Monday, February 02, 2009
The game that must not be named
We went to a friend's house for the SuperBowl. They invited another couple who were pretty cool also. We grilled steak, shrimp and zucchini, they brought a wonderful beef brisket chili, the German potato salad was bacon-y delicious as was the brownies and boursin cheese.
The game was close and exciting. J and I were pulling for the Steelers because I have friends who are Steelers fans as is J's dad.
No money was riding on the game so there was some Mario Kart Wii in the 3rd and 4th quarter. That game will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.
My favorite commercial was by far Rhys Millen and the new Hyundai Genesis coupe. That was the yellow car that was sliding around a race track. I really hope it sells well. In fact, go buy one! 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe! Lightish weight (below 3000 lbs.), RWD, 3.8 Liter 6 cylinder, and pretty cool styling. I had hoped for around 2000 lbs. and a 4 cylinder but I think Nissan and Toyota/Subaru will deliver on that front, at least the 4 cylinder, probably not the 2000 lbs. It isn't a Lotus. Edit: Haha! I was checking out the e-brochure and it comes with either the 306 hp 3.8L V6 or the 210 hp turbo 4 cylinder! Hooray! (power numbers at the flywheel probably)
The new supercharged Audi A6 had a pretty cool commercial. Jason Statham, of Snatch and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels fame, was shown to be driving, not sure if he actually drove it or not.
In that weird, old vs. new, Pepsi Co. commercial, you got a quick view of the new Nissan Cube, which should give the Scion xB a serious run for its quirky boxiness.
The cars.com commercial sucked because that super confident guy was looking at a Pontiac Grand Prix on his phone! A freakin' Pontiac! They made the Aztek you know, and yes I'm still pissed about it.
Other people like the Budweiser Great American Lager (owned by Belgians) horse ads. The cg bug Coca-Cola ad was also liked by others.
We also went to a party on Saturday night and I got drunk for the first time in a while. J was my designated driver and she did a wonderful job.
Back to the grindstone!
The game was close and exciting. J and I were pulling for the Steelers because I have friends who are Steelers fans as is J's dad.
No money was riding on the game so there was some Mario Kart Wii in the 3rd and 4th quarter. That game will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.
My favorite commercial was by far Rhys Millen and the new Hyundai Genesis coupe. That was the yellow car that was sliding around a race track. I really hope it sells well. In fact, go buy one! 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe! Lightish weight (below 3000 lbs.), RWD, 3.8 Liter 6 cylinder, and pretty cool styling. I had hoped for around 2000 lbs. and a 4 cylinder but I think Nissan and Toyota/Subaru will deliver on that front, at least the 4 cylinder, probably not the 2000 lbs. It isn't a Lotus. Edit: Haha! I was checking out the e-brochure and it comes with either the 306 hp 3.8L V6 or the 210 hp turbo 4 cylinder! Hooray! (power numbers at the flywheel probably)
The new supercharged Audi A6 had a pretty cool commercial. Jason Statham, of Snatch and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels fame, was shown to be driving, not sure if he actually drove it or not.
In that weird, old vs. new, Pepsi Co. commercial, you got a quick view of the new Nissan Cube, which should give the Scion xB a serious run for its quirky boxiness.
The cars.com commercial sucked because that super confident guy was looking at a Pontiac Grand Prix on his phone! A freakin' Pontiac! They made the Aztek you know, and yes I'm still pissed about it.
Other people like the Budweiser Great American Lager (owned by Belgians) horse ads. The cg bug Coca-Cola ad was also liked by others.
We also went to a party on Saturday night and I got drunk for the first time in a while. J was my designated driver and she did a wonderful job.
Back to the grindstone!
Labels: cars, food, football, Mario Kart 64, rally
Monday, December 08, 2008
You're being so obtuse.
From the wonderful "Shawshank Redemption", and in case you were wondering how Stephen King's novella was different from the movie. I didn't know it was based on a Stephen King story either until Cynical Chris clued me in.
I ran across this last week. It's a "find the next American rally driver" search. They're running it out of the rally school down in Starke, FL. I'm seriously thinking about going. It's going to be $350 for entry plus gas, food and I'll probably camp to save money if I go. Maybe I can convince J to make that my Christmas present. We'll see. I still have plenty of writing to do before I can even think about something like that.
I won our college football pick against the spread competition, so I win bragging rights. Hopefully I can repeat last year's bowl pick'em victory with this year's round of bowl games.
Writing is coming along. I'll be taking a break to replace Focus' exhaust manifold (because the current one is cracked) and also the timing belt and water pump. This will be the first time I ever actually crack open an engine even if it is just the valve cover (that plastic piece on top of the engine, no not that big removable one, the one below that). Speaking of which I hate those big plastic engine covers. They're so stupid and pointless. I think they're supposed to make the engine bay look nicer, but really just get in the way.
My friend called last week and asked some car advice. His car had been running bad for about a month. It just started running rough all of a sudden. He replaced the PCV valve and various other easy accesible inexpensive parts that probably should've been replaced anyway. I suggested that it might be his timing belt slipped and his timing was off, making it run poorly. Thinking about it the next day, I remembered that it might also be a bad spark plug. I called him back and it turns out that he melted one of his spark plug cables, so sometimes he was on 4 cylinders and sometimes he was running 3. Thankfully that is a very easy fix.
Crap. Just saw that my 30 library books are all overdue. Time to go see if I can weasel out of a steep fine.
I ran across this last week. It's a "find the next American rally driver" search. They're running it out of the rally school down in Starke, FL. I'm seriously thinking about going. It's going to be $350 for entry plus gas, food and I'll probably camp to save money if I go. Maybe I can convince J to make that my Christmas present. We'll see. I still have plenty of writing to do before I can even think about something like that.
I won our college football pick against the spread competition, so I win bragging rights. Hopefully I can repeat last year's bowl pick'em victory with this year's round of bowl games.
