Seattle SpewJekyll2022-03-16T23:36:09+00:00http://seattlespew.com/Philhttp://seattlespew.com/you@email.comhttp://seattlespew.com/aboutthissite/Tucsonoutoftown2022-03-16T00:00:00+00:002022-03-16T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://www.wildnatureimages.com/images/640/161202-003-Saguaro-Cactus-Sunset.webp" alt="" /></p>
<p>Yes, my friends, I was out of town once again. This time I will be visiting my mom and friends in Tucson to watch all the fun NCAA basketball stuff. It is a tradition for me.</p>
<p>So if I don’t write in the meanwhile, will definitely have plenty to say come Wednesday next week.</p>
<p>Adios!!</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/aboutthissite/Tucsonoutoftown/">Out of Town: Tucson</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on March 16, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/sports/sports-marchsadness2022-03-15T00:00:00+00:002022-03-15T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/1e/a1e6e656-24b8-11e8-b728-0b05bd31d3f9/5aa466945ac72.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C786" alt="" /></p>
<p>Well, it is March my friends, and you know what that means……..</p>
<p>March Sadness.</p>
<p>Yes, this is the time when 64..err………68 NCAA basketball teams test their mettle against each other.</p>
<p>And out of those 68 teams, 67 will walk away with tears in their eyes and the feeling of failure in their heart.</p>
<p>I know, I know, this tournament is fun as heck and I’ll watch as much of it as I possibly can; the same way I did when the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. But there is no way of avoiding it; this is an unfair way of deciding who truly the best team in the land is.</p>
<p>You see, any tournament that distills their entire championship tournament to something as simple as 1-and-done while including many many teams that clearly did not merit any consideration for actually being the best team in the land increases the likelihood of some randomly bizarre results. Add into the mix a game fraught with bad refereeing (which can directly determine a game more than any other sport) a three-point line that makes each game even more hit-miss, and you have a highly random, very unpredictable product. Great for entertainment? Yes. Wonderful for the casual viewer? Absolutely. A logical way to decided who really is the best team? Not so much.</p>
<p>I like to think pretty much every University of Arizona would agree with this, if not at least offer a ton of sympathy for those teams that prove over 35ish games they are one of the best teams yet to only fall tragically unexpectedly.</p>
<p>We Arizona fans remember our three best teams: 1988, 1989, and 1998. All three of those teams were either the best team in the nation, or very close to being the best. And all three did not win the title with only one of those teams reaching the Final Four. Yes, UA even had some other Nation Championship-ish teams in 1993, 2001, and 2014. No titles on that group either; only 1 finals appearance with one of those seasons losing to a damn 15 seed.</p>
<p>Yes, in 1997 the Wildcats won the championship; a journey that every UA fan will never forget and cherish forever. But that championship team was a 4 seed and finished 5th in their own conference! That undeserved yet surprising title does not make up for the heartache and feeling of loss for all of those other better more deserving teams.</p>
<p>And now here we are with this year’s UA team; 28-3 and a 1 seed. This team is about as good as any team we have seen from Tucson since 1998; comparable to the 2001 and 2014 teams. How will they do? Let’s find out. This team is fun as hell and I loved watching them play every game (they won) this season.</p>
<p>But knowing the history of this tournament, let’s just say I am bracing myself.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/sports/sports-marchsadness/">March Sadness</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on March 15, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/personal/personal-dogstelltime2022-03-14T00:00:00+00:002022-03-14T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://www.oscarandhooch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/can-dogs-tell-the-time.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>I swear my dog can tell time.</p>
<p>I know this sounds crazy because…well…she is a dog and dogs do not understand the rotations of the earth around the sun, much less ever owning a watch or anything.</p>
<p>But yet every day, around 6:30am, 3:00pm, and 9:30pm, she is running to me, expecting me to do something at those times, like walk her, feed her, or whatever.</p>
<p>And when I say every day, I literally mean every day. She has never once misread a situation and came late; in fact many times she comes early, not because she is mistaken but because she has this sense of entitlement that I have to take her outside whenever she wants to go.</p>
<p>Some may argue that this is no proof of time recognition or not really all that impressive. But let me ask you this: how many times do you lose track of time, or eat late, or arrival tardy to something? I bet it has happened to you once in the past month. On the other hand, Arwen the Dog has not missed one of her self-appointed times. And you have clocks, a watch, a cell phone (with alerts mind you), and the gift of knowing how to read numbers, that give you a distinct advantage in this time-telling contest. And despite this, you are surely losing to my dog.</p>
<p>Granted, I agree that Arwen the Dog does not have as many obligations as you do. In fact, her entire calendar is pretty much free every day because…well…she is a dog. This does free up her little dog brain to focus on the time. But still, this also frees up her brain to think of other things, like how to cure cancer, fight world hunger, and the squirrel she saw yesterday. And I don’t think Arwen is setting her mind on any of those things; cancer is still around, world hunger remains an issue, and that squirrel only enters her mind in a dream state now.</p>
<p>In other words, it is clear to me that Arwen the Dog can not on;y tell time, but sense it even better than you or I. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see this as some sort of sign of higher intelligence. I see this more as an irritant. I mean how would you like having to wake up every day….EVERY DAY…..at 6:30am to take this little brat outside, go around the block, then feed her? And you don’t? She just stares at you while you are in bed…..breathes on you….stares at you…breathes…like some sort of creeper. It gets to the point where you just take her outside just to stop this weird passive-aggressive behavior.</p>
<p>Yeah, Arwen the Dog is sort of a jerk.</p>
<p>I would write more, but she has just scurried up the stairs and is now looking at me. Must be time for her afternoon walk.</p>
<p>I guess I lost track of time.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/personal/personal-dogstelltime/">Arwen the Clock</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on March 14, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/popculture/popculture-MST3K2022-03-10T00:00:00+00:002022-03-10T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://imgix.gizmodo.com.au/content/uploads/sites/2/2021/04/08/j0z6deqgflvnm2uxdrjm.jpg?ar=16%3A9&auto=format&fit=crop&q=80&w=720&nr=20" alt="" /></p>
