Still haven't heard back about the job yet. Getting a little more nervous...
Friday night's hockey game turned out to be great. Despite only having 1 sub we destroyed the first place team 7-0. I ended up having a hat trick (that's 3 goals for you non-hockey types) despite barely being able to move after the first period. I swear I played no defense and spent most of the game standing around. I scored the first goal of the game on a deflection of a shot from the point early on when I still had energy. I scored the other 2 just on sheer luck. Just standing around and the puck ended up coming right to me. The 2nd goal I was floating out near the blue line when the puck popped out front. Decided I couldn't pass it up and stepped into a slap shot from about 15 feet away and blasted it over the goalie's glove and off the inside of the near post. 3rd goal was similar, just floating over to the goalie's right and the puck squirted free to me and I one timed it into the near corner. I could barely skate by that point. We sure earned our beer that night!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Merry belated Christmas
Late Merry Christmas and all that other stuff. Hope you all had a great holiday.
I'm glad Christmas is over, only so much of my family I can take. However, I do have one more really big Christmas get-together left on Sunday at my uncle's house. This is the one with my mom's entire family with her 5 siblings, all my cousins and their kids. About 40 people in all. Luckily the Packer game will be on so I won't have to talk to them too much. :)
On the Christmas loot side, I got 3 really cool things. First, a talking Michael Scott bobble head (from the Office). He says "that's what she said" which cracks me up every time. Second, a new golf bag that's a hybrid carry/cart bag from Sun Mountain. Unfortunately I'll have to wait 4 more months to use it unless I can finagle a trip down south to play before that. Third, Guitar Hero III for my ps2. What a blast that is! Very addicting.
My final Christmas present may be arriving shortly. I met with one of the owners of comicwonder.com last night. I think things went pretty well. He wants me to be in charge of all the development. A daunting task but I'm ready for it. I could barely sleep last night and ended up getting up around 4:30 and sending off another email. I sure hope it happens. I should hear by Monday at the latest, hopefully today.
One bad thing about this time of the year. We have a hockey game tonight and we're going to be missing 5 players plus 1 injured guy which means instead of 12 or 13 guys we'll have 7, going against the first place team. That means 4 forwards and 3 defensemen and a whole bunch of ice time for everyone. Considering the cold I've been fighting I'll probably need an oxygen tank to get through the first period. On the bright side, it's my turn to bring beer and with only 7 guys I can probably get away with only bringing a case.
In bowling news, I suck. 3 straight 560's before I recovered to shoot a 642 last night (right on my average of 214 in that league). I could have done much better but really had very little luck. If I get the new job I only have 2 weeks left in that league as I can't bowl in it if I'm not working at this company. That actually makes me happy as I'm getting totally burned out with bowling right now. 2-3 times a week is just too much. I'd rather do the once a week men's league and every other week couples. Plus the new job would require much more of my time and I'd probably have to quit anyway.
Ok, that's all for now. Have a great weekend.
I'm glad Christmas is over, only so much of my family I can take. However, I do have one more really big Christmas get-together left on Sunday at my uncle's house. This is the one with my mom's entire family with her 5 siblings, all my cousins and their kids. About 40 people in all. Luckily the Packer game will be on so I won't have to talk to them too much. :)
On the Christmas loot side, I got 3 really cool things. First, a talking Michael Scott bobble head (from the Office). He says "that's what she said" which cracks me up every time. Second, a new golf bag that's a hybrid carry/cart bag from Sun Mountain. Unfortunately I'll have to wait 4 more months to use it unless I can finagle a trip down south to play before that. Third, Guitar Hero III for my ps2. What a blast that is! Very addicting.
My final Christmas present may be arriving shortly. I met with one of the owners of comicwonder.com last night. I think things went pretty well. He wants me to be in charge of all the development. A daunting task but I'm ready for it. I could barely sleep last night and ended up getting up around 4:30 and sending off another email. I sure hope it happens. I should hear by Monday at the latest, hopefully today.
One bad thing about this time of the year. We have a hockey game tonight and we're going to be missing 5 players plus 1 injured guy which means instead of 12 or 13 guys we'll have 7, going against the first place team. That means 4 forwards and 3 defensemen and a whole bunch of ice time for everyone. Considering the cold I've been fighting I'll probably need an oxygen tank to get through the first period. On the bright side, it's my turn to bring beer and with only 7 guys I can probably get away with only bringing a case.
In bowling news, I suck. 3 straight 560's before I recovered to shoot a 642 last night (right on my average of 214 in that league). I could have done much better but really had very little luck. If I get the new job I only have 2 weeks left in that league as I can't bowl in it if I'm not working at this company. That actually makes me happy as I'm getting totally burned out with bowling right now. 2-3 times a week is just too much. I'd rather do the once a week men's league and every other week couples. Plus the new job would require much more of my time and I'd probably have to quit anyway.
Ok, that's all for now. Have a great weekend.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Time to take the leap
I interviewed today for a position joining a new start-up web company in Milwaukee. I'd be subcontracting, doing Java stuff. They're a new social networking, fun, type of site with tons of angel funding. I don't know a whole lot about it just yet.
The web site is called Comic Wonder. I should hear something soon. They were about 98% sure they wanted me, just needed to talk to one of the partners.
I think it's time for me to move out of the big corporate stuffy environment to something hot, fresh and fun.
The web site is called Comic Wonder. I should hear something soon. They were about 98% sure they wanted me, just needed to talk to one of the partners.
I think it's time for me to move out of the big corporate stuffy environment to something hot, fresh and fun.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
The Joys of being 40-something
Had my yearly physical yesterday. Last year I had successfully convinced my doc that I did not need a prostate exam and I'm pretty sure he said we can wait till your 45...
However, yesterday he was singing a different tune. He insisted that I should have one but did say that if it was normal I might be able to convince him next year that I don't need one.
What a joyous experience. I tried to make it a humorous situation, invoking Fletch-isms, but when he said "just relax" all I could think of was "no fucking way" and clenched up tight...
In the end (pun intended) it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but I certainly could never be a homosexual and I hope I never have to go to prison...
After that bit of fun I got a call to meet a couple bowling teammates for dinner at the Cloud-9 grill prior to bowling, which of course translates into "let's have some beers before bowling". And that was not a good idea as we got pasted our first two games, losing by 190 and 140. I was awesome, 165 and 159 to start. Not bad at all, just needed a 300 game in game 3 to get my average for the night (I did manage a 238 in game three to save some dignity). We did win the 3rd game and it could have been worse I guess. No one did worth a shit...
Oh well, I'll try again tonight in my other league.
However, yesterday he was singing a different tune. He insisted that I should have one but did say that if it was normal I might be able to convince him next year that I don't need one.
What a joyous experience
In the end (pun intended) it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but I certainly could never be a homosexual and I hope I never have to go to prison...
After that bit of fun I got a call to meet a couple bowling teammates for dinner at the Cloud-9 grill prior to bowling, which of course translates into "let's have some beers before bowling". And that was not a good idea as we got pasted our first two games, losing by 190 and 140. I was awesome, 165 and 159 to start. Not bad at all, just needed a 300 game in game 3 to get my average for the night (I did manage a 238 in game three to save some dignity). We did win the 3rd game and it could have been worse I guess. No one did worth a shit...
Oh well, I'll try again tonight in my other league.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Weekend Wrap
Hockey Friday night. 10:45pm game. What a pain those are on an old guy that is normally in bed by 10:30. We were supposed to face the worst goalie in the league but he was sick and was replaced by the best goalie in the league. We've now faced him in 5 of our 8 games. We're 3-0 against the other goalies but 1-3-1 against him as we lost 3-1. I got the lone goal on a deflection in front. Our GM (who was sick) took pictures and caught my goal. You can see the puck as a blur just in front of me right before the deflection. I'll try to remember to post some more pics when I get a chance.
Saturday was our company holiday party. We had dinner at the Concourse hotel and of course, it was crap. The chicken that several of us had was not cooked. Cdubya and I were smart and had a very late good lunch so it didn't matter too much. Afterwards we went to the Comedy Club on State Street and saw a pretty funny show.
Sunday morning after I finished clearing snow for the umpteenth time this year, I went to Target to finish my Xmas shopping. What a zoo... at least I'm done now.
Then we watched the Packers destroy the Rams and saw Brett break Marino's record for passing yards. Very cool. Then we watched Romo stink up the joint in Philly as the Cowboys lost their 2nd game. Makes that last second win against Detroit last week all the larger. Funniest part was Westbrook giving up an easy td and laying down at the 1 yard line in order to run out the clock. Cdubya has him on her fantasy football team and was screaming at him. I was laughing. It's her first year playing and after finishing tied for first and getting a first round bye in the playoffs, really needed that score. I think she probably lost, haven't looked yet.
Then we watched the Survivor finale. It kind of went the way I thought it would, with someone taking Todd to the final 3 despite knowing he could swing the jury with his sneaky ways. He did just that. It was good to see Courtney put some more weight on her. Apparently she was down to 86 lbs by the end. Personally, I think she looked more like 75... I actually thought she had a chance to win at the end. I knew she'd get at least 2 votes but that's all she got. Amanda, who seemed to have the best chance, really didn't respond well at the final Tribal Council and failed to convince anyone that she deserved to win, ending up getting only 1 vote.
The next season looks pretty good with a tribe of "super-fans" vs a tribe of "favorites", competitors from previous seasons that hadn't won. Should be interesting. They're in Micronesia, wherever the heck that is.
Saturday was our company holiday party. We had dinner at the Concourse hotel and of course, it was crap. The chicken that several of us had was not cooked. Cdubya and I were smart and had a very late good lunch so it didn't matter too much. Afterwards we went to the Comedy Club on State Street and saw a pretty funny show.
Sunday morning after I finished clearing snow for the umpteenth time this year, I went to Target to finish my Xmas shopping. What a zoo... at least I'm done now.
Then we watched the Packers destroy the Rams and saw Brett break Marino's record for passing yards. Very cool. Then we watched Romo stink up the joint in Philly as the Cowboys lost their 2nd game. Makes that last second win against Detroit last week all the larger. Funniest part was Westbrook giving up an easy td and laying down at the 1 yard line in order to run out the clock. Cdubya has him on her fantasy football team and was screaming at him. I was laughing. It's her first year playing and after finishing tied for first and getting a first round bye in the playoffs, really needed that score. I think she probably lost, haven't looked yet.
