Backseat Love OR I Should Have Done This a Super Long Time Ago

So Mrs. Twink posted this forever ago and I just never got around to it. Good thing I can say I at least did it in the same year... here goes.

MEME Rules:

1. Put Your iTunes / music player on Shuffle


2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.


3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT


4. After you’ve answered all of the questions, tag 5 other people and then let them know they’ve been tagged to do the meme themselves!

• IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY? "Welcome to the Fold" - Filter. So I think this may be something that I would say... ummmmm never. So goes the Meme. What's Next???
• WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? "Whisper" - Evanescence. Umm... I don't really think so. Let's be serious, at 6'2" and 200+ I am anything but a Whisper.
• WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? "A Story About a Girl" - Our Lady Peace. I am pretty sure I also like actual girls as opposed to just stories about them... I guess I should get into romance novels or Penthouse letters or something.
• HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? "Blow it Out" Ludacris. Tha'ts right... I don't want to tell you how i feel... so there!
• WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE? "Hello" - Jazz Poet Society. Clearly, if you need to ask you just don't get it. Or maybe it is all about meeting people. Wow... that is deep.
• WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" - Poison. While this is true, a little pain can go a long long way.
• WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? "Candy Girl" - New Edition. Oh Man, I hope not, But I guess you take what you can. It could have been worse.
• WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS? "Shoot Down the Stars" - Gym Class Heroes. I must be out to get my parents. Okay, that isn't true at all.
  
• WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? "Hang Me Out to Dry" - Cold War Kids. Well, At least I can be careless in my summer clothes. On a personal note this is one of my favorite in the car and sing along songs.
• WHAT IS 2+2? "The Catfisherman" - Marah. Yes, the Fisherman can do Math, could you please go ask him?
• WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? "A Thousand Miles" - Vanessa Carlton. A surprisingly appropriate song.
• WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? "Why Do They Rock So Hard?" - Reel Big Fish... it's true, they rock.
• WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?"Barrel of a Gun" - Guster (Y100 Sonic Session Edition). Really, A Barrel of a Gun. Life is hard, but not that hard.
• WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? "Bleed It Out" - Linkin Park (Live Earth Edition) While I don't really want to be bleeding wen I grow up I will dig deeper.
  
• WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? "One of A Kind" - Breaking Point. Sometimes these Meme my iPod things are a little creepy.
• WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? "Why Georgia" - John Mayer. Probably Why Baltimore, but close enough.
  
• WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? "Mr. Brightside" - The Killers. I think I am going to saty away from the adultery songs.
• WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? "High Road" - Fort Minor. I would be okay with this, so long as I actually do take the high road.
  
• WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" - Kanye West with Jay-Z. Diamonds may not be my hobby, but being a mogul, I could see that as a nice distraction.
• WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? "Time + History of the D" - Tenacious D. My secret is that I laugh hysterically at these two funny men.
• WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?"World Go 'Round" - No Doubt. They already do make my world go 'round, no need to find another way.
  
• WHAT SHOULD YOU POST THIS AS? "Backseat Love" - N.E.R.D. Sure... that makes sense.

Well, Glad I got that in this year. If anyone else has the inkling to do this... well you should. it is fun. If you don't have a blog, put it in the comments.

100 Posts... w00t!!!

So this is post number 100 for my thoughts. Who knew that I could think so much. I want to thank everyone who has read the blog to this point. I really like the interaction that has given me and I hope you enjoyed reading it. To mark this occasion you should tell a friend about the blog and post a comment or two.

Thanks for reading and here is to a great new year and another 100 or so posts.

Things Not to Do When Updateing Your Blog Template

When updating your Blog Template do not forget to put your Google Analytics Tracker back into the new template. Turns out this causes some bad things to happen, like reporting no information... That can be kinda annoying.

2008 will be Great

So 2007 is coming to a close. It has been a big year with lots of ups and downs. There were lots of first in my life as well. I thought I would do a personal recap of some stuff. Here goes:

• Professionally - I got laid off, found a great new job (two actually), got promoted and feel like I am on a path for great things in the next year. I have been able to work with a fantastic group of people and am starting to share what I have done with other people as they begin their careers. I have joined the Project Management Institute (today actually), and will be scheduling my exam with my next paycheck, and will have my certification soon. Overall, it was a difficult start to my professional year, but it ended on a great high note. Lets hope this continues in 2008.
• Family - It was a pretty good year in my family as well. Like I said in a previous post I feel like I have come into my own as a member of my family (this is still a weird feeling). Also, things are looking up in terms of family health. Dad is still fighting, but the latest news was extremely positive (read no chemo). Mom is also doing well, as is Gram and the rest of the fam.
• Personal (Friends) - While I lost some people in my life through stubbornness and ridiculousness on both our parts, I have gained or reconnected with quite a few people whom I really value. I am constantly reminded that I have the greatest friends in the world. I want you all to know how much you all mean to me and how much I value our friendships. I have no doubt that good people will continue to enter my life and I can only hope that each one of you receive the same gift in 2008.
• Personal (Relationships) - A little rougher on this front over the course of the year. I think at 26 I am finally realizing that I have alot to offer someone and deserve someone in my life who I can share with, who I am happy with and who I can be myself with. Next year I am going to try to put myself out there a little more than I have in the past. I am not entirely sure how I am going to go about this, but I am no longer going to do things to prevent myself from being hurt, cause at the same time I am preventing myself from being happy.
• Personal Growth - There have been lots of time throughout my life where i have felt like I have grown up too fast, where lots of things have been dumped on my, but this year was different. I didn't grow up because of stuff happening to me. I grew up because I choose to. It is weird, and in many ways I tried to stay a kid, but it is happening. I am slowly bettering myself, the situations I am in and the communities which I am part of.

So overall, 2007 was pretty good. There are lots of loose ends that I hope will get tied up really soon, but I can be patient. Really, I liked 2007 and 2008 looks like it will be a fantastic year.

A New Blog Template and Some Other Improvements

If you are a frequent visitor you may notice some changes to the site. I am going to try to layout the steps I took to make these changes in case you want to make some improvements to your blog as well.

First, you will notice that the blog is now wider. This is a huge deal since the standard templates that are included in blogger are quite thin. I checked Google Analytics and saw that most of my readers have above 1024 pixels wide resolution. I did not want to push the boundaries of everyones screens, so I increased the width to 960 pixels. This means that I could add 220 pixels to the posting area of the blog (Yay). I googled quite a bit and found all the areas I needed to change within the HTML template.

From there I needed to adjust the images that are used to round the corners throughout the blog. Three images are used to create the look of each section. The corners on the top, the corners at the bottom and the rails that run along the side make up each section. I used a great program called Paint.net to adjust each one of the images (which you can find in the HTML template). In order to use the adjusted images I used my Google Page Creator account to upload the images and have them available via a link. This pretty much finished the widening of the page.

I then used Paint.net again to create a new header for the page. I like the new design. It feels like it fits the page and makes it seem more professional then the standard header. It was really easy to create, about 20 minutes in I was all done. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Last changes were around the ads running after posts. I decided that I really wanted them centered so I added them to the template using the Google Adsense script as opposed to letting blogger do this for me. This gives me a little more control on placement and look of each ad.

