Ok...now I'm 30. THIRTY. I think it's supposed to be a big thing. The big three-oh. I say oh well. No biggie on this front. I don't know why. Maybe it's the times. I don't know. I don't feel 30... but I really don't know what 30 is supposed to feel like. I think I made it abundantly clear in my last post that I like my childish side, and that I feel quite young.
So I've thought about what thirty brings me. And the answer is... nothing. Just another year. I started losing my hair a few years ago, so that can't be it. This year I will be married. My goal for marriage was always to be married by the time 30 rolled around. That is the sign of the times. My parents were married much earlier. My brothers were married much earlier. I think the thing that made me feel most old was my younger brother getting married before me. But that passed in a day or so. Thankfully, one of my better (or worse) characteristics is that I just don't care what's going on around me. I'm not sure if that's wrong, but still....
I am happy I didn't get any "Over the Hill" presents. That was one thing I was dreading. It's supposed to be a milestone... Funny, I feel mid-twenties, but I can't really remember my 20th birthday. It feels like time has passed so quickly, but at the same time, 20 seems so long ago. At 20 I was in college, and partying, and going to classes. I majored in things that I don't really use right now (except my business degree, I use that a little). 1995 was an eternity ago. I think the past 3-4 years changed everything.
But, I can't put my finger on the changes. Again, I feel the same, but don't go out as much as I used to... but I never liked going out. I never liked super-social situations. The funny thing about that is that I was extremely social when I was, like, 6. Anyweay, the fact is that I don't need to be social so much. I enjoy being at home and watching movies and television, and talking to my future wife. I have friends... don't get me wrong. My friends are scattered and have kids. I see their kids, and think "no way... not now." I could handle it now, but don't really want to. I want to enjoy my fiance, and have a couple years with just me and her.
So 30 doesn't feel all that much to me. Just another year. It's true that you are as old as you feel, but I don't feel a year. All I feel is life. And I will continue to live it at my own pace.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Saturday, January 22, 2005
The Point of Life
"What is the point of life? If you believe the point of life is to watch, play, and/or participate in the playing of childrens games than thats great, think about it, you must watch a lot of television" --Anonymous
This comment was made to me today by someone in response to my "Sports, Sports, Sports" entry. For some reason, I felt the need to respond. Some people just don't get me. They don't get my life - or my life style. Let me dissect and explain each question posed to me and give everyone some insight. I will leave the "Point of Life" question for the end.
" If you believe the point of life is to watch, play, and/or participate in the playing of childrens games than thats great," - Obviously, this is sarcasm. I like sports - particularly football. I played football for about 8 or so years, through high school. After my senior season, I tore my ACL and decided to not risk further injury playing in college. From a distance, I can see how someone cannot appreciate the subtleties of the game - the strategies, the mind game. I enjoy these things. I enjoy watching a guard pull down the line for a kickout block to spring a runner. I love watching analysis, and learning more of the complexities.
The good thing about sports is that it has many levels. You don't have to be an expert to enjoy a game. You don't have to know what a "Cover 2" defense is, or a "Zone Blitz." You can enjoy it when the team I like tackles the other team. The excitement behind it is real. People invest themselves in their teams. People take a sense of pride. Sports is a welcome distraction from the rest of the world. Everyone knows that when a game is over, the world's issues - the war in Iraq, the kidnappings, the murders, the confirmation of a Secretary of State - will still be there. And for a few hours, you can be bonded with thousands of people rooting for the same team. In October, do you think you had to know someone in Boston to celebrate the Red Sox win? Nope. Complete strangers will high-five each other, clap, and cheer with one another. This is a huge appeal of sports. The other is that people thrive on competition.
Playing games is a part of life. Some overtly play games like cards, or Trivial Pursuit. Some play video games. Then there are others who play different games like in relationships, or in positioning themselves for a raise. The funny thing is the overt games can be seen as "children's games" while the other ones, I guess, are supposed to be more adult. If that's the case then, yes, I enjoy children's games much more than the other kind. I will play and dance and sing and make funny faces and have fun whatever I do. And I plan to hold on to my childish side forever. I consider "childish" a compliment.
"...you must watch a lot of television." That's true. I do watch a lot of television. If that were the only thing I did, then that would, indeed, be sad. Fortunately for me I have other outlets. I have shows that I like, and some that I like and don't like to admit it. But I am entertained by a variety of shows and/or movies. I don't feel like I have to defend this, so I won't spend too much time on it.
So the question is - "what is the point of life?" I think it would be naive of me, or anyone, to think that all life has one single point. For some, there is a religious aspect and serving God is their point of life. For others, making money is the point of life. Some people think that learning as much as possible is the point of life, or traveling, or simply staying alive as long as you can... For me, being happy is the point. I respect everyone else's personal point of life. They may live their lives how they please - unless it adversly effects my point of life. I just like being happy.
I love my life right now. I am in a good spell and have been for a while. A lot of people search for thrills - I don't have to. Each and every day I wake up next to the most perfect woman for me gives me the thrill of a lifetime. I get to experience that every day. I don't have to jump out of a plane to get it. Some people search for love - I don't have to. I am surrounded, not only by my fiancee, but I receive unconditional love from my three pets. I have a tremendous family and know I always have their support. Some people search for money - I don't have to. No, I'm not a millionaire... not even close. But I don't need it. I don't concern myself with excess. As long as we can make enough to sustain the lifestyle we currently have, I'm fine. Some people search for adventure - I don't have to. I find adventure in the small things - in the decision to move away from West Virginia for a job that I know little about, in mishaps that come along in everyday activities, in the every decision that matters in life.
I don't have a perfect life. No one does. I have bills, and problems just as much as the next person. I think that the way I go about dealing with them lends to my point of life. I don't focus on what other people have that I don't - because that would mean my focus isn't on enjoying what I do have.
