
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – I found it hard to stay awake.
Contraband – Typical Mark Wahlberg, not necessarily a bad thing.
Haywire - First date with my eventual wife. Not a very good movie though. Continue reading

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – I found it hard to stay awake.
Contraband – Typical Mark Wahlberg, not necessarily a bad thing.
Haywire - First date with my eventual wife. Not a very good movie though. Continue reading
I’m at the DMV waiting. And I can think of no better time than to list their ineptitudes.

Check it out. It’s not 100% accurate. I definitely excluded the music I have to learn to play for churches. Also, while most of my listening is reported to last.fm to track, some of it inevitably slips through the cracks. Also, it’s slightly biased to music I listen to while at work. But the gist is pretty solid. Enjoy. Continue reading
Every year since 2007 I have released a set of annual awards of my own picks for the best in media and in life. Late as always, here are the EARLE awards for 2011. Enjoy.
In 2011, I don’t think I finished a single book completely. Maybe one or two. And as a former 5th grade Book-it! Champion, that just won’t do. So my goal this year is 12 books. One a month. Shouldn’t be very hard. So far I’m on schedule. Three books down, and I’m on schedule for April.

So, without much ado, here is my list of books that I intend to read in 2012. Enjoy.
by Sam Keen.
Finished in January. Amazing book.
Finished in time to catch the movie premiere! Awesome as well.
Finished a few days ago. Life-changing. Thank you Jordan Rippy.
About a hundred pages in. Whiny and narcissistic so far.
This is a re-read for me. Gotta keep the focus on getting out of debt.
How is your progress on your 2012 reading? Get on it! I’ve gotten so much out of sticking to my reading so far this year.
So, counting doubles, I went to the movies 49 times, 2 less than last year. I’m surprised at that kind of consistency though. Almost once a week. I did double up more often than last year though. And there’s not actual champion, just a tie between Hanna and The Muppets for the movie I saw most.
I know, this was riveting. What movies did you find worth seeing more than once?


When I first started watching Wilfred and, actually, through much of the first season, I really really enjoyed it. It’s just hysterical, wrong, and hilarious.
I’ve never been dumb enough to be a stoner, so that part of the comedy is a little lost on me, but there’s so much more that’s hilarious that I found myself cracking up the whole time.
But as the season neared the end, things began to sour.
First of all, Wilfred’s trifling ceases to have a valid point. Initially, each episode was a weird process of self-realization Ryan is forced through by having to deal with Wilfred incessant meddling.
But those epiphanies start to be more questionable around episode 9 or 10, and never make any more sense.
And beyond that, the lengths to which Wilfred goes to make Ryan’s life miserable and terrible go far beyond the bounds of ANY lesson one might need to learn, let alone weak, unnecessary lessons.
After this are a couple of mild spoilers, just warning you. Although honestly, a better warning would be to not watch the last few episodes anyway. You’re better off.
In one episode Ryan actually finds an amazing, interesting, attractive woman who is really interested in him. Every sane person in the world wants Ryan to go with her to Italy and leave Wilfred behind. But he doesn’t. Sure, Ryan justifies it somehow, but it makes no sense, even when watching the episode.
Ryan is doggedly (pun) committed to this VERY self-destructive relationship with this dog/person who does nothing but bring him catastrophe after catastrophe.
Then there’s the finale. *sigh*
All season long, the show has been a comedy. A very funny one. But for the finale, the show’s writers decided to make it feel like a John Grisham/J.J. Abrams Mashup gone terribly wrong. It’s heavy and dramatic, and terrible things happen, then you’re given one of those, “Wilfred never really existed at all”-type plot twists and- BAM! credits roll. It’s atrocious.
I can see how it was meant as a cliff-hanger, but a finale like that has me wanting to jump off a cliff or hang myself, and I’m pretty sure that’s not what FX was going for with the term.
And, in the end, after such an awkward ending, whatever answers I wish I had, I’m quite confident will not be given adequately or interestingly by the show’s producers.
I guess it’s a good thing so much awesome TV starts this week!
What are you most looking forward to being back on the air this fall?
Presented by Drew Allen.
Better late than never.
This was a super tough call. I think that the emotio-moral dichotomy these two albums thematically represent is very reflective of the same dichotomy that existed in my life in 2010.
SO many good movies came out this year, but in the end these were such all-encompassing experiences to Behold. The King’s Speech is definitely just behind these two for me.
I think this is indicative of the rise of both meaning and groove in my musical tastes this year. Mumford is such a perfect sacred in secular example. Awesome.
Mad Men is a beautiful, dark, character-driven study of a broken man and his struggle to regain a sense of morality, purpose, and identity. Community is a uniquely written, simply hilarious look at a group of misfits learn to like and love each other. Both are amazing.
Maxims of Manhood was a great example of hilarity colliding with plain, good things that men should hear. And thanks to George, I’m afraid of my iPad.
I’ve made the switch from a generally corrupt and uncaring big box store to a clean and more socially aware one. Plus, there’s nothing like having your own place to enjoy shopping at Publix all the more.
I don’t really feel the need to say too much here, as his songs speak so much better of him than I can. Authentic, honest, wise passion roaring from his heart, mind, voice and guitar.
Lifetime Achievement Earle:
No explanation necessary.