It's not wrong

Mustache Day 2010

2010-03-23T13:08:00.009-04:00

The celebration continues...

2009-03-24T15:09:00.001-04:00

Mustache Day 2009 Finalists

2009-03-24T10:32:00.007-04:00

Happy Mustache Day

2009-03-23T11:38:00.017-04:00

**Updated 8:08 PM** Check back tomorrow for round 2. The top contestants from round 1 will move on to the final round of voting to be held on March 24, 2009. Round 2 includes some top seeded participants who were granted a first round bye.

2009 Mustache of the Year

2009-03-18T10:42:00.004-04:00

All nominees are due by noon on March 23, 2009. Polls will be open from noon until 5:00 pm, when the coveted 2009 Mustache of the Year will be determined.

even female celebrities are participating

2009-03-18T10:27:00.003-04:00

It seems the mustache has finally reached women in hollywood. Now this is not the first time women have celebrated mustaches, as some have actually participated in Mustache Day. But for those of you who are looking for ways to show your support all year long, consider picking up one of these from Demitasse.

is your upper lip itching for some company?

2009-03-12T14:18:00.005-04:00

Let the countdown begin- only 11 more days until Mustache Day 2009! Hopefully you, like the Toronto Blue Jays, have already begun preparing for the big day.

For those who are reluctant to participate, I suggest you scroll through pictures of past participants (here, here or here.) There are two things you will notice in every picture: a mustache and a confident man. How can you not want to be a part it?

2008 Mustache of the Year

2008-03-20T13:00:00.013-04:00

Please cast your vote for 2008 Mustache of the Year by using the box on the right side of this page. Here are the nominees:

TONY

Shown here sporting the 'Upper Decker,' an original style of mustache invented for Mustache Day 2008 where he has removed the lower portion of hair, almost creating the illusion that the mustache is floating over his mouth or hanging from his nose.

ERIC

Shown here along I-95, he did not let the hard hat or cold weather prevent him form sporting the Flaming Fu-manchu. He has really rebounded nicely from his "to catch a predator" look from last year.

JOE

Like your favorite homemade recipe, Joe created this mustache from scratch. To the dismay of his girlfriend, he did not use a beard of goatee while growing it. That is a great acccomplishment, in particular for someone so young. Expect him to be a major contender for the next 15-30 years.

SCOTT

The defending champion from last year knows all about growing hair. With all the anticipated competition, this experienced professional tried something experimental this year. He toyed with the Fu-manchu (shown here) before deciding it looked too modern and normal and that he needed to go more old school. Catch him going old school at the happy hour celebration.

2008 Mustache Day Awards

2008-03-20T13:00:00.000-04:00

The final award for this year should be released shortly. In a shocking new Mustache Day twist, the coveted 2008 Mustache of the Year be selected by the fans. Website visitors will cast votes for thier favorites to determine a winner. Each visitor will be allowed to vote only one time and the polls will close at 4:00 pm today. Stay tuned to your favorite source of Mustache Day information for further updates.

Mustache Day Company of the Year

2008-03-20T12:42:00.005-04:00

This award goes to the group of individuals who collectively show the best participation in Mustache Day. When it comes to growing mustaches, it is not as much about the end result as it is about the attitude. Just ask Tom Selleck or John Oates. This years Company of the Year is Smithgroup. This is their second consecutive win.
See additional Smithgroup photos here.

The 2008 Michael Jordan Award Winner

2008-03-20T12:39:00.003-04:00

The Michael Jordan award winner goes to the sportiest mustache that is most difficult to notice. It is unknown outside of the mustache community that MJ sported a mustache through much of his career. The 2008 Jordan Award winner goes to:

Mike

preparations

2008-03-20T09:12:00.005-04:00

Part of the fun of Mustache Day is the preparation. You have weeks leading up to the main event where everyone can see what you are doing. You get plenty of comments, but my favorite is when people ask if you are trying to grow a beard. The reason I love this is two fold. First, its kind of a pointless question. I think to myself, hmm, there is hair on my face. So much so, that you noticed and asked if I were growing a beard. And isn't a beard some kind of facial hair? So isn't the answer obviously yes? Kind of like like calling someone to ask if they have a phone... The second reason I like the question is because it is an opportunity to let the world know you are actually growing a mustache, and that this beard is just to trick people while enhancing fun and hiding your secret.

It is these types of encounters that add to the excitment of shaving on Mustache Eve. Many participants like to phase the removal of hair. For instance, those with full beards will take liberty to try big chop sideburns or a bushy goatee. Or they may trim down into a type of chinstrap beard. Another common thing to do is to stop with a fu-mancu. And while some may stop at this point, others may continue the hair removal process and morph their mustache into some other special creation, maybe something you dont even know about.

And it all builds up to the point where you are finished. Some people ask what's the point? Or why do you do it? History, tradition, and respect are all correct answers. But if you want to know the truth, its largely selfish. When you put down the razor and look at yourself in the mirror, you smile. It is impossible not to; ask anyone who has participated. And this feeling of joy and happiness makes it all worthwhile.

Happy Mustache Day

2008-03-20T08:27:00.004-04:00

The super bowl of facial hair is finally here- While walking into work this morning I crossed an intersection with a cop standing in the road directing traffic. He was helping celebrate, but definitely did a double take to look at me and my mustache.

Keep checking back for pictures of participants and to help crown a champion.

good times with ebay

2008-03-19T10:52:00.003-04:00

the next time someone tells you to get a life, just ask this guy.

Mustache Day Pictures

2008-03-18T10:33:00.003-04:00

If you would like to be featured on this website and eligible for any awards, please send in your best (aka worst) mustache day pictures to mustacheday(at) gmail(dot) com

Mustache Day (Observed) 2008

2008-03-18T10:28:00.004-04:00

In case you hadn't heard, Mustache Day is being observed on March 20, 2008. It officially falls on March 23 of every year. Hopefully your mustaches are in full effect, in anticipation of Thursday's celebration. We had a great turnout last year, and are hoping that this year will be even hairier!

fun t-shirt

2008-02-06T11:03:00.001-05:00

if you were in the market for some politcal attire, i would probably get this. its not wrong thanks MS for the recommendation.

i dont know about that...

2008-02-05T14:50:00.001-05:00

have you seen the commercial for that new car (i think ford) where there are 2 guys going on a road trip? just as they start the trip, they pass a sign that shows LA is about 450 miles away. the driver offers a deal to his friend- he will pay for the gas and the friend will pay for the food. then they show the guys stopping to eat 4 times. i think three stops look like gas station type snack purchases, and one looks like a sandwich. at the end of the commercial they advertise the car gets 35 MPG. after i saw that i did some thinking...

450 miles at 35 MPG is about 13 gallons of gas. the average gas price in CA is probably above $3. Thats at least $39 worth of gas (probably more because i assume they bought more than was required since they couldnt have known exactly how much gas they'd need) that the driver had to purchase. the supposed funny part of the commercial is that the food buyer got the bad end of the deal. i am not sure that is true. not to mention it is fair to assume they are only buying food they are consuming during the trip. no reasonable person would agree to a deal where the driver (gas purchaser) can buy whatever and ave it for the future. and i assume the 35 MPG is based on highway speeds, so its reasonable to assume it was an 8 hour trip. i think it would be fairly challenging for an average person to eat $40 worth of gas station snacks in that time period as depicted.

i understand that in this case the driver may have gotten the better deal, but i dont think it was by much. and with 2 average adults under reasonable conditions (who stops every 2 hours on an 8 hour road trip? who eats that much junk/candy/snacks without getting sick?) it is more likely that the snack buyer gets the better end of the deal. the only reason it worked out for the gas buyer in this case is because of the excessive stopping and snacking. basically what they are saying is if you are a person who eats a lot of excessive gas station snacks, then you should offer to pay for gas and let your (supposed) sucker friend pay for food. DUH!

engineering 101

2008-01-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

Remember the game Mousetrap? That is what I thought of when I watched this video.

big on rules?

2007-11-27T16:56:00.000-05:00

****Updated******

Thanks Tony for the info. After further investigation, here is the original. I guess he wasn't trying to be funny-

I am not sure what this exactly means, but referee Ron Cherry is pretty funny. I have definitely never heard of that infraction on the football field. I do wonder if he modified the name of the penalty because of the jersey number of the player who committed the foul. Maybe not, and possibly football rulebook junkies around the county know exactly what foul he was referring to. I do not. It would also be pretty entertaining if he had been waiting years for a player with the number 69 to commit that exact infraction, just so he would be able to say what he did. If that is the case, i give him props for not cracking a smile. There is no way I would have been able to say that without laughing.

oh Brad

2007-11-20T08:53:00.001-05:00

I can't say I was that surprised last night by the decision made by Brad on the finale of The Bachelor. And from the looks of the poll [results shown below] it appears a few of you readers are also not surprised. including Morgan, who correctly predicted this days ago...

give Jenni a rose (14%)
propose to Jenni (14%)
give Deanna a rose (28%)
propose to Deanna (0%)
select neither (42%)

My opinion of Brad changed somewhat last night. I have thought, and still think, that he is a good guy. He doesn't seem to be shady, creepy, gross or annoying. He also gave the impression that he was very motivated to find a wife and was taking the show very seriously. But I didn't enjoy the way he handled his final decision to not keep Jenni or Deanna. Why can he not pick just one of them? He didn't need to propose, couldn't he just give the girl a rose and they could keep dating? Were things with both girls going so badly? He clearly said many times how serious he was taking things and how much he really cared for the women.

It seemed to me that he probably didn't change his mind at the very last second as it appeared. I just have a hard time believing that he honestly did. If he is as genuine and honest as he says, I can't believe he would do that. He always says how much he is struggling over his decisions, but I don't think that he would switch his decision at the last minute. If he did change his mind at the very last second, I would expect him to be more apologetic towards Deanna for leading her on the way he did at the ceremony. And that is what I didn't like about his actions. Assuming he knew before hand that he wasn't going to pick either one of them (although I am sure he would probably say he changed his mind at the last minute) then what he did is pretty messed up. He teased Deanna, even going so far as to mention that he just sent Jenni home. And also his presentation looked weak. His collar wasn't even tight yet he was like fake adjusting it as if it were too tight. It appeared that he was trying to make it look like he was under enormous pressure and freaking out when he really wasn't. Including his walkoff to catch his breath, and returning to say something that seemed rehearsed. It was inconsistent with his demeanor during all other rejections. I don't believe that he actually called an audible at the very last minute.

It doesn't really bother me if he (or any contestant) doesn't fall in love. If anything maybe he is just normal. I have always thought that its strange that these people fall so madly in love in such a short time and under crazy circumstances. So maybe his decision isn't all that surprising, being that he has always seemed like a pretty normal guy. The thing is, what I remember most about this season is how he always treated all the girls. He was always a gentleman, and always very careful with his words. He hated hurting any of the girls along the way. It seemed like more than anything he always wanted to do the right thing and say the right thing. He loved that these ladies were falling for him and he always talked about how serious he was about finding a wife. But I don't think he was as serious as he thought. If he were really being true to himself, then he would have opened up more, and been willing to take risks and fall in love. His decision shows me that he wasn't really ready or willing to fall for a girl. He had two beautiful women that he got along with great, falling for him and chose not to lock it up. The funny part of it is that all he ever tried to do is look like a good guy and do the right thing. And the way he went about revealing his final decision made him look like anything but that.