No one on their deathbed thinks "I should have spent more time on the Abrahms account." They will remember the time when they took a red wagon and tied it to their bike and put their little brother in it. They will think about the time when they went with their older brother and their father to a Steelers playoff game; and the Jimmy Buffett concerts they attended with their brothers. They will remember going to an amusement park and being frightened by the characters in the costumes and needing their mommy. They will remember the ski trips with their dad, and unknowingly learning to play sports right-handed rather than left-handed; the way they were born; the 1 point loss in the playoffs, and their first love. They will remember playing music in a smoky bar for no money, but only for the joy of playing music with a good friend. They will remember seeing a woman sitting on the stoop in a white tank-top and green shorts and thinking that they wanted to make her happy, and taking the chance to do so. They will remember going to their older brother's Little League baseball games and their younger brother's cross country meets, and almost being brought to tears when each succeeded. They will remember their mother's face when they gave her the perfect gift, and their father's face when you hit a perfect golf shot. They will remember standing in the crowd and praying that the punt won't be blocked, and the time when Major Harris took a broken play and scored on Penn State; the long talks at 2:00am just by her car; the nights of reciting Chris Rock with their college roommate. They will remember waking up at 6:30 am to tailgate for a WVU game with friends for an 8:00pm kickoff, and going to see the "Lion King" broadway show in Pittsburgh, and the time when a swimmer they coached named them the person they admire most. They will remember vacations and building a huge sand turtle with their brothers; being snowed in with the girl in the white tank-top; holding their nephew for the first time; and the moments at 5:00am when they made a great friend through MS Excel. They will remember Barry Sanders' 2014, and the happiness of Bill Buckner's error; and the sadness of the loss to Notre Dame in '88. They will remember sleeping in their younger brother's room on Christmas Eve and being so excited that they talked and made jokes all night; walking through the front door to the welcoming furry faces of two cats and a dog. They will remember proposing to that woman in the white tank-top... and praying that she would say "yes." And the overwhelming happiness when she did.
The point is that the happiness of my interactions with the people I love is my point of life. I feel sorry for those who haven't found theirs yet. Hopefully they will. I like my interactions and memories, and I look forward to having more of them. I am happy with that. And isn't that really the point?
This comment was made to me today by someone in response to my "Sports, Sports, Sports" entry. For some reason, I felt the need to respond. Some people just don't get me. They don't get my life - or my life style. Let me dissect and explain each question posed to me and give everyone some insight. I will leave the "Point of Life" question for the end.
" If you believe the point of life is to watch, play, and/or participate in the playing of childrens games than thats great," - Obviously, this is sarcasm. I like sports - particularly football. I played football for about 8 or so years, through high school. After my senior season, I tore my ACL and decided to not risk further injury playing in college. From a distance, I can see how someone cannot appreciate the subtleties of the game - the strategies, the mind game. I enjoy these things. I enjoy watching a guard pull down the line for a kickout block to spring a runner. I love watching analysis, and learning more of the complexities.
The good thing about sports is that it has many levels. You don't have to be an expert to enjoy a game. You don't have to know what a "Cover 2" defense is, or a "Zone Blitz." You can enjoy it when the team I like tackles the other team. The excitement behind it is real. People invest themselves in their teams. People take a sense of pride. Sports is a welcome distraction from the rest of the world. Everyone knows that when a game is over, the world's issues - the war in Iraq, the kidnappings, the murders, the confirmation of a Secretary of State - will still be there. And for a few hours, you can be bonded with thousands of people rooting for the same team. In October, do you think you had to know someone in Boston to celebrate the Red Sox win? Nope. Complete strangers will high-five each other, clap, and cheer with one another. This is a huge appeal of sports. The other is that people thrive on competition.
Playing games is a part of life. Some overtly play games like cards, or Trivial Pursuit. Some play video games. Then there are others who play different games like in relationships, or in positioning themselves for a raise. The funny thing is the overt games can be seen as "children's games" while the other ones, I guess, are supposed to be more adult. If that's the case then, yes, I enjoy children's games much more than the other kind. I will play and dance and sing and make funny faces and have fun whatever I do. And I plan to hold on to my childish side forever. I consider "childish" a compliment.
"...you must watch a lot of television." That's true. I do watch a lot of television. If that were the only thing I did, then that would, indeed, be sad. Fortunately for me I have other outlets. I have shows that I like, and some that I like and don't like to admit it. But I am entertained by a variety of shows and/or movies. I don't feel like I have to defend this, so I won't spend too much time on it.
So the question is - "what is the point of life?" I think it would be naive of me, or anyone, to think that all life has one single point. For some, there is a religious aspect and serving God is their point of life. For others, making money is the point of life. Some people think that learning as much as possible is the point of life, or traveling, or simply staying alive as long as you can... For me, being happy is the point. I respect everyone else's personal point of life. They may live their lives how they please - unless it adversly effects my point of life. I just like being happy.
I love my life right now. I am in a good spell and have been for a while. A lot of people search for thrills - I don't have to. Each and every day I wake up next to the most perfect woman for me gives me the thrill of a lifetime. I get to experience that every day. I don't have to jump out of a plane to get it. Some people search for love - I don't have to. I am surrounded, not only by my fiancee, but I receive unconditional love from my three pets. I have a tremendous family and know I always have their support. Some people search for money - I don't have to. No, I'm not a millionaire... not even close. But I don't need it. I don't concern myself with excess. As long as we can make enough to sustain the lifestyle we currently have, I'm fine. Some people search for adventure - I don't have to. I find adventure in the small things - in the decision to move away from West Virginia for a job that I know little about, in mishaps that come along in everyday activities, in the every decision that matters in life.
I don't have a perfect life. No one does. I have bills, and problems just as much as the next person. I think that the way I go about dealing with them lends to my point of life. I don't focus on what other people have that I don't - because that would mean my focus isn't on enjoying what I do have.
