highest scoring bowl game in history 64-61 in double overtime after Marshall's coach reminded them of the loss before the crash. ECU was up 38-8 at the half.

Last year we beat them 33-20.

Pod People

This is a cry for help. I am an audiophile. I love music. I listen to most everyting but hardcore rap and tejano. I have a stereo in my living room, master bedroom and office. There are speakers all over my house. I have disks, cassettes, and vinyl. I used to burn compilation disks to keep in my Jeep until all my protable cd players broke or got stolen.
I want an ipod or mp3 player. It has to have a high capacity (over 10,000 songs, non negotiable. I want ONE that will hold all my music.). I have no interest in a video screen (just one more thing easier to break) I do not like Apple, but will bend for the sake of the music. I do not want to have to take out a loan to get one. I have heard nightmare stories about unreplaceable batteries. Used is OK. Must be adaptable to the cassette deck in the Jeep as well as my home stereos. Water or weather proof is a plus.
I have read stuff on the intertubes. I have been to Best Buy and Circuit City. I still don't know a damn thing about them. It is almost time for me to get a new phone. Is it worth my while to get an iphone instead? (remember the capacity issue.) If not, I don't want an iphone.
Help me dear readers. Educate this poor 20th century holdout. Tell me good and bad, what to consider and what to avoid. Tell me, tell me, tell me.

Inside Joke

I couldn't find a .357 Sig

Goin' To Graceland

Game Day, Pirate Fans!

ECU travels to Memphis today.

Kick off is 2:00 eastern

Coming off a big win last week.

If they don't let it go to their heads it'll be a...

First Down... PIRATES!

56-40 Pirates!

The King says, "Paint this one purple, Man... Uh Huh."

Little Boy Blues

Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay (The plane was named for his mother) died today. He was the first pilot to drop a nuclear bomb on an enemy target. That bomb, code named "little boy" destroied the city of Hiroshima, Japan and was the begining of the end of the war in the pacific. Helping the United States avoid a costly and bloody land invasion.

On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay departed Tinian Island in the Marianas with Tibbets at the controls at 2:45 a.m. for Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb was dropped at 8:15am local time.