Hi everyone! Feeling mostly better today. The weekend was a good one. I feel like it's been a baby weekend with all the younguns I've hung out with.

Thursday night I went to that music worship night. I'm really not into the contemporary worship scene, so when they wanted to stand the entire time, sang all songs I'd never heard of, couldn't coordinate the powerpoint with the singing, had misspelled words in the powerpoint, improvised a lot, and repeated a lot, I kind of lost focus. I lasted through an hour-and-a-half of singing and had to retreat. When I did, I saw a girl who recently left my work to be a mom and got to meet her baby, Samuel. He was a mellow boy.

Friday night Ric wanted to take it easy because he had to work the next day. We went to the grocery store to buy items that the delivery man missed last week. I made chocolate chip cookies and mudslides for Ric, and we watched a good portion of Arrested Development season 1. We try to watch the whole show 1-2 times a year. It's good for laughter.

Saturday I didn't feel like chores, so I rescued my sister from having a meal with the old folks (my parents and grandma) and we went to see The Lives of Others in Brea, then went shopping for clothes at the Buffalo Exchange in Fullerton. I got a shirt for 4 bucks! We went to the La Habra ranch market after that, and then I headed home to relax before the big night - Name That Tune at my alma matter, where Josh is the band leader. I got to sit with Wendy and the kids and a few family and friends of hers. Cosette was so cute, just smiling the whole night, and Conner was funny because he was on and off with the energy because he was sick. Anyway, I won the raffle and got VIP Clippers tickets, so we're headed to that tonight. I also bid on a couple of auctions and won some VIP Kings tickets and a Casino Royale hat and keychain for Ric. By the time I got home from that, Ric was still driving home from work, and when he got back, we headed to the Golden Brique (local dive-bar) for some drinks. The server was funny. She'd never heard of some pretty simple drinks.

Sunday we went to church and got to meet baby Emily, finally! Little girl is blonde like dad. Colin and Liz seem to be easing into parental life well enough. We met up for dinner later on and got to hear all about Emily and Colin's military plans. It's always fun to see them. I finally gave them all their gifts that had been sitting in my car since Emily was born, which they loved. Ric and I retreated home and had more mudslides with popcorn and Arrested Development.

This week looks to be a busy one - Clippers game tonight, hanging out with Ric's visiting brother Tuesday and Wednesday, Friday dinner with my family, and more to come! I'm tired just thinking about it, but it's a good tired.

When The Flaming Lips released a surround sound DVD of The Soft Bulletin last year, their record label made a mistake. The DVD was supposed to come with a CD of the new and definitive track order of the album. Many of the initial copies, however, came with the original US version of the CD.

The band took it upon themselves to personally correct the error, informing fans that if they would send their CDs to the group's PO Box in Oklahoma City, they would receive in the mail a replacement disc and a personalized letter from bassist Michael Ivins.

I put off doing this for a long time, but a couple of months ago I finally did it. Today I received the CD and the promised note. I was expecting just a few words: something like, "Sorry for the mix-up, thanks for being a loyal fan. Michael." Instead I was treated to a full-length letter, reproduced below. (Click on the image for a larger version)

IESB.net - Independent Entertainment News - IESB Exclusive: Mark Wahlberg as Duke in Live Action G.I. Joe?!

OMFG, it's like they read my mind.

The movie is said to be set before the rise of the COBRA organization, the film will show how the man the world will one day call Cobra Commander created his terrorist organization and honed it into a worldwide threat. Other COBRA characters, such as Destro and Stormshadow, are being planned to be included in the film. As for who is on the JOE team, look for appearances by the team's main players, such as Duke, Hawk and Snake Eyes.

I really think if done properly, this could be really awesome. Casting Mark Wahlberg as Duke is a great first step. We discussed this on one of the podcasts, but I have some casting choices. I mean, really, the possibilities are endless. Someone like Bruce Willis as an aging General Hawk. Samuel L. as Roadblock. Tony Jaa as Quick-Kick. Keira Knightly as Scarlett or Lady Jaye. Bruce Campbell as Shipwreck. And of course, The Sarge could have some kind of cameo. I know he's getting old, but you can't have a G.I. Joe movie without him.