Then we watched the Survivor finale. It kind of went the way I thought it would, with someone taking Todd to the final 3 despite knowing he could swing the jury with his sneaky ways. He did just that. It was good to see Courtney put some more weight on her. Apparently she was down to 86 lbs by the end. Personally, I think she looked more like 75... I actually thought she had a chance to win at the end. I knew she'd get at least 2 votes but that's all she got. Amanda, who seemed to have the best chance, really didn't respond well at the final Tribal Council and failed to convince anyone that she deserved to win, ending up getting only 1 vote.
The next season looks pretty good with a tribe of "super-fans" vs a tribe of "favorites", competitors from previous seasons that hadn't won. Should be interesting. They're in Micronesia, wherever the heck that is.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Installing Windows on my MacBook
I am working towards ridding my house of pc's, just as I have rid my house of Charter cable. Unfortunately I still have 2 things that require me to have a pc.
1) Quicken Home and Business, the software I use to do my invoicing and manage my business accounts, is only available on Windows.
2) Remote connections to work.
So, how do I get around this predicament? My first try is to install Parallels for Mac. It's virtual O/S software that has been getting some good buzz.
Parallels has a 15 day free trial so I downloaded it yesterday to try out. Install was quite easy BUT the install of Windows XP was not. My first several attempts always hung at about 37 minutes remaining while installing devices. Kept restarting it but nothing.
Finally I started looking at which devices it was trying to set up. It was trying to do 2 devices that didn't exist; a floppy drive and a parallel port. I disabled those and also turned off my Airport card (wifi). This time it blew through all that but stopped on saving settings with about 9 minutes remaining. I started to wonder if it needed a network connection for that or something so I turned the Airport card back on and restarted it and bingo, it went right through the install and started Windows in a window on my desktop.
This will allow me to do all my windows stuff on my Mac. Say goodnight PC. "Goodnight PC"
Here's a screen shot.
1) Quicken Home and Business, the software I use to do my invoicing and manage my business accounts, is only available on Windows.
2) Remote connections to work.
So, how do I get around this predicament? My first try is to install Parallels for Mac. It's virtual O/S software that has been getting some good buzz.
Parallels has a 15 day free trial so I downloaded it yesterday to try out. Install was quite easy BUT the install of Windows XP was not. My first several attempts always hung at about 37 minutes remaining while installing devices. Kept restarting it but nothing.
Finally I started looking at which devices it was trying to set up. It was trying to do 2 devices that didn't exist; a floppy drive and a parallel port. I disabled those and also turned off my Airport card (wifi). This time it blew through all that but stopped on saving settings with about 9 minutes remaining. I started to wonder if it needed a network connection for that or something so I turned the Airport card back on and restarted it and bingo, it went right through the install and started Windows in a window on my desktop.
This will allow me to do all my windows stuff on my Mac. Say goodnight PC. "Goodnight PC"
Here's a screen shot.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
White out
Just looked outside and can barely see. The snow is really coming down, sure going to be a fun drive home tonight. We're going to be over 20 inches of snow for the month already and it's only the 11th! I guess my golfing is done for the year... :(
Ever see those Monster.com commercials where there's one dude working with a whole bunch of monkeys? Yeah, that's where I work. I'm that guy.
Have you heard of the Nutty Buddy? It's a brand new cup for protecting your nads. Here's a video demonstrating it's effectiveness. This guy is nuts, pun intended.
Ever see those Monster.com commercials where there's one dude working with a whole bunch of monkeys? Yeah, that's where I work. I'm that guy.
Have you heard of the Nutty Buddy? It's a brand new cup for protecting your nads. Here's a video demonstrating it's effectiveness. This guy is nuts, pun intended.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Spotted Dick
No, I don't have a new disease...
Ever walk through a grocery store and see something on the shelf that makes you stop and say "what the fuck?" I had one of those moments Saturday. Here was the cause of it.
Can't say I know anyone that would ever buy something like that. Especially at $4.29 a can!
The weekend was interesting. Friday night Cdubya was having some kind of cooking party so I got the hell outta there and went to a bar and grill near the hockey rink for some dinner before my game. Well, I ate too much of course and had a pint of Guinness of course and went to my game way too full to be effective. We ended up winning 8-5 but I didn't do much of anything.
Saturday morning I went to play basketball with a co-worker. I hadn't touched a ball in 9 years and it showed. I think I made 3 baskets in 90 minutes. I ended up not shooting too much because air balls are humiliating. My D and rebounding weren't bad so I focused on that.
Unfortunately, I forgot about my bad ankle and I'm paying for it now. All that pounding took it's toll and I've been hobbling around since. Add some back and shoulder pain and I spent all day yesterday lying on the couch watching football.
Speaking of football, how about those Packers? 11-2 and looking like a legit contender. Of course, no one is going to beat Brady and the Pats but I'm looking forward to a rematch with the Cowboys at least.
On a different subject, I may have an interview with a new Web startup company in Milwaukee some time this week. They're looking for a consultant to come in and do some Java work. It's supposed to be some sort of Facebook or MySpace type of company but with a humorous twist. Not sure what it's all about. I'll update when I find out more. Could be fun and it couldn't be worse than where I'm at now. Oh, and I would only have to go to Milwaukee twice a week, working from home the rest of the time.
Ever walk through a grocery store and see something on the shelf that makes you stop and say "what the fuck?" I had one of those moments Saturday. Here was the cause of it.
Can't say I know anyone that would ever buy something like that. Especially at $4.29 a can!
The weekend was interesting. Friday night Cdubya was having some kind of cooking party so I got the hell outta there and went to a bar and grill near the hockey rink for some dinner before my game. Well, I ate too much of course and had a pint of Guinness of course and went to my game way too full to be effective. We ended up winning 8-5 but I didn't do much of anything.
Saturday morning I went to play basketball with a co-worker. I hadn't touched a ball in 9 years and it showed. I think I made 3 baskets in 90 minutes. I ended up not shooting too much because air balls are humiliating. My D and rebounding weren't bad so I focused on that.
Unfortunately, I forgot about my bad ankle and I'm paying for it now. All that pounding took it's toll and I've been hobbling around since. Add some back and shoulder pain and I spent all day yesterday lying on the couch watching football.
Speaking of football, how about those Packers? 11-2 and looking like a legit contender. Of course, no one is going to beat Brady and the Pats but I'm looking forward to a rematch with the Cowboys at least.
On a different subject, I may have an interview with a new Web startup company in Milwaukee some time this week. They're looking for a consultant to come in and do some Java work. It's supposed to be some sort of Facebook or MySpace type of company but with a humorous twist. Not sure what it's all about. I'll update when I find out more. Could be fun and it couldn't be worse than where I'm at now. Oh, and I would only have to go to Milwaukee twice a week, working from home the rest of the time.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Sucky week
Work is still driving me nuts. We'll be deploying more bug fixes again tonight. I sure hope this cycle ends soon. I think I'll try to take tomorrow off if I can.
Bowling isn't much better as we got swept for the 2nd straight week. I'm bowling like crap and basically cost us the 1st 2 games...
After a week off from hockey, I'll be back at it tomorrow night. Our GM spent our last game taking pictures of us playing. Here's one of me.
Bowling isn't much better as we got swept for the 2nd straight week. I'm bowling like crap and basically cost us the 1st 2 games...
After a week off from hockey, I'll be back at it tomorrow night. Our GM spent our last game taking pictures of us playing. Here's one of me.
Monday, December 03, 2007
I gotta get outta here
This client has no idea how to manage, build and deploy web applications. I worked 42 hours from Friday - Sunday this weekend to get an app deployed that in other places would have taken an hour.
As a result, I'm sore, tired, angry and I don't have much to say...
Hopefully I'll post again later in the week when I'm unburied.
As a result, I'm sore, tired, angry and I don't have much to say...
Hopefully I'll post again later in the week when I'm unburied.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Yes, I'm still alive
Super busy week, moving an application into production today. I'm just waiting for the web team to contact me about a problem so I have a minute to post. This whole week has been a blur, from work to bowling to Packers game back to work. I worked until 11pm last night and back at it at 6:15 this morning. Most likely it will be an all day thing today as nothing ever goes right at this company.
Nothing much new going on. Bowled Wed and Thurs, nothing special. No hockey last night due to a youth tournament. I had to work anyway, so not a big deal.
We're supposed to get about 6" of snow today, which is cool since I just bought a new Ariens 2-stage snow thrower. Looking forward to trying it out.
Well, better get back to it. Enjoy your weekend.
Oh, and Favre is ok, he'll play next week.
Nothing much new going on. Bowled Wed and Thurs, nothing special. No hockey last night due to a youth tournament. I had to work anyway, so not a big deal.
We're supposed to get about 6" of snow today, which is cool since I just bought a new Ariens 2-stage snow thrower. Looking forward to trying it out.
Well, better get back to it. Enjoy your weekend.
Oh, and Favre is ok, he'll play next week.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Working Late Saves Catastrophy!
My supervisor came by late yesterday to discuss a candidate we had interviewed earlier in the day and I ended up leaving work a half hour late. And today I am extremely grateful.
You see, 5 minutes before I got home 2 huge shelves full of all sorts of stuff (car ramps, golf bags, wood, carpet scraps, lawn chairs, etc) ripped loose from the wall and crash down right where my car would have been. The 2 shelves were 4x12 sheets of fiberboard, weighing about 40 lbs each. The damage to my new Murano would have been extensive.
I was shocked when I opened the garage door and it looked like a tornado had ripped through there. Cdubya said it had just happened and totally sounded like that, enough to freak the dogs out big time.
So, the lesson of the day is: always work late, you never know what you'll be saving from certain disaster.
You see, 5 minutes before I got home 2 huge shelves full of all sorts of stuff (car ramps, golf bags, wood, carpet scraps, lawn chairs, etc) ripped loose from the wall and crash down right where my car would have been. The 2 shelves were 4x12 sheets of fiberboard, weighing about 40 lbs each. The damage to my new Murano would have been extensive.