No one on their deathbed thinks "I should have spent more time on the Abrahms account." They will remember the time when they took a red wagon and tied it to their bike and put their little brother in it. They will think about the time when they went with their older brother and their father to a Steelers playoff game; and the Jimmy Buffett concerts they attended with their brothers. They will remember going to an amusement park and being frightened by the characters in the costumes and needing their mommy. They will remember the ski trips with their dad, and unknowingly learning to play sports right-handed rather than left-handed; the way they were born; the 1 point loss in the playoffs, and their first love. They will remember playing music in a smoky bar for no money, but only for the joy of playing music with a good friend. They will remember seeing a woman sitting on the stoop in a white tank-top and green shorts and thinking that they wanted to make her happy, and taking the chance to do so. They will remember going to their older brother's Little League baseball games and their younger brother's cross country meets, and almost being brought to tears when each succeeded. They will remember their mother's face when they gave her the perfect gift, and their father's face when you hit a perfect golf shot. They will remember standing in the crowd and praying that the punt won't be blocked, and the time when Major Harris took a broken play and scored on Penn State; the long talks at 2:00am just by her car; the nights of reciting Chris Rock with their college roommate. They will remember waking up at 6:30 am to tailgate for a WVU game with friends for an 8:00pm kickoff, and going to see the "Lion King" broadway show in Pittsburgh, and the time when a swimmer they coached named them the person they admire most. They will remember vacations and building a huge sand turtle with their brothers; being snowed in with the girl in the white tank-top; holding their nephew for the first time; and the moments at 5:00am when they made a great friend through MS Excel. They will remember Barry Sanders' 2014, and the happiness of Bill Buckner's error; and the sadness of the loss to Notre Dame in '88. They will remember sleeping in their younger brother's room on Christmas Eve and being so excited that they talked and made jokes all night; walking through the front door to the welcoming furry faces of two cats and a dog. They will remember proposing to that woman in the white tank-top... and praying that she would say "yes." And the overwhelming happiness when she did.
The point is that the happiness of my interactions with the people I love is my point of life. I feel sorry for those who haven't found theirs yet. Hopefully they will. I like my interactions and memories, and I look forward to having more of them. I am happy with that. And isn't that really the point?
The First Snow Storm of the Year!!!
If you are anywhere on the east coast, You know it's snowing. If you are anywhere else, you probably know too. The firs big snow storm of the year... anywhere from 1 - 18 inches! That's what a local weatherman said. With that kind of range - I guess he increases his chances of being right. I don't get the prediction, that's like telling someone they are going to make between $100 - $90,000.
Anyway, when it's snowing around here - it's best to stay inside. Not because of the slick roads, but because of the drivers. Whatever the adverse weather element (rain, sleet, snow, etc.) the people around here overreact to it and act like they have never experienced it before ("What is this cold, white, fluffy substance falling from the sky? I must drive)." So I think we'll just stay in and keep by the fire.
It's interesting to me how a little snow can make people overreact. Last night Rachael went to the grocery store and said it was a mad house. You'd think we were getting 6 feet of snow and will be trapped for weeks. In actuality, it's probably more like a day - perhaps 2. But full panic mode is in effect when people hear "snow." Right now, on TV, is a local news special snow broadcast. "This just in - it's snowing." They have reporters all over the state - county per county showing breaking footage of snow. I can look over my left shoulder, out the window and see the same thing.
The only good thing about it, is I get entertained by people freaking out from the comfort of my home.
Anyway, when it's snowing around here - it's best to stay inside. Not because of the slick roads, but because of the drivers. Whatever the adverse weather element (rain, sleet, snow, etc.) the people around here overreact to it and act like they have never experienced it before ("What is this cold, white, fluffy substance falling from the sky? I must drive
It's interesting to me how a little snow can make people overreact. Last night Rachael went to the grocery store and said it was a mad house. You'd think we were getting 6 feet of snow and will be trapped for weeks. In actuality, it's probably more like a day - perhaps 2. But full panic mode is in effect when people hear "snow." Right now, on TV, is a local news special snow broadcast. "This just in - it's snowing." They have reporters all over the state - county per county showing breaking footage of snow. I can look over my left shoulder, out the window and see the same thing.
The only good thing about it, is I get entertained by people freaking out from the comfort of my home.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Sports, Sports, Sports
Obsessed. I guess that's what I can be called. I'd rather say that I'm "involved" in sports. Sometimes I immerse myself. I love my fiancee, I love my pets, I love my family... those will always hold the highest shelf of adoration. But out of hobbies and activities - sports is right there among my favorites.
Playoff football is among us. I love watching the games, rooting for a team - any team. The only thing that I am remotely saddened about is that it means football is almost over. Yesterday I watched the Jets-Steelers. I am from a place in West Virginia that is a "stones throw" away from Pittsburgh. Being as such, I was brought up in a Steeler atmosphere. Now the Steelers are not my favorite team, but they are a solid second. My older brother is a HUGE Steeler fan and wrote about feeling nervous about this game. I didn't have those nerves, but I certainly understand it. Let me rephrase - I didn't have those nerves prior to the game. As the game went on and the Steelers found themselves down 17-10 (without the Jets scoreing an offensive touchdown) I did feel some nerves. The playoffs are so much better when you have a team to root strongly for. The Steelers are my team this year. Anyway the missed field goals by the Jets, and going into Overtime, provided my with a plethora of different emotions within a half-hour.
I think that is why I think that sports is the original "reality show." Despite all the analysis that talking heads do - and I watch a lot of that - there is no scripting and at any given time one team can beat another. Fortunately for me - the Jets were voted from the island yesterday.
Today, I have another full slate. As I type, I am listening to WVU vs. BC in college basketball. BC is 13-0, WVU is 11-2, most recently losing to a 1-10 Marshall team (in state rivals). But again, that's the thing aboue sports. Any team can win. WV is currently beating BC by a small margin.
