2 Comments, Comments, Comments

To all of our readers, Since we currently have only one super fan who makes all of the comments, the one and only Ed. F., we at Jamie Dixon Cider feel it is necessary, in the words of the great 90's rap duo Tag Team,1 to say "Party on party people let me hear some noise.  There's a party over here.  A party over there. Wave your hands in the air.  Shake your derriere.  These three words when you're gettin' busy.  Whoomp there it is!"  aka in non-Tag Team-speak, MAKE COMMENTS.  Make them early, often and late.  The comments don't have to be insightful or long or valuable or even positive....

1 The 14 Days of Christmas Songs... The Epic Conclusion

As I mentioned in a previous countdown day, having a daily countdown proved to be harder than I thought.  All the Christmas hustle and bustle with errands and shopping and all that jazz didn't make it any easier.  All excuses I know.  But it's time to finish off the countdown with one huge flurry of Christmas Songs! Starting off the top 5, we have a tie at numbers 5 and 4 for Santa Claus is Coming to Town by the Jackson 5 and Bruce Springsteen. Both versions are so awesome that each gets a spot.  You have the awesome Motown sound of Jackson 5 and the incomparable all-American rock song of the Boss.  All I know is you...

0 Top 10 Twitter Accounts

I am a big fan of Twitter. It is an extremely useful tool, a great way to stay on top of things and a good place for aggregation of information. Additionally, you dont have the same annoying things that you by now have come to expect with facebook. It's simple, streamlined and a great conduit. I follow about 350 accounts on Twitter which are all over the map. News services, fantasy baseball information, fake parody accounts; it runs the gamut. So without further ado, here are my 10 twitter accounts to follow, in no particular order, with some included rationale. 10: @Dadboner I can't say enough about Karl Welzein from Grand Blanc...

0 The 14 Days of Christmas Songs... Number 6

I've realized daily countdowns are harder than you think they would be.  It can be hard coming up with witty descriptions for Christmas songs day after day.  But the show must go on.  Every countdown deserves to be fully completed.  Hopefully the Mayans don't try to interfere with ending the world.  That would probably be a bummer right? So onto the countdown, at number 6 Wonderful Christmas Time by Paul McCartney... ...

8 Best Movies of 2001

Here's the much anticipated best movies of 2001 showdown... Sean: Good lord. Talk about your dregs. This was a bad year for film. Many of the movies that were nominated for or won Academy Awards I did not see or I did not think were noteworthy. I was never going to see Gosford Park or Moulin Rouge, and I thoughts the Lord of the Rings movies were idealized fluff that were far too long. With the benefit of hindsight, Lord of the Rings would have made a great miniseries in the same vein as Game of Thrones. But perhaps you needed a Lord of the Ring to make a Game of Thrones (and GOT is way too violent and sexualized for a major cinema release).  However,...

0 Star Trek Into Darkness Trailer Breakdown

Oh man, I was just looking at recent posts on the blog and if you just took a causal glance you'd think we were a Christmas song blog.  But, that's far from the truth.  We have lots of other random and less than useful things to rant about, which you can see in the flurry of posts today.  So now onto the first in a never ending series of trailer breakdowns because who doesn't love a good trailer.   The Star Trek reboot or rewhatever from 2009 was beyond big time.1  *Spoiler Alert* it might just end up my pick for film of 2009, if we ever get to that point. But here is a breakdown of the recent teaser-trailer.2 1....

0 The Best Movie (Album) of 2012

For the last 5 or 6 years, the popular trend has been to write a year in review column or column(s), talking about the best of every category that the writer has experienced that year. That is way too ambitious for me, but I think I can nibble a little bit at the edges and talk about some of the best things I have experienced during 2012. So without further ado, here is my best movie suggestion for 2012. Author's Note: I had to go back and look and see what movies were actually released in 2012. Due to my failure to see many movies in the theater combined with the paltry showing from earlier in the year, this post is going to be about music. The...

