Another late Friday afternoon post...sorry 'bout that. I'll try to get something posted earlier in the day from now on. Anyway, a few random things before the holidizzle weekend:
1) For your listening pleasure, feel free to check out some Massive Attack nyah (1st song listed), nyah (1st) and nyah (4th) while you read.
2) It's getting hot in here, so let's just hack the earth. Wait, what?
3) Who in the world would create this site? Oh that's right: anyone on my softball team.
4) This week's "person we should have been nicer to" award goes to this guy. That's right people: be nice to your tech geeks. Who knows when they might flip out over the red Swingline.
5) Barely interesting information about seven medical myths here. On second thought, it's pretty lame. Just move on to #6.
6) Chuck Norris jokes never get old. Here are clips from "Will It Blend" and that lame "Best Damn Sports Show"...show.
That's pretty much it. Merry stuff and Happy stuff everyone!
Friday, December 21, 2007
This just in:
You can add a slideshow to your bloggity blog. It's pretty easy to do and it can pull from Flickr, Picassa, etc. Check out the tiny slideshow on the side. Neato!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
PMD
Even though it looks like possibly the crappiest day ever outside, I won't focus on that. This is a collection of mostly positive random thoughts.
1) Grandma Claus is coming to town! My Grandma flies in today and will be here for 10 days or so. She lives in New York, as do the rest of our relatives, but still makes it out here every Christmas. She's still pretty active at 83 (swims very often) and a NY Times crossword junkie (it's rare that she doesn't finish one). It will be nice to have her in town.
2) I played soccer on Monday! My knee felt good last week (did 3 miles Thursday and 3.5 miles Friday on the elliptical machine) and my options were test it out on Monday or wait another week and a half to play. Needless to say, I played. :) I couldn't stay away any longer lol.
It went fairly well. Changing directions and cutting were kinda slow, but running straight and backpeddling were ok. It was tough staying with people on D and I got burned a couple times, but I wasn't too much of a liability. It'll take a little more time to get my strength back in my knee, but at least I wasn't in pain. :)
I did have one play that made me forget the physical problems: from the right side, I curled a pass up over a defender to a teammate making a run to the back post. I weighted it well and put it right on his head for a decent header but the goalie made a better save. It made me smile because although I'm not 100%, I can still pass the rock!
3) Planning a surprise party is fun...and that's all I'll say about that. (No, they don't read this blog - I'm not that retarded!)
4) Ok, slightly more serious note. Every year, you hear about tragedies during the holidays and they seem...worse simply because of the timing. As my dad always says, this time of year is about "family togetherness," and you hate to see or hear about something that ruins that "togetherness." So, I wish all of you have a safe, safe, safe, two weeks. Drive and/or travel safely and watch out for the crazies.
5) No, #4 doesn't mean I'm done blogging for two weeks - just throwing out the safety reminder ahead of time.
6) #4 and #5 is more evidence that I'm turning into my dad. That's not a bad thing...it just means one day I'll annoy the crap out of my kids with "parental warnings" every five minutes. :)
1) Grandma Claus is coming to town! My Grandma flies in today and will be here for 10 days or so. She lives in New York, as do the rest of our relatives, but still makes it out here every Christmas. She's still pretty active at 83 (swims very often) and a NY Times crossword junkie (it's rare that she doesn't finish one). It will be nice to have her in town.
2) I played soccer on Monday! My knee felt good last week (did 3 miles Thursday and 3.5 miles Friday on the elliptical machine) and my options were test it out on Monday or wait another week and a half to play. Needless to say, I played. :) I couldn't stay away any longer lol.
It went fairly well. Changing directions and cutting were kinda slow, but running straight and backpeddling were ok. It was tough staying with people on D and I got burned a couple times, but I wasn't too much of a liability. It'll take a little more time to get my strength back in my knee, but at least I wasn't in pain. :)
I did have one play that made me forget the physical problems: from the right side, I curled a pass up over a defender to a teammate making a run to the back post. I weighted it well and put it right on his head for a decent header but the goalie made a better save. It made me smile because although I'm not 100%, I can still pass the rock!
3) Planning a surprise party is fun...and that's all I'll say about that. (No, they don't read this blog - I'm not that retarded!)
4) Ok, slightly more serious note. Every year, you hear about tragedies during the holidays and they seem...worse simply because of the timing. As my dad always says, this time of year is about "family togetherness," and you hate to see or hear about something that ruins that "togetherness." So, I wish all of you have a safe, safe, safe, two weeks. Drive and/or travel safely and watch out for the crazies.
5) No, #4 doesn't mean I'm done blogging for two weeks - just throwing out the safety reminder ahead of time.
