The Rumbler

THE HUNGER GAMES

2010-03-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

THE HUNGER GAMES

Its not something kids in Somalia play -- It's a book.

Written by Suzanne Collins (same writers/book club as Stephanie Meyers (Twilight))

To give you a synopsis of the book, let me use an example. Think what would have happened after the Civil War if the United States wanted to teach the Confederates a lesson about rebellion so each year they would take two children from each Confederate State, put them into an arena full of weapons and watch it until only one child is left.

That would describe the world that Suzanne Collins has created in The Hunger Games. Except hers takes place in a dystopian future.

But wait! Some of you must be thinking, "How come I see so many girls reading and talking about this science fiction, war based futuristic novel?" It does not add up. I am pretty sure that most girls dislike killing children, science fiction or anything that combines the two. So why this book?

It is simple. Apparently the Phoenix, Arizona writers book club came up with one simple and universally poignant formula for writing books -- one girl, two guys and don't worry about the girls character, just make sure to create a guy that is sympathetic, unconditionally loving, caring, loyal, extremely good looking and if possible they can turn into precious jewels.

I'll tell you what, in Hunger Games, it worked.

Katniss, the stoic girl caught between two perfect men (sound familiar?) is chosen to represent her district in the Hunger Games.

To be played by: Jennifer Love Hewitt or Claire Danes

Her lovers include:

Gale: A boy she sneaks away to pick flowers, hunt rabbits and fondly think of better days.

To be played by Orlando Bloom or Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

Peeta: The boy chosen to join her in the Hunger Games. The boy who has always loved Katniss, forever and ever, even if she chose Gale he would die for her. He is gifted at Baking and Icing Cakes. And kissing. (I am still waiting for his character to turn into diamonds.)

To be played by Mark Wahlburg or Mark Ruffalo.

Spoiler Alert!!!!

There are currently three books in the Hunger Games Series, the third is in publication right now. Suzanne is teaming up with another authoress to complete a fourth book which will bind together two separate series. If you haven't guessed which one I will tell you right now -

TWILIGHT!!

The two, Stephanie Meyers and Suzanne Collins are teaming up to merge the two together, it will be incredible. Since it is still being written I will offer the following commercial tagline:

"Two Girls . . . Four Perfect Men . . . Let the Fantasy Begin."

Big things are happening in the world of fantasy and female writing and I would recommend reading The Hunger Games book series.

For optimal reading: Ice cream, bubble bath and an arm rest.

Book Wine Pairing: A frothy unoaked Sauvignon Blanc, $76.00

Limited Pre-Screeing of New Moon

2009-10-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

My dawn brightened when I was allowed to view a very limited and elite pre-screening of New Moon, the delightful sequel to the Vampire romance series titled Twilight.

For the reader that is not familiar with these excellent reads, let me debrief you. Its about muggles that fall for Vampires. But its a girl-muggle and the book follows her every thought and desire. And get this, its all about how the perfect guy falls in love with the beautifully- innocent Bella Swan (which creatively translates into "beautiful swan")

Written by a woman, the heartthrob Vampire boy, Edward Cullen, is dangerously handsome, he loves Bella -- not only by sight but also by smell -- oh, and it also just happens that sunlight turns him into cute sparkly diamonds. And their first kiss begins with "k".

The book has everything anyone could want and New Moon, the movie, takes this lovers tangle to another level. Add in the sweetness of a Werewolf and the tangle becomes a triangle. Who does she choose, could it be Edwards 4 C's of love or Jacobs ticklishly warm embrace?

She picks Jacob!

There was a moment in the movie where she is braiding his Werehair, a french braid, and they start rolling in the fields, then the screen goes black and the audience gasps. She has chosen her mate. Now, remember that Edward already left Spanish Fork to a far away place, a place where his family would not be tempted to eat Bella's blood. So get this, word spreads that Bella and Jacob the Werewolf hooked up and nobody wanted Edward to know so they told him she committed suicide!

Since Edward thinks Bella is dead, he too has no desire to live. Unlike Shakespeare's Juliet he is unable to lick the poison from her lips or stab himself in the heart, instead he must travel to Italy where the liberal Vampires are pro-euthenasia and agree to kill him.

Bella finds out that when she rides her scooter really fast that she can hear Edward, his sweet lavender voice speaks to her and she goes after him, leaving Jacob for Italy. It is there that the Italian Vampire Illuminati declare that she must die or become a Vampire. She chooses Vampire. . . but wait!

!SPOILER ALERT!

The movie ends with Bella back in Spanish Fork, she is in the clinic getting an ultra sound and she is pregnant with Jacobs Werebaby!

What will happen when she becomes a Vampire and the hybrid baby is born?

Could this be a uniting of the Tribes? I guess we won't know until the release of Forever Dawn.

Hairy Potter and The Half Blood Prince vs. Planetary Astrology

2009-06-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

I am on a kick about the starry heavens above and the romantic within. Last post addressed the incredible balance of love and neo-science. This post will focus on Wizards and Planets.

The new movie of Hairy Potter will come out within one month. My goal is to prep my readers on the astrology of wizardry. Wherewolves, Serious Black, Horocruxes and more!!

We are coming up on the Dog Days of Summer (beginning July 3); be prepared.

The astrological parallels and connections relating to HP will metaphysically blow your mind. In a segmented series I will uncover and show pictures about these hidden secrets.

Here is the first clue:

The Perfect Storm

2009-06-19T00:14:00.000-07:00

Time Travel Romance. It is what I have been waiting for, an un-timeless romance.

I say 'un-timeless' because most romances are always bound by some sort of time. Too often romance movies end sad, leaving tears and empty hearts. Like the Notebook when Noah and his wife are ugly and old so they decide to kill themselves together. Or like A Walk To Remember when Jamie decides to die and leave everybody.

Finally an author decided to incorporate time-travel and allow a love story to go on forever. Like a silk rose.