I was shocked when I opened the garage door and it looked like a tornado had ripped through there. Cdubya said it had just happened and totally sounded like that, enough to freak the dogs out big time.
So, the lesson of the day is: always work late, you never know what you'll be saving from certain disaster.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Frozen Tundra
Bubba and I went up to the Packers/Panthers game yesterday and saw a great game. Packers dominated from the start en route to a 21-3 half time lead and despite giving up a couple of late td's (prevent defense) they won easily 31-17. They're now at 9-1, they're best start since starting 10-0 under Lombardi in '62. Speaking of 62, Brett threw 3 td's in a game for the 62nd time, tying another Dan Marino record. He'll be breaking that Thanksgiving day against the declining Lions (lost 3 straight after starting 6-1). The big game is the following Thursday night against the Cowboys, which is on the NFL Network (go out and get DirecTv this week if you want to see it around here, and no, don't ask me if you can come over to watch it. :)
Friday afternoon I managed to install the carpeting on the stairs. It wasn't that bad. I used my staple gun to attach it and a stair tool to wedge it along the sides. Took a couple hours or so.
Saturday night we played poker at my place. I ended up winning $63 after we doubled the limits and I got hot. We just played Hold 'em for about 5 hours (had to cut it off at midnight so I could get up early to go to Green Bay).
Short week this week, gotta go get some work done.
Have a happy Turkey day.
Friday afternoon I managed to install the carpeting on the stairs. It wasn't that bad. I used my staple gun to attach it and a stair tool to wedge it along the sides. Took a couple hours or so.
Saturday night we played poker at my place. I ended up winning $63 after we doubled the limits and I got hot. We just played Hold 'em for about 5 hours (had to cut it off at midnight so I could get up early to go to Green Bay).
Short week this week, gotta go get some work done.
Have a happy Turkey day.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
New ball works
Well, after 6 games with the new ball I'm happy with it.
On Wednesday I started with 9 strikes in the first game for a 234 (2 big splits cost me). It definitely hooks a lot, especially if there's not a ton of oil. I was playing a line I haven't ever come close to playing before and adjustments were a little difficult. I ended up shooting 630.
Now tonight at a place where they slather the oil gratuitously I did a little better, shooting a 711 (212, 266, 233). I had 9 strikes in a row in the 2nd game. Should have done better in the 3rd game but the oil dried up a little and it took me 3 bad shots to realize I needed to move a little.
So, 223 average this week with it. And I'm still learning how it works. Skies the limit here...
On Wednesday I started with 9 strikes in the first game for a 234 (2 big splits cost me). It definitely hooks a lot, especially if there's not a ton of oil. I was playing a line I haven't ever come close to playing before and adjustments were a little difficult. I ended up shooting 630.
Now tonight at a place where they slather the oil gratuitously I did a little better, shooting a 711 (212, 266, 233). I had 9 strikes in a row in the 2nd game. Should have done better in the 3rd game but the oil dried up a little and it took me 3 bad shots to realize I needed to move a little.
So, 223 average this week with it. And I'm still learning how it works. Skies the limit here...
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
New ball
I decided to bite the bullet and get a new bowling ball last night. I needed something that I could still turn despite heavy oil conditions, which I've been seeing a lot lately. What I ended up getting is a super hooking ball, the Brunswick Fury.
Rob drilled it for me last night. I threw a bunch of shots on his lanes but they hadn't been oiled since Friday so it was quite difficult to get the ball to the right side. It definitely hooks. I may need to have it polished a little to get it down the lane more, but I'll wait to see how it reacts first.
One new thing I did have done was to get a switch grip put in for the thumb. Basically it's a 2 part thumb hole. There's an outer sleeve and an inner component that slides in and locks at the bottom. It allows you to have one custom thumb fitting that is perfect and move it to a different ball. Or you could have several sized ones and allows you to swap out when you need to adjust (say if your thumb is swollen due to the heat or something).
I was planning on having him put one in my Columbia Ti Messenger ball as well since it needed to have the thumb hole fixed anyhow. Unfortunately when Rob drilled in he hit the ceramic core of that ball and just about ruined his $200 drill bit. You can't drill into ceramic so I'm stuck. He's plugging it and will re-drill it for a normal thumb plug. Oh well... I probably won't have that ball for tomorrow.
Monday, November 12, 2007
At least it was a good football weekend
Well, the iPod adapter thing didn't work for my Murano. After the tech finished taking everything apart there was nothing to plug it into. Apparently I'm missing a wiring harness that's required. They're going to do more research today to see what they can do. I'm still hopeful that I can get it installed. I figured there would be problems so I wasn't all that upset.
Luckily they had the Badger/Michigan game on tv at the dealership so I was able to watch Bucky dismantle the Wolverines and win 37-21. I guess there's still a chance they could end up playing a New Years game. When they beat Minnesota next week they'll finish at 9-3 (5-3 in the conference).
Saturday night was couples bowling. My game has fallen apart. Partly because my newest ball has just stopped working. I had to use my back up which is not drilled the same and hurts my thumb. I struggled big time and shot my lowest score in god knows how long, a 499. My average is down to 192 in that league (compared to 207 and 216 in my other 2). I don't really care about couples league, it's just for fun.
Sunday I got to watch the Packers destroy the Vikings. They're making a believer out of me now. They now have a 2 game lead in the NFC North since Detroit lost to Arizona (they still haven't played anyone decent yet). Packers play Carolina Sunday then Detroit on Thanksgiving day.
In between football I managed to tear all the old carpeting off the stairs. What a pain the ass that was. It was all stapled down, with about 100 staples on each step. Took me about 5 hours to get it out and to pull all the staples with a pliers. My hands, back, shoulders, all killing me today. I have a blister on my right ring finger that could impact bowling Wednesday. I'm hopeful it will heal, it's not a big one.
I'm going back to see Rob Bailey tonight. I may end up just trading in my newer ball for something better. I'm getting sick of trying to get it to work and taking it back in to get cleaned every couple months. We'll see...
Luckily they had the Badger/Michigan game on tv at the dealership so I was able to watch Bucky dismantle the Wolverines and win 37-21. I guess there's still a chance they could end up playing a New Years game. When they beat Minnesota next week they'll finish at 9-3 (5-3 in the conference).
Saturday night was couples bowling. My game has fallen apart. Partly because my newest ball has just stopped working. I had to use my back up which is not drilled the same and hurts my thumb. I struggled big time and shot my lowest score in god knows how long, a 499. My average is down to 192 in that league (compared to 207 and 216 in my other 2). I don't really care about couples league, it's just for fun.
Sunday I got to watch the Packers destroy the Vikings. They're making a believer out of me now. They now have a 2 game lead in the NFC North since Detroit lost to Arizona (they still haven't played anyone decent yet). Packers play Carolina Sunday then Detroit on Thanksgiving day.
In between football I managed to tear all the old carpeting off the stairs. What a pain the ass that was. It was all stapled down, with about 100 staples on each step. Took me about 5 hours to get it out and to pull all the staples with a pliers. My hands, back, shoulders, all killing me today. I have a blister on my right ring finger that could impact bowling Wednesday. I'm hopeful it will heal, it's not a big one.
I'm going back to see Rob Bailey tonight. I may end up just trading in my newer ball for something better. I'm getting sick of trying to get it to work and taking it back in to get cleaned every couple months. We'll see...
Friday, November 09, 2007
My balls need some refurbishment
Bowling balls... sheesh, get your minds out of the gutter.
The resurface job done on my newer Track Solution Plus ball last week lasted all of 3 games and it was back to not hooking again by game 4. Now I have to take it in to put it in the super oil sucker machine to try to unclog the pores that are filled with oil. Sounds like a teenager problem. Maybe I should try some clearasil instead.
I ended up using my old Columbia Ti Messenger ball the rest of the night. It's not a reactive resin ball so it doesn't have these same features. In fact, I've had it for about 5 years and never had anything done to it. I've only had the Track ball for 8 months and this is the 3rd time I've had to take it back in to the shop...
Unfortunately the thumb plug is wearing out causing it to cut into the base of my thumb where I already suffer from tendinitis so it feels terrible. I have to just put my thumb in part way (that's what she said). I'll get that fixed Monday when I go in. Until then I guess I'll just deal with it. Bowl again tomorrow night.
And now for the really bad news. No "24" this year. The producers said that since they can't guarantee that they'll be able to film all 24 hours they decided to just cancel the season instead of risking not finishing. Bummer, my favorite show, gone. Looks like I'll get more use out of my Netflix subscription in the coming months.
And I think I'm coming down with a cold... I've had a stomach "issue" all week and went home early on Monday (hence the reason I'm still at work at 2:30pm on a Friday) but now it's my throat and sinuses. Great... just great. Lots of sicko's around the office, I'll blame them since I don't have any kids (aka germ factories) to blame it on.
Ok, that's enough for now, see you after the weekend. Party on....
The resurface job done on my newer Track Solution Plus ball last week lasted all of 3 games and it was back to not hooking again by game 4. Now I have to take it in to put it in the super oil sucker machine to try to unclog the pores that are filled with oil. Sounds like a teenager problem. Maybe I should try some clearasil instead.
I ended up using my old Columbia Ti Messenger ball the rest of the night. It's not a reactive resin ball so it doesn't have these same features. In fact, I've had it for about 5 years and never had anything done to it. I've only had the Track ball for 8 months and this is the 3rd time I've had to take it back in to the shop...
Unfortunately the thumb plug is wearing out causing it to cut into the base of my thumb where I already suffer from tendinitis so it feels terrible. I have to just put my thumb in part way (that's what she said). I'll get that fixed Monday when I go in. Until then I guess I'll just deal with it. Bowl again tomorrow night.
And now for the really bad news. No "24" this year. The producers said that since they can't guarantee that they'll be able to film all 24 hours they decided to just cancel the season instead of risking not finishing. Bummer, my favorite show, gone. Looks like I'll get more use out of my Netflix subscription in the coming months.
And I think I'm coming down with a cold... I've had a stomach "issue" all week and went home early on Monday (hence the reason I'm still at work at 2:30pm on a Friday) but now it's my throat and sinuses. Great... just great. Lots of sicko's around the office, I'll blame them since I don't have any kids (aka germ factories) to blame it on.
