Yes, I'm alive (again)

Question and answer time:

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My father and his father.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? I got a little sad reading about what is discovered to have happened to that poor little girl, Baby Grace.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? It's horrible.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Boiled ham.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yep, my little monkey.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? If I had to spend some time with me, yeah.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I guess I would.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Frosted Flakes

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES BEFORE YOU TAKE THEM OFF? no more than I have to.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? probably average.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their face I guess.

15. RED OR PINK? Red.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Not knowing when to just Stop.

17. WHOM DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My family who has moved to Arizona.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO FILL THIS OUT? If someone wants to they can.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Light brown pants and a navy blue shirt.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Dinner last night, Raspberry glazed chicken.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? training class call.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Brick red baby

23. FAVORITE SMELL? There's a smell that happens in the spring sometimes that takes me right back to growing up in Bartlett.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? on a conf call now

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON YOU STOLE THIS FROM? Sure

26 FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Baseball.

28. EYE COLOR? Brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? yes

30. FAVORITE FOOD? Shake and bake pork chops with mashed potatoes and corn.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy ending is fine.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Shrek 3 and then the first half of Ocean's 13.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Navy blue.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter, the colder the better.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs.

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? apple pie

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? not sending this out

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? not sending this out

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Star Trek - Titan - Sword of Damocles.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? At work, Cubs. At home, a black optical mouse pad.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? A Bones from a month ago (the Halloween episode) and then last night's Chuck.

42. FAVORITE SOUND? Rain

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles

44. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Beijing, China

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? None that I use for 'good'.

46. WHAT IRRITATES YOU MOST? People who are just ignorant or are so slaved to their way of thinking that they don't accept what's obvious.

Out of it for a little while

Ok, yesterday was my first day back at my desk at work in 3 weeks. 2 weeks of training, one of vacation. I learned a lot in those 3 weeks, but I also forgot a lot.

• How to wear my brown shoes which I wear to work. For some reason they now kill the backs of my ankles. Maybe because I haven't worn them for almost a month?


• How to wear pants. Yes, in three weeks, I did not, not once, wear pants. The fact that it was hotter than heckfire at home and in DC aided in that fact.


• How to drive to work. There's been pretty extensive construction cutting 53N down to one lane around 90. Stinks for me because my exit is the next one after 90. So I hadn't been taking 53 to work for a long time. Until yesterday, when I forgot all about the construction. Whoops.


• How to shave every day. Maybe some day they will invent a whole-face Nair that won't cause people to go blind. Then, I can just shoot that stuff on and be done with it all. The days of me with a mustache or beard (or both) are long done. I hate shaving with the fire of a thousand suns. I think it stems from the fact that for the first 5+ years of doing it I had no idea what aftershave was (thanks Dad) so shaving when I was in High School resulted in my fact getting all dried out and feeling like sandpaper.

So that's how dumb I've gotten. I'll post about the stuff I learned later, when I'm feeling a bit smarter.

Better know a country

1m 50s

Click here to try the quiz.

And we're back!

Hey! I'm NOT dead! Isn't that great?

I'll do a little version of 'hitting to all fields' now.

Am I becoming a flight snob now?

I've just recently returned from a one night (and next day) work trip to Miami. As expected, it was hotter than Hell. Work-wise, it went well, which is nice. I took an early flight back (yeah!) but first was full so no upgrade (boo!) but what are you gonna do?

I'll take that deal every day of the week and twice on Sunday

Since our sitter (who is great, btw) was on vacation last week, I took last week as a vacation week and watched the sprout all week long. It was a pretty amazing experience, spending so much time with her. I'm glad I did it. It only reinforced my thought that (if the $ were not an object...) I would be a stay at home parent, no doubt.

That smell on the DC Metro? That was me.

The week before that, I spent a week in SCADA training in Washington, D.C. Now, I've always wanted to go there and see the National Mall and all the memorials and all that. And this was the perfect occasion to do so. Training was Wed--->Fri so I flew out Tuesday morning and did some site-seeing for the rest of the day. I took the DC Metro from Vienna, VA, into the city. I walked around for almost 6 hours. It was hotter than Hell and I was major-league sweating. I'm sure by the end of the day, I reeked. It was so bad I washed the clothes at the hotel.

Now that everyone's grossed out...

I have to say, DC was amazing. I saw the Air & Space Museum, Capital Building, White House, Supreme Court, Washington Monument, FDR, Jefferson, and Lincoln Memorials. Vietnam Wall, Korean War Memorial, and the new WW II Memorial. I also saw the Holocaust Museum.