Now that I have made these changes I may be making a couple more. I have put my foot in the water. If I decide to make a jump, watch out for the splash.

An Update... An Update... YAY an Update

Hello My friends,

It has been a while. With the holidays and lots of work I have not had a ton of time to gather my thoughts and update you on what is going on in my life. I have a second or two today so lets take a care of a little bit of house cleaning.

First, I have been able to cross off a couple of things from my 101 in 1001. One was a huge surprise. I was promoted to a Senior Consultant with my company. I was sitting at home on a Sunday when I got the news. The Eagles were playing and I was checking my email while watching the game. I saw the mail and i screamed a little. My sister was in earshot. The following scene then took place:

My Sis: What happened? Who Scored?
Me: I Did!!!

Like I said this was a little bit of a surprise. I have only been with my company for nine months, but I guess hard work paid off. If anyone is looking to join the dark side please let me know and send me your resume. Cross the promotion off my list.

Another item crossed off was making homemade pasta. I had $25 to spend at amazon and was debating what to get. I ended up with a nice little pasta machine. I made a test batch last week where I left the noodles a little to big. Last night I made another batch for the roomies and it was scrumptious. Turns out pasta is pretty easy to make, just a little time consuming. Another item crossed off the list.

On another note, the Holidays were pretty standard for me and the family, though we did some tradition bucking for the better. This was the first year that I really felt like an adult during holiday time. I am not sure what it was, but there was just something about this year that made me feel better about the whole thing. It may have had something to do with the conversations between myself, my 35ish year old cousin and my 65ish great aunt about her Wii and DS. That is right. I have a granny gamer in the family.

Outside of those things there is not a ton going on. I am working hard right now to get ahead of the game financially. It is not really fun, but it will pay off in the long run.

I am going to have a couple posts today. Stay tuned.

If Wrestling was Life: Five Things in Wrestling that Would be Cool in Real Life

So I was watching wrestling last night and I decided that there are some things that happen during the great male soap opera that would be really cool if they happened in real life.

1. Championship Belts - This has started to take hold in other sports already. Seriously, how awesome would it be if they gave you a belt as you graduated college, or got a promotion. Something to show all those other folks what you have accomplished. Carry your belt on your shoulder as you were picking up groceries at the supermarket. Have competitions for biggest and most belts. Even better... Could you imaging the pickup lines? "Hey baby, I was wondering if you could help shine my Belt". Okay, that probably wouldn't work.
   
   Yeah, a Championship belt. I would get it from this guy, cause if you are going to wear a belt, it might as well be from the source.
   
   Would you carry your belt with you and show it off or stash it on the mantle? Could you be challenged for your belt by your rival? So many questions to ponder.


2. Entrance Music - You walk through the doors of your office a gong hits and the music begins. Maybe a pryo here or there. What a good way to announce your presence. It says to the rest of the room, "I don't know or care what you are doing, please stop everything and acknowledge that I am here". Don't you think that everyone could do with a little more acknowledgment? I am so coming in to "Sirus" by the Alan Parsons Project
   
   Now that I think about it, this could get annoying. Maybe there should be entrance music for just me?
   
   If you had it, what would you choose for your entrance music?



3. Divas - Okay, I can't lie, being the full blooded American male that I am there is a special place in my...heart... for some of the beautiful ladies that enter the ring each week, particularly this one.
   
   The characters they play run the gamut from crazy psycho to sweet an innocent. Seriously, take your pick, every type of personality represented and every one really good looking. The other great part about the Divas, there choices in men. In real life not a single one of them would ever choose the wrestlers that their characters find attractive. When was the last time you saw a beautiful girl on the arm of some guy named Ballz? If only it were real!
   
   Yeah, I know this is crazy, but it is my fantasy, I will put in it what I want.
   
   
   
4. The Call Out - Wouldn't it be nice? Whenever you needed someone you could call out their name and they would appear in the doorway. Think of the possibilities. Need a cup of coffee, yell for Juan Valdez. Hungry? I think Emril is free, just give him a shout. he will show up in 3...2...1. If only it were true. Oh, and if you are frustrated call out that bully from elementary school. It turns out he is an accountant and you can take him easily now. Don't believe me? Just call him out and get back all that lunch money, adjusted for inflation.
   
5. Number five.... turns out there isn't a number five. Just the four listed above. If you can think of a fifth leave me a comment.

Sme Timez U Nd 2 LOL

moar funny pictures

I Can't Wait for This....

I am a huge fan of Batman and I think the next movie with Christian Bale and Heath Ledger is going to be really good. Take a look at the posted just released on the Joker's viral site (whysoserious.com)

I can't wait.

This May Be the Cutest Thing Ever

I found this photo through Digg and their new images section. It is by a guy named Christopher and it is on flickr.

Are you ready

Seriously be prepared for the cuteness.

This thing is kinda ridiculous.

Pug Dogs need love too.

Told you it was cute

Oh What a Lovely Tofurkey Day

So yesterday was Thanksgiving. I have quite a bit to be thankful for this year. Life has been pretty good lately. I have the most amazing family and friends, I have been staying busy and getting ahead on the things that are important to me right now in life. Overall things are good.

Now I didn't head home for thanksgiving this year. I am working today (Friday) at both T. Rowe and Apple, so doing the drive just wouldn't make that much sense. Instead I spent the day at home slept in and cooked myself dinner.

I am still in my month of no meat, so I tried to make a tofu turkey. This was an experience to say the least. I tried to make this dish by hand. Lets just say that the sides were really good. There were some pieces of the lump bird that were quite tasty, but overall I am going to call it a culinary failure. I hear that twink's store bought tofurkey loaf was pretty good. I think we are having leftovers on Monday. YAY. The sides actually were really good, but I thin that next year I may go with Turducken as opposed to Tofurkey.

Overall, the day at home with Onyx (Ben's Cat) was quite relaxing, which is good cause i am going to need it. today was PT, then work, then work again, home around 12:30.

Peace Out

An Interesting Weekend

My friend Andy is getting married next month and this past weekend was his bachelor party. Chad, who is Andy's best man got a limo and made reservations at Delilah's, which is considered one of the best strip clubs in Philly. Here is the thing... I have never been to a strip club. Seriously. Not once. I was pretty nervous going in. I guess I was outwardly displaying my nervousness. I thought I was being cool, but I guess not.

Within the first 20 minutes or so I had someone come over and sit on my lap... this turns out to be a rather normal occurrence. This was the point where the people who I was with figured out that I had never been to such an establishment before. I guess they could tell that it made me really nervous. A few minutes later another, extremely attractive girl comes over to sit on my lap (no one else had been "proposed" to at this point). My friends decided they were going to pay for a dance for me. It was still very strange, but the girl did a really good job of making me feel comfortable and actually talking to me. We actually talked for a while, which I know is not at all the norm, but it was still pretty cool... OMG

I'm in love with a stripper

Okay, not really, but it was a good time and she was super nice. (oh, and she is from Ohio and studying to be a dental hygienist, yeah I am the guy who knows that). If you are ever in Philly and looking for a club, go to Delilah's. I am still not really into the whole scene, but it was a cool experience.