<p>Recently I have re-discovered an old favorite TV show of mine.</p>
<p>Actually, let me rephrase it….I re-discovered an old favorite show of mine about 2 years ago, and I pretty much watch it on a loop when I am at work.</p>
<p>As you can see from the picture, it is a show from the not too distant future, next Sunday AD.</p>
<p>Yes, my friend, is it Mystery Science Theater 3000, or MST3K.</p>
<p>I first watched this show back in 1992 when it was pretty much the only ‘big’ show on a new network called Comedy Central. The folks at Comedy Central would play this show all day because…well….they only had a handful of shows like Short Attention Span Theater and other stand-up clip shows. In fact it is the only reason why a 2 hour show like MST3K would be aired nationally; Comedy Central needed to fill air time.</p>
<p>It is sort of a funny concept; so original yet so basic: make fun of a bad movie. It is something we all have done, but what these guys did on MST3K was much more: they built an entire world. And yes, the jokes were waaaaay funnier than what you or I can do.</p>
<p>And the show became a hit….sort of. Cult hit I guess. It is a show not for everyone, but it is a show for the right person. Essentially what I mean by this is if you are as big of a nerd and pop culture sponge like me, you will enjoy the ‘so bad its good’ movie they are watching, get most of the references they hurl out continuously, and embrace the little world they created inside the Satellite of Love.</p>
<p>I know this sounds weird, but it feels like Joel (or Mike) and the Bots become your friends over this time. I mean when you watch as many as I have, you have spent A LOT of time suffering with them through awful films. But also it feels like a shared experience; they are sort of talking to you as you both are watching something. It is not simply a show where they are performing out some sort of situation that only they are apart of, like a sitcom does. They are bringing you into their world by chatting about this experience (eg: watching this lame movie) you both are having at that moment. It has a sense of intimacy most shows cannot capture.</p>
<p>Also the personalities are just fun. They really are not mean spirited (credit their Midwest comedy sensibilities for that) and you just want to be there live riffing with them.</p>
<p>So now we are in 2022, and I am now watching it the same way I watched it 30 years ago. And guess what? It aged better than Dick Clark. I still laugh at all the same references, quips, and fun nonsense they toss out. Yeah, I know I have seen these things multiple times and granted, I can’t pay attention to every word they say every episode, but I don’t need to or want to.</p>
<p>It is comfort TV, and in a time where we need all the comfort we can get, I cannot thank Joel/Mike, the Bots, Dr. Clayton, and TV’s Frank enough.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/popculture/popculture-MST3K/">Old Friends</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on March 10, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/global/global-gasprices2022-03-09T00:00:00+00:002022-03-09T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://www.reuters.com/resizer/prx70URoZ7gvHX9MbmfxaXwBodY=/1200x0/filters:quality(80)/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/MC2UV3EA4FOSJCTLBS64ZTW2J4.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Wow, gas prices are high. Luckily I don’t drive much, so this doesn’t effect me.</p>
<p>BONG!!!!</p>
<p>Of course it effects me, silly. And if effects everyone.</p>
<p>Even if you don’t drive much, trucks carrying goods for us to buy use gas. The bus that I use to go downtown uses gas. The Uber driver that picks up your lazy ass from the bar at night uses gas. Therefore, it is safe to say that all goods and services will increase in price due to inflating gas prices.</p>
<p>So how can we stop this?</p>
<p>Well, for one we can root for Russia to end at whatever they think they are doing and hope Russia will supply more oil and gas, thereby prices go down. But that is stupid; other than the fact that is inhumane to think of only yourself during this time of war (shame on you!), you think prices would go down? OPEC uses every excuse in the book to hike up prices, and don’t think for a second this war is hitting their precious bottom line as much as the prices indicate.</p>
<p>But luckily I have a better idea; stop relying so much on oil, gas, and especially OPEC. This oil industry is so dirty and corrupt, why in the world does the Western World let OPEC grab them by the neck and let squeeze? The utter dependency we have on these bionnaire Arabian sheiks who violate more human rights laws than Deshaun Watson in a day is shameful.</p>
<p>America is no different; continuously this country votes down alternative energy options (thank you GOP idiots) yet still complain about gas prices. How stupid is this country?</p>
<p>So next time you complain about gas prices, and you vote against measures like solar, wind, etc, consider yourself a true American…………….idiot.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/global/global-gasprices/">Gas-X</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on March 09, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/sports/sports-traded2022-03-08T00:00:00+00:002022-03-08T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://broncoswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/68/2022/03/Russell-Wilson-trade.png?w=1000&h=600&crop=1" alt="" /></p>
<p>Russel Wilson got traded today.</p>
<p>Wow.</p>
<p>This is not to say a trade was totally shocking. Anyone who has followed this drama as closely as any Hawk fan has knows this was possible. It just felt less and less probable (for this season) as the off-season deepened.</p>
<p>So the three main questions are:</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>What led to this?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Was it a good thing for the Hawks to do?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>What should the Hawks do now?</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>Let’s attack each question one by one…..</p>
<ol>
<li>What led to this?</li>
</ol>
<p>Well, this discomfort in the organization about Russell has been going on for a number of years. To make a looooong story short, I feel it came to this: Russell thinks he is an all-time great QB and wants to have more control over the offense and also to get paid handsomely for it in his next contract due next season. The Hawks think he is good but not great, on the downside of his career (mainly due to his increasing lack of mobility) and don’t want to deal with his super-agent Mark Rogers in the off-season, who will ask for Aaron Rodger’s money (~50 million, or about 23% of the salary cap).</p>
<p>The whispers of front office dissatisfaction for Russell started in 2017, where GM John Schneider was scouting out QB’s at the combine, namely Patrick Mahomes. Faint rumors of trading up to get Mahomes were in the air, but ultimately nothing became of this.</p>
<p>Cut to 2018, once again Schneider is poking around the QB chicken coup and louder rumors were circling about trading Russell to Cleveland for the #1 pick, to draft one Josh Allen. Once again, this did not happen. Why was Schneider dipping his toe in the QB waters at this time? Well, Russell’s contract was due up around that time and there has been a belief that the powers-that-be do not believe Russell is really capable of growing into a true elite QB. Why wasn’t he traded? Rumor has it Pete Carroll nixed these ideas.</p>
