Tie game, we may be going into overtime.
Please Ravens, please beat the Squealers
EDIT: Dammit....fucking field goal in overtime.
September 29, 2008
Liveblogging Ravens vs Steelers
Check this entry for updates as I make them. I'll refresh every 10 minutes.
8:44 - 4 seconds into the game and already a player is hurt.
8:55 - First penalty on Baltimore, HAH! Scott just stopped a play, almost an interception, sucks to be under pressure for once, doesn't it worthlessburger?!
8:56 - Squealers don't know when to shut up, dammit,at least no loss on penalties
8:59 - Come on Ravens, don't give them any holes, nice negative yardage just now.
9:00 - Shit, Steelers are on the red zone border, keep em out Ravens!
9:01 - FIRST SACK of the night, thank you number 35! Sucks to be you squealers, oh what's that, you had to kick a field goal? HAH it's not a touchdown, you may be on the board, but we are coming back.
9:05 - Only 15 yards? Come on, we can do better than that!!
9:09 - Fuck, we do not need to be sacked, at least we stopped them on the punt return, barely any yards gained.
9:12 - INTERCEPTION!!! THANK YOU NGATA!!!! We are on the 52 yard line, great field position for our next drive.
9:15 - Damn, great play by Flacco, until the holding call. Thank you for stepping up Flacco and getting it to Mason.
9:16 - Move those chains! Dammit, don't throw it away. First one this year, but still.
9:19 - Nice throw Flacco!! We're in the red zone, get it down the field. Nice run McGahee.
9:20 - Damn, almost a touchdown, Mason was just over, careful, almost had an interception. Guess were going for a field goal.......ITS GOOD! 3-3 with the first quarter almost over.
9:25 - First quarter over.
9:34 - 2nd quarteris exciting so far, bigger passes and closer calls. Flacco is looking good. Even the steelers fan here is giving him credit.
9:36 - Sweet, practically no return for the Squealers!
9:50 - Fuck it, people to chat with at the bar now, I am abandoning this
8:44 - 4 seconds into the game and already a player is hurt.
8:55 - First penalty on Baltimore, HAH! Scott just stopped a play, almost an interception, sucks to be under pressure for once, doesn't it worthlessburger?!
8:56 - Squealers don't know when to shut up, dammit,at least no loss on penalties
8:59 - Come on Ravens, don't give them any holes, nice negative yardage just now.
9:00 - Shit, Steelers are on the red zone border, keep em out Ravens!
9:01 - FIRST SACK of the night, thank you number 35! Sucks to be you squealers, oh what's that, you had to kick a field goal? HAH it's not a touchdown, you may be on the board, but we are coming back.
9:05 - Only 15 yards? Come on, we can do better than that!!
9:09 - Fuck, we do not need to be sacked, at least we stopped them on the punt return, barely any yards gained.
9:12 - INTERCEPTION!!! THANK YOU NGATA!!!! We are on the 52 yard line, great field position for our next drive.
9:15 - Damn, great play by Flacco, until the holding call. Thank you for stepping up Flacco and getting it to Mason.
9:16 - Move those chains! Dammit, don't throw it away. First one this year, but still.
9:19 - Nice throw Flacco!! We're in the red zone, get it down the field. Nice run McGahee.
9:20 - Damn, almost a touchdown, Mason was just over, careful, almost had an interception. Guess were going for a field goal.......ITS GOOD! 3-3 with the first quarter almost over.
9:25 - First quarter over.
9:34 - 2nd quarteris exciting so far, bigger passes and closer calls. Flacco is looking good. Even the steelers fan here is giving him credit.
9:36 - Sweet, practically no return for the Squealers!
9:50 - Fuck it, people to chat with at the bar now, I am abandoning this
The Livejournalization of Blogger
see more puppies
Oh Blogger, I came to you because I was so sick of Livejournal and the near constant drama that would erupt, especially with the whole issue of who was on a "friends" list and who wasn't. You didn't suggest that I create a list of people whose blogs I should follow so I could read them whenever I updated, and then they would know I was a "friend" of theirs.
However, you must have hired someone from Livejournal, which should be no surprise because those bitches would jump at the chance to work for Google, and now we have a new widget for our blogs called "Following." A way to keep a friends list so you can follow blogs, but then they can advertise that you can follow them.
Thank God this is an optional thing. I would have to consider dumping you and heading to another blogging service if I was required to use it. The way I see it, if people are going to read what I have to write, they can come over here and read it, or they can use an RSS reader to keep up for themselves. None of this bullshit of that if they read it they must be my "friend" and so I must be a "friend" back to them and if they stop reading and stop being my "friend" then I must tell them to go fuck themselves in an entry that they wont be able to see anymore because they are not my "friend."
Can you tell yet that I really don't like this? I just hope it continues to stay optional. I will not install this widget anytime soon.
September 28, 2008
Random Stuff
I think I am going to have to give up ice cream, the last few times I have eaten it, I've ended up with a not so good feeling in the stomach. Now that I think about it, it has been with Breyers "All Natural" ice cream. Perhaps I need to try another brand and see if I have the same reaction. I should also see if other dairy has the same effects.
I went out to Cobalt Friday night before heading to a friends house to watch the debate. Brian and I have had many a discussion in the past about the bear happy hour. As much as the bears bitch about the fact that the "typical" gay is very cliquish, they can be just as bad. Most of the guys that walk in on Friday night tend to come in as couples or as groups, and many of them are familiar with one another. If you ever watch, you'll see they tend to form their groups and hang out in their one spot, not moving much except to get another drink, or perhaps move along to join another group. It can be a bit fascinating for a people watcher.
However, when you're there by yourself, it can feel rather intimidating to be there. It has occurred to me that I have become a bit shy about meeting people when I am out and about. Perhaps I am getting a vibe while there that people are not approachable, or perhaps I am just not reading people correctly. Hell, it could even be the setting I am in, being in a bar and all. I really can't make excuses though, I recognize that I have become shy, and that is not like me. It is something I need to work on, and only I can fix it. However, it will do me no good to go to the other extreme and become too friendly, because that will lead to trouble.
Its a matter of re-learning how to read people, and also to learn limits again. I tend to shy away because I am trying to be polite, and perhaps I am being too polite.
However, I also can't bitch, the people that I do know and call my friend, they're people worth calling a friend.
I will do this, I will get over this.
Clearly "Christmas Creep" is starting to affect people in more ways than just seeing stuff at an inappropriate time, there are folks who have asked about what I am doing for Christmas. Hell, to be honest, I have no idea right now, nor am I thinking about it. If I was going to consider anything at the moment, it might be to hang with a friend since he mentioned the other night that this will be his first Christmas he is not going home, which is also very odd for him because his birthday is on Christmas Eve. Either way, I will cross that bridge when it gets here.
I went out to Cobalt Friday night before heading to a friends house to watch the debate. Brian and I have had many a discussion in the past about the bear happy hour. As much as the bears bitch about the fact that the "typical" gay is very cliquish, they can be just as bad. Most of the guys that walk in on Friday night tend to come in as couples or as groups, and many of them are familiar with one another. If you ever watch, you'll see they tend to form their groups and hang out in their one spot, not moving much except to get another drink, or perhaps move along to join another group. It can be a bit fascinating for a people watcher.
However, when you're there by yourself, it can feel rather intimidating to be there. It has occurred to me that I have become a bit shy about meeting people when I am out and about. Perhaps I am getting a vibe while there that people are not approachable, or perhaps I am just not reading people correctly. Hell, it could even be the setting I am in, being in a bar and all. I really can't make excuses though, I recognize that I have become shy, and that is not like me. It is something I need to work on, and only I can fix it. However, it will do me no good to go to the other extreme and become too friendly, because that will lead to trouble.
Its a matter of re-learning how to read people, and also to learn limits again. I tend to shy away because I am trying to be polite, and perhaps I am being too polite.
However, I also can't bitch, the people that I do know and call my friend, they're people worth calling a friend.
I will do this, I will get over this.
Clearly "Christmas Creep" is starting to affect people in more ways than just seeing stuff at an inappropriate time, there are folks who have asked about what I am doing for Christmas. Hell, to be honest, I have no idea right now, nor am I thinking about it. If I was going to consider anything at the moment, it might be to hang with a friend since he mentioned the other night that this will be his first Christmas he is not going home, which is also very odd for him because his birthday is on Christmas Eve. Either way, I will cross that bridge when it gets here.
September 26, 2008
Mobile Blogging?
