Ryan
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Homepage: http://www.totallyserial.com
Posts by Ryan
New and improved! Now with less MSG!
Aug 27th
After reading a friend’s blog post I’ve added a plug-in to our blog that automatically presents a mobile version of our blog to smart phones and other mobile devices. What does that mean for you? Now it’s easier to take us with you everywhere! You know you’re excited!
p.s. If you’re curious, the plug-in is called wptouch
Go Bulldogs!
Apr 9th
As nerve wracking as a tied hockey game can be to watch, what better finish to a championship game can you have than a hard fought tied third period followed by an overtime win? Congratulations UMD Bulldogs on winning your first NCAA hockey championship. I wish I could have been at the game.
An open letter to the House of Representatives, Senate, and President of the United States
Apr 6th
Dear Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen,
The time for polarized political views in regard to the budget is over. This isn’t a black or white, right or left, right or wrong issue. You need to realize this and start working together to find some common ground. Bargaining in good faith and compromising is the only reasonable solution to the budget stalemate. While everyone has the right to their own opinions and idealogical views please don’t let them get in the way of being open minded. Nobody wins if the government shuts down and the lives and livelihoods of many who are less fortunate than yourselves hang in the balance. Please get it figured out.
Sincerely,
A concerned and frustrated voter
Fill your hand you son-of-a-…
Jan 23rd
The days of the western being a staple at the box office have passed us by. Today we are lucky if we get one gunslinging movie a year. I’m very pleased that the Coen brothers have shown us that Hollywood still knows how to make a good western. Their rendition of Charles Portis’ True Grit is absolutely fantastic. Being a big fan of the 1969 version starring John Wayne I was concerned that a remake would disappoint me by being vastly different from the story I already knew and loved. Furthering my concern, reviews I had read claimed that it was darker and more like the book than the 1969 version. Never having read the book I started to wonder what kind of liberties may have been taken by the screenwriter and director of the John Wayne film. Much to my relief I discovered today that John Wayne is most likely smiling down on the Coen brothers. If the modern version is in fact more like the book, then the production crew from the late sixties must have only pared out some of the bloodier details to get a G rating, because the story in the new film flowed just how I thought it should. I’m not trying to say that the Coen brothers made a carbon copy with some deleted scenes reinserted. They definitely made this film their own, but they did so without changing the story. Of course, that last statement is somewhat speculative. I guess I’ll just have to read the book to see how both films did at telling the story. Now, I can’t end without stating that all the credit for this wonderful movie cannot go to just the directors. Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Hailee Steinfeld together did a wonderful job portraying the little posse that could. To sum up, True Grit 2010 is a great movie from a genre we do not see enough of anymore. I hope to see it again before it leaves the theaters. If you have not yet seen it you are missing out.
P.S.
I was so in the western mood after seeing True Grit that I had to watch 3:10 to Yuma this evening. I haven’t seen the original, just the one from a couple years ago starring Christian Bale and Russel Crowe. I guess I’ll have to see the original and compare those as well.
Low Hanging Fruit
Jan 14th
I like apples
While Becky and I were doing dishes and making dinner this evening James crawled into the kitchen and grabbed an apple out of a basket we have on a low shelf and promptly sank his teeth into it. Being proud of his wise “choice for an appetizer” I grabbed it to quickly rinse it off and remove the sticker. It kept him occupied just about the entire time we were busy in the kitchen.
Look what I can do with these teeth
More techno-babble
Dec 21st
The aforementioned maintenance is done. I even managed to do it without any down-time (i think).
Techno-babble
Dec 19th
I’m sorry to have substitute out our usual fare for a techy post. Today I’m writing to let you know that I will be doing some maintenance to the behind the scenes parts of totallyserial.com. Over the course of the next few days you may find that you get an error of the “page cannot be displayed” variety or perhaps an odd advertising page for our domain registrar will rear its ugly head. Rest assured that we will be back online very soon.
We didn’t forget the blog, we just finally had a baby!
Feb 26th
James Victor was welcomed into the world on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010. He weighed in at 8 lbs 14.4 oz and was 20.7 inches in length. Since then we’ve been visiting with friends and family, getting the hang of fun things like diapers and feeding, and taking advantage of all the helpful people at the hospital before the big adventure moves home.
Jay Leno: The Brett Favre of Late Night Television
Jan 10th
In case you hadn’t heard, there have been rumors and now official reports that Jay Leno’s prime time talk show is going to be canceled. This led to speculation of what NBC would do with their late night lineup. Apparently NBC doesn’t want to part ways with any of their 3 late night hosts. Here are a couple links to recent stories about this debacle:
The two stories have some conflicting information, which to me basically says that nothing is certain other than Leno is being cancelled from his 9pm CST slot.
On to point….
Why is it that stars who are past their prime won’t go out gracefully? (we’ll consider that a rhetorical question) Moreover, why do the organizations that hire them put up with their bullshit? Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about what the Vikings have been able to do this season with Brett Favre lining up behind center, but I don’t agree with the road that got him here. The Green Bay front office had the right idea in cutting him loose. Is NBC foolish for allowing Leno to create this mess? I think so. The Vikings had a void to fill, and they went after an experienced veteran to fill it. NBC created a spot for a “player” who had decided to retire and then changed his mind. That experiment didn’t work out, and now that should be the end of it. It doesn’t make sense to shake up your “play book” to try to fit another player in. Too many men on the field. Five yard penalty. Repeat the down.
