Something's Gone Wrong Again!

December Wrap Up

2008-12-30T13:10:00.003-05:00

Christ, what has it been - 3 months with 1 post? Does anyone care? Well, this is done purely out of obligation and with hopes for reaching1000 posts (21 to go after this). So December...

I was sick from the day after Thanksgiving to the until the 3rd week in December with a nasty cold and sinus infection. I finally went to the doctor which resulted in some Zithromax. I began to feel normal again around the 19th or 20th, which was way too long to be sick
Those around the Northeast are already aware, but we had a nasty ice storm blow through Eastern NY and New Englad which resulted in 555,000 customers being left without power. Even though I didn't lose power this still sucked for me as one of my responsibilities at work is dealing with the Outage Management system. Needless to say, it was a stressful 5-6 days monitoring the system round the clock, made worse by dealing with illness.
When I'm not carrying a pager and performing life support on a mission critical application I spend my time at work participating in a project to replace the failing OMS system. This requires a ton of travel, so much so that I feel I spent more time in hotels since the beginning of October than at home. You know it's bad when you're scanning hotel porn saying "Seen it, Seen it, Seen it, oooo Cougars!". The good news is that due to the shitty economy the company is scaling back on travel. I'm hoping to spend most of the winter in Syracuse (I can't believe I'm saying this) vs Westborough MA or Long Island.
Jesus H, 65" of snow already. The snow blower is ready for a mid-season tuneup, and we're less than 10 days into official winter.
Little enthusiasm for Christmas this year. Had my parents and my brother and sister-in-law packed into our too small house. Kinda weird, but no fireworks. My kids spent Christmas Eve vomiting while my wife and I spent the night stripping beds, and washing vomit out of kids hair. Lovely. I give this Christmas a "4" on a scale of 1-10. I did get all of the books I wanted, so yeah for me.
My fucking teeth strike again. 3 days before Christmas I had a dental implant put in. It was supposed to be a $500 crown lengthening, but the decay was so extensive that the tooth was marked as hopeless. So my present to myself for Xmas was a $3000 dental bill. For that I got a tooth extracted, a hole drilled into my jawbone, a bone graft, a titanium screw, and a bunch of stitches. And Vicodin, which while nice, still aint worth $3K. There goes that big screen plasma I had been eyeing. Even sadder, is that this single tooth has cost me over $6000 during it's lifespan: $500 worth of fillings, $1000 root canal, $1000 crown, $3000 implant, and another $1000 for a new crown in the near future. Fuck me.
On to sports. I'm relatively happy with the hiring of Doug Marrone as the new SU football coach. I had wanted Skip Holtz or Turner Gill, but Marrone presents himself as a good fit. And really, how can it be worse? You did see this, right?
Don't get me started on the Bills. Another season in the toilet. Jauron has to be fired, right? I mean, how can he go on? If he is the decent person everyone says he is he should resign.
NFL Playoffs: without any analysis, straight shoot from the hip I'm going Indy/Giants in the Superbowl for a Manning brother show down. I like Indy to take it all, but don't ask me why.

I think that's it for the moment. More in 2009, I think.

Mandatory Check-in

2008-11-25T12:02:00.002-05:00

Let's see, since I last posted here I've been on the move most every week: Long Island, Western Massachusetts, Albany, Boston, Raleigh,Houston, Long Island, and Boston again. I'm pretty much beaten by the travel and meetings associated with work. I'm in Syracuse this week, and looking forward to a quiet Thanksgiving with the family. Then, back on the road for the next 3 weeks before the Christmas break. So, yeah, I'm just writing here for the sake of writing. My thoughts on the election, the NFL, SU, and my fantasy teams are old and outdated.

And with that, I plan on spending the remainder of the afternoon scouring the web for turkey brining techniques. Happy Thanksgiving!

