Hello, there. Sorry it has taken so long to get this out there... I've had a few minor (non-emergency) setbacks this week. Any-hoo, thanks to the 8 of you who voted in the poll (myself NOT included, as I did not vote).
It was interesting to find that 6 of 8 people (75%) prefer studio versions of songs over live versions when listening to their digital media (ipods, etc). I myself am on the fence. There are times when I like one over the other. I think it mostly boils down to who and what the live version is. There are some jam bands out there that do a nice job live and most of their stuff is better live because they are extended an pure versions (DMB, OAR, Wilco, et al) - meaning that they usually improvise and lengthen the songs as they go, or they embody a little more heart and soul into their tunes playing off the energy of the crowd.
For the most part, however, I would say I am a studio version guy. I like the clean sound and sometimes I can't stand when the audience noise is in the background of a live version, or worse some asshole screams something like, "Freebird!". Totally ruins the experience for me. Look no further than the live version of "Outside" by Stain'd for a perfect example. Great acoustic live performance by Aaron Lewis that is interrupted by Fred Durst's annoying ass mouth.
This opens another can of worms - acoustic or "unplugged versions". I really wish I would have added this to the poll, but hindsight is always 20/20. If you think about it, it really is a separate category. Acoustic versions can also be either live or studio, so it really makes you wonder where your preferences lie. There are some great songs out there that work better acoustically, just because of the crispness and simplicity of a single guitar. Plus, they are usually slowed down or toned down with the vocals, so it makes for a calmer melody which is sometimes nice when you're in a chill mood (or high off your ass).
So that sums out pretty much how I feel about it. I am curious to hear your thoughts about why you voted the way you did, or just your general outlook on the topic. PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS...
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
New Poll!
A new poll is up on the blog! I haven't done one of these in awhile and the last one was pretty successful in terms of generating discussion. Once everyone (all 3 of you) has had a chance to vote, I will write a new post about it. Votes are confidential, so don't worry about privacy or your opinion getting slammed (until you comment on the follow-up post :) ).
The last poll topic was "What is the best baseball movie of all time?". You might remember it and you may have even voted in it! Lots of different opinions formed and were shared. I'm hoping this question does the same thing. The idea came to me today while listening to my own digital music and experiencing both versions.
Happy voting! And stay tuned for the response blog!
The last poll topic was "What is the best baseball movie of all time?". You might remember it and you may have even voted in it! Lots of different opinions formed and were shared. I'm hoping this question does the same thing. The idea came to me today while listening to my own digital music and experiencing both versions.
Happy voting! And stay tuned for the response blog!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
No 'E' for Effort?
Here's something interesting... I saw an article on Yahoo's front page yesterday that some high school somewhere was trying to get rid of the 'F' on the grading scale. I didn't really care about this and I did not read the article - that's not really what this post is about. Here's what I want to know... Why has there never been an 'E' on the grading scale?
Obviously the scale is alphabetic and has nothing to do with acronyms or abbreviations.... basically, it is just a letter grade assigned to a range of percentage points, I suppose for clearer presentation and to allow for some "wiggle room" within the range (i.e. 90-100% = A, 80-90% = B, etc.). It's quite obvious to start at the top with an A, and then follow in succession with the B,C,D. I guess I get that an F can stand for Fail, or Flunk, but why not an 'E'? Is there too much latitude with a 6-letter system? Does 'F' just have that much more punch over 'E'? Maybe it seems that way since we're used to hearing "eff" in that hard tone and it carrying such a negative connotation... Is E a happier letter than F, tonally?
Either way I feel bad for the 'E' getting left out like that. I think when I have kids and they are in school, I will find a way to squeeze it in when they get report cards. Of course since an E would be just barely better than an F, I suppose I hope I never have to have that conversation with my future kids... as I would much prefer it if they were scholarly... like their old man!
I give this post an 'A'... feel free to give it an 'E' if you disagree.
Obviously the scale is alphabetic and has nothing to do with acronyms or abbreviations.... basically, it is just a letter grade assigned to a range of percentage points, I suppose for clearer presentation and to allow for some "wiggle room" within the range (i.e. 90-100% = A, 80-90% = B, etc.). It's quite obvious to start at the top with an A, and then follow in succession with the B,C,D. I guess I get that an F can stand for Fail, or Flunk, but why not an 'E'? Is there too much latitude with a 6-letter system? Does 'F' just have that much more punch over 'E'? Maybe it seems that way since we're used to hearing "eff" in that hard tone and it carrying such a negative connotation... Is E a happier letter than F, tonally?
Either way I feel bad for the 'E' getting left out like that. I think when I have kids and they are in school, I will find a way to squeeze it in when they get report cards. Of course since an E would be just barely better than an F, I suppose I hope I never have to have that conversation with my future kids... as I would much prefer it if they were scholarly... like their old man!
I give this post an 'A'... feel free to give it an 'E' if you disagree.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
2 for Two
I'm about a week late on this one, but wanted to give a shout out to my beautiful wife and congratulate her on successfully being married to me for two years, without pulling all of her hair out or walking out on me.
Most of you will remember that we got married on 10.25.08. It was a beautiful autumn day in Chicago and we all had so much fun! I remember at the rehearsal dinner we handed out gifts to the bridal party, then to each other. Eschewing the traditional gifts - something personalized, or jewelry - I gave my groomsmen iPod shuffles. I thought this was a great gift, so I gave one to Kristen as well. She wasn't able to wear it during the ceremony, but I know she liked it and she used is almost everyday for the past two years. Just a few weeks ago, it stopped working properly and she was really unable to workout to her full potential because she did not have her tunes. So, I thought that this anniversary was a perfect opportunity to replace her shuffle with the new ipod Nano - again, eschewing the convention of giving paper as a second anniversary gift. Needless to say she loves her new toy. It has a lot of bells and whistles, including a built-in clock, which is the modern recommended 2nd anniversary gift... so there you go.
She got me my first French Press! I have to admit I'm a little nervous about being able to make my own coffee at my disposal all day, everyday. I don't want to become one of these folks who is addicted to caffeine. Also, as you all know, I am a bit naturally caffeinated already! Nonetheless, I now have an instant coffee-maker, which I have actually been wanting for over a year now - just one of those things I wouldn't buy myself. So, thanks, babe... and everyone that has to talk to me after I've had a steaming cup of java thanks you also. I am pretty excited to try some cool new coffees and to stay warm heading into the winter.
So that's the wrap up... Two years and going strong! Happy 2nd, K-10, look forward to many many more!
Most of you will remember that we got married on 10.25.08. It was a beautiful autumn day in Chicago and we all had so much fun! I remember at the rehearsal dinner we handed out gifts to the bridal party, then to each other. Eschewing the traditional gifts - something personalized, or jewelry - I gave my groomsmen iPod shuffles. I thought this was a great gift, so I gave one to Kristen as well. She wasn't able to wear it during the ceremony, but I know she liked it and she used is almost everyday for the past two years. Just a few weeks ago, it stopped working properly and she was really unable to workout to her full potential because she did not have her tunes. So, I thought that this anniversary was a perfect opportunity to replace her shuffle with the new ipod Nano - again, eschewing the convention of giving paper as a second anniversary gift. Needless to say she loves her new toy. It has a lot of bells and whistles, including a built-in clock, which is the modern recommended 2nd anniversary gift... so there you go.
She got me my first French Press! I have to admit I'm a little nervous about being able to make my own coffee at my disposal all day, everyday. I don't want to become one of these folks who is addicted to caffeine. Also, as you all know, I am a bit naturally caffeinated already! Nonetheless, I now have an instant coffee-maker, which I have actually been wanting for over a year now - just one of those things I wouldn't buy myself. So, thanks, babe... and everyone that has to talk to me after I've had a steaming cup of java thanks you also. I am pretty excited to try some cool new coffees and to stay warm heading into the winter.
So that's the wrap up... Two years and going strong! Happy 2nd, K-10, look forward to many many more!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
In case you blinked...
What a great weekend for sports, and we haven't even cracked the bottle on the NFL schedule yet today! Yesterday Kristen and I ventured down to Urbana-Champaign with some friends to watch the University of Illinois Illini pummel the Hoosiers of Indiana. It was a fun time tailgating, being at my first (and probably only) football game this season, and hanging out afterward and seeing some of the campus, including one of the local watering holes! My wife is an alum, so it was good for her to go back to the place where it all started for the 100th anniversary of U of I homecoming. The game was capped off by an INT return for a TD and a safety for the defense... really strong effort by a young team who looks to be a presence in the Big 10 (Big 11? 12?) over the next few years.
If that wasn't enough, the Tigers of the University of M-I-Z-Z-O-U topped #1 ranked Oklahoma for their first win over the Sooners in many years! That was an epic battle on national television - a night game where College Gameday was present and the Feurot Field goal posts came down and marched through the quaint town of Columbia, MO! That truly would have been an epic game to attend. My last Saturday nighter was about 3 or 4 years ago at Mizzou when they beat Nebraska, again after a long drought of disappointing losses. Missouri will undoubtedly move into the top ten with this victory and will hopefully be able to pull off an upset win on the road next week in Nebraska - their last meeting as a conference matchup before Nebraska moves to that other conference. Tough task, but this defense is the best I've seen in years out of this program, and the offense led by St. Louisan Blaine Gabbert has been status quo. A win over Nebraska would put MU in prime position to play for the Big 12 championship game, hopefully in a rematch against Bob Stoops' OU Sooners.
Not a football fan? No problem. The Texas Rangers and S.F. Giants completed their respective Championship Series wins over the NY Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, last year's World Series opponents! It will be nice to see some new blood in the series this year! On a side note, I have to criticize the sports "experts" on the radio and TV who claim that ratings will be low for this WS because no one cares about these two teams. I could not disagree more. First, like I already mentioned, there are two new teams competing for the title, so the parity already makes the series even that much more interesting. Also, the Texas Rangers have a great story - like a Phoenix rising from the ashes of a broken business saved by ex-Ranger Nolan Ryan and Co., these Texas Rangers have won not only their first post-season victory and second series, but have a chance to win their first WS title (obviously)... and I like their odds. Plus, they have a great story (albeit a 3-year-old story) of ex-junkie Josh Hamilton who had to scratch and claw his way back into the big leagues... and do it by starting off with the hapless Cincinnati Reds who looked awful in this year's NLDS! I guess its no secret that I am pulling for Texas in this one. I guess I just hate NL teams NOT named "the Cardinals". I'm also not a fan of Tim Lincecum.... but we all know pitching and defense wins World Series, and both of these teams have those things... Should be a great WS to watch, despite what the so-called experts have to say (and yes, morons, everyone outside of NY DOES hate the Yankees!).
Lastly, there were hockey double-headers on Friday/Saturday. This is sort of anti-climactic, locally speaking. The Hawks fell to the Blues 4-2 and then lost to the Blue Jackets the next night... ouch (St. Louis went 2-0 in their double-header). That dropped the Hawks to one game over .500 on the season, and tied for 1st in the Division with 11 points, but they have played 10 games already, most in the NHL and 3 more than any other team they are tied with for first in the standings. They need to pick it up, and last year's Stanley Cup MVP Jonathon Toews needs to lead that charge. Hossa and Sharp have been studs with 11 points apiece. But again, it seems like goaltending will be an issue, with the by-committee strategy of early last year seeming to rear its ugly head once again. But so early in the season it's yet to be seen if Turco still doesn't have that fire left and can lead this team to another playoff run if not another Stanley Cup title.
That's the recap. Watch some football today and enjoy the ride! Go BEARS!
If that wasn't enough, the Tigers of the University of M-I-Z-Z-O-U topped #1 ranked Oklahoma for their first win over the Sooners in many years! That was an epic battle on national television - a night game where College Gameday was present and the Feurot Field goal posts came down and marched through the quaint town of Columbia, MO! That truly would have been an epic game to attend. My last Saturday nighter was about 3 or 4 years ago at Mizzou when they beat Nebraska, again after a long drought of disappointing losses. Missouri will undoubtedly move into the top ten with this victory and will hopefully be able to pull off an upset win on the road next week in Nebraska - their last meeting as a conference matchup before Nebraska moves to that other conference. Tough task, but this defense is the best I've seen in years out of this program, and the offense led by St. Louisan Blaine Gabbert has been status quo. A win over Nebraska would put MU in prime position to play for the Big 12 championship game, hopefully in a rematch against Bob Stoops' OU Sooners.
Not a football fan? No problem. The Texas Rangers and S.F. Giants completed their respective Championship Series wins over the NY Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, last year's World Series opponents! It will be nice to see some new blood in the series this year! On a side note, I have to criticize the sports "experts" on the radio and TV who claim that ratings will be low for this WS because no one cares about these two teams. I could not disagree more. First, like I already mentioned, there are two new teams competing for the title, so the parity already makes the series even that much more interesting. Also, the Texas Rangers have a great story - like a Phoenix rising from the ashes of a broken business saved by ex-Ranger Nolan Ryan and Co., these Texas Rangers have won not only their first post-season victory and second series, but have a chance to win their first WS title (obviously)... and I like their odds. Plus, they have a great story (albeit a 3-year-old story) of ex-junkie Josh Hamilton who had to scratch and claw his way back into the big leagues... and do it by starting off with the hapless Cincinnati Reds who looked awful in this year's NLDS! I guess its no secret that I am pulling for Texas in this one. I guess I just hate NL teams NOT named "the Cardinals". I'm also not a fan of Tim Lincecum.... but we all know pitching and defense wins World Series, and both of these teams have those things... Should be a great WS to watch, despite what the so-called experts have to say (and yes, morons, everyone outside of NY DOES hate the Yankees!).
