Sports

Why is it that when you are a sports fan things seem to be like living on a rollercoaster of emotions. As a massive sports fan myself, i know what it’s like to be on that constant rollercoaster. This past couple of weeks I have been at the highest peak of that rollercoaster to this week to be at lowest part of that.

It all started with me being a huge New York Giants fan and them making it to the NFL Super Bowl in Indianapolis. They were up against the team from New England in the Patriots. The Giants were the underdogs of going into the game with a pretty crappy season record, but they seemed to pull it together. Eli for some how seems to be able to play better in the play offs rather than the season. He seems to be able to pull it out of the bag in the 4th quarter with his yards and completed throws. It wasn’t that an exciting first half with a few points put on the board. Then it all blew up in the second half. The New York Giants went on to win the Super Bowl, which i was so happy about. It was a repeat of the 2008 game where the David Tyree helmet catch went down in one of the best catches in the history of the Super Bowl. Then this year it was the Manningham catch on the run down the sidelines, to the attempting to sit just before the line by Bradshaw.

It was a great game even though i was tired as it didn’t finish up til past 3 am here in the UK.

Then in Football (Soccer) its been an other rollercoaster of emotions for my family and me this week. When my childhood club and the team we as a family (Mom, Dad and me) support. Glasgow Rangers FC have gone into administration due to financial mishandling on behalf of the clubs new and previous owner. They HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) or for you in the US its the IRS, have asked that the courts in Scotland to put the club into administration. For non payment of a tax bill which could be up to £60 million ($100 million). Its a shame that i am seeing the club I support coming down to this, I have people i would like to blame for this problem but I will not mention them until the final outcome of this whole thing is resolved. I hope to God that the administrators can restructure the club and get it back on to a secure financial footing. So the club can still be in exsitance, i would hate to see the club that has been around since 1873 go away.

I am a sports fan and I love all my teams, Liverpool FC (EPL), New York Yankees (MLB), New York Rangers (NHL) and the two teams I have already mentioned. Why do we as a sports fans have to deal with the massive high’s and low’s in the name of the love of our teams and sport in general. Why can’t things be simple.

Thinking.

For the last couple of nights, I have been thinking of doing an online story that isn’t a fan fiction. It would something original from me. I would post it here on my own blog or find another website to post it on. If any one has an idea of where then please let me know.

I am thinking of maybe taking up writing as a part-time job. Hopefully make some money out of the nonsense in my head. I will post a slight synopsis here and let me know if i should go ahead with it.

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Matthew has only been married for less than a year to his young wife. He has been working away on a TV show that he is a cast member of. Suddenly someone comes out of the blue and turns his life on it’s head.

(c)Jan Wallace 2012

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Should I go a head with the writing of it.

Chuck Controversy – “The Controversy and my reaction.” – Part 3.

OK here is my final part on the whole controversy that has happened on twitter and forums in regards to Chuck and my reaction to it.

Bare with me Chuck fans just for my non Chuck fan viewers. On the relationship thing and the saving Chuck campaign.

The Chuck and Sarah Relationship.

So Chuck and Sarah started off as cover girlfriend and boyfriend due to the intersect being implanted into Chucks head. Then they both grew to love and care for each other and the line between cover and real became blurred.  There has been trouble within the “relationship”.  Chuck was fed up with the lying and not knowing where he stood with Sarah. He got attention from someone called Lou who owned a Deli for 2 episodes but she got mixed up in some bad business dealings. Plus Chuck never really got over his old girlfriend Jill who dumped him and went out with Bryce Larkin Chucks friend from college.  Bryce then went out with Sarah who was his CIA partner. Everytime Chuck and Sarah would nearly get to the stage for revealing their true feelings towards each other something would appear. Usually in the shape of Bryce to make more trouble for the couple.  Plus for a 3 episodes Chuck reconnected with Jill to find out that she was a rogue intelligence agent. So she broke his hear for the 2nd time. Plus in the Christmas episode of the show Chuck gave Sarah a Charm Bracelet that belonged to his mother. Sarah said it should go to a real girlfriend but Chuck gave her the look that you are my real girlfriend to me.  Plus they have broken up and got back together a few times.   Now in season 3 of the show the relationship took dramatic twists.  Sarah wanting to run away with Chuck in Prague at the prearranged time and place.  Chuck saying no and he wants to become a spy.  So Sarah didn’t want anything more to do with Chuck not taking phone calls or speaking to him when he called.  She was hurt.  Then on a mission being forced to play the happy couple again.  Then when Chuck was trapped in a vault he started talking thinking Sarah would hear. Why he decided to become a spy for his friends,  family and he said he Loved Sarah.  Chuck doesn’t know Sarah has seen this.  So the new cover is that they have decided to be friends.