September Round-up

2008-09-30T12:29:00.004-04:00

After a half dozen or so abortive post attempts since my last post, I figured I'd simply sum up the past 3 and half weeks:

Today is my beautiful daughter Emma's 5th birthday. I can't believe how big she has gotten. This past Saturday we had a party for a bunch of her friends at Syracuse Tents and Events, which was excellent. Nothing but bounce houses and excellent service. I highly recommend this place for a reasonably priced kids party
Big week ahead. Em's birthday, Elle's birthday Thursday, and our 6 year anniversary on Sunday. We're planning a nice getaway this weekend to Old Forge to do what parents can't do at home: sleep.
The scale stated 278.5 lbs last week, down 2.5 pounds over 3 weeks. I'll take it.
I wish we could hold the god damn election already and get it over with. I can't stand listening to another month's worth of McCain's lies. Sadly, I used to respect this guy. I'm hopeful that in 2 months or so we'll be able to look back and laugh at what a comedy of errors and poor judgement the McCain-Palin clusterfuck delivered.
Really, Congress? You're going to pass on doing something to help stave off what is potentially the greatest financial crisis of our generation because your constituents are against fat cat bailouts? Listen, the average American is a fucking moron, and they don't have a fucking clue what about what is happening. You just might need to do what's best for the country vs ensuring re-election.
Note to self - stop checking 401K at this point
Go Bills! 4-0 for the first time since 1992, which is better than anyone could have imagined. I thought we would be 2-2 at this point. As a fan, I'm feeling the change. When the Bills have the ball, I now have confidence they will move the chains. When the D is on the field, I expect them to shut down the other team. This is exhilirating. I can't wait to see them in person 10/19 against the Chargers
Fire Greg Robinson now - I think he is actually trying to lose games at this point (punting from the opponents 38 yard line on 4th and 1, substituting a true freshman for a senior with the game on the line).
My fantasy team sucks. Big time. 0-4. I traded Drew Brees for Ryan Grant and Torry Holt, which has turned out to be a big mistake. Darren McFadden has been underwhelming to this point, but Chris Johnson has been a nice surprise. I can't seem to make the right decisions, resulting in me leaving winning points on the bench in 3 of my 4 games. I know there are 10 weeks left, but it's feeling like a lost season all over again

And that's that. More in October. Go Bills, Go Obama!

Weightloss, it is a Mother...

2008-09-05T13:11:00.004-04:00

The past month of dieting and exercise has been trying, to say the least. I've had to travel for work every week since the beginning of August, which makes things difficult. My self control seems to go out the window when I'm on the road, and exercise becomes an after thought. Add to that a week with the folks and the wheels are dangerously close to coming off. Gym trips have been 1-2 per week vs the 3-4 I was targeting. My blood sugar numbers have started creeping up again. The scale this morning registered 281 lbs, a net loss of only 2/10 of a pound since 8/8.

crap.

I have a couple weeks of travel on the horizon, which I'm praying I can keep under control. I'd love to be 275 by the end of September, upon which I'll be back at my evil endocrinologist's office. 275 will put me at a net loss of ~18 lbs since the end of June, which would be a nice 3 month effort. I'll try to exhibit restraint this weekend and hit the gym twice. As anyone will tell you, this is hard goddamn work, and I'm hating every second of it.

It's Time for NFL Football!

2008-09-04T16:57:00.002-04:00

And this year, I feel pretty OK about my Buffalo Bills (ignore that rant a couple of weeks back). An improved defense, solid RB, and caretaker QB will offset a depleted O-line (Jason Peters, you're a big disappointment) to turn in a winning record. The first couple of weeks will be rough, but it gets easier from there. Here's how I see things breaking down:

Sun. 9/7 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (loss)
Sun. 9/14 @ Jacksonville Jaguars (loss)
Sun. 9/21 OAKLAND RAIDERS (win)
Sun. 9/28 @ St. Louis Rams (win)
Sun. 10/5 @ Arizona Cardinals (win)
BYE 10/12 BYE BYE
Sun. 10/19 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (loss)
Sun. 10/26 @ Miami Dolphins (win)
Sun. 11/2 NEW YORK JETS (win)
Sun. 11/9 @ New England Patriots (loss)
Mon. 11/17 CLEVELAND BROWNS (win)
Sun. 11/23 @ Kansas City Chiefs (win)
Sun. 11/30 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (win)
Sun. 12/7 MIAMI DOLPHINS (win)
Sun. 12/14 @ New York Jets (win)
Sun. 12/21 @ Denver Broncos (loss)
Sun. 12/28 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (loss)

10-6. Really. And I think that means playoffs, baby!

