I asked, "Should I put the cake down?"
The President said, "No, It's fine. But try not to get any crumbs on the bill itself."
That was pretty much how it happened. The thing I remember most was how good the cake was. It was really good cake.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Old pictures / memories
The old-timey picture in my rival blog the other day had me looking for old pictures from my past. Did find this one of me and George Bush, Dan Quayle, & two other suits at the signing of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. I hadn't even been hired at EPA Region 5 yet, but I went up to the signing looking to make some contacts. I did get a free NEI shirt in honor of the 1981 NEI having just been released that summer. I was talking w/ the NOAA Undersecretary of Glaciers (I believe he was an ex-Ranger), when I heard GHWB say "Hey, we need a regular working stiff in the picture. Hey Dolberry! Come up here for a second."
I asked, "Should I put the cake down?"
The President said, "No, It's fine. But try not to get any crumbs on the bill itself."
That was pretty much how it happened. The thing I remember most was how good the cake was. It was really good cake.
I asked, "Should I put the cake down?"
The President said, "No, It's fine. But try not to get any crumbs on the bill itself."
That was pretty much how it happened. The thing I remember most was how good the cake was. It was really good cake.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Big thanks to TKMo / Book Review
Big thanks to TKMo for my b-day gift card to Border's which I used to buy a highly entertaining book The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir. I was reading it on the bus & started laughing nearly-uncontrollably at one of Bill Bryson's recollections (the "toity" jar) of growing up in the 50s/60s in Des Moines IA. The laughing triggered a coughing spell, and then my eyes started watering, & it was fortunate I was on a TTA bus, because there were so few around to witness this odd behavior.
Bryson's recollections mostly recount the age of Saturday matinees & walking to school, but occasionally foray into things I remember from youth. His fond skewering of the debacle that was Electric Football alone is worth the outlay (if it's not free for you, like it was for me & my gift card). I was transported back in time to Robbie Livingston's family room and detail-by-detail it was like every "game" we ever played. He had a great riff on model planes as well that Dad would enjoy. Just an amazing book. Kinda sad in the end as he detailed so many strengths of the bygone era & how they were gone forever, but overall just a nice journey back in time. I'll bring it for borrowing over Christmas.
(As an aside on Electric Football, click that link you just passed. Amazingly, people apparently meet for conventions to play others in Electric Football. There a some mind-boggling quotes in there.)
Bryson's recollections mostly recount the age of Saturday matinees & walking to school, but occasionally foray into things I remember from youth. His fond skewering of the debacle that was Electric Football alone is worth the outlay (if it's not free for you, like it was for me & my gift card). I was transported back in time to Robbie Livingston's family room and detail-by-detail it was like every "game" we ever played. He had a great riff on model planes as well that Dad would enjoy. Just an amazing book. Kinda sad in the end as he detailed so many strengths of the bygone era & how they were gone forever, but overall just a nice journey back in time. I'll bring it for borrowing over Christmas.
(As an aside on Electric Football, click that link you just passed. Amazingly, people apparently meet for conventions to play others in Electric Football. There a some mind-boggling quotes in there.)
Monday, November 13, 2006
Dolberry's WorkDay in Pictures
Here's my day today in pictures:
6:40 - Left home (was kinda dark, but pleasant enough)
6:40 - Left home (was kinda dark, but pleasant enough)
6:50 Got to bus stop. Waiting for bus.
7:30: Get to work. Cautiously optimistic for a Monday.
7:32: Walk into office. Feeling less optimistic.
11:30: Working on Locomotive/Marine RIA. Week already shot to heck.
5:30: Anxiously waiting for bus to take me home.
That was pretty much it. A lot of days are like that. I did get my year-end bonus & raise which was nice, but since there was no oversized check or anything, I didn't get a picture.
On an unrelated subject, my dad sure is a cool guy. He said he'd give me $5 if I said something nice about him on the blog. He may do the same for you if you leave a comment saying nice things about him. Is worth a shot.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
If I had a vote ... here would be my CFB Top 12
1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. USC
4. Notre Dame
5. Arkansas
6. Rutgers
7. Florida
8. Louisville
9. West Virginia
10. Wisconsin
11. Wake Forest
12. Texas
2. Michigan
3. USC
4. Notre Dame
5. Arkansas
6. Rutgers
7. Florida
8. Louisville
9. West Virginia
10. Wisconsin
11. Wake Forest
12. Texas
Friday, November 10, 2006
Funsunny day
We had a great day today. Almost exclusively outside. Cleaned up the front yard. (Back yard tomorrow.) Even better GpC fixed our dryer!
Went fishing in the afternoon. Only caught one fish (a big catfish), but was fun anyway. Some pictures ensue. Have a great weekend everyone!
Went fishing in the afternoon. Only caught one fish (a big catfish), but was fun anyway. Some pictures ensue. Have a great weekend everyone!
Hey, the sun did come up today!
A few observations on the game last night:
1) Was impressed w/ Rutgers in every way. I think the final margin was closer than the game really was. And I thought they played w/ real class (helping people up from the pile, no over-the-top gesturing, no personal fouls (except the roughing the punter)). Schiano seemed like a really decent guy as well. And they were able to get their fans off the field after they rushed it w/ one second left. After seeing the way some of the SEC fans & coaches behaved this week, I wonder if how much class a program has is proportional to how long you've been a major player on the CFB scene. I'll be cheering for Rutgers the rest of the way (unless there's still some way UL can get into a BCS game). I think they deserve to be in the argument for the NC game & if they beat WVU in Morgantown, would argue that they should get a chance.
2) Am interested in Petrino's breakdown after looking at film. His early statements seemed to place the blame on Brohm, but it seemed to me that there was NO time to throw. The playcalling seemed odd to me. No plays to the TE for the 2nd game. The only play that seemed to have any traction was the "power sweep" looking play to Kolby Smith, but it didn't work as a deep pitch, which we tried three times. Obviously, getting 2nd and 16 every possession screws up the playbook. I've never seem UL take so many careless penalties (motion, offsides).
3) Excuses: Every team in every sport can make excuses after every loss. It doesn't take away from the Rutgers win, but the WV (home) / RU (away) combo seven days later made for great TV, but it would have been tough for anyone to sweep that DH. And how heartbreaking was it to watch Bush leaving the field as Rutgers drove down for the winning score. Ahhh, what could've been had he not gotten hurt ....
Anyway, am off work, it's supposed to get to 78 degrees here in full sun today, and the glorious Billikens have beaten their two D2 preseason opponents by a combined 81 points, so life goes on.
1) Was impressed w/ Rutgers in every way. I think the final margin was closer than the game really was. And I thought they played w/ real class (helping people up from the pile, no over-the-top gesturing, no personal fouls (except the roughing the punter)). Schiano seemed like a really decent guy as well. And they were able to get their fans off the field after they rushed it w/ one second left. After seeing the way some of the SEC fans & coaches behaved this week, I wonder if how much class a program has is proportional to how long you've been a major player on the CFB scene. I'll be cheering for Rutgers the rest of the way (unless there's still some way UL can get into a BCS game). I think they deserve to be in the argument for the NC game & if they beat WVU in Morgantown, would argue that they should get a chance.
2) Am interested in Petrino's breakdown after looking at film. His early statements seemed to place the blame on Brohm, but it seemed to me that there was NO time to throw. The playcalling seemed odd to me. No plays to the TE for the 2nd game. The only play that seemed to have any traction was the "power sweep" looking play to Kolby Smith, but it didn't work as a deep pitch, which we tried three times. Obviously, getting 2nd and 16 every possession screws up the playbook. I've never seem UL take so many careless penalties (motion, offsides).
3) Excuses: Every team in every sport can make excuses after every loss. It doesn't take away from the Rutgers win, but the WV (home) / RU (away) combo seven days later made for great TV, but it would have been tough for anyone to sweep that DH. And how heartbreaking was it to watch Bush leaving the field as Rutgers drove down for the winning score. Ahhh, what could've been had he not gotten hurt ....
Anyway, am off work, it's supposed to get to 78 degrees here in full sun today, and the glorious Billikens have beaten their two D2 preseason opponents by a combined 81 points, so life goes on.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Corsari
Hey, we bought a new card game called Corsari. It is fun. We'll bring it for Christmas.
Work was tiring this week. I fully realize I'll get no sympathy since it is over & only lasted 3 days, but trust me it was tiring. The highlight was a meeting today where a colleague said that I had used our model to design an attainment strategy w/o regard to whatever was possible "as if I were all-powerful" and I made wizard motions like I was blowing up cities (w/ sound effects)by simply putting spells on them. Like I said it was a long week.
