Gerald Dean Rice's Blog, page 108

His Last Interview

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a huge boxing fan.  I used to cover fights and interview fighters and write opinion pieces for saddoxing.com and I came across an interview I did with Diego Corrales before his last fight against Joshua Clottey on April 7, 2007.  Diego died a month later after hitting another vehicle on his motorcycle and falling off.  It was two years to the day after his fight of the year with Jose Luis Castillo.  Enjoy.

 

Diego Corrales, Volume II

Having endured more than his share of ups and downs over the past two years, Diego Corrales is ready to make a bold return to the ring on April 7 on Showtime. Despite two back-to-back losses he has chosen to take on a very game opponent in Joshua Clottey who lost a unanimous decision to Antonio Margarito last year after easily dominating the early rounds. Clottey's hand speed and stamina were very problematic for Tony as they will be for Corrales. Saddoboxing spoke to the now welterweighted Corrales regarding his future in boxing.

 

SB: How are you feeling?

 

DC: I'm feeling good; very good.

 

SB: You struggled to make 142 against Joel Casamayor. Is making 147 difficult?

 

DC: It's definitely a little bit of work. People don't realize how big I really was. I still find myself dieting to make the weight.

 

SB: How's your power at 147? Do you have more pop?

 

DC: It's funny—I've sparred with 154 pounders. Obviously, I did bring my power with me—they feel it.

 

SB: You chose a very game opponent in Joshua Clottey—why didn't you take a tune-up for your first fight at 147?

 

DC: Joshua Clottey is a tough dude. I want to make sure people know I belong here. I plan on giving a great show.

 

SB: Sparring is one thing—what if your body doesn't respond like you want it to during the fight?

 

DC: Your body responds the same way in training. You'll play the same way in training. Understandably, I'm fighting a big guy, a strong guy in Joshua Clottey, but you train the same way you play.

 

SB: Do you feel the move up in weight has revitalized your game? Can you continue a few more years?

 

DC: You know what? It's taken away a lot of the headaches and stresses in the game. And fighting this way is tough. It's hard to keep yourself at a tempo at this point. At this stage, I'm happy; it's a new weight lifted off the shoulders. I'm actually able to train the way I want to.

 

SB: Can you stay at 147 or will you need to move up to 154?

 

DC: (laughs) You know? I don't know. You really don't know what's gonna happen. Hopefully, this is the last stop. Getting heavier wouldn't surprise me. I'm 29 and getting ready for 30. As you get older your body gets denser.

 

SB: What's changed for the better in the move up?

 

DC: Biggest thing I'm thinking about what I have to do as opposed to what can I do to lose weight. Now I watch what I do and I watch what I'm eating and those all make a big difference for me. I don't have a huge focus on my weight.

 

SB: How does your wife feel about you continuing to box?

 

DC: As long as I'm happy, she's happy with what I'm doing so long as I don't wind up hurt.

 

SB: Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley (interim champ), Miguel Cotto, Kermit Cintron, Antonio Margarito—what belt would you like to take first?

 

DC: I'm not opposed to any of them. I'm not picking and choosing what direction to go. Only person who's off the list is Shane. We're close friends; my wife knows his wife, my kids play with his kids. But everyone else is fair game.

 

SB: What will be your signal that this is the end of your boxing career or have you already determined that for yourself?

 

DC: When I feel it's time for me to go. When I feel I'm losing a step I'll leave.

 

SB: I was already a fan, but when I saw you expose Acelino Freitas my stock in you rose greatly. How did it feel to beat a champion so badly he quit?

 

DC: (laughs) Pretty crazy. I wouldn't have thought he was gonna quit. I would rather go out on my shield. It felt good considering everyone thought he would win. I just did what I do.

 

SB: Who do you think wins on Cinco de Mayo?

 

DC: I think Oscar. If it goes to a decision Floyd definitely has that [chance]. Definitely Oscar can end the fight. It's so hard to call. Speed for speed favors Floyd, but the power and the size and the strength all go to Oscar. At 154 Floyd just has too many things to overcome.

 

SB: Well good luck on April 7. Anything you'd like to say in closing?

 

DC: Watch April 7. It's going to be a great showing.

Diego lost by decision to Clottey.

I, Keveny - pt 22

The lamps floated through the door and into the room. They were bigger and pulsed red and orange. Daniel and I stepped closer to each other.

 

"You know, on second thought, K," Daniel began, "I think getting out of here is a good thing. Matter of fact, I think I'm coming with you."

 

"But what if you're right? What if there's nothing outside of here and you just cease to exist?"

 

"Gotta be better than this. That thing is gonna try to gobble me up or something."

 

"But what about the others? You said this house was filled with other people."

 

"Gone. And I don't know where."

 

We went through the living room, around those lamps and back to the front of the house. They followed us, the pulsing going even faster as we stepped out on the porch. The mist was like a wall, bumping up against the stairs. I stepped over and put my hand through.

