So the Mets have lost Pedro Martinez, their ace pitcher for the playoffs with a torn tendon in one of his calves. Listen. Despite what ESPN, the media, and all these other people will say, it's bad that it happened, but not that big a deal. Pedro has not been the Pedro we want to see since that scoreless duel with Brandon Webb and Arizona back in May. There have been flashes of brilliance but no consistency. Now against better lineups, we'll probably wish we had him. But we've won close games all year long and that's the reason we will finish with the best record in the National Legaue.
I know our rotation will scare nobody, not against playoff teams. But we have the lineup to win and the bench is good with Ramon Castro back. And we have the necessary bullpen, I think the best in baseball. Only Detroit is nearly as good as ours when you look at all six or seven pitchers. San Diego and Minnesota I would rate just below. So all I'm asking from Orlando Hernandez, Tom Glavine, Steve Trachsel, and John Maine is to just hang each game. Pitch six full innings, allow no more than three runs. With this lineup, I think that's completely reasonable.
Jaromir Jagr is set to return for the Rangers tonight in an exhibition game against Wanger's Bangers, the Islanders. Let's go Captain 68!
The Giants are off this week. God knows they need it.
I think the Jets will battle Indy for most of the game on Sunday. If they can run it, they can win. And Indy has a small front 7 and we're getting Pete Kendall back on the offensive line, which will be huge. But if we couldn't limit England, I don't see our defense doing enough against Peyton Manning to win. In the end, I pick Indy 24-17, but the sane Jets fans will feel decent enough afterwards. Then it's on to Jacksonville where a win would be great.
What is with the US in international sports? Olympic hockey, the World Baseball Classic, the World Cup of Soccer, the Davis Cup, the FIFA basketball championships (men's and women's, mind you!), and now this embarrassing performance in the Ryder Cup. Are other countries that jacked up to beat us? Or do we not care. It certainly isn't for a lack of talent in most cases. I mean at this rate, Switzerland could compile a football team and beat the best of the NFL! Would that shock anyone?
Fantasy baseball coming down to the wire this weekend. 12-5 in one championship match (a lot of stats are close though), and a 5-5 tie in the other. Let's see what happens.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Another update
Exciting title I know. Well I'm typing this on my work laptop, which as I've said, is definitely my computer. Keeping in line with computers I have worked with in college, Houghton Mifflin, and the Daily Herald, this sucker shut down on me five times this morning for no apparent reason.
Working with other processors seems to help. There are 26 of us here and we can only take so much sitting inside a classroom trying to pretend we know what's being taught to us.
I actually went out for lunch with a girl from my class on Thursday. We got sandwiches from Jimmy John's and went off to a forest preserve. There were three guys there flying these little model remote control airplanes all around in the sky. And she was fascinated and I thought it was pretty neat. Now, I don't think she's the type of girl I would date, but we spent about an hour together and we both enjoyed it. Actually the cutest girl here is one of the trainers, IMO.
The quizzes are still rough. I haven't aced one yet but I'm trying. We actually played "Financial Aid" Family Feud as a review of sorts. We stunk. We got beat something like 760-40. The loss was one thing but as the questions were being asked, all I could think to myself was "How am I going to remember all of this?"
At some point, I think this will all click. It will take time and patience as any new job would well, any challenging one, anyway.
Working with other processors seems to help. There are 26 of us here and we can only take so much sitting inside a classroom trying to pretend we know what's being taught to us.
I actually went out for lunch with a girl from my class on Thursday. We got sandwiches from Jimmy John's and went off to a forest preserve. There were three guys there flying these little model remote control airplanes all around in the sky. And she was fascinated and I thought it was pretty neat. Now, I don't think she's the type of girl I would date, but we spent about an hour together and we both enjoyed it. Actually the cutest girl here is one of the trainers, IMO.
The quizzes are still rough. I haven't aced one yet but I'm trying. We actually played "Financial Aid" Family Feud as a review of sorts. We stunk. We got beat something like 760-40. The loss was one thing but as the questions were being asked, all I could think to myself was "How am I going to remember all of this?"
At some point, I think this will all click. It will take time and patience as any new job would well, any challenging one, anyway.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
2 days in
And I'm a little amazed how much information on financial aid has passed through my head. Before Monday morning, the only thing I really knew about financial aid was when I applied for it, I didn't get any.
There are about 27 people in my training class, by far the largest class CEC has ever had. I can tell this is a similar job to the ones I've had lately because I've had plenty of computer problems. It's not only me, but most of us are having issued with passwords and stuff like that. We;re trying to get into all of these websites with training software but some of us have access and others don't. By the end of today, it got so ridiculous I actually asked out loud, "Are we on Punk'd?" I almost felt they were setting us up to see how we would respond to adversity. Who knows?
Most of us are feeling a little overwhelmed with the amount of information, but when we start actually applying it, I think it will get better. Right now, I'm just trying to learn a little at a time and not get frustrated with myself. And I think one hour is too long for lunch. I would rather take a half hour and leave at 4:30 instead of 5 p.m. But that's not my call.
There are about 27 people in my training class, by far the largest class CEC has ever had. I can tell this is a similar job to the ones I've had lately because I've had plenty of computer problems. It's not only me, but most of us are having issued with passwords and stuff like that. We;re trying to get into all of these websites with training software but some of us have access and others don't. By the end of today, it got so ridiculous I actually asked out loud, "Are we on Punk'd?" I almost felt they were setting us up to see how we would respond to adversity. Who knows?
Most of us are feeling a little overwhelmed with the amount of information, but when we start actually applying it, I think it will get better. Right now, I'm just trying to learn a little at a time and not get frustrated with myself. And I think one hour is too long for lunch. I would rather take a half hour and leave at 4:30 instead of 5 p.m. But that's not my call.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
A few hours to go.
Well, one of the busiest periods of my life so far is about to begin. It is just before 10 on Sunday night and I will start training for my new job as a financial aid processor at 7:45 a.m. My morning will change. I used to read my online newspapers at work. Not now. I'm going to have to get up a half hour early and read them. At least I'll still have that ability at the newspaper. But that's a little thing, except it means 30 less minutes of sleep.
It's been quite a weekend. I did a lot of cleanup around the house on Saturday after the flood. The Charlestowne Mall even had 2 inches of rain. I was surprised it got reported because nobody ever goes in that mall anyway.
I worked at the paper from 2 till about 8 at night. One of the reporters, Darryl, had his 2 year old car die on him. That's brutal. 2 years and the car goes. So he was supposed to cover a big swim meet but he obviously had to miss it. So my boss asked me to call the Rosary High School (they're Catholic BTW) and get a report . I did that and low and behold I had an article! Here it is.
Rosary swimmers top dynamite field
By Adam Bartolo
Daily Herald Writer
Four of the top girls swimming programs in recent history met in Aurora Saturday for the inaugural Rosary Invitational: Neuqua Valley, Naperville North, Naperville Central and the host Beads.
At a meet in West Chicago earlier in the season, the Wildcats scored higher than Rosary, so the Beads were anxious to succeed at their home invitational.
Sure enough, Rosary got off to a quick start, taking first and second place in the opening 200 medley relay. The winning team of Kara Savegnago, Brittany Doss, Mackenzie Powers and Amy Schaefer finished at 1:49.00.
That momentum seemed to propel the Beads the whole meet as they won with 407 points ahead of Neuqua’s 349.
Freshman Olivia Scott had a solid meet for Rosary. She won the 100 butterfly at 57.4 and came in second to Naperville Central’s Amy Prestinario in the 200 IM.
“She’s young and she’s just going to get better as the season goes on,” said Rosary coach Bill Schalz.
Prestinario also won the 100 back at 58.22.
For Neuqua, Kathleen Patterson took first place in two events: the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle.
Schalz also noted the meet had a distinctive conference feel. With only four competing teams, the squads were able to send numerous reps for each event.
So then I went to my friend Rebecca's birthday party. There were about 6 or 7 of us there and we played Mario Kart on a big screen TV. From what I hear, when I was racing, I looked I was in a trance. Mouth open, fingers moving furiously, the rest of my body perfectly still. It had been a while since I played Mario Kart and when you're in a big group of people who are into it, that kind of thing just never gets old no matter what your age is. We played Apples to Apples, a board game, and then for the first time, I got to see a glow in the dark condom. This is apparently when you go to a young married couples' house. We blew the condom up so it was about the size of a balloon and started hitting it around the room like it was a volleyball. I have to say that condom felt weird. And that was just when it was in my hands...
