I saw some bloggers had this going today, and since I've fallen so far off-pace, thought I'd jump-start the writing part of my brain again. I think I've told 12 people about the blog, but haven't posted much since. How dare I let down these 12 people?
Name one thing you do every day:
Well, of course I brush my teeth every day. But the one thing that helps me get motivated is to take a shower. It's the one thing that wakes me up, and makes me feel normal. Some people have coffee in the morning, I need a shower.
Name five things/people that make you feel good:
I like talking to my sister and giving her general crap. That's what being an older brother is all about, right?
Random naps on weekend afternoons. Very rare.
Seeing a really good movie. (This sometimes is rare too.)
Swimming in my pool. Well, to be accurate, floating around on a tube, shades on, reading a book or magazine in the pool. One of the things about SoCal I can indulge in.
Hitting a fastball on the sweet spot and driving the ball a long way. Or, at least, into the netting, visualizing the flight of the ball and imaging I'm in Fenway.
Name four things you love to eat but rarely do:
Chocolate cake
Chocolate milk
Popcorn
Hot dogs
(Chocolate related items- such is life on a diet.)
Name three things that remind you of childhood:
Christmas decorations. Putting things around my house in December always makes me think of growing up.
Cigar smoke. Back in the 70's men could smoke in ballparks. I always think of baseball and being a kid when I smell cigar smoke.
Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. My Mom had the ability to make cookies and have them cooling when we walked in the door.
Name two things you wish you could learn:
How to draw. Actually, I can do stick figures, so... How to draw well.
How to woo women. You know, so I can get the chicks. In truckloads.
Okay! Will try to be better at posting new blogs soon.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The Belated Blog
I've been busy with work, and struggling with words the last few days.
I urge everyone to read this essay/ article/ blog.
The 18 year plan - To An Athlete Dying Young.
My sympathies to the family of Jamiel Andre Shaw II.
I urge everyone to read this essay/ article/ blog.
The 18 year plan - To An Athlete Dying Young.
My sympathies to the family of Jamiel Andre Shaw II.
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Time Change Blog
Skipping from 2am Sunday to 3am Sunday sure did mess with my day on Monday.
I was busy at the end of the day with work related things. Instead of it getting dark around 6pm, I just plowed right thru and worked til around 7pm. When I realized the time, I was all discombobulated. 7pm! When I'm not too crazy with work, that's usually when I try to be
ready to work out on my bike. It just so happens to correspond with the time when Jeopardy! comes on locally. It's easy to watch: questions flashing on a big blue screen, and when you work out and have iPod earplugs in, the visuals and my brain's processing can concentrate on something other than how freaking long I have to go to meet my goals on the bike.
So, 'round 7:15 or so, I look up at the clock, and then look outside. What the frack? I should be working out! I'm missing Jeopardy people!!!! Jeopardy! (and for anyone who watches, what happened to Alex's hand? It's all bandaged up. He shakes hands like Bob Dole now.)
Don't get me wrong- I have to work late some times, I miss my workout now and then. But the daylight threw me off. I generally like the idea of "daylight savings." I like when it's sunny so I can do things after work. I just wasn't ready for it today. Now I have to keep an eye out on the sun- fool me once, shame on me. Don't be fooling me anymore!
PS- The Space Shuttle launches tonight at 11:30pm Pacific Time. How do they determine that time frame for launch? Does it reduce the chance of foam hitting the shuttle on lift-off if they ignite the burners at 2:30am in Florida? I almost hope there's a bunch of letters to the editor around Cape Canaveral about people who wake up when the shuttle's sonic booms hit in the middle of the night.
I was busy at the end of the day with work related things. Instead of it getting dark around 6pm, I just plowed right thru and worked til around 7pm. When I realized the time, I was all discombobulated. 7pm! When I'm not too crazy with work, that's usually when I try to be
ready to work out on my bike. It just so happens to correspond with the time when Jeopardy! comes on locally. It's easy to watch: questions flashing on a big blue screen, and when you work out and have iPod earplugs in, the visuals and my brain's processing can concentrate on something other than how freaking long I have to go to meet my goals on the bike.
So, 'round 7:15 or so, I look up at the clock, and then look outside. What the frack? I should be working out! I'm missing Jeopardy people!!!! Jeopardy! (and for anyone who watches, what happened to Alex's hand? It's all bandaged up. He shakes hands like Bob Dole now.)
Don't get me wrong- I have to work late some times, I miss my workout now and then. But the daylight threw me off. I generally like the idea of "daylight savings." I like when it's sunny so I can do things after work. I just wasn't ready for it today. Now I have to keep an eye out on the sun- fool me once, shame on me. Don't be fooling me anymore!