Honestly, until he makes some changes, I don't know how he is ever going to find a wife. He was in a good situation, but decided not to take a chance. Its like he enjoys the thought of marriage and the chase more than the relationship itself.

tonight's finale of The Bachelor

2007-11-19T15:06:00.000-05:00

Tonight is the finale of the The Bachelor. Like the previous 11 seasons, you can search the web all you want, but you will have a hard time finding out who will win. They seem to do a pretty good job about not leaking any information and preventing a spoiler. All I was able to find was a bunch of predictions. They are advertising it as the most shocking finale. I know they probably always do this, but this also sort of makes me think something out of the ordinary may occur. That would mean he either choses neither of them or the one he chooses says no. Or maybe, he chooses both and they go right to the hot tub... I am rooting for Deanna although I think both girls have a chance to win. All along I have felt that they were the two leading ladies. Clearly there has always been a physical chemistry between Brad and Jenni (the Phoenix Suns dancer.) They have always gotten along very well and have a lot of fun together. I am just not convinced that is enough. Unlike most previous Bachelors, Brad seems to value more than just the physical things. And I think that is where Deanna has the edge. She appears to be more independant and perhaps Brad sees traits more consistent with that of his ideal wife. Or maybe that is just abc misleading the audience... In any event I was a bit surprised last week when the women told all. At the end of the show, the host asked all the other girls who they expected to be selected and the votes were split nearly 50-50. I understand a few of the girls probably voted based on personal experience (Jenni and Deanna weren't the two most popular girls in the house) but I also expected them to come to more of a consensus. Feel free to cast your vote on the newly added Bachelor Poll on this page; then watch tonight to see if your prediction is correct.

the joys of coaching

2007-11-15T12:47:00.000-05:00

i never really had much of an opinion on phil jackson; i didnt really like or dislike him. that is, until now... after surrendering a loss to the spurs on tuesday night where his team gave up 13 three pointers, jackson said "we call this a 'brokeback mountain' game, because there's so much penetration and kickouts." for once i dont know exactly what to say back to that, other than its pretty funny and i can see how it was an inappropriate thing to say. he redeemed himself the following night before the teams next game, saying " if i've offended any horses, Texans, cowboys or gays, i appologize." i did find this picture of phil instructing MJ how to accept a pass...

in other news the wyoming football coach flipped the bird to his opponent on saturday. joe glenn was unhappy with utah's coach kyle whittinghams decision to kick an onside kick with a 43-0 lead over his team. and on the surface i can see why joe was pissed, but glenn had no one to blame for the poor sportmanship but himself. it was he who publicly guaranteed a victory over utah- with the utes and their coaching staff obviously taking offense. to see more, including the incident itself, check out this video.

something i dont think is cool

2007-11-13T12:52:00.000-05:00

i typically read cnn.com during the day sometime, just to check out what is happening. well today i feel i was mislead. on the main page, there was a link in the latest news section to a story that said "9-year-old shoots, kills playmate"

and so i clicked on it. it turns out that two young kids were playing in an attic and one accidentally shot the other. it is a very sad story, but it angered me. i wasnt mad at the story itself, but a the news station who provided the article to cnn.com. I understand that if two 10 year old kids are playing, they are playmates. but i also feel that the title of their article is misleading. they used the word playmate because people think Playboy Playmate.

on one hand i appreciate the savvy used by the writer to attract interest to the article. after all, isnt that the purpose of a headline? (and yes, it worked in this case, i probably wouldnt have clicked on a story about a kid shooting another kid. but this is news, and their job is to report it not to trick people) i think that as a news reporter, one should be respectful. in this case there is a kid who was accidentally killed, and a mourning family and community, and it seems to me that all someone cares about is getting page views (or links, referrals, shout outs, whatever...) i am basing that soley on the word choice in the headline. and dont get me wrong, i love good puns and love to make jokes and laugh. i just dont think this type of story is an appropriate one to be sneaky.

i am also purposely not providing the link or the name of that station. however, if you are interested here is the story as reported by a competitor: AltoonaMirror.com

i wonder if there are any professional news reporters or journalists out there reading this that have an opinion...

what month is it?

2007-11-09T11:42:00.000-05:00

I am thrilled the red sox won the world series again. even better is that i was lucky enough to attend game 1 of the WS in boston (read more about it here.) but if there is one good thing about baseball season ending, it is the end of those horrible commercials. yes fox, we know each month occurs only once per year. although i am curious how fox would fit multiple octobers into a single calendar year- would they shorten other months or lose a month all together... and where would they put it? the other issue i had with those commercials is i think the address was http://www.actober.com/. and they never really addressed this. i always assumed it had something to do with acting but i wouldnt know because they never mentioned anything about it. they clearly said (many times) there is only one october but the address was a different word.

in any event the end of october signifies the beginning of national beard month. so happy Noshavemeber!

also if you are looking for fun ideas for this month check out this page. pay special attention to the november extras listed on the right side of the page.

good times with referrals

2007-11-08T16:59:00.000-05:00

while on blogcation for 6 months, i gave up blogs all together. it wasn't just my blog that i neglected, i didn't read any blogs other than those on espn, which don't really count as blogs. in my book, those are columns- that is you are an expert in the field paid to write regularly about that specific topic.

well it was the baseball playoffs that brought me back to blogville. i had been discussing the playoffs with the writer of mlbbaseblogg and he encouraged me to check out one of his recent posts. i agreed and not surprisingly began casually perusing other blogs. my original reason for the cold turkey approach to all things blogs was that i felt like if i had time to read other blogs then i had time to write my own. after i found myself reading blogs again, i decided to get back on the horse.

anyways, during my blogbbatical i also stopped checking the sitemeter stats on this blog. during my peak traffic times (such as mustache day) it was fun to check out how various people had found my blog. i saw a post on erics blog about a search that led someone to his blog. naturally i checked my stats and was shocked to see that someone was lead to my blog through this search. thats right, if you google "mack looks like" you get this webpage. while part of me feels like that is pretty cool, the other part of my cant help but wonder what the searcher was looking for.

for those of you who watch the bachelor, who do you want to win? i have liked the two finalists the most the entire season, so i am happy that they have made it this far. i also think its worth noting that they were the only two ladies who openly said they wanted the other girls to go home. i was sort of glad they said that when they did. while they were being kind of competitive and a case could be made they seemed like they wanted to win more than they wanted to fall in love, i can't hold their honesty against them. after all, they aren't there to make friends.

new music

2007-11-08T14:39:00.001-05:00

i love when two things you like come together to form another thing you like. like for example, enrique iglesias and ping pong. everyone knows i have liked EI and his music for a long time. i also enjoy playing table tennis, although i havent played much recently. anyways, for those who havent heard it, i suggest you listen to Do You Know? by Enrique.

you know you missed me

2007-11-08T09:23:00.000-05:00

hi friends, if you are still out there. i want to appologize for not posting in half a year, i have just been busy with things more important than this blog. and there is no one to blame except my blog itself. it got jealous of all my activities and told me to chose between it and other stuff. so i sat it down, looked it right in the monitor, and asked it if it saw the redskins game last weekend.

after 6 lonely months with a story about falling, it emailed me last week and told me it was sorry and asked if i would come back to it. i agreed, explaining that it would only be a part time thing. i asked the blog if it had a problem with me writing less often than in the past. it responded with an email that was only three words. the email said: It's Not Wrong

Miss USA falls to fifth place

2007-05-30T09:32:00.000-04:00

I was watching the Miss Universe pageant the other night when Miss USA fell down. I was absolutely shocked and super excited at the same time. I have known for years that if I were in one of those competitions, that I would trip on purpose. I have been taking intentional spills for years. I have done it in restaurants, amusement parks, movie theaters, even in touch football games. And while Miss USA's was likely accidental, I would like to share my thoughts on intentional falls. (I hope there isn't an unwritten code among fallers and if so i apologize for what I am about to share...)

Let me say right off the bat that pretty much anytime there is a group of people watching it is appropriate. It starts with some subtle action that gets attention. If you are in the movie theater this means a louder than average whisper to everyone around you notifying them that you are going to the bathroom (or to refill your drink or popcorn, etc.) This slightly disturbs everyone around you, but only enough for them to notice you, not enough to bother them. If you are in a restaurant, when getting up from your chair you would want to bang it into the table or make some noise while pushing it in after you have stood up.
Now that the stage is set, you need to look intense. If you are having trouble understanding this, simulate that you need to get to the bathroom immediately or are going to answer the phone. There needs to be some urgency and intensity for a good fall. Before you move into your fall, you also need to check around the area for potential causes like steps or a change in flooring(you need to convince your audience it is real.) The other advance scouting that you need to do is for items that can cause you harm. You need to stay clear of sharp objects, edges, and slippery surfaces that can do damage. The entire joke is on you if you injure yourself while fake falling (reminds me of Jim Edmonds playing the outfield...)
The most important falling technique that you will want to employ is exceptional body control. In a real fall peoples arms and legs flail, sometimes uncontrollably (also feel free to spill a drink or throw popcorn...) I know I sometimes look for this body motion when watching soccer. There are tons of people diving trying to draw fouls but when someone gets taken down for real its not graceful and their legs are rarely straight and together. To reiterate, you don't want to risk injury. This is just a tip for experienced and advanced fallers.
The last crucial element to a good fall is how you handle the fall. You have to remember that you are trying to look like you didn't fall on purpose so you need to act exactly how a person who fell on accident would look. In other words you need to look embarrassed and be trying to play it off so keep your head down and quickly get out of sight without smiling. You want to make the audience think that they caught you falling. You can't ever let them know that they fell for your joke. The best falls are the ones where people don't believe that you did on purpose. For people who don't know you, they may never believe you. So you have to understand this going in and be able to accept that you might be the only person who actually knows. In that sense it is a very unselfish joke. You may be the butt of many future jokes, but you will always know that it is you who has the superior ability to create laughter.

you know what they say about big hands...

2007-05-23T16:35:00.000-04:00

After reading this article it should be no surprise to anyone that knows me that my hand looks like this:

American Idol Finale

2007-05-23T16:34:00.000-04:00

With the finale of American Idol on tonight, I thought I would share my view on the two finalists. From the beginning I have liked Blake, especially his ability to modernize otherwise boring songs. Some probably fault him for this, claiming all his songs sound the same. And to those I say that you are right, but at least he has a style that is his own. I get the impression that when he does make his own records that is what they will sound like so it doesn't bother me. Jordin has also become one of my favorites as the season went along. I think it was because of her combination of singing ability and youthful charm. All the other good singing contestants were old and boring. I never found myself rooting for any of them no matter how well they could sing.

I think that Jordin will win, but that in the end it won't matter. It seems like most seasons there are a few singers who launch themselves into the music scene and start a career. And I think that will happen for both of these contestants.

For those who can't resist, check the prediction website that I linked once before in this post.

one of those guys you just know you dont like

2007-05-21T10:30:00.000-04:00

the two main reasons that i never liked the band Creed was because of their music and because of their lead singer. luckily i hadn't heard anything about either in a long time until i read this.

interesting video

2007-05-17T17:51:00.000-04:00

The creators of this video left a comment left on MBB about the mini-beard.