Lastly, there were hockey double-headers on Friday/Saturday. This is sort of anti-climactic, locally speaking. The Hawks fell to the Blues 4-2 and then lost to the Blue Jackets the next night... ouch (St. Louis went 2-0 in their double-header). That dropped the Hawks to one game over .500 on the season, and tied for 1st in the Division with 11 points, but they have played 10 games already, most in the NHL and 3 more than any other team they are tied with for first in the standings. They need to pick it up, and last year's Stanley Cup MVP Jonathon Toews needs to lead that charge. Hossa and Sharp have been studs with 11 points apiece. But again, it seems like goaltending will be an issue, with the by-committee strategy of early last year seeming to rear its ugly head once again. But so early in the season it's yet to be seen if Turco still doesn't have that fire left and can lead this team to another playoff run if not another Stanley Cup title.
That's the recap. Watch some football today and enjoy the ride! Go BEARS!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Kickin' Balls
When Kris-10 and I moved to this wonderful windy city last summer, we were fortunate enough to have friends in Jaime and Dan that live close and are our age (although I'm a few years their junior...ahem). Me especially since I didn't have a whole lot of friends... well, none actually, outside of the 3 people I've already named in this post. That all changed when I came out to watch Dan's 4 Shadows team play this game called "mushball". What an interesting game that is! 16 inches of softball and no glove!!
I knew I had to have a shot at playing that, so I was fortunate enough to get the call to sub for D.P. when he was away on his honeymoon with his honey. The team let me play and I kind of stunk it up initially, except for smashing a homerun. For some reason they let me come back another week (probably because of the homerun) and I did a better job defensively, playing a very sharp third base... if I do say so myself. That was about the extent of my playing time as I was merely a sub at that point, but at least I was invited out to the bars afterward to join in for (moral) victory drinks... haha! They all went on to play kickball in the fall, which I was unable to play because they had a full roster and I had fall ball in Elmhurst. That was not the case this fall.
After being a starting Center Fielder on the mushball team this summer, I was invited to play on the fall kickball team - an invitation I accepted graciously if not enthusiastically, and especially affirmatively (meaning I said Yes). What a great fall it's been! Let's put aside for a moment the fact that the weather has been not only cooperative, but gorgeous! I have had so much fun participating in this Thursday night sporting activity, and drinking afterward... Okay, who am I kidding, there is drinking going on during as well! Luckily we've switched the on-field hydration from that nasty ol' Miller Lite to the Silver Bullet... tappin' the Rockies every Thursday night!
Anyway, I just wanted to give a shout out on here to my new teammates and most importantly my (not so) new friends - and also I am sure they will be doubling my blog audience, so that's great! It has been great getting to know everyone and I am so thankful you accepted me into your inner circle. Here's to all the members and fans of "Kickin' Balls" (yes, that's really our team name)... Cheers, you guys and thanks for reading Skip To It!! See you all on Thursday!
-Skamp
I knew I had to have a shot at playing that, so I was fortunate enough to get the call to sub for D.P. when he was away on his honeymoon with his honey. The team let me play and I kind of stunk it up initially, except for smashing a homerun. For some reason they let me come back another week (probably because of the homerun) and I did a better job defensively, playing a very sharp third base... if I do say so myself. That was about the extent of my playing time as I was merely a sub at that point, but at least I was invited out to the bars afterward to join in for (moral) victory drinks... haha! They all went on to play kickball in the fall, which I was unable to play because they had a full roster and I had fall ball in Elmhurst. That was not the case this fall.
After being a starting Center Fielder on the mushball team this summer, I was invited to play on the fall kickball team - an invitation I accepted graciously if not enthusiastically, and especially affirmatively (meaning I said Yes). What a great fall it's been! Let's put aside for a moment the fact that the weather has been not only cooperative, but gorgeous! I have had so much fun participating in this Thursday night sporting activity, and drinking afterward... Okay, who am I kidding, there is drinking going on during as well! Luckily we've switched the on-field hydration from that nasty ol' Miller Lite to the Silver Bullet... tappin' the Rockies every Thursday night!
Anyway, I just wanted to give a shout out on here to my new teammates and most importantly my (not so) new friends - and also I am sure they will be doubling my blog audience, so that's great! It has been great getting to know everyone and I am so thankful you accepted me into your inner circle. Here's to all the members and fans of "Kickin' Balls" (yes, that's really our team name)... Cheers, you guys and thanks for reading Skip To It!! See you all on Thursday!
-Skamp
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Hard Spelling
Everyone knows I am a stickler for proper spelling and grammar. As bad as the English language is, once you've learned it, it's not that hard to get right. Here are some words that trip a lot of people up (even though the little red squiggly line under a word means you spelled it wrong):
vacuum
definitely
separate
desperate
license
accommodate
tomorrow
grateful
February
Wednesday
-ist instead of -est for superlatives
...and anything with i before e except after c...
Here are some that are often used in the wrong context, or also just spelled incorrectly (know the difference!):
your, you're
too, to, two
there, they're, their
affect/effect
accept/except
Feel free to add more in the comments.
vacuum
definitely
separate
desperate
license
accommodate
tomorrow
grateful
February
Wednesday
-ist instead of -est for superlatives
...and anything with i before e except after c...
Here are some that are often used in the wrong context, or also just spelled incorrectly (know the difference!):
your, you're
too, to, two
there, they're, their
affect/effect
accept/except
Feel free to add more in the comments.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Bauer of Love
This past weekend one of my closest friends got married. Ray Bauer wed his girlfriend of several years in a lovely ceremony at Queen of All Saints in Oakville. If you don't know Ray, he worked with me for many years at Frankie G's, is now a Physical Therapist, plays drums in the band Glorious Blue, and was the guy in my wedding with the long curly hair. For his wedding, I acted as the Best Man.
The whole series of events surrounding this wedding were spectacular. Since I was the best man, I received the fortunate pleasure of organizing the Bachelor Party! When I got married in '08 we all decided it would be awesome to go to Las Vegas. After short deliberation over deciding between a few different destinations, Ray too ultimately chose Vegas. We went at the end of July and had a blast - there were about 10 of us, including 6 of the 8 groomsman and of course the bachelor. Needless to say we tore that town a new one and were able to one-up my party by not repeating some of the same mistakes, as well as trying out a few new things.
This past weekend was basically a 3-day series of events culminating into the big "I do" and ensuing reception on Saturday. My trip into St. Louis started on Thursday morning so I could get in, grab my tux, and make it to the early evening rehearsal at the church. This was followed by a lovely dinner party at Sage in Soulard... the Filet was delicious! Also a nice surprise, was since Dave and Kathy (parents of the groom) were hosting this dinner, they provided custom made coasters with our pets' pictures on them that we could take as party favors! It was very cool and a good way to start off the festivities. I also received custom cuff links and a sleeve of Titleist Pro-V1 golf balls as my groomsman's gift.
Since Friday was an "off" day the boys took the afternoon to hit the links. We played an 18-hole best ball tournament at the Acorns in Waterloo, IL. This was great because it was like a second bachelor party for the people who weren't able to make it out to Vegas. There are also a lot of people who played that I am friends with and haven't gotten to see in a while, so it was good to get out and swing the clubs with them all. Afterward we hit the Sports Pub in Oakville for drinks and more fried chicken than you would ever want to see.
Saturday was the big day, so it followed the traditional course. Aside from the handing off of the bride by her father, and the exchanging of rings and vows, and the big kiss, I would have to say the highlight of the ceremony was when I adjusted the back of Ray's tux to make sure it was in ship-shape, imitating the tidying the Matron of Honor was performing on the bride's dress. The wedding party followed up the ceremony with a bus ride out to the park for pictures. This trip was not without incident as one of the groomsman proceeded to choke on his sandwich and Ray had to administer the Heimlich Maneuver to dislodge it... in his defense, this was a result of a medical condition and not necessarily his own negligence. After his life was preserved and everything back on track, we drove around to two different photography locations before settling on the third - Concordia Seminary - which actually turned out nicely because of the Gothic Architecture and nature in the background. We then made our way to the reception, all singing karaoke style to the jams Ray had put together in the CD player.
The reception was held at Crowne Plaza in Clayton, MO. This was convenient because they have a very nice hotel attached to the ballroom... or vice versa. Again, standard operating procedure except for the maybe 300+ guests and the groom's band breaking into the DJs set with their own performance... oh yeah, and the bride supplying a cart full of Dunkin Donuts as a surprise for the groom, who coincidentally loves doughnuts! The dinner was fantastic and the booze was flowing. The music selection was awesome too. I had to give a speech and thought I would rock and roll through it, but I may have been a bit upstaged by the speeches of the Father of the Bride and the Matron of Honor who both knocked theirs out of the proverbial park.... meh, at least mine was the last one that was delivered. It was long, I cracked jokes, and I got a little choked up, so it had all the makings of a good Best Man's toast, I suppose. Oddly enough the after party was held in Ray's parents hotel room with the bride's parents and a few other people - none of whom were the bride or groom...
That was pretty much it for the festivities. Kristen and I were lucky enough while in town to have drinks and brunch (on 2 separate occasions) with friends of her's from grad school, and also to help my little nephew celebrate his 7th birthday, which is shared with my 29th (blog post pending on that topic)...
The whole series of events surrounding this wedding were spectacular. Since I was the best man, I received the fortunate pleasure of organizing the Bachelor Party! When I got married in '08 we all decided it would be awesome to go to Las Vegas. After short deliberation over deciding between a few different destinations, Ray too ultimately chose Vegas. We went at the end of July and had a blast - there were about 10 of us, including 6 of the 8 groomsman and of course the bachelor. Needless to say we tore that town a new one and were able to one-up my party by not repeating some of the same mistakes, as well as trying out a few new things.
This past weekend was basically a 3-day series of events culminating into the big "I do" and ensuing reception on Saturday. My trip into St. Louis started on Thursday morning so I could get in, grab my tux, and make it to the early evening rehearsal at the church. This was followed by a lovely dinner party at Sage in Soulard... the Filet was delicious! Also a nice surprise, was since Dave and Kathy (parents of the groom) were hosting this dinner, they provided custom made coasters with our pets' pictures on them that we could take as party favors! It was very cool and a good way to start off the festivities. I also received custom cuff links and a sleeve of Titleist Pro-V1 golf balls as my groomsman's gift.
Since Friday was an "off" day the boys took the afternoon to hit the links. We played an 18-hole best ball tournament at the Acorns in Waterloo, IL. This was great because it was like a second bachelor party for the people who weren't able to make it out to Vegas. There are also a lot of people who played that I am friends with and haven't gotten to see in a while, so it was good to get out and swing the clubs with them all. Afterward we hit the Sports Pub in Oakville for drinks and more fried chicken than you would ever want to see.
Saturday was the big day, so it followed the traditional course. Aside from the handing off of the bride by her father, and the exchanging of rings and vows, and the big kiss, I would have to say the highlight of the ceremony was when I adjusted the back of Ray's tux to make sure it was in ship-shape, imitating the tidying the Matron of Honor was performing on the bride's dress. The wedding party followed up the ceremony with a bus ride out to the park for pictures. This trip was not without incident as one of the groomsman proceeded to choke on his sandwich and Ray had to administer the Heimlich Maneuver to dislodge it... in his defense, this was a result of a medical condition and not necessarily his own negligence. After his life was preserved and everything back on track, we drove around to two different photography locations before settling on the third - Concordia Seminary - which actually turned out nicely because of the Gothic Architecture and nature in the background. We then made our way to the reception, all singing karaoke style to the jams Ray had put together in the CD player.
The reception was held at Crowne Plaza in Clayton, MO. This was convenient because they have a very nice hotel attached to the ballroom... or vice versa. Again, standard operating procedure except for the maybe 300+ guests and the groom's band breaking into the DJs set with their own performance... oh yeah, and the bride supplying a cart full of Dunkin Donuts as a surprise for the groom, who coincidentally loves doughnuts! The dinner was fantastic and the booze was flowing. The music selection was awesome too. I had to give a speech and thought I would rock and roll through it, but I may have been a bit upstaged by the speeches of the Father of the Bride and the Matron of Honor who both knocked theirs out of the proverbial park.... meh, at least mine was the last one that was delivered. It was long, I cracked jokes, and I got a little choked up, so it had all the makings of a good Best Man's toast, I suppose. Oddly enough the after party was held in Ray's parents hotel room with the bride's parents and a few other people - none of whom were the bride or groom...
That was pretty much it for the festivities. Kristen and I were lucky enough while in town to have drinks and brunch (on 2 separate occasions) with friends of her's from grad school, and also to help my little nephew celebrate his 7th birthday, which is shared with my 29th (blog post pending on that topic)...
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
CityGarden
The format of this blog will be a review combined with my traditional style of post: my rambling stories or opining of the goings on inside sports, or whatever else I write about.
This past weekend I was in StL for my mom's surprise 50th birthday party - which was on Friday evening. With that, Kristen and I made plans with some old friends - two of whom just had a baby - to get together and hang out on Saturday evening. So that left our Saturday morning/afternoon pretty much open. We decided to use this time to visit with our niece and nephew while at the same time alleviating my sister and brother-in-law of their parental duties for a few hours. Bella had a dance class in the morning, which we weren't able (allowed?) to attend, so we made a plan to take them out afterward and see something cool within their hometown.
