Federer wins 14th grand slam, Lakers go up by 2 in series!

Yesterday, Roger Federer won his 1st French Open title at Roland Garros in Paris. He has tied Pete Sampras for the most grand slam titles, 14, and he attained the goal of "winning each of the 4 majors" in the tennis world. Roger defeated Robin Soderling in 3 sets in less than 2 hours. Roger Federer received the trophy from Andre Agassi, the last man to win each of the 4 major grand slam titles. Agassi attained this feat in 1999. In other sporting news, The Los Angeles Lakers are 2 games away from winning their 15th NBA title. The Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in game 2 of the NBA Finals last night in overtime, 101-96. Kobe Bryant commented that "The Lakers are not done yet, and the job is not finished" in a post game conference. For the Lakeshow, it has been a team effort in both victories. Kobe has received help from Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Derek Fisher in the victories. Let's hope the Lakeshow can win in the Land of Magic, Orlando, in the next 2 or 3 games. Go Westside!!

Listening to JM, U2, and movie soundtracks!

Well, it is a night of listening to John Mayer (JM), U2, and movie soundtracks. It is a night in which RSG tries to see clarity in his life. This month has been pretty hectic with the move back to a former home, the job search, and discussions on the present situation with friends & family. As I listen to "gravity" by john mayer, it makes me realize that it is hard to find balance in your life. It is hard to find a perfect balance for everything to take place. As I listen to "clarity" (by john mayer), it is the one thing which I search for & want to achieve with people. But, when I listen to "road to perdition", I know that my life is not heading into perdition. The soundtrack is very inspirational, and it is from one of my favorite movies. Another great soundtrack is "catch me if you can". It is music that makes me feel all jazzed up to get into a situation that is inconceivable. Finally, there is music from "the talented mr. ripley." This music is jazz, and it is also quite inspirational. There is a song, Italia, which is track 3 on the cd. It makes me want to go to Italy to see venice, milan, and rome. Someday, it will happen! Areverdci!

NCAA Tournament & Wine Recommendations!

Well, the national men's basketball (ncaa) championship game is on Monday, April 6. The game features the Michigan State Spartans vs. the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. The NCAA men's b-ball tournament is always a fun 2 or 3 weeks of basketball filled with upsets, surprises, and routs. Today, I saw the game at Dos Gringos in Scottsdale, AZ. Across the street, there were a ton of Michigan State fans at Upper Deck Sports Bar. I am glad to have witnessed the game at Dos Gringos with friends and a much less crowd than Upper Deck. Later, I went to a Wine & Cheese party which made me realize that this is a fun way to spend time with friends & meet new ones during this economic downturn. At the party, a fine young woman asked me what wine to try. Even though I drink white, Red Wine was on my mind. I recommended a Cabernet Sauvignon, and it was a natural recommendation. Maybe, RSG should go into Oenology instead of supporting IT computer systems/software. If you are enjoying some white wine or red wine, then remember that being a wine connoisseur can always be a 2nd career. It's always good to wear many hats! Drink vino to your heart's content too!

G. Ripley's resilient day!

Well, it is 3-7-2009 and G. Ripley is wide awake with ideas to convey to his public! After a day of doing damage control (literally) and engaging in a worthwhile discussion with the special someone in his life, G. Ripley is thinking that his resiliency was the main element for survival today. After a day like this one, G. Ripley thinks that life is "as good as it gets." The weather outside is in the 70s and quite cloudy. It was 88 degrees on monday afternoon. On Friday afternoon, my car thermometer was at 68 degrees. That's a drastic change. One may ask "what gives?" G. Ripley is no weatherman, but he knows that "you just keep living" and life will get better. Check the picture below of Helen Hunt! She's my inspiration for writing this post, as so is the special someone in my life.

Slumdog Millionaire takes over Academy Awards by storm!

For Hugh Jackman, it was his first time hosting the academy awards. Actually, he did not seem like a rookie. He did a great job as the host, and the 81st academy awards show was one to remember. As an avid fan of the movie industry, it was great to see "slumdog millionaire" take home eight awards. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" won three awards, even though it had thirteen nominations. There were some first time academy awards winners like Penelope Cruz and Kate Winslet. Both women looked stunning in their dresses. As for the best actor award, the winner was Sean Penn. It was great to see Mickey Rourke in the crowd, but it was better to see Sean win his second academy award. As for the show's ratings, the numbers so far were better than last year's dismal performance. Will Smith presented a couple of awards, and he was hilarious as usual. The academy awards was a great show to watch last night, and it brought many smiles to people's faces worldwide. As Hollywood G. finishes this weblog post, enjoy the picture of Sam Mendes and Kate Winslet. They are an adorable academy award winning couple!

Another Great Super Bowl, plus Rafa wins in Melbourne (Aussie Open recap)!

What a weekend in Sports! RSG is very happy with the super bowl outcome, and with a Rafa Nadal victory over Roger Federer in the Australian Open Final too. First, let's talk football by saying that the Steelers edged out the Cardinals. It was a great game, and the cardinals could not contain the steelers at the end. Santonio Holmes made a great grab in the back of the right side of the end zone, which was incredible. The cardinals shocked the world with their trip to the super bowl, and this will give them more confidence going into next year. Onto the tennis world, Roger Federer only converted on 6 of 19 break point chances as he lost to Nadal in 5 sets. Nadal won his 1st Australian Open title, and he became the first Spaniard to win the title. At 22, Rafa has 6 grand slam titles (4 in Paris, 1 in Wimbledon, & 1 in Melbourne). If he can win in Flushing Meadows (at the US Open), Rafael Nadal will have won all 4 of the majors. The last men's player to win all 4 of the grand slam tournaments was Andre Agassi, one of my favorite players! As for the ladies side, Serena Williams proved that she is the top female player again by winning her 4th title Down Under. She won the title in 59 minutes, which was a record time for a women's final. Safina could not hang with Serena, as Dinara won only 3 games the entire match. Watching the men's Australian Open final was thrilling, and seeing the end of Super Bowl XLIII was the best thing yet! One more thing, the image of Santonio Holmes (Pittsburgh Steelers MVP) on the right is his post game interview. The picture on the left is Roger Federer realizing that he could not equal Pete Sampras record of 14 grand slam titles. Shocking!

Disaster strikes Hollywood G!

As some of you know, romance is a big part of my life. When there is romance, then the incredible happens. Now, there is no romance in my life. This sixth life I started about 7 months ago was a life for handling tough situations. It is a life that started with some adventure, and it is now about handling disaster. Earlier today, disaster struck Hollywood G. as the romance in his life dissolved. Hollywood G. is looking at moving on with his life, and it will take time to perform this action. It is a horrible way to start the new year, but it will teach him some valuable lessons in life. First, it was a loss of a job and a girlfriend in his life. Now, the tables are turned. The job is there, but the romance is gone. It was probably for the best, and now it is time to move on to bigger & better things in life. No matter what, Just Keep Living!