Writing is coming along. I'll be taking a break to replace Focus' exhaust manifold (because the current one is cracked) and also the timing belt and water pump. This will be the first time I ever actually crack open an engine even if it is just the valve cover (that plastic piece on top of the engine, no not that big removable one, the one below that). Speaking of which I hate those big plastic engine covers. They're so stupid and pointless. I think they're supposed to make the engine bay look nicer, but really just get in the way.
My friend called last week and asked some car advice. His car had been running bad for about a month. It just started running rough all of a sudden. He replaced the PCV valve and various other easy accesible inexpensive parts that probably should've been replaced anyway. I suggested that it might be his timing belt slipped and his timing was off, making it run poorly. Thinking about it the next day, I remembered that it might also be a bad spark plug. I called him back and it turns out that he melted one of his spark plug cables, so sometimes he was on 4 cylinders and sometimes he was running 3. Thankfully that is a very easy fix.
Crap. Just saw that my 30 library books are all overdue. Time to go see if I can weasel out of a steep fine.
Labels: cars, Focus, football, movie
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Ever feel like you have too much blood?
Sometimes I do. So I just get rid of it! There are organizations that will gladly remove your blood for you and in return, you get drinks, snacks and a free T-shirt! Usually the t-shirt design sucks but the fact that it is long sleeved and orange more than makes up for it.
Yes J and I donated blood yesterday. I think J does it to help people and I do it for free stuff. I just wish there was a plasma donation center closer, that and sperm are where the big bucks are. Ladies, selling your eggs brings in about $3000 a pop and it would take a lot of meat beating and blood-letting for us to catch up to that. Also I hear if you ever need a blood transfusion, they don't charge regular blood donors for the blood, so another bonus. They are still very prejudiced against gay men though; one of the questions is still "have you ever had sexual contact with a man, even once" and if you answer yes, bam no blood for you, although you might get a sympathy t-shirt.
This blood drive is the annual U of South Carolina/Clemson University blood drive which proceeds the intensely heated rivalry football game (which is actually next weekend but you know, Thanksgiving = no students). It seems that whenever we "lose" the blood drive, we win the football game, but we'll see what happens this year if the Clemson Tigers can whoop up on the South Carolina Gamecocks.
My bike ride into work this morning was brisk, upper 20s brisk, but with my trusty long johns, and winter coat, I was more than prepared. You never really notice elevation changes too much while driving but you get lots of time to ponder inclines while cycling. The one in front of our house is brutal. So far I've only had to walk up it the very first time but it isn't getting much easier. Also I've been pimping my bike (much like this guy) and have added rear baskets, a serious bike chain, and a rear light with a very wicked Knight Rider setting and I'm not talking the shitty new show on NBC. So far I have only ridden at night once but with my fancy LED rear light, my headlamp strapped to my helmet and a light colored shirt, I felt moderately safe. I've been looking for a reflective vest and tape to really make myself stand out for any future night riding. Oh, I also would like a rear view mirror thing on my helmet so I don't have to look over my shoulder; I seriously almost ate it the first time I did that.
Of course since I am me, I have been dreaming about moving much farther up the bicycle scale from my current $40 bike to a sweet carbon fiber bad boy similar to this one but I barely have one thousand dollars sitting around let alone the twelve of thousands that bikes costs. I figure lugging around all this non carbon fiber aluminum will help me get into shape faster.
I hadn't had too many encounters with cars yet, other than a few tires crossing the bike lane line ahead of me and making me super extra wary of most drivers, when this morning a silver Toyota 4Runner decides that it doesn't want to stop behind the white line but keep rolling, and rolling, never mind their light is red, but they were almost blocking the bike lane, so I moved over a bit and gave their hood a pat that really sounded like I threw a brick at her truck.
I of course do not condone vandalizing other people's cars. In fact, much like Vincent, John Travolta's character in Pulp Fiction, I consider it to be one of the lowest acts you can do. The only thing I'm okay with is letting the air out of people's tires. They aren't out any money, just time and a major inconvenience. They don't have to get a new paintjob, or replace their tires, they just need some air; anything else is just wrong. Much like this douchebag.
Okay, off to keep writing!
Yes J and I donated blood yesterday. I think J does it to help people and I do it for free stuff. I just wish there was a plasma donation center closer, that and sperm are where the big bucks are. Ladies, selling your eggs brings in about $3000 a pop and it would take a lot of meat beating and blood-letting for us to catch up to that. Also I hear if you ever need a blood transfusion, they don't charge regular blood donors for the blood, so another bonus. They are still very prejudiced against gay men though; one of the questions is still "have you ever had sexual contact with a man, even once" and if you answer yes, bam no blood for you, although you might get a sympathy t-shirt.
This blood drive is the annual U of South Carolina/Clemson University blood drive which proceeds the intensely heated rivalry football game (which is actually next weekend but you know, Thanksgiving = no students). It seems that whenever we "lose" the blood drive, we win the football game, but we'll see what happens this year if the Clemson Tigers can whoop up on the South Carolina Gamecocks.
My bike ride into work this morning was brisk, upper 20s brisk, but with my trusty long johns, and winter coat, I was more than prepared. You never really notice elevation changes too much while driving but you get lots of time to ponder inclines while cycling. The one in front of our house is brutal. So far I've only had to walk up it the very first time but it isn't getting much easier. Also I've been pimping my bike (much like this guy) and have added rear baskets, a serious bike chain, and a rear light with a very wicked Knight Rider setting and I'm not talking the shitty new show on NBC. So far I have only ridden at night once but with my fancy LED rear light, my headlamp strapped to my helmet and a light colored shirt, I felt moderately safe. I've been looking for a reflective vest and tape to really make myself stand out for any future night riding. Oh, I also would like a rear view mirror thing on my helmet so I don't have to look over my shoulder; I seriously almost ate it the first time I did that.