The name of the movie is The Time Traveler's Wife, it comes out soon. http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2784428569/

This genre was attempted once by Superman and Dr. Quinn in the movie Somewhere In Time. Only in this movie a really old women, I'm talking like 103 years old, creaks up to Superman and tells him to come back to her. I don't know why he would but he did. She was hotter younger, so he chose wisely, but she left him for the wild west and he made the typical blunder of keeping pennies from the future. Spoiler alert. So the future penny took him away from the young Jane Seymor and into the osteoperotic arms of her future self. Thereby leaving all of us upset and sad.

The Time Travelers Wife: Henry travels through time, he does not wish for it and cannot control it. Big events from his life pull him back in, like gravity. His wife, whose husband is never there, spends her whole life waiting. So what if henry doesn't want her to spend her whole life waiting?? What if he decided to go back one last time and make it so that they have never met?? And what if she will always love him, and what if they are just wild hearts that are never meant to be broken?? We'll have to watch and see. Don't be surprised if one of them dies.

Exotic Animals for the Home: Part I

2009-03-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

Serval

Jogger's quick answer (the basic question of "what is that?" when you take your exotic animal on a nightly walk): "It's a mini-leopard, from Africa"

Daily meal: Live birds. If not available, hide raw turkey in the house, during nightime, when they hunt.

Fun Fact: Great with children

If It's Secret and Elite It Can't Be Good

2009-02-17T16:32:00.000-08:00

Is it still hot to be a Skull-And-Bones?

What, you have never heard of Yale's most secret and most powerful society?

If not, I am guessing that you have heard of these:
George W. Bush,
John Chafee,
Henry Luce,
Gritton hadden,
John Kerry,
George H.W. Bush,
William F. Buckley,
Willaim Taft etc. etc.

Our presidency, supreme court and senate seats are all heated by men of the order. All of whom have been tapped and reborn as a skull and bones.

Often accused of conspiracy, the "bonesman" as they like to be called, work together to initiate and promote the success of the society.

Due to the macabre, inspiration, and conspiracy that it takes to be a bonesman, I hereby rank The Skull and Bones as 2009's most overrated secret society.

The Best Runner-Up Ever

2008-11-17T09:41:00.000-08:00

I WILL ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE!!

A true vocalist is one that is able to produce musical sound by only using his/her voice. I do both.

Song is judged by:

Audience reaction
Vocals
Karaoke Ability (reading and staying on pace with lyrics)
Entertainment
Overall Ability

Terms of the contest:

Top five singers on the 5,000 passenger cruiseliner
Must sing entire song
Song choice must be different than previous round
No backup singers

Song Choice: Livin' On A Pryaer by Jon Bon Jovi

Reason for song: Based on a midnight society focus group this song was hand selected to fit my style and voice range.

Favorite moments:

Wardrobe (pants were hand stitched by Allision and Spencer Davis) -- They were perfectly restitched. Backstage the top stitch came out and I had to take a dancers bobbypin and twist it through to sinch it together. I was worried I wouldn't be strong enought to pull it out.
The moment I roundhouse kicked the audience from the stage
The summersault after the roundhouse kick
Forgetting the lyrics altogether
Singing the same line 12 times

Performance Goals:

My overall strategy was to rewrite the lyrics to be a love ballad between Me and Judge Monica.
Leg as a guitar during rockout scene
Pull off pants
Jumpkick, roll into summersault
Step on edge
Extend hand towards audience
Powerslide
Splits
(open for on stage inspiration)

New Lyrics Actual Lyrics
Judd has a really hard life Tommy used to work on the docks
He works so hard Union been on strike
He’s looking for a wife, its tough He’s down on his luck, its tough

So Tough So Tough

Monica is looking for a man Gina works the diner on 8th
I sing so good Workin for the man
Take me home to mom and dad, its love She brings home her pay, its love

For Love For Love

CHORUS

Says she’s got to hold on to
What we’ve got
Doesn’t make a difference if we
Make it or not

We’ve got eachother
And that’s a lot fooooor looove

We’ll Give It a Shot!

Whoooa we’re half way there

Whooo Hoo – We’re livin’ on a prayer

So take my hand, we’ll make it I swear

Whooo HOO We’re livin on a prayer

Judges Response:

Final Results: I took second place and lost by one point to an Idahoan Country singer. Who, I might add, never even attempted a powerslide or the splits.

Glamour Shots (By ALLISON DAVIS)

Cruise Idol: Part 1 of 2

2008-10-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

Cruise Idol

Three rounds of intense competition
3,000 possible cruisers to compete for title
10 best selected to move on to the second round

Song choice: "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys

ROUND ONE:

Dedication: I was privileged enough to be able to switch my dedication which was originally directed to my future wife who wasn't able to be on the cruise with me. DJ Matt messed up my song number, actually it was my manager Christopher who did not proofread what I wrote. At any rate the wrong BSB song came up and I refused to sing it.

Rededication: To each and every person there that night. I think they felt special to know that I cancelled the dedication to my wife for them.

I was honored by DJ Matt's immediate placement into the second round of Cruise Idol.

ROUND TWO:

Audience number: 1100
Participants: 10
Song: Each contestant was asked to sing the same song that was sang in round 1, except for one girl who sang a terrible first song and chose Ave Maria for her second, which she sang worse than me. Not really, I sang better.
Outfit: Brown Leisure Suit, Captain America T-shirt*

*I was given the nickname of "Captain America" because I wore a Captain America shirt the first round of competition and from then on out I was referred to by everyone as "Captain America"

There was even a little girl in an elevator who leaned over to her parents and said "its him . . ." and the mom said "who?" and the little girl said "its Captain America" and the mom smiled and said to me "she really liked your singing". I went on to dedicate my song in Round Two to that little girl.

THE PERFORMANCE:

Key Moments of the Performance:

Imaginary cord toss into the crowd
Elbow crawl towards audience transitioned into a side roll
Running off stage to personalize the song in front of the crowd (which increased cheering)
Forgetting my line and effortlessly jumping back on stage

Judges Question and Answer:

Question: How did bring such a tight creaseless leisure suit?

Answer: My mom does my laundry and packed it for me.

Judd overview: My favorite part was the fact that people actually cheered and that the random group of 14 year old girls really took a liking to me**.

The arm crawl was a crafted move that Christopher and I practiced in our stater room.

Another great part of it all was that I got free drinks the rest of the cruise, I had a dressing room before and after the show, and DJ Matt gave me shout outs whenever I went to the Moonlight Dance Floor.

