New York City. Washington DC. Wrestling. (Yay?)

This post is nearly three months over due. Too bad. Been busy.


In December I took a trip to good ole New York City for Ring of Honor's Final Battle PPV. I went with a normal riding partner, Scott, and a couple of other friends who I have never traveled with before, Jay and Frank.

It was a quick trip. Out on a Thursday, with a small detour to Pottsfield, PA to pick up another rider, and into NYC on Friday for the Ring of Honor Final Battle 2012 event, and back out on the road. It was Christmas weekend and people had to get back home. It makes the trip difficult.

The event just didn't live up to the expectations I had hoped for. It was a solid card, but not worth driving out there for. I would have been just as happy watching it on PPV. With our short turn around not a lot of time was spent with friends for the East Coast either. Only a few short hours.

There was a time when I didn't want to miss a single show and did everything possible to get there. Those days are gone. I'm content with the handful of events I can get to each year. The product has changed. Maybe I have too.

And as I've stated before, it's far more about the friendships made over the years and not the wrestling.



A couple of short weeks later, my friend Greg invited everyone out to lovely home in the Washington DC area. Part of the deal was going to the Ring of Honor TV taping in Baltimore on Saturday. I needed a true vacation. A place just to relax and hang for a couple of days. And it was my birthday. So my usual traveling partner, Scott, and myself hopped in the "Freedom mobile" aka my Jeep Patriot and headed East.

We arrived in good time on Friday afternoon. This was a smaller gathering and only about ten of the normal group came, all arriving at different points throughout the day. Greg, being the generous host he always is, had a loose plans surrounding Saturday's wrestling event. The plans on Friday changed. We ended up eating some awesome Chinese food and sitting around drinking all night. Great conversations with great people. Life's finer pleasures.

Saturday morning came bright and early. My buddy Larry woke up shortly after me and we decided to take a walk around the town of Chevy Chase. A couple of hours, a few miles, and a coffee stop later we get back. We all get cleaned up and we all head to Dave and Buster's to play some video games. Honestly, I really didn't want to go, but decided what the hell. A couple of hours later it was back to Greg's to get ready for wrestling.

A short time later we all headed out to Baltimore. This was my first RoH TV tapings. I was a little hesitant at first, since they do four shows in one session. The show began I was in the front row banging away and having a blast. By the end of the night it ended up being one of the best wrestling events I've been to awhile. A fun night and wrestling card from top to bottom.

We all got back to Greg's late and chowed down on some leftover Chinese, had a few more drinks, and more conversation into the wee hours of the morning.

Sunday arrived too early, but we had to get back. Scott and me loaded back into the Jeep and headed back home. We took a route I've never driven before, through the handle of Maryland through West Virginia and into Ohio.

It was a long day. I got home, unpacked, and crashed. Work comes on Monday morning.







Observations of an Illogical Mind by www.seankimmel.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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A general update

I've been lazy on updating this part of the website. That's bad since it's the main part. So much time has been put the Fringes of Horror Blog, work commitments and personal life that I fail to have the time, energy, or thought to write anything.

I need to change that part of the website. Make a commitment to post every week. Get more personal with what I write. I need to update the site as well. Soon.


Heading out to Baltimore at the end of the week for work. I'll have a couple of free evenings. And I get to spent St. Patrick's Day out there. If anyone from the area, throw me suggestions.

Then it's off to Miami. The what is turning into the yearly gathering of friends from across the globe... for wrestling. It will be fun.

TTFN.
And stay classy San Diego. Or where ever your hat is hung.




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Favorite Horror Films of 2011

I enjoy checking out "best of" lists though I dont like the term. Really these lists are more based on personal favorites. So with that, here are my favorite horror films of 2011. Please keep in mind that I have yet to see a few released this year.

My Favorites

A Horrible Way To Die
A unique spin on the sub-genre with an ending I never saw coming. A slowly paced movie with a great payoff. It's sort of is the anti-serial killer movie



Attack the Block
One of my top two movies of the year. A great story with a gang of South London youths battling attacking aliens. It's funny, gory, and just an all around great flick.



Black Death
Released in the US via V.O.D. this year, so I put it on my list. Plague, witches, faith, and gore just add to this incredible powerful tale about a group of knights who come to a remote village that has yet to be touched by the Black Death.



Cold Fish
An original serial killer film which sees a father battle wits with a the killer then slowly transforms into a variation of the killer.



Dead Hooker In the Trunk
An exploitation flick about a pair of twins and their friend who find a dead body in the trunk of their car. Insert a killer and a religious cult and the fun never ends.



Dream Home
A Hong Kong based movie that sees a woman go to the ultimate extreme to get the house see desires.



Hobo With a Shotgun
An over the top exploitation movie where a hobo gets revenge on those who done him wrong. Ruther Hauer has never been better.



I Saw the Devil
This cop chasing a serial killer movie from Korea has so many twists and turns in it. The three hour running time flies by. A must see.



Insidious
A ghost story told in a unique way. It was original and intense enough I can forgive the ending.



The Last Circus
This movie from Spain has to be seen to be believed. It's about the journey of a clown and ends up with a violent outcome.



Rare Exports
The legend of Santa Claus is revealed to be not what we all thought after a drilling finds out the truth. An entertaining all around movie.



Red State
Based on the performance of Michael Parks alone. He chews up scenery like a madman. John Goodman aint bad either.
The story took me off guard, basically about a religious cult who lures sinners into their realm for salvation, which made me enjoy it more.



Super 8
A fine movie about a a group of kids and an angry alien trying to get home. Brought me back to my youth and has plenty of scares.



Stakeland
Despair is thick in the apocalyptic vampire tale. The movie had me hook from the beginning.