PS- The Space Shuttle launches tonight at 11:30pm Pacific Time. How do they determine that time frame for launch? Does it reduce the chance of foam hitting the shuttle on lift-off if they ignite the burners at 2:30am in Florida? I almost hope there's a bunch of letters to the editor around Cape Canaveral about people who wake up when the shuttle's sonic booms hit in the middle of the night.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
The Questionable Blog
Hey! I found the cd that I was looking for yesterday. Of course, I had put the actual cd in a different case, not the original one. It's always something.
Now, to try a lazy oft-used convention that I've seen sportswriters use, I hereby list various questions that you, the elusive blog-readers of the world, can perhaps answer for me:
Where should I go on vacation?
Who is your favorite South Park character? I think mine is Butters!
If you theoretically did something bad, like felony-bad, and a police officer finds your car and follows you- would you continue the police car chase for hours or pull over? Have you figured out the odds already, just in case this happens and you have a mental game plan worked out?
Who are these girls "who go wild"? Does anyone out there know them? They're from another planet, right? Do their parents and siblings disown them for appearing in Girls Gone Wild?
Do I look fat in this shirt?
Now, to try a lazy oft-used convention that I've seen sportswriters use, I hereby list various questions that you, the elusive blog-readers of the world, can perhaps answer for me:
Where should I go on vacation?
Who is your favorite South Park character? I think mine is Butters!
If you theoretically did something bad, like felony-bad, and a police officer finds your car and follows you- would you continue the police car chase for hours or pull over? Have you figured out the odds already, just in case this happens and you have a mental game plan worked out?
Who are these girls "who go wild"? Does anyone out there know them? They're from another planet, right? Do their parents and siblings disown them for appearing in Girls Gone Wild?
Do I look fat in this shirt?
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Saturday Blog
Going out to see The Cherry Bluestorms tonight. I like "Just a Kiss Away" and other stuff from their cd Transit of Venus.
I was just on my iTunes, listening to a live version of a song, and went looking for the cd version that I like too. Found the studio version, and was tempted to buy the song, but before hitting the "buy now" button, it dawned on me that I already own the cd. The question of course- where is that cd? Why didn't I digitize it into my iPod?
Since I bought the iPod, I've had this issue a few times. "Don't I own this already?" Much like mis-matched socks because they get lost in the laundry, I swear my house has stolen a few cds from me.
"Come out, come out wherever you are!"
I was just on my iTunes, listening to a live version of a song, and went looking for the cd version that I like too. Found the studio version, and was tempted to buy the song, but before hitting the "buy now" button, it dawned on me that I already own the cd. The question of course- where is that cd? Why didn't I digitize it into my iPod?
Since I bought the iPod, I've had this issue a few times. "Don't I own this already?" Much like mis-matched socks because they get lost in the laundry, I swear my house has stolen a few cds from me.
"Come out, come out wherever you are!"
Friday, March 7, 2008
The Stupid Reality TV Show Blog
Just a quick one tonight. Trying to keep my "consecutive" streak going here, and make a post a day for the first week. Part of my delay was that I decided to watch a banal stupid show on the CMT. That's right. I watched the Country Music Channel! I think it might be the first time I was on this channel for more than a nano-second while turning to some other station. Someone I know doesn't get this channel, and asked me to do a play-by-play of the show, "Hunt for the next Coyote Ugly" or some variation on that theme.
I did this via chat. This might seem long to you, the hidden, unknown reader- Can you imagine how long this hour of tv seemed to me? I don't even like what is considered "good" reality shows. I think I deserve a medallion of a sort for what I endured tonight. Alas, here we go...
Lots of blondes- they just had a TH w/Jess They haven't shown too much of Jess yet.
2 blondes, Jess, a black chick, and fake redhead- pink group
Okay, I'm back. I apologize profusely for what you've just read. Do they show this as torture to Al Queda prisoners? I think I lost IQ points. I might need to read some chunk of the Bible to offset the hell that was the hour of TV I watched tonight.
I just have to vent: In what world is this entertainment? Why does anyone with a brain watch this, or American Gladiators, American Idol, ANTM etc? I think anyone who likes this stuff deserves to be dropped off the planet. Seriously. Sorry if it offends you. Stupid Reality TV is only watched by stupid stupid people who are wasting their lives.
I did this via chat. This might seem long to you, the hidden, unknown reader- Can you imagine how long this hour of tv seemed to me? I don't even like what is considered "good" reality shows. I think I deserve a medallion of a sort for what I endured tonight. Alas, here we go...
Lots of blondes- they just had a TH w/Jess
They listed her as Marketing rep from Philly
She's not as freaky as this chick named Taylin from oklahoma
Wow, some huge tits! on Lindsay. "Plastic for better living" if you know what I mean
They're all in push up bras and trashy short skirts
They're all in push up bras and trashy short skirts
Is Jess, um... natural?
