Merry XMas

Thanks Danny Boy for the best XMas present ever....

SEE YOU LATER VINNY!

Dont let the door hit your a$$ on the way out!

Go Green!!!

I am not one to care much about the environment, but people who do, do not bother me...

What does bother me is that when I wash my hands, and the stupid motion sensor paper tower dispenser, never actually gives you enough to dry your hands...

I usually want to punch those things, but then they break, and you have to walk out with wet hands, having to touch the door of your co-worker who just nearly $hit his pants after his Salisbury Steak TV Dinner for lunch, and "forgot" to wash his hands.

Thanks "Green" movement for that!

Copycat?

I love how in the NFL, announcers always say, "The NFL is a copycat league!"

You know who else are copycats...the announcers themselves:

1. I have never heard of the guy who was the color analyst yesterday for the Skins game (Charles Davis)?
2. I am not sure it mattered, as I dont think anyone was watching
3. All he talked about was double moves that Laron Landry likes to bite on, which is exactly what everyone has talked about ALL YEAR!
4. I am not sure what is on Dick Stockton's head, but I am fairly confident, its not hair!

Good Win!

TV...

I am not sure if I am becoming more critical/cynical in my old age, or TV/writing is getting worse by the day.

I have always enjoyed shows like CSI / Law & Order / The Office / Criminal Minds/ etc...

but the shows today are just BAD...the writing is poor, the story lines are bland, and overall, I can only hear Gary Sinese, or some similar actors say..."then, there must be 2 murders..." with some theme music as they fade to commercial...

Maybe that is why I like reality TV, like Top Chef or other similar things, as they are not as scripted...

I am not sure if it has to do with the Writers Strike from 2 years back...but it seems like TV today is experiencing a serious downturn!

Working...

proposals sucks...

working proposals on the weekend sucks even more...

I havent even started XMas shopping yet!

Dead Wrestlers...

For all those Wrestling fans...this might be the funniest OR most alarming link you have ever seen!!!

CLICK HERE! (make sure you look and read every picture/caption!)

Chinese Food...

Is there anyplace that is anygood any more?

All Chinese food today tastes the same, regardless of where you get it...it is more a matter of how greasy it is.

Suggestions on good places?

FutBall

While I am not the biggest soccer fan around...I was fired up to see the World Cup draw today. All in all, it seem as though the good ole USofA got a great draw.

June 2010 cant get here soon enough!

Sorry...

I just have not had a whole lot to say recently!

I Failed To Mention...

that I had the pleasure of riding the train home the other night across the aisle, with none other than the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

While I don't agree with this man (on anything), I could not bring myself to ask him the same question, I want to ask the Rev. Al Sharpton...

"What makes you a Rev.?"

He also did not tip the waitress in 1st class, which everyone else was doing!

Wow

We won...

I am not going to go on for an hour-long diatribe, on what went right / what went wrong / what still needs fixing / etc.

I am just happy we won, and excited for Dallas Week #1.

WEEK 10 PICKS

WEEK 10 PICKS:

Actually on time this week too:

Chicago at San Francisco: SF
Atlanta at Carolina: CAROLINA
Buffalo at Tennessee: BUFF
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: PITT
Denver at Washington: DENVER
Detroit at Minnesota: MINNI
Jacksonville at NY Jets: JAX
New Orleans at St. Louis: N’AWLINS
Tampa Bay at Miami: ME-YAMI
Kansas City at Oakland: OAK-TOWN
Dallas at Green Bay: DALLAS
Philadelphia at San Diego: PHILLY
Seattle at Arizona: ‘ZONA
New England at Indianapolis: NE
Baltimore at Cleveland: BALTI

Ghetto Fab...

Last night for dinner, I had a Hot Dog, microwaved, with a Kraft Single, inside a slice of white bread, with some hot sauce and A-1.

I am not kidding!

Burgers...

I have made it very clear what I feel about Bobby Flay. I think he is a douche bag!

Well, last weekend, a buddy from NJ and I went to Five Guys. I deem Five Guys to be a slightly upscale fast food burger place, where things are made to order, and you can be in and out, having eaten in 15 mins. We each had Bacon Cheeseburgers, a soda, and split a large fry. It was $20 (give or take).

Well I went to Bobby's Burger Palace today in NJ to try it out, and see if it was all that it was cracked up to be. Simply put...it was not. I ordered the Philly Burger, provolone, grilled onions, and hot peppers. A soda and I ordered the beer-battered onion rings. This set me back $14.50.

The Burger get an OK...there was nothing special about it. The Rings get an OK. The best part of the meal was "The Fry Sauce" which is a subtly spiced mayonaise based sauce, resembling buffalo sauce.

This outing once again proves my point...Bobby is a douche bag.

I Was Surprised To Read

that this Thurs night John Allen Muhammed will be executed in Virginia...it seems that you always read that people are on Death Row for 10, sometimes 20 years, awaiting execution.

It seems like just yesterday that people around DC were worried to go outside, for fear of the DC Sniper, and his accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo terrorized the area. It got to be so bad that High School football games were being cancelled out of fear for safety.

However, those crazy 3 weeks were in October 2002...7 years ago. Time flies!

Thanks AVIS...

For giving me the same Prius again...

I feel like such a loser!

WEEK 9 PICKS

WEEK 9 RESULTS: 6-7 (OUCH!)

Submitted late again (but I have a time and date stamp on my BB to prove my honesty (and trust me when you see these picks, its not like I lied)

Arizona at Chicago: CHI
Baltimore at Cincinnati: BALTI
Green Bay at Tampa Bay: GB
Houston at Indianapolis: INDY
Kansas City at Jacksonville: JAX
Miami at New England: NE
Washington at Atlanta: ATLANTA (easiest pick this year)
Carolina at New Orleans: N’AWLINS
Detroit at Seattle: DAY-TROIS
San Diego at NY Giants: NYG
Tennessee at San Francisco: SF
Dallas at Philadelphia: PHILLY
Pittsburgh at Denver: PITT

A Parting Gift...

One summer day in 2008, I was working in the garage of our old house, when a woman in a beat-up early 90’s Honda Civic pulled up to my neighbor. She was kind of dressed up and was pulling things out of her car and taking them into the neighbor’s house. It turns out the neighbor was hosting a birthday party that night, and this girl was from a wine company and was delivering all of the alcohol for the party. Later on, people started to show up to the party, and she got ready to take off, after having delivered the wine, but realized she locked the keys in the car.

I tried to help, as did members of the party, despite her stating, “This always happens, but I usually just pull hard enough and it opens.” This time it did not. I also sat there wondering how often this girl locked her keys in the car.

Well I went inside, grabbed a wire hanger, and after some bending and prying, I was able to unlock the car for her. She was very happy, and figuring she was from some wine company, she might have a little extra to give me.

So I jokingly said to her, “How about a little something, you know, for the effort?” (Those might not have been my exact words, but some people might know where that line is from).

She responded with, “I delivered all of our wine, but here is a bottle of something I just picked up at the grocery store”

With that, she handed me a bottle of Barefoot White Zinfandel, arguably, the cheapest bottle at CVS (maybe $3.99), and potentially the one that might give you the worst hangover. At that point, I could not say NO, so I just smiled and thanked her, and ran inside laughing.

Well fast-forward some 16 months or so, and the bottle was still hanging around the house. I could not bring myself to give that to someone as a gift, and I was not going to simply throw it away. Not knowing what I could do with it, I came up with the perfect solution. I left it in the fridge of the person we sold the house to.

Enjoy your hangover!

Times Are Tough...

at McDonalds...

My old "go-to" was the Double Cheeseburger (2 burgers, 2 slices of cheese, and all the fixins). It was on the $1 menu...add some fries, and I was happy as could be.