Of course since I am me, I have been dreaming about moving much farther up the bicycle scale from my current $40 bike to a sweet carbon fiber bad boy similar to this one but I barely have one thousand dollars sitting around let alone the twelve of thousands that bikes costs. I figure lugging around all this non carbon fiber aluminum will help me get into shape faster.
I hadn't had too many encounters with cars yet, other than a few tires crossing the bike lane line ahead of me and making me super extra wary of most drivers, when this morning a silver Toyota 4Runner decides that it doesn't want to stop behind the white line but keep rolling, and rolling, never mind their light is red, but they were almost blocking the bike lane, so I moved over a bit and gave their hood a pat that really sounded like I threw a brick at her truck.
I of course do not condone vandalizing other people's cars. In fact, much like Vincent, John Travolta's character in Pulp Fiction, I consider it to be one of the lowest acts you can do. The only thing I'm okay with is letting the air out of people's tires. They aren't out any money, just time and a major inconvenience. They don't have to get a new paintjob, or replace their tires, they just need some air; anything else is just wrong. Much like this douchebag.
Okay, off to keep writing!
Labels: bicycle, doctors, football, inhuman, LGBT
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Feliz Dia de los Muertos!
I did zero exciting things for Halloween.
I rode my bike to school twice this week, drove the other 3.
Writing is still coming along and it will come along much more tomorrow bright and earlyish.
We're hiking somewhere on Sunday.
I wrote at home today and it was very nice. The cats enjoyed it and I did too until the cats got on my nerves with their constant attention cravings.
J and I really enjoyed the university's climbing wall competition on Thursday because they put up all new routes and problems. Of course Fall Break is Monday and Tuesday so we won't be able to climb again for free until next Thursday. Jerks.
I'm going to go upstairs and get some sleep before writing tomorrow and then some college football, the Georgia/Florida game to be specific.
Hopefully I'll have some election coverage and my voting preview on Monday. Mostly local but I'll also highlight some big ballot initiatives around the country.
I rode my bike to school twice this week, drove the other 3.
Writing is still coming along and it will come along much more tomorrow bright and earlyish.
We're hiking somewhere on Sunday.
I wrote at home today and it was very nice. The cats enjoyed it and I did too until the cats got on my nerves with their constant attention cravings.
J and I really enjoyed the university's climbing wall competition on Thursday because they put up all new routes and problems. Of course Fall Break is Monday and Tuesday so we won't be able to climb again for free until next Thursday. Jerks.
I'm going to go upstairs and get some sleep before writing tomorrow and then some college football, the Georgia/Florida game to be specific.
Hopefully I'll have some election coverage and my voting preview on Monday. Mostly local but I'll also highlight some big ballot initiatives around the country.
Labels: bicycle, football, hiking, politics, writing
Monday, October 20, 2008
100,000 hits!
Thanks to all my visitors for taking me over the 100,000 mark! Hooray!
Protege and Acura were here this weekend. They flew in from Texas (which is still recovering from Hurricane Ike) to come back and visit everyone. They have mostly been busy with work and renovating their "new to them" house. Parts sounded pretty gross. They installed some bamboo flooring themselves and it looked really nice.
We (minus J who was tired) went downtown and hung out with friends. Since I've been writing I haven't hung out with them socially probably since around July, so it was good having real conversations instead of short pleasant exchanges on campus.
There was talk about them trying to get tickets for the Georgia Tech/Clemson football game, but since we lost to Maryland and then Wake Forest, Clemson's ACC conference win and decent bowl game dreams have gone up in smoke. So we had a wonderfully relaxing Sat. afternoon (seriously I was the only one up before 10 am, well me and the cats) and I had a pleasant Sat. morning where I watched a little TV, straightened the house, walked Leon and then walked downtown to retrieve Tercel because I rode in (we have a paparazzi name for Protege and Acura in "real" life but what could their blog 'razzi name be? Pracura? Actege?) their rented white Sebring convertible since that last Wild Blue (by Blue Dawg Brewery in Baldwinsville, NY apparently bought out by Anheuser-Busch) was an 8% alcohol by volume doozy and I was in no condition to drive home. Yes I realize that I live in South Carolina and drinking and driving is just what people do here, but that doesn't make it right!
So I had a lovely stroll downtown (also side note: they don't allow overnight parking in the new fancy pants Clemson parking deck, so if there is a small chance your car won't make it home, park it on the street, walk, or take the CATbus) about a half hour before kick off. So I hop into Tercel, stop by Starbucks, call the house to see what everyone wants (large black iced coffee, small nonfat Mocha, and a small PSL for J) and then return home to fire up the grill. Flounder, salmon, zucchini, potatoes, all were deliciously and lovingly grilled by yours truly.
Relaxing, football, some F1 qualifying and then it was time for dinner. Actege treated us to sushi that was amazing. Protege commented that the bill wasn't bad but then remembered he was in backwoods SC where the cost of living is low especially compared with big city Houston. We came back and watched National Geographic's Giant Crystal Cave show which is truly freakin' unbelievable. More on that in another post.
Then we went to another friend's birthday party, drank, chatted, played with the dogs at the party, met some new people, then came home, woke up and our guests left. Thanks for visiting! And yes we will come to Houston as soon as we can.
Post previews:
Crystal Cave of the Giants
F1 China Qualifying (and race report once I watch it)
Writing update?
Stolen Obama magnet
Which reminds me that I saw John McCain's quote of "I like being the underdog" on CNN's front page. Uh John? You're an old white guy running for President in America, you'll never be the underdog.
Protege and Acura were here this weekend. They flew in from Texas (which is still recovering from Hurricane Ike) to come back and visit everyone. They have mostly been busy with work and renovating their "new to them" house. Parts sounded pretty gross. They installed some bamboo flooring themselves and it looked really nice.
We (minus J who was tired) went downtown and hung out with friends. Since I've been writing I haven't hung out with them socially probably since around July, so it was good having real conversations instead of short pleasant exchanges on campus.
