Every four years we all agree on one thing....

Blogging to you live from Dyersburg, Tennessee Comfort Inn(Can't believe this dump has Wifi) I've decided to do today's blog on The World Cup, since it started today.  I love this tournament...for that matter I love any tournament...I'm at one right now.....I should probably go ahead and do this blog on tournaments but I'll save it for another day.  Oh I forgot...World Cup that's right...Special Props to the homestanding underdogs South Africa(or Bafana Bafana if your a soccer nut) gaining a tie with Mexico, a team that's ranked 13th in the world to their 50th.  I couldn't be more excited about the USA vs. England game tomorrow.(Our boys will have to be at their best for us to have a shot.)  On to Good, Bad and Ugly.
The World Cup

1. Good: This is THE sporting event.  It's bigger than the super bowl and world series.  To be quite honest, there is nothing more associated worldwide as a single event that is more important to our planets inhabitants.  This tournament gives its participating countries people something to be apart of.  You could see it on the faces of the home fans of South Africa today.  .It's especially great for countries who are not as fortunate as others.  The tournament itself boasts the worlds best players.  Watch out for that Lionel Messi(Argentina) this year.  He's unbelievable.  I'm excited about the young crop of players the U.S. has on board for now and for the future.  Just watching how the pools play out and listening to the english color commentary guys is worth watching.  I love how they have seperate terms for stuff.
2. Bad: Some countries take this tournament too seriously.  They have riots and people get injured and some even die just because a countries fans are mad because their team is put out.  I guess it's understandable that they would put such an emphasis on winning since other countries don't have mainstream professional sports like we do in the U.S., but that is a little excessive. 
3. Funny: I think it's funny talking to the casual American guy that thinks he is the end-all be-all of soccer information.  Especially when that guy is from Mississippi.  Speaking of which, I think it's funny talking to old people about soccer.  It's like speaking Japanese to them.  They don't have one care in the world about soccer.  If I brought up soccer when my dad's side of the family meets up for holiday meals, then I'd probably be disowned by many uncles.

Link of the Day: Click here for all your world cup 2010 needs

Thanks for reading and Go USA!
McKinley

Man I Got that Swag......

Short and Sweet today.  I had about 10 different blog topics in my head this morning, but I just couldn't decide on one so I just continued on with my day and assumed I'd decide on one.  Well, turns out I didn't decide on any of the ones I was thinking of earlier.  I'm doing today's blog on swagger.  I chose this because it is my body wash brand right now.  I really like the smell of it and I don't care if you disagree, it makes me feel like I have more swagger because of the way it smells(Here is a printable coupon for a free sample).  However, this blog is about swagger, not body wash.  Let me say that before I looked it up(5 minutes ago), I didn't really know how to define swagger.  I mean I always have kind of understood it, but I never really got the true meaning of it.  The way I interpreted it from several google search definitions is it's A)How one presents him or herself to the world B) How a person handles a sitiuation C) A unique style that seperates one person from large conglomerate of people and D) To walk or conduct oneself with an insolent or arrogant air; strut.  That's out of the way so let me give you my interpretation of swagger in Good, Bad and Funny.
Swagger

1. Good: I think swagger is only good to have when you are not trying to impress, as weird as that sounds.  For instance: Accidentally saying something funny to a group of people.  They probably think you are hilarious, but in reality you just got lucky with a timely joke.  This is like a quick moment where you blackout and get your swagger.  You act coy like you say funny things all the time.  Also I think swagger is positively related to sports.  Example: A point guard slapping the floor after his team is on a 7-0 run to cut an 8 point deficit to just 1 point. Its cool how one of the above definitions says "arrogant" in it.  Because in sports, you have to flirt the line between confident and cocky to be successful at the highest level, in my opinion.  Note this doesn't mean having a correographed dance after a touchdown catch.(I can't stand that)
2. Bad: Some people are too concerned with having swagger.  Example:  Theres no need to be dressed like this just to go to school or a small get together.  If you're not enough without the swagger, you'll never be enough with it...is the point I'm trying to get across.
3. Funny: The funniest thing to me about swagger is how commonly the term is used now(mostly by rappers).  I mean seriously, do you ever remember saying the word swagger before at least 2002?