Anyway, I went to home at midnight and got ready for Sunday. I went to Wheaton Bible and Rob Bugh talked about the second Commandment, the one about not having any idols. At one point, he mentioned money and he asked a very provocative question. Why is it when we pull out a 50 dollar bill at the grocery store, we think no big deal, but we would hesitate to drop in the offering plate at church?
I set next to a new friend of mine, Simon, who's from Germany. He's been coming to Ecclesia and fitting in well. As I was walking out of the service, I saw a familiar girl. I knew her from somewhere, put I couldn't quite put my finger on it. She was short, but had the same long brown hair that went down the length of her back. She went straight up to me and gave me a huge hug. And she said "It's been so long. Adam right?" I'm thinking, "Oh crap. I'm screwed here." I said Very good." Then she said "Yeah, I'm Tamara." Inside, I let out of a sigh of relief and I wondered how I forgot her name! Almost a year ago, she came to my small group a few times and we became friends. So she's back for about 10 days after working on cruises for a few months. So I invited her to Ecclesia and we sat next to each other. For a few reasons, I didn't have a chance to say goodbye to her that night, but I'm sure I'll see her next week.
Then it was football time! I drove to Rookie's and watched the first half of what would be a 28-20 Jets win over Buffalo. Great win. I knew Seattle would kill the Giants but I didn't expect the Giants defense to allow 42 points. I feel bad for the GM Ernie Accorsi, who's retiring after this season. He deserves better than this.
My team went 3-3 in volleyball today. We got swept in the first match and swept the next one. There are only 4 teams in the league, so the talent disparity is going to be huge this season.
Then after a quick shower, I drove to Ecclesia. Chris talked about living with a mission. His point was living missionally is not something you do or somewhere you go, it's who you are. It's a way of life that you live each day. I agree, the standard is high, it's tough to measure up to what Jesus lived out. Being a Christian is not easy, especially today. And I've gone through some challenging times lately. But I'm going to keep on riding. I'm going to struggle, but I believe God is a sure and faithful thing in a world that is so unsure and changing.
At the end of the service, we celebrated a baptism of a girl I didn't know. As I was helping with the takedown of the Ecclesia set, I caught up with Rachel and I finally got to meet her sister, which was neat. She graduated from high school in South American last June. Then Rachel told me the doctor she worked for had some colleague come in and take the staff all out to dinner. I asked where. She said "Some place called Wildfire." My mouth dropped. She got taken to a great steakhouse, one of my favorites, and had her bill paid for. When we had lunch brought into my job, it was honey baked ham sandwiches. I guess I was in the wrong industry.
The night ended well asabout a dozen of us from Ecclesia went to Muldoon's, one of my favorite restaurants, for dinner. I ordered a Bass Ale to celebrate my new job and a Chicken Spinach Melt sandwich (chicken, swiss cheese, and spinach artichoke dip) with the spicy seasoned fries. Yes, I am still alive after eating spinach tonight.
Now in my head, I'm planning my Monday. I'm leaving at 7 to stop at Houghton Mifflin to gather a few things before I go. Then I have to be in Hoffman Estates by 7:45 and I'll be there until about 5 p.m. I'll drive home and with traffic, it'll take until 5:45-6 to get home. I'll change out of my Donald Trump clothes, grab dinner, and head over to the paper at 7 for about 3-4 hours. So I'm looking at 15 hours of work tomorrow.
Prayers for strength and endurance would be greatly appreciated.
It's been quite a weekend. I did a lot of cleanup around the house on Saturday after the flood. The Charlestowne Mall even had 2 inches of rain. I was surprised it got reported because nobody ever goes in that mall anyway.
I worked at the paper from 2 till about 8 at night. One of the reporters, Darryl, had his 2 year old car die on him. That's brutal. 2 years and the car goes. So he was supposed to cover a big swim meet but he obviously had to miss it. So my boss asked me to call the Rosary High School (they're Catholic BTW) and get a report . I did that and low and behold I had an article! Here it is.
Rosary swimmers top dynamite field
By Adam Bartolo
Daily Herald Writer
Four of the top girls swimming programs in recent history met in Aurora Saturday for the inaugural Rosary Invitational: Neuqua Valley, Naperville North, Naperville Central and the host Beads.
At a meet in West Chicago earlier in the season, the Wildcats scored higher than Rosary, so the Beads were anxious to succeed at their home invitational.
Sure enough, Rosary got off to a quick start, taking first and second place in the opening 200 medley relay. The winning team of Kara Savegnago, Brittany Doss, Mackenzie Powers and Amy Schaefer finished at 1:49.00.
That momentum seemed to propel the Beads the whole meet as they won with 407 points ahead of Neuqua’s 349.
Freshman Olivia Scott had a solid meet for Rosary. She won the 100 butterfly at 57.4 and came in second to Naperville Central’s Amy Prestinario in the 200 IM.
“She’s young and she’s just going to get better as the season goes on,” said Rosary coach Bill Schalz.
Prestinario also won the 100 back at 58.22.
For Neuqua, Kathleen Patterson took first place in two events: the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle.
Schalz also noted the meet had a distinctive conference feel. With only four competing teams, the squads were able to send numerous reps for each event.
So then I went to my friend Rebecca's birthday party. There were about 6 or 7 of us there and we played Mario Kart on a big screen TV. From what I hear, when I was racing, I looked I was in a trance. Mouth open, fingers moving furiously, the rest of my body perfectly still. It had been a while since I played Mario Kart and when you're in a big group of people who are into it, that kind of thing just never gets old no matter what your age is. We played Apples to Apples, a board game, and then for the first time, I got to see a glow in the dark condom. This is apparently when you go to a young married couples' house. We blew the condom up so it was about the size of a balloon and started hitting it around the room like it was a volleyball. I have to say that condom felt weird. And that was just when it was in my hands...
Anyway, I went to home at midnight and got ready for Sunday. I went to Wheaton Bible and Rob Bugh talked about the second Commandment, the one about not having any idols. At one point, he mentioned money and he asked a very provocative question. Why is it when we pull out a 50 dollar bill at the grocery store, we think no big deal, but we would hesitate to drop in the offering plate at church?
I set next to a new friend of mine, Simon, who's from Germany. He's been coming to Ecclesia and fitting in well. As I was walking out of the service, I saw a familiar girl. I knew her from somewhere, put I couldn't quite put my finger on it. She was short, but had the same long brown hair that went down the length of her back. She went straight up to me and gave me a huge hug. And she said "It's been so long. Adam right?" I'm thinking, "Oh crap. I'm screwed here." I said Very good." Then she said "Yeah, I'm Tamara." Inside, I let out of a sigh of relief and I wondered how I forgot her name! Almost a year ago, she came to my small group a few times and we became friends. So she's back for about 10 days after working on cruises for a few months. So I invited her to Ecclesia and we sat next to each other. For a few reasons, I didn't have a chance to say goodbye to her that night, but I'm sure I'll see her next week.
Then it was football time! I drove to Rookie's and watched the first half of what would be a 28-20 Jets win over Buffalo. Great win. I knew Seattle would kill the Giants but I didn't expect the Giants defense to allow 42 points. I feel bad for the GM Ernie Accorsi, who's retiring after this season. He deserves better than this.
My team went 3-3 in volleyball today. We got swept in the first match and swept the next one. There are only 4 teams in the league, so the talent disparity is going to be huge this season.
Then after a quick shower, I drove to Ecclesia. Chris talked about living with a mission. His point was living missionally is not something you do or somewhere you go, it's who you are. It's a way of life that you live each day. I agree, the standard is high, it's tough to measure up to what Jesus lived out. Being a Christian is not easy, especially today. And I've gone through some challenging times lately. But I'm going to keep on riding. I'm going to struggle, but I believe God is a sure and faithful thing in a world that is so unsure and changing.
At the end of the service, we celebrated a baptism of a girl I didn't know. As I was helping with the takedown of the Ecclesia set, I caught up with Rachel and I finally got to meet her sister, which was neat. She graduated from high school in South American last June. Then Rachel told me the doctor she worked for had some colleague come in and take the staff all out to dinner. I asked where. She said "Some place called Wildfire." My mouth dropped. She got taken to a great steakhouse, one of my favorites, and had her bill paid for. When we had lunch brought into my job, it was honey baked ham sandwiches. I guess I was in the wrong industry.