Someone with my same first and last name is on the Vietnam Wall. I plan to see what I can find out about him.

Since 9/11, all the areas around the White House are pretty locked down. You can't even walk up to the fence anymore. What a drag. I did take a zoomed in picture of some guys standing watch on the roof though, which was kinda cool.

All in all, it was a great trip. Even greater since I earned the certification I was there for in the first place. But what stays with me is the memorials to so many of the people that made this country what it is. I don't think they make people like that anymore.

question mark

60 questions...(and answers, by me)

1. What time did you get up this morning?
7:30am

2. Diamonds or pearls?
don't have a particular use for either

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

4. What is your favorite TV show?
Smallville

5. What do you usually have for breakfast?
Slimfast, on weekends, a bowl of cereal and some toast

6. What is your middle name?
Anthony

7. What food do you dislike?
eggs (just thinking about them now makes me want to wretch)

8. What is your favorite CD at the moment?
Mostly listen to podcasts and stuff but probably the Superman Returns soundtrack

9. What kind of car do you drive?
2007 Toyota Camry

10. Favorite sandwich?
ham and cheese on rye

11. What characteristic do you despise?
lying

12. Favorite item of clothing?
sleep shorts, probably

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation?
New York

14. What color is your bathroom?
grayish

15. Favorite brand of clothing?
don't have one

16. Where would you retire to?
cabin somewhere in the woods where it was cool out.

17. What was your most recent memorable birthday?
don't remember

18. Furthest place you are sending this?
not sending it

19. Favorite saying?
"Come on, now" OR "Just think it through"

20. When is your birthday?
November 20, 1977

21. Are you a morning person or a night person?
night

22. What is your shoe size?
11 and a half

23. Pets?
dog and cat

24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
I don't have to go to China next week, which is nice.

25. Who did you want to be when you were little?
Fireman

26. How are you today?
Feeling good

27. What is your favorite candy?
California Starbursts

28. What is your favorite flower?
uh, no

29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
October 2, 2007 (and 2008, and 2009, and 2010, and...)

30. What church do you attend?
Don't attend church

31. What was your pets name as a child?
We had two dogs, Chico and Meeko, boy and girl pekingese. They had puppies...Lefty, Right, Tattoo, Omega, and Maui (and I think another one). We gave Meeko away with the puppies and kept Chico. He died of dog cancer (I think) and I didn't have another dog for another 20+ years. We should have kept one of the puppies.

32. What are you listening to right now?
people jabbering about something

33. What was the last thing you ate?
Small piece of cheese last night while I was reading.

34. Do you wish on stars?
No

35. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?
Brick Red

36. How is the weather right now?
Pretty damn hot.

37. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
wife, and before that, wife, and before that, my Aunt

38. Do you like the person [from whom you got this]?
I read his blog, so I guess so

39. Favorite soft drink?
Barq's Root Beer

40. Favorite restaurant?
fast food: Chick-Fil-A, sit down: Chili's

41. Hair color?
Brown.

42. Siblings?
younger sister

43. Favorite day of the year?
Thanksgiving, probably, but Christ Eve is a close second

44. What was your favorite toy as a child?
GI JOE guys

45. Summer or winter?
Winter

46. Hugs or kisses?
depends who it is

47. Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate

48. When was the last time you cried?
Don't remember

49. What is under your bed?
nothing, but sometimes a cat

50. Who is the friend you have had the longest?
A number of people whom I don't really talk to anymore, like my friend Doug. After them, my sister-in-law, whom I talked to regularly.

51. What did you do last night?
watched the last few episodes of Everest: Beyond the Limit.

52. Favorite smell?
There's a mixture of cut grass and a few other things that takes me right back to where I grew up in Bartlett. It doesn't happen very often but when it does, it's immediate.

53 What are you afraid of?
something happening to my daughter

54. Plain, buttered, or salted popcorn?
buttered and salted

55. How many keys on your key ring?
2, car and house

56. How many years at your current job?
a few months over 9 years.

57. Favorite day of the week?
Saturday

58. How many towns have you lived in?
Bartlett (IL), Hanover Park (IL), Carol Stream (IL), Elk Grove (IL), Orlando (FL), Wood Dale (IL)

59. Do you make friends easily?
I don't mind meeting new people and always try to be friendly to them when I do, but sometimes I'd rather be left alone.

60. How many people will you be sending this to?
Just posting it up

Stepping out, with my baby...

Big news yesterday. The sprout has taken her first 'real' steps. Before, she'd take a step or two and then plop down. Yesterday, she took about 4 steps right in front of my wife and I. The funny thing was, she did it just as we were discussing whether or not we'd actually witness her first steps. It was amazing to see.

