So first thing I see on my go to web resource for sports (cbssportsline.com) is that Kobe Bryant broke some kind of record in yesterday's stupid NBA all-star game. He reached 263 points all time in all star games. Fourteen all star games for him. Whose record did he beat? Of course, the only basketball player I will probably remember when I get old and senile - Michael Jordan. Jordan had the previous record of 262 points in all star games. He did it in thirteen tries. Maybe Kobe has slightly more longevity, but Jordan averaged 20.15 points while Kobe averaged 18.78 points per game. I still surmise Jordan was better than Kobe. It feels like there is too much respect in sport today. Whatever happened with people hating Jordan and would do anything to stop him, not letting a record be set on their watch?
Remember when Michael Strahan set the single season sack record? Favre let him have it. Fell down to the ground for almost a down by contact type of sack. Hehehehehe I said sack. Jared Allen was way close to that record this year, and if I understood his interview right, he was a little puzzled that his opposing quarterback did not take one like Favre did.
I know basketball can be more of a showman's game, but I will be damned if I let Kobe Bryant dunk his way to a record over my head. He is one of the biggest game changers in NBA history, so why not be stiff (hehehehehehe I said stiff) with him to stop him in the short term and in the long term for the season. Why do you want to make way for the roadblock to your possible world championship run?
While I am talking about basketball, how can you score 149 points and still lose a game? Seriously. Understand the all star game is considered a "break", but it means nothing in the long run. The only one with any impact is the MLB game where winning league gets home field in the World Series. That is special. Hockey is kind of cool as they have a captain pick his team. Nothing on the line but pride, but they still score a shit load of goals. People can get hurt real bad in these games so I see why you would not go 100 percent. Which makes for boring television. If you like to hoot and holler at slam dunks, the all star game is for you.
Basketball should be made up of 4 quarters, quarter one and three should be 5 minutes. Second quarter should be 2 minutes, and the fourth quarter should be 1 minute. I bet a game will take about an hour and a half still.
For the record, the only time basketball ever mattered to me was 2001, the Sixers had a big run to the finals. Allen Iverson was spectacular. I never saw a guy more bandaged up and still carry a team. He ultimately fell to obscurity in a rather sad story, but thems the way the cookie crumbles.
So, I only wrote up this blog as our network at work is down and I cannot do much of anything. Maybe this was a little weak, maybe you agree.
*DUBA BLOG NOTE*
-I am sweeping across Europe. Russia, Britain, Germany, Ukraine...where will it end? I have even infiltrated Africa in the Atlantic coast country of Senegal. Soooo close to penetrating the southern hemisphere. So, I will focus my next one or two blogs on gaining those readers. Carnival, bitches.
The Great Jim Duba Mobile App!
Feb 26, 2012
Party Review - Baby Friend's 2 Years Old!
Well folks, another month, another friggin' birthday party. It is just a warm up to the months of March through July where everybody I know was born. EVERYBODY. Way to go, parents. Why does nobody consider how feel about these things?
Anywho, Yesterday was the birthday of my best baby friend - Starling Winter Barrett. Without further aduba, I present to you the
The Starling Barrett Second Annual Grand Invitational
Location: Mandon Barretts House in Dirty Shade, New Jersey.
Time: Despite the invitation saying 6 p.m. to 4 a.m., we arrived early at 4 p.m. I instantly noticed that nobody else was there. Kim starts to get a case of steam out the ears as she tells me she was really hungry. At this point we see Brandon walk out of the house. She tells me to say hi to him but I stay perfectly still - like avoiding eye contact with a mountain lion while lost on a, uh, mountain. We eventually hit up the mall and returned at 6:08. Plenty of people were there then. However, parking was ample.
Arts and Crafts - Despite the first party of the year having arts and crafts, the party hosts clearly missed this opportunity to capitalize on such an activity's popularity. Zero points were awarded for this category.
Fake Kitchen Toys Review - However, a new category that I considered after the first party of the year, was phenomenally done. Rocco proceeded to make me a fake egg soufle, cupcakes, pizza (although this was a dog toy he insisted on playing with). Well done. Also, the bonus treasure of cold war toys entertained the masses.
Guests - Although they are known to scare children, both Bach and Dach were there, the Barrett family and extended family, Uncle Slade and his girl Misty, Mrs. Landis and Baby AJ, Mr. and Mrs. Puddin' and baby Puddin', Nick, Thea, Jay and Tiff and his kids, a couple other people I don't know and their kids. If I forgot you, that is because you are forgettable. Just kidding. Or am I? Muwhahahahahahahahahahaha
Food - I told Brandon earlier in the week that the doctor ordered me recently to not eat vegetables. So, what does he have sitting on top of his mozzorella cheese? Tomatoes! Oh, you say that is a fruit? Well guess what Einsteins...I cannot eat those either. Regardless, it was delicious. I highly enjoyed the cheesesteak stromboli and chicken. Indeed, it was your best culinary creation. Sorry Mandi, I did not get to try other items due to doctor orders.
Movies in the background - Beauty and the Beast, followed by the Little Mermaid kept Rocco's attention throughout the evening. If you have not noticed, I judge parties on how full I get and how entertained Rocco is.
Room Temperature - Just when I started to feel a little warm, Brandon's internal thermostat kicked in and he turned on thee ceiling fan to cool down the main sittin' room. Excellent use of resources.
Party Parting Bag - Meh. Mostly kid toys. Not enough consideration of the adults in said party bag. Only one peanut butter cup? For shame. I had to lie to Rocco that there was not a peanut butter cup in there to begin with! Thanks for making me a liar, guys.
All in all, I will give this party a 9.5 out of 10. Nothing is ever perfect, so do not get offended. If the party was down the street and in September, maybe that would be a different story. However, I consider the Barretts a second family and thus they treat me as their own. I am proud to be Starling's Uncle DuDu. I know I will always get a good meal at Mandon's house, be entertained, and all around have a good time.
So, there was a lot of sarcasm in there and this review was all in good fun. I love getting together with my friends and bringing my family along with me. Thanks for the good times, Mandi and Brandon.
Duba, out!
Anywho, Yesterday was the birthday of my best baby friend - Starling Winter Barrett. Without further aduba, I present to you the
The Starling Barrett Second Annual Grand Invitational
Location: Mandon Barretts House in Dirty Shade, New Jersey.
Time: Despite the invitation saying 6 p.m. to 4 a.m., we arrived early at 4 p.m. I instantly noticed that nobody else was there. Kim starts to get a case of steam out the ears as she tells me she was really hungry. At this point we see Brandon walk out of the house. She tells me to say hi to him but I stay perfectly still - like avoiding eye contact with a mountain lion while lost on a, uh, mountain. We eventually hit up the mall and returned at 6:08. Plenty of people were there then. However, parking was ample.
Arts and Crafts - Despite the first party of the year having arts and crafts, the party hosts clearly missed this opportunity to capitalize on such an activity's popularity. Zero points were awarded for this category.
Fake Kitchen Toys Review - However, a new category that I considered after the first party of the year, was phenomenally done. Rocco proceeded to make me a fake egg soufle, cupcakes, pizza (although this was a dog toy he insisted on playing with). Well done. Also, the bonus treasure of cold war toys entertained the masses.