<p>Now cut to 2020, where Russell, agent Mark, and puppet Colin Cowherd were all on the warpath demanding Russell get more say as respect in the organization after their 1st round defeat in the 2020 playoffs and if not, wants to be traded…to four select teams….publicly….on Dan Patrick.</p>
<p>Well, a trade in 2020 didn’t happen, but you can see the gauntlet was thrown, feelings hurt, and we are where we are today.</p>
<ol>
<li>Was it a good thing for the Hawks to do?</li>
</ol>
<p>I say yes, but only time will tell. It hurts the Seattle community to lose such a big name, but let’s face it: this team was not going to compete for a title in the next 2 season (when Russell’s contract is officially up); they simply do not have the personnel to do it. So is the answer to cross your fingers in free agency and maybe burn more resources in trades in the process, then sign Russell to a contract that eats up 25% of your cap? Or trade him now, get some resources, and start the rebuild now.</p>
<p>I say the latter.</p>
<p>I am one who does not value a QB like most people; sure it is the most important position in football, but not as important as everyone else says. If QB’s were all important, than Aaron Rodgers would have made more than one Super Bowl, as with Drew Brees, Dan Marino, and many other greats who never went to one. You need a complete team with a good QB. And as a side note: we can see the last 2 Super Bowl winners did; built a team based on solid personnel, especially on the line, and then ‘recruited’ a known QB to fill that vacancy. Seattle can do the same, or draft one at some point.</p>
<p>I know fans of teams with subpar QB’s will say you cannot get anywhere with a great QB. Well, you can’t get anywhere without great, personnel either.</p>
<ol>
<li>What should the Hawks do now?</li>
</ol>
<p>Well, just build. Through the draft, through free agency, etc. Be patient, be smart, and be lucky. I know that doesn’t sound great, and it is easy to point to teams that have tried this and failed, but in a sense most teams fail if you measure success as a Super Bowl; only 1 out of 32 teams win a Super Bowl. And this Hawk team with Russell Wilson was NOT going to any Super Bowl. Remember, this Hawks team have one exactly 1 playoff game in 5 years. Remember, this team has not made the NFC title game in 8 years. Granted, that is not utter failure, but c’mon now, you have to do something. Big. And they did.</p>
<p>My overall take is that both team’s did what they felt they needed to do, Denver was tired of having no answer at QB and Seattle was tired of playing the role of the Atlanta Hawks circa 1980’s. In all honestly though, I think Denver just signed up for a few 10-7ish season with first round exits as they pay their new celebrity QB 25% of their salary cap while the Hawks are crossing their fingers hoping to rekindle some magic from 2010-2012 in the draft.</p>
<p>Desperate times call for desperate measures, huh?</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/sports/sports-traded/">Traded</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on March 08, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/personal/personal-gympeople2022-03-07T00:00:00+00:002022-03-07T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://htv.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/9-Most-Annoying-People-at-the-Gym.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>I hate everyone at my gym.</p>
<p>I hate them all.</p>
<p>Whether it is the old man lifting no weight at all yet finds a way of monopolizing the weight rack, whether is it the lifting bro who is grunting and flexing to his ‘audience’ intimidating everyone around him, or the woman who is taking up three times an area she should be while on her phone, I hate them all.</p>
<p>Now I am completely aware that they have a right to be in the gym; some would argue as much right as I have.</p>
<p>But I go there to lift and leave, all the while taking up the smallest footprint possible. I wish I can say that about everyone.</p>
<p>To be fair, not everyone in the gym is as annoying as the previously mentioned poisonous folks. But my hatred is so deep, so raw, and so real for those garbage humans, the hate bleeds into the innocent gym-goers that probably deserve little of that hate (although they probably did something awful in their personal life at some point, so I think that legitimizes some of that hate). Unfair? Probably. But that’s the reality.</p>
<p>If you think this is too extreme of a take….well talk to anyone you know that goes to the gym on a daily basis. I think they will agree with me.</p>
<p>Especially cell phone person. Worst person in the world. Period.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/personal/personal-gympeople/">Gym Brats</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on March 07, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/popculture/popculture-BiBday2022-03-03T00:00:00+00:002022-03-03T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://mscwordpresscontent.s3.amazonaws.com/wa/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WA_BottledBondNonbourbon_1600x900_b-1240x696.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Bottled-in-Bond day!!!</p>
<p>Finally!</p>
<p>Yes, my friend, today is Bottled-in-Bond day,as I am sure all of you are well aware of.</p>
<p>But for those mindless troglodytes that were not aware of this, or…….do I dare say…..not know what Bottled-in-Bond even means………..GASP!!!! I’ll give you a quick tutorial on the definition and significance of this term ‘Bottled-in-Bond’.</p>
<p>So, Bottled-in-Bond (or BiB) is a whiskey term. It is sort of a label of quality, a badge of honor per se. You see, there was a time, around the late 1800’s, where whiskey was becoming more and more popular. Bars across America were stocking this finest of liquor from all sorts of avenues; from distilleries themselves to wandering salesmen to even making it themselves.</p>
<p>I think you can see the possible problem.</p>
<p>When you allow people to just create whiskey or sell ‘whiskey’, this invites all sorts of nefarious acts. It is like a city that doesn’t enforce laws, all of the sudden this gives bad people license to rob stores, sell drugs in the open, and for the masses to feel unsafe (have no idea what that is like living in Seattle……….). And this is exactly what happened with whiskey; shop keepers used prune juice, spittoon pots, even turpentine to color their spirit to look authentic and passed it as whiskey. You can imagine the result of this; people getting sick, even dying, from these concoctions.</p>
<p>So enter the US Government.</p>
<p>In 1897, the government passed a law (called the ‘Bottled-in-Bond’ Act) that helped regulate this awful situation. The quick and dirty version of this law states:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Must be aged 4 years</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Must be 50% abv</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Must have been aged in a US Government bonded warehouse</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>And some other minusca we don’t need to get into</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>But you can see from this Act, this really helped clean up the whiskey scene, especially bourbon. See, the government is needed in our lives.</p>
