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The Terps lost to #1 UCLA last night on the hardwood. Bummer. This year's team is young and may be painful to watch at times. By "watch," I mean, listen on internet radio. Anyone want to buy me cable for Christmas?
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Running & Christmas
When is it time to dust off the ole' running shoes and hit the trails again? I'd like to start up now, with a nice 3x a week training plan. Logging a few months of 15-mile weeks would be an excellent base; I could then phase into an intense training plan in the spring. Sounds like an excellent "program," (quotes for Justin E.) eh?
Unfortuantely, I'm unable to start training until life settles down a bit and I can afford the time & energy with which to run. Realistically, I'll be able to start around January/February because I'll be able to utilize the locker room at my main office (I'm working offsite now). Training in the winter will allow me to entertain thoughts of running the Flying Pig in May (no Indy Mini for me this year).
My other thought today is on Christmas; my Mom asked me for my list already. I enjoy making Christmas lists because it lets me think of who I want to be and what movies/music/books I want to get into (I'm avoiding the somewhat trite discussion of the commercialization of Christmas here, so blah blah blah). This year, I am putting down a wood router (to continue my transformation into a wood hobbyist), the Godfather part I & II on VHS (because it seems so much better when the picture is a little fuzzy), and the Count of Monte Christo because I hear its a great book.
Unfortuantely, I'm unable to start training until life settles down a bit and I can afford the time & energy with which to run. Realistically, I'll be able to start around January/February because I'll be able to utilize the locker room at my main office (I'm working offsite now). Training in the winter will allow me to entertain thoughts of running the Flying Pig in May (no Indy Mini for me this year).
My other thought today is on Christmas; my Mom asked me for my list already. I enjoy making Christmas lists because it lets me think of who I want to be and what movies/music/books I want to get into (I'm avoiding the somewhat trite discussion of the commercialization of Christmas here, so blah blah blah). This year, I am putting down a wood router (to continue my transformation into a wood hobbyist), the Godfather part I & II on VHS (because it seems so much better when the picture is a little fuzzy), and the Count of Monte Christo because I hear its a great book.
Friday, November 16, 2007
TGIF, baby.
Have you ever tried to eat a fruity candy and try to guess the flavor without seeing the color? Skittles work the best for this little experiment. I found that yellow is the easiest color to taste, and there is little difference between red and purple.
In a related thought, I have about 2 months to go before finishing our Halloween candy.
OSU-Michigan this weekend. There is no greater rivalry. It was fun moving to Maryland a few years ago and telling people what it was like growing up in the college football fandom battleground of NW Ohio. I've followed the sport since I was a little tyke; lately, however, I have been finding it harder and harder to put my rooting interest into 19- and 20-year-olds. I think it is because I am out of school now, and can probably relate to professionals (when thinking of sports as a career) than amateurs. That, and following college sports is emotionally maddening when the players are still realizing their potential.
Last item for the day: Joe Nuxhall passed away. I did not know who he was before I moved to Cincy, but his story is so interesting:
Nuxhall grew up in nearby Hamilton, Ohio, and was still too young to shave when the Reds were looking for wartime replacement players. They came to see his father, Orville, who pitched in a Sunday league in Hamilton.
"My dad could throw hard," Nuxhall said. "They were really scouting him. Almost by accident, they found me."
Nuxhall was big for his age -- 6-foot-3, around 190 pounds -- and could throw 85 mph. The Reds offered a contract, and Nuxhall's parents let him join the team when junior high classes let out in 1944.
"Probably two weeks prior to that, I was pitching against seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders, kids 13 and 14 years old," he said. "All of a sudden, I look up and there's Stan Musial and the likes. It was a very scary situation."
A 15-year-old taking on Stan Musial? Awesome.
In a related thought, I have about 2 months to go before finishing our Halloween candy.
