Global Warming, Global Cooling, A Cuban, Electric Cars, Cheap Gas, and Happy Holidays

By:

The Dude on the Right

Oh the weather outside is frightful, or, well, it’s at least warmer, but as we are definitely going to have a white Christmas here in Chicagoland, I had to laugh at a lot of the comments on the radio when we were having the sub-zero temperatures about “Where is this global warming?”  Some pundit-types were using the cold weather to say, “See, Al Gore is wrong.  We don’t need to worry about the environment.  Everything is cyclical.  This year we might be global warming, next year we’ll be global cooling.  See, Al Gore is a dufus!”  Then there are the environmental types spinning that the cold weather is an affect of global warming because the environment is all out of whack.  Me, I don’t really know who to believe, all I know is that on TV yesterday I saw a news story about a Chinese company that is supposed to have an electric car, similar to the Chevy Volt, that is supposed to come out a couple years earlier, cost a bunch less, only won’t be as luxurious.  Me, I’m not that worried about the carbon emissions, my carbon footprint, or if I fart too much, what I do think is cool would be a car that pretty much doesn’t need gasoline, and somehow the Chinese are ahead of us in developing that car.

And that leads me to the loan offered to the auto manufacturers and a great post from Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, the won’t be owner of the Chicago Cubs because baseball owners are a bunch of dufi, but does write a nice blog where a few days ago he mentioned how Chrysler is toast because, well, what better way to waste money than to put a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal thanking America for, well, investing in Chrysler, “America’s Car Company” that used to be sort of a Mercedes Benz car company until the Benz people couldn’t even take it anymore.  My simple analysis is that the car companies are in this mess much the same way Motorola is in their cell-phone mess.  Motorola rested all of its laurels on the Razr line, not seeing that things are changing, and now no one gives a damn about the latest Razr phone.  The car companies have become just as complacent, resting on their laurels without seeing the innovation consumers want in order to buy a new car.  A little Chinese company might just show that even with the Chevy Volt coming out, a once mighty car company gets beaten to the punch by a company that sees car buying differently.

Than again, with gas prices around $1.50 a gallon again, who cares about electric cars anymore.

In any case, I’m just waiting for my BFF before we start our holiday celebrating, so I thought I would write about something, so why not mix global warming, the loans to the auto companies, and cheap gas all in one post.

Happy Holidays.

That’s it for this one! 
I’m The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

What’s New? A Podcast of: What’s for Dinner, It’s Cold, and No Stu :-(

Flying solo for a

"Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast
, The Dude on the Right only skips one thing he
was planning on talking with Stu Gotz about, so instead he just discusses them
with you, the listener.  Topics include a different take on your Holiday
dinner menu, how he liked "Yes Man," how he is sick of the cold weather even
though winter has just begun, and how he is looking forward to this Christmas
even though he won’t see any movies that day.  With The Dude from Illinois
he also talks a little Rob Blagojevich, some Chicago Bears, and upcoming
Christmas Day movie releases, but he does skip one story because that really is
one Stu will also be upset that he didn’t think of the idea, either.

What’s for Dinner, It’s Cold, and No Stu :-(

By:

The Dude on the Right

I’m blaming Mama Gotz for Stu not being able to join me for a

"Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast
, and I’m sure much to the delight (sarcasm
implied) of our staff member,
The
Mystery Dude
, I’m flying solo.  I don’t really change much of what I
was going to talk to Stu about, with such topics as alternate meal plans for
your Holiday dinner table, seeing the movie

"Yes Man,"
how cold it is here in Chicagoland, and Christmas is coming! 
Hooray!

I also wanted to discuss with Stu the myriad of movies opening this
Christmas weekend, with the likes of "The Curious Case of Mork from Ork," umm, I
mean, Benjamin Button, "The Spirit," "Valkyrie," "Marley & Me," and Adam Sandler
finding a desire to make a children’s movie, so he has "Bedtime Stories" coming
out.  What would a podcast from Illinois be without more talk of our
Governor, Rod Blagojevich, and even though the Chicago Bears didn’t play as of
podcast recording time, it’s still football season so why not some Bear talk,
too?

I am saving a "Why didn’t I think of that" moment for my next podcast
with Stu, so you’ve got that to look forward to.

