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

I Have Had Great Co-Workers

So I was thinking the other day about how strange the last year or so has been. I left the comfort of school, a group of people who were very supportive, caring and lived life with integrity and fulfillment. These were people that I look at as having chosen careers which they felt good about, that they felt fulfilled by their lifestyles. I was very very worried about leaving a place, physical and emotional, where I was content and felt like I knew myself. This was May 2006...

Fast forward to September 2007, friends are heading back to classes, I have moved four times and have had gone through two jobs and three companies. I have been laid off, and won awards. Lost and found the love of my life. It has been crazy... and yet it has been great. There are a few things I would want to go back and change, but professionally I would keep it all just the wayit has gone. The work has been challenging sometimes, rewarding sometimes, enlightening sometimes, but the people, my co-workers, they have been great all the time.

At Chase, I had a pretty big group. There were 12 of us in Delaware and another 400 or so globally. It was very high pressure, when there were problems there needed to be solutions. It was an environment where there was literally a trillion dollars going through the system that we were supporting a day.... A TRILLION DOLLARS. With all of that we had a really good time. It was a group of really interesting people, from very varied backgrounds, but we just gelled. It was alot of fun to work there. It was fun to work with different people and as you learned about them, the things the liked and the things they cared about, it became even better.

After leaving Chase I started with Sogeti, which has been a different, but no less rewarding experience. First of all I am a consultant. In theory, this means I can move from company to company, as different work becomes available. I hope that this lets me get experience in a number of different industries, but the thing that worries me is the people. Who will I be working with? what type of role can I play? Will I fit in with team?

In my first assignment at T. Rowe Price I have been pleasantly surprised. The people here are fantastic. I really like my co-workers, even if I am "just a contractor". They are a pretty fun bunch, and they have made me realize that I need to work around good people in order to be happy and successful.

So, after a crazy year, I am hoping things calm down a little, but not to much. I hope I am not moving for at least six months (fingers crossed) and when I do move on from T. Rowe, I am placed with a really great group of people, like the ones I have had the pleasure to work with previously.

Madden 2008

So about two weeks ago I purchased Madden 2008 for my PS2 (yeah, I still use PS2). After playing for a bit I have some impressions that I would like to share.

I should state upfront that I am a Madden Guy, but I only buy it every other year, unless there is something really revolutionary. So I am judging 2008 after playing 2006 for the past two years. With that in mind, I am pretty disappointed overall.

Don't get me wrong there are some great things about the games that I love. I love precision passing, the hit stick, the audibles and line adjustments, even the alternative jerseys, but all of that was available in 2006. My biggest issue with 2008 is that there is very little new. They added some new tackling animations, which are really cool, the roster update which is expected, and a pretty interesting training process, but the took away some things that I liked. First of which is Tony Bruno. You may be asking yourself WTF?!? Who the hell is Tony Bruno. This is the guy who did the "radio show" in between games. It was nice to hear discussion about what was going on each week while trolling through the menus.

They did add a great deal of texture to the game, making it look really good, but this causes the game to preform pretty badly, it is slow, sometimes herky jerky and don't even try to pull up the national or local paper. You will need to wait quite a while for those articles to load, even when you are just switching between them.

This brings me to my final point, there are to many things in the game that are EXACTLY THE SAME in this version when compared to 2006. Finish a training camp drill, here there is the same cheesy cut scene. Win a game, you will see your QB, TE and RB with there silly poses. The news articles are the same... SAME SAME SAME.

Look EA does a great job with Madden, and If i was on a next gen console I may have a different experience, but at this point I am just not as impressed as I have been in the past. Don't get me wrong, I will be playing Madden pretty much non stop for a while, I just wish I was playing something better.

Overall, i am going to give Madden a punt for this year. Hopefully Madden 2010 will be different.

Let's talk about Michael Vick

It has been a couple of weeks hearing about Mike Vick and the Bad Newz Kennels (seriously, Bad Newz Kennels), and I thought I would through my two cents in with the pundants.

First, DOG FIGHTING IS WRONG, DOG KILLING IS WRONG....

Second, Mike Vick is an amazing athlete with extremely unique skills. His talent as a running quarterback is basically unmatched in the history of the NFL.