We had mandatory EEO training this week which didn't help. I thought they were talking about mandatory ELO training which wouldn't have been so bad. (Man, I use to like the ELO when I was 12. And I can still tolerate them, which is pretty impressive.) Alas, this was EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity). Who knows why it was mandatory for staff? The one lasting memory I think I'll get out of it was that the instructor said it was not harassment to accidentally bump into someone in the hall while rounding a corner, but if you had a lookout who told you when a potential bumpee was coming & then you purposefully rounded the corner at the right time to cause a collision, that would be harassment. Honest. They actually said that. Who is this 2nd person, who provides the intel on when to round the corner. What is his/her motivation? And, if you are the harassing type, how much harassment can you get in a collision? And isn't this a whole lot of trouble just to effect? Sadly, it was 2.5 hours of my life that is not coming back.
Top 10 expected benefits of having an uncle in the Florida Legislature:
10. Unlimited 50 cent off coupons for Tropicana Low Pulp orange juice.
9. Getting to play left field for the Reds in early March spring training games.
8. No more golfing at public golf courses.
7. Freedom to drive rental car up & down Siesta Key Beach asking people directions to Chili's.
6. Parade in my honor down Tamiami Trail.
5. One free punch to any character at the Medieval Faire.
4. Free 8 x 10 from Katherine Harris signed "No, I don't want to see your hanging C-Lo".
3. Inside track at replacing Max Mayfield as head of the National Hurricane Center.
2. All you can eat Gator Balls at the Crab Shack.
1. Florida State University .... now Dolberry's School of Wingdings.
Work was tiring this week. I fully realize I'll get no sympathy since it is over & only lasted 3 days, but trust me it was tiring. The highlight was a meeting today where a colleague said that I had used our model to design an attainment strategy w/o regard to whatever was possible "as if I were all-powerful" and I made wizard motions like I was blowing up cities (w/ sound effects)by simply putting spells on them. Like I said it was a long week.
We had mandatory EEO training this week which didn't help. I thought they were talking about mandatory ELO training which wouldn't have been so bad. (Man, I use to like the ELO when I was 12. And I can still tolerate them, which is pretty impressive.) Alas, this was EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity). Who knows why it was mandatory for staff? The one lasting memory I think I'll get out of it was that the instructor said it was not harassment to accidentally bump into someone in the hall while rounding a corner, but if you had a lookout who told you when a potential bumpee was coming & then you purposefully rounded the corner at the right time to cause a collision, that would be harassment. Honest. They actually said that. Who is this 2nd person, who provides the intel on when to round the corner. What is his/her motivation? And, if you are the harassing type, how much harassment can you get in a collision? And isn't this a whole lot of trouble just to effect? Sadly, it was 2.5 hours of my life that is not coming back.
Top 10 expected benefits of having an uncle in the Florida Legislature:
10. Unlimited 50 cent off coupons for Tropicana Low Pulp orange juice.
9. Getting to play left field for the Reds in early March spring training games.
8. No more golfing at public golf courses.
7. Freedom to drive rental car up & down Siesta Key Beach asking people directions to Chili's.
6. Parade in my honor down Tamiami Trail.
5. One free punch to any character at the Medieval Faire.
4. Free 8 x 10 from Katherine Harris signed "No, I don't want to see your hanging C-Lo".
3. Inside track at replacing Max Mayfield as head of the National Hurricane Center.
2. All you can eat Gator Balls at the Crab Shack.
1. Florida State University .... now Dolberry's School of Wingdings.
Monday, November 06, 2006
DCV blog, in association with the Phil Foundation, proudly presents ........ Hazard Hawk and his Friends (1.0)
Once upon a time there was a hawk that lived in a high and comfortable nest mere minutes flight into (and out of) a forest that edged up from a swampy start along the sea. For the first few years of his life, this hawk, called Hazard Hawk by his friends for his rather caution-to-the-winds approach to foraging, led a comfortable existence in the canopy with his neighbors. Northern goshawks are known for their single-minded pursuit of prey and have been know to chase chickens into barns, or bloody their wings in shortcuts through thick foilage, even splash kamikazee-style into the sea in pursuit of unsuspecting ducks. Hazard Hawk took it a step further. The forest storytellers would tell tales of Hazard Hawk chasing rabbits into their holes and exploding upwards in flight seconds later out a separate hole, prey in talon. Certainly, the mythic orientation of these stories were but exaggeration, but well-suited in the easy conversations of the forest for a bird whose approach was beyond the norm.
The forest and the surrounding swamplands were filled with all sorts of creatures: birds, snakes, fish, and mammals of all sizes. And generally there was peace. Everyone adhered to the food chain, but it was done without the malice you generally see captured on the Discovery Channel. The animals spent their days in familiar patterns of sleeping, eating, sleeping, mingling, eating, and then sleeping. And while generally the stories at mingling time were light and airy as the fair weather cumulus that formed on the afternoon sea breeze, gloomy fog-filled afternoons often nudged forward tales of distant darknesses both on top of the sea, as well as east of the sea near the edge of the forested swamplands, areas where animals behaved savagely and in accordance with the ways of Man instead of the ways of animals.
The inhabitants of these tales will come into this story soon enough. It is best at this point to introduce you to a character closer to Hazard Hawk. Certainly it seems strange to us to consider a raptor and one of his potential prey to be friends. But that was the case between Hazard Hawk and Cautious Crow. Just as easily as we might slander one of our best friends behind his or her back (but with even more lasting consequences), be assured that Hazard Hawk would have eaten C.C. without a whiff of guilt had he ever been successful at the ambush. But most of the time, C.C. stood sentinel while Hazard Hawk stalked the local crow roost. Over time the two birds struck up small conversations, then larger ones, 'til gradually they were basically inseparable at mingling time. At least, inseparable beyond the safe distance that C.C. maintained.
The two friends were alike in many ways, but most different in their approach to feeding. C.C.'s caution may have even outpaced Hazard Hawk's recklessness. Whether it was some tasty corn or a grubby worm, the security of the situation governed when C.C. ate. His was a defense first mentality. Hazard Hawk had flown once through a series of thorn bushes in pursuit of an especially plump-looking hare (his preferred dining option) only to stun himself against the trunk of a forgotten maple. But in most things, the two birds were more similar than most of the forest creatures. They were both about the same age, in the second summer since emerging from their mother's nest. They both liked to talk which is not to say that they didn't listen. They both loved the vicariousness of added adventures lived from the other's perspective. Mostly, they both liked to explore. The descriptions of new places visited formed the backbone of most of their afternoon conversations.
"The surf was high again today at the point at the sands where all those fish died last year," cawed C.C. on this particular day just prior to the solstice.
"I've been there. It's not that far." countered Hazard Hawk, not as a challenge, but more as an unneeded reminder. Sandy Point was a geographic street corner of sorts, the furthest jut of sand encountered by Bobbin Creek as it joined the sea. Hazard Hawk instinctively preferred the interior of the forest to the open seascapes and had only been to Sandy Point two times in his young life. The first was in his birthyear summer when he had gotten lost. The second was this spring soon after C.C. had mentioned that the fishing boats had begun to make their way north along the shore and how from Sandy Point you could hear the conversations of the freeloading gulls that accompanied the boats out into the deeper waters.
(will write more later ...)
The forest and the surrounding swamplands were filled with all sorts of creatures: birds, snakes, fish, and mammals of all sizes. And generally there was peace. Everyone adhered to the food chain, but it was done without the malice you generally see captured on the Discovery Channel. The animals spent their days in familiar patterns of sleeping, eating, sleeping, mingling, eating, and then sleeping. And while generally the stories at mingling time were light and airy as the fair weather cumulus that formed on the afternoon sea breeze, gloomy fog-filled afternoons often nudged forward tales of distant darknesses both on top of the sea, as well as east of the sea near the edge of the forested swamplands, areas where animals behaved savagely and in accordance with the ways of Man instead of the ways of animals.
The inhabitants of these tales will come into this story soon enough. It is best at this point to introduce you to a character closer to Hazard Hawk. Certainly it seems strange to us to consider a raptor and one of his potential prey to be friends. But that was the case between Hazard Hawk and Cautious Crow. Just as easily as we might slander one of our best friends behind his or her back (but with even more lasting consequences), be assured that Hazard Hawk would have eaten C.C. without a whiff of guilt had he ever been successful at the ambush. But most of the time, C.C. stood sentinel while Hazard Hawk stalked the local crow roost. Over time the two birds struck up small conversations, then larger ones, 'til gradually they were basically inseparable at mingling time. At least, inseparable beyond the safe distance that C.C. maintained.
