We're up at "the Farm" this week (Slick's Grandmother lives on the family farm way up in Potter County, PA) for Christmas.
Max and I were out hiking in the snow this morning (brisk 17 deg) when we came across a confluence of fresh tracks at the tree-line. Because of the blowing snow, any tracks we found were from today. We studied them intently. The fist-sized tracks were probably bear. The multitude of dog-like tracks were probably the coyote we've been hearing about. Max found this very interesting. He sniffed and sniffed. He dug at a few tracks. And then...
Max head snapped up and looked into the tree-line. He stared intently, sniffed the air, sniffed the tracks and proceeded to drag me down the hill with all his might.
I've never seen this kind of response from him. He's a "charge headlong" kind of dog. It's part of the reason I usually have to leash him while hiking. I once lost him for 30 minutes when he bolted after a deer while hiking in SC. We've been in the woods in question many times. He's flushed grouse & turkeys from the fields. He's chased deer into there so fast that my in-laws' collie had to go find him for me. But, run away? This was a first.
At first, I was going to make him stop. Except, well... His tail was tucked as far as it could go between his legs. His ears were as tight against his head as he could get them. He kept whipping his head around looking into the woods. He kept dragging with all of his might.
I couldn't see anything, but the tracks were there. It was cold. AND, the dog was completely freaked.
So yeah, I decided to trust his instincts on this one. We came down off the hill.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Video Hardware Hell
I'm really hoping that posting this will make me feel better. I keep reminding myself that my problems are nothing compared to the problems of others. Doesn't make them any less infuriating.
Over the last year, I struggled with outrage at the apparent "lemon" of a video card I got with my Dell Inspiron 530. My wife got a 530 just two months earlier and loves it. So, I shopped the deals and got the same system (only my video card was an ATI card and her's is an NVidia.) After months of agitation I finally decided to upgrade. That process was not without it's pitfalls. Most new cards require bigger power supplies than my system has. But, I eventually found a 1Gig card that runs of a 350Watt Power Supply. For 2 weeks, I learned about all the cool things I'd been missing from Lord of the Rings Online.
And then today my 20" widescreen Samsung display died. It binks on/off once every few milliseconds. It's painful to watch. There's no fix out there that I can find. I've tried all sorts of variations, it's as much a lemon as that stupid card was.
I fought back the urge to toss it out the window (it would be my own yard I would clean) and proceeded to make an old 19" standard res LCD monitor work. I'm "in business." I hate it, but it works. Time to take stock of the situation.
15 hours ago, I selected to use my big "super giftcard" to get gifts at REI & B&N books. I didn't need these items. But knowing now, I wish I hadn't bought new exercise gloves, attachments to use my hiking stick in snow, and books. I could have applied the whole amount at Tiger Direct I would have covered the bulk of the price of a new monitor. Everyone would have been happy. BUT NOOOO.
So, now negotiations will have to begin w/ Slick for me to get a new video monitor. I'm so accustomed to wide screen display, I'm not sure I want to go back. This sucks. I can't emotionally or financially justify the monitor. I loved my old one (before it broke) but I don't need it.
Sigh!
Nope: Don't really feel better. Ah well.
Over the last year, I struggled with outrage at the apparent "lemon" of a video card I got with my Dell Inspiron 530. My wife got a 530 just two months earlier and loves it. So, I shopped the deals and got the same system (only my video card was an ATI card and her's is an NVidia.) After months of agitation I finally decided to upgrade. That process was not without it's pitfalls. Most new cards require bigger power supplies than my system has. But, I eventually found a 1Gig card that runs of a 350Watt Power Supply. For 2 weeks, I learned about all the cool things I'd been missing from Lord of the Rings Online.
And then today my 20" widescreen Samsung display died. It binks on/off once every few milliseconds. It's painful to watch. There's no fix out there that I can find. I've tried all sorts of variations, it's as much a lemon as that stupid card was.
I fought back the urge to toss it out the window (it would be my own yard I would clean) and proceeded to make an old 19" standard res LCD monitor work. I'm "in business." I hate it, but it works. Time to take stock of the situation.
15 hours ago, I selected to use my big "super giftcard" to get gifts at REI & B&N books. I didn't need these items. But knowing now, I wish I hadn't bought new exercise gloves, attachments to use my hiking stick in snow, and books. I could have applied the whole amount at Tiger Direct I would have covered the bulk of the price of a new monitor. Everyone would have been happy. BUT NOOOO.
So, now negotiations will have to begin w/ Slick for me to get a new video monitor. I'm so accustomed to wide screen display, I'm not sure I want to go back. This sucks. I can't emotionally or financially justify the monitor. I loved my old one (before it broke) but I don't need it.
Sigh!
Nope: Don't really feel better. Ah well.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Can I Upgrade to Windows 7?
Microsoft has a nice little utility to download to examine your computer for Windows 7 portability.
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor
The Advisor scans your computer and lists compatibility issues and suggestions for the move. Our computers are mostly ready for Windows 7. Unfortunately, I will need to do a clean install in order to move to the 64-bit version.
Microsoft also has a support page for that.
Performing a custom installation of Windows 7
I'll pass along any additional tidbits if I find them. I'm eager to get started, but I need to find a copy of the Windows 7 "Family" pack (which is out of stock everywhere.) Still, it's forcing me to research, backup, plan and hopefully avoid making mistakes.
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor
The Advisor scans your computer and lists compatibility issues and suggestions for the move. Our computers are mostly ready for Windows 7. Unfortunately, I will need to do a clean install in order to move to the 64-bit version.
Microsoft also has a support page for that.
Performing a custom installation of Windows 7
I'll pass along any additional tidbits if I find them. I'm eager to get started, but I need to find a copy of the Windows 7 "Family" pack (which is out of stock everywhere.) Still, it's forcing me to research, backup, plan and hopefully avoid making mistakes.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Vanilla Ice Ruined My Life
In the early 90's a hack named Vanilla Ice wrote a song that sounds like the opening to the great Queen song "Under Pressure." Nearly 20 years later, when I hear the beginning of Under Pressure, I think someone has essentially Rick Rolled me with "Ice Ice Baby!" I get confused, I reach to change the station or fix my Pandora feed. EVERY TIME!
"Khaaaaaaan!"
Damn you, Ice!
"To the last, I will grapple with thee... from Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!" - Moby Dick
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Because I'm a Frackin' Toaster!
Some friends blew into town for the weekend to geek out with us. Years ago this would have meant a marathon weekend involving D&D books, character sheets, cold pizza and a few gallons of Mountain Dew. We still geeked out. We just did it with better food and more sleep. Our gaming has also shifted from D&D to a combination of Rock Band (Wii) and cooperative board games like Arkham Horror.
This time around, Cainam brought Battle Star Galactica the Board Game. Everyone chooses a member of the crew, fight off toasters & spin up the FTL drive in hopes that our next jump will lead us home.
The game has one twist: Someone may be a Cylon. In fact, before the game ends, there will be at least one Cylon. Who is it? Who's working against us? Is it the Admiral? The President? Boomer?
Last night (actually the whole weekend) I was the cylon right from the word go. Whenever possible, I sabotaged the crew's efforts. Choose the better of two cards? I think not. Add extra support when victory is assured? Absolutely! Anything to throw off suspicion.
And then Cainam got a card that let him check my loyalty. Crap! What do I do? Bluff, of course! In fact, I bluffed us both into the brig long enough for the game to spiral out of control. (My job as the toaster after all!)
Note: I really only pulled this off because of a combination of luck and Cainam's reputation. I'd been the cylon in every game that weekend. So, it seemed unlikely that I would be it AGAIN. Cainam had done a number of things just before calling me a cylon that, put together, seemed suspicious. It's totally in his character to be the cylon and accuse someone else to throw off suspicions. So, he called me a cylon and I called him a lying liar. Can't believe it worked.
At some point in the game, I got officially revealed and disappeared to the resurrection ship - where I wrecked even more havoc - but not before I we able to change my wife into a Cylon too. She proceeded, in a masterful stroke, to lock everyone else up in the brig. Before they could right the ship and kill her off, Galactica was just too far gone. I was so proud!
BSG the Board Game is a total win for people who like long-play co-op games. It requires at least 3 people to play. It really takes 4 or more to make it good. Three people makes it a lot easier to find the hidden Cylon.
This time around, Cainam brought Battle Star Galactica the Board Game. Everyone chooses a member of the crew, fight off toasters & spin up the FTL drive in hopes that our next jump will lead us home.
The game has one twist: Someone may be a Cylon. In fact, before the game ends, there will be at least one Cylon. Who is it? Who's working against us? Is it the Admiral? The President? Boomer?
Last night (actually the whole weekend) I was the cylon right from the word go. Whenever possible, I sabotaged the crew's efforts. Choose the better of two cards? I think not. Add extra support when victory is assured? Absolutely! Anything to throw off suspicion.
And then Cainam got a card that let him check my loyalty. Crap! What do I do? Bluff, of course! In fact, I bluffed us both into the brig long enough for the game to spiral out of control. (My job as the toaster after all!)
Note: I really only pulled this off because of a combination of luck and Cainam's reputation. I'd been the cylon in every game that weekend. So, it seemed unlikely that I would be it AGAIN. Cainam had done a number of things just before calling me a cylon that, put together, seemed suspicious. It's totally in his character to be the cylon and accuse someone else to throw off suspicions. So, he called me a cylon and I called him a lying liar. Can't believe it worked.