I will be experimenting with bloggers mobile blogging feature tonight by posting reactions to the debate. Lets see what happens :-)
Edited to add: Instead of turning my blog into a glorified twitter account this evening, I think I'll just pick up a notepad while I'm out and about and make notes, then I can transcribe them later.
Edited to add: Instead of turning my blog into a glorified twitter account this evening, I think I'll just pick up a notepad while I'm out and about and make notes, then I can transcribe them later.
September 24, 2008
The Life of A Sports Nut
I suppose I can blame my parents for this, but I love sports, at least as a spectator. With the way things have gone this week, you'd think that I do nothing but watch sports.
If the pictures and video I posted previously was not enough of a clue, I was at the Ravens game this past Sunday. What a great game that was to watch. It is only my second live NFL game, and this time around it was a much better experience, maybe because it wasn't 45 degrees and raining! Great game, great fans, always a blast, I can't wait for December 7 when we face the Redskins. Did I mention I have now customized my phone wallpaper with Ravens logos?
Monday I took JH to an Orioles game as a gift for his birthday. Great seats, unfortunately, not a great night for the Orioles, oh well.
Tomorrow night, I am going to a Capitals game with AX because a friend of mine who is a season ticket holder cannot make it to the game, so she gave me the tickets, with one string attached. I will accompany her to the season opener of the Caps on October 11. I have gone to the games before, they're fun to watch live.
Finally, this Sunday is the last game for the Orioles and I have a couple of tickets. Anyone interested in joining me? Let me know.
Four different games in seven days, wow, I never would have thought I could do that.
While we're talking about it, the only sports I will watch on TV are professional football and basketball, I really am not a fan of watching baseball or hockey on TV, I have to watch them live in order to keep my interest. That's probably due to the fact that growing up, we always watched football, and my brothers got into basketball as well, so I am used to seeing those.
What surprises me nowadays is how accessible it is for me to get to a game around here. Of course it's easy to buy baseball tickets, even on the day of the game, it is one of the few sports left that is accessible. As for other sports, it has not hurt that I am making connections with season ticket holders who cannot always make it to the games they have, or occasionally my church has a group outing to a sporting event. Some people would be surprised that I would go with a church group to a sporting event, but the way I put it is that "It's not full of Jesus, just beer."
Of course, try being the only Ravens fan in Redskins territory; thank God we are not division rivals. I joke that I am a drop of purple in a sea of maroon at work. However, ever since I have started wearing my jersey for Purple Friday, I have had other fans approach me, including those who are season ticket holders. Hopefully this will translate into more live games in the future :-)
One more thing, why aren't more gay men into watching football? Discuss. I will post my own thoughts about it in the future.
If the pictures and video I posted previously was not enough of a clue, I was at the Ravens game this past Sunday. What a great game that was to watch. It is only my second live NFL game, and this time around it was a much better experience, maybe because it wasn't 45 degrees and raining! Great game, great fans, always a blast, I can't wait for December 7 when we face the Redskins. Did I mention I have now customized my phone wallpaper with Ravens logos?
Monday I took JH to an Orioles game as a gift for his birthday. Great seats, unfortunately, not a great night for the Orioles, oh well.
Tomorrow night, I am going to a Capitals game with AX because a friend of mine who is a season ticket holder cannot make it to the game, so she gave me the tickets, with one string attached. I will accompany her to the season opener of the Caps on October 11. I have gone to the games before, they're fun to watch live.
Finally, this Sunday is the last game for the Orioles and I have a couple of tickets. Anyone interested in joining me? Let me know.
Four different games in seven days, wow, I never would have thought I could do that.
While we're talking about it, the only sports I will watch on TV are professional football and basketball, I really am not a fan of watching baseball or hockey on TV, I have to watch them live in order to keep my interest. That's probably due to the fact that growing up, we always watched football, and my brothers got into basketball as well, so I am used to seeing those.
What surprises me nowadays is how accessible it is for me to get to a game around here. Of course it's easy to buy baseball tickets, even on the day of the game, it is one of the few sports left that is accessible. As for other sports, it has not hurt that I am making connections with season ticket holders who cannot always make it to the games they have, or occasionally my church has a group outing to a sporting event. Some people would be surprised that I would go with a church group to a sporting event, but the way I put it is that "It's not full of Jesus, just beer."
Of course, try being the only Ravens fan in Redskins territory; thank God we are not division rivals. I joke that I am a drop of purple in a sea of maroon at work. However, ever since I have started wearing my jersey for Purple Friday, I have had other fans approach me, including those who are season ticket holders. Hopefully this will translate into more live games in the future :-)
One more thing, why aren't more gay men into watching football? Discuss. I will post my own thoughts about it in the future.
September 23, 2008
Ravens Pictures and Video
Click the picture above to see the pictures on Flickr from the game. Parental units take note, this is where our seats will be in December, isn't that a great field view?
I also took some video from the game. First up, introducing the Ravens offense.
Also, every time there's a touchdown, it's time to Move those Chains!
Enjoy!
September 22, 2008
Shea Stadium Pictures
The pictures are up on Flickr from watching the Mets play at Shea Stadium on September 13.
Cedar Point Trip Pictures
The pictures are up on Flickr from my trip to Cedar Point and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month.
September 21, 2008
Sabbatical
...Or "Why Mangi Needs to Pay Attention to Himself and Not be Such a Fuck Up"
Despite the fact that JH and I broke up a few months ago, we have continued to remain good friends, as evidenced by the recent travels. However, since we have been hanging out, there has been that bit of tension there since we were once a couple. I admit that despite it all, I still had feelings for JH.
Recently JH approached me about getting back together. I held off because I wasn't sure I wanted to get back with him, plus due to some of the reasons behind the breakup, I questioned his motives. I wanted to be sure it was JH who wanted me back because he wanted to be with me and not because it was him being jealous that I had been seeing other people. He wasn't happy with the fact that I kept on questioning him, but I just needed to know it.
Last weekend it all came to a head, and what it came down to was "Are you going to be with me, or not, because I am not going to wait around forever for an answer." I'm sitting there and I am trying to sort out what I am feeling because I want him back but I am not completely ready to say yes. Yet I ultimately said I wanted to be back together.
So there, we were a couple again, but something still didn't feel right. A few days later we had another conversation, and JH said "Are you absolutely sure you want to have a relationship?" and I said yes, thinking that I did. I wanted to be with JH because we had a good thing going on and I thought we could make it work again.
Then I woke up the next morning and one of my first thoughts was "Mangi, what the fuck are you doing? You're not ready for this, you're going to lose your independence." Finally it came out as to just what it was that was bothering me.
When I was single again, I relished being completely independent. As my parents can tell you, I have always had a streak of wanting to be independent and do things on my own. After JS but before JH, I had actually learned that I was fine with being on my own, I could do it without a problem. I liked it when I could do what I wanted, when I wanted, and I didn't have to answer to someone over what I was doing and/or what I wanted to do. Now don't get me wrong in that I liked doing things with JH because we had very similar interests and could find stuff that was mutually satisfying, I just happened to re-discover selfishness and I liked it.
So now I am in this quandry, I like being with JH, but I also like my independence. How to resolve this? Well let's be honest, there isn't really a good way to do that right now, especially because being in a relationship means that no, you can't just do what you want, and yes, you won't just automatically get your own way.
I tell about this to one of my friends, and he proceeds to lay a verbal smack upside the head as to what I was doing, and he threw to me some advice, which will come up later.
So now its the matter of how do I explain this to JH? For the next few days I would agonize over this because I knew this was a potential minefield, plus I was kicking myself because in my mind, I screwed up big time, and JH would have every right to be angry and not want anything to do with me, and I would have deserved it. In the meantime, I was also cautious around him, not trying to overly flirt or whatever because if it came to that we needed to step back and just be friends, I didn't want to lead him on and therefore make things worse.
Finally tonight I just admitted to everything that was bothering me. Surprisingly enough JH wasn't mad at me, and was rather understanding. He had picked up something was not right from me, and he was just waiting for me to admit that I wasn't ready for a relationship. He doesn't want to be in a relationship if I am having doubts about being able to commit, and I don't blame him, I wouldn't want to be in that either. He doesn't hate me and still wants to be friends. In fact, we're attending the Ravens vs Browns game tomorrow, so I should be in bed now, but I had to get this out.
Anyway, in the meantime however I am taking the advice of my friend. I am taking a hiatus from dating right now. I still want to hang out with friends, meet new people and such, but I am not actively seeking to date or even just get some. I am going to take time for myself and do just what it is that I want, and also learn more about just what it is I want out of my life and my relationships. I know I will be better for it.