The two friends were alike in many ways, but most different in their approach to feeding. C.C.'s caution may have even outpaced Hazard Hawk's recklessness. Whether it was some tasty corn or a grubby worm, the security of the situation governed when C.C. ate. His was a defense first mentality. Hazard Hawk had flown once through a series of thorn bushes in pursuit of an especially plump-looking hare (his preferred dining option) only to stun himself against the trunk of a forgotten maple. But in most things, the two birds were more similar than most of the forest creatures. They were both about the same age, in the second summer since emerging from their mother's nest. They both liked to talk which is not to say that they didn't listen. They both loved the vicariousness of added adventures lived from the other's perspective. Mostly, they both liked to explore. The descriptions of new places visited formed the backbone of most of their afternoon conversations.
"The surf was high again today at the point at the sands where all those fish died last year," cawed C.C. on this particular day just prior to the solstice.
"I've been there. It's not that far." countered Hazard Hawk, not as a challenge, but more as an unneeded reminder. Sandy Point was a geographic street corner of sorts, the furthest jut of sand encountered by Bobbin Creek as it joined the sea. Hazard Hawk instinctively preferred the interior of the forest to the open seascapes and had only been to Sandy Point two times in his young life. The first was in his birthyear summer when he had gotten lost. The second was this spring soon after C.C. had mentioned that the fishing boats had begun to make their way north along the shore and how from Sandy Point you could hear the conversations of the freeloading gulls that accompanied the boats out into the deeper waters.
(will write more later ...)
Friday, November 03, 2006
Our trip to Louisville last weekend / Breeders Cup Picks
As has been mentioned throughout the week, the Dolberry clan went to Louisville over last weekend to see Sweet Mo. We had a great time & came away feeling really blessed to have just a great family ... one that just keeps getting better w/ each addition. (The earlier setups were a tease to increase blog traffic through the week. DCV readership lags toward the weekend. Hey, this blog isn't free. Ok, it is free. But still.)
Maybe we'll make Fridays be request night at the DCV.
CSue from Alaska wanted to know more about Tootsie Rolls. OK, I read thru their recently released quarterly earnings report, they seem to be doing well. Certainly, better than some junk food dealers. (Speaking of which, "Junk Food Junkie" may be my favorite novelty song of all time. DYN: It made it to the Top 10 in 1976. But I only gave this like 5 seconds thought, so feel free to suggest others I'm forgetting.) Back on topic, Tootsie Corp sold $186 million dollars of the stuff last quarter alone. Up 7% from same quarter, last year. Not all is sugar & chocolate, though, Tootsie is concerned about rising costs of Canadian products and costs due to increased labeling requirements by the FDA. I agree that it would be hard to label those tiny little suckers. What is that 1 pt font. Give 'em a break FDA, sheesh, it's a Tootsie, how bad can it be? And if you own 10 shares of Tootsie stock, congratulations my friend, that a cool $5.40 in your pocket.
C-Lo writes ... "Dolberry, your racing picks are an invaluable means of identifying the sure losers in any race. Quit holding out on your Breeders Cup picks, jerk!" Thank you C-Lo. Here they are. Caution: I spent less time on these than on the best novelty song decision. Working backwards from the big race, down to the lesser races.
Classic: Perfect Drift is one of my all time favorite horses (others include: Bombay Duck, Gato del Sol, Cryptoclearance, Badger Land, Unbridled, Thunder Gulch, Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Barbaro). He doesn't win that often, but he's always around. He's had success at CD. But mostly for sentimental reasons, I'm looking for the Ted Williams career finish with a two length win in the Classic. In second, I like Invasor, I'll bet the horses in Uruguay were glad to see the last of his 8-wins-in-9-starts butt when he shipped over here. In third, it'll be Flower Alley. This horse has been pathetic his last two outings, but Pletcher screamed a fit when he almost was left out of the field. He must know something. Plus we've got the principle at play here how that last team in March Madness, the one that everyone complains about, always seems to win a game or two. I'd say Bernardini (aka "possibly the next Secretariat" #46) gets 5th.
Turf: 1. Cacique 2. Hurricane Run 3. Red Rocks. (An all Irish trifecta.)
Distaff: 1. Pine Island 2. Balletto 3. Fleet Indian
Mile: 1. Aragorn 2. Echo of Light 3. Rob Roy
Sprint: 1. Henny Hughes 2. Thor's Echo 3. Pomeroy
Filly/Mare Turf: 1. Satwa Queen 2. Dancing Edie 3. Film Maker
Juvenile: 1. Circular Quay 2. Great Hunter 3. Street Sense
Juvenile Fillies: 1. Gatorize 2. Dreaming of Anna 3. Appealing Zophie
Have a nice weekend everyone.
Dolberry!
Maybe we'll make Fridays be request night at the DCV.
CSue from Alaska wanted to know more about Tootsie Rolls. OK, I read thru their recently released quarterly earnings report, they seem to be doing well. Certainly, better than some junk food dealers. (Speaking of which, "Junk Food Junkie" may be my favorite novelty song of all time. DYN: It made it to the Top 10 in 1976. But I only gave this like 5 seconds thought, so feel free to suggest others I'm forgetting.) Back on topic, Tootsie Corp sold $186 million dollars of the stuff last quarter alone. Up 7% from same quarter, last year. Not all is sugar & chocolate, though, Tootsie is concerned about rising costs of Canadian products and costs due to increased labeling requirements by the FDA. I agree that it would be hard to label those tiny little suckers. What is that 1 pt font. Give 'em a break FDA, sheesh, it's a Tootsie, how bad can it be? And if you own 10 shares of Tootsie stock, congratulations my friend, that a cool $5.40 in your pocket.
C-Lo writes ... "Dolberry, your racing picks are an invaluable means of identifying the sure losers in any race. Quit holding out on your Breeders Cup picks, jerk!" Thank you C-Lo. Here they are. Caution: I spent less time on these than on the best novelty song decision. Working backwards from the big race, down to the lesser races.
Classic: Perfect Drift is one of my all time favorite horses (others include: Bombay Duck, Gato del Sol, Cryptoclearance, Badger Land, Unbridled, Thunder Gulch, Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Barbaro). He doesn't win that often, but he's always around. He's had success at CD. But mostly for sentimental reasons, I'm looking for the Ted Williams career finish with a two length win in the Classic. In second, I like Invasor, I'll bet the horses in Uruguay were glad to see the last of his 8-wins-in-9-starts butt when he shipped over here. In third, it'll be Flower Alley. This horse has been pathetic his last two outings, but Pletcher screamed a fit when he almost was left out of the field. He must know something. Plus we've got the principle at play here how that last team in March Madness, the one that everyone complains about, always seems to win a game or two. I'd say Bernardini (aka "possibly the next Secretariat" #46) gets 5th.
Turf: 1. Cacique 2. Hurricane Run 3. Red Rocks. (An all Irish trifecta.)
Distaff: 1. Pine Island 2. Balletto 3. Fleet Indian
Mile: 1. Aragorn 2. Echo of Light 3. Rob Roy
Sprint: 1. Henny Hughes 2. Thor's Echo 3. Pomeroy
Filly/Mare Turf: 1. Satwa Queen 2. Dancing Edie 3. Film Maker
Juvenile: 1. Circular Quay 2. Great Hunter 3. Street Sense
Juvenile Fillies: 1. Gatorize 2. Dreaming of Anna 3. Appealing Zophie
Have a nice weekend everyone.
Dolberry!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
UL vs. WVU: Inaugural Live Blog
Sports bloggers do this all the time. Am pretty sure it's already cliched. But I'm new to this, so I expect one free pass.
7:24: ESPN Sportscenter leads into the game w/ the countdown clock (5:22 to go). Countdown of Top 10 Big East games features 2 UL losses. How 70-7 over the Cincy Birdstompers didn't make it is beyond me.
7:25: Rodriguez wants WVU to "execute", "be poised", & "play football". He expects Louisville to "make plays". He couldn't've said anything less meaningful if he'd just said the whole thing in Portuguese.
7:28: Have a bad feeling about this game. My prediction: WVU 28, UL 24.