Well the other day, being the nice guy that I am, I went out to buy burgers for our movers who did an excellent job. I went into the McDonalds, and looked up at Dollar Menu, only to see that Double Cheeseburger had been replaced by the McDouble. I inquired as to what the McDouble was...

Any guesses as to the difference?

Yup...they removed a slice of cheese! Is this considered cost-cutting?

Give me my slice of cheese back!

Week 8 Picks...

WEEK 8 RESULTS: 8-5
OVERALL RESULTS: 74-42

I know I didnt get them up in time...but I wrote them down on my blackberry...so here they are:

Cleveland at Chicago: CHI
Denver at Baltimore: BALTI
Houston at Buffalo : BUFF
Miami at NY Jets: MIA
NY Giants at Philadelphia: NYG
San Francisco at Indianapolis: INDY
Seattle at Dallas: DALLAS
St. Louis at Detroit: STL
Jacksonville at Tennessee: TENN
Oakland at San Diego: SD
Carolina at Arizona: ARZ
Minnesota at Green Bay: GB
Atlanta at New Orleans: ATL
BYE at Washington: BYE

Happy Birthday...

to my boy...1 Year Old. We did it!!!

My Official Take On The Dead'Skins

I thought I would take a crack at figuring out what is wrong with the Redskins…everyone else has. I figured I would put a list together, in no particular order, with the outcome being that the sum of the issues equals what is wrong with the team. Again, this is in no particular order:

• We have a QB who is Big, Strong, and Athletic, but lacks Intelligence, Vision, and Accuracy. On the flip side...he is also the best we got at this point.
• We have at best a patchwork offensive line, and even when healthy, they are average at best, and old to boot.
• We have Wide Receivers who are small, and those that are big, are immature, inexperienced, and care more about themselves then the team
• Our Special Teams seems to be ok
• We have a D-Line that occasionally makes plays, but if you were to scrap this team as a whole, who would you bring back in a rebuilding year…maybe Golston and Carter (MAYBE!)
• We have a LB corps that is pretty solid, but does not do anything outstanding. To use a term often reserved for QBs, I think London Fletcher is a product of the system. I love his heart and dedication, but other than being a tackling machine, what else does he do?
• The secondary…wow…let’s start all over. D-Hall and C.Rogers miss more plays than they make. Since the unfortunate passing of Sean Taylor, Laron Landry seems like he has yet to make an impact play. I might keep Reed Doughty and Chris Horton.
• Jim Zorn is in over his head. He is a great QB coach, and could be an offensive coordinator, but I think the responsibilities of a HC are far in excess of his abilities.
• I understand that Joe Bugel has to play the cards that he was dealt, however, it seems that his O-Line has been busting at the seams for a few years. I love the guy, but I think it is time to cut the Joe Gibbs cord.
• I don’t know any of the other Offensive Coaches, and I think that says it all.
• For what it is worth, I thought the play calling the other night was fine. It was the execution and decision making that crushed me. Kick the field goal, instead of going for it on 4th and goal from 4. Take the points when down 3 scores!
• I honestly do not think Greg Blache even cares anymore. He even quit talking to the media. I might keep LB Coach Kirk Olivadotti, but after that, they can all go too…
• Vinny-Boy…What a LOSER! He is nothing more than a YES-Man to The Danny, and as such, has absolutely ZERO football acumen. I am not saying I could do his job, but there are a whole lot more able bodied people out there who know what they are talking about. To hear him say that he provided Zorn a playoff caliber team this year is his way of saying “it aint my fault.” Screw you Vinny…you are the BIGGEST reason we are in this position.
• FINALLY…the Owner. Enuff said!

Tune back in for my recommendations on keepers and cut-aways coming soon!

Gross...

The wife and I went and checked out new matresses, with the intent of buying a "Guest Room" matress. While we did not purchase anything, we did decide to replace our matress, and use our old one in the Guest Room (sleep there at your own risk)...

Well as we went from bed to bed...no matter how hard they try...it is nearly impossible to find a matress without someone's hair lying right next to you...

Think about that next time you hop on top!

WEEK 7 PICKS

Week 7 Results: 6-7 (OUCH!)

2 minor upsets...OAK and KC

Green Bay at Cleveland: GB
Indianapolis at St. Louis: INDY
Minnesota at Pittsburgh: PITT
New England at Tampa Bay: NE
San Diego at Kansas City: KC
San Francisco at Houston: SAN FRAN
Buffalo at Carolina: CAROLINA
NY Jets at Oakland: OAKLAND
Atlanta at Dallas: ATLANTA
Chicago at Cincinnati: CHICAGO
New Orleans at Miami: N’AWLINS
Arizona at NY Giants: NYG
Philadelphia at Washington: PHILLY (you didn’t really think I was taking the Skins did you?)

Unusually Quiet

I have thought long and hard about how to react to the Washington Redskins, and the debacle that is this season. There are not enough 4 letter words out there to explain my all out disgust and anger with the team.

That is until my Cousin sent this to me...I think this sums it all up!

Wedding Ettiquette

So I was an usher (better known as the JV Groomsmen!) at a wedding this weekend. It was a good friend of mine getting married, and myself and 3 other buddies of his were also ushers. As people came in, we offered our arms to the ladies, and took them to there seats (just like ushers do).

Well a girl comes in, around her early 20s (I later find out that she is the girlfriend of the bride's brother), and I offer her my arm, with a nice smile, and a, "May I take you to your seat?"

Her non-chalant answer, along with a wave of the hand was, "NO THANKS!" It kinda threw me for a loop.

Later on, I happened to be sitting next to her, coincidentally, during the wedding, when I look over, only to find her sending a text message, in the middle of the ceremony. I was about to lean over and punch her in the face, when I happened to see, what appeared to be her father sitting next to her on the other side...SOUND ASLEEP!

I am not sure the exact time, but I believe the wedding was 20 minutes long. You mean to tell me you cannot stay awake for 20 minutes for a wedding.

I nearly punched both of them in the face!

WEEK 6 PICKS

WEEK 6 RESULTS: 9-5
OVERALL RESULTS: 60-30

No shockers or upsets here!


Baltimore at Minnesota: BALTI
Carolina at Tampa Bay: CAROLINA
Cleveland at Pittsburgh: PITT
Detroit at Green Bay: GB
Houston at Cincinnati: CINCI
Kansas City at Washington: WASHINGTON (last chance!!!)
NY Giants at New Orleans: N’AWLINS
St. Louis at Jacksonville: JAX
Arizona at Seattle: ZONA
Philadelphia at Oakland: PHILLY
Buffalo at NY Jets: NYJ
Tennessee at New England: PATS
Chicago at Atlanta: ATLANTA
Denver at San Diego: DENVER

NBA Fan???

not at all!

BUT...

I was just on espn.com and noticed that the one and only Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo is a new analyst. I might just tune in to see if he finger wags Steven A. Smith!

That would be awesome!

Rush Limbaugh and The Rams...

From espn.com...

"The Rev. Al Sharpton wants the National Football League to block conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh from bidding on the St. Louis Rams.

Sharpton sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday. He said Limbaugh has been divisive and "anti-NFL" in some of his comments."

WHAT?

I can understand people not wanting Rush to be a NFL owner, and sure he has made some devisive comments over the years, BUT "anti-NFL?"

REALLY???

After all of these years of listening to Al Sharpton blab on about this and that, it leads me to wonder..."What religion is he a Rev for?"
(how does he keep his hair so smooth looking all the time?)

Morning Bottles (CONT.)

It might not be surprising to you, but there is not a whole lot of television on Sunday mornings at 6:25am.

So as I was flipping channels, I came across TBS showing old episodes of Married...With Children. At 6:30, another episode came on, and the intro started...(come on, you all know the words)

Love and marriage,
Love and marriage
Go together
Like a horse and carriage
This I tell you brother
You can't have one without the other
Love and marriage, love and marriage
It's an institute you can't disparage
Ask the local gentry
And they will say it's elementary!