The night ended well asabout a dozen of us from Ecclesia went to Muldoon's, one of my favorite restaurants, for dinner. I ordered a Bass Ale to celebrate my new job and a Chicken Spinach Melt sandwich (chicken, swiss cheese, and spinach artichoke dip) with the spicy seasoned fries. Yes, I am still alive after eating spinach tonight.
Now in my head, I'm planning my Monday. I'm leaving at 7 to stop at Houghton Mifflin to gather a few things before I go. Then I have to be in Hoffman Estates by 7:45 and I'll be there until about 5 p.m. I'll drive home and with traffic, it'll take until 5:45-6 to get home. I'll change out of my Donald Trump clothes, grab dinner, and head over to the paper at 7 for about 3-4 hours. So I'm looking at 15 hours of work tomorrow.
Prayers for strength and endurance would be greatly appreciated.
Friday, September 22, 2006
NEW JOB!!!
Well, I am making my break with Houghton Mifflin. It's not a decision I wanted to make but it was necessary. No benefits, little money, not much chance for promotion. And what's more, I was getting complacent. I was doing the same thing over and over and not feeling much motivation. So I felt I had gone as far as I'm going to go there, at least for the near future. And it's not really my shortcomings, it has to do with company restructuring as well.
Now those were just reasons. I don't have any negative feelings. I had a good year there. The people were great. I had fun. I got to see that not all sales jobs are horrible. I worked in education and I got to go home for lunch at watch Urkel on television.
But I'm not in the position where I can stay with a job because it's fun or the people are nice. I need new experiences and search for what I want to do with the rest of my life. So as I start this 4-week training period on Monday, your prayers would certainly be appreciated. I will be working even more than before, but at least there will be more rewards and something new to do.
And it's raining like a hurricane outside and now my basement is starting to flood. Flood as in a solid layer of water is coming up. Anyone get any towels or a wet vacuum handy?
Now those were just reasons. I don't have any negative feelings. I had a good year there. The people were great. I had fun. I got to see that not all sales jobs are horrible. I worked in education and I got to go home for lunch at watch Urkel on television.
But I'm not in the position where I can stay with a job because it's fun or the people are nice. I need new experiences and search for what I want to do with the rest of my life. So as I start this 4-week training period on Monday, your prayers would certainly be appreciated. I will be working even more than before, but at least there will be more rewards and something new to do.
And it's raining like a hurricane outside and now my basement is starting to flood. Flood as in a solid layer of water is coming up. Anyone get any towels or a wet vacuum handy?
Morning distractions
It's always a good thing when there's something going on in the world during the morning that you can check on when you need a break from work. And over the past 10 months, I've had a few. From the Winter Olympics (nothing like following curling online!), to the World Cup, and now the Ryder Cup. USA vs. Europe in golf over in Ireland. My prediction: Europe 15.5, USA 12.5.
I can't see the Giants or Jets winning this weekend against Seattle and Buffalo.
Speaking of football, Rookie's, the bar I go to when I watch football, has been completely remodeled. It used to be white walls with memorabilia all over and now the walls have that dark wooden look. It's got a classier, more homely feel to it. Still got the $1.99 cheeseburger special going in September though! And considering they are near a number of upscale bars in downtown St. Charles, this makes a lot of sense.
The weather has cooled down considerably, so much that it feels like early November instead of the middle of September. I've actually worn long sleeved shirts all week now. I don't know, I feel it should at least stay warm through the end of baseball's regular season. As cold as it gets in Illinois, September should stay at least somewhat warm.
Volleyball resumes on Sunday afternoon with a doubleheader. I'm ready to go. I'll hit the gym on Saturday for some more cardio and a few power squats to build up some more explosiveness in my legs.
Music pick: "Never Mind Me" Big and Rich
I can't see the Giants or Jets winning this weekend against Seattle and Buffalo.
Speaking of football, Rookie's, the bar I go to when I watch football, has been completely remodeled. It used to be white walls with memorabilia all over and now the walls have that dark wooden look. It's got a classier, more homely feel to it. Still got the $1.99 cheeseburger special going in September though! And considering they are near a number of upscale bars in downtown St. Charles, this makes a lot of sense.
The weather has cooled down considerably, so much that it feels like early November instead of the middle of September. I've actually worn long sleeved shirts all week now. I don't know, I feel it should at least stay warm through the end of baseball's regular season. As cold as it gets in Illinois, September should stay at least somewhat warm.
Volleyball resumes on Sunday afternoon with a doubleheader. I'm ready to go. I'll hit the gym on Saturday for some more cardio and a few power squats to build up some more explosiveness in my legs.
Music pick: "Never Mind Me" Big and Rich
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
To paraphrase Samoa Joe
The champs are here!
The Mets clinched the NLeast last night with a 4-0 shutout win over Florida. And I have to hand it to pitcher Steve Trachsel. There were a lot of Met fans, me included, that said we didn't want this guy anywhere near the postseason roster. And he came through against a very good young lineup last nght with 6.1 innings, no runs, 3 hits, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts. That's Jose Reyes (who apparently stole Duaner Sanchez' goggles) and David Wright up top.
Now the big question is how will they handle that postseason rotation. I guess it all depends on the opponent, but I think I'd want Pedro, Glavine, and El Duque. Now here's the thing. Trachsel will likely get the start in Game 4 of the division series. If we are up 2-1 and playing the Dodgers, I want John Maine pitching. I'll tell you why. Maine has done a very good job this year, his one problem is he gives up too many home runs. And the Dodgers have hit the fewest homers of any team in the National League.
As for the roster, which is 25 players, I figure these spots are given. I'm assuming they will go with 14 posiiton players and 11 pitchers.
LoDuca
Delgado
Valentin
Reyes
Wright
Franco
Woodward
Floyd
Beltran
Green
Chavez
Backup catcher (Castro, if he can recover from his knee surgery)
That's 12. They will likely add either Tucker and Milledge. Anderson Hernandez just doesn't hit enough nor does Ricky Ledee. At least Hernandez has speed and can play good infield defense. They could add another ctacher, but I don't see that happening either. Lastings makes the most sense because of his use as an outfielder (despite his struggles at the major league level, he is still better than Shawn Green defensively right now), his speed, and he is the best extra bat they can carry. With the Mets' struggles against lefties, they need right handed bats.
Pedro
Glavine
Duque
Trachsel
Wagner
Feliciano
Heilman
Mota
Bradford
That's 9 who are locks or close to locks. I believe Darren Oliver will make it since he's been such a good swing man out of the pen. And the Mets will want at least one lefty in the bullpen besides Pedro Feliciano. Then there's John Maine, Roberto Hernandez, Oliver Perez, Heath Bell, Royce Ring for one spot. I would prefer Maine, but something tells me they're going with Hernandez. Perez is still a little too inconsistent, though I like him in the long term and Bell has really disappointed while Ring hasn't had enough time to work in the majors.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Transition time in sports
Well the NY Rangers have opened training camp. First exhibition game is Wednesday. Jagr is still not recovered from his shoulder injury. We'll get more into hockey in the upcoming weeks.
The Mets get swept by that powerhouse team in Pittsburgh, proving once again they cannot hit left handed pitching. They had 20 at bats in this series with runners in scoring posiiton. They had 3 hits. Not a good sign. So we will likely win the NL East at home which is fine by me. this team has been a great regular season team. I still question how good they will be in the playoffs.
As for football, what can you say? How about those Giants. I didn't see the game, but I wished I could have. They were down 24-7 in Philadelphia during the 4th quarter. Amazingly, they tie the score and then win it in overtime 30-24 on a 31 yard pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress. This is the first time the Giants have rallied to win from 17 down in the 4th to win since 1970. I wonder how many broken TV's are laying around in Philly living rooms this morning.
I never expected the Jets to beat the Patriots. And after falling behind 24-0, they scored 17 straight, but couldn't score on their final drive. Chad Pennington, Laveranues Coles, and Jerricho Cotchery are amazing. If you saw that TD, Jerricho scored when he was parallel to the ground being tackled by 2 Pats defenders, still got up, and scored the touchdown, was that not incredible? As much as I hate the Patriots, their players, their coaches, and their fans, I really don't feel too bad about this loss.