At some point in the game, I got officially revealed and disappeared to the resurrection ship - where I wrecked even more havoc - but not before I we able to change my wife into a Cylon too. She proceeded, in a masterful stroke, to lock everyone else up in the brig. Before they could right the ship and kill her off, Galactica was just too far gone. I was so proud!
BSG the Board Game is a total win for people who like long-play co-op games. It requires at least 3 people to play. It really takes 4 or more to make it good. Three people makes it a lot easier to find the hidden Cylon.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Disk Space Math
I got a new 1.5 TB (Terabyte = 1,000 Gigabytes) external backup drive today...
300 Gigs of music, video and downloaded videogame content is just too much to backup via DVD ROM. (And that's not including the wife's PC or the multimedia machine.) The drive was on sale at my local Costco for $110. The cost was much better than New Egg & Amazon. Reviews are mixed, but I'm sure it'll do the job just fine.
Except, as all computer geeks know, it's not really 1.5 TB. The actual disk size is 1.36 TB. This is in keeping with accepted hard-drive space calculations. My head understands this. My heart, however, feels robbed out of 140 GB of space. That's a hard drive worth of space. It's one thing when my 16 GB iPod Touch is 14.5 GB. (Well, actually, I sometimes run out of room.) It's another mathematical beast when we start getting into Terabytes.
A few years ago, the EPA changed the fuel economy standards. Car nuts & fuel savers have known for a while that the sticker estimates were based on out-dated calculations. Guess what, the world continued to spin AND consumers were better protected. Why can't we have truth in advertising with disk space? As disks get getting bigger and bigger the "lie" is only becoming compounded.
I, for one, would welcome the change.
Anyway, full backup scheduled for tonight. This is all in prep to move us to Windows 7 sometime this winter. I need solid backups either way, but I really want them before upgrading. My plan is to get the family 3-pack license. Just trying to decide if I want to wait until after holiday expenses are dealt with.
Note: Have you noticed that car commercials now don't talk about the city/highway mpgs? They only talk about highway mileage. It sounds great when a car gets 30/mpg. Except that you've got to catch the fine print at the bottom of the commercial to see it's misleading.
300 Gigs of music, video and downloaded videogame content is just too much to backup via DVD ROM. (And that's not including the wife's PC or the multimedia machine.) The drive was on sale at my local Costco for $110. The cost was much better than New Egg & Amazon. Reviews are mixed, but I'm sure it'll do the job just fine.
Except, as all computer geeks know, it's not really 1.5 TB. The actual disk size is 1.36 TB. This is in keeping with accepted hard-drive space calculations. My head understands this. My heart, however, feels robbed out of 140 GB of space. That's a hard drive worth of space. It's one thing when my 16 GB iPod Touch is 14.5 GB. (Well, actually, I sometimes run out of room.) It's another mathematical beast when we start getting into Terabytes.
A few years ago, the EPA changed the fuel economy standards. Car nuts & fuel savers have known for a while that the sticker estimates were based on out-dated calculations. Guess what, the world continued to spin AND consumers were better protected. Why can't we have truth in advertising with disk space? As disks get getting bigger and bigger the "lie" is only becoming compounded.
I, for one, would welcome the change.
Anyway, full backup scheduled for tonight. This is all in prep to move us to Windows 7 sometime this winter. I need solid backups either way, but I really want them before upgrading. My plan is to get the family 3-pack license. Just trying to decide if I want to wait until after holiday expenses are dealt with.
Note: Have you noticed that car commercials now don't talk about the city/highway mpgs? They only talk about highway mileage. It sounds great when a car gets 30/mpg. Except that you've got to catch the fine print at the bottom of the commercial to see it's misleading.
Friday, November 06, 2009
It Goes Up To Eleven
Tomorrow is our 11th Anniversary. In honor of this feat, our friend posted the following as his "Quote of the Day" email thread. Enjoy.
Nigel Tufnel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...
Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?
Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.
Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?
Marty DiBergi: I don't know.
Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?
Nigel Tufnel: [pause] These go to eleven.
- This is Spinal Tap
The truly fun part is that we've dubbed this the "It goes up to 11" Anniversary. It's a much better year than boring old 10. Why? Because, it goes up to 11!
Nigel Tufnel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...
Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?
Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.
Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?
Marty DiBergi: I don't know.
Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?
Nigel Tufnel: [pause] These go to eleven.
- This is Spinal Tap
The truly fun part is that we've dubbed this the "It goes up to 11" Anniversary. It's a much better year than boring old 10. Why? Because, it goes up to 11!
Monday, November 02, 2009
Kids Grow Up
In what feels like a lifetime ago, I was a young, direction-less 20-something living with my parents again, doing a bit of volunteer youth ministry at Bethesda Lutheran in New Haven CT, while working 2 part-time jobs. Looking back, it was one of the best & worst times of my life. I met amazing people (including my wife.) I was also feeling the brunt of shame coming from crawling back home to my parents. But I digress...
Amazing people...
One of "my kids" from youth group came to visit us this weekend. She's now an adult trying to make her way in the world. I, apparently & unfortunately for her, had a great deal of influence on her innocent mind. Twelve years ago we had a "passing conversation" about faith. Today, she points to that single conversation (which I couldn't even remember when we talked about it) as a major turning point in her life. It lead her to seminary and a call to ministry.
Remember: Watch what you say to children. They remember stuff!
At some point over the weekend, it became obvious that this "kid" I helped teach Luther's Catechism and treated to pizza is now an adult. She's a world-traveler and is currently doing hospital ministry in Tennessee. During a dinner conversation Friday night, she totally impressed the hell out of me. First, she properly corrected my paraphrasing of one of Paul's letters. Then she proceeded to make my point for me. (Damn, know-it-all kid!)
The other really cool part of her visit is some music she shared with me. During my time at Bethesda, I got to know several of the really little kids. One of them is now a talented musician & songwriter. Only 16, he's got a band that's got an old-school punk-rock edge. I was really impressed. I would pay for his music and he's still in high school. I got a real kick listening to his music and reminiscing about my time in New Haven.
It made me feel real good to see my friend all grown up. It was amazing to be reminded that I helped give someone direction even at a time when I had none. We can give so much to each other even when we think we have nothing to give.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to add some music to my iPod's alternative & punk playlist.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
The Dreaded Highlander Stormtrooper
Saturday, we took our house guest to the Carolina Renaissance Festival. It was a great day. Sure it was overcast, but that kept the temp down.
We caught several comedy shows, watched some jousting, saw some friends who perform at the show. It was great.
It was also Halloween. Festival guests who dress up tend to run the gambit of outfits. Very few are "traditional" Renaissance garb. Some is well-done from other periods or catch the wave of fantasy genre. Add Halloween to the mix and stuff gets a little weird? How so? What about a Stormtrooper in a Kilt?
I'm torn between having a Highlander/StarWars Mashup quote or a Braveheart/Starwars Mashup. Is this some sort of special unit? Whatever, it was just wrong. BUT, funny enough to be picked on in the one comedy show we attended.
Still, I'm lost on this one. What about?...
"There can be only one, but strike me down and I will become more powerful than..."
Or Perhaps
"I've got a bad feeling about this, they may take our lives...."
But I digress...
It was fun!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Things that Don't Make Sense
Our town's recycling truck is the beat up 20+ year old monstrosity that spews smoke every time the driver hits the gas. He hits it hard every 20 feet.
I'm sure the value of recycling outweighs the impact of this monster, but it's just plain stupid.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Good Customer Service Still Happens!
I got an email today from Netflix saying that my next DvD isn't available at a local center, but is shipping from another part of the country. Bummer right? I won't have a new DvD for days. Except, Netflix took care of that issue. They added a 4th DvD from my queue that will certainly arrive tomorrow.
I bet this was all automated. It's still great.
Too often I've seen companies fail their customer when things go wrong because they do not have effective measures for dealing with problems. Customer service doesn't have to mean that someone has to go out of their way. Good customer service means that a company has a system in place to provide good service to customers.
This is a very simple example of the right way to do business. Take care of your customer before they even ask. It's the kind of little thing that keeps me as a customer & makes me tell my friends about a business. It's true for a local store as it is for an online shop.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
NBA League Pass for Broadband
Until November 3rd, the NBA is offering free access to it's online streaming service. I'm hoping the service blows me away so I can ask for it for my birthday. Then I can watch the Sixers (and several other teams) this season.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Awesome Nod to Firefly
Monday, October 26, 2009
RSS or Visit the Page?
Today, Gamer Geek and I were reminded why visiting a website is still important. XKCD, a favorite webcomic of ours, redesigned the entire page to look like an old-school Geocities website...complete w/ under construction signs & broken links. If you've been on the web long enough, you've seen these pages (heck, you're probably had one of these pages. I know I did!)
RSS is great for reading blogs & news, but you can miss out on the creativity of a site. There's also been a long debate that RSS kills the very sites you're reading. Why? By not going to the site, you cause them traffic but fail to bring them ad revenue or ever buy their stuff. I'm not going to debate this point, I'm just mentioning it.
BTW: Just RSS my blogs. I don't care!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Browser War
Something interesting happened this week. (Maybe sooner, but I only noticed it last night.) Netflix stopped requiring Internet Explorer to operate it's "Watch Instantly" online service. This is a significant thing for me. It means that I can stop using 2 to 3 different internet browsers. Frankly, it means I'll be finally moving (almost) exclusively to Google Chrome.
