Call Me Slacker

Holy crap! It's been about 2 weeks since my last post, and guilty I do indeed feel. The main culprit, I hate to admit it, has been my new job. I don't care whatever's your gig, I think the first week at any job could be at times one of the most helpless feelings on Earth, like a young fawn being thrusted into a new world, without a damn clue which way is up. I don't care how much experience you have, having to ask someone how to get to the restroom is a humbling feeling wherever you are. Although I was unofficially already working for my new employers since I gave notice at the end of July, it wasn't until Tuesday did I finally get email access. During my first week, it took me until Wed. to find the main kitchen where they keep the good coffee, until Thursday to figure out the quickest way to the bathroom, and by the time Friday came around, I was planning a trip to the LA office to meet my new West Coast colleagues, and have to learn where the coffee and shitter is all over again.

Between getting settled in at the new job, working toward launching my company's website in three weeks (hint- "Get Ready, 'Cuz Here We Come!", ramping up training for the Marine Corps Marathon now two months away, training for a NY adventure "Urbanathlon" race one month away, and trying to pretend I know what I'm doing for my NFL fantasy draft which is this Thursday, I'm a freaking mess.

Luckily during this madness, I have the luxury of media entertainment to keep my mind ignorant for a few moments each day. Here are some highlights from the past two weeks.

Dead Rising out for Xbox 360- Another reason I give myself to go out already and buy this console. Is there someone else out there like me who follows the video game community so regularly, yet hardly has time to play any games? If I can hold out three months longer, I can make a conscious decision whether to pick up a PS3 or a 360. Mark my words though, by Christmas I will own one of these lovely time suckers.

Little Miss Sunshine- Can you say "My Big Fat Disfunctional Family"? Just saw this over the weekend while celebrating with my wife our 6th anniversary. Yes, sixth! Good, original, grown-up movie- though there were two middle aged hippy/yuppie-like folk in the row in front of us that were laughing a little too hard during some scenes that were funny, but not that funny, which made the scene even less funny than that, if that makes sense.

The Ultimate Fighter 4- the Comeback- more blood, more kamuras, more fun. This time with veterans trying to win a shot at the title. Physical competition at its finest.

Entourage- Yes, I'm a sad sack for not having HBO and am living life with a huge void in it, but that's why there's Netflix, right? I'm catching up on Season 1 and it's actually pretty entertaining- light comic fare if you will, considering from an outsider's perspective prior to watching the show, all of these guys seem like huge dicks. Which is not far from the truth, but they are entertaining to watch.

The US Open- Always an enjoyable time watching bald oldies like Agassi try to enter retirement on a high note. Did you catch his battle over some dude Pavel last night?

The Emmys- Conan brung to this often banal awards show what Billy Crystal brungeth to the Oscars in his heyday- one of a kind, hilarious, well-produced spoofs:

Muay Thai Fighting + Chicks = Good Television

I don't think I've ever watched a single show on the Oh! network, also known as Oxygen, until tonight. After watching Chef Ramsey give the ol' heave ho' to K-Grease/Big Boy Keith on Fox's Hell's Kitchen, while flipping though the dial looking for my next show, I by pure chance found this great documentary called Fight Girls. This two hour program follows the lives of seven American female Muay Thai fighters selected from across the country to train and compete to be one of three representing the U.S. in an exhibition tournament in the Muay Thai capital of the world, Thailand. From the first few minutes of the show, I got the impression that these girls had too much make-up on to survive in the ring, but I was surprised to see how in shape and skilled they were at throwing knees, elbows and fists for three rounds.

If you want to impress your girlfriend or wife by suggesting a show on Oxygen that the two of you can actually watch together, here's your shot. How often does that happen? Just know that the show following it is likely either the Tyra Banks or the Ellen Degeneres Show, so you want to immediately avoid that crap and move onto ESPN as soon as the credits roll.

Encores air Aug. 13th at 3pm ET and 18th at 2pm ET.