Dantion

Fatherhood.

2010-05-19T17:45:00.002-04:00

Ella was sick, so we stayed home yesterday. Since I hate stories of this nature I'll give the six word recap:
No poop
six days
then disaster
Outside of that, fatherhood has been a dream. We couldn't ask for a happier baby. She basically smiles, giggles and sleeps all day. Basically she's a living teddy bear.
Congrats to all the parents out there.

I hate thank you notes...

2009-08-26T14:09:00.003-04:00

There is something about writing them that I just dread. It's a socially awkward thing for me to do, so I try to avoid it all costs. Because of this odd compulsion, I remember just about every note I ever wrote, and every note I never got around to. People have given me nice stuff that I never thanked them for. I've gotten money, watches, jewelry, nice clothes, etc. and had the social ignorance/ weirdness not to thank people. I also remember one person in particular that I remembered to thank. About three years ago, I sent Senator Kennedy a thank you note for all he was doing for my family. I watched him a few times on C-Span, and he always picks the battles I would dream of picking. I am more than a little sad that he has finally been silenced. At least I remembered to write him a thank you note.

Hopefully, I'll have an Elanerd.

2009-08-10T23:02:00.002-04:00

Just in case, I'm going to start buying space ships. Perhaps a giant mobile made up of famous movie starship. Vaders fighter, The Enterprise, maybe some old NASA stuff. Throw in some transformers like Starscream and I think I may create some high nerd art.

Being sucked in...

2009-08-07T16:59:00.002-04:00

I don't want to join a social networking site, but I can feel myself being sucked in. Sometimes, I feel like playing a word game. I am truly interested in finding out what happened to some people. I blame it on watching Stand By Me. The final five minutes of him writing about the friends from second grade being the best friends of his life got me nostalgic. Now I really am curious about the people what sat around me in lunch that year. Of course, I think my favorite thing about school that year was ketchup.

I also want to see more baby pictures, oddly enough. My niece is pretty mobile now, and probably getting into everything, and I could see more of it on facebook. This month, I;m making a resolution to give facebook a go. We also got pictures of Lila from Jersey who is now mobile, and I can't wait to read a haggard figs' updates.

On a completely related nostalgia subject, I sat down to watch Stand By Me, but I ended up sitting through The Evil Dead II. It's classic Bruce Campbell in a classic Grotesque. Things that I remembered: a shotgun, a chain-saw, buckets of red syrup, Bruce Campbell enjoying soap opera lines, plenty of three stooges humor. Something I forgot, an extended corpse dancing scene, I fast forwarded through most of the dance macabre. THe overall movie was as good as I remembered, even better.

World's last man...

2009-08-05T15:59:00.002-04:00

not on facebook. I like having this little corner office in the world. Out of curiosity, I randomly flipped through some profiles, I think I could get through my entire high school in three degrees of facebook separation. A month before high school graduation, I confided in Trim that I would miss high school. He assured me I would find a way to keep in touch with those I wanted to, and the people I never really wanted to hang around with would disappear. Working in a high school now, I constantly wonder why anyone would facebook.

Every few years, randomly show up in the lives of people who have inspired me. I always see the same thing. They may have grown wealthy, or happy, or struggled, but they never actually changed. They are the great parents I knew they would always be, or the transcendent contemplative wandering spirits they always were. The clothes changes, often they put on or dropped weight, wrinkles may have appeared or disappeared, but angstroms under the surface, the same great person is still right there. Same thought process, same personality, slightly different looking.

They usually have beautiful and happy children, but I could have told you that would happen without having to look them up. Sometimes I try to find them and their lives have become so busy that they can't hit pause for a few minutes. Even in the silence, I can still the same great kid from second grade pretending to be an adult. I know if were to randomly see Trim today he may look ever so slightly changed. Sure, he would have figured out some things about life, the perfect way to woo a woman, and somethings would still be an absolute mystery to him, like his inability to accept humanities collective insanity.

I think of facebook as passing those same people again in the hall. You exchange some pleasantries, ask about life, knowing it's awesome before you even ask, then move on to your own office, or whatever important meeting you have on your agenda. I stay in my office as the world is down the hall, interacting in this giant social network that is so alien to me. I can only assume the fact that I'm not on facebook signifies some social deviancy within me that is absent in almost everyone else. And dropping in on people's lives over the years has also taught me that when you show up unannounced, you often get the same great reception as the prodigal son.

It's girl!

2009-07-28T11:20:00.001-04:00

Excited to let people know the baby will be a girl. Life is good. Already assembled the crib, play pen, and two strollers.

Reggie Harding with apologies to Reggie Theus

2009-07-16T09:10:00.001-04:00

http://thegregger63.wordpress.com/2007/07/

His NBA career done by the time he was 26, Harding returned to the streets of his youth and fell into the wrong crowd. The story is legendary of him putting on a ski mask and robbing his neighborhood liquor store at gunpoint.

“What are you doing, Reggie?,” the proprietor asked of the seven-foot-tall robber.

“It ain’t me, man,” Reggie replied.

I moved from Cray computers into Tata

2009-07-10T11:00:00.002-04:00

I sold my Cray stock and bought a some Tata. Nano has been getting hammered in the stock market with bad news report after bad news report. In the the next year, they will come out with the redesigned Jaguars and Landrovers. They also will launch the brand new Tata Nano line of super affordable cars. Buying into a company that has lost about 30 percent of its market value over the last two months is probably a terrible risk, but I am trying to bet on volatility. So far I've lost 9 percent on my Tata investment, but even if the stock price doesn't improve, dividend will pay current losses over two years, and cover the total cost of purchase over the long term if I'm willing and able to stay in it for the long haul.

Summer has been good.

2009-06-30T13:12:00.003-04:00

My parents gave us a car and we were able to pass along the upgrade. I've been getting a lot of rest after a long year. Had a great time at Bigman's party. Plunked him twice in a game of die.
Cray has performed well, and I'm moving on to falling in love with Tata TTM. They pay a big dividend (they give you cash for owning their stock), the family also owns their own steel, they are building a car for the worlds largest consumer market (people who would love a new car, but can't afford a used one). On the negative side,while I was in love at first sight with the Nano, the American market seem to think of such a tiny car as a death trap, they have seen labor strife shut down new factories, but they have one of the largest labor pools in the world. I also may be the only person in America to buy what many see as a potential death trap of a tiny vehicle on the roads with so many SUVs. The company also has huge debt from buying a couple of luxury car lines.
I bought TTM today at 8.35.

Summer really starts in three more days.

2009-06-19T21:40:00.003-04:00

We have three school days left.
"No more pencils, no more books.."

I've caught the stock market bug.

2009-06-04T17:19:00.003-04:00

With the first 300 dollars in the account, I placed a bet on Cray Computers. From what I could understand of the charts and news it was a comparative good bet. Then again, they were the first set of financial charts I have ever tried to read.* The company reported they partnered with someone big to get into the blade server business. It seems like decades ago the Cray used to be a prestigious name in super computers, or at least that's what I remember from the Net Trek days.

It was like hitting blackjack on my first hand. I felt like running around the casino and hitting every table. I've already invested another couple of thousand for a sadly few number of shares of various techs. I spend at least an hour a day reading charts of companies I've already invested in looking for good news. Am I a decade late on the dream of day trading for a living?

* I did work in investment firms for five years. In my defense, compliance work made trading stocks disadvantageous.

So many updates to make...

2009-05-29T15:48:00.001-04:00

1. Having a baby. Picking if it's a boy, the name is still up for grabs. Brian is currently in the lead after the semi-mythical king of Ireland from whom my grandfather claimed lineage.
2. Finally opened an etrade account. Bought some Cray.
3. Going to see Willie Nelson and Dave Matthew's Band tonight at Fenway.
4. Built some new stuff into the house.

Back from the flu

2009-04-29T18:03:00.002-04:00

Vacation was scheduled last week. I got hit with the flu Monday through Wednesday. I was miserable, right in the middle of me complaining about the flu, swine flu came and stole my thunder.

Tuesday was so beautiful, I ditched after-school for the first time in a long time in order worked on the outdoor kitchen. We have three out of six apple trees that look like they are going to produce a couple of apples this year, as well as the new cherry, pear, and plum trees. All trees look healthy despite their cramped living conditions. I've been leaving my seedlings outside for the past two weeks, and they have miraculously turned the corner into viable plants. We planted the asparagus, potatoes white grapes for the first time this year and I even found some cranberries thriving where I had long since given them up for dead. Now I feel like I'm name dropping vegetables.

Father of two marries 17-year-old because his five-year-old told him to

2009-03-13T18:31:00.006-04:00

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/12/haleigh.father.married/index.html
Really! That's his excuse. My five-year-old told me to marry a seventeen-year-old girl. I think he should be forced to follow through on every crazy idea his kid says from now on.

Great Day @ Work

2009-03-11T20:35:00.003-04:00

A great law professor once told me, you are one of the five percent of the population that gets to do exactly what "You want for a living." It's true, I get to decide what I'm going to do. I could be a half decent carpenter, or a bad lawyer, or a terrible engineer, or a really terrible mid-level compliance coordinator. If I applied myself more, I could have been a bad doctor for a while.
I was born with the means and ability to pass almost any test, and if I showed the aptitude, my parents would have supported me going in any direction. Luckily, I ended up teaching.

On a good day, I turn young men and women into good adults. On a bad day, I discourage people from trying new things and growing. Today was a good day.

I rate my classes by the amount of respect that they show me and the subject. The most brilliant professor I ever met told me that showing a love and respect for your subject is the most important thing. If you want students to love Shakespeare, than love Shakespeare and love your students, and pretty soon, you'll all get along swimmingly.

My mother taught Shakespeare for a while, and people in my town still talk about how she taught them to love Shakespeare. Someday, she'll write a book about it, and I will be the first to buy that book and will be twice the teacher I am today. She is blessed with a love for everyone, but most of all, she has a love of the underdog. She once told me that my ability to include everyone is a gift. I got that gift from her.

Like all good Irish boys, I know my mother is a living saint. She taught me respect by showing respect to everyone we met. In return, she is one of the most respected people I have met. I apologize if this post seems like a eulogy to a living person, it's just I'm such a Mama's boy. I'm here to talk about work today.

Progress reports came out this week for all of my students, and many of them weren't perfect. Some students found out they won't be graduating when they had planned. Prom plans were dashed, athletic dreams crumbled, and many of us walked away with more disappointment than optimism. As a high school student, I remember my fifth grade teacher dumping my disorganized desk in front of the class. I remember the parent conferences, and the despair and hopelessness I felt when I realized just how bad of a student I actually was.

I saw this in my students today, and I didn't feel shame over lost opportunities, I didn't feel we had failed at anything, we found a new starting point. I spent most of my day writing emails to other teachers asking where specifically we would build this student from this point on. I asked about strengths and weaknesses, and what could the student do to get the grade up. I felt hope and optimism as I hounded fifty other teachers for answers.

The students looked guilty as they read over the reports. "I could have done..." "I should have done..." "Next time I will..." They had the lines rehearsed before I even asked the question about what happened or what they would differently if given the chance. I let them know that what happened was in the past. The ten missing math homework assignments or the 46% test average were not what we dwelled on, we started with the positive and built around that.

I emailed each parent and let them know each grade, the cause of the grade, and the concrete step we would take in the future. I remember the guilt of constantly losing my assignment notebook. The inability and unwillingness to complete most homework assignments. I never completed an assignment for a teacher I didn't respect. So that's where we started today, understanding and respect. Even surrounded by temporary failure, it seemed like a great day.

The grades weren't what we wanted, but we still showed respect and reverence for ourselves, our subjects and each other, and it seemed like our most successful day yet.

I though I was kidding about a Red Dawn remake...

2009-03-06T19:12:00.000-05:00

but
http://login.vnuemedia.com/hr/login/login_subscribe.jsp?id=nXH33mfDnH8ZLlwjPYB5kVaLXU4gP%2Ffw%2FPS0Mn5MQbRcTSj6r%2BVPHGnQaHtkHKps8B%2B8r2myaaX3%0AzRQzeK3ZDG1DMME1qKEDqx%2FHX88wTBwYlKMvmKRaXaLsDjE7F%2FcYT%2BlDp03H9Z4HM7a0un3pAkgH%0AatfyI3c3kPtk2XWPbXKQ9bWpDQaIWN8PbY2gHKvMQwcQiY5bnSV5QHHiFzjaU4v2K4YHnl5Olpno%0AGvHNKv0kdlaG81aATseL4aaPI5thKGYOd%2FGia5wfDWcQWT2%2BgJ1NmEF%2BeHswYd0vl%2Beh%2FRP4sEwO%0A%2Bj6b7NVlgNNsNrtLpO4h1D14EW0YLutsll1vKYWSlLE%2FDpHO0PmtWIkaVdctfsNPJcdZ0O7RS4Uf%0AyVYQ

The Old Man With Quick Hands

2009-03-04T19:12:00.007-05:00

I played in a three on three tournament against high schoolers today. Chronologically, I'm about thirty five. Flecks of grey in my beard, bad knees and a paunch stomach make me appear much more distinguished. As I took the court, I realized the kids were taller than me, more muscular than I had ever been, and faster than I remember humans moving.

I calmly walked out to the three point line, cover closely, then wandered further to half-court. The ball came right to me. Before I realized what I was doing, I launched a deep deep three. I watched the ball knuckle through the air like an Antoine Walker special. Way left, it tumbled through the air, and began to drift back towards the hoop for a swish.

I grabbed my hand in mock agony, deriding my defender. "Too Hot!" I yelled at the kid, "My hand is just too hot!" blowing it off as if to cool it. 1 for 1 on a high arcing shot, and a swish.

On the ensuing possession, the kid I was guarding got the ball along the baseline. I crowded him to the corner, using my girth and old man skills. As he tried to zip the ball past me, I coolly knocked it away. Same thing on the inbound pass. "Keep the ball away from the old man with the quick hands," the other team's best player said.

After twenty to twenty five seconds I realized I couldn't stand up any more. Nearly fainting and vomiting, I had to get off the court or die there. twenty to twenty five seconds of competitive basketball, and I remained a legend in my own mind. I think I could last twenty seconds on Rucker Park.

My next two offensive possessions were awful, a blocked shot and a lazy pass that was easily picked off. At least for twenty seconds, I was able to add to the legend that exists in my own mind.

The Most Hated Man in Baseball...

2009-03-01T12:33:00.003-05:00

Margo Adams, former paramour of Wade Boggs, once called George Bell "the most hated man in baseball." Perhaps he was at the time, but he was also the American League's most valuable player in 1987, sandwiched coincidentally between Roger Clemens (1986) and Jose Canseco (1988).

Roger Clemens was soon to become the lightning rod of criticism that showed just how far apart the Liberals and Conservatives are in our government, Jose Canseco later went on to expose just about every fellow steroid user in sight. Among the three, I would imagine each could vie for the title of most hate worthy, of a certain year by a certain segment of the population.

Roger was later exposed, in part by the actions of Jose Canseco, as a steroid using moron who had an innapropriate relationship with at least one underage girl. He was defended before a congressional committee by several conservative congressman as a sports hero who had given much to this country. Clemens also tried to kill Mike Piazza on at least one occasion.