Also today I will have the Minnesota Vikings vs. the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL playoffs. Much has been made recently of Randy Moss and his antics. I pay attention to this mainly because Moss is from West Virginia. I think he's a great player, I think there are few who debate that at all. But the way he behaves lacks maturity. However, I think that small things are overreacted to simply because it's Randy Moss. His fake mooning of the Green Bay crowd last week drew him a $10,000 fine from the NFL. I think it was immature, but certainly not "disgusting" as play-by-play man Joe Buck called it. Earlier this year Jake Plummer saluted fans with his middle finger. The connotation is a little more serious. And he got a $5,000 fine. So in the leagues eyes, the fake mooning was worse. Last week, a New York Jet (I can't remember his name right now) clubbed San Diego's quarterback in the head with his forearm. Obviously with malicous intent. It could have potentially, seriously injured the QB. And he drew a $7,500 fine. So again, in the leagues eyes, intentionally trying to hurt another player is not as bad as Moss' fake mooning. These types of things make no sense to me. It just seems like he's being picked on a little sometimes. I am not defending his behavior, but at the same time, the behavior of the league and the media needs some attention as well. Is this something people should focus on all week? I don't think so. It's like a child who cries until someone pays attention to him/her - soon they learn that this behavior gets them attention. The less you react to it the less likely they will be to do it. If this were the "Real World," Randy Moss would be Landon.
WVU and BC are now tied at halftime.
Later today, the Colts and Patriots will play. It should be a good game as well. Mind games all week with New England leaving their field uncovered to the elements to have an effect on the dome team (Indy). Reality TV, I tell you. Emotion, behavior, competition, uncontrollable elements? You can't make this stuff up.
Playoff football is among us. I love watching the games, rooting for a team - any team. The only thing that I am remotely saddened about is that it means football is almost over. Yesterday I watched the Jets-Steelers. I am from a place in West Virginia that is a "stones throw" away from Pittsburgh. Being as such, I was brought up in a Steeler atmosphere. Now the Steelers are not my favorite team, but they are a solid second. My older brother is a HUGE Steeler fan and wrote about feeling nervous about this game. I didn't have those nerves, but I certainly understand it. Let me rephrase - I didn't have those nerves prior to the game. As the game went on and the Steelers found themselves down 17-10 (without the Jets scoreing an offensive touchdown) I did feel some nerves. The playoffs are so much better when you have a team to root strongly for. The Steelers are my team this year. Anyway the missed field goals by the Jets, and going into Overtime, provided my with a plethora of different emotions within a half-hour.
I think that is why I think that sports is the original "reality show." Despite all the analysis that talking heads do - and I watch a lot of that - there is no scripting and at any given time one team can beat another. Fortunately for me - the Jets were voted from the island yesterday.
Today, I have another full slate. As I type, I am listening to WVU vs. BC in college basketball. BC is 13-0, WVU is 11-2, most recently losing to a 1-10 Marshall team (in state rivals). But again, that's the thing aboue sports. Any team can win. WV is currently beating BC by a small margin.
Also today I will have the Minnesota Vikings vs. the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL playoffs. Much has been made recently of Randy Moss and his antics. I pay attention to this mainly because Moss is from West Virginia. I think he's a great player, I think there are few who debate that at all. But the way he behaves lacks maturity. However, I think that small things are overreacted to simply because it's Randy Moss. His fake mooning of the Green Bay crowd last week drew him a $10,000 fine from the NFL. I think it was immature, but certainly not "disgusting" as play-by-play man Joe Buck called it. Earlier this year Jake Plummer saluted fans with his middle finger. The connotation is a little more serious. And he got a $5,000 fine. So in the leagues eyes, the fake mooning was worse. Last week, a New York Jet (I can't remember his name right now) clubbed San Diego's quarterback in the head with his forearm. Obviously with malicous intent. It could have potentially, seriously injured the QB. And he drew a $7,500 fine. So again, in the leagues eyes, intentionally trying to hurt another player is not as bad as Moss' fake mooning. These types of things make no sense to me. It just seems like he's being picked on a little sometimes. I am not defending his behavior, but at the same time, the behavior of the league and the media needs some attention as well. Is this something people should focus on all week? I don't think so. It's like a child who cries until someone pays attention to him/her - soon they learn that this behavior gets them attention. The less you react to it the less likely they will be to do it. If this were the "Real World," Randy Moss would be Landon.
WVU and BC are now tied at halftime.
Later today, the Colts and Patriots will play. It should be a good game as well. Mind games all week with New England leaving their field uncovered to the elements to have an effect on the dome team (Indy). Reality TV, I tell you. Emotion, behavior, competition, uncontrollable elements? You can't make this stuff up.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Age is a high price to pay for maturity...
Sometimes I come across things that simply make little to no sense. I don't know if it's because I overthink things or if I am just weird. Here are some items I have thought about recently.
- Theres an Airline Commercial where a guy puts on all of his cloths to avoid packing. - Why it doesn't make sense: After a couple layers, the size of the cloths HAVE to get larger because of all the cloths underneath. Which means he can't wear those clothes anyway, they would be to big. So why take them at all? He would just be wearing extremely large clothing...
-iPod Shuffle - Apple just introduced a tiny iPod called iPod shuffle. On the web page it has the iPod Shuffle beside a couple packs of gum to show how small it is. Underneath, the caption reads "Smaller than a Pack of Gum, but much more fun (2)" The footnote it refers to says "Do not eat iPod Shuffle." Why would this be needed? Not only is it sad commentary about society that Apple felt the need to include such a disclaimer, but someone with the intelligence to navigate the web page the disclaimer is on - should know not to eat it.