Guests - Although they are known to scare children, both Bach and Dach were there, the Barrett family and extended family, Uncle Slade and his girl Misty, Mrs. Landis and Baby AJ, Mr. and Mrs. Puddin' and baby Puddin', Nick, Thea, Jay and Tiff and his kids, a couple other people I don't know and their kids. If I forgot you, that is because you are forgettable. Just kidding. Or am I? Muwhahahahahahahahahahaha
Food - I told Brandon earlier in the week that the doctor ordered me recently to not eat vegetables. So, what does he have sitting on top of his mozzorella cheese? Tomatoes! Oh, you say that is a fruit? Well guess what Einsteins...I cannot eat those either. Regardless, it was delicious. I highly enjoyed the cheesesteak stromboli and chicken. Indeed, it was your best culinary creation. Sorry Mandi, I did not get to try other items due to doctor orders.
Movies in the background - Beauty and the Beast, followed by the Little Mermaid kept Rocco's attention throughout the evening. If you have not noticed, I judge parties on how full I get and how entertained Rocco is.
Room Temperature - Just when I started to feel a little warm, Brandon's internal thermostat kicked in and he turned on thee ceiling fan to cool down the main sittin' room. Excellent use of resources.
Party Parting Bag - Meh. Mostly kid toys. Not enough consideration of the adults in said party bag. Only one peanut butter cup? For shame. I had to lie to Rocco that there was not a peanut butter cup in there to begin with! Thanks for making me a liar, guys.
All in all, I will give this party a 9.5 out of 10. Nothing is ever perfect, so do not get offended. If the party was down the street and in September, maybe that would be a different story. However, I consider the Barretts a second family and thus they treat me as their own. I am proud to be Starling's Uncle DuDu. I know I will always get a good meal at Mandon's house, be entertained, and all around have a good time.
So, there was a lot of sarcasm in there and this review was all in good fun. I love getting together with my friends and bringing my family along with me. Thanks for the good times, Mandi and Brandon.
Duba, out!
Feb 23, 2012
Blog #20! Let's pick on old people!
I am very glad I was able to quickly come up with a topic for my 20th blog rather quickly after my 19th blog entry. I have a little old lady to thank for this topic. Duba goes straight to disrespecting his elder in this one.
(P.S. - make it to the end, and I have a hilarious treat for you!)
So, yesterday morning I saw a three car fender bender/pile up on Evesham road on my way in to work from the gym. I saw the driver at the end of the line (and presumably the cause of it all). All the cars were on the shoulder, as that is where most cars either going straight or right on to Burnt Mill Road go. The cars were all still "connected" to each other from the accident. Clearly the driver of car number one smashed car number 2 into car number 3. I think that also makes car #2 at fault as well as you are supposed to leave adequate space in between you and the next car. I have been smashed from behind in pretty weak cars and not even come close to the cars in front of me.
My real problem with this whole accident was the driver of car #1. She must have been pushing the age of 173 years. She was meek, meager, and mildly shaking. I had my window cracked and could hear her and the other drivers talking. She said, "I had no idea anybody was in front of me that close!" The other drivers, obviously frustrated, seemed to be sensitive to the elderly lady. Good for them. However, I am sure they were thinking somewhere along the lines of how I was thinking - should she have been allowed to drive?
Now, let me set the driving conditions for this as well: Bright sun in your eyes down this stretch of Evesham Road. Fairly and routinely busy at that time in the morning. People make a-hole moves all the time in this area. This accident was right after a train overpass, where the road also dips down, is slightly shaded, and dips back up. However, the traffic light at the intersection of Burnt Mill/Evesham is clearly visible. Also, the traffic does not allow you to get up to a big speed. People who make these "a-hole" move I suggested usually creep up the other lane and cut in line.
So, how could this be avoided? Well, maybe Ms. Time (wife of Father Time) was not fit to drive. I make this statement rather boldly, as anybody who has known me for the past decade knows that I have been in several accidents (only one in the past 5 years - and that was not my fault). Should I have been retested after having seemingly one accident after another? Sure! I should have redone a driving test, eye test, and general knowledge test. Who knows what this elderly lady was dealing with - poor sight, slow decision making, anything that is indicative of one getting older and slowing down.
I posted about something like this once before on Facebook that people over 60 should have to take the driving test every year. Hell, they should even take the vision test, too. This woman could not see the line of cars a half mile long. Maybe the sun was in her eyes. Okay. Where her accident occurred, she had enough time in the shaded overpass area to react compared to how much further down the road before she played bumper cars. You have to see these cars.
Maybe she saw them and by the time she thought about the scenario she would be in if she did not slow down, it was too late. How are we to know there is a woman behind us lurking in her car with the inability to make a conscious decision to hit the brakes?
Why not test these older people (and repeat violators as well as repeat car crahsers) every year? You want to keep us safe? Suspending a license is not the answer. All that does is lower somebody's practice time behind the wheel.
Want some examples? My 91 year old grandmother, God bless her, drove her car into her garage. Without the opening the door first. I do not quite remember the details, but she just had a panicky moment. She was lucky (as was I fortunate) that she did not get hurt.
At my grandmother's house in Maryland a few years back, I read a front page article in the county times newspaper about an elderly man involved in a slow-speed chase. This man had no clue police were trying to pull him over. It almost read like that scene from Super Troopers where the kid says "He is pulled over he can't pull over anymore." He was old and delirious. He was being pulled over for going too slow. Police, rightfully so, found that to be just as dangerous as somebody driving 20 mph over the speed limit. I think 3-4 sets of cops eventually stopped this mad man.
My best friend's mother was badly injured when a diabetic old mad man went into shock after he knowingly ate ice cream, fell asleep at the wheel, and sent her flying 50 feet away.
So what is the answer? What is ethical? Certainly not euthanasia as my readers in Russia are probably suggesting. No, the answer is simple - after you turn 60, you get tested every year. If the state deems you incompetent to drive anymore, well, the gig is up (same for people with numerous moving violations and at fault accidents).
Now, if you made it this far, please enjoy this video montage of possibly the greatest thing ever to watch in person - women I don't know trying to park:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=women+parking+montage&oq=women+parking+montage&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=5113l5113l0l6399l1l1l0l0l0l0l155l155l0.1l1l0
(P.S. - make it to the end, and I have a hilarious treat for you!)
So, yesterday morning I saw a three car fender bender/pile up on Evesham road on my way in to work from the gym. I saw the driver at the end of the line (and presumably the cause of it all). All the cars were on the shoulder, as that is where most cars either going straight or right on to Burnt Mill Road go. The cars were all still "connected" to each other from the accident. Clearly the driver of car number one smashed car number 2 into car number 3. I think that also makes car #2 at fault as well as you are supposed to leave adequate space in between you and the next car. I have been smashed from behind in pretty weak cars and not even come close to the cars in front of me.
My real problem with this whole accident was the driver of car #1. She must have been pushing the age of 173 years. She was meek, meager, and mildly shaking. I had my window cracked and could hear her and the other drivers talking. She said, "I had no idea anybody was in front of me that close!" The other drivers, obviously frustrated, seemed to be sensitive to the elderly lady. Good for them. However, I am sure they were thinking somewhere along the lines of how I was thinking - should she have been allowed to drive?