The Botchelor final 2 roses

2007-05-15T15:26:00.000-04:00

Last night the Bachelor eliminated Danielle I. I did not find this surprising given that he really likes BHT and that Bevin really likes him. That left normal Danielle as the odd women out, go figure. According to Amanda, A-ball already hit a home run with Bevin. Which reminds me, as a side note to future Bachelor contestants, dont sleep with the bachelor. It does not increase your chances, in fact it probably decreases them. Now AB can select BHT and its a win-win. He got with the girl he was attracted to, but yet he will be able to pick the girl he really wants to be with.

I think the final decision is classic bachelor finale drama. He has BHTessa, who he really likes and gets along with. He is really attracted to her and has been trying to get her to like him the entire season. Then he has Bevin, who has really like Andy the entire season. He seems to really like both of the girls, but he is caught between going for the safe/smart choice, and the risky pick. There is typically one girl who you know really has fallen for him and will do anything for him. Then the other has sort of stood out with her resistance to fall head over heels over him all season. And this only makes the bachelor more attracted to her. But it is a classic final decision.

Here are the 10 bachelors including a-bal and what i remember about their final choices:
Alex Michel (dont remember the choices, but didnt take Trista. no risky choices that i remember)
Aaron Buerge (didnt take the hot southern blonde who was in love with him, instead opted for NJ girl that wasn't as into him)
Andrew Firestone (selected Jen who was a good choice but maybe not as open as other girls)
Bob Guiney (didnt watch this season)
Jesse Palmer (cant remember much of this season either, but i think he took that blonde girl)
Byron Velvick (i think this season worked out for real, probably because he was older)
Charlie O'Connell (cant remember this season)
Dr. Travis Lane Stork (picked the 'safe' choice of sarah, who was rated higher on paper but it appeared he lacked chemistry with...)
Prince Lorenzo Borghese (lobo bozo took jen instead of sadie. what a botch, still dont understand that one...)
Andy Baldwin (BHT or Bevs?)

I think ABal ends up taking Tessa, and it could work out. I think she is normal for being slow to fall in love with Andy and I dont blame her for this. It just makes her unique for these reality dating shows where people fall in love in 2 weeks on 4 dates.

on this date...

2007-05-15T11:39:00.000-04:00

On May 15, 1998, Billy Copeland aka "The Rocket Man" (pictured celebrating March 23rd) set a record on a skateboard by going 70 mph. He did this by attaching rockets to his board. If you are interested, you should check out his website.

double bogey

2007-05-14T13:50:00.000-04:00

Looks like Todd McCorkle quit his job as the Georgia Women's golf coach. This does not seem surprising considering he showed his team the Paris Hilton sex video. I am trying, but just can't imagine a scenario where that would be appropriate.

guess who's back

2007-05-14T11:06:00.000-04:00

I appologize to both of my regular readers for the recent lack of posts. my schedule has been pretty busy and i just havent been able to make time for my blog. as a way to get back into blog mode, i am going to comment on a few random things that are on my mind.

-the survivor finale was absolutely terrible. every year i forget how much i hate the jury part of tribal council. i can't believe how bitter everyone gets. my number 1 most hated thing about survivor is that at the end of the season, all the people who have been voted off try to bring up dirt on the remaining players. they accuse them of lying and being sneaky. now i have never been on survivor, but i am pretty sure that is how you play the game. the reason that those bitter people are asking the questions (and not answering them) is because they were not as good at being shady as the others. i get so frustrated by it. last night it was especially bad, with lici, alex and boo highlighting the annoyingness. and on the other side dreamz was jsut as bad. all anyone wanted was him to admit that when he made the deal with yao that he intended to keep it. then he thought about it and decided against it. instead he tried to act like he was playing yao all along. you mean to tell me that when he was talking to the camera immediately after the deal about having his son watch the show and keep his word, he was lying? i highly doubt it and thought it was totally clear that initially he intended on keeping his word.

-i think that the big-faced girl will win the botchelor. the problem remains that she doesn't like him, but i don't see that being a huge problem until the show ends. i though it was strange that amber (i think that was her name) parents didn't want to be on the show. i can understand that they may not support this type of show, but i thought it was kind of a dagger. instead of meeting the parents A-Bal was stuck hanging out with a couple of college girls. i really think if she had normal parents and it went well that she could still be around. which goes to show you why these shows do not have a high success rate for building lasting relationships.

-i went to this nerd conference a few weeks ago and arrived late. as a result i took the first seat i could find which was cramped between a woman and the orally loudest guy i have ever met. this guy made so much noise that after an hour or two i moved. it kind of reminded me of when my dog eats something he shouldn't. you know, the constant trying to swallow action combined with jaw/saliva motion. or when he is chewing on his bone, you just hear lots of mouth noises. the first few minutes i thought maybe he had dumped a box of nerds, two tablespoons of peanut butter, and some saltines into his mouth and was trying to eat them all at the same time. but then i realized he wasnt eating anything, he was just constantly moving his tongue and lips around. all this noise combined with my physical position of straddling two sets of posts at the connection of two adjacent tables caused me to go crazy.

-monica and dave made the trip down this way last week and stopped by in the LeBaron to meet carlos and eat a meal of food at eggspectations. as usually i was very eggcited to go there and the food did not disappoint. however, the service was eggceptionally slow and the waitress scrambled to keep up with her tables.

the grass is always greener

2007-05-02T14:02:00.000-04:00

i have very little tennis experience, but i have never seen anything like this. side note: in case you didnt know i think federer is sweet. mainly because of his total dominance on the court, but i think his awesomeness extends off the court. i cant find it online but there was an article about him in SI from early april (this is the best i could find.)

bears, beets or battlestar galactica?

2007-04-27T09:56:00.000-04:00

i have been really busy this week and out of the office three days and have not made time to write, but have a post or two in mind that i will try to work on soon. also i think part of my toe nail is going to fall off soon.

quick thoughts on TV from last night: the office was so great as always. my favorite parts were the very beginning and very ending. on survivor it was pretty entertaining to watch the pathetic attempts of alex and mookie. in the end i was glad that alex stayed. i dont like him or mookie, but i thought alex's strategy of voting for mookie warranted his survival. i dont know why mookie didn't think of that...

AI is now sans-jaya

2007-04-20T10:41:00.000-04:00

i would be remiss to not mention that sanjaya was eliminated from american idol. while this does not upset me, i am a little surprised. i dont think he had been in the bottom 3 in recent weeks and figured he had some support that would carry him a few more weeks.

i am always surprised by how different the voting is from one week to the next. i always though most idol fans picked a favorite and voted for him/her, regardless of performance. i wonder how many voters are actually casting a vote based on the performance of that week. it would seem to me that those voters would not be be the obsessive ones who cast many votes. i am not sure why i think that, but it is my hypothesis that the people voting over and over again are either loser howard stern fans or crazy teenage girls.

good stuff

2007-04-20T09:04:00.000-04:00

Those of you who played Mouse Trap as a kid might enjoy this Honda ad. Apparently no computer graphics were used, and it took over 600 takes and 6 million dollars to create.

the ice is extra

2007-04-17T13:49:00.000-04:00

I noticed something that bothered me today at Dunkin Donuts. The price of a regular small cup of coffee was $1.19. The price of a regular small cup of iced coffee was $1.39. The only difference is that the latter comes on ice (and as a result less coffee). I don't drink coffee, but I want to go in there and order a hot cup of coffee with ice.

more like The Botchelor

2007-04-17T11:09:00.000-04:00

I am not a huge fan of the newest Bachelor. He seems like a decent guy (although at times it can be annoying how giddy he is around good looking girls and i use the term good looking loosely as many of the girls he seems to be attractive to are booty) but I can't believe the choices he is making regarding the girls.

last night he eliminated the two girls who I liked the most. amanda was kind of quiet and reserved, but i still liked her more than the other girls. i do agree with botchelor that she did not really perform when called upon. Botchman would ask her to tell a story (that she just made reference to) and she wouldn't do it. i think she is probably too normal to be on a show like this and she felt kind of uncomfortable. overall i am not that mad she left, because she probably can do better than this guy. the other girl who left last night was erin. she was sort of a turn off because she had fake looking blonde hair and very much reminded me of one of the girls on girl next door. plus she claims to like racing cars but cant drive a stick... last week she was very ditzy but once her counterpart got eliminated got bounced she became more normal. i admit the 'alone time' they had this week was more difficult to watch than sanjaya singing, but i thought she had more potential than i originally thought. also he seemed to initially be in love with stephanie t (aka good uniform, bad helmet- that is a very good picture of her) and despite her slamming body i think she is totally gross. so if you were going to pick someone based only on their body, i have no idea how you can pick steph t and not erin.

my second favorite part of the show was when he had to bounce either peyton manning or big head tessa (who looks quite large if you only see her face.) they were on an aircraft carrier and a helicopter lands (and botchelor looks surprised as if he didn't know it was coming.) then he picks BHT and walks her to helicopter, leaving PM standing there freezing. after escorting MHT he does the in between jog-run hustle movement. for those who missed it it was great. he is moving in a fashion similar to walking, but sort of pumping his arms and trying to go fast without actually running. and the worst part is the camera shows the entire thing, but they really had no choice as the other options were a crying girl about to blow off the deck of a ship and another girl sitting alone in a chopper. so then, after he says goodbye to PM he does it again! it was funny, the exact same thing except this time we see it from behind.

my favorite part of the night (that we watched twice because it was so awesome) was one the group date with GUBH (stephanie t.) she doesn't get picked for the special alone time and she is shocked. the camera catches her reaction which is priceless. she actually opens her mouth while at the same time making the jealous/bitter/hate filled facial flex to show her disapproval. that alone was worth watching the entire 90 minutes.

i think amber is probably the best of the remaining contestants, although for her sake i am not sure i want her to win.

tricycle

2007-04-12T15:05:00.000-04:00

The president of Mary Washington, William Frawley, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence (here is a more recent update.) Apparently he was caught while driving a car that had only 3 tires. This sort of reminds me of when D-Train was arrested after going to the bathroom in the middle of the road. This is nothing to joke about, but I think it is a reasonable assumption that you are doing something illegal if you are driving away from police with a tire missing.

you know you made it when

2007-04-09T16:04:00.000-04:00

It used to be that only a small group of co-blogging friends (him, him and him) ever read this blog, then over time that group slowly increased. Well it seems now that more people come to this site from a google image search than not. In other words, a very slight majority of my readers are reading my blog for the first time.

Here are the two most popular routes to my blog:

Searching google images for burmese python (click on second image)
Searching google images for shaving armpit hair (check the fourth image)

Keep in mind these are search results, so the order of results may vary or change. But let me be honest, I like being the fourth highest ranked source for pictures of removing underarm hair. And the best part is they are not even my pictures, just pictures I that I linked. I understand searching for pictures of Antonella on the toilet, but I am SHOCKED at the number of people who search for pictures of armpit hair. Why are people not searching for pictures of wet nuts or shaky face? It's like people are actually using the internet for useful information!

taking it off on American Idol

2007-04-05T13:13:00.000-04:00

I am not sure if I am the only only one who noticed that it looks like Haley is playing strip American Idol. It seems each week she removes one article of clothing. I heard next week they are installing a pole on stage to enhance the performances. (If that is true MF will probably be there- side note how awesome would it be if that did happen and then MF made it rain like Pacman Jones on American Idol.) If you want my opinion, I don't mind the way she dresses and I hope she makes it far in the competition. I think my favorite is still Blake, but she is in my top 3 or 4.