Ok, that's enough for now, see you after the weekend. Party on....
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
iPod adapter
Got a call from Nissan today. The iPod adapter I asked for is in and can be installed on Saturday! This took a bit of work on my part as there technically isn't a Nissan iPod adapter for the Murano, but according to several forums, the one for the Titan works fine. I had to find the part numbers and pass them to Zimbrick Nissan so they could order the right part.
Once installed I should be able to hook my iPhone into it and play audio through it in crystal clarity along with displaying artist, album, song info on the navigation screen and be able to use the steering wheel controls to move through songs. Can't wait to try it out.
There's one more thing I'd really like to add and that's to add another video input to the nav screen so that I can actually play videos from my iPhone on the nav screen. Of course, doing this while driving is illegal so I would never try that. ;)
In other news, I had to run our hockey team Friday night and suffered our first defeat of the season and the first time I've lost while substituting as GM. Not sure what I did wrong but we couldn't beat a hot goalie despite controlling most of the play. We lost 4-2. I had 1 assist, no goals. For the season I have 2 goals and 4 assists in 3 games. I need to step it up.
Unfortunately I won't be playing this week. Our game was moved to Saturday night which happens to conflict with couples league bowling. Pretty sure Cdubya would have my ass if I bailed on her to go play hockey so I'm not even going to try. They'll have to make due without me (and 4 other guys that can't make it).
That's it for now.
Once installed I should be able to hook my iPhone into it and play audio through it in crystal clarity along with displaying artist, album, song info on the navigation screen and be able to use the steering wheel controls to move through songs. Can't wait to try it out.
There's one more thing I'd really like to add and that's to add another video input to the nav screen so that I can actually play videos from my iPhone on the nav screen. Of course, doing this while driving is illegal so I would never try that. ;)
In other news, I had to run our hockey team Friday night and suffered our first defeat of the season and the first time I've lost while substituting as GM. Not sure what I did wrong but we couldn't beat a hot goalie despite controlling most of the play. We lost 4-2. I had 1 assist, no goals. For the season I have 2 goals and 4 assists in 3 games. I need to step it up.
Unfortunately I won't be playing this week. Our game was moved to Saturday night which happens to conflict with couples league bowling. Pretty sure Cdubya would have my ass if I bailed on her to go play hockey so I'm not even going to try. They'll have to make due without me (and 4 other guys that can't make it).
That's it for now.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Ooops, I did it again
As most of you know, I have a bit of a car "issue". I can't seem to just buy a car and keep it... which leads me to this past Saturday.
On Thursday I got a letter from Zimbrick Used cars saying they were desperate for some late model cars with local histories and would pay over for them.
So, just for shits and giggles I found out what it would cost to pay off my '05 Murano to get out of the lease and went in Saturday. Their initial offer was about $2,000 over blue book but $2,500 under what I owed. I thanked them for their time and was about to leave when they asked what I would be looking for when it came time to trade it in. I told them I really loved the Murano but wanted Nav and ipod integration.
Well, as it just so happened, they had an '06 Murano with the same package as mine (SL AWD Touring) and the Nav system. Only 5,000 miles on it, was one of the Nissan salesman's and they traded it after a year for an Altima. We started working the numbers and I got them to increase their offer on mine to cover the lease payoff without increasing the price on the other one and also throw in the ipod adapter so that I can control it through the nav/stereo and I drove it home 90 minutes later.
I'm still not sure how that helped them out with their shortage of used cars as I took a better car and left them mine. Maybe it'll be easier to sell it since it's cheaper. Anyway, not my problem.
Here's a pic I took this morning...
On Thursday I got a letter from Zimbrick Used cars saying they were desperate for some late model cars with local histories and would pay over for them.
So, just for shits and giggles I found out what it would cost to pay off my '05 Murano to get out of the lease and went in Saturday. Their initial offer was about $2,000 over blue book but $2,500 under what I owed. I thanked them for their time and was about to leave when they asked what I would be looking for when it came time to trade it in. I told them I really loved the Murano but wanted Nav and ipod integration.
Well, as it just so happened, they had an '06 Murano with the same package as mine (SL AWD Touring) and the Nav system. Only 5,000 miles on it, was one of the Nissan salesman's and they traded it after a year for an Altima. We started working the numbers and I got them to increase their offer on mine to cover the lease payoff without increasing the price on the other one and also throw in the ipod adapter so that I can control it through the nav/stereo and I drove it home 90 minutes later.
I'm still not sure how that helped them out with their shortage of used cars as I took a better car and left them mine. Maybe it'll be easier to sell it since it's cheaper. Anyway, not my problem.
Here's a pic I took this morning...
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Hockey team goes to 2-0
We won our 2nd game of the season Friday to go to 2-0. It's early yet but I think we have a pretty decent team. I had a goal and an assist. After 2 games I have 2 goals and 3 assists. I even got to play center for the 2nd and 3rd periods. I love doing it, taking faceoffs is a blast and it gives me a chance to make more plays. I usually don't do it when we're short handed (we run 2 centers and 3 pairs of wings) since I'm getting old and don't have the stamina I used to. I did pretty well though and we won 5-2 (same score for both games). I did get stoned on a breakaway though, I'll have to work on my moves some more...
I had some bowling trouble on Saturday. My ball suddenly stopped hooking again. It's the 2nd time it's happened and I still didn't recognize the problem until really late. The new resin balls have a lot of pores that absorb the oil to help it hook. Once the pores get clogged with oil it won't absorb any more and it just won't hook. I'm taking it in to get cleaned and sanded tonight. I need to recognize this problem earlier. I didn't switch balls until the 7th frame of the 3rd game and struck out. Wish I'd done that before. Lowest series of the year at 524... and we lost all 3 games.
Once again a boring world series results in a sweep. Seems like we just can't get a decent world series or super bowl any more. Always one-sided. I see that AssRod opted out of his contract with the Yankees. I guess their offer of $27-$30 million over an additional 5 years just isn't enough for that greedy bastard. Maybe he can sign with the Red Sox now...
Oh, I took pictures of the finished upstairs flooring now that everything is back together. I'll post them when I get a chance.
Remember, Packers/Bronco's at 7:30 tonight!
I had some bowling trouble on Saturday. My ball suddenly stopped hooking again. It's the 2nd time it's happened and I still didn't recognize the problem until really late. The new resin balls have a lot of pores that absorb the oil to help it hook. Once the pores get clogged with oil it won't absorb any more and it just won't hook. I'm taking it in to get cleaned and sanded tonight. I need to recognize this problem earlier. I didn't switch balls until the 7th frame of the 3rd game and struck out. Wish I'd done that before. Lowest series of the year at 524... and we lost all 3 games.
Once again a boring world series results in a sweep. Seems like we just can't get a decent world series or super bowl any more. Always one-sided. I see that AssRod opted out of his contract with the Yankees. I guess their offer of $27-$30 million over an additional 5 years just isn't enough for that greedy bastard. Maybe he can sign with the Red Sox now...
Oh, I took pictures of the finished upstairs flooring now that everything is back together. I'll post them when I get a chance.
Remember, Packers/Bronco's at 7:30 tonight!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Sin City 1, Adubya 0
Well, I'm back from Vegas after making a huge donation to help build additional casino's where I can make future huge donations...
I haven't had a trip like that in about 8 years. Nothing worked, got my ass kicked everywhere I turned. I tried different tables, different casino's, different limits... screwed at every turn. I'm not sure how much we ended up losing but it wasn't just a little.
2 good things did happen though. 1 was that we saw Phantom at the Venetian and it was outstanding. Awesome theater and great show. Best of the 4 I've seen.
The 2nd was that I tried the front desk tip deal and it worked like a charm!
We arrived at the Paris in Las Vegas around 2pm Sunday. The check in line was about 20 people deep so I wasn't too excited about my chances of scoring an upgrade. When it was my turn I told Said my name and slid my credit card and id to him with a $20 bill folded between them. I asked him if he had any "complementary upgrades". He smiled knowingly and said he'd see what he could do. He found a newly renovated room for us pretty quickly. Then he says he isn't supposed to do this until later but he got me into a suite for $85 more. I jumped on the $1,200 a night room which ended up costing me about $225/night.
The room was also newly renovated with a separate living area with a 42" plasma tv, wet bar and 2 separate bathrooms (one with a huge jacuzzi tub). It was great. I'll try the tip thing every time now.
One other thing about Vegas you should know. When catching a cab to or from the airport, make sure you tell them to NOT take the freeway. They'll tell you it's faster but it's about 10 miles longer, not faster and will cost you double. On the way from the airport I was ready to say "no freeway" but he was on the right going away from the freeway so I didn't think I had to. At the last second, he swerves left and says "I'll take the freeway, it's faster" and before I could even say a word it was too late. $22 for that trip. On the way back it was $12 without taking the freeway. It's 4 freakin' miles from the airport to the strip. There's no reason to drive 14 miles around the city. Assholes....
I did learn from one cab driver that while the law officially states no open intoxicants on the street or in cabs, no one will say anything to you. He told us that as long as the person isn't so drunk that they'll spill their drink that it's ok to just bring your beer into the cab. I tried this, no problem.
I didn't see anyone famous this trip but I did see 3 new Rolls Royce Phantom's in front of casino's. Very cool car, and apparently the new choice of the rich and spoiled, I mean famous.
Too bad I'm not going to be there next week, Paris Hilton is hosting a Halloween party at the LAX club at the Luxor. Bummer...
I'll post more later as I start remembering what actually happened...
I haven't had a trip like that in about 8 years. Nothing worked, got my ass kicked everywhere I turned. I tried different tables, different casino's, different limits... screwed at every turn. I'm not sure how much we ended up losing but it wasn't just a little.
2 good things did happen though. 1 was that we saw Phantom at the Venetian and it was outstanding. Awesome theater and great show. Best of the 4 I've seen.
The 2nd was that I tried the front desk tip deal and it worked like a charm!
We arrived at the Paris in Las Vegas around 2pm Sunday. The check in line was about 20 people deep so I wasn't too excited about my chances of scoring an upgrade. When it was my turn I told Said my name and slid my credit card and id to him with a $20 bill folded between them. I asked him if he had any "complementary upgrades". He smiled knowingly and said he'd see what he could do. He found a newly renovated room for us pretty quickly. Then he says he isn't supposed to do this until later but he got me into a suite for $85 more. I jumped on the $1,200 a night room which ended up costing me about $225/night.