Now, let me set the driving conditions for this as well: Bright sun in your eyes down this stretch of Evesham Road. Fairly and routinely busy at that time in the morning. People make a-hole moves all the time in this area. This accident was right after a train overpass, where the road also dips down, is slightly shaded, and dips back up. However, the traffic light at the intersection of Burnt Mill/Evesham is clearly visible. Also, the traffic does not allow you to get up to a big speed. People who make these "a-hole" move I suggested usually creep up the other lane and cut in line.
So, how could this be avoided? Well, maybe Ms. Time (wife of Father Time) was not fit to drive. I make this statement rather boldly, as anybody who has known me for the past decade knows that I have been in several accidents (only one in the past 5 years - and that was not my fault). Should I have been retested after having seemingly one accident after another? Sure! I should have redone a driving test, eye test, and general knowledge test. Who knows what this elderly lady was dealing with - poor sight, slow decision making, anything that is indicative of one getting older and slowing down.
I posted about something like this once before on Facebook that people over 60 should have to take the driving test every year. Hell, they should even take the vision test, too. This woman could not see the line of cars a half mile long. Maybe the sun was in her eyes. Okay. Where her accident occurred, she had enough time in the shaded overpass area to react compared to how much further down the road before she played bumper cars. You have to see these cars.
Maybe she saw them and by the time she thought about the scenario she would be in if she did not slow down, it was too late. How are we to know there is a woman behind us lurking in her car with the inability to make a conscious decision to hit the brakes?
Why not test these older people (and repeat violators as well as repeat car crahsers) every year? You want to keep us safe? Suspending a license is not the answer. All that does is lower somebody's practice time behind the wheel.
Want some examples? My 91 year old grandmother, God bless her, drove her car into her garage. Without the opening the door first. I do not quite remember the details, but she just had a panicky moment. She was lucky (as was I fortunate) that she did not get hurt.
At my grandmother's house in Maryland a few years back, I read a front page article in the county times newspaper about an elderly man involved in a slow-speed chase. This man had no clue police were trying to pull him over. It almost read like that scene from Super Troopers where the kid says "He is pulled over he can't pull over anymore." He was old and delirious. He was being pulled over for going too slow. Police, rightfully so, found that to be just as dangerous as somebody driving 20 mph over the speed limit. I think 3-4 sets of cops eventually stopped this mad man.
My best friend's mother was badly injured when a diabetic old mad man went into shock after he knowingly ate ice cream, fell asleep at the wheel, and sent her flying 50 feet away.
So what is the answer? What is ethical? Certainly not euthanasia as my readers in Russia are probably suggesting. No, the answer is simple - after you turn 60, you get tested every year. If the state deems you incompetent to drive anymore, well, the gig is up (same for people with numerous moving violations and at fault accidents).
Now, if you made it this far, please enjoy this video montage of possibly the greatest thing ever to watch in person - women I don't know trying to park:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=women+parking+montage&oq=women+parking+montage&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=5113l5113l0l6399l1l1l0l0l0l0l155l155l0.1l1l0
Feb 22, 2012
The Duban Missile Crisis
Yes, the Cuban Missile Crisis was a near miss of a nuclear holocaust that we should all be grateful did not come to fruition.
Long story short, the threat of Cuba never pulled through, and the United States and Russia eased tensions thereafter thanks in large part to Rocky IV. I, Duba, had a similar incident. I certainly do not think it was end of the world proportions, but somebody was, as they say in these parts, "gon git dey azz kict!"
So, anybody ever been to Forman Mills? Ever get excited there every time you say in your head or say out loud "FOOOOORRRRRMAAAAAN MILLSSSSS"? I sure have. Ever get so excited you want to beat somebody up in the parking lot? Oh, you haven't? So, if I told you I met somebody who did, would you think they have a problem?
So let me set the stage. Kim, Rocco, and I had to throw out a bunch of whites recently as our washer malfunctioned, shot grease all over them. Ruined a lot of stuff. We were resigned to the fact we had to go to the best store to replace these things - Foreman Mills. Twenty pairs of socks for 10 bucks? Yes please.
So we go in, shop around, get what we need, and the three of us head back out to the car to head on out for a nice family night out at Five Guys. Kim was driving her car, so I did not get to see the driver side. When we were all in the car, Kim stated that it looks like somebody threw a sandwich on her car. We debate on whether it was a sandwhich vandalistic act or a really nasty bird. She uses her hand to show me the length of the stain on this car. Meanwhile, in the spot right next to us, I look over and see a dude maybe 21 years old with a girl maybe younger than Rocco in the back. He starts saying some stuff through his window that I have no idea what he is saying. Foolish me, I thought he was trying to say "Hey I saw a guy throw a sandwhich at your car when I pulled up".
Kim put her window down so that we could ask him what he was saying. This dude, who looked kind of like this:
proceeds to hop out of his car like he was going to jump into ours saying "Everything alright?" And again I still think he is talking about Kim's sandwiched car. He starts going off about how I am staring at him and if we have a problem. I asked him if he knew who threw a sandwich at my car. He cooled down and started to discuss with us how he was ready to throw down because we were staring at him.
What a piece of
So many things wrong with this guy's approach. First, you just abandoned your toddler. What if some dude creepier than me ran into your car and drove off with your kid? Second, what if I am a bigger asshole than you and I pull out a gun and blast your ass? You would have gotten killed in front of your daughter, she would develop big daddy issues, and you would not be there to keep her off the pole. Third, are you really that insecure, desperate, worthless, conceited, jackassish, narcissistic to think that I would come out from Foreman Mills, with my family nonetheless, and want to fight you of all people? Fourth, and finally, do you not have enough to live for where you need the thrill of fighting in the parking lot?
I am no dummy. I have never been in a fight, but I have stood my ground. Nobody is going to disrespect me to the point I have to fight them. You may disrespect my lady enough to get me to stand up to you, and only once in my life have I ever got in anybody's face, but still never actually carried through with a fight. Put a hand on my kid, I will get him away from your creepy ass, maybe make you pay then. Where am I going with this? I guess, what I want to say is, to fight somebody in this day is not worth anything. Only a few things should really bring about violence and fighting. If I did choose to fight this guy and he got a lucky punch on me, can Kim and Rocco stand to see that? No. Can Rocco see that it is okay to beat somebody up for no reason? Again, no.
I received no thrill from this event. Instead, I received a lot of disgust that people are like this, probably more often than not like this.
Enough of my soap box. This was the Duban Missile Crisis
Long story short, the threat of Cuba never pulled through, and the United States and Russia eased tensions thereafter thanks in large part to Rocky IV. I, Duba, had a similar incident. I certainly do not think it was end of the world proportions, but somebody was, as they say in these parts, "gon git dey azz kict!"
So, anybody ever been to Forman Mills? Ever get excited there every time you say in your head or say out loud "FOOOOORRRRRMAAAAAN MILLSSSSS"? I sure have. Ever get so excited you want to beat somebody up in the parking lot? Oh, you haven't? So, if I told you I met somebody who did, would you think they have a problem?