*Here I am taking a moment to pose with two of my fans

The Q&A was basically just a judges response, but the crowd was behind me and left no doubt in their minds as to the value of my music and performance. I also think Monica and I shared a moment, but that storyline will more fully develop in the next performance.

SPOILER ALERT: I make it into the next and Final round of Cruise Idol. Stay tuned.

123456789 987654321

2008-10-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

Backwards and forwards, the touchpads are miscommunicating to my brain.

Thes numbers begin at the bottom with "1" and work upward to "9"

Yet in contrast, the telephone goes from top "1" and end with "9"

The joy of a comptometer operator (back office calculations operator) is when your fingers are free from sight, meaning you can type numbers without looking at each button that your finger presses. This means rapididity, a freedom from mind and body.

The difficulty for me is when I am done counting millions of dollars I then need to use the phone. I transfer this same skill of non-looking and dial an incorrect number.

The example of horror was when I just made a bunch of phone calls and then went to type some numbers on the computer, the number "377 . . . .", when I finished and looked up I had actually typed "911 . . . " -- you can imagine the surprise and relief that the commputer did not do as I had commanded.

The Reason for the difference, as I am able to project, is that it must be easier to make phone calls by counting down and it is easier to type and count numbers by typing up.

I just wish they both would go up to "11".

#8243

2008-09-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

It is official, the Rumbler has gone national.

For those of you who have not received the United States Racquetball Association's ranking updates, then you would not know that I jumped to the 8243 spot, with only 8242 rankings standing in my way.

http://www.usaracquetballevents.com/rankings.asp?sortOptions=YES (you can scroll down to the eight thousands or click on 'region' and click 'utah' for my advanced ranking)

You will also notice that out of Utah's population of 2 million, I am ranked #168 -- talk about a diamond in the rough.

From this moment forward you may all refer to me as ranking.

Sincerely yours,

#8243

Momma Said Knock You Out!

2008-09-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

My Weekend with Darth Spencer and Wife was wonderful.

Passing out in the Rec Center and losing a tooth . . . sucky.

This last weekend, Friday, September 12thish, I went to St. George to spend time with my godson and his family.

Highlights of the weekend include:

Saving Owen J's life as he was kicked into the pool P
laying racquetball with Darth Spencer
JiuJitsuing. DS's burgers
Having Allison take my picture
Hearing Owen tell me that Eli was too little to walk
3rd row seats at the Ultimat Combat event which was themed North Versus South, or in other words: St. George Versus the world
Spencer telling Owen to jump on me and then dealing with that for the next 35 minutes

Me at My Finest:

DarthSpencer gave me a personal invite to his Dojo to practice Jiu Jitsu. I have always been a huge fan of martial arts and could not pass it up. For those of you who have not seen Spencer in his Gee, then please enlarge the picture below:

Inside the Dojo, DS taught me the basics of Jiu Jitsu and left me to spar with the others. It was during this time that the I was hit in the face and lost my tooth. How did it happen? Some Yokle hit me too hard and I had to tap out for fear of choking on my molar. So I quickly took my tooth out of my mouth, tossed it in my shoe and kept fighting (jiu jitsuers don't fight with shoes-I suggest fighting them in the street cause they will either have to take them off or will feel awkward wearing them).

After an hour of fighting and being choked and submitted and tossed around, it was time to go. I bowed, put on my shoes and stood up to go outside. My head went fuzzy and I had to sit down. Moments later my body shut down, probably due to shock and I passed out. Here is where the Hero of the story comes in. His name is Darth Spencer. He has truly become a ninja warrior or something because as I fell he caught me, eased me to the floor and with the same breath he was able to slide his Gee under my head thereby rendering me safely to the floor unharmed.

That is my story, I left everything I had on the mat that day.

Red Box Etiquette

2008-09-12T23:46:00.000-07:00

Important Item of Discussion:

Should there be ground rules for using a RedBox video rental?

Top Five Conveniences of a RedBox over dwindling video stores:

1. It costs a dollar a day

2. You can rent while you fill your gas tank or buy your bread and butter

3. No wasted aisle browsing

4. Machine-human interaction

Top Five Grievances:

1. The wait time is the same whether there is one person or 12**

2. Limited supply of "hot" DVD's

3. The machine is very un-robotic

4. You have to wait in line to return the DVD

5. They will all go out of business once Blue-Ray and LaserDiscs take over

You will notice that on both the positive and negative views I have left the last number empty. This is a psychological tactic used to subconsciously allow the reader(you) to create your own opinion. Free-thinking and progression have long been the platform for the rumblerblog.

**One person, usually female, can take hours browsing for movies. Darth Spencer commented that girls should not take forever because when renting at RedBox you should already have an idea of what you want.

Other research has confirmed that if you are alone then you have the right to click around for as long as you would like, but the moment someone comes behind you, it is time to make your $1.00 decision.

On a future note: Prepare yourselves for the Rumbler's top ten most favorite exotic animals that can live at home with you anywhere.

Headless

2008-09-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

I am a very skilled driver.

So as you can see, the head fell off on the way to the parade.

I am not a carpenter.

The remnants of my handworks include the two slabs of wood with the screws sticking out and the head of the horse lying on the ground. I don't know whether to curse gravity or to curse county parades.

I drove this 80 foot float from Orem to Payson, which is like 80 miles away. I actually think its around 40, but when you drive 35mph without a windshield, it feels like twice as far.

The best part was that the parade started at 10am and by 10:15 it was hailing and raining. I hade on a sweatshirt and shorts and was stuck between Lehi City's Country Music Carriage and the Provo City Marching band.

It took me an hour and half to make it out of the parade, even when they canceled it and all of the applauders were running back into their houses; I froze.

Even my beauty queens bailed.

Blantant Is Better

2008-08-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

Predator (the original) was on the television last night. In the movie, there is a scene at the beginning where Dutch (A. Swarzenegger) meets up with Dillon (C. Weathers)--they are long time friends and fellow commandos. Instead of hugging, as I would have done, they saunter towards each other and right at that moment of hug or cheek kiss, they, instead, instantly transition into a standing arm wrestle.