The room was also newly renovated with a separate living area with a 42" plasma tv, wet bar and 2 separate bathrooms (one with a huge jacuzzi tub). It was great. I'll try the tip thing every time now.
One other thing about Vegas you should know. When catching a cab to or from the airport, make sure you tell them to NOT take the freeway. They'll tell you it's faster but it's about 10 miles longer, not faster and will cost you double. On the way from the airport I was ready to say "no freeway" but he was on the right going away from the freeway so I didn't think I had to. At the last second, he swerves left and says "I'll take the freeway, it's faster" and before I could even say a word it was too late. $22 for that trip. On the way back it was $12 without taking the freeway. It's 4 freakin' miles from the airport to the strip. There's no reason to drive 14 miles around the city. Assholes....
I did learn from one cab driver that while the law officially states no open intoxicants on the street or in cabs, no one will say anything to you. He told us that as long as the person isn't so drunk that they'll spill their drink that it's ok to just bring your beer into the cab. I tried this, no problem.
I didn't see anyone famous this trip but I did see 3 new Rolls Royce Phantom's in front of casino's. Very cool car, and apparently the new choice of the rich and spoiled, I mean famous.
Too bad I'm not going to be there next week, Paris Hilton is hosting a Halloween party at the LAX club at the Luxor. Bummer...
I'll post more later as I start remembering what actually happened...
Friday, October 19, 2007
It's a total undular bore
For those of you who are weather geeks (you know who I'm talking about) or maybe you like to go outside during a storm and look at the sky, here's video of giant atmospheric bore waves rolling over Iowa (courtesy of NASA).
And now on to the always not popular bowling update. 628 on Wednesday with a horrible 168 start, followed by the most god-awful 243 you'd ever see and a 217.
Thursday went a little better as I fired 235, 255, 242 for 732. Had at least 6 strikes in a row in each game. My average in that league is now 226 after 3 weeks.
As it's Friday, I'll probably work a half day. I really need to get my office put back together again so it's not hanging over me while I'm in Vegas. My hockey league is starting the winter season tonight as well, first game at 8:30.
As for Vegas, we leave Sunday morning, flying Midwest Airlines out of Milwaukee. We return Wednesday afternoon. We'll be staying at the Paris, I'm hoping I can get an upgraded room with a view of the Bellagio Fountains. I'm going to try the $20 tip suggestion offered here.
I'm planning on betting on some football games, just not sure which ones yet, and playing craps mostly. I'll probably do a little blackjack and I was thinking I'd try pai-gao poker, haven't played that before.
That's all for now, I might post from Vegas from my iPhone if I feel like it. It'll probably just be pictures of drunk people...
And now on to the always not popular bowling update. 628 on Wednesday with a horrible 168 start, followed by the most god-awful 243 you'd ever see and a 217.
Thursday went a little better as I fired 235, 255, 242 for 732. Had at least 6 strikes in a row in each game. My average in that league is now 226 after 3 weeks.
As it's Friday, I'll probably work a half day. I really need to get my office put back together again so it's not hanging over me while I'm in Vegas. My hockey league is starting the winter season tonight as well, first game at 8:30.
As for Vegas, we leave Sunday morning, flying Midwest Airlines out of Milwaukee. We return Wednesday afternoon. We'll be staying at the Paris, I'm hoping I can get an upgraded room with a view of the Bellagio Fountains. I'm going to try the $20 tip suggestion offered here.
I'm planning on betting on some football games, just not sure which ones yet, and playing craps mostly. I'll probably do a little blackjack and I was thinking I'd try pai-gao poker, haven't played that before.
That's all for now, I might post from Vegas from my iPhone if I feel like it. It'll probably just be pictures of drunk people...
Monday, October 15, 2007
Office Flooring done
Finished the trim tonight, here's a couple of pictures before I put my office back together again. I'll take a couple more after that is done too.
Almost good enough
Well, the Ice Cube open ended in frustrating fashion. For some reason my driving, which is usually the best part of my game, left me. I hit only 2 fairways and didn't really hit a great drive until 18. My iron game picked up for it the most part but I ended up getting in trouble too often off the tee; 2 toppped drives, 3 that ended up under a tree and twice I had to try to hit over trees only to catch part of the tree and carom off into more trouble. Still, a couple shots here or there and I would have finished in the money at least. I ended up shooting an 86 (40/46), my 4th straight 86, and with a 15 handicap I ended up at even par 71, net.
The front 9 was pretty strange. I 3 putted for double bogey on 1, 3 putted for bogey on 2 and 3 putted for double on 6. I parred the other 6 holes, 5 of them by sinking a 1-putt.
Back 9, the 2 par 5's cost me. And again, it was the driver. Both drives left me in trouble and I ended up double bogeying both of them. Those 2 holes are usually my bread and butter but not Saturday. Oh well, there's always next year.
Yesterday I worked on my office. I got all the flooring down but it was a pain in the ass. Since I had already done the hall way, I needed to work backwards from the door into the room, which is opposite how the flooring should go down. Instead of locking the tongue into the groove, I had to do it in reverse. Made for a difficult time at best. I'll try to finish the trim tonight and maybe Tuesday I can get the room put back together again. I'll be very happy when this is over. Of course, there are still 20 things on the "honey-do" list...
Packers held on to win a tough defensive battle against the Redskins yesterday. The D really came through this time as the O struggled to do much of anything. Favre was picked off twice and really should have been picked off 5 times but the Redskins dropped the passes he threw to them several times. Charles Woodson came up with a big fumble recovery that he raced to the end zone with and Nick Barnett came up with a huge stop on 4th and 3 to seal the game.
The Badgers... um, well, uh... their D has been exposed and it's become obvious they were no where as good as the writers had initially predicted. Hello Alamo Bowl... maybe. Luckily they get Northern Illinois this week.
We leave for Vegas this Sunday. Won't be able to bet on the Packers since this is their bye week. I'll probably bet a few other games and the world series. Looks like the Rockies will not lose.
The front 9 was pretty strange. I 3 putted for double bogey on 1, 3 putted for bogey on 2 and 3 putted for double on 6. I parred the other 6 holes, 5 of them by sinking a 1-putt.
Back 9, the 2 par 5's cost me. And again, it was the driver. Both drives left me in trouble and I ended up double bogeying both of them. Those 2 holes are usually my bread and butter but not Saturday. Oh well, there's always next year.
Yesterday I worked on my office. I got all the flooring down but it was a pain in the ass. Since I had already done the hall way, I needed to work backwards from the door into the room, which is opposite how the flooring should go down. Instead of locking the tongue into the groove, I had to do it in reverse. Made for a difficult time at best. I'll try to finish the trim tonight and maybe Tuesday I can get the room put back together again. I'll be very happy when this is over. Of course, there are still 20 things on the "honey-do" list...
Packers held on to win a tough defensive battle against the Redskins yesterday. The D really came through this time as the O struggled to do much of anything. Favre was picked off twice and really should have been picked off 5 times but the Redskins dropped the passes he threw to them several times. Charles Woodson came up with a big fumble recovery that he raced to the end zone with and Nick Barnett came up with a huge stop on 4th and 3 to seal the game.
The Badgers... um, well, uh... their D has been exposed and it's become obvious they were no where as good as the writers had initially predicted. Hello Alamo Bowl... maybe. Luckily they get Northern Illinois this week.
We leave for Vegas this Sunday. Won't be able to bet on the Packers since this is their bye week. I'll probably bet a few other games and the world series. Looks like the Rockies will not lose.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Final Room
As you know I've been working on putting in new flooring in the house. I'm in the middle of working on my office currently. Last weekend I got everything out of the room and tore up the carpet. I bought some paint and primer from Home Depot and after priming Sunday I painted Monday and Tuesday nights.
I decided to use a different paint than I've used throughout the rest of the house and I'm not happy with it at all. In the past I've always used Sherwin Williams paint. It's pretty expensive but I've always been happy with it and it's worked great. This time, however, we bought Behr paint from Home Depot and while the color is great, the paint itself sucks. Taking the tape off the walls takes the paint right with it. I've had to be very careful to not just rip the tape off or I'd pull entire sheets of paint right with it. I won't use that paint again. I should know better, you get what you pay for, I say it all the time.
That said, I do think it looks nice. I'll get the flooring done this weekend and post a couple pictures so you can judge for yourself.
Bowled last night and shot a 710 (265, 235, 210) and won $20 in Keggler's Kash again. Weird thing, now that it's colder out the a/c was off at the lanes. Unfortunately you put a ton of guys in one area and it got hot in a hurry. They finally turned the a/c on at the start of the 3rd game (full blast!) and the oil evaporated almost instantly. Shots that were normally right there were all of a sudden diving right into the head pin. I never got adjusted right, which explains the last game's score. I did manage to be open-free. Just one split on the night too. We won the first game easily but lost the next 2 and ended up tying for total pins! That sucked...
Saturday marks the last golf tournament of the season, the Ice Cube Open at Door Creek. Typically it is 45, sleeting and 25 mph winds for this tourney but it looks like it will be sunny and about 60 for this one. Can't wait. We'll probably have a frost delay though as the overnight temp is supposed to be about 34.
A week from Sunday we leave for Vegas with Dr. Mike and his wife. We're staying at the Paris this time. We haven't stayed there before but have been in it many times. I better start refreshing my craps strategies again. Oh, and loading up my iPhone with movies for the flights! ;)
I decided to use a different paint than I've used throughout the rest of the house and I'm not happy with it at all. In the past I've always used Sherwin Williams paint. It's pretty expensive but I've always been happy with it and it's worked great. This time, however, we bought Behr paint from Home Depot and while the color is great, the paint itself sucks. Taking the tape off the walls takes the paint right with it. I've had to be very careful to not just rip the tape off or I'd pull entire sheets of paint right with it. I won't use that paint again. I should know better, you get what you pay for, I say it all the time.
That said, I do think it looks nice. I'll get the flooring done this weekend and post a couple pictures so you can judge for yourself.