So let me set the stage. Kim, Rocco, and I had to throw out a bunch of whites recently as our washer malfunctioned, shot grease all over them. Ruined a lot of stuff. We were resigned to the fact we had to go to the best store to replace these things - Foreman Mills. Twenty pairs of socks for 10 bucks? Yes please.
So we go in, shop around, get what we need, and the three of us head back out to the car to head on out for a nice family night out at Five Guys. Kim was driving her car, so I did not get to see the driver side. When we were all in the car, Kim stated that it looks like somebody threw a sandwich on her car. We debate on whether it was a sandwhich vandalistic act or a really nasty bird. She uses her hand to show me the length of the stain on this car. Meanwhile, in the spot right next to us, I look over and see a dude maybe 21 years old with a girl maybe younger than Rocco in the back. He starts saying some stuff through his window that I have no idea what he is saying. Foolish me, I thought he was trying to say "Hey I saw a guy throw a sandwhich at your car when I pulled up".
Kim put her window down so that we could ask him what he was saying. This dude, who looked kind of like this:
proceeds to hop out of his car like he was going to jump into ours saying "Everything alright?" And again I still think he is talking about Kim's sandwiched car. He starts going off about how I am staring at him and if we have a problem. I asked him if he knew who threw a sandwich at my car. He cooled down and started to discuss with us how he was ready to throw down because we were staring at him.
What a piece of
So many things wrong with this guy's approach. First, you just abandoned your toddler. What if some dude creepier than me ran into your car and drove off with your kid? Second, what if I am a bigger asshole than you and I pull out a gun and blast your ass? You would have gotten killed in front of your daughter, she would develop big daddy issues, and you would not be there to keep her off the pole. Third, are you really that insecure, desperate, worthless, conceited, jackassish, narcissistic to think that I would come out from Foreman Mills, with my family nonetheless, and want to fight you of all people? Fourth, and finally, do you not have enough to live for where you need the thrill of fighting in the parking lot?
I am no dummy. I have never been in a fight, but I have stood my ground. Nobody is going to disrespect me to the point I have to fight them. You may disrespect my lady enough to get me to stand up to you, and only once in my life have I ever got in anybody's face, but still never actually carried through with a fight. Put a hand on my kid, I will get him away from your creepy ass, maybe make you pay then. Where am I going with this? I guess, what I want to say is, to fight somebody in this day is not worth anything. Only a few things should really bring about violence and fighting. If I did choose to fight this guy and he got a lucky punch on me, can Kim and Rocco stand to see that? No. Can Rocco see that it is okay to beat somebody up for no reason? Again, no.
I received no thrill from this event. Instead, I received a lot of disgust that people are like this, probably more often than not like this.
Enough of my soap box. This was the Duban Missile Crisis
Feb 21, 2012
Feb 17, 2012
Incubus, more like boraphyl!
So I got an email today that Van Halen tickets will go on sale tomorrow. Anybody hear their new...NEW song yet? It is actually rather fantastic in my opinion. I imagine they will continue to make good music...unlike the topic I am writing about today.
Then I got an email saying Incubus was coming to town. Whenever I hear that band's name, I always think back to my Family Values Tour 1998 sampler with them doing the song New Skin live. It was awesome. But then I hear a new song of theirs, and I shake my head. What happened to the heavy, funky awesomeness you guys once had? You guys sound just like you look like:
So without further aduba, I present to you the:
Top 5 Bands I Used to Really Enjoy Until They Decided to Start Sucking the Life Out of Rock Music
1. Nickelback - I admit, I really like the first song I ever heard of theirs on the radio. It was not that song about never making it as a blind man. That song was alright, as was their follow up song from Spiderman. The song was called "Leader of Men". It had a slow build, catchy chorus, and was just good for new rock music. However, what followed has paved the way for many once powerful bands to become the Masters of Suckitude. The only other thing I like of theirs is the song the Eagles use when they come onto the field. But then, the Eagles try to fire you up again with that song and you realize you just got pumped up to Nickelback while your home team is about to lose to the John Skelton led Arizona Cardinals. Nickelback, your formula for music has killed off rock radio.
2. Breaking Benjamin - Anybody ever a fan of these guys? Their first album Saturate is one of the most refreshing, unique, and rocking new albums I heard in a long time back in 2002. I heard Polyamorous on the radio and was hooked. I saw them play in the parking lot of th X Games in Philly that year prior to this album coming out. When it came out, I do not think I listened to any album more than that one that year. Then their follow up came out. It was half like the album Saturate then half odd-taste-in-my-mouth music. The music would start out fast and heavy and then slow down into a droning, slow, boring chorus. The singer, oddly enough named Benjamin, would try to spice his songs up with his growl and screaming, but not so much. Their third album was completely forgettable, and I remember actually being bummed out that a once potentially powerful and great band had become the Nickelback of hard rock. That is why they are #2 on my list. They let me down big time and it actually hurt.
3. Staind - Sigh. Fred Durst (who I will get to next) ruined you with that acoustic version of the song Outside. That was a really great song, but then you decided to gay it up on one of your records taking away what was so great about it. Your shows and albums prior to this era were unmatched. Mudshovel is still one of my favorite songs of all time. Then you started with that "It's Been A While" nonsense that made me want to chop off my man parts and trade them in for a french poodle. It has indeed been a while since you last did anything I cared about. Every song on your first real studio release was priceless, albeit a little monotonous - but in a style that I enjoyed. I hope you enjoy your mansions, fancy tattoo designers, and asshole tough guy fans every time you play your new Monster Ballads style music.
4. Limp Bizkit - Yes, I was a fan. Who could not like the song Faith? It was genius. So was that whole Three Dollar Bill Y'all album. The songs Counterfeit, Pollution, Faith, and Leech are still in my iPod. Your next album got a little weaker. As the good (I only call myself "The Great") Jim Lipski would say, "He rhymed the woord 'nookie' with, uh, 'nookie'...it is sheer talent". Also, a song strictly made for college frat party fights - Break Stuff - showed the beginning signs of them losing their creativeness. Musically, they always sound great. Lyrically, your crappy lyrics were too prevalent as bad boy mish mosh that you would hear between two school yard bullies. You were to music what Dane Cook is to comedy. The only saving grace for you on that second album was the song you did with Jonathan Davis (Korn) and Scott Weilland (STP - who rules, by the way). My Way or the Highway? Maybe only the Hershey Highway, boys.
5. Buckcherry - Man, the summer of 2000 for me was set to "I'm all, lit up again!" That song, although I certainly did not party as the lyrics would suggest, pumped me up and so did all their other songs on that album. Even the slower songs found their proper spot on the radio and the record. After all, every bad boy does have his soft side. And the guy was top notch rock - drug addict, tattooed, people constantly worrying he was going to die. Even their second album, not as great as the first, was pretty great in my opinion. I think you guys would have been better off falling off the face of the Earth rather than make music that I have seen my friends actually laugh at in a bar.