7:29: Majority of ESPN.com voters say an undefeated BEast teams deserved a shot at the championship. Agreed.
7:30: Oh wait. ESPN2 has trick shot pool. Ahh ... probably one live blog is enough.
7:31: If we hurt Pat White, do they have a better QB on the bench again? I'd take it easy on him, just in case.
7:33: I just hope this game's as good as that 23-0 Virginia / UNC game two Thursdays ago.
7:35: Wow. It's official now. That Schellenberger quote ("we're on a collision course w/ a national championship") just passed JFK's "Ask not what your country ..." quote for 4th on the all time most oft-quoted list.
7:39: Holtz says the way to win games is to be the windshield, not the bug, but he picks Louisville, w/ the proviso that they make the field smaller. Probably too late for that now.
7:40: What a ripoff. Now there's a kickoff clock. Boy, if NASA tried to pull this, there'd be Congressional hearings.
7:42: Now there's an interview ...
Erin Andrews: How's Brian Brohm's thumb?
Bobby Petrino: (a little over-enthusiastically IMO) It's great!
7:44: What's the over/under on the Oscar Brohm shot? I have 7:59. Also, I think, given the magnitude of the game, there's a shot ESPN dusts off that LeFors parents spot from a few years ago.
7:45: KMD (she's feeling better today) asked me & I don't know the answer. Who coined "the Ville"? Was that Wiley Brown?
7:47: We're unveiling a new defensive scheme? Never used since 2001 at Illinois? Nothing about that sounds good.
7:48: Finally started. Lucky WVU kick into end zone.
7:49: Both the run and the pass were open on that play action. Douglas for about 20.
7:50: Does anybody have a better straightarm than Mario?
7:51: 5 positive plays in a row! Rodriguez was right.
7:55: Then 3 unsuccessful plays in a row.
7:56: You can't make a field goal by less than that w/o hitting the goalpost. 3-0 Cards.
7:57: Any chance this new defensive scheme involves water cannons?
7:58: WVU doesn't have a single offensive starter from WV?
7:59: UL has only one def howngrown.
8:01: FUMBLE!!!! New scheme. New scheme.
8:03: Brohm is crossing his thumbs at the snap. That doesn't seem like the action of a completely healed player ... or someone who's thumb is "Grrreat".
8:04: Can't do anything w/ the short field. WVU rush is having an impact early.
8:08: WVU fumbled again, but for a 1st down that time.
8:10: UL looked lost on that 2nd and 10, but White airmailed his receiver.
8:11: WVU gets away w/ a hold IMO, then next play 42 yards for a TD. 7-3 WVU.
8:15: At least we made them trail for 6 minutes.
8:16: Mario drops one then Kolby trips halfway way to a 50 yd run. What's going on?!?
8:18: I doubt when Pitino signed up for the booth, he thought he'd get jabbed for barely beating Georgetown College.
8:19: Can we get Bernadini into the booth? C'mon ESPN it's called cross-promotion!
8:21: Big 3rd down conversion: Brohm to Douglas.
8:23: I lost on my Oscar Brohm bet. Wonder if he's jealous losing time to his son's thumb?
8:24: Hey #6, get out of Kolby's way. For your own sake.
8:25: An illegal shift. The most uninformative penalty name of all time.
8:30: Strange not to go for the end zone on 3rd & 13 from the 14.
8:31: FG Cards. 7-6 WVU.
8:35: 2nd personal foul. Is John L. back?
8:38: Corso by phone? Maybe they're planning on tying in Barbaro to promote the BCup.
8:41: Attaway William Gay! A WVU punt.
8:42: 3 straight WVU penalties after Petrino's tirade at refs.
8:43: Near disaster on the pooch punt. Not sure how that ref early signalled UL ... hope WVU gets a call at some point in the game where the league can apologize to them next week about it.
8:46: Hard to moan about a 40 yd gain, but can we get a cleat change at the half?!?
8:48: I like Anthony Allen in the red zone.
8:49: Amend that. I REALLY like Anthony Allen in the red zone. TD Cards!!!!! 13-7 lead.
8:53: Reynaud goes for a big gain. They are too fast.
8:54: There can't be better backs than Slaton. How can a run offense be so explosive?
8:55: WVU doesn't like being behind. 14-13 WVU. I think the only way we win is if WVU makes mistakes. When they made some early, we needed to put 7 on 'em.
8:59: Brohm shows some elusiveness. Big play to Mario. Then Kolby flare gets 10 more.
8:59: Hank Goldberg is IN THE BOOTH!!! The trend is downward to say the least.
9:01: Great pass & catch: Brohm/Douglas on 2nd & 10.
9:02: Anthony Allen time. Now they're going to offsetting personal fouls. I went to a UL-WVU game & a Trinity - St. X. game has broken out.
9:07: Better spot on the 3rd & short. First & goal from the 4.
9:08: WVU smart to call timeout there. Save some time for their offense (which doesn't need much).
9:10: Yes. Could use Michael Bush here. 3rd down time for a pass.
9:13: APD says go. KMD & Dolberry say kick.
9:14: Carmody squeaks another one in. 16-14 Cards, but it doesn't feel good.
9:17: One of the WVU fumbles has to bounce away from them. Rodriguez says WVU needs to "execute" better. Dynamic, dynamic speaker.
9:18: WVU obviously feel the need to work a 2 minute drill. Thankfully. Halftime bloggin break to read the Hobbit w/ APD.
9:42: Back to another 20 yd Slaton run up the middle. I did like how they spelled Rutgers "Rugers" during halftime. Yeah, you have to winning seasons more than once every other decade before we bother to learn to spell you.
9:44: FUMBLE!!! New Scheme. New Scheme! (The new scheme is to let them run until they get tired & fumble.)
9:45: Lights go (half) out?
9:46: No more throwing to Riley. Oh, no wonder he's from Youngstown.
9:47: Classic. Petrino's yelling at the booth official.
9:49: Another fumble. (New scheme!) TD Louisville!!!! If the video ref overrules this, Petrino won't be the only one going after him.
9:50: 23-14 Cards. Now what? Another flag. On the PAT. This is weird. ESPN talked over penalty, but was decined so I guess well never know.
9:55: Doesn't look dark at all on TV. Slaton's arm being worked on. They can't have someone better, can they? Not again.
9:56: Illegal shift on WVU. Shot of Rodriguez cursing on sideline. Something about #$%&#$ execute!"
9:57: Harris explodes the big fullback!
9:58: WVU punt. White limping now.
9:59: TD CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 30-14. I haven't seen a turnaround like this since, uh, last year's game.
10:00 White is really limping. This could be over.
10:03: White looks ok (9yd run). Slaton is getting closer to field.
10:04: Sans Slaton ... WVU seems to have ... one play. White up the middle. At least, for them, it's a good play.
10:06: Big missed face mask on UL. Saves Cards 15.
10:07: White gains 15 on next play.
10:08: Key on White. Backup RBs are nothing.
10:10: Pat White is pretty good. Vickish. The good Vick.
10:11: At least this WVU drive is taking up time.
10:12: WVU scored TD. Going for two? Nope. 30-21.
10:13: Time of possession has turned around in this half, to say the least.
10:14: Oscar must've sold his tix on e-Bay.
10:15: Herbstreit wonders (rightly) why Slaton can stand there & hold the ball & have people hack at it, but he can't come in. This isn't helping his Heisman chances for next year. His PR people / handlers / whatever need to get going & spin this better.
10:19: Great catch by Douglas for a quick 25.
10:20: Sweet checkoff by Brohm. Youngstown dude does better. A quick seven here would be nice.
10:25: 37-21 Urrutia!
10:28: Slaton? I say Slacker. He just didn't feel like playing for a quarter ... then catches that pass?
10:30: Nobody gets up by 16 on Steve Slaton! He won't stand for it. "We're down by 16? Let me in." If they'd've stayed down by 9, would he have kept resting?
10:31: Unreal. Another blitzkrieg TD drive by the Mountaineers.
10:32: Somebody apparently explained ... I mean executed ... the math to Rodriguez, but the conversion fails despite UL plying a man down.
10:33: Whoa this blogging is exhausting. The infrequency of posts between 10:20 and 10:28 was due to a call from SC. When do real bloggers take pee breaks?
10:35: I believe Herbstreit just said Petrino is normally mild mannered on the sidelines. Huh? Over 800 yds of offense. I was wrong on the no shootout.
10:36: That's what we're taking about. No conservative playcalling. Let's get 20 right out of the gate.