Canseco would eventually go on to tell the media that he had dirt on Alex Rodriguez as well as several other players and has attempted to write at least two books about how he and others rewrote what success means in baseball by injecting several ounces of chemical success into their rear ends. In essence, Canseco became a player who was both the face of the steroid era and maybe the person who ended the steroid era by way of his own personal greed. A sort of baseball equivalent of Jim Jones, leading a revolution of players to take steroids, then poisoning the well for them when he felt his time was up.

Boggs would eventually go on to force Major League baseball's Hall of Fame to adjust the induction rules, as he allegedly attempted to sell the logo on his hat to the highest bidder. It was also Boggs's traveling girlfriend who sold out the details of his relationship and the relationships of several other players to Penthouse magazine.

As for George Bell, I'm not sure why he would even be in the running for most hated. He certainly doesn't appear to be anything like a modern Ty Cobb or even a Barry Bonds. Bonds is so hated that biographers can't find a anyone to say anything nice about him ever. A recent SI writer says even the team photographer wishes Bonds would die. He was pushed off his college team for refusing to treat anyone with even common decency, never mind collegial respect.

Worse yet, none of these players even hold a candle to the hate worthiness of a Ty Cobb, famously referred to as "The Meanest Man Alive," even after his death. In a sport where betting on your own team can lead to a lifetime ban, these men were worshipped by hundred's of thousands, if not millions of children, throughout their careers.

Last year, ESPN showed the close relationship between Pete Rose (banned for life) and Alex Rodriguez (since an admitted steroid user). Among the worshipped legends of baseball, what exactly does it take to become a pariah? Manny Ramirez has been on the verge of becoming unwanted at his market price for allegedly scuffling with an old man (a la Pedro Martinez) and sitting out a couple of games he could have played (a la Nomar Garciaparra). He became absolutely reviled in Boston at the midseason point.

Against the backdrop of cheaters and malcontents that populate the pinnacle of baseball talent, why do people watch? Why spend hours and days and months following line-ups? I think it's it's because every spring we find new heroes to replace the old. Last year, it was Youkilis and Pedroia who stole the spotlight. Each of them, new enough to be innocent. They haven't seemed to warp into the greedy, caddish monsters. Perhaps in five years, we will hear stories of road trips and under age girls and cheating, but as pitchers and catchers have reported, and spring training is in full swing, hope and new role models spring eternal.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE0D7123FF930A15751C0A96F948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2

What irks me today: Extreme Makeover: Homeless Edition.

2009-02-28T13:31:00.004-05:00

There are at least three instances of houses built for poor people on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition are in danger of being foreclosed on. If you are unfamiliar with the show, the premise is as follows: The show selects a family in desperate need of financial help and a housing facelift (complete rebuild) and, with the help of local good samaritans and a large construction crew, they rebuild the house into a beautiful mansion and help pay off the bills. Sort of a more corporate Habitat for Humanity on steroids.

The houses come fully equipped with televisions and electronics far better than I will dream of affording, so it really does look like the families get a free a dream home. Of course, the houses often multiply in value, causing the property tax to likewise skyrocket.

At the beginning of the credit crisis, I remember hearing several times how most American homeowners in general considered their homes an investment as well as a domicile. In the case of EM:HE, families were therefore given not only a new house, but also a giant new asset from which they could withdraw money in the form of a mortgage.

A few of these families did something which was either very smart, or very stupid, and used the newfound source of funds to invest in capital generating ideas. One family mortgaged their new home to invest in a construction firm. At the time, it seems like the best of all worlds. Use the house your community has built, to help build more houses for your community.

Of course, we all know the housing market has tanked, construction has since just about stopped being a profitable business, and foreclosures skyrocketed across the country. Like many Americans, these families are losing their homes. Unlike many families, these houses were the result of community effort, leading to these houses being seen as community property.

The backlash has been enormous and negative. People demand to know, how dare you squander away the wonderful gift we have given you. In the vast majority of these cases, the families who were given these houses were the perfect candidates. The families had enough income to keep up the infrastructure of houses. When similar housing programs fail, it usually because the houses have been given to truly destitute people who have no means of supporting themselves.

In one notable instance of free housing gone bad overseas, an charitable organization built an entire neighborhood for the poorest people in the area. The first day of revealing the new houses was the happiest and most successful day for the new homeowners. After a while, it became apparent the people really needed education, job training, and a source of income, as plumbing and electrical systems began to fail, and the new homeowners lacked the experience to fix the problems, and the income to have them fixed. The ideal solution at the time would have been to give the houses to families with incomes to small to purchase their own homes, but large enough to support owning a house.

What irks me about the stories that are coming out about these EM:HE foreclosure stories is this program seems to have been successful over 90% of the time, and when it failed, it failed because the homeowners attempted to create new revenue streams to support the house and the family. The perception of most commentators is the people were lazy failures who lacked the foresight and discipline to keep up the community's new gem of a property. The reality is the homeowners are taking chances at being successful, made smart looking gambles, but failed.

http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2008/12/09/yet-another-extreme-makeover-home-may-face-foreclosure/

MIA

2009-02-25T17:52:00.002-05:00

It's not that I'm a complete Luddite (although I do appreciate the mythical Ned Ludd's anger at technology). I admit I've always hated the telephone, and I may be the only American with two working ears and no iPod, and I sometimes get resentful of this whole blogging thing (well, I guess I am quite Luddish after all). I assure you, my loathing of communications technology has a little to do with my hatred of facebook. Maybe it was the summers in semi-isolation in Cape Cod, but I'm pretty sure I was born this way.

I like to think it's because I have come to askew drama and awkward situations. I don't want to to update my feelings each day on the internets. I don't want to make or receive on-line friend requests, I don't want to create a virtual circle of 60-100 friends, and I certainly don't want to check in with the 60-100 people each day. It's not that I'm completely anti-social, but I'd honestly rather stare into space and ponder why it is that people feel bad for Gary Condit because he apparently didn't kill Chandra Levy. I'd rather read salacious stories about Abe Sada (or is it Sada Abe), or I'd rather surf the wikipedia looking for the strangest categories by which they can organize articles.

I'd like to think that I know how to be a good friend, but I really suck at keeping in touch with people. Last week, during my vacation, I spent one day hanging out with friends and eight days planning the garden, working on plumbing, and generally keeping myself busy with chores and amusements around my house. In fact, in nine days out of work, I ventured less than fifty feet from my front door, and that was to clear the icebergs and frozen mud piles that were plowed onto our walkway with my handy pick-axe.

So, if it appears that I'm MIA, I assure you, I am thinking of you as you read this, just don't expect a call or e-mail.

Yes we can!

2009-01-20T19:56:00.002-05:00

watched the swearing in today. I'm still in shock. Looking forward to the Obama Presidency. Eight years ago, I remember thinking: "How bad could it be? This guy is sending everyone checks."
My mother didn't like him from the first few days. Probably before that. Isn't it funny that mothers seem to know these things ahead of time.

The last eight years is officially over, Life is good!

I've played my team down to a respectable 21-23.

2009-01-20T19:48:00.002-05:00

It turns out that it's easy to win the Raiders. I've been trying to learn how to win with the Lions while walking 3.5 miles per hour. I went 6 miles yesterday, and seven more today.

I've married 2 addictions in an attempt to be healthier.

2009-01-16T23:35:00.003-05:00

This winter, I've been inspired to incorporate video game playing and exercise. The result has been over five miles a day while playing Madden. So far, my team is 12-1 in "ranked" match play. Not sure what the distinction is between "ranked" and "unranked" but the Madden addiction has allowed me to walk between 6 and 15 miles a day. Just so my body doesn't go into complete shock, I ate an eight dollar, picture-on-the-wall-of-a-restaurant burger. Not sure if it offsets sixty miles of "healthy" video games, but I bet it's close.

Why the Jets should pay Romeo 100,000 dollars to answer his phone.

2009-01-03T10:01:00.003-05:00

The GM saddled the Mangenius with Favre, who predictably blew the Jets play-off chances in the final weeks. Then they fired Mangini for not winning. Seems like the guy who pushed for the trade should have gone out the door first. Now, Future Hall of Fame coaches Cowher and Shanahan won't go to the Jets because because (reportedly) they don't want to coach Favre and they won't work with the GM who traded for him.

Also, the Jets, like most teams with head coaching vacancies haven't interviewed a black candidate yet, in violation of the Rooney Rule. Now it seems like the Jets are running out of options. They desperately want a high profile coach, but the organization as such isn't set up to land one.

Now, it seems like most teams have resigned themselves to the fact that they are more willing to pay a 200,000 dollar fine than consider hiring a black coach. If I were Romeo Crennel, I would leave my phone off the hook for next few months. I would expect several teams to come calling for him to interview to save themselves the fine, while all along the team has absolutely no interest in hiring him.

Having lived through several fake job interviews where the decision not hire me was made before my application hit the persons desk, I can only imagine the frustration of being invited to fly across the country several times in the middle of winter in pursuit of a job that isn't even available. If Crennel were as greedy as I am, he could offer to interview for these non-existent jobs for half the money it would cost the team in fines. Say he agrees to be the de facto minority to be fake interviewed by all of the teams with openings for 100,000 dollars a call. He could charge the Jets, Lions, Broncos a total of 300,000 dollars for a few phone calls.

note:
"In 2003, the NFL fined the Detroit Lions $200,000 for failure to interview minority candidates for the team's vacant head coaching job. After Marty Mornhinweg was fired, the Lions immediately hired former San Francisco 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci to replace him without interviewing any other candidates. The Lions claimed they attempted to interview other candidates but that the minority candidates withdrew from interviews, believing Mariucci's hiring was inevitable."
-Wikipedia

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-28T10:04:00.002-05:00

We are in the midst of our winter break. It was the best Christmas gift to see my niece who is now into prat falls. She's the Charlie Chaplin of toddlers.

Props to Myron Rolle: for sacrificing football for studies.

2008-12-27T10:13:00.004-05:00

It's tough to hate on Exercise Science major Myron Rolle, the FSU student-athlete who made news for intelligence. I think every person nominated for Rhodes Scholarship should be feted. By all accounts, he appears to be a well adjusted young man who prioritizes scholarship over athletics despite having the ability to compete at the highest levels of both. My problem is not with him, but with the hype machine.

Several articles have been published recently about how difficult his decision will be between a life in the NFL and a life in academia, and I can easily make this decision for him. Sports Illustrated thinks the safety at one point had a chance to be a FIRST ROUND PICK*. Rolle is second on the team in tackles, which simply means he's the starting strong safety. He also has one more interception over his entire career then Mark Texiera has extra base in the play-offs.**

For those of you counting at home, this projected first round pick has all of ONE CAREER PICK at safety. Two less than Brian Urlacher, who amassed eleven times more forced fumbles*** caught six more touchdowns, and had over twice as many tackles*** also playing safety at a D1 school.

I understand it's strange to think of an FSU football player is smart, but that's what Myron has going for him. If the Seminoles were a boy band, Myron would be the brainy one, but otherwise unremarkable, like Jordan of NKOYB fame. Rolle is an excellent scholar, but despite the fact that ESPN ranked him as the number recruit coming out of high school, his college career has been that of a decent starter rather than a difference maker on the field. In short, the NFL GM who picks this guy in the first round will be out of a job.

It's tough to say his football career to this point has been a disappointment, but he has put the"student" back in student-athlete, and sacrificed a bit from the "athlete" part of the equation. Congrats to Myron for treating his college experience in a way that few of us have: using it as an opportunity to better himself through education. Now, if we can dial back the hype machine on the football aspect, we can appreciate him for who he truly is, a gifted athlete who makes a much better student than he does an NFL safety.

*http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/the_bonus/07/17/rolle/index.html
**http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=183731
***http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Urlacher#College_career

A long rambling post I recovered.

2008-10-01T17:30:00.003-04:00

One thing I have learned as a teacher is: never rely on technology. Currently, my computer is telling me that it is uploading my images of the pit. First, it told me the file was corrupted, the next error made it look like it was in the process of working: "Your images are being uploaded to Blogger." The images are certainly not uploading. "Your request could not be processed. Please try again." Is the current message after three tries. I suppose I will eventually load the pictures onto a third party site. Hopefully this week.
Until then, no pictures. Oh well.
As long as I'm captive of my own website, I might as well write a rambling message.

Yesterday, I walked a few miles in the rain. One of the cars was getting new shoes for it's big inspection, so Heather and I had to share. After a long day at work, it was nice to get out and clear my head. I don't think I have walked that far in a day since the fateful honeymoon I spent hobbling around the Appalachian trail. Because it was raining, I had the sidewalks to mostly to myself and I had few hours to think. On that walk I had this thought:

I should NEVER walk miles in my dress shoes in the rain again. I have to get dressed up for work, which makes very little sense considering the paltry sums I make as a public school teacher. I don't have to wear a tie everyday, but other people at work do and I'm sucker for peer pressure. In my job, I get paid to make people do things they would never do on their own. I would compare what I do to being a prison guard, but guards don't force inmates to learn math or create timelines or take notes.

What I really get paid for is to form positive relationships with people and get effort out of them. Years ago I worked in school for school for difficult students. One of those students has since relapsed in Heroine addiction, one shot someone in the face several times, another is in jail for armed robbery, and a yet another is locked up for what can only be described is sheer stupidity (I'm leaving out the story about my student who was arrested the day before graduation for assault with a deadly weapon, otherwise known as thrown a red pepper in the general direction of his mother who called the police). The school only had under 50 students, I only kept tabs on few after I left.

These were students who would do their classwork everyday in my class. They were capable of following directions and caring about others. Many of them were smart and talented leaders in the right circumstances. Five years later, tax-payers now foot the bill for their meals and rooms. Then it occurred to me that half of the sports headlines on Yahoo today were about athletes getting arrested for drug or alcohol related offenses, Finally it occurred to me that each of us is a few bad relationships and a mistake from being behind bars. Then I patted myself on the back for never being sent to lock-up. If you are reading this, and you are out of jail, take a moment to congratulate yourself.

This is the part where I cleverly wrap this up with a reference to the beginning of the post, but my technology is failing me once again as the computer now reads "Autosave failed." I better post this before the computer won't let me.

OMFG

2008-10-01T17:24:00.002-04:00

I just spent 30 minutes trying to post pictures, then I wrote a rambling 1000 word post that I kind of liked. The website refused to upload the pictures giving me several different error messages for each attempt, then disabled the Save button. When I hit publish post, it erased everything but the title. We will have re-evaluate our relationship with Blogspot now.

Going stone age.

2008-08-13T23:19:00.003-04:00

I've been moving rocks with a shovel and leveled a path feet deep into the hill. I've hit a massive rock. We ordered a rock chisel set to carve it up. I hope to post pictures soon.

Plugging the Burlington Genius Bar.

2008-08-13T20:59:00.003-04:00

My computer got a crazy error after a marathon session of Civ. It was the logic board. Just random crashes, seeming the death knell for this once noble beast of a computer. Heather brought the computer to our regular gurus, Organize-It in Roxbury, MA. Turns out, Apple shut them down to divert customers to their new "Genius Bar" on Boylston street.

