MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I know Im late especially with this blog but this is bothering me. What is the big deal if people say Merry Christmas or not? Look, I know Im not the second coming of God or anything but when I was growing saying Merry Christmas was fine. People have been saying this for hundreds of years and now all of a sudden, its a problem. Has it come to a point in society that even saying Merry Christmas bothers people? There are so many problems in this world, that is a cause for concern? Seriously?? The whole point of saying Merry Christmas is to remember what that day is all about. The birth of Christ. I just dont see what the fuss is about. Check out this article from FoxNews all the way back in 2004!!! http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,141920,00.html

My point is you thought now was a problem but going all the way back to 2004, there was a problem. Or how about this article from 6 days ago about how a Republican got into trouble for saying Merry Christmas. Check this article out. http://www.nbc12.com/story/16384119/congressman-christmas-card-controversy

Walmart did the right thing, it listened to its customers. Read what this women did that forced Walmart to change. http://www.christiantoday.com/article/walmart.employees.say.merry.christmas/8256.htm

I say good for her!!! It shouldnt matter if you say Merry Christmas, Seasons Greetings, Happy Holidays. I dont think anybody who is a Christan has ever bullied or forced people to say Merry Christmas. I think if people think that, they have to understand that Christans are not trying to force religion or anything down there throat its what they believe. I really dont see a problem with it. Its not a racial slur or anything, its they believe in Christ or feel like saying Merry Christmas. I dont think they should people should be penalized for that.

WWE vs. WCW; It wasnt Vince's Fault!!

"I now own WCW." - Shane McMahon, WCW Monday Nitro, March 26, 2001.

That quote was from the final Monday Nitro that aired in March 2001. A quick recap. WCW was up for sale and Vince McMahon bought WCW. In the world of "kayfabe", Shane McMahon was the one who actually "bought" WCW. That led to something that was unheard of. The WWE was going to face its competitor for many years, WCW. What started out as something that was going to be groundbreaking ended with a whimper. A lot of people have pointed to Vince McMahon as the reason why WCW brand failed. "His ego was too big", "He had to prove WWE was surperior" etc. I've heard them all. But I really dont think it was Vince's fault. I will try to explain why.

When WCW was sold, it was in shambles. Just google anything about WCW or read any books about them and you will see WCW was in total chaos when they shut down. Nobody was going to there live events and the PPV buyrates were poor. Now according to Wikipedia, so take it for what its worth, Starrcade, the event that started in 1983, and was "the event", drew 6,596 for its 2000 event at the MCI Center in Washington D.C. 6,600 people for there biggest event. Can you imagine if WrestleMania drew 6,600 people? Actually, all you have to do is add another zero and you have a WrestleMania type attendance.

So WCW with all its turmoil that had been affecting that company for 2 yrs. prior to Starrcade 2000 (Ric Flair being fired, The NWO constantly coming back, backwards booking, Goldberg streak ending, Kiss Demon, Kiss/Clint Black/Megadeth performing, lack of top stars, Vince Russo, The Powers that Be etc.) continued to suffer. I mean if you watch WCW in early 2001 compared to the heyday of 1997 was like night and day. Its so depressing even after WCW has been gone for 10 yrs. So with WCW not a priority for TBS (thanks a lot Jamie Kellner), WCW was cancelled. No more shows on TBS or TNT. Without the tv, what would become of WCW? Enter Vince McMahon. He bought WCW right before WrestleMania 17. Even though in storyline Shane McMahon bought WCW, Vince McMahon must have been a cheshire cat knowing, like he said "I bought my competition".

So what went wrong that everybody blamed Vince. Lets look at this. If you remember Vince gave the final quarter of Raw to Booker T vs. Buff Bagwell and it bombed. Call it ring rust or whatever but Booker and Bagwell didnt look right. Thats not Vince's fault. Second, when wrestling fans think of WCW, they think of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Lex Luger, DDP, Booker T, Scott Steiner etc. With all due respect to Booker T and DDP, who I respect and I like personally, they couldnt carry the WCW brand. You needed the guys I mentioned to compete. Imagine Austin vs. Hogan? Rock vs. Goldberg? Nash vs. Angle? Goldberg vs. Angle? Flair vs. Rock? Flair vs. Austin? Now, some of these matches (Rock/Goldberg, Flair/Austin) did take place but imagine if it happened if it was at Invasion or Summerslam 2001? My point of all this is that its not Vince's fault. Dont you think Vince would have wanted to sign Goldberg, Flair, Steiner, The NWO etc. earlier? Of course he would.