There you have it! Little ol' me talking to famous people like I know them and have any say. I guess as a fan I do indeed have my say. And I say, I will never listen to or go out of my way to see you guys. You had your windows, and you blew it. I think these five bands, that once helped grow the popularity of modern radio, are also responsible for the drivel rock that comes on the radio now on the one classic/current rock station left in Philadelphia and the alternative whiny Coldplay fueled station we have.
Tune in to my facebook page as well, like me, and keep an eye out for a contest where you can a blog written about yourself. Even if I do not know you, I can find something out. I am creepy - uh - good like that.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/jimdubablogspotcom/362072873820577
Then I got an email saying Incubus was coming to town. Whenever I hear that band's name, I always think back to my Family Values Tour 1998 sampler with them doing the song New Skin live. It was awesome. But then I hear a new song of theirs, and I shake my head. What happened to the heavy, funky awesomeness you guys once had? You guys sound just like you look like:
(from www.livenation.com)
So without further aduba, I present to you the:
Top 5 Bands I Used to Really Enjoy Until They Decided to Start Sucking the Life Out of Rock Music
1. Nickelback - I admit, I really like the first song I ever heard of theirs on the radio. It was not that song about never making it as a blind man. That song was alright, as was their follow up song from Spiderman. The song was called "Leader of Men". It had a slow build, catchy chorus, and was just good for new rock music. However, what followed has paved the way for many once powerful bands to become the Masters of Suckitude. The only other thing I like of theirs is the song the Eagles use when they come onto the field. But then, the Eagles try to fire you up again with that song and you realize you just got pumped up to Nickelback while your home team is about to lose to the John Skelton led Arizona Cardinals. Nickelback, your formula for music has killed off rock radio.
2. Breaking Benjamin - Anybody ever a fan of these guys? Their first album Saturate is one of the most refreshing, unique, and rocking new albums I heard in a long time back in 2002. I heard Polyamorous on the radio and was hooked. I saw them play in the parking lot of th X Games in Philly that year prior to this album coming out. When it came out, I do not think I listened to any album more than that one that year. Then their follow up came out. It was half like the album Saturate then half odd-taste-in-my-mouth music. The music would start out fast and heavy and then slow down into a droning, slow, boring chorus. The singer, oddly enough named Benjamin, would try to spice his songs up with his growl and screaming, but not so much. Their third album was completely forgettable, and I remember actually being bummed out that a once potentially powerful and great band had become the Nickelback of hard rock. That is why they are #2 on my list. They let me down big time and it actually hurt.
3. Staind - Sigh. Fred Durst (who I will get to next) ruined you with that acoustic version of the song Outside. That was a really great song, but then you decided to gay it up on one of your records taking away what was so great about it. Your shows and albums prior to this era were unmatched. Mudshovel is still one of my favorite songs of all time. Then you started with that "It's Been A While" nonsense that made me want to chop off my man parts and trade them in for a french poodle. It has indeed been a while since you last did anything I cared about. Every song on your first real studio release was priceless, albeit a little monotonous - but in a style that I enjoyed. I hope you enjoy your mansions, fancy tattoo designers, and asshole tough guy fans every time you play your new Monster Ballads style music.
4. Limp Bizkit - Yes, I was a fan. Who could not like the song Faith? It was genius. So was that whole Three Dollar Bill Y'all album. The songs Counterfeit, Pollution, Faith, and Leech are still in my iPod. Your next album got a little weaker. As the good (I only call myself "The Great") Jim Lipski would say, "He rhymed the woord 'nookie' with, uh, 'nookie'...it is sheer talent". Also, a song strictly made for college frat party fights - Break Stuff - showed the beginning signs of them losing their creativeness. Musically, they always sound great. Lyrically, your crappy lyrics were too prevalent as bad boy mish mosh that you would hear between two school yard bullies. You were to music what Dane Cook is to comedy. The only saving grace for you on that second album was the song you did with Jonathan Davis (Korn) and Scott Weilland (STP - who rules, by the way). My Way or the Highway? Maybe only the Hershey Highway, boys.
5. Buckcherry - Man, the summer of 2000 for me was set to "I'm all, lit up again!" That song, although I certainly did not party as the lyrics would suggest, pumped me up and so did all their other songs on that album. Even the slower songs found their proper spot on the radio and the record. After all, every bad boy does have his soft side. And the guy was top notch rock - drug addict, tattooed, people constantly worrying he was going to die. Even their second album, not as great as the first, was pretty great in my opinion. I think you guys would have been better off falling off the face of the Earth rather than make music that I have seen my friends actually laugh at in a bar.
There you have it! Little ol' me talking to famous people like I know them and have any say. I guess as a fan I do indeed have my say. And I say, I will never listen to or go out of my way to see you guys. You had your windows, and you blew it. I think these five bands, that once helped grow the popularity of modern radio, are also responsible for the drivel rock that comes on the radio now on the one classic/current rock station left in Philadelphia and the alternative whiny Coldplay fueled station we have.
Tune in to my facebook page as well, like me, and keep an eye out for a contest where you can a blog written about yourself. Even if I do not know you, I can find something out. I am creepy - uh - good like that.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/jimdubablogspotcom/362072873820577
Feb 14, 2012
Valentine's Shmalentine's
A great quote about life and love on this most romantic of all days
Actually, Mr. Phelps was not in love, but rather just stupid. He would not pay his bills, his houseboat burned to the ground (or should I say water), and he would hit on nuns. It was not until he was totally out on his ass that his female acquaintance Julie took him in that he found love. And so when he found love, he knew what it took to be a man to his woman.
I will never understand how this movie only averaged 3.2 out of 10. Was it too offensive that Mr. Phelps wanted to love ladies up to 250 pounds? That he ate a hog ball in an eating contest with Julie's jerk of a date at the bar? Perhaps it was the Greco-Roman style wrestling contest at the end between Will Farrell and Tim Meadows. It does not take a professional critic to understand that this wrestling scene was far more accurate and believable than anything Saved by the Bell tried to pass off.
Yeah, I scribbled that heart on my Playbook. My advice, on this Valentine's Day - If you love someone, tell someone. Show them your heart. Show them through every word and action. It is okay to show off your goods. If there ever was a day to raise the greatest expectations for yourself, today is the day. Or, follow the advice of Mr. Leon "The Ladies' Man" Phelps.
I would like to dedicate this post to my love, my valentine, Kim. I love you, darling.
What is love? What is this longing in our hearts for togetherness? Is it not the sweetest flower? Does not this flower of love have the fragrant aroma of fine, fine diamonds? Does not the wind love the dirt? Is not love not unlike the unlikely not it is unlikened to? Are you with someone tonight? Do not question your love. Take your lover by the hand. Release the power within yourself. Your heard me, release the power. Tame the wild cosmos with a whisper. Conquer heaven with one intimate caress. That's right don't be shy. Whip out everything you got and do it in the butt. By Leon PhelpsBrings a tear to your eye, huh? We could all learn a lot from the Ladies' Man. Be it the brilliant skits from Saturday Night Live of the eternally hilarious full length movie, Mr. Phelps, with his huge ass chair shaped like a hand, taught us that it was okay to love. It is okay to be happy in love. It is okay to be stupid in love.