The "Genius" Heather got an appointment with mocked the state of my laptop and charged us $200 to replace my hard drive. Problem not fixed! The Computer was returned, but still broken. The weeks creep on without my computer. I think I might actually have shed a tear.

The only solution is to find a new guru for free. Who could we possibly get? The awesome people over at The Genius Bar in Burlington. The new guru had a sense of humor too. He fixed everything for free and replaced the missing feet, tightened the screen, The Genius of Boylston street had wanted to charge an additional $80 for the screen fix. All of this for a grand total of zero dollars. He installed the latest operating system as well.

I even visited the store to check on The Beast while she was laid up. I made two laps of the store, scrutinizing every product, and did not receive any sort of sales pitch from the dozen staff members on hand to help, just in case I had a question. Altogether, it was great experience.If I am half way across the world and something goes wrong with my computer, I'm shipping it express to The Genius Bar in the Burlington Mall.

US makes statement in Olympic standard bearer.

2008-08-07T11:11:00.003-04:00

Yao is carrying the flag for host China, he's one of the most famous athletes in the world, and unlike Wang Zhi Zhi, he loves representing China. In fairness to Wang, he got jerked around by the Chinese military teams early in his career and lived under a much stricter environment than Yao. Yao was the chosen face of China, and he represents the new world of international basketball superstars. Likewise, Dirk was chosen to represent Germany as the standard bearer for the German nation teams. Also an iconic figure with world wide recognition.

The US could have chosen any of it's basketball icons and people would have understood. The US teams got together to elect someone to represent America and they chose a person who has lived most of their lives in another culture. Someone who most Americans have never heard of. We chose someone who make a statement against the Chinese history of Human Rights abuses with ever having to utter a word.

The US will be represented by Lopepe "Lopez" Lomong, a recent immigrant who would have died for the opportunity to live here, and almost did. As LeBron James and friends back off of statements that they would speak out on Darfur, they elected a survivor of Darfur to represent them in China.

The background:
Sudan is a country divided by culture, ethnicity, religion, lifestyle, and now war. Oil is the most recent device to fuel the war within Sudan, and the conflict over land and culture has grown more and more desperate as outside countries enter Sudan and set up drilling companies, paying the warlords to drill in lands once occupied by ethnic minorities. China has been paying the Sudanese warlords at a discounted rate because other countries want little or nothing to do with the ethnic clashes.

China's money goes to the people who have the guns and the power, the people with guns round up the farmers and herders to either kill or enslave them. As a result of this conflict, the farmers and herders have organized militias by conscripting children and training them to be killers.

Lopez was abducted from his family and conscripted into one of these militias on a routine raid in his village. Raiding appears to be a way of life in Sudan as some are enslaved by the side with more guns and bombs and helicoptors. These people are often forced to be house servants or concubines. Often the raids are set up to simply destroy entire villages, and kill off the families that occupy the valuable lands.

Lopez is one of thousands of people who escaped Sudan and made it to the refugee camp in Kakuma, where the refugees are unwanted by their host country and constantly trying to defend themselves from attacks, disease, and starvation. He is lucky in the fact that much of his family has survived the massacre, I have met many who were not so lucky.

While most viewers will have no idea who Lopez is, he might be the most powerful political statement in these controlled olympics. His representing all of the American teams says: "China, you helped kill my village and destroy the life that I have known. I'm still striving, still working hard, still unbroken, and now I am glorified in the heart of your country."

I have given up on a military solution to stop the genocide. It has become obvious to me that the people who once said, "Seven Million, never forget, never again," were not talking about saving all people from the prospect of genocide. I really hope the US basketball team wins the gold medal and unveils "Save Darfur" t-shirts on the podium, but those players make a lot of money from the millions of NBA fans in China.

Instead of hoping that our most influential personalities will make a stand, I will have to satisfy myself in the knowledge that they picked a Sudanese man to lead them, and that has to count for something. We are represented by a man who was once a member of the poor huddled masses, a survivor who came here with nothing but the clothes on his back, and we send him out into a world that almost destroyed him with the Stars and Stripes as a true American success story.

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfield/columns/story?id=3468567
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080807/SPORTS17/808070402/1048

Why I wouldn't be excited to be a Jets fan.

2008-08-07T10:02:00.004-04:00

Every decade or so, the Jets spend a whole bunch of green to remake their team, sort of the anti-Parcells method. Last time it was Neil O'Donnel who had just thrown two interceptions in the fourth quarter of the Superbowl to blow his teams chances. Brett only threw one monumental interception to blow his teams chances in the NFC championship game.

Of course, O'Donnell had just led Pittsburgh to a Superbowl appearance, and Brett ended up throwing an interception that cost the Packers their Superbowl chance last year. The Jets record fell from 3-13 in 95 under Boomer Esiason to 1-15 under their alleged quarterback of the future.

The Mangenius also went out and paid big cash for Calvin Pace to change him from a situational pass rusher to a full time play maker. I remember when Parcells did the same thing with Chris Slade. Slade's Stats jumped from 9 sacks in the '93 season as a situational player to 9.5 sacks as a full time defensive starter. Just a half sack difference. Calvin Pace recorded 6.5 sacks last season, which projects him to maybe 7 sacks next season using Slade as a precedent.

The Gang Green also went out and signed Ex-Patriot Damien Woody from the Lions. I believe Woody became the first Lion Offensive Lineman to get a big free agent contract since Zefross Moss was signed away by the Pats (drawing the ire of Barry Sanders). Moss lasted two nondescript seasons in the NFL before retiring. Woody has become a solid pro after struggling at center early in his career, but the people charged with keeping Vince Wilfork from eating an aging qb learning a new system are also trying to learn to work together.

Favre's stronger arm may get defenses to back off the line of scrimmage a bit, but that's because the defensive backs are going to waiting on the inevitable back breaking interception that Brett traditionally throws.

Will the Jets be more exciting this year? Of course, they are trading short dump-off passes for ninety yard interception returns. They are teaching their system to the players they expect to lean on as the season is in progress, kind of like trying to win the Indy 500 with a driver who has never seen the course and a pit crew seeing the car for the first time. Maybe exciting isn't the word for it, more like terrifying.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_New_York_Jets_season
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/news?playerId=4476
http://www.nfl.com/players/careerstats?id=SLA168710
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/9525/index.htm

I've had a lot of writing to do, but I don't know where to start.

2008-07-24T12:38:00.002-04:00

So, I got laid off for the summer... again. Something about office politics and not enough funds to keep all the teachers. I will miss the field trips and the teaching, and the teachers and co-workers, but funding for alternative schools depends on a lot of factors that are so far beyond my control, I don't even worry about it any more.
I've been building bookshelves to make up for the fact that the house came with only three closets and they aren't even big enough to fit my clothes, never mind Heather's. The basement clean-up has been going on for days, and I am no closer to having a better basement than Pat than when I started. Last week, I heard from Yo and Baru by e-mail, Ferry by text and snail mail, and Figs sent an invite to a family function. Despite shutting myself in for more than a month and communicating with only the Bigman, I still seem to have friends, which is flattering.

Rant:
Something that I read that has gotten a big reaction from me is the fact that Ford is beginning to change over to building smaller more fuel efficient cars. I remember when Bill Ford was named head of the Company, he got a few big write ups on how he was the possible savior of the American automobile industry. That was years ago now, and the biggest change about Ford has been the increasing number of lay-offs.

How did Ford not at least design a whole bunch of miniature autos? Especially considering that every other developed country and several developing countries have come out with with their own production vehicles that are tiny and would sell well in America. Now, Ford is talking about becoming competitive in this market in the next three or four years.

The saddest part to me is the increased lay-offs are going to kill an almost dead Detroit economy. Imagine what this is going to do to the crime rates and poverty levels. After all the hype, this Messiah of Detroit turned out to be just another Ford exec reacting to the innovation of others rather than creating solutions. Hopefully, in three or four years, we can get to where foreign auto makers are now.

A trip around Boston Harbor

2008-06-10T20:40:00.006-04:00

This week's trip was around the Harbor. It was a great trip, but it was in the midst of the recent heat wave. The Harbor didn't smell as bad as I thought it would, but something about being on a boat in a heat wave for a prolonged period of time brings out the worst in people, myself included.
There were many interesting facts to be learned, however I wasn't really in a part of the boat with audio access to the tour guide. I did manage to see some great sites, and if you have never seen (or just haven't seen it since The Big Dig) Boston from that perspective it's phenomenal.

Here is the one we took:
http://www.bostonharborcruises.com/h_history_main.html

Next time I go with teenagers, I'm going on this one:
http://www.bostonharborcruises.com/codzilla_schedule.html

Happy Birthday Manny!

2008-05-31T06:32:00.000-04:00

(May 30, 2008)

When a reporter remarked on his birthday, Ramirez said: "36 here," he said, according to the Boston Globe. "39 in the Dominican."

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5132/news

A trip to the zoo...

2008-05-23T20:52:00.002-04:00

Our big trip this month was to see Ed the Animal Guy, I saw a pig and chicken that were featured in Monday Night Raw, the world's largest captive snapping turtle, all kinds of oversized and exotic reptiles and mammals. A perk of my job is I get a trip every year to a new zoo. In honor of zoos:

Patriots News:
The Pats have a new Middle linebacker to allow Vrabel to stay at outside linebacker.
http://www.projo.com/patriots/content/sp_fbn_patriots_passing_camp21_05-21-08_PJA7D_v8.357de9c.html

The true origins of BALCO

2008-04-05T19:00:00.003-04:00

List of athlete appearances in Hammer's "Too Legit to Quit" video
(in chronological order):

José Canseco
Isiah Thomas
Rickey Henderson
Andre Rison
Deion Sanders
Chris Mullin
Roger Clemens
Roger Craig
Ronnie Lott
Lynette Woodard
Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders
David Robinson
Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders
Jerry Glanville

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.C._Hammer

Dave Winfield was part of this assault.

2008-04-05T14:11:00.003-04:00

and the rest of the story:

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1085766/2/index.htm

"Dave Winfield, who recently joined the Gopher varsity, joined the fray, too, dodging to mid-court where some Minnesota reserves and civilians were trying to wrestle Ohio State substitute Mark Wagar to the floor. Winfield leaped on top of Wagar when he was down and hit him five times with his right fist on the face and head. When the stunned Wagar managed to slip away, a fan pushed him to the floor and another caught him on the chin with a hard punch from the side."

Hawk Attacks Girl At Fenway

2008-04-03T20:16:00.002-04:00

My first thoughts were of Andre Dawson...
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3328114

I'm afraid of heights ...and I'm not a fan of being wet and cold.

2008-03-03T18:52:00.003-05:00

More precisely, I'm afraid of plummeting from a very high plane onto a much lower plane in a freefall. The higher the fall, the more I think about worst case scenarios and celebrity deaths and statistics of people falling from similar heights. I start to worry about what my final thoughts would be as dropped. I'd probably curse myself for not being more afraid of heights.

I wasn't exactly looking forward to last weeks rock climbing field trip to Vertical Dreams rock climbing gym.

The gym is on the top floor of an old industrial park and the central feature is a seventy foot drop (former service elevator shaft) amid twenty five foot walls. I was barely brave enough to look over the edge. I did manage a few quick glimpses, and it is impossible to describe how deadly the drop looks, especially when a student is dangling at the top of the drop. I did have a very exhilarating time, I climbed the easiest twenty five foot section of the gym with great difficulty. Next year, I think I might actually try the seventy foot drop. First, I need to look up statistics on rope failure.

How would I describe the snowman?
It's an event where people eager to ditch the isolation and boredom of winter came together to compete in a spirited, yet whimsical and celebratory manner.

Ouch.

2008-02-14T19:23:00.002-05:00

After the Superbowl, I slept like a baby. I woke up every ninety minutes to cry. I am going to New Jersey this weekend to visit the in-laws. All of them are life long Giants fans.

On the plus side, Dan Morgan and Zach Thomas are free agents.

One of my favorite links...

2008-02-01T21:24:00.000-05:00

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/news/2001/09/25/power_rankings/
Scroll to last team.

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

2008-01-21T11:17:00.000-05:00

I'm a nostalgic person so I was psyched to see the original sesame street episodes are now available on DVD. I haven't seen the show in a while and the last skit I was so awesome, I actually hunted it down and embedded it.

I was sure the show would be cancelled by now due to the modeling of such potentially unhealthy lifestyles. I think marriage is about love and commitment so I would never begrudge Bert and Ernie their union, however cookie monster portrays a binge and purge lifestyle. Also, do I want my kid to think going Goth is extra cool because The Count lives that way?

"Tickle Me" Elmo isn't the best role model either, maybe they could upgrade him to a "Good Touch Bad Touch" Elmo in order to help kids the way Arthur Fonzerelli helped us all when I was a kid.

I have to sign off now so I can set up my DVR for a series recording.

Snow Day

2008-01-15T19:47:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I did nothing. I sat in the living room and watched television. My life still stops for snow storms. Better than any Christmas bonus, right at the end of an otherwise dreary, rainy and disgustingly muddy winter weekend.

I know I need to make up the day at the end of the year, but I just enjoyed the day off thoroughly. My hip was slightly unhappy, so I was happy to put off mountain snow tubing until this Friday at work.

Actually, work has been fun when we don't have snow days. Last Friday we watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3 on the big interactive screen, it was not bad day at the office, but nothing compared to the previous Friday's Beowulf 3D at the IMAX with complimentary popcorn and soda.

As a self identified liberal, it was tough to listen to the Clinton/O'Bama fight for the Black vote this week. The Boston Globe mentioned a Reagan Rule of campaigning. The Reagan Rule states that you should not attack a fellow party member running for president. The tightness of that Clinton/O'Bama race is going to leave them fighting for every last voter.

New Years at Bigman's with Ferry was great.

2008-01-12T00:50:00.000-05:00

As usual, there was nowhere near enough time to enjoy his company, but it was great seeing him.

Currently, I'm trying to get through Paradise Lost, but Milton isn't making it easy. I'm halfway through book one and I love the the idea of leviathan. I also believe Cloverfield features a leviathan like creature and I heard the movie was named for a level in the old RAMPAGE game.

Happy Holidays From FLA

2007-12-28T19:17:00.000-05:00

Heather and I had an ambrosial Christmas in Florida. I had to wear spf 30 to keep from burning. I was hot and the water was warm and it felt delightful . I got to hang out with my new niece and I'm biased but I think she is the best baby ever. Just my opinion. She also got all the good looks and the height in the family. Holding her and watching her explore the world was an awesome experience.

Heather is dying to babysit, but my mother is having the time of her life showing my Godchild to the world. We went boating with my in-laws, and got to sit in the sun and swim for an entire day. It was a much needed respite from the New England weather I continue to romanticize. There are so many days we reconsider living in the North East. I don't ski or snowboard, I'm allergic to all fish, tuna included. Shellfish=DEATH. So why stay.

I like the isolation of winter. I like using four wheel drive to plow through snowbanks. There's nothing better than planting a garden every year. Fresh snowfall leaves the the world in a permanent twilight that I really would miss. Hot chocolate and coffee are so much more meaningful, and nothing beats the warmth of a fire and an oven baking cookies. And I'm still a sucker for Norman Rockwell.

