I was there to witness it.... in fact, you could consider me the "setup" guy. Maybe even his "wingman"!! Last night Fisher bowled his first ever 300 game and the place erupted with elation! He was actually going head to head with strikes against one of our opponents so I could see early on that it might get interesting. Sure enough, he pulled out Strikes #11 and 12 and we all rejoiced. Too bad Krabman and I sucked so bad that we still didn't win the game! If Fish would have only rolled a 305, we might have won! Congrats Fish! I do take credit for clearing the lanes of crap right before you (and getting rid of the bad pins) so you could get your strikes. A dirty job, but someone has to do it.
It's Friday (already!) which means it's time for some predictions:
* Cyclones get back on track with UNI in Ames this weekend. Another night game which is unusual for us but we'll take it. 28-7 for the boys in Cardinal and Gold!
* Ohio State will make lunch meat out of Iowa and give them an old fashioned butt whoopin'.... 35-14
* Arizona wins one against Washington in the desert
* Vikings travel to Buffalo.... something still isn't clicking correctly for Minnesota but hopefully they ride the success of the Twins to victory.
* Speaking of the Twins, they are tied for 1st! And only 1 game behind the Yankees. Twins need to take all 3 of the games this weekend and hope that Detroit loses at least 1, and NY loses at least 2. Then it's home-dome advantage throughout the playoffs!
* There is quite the race in the NL this year.... good stuff!
* #24 car didn't win me any money on Sunday, but he's still standing strong in the Championship Points.... See how he does in Kansas this weekend.
And we can all sleep better now... the feud between Britney and Christina has ended! Miss Aguilera sent a $570 gift bag for the new baby which makes everything ok now I guess. The last thing that child needed was a $570 handbag! And $100,000 just on redecorating the room that the two kids share!! You would think a house that big and the two spoiled kids would not have to share a room.
Have a great weekend! Hazel and I are headed to the Renaissance Festival and then to Claire's wedding! See some of you there!
Song of the Day - For some odd reason I've had Limp Bizkit's Faith running through my head this morning. I don't remember hearing it at all yesterday but for some reason it's there. That song was pretty cool in the early 2000s, but not so much anymore. Funny how a song can rise to popularity so fast and then fall just as fast. Kind of like LB in general.
Video of the Day - This should be my reaction to a ringing cell phone in public..... good for him! Not sure why someone was filming at the time though.
Webpage of the Day - Interesting list of Famous Last Words by famous people before they passed on....
Friday, September 29, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Random Thoughts
* It's Thursday which means it's bowling night. Brews Brothers went 7-0 last week while I was in Vegas. I looked all over the Sports Books to place a bet on them but nobody would cover my bet.
* The Republican National Convention announced it is being held in St. Paul in 2008. Yuck. I was hoping we'd get the other Convention but that didn't work out.
* Twins are still one game back after losing pathetically last night to Kansas City. They've eliminated Chicago but still have some work to do to ensure home field throughout the playoffs and hopefully can take out the much hated Yankees.
* Speaking of ice, Hockey pre-season has begun. How cool is that?!??!?!
* The new Lego Star Wars video game is pretty sweet so far! Still working on opening everything up but finding time has been hard lately.
* Still don't know what I'm going to be for Halloween. The nephews are going as Superman and a Pirate (from the two biggest movies of the summer in their minds). I was thinking of going as a French Maid one of these years.....
* KFC for lunch today if anyone's interested..... I've been craving that for a while now with those 99 cent sandwiches - I'm not free till after 1:00 though.
Some pictures from Vegas to share:
And we thought about it but decided not to:
Song of the Day - One of the games that Sara would always look for was LobsterMania. Every casino would have it, some in 1cent, some in 2cents, and the big spenders in 5 cents. They had a catchy little tune every time the "wheels" would spin that I still can hear in my head. I'll have to do a Google search today to see if I can find an online version of LobsterMania. Other favorites were Shake Your Booty (Hazel's big winner), Something Latte, and of course ROCKY!!!
Video of the Day - I did go buy the U2 ZooTV DVD yesterday and this thing is pretty sweet. It's their tour after Achtung Baby in 1993. I was "too young" as declared by my dictatorship household at the time to attend the concert. I believe there was one in Ames back at that time.
Webpage of the Day - Thanks to Kahn for this one.... it's a breakdown by county across the US of the preferred method of naming a softdrink. Of no surprise, Midwest is "pop". What gets me is the one yellow county in Iowa that calls it "soda"?!?!? Is that Iowa City there? They do do things a little backwards down there. hehehehehe... I just said "dodo"
* The Republican National Convention announced it is being held in St. Paul in 2008. Yuck. I was hoping we'd get the other Convention but that didn't work out.
* Twins are still one game back after losing pathetically last night to Kansas City. They've eliminated Chicago but still have some work to do to ensure home field throughout the playoffs and hopefully can take out the much hated Yankees.
* Speaking of ice, Hockey pre-season has begun. How cool is that?!??!?!
* The new Lego Star Wars video game is pretty sweet so far! Still working on opening everything up but finding time has been hard lately.
* Still don't know what I'm going to be for Halloween. The nephews are going as Superman and a Pirate (from the two biggest movies of the summer in their minds). I was thinking of going as a French Maid one of these years.....
* KFC for lunch today if anyone's interested..... I've been craving that for a while now with those 99 cent sandwiches - I'm not free till after 1:00 though.
Some pictures from Vegas to share:
And we thought about it but decided not to:
Song of the Day - One of the games that Sara would always look for was LobsterMania. Every casino would have it, some in 1cent, some in 2cents, and the big spenders in 5 cents. They had a catchy little tune every time the "wheels" would spin that I still can hear in my head. I'll have to do a Google search today to see if I can find an online version of LobsterMania. Other favorites were Shake Your Booty (Hazel's big winner), Something Latte, and of course ROCKY!!!
Video of the Day - I did go buy the U2 ZooTV DVD yesterday and this thing is pretty sweet. It's their tour after Achtung Baby in 1993. I was "too young" as declared by my dictatorship household at the time to attend the concert. I believe there was one in Ames back at that time.
Webpage of the Day - Thanks to Kahn for this one.... it's a breakdown by county across the US of the preferred method of naming a softdrink. Of no surprise, Midwest is "pop". What gets me is the one yellow county in Iowa that calls it "soda"?!?!? Is that Iowa City there? They do do things a little backwards down there. hehehehehe... I just said "dodo"
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Vegas Summary
We are back from Vegas - and NO, Hazel and I are not Mr. & Mrs. despite what most of you have been thinking.
Thursday we arrived bright and early to the Vegas Strip.... so early that the Hooters Hotel wouldn't let us check in yet. So we ditched the luggage and started walking.... and walking.... and walking.... and walking.... Per Hazel, it is 5.26 miles from Mandalay Bay to the Stratosphere. Granted we never hit the Stratosphere, but even walking from Hooters (behind MGM) to the Venetian was still close to 3 miles. And we hit that walk multiple times. Plus by the time you walk through all the casinos looking for games to play.... next trip to Vegas I'll have to remember to take my pedometer to get a total distance covered in the 4 days. I did place my "winning" bet on the Cyclones at Mandalay Bay that morning. I won $20 on my Cyclones beating the spread!
We went to Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian on Thursday night. I've seen Phantom 3 prior times and this was definitely "Vegas Style" compared to the other three performances. I was not impressed with the vocals of most of the main performers, but what the show lacked musically, it more than made up for in special effects. The show was also modeled around the movie version where things are changed and altered. Not sure if this is the "new" version that is being performed everywhere, but for those of us that are probably over familiar with the CD/Original version - it's very different. Still worth seeing and the things they do with the chandelier were awesome.
Friday we walked.... and walked.... to the Hard Rock Casino which is nowhere close to the main strip. Hazel had a huge urge to eat at the Pink Taco, so we had lunch there. We continued to walk up to the new casino, The Wynn. Talk about no expense spared.... that thing is gynormous and has the nicest public bathrooms I've ever used in my life. Friday night, Paul and Sara arrived so the surprise could come out. We had gathered to celebrate a surprise for Paul's 30th Birthday (actually next week) and what better surprise is there than a trip to Vegas? He was definitely shocked and elated to see us all. So they arrived at 9:30pm to the Hooters Hotel. We had some drinks and food... then started walking again:) We hit New York, New York for some slots, then up to the Bellagio for some slots. In the words of a local lady we met: "you won't win at the Bellagio, they have things to pay for in there". She's right.... nobody came out ahead there. We returned to Hooters around 4am which is the way it's supposed to be in Vegas.