Bowled last night and shot a 710 (265, 235, 210) and won $20 in Keggler's Kash again. Weird thing, now that it's colder out the a/c was off at the lanes. Unfortunately you put a ton of guys in one area and it got hot in a hurry. They finally turned the a/c on at the start of the 3rd game (full blast!) and the oil evaporated almost instantly. Shots that were normally right there were all of a sudden diving right into the head pin. I never got adjusted right, which explains the last game's score. I did manage to be open-free. Just one split on the night too. We won the first game easily but lost the next 2 and ended up tying for total pins! That sucked...
Saturday marks the last golf tournament of the season, the Ice Cube Open at Door Creek. Typically it is 45, sleeting and 25 mph winds for this tourney but it looks like it will be sunny and about 60 for this one. Can't wait. We'll probably have a frost delay though as the overnight temp is supposed to be about 34.
A week from Sunday we leave for Vegas with Dr. Mike and his wife. We're staying at the Paris this time. We haven't stayed there before but have been in it many times. I better start refreshing my craps strategies again. Oh, and loading up my iPhone with movies for the flights! ;)
Monday, October 08, 2007
Laying a big turd
That's exactly what the Packers did last night in losing to the Bears. National tv, huge game against their biggest rivals and they dropped a deuce on the 50.
Instead of the run and gun offense we've seen the first 4 games, they decided to run the ball. And it worked in the first half when they had a chance to bury the Bears. They put up 341 yards of offense and 17 points in the first 2 quarters but it could have been 31-3 at the half very easily if not for James Jones fumbling twice deep in Chicago territory to ruin drives.
2nd half was a joke. No offense at all, ultra conservative play calling (to McCarthy's defense, they never had good field position), tons of penalties and 3 more turnovers all lead to allowing the Bears back in the game and eventually the win.
Even on the last drive, it was just what the doctor ordered. 2 minutes left with 1 timeout and Brett Favre on the field. Unfortunately they took their sweet ass time and blew 90 seconds just getting to mid-field. They ended up taking 2 shots down the field from the 35, one of them being dropped inside the 15 by James Jones (what a horrendous game for the rookie) and the last a hail mary to the end zone that Donald Driver couldn't come up with and was intercepted.
Made me sick...
Went golfing on Saturday and it was a beautiful 87 degree day. Don't see that on October 6th too often. Felt like July all over again. Me, Dr. Mike, Retro and Balderdash played Foxboro in Oregon. It was the first time I'd played it. The owners of Door Creek bought it with the old head pro and they've done some really nice work there. The greens were in great shape. They were pretty fast and very sloped which surprised me. The fairways and rough were all nice and green. There are no sand traps on the course, which is a little weird but there are plenty of trees and lots of water to make things interesting.
The course is laid out a little oddly though. Par 36 on the front, mostly through the trees. Par 34 on the back, which meanders through a development and you end up having to drive your cart under a highway then back through the neighborhood. Still, the holes were set up nicely and I enjoyed the course. I shot an 87 (41/46). I should have done much better. The 41 on the front included 2 4-putts (did I mention that the greens were super sloped?) and 2 birdies. I had a good look at eagle on the first par 5 after driver/6 iron to about 15 feet. I made the tap in birdie then birdied the next hole after a good drive and a sand wedge to about 4 feet. Back 9 I 3 putted for bogey on the first 2 holes and eventually started struggling a little bit. I hit 8 of 13 fairways and 8 greens in regulation but ended up with 40 putts. I don't think any of us putted well. Balderdash had about a 12 foot downhill putt from the fringe that went all the way off the front of the green, about 60 feet away.
Yesterday was spent tearing apart my office to get ready for the flooring. Took quite a while to go through everything and throw out a bunch of junk, then take my giant 7 piece desk apart and move it out of the room. After that was done and the carpet was ripped out, I primed the walls. I'll be painting tonight and tomorrow night. Picked up a dark blue (it's called sapphire something or other) which will require 2 coats and a primer. Plan is to do the flooring Sunday (Ice Cube Open on Saturday) and be finished so that I can go to Vegas the following weekend without that hanging over me.
Instead of the run and gun offense we've seen the first 4 games, they decided to run the ball. And it worked in the first half when they had a chance to bury the Bears. They put up 341 yards of offense and 17 points in the first 2 quarters but it could have been 31-3 at the half very easily if not for James Jones fumbling twice deep in Chicago territory to ruin drives.
2nd half was a joke. No offense at all, ultra conservative play calling (to McCarthy's defense, they never had good field position), tons of penalties and 3 more turnovers all lead to allowing the Bears back in the game and eventually the win.
Even on the last drive, it was just what the doctor ordered. 2 minutes left with 1 timeout and Brett Favre on the field. Unfortunately they took their sweet ass time and blew 90 seconds just getting to mid-field. They ended up taking 2 shots down the field from the 35, one of them being dropped inside the 15 by James Jones (what a horrendous game for the rookie) and the last a hail mary to the end zone that Donald Driver couldn't come up with and was intercepted.
Made me sick...
Went golfing on Saturday and it was a beautiful 87 degree day. Don't see that on October 6th too often. Felt like July all over again. Me, Dr. Mike, Retro and Balderdash played Foxboro in Oregon. It was the first time I'd played it. The owners of Door Creek bought it with the old head pro and they've done some really nice work there. The greens were in great shape. They were pretty fast and very sloped which surprised me. The fairways and rough were all nice and green. There are no sand traps on the course, which is a little weird but there are plenty of trees and lots of water to make things interesting.
The course is laid out a little oddly though. Par 36 on the front, mostly through the trees. Par 34 on the back, which meanders through a development and you end up having to drive your cart under a highway then back through the neighborhood. Still, the holes were set up nicely and I enjoyed the course. I shot an 87 (41/46). I should have done much better. The 41 on the front included 2 4-putts (did I mention that the greens were super sloped?) and 2 birdies. I had a good look at eagle on the first par 5 after driver/6 iron to about 15 feet. I made the tap in birdie then birdied the next hole after a good drive and a sand wedge to about 4 feet. Back 9 I 3 putted for bogey on the first 2 holes and eventually started struggling a little bit. I hit 8 of 13 fairways and 8 greens in regulation but ended up with 40 putts. I don't think any of us putted well. Balderdash had about a 12 foot downhill putt from the fringe that went all the way off the front of the green, about 60 feet away.
Yesterday was spent tearing apart my office to get ready for the flooring. Took quite a while to go through everything and throw out a bunch of junk, then take my giant 7 piece desk apart and move it out of the room. After that was done and the carpet was ripped out, I primed the walls. I'll be painting tonight and tomorrow night. Picked up a dark blue (it's called sapphire something or other) which will require 2 coats and a primer. Plan is to do the flooring Sunday (Ice Cube Open on Saturday) and be finished so that I can go to Vegas the following weekend without that hanging over me.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Old age and treachery
MC made a comment yesterday when I sent out the bowling lineup for last night that we were going with the old guy lineup (because me, CB and Grinder were all bowling). And after the "young boy" lineup we had last week getting crushed, it was probably a good idea.
And it turned out that the "old guy" lineup was the right way to go as we dismantled a very good team, winning 7-0. Just goes to show you that old age and treachery will win out every time.
I shot 657 with a fairly consistent night. I also won $20 in the "Keggler's Cash" bet. You can bet up to $5 a game on yourself and based on your average you have to get strikes in certain frames to win. For me, I had to strike in the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th and 10th frames, which I did in the first game and won 10x my bet. Of course, I do this every week so I'm still behind... But, add in 2 more card game wins (the first was a HUGE pot) and I've probably paid for my bowling each week already.
So, suck it youngsters!
And it turned out that the "old guy" lineup was the right way to go as we dismantled a very good team, winning 7-0. Just goes to show you that old age and treachery will win out every time.
I shot 657 with a fairly consistent night. I also won $20 in the "Keggler's Cash" bet. You can bet up to $5 a game on yourself and based on your average you have to get strikes in certain frames to win. For me, I had to strike in the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th and 10th frames, which I did in the first game and won 10x my bet. Of course, I do this every week so I'm still behind... But, add in 2 more card game wins (the first was a HUGE pot) and I've probably paid for my bowling each week already.
So, suck it youngsters!
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Quick Update
Once again, I have to apologize for being so lax in posting. I have been unbelievably busy, both at work and at home. Seems like I never have a minute to just sit back and relax.
After a one week delay in our hockey playoffs, due to some nutcase with a death wish, we played our 2 playoff games Thursay and Friday.
Unfortunately, we lost Thursday's game and had to play Friday for 3rd place. We ended up having to play the 2nd place team from the regular season (who lost to the 3rd place team on Thursday). We hadn't beaten them once the entire year but we came out firing and my line scored 2 in our first shift. I scored the first with a no look backhander from in close that the goalie probably never saw and set up the 2nd with a feed across the slot to a breaking defenseman for a tap in empty netter.
We went on to win 6-4 to take 3rd place. Better than 4th! :)
On the weekend I ended up doing the flooring in the upstairs hallway and closet. Went pretty well and still had time to watch some football and go to my niece's 2nd b-day party. Also another opportunity to show off the iPhone. It's still kick ass. I used the camera to take a few pictures of the niece and nephew with ice cream and cake all over their faces. Family was impressed by the "pinch" zoom feature on the pictures.
Brewers... I'm disappointed that they didn't make the playoffs but they're very young and I didn't expect that much from them. If they can re-sign Cordero and keep this nucleus together they will be very tough next year. Ah, battle cry of the losers - "WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR!"
And how about them Packers? I believe Favre has finally learned to be patient in his old age. In years past he would throw short pass, short pass, short pass.. oh fuck it, and chuck one way down the field where it was picked off. Now he's taking what the D will allow and moving the team with the patience of someone his age. Big test against the Bears Sunday night, I can't wait. Brian Griese... bwaahaahhahahaha
After a one week delay in our hockey playoffs, due to some nutcase with a death wish, we played our 2 playoff games Thursay and Friday.
Unfortunately, we lost Thursday's game and had to play Friday for 3rd place. We ended up having to play the 2nd place team from the regular season (who lost to the 3rd place team on Thursday). We hadn't beaten them once the entire year but we came out firing and my line scored 2 in our first shift. I scored the first with a no look backhander from in close that the goalie probably never saw and set up the 2nd with a feed across the slot to a breaking defenseman for a tap in empty netter.
