My Blog

My wild life

2005-06-28T14:10:00.000-04:00

'ere now. Give us a kiss.

And people ask why I hate snakes

I'd be a lot more frequent with these updates, but I'm just not that interesting a person. It takes me two weeks to have any sort of a life to write one blog entry.

I went to a bar crawl last weekend. I'd like to share some stories, because apparently, there are some good ones, but I don't remember much of the day. My friends just start laughing their asses off when I bring the subject up.

Dodgeball took a serious downturn. We've been very short handed (vacations, work stuff etc Life happens) and we don't get a very good sense for each other when half our team are stand ins from other teams. Meh, it happens. I'm still really enjoying myself and having a good time.

We lost two out of three games two weeks ago and got swept out the building last week. Its really bad when you get beat up on by the team made up of comic book geeks. And the shot to my groin didn't improve things any.

I saw Batman Begins. Twice. Friggin awesome. They really nailed Bruce Wayne and Gotham City in the this one. Best movie of the summer. I can't wait for the sequal, which was set up so nicely. Gary Oldman and Liam Neeson were brilliant.

Been playing poker more. I've gotten better and etermining odds and slow playing. My bluffing still needs work, but it'll come along. I found a site calledGotham City Poker. they have deals and tips for online poker as well as a forum for discussing card rooms and clubs. Its still new a pretty small, but hopefully, it'll get off the ground.

I'm thrilled with the Mets taking 2 out of 3 from the Yankees. Would have been better if it were a sweep (anybody got a bullpen we can borrow?), but I'll take what I can get right now. Throw in 2 out of 3 in Philidelphia, and I'm almost a happy camper. We need more consistency and a stronger 'pen.

Thats it for now. I'll have more to say some other time in the future.

Where have I been?

2005-06-09T20:20:00.000-04:00

Thats a good question. I've been real lazy lately.

Not a lot to talk about.

Joined a dodgeball league. Its a lot of fun. I get a little excersise, talk to people I'd otherwise never meet, and get cheap beer afterwards.

And isn't cheap beer what recreational sports is all about?

That and being undefeated, which my team is so far.

I'll bring a camera next week and do an actual write up.

I haven't given a crap about pro wrestling in years. It just wasn't fun to watch anymore. I don't know if the performances got worse or I just got too old or what, but I just didn't enjoy it after a while.

My interest was finally killed off about the time that WWF (or WWE whatever its called)bought the WCW. I didn't like WCW, but it gave Vince McMahon a reason to keep pushing the envelope. He paid attention to the likes of ECW and tried to nuture them as his minor league (whether they liked it or not).

That said, I'd really like to see One Night Stand. ECW in Hammerstein Ballroom is classic. Say what you will about the quality of the wrestling itself, you can't deny they put it all out to give the audience a great show.

No, I'm not dead yet

2005-05-05T15:23:00.000-04:00

Photobucket isn't working right now. Sorry, I'll get a picture up later.

I've been working, sick, on a secret mission for the government.......go ahead and pick an excuse. I just haven't been blogging.

Lets get off to a roaring start by listing a few things that are pissing me off.

Online video rentals: Ugh. Two full weeks for the first video I ordered to arrive. Actually, I still haven't received it. I may have already passed the free trial period when I canceled my account this morning, so they may try and charge me the first month. God help them if they do.

The New York Media: Specifically the sports on the radio and in the tabloids. Today is the first time I can remember ever seeing the Mets get more coverage in the Daily News than the Yankees (I'd read the Post, but I don't hate myself). Seriously, it was incredible not getting 5 pages of whats wrong with the Yankees and how terrible it is and how pissed Steinbrenner is. The News is almost as bad as the sports radio here.

The battle between the Mike and the MadDog Show and the Michael Kay Show to see who can take more Yankee wang is getting sickening. Kay is the Yankees' TV announcer, so you can understand his bias. The problem is he gets absolutely insane with how great every little offseason move by the Yankees is and then comes up with these insane trades to get all the best players on the Yankees (he actually thought Oakland was willing to trade Barry Zito for Jason Giambi). Its like listening to the drunken idiots in the Yankee Stadium parking lot trying to put together a rotisserie team. “When is that Vlad Guerrero guy gonna come here?” At least Don LaGreca brings a little Mets love into the show.