Also going along with the title of this post, my wife and I are going out to dinner and also to see the latest Harry Potter movie.

Kids, just sneak in.

That tears it

I'm going to come right out and say I'm fucking sick and tired of reading stories in the news about little children fucking dying.

The other day, murder suicide where 3 (I think) little children were killed and 1 survived. (thank God)

Yesterday, a story where a fired consumed 5 little kids while their babysitter was supposed to be watching them.

Today, 3 kids murdered (along with a woman, possibly their mother) in an SUV.

So, in closing, if you want to do violence to somebody, or hurt somebody, do us all a favor and just fucking kill yourself. Hopefully in a way that doesn't cost taxpayers any money.

Sorry for the language, but I'm pissed off.

Well, two out of three ain't bad

My daughter is amazing

On Monday, with my wife behind her and me up at the top, coaxing her, my daughter crawled up the stairs. I'm blown away by how much progress she has made in the last 2-3 weeks. She crawling around at top speed, pulling herself to stand against stuff around the house, and generally shooting around the house like a little monkey.

My wife is amazing

After finding a recipe online my wife has duplicated a dipping sauce that we really really really LOVED from the Japanese Steakhouse we always used to visit in Florida. She made it on Monday and we had it with chicken for dinner and it was GREAT. Fantastic job by her.

I have done nothing of importance

That much is certain.

It's a whole new ballgame.

Boy, I haven't posted in a while. At least, beyond the different question/answer stuff I post now and then. Anyways, some catching up to do.

Our little one is now scuffling around the floor and pulling herself up to stand against just about anything. It's pretty amazing to see. It seems so cliche to say that time has gone by so fast, but it does not seem so long ago that we were at the hospital begging her to eat a half an ounce so we could finally take her home. Now, she's eating Stage 2 foods and regularly draining her bottle. Last night (and this morning) I went into her room in response to her making some noises to find her standing up in her crib and clutching onto the top railing. It's simply amazing.

Work has been pretty busy. I have not been traveling as much as I used to but I have a trip on tap for June. Ottawa, Canada for a week. At least it's not over Father's Day. I'm not sure what there is to see there but if there is I'm sure we (I am going with someone from work) will see it. No baseball team though, so that's too bad.

I've found that the combination of watching Tivo and listening to my iPod in the car has totally made me intolerant of commercials. I just can't stand them. If they could find some way to target them towards things I actually use, that's fine. But the majority of them are for beer (no thanks) or insurance (already have it in multiple forms) or for other products that I have no use for. Just about the only ones I enjoy are the funny ones (a rarity) or ones advertising new products like a new dish at Olive Garden or something. There has to be a better way, because literally 95% of the ones I see are for stuff I have never and would never purchase.

I think much like a person who drives in a ton of traffic ever day becomes numbed to it, and a person who doesn't gets bothered by the slightest amount of traffic, I can't stand commercials at all because most of the time I don't have to listen to them.

On that subject, when I listen to the Cubs games on the radio commercials are unavoidable. There's a beer commercial (at least I think it might be Old Style) where a guy talks about 'local traditions' with the catchphrase "It's a local thing"...the only problem is that these commercials are so annoying AND it seems like the guy is just reading various bits of Chicago trivia off of a script. I can't stand them.

Some days I find myself getting really annoyed at the smallest thing. Maybe I'm too busy at work or not getting enough sleep. Who knows, but I'm sure it's annoying my wife and friends.

I was able to order this, which I was very happy about. Wedge is one of my favorite characters.

I've decided that instead of aiming at last year's model of LCD TV I will most likely choose this year's model, which has 3 HDMI inputs. I'll mostly likely get it from Grants and try to get a good price and financing. Timeframe is TBD because I still haven't found a nice stand for it. I think the TV will end up getting mounted to the wall. I think this will make the front room look bigger. (oh yeah, and my 30th is months away...)

After looking at the ticket stub I have for Borat (dated 11/10/2006) I discovered it's been some time since I've seen a movie. I would like to see Spider-Man 3, Fantastic Four 2, and Pirates 3 and Shrek 3 can go hang for all I care, since I can't stand Shrek. Oh yeah, and I WILL go see Transformers on or around the release date. Hello, it's the original voice of Prime!

Podcasts I listen to:

Tony Kornheiser show on Washington Post Radio
Official Lost Podcast
Battlestar Galactica Podcast
Jim Butcher.com Butcherblock Podcast
ESPN's Eye of the Sportsguy Podcast

It's time for the Happies

Happy Birthday to my nephew, who turns one today! Woo hoo!