<p>To this day, the BiB label is used on American whiskey, mainly bourbons, to should the juice inside the bottle meets all that criteria.</p>
<p>Granted, a bourbon being BiB is not as important in today’s market as it once was. There is no false ingredients or poisons inside whiskey bottles anymore, outside the alcohol itself. And there are plenty of designer bourbons that have high quality that don’t use the BiB label (although may qualify). But it is still a badge that has a real meaning and it pretty much guarantees that this product is at least good.</p>
<p>So thank you Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, thank you for ensuring quality in our whiskey, integrity in our purchases, and preventing more people from dying…..although those people from the 1890’s would be dead by now anyway……so thank you BiB Act for not having more people….die earlier….and blame God for human’s short life span…..???? I guess???</p>
<p>Anyway, crack a BiB bourbon open tonight and celebrate. I know I will.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/popculture/popculture-BiBday/">Bottled-in-Bond Day</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on March 03, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/global/global-putinkarate2022-03-02T00:00:00+00:002022-03-02T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://www.rollingstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/GettyImages-1124908916c.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>I am sure everyone knows that Russia has launched a very ill-advised attack on Ukraine starting last week. We need not get into all of the details why Russia would do such an anti-social, dangerous, and utterly rude thing (cough….oil supremacy….cough), so all I will comment on this is that Vladimir Putin is sort of a jerk.</p>
<p>Apparently, most of the free world agrees with my assessment of Putin and have since done a myriad of things to hurt the autocrat’s war and stance in the world. Things such as sanctions on their money, banks, trade, and other types of things that I don’t understand.</p>
<p>But there has been one agency that has levied a counterattack so harsh, so debilitating, so personal to Putin. And that is World Taekwondo; they stripped Putin of his honorary black belt.</p>
<p>First off, there is nothing more precious to anyone than an ‘honorary’ anything…I mean you can’t spell ‘honorary’ without the word ‘honor’.</p>
<p>Secondly, I am sure this has sent a cold chill down Putin’s spine. What do his peers think of him now? What does a Steven Seagal saying about Putin behind his back. It probably is not understandable due to his fat face, but sure as shit Steven is talking. And how about a Jean-Claude Van Damme? What does he think about all of this? None of us truly know, but if we know Jean-Claude, it probably involves a roundhouse kick into a splits.</p>
<p>And what about the Valley?</p>
<p>This last one brings me to my final point: yes Putin being stripped of all Taekwondo status is both humiliating and ego-draining, but this also makes Vlad a free agent in the martial arts scene. Will Danny LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence, or John Kreese errrrr…..Terry Silver pick him up?</p>
<p>Honestly I don’t see Danny taking that chance; Miyagi-Do has never been about aggression or anger. So that one is a no.</p>
<p>Now Johnny is interesting; there was a time I would have thought Eagle Fang would have reached out to Putin about joining up. But I think Johnny is learning from his past mistakes and…well…I don’t see a future for Vlad at Eagle Fang. Besides, Johnny is still living in the Cold War Era so Putin would be no friend and Vlad would probably not take kindly being called ‘penis breath’.</p>
<p>And finally there is Cobra Kai. Now at first this may not look so good; a Kreese/Putin friendship seems unlikely due to the fact Kreese spent his younger life fighting the Viet Cong. But now….well, this is different story. Terry Silver is now in charge of Cobra Kai, and he is about as insane as they come. Couple that with his close connection to Asia (owns DynaTox Industries: business plan is to dump toxic waste in Borneo) I think this is a match made heaven….or HELL!!</p>
<p>Anyway, it will be very interesting in the upcoming weeks to see if Terry will reintroduce Putin to the martial arts fold, thus creating shock waves across all martial arts disciplines. I am not saying it will happen, but don’t be surprised if you see Vladimir Putin in the finals of the All Valley Karate Tournament next season squaring off against Miguel.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/global/global-putinkarate/">Who's Your Dojo Now?</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on March 02, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/sports/sports-baseballlockout2022-03-01T00:00:00+00:002022-03-01T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://s22927.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Tony-Clark-Rob-Manfred.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>So as of right now, the MLB player’s union and the MLB owners are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. And when this time comes in all the major sports leagues, everyone wants to pick a side; who do you agree with….owners or players?</p>
<p>I think this is a very misguided way of looking at these types of sports issues.</p>
<p>For the people who claim to side with the owners, they think of themselves as upper management as well; can’t let the inmates run the asylum. I guess these people feel they can relate more to the ownership side of things rather than the players side. Well, news to those people, these owners all have one thing in common; they are very wealthy. Not not wealthy, but stupid, societal crippling wealth that no single person should have. These owners value money, a lot. Not because they need more, but because the shear amount of money they can amass is their measure of their self-worth; to others in their little billionaire club and to themselves. In other words, they are just ultra-greedy to the extent it harms our world. No one you or I will ever know can possibly relate to their lives. And trust me, those owners care nothing at all about you.</p>
<p>For the people who supports the players, I think these people either want to side with on the people they think they know and root for just because they wear the right colors or see these players as labor and want to back the fight against the ‘man’; a sort of ‘rise of the proletariat’ stance. Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but there is one thing all of these players have in common; they are elite athletes, and have been since the age of 5. Ever since that time they started Little League, all the dads, coaches, peripheral fans, scouts, and the opposite sex have fawned over them like they are gods. Big men on campus, each and every one of them. Now some handle it better than others, but it is inevitable that a distorted sense of self and worth to society ensues. In other words, these athletes have lived (and still live) this bizarre consequence-free life that not one of us can ever really grasp. And trust me, these players do not give a shit about you at all.</p>
<p>So who do I side with? Well, the fans. Because that is what I am.</p>