It should come as no surprise that Sanjaya was safe once again. I have mentioned him before, but his arrogance is really starting to bother me. I admit the thought had crossed my mind that he could be getting tons of votes from people in India. I have called customer service numbers and been rerouted to India, so it seemed like a possible explanation for his survival. But according to this article that is not true. Although I believe that people from India are not the reason he is still on the show, I do not think that the show airing a day later in India is the reason. I think they are certainly advanced and savvy enough to figure it out and vote for him if they wanted.

That discussion reminded me of another book that I am currently reading and recommend. Though not as good as WDIT, The World is Flat is very interesting. To confirm for those of you who know me and my tendencies- yes, that is two books I am reading.

quote of the day

2007-04-04T17:22:00.000-04:00

"those pipes were especially wondrous"

I think that is excellent writing, although based on that quote you would probably never guess what this grammatical masterpiece (that also contains the words "crotch" and "sensibilities") is about. Too bad it didn't include the word moist. After Jewel, Christina A is probably one of my favorite female artists. I know it is often talked about these days, but remember years ago when she was in the huge shadow cast by B Spears?

In other entertainment news, I am reading this book and it is awesome.

long commute today

2007-04-04T16:55:00.000-04:00

This morning my ride to work took especially long thanks to Zig Ziglar and some others who were getting motivated today. After my 20 mile ride took over an hour, I was relieved to be entering my parking garage. Then 2 of the 3 cars in front of me, who were halfway down a one way, 15' wide entrance tunnel, decided they changed their mind and no longer wanted to store their vehicle in the garage they entered. The best part about watching them all try and back out and then turn around, was that the entrance is at the intersection of 2 one-way roads. Not surprisingly, these navigational experts assumed that since they had no traffic signal they could do what they want regarding turning movements through the intersection. If only we could have been so lucky to have one of those worthless traffic cops trying to save the world at this signal...

American Dagger

2007-03-28T15:46:00.000-04:00

I didn't mind seeing Chris S leave AI last night, but I am getting a bit frustrated with Sanjaya. At first it was funny having him on there. He was unique, soft-spoken, innocent, and a decent singer. But now it seems all he can do (when performing) is talk softly into a microphone. In my opinion he is (and has been for a few weeks) the worst singer remaining in the competition.

I understand that some people support that website that tries to have the worst singer win, and then others are trying to follow Howard Sterns request or whatever... And the best part of those people voting is that they are just as bad as the regular voters. I think they think they are so badass and cooler than regular AI voters. They hate AI and everyone who watches it. After all, normal AI voters spend 2 hours voting over the phone every Tuesday night. That is SOO much less cool than the Howard Stern fans who spend their Tuesday nights voting on American Idol!

Even though the Pro-jayas will never understand that, it doesn't really bother me. The thing that really gets me is Sanjayas newfound confidence. At least when he was innocent and sucked I felt sort of bad for him, and there was always a decent chance he would cry on stage. Now he seems to be coming out of his shell more and for some reason thinks he belongs. He has much more of an attitude, and is much more outspoken then in the past. And if he were like that in the beginning it wouldnt bother me. But right when he starts sucking big time and being out sung each week, he now feels like he is in a position to talk back to the judges and get all confident? Basically I can't stand him anymore. I want one of the judges to just be really mean for once... Except I fear that might result in a backlash and the Fanjayas would vote even more.

Happy Mustache Day

2007-03-23T08:32:00.000-04:00

What an exciting day! Here are some of the participants of Mustache Day. Also, the all mustache first team was announced today... See you at happy hour (I will keep updating, please send in your pics)

2 more hours...

2007-03-22T22:12:00.000-04:00

Sweet Dreams!

Mustache Day Anticipation

2007-03-22T10:42:00.000-04:00

Our friends at SmithGroup would like to wish everyone a happy early mustache day!

Special thanks to Joe (bottom, center) who helped encourage his co-workers to participate in our celebration of the mustache. It is worth noting that I think Smithgroup employs the early favorite for the coveted Mustache of the Year.

3-23=MD

2007-03-22T08:27:00.000-04:00

it's kind of official... or it was for a while. there seems to be something hairy going on with the wikipedia page for mustache growing competitions. in any case Happy Mustache Eve Day! Don't forget Mustache Day HH, its BYOM.

return to sender

2007-03-22T08:05:00.000-04:00

at some time or another i have made the comment (or joked in some fashion) about calling someone for their phone number. without getting too complicated or technical (*69, cell phone entries, speed dial, etc.) the point is that to be talking you would have already dialed the answerer's number. aka there should be no reason to ask for it. well the reason i bring this up is because i was thinking about email signatures, something i have written about before. i noticed that many people include their email address in their email signature and i don't understand why. the only way for a email reader to see this information in your signature is if you successfully transmit an email to that person. and if that happens, don't they already know your email address?

More Smithgroup Photos

2007-03-20T12:49:00.000-04:00

Viva Rock Vegas

2007-03-15T16:42:00.000-04:00

to all my loyal readers- i am going to be in vegas this weekend, so i probably wont be posting until early next week. enjoy your weekend!

Mustache Day

2007-03-15T16:26:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder, Mustache Day is March 23. To celebrate, there will be a Mustache Day Happy Hour at JD's in Canton at 6:00. Awards (if warranted) may be given for the following categories:

Most Unusual Mustache
Bushiest Mustache
Dirtiest Mustache

and of course

Mustache of the Year

I hope to have pictures to share from the celebration.

American Idol Update- guys

2007-03-14T08:33:00.000-04:00

I was thinking about my AI boys prediction and saw I was 5/6 on the guys. The only person I was wrong about was arguably the worst remaining contestant. But I am not very upset about it, because I had Paul (who was my least favorite) moving on instead of Sanjaya.

more news from the district

2007-03-14T08:14:00.000-04:00

CUA is back in the news- although this time not because of the American Idol contestant or partying sports team. (Side note, I am pretty sure there are at least a dozen dimple balls in the woods behind right field of the softball field where the remains were found) I find the actions of 'Tony' interesting... he finds a skull and puts it in a bag and walks down the street to 7-Eleven where he shows it off to people. Then he decides he no longer wants it. So he throws it in the dumpster, being described as "acting like he found something he didn't want to find."

At first I was thinking it is strange of him to go from so happy to find it (and carry it down the street to show it off) to not wanting to be responsible for it. But I can't blame him for not wanting to stick around and wait for the police. He could have a history with them or perhaps has done some other things that he doesn't want them to know about. Likely they would be interested in discussing only the head, but he may not know that and just wants to protect himself.

baby daddy

2007-03-08T13:47:00.000-05:00

i commented a long time ago about tom b becoming single... and then not long after it was revealed that his ex was pregnant. he since started dating gisele, and today i read this. how crazy would that be?

just some thoughts

2007-03-07T17:26:00.000-05:00

-i saw on SI today that there are new nike basketball uniforms coming out that are much tighter than previous versions. I don't think they look that bad, except the shorts seem especially baggy given the tighter shirt.

-my cell phone has a demo version of texas hold em on it and often when i have a few free minutes at work (aka in the restroom) i play. since it is a trial version i can play only 2 hands and then have to quit or purchase the program. one of the options is to play a limit cash game. the blinds are 10-20 and you start with 1000 chips. i am up over 8000 chips which i consider pretty remarkable. granted the play of the opponents is pretty bad, but that is 175 BB. given that its only two hands at a time, once a day (although sometimes i do play 4 or 6 hands) less than 5 days a week that's not too bad.

-i am thinking that it is not that strange for me to use my phone in the restroom but for some reason i feel a bit weird about talking about it. well i know a bunch of other people who work here do it also. in fact, yesterday ben left his on the shelf in the stall and there was an announcement over the intercom in the office that said "if you left your cell phone in the men's bathroom stall, i have it at the front desk..." that was a funny thing to hear and even better when ben told me it was his.

word verification

2007-03-06T09:42:00.000-05:00

i dont like when you are doing something on the internet (buying tickets, posting comments on blogs, etc.) and you have to enter text that you see in an image to prove that you are a human and not some computer. i understand why this step exists (some googling led me to captcha) but it frustrates me. i especially hate when i can't decipher the letters. on the right is an example of difficult/confusing word verification.

thoughts on my way into work today

2007-03-06T08:55:00.000-05:00

-whenever i am in the elevator, i see a sign that says something like 'persons carrying lighted tobacco products in this elevator are subject to a fine not to exceed $25.' the exact language might be slightly different, but you get the idea. i don't know the origin of that law, but i would have to speculate that when smoking was banned in buildings people started smoking in the elevators. the trouble is $25 doesn't seem like that much of a penalty, especially for smokers who spend tons of money on smoking supplies. if i were a wealthy smoker and the weather was really bad outside, i might prefer to pay $25 to smoke inside as opposed to freezing. basically, what i am saying is that since it is probably rarely actually collected, they might as well just make the fine $250.

-it seems that someone added 4 more air fresheners to our restroom. i don't mind these, but it seems to me that 4 is more than is needed. plus they are all placed next to each other on the sink, far from the toilets. and they are adjacent to 4 other cans of various aerosol air fresheners.

-the bus accident in atlanta happened on an intersection exactly like the one being built in maryland... (that i am working on)

-on uniwatch, there was a post about shoelaces that reminded me of when roger clemens wore ninja turtles shoelace holders on his shoes. i was in 7th grade and i went out and bought them also, and wore them for a few months on my shoes.

interesting predictions courtesy of Dial Idol

2007-02-28T13:21:00.000-05:00

Dial Idol predicts that Brandon and Nick will be voted off tomorrow. Based on what I saw, that would not be surprising [then again i have never voted on AI.] That site is pretty interesting though, users can upload the program and use it to speed dial votes via your modem. I guess the analysis it provides is based on the rate of busy signals... anyways, if you are nerdy and care to read about it you can find answers to most of your questions here.

