Ruminations on the Oscars and other things

First and foremost, my lovely wife reminded me that as of today we are roughly T-minus two months and counting until Baby Vittas is scheduled to make her appearance. 

That. 

Is. 

Exciting.

Like, really exciting.

So, the Academy Awards were Sunday, and everybody was happy with that. 

I had a couple thoughts I would like to share even though I/we got tired and went to bed at approximately 9:45 on Sunday night. 

I'm not really what you would consider a film connoisseur or anything of that nature, so I can't really comment on any of the films that were nominated for Best Picture. In fact, of the ones nominated we only saw Les Misérables, which of course I thought was awesome, and I'm sure my Dad agrees. If you asked him I'm sure he'd tell you it was the greatest motion picture ever made. Right up there with, I don't know,  Field of Dreams. Or perhaps 1941. 

(By the way, still can't get over John Travolta butchering the name of the film during his time at the microphone. Stop it. Stop talking. Did your scientology Gods tell you to say it like that? Stop it right now.)

We also saw The Impossible, and it confuses me why it wasn't even nominated for Best Picture yet made me cry more than any movie I can ever remember seeing. Probably Mel too (although she may not want to admit it). 

I thought Seth MacFarlane did an above average job. Could he have been better or funnier? Sure, I guess so. But then we probably all could. 

The problem with hosting the Academy Awards is its become almost a hobby to watch the show and nitpick every little thing that's done, said, or sung instead of sitting there and enjoying the monologue and the rest of the show for the giant waste of time and beating that it usually is. You can blame Twitter  and the internet for that. 

Anne Hathaway won Best Actress for her role in Les Miz, which I thought was very deserving. She played her heart out in that movie. Her version of "I Dreamed A Dream" gets my vote as Biggest Guts Ripping Out Performance Of The Year. 

(Weird, sorry.)

And then we went to bed. Didn't really want to stay up until 11:00 at night. 

Incidentally, I was out walking the dog earlier and was listening to the Les Miz soundtrack when I came across what I consider to be among the greatest three minutes and fifty four seconds in movie soundtrack history. 

(Spoiler alert: If you haven't seen the movie, and don't want me to spoil things, don't click the next two links. Pretty much just stop reading now.)

It happens maybe 20 minutes into the film when Hugh Jackman sings "Valjean's Soliloquy." Again, just another gritty and heart-wrenching performance, this time by Hugh, who has a really good voice. Here, Valjean comes to grip with the fact that he's a thief and a horrible person and it's time to change. Very awesome. 

So listen to that, hear the way it ends, and then imagine it seamlessly transitioning (which I know will be hard because you'll probably get bogged down and have to fight through one of YouTube's commercials)...

Into this.

A big, dramatic, swooping scene going from the past into setting up the beginning of the rest of the story. 

Boy let me tell you, when we saw this and I heard those strings and that brass, that right there got me fired up for movie watching. I think I turned to Mel in the theater at TinselTown Grapevine and gave her one of those smiles and all-knowing nods the way we do right somebody hits a clutch three-run double (sports analogy). 

This isn't even mentioning the opening scene of the movie, which has another moment like that as well. 

That goes into "At The End Of The Day", which is an important song itself as well seeing as how it introduces everyone to Fantine and all her wheels-offedness. 

(Okay, you can start reading again).

Anyway, that's enough for now, so I think I'll take my crazy Gene Shalit costume off and wrap this thing up. 

Except I'm not really sure the proper way to end this. 

So. 

........

Um. 

Here's a very stereoptyical picture of a French person. 

Bye for now. 

The One Where I Talk About Josh Hamilton

Vent session commence.

Sometimes it's still hard to believe that this is Josh Hamilton as we know him now.

Not this Josh Hamilton anymore. 

Or this one. 

Or the one that was making Mel and I get misty-eyed seeing him be interviewed on the field after winning the pennant in 2010. 

Sure he still will be all those things in our memories, and those will last a lifetime. And we will pass them on to our daughter one day.

Still, the memory that stands out now is the one of him cutting up and making jokes about how the Rangers "should have put a ring on it" as far as the Rangers' efforts to re-sign him to a contract go. 

So with that said, let's be honest here for a moment. 

That little tidbit that came out today/yesterday about the notion that Arlington isn't a baseball town in and of itself is not really that big a deal to me. All he was doing was answering a question by giving his opinion. No one can, or should, fault the guy for that. Frankly, it's not really that far from the truth, the ENTIRE STATE isn't really a baseball first kind of place. It is, and probably always will be (unless something changes drastically) a football state. D/FW is a Cowboys town regardless of what some stupid poll shows. That's just the way it is. 