3 Things stick out to me...

1. Shows and their intros will stick with our generation for a lifetime
2. TV Shows today do not have intros (at least songs/lyrics that make us know what is coming on)
3. For the rest of the day, you will be singing to yourself "Love and Marriage, Love and Marriage"

Finally, for good ole sake, here is a picture:

WEEK 5 PICKS

WEEK 5 RESULTS: 9-5
OVERALL RESULTS: 51-25

Some easy games, and some tough ones…I like KC, Denver, and Atlanta in upsets

Here we go:

Cincinnati at Baltimore: BALTI
Cleveland at Buffalo: BUFFALO (in what might be a 3-2 game) (by the way, I was wrong on the pick, right on the score (6-3))
Dallas at Kansas City: KC
Minnesota at St. Louis: MINNI
Oakland at NY Giants: NYG
Pittsburgh at Detroit: PITT
Tampa Bay at Philadelphia: PHILLY
Washington at Carolina: WASHINGTON (Don’t start with me)
Atlanta at San Francisco: ATLANTA
Houston at Arizona: ARIZONA
Jacksonville at Seattle: SEATTLE
New England at Denver: DENVER
Indianapolis at Tennessee: INDY
NY Jets at Miami: NYJ

Congrats Alfred Nobel...

Your presitgious awards, that carry your name with such an aura, today means nothing. The committee made a massive mistake awarding the most important of the 5 (Peace) to President Barack Obama.

What a crock of $hit!

This will only boost his inflated head beyond proportions!

Name Calling...

I am a fan of the term "Douche Bag!"

It seems overly insulting, while not crossing the lines of using curse words, and remains fresh and original!

For instance, I think this guy is a Douche Bag:

WOW!

words can describe the amount of stress that is involved in buying, selling, and moving houses!

This &^^&%^%$!%$# SUCKS!

One Final Note!

When I was returning my Toyota Prius, I had a midg..I mean Little Person fill up my tank!

That was cool!

Rental Cars

I rented a White Toyota Prius Hybrid...it is so weird driving a hatch back. Also, the dashboard is in the middle, which takes a little getting use to.

Finally...I feel like people are looking at me and saying:

"Look at this granola eating loser in his hybrid hatchback! Go hug a tree you hippie!"

(by the way...please do not make fun of my JORTS!)

WEEK 4 PICKS

WEEK 4 RESULTS: 10 - 4
OVERALL RESULTS: 42 - 20

My Week 4 Picks…

Nothing to crazy this week!

Baltimore at New England: BALTI
Cincinnati at Cleveland: CINCI
Detroit at Chicago: CHICAGO
NY Giants at Kansas City: NYG
Oakland at Houston: HOUSTON
Seattle at Indianapolis: INDY
Tampa Bay at Washington: WASHINGTON (I know, I know!)
Tennessee at Jacksonville: TENN
Buffalo at Miami: MIAMI
NY Jets at New Orleans: NEW ORLEANS
Dallas at Denver: DALLAS
St. Louis at San Francisco: SAN FRAN
San Diego at Pittsburgh: PITT
Green Bay at Minnesota: GB

I Stand By My Thoughts...

I still like the fact that Obama Time made the trip on behalf of Chicago. It seems as though the IOC does not really care about the Prez.

This must be a tough pill to swallow for the man who thinks all the world loves him!

Morning Bottles

My boy and I get up most mornings together, and I give him his bottle downstairs. We either watch Sportscenter or Comcast SportsRise.

It makes me sick to my stomach that I will not even turn either of those shows on, because that is how little I want to hear about the Skins. It hurts just to write this now.

Its Week 3, and I am already angry! I can't even sell my tix to this weeks game!

Obama Time...

Here are some words, you do not hear out of me very often...

I FULLY SUPPORT President Obama's trip to Coppenhagen, Denmark. I think it would be great to have the Olympics in Chicago, and have no issue with him going to push that agenda.

Hosting the Olympics is a huge boost to the economy and can showcase to the world that Americans are not all together bad people, which I believe most of the world thinks right now.

Ummm....

As my friend R.E. put it...

"I have never been so embarrased to be a Skins Fan!"

'Nuff Said!

WEEK 3 PICKS

WEEK 3 RESULTS: 11-5
OVERALL: 32-16

On a side note, pretty sure I am not picking the Skins anytime soon!

---------------------------------------

Some unconventional picks this week!

Atlanta at New England: NEW ENGLAND
Cleveland at Baltimore: BALTIMORE
Green Bay at St. Louis: GREEN BAY
Jacksonville at Houston: JAX
Kansas City at Philadelphia: PHILLY
NY Giants at Tampa Bay: NYG
San Francisco at Minnesota: SF
Tennessee at NY Jets: TENN
Washington at Detroit: WASHINGTON
Chicago at Seattle: CHICAGO
New Orleans at Buffalo: NEW ORLEANS
Denver at Oakland: OAKLAND
Miami at San Diego: SAN DIEGO
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati: PITT
Indianapolis at Arizona: INDY
Carolina at Dallas: PANTHERS

McDonnell vs. Deeds

While I realize that no one but Virginians care about the Gubernatorial race...this is one of the strangest elections I have ever remembered.

• Bob McDonnell is the republican who made an error in judgement 20 years when he wrote some things about women in the workplace, and the use of birth control.
• The Washington Post, the liberal rag that it is, has backed Bob McDonnell.
• All of Creigh Deeds' advertisements are about this issue from 20 years ago, and state what a bad person he is.
• All of McDonnell's ads are about his programs, his family, and his morals.

I have never seen such a 1-sidedmud slinging contest. Deeds is getting the backing of the Obamam administration, as well as the VA Senators...but I think when it comes down to it, we might see the Republican take back Richmond!

Our Home...

after being on the market for 5 months, and having 2 MAJOR price reductions, we received 2 matching low-ball offers. We asked both for a Best and Final, and one came back $2K more, plus it was a cleaner contract (less contingencies). After the buyer paid for a home inspection on our home, which allowed us to put an offer on a home we liked, we got a call from our agent last night saying the buyer was backing out, with the justification of, "buyers remorse and the house was to big!"

Let's review:

1. This woman is an idiot!
2. She has screwed the other couple who put an offer on our home
3. It screws us for obvious reasons
4. It screws up the purchase of a new home for us...

Thanks a lot you dumb !@@#@$#$@! If I ever see you out and about, you are in for a serious tounge lashing!

WEEK 2 PICKS

WEEK 2 RESULTS: 9-7

Arizona at Jacksonville: ARIZONA
Carolina at Atlanta: ATLANTA
Cincinnati at Green Bay: GB
Houston at Tennessee: TENN
Minnesota at Detroit: MINN
New England at NY Jets: NE
New Orleans at Philadelphia: NO
Oakland at Kansas City: OAK
St. Louis at Washington: WASHINGTON
Seattle at San Francisco: SF
Tampa Bay at Buffalo : TB
Baltimore at San Diego: SD
Cleveland at Denver: DENVER
Pittsburgh at Chicago: PITT
NY Giants at Dallas: DALL
Indianapolis at Miami: INDY

2 TV Commericals of Note

2 things jumped out at me this weekend on TV

• Bud Lite Lime advertises that the beer contains "100% natural lime flavor." What does that mean?
• Pizza Hut is using actor/comedian Jim Breur to advertise pizza. He has come a long way since sitting in the Weekend Update Chair and starring in Half-Baked!

WEEK 1 PICKS

WEEK 1 RESULTS: 12-4

Just to challenge myself, I am going to make NFL picks each week, and then I will go back and see how I did.