There was talk about them trying to get tickets for the Georgia Tech/Clemson football game, but since we lost to Maryland and then Wake Forest, Clemson's ACC conference win and decent bowl game dreams have gone up in smoke. So we had a wonderfully relaxing Sat. afternoon (seriously I was the only one up before 10 am, well me and the cats) and I had a pleasant Sat. morning where I watched a little TV, straightened the house, walked Leon and then walked downtown to retrieve Tercel because I rode in (we have a paparazzi name for Protege and Acura in "real" life but what could their blog 'razzi name be? Pracura? Actege?) their rented white Sebring convertible since that last Wild Blue (by Blue Dawg Brewery in Baldwinsville, NY apparently bought out by Anheuser-Busch) was an 8% alcohol by volume doozy and I was in no condition to drive home. Yes I realize that I live in South Carolina and drinking and driving is just what people do here, but that doesn't make it right!
So I had a lovely stroll downtown (also side note: they don't allow overnight parking in the new fancy pants Clemson parking deck, so if there is a small chance your car won't make it home, park it on the street, walk, or take the CATbus) about a half hour before kick off. So I hop into Tercel, stop by Starbucks, call the house to see what everyone wants (large black iced coffee, small nonfat Mocha, and a small PSL for J) and then return home to fire up the grill. Flounder, salmon, zucchini, potatoes, all were deliciously and lovingly grilled by yours truly.
Relaxing, football, some F1 qualifying and then it was time for dinner. Actege treated us to sushi that was amazing. Protege commented that the bill wasn't bad but then remembered he was in backwoods SC where the cost of living is low especially compared with big city Houston. We came back and watched National Geographic's Giant Crystal Cave show which is truly freakin' unbelievable. More on that in another post.
Then we went to another friend's birthday party, drank, chatted, played with the dogs at the party, met some new people, then came home, woke up and our guests left. Thanks for visiting! And yes we will come to Houston as soon as we can.
Post previews:
Crystal Cave of the Giants
F1 China Qualifying (and race report once I watch it)
Writing update?
Stolen Obama magnet
Which reminds me that I saw John McCain's quote of "I like being the underdog" on CNN's front page. Uh John? You're an old white guy running for President in America, you'll never be the underdog.
Labels: Acura, crystals, food, football, J, preview, Protege
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Nine Fitty
Inching closer and closer to the thousand post mark.
Excellent guess! Why yes I am writing and working on a Saturday! Guess what? I'll be doing much the same tomorrow! After a mildly writing summer, I can feel the crunch of that very early Dec. defense deadline and throw Thanksgiving in, and that's even less time to schedule meetings and defenses. Because trust me, the next two-three months are going to fly by and if I don't stay on top of everything, it'll be next May and a solid 8 years in grad school Yikes! 7.5 is plenty for me and waaaaay more than enough for J. (Not that it would be the end of the world, but I would much rather get it out of the way before ChrismaHannuKwaazika)
In the background is one of the many college footballs that will be dominating TVs from now till January. It is no secret that I love college football. The athletes aren't paid (much), the fans are crazy and mostly drunk, the coaches are ballsy and it's why universities exist. (You didn't think it was for academics did you? We bring in a few million in grant money but athletics bring in the big money.)
Yes there is big talk about Clemson winning the ACC, but if they win the ACC and then graduate a wonderful, well-spoken, well-written, mustachioed chemistry PhD? All the better! The Clemson Tigers' first challenge is against the Alabama Crimson Tide (Roll Tide Roll, and don't ask me what a crimson tide is, yes I know I'm from Alabama but I've never been able to figure it out) at the Georgia Dome tonight at 8 pm Eastern.
I won't have as much time this semester, but I expect to make a few of the Clemson Tiger Men's soccer team home games. (I will not be tailgating for football games until I'm done writing; besides, it's too damn hot to drink outside in Sept. anyway!) Their first official home game is on Monday, Sept. 1st against Georgia Southern, I think. That is also the day I give group meeting (which I'm also working on this weekend) and it's also the day I turn 29! Holy crap! I'll repeat that:
MY 29TH BIRTHDAY IS ON MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1ST! Woohoo! Of course the university is open on Labor Day, so I'll be working for most of it while J sleeps at home.
Also, my 4th blogiversary went by unnoticed by everyone including me on July 13th.
In other blog news, I purchased a copy (via Amazon) of both Bouncer Rob's book, of Standing on the Box, and The Waiter's book, of Waiter Rant. I haven't read either one yet, but I will after I'm done writing and gradamating.
Enjoy the rest of your Saturday and cheer for the Clemson Tigers tonight at 8 Eastern, 7 Central, 6 Mountain and 5 Pacific!
Excellent guess! Why yes I am writing and working on a Saturday! Guess what? I'll be doing much the same tomorrow! After a mildly writing summer, I can feel the crunch of that very early Dec. defense deadline and throw Thanksgiving in, and that's even less time to schedule meetings and defenses. Because trust me, the next two-three months are going to fly by and if I don't stay on top of everything, it'll be next May and a solid 8 years in grad school Yikes! 7.5 is plenty for me and waaaaay more than enough for J. (Not that it would be the end of the world, but I would much rather get it out of the way before ChrismaHannuKwaazika)
In the background is one of the many college footballs that will be dominating TVs from now till January. It is no secret that I love college football. The athletes aren't paid (much), the fans are crazy and mostly drunk, the coaches are ballsy and it's why universities exist. (You didn't think it was for academics did you? We bring in a few million in grant money but athletics bring in the big money.)
Yes there is big talk about Clemson winning the ACC, but if they win the ACC and then graduate a wonderful, well-spoken, well-written, mustachioed chemistry PhD? All the better! The Clemson Tigers' first challenge is against the Alabama Crimson Tide (Roll Tide Roll, and don't ask me what a crimson tide is, yes I know I'm from Alabama but I've never been able to figure it out) at the Georgia Dome tonight at 8 pm Eastern.