10:37: Brohm's had a quiet, awesome game.
10:38: WVU D defines bend, bend, bend, try not to break. You can have that 15 yard pass if you want, apparently. OK, first & goal from the 4, again. This could be the game.
10:39: DOUBLE-A is OK. Allen plows thru a tired looking WVU defense. 44-27 Cards! Start working on that onside kick defense.
10:42: Next guest in the booth. Tom Jackson. We're cool w/ that. Called this THE biggest game in UL history. Agreed.
10:45: Slaton tackled for BIG loss.
10:46: This is a long way from the days of sitting in the bleachers at Cardinal Stadium & being down 35 at halftime.
10:47: Good thing UL got a timeout there, given the WR was ... uncovered ... to be charitable.
10:49: Scroll says WKU is going to 1-A in 2009. Bad news for the KittiCats & their stranglehold on 2nd best team in the state.
10:49: 4 & 10, down 17, 7:20 left. Check.
10:50: Stopped 'em short! Weird WVU playcalling all of a sudden. I think Tom Jackson may be responsible.
10:52: Time to finish.
10:53: 16 in a row at home? What's it like going to a game for 2.5 straight years w/o a loss. I think my folks may be up to .500 after those games in the 70s & 80s.
10:56: Is Rutgers, er Rugers an ambush. Originally, I thought so. Now I'm hoping the momentum from this will be a boost.
10:57: Where will UL be ranked? Gimme a break. Clearly #3.
10:59: Fowler was right. Best UL special teams showing of the year. Helped that WVU had a dyslexic punter, apparently.
11:01: Um, memo to UL defense. Watch #10. Pretty good player. Might want to cover him.
11:02: I'm having seriously Elway vs. Browns flashbacks here. White cannot be tackled behind the line of scrimmage apparently.
11:04: Over 1000 yards now as White scrambles for score. 44-34 Cards. (If they counted the yards White ran sideways, the two teams would have over 2000 yards.)
11:06: UL installed collapsible goalposts? They must have misunderstood Holtz' directive to shorten the field.
11:07: Nice. Highlights of the 2002 FSU game.
11:08: Bring on RUGERS!
11:10: Who had 11:10 for the first Pittsnogle reference?
11:10:30: Who had the past 10 seconds for the 2nd & 3rd Pittsnogle references?
11:11: Bernardini the best horse since Secretariat? These guys are ready for this game to end.
11:13: Students appear to be edging closer to field ...
11:15: WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! GmD holding the phone up at the end brought a little tear to my eyes. Feel really good for all longtime Cards football fans (GpD, GmD, SC, Nathan, Gleischners, TKMo, Rachel, CSue, everyone else I'm forgetting, & me).
11:20: Wiped out. But since it was good luck, might have to break out the live blog next week ... vs. Rugers.
11:21: Which ESPN has the clock countdown for next week's game? (Remember to add about 8 minutes to it for actual kickoff.)
11:24: Classy post-game interview from Brohm. As befits a THS grad. Though, he mispronounced "Rugers".
11:36: Newscheme!
7:24: ESPN Sportscenter leads into the game w/ the countdown clock (5:22 to go). Countdown of Top 10 Big East games features 2 UL losses. How 70-7 over the Cincy Birdstompers didn't make it is beyond me.
7:25: Rodriguez wants WVU to "execute", "be poised", & "play football". He expects Louisville to "make plays". He couldn't've said anything less meaningful if he'd just said the whole thing in Portuguese.
7:28: Have a bad feeling about this game. My prediction: WVU 28, UL 24.
7:29: Majority of ESPN.com voters say an undefeated BEast teams deserved a shot at the championship. Agreed.
7:30: Oh wait. ESPN2 has trick shot pool. Ahh ... probably one live blog is enough.
7:31: If we hurt Pat White, do they have a better QB on the bench again? I'd take it easy on him, just in case.
7:33: I just hope this game's as good as that 23-0 Virginia / UNC game two Thursdays ago.
7:35: Wow. It's official now. That Schellenberger quote ("we're on a collision course w/ a national championship") just passed JFK's "Ask not what your country ..." quote for 4th on the all time most oft-quoted list.
7:39: Holtz says the way to win games is to be the windshield, not the bug, but he picks Louisville, w/ the proviso that they make the field smaller. Probably too late for that now.
7:40: What a ripoff. Now there's a kickoff clock. Boy, if NASA tried to pull this, there'd be Congressional hearings.
7:42: Now there's an interview ...
Erin Andrews: How's Brian Brohm's thumb?
Bobby Petrino: (a little over-enthusiastically IMO) It's great!
7:44: What's the over/under on the Oscar Brohm shot? I have 7:59. Also, I think, given the magnitude of the game, there's a shot ESPN dusts off that LeFors parents spot from a few years ago.
7:45: KMD (she's feeling better today) asked me & I don't know the answer. Who coined "the Ville"? Was that Wiley Brown?
7:47: We're unveiling a new defensive scheme? Never used since 2001 at Illinois? Nothing about that sounds good.
7:48: Finally started. Lucky WVU kick into end zone.
7:49: Both the run and the pass were open on that play action. Douglas for about 20.
7:50: Does anybody have a better straightarm than Mario?
7:51: 5 positive plays in a row! Rodriguez was right.
7:55: Then 3 unsuccessful plays in a row.
7:56: You can't make a field goal by less than that w/o hitting the goalpost. 3-0 Cards.
7:57: Any chance this new defensive scheme involves water cannons?
7:58: WVU doesn't have a single offensive starter from WV?
7:59: UL has only one def howngrown.
8:01: FUMBLE!!!! New scheme. New scheme.
8:03: Brohm is crossing his thumbs at the snap. That doesn't seem like the action of a completely healed player ... or someone who's thumb is "Grrreat".
8:04: Can't do anything w/ the short field. WVU rush is having an impact early.
8:08: WVU fumbled again, but for a 1st down that time.
8:10: UL looked lost on that 2nd and 10, but White airmailed his receiver.
8:11: WVU gets away w/ a hold IMO, then next play 42 yards for a TD. 7-3 WVU.
8:15: At least we made them trail for 6 minutes.
8:16: Mario drops one then Kolby trips halfway way to a 50 yd run. What's going on?!?
8:18: I doubt when Pitino signed up for the booth, he thought he'd get jabbed for barely beating Georgetown College.
8:19: Can we get Bernadini into the booth? C'mon ESPN it's called cross-promotion!
8:21: Big 3rd down conversion: Brohm to Douglas.
8:23: I lost on my Oscar Brohm bet. Wonder if he's jealous losing time to his son's thumb?
8:24: Hey #6, get out of Kolby's way. For your own sake.
8:25: An illegal shift. The most uninformative penalty name of all time.
8:30: Strange not to go for the end zone on 3rd & 13 from the 14.
8:31: FG Cards. 7-6 WVU.
8:35: 2nd personal foul. Is John L. back?
8:38: Corso by phone? Maybe they're planning on tying in Barbaro to promote the BCup.
8:41: Attaway William Gay! A WVU punt.
8:42: 3 straight WVU penalties after Petrino's tirade at refs.
8:43: Near disaster on the pooch punt. Not sure how that ref early signalled UL ... hope WVU gets a call at some point in the game where the league can apologize to them next week about it.
8:46: Hard to moan about a 40 yd gain, but can we get a cleat change at the half?!?
8:48: I like Anthony Allen in the red zone.
8:49: Amend that. I REALLY like Anthony Allen in the red zone. TD Cards!!!!! 13-7 lead.
8:53: Reynaud goes for a big gain. They are too fast.
8:54: There can't be better backs than Slaton. How can a run offense be so explosive?
8:55: WVU doesn't like being behind. 14-13 WVU. I think the only way we win is if WVU makes mistakes. When they made some early, we needed to put 7 on 'em.
8:59: Brohm shows some elusiveness. Big play to Mario. Then Kolby flare gets 10 more.
8:59: Hank Goldberg is IN THE BOOTH!!! The trend is downward to say the least.
9:01: Great pass & catch: Brohm/Douglas on 2nd & 10.
9:02: Anthony Allen time. Now they're going to offsetting personal fouls. I went to a UL-WVU game & a Trinity - St. X. game has broken out.
9:07: Better spot on the 3rd & short. First & goal from the 4.
9:08: WVU smart to call timeout there. Save some time for their offense (which doesn't need much).
9:10: Yes. Could use Michael Bush here. 3rd down time for a pass.