Actually, Mr. Phelps was not in love, but rather just stupid. He would not pay his bills, his houseboat burned to the ground (or should I say water), and he would hit on nuns. It was not until he was totally out on his ass that his female acquaintance Julie took him in that he found love. And so when he found love, he knew what it took to be a man to his woman.
I will never understand how this movie only averaged 3.2 out of 10. Was it too offensive that Mr. Phelps wanted to love ladies up to 250 pounds? That he ate a hog ball in an eating contest with Julie's jerk of a date at the bar? Perhaps it was the Greco-Roman style wrestling contest at the end between Will Farrell and Tim Meadows. It does not take a professional critic to understand that this wrestling scene was far more accurate and believable than anything Saved by the Bell tried to pass off.
Yeah, I scribbled that heart on my Playbook. My advice, on this Valentine's Day - If you love someone, tell someone. Show them your heart. Show them through every word and action. It is okay to show off your goods. If there ever was a day to raise the greatest expectations for yourself, today is the day. Or, follow the advice of Mr. Leon "The Ladies' Man" Phelps.
I would like to dedicate this post to my love, my valentine, Kim. I love you, darling.
Feb 8, 2012
In Soviet Russia, Duba Blogs YOU!
ДОБРО ПОЖАЛОВАТЬ РОССИЙСКИХ ДРУЗЕЙ!
That is supposedly Russian for, "Welcome Russians!" Why am I welcoming Russians? Well, in just one day, I tripled my number of readers in Russia from 1 to 3. Why not celebrate my second biggest audience once in a while (and my third audience has a long way to go to catch up). Do you know who is the third largest audience? Answer at the bottom...
So, I looked up some things about Russia that maybe you did not know already, like that 10 percent of the Government's tax revenue is from vodka sales. There was a beard tax during the reign of Peter the Great. They also blow out candles on the birthday pie, replacing the highly overrated cake.
I would love to one day see Russia. The cities that they show us over hear look unique and beautiful. And your pristine wilderness looks amazing too. Can you believe Rocky IV tried to pass off the state of Wyoming as Russia? Not cool.
I do however have to worry about coming to Russia. Will my son have more toys to play with than these?
I had one really good Russian friend for a while. I cannot remember his last name right now, but I called him Johnny Y. He always wore button up shirts and polo shirts with the top button closed. Is this normal for Russians? Johnny Y also moved to the U.S. around the end of the Cold War. He said that life was actually better in Russia for his parents. They were more successful, but less healthy (as substituting rubbing alcohol for Vodka probably did not help). His parents brought him over here, and he turned out relatively successful while his parents were okay.
My next closest Russian friend was Alex from the Ukraine while I was in the Coast Guard Academy. I know thats not Russia, you sly Russians! I am just saying he was the next closest thing to Russia I ever experienced. Probably more so than Johnny Y, in hindsight. I met Alex in 1999, spent half of my Coast Guard summer training dorming with him and a whole semester as his dorm mate, too. He sweat a lot in the winter months in Connecticut as it still was warm compared to his motherland. His favorite singer was the white rapper Snow, and his hit "Informer" was his favorite at the time. He was a great room mate and a great friend.
So, once again, I would like to welcome my Russian readers. Good morning to you all.
Oh, and my third biggest audience...You guessed it, Frank Stallone!
Just kidding. It is actually Germany. I only have one German reader though. Let us hope this number grows in the future as we all know that if it is one things Germans love is to follow somebody!
That is supposedly Russian for, "Welcome Russians!" Why am I welcoming Russians? Well, in just one day, I tripled my number of readers in Russia from 1 to 3. Why not celebrate my second biggest audience once in a while (and my third audience has a long way to go to catch up). Do you know who is the third largest audience? Answer at the bottom...
So, I looked up some things about Russia that maybe you did not know already, like that 10 percent of the Government's tax revenue is from vodka sales. There was a beard tax during the reign of Peter the Great. They also blow out candles on the birthday pie, replacing the highly overrated cake.
I would love to one day see Russia. The cities that they show us over hear look unique and beautiful. And your pristine wilderness looks amazing too. Can you believe Rocky IV tried to pass off the state of Wyoming as Russia? Not cool.
I do however have to worry about coming to Russia. Will my son have more toys to play with than these?
I had one really good Russian friend for a while. I cannot remember his last name right now, but I called him Johnny Y. He always wore button up shirts and polo shirts with the top button closed. Is this normal for Russians? Johnny Y also moved to the U.S. around the end of the Cold War. He said that life was actually better in Russia for his parents. They were more successful, but less healthy (as substituting rubbing alcohol for Vodka probably did not help). His parents brought him over here, and he turned out relatively successful while his parents were okay.
My next closest Russian friend was Alex from the Ukraine while I was in the Coast Guard Academy. I know thats not Russia, you sly Russians! I am just saying he was the next closest thing to Russia I ever experienced. Probably more so than Johnny Y, in hindsight. I met Alex in 1999, spent half of my Coast Guard summer training dorming with him and a whole semester as his dorm mate, too. He sweat a lot in the winter months in Connecticut as it still was warm compared to his motherland. His favorite singer was the white rapper Snow, and his hit "Informer" was his favorite at the time. He was a great room mate and a great friend.
So, once again, I would like to welcome my Russian readers. Good morning to you all.
Oh, and my third biggest audience...You guessed it, Frank Stallone!
Just kidding. It is actually Germany. I only have one German reader though. Let us hope this number grows in the future as we all know that if it is one things Germans love is to follow somebody!
Feb 6, 2012
Today is the Worst Day of the Year
Because I saw, woke up to, and have to always live with this...
Courtesy of NYdailynews.com
(courtesy NYdailynews.com)
Courtesy of NYdailynews.comBecause the Eagles stopped playing on January 1, 2012
Because there is no more new football coming up. Yes, the Combine shows up, but I don't have the NFL Network and can only watch old stuff or ESPN highlights at Brandon's house.
So, I guess, there was a Superbowl last night. In hindsight, I can see that it was indeed a really great game. However, you have to hear the analysis from somebody who is NOT a Patriots, Giants, Eagles or Jets fan. Three sets of those fans were deeply pained while one set got justified. I have had a couple hours now between driving home, reading internet articles, and listening to different accounts.
The way the game started, I thought that Tom Brady was going to have a really bad game. I think he showed his age just a tad and that his arsenal (starting with his arm) is not what it used to be. I would by no means ever say that Brady sucks, as if he had the opportunity to come to the Eagles, why WOULDN'T I take it? I don't and won't ever think Elisha (pronounced Ah-lee-sha) is better than Brady. I still remember him as a guy who fell face first down to the ground while driving the Giants down the field two season's ago and fumbled the ball, sealing up an Eagles victory on Sunday Night Football at the Linc. And THAT guy gets to host his second Lombardi trophy, second MVP honor, and second parade. I digress...Brady's play was less than stellar in the opening drives of the game, ultimately leading to a safety which made me feel like this was going to be all Giants.
However, after being down 9-0, that Patriots stormed back and reclaimed the game by half-time, at 10-9. The Giants dominated probably the first 25 minutes of the game, but the five minutes towards the end the Patriots looked just like the Patriots. And the snozzberries tasted like snozzberries.