Saturday started out as a "let's go grab some breakfast and come back to the hotel to rest" but that never happened. We hit a ton more casinos, some for winning, some for losing. Took the bus down to Fremont Street for the action down there, then came back to enjoy the shows at the Mirage and Treasure Island. A full day that ended with Paul winning big and breaking even for the trip (including meals, etc).
Paul and Sara left Sunday morning - but Hazel and I had one more day to ourselves. We visited some more spots that we hadn't hit yet, but then I had randomly stumbled upon the fact that Jamie Cullum was performing at the Hilton Sunday night... for only $38 a ticket!! So not only did Hazel get to see where her Barry Manilow performs, but I was able to check out one of my favorite jazz artists right now! Cullum is a mixture of jazz, pop, and funk... and all at the age of 26! He's huge in England, but this is his first US tour. Very enjoyable evening of good music.
We headed back Monday, through Vegas airport that was running 1/2 without electricity. I was impressed that our plane was only an hour late considering there was no electricity in our Concourse. We had to walk up the stairs to board the plane and everything. Tuesday was a huge catch up day for me with work and everything - I am sorry for the lack of a blog to read. I think I made up for it though today. Pictures tomorrow, once I find my memory card reader at home.
Vegas is a blast... I can't wait to go back! And I even had a water next to Elvis!!! How cool was that?!?!?!
Thursday we arrived bright and early to the Vegas Strip.... so early that the Hooters Hotel wouldn't let us check in yet. So we ditched the luggage and started walking.... and walking.... and walking.... and walking.... Per Hazel, it is 5.26 miles from Mandalay Bay to the Stratosphere. Granted we never hit the Stratosphere, but even walking from Hooters (behind MGM) to the Venetian was still close to 3 miles. And we hit that walk multiple times. Plus by the time you walk through all the casinos looking for games to play.... next trip to Vegas I'll have to remember to take my pedometer to get a total distance covered in the 4 days. I did place my "winning" bet on the Cyclones at Mandalay Bay that morning. I won $20 on my Cyclones beating the spread!
We went to Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian on Thursday night. I've seen Phantom 3 prior times and this was definitely "Vegas Style" compared to the other three performances. I was not impressed with the vocals of most of the main performers, but what the show lacked musically, it more than made up for in special effects. The show was also modeled around the movie version where things are changed and altered. Not sure if this is the "new" version that is being performed everywhere, but for those of us that are probably over familiar with the CD/Original version - it's very different. Still worth seeing and the things they do with the chandelier were awesome.
Friday we walked.... and walked.... to the Hard Rock Casino which is nowhere close to the main strip. Hazel had a huge urge to eat at the Pink Taco, so we had lunch there. We continued to walk up to the new casino, The Wynn. Talk about no expense spared.... that thing is gynormous and has the nicest public bathrooms I've ever used in my life. Friday night, Paul and Sara arrived so the surprise could come out. We had gathered to celebrate a surprise for Paul's 30th Birthday (actually next week) and what better surprise is there than a trip to Vegas? He was definitely shocked and elated to see us all. So they arrived at 9:30pm to the Hooters Hotel. We had some drinks and food... then started walking again:) We hit New York, New York for some slots, then up to the Bellagio for some slots. In the words of a local lady we met: "you won't win at the Bellagio, they have things to pay for in there". She's right.... nobody came out ahead there. We returned to Hooters around 4am which is the way it's supposed to be in Vegas.
Saturday started out as a "let's go grab some breakfast and come back to the hotel to rest" but that never happened. We hit a ton more casinos, some for winning, some for losing. Took the bus down to Fremont Street for the action down there, then came back to enjoy the shows at the Mirage and Treasure Island. A full day that ended with Paul winning big and breaking even for the trip (including meals, etc).
Paul and Sara left Sunday morning - but Hazel and I had one more day to ourselves. We visited some more spots that we hadn't hit yet, but then I had randomly stumbled upon the fact that Jamie Cullum was performing at the Hilton Sunday night... for only $38 a ticket!! So not only did Hazel get to see where her Barry Manilow performs, but I was able to check out one of my favorite jazz artists right now! Cullum is a mixture of jazz, pop, and funk... and all at the age of 26! He's huge in England, but this is his first US tour. Very enjoyable evening of good music.
We headed back Monday, through Vegas airport that was running 1/2 without electricity. I was impressed that our plane was only an hour late considering there was no electricity in our Concourse. We had to walk up the stairs to board the plane and everything. Tuesday was a huge catch up day for me with work and everything - I am sorry for the lack of a blog to read. I think I made up for it though today. Pictures tomorrow, once I find my memory card reader at home.
Vegas is a blast... I can't wait to go back! And I even had a water next to Elvis!!! How cool was that?!?!?!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
This Will Be My Final Posting.....
TILL AFTER VEGAS!!!!!!
There's an early flight out of Minneapolis tomorrow morning that is taking Hazel and me to Las Vegas. We will be staying at the luxurious Hooters Hotel for four nights and taking in the awesome sights and sounds that Vegas has to offer!
Plans include a viewing of the new Phantom of The Opera at the Venetian, Excalibur's dinner and show of the Knights of the Round Table (or whatever it's called), Ferrari Museum, Pirates, Buffets, the Guggenheim in Vegas, Fremont Street, and many other fine activities!
I'll be back Monday evening and will share lots of photos with everyone... Plus I should have some winnings from betting on the Cyclones to cover the spread against Texas this weekend - plus I might put some money down that they'll even win the game... I have confidence in the team yet!
Have a great Fall weekend (sub-40 this morning on my way in) - it'll be upper 80s in Vegas with NO humidity!
Song of the Day - One of the greatest songs is by Mr. Presley... Viva Las Vegas. I seriously do have it playing right now and will probably be listening to it all day!
Video of the Day - There are a lot of movies that happen in Vegas. Oceans 11 was a fun modern depiction of Vegas using the new casinos. Also to include the fountain outside of Bellagio (with Monet playing) was quite memorable.
Webpage of the Day - An addictive webpage of useless information for anyone that is bored today.... you try to figure out if the statement presented is true or not (way or no way). It's not so much about the score, it's about how long you actually keep going through them with amazement.
There's an early flight out of Minneapolis tomorrow morning that is taking Hazel and me to Las Vegas. We will be staying at the luxurious Hooters Hotel for four nights and taking in the awesome sights and sounds that Vegas has to offer!
Plans include a viewing of the new Phantom of The Opera at the Venetian, Excalibur's dinner and show of the Knights of the Round Table (or whatever it's called), Ferrari Museum, Pirates, Buffets, the Guggenheim in Vegas, Fremont Street, and many other fine activities!
I'll be back Monday evening and will share lots of photos with everyone... Plus I should have some winnings from betting on the Cyclones to cover the spread against Texas this weekend - plus I might put some money down that they'll even win the game... I have confidence in the team yet!
Have a great Fall weekend (sub-40 this morning on my way in) - it'll be upper 80s in Vegas with NO humidity!
Song of the Day - One of the greatest songs is by Mr. Presley... Viva Las Vegas. I seriously do have it playing right now and will probably be listening to it all day!
Video of the Day - There are a lot of movies that happen in Vegas. Oceans 11 was a fun modern depiction of Vegas using the new casinos. Also to include the fountain outside of Bellagio (with Monet playing) was quite memorable.
Webpage of the Day - An addictive webpage of useless information for anyone that is bored today.... you try to figure out if the statement presented is true or not (way or no way). It's not so much about the score, it's about how long you actually keep going through them with amazement.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
A Blog To Make You Smarter
First thing I saw this morning online was that Christopher Tolkien has spent the last 30 years trying to finish his father's book and now it's to be published next spring. The Children of Hurin is another "epic" book about dwarves, elves, munchkins, gnomes, oompa-loompas, and Whooza Wuzzits. Ok, maybe I got my authors mixed up towards the end there, but you get the idea. J.R.R. Tolkien (no, not the guy that was shot on Dallas) abandoned the book, but young Christopher picked it up in order to give Peter Jackson another idea for a 5 hour movie! J.R.R stands for John Ronald Reuel in case you were dying to know (as I was for the past 3 minutes). There are rumors that Peter Jackson is thinking of completing the Tolkien works and will produce The Hobbit - the story of Bilbo Baggins (the Uncle that was a little loony by the time that Frodo came around). I thought this was the best of the four so I'd see it. The Hobbit celebrates 70 years of publication in 2008 so that's as good of an excuse as any to bring it out.