Where do you want to go today?

Bold where you've been, italicize where you WANT to go, and name one place you want to go that is NOT on the list.


1. Times Square, New York City, NY: 35 million visitors every year
2. National Mall & Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C. (Washington Monument, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the war memorials): About 25 million
3. Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.: 16.6 million
4. Trafalgar Square, London, England: 15 million
5. Disneyland Park, Anaheim, Calif.: 14.7 million
6. Niagara Falls, Ontario and New York: 14 million
7. Fisherman’s Wharf/Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, Calif.: 13 million
8. Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea, Tokyo, Japan: 12.9 million
9. Notre Dame de Paris, Paris, France: 12 million
10. Disneyland Paris, Marne-La-Vallee, France: 10.6 million
11. The Great Wall of China, Badaling area, China: About 10 million
12. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina: 9.2 million
13. Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, Japan: 8.5 million
14. Basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre, Paris, France: 8 million
15. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France: 7.5 million
16. Everland (amusement park), Kyonggi-Do, South Korea: 7.5 million
17. The Forbidden City/Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China: At least 7 million
18. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France: 6.7 million
19. Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando, Fla: 6 million
20. SeaWorld Florida, Orlando, Fla: 5,740,000
21. Pleasure Beach (amusement park), Blackpool, England: 5.7 million
22. Lotte World (amusement park), Seoul, South Korea: 5.5 million
23. Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, Japan: 5.4 million
24. Hong Kong Disneyland, China: 5.2 million
25. Centre Pompidou, Paris, France: 5.1 million
26. Tate Modern, London, England: 4.9 million
27. British Museum, London, England: 4.8 million
28. Universal Studios Los Angeles, Calif.: 4.7 million
29. National Gallery, London, England: 4.6 million
30. Metropolitan Museum, New York, NY: 4.5 million
31. Grand Canyon, Ariz.: 4.4 million
32. Tivoli Gardens (amusement park), Copenhagen, Denmark: 4.4 million
33. Ocean Park (amusement park), Hong Kong, China: 4.38 million
34. Busch Gardens (amusement park), Tampa Bay, Fla.: 4.36 million
35. SeaWorld California, San Diego, Calif.: 4.26 million
36. Statue of Liberty, New York, NY: 4.24 million
37. The Vatican and its museums, Rome, Italy: 4.2 million
38. Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia: More than 4 million
39. The Coliseum, Rome, Italy: 4 million
40. American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY: 4 million
41. Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood, Calif.: 4 million
42. Empire State Building, New York, NY: 4 million
43. Natural History Museum, London, England: 3.7 million
44. The London Eye, London, England: 3.5 million
45. Palace of Versailles, France: 3.45 million
46. Yosemite National Park, Calif.: 3.44 million
47. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt: 3 million
48. Pompeii, Italy: 2.5 million
49. Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia: 2.5 million
50. Taj Mahal, Agra, India: 2.4 million

I'm talking here

What American accent do you have?
Created by Xavier on Memegen.net

Northern. Whether you have the world famous Inland North accent of the Great Lakes area, or the radio-friendly sound of upstate NY and western New England, your accent is what used to set the standard for American English pronunciation (not much anymore now that the Inland North sounds like it does).

Take this quiz now - it's easy!

We're going to start with "cot" and "caught." When you say those words do they sound the same or different?

Same, no wait I mean different, maybe, a little bit different... Different Same

Time has flown...

Was putzing around on amazon. Just noticed that my first purchase was in December of 1997. I sent a gift-wrapped hardcover copy of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' to the woman who is now my wife.

If I remember correctly, it wasn't the normal book, but a tiny coffee-house version of it. Oops.

Well, the relationship between amazon and I has gotten better since.

Me-ology

TECHNOLOGY

Q. Number of contacts in your cell phone?
A. 70

Q. Number of contacts in your email address book?
A. Not going to count them. Tons.

Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer?
A. A picture of the Orion Crew Vehicle from here.

Q. How many televisions are in your house?
A. 3

BIOLOGY

Q. Are you right-handed or left-handed?
A. Right

Q. Do you like your smile?
A. No. My showing teeth smile is TERRIBLE. Just terrible.

Q. What's your best feature?
A. Height. Not too tall or too short.

Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A. No.

Q. Which of your five senses do you think is keenest?
A. I think my hearing is pretty good, when I'm awake.

Q. When was the last time you had a cavity?
A. Never.

Q. What is the heaviest item you lifted last?
A. Probably our TV, which weighs 200lbs.

Q. Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
A. No.