Before today, I've been alternating between Chrome & Firefox for my routine browsing then swapping to Internet Explorer for Netflix. I've been a big supporter of Firefox, but Chrome feels so amazingly fast in comparison. My unscientific stop-watch tests support this theory. On average, new browser sessions load twice as fast on Chrome over Firefox. Internet Explorer seems to taken it's place in the middle of the pack. It also feels more stable than either FF or IF. This again, may be subjective.
What about other Browsers like Safari & Opera? Mostly, I don't use them because neither seem to offer any additional benefits for swapping. Safari's bookmark management is really convoluted and when I first tried it there were some security holes. I'm sure they've been plugged, but there's been no reason to go back. My experience with Opera was fine, but there wasn't anything eye-catching enough for me to keep using it over Chrome or Firefox.
I'll keep watching for a reason to return to Firefox. I miss Foxmarks (great multi-computer bookmark sync) and No Scripts (which lets you manage the scripts on pages you visit. Great for visiting new sites.) Sadly, neither of these add-ons are enough for me to stick with Firefox.
The good news, IMHO, is that all browsers seem more secure and reliable than they were a few years ago. I think this is the value of competition. I used to worry about family and friends using Internet Explorer. Microsoft seems to have stepped up their game with IE8. I think this is a direct result of the pressure from Mozilla & Google.
This means, I no longer care which browser people choose. They're all good. Just keep your applications up to date, run a good spyware scanner, & clear your browser cashe on a regular basis.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
New Fall Network TV Line-Up is a Complete Bust
It's Fall and that means that new shows are here & old shows are returning. Here's some highlights...
The Good:
Castle - Castle picks up where it left off. It's good. The characters are well-developed. The mysteries are always interesting. The actors have chemistry. Nathan Fillion is quickly becoming my favorite actor.
House - I hate that I like this show. It's well-written, well-acted and it's just good TV. The premier was yet further proof why House is a great anti-hero.
The Bad:
Heroes - This season's villains are Carnie freaks? Really? Sigh. I keep wanting desperately to love this show. On one hand, we have House (which I should hate but love) and on the other we have Heroes (which I should love but hate.) Can't win.
Flash Forward - Epic fail! The pilot completely failed to capture the grand scope of events. The lead actors have the emotional depth of paper bags. They clearly wanted to rush forward to the broad plot of the series. In doing so, the show misses everything. The first episode should have played out like a disaster film. ER's should have looked like MASH centers. Lights should have failed to work. Cell networks should have been down for weeks. National Guard troops should have been everywhere. And really, some lowly FBI field agents are in charge? Pass...
The Ugly:
The Forgotten - Huh? Really? Regular citizens solving the unsolvable in no-time flat. Wow. That sounds really, um... Concept good. Holland Tunnel-sized holes. Pass...
NCIS LA - I love NCIS. It's almost a guilty pleasure. I laugh every time the shows tries to pretend that NCIS is some "other-spy" organization, but I accept it because the character acting is great, the plot moves along nicely and it establishes rules that conform with the Hollywood version of reality. NCIS behaves like a law-enforcement arm of the US Military. Domestic Spying was never the focus of the show's makeup. It's more of a byproduct. The spin-off, on the other hand, is all about domestic spying. The intro/cross-over episodes of NCIS last season were the worst episodes of the season. The changes for the season premier actually made things worse. The fact that the first episode started with a dead navy officer is irrelevant. It's a spy show. The premise sucks. The show sucks. The chain of command makes no sense. Their place in the grand scope of things is confusing. They have no place even in the NCIS version of reality. Don't just pass, RUN AWAY!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Play Ball
We're home from Turner Field. It was a wet, but fun time. Our first "real" trip to Atlanta and I never even really saw the skyline. It was too foggy and rainy whenever I looked that way. In fact, I never really saw anything aside from Turner Field & our hotel. We did drive through the Olympic torch site. Maybe if we go back next season, we'll actually spend time seeing Hotlanta.
Anyway, here are some highlights...
Turner Field
Turner Field attempts to merge that throw-back feel with the modern. It does it very well. The entire exterior is the same brick with green metal-works that give you that old-school feel.
Entertainment
The real gem of the park is the entrance area with live entertainment, the best food at the park and the big shops. The BBQ sandwich was really good. Unfortunately, this area has no sight-lines to the ball-field due to the position of the main scoreboard.
Breast Cancer Awareness Night
Saturday night was breast cancer awareness night. Hundreds of survivors took the field and released pink balloons. YES, it made me think of Karen.
The other thing to notice on the above photo is the giant Coke Bottle and Cow. In Philly, we have the Bell. At Turner Field, they have a Cow that does "the Chop" and a really amazing Coke Bottle that lights up, changes colors, displays all sorts of messages & shoots fireworks. I'll still take the Bell.
The turnout Saturday was great. This helped us to experience the full force of "the Chop." When something big happens, the Cow chops, every screen has giant chopping tomahawks, and ever fan chops and chants in unison. It's something to experience. I felt like General Custer.
Of course, the "stranger in a strange land" feeling we got from the Chop was nothing in comparison to when the entire crowd launches into "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" during the 7th-inning stretch.
First Pitch from Our Seats on Sunday
Saturday was fun, but the Phillies lost. Thank goodness for Sunday. The Phillies were aggressive from the get-go. Victorino got himself ejected when he was called out at 2nd. His outburst was in response to a bunch of questionable calls (I checked with iDad, who triple checked the play(s) from home.) The guys were fired up from there.
There was a long rain delay during the 5th inning. Knowing we had a 4-hour drive ahead of us, we were really worried that we would have to leave before the game ended. But, the game resumed just in time for us to get home at 11PM.
Will we go back? Absolutely. I can see us going to a weekend match-up next season. I doubt we'll splurge for the really expensive seats, splurge on dinner at the Chop House or buy Tomahawk beer next time.
Note: This trip was our "It goes up to 11" anniversary present to each other. It's hard to go see a baseball game in November.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Weekend @ Turner Field
Joel, you wanna know something? Every now and then say, "What the fuck." "What the fuck" gives you freedom. Freedom brings opportunity. Opportunity makes your future. - Miles, Risky Business
This morning, while looking over the Phillies boxscore from last night, I noticed that they would be at Turner Field all weekend. Miles pops into my head. Before I noticed, the wife and I have hotel reservations across the street from the stadium and really good seats for Saturday & Sunday's games.
Happy early anniversary to us.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Cover Art
or Why Google Should Go Ahead And Organize The World...
So, I started my cover art project. Sometimes, it was as simple as deleting the current wrong cover and having iTunes search again. Sometimes, I had to fix the album title or artist name. Slowly, I found myself with three categories of music still missing covers. 1) Old MP3s missing tons of info. 2) the dreaded "collection" and 3) all my Beatles music.
Today, I made my big leap forward by downloading art from other places and manually matching it with my music. This may seem like a pain, but I wish I had just done this from the begining. It's easy. Go to to a place like Amazon, search for the song/album, save the cover art and then copy it to your album/song info page.
This is the part where Google gets my vote for organizing the world....
Time and time again, Amazon would give me a "can not find" message. I would then google the item in question, only for the top choice to come up as...you've guessed it...Amazon. How can Google index and track info on Amazon's website better than Amazon? That's not a question for Google, but one for Amazon.
Of course, none of this is surprising or important.
No, what's important is that I finally have cover art for Abby Road when I decide to listen to the Beatles.
Which is quite often because Abby Road is - as my niece would say - awesomely awesome!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Week One: Eagles vs Panthers - Sigh
The Eagles won. It's what I wanted. So, why am I so miserable?
My "home town" team vs my "home" team was great...
Until it wasn't.
Having lived in Charlotte for 5 years, I've earned the right to pull for the Panthers in all things except when they play against the Eagles. So, what I wanted yesterday was a hard-fought, exciting matchup where the Eagles won late in the 4th quarter. Instead, I got uncertainty.
Delhomme was horrid. Sure, the Eagles defense had a lot to do with it, but he was horrid. I was excited and worried when I saw a clock-draining opening drive from Delhomme and the Panthers. The Eagles responded with some great play on defense & special teams. In the first quarter, the Panthers took over 8 minutes to score 7 points. In the second quarter, the Eagles took less than 5 minutes to pour on 28.
If I could have stopped the game there, I would have been happy. But NOOOOO... We had to play a 2nd half. Delhomme had to stink it up even more. The Panthers were just horrid. But that wasn't the worst of it.
Donovan's got a cracked #@%@ing rib. It was like a movie drama. The "hero-king" gets hurt and the screen flashes to the once exiled friend who's next in line. Is that concern on his face or is he coldly calculating his position? The audience is spell-bound. This is money in the bank for the NFL. It's painful for the fans.
So, now I get to watch and wait as both teams figure out what to do with their quarterbacks before week 2. Sigh!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Oh Happy Dog
Friday was beautiful. I spent most of the week with my feet up because they hurt. But on Friday, they felt better and I couldn't resist the weather. It was a comfortable 82 degrees, sunny with a pleasant breeze. It was perfect. Nothing to do but take the dog to Cane Creek for some hiking and rolling in the grass.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Letting Go of World of Warcraft Blogs
The following is a repost of my post from today on OrdoSerp, the Lord of the Rings Online blog I participate in.
Funny thing about giving up World of Warcraft...
It's life-altering.
I "forgot" to cancel my subscription last month. Part of me kept thinking I would hop back on and play. But, then I saw that I hadn't logged on since early July and I realized that my wife & I had wasted a combined $90 for July, August and September. It got easier to hit the cancel button after that.
My RSS feed contains a lot of WoW blog. It's hard to let go. But it's time to say goodbye to them too. Here is a list of the blogs & podcasts I will miss the most. (Yes, there are more. Yes, I'm pathetic.)