What I love about this movie is the camera work. As this scene begins the two walk towards one another, then the film instantly cuts to the arm clasp, as seen above. There is about ten seconds until the next scene. The beauty of this camera work and film direction is that there is no room for interpretation. The audience instantly knows they are both very, very tough men, and that there is no mistaking it. I truly recommend watching this movie one more time.

If you don't want to watch the entire movie just to see that scene, that is ok, just stare at the above picture for ten seconds straight. And here is the true test to see if John McTiernan truly was an Oscar worthy director: focus on those arms and see if anything at all can enter your mind other than the impossible strength of Arnold Swarzenegger.

Also, little known fact, Puerto Vallarta houses a restaurant built onto/around the helicopter used in Predator. Come this October 11-18 I will be dining there with my sweetheart.

POTATOE

2008-08-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

A rotten potato hidden in a bag, and left in my room, made for the nastiest smell on earth, well, maybe just my quadrant.

Background: Mike and I taught an english class which ended about three weeks ago, and about five weeks ago we played a very exciting game of "hot potato". In this game each player had to say a color in english and toss the potato to another player. For example, the colors were: silver, purple, teak, indian red, maroon, gold, etc. I would say "california violet" and toss it to Lupe who would say "soldier blue" who would toss it to Mike . . . we could play that game for hours.

Science: When we smell, air currents infused with chemicals, in this case it was moldy starch, swirl up the nose, passing over the moist olfactory epithelium on the roof of the nasal cavity and its 12 million odor-detecting cells. The olfactory receptor proteins detect scents and via sensory nerves, the signals are sent to the Olfactory bulb (scientific american, 12).

Result: Two days ago I got back from a trip to LA, upon arrival I went into my room and there was a thick, almost foglike smell; it wreaked. The odor was not something I was used to--in other words, it was completely new to my olfactory bulb.

It was a strange smell, almost like old soggy dog food, but I searched my room and could not find anything at all. I then thought one of my animals urinated, I couldn't find that either. So I opened up a window and gave up the search. That was until my mom came in (she came over to visit) and insisted on cleaning the entire room until we found the source of the smell. I thought of that two days ago, I just didn't want to do it. It is a good thing we did though because it was at that point that I found my teacher-bag with my supplies. Inside of the bag was the potato (please see the above picture).

I now know why all the irish came to America.

Grande Mof Tarkin

2008-08-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

For those that don't want to read about fingernails, you may be interested to know that I am currently reading the biography of Peter Cushing.

Peter Cushing is/was best friends with Christopher Lee (Saruman, Count Duku, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes etc.)

They have both been in countless classic horror movies and have both played Dracula and Sherlock Holmes.

Peter Cushing won me over when I saw him in the Sherlock Holmes movie, the Hound of Baskerville.

Here is a fun fact about Grand Mof Tarkin. The boots originally made for his character were too tight on his feet, so Peter asked George Lucas if he could just wear slippers. The next time you watch Star Wars try to find his feet.

Here are some pictures of him:

Scratchable

2008-08-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

I own nail clippers but you know what, I have not used them in at least 6 months.

So what does this tell me? Either my nails never grow and have remained perfectly trimmed. Or, perhaps, I am so good at biting them that I do not even know it is happening.

Here's the other item of question: Since I bite my nails, what happens to the part I bite off? Is it randomly spit, chewed, swallowed? Who knows. . .

Assuming the long nail is nibbed to proper size and then spit away, how long is it in the carpet until it decomposes? I would think that it would be kinda off-setting to know there are tons of little pieces of finger or toe nails just hanging around.

According to a .edu science page, it takes a toenail 12-18 months to fully decompose. Though only a few seconds if you use arsenic.

So get this, fingernails can be an indicator and gateway to knowing your health status.

If you have:
Yellow Nails
Opaque Nails with a Dark Band
Spoon Nails
Nail Separation
Nail Pitting
Nail Clubbing
Beau's Lines

Then you need to see a doctor as these are nutrition and disease oriented conditions.
The Spoon Nails are my favorite and would make the best conversation piece.

As Seen On TV

2008-08-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

I've most likely come to a parade near you.

As a two year veteran of float driving I found it time to appease my readers with some pictures from the usual Saturday morning side-gig. For those first time readers, you should know that I moonlight as a float driver for Provo City. My numerous parades include, but are not limited to:

Orchard Days

Freedom Festival

Summerfest

Steel Days

Days of 47

This post is a special one. As per our six month tradition here at http://www.therumbler.blogspot.com/, its time for the reader-response email blog!! (yay)

(side note: Readers, remember that you have half a year to submit your comments, questions and requests.)

Due to the overwhelming number of questions and emails regarding my float driving, I've decided to bridge reader-response with summer float driving.

Anonymous Reader 1: When will you post about your float driving?

Mr. Rumble: Right now.

AR88: Love the blog, favorite post so far is about the deodorant, umm, how did you become a float driver?

Mr. Rumble: I was going to say that it was easy, but it wasn't. Though I don't think float driving really solves the crises of our age, it has taught me that parades can be full of dangerous propaganda. Now that I think of it, you should skip the parades.

AR 218/219: My wife and I have been talking about how much we'd love to see some pictures of you in action, we saw you on TV over the 24th of July, but our HDTV wasn't working so we weren't sure that it was you. Could you post some pics.

Mr. Rumble: Yes. Thanks for watching the televised parade. Here you go:

AR7: I saw you on TV, do they really make you wear a tuxedo?

AR19: Saw you on TV, were you dying in that black tux?

AR11:Nice driving, we got you recorded on the DVR, camera loved you man.

AR3: Was that you on float number 97? Well done.

Mr. Rumble: You are all great reader-responders, yes they do make me dress-up, it was hot and I am very happy that your DVR worked. AR3, your math is way off, please refer to picture number 3 (above bottom) then you will see the correct float number; you should take a course in geometry.

On a health note: in the words of Boethius "not only have they no cures for his pain, but with their sweet poison they make it worse"

Breaking Dawn, JK Rowling did it again!