OSU-Michigan this weekend. There is no greater rivalry. It was fun moving to Maryland a few years ago and telling people what it was like growing up in the college football fandom battleground of NW Ohio. I've followed the sport since I was a little tyke; lately, however, I have been finding it harder and harder to put my rooting interest into 19- and 20-year-olds. I think it is because I am out of school now, and can probably relate to professionals (when thinking of sports as a career) than amateurs. That, and following college sports is emotionally maddening when the players are still realizing their potential.
Last item for the day: Joe Nuxhall passed away. I did not know who he was before I moved to Cincy, but his story is so interesting:
Nuxhall grew up in nearby Hamilton, Ohio, and was still too young to shave when the Reds were looking for wartime replacement players. They came to see his father, Orville, who pitched in a Sunday league in Hamilton.
"My dad could throw hard," Nuxhall said. "They were really scouting him. Almost by accident, they found me."
Nuxhall was big for his age -- 6-foot-3, around 190 pounds -- and could throw 85 mph. The Reds offered a contract, and Nuxhall's parents let him join the team when junior high classes let out in 1944.
"Probably two weeks prior to that, I was pitching against seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders, kids 13 and 14 years old," he said. "All of a sudden, I look up and there's Stan Musial and the likes. It was a very scary situation."
A 15-year-old taking on Stan Musial? Awesome.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
BG
We had an early Thanksgiving this weekend, with the whole family together. Nice. Everything went off without a hitch, which was kind of surprising given the number of babies in the house. We slept as a family of four in one room, and it was actually kind of fun. It was one of those humbling experiences when you realize that you can get by with less than you have.
There was a sour moment on Sunday, when we took some cousins out to Conneaut Hill for some tackle football. A few plays into the first game, my brother Tim caught a pass (on a nice out-route) and met my cousin near the end zone. My cousin made a nice open-field tackle on Tim, but unfortunately Tim landed with his full body weight on his shoulder. Pop goes the collarbone. Tim heard it, my tackling cousin heard it, my cousin on the sideline heard it. Yeouch. A trip to the Wood Co. ER ensued, and Tim is all wrapped up in a sling and brace with a "nice" break.
We successfully fulfilled the stereotype of grown men playing football and someone getting hurt. We weren't playing very rough, and the field was actually pretty soft, but there you go.
Maybe we should stop the family football? Two years ago I sprained my brother-in-law's foot when I landed on it after jumping for a pass. Last year, a different brother-in-law tore his ACL when we were running and throwing the football on our way down to the Horseshoe after OSU's big win over Michigan. Yikes. But its so fun, I don't know if we could not play!
There was a sour moment on Sunday, when we took some cousins out to Conneaut Hill for some tackle football. A few plays into the first game, my brother Tim caught a pass (on a nice out-route) and met my cousin near the end zone. My cousin made a nice open-field tackle on Tim, but unfortunately Tim landed with his full body weight on his shoulder. Pop goes the collarbone. Tim heard it, my tackling cousin heard it, my cousin on the sideline heard it. Yeouch. A trip to the Wood Co. ER ensued, and Tim is all wrapped up in a sling and brace with a "nice" break.
We successfully fulfilled the stereotype of grown men playing football and someone getting hurt. We weren't playing very rough, and the field was actually pretty soft, but there you go.
Maybe we should stop the family football? Two years ago I sprained my brother-in-law's foot when I landed on it after jumping for a pass. Last year, a different brother-in-law tore his ACL when we were running and throwing the football on our way down to the Horseshoe after OSU's big win over Michigan. Yikes. But its so fun, I don't know if we could not play!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Off to BG
We're headed to BG tomorrow afternoon. It'll be our first time in NW Ohio since August. And I can't wait.
The agenda includes a family football game, an early Thanksgiving dinner, and a trip to Polleyes for some breadsticks.
Did you know that you can order breadsticks unbaked, and take them to go? We did this over the summer. They turned out really good - with the smallest of dropoffs in taste due to the freezing and thawing. But really, they were fantastic.