Riding in the plane gave me a chance to catch up on my reading. Whipped through No Country for Old Men one the flight down. It took me a few hours to piece it all together, but I think the story is analogous to Billy Budd, with the idea of good versus evil and good being slightly corrupted and destroyed. Haven't seen the film, but I hear great things.

Heather and I loved What is the What, a book that doubles a personal history of one of the Lost Boys and a surprisingly funny fish out of water story. I could talk about this book for pages, so I'll leave it at that.

An Uncommon Reader was a great book to read if you like to read, if that makes any sense. I read it in under four hours, and I am a slow reader, the payoff was well worth the read.

So much more to write about. I'm currently enjoying my new semi-tan. Thinking of going to Cancun soon.

Peace on Earth and Goodwill Towards All,
Powers

Random thoughts of the month.

2007-12-07T21:59:00.000-05:00

So I fell back in to the the deep dark hole called CIV III. It's time to fill in the back story of the last month. Monday before Thanksgiving, I thought Figs and Amy might stop by Thanksgiving weekend. I was pretty excited when I first mentioned it, after dinner at Redbones with the cheerfully expecting couple, I am going to propose a joint vacation. I can only hope that Heather and I get invited to the baptism.
Work has been a great and, at times, overwhelming experience. Grading is always easy for me, but I have to reach students who don't really share the same reality. But it's a good challenge to face and the optimism is almost palpable in my co-workers.
Gotta watch the Celtics now.

My New Temporary Family

2007-11-11T07:54:00.000-05:00

My new job is pretty cool. I went to the unemployment office a few weeks ago and looked through thousands of job postings, then continued on until I had seen every job in Massachusetts that was posted in every magazine, website, or newspaper I could find. I ended up sending out one e-mail to contact the one job I wanted. I then promptly forgot what I had applied for.

Two weeks passed when I got a phone call from a school that specializes in dealing with social and emotional middle schoolers. I wasn't sure why I applied for this particular job until I showed up to see the place. Trying to describe this place would take way too long, but it was kind of like a big family atmosphere.

Many of my students are orphans, a couple have even had their adoptive parents die. Some missed years of school because they just slipped through the cracks. Some are academically inclined, but most have very low self esteem when it comes to school and life in general. A couple have spent their formative years as the unwanted children their parents couldn't handle, so they ended up in the custody of various organizations.

It's not the hardest job in the world, in fact it's pretty basic, I just need to know how to teach Middle School subjects like Math and English. I can't believe I'm getting paid enough to make a decent living doing something that enjoy, but I do. In fact, I really think I get more out of this than my students do. On a good day, I go home knowing I made difference in a place I was desperately needed, on a bad day, I know I'm going in the next day with a chance to make things better.

I've had some pretty crazy times as a teacher. Two years ago, one of my former students committed suicide, and still I don't how to get over that because it was a student that I had made a personal project of and we made a lot of progress. A year after I changed jobs, he was crashing from pharmaceuticals and his father was a gun collector. Another student went from getting expelled (before I met him) to making a great turn-a-round and getting to graduation. Since I left town, he's been wandering around nearly comatose. I take at least part of the blame for each, it was my job to help them to adulthood and I know there are teachers who would have worked miracles.

There have been miracles I have helped happen, like pushing the Sudanese refugees all the way to college, and miracles I have witnessed, like the angry teenager who was living in the projects. She got incurable cancer, had it go into remission, and now she goes to college and helps other girls who are just like she was five years ago.

The biggest lesson I have learned from teaching is, if you treat someone with respect and love, they will respond with respect and love. If people aren't treating you with respect and love, you may be doing something wrong.

Obviously, I will have a million tales of interactions with my new temporary family, and maybe I'll blog a few in the near future.

New Job Monday

2007-11-03T15:52:00.000-04:00

On Monday, I go in for my first day on a new job. This breaks a streak of four consecutive months that I had no homework and no work related drama. I feel at peace with the world right now, and I'm looking forward to getting back to earning money.
Heather has been great through the entire experience and I have to say, it has been awesome having "free" time over the past few months. Seeing as the next foreseeable stretch I will enjoy like this will be retirement (fingers crossed), I loved the break from reality.
I am no closer to finishing the basement, and the tub and tiling still need to be done, but I am off to enjoy the remaining hours of my summer break that ends November 5.

Randy Moss is in trouble again.

2007-10-16T14:28:00.000-04:00

What is it with this guy and traffic stops:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/news/2002/0924/1436287.html
http://www.wsmv.com/news/14351455/detail.html

The night Dickie Barrett didn't steal my shoe.

2007-10-16T00:13:00.001-04:00

I have been into the Bosstones, dating to the "Taang" days. That was way after most people were fans of the white high-top shoe. I was not like a regular fan who listened to the "Knock on Wood" a whole bunch of times in a row but the kind of guy who heard any ska-core in the late nineties song and went into a relentless rant about how Dickie Barrett was awesome.

I'm proud to say I have been to the "Hometown Throwdown" multiple times and enjoyed every chance I had to interact with anyone who has ever interacted with a member of the band, and I have even watched television shows just because Dickie Barrett was somehow involved. I have (accidentally) driven past Queensbury, at # 8 Hell Hotel Punk Rock Estate, I have worked with a person who was a tenant of the Bosstone's bassist's tuner (or something like that). In short, I have kept tabs on how close I have almost come with the band.

One night, my giant white high=top would intersect dangerously close with Dickie Barrett's famous throat. Now, I have heard that Dickie Barrett is a egocentric SOB but, if I were the lead singer of the Bosstones, or even the back-up soundcheck guy for the Bosstones, I would be an egocentric SOB myself. He's always showed up at the Middle East Club for shows, and even climbing ceiling after being warned by security in front of a packed crowed of 3,000 well into his peak years of stardom.

When I was a senior in high school, PIL lead man and former Sex Pistols icon Johnny Rotten came out with an album. He was trying to break out the considerable shadow of Sid Vicious and released "Rise." Maybe it was as awesome as I remember and maybe it wasn't, but remember I was really into Thriller, The Boss, The Beastie Boys, Nina, Tone Loc, and other #### that would blow your mind.

Johnny Rotten played a set in Boston where he bailed mid-show. A bunch of fans got mad, and some threw their shoes on stage in protest as he screams at the crowd. Johnny Rotten, the EZE of his era, kicks their shoes behind stage and yells, " You mutha ######'s can walk home barefoot." At the time I thought he was bad###.

Fast forward two years: I went to a Bosstones show at Pearl Street, near UMass. Figs got all of us tickets show, I think even Brian Drink came up for the weekend. I had been listening to and deifying the band through much of my adolescent life and they were playing Pearl Street, which, like the Middle East, is tiny. The unbelievable thing about small clubs is everyone in the crowd eventually gets to share the stage with the headliner. I once went to a hardcore show with Figs, and I was the one of five people who didn't take the stage with the band (no lie) the lead singer sang the famous refrain, the crowd sang along, I stood alone, in front of a stage of a few hundred, and lead singer pushed the mic forward. I screamed incoherently. but that tells more about the size of Pearl Street than it does about the night I lost my shoe.

So I was (nine-year-old in-candy-store)x(thirteen-year-old-in-a-toy-store)x(fifteen-year-old-discovering-back-room-of-local-video;store) kinds of excited about this Bosstone's show.

Here's what I remember:

I was crowd surfing in my over-sized white puffy high-tops and someone reached out grabbed my shoe. I think it hit the ground after that and quickly changed hands. Soon, it was flung hard toward the middle of the stage. Someone threw it right in Dickie's face. My stinky size elevens.

He deftly ducked, like the god he was before he sold out. The missile just missed and he didn't miss a beat in the song.
Then someone grabbed my sock. No kidding. My knee high white tube-sock was pulled halfway off. I thought this was an isolated incident, so I jumped over the crowed later in the set. Same result. Five people trying to steal my sock.

The fact that we were watching the Bosstones while a blizzard raged outside made the adventure even more exciting, until I realized I would have to walk the next seven and a half blocks to the car in six inches of snow, with no shoe.

Not only did I lose a white high-top, but it was one of two sneakers that I owned at the time, and I didn't have much use for a left shoe. As I braced myself for the walk home, a husky voice yelled from the the stage "who is the ###hole who lost his shoe?" Maybe it was a bouncer maybe it was my hero, but I tell everyone it was Dickie Barrett. My shoe was thrown like a bouquet and I scrambled as the desperate suitor. Other shoes were stolen from crowd surfers and were thrown toward the stage. My Reeboks again were reunited.

That night, as I walked through the snow with two warm feet, I thanked God that Dickie Barrett was everything I hoped he was, namely, not a shoe stealing SOB.

Random thought of the month for October

2007-10-13T19:22:00.000-04:00

Is it possible for someone who has never been a citizen of a country to defect from that country? Would Andrei Kirilenko be the first?

Listing my accomplishments over the last week and half...

2007-10-13T17:23:00.000-04:00

Would take up far too much space for this one small blog entry. To start with, I am 1% closer to finishing the bathroom. I realized I have to pull out the tub and use thread tape or adhesive, so now I have to undo the project by about 20%. In essence, I'm 96% done today, and I will be 76% done at some point tomorrow.
Then, I have to convince Heather we need to use smaller wall tiles. The sixteen inch stone tiles aren't holding to the wall that well. I also want to reposition the shower fittings, which means I'm going to have to cut out a wall stud, which means I have to take down the kitchen cabinets. I guess there is a theoretical possibility that it will all get done tomorrow, but the Sox are on tonight, and the Pats are on tomorrow afternoon. There goes that theory.

Actually, outside of reorganizing the basement for the bar build up, all of my accomplishments have been theoretical. I even theoretically got an awesome job.

There is no start date, because the program needs to grow by a couple of students before I get hired. It was an awesome interview, I went in and had great conversations, I was completely myself and didn't even try to treat it like an interview. I didn't try to impress anyone, and I wore a Red Sox shirt (They stressed not to dress up). They loved me, I loved them. Now I have a theoretical job I love.

How to take a good mugshot

2007-10-03T21:34:00.000-04:00

I was in Home Depot yesterday walking behind three employees. One of them was emphatically describing pushing a woman under his car and praying the police didn't appear. Another of the employees saw me and told the story teller, "Hey O.J., chill out."

Something clicked and I had to figure out what O.J. was thinking when he led a commando style raid in Vegas. Obviously, a partial thought was, "I hope this actually stay in Vegas." I figured if someone were to read his most recent mugshot, they could compare to the famous O.J. mugshot and see the different in "facial attitude" for a glimpse at his thoughts. He went from stern O.J. in the 90's to a happy go lucky look in his most recent shot.

Likewise, Mike Tyson went from serious in '04 to sticking his tongue out in '06.

This made me think about how I want my mugshot to look. I don't plan on being arrested any time soon, but the possibility is always out there. What kind of a mugshot do I want to be remembered by?
Here are a few choices, of course it depends on the charges I face (I wouldn't want to be smiling in a felonious mugshot).

If I get arrested on serious charges, I think I go with my best contrite look (look up Senator Craig's mug or the "Young O.J. mug), but if it's a charge like jaywalking or scalping tickets I could go for the Mel Gibson, Kimora Simmons, '07 O.J. or Rush Limbaugh smiling look.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/index.html

Met a guy who broke his neck.

2007-10-03T18:31:00.000-04:00

Five of seven vertebrae in his neck were smashed in a car accident. He was told he may be able to use a wheelchair, but he would have never breath on his own again. He didn't have insurance, so he was released from the hospital within a month and given a month of physical therapy.

Of course, he managed to walk out of the hospital and he was practicing throwing acorns into a bucket at ten yards when I met him. He never referenced God or miracles and was quick to mention how lucky he felt. While he was in the spinal wing, he said he met other people who were recovering from similar circumstances.

It was clear when he walked that he wasn't all the way back yet, but he was studying to be a physical therapist and he had no doubt he would get himself all the way back to "normal." He never once complained. He just drank a couple of beers with me, happily answered my questions, and threw acorns into a bucket.

Flaring up some joints...

2007-10-03T16:13:00.000-04:00

Note: I refer to my condition as arthritis because it refers to inflammation of joints. The doctors have diagnosed it as various ailments over the years based on genetic testing, blood tests, and other indicators. Millions of people have mystery ailments like mine who never get a proper diagnosis. I don't expect or even hope for a correct diagnosis in my life. I have moved on from the "I need a diagnosis" phase to the "I could care what it is, lets move on with our lives" phase.

I was installing new coax cable and book shelves in the basement. I felt it coming and I knew if I pushed myself, I'd be off my feet for a while. My body is now in a state of systemic arthritic flare up. Pain scale of about three out of 10, but if I push on, I'll be couch ridden for 48 hours straight or do permanent damage. I used to not care, but I have to live with this body for the rest of my life. It doesn't really ever hurt all that much, just my joints get hot, swollen, and immobile.

I don't mind being arthritic, I can't remember what it was like before I had it, outside of the fact that I was skinny, fast, and could throw a lot harder. The really frustrating thing is that my wife keeps calling and my cell battery is toast, so I have to get up and answer the phone. Walking is a bitch right now, but I have interviewed at a couple of places so I need to see who is calling. Note to self: install more outlets closer to the couch.

It used to be a lot worse. I couldn't walk across a lawn during my earliest flare ups. When I was trying to go to law school, I once lost the ability to walk halfway between work and school when my hip jammed. Hiking the Appalachian Trail, both my hips went out five mile from camp right next to sign that said "No Camping: Beware of Bears". It actually made camping a lot more adventurous and memorable.

Now I have a sense of when to pull back and let things cool down for a day or two. I can literally feel every joint in my body swell a little right now. Again, not the worst pain in the world, just frustrating that I would like to be building a bar in my basement, and instead, I can either read or write.

I don't take pain medication anymore. When it all started out, I was dosed with about a dozen chemicals, and I had to take blood tests a few times a week for about a year. I also had to inject myself daily with toxic chemicals that caused sores on my body. I don't even go to doctors that suggest prescriptions anymore. I don't even take aspirin or Tylenol anymore.

I don't talk about it very much anymore because it tended to define me when it first happened. The first question out of anyone's mouth used to be "How's the arthritis doing?" That lasted for about five years. I wasn't me anymore, I was the kid that got arthritis. I became famous not for what I had done, but for what had happened to me and that is never a good thing. Some relatives treated me like I was a victim of a crime. I don't deal in pity at all. I will laugh at you if you break your ankle, and I expect you to laugh at me because of my arthritis.

It's a strange life. Three days ago, Heather and I were playing basketball and I swear I touched the rim on a regulation hoop. Today, I'm sitting on the couch, nothing to read, nothing on TV, talking to myself on my blog. Tomorrow or the next day, I will be as good as new, playing ball. And hopefully I can finish the basement.

Life is good.

I have a perfect IQ: it's... um... like... 4.0

2007-10-01T07:25:00.000-04:00

Overheard on the T:
Coming back on the airport shuttle, two girls dressed in micro denim skirts and stiletto heels boarded the T with a bunch of foreigners. The brunette started talking about how wasted the blonde was (passed out under a pile of people in a stranger's car that was pulled over).

Brunette: "You are sooo retahded."
Blonde: "Don't call me retahded, I got an IQ of... like... um... 4.0"

Welcome to America, I hope not too many people on the bus spoke English.