 

"I don't know if this is gonna work," I said.

 

"I'm not waiting around to find out it didn't."

 

We held hands. It was kind of weird, but felt like the right thing to do. Daniel looked at me, his head bobbing slightly. He was counting. Just like me.

 

One… two… three…

 

We stepped off the porch.

 

And fell.

Secret Formula

Just tooling around in the closet and realized I had the secret formula to Coke:

The recipe:

Fluid extract of Coca: 3 drams USP

Citric acid: 3 oz

Caffeine: 1 oz

Sugar: 30 (unclear quantity)

Water: 2.5 gal

Lime juice: 2 pints, 1 quart

Vanilla: 1 oz

Caramel: 1.5 oz or more for color

The secret 7X flavor (use 2 oz of flavor to 5 gals syrup):

Alcohol: 8 oz

Orange oil: 20 drops

Lemon oil: 30 drops

Nutmeg oil: 10 drops

Coriander: 5 drops

Neroli: 10 drops

Cinnamon: 10 drops

Enjoy!

I, Keveny - pt 21

"Sue!" Daniel said. "But she's two crackers shy of a bowl of crazy soup!"

 

"I know. Sefra had her locked away. If she got out and she's pretending to be Sefra…"

 

"But what can you do about any of that now?"

 

"I got an idea."

 

"No-no," Daniel said. "You went out there a few times already and by some retarded fluke you didn't get erased. Don't you know what that mist is? It's entropy."

 

"Okay, what does entropy mean?"

 

"It means, uhhh, well." Daniel scratched his head. "Remember The Neverending Story?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"Remember the kid had to find a new name for the princess to stop the Great Nothing?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"The Great Nothing is the same as that mist. And considering you just took a shot to the dome, I'd say your lifeline just got cut."

 

"You don't know that, though. I mean my body could still be alive. Besides, there's something else going on."

 

"I seriously doubt that as I have shot many an individual in the eye and none of them started whistling Dixie. What do you mean something else?"

 

"Look, we know a shot to the brain works, but come on—any part of the brain does the trick? Isn't motor function like in the back of the brain or something?"

 

Daniel scratched his head. "I don't know."

 

"I've got to try to get back."

 

"No, man. No." Daniel put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. But it seemed as though it might have been out of concern even though it still hurt. "You can't. You'll be dead for good."

 

"But something is coming. For real. Once I tried to stop my body from… eating someone. I blanked out. I wasn't here and I wasn't there. It was like I was someplace that didn't exist at all, that didn't know it could exist until I came there. I came back, but I wound up bumping into

Wynn and I went back there. This time it watched me. It started to move. I think it's coming here."

 

"Here? Like here-here? Or there-here?" Daniel pointed outside."

 

"I'm not sure."

I'm Honored?

I had this in my email this morning:

Dear Gerald Rice,

 

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The NAPW highlights and profiles the country's most accomplished professional women in over 200 industries and professions. We provide an exclusive and powerful networking forum for our members to communicate and successfully achieve social and career development.

 

Inclusion in the NAPW is a privilege shared by thousands of professional women throughout America each year.

 

Click here to secure your place in our network of more than 150,000 like-minded professional women.

 

Upon receipt of your registration form, you will be highlighted amongst thousands of accomplished professional women! Please submit the form within five business days. There is no fee to be included.

 

On behalf of the National Association of Professional Women, welcome to membership.

 

Sincerely,

Stephanie Murphy

Director of Membership Services

I, Keveny - pt 20

The lamps came closer until they were hovering over the porch stairs.

 

"Let's go inside," Daniel said.

 

"Good idea." We retreated through the creaky front door and shut it behind us as if it would do anything at all. I mean, the door didn't really exist and what was on the other side of it was beyond the understanding of any human. Even if it were a real door I doubt one as dilapidated as that one would hold it at bay.

 

"So what's going on with you?" he asked me. "Outside, I mean."

 

My return had been so abrupt I'd forgotten. "Something's very wrong," I said.

 

"You mean other than the fact you are now a member of the legion of the undead?"

 

"Yeah. All this time I've been trying to figure out a way to get to Sefra. To protect her. I might have already been too late."

 

"Why?"

 

"I figured out how to control my body. To make it do what I wanted. But I think she's already dead."

 

"Already? What—you found her body?" We went into the kitchen and Daniel opened the refrigerator. Surprisingly, he pulled out a pitcher of lemonade and poured into two glasses on the counter.

 

"Whoa. Is that real?"

 

"Well…" Daniel shrugged. He handed me a glass. "Quit stalling already. I'm hanging in suspense over here."

 

I only intended to take drink a little. But a sip turned into a swallow and turned into a full-out chug. I must have been parched, but such a thing didn't seem possible to me; I never considered it. My head was clearer, thoughts and realizations came to me faster than at any point before this whole nightmare began. I had to—

 

"Ahem," Daniel said, his arms folded and tapping an index on a massive bicep.