The rest of the night was exactly what you would expect. We had a good time and Chad got CRAZY DRUNK. To illustrate this lets talk about when we got back from the club. We all piled into Andy's place and then we realized that Chad was not in the apartment with us. We went outside and started looking for him. It was dark, and while Chad is not particularly stealthy, he is not easy to find in a very large apartment complex with all sorts of wooded areas and shadowy places. After driving around we circled back towards the apartment, Andy happened to go walk the dog out the back steps and found Chad, passed out on the landing a mere 7 steps from the door... DRUNK. If anyone who is in reality TV production is reading this, get a camera and follow Chad... you will have a hit on your hands.

Ok, more to talk about in later posts.

Home Again, Home Again

I headed back to the greatest city in the world this weekend. I am headed to my friends Bacholer party later tonight. It should be ab interesting night. Depending on what happens I will give you a recap soon.

I did want to mention that I became official this past week in a couple of ways. I turned Twenty One.... ok, not really, but it was worth a shot. I did become an official resident of Maryland. I went to the MVA on Wednesday morning. I was actually quite surprised by the service. I had heard nothing but horror stories about this place, but it really wasn't bad at all. There was however the woman who clearly had Tuberculosis and was coughing all over the public phone behind me. Seriously, she shouldn't even be living, let alone driving. Why did she need to be there, at the MVA, spreading her death cough. It took me about two hours to get everything done (license and tags) and probably would have been quicker if I had done them in the opposite order than what I did. If you need to move to Maryland, get your license and then your tags.

The second way I became official is that I got my first check from Apple Inc. YAY... I work at Apple. So Cool. There really isn't more I can say than that, but YAY.

Today is All Wet

So I started out my morning pretty normally. Up early to head to PT. I get out of my house, having locked the door behind me and then it happens... I realize that I just locked myself out of the house (aka I left my keys in the house). I had to call my roommate and ask him to let me in. Ben is a super trooper, particularly since I had to call him at 7am to let me back in. Thanks again Ben.

I then went to therapy, which was great. I have made alot of progress with my leg, even though my bruise is wicked sweet. I am not going to need to go for very long, which is good, cause I did not put enough money in my HSA to cover all of this. I will be greatly increasing my contribution for next year.

Then came my favorite part of the morning. I was walking into work, as I normally do, and I began to feel something in my foot. This did not immediately strike me as something strange, due to everything going on in my leg I figured it was a strange side effect of my crazy bruise. I then began to think about this a little longer and realized I was feeling water in my shoe. Again, this did not strike me as all that strange. It was raining so I figured that I had gotten some water in my shoe, just from general walking, as happens every so often. Then it hit me. The moisture that I was feeling in my shoe was coming from the bottom and middle of my foot.... OMG... I HAVE A HOLE IN MY SHOE. Seriously. I have had these shoes for a couple of years, but still. A freaking hole in my shoe. So I am kinda pissed, I like these shoes.

I guess, tonight I will grab a new pair of shoes tonight before work at the store. Stupid water.

A Good Weekend and a Busy Week Ahead

I had a blast this weekend. It has been quite a while since I had a really great weekend (not including Erin and Kyle's Wedding. Of course there are some things that I probably should not have done, but no skin off my back. Between going out with Mark, Julia and others on Friday, to Sushi on Saturday, to the Social that night, it was a good time. I hope that my weekends continue to be this good over the next few months. Actually, I hope they continue for ever, but i'll take what I can get.

As for the update that I am sure you are all waiting with baited breath for... Here is a couple new pictures of my leg.

Notice the lovely colors and strong contrast between elements. The purples and blues are quite astonishing.

It is actually getting better. It feels better at least. I can get pretty tight during the day, but it feels stronger. The hardest part is flexing my leg, but I guess that is why I am going to therapy.

Well, it is going to be a busy week. My role at the day job will be shifting a little and I will be putting in 18 hours this week at the A. Store (between now and Thursday). This weekend is Andy's Bachelor party, so I am sure that will be interesting as well.

Until the next post, Peace Out

Day of Firsts and Seconds.... and Millionthes

Hello my fine friends,

Today has been quite a day for me. First, the First. I had my first Physical Therapy session this morning. You know you did something bad to your leg when one of the PTs comes in and says "Nice Bruise". This being my second go round with therapy in about a year I have come to really appreciate good therapists. The guy this morning, Samir, seems excellent so far. I don't expect to be going very long, but it is nice to know that I am going to someone whom I trust and is nice. Here's to quick recoveries.

Second, the second. Tonight is my second night at the Apple. It has been a blast so far and I know it will continue. I have not gotten my name tag or shirt yet, but that is coming soon. I cannot wait until I get on the floor. Fun Times.

After work I am headed to Geckos, the greatest little Tex-Mex place this side of the boarder fence. Mark, head of the C-YA committee invited me to a shindig for a friend of his there tonight. In a interesting twist, I heard my name last night at the store and swung around, only to see that the person who I am going out to celebrate tonight. Turns out we are co-workers. It is a small, sleekly designed, Apple based world.

Can't Break My Stride, Can't Hold Me Down

Yesterday the Doctor told me I had quite a bruise on my hammy. I didn't think I had one, I mean I had not been hit by anything. He said it was 6cm wide by 8cm tall..... WHAT????

Last night I finally got to looking at the back of my leg... it was not a pretty sight.

(look at them sexy legs)

Mind you ... I WAS NOT HIT BY ANYTHING. I bruised from the inside...

Here is the good news. The Ortho this morning said I will need physical therapy, but not surgery. This is a load off my mind, but still, I cannot believe all this happened from kickball. So a couple of weeks of PT will fill my schedule right back up. Oh well, so is life.

Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing

So I had my Doctors appointment at 7am this morning. I was really surprised by this doctor and will be praising his name. Dr. Laurence Gallagher... you are a good man. He was super nice and explained what was going on with my leg.

Unfortunately the news was not that good. I definitely ruptured (tore) a muscle in my hamstring. I will be headed to a specialist tomorrow morning at 8:15am (seriously, am I really old enough to have appointments BEFORE I go to work??). Turns out I have a bruise on the back of my leg that I never saw, which is an issues big men have when they live without large mirrors. It is 6cm wider and 8cm tall. There is also a concave depression in that part of the leg when compared to the the right leg. Basically this means that bad things have happened.

If I need to have surgery I will probably be heading to North Carolina so I can have it in my Aunt's hospital. I Heart Her. She is going to help me with the costs, and while it is not the best excuse to head to the Carolina's I guess I will get some barbecue while I am there. Unless it is before Thanksgiving, then I will be looking for so nice BBQed Veggies and Tofu.

I Can't Believe It... I Earned a Buck

Or a dollar as my mom would say.