Link of the day: Here is a link for tips on gaining swagger from P.Diddy's assistant....haha read the comments

Thanks for reading
McKinley

Today is gonna be a good day.

Todays blog is about optimism.  I thought about this because I just got off the phone with my mechanic and he said there are still a few problems with my oil leaking, but that everything is fixable and it won't cost much.(I actually wish you could of heard the dialect and tone he spoke to me in(hilarious).  This is a far cry from where I was a week ago.  I didn't know the future of my 96' Blazers life and I thought I would be driving one of my dads beat up vehicles for a long time, until I could afford to buy a decent one.  The point here is, I remained optimistic that my car would be ok and it looks like that optimism has worked out for me.  I heard quote in a movie(Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle surprisingly) once that really has always stood out to me about optimism. And it is "The World tends to unfold as it should".  I interpret this as Every thing is gonna be alright.  On to Good, Bad and Funny.
Optimism

1. Good: Optimism helps me stay on an even keel.  Without it, what can we hope for?  If you are always preparing for the worst, then you'll never be able to accept the best and your expectations will be too high.(I just made that up, so let me slide on my quoting abilities)  Theres no real way of knowing if optimism helps get through things but, imagine a friend with cancer.  Theres no way(in my opinion) to fight it without being optimistic.  Optimism is so helpful when you're down in the dumps.  Because when you've hit your lowest point, you have to tell yourself that there is no way to go but up.  We've all been through this.  This is why we should be thankful for the days in our lives that are positive, because there are always gonna be bad days.
2. Bad: I'm gonna strictly dedicated the bad section of todays topic to weather.  When you are hopeful it doesn't rain it does, when farmers crops need rain..it doesn't.  Predicting and being hopeful of cooperating weather is a mystery to me.  Thankfully the man upstairs is in charge of this.  I can't imagine someone mortal being in charge of the weather.  
3. Funny: Really tough to come up with something funny about optimism.  I know one thing I can think of though.  This past sunday I was at the wellness center and the person I was with and I both were in the most lethargic mood, that it was almost laughable when a moment presented itself to be optimistic.  But I guess we all have days like that.

Link of the Day: This song will brighten your day if nothing else will. Click Here

Thats it for today, Gotta Legion game to win and I'm optimistic that we will.
Thanks for reading
McKinley

My Biggest Problem

I stubbed my toe tonight sliding into second base at our softball game.  As of right now, my foot really hurts.  This is a normal occurrence for me.  Even though I'm only 24 years old(25 in 2 months woo woo), I am an over producer of uric acid.  What does this mean you might ask?  Well...it means I have gout.  I was diagnosed at age 16 on this very day 8 years ago.  I was told by Dr. Rufaa Almhisky after 3 hours of pain and bloodwork that I had the gout.  Her reaction when the blood work and test results finally came back, "You're not going to believe this, but you have gout.  You're the youngest person ever diagnosed in this hospital with it."  My reaction: "What is gout?"  Well as I said earlier I am a over producer of uric acid.(the build up of gout)  What happens, is when I eat too many foods that are high in purines/uric acid it adds to what I've already produced and then crystalizes in my joints(usually in big toe and around the ankle) leaving no room for my bones or muscles to move.  To say its painful is an understatement.  I was told by my pediatrician(my favorite doctor) Dr. Frank Wilburn that the three most painful things a human being can go through are in order Child Birth, Appendicitis(Had it on Spring Break of 06') and Gout.(Thank the good lord that I won't have to do number 1) It is a weird pain though.  For instance: I would rather drop a book on my foot when I have gout than drag a sheet across it.  To explain what the regular pain is: It feels like when you get one of your limbs slammed in a car door...except the pain is constant.  This has drastically hampered my athletic career.  The worst foods that are the highest in purines/uric acid are: Alcohol, Pork and other red meats and proteins.  But there are weird things on the list of stuff I need to be careful with too such as: coconut, asparagus and black olives.  KNOCK ON WOOD...I haven't had a major gout flareup in over a year and a half.  I've been on a new preventative medicine for 2 years now and it seems to work good.  2 horse pills every morning though.  Also folks, don't be just too comfortable eating whatever you want.  Anyone can have an acute flareup of gout.  I dare you to drink 3 beers, eat 5 pieces of pork tenderloin, a helping of asparagus and put italian dressing all over it for dinner.  I bet you'd be stove up(great phrase old people use) the following morning.  No Good, Bad and Ugly or link tonight cause this was just kind of a story I thought about when I sat down at the computer.