Then the argument of "Vince made the WCW roster inferior." I dont by that for one reason. WCW was so bad at the end, could any hardcore wrestling fan tell you who the WCW Tag Team Champions were? Do you think they knew who The Natural Born Thrillers were? Kwee Wee? Thats not Vince's fault either. I just think you can blame Vince McMahon because WCW was booked poorly at the end. It wasnt like Vince was writing for both WWE AND WCW. So what was Vince going to do? In a perfect world, I think Vince and the rest of the WWE Universe would've wanted UnderTaker/Goldberg, Rock/Flair, Austin/Steiner etc. but what are you going to do? I mean he had to use what he had. Its like seeing the NY Yankees play and A-Rod, Teixiera, Jeter, Cano are out of the lineup. Yes, they replace those 4 guys and yes, its the Yankees on the field but its not the same. Samething with WCW. The WCW brand was there but it wasnt the guys that wrestling fans were used to.

In closing, Vince McMahon may be at fault for a lot of things but I dont think he killed WCW or the WCW brand. Sadly, because of politics, mismanagment, lack of top stars etc. WCW went up for sale and Vince McMahon bought it. Unfortunely, WCW was already over.

Black Friday: A Couple of bad apples spoil a bunch

Black Friday seems to have helped the economy. Apparently, more people spent more money during this Black Friday than any other Black Friday. Now, thats very good for the economy. There is bad that comes out of it. Two examples is what happened in Milford at a Walmart and what happened in Los Angeles. In case you havent heard someone was tasered in Milford at a Walmart during Black Friday. A woman pepper sprayed about 20 people in Los Angeles to get some video console or something. She has turned herself in. I know people will say "Black Friday is stupid" "Black Friday should be banned" etc. I say, it takes a few bad apples to spoil a bunch.

Being the sports fan that I am, look what happened when the Dodgers played the Giants. A fan was almost beaten to death. Here is an article from ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/news/story?id=6335972 You see it takes one bad apple to spoil it for everyone else. Based on that incident, should fans be banned from the game? Should MLB cancelled the season or games based on that incident. That incident gives the real sports fans a bad name. Its the samething with Black Friday. All people are trying to do is enjoy the holidays, get into the spirit and save some money. Considering the storms we have had and the economy and the recession, I think people just want to vent and enjoy themselves. I dont lump the people that created the violence on Black Friday with people just trying to save a buck. Its uncalled for that people took something that should be the kickoff of the holidays and a happy, joyous time and ruined it. I feel bad for the people that got hurt and all they were trying to do is shop.

I think for the most part "Black Friday" gets a bad wrap. All you see is people running like a stampede trying to get items. All you hear is the violence of it. I do think that security should be stepped up to try to prevent idiots from ruining it like they do every year. And a lot of it is just common sense. I mean when the doors open, you dont run like its The Running of the Bulls". You proceed in a orderly fashion just like you do for the other 364 days of the year. Its just that simple. If you eliminate the morons and idiots from Black Friday and just shop like you would normally shop, Black Friday can be a good experience.

This isnt a Fashion Show

Do you know what really honks me off? Im getting so damn sick and tired of watching tv or reading magazines and seeing all these hair models or big muscle men or people with a great figure on them. You look at the magazines in a grocery store and who's on them? Lindsay Lohan, Snooki, Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper, The Kardashians (Which I like by the way, more on that another time), Heidi and Spencer etc.

I was going to divide this post into sections, Television shows and magazines but I think there both the same. Look at television shows or magazines. They are polluted with people who have good looking bodies, 6 pack abs, nice hair but you compare that some of the actors and actresses trying to make it on tv, the models wouldnt last 10 mins. The truth is that people see these "actors" or "entertainers" as a one trick pony. Get past the great bodies and the hair and smiles and what is there? Nothing. Now to be fair, some of the models can get the job done. They can act, sing, dance, whatever. But its few and far between. Do you know how intimating that is, seeing all these people with not a hair out of place, perfect bodies etc.? Where does that leave average people like me? I'll tell you where that leaves you. On the outside looking in. Now you take somebody like me or someone looking for work. We can work hard and kick ass but do we get a break? No. Yet the "Snooki's" of the world get ahead. With my life or anybody who's struggling right now, do you honestly think Snooki would last 5 mins. in my world or someone's world without the glitz and glamour? No. Face it, compared to some people, Snooki has had a "Tea Party".

