Sunday Fun Day Ramblings
July 5th is upon us, and everyone in Knoxville is trying to recover after an evening of debauchery and fireworks that more closely resemble artillery shells than colorful sparkly things.
Yesterday when going to visit my parents, I couldn't help but mention to Mrs. CLS that the roads looked rather ghostly, even at 11:30 AM, on a Saturday for this town. I guess you get used to the traffic after a while when you live in a larger city and seeing an absence of the same give you a reason to take notice.
If you're in the market for something to read, go check out my friend Michael David Anderson's books "Teddy" and "Wake." I'm kinda proud of him for being able to keep my attention through two books straight, and the Ace of Spades Book Club Thread was even kind enough to give him a nod today. Well done, MDA. You can buy both of them on Amazon if you so choose, or if you follow @shadesofmidnight on Twitter and DM him with a nice request I'm sure he'll work out a way to send you a signed copy for the right price.
If horror isn't your thing, I'd recommend "When to Rob a Bank" by the Freakonomics guys. I got this on a suggestion from a friend for a plane flight to Boise and it's fantastic. One specific section deals with odd names people give their kids. I think first prize in my brain goes to the winners who named their child Shithead (pronounced Shuh-TEED, mind you). Another neat tidbit concerns the use of Aptonyms--the rare occurrence where you have a name that describes what you do. An example they give is a copy editor named Paige Worthy.
Congratulations are in order for Fergal Devitt (currently known as Finn Balor) for winning his first WWE title yesterday in Tokyo, Japan--the NXT Title. Very cool WWE let him win it in Tokyo, which was Devitt's second home for a good portion of his career. I wonder how he feels about this accomplishment given the amount of accolades New Japan handed him for the earliest part of his career--IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champ, IWGP Heavyweight Champ, winner of the Super Juniors tournament, etc.--and now he's the champ of WWE's developmental league. Devitt's said that in his first thirty days with WWE he was only allowed to sit and watch the other matches at NXT's Full Sail tapings, and this has been confirmed by others who joined the company at the same time as him in separate interviews. I get that the American style of wrestling is different from the Japanese strong style, and the new talent needs to adapt to the WWE way, but that's a heck of a way to tell someone that their accomplishments meant nothing compared to where they are now.
Still, Devitt is a professional's professional, and he's taken it all in stride as he "resets" his career for the WWE. Balor as the face of NXT is a good fit--he's got a connection with the fans, the whole "Demon" gimmick is over big time, and he's not a liability with the locker room or office. He'll get called up soon to the main roster, and he'll do well at that level too. Plus, it'll be cool to see the "Demon" entrance one day at Wrestlemania.
Speaking of pro wrestling entrances, this is one that's put a huge smile on my face this week while I did billing. I hope you enjoy a bit of the ridiculousness that is Grado:
If you're interested in learning more about Grado, or the lunacy that makes up the mind of European wrestling fans, go check out the VICE documentary "The British Wrestler." You can find a link to it here.
That's all for today, folks. Have a great Sunday.