6) #4 and #5 is more evidence that I'm turning into my dad. That's not a bad thing...it just means one day I'll annoy the crap out of my kids with "parental warnings" every five minutes. :)
Monday, December 17, 2007
So much to say (about the weekend)
I'll try to just hit the highlights:
Saturday afternoon, my bro and I headed out for a jam session at "Straussie Studios." During the jam, I did something I hadn't done in a very long time: sat down behind the drums. It was a lot of fun to mix things up. I played once at the 'rents on my old set a few years ago but other than that, I hadn't played in maybe 7 or 8 years. My brother and I had a chance to mess around with some Black Keys (think White Stripes) and a John Mayer Trio tune. Excellent times.
Sunday was one LONG day. We were up at 6 in order to get to Brit's Pub by 7 to meet Mug92 and one of the Bauschy sisters for some soccer watching. Brit's shows many of the big soccer games each week but I had never been before. This week, they showed Man U v Liverpool live at 7:30. About 40 people showed up decked out in their respective team's gear and it was a very fun atmosphere. There was a lot of yelling at the big screen lol. Good times. I will definitely have to start going more often.
We raced home to watch Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-0, in another solid game. I wasn't far off with my random prediction of 2-1. :)
Last but not least, we caught "I Am Legend" Sunday night and it was decent. Not great in a "I can't wait to see that again" kinda way, but it certainly kept my interest. At this point, I'd watch just about anything with Will Smith...that doesn't also star Kevin James. He's come a long way from his Fresh Prince days.
And now it's time to go to bed! I need to get some rest in case I can't prevent myself from playing soccer tomorrow night...
Saturday afternoon, my bro and I headed out for a jam session at "Straussie Studios." During the jam, I did something I hadn't done in a very long time: sat down behind the drums. It was a lot of fun to mix things up. I played once at the 'rents on my old set a few years ago but other than that, I hadn't played in maybe 7 or 8 years. My brother and I had a chance to mess around with some Black Keys (think White Stripes) and a John Mayer Trio tune. Excellent times.
Sunday was one LONG day. We were up at 6 in order to get to Brit's Pub by 7 to meet Mug92 and one of the Bauschy sisters for some soccer watching. Brit's shows many of the big soccer games each week but I had never been before. This week, they showed Man U v Liverpool live at 7:30. About 40 people showed up decked out in their respective team's gear and it was a very fun atmosphere. There was a lot of yelling at the big screen lol. Good times. I will definitely have to start going more often.
We raced home to watch Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-0, in another solid game. I wasn't far off with my random prediction of 2-1. :)
Last but not least, we caught "I Am Legend" Sunday night and it was decent. Not great in a "I can't wait to see that again" kinda way, but it certainly kept my interest. At this point, I'd watch just about anything with Will Smith...that doesn't also star Kevin James. He's come a long way from his Fresh Prince days.
And now it's time to go to bed! I need to get some rest in case I can't prevent myself from playing soccer tomorrow night...
Friday, December 14, 2007
PMD
Feel-good Friday edition!
1) As most of you know, I work in tech support for a software company. I don't discuss it often in this space, mostly because it would alienate many of my plethora (read: "four") of readers. So the short, short version of today's story is that I picked up a case and helped a woman recover data she lost. During the call, she said that I was "the balls" and later, a godsend. Thankfully she was a talker and I didn't have to formulate a response to the balls comment.
Anyway, so I got that going for me...which is nice.
2) Busy weekend ahead: bro's in town tomorrow. There will be guitarrin', shoppin' (men be shoppin'!), soccer watchin' (prediction: Arsenal 2, Chelsea 1), and movie watchin' (I Am Legend - don't let us down, Will Smith).
3) Another solid workout last night: 3 miles this time and zero knee pain. I will definitely be ready in two weeks for the start of the third session of the year.
What's that? No, I'm not excited. I normally stroke a soccer ball like a Bond villain's cat and can't sit still.
4) When I went to the knee specialist weeks ago, I paid my copay and I have been waiting for my bill because they did a few x-rays and gave (read: "sold") me a brace. A few days ago, I received a envelope from my insurance company. In it was not a bill but a check for $22.59. No note, no description. Hmm...methinks I should call them to find out what the heck is going on.
5) Today I had a newspaper delivered to my door...that I didn't pay for. It happens every once in a while. If only I could cancel a subscription I don't have to make them stop delivering the paper I don't pay for.
6) I just got an email from my brother that ended with: "Go home! I can hear the Fred Flintstone whistle from here! Yabba dabba leave."
7) I laughed very hard at #6.