After much deliberation, I decided I wanted to take them to CityGarden... even if maybe to satisfy my own curiosity about the newly developed public area in the "Gateway Mall" corridor of Downtown St. Louis. I wanted to check it out and I knew it was kid-friendly if not kid-oriented. We picked them up and got down there with no expectations and little knowledge of what there was to do. We quickly found entertainment in the form of an interactive sculpture - a large, hollowed-out, bronze head that the kids (and smaller adults) can climb into and hear the echos of their little voices. This sculpture sits atop a tilted platform that has a thin sheet of water cascading down it in front of the head. This took Nathan a good few minutes before he got bored with it and we moved on to the next attraction.
Alas... the wading pool! My mom has a pool in her backyard and these rugrats love going swimming in there. That love affair spared no exception at this urban park. No sooner did Nathan see the other kids splashing around than he was shirtless in the 2 feet of water swimming around and putting his head under... at one point he even showed me how he could walk across the bottom on his hands. Bella enjoyed this "station" on the self-guided tour as well. It was perfect depth for her... no floaties! There was a small waterfall and some rocks at one end. We had fun (yes, we, I joined in too!) jumping from rock to rock. I was about to get a picture of Nathan under the waterfall with the water splashing all over his head when we were kindly asked by someone wearing a CityGarden polo not to cross the rock area and under the waterfall as this was a rules violation... we complied. I was impressed that there was someone, maybe if not a lifeguard, but someone guarding the safety of the wading pool participants.
The kids weren't bored with the wading pool, but I wanted to keep going and have them experience the entire 2-block park. So on we went to the "dancing water" fountain where the kids continued to get wet. This time though the water source was not a stagnant (albeit chlorinated) pool, but a series of jets spitting water up from the walking surface. They loved running through the "forest" getting splashed by "trees" of water and when the jets alternated off and on in a musical chorus of squirts, they enjoyed timing being underneath one jet just as it shot out the water. This was a neat station, but as soon as Nathan discovered the smaller wading pool in this area, we needed to divert his attention once again, to maintain stimulation.
We made a quick stop at an LED screen with a camera attached, shooting video of the park. this attraction acted as sort of a reverse mirror where you could see your movements for the camera projected onto the screen. The screen was facing south (with intense sun exposure and glare) and the LED bulbs made the picture kind of difficult to see, so we didn't last long at this station. Also, the fact that the kids saw the ice cream truck and wanted a treat didn't help this thing's popularity. So we chilled for a minute and had our "Serendipity" ice cream that we bought out of an old fire truck.... kitschy, yet ironic.
We finished up the snack and washed off in the two water features on our way back out of the park. Before we left we stopped off at another somewhat interactive sculpture. It was a series of bent steel beams standing on end, in the shape of large horseshoes standing up. The kids could climb on these and slide down the arc, representing a simple, fun "jungle gym" type attraction.
That was pretty much it. We had seen most of the sculptures, swam, played, ate ice cream, and it was all FREE (except the ice cream). There was a cafe there that we did not stop at or enter. I suppose they sold lunch (which the kids and we already had) and coffee and drinks - none of which we needed to indulge in - so we bypassed it... perhaps another time. The architecture of the building was stunning, however.
I said this would be a review, so allow me to give a blanketed critique, aside from the commentary above.... Obviously, for "free" things to do in St. Louis, the Zoo is the top pick. But that can get kind of old if you've gone enough, and I know we've gone once already this year with the kids, so we wanted to change it up. Being free wasn't necessary, but it's an interesting sociological experiment to find the gems. So the sculpture was nice and eye-pleasing for the adults, along with the native plantings and overall ambiance stimulating all the 5 senses. The kids obviously had plenty of things to occupy their attention with the multiple water features - kids love getting wet in the summer time - and the interactivity of most of the sculptures. All in all I would say this place is a huge step forward for the advancement of non-sports related activities in downtown St. Louis. I will always insist that this site should have been buildings and the garden built either on the Arch grounds or in the grassy patch just west of Tucker in front of the Kiel Opera House, BUT for what they've done - whether the siting location was political or not - they did a fantastic job with this urban oasis... and I'd love to go back again (which is the whole point), probably in the evening when the lights are on!
See for yourself: www.citygardenstl.org
This past weekend I was in StL for my mom's surprise 50th birthday party - which was on Friday evening. With that, Kristen and I made plans with some old friends - two of whom just had a baby - to get together and hang out on Saturday evening. So that left our Saturday morning/afternoon pretty much open. We decided to use this time to visit with our niece and nephew while at the same time alleviating my sister and brother-in-law of their parental duties for a few hours. Bella had a dance class in the morning, which we weren't able (allowed?) to attend, so we made a plan to take them out afterward and see something cool within their hometown.
After much deliberation, I decided I wanted to take them to CityGarden... even if maybe to satisfy my own curiosity about the newly developed public area in the "Gateway Mall" corridor of Downtown St. Louis. I wanted to check it out and I knew it was kid-friendly if not kid-oriented. We picked them up and got down there with no expectations and little knowledge of what there was to do. We quickly found entertainment in the form of an interactive sculpture - a large, hollowed-out, bronze head that the kids (and smaller adults) can climb into and hear the echos of their little voices. This sculpture sits atop a tilted platform that has a thin sheet of water cascading down it in front of the head. This took Nathan a good few minutes before he got bored with it and we moved on to the next attraction.
Alas... the wading pool! My mom has a pool in her backyard and these rugrats love going swimming in there. That love affair spared no exception at this urban park. No sooner did Nathan see the other kids splashing around than he was shirtless in the 2 feet of water swimming around and putting his head under... at one point he even showed me how he could walk across the bottom on his hands. Bella enjoyed this "station" on the self-guided tour as well. It was perfect depth for her... no floaties! There was a small waterfall and some rocks at one end. We had fun (yes, we, I joined in too!) jumping from rock to rock. I was about to get a picture of Nathan under the waterfall with the water splashing all over his head when we were kindly asked by someone wearing a CityGarden polo not to cross the rock area and under the waterfall as this was a rules violation... we complied. I was impressed that there was someone, maybe if not a lifeguard, but someone guarding the safety of the wading pool participants.
The kids weren't bored with the wading pool, but I wanted to keep going and have them experience the entire 2-block park. So on we went to the "dancing water" fountain where the kids continued to get wet. This time though the water source was not a stagnant (albeit chlorinated) pool, but a series of jets spitting water up from the walking surface. They loved running through the "forest" getting splashed by "trees" of water and when the jets alternated off and on in a musical chorus of squirts, they enjoyed timing being underneath one jet just as it shot out the water. This was a neat station, but as soon as Nathan discovered the smaller wading pool in this area, we needed to divert his attention once again, to maintain stimulation.
We made a quick stop at an LED screen with a camera attached, shooting video of the park. this attraction acted as sort of a reverse mirror where you could see your movements for the camera projected onto the screen. The screen was facing south (with intense sun exposure and glare) and the LED bulbs made the picture kind of difficult to see, so we didn't last long at this station. Also, the fact that the kids saw the ice cream truck and wanted a treat didn't help this thing's popularity. So we chilled for a minute and had our "Serendipity" ice cream that we bought out of an old fire truck.... kitschy, yet ironic.
We finished up the snack and washed off in the two water features on our way back out of the park. Before we left we stopped off at another somewhat interactive sculpture. It was a series of bent steel beams standing on end, in the shape of large horseshoes standing up. The kids could climb on these and slide down the arc, representing a simple, fun "jungle gym" type attraction.
That was pretty much it. We had seen most of the sculptures, swam, played, ate ice cream, and it was all FREE (except the ice cream). There was a cafe there that we did not stop at or enter. I suppose they sold lunch (which the kids and we already had) and coffee and drinks - none of which we needed to indulge in - so we bypassed it... perhaps another time. The architecture of the building was stunning, however.
I said this would be a review, so allow me to give a blanketed critique, aside from the commentary above.... Obviously, for "free" things to do in St. Louis, the Zoo is the top pick. But that can get kind of old if you've gone enough, and I know we've gone once already this year with the kids, so we wanted to change it up. Being free wasn't necessary, but it's an interesting sociological experiment to find the gems. So the sculpture was nice and eye-pleasing for the adults, along with the native plantings and overall ambiance stimulating all the 5 senses. The kids obviously had plenty of things to occupy their attention with the multiple water features - kids love getting wet in the summer time - and the interactivity of most of the sculptures. All in all I would say this place is a huge step forward for the advancement of non-sports related activities in downtown St. Louis. I will always insist that this site should have been buildings and the garden built either on the Arch grounds or in the grassy patch just west of Tucker in front of the Kiel Opera House, BUT for what they've done - whether the siting location was political or not - they did a fantastic job with this urban oasis... and I'd love to go back again (which is the whole point), probably in the evening when the lights are on!
See for yourself: www.citygardenstl.org
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Vicious Dogfight
So this happened a week and a half ago, but still worth sharing...
Two weekends ago it was pretty decent weather outside so Kristen and I decided to take Jake to the dog park to get in some cardio.... for Jake, not us (or so we thought). It was a little overcast and drizzled a little when we got there, but the landscape is made primarily of pea gravel, so we weren't too worried about. In all, it was a pretty good morning to take a stroll and let the pup stretch his legs.
When we arrived, Jake performed his usual rituals of crying when we pulled up, getting antsy as I get out of the car to let him out, barrel-assing out of the door once I open it with his leash attached securely to my hand at one end and his face at the other, and then finally all culminating at the front gate to the dog park with his tail wagging profusely with anxiety and excitement building up to unsafe levels.
We let him in and he was off. Luckily, before you get in they have a sort of "doggy vestibule" which is basically a lock "room" where you through the first outer gate into this chamber, lock the gate behind you, then open the second gate to allow your pet access to the grounds - a veritable Doggy Oz. So he goes in and does his usual sniffing around - he likes to do some investigative reconnaissance before playing to his full potential. When we arrived there was already a family in there letting two of their dogs play. I don't remember what breed their youngest was, but their older dog was a golden retriever - a typically friendly breed. This older dog immediately approached Jake when he walked in to sniff, and Jake greeted him by lifting his leg and pissing on the fence along the perimeter, giving no regard to whether or not his urine stream was being interrupted by this dog's snout. The owner's of this dog realize this and tell their dog to get away - he complies, although it's quite obvious that he is the alpha in that household.
Just a minute or so later Jake and I are playing fetch - which consists of me throwing the tennis ball, him running after it, then not retrieving it.... well maybe retrieving, but definitely not dropping it. So while we're in the middle of our "game", this dog all of a sudden runs up to Jake and starts sniffing him, which Jake meets with an unfriendly snarl... an uncommon reaction from Jake. It's not until the golden puts his paw and snout on the back of Jake's neck that the real concern arises - when Jake gnashes at the dog (not making contact or connecting with a bite, but scary nonetheless), also an uncommon reaction... unless he is really pissed off. This all happens after of course the first episode regarding Jake's urination, then a few more unwanted, unwarranted encounters from the golden - so Jake was somewhat justified, although we frown upon such behavior.
It's at this point that I yell, "Hey" and go grab Jake by the collar and drag him out of the dog park into the lock chamber and out completely. Lately Jake has been excellent at following commands and has been extremely loyal to my voice, especially when elevated in volume *knocks on wood*. So he calmed down immediately and did not put up a fight with me while being removed from the situation and ultimately the play area. The other dog's owners were equally reactive after their dog jumped on Jake and gnashed back, so they grabbed him and pulled towards the opposite direction. They were very apologetic and insisted that we take over the park with Jake since they had already been there and he obviously barely had any time to play. We politely refused and took Jake for a walk around the main city park in which the dog park area is located. We noticed that they had left anyway so we went ahead and went in when we came back around.
Jake got a good amount of uninhibited, unabashed playtime in and we got him to run around just long enough before the heavy rains started to fall and just short enough before he needed resuscitation from wearing himself out so quickly, as is customary when he gets into an open running environment for longer than 5 minutes. We had a good play day minus the little scare.
Two weekends ago it was pretty decent weather outside so Kristen and I decided to take Jake to the dog park to get in some cardio.... for Jake, not us (or so we thought). It was a little overcast and drizzled a little when we got there, but the landscape is made primarily of pea gravel, so we weren't too worried about. In all, it was a pretty good morning to take a stroll and let the pup stretch his legs.
When we arrived, Jake performed his usual rituals of crying when we pulled up, getting antsy as I get out of the car to let him out, barrel-assing out of the door once I open it with his leash attached securely to my hand at one end and his face at the other, and then finally all culminating at the front gate to the dog park with his tail wagging profusely with anxiety and excitement building up to unsafe levels.
We let him in and he was off. Luckily, before you get in they have a sort of "doggy vestibule" which is basically a lock "room" where you through the first outer gate into this chamber, lock the gate behind you, then open the second gate to allow your pet access to the grounds - a veritable Doggy Oz. So he goes in and does his usual sniffing around - he likes to do some investigative reconnaissance before playing to his full potential. When we arrived there was already a family in there letting two of their dogs play. I don't remember what breed their youngest was, but their older dog was a golden retriever - a typically friendly breed. This older dog immediately approached Jake when he walked in to sniff, and Jake greeted him by lifting his leg and pissing on the fence along the perimeter, giving no regard to whether or not his urine stream was being interrupted by this dog's snout. The owner's of this dog realize this and tell their dog to get away - he complies, although it's quite obvious that he is the alpha in that household.