MOUTHOLOGY

Q. What is your salad dressing of choice?
A. Ranch.

Q. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
A. McDonald's.

Q. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
A. Olive Garden, probably.

Q. On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant?
A. start at 15% and scale accordingly...which almost always makes it 20%.

Q. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick off of?
A. Tacos.

Q. What are your pizza toppings of choice?
A. Pepperoni, or bacon.

Q. What do you like to put on your toast?
A. Butter

Q. What is your favorite type of gum?
A. Hubba Bubba or Bubba-licious. (do they still have those?)

PERSONOLOGY

Q. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
A. Probably not.

Q. Is love for real?
A. Yes.

Q. If you could change your first name, what would you change it to?
A. I would rather change my middle name to John.

Q. What color do you think looks best on you?
A. Blue or Green.

Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
A. Yes, a contact.

Q. Have you ever saved someone's life?
A. Not as far as I know. I did find somebody's dog running loose yesterday and I suppose it could have gotten away forever if I hadn't done anything.

Q. Has someone ever saved yours?
A. No, but I have almost been killed.

DAREOLOGY

Q. Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000?
A. No.

Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
A. No.

Q. Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000?
A. No.

Q. Would you never blog again for $50,000?
A. Sure. (I forget to all the time for free)

Q. Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000?
A. No.

Q. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
A. Yes.

Q. Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000?
A. No.

Q. Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000?
A. No. Think of what I would miss?

DUMBOLOGY

Q: What is in your left pocket?
A: Money clip holding $81.

Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
A: No, it's actually a horrible movie.

Q: Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house?
A: Both, and I hate the wood. HATE IT!

Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower?
A: Stand. Not sure why I would sit.

Q: Could you live with roommates?
A: Yes. I lived with my (now) BIL while in college, and that was fine.

Q: How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
A: Two, but they're more like rubber sandals.

Q: Where were you born?
A. Lutheran General.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: Various things at various times. Fireman, Policeman...

Q: Who is number 1 on your top 8?
A: No clue what that means.

ULTIMOLOGY

Q: Last friend you talked to?
A: In person, Aimee. (not work people)

Q: Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
A: I got a ticket Feb 26/27, 2006.

Q: Last person you called?
A: Court

Q: Last person you hugged?
A: Court

Q: Last movie you saw?
A: Talladega Nights, which is really a travesty so I should watch something else soon.

FAVORITOLOGY

Q: Number?
A: 847/957 (numbers I use whenever I'm exaggerating something)

Q: Color?
A: Blue.

Q: Season?
A: Winter

CURRENTOLOGY

Q: Missing someone?
A: My sunglasses are somewhere in Cathedral City, California. (I've gotten a replacement pair though)

Q: Mood?
A: Tired

Q: Listening to?
A: Other people walking

Q: Watching?
A: Nothing

Q: Worrying about?
A: Nothing in particular.

RANDOMOLOGY

Q: First place you went this morning?
A: downstairs to let Hooper out.

Q: What can you not wait to do?
A: Watch Lost tonight

Q: Do you smile often?
A: smirk, maybe.

Q: Are you a friendly person?
A: yeah, but sometimes I'm faking.

Q: Now that the survey's done what are you going to do?
A: work

The cat is under the house...

Long-time readers may remember the first name of this blog. This post title is an homage...

The weekend before this last, I installed some in-ceiling speakers in our house. This mean not only drilling two holes in the ceiling, but drilling a hole from the crawlspace close downstairs to the bottom of the attic upstairs. Doing it this way went you wouldn't see the wires at all...unless you were in the crawlspace. Long story short, with the help of my wife it worked out nicely. (and I didn't even have to go into the attic)

While I was in the crawlspace guiding the speaker wire, our cat got into the crawlspace. I would normally be content to leave him there (forever), but I didn't want him to go to the bathroom down there and both A - make it smell bad down there, and B - have me stumble into it accidentally 6 months from now.

He's all about exploring new spaces, so of course he went into every nook and cranny of the damn thing. The tons of tubs down there made it a whole bunch of fun getting him out. I eventually chased him out and exhibited a TON of restraint by not beating him to death.

Rich (optimistic)

Bleed Cubbie Blue :: A Chicago Cubs Fan Community, Founded February 9, 2005: "# Bud Selig dropped by the WGN radio booth and hinted that something might be done about Ron Santo's Hall of Fame status. Yes, voting has already occurred -- but the Hall, being a private institution, can modify its rules at any time. If the Board of Directors of the Hall wants to disband the Veterans Committee and induct Ron Santo this year, they are free to do so."

It's Happy Time

Happy Birthday to my sister, who is 25 today.