Labor Day Recap

2008-09-02T12:25:00.003-04:00

Ah... I've been off since last Thursday, and goddamn if it wasn't a relaxing time. My folks have been in town since Wednesday night. Weekend breakdown:

Thursday was spent doing... nothing. Which was wonderful. Just hanging out around the house, my parents distracting the kids. All good.

On Friday the house went wireless, with installation of a wireless router. I can now use my work laptop anywhere, which will make things less contentious on the weekends

Despite some bad weather early on, we spent a great afternoon picnicking with the extended clan on Saturday at Green Lakes State Park.

We enjoyed Green Lakes so much we went back Sunday to take the kids to the beach. We had fantastic weather from Saturday afternoon on. Temps in the high '70's, blue skies, low humidity, simply wonderful.

lots of grilling, including some nice slow cooked/smoked ribs yesterday. Tasty

Saw the Bee Movie on DVD about 800 times. Kids loved it, but hopefully they'll move on soon

Finished my fantasy football draft. Eh. It's all a crapshoot anyway.

SU laid a big turd on Saturday, which wasn't unexpected. This was the first stop on the Fire Greg Robinson tour, which will hopefully end much sooner than the expected 11/29 finale.

It's Time For College Football!

2008-08-29T21:25:00.003-04:00

pic courtesy Three Idiots on Sports
And that can only mean another craptacular campaign for theSyracuse Orange. Entering year 4 of the Greg Robinson reign of ineptitude I have no expectations. The o-line stinks, there is no one to catch the ball, and the defensive backfield looks dangerously overmatched. The only brightspot is the trio of running backs (Curtis Brinkley, Delone Carter, and Doug Hogue) and defensive lineman Arthur Jones. Last year I set the bar high and predicted a 5-7 record, which was naively optimistic. This year, I honestly don't see us going beyond 2-9, with potential wins over Akron and 1-AA Northeastern. Sadly, these aren't gimmies. And as of now, 'Cuse is an 11 point underdog to Northwestern. Gah. This year I'm hoping for the best, and prepping for the worst. And if things go bad, this has to be the last year for Stinko Robinson, right? Regardless, Go Orange!

Aug. 30, 2008 at Northwestern (L)
Sept. 6, 2008 Akron (W)
Sept. 13, 2008 Penn State (L)
Sept. 20, 2008 Northeastern (W)
Sept. 27, 2008 Pittsburgh (L)
Oct. 11, 2008 at West Virginia (L)
Oct. 18, 2008 at South Florida (L)
Nov. 1, 2008 Louisville (L)
Nov. 8, 2008 at Rutgers (L)
Nov. 15, 2008 Connecticut (L)
Nov. 22, 2008 at Notre Dame (L)
Nov. 29, 2008 at Cincinnati (L)

New York State Fair Concert Roundup

2008-08-29T14:49:00.003-04:00

Basically, it sucked. Well, actually, Heart were pretty good. Journey was a wankfest, they could have been a cover band. I still enjoyed "Separate Ways" though. About 1/3 of the way through I realized that Journey are "motivational speaker" rock. "Don't Stop Believing", "Change for the Better", "Be Good to Yourself", the list goes on and on. Cheap Trick - well, we missed Cheap Trick while dealing with the hordes of '80's humanity attempting to find their seats in the Mohegan Sun Grandstand. Let there be no doubt, the grandstand is an awful place to see the show. To sum up:

:Too crowded
:No ushers/security
:no signs for seats
:awful sound

And the fair itself was just a let down. Too many (fair) people combined with the fact I never had a chance to get a fried dough left me disappointed. On the plus side, the wine slushies were awesome. Too bad they're not 32oz. anymore (10 oz, for crissakes). Anyhow, I'm fully loaded on the fair and will be fine for another decade.