9:13: APD says go. KMD & Dolberry say kick.
9:14: Carmody squeaks another one in. 16-14 Cards, but it doesn't feel good.
9:17: One of the WVU fumbles has to bounce away from them. Rodriguez says WVU needs to "execute" better. Dynamic, dynamic speaker.
9:18: WVU obviously feel the need to work a 2 minute drill. Thankfully. Halftime bloggin break to read the Hobbit w/ APD.
9:42: Back to another 20 yd Slaton run up the middle. I did like how they spelled Rutgers "Rugers" during halftime. Yeah, you have to winning seasons more than once every other decade before we bother to learn to spell you.
9:44: FUMBLE!!! New Scheme. New Scheme! (The new scheme is to let them run until they get tired & fumble.)
9:45: Lights go (half) out?
9:46: No more throwing to Riley. Oh, no wonder he's from Youngstown.
9:47: Classic. Petrino's yelling at the booth official.
9:49: Another fumble. (New scheme!) TD Louisville!!!! If the video ref overrules this, Petrino won't be the only one going after him.
9:50: 23-14 Cards. Now what? Another flag. On the PAT. This is weird. ESPN talked over penalty, but was decined so I guess well never know.
9:55: Doesn't look dark at all on TV. Slaton's arm being worked on. They can't have someone better, can they? Not again.
9:56: Illegal shift on WVU. Shot of Rodriguez cursing on sideline. Something about #$%&#$ execute!"
9:57: Harris explodes the big fullback!
9:58: WVU punt. White limping now.
9:59: TD CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 30-14. I haven't seen a turnaround like this since, uh, last year's game.
10:00 White is really limping. This could be over.
10:03: White looks ok (9yd run). Slaton is getting closer to field.
10:04: Sans Slaton ... WVU seems to have ... one play. White up the middle. At least, for them, it's a good play.
10:06: Big missed face mask on UL. Saves Cards 15.
10:07: White gains 15 on next play.
10:08: Key on White. Backup RBs are nothing.
10:10: Pat White is pretty good. Vickish. The good Vick.
10:11: At least this WVU drive is taking up time.
10:12: WVU scored TD. Going for two? Nope. 30-21.
10:13: Time of possession has turned around in this half, to say the least.
10:14: Oscar must've sold his tix on e-Bay.
10:15: Herbstreit wonders (rightly) why Slaton can stand there & hold the ball & have people hack at it, but he can't come in. This isn't helping his Heisman chances for next year. His PR people / handlers / whatever need to get going & spin this better.
10:19: Great catch by Douglas for a quick 25.
10:20: Sweet checkoff by Brohm. Youngstown dude does better. A quick seven here would be nice.
10:25: 37-21 Urrutia!
10:28: Slaton? I say Slacker. He just didn't feel like playing for a quarter ... then catches that pass?
10:30: Nobody gets up by 16 on Steve Slaton! He won't stand for it. "We're down by 16? Let me in." If they'd've stayed down by 9, would he have kept resting?
10:31: Unreal. Another blitzkrieg TD drive by the Mountaineers.
10:32: Somebody apparently explained ... I mean executed ... the math to Rodriguez, but the conversion fails despite UL plying a man down.
10:33: Whoa this blogging is exhausting. The infrequency of posts between 10:20 and 10:28 was due to a call from SC. When do real bloggers take pee breaks?
10:35: I believe Herbstreit just said Petrino is normally mild mannered on the sidelines. Huh? Over 800 yds of offense. I was wrong on the no shootout.
10:36: That's what we're taking about. No conservative playcalling. Let's get 20 right out of the gate.
10:37: Brohm's had a quiet, awesome game.
10:38: WVU D defines bend, bend, bend, try not to break. You can have that 15 yard pass if you want, apparently. OK, first & goal from the 4, again. This could be the game.
10:39: DOUBLE-A is OK. Allen plows thru a tired looking WVU defense. 44-27 Cards! Start working on that onside kick defense.
10:42: Next guest in the booth. Tom Jackson. We're cool w/ that. Called this THE biggest game in UL history. Agreed.
10:45: Slaton tackled for BIG loss.
10:46: This is a long way from the days of sitting in the bleachers at Cardinal Stadium & being down 35 at halftime.
10:47: Good thing UL got a timeout there, given the WR was ... uncovered ... to be charitable.
10:49: Scroll says WKU is going to 1-A in 2009. Bad news for the KittiCats & their stranglehold on 2nd best team in the state.
10:49: 4 & 10, down 17, 7:20 left. Check.
10:50: Stopped 'em short! Weird WVU playcalling all of a sudden. I think Tom Jackson may be responsible.
10:52: Time to finish.
10:53: 16 in a row at home? What's it like going to a game for 2.5 straight years w/o a loss. I think my folks may be up to .500 after those games in the 70s & 80s.
10:56: Is Rutgers, er Rugers an ambush. Originally, I thought so. Now I'm hoping the momentum from this will be a boost.
10:57: Where will UL be ranked? Gimme a break. Clearly #3.
10:59: Fowler was right. Best UL special teams showing of the year. Helped that WVU had a dyslexic punter, apparently.
11:01: Um, memo to UL defense. Watch #10. Pretty good player. Might want to cover him.
11:02: I'm having seriously Elway vs. Browns flashbacks here. White cannot be tackled behind the line of scrimmage apparently.
11:04: Over 1000 yards now as White scrambles for score. 44-34 Cards. (If they counted the yards White ran sideways, the two teams would have over 2000 yards.)
11:06: UL installed collapsible goalposts? They must have misunderstood Holtz' directive to shorten the field.
11:07: Nice. Highlights of the 2002 FSU game.
11:08: Bring on RUGERS!
11:10: Who had 11:10 for the first Pittsnogle reference?
11:10:30: Who had the past 10 seconds for the 2nd & 3rd Pittsnogle references?
11:11: Bernardini the best horse since Secretariat? These guys are ready for this game to end.
11:13: Students appear to be edging closer to field ...
11:15: WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! GmD holding the phone up at the end brought a little tear to my eyes. Feel really good for all longtime Cards football fans (GpD, GmD, SC, Nathan, Gleischners, TKMo, Rachel, CSue, everyone else I'm forgetting, & me).
11:20: Wiped out. But since it was good luck, might have to break out the live blog next week ... vs. Rugers.
11:21: Which ESPN has the clock countdown for next week's game? (Remember to add about 8 minutes to it for actual kickoff.)
11:24: Classy post-game interview from Brohm. As befits a THS grad. Though, he mispronounced "Rugers".
11:36: Newscheme!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
APD's report card
I'm about halfway through my tirade re: this past weekend. Had our team softball party tonight though, which took me away from the task. Tomorrow.
Oh, on softball, I feel really fortunate to have such good friends.
APD dominated in the first quarter getting straight A's and making the honor roll. He got A pluses in Science, Spelling, History, Grammar, & Bible; and A's in Reading and Math. His teacher had lots of good things to say about him as well.
Yikes, the beautiful KMD is sick still (nausea).
Oh, on softball, I feel really fortunate to have such good friends.
APD dominated in the first quarter getting straight A's and making the honor roll. He got A pluses in Science, Spelling, History, Grammar, & Bible; and A's in Reading and Math. His teacher had lots of good things to say about him as well.
Yikes, the beautiful KMD is sick still (nausea).
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Halloween 2006
All right ... I'm still not sufficiently recovered to fully vent my bile re: this past weekend, but rest assured those responsible will be fully taken to task in a later blog entry. I will say, as covered over at that other blog, the highlight of the trip was seeing longtime DCV blog reader Joe L. during the third hour of our detention at J.C. Penney's portrait department.
Instead, I will distract my attention w/ a recap of tonight's Halloween festivities here. APD went as the Weather Wizard who is a HeroClix character. The get up consisted of his weather map sweatshirt (provided by Gm D many years ago), a bandanna w/ a tornado on it, and his baseball pants (?). Oh yeah, and gloves that say soccer on them. No pictures were taken. He said three treat-dispensers pegged him as a meteorologist, which didn't bother him much, but does leave me a little concerned. Which channel has the weather dude who wears baseball pants?
OK, here's a countdown of Top 5 APD treats received tonight:
#5 I thought these would be #1, but there were only 9 of these in his overflowing bag.
#4 There were 10 of these.
#3 You know how we call football, soccer & the rest of the world calls soccer, football? Well, that pales in comparison to how we call the #3 treat this, but the rest of the world thinks this is this. I think that may be the most single fascinating thing of this entire blog to date. I think Americans would like these better if more of us knew the rest of the world was mistaken in what these are. Either way, there were 12 of these in the bag.