So much
more, Holiday wishes to all of you, and as always,
thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one!  I’m The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

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A Missing Picture, A Mean Letter, but Thank You, and Here’s to 2009!

By:

The Dude on the Right

As
I have been getting a bit sentimental lately, coming on Christmas (did I ever
mention that I really love Robert Downey Jr’s version of
"River",
and him in

"Iron Man"
?), it’s been a season of happiness, sharing it with my new BFF as
well as old friends, and a season of sadness, being the first Christmas after
both my

Mom
and

Dad
died. In preparation for this blog post, well, I tried to do some quick
looking through old family photos for a picture of the Christmas tree we, or
mostly Mom, would put up, but sadly I couldn’t find one of the tree, a beautiful
tree – an artificial tree, white instead of green, some forty years old, with
some ornaments that were probably older than that, and Mom always put bubble
lights on the tree, and as kids we would each pick a bubble light, hoping ours
was the first to bubble. It also had normal-er sized bulbs, not those tiny bulbs
most trees have, some were blinky bulbs, and back in the day we would have the
train set up on the floor, on a sheet of plywood, that would drive the dog nuts!
In my searching I did, however, find some pictures of my first girlfriend, my
first car, Dad smoking a stogie, my fraternity brother Ken, one that my
brother’s girlfriend would get a kick out of, and some pictures of me I hope no
one ever see. I also found a copy of a letter I wrote to my sister that even I
have to admit was kind of mean, but sadly, no picture of that Christmas tree.
It’s not that they don’t exist, I know they do, and if I recall correctly, we
had a picture of it on the collage of photos at my Mom’s funeral, but I don’t
have the photos from that collage, and I don’t have days to search through the
boxes of family photos and negatives that I have, to find one.  Yet.

So,
without getting uber-sentimental, in the few days before Christmas this year,
all I can give you right now is a picture of my Christmas tree (filled with
ornaments thanks to my Mom), and wish all of you, no matter what you celebrate,
a nice end to 2008, and a 2009 filled with more joyness than sadness, more
loveness than hateness, and more smileness than frown-ness.

2008 has been a year of weirdness, but thankfully to all of you who visit,
and my friends, and my BFF, it’s also been a year of happiness through it all!

Here’s to 2009, and if it goes as I hope, it will really be a year of change!

That’s it for this one! 
I’m The Dude on the Right!!   L8R!!!

What’s New? A Movie Review of “Yes Man”

The
Dude on the Right went to see a movie and was worried it would be "Liar Liar"
revisited, but doing as he does,

he reviewed "Yes Man,"
and still likes Jim Carrey.  Surprisingly
enough it was actually a nice romantic comedy with Jim Carrey only being
slightly over-the-top, although during a scene when "Jumper" from Third Eye
Blind plays out, well, the limits were actually pushed, but still played out
funny.  For the most part, though, things are kept simple and happy, and
Zooey Deschanel is great as Allison, the romantic girl in the movie.  The
Dude is really worried that you will have to explain to your youngins why Jim
Carrey is, in the end, excited after he put up some shelves in his elderly
neighbor’s apartment, but just don’t tell your little ones why Grandpa is happy
when Grandma takes out her teeth.

What’s New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up! Lousy Audio, Airport Travels, A Polar Express, and An Abrupt Ending

So
The Dude on the Right ends up with some audio issues for

this podcast of "Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up!"
, but Stu Gotz powers on
trying to keep things flowing even if The Dude sounds like his microphone is
being hit by an electric storm.  They both do their best, however, to tell
you their take on the movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still," Stu Gotz got to
spend some quality family time with the Little Gotz’s and Mama Gotz at an
Enchanted Castle and on a Polar Express over the weekend, while The Dude regales
stories of going to New Jersey, a digital boarding pass, and why People Magazine
is worse than Playboy (although Stu has his own thoughts).  Some topics
don’t come up during this podcast, like why the dog in the picture is trying to
do The Dude’s hair, and that The Dude finally saw "It’s a Wonderful Life" from
start to finish.  Hopefully the next episode of the "Weekend Wrap-Up!" will
be audio-problem free!

Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up! Lousy Audio, Airport Travels, A Polar Express, and An Abrupt Ending

By:

The Dude on the Right

Our
"Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast
gets off to a smashing start, with my not
being able to speak and Stu Gotz reminding me that it was a Honda in

"The Day the Earth Stood Still,"
but for some reason my headset starts
going haywire, thus leading to some strange sounding audio and an apologetic
ending.  But in the meantime we did get to talk about some things.  I
got to tell Stu about my trip to New Jersey where I used my iPhone as my
boarding pass, how People Magazine is disgusting, and while he tells me about
his trip to
Enchanted
Castle
with the Little Gotzes, well, I let Stu know that I’ve been there
as well when I was in college.  Stu’s weekend was all about being with Mama
Gotz and the Little Gotzes, with said trip to the Castle, but even more in step
with Christmas was a ride on The Polar Express, a train ride in Illinois to The
North Pole, or maybe just Aurora, complete with Santa and some hot looking
elves.

Since our podcast is cut short a bit, I was unable to tell Stu about my
watching "It’s a Wonderful Life," nor give a shout-out to my BFF’s sister and
family, nor let Stu know that I have a visitor for part of the week, who likes
to do my hair and it’s not my BFF.  I guess the picture here will have to
do.

So much
more, a little less, but as always,
thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one!  I’m The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Download and Listen Subscribe Here

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What’s New? A Movie Review of: The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Dude on the Right is slowly getting back into a routine, a routine with
newness, a routine with oldness, but thankfully the routine includes

a movie review of "The Day the Earth Stood Still."
  The Dude
isn’t sure if he should have included a lame-ass movie like "The Day the Earth
Stood Still" in the new routine he is trying to develop, but good movies or
crappy movies, he’s always going to tell you what he thinks.  The simple
hint is that he loved Keanu Reeves as Ted Theodore Logan, loved Keanu Reeves as
Neo, but as Klaatu, his loving Keanu Reeves isn’t so much.  Go and see the
movie for John Cleese and Jaden Smith, or maybe rent the original.

What’s New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up! A Fraternity Dinner, TV Talk, and Girls in Skimpy Outfits

The Dude on the Right shirked his duties for a few days to reunite with some
friends from his fraternity days, and since Stu Gotz was also a friend in The
Dude’s fraternity days, and since friends came in from near and far, for this

"Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast
, Stu & The Dude reminisce a bit, reflect on a
weekend with friends, and aren’t really sorry that they can’t party any more
like it’s 1999.  And as they reflect on a weekend of getting together with
old friends, they don’t forget new things, like the Chicago Bears beating a
different football team, Stu seeing some old movies like "Bring It On," "Stick
It," and "The Day the Earth Stood Still," and they both love TV, with The Dude
really loving "Chuck," even if it is very predictable, and Stu eagerly awaiting
the return of "Battlestar Galactica" to the TV airwaves.

Who knows what they’ll talk about next?

Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up! A Fraternity Dinner, TV Talk, and Girls in Skimpy Outfits

By:

The Dude on the Right

Back from an extended weekend of fun with old friends, well, most of this

"Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast
is about Stu and I getting together with
friends that we have been friends with for over twenty years, mostly thanks to
our fraternity days in a place called Theta Xi.  We’ve been having these
Christmas (or P.C. correct "Holiday") parties for years, and as the years are
going by, most of us don’t have the stamina to party until closing time anymore. 
Instead, well, we find ourselves tired and just decide to head back to our hotel
rooms and go to bed.

The years have also brought about some change in
locations for food and drink, where
"English"
has taken the place of "Hooters," for lunch on Friday, for some
reason we seem to like
"Reagle Beagle,"
and a festive dinner happened at
"Tavern at the Park"
where people came in from Florida, New Jersey, Minnesota, and places around the
world, or at least around Chicago.

We also talk about the Chicago Bears, TV (I
really like the show "Chuck,") and Stu and Mama Gotz caught up on old movies
like "Bring It On," "Stick It," and the really old (yet coming this weekend new)
"The Day the Earth Stood Still," while Stu is worried about the Jim Carrey movie
coming out, "Yes Man," namely that it might suck because of all of the publicity
it is getting.

So much
more, so much less, but as always,
thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one!  I’m The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!

Download and Listen Subscribe Here

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