Have a great one!

This post brought to you by the letters A, C, and the number 5.

A

...for the Hostess Apple Pie I ate today. Since they've put them in the vending machines here about 6 months ago, I think I've had 6, which would match the amount I'd eaten from 1995-2005 probably.

C

...is for my car, which I got washed the other day and looks clean for the first time in months. It's also for cellphones, which I observed 4 drivers in a row talking on while I was driving home the other day.

5

...is the number of times my daughter has slept through the night, including back to back nights Monday and Tuesday. Woo hoo!

snow-fair

After buying the snowblower the day before BlizzardDay 2006 in December, I've used it about a half a dozen times. 3 times in 3 days a week or so ago, actually. Let me tell you, it's really fun trying to snowblow your driveway when the wind is creating a mini-tornado between your house, your neighbor's house, and your garage. I think the snow blasted me right in the face 4-5 times. See, a smarter person would have STOPPED at that point. But there you go.

Of course, yesterday it got around 45F so the snow began melting...and melt it did. There's some left but the roof is totally bare and I actually got my car washed last night...the first time it had been washed in months. Look for a rainstorm to follow.

All about me...

1. How old will you be in five years?
34

2. What month is your birthday?
November

3. How tall are you?
5'11"

4. What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks?
my daughter being another month older and doing something amazing.

5. Whats the last movie you saw ?
Borat

6. Who is the last person you called?
Court

7. Who was the last person to call you?
Van

8. What was the last text message you received?
Shell, telling me she deleted her LJ.

9. Do you prefer call or text?
text, text, a thousand times text

10. Do you have any pets?
Two: cat and dog

11. What were you doing at 2am last night?
Making a bottle, letting dog out, and seeing that it snowed

12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced?
Divorced

13. When is the last time you saw your mom?
Last Monday I think

14. What color are your eyes?
Brown

15. What time did you wake up today?
7am

16. What are you wearing right now?
jeans, maroon sweater/sweatshirt, brown shoes

17. What's your favorite Christmas song?
Not sure

18. Where is your favorite place to be?
Home

19. Where is your least favorite place to be?
traveling for work

20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere?
drive around on vacation with family

21. Where do you think you'll be in 10 yrs?
Probably in the same house, maybe promoted in my current job

22. Do you tan or burn?
tan, sometimes, burn, sometimes

23. As a child, what did you fear was going to get you at night?
was never really afraid of anything like that.

24. What was the last thing that made you laugh?
for crying laughing, the story my BIL told me about his Dad doing something funny while in Poland.

25. How many TVs do you have in your house?
2, and 1 we don't even really watch.

26. Who do you miss most?
I wish I had known my Grandpa Rich. I also miss my friends from college.

27. Do you have a laptop or desktop PC??
Both

28. Do you sleep with or without clothing??
With, yikes, what if there's a fire?

29. What color are your sheets?
No clue, today.

30. How many pillows do you sleep with?
Two. head on one, clutching one.

31. What is your favorite season?
Winter

32. What do you like about fall?
It starts being cold and breezy, and I like that.

34. What do you like about the summer?
Baseball games.

36. How many states have you lived in?
Two - IL and FL

37. How many cities/towns have you lived in?
7 (time to not move for a while)

38. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet?
shoes

39. Are you a social person?
yes, but in single-serving increments. (Fight Club)

40. What was the last thing you ate?
Hot chocolate

41. What is your favorite restaurant?
Probably Canada at Epcot or Olive Garden

42. Favorite ice cream?
Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby.

43. What is your favorite dessert?
See #42.

44. What is your favorite kind of soup?
Hot, plain, tomato soup

45. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB and J??
Don't like jelly.

46. Do you like Chinese food?
No.

47. Do you like coffee?
No.

48. How many glasses of water, a day, do you drink on average?
3-4.

49. What do you drink in the morning?
Slim-fast.

50. Would you rather sleep with someone else or alone?
sleeping is sleeping.

51. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed?
Usually, but somebody tries to steal my spot.

52. Do you know how to play poker?
For fun, yes. With any skill, no.

53. Do you like to cuddle?
No.

54. Have you ever been to Canada?
Yes.

55. Do you have an addictive personality?
Yes.

56. Do you eat out or at home more often?
Nowadays, at home.

58. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you?
In my life, no. Bobby Kennedy had my same BD though.

59. Do you want kids?
Have one. :)

60. Do you know any other languages?
No.

61. Have you ever gotten stitches?
No, but I probably should have while I was in college. I cut my arm deeply and it still hurts sometimes when I move in a certain way.

62. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
Ridden, no, but I sat in one after a bicycle accident 10+ years ago.

63. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool?
Neither, don't like communal water. (Monk, hello)

64. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seats?
Window, so I can fall asleep against the plane wall.

65. Do you know how to drive stick?
No.

66. What is your favorite thing to spend money on?
computer stuff, TV/video stuff...

67. Do you wear any jewelry 24/7?
Just my wedding ring.

68. What is your favorite TV show?
Smallville

69. Can you roll your tongue?
No.

71. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
No.

72. What is the main ring tone on your phone?
RHCP - Hey Oh

73. Do you still have clothes from when you were little?
Somewhere

75. Do you turn off the water while you brush your teeth?
Yes.

76. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
Closed, I think.

77. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?
bees, I could probably outrun them.

78. Do you flirt a lot?
Not particularly

79. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
ranch

80. What is your favorite food?
Italian.

81. Can you change the oil on a car?
pssht, no.

82. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket?
heh, yes.

83. Have you ever run out of gas?
yes, once I did in my big blue car.

84. What is your usual bedtime?
before baby, anywhere between 12am-2am. Now, 11pm-12am.

86. Do you read the newspaper?
online, yes.

87. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?
Consumer Reports.

88. Best comedian?
None in particular. I think Seinfeld is funny.

89. Do you watch soap operas?
no.

90. Do you dance in the car?
I don't dance in the anything.

Ok, this made me laugh out loud

ESPN.com: Page 2: "Anyway, Mary J. Blige wins for 'The Breakthrough' and thanks Jesus Christ AND God. Let's hope they're watching together."

batting .333

Of the three things I wanted to accomplish during lunch, I only was able to get one of them done successfully. You'll not notice eating among any of that, unfortunately.

• pick up CableCards from Comcast - local office does not issue CableCards, even though they said they did when I called the other day. This does not bode well. Installer coming next Friday morning.


• get 802.11g bridge working to Tivo for internet connectivity - not working from some reason. If I had more time to work at it I'm sure I could have figured it out. Tivo-branded wireless adapter is coming today via amazon but I'd rather get it working using stuff I already have so I can return the adapter.


• get new Tivo remote working for both Tivo's...but not at the same time! - The new Tivo remote has a switch to go between 2 DVR's. Now, '1' is the DirecTivo and '2' is the Series3. This way, we don't have to cover the IR detector of one while using the other...since one Tivo remote will work for all Tivo's by default. This I actually figured out and saved me from going oh-fer for the day.

HD-We

In what is an early 30th birthday present for me, the Series3 HD Tivo arrived yesterday. It's great. Setup was a breeze. I had ordered a DVI--->HDMI cable from amazon since the Sony 32" has a DVI input and the Tivo is HDMI-out. Cable worked fine. HDMI carries both audio and video but since the Denon receiver I have doesn't have HDMI (see my future receiver here...) I just used an optical cable to handle the audio.

When a local radio shack closed I picked up an antenna for over the air HD broadcasts. I hooked it up to the Series3 and picked up HD signals. Stunning. They look great on the Sony. The weird thing is, I can't pick up WBBM (CBS) but I guess that is normal since they kinda got shafted by the FCC and got something of a crummy channel. What's funny is that for broadcast television CBS has always come in crummy in the Chicago area. ABC, FOX, NBC, WTTW, and a bunch of other stations come in flawlessly though...and it's free over-the-air TV. Fantastic!

Today I'm going to go to the comcast office to pick up 2 CableCards, which are credit card-sized devices which allow you to receive digital cable without a cablebox. These will be put into the Series3 to allow us to pick up HD Cable channels and other digital channels such as Sci-Fi and others. There have been some issues with other people getting the Cards and getting them to work, but we'll see what happens.

Arriving today (I believe) are the in-ceiling speakers I ordered. These will serve as our surround speakers. In FL, we had Sony bookshelf speakers on speaker stands that were on either side of our couch. In our new home this wouldn't really work out, so I decided to go the ceiling route. It will take some work (and crawling around in both the crawlspace and the attic) but when it's done it will look sharp and work great.

And like I said, the Sony looks great, but I can't help feeling that this on this is on the horizon eventually...

Eating with Elvis...

No, this post is not to focus on the baby-weight that I still haven't lost. It's about bagels. Specifically, peanut butter and banana crunch bagels from Panera Bread.

See, my wife had to go for physical therapy a few times on Saturday mornings. On her way home, she'd pick up bagels for breakfast. The first few times I got a plain, but once she told me they had peanut butter and banana bagels, I had to have one.