Ok, I sympathise with the fact that Vick is going to jail. I hear it is not a fun place to be. Vick brought this upon himself, he financed the ring, he was centered within it and it is his cross to bear, and bear it he will. He is going to do 1-2 years in a federal penitentiary, or if he gives up alot of other people, for other crimes, maybe a year of house arrest.

As for his football career, I don't think it is done, but I will say it will not be the same. After his time is done, he will have an additional year suspension handed down by the Commissioner. The earliest he will play is 2010, he will be 30 years old. He will not be the QB he has been.

Here is the deal, this is a huge blow, to Vick, the Falcons, the City of Atlanta, and the NFL. In a few years we will move on, Vick may play football again, he may not, but the biggest part of this whole thing is the potential crimes that Vick will hand over to the government in the form of testimony. I hope people realize that Vick will pay for what he has done, and become valuable for what eh knows.

Remember DOG FIGHTING IS WRONG, DOG KILLING IS WRONG and VICK IS GETTING WHAT HE DESERVED

This May Have Been the Best Goal Ever

So as I said in my last post I started working on my Cook every recipe in a cookbook goal. Last night I made a Mario Betalli dish, that was basically Cauliflower, Tomato and Pasta. Sounds simple right... well it was, but it was also really really good.

I think this was a good one to start with, as there was no expensive meat, no grilling, really nothing to hard. I am even thinking about how I could expand on this, by maybe putting the mix into a casserole dish and baking, like a much better version of baked ziti.

I think I am going to hold off on making another dish for a week or so, some are pretty involved. I may try to make one of Rachel Ray's dishes, since they seem to be pretty fast. But I am pretty happy so far.

The Items, they are a Fallin'

Sorry folks, I have been a bad blogger. Things have been really busy at work. We got through most of our testing on Friday before the Go/No-Go meeting. When we got back from lunch after the meeting there were balloons and cards from my boss. The project is a go and it was really nice to be recognized, even in a small way by the boss.

Anyway, this post is not about work. It is about life. Actually, it is about getting things done in my life. Today that is what I did. I started a bunch of the items on my list and can cross off one more. First what I started:

#68 - Move to Maryland. So I have been in MD for a while, having gone to school here for seven years and worked here for almost six months, but I have never actually moved here. I still have a PA license, and PA tags. My insurance is through a PA address and all of my mail still heads to Huntingdon Valley PA. I am a PA kid through and through. But it is time to officially move to Mary-land.

So this little item actually has quite a bit involved with it. It takes alot to move to another state. Unfortunately, what it takes to actually move here I don't have here. I need my birth certificate, title to my car, a gazillion different pieces of proof of residence, the full knowledge of what is in Area 51. You know, the normal. So, it is going to take me a little longer to actually make the move. I am hoping to be an official resident by the first week in September. Keep your fingers crossed.

You know what would have helped in moving? Having all of my important papers in an organized fashion in some sort of system, potentially folders and such. Hey look at that #52 on the list is to get organized. With all the work that will go into moving, it only makes sense to have gotten this one crossed off. I went to Target (it is a French Boutique) and got a decent traveling file cabinet and some colored files. I made my folder tabs and did my best to get it all set. Next time I go home I will be able to bring this with me and get the papers I need. It is a good feeling to have this organized. Item crossed off!!

I also got started in a really fun item. I purchased the cookbook that I am going to cook every recipe in. I took a look at Alton Brown's "I Came here for the Food", but it was just to big. I think I would need 2002 days to cook all of them, but I did find something with Alton's flavor.


This book seems really good. It has a wide variety of foods, some chefs I really like, lots of different cooking styles, and there are not a ton of recipes. I think it is going to give me a really good start to improving myself in the kitchen. I am going to try my hand at my first recipe tonight for the roommates. I will let you know how it goes tomorrow.

OMG... Seriously

Here it is 2:11am and I am still awake. This has got to end. Sweet, I just had a good yawn. Things are looking up.

Get me some Tylenol

I hate headaches.... I don't mean the "Not tonight, I have a headache" kind. I mean the debilitating, painful headaches that give you sensitivity to light, sound the feel of air on your skin.


I got one of these headaches last night, and it was awful. The only way to really get rid of these is to sleep, which is not always an option.