Goodbye Daily Druid, druid-news aggrigate extreme. I even appeared in your listings once or twice. I haven't glanced at the feed in months, so it's not a hard break for me.
Goodbye Flyv. You were a guild-mate and a teacher when I started to learn to feral tank. You've also moved on from WoW. But, your direction and my interests have drifted apart. It's time for me to accept that and move on.
For months, I really hoped Phaelia would return and provide us with more Resto4Life. Now, I'm glad you didn't. You helped make my wife an amazingly awesome tree and amused her endlessly. She had so much fun reading your blog that I started reading it and eventually tried to learn to Boomkin & Tree when the dual-spec option happened.
Goodbye Pike, reluctant leader of the hunter community. Most hunter-blogs flare bright for a while then burn out. Yet, Aspect of the Hare goes strong. Elitist Jerks may have taught me how to raid, you taught me how to enjoy it. After I swapped to full-time feral druid to off-tank for my little 10-man guild, I kept reading your blog. Now, sadly, we have no place in each other's lives. I may miss you most of all.
Goodbye Kalon and your blog ThinkTank. Think tank is the ultimate tanking (mostly feral) blog around. Yours may be the hardest break. How is it that 2 months have gone by since I last played Rhus, yet I'm still reading your theory craft? Why do I care about the Feral loot-tables in the Coliseum? Why would I care if I should keep T8 cat gear or not? (Especially since I slowed and then stopped my progression before getting any T8 gear for my cat.) Your blog is like catnip rolled in honey. What feral off-tank (current or retired) can resist you?
Goodbye Randydelux & Scott. Last week when I caught myself loading your latest podcast on my iPod before a hike, I knew it was time to stop. There are no LotRO podcasts that can even hold a candle to the Instance. I've seriously considered listening to your show just for the fun of it. It's not going to happen. ExtraLife will continue to be part of my day and I'll be tryingExtraLifeRadio.
I continue to follow and support Andrew over at Of Teeth and Claws in his game-blogging endeavors. I'm glad that he's branched out from WoW to write about all things gaming. I think his latest crusade against subscription MMO's is thought-provoking. I have a lot to say about subscription MMO's and why they work, but that's a different post.
Goodbye World of Warcraft, I've canceled my subscription, deleted all the theory-craft sites from my bookmarks and now, I'm not even going to read blogs about you.
My gaming time is now taken up by Lord of the Rings Online, Mario Kart & Rock Band 2.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
A Funny Thing Happened...
...on my way to write new posts this June. I started having the best summer I've had in years. I felt good, the weather was great, my wife had a lot of vacation time and I just didn't give a rats-ass about blogging. Sure there were a lot of times when I considered posting about our Summer adventures. Our multiple bear run-ins while hiking in the Shenandoah National Park nearly got me posting. My 10-year-old niece singing a near perfect "Eye of the Tiger" on Rock Band 2 also ranked up there. And let's not forget getting to see Tiger Woods roar back LIVE at the Bridgestone Invitational. But all that's in the past.
Now, with Labor Day upon us and remaining vacation time limited to Thanksgiving and Christmas, I'm thinking about getting back to my normal routine. So, what about this blog? Good question. Do I even have any readership anymore? Some folks probably neglected to delete me from their RSS feeds. But then, this blog has never been about "readership."
When I stopped posting this spring, I joined Facebook at the behest of some friends. I found it a mixed bag. On one hand, it's a virus-laden, time sink. On the other, I reconnected with dozens of high school friends. Unfortunately, it made me realize that highschool was 20 years ago. Yet, instead of reminding me of all my highschool horor, Facebook has helped me rediscover the good times. For that, I'm glad to have joined. Just don't expect me to do anything on Farm Town or Mafia Wars. I've got a lot better games to play.
My Facebook experiment can't/won't replace blogging or other online-networking in my life. Facebook isn't about close friends or deep thoughts. It's about broad, social networking. I don't have 80+ close friends. I have 80+ "friends" from multiple phases of my life.
Oddly, the biggest news in my life since starting my blog-break is probably our exit from World of Warcraft. After over 3 years, WoW stopped being the best MMO for us. So, the wife, our friends and I all moved over to Lord of the Rings Online. The gameplay is similar enough to make the transition fairly painless, but different enough to breath fresh life into online gaming nights.
Now, before you worry that we simply replaced wow-addiction for LotRO-addiction, rest assured that Slick and I have moved past the 7 nights a week MMO insanity. Our group officially tries to meet 2 nights a week. I expect that we'll have some weeks where that number will be more like 3-4, but gone are the marathon Warcrack days.
Our main recreation source is still online videogames. But instead of just playing the MMO de jur, we're doing more stuff on the Wii. We've got an online Rock Band 2 group and I've been trying to organize weekly Mario Kart Online night with my college friends and hope to start a weekly session this month.
We've also been getting together with our neighbors for dinner, trying to make friends with other couples on the block & even make friends with some of Slick's work friends.
So, that's my quick recap.
Let me finish this post with a shout out to my friend, Pobble over at Pobble Thoughts. She's been going through a blog-writing crisis much like the one that lead to my taking a break from blogging. Her plight was a major reason why I decided to finally get this first post back out of the way. I've been close to starting back up for weeks, but avoiding it. This is my lame attempt at solidarity with her. Good luck Pobble!
and now to hit publish without spellchecking or proofreading. Why? Because I'm tired and I feel like it. Night all! And welcome back me.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Exercising My Demons
I've not been posting a lot lately. There's a lot to say about "why." It started with writer's block. I would find a subject to write about and become completely inarticulate. Posts, even bad ones, would not flow. Then in turned into a disinterest in posting about anything.
This blog, first and foremost, has been a place for me to channel my frustrations about my health. Even posts having nothing to do with my fibromyalgia often flow from it. The blog is my outlet. It's been a purpose in a purposeless existence.
No, I'm not trying to depress you.
My mother-in-law, the wise woman that she is, suggested something profound to me recently. The writer's block is a good thing. I forget her exact words, but it boils down to this...
I needed to talk and now I don't.
What does that mean? This blog has been like a therapist in my life. It was my "keep a journal" project. I had finally found the right job, our lives were headed exactly where we wanted to go, things were great and then my health made it all go away. I gave up "everything" to get healthy and focus on the things that matter. It was a very painful decision, but continues to look like the right one.
And so it happened. I stopped having to talk about "it."
Unfortunately, that's also meant that I don't need to vent about the economy, comment on the new "first dog," or share my sadness on the passing Harry Kalas. I see this writer's block as a good thing, but it's also created new concerns.
This blog has always served three purposes.
1) A place for me to work through things, "exercise my demons."
2) A place for my family & friends to check up on us.
3) A place to write.
I'm done exercising my demons through this blog. I can find other ways of writing. But what about my readership?
My plan is to go silent from blogging for a month or so. There are other things I've been devoting my blogging & feed-reading to - mostly exercise.
Exercise - daily - focused - even when I'm in a lot of pain or suffering from fatigue - but careful exercise has become the next major step in managing my health. It's the one post I still have left in me, but doesn't need to be written.
Simply put: the Wii Fit is an amazing piece of technology.
When/if I return, this blog will probably undergo a face lift and become focused on things like "vacation photos" and blurbs about home-improvement projects. I may even look for another online home.
This is not goodbye from blogging. This is shalom.
This blog, first and foremost, has been a place for me to channel my frustrations about my health. Even posts having nothing to do with my fibromyalgia often flow from it. The blog is my outlet. It's been a purpose in a purposeless existence.
No, I'm not trying to depress you.
My mother-in-law, the wise woman that she is, suggested something profound to me recently. The writer's block is a good thing. I forget her exact words, but it boils down to this...
I needed to talk and now I don't.
What does that mean? This blog has been like a therapist in my life. It was my "keep a journal" project. I had finally found the right job, our lives were headed exactly where we wanted to go, things were great and then my health made it all go away. I gave up "everything" to get healthy and focus on the things that matter. It was a very painful decision, but continues to look like the right one.
And so it happened. I stopped having to talk about "it."
Unfortunately, that's also meant that I don't need to vent about the economy, comment on the new "first dog," or share my sadness on the passing Harry Kalas. I see this writer's block as a good thing, but it's also created new concerns.
This blog has always served three purposes.
1) A place for me to work through things, "exercise my demons."
2) A place for my family & friends to check up on us.
3) A place to write.
I'm done exercising my demons through this blog. I can find other ways of writing. But what about my readership?
My plan is to go silent from blogging for a month or so. There are other things I've been devoting my blogging & feed-reading to - mostly exercise.
Exercise - daily - focused - even when I'm in a lot of pain or suffering from fatigue - but careful exercise has become the next major step in managing my health. It's the one post I still have left in me, but doesn't need to be written.
Simply put: the Wii Fit is an amazing piece of technology.
When/if I return, this blog will probably undergo a face lift and become focused on things like "vacation photos" and blurbs about home-improvement projects. I may even look for another online home.
This is not goodbye from blogging. This is shalom.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
OMG WTF AIG part 2
So, this AIG exec has turned in his resignation in the NYT. He's giving his $742M bonus to charity. He feels "unfairly persecuted by elected officials."
Read his letter in the NYT-OpEd section here.
You can decide for yourself.
Read his letter in the NYT-OpEd section here.