Despite the fact that JH and I broke up a few months ago, we have continued to remain good friends, as evidenced by the recent travels. However, since we have been hanging out, there has been that bit of tension there since we were once a couple. I admit that despite it all, I still had feelings for JH.
Recently JH approached me about getting back together. I held off because I wasn't sure I wanted to get back with him, plus due to some of the reasons behind the breakup, I questioned his motives. I wanted to be sure it was JH who wanted me back because he wanted to be with me and not because it was him being jealous that I had been seeing other people. He wasn't happy with the fact that I kept on questioning him, but I just needed to know it.
Last weekend it all came to a head, and what it came down to was "Are you going to be with me, or not, because I am not going to wait around forever for an answer." I'm sitting there and I am trying to sort out what I am feeling because I want him back but I am not completely ready to say yes. Yet I ultimately said I wanted to be back together.
So there, we were a couple again, but something still didn't feel right. A few days later we had another conversation, and JH said "Are you absolutely sure you want to have a relationship?" and I said yes, thinking that I did. I wanted to be with JH because we had a good thing going on and I thought we could make it work again.
Then I woke up the next morning and one of my first thoughts was "Mangi, what the fuck are you doing? You're not ready for this, you're going to lose your independence." Finally it came out as to just what it was that was bothering me.
When I was single again, I relished being completely independent. As my parents can tell you, I have always had a streak of wanting to be independent and do things on my own. After JS but before JH, I had actually learned that I was fine with being on my own, I could do it without a problem. I liked it when I could do what I wanted, when I wanted, and I didn't have to answer to someone over what I was doing and/or what I wanted to do. Now don't get me wrong in that I liked doing things with JH because we had very similar interests and could find stuff that was mutually satisfying, I just happened to re-discover selfishness and I liked it.
So now I am in this quandry, I like being with JH, but I also like my independence. How to resolve this? Well let's be honest, there isn't really a good way to do that right now, especially because being in a relationship means that no, you can't just do what you want, and yes, you won't just automatically get your own way.
I tell about this to one of my friends, and he proceeds to lay a verbal smack upside the head as to what I was doing, and he threw to me some advice, which will come up later.
So now its the matter of how do I explain this to JH? For the next few days I would agonize over this because I knew this was a potential minefield, plus I was kicking myself because in my mind, I screwed up big time, and JH would have every right to be angry and not want anything to do with me, and I would have deserved it. In the meantime, I was also cautious around him, not trying to overly flirt or whatever because if it came to that we needed to step back and just be friends, I didn't want to lead him on and therefore make things worse.
Finally tonight I just admitted to everything that was bothering me. Surprisingly enough JH wasn't mad at me, and was rather understanding. He had picked up something was not right from me, and he was just waiting for me to admit that I wasn't ready for a relationship. He doesn't want to be in a relationship if I am having doubts about being able to commit, and I don't blame him, I wouldn't want to be in that either. He doesn't hate me and still wants to be friends. In fact, we're attending the Ravens vs Browns game tomorrow, so I should be in bed now, but I had to get this out.
Anyway, in the meantime however I am taking the advice of my friend. I am taking a hiatus from dating right now. I still want to hang out with friends, meet new people and such, but I am not actively seeking to date or even just get some. I am going to take time for myself and do just what it is that I want, and also learn more about just what it is I want out of my life and my relationships. I know I will be better for it.
September 16, 2008
Adventures in Cellphones
After two years, my phone has finally bitten the dust, it is kaput. What brought this on was that last night it decided to declare that its charger was an "Unauthorized Charger" and therefore it refuses to charge the battery. However, the phone will still run on the charger by itself. Being tethered to the cord pretty much defeats the purpose of a cell phone, so it was off to the store to have my original phone looked at to see if it could be saved, and to also look at new ones just in case it was done for.
I visited Verizon's website before heading out to see what kind of phones and plans I qualified for since I will have to update my plan if I have to upgrade my phone. I had already pre-decided this in my mind, and after crunching the numbers I have decided to run with getting the Nationwide Select plan and add VZ Navigator to it as well because not only do I get the unlimited text, picture, video, and IM, I also get GPS navigation built into my phone that includes turn by turn directions with voice, traffic updates, and can give pedestrian directions.
I had a list with me of the phones I could get for free, which ended up coming in handy later. After handing over my phone to the tech support folks I started browsing. I looked at the Samsung SCH-u340, SCH-u410, SCH-u-550, and the Gleam. There was also the LG Chocolate 2 and VX5400. Along with that was the Motorola W385, W755, and the V750.
Clearly I checked out a lot of phones, and that was because I had plenty of time since it took the techs almost 60 minutes to figure out that my phone had issues with the charger and could not be fixed. I got to play with the various phones and get a feel for them, along with checking out the sounds and features. The nice thing is that the phones were compatible with VZ Navigator so I was able to test it out on all of them. All of the phones were able to continue to provide directions after being closed, but the better ones show a small display of the current directions as well.
I ended up reviewing the list and checking out some more phones that I hadn't originally known would be free. Ultimately I ended up liking the Motorola Adventure v750 the best and so I figured if my current phone was dead I would look into getting that one. Eventually the tech declared my phone was dead, so it was off to the sales queue.
I don't know if the salesperson was having a bad day or what, but he totally half-assed it with me. I told him what phone I wanted and he simply showed it to me and told me it was $100 and there was a $50 rebate, didn't even look too hard at my account because if he had, he would have noticed I had a $50 credit. So I bailed.
I tried another Verizon store this evening, and the salesman was much nicer, he gave me a better offer than the guy in the first store, but he couldn't beat the website price, so ultimately I placed my order tonight for a new cell phone. Not only did I get the phone for free, but I got 25% off of accessories as well, so it cost way less than buying them from the store. The phone itself is made tougher because it is designed for those who want that walkie talkie capability, such as construction workers or emergency workers. That's good considering how much I beat the shit out of my phones at times.
I think I'll continue to just buy my phones online. Of course now I am locked into another contract for two years, but by then there will be even better phones out there. I had wanted to wait and see what the Blackberry Storm was going to be like, but obviously I couldn't wait. At least in two years the bugs will be worked out of that one.
I visited Verizon's website before heading out to see what kind of phones and plans I qualified for since I will have to update my plan if I have to upgrade my phone. I had already pre-decided this in my mind, and after crunching the numbers I have decided to run with getting the Nationwide Select plan and add VZ Navigator to it as well because not only do I get the unlimited text, picture, video, and IM, I also get GPS navigation built into my phone that includes turn by turn directions with voice, traffic updates, and can give pedestrian directions.
I had a list with me of the phones I could get for free, which ended up coming in handy later. After handing over my phone to the tech support folks I started browsing. I looked at the Samsung SCH-u340, SCH-u410, SCH-u-550, and the Gleam. There was also the LG Chocolate 2 and VX5400. Along with that was the Motorola W385, W755, and the V750.
Clearly I checked out a lot of phones, and that was because I had plenty of time since it took the techs almost 60 minutes to figure out that my phone had issues with the charger and could not be fixed. I got to play with the various phones and get a feel for them, along with checking out the sounds and features. The nice thing is that the phones were compatible with VZ Navigator so I was able to test it out on all of them. All of the phones were able to continue to provide directions after being closed, but the better ones show a small display of the current directions as well.
I ended up reviewing the list and checking out some more phones that I hadn't originally known would be free. Ultimately I ended up liking the Motorola Adventure v750 the best and so I figured if my current phone was dead I would look into getting that one. Eventually the tech declared my phone was dead, so it was off to the sales queue.
I don't know if the salesperson was having a bad day or what, but he totally half-assed it with me. I told him what phone I wanted and he simply showed it to me and told me it was $100 and there was a $50 rebate, didn't even look too hard at my account because if he had, he would have noticed I had a $50 credit. So I bailed.
I tried another Verizon store this evening, and the salesman was much nicer, he gave me a better offer than the guy in the first store, but he couldn't beat the website price, so ultimately I placed my order tonight for a new cell phone. Not only did I get the phone for free, but I got 25% off of accessories as well, so it cost way less than buying them from the store. The phone itself is made tougher because it is designed for those who want that walkie talkie capability, such as construction workers or emergency workers. That's good considering how much I beat the shit out of my phones at times.