Problems are: 1) the Jets have no running game. The o-line is still too inexperienced and Derrick Blaylock is horrible Coach Mangini has got to activate Cedric Houston for next week's game against Buffalo. 2) No QB pressure by the defense. That scumbag Brady had years to throw the ball. 3) Bad run defense. Our #4 overall pick from a few years ago Dewayne Robertson is officially a bust.
The only early game I had was that Bears-Lions debacle where the Bears had the game won before your rear end even hit the seat.
And as for fantasy sports, I went a perfect 7-0! All 3 of my football teams won, I won both football suicide pools, and both my baseball teams won their playoff semifinals matches by slim margins and will play for their respective league titles over the next two weeks.
The Mets get swept by that powerhouse team in Pittsburgh, proving once again they cannot hit left handed pitching. They had 20 at bats in this series with runners in scoring posiiton. They had 3 hits. Not a good sign. So we will likely win the NL East at home which is fine by me. this team has been a great regular season team. I still question how good they will be in the playoffs.
As for football, what can you say? How about those Giants. I didn't see the game, but I wished I could have. They were down 24-7 in Philadelphia during the 4th quarter. Amazingly, they tie the score and then win it in overtime 30-24 on a 31 yard pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress. This is the first time the Giants have rallied to win from 17 down in the 4th to win since 1970. I wonder how many broken TV's are laying around in Philly living rooms this morning.
I never expected the Jets to beat the Patriots. And after falling behind 24-0, they scored 17 straight, but couldn't score on their final drive. Chad Pennington, Laveranues Coles, and Jerricho Cotchery are amazing. If you saw that TD, Jerricho scored when he was parallel to the ground being tackled by 2 Pats defenders, still got up, and scored the touchdown, was that not incredible? As much as I hate the Patriots, their players, their coaches, and their fans, I really don't feel too bad about this loss.
Problems are: 1) the Jets have no running game. The o-line is still too inexperienced and Derrick Blaylock is horrible Coach Mangini has got to activate Cedric Houston for next week's game against Buffalo. 2) No QB pressure by the defense. That scumbag Brady had years to throw the ball. 3) Bad run defense. Our #4 overall pick from a few years ago Dewayne Robertson is officially a bust.
The only early game I had was that Bears-Lions debacle where the Bears had the game won before your rear end even hit the seat.
And as for fantasy sports, I went a perfect 7-0! All 3 of my football teams won, I won both football suicide pools, and both my baseball teams won their playoff semifinals matches by slim margins and will play for their respective league titles over the next two weeks.
Several items to go over
Back to the 70 hour load. A few things.
1) Rob Bugh was preaching Sunday, for the first time since his wife died last month. The series is the Ten Commandments, and he focused on number one "You shall have no other Gods before me." He mentioned some things I didn't initially want to hear, but needed to hear about the causes and roots of anger and stress. He explained the hardest part of being a senior pastor, a single parent, is putting God first. And it is hard.
But I have noticed when God is in the forefront of your thoughts and priorities, the world seems a little different. There is certain extra confidence and peace of mind you walk around with. That doesn't mean circumstances always go how you want, which is what some people interpret as God liking them. It's that you have something unchangeable and unshakable to fall back on during the rough times. Because situations change. People change. God doesn't change.
Rob also mentioned marriage stats. 1 out of 2 marriages end in divorce. Weddings held in a church, that stat drops to 1 in 50. If the couple continues to pray together, study Scripture, and have an active Christian church life, the rate drops to 1 in 1,205. I think if I get married, I'm going to spend some time praying and reading with my wife.
2) OK, let's keep going. Last night at Ecclesia, Ted talked about community and the need for real community. After the message, we had a pot luck dinner. Now my job was to prepare salad. I knew the other salad people would do Caesar, a basic house, and maybe some potato salad. If you know anything about me, I don't just settle, especially when it comes to preparing food. So I went on the Food Network website and looked under salad. I was trying to find something with an international flavor, whether it be Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean, whatever looked good. After 10 minutes of searching, I came to Emeril Lagasse's Potluck dinner show that he did once. And I saw a recipe for an Antipasto salad. Enough said.
Emeril + potluck + antipasto = end of search.
So I prepared it for the first time (Pasta, cold cuts, sun-dried tomatoes, sharp provolone, fresh herbs, etc) and it went over huge. I admit as people walked by me, I looked at their plates trying to see if they had my salad. My friend Davia didn't know what was mine, but when she was setting the plates on the buffet table before the meal, as she later admitted to me "I actually took some right there!" So I think I will make it again.
I had my haircut at Sportclips and as always, I got the MVP package. MVP stands for Metrosexuals very privileged. OK, I made the last part up, but anyway, for 20 bucks I got a cut, shampoo, conditioner (and they massage your scalp too), steamed towel on my face, and a full back and shoulder massage. And man it feels good when you're done.
1) Rob Bugh was preaching Sunday, for the first time since his wife died last month. The series is the Ten Commandments, and he focused on number one "You shall have no other Gods before me." He mentioned some things I didn't initially want to hear, but needed to hear about the causes and roots of anger and stress. He explained the hardest part of being a senior pastor, a single parent, is putting God first. And it is hard.
But I have noticed when God is in the forefront of your thoughts and priorities, the world seems a little different. There is certain extra confidence and peace of mind you walk around with. That doesn't mean circumstances always go how you want, which is what some people interpret as God liking them. It's that you have something unchangeable and unshakable to fall back on during the rough times. Because situations change. People change. God doesn't change.
Rob also mentioned marriage stats. 1 out of 2 marriages end in divorce. Weddings held in a church, that stat drops to 1 in 50. If the couple continues to pray together, study Scripture, and have an active Christian church life, the rate drops to 1 in 1,205. I think if I get married, I'm going to spend some time praying and reading with my wife.
2) OK, let's keep going. Last night at Ecclesia, Ted talked about community and the need for real community. After the message, we had a pot luck dinner. Now my job was to prepare salad. I knew the other salad people would do Caesar, a basic house, and maybe some potato salad. If you know anything about me, I don't just settle, especially when it comes to preparing food. So I went on the Food Network website and looked under salad. I was trying to find something with an international flavor, whether it be Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean, whatever looked good. After 10 minutes of searching, I came to Emeril Lagasse's Potluck dinner show that he did once. And I saw a recipe for an Antipasto salad. Enough said.
Emeril + potluck + antipasto = end of search.
So I prepared it for the first time (Pasta, cold cuts, sun-dried tomatoes, sharp provolone, fresh herbs, etc) and it went over huge. I admit as people walked by me, I looked at their plates trying to see if they had my salad. My friend Davia didn't know what was mine, but when she was setting the plates on the buffet table before the meal, as she later admitted to me "I actually took some right there!" So I think I will make it again.
I had my haircut at Sportclips and as always, I got the MVP package. MVP stands for Metrosexuals very privileged. OK, I made the last part up, but anyway, for 20 bucks I got a cut, shampoo, conditioner (and they massage your scalp too), steamed towel on my face, and a full back and shoulder massage. And man it feels good when you're done.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Convenient timing
Well due to some password problems, I cannot access my databases at work. I'm still waiting to hear back from the help desk which means a few minutes to blog.
First of all, to the anonymous dude who asked about the cute female Cardinals fan whose blog I had visited and was in conversation with, she took down her photo. Sorry.
A few notes as the weekend approaches.
1) Facebook is bigger than Myspace now. I probably have 25 or so friends on Myspace (half of whom are musicians or wrestlers). But in three weeks, I already have passed that number on Facebook. For one thing, it's much better organized. And also, the restrictions on picture sizes isn't as bad.
2) My last 3 disc golf rounds have been +12, +12, +15. I'm getting better and better, I just wish I could throw a straight disc when I want to. What can I say, a physical activity that's free just works well for me.
3) My volleyball league resumes in either one or two weeks, depending how quickly some teams can get assembled. I'm ready to defend our championship.
4) I don't see the Jets winning against the evil Patriots this week, although New England seems a little vulnerable right now, and I see the Giants laying the Eagles to waste.
5) One more win and the Mets clinch the National League East for the first time since Ronald Reagan was President! I'll feel bad that we'll win while our old teammate Xavier Nady is on the other team, but that's the unfortunate breaks of life. And I wish it could have been at home too. But hey our magic number for clinching the best record in the NL is 5. Who am I to complain. If we only had homefield in the World Series...