You can decide for yourself.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
OMG WTF AIG
A.I.G. Chief Asks Bonus Recipients to Give Back Half
Ever gotten a "bonus" at your job? Maybe it was enough to to cover a down payment on a new car or pay off a credit card. Did it feel good to be rewarded for your efforts? Maybe your department or even whole company had an "off year" but you performed well and were encouraged to work harder because of it.
When I heard about the A.I.G. bonuses, I wanted to believe that most of the $165M in bonuses were to folks like you or me. Hard-working middle-class people who got a little extra in these hard economic times. Yeah...not so much.
How is this shit not criminal?
I don't have a problem with people being rich. But good grief.
I could go on, at length, with an even more curse-laden diatribe but you get the idea...
.
Ever gotten a "bonus" at your job? Maybe it was enough to to cover a down payment on a new car or pay off a credit card. Did it feel good to be rewarded for your efforts? Maybe your department or even whole company had an "off year" but you performed well and were encouraged to work harder because of it.
When I heard about the A.I.G. bonuses, I wanted to believe that most of the $165M in bonuses were to folks like you or me. Hard-working middle-class people who got a little extra in these hard economic times. Yeah...not so much.
Of the 418 employees who received bonuses, 298 got more than $100,000, according to the New York attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo. The highest bonus was $6.4 million, and 6 other employees received more than $4 million. Fifteen other people received bonuses of more than $2 million and 51 received $1 million to $2 million.It baffles me. It knocks the wind out of me. It was shocking that the company gave out bonuses. Harder still to believe that these "bonuses" were clearly not tied to actual performance, but instead contractual. And still, none of that bothered me, angered me, as much as the actual per-person pay outs.
How is this shit not criminal?
I don't have a problem with people being rich. But good grief.
I could go on, at length, with an even more curse-laden diatribe but you get the idea...
.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Who Will Save Us?
Funny story here. Just a few days ago I was in an email chain describing my relationship with my friend "Cainam." It went like this...
Don Quixote had Sancho Panza! Shrek had Donkey. I can't go chasing windmills without Cainam.
Note: For some reason, I can't seem to adjust this picture to fit in my blog. Just click the image to read the whole thing. Also, if you don't already, read XKCD!
Friday, March 06, 2009
The New Symbol of America's Troubles
This from MSNBC...
Eagle survives crash through windshield
It may not be a Bald Eagle & that truck might not be the mortgage crisis, but it's the perfect symbol of this entire debacle. The truck windshild is fucked up. The bird's face is messed up too. But both are getting patched up.
So, remember as you watch Citi fall below a $1 a share, watch in awe as unsubstantiated fear rips health GE stock prices down the toilet & GM's living on a respirator and waiting for someone to pull the plug on bankruptcy.
The Eagle Lives! It lives in spite of all those moronic talkers on CNBC & Fox. It has been hit by the runaway truck of American excess & greed, and it's going to live to fight another day!
And never forget this isn't your daddy's Bald Eagle. He's the jackass driving the buss taking America to Hell. No this bird is our Golden Eagle. For we too feel like we've been hit by a truck. And if that golden can recover to fly someday, then so can we.
P.S. Dear Political Talking Heads! Fuck you too! Instead of being rabble inducers who talk out of your asses, try helping the President save the Eagle (that's us) from the truck!
Always make posts like this...on sleep meds...teatering on the edge of passing out...unable to think clearly...It's how Wallstreet's been managing our money all these years, and look how well their doing. The've gotten bonuses for screwing up all our lives. I wondered what their soul cost them?
Eagle survives crash through windshield
It may not be a Bald Eagle & that truck might not be the mortgage crisis, but it's the perfect symbol of this entire debacle. The truck windshild is fucked up. The bird's face is messed up too. But both are getting patched up.
So, remember as you watch Citi fall below a $1 a share, watch in awe as unsubstantiated fear rips health GE stock prices down the toilet & GM's living on a respirator and waiting for someone to pull the plug on bankruptcy.
The Eagle Lives! It lives in spite of all those moronic talkers on CNBC & Fox. It has been hit by the runaway truck of American excess & greed, and it's going to live to fight another day!
And never forget this isn't your daddy's Bald Eagle. He's the jackass driving the buss taking America to Hell. No this bird is our Golden Eagle. For we too feel like we've been hit by a truck. And if that golden can recover to fly someday, then so can we.
P.S. Dear Political Talking Heads! Fuck you too! Instead of being rabble inducers who talk out of your asses, try helping the President save the Eagle (that's us) from the truck!
Always make posts like this...on sleep meds...teatering on the edge of passing out...unable to think clearly...It's how Wallstreet's been managing our money all these years, and look how well their doing. The've gotten bonuses for screwing up all our lives. I wondered what their soul cost them?
Monday, March 02, 2009
Power
That storm system that swept across the eastern seaboard dumped about 4-5 inches of snow on us. That's saying a lot for the southern tip of North Carolina. There are just enough salt trucks in the region to hit the major interstates, but our town's snow plan is to wait for it to melt.
Around 9AM, just as the sun came out, the whole town of Waxhaw lost power. It stayed off until about 4PM. The house got down to about 55 Deg. Just as I was about to "free" my car (garage door opener didn't work) & drive to a mall or the library, the power came back on. It stayed on until about 5:30 then dropped for another hour. Hopefully, that'll be it for the night. But, we are taking some precautions.
I've gotten out the flashlights. Since the temperature outside is predicted to be in the teens tonight, we're cranking the heat for the rest of the evening.
It totally makes you think about people who lose power in ice-storms for days on end. I mean, no coffee, no computer, no heat is frustrating, but I didn't really suffer. I spent the day in a sunny room reading. I could "escape" anytime I wanted. Some folks aren't so lucky.
Around 9AM, just as the sun came out, the whole town of Waxhaw lost power. It stayed off until about 4PM. The house got down to about 55 Deg. Just as I was about to "free" my car (garage door opener didn't work) & drive to a mall or the library, the power came back on. It stayed on until about 5:30 then dropped for another hour. Hopefully, that'll be it for the night. But, we are taking some precautions.
I've gotten out the flashlights. Since the temperature outside is predicted to be in the teens tonight, we're cranking the heat for the rest of the evening.
It totally makes you think about people who lose power in ice-storms for days on end. I mean, no coffee, no computer, no heat is frustrating, but I didn't really suffer. I spent the day in a sunny room reading. I could "escape" anytime I wanted. Some folks aren't so lucky.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wall Street? What About Pro Sports Pay?
Let's see...
Redskins land Haynesworth for 7 years, $100 Million
The Dodgers and Manny are fighting over $25 Million (for 1 year)
Jayson Werth's winter contract is worth $10 Million for 2 years.
$20 Million here, $10 Million there. Where's the outrage when sports stars ask for such money? Sure, they aren't responsible for the economy. But the players & the people who employ them are just as guilty of milking us. We can't watch most of their games without paid television services. The tickets, parking & food is too expensive for a family of one. We're forced to fund their new stadiums with local tax dollars under the threat that they'll move somewhere else.
When the owner of Lowes Motor Speedway wanted to build a drag strip, the town of Concord, NC didn't want it. So, he just threatened to move. Next thing you know, not only did he get to build his drag strip, the town helped.
We're so enthralled with and dependent on our sports that they have a strangle-hold on us. Yet, as we sink players like Manny Ramirez can demand millions. A-Rod, Bonds, Big-Mac. They cheated, but A-Rod is still playing. And you can bet that Bonds & Big-Mac would be too if they were still young enough.
Marbury acts like a complete jackass in New York and what does he get? He gets to join the world champion Celtics for a $20 Million contract buyout & a minimum veteran's salary of $1.3 Million.
The players aren't the only ones I blame here. They are just one part of the great sports machine that's milking us for all we're worth. Will the economy get bad enough that fans stop paying for their fancy channels & cramped seats? What then? Will the NFL be asking for a bail-out? Will NASCAR be begging for fuel-subsidies?
I've grown weary of it. Maybe I should start following my local little-league teams.
Redskins land Haynesworth for 7 years, $100 Million
The Dodgers and Manny are fighting over $25 Million (for 1 year)
Jayson Werth's winter contract is worth $10 Million for 2 years.
$20 Million here, $10 Million there. Where's the outrage when sports stars ask for such money? Sure, they aren't responsible for the economy. But the players & the people who employ them are just as guilty of milking us. We can't watch most of their games without paid television services. The tickets, parking & food is too expensive for a family of one. We're forced to fund their new stadiums with local tax dollars under the threat that they'll move somewhere else.
When the owner of Lowes Motor Speedway wanted to build a drag strip, the town of Concord, NC didn't want it. So, he just threatened to move. Next thing you know, not only did he get to build his drag strip, the town helped.
We're so enthralled with and dependent on our sports that they have a strangle-hold on us. Yet, as we sink players like Manny Ramirez can demand millions. A-Rod, Bonds, Big-Mac. They cheated, but A-Rod is still playing. And you can bet that Bonds & Big-Mac would be too if they were still young enough.
Marbury acts like a complete jackass in New York and what does he get? He gets to join the world champion Celtics for a $20 Million contract buyout & a minimum veteran's salary of $1.3 Million.
The players aren't the only ones I blame here. They are just one part of the great sports machine that's milking us for all we're worth. Will the economy get bad enough that fans stop paying for their fancy channels & cramped seats? What then? Will the NFL be asking for a bail-out? Will NASCAR be begging for fuel-subsidies?