Thanks for reading and watch what you eat...you'll never know if the gout might get you.
McKinley

Hahahahaha

Todays blog(Once again, really late) Comedy Movies.  I think this is going to inspire me to do tomorrows blog on being late.  Anyway, I'm doing it on comedies to continue movie blogging.  A few of my favorite comedies: Anything that Judd Apatow has directed or has had a hand in(Knocked Up, 40 Year Old Virgin, movies with those guys that are in all of the same ones like Rogen/Segel/Hill/Rudd etc...), Role Models, Tommy Boy(You can get a good look at your butcher..), Black Sheep(Farley again), Van Wilder.  On to Good, Bad and Funny
Comedies

1. Good:  Lets face it people, laughter is the best medicine.  It won't cure aids but it will definitely make you feel better.  I have a great collection of comedies listed from above.  A great thing about comedies is that they are more than likely the only genre of movies that will literally make you pee on yourself.  In my opinion, the best types of comedies are ones that don't hold anything back as far as being decent enough for the audience.  Comedies that are realistic as possible really make me laugh.  For example: I went to see I Love You Man with my boy Jon Jon.  We were the only 2 in the theater, and swore up and down to each other that how they acted in the movie is seriously how we sometimes act in real life.
2. Bad:  I don't like comedies where stuff that is very unrealistic happens.  For instance: I think The Hangover and Wedding Crashers are funny movies, but I think they are more quotable than they actually are funny.  Don't misconstrue this is me not liking these two movies but seriously, the stuff that happens in those movies could never happen.  Which makes them funny for the first few years after they come out, but they fade as time passes.  The comedies I hate the most are the ones that are(for a lack of a better word) "stupid" funny.  People say man it's so stupid it's funny.  I would put movies like Napoleon Dynamite, Tropic Thunder, any Ben Stiller movie(theres a few that are ok) and all those remedy type movies(like Not Another Teen Movie) in this category.  Once again people quote them religiously, but to me it's just not that funny.
3. Funny:  Kind of strange look I'm gonna put on the funny section of my blog today.  The funniest thing about comedies is when you make a movie a comedy that is not intended to be that way.  This applies to most movies that were made in the 80s and 90s.  If you watch them now there are so many things that you can find that are hilarious and so cheesy that its funny.  Example: Watch this.  Make sure you pay attention to the 2:23 and 2:57 marks of the video.  Great comedy meant to be serious.  Honestly, if you watch this whole video and don't laugh, then you and I do not share the same humor and I would probably consider you dull.(just kidding my dad has watched it and he didn't laugh.)

Link of the day: No Link today
Once again sorry so late and Thanks for reading,
McKinley

And the Award goes to....

Once again, really late on my blog.  I've got to get my sleep track back in order.  I'm gonna try to have tomorrows blog up in 12 hours from now....hopefully.  I decided just now to go ahead and knock out my movie blogs here in the next few days(Only 3 left).  Today I'm blogging about what I consider "great movies"  These are the movies that leave me at maximum emotion, whether it be in tears, shock, awe, happiness or whatever.  While I don't have a gun-to-my-head top 5.  There are some that I can't get out of my head when I think about great movies, and they are: The Shawshank Redemption(I just feel like I'm Andy Dufrene at the end of that movie), Forrest Gump(True southern classic...I'll love this movie til the day I die This score alone makes the movie unforgettable), Milo and Otis(Even though I hate cats, this is a true story of friendship), Avatar(Just because it is the most pleasing movie to the eye that I've ever watched), A Time to Kill(Justice is served in this movie), Miracle(So patriotic), Remember the Titans(Denzel at his best), Crash(I love the style that this movie is built in)....and way to many others to name.  Please fill me in if I've left one out that you know is my absolute jam.  On to Good, Bad and Funny.
Great Movies