If you want to know my opinion of last night, I liked Blake and Chris R the best. I thought Brandon was sort of weak (although he picked another awesome song, just not AI awesome) and Sanjaya was terrible. I think S-jaya has a good voice, but it is so awkward it's almost painful to watch when he sings. Chris S still looks like he belongs on The Family Guy, but he did alright. I just don't like him as much as others seem to. AJ seemed kind of female and diva-like the way he constantly moved his neck. I thought the bald guy Phil was good. Jared did well and sung another money song, but i think it was said that he lives at home with his parents, which he seems kind of old to be doing... Sundance was strong, but he was bad 5 times in a row, so eventually he had to do better. Finally Nick was average. I think SJaya and Nick should be bounced.

thanks for nothing CSP

2007-02-26T13:07:00.000-05:00

today something happened for the first time in a long time: i ate lunch alone. when i first started working i often ate by myself. i didnt mind it at all, and would usually pick up a newspaper. from time to time i would meet a friend who worked downtown, but i didnt worry about it too much. then morgan moved to baltimore and got a job down the street and since then we have eaten together most days. also since then eric started working here, as did ben and bingo. so it is rare these days for me to eat lunch alone. but dont think that this is a cry for sympathy, because i am not complaining. rolling solo i had unlimited options for lunch today, and the world was my oyster (i will be perfectly honest i dont not know what that means and cant think of a possible meaning or origin, but i think i used it properly.)

after much contemplation, i settled for cafe saint paul (CSP). it is kind of boring since it is actually in the lobby of my building, but it has been there for almost 2 years and i hadn't been.

when i entered i was optimistic; the place was bumping. there were 3 or 4 people waiting for their sandwiches and another 3 people in line about to place an order. i got in line and scoped out the menu. i breezed down the menu and wasnt sure what i wanted. then i saw the 'specials' board. this was the daily features, although i think all of the things listed on this list were actually listed elsewhere on the menu. aka they werent actually specials. anyways, i get to the third option on this board: cajun chicken wrap. bingo! no need to worry abotu that anymore, so imy eyes make their way over to the chip stand. baked lays with cheddar and sour cream... combine this with a natucket nectars half and half (more appropriately known as the arnold palmer) and it sounds like a delicious lunch. i order my food and slide to the left, heading towards the register. while waiting, i notice the cajun chicken on the menu. the last 3 words in the description caught my eye: spicy honest mustard. i enjoy h mustard, but i dont like mustard very much. also spicy mustard does not bring me pleasure. fearing the H in the h mustard would be too spicy, i quickly place a request to the sandwich artist asking for her to refrain from applying said condiment on my wrap. she smiles :-)

by this point the pleasure i am already getting is great. it is then i start brainstorming a mental list of websites that i am going to read while eating my wrap at my desk. i pay and head back towards the elevators. i see a bunch of annoying looking old guys entering the third elevator, so i intentionally slow my stride to not make it into their elevator (i am not even sure if they would have waited anyways) when the first elevator door opens and my personal express elevator awaits me.

during the walk to my desk i experience scamperitis. for those who don't know, in this phenomenon, a certain feeling that you have grows inversely proportional to the square of the distance between yourself and the source of this feeling. the most common occurance (from which the name is derived) is when you are headed for the bathroom. you could be 10 miles from your bathroom, and the feeling is one of relief. at 10 miles, you want to be at the bathroom, but it is not a big deal. at 1 mile, the feeling is 100 times strong than it was at 10 miles, but it is still tolerable. as you can see, the feeling grows faster and faster, based only on your location. then inside of a tenth of a mile you start moving your body in an unnatural way to avoid disaster. whether you like it or not, you begin to scamper.

anyways, i am filled with excitement to eat my lunch until the time i open it. dagger. it turns out that cajun chicken wrap is apparently freezing cold chicken salad, in a wrap, sprinkled with cajun spices. i am so let down. i dont like chicken salad (or egg salad, or tuna salad, etc.) i was expecting warm grilled chicken. i give it a shot anyways, and manage to get half of it down. it isnt all together terrible it is just not what i ordered. i google cajun chicken wrap and verify that i am not being unreasonable by expecting my sandwich to not have chicken salad based only on the name. my lunch went from awesome to not awesome so quickly. and i will not be eating at CSP again... atleast i got a blog entry out of it.

and i am thinking that the blame might be on me. its likely that the description says something about chicken salad. but i am certain the 'specials' sign did not... oh well. if you want my advice, if you are in the sandwich industry and are serving a cajun chicken wrap, dont use chicken salad. and if you are using chicken salad for any item, include the name 'salad' somewhere.

oh cua...

2007-02-21T17:04:00.000-05:00

for those who haven't heard already there is much noise surrounding american idol contestant antonella barba. it seems there are some pictures of her going around on the internet, including one in the bathroom on the toilet and one on vacation with her friends. since i know you are going to search around for them anyways, here they are;
honestly i dont think there are a big deal. my reaction to the first one is why does she need so much toilet paper? i feel like that picture could very well have been taken at a party at the cloisters. there were probably a bunch of college students hanging out and someone thought it would be funny to bust in and snap a picture. its not the worst thing that has happened at a cua party [side note, i am pretty sure i knew i saved those pictures for a reason, i couldnt find them anywhere with a quick google search...] and i am over the second picture. if anything, i feel bad for the other people in the picture, in particular anyone who might find the picture less than flattering.

i could see why in the american idol scene these photos are less than desirable, but they are not nearly as bad as some other things that contestants have done...

American Idol 2007

2007-02-21T00:02:00.000-05:00

I just watched the guys perform and here are my thoughts on the contestants:

AJ
I immediately became not a fan because he came out with his collar popped. i thought he sang alright, but nothing too awesome. i was too distracted by his shirt to listen to the music. i dont know if he will make the top 6. its annoying how they always bring up the fact that he tried out 5 times.

Blake
I liked Blake going in, mainly because of his beat boxing. This makes him different, although I was unsure if he could even sing. i think he has a lot of musical experience. tonight he seemed pretty strong when he sang a song that i did not expect. I hope he makes it to the top 6. i

Brandon
He was alright, i think he can sing but i dont like or dislike him. he is fairly normal and like many of the other contestants this season i think he has a lot of experience.

Chris R
I like this guy and he seems solid. And although it was sort of hard to actually hear him sing tonight, i thought he did a good job. i would like to see him make the top 6.

Chris S
He reminds me of a cartoon character, and I cant believe how old he is (like i should talk...) I think his personality got him pretty far, and now its up to his voice. then again, taylor hicks made it all the way and got extra votes for being diffferent. so that will probably help chris s. i cant root against this guy, but he will need to continue to prove he can sing for me to root for him. oh, and lose the stinger. just because its the only place you can grow hair doesnt mean it looks good.

Jared
I didnt really like this guy much, until he sang Brian McKnight. I love BMcK, so I started liking him tonight. I didnt think he sung it that well, but i still found myself rooting for him (note, its so easy for me to like you on AI. either be hot or sing a song that i like...) i also thought it was funny that one of the judges said 'that was how brian mcknight would sing it.' but brian mcK did sing it, and it didnt sound like Jared. am i missing something? despite the song, i dont see him making it without some improvements.

Nick
I still am not sure why this guy quit last year, but you would think they would say since they bring it up everytime he is on the screen. he sung alright, i didnt love the performance but i didnt hate his voice either. i dont really like him too much, although i suspect he is a bosox fan and if that is the case he might be alright. i also liked when he said vote for pedro.

Paul
what is up with the double first name this season? half the guys have it, including this guy. for some reason i really didnt like this guy tonight. i am not sure what it is. it was probably either his singing or his personality. and its also annoying how he is trying to make being barefoot 'his thing.' i am pretty sure that was invented a long time ago. and its about on par with making a self proclaimed nickname. i hope he goes home.

Phil
when he was singing he kind of looked like my dog. that being said, i still liked him (even though he missed the birth of a child for this...) i liked him going in, and i thought he was solid tonight (the judges seemed to like him a lot.) it seems a lot of the contestants are older this year...

Rudy
how can you not root for a guy named rudy? i liked him in the tryouts although i was disappointed to hear that he is a professional singer. fair or not, i expect more from people who are singers before AI. anyways, he lost the soul patch and sung alright. not great, but not as bad as many of the others, so i hope he hangs around a while.

Sanjaya
this guy seems so young and innocent. he has a good voice, but its sometimes awkward and emotionless. which is strange because all they ever talk about is when he cried. i think he should trim his hair. i dont think he should move on, and i will be surprised if he does.

Sundance
all this guy does is not sing well. he sung well once and somehow he outlasted thousands of other people. once again tonight he disappointed. he doesnt seem to have much personality, just the ability to perhaps occasionally belt out a song. i havent seen it, and honestly i dont think he deserves any more chances. if he does stick around maybe he will show what the judges see in him, but for now i am not impressed.

here is who i want to move into the next round:
rudy
phil
jared
blake
chris r
chris s

here is who i think will move into the next round:
phil
paul
chris s
chris r
brandon
blake

here are morgans top 6 predictions
AJ, Blake, Chris S, Brandon, Jared, Chris R

my predicted eliminations for this week: sanjaya and jared

she's not that innocent

2007-02-19T20:31:00.000-05:00

as i am sure you know by now, brittney spears went crazy and chopped off all of her hair. in honor of the pop princess, this afternoon kyle and i decided to do the same. here is what the sink looked like afterwards...
and here is how i look now

weekend at wisp

2007-02-19T20:13:00.000-05:00

Got back from a long weekend at Wisp with Brian and Joanna. We had a great time ripping the slopes, relaxing in the hot tub, and dominating Racko... The weather was super cold, and I think over a foot of snow fell (it was snowing the entire weekend.) We ate and drank very well, my only advice would be to not hold out for the creme brulee!

celebrate!

2007-02-15T09:50:00.000-05:00

Happy International That's What She Said Day!

swing and a miss

2007-02-14T22:12:00.000-05:00

i was supposed to attend a meeting tomorrow morning in delaware. since it starts early in the morning, and is about 2 hours away, work got me a hotel room. the timing wasnt great, as it was valentimes day, but morgan was understanding and so i planned on attending. we left work and ate dinner on the way home, because i needed to get on the road.

on our way home, there was more snow, and the roads were not in great shape. i was having second thoughts about driving out there tonight based on what i saw on the ride home. i thought of many reasons as to why i should or shouldnt go. well after about an hour of deliberation ( i am seriously downplaying the time i spent deciding... ) i decided to go. i hurried my stuff into the car and left. as i was leaving my neighborhood i considered getting gas (right across the street) but then decided not to. i didnt really need gas at that moment but knew i would for my trip. well as i approached the bay bridge i decided i should fill up the tank. it was getting low, but more importantly i wanted to get it in a place where i was familiar, as opposed to being low on gas in the middle of the eastern shore (i was going to take small roads for most of the way once over the bridge.) as i exited 50, i reached for my wallet. turns out it wasnt in my pocket. i had changed pants (into jeans for the ride) and forgot it at home. i seriously yelled the word 'dagger' out loud in the car. i checked the change and at first glance i estimated i had slightly over 5 bucks. probably just enough to get me enough gas to get to where i needed to go (total trip about 100 miles, bay bridge being about 30 or so miles in) i usually get about 30-35 mpg...

anyways, after some more consideration, i turned around and came back. i wasnt looking forward to checking into a hotel sans credit card. i think i could have somehow jack bauered it and made it work. but then i am not sure how i would have eaten tomorrow, or how i would have gotten gas for the ride home. not to mention if anything unexpected happened i would be without anything.

and the worst part is that since i waited so long to leave, it is too late now to turn back. i guess ultimately i made my decision. it just sucks because now i have to go into work tomorrow. and even though he wont be bitter, i am sure my boss will give me a hard time about not going. not so much that i didnt go, but that i called him and debated whether or not i should go because of the weather. and then finally decided to go only to end up not going.

at least i got to be home to celebrate valentimes day with morgan! now i need to go watch american idol and lost...

another CUA student

2007-02-14T11:09:00.000-05:00

I am rooting for Antonella Barba (right, with her friend) on American Idol because she is a student at CUA. From what I have seen she is pretty good, and I heard through the grapevine a few weeks ago that she made the top 24 (which airs tonight). For anyone interested here is her page on myspace.

After writing that I sort of feel like a stalker. In other AI news I hope the beat-box guy Blake makes it through. He is pretty good I think, and its just fun to watch someone do something different.

to the left, to the left...

2007-02-12T09:01:00.000-05:00

I hear that new Beyonce song on the radio a lot, and everytime I notice the same thing:

I could have another you in a minute
Matter fact he’ll be here in a minute

It reminds me of an old Beastie Boys song (Pass the Mic):

Everybody’s rapping like it’s a commercial
Acting like life is a big commercial

I think it sounds bad when you have a song that has words that rhyme, and then you throw in one two-line verse that ends in the same word. I know there are many other songs that have similar conditions, these are just two that came to mind first.