WEEK 1:

Dallas at Tampa Bay: DALLAS
Denver at Cincinnati: CINCI
Detroit at New Orleans: NEW ORLEANS
Jacksonville at Indianapolis: INDY
Kansas City at Baltimore: BALTI
Miami at Atlanta: ATLANTA
Minnesota at Cleveland: MINN
NY Jets at Houston: HOUSTON
Philadelphia at Carolina: CAROLINA
San Francisco at Arizona: ARIZONA
St. Louis at Seattle: SEATTLE
Washington at NY Giants: WASHINGTON
Chicago at Green Bay: GB
Buffalo at New England: NEW ENGLAND
San Diego at Oakland: SAN DIEGO
Tennessee at Pittsburgh: PITT (I would have picked them!)

Sept 11th...

My thoughts and prayers are with all the families and Service Members on this day in History.

The Banana Spider

When we were in SC, our house was surrounded by something we learned was called The Banana Spider. This spider, while not harmful, supposedly packs a punch that really hurts...

Meet the Banana Spider...this thing is bigger than a Krispy Kreme Doughnut...(by the way, that is not my hand!)

Witnessing History (Kind of...)

I went to the Nats game last night...We were in our Corporate Booth which was a great experience, but hardly the reason I am writing. The Nats lost 5-3, in a well played game full of homers (Philly had 5 solo shots), and I believe the Nats had one.

However, the highlight of the evening was the President's Race where Teddy Roosevelt won his 1st race of his career...only for Screech, the stupid mascot of the Nats to run out of the stands and disqualify him for some unforseen reason...

Teddy's futility, like the Nats, continues.

Some Things I Think I Think...

• I think Vinny Cerrato looks like a user car salesman, and has the same amount of football knowledge as one
• It never ceases to amaze me how bad Joe Theismann is at announcing football games. His overall football acumen is slim to none, and he barely knows the name of players he is announcing. Amazing
• I am going to Nats games on back to back nights next week. I think we have really good seats both nights, as the games are against the Phillies. Pretty darn sure there are going to be more Philly fans at the game.
• I am headed to Atlantic City for a conference the following week for 3 days. Should be fun. It a'int Vegas, but it is what it is!
• I have a conference call at 8am on Sunday of Labor Day. Awesome!
• I still enjoy watching old episodes of "Home Improvement." That show is still funny.
• I am not happy about the fact that gas is approaching $3 again.
• At the Arlington Flea Market, they sell the same crap every week, including a guy with a a headset microphone selling Sorbet, that will cause you to have "an out of body experience." Really?
• I wish I could post mobile thoughts on this site, as sometimes I think of things, but then forget when I finally get in front of a computer.

Guess Who Is Back?

Back again...from work in FL and vacation in SC.

We were in Charleston, SC and had a great time. Weather was perfect, house was perfect, and a good time had by all...

one funny thing to note, we went and saw the College of Charleston and then The Citadel. Talk about Polar Opposites...

Now I am playing catch up.

I was happy with the way the Skins 1st Team O played against the Pats. It was encouraging!

Half-Glass Full

I would like to say that I remain optomistic after that 23-0 drubbing last night...but it is hard. I tend to try to find silver linings in games like last night, and the only thing I could come up with, and it is somewhat of a stretch, was that Brian Orapko could be UNREAL!

The only good point Joe Theismann came up with last night was comparing him to DeMarcus Ware.

Ladell "Bettis"???

Thank You

When are people going to realize that "Thank You" or "Great Job" emails do not connote a form of Leadership...they just piss people off, and make the sender feel good about the work that you did for them!

TARP Funds...

Thank You Mr. Obama for having me sit in traffic last Saturday on the Cape as I was trying to LEAVE in the middle morning...

Your stupid TARP program was having construction done on a Saturday in August, when people come crashing down on the Cape and Islands. I know this was TARP construction, because there was a big sign that said it was...

What should have been a 15 minute trip took 90 minutes.

Great program loser!

92 Minutes...

that I will never get back.

Lsat night I watched "The House Bunny" starring Anna Farris.

Punch me in the face!

Just My Luck...

I dialed into, "The Sports Junkies" show this morning to play on GameShow Wed. Today was Junkies Shootout, where they ask you 3 random questions, and if you get them right, you win a prize, like concert tickets, Madden '10, or a Jiffylube Oil Change. I was doing really well listening to the other questions, which were usually about Sports, or movies, or random stuff like that.

Well, I finally got on, and was ready to go, when I got the dumbest question ever...

"Name the better cereal...Fruit Loops or Sugar Smacks?"

First of all that is not a trivia question
Secondly, I answered Fruit Loops, only for the Junkie (JP) to say I was wrong, and hang up on me...
Finally, the 2 other Junkies there, both agreed with me.

Thanks a lot JP...you MORON!

Best Italian Restaurant

WTOP News, the local DC All News Radio Station, has been running a "best of" this summer including things like restaurants, ice cream, etc...

They have people call in and say what they think should be nominated...

For best Italian Restaurant...a woman called in and nominated "The Macaroni Grill"

REALLY?

Headed Out...

on vacation...

The 'Skins are back, and, just like every year, I have cautious optimism. I use the word cautious, as I fully expect the team to let me down, which certainly softens the blow, when it happens.

On a positive note, the wife bought me a Chris Cooley jersey to replace the Jon Jansen jersey, after he was released and signed with the lowly Day-trois Lions!

Best of luck Jon...you are a class act!

Fast Food???

Yesterday, I was craving McDonalds...I got off the exit for work at about 1230, and saw the flashing lights of Taco Bell...it had been a long time, so I said why the heck not???

There was a long line for drive-thru, and my 1:00 meeting had been cancelled, so I thought, I will just go in, eat, and be on my way. I waiting in line for about 3 minutes, at which point I placed my order at 12:37!

I got my food at 12:55! THAT IS 18 MINUTES OF WAITING!!!

Anger does not begin to describe my feelings...and to be honest, the people at TB could not have cared less!

Showering

I stayed with my in-laws last night, and they have a number of grand-kids living with them this summer. I got into the shower this morning, and there was no soap...I was forced to use a 3-in-1 shampoo/conditioner/body wash.

It was bubble gum flavored...Today I smell like this!

I Am Not Afraid To Admit...

I searched for the Erin Andrews video...

I could not find it! :(

The Last Movie I Saw...

The wife and I rented "Gran Torino" the other night.

FANTASTIC MOVIE!!!

This was the best movie I have seen in probably a few years. Well written, well acted, well directed...

If I were in college, I would play a game watching this movie. I would take a shot of something, everytime Clint Eastwood muttered a racial epithet. I think he had so many, he actually had to invent some for this movie.

If you have not seen this, go do it!

A Few Things To Note...

• I cannot be happier that it is Sunday morning, and I do not have to listen/watch the British Open and have to deal with Tiger. I was unable to watch Thurs/Fri but saw the highlights and on no less than 5 occasions, did I see a dropped club, a ground strike, an arm flap, etc. Have some class you POS. I am excited to see a different TW leading the British. Keep an eye out on this 16 year old Italian...this kid can putt.
• The wife and I went for a long walk on Saturday morning and crossed into DC and headed for the Mall. There was some very high level of Ultimate Frisbee being played. I always thought that Ultimate was played just for fun. These guys were sprinting up and down the field, and had huge amounts of subs etc. I could not believe the workout these guys were getting.
• I hate these shoes women are wearing today that look like Roman Sandals...horrible!

I Am Thankful...

Yesterday, I was in the basement of my house, finishing up a conference call, when I walked upstairs and my wife was reading a magazine, while my nearly 9-Month old was playing with the remote control.

Unbeknownst to my wife, he was changing the channel, as the TV was on mute. When I came upstair, he was trying to order something called "6 Hours of Penthouse TV"

While I know this was a coincidence, this makes me happy on so many levels!