I've always been a fan of peanut butter and banana sandwiches...despite some people thinking they are gross. I love them. They're fantastic. The two tastes go together so well. I understand Elvis used to like them too...though he fried them and I would never do that.

Anyways, I had my first one this past Saturday. It was so great I went out Sunday morning and got another even though it was snowing and colder than hell, and I hadn't even showered yet.

I'd like to think they are around for good, but that's doubtful. I'm sure they'll disappear...even though Panera still carries the Smokehouse turkey sandwich (one of the few restaurant sandwiches I can order 'as is' and not have anything removed) and I always thought that'd be gone too.

Well, if it does go, I guess I can just order some kind of banana bagel and just put peanut butter on it.

The State of this Union...

State of the Union: Your reaction to president's speech - CNN.com: "Carmeletta Hepburn of Lakeview, Arkansas
Bush sounds good, but almost everyone knows that it is just a bunch of hype. He did not say 'I resign,' which is all I wanted to hear from him."

Sorry, but that's funny as hell.

Might be worth a read...

ESPN.com - NFL/PLAYOFFS06 - Smith: Judge Smith, Dungy by character, not color: "It's character, not color, that separates Smith, Dungy"

I thought this was a good article that made some interesting points. Enjoy!

A nice alternative to BS...

Shows - Veronica Mars

If you don't particularly want to listen to the President blather on tonight, I'd suggest you watch Veronica Mars instead. Of the networks, it's the only show on opposite the State of the Union. (and isn't watching that just too depressing these days?)

So that's what that is...

ESPN.com: Page 2 : The skinny on new NHL uniforms: "Lots of readers have been inquiring about that little nub that appeared on Lovie Smith's jacket the past two Sundays. The short answer is that it's a pump; "

I had seen him wearing that jacket a few weeks ago and I liked it. I've been wondering what that valve thing was on it though...

Pardon the Prognostication...

Today's topics for PTI...

• Peyton Manning getting to the Super Bowl
  
• Bears getting to the Super Bowl
  
• Parcells retiring
  
• Mike Vick - no marijuana found in his bottle
  

In that order. Print it!

Hell Frozen Over - I agree with Mariotti

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Jay Mariotti :: Ditka doesn't matter -- it's all about Rex: "Who really cares if Ditka, paid by ESPN to maintain a neutral outlook, isn't confessing whether he's rooting for the Bears or the last team he coached, the New Orleans Saints? "

I'm not to sure why everyone is caring what Ditka thinks. Sure, he coached the 85 Bears to a Super Bowl victory, but he's gone on and done other things.

Much like I do with Captain Kirk and William Shatner, I try to separate the character of "Da Coach" of yore from the way the guy acts today.

Storm leaves 55 dead, thousands shivering - CNN.com

It was colder than hell this morning.

Thank God I bought those wrap-around ear covers last summer.

Two Bits of Good News

1 - Tony Kornheiser may be coming back on the radio in February.

2 - A SciFi Channel executive has stated he'd be pretty shocked if Battlestar Galactica was not renewed for a 4th season.

and death is not an option

By popular demand

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Slimfast
Snack: a small bag of animal crackers
Lunch: Slimfast
Snack: a few goldfish crackers
Dinner: Barnaby's pizza

Coming Soon: Thursday!

What's in a Meal?

Just for the hell of it, I've thought about writing down everything I eat all day. Sounds interesting, doesn't it?

Anyways, for yesterday:

Breakfast: Slimfast
Snack: a few lifesavers
Lunch: Slimfast
Snack: a dozen goldfish crackers
Dinner: 2 hard tacos (no lettuce), chili-cheese burrito, side nacho from Taco Bell

Gator-ain't

The new Gatorade machine at work (glass front, bottle retrieved by a mechanical arm) contains no, none, zero, Gatorade. It is filled with Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and Mountain Dew despite the large Gatorade signage on both sides.

Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out

TV shows I watch, and when they return...

The Office (NBC) Jan. 4

Apprentice (NBC) Jan. 7

Rob & Amber Against The Odds (Fox Reality) Jan. 11 (I think I might watch this)

Smallville (The CW) Jan. 11

Monk (USA) Jan. 19

Psych (USA) Jan. 19

Battlestar Galactica (SciFi) Jan. 21

Dresden Files (SciFi) Jan. 21 (new show I will watch)

Heroes (NBC) Jan. 22

Studio 60 (NBC) Jan. 22

Veronica Mars (CW) Jan. 23

Sarah Silverman (Comedy Central) Feb. 1 (I think I may watch this)

Lost (ABC) Feb. 7

Jericho (CBS) Feb. 21