I won't have as much time this semester, but I expect to make a few of the Clemson Tiger Men's soccer team home games. (I will not be tailgating for football games until I'm done writing; besides, it's too damn hot to drink outside in Sept. anyway!) Their first official home game is on Monday, Sept. 1st against Georgia Southern, I think. That is also the day I give group meeting (which I'm also working on this weekend) and it's also the day I turn 29! Holy crap! I'll repeat that:
MY 29TH BIRTHDAY IS ON MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1ST! Woohoo! Of course the university is open on Labor Day, so I'll be working for most of it while J sleeps at home.
Also, my 4th blogiversary went by unnoticed by everyone including me on July 13th.
In other blog news, I purchased a copy (via Amazon) of both Bouncer Rob's book, of Standing on the Box, and The Waiter's book, of Waiter Rant. I haven't read either one yet, but I will after I'm done writing and gradamating.
Enjoy the rest of your Saturday and cheer for the Clemson Tigers tonight at 8 Eastern, 7 Central, 6 Mountain and 5 Pacific!
Labels: book, Clemson, football, soccer, weekend, writing
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
MMVIII
Happy 2008! I'm at work because my final seminar is Jan. 18th and we're taking some vacation time next week, so I'm trying to get ahead. Ideally I want it done so I can go over it with the adviser by Friday, so everyday counts. We went over to Subaru's house last night and hung out with them. We played both square Blokus and trigonal Blokus. Personally I think the trigonal is far superior. I won both games and actually got rid of all my pieces for the first time ever! It helped that Subaru's wife hadn't played before and took the fight directly at Subaru when she actually should've been trying to block me. We had some delicious Ballatore sparkling wine. It was sweet and I finally realized why I haven't liked hardly any champagnes. I hate dry champagne. I don't like them. But this was sweet and fruity.
Did anyone catch some of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve? Wow, Dick Clark, I love you and you are a legend but it might be time to call it quits. He looked great but his voice was weak and unsure. Dick, give up the showbiz game. Spend time with your beautiful wife and your kids and grandkids. New Year's Eve won't be the same without you but it'll get by.
Don't worry, I'm tivoing the football games that I'm missing today. In my humble opinion, today is the best bowl game day out of them all. Yesterday was good albeit marred by Clemson's heartwrenching overtime loss to the Auburn Tigers. But today we get the mighty Arkansas Razorbacks fighting the Missouri somebodies. And the Florida Gators taking on the evil Michigan Wolverines. I was raised an SEC fan so my allegiance always goes with the conference except for hated conference rivals, so go Wisconsin Badgers! Beat those stupid Tennessee Volunteers. I don't really have any allegiance to any ACC team besides Clemson, so they're all on their own. The Georgia Bulldogs battle the Mighty Hawaii Fight Rainbows (or whatever they changed their mascot to recently, but the rainbows is better, pbbbbt, they're the "Warriors" now, how about the Rainbow Warriors?) in primetime after we get to see the USC Trojans slaughter the Illinois Fighting Illini. Yes I'm a college football junkie and that'll spill over into the pro league sometimes too. It's such a great system because even if you hate pro football, all your favorite college superstars wind up there so you can at least cheer for the player if you don't like the whole team.
J was asleep with the cats when I left for work this morning. I was awake at 8:45, no alarm. I used to be able to sleep for hours on end like J still can, but I lost it. I think once I realized that if you get up before 9 am on a Saturday, it's almost like having two whole Saturdays because instead of sleeping until 1 or 2, you get another 6 hours to play with.
My New Year's resolution is to eat less and be more active. Hopefully this Christmas present will help once it shows up in the mail.
To work!
Did anyone catch some of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve? Wow, Dick Clark, I love you and you are a legend but it might be time to call it quits. He looked great but his voice was weak and unsure. Dick, give up the showbiz game. Spend time with your beautiful wife and your kids and grandkids. New Year's Eve won't be the same without you but it'll get by.
Don't worry, I'm tivoing the football games that I'm missing today. In my humble opinion, today is the best bowl game day out of them all. Yesterday was good albeit marred by Clemson's heartwrenching overtime loss to the Auburn Tigers. But today we get the mighty Arkansas Razorbacks fighting the Missouri somebodies. And the Florida Gators taking on the evil Michigan Wolverines. I was raised an SEC fan so my allegiance always goes with the conference except for hated conference rivals, so go Wisconsin Badgers! Beat those stupid Tennessee Volunteers. I don't really have any allegiance to any ACC team besides Clemson, so they're all on their own. The Georgia Bulldogs battle the Mighty Hawaii Fight Rainbows (or whatever they changed their mascot to recently, but the rainbows is better, pbbbbt, they're the "Warriors" now, how about the Rainbow Warriors?) in primetime after we get to see the USC Trojans slaughter the Illinois Fighting Illini. Yes I'm a college football junkie and that'll spill over into the pro league sometimes too. It's such a great system because even if you hate pro football, all your favorite college superstars wind up there so you can at least cheer for the player if you don't like the whole team.
J was asleep with the cats when I left for work this morning. I was awake at 8:45, no alarm. I used to be able to sleep for hours on end like J still can, but I lost it. I think once I realized that if you get up before 9 am on a Saturday, it's almost like having two whole Saturdays because instead of sleeping until 1 or 2, you get another 6 hours to play with.
My New Year's resolution is to eat less and be more active. Hopefully this Christmas present will help once it shows up in the mail.
To work!
Labels: Blokus, cats, football, J, Subaru
Monday, November 26, 2007
Blame Canada!
I rewatched the South Park movie over Thanksgiving break. Such a great movie and I still can't believe they got to sing "Uncle Fucker" during the Oscars. Nice work Matt and Trey!
I did get some work done but not much from here. It's nice working at home although the cats do get a bit annoying.
We worked concessions and J and I sold popcorn to people who hadn't eaten beforehand or feel its their duty to support Clemson by supporting Aramark and its overpriced food. 20 ounces of bottled soda is now $3.50 at all Clemson sporting events. Yikes. Thank Yahweh I haven't been to a professional sporting event recently cuz I really don't want to know what Aramark charges those poor souls. Go Capitalism!