I think I'll continue to just buy my phones online. Of course now I am locked into another contract for two years, but by then there will be even better phones out there. I had wanted to wait and see what the Blackberry Storm was going to be like, but obviously I couldn't wait. At least in two years the bugs will be worked out of that one.
September 14, 2008
They Did What?
Before leaving Pasadena on Saturday morning I was reading a copy of the Baltimore Examiner and there was an article about a police investigation into a playground that had burned down in Baltimore. It looks like that the fire was set deliberately.
I have to know, who the fuck thinks it's a good idea to burn down a playground? I just can't wrap my mind around why a person would do something like that. To me a playground is a pretty innocent place, and by doing something like that, you're robbing kids of a place where they can go and have fun.
Who does something like that?
I have to know, who the fuck thinks it's a good idea to burn down a playground? I just can't wrap my mind around why a person would do something like that. To me a playground is a pretty innocent place, and by doing something like that, you're robbing kids of a place where they can go and have fun.
Who does something like that?
September 13, 2008
Baseball and "Family"
Greetings from New Jersey!
Once again I am on the road traveling because that's all it seems I ever do. JH and I had planned a trip a few months ago to Shea stadium in NYC since that stadium is going the way of the dodo after this season. Since it's close enough and cheaper, we have opted to drive up there. It also happens that one of JH's cousins is having their 50th birthday this weekend so JH's parents are along for the ride. We dropped them off at NJ before heading up to NYC. Traffic into NYC was not bad at all, but it also helped that we stayed on main highways and didn't have to drive through the city streets to get there.
We had a good view from our seats, unfortunately those were some of the most uncomfortable seats I have ever sat in at a stadium. Those seats were clearly not designed to accommodate tall people because the space in front of me was the size of my shoe, and to put it into perspective, I wear a size 12. We were in the front row of that section so there was a small wall in front of us, and I would have to put my feet up over the edge if I wanted to stretch my legs out. I dealt with as much as I could stand but there were definitely a few times you could hear my knees pop when I would try to move them.
After visiting Yankee Stadium and Shea stadium, I have come to the conclusion that Mets fans are more obnoxious during the game than the Yankee fans. During the Yankees vs Orioles game, the O's basically spanked the yanks but the fans were at least respectful about it, and the fans were decent to JH and I, even if we were in O's gear. As for yesterday, it was Braves vs. Mets, and every time a Braves player came up to bat or when they made a play, they got booed by the fans. Now I've done my fair share of booing at sporting events but there's a fine line to when booing becomes obnoxious, and the Mets fans clearly do not know where that line is.
So after 5 1/2 innings of uncomfortable seats and obnoxious fans, JH and I had enough and we bolted out of there. Since we bolted early it meant that we were able to get back to NJ in time for the beginning of the surprise party and surprise the intended recipient.
The party was fun, and as usual it was meeting a whole bunch more of JH's extended family. I swear though there has to be Italian in that family because much like my own family, there are lots and lots of cousins. It really becomes a game of figuring out who knows who and in what way. The food was good and so was the drinks. Allow me to reiterate my love for margaritas.
Woke up this morning after a decent sleep, had breakfast with the folks, and now we're back on the road heading towards Baltimore. Luckily there have been no traffic issues. As it was just reported to me, it's 94F outside, so that means I am likely returning to a hot apartment. Joy...
Once again I am on the road traveling because that's all it seems I ever do. JH and I had planned a trip a few months ago to Shea stadium in NYC since that stadium is going the way of the dodo after this season. Since it's close enough and cheaper, we have opted to drive up there. It also happens that one of JH's cousins is having their 50th birthday this weekend so JH's parents are along for the ride. We dropped them off at NJ before heading up to NYC. Traffic into NYC was not bad at all, but it also helped that we stayed on main highways and didn't have to drive through the city streets to get there.
We had a good view from our seats, unfortunately those were some of the most uncomfortable seats I have ever sat in at a stadium. Those seats were clearly not designed to accommodate tall people because the space in front of me was the size of my shoe, and to put it into perspective, I wear a size 12. We were in the front row of that section so there was a small wall in front of us, and I would have to put my feet up over the edge if I wanted to stretch my legs out. I dealt with as much as I could stand but there were definitely a few times you could hear my knees pop when I would try to move them.
After visiting Yankee Stadium and Shea stadium, I have come to the conclusion that Mets fans are more obnoxious during the game than the Yankee fans. During the Yankees vs Orioles game, the O's basically spanked the yanks but the fans were at least respectful about it, and the fans were decent to JH and I, even if we were in O's gear. As for yesterday, it was Braves vs. Mets, and every time a Braves player came up to bat or when they made a play, they got booed by the fans. Now I've done my fair share of booing at sporting events but there's a fine line to when booing becomes obnoxious, and the Mets fans clearly do not know where that line is.
So after 5 1/2 innings of uncomfortable seats and obnoxious fans, JH and I had enough and we bolted out of there. Since we bolted early it meant that we were able to get back to NJ in time for the beginning of the surprise party and surprise the intended recipient.
The party was fun, and as usual it was meeting a whole bunch more of JH's extended family. I swear though there has to be Italian in that family because much like my own family, there are lots and lots of cousins. It really becomes a game of figuring out who knows who and in what way. The food was good and so was the drinks. Allow me to reiterate my love for margaritas.
Woke up this morning after a decent sleep, had breakfast with the folks, and now we're back on the road heading towards Baltimore. Luckily there have been no traffic issues. As it was just reported to me, it's 94F outside, so that means I am likely returning to a hot apartment. Joy...
September 11, 2008
Seven Years
Seven years ago today I was in my first year of college at Western New Mexico University. I had woken up that morning for my music theory class, since some sadist decided it was okay to begin classes at 7:30 in the morning. Before I left, I had synced up my Palm Pilot, and as part of that sync, I downloaded a number of news articles to read as well throughout the day. As I'm going to class, I see an article that says a plane struck the World Trade Center. Immediately I think that some small commuter plane veered out of control and hit the building, as it had happened the previous summer in NYC. Little did I know how wrong it would be.
As I began to read the article, my jaw basically hit the ground as to what was going on. At that point, the towers were hit, and so was the Pentagon. We only got through part of class that day before the professor let us go early. All over campus people were glued to TV sets, watching to see what was going on. As I happened to reach one of the common areas in the student union, that's when the towers fell, and we all just stood there, watching in horror.
Classes were basically canceled the rest of the day for obvious reasons, and most of us spent our time watching the news. I was also actively on a message board online where people across the country were having their own reactions. Somewhere I may still have a CD archive of the threads from that day, which in a sense captures a true picture of just what people were feeling.
Being in rural New Mexico, I wasn't expecting anything to happen. However, at the time my mom was on a business trip and it was taking place at Disneyworld. I don't know if many people remember this, but Disneyworld actually closed for the first time in history because they were afraid of getting attacked as well. To top it off, she was supposed to fly back the next day, but of course with all of the planes grounded, that wasn't happening. Work was desperately trying to get her back because she is an ER supervisor, but no go on the transportation, she would not get back until the following Saturday, four days later.
I made sure that things were okay at home of course, but the worry from myself and the family was my mom. We were actually making plans to have my dad come get me and we would drive across the country to pick her and some co-workers up and bring them back, when they finally let her get a flight home. Luckily Disneyworld was also nice enough to cut them some slack and didn't charge them for the extra days they were forced to stay over.
The day after, one of my professors didn't really hold class, he just let us talk, rant, rave, whatever. That was probably a wise idea because considering his background, there were likely idiotic racist bigots who were throwing death threats his way, and better to let us get our own feelings out amongst ourselves openly, than to try and hold class and make it look like he didn't care or something.
The people I still wonder about to this day is the family who lived across the street from my parent's house in California. They were from Iran and were the nicest people in the world, and I admit I had a crush on their daughter (I was always attracted to dark haired beauties). I hope she and her family didn't get harassed, but that is probably something I will never know.
I had a cousin who worked in the towers, he managed to get out before they fell, but it wasn't until about two years ago that he finally began to talk more openly about what had happened on that day. It was both fascinating and scary to hear just what he saw and heard as he was there, getting out of there, and ultimately getting away right before the collapse.
Yeah, there's really no structure to this entry, just letting the words flow.
I went to the UU church the Sunday afterward, and one of the things I actually expressed to the entire congregation was that I feared that this was going to put us into some sort of war, and that it would bring back the draft. I had said that because previously there had been articles in the media about how recruitment had not been that great. Luckily I was wrong on the draft part. Unfortunately I was not wrong on being dragged into a sort of war, which while justified in its original mission in Afghanistan, since then it has expanded to areas that had nothing to do with 9/11.