In closing, I'll say this. Im not Bradley Cooper or Brad Pitt. I dont have 6 pack abs but do have a gut. But you compare me to Snooki or anybody else, they dont stand a chance. The sad thing is that we are on the outside looking in. The people that busts there ass trying to make it in acting never get the break. Yet the Snooki's and the Lindsay Lohan's do. How is that fair? To some, that may come off as being bitter or bitching but you know what I, and a lot of other people, have every right to feel that way. The models get ahead and we get knowhere. Im pretty sick of it to be honest. The people who bust there ass, they should be on top. And for those models out there, I think your 15 mins. are just about up.

Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places

This is something that really honks me off. Women. I think Flounder said it best in "Animal House". "Women, you cant live with them, you cant live without them". Now, look, I admit to looking at a pretty lady every once in a while but I just dont think I have anything in common with the opposite sex. Im really not the dating type. Im very complex when it comes to this because in one breath I would really like a girlfriend, someone to talk to and hang out with. On the other hand, I just dont want to be tied down right now. Maybe dating is not meant to be for me because I just know that I would be paranoid all the time. Now, I want to stress paranoid but not controlling. I mean you would have a beautiful girl dating me. Why? Im not exactly Brad Pitt or Bradley Cooper.

Im not going to lie. New Year's Eve or Valentine's Day isnt exactly a great day that I look forward too. Not only did my grandmother pass away on Dec. 30,2010 but I never really had anybody to spend New Year's Eve or Valentine's Day with. Its actually very lonely for me but I deal with it. Even if I was trying to look for someone, where would I look? I really dont want to use the internet to find someone because you never know who's crazy on there. That also goes for personnals in the newspaper as well. I just know that I would be very nervous talking around women and blow it. I try to be upbeat and funny and tell jokes, as you well know, but I wonder if my jokes would fly. If you say be yourself, thats fine but I dont think many women would want me to recite the Super Bowls(Note to self, I have to keep up with that).

Are there any single women out there that just want to have fun, date and talk and stuff? I'll be honest, I really dont have any intentions on getting married right now. I feel sometimes that I never want to get married. I just need me time, you know? Im not knocking marriage and I wish people who are married or about to get married all the luck in the world but I dont think its for me. It just seems like a lot of hoopla and stress with getting married. I know Im probably wrong with that assumption.

Let me ask you, do you guys see me with someone? It would be nice to have someone to talk to or call all the time but I dont know. I remember on the series premiere of "Friends" Joey and Chandler encouraging Ross to "grab a spoon" when talking about how there are so many ice cream flavors out there and equating that to women. I dont know if Im ready to "grab a spoon". Knowing my luck, if I did have ice cream and "grab a spoon", I would get a major headrush.

Should companies curb there holiday advertising until after Thanksgiving?

Should companies curb there holiday advertising until after Thanksgiving?I believe it was Sept. 9 of this year at CVS Pharmacy in North Haven at about 7pm and Im walking down one of the aisles and I see Christmas ornaments. In September??!! Let me ask you, do you think companies like CVS, Walgreens, Best Buy, Target etc. should curb there holiday advertising? I mean there was Christmas stuff out in October. Do you think thats too early to start promoting the holiday? Halloween wasnt even here, and Christmas stuff was out. It almost seems like Halloween and Thanksgiving get lost in the shuffle. I know you have to plan ahead but still. Christmas stuff in September? How do you get into the spirit of Thanksgiving when theres Christmas stuff all over the place? Some people would argue that you should focus on one holiday at a time. I can get into the holidays now and dont have to wait until after Thanksgiving to get into Christmas.How about you guys? Do you think companies should curb the holiday advertising until after Thanksgiving? Have you guys started Christmas shopping? Are you guys done?

Whats the deal with all the darkness?

You know what honks me off now? Darkness. Tell me something. How come it has to get dark so early? I mean there is a sunset at 3:45 pm and its dark by 5 pm. I mean the nights are so long now and with the winter coming and the storms already hitting, what happens if you lose power at 4pm? Your in darkness. I'd rather lose power at 4pm and have it get dark at 8pm then lose power at 4pm and it being dark. You cant even do anything because it gets dark so early. You cant take a walk or rake leaves or mow the lawn or just sit outside unless its lit and even then you take your life in your hands sometimes. You dont know whos lurking at nightime (or much less daytime).