2008-08-07T08:04:00.000-07:00

JK Rowling is the best author, and I totally think these vampire books were the best way to go after writing all the Harry Potter Wizard stuff. I stayed up all night to finish the LAST BOOK! It was soo good.

Here's the thing -- I found myself caught in the dilemma of choosing the best mate for sweet Bella: should she choose The Vampire or The WereWolf?

Could any of you make your decision beforehand? I couldn't. Its like Harry/Harmione/Ron all over again.

Really, this felt more real than the Harry Potter series and I think it has been half a decade since I have forced myself to make a decision between two guys. The last time being Dawson or Pacey for Josephine Potter (Mrs. Tom Cruise)

I decided I would go into the last book without having made up my mind. Maybe I secretly wanted the author to shape my opinion. Here's another amateur insight, do you all remember Lupin the WereWolf? He died, but before doing so he had a baby. I personally hypothesize that Jakob, the Werewolf, is the son of Lupin. And, even though that is pretty good insight, I think that's how J.K. is going to bridge the two series.

Anyways, the ending was the best part of the whole book. Its crazy how the worst thing happening can be the most rivetting. I never thought Edward would have died, probably cause he was supposed to be immortal, but in the end it was the only way that she could have been happy with Jakob.

I Vote . . . Do You?

2008-07-31T13:53:00.001-07:00

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Alle Deutsch lieben mich

2008-07-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

The Germans, they love me!

World Update:

1. America
2. Germany
3. Switzerland

The average German will spend 2:50 seconds reading my blog. This makes me proud.

In honor of the runner-ups, here's a little apple-streudel to keep them happy:

My Telepathy is Bigger than Yours

2008-07-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a prompting question, do we have a right to the privacy of our thoughts?

Today's blog entry is on the discussion of Telepathy.

For years Earth humans have been using their five senses to communicate with eachother.

I personally prefer the mouth and hands as my means for communication
(if you know what I mean)
-- yes -- verbal and manual signals to stimulate thought in order to come to an understanding with another human.

So the purpose for speech may be to be able to reach a point of understanding, or it could be that we want to share a portion of our thoughts, or that we want to manipulate the thoughts of another (discussions for another day).

Telepathy is about two years away. For now I can secretly tell you that it is in production and that the key idea did in fact come from me. It's not for the money though.

Many of you have already asked me: "How can you develop telepathy?" or "Aren't people just born with it?"

I will tell you in a very simplified way, please read below. As far as being born with it, maybe someday, assuming human progression/genetics are able to keep up with my charts. For now only Betazoids are known to have this gift.

HOW TELEPATHY IS BEING BUILT

Bluetooth wireless connectors are being placed on the right inner-cranial lobe of small rodents and long-term prisoners. The connectors are linked to a secured wi-fi internet router. So instead of thinking, they just have to think and the bluetooth connector transmits their thoughts! Testing will probably go on until casualties are limited a bit.

It hasn't worked yet, but that's why I don't think it'll go public for a couple of years.

Given the technology, would you be ok with somebody bluetoothing your thoughts or do you think we should install limited filters?

Or, would life just be easier if we didn't have deceit, or fibbing, or falsification of communication?

Caught Fusing Yoga with Fitness

2008-06-17T22:25:00.000-07:00

To my surprise I had pictures taken of me during one of my health routines . . .

The Fading Sun. Here I am with my chest opened into a shoulder stretch, just trying to really breathe into my torso.

Revolving Half Moon Pose. Not one of my karate moves, I am actually stretching my inner thigh and adding strength into the hip.

Utkatasana. By pulling up the arches of my feet I can take big inhales and then breathe all that energy up and out through my fingertips

Cobra. A Swan Dive forward, I am preparing to walk my hands up to my chest to complete the Warrior Dog.

As a U.S. American

2008-06-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

I pledge to:

Wash my ball cap with my mom's dishes
Consume more soda than water
Take a shower without wondering if that water will ever be re-used
Swerve at kids J-walking rather than avoid them
Plan my day around TV

Those five were happened just now.

On a health note, lady fortuna finally spun my way-- I think the fungus on my foot is scratching off.

In the words of Boethius: "Music is part of us, and either ennobles or degrades our behavior"

I enoble all of you.

Ughgh, I am so sick of Drying my own hands

2008-06-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

Friday evening I went to my local international Aiport to pick up some luggage which was held back due to "suspect - merchandise"; it contained 6 exotic and highly volitole bottles of Iowa brewed root beer (which of course were packed in my dirty undies). Before I claimed my parcel I quickly slipped into the restroom where I tinkled and rinsed my hands with one of these:

Hands free senser-fauset
After rinsing my hands I electrically soaped-up using one of these:

Hands free soap dispenser

Finally, after i lathered and rinsed, simply by the motion of my hand, I turned to get them dry and found one of these:

Hand sensor paper towel dispenser

To wash my hands I used three non-touch gizmos.

I rinsed and soaped and received a paper towel without pushing buttons or levers.

It was in this moment of wadding the paper around my hands that I realized how sick I was of doing it myself. The first few parts of sanitation were so easy and now, I decided, I want it to be easier.

I want a machine where we stick our hands, or feet, inside of it and they are scrubbed and dried without us having to do it ourselves.

SSSHHHHHH . . . (It's a Secret)

2008-04-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

Yup, that's right I wore Secret Solid anti-perspirant/deodorant for an entire day.

Here's what happened: I woke up, bathed, chose my outfit and went back to the bathroom to brush teeth and put on deodorant. My Speedstick was already used up three days ago and I had officially worn through the last bits of deodorant stuck in the little holes. So I ran upstairs to find another stick of deodorant (for those of you who don 't know, I am 26, single, and moved into my parents basement).

Anyways, there are enough people that come and go that I was bound to come across some half-stick from one of my brothers. All I could find was Secret, which was fitting since I was alone and no one around to see me put it on.

Let me tell you this, is may be pH balanced for a man, but it makes you smell like a woman!

I work with almost all females and everytime I stood up, walked past someone else or someone come into my office I felt embarrassed, shameful and feminine--my secret was no longer a secret.

The worst part isn't that I was a walking fluff ball, its that I had to put up with the flaky white stuff (see below)

I don't really think there's a lesson to be learned, maybe just that girl hygeiene is inferior.