-On the News yesterday, the U.S. modified its "Dietary Guidelines." And made some changes to the good 'old Food Pyramid. The "teaser" on the news said "Bad news for couch potatoes as changes are made on what you should be eating." This doesn't make sense. Simply because Couch Potatoes don't give a crap about what they're eating anyway! Do you really think someone is sitting there with Potato Chips, dipping it in cake icing and will go "oh, I shouldn't be eating this?!? Why didn't anyone TELL me?!?"
-While I'm on the subject of weight loss... Every diet pill out there says you have to take it in conjunction with a eating right and exercise... if I did that, I wouldn't need the freaking pill.
-Odd stamps – one thing I abhor about stamp machines is you do not get change. Instead, if you put in $.40 then you get a regular stamp and a $.03 stamp. What good is that? They also have $.01 stamps. They might as well make the regular stamps $.40. Because nobody does anything with those piddly extra stamps. I take them home and put them in a drawer. I am just biding my time and waiting for the day that I accumulate enough of those babies to put them on an envelope…. That’ll show them, all the addresses will be covered by $.03 stamps… not the stickers. The $.03 stamps are ones you lick… so it’ll be slobbery too.
If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?
- Theres an Airline Commercial where a guy puts on all of his cloths to avoid packing. - Why it doesn't make sense: After a couple layers, the size of the cloths HAVE to get larger because of all the cloths underneath. Which means he can't wear those clothes anyway, they would be to big. So why take them at all? He would just be wearing extremely large clothing...
-iPod Shuffle - Apple just introduced a tiny iPod called iPod shuffle. On the web page it has the iPod Shuffle beside a couple packs of gum to show how small it is. Underneath, the caption reads "Smaller than a Pack of Gum, but much more fun (2)" The footnote it refers to says "Do not eat iPod Shuffle." Why would this be needed? Not only is it sad commentary about society that Apple felt the need to include such a disclaimer, but someone with the intelligence to navigate the web page the disclaimer is on - should know not to eat it.
-On the News yesterday, the U.S. modified its "Dietary Guidelines." And made some changes to the good 'old Food Pyramid. The "teaser" on the news said "Bad news for couch potatoes as changes are made on what you should be eating." This doesn't make sense. Simply because Couch Potatoes don't give a crap about what they're eating anyway! Do you really think someone is sitting there with Potato Chips, dipping it in cake icing and will go "oh, I shouldn't be eating this?!? Why didn't anyone TELL me?!?"
-While I'm on the subject of weight loss... Every diet pill out there says you have to take it in conjunction with a eating right and exercise... if I did that, I wouldn't need the freaking pill.
-Odd stamps – one thing I abhor about stamp machines is you do not get change. Instead, if you put in $.40 then you get a regular stamp and a $.03 stamp. What good is that? They also have $.01 stamps. They might as well make the regular stamps $.40. Because nobody does anything with those piddly extra stamps. I take them home and put them in a drawer. I am just biding my time and waiting for the day that I accumulate enough of those babies to put them on an envelope…. That’ll show them, all the addresses will be covered by $.03 stamps… not the stickers. The $.03 stamps are ones you lick… so it’ll be slobbery too.
If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?
Monday, January 10, 2005
Riveted
To me, "24" is the best show on television - hands down, and bar none. The new season started last night with 2 episodes and they are continuing tonight with another 2 hours. If I had it my way, I would watch all 24 hours of it in a row. This is how gripping it is. Never have I felt like this about a TV show. I mean, there are shows that I say "Man, I can't wait untol next week." But this one I really, really can't. I cannot miss an episode, simply cannot.
You want to talk twists? Twists? Each episode has a small twist, but there have been moments when I sat there with my mouth gaping open saying "I cannot believe that just happened." I will sometimes, actually, hold my breath. This season, there have been a number of casting changes but Kiefer Sutherland still remains, and that is the important thing.
Last year I heard a rumor that he would not return and they would try to continue with someone else. If that happened, I don't know if I would watch. Over the past 3 years you get used to him as Jack Bauer having bad days.
If you're not familiar with the premise, the season starts at a certain point in the day. Each episode is an hour of that day, and all events happen in "real time." So it is like the entire season is a huge rollercoaster of a movie. Over the past 10 years, maybe longer, I cannot think of a show that had a more creative approach to a season.
In the past it started in the fall. This made it difficult to follow, because it is on Fox. In the fall Fox is involved with the baseball playoffs, NHL and (when applicable) election coverage. So in past years they would occasionally move the show, or not run a new episode for a few weeks. This was a little disruptive of the flow. This year they played it smarter by starting it in January. This way, Fox is only involved in football, and that's only on the weekends. So that frees up time for "24" and (ugh) "American Idol." That show I will not get sucked into ever again. It is horrible.
Back to "24." I own the firs season on DVD, and watched it a second time in its entirety after I bought it. I lent it to my dad, who finished it in a week. I lent it to Rachael who finished it 3-4 days. If that's not a testament to the intensity of the show, I don't know what is. It is so gripping, I have even thought about not watching and just waiting for the DVD so I can watch all the episodes consecutively. But that just is not going to happen...
Well, I got to get back to "24".... (boop, beep, boop, beep, boop, beep)
You want to talk twists? Twists? Each episode has a small twist, but there have been moments when I sat there with my mouth gaping open saying "I cannot believe that just happened." I will sometimes, actually, hold my breath. This season, there have been a number of casting changes but Kiefer Sutherland still remains, and that is the important thing.
Last year I heard a rumor that he would not return and they would try to continue with someone else. If that happened, I don't know if I would watch. Over the past 3 years you get used to him as Jack Bauer having bad days.
If you're not familiar with the premise, the season starts at a certain point in the day. Each episode is an hour of that day, and all events happen in "real time." So it is like the entire season is a huge rollercoaster of a movie. Over the past 10 years, maybe longer, I cannot think of a show that had a more creative approach to a season.