Never thought I would witness something like this in my lifetime. I still get paranoid at times that something's going to happen to me one day while riding Metro. Yet I continue to ride it simply because the last thing I should do is let a fear rule my life.
As I began to read the article, my jaw basically hit the ground as to what was going on. At that point, the towers were hit, and so was the Pentagon. We only got through part of class that day before the professor let us go early. All over campus people were glued to TV sets, watching to see what was going on. As I happened to reach one of the common areas in the student union, that's when the towers fell, and we all just stood there, watching in horror.
Classes were basically canceled the rest of the day for obvious reasons, and most of us spent our time watching the news. I was also actively on a message board online where people across the country were having their own reactions. Somewhere I may still have a CD archive of the threads from that day, which in a sense captures a true picture of just what people were feeling.
Being in rural New Mexico, I wasn't expecting anything to happen. However, at the time my mom was on a business trip and it was taking place at Disneyworld. I don't know if many people remember this, but Disneyworld actually closed for the first time in history because they were afraid of getting attacked as well. To top it off, she was supposed to fly back the next day, but of course with all of the planes grounded, that wasn't happening. Work was desperately trying to get her back because she is an ER supervisor, but no go on the transportation, she would not get back until the following Saturday, four days later.
I made sure that things were okay at home of course, but the worry from myself and the family was my mom. We were actually making plans to have my dad come get me and we would drive across the country to pick her and some co-workers up and bring them back, when they finally let her get a flight home. Luckily Disneyworld was also nice enough to cut them some slack and didn't charge them for the extra days they were forced to stay over.
The day after, one of my professors didn't really hold class, he just let us talk, rant, rave, whatever. That was probably a wise idea because considering his background, there were likely idiotic racist bigots who were throwing death threats his way, and better to let us get our own feelings out amongst ourselves openly, than to try and hold class and make it look like he didn't care or something.
The people I still wonder about to this day is the family who lived across the street from my parent's house in California. They were from Iran and were the nicest people in the world, and I admit I had a crush on their daughter (I was always attracted to dark haired beauties). I hope she and her family didn't get harassed, but that is probably something I will never know.
I had a cousin who worked in the towers, he managed to get out before they fell, but it wasn't until about two years ago that he finally began to talk more openly about what had happened on that day. It was both fascinating and scary to hear just what he saw and heard as he was there, getting out of there, and ultimately getting away right before the collapse.
Yeah, there's really no structure to this entry, just letting the words flow.
I went to the UU church the Sunday afterward, and one of the things I actually expressed to the entire congregation was that I feared that this was going to put us into some sort of war, and that it would bring back the draft. I had said that because previously there had been articles in the media about how recruitment had not been that great. Luckily I was wrong on the draft part. Unfortunately I was not wrong on being dragged into a sort of war, which while justified in its original mission in Afghanistan, since then it has expanded to areas that had nothing to do with 9/11.
Never thought I would witness something like this in my lifetime. I still get paranoid at times that something's going to happen to me one day while riding Metro. Yet I continue to ride it simply because the last thing I should do is let a fear rule my life.
September 08, 2008
Jo Dee Messina
If I had to pick out a favorite artist, it would likely be Jo Dee Messina. I've been listening to her since I was in high school, starting off at the place I worked at because the bosses would play with one of her albums, "I'm Alright". At the time I had no clue of her, and it happened to be that the first album of hers that I bought was "Burn." It wasn't until later when I purchased "I'm Alright" for myself that I realized I had been listening to her for years.
Anyway, Jo Dee's music is of a genre that I really don't listen to much, but I connect a lot with the songs on her albums. Her first album, which was self-titled, is pretty straightforward, there's a few good songs, but it's definitely her trying it out and finding her "voice." "I'm Alright" is the album you listen to when you're dealing with a breakup. You have songs like Bye-Bye which talk about kicking the guy to the curb because he can't commit, but you also have "I'm Alright" which is running into an old friend. Then towards the end you have some of the more loving songs, which is kind of funny after listening to a lot of "You left me, but that's fine because you're an asshole! :-D" songs, suddenly it seems we come to that there's a decent guy around.
Following that we come to "Burn." This is what you listen to when things are going well in life. One of my favorites is "These Are the Days" which is about stepping back and learning to enjoy the pleasures of the day instead of getting so caught up in the usual routine.
There was a Christmas album (because I swear that every recording contract says that you have to record one) and then a greatest hits album. The greatest hits was nice, but Jo Dee was reportedly not happy with it because on one of the new songs recorded for the album, they did enhancements to her voice in the studio without her knowledge, and she hated how it turned out.
Finally we get to Delicious Surprise which is fun to listen to, and it signals a return to her "I'm strong and I don't need you to make me that way" type of song that we hear a lot on "I'm Alright." It's obvious when the first single is called "My Give a Damn's Busted."
I said earlier that I connect with a lot of her songs, and that's true. I think someone could gauge my mood based on which of her albums I have loaded into my Stiletto. Besides that, you could probably take one of her songs and apply it to various points in my life as well. What I like about her is her music reflects having an independent streak, which is something that I have. Plus her music is not always about the same thing over and over again, there may be a theme to several of her songs on an album, but it's not beaten to death.
So I'll be curious as to what she comes out with next since she's been back in the studio recently, and just had a new single come out.
To end this post, I'll leave you with a fan produced video (since the official video is not on YouTube!) of a song that certainly carries some meaning now:
Anyway, Jo Dee's music is of a genre that I really don't listen to much, but I connect a lot with the songs on her albums. Her first album, which was self-titled, is pretty straightforward, there's a few good songs, but it's definitely her trying it out and finding her "voice." "I'm Alright" is the album you listen to when you're dealing with a breakup. You have songs like Bye-Bye which talk about kicking the guy to the curb because he can't commit, but you also have "I'm Alright" which is running into an old friend. Then towards the end you have some of the more loving songs, which is kind of funny after listening to a lot of "You left me, but that's fine because you're an asshole! :-D" songs, suddenly it seems we come to that there's a decent guy around.
Following that we come to "Burn." This is what you listen to when things are going well in life. One of my favorites is "These Are the Days" which is about stepping back and learning to enjoy the pleasures of the day instead of getting so caught up in the usual routine.
There was a Christmas album (because I swear that every recording contract says that you have to record one) and then a greatest hits album. The greatest hits was nice, but Jo Dee was reportedly not happy with it because on one of the new songs recorded for the album, they did enhancements to her voice in the studio without her knowledge, and she hated how it turned out.
Finally we get to Delicious Surprise which is fun to listen to, and it signals a return to her "I'm strong and I don't need you to make me that way" type of song that we hear a lot on "I'm Alright." It's obvious when the first single is called "My Give a Damn's Busted."
I said earlier that I connect with a lot of her songs, and that's true. I think someone could gauge my mood based on which of her albums I have loaded into my Stiletto. Besides that, you could probably take one of her songs and apply it to various points in my life as well. What I like about her is her music reflects having an independent streak, which is something that I have. Plus her music is not always about the same thing over and over again, there may be a theme to several of her songs on an album, but it's not beaten to death.
So I'll be curious as to what she comes out with next since she's been back in the studio recently, and just had a new single come out.
To end this post, I'll leave you with a fan produced video (since the official video is not on YouTube!) of a song that certainly carries some meaning now:
Muppets!
JH and I went down to check out Jim Henson's Fantastic World at the Smithsonian. It was a nice exhibit, though as usual, no photography allowed, so there will be no pictures from it.
The focus on this exhibit is the original sketches and artwork that Jim Henson would create while he was coming up with his ideas. Also explained were the origins of some of the muppets he came up with. I had no idea that Cookie Monster was actually based on a monster Henson had used years ago for a commercial. There's also an explanation of how Big Bird is controlled (yes there's someone in there!), original items from The Dark Crystal, and clips from some of Henson's commercials and short films. Of course some of the muppets are also on display.
It's a good exhibit, but not huge, so make it part of a day out at the National Mall rather than the only thing you plan to go see. It's only here until October 5, so you'd better see it now. Of course, I expect Kermit will be returned to the American History Museum when it opens back up (November 21!).
The focus on this exhibit is the original sketches and artwork that Jim Henson would create while he was coming up with his ideas. Also explained were the origins of some of the muppets he came up with. I had no idea that Cookie Monster was actually based on a monster Henson had used years ago for a commercial. There's also an explanation of how Big Bird is controlled (yes there's someone in there!), original items from The Dark Crystal, and clips from some of Henson's commercials and short films. Of course some of the muppets are also on display.