Mike (Francessa) and the MadDog (Chris Russo) are on the Mets flagship station. There is no excuse for them to be caressing Steinbrenner's balls. I knew it was all going to hell with them when they got a simulcast deal on YES. Why the hell people want to watch a radio talk show is beyond me. From the few instances I have seen it, its just them doing their show. No big in studio antics like Stern's show. Just two middle aged, overweight, not all that good looking guys talking into microphones. Thats what passes for entertainment on YES when a Yankee game isn't on.

Music station deejays: Hey, morons, I am not listening to this station to here you jabber on about what celebrity ditched you at the concert or what some retarded listener thinks is funny. I want to hear some music. And not the same handful of songs you always play. You are not Howard Stern and you won't get his job when he leaves for satellite. If you must speak, keep it to concert information and album release dates. I am not even all that interesting in interviews, because they are rarely all that interesting.

Believe me, if I could work a satellite subscription into my budget, I would. Until then, I am stuck with listening to your crap. Don't make me homicidal.

My asshole brother: I am living with this fool. He is terrible to put up with. He leaves his clothes all over the place and has no intention of picking them up until he wants something to wear. He will take the last of the toilet paper and not replace the roll. Same with shaving cream, shampoo, my aftershave, cologne etc etc because he knows I will go get more. He will open a can of tuna fish, pour it all into a bowl, add some mayonnaise, and eat half of it. The rest he leaves on the living room table where he was wallowing in his filth while watching TV. Sometimes, he'll find a way to leave it under the table or couch, so I can't find it until it ripens so nicely. He will smoke and leave the ashes in the shower. WHO SMOKES IN THE SHOWER? At least he is flushing.....more often than before. The last time he went grocery shopping? Two weeks before never.

Victor Zambrano: Son of a bitch. Damn. Shit. Fuck. God Damn............and pretty much anything else nasty you can think of. When I see what Scott Kazmir is capable of and then see this waste of roster space, I want to cry.

More rambling

2005-04-20T15:01:00.000-04:00

Daaaaaamn

Lots to talk about. I'll stick to the three big topics that have stuck out in my mind.

Big win for the Mets. Beautiful. Record breaking.You know what the best part is? It wasn't some over rated t-ball team like Tampa Bay.

Personally, I think the Devil Rays were brought into the league to break the Yankee early season losing streaks. Ever notice how the Yankees play the Devil Rays after West Coast swings or when they take on the Red Sox or the Twins? Pretty damned convenient.

We got a new Pope. They elected the guy who was recruited into the Hitler Youth and worked a AAA battery during WW2. Thats not going to help with the image problems. I understand about the circumstances in Germany at the time and I don't blame a drafted soldier for working a defense weapon. I'm just saying that there are image issues to consider. It just doesn't look good. Especially when regarding a man nicknamed The Vatican Enforcer. The first German Pope in nearly a millenium. I guess the Vatican is starting to get over that whole Martin Luther incident.

I was in Target today on some bussiness and it reminded me of something thats bothered me for a long time. When I worked in retail, this trend really took off. Its the one where the people who work there are called "team members". I hated that. I was not a team member, I was an employee. I didn't see that as making me less of a person, its just where I ranked on the totem pole. No biggie. My boss was not my teammate, s/he was my employer. They could call me "sales associate" because that was the title of my job usually. When they crossed the line and called me "team member", I went out of my way to correct them. In a polite way, of course (usually).Some tell me this is the sign of a bad attitude. I don't see how. I did my job to the best of my ability. I was polite as possible with customers and coworkers. I didn't go about like I hated the job (although I did most of the time). I did everything I could to be a positive influence on the place.

I just found it so damned patronizing. They told me it was meant to be empowering. I told them talking to me like a child was not empowering.

The same thing with calling customers "guests". I am there to give you an agreed upon amount of currency in exchange for a good or service. Thats the extent of our relationship. I am not there to have a cold beer and discuss whats been happening in our lives lately.

Its this damn feel good, no hurt feelings virus that is infecting our society. Its OK to not be my best friend. I am perfectly fine with our "consumer/merchant" relationship. Please don't make it out like its anything else.

Help me.....please

2005-04-17T19:16:00.000-04:00

Snoopy finally got the bastard.