6) Fantasy baseball is going well. I'm in the semifinals in two leagues and winning both by slim margins, including one over a certain Brian Geddes. I am Wright of Way, he is Spanky McButterpants, which coincidentally is my name in an upcoming movie. Funny, I finished first in the regular season, he finished sixth out of eight and he beat me both times we played. As for the other, I'm "Team...The Time..." the #2 seed facing the #3 and this guy is making moves literally every day to beat me. So far I'm holding up 6-4 through Thursday and the game ends Sunday. I want a championship, but If I win both my games this week, the worst that can happen is two second place finishes. I'd be okay with that.
7) I saw a piece on CBS about Greenhouse gasses and the effects on the environment. Now I'm no environmentalist, but this bothered me. Due to global warming, ice is melting faster in the Arctic Circle. Consequently, animals who live there like polar bears could be in trouble, small islands could eventually flood, and heat droughts could get worse in time. This guy says we have about a decade to really reverse the effects or they may be unchangeable. Not a pleasant thought.
8) Hard news: Ecclesia's fall retreat is scheduled for October 27-29, the same weekend as Ring of Honor's return to Chicago Ridge. I am not pleased at all. Maybe they'd let me leave Saturday afternoon and come back Sunday morning. Here's the thing: I always have a ball at Ring of Honor, but if I miss this retreat, I know I will regret it. So I'm trying to sell the ticket I already brought for ROH. Anybody want it? It's third row by the wrestler's entrance! If you don't know the wrestlers, it's okay, I'll prep you on anything you need to know before the show!
9) I'm getting my metrosexual treatment on Saturday at Sportclips. Now people may not think of me as being Metro and my style of dress wouldn't suggest that I am as my wardrobe basically spreads from blue to black. And I've never had a facial, manicure, or any other of these David Beckham/Brad Pitt/George Clooney deals. But I'm looking forward to my massage, steamed towel treatment, and full shampoo and conditioner on top of my haircut.
10) I have to credit the Filling Station in downtown St. Charles. They have a good burger, but their fries are excellent. They are handcut (like Scooby's used to be) and you can tell by the way they look and the taste. When you pop one in your mouth, it just tastes fresh.
Bonus: I'll throw in two Mitch Hedberg jokes.
I drove by a company that sells manufactured homes. But these are repossessed manufactured homes. I would not want to be a manufactured home repo man. Those would be hard to sneak away. "Knock, knock, knock. Hi, could you go cut your grass... then look that way for half an hour?"
I bought a scratch-off lottery ticket, but then I accidentally spilled calamine lotion on it, so it did not need to be scratched. Damn! I will not know if I have won!
First of all, to the anonymous dude who asked about the cute female Cardinals fan whose blog I had visited and was in conversation with, she took down her photo. Sorry.
A few notes as the weekend approaches.
1) Facebook is bigger than Myspace now. I probably have 25 or so friends on Myspace (half of whom are musicians or wrestlers). But in three weeks, I already have passed that number on Facebook. For one thing, it's much better organized. And also, the restrictions on picture sizes isn't as bad.
2) My last 3 disc golf rounds have been +12, +12, +15. I'm getting better and better, I just wish I could throw a straight disc when I want to. What can I say, a physical activity that's free just works well for me.
3) My volleyball league resumes in either one or two weeks, depending how quickly some teams can get assembled. I'm ready to defend our championship.
4) I don't see the Jets winning against the evil Patriots this week, although New England seems a little vulnerable right now, and I see the Giants laying the Eagles to waste.
5) One more win and the Mets clinch the National League East for the first time since Ronald Reagan was President! I'll feel bad that we'll win while our old teammate Xavier Nady is on the other team, but that's the unfortunate breaks of life. And I wish it could have been at home too. But hey our magic number for clinching the best record in the NL is 5. Who am I to complain. If we only had homefield in the World Series...
6) Fantasy baseball is going well. I'm in the semifinals in two leagues and winning both by slim margins, including one over a certain Brian Geddes. I am Wright of Way, he is Spanky McButterpants, which coincidentally is my name in an upcoming movie. Funny, I finished first in the regular season, he finished sixth out of eight and he beat me both times we played. As for the other, I'm "Team...The Time..." the #2 seed facing the #3 and this guy is making moves literally every day to beat me. So far I'm holding up 6-4 through Thursday and the game ends Sunday. I want a championship, but If I win both my games this week, the worst that can happen is two second place finishes. I'd be okay with that.
7) I saw a piece on CBS about Greenhouse gasses and the effects on the environment. Now I'm no environmentalist, but this bothered me. Due to global warming, ice is melting faster in the Arctic Circle. Consequently, animals who live there like polar bears could be in trouble, small islands could eventually flood, and heat droughts could get worse in time. This guy says we have about a decade to really reverse the effects or they may be unchangeable. Not a pleasant thought.
8) Hard news: Ecclesia's fall retreat is scheduled for October 27-29, the same weekend as Ring of Honor's return to Chicago Ridge. I am not pleased at all. Maybe they'd let me leave Saturday afternoon and come back Sunday morning. Here's the thing: I always have a ball at Ring of Honor, but if I miss this retreat, I know I will regret it. So I'm trying to sell the ticket I already brought for ROH. Anybody want it? It's third row by the wrestler's entrance! If you don't know the wrestlers, it's okay, I'll prep you on anything you need to know before the show!
9) I'm getting my metrosexual treatment on Saturday at Sportclips. Now people may not think of me as being Metro and my style of dress wouldn't suggest that I am as my wardrobe basically spreads from blue to black. And I've never had a facial, manicure, or any other of these David Beckham/Brad Pitt/George Clooney deals. But I'm looking forward to my massage, steamed towel treatment, and full shampoo and conditioner on top of my haircut.
10) I have to credit the Filling Station in downtown St. Charles. They have a good burger, but their fries are excellent. They are handcut (like Scooby's used to be) and you can tell by the way they look and the taste. When you pop one in your mouth, it just tastes fresh.
Bonus: I'll throw in two Mitch Hedberg jokes.
I drove by a company that sells manufactured homes. But these are repossessed manufactured homes. I would not want to be a manufactured home repo man. Those would be hard to sneak away. "Knock, knock, knock. Hi, could you go cut your grass... then look that way for half an hour?"
I bought a scratch-off lottery ticket, but then I accidentally spilled calamine lotion on it, so it did not need to be scratched. Damn! I will not know if I have won!
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Mindy and Milwaukee Part 2
So around 7, I said goodbye to Mickie and Jamie and drove up Water Street to the Pabst Theater. I parked in an adjacent hotel for 6 bucks. I walked outside the Wyndham lobby and the theater was the first building to the left. It's a very small theater, but it's been around for 100 years. Great architecture and just a good, intimate place to see a concert. It's actually registere as a National Historic Landmark. Kris Kristofferson, Branford Marsalis (former Tonight Show bandleader), comedian Caroline Rhea, and Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) are playing there in the future.
I got a fourth row seat on the far left for 20 bucks. The top 2 levels were closed but I'd say 300-400 were in attendance. The show started at 8 and was sponsored by a local public radio station. I guess they focus on playing good simple, non-commercial music. Good to know that radio like that is out there because I can't find it in Chicago.
The Greencards opened up, and they're an acoustic trio from Australia and England (mandolin, bass, fiddle). They added a guitar player for the show. They touched on folk, bluegrass, and country and they just released their third record. In between songs, the fiddler from London (which I never thought I'd hear) took a few shots at Paris Hilton's record selling so well which got a pretty loud reaction. They played for about 45 minutes, but they can really play fast. Good opener.
Then came Robinella. If that girl doesn't have a Tennessee accent, I don't know who does. Her husband played keyboard, while she picked the guitar. And she must have a good word of mouth following, because the merchandise stand had a lot of her souvenirs available.
After our second intermission, Mindy came out. It was just her and a mandolin player. She went for about an hour and 10 minutes, which is good when she only has one album out right now. But "Long Island Shores" comes out next month and I will get it. On stage, she was a little goofy, laughing a lot, and always apologizing when she hit a wrong guitar chord. And though she lives in Tennessee, I can still hear her Long Island accent come through, particualrly on words like song, or as she said it "so-wong."
Now I really don't like when most singers sing high notes, but when she does it, she sounds so vulnerable and needing, and maybe a little desperate. But at the same time, I can still hear hope in there too. When she goes into the chorus on "One Moment More," a song she wrote for her late mother, it still leaves me weak. "Come to Jesus" and "Jolene" got the biggest pops. Then we got her back onstage for an encore and she was caught off guard. She said, a little embarrassed, "I didn't prepare anything else!" But she did one more song anyway. I wish she had hung around for a bit like the first two acts did so I could have met her, but hey, that's the breaks.