In the past it started in the fall. This made it difficult to follow, because it is on Fox. In the fall Fox is involved with the baseball playoffs, NHL and (when applicable) election coverage. So in past years they would occasionally move the show, or not run a new episode for a few weeks. This was a little disruptive of the flow. This year they played it smarter by starting it in January. This way, Fox is only involved in football, and that's only on the weekends. So that frees up time for "24" and (ugh) "American Idol." That show I will not get sucked into ever again. It is horrible.
Back to "24." I own the firs season on DVD, and watched it a second time in its entirety after I bought it. I lent it to my dad, who finished it in a week. I lent it to Rachael who finished it 3-4 days. If that's not a testament to the intensity of the show, I don't know what is. It is so gripping, I have even thought about not watching and just waiting for the DVD so I can watch all the episodes consecutively. But that just is not going to happen...
Well, I got to get back to "24".... (boop, beep, boop, beep, boop, beep)
Saturday, January 01, 2005
O.A.R. Adventure
A couple months ago, my brother sent me information that one of my favorite bands –O.A.R. (of a revolution) – was playing in D.C. on the 29th and 30th. I had not seen them in concert despite repeated attempts. It was getting frustrating. I promptly emailed my friend, Jason (affectionately known as Nute) – who is also an avid fan. We began to make plans to see them. Sort of. He said he might be interested, and by the time we had decided that we wanted to go, the concert was sold out.
A couple weeks before the show we were scouring eBay and other sites for reasonably priced tickets. We found them for $90 - $125 a piece. Now, even though this was a favorite band of mine, there was no way we were going to pay that much for a ticket. We were looking for 4 – for me, Rach, Nute, and his girlfriend – Diane (affectionately known as ‘Dano’). We had all decided that since face value was $35, and if we got them through Ticketmaster they would have added almost $10 for processing and tax, that we would pay, maybe, $50. We couldn’t find anything even remotely close to that price.
Despite that, Nute and Dano still planned on making their way to Baltimore on the 29th. We wanted to go to the show on the 30th. It was looking very bleak come Wednesday night. By this time most of the shows listed on various sights didn’t even include the 30th. And the ones that did were still at outrageous prices.
So the morning of the 30th rolled around. And we were still looking. We didn’t want to go down into D.C. with no tickets with the hopes of picking up 4. This would be a difficult task for 1, and for 2 – it is not uncommon for people to hawk counterfeit tickets. And we didn’t want to be screwed. Nute hopped on his laptop and found 2 tickets on eBay for $50. That was for both. The problem was that the seller was in Philly, and we would have to go get them. Even though Philly is just a couple hours away, doing this for just 2 tickets just wasn’t logical.
Just when we were starting to lose hope – Nute started IM-ing a friend from college who lives in D.C., and she pointed us to a message board. We promptly got on and posted the need for 4 tickets. Within a half hour we got a call. A guy with an British accent, had 3 tickets (the fact he had a British accent has nothing to do with getting the tickets, but made the process seem more like a mission - a la Bond or something). He lived on the way to D.C. and we could get them for $50 a piece. The ball was in motion. This was Phase 1 – according to Nute (he likes to do things in “Phases”). We started to get ready. We felt okay about going down there with 3 and just trying to find 1 ticket. That was better odds. They were all General Admission, so seating didn’t make a difference. As we got ready we kept an eye on the phone, maybe someone else would call.
We had to pick up the tickets at 6 at this guy’s apartment. The doors opened at 7:30pm. His apartment was just about 20 minutes outside of D.C. So we had a little time and went to eat. Then things started to get interesting. It was about an hour to get to the British guy’s place. We left the restaurant about 5:00. This worried me, because traffic can be nasty. However, apparently there weren’t many people working this close to the holiday (none of US were – so this made sense... at least to me), because the traffic wasn’t bad. Finding the apartment wasn't difficult either. I slept most of the way, riding in a car will do that to me.
Rach and I didn’t think we’d even get this close to tickets, so we were still a bit skeptical. We were at the British guys place by 6:00. Then it got to be 6:10 and we gave him a call. “I will be there in, literally 10 minutes,” he said. I guess in England a minute must be on some wacky metric time, because it was easily 20 minutes before he showed. We had no clue what this guy was like, so Nute wanted me to get out of the car for 'backup.' The guy was pretty nice. He gave us the tickets and showed us an email from the person he originally got them from, he was going out of his way to show us he wasn’t screwing us over. He said he did attend the show the previous night and offered advice: there will probably be tickets availably to buy from others, but don’t make it obvious you are trying to buy them. The security people will take all of your tickets and rip them up. He was like our wise sage you see in movies when people go on quests. You know the ones where they seem to have a little too much information, but all of it is key in completing the journey? Phase 1 was going well.
We decided that driving in D.C. was a pain. We didn’t know where we are going, and the club was supposed to be in a bad part of town. All of these factors led us to park in a nearby garage and make a call for a cab. We were 7 miles away from the club. We went to a nearby Holiday Inn to get the number for a cab.
There’s something I have learned over the years about riding in a cab. Always act like you know where you are and where you are going. The more clueless you seem, them more likely they are to take the “scenic route” to milk you for money. The cab arrived. Rach, Dano and I sat in the back. Nute sat up front. One of the first things Nute does is proclaim that we have no clue where we’re going. Phase 2 was off to a rocky start. Then, on top of that – after telling the cabbie where we were going he seemed to have no clue either. Did I mention it was 7 miles away? Nute then – helpfully – handed him the directions we downloaded from Mapquest. Ugh. Rach and I looked at each other with trepidation and Dano giggled. I then just shook my head.