We went on to win 6-4 to take 3rd place. Better than 4th! :)
On the weekend I ended up doing the flooring in the upstairs hallway and closet. Went pretty well and still had time to watch some football and go to my niece's 2nd b-day party. Also another opportunity to show off the iPhone. It's still kick ass. I used the camera to take a few pictures of the niece and nephew with ice cream and cake all over their faces. Family was impressed by the "pinch" zoom feature on the pictures.
Brewers... I'm disappointed that they didn't make the playoffs but they're very young and I didn't expect that much from them. If they can re-sign Cordero and keep this nucleus together they will be very tough next year. Ah, battle cry of the losers - "WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR!"
And how about them Packers? I believe Favre has finally learned to be patient in his old age. In years past he would throw short pass, short pass, short pass.. oh fuck it, and chuck one way down the field where it was picked off. Now he's taking what the D will allow and moving the team with the patience of someone his age. Big test against the Bears Sunday night, I can't wait. Brian Griese... bwaahaahhahahaha
Monday, September 24, 2007
It's been... one week
First, I'd like to apologize for not posting for a week. That's pretty lame.
Here's my excuse: I'm busy!
I know, that's a pathetic excuse but it's true.
One of our key Java architects is leaving Wednesday for good... and who has to replace him? That's right, yours truly. As if I didn't have enough to do already. It's making my life a tad stressful.
So, what's happened in a week? Well, quite a bit actually!
Wednesday - bowling. Shot a 60-something, don't remember which. Just hitting my average or there-abouts.
Thursday - supposed to be a playoff game but some jackass who doesn't care about anyone else AND lives right behind the rink decided Thursday sounded like a good day to tell his family he felt like killing himself and others. Police standoff. Hockey canceled at 6:24. At 6:28 he gives up. Good god man, you couldn't have given up 5 minutes earlier or better yet, just blow your freakin' brains out around 1:00 so we can get on with our lives. So, no hockey, rescheduled for this week, now we have to play Thursday and Friday! Can you say smelly equipment? I think I'll just leave everything outside overnight.
Friday - got out at noon, supposed to go golfing. Nothing works out right so I end up at a crappy local course (Yahara) in 30 mph winds. I shot 88 with a 9 on one hole. Otherwise not too bad.
Saturday - started work on Cdubya's room to replace the carpet with laminate hardwood flooring. Got most of it done then we had to go to couples bowling. Shot another 615 or something (can't seem to get off that). Then we went to Cannery Grill in Sun Prairie. Pretty neat place, used to be a Dole processing plant so it has that industrial feel to it. I guess it was going to be a Great Dane brew pub at one point but the stupid law about one place having more than 2 brewing facilities in one area forbids it so that went out the window. Would have been a great place for a brew pub.
Caught some of the Badger/Iowa game there and the rest at home. They won but it wasn't pretty.
Sunday - Finished the flooring and trim in her room while watching the Brewers get royally jacked by the umps. It's not looking good for the true blue brew crew. Down 3 1/2 with a week to go. Afterwards (about 5:00) we finally sat down and watched the dvr'd Packer game. That was fun! Brett free-wheeling it with basically no running game at all. Awesome. 3-0, who would have thought? Not me, that's for sure.
And here we are on Monday, gonna do it all again. Every Monday feels the same. This will be the week I get a lot of stuff done and by Thursday I realize I ran out of time again... maybe next week!
Oh yeah, iPhone update!
I LOVE IT! It's so much fun. Everyone should have one.
Only one thing I found weird. On Saturday I was at bowl-a-vard lanes and there's basically no AT&T signal there for some reason but they do have wi-fi which I connected the iPhone to. Only problem was that without a cell signal I still couldn't browse the web even with wi-fi. I'll have to investigate that some more.
That's it for now, enjoy your week and pray for the Cubs to fall apart as only the Cubs can. :)
Here's my excuse: I'm busy!
I know, that's a pathetic excuse but it's true.
One of our key Java architects is leaving Wednesday for good... and who has to replace him? That's right, yours truly. As if I didn't have enough to do already. It's making my life a tad stressful.
So, what's happened in a week? Well, quite a bit actually!
Wednesday - bowling. Shot a 60-something, don't remember which. Just hitting my average or there-abouts.
Thursday - supposed to be a playoff game but some jackass who doesn't care about anyone else AND lives right behind the rink decided Thursday sounded like a good day to tell his family he felt like killing himself and others. Police standoff. Hockey canceled at 6:24. At 6:28 he gives up. Good god man, you couldn't have given up 5 minutes earlier or better yet, just blow your freakin' brains out around 1:00 so we can get on with our lives. So, no hockey, rescheduled for this week, now we have to play Thursday and Friday! Can you say smelly equipment? I think I'll just leave everything outside overnight.
Friday - got out at noon, supposed to go golfing. Nothing works out right so I end up at a crappy local course (Yahara) in 30 mph winds. I shot 88 with a 9 on one hole. Otherwise not too bad.
Saturday - started work on Cdubya's room to replace the carpet with laminate hardwood flooring. Got most of it done then we had to go to couples bowling. Shot another 615 or something (can't seem to get off that). Then we went to Cannery Grill in Sun Prairie. Pretty neat place, used to be a Dole processing plant so it has that industrial feel to it. I guess it was going to be a Great Dane brew pub at one point but the stupid law about one place having more than 2 brewing facilities in one area forbids it so that went out the window. Would have been a great place for a brew pub.
Caught some of the Badger/Iowa game there and the rest at home. They won but it wasn't pretty.
Sunday - Finished the flooring and trim in her room while watching the Brewers get royally jacked by the umps. It's not looking good for the true blue brew crew. Down 3 1/2 with a week to go. Afterwards (about 5:00) we finally sat down and watched the dvr'd Packer game. That was fun! Brett free-wheeling it with basically no running game at all. Awesome. 3-0, who would have thought? Not me, that's for sure.
And here we are on Monday, gonna do it all again. Every Monday feels the same. This will be the week I get a lot of stuff done and by Thursday I realize I ran out of time again... maybe next week!
Oh yeah, iPhone update!
I LOVE IT! It's so much fun. Everyone should have one.
Only one thing I found weird. On Saturday I was at bowl-a-vard lanes and there's basically no AT&T signal there for some reason but they do have wi-fi which I connected the iPhone to. Only problem was that without a cell signal I still couldn't browse the web even with wi-fi. I'll have to investigate that some more.
That's it for now, enjoy your week and pray for the Cubs to fall apart as only the Cubs can. :)
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Wait, it's Sunday night already?
Whirlwind...
That would describe the pace of this weekend pretty well.
Friday.
Rushing out of work after checking in a ton of code and breaking almost EVERY SINGLE TEST CASE, I had enough time to grab some beer and ice and get the cooler and grill out for our trip to the Brewers/Reds game. We tailgated for a couple hours in 50 degree weather with 20-30mph winds. A tad chilly.
Ben Sheets pretty much ruined the game for us right off the bat as he was hammered for 4 in the first and another in the 2nd. We did get to see Prince Fielder's club record tying 45th homer (he broke the record Saturday night), but it wasn't enough as they lost. I'm 0-3 this year, no more games for me.
Saturday was the 2-man best ball tourney at Door Creek. Dr. Mike and I played pretty well and tied for 3rd place with a 59 net. 52 won it and 58 took 2nd. Mike had an 87 and I had an 86 but I was ready to slit my wrists afterwards. You see, after posting an 8 under par 27 on the front 9 we were not really doing much on the back. On 13 Mike had a penalty so it was pretty much me. I was looking at a 40 foot birdie putt and made a decent run at it but ran it past about 6 feet. Then I missed the par putt coming back, leaving myself another 3 footer for bogey and then I missed that one too! 4-putt double bogey!
I recovered to par 14 somehow. Then Mike birdied the par 5 15th and we were back in it again. We both bogied 16 and then came 17....
Mike started it off by hitting a wild ass slice clear over onto the executive course (out of bounds). I hit a decent drive but it stayed just right of the fairway. Of course, it ended up under a tree but I could hit a wedge and get it over another tree back to the fairway and did just that. I left myself about 85 yards from the middle of the fairway (Mike's hit another tree and at this point I'm not worried about what he does). I hit a pretty nice sand wedge about 12 feet below the hole.
I'm starting to think that a birdie would be nice here and we could get to 56 with a birdie/birdie finish. I hit a pretty good putt but maybe a tad hard and it didn't break as much as it should have and went by about 3 feet. Ok, not a problem. Oops, rammed the par putt by the lip and 3 feet past the hole again. This time I just walked up to it and oh christ I missed it again. 4 putt double bogey after looking at a super makable birdie. I let out the loudest FUCK! ever heard on a golf course (I'm nothing if not classy). On the 18th tee I swung as hard as I possible could and damn near fell as my right foot slipped out (gotta change those spikes). Luckily it went near the fairway by the 150 post. From there I hit a fat 8 iron that landed in front of the green and somehow rolled up to about 8 feet. I guess the golf gods felt sorry for me because I managed to make that putt for birdie.
So, 56 turns into 59 and I'm incredibly depressed as I see that 58 is leading. Jim lets Phil the pro know to keep sharp objects away from me for awhile as I drown my sorrows in some Capital Island Wheat.
Unfortunately I can't just get shit-faced as I Cdubya and I are taking my mom to American Players Theater (outdoor theater for those who don't know) that evening. I go home, shower and we leave for dinner with mom. The play was good ("Missalliance" by George Bernard Shaw) but good grief, it was freezing. By the time the show ended at 11:15, it was 40 degrees! My legs were completely numb.
But today made it all worth it. Not only did the Packers win (whoo hoo!) and the Brewers win (yeah baby!) but I bought an iPhone today! It's pretty cool, the screen is amazing and the set up was super easy. It found my wi-fi network right away and I set up my bluetooth headset in about 10 seconds. I'll post more on it next week after I've had enough "play time".
Phew, and in just a few more hours I get to go to work and start all over again.
That would describe the pace of this weekend pretty well.
Friday.