I've grown weary of it. Maybe I should start following my local little-league teams.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Squirrel Chasing Injury
My dog is limping. Seems he hurt his left-front paw or the dog-equivalent of a wrist. As best I can tell, it happened Saturday when we were cleaning the kitchen floor. The dog saw a squirrel out by the bird feeders, raced to the back door, and lost traction. It definitely hurt because he stopped chasing the squirrel for a moment...but just for a moment.
And then he seemed fine. My in-laws arrived - why else would we be cleaning - with their dog. Max & Stewie played. Everything seemed fine. Sometime between Sunday & Monday we noticed that he was limping a bit. Otherwise, he seemed great. By Tuesday, the limp would come and go. Once he started moving around, it would disappear. If he sat for a while, it came back. Sprain right?
And now, suddenly today, he's really limping. Except of course when there's something to do. Every time Stewie barks at kids, Max runs over to help. Every time Max sees a squirrel in the yard, he runs after it. Then, when it's all over, he's pathetic again. If he couldn't use it at all or if he wouldn't let me touch it, I would have taken him to the vet days ago. Instead, I'm in limbo with it. My gut tells me that all this extra activity is aggravating it. How long do I hold out? If it's "just" a sprain, then dealing with a vet trip will only make it worse. If it's not just a sprain...
For now, I'm making him hang out in the computer room with me and not letting him run around barking at stuff. It sucks for him. It kind of sucks for me.
Stupid squirrels...
And then he seemed fine. My in-laws arrived - why else would we be cleaning - with their dog. Max & Stewie played. Everything seemed fine. Sometime between Sunday & Monday we noticed that he was limping a bit. Otherwise, he seemed great. By Tuesday, the limp would come and go. Once he started moving around, it would disappear. If he sat for a while, it came back. Sprain right?
And now, suddenly today, he's really limping. Except of course when there's something to do. Every time Stewie barks at kids, Max runs over to help. Every time Max sees a squirrel in the yard, he runs after it. Then, when it's all over, he's pathetic again. If he couldn't use it at all or if he wouldn't let me touch it, I would have taken him to the vet days ago. Instead, I'm in limbo with it. My gut tells me that all this extra activity is aggravating it. How long do I hold out? If it's "just" a sprain, then dealing with a vet trip will only make it worse. If it's not just a sprain...
For now, I'm making him hang out in the computer room with me and not letting him run around barking at stuff. It sucks for him. It kind of sucks for me.
Stupid squirrels...
Mm...Fail He Does
Muppet Fail Theory & Star Wars from PvP. It's funny because it's true.
“Wait, I was just thinking that Yoda is a muppet. As with all muppets, everything he does fails. He talks about how Anakin is troubled, but still lets him become a padawan and a Jedi. He works closely with Palpatine AKA Darth Sideous without ever so much as thinking twice. He’s the general of the so-called Clone Army, which kills all of his Jedi but Obi-Wan. He effs up the fight against Sideous.
He doesn’t want to train Luke. Then, when he does want to train Luke, he doesn’t want Luke to leave. If Luke hadn’t left, the whole rebellion could have fallen.
Not until Yoda dies do things go right for the rebellion against the Empire. Yoda’s rise is the rise of the Empire.
Dude is a muppet through and through.”
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
When $300 Doesn't Seem Like a Lot of Money
There are a lot of good things about being a home-owner. It's been nearly 7 years since my wife dragged me kicking & screaming into our first home & I don't regret it. Having a home means having a dog, a garage with tools & room for all my crap. I like being handy even if my health has curtailed my projects a bit. Still, there's one thing about home-ownership that's not fun: The ever-present fear of that major repair. Today, was one of those days.
Our downstairs toilet & the dishwasher have been backing up. I finally had someone come in and snake the sewer line to the tune of $300. The line is right next to a tree. The guy had a really hard time snaking the line. Yipe! He told me to call the county because the problem spot is where the line meets the street and that it was probably tree roots. If the county won't fix it, the price will start at $1,000 because his boss would have to come out with a team & a camera. Visions of heavy machinery, trenches in my yard, a felled tree filled my head. So much for our savings.
Except, everything is "fine" now. They came out. The blockage is clear. It's all good. Well, it might not be great. It's possible that the snaking is only a temporary fix. It's likely that I'll have to have work done in the future. For now, however, I'll pay my $300 & know that I got off easy.
Our downstairs toilet & the dishwasher have been backing up. I finally had someone come in and snake the sewer line to the tune of $300. The line is right next to a tree. The guy had a really hard time snaking the line. Yipe! He told me to call the county because the problem spot is where the line meets the street and that it was probably tree roots. If the county won't fix it, the price will start at $1,000 because his boss would have to come out with a team & a camera. Visions of heavy machinery, trenches in my yard, a felled tree filled my head. So much for our savings.
Except, everything is "fine" now. They came out. The blockage is clear. It's all good. Well, it might not be great. It's possible that the snaking is only a temporary fix. It's likely that I'll have to have work done in the future. For now, however, I'll pay my $300 & know that I got off easy.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Where Did I Go?
The silence on this blog is deafening. Don't think I haven't noticed. I'm here, just not posting.
Over the last several years, my medical problems have developed a certain ebb & flow. My Doctor & I are well aware of the seasonal element of things. February & March have been especially bad times for me. Why? Well, that's a story for another day.
The story today is one I've told you many times.
One mistake we made early in my treatment was to vigorously fight my symptoms as things that could be "cured" through aggressive medicating. We also fought many of the symptoms at once. This was partly because I had not been fully diagnosed. Why would anyone assume that a slightly overweight man in his early 30's have Fybromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue? Treat the sinus headaches, migraine symptoms, the severe muscle pain, chills, depression and gastrointestinal problems all as separate conditions. Ignore the possibility that the mix of high-octane medications could be compound these issues. Why would medicine make things worse?
It took my current Doctor to put it all together. That's mostly why he's the "current" one. It took us a while to come up with a strategy to manage/reduce my symptoms through a mix of diet, exercise & medication. Yeah, I take several "controlled substances."
The story isn't over yet though.
In January, we upped the dose of Lyrica. It's having a net-positive effect on me. However, I also tend to take longer than others to adjust to side-effects. My energy level - which is never good to begin with - has been very low.
This isn't a bad thing. This time of year my energy is always low. If the medications improve all my other symptoms - which they have been - then I'll eventually get used to the side-effects & my energy will improve. Fingers crossed.
I've had other problems of late, all related to my fybro & sinus conditions. What to do with those? The current plan is to not repeat mistakes of the past. We're not introducing new medication into the mix unless I get very sick. I need to manage them with existing strategies until I've been taking the max dose of Lyrica for a month or two.
So, the silence on this blog has been a point of frustration for me, but we've got to just accept it. I'm "fine." This could be my best Winter in years. That doesn't mean it's going to be a productive time. I'm surviving with a lot of low-impact leisure activities mixed with small, targeted periods of productivity. This is my usual strategy, but right now it's magnified.
I'm focused, as always, in managing my health & become a more active person. I'm hopeful about the advances in Fybromyalgia treatments. The Lyrica has definitely been a good step.
Anyway, that's where I'm at right now. My short-term goal in this blog is to keep it up to date with fun stuff I find & mini-updates from me. Don't expect a lot of deep & reflective posts for a few weeks.
Over the last several years, my medical problems have developed a certain ebb & flow. My Doctor & I are well aware of the seasonal element of things. February & March have been especially bad times for me. Why? Well, that's a story for another day.
The story today is one I've told you many times.
One mistake we made early in my treatment was to vigorously fight my symptoms as things that could be "cured" through aggressive medicating. We also fought many of the symptoms at once. This was partly because I had not been fully diagnosed. Why would anyone assume that a slightly overweight man in his early 30's have Fybromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue? Treat the sinus headaches, migraine symptoms, the severe muscle pain, chills, depression and gastrointestinal problems all as separate conditions. Ignore the possibility that the mix of high-octane medications could be compound these issues. Why would medicine make things worse?
It took my current Doctor to put it all together. That's mostly why he's the "current" one. It took us a while to come up with a strategy to manage/reduce my symptoms through a mix of diet, exercise & medication. Yeah, I take several "controlled substances."
The story isn't over yet though.
In January, we upped the dose of Lyrica. It's having a net-positive effect on me. However, I also tend to take longer than others to adjust to side-effects. My energy level - which is never good to begin with - has been very low.
This isn't a bad thing. This time of year my energy is always low. If the medications improve all my other symptoms - which they have been - then I'll eventually get used to the side-effects & my energy will improve. Fingers crossed.
I've had other problems of late, all related to my fybro & sinus conditions. What to do with those? The current plan is to not repeat mistakes of the past. We're not introducing new medication into the mix unless I get very sick. I need to manage them with existing strategies until I've been taking the max dose of Lyrica for a month or two.
So, the silence on this blog has been a point of frustration for me, but we've got to just accept it. I'm "fine." This could be my best Winter in years. That doesn't mean it's going to be a productive time. I'm surviving with a lot of low-impact leisure activities mixed with small, targeted periods of productivity. This is my usual strategy, but right now it's magnified.
I'm focused, as always, in managing my health & become a more active person. I'm hopeful about the advances in Fybromyalgia treatments. The Lyrica has definitely been a good step.
Anyway, that's where I'm at right now. My short-term goal in this blog is to keep it up to date with fun stuff I find & mini-updates from me. Don't expect a lot of deep & reflective posts for a few weeks.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
What's So Hard About Paying Taxes?
I've had a number of conversations with people about the tax issues surrounding Obama appointees. I thought this post on the Freakonomics blog sums it up nicely.
Tax Cheats or Tax Idiots?