Speaking of Books - Dan Brown still owes us The Solomon Key which is to be released "no earlier than 2007". It's the 3rd book about Robert Langdon and is said to trace the story of the Freemasons, the founding fathers, and Washington DC. Think about the movie National Treasure and you'll probably be on the right track. If you're really curious, there's a bunch of information on Wikipedia (as always) about possible plot lines, random thoughts, etc. It also seems that there is pressure from the studios to have a follow up movie and someone will produce Angels and Demons to be released in 2008.
And speaking of fictional stories about the Pope.... Pope Benedict #16 is still in the news for saying the wrong thing and causing more tensions with the Muslim world. As if they don't have enough hatred for the Christian world, Benedict is only making it worse. I have been very unimpressed with the new Pope during his reign/tenure/whatever. He is way too conservative and stuck in the "old times" making Catholocism (and Christianity in some ways) not as appeasing to parts of the world. Comments like his most recent ones only make things worse.
And it's official - no Rochester McDonald's are participating in the Chicken Nuggets for $1 special. Another example of the Man keeping us down!!
Song of the Day - I picked up the CD by Charles Barkley, St. Elsewhere (not to be confused with St. Tickle Me Elmo's Fire) and I have to say this is one of the more interesting CDs I've heard in a long while. It's very retro and not at all what I was expecting. Of course I haven't listened to Crazy yet since thanks to the help of KROC, I can't stand that song. But the rest of the CD is definitely worth a listen to any fans of music!
Video of the Day - One of the funnier clips from The Daily Show recently.... Bush has done a commercial for Geiko and here it is for your amusement. I do like the new Geiko commercials though.
Webpage of the Day - New StrongBad Email....
Speaking of Books - Dan Brown still owes us The Solomon Key which is to be released "no earlier than 2007". It's the 3rd book about Robert Langdon and is said to trace the story of the Freemasons, the founding fathers, and Washington DC. Think about the movie National Treasure and you'll probably be on the right track. If you're really curious, there's a bunch of information on Wikipedia (as always) about possible plot lines, random thoughts, etc. It also seems that there is pressure from the studios to have a follow up movie and someone will produce Angels and Demons to be released in 2008.
And speaking of fictional stories about the Pope.... Pope Benedict #16 is still in the news for saying the wrong thing and causing more tensions with the Muslim world. As if they don't have enough hatred for the Christian world, Benedict is only making it worse. I have been very unimpressed with the new Pope during his reign/tenure/whatever. He is way too conservative and stuck in the "old times" making Catholocism (and Christianity in some ways) not as appeasing to parts of the world. Comments like his most recent ones only make things worse.
And it's official - no Rochester McDonald's are participating in the Chicken Nuggets for $1 special. Another example of the Man keeping us down!!
Song of the Day - I picked up the CD by Charles Barkley, St. Elsewhere (not to be confused with St. Tickle Me Elmo's Fire) and I have to say this is one of the more interesting CDs I've heard in a long while. It's very retro and not at all what I was expecting. Of course I haven't listened to Crazy yet since thanks to the help of KROC, I can't stand that song. But the rest of the CD is definitely worth a listen to any fans of music!
Video of the Day - One of the funnier clips from The Daily Show recently.... Bush has done a commercial for Geiko and here it is for your amusement. I do like the new Geiko commercials though.
Webpage of the Day - New StrongBad Email....
Monday, September 18, 2006
Random Thoughts
It wasn't so much that I thought the Hawkeyes were better than us, I thought it was that the Cyclones played so much worse in the 2nd half. We beat the spread (yes, I'm looking for positives) of 12.5 which I thought was a little high to begin with for the in-state rivalry.
Good weekend in Minnesota though - Twins are 1 game back of Detroit, 4 ahead of the White Sox; Vikings win in unusual fashion. Weather was beautiful (when not raining) - probably the last summer-esque weather for 2006.
There's a commercial on the radio in Rochester that got me thinking... Some Computer place in town is advertising a "Back to School Special" - for $25 you take your computer in and they get all the dust out of it, they virus scan (and possibly remove them), and get rid of ad-ware cookies, etc. For $25?!?!?! I'm in the wrong business. I do that stuff for other people all the time and usually do it for free. I should renegotiate my fees from now on.
There was a segment on 60 minutes last night that I was glad I still had the TV on CBS so I could rewind and watch the whole thing. Bill Romanowski ("Romo") was talking about his NFL career and how violent he was. He claims to have only used steroids in the final couple of years but did take over 100 vitamins or "legal" supplements a day during his prime. He has a new book out that I'd be interested to read. This guy has severe mental issues as he turned a game into a warzone and literally transformed himself into a competitive nightmare.
Vegas is 3 days away. Sorry, I won't be blogging from Vegas - but I will place some bets for anyone that wants. I think I'm going to bet on ISU covering the spread this weekend at Texas, and maybe a longshot of them winning in Austin. Better to bet on my Cyclones than just throw it in a slot machine that I've never come out ahead on.
My new office at work is finally organized and feeling like home. I still could use a plant or two to make it feel a little more like home.
34-7 Kahn, close enough to a shutout that you should bring in Bear Claws!!
BY THE WAY - if anyone is hoping to take advantage of that new McDonald's offer of 6 pack Chicken Nuggets for $1.... forget-a-bout-it! Not in Rochester (or at least not at the 19th Street or 55th Street McDonald's). What a bunch of crap!
Song of the Day - I saw that U2 FINALLY is releasing the DVD version of their Zoo-TV concert from Sydney. Yeah, that was the concert in the early 90s but it's been out on VHS for a while now. Who the heck wants VHS?!??! I wrote U2.com a while ago to ask them to put that concert and the Pop-Mart concert from Mexico City onto DVD since I proudly own no analog devices in my household. We're halfway there. DVD comes out on Tuesday!
Video of the Day - I watched Lucky Number Slevin this weekend and it was pretty good. I thought it was going to be like Ocean's 11 or Snatch and it was almost too much like those two movies. One of those Gangsta type flicks where there's a ton of stuff going on and it isn't till the end that you see how it all fits together. Still - I recommend it!
Webpage of the Day - An interesting use of the word Buffalo... 8 times in one sentence!!
Good weekend in Minnesota though - Twins are 1 game back of Detroit, 4 ahead of the White Sox; Vikings win in unusual fashion. Weather was beautiful (when not raining) - probably the last summer-esque weather for 2006.
There's a commercial on the radio in Rochester that got me thinking... Some Computer place in town is advertising a "Back to School Special" - for $25 you take your computer in and they get all the dust out of it, they virus scan (and possibly remove them), and get rid of ad-ware cookies, etc. For $25?!?!?! I'm in the wrong business. I do that stuff for other people all the time and usually do it for free. I should renegotiate my fees from now on.
There was a segment on 60 minutes last night that I was glad I still had the TV on CBS so I could rewind and watch the whole thing. Bill Romanowski ("Romo") was talking about his NFL career and how violent he was. He claims to have only used steroids in the final couple of years but did take over 100 vitamins or "legal" supplements a day during his prime. He has a new book out that I'd be interested to read. This guy has severe mental issues as he turned a game into a warzone and literally transformed himself into a competitive nightmare.
Vegas is 3 days away. Sorry, I won't be blogging from Vegas - but I will place some bets for anyone that wants. I think I'm going to bet on ISU covering the spread this weekend at Texas, and maybe a longshot of them winning in Austin. Better to bet on my Cyclones than just throw it in a slot machine that I've never come out ahead on.
My new office at work is finally organized and feeling like home. I still could use a plant or two to make it feel a little more like home.
34-7 Kahn, close enough to a shutout that you should bring in Bear Claws!!
BY THE WAY - if anyone is hoping to take advantage of that new McDonald's offer of 6 pack Chicken Nuggets for $1.... forget-a-bout-it! Not in Rochester (or at least not at the 19th Street or 55th Street McDonald's). What a bunch of crap!