My neices and nephews are running around driving me nuts. They have found me and my brother's old baseball card collection and are proceding to root through it. I'm just glad that its all from the 1990s when the industry went to hell and that all the decent ones are already tucked away somewhere safe.

What really aggrivates me is when they start breaking all my old GI Joes. Watching my childhood smashed before my eyes is not pleasent. At least they were already pretty messed up from wear and tear and over 10 years buried in my parents' basement.

I have to be at work at 6 AM tomorrow and I kow that I'm not getting to bed before midnight. I'll be cleaning up after they leave until at least then.

Looks like the Mets winning streak is over. You can't win them all. I just hope they win the majority of them. Hell, all this means is that they now have a chance to start a new winning streak.

Its nice to see that we Americans aren't the only ones with self esteem issues. Apparently the English will also do stupid things to look good. Atleast, what the magazines say look good. Of course, we have always been able to make our asses bigger without using surgery.

Now we're rolling

2005-04-16T16:29:00.000-04:00

Why can't it be summer now?

Oh, its just so pretty. 6-5. The pitching has been great and they are winning with small ball.

If you told me two days ago that Aaron Heilman would throw a one hit, 9 inning shut out to out duel Josh Beckett, I would have thought you crazy. But, he brought his A-game against one of the best pitchers in the game. Can't ask for much more. Well, maybe some consitency.

Kaz Ishii pitched a hell of a game versus Roger Clemens Thrusday night. More of the late inning heroics.

Today, Pedro held the Marlins off long enough for the Mets to come back and win it in the ninth inning. Piazza seems to have finally found his stroke.

The only thing that bothers me is the bullpen can still be euphemistically described as "pourous".

I also have to admit that Reyes seems to be a bit of a free swinger. He needs to be a little patient at the plate.

But, its all good. The starters are putting in innings. The defense is awesome (even off the bench). They are also manufacturing runs, instead of hoping Piazza or someone goes yard. Hopefully, Randolph can keep them focused enough to keep this going.

I found a gereat site for stats on the Mets. MetsGeek is a great resource and there are some cool articles and discussions there.

Here is a shocker. A Red Sox fan being a douchebag. Ya, never seen that before.

And it is just as pathetic hearing Yankee fans acting all indignant. As if there wasn't a battery thrown at Albert Belle. Or that Bat Day was canceled. Or that you can't buy beer in certain sections of the bleechers anymore.

The best thing you can say about either group is that atleast they don't bring road flares. Yet.

Atleast not all the players are scumbags. A-Rod apparently saved a kid from an oncoming truck. However, it was suggested on ESPN Radio that the driver was actually aiming for Rodriguez and the kid just happened to be in the way.

While I'm being mean and hateful, I have something to get off my chest. The English language can feel pain. And many people on the internet in general and blogs specifically are causing this pain.

I understand that typos happen. Some words are hard to spell. Even I rush my entries and make a few mistakes. However, no one has ever needed a fucking Rosetta Stone to figure out what I am saying.

I am not asking for some kind of English literature doctaral thesis. I just want to be able to read what people are writting. Most of us should have learned grammar and punctuation by the fourth grade. When you type like a 3 year old, its just laziness. If English is your first language, there really isn't and excuse.

On second thought, some people seem to be going out of their way to create some new form of bastard English. Tolkien, they are not.

And before anyone gets on my ass for misspelling anything, or bad grammar; I can still get my point across without causing headaches. Slang and profanities aren't the problem.

Just had to get that off my chest.

A little rambling

2005-04-13T14:34:00.000-04:00

Relax, I'm just kidding

That little diddy was a product of this site. You can guess some of the other messed up stuff I've been reading.

Well, my job situation has improved dramatically. So, I'm happy.

The Mets seem to have found their rhythmn, so I'm happy. Unfortunatly, I didn't get to go to the game because my job situation changed.

I think I won't be going to any Italian soccer games anytime soon.

What gets me is it wasn't just one guy or a few idiots getting drunk in the parking lot and deciding on this. This was a few hundred people in an organized effort.

Seeing as to how many of these games breaks out in to violence, aren't there security guards doing pat downs on people coming in? And if so, what was the reasonable explination for the road flares? "We thought we were going to have a flat in the food court."

We go apeshit here if people throw beer onto the court. I can't imagine the response here if people tried to light the field on fire.