Don't You Break My Heart, My Achy Brakey Heart

2007-09-19T19:34:00.001-07:00

I am considering the possible option of investigating Country Music. The Judd you once knew may no longer exist; It's been fun knowing you.

The Rumbler can never be revealed, but his personality can be.

2007-09-11T23:33:00.001-07:00

Given a blood sample, a strand of hair, a floppy disk and a signature, a computer Televac was able to produce the personality analysis of The Rumbler.

Listed below is the binary code taken from his double helix and transferred to human terminolodgy. In ALL CAPS you will find the computers dictation afterwhich the Rumbler's second assistant has secretated and typed stories or ideas as they relate to the computer's assumptions. When you comment immediately after reading this post, be sure to give gratitude to the Rumbler's return as it has been too long since we have heard the horn blow, too long since his words have rung into the hearts of man and too long since the unsaid has gone unspoken.

beep beep bdlloo(70's computer special effects noises)

"RUMBLER PERSONALITY ANALYSIS"

ksshshs >> kkkkkkkk >> bong - bong (modem sounds)

YOU LIKE HAVING THE LAST WORD AND THE LAST LAUGH

not true

YOU ARE GENERALLY EASY TO GET ALONG WITH

yes, this is true

YOU CAN COPE WITH DIFFICULT JOBS<>
- one time my dog, Tanzy, was hyperventilating because of the thunder, I did not have the proper training to cope with that.
YOU LIKE TO SET YOUR OWN PACE AND LIMITS IN LIFE

I figure if I knowingly eat my way towards heart disease then I won't be shocked when it kills me

IT IS YOUR NATURE TO FIGHT DEFEAT

HA! I kill defeat

YOU LIKE YOUR FRIENDSHIP TO BE APPRECIATED

I keep my friends close and my enemies closer

P.E. #1 - gingivitis

YOU'RE AN OPTIMIST WHO LIKES TO BE THE LEADER OF THE PACK

depends on the pack, a six pack - yes, the Wolf Pack (WCW reference) - yes,

YOU ARE USUALLY FAITHFUL AND CONSTANT

Like alpha centauris B

YOU ARE RELIABLE, HONEST AND OTHERS DEPEND ON YOU

FIBS don't win friends; my word is my bond

YOU HAVE A REAL DESIRE FOR KNOWLEDGE AND LEARN EASILY

I speak java

YOU DEVOTE YOUR ENERGIES TO WORTHWHILE ACTIVITIES

True, activities would include:

Sci-fi book clubs
Chess
Internet dating (strictly gChat, and she knows who she is)
plastic bottle collecting
vacuuming

YOU CAN HANDLE ANY EMERGENCY AND NEVER ADMIT DEFEAT

One time I was on a trip with Spencer and Allison Davis (the parents of Owen Judd, my godson) and we ran over a tire on the Oakland bridge and were high-centered in the left lane during rush hour. I instantly knew we were going to die or receive whiplash, and it was in that moment that I remembered hearing that drunk drivers always survive crashes because they are incoherent and their body in limp and non-responsive. So I decided that in order to survive I must go completely limp, it worked and the emergency was well-handled and I never had to admit defeat.

There you have it, now you all know the Rumbler's true personality. Welcome back to the Rumbler's blog.

The Rumbler Revealed

2007-05-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

The Time has Come to Reveal the Rumbler

Due to unforeseen circumstances therumbler.blogspot.com will be under construction. Please leave the date of June 16th open for the enveiling of the new blog. In the mean time please prepare yourselves to find out at last the true identity of Mr. Rumble himself. As that will be the last blog on this site.

Fan: Mr Rumbler why is your blog going to change?

Mr. Rumble: Dear nation, there are many reasons for the change, the first being a need to refocus my efforts and knowledge. The main reason would be the code-encrypted messages caught, decoded and re-encrypted by KGB counter parts. They have been onto me for some time and have been the black force limiting my blog posts. Also, get my name right.

Fan: Mr. Rumble, why are you revealing your identity, won't that just show KGB who you are? Will you get hurt?

Mr. Rumble: The concern is duly noted. I am no longer afraid, my fear has led to emotion, and within that emotion I have found my strength.

Fan: Mr. Yumble, now a mention ensures invisibility, shall Juno utter dominion defiance?

Mr. Rumble: Fan, you have decoded my messages from all previous posts. You are wise above all other fans. For this you will be rewarded. For those up for a challenge, the previous fan has secretly hidden my identity within his words. Search for it, I wish you luck.

Also, every post has had a secret message, go through them, change every sentence with the following formula:

a = b, b=c, c=d . . . etc., etc., shift all vowels to previous consanant, move forward one letter and reverse with opposing letter. Do this twice. By June 18th you will do what has been asked of you. For those unable to decode, your cowardice will be noted.

The Man Pageant

2007-04-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

No need to adjust your screen, or get your eyes checked because one of my legs have in fact truly dissapeared.

Senor De La Jolla

As many of you have heard through various media outlets, TJ and I recently competed head to head in a prestigious Man Pageant. It is known as Senor De La Jolla. It was a tough crowd, but I, of course, walked away with the crown, but more importanly, I captured their hearts. I can't take more than 90% of the credit because TJ is taking the other 10. I would also like you to know that TJ's night on stage has led to numerous Andy Kauffman and Jim Belushi comparisons. We were pretty impressed with our performances, so I thought that I would share them with you, the world. They are available at my sister-station: http://www.lifeandtimesinsd.blogspot.com/

As you watch the videos you can wonder, as we constantly do, why we are still single. Enjoy!

On a Health Note

2007-02-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

Well, today I had my Life Wellness personal assessment where I received the results on my blood pressure, cholesterol level, body fat %, stress level, cancer risk, substance use and nutrition status. I would like you all to know that I have the health age of a 26 year old with the potential target age of an 18 year old. I am just happy that all of those delicious foods and beverages have only taken away a year of my life.

Here’s the good news, my coronary risk is low, my cancer risk is low, but my nutrition status is undesirable (don’t tell Katie Davis), so my new goals involve eating breakfast and fruits and veggies for lunch. I also get a free pedometer because I am now part of a health study (which is the second time in my life, the first being the time I got my wisdom teeth taken out for free as long as I tried a new drug/painkiller; I felt like a lab rat).