Wow...I can't believe I did that

I just turned down a bachelor party in Vegas.

I am sad!

MJ

I did not get an opportunity to watch the funeral at all yesterday, but did watch some re-plays of it last night...I know its messed up, but I couldnt help but chuckle at all the things that were going on, from his brothers speaking, to seeing Kobe and Magic on stage, to a speach from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. It was just beyond imagination.

I did feel BAD (pun intended) for his daughter, when she spoke!

I woke up this morning, and dug up my old CD case, which I litterally dusted off, and grabbed my Michael Jackson HIStory "Past, Present, and Future" 2 disc album to upload onto iTunes.

When you start watching shows about him, it is scary thinking about how many great songs he was a part of!

Who Do You Look Like?

I was at a party for the 4th of July the other day, when I walked by a guy and girl chatting...as I walked past them a 2nd time, the girl stopped me, and asked;

"Has anyone ever told you, you look like a celebrity?"

I answered; "Yes...people tell me I look like Adam Sandler!"

She spun and said to her male friend, "See...I told you."

At which point, I responded;

"Some people also tell me I look like Peter North!"

She told me she did not know who that was, but when I looked at him, he was just chuckling!

Lots of Things To Say...

not a lot of time to do it...

Had a great time this weekend in B-Ham, Alabama.

Enjoyed the W Hotel, with its NYC Contemporary styling, which was nice, however seemed slightly out of place in the deep south.

Other hotels should take note...instead of wasting money on bars of soap and shampoo, take a cue from the W...use dispensers...I liked that idea.

It never ceases to amaze me, how quickly I remember how much I dislike flying. From the moment you step foot into an airport, is an unpleasent experience.

More to come!

Toyota

I got to thinking today as I was driving along...you know when you see an old car, you understand how it fit into that generation of cars...

Well, I remember in the early to mid-90s, right about when I was coming into that age where I cared about cars, because I would be driving them pretty soon, the mini-van craze was beginning. Well my mom ended up getting the very hip Dodge Caravan (of course she needed the wood-siding)




The one car, she looked at, but never pulled the trigger on, was the Toyota Previa. This car (driven by my good friends G & B, and aptly named the Space Ship) was completely different. Even today, I saw some Mexicans driving one, and I cannot think of another car that has ever resembled this thing.

I think it was a good idea that they stopped making them!

Jon & Kate MINUS 8

It was tough to watch the car crash that was Jon and Kate last night...It must really suck to have to go through that, and it is only compounded by the fact that it is on National Television.

I am not sure who to blame...my wife and I have discussed it at length, but I am going to go ahead and place 51% on Jon.

Call me what you will for watching...but like a car accident...everyone stops and stares!

Golfin...

I was happy to get a round in yesterday, where I am happy to report I played pretty well. I drove the ball well and putted well, it was in between that I need to work on...

I am playing 36 on Fri/Sat in Birmingham, AL, including the famous Shoal Creek, home to 2 PGA Championships and the '08 US Amateur. This is a course designed by The Golden Bear, and we are playing with caddies, which makes any round fun.

I will be sure to report back, hopefully with some pics...

The Nats...

are not a good baseball team...they have terrible pitching (starters through closers), and can barely hit the ball. The management seems to know what they are doing, but that hasnt helped the on-field product. Rumors are swirling that the Manager is going to be fired, about 2 weeks after he fired the pitching coach...

Given the ineptitude of the team, all is supposed to be saved with the arrival of Stephen Strasburg. However...that is until I saw this quote about a 16 year old:

"When big Bryce Harper made the cover of Sports Illustrated two weeks ago, I knew we'd soon again be hearing from the 16-year-old 'chosen one.' But not quite this soon. On Sunday, the sophomore from Las Vegas found his way into national headlines again when his father told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Bryce will forgo his final two years of high school and use a GED to enroll in a community college this August. Though it more or less makes a mockery of our education system, the Harpers' plan would make Bryce eligible for the 2010 draft, where he could conceivably be the Nationals' No. 1 pick and eventually join forces with Stephen Strasburg to save Washington baseball from itself."

This just goes to show that DC is the laughingstock of the baseball community.

Back-To-Back-To-Back

Meeting after meeting after meeting, can really screw up a day. I have been in them since 1030 this morning, and feel like I have achieved nothing.

I like how that makes for long-a$$ days!

Women At The Office...

...really get away with anything they want, when it comes to fashion. We have a pretty strict suit policy here for men, and coat and tie is pretty acceptable as well...

to that end...women wear anything they want, so much so, that I just saw a woman wearing pumas!

PUMAS!

Hardly professional, but who is going to say something to a woman, for fear of getting slapped with a harrassment lawsuit.

PUMAS!

T-Shirt

When I wear a T-Shirt, I tend to just grab whatever is on top...so this weekend I happened to throw on a 'Skins Shirt.

I dont know if it was because we were out and about a bunch, or just general excitement, but I got at least 10 comments (mostly positive) on the shirt.

I guess with the summer having started, people are ready for training camp. Preseason games start in about 10-12 weeks...

BRING IT ON!

My Trip Home From NJ...

So I had to travel to our NJ office for the day...I was sitting in the train station at Metropark, waiting for the train home, when I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I believed I saw a man walk into the woman's restroom. I was all excited, as I thought, that would make for a funny blog entry.

Well, when that man walked out of the women's room, I was upset to find that it was in fact a woman all the time...

I figured I had nothing to blog about today, until I looked behind me in the train station to see a woman filing her fingernails, which I think is gross...however, I let it go!

It was about 5 minutes later, when I got up to head to the tracks that I looked back one final time...however, this time she was not filing her fingernails...she was CLIPPING her TOE NAILS???

WHAT? I wanted to donkey punch her, right then and there...

GROSS!

The States

Headed off to Westfield High School to officiate one of the State Semi-Finals. Should be a good one. Hopefully the weather holds off, and the crowd is pretty loud.

I hope when the game is over, I can grab a world-famous "Taco-In-A-Bag"

If you do not know what that is...google it...it is PHENOMINAL!

So Long My Friend #76

When my wife and I got engaged in 2006, she got a diamond ring...in return, she bought be an authentic Washington Redskins #76 Jersey (Jon Jansen).

Jon was cut last week by the Skins after 10 years of very steady play that would have made the original 'Hogs proud.

I understand for the most part that it was time for him to go, but my issue is, and remains, that no good replacement has really been identified.

I am now stuck in that uneviable position of either looking like an idiot wearing a jersey of a guy who will probably end up on another team, or just ponying up and buying a fake jersey (probably Chris Cooley by the way)...

What am I to do???

I Like Me Some Cooley

From a recent interview between Chris Cooley and S.I.

SI: What's your craziest/best travel story?

Chris Cooley: We were playing in Denver during my second season and I was trying to fit in with all the guys. Cory Raymer had an entire backpack full of mini bottles of Jack Daniels. So we got into a drinking contest on the bus. The next day I found 13 or 14 of those bottles, empty, in my bag. And this was just on the bus to the airport after a game. Before we even took off, I'm conducting the pre-flight announcements. Twenty minutes into the plane ride I'm on the floor in the aisle eating out of an applesauce container. Needless to say, I had a visit with the head coach the next morning.

Also, check out his wife's T-Shirt in this picture...see if you can figure out the puzzle!

3 Bumper Stickers

Yesterday I was driving home behind a fat woman in a minivan...she had 3 bumper stickers on her car, and they got me thinking!