So time for the trapezoid that has caused the fuss.

Chuck/Hannah/Sarah/ Shaw

So in Chuck v Operation Awesome a new character that i named in the characters post Shaw came aboard Team Bartowski.  He shook the team up taking charge.  Then in Chuck v First Class a character Hannah came along who met Chuck on the plane like i said.   So in Chuck v Nacho Sampler it became clear that Hannah only took the job at the Buy More so she could be close to Chuck.  So in the controversial episode of the show.  Hannah became forceful towards Chuck kissing him on a mission and becoming jealous of Sarah.   Shaw and Sarah were forced to become cover couple on a mission.  Then Chuck was jealous of the way Shaw has been with Sarah.  Sarah was jealous about how Hannah and Chuck have become close.  So Chuck had to save both  Sarah as well as Shaw who were poisoned by something on the mission and Hannah being trapped by the bad guys in a secure vault.  Shaw admitted to Sarah that he had feelings for Sarah when they were trapped in the secret underground bunker.  Sarah was flattered by the attention from Shaw.  Chuck managed to save all three.  Sarah was in Shaws arms near then end and Hannah was in Chucks arms.  Chuck then saying that Sarah should be with Shaw and Sarah saying that she would be not helpful for him in his spy life or his love life. At the end of the episode Chuck was seen kissing Hannah in the Home Theatre room of the Buy More.  Shaw giving Sarah a shoulder massage.

The Controversy.

The  fans of the show love and want Sarah and Chuck to be together in the show.  There is a majority of them that are sick of the of the will they wont they aspect of the relationship. They are the “Shippers” for Chuck and Sarah or “Charah” they are sometimes known by. The shippers a term i don’t use and Josh Schwartz the co creator dislikes too. They are wanting them to be together no matter what and fight the good fight as a couple.  Due to the ending of the Mask episode the ones that only watch the show for the Chuck and Sarah relationship are really unhappy with the way it ended. Some “fans” of the show are planning on boycotting the show due to the fact they don’t like what has happened to their favourite couple.  This has been done throught twitter, facebook and forums connecting to the show.

My reaction to this whole i will boycott the show if they don’t give us Chuck and Sarah together is “Stop Freaking OUT” . I have been reading a lot of  forums, twitter feeds and blog post about it all. I can’t believe that people get so caught up in the whole relationship thing and believe that its what the show is about. Chuck is about a guy called Chuck who has to  fight the good fight with this computer in his head. The relationship between him and Sarah is an important aspect to the show. Chuck knows how he feels about Sarah and Sarah knows how she feels towards Chuck. She is there to protect the “Hero” and if she becomes too emotionally attached she cant do her job right. For me and why i love the show, is the spy action scenes to the comical  aspects from the Buy More and sometimes the ineptitude of Chuck in the field. To Chucks love of his family, friends and what he does to protect them. Then there is the group dynamic of “Team Bartowski” Casey, Sarah, Chuck and how they interact with each other. The “relationship”  between Chuck and Sarah is like a Cherry on top of all that is going on underneath. For me that is why i watch this show for all underneath the cherry on top as well as the cherry on top. I have loved it ever since i saw an episode on Virgin1 here in the UK.  If the show was solely about the Chuck and Sarah relationship it would be called Chuck and Sarah.