(other chatter) Yeah.
This is what you get for asking me to do play by play-- me, asking about tits
(other chatter) She's kind of got an athetic/chunky build.
She's not really in this main group they're showing
Her hair is kinda hanging over part of her face over her left eye
Okay they're doing some choreography with her team
(other chatter) Her goal in life is for a wide amount of people to think she's hot and a whore.
They are ragging on a team of blondes and wannabe blonds. Cue the peroxide
It's hilarious because they don't know how to put a song and dance jig together.
This black singing coach says they will be tough to "break in"
"old dogs can't learn new trix"
He just said before a break "I've never seen a group do so badly, in my mind they were a catastrophe"
and CUT! to Jess dancing!
*commercial break*
They edited to show her after the black guy says that "do so badly" line is the first time they've had a close shot on her dancing, outside of the TH which was just a CU blurb
CMT music awards! monday april 14th!
*And we're back!*
CMT music awards! monday april 14th!
*And we're back!*
She's dancing- not well
Her hair is getting in the way
She's looking very busty
The black guy is saying the catastrophe about her group
Now the black team is up
Freaky woman has multi colored hair --she's 37!
Mauli B is the black singing coach -- they are picking "the best of the worst"
OOH, Tracy red head is getting picked on- not Jess
Man it's getting harsh
They didn't show any criticism of Jess!
They picked on 2 others in her group
Oh, they called Taylin the 37 yr old, the "old maid" of the group
"desperate to go back in time"- ouch, not good
Wow they just picked the other group to move on, so Jess' group doesn't go?
Before ads, they just made a blond cry
*commercials*
I wouldn't normally watch this, why am I here?
Wait- back from break, and they showed Jess sing
So I guess she's still on
And Mauli says now he liked old maid
Now he's being all nice to the gals not mean anymore
Man, they are being cruel to some blond
He called her tone deaf! Oh right, she is.
"not enough time to teach her"
Kelly! from the Nat'l Guard in Alabama, she's the crier they keep cutting to
Now they're all dancing
Now they're all dancing
And the woman said, "you're not dancing with a pole!" HA! love it.
Jacqui the choreographer
She's making all the girls feel bad
The red head is terrible!
She can't dance
Her name is Tracey from NEW JERSEY!!! is 32
I guess Jess is just in the medium
Not bad enough to get picked on but not at the top
It's night time. and so there's talking heads and "confessionals"
And shots of girls contemplating what they'll tell their friends when they get kicked off
*commercials*
That whole section with the choreographer was absurd
I mean some girls can't sing and some can't dance
I can only think of like 3 girls like Jess, who might be okay at both
But what do I know?
We're back!
They're giving out belts to the girls numbered 1-10
Now that's classy.
Now that's classy.
Sarah is #1
Sarah- 26 dancer from LA
#2 is Ashley, fake blond
#3 Jocleyn
#4 JESS!
Wow!
Coyote woman says "I hope your kindness and determination help you"
She's in the top 5! wow Oh lordy
Only #10 is gonna leave!
Is this a series? I thought they'd just pick one, in a single show. It's not like the pickings are ripe. Maybe CMT's desperate for filler shows?
Can't believe they're gonna keep this BS on for ... 9 more weeks?
Can't believe they're gonna keep this BS on for ... 9 more weeks?
So #10 was the redhead who can't sing or dance---figures!
#10, "nightclub promoter"- new slang for dancer/whore?
She's from Jersey - going home
They just showed a montage of the worst of the redhead
Wow, she was bad
Okay, I'm back. I apologize profusely for what you've just read. Do they show this as torture to Al Queda prisoners? I think I lost IQ points. I might need to read some chunk of the Bible to offset the hell that was the hour of TV I watched tonight.
I just have to vent: In what world is this entertainment? Why does anyone with a brain watch this, or American Gladiators, American Idol, ANTM etc? I think anyone who likes this stuff deserves to be dropped off the planet. Seriously. Sorry if it offends you. Stupid Reality TV is only watched by stupid stupid people who are wasting their lives.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
The Scrabble Blog
At the end of 2007 I got caught up in the social phenomenon known as Facebook. Several friends of mine from a popular television forum joined up. I stood my ground initially while the wave grew momentum. But I could not hold my position, and weakened when I found out the connection between Facebook and Scrabulous. Along with the other salmon, I joined in swimming upstream to play my fellow friends in Scrabble and Prolific.