<p>I really do not care about the owners or the players; I feel rooting for one over the other is like picking between a turd sandwich or a douche. I just want what is best for the game, and therefore the fans.</p>
<p>So I take these lockouts or strikes on a case-by-case basis. For this one, I am rooting for the players. Why? Well, a minimum salary floor will help the game and the reform on the draft will lessen the motivation for teams to tank seasons. All good for the game. Owners want more playoff teams….bad for the game.</p>
<p>However at other times, things can change. Guaranteed contracts for players….bad for the game. Owners wanting opt-outs so they are not tied to paying for no productivity and players who check out (see Bobby Bonilla)…good for the game.</p>
<p>I just want what is best for me, the fans, and the game. Both sides can suck a lime if you ask me. But the idea of having to pick a side between these two clowns….well that’s a sport I am not buying tickets for.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/sports/sports-baseballlockout/">Who's Side Are You On?</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on March 01, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/personal/personal-dreams2022-02-28T00:00:00+00:002022-02-28T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://www.mattressworldnorthwest.com/wp-content/uploads/cache/2017/07/iStock-564599358-dream-image/3513172116.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>That I had a book report due and I was not ready and I felt very embarrassed.</p>
<p>What a stupid dream, huh?</p>
<p>First off, why am I don’t dreaming of something cool, like flying in the air or starring in a really cool movie where I play a no nonsense cop who plays by his own rules and has a chimpanzee as a sidekick. Oh no, I can’t dream about anything cool like that. I have to dream about homework.</p>
<p>Secondly, who actually reads the book for any book report? I don’t think I read any assigned book cover to cover. Sure, I would read snippets of paragraphs and go more in depth with Cliff Notes or Spark Notes, but what masochist actually took time from their life to read every word of the Scarlet Letter when they were 16? No one should feel embarrassed if they didn’t read the book. If anything, be embarrassed if you DID read the book!</p>
<p>Finally, and far more importantly, why in the world am I still dreaming about schoolwork? I am a 46 year old man who hasn’t had to do a book report in over 30 years. How in the world is schoolwork still infiltrating my mind’s eye when I sleep?</p>
<p>That is the crazy thing about school; we still have dreams about it even when we are older. Some of these dreams involve going to school with no pants, some are about not being prepared and fail a test, some are about losing face when presenting a book to the class you clearly have not read. Regardless, I do not think I am the only person in the world that still has the occasional dream about being in school.</p>
<p>And all of these dreams are about anxiety; feeling awful about failing and being publicly embarrassed about it in front of your peers. Even if none of these actual events happened in our lives as youths, we still have the ability to conjure up a hypothetical situation where this may have happened, and how we would feel about it.</p>
<p>As adults.</p>
<p>Damn those formative years, huh.</p>
<p>So the conclusion is not that I should be more prepared when given an assignment. The lesson is school is a place that will torment you until the day you die.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/personal/personal-dreams/">I Had a Dream Last Night....</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on February 28, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/popculture/popculture-instareels2022-02-24T00:00:00+00:002022-02-24T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://www.tiktok.com/api/img/?itemId=7005013683390762245&location=0&aid=1988" alt="" /></p>
<p>So there is this thing called TikTok. Or is it called Instagram Reels. Or whatever.</p>
<p>Anyway, it sucks. All of it sucks. It makes you stupid. Stop watching it.</p>
<p>But there is this trend (or should I say ‘hastag trend’) on these outlets where people talk to themselves as if they are two different people. It is like a little skit. And hilarity ensues.</p>
<p>But it DOESN’T ENSUE!!! No hilarity ensues at all. These little bits of vanity mixed in with some attempt at observational humor is just sooooo goddamn painful to watch.</p>
<p>And it has to stop.</p>
<p>Now you may say, ‘well, you idiot, why don’t you just simply stop watching it yourself’. But there are two problems with this:</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>This kind of art-form is not just detrimental to the viewers of said swill, but it harms our community as a whole. The fact that others encourage this type of behavior and deem it entertainment is not only a sad reflection on our society today, but sullies all art-forms en masse. Instead of people listening to Beethoven’s 9th or reading Moby Dick, these people are mindlessly staring a little screen watching some jackass face left and say something, face right and say something, left, right, left, right, end scene.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>I can’t avoid it. This talk-to-self short video form has permeated too deep to simply escape.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>This is the problem when technology is too easy and too available for all; too many untalented hacks can now spread their ‘oh so clever’ ideas on an international scale. Entertainment should not be a democracy, not everyone deserves to put their version of humor out in the open; it clogs up the scene for too many deserving people.</p>
<p>So there you go friends. Please stop looking towards these social media outlets for your tiny nuggets of entertainment; these offerings just dull your mind, feed our short attention span, and takes time away from doing more important things.</p>
<p>Like reading my blog.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/popculture/popculture-instareels/">Just Stop It...Please</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on February 24, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/global/global-supplychain2022-02-23T00:00:00+00:002022-02-23T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineImages/erp-supply_chain_management.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>Why is my package late?</p>
<p>Covid.</p>
<p>Why is there no update on said package?</p>
<p>Covid.</p>
<p>Why is there a car shortage?</p>
<p>Covid.</p>
<p>Why is the Scotch supply late to hit the shelves here in the states?</p>
<p>Covid.</p>
<p>Because apparently Covid has officially found a way to take out the supply chain.</p>
<p>And here I thought Covid was mostly a respiratory disease.</p>
<p>Now I know that so-called ‘experts’ will explain exactly how this pandemic has effected the supply chain; I am sure it has something to do with equation ‘more sick people - delivery people + more people demanding home deliveries = shortage’. But I disagree.</p>
<p>I think Covid is being used as an excuse for all of these hang-ups in the supply chain.</p>
<p>First off, it is not like deliveries were on time all that often before. I mean mail being late is a standard stand-up routine, so the fact that things are still late arriving now is just historically consistent. No need to blame Covid, blame a shoddy system.</p>