Later on the same crowded noisy T as the breaks were squealing,
blonde yells out over the noise: "I gotta call my mum real quick. Think she'll know I'm on the T?"

Heather (under hear breath): "Not if stupidity is hereditary."

Conversation continues as they get on the Green Line and sit halfway down the car from us.

Blonde: "You need a new phone, this one looks like a calculator."
Brunette: "But I just managed to figure out how to use this phone, I don't want to learn a new one."

Heather (to the little girl sitting across from us): "Cover your ears, you don't want to catch stupidity."

Other interesting notes about their evening:
The blonde passed out in a sketchy guy's bed.
They couldn't have been more than seventeen years old.
They were clearly still wearing their whoring clothes from the night before, but the make-up had smudged into a clown-like face that we in the city refer to as a "hot mess." Hot mess means you look like a steaming pile of...

Went to an interview today.

2007-09-25T18:36:00.000-04:00

I wore a Redsox polo shirt and khakis. I have never felt more overdressed in my life. Sandals and black nail polish. I feel like I should have been even more casual about my life. 5 kids per class. Complete cooperative learning environment. New tech everywhere. If it pays my mortgage and I get an offer tomorrow, I will start Monday. I wouldn't get out until 3:30 PM, but I'd get home around 4.

TV notes:
Watching 8 Simple Rules with Heather and John Ritter's character thought he was having heart problems. His nurse wife felt his heart and told him there was nothing wrong with his heart. The show aired on October 8, 2002. He died of an undetected heart problem September 11, 2003, his kid's fifth birthday, and in the hospital John Ritter himself was born in.

After reading his filmography on imdb I have to thank Ritter for beating out Billy Crystal for Jack Tripper. Crystal did one decent movie (Harry Met Sally) and ruined Big Georgie Muresan budding acting career with crap. Crystal also brought the * to modern sport. I don't think I have ever laughed out loud at anything Crystal has done.

Links
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0503860
http://www.eurobasket.com/rom/Photos/Muresan_Movie.jpg

Random Thought of the Month...

2007-09-24T19:15:00.000-04:00

The difference between "Faces of Death" and "America's Funniest Home Videos" is often measure in millimeters. Somewhere in the middle is "The Darwin Awards."

I hate Hackle's basement.

2007-09-22T11:32:00.000-04:00

I am in the midst of trying to redo my basement to be par with Hackle's basement. He has a bar with under-cabinet lights, a poker table, dart board, a/c vent, windows that light in, and some room to spare. I have NONE of those things. Plus, I suffer from a disorder where I can't throw out books and the library won't take them. And my computer/video game hobby that seems to take up way more room than his bikes.

After I get our stuff semi-organized, I will post a picture to show how far worse our basement truly is when compared to Hackle's.

Still searching for a new job.

2007-09-20T19:05:00.000-04:00

I try to get out and look actively even if it's just at the career source center. It's fun looking through the jobs and imagining seeing myself doing the job description. Looks like the top four jobs by availability are:
1. RN
2. Some sort of "level two" accountant job, but I don't think I can build the exp.s fast enough to advance to level 2 anytime soon.
3. Entry level job at a sport media firm that is looking to build on "cross-over" appeal.
4. Computer programmer/ IT dept.

The Boston area doesn't seem to need someone like me around. I think Heather would be psyched if I could finish this place and get us out to LA before the LA housing regroups. A little searching for jobs, a little home improvement.
My ankles start to wear out after three hour of carrying loads of books, but the library is 50% relocated to the basement. I have come to realize the I have read 5% of my books twice or more, but I think I own over a hundred books I have never read and probably will never read.
I have copies of Russian novels I have opened and read a page and a half of, decided the book was boring, and a decade later I'm carrying it up a flight of stairs waiting until I "mature" enough as a reader. I have Aristotle and Kant that I abandoned long ago for home repair books, but the books remain in our possession.
I hereby resolve to make the offending books into book art.
Picture to follow...

Pats punishment means the terrorists have already won.

2007-09-15T07:38:00.000-04:00

I thought the Patriot Act made domestic spying legal. Belichick saw some suspicious Jets near NY and decided to get footage of what seemed to be a secretive plan. The NFL is so un-American for fining him.

I have no job.

2007-09-14T10:14:00.000-04:00

Life is good as I search for the perfect job. On Monday, I spent five hours in a career search office looking at thousands of jobs. I saw two that I kind of liked and heard from a few people looking to interview me for various positions with one offer of "up to 120,000 dollars a year." With commission I'm assuming.

I'm looking for another job that lets me help people and makes me feel empowered, not desperate. I have about two more weeks until I feel I need to take some interviews, and don't really want to make a ton of money at my job. I know that sounds un-American, but I can't take a job that would require me to be miserable. I have worked for at least the last fifteen years, and hated two jobs out of about a dozen. (Listen to me on my high horse)

Working on the house has been a good time, so has teaching, the jobs just didn't come up after my old school was down-sized. I did get a couple of interview requests from financial companies, but that is how I came to be a teacher (can't sit in a cube all day).

Unemployment is offering to retrain me for a job that I like, but what can I get trained for and hired for in a year? Most of the really cool jobs required at least two years experience (video game football designer included). I will try to update the search as it progresses.

________

Update, just saw a dream job working with old friends. More to follow.

Smoking made adorable.

2007-09-09T09:49:00.000-04:00

Penguins only put the healthiest tobacco leaves in Kool brand cigarettes. Warning, this promotional video makes cigarettes extra cool.

The Godfather: Part 2

2007-09-08T21:37:00.000-04:00

In a summer of sequels, one stand above the rest. Last month I became godfather to Molly, my brother's daughter. Next month, I will be reprising the roll for Heather's nephew.

I am also available for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.

Who says you can't go home again?

2007-09-08T08:51:00.000-04:00

Lived with ferry for a month this summer. We spent a week and half in LA, then business kept him out here for the end of the summer. Life is good. Hopefully, we can get out and see more of you all next summer.

This weekend my Mother-in-Law is coming to visit. She's a super nice lady and we get along great, so I'm actually looking forward to it.

News of the weekend has to be opening game for the Pats, but that's a story for another blog. Btw, I will be watching the game at Bigman's.

Bathroom is nearing completion.

2007-09-02T18:42:00.000-04:00

Pictures to follow...

The former doorway.

The new floor &c.

More floor and tile.

I love Red Bones

2007-08-25T00:26:00.000-04:00

I had lunch at Red Bones with my friend for her 35th birthday a few hours. That's twice I've gone to Red Bones in one week. I got the bar-b-steak this time. It was divine.
I got to see Ferry, Knife, Baru, Hackle, Bigman, Yo, and Jess in the last month.

Played cards last night...

2007-08-22T11:45:00.000-04:00

Which is to say I gave Hackle my money. I think everyone was up ten dollars but me. There were four other players. Baru and Bigman did pretty well.
I had been working on installing a bathroom for about a month, it was a great summer project. Finally, I had the Mainers and Bigman over to test the plumbing. Even after a day at Red Bones, it seemed to hold up.
Some questions remain unanswered, I wish I could tell you definitively who stabbed who in the face.

We are all going to die!!!!

2007-08-19T22:12:00.000-04:00

When someone yells this on a plane, it's a crime. When a philosopher says it in a book, it's an "epiphany." When I say it. am I being morbid, or part of the realist movement?
Well, it's about time to update our horror movie site.

It's nice to get the band back together.

2007-08-19T12:10:00.000-04:00

Yo escaped containment at 6:03 PM. After he got out, Ferry, Bigman, Knife and I enjoyed apple donuts and bar-b-q chicken as Ortiz and the Sox cruised in a win over LAAA.

Quick Yo Story:
Before Yo left, he was going through my wallet and laughing. I didn't even think about it until I got to the store and didn't have my bank card. Thank god I carry an extra twenty. I found my bank card back home. He was also involved in one incident where I thought "Thank God he's wearing those safety goggles this weekend."

We convinced Ferry to stay the night, so hopefully we can adopt him for the extended weekend, and subject him to awful movies.

Updates:
Yo is once again employed in a corporate job, Knife is working out of NJ two days a week, Ferry is holding together his corner of the Scooter company better than could be expected, more on that in the future.

I moved this over from Super-Rant. Let's see if 27 hours of my life is worth postage to Airtran.

2007-08-16T23:47:00.000-04:00

I moved this over from Super-Rant. Let's see if 27 hours of my life is worth postage to Airtran.

Well, I thought I might add in the e-mail they have, as well as the latest Super Rant. I feel kind of sorry for "Some Jerk" (name withheld to protect the guilty. Who has to deal with me.

Subject: Try again.

Dear Airtran complaint department. The offer below has been rejected. I will NOT accept a free one-way (subject to blackout dates) for my silence about what you have done to us.

Offer material goods. T-shirts and hats, or some corporate trinkets. This offer of a one-way ticket is completely acceptable. Now, comeback with something substantial and I will consider dropping our two person campaign of writing and talking about how poorly we were treated by your company.

I really think Airtran is a terrible company for treating us the way they have and I plan on conveying this every person I now through the internet, personal communication, and all other means legally possible. I'm not accepting one free plane ticket, so what else do you have?

Dan Powers
[My Address to send stuff to]

>From: [Some Jerk]
>To:
>Subject: Re: You are probably going to lose a family of customers and everyone else I can convince not to fly with you.
>Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 21:39:51 -0400
>
>
>Dear Mr. Powers,
>
>On behalf of AirTran Airways, please accept my apology for the difficulties you experienced during your travel. Our objective is to operate our flights in a safe, reliable and timely manner, which will allow our customers to reach their destinations as scheduled. However, there are occasions when Air Traffic Control implements a holding program in an effort to better manage the volume of air traffic. While we understand the frustration this causes, we have no control over the situation and can only await their clearance.
>
>
>
>All of our Crew Members are instructed to professionally perform their responsibilities while providing the highest level of Caring Customer Service. There is simply no excuse for our agent's failure to properly address your concerns during a misconnection. I have forwarded a copy of your comments to the appropriate department head for review and action.
>
>
>
>
>
>As a gesture of good will, I have authorized complimentary one-way travel per passenger, valid for a period of one (1) year from today, to any destination on our system. In order to redeem this compensation, please call, 800.204.5695, and reference itinerary . Travel is subject to blackout dates and capacity controls. International Departure Taxes are not included.
>
>
>
>
>Your continued support is important to us.
>
>
>
>
>Sincerely,
>
>[Some Jerk]
>Customer Relations Department
>AirTran Airways
>
>
>
>--- Original Message ---
>From:
>Received: 8/9/2007 11:12:32 PM Eastern Standard Time (GMT - 4:00 )
>To:
>Subject: You are probably going to lose a family of customers and everyone else I can convince not to fly with you.
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> COMMENTS My wife and I recently flew from LaGuardia to LAX with a stop in Atlanta. It cost me 27 consecutive hours of our lives before we left Atlanta. When it was mistake after misdirection of your employees that cost us our vacation. Leaving New York, there was a storm front approaching so the pilot let us know it would be an additional twenty minutes before we would leave. Three hours on the Tarmac later, when we were three planes from take-off, he announced he would take a vote from the passengers about whether to return to the gate or keep our spot in line for the next half hour. Four passengers decided they would rather return to the gate, so all of us had to get off the plane. It was later explained to us that you are not responsible for the weather, but I assure you I hold you accountable for the actions of your employees. When we were forced off the plane, we had to spend an extra half hour near the gate to ensure we didn't lose our seats. When the plane reboarded, we spent an extra hour on the plane when, if we had taken a "vote" we would have been in the air at least an hour before we actually left the ground. Again, pilots decision is not the same as weather problems. When we finally arrived in Atlanta, we were told by the gate agent that we had to run across Atlanta's airport to reach the next connecting flight. As I started to run, my wife asks the gate agent if our connecting flight had actually already left the gate. He sheepishly admitted that it had left the gate, left unsaid was he was wasting our time trying to send us running across the worlds biggest airport. We were then directed to customer service who gave us a voucher for a hotel room and promised we would be on the first flight to LA in the morning. I asked her for a ticket confirming this and she replied that the computer couldn't print the ticket, but there was no feasible way we would not be on that plane because they always took ten to twelve standby passengers on the first flight to LA. Standby ticket in hand, we called the numbers on the hotel voucher. Guess how many rooms were available. Can't guess? I'll give you a hint, the number was less than one and more than negative one. Zero is the number you are looking for. Of course, at that point, the customer service desk closed and everyone had left. We were told people worked at the airport through the night, but the only people we could find were the metal workers who were repairing the sheet metal around the airport at an almost injurious noise level. No bed, no blankets, stranded in Atlanta in a construction zone, we didn't get much sleep, but we had been assured we would be on that first departing flight. You could imagine how our hearts sank as the ticket agent in the morning told us we had no such deal. Having not bathed in 27 hours and barely slept for 38 hours, you could imagine how used we felt. Not only were not getting on the first flight in the morning, we were told you had no responsibility to us because of a "weather policy." Weather had less to do with our delay than the pilot taking an informal poll and grounding us, but the ticket agent again disappeared when we started to ask questions. Finally, after a complete day of dealing with the misdirection and inaccurate statements by Airtran employees, one person went into a computer and booked us on the next flight. It was that easy all along. I wish I had carried a tape recorder to record all the statements so I make a comedy, but at that point, we felt rather tragic. Nothing is more important to me than my time, and for Airtran to claim it was the weather's fault was not only inaccurate, it was downright misleading. The said thing is my wife and I each have two free tickets to fly anywhere in the country at anytime in the next six months, and they will most likely go unused. There are many places I want to see in the world, and none of them would I let Airtran fly me to. It was one of the more degrading experiences in my life. I look forward to sharing this experience with all of my family and friends and telling them how I wouldn't let Airtran fly me anywhere for free, never mind pay for the experience. Because of our delays, we couldn't meet up with the person we were staying with costing us another 10 hours of our vacation. An entire day of my life was wasted and no one would admit anything outside of the pilot who apologized, but of course I didn't bring my tape recorder, so I had no proof. I don't know how you would hope to make up for this experience, but I will be publishing the experience next week, and using this as an example of poor customer service whenever I get a chance unless you think you could find a way to make things right. Please encourage your employees to be forthright, because at the end of the day, a companies reputation is all it has to stand on. The good news for us is we fly frequently and we get to interact frequently with other frequent flyers. This was the worst and most degrading experience we have had with an airline, and hopefully we can share our experience with others. I thank you for hearing my concerns and I look forward to your response, Dan Powers
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> LAST NAME Powers
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> FIRST NAME Dan
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------

>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> AREA Flight Experience
>
> SUBJECT You are probably going to lose a family of customers and everyone else I can convince not to fly with you.
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>

>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>------ Please do not remove your unique tracking number! ------