It kind of reminds me of a first grader's poem-

School is very fun
At recess I like to run
Lunch time is neat
My swiss cake roll is sweet
Math is cool
First grade is cool

not what i expected

2007-02-07T14:43:00.000-05:00

This is not what I expected Katharine McPhee's first album cover to look like. I am not saying I mind at all, I am just saying it doesn't seem to match the image she portrayed on American Idol last year... I think I remember her lying on the ground and singing barefoot saying that was how she was most comfortable.

I confess that I probably will buy the album, since she was my favorite contestant from last season (along with Pickler). Although part of me does feel like she is 'selling out' a bit. I always got the impression she was not trying to be a pop princess. I assumed that the songs she chose were the type of songs that she enjoyed singing.

That being said, I don’t really hold this against her. Were I in her shoes (or knee length leather boots in this case) I would probably sing whatever song I could to produce a popular record.

shaky face

2007-02-05T22:27:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of Eric and I doing SHAKY-FACE:

Tony Dungy owes me $201

2007-02-05T17:08:00.000-05:00

Like many other people, I participated in a Super Bowl squares pool this year. In fact, I was responsible for organizing it. In previous years I charged $1 per square. The trouble is that some people want to wager $5, $10, or even $20. And there is not much excitement when a few people have most of the squares. I know last year we ended up having 3 different pools, all with $1 squares. Inevitably, some people ended up buying more squares than they wanted, in an effort to complete the grids.

To avoid that this year, I made the executive decision that squares cost $5. Well, the first day or so all the real gamblers bought squares. Most bought about 2, with some purchasing 4. The trouble is by Friday afternoon we were stuck around 60 squares. I did a lap around the office and was able to get about 28 more purchased. The Ben and I pretty much bought the rest. I think together we were responsible for about 23 squares. Anyways, we were able to draw numbers before anyone left work so everyone was happy.

Sometimes I hate being the person in charge of these types of things. I think that over 75% of the people made the same two comments to me. They picked a square, and as they handed over the money they either "so, how much are you taking" or "i want your numbers." Now I know that nobody said this seriously. Every person said it as a joke. The thing is on the humor scale this joke is a zero. It is not funny. And I guess I just got sick of hearing it. I didn't enjoy spending 2+ hours on Friday struggling to get it filled out. Nor did i enjoy buying 3 times as many squares as I wanted to. Not to mention its simple math. There are 100 squares at $5 apiece. That's $500 in prizes. It said on the grid that the payouts were $100 for each of the first three quarters and $200 for the final score. That equals $500. Where would my cut come from? And 62% of the office was crowded around my desk while someone other than I drew the numbers. So there is no funny business happening there. I know I am taking this a bit too seriously, I am just venting because I was annoyed.

Needless to say I was lucky enough to win the third quarter, so I guess it was worth it. The total prize pool was a dollar short though. One entrant dropped by my desk with a stack of money. They had purchased 5 squares and paid using a variety of bills. I accepted the payment, but was working on something and did not bother to count it. As the person was leaving they requested that I count it to make sure it was all there. I think they counted if quickly and like I said, it wasn't a 20 and a 5. It was a bunch of smaller bills including some 1's. Wanting to get back to work, I fake counted it. I sort of fanned it out in my hands like a deck of cards and nodded. Later in the day I really did count it, and it was a dollar short.

Then I began thinking... was this a test? Did the guy know he was giving me $24 but wanted to see if I would catch it? It is possible that he was going to try and get away with it but felt guilty so he suggested I count it. Then when I made the mistake he felt like he was in the clear. I do not think this is what happened. The guy is an honest guy and I think he wanted me to count it because he may not have. Or he did but wasn't confident in his count. In any case, it was over 2 hours later when I realized. And I had 'counted' it in front of him. How could I go back to him now and say "oh, by the way, remember when I counted it right in front of you... yeah well you are a dollar short."

After winning the third quarter I was pretty happy, but I was in great shape to win the final score also. I had Colts 2 and bears 7. Then Vinatieri did the unthinkable and missed that FG to dagger my chances. But then I thought I was in position again, as the Colts drove down the field with 4 minutes left. All I needed was the Colts to score 3 more points and I won $200 more. They got into FG range and then went for it on 4th down. They were up by 12 points, and they didn't take the chip shot FG. I understand there is some risk in the FG, and that after the FG you would have to kick off to the Bears. But you would also be up by 15 points. You would be assured that you weren't going to lose in regulation. The Bears would need to score twice in under 2 minutes and get the 2 pt conversion on the second score. Instead Dungy opted to turn the ball over on downs and sit on his 12 point lead.

I cant blame Dungy for doing this, but I would have kicked the FG. Despite the early mishap on the extra point, I think the chances of making that kick were over 80%. I understand the counter argument, but I think the chances of the Bears scoring twice in either situation is slim. And so for me, if there is a 2% chance they score twice after a FG and a 1.9% chance they score twice without the FG, I would take the FG because at least those 2% of the time you don't lose. Without the FG, if they gave up two scores they lose. Period.

I think the real reason Dungy didn't kick the FG is the same reason Bill Joel strolled through the national anthem- he had the under (surprise the line was 47 points)

Oh yeah, and guess who won the final score square? The $24 guy...

you want the truth?

2007-02-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

here is the latest news on this post from last week:

Toronto Star (thanks kb)
AOL (thanks dp)

nice try heather

2007-01-29T15:37:00.000-05:00

check out this receipt i found in my desk at work today (some of you who contributed to the bill may have seen this before):

notice anything different? in case you missed it the waitress tried to pull a fast one. a big tab, to a group of guys... she went ahead and tacked on gratuity and then tried to be sneaky and cover it up, hoping to get tipped twice. i recognize the effort, but this is just shady. expecially when you are getting way too much of a tip for your poor service.

my advice to heather (the name of the server, atleast that is what it said on the top): maybe if you werent such a horrible waitress you wouldnt need to do things like this.

more animal news

2007-01-29T15:22:00.000-05:00

Remember last month when I mentioned snakes and lizards? Well, they are both back in the news:

This is a strange solution to a problem. Apparently it is not all bad since he has two. Hmm, I wonder if that means he has four...

I am not sure that this is my idea of a relaxing message.

restroom choices and the people who make them

2007-01-26T16:56:00.000-05:00

Before I begin, I wanted to give credit to sparks, who has already addressed this issue. I have thought about this a lot (on a daily basis actually) even before he ever posted about it. While he mentioned most of the key points, I wanted to share a few of my own thoughts.

There are many factors when choosing where to go the bathroom. I remember when I first saw this game, which covered most of the basic strategy. At my work, however, there are only 2 urinals (U) and 3 restroom stalls(S). They are along the wall, and for this discussion lets call them U1, U2, S3, S4, and S5. When using the urinals, the choice is fairly easy; in fact some would contend it doesn’t matter. I tend to agree, but could see why some prefer U1. The reason is only because U2 has the potential to be right up against S3, so in theory your feet might be within a foot of another restroom user. This might be a deciding factor in choosing between U1 and U2, but I actually opt for the cleaner choice.

In any case, the real decisions come in the area of the stalls. I would say that S5 (known as the VIP stall) is the top ranked stall in terms of facilities. It is the widest stall, and has hand rails (although who wants to touch them) on each side. S3 and S4 are equal, varying only in location. All three contain seat covers and dual action TP dispensing. I think that if all three are available, the most preferred stall is S5. It offers the most privacy and the most room. The only obvious negative is due to its location it is the stall that is most often, which increases the chances that someone will try to enter the stall while you are occupying it. This really only adds stress, as the locking mechanism is sufficient.

S4 used to be inoperable, because the lock was not functioning properly. However, due to recent maintenance upgrades the door is back in full swing. Previously you ran the risk of having the door open up while you were using the stall. S3 is what I call leadoff. This is because it is the first option presented when entering Stallville. Also, you are provided the least privacy in that every stall user passes by S3 and also because of the close proximity to U1 and especially U2. Depending on the degree of spread-eagleness used while in S3, it is theoretically possible that U2 and S3 could step on each others toes. Also, I have witnessed several co-workers number 1-ing in S3. I have never seen anyone number 1 in S4 or S5.

These are the physical considerations to make when deciding, but what is really important to an advanced user is the mental game. For example, in the case of emergencies, S3 is preferred. When you need to reach a stall as soon as possible, privacy and location go right down the tube. Another factor would be the mental cleanliness. I mean that if you know a lot of people have used the device before you, it is not delightful. I think S5 is the only choice that has ever ran out of TP, and the reason is because it is the most popular. If you are worried about sharing facilities with certain people, you are better off not using S5. Also S4 is stall-locked. If you don’t like having neighbors, than S4 becomes a non-option. Any future stall user will be located directly adjacent to you. On the other hand, if you are a footwear expert, this might also be called the information stall.

I think that S5 is the most popular, and until recently S3 was a fairly distant second. But as I said, S4 is back on the market and the usage is undergoing a re-distribution. I would say I visit the VIP stall the most, followed by S4 and then S3. I think a lot of S3 are creatures of habit. I don’t monitor everyone’s usage, but I will say I have seen a lot of the same people going into S3, and what’s more interesting is that I have never seen those people go in S4 or S5. I wish I could say I always choose S4, but sometimes it is just too hard to pass up the luxurious S5 and all that it has to offer.

Thoughts?

Do you think this is real?

2007-01-26T14:54:00.001-05:00

This starts slow, but it is pretty funny

Maybe that's not exactly what she said...

2007-01-25T09:34:00.000-05:00

I was just chatting with some co-workers at the water cooler (yes, this really happens) when I mixed in a "that's what she said." [TWSS]

There were two problems with this action. The first is that for the two co-workers, one male and one female, english is not their first language. The second problem was that they do not watch The Office. These two problems resulted in neither one getting the joke. I pretty much interrupted thier conversation just to crack myself up and say TWSS. I asked the guy how he was doing, and complimented him on his travel hot beverage container (like a spill-proof insulated coffee cup.) He replied something like 'thanks, yes the outside is cool looking" or something similar to that. I honestly can't remember. And then, unable to resist temptation, I blurted out TWSS.

Now I admit that my TWSS wasn't my best. And I am guilty of over-using certain sometimes hilarious phrases, although I am not sure this was one of those times. Well the guy responded with a courtesy chuckle, and I wasn't sure if he got it or not. As this was happening, he was already leaving the room. So after our exchange he was gone. It was then that the female said something under her breath. I couldn't hear it clearly, but it sounded like "I didn't say that." [GULP] Yikes, the only thing I had was the old "so, you drink coffee?" and judging by her casual response of "yes. a lot" I think I was able to play it off alright... (much better than the now imfamous 'How about those Redskins')

Serious Sirius

2007-01-23T11:46:00.000-05:00

I recently got Sirius radio and felt obligated to post my thoughts on this product. Quite simply, it is awesome. I spend a fair amount of time in the car and I really enjoy having so many listening options. I would guess that in the last 2 weeks while listening to it (at least 14 hours probably more), I have listened to only about 5 or so complete songs. I am unable to stick with one song because I know on another station there is another great song, and I need to know what that song is. Journey, PC, Michael Jackson, Wham, etc. are never more than a scroll button away. I think Its almost like I have a personal assistant who has the soul task of thinking of random songs. The satisfaction is similar to playing the baseball player name game, needing a name that starts with L and coming up with Lee Tunnell...