It's a good exhibit, but not huge, so make it part of a day out at the National Mall rather than the only thing you plan to go see. It's only here until October 5, so you'd better see it now. Of course, I expect Kermit will be returned to the American History Museum when it opens back up (November 21!).
Rise and Conquer
I have to say that I absolutely loved yesterday's Ravens vs Bengals game, if only because a number of pundits had to eat crow.
As of Friday, 3 of 4 Post writers had predicted in the express than the Bengals were going to win, Deadspin had a not so good writeup of the Ravens' prospects this year, which led to speculation on the game that was not good, and a number of people in the pool were taking the Bengals to win.
When it came to game time, everyone was nervous because it was the new rookie QB, Joe Flacco who was starting, since Kyle Boller was out with a (now season ending) busted shoulder and Troy Smith was recovering from a bad tonsil infection. However, I had a bit faith in Joe, he had done a pretty good job in the final pre-season game against the Falcons, with what little time he got to play since he was in for only 1.5 quarters.
Joe stepped up to the plate, and it helped that he had a good offensive line. The only player that seemed to have some issues was Todd Heap as he missed catching some really easy throws. Anyway, so Flacco was good with his decision making and his short passes. He really didn't try for any long passes, and that was fine. The big difference between him and Boller was that he not only took more risks, but he actually looked around the field more for open receivers. I just hope he can keep it up this season.
If you didn't hear already, we won, 17 to 10. It was definitely a great game to watch, and I can't wait for next weeks game against the Texans.
As of Friday, 3 of 4 Post writers had predicted in the express than the Bengals were going to win, Deadspin had a not so good writeup of the Ravens' prospects this year, which led to speculation on the game that was not good, and a number of people in the pool were taking the Bengals to win.
When it came to game time, everyone was nervous because it was the new rookie QB, Joe Flacco who was starting, since Kyle Boller was out with a (now season ending) busted shoulder and Troy Smith was recovering from a bad tonsil infection. However, I had a bit faith in Joe, he had done a pretty good job in the final pre-season game against the Falcons, with what little time he got to play since he was in for only 1.5 quarters.
Joe stepped up to the plate, and it helped that he had a good offensive line. The only player that seemed to have some issues was Todd Heap as he missed catching some really easy throws. Anyway, so Flacco was good with his decision making and his short passes. He really didn't try for any long passes, and that was fine. The big difference between him and Boller was that he not only took more risks, but he actually looked around the field more for open receivers. I just hope he can keep it up this season.
If you didn't hear already, we won, 17 to 10. It was definitely a great game to watch, and I can't wait for next weeks game against the Texans.
September 06, 2008
Mamma Mia!
Since Hanna basically blew through here without major incident in the Greenbelt area, I kept to a backup plan of doing a movie and then dinner with PK this evening. We met in Columbia and went to see Mamma Mia! since I had never seen the movie.
I loved it, and if you haven't seen it yet, try to see it before the theaters make it disappear. Meryl Streep surprised me with how well she can sing. Pierce Brosnan...not so much, he should have had more vocal training, especially with diction. I knew that Christine Baranski could sing since she had a role in Chicago, but she has a lot more vocal time in this movie and so you really get to see what she can do. In an opinion sure to confuse some, she's definitely a GILF.
The movie is cute, the music was done well, there was definitely plenty to look at, and the plot was done well. I remember some talking about it and that you had to ignore some issues with the timeline, but since I am not intimately familiar with Mamma Mia! as a stage show, it seemed to fit to me. I think I'll have to pick this one up on DVD when it is released.
After the movie PK and I went over to Longhorn Steakhouse for dinner. We each had the prime rib, and maybe I've just been really spoiled by Annies, but the prime rib was not as tender as I was used to. It was still tasty, so I had no reason to complain to the waitress.
We dropped by the Verizon store so I could look at the Samsung Glyde again. By the end of the time there and a discussion, I realize that I would probably do better with upgrading to a slightly better plan (but not the highest one) and just getting one of the cheap phones, as long as it will do the VZ navigation. As for my other needs, I'd be better off getting a laptop, but that is for a later post.
Dropped by Starbucks, I had a pumpkin spice latte, which was pretty good. I love seasonal flavors. Then PK took me back to my car and I headed back to Greenbelt. It was a good night, I had fun, and I enjoyed my time out.
I loved it, and if you haven't seen it yet, try to see it before the theaters make it disappear. Meryl Streep surprised me with how well she can sing. Pierce Brosnan...not so much, he should have had more vocal training, especially with diction. I knew that Christine Baranski could sing since she had a role in Chicago, but she has a lot more vocal time in this movie and so you really get to see what she can do. In an opinion sure to confuse some, she's definitely a GILF.
The movie is cute, the music was done well, there was definitely plenty to look at, and the plot was done well. I remember some talking about it and that you had to ignore some issues with the timeline, but since I am not intimately familiar with Mamma Mia! as a stage show, it seemed to fit to me. I think I'll have to pick this one up on DVD when it is released.
After the movie PK and I went over to Longhorn Steakhouse for dinner. We each had the prime rib, and maybe I've just been really spoiled by Annies, but the prime rib was not as tender as I was used to. It was still tasty, so I had no reason to complain to the waitress.
We dropped by the Verizon store so I could look at the Samsung Glyde again. By the end of the time there and a discussion, I realize that I would probably do better with upgrading to a slightly better plan (but not the highest one) and just getting one of the cheap phones, as long as it will do the VZ navigation. As for my other needs, I'd be better off getting a laptop, but that is for a later post.
Dropped by Starbucks, I had a pumpkin spice latte, which was pretty good. I love seasonal flavors. Then PK took me back to my car and I headed back to Greenbelt. It was a good night, I had fun, and I enjoyed my time out.
September 05, 2008
Been There, Done That
So we're under a Tropical Storm watch, and they're advising us to make sure we're stocked up on emergency supplies and such.
This isn't unfamiliar to me as I've been through a disaster before, namely a forest fire (how many MD folks can claim they've dealt with that?) so I know about being ready anyway. Looking around I have plenty of non-perishable food for a few days, a camp stove that I can use for cooking, and I sit high enough off the ground that a flood would have to be about 8+ feet high in order to flood my apartment. Even if some of the basement were to be flooded, the stuff in storage would have some protection as a lot of it is in plastic boxes. Worst case scenarios happen...I have insurance.
The only things I'm lacking, a couple of gallons of water, and I need to gas up my car. I can do that easily tomorrow morning before I go to Metro. I still plan on having my night out, and if it starts to look bad, I can hop the train home.
Of course, this is assuming the worst that I could lose power for a few days. Supposedly it happened when Isabel came through, but I wasn't here for that. I'm not expecting a major problem, but I'll be ready for anything.
The ironies of this situation...my brother lives in Florida and has yet to deal with a tropical storm or hurricane, and I could get hit with one first. Also, if for some reason this affects peoples ability to come into work and they decide to shut down the government agencies on Monday, I'm already off due to my 9-80 schedule. Oh well.
Stay tuned and let's see what happens.
This isn't unfamiliar to me as I've been through a disaster before, namely a forest fire (how many MD folks can claim they've dealt with that?) so I know about being ready anyway. Looking around I have plenty of non-perishable food for a few days, a camp stove that I can use for cooking, and I sit high enough off the ground that a flood would have to be about 8+ feet high in order to flood my apartment. Even if some of the basement were to be flooded, the stuff in storage would have some protection as a lot of it is in plastic boxes. Worst case scenarios happen...I have insurance.
The only things I'm lacking, a couple of gallons of water, and I need to gas up my car. I can do that easily tomorrow morning before I go to Metro. I still plan on having my night out, and if it starts to look bad, I can hop the train home.
Of course, this is assuming the worst that I could lose power for a few days. Supposedly it happened when Isabel came through, but I wasn't here for that. I'm not expecting a major problem, but I'll be ready for anything.
The ironies of this situation...my brother lives in Florida and has yet to deal with a tropical storm or hurricane, and I could get hit with one first. Also, if for some reason this affects peoples ability to come into work and they decide to shut down the government agencies on Monday, I'm already off due to my 9-80 schedule. Oh well.
Stay tuned and let's see what happens.
Picture Update
I know, I'm way behind on my photos, but I'm starting to get them uploaded to Flickr. I have uploaded the pictures from visiting the Nationals Stadium on June 28, and my trip to PA and NYC on July 28 to watch the Orioles spank the yanks that night.