8) I love my brother. I talk to him almost every day and I'm not sick of him yet. This will be a good weekend.
9) It's so close to the weekend I can taste it. It tastes like awesome, wrapped in a thin candy shell.
10) I just wanted to end on #10. I didn't actually have another thought. Reply with one of your own and maybe I'll put it in at #10.
1) As most of you know, I work in tech support for a software company. I don't discuss it often in this space, mostly because it would alienate many of my plethora (read: "four") of readers. So the short, short version of today's story is that I picked up a case and helped a woman recover data she lost. During the call, she said that I was "the balls" and later, a godsend. Thankfully she was a talker and I didn't have to formulate a response to the balls comment.
Anyway, so I got that going for me...which is nice.
2) Busy weekend ahead: bro's in town tomorrow. There will be guitarrin', shoppin' (men be shoppin'!), soccer watchin' (prediction: Arsenal 2, Chelsea 1), and movie watchin' (I Am Legend - don't let us down, Will Smith).
3) Another solid workout last night: 3 miles this time and zero knee pain. I will definitely be ready in two weeks for the start of the third session of the year.
What's that? No, I'm not excited. I normally stroke a soccer ball like a Bond villain's cat and can't sit still.
4) When I went to the knee specialist weeks ago, I paid my copay and I have been waiting for my bill because they did a few x-rays and gave (read: "sold") me a brace. A few days ago, I received a envelope from my insurance company. In it was not a bill but a check for $22.59. No note, no description. Hmm...methinks I should call them to find out what the heck is going on.
5) Today I had a newspaper delivered to my door...that I didn't pay for. It happens every once in a while. If only I could cancel a subscription I don't have to make them stop delivering the paper I don't pay for.
6) I just got an email from my brother that ended with: "Go home! I can hear the Fred Flintstone whistle from here! Yabba dabba leave."
7) I laughed very hard at #6.
8) I love my brother. I talk to him almost every day and I'm not sick of him yet. This will be a good weekend.
9) It's so close to the weekend I can taste it. It tastes like awesome, wrapped in a thin candy shell.
10) I just wanted to end on #10. I didn't actually have another thought. Reply with one of your own and maybe I'll put it in at #10.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Another knee update
I worked out after work last night and it felt great. I hopped right on the elliptical machine, an upgrade from the stationary bike, and did 30 minutes without a problem. It felt so good that when I went to watch my coed team's semifinal playoff game later that night, I brought my indoor shoes and shorts with me. No, not to play (unfortunately), but to jog a bit and kick a ball around while they were warming up.
As I arrived, there was a big collision on the field (similar to when I was hurt) and I cringed. It will be a long time before I'm comfortable going full speed into any challenges.
As the other semifinal game ended, I was about to walk on the field when someone said: "Have you tried playing on your knee yet?" I looked up and saw a player from the team that had just won (apparently he was hurt). I said, "No, not yet. Just testing it tonight." His response? "Oh, good." I walked onto the field without really thinking about what he meant. In hindsight, it was kind of a dick comment (who says something like that??), but it also made me feel cool. He knew that if we won our game, we'd play them in the championship...and he didn't want me to play. It felt good...and so will ripping a shot at him when I play him next.
Anyhoo, jogging felt good and I was able to pass a ball around fairly well without pain. I bounced around a bit on the balls of my feet and danced from side to side to receive some passes. Everything went well and I'm not sore today - both great signs. I'm forcing myself to sit out the rest of the session (three more games) but then I'll be back!
PS I really, really hope I don't reinjure my knee after I come back...
As I arrived, there was a big collision on the field (similar to when I was hurt) and I cringed. It will be a long time before I'm comfortable going full speed into any challenges.
As the other semifinal game ended, I was about to walk on the field when someone said: "Have you tried playing on your knee yet?" I looked up and saw a player from the team that had just won (apparently he was hurt). I said, "No, not yet. Just testing it tonight." His response? "Oh, good." I walked onto the field without really thinking about what he meant. In hindsight, it was kind of a dick comment (who says something like that??), but it also made me feel cool. He knew that if we won our game, we'd play them in the championship...and he didn't want me to play. It felt good...and so will ripping a shot at him when I play him next.
Anyhoo, jogging felt good and I was able to pass a ball around fairly well without pain. I bounced around a bit on the balls of my feet and danced from side to side to receive some passes. Everything went well and I'm not sore today - both great signs. I'm forcing myself to sit out the rest of the session (three more games) but then I'll be back!
PS I really, really hope I don't reinjure my knee after I come back...
Monday, December 10, 2007
Shazbot!