Speaking of capitalism, we did not partake in the mayhem known as Black Friday. I did see that Wal-Mart had my Kitchen-Aid mixer, usually at least $250, on sale for $140 with a minimum of one per store. Great, so to save some money I would've had to camp in front of that store and then fought people off as I tried to find the one or maybe two mixers that were on sale. No thank you. Instead Mother Nature called, Subaru, his wife and I got up entirely too early (although not as early as you psychotic shoppers) at 6 am and drove up to Crowder's Mountain which is just over the state line in NC. J was supposed to go but chose warmth and sleep over hiking, exercise and climbing.
The hike isn't very long but its the elevation change you have to watch. It was a nice 40ish F degree weather but the wind had a nasty bite to it. We all layered and were mostly warm all day. I was making fashion statements left and right with my new iridescent red helmet, my green thermal shirt, blue thermal long johns and red shorts over the long johns; take that fashion! I had my favorite pair of comfy training pants that I would slip on over my climbing harness in between climbs because layers equals warmth! We didn't feel the effects of the cold until our last climb of the day. The rock had been in the shade all day and it was freezing! I wanted to finish strong so I climbed through the cold fingers and made it to the top. I need to start taking my camera places again. I haven't alot because it's old and we want a new one but that doesn't change the fact that I have one and it's better than nothing.
Huge thanks to Subaru and his wife for inviting me on their trip and for tying the ropes securely and none of us fell off the mountain! Hooray!
Saturday was sleeping and football. Clemson beat our in state rival, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks off a wonderful field goal by soccer star extraordinaire Mark Bucholz. Bucky had a solid soccer season and hopefully will cap his football season off with a bowl game victory. We're ranked 16th in the nation and will probably get a decent bowl. The closer to New Year's Day, the better!
J asked me what we should get the grandparents for Christmas. Ideally I would like to make it ourselves, but other than that, I have no clue.
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and don't worry about having to go back to school/work, Christmas is right around the corner!
Oh, you want to know what we (mostly me) made for Thanksgiving? We were in charge of the pumpkin pie (Paula Deen's recipe), the stuffing (Williams & Sonoma recipe, I left out the chestnuts because J doesn't like nuts in foods) and the mashed potatoes (W&S again).
What did YOU make?
I did get some work done but not much from here. It's nice working at home although the cats do get a bit annoying.
We worked concessions and J and I sold popcorn to people who hadn't eaten beforehand or feel its their duty to support Clemson by supporting Aramark and its overpriced food. 20 ounces of bottled soda is now $3.50 at all Clemson sporting events. Yikes. Thank Yahweh I haven't been to a professional sporting event recently cuz I really don't want to know what Aramark charges those poor souls. Go Capitalism!
Speaking of capitalism, we did not partake in the mayhem known as Black Friday. I did see that Wal-Mart had my Kitchen-Aid mixer, usually at least $250, on sale for $140 with a minimum of one per store. Great, so to save some money I would've had to camp in front of that store and then fought people off as I tried to find the one or maybe two mixers that were on sale. No thank you. Instead Mother Nature called, Subaru, his wife and I got up entirely too early (although not as early as you psychotic shoppers) at 6 am and drove up to Crowder's Mountain which is just over the state line in NC. J was supposed to go but chose warmth and sleep over hiking, exercise and climbing.
The hike isn't very long but its the elevation change you have to watch. It was a nice 40ish F degree weather but the wind had a nasty bite to it. We all layered and were mostly warm all day. I was making fashion statements left and right with my new iridescent red helmet, my green thermal shirt, blue thermal long johns and red shorts over the long johns; take that fashion! I had my favorite pair of comfy training pants that I would slip on over my climbing harness in between climbs because layers equals warmth! We didn't feel the effects of the cold until our last climb of the day. The rock had been in the shade all day and it was freezing! I wanted to finish strong so I climbed through the cold fingers and made it to the top. I need to start taking my camera places again. I haven't alot because it's old and we want a new one but that doesn't change the fact that I have one and it's better than nothing.
Huge thanks to Subaru and his wife for inviting me on their trip and for tying the ropes securely and none of us fell off the mountain! Hooray!
Saturday was sleeping and football. Clemson beat our in state rival, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks off a wonderful field goal by soccer star extraordinaire Mark Bucholz. Bucky had a solid soccer season and hopefully will cap his football season off with a bowl game victory. We're ranked 16th in the nation and will probably get a decent bowl. The closer to New Year's Day, the better!
J asked me what we should get the grandparents for Christmas. Ideally I would like to make it ourselves, but other than that, I have no clue.
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and don't worry about having to go back to school/work, Christmas is right around the corner!
Oh, you want to know what we (mostly me) made for Thanksgiving? We were in charge of the pumpkin pie (Paula Deen's recipe), the stuffing (Williams & Sonoma recipe, I left out the chestnuts because J doesn't like nuts in foods) and the mashed potatoes (W&S again).
What did YOU make?
Labels: Clemson, climbing, football, Subaru, Thanksgiving
Monday, October 08, 2007
Beer: the cause of and solution to, all of life's problems.
- Homer Simpson, from the episode where Mayor Quimby tries out prohibition in Springfield. I know I've used it before but dammit, it's one of my favorites.
Not the greatest weekend in college football. The Clemson Tigers offense let the Virginia Tech score waaay too many points off turnovers and we had some trouble tackling people on special teams. And we lost. Again. To a conference opponent.
The unbeatable Trojans of Southern California lost to the Stanford Trees, which means the SEC's own LSU Tigers inherit the #1 spot in the nation. That should make Shaq and my uncle very happy. I'm sure there are other famous LSU fans, just let me know.