0 Fantasy football

Fuck fantasy football. It's the worst. Arbitrary bullshit where only a modicum of skill is required. Sundays are ruined. I don't root for the Vikings anymore, I root for the players on my fantasy team. What the fuck is that? What's the point of having a tribalistic attachment to a team based on a geographic boundary if I don't even follow through on it? So I am throwing in the towel and quitting fantasy football. Fantasy baseball enhances a sport which can be boring at times to watch whereas fantasy football only takes away from the actual sport. You can make the argument that fantasy football means that tonight's dog shit Jets-Titans game is...

0 The 14 Days of Christmas Songs... Number 7

The Christmas song countdown is starting to get into the heavy hitters.  At number 7, we have the Christmas Song by Nat King Cole.  I'm not sure there has been anyone quite as cool, as classy or as smooth as Nat King Cole.  Although it's been said many times and many ways, Merry Christmas to you... By the way Chappelle's Show had an awesome clip with Nat King Cole... Comedy Central Completely unrelated to Christmas, but Chappelle's Show was beyond big time.  So many classic skits and so many references that are still used today.  Sure, that might make me sound old but the show is still really funny and is...

0 The 14 Days of Christmas Songs... Number 9 and Number 8

Just a quick weekend update for the Christmas song countdown... At number 9, we have the best version of Jingle Bells out there by the one and only Mr. Frank Sinatra.  Who doesn't love those J I N G L E bells? At number 8, another all time classic White Christmas by Bing Crosby.  No explanation needed... &nb...

0 The 14 Days of Christmas Songs... Number 11 and Number 10

Many apologies for missing the countdown on Thursday.  I'm sure my many devoted readers or reader if they exist were heart broken yesterday.  Sadly, the real world of actual work1 and a pointless continuing legal education class2 meant I was very short on time to blog.  But don't worry!  I'm back today with a double header to make up for missing yesterday. Coming in at Number 11 is Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon.  Obviously a classic... Next at number 10 is Little Drummer Boy by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band.  This is by far the best and definitive version of Little Drummer Boy by an...

0 The 14 Days of Christmas Songs... Number 12

Coming in at number 12 in the countdown is Little Saint Nick by the Beach Boys.  Classic song by a classic American rock band. Doesn't get much better than that... ...

0 The 14 Days of Christmas Songs... Number 13

Even though my fellow blogger hates Christmas music and has a long standing feud against Christmas for valid reasons, I'm not going to let his negativity seep into my positivity. Although, he better watch out Fox News might declare him to be a head terrorist in the war against Christmas.  Christmas music might be cheesy, sentimental and over-the-top at times, but it is still awesome because any song can instantly make you think of fun time you had in the past when it was playing. So coming in at number 13 is an oldie but a goodie, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee with a bonus Christmas light show... By the way I can...

0 Christmas Music

I hate it. Can't stand the stuff. With two exceptions. The two best Christmas songs EVER are Alvin and the Chipmunks "Christmas Don't Be Late" and Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You I dare you to name a better song. Your only argument that might sway me would be something from the Home Alone soundtra...

0 The 14 Days of Christmas Songs... Number 14

After watching DMX sing perhaps the finest version of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, I've become inspired to have my own countdown of the best Christmas songs. I'm only limiting the countdown to Christmas songs, sorry Adam Sandler, but his Hanukkah song is still awesome with classic lines like, "You dont need Deck the Halls or Jingle Bell Rock Cause you can spin a dreidel with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock--both Jewish!" and "O.J. Simpson--not a Jew!" So coming in at number 14 is Last Christmas by Wham! Words can't describe how big time this video is... The 80s at its finest...   ...

0 The Best Movies of 2000

Because we have a wealth of movie knowledge, love talking about movies and the Academy Awards are horrible, we have decided to go year-by-year discussing what we each thought were the best movie or movies of the year.  No point system or some arbitrary ranking system, just two dudes B.S.'ing and making random arguments   If you think we messed up, are completely insane or left a movie out, comment and add to the conversation...  Marty: Wow, 2000 was a weird year for movies.  The top grossing movie was that horrible Grinch movie staring Jim Carrey and Scary Movie finished in the top 10.  However, 2000 is...