And for Boski - it indeed was Camaro/Mullet heaven.

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Fuck You, TruGreen

2008-08-28T15:22:00.003-04:00

Really, your dececptive billing and sales practices are well known. Shame on me for not realizing this earlier. Last year, when your slimey sales guy sold me an aeration and overseed it was on the premise it was a one-off work. Lo and behold, I come back from Philly and I have a $455 bill from the asswipes at TruGreen Syracuse for a service I never agreed to. Well, apparently I did agree to it when I didn't forcibly cancel my service. What the fuck? They stated I authorized this work, and yes I did, one time, in August 2007. Wait, this is normal? I believe I will be investigating whether or not I can submit this to the NYS Attorney General's office.

I'm probably stuck and out some cash, but I wanted to warn anyone to think long and hard before they engage TruGreen:

1.) Anything they sell you they will continue to do in perpetuity
2.) Everything rolls over. You must explicitely request termination of service, and even then that doesn't guarantee they'll stop coming.
3.) Don't be surprised when they stick it in your ass somehow.

The list is long:
TruGreen Government legal actions
Consumer Complaints

Oh, fuck it - just Google TruGreen Complaints for the full list. Caveat Emptor!

A Friday in August

2008-08-22T13:35:00.000-04:00

At work, things seem to be settling down for the weekend. I'm officially cutting over to cruise control for the rest of the afternoon, as next week promises to be busy (travel for work, my folks visiting, vacation days). This weekend promises to be interesting, in that I make my triumphant return to the New York State Fair for the first time since 1998. My plan is to eat everything in site (Operation Get Healthy or Die Trying can take a breather this weekend) and suffer my way through the Journey, Heart, and Cheap Trick concert (yes, really. don't ask). If I survive my interaction with fair people I plan on taking it easy on Sunday.

Yep, gonna take it easy I think

Veepstakes

2008-08-22T12:19:00.002-04:00

I'm trying, so help me I am, not to get as emotionally involved in this years election as I did in 2004. I'm an Obama guy, no doubt about that, but I'm setting myself the expectation that we will be forced to endure at least another 4 years of Republican rule.

Whatever

Sometime before tomorrow is over we will know Barack's running mate, and no one inspires great confidence in me in terms of their ability to overcome the McCain low blow machine. In no particular order:

Tim Kaine - seems like a nice guy, but relative lack of experience will be chum for the Repubs
Evan Bayh - a safe and sane choice
Joe Biden - I like Biden, he brings what is needed, but I'm not sure he is the best fit
Bill Richardson - I don't think America is ready for a black and a hispanic on the same ticket
Kathleen Sebelius - Replace "hispanic" in the above line with "woman"
Chris Dodd - honestly, just too weird looking
Hillary Clinton - what, are you out of your fucking mind?

If I'm placing money on this, I'm putting $2 on Biden. And I'm covering myself by placing another $2 on Bayh.

As for the Republicans, Leiberman would be the most interesting because it would cause Ann Coulter's head to explode, which would be a very good thing indeed. My money is on Mitt Romney, as it appears that Satan himself has taken his name out of the running.

Home Sweet Home

2008-08-20T12:40:00.002-04:00

After spending a couple of days in the big city and surrounding environments, I'm glad to be home to simple, humble Syracuse. Notes from the road:

The drive from Syracuse to beautiful Farmingdale (Long Island) was uneventful, which is just about the best thing that could happen on a 6 hour drive
Plans for visiting Jones Beach were scrapped Thursday afternoon due to some nasty thunderstorms. The evening was spent inside at the Towneplace Suites (a nice place, btw). Good times!
Friday saw piling into the family roadster for what was arguably the worst 3 hour drive ever, through Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the godawful state of New Jersey. Those people are fuckin' animals, down there. Animals!
Once in Philly, things got much better. A couple of delicious meals from Illiano's (cheesesteak stromboli!), and T'dori, kids playing nicely, and of course, alcohol
Saturday we visited Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster. A great amusement park geared for kids. Sadly, I was unable to partake in one of the best things in the world: Amish pretzels. Big, soft, and delicious (kind of like yours truly)
Sunday, the Philadelphia Zoo. While the zoo was good and the kids had fun, Sunday was not a good day for me. Heat + crowds + traffic jams + kids = one big fucking meltdown. Well, not just one, but several that built on top of one another. Honestly, I think I was still worn down from the travel and the day before. All that, capped with a 4 hour drive home. What a day.