1. Good: While it's obvious that all great movies have to be good before they are great, I'll list a few things that are just good about them.  I personally like to see movies like this by myself.(It doesn't matter if it's in the theater or in my own home theater...like I have a home theater)  I don't mind seeing them with a big group but I feel like I get more out of it if I'm fully focused on nothing but the movie.  I love talking up great movies to other people.  I can honestly say I've never had anyone come up to me and say "man I didn't think that was as good as you did".(Although I'm sure some people are just being nice.)  Also I think only you can be the judge of a great movie.(hence why I like seeing them by myself) If you love it, then no one can tell you it's bad.
2. Bad: There isn't much I can think of that is bad about a great movie.  I guess the only thing I can think of is when someone ruins the ending of one of your "can't wait to see" list movies.
3. Funny: The only thing funny about a great movie is how I act after I see one.  If you catch me right after a great movie, you can expose me to the fullest.  My brain is all over the place and I'm very vulnerable to criticism. (For example: The movie Seven Pounds.  I saw this in the the theater with a fairly good size group of friends(5 or 6).  I won't ruin the movie for you but let's just say Cade Hoggard and Jared Koon got a kick(always get a kick) out of my reactions to the ending.  Hint: It involves trying to not look at anyone in the eye and moistening the collar of a tshirt.

Link of the day: All you need for movie links Click here

Thanks for reading,
McKinley

America's Pastime

This is the latest I've ever done a blog.  I've been so busy today that I literally haven't had the chance to sit down and do it.  What took up most of my day was a baseball game.(Also special shout out to Paul Thorn who just put on a heck of a show at Elvis Fest).  As of this second, the Tupelo 49ers(American Legion baseball team I help coach) are a perfect 2-0.  I'm very happy with this and I am excited about our team this summer.  If I had to choose one sport to be apart of this would be it, and I'm happy to finally blog about it.  On to Good, Bad and Funny.
Baseball

1. Good: Where do I begin?  To me, baseball is the the purest sport ever played.  I love the look of the field, the sound of a mitt popping, the roar of the crowd, the camraderie of the dugout, going to the field on Friday looking for a win and I love waking up Saturday morning when you've found one and everything else about this game.  Its a simple game but also a complex one.  One of the better coaches I've been around once told me "It's a game within a game".  This is hard to understand for non baseball enthusiasts but it makes so much sense to those of us who love this game.  I've grown up around this game my whole life and I still learn something from it everyday.  I am obviously a huge MSU baseball fan(even though they're down right now, the horizon looks good).  I'm also a passionate Atlanta Braves fan.(I can still remember watching games on the living room floor with my mom when I was 5.  Can't talk about them without bringing this guy up....The Legend)  Most people think its crazy to follow one team so strongly but I think it's good for the soul to take part in something you can't control.  
2. Bad: Just like any major professional sport, baseball has it's fair share of problems: from the kid from Detroit getting his perfect game taken away the other night, to players worrying about their contracts and appearance instead of winning games, to steroids becoming so integral to a players success..  Amongst these 2 things, the one thing that gets me upset more than anything about this game is when someone disrespects it.  There are many styles and theories to how teams go about winning, but there is truly only one way to play this game.  It can't be described in a few short sentences, but effort and passion are what drive it.  If you do not love this game, you shouldn't be a part of it.(This guy knows what I'm talking about)
3. Funny: This is a wacky game.  I can't tell you how many funny stories I have a from baseball games.  You can't play this game the right way without having fun after all.  (Heres a funny video if dropped flyballs are your thing....there's just something funny about confused looks on old men's faces trying to catch a little ball.

Link of the day: This gives me goosebumps...so I give you Lou Gehrig...if you don't know the story look it up because its a good one.

This blog was much shorter than I would have liked for it to be because I could talk about it for days.(I'll probably do a follow up at some point)  But it's late and I've got to hit the hay before church tomorrow morning.
Thanks for reading
McKinley