I was down town by Washington Square Park yesterday when a protest was going on. I guess Supreme Court Justice Scalia was making some sort of appearance at NYU and people wanted to let him know they didn't care too much for him.

I don't want this to be about politics. I really don't. I'm not trying to insult or put down the protestors. I respect and encourage their excersising their First Ammednment rights. There is just one thing that baffles me.

They would do their chants for a minute or so and then start cheering wildly like they just won something. I thought some celebrity had shown up to join them. Or maybe Scalia had come out and admitted he was wrong and that he now saw things their way. They were apparently just really happy they successfully accomplished their slogans.

I just don't get why this was worth cheering.

Being an independant with conservative leanings, I didn't join them. Since I was down there bar hopping, I wasn't in any shape to join them if I wanted to anyway. I just found it amusing.

Thats it for now. I think I'll just sit back and revel in my new lucrative job-ful-ness and watch some old movies.

0-4

2005-04-09T16:44:00.000-04:00

OK, that takes the edge off the week a little.

Had a rough few days. The Mets' season isn't off to a flying start. Job issues, home issues, awful poker hands.....

But nobody wants to hear me bitch.

I am not going to panick too much about the slow start for the Mets. I've seen worse starts with happy endings. My friend invited me to go to the home opener and I still think I'll go. I don't see a point in taking a defeatist attitude just yet.

The players themselves seem to be taking it well. No frustration. No one seems to angry just yet. They give the appearance that they are just catching bad breaks. Thats also the opinion of most of the sports vultures (reporters, columnists etc etc). I will remain optomistic for a little while longer.

I can handle a 2-4 home opener.

Went to the Natural History Museum this week. My cousin is visiting from Ireland so I took hik sight seeing.

Haven't been there for a few years. I did enjoy it. The displays about the people and animals of the continents were nice, but thats not what people go for.

We went to the Rose Center for Earth and Space. The Space Show was pretty cool. We saw the one narrated by Tom Hanks.

Of course we checked out the dinosaurs. The T-Rex display is the crown jewel, along side the Barosaurus. My grip is there was only a small skull of a velociraptor. And it was tucked away in a corner.

Its too bad I forgot my camera or I would have had pictures to post.

I'll remeber it for Monday and have some pictures then.

OK, this is just plain wrong. Whats next, James Bond saving himself for marriage?

RIP JP2

2005-04-04T13:57:00.000-04:00

Karol Wojtyla 1920-2005

Don't know what I can say that hasn't been said before and better. He was a great Pope and an extrodinary human being. People of all races, creeds and religions feel the loss the world suffered this weekend.

But, rather than mourn his death, I think we're better off celebrating his life and remembering what he stood for.

He made it clear in no uncertain terms about his value for human life. He opposed abortion, capitol punishment, war, and euthenasia. He called on the wealthy and powerul to help the downtrodden and unfortunate. Whether or not you agreed with him, you had to acknowledge and admire his consitency and strength.

I also hear he had a great sense of humor

The most wonderful time of the year

2005-04-03T11:05:00.000-04:00

Shea Stadium, where I hope to spend many a summer evenings this year.

Ahhhh, Opening Day. The start of a new baseball season.

Everybody has a clean slate. Everyone is a playoff contender and a threat to win the World Series (in theory, anyway). If you root for a team, as I write this, they are undefeated.

What do I predict for my team? 85 wins and if Philly does what they do (underperform down the stretch) and Houston can't recover from their horrible postseason, I dare a say a Wild Card birth. I know, I'm nuts.

The summer movie season is rolling now. Sin City debuted this weekend. I've been avoiding all reviews and spoilers.

Thats one of a couple movies I'm hoping to see. Batman Begins, Episode 3, HitchHikers's Guide to the Galaxy( I just read the first two books)are also on the list.

I'm fairly luke warm about the Fantastic 4 movie. I'll probably see it just to see Jessica Alba. She better not be invisible throughout the whole damned movie.

I also want to give a big shout to the New York City MTA. Thanks for holding up my train yesterday for an hour while I watched the express line whizz past me four or five times. Even though my train actually began a few stops from the station I was in, it was somehow possible for trains originating on the other side of Brooklyn to fly by me four times.