Song of the Day - I saw that U2 FINALLY is releasing the DVD version of their Zoo-TV concert from Sydney. Yeah, that was the concert in the early 90s but it's been out on VHS for a while now. Who the heck wants VHS?!??! I wrote U2.com a while ago to ask them to put that concert and the Pop-Mart concert from Mexico City onto DVD since I proudly own no analog devices in my household. We're halfway there. DVD comes out on Tuesday!
Video of the Day - I watched Lucky Number Slevin this weekend and it was pretty good. I thought it was going to be like Ocean's 11 or Snatch and it was almost too much like those two movies. One of those Gangsta type flicks where there's a ton of stuff going on and it isn't till the end that you see how it all fits together. Still - I recommend it!
Webpage of the Day - An interesting use of the word Buffalo... 8 times in one sentence!!
Friday, September 15, 2006
Mecka Lecka High Mecka Hiney Ho!
Today is Move Day for me and the new office. The stuff is moved over, just not working like it's supposed to. Phone still isn't switched so I'm on cell phone status all day till they get that working. So I apologize for the delay in the blog, but I hope y'all understand. Besides... it's Friday and that means there are a lot of things to be excited for coming up this weekend.
I present to you my predictions of the day:
* ISU 27 Iowa 21
* USC 45 Nebraska 13
* West Virginia 45 Maryland 24
* Notre Dame 28 Michigan 17
* Arizona 35 Stephen F. Austin 20
* Paris Hilton will have 2 new boyfriends before the year is over
* Transformers the Movie is gonna kick a lot of arse
* Rocky Balboa is going to bomb at the box office
* Bush will say more dumb things and when you hear them, you will have no idea how to react.... as usual
* Gasoline will NOT dip below $2 this winter
* Britney will have a 3rd child in 2007
* The next natural disaster to hit this country will be Godzilla
* Gateway will declare bankruptcy and sell watches with the Gateway logo on them to stay alive
* The Wii is going to kick major butt.
There are my predictions - HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!
GO CYCLONES!!!
I present to you my predictions of the day:
* ISU 27 Iowa 21
* USC 45 Nebraska 13
* West Virginia 45 Maryland 24
* Notre Dame 28 Michigan 17
* Arizona 35 Stephen F. Austin 20
* Paris Hilton will have 2 new boyfriends before the year is over
* Transformers the Movie is gonna kick a lot of arse
* Rocky Balboa is going to bomb at the box office
* Bush will say more dumb things and when you hear them, you will have no idea how to react.... as usual
* Gasoline will NOT dip below $2 this winter
* Britney will have a 3rd child in 2007
* The next natural disaster to hit this country will be Godzilla
* Gateway will declare bankruptcy and sell watches with the Gateway logo on them to stay alive
* The Wii is going to kick major butt.
There are my predictions - HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!
GO CYCLONES!!!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
An Ode for the Cyclones
Gracefully moving the ball, towards the endzone
Over the secondary, around the fat linemen
Cyclones come out on top, another win for the boys in Cardinal!
Yet again we hear the lame excuses from the losers
"Cause of the refs wearing ISU colors"
"Lunar eclipse allowed you to cheat more"
Owned by the Cyclones is the state of Iowa
Now the over-rated Iowa goes back to crying
Easy victory, easy win
Squawkeyes, your dominance is long over
Business as usual? Cyclones shut them down last year
Even our Gyros are better!
And Ferentz is 2-5 against us..... and only us
Tate can play, we'll just knock him out again like last year
Todd (Blythe) will light up the Endzone
Hicks comes home with 100+ yards rushing
Even Flynn gets a touchdown snag
Herkey the Hawkeye will get his butt kicked
And we'll steal THEIR goalposts
While singing the Fight songs of ISU
Keeping tradition alive... it's a Cyclone state
So here's to you Cyclones!! WIN WIN WIN!!!
Song of the Day - Mr. Brightside was on the radio again, I still like that song even though it was overplayed back in the day. Have The Killers come out with any other songs?
Video of the Day - For any fans of Architecture (Jen), you will enjoy a movie from Netflix about the designs of Frank Gehry... title is Sketches of Frank Gehry and it doesn't really waste time telling you about his life, just shows the process of how he comes up with some of his amazing designs for buildings around the world.
Webpage of the Day - November 19th, $250 is the word on the street....
Over the secondary, around the fat linemen
Cyclones come out on top, another win for the boys in Cardinal!
Yet again we hear the lame excuses from the losers
"Cause of the refs wearing ISU colors"
"Lunar eclipse allowed you to cheat more"
Owned by the Cyclones is the state of Iowa
Now the over-rated Iowa goes back to crying
Easy victory, easy win
Squawkeyes, your dominance is long over
Business as usual? Cyclones shut them down last year
Even our Gyros are better!
And Ferentz is 2-5 against us..... and only us
Tate can play, we'll just knock him out again like last year
Todd (Blythe) will light up the Endzone
Hicks comes home with 100+ yards rushing
Even Flynn gets a touchdown snag
Herkey the Hawkeye will get his butt kicked
And we'll steal THEIR goalposts
While singing the Fight songs of ISU
Keeping tradition alive... it's a Cyclone state
So here's to you Cyclones!! WIN WIN WIN!!!
Song of the Day - Mr. Brightside was on the radio again, I still like that song even though it was overplayed back in the day. Have The Killers come out with any other songs?
Video of the Day - For any fans of Architecture (Jen), you will enjoy a movie from Netflix about the designs of Frank Gehry... title is Sketches of Frank Gehry and it doesn't really waste time telling you about his life, just shows the process of how he comes up with some of his amazing designs for buildings around the world.
Webpage of the Day - November 19th, $250 is the word on the street....
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Go Clones!!
Random Thoughts for Today:
* I really hate the Hawkeyes.... big game on Saturday at 11am [thanks Kahn] (ESPN)
* I can't find the song for the Universal Marine and RV commercials on iTunes. As if I haven't heard it enough yet, I want to download the dang thing!!
* 48 degrees on the way in this morning - and foggy. Fall is definitely here
* Gas dropped to $2.26 in Rochester yesterday. Funny how people think that's cheap after what we've been through this past summer, when in actuality - it's still way too high. BP isn't going to have record profits if they keep dropping the price at the pump.
* Twins win again (5 in a row) in exciting fashion (4 runs in the bottom of the 8th) - still only 1.5 behind Detroit.
* It's official - the Braves cannot win the division so the string ends.
* This store loses $300,000 in free furniture since the Bears shut out the Packers. What were they thinking?!?!?!?
* Star Wars is re-re-released on DVD. This is the original trilogy without any CGI. So some people (not I) will shell out another wad of cash for another version of the same movie. It's like having the original Caddyshack, the Collector's Edition Caddyshack, and the 25th Anniversary of Caddyshack (available soon I'm sure)..... he still makes the putt in the end.
* New iPod Shuffle that is amazingly small (1GB). How many times will that thing get lost though? Too bad it still comes with the same crappy headphones.
* Also a new "even smaller" iPod Nano that boasts 24 hours of battery life... so would have been good for a trip to China or Japan. Also an 8GB model! That's 8GB of flash memory there:) Pretty cool stuff.
* Britney and Kevin have another boy. Poor kid - that's now 4 kids for him, all under the age of 4.
* Greenday and U2 are collaborating together... that'll be pretty cool. U2 is also working on writing new stuff for a new album!! Awesome!
* I still hate the Squawkeyes.
Song of the Day - Garbage is on today. No, the band Garbage:)
Video of the Day - This is well done and makes me laugh.... Charlie Brown and the gang perform Hey Ya!!!
Webpage of the Day - This is kind of cool too. Growing mushrooms and based on the rules, you get different patterns. Try the patterns that they have listed, some of them are really sweet (yet simple). Another favorite of mine was planting seeds all along the border.
* I really hate the Hawkeyes.... big game on Saturday at 11am [thanks Kahn] (ESPN)
* I can't find the song for the Universal Marine and RV commercials on iTunes. As if I haven't heard it enough yet, I want to download the dang thing!!
* 48 degrees on the way in this morning - and foggy. Fall is definitely here
* Gas dropped to $2.26 in Rochester yesterday. Funny how people think that's cheap after what we've been through this past summer, when in actuality - it's still way too high. BP isn't going to have record profits if they keep dropping the price at the pump.