I checked tonight and I have earned $1.03 from ads running on this blog. How cool is that? I get to cross this off my list. This is the actual accomplishment for me. I don't actually expect to see this money, but you never know.

Thanks to everyone who keeps reading the blog, even when I am not as consistent with my posting as I would like to be.

Don't forget to leave me fun comments.

One More Thing...

I got a second job...

I work at Apple. I am a Mac Specialist. I am a part of Apple. :-)

Yeah that is awesome. It is statistically more difficult to get a job at Apple than it is to get into Stanford University. That is pretty cool. I have really like what I have learned so far and I am in the store for the first time on Thursday and Friday this week. The people I have meet have been great and I can't wait to work with people and get them products that they will love.

Ok, enough about that.

Next Post

Marital Bliss at it's Best

So two weeks ago I jumped into the Brid (Hybrid that is) and headed to Canton, Ohio for the nuptials of Erin Hundley and Kyle T. Carter (the T is clearly obligatory). I was super excited for this event for many reasons. First and foremost I have never meet two more perfectly matched, awesome, people in my life. Second, it was a great excuse to see all of my UMBC co-workers. I miss these people so much, and they mean so much to me. It was really nice to get a chance to hang out and have a blast. Finally, the wedding was in Canton, Ohio... do you know what else is in Canton, Ohio? No, not the headquarters of Goodyear (that is in Akron, Ohio).

The Football Hall of Fame.

I got the chance to visit the Hall with Kyle and his friend Jay on Friday morning, but there will be a post about that later. This is Kyle and Erin's Time.

The wedding was great, and my UMBC peeps partied it up from Friday night until Sunday morning. This included a stop at a Brew-Thru. Turns out in Ohio you can drive you car into a building , ask the person who comes to the window for Beer, Cigarettes and Beef Jerky and they will bring it right to you. Even hand it to you through the window. It is kinda AMAZING.

As there were no fridges in the hotel room, we did run into a small problem of trying to keep the beer cold over the course of the weekend. My personal ingenuity and the availability of an ice machine and a sink made for the best, continuously chilled, Miller Lite, we have ever had.

Needless to say the ceremony and reception we a ton of fun, and very Kyle and Erin. There were lots of touching moments, but the whole idea was that they wanted to enjoy the night with the people they cared about. I really did like the bottles of wine as table cards and the table names as places that were important to them in their lives. I actually got pointed out by the Matron of Honor as "The Other Guy" during her toast.

So I don't yet have a ton of pictures from that night (my battery died) but I thought this one was a pretty good representation of how much fun we all had. If that is not one of the best looking groups of people, I don't know what is :-) (Sorry Kyle... Somehow we missed you in this picture)

Oh... So This Is What Posting To A Blog Is Like

Hello Friends....

After a personal hiatus we have lots to talk about, and I am going to try to knock out a couple posts tonight.

Lets talk about some of the not so exciting things happening in my life. I am once again truly single (Yay Me). If you would like details about this... well I am not sure I will be handing those out, but you never know.

Also not so exciting, I injured myself playing kickball last Wednesday. I know what you are thinking:

Ryan, five year old children are able to successfully play kickball

My answer to you:

They are not as Hardcore as I am

Seriously, I really did a number on my hamstring and I heard a "Pop". I see a doctor tomorrow (which lets me cross off number 70 on my list of things to do). I am really hoping that continues use of my ACE bandage and trying to keep it elevated is all I need. It has been pointed out to me that I should be walking around with a cane, so I can look badass... like House M.D.

Last bad thing going on is my Dad's health. He had a checkup and it looks like the cancer has made a return. While this scares me I am ready for it and ready to be there for Dad. I have not told him, but if chemo is the next step I am shaving my head. No one should loose all of there hair alone.

Enough of all this bad stuff. More posts tonight about good things... and there are good things... YAY good things.

It Has Been a Long Time and a Great Weekend

Sorry for the lack of posts folks. I have been pretty busy and a little uninspired. I think I get this way when some monotony kicks in. Well this weekend definitely took care of the monotony.

This weekend was UMBC Homecoming. Now I know what you are thinking... and yes UMBC is an actual university with an actual homecoming. I did not get a chance to attend the events on Thursday which included a bonfire and a Bar-B-Que. Thanks to David for the picture. It looks very cool.

As a funny story, a community member did not know what was going on, saw the fire, and called the fire department, saying that there was a two story house on fire. Sweet!!

Friday was scheduled to have Fireworks, and Ice Cream (Fire and Ice). Due to the threat of lightning the fireworks were cancelled but the Ice Cream was moved to the talent show. Having been in attendance at the first homecoming talent show, I was a little apprehensive to attend this one. Unless UMBC students are playing Chess, you wonder about their talent (an obvious exaggeration). I was pleasantly surprised with the show. There was alot of diversity to the talent, and most people were really good. There was one group that said that they drove an hour to get five minutes with the audience.... I want those five minutes back. Seriously the Guitarist and Saxophone combo was pretty amazing, even with their CD skipping out. I was also impressed with some of the bands and of course the UMBC Mama's Boys. There wasn't a great deal of Alumni presence, but Elan and I were happy to hold down the fort for the old folks.

After the show we headed to Double T. As usual this was a interesting meal, particularly when a ton of people, who we had not seen in forever, showed up at like 1 am. Oh, and what may be the greatest combination ever was found. Challah French Toast with Chocolate Ice Cream.... Yum.

Saturday was pretty cool as well, we decided to not head to the crab feast because of the $30 price tag, but we hung out on campus anyway. We did head to the friends of OSL reception, which while not heavily attended, was nice to see some people who I had not seen for a while. After that it was over to the RAC for Jim Gaffigan.

Yes... He is that pale. Actually he was incredibly funny. I know this because I was laughing so hard I began to sweat. That's right... laughing sweat. Any comedian that can talk about Bacon and Hot Pockets and still make me laugh is good in my book.

That night we went back to my place for beer and Wii (is there anything better?). Sunday was Brunch at Gecko's which was fantastic as always.

There were some strange things that occurred. First was the sheer amount of people that asked "What are you doing here?"... Really... It's Homecoming... The worst was when a pretty high up administrator from one of the most important offices on campus asked why we were there. I am not even kidding. I will give her that she was pretty tired after a long day. Also exciting/strange was the game of suicide we played in between the Comedian and Wii. You never realize how truly out of practice you are until you try to play a game of your youth. I used to play suicide every day at recess.. today is Monday, two days after suicide 2007, and my arm is killing me.

It was a good weekend over all. I did one other exciting thing, but I will save that for another post. Bye.

Another Great Post...

not authored by me. Actually my friend Mrs. Twink had a great post on things that annoy her. For those of you who know me, you know lots of things annoy me, from stupid people to doors that are poorly designed (yes, I am serious). Take a look at the post. I think I may post something similar in the next couple of days.

Courtesy Please

My friend Sketch was published in the UMBC paper this week. His article on common courtesy is pretty good though I wish he was not having to go through it. I honestly believe that people do need to be nicer. I am not saying this because I am the be all of politeness, I think we could all use some improvement, but there are people out there who are starting from nothing. Seriously, put yourself on the other side of the situation. Wouldn't you want people to be a little nicer to you?