#2 The candy that taught us all that sometimes accidents can be good things. 14 were received, or about two days worth of calories for a averaged-sized adult male.
#1 Is there anything else that was first created in 1896 that is still the most popular item in its category in 2006? A whopping 17 were received.
You Tube link of the night: snippet of Relient K's new song, Devastation and Reform, performed live in Houston. Their new album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago will be released on 3/6/2007, and if this song is any indication this could very possibly be the second best March 6th ... ever.
Instead, I will distract my attention w/ a recap of tonight's Halloween festivities here. APD went as the Weather Wizard who is a HeroClix character. The get up consisted of his weather map sweatshirt (provided by Gm D many years ago), a bandanna w/ a tornado on it, and his baseball pants (?). Oh yeah, and gloves that say soccer on them. No pictures were taken. He said three treat-dispensers pegged him as a meteorologist, which didn't bother him much, but does leave me a little concerned. Which channel has the weather dude who wears baseball pants?
OK, here's a countdown of Top 5 APD treats received tonight:
#5 I thought these would be #1, but there were only 9 of these in his overflowing bag.
#4 There were 10 of these.
#3 You know how we call football, soccer & the rest of the world calls soccer, football? Well, that pales in comparison to how we call the #3 treat this, but the rest of the world thinks this is this. I think that may be the most single fascinating thing of this entire blog to date. I think Americans would like these better if more of us knew the rest of the world was mistaken in what these are. Either way, there were 12 of these in the bag.
#2 The candy that taught us all that sometimes accidents can be good things. 14 were received, or about two days worth of calories for a averaged-sized adult male.
#1 Is there anything else that was first created in 1896 that is still the most popular item in its category in 2006? A whopping 17 were received.
You Tube link of the night: snippet of Relient K's new song, Devastation and Reform, performed live in Houston. Their new album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago will be released on 3/6/2007, and if this song is any indication this could very possibly be the second best March 6th ... ever.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
World Series ratings (& why they don't matter)
I will blog about our trip north to see Mojo tomorrow. Rest assured, my grievances re: the trip will be fully aired. Until then ... some miscellaneous thoughts. OK, one picture.
If it's late October, the only things more prevalent than ridiculous halloween costumes, are the scores of articles documenting how poor this particular year's World Series ratings were (e.g., this one). Most of the articles written lamenting the dropoff in viewership are written by diehard baseball fans who try to use the poor ratings in an attempt to shame baseball into making it more like it was in the 1950s (e.g. afternoon games, fewer rounds of playoffs, fewer commercials, fewer pitching changes, starting in early October, etc.) I'm in favor of all these things as well, but it's tilting at windmills to think any of 'em are coming back. Of course, the ratings do not matter. Unlike during the classic 1975 Red Sox - Reds world series (why is there a DVD in his pants is my question), there are a just-short-of-infinite number of entertainment choices these days. There are more than three television networks, (though only one really matters). You can customize your own radio stations (here's mine). You can watch promotional videos from New Zealand's travel bureau. It's different then when I was young, then you had to hope the things you liked were popular, or you would never see them on TV, radio, etc. Now everything is available. And accordingly, everything has a smaller piece of the pie. America is way more diverse than it was in the 70's. Some people prefer Bollywood films, Brazilian soccer, or TV personalities learning to dance. I wonder if given all this individual variety whether we have enough in common any more to come together as has happen in our past. But to get back on track, low World Series ratings are ok by me. Low ratings yields less TV money which could yield a multitude of good things (e.g., less TV influence, less extravagant salaries, no more sites like this, fewer happenings upon Pete Rose hawking stuff on QVC, etc.) As it is, I get 4 different ESPNs as it is. It'll be a long time before the games aren't available to those of us who still like it just fine, even if it's not perfect.
Nice to have "c-lo" added to the growing list of DCV readers. He requested a You Tube link to each of the Top 30 songs in the countdown. In place of that, as a solid downpayment upon when I get more proficient at this, I will provide a single You Tube link to a video for a song that's not even on the countdown. It is a different song from Jars of Clay who holds our current #1 spot w/ a different song. The song is "Work" and it's even better than "Dead Man (Carry Me)". The video's pretty cool. I've been meaning for a while to write a review for "Good Monsters" but am still cautious dating back to the last time I wrote an album review ... in the finest high school newspaper in central St. Matthews. I was writing a review of the album Worlds Apart by the progressive Canadian rock band (& Rush wannabes), Saga. I had rented the album from the library. Enjoyed it thoroughly & wrote a glowing review. And in the only piece of feedback I ever got from an Echo article was from some kid in the cafeteria, "You like Saga? You're a fag." So, I'm sorry. No more reviews. I'm still healing. Until then, here's a review of Good Monsters that I liked and hereby endorse. Line of the album: "Not all monsters are bad but that ones that are good never do what they could."
Worst ending to softball season ever
Monday: Law Office #3 loses 18-3 in less than 4 innings vs. #2 Fossils. Dolberry only bats once in the slaughter & pops out to LF. Also had an E5.
Tuesday: TarHeel Mortgage #5 loses to #1 seed (24-13), then immediately falls in loser's bracket game (21-14). Dolberry had his best game of the week in G1 when didn't bat & only played catcher for a few innings. In G2, I went 0 for 2, inc. a few embarrasing fouls where I almost missed the ball. (Good "d" at 2B, though, for a change.)
Wednesday: Law Office loses to #4 seed 21-11 after being tied at 11 thru 5 innings. Dolberry exited game for ER after a needless, shoulder dislocating, diving stop on an IF single from the 2nd batter of game.
Recap: 4 games, all loses, no hits. I need to get better at this, if I'm going to keep doing it.
(Got a ride to the ER. Shoulder spasmed a few times, but not as bad as usual, then while registering at the hospital, it popped back into place, saving us some $. I was able to get back to the game before it ended. Fine now. Hard to sleep, though ... achy & stiff.)
Tuesday: TarHeel Mortgage #5 loses to #1 seed (24-13), then immediately falls in loser's bracket game (21-14). Dolberry had his best game of the week in G1 when didn't bat & only played catcher for a few innings. In G2, I went 0 for 2, inc. a few embarrasing fouls where I almost missed the ball. (Good "d" at 2B, though, for a change.)
Wednesday: Law Office loses to #4 seed 21-11 after being tied at 11 thru 5 innings. Dolberry exited game for ER after a needless, shoulder dislocating, diving stop on an IF single from the 2nd batter of game.
Recap: 4 games, all loses, no hits. I need to get better at this, if I'm going to keep doing it.
(Got a ride to the ER. Shoulder spasmed a few times, but not as bad as usual, then while registering at the hospital, it popped back into place, saving us some $. I was able to get back to the game before it ended. Fine now. Hard to sleep, though ... achy & stiff.)
Monday, October 23, 2006
NOAA's Waterloo?
Mildly humorous story today as an environmental group staged a protest at NOAA headquarters claiming some scientific debate on global climate change is being surpressed by NOAA management at the behest of the Bush administration. This has been percolating for a while and is well summarized here.
I won't get into the politics of that. The interesting thing to me is the nature of NOAA management these days. It can be argued that four of the top six NOAA managers are ex-military. The administrator is a Vice Admiral. He's flanked by a Brigadier General, a Captain, and another Brigadier General (whom I've met & who is a nice guy). None of the four are meteorologists by degree. (Even the general counsel is noted as a Civil War buff.)
While I respect the military & ex-military (one in particular) & realize there's a long history between meteorology & the armed forces, this seems a little excessive to me. Plus, I don't understand why they still must be referred to by their military titles. (Dad, if you can explain this to me, I'd appreciate it.) It seems to me CEOs, deans, even U.S. Presidents shed their titles when they move on from the organization where they earned those titles.
What puzzles me most though is w/ this many ex-military officers, how were our HQ invaded by a group of treehugging wackos armed with nothing more powerful than strongly worded pamphlets on eco-friendly paper? Then, after having unfurled their flag in our territory, were allowed to retain the high ground for over 4 hours before being removed by ... a cherry picker. For heaven's sake, a cherry picker. Unacceptable. Acceptable means of removal would have involved water cannons, rubber bullets, and/or smoke grenades. It's time for a change in Silver Spring. Paging Stormin' Norman.