---------
Updated

After posting that link I got really excited and found some other great links:

This guy may be related to a regular reader.
This guy was one of my favorite players in the 80s.
This and this are two of the few 80's players I don't remember.
Who hasn't heard of this guy?

quote of the day

2007-01-21T11:37:00.000-05:00

i was watching an old episode of Real World (from last week) where two roommates were talking about the girl hooking up with another roommate. here is what was said:

girl- i completely understand that davis... is not ever going to be interested in me and anything more than a friend. i dont want it to go further than that. i dont. and as soon as i think its going to go further than that, and thats what he wants, eww, not interested. bye.

boy- you basically just described a [blank] tease.

girl- yeah, i am a tease. but the difference is i like to like flirt and everything. i dont like to go beyond that. unless its someone who i really really like.

So what is the difference again?

oh The Office

2007-01-19T15:40:00.000-05:00

If you know me then you know I have always loved (and continue to love) The Office. Knowing that, it should not surprise you that today I put someone's cell phone in the ceiling. For your information, it worked just like on the show, minus the hole in the wall. I think of it as the first of many paybacks from this.

In any event, I suggest you find someone at your office who doesnt watch The Office and put their cell phone in the ceiling.

random reality TV update

2007-01-18T09:32:00.000-05:00

Reading Mikes post reminded me of a show I watched Tuesday night called Maui Fever. I know you are probably thinking that I watched it last night, but you are incorrect. I sort of like this new afternoon sneak thing that MTV is doing. Since I dont watch and of the shows when they are on live anyways, it lessens the amount of Tivo conflicts. Now real world, the duel, maui fever, etc. can be recorded during the afternoon. good thinking MTV.

as far as this new show, it seems pretty good. by good, i mean horrible, but just the same as laguna beach or the hills. AKA i will watch it. its a bunch of guys who live and work in hawaii at a surf school. they basically make it their mission to hook up with vacationing snatch.

after the first episode we know most of the main characters (i think). there is this one short guy who is pretty gross and your typically d bag. however, he pretty much tells it like it is and can be brutally honest, which provides humor. its hard not to kind of like him, he isnt a total jerk, just a sleezy guy trying to get girls and you have to respect his effort. then you got long hair surfer guy, who used to date one of the other main characters and now dates this other girl. i am pretty sure this drama is going to be a central theme. he is roommates with his boy (i still dont know any names) who used to date the girls friend but isnt over her. she sucks. then there are a couple other bras who they hang around with.
----------
i hope wes wins the duel tonight (i think the finale is on...)
-----------
i was asked to provide a recap of beauty and the geek, and because this is the peoples blog i recorded and viewed it last night. it was pretty good. here are my thoughts (i have only seen pieces of one or two other episodes so its based on last nights episode)

-that on guy who looks pretty good should surprise anyone. i thought it was clear he was going to be one of the better looking ones.

-i liked the blonde girl (who won the challenge last night) until it became her time to choose the people in the elimination. why was she crying? and why was she mad at her partner? it doesnt make any sense. they are in a game and competing, so the guy was trying to get rid of the strongest people. that is exactly what he should be doing. meanwhile, blondie was getting all bent out of shape about it. and worse, she was the one trying to talk about it but was presenting the WORST argument. for some reason she couldnt even stand her partner. she couldnt even look at him because she was so disgusted. really, her partner was right when he said to the camera that she isnt used to guys standing up to her. (this would be better if i knew the names) the asian guy did the smart thing, and his boy (the guy he picked) wasnt even made because he understands. the blonde girl was the one who liked the other guy and thats why she wanted to keep him around.

-i thought the elimination sucked because it was mostly luck. the questions were not all the same difficulty, and i thought whoever picked that difficult question was getting bounced. it looked like a sweep, but that one team picked all the difficult question (especially compared to the questions the winning team got)

-i thought it was funny when the nerds (one in particular) was talking about not dressing trendy, right in front of the host. he wasnt trying to be mean but he was ragging on a style, which was exactly what the host was wearing.

-one of two of those girls has big boobs

-i saw one of the blones on MTV's Next a few weeks ago.

-the auction was set up in a bad way, it is not surprise at all that the bids ending up being in order, first was the lowest and last was highest. i think that had little to do with the contestants. i mean, there was one or two guys who werent going to win. but the girls in the crowd know whats up, they are laughing amongst themselves. its not entirely a joke, but its far from a serious neutral evaluation/appraisal.

-nerdbomber, dont ask a girl what her name is after you have been talking to her for a long time. even if you forget, show some savvy and figure it out later.

I still want candy

2007-01-17T11:15:00.000-05:00

About a month or so ago, a co-worker brought a kid into work. While in our office, the child left a tiny pair of sunglasses. I am not sure if they were for the kid, or a prop for a doll or some other type of toy. In any case, these small sunglasses have been in our office for over a month. I first noticed the glasses when they appeared in our candy basket. I am not sure why there were there, most likely they got accidentally placed in there, perhaps even left behind by the child while making a dash to the candy.

Despite the fact that I thought this was an unusual place for such an item, I left them in the basket. The next day I walked over to get a piece of candy and saw the glasses had been moved. They were now located on the desk next to the candy basket. Being me, I moved them back into the candy bowl. At the time this action was nearly instictive. I guess I was half feeling that they for some reason belonged in the basket and the other half of me was trying to 'beat' the person who removed them.

Well a month later I am still replacing the glasses in the basket. It is clear that there is 1 person here at work who hates it. Everyday since then, I have taken the glasses and put them back in the basket. Then the next day I return to find them not in the basket.

The reason I bring this up is because yesterday I was unable to locate the glasses. There had been a slight evolution regarding the displacement of the glasses. The first week or two they were always placed adjacent to the basket. The after a week or two I would find them on the other side of the desk (on which the candy basket rests.) Then after another week or two I would find them in the kitchen. I am not sure why the remover would choose to relocate them in the kitchen. In any case I always brought them back to the candy bowl. Then last week they were in the copy room, inside a desk organizer that is intented (I think) to hold pens, pencils and perhaps scissors.

However, yesterday I could not find the glasses. It sounds like this is a game to which I devote much time each day, and that is not the case. I never really look for the glasses, I always just eventually find them during the day while working. But it was almost noon yesterday (just about the time I had the idea to blog about it) and I could not locate the glasses. I emailed my friends around the office asking them if they had seen the glasses. At this point in time I dont think anyone other than the remover even knew this was going on. Most normal people around the office probably noticed that the glasses were sometimes in then candy bowl, but they didnt care about it. Anyways, after my email Ben found the glasses in the trash can near the candy bowl. What is the deal with that? My rival just crossed the line.

So of course when Ben handed me the glassses I walked right over to the candy bowl and casually put it back in there. I felt slightly bad for the office becasue they now had an item that was in the trash can in the candy bowl. But the trash can serves really only the printer and the candy bowl, and the only things that are ever in it are paper and wrappers. Also all of the candy is individually wrapped, and I would say my co-workers hands are probably more contaminated than the rubbish.

After putting the glasses back, I walked over to chat with Eric. Upon returning, the glasses were already back in the trash can. Uh oh, my adversary had acted in a manner more prompt than ever before. Oh, let me also say that I feel fairly certain that I know who I am competing with. Without getting into too much personal detail, there is only one person in our office that I think would act in this manner. PS he also sits near the candy basket.

So I returned to the basket and was observing the trash reciptical when the suspected perp rose from his desk. Without making eye contact I grabbed a sheet of paper off the printer, began fake reading it, and retreated to my desk. Then once I saw the perp occupied at his desk (in the form of a visitor) I requested that Ben assist me and retrieve the glasses. Not to be confused with Jack Bauer, Ben was able to stealthly bring the optical device to me. Shortly thereafter I returned the eagle to the nest and snapped the above picture.

As of about 10:30 this morning, the glasses were still in the basket of candy among the laffy taffy and tootsie pops. It is worth noting that the suspected guilty party had not arrived at work at that time. He has, however, since entered the premises. And now I am not sure how long the glasses are going to remain where they belong.

Oh Patriots, I love you

2007-01-15T13:11:00.000-05:00

Obviously I was pumped when the Pats pulled out the W yesterday, in a game I honestly thought they would have a hard time winning. In any case, I was reading about LT going nuts after the game. Apparently some Patriot player did the Merriman dance at midfield which pissed off the Chargers, in particular, LT.

Here is a quote from Merriman regarding the celebration, "It was upsetting to see because they won three Super Bowls"

I think that is funny. I dont know Shawne Merriman, but that is not a smart sounding thing to say. To me, it means that he is basically saying he would have done the same thing and it would have been ok, because his team has not had the success of the Patriots. That makes no sense. Probably the players could have celebrated in a better way, that wouldnt have bothered the Chargers so much. And I believe LT when he says he would never do something like that. He would also never warm up wearing a jersey that said "Ocho Cinco" or would have promise a victory, or would he celebrate much after setting the single season scoring record.

And the Pats are my favorite team so maybe my opinion shouldnt count. But this is football (and you got caught using steroids!) Suddenly outrageous celebration is a bad thing? Merriman does the spaz dance after a single sack and suddenly after an underdog team defeats the number 1 seed on the road it isnt a time to celebrate? It annoys me that he said that. I am quite sure Merriman talks plenty of smack all the time. And I am not defending the way the Patriots celebrated, I am just saying get over it. The Patriots are celebrating that way for the same reason the Chargers players are mad. It was a very close, emotional, intense game, that both teams wanted to win.

Here is what my favorite Charger player (P Rivers) said about it, "They won and they deserve a lot of credit. Personally I was disappointed in the way they handled winning. They're playing next week and we're not." He will just learn from the game, and use it to improve and as motivation.

I suppose I am just saying the Chargers are being a bit hypocritical, they are expecting the Pats to be good winners, and meanwhile they are being sore losers (and implying they would be bad winners also, but they are for some reason entitled to it.)

I want candy

2007-01-15T09:50:00.000-05:00

This is reminds me of Erics post a few months ago... Last week there was a box that contained 36 3 Musketeers bars. It was placed on a shelf at my desk on Thursday morning. At the end of the day, there were approximately 27 candy bars remaining (the pack contains 3 levels of 12 bars, and there were more than 2 full rows so I know there was more than 24.) On Friday, I was in the office only for about 45 minutes. I then left for 2 meetings and then went straight home. I returned to work this morning and there are exactly zero candy bars remaining. I am shocked. How can this happen? I know of about 5 or 6 other people who were also out of the office or on vacation or something on Friday. There might be 50 or more people who work in this office, but in any given day there are usually only around 40 people here. Last Friday I would estimate there were less than that, probably closer to 30. And somehow more than 25 candy bars were eaten. And these aren’t small candy bars, they are full size.

Honestly I am not at all surprised. It seems like anytime there is anything free around here it doesn’t last long. It is sort of annoying, although I really have no right to be upset. They weren’t even my candy bars (well they sort of were since another guy brought them in and gave them to me, but his intention was to take them to work to get rid of them, not to give me a personal gift…which is why I put them out for the taking.) I think the reason it bothers me is because I can imagine how people were scheming. I don’t mind at all the people who I am friends with eating them. I just feel like word got around spread like wildfire, and suddenly people were calling home to ask their kids if they want a delicious 3 Musketeers bar. And I think it bothers me since I wasn’t here. Yet I doubt it if anyone asked. They probably just walked buy and jacked one. I am calling it stealing because they are clearly in my desk area. I wish I had a hidden camera.

