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There is no better way to be inspired than to plop down on a comfy sofa and watch Runnin’ Down A Dream, the quintessential documentary about Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.  It might just be the best rock n’ roll documentary I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of them.  The film is fantastic, full of tons of archival footage and rare interviews.  Plus, their story is nothing short of an inspirational wonder.  You may be able to catch it on IFC or pick it up at Amazon.

I have always loved their music, but I saw it only as great music.  As I watched the film, I recalled more of their music and realized how much their music has catalogued my life.  There is a passion in their music that is so tangible and accessible that I think everyone can apply its emotion to their own lives.

They are playing at the Super Bowl this year so catch the half-time show.

For once in a long while, I was side-lined tonight by a bout of illness. If the truth be told, I would have opted for a quiet night at home anyways, but this year I have the luxury of blaming my calm New Year’s activities on that of being victim of a sinister virus. So, I won’t have to laugh at myself for another year. Yes!

Needless to say, I am up now not because of my raucous ways but because my throat is sore and I could no longer endure my own discomfort. For the record, I am not looking for pity, but am venting my absolute disdain for illness. I hate being sick. Whenever I am sick, I find my natural instincts kick in immediately; I want to be alone and let nature take its course, like our primal ancestors.

And so I am here, pondering the new year and all that 2008 has in store for the next 365 days. It is now that I really appreciate my situation. I’m glad I’m sick and that I slept through the transition from 2007 to 2008. Let me explain…

In the past, the new year was always an event. It was an opportunity to witness the passing of the previous year and take hold of whatever promises or changes we wanted to make for the new year. But, as I mentioned earlier, this was an event, a moment of joy that passed as quickly as the last ten seconds of the previous year. By the time we got to bed that night, the New Year was over and we awoke in its midst.

In missing this year’s ‘event’, I think I may have successfully dodged the hype and stumbled upon a hidden gem for me to ponder. We often look to the New Year’s holiday for a bit of what may have eluded us in the previous year. It’s an opportunity to purge ourselves of our mistakes and we want to believe that the ‘event’ itself will manifest all of our dreams and ambitions for the year to come. But, in recognizing the holiday itself as an ‘event’, we may be failing to really institute all of the changes in our lives that will be necessary to truly make our goals for the year tangible. In essence, we have sold ourselves on New Year’s Day while we should have invested in the entire year. 2008 is going to be one of the most exciting times of my life because it is no longer a solitary event; it’s a consistent way of thinking that will follow me throughout the entire year.

I never thought I would say this, but it’s a pleasure to be ill right now.

The New Year is quickly approaching, which calls forth the annual personal checkup that so many of us undergo. How did I do this year? Am I living a life of intention?

I heard a great quote just yesterday. It’s from a book that my GF is reading entitled, “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. I recommend it for those who struggle to enjoy the simple things in life. It’s a Buddhist quote (the experts of self-examination) and it goes, “it is better to live your own life of imperfection than to live someone else’s life perfectly.” I begin to realize my own experience with this paradigm. I have pursued business-minded goals for so long, living a life that I would say was not mine.

Now, over the course of the next few months, I will be taking some dramatic steps to live the life I feel I was meant to lead. In the past, I would have had my own personal ‘freak out’ session in lieu of all the loose ends that will exist throughout this transition. But there is a sense of calm with me that can only be explained as my soul smiling. It’s about to get nuts, but I can do nuts.

People keep asking me in dismay, “what are you going to do out there?” I say, “Live.”

If you know what Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop have in common with Frank Sinatra, then keep reading. If not, do some research and come back….

Ok, now that the noobs are gone, you have got to go and see The Rat Pack Live at the Sands. The performers are excellent and their skills at mimicking the original crew is uncanny. Deano was a bit higher pitch than the real King of Cool, but that is the smallest of things when you see his schtick. Check it out here.

Chime in if you have seen this production. I would love to hear your impressions.

The new World of Warcraft commercials are out and you will be excited to see who is representing this much beloved game.  I think a measure of mystery here is warranted so that you will obey me and click here.

This is only further proof that someday men may trade in the BMW’s when women ask you, “what level is your main and is your guild farming SSC?”  Admittedly, it’s a stretch.

Greg

The much anticipated arrival of Halo 3 is just around the corner. There are countless midnight releases scheduled all over town for this monday night. A dialogue exists about whether this game will increase Xbox 360 sales, who knows? But, if this release if anything like Halo 2, there are bound to be some extremely long-lasting effects with regard to sales. The question for me is, “will this game deliver?” We will see.

The local police force have decided to take that night off. Since most of the young hoodlums will be entralled with their consoles, their presence won’t be necessary. Who said video games don’t contribute to society?

The end of BlizzCon is upon us and it marks the completion of another whirlwind marketing blitz relative to the upcoming release of /afk. My fellow gamers were fantastic as we passed out tons of our deluxe /afk swag. Hehe…swag is such a great word.

Have you ever noticed that people act strange when they realize that you are about to hand them something. You can see the discomfort build up in them until they make a drastic move to avoid the potential interaction. It’s comical. This one guy in particular took great pains to avoid me, walking on this thin obscure path only narrowly escaping my promotional advance. Hilarious.

But, I will admit, it was not only business. I stood in many lines, talked ‘game’ with tons of my fellow gamers and drooled over the visual beauty of SC2. The expansion looks exciting, although there was no way to experiment with the new Death Knight hero class. Boo.

We did some interviews and they were loaded with great moments of honesty. I feel so blessed to be on the receiving end of these conversations. Thank you. The challenge before us now is to honor the trust we have been given and deliver your message to the world. Tomorrow, we add another dimension to the film that will certainly be interesting. I don’t want to say too much right now, but there will be more to follow.

That’s it for now…we are watching The Hills Have Eyes on HBO in the hotel room and it’s about to get nuts…

Greg