Dano was nursing a little hangover, and needed to stop at a convenience store for some medicine. We were going to do that first. We pulled out of the Holiday Inn, and Nute asked if there was a 7-11 around. The cabbie said “yeah.” Well, in my vision about a half a block away, I could see it. And on the other side was a CVS pharmacy. I pointed it out – but maybe not audibly enough. The cabbie and Nute were still talking about how there’s one down the street – and then – we drove right on by it. I turned around and pointed at it and repeated “there’s one right there.” But we continued to drive. Again, Rach, Dano and I exchanged looks. The cabbie took a right, drove a little, took another right, drove a little and took another right… and lo and behold there was the SAME FREAKING 7-11! The cabbie had just driven us no more than round the block – in a not so subtle manner. I said something like “Hey, we were just here.” I looked at the meter. Apparently a ride around the block was $5.00 for 4 people – in case you have ever wondered. Nute hopped out to run inside. The cabbie turned on the dome light to examine the directions (7 miles away – he tried to explain that he was a Bethesda cabbie and didn’t go into D.C. “Hogwash” I thought…ok maybe I thought something a little more harsh, but it meant the same). At this point Dano, Rach and I started to whisper about ditching the cabbie and just driving ourselves. I wanted to say something to the cabbie about screwing us over, but decided against it to save us further problems if we were going to stick with him. Which we did. Again we were on our way.
I have never, ever, had a cabbie not know where he was going. It seemed preposterous to me. I figured this had to be one of the job requirements. There are only 2, right? Have a driver's license and know all the roads in a 50 – 75 mile radius (depending on where you are a cabbie). There doesn’t seem to be much more than that. I mean there doesn’t seem to be a dress code, or education level required. Just 2 things; drive and know where you are driving. I figured this guy either a) was pulling our leg or b) was a complete moron and got the job through his uncle or something. At this point both scenarios were equally plausible.
We all chipped in to help the cabbie find his way as he drove slow like he was looking around, stopped at non-existent stop signs and clumsily made his way. Rach, Dano and I continued to shoot looks at one another. We were pointing out street signs and such. As we approached the cabbie tipped his hand that the club we were going to was in a bad part of town… well… how did he know that? We had been hoodwinked. Figures. But we got there. So Phase 2 was complete – finally. We all informed Nute that it was better to act like you know where you were going in the cabbie situation.
The line to the club wrapped around the block. The doors were not open yet, and we started walking to the end. We get to the end of the line and start Phase 3 – finding one more ticket. We decided that I would hold onto the three we had and Nute would search for number 4 lest he be stopped by security. He didn’t have to go far. As we were deciding a guy walked by us to someone directly behind us saying – “Hey this guy up here (not us) needs a ticket.” Nute turned around and said – “Ill buy it from you right now.” By that time, the other guy was there, and the seller – who was obviously drunk – wanted to start a bidding war. Luckily for us the guy we were up against was cheap. He wanted the ticket for less than face – so our offer of $50 was not matched and we had our fourth ticket (later the cheap guy agreed to buy a ticket from a girl for $40 and “mistakenly’ gave her a $20 and a $5 – she noticed).
Oddly enough a little later a girl who was with the person we bought the ticket from had hers torn up by security because she had alcohol. I guess she could have then used that ticket – heh heh heh.
From that point on – things went smoothly. We got in the club, go a decent place and enjoyed the concert thoroughly. We had – in a day – gone from no tickets and no hope to seeing an awesome show of one of our favorite bands in a cozy, small venue – for what we wanted to pay. The experience was great.
We hailed a cab to go back to the hotel. Despite our previous advice, Nute again pulled out the Mapquest directions. Thankfully, we got a better cabbie (though we learned more than we wanted by overhearing his cell phone conversation with his ‘woman’). The cab ride back cost us $10 less than the ride there. Interesting huh?
Nevertheless, all things considered, things went better than we had expected. And like Rachael said “Now we have a good story too.”
A couple weeks before the show we were scouring eBay and other sites for reasonably priced tickets. We found them for $90 - $125 a piece. Now, even though this was a favorite band of mine, there was no way we were going to pay that much for a ticket. We were looking for 4 – for me, Rach, Nute, and his girlfriend – Diane (affectionately known as ‘Dano’). We had all decided that since face value was $35, and if we got them through Ticketmaster they would have added almost $10 for processing and tax, that we would pay, maybe, $50. We couldn’t find anything even remotely close to that price.
Despite that, Nute and Dano still planned on making their way to Baltimore on the 29th. We wanted to go to the show on the 30th. It was looking very bleak come Wednesday night. By this time most of the shows listed on various sights didn’t even include the 30th. And the ones that did were still at outrageous prices.
So the morning of the 30th rolled around. And we were still looking. We didn’t want to go down into D.C. with no tickets with the hopes of picking up 4. This would be a difficult task for 1, and for 2 – it is not uncommon for people to hawk counterfeit tickets. And we didn’t want to be screwed. Nute hopped on his laptop and found 2 tickets on eBay for $50. That was for both. The problem was that the seller was in Philly, and we would have to go get them. Even though Philly is just a couple hours away, doing this for just 2 tickets just wasn’t logical.
Just when we were starting to lose hope – Nute started IM-ing a friend from college who lives in D.C., and she pointed us to a message board. We promptly got on and posted the need for 4 tickets. Within a half hour we got a call. A guy with an British accent, had 3 tickets (the fact he had a British accent has nothing to do with getting the tickets, but made the process seem more like a mission - a la Bond or something). He lived on the way to D.C. and we could get them for $50 a piece. The ball was in motion. This was Phase 1 – according to Nute (he likes to do things in “Phases”). We started to get ready. We felt okay about going down there with 3 and just trying to find 1 ticket. That was better odds. They were all General Admission, so seating didn’t make a difference. As we got ready we kept an eye on the phone, maybe someone else would call.
We had to pick up the tickets at 6 at this guy’s apartment. The doors opened at 7:30pm. His apartment was just about 20 minutes outside of D.C. So we had a little time and went to eat. Then things started to get interesting. It was about an hour to get to the British guy’s place. We left the restaurant about 5:00. This worried me, because traffic can be nasty. However, apparently there weren’t many people working this close to the holiday (none of US were – so this made sense... at least to me), because the traffic wasn’t bad. Finding the apartment wasn't difficult either. I slept most of the way, riding in a car will do that to me.