1 Revenge is a dish best served on TV

A couple days ago, I was looking for something to watch on my streaming Netflix and in my very random  recommended section was the TV series Revenge.1 I heard some things (not sure if the things were good or not) about the show and I clicked on it figuring worst-case I stop watching after 5 minutes and best case it is good enough to distract my roommate Emily and it causes her to lose to me in Scrabble. However, I soon realized I was wrong because the show is so amazingly ridiculous and over-the-top that it is great to watch. 8 episodes later it continues to be so over-the-top. The basic plot for Revenge is that the...

0 The Hunt

I have been looking for a new job since I knew I was moving to New York. With a brief 4 month hiatus for bar exam preparation and taking, I have been combing the electronic streets of the internet, looking for a job that I am qualified for. At the least, I have been looking for something to get me out of the house. It has been nice to have the luxury of working remotely/from home for the past 10 months, but the allure has worn off. I miss human contact (quite the revelation for an anti-social agoraphobe like me) and I miss the sense of purpose that comes with working. I also would not mind getting paid the going rate for NYC versus Pittsburgh....

0 Happy Holidays

I feel like it's been forever since I have written anything, and looking at the post timeline it has been quite some time. It's hard around the holidays, especially if you are travelling, to keep up to date with blogging. I would feel like a bum or like I was ignoring family if I was sitting there typing away about the weather, about Black Friday or about how the best part of thanksgiving dinner is stuffing (which it is). But now that I have a 3 week hiatus from vacation, I would like to opine about worthless stuff such as books, movies, food, sports, and pop culture tidbits like Taylor Swift's new bf de jo...

0 Thanksgiving Hiatus

Thanksgiving ended up being a difficult time for the Jamie Dixon Cider.  All my homemade apple sauce making and random family activities really cut into my rant making and random thought writing.  I'll be back soon with some nonsense... And to get everyone into the Holiday spirit, a clip from the best man in late night Jimmy Fallon......

0 The Greatest Elimination ever...

This past week on the Challenge, there was the greatest elimination showdown ever. Undersized, love note writing CJ vs. arena football player, HGH using, Thor looking Zach, in a simple game that involved running through each other in a narrow corridor.  You would think that the huge football player would have won easily, but not so fast.  CJ did the impossible and won three straight times and came so close to pulling off the greatest upset ever.  It really needs to be watched to be appreciated.  Now would be the perfect time to include a clip, but it is basically impossible to find any good highlights of the Challenge online....

0 "The Passage"

I just finished The Passage, a post-apocalyptic novel by Justin Cronin. I am not exactly sure how I got turned onto it but I had just finished Cloud Atlas and I was looking for a new fiction book to read. The book is a lengthy read, clocking in at a little under 900 pages, but it went by pretty fast and I finished it in a little over a week. The plot focuses around a virus that the U.S. Army is developing and modifying to create a new super-soldier. Predictably, things go horribly wrong and the test subjects (death row inmates with nothing to lose) are turned into vampire like creatures with enhanced physical and mental powers who infect other...

0 Pitt is it

So I'm following my label-mate, and writing a post about Pitt basketball because I can't think of anything clever or unique. I am going to do a game by game prediction, but not venture into any post-season prognostications. So without further ado, here are my predictions. I am going to start with the first Big East game, since its hard to guess for the early season tournaments and most if not all of the non-conference games are cupcakes. Monday, Dec. 31 *CINCINNATI (ESPN2) Petersen Events Center Noon  WIN (Cincy is a team to watch and Cronin is doing good things. However, the home court advantage, even with Pitt on winter break will carry...

0 Pitt Basketball, I wish I knew how to quit you.

I am the eternal optimist when it comes to Pitt Basketball.  No matter how heart breaking of a loss, I always come back for more. Of the few times that my tear ducts have worked in my adult life, one was caused by the ending of this Pitt game: Ugh. Then there was Pitt vs. Butler in the NCAA tournament, which had probably the dumbest foul in the history of basketball. Ugh. Then last year a CBI-Zebra Pen Championship. Ugh.   Nonetheless, I'm back again this year.  But will this year be any different? This year's team is loaded with what you need to be successful in the NCAA tournament. A veteran point guard with no fear?...