* Twins win again (5 in a row) in exciting fashion (4 runs in the bottom of the 8th) - still only 1.5 behind Detroit.
* It's official - the Braves cannot win the division so the string ends.
* This store loses $300,000 in free furniture since the Bears shut out the Packers. What were they thinking?!?!?!?
* Star Wars is re-re-released on DVD. This is the original trilogy without any CGI. So some people (not I) will shell out another wad of cash for another version of the same movie. It's like having the original Caddyshack, the Collector's Edition Caddyshack, and the 25th Anniversary of Caddyshack (available soon I'm sure)..... he still makes the putt in the end.
* New iPod Shuffle that is amazingly small (1GB). How many times will that thing get lost though? Too bad it still comes with the same crappy headphones.
* Also a new "even smaller" iPod Nano that boasts 24 hours of battery life... so would have been good for a trip to China or Japan. Also an 8GB model! That's 8GB of flash memory there:) Pretty cool stuff.
* Britney and Kevin have another boy. Poor kid - that's now 4 kids for him, all under the age of 4.
* Greenday and U2 are collaborating together... that'll be pretty cool. U2 is also working on writing new stuff for a new album!! Awesome!
* I still hate the Squawkeyes.
Song of the Day - Garbage is on today. No, the band Garbage:)
Video of the Day - This is well done and makes me laugh.... Charlie Brown and the gang perform Hey Ya!!!
Webpage of the Day - This is kind of cool too. Growing mushrooms and based on the rules, you get different patterns. Try the patterns that they have listed, some of them are really sweet (yet simple). Another favorite of mine was planting seeds all along the border.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Happy One Year!!
Today marks the One Year Anniversary for BigShow's Blog. That's right, it's been one year since my first post on here. Thanks to all of you loyal readers who inspire me to continue to waste part of every morning (and part of your morning too) with all of this mumbo jumbo. In the past year, I have had 264 posts to my blog.
Inside the numbers:
* Assuming it takes me on average 15 minutes per blog to type it all up: 66 hours
* Assuming it takes you, the loyal reader, 2 minutes per blog to read: 8.8 hours.... that's a full work day
* Assuming each blog takes up 7k of space on the server: 1.85 MB - too much to fit on a floppy disk.
* My site meter wasn't on there from the get go, but taking the 13,000 people that are on it now: Just under 50 readers per day. That's pretty cool!
* 50 readers per day (assuming it's the same 50 of you every day - pretty close to it) * 8.8 hours per reader..... 440 hours of total time has been wasted on my blog!!! That's over 18 days!!
Pretty scary huh?
Sports Stuff:
* Twins win again - only 1.5 games back of the Tigers.... need to keep the stupid Yankees in mind though too as they have the best record overall now. They are 2.5 games behind them in the standings. Damn Yankees. Liriano starts Wednesday again!
* The new introduction to MNF last night was pretty lame. Go Vikings though! It's nice to have a quarterback that has a brain and doesn't run the constant risk of throwing an interception or fumbling on the 1 yard line every time.
* Interesting story of how the WWE is going to get hit in the cable Monday Night ratings due to MNF being on ESPN now.... granted it's written by ESPN writers so there is a little bit of bias in there.
Cyclones prepare themselves for the much hated Squawkeyes this Saturday. This Thursday in Ames, there will be a BEAT IOWA rally. Thanks for the info, Heather! There is even a Hurkey wing eating contest which I know I could easily win! I am a former wing eating champion you know....
GO CYCLONES!!!
Song of the Day - Today is also the 15 year anniversary of everyone's favorite song going gold in sales. That's right, Good Vibrations by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch! It would later hit #1 (Oct 5th). You'll be singing it all day now!! 15 years... now I feel old!
Video of the Day - Hazel and I started watching Tommy (from 1975ish) by The Who. That is a strange movie that ranks up there with Pink Floyd's The Wall for movies you have to be smokin' something or fully inebriated to understand. Still some good music in Tommy as well as appearances by Elton John, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, and Jack Nicholson.
Webpage of the Day - New StrongBad email to enjoy!!!
Inside the numbers:
* Assuming it takes me on average 15 minutes per blog to type it all up: 66 hours
* Assuming it takes you, the loyal reader, 2 minutes per blog to read: 8.8 hours.... that's a full work day
* Assuming each blog takes up 7k of space on the server: 1.85 MB - too much to fit on a floppy disk.
* My site meter wasn't on there from the get go, but taking the 13,000 people that are on it now: Just under 50 readers per day. That's pretty cool!
* 50 readers per day (assuming it's the same 50 of you every day - pretty close to it) * 8.8 hours per reader..... 440 hours of total time has been wasted on my blog!!! That's over 18 days!!
Pretty scary huh?
Sports Stuff:
* Twins win again - only 1.5 games back of the Tigers.... need to keep the stupid Yankees in mind though too as they have the best record overall now. They are 2.5 games behind them in the standings. Damn Yankees. Liriano starts Wednesday again!
* The new introduction to MNF last night was pretty lame. Go Vikings though! It's nice to have a quarterback that has a brain and doesn't run the constant risk of throwing an interception or fumbling on the 1 yard line every time.
* Interesting story of how the WWE is going to get hit in the cable Monday Night ratings due to MNF being on ESPN now.... granted it's written by ESPN writers so there is a little bit of bias in there.
Cyclones prepare themselves for the much hated Squawkeyes this Saturday. This Thursday in Ames, there will be a BEAT IOWA rally. Thanks for the info, Heather! There is even a Hurkey wing eating contest which I know I could easily win! I am a former wing eating champion you know....
GO CYCLONES!!!
Song of the Day - Today is also the 15 year anniversary of everyone's favorite song going gold in sales. That's right, Good Vibrations by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch! It would later hit #1 (Oct 5th). You'll be singing it all day now!! 15 years... now I feel old!
Video of the Day - Hazel and I started watching Tommy (from 1975ish) by The Who. That is a strange movie that ranks up there with Pink Floyd's The Wall for movies you have to be smokin' something or fully inebriated to understand. Still some good music in Tommy as well as appearances by Elton John, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, and Jack Nicholson.
Webpage of the Day - New StrongBad email to enjoy!!!
Monday, September 11, 2006
Five Years Later
I've heard the next generation older than me say they remember what they were doing when they heard that JFK was shot. In my generation, it's true to say you remember what you were doing when you first heard of the attacks on the World Trade Center.
I had an appointment at Mayo that morning. I was actually just coming out of the parking ramp next to Mayo and when I pulled up to the gate, the gentleman working said a plane had run into a building in NYC. I paid and then turned on the radio and it didn't take long to join the confusion of what was going on. By the time I had arrived at work, the 2nd tower had been hit and there was a lot of confusion as to what exactly was going on.
The day was spent as so many others, calling their families, trying to get any information from the web (which was pretty much impossible due to the entire world trying to do the same), huddling around a TV in the lab. I remember the frustration of wanting more information and not being able to get it.
So today I'd like to remember all those that we lost in the tragedy. I'm still amazed at the selflessness that occurred with so many firefighters and rescue workers. It still depresses me to think of all the loved ones that they left behind. I ask that anyone who is willing today, to join me in remembering all of them in prayer. May the families who suffered loss continue to receive comfort and know that God still protects us in ways we might never understand.
This past weekend saw a lot of action in sports, including a Cyclone nail-biter, Maria back on top, Federer wins again *YAWN* - with Tiger in the audience, Twins poking the Tigers to get them out of the way (only 2 back), and a full NFL weekend that was fun to watch. Vikings play tonight.
This weekend is the big game against the much hated Hawkeyes (who also should have lost Saturday). Wear your Cyclone pride this week!!!
Song of the Day - The "new" version of Listen to Your Heart was on the radio this morning and I realized again that nobody should ever redo Roxette. They were the bomb back in the day. Original was much better (in my purist opinion).
Video of the Day - New Numa Numa video!! Not nearly as good as the original in my mind, but still has it's moments. 16...... 17...... you're starting to enter the "William Hung" levels where everyone starts wishing you'd just go away. Maybe the Numa guy will be at this year's VEISHEA!