Not to mention turning on lamps and what not for light when it gets dark. You figure if you turn on lamps at 4:15 pm in the winter, theres a good chance you can turn them on 8pm in the summer. Thats almost a 4hr. difference. Do you know how much money we would save if it was lighter later? I mean isnt it cheaper to use the actual sun for light, instead of using lamps that produce light and cost a fortune to use. In this economy, I think we should be trying to save money not losing it. Why cant it get dark at a quarter to 7 at night in the winter? What would be the big deal? To me, I think sunlight is better than darkness. It would costs less accidents on the roads because people can see better in the daylight and not be blinded by the strong lights of the cars. Also, I think that the roads, sidestreets are not lit that well and therefore you cant see well. I live where there is a 4 way Stop and there have been accidents and close calls, I think because of no light. I think you can save money by not lighting your lamps as much if it was lighter out.

I just think its better to have light instead of darkness. You can argue that its lighter in the morning but people are usually sleeping that early in the morning. You really cant take advantage of the sunlight at 5:30am in the morning. Does anyone feel the sameway or am I just being paranoid?

Do you remember wrestling on Thanksgiving Night?

Now, you must be thinking, wait, "Wrestling on Thanksgiving night honks him off"? Actually, no it doesnt. I figured I changed the mood of the blog a little bit. With Thanksgiving coming up and with me being a huge, huge wrestling fan, I figured I would take this time to look back at one of the great nights of wrestling, Thanksgiving Night. Im 29 yrs. old but I remember growing up as a kid, 2 events on Thanksgiving night that stood out for me. One, was Starrcade and the other The Survivor Series. I always liked both events because to me it had that "big fight" feel to it. Looking back on it now, it was a traditional as a Detroit Lions game on Thanksgiving. Feuds would start or end on that day. Now, I know other organizations like Mid South, World Class, AWA and others had events on Turkey Day but Starrcade and The Survivor Series stood out. Who could forget Flair vs. Race from Starrcade 83? Or what about Magnum T.A. vs. Tully Blanchard, I Quit Match, Starrcade 85? Or even The Road Warriors vs. The Midnight Express, The Skywalker Match from Starrcade 86? Those matches are as good, maybe better today, then they were when they originally took place.

What about The Survivor Series? I remember the days when "Mean" Gene Okerlund would say "The Survivor Series, where teams of 5 strive to survive". Remember those days? Those are some great memories. Hell, even The Gobblely Gooker debuted at Survivor Series 90. Still a memorable moment, even though its somewhat painful to watch Mean Gene and the Gooker "dance" for what seemed like forever. What about Survivor Series 88 when The Mega Powers were sole survivors of there team and see what, the late, great, Randy Savage later said that Hulk Hogan had "Lustful eyes" towards Elizabeth. When you watch Survivor Series 87 even today, you are watching something different. You never saw that many elimination tag team matches in one show.

Sadly, those days are over now. WWE still has The Survivor Series but not on Turkey Day anymore. Starrcade moved from Turkey Day to December in 1988 because of the Survivor Series. You cant even look towards Starrcade and think of the memories because those memories ended when WCW ended in 2001.
You do have TNA Impact Wrestling now. Thats just not the same. You could make the argument that TNA isnt really that good but thats for another blog. I watch TNA on Thanksgiving and I dont mind it but its not Starrcade or The Survivor Series. Remember when Smackdown was on Thurs. and there for would be on Thanksgiving night? I used to enjoy it but still its not Starrcade or The Survivor Series.

Will we see Thanksgiving night wrestling again? You never know. But who thought WCW would go under? Who thought Bret Hart would come back to WWE? Who thought Hart and Shawn Micheals would make peace after The Montreal Screwjob? But as long as we have DVD's and yes, even VHS tapes of those shows, those memories wont die. Thank God for youtube, Thank God for DVD's and VHS tapes and a special Thank God for WWE Classics on Demand. Without any of those things, are memories would be gone. And those memories are too good for them to go away.