I won't get into the politics of that. The interesting thing to me is the nature of NOAA management these days. It can be argued that four of the top six NOAA managers are ex-military. The administrator is a Vice Admiral. He's flanked by a Brigadier General, a Captain, and another Brigadier General (whom I've met & who is a nice guy). None of the four are meteorologists by degree. (Even the general counsel is noted as a Civil War buff.)
While I respect the military & ex-military (one in particular) & realize there's a long history between meteorology & the armed forces, this seems a little excessive to me. Plus, I don't understand why they still must be referred to by their military titles. (Dad, if you can explain this to me, I'd appreciate it.) It seems to me CEOs, deans, even U.S. Presidents shed their titles when they move on from the organization where they earned those titles.
What puzzles me most though is w/ this many ex-military officers, how were our HQ invaded by a group of treehugging wackos armed with nothing more powerful than strongly worded pamphlets on eco-friendly paper? Then, after having unfurled their flag in our territory, were allowed to retain the high ground for over 4 hours before being removed by ... a cherry picker. For heaven's sake, a cherry picker. Unacceptable. Acceptable means of removal would have involved water cannons, rubber bullets, and/or smoke grenades. It's time for a change in Silver Spring. Paging Stormin' Norman.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Crazy Day
Barkley's been getting sicker. Barely moved yesterday. Can tell back legs are going. She has a hard time hearing too. This morning we woke up to find she bled overnight on our bedroom carpet & APD's carpet. We took her to the vet, expecting the worst, but the vet was pretty nonplussed & after blood work concluded some pain medication & antibiotics (for the wound) would do the trick. She ate well though today & even gave the Papa John's guy whatfor when he dared ring the doorbell. Regardless, there are going to be some hard days ahead, I believe.
Today was also Grandparents Day at APD's school. Great to have Gp C there, but sad sad memories of missing Gm M. It was on this day last year, that she really started to slip, having to be rushed to hospital kinda incoherent.
On top of all that Gp C's car died at Grandparent's Day & had to be towed back to Pittsboro, which may end up costing as much as the vet visit.
Today was also my volunteer day at Apex Elem doing my "Plot That Storm" thing in the morning, then tried to fit a full day of work into the remaining half day. By the end of the day, the Dolberries were wiped out.
Today was also Grandparents Day at APD's school. Great to have Gp C there, but sad sad memories of missing Gm M. It was on this day last year, that she really started to slip, having to be rushed to hospital kinda incoherent.
On top of all that Gp C's car died at Grandparent's Day & had to be towed back to Pittsboro, which may end up costing as much as the vet visit.
Today was also my volunteer day at Apex Elem doing my "Plot That Storm" thing in the morning, then tried to fit a full day of work into the remaining half day. By the end of the day, the Dolberries were wiped out.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Apex Fire II:
Under the category, "funny if not kinda sad", a barrel of sodium metal burst into flames yesterday after the water reactive substance was allowed to sit out in the rain. This has slowed down the cleanup.
Thanks to the good folks at: http://www.jtbaker.com here's the lowdown on our friend sodium metal:
SAF-T-DATA(tm) Ratings (Provided here for your convenience)
Health Rating: 3 - Severe (Life)
Flammability Rating: 3 - Severe (Flammable)
Reactivity Rating: 3 - Severe (Water Reactive)
Contact Rating: 4 - Extreme (Corrosive)
Not something you want to ingest. "Will react immediately with saliva to cause serious burns and possible local combustion and even explosion of hydrogen in the mouth or esophagus." I checked ... this is not how Pop Rocks works. Interestingly, according to snopes.com, General Foods had to conduct a major PR campaign in 1979 to assure a worried public that you could not blow up from mixing Pop Rocks and soda.
I'll bet Krusty Brand Boom Rocks © uses the sodium metal.
Here's a picture of APD & I post-toxics inhalation. They say the antennae will fall off in a few weeks.
Thanks to the good folks at: http://www.jtbaker.com here's the lowdown on our friend sodium metal:
SAF-T-DATA(tm) Ratings (Provided here for your convenience)
Health Rating: 3 - Severe (Life)
Flammability Rating: 3 - Severe (Flammable)
Reactivity Rating: 3 - Severe (Water Reactive)
Contact Rating: 4 - Extreme (Corrosive)
Not something you want to ingest. "Will react immediately with saliva to cause serious burns and possible local combustion and even explosion of hydrogen in the mouth or esophagus." I checked ... this is not how Pop Rocks works. Interestingly, according to snopes.com, General Foods had to conduct a major PR campaign in 1979 to assure a worried public that you could not blow up from mixing Pop Rocks and soda.
I'll bet Krusty Brand Boom Rocks © uses the sodium metal.
Here's a picture of APD & I post-toxics inhalation. They say the antennae will fall off in a few weeks.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Dolberry Giveaway!
All right, in an attempt to increase blog traffic, the Cheery Vanilla staff have decided to run a promotional giveaway. Free ... to the first responder in the comments section ... a Torino 2006 Playstation 2 game. This game, according to the back of the box, allows one to "experience the chills and thrills of competing in the Olympic Winter Games." It won the prestigious "Poor" rating from the IGN.com reviewers. It currently retails for $6.49 on e-Bay.
APD & I won this as part of an NBC Olympics promotion. During the Torino games, one could play these skiing & bobsled games online. If you finished in the Top 3 of an event on any given day, you won a prize: 3rd place was a NBC Olympics hat, 2nd place was the Torino 2006 game, 1st place was a $100 VISA check card. Since both APD & I have somewhat obsessive personalities, we got pretty good at the game after about 2 weeks of mostly non-stop
Harder than that was actually claiming the prizes. We got called by the independent verification firm three times to ensure our eligibility for these prizes valued at (approximately) $14.63. They came in the mail today. Picture shown above. The hats are sweet, but alas we do not have a PS2, so not much point in keeping the game.
Someday I hope the time spent on this blog will payoff as grandly ...
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Softball Update
We're in the tournament (Cary A/B fall league). We are #3 seed in a 7 team tourney. We won last night 18-7, despite my cool 0-2 off the bench. Play the #2 seed tomorrow night (who narrowly edged #7 seed 18-17).
Here's a picture of Cherish & APD, just so this entry wasn't a total waste of time.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Apex Fire: debate over impacts still smolder
It's been a week since the Apex diaspora of 2006. We were some of the estimated 4,000 to evacuate (out of some 17,000 asked to evacuate). The post-fire fallout may ultimately be more interesting than the fire itself.
The usually excellent News and Observer will have a big article tomorrow on the now controversial Environmental Quality facility and how it has quietly existed in Apex for several years & how it all went wrong last week.
It's been a confusing week though for us residents though, given the mixed messages re: the long-term impacts. On the side of "No worries, mate ..." were the EPA and NC environmental testing which concluded that little toxic material went outside the facility's boundaries. On the side of "Not so fast ..." were the independent consulting firm results that showed mercury and heavy metals in the filters of a nearby facility (kid's gymnastics) and the chair of the NCSU toxicology department who encouraged everyone to thoroughly wash everything that was outdoors that night and replace all filters.
It's hard to know what to think. However, my already-sufficiently-addled-without-the-help-of-toxic-chemicals brain has settled upon two main conclusions.
First, government regulation continues to be a good thing. Probably the single biggest downside to my job is constantly being engaged into conversations (while off duty) about "big government". Some people feel there are too many regulations, taxes, laws, government workers, entitlements, etc. (Ed. note ... it is NOT MY DOING. Your vote counts the same as mine.) But, the need for these things was brought home for me again while watching Scott Maris (EQ VP of something) deflect IMO valid criticisms of a hazardous waste holding facility not having: a) a fire suppression system and/or b) 24/7 on-site staff. His simple contention was (paraphrasing) "we weren't required to have those things". It seems fairly clear that in a functioning citizenry that there will be times in which various groups have competing, equally understandable, interests (e.g., profit vs. safety). All parties are best served when there is an agreed-upon, clear set of rules governing these situations. Please note that all future debates that Dolberry is goaded into on this subject will be accompanied by an airplane spin toss, a back rake, and possibly ... an atomic drop.
Second, ignorance continues to be bliss. It was nice not knowing EQ was storing mercury and nitroglycerin less than a mile away. It would be nice not to know that there could be residual toxics in the dust that continues to accumulate on our treadmill. I'll bet there are thousands of things that I should be glad I'll never know.
One thing I don't know is if ignorance = bliss, does bliss = ignorance; and if so why is Dolberry so happy? Wait. Don't tell me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)