>From: Some Jerk
>To:
>Subject: Re: You are probably going to lose a family of customers and everyone else I can convince not to fly with you. <<>>
>Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 21:39:51 -0400
>
>
>Dear Mr. Powers,
>
>On behalf of AirTran Airways, please accept my apology for the difficulties you experienced during your travel. Our objective is to operate our flights in a safe, reliable and timely manner, which will allow our customers to reach their destinations as scheduled. However, there are occasions when Air Traffic Control implements a holding program in an effort to better manage the volume of air traffic. While we understand the frustration this causes, we have no control over the situation and can only await their clearance.
>
>
>
>All of our Crew Members are instructed to professionally perform their responsibilities while providing the highest level of Caring Customer Service. There is simply no excuse for our agent's failure to properly address your concerns during a misconnection. I have forwarded a copy of your comments to the appropriate department head for review and action.
>
>
>
>
>
>As a gesture of good will, I have authorized complimentary one-way travel per passenger, valid for a period of one (1) year from today, to any destination on our system. In order to redeem this compensation, please call, 800.204.5695, and reference itinerary . Travel is subject to blackout dates and capacity controls. International Departure Taxes are not included.
>
>
>
>
>Your continued support is important to us.
>
>
>
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Customer Relations Department
>AirTran Airways
>
>
>
>--- Original Message ---
>From:
>Received: 8/9/2007 11:12:32 PM Eastern Standard Time (GMT - 4:00 )
>To:
>Subject: You are probably going to lose a family of customers and everyone else I can convince not to fly with you.
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> COMMENTS My wife and I recently flew from LaGuardia to LAX with a stop in Atlanta. It cost me 27 consecutive hours of our lives before we left Atlanta. When it was mistake after misdirection of your employees that cost us our vacation. Leaving New York, there was a storm front approaching so the pilot let us know it would be an additional twenty minutes before we would leave. Three hours on the Tarmac later, when we were three planes from take-off, he announced he would take a vote from the passengers about whether to return to the gate or keep our spot in line for the next half hour. Four passengers decided they would rather return to the gate, so all of us had to get off the plane. It was later explained to us that you are not responsible for the weather, but I assure you I hold you accountable for the actions of your employees. When we were forced off the plane, we had to spend an extra half hour near the gate to ensure we didn't lose our seats. When the plane reboarded, we spent an extra hour on the plane when, if we had taken a "vote" we would have been in the air at least an hour before we actually left the ground. Again, pilots decision is not the same as weather problems. When we finally arrived in Atlanta, we were told by the gate agent that we had to run across Atlanta's airport to reach the next connecting flight. As I started to run, my wife asks the gate agent if our connecting flight had actually already left the gate. He sheepishly admitted that it had left the gate, left unsaid was he was wasting our time trying to send us running across the worlds biggest airport. We were then directed to customer service who gave us a voucher for a hotel room and promised we would be on the first flight to LA in the morning. I asked her for a ticket confirming this and she replied that the computer couldn't print the ticket, but there was no feasible way we would not be on that plane because they always took ten to twelve standby passengers on the first flight to LA. Standby ticket in hand, we called the numbers on the hotel voucher. Guess how many rooms were available. Can't guess? I'll give you a hint, the number was less than one and more than negative one. Zero is the number you are looking for. Of course, at that point, the customer service desk closed and everyone had left. We were told people worked at the airport through the night, but the only people we could find were the metal workers who were repairing the sheet metal around the airport at an almost injurious noise level. No bed, no blankets, stranded in Atlanta in a construction zone, we didn't get much sleep, but we had been assured we would be on that first departing flight. You could imagine how our hearts sank as the ticket agent in the morning told us we had no such deal. Having not bathed in 27 hours and barely slept for 38 hours, you could imagine how used we felt. Not only were not getting on the first flight in the morning, we were told you had no responsibility to us because of a "weather policy." Weather had less to do with our delay than the pilot taking an informal poll and grounding us, but the ticket agent again disappeared when we started to ask questions. Finally, after a complete day of dealing with the misdirection and inaccurate statements by Airtran employees, one person went into a computer and booked us on the next flight. It was that easy all along. I wish I had carried a tape recorder to record all the statements so I make a comedy, but at that point, we felt rather tragic. Nothing is more important to me than my time, and for Airtran to claim it was the weather's fault was not only inaccurate, it was downright misleading. The said thing is my wife and I each have two free tickets to fly anywhere in the country at anytime in the next six months, and they will most likely go unused. There are many places I want to see in the world, and none of them would I let Airtran fly me to. It was one of the more degrading experiences in my life. I look forward to sharing this experience with all of my family and friends and telling them how I wouldn't let Airtran fly me anywhere for free, never mind pay for the experience. Because of our delays, we couldn't meet up with the person we were staying with costing us another 10 hours of our vacation. An entire day of my life was wasted and no one would admit anything outside of the pilot who apologized, but of course I didn't bring my tape recorder, so I had no proof. I don't know how you would hope to make up for this experience, but I will be publishing the experience next week, and using this as an example of poor customer service whenever I get a chance unless you think you could find a way to make things right. Please encourage your employees to be forthright, because at the end of the day, a companies reputation is all it has to stand on. The good news for us is we fly frequently and we get to interact frequently with other frequent flyers. This was the worst and most degrading experience we have had with an airline, and hopefully we can share our experience with others. I thank you for hearing my concerns and I look forward to your response, Dan Powers
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> FIRST NAME Dan
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> CITY STATE, ZIPCODE Arlington MA, 02474
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> AREA Flight Experience
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> SUBJECT You are probably going to lose a family of customers and everyone else I can convince not to fly with you.
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> ORIGINATING PAGE http://www.airtran.com/help.aspx
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>------ Please do not remove your unique tracking number! ------

Posted by Dantion at 7:37 PM 0 comments

My Wife has Returned

2007-08-16T09:10:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure why, but she came home from her trip to Asia. After two weeks, my clothes were starting to smell awful and I was getting pretty hungry.
A follow up to seeing Tommy from This Old House: We just got a collection notice saying we had neglected to pay for our subscription. The problem is, we never ordered it. We were never billed for a subscription, it was a gift. The person who ordered the subscription renewed it for us, and they didn't bill her credit card.
I know they can make a note on the credit report clarifying what happened, but it is silly and now we have to clear up something we never ordered. Seems a little silly to me, so I'm going to give Tommy a piece of my mind and see if we can get free stuff.

The Redhead is coming...

2007-08-15T01:12:00.000-04:00

Three days 'til Ferry hits Boston. Can't even wait that long. Hopefully we can meet him at the airport. Did I mention that I loved going to California. It's going to be awesome. Hopefully we can get tickets to an evening Sox game. Once again, I'm amped, AMPED!
I'm sure Brett doesn't read this, but it would be nice to see you guys.

Madden 08

2007-08-14T09:26:00.000-04:00

I'm not used to "next gen" games yet. I just played a game with 1 minute quarters against the Colts. A very big improvement over 07 for the ps3, but switching defenders pre-snap was annoying as hell. I could only get it to cycle through in one direction. Play-calling was not fixed, meaning you could only select from a field of one play at a time.
They put almost all of the improvements into creating a franchise mode (a major upgrade) and recording actual NFL voices so you could hear Peyton and Brady call out his audibles.
The PS3 version lacks some very useful features from 07 for the ps2, but is a major upgrade from 07 for the ps3. It has been called the "best football game made for a next gen system," but that's like saying "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Secret of the Ooze" was Vanilla Ice's best work to date. You knew that he was just scratching the surface and sure enough, "Cool as Ice" came out and made us all forget how excited we were for TMNT 2.

Already waiting for Madden 09.
Word to your mother.

In two hours and on minute I'll have the new Madden

2007-08-13T21:57:00.000-04:00

I haven't video games in a week. Not sure if I'll play tonight either. I think I may go through the rosters for an hour or two though.

Saw Tommy from "This Old House" today

2007-08-13T17:51:00.000-04:00

I guess we share the same lumber yard/ plumbing supply store. I wasn't sure what to say without sounding like a fanboy, so ignored him. Next time I'll try to get a picture with him, but I don't know if he's that kind of celeb. Maybe I should have asked him to sign my waste pipe.

I'm in need of a montage.

2007-08-12T21:01:00.000-04:00

I've been working on installing a bathroom in the old pantry for a month now, and I'm stalled out at the moment. I could really use a building montage, but I can't find the right song for building a bathroom. "Danny-boy [the pipes are calling]" comes to mind but I was hoping for something more contemporary.

Also, I'm not looking forward to another Carpenter remake like "Halloween." His genius is in his simplicity, and the fact that he writes his own music and controls every other aspect of his movies, which are always brilliantly low budget.

My wife is coming back to me one of these days, I'm sure of it.

2007-08-11T23:22:00.000-04:00

So, I can't remember when Heather is returning from Asia, but it must be soon, which means that I won't be needing my blog therapy much longer. Soon, when I have a frustrating story, I can tell her so it seems there won't be much need for this space on the internet.
I actually forgot the date of her return, but to those of you who know me, you know I don't even remember my own age. There are certain numbers you can't control, but some people let the numbers control them. I'm somewhere among the numbers 31-35, but I stopped paying attention at the age of six. It never seemed that important to me unless it was a big number like driving age or old enough to get into a bar.
Before she comes back, I have a story that I would tell her, but she's not around. This morning, I had to get to my niece's baptism, and my father was freaking out that I would be late, so he spooked me. I was driving through a rotary when the person in front of me stopped to let the cars enter the rotary. If you've been outside Mass long enough to forget, stop reading now, cause the story won't make sense.
One of my pet peeves is people who don't take the right of way while driving. You are not doing anyone any favors by letting cars go, you are conditioning them to believe the right of way doesn't matter, and setting a dangerous precedent. This car stopped mid-way through the rotary and sat there to let cars in. Extremely annoyed by this, I didn't say anything, I just zipped around the car and headed on my merry way rapping along with Ice-T's New Jack Hustler (can't help it, it still gets me amped!).
As I got to the next stop light, the car that had stupidly stopped in the middle of the rotary pulled along side me. I have adopted a policy of actually apologizing when I go brain dead on the road, so I was about to tell the the person it was okay she made a mistake. When I rolled down my window, she screamed "WHAT THE F*CK WAS THAT!?!"
"Huh?" I replied.
"THAT SH!T YOU PULLED DRIVING AROUND ME!!!"
"Oh," I replied, "did you have the right of way?"
"OF COURSE I DID!!!"
"Maybe next time you should take it. Then every other car on the road won't have to work around your personal traffic laws." I think about things like people stopping in front of me way to much not to have a few barbs ready.
"MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T DRIVE LIKE AN @SSH0L&!!!" she continued to scream.
As I rolled up my window and waved, cranking Ice T a little louder and cheerily waving I asked her to "have a nice day," then beat her to the merge where she wouldn't think of ramming my old Cherokee with her new SUV and waved cheerily again. As I drove off to meet my family I thought about how she would probably take her rage out on the next person she saw, but the hypertension I caused might shorten her life a bit, so I guess it's a trade off.
I guess I'm lucky I have this blog, because my wife hates it when I tell her things like I hope I caused hypertension in another individual that will eventually kill them. I have worked pretty successfully to be a non-violent person these days, with the exception of killing a few yellow jackets and leaving the bodies as a reminder to hive about who not to sting. Next, I'm going to try to learn to be non-vengeful.

The local guys who made bullet-proof backbacks have made the national news.

2007-08-11T18:08:00.001-04:00

Cnn.com ran the story about the backpacks.

I am sure it was a lot of fun to fire bullets into a backpack and all, but this idea can't go anywhere. First, most schools in Eastern Mass no longer allow students to carry their backpacks from class to class. In the early nineties, administrators and schools committees agreed that back packs were too heavy to be carried all day long, so they banned them from the classroom.
I have worked in three different schools with this policy, both in the inner city and the suburbs. We didn't even allow most students to have cell phones as texting has become a giant distraction. I have never seen a student attempt to cheat with a cell phone, but they do try to text each other during lessons, then they do poorly on tests because they were texting instead of paying attention.
Now, if a normal, light-weight backpack has been declared off limits for being too heavy, I can't imagine the schools saying it's okay to bring in body armor on the off chance a killing might happen. In the schools in the most dangerous parts of the city have metal detectors anyway.
THe only solution is more support in finding and helping counsel the students who would most likely have violent outbursts. Obviously, the government doesn't have the money to insure the kids all stay safe and get the counseling they would need, but it's not the end of the world. Your kid is much more likely to be killed in a house, in a pool, or crossing the street than they are to be killed in a school building.
So, if bulletproof backpacks are out, what can you do to minimize your child's risk to school violence? Glad you asked. You would need to be willing to advocate for other children than your own. If you hear your kid talking about someone getting bullied, even if your child is not involved at all, call the principal and ask them about it. This does two things. First, I'm sure the principal has no idea what is happening with this specific instance, so it puts it on the radar and he can bring in the students involved and the teachers who can help and coordinate and effort to make things better. Second, it lets the principal know that you are a concerned and involved parent, who is willing to call with a problem. This means the school knows that you are going to call them when the grades come out, so it's better the teachers make sure your kid learns what they are supposed to before the test, and they'd rather talk to before the grades come out than after.

A new fix for floppers...

2007-08-11T09:36:00.000-04:00

Americans seem to hate the soccer floppers and any other flopper that is not on their team. It's been going on since the beginning of sports, so it's time to look for a new fix. Video replay. Hockey, Basketball, Soccer, and other sports that are effected and actually earn revenue could fix this problem rather easily.

I'm not saying that every time a guy hits the ground, we need to stop a game and look to the replay. I'm saying, give the coaches and players a couple of times a match. Say you get two "challenges" where the ref will be given the opportunity to review his call. Maybe you know he made the wrong call, but he just had a bad angle on the play. Call reversed, no problem.

Now, how would this get rid of floppers? If a player were to John Stockton someone (gratuitous arms waving, no one actually touched him flop), that player would get flopping points put on his or her team. On the first flop, the player would get a warning, and the other team would get free throws or a penalty kick. Two in one game, and you are out of the game. Obviously, you could claim that you injured yourself and that's why you hit the deck. Injured players must be removed from the game immediately and for the next five minutes of play. This would end stars flopping near the end of close games.

Star players could no longer flop, but there seems to be less incentive for lesser players in this case. As your team accrues flopping points, your organization would forfeit a certain percentage of the gate for that contest. Two convicted flops equals 10% reduction in revenue for the game.

The money could go to charity, or back into the hands of the ticket holders. Two flops equals a free round of drinks for everyone in the building. Imagine watching Jason Kidd run under Paul Pierce in the play-offs and drawing a bs charge to almost decide the game. Then the Celtics asks for a review, the ref corrects the call, which now doesn't hurt the Cs and the Nets go home a little poorer and we all get free drinks, Instead of contemplating never watching the game again, you're now saying, "I love this game."

Note to Knife and Gats...

2007-08-10T22:31:00.000-04:00

Please don't reveal what you learned about me tonight. You can tell anyone you want about the hard drive on my computer, my shameful love of Circus Peanuts, but the invitation secret and the timing of such, I would prefer you took to the grave. I might have to alter my plans for next year if you let ANYONE else in on my nefarious plan, and the last two years of my life have been pretty sweet. Thanks again for stopping by these past two years, and one day I will throw a proper party.
Thanks again for visiting this lonely old man,
Old Man Powers

Good and bad news about the Pats...