Trollhunter
Such a cool movie and so damn original. Part found footage movie and part a tale of a man who hunts trolls for the government.



Tucker and Dale vs Evil
Another one of my top two movies of the year. This blends comedy and over the top gore with ease as a pair of hillbillies battle a group of college kids. It turns the sub-genre upside down and is perfect.



We Are What We Are
A movie about a family of cannibals who are forced to provide for themselves after their father dies. A very interesting flick.



YellowBrickRoad
It ends up being a convoluted at the end which is a shame because but the set up and mystery surround the events are the basis of longstanding lore.








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Indianapolis Colts 2011 Season Recap

2-14

I did not ever expect this season to go so terribly.

2-14.

I predicted close to 8 wins. I really thought it was possible. The Colt's proved me wrong. There are zero excuses to be made. The one thing this franchise proved is Peyton Manning is good for 9 wins a season.

This team was lead by clueless coaching from a staff who has never really had to coach a game. Clyde Christensen certainly proved he couldn't call the offense. And Jim Caldwell proves over and over how to make poor decisions during a game. Dont even get me started on Larry Coyer and his defensive calls. At least the group showed a little spark after Murphy took the helm.

The Polian's need to take their share of the blame. I admire Bill Polian greatly. Without him, this franchise could have easily had Ryan Leaf and Ricky Williams and many years of ineptitude. Instead, he helped make Indianapolis a football city. But the last few season his evaluation of talent has been off. And it has led to lack of quality depth.

Above those things, this team seemed to quit. They appeared to simply give it up when Peyton wasn't coming back.

And now, the first pick in the 2012 draft. Again. With big time, franchise decisions to be made. Keep Peyton? Cut Peyton? Will Peyton be healthy? Draft Luck? Sit Luck? Fire Caldwell? Fire Polian? OK, that one just happened.

One thing is for certain. I will still cheer for this team regardless. I like the thought of another franchise QB and surrounding him with parts and upgrades to be successful. I also never want to see Peyton Manning in another uniform. Especially one in the AFC.

It will be an interesting off season.





Observations of an Illogical Mind by www.seankimmel.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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My Grandmother

This is one of the most personal blogs I've written. It has to do with my Grandmother, her health, and how the situation affects my younger sister and myself who are the primary caregivers and only direct next of kin. Grandma is 84 years old. With the exception of heart issues and hearing loss, she has always been in good health.

Things started to change about this time last year. She started having nightmares. Vivid ones where she thought animals were attacking her in the night. She'd wake up with bloody arms from "fighting them off". The doctor couldn't figure out what was the cause. Then she started doing out of character things like locking the door and shutting the shades during the day. After a few weeks she decided to go to a nursing care facility until the situation got straightened out. After a month and some medication alterations, the nightmares went away. Still the doctor had no clue and assumed it was high anxiety. So back home she went for the rest of winter.

Things were fairly normal until March of this year. Just some memory loss, which I assumed was normal. Then she started complaining of hip pain. She scheduled an appointment with a specialist. On the morning of the appointment she fell while getting ready. My cousin came to pick her up and found her on the bedroom floor. Her ankle was dangling from her foot, hanging by only skin. The ambulance took her to the hospital where she had successful surgery. After a week in the hospital it was off to nursing home for rehabilitation.

The process ended up being about three and half months. She recovered but would now have to use a walker because the doctor felt she could no longer support her weight in a safe manner. We did a few home modifications to help the situation and my sister decided to move in with her for a few weeks to see how she managed.

All of three days later she fell again. This time is was a hairline fracture in her pelvis. Back to the nursing home for rehab. After about two weeks the nurses started noticing personality changes, as did I. She started becoming mean and hostile towards the staff refusing to do exercises or get out of bed. When I would visit and try to confront her about the behavior she'd get emotional, cry, and complain. The nurses stated it looked like early signs of dementia but could just be the trauma catching up with her mentality. It took about about a month and half, about twice as long as it should have, but she was released and back home.

Afterwards, Grandma continued to show behavior unlike her normal self. We made an appointment to get her tested for dementia. The doctor confirmed what we suspected. She had early stages of dementia. Certain tasks she could no longer perform such as drive, handle her finances, and use the stove. But she was still capable of making normal decisions on how to carry out her day. At this point she doesn't need twenty-four hour care. My sister decided to move in to assist her with daily activities she cant do herself. My part is visiting when I can and handling her finances.

That was four months ago. The whole situation has been a struggle for all three of us. We've watched a fiercely independent woman turn into a person who refuses to make any decision. Not to mention the constant repetitiveness, contradictions to her statements, and asking questions to which she already knows the answers. Part of this the disease. Part is her way of lashing out at us since we're now the authority figures. My sister and I believe this because acts fairly normal around her friends and other family members.

Tension is now running at an all time high in the household. My sister is at the end of her patience and I can sympathize with her. I also feel badly for Grandma. I cannot image the struggle she must go through knowing her mind is slipping. I do know that something needs to change soon. The current living situation is not working any more.

Personally my stress level is over the top. My Grandma lives an hour away and I'm making multiple trips to her house during the week which plays havoc on my work schedule and leaves me little free time. Plus I'm fielding several phone calls a day while trying to play mediator and explain the same things over and over to her. It is emotionally draining me. As the Power of Attorney my fear is I need to put her into a nursing care facility or assisted living much sooner than I thought. I had hoped for another year or more, but my Grandma's seemingly selective behavior combined with my sister's inability to be a live in caregiver may force my hand. It tears me up inside.

I honestly do not know what to do.




I hope none of you ever have to deal with a loved one with any form of dementia.





Observations of an Illogical Mind by www.seankimmel.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.