• I cannot remember exactly what it said, but it was along the lines of "Stop Torture!" I wanted to run this woman off the road...here she is driving on her merry way in rich McLean, VA with not a care in the world and she wants to make a political statement about a bunch of thugs who have no issue hijacking 3 planes and running them into buildings, killing thousands of Americans. Godforbid, that a little waterboarding should not be allowed on 3 of these A-Holes...
• Hilary for President: I mean come on (insert mean name here)...give it up...she lost, and now Obama is sending her around the world to be the face of America. What a disaster
• Obama for President: Oh, I get it, you threw your vote for the dyke above, LOST, and now you are rooting for another horse. I think they call you a bandwagon jumper...

She should have thought about running her minivan into a wall, and seen how the airbag felt. Oh wait, that might be a form of torture!

Great Weekend

I had a great long Memorial Day Weekeng...here are the highlights:

• No traffic headed to NJ
• I took my baby to a bar, strapped to my chest, and he had a great time.
• We went to Long Island to visit some family, where we grilled out, and shouted at each other, as only Long Islanders can
• Went to my nephew's baptism, which was nice, and that was followed by a reception with a very good Italian heavy meal
• Got back to NJ on Sunday night where the wife and I grabbed a couple beers while walking the baby around the neighborhood (you cannot do that in NJ)
• Went to a small-town Memorial Day parade, and the baby had a blast. His head was on a swivel watching all the fire engines and antique cars go by!
• Went to the beach the rest of the day on Monday. Babies 1st trip, and he loved it!
• No traffic home...

Great Weekend!

Hilarious Link...

Click Here...

My Friend KBS...

says I need to post before COB today...

Deal with it!

I Hope...

I do not get Swine Flu!

What A Long Strange Trip...

its been....

Just made it back from a weekend in Commerce, GA which is on the outskirts of Athens, GA (home to the Univ of GA).

My sister-in-law lives down there, with her husband and 4 children. We had a great trip, and made the 8+ drive home yesterday. It took about 9.5 with a few stops for the little one to get out of the car-seat...

The weirdest thing to happen was while sitting and watching TV, and perusing my BB, I went to cnn.com and the headline was about a UGA Professor going on a killing spree...

That was weird!

The Other Night...

I reffed a game, and the PA System was not working...so the home team sung the National Anthem (not particularly well, I might add)...

File that under things you do not see everyday!

Good Weather...

finally...it is suppose to get to 70 today! This is overdue!

Madden

Not sure how I feel about this guy...




It seems that he brought stability to the S/M NF crew, after the disaster that was Dennis Miller, and the other people who tried and failed.

I think he was at his best, when he was with Summerall, while Pat was still coherent.

John Madden was a pretty good announcer, save for his random love affairs with Brett Farve / Emmitt Smith and the likes...

It will be interesting to see who replaces him...

Traffic

Traffic for the most part does not bother me...I figure it to be part of the grind of going to and from work each day...however this re-work of the Beltway (I-495) and the extension of Metro out to Dulles is going to literally cripple Tyson's Corner, and make each day, for the next few years a miserable experience...

AWESOME!

2 Things...

I just had some Jelly Beans for the 1st time in a LONG time. I am not talking about "Jelly Bellys," I mean the old fashioned kind...pretty good!

I was driving home last night from reffing along Rte 1 in Alexandria, and came across a restaurant called "The Las Vegas Restaurant" and it got me thinking about what that place was all about, as I love Vegas. As I got closer, I read the sign..."Salvadorian and Mexican Food"

Mhhhhhh!

Not A Happy Camper...

Our power blew out yesterday at around 1230 in the afternoon, and did not come on until about 6PM. I missed 85% of The Masters...

Sweet!

As For The Masters Draft!

My Team looks like the following:

Phil Mickleson
Trevor Immelman
Zach Johnson
Angel Cabrera
Rory Sabbatini
Graehme McDowell
Carl Petterson
Briny Baird

It Has Been Quite A While...

and for that I apologize...

Some things I wanted to say...

• We had out Masters Draft yesterday, and it is always so much fun. For the 2nd time in the 8 year history, one of the guys drafted a player who was not participating...
• This thing is a crap-shoot ever year!
• See you later Big Bird on American Idol. You were talented, but you were also a little scary looking...Best of luck
• Paula, I still want to smack you in the face

Thats all I got right now...

O's, by the way, are 2-0.

Date Nite!!!

I had a date with my wife on Saturday night for the 1st time since the baby was born. We had a great time, while the little one was not to keen on having a babysitter.

If you are ever in Vienna, VA and want an unbelievable meal, check out "Restaurant Bonaroti"

Be prepared to bring some cash however...it was worth it though!

Also, this is a Washington Redskins hangout, so you never know who you might see!

Rules...

In lacrosse there are rules about the uniforms (i.e. how big the numbers, side piping, number of colors, etc.)

As a ref, I have never once enforced these rules, and will continue to do so, until a coach from an opposing team has something to say, at which point, I will enforce them. But do not think for 1 minute I am the fashion police, and will go looking for teams not within standard.

Below is outrageous, if you ask me!

Click Here!!!

I Miss...

in no particular order:

(those are Umbro Shorts in case you did not know)

Weekend Ahead...

Looking forward to getting away from work this weekend. I wish it were warmer out, but we gotta play the cards that we were dealt.

Have a good weekend!

Just a side note

It is Wed early afternoon, 4 days before Selection Sunday, and I can honestly say I have no idea about who is in, who is out, and how the field of 65 will pan out. Maybe that will be a good thing (but probably not).

Maybe I will just use the method of:

• I had a friend go to that school
• I like the mascot
• I like the colors of that team
• The cheerleaders have a nice rack

you never know!

Live A.I. Blogging...

Here are my thoughts as they happen!!!

• Everytime Paula opens her mouth, I want to punch her directly in the face
• Lil Rounds has a fat ass
• I think the blind dude Scott is getting preferential treatment...however, he needs a perm
• Danny is the early front-runner...and I liked his dancing
• Paula...shut the #$%^ up
• Michael Sarver...whatever...on the other hand, her mother looks like Sarah Palin
• Jasmine...take off all that make-up, you look like a clown!
• Kris...I like this guy, seems like a Regular Joe, but didnt like his MJ rendition
• Allison...I want to chop off your red hair!
• Anoop...do you get the sense that he got that jacket out of his closet, after he bought it at Goodwill, for an 80s themed frat party?
• Jorge...despite your song...I hope you do say "Goodbye!" I love Simon's zingers!
• Megan...before you even sing, allow me to remark on your rather large "hands"
• Adam, if I saw you in the street, I think I would make ever effort to kick you in your junk!
• Paula...shut the #$%^ up
• Matt, the Justin Timberlake look-a-like was pretty solid. I dont have anything demeaning to say!
• Alexis Grace...I got nothin for ya!

Early prediction is that Jorge and Anoop are headed home!

See you next week!

Darnnit!!!

I was hoping for a comeback tour...

CLICK HERE!

But alas...I guess it was not meant to be!

Things I Want To Get Off My Chest...

A.I.

• Sorry I did not post on A.I. this week...its been a long week between kitchen remodeling, lacrosse reffing, and that thing that helps to pay the bills (its called WORK).
• But...despite those things, I am for the most part happy about the way the Top 12(13) worked out. I cannot say I terribly disagree with the way things shook out.
• I am glad that Tatiana is over and done with...she was a nut case, and had Thunder Thighs to boot!

OTHER:

• I wish I owned a Service Business. These guys make money hand over fist...it does not matter what you do...plumbing / heating / AC / Electric. All around handy-man...
• Speaking of handy-men...we are having crown-molding put up in 2 of our bedrooms. The guy who is doing it solicited us in Lowes. Kindy of sketchy, but still...we THINK we are getting a pretty good deal.
• I sliced my hand open working on re-modeling our kitchen. I waited 12 hours to go to the E.R. and reffed a college game in the interim. Did you know that when you cut yourself and need stitches, it must be done within 4-6 hours of the injury???
• Headed to Alexandria tomorrow for the St. Patty's Day parade. Not sure why it is not next weekend, and I normally do not like parades, but this is a fun one! Might even have a Guiness while I am out and about!