My blood pressure was 136/80, a bit high, but it is usually 120-125/80, I must have been nervous. I have a blood cholesterol level of 142 and my triglycerides are desirable. I had to fast for 12 hours before the tests were run and my elevated blood sugar level was at 90; my blood is sweet.

I am also 24% body fat. I didn't need a doctor to tell me that. On a better note, all of the ladies around me scored worse. They are skinnier, but have no muscle.

I have decided to eat vegetables, wheat toast and Hummus. Wish me luck with my endeavors.

Will It Blend? - iPod

2007-02-07T09:06:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB52MjaviF4

Hello World, I've been away for a couple of weeks, just some problems at home and I've been off the continent for research. On a health note, don't trust every berry that you see.

Get Ready for a blend of a life time.
Personally, I have been waiting months to be able to eat and drink RAM, Motherboards and iPods. In an attempt to really promote this blender without actually owning one, I have been thinking of its practical uses, in comparison to tradition blender, which, as we know just make smoothies and shakes. *Before you read on, be sure you have watched the video, you don't need volume so go ahead and watch it at the office.*

LIST OF PRACTICAL USES of the BLEND it all BLENDER:
-You no longer have to pit the peach
-It will put disposal's out of business

That thought has changed this blog post from promoting the blender to it becoming a disposal. I think Mr. Blend It should make his blenders into sink disposal's. If the term disposal is new to you, then I cannot help you and you should not be reading this post. Back to the new idea, so with a new Blend It disposal your sink would no longer back up. Previous problems associated with potatoe and banana peel's will virtually go away. There are thousands of reasons to put a BlendIt blender under you sink. Think of it, chipped spoons would no longer exist because the would get blended up. Your kids would learn not to put their hands down the sink. You wouldn't have to flush fish down the toilet. And of course, if the blender broke, you could just use the disposal.

I also need to add that the original idea behind this post came from a big rumbler fan, Amber Blakesley. I get thousands a day, so don't cry if your ideas are never posted, but if they are good ones like this, then I have no choice.

The End of Kanga and Roo

2006-12-22T12:46:00.000-08:00

Playworld was the best way to spend Christmas shopping, driving toy cars, shooting fake guns (even though I don't support them), and making wish lists. And spending time with cousins. Those are my memories of Playworld. I also remember asking Grandpa if he would buy me ice cream and he would always say "Oh Balogni, you don't want that" he was wrong I did want it, but I always liked it when he would say "Oh Balogni."

Playworld was a great place. The EZ Bake oven was invented by Lionel Playworld (2006 Toy Hall of Fame induction). Their Logo was a giant Kangaroo. AndToys R' Us ran them out of town.

So how did I, the Rumbler, fancy upon my days at Playworld? Well, good question, there was actually a series of memories which I will now tell you. But I will warn you, unlike a movie, you may be moved to tears.

It all began when I found out that Disneyland no longer sports a Swiss Family Robinson attraction in Frontierland. Yeah, apparently monkey-footed Tarzan moved them out of town. I was sad. So then I was thinking about Tomorrowland, and with Tomorrowland come my fondest memories of Captain EO (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFThn8SK47M) where Michael Jackson and Angelica Huston battle it off (it is actually where Gene Roddenbery stole ideas for his film FirstContact and the Borg. Great movie though (captain EO), MJ turns borgs into dancing robots and men from the 80's. But like Swiss Family Robinson, Captain EO was stupidly replaced by "Honey We Shrunk Ourselves." 2 for 2 Disney. It is then that I thought back to being a kid and watching Disneyland commercials where they would always have Toys R' Us ads with the Big Giraffe. The advertising worked because I my one desire was to go to California and play with Geoffrey. Little did I know that the Giraffe's mastiffness would overpower that of the Kangaroo.

Two Grandpa memories that came through after thinking about Playworld:

1) We were walking in the grocery store (Grandpa Loves to Shop: yellow keychain circa 1994), and when my head was turned Grandpa would give the cart a heavy push so that when I looked back it appeared as though the cart moved without touching it. I had no idea how it was happening. How did the cart keep moving in the desired direction and all Grandpa had to do was hold his hands in the air. I was mystified. At this time I was not as experienced with illusions, as I am now, so my mind went to wonder, "could grandpa be a rara avis?" I didn't know, he made carts move without touching them. My lesson was learned as i now know the powers of inertia.

2) His tricks didn't stop with shopping carts. We were driving the Isuzu on our way to the store, and every single time he made a turn the Truck would know which way to go. We would turn left, and it knew, we would go right, and it knew, I was baffled. Now, I may be known for my woolgathering, but this was no daydream. After a series of turns, and each time the arrow flickering true, I finally asked Grandpa how the Truck knew where we were going. I still remember him saying "because it has gone there so many times" and it made sense, the truck had driven there a lot. So that is how I learned about cars. (if neither of these stories make sense then re-read them).

Pursuit of Happyness? More Like . . . Pursuit of Boryng

2006-12-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

The girls cried while the guys yawned. I could have cried, but I didn't. I've stopped crying in movies once I realized that they weren't real. For example; Where the Red Fern Grows is only a book, White Fang is a book, The Little Mermaid is a cartoon, Rudy is made-up, Pride and Prejudice shouldn't even have been written, and all of these caused needless tears. My last hope is Apocalypto and if Queztaxoacl doesn't show up and I cry, then I am done with movies.

Though I did enjoy Will Smith and son, and the early eighties atmosphere, and the San Fran bay area, I felt too somber and sad. In the end I would rate it up there with every other Hallmark movie.

The kid is cute, Will is likeable and his character is well-played, so in the end I would recommend it, but be sure to buy popcorn (refillable).

LASER CUISINE: The Art of Food Hacking

2006-10-29T21:59:00.000-08:00

Laswer Beams, test tubes, and Binford Blenders.

Scientists and Computer geeks have officially entered the world of culinary cuisine, and we all know that this can only lead to great and marvelous things. And now they have. As a nerd who loves food, I have come across a group of fellow-nerds (though more knowledgable and professional in both fields) who have taken the culinary arts to the next level. They call themselves 'Food Hackers' and they make high-tech geek cuisine.