Whilst Clemson was getting their ass handed to them, we went to the newlyweds' house and played Mario Party 8! It's so nice that in this day and age you can put video games and other fun activities on your wedding registry. It has tons of mini-games and you can just pick which ones you want to play. There are also a couple different modes to play these mini-games. Some are set up like a giant board game. One is even set up like Monopoly where you put coins you've won into property and develop it from a 1 star hotel to a 4 star hotel. Very cool. My favorite might have been the 1 vs. 3 games. The previous night we only had 3 players so the computer had to step up and play but on Sat. J (who skipped tailgating to sleep all day) was up for playing and the 4 player mode was amazing! Only have 2 players? Don't fret, they have tons of games for just 2 players. For playing games you get cards which you can trade in for other games. We bought a moped game for 50 cards and it was amazing! You hold the Wiimote sideways with the 1 button being the gas and 2 was the brakes. I completely dominated this game. It wasn't too difficult, almost like driving a car. If you are going wide, hit the brakes a bit until you start coming back to the middle of the road. If you're in too tight and turning into the inside of the turn, you're not going fast enough.
The Formula 1 race was fairly exciting. First off, great job Red Bull! Red Bull Renault had David Coulthard coming in at 8th in the last points position. Scuderia Toro Rosso - Ferrari (Italian Red Bull with Ferrari engines) had Sebastian Vettel (who replaced Scott Speed who I'll get to in a second) coming in at 4th! His teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi came in 6th! Toro Rosso leapt from dead last in constructor's points to 7th out of 12 in one race!
Lewis Hamilton finally showed that he's human after all and went wide as he turned into the pits and got stuck in the kitty litter. He was leading the race but that one mistake ended his race. Maybe his team should've mentioned that pit lane was wet and to be extra super careful, but he's still in the driver's points lead. He's 22 and leading the driver's championship in his rookie year. He has 107, teammate Fernando Alonso has 103 and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen at 100, with one race to go in Sao Paolo, Brazil. It's going to be a great finish to the season. That race is in two weeks and would be a good one to watch.
In other F1 driver news, Jacques Villeneuve made his debut in NASCAR's Nextel Cup series, he finished on the lead lap and in 21st. He has been getting used to only turning left in the Craftsman Truck series and I saw that he crashed in that race on Fri. or Sat.
Scott Speed is getting used to the "turn left and then straight" strategy in the ARCA series, one of NASCAR's many training series as everyone tries to make it into the Winston, sorry, Nextel Cup. Speed finished 7th. Great job guys. Keep turning left and hoping they add some more road courses to the mix, and I might even watch a whole race.
Just for a refresher on why I don't like NASCAR: they're benefiting at the expense of other forms of racing (rally, sports car), they turn left entirely too much while ignoring other directions, and a new one I just added this weekend they were interviewing a winner of a lower level oval race. He said his winning strategy was "to stay at the bottom of the race track on the inside". That's it. I suppose that is harder than it sounds especially if you don't start in front but that does not make for exciting racing. Oh yeah, another aspect I hate is that wrecks are just part of the action. Wrecks in other series are horrible and kill people but it's all part of the show in NASCAR. I think Dale Earnhardt would agree with me. Sure it's part of racing but it should not be a highlight. Rubbin' is racin' but not slamming into the wall at 130+ mph.
Brian Marquis is a whiner. He's a "returning student" at UMass and was upset when his TA curved his "A minus" to a C. I obviously completely agree with the TA. Since he's a paralegal, he feels that a C on his transcript will destroy his career and his life and so he has decided to take it to court. Insert "some lawyers are stupid and useless" joke here.
This was brought to my attention by Common Good, who is trying to bring common sense back to America. Sounds like a great idea to me.
Not the greatest weekend in college football. The Clemson Tigers offense let the Virginia Tech score waaay too many points off turnovers and we had some trouble tackling people on special teams. And we lost. Again. To a conference opponent.
The unbeatable Trojans of Southern California lost to the Stanford Trees, which means the SEC's own LSU Tigers inherit the #1 spot in the nation. That should make Shaq and my uncle very happy. I'm sure there are other famous LSU fans, just let me know.
Whilst Clemson was getting their ass handed to them, we went to the newlyweds' house and played Mario Party 8! It's so nice that in this day and age you can put video games and other fun activities on your wedding registry. It has tons of mini-games and you can just pick which ones you want to play. There are also a couple different modes to play these mini-games. Some are set up like a giant board game. One is even set up like Monopoly where you put coins you've won into property and develop it from a 1 star hotel to a 4 star hotel. Very cool. My favorite might have been the 1 vs. 3 games. The previous night we only had 3 players so the computer had to step up and play but on Sat. J (who skipped tailgating to sleep all day) was up for playing and the 4 player mode was amazing! Only have 2 players? Don't fret, they have tons of games for just 2 players. For playing games you get cards which you can trade in for other games. We bought a moped game for 50 cards and it was amazing! You hold the Wiimote sideways with the 1 button being the gas and 2 was the brakes. I completely dominated this game. It wasn't too difficult, almost like driving a car. If you are going wide, hit the brakes a bit until you start coming back to the middle of the road. If you're in too tight and turning into the inside of the turn, you're not going fast enough.
The Formula 1 race was fairly exciting. First off, great job Red Bull! Red Bull Renault had David Coulthard coming in at 8th in the last points position. Scuderia Toro Rosso - Ferrari (Italian Red Bull with Ferrari engines) had Sebastian Vettel (who replaced Scott Speed who I'll get to in a second) coming in at 4th! His teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi came in 6th! Toro Rosso leapt from dead last in constructor's points to 7th out of 12 in one race!
Lewis Hamilton finally showed that he's human after all and went wide as he turned into the pits and got stuck in the kitty litter. He was leading the race but that one mistake ended his race. Maybe his team should've mentioned that pit lane was wet and to be extra super careful, but he's still in the driver's points lead. He's 22 and leading the driver's championship in his rookie year. He has 107, teammate Fernando Alonso has 103 and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen at 100, with one race to go in Sao Paolo, Brazil. It's going to be a great finish to the season. That race is in two weeks and would be a good one to watch.