<p>Secondly, being in the delivery work force sucks. It is not fun, you don’t get paid all that much, and no one appreciates you. This is their time to sit back, relax a bit, and take it a bit easier because all you need to say is ‘Covid’ and everyone gives you a pass.</p>
<p>And I don’t blame them. I mean everyone else is using this magic excuse to get out of all sorts of responsibilities.</p>
<p>Don’t want to go to the office? Say Covid makes you uneasy and now you can clown around at home on the company’s dime.</p>
<p>Don’t want to have dinner with that lame couple the Parker’s? Just say you have a cough and you are out of it.</p>
<p>Are you a teenager who is struggling in college? Well, shit, you didn’t learn anything your senior year huh? Why? Covid.</p>
<p>Now I am not sure how long we as a society are allowed to use this Covid excuse (although I expect the younger generation is going to use this as the ‘reason’ for all of their failings for the future), but I for one will not let others use Covid as an excuse any more!</p>
<p>Sound harsh?</p>
<p>Well sorry.</p>
<p>Blame Covid.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/global/global-supplychain/">Missing Link in the Supply Chain</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on February 23, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/sports/sports-sportsfailure2022-02-22T00:00:00+00:002022-02-22T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/6203e7cc360000fa3024e74c.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale&format=webp" alt="" /></p>
<p>Mikaela Shiffrin lost.</p>
<p>Badly.</p>
<p>Coming into this Winter Olympics, she was the face of NBC’s broadcast. Other being another genetically gifted female skier, there really was no other big names going into this event for NBC to advertise (sorry Nathan Chen, I knew who you were before, but no one else really did.)</p>
<p>But she failed to win. Anything. Winning exactly as many medals as I did at these Games, she did not live up to the hype. At all. Sorry, that is just the simple fact of it.</p>
<p>Now that in itself is not that unheard of. I can rattle off many examples where athletes of all sports and types failed to win at the biggest moment; from Dan O’Brien to Dan Jansen to Greg Norman to Andy Roddick to Scott Norwood to Tim Montgomery to …..you get the point. And I don’t want to put Shiffrin in the same group as Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, I mean Shiffrin didn’t commit any felony sports sins (more on those two later….much more….I promise). She just lost. It happens.</p>
<p>What is different is how some people are treating these failures, especially with female athletes.</p>
<p>Instead of the harsh reality of winning and losing, many in the media are trying to soften the blow, making excuses of ‘too much pressure’ or even more odd statements like ‘we should look at winning in a different way’. This is such a weird trend for me; instead of celebrating the winner of an event we are coddling the person who was favored and lost while ignoring the winner. That makes no sense to me at all.</p>
<p>In comparison, have you heard what the media are saying about Pat Mahomes and his AFC performance? Or better yet, remember what people said after Lebron James performance in 2011 versus the Mavericks? Or Peyton Manning’s shortcomings versus the Patriots? Or any player that faced off against Michael Jordan? Or what Red Sox fans still say about Bill Buckner? Or how Cowboy fans feel about Tony Romo? I can go on forever so I’ll stop at that. The point is that the tone of the criticism is night and day; one has their legacies questioned while the other has almost everyone in the media apologizing for them.</p>
<p>This also doesn’t mean she is not a great skier. She still is #1 in the world at her events and will probably win again soon. However, if female athletes want the same respect in the sports community as the males, they have to not only want to be treated the same in victory, but demand to be treated in the same way in defeat. Results matter in sports, not just fluffy feel-good stories. But right now, sports media do not treat female athletes or their sports with a level scrutiny or seriousness that meets any level of equality with male athletes.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/sports/sports-sportsfailure/">The Agony of Defeat</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on February 22, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/personal/personal-presday2022-02-21T00:00:00+00:002022-02-21T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Garfield_assassination_engraving_cropped.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>So I have been one-upped.</p>
<p>Good show, Mr Presidents, good show.</p>
<p>In wake of my online…say…critique of President’s Day, I was cursed by those dastards on the very day we are supposed to celebrate them.</p>
<p>I will be more clear; I had diarrhea on Monday. Yes, diarrhea. I haven’t had diarrhea in probably over 30 years, yet on the precise day that I ranted about a few days ago, I was hexed with that grotesque gastronomic condition.</p>
<p>Coincidence? I don’t believe in coincidence.</p>
<p>Just like James Garfield, my stomach was shot. I guess you can say I was ‘Garfield’ed. And much like the previous mentioned Republican, I was bent over in pain for quite some time.</p>
<p>So who played the role of Charles J. Guiteau in my day of discontent? (Side note Guiteau murdered Garfield…..jeez, read a history book will ya?) Some may say it was the chicken pot pie I ate the night prior. Others may say it was the leftover lunch I had. Even others may cite the moldy raisin I found under the fridge that I ate before bed. But I know none of those are the cause.</p>
<p>This ailment came from a higher power; the ‘Executive Branch in the Sky’ one can say. Yes, my friend, I blame those spiteful dead presidents who disagreed with my blazing hot take on their holy day.</p>
<p>Luckily for me, my tummy issues are long gone and will be forgotten, much like James Garfield. But let this be a warning to us all; do not cross the Presidents of the United States. They still have veto power.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/personal/personal-presday/">President's Day II: The Revenge</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on February 21, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/popculture/popculture-yellowjackets2022-02-17T00:00:00+00:002022-02-17T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://static1.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/yellow-jackets-misty.jpg?q=50&fit=contain&w=750&h=375&dpr=1.5" alt="" /></p>
<p>We are in a golden age of television. If you don’t believe me, re-watch some of those shows from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s: Hill Street Blues, Dallas, Dynasty, NYPD Blue. Yeah, they age well about as much a Glam Rock groupie.</p>
<p>Ever since the Sopranos, TV shows have upped their game and really put forth more interesting, dynamic, and memorable stories than ever before. I would even debate the best shows are of a higher quality than the best movies of today.</p>
<p>Now not all shows are of such quality; in fact anything on regular network TV is pretty much lazy and recycled. The best shows are the ones where the network allows for them to tell their story, patiently and with multiple episodes. These networks typically are of the HBO, AMC, and Netflix variety.</p>