Just a minute or so later Jake and I are playing fetch - which consists of me throwing the tennis ball, him running after it, then not retrieving it.... well maybe retrieving, but definitely not dropping it. So while we're in the middle of our "game", this dog all of a sudden runs up to Jake and starts sniffing him, which Jake meets with an unfriendly snarl... an uncommon reaction from Jake. It's not until the golden puts his paw and snout on the back of Jake's neck that the real concern arises - when Jake gnashes at the dog (not making contact or connecting with a bite, but scary nonetheless), also an uncommon reaction... unless he is really pissed off. This all happens after of course the first episode regarding Jake's urination, then a few more unwanted, unwarranted encounters from the golden - so Jake was somewhat justified, although we frown upon such behavior.
It's at this point that I yell, "Hey" and go grab Jake by the collar and drag him out of the dog park into the lock chamber and out completely. Lately Jake has been excellent at following commands and has been extremely loyal to my voice, especially when elevated in volume *knocks on wood*. So he calmed down immediately and did not put up a fight with me while being removed from the situation and ultimately the play area. The other dog's owners were equally reactive after their dog jumped on Jake and gnashed back, so they grabbed him and pulled towards the opposite direction. They were very apologetic and insisted that we take over the park with Jake since they had already been there and he obviously barely had any time to play. We politely refused and took Jake for a walk around the main city park in which the dog park area is located. We noticed that they had left anyway so we went ahead and went in when we came back around.
Jake got a good amount of uninhibited, unabashed playtime in and we got him to run around just long enough before the heavy rains started to fall and just short enough before he needed resuscitation from wearing himself out so quickly, as is customary when he gets into an open running environment for longer than 5 minutes. We had a good play day minus the little scare.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
New Number
Wish I had something better to write about, but things have been caarrraaazzzyyy lately. Not the least of which has been me changing my phone number. When I started my business in Chicago I got a cell phone with a local number to use as a business contact so people wouldn't think I was shady with an out-of-town number. So I have had that number for a year, along with the old 314 number we have all grown to love and some of us even have memorized. Those days are done, I am shutting down the 314 number effective today (hopefully).
For me, it just makes economic sense to have only one phone that has all the bells and whistles (texting, email, internet, applications). My personal phone served that purpose for the past 3 years with my Blackberry Pearl which I loved (and after 3 years still was able to go over 24 hours without a charge!!). When I started the business I went with the most basic plan, not knowing if success was imminent or if I'd be able to afford a larger plan - so I kept the 314 as a fall-back "just in case". I have recently grown more confident in, if nothing else, being able to pay my bill. Actually, by dropping a line, my overall monthly payments will be cheaper! I was also hanging onto the 314 for nostalgia since I've had that number for 11 years and a lot of my peeps know it by heart. If the business didn't work out and I had to ditch that phone line, I could fall back into the comforts of my 314 line. I guess I can look at this as a vote of confidence for myself and CJ Architects...
I opted for a new smartphone, basically to replace and enhance those luxuries I've come to grow accustom to with the Blackberry. I was teetering between the iPhone or an Android phone and ultimately decided the Android was a better fit for me. I was also able to talk AT&T to give me the phone for new-contract price (I am obviously not a new customer) and to waive all of the upgrade and activation fees, about a 100$ value! The phone is the Samsung Captivate and I have been labeling it as the "iPhone on steroids" just because it has more features than the iPhone and has almost an inch larger touchscreen! Plus you don't have to deal with Apple. I will let everyone know what I think of the new hardware, so far I LOVE IT!! A friend even stated that I was "captivated" by the phone which I thought was rather clever.
So... without further ado, please update my number in your contacts to 773.383.6556. Thanks and hope to talk to you soon!
PS: I have an interesting treatise I wan to write about a fight Jake got into at the dog park. Stay tuned for that, I may post it in a day or two if I find time.
For me, it just makes economic sense to have only one phone that has all the bells and whistles (texting, email, internet, applications). My personal phone served that purpose for the past 3 years with my Blackberry Pearl which I loved (and after 3 years still was able to go over 24 hours without a charge!!). When I started the business I went with the most basic plan, not knowing if success was imminent or if I'd be able to afford a larger plan - so I kept the 314 as a fall-back "just in case". I have recently grown more confident in, if nothing else, being able to pay my bill. Actually, by dropping a line, my overall monthly payments will be cheaper! I was also hanging onto the 314 for nostalgia since I've had that number for 11 years and a lot of my peeps know it by heart. If the business didn't work out and I had to ditch that phone line, I could fall back into the comforts of my 314 line. I guess I can look at this as a vote of confidence for myself and CJ Architects...
I opted for a new smartphone, basically to replace and enhance those luxuries I've come to grow accustom to with the Blackberry. I was teetering between the iPhone or an Android phone and ultimately decided the Android was a better fit for me. I was also able to talk AT&T to give me the phone for new-contract price (I am obviously not a new customer) and to waive all of the upgrade and activation fees, about a 100$ value! The phone is the Samsung Captivate and I have been labeling it as the "iPhone on steroids" just because it has more features than the iPhone and has almost an inch larger touchscreen! Plus you don't have to deal with Apple. I will let everyone know what I think of the new hardware, so far I LOVE IT!! A friend even stated that I was "captivated" by the phone which I thought was rather clever.
So... without further ado, please update my number in your contacts to 773.383.6556. Thanks and hope to talk to you soon!
PS: I have an interesting treatise I wan to write about a fight Jake got into at the dog park. Stay tuned for that, I may post it in a day or two if I find time.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Fourth
So this is a little late, but I wanted to tell the story of my Independence Day weekend. We had some houseguests coming in for a long weekend, so Wednesday was full of preparations for their arrival. The guests were family: my sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and niece... we all shared the apartment that weekend. They arrived just a shade past midnight and after getting all the luggage inside, we were promptly off to our respective beds - me in my usual sleeping spot, and they scattered about the couches and air mattress.
Thursday:
After a not-so-quick stop at Dunkin Donuts, we headed off to Six Flags Great America, for a day of thrilling rides! The first ride was a carousel, the second was bumper cars. This was not a very thrilling start, by my niece and nephew are 3 and 6, respectively, so this was a great start in their sparkly little eyes! The real adventure started with some spinny rides followed by some roller coasters. If you've ever been to a themed amusement park, you know that these are really the only two types of rides that exist, or matter to the thrill-seeker. Steve even convinced me to ride the log flume, which I was trying to be adamant about not doing... I hate wet rides. I did it and got soaked, but the look on Jackie's face when I saw her picture they took on the drop-off was absolutely worth walking around in wet socks for an hour or so. I could tell we were wearing out the pack because as the sun started to set on our day, Nathan and I were the only two riding rides anymore, and in fact, Bella had taken a little power nap while we were all on the wooden roller coaster. Jackie was a trooper though and did ride their version of the Scrambler as the day was winding down. I'm sure I'm leaving out a host of details, but those are the highlights.
After we left, we had dinner at Superdawg for the ultimate Chicago-style hot dog eating experience. It was delicious as always. I think the adults enjoyed it more than the kids, which is a shocker, but it is not your run-of-the-mill hot dog (it IS a SUPER DAWG, after all), so I get it...
Friday:
We got up and ate breakfast, slowly. We had a big day planned of going out to LegoLand and Medieval Times in Schaumburg. First, we picked up an authentic "cornhole" set for Steve, which is just a fun way of saying the lawn game known as "bags". I then treated him to a Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich for lunch at Roma's - probably one of the best beefs in Chicago and only steps from my place! LegoLand was first on the sight-seeing agenda. We headed out to LegoLand Discovery Center and spent a few hours exploring and playing... I couldn't resist jumping in on the playing... in fact, I even won a contest building a knight out of Legos....a contest in which I was the sole participant, but a win is a win. I was so absorbed in my own entertainment that I hardly noticed what my niece and nephew were up to. I got the picture once I looked through the photos.
Medieval Times was next, for a "night of eating and sport the likes of which we'd never forget" (that's a quote from "Cable Guy" starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick). This actually didn't disappoint. The 6-course meal was surprisingly delicious and the show was very cool. I think the kids really got into, so that was fun, but it was almost like going to a sporting event (since they give you a knight in the "tournament" for whom to root) so I had a good time cheering and booing and celebrating when my knight made it to the final battle, only to boo and hiss as he lost to the other guy who was seemingly knocked out but bounced back to dominate my guy, the Green Knight (the sworn enemy of the kingdom, I'll have you know).
This was a good time and mainly ended our night, except for Steve and I who though it would be a good idea to go play night gold with LED-lit balls and glow sticks at a course by my house at 11pm. I was so tired I shot like crap, but it was still a fun and safe way to spend a Friday evening.
Saturday:
The plan was to go down to the Lincoln Park Zoo, but since we didn't get down there at like 8am for parking, which is what you almost have to do, we had no shot at parking 2 vehicles and enjoying any fun in Lincoln park, so we left and went out to Glenview to the Kohl's Children's Museum, after a quick lunch at Potbelly... This place actually turned out to be very fun and educational. I think the kids enjoyed it and I know I had fun. After painting a dog paw-print "tattoo" on Kristen's arm, my nephew wanted his face painted like a tiger, so I did, much to his chagrin. His exact expression after he saw his face in the mirror was, "Aww man!". It was funny. I didn't take it personally considering I was using crayons dipped in water and a face as my media, and I actually thought it looked very convincing.
After this place we had to head home to get ready for our BBQ. Kristen's family came over - Jaime, Dan, Liz, and Andy - for some entertainment provided by the kiddos, and some of the adults when we were forced to play charades! Since it was my house, I was the grill master, which turned out to be quite an undertaking when I put too much meat on the grill at once and exhausted the coals, causing the food to take FOREVER to cook. I think this gave everyone ample time to shoot the breeze, though, so it worked out. After some beers, desserts, and aforementioned entertainment, we wrapped this party up and that was that.
Sunday:
The fam left but the party wasn't over. We met some friends in Wrigleyville after the Cubs' spectacular loss to Cincinnati, and proceeded to carry on until late into the evening. This of course was after hopping around to three different bars. I had a 24oz Corona that was so huge it almost took me two hands to lift the bottle.
Anyway, that weekend was fun, memorable, and exhausting! Can't wait for the next batch of visitors and for the next holiday weekend that affords me some more time away from the office!
Thursday:
After a not-so-quick stop at Dunkin Donuts, we headed off to Six Flags Great America, for a day of thrilling rides! The first ride was a carousel, the second was bumper cars. This was not a very thrilling start, by my niece and nephew are 3 and 6, respectively, so this was a great start in their sparkly little eyes! The real adventure started with some spinny rides followed by some roller coasters. If you've ever been to a themed amusement park, you know that these are really the only two types of rides that exist, or matter to the thrill-seeker. Steve even convinced me to ride the log flume, which I was trying to be adamant about not doing... I hate wet rides. I did it and got soaked, but the look on Jackie's face when I saw her picture they took on the drop-off was absolutely worth walking around in wet socks for an hour or so. I could tell we were wearing out the pack because as the sun started to set on our day, Nathan and I were the only two riding rides anymore, and in fact, Bella had taken a little power nap while we were all on the wooden roller coaster. Jackie was a trooper though and did ride their version of the Scrambler as the day was winding down. I'm sure I'm leaving out a host of details, but those are the highlights.
After we left, we had dinner at Superdawg for the ultimate Chicago-style hot dog eating experience. It was delicious as always. I think the adults enjoyed it more than the kids, which is a shocker, but it is not your run-of-the-mill hot dog (it IS a SUPER DAWG, after all), so I get it...
Friday:
We got up and ate breakfast, slowly. We had a big day planned of going out to LegoLand and Medieval Times in Schaumburg. First, we picked up an authentic "cornhole" set for Steve, which is just a fun way of saying the lawn game known as "bags". I then treated him to a Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich for lunch at Roma's - probably one of the best beefs in Chicago and only steps from my place! LegoLand was first on the sight-seeing agenda. We headed out to LegoLand Discovery Center and spent a few hours exploring and playing... I couldn't resist jumping in on the playing... in fact, I even won a contest building a knight out of Legos....a contest in which I was the sole participant, but a win is a win. I was so absorbed in my own entertainment that I hardly noticed what my niece and nephew were up to. I got the picture once I looked through the photos.
Medieval Times was next, for a "night of eating and sport the likes of which we'd never forget" (that's a quote from "Cable Guy" starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick). This actually didn't disappoint. The 6-course meal was surprisingly delicious and the show was very cool. I think the kids really got into, so that was fun, but it was almost like going to a sporting event (since they give you a knight in the "tournament" for whom to root) so I had a good time cheering and booing and celebrating when my knight made it to the final battle, only to boo and hiss as he lost to the other guy who was seemingly knocked out but bounced back to dominate my guy, the Green Knight (the sworn enemy of the kingdom, I'll have you know).
This was a good time and mainly ended our night, except for Steve and I who though it would be a good idea to go play night gold with LED-lit balls and glow sticks at a course by my house at 11pm. I was so tired I shot like crap, but it was still a fun and safe way to spend a Friday evening.