Personally, I'm a chicken and cheese with ranch type of guy. I've also tried the pepperoni & cheese (does a number on my internal plumbing), pineapple and cheese (my brother's favorite), pineapple and tomato (just gross), and roast beef and cheese (I think this was Steve Jenkins' idea).
But I've never found the perfect beer to go with the chck/cheese combo. Any recommendations? I usually try to go with a somewhat light-in-color beer, like a Pilsner (Bud/Labbatt) or a pale ale (Sierra Nevada/Rolling Rock). Outside of Polleyes, I generally enjoy darker beers, but I don't think they would go well with such heavy food. Your thoughts?
The agenda includes a family football game, an early Thanksgiving dinner, and a trip to Polleyes for some breadsticks.
Did you know that you can order breadsticks unbaked, and take them to go? We did this over the summer. They turned out really good - with the smallest of dropoffs in taste due to the freezing and thawing. But really, they were fantastic.
Personally, I'm a chicken and cheese with ranch type of guy. I've also tried the pepperoni & cheese (does a number on my internal plumbing), pineapple and cheese (my brother's favorite), pineapple and tomato (just gross), and roast beef and cheese (I think this was Steve Jenkins' idea).
But I've never found the perfect beer to go with the chck/cheese combo. Any recommendations? I usually try to go with a somewhat light-in-color beer, like a Pilsner (Bud/Labbatt) or a pale ale (Sierra Nevada/Rolling Rock). Outside of Polleyes, I generally enjoy darker beers, but I don't think they would go well with such heavy food. Your thoughts?
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Belated "Happy Halloween"
Piglet and Pooh Bear:
And yes, we went trick-or-treating as a family knowing full well that those teeth are not suitable for eating candy. But guess what? Mine are!
And yes, we went trick-or-treating as a family knowing full well that those teeth are not suitable for eating candy. But guess what? Mine are!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Sports Media
I've found it increasingly difficult to tune out the sports talk noise to find the actual sports themselves. I listen to Mike & Mike on ESPN radio on my drive in to work, where the tandem banter back and forth about made-up controversies and issues. I read ESPN online but am looking more and more to online "journalists" (Deadspin, The Big Lead), who take their sports coverage with a grain of salt. And I watch major sports events on TV but wish I had a mute button for Tim McCarver.
A fresh example of the noise created by sports media can be found in the Pats-Colts game this weekend. The game ("Super Bowl 41 1/2") was hyped to the nines, where every radio voice and TV personality had their take on this regular season game. Note that the game was no more important than any other regular season game. It was simply a game between two good teams. But I would rather hear about the game itself, or a fake argument as to who is the better QB based on who is in more commercials or is dating a hotter woman.
I would rather have answeres to these questions: Why is Brady so good? How good are the defenses he has played against? How much better do his receivers make him (comparing this year's crop to last year's)? Has his style changed now that he has excellent deep threats and a top flight slot receiver? Etc.
I found a refreshing gem of an online sports outlet, in Play Magazine from NY Times. I couldn't agree more with this article, which seems to show that I'm not the only person becoming more and more disillusioned with mainstream sports media.
Other good (but lengthy) reads are the pieces on kickers and the legendary marathoner, Alberto Salazar. Also, a interesting article on the quality of SI can be found on Slate here.
A fresh example of the noise created by sports media can be found in the Pats-Colts game this weekend. The game ("Super Bowl 41 1/2") was hyped to the nines, where every radio voice and TV personality had their take on this regular season game. Note that the game was no more important than any other regular season game. It was simply a game between two good teams. But I would rather hear about the game itself, or a fake argument as to who is the better QB based on who is in more commercials or is dating a hotter woman.
I would rather have answeres to these questions: Why is Brady so good? How good are the defenses he has played against? How much better do his receivers make him (comparing this year's crop to last year's)? Has his style changed now that he has excellent deep threats and a top flight slot receiver? Etc.
I found a refreshing gem of an online sports outlet, in Play Magazine from NY Times. I couldn't agree more with this article, which seems to show that I'm not the only person becoming more and more disillusioned with mainstream sports media.