I've been up for over an hour now and I still can't get something out of my right eye that's been stuck since I got up. I stood in the shower for twenty minutes trying to wash it out, but it's still in there. Anyone have any tricks??
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
PMD
Haven't had one of these in a while, so let's get to it:
1) I actually started this yesterday but was too busy at work to post it. The fact that my brother had a Zeppelin post yesterday...is only a little freaky. Here's an interview with John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page regarding the reunion. All I have to say is that these guys are old. I wonder if Jimmy will play a Dazed and Confused solo with a bow (think violin/cello not Robin Hood)...or a cane. Zing! Wait, he could use one finger and play guitar better than me. Maybe I should shutup.
2) Since it snowed over the weekend, I guess winter is finally here. Now, despite my gripes about apartment living (mainly revolving around communal laundry and the heat being on year-round) it sure is nice to not have to shovel. There's plenty of time for that later in life.
Once my knee heals, I hope to get out and skate more than I did last year (so...twice?). I miss it a lot and now that I can't physically do it, so naturally I miss it even more.
3) One of my good friends at work got a new job and while I'm happy for him, he and his comic relief will be sorely missed. That, and he's my doubles foosball teammate! What am I gonna do now? :)
4) Another good friend at work is being deployed for a 60-day stay in the lovely United Arab Emirates early next month. As a "sendoff", four of us took a day off next week to sit around and play video games...and I don't feel bad about that at all. Should be an awesome day off with the guys.
5) Van Halen's touring again, this time with David Lee Roth instead of Sammy "I suck" Haggar. I stumbled across this clip of them performing "Panama" at Madison Square Garden last month. It sounds...well, I don't know. I can't tell if I would have enjoyed the show when they came through Minnesota. My brother and I saw them a few years ago with Sammy and other than the fact that the show was super, super, SUPER loud...I don't remember it being all that great. It remains the most expensive ticket I've ever purchased (over $100).
6) Here's a trailer for a new John Cusack movie coming out called War, Inc. My question is: why isn't this called Grosse Pointe Blank 2?
7) In order to make the audio from Straussiepalooza into something tolerable, I need to learn how to do a few audio editing things. Luckily, in tinkering last night, I was able to figure out how to resolve one problem: The original recording only comes out of the right channel and I figured out how to import audio into each channel. Small victory, but an important one. Hopefully it doesn't sound THAT terrible coming out of both speakers. I'm not getting my hopes up, though.
8) I need a new stick of Chapstick.
1) I actually started this yesterday but was too busy at work to post it. The fact that my brother had a Zeppelin post yesterday...is only a little freaky. Here's an interview with John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page regarding the reunion. All I have to say is that these guys are old. I wonder if Jimmy will play a Dazed and Confused solo with a bow (think violin/cello not Robin Hood)...or a cane. Zing! Wait, he could use one finger and play guitar better than me. Maybe I should shutup.
2) Since it snowed over the weekend, I guess winter is finally here. Now, despite my gripes about apartment living (mainly revolving around communal laundry and the heat being on year-round) it sure is nice to not have to shovel. There's plenty of time for that later in life.
Once my knee heals, I hope to get out and skate more than I did last year (so...twice?). I miss it a lot and now that I can't physically do it, so naturally I miss it even more.
3) One of my good friends at work got a new job and while I'm happy for him, he and his comic relief will be sorely missed. That, and he's my doubles foosball teammate! What am I gonna do now? :)
4) Another good friend at work is being deployed for a 60-day stay in the lovely United Arab Emirates early next month. As a "sendoff", four of us took a day off next week to sit around and play video games...and I don't feel bad about that at all. Should be an awesome day off with the guys.
5) Van Halen's touring again, this time with David Lee Roth instead of Sammy "I suck" Haggar. I stumbled across this clip of them performing "Panama" at Madison Square Garden last month. It sounds...well, I don't know. I can't tell if I would have enjoyed the show when they came through Minnesota. My brother and I saw them a few years ago with Sammy and other than the fact that the show was super, super, SUPER loud...I don't remember it being all that great. It remains the most expensive ticket I've ever purchased (over $100).
6) Here's a trailer for a new John Cusack movie coming out called War, Inc. My question is: why isn't this called Grosse Pointe Blank 2?
7) In order to make the audio from Straussiepalooza into something tolerable, I need to learn how to do a few audio editing things. Luckily, in tinkering last night, I was able to figure out how to resolve one problem: The original recording only comes out of the right channel and I figured out how to import audio into each channel. Small victory, but an important one. Hopefully it doesn't sound THAT terrible coming out of both speakers. I'm not getting my hopes up, though.
8) I need a new stick of Chapstick.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)