<p>So I have delved into 3 new shows this past month and I’ll tell you whether if they are must watches, or something else.</p>
<p>Book of Boba Fett: Now if you are a Star Wars fan, then you probably have already seen it. But if you are not a fan, this show is worthless to you. This is not like the Mandalorian; a show with a character that entered the zeitgeist and can be enjoyed by all. No, this show is very forgettable, and weird. There is nothing that felt like it mattered in this show (outside the parts with the Mandalorian in it), and I don’t think anyone cared. Hard pass, unless you love your Star Wars.</p>
<p>Reacher: Now I have only seen 3 episodes so far of this, but this is a must watch. The guy who plays Reacher is a creature; huge, buff, and ripped all to hell. Yes, I am jealous. The story is set around Reacher, a good-at-everything-especially-fighting ex-military sort who ends up at some podunk town (we still don’t know why) where there are a series of murders. After being falsely accused of the first murder, Reacher decides to get involved in the investigations. I’ll just leave it at that. It is fun, engaging, and hyper-violent.</p>
<p>Yellowjackets: IF you were going to watch one show this year, make it Better Call Saul. But if you plan on watching only two, watch Yellowjackets. This show simply kicks ass. Premise: In 1996, a plane carrying the Yellowjackets high school girl’s soccer team crashed in the middle of nowhere. The story starts in present day where we are following a small group of female survivors from that plane crash. Flash back 25 years at the crash site where you see some Lord of the Flies stuff going on. Flash forward and you see there are some mysterious things happening on the 25 year anniversary of the crash. Flash back, flash forward, flash back, the scenes are meant to parallel each other, and the further you go in the show, the more is revealed about what really happened after the crash. This show has everything: great acting, huge mystery, big ‘WTF’ moments galore, even a bit of humor. And oh yeah, there may be some cannibalism coming soon. One can only hope.</p>
<p>So there you go, watch Yellowjackets, catch Racher if you can, and forget Boba Fett unless you are a die hard Star Wars nerd.</p>
<p>But, above all else, for heaven’s sakes, watch Better Call Saul.</p>
<p>More on that later……….</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/popculture/popculture-yellowjackets/">Watch This Show</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on February 17, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/global/global-presidentsday2022-02-16T00:00:00+00:002022-02-16T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://chevroletgreersouthcarolina.bradshawgreer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/16346701761_a493fd6820_z.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>I remember when I used to respect President’s Day.</p>
<p>Let me rephrase that.</p>
<p>I remember when President’s Day was not President’s Day at all, but a combination of our two clear greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Both of their birthdays are in February, and instead of letting kids have 2 days off, we combined those two birthdays into one day off.</p>
<p>Somehow, for whatever reason, this was changed to include all presidents, both great and awful alike.</p>
<p>Side note: check out my list of <a href="http://www.seattlespew.com/top10s/top10s-presidents/">Top 10 greatest presidents here</a>.</p>
<p>Regardless of good or bad, I think we all can agree that even if we don’t like certain presidents, we can agree than it is a position that we should respect.</p>
<p>That is until now.</p>
<p>Ever since the last administration, there is zero reason to give any sort of respect to the office for the sake of being that office. The entire regime shit on everything that anyone and anything that was honored by any administration previously. Even James Buchanan, widely considered the worst president of all time, was deemed awful at his job due to his complacency in avoiding a pending Civil War….at least he didn’t try to create a Civil War.</p>
<p>I mean it is inconceivable how bad the last presidential term was; so stupid, how corrupt, how poisonous, how fake, and how hateful. I still think even the most rational thinkers have not fully comprehended how truly terrible those people were. And what’s worse; there are still people that would vote for it to continue.</p>
<p>And for that reason, I will not recognize any day that would even tangentially honor what happened from 2016-2020. I will buy no car, no mattress, or shop at any store with a President’s Day sale. I will not spend any coinage that has a face of a president on it. I will watch ‘In the Line of Fire’ and sympathize with John Malkovich. And I will not take the day off from work.</p>
<p>OK, I’ll do that last one, but I won’t like it.</p>
<p>OK, I will like it. But anyway…………</p>
<p>So suck it President’s Day! Instead of sending you my good graces, will be thinking of various Prime Ministers and the Parliamentary system the entire day.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/global/global-presidentsday/">President's Day?</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on February 16, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/sports/sports-superbowl2022-02-15T00:00:00+00:002022-02-15T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/vezPE6J_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium" alt="" /></p>
<p>So the Super Bowl happened on Sunday.</p>
<p>So…yeah…..</p>
<p>The Superb Owl is way better than what I saw on Sunday.</p>
<p>It was not a good game. I mean the players played hard and all that stuff, but the people that are running this show, refs, coaches, and the like, are so utterly miserable at their jobs for the pay they get in this multi-billion dollar industry, it baffles my mind.</p>
<p>Let’s first take the coaches:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>The Rams on defense, after half the game lining no one up in front of center, decided to do this at the beginning of the second half, not letting the Bengals center help block Aaron Donald. The Bengals could not handle it at all. Why did it take so long to do this?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>And why could the Bengals not answer this one minor adjustment at all?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Why id the Bengals go for it on 4th down at the beginning of the game, pretty much giving points to the Rams. I know the coaches will say that is what their numbers say, but their numbers are wrong. With that awful o-line the Bengals have, getting 1 yard has a different probability than what their normal calculation is. So stupid.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Why did the Bengals coach call a time out near the end of the first half? This, in turn, allowed the Rams to have another shot at getting the ball with enough time for a field goal.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>WHY IN THE HELL DID THE BENGALS NOT CALL TIME OUT ON THEIR LAST POSSESSION ON 2ND AND 1? Instead, they try to run a quick play, quick took over 12 seconds to set up mind you, and was a miscommunication on a long pass. 3rd and 1, stuffed the run. 4th and 1, sack. So the Bengals ended up with a spare time out at the end. Use the damn time out to set up the play on 2nd down. Made no sense.