Have a good weekend!

Nice Engagement Ring...

Click Here

My Take On Driving...

I have complete confidence in my driving ability...it is others I doubt (especially women).

Why risk going into the office or just heading out and about, regardless of what kind car you have???

Nothing makes me angrier, than driving along carefully, and some D-Bag needs to pass you at 75mph, just b/c he has an SUV. Do I need to be the one that tells you, regardless of having an SUV or not, if you hit a patch of ice, you are as cooked as I am...

SLOW DOWN MORON!

SNOW!!!

Finally...it is not the amount I wanted...but its nice to have a White-Out...

Follow-Up

I was 2 for 3 again this week on A.I. I still think that Megan will advance...

Also I learned last night that attempting to take a 4 month old to a Caps game with 18,000+ people is a bad idea! Lesson Learned!!!

A.I. Week 2

So last night, I had to watch the show on fast forward, and my breakdown and predictions are below, however just a few thoughts prior to that:

• Paula never ceases to amaze me. She looks like a piece of garbage. As for what comes out of her mouth is really anyone's guess. I think it is time to hit the road (as if she has not been hit enough times)
• What the hell was Ryan wearing last night...I think he might have some tendancies in the other direction, if you know what I mean.
• Thankfully Fox got rid of the awkward parent moments this week.
• Week 1 was far better than Week 2

On to the Reviews:

• JASMINE MURRAY: Sang "Love Song!" Something was not right about this, but the judges as usual were right on...there is something about this girl! GRADE: B (you might move on, but take some makeup off...you are 17)
• MATT GIRAUD: Sang Cold Play's "Viva La Vida" which is a great song, but it repeatedly looked like someone had punched this guy in the stomach. Not a great performance. GRADE: C- (Back to the dueling pianos amigo)
• NICK MITCHELL (Norman Gentile): Yet another performance of “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.” While slightly entertaining...I think he is making a mockery of the show, and has gotta go! I am not going to lose any sleep on this guy. GRADE: B- (enough is enough)
• ALLISON IRAHETA: Signing "Alone" by Heart, which is a great A.I. song, I do not understand the hype. Sorry...GRADE: B- (whats with the red hair??? If you move on, and I think you will, we will see normal hair)
• KRIS ALLEN: Singing "Man in the Mirror" by MJ. Actually, I liked this performance, but he is boring, and has no appeal. GRADE: B+ (I think you are headed home to Arkansas)
• MEGAN JOE CORKERY: Performance of the night. You look like Heather Graham, with a massive sleeve tattoo. Stop all the bobbing and weaving though! GRADE: A- (See you in the Top 12)
• MATT BREITZKE: Singing "If You Could Only See" which was pretty boring. Also, with one other oversized blue collar guy, I think you are done: GRADE C (Head on back to the Welding site)
• JESSE LANGSETH: Singing "Bette Davis Eyes" which was a pretty good song for A.I. but she didnt do much with it. GRADE: C+ (pack your bags, and your 1 sleeve shirt)
• KAI KALAMA: I really liked this guy, but he blew it! He passed confident, and was bordering on really Gay...GRADE: D+ (Sorry Ms. Kalama, your boy is headed home)
• MISHAVONNA HENSON: Singing "Drops of Jupiter" and as usual Simon was spot-on...she is so serious...loosen up! GRADE: C (pack your crap and your weird name)
• ADAM LAMBERT: aka Little Nicky...singing Satisfaction...I already do not like this drama queen. What is your deal are you a hard-ass or are you really gay??? GRADE: A- (I think we see you again)

PREDECTIONS: Adam for dudes, Megan for the chicks, and Allison in 3rd place.

Remember...

No matter how bad you feel about yourself...things can always be worse...

As Predicted...

I was pretty close on my predictions, going 2 out 3. It remains to be seen if Ann Marie makes it through on the Wild Card.

How funny is that train wreck Tatiana??? She will be fodder for years to come!

A.I. Week 1

Thought I might do a quick rehashing of A.I. on a week-to-week basis...if you think I am a loser for that...Bite me...

• Jackie Tohn: What the hell were you wearing??? GRADE: D (on your way home)
• Ricky Braddy: I watched all the episodes, and do not remember you...GRADE: B- (probably on your way home)
• Alexis Grace: Big voice...little girl...kind of weird looking! GRADE: B+ (Might move on!)
• Anoop Desai: Really...an Indian dude from UNC winning AI??? GRADE: B (I think America might like this geek...but the road might be over)
• Brent Keith: The Country Boy...terrible song selection! GRADE: C (end of the road amigo)
• Stevie Wright: You looked 17...you sang like you were 12...GRADE: F (back to high school you go!)
• Michael Sarver: The Roughneck...like this dude, but his performance wasnt that good! GRADE: C+ (Judges might like him and might bring him back)
• Casey Carlson: On the upside...you are damn good looking. GRADE: F (back to making Bubble Tea, whatever the hell that is!)
• Stephen Folwer: It is the day after, and I have no recollection of what you sang last night! GRADE: C- (at least you remembered the words...maybe next year)
• Ann Marie Boskovich: You are arguably the best looking contestant ever, I am just not convinced you can sing! GRADE: B (you might be back on looks alone!)
• Tatiana Nicole Del Toro: YOU ARE A LEGIT PYSCHO! GRADE: B (America might keep her, just to see what she does next)
• Danny Gokey: Early front-runner...good performance. GRADE: A-

ADVANCE PREDECTIONS: Gokey and Boskovich with the 3rd place going to Alexis Grace

A Disappointing Sunday...

I was all geared up for a Sunday of Sports with the end of the AT&T from Pebble Beach, the Daytona 500, and the Caps at Florida...I did not care about the NBA All-Star game, because I have yet to watch a game this year, and really have no idea how any team is doing!

That said, it was a very disappointing day, save for the Caps nice win over the Panthers, which was taken care of by none other than Ovie, scoring his 3rd Hat Trick of the year...

Lets start with the Golf:

• This is an annoying tourney to watch on TV with all the celebs playing, but...
• it got rained and winded (is that a word?) out, and...
• Our guy (Mike (Q)Weir), is currently in 2nd, a few strokes behind a guy who is untested...
• Should make for an interesting finish!
• Check that…the PGA Tour just cancelled the final…they never do that, and now I am really pissed off!!!

The Daytona 500:

• This was disappointing for a number of reasons, most of which begin with it ending early, because of the rain!
• I have learned to appreciate NASCAR, and understand it better over the years, so the move that Dale Jr. and Brian Vickers made was HORRIFIC. Knocking all the leaders out, should warrant a penalty, and suspension
• I am fine that Matt Kennseth won...he never really sticks out to me one way or the other.
• I am thinking I do not care for Tony Stewart anymore, now that he up and left JGR.
• To bad for Joey Lagano Jr....solid outing until he was taken out, and placed last...Bright future.
• NASCAR is also fun, because you get to see people who look like the following (ACTUAL PIC TAKEN AT DAYTONA 2005)

Some Things I Think I Think...

I have been here on the West Coast for a few days, and I am preparing to fly home on the red eye...so here are a few things to chew on!

• I actually was able to get a window seat on the way out here, and it was a pretty pleasent flight, other than the woman in the middle seat who wanted to read her newspaper across all 3 seats, and turned on her blackberry to get her email. The flight was also highlighted when we hit turbulence, and the pilot told the attendants to sit down, but someone got up, because his nose was bleeding profusely.
• I am glad I did not get on the airplane next to ours...it was going to Etheopia
• I think I want to buy some Rockports...standing at a conference for 2.5 days really takes a toll on your body
• There were little to no women at this conference
• I do not care about A-Rod...he is a D-Bag
• I am willing to bet that Adam Dunn, the Nats newest signee will eventually test positive for steroids
• Some guy just walked by me on his way to the bathroom, and about 10 steps from the bathroom, started farting.
• I am ready to go home...