In other F1 driver news, Jacques Villeneuve made his debut in NASCAR's Nextel Cup series, he finished on the lead lap and in 21st. He has been getting used to only turning left in the Craftsman Truck series and I saw that he crashed in that race on Fri. or Sat.
Scott Speed is getting used to the "turn left and then straight" strategy in the ARCA series, one of NASCAR's many training series as everyone tries to make it into the Winston, sorry, Nextel Cup. Speed finished 7th. Great job guys. Keep turning left and hoping they add some more road courses to the mix, and I might even watch a whole race.
Just for a refresher on why I don't like NASCAR: they're benefiting at the expense of other forms of racing (rally, sports car), they turn left entirely too much while ignoring other directions, and a new one I just added this weekend they were interviewing a winner of a lower level oval race. He said his winning strategy was "to stay at the bottom of the race track on the inside". That's it. I suppose that is harder than it sounds especially if you don't start in front but that does not make for exciting racing. Oh yeah, another aspect I hate is that wrecks are just part of the action. Wrecks in other series are horrible and kill people but it's all part of the show in NASCAR. I think Dale Earnhardt would agree with me. Sure it's part of racing but it should not be a highlight. Rubbin' is racin' but not slamming into the wall at 130+ mph.
Brian Marquis is a whiner. He's a "returning student" at UMass and was upset when his TA curved his "A minus" to a C. I obviously completely agree with the TA. Since he's a paralegal, he feels that a C on his transcript will destroy his career and his life and so he has decided to take it to court. Insert "some lawyers are stupid and useless" joke here.
This was brought to my attention by Common Good, who is trying to bring common sense back to America. Sounds like a great idea to me.
Labels: F1, football, racing, video games, Wii
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Lab woes
I'll tell you the story about the bachelorette party but first several social awareness points.
First, please keep Indonesia in your thoughts. They received a 7.9 earthquake a few days ago and once again must rebuild their country, economy and lives.
Kathy Griffin is making news for a comment she made accepting her Emmy for her show "My Life on the D-List". She said "a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. Suck it Jesus! This award is my god now!", which is very funny and exactly why I love Kathy Griffin. No topic is taboo. I'm gonna quote Cynical Chris' post about it which sums it up nicely.
If you feel like signing a petition against censorship, then please go to SuckItJesus.com
Everyone knows the NFL (National Football League) is big business. Last year the TV rights sold for $3.7 billion. The owners are making money off the sweat and blood of their players. You would hope that after the players retire that they are still taken care of through pension and health insurance.
According to the Men's Journal article, Casualties of the NFL, it all comes down to Gene Upshaw, head of the NFL Player's Association, that is supposed to protect the players and their interests, but "what emerges is a picture of a labor union that has turned its back on the men who built it, and officials who use their power not to advocate for their brethren but to protect the assets of the 32 owners with whom they once did battle."
These guys gave their all to play the game they loved, made some money, ravaged their bodies, and once they retired are completely discarded and forgotten about. It's shameful. Fuck the NFLPA and Gene Upshaw. Huh, apparently Bryant Gumbel agrees with me. Gene, please work for the players like you once were and not the bottom line.
Wow, those really got away from me. Ok, back this afternoon with the story you're all waiting for.
First, please keep Indonesia in your thoughts. They received a 7.9 earthquake a few days ago and once again must rebuild their country, economy and lives.
Kathy Griffin is making news for a comment she made accepting her Emmy for her show "My Life on the D-List". She said "a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. Suck it Jesus! This award is my god now!", which is very funny and exactly why I love Kathy Griffin. No topic is taboo. I'm gonna quote Cynical Chris' post about it which sums it up nicely.
Kathy Griffin’s Emmy Speech to be Censored Because of Jesus Comment
Suck it Jesus is not a blasphemous comment if it is made by somebody who doesn’t believe that there is a god. If you are an atheist, it is impossible for you to commit blasphemy goddamn it! And besides that, when did the Catholic League become the leader and voice of Christians everywhere? Hell, the Catholic League isn’t even the voice of Catholics.
Google the words “Bill Donohue” and “hate speech” to see that is his modus operandi. He finds a high profile example of somebody not bowing to his particular deity (any other seems to be find) and accuses them of “hate speech” in a press release. It’s getting quite boring but it still is effective.
Oh, and Suck it Jesus.
If you feel like signing a petition against censorship, then please go to SuckItJesus.com
Everyone knows the NFL (National Football League) is big business. Last year the TV rights sold for $3.7 billion. The owners are making money off the sweat and blood of their players. You would hope that after the players retire that they are still taken care of through pension and health insurance.
In a game expected to take in $7 billion this year and that exceeds all others in causing bodily harm, fewer than 3 percent of the men who played in the league succeed in getting disability benefits. Worse, the players union turns away ailing vets despite a pension fund with $1 billion in assets.
Twenty years ago, when linemen weighed 280, it was common for them to play on into their 30s. Now offensive tackles average 320, and a typical career lasts three and a half seasons, or just half a season more than the minimum to qualify for a pension. Nor does playing longer secure one's finances during old age. Full pension payouts start at 55, which is around the time the average former player dies, two decades sooner than non-players.
According to the Men's Journal article, Casualties of the NFL, it all comes down to Gene Upshaw, head of the NFL Player's Association, that is supposed to protect the players and their interests, but "what emerges is a picture of a labor union that has turned its back on the men who built it, and officials who use their power not to advocate for their brethren but to protect the assets of the 32 owners with whom they once did battle."
These guys gave their all to play the game they loved, made some money, ravaged their bodies, and once they retired are completely discarded and forgotten about. It's shameful. Fuck the NFLPA and Gene Upshaw. Huh, apparently Bryant Gumbel agrees with me. Gene, please work for the players like you once were and not the bottom line.
Wow, those really got away from me. Ok, back this afternoon with the story you're all waiting for.
Labels: football, Kathy Griffin
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