1 2012 Election

The showdown that has been years in the making, Obama vs. Romney, is finally upon us. Billions of dollars have been spent in order to convince the few undecided and independent voters in a few states that Obama or Romney is the right man for the job. At first, I was going to go into a discussion of Obama and Romney, their differences, their similarities, why Obama is good and why Romney is evil alien robot sent to study and destroy humanity. However, I kept on thinking about how much money has been spent in this election. Both campaigns have raised and spent so much.  In Ohio, there was something along the lines of 26 straight political...

1 The election

So the Presidential election is tomorrow if you have been living in a cave for the last 18 months. It comes down to a couple of states. This is my biggest problem with the American system. I live in New York right now. My vote does not matter in the grand presidential scheme of things. New York is a blue state and it will vote for Obama. The 29 electoral votes are his. Basically, President Obama and Private Citizen Romney (Quick segue: I hate when people are called by titles they used to have. If you are no longer coaching football, you should not be called coach. If you are a ex-senator you are not Senator Smith. The only office I could see...

0 Getting old

I tweaked my back a week ago Friday. I am not sure what exactly happened, but I went to the gym on Friday and I was carrying around groceries and a new speaker system and the combination caused my back to start hurting on Friday. This was only exacerbated on Saturday by sitting on our extremely uncomfortable couch. On Sunday morning I woke up and I could barely walk. It felt like a pinched nerve in my back with pain shooting up and down the right side of my body from my lower back to my toes. It slowly got better over the course of the week, thanks to the application of a heating pad and walking around, which seemed to help things. Things like...

0 America's next great sport... The Challenge

There is some reality television that is entertaining in a oh look at that crazy person, who thinks she is allergic to electromagnetic waves living in a cave of France, I'll watch for a little bit way, and then there is the Challenge on MTV. For the uninitiated, the Challenge is a competition pitting former cast members of Real World seasons against each other in random and often ridiculous events (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Challenge_(TV_series). Now you might be thinking, oh what's the big deal just your standard reality TV nonsense but the Challenge takes it to a different level.  Since I really enjoy lists here are just some of...

0 First of many more...

I thought that writing a blog would be a great way to put some of my random thoughts from pen to paper or in this case from keyboard to screen.  There are always tons of ideas, rants and suggestions floating around in my brain.  So why not type them out and see how they look? With that being said, there is a terrible frozen yogurt store or fro-yo as they called it in the early 90s.*  What can be terrible about a fro-yo store?  It is a pretty simple concept, random flavors of yogurt + toppings including candy + trendy location = win.  However, when you go into this fro-yo store they have about 3 machines working with...

0 Exercise

I hate running. I hate running with a passion. It is miserable, soul-sucking exercise that holds no joy for me. The worst part about running is that it bores me; with other forms of exercise there is non-stop action or something to hold your attention like a TV  Running is mindless and not in a good way. Given my choice in a gym, I would ride an exercise bike or hop on an elliptical trainer before jumping on the treadmill. At least with those, I could read a book or magazine while exercising or watch television. For the longest time, those were my choices when doing cardio at the gym. I hated running outside, dealing with traffic lights,...

1 Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is the Greek word for fear of a public place. An agora was a marketplace in ancient Greece where goods were sold and business was transacted. It was a combination shopping mall, courthouse, and grocery store. An agoraphobe was literally someone afraid of the market. When I lived in Pittsburgh, I did not like going out and doing things. My common refrain or excuse was that I didn't want to wait in line. I was an impatient person and I hated the idea of waiting. I would admit to a mild agoraphobia. I did not like to go to public events because I did not like being surrounded by people. I would avoid things like the Strip...

0 Television (SOA)

I don't have cable television currently. This is the first time since I was in high school that has been the case. I am not, contrary to popular belief, some new age hipster trumpeting my coolness by my ignorance of television. I am cheap. I get free internet currently through my apartment building and I see no reason to pay for a cable TV package. In place of sports and reality television, I stream shows and movies on Netflix or get them on disc. I also bought an HD antenna to watch shows playing on the major networks. I always meant to watch television shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men before, but invariably I would...