UPDATE: Here is a great example of what may happen when you are not courtious, or deaf

UPDATE TWO: When Customers Strike Back

Birthday Dinner of Meat

So for those of you who don't know, my birthday was on Thursday last week. My birthday itself was pretty quite, but Friday my mom drove down from Philly and we went out to dinner. I was not really sure where I wanted to go. My mom likes the harbor, but I am kind of over the whole scene (though I still need to go the aquarium). Then I remembered my friend Bryan had gone to this steakhouse called Fogo De Chao. I will say this was one of the craziest, most amazing and filling meals I have ever had.



Ok, so the place in in the Harbor area, underneath the new Best Buy (which is the worst Best Buy of all time). It is set up a little strange as there are very large doors with no windows or any form or visual clue as to what is on the other side of the door. This will come into play later on in the story. So we head inside and the place is enormous. It seats 300 people. We are seated really quickly and our waiter came over to the table. It was at this point that I noticed all of the activity in the place. Our waiter began to describe the salad bar and I tuned him out because I was in awe of seeing the servers running around the restaurant. I mean full sprint. This would not have been such a big deal, however, servers at Fogo have a couple of things in their hands as they run, a large knife and swords with meat. THEY WERE RUNNING WITH KNIFES AND SWORDS. It looked like they were playing basketball with the amount of jukes and jives these guys were performing. I could tell this was going to be an interesting meal.

We took a visit to the salad bar. It was pretty good, white asparagus, prosciutto ham, tomato and mozzarella. They even had hearts of palm and artichokes. I probably went overboard, even after being warned by the waiter to "go light". It was at this point that the real action happened. At Fogo, they give you a chip that you place on your table, one side is green and one side is red. Here is a picture:

When the chip is on the red side, nothing happens. Then you turn it to green and all hell breaks loose. The men, running with knifes and swords, begin coming to your table asking if you would like the delicious wares. The meat just keeps coming, until you turn your chip back to red. Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Pork, they have something like fifteen cuts of meat. Some of the highlights were the Fillet Mignon, both plain and wrapped in bacon, and Sirloin flavored with garlic. It was delicious, and when you are done what is on your plate (or before that) you turn your chip back to green and the crazy process starts all over again.

It was amazing. As the night went on we decide to begin to point at the small children walking around the room and occasionally mentioning the likelihood that they would be impaled by a knife or sword by a speeding server. Towards the end we were being very picky about the meat we allowed onto our plates. I think we got about ten different cuts and most were excellent. It would have been nice to have some sort of steak sauce, au jus, mint jelly, something to go along with all of the meat, but I can understand the lack of such things. You really did get a true taste of the meat.

When we were all finished my mom turned to me and said that she may now be a vegetarian, which is completely untrue, but I can see taking a borderline veggie to Fogo and having them turn the corner all the way to micro vegan. On the way out I went to open the door to the resturant and definetly hit some guy smack in the face with the door. He wasn't hurt, but he was in shock. I was like, my bad, the design of this door sucks. The guy actually agreed with me... he was like, they could put a window in here or something. I should go around hitting people with things and blaming it on bad design. I think that could be fun.

Overall this was a great meal, and for what you get, it is worth the price ($42). I hope to go back, not really soon, I don't think my arteries can take it.

Best Crash Video in EA's New Game: Skate

I first heard about this game from the guys at the Totally Rad Show, and then I saw this on Digg. Trust me, take a look at this video (sorry, I cannot embed it).

Amazing Skate Crash Video

A Fantasticly Simple, Great Cartoon

Through Digg I found this fantastic Cartoon. It is awesome. Good job by the artist Lev. I think every guy feels like this at some point.

Less of a Yay for New TV

We are still in the first couple of weeks of the fall season and, to follow up on my previous post, I have some new thoughts on the smattering of entertainment being provided through the picture tube.

• Big Bang Theory - I am going to say that this is the best new comedy on TV. That's it. I said it.
• Cavemen - This is the worst new comedy on TV. This show is awful. If you don't know this is the show that they gave to the GEICO insurance cavemen. They took a really good advertising scheme and thought it was so good that they would make a sitcom out of it. There are a couple of problems with this. The first, and most obvious, is that the show is not funny. The commercials are funny because the characters seem like they have been in the real world for a while, but everyone else didn't know they were there. They are offended that the insurance is "So easy a caveman could do it." The show just has some furry guys in the real world. Nothing really different about them. Second, it is not funny. There is no reason to believe that these guys are any different than any other minority in the world, and they make awful minority jokes and highly offensive comments... Whatever, I am done talking about this... it sucks.
• House - Yeah Buddy. Show two was awesome. The cast is still somewhat intact and they are adding Kal Penn, from Harold and Kumar fame (He was Kumar). I think that this season is shaping up to be really interesting. I should point out that this show is no longer about the patients or the cases, but about the staff, and it is great.
• Reaper - I missed this the other day, but I am hopeful I can catch some first episode reruns.
• Kid Nation - It has begun, the leadership is breaking down, mutiny is on the way. HOW COOL IS THAT!!! still a little crazy, but this show has me hooked. I don't even like reality TV...
• Except for Bravo. The Top Chef Finale was a little underwhelming, and I was personally not happy with the winner, but the food looked amazing and there is just something really cool when some of the Top Chefs in the world, like Rocco DiSpirito and Todd English, are working alongside these people who you have been watching for 4 months. Good Job Bravo. I cannot wait for Season 4. As for the other shows, I am not watching the Better Half, it just doesn't appeal, however I will watch Project Runway.
• Don't forget about the Podcasts. Make sure you check out The Totally Rad Show, Diggnation and Ask A Ninja

More to come, as always

Phillies - Game Two is Today

We are not going to talk about game one, except to say that we need to do better. Game two at 3:07 today.

Yay for New TV

So we are a couple weeks into the new fall season and I have some thoughts on the offerings from your favorite networks. Since this blog is basically me just telling the world what I think... well I am going to tell you what I think.