Saturday:
The plan was to go down to the Lincoln Park Zoo, but since we didn't get down there at like 8am for parking, which is what you almost have to do, we had no shot at parking 2 vehicles and enjoying any fun in Lincoln park, so we left and went out to Glenview to the Kohl's Children's Museum, after a quick lunch at Potbelly... This place actually turned out to be very fun and educational. I think the kids enjoyed it and I know I had fun. After painting a dog paw-print "tattoo" on Kristen's arm, my nephew wanted his face painted like a tiger, so I did, much to his chagrin. His exact expression after he saw his face in the mirror was, "Aww man!". It was funny. I didn't take it personally considering I was using crayons dipped in water and a face as my media, and I actually thought it looked very convincing.
After this place we had to head home to get ready for our BBQ. Kristen's family came over - Jaime, Dan, Liz, and Andy - for some entertainment provided by the kiddos, and some of the adults when we were forced to play charades! Since it was my house, I was the grill master, which turned out to be quite an undertaking when I put too much meat on the grill at once and exhausted the coals, causing the food to take FOREVER to cook. I think this gave everyone ample time to shoot the breeze, though, so it worked out. After some beers, desserts, and aforementioned entertainment, we wrapped this party up and that was that.
Sunday:
The fam left but the party wasn't over. We met some friends in Wrigleyville after the Cubs' spectacular loss to Cincinnati, and proceeded to carry on until late into the evening. This of course was after hopping around to three different bars. I had a 24oz Corona that was so huge it almost took me two hands to lift the bottle.
Anyway, that weekend was fun, memorable, and exhausting! Can't wait for the next batch of visitors and for the next holiday weekend that affords me some more time away from the office!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Pace to Race
Last weekend was a pretty eventful trip to the land of St. Lou. I got into town around 6pm and made my way to the softball field to play a game with a friend who had caught up with me the day before to see if I was available to substitute. My plans were pretty loose, so I stole off for an hour or so and chipped in at Center Field. I love playing the game, so it didn't bother me that I wasn't able to bring their team a win. Later I caught up with an old friend to quietly watch the hockey game, while at the same time eating Imo's pizza and checking out his new pad.
Saturday was just a day for me to hang out with family. Since I was in town to do a race on Sunday - more on that later - I wanted to get in a pre-race mountain bike ride in the morning. It was a great 6-mile ride and I felt ready after that, so I went to visit some family who lives near the trail I went riding on. After that I took a dip in my mom's pool to cool off and then finally got cleaned up. I went to my nephew's school picnic just in time to dunk my brother-in-law who volunteered to sit in the tank. That was pretty good and he got soaked, but kept a good sport about it and did a little trash-talking along the way. Kissed the niece and nephew good bye, enjoyed a few adult beverages, ate Whitey's, and then I needed some shut eye for the impending race.
Sunday morning I crawled out of bed, walked Jake, got dressed, and prepared mentally and physically for my big race. Coined "Conquer Castlewood", it is what's called a Team Adventure Race and held at Castlewood State park in Ballwin, MO. It consists of three legs - a 1 mile canoe, a 6+ mile bike ride, and a 3+ mile run. Obviously you do the canoe as a team with your partner and then the other two legs are individual events, but your overall combined time is taken and that's how you're placed at the end.
As we did last year, I entered the race with my friend and riding partner Steve who is also my friend Justin's dad. At 50+ years he is still a great outdoor athlete and finished strong this year, after putting up a DNF last year due to a rolled ankle in the third event. I personally had a slower race than I would have liked, but was actually able to shave about 7 minutes off my total time from last year. I considered that a win and a fine accomplishment. We finished combined in the bottom third of the rankings, but just finishing felt pretty darn good. There was some serious athletic competition out there!
I knew I was going to have my hands full after getting winded from the canoe leg. The mountain biking leg was really the icing on the cake because some of the vertical hills are just so rough terrain and such a steep incline that I got gassed about half way up and had to break for a solid minute and a half to walk my bike over some loose rocks and stumps and catch my breath, all while trying to avoid vomiting as I was taking large sucks of thick moist air. I finally got my second wind and got back on pace on the back half of the bike ride. Onto the run I still felt good. I made the run through the flat woodlands pretty steadily, then again hit the monster hills up the mountain where I was forced to choose between walking or passing out - I chose the former. I felt like I made up some of this time on the way back down because the gravity helped me really haul ass and keep my feet moving rapidly under and in front of me. That was it, I crossed the finish line at about 1hour 37minutes and met up with Steve who had finished about 8 minutes before (he built a good lead on the biking portion).
All in all I had a great time at the race. I am bound and determined to shave even more time off next year and turn in a more competitive time. The whole weekend was actually a success. I got in some good working out and had a good time catching up with family and a few friends, albeit brief and spontaneous. Next time I come in hopefully I can have a little more time without commitment to see a few more people I haven't seen in a while and have another all-out good time!
Saturday was just a day for me to hang out with family. Since I was in town to do a race on Sunday - more on that later - I wanted to get in a pre-race mountain bike ride in the morning. It was a great 6-mile ride and I felt ready after that, so I went to visit some family who lives near the trail I went riding on. After that I took a dip in my mom's pool to cool off and then finally got cleaned up. I went to my nephew's school picnic just in time to dunk my brother-in-law who volunteered to sit in the tank. That was pretty good and he got soaked, but kept a good sport about it and did a little trash-talking along the way. Kissed the niece and nephew good bye, enjoyed a few adult beverages, ate Whitey's, and then I needed some shut eye for the impending race.
Sunday morning I crawled out of bed, walked Jake, got dressed, and prepared mentally and physically for my big race. Coined "Conquer Castlewood", it is what's called a Team Adventure Race and held at Castlewood State park in Ballwin, MO. It consists of three legs - a 1 mile canoe, a 6+ mile bike ride, and a 3+ mile run. Obviously you do the canoe as a team with your partner and then the other two legs are individual events, but your overall combined time is taken and that's how you're placed at the end.
As we did last year, I entered the race with my friend and riding partner Steve who is also my friend Justin's dad. At 50+ years he is still a great outdoor athlete and finished strong this year, after putting up a DNF last year due to a rolled ankle in the third event. I personally had a slower race than I would have liked, but was actually able to shave about 7 minutes off my total time from last year. I considered that a win and a fine accomplishment. We finished combined in the bottom third of the rankings, but just finishing felt pretty darn good. There was some serious athletic competition out there!
I knew I was going to have my hands full after getting winded from the canoe leg. The mountain biking leg was really the icing on the cake because some of the vertical hills are just so rough terrain and such a steep incline that I got gassed about half way up and had to break for a solid minute and a half to walk my bike over some loose rocks and stumps and catch my breath, all while trying to avoid vomiting as I was taking large sucks of thick moist air. I finally got my second wind and got back on pace on the back half of the bike ride. Onto the run I still felt good. I made the run through the flat woodlands pretty steadily, then again hit the monster hills up the mountain where I was forced to choose between walking or passing out - I chose the former. I felt like I made up some of this time on the way back down because the gravity helped me really haul ass and keep my feet moving rapidly under and in front of me. That was it, I crossed the finish line at about 1hour 37minutes and met up with Steve who had finished about 8 minutes before (he built a good lead on the biking portion).
All in all I had a great time at the race. I am bound and determined to shave even more time off next year and turn in a more competitive time. The whole weekend was actually a success. I got in some good working out and had a good time catching up with family and a few friends, albeit brief and spontaneous. Next time I come in hopefully I can have a little more time without commitment to see a few more people I haven't seen in a while and have another all-out good time!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
No No-No
Well, it's been awhile since I posted and some of you have been asking for a post, so I figure today is as good of a day as any with the topics I have at my disposable.
I wanted to talk about the Tigers/Indians baseball game last night and the perfect game by Armando Galarraga. Wow! Another perfect game this month! That never happens and it's very exciting to see. Of course none of us technically saw it because Jim Joyce (I suppose trying to play spoiler and be a jackass) called Donald safe at first on an an infield hit to first base. Let's deconstruct these proceedings for a moment.
First, the guy has not only a no-hitter going, but a perfect game to boot. If you're unfamiliar with the difference A) you're not a baseball fan, and B) the difference is that in a perfect game the pitcher faces the minimum of 27 batters, whereas in a no-hitter the pitcher can walk or hit a batter, or an error in the field can occur putting runners on base, but if an actual hit is not recorded, it's still a "no-hitter". Furthermore, it's possible to throw a no-hitter and still lose a game. Having explained all that, my point is that when a guy is pitching a perfect game you give him the call on a bang/bang play. Don't make me explain a bang/bang play or I may injure myself. Last night's play was close, but I'm not even sure I would consider it bang/bang. Okay, bang/bang means it's too close to call. Obviously it's easy to say that when we all see the tape later and the play is slowed down (the umpire admitted his mistake after seeing said slowed-down tape); HOWEVER, I was actually watching it unfold LIVE and I thought he was out - I would have made the correct call and about a million people would have agreed with me, including the 40,000+ in CoMerica Park who were going crazy and the Indians players on the bench... bringing me to my next point...
It's a hometown crowd, hometown pitcher, hometown official scorekeeper. Why wasn't that just scored an error so that at least he could get the next batter out and we could have yet another no-hitter this year. No-hitters are not easy to come by and less so are perfect games. Granted we have been spoiled this year, but to spoil one that was earned is a travesty, so I just think if I was scoring, screw the batter's average, screw Galarraga's or Cabrera's fielding percentage - here is your chance to make it right. The only reason I'm suggesting this is because I assume if Joyce didn't think the play was bang/bang which it probably wasn't, then he must have thought Galarraga missed the bag, maybe because of an errant throw - that's an error if I'm scoring. And really, who hits an infield single to first base in the big leagues??? What is this, beer league softball? I couldn't hit an infield single to 1B in my softball league to save my life (without an error) - I just don't have the leg to run it out and I'm pretty damn fast - and my base paths are 60ft, theirs are 90!!!
Now to my comment about Jim Joyce being a jackass and playing spoiler - I can justify that. In the moments following the blown call (which by the way would have been the 3rd out in the ninth inning, ending the game) Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera was jawing back-and-forth with the umpire while Galarraga was collecting his final out. In one camera close-up of Joyce's face, I saw his lips motion the words, "what, you expect me just to give it to him?" No, jackass, just do your job and make the right call. I saw it, 40,000 saw it, you get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to see it - so see it. A comment like that just makes me think you consider Galarraga's effort to cover 1st base unmerited because you think he must not have "earned" it and you would have to "give it to him" for it to be so... wow, that sucks.
Finally... Selig. Allan Bud Selig. He is the commissioner of baseball and he has the power to overturn the call and put the perfect game down in the annuls of history. Remember, it was a 3-0 ballgame, so we're not talking about affecting standings, just the fact that the kid gets his perfect game. The only stats to be changed would be Donald's batting average (I'm sure he wouldn't mind - I mean did you see the kid grab his helmet in disbelief after being called safe? Even HE kinda wanted to or expected to be OUT) and Galarraga's W+H/IP which no one cares about anyway and would actually go DOWN, so you wouldn't hear much arguing there either.
I am all for the human element and all of that, but the bottom line is the guy blew the call. That said, it's over and the Tigers still got the win. We've all made mistakes at our jobs and Jim Joyce, malicious or not, made a big one. Maybe he should get suspended or fined, but that's where I draw the line. I am not one of those guys that encourages writing emails threatening someone's life (see: Don Deckinger, 1985 World Series). Let's not go down that road, America, and I think so far the city of Detroit has been quite gracious in "defeat".
Now... will this call get reversed? Will this play change the future of instant replay and its impact on baseball forever? Who's to say? The only man that knows is Bud Selig and we know about his track record of doing the right thing...
I wanted to talk about the Tigers/Indians baseball game last night and the perfect game by Armando Galarraga. Wow! Another perfect game this month! That never happens and it's very exciting to see. Of course none of us technically saw it because Jim Joyce (I suppose trying to play spoiler and be a jackass) called Donald safe at first on an an infield hit to first base. Let's deconstruct these proceedings for a moment.
First, the guy has not only a no-hitter going, but a perfect game to boot. If you're unfamiliar with the difference A) you're not a baseball fan, and B) the difference is that in a perfect game the pitcher faces the minimum of 27 batters, whereas in a no-hitter the pitcher can walk or hit a batter, or an error in the field can occur putting runners on base, but if an actual hit is not recorded, it's still a "no-hitter". Furthermore, it's possible to throw a no-hitter and still lose a game. Having explained all that, my point is that when a guy is pitching a perfect game you give him the call on a bang/bang play. Don't make me explain a bang/bang play or I may injure myself. Last night's play was close, but I'm not even sure I would consider it bang/bang. Okay, bang/bang means it's too close to call. Obviously it's easy to say that when we all see the tape later and the play is slowed down (the umpire admitted his mistake after seeing said slowed-down tape); HOWEVER, I was actually watching it unfold LIVE and I thought he was out - I would have made the correct call and about a million people would have agreed with me, including the 40,000+ in CoMerica Park who were going crazy and the Indians players on the bench... bringing me to my next point...