When I grew up with the board and the tiles, I was not a great player. We didn’t play it often. I think repetition helps in a game like Scrabble. Instead, I built puzzles. There was a 250 piece Peanuts puzzle that my sisters and I would drag out on rainy days and compete to see how fast a two-player team could finish it. We had a picnic table in the garage and would build it out there. We tried to mix up teams a bit- I have a younger sister and an older sister, and usually we’d have at least friend or neighbor over, to make rotating two-player teams. For some reason, it sticks in my brain that once we finished the puzzle in about 20 minutes, which was a record that stuck around for a while. (When we were kids, we kept track of all accomplishments.)
My sisters were not into puzzles as much as I was. As a teenager, I had a large flat board that I kept in the corner of the living room near the stereo. Big enough to assemble a 1000 piece puzzle on. My Mom, a fastidious cleaner, would make me responsible to vacuum that area. She stayed away, lest a puzzle piece get scooped up. I would sometimes listen to Red Sox games on the radio (or TV38 from Boston) while trying to piece together tough puzzles: New York City skyline at night (all little bits of window lights in the pieces) a plate of cookies (pieces of oatmeal vs pieces of chocolate chips) a glass of milk and a pile of Oreo cookies (very tough – all the Oreos looked the same!) Christmas decorations (lots of bows on boxes) and the dreaded all yellow bananas with just the Dole sticker! That one took forever to finish!
With college and my life as an overworked 20-something in Los Angeles, I moved into making different kinds of puzzles, as a professional in the film biz. Doing puzzles at home was something that was no longer ‘relaxing.’ Basically the job put an end to puzzles. Except for the one time I put together a 3D puzzle of the Millenium Falcon when I was dealing with insomnia.
One year I went home for Christmas, and my brother in law taught me how to play a variation of Speed Scrabble. No board, 7 pieces facedown, you only play with the pieces in front of you. Whoever uses all their pieces to make words on their “own” board successfully would say Take Two, and every player had to take on an additional 2 pieces. (I will admit the link I have above describes it better than I do.)
I was addicted! My brother in law is a smart guy, and a good athlete. The fact that I could beat him at Speed Scrabble – not all the time mind you- was a huge bonus. It definitely was fun to play with the family.
Now, a few months into playing Scrabble online, I realize it is something I’m definitely using as a crutch while I’m not working as much. I miss the interaction of playing someone directly, but it’s a lot of fun – as long as I don’t take it so seriously.
So any of you who play me, and read this blog- please know that I enjoy kicking your ass!
When I grew up with the board and the tiles, I was not a great player. We didn’t play it often. I think repetition helps in a game like Scrabble. Instead, I built puzzles. There was a 250 piece Peanuts puzzle that my sisters and I would drag out on rainy days and compete to see how fast a two-player team could finish it. We had a picnic table in the garage and would build it out there. We tried to mix up teams a bit- I have a younger sister and an older sister, and usually we’d have at least friend or neighbor over, to make rotating two-player teams. For some reason, it sticks in my brain that once we finished the puzzle in about 20 minutes, which was a record that stuck around for a while. (When we were kids, we kept track of all accomplishments.)
My sisters were not into puzzles as much as I was. As a teenager, I had a large flat board that I kept in the corner of the living room near the stereo. Big enough to assemble a 1000 piece puzzle on. My Mom, a fastidious cleaner, would make me responsible to vacuum that area. She stayed away, lest a puzzle piece get scooped up. I would sometimes listen to Red Sox games on the radio (or TV38 from Boston) while trying to piece together tough puzzles: New York City skyline at night (all little bits of window lights in the pieces) a plate of cookies (pieces of oatmeal vs pieces of chocolate chips) a glass of milk and a pile of Oreo cookies (very tough – all the Oreos looked the same!) Christmas decorations (lots of bows on boxes) and the dreaded all yellow bananas with just the Dole sticker! That one took forever to finish!
With college and my life as an overworked 20-something in Los Angeles, I moved into making different kinds of puzzles, as a professional in the film biz. Doing puzzles at home was something that was no longer ‘relaxing.’ Basically the job put an end to puzzles. Except for the one time I put together a 3D puzzle of the Millenium Falcon when I was dealing with insomnia.
One year I went home for Christmas, and my brother in law taught me how to play a variation of Speed Scrabble. No board, 7 pieces facedown, you only play with the pieces in front of you. Whoever uses all their pieces to make words on their “own” board successfully would say Take Two, and every player had to take on an additional 2 pieces. (I will admit the link I have above describes it better than I do.)
I was addicted! My brother in law is a smart guy, and a good athlete. The fact that I could beat him at Speed Scrabble – not all the time mind you- was a huge bonus. It definitely was fun to play with the family.
Now, a few months into playing Scrabble online, I realize it is something I’m definitely using as a crutch while I’m not working as much. I miss the interaction of playing someone directly, but it’s a lot of fun – as long as I don’t take it so seriously.
So any of you who play me, and read this blog- please know that I enjoy kicking your ass!
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