The show went 3 hours and I got home around 1 am after following some lousy directions from Mapquest. They took me all through Cook County. But a very good night all in all. The drive is long but the venue, music, and atmosphere were great.
I got a fourth row seat on the far left for 20 bucks. The top 2 levels were closed but I'd say 300-400 were in attendance. The show started at 8 and was sponsored by a local public radio station. I guess they focus on playing good simple, non-commercial music. Good to know that radio like that is out there because I can't find it in Chicago.
The Greencards opened up, and they're an acoustic trio from Australia and England (mandolin, bass, fiddle). They added a guitar player for the show. They touched on folk, bluegrass, and country and they just released their third record. In between songs, the fiddler from London (which I never thought I'd hear) took a few shots at Paris Hilton's record selling so well which got a pretty loud reaction. They played for about 45 minutes, but they can really play fast. Good opener.
Then came Robinella. If that girl doesn't have a Tennessee accent, I don't know who does. Her husband played keyboard, while she picked the guitar. And she must have a good word of mouth following, because the merchandise stand had a lot of her souvenirs available.
After our second intermission, Mindy came out. It was just her and a mandolin player. She went for about an hour and 10 minutes, which is good when she only has one album out right now. But "Long Island Shores" comes out next month and I will get it. On stage, she was a little goofy, laughing a lot, and always apologizing when she hit a wrong guitar chord. And though she lives in Tennessee, I can still hear her Long Island accent come through, particualrly on words like song, or as she said it "so-wong."
Now I really don't like when most singers sing high notes, but when she does it, she sounds so vulnerable and needing, and maybe a little desperate. But at the same time, I can still hear hope in there too. When she goes into the chorus on "One Moment More," a song she wrote for her late mother, it still leaves me weak. "Come to Jesus" and "Jolene" got the biggest pops. Then we got her back onstage for an encore and she was caught off guard. She said, a little embarrassed, "I didn't prepare anything else!" But she did one more song anyway. I wish she had hung around for a bit like the first two acts did so I could have met her, but hey, that's the breaks.
The show went 3 hours and I got home around 1 am after following some lousy directions from Mapquest. They took me all through Cook County. But a very good night all in all. The drive is long but the venue, music, and atmosphere were great.
Mindy and Milwaukee Part 1
Mindy Smith is awesome. After Saturday's concert, that's all I can really say.
I got into Milwaukee around 5:45 and decided to grab some dinner. My target was the Milwaukee Ale House just a mile or so down the street from the theater where the concert was. Being that it was Saturday and I was in a new city, I searched hard for a parking spot until I parked right across the street from the restaurant. I parked illegally in front of a fire hydrant, but I guess the Milwaukee cops are cool.
So I went inside and noticed a very busy atmosphere. There was a guy playing a guitar on stage and there ws a pretty good mix of people. Mostly white, but there were families, business people, groups of friends, and a few people my age. The wait was already 45 minutes and that would have just been for me! So I went to the bar and found a seat.
I ordered a sampler of beer which was 6 beers (30 ounces) for 7 bucks. Not too bad. The tender laid out this placemat with a spot for each beer. Each square contained the history of the beer and how it related to Milwaukee's culture and history. I guess beer can be educational.
The Downtown Lites is a light, flavorful, crisp ale brewed with pale malt and 60 pounds of Wisconsin honey per batch. I like a crisp beer, but this was a little light for me. I needed a ittle more body. Then I had a Session Beer, which varies from season to season. I don't know what it was, but it was hoppy and I thought it was good enough. Then came the Solomon Juneau. Excellent. It's a golden ale with a crisp dry finish thanks to genuine saaz hops from the Czech Republic. Not too light, not too heavy, refreshing, yet substantial. Thumbs up.
Then came the Pullchain Pail Ale, a hoppy American ale built with Cascade hops and balanced with choice British East Kent Goldings. (Yes, I'm quoting from the website!) A little more complex than the Juneau in terms of flavor. I still enjoyed the taste. I would have gotten this with a hearty meal in cool weather. Then came Louie's Demise, and the body picked up. This is a more German style ale. This would be more of a cold weather beer, if I was to drink a beer in cold weather. Finally, the Sheepshead Stout. It had that dark Guinness look, and tasted really strong. It was a creamy stout brewed with nine malts. Not my taste. Strangely, of the 5 specific beers I mentioned, the Juneau has the lowest number of votes according to an online survey about people's favorite beer at the ale house. A lot of the darker ones are ranked higher. Ah well.
So I ordered a sirloin steak sandwich and a Juneau beer. Just before my food arrived, a couple of ladies around my age, Mickie and Jamie, sat next to me. It was a little hard hearing them with all the noise, which made for some strange misunderstandings. Like I thought one said she was a baker and it turned out she said banker. They even said I mispronounced Wisconsin, because I didn't say it Wis-caan-sin. They could tell I was from out of state. We talked about work, things to do in the city, and the whole just out of college thing. Sorry, just not much more to say...
The sandwich was served with sauteed mushrooms and onions and horseradish spread on a ciabatta bun with mashed potatoes on the side. Ciabatta seems to be the big bread now doesn't it? It's the midwest's attempt to be Italian. Trying to avoid fries, I hoped the mashed would be really good, especially at an ale house. But no skins, cheese, or herbs. They were just whipped potatoes with seasoning. The steak was cooked perfectly medium rare with a crispy char crust on the outside. The horseradish had a more of a creamy consistency which blended in well with the shrooms and onions. For the sampler, sandwich, and beer, I paid 25 bucks, which is not bad.
Actually, felt like steak and the sandwich was 12 bucks by itself.
I got into Milwaukee around 5:45 and decided to grab some dinner. My target was the Milwaukee Ale House just a mile or so down the street from the theater where the concert was. Being that it was Saturday and I was in a new city, I searched hard for a parking spot until I parked right across the street from the restaurant. I parked illegally in front of a fire hydrant, but I guess the Milwaukee cops are cool.
So I went inside and noticed a very busy atmosphere. There was a guy playing a guitar on stage and there ws a pretty good mix of people. Mostly white, but there were families, business people, groups of friends, and a few people my age. The wait was already 45 minutes and that would have just been for me! So I went to the bar and found a seat.
I ordered a sampler of beer which was 6 beers (30 ounces) for 7 bucks. Not too bad. The tender laid out this placemat with a spot for each beer. Each square contained the history of the beer and how it related to Milwaukee's culture and history. I guess beer can be educational.
The Downtown Lites is a light, flavorful, crisp ale brewed with pale malt and 60 pounds of Wisconsin honey per batch. I like a crisp beer, but this was a little light for me. I needed a ittle more body. Then I had a Session Beer, which varies from season to season. I don't know what it was, but it was hoppy and I thought it was good enough. Then came the Solomon Juneau. Excellent. It's a golden ale with a crisp dry finish thanks to genuine saaz hops from the Czech Republic. Not too light, not too heavy, refreshing, yet substantial. Thumbs up.
Then came the Pullchain Pail Ale, a hoppy American ale built with Cascade hops and balanced with choice British East Kent Goldings. (Yes, I'm quoting from the website!) A little more complex than the Juneau in terms of flavor. I still enjoyed the taste. I would have gotten this with a hearty meal in cool weather. Then came Louie's Demise, and the body picked up. This is a more German style ale. This would be more of a cold weather beer, if I was to drink a beer in cold weather. Finally, the Sheepshead Stout. It had that dark Guinness look, and tasted really strong. It was a creamy stout brewed with nine malts. Not my taste. Strangely, of the 5 specific beers I mentioned, the Juneau has the lowest number of votes according to an online survey about people's favorite beer at the ale house. A lot of the darker ones are ranked higher. Ah well.
So I ordered a sirloin steak sandwich and a Juneau beer. Just before my food arrived, a couple of ladies around my age, Mickie and Jamie, sat next to me. It was a little hard hearing them with all the noise, which made for some strange misunderstandings. Like I thought one said she was a baker and it turned out she said banker. They even said I mispronounced Wisconsin, because I didn't say it Wis-caan-sin. They could tell I was from out of state. We talked about work, things to do in the city, and the whole just out of college thing. Sorry, just not much more to say...
