Inside the Mind of Matt

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Below are the 10 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Matt Ceccato" journal:

May 21st, 2012
05:29 pm [Link]	Fox Celebrates 25 Years, Conclusion. I know, I know. In between starting a new class and flying to Boston to audition for "Jeopardy!" (more on that at another time), I still have things to say about this not very ratings successful special that aired last month. Maybe I can get this all wrapped up here. ( Gee, Dylan, I'm sorry your dad blew up... ) (Leave a comment)
May 5th, 2012
07:35 am [Link]	Remembering The Lewdness Law Adam "MCA" Yauch, R.I.P. I'll admit, I'm not the biggest fan of the Beastie Boys. "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)" remains one of the best music videos of the 1980s. And they had an awesome guest spot on "Futurama", performing with the Robot Devil, no less. But, to those of us who grew up in Columbus, GA, the Beastie Boys threatened to set Columbus back an untold number of years by keeping popular performing acts out of the fountain city. In 1987, promoting their album Licensed to Ill, the Beasties played the Columbus Municipal Auditorium. The act featured the Beasties doing things that freaked out the very conservative Columbus populace, such as inflating a 20 foot penis and asking the ladies to remove their tops. Parents demanded action, and the Columbus City Council passed what is known as the "lewdness law". This prevents people from performing questionably lewd acts on city property, such as that auditorium. Looking back, I can't fault the logic of the city leaders. The law was meant to "think of the children", and nobody knew that the Beasties were going to do that sort of thing on stage. But nobody really knew how to enforce the law. Gene Simmons of KISS was arrested for "mooning", when he was adjusting his pants offstage. Bobby Brown was arrested for "fake humping". The rapper Too Short was also arrested for what I believe to be him just doing his act. Even the New Kids on the Block (yes, that New Kids on the Block) were threatened with arrest. Apparently, "suggestive" dance moves are apparently what constitutes as "lewd". [Ironic note: Dirty Dancing played in Columbus for almost six (!) months. And I heard not one complaint.] As you can see, what was considered a "lewd act" had no clear definition. Ice-T cancelled a concert in Columbus and denounced the city in a song. Other acts looked at Columbus and posted a big "do not enter" sign. And, to a teenage boy who watched more MTV than was healthy back in the day, this screamed "move out!" I can't tell you how many concerts I had to go to Atlanta to see because of that stupid law. Now, granted, the law hasn't been enforced (read: no arrests) in over a decade. Name acts are playing Columbus, but rap artists still stay away. Columbus has a civic center that is much nicer than the old auditorium. But MCA's death reminded me of what the Beasties created in my hometown. Yes, protect kids. But how much of that job belongs to parents, and how much of it belongs to the government? /rant Tags: r.i.p (3 comments \| Leave a comment)
May 3rd, 2012
05:10 pm [Link]	Fox Celebrates 25 Years, Part 3 of... Apologies for the delay. I've been working on a school project due Monday. Anyway, up next on the special is the Fox recap of their sci-fi programming, an interview with Calista Flockhart and 23 years of "The Simpsons". ( And you can't take the sky from me... ) Current Location: 30507 Current Music: Kevin Smith #2-Nerdist (Leave a comment)
April 28th, 2012
03:41 pm [Link]	Fox Celebrates 25 Years, Part 2 of... Next on this critical watching of the Fox Broadcasting Company's 25th Anniversary special was a segment dedicated to Fox's animated programming. Or, more to the point, Fox's prime time animated programming. Yes, Fox Kids was corporately separate from Fox Broadcasting. But they produced its fair share of shows, some of them very good and a few that are unparalled in quality. In fact, one of those shows had a brief run in prime time. I'll tell you which one on the other side of the cut. ( Animation Domination, But... ) (3 comments \| Leave a comment)
April 27th, 2012
11:13 am [Link]	Fox Celebrates 25 Years, Part 1 of... This past Sunday, the Fox Broadcasting Company aired a special commemorating their 25th anniversary. Ryan Seacrest hosted a show that tried to "cram over 140,000 hours of memories into just two." I was looking forward to seeing this. I can honestly say that Fox is the first broadcast network I remember from day one... okay, maybe not exactly the actual day one. Columbus, GA didn't get Fox until July of 1987, during Fox's first summer of reruns. However, since I didn't get to see "21 Jump Street" on its first run (more on that show in another part), Fox was kind of a fresh air thing for a 14 year old. I devoured those first two seasons of programming and knew who "The Simpsons" were before their Christmas special debuted on December 17, 1989. So, this special was going to be a look back over 25 years of TV. And, while Fox had more than its fair share of flops, some more recognition of history would have been appreciated. I'm not going to critique the entertainment value of the special. It was entertaining. But for a show that claimed to be a look back at the good and bad that is Fox, several things got left out. ( What am I talking about? ) Current Location: 30507 (2 comments \| Leave a comment)