Webpage of the Day - For all of you rollercoaster fans out there.... Coming to Cedar Point in 2007 - the Maverick.... 95 degree drop! That's pretty sweet!
I had an appointment at Mayo that morning. I was actually just coming out of the parking ramp next to Mayo and when I pulled up to the gate, the gentleman working said a plane had run into a building in NYC. I paid and then turned on the radio and it didn't take long to join the confusion of what was going on. By the time I had arrived at work, the 2nd tower had been hit and there was a lot of confusion as to what exactly was going on.
The day was spent as so many others, calling their families, trying to get any information from the web (which was pretty much impossible due to the entire world trying to do the same), huddling around a TV in the lab. I remember the frustration of wanting more information and not being able to get it.
So today I'd like to remember all those that we lost in the tragedy. I'm still amazed at the selflessness that occurred with so many firefighters and rescue workers. It still depresses me to think of all the loved ones that they left behind. I ask that anyone who is willing today, to join me in remembering all of them in prayer. May the families who suffered loss continue to receive comfort and know that God still protects us in ways we might never understand.
This past weekend saw a lot of action in sports, including a Cyclone nail-biter, Maria back on top, Federer wins again *YAWN* - with Tiger in the audience, Twins poking the Tigers to get them out of the way (only 2 back), and a full NFL weekend that was fun to watch. Vikings play tonight.
This weekend is the big game against the much hated Hawkeyes (who also should have lost Saturday). Wear your Cyclone pride this week!!!
Song of the Day - The "new" version of Listen to Your Heart was on the radio this morning and I realized again that nobody should ever redo Roxette. They were the bomb back in the day. Original was much better (in my purist opinion).
Video of the Day - New Numa Numa video!! Not nearly as good as the original in my mind, but still has it's moments. 16...... 17...... you're starting to enter the "William Hung" levels where everyone starts wishing you'd just go away. Maybe the Numa guy will be at this year's VEISHEA!
Webpage of the Day - For all of you rollercoaster fans out there.... Coming to Cedar Point in 2007 - the Maverick.... 95 degree drop! That's pretty sweet!
Friday, September 08, 2006
Quick Thoughts For A Friday
* Ya gotta love 4 day work weeks! Makes the week go by so much faster!
* Brews Brothers took all 7 points last night to start the season on a high note. Nevermind the fact that we only had 2 bowlers show up.
* At the US Open last night, Blake lost last night to Federer who is the modern version of Lendl, or even Sampras. They were all so good (with Federer possibly becoming the best ever at the sport) but all so boring to watch. No emotion whatsoever. Federer is also starting to get a little cocky which makes him easy to root against. But he does have the cleanest game on the tour right now making his appearance in his 10th straight Grand Slam semi-finals.
* NFL season is underway which means it is time for me to change my phone ringer. It will now remind me that there is football on every weekend and Mondays. The Culpepper-reign in Miami began with a loss.... GOOD RIDDANCE TO YOU!!
* Cyclones take on UNLV on Saturday in Ames.... Hopefully the boys from ISU have their $#!+ together and make this a proper warmup for next weekend's big matchup. Cyclones by an easy 20 points.
* Texas and Ohio State play this weekend down in Austin (TX).... Texas should win that one yet again. Notre Dame and Penn State also play - hoping the Nittany Lions pull that out. And Arizona plays at LSU..... a tough match up especially on the road - don't know if the Wildcats have it in them but here's to hoping they find a way to win!
GO CLONES!! Have a great weekend and enjoy the fall weather!!
* Brews Brothers took all 7 points last night to start the season on a high note. Nevermind the fact that we only had 2 bowlers show up.
* At the US Open last night, Blake lost last night to Federer who is the modern version of Lendl, or even Sampras. They were all so good (with Federer possibly becoming the best ever at the sport) but all so boring to watch. No emotion whatsoever. Federer is also starting to get a little cocky which makes him easy to root against. But he does have the cleanest game on the tour right now making his appearance in his 10th straight Grand Slam semi-finals.
* NFL season is underway which means it is time for me to change my phone ringer. It will now remind me that there is football on every weekend and Mondays. The Culpepper-reign in Miami began with a loss.... GOOD RIDDANCE TO YOU!!
* Cyclones take on UNLV on Saturday in Ames.... Hopefully the boys from ISU have their $#!+ together and make this a proper warmup for next weekend's big matchup. Cyclones by an easy 20 points.
* Texas and Ohio State play this weekend down in Austin (TX).... Texas should win that one yet again. Notre Dame and Penn State also play - hoping the Nittany Lions pull that out. And Arizona plays at LSU..... a tough match up especially on the road - don't know if the Wildcats have it in them but here's to hoping they find a way to win!
GO CLONES!! Have a great weekend and enjoy the fall weather!!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Stuff That Matters
Happy Birthday to Chucko-G out in New York City. The trend of new "30-somethings" continues....
It's Thursday, which means that the longest season of the year begins tonight.... Bowling. Yes, it does indeed feel like Bowling just finished from last season, but it has become the longest season of the year. The Brews Brothers are back with new attitudes this year and should hopefully kick some butt right out of the gate. For those that are interested in joining the fan club, stop by Colonial Lanes in Rochester starting at 4pm to see how awesome we truly are. We have the same cool shirts from last year and the same cool logo from last year that beats all others.....
Paris Hilton was arrested last night for a DUI. She was hard at work on a new video yesterday and had one drink at a Charity Event.... so once again, we're being told that Paris is the victim here. What they're not telling us is how all of us are victims for having to listen to her song every time it's on the radio. New video?!!?? Does that mean there are more high quality songs on the way?
There are still 2 American Men left at the Open. Blake tries to oust Federer tonight which will be a great match hopefully in favor of the American. Roddick won pretty easily last night to advance to the Semis. Sharapova won in 2 tie breakers and I will probably piss someone off, but I am now finding her grunting annoying as I usually find the unnecessary grunting that has plagued women's tennis. I understand the occasional grunt on some extreme shots or when it is an "all out" shot... but Sharapova (among others... the Seles effect - she was the first to do it) takes it past the annoying point. Hot or not, it's annoying.
And not to imply anything... but I found this article somewhat appropriate for discussions that are current around Rochester....
GO BREWS BROS!!!
Song of the Day - Drew requested me to put Clay Aiken as the song of the day, but I refused.... I actually heard Karma Chameleon being played at the US Open last night (on the change over... I think that's annoying in tennis as well but whatever) - wonder how focused you can get as a professional athlete if you have Culture Club blaring the whole time. It's 90 seconds on the change over.... do you really need music?
Video of the Day - I want one of these... shirts that light up so I can draw even MORE attention to myself. One of my favorite things.
Webpage of the Day - Jailbreak game that will get you sucked in. Some levels are easy, some are a pain (the pool and the medic one). Use lateral thinking to come up with other ways to get the job done. I finally finished it yesterday and was on my way to Brazil at the end!!!
It's Thursday, which means that the longest season of the year begins tonight.... Bowling. Yes, it does indeed feel like Bowling just finished from last season, but it has become the longest season of the year. The Brews Brothers are back with new attitudes this year and should hopefully kick some butt right out of the gate. For those that are interested in joining the fan club, stop by Colonial Lanes in Rochester starting at 4pm to see how awesome we truly are. We have the same cool shirts from last year and the same cool logo from last year that beats all others.....
Paris Hilton was arrested last night for a DUI. She was hard at work on a new video yesterday and had one drink at a Charity Event.... so once again, we're being told that Paris is the victim here. What they're not telling us is how all of us are victims for having to listen to her song every time it's on the radio. New video?!!?? Does that mean there are more high quality songs on the way?
There are still 2 American Men left at the Open. Blake tries to oust Federer tonight which will be a great match hopefully in favor of the American. Roddick won pretty easily last night to advance to the Semis. Sharapova won in 2 tie breakers and I will probably piss someone off, but I am now finding her grunting annoying as I usually find the unnecessary grunting that has plagued women's tennis. I understand the occasional grunt on some extreme shots or when it is an "all out" shot... but Sharapova (among others... the Seles effect - she was the first to do it) takes it past the annoying point. Hot or not, it's annoying.
And not to imply anything... but I found this article somewhat appropriate for discussions that are current around Rochester....
GO BREWS BROS!!!