The sandwich was served with sauteed mushrooms and onions and horseradish spread on a ciabatta bun with mashed potatoes on the side. Ciabatta seems to be the big bread now doesn't it? It's the midwest's attempt to be Italian. Trying to avoid fries, I hoped the mashed would be really good, especially at an ale house. But no skins, cheese, or herbs. They were just whipped potatoes with seasoning. The steak was cooked perfectly medium rare with a crispy char crust on the outside. The horseradish had a more of a creamy consistency which blended in well with the shrooms and onions. For the sampler, sandwich, and beer, I paid 25 bucks, which is not bad.
Actually, felt like steak and the sandwich was 12 bucks by itself.
That's the way it goes
I guess the biggest rewards in your life come from times when you have to take risks and/or get challenged. With the possibility of a new job, this thought is running through my mind. I had an interview for the Chicago Hounds UHL hockey team that will be playing at the new Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates. I would be an account executive, which is a nice way of saying selling tickets.
I don't mind saying I am afraid. The guy I would be working for seems like a fair guy but a little paranoid. After all, his concern is the bottom line, results. And sales is something I've been trying to get away from. But if I want to work in sports, this would be a good start. Because the challenge is just getting your foot in the door. That industry is very exclusive and if I can get in, who knows what it may lead to.
So this guy is going to call me back later this week. Somehow, I feel I'm going to get the job. I'm praying about it. But somehow, I still am fighting fear.
I don't mind saying I am afraid. The guy I would be working for seems like a fair guy but a little paranoid. After all, his concern is the bottom line, results. And sales is something I've been trying to get away from. But if I want to work in sports, this would be a good start. Because the challenge is just getting your foot in the door. That industry is very exclusive and if I can get in, who knows what it may lead to.
So this guy is going to call me back later this week. Somehow, I feel I'm going to get the job. I'm praying about it. But somehow, I still am fighting fear.
Friday, September 08, 2006
The weekend is upon us
And my 65 hours of work are done. Good news: I won the aforementioned contest and my DVD should arrive in a week or so. So Boon Dock Saints will name his fantasy hockey team Claudio Cast-zamboni. I really enjoy making worthwhile contributions to society.
I'm going into Milwaukee Saturday night. Mindy Smith is in concert at the famed Pabst Theater. I'm planning on stopping at the Milwaukee Ale House down on Water Street, getting some dinner, and try some local beer. The reviews I've heard for that place have been really good. And of course, it's supposed to rain which literally happens every time I go to Milwaukee.
Last night kicked off the NFL seaosn. Tight end Heath Miller gave John and I an -87 yard catch for a touchdown in our fantasy league. The tight end gave us 16 fantasy points! Very good start. If only Joey Porter hadn't returned that interception for a touchdown, I'd have been thrilled with last night's game.
Off to play a round of disc golf in Bartlett.
I'm going into Milwaukee Saturday night. Mindy Smith is in concert at the famed Pabst Theater. I'm planning on stopping at the Milwaukee Ale House down on Water Street, getting some dinner, and try some local beer. The reviews I've heard for that place have been really good. And of course, it's supposed to rain which literally happens every time I go to Milwaukee.
Last night kicked off the NFL seaosn. Tight end Heath Miller gave John and I an -87 yard catch for a touchdown in our fantasy league. The tight end gave us 16 fantasy points! Very good start. If only Joey Porter hadn't returned that interception for a touchdown, I'd have been thrilled with last night's game.
Off to play a round of disc golf in Bartlett.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Okay, okay I admit it
I'm going to jump right into this story. And by the way, please give me some feedback. The last comment I have came 3 weeks ago from some St.Louis Cardinal fan, whose blog I had posted on. She was cute in the picture I saw so I had to post...
Two of my favorite sports are pro wrestling and hockey. Now if you aren't giggling, sighing, or shaking your head, this is good. So I'm on the Ring of Honor message boards and this guy (Boondock Saint) has a thread going. He has a fantasy hockey team and he wants to give his team an ROH themed name. He promised a prize to the winner. I thought for about 30 seconds and then the name hit me.
I thought to myself the one thing about hockey that even non-hockey fans love is the Zamboni. There are people who would rather watch this machine with beer ads on it resurface the ice between periods than take a photo with the Stanley Cup, the best trophy in all of sports. So I figured I should do something with the zamboni, since I figured others would try to use it also.
And then in my mind, I began running through the list of Ring of Honor wrestlers and one name stuck. Claudio Castagnoli (pronounced Cast-ag-noll-ee). He's a rich, Swiss mid-card guy who wrestles more of a technical style. He's well known for saying "Heyyy!" kind of like an old Italian family. His finisher, the Ricola Bomb takes its name from Ricola, the famous Swiss cough drop.
And so I combined the two: Claudio Cast-zamboni
The feedback has been incredible. These are actual quotes from other board members, who don't exactly give out praise too easily.
"Winner."
"I'm done. Give it to Claudio Cast-Zamboni."
"Crap, I should learn to read. I say go with Cast-zamboni."
"Claudio Cast-Zamboni... Easy."
"I'm a huge fan of the Superteam of Honor name there, but due to how creative another is, I'll go with: Claudio Cast-Zamboni. Genius right there."
And my favorite:
"Give that man the $10,000!" to which I wrote "I'll take cash or certified check."
Now BD Saint took the top 5 names, which mine is one of, and said the most votes for each one would determine the winner. The other nominees are Team Ghana (after the Embassy faction (Lame!)), CM Pucks (reference to CM Punk (Good one)), Superteam of Honor (named after a famous show (so-so), and Second City Skates (reference to the Second City Saints faction (I like this)). And said he would make a decision by Tuesday midnight and the winner would get a free ROH DVD. It's already Wednesday noon.
The voting as of 12 pm Wednesday is:
Cast-zamboni-5 votes
Team Ghana- 2 votes
Second City Skates-1 vote
Superteam of Honor-1 vote
CM Pucks-1 vote
Hey Boondock Saint, I'm waiting for my DVD! I'll take Joe vs Kobashi!
Two of my favorite sports are pro wrestling and hockey. Now if you aren't giggling, sighing, or shaking your head, this is good. So I'm on the Ring of Honor message boards and this guy (Boondock Saint) has a thread going. He has a fantasy hockey team and he wants to give his team an ROH themed name. He promised a prize to the winner. I thought for about 30 seconds and then the name hit me.
I thought to myself the one thing about hockey that even non-hockey fans love is the Zamboni. There are people who would rather watch this machine with beer ads on it resurface the ice between periods than take a photo with the Stanley Cup, the best trophy in all of sports. So I figured I should do something with the zamboni, since I figured others would try to use it also.
And then in my mind, I began running through the list of Ring of Honor wrestlers and one name stuck. Claudio Castagnoli (pronounced Cast-ag-noll-ee). He's a rich, Swiss mid-card guy who wrestles more of a technical style. He's well known for saying "Heyyy!" kind of like an old Italian family. His finisher, the Ricola Bomb takes its name from Ricola, the famous Swiss cough drop.
And so I combined the two: Claudio Cast-zamboni
The feedback has been incredible. These are actual quotes from other board members, who don't exactly give out praise too easily.
"Winner."
"I'm done. Give it to Claudio Cast-Zamboni."
"Crap, I should learn to read. I say go with Cast-zamboni."
"Claudio Cast-Zamboni... Easy."
"I'm a huge fan of the Superteam of Honor name there, but due to how creative another is, I'll go with: Claudio Cast-Zamboni. Genius right there."
And my favorite:
"Give that man the $10,000!" to which I wrote "I'll take cash or certified check."
Now BD Saint took the top 5 names, which mine is one of, and said the most votes for each one would determine the winner. The other nominees are Team Ghana (after the Embassy faction (Lame!)), CM Pucks (reference to CM Punk (Good one)), Superteam of Honor (named after a famous show (so-so), and Second City Skates (reference to the Second City Saints faction (I like this)). And said he would make a decision by Tuesday midnight and the winner would get a free ROH DVD. It's already Wednesday noon.
The voting as of 12 pm Wednesday is:
Cast-zamboni-5 votes
Team Ghana- 2 votes
Second City Skates-1 vote
Superteam of Honor-1 vote
CM Pucks-1 vote
Hey Boondock Saint, I'm waiting for my DVD! I'll take Joe vs Kobashi!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
First article
I still remember writing my first article. It was for a newspaper at a summer camp I was attending. I wrote my article and the editor liked my article. She said she liked it but she wanted me to rewrite it. So I thought to myself. "They want me to rewrite it? Forget it. I'll just make a copy."
