Shane Life

There are lots of people in this world who have crappy parents. I am not one of those people. I am so blessed to have two people who have loved and supported me throughout my life in ways that I could never imagine nor ever repay. All I can say is thanks. Mom and Dad, you’ve been such a positive influence in my life and I’m so blessed to have been raised by you guys. I know that I wasn’t always the best or most-behaved, but hey, at least I wasn’t Jake.

While today is Mother’s Day, I just want to say thanks to both of you. Dad, thanks for always being so supportive and loving, even from across the globe at times. Mom, you’ve shown strength that I never could.

Happy Mother’s (and early Father’s) Day!

I’ve had a lot of discussions with my family lately regarding the best Christmas movies around. Before I start the list, it’s important for me to point out that while I’m a child of a modern era, I appreciate musicals and respect them. I’m basing my judgment purely on my own enjoyment.

Since it’s free OnDemand, I watched Holiday Inn with Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby — a movie that my dad claims should be near the top of the list. And it’s a cute movie…the singing and dancing are nice but outside of the nostalgia of the emergence of the song “White Christmas”, it didn’t knock me out. There’s also the added blackface offensiveness, which knocks it back a few notches.

So my list is unabashedly modern but, here’s my top 10 list:

1. A Christmas Story — I love Ralphie and the whole Red Ryder BB gun gang.
2. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation — Simply the funniest Christmas movie ever. It’s frankly one of the funniest movies of all-time. It’s the epitome of the Vacation movies. It’s a close contest between this and #1.
3. Elf — The best holiday movie released since Christmas Vacation. Will Ferrell is terrific in the role that defines his career – MAN BOY. James Caan is great as his crusty dad and the supporting cast do a wonderful job propping up Will Ferrell. Physical comedy and a creative story — all the makings of a great Christmas movie.
4. Die Hard — It occurs over Christmas, so it counts. It is the action movie that all other action movies are held up against.
5. Babes in Toyland — I remember this movie vividly from when I was a kid. Annette Funicello stars in an enjoyable movie that has people being miniaturized and sword fighting. Genius. Also, Ed Wynn as Toymaker.
6. John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together — It’s a TV movie, but the music is great. Some of the best Christmas songs of my memory.
7. Home Alone — I’m not a fan of all the subsequent sequels that followed, but the first one is genius. Macaulay Culkin before he went nuts. And if you didn’t cry the first time you saw the neighbor guy reunite with his granddaughter, you don’t have a soul.
8. The Holiday — Sure, it’s predictable (aren’t most romantic comedies?), but Jack Black is a delight and Cameron Diaz is surprisingly endearing. But the movie is worth seeing for Kate Winslet’s scenes with Eli Wallach.
9. Scrooged — A dark take on Dicken’s already dark Christmas Carol, modernized with Bill Murray, who my buddy Kevin once called “the bacon of Hollywood…he makes everything better”.
10. Love Actually — It’s probably a little overly complex…maybe a few too many characters and stories, but it seems to work. Hugh Grant is at his bumbling best and Liam Neeson’s scenes with his kid are great.

That’s right. No It’s a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street. These are my choices. They’re my opinion. They’re the flicks I like to watch during this time of year. What movies are your favorite to watch at Christmas?

3 years ago, my buddies had an idea. Since most of us were in town during the holidays and since most of us lived in either Gardner or Olathe we should have a football game on Thanksgiving weekend. Thus, the Gardner-Olathe Annual Turkey Bowl was born.

This year was the first year I was able to play. In 2006 I was in Council Bluffs with Alli and in 2007, I had just had that back thing happen to me and I wasn’t really in any state to play.

I had thought that my absence was perhaps the reason that Gardner had won back-to-back games. I learned today (as they went back-to-back-to-back) that Olathe SUCKS at flag football. Two hours later, I’m defeated, demoralized, cold, wet and REALLY tired.

But it was a lot of fun.

I figure, while I’m still young, I probably should take advantage and still play. My sore body would suggest otherwise.

I’ve got a lot to be thankful for and I try to remember that daily and not just because the pilgrims told me to.

On this day of Thanksgiving, I am thankful for:

• My beautiful, loving, talented wife. She’s my best friend and the first person I want to talk to in the morning and the last one I want to talk to at night.
• My awesome family. All of them, immediate and extended. My family is fantastic.
• My great friends. I’m blessed with a large group of great friends who are a lot of fun to be around. I’m looking forward to our Gardner-Olathe football game this Saturday.
• And so much more…

I hope that this day finds you healthy, thankful, and blessed. Thanks especially to those who serve our country overseas and cannot be with their families on this day.

Jennie O is running some commercials spoofing the difficulties with preparing a regular fresh or frozen turkey on Thanksgiving to sell their Oven Ready turkeys. They are both unbearably hilarious and yet really disgusting at the same time. Enjoy:

It’s a fitting close to this weekend.

Saturday turned out to be awesome. I woke up at 5 with the rain and lightning and was convinced we wouldn’t be able to golf. However, with some prayers, the weather cleared and by 10:00, the only thing we had to worry about at Royal Meadows was the wind.

Golfing was a lot of fun and then we joined some others for an 18-person poker tournament. But in order to give myself a challenge, I grilled 40+ cheeseburgers so Jake’s Man Day attendants would have something to nosh on.

The rest of Man Day was a blast. I finally had to call it a night at 12:30 shortly after I got everyone to the Brooksider. I hope everyone had fun.

Yesterday was a little more relaxed. We went to church, made lunch and I took a nice long nap. Last night, we spent some time at a friends’ house in their recently redone backyard, which made me insanely jealous to redo our backyard. We lazed around, watched the pilot of Iron Chef America from a few years ago, then turned in early.

It is, after all, Red Meat Day.

We’re going over to my parents’ house today. My dad returned from Dubai on Friday in time to ask me what I wanted to have for lunch today. He went and picked up my requested steak – a ribeye from McGonigals. So I’ll finally get to have what I missed for Jake’s birthday.

It’s back to the old grind today.

Since I used up all my vacation galavanting around Italy and France this summer with my lovely wife, I am working this week.

It should be a relatively slow week. We closed out a couple huge projects last week and I’m getting ready to ramp up some new ones for Q1.

I got some great presents for my birthday and Christmas from my whole fam. Lots of fun books and DVDs, gift cards, clothes…all good times. I’ve been wanting to get a MacBook for a while now and am now chomping at the bit since I have some money burning a hole in my pocket, but after running down to the Apple Store on the Plaza today, I’ve decided to wait until after MacWorld in January before I purchase anything…that way I’ll be in on the latest and greatest.

Did you get anything fun for Christmas?