Dog Days

Finally! Finally, some nice weather! Today has been the nicest day in a while. No heat. Not muggy. Perfect summer day! If only it was like this all the time...

So today is August 8th. You say: So what? Well, six months ago today, I smoked what I hope is my last cigarette. It's funny, I have not had any cravings until the last few days. But I have found it is just as easy to get addicted to the "good stuff" such as fruits and vegetables, as opposed to the "bad stuff" such as cigarettes. I was only a "serious smoker" for a couple of years. But I definitely notice a difference. I have been running three or four times a week since April, and would like to get back to the point when I was able to run five miles non-stop. I like running in the evening when the sun is going down. However, last week this became problematic when it was 85 degrees at 8 p.m. Uggh!

I finished Blackwood Farm by Anne Rice and am now almost done with Servant of the Bones by Ms. Rice. Blackwood was great. Very scary! Servant is OK, but definitely not her best work.

I generally read paperbacks, which are $8, give or take a penny. However, I think I will make an exception when I buy Guests of the Ayatollah which is in hardcover. Even before I started "blogging" I would underline and highlight things that I found interesting in non-fiction books, so some of my books are a bit ragged, and hardcover books can be a bit pricey.

Last night on Monday Night Raw, Mick Foley agreed to wrestle "Nature Boy"Ric Flair in an "I Quit" match at SummerSlam later this month. Foley, the hardcore legend, against Flair, the 16-time World Champion should be a classic. Flair has wrestled and beat them all. From legends like Harley Race, Bob Backlund, Nikita Koloff, Hulk Hogan, Bruiser Brody, and Dusty Rhodes to more current stars such as Goldberg, Scott Steiner, and The Undertaker. This may be Flair's last hurrah. He proved a few weeks ago he could handle a "hardcore match" when he faced the Big Show on ECW. Now we will see how he fares against the New York Times' bestselling author. Flair famously made Terry Funk say "I Quit" in 1989.

Speaking of Bruiser Brody...If there was ever a guy made for ECW, it would be Brody. Sadly, he was killed on July 17, 1988 after a match with Abdullah the Butcher in a town outside San Juan, Puerto Rico. Brody was stabbed several times by a fellow wrestler, Jose Huertas, AKA The Invader. Huertas was later found not guilty and never served a minute of jail time. What a disgrace!

In fact, many wrestlers boycotted wrestling for the World Wrestling Council in protest of the verdict, which virtually destroyed wrestling in Puerto Rico. Brody was a great brawler and was a legend for the Texas-based World Class Championship Wrestling. He often teamed up with the Von Erichs against The Freebirds. Brody was one tough dude and whenever I watch ECW I can't help but think of what it would have been like if Brody was still around. Mick Foley is very similar to Brody, but nowhere near as tough.

With such an obvious lack of good movies coming out of Hollywood, the Bruiser Brody story would be a good one.

Finally, ECW ended tonight with Rob Van Dam making his return to beat up Sabu and Kurt Angle, who just happened to be wrestling one another for the right to face Big Show for the ECW World Title. The program ended with RVD in the middle of the ring with a steel chair and Sabu and Angle lying on the mat stunned. Can you say triple-threat match next Tuesday night? Stay tuned...

Thanks as always for checking in and please don't hesitate to leave comments, suggestions, concerns, or really anything pertinent or impertinent.

Have a nice day!