It's a hometown crowd, hometown pitcher, hometown official scorekeeper. Why wasn't that just scored an error so that at least he could get the next batter out and we could have yet another no-hitter this year. No-hitters are not easy to come by and less so are perfect games. Granted we have been spoiled this year, but to spoil one that was earned is a travesty, so I just think if I was scoring, screw the batter's average, screw Galarraga's or Cabrera's fielding percentage - here is your chance to make it right. The only reason I'm suggesting this is because I assume if Joyce didn't think the play was bang/bang which it probably wasn't, then he must have thought Galarraga missed the bag, maybe because of an errant throw - that's an error if I'm scoring. And really, who hits an infield single to first base in the big leagues??? What is this, beer league softball? I couldn't hit an infield single to 1B in my softball league to save my life (without an error) - I just don't have the leg to run it out and I'm pretty damn fast - and my base paths are 60ft, theirs are 90!!!
Now to my comment about Jim Joyce being a jackass and playing spoiler - I can justify that. In the moments following the blown call (which by the way would have been the 3rd out in the ninth inning, ending the game) Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera was jawing back-and-forth with the umpire while Galarraga was collecting his final out. In one camera close-up of Joyce's face, I saw his lips motion the words, "what, you expect me just to give it to him?" No, jackass, just do your job and make the right call. I saw it, 40,000 saw it, you get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to see it - so see it. A comment like that just makes me think you consider Galarraga's effort to cover 1st base unmerited because you think he must not have "earned" it and you would have to "give it to him" for it to be so... wow, that sucks.
Finally... Selig. Allan Bud Selig. He is the commissioner of baseball and he has the power to overturn the call and put the perfect game down in the annuls of history. Remember, it was a 3-0 ballgame, so we're not talking about affecting standings, just the fact that the kid gets his perfect game. The only stats to be changed would be Donald's batting average (I'm sure he wouldn't mind - I mean did you see the kid grab his helmet in disbelief after being called safe? Even HE kinda wanted to or expected to be OUT) and Galarraga's W+H/IP which no one cares about anyway and would actually go DOWN, so you wouldn't hear much arguing there either.
I am all for the human element and all of that, but the bottom line is the guy blew the call. That said, it's over and the Tigers still got the win. We've all made mistakes at our jobs and Jim Joyce, malicious or not, made a big one. Maybe he should get suspended or fined, but that's where I draw the line. I am not one of those guys that encourages writing emails threatening someone's life (see: Don Deckinger, 1985 World Series). Let's not go down that road, America, and I think so far the city of Detroit has been quite gracious in "defeat".
Now... will this call get reversed? Will this play change the future of instant replay and its impact on baseball forever? Who's to say? The only man that knows is Bud Selig and we know about his track record of doing the right thing...
Friday, April 23, 2010
The Big 3 + 0
My wife's 30th birthday is today... which makes her exactly 10 times older than our niece, Isabella. If you hadn't heard, they share a birthday, 27 years apart. This is the one and only day in history that Kristen will be exactly 10 times older than Bella... pretty cool!
My baby Bella is 3 which is a great age! She is so impressionable, yet she is learning so much on her own. She is already so smart and way more advanced than other kids her age. I am very proud of her and love her very much. She is this little fire-engine red-head with round cheeks and the cutest little expressions... If she smiles at you with her little chicklets - forget about it! Her big girl birthday party is Strawberry Shortcake themed this year. On a side note, I must say that I admire Strawberry Shortcake's tenacity as an icon for little girls for so many years - you have officially made it if kids are playing with you today whose parents were playing with you 25 years ago, which my sister Jackie was. Anyway, back to Bella Marie and her big girl birthday... It should be as big a blast as the first two, if not moreso since she has such a big personality in her little body. Kristen and I unfortunately won't be able to be there this year. With us living away now after Kristen spending so many birthdays away from home and this being Kristen's big 3-0, we just need to let her enjoy one with her family for a change. Plus we always had planned to visit the following weekend because Kristen thought she was having a big birthday party of her own this weekend.
So let's talk about that for a minute. We planned this party for last weekend, which was a huge success... Kristen was surprised and there were a lot of people there from all different aspects of Kristen's life! We kept telling her it would be the following weekend (her actual birthday weekend), so she was very unsuspecting the whole time. It wasn't very easy though because we told her we wanted to keep everything secret from her so it would be more fun for her... you know since we "weren't" trying to surprise her... heh heh. Well as you can imagine she got very nosy about things and was starting to get frustrated when people asked her what she was doing and she thought we weren't telling anyone where the party was! It was comical but weighed on the nerves of me and Jaime, her sister who helped me plan the big bash!
So we got to the bar and the "surprise" was somewhat anti-climactic because the bar was packed and we didn't technically have our own space reserved, so the noise level and the scattered-ness of our guests made it tough for one of those big hooplas you see in the movies.... she was still surprised though, so it was all good. Personally, it was good to see all of the people that showed up as some of them we hadn't seen in a while... even my own sister made it up from StL, so that was cool too, a gesture that Kristen appreciated very much having been in the same shoes (figuratively). We had appetizers, cakes, and plenty of drinks! I had a blast and I know Kristen did too... that sort of thing can be a little overwhelming since everyone is there for you, so you have to make sure you go around and talk to everyone personally, kind of like a wedding... but she always had a drink in her hand and a smile on her face - especially when she got her diamond earrings she's been asking about for a few years!
Happy birthday to two of my favorite ladies. I love you guys and hope you both have a wonderful birthday that starts with the number 3!!
My baby Bella is 3 which is a great age! She is so impressionable, yet she is learning so much on her own. She is already so smart and way more advanced than other kids her age. I am very proud of her and love her very much. She is this little fire-engine red-head with round cheeks and the cutest little expressions... If she smiles at you with her little chicklets - forget about it! Her big girl birthday party is Strawberry Shortcake themed this year. On a side note, I must say that I admire Strawberry Shortcake's tenacity as an icon for little girls for so many years - you have officially made it if kids are playing with you today whose parents were playing with you 25 years ago, which my sister Jackie was. Anyway, back to Bella Marie and her big girl birthday... It should be as big a blast as the first two, if not moreso since she has such a big personality in her little body. Kristen and I unfortunately won't be able to be there this year. With us living away now after Kristen spending so many birthdays away from home and this being Kristen's big 3-0, we just need to let her enjoy one with her family for a change. Plus we always had planned to visit the following weekend because Kristen thought she was having a big birthday party of her own this weekend.
So let's talk about that for a minute. We planned this party for last weekend, which was a huge success... Kristen was surprised and there were a lot of people there from all different aspects of Kristen's life! We kept telling her it would be the following weekend (her actual birthday weekend), so she was very unsuspecting the whole time. It wasn't very easy though because we told her we wanted to keep everything secret from her so it would be more fun for her... you know since we "weren't" trying to surprise her... heh heh. Well as you can imagine she got very nosy about things and was starting to get frustrated when people asked her what she was doing and she thought we weren't telling anyone where the party was! It was comical but weighed on the nerves of me and Jaime, her sister who helped me plan the big bash!
So we got to the bar and the "surprise" was somewhat anti-climactic because the bar was packed and we didn't technically have our own space reserved, so the noise level and the scattered-ness of our guests made it tough for one of those big hooplas you see in the movies.... she was still surprised though, so it was all good. Personally, it was good to see all of the people that showed up as some of them we hadn't seen in a while... even my own sister made it up from StL, so that was cool too, a gesture that Kristen appreciated very much having been in the same shoes (figuratively). We had appetizers, cakes, and plenty of drinks! I had a blast and I know Kristen did too... that sort of thing can be a little overwhelming since everyone is there for you, so you have to make sure you go around and talk to everyone personally, kind of like a wedding... but she always had a drink in her hand and a smile on her face - especially when she got her diamond earrings she's been asking about for a few years!
Happy birthday to two of my favorite ladies. I love you guys and hope you both have a wonderful birthday that starts with the number 3!!
Friday, April 16, 2010
"Bone"head Athletes
This whole epidemic of larger-than-life athletes didn't start with Tiger Woods and Ben Roethlisberger - but they're stories are topical, so I will discuss them specifically.
First, you have Tiger who by all accounts prior to Thanksgiving-ish '09 seemed to be a good, wholesome, family-values man who just so happened to have an incredible talent of perfectly striking a golf ball. Then he rams his Escalade or Buick or whatever SUV into a tree and takes a few swipes of a golf club (ironically) from his hot Swedish wife. This unravels a whole myriad of surfacing of these bimbos who all claim to have slept with or even have torrid love affairs with the pro athlete and bizillionaire. He later said he had a (false) sense of entitlement. Wrong. No matter how rich, famous, or athletic you are, you are not entitled to go around banging skanks while your wife and kid are at home alone... its pathetic and inexcusable. You need to be conscientious of your actions when you allow yourself to be put in the spotlight... you have to know that with the fame and bank account comes responsibility and accountability - and you may not always get to live your life out exactly how you'd like to or you think you should. For all intents and purposes, you are a role model and must live that way or be happy being scrutinized.
But at least Tiger is good looking.... which brings me to Big Ben. I guess I cannot blame him for wanting to nail any horny chick that comes onto him - he is rich and famous, he is single, and he looks like a troll. However, when you have all that money, you need to watch your back and realize there is a lot of greed in the world and there's not a lot people won't do for a quick, easy buck - including throwing one to Ben Roethlisberger in a nightclub bathroom just so you can later claim he raped you, and try to get some scratch out of the deal. Rather shameless act, but any whore that would bang Ben probably has to be pretty shameless anyway - sorry, Ben, you ARE a hell of a quarterback! So this just comes down to a situation of not being careful enough. Granted, I don't know what happened in that bathroom, I don't know how or why they both got in there together, but I don't care - its not the point. The big picture is that this is the second time this sort of thing has happened to this guy in as many years - that's sloppy and now there will be consequences. He won't get charged with a crime, but his bosses (you know? at his job with the Steelers and the NFL) will make him be accountable for his irresponsibility - justice served. That will take a small bite out of his paycheck and hopefully serve as a wakeup call.
If you want to paint the perfect picture of an uber-talented athlete who exhibits strong morals and actually tries to keep his nose clean... look no further than Albert Pujols. I will jock this guy because 1)it's baseball season and 2)I have a huge man-crush on the guy. That said, he understands how famous he is and more importantly how rich he is. As far as we know, he knows when to keep his dick in his pants and he proves it. It has been reported that he has gone so far as to say that he won't so much as get on the same elevator alone with a woman for fear she will cry wolf and try to get after some of his millions. And even further, he is just a standup guy. He is loyal to his wife whom he was with prior to becoming rich and famous and he is a dad to a few young kids, one with downs syndrome - a cause for which he dedicates and donates time and energy. Awesome dude. Now, in the next off-season he is sure to get a lot richer (not sure he can get any more famous), so the trials of temptation will truly be tested during the life of his next contract, but I am confident we will see the same level-headed guy and ball player to which we've become accustomed. And there is always that PED speculation...
First, you have Tiger who by all accounts prior to Thanksgiving-ish '09 seemed to be a good, wholesome, family-values man who just so happened to have an incredible talent of perfectly striking a golf ball. Then he rams his Escalade or Buick or whatever SUV into a tree and takes a few swipes of a golf club (ironically) from his hot Swedish wife. This unravels a whole myriad of surfacing of these bimbos who all claim to have slept with or even have torrid love affairs with the pro athlete and bizillionaire. He later said he had a (false) sense of entitlement. Wrong. No matter how rich, famous, or athletic you are, you are not entitled to go around banging skanks while your wife and kid are at home alone... its pathetic and inexcusable. You need to be conscientious of your actions when you allow yourself to be put in the spotlight... you have to know that with the fame and bank account comes responsibility and accountability - and you may not always get to live your life out exactly how you'd like to or you think you should. For all intents and purposes, you are a role model and must live that way or be happy being scrutinized.
But at least Tiger is good looking.... which brings me to Big Ben. I guess I cannot blame him for wanting to nail any horny chick that comes onto him - he is rich and famous, he is single, and he looks like a troll. However, when you have all that money, you need to watch your back and realize there is a lot of greed in the world and there's not a lot people won't do for a quick, easy buck - including throwing one to Ben Roethlisberger in a nightclub bathroom just so you can later claim he raped you, and try to get some scratch out of the deal. Rather shameless act, but any whore that would bang Ben probably has to be pretty shameless anyway - sorry, Ben, you ARE a hell of a quarterback! So this just comes down to a situation of not being careful enough. Granted, I don't know what happened in that bathroom, I don't know how or why they both got in there together, but I don't care - its not the point. The big picture is that this is the second time this sort of thing has happened to this guy in as many years - that's sloppy and now there will be consequences. He won't get charged with a crime, but his bosses (you know? at his job with the Steelers and the NFL) will make him be accountable for his irresponsibility - justice served. That will take a small bite out of his paycheck and hopefully serve as a wakeup call.
If you want to paint the perfect picture of an uber-talented athlete who exhibits strong morals and actually tries to keep his nose clean... look no further than Albert Pujols. I will jock this guy because 1)it's baseball season and 2)I have a huge man-crush on the guy. That said, he understands how famous he is and more importantly how rich he is. As far as we know, he knows when to keep his dick in his pants and he proves it. It has been reported that he has gone so far as to say that he won't so much as get on the same elevator alone with a woman for fear she will cry wolf and try to get after some of his millions. And even further, he is just a standup guy. He is loyal to his wife whom he was with prior to becoming rich and famous and he is a dad to a few young kids, one with downs syndrome - a cause for which he dedicates and donates time and energy. Awesome dude. Now, in the next off-season he is sure to get a lot richer (not sure he can get any more famous), so the trials of temptation will truly be tested during the life of his next contract, but I am confident we will see the same level-headed guy and ball player to which we've become accustomed. And there is always that PED speculation...