Eight miles high
That's no exaggeration friends. I went to see Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young in concert last Sunday night in Tinley Park. The show (including intermission) went about 3 and a half hours. All in all, I would rate it as very good.
Mom and I arrived at the venue around 5:30. The doors opened at 6 and the show started at 7:30. For the sake of cash, we had brought seats on the lawn. As we're walking up the ramp that led to the lawn, a guy handed us two tickets. They were upgrades into the main seating area and they were right in the middle section! The prices were so high that most people went for the lawn. Wouldn't it make sense that if they had dropped the price of the more expensive seats by about 10 percent they could have made more money?
And I hung around the concession and souvenir stands for a little bit. I have never seen more expensive items at any venue for a show. 20 bucks for flip flops. $100 for a Stephen Stills Hawaiian shirt. No CD's available. And the food was absurd. 5 bucks for a burger, 3.75 for water, at least 7.50 for a domestic beer, and 15 bucks for a margherita. The cheapest thing I saw were the $2 bundt cakes. Safe to say, I didn't spend a dime.
The first set was basically all electric. The problem was the words were hard to understand with the guitars so loud. If this was Aerosmith, no big deal. But for a group that relies on harmonies and lyrics, it was a big deal. But the second set, which began with acoustics and progressed to rock as the show ended was excellent. The one song I wanted to hear and didn't was Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, arguably CSN's best known song. The crowd popped big for Our House, Teach Your Children, Ohio, and the finale, Neil's Rockin' in the Free World. I was excited to hear Nash's "Immigration Man," "Southbound Train," Crosby's "Almost Cut My Hair," and Stills' "Carry On." I loved that they had a more full band. Last time it was a bass player and drummer. This time, they also had a trumpet player, keyboardist, and a pedal steel guitarist! And I love a pedal steel and it made "Teach Your Children" sound like it does on the original record. It also gave a nice touch to "Helplessly Hoping." And Crosby and Nash are so good together I would pay just to see the two of them live.
And there was a strong political message as I knew there would be although I must say it was done well. While performing the acoustic classic "Find the Cost of Freedom," they showed a video of Americans who have died in the Middle East over the last 3 years. As the song went on, the faces were shown, and the number increased. The total is over 2,600.
As for the title of this post, well, let's just say the air was very thick. Even though there were "No Smoking" signs scattered throughout the seating area, half the people around me had cigarettes and cigars. And for a good part of the night, I would say almost half of it, I could smell marijuana. It was so nasty, I can't imagine why anyone would get involved with that kind of crap. And here's the ironic part. For security, you were not allowed to bring in cameras, or any beverages. Not even a bottle of water. I guess the policy is you can take a toke, get high all not long, use stuff that will give you cancer, emphysema, kill your brain cells. But if you try to bring in a bottle of water to keep you hydrated and healthy, they're like "What the hell do you think you're bringing in here?!"
Now have you ever seen that website Men Who Look Like Kenny Rogers? Well I saw about 5 guys who looked like clones of David Crosby. I'm talking the mustache, the hair, the whole nine yards. The difference is Crosby cleaned up years ago and I don't think these guys ever did. One of them who was sitting two rows in front of me smoked all night, and drank at least 3 or 4 tall beers. He probably spent more money on drugs than he spent on his tickets.
But in closing, for about 85 bucks for the two of us, the band played a long time, and we got better seats. I'm not sure I would rate it as high as the 2000 show in the United Center when they first reunited, but these four guys can still deliver the goods.
Mom and I arrived at the venue around 5:30. The doors opened at 6 and the show started at 7:30. For the sake of cash, we had brought seats on the lawn. As we're walking up the ramp that led to the lawn, a guy handed us two tickets. They were upgrades into the main seating area and they were right in the middle section! The prices were so high that most people went for the lawn. Wouldn't it make sense that if they had dropped the price of the more expensive seats by about 10 percent they could have made more money?
And I hung around the concession and souvenir stands for a little bit. I have never seen more expensive items at any venue for a show. 20 bucks for flip flops. $100 for a Stephen Stills Hawaiian shirt. No CD's available. And the food was absurd. 5 bucks for a burger, 3.75 for water, at least 7.50 for a domestic beer, and 15 bucks for a margherita. The cheapest thing I saw were the $2 bundt cakes. Safe to say, I didn't spend a dime.
The first set was basically all electric. The problem was the words were hard to understand with the guitars so loud. If this was Aerosmith, no big deal. But for a group that relies on harmonies and lyrics, it was a big deal. But the second set, which began with acoustics and progressed to rock as the show ended was excellent. The one song I wanted to hear and didn't was Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, arguably CSN's best known song. The crowd popped big for Our House, Teach Your Children, Ohio, and the finale, Neil's Rockin' in the Free World. I was excited to hear Nash's "Immigration Man," "Southbound Train," Crosby's "Almost Cut My Hair," and Stills' "Carry On." I loved that they had a more full band. Last time it was a bass player and drummer. This time, they also had a trumpet player, keyboardist, and a pedal steel guitarist! And I love a pedal steel and it made "Teach Your Children" sound like it does on the original record. It also gave a nice touch to "Helplessly Hoping." And Crosby and Nash are so good together I would pay just to see the two of them live.
And there was a strong political message as I knew there would be although I must say it was done well. While performing the acoustic classic "Find the Cost of Freedom," they showed a video of Americans who have died in the Middle East over the last 3 years. As the song went on, the faces were shown, and the number increased. The total is over 2,600.
As for the title of this post, well, let's just say the air was very thick. Even though there were "No Smoking" signs scattered throughout the seating area, half the people around me had cigarettes and cigars. And for a good part of the night, I would say almost half of it, I could smell marijuana. It was so nasty, I can't imagine why anyone would get involved with that kind of crap. And here's the ironic part. For security, you were not allowed to bring in cameras, or any beverages. Not even a bottle of water. I guess the policy is you can take a toke, get high all not long, use stuff that will give you cancer, emphysema, kill your brain cells. But if you try to bring in a bottle of water to keep you hydrated and healthy, they're like "What the hell do you think you're bringing in here?!"
Now have you ever seen that website Men Who Look Like Kenny Rogers? Well I saw about 5 guys who looked like clones of David Crosby. I'm talking the mustache, the hair, the whole nine yards. The difference is Crosby cleaned up years ago and I don't think these guys ever did. One of them who was sitting two rows in front of me smoked all night, and drank at least 3 or 4 tall beers. He probably spent more money on drugs than he spent on his tickets.
But in closing, for about 85 bucks for the two of us, the band played a long time, and we got better seats. I'm not sure I would rate it as high as the 2000 show in the United Center when they first reunited, but these four guys can still deliver the goods.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Big Labor Day weekend...
Well, not really. When you have a bunch of free time from work and no plans, what can you do but blog? I have to say this first of all. And if certain someones from Ecclesia is reading this, and I'm sure she's not, please pay attention. When you have to add fruit flavor into a long island iced tea, it's not really a long island iced tea. The power of the punch has been reduced too much. It's too light and easy. I'd call it more like an East Hamptons iced tea. Raspberry and peach syrup have no business in a long island iced tea.
Crosby Stills Nash and Young concert is on Sunday. I saw them in the United Center six years ago and it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen. Of course we're outdoors and the forecast is calling for rain.
I'll probably hit the gym between now and Monday.
With 12 Ring of Honor DVD's in my collection, I'll watch a few of them this weekend. I can't wait to watch the classic 7-show Milestone series from this past spring.
One more fantasy football draft coming up in 1 hour. Maybe I'll actually get to pick in the top 7!
Time for Jerry Lewis to apply one more coat of black shoe polish to his hair.
Enough rambling. I'm out of here.
Crosby Stills Nash and Young concert is on Sunday. I saw them in the United Center six years ago and it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen. Of course we're outdoors and the forecast is calling for rain.
I'll probably hit the gym between now and Monday.
With 12 Ring of Honor DVD's in my collection, I'll watch a few of them this weekend. I can't wait to watch the classic 7-show Milestone series from this past spring.
One more fantasy football draft coming up in 1 hour. Maybe I'll actually get to pick in the top 7!
Time for Jerry Lewis to apply one more coat of black shoe polish to his hair.
Enough rambling. I'm out of here.
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