• Big Bang Theory - This show is great. No, it is really great. I was kinda hooked by the fact that it is two nerds and a hot girl, but this show has something else. Well a couple things actually. First, John Galecki. What do you mean you don't know who John Galecki is? I will help, here is a picture
  

  

  Still don't know... well you may know him from such theatrical classics as Happy Endings, Peep Show, The Opposite Sex, Playing Mona Lisa... with works like this you would think he is a porn star. Come to think of it "Big Bang Theory" doesn't help. Oh I left one out, ROSEANNE. That's right, he was that annoying wimpy kid David. Actually his role in Big Bang Theory is not that far off what David was, but this is a much smarter comedy. That is the thing. This is a classic sitcom that does not play down to the lowest common denominator. This is smart comedy. For that reason I doubt this will last, but get it while the getting is good.
• Kid Nation - So this show is clearly an exploitation piece, but it can be pretty entertaining. You can also tell that the producers are at least pushing the kids in directions that most kids wouldn't choose, giving us a false sense that the future of the country is in good hands... I am waiting for the next few weeks, as the kids start to turn on each other, all Lord of the Flies like.
• Heroes - Last night was episode two and it was as expected... AWESOME. If you are not watching Heroes, what's a matter with you? Also, there is some new content available at NBC.com that I am interested in seeing. I will give you an update on if that is worth it later.
• House - This should be an interesting season for the lovable MD. With the departure of Omar Epps, Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer from everyday roles the show will take on some new characteristics, and add some new characters. Let's see what happens with this one.
• Kitchen Nightmares - Gordon Ramsey is one of the most intense people on earth, constantly yelling for perfection. The entertaining part is the yelling, not the perfection. I think this show may have some legs as a different avenue then Ramsey's bread and butter - Hell's Kitchen. P.S. Don't watch this one while eating or on a full stomach.
• The Bravo Family of Shows - So we are wrapping up Top Chef, starting the last season of the grandaddy of them all, Queer Eye, and awaiting the return of Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum in Project Runway. I stand by my view that Bravo has mastered reality TV. VH1 can't hold a candle to them. Bravo, Bravo, bravo! See if you can catch the meaning there :-)

Well that is my early views of the magical land of television. Enjoy and let me know what I should be watching!

So this is the Future Generation?

Yesterday I had the pleasure of heading back to my Alma Mater, the glorious UCLA (University of Catonsville, Left of Arbutus), for their annual Career Fair. This was the first fair I had attended and it was a little odd going in as an employer as opposed to a potential employee. It made me feel old... I don't want to be old... I am a Toys 'R' Us Kid.

We saw a ton of people. There were three of us there from my company and I felt like I was pretty busy throughout the four hours. I was blown away by some of the candidates, highly skilled, highly engaged, really good people... and then there were the others. Oh my the others.

So I am not sure what you have been told about presenting yourself to potential employers, but here are some things I saw yesterday, you decide if you would hire these people:

• "I am looking for a position in HR" and proceeding to hand me a HOT PINK Resume... Seriously, if you end up in HR are you going to give bonus points to the resumes that smell nice. Here's a hint, Legally Blond IS A MOVIE... COME BACK TO THE REAL WORLD.
• When asked what you see yourself doing you respond with "Well I am in Computer Science". Are you? Really? I didn't gather that by your glancing at your resume, your inability to answer my question, your wrinkled shirt that doesn't fit or that odor. Computer Science is a degree, not a job. Do you want to Develop, do Analysis or Theory. The question is what do you want to do, not what is your education.
• When I ask "Can I answer any questions about what we do?" and you respond with "No" or "Not Really." I didn't know that you were such an expert on what our company does, what the life of a consultant within our company is like, why we have a niche and how we are different than the other 50 consulting/technology firms that are standing in this giant gym wanting to talk to you. Maybe we should hire you, you clairvoyant little devil.
• When I ask for a resume you hand me something that clearly came out of the busted copier on the fifth floor of the IT building moments ago. This is a career fair where you are making a first impression. Don't give me something where the toner was running out or there is a large streak of white through the middle of the page. There are words in the middle of the page. I would like to read them.
• Don't over sell what you can do. If you list Pocket PC or mobile applications please tell me something more than you use one to check email. Everyone does, and if they don't they get how to use a stylus to point to little icons on a screen.

I am sure there are others, but for now this is a good start. Lots of people made really good impressions and then there are the others. If you are an other, maybe look into dog walking as a career. I hear pink fliers work really well.

Whoo Hooo.... We Won!!!

Finally, McNabb Has Come Back to Philadelphia.

I am not going to get my hopes up to high, but it was really nice to see the Birds take control of a game from the opening whistle. The deep passing game set up the run, the way the offense is supposed to run. Curtis and Westbrook had huge games, and McNabb showed that he is a great quarterback, despite being overly criticized. (BTW, I agree slightly with what McNabb said, but being in Philadelphia, I am sure his criticism is amplified that that of other QBs in the league, black or otherwise.)

One thing about yesterdays game that I enjoyed that many other people hated was the throwback uniforms.

This year is the 75th Anniversary of the Eagles, and for this game they decided to pay homage by wearing replicas of the 1934 uniforms. These are yellow and powder blue, not the traditional green, but these colors have meaning. These are the colors of the Philadelphia flag, the Philadelphia Warriors (later to become the Golden State Warriors) also wore these colors. They are classic Philadelphia. I also think that these Unis are cool because they are pretty basic, with a hit of the Eagle in the helmet. Plus STRIPED SOCKS.... how could you go wrong.

It is getting close to time for me to update my game day wear and one of these jerseys will be part of that update.

Are We Doing This Again?

0-2

0 and 2

Once again the Eagles have started out the season looking like a Division IAA team.

Seriously... at least we have the Phillies.. for now.

Ok. Super Busy. Talk to You Later

Update on the List

That is right... it is update time... aren't you excited???

So, Moving to Maryland... yeah... that is hard. I am waiting on copies of fun documents like a birth certificate, you know, proving I exist... cause standing in front of someone does not seem to be sufficient.

So, Joining ACM and PMI... this is actually on track. I just need to get some money together to do this. Stupid money and me not having enough.

Getting a CAPM Certification.... I am on my way. I had my first class and am trying to keep up with the reading (there is alot of reading). I think I am going to be ok, and I hope it pays off.

Go Soda Free for a Month.... This is actually going to be much easier than I thought. I am going to slowly step away from the soda and replace that with tea... from there it will be another step to water. I am doing pretty well with this, though I did slip last night at the IIBA event (I didn't even think about it.)

I hope to actually cross some things off soon... we will see. Only 963 Days left.

Kickball and Other Fun Things

First a fun little story: When I came into work today I was taken aback. Someone had just been dropped off at the office by a taxi. Now this happens daily, but how many of those taxis have SPINNER RIMS.... Seriously

Yesterday was a day of highs and lows. The lows: I was super duper amazingly sick. I woke up with a crazy headache, stumbled to my computer, emailed the office to say there was no way i was going to make it, and stumbled back to bed. That was about 8am... after I had fallen asleep at around 12 the previous night... so the running total was 8 hours. Back in my bed, unable to find Mike and Mike on TV, I turned over and went back to sleep. I was not sure if I had a migraine or a sinus headache... man headaches suck. Anyway, I rolled over and tried to get back to sleep, and accomplished that task, until about 12pm... running total 11 hours. You would think I would have felt better. You would be wrong. I may have even felt worse at this point. I was considering just trying to throw up, hoping it would relieve some pressure on my head. The fact that I new I had not eaten since mid-Tuesday caused me to think the better of that plan. I of course took this opportunity to try to rollover and go back to sleep. This was clearly a good idea, cause I slept for another three hours which took the running total up to 14 hours. At this point, having see all of an hour of the day I decided that I felt slightly better. Maybe a shower would help. Up the stairs I went... I noticed a few things on this trip. First my hair must have been awesome, cause I could feel it flop from left to right with each step I took. I COULD FEEL MY HAIR MOVING. Next , I was considering the fact that I may have a tumor or some sort, then the voice of the Gov-a-nator came to me and said "its not a tumor". I made it to the shower, turned it on hot and stood there for a while. The shower helped, the hot water helped, my head still was killing me. At this point I figured that I should probably take my clean body and lay down... maybe it would make me feel better. This lasted about another 2-3 hours. I am not actually sure what time it was, though I do remember seeing PTI coming on TV. By the time I got up the last time I had slept for about 17 hours since the night before. I am pretty sure that is completely inhuman. It was one of the worst days I had experienced... but I felt better. Alot better and it was time for the high of the day. It was time for kickball.