Other notes

Discovered the awesomeness of touch screen ordering at Wawa. Extra meat, and the option to put bacon on everything makes life grand
The EZ-Pass may just be the greatest invention ever, outside of toll free roads. Between the NYS Thurway, Penn Turnpike, and Jersey Turnpikes nickel diming me every 50 miles and the "are you kidding me?!??" tolls for the Tappan Zee, Throgs Neck, and Verrazano bridges I would have had to carry $50 bucks around for tolls.
Pennsylvania is under permanent highway reconstruction. How can they continually work on I81 constantly? Oh wait

All in all, a fun, but tiring weekend. It's good to be home.

Trading In/Up

2008-08-12T12:37:00.004-04:00

Why this post is coming out in August is beyond me. Perhaps it was the let down of another baseball season, or the impending football seasons, or simply hitting rock bottom. Basically, I'm seriously contemplating trading up in all of my sports allegiances. I've been a fan of all these teams fro close to 25 years, and frankly all it's brought me has been a lot of misery. First and foremost:

NFL - I hate to say goodbye to my beloved Buffalo Bills, but I simply can't stomach it anymore. We had nice, albeit heartbreaking, run in the early 90's, a small resurgence in the late 90's, but nothing but dreck since. Cheap ownership, questionable management, poor coaching, and marginal talent have lead to 8 straight non playoff years. After watching this past weekend's pre-season game it's hard to believe anything will change this season. I can't do it anymore.

But I need something to fill the void. I refuse to root for another AFC East team, and the NFC is nothing but a bunch of girls. Therefore, I'm aligning myself with the Pittsburgh Steelers - hard-nosed, proven winners, blue collar. My kind of team. I originally had considered the Cleveland Browns, but that's just more of the same.

MLB - Peter Angelos has finally broken me. The Baltimore Orioles were once a proud team, but after 15 years of Angelos the team is a shell, with no end in sight. It's tough to stay engaged in a 162 game season, tougher still when the team is mathematically eliminated before May. So it's time to move on.

With a burning hatred for both the Red Sox and the Yankees (and once again, the NL is for sissies), I'm going with a left field choice - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Second choice, Cleveland Indians. I went with the Angels due to spending three years following them in the mid-80's. Plus, they turned out to be pretty consistent winners. Cleveland is purely based on geographic proximity, and my love for Major League

NHL - Two seasons ago the Buffalo Sabres looked poised to win it all, then the let their two best players walk. My pessimistic side says it will be a long time before we get close to the Cup again. Out of all my favorite teams, the Sabres are in the best position to pull a surprise. But fuck it, I'm punting on the NHL all together.

College Football - it's a goddamn shame what has happened with the Syracuse University Orange. Poor recruiting, incompetent coaching, and bad hiring decisions have left SU in a position where they are the underdog against MAC teams. I'm at the point where I don't think this program can be salvaged at all, even with the long overdue firing of Greg Robinson. At this point I'm considering spending my Saturdays watching Colgate. Go Raiders.

But, I'm looking for wins and victories. So I'm dropping SU in favor of..... Oklahoma. Why? Because they win, and I like their helmets. I never said I wasn't simple.