As fans of the show we have to be able to trust the writers as wells as the creators of the show. They see the bigger picture and where it is going. We are just being drip fed the information in little 1hr episodes. They know what the fans want and they want the same. They can’t give us what we want when we want it. It has to be in the time that is right for the shows development and to allow the show to continue. I believe if they were to get together like everyone is wanting it would kill the show in a way. There has got to be tension and mystery as wells as things to shock you. Its just like a book it has to have a beginning a middle and an end. The writers know the end game. So trust them please and stop with this stupid boycotting thing. Wait til the olympics are over to find out the next chapter in the Chuck and Sarah story. Remember Hannah is only in it for a short time and Shaw will be gone soon too. So you will have some great Chuck and Sarah moments to come.  So please continue to watch the show as we don’t to have to be going through all the heartache of waiting to find out if the show is being renewed due to low ratings. Plus then the fight will be on again to save it with the people who loved the show and then boycott it partly to blame.  Plus if it does get cancelled it will be a little bit your fault not the network.
SO STAY CALM and ENJOY THE RIDE and TRUST THE WRITERS and THE CREATORS of CHUCK.

ALSO……….

“DON’T FREAK OUT” . Like Team Bartowski keep saying.

This is the end of this discussion of the boycott from me and this is the last you will hear from me on the subject.

Chuck Controversy Part 2 (The Characters)

Chuck (Zachary Levi) – Charles “Chuck” Bartowski is like a said in my earlier post is a Computer nerd and works as a Nerd Herder.  He used to live with his sister who is a doctor and her husband another doctor Devon “Captain Awesome” Woodcomb.  Awesome and Ellie moved out of the apartment that they shared with Chuck.  Chuck now lives with his best friend Morgan.  Chuck attended Stanford Uni and was “kicked” out there due to his friend Bryce saying that he found the answers to the papers in Chucks room at Stanford.  During the first 2 seasons of the show, Chuck we find out that Chuck didn’t cheat on the papers he was framed by his “friend” Bryce to save him from becoming a CIA agent in the episode Chuck v The Alma Mater. His Professor Fleming was a recruiter for the CIA and Chuck was the ideal candidate for an agent who helped Bryce to frame Chuck to save him from becoming a spy. Also Chucks first serious girlfriend Jill Roberts left him after he left Stanford and began sleeping with Bryce Larkin.  Also during the first two seasons Chuck fell in love with his “handler” Sarah. Chuck struggles not being able to tell his sister Ellie. what he is doing. He is constantly lying to her where he is going and doing but in season 3 its become more easy for him. Chuck and Ellie brought each other up as their mother and father both disappeared on them. Chucks father was found in Chuck v The Brokenheart episode after Sarah did an illegal search for him. We subsequently found out in V The Dream Job ep that it was Chucks father that created the computer that is now in Chucks head.  Chuck  eventually got the computer out of his head in the Colonel episode. In the season 2 finale Chuck had to make a decision to upload the new intersect or destroy it.  So he uploaded it so he has now the new intersect has physical powers and other spy related stuff. He is also an emotional guy, his main priorities are his friends and family.

Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) doesn’t know that her brother Chuck is a spy.  She is a doctor and met Devon on the first day of Medical school.   She married Devon “Captain Awesome” Woodcomb in Chuck v The Ring episode.  She is the over protective big sister. She would be in danger if she found out if Chuck is a spy.

Morgan (Josh Gomez) – Chuck’s best friend from school, now housemate as well as a fellow gamer. Work shy individual but is now Chucks boss and Assistant Manager at the Buy More. He doesn’t know about Chuck secret but is on the scent of trying to find out whats going on using Jeff and Lester (Chuck’s fellow Nerd Herders).  Likes Hannah.

Casey (Adam Baldwin) – US Marine now a NSA agent. Loves guns and man of few words. Admirer of  former US President Ronald Regan. Works as a sales assistant in the Buy More as a cover to keep Chuck Safe. Was promoted to Colonel in Chuck V The Colonel from Major.

Devon (Ryan McPartlin) - Chucks now Brother in Law, knows Chucks secret.  Chuck had to tell him in Chuck v The Colonel (season 2 episode 21) after doing a bit of searching on his own into Chuck behaviour.  He broke into Caseys apartment in the same apartment complex as Ellie, Chuck and himself stay in. He saw Chuck’s bedroom on the camera and Casey came into finding him there after triggering a silent alarm.  He and Casey got into a fight, then Sarah came in kicked Casey onto a coffee table. Chuck then followed, Devon asked him what was happening. Chuck spilled his secret to him and now he is the keeper of Chuck’s secret.  He has got involved in the spy game in season 3 in 2 episodes v Angel de la Meurte (Angel of Death) and v Operation Awesome. It put his life in danger he now doesn’t want to be involved in the spy game. That is good for Chuck as he doesn’t want to have to deal with putting him in danger.

Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski)-  Sarah isn’t her real name its her cover name. She was given it when she was recruited into the CIA by the then CIA head guy Graham. She is a daughter of a conman and was involved with her fathers cons until he was jailed. She attended James Buchanan High School graduated 98 she was known as Jenny Burton also not her real name.  She was in a relationship with Bryce Larkin when they were partners before his first “death”.  She then took over her role as Chucks handler and cover girlfriend. Sarah started out as a cold this is my job and this cover isnt real attitude.  Slow but surely as season 1 and 2 developed she became softer and began to like Chuck and even fall in love with him. She was willing to give it all up the spy life and become a normal person with Chuck in the season 2 finale. In season 3 we found out that Sarah asked Chuck to run away with her  in Prague using fake identities to start a new life together. Chuck refused to do so as he was being trained to be a spy and thought that was the way for him and Sarah to be together.  Also, now that Chuck has the new intersect in his head she is worried that he isn’t the sweet, caring, compassionate and fantastic guy that she really likes and wants to be with.

Not regular cast members but current members. These are the ones that have been involved in the controversy.

Special Agent Daniel Shaw (Brandon Routh) -  Don’t know much about him he has been hunting down the Ring (season 3, enemy) for 5 years.  Was married to a spy called Eve Shaw who was killed by the Ring.  He has designs on Sarah. He is in charge of team Bartowski.

Hannah (Kirsten Kreuk) – was made fired from her job and met Chuck on the plane in V First Class going to Paris.  Chuck offered her a job at the Buy More if she couldn’t find a job. So turned up at the Buy More now works as Nerd Herder. She fancies Chuck. Got caught up in a mission that she didn’t know that she was on.  Chuck had to save her in the episode that has now caused controversy, Chuck v The Mask.

Former Character

Bryce Larkin (Matt Bomer) -  Bryce is Chucks former College friend. Got him kicked out of Stanford for his own safety. Slept with Jill Roberts ( who turns out to a be a Fulcrum Agent an enem,y for Chuck) Chucks ex girlfiend. Plus an agent with the CIA. He was meant to have died after being shot by Casey after breaking into the computer and distroying it. He didn’t die he was smuggled away by Fulcrum and made a re appearance in Chuck v  The Hard Imported Salami. Plus he knew that Chucks father was behind the intersect and sent him it to protect him too.  Bryce was also  Sarah Walkers former CIA partner and boyfriend. Bryce was jealous of the relationship between Chuck and Sarah,  he told Chuck to break up with Sarah in Chuck v The Break up (season 2 episode 3). He was eventually  killed off in the season finale of season 2 by the Ring

Now onto part 3 of the controversy.  (It will be with you later).

Chuck Controversy part 1 (The History of the show)

For those who are reading this or who come to my blog for my governmental rants. Well this is going to be a different rant about my favourite TV show called Chuck.

There has been controversy around surrounding an episode of the show.  But for those who are non Chuck fans i will explain to you why this has controversy within the fan base for the show. For those who are please bear with me until I explain the show with other viewers.

Chuck is a show that is broadcast on American network NBC otherwise known as the Peacock. The show is hard to describe what it is as it doesn’t fall into one genre it has many genres entwined into it.

Ok, here is the show in a nutshell for those who haven’t seen the show.  It is about one guy called Charles “Chuck” Bartowski  ( Zachary Levi) who on his birthday was sent an email from his old college “friend” (i will explain the quotes later) Bryce Larkin (Matthew Bomer) which contained images. These images are not what you or i would see when we clicked on to a attachment on an email. These images were encoded with secrets from FBI, CIA and NSA its is all intelligence that had accrued together were hidden in these files/pictures.  Bryce stole these images from a computer that those three branches of the intelligence services were using to share what they knew.  After stealing them he destroyed the computer the “Intersect”.   So now Chuck is in danger because he has downloaded all those images into his brain he has become a walking computer basically the human form of the “Intersect”.  Chuck isn’t a spy or anything like that he is just a “normal” guy he has a 9-5 job and works in a big box/electronic store in the computer help desk.  In the show the store is called the Buy More and the group of the guys/girls that are the help desk are members of the Nerd Herd.  So he is basically a computer geek, who loves Tron, Dune, comic books going to Comic Conventions (ComiCon) and playing video games.