I just know that $600 million you got from the Jets (for a property valued over $1 billion)will go straight to making the trains better, and not some retarded ad campaign or olympic bid or new fucking luxury cars for your executives. I am also eagerly anticipating this summer's fair hikes. They just seem so worth it.

With that out of the way, I would just like to mention I would have had NY AutoShow pictures up here today, but my friends all bailed on me at the last second. Today is the last day, so I just may go myself and do something.

I'll end today with a link to this site. Someone showed it to me and this guy is great. His St Patrick's Day post is witty, insightful, and Biblically accurate. Makes me want to get back to actually writting stuff.

friends don't let friends blog drunk

2005-03-18T23:06:00.000-05:00

Thats going to leave a bruise.

I'm a wee bit drunk, so bare with me. I'm pretty sure this is going to ramble.

First off, I did indeed pass my certification test. In fact, I made it my bitch.

It was my friend's birthday today. Due to financial and time constrictions, we just hung out for a happy hour. $3 scotches for a few hours can mess a guy up(hey, I needed to make up for not drinking St Patrick's Day).

Another cool thing about being a guy, if you show up to a bar and someone is wearing the same shirt, you don't need to kick each other's ass.

I watched a little of the baseball testimony yesterday. It was pretty much the dog and pony show we all expected. McGwire was a gem.

“I am not here to talk about the past.” That is precisely why you were subpoenaed. If that line works, Oliver North has a serious beef.

He says its not his place to say whether or not steroids are cheating. However, he also said he would be willing to be an anti-steroid spokesman. Can anyone else see how that wouldn't work?

Well, my buzz is wearing off, I'm tired, and Stargate SG-1 is on. I'll probably post again this weekend after I've collected my thoughts a little better.

new gimmick

2005-03-16T23:28:00.000-05:00

Do I have your attention? Good.

I've decided to begin every post with an attention getting picture. Its not necessarily going to be some smoking chick, it can be something funny or just plain cool to see. I decided it was best to start this off by appealing to base instincts.

Anyway, I've begun using OpenOffice, an open source (ie free) alternative to Microsoft Office. Haven't done anything too deep with it. Just some basic word processing (I'm writing this blog with it), but it seems to work pretty much the same. Most of the same features.

I've use Firebird and Firefox for a while now and have been satisfied with my open source experience. I recommend it to anyone who wants to legally get free productivity suites. I'm even trying to get started on Red Hat Linux 9.

The main drawback is support. There is almost none. There are manuals to operating Linux buried in my local Barnes and Nobles underneath the millions of Microsoft books.

Open source users seem to be their own secret society. They are very glad to be part of it and seem wary of letting others be part of it. And trying to join them requires Herculean trials(if you've ever tried to install Linux on a laptop, you know what I'm talking about). And, quite honestly, the other members seem strange and scary. Many of them also react almost violently if you mention trying to bring itmainstream.

But, I encourage the spreading of open source. I'm not some socialist or anything. I'm a capitalist. In fact, I see this as my capitalism shining. I'm trying to get the most product for the least amount of money. I feel the more people get into open source, the more support we will see. There will also be a greater push to make it more user friendly (which has finally started to sweep through the whole movement).

If anyone has any other programs or tips for me, I'm open to suggestions.

In other news, I am an idiot. I scheduled my certification test for Friday, so I can't drink tomorrow. And no, I'm not going into the test with a hangover. I can't wait to get a few of these done so I can get abetter job.

I'm low on cash anyway. I'll just consider it more money to get drunk with for the weekend.

I've been getting some sick pleasure for the last two weeks from this game.

Thats all for now. Should have some good news to share Friday.

Whats up with the bitching, Doc?

2005-03-14T14:40:00.000-05:00

First, I’d like to show you my wallpaper. The quality of the image isn’t so great, but you can’t help but love the content. I’d also like to say that a slideshow Elisha Cuthbert is my screensaver. These serve no real purpose; I just think that more images of the two need to be encouraged.

On that note, I’d also like to say, I love my town. Makes me wish I was still working in Midtown. The only thing is they made the poor girl walk around in the freezing cold. But that also has its advantages.

Still staying with the news, I’ve heard a lot of people complaining about the new Looney Tunes cartoon . People need to get over it. It’s not like Warner Brothers is going to grab up all of the old cartoons and throw them in some huge bonfire. They are adding new characters. People saying that they will never watch another Bugs Bunny cartoon again are being morons. It’s just some stupid Saturday morning cartoon that probably won’t get a second season.