NBA - fuck the NBA

So there it is, all my sport paraphenalia related to the Bills, Orange, O's and Sabres is going into the garbage. Starting today, I'm a fan of teams that win, and win often. I think this will result in major positives in my life. My teams will be winners, and therefore I will be a winner. Amen

Too Much Fun For Just One Person

2008-08-08T13:44:00.003-04:00

Hectic week, with more of the same in the future. To recap:

Work last Saturday night, a great way to interrupt a weekend
Up at 4:00 AM Monday for a trip to Melville, NY
Two long days of OMS/DMS meetings - pure excitement!
a nice Italian dinner on LI, and a delicious Monte Cristo at some diner on NY 17 were the highlights of the trip.
The lowlight was the George Washington Bridge/Cross Brox nightmare. I'm definitely not a big-city person.
Fever and chills, for two days, possibly related to the nagging tooth ache on my lower left side
Despite eating out and doing no exercise, the scale registered 281.2 lbs this morning. That can't be right, can it?

And now, more of the same. This weekend has me working overnight Saturday, going to Long Island next week (with the whole family in tow), and then heading from LI to Philly for a long weekend with our friends in Plymouth Meeting. What could possibly go wrong?

GHoDT update

2008-08-01T13:56:00.002-04:00

We'll see how long I will keep this up, but as I planned, Friday will be the day I keep myself honest with world (or the 3 people that check in, hoping to find out what to do with old currency or if Greg Jeffries is a homo. Hey, that's what my site stats are telling me, but I digress). This AM the scale registered 283.1 - I lost another pound. While I'm happy, I'd like to be losing more. We'll see how the next week goes, I expect it to be difficult as I'm traveling the first part of the week. As for now, I'm going to enjoy the remainder of this vacation day before working again tomorrow.

Getting Old Fast

2008-07-29T12:36:00.002-04:00

No, not me - carrying a work pager. Actually, it's work in general. About 4 months ago I got thrown into the on call pool supporting the outage management applications. There's a lot to know to handle this (Oracle, Smallworld, web, MQ Series, VB, etc.) and honestly, of the 6 of us on call no one knows it all. Which makes things interesting. Carrying the pager is a dreaded chore that each of us has to endure for a week once every 6 weeks. I'm currently on call now, and I've dealt with 6 callouts in the past 24 hours, which makes me one grumpy camper. In addition I'm in the middle of coordinating a project that requires all updates be done off hours. I worked a weekend two weeks ago, and I'm scheduled to work both this weekend and next weekend. I'm just drained at this point, with no end in sight. I really don't have much of a leg to stand on when it comes to work, they pay me well and generally appreciate me. But man, my ass is dragging at this point, my mood is sour, and if someone doesn't give me something delicious to eat I'm going to snap.

Have I mentioned I'm hungry?

As if on cue, the goddamn pager just went of again. Kill me.

And This Time I Mean It

2008-07-25T12:49:00.000-04:00

After last months traumatic visit to my evil endocrinologist (not blogged, too graphic) at which I was told I'm going to die a horrible and painful death, that losing weight is a piece of cake, and that I'm a disgrace to my wife and children, I decided two things:

Find a new doctor
Jump start Operation: Get Healthy or Die Trying.

Now, this is about the 112th time I've tried to restart this thing in the past 12 years, but I'm hopeful that this time is different. In the past I would cut back for a day, maybe even a week, and tie it all in with a token visit to the gym.

This time, I've made some significant changes. I've been eating breakfast at home, skipping the cafeteria, Dunkin Donuts, and Mcdonalds. I've also been sporting a reasonable, light lunch (courtesy my wife). I've been eating smaller meals more frequently, which has helped me to avoid episodes of overwhelming hunger. Most importantly, I've been hitting the gym three (trying to four) times a week for serious exercise. Honestly, this is the best I've done at sticking with a program for at least 8 years, if not longer.

I'm seeing the benefits, too. Specifically:

much improved blood glucose control (in the 100 range both morning and evening)
reduced weight. A recent doctors visit showed 5.5 lb reduction in a month. The home scale registers 284.1 lbs (yes, I am indeed a big fat pig)
normal poop like most humans produced.

So, I share this in an effort to keep me going. I deferred a month, wanting to make sure I stuck with things. My immediate goal is to be 250lbs by the new year. It's 1.5 lbs per week, so hopefully I can gut this out.