Matt used to get cluster headaches in school. I am more of a Migraine kinda guy. I thought that's what I was getting was related to the change in weather, but I am not sure any more. These things suck...

I guess we will wait and see. If the don't get better I will be crossing the Doctor off my list pretty soon.

Moved...

Sorry for no post yesterday. Things have been super busy at work and I have been moving, so you could imagine how much time that takes.

Speaking of moving, I have moved out of the apartment that I was subletting to a townhouse of a friend of mine. The place is pretty nice, near UMBC and pretty well priced. I think I am going to be here for a while. It will be nice to not move for a bit.

I have a nice little setup and I really like the other people in the house, and there is a huge TV and a Wii.... YESSSS.

In other news I picked up Madden 08 yesterday, but have not had a chance to play it. Expect a full review soon.

I am looking for a way to maintain our routers signal. It seems to drop alot. Also my Tivo is getting a really fuzzy picture, but not the TV input, it is a little worrisome. I really don't want to get another Tivo. I hope I can fix it.

I promise better posting to come. If you are bored re-read the last post, then comment on it, then link it to your blog and write about it. It will be fun.

I Crossed off My First Item and Had a Great Time Doing It

One down, one hundred to go.

On Friday I went to a Phillies game with Mom. We try to do something like this every year, and since the opening of Citizens Bank Park, it has been a no brainer. When I was younger, we went to Sixers games, but since I have gotten older, and the Sixers are a putrid excuse of a team, baseball is where it is at. Plus, there is a bonus of going to the game... THE FOOD.

Citizens Bank Park won the Food Network's Best Ballpark eats for 2007. There is a real local focus on what they serve, but we will get to that later, cause there was another reason that this game was special.

There are many sports heroes that have walked the field, but very few of them are heroes for what they did when they were not playing the game. On Friday the Phillies inducted into their Wall of Fame one of those heroes, John Vukovich. Vuk, was a staple of the Phillies Organization, spending 30 of his 41 years in baseball with the team, and was a resounding choice to be inducted this year. On a personal note, John had a couple of Kids, one of which is a nurse who worked with my Mom. It was pretty emotional to see, she cried a little bit.

The ceremony included all of the living Wall of Fame members. I was able to take some pictures. The last two are of the plaque as it was unveiled on the wall and one of Vuk's grand daughters (one of three triplets) as she took the ride around the field, a Philly tradition.

Harry Kalas, Hall of Fame Announcer

Greg "The Bull" Luzinski. This is the guy who has his name on the BBQ place at the park

Dallas Green, Manager of the '83 Phills

Michael Jack Schmidt, The Greatest Phillie of All Time

Unveiling the Plaque. Long Live Vuk.

Such a cute little kid... and there are three of them.

The tribute was pretty amazing, but then it was time for dinner and baseball. First on the list was the Schmitter Sandwich, the worlds most perfect sandwich. This thing is a beast, but it is delicious. The combination of fried meats, cheese, special sauce... it is great. Here is what goes into a Schmitter

I am not going to lie, the Schmitter is one of the reasons I go to the park. You can bite into it and hear your arteries begin to close. It is so good. Just take a look at how much mom enjoyed it.

Not the greatest picture of Mom, but look at that sandwich... Yum

The game started off really bad, with the braves scoring four runs in the top of the first. This is always disheartening. We really needed to start this series off well, hopefully with a win. My heart was lifted back up when the Phills came back in the bottom of the inning and scored four, two off a shot by Wes Helms. This set off one of the coolest things at the park. The Liberty bell in right field lights up and gongs with each phillies Home Run. Imagine the bell in the picture swingin' and ringin'.

The game remained tied until the seventh... But it was the fourth when the night got exciting again for Mom and I. We decided we were hungry again and headed down to Ashburn Alley. This area of the park, behind right field, is where the bullpens are located, the wall of fame and the best food in the park. The even mark the alley with this cool sign. Notice Ashburn's average and number of hits around his position. This mimics the was Philadelphia street signs are, with the block number on either side of the direction of the street.

In the Alley you can find some Philly Favorites, including Chicke & Pete's Crab Fries, Planet Hoagies, PA Dutch Funnel Cake and two of the Best Cheese Steaks, Rick's and Tony Luke's. We opted for Tony Lukes, because you can get their steaks with Broccoli Rabe, which they call a Steak Italian. We got one of those and a Roast Pork with the Rabe. While this picture is not from the game, it will give you a good idea of the deliciousness.