I debated going, but I thought hey, I said I was going to do this, it was the first game, it would not be that bad, so I jumped in the SUV with my roommates and we headed down to Patterson Park. The game was alot of fun, though we did loose (I am not even sure we scored). The whole girls bunting thing was a little annoying, but the game was alot of fun. I am really excited for next week.

Well, it is almost the end of the day and I am headed to an IIBA event. I have lots to update, but we will save it for tomorrow.

Sorry, no fun posts today

I am way to tired and mentally/emotionally drained.

Maybe tomorrow

What is Your... #2

In the continuing series of meaningless questions and comment fishing

Question #2 - What is your Favorite Guilty Pleasure?

I don't want to know your crazy desires with whoopee making. I am really talking about the things that you do just because you like them though others would scoff at.

I have a couple. First watching wrestling... as you scoff. I like the production and the ridiculous stories... Plus the high fliers and hard bumps... Stop with the scoffing.

Next I would say cooking/home improvement shows. While I think this has become quite a bit more respectable recently, it is still something that is generally not a conversation starter for me.

What are your guilty pleasures?

This is Awesome

NINJAS ARE BETTER THAN PIRATES.... FYI

Sooo... I am Pretty Sure This is Me

I occasionally struggle with who I am and how I am supposed to act.

I stumbled on this article last night while reading digg.com and I think it helped me realized that I may be a stronger introvert than I thought. I have always been really weak in this personality trait when taking things like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (always a slight Introvert or a slight Extrovert). I do feel like I need "alone time" just to be with my thoughts, but the issue is that I tend to think about my interactions in the world... Am I being genuine? Am I living, and interacting with people, in a way that puts my true self out there? Do I even want to do that?

There are a couple of things about the article that I really like, particularly the reiteration of

...our being more intelligent, more reflective, more independent, more level-headed, more refined, and more sensitive than extroverts.

But even with that, I am not sure I am dealing with a battle between my introversion and everyone else's extroversion. Rather, I think I am dealing with my introverted self causing more introversion (yeah, dissect that one). I am not really sure who or what to turn too. I guess it is another in a long line of times in my life where I my head feels like it is almost being destroyed by the things happening around me. How strange is that? Being an introvert is not supposed to cause such inner conflict, to the contrary, it is supposed to allow the inner to balance out the things happening in the outer.

Don't get me wrong, I am basically fine. These are the finer points of my life that I am not as happy with as I should be. I am hoping that they improve, and I am sure they will. It can just be frustrating when you find something you don't like that you think about it so much that it can be overwhelming.

OMG... Seriously... Seriously

In yet another bungle of the current White House Administration (and I even think Gerard will agree there have been a couple) there was a celebration last night for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. One tiny small little problem.... ROSH HASHANAH IS NEXT WEEK.

I know that the Jewish calendar is not like our fun Gregorian calendar, and he holidays don't fall on the same date every year, but seriously, It is not like calendar makers got this wrong. I am in fact looking at my calendar, and there it is, Jewish New Year September 12....

This is basically like celebrating New Years on Christmas Day...

ARRGGGG... They had a press release... That means that this was probably vetted.... and no one looked at a calendar... A CALENDAR.... THEY ALL HAVE THIS HOLIDAY.... remember "Jews have all the money"... They probably own the Calendar Companies....

SERIOUSLY...

Apple Announcments: First Impressions

(Also posted at abrickoncesaid.blogspot.com)

Steve Jobs, in a black turtleneck and jeans, made a number of big announcements today. Being the fan-boy that I am I thought I would give you my first impressions

• iPod Shuffle - Nothing really big here... no real feelings
• iPod Nano "Fatty" - I think this is pretty cool, but the form factor to me does not make nearly as much sense as the original Nano. Here is the thing, the Nano was small, really really small. It was also long, rather than wide. I think the new fatty leave an opening in the iPod lineup. I honestly do not expect this version to do nearly as well as the previous Nano. Time will tell.
• iPod Classic (aka the old iPod) - This was a nice refresh. I still think Apple should follow their other products in the line by adding colors. The bigger hard drive is always nice (though I still have not filled my 30gig, so 160 is just insane). As for the Name, I am ok with it.
• iPod Touch - This was the announcement that everyone was waiting for. The interface for the iPhone is great, so this was a no brainer for Apple. The fact that they included safari and WiFi are nice touches. I think this is going to be the default iPod for alot of people. I think the amazing part is the thickness. I would actually worry about snapping this in half.
• iTunes WiFi - This is a HUGE deal. It looks like the integration has been done very well. Hearing something on the radio, or seeing something, and then being able to get it pretty quickly from the store will be great. I think this is going to be a killer app for the iPhone and a nice inclusion for the iPod Touch
• Apple + Starbucks - Yeah.... don't really care.
• IPHONE FOR $400 BUCKS - This is actually the biggest announcement made today, and it got the shortest amount of time. It makes me wonder a couple of things. First, is the 4GB version cancelled. Second, is there a major revision coming. If they are selling so well why would Apple drop the price. It makes me feel good about waiting until version two before I get mine.

Overall I think this was a pretty big day for Apple. Good Job Steve (see the pun).

Think I am right, think I am wrong, let me know. Post a comment.

What is your...

So, in my ever present need to fish for comments and satisfaction that people are actually reading this, I have decided to start posing questions to the audience. The are mostly going to start with "What is your..." Some examples:

• What is your favorite drink?
• What is your most embarrassing moment?
• What is your strangest experience with a power tool?

You get the point. So I am going to pose the question and you should leave a comment to answer.

Question 1 - What is your favorite vacation spot? (We are starting easy.)

I ask this question for a very important reason. I am looking to take a vacation sometime early next year. I am not sure when exactly, or where, but I am looking for some advice.

My current favorite vacation was the Cruise I took with a bunch of friends about three years ago. We were on Royal Caribbean and went to Cozumel and Costa Maya. It was amazing. the weather, the ship, the destinations, the food and the excursions. It was really all great.

So help me out and answer the question.

How to Build a Better Container

Do you know what I hate....

These things



The question you may be asking is "Ryan, as a self proclaimed foodie, how could you hate this staple of modern food transportation convenience?"

Well, let me tell you why I hate these things. THEY LEAK. To illustrate, lets say you have a container filled with your favorite food, something like this



No imagine that you are riding in your car back to your place of residence in order to enjoy such a lovely dish. (FYI, I pulled that pic of off the net, I have no idea what that actually is) Here is my issue... this food is covered in Sauce, which I am sure is delicious. Now imagine said container on the seat of a car.... you see where this is going.