Plans I Make

2008-07-18T16:56:00.003-04:00

Hopefully, a nice & relaxing weekend is in store. Tonight, hit the gym and then home to hit the sack. Working last weekend, traveling, and a Xanax hangover have left me wiped out. Tomorrow, some chores and then dinner at the the Dinosaur and beers at the Tusk with some friends. Sunday, perhaps some beer can chicken. Mmmm.... beer can.

Broke Into The Old Apartment

2008-07-16T11:55:00.003-04:00

Crap. Apparently evetyone that knows me believes that Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies is my doppelganger (really, I believe I'm more Morrissey with a thyroid problem. Or George Clooney), so to have this shit go down a short walk from my home is just too ugly a coincidence. No worries though, I have a rock solid alibi. (I was lying in bed, just like Brian Wilson did)

Thank God for the Manlius PD, keeping our town safe from thugs like this.

May I Speak With the Sandwich Maker of the Household?

2008-07-11T12:19:00.003-04:00

I'm establishing a new rule. Any sandwich served on regular sized slice bread must include three (3) slices of lunchmeat. Anything less is unacceptable, and can/will result in me becoming enraged.

As an example of how things should be done, please reference the following example courtesy Primanti Bros. of Pittsburgh, PA

Patriotic Review

2008-07-10T12:49:00.002-04:00

Easing back into the pool by recapping the long Fourth of July weekend. Well, there isn't really a lot to sum up. The Fourth spent enjoying the perfect weather while landscaping, eating ice cream, making Michigan Sauce, grilling dogs, and enjoying restricted view fireworks from the backyard with Emma. The rest of the weekend involved mulch, lots and lots of mulch. Overall, things were AOK.

Hard to believe that even though summer technically just started, it feels half over. Every weekend here on out through Labor Day is booked. And then, of course, the snow starts to fly. Summer in upstate: so beautiful, so short...

Something New

2008-07-09T16:27:00.003-04:00

So maybe the blog reface will help me resurrect this blog. Maybe, but perhaps not. But hell, at least I now have an entry for July 2008

Blah

2008-06-09T16:40:00.003-04:00

May (and early June) have turned out to be 'blah', not so much for the activities but more so for more deteriorating state of mind. Here's a list of things that I should feel excited about, but are failing to float my boat:
>> Promotion at work
>> significant work raise and yearly bonus
>> 2000+ mile round trip drive to Atlanta that resulted in zero, repeat ZERO, fatalities.
>> quality time (and boy, lot's of it) with the family

All in all, May was a wash. Here's hoping the latter half of June results in me getting back on track to my usual moody, temperamental, annoying self. Oh wait...

Bills Draft Roundup

2008-05-01T12:05:00.003-04:00

Overall I think it was a pretty decent draft. We got Leodis McKelvin at #11 and James Hardy at #41. I wasn't too thrilled with the mid round picks, but still it was a decent draft. God, I can't wait for football to rev up!

Draft Time

2008-04-25T12:00:00.002-04:00

The NFL has reeled me in as year round fan, as I am eagerly anticipating the weekend long NFL draft. Of course, as Bills fan I really only care about what the team will be doing with their number 11 pick. I'd be happy with any of the following:

1.) Stand pat at 11 and hopefully grab CB Leodis McKelvin.
2.) Trade back in the first round and grab either Devin Thomas, Limas Sweed, or Malcolm Kelly
3.) Draft Devin Thomas at 11, then trade back into late first/early second round to grab a CB
4.) Draft a corner (McKelvin, Cromartie) at 11, then tren trade back into late first/early second to grab a WR (i.e. James Hardy)
5.) Trade with Philly at 18 for Lito Sheppard, use the 18 to grab a WR

Of course, I'm an idiot when it comes to this stuff. All I know is that as a Bills fan I'd like to walk away from the draft having addressed CB, WR, TE, and perhaps DE and the OL. We'll see. In honor of the weekend, I'm gonna do up the hair Mel Kiper Jr style