It was around this time that the crowded erupted in a roar. The Phillies scored on an error and took the lead 5-4. For the final inning mom and I looked for some seats down low, which we were able to find. There is nothing like a packed stadium, a one run lead and a closer that you hope can finish it out. Especially when you can see it from here

Overall it was a pretty magical evening. I am glad that this was the first thing I crossed off my list. I may be double or even triple striking this one out over the next couple of years. So after about 5000 Calories, some tears shed and one heck of a baseball game I am down to 100 things left to do.

It is Friday.... YAY Friday

I cannot wait for the weekend. I am headed to another baseball game today, but this one is in Philly... I love that park. I am taking my Mom, which is great, cause I can cross it off of my list (#27). Speaking of, I have started some of things on the list, but have not finished any. Still I feel really good about it.

I got into my Project Management Prep course. Through that I will study for the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Certification (#10). The cert is really the Project Manager Professional Jr. It is not highly regarded in the industry, but it will set me on my desired professional path. In order to take the exam, I will need to Join the Project Management Institute (PMI) (#24)

Yay for things almost getting crossed off of the list.

Baseball... and I Feel Like a Dope

Last night I want to the O's game vs the Seattle Mariners. As part of the Chapter of Young Alumni Steering Committee I was lucky enough to be given a ticket to sit in the Comcast Private Suite. It was very cool, and by that I mean air conditioned. Game time temperature was 101, which is really really hot. There were Misting Tent(s) and free ice being given out at the stadium, but I was in the poshness of the suite.

I picked up Jordan and Erica in Dundalk and we went to the game. I had never tried to come to the stadium from the north and this caused some issues. We took 395 to Russel street and everything was going great until we got to the lot and had no permit. The lady was like, bear to the left and head to the lot at the end of the street. Okay, no problem. I drove down the street and when I clearly was supposed to go right Jordan and Erica both said the woman had said to make a hard left. I took their advice and ended up in the bowels of Raven's Stadium. We could actually see the field and if I wasn't afraid of the going to jail, could have driven my Hybrid right onto it, done a quick touchdown dance, and headed out. It was a little crazy.

We did make it to the right parking lot and headed to the stadium, it was then then we saw it... The sea of white uniforms. The Mid Ship Persons from the Academy were going o be in attendance at the game, which was good, but there were taking up alot of space getting into the place,which was not. The fact that they had to march into the stadium, as opposed to walking, is a little crazy, but to each their own.

We took our flashy tickets to the "hidden" escalator and up to the suite level. It was very cool seeing all of the big company names that were on the little signs by the door. We were in the Comcast box, which was on the third base side, even with home plate. After some schmoozing with the Alumni people, it was time for the game. As he normally does Ichiro lead off with a hit. From there it was a pretty good game. Not the pitching duel that most expected, but entertaining. We did some hanging out with some of the other C-YA people, having at the free food and beer, and watching the out of town scoreboard to see the Phillies Win (YAY), We headed out. Here is a picture of Jordan and I dying in the heat.





Yeah... I am dying more than Jordan. We ended up staying in the Box for the most part after the fourth inning.

As for being the dope. I was scheduled to attend a training this morning. Well, actually I was going to observe others being trained. All was going well, I left on time to get downtown. Found the building with little problem, parked and then asked the desk where the training was... It was at campus.. IN OWINGS MILLS.... Dope

Moving: Part 2975

Just for clarification, I am moving to Catonsville on the 17thish

101 in 1001

I did it. I finally finished my list, and the countdown has begun. Take a look on the lower right tool bar to see what I came up with and let me know what you think. I will be crossing things off as I complete them. Lets hope the next 2.75 years goes well.

Moving: Part 2974

This weekend I once again started to move. On Saturday, Elan and I headed to the City of Brotherly Love, to casa de Bricknhymr. I was looking to move my Desk, which is a really industrial metal/wood corner piece, and my bed, which is the most basic twin you have ever seen. We were meeting my Father and his friend at 8am on Sunday to make the drive down to my new place. I lucked out cause Dad's friend Jimmy had a small pick-up which would come in really handy. I had contacted U-Haul, but they wanted like 150 bucks, and I would have to take the smallest truck, not the cargo van that I wanted. (whining) "Cargo vans don't go one way"... Ummm , Sorry U-Haul Man, but I am pretty sure that if the cargo van can go two ways, it can go one way as well. Just stop a two way trip half way through....