So I tend to agree with the fact that yes, Arlington probably isn't a baseball town. It would be cool if it was, but it's not. And yes, Rangers fans are probably a little spoiled by the last couple of years. 

So now that that's cleared up....

Let's take a look back at some of the things Josh Hamilton has had to deal with during the course of his career in Texas. Again, I preface all of this by saying without question that the man is absolutely entitled to his own opinions:

He's had demons come back into his life.

Twice.

He's gotten beaten up. 

And played a role in an incomprehensible tragedy.

And at no point, in my recollection, did fans abandon his side through any of that, yet the guy has the gall to bring up the fact, again, that he was booed a lot last season. 

My favorite comment of that link up above was this:

It’s just like last year, when I got booed after going 2-for-4 in a game, driving in a couple runs, and I struck out the other two times. 

Good. Grief. 

Again.

Please just shut up. 

Hey, you also played like crap for three months.

Hey, you also dropped that ball in Oakland. 

And hey, you also went 0 for 4 in the Wild Card game and saw a grand total of 2 pitches. (I think it was more like 8, but whatever.)

I guess what I'm getting at in all of this is: It is irresponsible and just plain ridiculous of the guy, even if he is just generalizing, to talk this way about the same fans who stood by his side through the trials and tribulations in his life during his five years here. 

Yes, Arlington may not be a baseball town in the same sense that New York, Boston, or Philadelphia are. It's not going to ever be until some World Series titles begin to accumulate here. 

And God help us all if the Cowboys win another Super Bowl before the Rangers win a title.

But here's what Deadspin had to say in regards to the points Josh is trying to make earlier today. 

First, that Rangers fans are bandwagoners and shouldn't have booed him when he struggled because he brought them a pair of pennants. Second, that any true baseball fan won't boo him when he returns in a division rival's uniform, because of the good times they had together. The accuracy of both of these statements is up for debate, but the point is now moot: the surest way to get booed is to publicly say you shouldn't be.

Yes.

There's going to be tough times this season in Arlington and there's a lot of question marks. But this is a better team in the long run without him on it. No question.

End vent session. 

Mic check, 1 2

December 7th, 2011 was the last time either one of us said anything on this blog. That's far too long. What have we done and what has happened in that time? 

Not a lot. 

Well, a few things. 

There was this. We went whitewater rafting during a family reunion in Tennessee over the summer. Had a great time. Kind of had to save some people from drowning. You know, no big deal. (Not pictured: Mel. She is okay though.) But it served as one of many highlights from a memorable week in the Smokey Mountains.

Ow. 

Hit by a red light runner in May. We're all guilty of it, but please don't text and drive. Ever. Because you will hit someone. 

Another season of Rangers baseball came and went down in flames went. It marked an end to the 6th year that we've had season tickets. We'll miss our ballpark friends and can't wait to see them all hopefully again next year: Valet, Fred, Tom, Luther, Vanessa... all of them. 

But if there's one thing I've learned over the course of the year, it's to sort out the trivial, non-important things in life (yes, like sports) and focus on the larger picture. 

Kind of like this large picture.

Our daughter. 

Coming in April. 

Suffice it to say, it's an interesting feeling knowing that something is living and growing inside your wife. But it's an adventure that we're both beyond ecstatic about taking, through good times, bad times, happy, sad, and everything in between. To say we're excited about becoming parents next year would only be putting it mildly.

And if I may be completely serious for one second: 

You hear lots of descriptions of "oh, they're perfect for each other" when talking about certain couples. Everyone of those tales are probably true in their own right. 

But I have a wife who I can't imagine being apart from. I have a wife who makes me laugh more than anyone, makes me care about things more than I ever have before, and who, at the end of the night I still am thankful I get to lay down and go to sleep next to. I can't imagine what life would be like going through this with anyone other than her. 

She really is my rock. 

In writing this, I was looking for the classic, summarization quote to cap this thing off and tie everything up in a nice, neat bow (hey, a Christmas tie-in!) I found a lot of them, but non of them really stuck with me like the following. 

April 27th is still a little bit of a ways off, but this resonated with me in a way that I cannot accurately describe. 

A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future. -- Author Unknown

We look forward finding out what that means.

Merry Christmas, God bless, and we'll be talking to you all more in 2013. 

- John and Mel

Top 5/Bottom 5 Christmas Songs

Another highly debatable list for your enjoyment. This time, with a holiday theme. I hope you all enjoy. 

TOP FIVE

5. Casting Crowns - While You Were Sleeping

Holds the title of being known as the only Christmas song to give me goosebumps. 

4. Vince Guaraldi - Christmastime Is Here

Preferably the instrumental version, I don't like listening to children singing in little kid voice. It kinda ruins the mood for me. 