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Work Voice
I used to catch a lot of shit from my buddies who would call me during work hours and notice that I was not my boisterous self. I would have what became coined as the "work voice". This of course was when I worked in offices that had other people working in them, so I don't exhibit so much of a work voice nowadays. Nevertheless, it was always a funny adventure and often became a talking point either before the start of the actual conversation or at other random times.
I recently noticed that I am not the only person who uses this technique to retain privacy and respect in the workplace. I heard a woman on the radio the other day who was winning something, but she couldn't be loud and obnoxious about her victory because she was at work and either didn't want to be reprimanded for taking a person call during business hours, or she didn't want to disturb her coworkers - methinks the former. I've also noticed that my own mother uses a "work voice" when making personal calls to me while she's at work. Hers is a little more disturbing though because it is reminiscent of a phone sex operator (not that I know what that sounds like), and I don't care for my own mother using that tone with me. I've actually had to tell her to stop and call me back when she can speak at a normal volume because it can be so off-putting. I also noticed that my buddy Justin developed a work voice when he started working in an office. He would call from his office phone, but the conversation was usually about some online game we were playing against each other or fantasy football, so he didn't want his conversation to be overheard, risking punishment from his employer.
So to describe it (if you haven't heard it and haven't caught on by now), the work voice is basically your normal voice, but in a quieter, more subdued volume and tone. Also, the words are sharper, meaning that the syllables don't drag on, and the responses are shorter as in you will only get one or two word answers and won't be much for back-and-forth conversation. I would always take personal cell phone calls during work, without thinking twice about it. I more or less spoke in the work voice just because I took calls so often (I probably took a personal call every other day), and I didn't want to be disruptive to the work environment. Everyone else took personal calls and either did what I did, or excused themselves out the front door so they could converse in their normal voices.... I eventually started doing this as well - it was just easier.
As soon as I became self-employed my work voice pretty much died. Unless I'm in close proximity to a group who I don't need hearing my conversation, I am using my normal voice on the phone. I still take a personal call or two per week, so I am able to speak regularly and I don't have the funny exchange with the person on the other end about how I'm toning down my usual self. I miss the jokes, but the freedom to be me is worth it.
I recently noticed that I am not the only person who uses this technique to retain privacy and respect in the workplace. I heard a woman on the radio the other day who was winning something, but she couldn't be loud and obnoxious about her victory because she was at work and either didn't want to be reprimanded for taking a person call during business hours, or she didn't want to disturb her coworkers - methinks the former. I've also noticed that my own mother uses a "work voice" when making personal calls to me while she's at work. Hers is a little more disturbing though because it is reminiscent of a phone sex operator (not that I know what that sounds like), and I don't care for my own mother using that tone with me. I've actually had to tell her to stop and call me back when she can speak at a normal volume because it can be so off-putting. I also noticed that my buddy Justin developed a work voice when he started working in an office. He would call from his office phone, but the conversation was usually about some online game we were playing against each other or fantasy football, so he didn't want his conversation to be overheard, risking punishment from his employer.
So to describe it (if you haven't heard it and haven't caught on by now), the work voice is basically your normal voice, but in a quieter, more subdued volume and tone. Also, the words are sharper, meaning that the syllables don't drag on, and the responses are shorter as in you will only get one or two word answers and won't be much for back-and-forth conversation. I would always take personal cell phone calls during work, without thinking twice about it. I more or less spoke in the work voice just because I took calls so often (I probably took a personal call every other day), and I didn't want to be disruptive to the work environment. Everyone else took personal calls and either did what I did, or excused themselves out the front door so they could converse in their normal voices.... I eventually started doing this as well - it was just easier.
As soon as I became self-employed my work voice pretty much died. Unless I'm in close proximity to a group who I don't need hearing my conversation, I am using my normal voice on the phone. I still take a personal call or two per week, so I am able to speak regularly and I don't have the funny exchange with the person on the other end about how I'm toning down my usual self. I miss the jokes, but the freedom to be me is worth it.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Snow away
With an early morning shower and mid-60s temperatures yesterday, and the same pattern expected for today it may be safe to say that winter is over, although I hope I'm not speaking too soon. It's not March 21 yet, and the Vernal Equinox has not yet arrived, so its still technically Winter for about ten more days... but Spring is definitely in the air.
The weather we've had over the past week, actually, has caused the very few remnants of snow that were left to slowly disappear. It hasn't snowed here in weeks, but the ground temperatures mixed with lower nighttime temperatures have allowed some very minute patches of snow to stick around up until yesterday - when I noticed my last one on a morning walk with Jake during that downpour I mentioned. It is nice to have it gone though and finally see again what the grass and earth below look like... I had almost forgotten. But this is Chicago and Mother Nature has been known to be a tricky soul, so I would not be surprised if we saw at least one more snowfall in this early part of 2010 (read: twenty-ten), even if it does not stick, per se.
So with that I guess I have survived through my first official Chicago winter (as a resident, obviously, since I've visited in previous years during winter). In all honesty, it was a tiny bit different than what I'm used to, but not really much of a paradigm departure from the StL winters. There was a little more snow more often and the temperatures were from 5 to 10 degrees lower on any given day (actually higher on a rare few days!), but it was somewhat comparable and I handled it - and am confident I can handle it moving forward. I was even able to work a lot throughout the winter, which is quite rare, so I was happy that the moderate amount of snowfall and coldness does not shut people down around here like it does in other parts of the country....
Here's to Spring... which means baseball season! Oh yeah, did I mention?? GO CARDS!!!
The weather we've had over the past week, actually, has caused the very few remnants of snow that were left to slowly disappear. It hasn't snowed here in weeks, but the ground temperatures mixed with lower nighttime temperatures have allowed some very minute patches of snow to stick around up until yesterday - when I noticed my last one on a morning walk with Jake during that downpour I mentioned. It is nice to have it gone though and finally see again what the grass and earth below look like... I had almost forgotten. But this is Chicago and Mother Nature has been known to be a tricky soul, so I would not be surprised if we saw at least one more snowfall in this early part of 2010 (read: twenty-ten), even if it does not stick, per se.
So with that I guess I have survived through my first official Chicago winter (as a resident, obviously, since I've visited in previous years during winter). In all honesty, it was a tiny bit different than what I'm used to, but not really much of a paradigm departure from the StL winters. There was a little more snow more often and the temperatures were from 5 to 10 degrees lower on any given day (actually higher on a rare few days!), but it was somewhat comparable and I handled it - and am confident I can handle it moving forward. I was even able to work a lot throughout the winter, which is quite rare, so I was happy that the moderate amount of snowfall and coldness does not shut people down around here like it does in other parts of the country....
Here's to Spring... which means baseball season! Oh yeah, did I mention?? GO CARDS!!!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Skip's Dog Jake
One of my favorite post topics - Jake - is experiencing his 4th big birthday today.... well, 5th if you count the actual day he was born, but he has only been alive for 4 full years. Anyway, he is such a big dog now and his mom and I are pretty excited... after all, we treat him like he is a human child anyway. Oh well, our prerogative. He will probably get some treat or new toy or something special, because he is spoiled and his mom (who is wired for just this type of motherly instinct) makes sure to gush and fawn over him on his birthday... okay, so do I (and his birthday is just one of 365 other days he is gushed and fawned over!).
So a lot of people like to say that a dog's life is measured against human lives by a factor of seven dog years for every one human (or realtime) year. This logic would make Jake 28, the same age has his dear old dad. There are two reasons I hate this stupid tradition of marking a dog's life in this manner. First, he is a dog - an earthling - not an alien from another planet or universe where their years don't consist of a 360 degree gyration around the sun. He lives his life 24-hours-a-day in and 24-hours-a-day out just like a human or any other living organism on this planet, therefore he should be allowed to live out one year at a time, as opposed to seven.
The other reason I don't like it is quite obvious. This formula is simply a measure of a dog's relatively short life compared to a human's (approximately 7 years shorter, give or take, for all you math whizzes out there). What the hell kind of a system is that?!?! So by comparing a dog's life to ours we have to remember every year that he is equivalent to 7 times older than he was just one year ago, and just that much closer to the end of his life. It's a horrible system and people need to stop using it. When Jake is 10 (which will be a celebratory milestone in our household, rest assured) I don't want someone to tell me, "Oh boy, he is 70! What an old man! Teehee, yuck yuck..." Thanks for reminding me, asshole. NO! I don't want his life to be taken for granted at a rate 7 times faster than my own - that's bullshit. We cherish every single year around here.
So to summarize, Jake is 4 today, not 28, not 50, not 2. Happy 4th birthday, big man... we love you!
So a lot of people like to say that a dog's life is measured against human lives by a factor of seven dog years for every one human (or realtime) year. This logic would make Jake 28, the same age has his dear old dad. There are two reasons I hate this stupid tradition of marking a dog's life in this manner. First, he is a dog - an earthling - not an alien from another planet or universe where their years don't consist of a 360 degree gyration around the sun. He lives his life 24-hours-a-day in and 24-hours-a-day out just like a human or any other living organism on this planet, therefore he should be allowed to live out one year at a time, as opposed to seven.
The other reason I don't like it is quite obvious. This formula is simply a measure of a dog's relatively short life compared to a human's (approximately 7 years shorter, give or take, for all you math whizzes out there). What the hell kind of a system is that?!?! So by comparing a dog's life to ours we have to remember every year that he is equivalent to 7 times older than he was just one year ago, and just that much closer to the end of his life. It's a horrible system and people need to stop using it. When Jake is 10 (which will be a celebratory milestone in our household, rest assured) I don't want someone to tell me, "Oh boy, he is 70! What an old man! Teehee, yuck yuck..." Thanks for reminding me, asshole. NO! I don't want his life to be taken for granted at a rate 7 times faster than my own - that's bullshit. We cherish every single year around here.
So to summarize, Jake is 4 today, not 28, not 50, not 2. Happy 4th birthday, big man... we love you!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Parking Story
I had to take to my blog to tell this story to capture the largest audience at once - because it was too good to pass up.
I live in Chicago and as in most metropolitan regions, parking is hard to come by, especially in dense residential areas. My neighborhood is no exception - in fact, to park on my street it is required that your car windshield display the proper city-issued parking sticker with our zone number emblazoned on it (a rule that is too often broken). Also, some of the other streets around us require a similar parking sticker, but of a different zone. As such, we can't park in their zone, they can't park in ours (again, an oft-broken rule).
Luckily, we live right off of a major thoroughfare called Cicero Avenue. It's a 4-lane road with traffic in both directions and runs the length of the entire City. We have free one-hour (rarely enforced, if ever) parking on Cicero right off our street (we are less than a block in from it). If we can't find a spot in our zone, we can park on Cicero. It should be noted that we also have a few lengths of curb around the other corner on Lamon St that offers permit-free parking and is a closer walk to our front door, so we take advantage of that as much as possible. Getting to the point of the story, sometimes it snows here in Chicago and sometimes it gets pretty deep. Since Cicero Ave is a major snow route (meaning its one of the first to get cleared) there is a sticky little rule that you cannot park on it when the snow is greater than 2" - this is so the plows can effectively clean the street for its intended multi-lane use. You can see where this starts to create a "pile-up" problem - where to go with all the cars! Cicero really takes a lot of the parking pressure off of the residential streets, so when you are not allowed to park there it is that much more difficult on all of our streets - plus people park like jackasses and aren't always bumper-to-bumper, so you lose a few spots to inefficiency as well.
So, it's a well-known trick in Chicago winter legend that when you have to leave your home in your car and the forecast is anticipating snow, that in your car's place when you leave you will place an object to "hold" your spot so you can park there when you return. This custom seems to be popular and well respected. I haven't had the opportunity, but given it I think I would get out and move this object if I saw it in my parking zone, and park in its place anyway. Parking sucks around our place and I don't know how, but Kristen and I have been fortunate enough not to have to resort to putting out a plastic chair to ensure a spot. By the way, the object of choice is a chair - any kind of chair. I have also seen traffic cones with a broom handle sticking out of them so you can see it should the snow get higher than a traffic cone... idiots.
Anyway, so as I mentioned the chair is customary. This morning as I was walking Jake I saw a rather unusual object in a parking space and thought it an effective, yet cumbersome item to hold the spot. Get ready for this... it was a foosball table. HAHA! Someone dragged out a foosball table just to try to get a spot in front of their house! I was blown away by this. What a pain in the ass it must have been to drag that foosball table out of the house, down the front porch steps and into the street (in the snow!), just to save a goddamn parking space!
Additionally, my zone is by far the smallest and hardest to find a spot, and Kristen and I each get one quite often, so I know these people don't have THAT hard of a time finding a spot in their miles of zone curb. Also, we have a few condo buildings on our street whereas most of the other zones are single-family homes - some even with private garages - so less cars to populate the streets. I just found it absurd that one would need to save a space with a gigantic foosball table. And I thought I'd share the story with all of you.
I hope you enjoyed it and mostly I hope it made sense - it's kind of a hard concept to grasp.
