The Friday Hot Sheet

I'm starting to think that maybe I should rename this feature "The Hot Sheet" so I don't feel so awkward when I miss posting it on the day it's named after.

Either that, or I'm just gonna start telling people that I'm a
Maverick, because apparently that gets you out of anything.

But you know how it is -- sometimes you get wrapped up in all the things you've got going on, and there just aren't enough hours in the day for it all to happen the way you want it to. Still, when you have a week like this with so many crazy things happening -- letting it go altogether was really never an option.

So before it gets to be next Friday -- here are this weeks risers and fallers, and the buzz as it looks from here.

	The Vice Presidential Debates	Can you remember a time when the VP debates drew more buzz than the actual presidential one? The scary part of this is that all that excitement (both negative and positive) is built around one person -- Sarah Palin. People were dying to know if she would come off as the electrifying newcomer that captured the nation's interest after the RNC, or would she continue to be the horrifyingly under-qualified n00b who had fumbled time and time again in her interviews with Katie Couric. What we got was a little bit of both. She certainly looked more coached confident in the debates, but that still didn't stop her (IMHO) from giving a series of answers that ranged from confusing to out and out silly. By the same token, although I thought Biden came off well, he had every opportunity to take her and McCain to the mat for everything from the Economic Bailout to the utter overuse of the word "Maverick" without really explaining what they mean by it, and I kinda felt like he didn't do it. Speaking as someone who plans on voting for Obama, I think Biden still walked away the victor. But the debates were never really intended for people like me who already have strong convictions about their chosen candidate. The debates are for the people who still haven't decided who they're gonna vote for.
	Sarah Palin	At one point The Macerena was the #1 song in the country. People were shocked when Clay Aiken announced he was gay. Kim Kardashian continues to be a celebrity. Those Orange County Chopper guys, the Tuttles? They have a cologne named after them that sells for up to $50 a bottle. What do any of these things have to do with the appeal of Sarah Palin, who despite her clear lack of executive-level ability remains a major factor in this election? -- Everything. Because even though it's totally clear for people like me who that this woman is a clear threat to not only to people's personal rights, but to our future financial security as well; not to mention the fact that it's equally clear to high ranking conservatives that Palin is in way over her head -- the scariest part of this election is that the addition of Sarah Palin has put the election back in the court of the kind of people who made Date Move, Epic Movie, and Disaster Movie huge successes at the box office. I happen to think Palin's came off as reactionary and under-qualified at the debates -- But it's possible a lot of other people saw her in a completely different way.
	My laziness	One of the things that I was really excited about when I moved into my new apartment was the fact that it had a dishwasher, because if there was one thing I was always slacking off about in my old place, it was doing the dishes. And I'm proud to say that I've been really good about keeping the utensils, plates, pots and pans, and glasses that I own sparkling clean. But now there's a completely new issue to deal with -- namely the fact that what I do now is basically leave all my dishes in the dishwasher instead of putting them back in the cabinets. My cabinets and utensil drawers are basically empty, but I guess the good news is that whenever I run a load of dishes, I essentially re-wash everything I own, whether it needs it or not
	FSU beats Miami 41-39	Both of these teams are only really shadows of what they use to be back in their National Championship winning heydays, but it's always good to see a team step it up and go full bore against a hated rival. There are rivalries in the NFL, but if you really want to see two teams that flat-out hate each other essentially trade punches to the mouth for four quarters, you've got to look at college games like this. Back and forth action, crazy hits all over the field, and best of all -- the team with the most heart comes away with the win. Oh who am I kidding? Muck Fiami -- I love it when they lose.
	Lego Batman	Two things: First of all, despite the fact that he's been a beloved pop-culture figure and comic book hero for generations, the simple fact is that every videogame that has ever been built around the caped crusaders image has totally sucked. Or at least they did until the guys behind the Lego Star Wars series finally got it right. Secondly, I never thought there would ever be a game that could ever top Lego Star Wars in my child's heart (Lego Indiana Jones was dismissed almost immediately), but boy was I wrong. I mean, it's a fun game and all from my perspective -- but he's been pretty much glued to it since it came out. Seriously, I'm considering calling up the people who designed it to see if they can start working on a game called Lego Algebra, so he can get an early jump on his future schoolwork.
	Thursday Night at Endo	Normally I'm more than happy to recount in detail the craziness that goes on at my favorite hangout, but there are times when what happens at Endo needs to stay at Endo, and Thursday night quickly turned into one of those. But I will say this -- the first hint I had that it was gonna be a crazy-ass night was when I parked the Mustang and then started taking my seatbelt off, I was lucky enough to catch out of the corner of my eye the sight of Ricky in full camouflage gear sneaking up on me. When I got out of the car I was smart enough to get into a clear area and call him out, only to have the first words out of his mouth be, "Get a gut, Hot Rod!" to which I immediatley answered, "I'm freakin pumped, Ive been drinking green tea all god-dammed day -- Come get some!!" and then suddenly we're wrestling in the parking lot, rolling around like a bunch of idiots -- and that's all before I got inside the bar -- where one seriously deranged night of craziness with the boys took place.
	Eryka Badu	She's always been a favorite of mine, but the thing you need to know (if you didn't already) is that there are really two Badu's -- the one who produces Grammy-winning albums, and the one that absolutely kills live. Add those sexy eyes of hers into the equation, and the fact that she surrounds herself with world-class musicians like drummer Chris "Daddy" Dave -- and you'll know why I would drive just about any distance to see my girl do her thing.

                 

[Listening to:  Karnivool – "Fear of the Sky" ]