So in the pilot after he is sent these images the CIA sent their Agent “Sarah Walker” (Yvonne Strahovski) initially to burn or turn him and as the CIA and NSA don’t get along in this show. The NSA sent an Agent Major John Casey better know as Casey to basically kill him.  So, Sarah turns up at the Buy More pretending to be a customer in trouble with here mobile phone to get Chuck to fix it so she could suss him out.  Sarah left her business card so Chuck would phone her to go out on a “date” . He didn’t call her but she then returned to the store again looking to ask Chuck on the “date”. So on this date Chuck had this “flash” which is the intelligence after seeing something but it wasn’t his first flash though. A flash can be triggered by the sound of a voice, a name being mentioned, car registration plate or seeing someones face. The flashes are all linked together with all the intelligence he has in his head.  They went to a night club and Chuck could  believe that this woman, 5”9″‘/5’10″, Blond Hair hugely attractive woman could be interested in him.  The date is interrupted with agents and Casey from the NSA walking into the club trying to kill Chuck. They escape the club but are trying to out run the agents from the NSA.  They end up on the top of building on a helipad waiting to be extracted.  Sarah then asked Chuck how did he know Bryce Larkin and when did they last speak to each other.  Bryce and Chuck went to Stanford together but Chuck was kicked out for “cheating”. Bryce was a CIA agent but Chuck didn’t know that.  On top of the roof  Sarah revealed to Chuck what Bryce was and what the images he saw were.  Casey came onto the roof to shoot both Sarah and Chuck. Chuck flashed in a emotional response to his situation he was in and to something that had happened earlier.  There was a bomb about to be detonated in a high level meeting. So Casey and Sarah had to snap into spy mode to defuse the bomb. Chuck had to come along. Chuck managed to defuse the bomb with a computer virus on his first mission.  The NSA/CIA wanted Chuck to themselves but decided it would be better for them to work together to keep Chuck safe from all the rogue elements that might wish to hurt him.  So Casey is now working at the Buy More as a cover to keep Chuck safe and Sarah is working in a store in the malhttp://janwallace78.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=46&message=10l/retail park for the same reason.  To keep him extra safe Sarah is posing as Chuck’s girlfriend.

So the three of them go on missions together. Chuck using the “Intersect” and Sarah/Casey using there spy training.

Part 2 is the character biographies and how these things have worked into creating the controversy that has ensued since Feb 8th.

Part 3 will be the controversy and my reaction to it all.

UK Heroes Past and Present

Well as you probably know I am a huge supporter of the UK Armed Services.

This hasn’t been a new thing it goes back to my grandfather who served in World War 1. He was in the Engineers.

The picture on the side is of my Grandfather who I might be a little biased looks very dapper in his uniform. He saw the bloodiest war on record and it was “The War to End All Wars.” Looking back now if any of his generation were alive they would be shocked and saddened. At what is going on with our current service men and women their successors are doing at the moment. I bet they wouldn’t believe that there was still fighting going on in the world that their war didn’t end all wars. I can only imagine the horrors of what they saw in the trenches in France. They didn’t have the fighting capabilities that are available to the current forces. I just wish i knew my own Grandfather as he was dead before i was born. I would have loved to have sat at his feet or on his lap listening to the stories of what went on in WW1. I salute all the past heroes of the two Great Wars.

Lest we forget what you went through to give us the freedoms that we so take for granted today.