So click through and enjoy :-)
September 03, 2008
Luau, Kings Dominion, State Fair
Saturday night I went to a party to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of some friends I knew from church. They decided to throw a luau themed party and it was pretty awesome. I decided to make two batches of gougeres for the party, one batch of Blue Cheese, and the other using Cheddar Cheese. They ended up being a hit, and my priest wants the recipe for it, and a few other folks as well.
The party itself was a night of chatting with various people about anything, including roller coasters and football, two of my favorite subjects. There were also conversations that if you came in at the wrong time, the conversation sounded totally wrong, including a discussion of someone's thighs.
Either way, it was a good night overall.
Sunday I went to Kings Dominion with JH, where I rode the other side of Rebel yell for coaster credit 96. We also rode Dominator and Scooby Doo for coasters. Other rides included the log flume, whitewater canyon, screaming eagle, and the space flyer. For the last weekend in the park there were a lot of people there. Unfortunately you could also tell that they had already lost staff to folks going back to school as some rides were only operating at half their capacity, or in the case of the space flyer, there was only one person to check all the riders and operate the ride. It was ridiculous that it took 40 minutes to get through three groups of riders. I would think that if it's down to just one person operating it, either they need to put on extra help, or just consider not running the ride at all. That's way too many things that one person has to do.
After the Space Flyer we called it a day and headed back to DC. That evening I headed up to Baltimore to meet a friend, LS, who just moved to Baltimore from Phoenix. I got to see his new apartment, which is pretty sweet, and very conveniently located to shopping and the bars. We watched The Birdcage and chatted for a bit before I headed home.
Monday I hit Arundel Mills mall to look around and ended up scoring a deal on some Ravens hats, then it was over to JH's to plan to go to the MD State Fair. He wasn't feeling well at first so I waited around for a bit until he felt better. We went over to Timonium and first tried to find parking around the fair, which was a no-go. So we drove over to a nearby light rail station and hopped that to come down to to the fair.
The fair itself was interesting, but very very crowded. It didn't quite help that it was very hot that day. We spent more time inside than outside for obvious reasons. Eventually after seeing all the vendors, the arts and crafts, and buying some candy from the bulk candy place, we took off for the Glen Burnie area to have dinner. We went to Costas Inn and had whole crabs. I have to admit these were some of the best crabs I ever had. They were full of flavor and there was lots of meat to eat. It was enjoyable.
Afterward we played a round of mini golf. I didn't do too bad, finishing 3 strokes behind JH. Of course, now I learn he purposely screwed up on a few holes so as not to completely kick my ass at the game...bastard :-P Either way, it was fun. There have to be more places around here to play mini golf.
So that sums up my labor day weekend. How was yours?
The party itself was a night of chatting with various people about anything, including roller coasters and football, two of my favorite subjects. There were also conversations that if you came in at the wrong time, the conversation sounded totally wrong, including a discussion of someone's thighs.
Either way, it was a good night overall.
Sunday I went to Kings Dominion with JH, where I rode the other side of Rebel yell for coaster credit 96. We also rode Dominator and Scooby Doo for coasters. Other rides included the log flume, whitewater canyon, screaming eagle, and the space flyer. For the last weekend in the park there were a lot of people there. Unfortunately you could also tell that they had already lost staff to folks going back to school as some rides were only operating at half their capacity, or in the case of the space flyer, there was only one person to check all the riders and operate the ride. It was ridiculous that it took 40 minutes to get through three groups of riders. I would think that if it's down to just one person operating it, either they need to put on extra help, or just consider not running the ride at all. That's way too many things that one person has to do.
After the Space Flyer we called it a day and headed back to DC. That evening I headed up to Baltimore to meet a friend, LS, who just moved to Baltimore from Phoenix. I got to see his new apartment, which is pretty sweet, and very conveniently located to shopping and the bars. We watched The Birdcage and chatted for a bit before I headed home.
Monday I hit Arundel Mills mall to look around and ended up scoring a deal on some Ravens hats, then it was over to JH's to plan to go to the MD State Fair. He wasn't feeling well at first so I waited around for a bit until he felt better. We went over to Timonium and first tried to find parking around the fair, which was a no-go. So we drove over to a nearby light rail station and hopped that to come down to to the fair.
The fair itself was interesting, but very very crowded. It didn't quite help that it was very hot that day. We spent more time inside than outside for obvious reasons. Eventually after seeing all the vendors, the arts and crafts, and buying some candy from the bulk candy place, we took off for the Glen Burnie area to have dinner. We went to Costas Inn and had whole crabs. I have to admit these were some of the best crabs I ever had. They were full of flavor and there was lots of meat to eat. It was enjoyable.
Afterward we played a round of mini golf. I didn't do too bad, finishing 3 strokes behind JH. Of course, now I learn he purposely screwed up on a few holes so as not to completely kick my ass at the game...bastard :-P Either way, it was fun. There have to be more places around here to play mini golf.
So that sums up my labor day weekend. How was yours?
New Phone? Maybe...
As you probably saw, there are two test entries in my blog referencing some phones. My current contract with Verizon expired in August so they're trying to lure me back with offers on new equipment and such. That's fine considering my phone is over 2 years old now so I am in line for an upgrade if I wish to do so.
I have to admit, I had not wanted an iPhone, until I used one of my friends. Now I would consider getting one. However, I would rather wait until some of the bugs are worked out, including the fact that AT&T seems to have issues with keeping their data network up at the moment. Also, from what I have seen, the iPhones mapping application doesn't do turn-by-turn directions using GPS like Verizon's does, which I have seen in action and it's pretty sweet. Where the iPhone does have their advantage is that it can use Wi-Fi
So in the meantime I tested some of the latest phones from Verizon to see how their phones would feel in my hands, and whether or not the internet worked well on them. I started out with the Samsung Glyde. I liked the wide screen and the touch screen was pretty responsive. It also had the best of the keyboards that I tried out that night. However, I was unable to login to Blogger or Gmail because unless something was wonky with the demo model, I was unable to type anything on the login boxes. So it's nice, but it doesn't quite do what I want.
I tried out the Blackberry 8830 as well, it actually let me login to Blogger and type out the test post. I wasn't quite so impressed with how close the buttons were on the keyboard, but I think I could get used to that if I were to use the device further. However, trying to find the functions in the browser were not so easy. It took me a minute to find the place to type in the URL's. At least it had a decent screen for showing web pages.
Next up was the LG Voyager. Again, nice screen, responsive to my touch, the browser was easier to navigate. This one also let me login to blogger and type out a post. The thing that made me nuts was that I could not find a backspace key, so when I made a typo in typing a URL, instead of the clr button doing the backspacing, it took me out of entering a URL, so I had to start over again. That's not very convenient.
I tried the Env2, and it's basically the same as the voyager, except no touch screen, and the inner screen size is smaller. So it's not the best for web pages, and displaying maps.
If I were to stick with Verizon and make my choice, I would likely go with the LG Voyager as my next phone. However, I think I may wait a while before making my decision and purchase. What I would love to see from Verizon is a phone that is capable of handling Wi-Fi, what makes me nuts is that Blackberry phones are capable of doing Wi-Fi, except that Verizon only takes and sells models that have no Wi-Fi built in. What is Verizon afraid of by letting their phones be Wi-Fi capable? I don't always want to be tethered to their network, especially for mobile web stuff because it is not always the fastest. It took a while to load up failblog.org since it's very graphics intensive, and I know it loads much faster over Wi-Fi on an iPhone. I would love to see Verizon sell a Wi-Fi capable phone, but who knows if that is in the works.
The next thing I want to do is get a friend over here who has an iPhone and see what kind of reception I get, and how well the Wi-Fi would work. Besides that I would also want to test the functionality of using the iPhone, including the on-screen keyboard, which I am a bit leery of because I think I might prefer to have a physical keyboard, but we'll see.
Of course, by the time I'm ready to buy, the prices could come down on any of the phones or plans, so I'll just watch and see what happens. At least I don't have to buy a phone right now because my old one is still working.