2007-08-10T21:42:00.000-04:00

The punting game was pretty bad, the third string tackles looked lost on screen passes, but they looked great on pass blocking.
No penetration for the defenders on most plays, even when they blitzed. The middle of the offensive line looked great on passes. Four people coming up the middle was not much of a problem, the outside rush didn't really threaten the QB. If we were a team that only threw timing patterns, we could do pretty well with our play today.
Unfortunately, the screen passes looked pretty horrendous. The receivers didn't block, the o-line didn't do anything on the screens, and the backs didn't cut back behind the blocks.
Maybe our second and third stringers can't run the screen that well, but as it team, it looks like we have a lot of room for improvement.
The defense actually played much better as a unit than it probably looked on television. The breakdowns that allowed the Bucs to score and move the ball down the field and into the endzone were individual mistakes. Blown coverage from the seven led to the Bucs touchdown before the fourth.
We didn't get a great pass rush, but the Patriots haven't really been a pass rush team in years. The defensive line occupies space, sees what the offense it trying to do, and reacts. That doesn't allow for the type of aggressive play that leads to double digit sack for any individual, and keeps the team sack total down. The D Line stops the big gains and jumps up to swat the pass, forcing the quarterback to put a little more under the ball than he would with a team with pure pass rush ends. This allows the defensive backs more time to react, and hopefully gives them a better chance of reacting and stopping the long gains, hopefully causing more interceptions for the defensive backs.
Over-all, we didn't dominate both sides of the line like we should have, but maybe the Bucs back-up offensive and defensive lineman are as good as our back-ups. If we suffer a bunch of injuries on one side of the ball, we're going to need a much more aggressive playbook to stay dominant.
We called plays with our back-ups that we would never call if we needed them, although the screens really need to be cleaned up. If the tackle can't get excited about the chance to knock out a defensive back on a screen, he may look better in Greenbay Green and Yellow.
The third string nose tackle, number 63 also gave up on way too many sweeps and cut-backs. Those timing passes are also going to look a lot better with Stallworth, Moss and Graham going up and getting their mitts on the ball. And hopefully the punters can learn not to punt the ball into the endzone from the enemies side of the 50. That would be make huge difference.
A special shout out goes out to Knife and Gats for watching the game with me for the second year in a row you showed up. Hope you had as much fun as I did.

Make sure you don't hit on the same girl twice...

2007-08-10T13:17:00.000-04:00

Ugly people of the world look out, you want to hold off asking that crush out until she gets to know you better.

In the City of Cambridge, the crime is defined as:
Annoying & Accosting

“Annoying and Accosting a Member of the Opposite Sex” is a form of criminal harassment. Generally, it involves a man repeatedly following, shouting, making off-color suggestions, hooting, repeatedly asking for a date, or otherwise harassing a woman. It happens most often on the street and in the workplace. Each report involves an individual situation; the crime is not subject to geographic patterns.

I am praying my wife never finds out that me begging her to go on a date with me was a criminal offense. Maybe the Town of Amherst will show some leniency since she did eventually marry me. Isn't this crime the basis for most teen romantic comedies?

Doesn't Tupac rap about "hollering at a hoe," or is that why he's so gangsta?

In Weymouth there is a crime called "accosting a person of the opposite sex." Last night, a fat guy with a mustache was charged with this offense after driving up on a woman and staring at her.

How many times can I say "Sorry, Skipper"

2007-08-10T10:02:00.000-04:00

The Blue Jays were known for their fiery skipper who reportedly challenged sensitive players to fight him.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2525630
The skipper now has Kyle Gilligan to knock around with his hat.
One of the better situations to have a sitcom name.

One of the worse: William Robinson of the 78 Pirates died at the age of 64 last month.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2954068
There are no reports of any robots warning him of the impending danger.

The Rocket has been suspended...

2007-08-10T01:26:00.000-04:00

but we have a few years left with him.
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/6562
Will Farrell joined the funny or die as a posting member about three months ago (or that's when his funny stuff went up), it seems he created the site about four months ago. His stuff mediocre compared to some of the stuff. Check out the David Blaine stuff if you have five minutes.
This one goes out the Bigman and Ferry. The first twenty seconds aren't the part you guys will like, the lyrics get better as the song goes on.
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/222

OJ gets immunity defense

2007-08-09T23:10:00.000-04:00

I picked up a carton of "Immunity Defense" orange juice today. Karl Rove says immunity defense is the breakfast of champions and the best way to handle a pesky congress.

10 Pats Points of Interest...

2007-08-09T20:59:00.000-04:00

Obviously the first thing we need to see is no injuries. Injuries in the preseason would really hurt my emotional well being.
If we accomplish the primary goal of no injuries, what next.
1. We don't need to see offensive firepower. If Brady throws four passes and two are picked off for touchdowns, we really don't care. If Maroney runs for less two yards a carry, it would be a minor concern, but the offense always seems to come around.
2. We do need to see if the back-ups on the defensive line can get the job done. No one can be Vince Wilfork but Vince Wilfork, and he's coming in faster and stronger than ever, if slightly thinner. Neither Seymour or Warren can stop the run from the middle, and if the linebackers have to stand up offensive lineman on running plays, there goes the defensive versatility we paid so much for. Can Wright develop into a run stopper who can stand in for Wilfork or are we going to have to find out how crazy Corey Simon is in the case of an injury?
3. Can Matt Cassel actually play football, what are his strength. In the couple of years we have had him, we haven't needed him (thank god). The only thing we know about him from six years of college and pro inexperience is he is still completely unproven.
4. Is Ellis Hobbs as good as he looks sometimes, or he just completely inconsistent. He's pretty nasty covering the deep pass despite the fact that he too short to ride anything but the Teacups at Six Flags. Maybe he's just like old nickleback Canty. A smooth dancing guy who's not ready for the NFL.
5. Will Randy Moss impress the crowd with professionalism. I could personally care less if he fakes moons the crowd or argues with the ref (strike that, I liked the fake moon). I don't want to hear all of New England repeat what those curmudgeons/ morons Lowblow Lobel and SHAUGHNESSY (Shaun@ssh*le) have to whine about all season. Don't give them any ammo, you can't win with them and a thousands of New Englanders parrot their whiny bile.
6. Let's see Kyle Brady block. Sice the day Daniel Graham left for the enemy, all everyone has talked about is Kyle's blocking ability. He had better prove he can block or I'm going to come away thinking we need another replacement TE.
7. I think we just signed a bad defensive back we just traded a late round pick to get. I think Hank Poteat is a bad back, but we keep signing him half way through each season when we have an injure, so Dante from Chicago doesn't have to show much, just don't get burned and don't get blocked by the Bucs wideouts. He's supposed to be a big strong man so it should be tough for him to make a couple of tackles.
8. Who is staying and who is going at wide out. One of our good wideouts is going to be playing for another team next month, and they will probably star on a team like San Diego. It's going to be determined in the preseason which one it is, so we will actually get to see who can perform under pressure. The only true drama of the preseason.
9. Can any of these young guys play their way unto the roster. We come back with pretty much the same team from last year, only with a couple of new established Pro Bowlers. Most of the kids playing the majority of the game will be auditioning for jobs on other teams. A couple will be able to play special teams for us. No matter what the coach says, their aren't many spots up for grabs, so who will blow us away.
10. How long will the starters play. With so many pro bowlers on the roster and the need to protect them all, we need to these guys off the field almost before we put them on the field to manage risk (see: Elton Brand). Coach Sweatshirt isn't predictable, but he's supposed to be smart. Will it be a series, 6-8 plays, or less before he yanks them. I'm kind of hoping they even suit up most of them and he gives the young QB and borderline receivers a chance to show what they have.

20 2020 predictions part 2

2007-08-09T19:59:00.000-04:00

In the year 2020...

11. England and Seattle will be growing the best crops on the planet just before their levees break.
12. A united Vietnam will become a world power as we complain how "The Vietnamese own America," much like we did about Japan just before it changed from a manufacturing economy to a service economy and like we do today about the Chinese due to their manufacturing economy. Invest in Vietnam now before they invest in us.
13. Far Easterners (Asians to us Americans) will be stereotyped as the terrorists threats. It went from the Italian Anarchists of the twenties, to the Irish and the IRA, now resting on the Middle Easterners. People will soon ignorantly talk about being uncomfortable flying with Far Easterners. These things just seem to happen.
14. Africa will be the up and coming Manufacturing sector and people in China will complain about losing their factory jobs to the Africans.
15. Michigan will double in size as The Great Lakes are downgraded to The Good Lakes, The Decent Lakes, The Fair Lakes, The Poor Lakes, until they are finally known as The Walkway to Canada.
16. The Mid-West Cheese Farmers will run adds featuring happy cows frolicking in the sun and California will have to discontinue their happy cow cheese ads after the The Great Conflagration of 2019 destroys the last of the pasture land.
17. Lab produced perfect diamonds will outlawed by force of the DeBeers company. It's bound to happen.
18. The woman's movement will firmly take root in Iran and they will have a female leader before we do. It's embarrassing, but thoroughly possible. The current conservative movement there hasn't always been in place, and eventually there has to be a major reaction to taking away rights from half your population.
19. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will suspend the entire league for two weeks for violating the new uniform policy, only to realize he never sent the new memo policy to teams.
20. Tom Cruise will reveal what an incredible actor he really is when he lets us all in on the secret that he never really was a Scientologist, he was just "doing research" for a movie about L. Ron Hubbard.
Bonus: Confounding predictions to the contrary, the NHL will continue to expand and adopt a European soccer format where the worst teams are demoted to the minor leagues. It's the only way to bring back interest.

ESPN thinks stealing audibles in the NFL may be cheating...

2007-08-09T19:08:00.000-04:00

Seriously, go to ESPN and see the latest feature. That's just moronic. It was also the a major part of the feature article for today's ESPN.com site. If your audible don't change from game to game at least, and hopefully from half to half, you shouldn't have audibles for your team in the NFL.

If a defensive player isn't smart enough to listen to an audible, I'm not sure they belong in the NFL unless they are so physically gifted, it doesn't matter what the 11 well compensated professionals try to make them look silly are about to do. Parcells was famous for signing guys from other AFC East coaches who were to seemed to be too old or too stupid to change audibles. Why do you think Keith Byers kept finding a job in the AFC East? That was a decade ago.

The simple solution would be to call and audible that is a delayed hand off up the middle a couple of times in the game and let the defense stop it. Yell the audible so loud the safeties can hear it. By the third or fourth time you call the audible, they will be in your backfield at the had off. Then yell the same exact play on the next offensive series, only throw a screen.

There are so many ways to beat people who think they are stealing audibles, it's silly to even try to steal audibles these days. Zach Thomas brags about stealing the Patriots audibles when the Dolphins whipped us 21-zip last year. Here's what really happened, the offensive line simply played like the revolving doors and Jason Taylor, a great player, whipped his man consistently on the pass rush when the Patriots fell behind and had to pass. Maybe he just couldn't give his ex-brother-in-law the credit he deserved because Taylor's sister had dragged him through divorce court, or maybe he's not as smart as people give him credit for.

If the other team is down by three touchdowns late in the game, they are probably throwing the ball and trying to get more than ten yards a play if they can. It's common football sense. They need a big play, so when audible, and you are the middle linebacker, drop back into coverage where you know your teammates won't be, or just bull rush and try to submarine under or jump through the offensive line, and if the offensive line runs right or left, it's a screen. Instead, he has to talk about how he personally solved the Patriots offense. If it were that simple, why does his team almost never make the playoffs?

These days, there are audibles at every level of the offense and defense and gimmicks within gimmicks. Centers will audible blocks for the line and quarterbacks will let the wide outs and runners know their assignments. The middle linebackers coordinate the front six or seven, and the safety usually call out the adjustments in the secondary. You start trying to guess plays and stray from your responsibilities, and you won't make the playoffs (like the Dolphins).

There are some pretty good plays to score quickly against a team that's convinced it knows your adibles. The Patriots run a play that looks like an end around and 11 guys are moving like it's an end around, but the ball can end up in any of three positions on the field. Four if you count Brady bootlegging out without the ball into the flat and becoming a receiver.

I watched a few collegiate rugby games and even though the team didn't practice everyday together, they still had plenty of fake audibles for each situation. These guys weren't paid to figure out someone was going to try to steal audibles, it was just that patently obvious to everyone who watched, even the parents who were watching the game for the first time.

God I'm fired up for football season.
Go Pats.

After you catch a beating, of course there is no conflict...

2007-08-09T15:40:00.000-04:00

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08092007/sports/rory_shoots_down_tiger_tension_talk_sports_mark_cannizzaro.htm

The golfer (Rory Sabbatini) who was absolutely smoked from contention after having claimed Tiger was "more beatable than ever" now downplays rumors of a conflict. Of course there is no conflict. You talked the talk, and then got a royal beat down. Now is the part where you are supposed to say, "I did something I thought was going to come off as cool, someone may have taken it the wrong way. I learned my lesson." Admit you got humbled before he humbles you again. After the reporters told Tiger what you said, it looked like the rest of the field could have played best ball and still gotten smoked.

I doubt anyone expects this guy:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGhuCk5qQ
to explain he has "no conflict with that football team."

At least the runner could use an excuse like, "We started with shots about four hours before the game."

Hey Rory, at least you and the other idiot managed to limp to the finish with something intact, even if it wasn't your pride.

Quick Miller Light Note

2007-08-09T14:52:00.000-04:00

I remember Reggie missing bunches of three point shots his final year. If we are bringing him in to hit three pointers, he shot .322 (PP hit .389 from distance last season) from behind the arc his last season in Indiana. Maybe we could just leave him on the bench. But he doesn't seem like much more than dead roster space that will be taking up veteran salary if he can't hit open threes. Maybe we can get his sister, she must be well rested and know she could do better than .322.
Will it be Reggie Miller from the bulk of his career or the Miller Light from the end?

Samuel Jackson, do you have anything to tell the little kids about steriods?

2007-08-09T14:29:00.001-04:00

Samuel Jackson wants to restart that old SNL idea of the All Steroid Olympics.

"Look man, why don't we just have enhancement games? Why not? Let's just see how far you [guys] can go with this. You know, get on it! Bust it and let's see what happens! Go for it because I remember when football players were juicing it, [dudes] were getting lit up on the field. We were all like, "Damn! What is this? He's a monster!" Then it's, "Oh, he's on the juice." Oh, really? Oh, OK, cool. It still makes good football games. So maybe we should all have some enhancement games. Go ahead and do that. Start a whole new league and stuff. Go for it!"

From:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/arash_markazi/08/08/samuel.l.jackon.interview/index.html

That's absolutely brilliant. So when a seventeen year old boy/girl who has been pumped full of the pharmacy and can't find a chin strap to fit her enormous jaw accidentally roid rages because she was tripped on the ice goes McSorley on a girl half her size and cripples her... what then Jackson? Should we make them mandatory to keep things fair?

It sounds to me like there are Mutha effin snakes in your mutha effin brain. Who's going to foot the medical bills when kids in college start dropping from kidney failure? Maybe he meant that we should only shoot up certain people with chemicals and see what happens. I personally hope he becomes head of the president's counsel on fitness, like Ahnold was. I have been waiting for the apocalypse for a while, and it seems like your ready for it as well Sam. Juiced up fights to the death, here we come.

My father is coming up to help me finish the bathroom...