3. Bruce Springsteen - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Christmas in NYC was always a big event for my sister and I when we were younger, and The Boss brings back old memories of driving around the city doing Christmas-y things. I really think any Christmas song by Bruce is good. He could sing that stupid song about wanting a hippopotamus and make it awesome. 

2. Andy Williams - It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

This, to me, is one of those songs that synonymous with all things Christmas. The busy shopping malls, food, seeing relatives left and right, busy airport holiday travel. Always got me fired up as a kid and still does as an adult. 

1. Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops(?) - Sleigh Ride

Questioned only because I'm not totally sure these are the guys performing the version that I'm thinking about. But whatever the case may be, it's close enough. 

HONORABLE MENTION: This. Yeah, you heard me. 

BOTTOM FIVE

5. Gayla Peevey - I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas

Spoiled brat. 

4. Boney M - Christmas Song

OK - obviously I can appreciate the message of the song. But I'm not a fan of Christmas songs being song by women with crazy Jamaican accents and 70's reggae beats. No thanks. 

3. Earth Kitt - Santa Baby

Or Madonna. Or Britney Spears. Or Taylor Swift. Basically any version of this song = instant Christmas kryptonite for me. You harlets. How dare you attempt to sucker in Santa Claus by singing so seductively? You all should be ashamed of yourselv

2. Anything by the freaking Jingle Cats

It's a novelty act. I get it. And I also don't think it's funny or cute. It makes me want to put my fist through the radio. 

1. Lady Gaga - Christmas Tree

SERIOUSLY WHAT THE HELL IS THIS.

The agony of defeat

I don't know which of these two guys I hate more: The one on the left or the one on the right.

(From the classic 1996 film: Swingers)

Mike: How did you get over it man? How long did it take you? 

Rob: I don't know, man. Sometimes it still hurts. I don't know, man. It's like you wake up every day and it hurts a little less, and then you wake up one day and it doesn't hurt at all. And it's like, and this might sound weird, but it's like you almost miss that pain. 

Right now, I yearn  for the day when I wake up and it doesn't hurt at all. I know it's coming eventually, but it still seems like it's a hell of a long way off. 

Man, we love sports

The above picture is why I love baseball. 

Go Rangers. 

Random playoff musings

I've kind of slacked off on the sports intensive talk here ever since I bailed out on the bit of trying to write about every single Rangers game during the regular season. (Failed) But it's postseason time in the Vittas household, and we mean business. So let's get to it.

The playoffs have undoubtedly started for our little Texas Rangers here in the big A(rlington), and through two games it saddens us to say things have a different feel than last year.

That's not completely surprising. Last year was such a high pretty much from the point of that giant winning streak over the summer and landing Cliff Lee that you could make the case it carried on through the playoffs. The claw and antler craze was also huge in building fan momentum. This postseason it's just seemed, I don't know, different. Yes the club reached the best record in their history, but there was no idea who their opponent would be or where they would play until the last day of the season. I think that caused a bit of uncertainty amongst playoff ticket buying fans. A quick look on StubHub revealed plenty of tickets available for each of the first two games well up until game time.

I think that we, as Ranger fans, all got a little spoiled in one sense or another by the success of last season. It's not always going to be that easy or chock full of good times. (Editor's note: Not that it was all "easy" the entire run through the playoffs last season. It did go to a final Game 5 versus the Rays. And need I bring up any of the activities during that opening ALCS game against NYY last season? I wanted to strangle someone. But I digress.)

There were many memorable moments from last year that linger with me, but one of the most lasting memories from 2010, aside from the obvious celebration of defeating the evil Yankees and reaching the World Series, took place during the ALDS opener at home. It had come fresh off the heels of taking a 2-0 lead in the series and the park was full of pent up excitement. You could literally cut it with a knife. The video to that Kid Rock song right before the lineup was introduced was awesome as well because the crowd was so spontaneously towel-waving and ear-shatteringing noisy that it brought us both goosebumps.

Then we went out and lost the next two games and hand to go to a final game in the ALDS to move on, but that's besides the point.

Fast forward to this season, and my earlier point was especially driven home after Game 1's 9-0 drubbing at the hand of the Rays. It was so miserable. It was beyond miserable. It was miserably miserable full of miserableness.

But then Game 2 happened and....a sign of life? A turnaround in the series? Too early to tell. But the crowd had more life to it, and so in turn did the Rangers. The Mike Napoli single to tie the game last night was easily the most exciting moment of this series thus far, and the crowd reacted as such. 


Game 3 occurs Monday. I'm definitely much more a fan of going to Tampa tied 1-1 instead of down 2-0, so we'll see what happens.