Tax Cheats or Tax Idiots?
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Nova: The Spy Factory
Tonight on PBS, Nova is showing a special on the NSA's eavesdropping practices.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Like Blogging Constipation
Yes, I'm still here!
You ever had one of those weeks were nothing, absolutely nothing, gives you that "I've got to blog about that" feeling? Yeah, it's one of those weeks. There's plenty of interesting things happening around here. The news has been filled with stuff for me to pontificate on. I have some health-stuff to post about.
Sigh!
Who am I kidding. I'm just not feeling it. Heck, it's taken me 20 minutes just to write this much. We'll just give it a few more days. If I don't start getting the urge to write soon, I'll find the equivalent of a blogger laxative.*
* I assume this would entail watching "Fix News" until I get so angry that I have to blog about it or explode. Five minutes should be enough.
You ever had one of those weeks were nothing, absolutely nothing, gives you that "I've got to blog about that" feeling? Yeah, it's one of those weeks. There's plenty of interesting things happening around here. The news has been filled with stuff for me to pontificate on. I have some health-stuff to post about.
Sigh!
Who am I kidding. I'm just not feeling it. Heck, it's taken me 20 minutes just to write this much. We'll just give it a few more days. If I don't start getting the urge to write soon, I'll find the equivalent of a blogger laxative.*
* I assume this would entail watching "Fix News" until I get so angry that I have to blog about it or explode. Five minutes should be enough.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Trust Issues
Sorry for the lack of posts. It's been a long strange trip. Last week it became readily apparent that I needed to drive back up to New England to help my sister with a few things & spend more time with my family in general. It's been a good trip, more or less, that enabled me to spend some time with my college friends watching the Eagles game (sigh) & playing Wii. But I digress...
I got a TomTom (GPS) for Christmas. It's been a great traveling companion. Not so much because I need GPS -- Lord no, I have an uncanny, almost supernatural sense of direction -- but because it's been great helping me track the details like ETA, miles, how far to the exit. Getting to a major divide and having this nice British lady say, "In 2 miles, stay right" is just really helpful when you're traveling in heavy traffic on the Jersey Turnpike. So, in many and various ways the TomTom has been complete and utter Awesome Sauce...
Until, that is, she failed me...
For those who have not experienced GPS devices, the thing I learned very quickly is that they often plan routes differently than you would. To get the full value from the device, you must decide to follow (or not follow) it's directions. Once you start listening, you may find yourself on a stretch of road you've never been on. You may find yourself at the mercy of some strange British woman. I call her JaneJane...
As I approached the George Washington Bridge into NY, Jane showed me an alternative to the bridge. Route 9 to Palisades Ave. I went with her. It really worked. Jane had saved me minutes & it was a nice little shortcut. It was a reminder to me to trust her. Jane would never steer me wrong...
As I crossed the bridge, I did everything she said even when my instincts began to question her.
"Stay Left"
"But Jane, that's the lane that exits to the Hudson Parkway. 95 is the right lane." I've done this hundreds of times.
"Stay Left"
"Jane, if I don't get over now, I'm going to be on the streets of Manhattan."
"Stay Left"
"Jane you ignorant slut!"
Jane fell silent. Jane's screen began to do that recalculating thing. I, as I suspected, was getting off onto the Henry Hudson Parkway.
"At the end of the ramp, turn left."
"Jane, you're back! What do I do?"
"Turn around as soon as possible!"
"You have failed me for the last time!" In my best Darth Vader voice.
Lost - Ahem - is not something I experience outside of video games. If I've seen something once, I know it. It's like the good Lord took all my abilities to remember names, phone numbers, dates in history away & used it all on this weird visual memory. It's great, except that my crappy memory for all those other things sucks so much. I can't even remember street names. It's just this odd feeling of knowing a place and where it leads me. In 36 years, the only thing that has ever kept me from remembering how to get back to something has been modern construction. My family tells stories about people asking me for directions at the age of 6.
So, here I was on the Hudson Parkway and I remembered the time, 11 years ago, that Slick & I got a ride out of Manhattan with some of MrsMetsFan's friends after seeing Rent with the college gang. We had been on that road & I knew were it would get me.
"Jane, try to keep up."
The Hudson Parkway goes to the Sawmill to the Cross County. Jane starts to come around to my plan. Once I hit the Cross County, I was on a road I had been many times & knew that it would become the Hutchinson & eventually the Merritt. By the time she started 'helping' me, I was already in my element.
So, listen to your GPS, trust your GPS, but trust yourself too.
A wise man once told me that life is made better through the art of story-telling. A bad situation can make for good stories.
I got a TomTom (GPS) for Christmas. It's been a great traveling companion. Not so much because I need GPS -- Lord no, I have an uncanny, almost supernatural sense of direction -- but because it's been great helping me track the details like ETA, miles, how far to the exit. Getting to a major divide and having this nice British lady say, "In 2 miles, stay right" is just really helpful when you're traveling in heavy traffic on the Jersey Turnpike. So, in many and various ways the TomTom has been complete and utter Awesome Sauce...
Until, that is, she failed me...
For those who have not experienced GPS devices, the thing I learned very quickly is that they often plan routes differently than you would. To get the full value from the device, you must decide to follow (or not follow) it's directions. Once you start listening, you may find yourself on a stretch of road you've never been on. You may find yourself at the mercy of some strange British woman. I call her JaneJane...
As I approached the George Washington Bridge into NY, Jane showed me an alternative to the bridge. Route 9 to Palisades Ave. I went with her. It really worked. Jane had saved me minutes & it was a nice little shortcut. It was a reminder to me to trust her. Jane would never steer me wrong...
As I crossed the bridge, I did everything she said even when my instincts began to question her.
"Stay Left"
"But Jane, that's the lane that exits to the Hudson Parkway. 95 is the right lane." I've done this hundreds of times.
"Stay Left"
"Jane, if I don't get over now, I'm going to be on the streets of Manhattan."
"Stay Left"
"Jane you ignorant slut!"
Jane fell silent. Jane's screen began to do that recalculating thing. I, as I suspected, was getting off onto the Henry Hudson Parkway.
"At the end of the ramp, turn left."
"Jane, you're back! What do I do?"
"Turn around as soon as possible!"
"You have failed me for the last time!" In my best Darth Vader voice.
Lost - Ahem - is not something I experience outside of video games. If I've seen something once, I know it. It's like the good Lord took all my abilities to remember names, phone numbers, dates in history away & used it all on this weird visual memory. It's great, except that my crappy memory for all those other things sucks so much. I can't even remember street names. It's just this odd feeling of knowing a place and where it leads me. In 36 years, the only thing that has ever kept me from remembering how to get back to something has been modern construction. My family tells stories about people asking me for directions at the age of 6.
So, here I was on the Hudson Parkway and I remembered the time, 11 years ago, that Slick & I got a ride out of Manhattan with some of MrsMetsFan's friends after seeing Rent with the college gang. We had been on that road & I knew were it would get me.
"Jane, try to keep up."
The Hudson Parkway goes to the Sawmill to the Cross County. Jane starts to come around to my plan. Once I hit the Cross County, I was on a road I had been many times & knew that it would become the Hutchinson & eventually the Merritt. By the time she started 'helping' me, I was already in my element.
So, listen to your GPS, trust your GPS, but trust yourself too.
A wise man once told me that life is made better through the art of story-telling. A bad situation can make for good stories.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Khan!
Ricardo Montalban has died. The greatest Star Trek villain from arguably the best Star Trek movie is gone. In his honor, I leave you with my favorite line from the movie.
Khan: [quoting Moby Dick] To the last, I will grapple with thee...from Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!
Thanks to imdb.com for helping me remember the quote
Khan: [quoting Moby Dick] To the last, I will grapple with thee...from Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!
Thanks to imdb.com for helping me remember the quote
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
American Automakers...Lying Mu#^%$@ers
The 2009 Detroit Auto Show is upon us and all I have to say is BULL SHIT!
I've had a beef with the "Big Three" for about a decade. Their trucks, SUV's, CUV's all kept getting bigger and more elaborate while small & mid-sized cars kept getting less & less enticing. I got on my soapbox about GM caring more about their short-term shareholder profit than they cared about quality vehicles that consumers really wanted to buy. If they had a long-term vision for fuel economy, practicality & fun cars to drive, we might not be in this mess.
The argument against these points is two fold. One, American consumers demanded bigger. Two, nobody could have foreseen the meltdown. I find both points inexcusable. American consumers took what they gave us. Had the Big Three actively pursued quality, budget-friendly vehicles for American consumers, we would have bought them. Sure, we'd also be driving our F-150's, but there would be a better mix of options from Detroit on the road.
The writing has been on the wall that the Big Three business models were behind the times for years. But has there been any real efforts to produce revolutionary products? Has anyone been to a car show & been wowed by something that's fresh & practical? No. Well, from Toyota & Honda, sure. But what has Chevy given us? The "holy grail" named Volt? They've been advertising that shit for years and it's projected price tag will be $30-40k. How's that practical?
So, they whined for a bail-out. Under the circumstances, I even support giving them the money. (Mostly because it's a pitance compared to that miserable TRAP effort.) $15-Billion could save the industry & jobs. If it doesn't, it was "only" $15-Billion.
But, I digress...
The Auto Show is now upon us. What do we see? Hybrids & practicality. Where were they hiding these cars? Some are existing European products. Some they pulled out of their asses. Thus lending credence to my belief that they could have easily given us better a long time ago.