Other good (but lengthy) reads are the pieces on kickers and the legendary marathoner, Alberto Salazar. Also, a interesting article on the quality of SI can be found on Slate here.
Musings
Looking forward to a return trip to BG this coming weekend. I know, I know, its Monday, but its hard no to look forward to Friday when I'll be meeting my nephew for the first time. The whole family will be together for an early Thanksgiving, and get this: we will be populating my parents' 3-bdr house with ten people this weekend. Three of which are under the age of 15 months. By Sunday we will all be grouchy and cranky from lack of sleep, which is when the true meaning of family comes out. Right? Tim is even skipping the home OSU football game to come. What a guy!
I wish I had more interesting posts (a la Edwards or Manahan or Wags or anyone else) but the bottom line is that my life outside of work (which is also boring) is 99% taking care of babies. The other 1% (from this weekend) was devoted to sweeping my chimney, buying a shop-vac, and attempting to make a window screen.
Come to think of it, I've acquired a good number of skills out of general home maintenance. Let's see... I've been a painter, a plumber (removing a sink, snaking a drain), chimney sweeper, a carpenter (built a bookshelf), a demolition man (removing a workbench and cabinets), a general contractor (adding moulding to two rooms, patching holes in wall from demolition), a landscaper (mowing, trimming, and edging), a gardener (planting, weeding, and watering), an auto mechanic (replacing my car's distributor), and probably some others that I'm forgetting. I am not boasting about these things, but rather am listing them to show you a window into what I do with the 1% of free time available to me on weekends. Justin pitches his scripts. Mr. Edwards lectures on C.S. Lewis. I make a screen. And the world keeps turning.
I wish I had more interesting posts (a la Edwards or Manahan or Wags or anyone else) but the bottom line is that my life outside of work (which is also boring) is 99% taking care of babies. The other 1% (from this weekend) was devoted to sweeping my chimney, buying a shop-vac, and attempting to make a window screen.
Come to think of it, I've acquired a good number of skills out of general home maintenance. Let's see... I've been a painter, a plumber (removing a sink, snaking a drain), chimney sweeper, a carpenter (built a bookshelf), a demolition man (removing a workbench and cabinets), a general contractor (adding moulding to two rooms, patching holes in wall from demolition), a landscaper (mowing, trimming, and edging), a gardener (planting, weeding, and watering), an auto mechanic (replacing my car's distributor), and probably some others that I'm forgetting. I am not boasting about these things, but rather am listing them to show you a window into what I do with the 1% of free time available to me on weekends. Justin pitches his scripts. Mr. Edwards lectures on C.S. Lewis. I make a screen. And the world keeps turning.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Meeting the Neighbors
We've lived in our house for over 4 months now, and have met only one neighbor - a WWII vet with a blue star in his living room window. Its surprising that we've only met one neighbor, because our neighborhood is active and we see people walking dogs by our house several times a day. We wave "hi," but we never know who is our next door neighboor and who isn't; consequently, we don't ever really strike up conversation. But last night, we dressed Lily as Piglet and Ben as Pooh Bear, and used them as a conversation starter to meet our neighbors.
Guess what we found out? Everyone knew about us. Everyone knew we had a little girl and were expecting a little boy shortly after we moved in. It is a little disconcerting to have lots of people know about our life situation, and knowing nothing of theirs. I was hoping that someone would make us an apple pie and welcome us to the neighborhood, but no one took the initiative. I guess our neighbors are shy.
6 days to the first Maryland basketball exhibition game. I can hardly wait. The NBA will have to hold me over until then.
Guess what we found out? Everyone knew about us. Everyone knew we had a little girl and were expecting a little boy shortly after we moved in. It is a little disconcerting to have lots of people know about our life situation, and knowing nothing of theirs. I was hoping that someone would make us an apple pie and welcome us to the neighborhood, but no one took the initiative. I guess our neighbors are shy.
6 days to the first Maryland basketball exhibition game. I can hardly wait. The NBA will have to hold me over until then.
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