I am considering sending out an office wide email asking anyone who stole one of my candy bars to please bring me 65 cents. Or I could get another box and do something to them (I thought of many ways to do this but will leave it up to your imagination) then leave the bars out and never mention them. See who comes by and takes one without asking, then in a day or two leave a picture or some proof of me messing with them. [there still warm... i think i've had these before...]

PS you know you recognize (and love) the title of this post!

Real Estate Market Value

2007-01-08T10:01:00.003-05:00

Let me first start by saying I have very little knowledge and experience when it comes to investing, real estate, or any kind of financial management. However, I check the MLS listings (this is just the site I use, there are many others...), craigslist, and other for sale listings almost everyday. And I constantly see the same thing, which I think might be a bit untrue.

Here is a perfect example. If you think about what they are saying, you might feel as though I do. The seller is claiming that by purchasing this house, you will gain instant equity. I think that they are intending to say that the house will immediately gain more value, or its worth more than what you bought it for.

This is where i dont agree. Imagine you but his house for $300K. Now instantly, for no reason, the house is worth $315K? Isnt the value of an item in a free market defined by how much someone will pay for that item? Isnt the true value of this house $300K, because that is how much you bought it for? I believe it is. I admit this value could have something to do with other market factors like interest rate or supply of similiar houses, but its still the market value. There might be small benefits if you are able to appraise the house for more (like what this owner claims) if you plan on getting a line of credit against your house. But other than that, I don't see why it matters. Not to mention it seems in the best interest of appraisers to appraise a little on the high side. That promotes buying and lending, and guess who benefits from that...

Basically, in my opinion, this is just a ploy to try and get someone to buy the house. Its kind of like when a house is listed at a price, and not purchased. Then the price goes down, because the seller wants to sell it. It can be a selling point by a seller to say that the price was just lowered or its $X less than originally listed. That doesnt mean anything because clearly nobody was buying it at that price.

And I still havent commented on the thing that really bothers me in real estate transactions, and that is realtors. I have no idea how they still manage to get $18K for seller the above house. It is rediculous. I think in certain situations (like moving into an area you are unfamiliar with, or selling your house from out of state...) they can be valuable. But if you are willing to do the research, all the information that they provide you is available free. And trust me buying a house without one is not difficult. I knew nothing going in and was able to buy a house directly from an owner. (I do feel bad that I had to 'breakup' with my realtor, I just didnt see how it was worth the money.) Perhaps that is a way to get instant equity... if the exact same house gets sold for $X with an agent, and you sell yours for the same price without an agent, you just made 6% right off the bat...

The Apprentice LA

2007-01-08T10:01:00.001-05:00

I watched The Apprentice last night because I know one of the contestants. I played baseball with and against Aaron through high school and college. He played baseball at a neighboring HS, then at a rival college, and during those times we played on the same summer team. I saw last week in the local newspaper that he was going to be on the show so I Tivo-ed it.

I have watched most of the previous seasons of The Apprentice, and I think he has a shot to make it pretty far. Normally the crazy/psycho/strange/unique people go home first, a trend that continued last night. The guy who got bounced was well educated, but just didn't fit in with the rest of the contestants. The losing project manager, Frank, was perhaps the most annoying candidate I can remember. He is frustrating loud and talks far too much (I know I hate those kind of people) at the wrong times. Then again, he he has a lot of energy, although I think he came off as being desperate.

Last night, while watching, I was reminded of the reality show strategy. Trump was asking each team member who they would fire. Half of the candidates said one guy and the other half said the project manager. Well the PM is the person who selects the other people that will go to the board room. AKA, its in a candidates best interest to not be selected for the board room. Which means being on the good side of your PM. So even though you might think he is responsible, you need to be careful what you say. If you call him out in front of Trump, there is a chance that he will bring you into the boardroom. Whereas if you defend him (even if you think he was responsible) you increase your chance of sticking around. So its a tough balancing act of providing meaningful responses to Trump's questions (he will call you out, he knows whats up) but managing the relationships with your peers.

In any case I will continue watching at least until Aaron gets eliminated. I never was in school with him but I think he was a good student. I know he is a hard working and down to earth guy, and he is very likeable. The one thing that will be interesting to watch will be if/when he goes in the boardroom.

did this just happen?

2007-01-05T11:35:00.001-05:00


check out how quickly the mood changed- he is only 10 weeks old. Thats my boy!

Carlos playing with his toy

2007-01-04T23:55:00.001-05:00


Here is a video of our new family member...

pictures of Carlos

2007-01-04T23:30:00.000-05:00

try this

2007-01-04T15:25:00.000-05:00

the mission is to put the entire piece of candy pictured below into your mouth, and eat it while talking to someone. i would be shocked if this can be done without drooling. as far as i know, it is impossible. for those of you who dont have the bar sized j rancher, try it with a candy cane. the difficult part is that you can't use your hands.

Happy New Year

2007-01-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

I have been quite busy the last week or so and haven't had time to write anything. There are two things that happened recently that are pretty important to me. I got a dog and passed the PE. I think maybe tonight I will post some pictures of our new roommate.

oh flying...

2006-12-26T22:21:00.000-05:00

Last night at the airport, I saw something that I hadnt seen before. At the security checkpoint, they had this air shooter machine. When instructed, I stepped into this human car-wash chamber. I remained still and then several intense bursts of air hit me quickly from every angle. After a few seconds, the light turned green and the clear doors opened. Then I walked through the metal detectors and waited for my carry on bag.

As a fairly experienced traveler, I had minimized my chance of having any holdup at security. I was wearing only jeans and a t-shirt, and everything on my person had been removed and put into my backpack while I was waiting in line. Taking off my belt, long sleeved shirt, hat, and removing everything from my pockets was a bit of a hassle, but far from the trouble that goes along with the personal body search. I took away any and all potential reasons for setting off any alarm.

However, the same was not true for my fellow airplane riders. The people in front of me had clearly not ridden a plane since 9/11. Everything was new to them. But that wasnt an excuse. This new air pumping machine was slowing up the line. That meant you had plenty of time to watch the people in front of you. It should have been obvious by the time they got to the front that they needed to remove their shoes and jackets. But they hadn't, so I waited.

And then the people in front of them were overprepared. They had decided to take their entire pantry with them. And they were aware of some new rule about the amount of fluids that can be carried onto a plane. They have about a dozen ziplock bags with 2.34 ounces (or whatever the new rule is...) The problem was they knew the rules better than the people enforcing them. Despite what you might think, this also held up the line. The security officer didnt know what to do when the old guy took a sip of hand soap from a sandwich bag. Then when the big-on-rules guy told the security guy the rules, he went power-trip and took offense. So then he had to act like there was a big problem, which delayed everyone even more. The sad fact of the matter is if I were a criminal I would have had a perfect distraction to slide through the line. You had a bunch of overeager wanna-be hostage negotiators giving a 65 year old law abiding man a hard time.

Argh. So frustrating. I have decided that the break even point of flying is getting bigger. That is to say that if you are traveling under 300 miles, it is more efficient to drive (or walk or bike or swim.) I dont know what the old thresehold point was, but it is getting longer. They tell people to get to the airport an hour or two early. Well the people who are getting there that early are the ones who are holding up the lines. People who travel often do not need that much time. They arrive with boarding pass in hand without the intention of checking bags.

Then i boarded the plane. Since I was on Southwest and had a C grouping and did not check any bags, I didnt care where I sat. Instead of standing in line for 30 minutes I bought a newspaper and sat in a chair and read it. Then I boarded the plane, last. The flight was almost, but not completely full. I ended up sitting in a middle seat about halfway back. I sat in between a man and women, about 40 years old. I thought they didnt know each other but later learned they were together.

Which was a major problem. They thought they were being so savvy be sitting in the aisle and window seats. Their little sceme was to try to discourage another person from sitting between them by putting their bags in the middle seat. Well it didnt work. I wasnt checking any bags and had a tiny backpack that I could hold on my lap if need be. I wasnt going any further back than I had to, so when I asked if the seat was taken and he reluctantly said it was available I sat down.

It was then I realized they knew each other. It wasnt the immediate conversation that gave it away. It was the next 45 minutes of chatter across me that gave it away. Ok sneaky people, your trick didnt work and I sat in your row. You lost. Well dont talk across me the entire time. If you were so pressed to sit next to your friend/wife/whatever then offer to switch seats with me once I sat down. But that never happened. Jerks. Oh well.

Atleast I arrived at the airport with no way of getting home. At first it was sort of exciting. Sort of like my own personal make-shift Amazing Race. However, after wandering around baggage claim for 10 minutes I thought it was way to sketchy to ask a random person for a ride. My original thought of chatting it up on the plane and getting to know my plane neighbors was ruined by annoying couple, and i was unable to spot anyone wearing a high school jacket of the school near my house (which was my back up plan...) so i ended up sucking it up and just getting a taxi. Atleast I was home in time to watch Monday night footballl.

PS Merry Christmas!

Come on ride the D-Train

2006-12-22T13:39:00.000-05:00

I have always liked Dontrelle Willis, and wasn't excited to read about his recent arrest. Drunk driving is certainly nothing to joke about, but I did think his story was interesting. He was driving his Bentley at 4:00 am near some nightclubs, when he stopped his car and got out. Then he took a leak in the road.

Apparently the police officer noticed signs of intoxication, and D-Train failed a field sobriety test. I am pretty sure anytime you are peeing in the road at 4 in the morning, its pretty safe to say you have been drinking.

I just keep seeing a mental movie of a guy driving, stopping for no apparent reason, and then getting out of his car and going to the bathroom in the road. Who does that?

those crazy animals

2006-12-20T17:01:00.000-05:00

Apparently pythons from Burma are too tough for the US and taking over the Everglades National Park. It is quite amazing to hear that a python killed and ate an alligator, which then actually killed itself. Here is that story, check out the pic. And another python was in a gators mouth for over 30 hours and survived. These things sound pretty badass. I must admit that even though I am scared of snakes I sort of want to buy a baby Burmese python at a flea market, feed it tiny rodents and watch it grow up from inches to 6 feet in a year. Unfortunately, at that point I would be scared and unable to handle my snake. And then instead of killing it I would probably let it go in the woods behind my house. The funny thing is this is exactly what people did in Florida, and now they are eating all the other animals. Imagine if you walked outside and saw this.

And in other animal news lizards can reproduce with themselves. Judging from the picture, that is probably good news for that lizard. I just hope that Komodo dragon isn't a runner, if so she had better get in touch with Barry Bond's trainer.

random, but fun

2006-12-19T10:37:00.000-05:00

What was this guy was thinking... I think I found a clip of the employee telling the story.

If your week at work is especially slow, watch this. I hadnt seen it in a long time.

I was pleasantly surprised when I grabbed an individually wrapped candy from the candy bowl at work and found out it was orange flavored. Turns out that there are two new flavors of Lifesavers candy.

You can go here to light a candle and make a wish for someone special (or select a gift idea for someone...) I am not sure if it is working yet, but I think you are supposed to be able to see all the wishes that are made by other people too.