Oh, and they are bad for the environment.

This is my plea, if you are own a restaurant, STOP USING THESE... Invest in your customers and your containers, get the plastic ones with the snapping lids.

End Rant

The King of Quarters

So Matt recently posted about the King of Kong. This is a movie about a middle school science teacher and a Hot Sauce Mogul. If that doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will.

Seriously, I am really excited to see this, maybe at the Charles theater, but probably on DVD. I mean it is a documentary about Donkey Kong... How can you go wrong???

Plus the tagline of "Don't get Chumpatized", is that not the best thing ever.

XFL Draft: In Review

Once again, the XFL draft was a great night with great people. The Hendlers did an excellent job of hosting and there were trophies this year... that is right trophies




There are some things I would like to point out about this picture

1. There are two trophies, the one on the left is our championship trophy, and will have each year's winner engraved on the large brass plate on the left. The one on the right is the Toilet Bowl trophy. The winner of the (i.e. the league's 5th place team) will need to bring the trophy back with a new roll of quilted 2-3 ply each year.


2. Yes that is my empty Wawa Diet Green Tea Container... But at least I used a plastic cup and didn't drink it out of the Jug.


3. Yes the Hendlers decorated the table, and the whole basement for that matter, in Philadelphia sports gear... That's right, Phillies and Eagles place mats.

As for the Draft itself things went really well. I got my pick of Joseph Addai with the forth pick, and ended up with Steve Smith, Marc Bulger, Edge James and the Bears Defense as my big name players.

Below are some picks of the festivities, enjoy

Chad and Monica working hard

Andy and Krangel are clearly more interested in the game on TV than the game in front of them.

The Krets... and there lone QB. PEYYYTON.

He is the King in his Castle

Matt and his iPhone are all curled up

It looks like something really important is going on.

I think Monica may hurt me for taking this picture.


Well, that is the official draft recap... I should never be a sports writer.

Lets Play Kickball

I have crossed another off my list. Goodbye #16. Last night I signed the papers, paid my fees and now I am officially part of a kickball league. Actually it is the Kickball League of Baltimore. The team, Jiminy Kickits, is made up of some of my Fraternity Brothers and friends of ours. Our first game is the 12th. I am really looking forward to it.

In my youth I was quite an avid kickballer (check out that lingo). We used to play at Jew camp (day camp, not overnight or concentration). I tended to be the guy who would roof the balls. In case you don't know, roofing a ball is the process of applying enough force, and appropriate directional velocity, to the rounded surface of a rubber ball that it leaves the point of contact (foot to ball) and finds its final resting place on the top of the building where children are making paper-plate-bean-shakers (a Jew camp staple). I was the only person to have roofed a ball at the JCC (it is the Jewish version of a YMCA, with less Village People) and have it's final resting place be the ground ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BUILDING. Yeah, I was pretty great.

Needless to say I am pretty excited to get my kick on and tap into the only sport that I may still be good at. I will keep you all updated.

Chad Started a Blog

For those of you who don't know Chad... you should. He may be the funniest person I have ever met. Check out his new blog at can-of-beans.blogspot.com

It is XFL Weekend

This Saturday is my Fantasy Football draft. Mind you I am in a number of leagues, but this one is the Big Boy. This league started eight years ago with my friends from Philly. It was around the Same time that Vince McMahon, of Wresting Fame, started his Football Venture the XFL. Needless to say out little league of eight has lasted much longer than his!

This year I am taking over as commissioner for the league. We do it all by hand, so it is a really good time, and very unique in the world of Fantasy Football. I am a big nerd, so one of the first things I did was create a new logo for this year.

It looks a little better than what is showing here because I took this off of the program i sent out and don't have the original image.

Anyway, I am pretty excited for this year, which is pretty different that last year. I think I will have time to do a good job as comish, and hopefully well in the league. I have gotten some good advice from the guys at extra-points.com. I am hoping for Joseph Addai with the Fourth Pick, after trading down from number 2. Lets hope that works.

Wish Me Luck.

Recipe #2 and Plans for More

So I was leafing through he cookbook last night and decided I was going o try Rachael Ray's Marinated Flank Steak with BLT Smashed Potatoes. First , let me point out the the "L" in BLT stands for Leek. Now I know what a leek is, but I am not sure I have ever really had them, maybe in a soup once.

Anyway, I came home from the store and started to work. I marinated the flank steak, started to boil the potatoes and then came to the realization that I did not have a grill pan. I though, eh, I can use a fry pan, as long as it is big enough. This turned out to be a little bit of a mistake. So the marinade was a combination of Garlic (Yum), Montreal Seasoning (Yum), Hot Sauce (Very Yum), Worcestershire Sauce, Vinegar, Oil and ... Ground Chipotle... this turned out to be an issue.

After I put the steak in the hot pan I thought to myself to turn on the vent above the range. Then the smoke began, It was not to bad to start, but as things went along it became a little worse, and then a little worse... Lets just say if I was still cooking in a residence hall the building probably would have been evacuated. Ben came home just as I was taking the steak out of the pan, as had a bit of a coughing fit. It was a spicy smoke

And now for the good news. The meal actually turned out to be REALLY REALLY GOOD. The steak was well seasoned, and the potatoes, lets just say these are my new favorite potatoes. SOOOOO GOOOOD!!!

As for future plans, well, Mom'sBirthday is coming up and she wants to have appitizers. I think I am going to make Mini Corn dogs (It counts, even though they are small), Crispy Olives stuffed with Sausage, and maybe somethign else. I am well on my way.

Blog Update

I just wanted to point out to everyone the little image in the top right corner of the Blog. I have started to play a game called WeeWar. It is alot of fun, particularly if you start to play with friends or people at work. Take a look. Click on the image to signup.

The Phils?... Are they Making a Move???

We have won three straight from the Mets. We are going for a four game sweep tonight. We have a chance to get some momentum and make a move for the playoffs. Notice I am saying we, like I am on the field.

Listening to game four of the series, I have a sense of hope. We are getting back a number of quality players, like Chase Utley, and for the first time in a long time I think we have a shot at the playoffs. It is a good feeling, who would have thought the Phillies could bring me such joy (everyone should think this). Lets just hope there is no heartbreak.

MIchael Vick Part II

Ok, so I was catching up on my podcasts today and finally heard Vick's apology that he made on Monday, I think he seemed humble and genuine, he seemed like he realizes what he did and how wrong it was. There was just one part that I found awful...

...Through all of this I have found Jesus, and I am going to turn my life over to him. I think it is the best thing to do at this time...

Seriously, did you find him on the corner in Richmond? Did he come to you in the form of an FBI agent? I wish when people do bad things and then get caught they wouldn't suddenly find some sort of guiding principle. Find it before you do something wrong. Find it before you are in the face of crisis.

Like I said, I think Vick was contrite and apologetic, and I don't think he will be fighting dogs again. But suddenly finding Jesus.... buddy, come to your senses