April 6th, 2012
08:36 am [Link]	Holy Week Stuff. But First... I completed my first class at the University of Phoenix last week. My IT Organizational Behavior class is in the books, officially with a 99.5. According to the University, that is an A, free and clear. While I'm far from upset, it was my own stupid mistake that kept me from getting a perfect 100. Still, this is the best grade I've ever earned in a higher education class. My current class, Programming Concepts, is challenging. But I'm getting through it. Second, if you read me on Facebook, then you already know that I've been invited to audition to be a contestant on "Jeopardy!" Kelley and I are flying out to Boston on May 8, with the audition the next day. Thanks to a travel bargain website, our total, minus baggage fees, is under $700. Not bad at all. Alas, the days of flying really cheap are now over. Job hunt continues. Still in consideration for a few positions. Not as bummed about not getting a position that I thought would be great. I've learned to keep my hopes in check. ( Stuff About Christianity, And Some Pity ) (2 comments \| Leave a comment)
February 13th, 2012
10:38 am [Link]	I Am Now A Phoenix I made my decision to return to school. I was going to type "return to graduate school", but I've never been there. Anyway, I enrolled at the University of Phoenix online in the Master of Information Sciences program. The program takes less than four semesters and, if all goes well, I'll have my degree by the end of the year. It's been 16 years since I've been in school. Granted, I'm attending school online, so it's not like I have to worry about a dress code. Shoot, do you know of any colleges that had a dress code? But anyway, I spent three days last week attending online orientation. I've gotten a hold of the library and other services. Tomorrow is my first day of class. I don't know if we can its ironic that class starts on Valentines Day, but there you go. Oh, yeah. I did have a good interview last Thursday. But I don't want to say anymore in fear of jinxing it... (2 comments \| Leave a comment)
January 18th, 2012
10:01 am [Link]	What I Pray For Folks, this is going to be a long post. So I will be cutting to save room on your pages. ( Read more... ) (1 comment \| Leave a comment)
January 16th, 2012
10:57 am [Link]	Matt Plus 39 Years and One Day Yes, I've returned. Granted, it's been a couple of months since I've made a public post. But since I turned 39 yesterday, it was time to return to the land of the blogosphere. My silence has been going on too long. So, what have I been doing? Well, every day I apply for jobs. In fact, I've signed on with a career consulting company to redesign my resume as well as open some networking opportunities. It's gotten me a few phone screens, but few follow ups. But I must keep going. Also, I'm going to go back to school. The question is, in what? I know it will be IT related, but which slant? I hear that I may just need to attend a "boot camp" or two to get some certifications, but would a proper education be better? There's someone I need to talk to in regards to this. Will let you know. But anyway... yesterday, my in-laws took Kell and I to the Last Resort Grill in Athens. Great food. I also showed my in-laws the Athens, GA that I know and love. Sadly, I couldn't get on Sanford drive to show them the stadium. But they got to see where Steverinos used to be, where I shared a house with Jonesy and Mary Claire as well as Russell Hall, whose parking lot was full on a Sunday night. Also, on Saturday, Kell and I helped my sister in her American Cancer Society relay fundraising. We went to the Gwinnett Gladiators game on "teddy bear toss" night. It took the Glads into the second period to score the goal to earn the flying stuffed animals, but it's a hell of a sight. 20 minutes after the bears got on the ice, the game resumed. It was a lot of fun. So, I'm looking for work and learning what I need to learn (that sounds redundant, doesn't it?). I am here and, while I have many reasons to complain, I'm not going to. (Leave a comment)
November 21st, 2011
11:59 am [Link]	Larry Munson, R.I.P. Here are some of my favorite Larry Munson calls... The Bulldawg Nation will not be the same. Thanks, Larry... Current Location: 30507 Current Mood: sad (Leave a comment)

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