 

I held the cold empty glass to my forehead and closed my eyes. "I think I might be dead for good. Sefra's sister Sue just shot me in the eye."

Want a Clue?

The women.  They've been mentioned in song.

My Soul to Take

Ah, the latest Wes Craven film that came out last year didn't disappoint. Well, it wasn't good in the traditional sense, but I appreciated it for reasons you don't seek out in a horror movie.

 

The angst-riddled teenagers were actually engaging rather than obnoxious and annoying. I assumed it was just going to be a bunch of whiney kids I couldn't wait to see offed like every other post-pubescent-but-not-quite-an-adult-so-I-don't-know-where-I-fit-in-so-I'm-just-dumb-and-angry type of pseudo-horror film.

 

The teens actually had charm and I found myself caring about oft-confused am-I-or-am-I-not-a-mass-serial-killer Bug. The dialogue was witty and even the cruel kid Brandon was likeable. Everyone had reason to be what they were, save for the blind kid Jerome (I just knew there would be a reason for him to be blind- WRONG!)

 

I quickly figured out the killer after the opening scene with the Riverton Ripper getting shot up several times, but still managing to escape police custody. I expected a certain character to make a reprisal and I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong and right at the same time.

 

No doubt this movie will be forgotten just as quickly as it filters through whatever premium channel picks it up. You'll be up sometime at 3 am for no reason that makes sense, whatsoever and this'll be on some basic cable channel. Might as well watch while you're still awake.

I, Keveny - pt 19

"Keveny—Keveny. Yo—wake up."

 

I slowly came to. Daniel was kneeling over me, slapping me in the face with one of those massive paws. If I'd had a brain still, he would be giving me a concussion.  I grabbed his hand to give my eyes a moment to stop rattling in my head.

 

"What the hell was that?" My head throbbed.

 

"I don't know, man, you tell me." He helped me up and I noticed he was looking around a lot.

 

"What's going on, did you pull me back again?"

 

"Pull you back? Again?" Daniel shook his head.

 

"Yeah, that thing. It yanked me back here a little while ago." He looked at me.

 

"K, don't trust that thing. I don't think it's what it's pretending to be."

 

"What is it pretending to be? I thought you don't know what it is." I rubbed the side of my face, the ache going from my eye to my brain gradually easing.

 

"I don't. But I know it's not good."

 

"What do you mean, what happened?"

 

Daniel smiled. "See my man, Keveny. Always ready to step in and help out."

 

I hadn't said that, but I let it go for now.

 

"What happened?" I asked again. "Hey, I thought you had moved on, when I was here last it told me you were 'nonesuch' or something."

 

"See, that's why I'm suspicious of this thing. I didn't go anywhere. Nobody has. It just sent me to the basement for something."

 

"This place has a basement?"

 

"Yeah, it does. But I didn't find what it wanted. I'm starting to think we're not going anywhere, but something is coming to us."

 

"Why? I mean, you seemed so sure before."

 

"I know, but… it's hard to explain. You'd have to really be here to understand."

 

There was a noise not far away from the house. I looked over and saw two orange-reddish lamps about twice the size of basketballs hovering near the top of the mist. For a minute they just hung there.

 

"For instance, stuff like that," Daniel said. "That's it. Sometimes it just stares at me."

 

"You mean those are its eyes?" If the hairs on the back of my neck were real, they would've been standing.

 

"Right now they are. It doesn't have a real form. I don't think it needed one before now. Before us."

 

"Why is it just staring?"

 

"It pretends when it wants to, but I don't think it understands us. I think it tries to copy, but it's at a loss when it comes to humans. Or at least the human spirit."

 

It rose from the mist to about five feet above the mist. Yellow globes within the lamps swiveled around to our side. Okay, now it was looking at us and fake or no, the hairs on the back of my neck did stand.

Don't Have a Kindle, but You Still Want TGT?

Very simple instructions on how you can still get The Ghost Toucher for your e-reader:

 

1. Buy THE GHOST TOUCHER on Amazon and either:

 

a) Select "Transfer via Computer" from the "Deliver to" pull-down menu on the product detail page and save to your computer.

 

or

 

b) Visit the Manage Your Kindle page. Locate the item you wish to download in the "Your Orders" section at the bottom of the page. If you have a lot of content, you may need to use the Previous and Next options at the bottom to navigate through all of your content. Click on "Deliver to" next to the title and choose "Transfer via Computer" from the list. Save the file to your computer when prompted by your web browser.

 

2. Download and install the free program Calibre.

 

3. Open the Calibre program, and click ADD BOOKS in the upper left-hand corner, selecting the .azw file you just downloaded onto your computer from Amazon.

 

4. Once the ebook is in Calibre, highlight it by clicking on it and then click on the CONVERT BOOKS tab. Select the type of file you'd like to convert it to (most of the new ereaders use epub files).

 

5. Upload the newly created file to your ereader of choice.