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Why is Kooper Kupp open all the time? If he is truly unstoppable, why not literally throw to him every time? Throughout the whole season? The reality is that no one is unstoppable, just poorly schemed against.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Now on to the refs:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>I hate pass interference, but how do you miss that OPI on Higgins? I mean the face mask alone is a penalty.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>And that holding call on the defense that virtually ended the game. How do you call that. Like it or not, referees decide games. And that call decided the game. A multi-billionaire dollar game, and that random call decided it. Does the punishment fit the crime in that case? Not the first time we have seen a call help the Rams in their recent history…..</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>There is plenty more, but am getting sick thinking about this. The NFL is a sloppy, slap-dash run organization with coaches who cannot handle the job and refs that are even more inept than the coaches.</p>
<p>Can’t wait for next year, huh.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/sports/sports-superbowl/">Superb Owl</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on February 15, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/personal/personal-vday2022-02-14T00:00:00+00:002022-02-14T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://images.indianexpress.com/2020/02/vtine-day_759_td.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Hello everyone!! And I hope you are welcoming in my favorite holiday with the same vigor as I am……..Valentine’s Day!!!</p>
<p>Yes, Valentine’s Day, or V-Day (not to be confused with VE-Day…..a much more important day) is something we all look forward to every year, single and couples alike.</p>
<p>Now you might say to yourself ‘Hey wait a moment….this is so out of character for you’. And my response to that is….</p>
<p>PSHAW!!!!</p>
<p>I love love, and love love’s me. Always been true. And no other day celebrates this side of me more that this day today.</p>
<p>I think the biggest reason why I LOVE this day so much is how natural and unforced this holiday is. I mean it is nothing like Christmas; a holiday born out of commercialized and guilt you into buying things like jewelry, cards, and candy. Oh no no no my friend. Valentine’s Day is nothing like that.</p>
<p>Let me take you on a journey….a journey that will share with you the origin of Valentine’s Day and where it gets it’s true authentic meaning from.</p>
<p>It all started in 269 AD when soon-to-be Saint Valentine died. Then 200+ years later in 496, people celebrated this day to honor the fallen martyr.</p>
<p>Fast Forward ~1500 years later and now we buy cards, candy, and jewelry for each other, still hanging onto the true meaning of Valentine’s Day………martyrdom…….ERREERERERER love. I meant love.</p>
<p>Anyway, I hope everyone out there is either falling in love all over again with their significant other or hitting on desperate singles in hopes of getting lucky. Regardless, I am sure it is the way St. Valentine is looking down from heaven smiling at all of us.</p>
<p>Or he is trapped in hell, with demons poking at him with sharp sticks for eternity because he chose the wrong God.</p>
<p>Either way, he will be celebrated.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/personal/personal-vday/">Valentine's Day</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on February 14, 2022.</p>
http://seattlespew.com/popculture/popculture-bostonmovies2022-02-10T00:00:00+00:002022-02-10T00:00:00+00:00Philhttp://seattlespew.comyou@email.com
<p><img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2014/08/12/08/robin-williams-7.jpg?quality=75&width=990&auto=webp&crop=982:726,smart" alt="" /></p>
<p>Continuing with my New England/Boston theme this week, let’s talk about the most notable movies and TV shows that are based in Boston.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>The Departed: Winner of Best Picture in 2006, this is Scorsese’s lone Best Picture winner. And I think this is a loser of a film. Nothing original, nothing memorable, just a bunch of common mob stuff that is handled in predictable ways. Just rewatch The Godfather and thank me later for the advice. Rating: 2/5</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Fever Pitch: Cute adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel about a rabid Red Sox fan who finally understands the true meaning of love starring cute Jimmy Fallon and cute Drew Barrymore. Not bad, but you may need to test for diabetes after ingesting this much sweetness. Rating 2/5</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The Town: Didn’t see it. It sounds like a Boston vanity piece. Rating: 2/5</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Mystic River: A gripping and sad tale with an all-star cast (Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Sean Penn) that is about a murder of a child and the father’s suspicion of an old childhood friend who was a victim of kidnapping years ago. I loved this movie but I am a sucker for Clint Eastwood films. Rating: 4/5</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Boston Legal: Never saw the show, but it has fat William Shatner in it hamming it up. I love it! Rating: 3/5</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Boston Public: Now I actually watched this show for a bit; it aired while I still was a teacher. The experiences in the classroom….spot on!! It was like a frickin’ documentary. Or not. Rating: 2/5</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Cheers: Hey, another show I’ve actually seen. This was the first sit-com I loved. I would make it appointment TV every Thursday and watch every rerun on syndication at 10:30pm, despite having to wake up at 6:00am. I don’t think it has held up as much as we like to remember, but kudos to a show that has entered the zeitgeist and has staid for so long. Rating: 4.5/5</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Good Will Hunting: I guess I am supposed to like this movie because it has ‘math’ in it. But I did not. At all. It reeks of a straight up vanity piece by Damon/Affleck: creating and living out some stupid dream of being some blue-collar guy who in secret is really wicked smaht. But instead of looking like some sort of complex and interesting human study, it just came off naive and self-centered. That is not how things work in the real world. Also, I hate bullies, and that was what Will Hunting was; a bully who lorded over his intellect over others. But I will say that Robin Williams was pretty good in it. Regardless, I did not like dem apples. Rating: 1/5</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>So there you go, your guide to Boston based shows and movies. Yeah, apparently this is not my favorite city for this kind of stuff. In sum, turn to New York for your city-based entertainment.</p>
<p>Or better yet, Hobbiton.</p>
<p><a href="http://seattlespew.com/popculture/popculture-bostonmovies/">A Guide to Boston-Based Shows and Movies</a> was originally published by Phil at <a href="http://seattlespew.com">Seattle Spew</a> on February 10, 2022.</p>