Anyway, I went to pickup Elan at Greenbelt (that is the northern most metro stop for you non Balto-Wash peeps) and we were off... sort of. It was like one and I had not eaten and was starving, as was Elan, which was convenient. We punched up a bagel place in the GPS and were off... except, there was not bagel place. There was nothing. This sucked. I was still hungry and my digits were beginning to look mighty tasty. We happened upon a little flea market. It looked somewhat promising, so we stopped. This was a mistake. First I am sure there was some fantastic food at the market, but I couldn't order any of it. This was entirely due to the fact that I know absolutely no Spanish. If I was adventurous I would have tried to get some tacos or something, but it was just not going to happen. On the plus side, I now know where to get a framed picture of "Jesus", if I ever happen to need such a thing.

We headed out, from the flea market and decided to head to Tawneytown Sandwich Shoppe, and yeah, it is a Shoppe. This place is one of the best kept secrets in Catonsville. Lets just say after a Blues Brothers and a slice of Chocolate pie, I was set. However, it was about this time that I realized that I did not have the keys to my house. That's right, we were about to shove off without any possible way to enter my abode, so we had another detour on the trip. Back to my apartment we went, which wasn't so bad since it was basically on the way.... Except 495 was backed up like something crazy... I am beginning to think that this may be the worst trip home ever, and I still have 175 miles to go. SUCKS!!!!

We made it to my apartment after heading through the back roads of Owings Mills. At this point we were about 2 hours into our journey. We checked the traffic, which was clear, grabbed some water, which was cold, and we were off. It is at this point that I decide to pull Super Huge Bonehead move of the day. That is right, I locked the keys in my apartment.... Seriously. We had to head over to the leasing office and get them to come open the door. Hours = 3. Distance equals basically zero. I was back where I started. SUCKS!!!!!

We did finally got on the road and had a pretty smooth trip up to Philly. The skyline of my home town has always been something I have really liked.

It is pretty nice overall, it has character, grace and you can still see Billy Pen on the top of city hall from most parts of the city. But now the Comcast building is being put up, making the city look something like this:

(Artist's rendition)

The thing is a giant blue monstrosity. I am not sure it really works, I guess I will have to wait and see for it to be complete and lit up.

So we finally made it home and I set off to start to break down furniture, but was distracted by the new Verizon FIOS service that Mom got. It is pretty sweet, at least for TV. I will give you all an internet update at a later date. The big distraction was that we stumbled upon Smokey and the Bandit... Yup, Burt Reynolds, Sally Fields and that great song. Sooooo Goood. Seriously, just look at this poster, how could you go wrong.

After seeing the Bandit get the best of that Sheriff, we finally got to taking care of the furniture, of course, this is also the same time that my sister came home and we decided it would be a good time to head to dinner. We went to Maggio's, a really good Italian place. They have the best Pizza and pasta. This place recently moved from its famous strip mall facility to an old supermarket around the corner. During the move, something amazing happened. They hired the best looking wait staff I had ever seen. It was like some sort of Mecca. Tons of good looking girls. The type you would... well you know. Oh and this is our waitress...

Yeah, we got the one non-18, non-hottie... seriously.

Well , the food was pretty good and we headed back to the house to take care of that furniture, and then we got the call. My friend Andy called and said we should come over to see his new place. We, of course, obliged and headed down the street. I must admit that Andy's new place is really nice. The furniture he and Jerri got from the Room Store was really nice, though they jumped through some crazy hoops to get it. After a Mock Draft (to be discussed in a later post) and a beer, we once again headed back to the house to move that furniture downstairs. It was midnight when we started, but things went pretty quick and we were done by one, and I fell asleep at around two.

This would have been no big deal if my dad come to the house when we agreed too, 8am... yeah, he called at 6:21... SERIOUSLY. He and his friend Jimmy, with his pickup truck were headed to the house, and they would be there no later than 7am.... SUCKS!!!!