2007-08-09T09:01:00.000-04:00

and the entertaining part is we are both a little deaf.
Phone Transcript:

Dad: I'm Rte 128, I'll be there in a couple minutes.
Me: Do you think you could get me a coffee on the way?
D: (Getting louder) A WHAT?
M: A COFFEE.
D: WHAT KIND OF COFFEE?
M: JUST A LARGE REGULAR FROM WHEREVER YOU HAPPEN TO BE.
D. WHAT?!
M: A LARGE REGULAR!
D (screaming now): DO YOU WANT SUGAR!?!
M: REGULAR!!
D: DID YOU SAY BLACK!?!
M: REGULAR!!!
D: SO, NO CREAM OR SUGAR!?!
M: TELL! THE! NICE! PERSON! BEHIND! THE! COUNTER! YOU! WANT! A! LLAAARRRGE! RRREEEEGUUUULLLLAAARRRR! COOOOFFFFFEEEE!!!
D: I'LL! BE! THERE! IN! A! FEW! MINUTES!!!!

I always wondered why my mother hated talking to us on the telephone, I'm pretty excited to see what he shows up with. It could be a regular coffee, could be something completely different.

Don't be surprised if the Cs end up with an additional T-Wolf or two.

2007-08-09T00:27:00.000-04:00

The Timbs have at least seventeen players currently on their roster, the Celtics have eleven. The Seventeen do not include Troy Hudson who was rumored to be angling his way into the TD North Garden. Juwan Howard seems to be a very strange player to have on a rebuilding team littered with the potential that only comes from having so many players ages 21-23.

At thirty-four years old, maybe they will keep him around to tutor Al "The Beastmaster" Jefferson, but isn't that why they pay Kevin Mac? If I remember correctly, he was given a lot of credit for keeping KG motivated and I assume Al would be his next pet project. Juwan Howard always seemed like that guy who couldn't be your frontline guy and doesn't seem that good a deal for a team with an insanely young roster (outside of that giant expiring contract the Cs traded them).

I will always remember Howard as the guy DC decided to build around instead of C-Webb or Ben Wallace. He never was great, but he can be a pretty crafty veteran and we need someone who knows enough to accept his role as a rebounder who can kick it out to the open guy. Howard might be that guy, and I bet we could get him pretty cheap.

What UFAs are left for the Cs?

2007-08-08T23:58:00.000-04:00

The Celtics still need to fill a couple of spots on the bench, and I have a couple of ideas starting with the Ukraine Train.
I have never seen anyone who boxed out as unselfishly as the Vitaly Potapenko. He's not muchof a rebounder himself, but he could get Da Kid (yay!) a bunch more rebounds this season and help put him back into the thick of the MVP race. He can't do much on his own, but he could have Garnett fighting two guys for every board instead of three and he knows his role.

I always liked Jalen Rose. He once told this story about how his estranged father tried to contact him after he was famous. His father was also a successful basketball player. As Jalen was pondering what to do, his mother flatly told him he wasn't allowed to have a relation with his father at this point in his life. I love a Momma's boy in the NBA, even if he appears to let his drinking occasionally get in the way of his basketball glory. Also, it would nice to have a former member of one of the most famous college teams of all time, and I never fancied C-Webb as a Celtic. Something to with trying to get street cred by claiming he's from the hard streets of Detroit when his father bought him a car in high school. It was a used car, but no one who had his own car in my school could cry poverty.

Corliss Wiliamson is available. He is a classic Lou Roe type whose skills made him dominant in college, but you knew he could never take over a game at the pro level. I loved watching that Razorback team and I would love a little nostaglia as we watch our suddenly older Celtic team try to make a last couple of pushes to glory.

Gary Payton, we need someone to tutor Rondo and take over for him when he gets overwhelmed, as sophomores are wont to do.

Marc Jackson is a bruiser from Temple who had to play outside the NBA before he got his shot. He's limited in all aspects of the game, but he brings that toughness we will need if we are going to get it done in the playoffs. He could just stand behind Garnett for a while and deck the first guy who gave him a hard foul. A championship team needs an enforcer like this.

Alan Henderson is a guy who worked out with some very good post players over the summers. The George town product was rumored to work out with Zo and Deke each summer. Those two have become locker room leaders and have held on to their on court effectiveness despite failing health and old age. Henderson is much younger. He must have learned something from them.

We could probably get Calvin Booth for bus fare. he had that one decent post season that he parlayed into a megabucks deal and now he has to know he has just about no value and many years of experience.

Obviously, at this point the dynamic scorers are gone but we could use some of the toughness, willingness to accept a decreased role, and experience of any of these players. Especially since early reports are that the Cs have no interest in Deke himself.

Here are the rest of the UFAs as of midnight 8/8:

Malik Allen Chicago
Derek Anderson Charlotte
Rafael Araujo Utah
Devin Brown New Orleans
P.J. Brown (I was convinced he died of old age) Chicago
Kelvin Cato (I think he used to be highly touted) New York
Austin Croshere (rumor had it he was going to play for Nelly in GS) Dallas
Dale Davis (wasn't he old in Indy?) Detroit
Melvin Ely San Antonio
Danny Fortson (over rated for his one dimensional game, even if he's rated low) Seattle
Junior Harrington (Who?) Memphis
DerMarr Johnson (I trust no one coming out of dysfunctional Denver) Denver
Linton Johnson III (again, who?) New Orleans
Jumaine Jones (weren't the Heat good with him? or was that another Jones?) Phoenix
Brevin Knight (we could use a back-up pg) Charlotte
Yaroslav Korolev (How were talented Clippers recordwise?) LA Clippers
Randy Livingston Seattle
Darrick Martin (I liked Toronto with it's international flair, but I don't remember much about Darrick) Toronto
Roger Mason (Isn't this a school's name?) Washington
Jeff McInnis (something tells me we can't afford him even if he takes a discount) Charlotte
Aaron McKie (We could get this guy, in my dreams. A perfect Doc player.) LA Lakers
Stanislav Medvedenko (No team needs ATL's cast offs) Atlanta
Michael Olowokandi (Next!) Boston
Bo Outlaw (Is an energy worth anything when he runs out of speed?) Orlando
Ruben Patterson (The "Kobe stopper" who couldn't) Milwaukee
Michael Ruffin Washington
Jamal Sampson Denver
Jake Tsakalidis (The guy who was bad enough to inspire Deke to have a throwback year) Houston
Ime Udoka Portland
Chris Webber (Hated it) Detroit
Mike Wilks Seattle
Shammond Williams (Maybe if we can't find a back-up shooter for Allen) LA Lakers
Kevin Willis (Bill Walton once referred to this man as the shortest seven footer in league, he has the wingspan of a hummingbird, but he boxes out) Dallas

Does Japanese Baseball Count?

2007-08-08T18:07:00.000-04:00

When I was in Chenery Middle School in Belmont, Massachusetts I had a friend named Eric Oh. When my father heard the name he imediately asked, "Any relation to Sadaharu Oh?" Unfortunately, he wasn't related to hit king of Japan.

With the above average careers (to say the least) of Ichiro and Godzilla (who I recently learned was named for his terrible case of teenage acne and has an extensive collection of adult films), do we need to the Japanese leagues more credit. Oh hit 868 homers in his career. His team won the country's championship nine times in a row.

With the advent of international baseball competitions, it's not impossible to imagine Cooperstown eventually deciding to recognize the work that Ichiro, Matsui, and Dice-K did before they arrived in the US. Sadaharu Oh is alive and kicking and apparently managing in Japan. He still thinks he's the greatest home run hitter of all time.

I would imagine that Oh has some sort of place in the baseball hall of fame. It will be difficult at best for any current major leaguer to 868, but what if A-Rod goes on an insane streak and hits them in bunches for the rest of his career. If he got to 850 and started to threaten the Japanese record, would that make Oh's record more important to Americans? I think so. We would all stop and observe this moment and say, "Now he's the greatest player of time for sure." We wouldn't admit any doubt before the chase begins, but after, we would all agree how important it was. We would at least debate its importance.

I don't think it is about 756 or 800 or even 868. It seems more like every once in a while, the entire country is taken on a road trip where we get to see some giant odometer flip over. We notice it's close to 100, 000 miles or 200,000 miles or in this case 868 homers. We collectively stop to watch one of the great baseball odometers flip (69 homers, 70 homers, 71 homers) and it brings us together.

Unfortunately the only American manager in Japan to be able to comment on the comparison is Bobby Valentine. I like Mr. Valentine, but I also think some of the things he says and does are both self serving and insane, so I'm not copying what he said here. When informed that the world record for homers is 868, Barry could only shake his head and say, "Congratulations Sadaharu Oh."

Of interest to me: Oh was signed as a pitcher who worked on his hitting to become the Big King Homer, much like a certain George Ruth.

related story:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070808&content_id=2137191&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Some reasons I could never vote for my neighbor Mitt.

2007-08-08T16:42:00.000-04:00

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2007/08/romney_has_a_li.html

Reason one:

For a guy who flipped out about being asked questions about his religion, setting up the "Ask Romney Anything" seems like an asinine idea. Of course, he gave the wrong answers with full confidence and later "corrected the record." I have a friend who would like to "correct the record" on her resume, the problem is when she tried to correct the record her employer held her accountable. Can Romney say he was "mistaken" or is admitting being human too much to ask.

Reason two:

Further, Romney has a great explanation on why his family doesn't serve his country in the military. Obviously they are making the ultimate sacrifice for our country by helping get him elected president. Does that mean I can get out of military service by volunteering for a campaign. That would be equivalent? Sorry Lieutenant Dan, I need to go home and help my dad get a job. Can I get out of the combat zone and head home? Somehow that doesn't seem likely.

I don't personally serve in the military, and I know I'm not made for the military. First of all, my knees, feet, and hips are just about dead from arthritis, second, I wasn't born with the ability to follow rules and regulation to the letter of the law. I can't be in the military because I personally would go crazy thinking of better ways of doing things than the Army Way, and screwing things up for everyone else.

In summation, the country is better served keeping me out of the military. Obviously, saying your kids are serving the country by trying to get you elected is some kind of joke, but I wish he would let us in on the joke and not be so oblivious to think he would fool anyone with that crap.

Reason three:

They think they know poverty because they slummed it Utah:

http://media.www.dailyutahchronicle.com/media/storage/paper244/news/2002/03/26/Opinion/Mitt-Needs.Dose.Of.Reality.To.Continue.Success-222975.shtml

"Ann Romney also spoke of their brief brush with poverty during their time at Brigham Young University. They lived liked paupers, staying in a $62 a month apartment, but they weren't so destitute that Mitt had to get a part-time job. That's because, according to Ann, "Mitt had enough of an investment from stock that we could sell off a little at a time." "

I could try to delve into the difference of slumming it and living in poverty, and I could talk about it angrily for days. Basically, when you are impoverished, you have NO CHOICES. You don't get to decide what to eat, where to live, how to get around, and sometimes you don't get to feed your loved ones when the are hungry. You get to watch your family live in desperation.

I have never lived in poverty and I can't tell you from experience what it is like. I have worked with dozens of people who live that reality everyday. When you can DECIDE not to work, even for a day, you don't live in poverty, you live in luxury.

Reason four:

Finally is he qualified other than trying to fulfill his father's dream, because we are just ending a presidency like that and I don't feel it went so well. Romney's father failed at a presidential bid and his mother also failed at gaining her desired political office, and now he's a political heavyweight.

I seem to remember a boxer whose father that fought for the heavyweight title. The guy got crushed. Of course, his son got into the family business and the promoters gave him a chance. That went over so well for Hurrican't Peter McNeely, he was soon getting knocked unconscious by a cheese filled pizza in advertisements across the country. At least that guy let us in on the joke.

Mixed feelings about possibly signing Reggie Miller

2007-08-08T15:34:00.000-04:00

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2966170

The Celtics have reportedly contacted Reggie Miller about a return to the NBA. I always liked Reggie's ability to score points and hit free throws, but I never had that much respect for him as a competitor. He's a flopper who draws fouls when he isn't touched.

Growing up, I would flop against my brother, but that was for a completely different reason. We had no refs, and my brother has been known to throw punches (specifically at me) in tag football. It's not really his fault that he played basketball like it was full contact football, while he was running around and getting in shape, I was working on my handle and refining skills. The result was he had to use his physicality every time I got the ball.

At that point I had two choices to continue playing, I could eventually let him snap my spine with a spinning backhand swipe at the ball that wasn't going to be close to the ball, or I hit the dirt before I had to have wheelchair ramps installed. So every time he ran into me, I let him throw me off balance until he learned to stop running full speed into the guy dribbling the ball.

I never got a single free throw out of being pushed to the ground. I tried to never call the foul, instead letting a third party see what happened and explain it to him. He was never really out to physically hurt me (that often) but if he killed me incidentally, he probably would have explained that I died because I couldn't suck it up and play dead.

Reggie Miller flops in the way that John Stockton flopped. Every chance he had to get a call, he would put himself into a bad position, like turning over the ball, then he would throw himself under the defender and throw his arms in the air. In fact, my favorite memory of watching Stockton play came in the Finals when Jordan posted him up, Stockton threw himself under Jordan's wheels and tried to beg the ref for a call. The ref just looked at him as if to say, "I know your Stockton, and you've been allowed to bend the rules your entire career, but Jordan pays the league's bills."

Reggie Miller often runs through traffic under the hoop, waits for the ref to look away and then jumps on a player, swings his arms wildly to get the ref to look, and hits the ground. It got so bad the one ref refused to call a play where he was fouled so hard, he had to have a bandage stop the bleeding from the side of his head. Good times.

It's difficult for me to compare that Reggie Miller to the one who bombed the Knicks in that magic MSG night. I'm going to have a tough time rooting for a flopper (consider soccer's popularity in America). I hope Reggie can come in here and hit his open shots. We should be good enough that we won't need flops to get out of the East. I wonder if that corrupt ref ever reffed any Miller games.

What will they Putin Georgia's drink?

2007-08-08T14:00:00.000-04:00

Georgia (the former soviet territory, no relation to ATL) claims it was bombed by Putin. This comes about a month after I referred to him as a "psycho" at field day. In the past five years he has been implicated in ordering the execution of Russian hostages, slipping a former KGB agent a Mickey Finn containing Pulonium 210, and now dropping a warhead on his neighbors.

I would say we have to do something about this guy, but I think he's too crazy for even the Retarded Cowboy to deal with (my apologies for using the word "retarded"). Sorry, I believe the president is retarded with capital "W".

The last time I thought we had to deal with an aggressive foreign country was the Taliban in Afghanistan, when they were destroying the ancient religious statues and shaving foreigners' heads for wearing shorts. Now the NFL is missing a hero who story has been twisted and his legacy will always about a theoretical cover-up and not about his personal sacrifice for America.

If I were Georgia's president, I think I would hire official food tasters, like in the movies about the crusader kings. Every once in a while, someone rises to power somewhere in the world who is just crazy enough to start a war on impulse. Since the advent of the A-bomb, we have figured out that not even the state of the art "duck and cover" defense works against a nuclear strike.

My advice to Georgia is give the unexploded missile back to Putin very nicely, insist he dropped it by accident, and tell him you heard that crazy Kazakhstani journalist Borat telling everyone that Putin's washed up.

I would also like to apologize to Putin personally for calling him a psycho, I meant it in the nicest of terms and I know it can be misinterpreted when taken out of context.