Random Musings Continued...

• I take back my post from the other day...I am sick, which pisses me off, as I act like a little girl when this happens
• I am still in a middle row to Washington for next week...hopefully I can solve that issue prior to my flight
• I toured a data center this morning...that was not that cool!
• I do not like the following people...if you do not know who they are...do not worry about it.

• I am doing some work currently with one of the largest Consulting Firms in the world (I will not say which one), but they are headquartered in Bethesda, MD...and I am starting to think that they only employ morons.
• I like what the University of Maryland has done in regards to the Football Coach. They have named his successor, 3 years in advance. This achieves 2 things in my mind: 1. Great for recruiting and consistency 2. A great insurance policy in case something happens to this guy


• My son took a poo in the bath this morning...

Random Musings...

Just my thoughts on a few things that have popped up over the last couple of days...

• I have been sneezing, and my nose is running, but I am not sick!
• I do not like it when co-workers ask me to waste my time attempting to fix an issue over versions of Excel. You should know how to save it to an .xls file, when it came in as an .xlsx file
• There was an article today on CNN.com about the ethics behind selling Girl Scout Cookies in the office...Does the Girl Scouts of America really want pre-teen girls going door-to-door in this day and age? The office sale is the best and safest way to go!
• Still waiting on the our 1st major snowstorm in the last couple of years...this has been very disappointing...even KY is getting the crap kicked out of it!
• I am going to the State of Washington next week, and AMEX Travel tried to put me in the middle row...that aint going to happen!
• I saw someone getting off the subway today carrying a Sony Walkman...what, you could not trade up to the discman? If you are going to carry the Sony Walkman, why not just really go old school and carry around a BoomBox on your shoulder!

Congrats...

to the Pittsburgh Steelers...

VERY VERY entertaining Super Bowl, despite the choppy play, due to the numerous penalties.

Also...NCAA, NBA, MLB, NHL, take note...the Super Bowl ended at an extremely reasonable 10:15.

Solid TV commercials as well this year (despite bad submissions by Budweiser)

Shoe Shine & Stuff

So I was getting my shoes shined today, and noticed that the guy, who has been shining my shoes for a few years now, has the hariest ears...it looked a little like this..



GROSS!!!

The Songs of the '90s

Given the snow storm this morning, I took a little extra time to leave for work, which meant I was unable to listen to the normal radio talk show I listen to (The Junkies).

Also, I was in my wife's car, and she had the radio on, tuned to Sirius Channel 9 (Songs of the 90s).

These were the 3 songs I heard:

• R. Kelly: Bump 'N Grind
• Dave Matthews Band: Stay
• Biz Markie: Just a Friend

Lets review what has happened to these folks since these songs were on the radio (in the '90s that is)

• R. Kelly has been found trying to Bump 'N Grind with small children
• Dave Matthews Band has exploded, and become, for the most part a world-wide band
• Biz Markie has ballooned to about 7,000 lbs. and in a quick google search of him, found that this past weekend he was "play[ing] the music for the sixth annual Marty Small Ball"

Keep up the great work guys!

Nothing Exciting...

to report today...I guess for those of us who have jobs, we are pretty lucky. 50,000 job cuts in one day, is a pretty harsh slice of reality.

Has anyone else, by chance, noticed that gas prices have been steadily rising again? Does that make you nervous that we might be headed towards $4.00+ again?

Maybe more tomorrow!

Parenting a Walking Child

Look, I realize I only have 1 child, who is not yet mobile, so from a parenting perspective, I am a little "green"

Also knowing the lifestyle that my wife and I live, I can only imagine that our little one is going to be a terror, once he can move by himself...

However, the idea of placing my child in a "harness," also known as a "leash" is a little unnecessary! Don't you think? Here is what I am talking about!

E-Mail Etiquette

From an E-Mail Etiquette perspective, I really hate nothing more that the worthless act of sending an email that says nothing more than "Thanks!!!"

Just be re-assured that you did your job, and provided the information/data that was requested of you and move on. I am not going to feel any better about the job that I did, with your half-hearted email response back to me. You are also, at that point, wasting my time and simply clogging my inbox.

DON'T DO THAT ANYMORE!

Candy...the Best & Worst???

I just had a fresh twizzler...you ever had a candy you have not had in a while, and think...damn that was good...it got me thinking about the most over-rated vs. under-rated candy around:

UNDER-RATED (in no particular order):

• Reeces-Pieces
• Twizzler (must be fresh)
• Starburst (must be fresh)
• Gummy-Bears
• Mr. Good-Bar
• 100 Grand

OVER-RATED (in no particular order):

• Almond Joy
• Mounds
• Krakel
• Hersheys Special Dark
• 3 Musketeers

What am I missing???

Prez B.O.

I went into his speach with an open mind...I really really did!

I was looking to be up-lifted, to be awe-inspired, to be excited about what was to come.

I came away as though this was a debate/rally. I will look to the State of the Union speach for some more content, and some more intent on what he is going to do next!

Are You Sure???

I was in Philly this past weekend for a wedding, and ran into a very small conveniance store. They were selling all the usual crap, include tons of inauguration "gear."

Something caught my eye, and as I took a closer look, I thought to myself, the hatmaker, probably needs a fact-checker, prior to going to production:

GWB Cont...

As promised, the following are my thoughts (in a nutshell) on his speech last night:

• This guy never got a fair shake. Between 9/11, Katrina/Rita, 2 Wars (and over 4,000 Soldiers dead), and the Economic downturn, its not like all this stuff was "his fault"
• I think he did a great job of holding his head high, having pride in the job that he had done, and ensuring all knew how proud he was to be an American
• Looking back at Bullet #1, it is easy to see why President Clinton had such high ratings...nothing ever happened in his 8 years
• He generally seemed to have faith and excitement for President-Elect Obama. Not as a Repub vs. Dem, but as a "citizen" to use his term
• I have no issue with his use of "good vs. evil." People who do not understand, also might have issue with "right vs. wrong."
• I loved how he called out the individual success stories. With all the news all the time around death, destruction, and poverty, its really nice to hear about the "good" people

Only time will tell about his legacy, but something tells me, it will not be as bad as everyone is making it out to be.

Just my 2 cents!

GWB

I have some thoughts on President Bush's farewell speach last night, which I will get to later...but he provided a quote that resonated with me...

President Thomas Jefferson once wrote, "I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."

More to come...

Gross...

I was just in the bathroom, going #1, and while washing my hands, some guy walks in...hocks the biggest loogie into the sink, and then leaves it there.

When I walked by to grab some paper towel, it was just sprayed across the drain, slowly seeping in. He didnt even have the courtesy to wash it down!

Are You Kidding Me???

I wanted to punch him the face, but I dont think they would keep me employed after that!

Fave 5...

So I was just reading a recap of last night's great win by the Caps over the Pens, when I noticed the advertisement at the top of the ESPN page. I captured a screen shot:



This led me to think about 2 things...

1. T-Mobile must not watch the news. While I think Charles Barkley is a funny dude, getting a DUI does not exactly make him a poster-child for the Cell-Phone business

2. It got me wondering who was in C-Bark's Fave 5??? Here is my guess:

Websites Today...

specifically, the big boys, seem to be adding so much content, of all varieties, text, video, picture, etc. that is significantly slowing the sites down.

It is frustrating to go to espn.com for example, and have to wait for the site to load, despite my high speed connection.

Furthermore, there is so much content, that it is hard to focus on your original intention. I kinda miss the old espn, pgatour, cnn, etc.!