Before I knew it, the Patriots were up 17-9, and I was really hoping for the killshot from the Patriots. This game was so boring as a fan who had nothing to root for. By this point all I could hope for was the face falling version of Manning. However, with Rob Gronkowski injured he had minimal impact. This would've been the great opportunity to utilize Chad Ochocinco as he could have maybe added some new wrinkle as you can expect the Patriots to do when they have their foot on the gas. Alas, nothing. They let the Giants hang in there, chipping away field goal after field goal.
And then, this happened...
(courtesy NYdailynews.com)
This picture so delicately, figuratively displays Ahmad Bradshaw taking a dump on the Patriots and all other Giant-hating fans. I understood what he did and why he should have done it. I guess you do NOT give up the chance at Superbowl immortality. This was the most anti-climactic, embarrassing game-winning touchdown of aaaalllllll time. If a game winning homerun in baseball is a "walk-off," then the game winning touchdown in a Superbowl is the "sit-down".
Entertainment value - I did not enjoy this game like I did the previous Superbowl between these teams, but I have mentioned it before. There was nothing special, unless you are a Giants fan or Eli fan. He won his team that game. And as a disgruntled Philadelphia fan, this game gets only a 2.5 out of 10. One point for some of the nice hits and the fact that Danny Woodhead would've been the Patriots MVP if the outcome was different and another 1.5 points for the invisible man taking out Jake Ballard both on the field (0.5 point awarded) and off the field (a full 1.0 point for his sprint/fall/trainer easing him to the ground by his shirt video). Also, when they had a Superbowl-outside-the-stadium-camera shot through the fish-eye lens, a mulleted man smoking a cigarette for one brief second had me and Nick Scalise laughing for almost 10 minutes. That was way more entertaining than...
Commercials - Horrible. Not one really good commercial. The Dorritos dog that burried that cat and bribed his owner with a bag of chips was good. The movie commercials were good, but I have already seen most of them after having just seen Chronicle in the theater. Careerbuilder's monkeys had me going a little bit, as cheap monkey jokes get me laughing. I am very sick and tired of godaddy.com commercials. They are stupid with absolutely nothing to do with their product except to promote yet another crappier version of their commercial on their website. If you are an 11 year old boy whose parents put restrictions on your computer, than this was the commercial for you. Overall, 3 points out of 10 for the commercials (as they had more of my interest than the game at times).
Half-Time - As a football fan, I get the spectacle of the 30 minute extravaganza. As a man, I don't think Madonna could ever do anything to excite me. There was some highwire flippy guy that was pretty impressive and the appearance of the Party Rock Anthem Guys was great. I don't listen to or like dance music (or rap for that matter) but those guys are fantastic. Cee-Lo Green came out looking like a glittery turtle, really singing his part in the song and thus forcing Madonna to sing her song as well. It was weak, and had less of a purpose than last year's show by the Black Eyed Peas. If you are not better to me than the Black Eyed Peas, then you are nothing anymore in my book. Therefore, this year's Superbowl halftime show gets a 1 out of 10. One point awarded for ending.
Commentators - I like Al Michaels, but I do not like Chris Collinsworth. I had trouble hearing the game until they turned the volume up a little at Brandon's, but once they did, I realized I did not like too much of what I heard. It was more of "this is what's great about Eli and/or Tom Brady and/or Bill Belichek" than some actual play calling. I like emotional calls of the game but not two guys talking like my friends and I would be talking to each other at home about the game. There were very few funny lines (as football tends to have some funny analysis). I only heard one instance of "gaping hole" and a couple funny uses of the word sack (for example, "Tom Brady hit his head hard on that sack"). Had it been one different team, at least we would have had some real analysis of the game. Made me long for John Madden. Because it was not too bad, I give them a 5 out of 10.
Overall, I gave this Superbowl an 11.5 out of 40. I would try to keep coming up with categories to review the Superbowl, but I fear it would take its average score down. Therefore, no mas.
That concludes another NFL season without anybody talking about the Eagles, except for the "I wish we had XYZ player" fans who are probably calling in to the radio right now.
This day has always been tough for me, and I am sure I will receive the text soon from Brandon saying "I can't believe there's no more football" any minute now. The horribleness of this day is just ampliefied by the fact the Giants, under Elisha Nelson Manning, are two time Superbowl champs. They were swept by the Redskins. And they are our champs.
Feb 4, 2012
Duba's Top 10 - Superbowl Edition
Well folks, this guy...
...may just be on the verge of winning his second....SECOND Superbowl. I, like any other red blooded American not in New York, or more like northern New Jersey, am utterly sickened. So, without further aduba, I present to you:
Duba's Top 10 Things I am Looking Forward to at the Superbown
10. Rob Gronkowski breaking the record for most touchdowns scored in a Superbowl by a tight end with a bum ankle.
4. An anvil to fall on my head as the end of the fourth quarter and subsequent victory of either the Patriots or the Giants again.
3. Turn and pull (puking and rallying) while eating wings and licking my fingers clean
2. Smashing light bulbs into my eyeballs as either the Giants or Patriots hoist the Lombardi trophy in the air.
And the number one thing I am most looking forward to the Superbowl is...
1. Waking up from this awful dream and it being September 11, 2011, as I sit down to watch the Eagles take on the Rams and begin their dream team season.
...may just be on the verge of winning his second....SECOND Superbowl. I, like any other red blooded American not in New York, or more like northern New Jersey, am utterly sickened. So, without further aduba, I present to you:
Duba's Top 10 Things I am Looking Forward to at the Superbown
10. Rob Gronkowski breaking the record for most touchdowns scored in a Superbowl by a tight end with a bum ankle.
9. You know, that face that only Eli can make when he makes a mistake that hopefully leads his team to defeat.
8. Epic superhero movie commercials. The last good entertaining commercial I saw was the guy sucking dorrito cheese off another man's finger. I think that was like two years ago now. Last year's Transformers preview was awesome.
7. At least 15 minutes worth of commentary dedicated to the he said-she said breakup of Peyton Manning and the Colts
6. Hopefully a crowd booing Madonna at the Superbowl. I hope Eli or Brady's winning moments are far overshadowed by Madonna's performance. This will be the first Superbowl where I do not have a rooting interest in any on field activity.
5. A late hit on Victor Cruz knocking him out of his crappy salsa dance routine.
4. That "C'mon Man" face that Tom Coughlin makes when Eli makes this face:
4. An anvil to fall on my head as the end of the fourth quarter and subsequent victory of either the Patriots or the Giants again.
3. Turn and pull (puking and rallying) while eating wings and licking my fingers clean
2. Smashing light bulbs into my eyeballs as either the Giants or Patriots hoist the Lombardi trophy in the air.
And the number one thing I am most looking forward to the Superbowl is...
1. Waking up from this awful dream and it being September 11, 2011, as I sit down to watch the Eagles take on the Rams and begin their dream team season.
Feb 3, 2012
Who's My Daddy?...
It doesn't take Maury Povich to figure this one out...