Welcome to the future of food. There is a new movement in the art (or science) of good eating, and it is called Molecular Gastronomy. Based out of San Francisco, these once Computer Hackers have now aimed their motherboards to the world of food. Their idea is to create dishes based on the molecular compatibilities of foods. (ex. Mango's and Pine or Mushrooms and Pears)

A food hacker will have one card in his recipe box -- a Periodic Chart.

So many times the common non-hacker will cook while being foolishly driven by taste or texture, color or smell. Preferences such as these blindly limit them (not me) to chemically unhealthly choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Luckily, Food Hackers tap into the periodic table to save you from your ignorance.

Food hackers computerally breakdown the chemical make-up of fruits, vegetables, desserts and meats. They then regroup them according to molecular structure (say goodbye to the food pyramid).

According to this new idea, meals based on common molecular structure will be healthier (and better for you), possibly taste better (as they tap into a new dimintia of cognital and palatial bliss), and in the end allow your body to more efficiently break down and process the food we eat.

For example, all of my life I have been eating Snicker's Bars because of the smooth blend of caramel, peanuts and chocolate (and nuget). But this has come to an end. Dorkbots (as they also call themselves) have discovered that Oyster's are the next closest food in moleculare make-up to that of chocolate. A new slogan could perhaps go like this: "Hungry? Eat an Oyster Bar", or maybe: "OYSTER-BAR, find the pearl in your candybar" (but unfortunately oysters dont have pearls, who knows, there are plenty of slogans to be had).

But that's not all, Food Hackers do much, much more. Science has allowed many new methods to cooking, freezing and lazerbeaming your food. Most of the recipes require liquid nitrogen-cooled food, and use steak-flavored cellophane. They have even developed a 'meat glue' which will seamlessly bind a porterhouse to a chicken breast. Finally, a glue that I can use on chicken and beef, no more toothpicks. But for all of you that love a breakfast dessert, you have to try the bacon & egg ice cream.

This all may sound weird, but if the creator built them the same, we should eat them the same.

Welcome To All

2006-10-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

THE RUMBLER.
A new name and face for the life of Judson.
Customer, fanclub and family questions:

Fanclub: Why did you switch from 'Wordpress' to 'Blogger'?
Mr. Rumble: Wordpress was great but just didn't have my interests at heart. And because Cblakes convinced me to switch. It really only took one phone call. Thanks Cblakes.

Fanclub: Can we expect movie reviews along with awesome restaurant reviews?
Mr. Rumble: Yes. I will break down and analyze feature films, past flicks and movies which I feel will have the most impact on my fanclub. Of course my reviews will always be supplementary to Cblakes, whose reviews can be found at cblakes.wordpress.com

Customer: Are the home-brewed root beers ready to hit the market?
Mr. Rumble: No. Stop asking. The design is in pre-production. That is all you get for now.

Fanclub: Will we ever get to know your real name?
Mr. Rumble: For those who have been a part of the club for the first two decades will already have the answer to that. And the fact that you have to ask shows me that you are not a real fan.

Family: How long will you be living in San Diego?
Mr. Rumble: Thanks for giving away my location. I will be in San Diego at least 300 more days or until TJ leaves me or I get married. TJ is planning on marriage by January. He has some company event to which he can take a 'spouse'. I guess I am chopped liver.

Fanclub: Who is TJ and why does he get to live with you?
Mr. Rumble: TJ stands for Todd Jacob his last name will remain anonymous. He is my roomate and he manages my electricity, television, and utilities. He also supports Franklin Covey planners. TJ gets to live with me because we have a lot in common. For a complet bio of TJ please refer to TJdavis21@gmail.com

Family: Your birthday is coming up, what can we get you?
Mr. Rumble: Please refer to Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond for registries.

Fanclub: Please tell us about your niece and nephew.
Mr. Rumble: You never cease to amaze me. You are right, I now have a niece and a nephew. I also have a cousin-niece and a cousin-nephew, who all make me very, very happy. I will include some pictures of Mary and Baby Lucas.

Whoops. This is actually LUPE, Lucas' predecessor. Great photo of The Family Blakesley

Em, baby Ben, and Mary in Wisconsin.
____________________________________________________________________
Mr. Rumble: Fans, Customers and Family, thanks for the questions and I look forward to next months forum. Till then.

Delicious isn't free, but it does come with two sides

2006-10-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

PHIL'S BBQ - Voted San Diego's Best, and by me

Question: How do you know when your food is really, really good?
Answer: When your KCBS-sanctioned ribs require a roll of paper towels, a handful of toothpicks and a rib's worth of meat stuck in your teeth (and of course if the booth next to you is full of female tuckers).

So I say that Phil's Half Rib Dinner for $12.95 is really, really good.

Fact: Phil's BBQ uses about ONE TON of BBQ sauce a week.
Fact: Phil's BBQ sells a whole lotta pork.

Judd's Experience:
On my first encounter I waited outside in the long line,ordered my half slab and agreed to fries as my two sides (A little heads up, the ribs came out on top of the fires, if you like them soggy then you are in luck if not, as I do not, then ask for your sides in separate containers). The bright side to the ribs on top of the fries is that they are drenched in BBQ sauce (which will have to replace the beloved fry sauce for the time being).

Based on APPEARANCE, TASTE, and TENDERNESS, Phil's BBQ got four thumbs up. Both APPEARANCE and TENDERNESS get a 'thumb' a piece because the ribs were a dark, rich mahogany and it took limited tussle to get that wonderful meat off the bones.

As for TASTE, the score is doubled (because eating is twice as good as looking). Phil's second generation BBQ sauce creates a sweet blend of hot and tangy which complements the smokiness of the meat. (I actually have no idea what is in the sauce or how to describe it, but I thought hot, tangy, and sweet might work as proper adjectives). Go to Phil's, get their ribs.

When you all come to visit I will take you there, cause $12.95 can buy happiness.

Special thanks to:
PHIL'S BBQ, for letting me eat there.
4030 Goldfinch Street
San Diego, CA