Song of the Day - Drew requested me to put Clay Aiken as the song of the day, but I refused.... I actually heard Karma Chameleon being played at the US Open last night (on the change over... I think that's annoying in tennis as well but whatever) - wonder how focused you can get as a professional athlete if you have Culture Club blaring the whole time. It's 90 seconds on the change over.... do you really need music?
Video of the Day - I want one of these... shirts that light up so I can draw even MORE attention to myself. One of my favorite things.
Webpage of the Day - Jailbreak game that will get you sucked in. Some levels are easy, some are a pain (the pool and the medic one). Use lateral thinking to come up with other ways to get the job done. I finally finished it yesterday and was on my way to Brazil at the end!!!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
PSA
Yesterday, it was announced that I have accepted my first management position here at IBM. I will now be manager of ECAT engineering team (Electronic Card Assembly and Test) here in Rochester with a few folks residing in New York. We're a global company and I've worked with global teams since the start of my days here at IBM so this isn't anything new.... just a new perspective.
So no more video game playing in the lab for me. Although I still plan on picking up the new Wii and enjoying the fruits of some of my labor. What does this mean to the millions (AND MILLIONS) of you loyal readers out there? Not much really... I might be a little delayed in getting my blogs posted on some mornings, but it just means better organization and planning on my part.
So other than that... not much new:) Just kidding - I always have stuff I can talk about.
I hit my "summer goal" at the RAC this morning. I ran my 20 minutes (1.94 miles) so I'm almost 2/3 to my goal of 5K (3.1 miles) in 30 minutes. I'm still optimistic of getting there by the end of the year. I still need to change up my music on the ipod to run with...
Another new IBM project that is a good read (nothing officially announced yet).
Twins are a game and a half up on the White Sox with 25 games left to play. They are only 4 games out of 1st and having home field (dome) advantage through the playoffs. That would be key for the Twins to get back to the World Series I do believe.
Have a great Wednesday!
Song of the Day - I've been listening to Johnny Cash's My Mother's Hymn Book which is good for anyone that like's Johnny Cash. Just him and guitar singing some old style hymns.
Video of the Day - Hazel and I watched V for Vendetta last night. It's the weird preview that had the scary looking guy in a mask (smiling of course) and Natalie Portman and her shaved head. It was not at all what I was thinking it would be about, but it was a good movie none the less. I did agree with Chucko-Grande's reaction towards the soliloquy that was done using all words that began with the letter "v"... that was pretty incredible and worth a 2nd viewing. In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage.....
Webpage of the Day - The 10 coolest jobs in Las Vegas... I'm partial to the thought of being a pirate... that'd be pretty cool.
So no more video game playing in the lab for me. Although I still plan on picking up the new Wii and enjoying the fruits of some of my labor. What does this mean to the millions (AND MILLIONS) of you loyal readers out there? Not much really... I might be a little delayed in getting my blogs posted on some mornings, but it just means better organization and planning on my part.
So other than that... not much new:) Just kidding - I always have stuff I can talk about.
I hit my "summer goal" at the RAC this morning. I ran my 20 minutes (1.94 miles) so I'm almost 2/3 to my goal of 5K (3.1 miles) in 30 minutes. I'm still optimistic of getting there by the end of the year. I still need to change up my music on the ipod to run with...
Another new IBM project that is a good read (nothing officially announced yet).
Twins are a game and a half up on the White Sox with 25 games left to play. They are only 4 games out of 1st and having home field (dome) advantage through the playoffs. That would be key for the Twins to get back to the World Series I do believe.
Have a great Wednesday!
Song of the Day - I've been listening to Johnny Cash's My Mother's Hymn Book which is good for anyone that like's Johnny Cash. Just him and guitar singing some old style hymns.
Video of the Day - Hazel and I watched V for Vendetta last night. It's the weird preview that had the scary looking guy in a mask (smiling of course) and Natalie Portman and her shaved head. It was not at all what I was thinking it would be about, but it was a good movie none the less. I did agree with Chucko-Grande's reaction towards the soliloquy that was done using all words that began with the letter "v"... that was pretty incredible and worth a 2nd viewing. In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage.....
Webpage of the Day - The 10 coolest jobs in Las Vegas... I'm partial to the thought of being a pirate... that'd be pretty cool.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Happy Day After Labor Day
Gotta love 4 day work weeks! Welcome back to most of you who had yesterday off. I know there were some people holding the world together yesterday while I was at home. A very productive weekend overall. I finished a lot of projects around the house that I had wanted to work on including some touch up painting, some gardening, added a book shelf, some nerdy stuff on my computer, and tons of Tennis and Football watching!
We say goodbye to Agassi. He definitely was not 100%, probably not even 75% for his match on Saturday but still managed to take him to 4 sets. In a tearful and very memorable goodbye, he thanked the fans for allowing him to stand on our shoulders to reach for his dreams. Very powerful stuff. I was glad that he took the mic from Mary Jo Fernandez instead of her asking him questions.... she's an idiot and I wish they'd replace her. Some of the "offshift" commentators that they've been using are pretty crappy. But some great tennis overall as the American Men move on (Blake and Roddick) and are still alive. There seem to have been a lot of 5 set matches this weekend which is always good for the game of tennis.
Did you see Blake's tribute to Agassi late last week though? He pulled out some early Agassi attire to pay homage to the icon. Those were the days! Here's a picture of Blake and then of Agassi from the day wearing the same outfit:
We also say goodbye to the crocodile Hunter who was killed in Australia by a poisonous stingray. He had become such an icon for the wildlife kingdom and now who will make guest appearances on South Park?
I did finally watch the VMAs on one of the 1000 rebroadcasts by MTV. What a waste of 3 hours. Seriously.... I actually enjoyed Justin Timberlake's performance to begin the evening.... and then the rest of them sucked. Most of the songs performed are on my "overplayed" list thanks to 106.9 and I can say I only saw one video that was nominated all night... the Red Hot Chili Peppers for "Dani California" and that was thanks to Yahoo! It didn't win all night.
I watched a shortened race from Sunday in California where folks were running out of gas.... suckers!!! Junior in 2nd, Carl in 4th, Gordon in 5th... and Jamie's poor Kenseth in 7th. One more race to go till the playoffs.... is your lover boy going to make it Jill????
Have a great week! Fall weather is finally here in Rochester which means I should be playing more golf!
Song of the Day - Now I'm in a Chili Peppers mood today so we'll see what greatest hits I can find. There's a band that has evolved many times over since they were first on the scene. And I'm still shocked that any band with Flea can stay together... that guy is a nutcase. Of all the nicknames to go with, why "Flea"?
Video of the Day - Pulled out the Brewster's Millions this weekend since Hazel had never seen that movie. Classic... classic. I don't think many of us realize how difficult it would be to spend a million dollars a day and end up with no assets. There has to be a ton of renting of things. Could rent a plane to fly around, that could help take care of 30 million bucks.
Webpage of the Day - I thought these were pretty sweet! An artist takes some paper and makes a ton of articulate cuts to come up with designs and scenes made entirely of paper. I also think someone has way too much freetime to figure out how to do all of that!
We say goodbye to Agassi. He definitely was not 100%, probably not even 75% for his match on Saturday but still managed to take him to 4 sets. In a tearful and very memorable goodbye, he thanked the fans for allowing him to stand on our shoulders to reach for his dreams. Very powerful stuff. I was glad that he took the mic from Mary Jo Fernandez instead of her asking him questions.... she's an idiot and I wish they'd replace her. Some of the "offshift" commentators that they've been using are pretty crappy. But some great tennis overall as the American Men move on (Blake and Roddick) and are still alive. There seem to have been a lot of 5 set matches this weekend which is always good for the game of tennis.
Did you see Blake's tribute to Agassi late last week though? He pulled out some early Agassi attire to pay homage to the icon. Those were the days! Here's a picture of Blake and then of Agassi from the day wearing the same outfit:
We also say goodbye to the crocodile Hunter who was killed in Australia by a poisonous stingray. He had become such an icon for the wildlife kingdom and now who will make guest appearances on South Park?
I did finally watch the VMAs on one of the 1000 rebroadcasts by MTV. What a waste of 3 hours. Seriously.... I actually enjoyed Justin Timberlake's performance to begin the evening.... and then the rest of them sucked. Most of the songs performed are on my "overplayed" list thanks to 106.9 and I can say I only saw one video that was nominated all night... the Red Hot Chili Peppers for "Dani California" and that was thanks to Yahoo! It didn't win all night.