I live in Chicago and as in most metropolitan regions, parking is hard to come by, especially in dense residential areas. My neighborhood is no exception - in fact, to park on my street it is required that your car windshield display the proper city-issued parking sticker with our zone number emblazoned on it (a rule that is too often broken). Also, some of the other streets around us require a similar parking sticker, but of a different zone. As such, we can't park in their zone, they can't park in ours (again, an oft-broken rule).
Luckily, we live right off of a major thoroughfare called Cicero Avenue. It's a 4-lane road with traffic in both directions and runs the length of the entire City. We have free one-hour (rarely enforced, if ever) parking on Cicero right off our street (we are less than a block in from it). If we can't find a spot in our zone, we can park on Cicero. It should be noted that we also have a few lengths of curb around the other corner on Lamon St that offers permit-free parking and is a closer walk to our front door, so we take advantage of that as much as possible. Getting to the point of the story, sometimes it snows here in Chicago and sometimes it gets pretty deep. Since Cicero Ave is a major snow route (meaning its one of the first to get cleared) there is a sticky little rule that you cannot park on it when the snow is greater than 2" - this is so the plows can effectively clean the street for its intended multi-lane use. You can see where this starts to create a "pile-up" problem - where to go with all the cars! Cicero really takes a lot of the parking pressure off of the residential streets, so when you are not allowed to park there it is that much more difficult on all of our streets - plus people park like jackasses and aren't always bumper-to-bumper, so you lose a few spots to inefficiency as well.
So, it's a well-known trick in Chicago winter legend that when you have to leave your home in your car and the forecast is anticipating snow, that in your car's place when you leave you will place an object to "hold" your spot so you can park there when you return. This custom seems to be popular and well respected. I haven't had the opportunity, but given it I think I would get out and move this object if I saw it in my parking zone, and park in its place anyway. Parking sucks around our place and I don't know how, but Kristen and I have been fortunate enough not to have to resort to putting out a plastic chair to ensure a spot. By the way, the object of choice is a chair - any kind of chair. I have also seen traffic cones with a broom handle sticking out of them so you can see it should the snow get higher than a traffic cone... idiots.
Anyway, so as I mentioned the chair is customary. This morning as I was walking Jake I saw a rather unusual object in a parking space and thought it an effective, yet cumbersome item to hold the spot. Get ready for this... it was a foosball table. HAHA! Someone dragged out a foosball table just to try to get a spot in front of their house! I was blown away by this. What a pain in the ass it must have been to drag that foosball table out of the house, down the front porch steps and into the street (in the snow!), just to save a goddamn parking space!
Additionally, my zone is by far the smallest and hardest to find a spot, and Kristen and I each get one quite often, so I know these people don't have THAT hard of a time finding a spot in their miles of zone curb. Also, we have a few condo buildings on our street whereas most of the other zones are single-family homes - some even with private garages - so less cars to populate the streets. I just found it absurd that one would need to save a space with a gigantic foosball table. And I thought I'd share the story with all of you.
I hope you enjoyed it and mostly I hope it made sense - it's kind of a hard concept to grasp.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
To Fold or To Crumple
If you are weak in the stomach or have just eaten, you may need to reconsider reading this post.
On the toilet, I am all business. That's why I am a "folder". No way will you ever catch me crumpling... too much can go wrong there. Plus its all about surface area and getting the job done - a task not to be left in the hands (no pun intended) of a few crumpled squares of T.P. I definitely fold, and usually more than once. I'll grab for about three squares minimum (per pass) and get at least two folds in there, providing an adequate barrier between my sensitive palm and....well... you know.
Also, as far as papers go, I am definitely a multi-ply man. A good two or three ply is well worth the splurge. I also prefer to go with a name brand, tried and true. Nothing is worse then the off-brand, schoolhouse quality sandpapers that these big box retailers are trying to push. Sorry, Target, sorry, Wal-Mart - thanks, but no thanks. I'll stick to my Charmin or Angel Soft and sleep comfortably at night knowing that my bum won't get ripped to shreds because not only is the texture of your tissue reminiscent of a nice 30-grit capable of smoothing over my weathered deck, but it also takes far too much waste to meet my requisite ply and folding technique - resulting in a wad that tests the flushing capacity of even the most efficient of "loos".
So that's pretty much all I had about that topic. I'm a folder... If you're a "crumpler", A) may god have mercy on your soul, and B) please be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before shaking mine, or touching anything in general. It only takes a few extra milliseconds to become a diligent folder (its pretty difficult to be a bad folder). So next time you're in there, give it a whack!
On the toilet, I am all business. That's why I am a "folder". No way will you ever catch me crumpling... too much can go wrong there. Plus its all about surface area and getting the job done - a task not to be left in the hands (no pun intended) of a few crumpled squares of T.P. I definitely fold, and usually more than once. I'll grab for about three squares minimum (per pass) and get at least two folds in there, providing an adequate barrier between my sensitive palm and....well... you know.
Also, as far as papers go, I am definitely a multi-ply man. A good two or three ply is well worth the splurge. I also prefer to go with a name brand, tried and true. Nothing is worse then the off-brand, schoolhouse quality sandpapers that these big box retailers are trying to push. Sorry, Target, sorry, Wal-Mart - thanks, but no thanks. I'll stick to my Charmin or Angel Soft and sleep comfortably at night knowing that my bum won't get ripped to shreds because not only is the texture of your tissue reminiscent of a nice 30-grit capable of smoothing over my weathered deck, but it also takes far too much waste to meet my requisite ply and folding technique - resulting in a wad that tests the flushing capacity of even the most efficient of "loos".
So that's pretty much all I had about that topic. I'm a folder... If you're a "crumpler", A) may god have mercy on your soul, and B) please be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before shaking mine, or touching anything in general. It only takes a few extra milliseconds to become a diligent folder (its pretty difficult to be a bad folder). So next time you're in there, give it a whack!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
"Nick" names
The title of this post is no coincidence. I am going to be talking about nicknames because I have had more than a few in my lifetime. What's weird is that before I was born, my parents were leaning toward naming me "Nicholas", or "Nick" for short. So had that plan gone through, I would have had a real Nick name.
Anyway, my name on my birth certificate is obviously Christopher. Since that is a super long, 3-syllable word, its easier to say "Chris", so then it was. On a side note, my name has the most letters out of anyone else's that I know who only has 3 names - Christopher Anthony Jackson = 25... go ahead, try to beat it.
Back on topic.. I have been called 'Chris' probably more rarely than the combination of all my other nicknames. When I was a bright-eyed little fellow, my grandpa used to sing songs and chants with everyone's names in it, but he would either modify the person's name or give them a nickname. In my song, I was Christy... I guess he thought this was cute. I thought I'd grow out of this, but I catch the old man calling me that now and again to this day - but I am fine with it.
Another nickname given by members of my family - this time my uncles - came as a result of an unfortunately short haircut I received as a prepubescent child. If you can't guess, I will tell you that the nickname was "Buzz". It didn't stop there however... my moniker came in a few different derivations: Buzzingham, Buzzard, etc. Eventually my hair grew out along with the fascination for this nickname, but it took awhile.
Throughout elementary school I received many jeering nicknames due in part my relatively smaller stature (and in part to kids being assholes): shrimp, shorty, midget.... you name it. I was not particularly fond of any of these and as the maturity levels rose, the jeering subsided.
Finally, I was labeled nearly 13 years ago with a name most of my friends and even my in-laws use to this day.... in fact, some people ONLY know me as "Skip" without knowing my real name at all - or even ever really asking for that information. The name started off as Skippy which some people still enjoy using, but I am more willing to be called a "Skip" for the rest of my life. Of course this name, too, took on many different derivations and forms ranging from Skip-Dogg to Skippity-Doo-Da-Day... imagine that! These too have long since passed as my Frankie Gs days came to a close and/or as I grew facial hair (I was going to go with pubic hair here, but thought it was off-color and a bit inaccurate). I like Skip and I am afraid I have no choice but to because it is here to stay. My best friends, their parents, my wife, and her family all call me that, so I am fine with it. Long live "Skip"!
Lastly, a more recent group of friends I met while playing softball in my new leagues in Chicago have taken to calling me "Amp". Having only known me for a relatively short time, they were initially unaware of my somewhat hyperactive and upbeat demeanor - and more specifically, playing softball. If you're wondering, they named me after the Mountain Dew energy drink - they found this easier to cheer from the dugouts. We'll see how this one goes...
I believe that I inherited the need to give everyone else some nickname because of my grandfather's aforementioned affinity to do so. What do you call me? What do I call you? I'm genuinely interested in hearing some feedback here...
Anyway, my name on my birth certificate is obviously Christopher. Since that is a super long, 3-syllable word, its easier to say "Chris", so then it was. On a side note, my name has the most letters out of anyone else's that I know who only has 3 names - Christopher Anthony Jackson = 25... go ahead, try to beat it.
Back on topic.. I have been called 'Chris' probably more rarely than the combination of all my other nicknames. When I was a bright-eyed little fellow, my grandpa used to sing songs and chants with everyone's names in it, but he would either modify the person's name or give them a nickname. In my song, I was Christy... I guess he thought this was cute. I thought I'd grow out of this, but I catch the old man calling me that now and again to this day - but I am fine with it.
Another nickname given by members of my family - this time my uncles - came as a result of an unfortunately short haircut I received as a prepubescent child. If you can't guess, I will tell you that the nickname was "Buzz". It didn't stop there however... my moniker came in a few different derivations: Buzzingham, Buzzard, etc. Eventually my hair grew out along with the fascination for this nickname, but it took awhile.
Throughout elementary school I received many jeering nicknames due in part my relatively smaller stature (and in part to kids being assholes): shrimp, shorty, midget.... you name it. I was not particularly fond of any of these and as the maturity levels rose, the jeering subsided.
Finally, I was labeled nearly 13 years ago with a name most of my friends and even my in-laws use to this day.... in fact, some people ONLY know me as "Skip" without knowing my real name at all - or even ever really asking for that information. The name started off as Skippy which some people still enjoy using, but I am more willing to be called a "Skip" for the rest of my life. Of course this name, too, took on many different derivations and forms ranging from Skip-Dogg to Skippity-Doo-Da-Day... imagine that! These too have long since passed as my Frankie Gs days came to a close and/or as I grew facial hair (I was going to go with pubic hair here, but thought it was off-color and a bit inaccurate). I like Skip and I am afraid I have no choice but to because it is here to stay. My best friends, their parents, my wife, and her family all call me that, so I am fine with it. Long live "Skip"!
Lastly, a more recent group of friends I met while playing softball in my new leagues in Chicago have taken to calling me "Amp". Having only known me for a relatively short time, they were initially unaware of my somewhat hyperactive and upbeat demeanor - and more specifically, playing softball. If you're wondering, they named me after the Mountain Dew energy drink - they found this easier to cheer from the dugouts. We'll see how this one goes...
I believe that I inherited the need to give everyone else some nickname because of my grandfather's aforementioned affinity to do so. What do you call me? What do I call you? I'm genuinely interested in hearing some feedback here...
Monday, January 18, 2010
It is funny to think how something so trivial and pedestrian as mail delivery can affect your psyche, but it has for me. When we moved into our apartment here I noticed that the mail delivery happened VERY late in the afternoon, around 5pm. That is super late for me and when I started working from home I quickly realized how annoying that was. In fact, at the onset of the winter and the darker afternoons, the mail wouldn't get here until well after dark some days. Just plain annoying when you are anticipating the arrival of things in your mailbox - most importantly checks!
So a few weeks ago I noticed the mail came a little earlier. I was pretty excited about it and simply chalked it up to dumb lock or a different route for that day or maybe even a mail carrier reluctant to hang around late in the afternoon for the snow we were expected to have. Anyway, this early mail delivery became a pattern, and now it happens around noon everyday. That is what I'm talking about! I love it so much better. I get the mail at a time when I can actually do something about it that day. Whether it be bills, a check, or what have you, I can hit the bank or just get better organized than if it came later.
Like I said, this is something so trivial until it happens to you and you understand the value of having an earlier mail delivery. I did find out that we actually got a new mail carrier on our route. We used to have a small woman and a few times while I was out I saw the same new dude pushing around his little USPS insignia mail cart thingy. This guy is all business. In fact, he is so efficient that he uses a hands free blue tooth in his ear to chat on the phone to his homeys during his mail route in order to help pass the time and stay on task. Whatever you gotta do, bro - I appreciate it!
So that's my story about how mail delivery affects my day-to-day. If you have later-than-usual mail delivery, hang in there!
So a few weeks ago I noticed the mail came a little earlier. I was pretty excited about it and simply chalked it up to dumb lock or a different route for that day or maybe even a mail carrier reluctant to hang around late in the afternoon for the snow we were expected to have. Anyway, this early mail delivery became a pattern, and now it happens around noon everyday. That is what I'm talking about! I love it so much better. I get the mail at a time when I can actually do something about it that day. Whether it be bills, a check, or what have you, I can hit the bank or just get better organized than if it came later.
Like I said, this is something so trivial until it happens to you and you understand the value of having an earlier mail delivery. I did find out that we actually got a new mail carrier on our route. We used to have a small woman and a few times while I was out I saw the same new dude pushing around his little USPS insignia mail cart thingy. This guy is all business. In fact, he is so efficient that he uses a hands free blue tooth in his ear to chat on the phone to his homeys during his mail route in order to help pass the time and stay on task. Whatever you gotta do, bro - I appreciate it!
So that's my story about how mail delivery affects my day-to-day. If you have later-than-usual mail delivery, hang in there!
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