Its Frustrating trying to Find a Job

If you have been living under a rock you know that the job market, the economy etc. is terrible right now. If you listen to the news, its not pretty. Especially with the holidays coming up and now Ive seen on the news that the jobs for the holidays are not there either. Holiday jobs are hard to come by. I was watching, I think NBC Nightly News and it said that Best Buy is actually cutting down jobs for the holiday season. I dont know the exact numbers but its declining.

To me, its very frustrating trying to find a job. I wish I could find something at least for the holiday season. It makes me very mad and aggravates me very much. Not to have money in your pocket sucks. I mean, I know Im not a rocket scientist or do I have many degrees. I have an Associates Degree in General Studies and I know thats not much but still. You would think someone would give me a break.

Two things that give me problems in getting in a job. One, the experience. All I see, and rightfully so, is you need experience to get a job. Thats all fine and well but dont you need, I dont know, the job, to gain experience. How can I get experience if KNOWONE hires me? That ticks me off. Second, the degrees. Can it be possible that EVERY job that I see needs a 4yr. degree? Or previous experience? Or a major AND a minor in something? Like I said, Im not a rocket scientist, but geez you would think a job would land my way.

So, if anyone sees a job that would fit me, please let me know. I like writing, I also would like to start my own business. A classic Sports channel or a classic Game Show channel or anything classic and vintage. Do you think the job market is going to change anytime soon? Is the job market getting better? Hell, is the economy getting any better? I mean, really, enough is enough.

Supermarket Edition

My rant here is to talk about things that bother me when I associate with supermarkets, groceries and groceries that are in the supermarkets.
Ok, you know what bothers me or honks me off about supermarkets?

I cant stand the fact that when Im trying to bag groceries, I start to do it, and then some bagger comes over and finishes my order. Whats that about? Maybe they should be there from the beginning of the order instead of interrupting me. Not only that, but they cram everything into one bag and makes harder for me to carry the bags!!! I dont know why they do that but they do it EVERY TIME!!!
How about false advertising. Now, I bought seedless red grapes last week. So what happens when I eat them?? They got seeds in them. Or how about when one thing is supposed to be one price and it turns out its more expensive then when it was to suppose to be.

You know what else bothers me. How come when you stand in line to leave the store and you put the groceries on the conveyer belt, how come its so small? I mean you have the conveyer belt, then that little space and then theres all the candy and gum and stuff. I mean you cant even move!!! And what about the aisles in the grocery stores?? They are way too small. They should be wider so you can have more room. I mean your literally elbow to elbow with people.

Am I reading too much into this whole supermarket rant?? I mean does anybody else feel this way like I do??

Do you know what honks me off...

I actually started a blog a few yrs. ago but stopped blogging for some unknown reason. Well, now Im going to try to have a blog and I hope you guys like it and read it. My title to this blog "Do you know what honks me off..." means somethings that I find aggravating.





Lets start with TV. I mean if you really look at TV, you will see that at least in my view, things are really getting my nerves. Lets state the obvious first. Reality TV. Look, I know people watch this and I will admit I watch a little bit of Reality TV but now its absurd. I mean how many reality tv shows can you have. Whose bright idea was to shove Reality TV down our throats? I also think that even though people watch, I think its one of those "we are not laughing with you, we are laughing at you". These shows are taking away from the tv sitcom and the game show and the soap opera. Those 3 genres that I just mentioned paved the way for these Reality shows. If the sitcom, game show, soap opera wasnt successful back in the old days, who knows where tv would be. I mean you look at these Reality TV shows and the people on them, do you think they know what Password is? How about Another World or Search for Tomorrow? What about Happy Days or even Leave it to Beaver? Do you think someone like Snooki knows about that? I mean believe or not there was good tv and there were great actors and actresses before 1996.





Something else that really bothers me is that your watching a TV show and all of a sudden these pop-up ads show up on your screen, reminding to watch this or watch that. I mean in the age of Internet, I-pad, I-phone, etc. you mean to tell me we cant look up to see what shows are on at what times? How do you think people did it 20 yrs. ago?





I would have to say something that really annoys me more than anything is having the closing credits to your TV shows basically cut for a plug, for you guessed it, a TV show that you probably know when its going to air anyway. So great themes like Happy Days, The Wonder Years and all the rest get chopped because the networks NEED to tell us about shows that are going to air, or about to air etc. Is it really necessary? I mean I like the fact that a channel like The Hub is showing Happy Days, The Wonder Years etc. I just find it annoying.





Do you guys have an opinion?Or is it just me?