Well folks, my dad won the phrase that pays contest and therefore I shall write a little about him. (Dave Bell, as first runner up, will be highlighted next month)
(Please keep in mind this blog was started on February 2. The "Phrase that Pays" was any form of happy birthday on my Facebook wall)
I met my dad 32 years ago today. I don't remember what the day was like or who else was there. I think my mom was there and my brother may or may not have been. Fittingly, it was indeed the internationally renowned holiday of Groundhog's Day. My dad claims, and I do believe him, that when I was born on that fateful February 2, 1980, he told the doctor, "If he sees his shadow can you put him back in for 6 more weeks?" Welcome to the world, Jim Duba.
I have some very vague memories as a kid, but most of the ones I do have involve my family traveling through most of the country over the summers. Prominent memories include Mount Rushmore (as I was sick as usual), Jellystone National Park, and seeing a herd of bison somewhere along the way. We used to have a mobile home, or a "camper" as we called it. Every summer for years on end, we would head down to a campground in Maryland. Part of this trip involved meeting his late friend Walter Price and his wife who frequented the camp site as well. At this campsite I met a dog of one of the camp staff, named Sheba. Sheba would frequent the campsites hayride excursions I remember partaking in at the camp. Later, when I was 5 years old, my parents surprised my brother and I with a dog. My dad let me name it, and thus my best friend Sheba was created.
My dad would also encourage my involvement in sports, and kept up as a coach for me for as long as he could. Teeball, coachpitch, a little bit of little league - I disliked baseball - and soccer. Soccer was probably the most influential for me. I used to be on a travel team for two years in 4th grade through 5th grade. I did not usually play much, I had a role on that team. So, when I was cut from the team and wanted to continue to play soccer, my dad volunteered to help coach my team. My dad also took note of who else was cut from the travel soccer team and who I had become friends with. He decided to pick up one of my friends who was cut as well, Brandon Barrett. To this day, Brandon is one of my most trusted and oldest friends. Coincidentally, my dad would select almost the same core team for the next three years. Our teams had two championship seasons, I think I was an all-star, if not an MVP once in a while. As the coach's son, I was treated like every other player, but I had to work harder as after practice, I still had to be with the coach, and I could either make him happy with my performance or have him drill it in my head at home.
When my grandfather passed away (my mom's father) in 2005, my dad was very strong through the whole ordeal. This was significant to me because my grandmother was in the hospital and totally did not have any last moments with my grandmother. And this all occurred in Maryland. My mom was on her end. My dad stayed strong, helped her as much as he could, visited as frequently as he could, and kept the house together and provided some amount of comfort to my mom as she was surely tortured by all those events.
The one memory that I remember the most vividly, however, is back when maybe I was between 9 and 11 years old. I had a sleepover at my friend Austin's house. My mom picked me up and we went home for a couple minutes before running up to the local Caldor down the street. My dad asked what I did at Austin's. I probably said something like the norm - "played with transformers, watched TV, played Nintendo..." At this point, my dad cut me off, saying, "You really like that Nintendo thing huh?" I gushed a little more about the Nintendo and how much fun it was. As my mom was getting ready to leave, my dad reached into his wallet, pulled out two 100 dollar bills, handed them to me, and said, "Treat yourself, you deserve it." As a young kid, that is like winning the lottery.
I am pretty sure this was around the time of my birthday. I will never know if it was arranged between my mom and my dad to make this purchase, as I can remember my mom grumbling about it a little. Every year when my dad wishes me a happy birthday - be it over facebook, phone, in person, text - I always remember that day I got the Nintendo. As I raise my son Rocco, and any other potential kids in the future, I hope that one day they can look back on their life and have their own Nintendo type moment.
Thank you, Dad.
Well folks, my dad won the phrase that pays contest and therefore I shall write a little about him. (Dave Bell, as first runner up, will be highlighted next month)
(Please keep in mind this blog was started on February 2. The "Phrase that Pays" was any form of happy birthday on my Facebook wall)
I met my dad 32 years ago today. I don't remember what the day was like or who else was there. I think my mom was there and my brother may or may not have been. Fittingly, it was indeed the internationally renowned holiday of Groundhog's Day. My dad claims, and I do believe him, that when I was born on that fateful February 2, 1980, he told the doctor, "If he sees his shadow can you put him back in for 6 more weeks?" Welcome to the world, Jim Duba.
I have some very vague memories as a kid, but most of the ones I do have involve my family traveling through most of the country over the summers. Prominent memories include Mount Rushmore (as I was sick as usual), Jellystone National Park, and seeing a herd of bison somewhere along the way. We used to have a mobile home, or a "camper" as we called it. Every summer for years on end, we would head down to a campground in Maryland. Part of this trip involved meeting his late friend Walter Price and his wife who frequented the camp site as well. At this campsite I met a dog of one of the camp staff, named Sheba. Sheba would frequent the campsites hayride excursions I remember partaking in at the camp. Later, when I was 5 years old, my parents surprised my brother and I with a dog. My dad let me name it, and thus my best friend Sheba was created.
My dad would also encourage my involvement in sports, and kept up as a coach for me for as long as he could. Teeball, coachpitch, a little bit of little league - I disliked baseball - and soccer. Soccer was probably the most influential for me. I used to be on a travel team for two years in 4th grade through 5th grade. I did not usually play much, I had a role on that team. So, when I was cut from the team and wanted to continue to play soccer, my dad volunteered to help coach my team. My dad also took note of who else was cut from the travel soccer team and who I had become friends with. He decided to pick up one of my friends who was cut as well, Brandon Barrett. To this day, Brandon is one of my most trusted and oldest friends. Coincidentally, my dad would select almost the same core team for the next three years. Our teams had two championship seasons, I think I was an all-star, if not an MVP once in a while. As the coach's son, I was treated like every other player, but I had to work harder as after practice, I still had to be with the coach, and I could either make him happy with my performance or have him drill it in my head at home.
When my grandfather passed away (my mom's father) in 2005, my dad was very strong through the whole ordeal. This was significant to me because my grandmother was in the hospital and totally did not have any last moments with my grandmother. And this all occurred in Maryland. My mom was on her end. My dad stayed strong, helped her as much as he could, visited as frequently as he could, and kept the house together and provided some amount of comfort to my mom as she was surely tortured by all those events.
The one memory that I remember the most vividly, however, is back when maybe I was between 9 and 11 years old. I had a sleepover at my friend Austin's house. My mom picked me up and we went home for a couple minutes before running up to the local Caldor down the street. My dad asked what I did at Austin's. I probably said something like the norm - "played with transformers, watched TV, played Nintendo..." At this point, my dad cut me off, saying, "You really like that Nintendo thing huh?" I gushed a little more about the Nintendo and how much fun it was. As my mom was getting ready to leave, my dad reached into his wallet, pulled out two 100 dollar bills, handed them to me, and said, "Treat yourself, you deserve it." As a young kid, that is like winning the lottery.
I am pretty sure this was around the time of my birthday. I will never know if it was arranged between my mom and my dad to make this purchase, as I can remember my mom grumbling about it a little. Every year when my dad wishes me a happy birthday - be it over facebook, phone, in person, text - I always remember that day I got the Nintendo. As I raise my son Rocco, and any other potential kids in the future, I hope that one day they can look back on their life and have their own Nintendo type moment.
Thank you, Dad.
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