I saw a picture of a UAW worker protesting outside of the Auto Show. He had a sign that warned us to buy American or the next job lost could be ours. Yes, the scare tactic. That works well on me.
Somewhere along the lines we got fat & happy. Complacency set in. Innovation stopped happening in Detroit.
When it's time to get our next car replacement, I hope to have honest, value-added options. I'm looking for small, but comfortable. I'll be searching for a vehicle that finds that right balance between fuel economy & performance. A hybrid would be nice. Right now, there are zero American cars in production that interest me. I really hope that changes.
Stop trying to "advertising campaign" your way out of this. Build & innovate. Better yet...
Evolve or die.
I've had a beef with the "Big Three" for about a decade. Their trucks, SUV's, CUV's all kept getting bigger and more elaborate while small & mid-sized cars kept getting less & less enticing. I got on my soapbox about GM caring more about their short-term shareholder profit than they cared about quality vehicles that consumers really wanted to buy. If they had a long-term vision for fuel economy, practicality & fun cars to drive, we might not be in this mess.
The argument against these points is two fold. One, American consumers demanded bigger. Two, nobody could have foreseen the meltdown. I find both points inexcusable. American consumers took what they gave us. Had the Big Three actively pursued quality, budget-friendly vehicles for American consumers, we would have bought them. Sure, we'd also be driving our F-150's, but there would be a better mix of options from Detroit on the road.
The writing has been on the wall that the Big Three business models were behind the times for years. But has there been any real efforts to produce revolutionary products? Has anyone been to a car show & been wowed by something that's fresh & practical? No. Well, from Toyota & Honda, sure. But what has Chevy given us? The "holy grail" named Volt? They've been advertising that shit for years and it's projected price tag will be $30-40k. How's that practical?
So, they whined for a bail-out. Under the circumstances, I even support giving them the money. (Mostly because it's a pitance compared to that miserable TRAP effort.) $15-Billion could save the industry & jobs. If it doesn't, it was "only" $15-Billion.
But, I digress...
The Auto Show is now upon us. What do we see? Hybrids & practicality. Where were they hiding these cars? Some are existing European products. Some they pulled out of their asses. Thus lending credence to my belief that they could have easily given us better a long time ago.
I saw a picture of a UAW worker protesting outside of the Auto Show. He had a sign that warned us to buy American or the next job lost could be ours. Yes, the scare tactic. That works well on me.
Somewhere along the lines we got fat & happy. Complacency set in. Innovation stopped happening in Detroit.
When it's time to get our next car replacement, I hope to have honest, value-added options. I'm looking for small, but comfortable. I'll be searching for a vehicle that finds that right balance between fuel economy & performance. A hybrid would be nice. Right now, there are zero American cars in production that interest me. I really hope that changes.
Stop trying to "advertising campaign" your way out of this. Build & innovate. Better yet...
Evolve or die.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Granny Did What?
As mentioned several times, one of the big highlights of our Christmas holiday was getting Slick's Granny to play Wii Bowling.
The whole thing started on a whim, like most of my crazy ideas. I generally assumed that she would talk her way out of doing it. But my mother-in-law gave me an encouraging look and I pressed on mostly for her.
Well OK, I admit that it might have been a dubious look. It's the same sort of look Slick gives me when I'm about to be excessively silly. But 70-80% of the time Slick laughs "with" me when the dust settles. Further, I haven't broken anything or ended up in an emergency room in years. What could possibly go wrong? Right?
Well...
My cell rings tonight at 8:30. It was the Queen.. We had just queued up a DvD for "movie night." I was attempting to get the DvD to skip the seemingly mandatory previews, so I just passed the phone to Slick.
"...bought a Wii!? ... Really?"
My brain, still attempting to get to the title screen, lurched at this 1/2-conversation. Did Slick just? Who? Crap...went too far...no I didn't... Wait? A What? Who? Why won't the stupid home button just... A Wii? Huh?
"Granny?"
*Pause*
My brain, having successfully convinced my fingers to click the pause button, suggests that I listen just in case I'm in trouble or something. For once, I heed it's advice.
"...has been going over in the evenings to play with her?"
I asked my brain for confirmation. Unfortunately, it can't process this strange information & locks up. I'm on my own.
Thankfully, Slick is now off the phone laughing uncontrollably. Whew! Dodged another one!
It appears that Granny had a family member pick one up when they went to the "big-town" mall. Granny can't actually turn it on by herself. Instead, Slick's Aunt has been going over in the evenings and playing with her.
Never ever underestimate so-called "old" people. They will surprise you.
Think I should get her a copy of Mario Kart (assuming I ever find myself a copy?)
On a side note: the whole thing made us extra silly, thus making Kung Fu Panda even more enjoyable.
The whole thing started on a whim, like most of my crazy ideas. I generally assumed that she would talk her way out of doing it. But my mother-in-law gave me an encouraging look and I pressed on mostly for her.
Well OK, I admit that it might have been a dubious look. It's the same sort of look Slick gives me when I'm about to be excessively silly. But 70-80% of the time Slick laughs "with" me when the dust settles. Further, I haven't broken anything or ended up in an emergency room in years. What could possibly go wrong? Right?
Well...
My cell rings tonight at 8:30. It was the Queen.. We had just queued up a DvD for "movie night." I was attempting to get the DvD to skip the seemingly mandatory previews, so I just passed the phone to Slick.
"...bought a Wii!? ... Really?"
My brain, still attempting to get to the title screen, lurched at this 1/2-conversation. Did Slick just? Who? Crap...went too far...no I didn't... Wait? A What? Who? Why won't the stupid home button just... A Wii? Huh?
"Granny?"
*Pause*
My brain, having successfully convinced my fingers to click the pause button, suggests that I listen just in case I'm in trouble or something. For once, I heed it's advice.
"...has been going over in the evenings to play with her?"
I asked my brain for confirmation. Unfortunately, it can't process this strange information & locks up. I'm on my own.
Thankfully, Slick is now off the phone laughing uncontrollably. Whew! Dodged another one!
It appears that Granny had a family member pick one up when they went to the "big-town" mall. Granny can't actually turn it on by herself. Instead, Slick's Aunt has been going over in the evenings and playing with her.
Never ever underestimate so-called "old" people. They will surprise you.
Think I should get her a copy of Mario Kart (assuming I ever find myself a copy?)
On a side note: the whole thing made us extra silly, thus making Kung Fu Panda even more enjoyable.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Strategic Placement of Light Pole
The light turned red. I sat looking at this one just long enough to make a snarky comment. Pictures were taken just as the light changed.
Can I get a drill in mauve?
Vending Machine Decisions
Road Stops in Northern PA require careful reading when you use the vending machines...
Pepsi or Live Bait? I just can't decide!
Pepsi or Live Bait? I just can't decide!Everywhere I Look, it's the Mighty Susquehanna
We spent nearly all of our time in PA riding along the Susquehanna. First up from Harrisburg through Williamsport to the farm. Then along Route 6 into Scranton.
1913 Miles Later...
We're home from our tour of Northern Pennsylvania & Southern New England. Crazy-long hours spent in the car, but worth it to see both our families for the Christmas & New Years holiday. Not sure we can repeat it next year, but glad we did it.
Pictures to follow...
Pictures to follow...
Friday, January 02, 2009
This isn't a game...It's BOWLING
It turns out I learned something about my parents this Christmas vacation. (I may have known this and forgotten.) Growing up in a small mining town in NE Pennsylvania, they were once very serious bowlers. In another lifetime, iDad apparently won league championships and trophies.
So, it comes as no surprise that my father became obsessed with getting a very high score on my Wii. When Slick and I went out for New Years, he practiced his technique. He broke 200. He became a "Strike Machine." Of course, he learned the cold hard truth about Wii Sports - Bowling. Bowling on the Wii is not bowling. It's a fair simulation, but it's not the real deal. At some point, more "serious" play can throw off your game.
Enter iDad's nemesis...
In corner one we have...
iDad - 6' - 180lbs - Bowling Trophies - High Score on the Wii (Over 200)
In corner two we have the Grand Daughter...
"Princess Kitty" - 4' - 70lbs (maybe...dripping wet) - Has tried a Wii at a friend's house.
Kitty bowled first...
Strike... iDad was beside himself as he barely picked up his spare.
Strike... "She can't do that!" As he misses his spare.
Spare... "But she doesn't know what she's doing!"
Princess Kitty proceeded to clear all but 3 frames and bowled an incredible 179! iDad's game got progressively worse as we all howled and cheered Kitty on. We won't mention his *cough* score.
So, it comes as no surprise that my father became obsessed with getting a very high score on my Wii. When Slick and I went out for New Years, he practiced his technique. He broke 200. He became a "Strike Machine." Of course, he learned the cold hard truth about Wii Sports - Bowling. Bowling on the Wii is not bowling. It's a fair simulation, but it's not the real deal. At some point, more "serious" play can throw off your game.
Enter iDad's nemesis...
In corner one we have...
iDad - 6' - 180lbs - Bowling Trophies - High Score on the Wii (Over 200)
In corner two we have the Grand Daughter...
"Princess Kitty" - 4' - 70lbs (maybe...dripping wet) - Has tried a Wii at a friend's house.
Kitty bowled first...
Strike... iDad was beside himself as he barely picked up his spare.
Strike... "She can't do that!" As he misses his spare.
Spare... "But she doesn't know what she's doing!"
Princess Kitty proceeded to clear all but 3 frames and bowled an incredible 179! iDad's game got progressively worse as we all howled and cheered Kitty on. We won't mention his *cough* score.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)