I watched a shortened race from Sunday in California where folks were running out of gas.... suckers!!! Junior in 2nd, Carl in 4th, Gordon in 5th... and Jamie's poor Kenseth in 7th. One more race to go till the playoffs.... is your lover boy going to make it Jill????
Have a great week! Fall weather is finally here in Rochester which means I should be playing more golf!
Song of the Day - Now I'm in a Chili Peppers mood today so we'll see what greatest hits I can find. There's a band that has evolved many times over since they were first on the scene. And I'm still shocked that any band with Flea can stay together... that guy is a nutcase. Of all the nicknames to go with, why "Flea"?
Video of the Day - Pulled out the Brewster's Millions this weekend since Hazel had never seen that movie. Classic... classic. I don't think many of us realize how difficult it would be to spend a million dollars a day and end up with no assets. There has to be a ton of renting of things. Could rent a plane to fly around, that could help take care of 30 million bucks.
Webpage of the Day - I thought these were pretty sweet! An artist takes some paper and makes a ton of articulate cuts to come up with designs and scenes made entirely of paper. I also think someone has way too much freetime to figure out how to do all of that!
Friday, September 01, 2006
A Win Is A Win
Happy September 1st.... which means it's Amber's Birthday. The Oil Companies of the world decided to celebrate Amber's Birthday by reducing gas prices again.... $2.54 in Rochester so I'm sure it's sub-$2 outside of Rochester.
(Wieman skip to below)
After an incredible night of competition, the nerves of steel held up and the good guys are still standing to talk about it.
The Cyclones decided to show up for practice last night.... only problem was that it was a real game. For the first time in Iowa State history, we have won an overtime game. Previously 0-5 in OT (I think there were 3 last year alone) the Clones used the 3rd OT to pull off the victory, 45-43. Still too close and they had better not get comfortable with a squeaker over the Rockets.
Then the incredible match from Agassi who just keeps on finding ways to win. Although he was not playing his best stuff last night, he still managed to knock off the 8th seed in Marcos Baghdatis (from Cyprus for those that were wondering). He was up 2 breaks in the 4th looking like he would cruise but then he hit a wall and Baghdatis started to look like an 8th seed. Both players literally limped off the court, Agassi's back was tightening up and Baghdatis suffered from cramps heavily in the 5th set but still played remarkably. Some good tennis that finished at 12:45am on the East Coast where it was played. It was amazing to again see 22,000 fans pushing for Agassi and Baghdatis had maybe 5 fans in the arena. Talk about a home crowd.... it doesn't get that lopsided anywhere else in the world for any other events in my opinion. Agassi is now 59-0 when winning the first 2 sets at the Open. They also said he's only given up one 2 set to 0 lead in the past 15 years of his career... that's incredible tennis there.
But again.... a win is a win and we'll take it for now. Which is something the US Men's basketball team couldn't find against Greece. How do you lose to Greece in Basketball? Serves them right for getting paid too much money and remain unable to claim "world's best".
Weekend predictions.... Only game worth watching will be California beating up on Tennessee... rest of them will be non-exciting from this viewpoint. Until Monday night.... Florida State beats Miami for a rare opening weekend thriller! Arizona plays BYU late on Saturday and takes them out of the picture quickly! Morehead State lost last night as well.... sorry to the fans/readers up north. Agassi will beat Becker (not that Becker) and hopefully have a match against Roddick on Labor Day.
(Wieman start reading here.... ya whiner)
The VMAs were on last night for the MTV non-sports crowd. I will watch it this weekend as MTV always shows it non-stop for the next 3 days. But I heard it was pretty lame this year and lacked anything to really talk about. I'll find something to share next week I'm sure. When I was checking out the nominations yesterday for all of the awards... I can honestly say that I had not seen a video for ANY of the nominations. You can thank MTV and their lack of showing real videos for that. I have to use Yahoo! for video watching anymore.
Song of the Day - I did look through the nominations for the VMAs and couldn't find one song that I wouldn't put in the "overplayed" category. But coming soon to that list.... At this point I actually don't mind Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake. Give me another couple of weeks and I'm sure I'll be sick of it (as I am with Gnarls Barkley at this point). You have to love KROC and how they develop a sense of hatred for otherwise good songs.
Video of the Day - Last movie from last weekend I watched was Poseidon......... hmmmmm...... So at first I rented it thinking "haven't I already watched a movie about a ship that crashes at sea and the whole movie is about people escaping?". I watched the movie and afterwards I thought "haven't I already watched a movie about a ship that crashes at sea and the whole movie is about people escaping?". It's different in some ways (like only being 100 minutes long rather than 250 minutes) but still a movie about a ship that sinks in the end. Watch at your own discretion.
Webpage of the Day - A video tribute down memory lane of the VMAs... I remember all of these unfortunately. Pink was as drunk then as she was last night btw.
(Wieman skip to below)
After an incredible night of competition, the nerves of steel held up and the good guys are still standing to talk about it.
The Cyclones decided to show up for practice last night.... only problem was that it was a real game. For the first time in Iowa State history, we have won an overtime game. Previously 0-5 in OT (I think there were 3 last year alone) the Clones used the 3rd OT to pull off the victory, 45-43. Still too close and they had better not get comfortable with a squeaker over the Rockets.
Then the incredible match from Agassi who just keeps on finding ways to win. Although he was not playing his best stuff last night, he still managed to knock off the 8th seed in Marcos Baghdatis (from Cyprus for those that were wondering). He was up 2 breaks in the 4th looking like he would cruise but then he hit a wall and Baghdatis started to look like an 8th seed. Both players literally limped off the court, Agassi's back was tightening up and Baghdatis suffered from cramps heavily in the 5th set but still played remarkably. Some good tennis that finished at 12:45am on the East Coast where it was played. It was amazing to again see 22,000 fans pushing for Agassi and Baghdatis had maybe 5 fans in the arena. Talk about a home crowd.... it doesn't get that lopsided anywhere else in the world for any other events in my opinion. Agassi is now 59-0 when winning the first 2 sets at the Open. They also said he's only given up one 2 set to 0 lead in the past 15 years of his career... that's incredible tennis there.
But again.... a win is a win and we'll take it for now. Which is something the US Men's basketball team couldn't find against Greece. How do you lose to Greece in Basketball? Serves them right for getting paid too much money and remain unable to claim "world's best".
Weekend predictions.... Only game worth watching will be California beating up on Tennessee... rest of them will be non-exciting from this viewpoint. Until Monday night.... Florida State beats Miami for a rare opening weekend thriller! Arizona plays BYU late on Saturday and takes them out of the picture quickly! Morehead State lost last night as well.... sorry to the fans/readers up north. Agassi will beat Becker (not that Becker) and hopefully have a match against Roddick on Labor Day.
(Wieman start reading here.... ya whiner)
The VMAs were on last night for the MTV non-sports crowd. I will watch it this weekend as MTV always shows it non-stop for the next 3 days. But I heard it was pretty lame this year and lacked anything to really talk about. I'll find something to share next week I'm sure. When I was checking out the nominations yesterday for all of the awards... I can honestly say that I had not seen a video for ANY of the nominations. You can thank MTV and their lack of showing real videos for that. I have to use Yahoo! for video watching anymore.
Song of the Day - I did look through the nominations for the VMAs and couldn't find one song that I wouldn't put in the "overplayed" category. But coming soon to that list.... At this point I actually don't mind Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake. Give me another couple of weeks and I'm sure I'll be sick of it (as I am with Gnarls Barkley at this point). You have to love KROC and how they develop a sense of hatred for otherwise good songs.
Video of the Day - Last movie from last weekend I watched was Poseidon......... hmmmmm...... So at first I rented it thinking "haven't I already watched a movie about a ship that crashes at sea and the whole movie is about people escaping?". I watched the movie and afterwards I thought "haven't I already watched a movie about a ship that crashes at sea and the whole movie is about people escaping?". It's different in some ways (like only being 100 minutes long rather than 250 minutes) but still a movie about a ship that sinks in the end. Watch at your own discretion.
Webpage of the Day - A video tribute down memory lane of the VMAs... I remember all of these unfortunately. Pink was as drunk then as she was last night btw.
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