No one in the next generation of the family followed my grandfather into the services . It took his Grandchildren to take that step into become a serviceman. My cousin joined the RAF just before the first Gulf War. He from what i can remember was luck in away he might have just come out or about to come out of trade training when the war started. So as a family we were lucky that he didn’t go as he then met his wife who was in the RAF herself and they have 3 beautiful children. Both are now out of the services. I did go out when he was based in Cyprus to visit him and his wife in Married Quarters (MQ) in RAF Akrotiri. So i got to see a working base in action. From getting my ID done so i could stay there and not forgetting to take it with me incase the RAF police stopped me to ask for it. To visiting the Med Center, the NAAFI to the hearing the jets fly across the house at 07:00 and most importantly the pool to cool off in the heat. Meeting a few of the guys at a BBQ at my cousins MQ house. So my respect for the Armed services grew then and still grows today.

So my current involvement with the Armed services is one of my closest friends is currently out in Camp Bastion with the RAF. He is currently in the RAF Fire Service. For those who are reading this you probably didn’t know there was one unless you are in the Forces yourself. So it has been a difficult few months with him being out there in an Operational Theater (OPs) in Afghanistan. He will be home next month thank goodness.

I pray for him and all the girls and boys that are out there in Kandarhar, Kabul, Camp Bastion as well as all those who are out on the ground in Forward Operating Bases (FOBs). They knew what they were doing when they signed on the dotted line to become servicemen and women. That some day they may have to put their life on the line to help someone else. They probably didn’t think that it they would have to do it. Some of the older servicemen and women signed up in peace time but the younger service men and women signed up during the start of the Afghan war or the War in Iraq.They are true Heroes for doing that serving their country and doing a job that most people would not dare do themselves.

So please support all our Services, The British Army, The Royal Navy and The Royal Air Force. They are the Heroes of this country and deserve all the prayers, love and respect from everyone.

I am a huge supporter of this charity. It is Help for Heroes. Its an amazing charity set up to help injured servicemen and women who come back from a war zone injured in some way. To find out more please check out this website. Help for Heroes.

Please support them in anyway you can. More news about my support could be coming up soon. Stay tuned.

The UK Armed Forces in my opinion are the Pride of Britain.

Life at the Moment

Well life for me at the moment is good. I am dealing with issues that have effected me all my life. So i am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I won’t go into it as its personal but there are things that i should have dealt with years ago.

So that is why i haven’t been posting here since my last rant on the forces situation. I am going to deal with that in my next post coming up after this one.

One thing i am really happy at is the fact that i have seen my Baseball team win the World Series after a few years break. Sadly i watched it on my own as my friend who is in the forces who i was going to watch the game with, was a sleep. So Yankees can we make it 28 next year so we can watch it together.

So hope everyone is good and please pass this blog onto people so i can have some feed back.

My Anger

I am really angry with the way the British Government is treating out brave men and women of our Armed forces. Currently they are paying tax on there salaries if they are out on Ops.  When the US and other ISAF forces do not pay any tax or given allowances to go out and fight in countries outside their country. So why cant the British government do the same. Gordon Brown recently went out on a “Support” mission to Afghanistan to see our troops out there. A “Support” mission was actually more like a PR stunt to boost his profile in this country. Which i don’t see happening. One brave solider did the unthinkable but a very brave thing. Private Byfield got up the guts to ask the question about tax breaks when having lunch with the PM at Camp Bastion.  Gordon Brown then bumbled because he wasn’t expecting this question to be brought up. He turned round to the Private and said “It’s because you have a British employer!”

What an insult to say to a man who is putting his life on the line every single second he is out there. Our troops men and women deserve everything they want and need. From the correct footwear to the best body armour to the things that they need to allow them to come home to the ones that love them.  Soliders are dying needlessly because they dont have the right equipment. The pencil pushers and the scrooges at the MOD as well as the UK government should be ashamed of themselves by denying these heroes what they need.

So Gordon Brown and the UK government do the right thing for once in your miserable lives and support our troops financially. Don’t use them in political PR stunts. Is 210 deaths not enough for you to give them what they need. How many more need to die?

The Army and the RAF are the true heroes out there in Afghanistan.

I salute you all. Stay safe and come home safely.

Royal Air Force.

British Army

Hey

This is my first blog on my new blog site. So going to be changing my style from my previous blog. This is going to be abit more of my own personal views about life and the current affairs. I will blog later about one thing that is really annoying me.

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