Rach and I didn’t think we’d even get this close to tickets, so we were still a bit skeptical. We were at the British guys place by 6:00. Then it got to be 6:10 and we gave him a call. “I will be there in, literally 10 minutes,” he said. I guess in England a minute must be on some wacky metric time, because it was easily 20 minutes before he showed. We had no clue what this guy was like, so Nute wanted me to get out of the car for 'backup.' The guy was pretty nice. He gave us the tickets and showed us an email from the person he originally got them from, he was going out of his way to show us he wasn’t screwing us over. He said he did attend the show the previous night and offered advice: there will probably be tickets availably to buy from others, but don’t make it obvious you are trying to buy them. The security people will take all of your tickets and rip them up. He was like our wise sage you see in movies when people go on quests. You know the ones where they seem to have a little too much information, but all of it is key in completing the journey? Phase 1 was going well.
We decided that driving in D.C. was a pain. We didn’t know where we are going, and the club was supposed to be in a bad part of town. All of these factors led us to park in a nearby garage and make a call for a cab. We were 7 miles away from the club. We went to a nearby Holiday Inn to get the number for a cab.
There’s something I have learned over the years about riding in a cab. Always act like you know where you are and where you are going. The more clueless you seem, them more likely they are to take the “scenic route” to milk you for money. The cab arrived. Rach, Dano and I sat in the back. Nute sat up front. One of the first things Nute does is proclaim that we have no clue where we’re going. Phase 2 was off to a rocky start. Then, on top of that – after telling the cabbie where we were going he seemed to have no clue either. Did I mention it was 7 miles away? Nute then – helpfully – handed him the directions we downloaded from Mapquest. Ugh. Rach and I looked at each other with trepidation and Dano giggled. I then just shook my head.
Dano was nursing a little hangover, and needed to stop at a convenience store for some medicine. We were going to do that first. We pulled out of the Holiday Inn, and Nute asked if there was a 7-11 around. The cabbie said “yeah.” Well, in my vision about a half a block away, I could see it. And on the other side was a CVS pharmacy. I pointed it out – but maybe not audibly enough. The cabbie and Nute were still talking about how there’s one down the street – and then – we drove right on by it. I turned around and pointed at it and repeated “there’s one right there.” But we continued to drive. Again, Rach, Dano and I exchanged looks. The cabbie took a right, drove a little, took another right, drove a little and took another right… and lo and behold there was the SAME FREAKING 7-11! The cabbie had just driven us no more than round the block – in a not so subtle manner. I said something like “Hey, we were just here.” I looked at the meter. Apparently a ride around the block was $5.00 for 4 people – in case you have ever wondered. Nute hopped out to run inside. The cabbie turned on the dome light to examine the directions (7 miles away – he tried to explain that he was a Bethesda cabbie and didn’t go into D.C. “Hogwash” I thought…ok maybe I thought something a little more harsh, but it meant the same). At this point Dano, Rach and I started to whisper about ditching the cabbie and just driving ourselves. I wanted to say something to the cabbie about screwing us over, but decided against it to save us further problems if we were going to stick with him. Which we did. Again we were on our way.
I have never, ever, had a cabbie not know where he was going. It seemed preposterous to me. I figured this had to be one of the job requirements. There are only 2, right? Have a driver's license and know all the roads in a 50 – 75 mile radius (depending on where you are a cabbie). There doesn’t seem to be much more than that. I mean there doesn’t seem to be a dress code, or education level required. Just 2 things; drive and know where you are driving. I figured this guy either a) was pulling our leg or b) was a complete moron and got the job through his uncle or something. At this point both scenarios were equally plausible.
We all chipped in to help the cabbie find his way as he drove slow like he was looking around, stopped at non-existent stop signs and clumsily made his way. Rach, Dano and I continued to shoot looks at one another. We were pointing out street signs and such. As we approached the cabbie tipped his hand that the club we were going to was in a bad part of town… well… how did he know that? We had been hoodwinked. Figures. But we got there. So Phase 2 was complete – finally. We all informed Nute that it was better to act like you know where you were going in the cabbie situation.
The line to the club wrapped around the block. The doors were not open yet, and we started walking to the end. We get to the end of the line and start Phase 3 – finding one more ticket. We decided that I would hold onto the three we had and Nute would search for number 4 lest he be stopped by security. He didn’t have to go far. As we were deciding a guy walked by us to someone directly behind us saying – “Hey this guy up here (not us) needs a ticket.” Nute turned around and said – “Ill buy it from you right now.” By that time, the other guy was there, and the seller – who was obviously drunk – wanted to start a bidding war. Luckily for us the guy we were up against was cheap. He wanted the ticket for less than face – so our offer of $50 was not matched and we had our fourth ticket (later the cheap guy agreed to buy a ticket from a girl for $40 and “mistakenly’ gave her a $20 and a $5 – she noticed).
Oddly enough a little later a girl who was with the person we bought the ticket from had hers torn up by security because she had alcohol. I guess she could have then used that ticket – heh heh heh.
From that point on – things went smoothly. We got in the club, go a decent place and enjoyed the concert thoroughly. We had – in a day – gone from no tickets and no hope to seeing an awesome show of one of our favorite bands in a cozy, small venue – for what we wanted to pay. The experience was great.
We hailed a cab to go back to the hotel. Despite our previous advice, Nute again pulled out the Mapquest directions. Thankfully, we got a better cabbie (though we learned more than we wanted by overhearing his cell phone conversation with his ‘woman’). The cab ride back cost us $10 less than the ride there. Interesting huh?
Nevertheless, all things considered, things went better than we had expected. And like Rachael said “Now we have a good story too.”
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