Time for a semi-annual report – it’s been a while. A lot has happened over the last few months – so let me “Phil” you in:

For those that don’t know…my sister’s baby girl (Rylan Brooke Smith) was born in March. Click here to see pictures and updates.

My brother Graduated from Fire Academy in April – check out this picture (he’s the tall kid).

I took a vacation to the Dominican Republic with Joel & Gena. Click here to see those pictures). It was a great time – enjoyed the Caribbean beaches and the unique culture – met some good peeps from across the globe as well.

My good friends Matt & Marisa had a baby girl too. Click here to see her.

Had a good holiday break as I headed to AZ and then Reno, NV to celebrate the new year with Joel, Gena and crew (I’ll link pictures soon). Though I’ve been to Tahoe many times, I had never been to Reno. Before the trip I had always pictured Reno as an old, run down, mini version of Vegas, but I was surprised to find Reno to be pretty nice. The casinos weren’t overwhelming, and the downtown area was decent. It snowed the first couple days I was there as we attempted the slopes at Mount Rose however the conditions were so windy, we were only able to get a few runs in before we called it quits. We decided to bypass the South Lake Tahoe madness on New Years Eve and went to downtown Reno (good times).

Because my buddy Joel is the king of all media gadgets, I got my first crack at the Wii and Apple TV. Apple TV has a direct link to You Tube which we all used to share some good vids – and, of course, I must share them with you. Enjoy…

First, click here. Yeah…you’ve just been “Rick Roll’d.” Watch out - it’s taking over the internet.

I’m getting kind of tired of the “Soulja Boy” song, but I thought this was pretty cool/impressive.

This is for all of my boys who swear Top Gun was the best ‘80s movie ever. This movie was much better.

On a related subject, check out this clip and this clip from the new television show "The Gay Robot" based off the character in one of Adam Sandler’s CDs. Rediculous/Funny.

Check out these girls spell out the lyrics to a Daft Punk song. Give it a little bit – impressive coordination/timing. This must have taken more than a couple takes.

And finally. Check out this classic animation. This must have been around for a while, because many have made You Tube remakes of it (even human reenactments). There is really no words to explain it, just make sure you watch it through to the end.

More links keep coming in, and I can't help but to share them with you. So...if you have a little time to kill, you came to the right spot.

I saw this on TV the other night, and thought it was great. Frank, from "Frank TV" went on the TNT Basketball set and impersonated Charles Barkley while sitting right next to him. You may be sick of seeing Frank's commercials, but the guy's impressions are amazing (I think his Barkley is the best). Too bad his TV show doesn't have good writers (maybe they've been on strike). **Note: You must wait for the Clinton/Cheney skit to finish at first (it's brief)**.

I found this link from the short-lived "Dana Carvey Show" featuring Steve Carell (from the Office). I use to love this show - too bad it was canceled after the first season. I never knew Steve Carell was on the show?

Speaking of Dana Carvey; the above clip reminded me of his HBO standup special from '98 (one of the best). Here is a clip from the show.

Check out this fantastic foreign 80's video.

Now that you brought you back to the 80's, let me keep you there...my buddy Scout showed me this little gym from "Rad." I never knew the lady from Full House could ride a bike like that?!

Here is a clip of Jimmie Kimmel hosting Larry King Live. I thought it was weird for him to be a fill in host for this show - he also puts the "smack down" on his guest.

And lastly...I thought this Spoof of MTV's the Hills was funny. **Note: I stole this link from an ESPN article**.

Discovered some new links over the holiday. Thought I'd share them with you.

Aries Spears Rap: This is an impressive rap medley (You may have seen this already).

Top That: If you'd like to sum up the 80's in two minutes...this is the video to show.

Power Thurst: I think this has been around for a while, but I just saw it (makes me laugh).

What’s up guys…just wanted to wish you all a good Thanksgiving - my favorite holiday. A holiday that encourages you to eat, and forces you to sit down for long periods of time (why else would they put on that many football games?). Everybody around you seems to transform into that same half-happy, half-sedated state (it’s contagious). I will, once again, be heading up to Scottsdale, AZ for the occasion.

Thought I’d throw you a few links to enjoy during your time off:

The Bauer Blog - I know, it’s been up for a while now, but they’re finally blogging – take a gander

Pleasanton Monologue: I sent this to many a while back, but it has been requested recently. Watch Furguson’s take on P-Town (he should have visited Dublin)

LSU Article: I have a few coworkers that went to LSU – they’re constantly telling me how great the SEC is and how the PAC-10 is the worst conference in the world – so I had to fabricate an article about their beloved program (they were fooled for a while).

Journey Karaoke: Because I like anything Journey/Family Guy related. Can’t believe how instantly this song got a second life – I truly believe my friends and I had a lot to do with it.

Racing Kangaroo: JTran sent me this one – close call!

Jackon’s Blog: My boy Rudick has a kid, and his kid has a blog.

Today is a strange day. Funny…I know I should be thinking of more mature things now like the stock market, and America’s development of fossil fuels however, I can’t stop thinking of which dive-bar I would like to celebrate at tonight and why they left out the kick-ball scenes in Billy Madison (deleted scenes).

I may not be ready for this.

I guess one good thing about these fires is that it allowed me to talk to people who I haven’t talked to in a while. I’m fine of course…I live near the ocean (had my waterwings on). Fires came close to my office though (check out a map here). Had to flee work on Monday afternoon through a thick, midnight-like, haze from Carlsbad to Del Mar (strange, eerie, interesting). A few friends were forced to stay with us for a couple of days - but all is good (at least with the peeps that I know).

I don’t know if you heard, but Jimmie Kimmel was just banned from the Monday Night Football booth indefinitely yesterday (click here), after he made some controversial (urr… funny) remarks on air as a guest at Monday Night’s dismal game showcasing the Vick-less Falcon’s against the Giants.

The NFL shouldn’t have banned Kimmel – they should have offered him a permanent job.

Kimmel in the booth reminded me of Dennis Miller’s short-lived stint in the MNF booth. Though criticized by many for being of all things, too smart, I was a fan of the Miller year and thought that the NFL was on the right track by airing a comedian to mix things up a little-bit. A comedian, with no direct ties to the game adds a refreshing diversion from broadcast booths filled with ex-players and coaches. Miller may not have been the right fit at the time, but I had always hoped the NFL wouldn’t turn their back on inviting another comedian into the booth in the future.

Bad move NFL! (side note: Maybe the NBA can work this angle – imagine Kimmel, Carolla, and Marv Albert with Barkley at the half. Now that’s a broadcasting crew!)

Click here for another article about the MNF bann.

In hopes that David Stern is a frequent pm.com reader, stats from my Thursday night basketball league are now available. Even though our team (Journey) is off to a slow start, I think we may have some NBA potential. Click here to check the stats.

FYI: I’m working on a new look for this site – should be ready to go soon.

I headed up to Lincoln, CA this weekend for Krissy Collyer's wedding. Check out some pics here.