We did get everything into the truck, made the trip down to Baltimore, and my new room in Bengi's place. but man, it was a weekend. I am sure there is more to add, but my fingers hurt.

I love the new Widget, but can I get an RSS Feed

2 posts in one day???

So normally this would go into my tech blog, but in light of recent changes I have made here, and my lack of posting/updating on my other blog I think this is the best place for it.

If you take a look at the bottom of the right hand column you will see a brand new Digg widget. The widget is displaying the Top Stories from digg.com, one of my favorite sites on the net. I think the widget will add some more reason for people to visit my blog, let me know what you think. I would pay particular attention to anything labeled with [pic], they are generally HILARIOUS.

I do have one gripe with digg. I tend to read most of my blogs through google reader, on my personalized google homepage. This is a really good way to do it because I don't have to actively visit every site that I want to check. I can go to a central area and see everything I want too. I get sports news, NY Times Headlines, and blog posts from everyone I like to read. I used to have a feed of the front page stories from digg. The problem is that digg is so popular that I just could not keep up. I would get 70-100 stories a day. I was really looking for just the top stories. I emailed the feedback crew at digg, but have not heard back.

All I want is a Top Stories Feed, please help!!!

28 in 1001 Days

So I have been working on my list. This is much harder than I thought. I also think my list is going to be a little more difficult because I do not own a home, which means that I cannot add any home improvement type items. Here is what I have so far -

1. Get into an MBA Program
2. Get a promotion to Senior Consultant
3. Buy a House (a Condo at least)
4. Get out of Credit Card Debt
5. Lose 15 lbs
6. Paint a Still Life
7. Visit James in Montana
8. Have the NACURH Exec Reunion
9. Read the seven Harry Potter Books
10. Get a CAPM Certification
11. Clean Out my stuff from Mom’s House and Dad’s House
12. See a Broadway Show
13. Learn enough AJAX to create #14
14. Make turnthedial.com
15. Get a new Phone
16. Join a Social Sports Club League
17. Cook Korean Bar-B-Que
18. Cross off two more Baseball Stadiums
19. Take a Wine Tasting Class
20. Get a Massage
21. Get up-to-date on my old 401(k) Roll it (I am not really sure what this means)
22. Get a Wii
23. Re-Up my ACM Membership
24. Join the PMI
25. Get a Passport
26. Go Fishing with Dad
27. Baseball Game with Mom
28. Get an Apple Laptop

So I am slowly continuing to add things. There are some interesting ones on here so far I think. I need to add more travel/visit type items, but I am not sure what else.

Any suggestions?

The Simpsons..... and The Celtics

Duh Duh DA DA DA ..... yeah that is my weak attempt and writing out the Simpson's theme... though there is a funny joke about it in the movie.

That is pretty much what I can say about the whole thing. The Simpson's movie, which I saw last night, was very funny. There are clearly lots of little joke throughout the movie, and they start from the very beginning, I mean the 20th Century Fox beginning. To be honest, we have been waiting for this movie for about 15 years (I guess they took the time to come up with a really good title) but over all I would say it was well worth it. The movie has a touching story, a political point or two and a hilarity throughout.

I saw the Movie with my friend Danielle who is recently back from Israel. It was really good to see her. She is thinking of doing some exciting things like Teach for America. I am really excited for her.

As for the Celtics, let me start by stating that I am, as expected, a Sixers fan. This means that I have an gene that cause me to hate the Celtics with passion. And for the past two days I have been steaming. Kevin Garnett, The Big Ticket, was traded to the C's for like 72 players, 8 draft picks, 2 Concessions Stands, 7 Maintenance Workers, part of the Big Dig Tunnel, 2 Gallons of Clam Chowder, a set of knifes made by Paul Revere and 2 guys wearing Larry Bird Jerseys. Seriously, Boston may have traded the farm for Garnett, but they are going to get the best out of this deal. I hearken back to when the Sixers traded Sir Charles for Jeff Horneck and a couple of shlubs. Here is the basic idea. In basketball, never trade quality for quantity, you just can't win that way. The Celtics have become one of the dominant teams in the East this offseason, which really makes me mad, cause the Sixers will continue to be a mediocre team in a really bad division. I this going to be another awful season.

and I am out...