I have to admit, I had not wanted an iPhone, until I used one of my friends. Now I would consider getting one. However, I would rather wait until some of the bugs are worked out, including the fact that AT&T seems to have issues with keeping their data network up at the moment. Also, from what I have seen, the iPhones mapping application doesn't do turn-by-turn directions using GPS like Verizon's does, which I have seen in action and it's pretty sweet. Where the iPhone does have their advantage is that it can use Wi-Fi
So in the meantime I tested some of the latest phones from Verizon to see how their phones would feel in my hands, and whether or not the internet worked well on them. I started out with the Samsung Glyde. I liked the wide screen and the touch screen was pretty responsive. It also had the best of the keyboards that I tried out that night. However, I was unable to login to Blogger or Gmail because unless something was wonky with the demo model, I was unable to type anything on the login boxes. So it's nice, but it doesn't quite do what I want.
I tried out the Blackberry 8830 as well, it actually let me login to Blogger and type out the test post. I wasn't quite so impressed with how close the buttons were on the keyboard, but I think I could get used to that if I were to use the device further. However, trying to find the functions in the browser were not so easy. It took me a minute to find the place to type in the URL's. At least it had a decent screen for showing web pages.
Next up was the LG Voyager. Again, nice screen, responsive to my touch, the browser was easier to navigate. This one also let me login to blogger and type out a post. The thing that made me nuts was that I could not find a backspace key, so when I made a typo in typing a URL, instead of the clr button doing the backspacing, it took me out of entering a URL, so I had to start over again. That's not very convenient.
I tried the Env2, and it's basically the same as the voyager, except no touch screen, and the inner screen size is smaller. So it's not the best for web pages, and displaying maps.
If I were to stick with Verizon and make my choice, I would likely go with the LG Voyager as my next phone. However, I think I may wait a while before making my decision and purchase. What I would love to see from Verizon is a phone that is capable of handling Wi-Fi, what makes me nuts is that Blackberry phones are capable of doing Wi-Fi, except that Verizon only takes and sells models that have no Wi-Fi built in. What is Verizon afraid of by letting their phones be Wi-Fi capable? I don't always want to be tethered to their network, especially for mobile web stuff because it is not always the fastest. It took a while to load up failblog.org since it's very graphics intensive, and I know it loads much faster over Wi-Fi on an iPhone. I would love to see Verizon sell a Wi-Fi capable phone, but who knows if that is in the works.
The next thing I want to do is get a friend over here who has an iPhone and see what kind of reception I get, and how well the Wi-Fi would work. Besides that I would also want to test the functionality of using the iPhone, including the on-screen keyboard, which I am a bit leery of because I think I might prefer to have a physical keyboard, but we'll see.
Of course, by the time I'm ready to buy, the prices could come down on any of the phones or plans, so I'll just watch and see what happens. At least I don't have to buy a phone right now because my old one is still working.
September 02, 2008
Last Friday
Last Friday night was a fun night.
I had been talking to a guy, PK for a while now and we decided to meet up for a date. Through our conversations we discovered we had a lot in common both in interests and values, so it couldn't hurt to meet face to face and see where it went.
The original plan was to have dinner at Childe Harold in Dupont Circle, however, PK clearly had learned a lesson that I had learned the hard way a few months ago because he decided to call ahead for reservations. Of course that's when it's learned that it doesn't exist anymore. So I suggested going to Zorbas for dinner, which we did. The food was great as usual and so was the conversation.
After dinner we walked around the neighborhood a bit and chatted before heading back to his car. He presented me with a gift of a rose, saying it was based on a previous conversation. I surprised him when I nailed what that conversation was, it was when he had said he wished he could have seen me in the show and been there to hand me a rose afterward. It was a very sweet gesture.
PK brought me back to Greenbelt and saw my apartment before he headed out since he had to work the next day. It was definitely a successful date, and there's talk of meeting up again. The current plan is to go to the Renn Faire this weekend, however, looking at some recent storm tracks from the National Hurricane Center, we might be in for Tropical Storm Hanna...or at least the remnants of it. That's why there's always backup plans made...except they still have to be made :-)
I had been talking to a guy, PK for a while now and we decided to meet up for a date. Through our conversations we discovered we had a lot in common both in interests and values, so it couldn't hurt to meet face to face and see where it went.
The original plan was to have dinner at Childe Harold in Dupont Circle, however, PK clearly had learned a lesson that I had learned the hard way a few months ago because he decided to call ahead for reservations. Of course that's when it's learned that it doesn't exist anymore. So I suggested going to Zorbas for dinner, which we did. The food was great as usual and so was the conversation.
After dinner we walked around the neighborhood a bit and chatted before heading back to his car. He presented me with a gift of a rose, saying it was based on a previous conversation. I surprised him when I nailed what that conversation was, it was when he had said he wished he could have seen me in the show and been there to hand me a rose afterward. It was a very sweet gesture.
PK brought me back to Greenbelt and saw my apartment before he headed out since he had to work the next day. It was definitely a successful date, and there's talk of meeting up again. The current plan is to go to the Renn Faire this weekend, however, looking at some recent storm tracks from the National Hurricane Center, we might be in for Tropical Storm Hanna...or at least the remnants of it. That's why there's always backup plans made...except they still have to be made :-)
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
After a few hours of being at Cedar Point last Tuesday, JH and I were basically done with the park, and so we decided at a spur of the moment to head back to Cleveland and visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
When you pull up to the building, it looks kind of small from the outside, but there is a lot more in there than meets the eye. Perhaps it helps that part of the museum is actually underground. After paying admission we went downstairs to explore the exhibits. There was an exhibit on music and baseball, including songs that players have used as walk-up songs, a brief history of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and pictures and 45's of songs that were recorded about baseball. Moving in further were various exhibits of those who have been inducted into the hall of fame, including costumes, instruments, props, awards, LP's, and 45's of those who were inducted. Depending on where you were, they had some different ways of organizing them. Some of the earliest stuff was by decades or genres, other times it had more to do with the city that a lot of the groups were coming from at the time. No matter what, there was always something you could find worth looking at, whether it was drum sets from The Who to one of Tina Turner's dresses.
As you move up the floors you get into other exhibits as well, the only exception is the 3rd floor, which is the cafeteria, and the 5th floor, which is a Sirius (XM) Satellite Radio studio. There was an exhibit on Pink Floyd's "The Wall" as well, which finally helped make sense of some of the history behind the video.
In one of the multimedia rooms there was a video of clips from the induction ceremonies over the years, including musicians razzing one another and bits of acceptance speeches. At the theater behind it, you can see an hour long movie which showcases everyone who has been inducted into the hall of fame. There were many names I recognized, and a number I did not.
After viewing all of that, we got some pictures before heading over to Steak and Shake for dinner. I have never been to one, and it really wasn't a bad place to go. It's the only place I've seen where they will make a milkshake with two different flavors side by side vertically. I went with chocolate and orange cream, a great combination. I had the spaghetti with chili, which was good, but way too much for me, there was no way I could finish it.
So that concludes my adventures in Ohio. Cedar Point? worth it, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Worth it if you're already in the area. Browns Stadium? Boooooooooo.
When you pull up to the building, it looks kind of small from the outside, but there is a lot more in there than meets the eye. Perhaps it helps that part of the museum is actually underground. After paying admission we went downstairs to explore the exhibits. There was an exhibit on music and baseball, including songs that players have used as walk-up songs, a brief history of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and pictures and 45's of songs that were recorded about baseball. Moving in further were various exhibits of those who have been inducted into the hall of fame, including costumes, instruments, props, awards, LP's, and 45's of those who were inducted. Depending on where you were, they had some different ways of organizing them. Some of the earliest stuff was by decades or genres, other times it had more to do with the city that a lot of the groups were coming from at the time. No matter what, there was always something you could find worth looking at, whether it was drum sets from The Who to one of Tina Turner's dresses.
As you move up the floors you get into other exhibits as well, the only exception is the 3rd floor, which is the cafeteria, and the 5th floor, which is a Sirius (XM) Satellite Radio studio. There was an exhibit on Pink Floyd's "The Wall" as well, which finally helped make sense of some of the history behind the video.
In one of the multimedia rooms there was a video of clips from the induction ceremonies over the years, including musicians razzing one another and bits of acceptance speeches. At the theater behind it, you can see an hour long movie which showcases everyone who has been inducted into the hall of fame. There were many names I recognized, and a number I did not.
After viewing all of that, we got some pictures before heading over to Steak and Shake for dinner. I have never been to one, and it really wasn't a bad place to go. It's the only place I've seen where they will make a milkshake with two different flavors side by side vertically. I went with chocolate and orange cream, a great combination. I had the spaghetti with chili, which was good, but way too much for me, there was no way I could finish it.
So that concludes my adventures in Ohio. Cedar Point? worth it, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Worth it if you're already in the area. Browns Stadium? Boooooooooo.
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