Folks, our childhoods are not being killed, raped, mangled, desecrated, spit on or pissed on. We are getting old. These cartoons went over a lot of changes over the few decades they were being drawn. And I could be wrong, but I don’t seem to remember any new cartoons of the old crew being made since I was born. Except of course, for the occasional appearance on Tiny Tunes (awesome show by the way) or Back in Action (how do all you purists feel about that cinematic turd?).

If it works, great, more stuff for kids to rot their brains on. If not, it will get canceled and WB with have yet another failed endeavor to recuperate from.

No more news on my auction at the present.

Today's cool picture

Tourney Time

2005-03-14T12:40:00.000-05:00

I’ve decided to make actual content. I’ll just ramble on whatever is happening either in my life or in the news. I’ll cover mostly sports topics, since that’s what I seem to know best.

Where to start? There’s the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The brackets were announced and now businesses will lose millions upon millions in lost man hours because of office betting pools. I didn’t follow the regular season as well as I usually do. All that bullshit with St John’s really discouraged me. It’s a shame because the Big East seemed to have a monster year over all.

I’m not really upset as some seem to be over the perceived snubs. I think the selection committee did a better job this year than they usually do. Most of the teams that just fell short did so because they lost coming down the stretch and had bad conference tournaments. They showed they couldn’t win when it counted. Mostly my disagreements are over ranks and regional placements. I think UConn should be a 1 seed, but that could just be the Big East fan in me talking. I’m also somewhat upset that Illinois is in the Chicago regional. I thought the whole point of this system was to take away home court advantage. And don't get me started about UNC playing in Charolette.

No major beefs with the way things turned out, though. I haven’t filled put any brackets yet, but I think I’m looking at Big East and ACC teams to dominate the tourney. Ya, that’s the sissy bet. Another sure thing is that no matter what I pick Arizona to do, they will do the opposite and shoot my entire bracket to hell.

I'd comment on the women's tournement, but I'm not a lesbian(sorry, its a mandatory joke. the union would kill me if I didn't use it).

On the personal side, I've had two bids on my auction. Its still early, but I think that picture makes me look too angry. If I have to relist it, I'll get a new picture and lower the opening bid and reserve price. Or, I'll stop finding this whole idea amusing and interesting and move on to the next thing.

Buy my friendship

2005-03-13T20:05:00.000-05:00

So, I put up an auction on Ebay. This is it. Ya, I'm a penpal whore.

But, I'm am affordable penpal whore. You should see what other people are charging. Seriously, I'm a bargain.

A few changes

2005-03-13T14:34:00.000-05:00

I added a links section. I think I'll have some actual news to talk about soon.

Semi-content

2005-03-13T00:08:00.000-05:00

Not much news. Still studying fot my certification test Friday.

Also, this was brought to my attention. I found it pretty damned funny.

How the hell did they make that ball?

2005-03-10T23:13:00.000-05:00

Still here. Still nothing to say. Damn, I just might be the most uninteresting person on planet earth.

I.....still.....function

2005-03-02T19:59:00.000-05:00

Ya, if you were wondering where I was and know what movie that is from.....get a life.

I had some computer issues( I broke it trying to fix it) but now its all good.

Still no real content. I need some ideas.

The recovery

2004-12-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

Well, Christmas is done. Didn't give much, didn't get much, didn't want much.

Now, to take advantage of the clearance sales and give to the person I love most of all. Me.

Whats so damned merry about it?

2004-12-23T20:00:00.000-05:00

Well, its 2 days before Christmas. I still haven't finished Christmas shopping.

King of Procrastrination. 7-11 gift certificates for everyone!

Greatest. Western. Ever.

2004-12-21T20:12:00.000-05:00

I'm currently watching the special edition DVD of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

Forgot what an awesome movie this is. Awesome and.....long. Is it Tuesday already?

Unforgiven is a close second.

2004-12-20T20:42:00.000-05:00

A third blog. Big event. One of these days, I'll have something to say. Honest.

2004-12-17T23:26:00.000-05:00

This me. Handsom devil. ain't I.

First post

2004-12-17T22:55:00.000-05:00

This is my first post on this particular blog. So far, so good, I think.