Rushing out of work after checking in a ton of code and breaking almost EVERY SINGLE TEST CASE, I had enough time to grab some beer and ice and get the cooler and grill out for our trip to the Brewers/Reds game. We tailgated for a couple hours in 50 degree weather with 20-30mph winds. A tad chilly.
Ben Sheets pretty much ruined the game for us right off the bat as he was hammered for 4 in the first and another in the 2nd. We did get to see Prince Fielder's club record tying 45th homer (he broke the record Saturday night), but it wasn't enough as they lost. I'm 0-3 this year, no more games for me.
Saturday was the 2-man best ball tourney at Door Creek. Dr. Mike and I played pretty well and tied for 3rd place with a 59 net. 52 won it and 58 took 2nd. Mike had an 87 and I had an 86 but I was ready to slit my wrists afterwards. You see, after posting an 8 under par 27 on the front 9 we were not really doing much on the back. On 13 Mike had a penalty so it was pretty much me. I was looking at a 40 foot birdie putt and made a decent run at it but ran it past about 6 feet. Then I missed the par putt coming back, leaving myself another 3 footer for bogey and then I missed that one too! 4-putt double bogey!
I recovered to par 14 somehow. Then Mike birdied the par 5 15th and we were back in it again. We both bogied 16 and then came 17....
Mike started it off by hitting a wild ass slice clear over onto the executive course (out of bounds). I hit a decent drive but it stayed just right of the fairway. Of course, it ended up under a tree but I could hit a wedge and get it over another tree back to the fairway and did just that. I left myself about 85 yards from the middle of the fairway (Mike's hit another tree and at this point I'm not worried about what he does). I hit a pretty nice sand wedge about 12 feet below the hole.
I'm starting to think that a birdie would be nice here and we could get to 56 with a birdie/birdie finish. I hit a pretty good putt but maybe a tad hard and it didn't break as much as it should have and went by about 3 feet. Ok, not a problem. Oops, rammed the par putt by the lip and 3 feet past the hole again. This time I just walked up to it and oh christ I missed it again. 4 putt double bogey after looking at a super makable birdie. I let out the loudest FUCK! ever heard on a golf course (I'm nothing if not classy). On the 18th tee I swung as hard as I possible could and damn near fell as my right foot slipped out (gotta change those spikes). Luckily it went near the fairway by the 150 post. From there I hit a fat 8 iron that landed in front of the green and somehow rolled up to about 8 feet. I guess the golf gods felt sorry for me because I managed to make that putt for birdie.
So, 56 turns into 59 and I'm incredibly depressed as I see that 58 is leading. Jim lets Phil the pro know to keep sharp objects away from me for awhile as I drown my sorrows in some Capital Island Wheat.
Unfortunately I can't just get shit-faced as I Cdubya and I are taking my mom to American Players Theater (outdoor theater for those who don't know) that evening. I go home, shower and we leave for dinner with mom. The play was good ("Missalliance" by George Bernard Shaw) but good grief, it was freezing. By the time the show ended at 11:15, it was 40 degrees! My legs were completely numb.
But today made it all worth it. Not only did the Packers win (whoo hoo!) and the Brewers win (yeah baby!) but I bought an iPhone today! It's pretty cool, the screen is amazing and the set up was super easy. It found my wi-fi network right away and I set up my bluetooth headset in about 10 seconds. I'll post more on it next week after I've had enough "play time".
Phew, and in just a few more hours I get to go to work and start all over again.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Regular Season Finale
Well, we lost our final regular season hockey game last night, 4-3. We finished 4-8-1 to end up in last place. We play the first place team in the playoffs next week.
Before hand I bowled in the company league and had 3 Guinness while I was bowling. I think that may have impacted my hockey skills a little. I did have 3 close in opportunities and should have buried at least one of them but I missed the net twice and hit the goalie in the shoulder with the 3rd.
I bowled pretty well, score should have been higher if it weren't for some unlucky shots. I ended up shooting 691 (208, 248, 235). The 2nd game could have easily been a 300. Every ball was buried but I left an 8 pin in the 2nd and 9 pins in the 8th and 9th. And of course, that first night sets our average for the league so now I have to deal with a 230 average. I'm not bowling in that league the next 2 weeks due to hockey playoffs though, so it'll have to wait.
Leaving at 3pm today to go tailgate before the Brewer game. Strange weather we're having too. Only supposed to be in the mid 50's with about a 15 mph nw wind. Tonight it's supposed to get down near freezing and they're saying 34 at 7:30am tomorrow morning. I don't know when my tee time is yet but I hope it's not TOO early!
Ok, back to work. Have a great weekend.
Before hand I bowled in the company league and had 3 Guinness while I was bowling. I think that may have impacted my hockey skills a little. I did have 3 close in opportunities and should have buried at least one of them but I missed the net twice and hit the goalie in the shoulder with the 3rd.
I bowled pretty well, score should have been higher if it weren't for some unlucky shots. I ended up shooting 691 (208, 248, 235). The 2nd game could have easily been a 300. Every ball was buried but I left an 8 pin in the 2nd and 9 pins in the 8th and 9th. And of course, that first night sets our average for the league so now I have to deal with a 230 average. I'm not bowling in that league the next 2 weeks due to hockey playoffs though, so it'll have to wait.
Leaving at 3pm today to go tailgate before the Brewer game. Strange weather we're having too. Only supposed to be in the mid 50's with about a 15 mph nw wind. Tonight it's supposed to get down near freezing and they're saying 34 at 7:30am tomorrow morning. I don't know when my tee time is yet but I hope it's not TOO early!
Ok, back to work. Have a great weekend.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Bowling underway
Sorry for the lack of posts, it's been very hectic lately.
Started bowling again last week and so far I've been consistent but nothing spectacular. Shot 619 last Wednesday, 602 Saturday and 617 last night. No big games, no low games. Kind of boring actually.
Tonight I bowl again right after work and then hockey is at 8:30. 2 more weeks of hockey left for this season after tonight (playoffs).
Quite a busy time of the year. Tomorrow we are going to the Brewer game. It's Robin Yount Bobblehead night! Saturday morning I have a 2 man best ball golf tournament at Door Creek and then Saturday night we're taking my mom to American Players Theater in Spring Green. I still have more flooring to get done upstairs too. Maybe Sunday? I'd rather watch football... sigh.
Ok, off to a meeting, later!
Started bowling again last week and so far I've been consistent but nothing spectacular. Shot 619 last Wednesday, 602 Saturday and 617 last night. No big games, no low games. Kind of boring actually.
Tonight I bowl again right after work and then hockey is at 8:30. 2 more weeks of hockey left for this season after tonight (playoffs).
Quite a busy time of the year. Tomorrow we are going to the Brewer game. It's Robin Yount Bobblehead night! Saturday morning I have a 2 man best ball golf tournament at Door Creek and then Saturday night we're taking my mom to American Players Theater in Spring Green. I still have more flooring to get done upstairs too. Maybe Sunday? I'd rather watch football... sigh.
Ok, off to a meeting, later!
Friday, September 07, 2007
The Great (almost) Comeback
We had an interesting problem at hockey last night. The center on my line (one of our better offensive players) is also a goalie. Last night he played goalie in the game before us (and gave up 10 goals!) and when it came time for our game we found out that due to vacations, injuries, going to college, etc. that we didn't have another goalie for our team so he was going to play. Well, that hurts us both in losing his scoring but also because he just had a horrible game.
We moved another guy to center our line and went at it. Unfortunately, he picked up where he left off the previous game, giving up 4 weak goals in the first period and we couldn't get any offense going. So we're down 4-0 going into the 3rd period and finally our offense starts getting on track. We score 3 in the first 8 minutes to get us close and we tie it up with about 9 minutes left. We kept the attack going and got some really good chances to go ahead but couldn't quite do it (one of my shots hit the underside of the crossbar and dropped straight down, somehow staying out of the goal).
Then with about 4 minutes left the ref called a pretty bad penalty on one of our defenseman. Ok, we can deal with that, we score short handed goals all the time. Unfortunately, they called another penalty on us a minute later, again a cheap call where two players got their legs tangled and fell down. Not sure how they could decide that was a penalty on us, especially in a tie game and already down a man. By the time we got back to full strength there wasn't much time left. We had a few chances but the game ended in a tie. I guess we get the "moral victory" but it still felt disappointing.
We moved another guy to center our line and went at it. Unfortunately, he picked up where he left off the previous game, giving up 4 weak goals in the first period and we couldn't get any offense going. So we're down 4-0 going into the 3rd period and finally our offense starts getting on track. We score 3 in the first 8 minutes to get us close and we tie it up with about 9 minutes left. We kept the attack going and got some really good chances to go ahead but couldn't quite do it (one of my shots hit the underside of the crossbar and dropped straight down, somehow staying out of the goal).
Then with about 4 minutes left the ref called a pretty bad penalty on one of our defenseman. Ok, we can deal with that, we score short handed goals all the time. Unfortunately, they called another penalty on us a minute later, again a cheap call where two players got their legs tangled and fell down. Not sure how they could decide that was a penalty on us, especially in a tie game and already down a man. By the time we got back to full strength there wasn't much time left. We had a few chances but the game ended in a tie. I guess we get the "moral victory" but it still felt disappointing.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Fantasy Football Draft
Last night was the annual OFFL football draft. It's a scoring only league with the points laid out like so:
Rushing TD: 6
Receiving TD: 6
Passing TD: 4
Defense/Special Teams TD: 6
Defense shutout: 6
FG < 50 yards: 3
FG >= 50 yards: 4
Coach victory: 3
I've won this league a few times and won the playoffs after finishing 3rd in the regular season last year.
We start with 4 keepers. Mine were:
Joseph Addai, RB
Steven Jackson, RB
Willie Parker, RB
Terrell Owens, WR
Here's who I picked up (in the order drafted):
Javon Walker, WR
Donald Driver, WR
Philip Rivers, QB
Darrell Jackson, WR
Baltimore Defense
Eli Manning, QB
Shayne Graham, K
Josh Brown, K
Mushin Muhammad, WR
Kellen Winslow, TE
Vernand Morency, RB
Najeh Davenport, RB
Wade Phillips (Dallas), Coach
I should be able to contend once again with that.
After missing the first week of bowling due to golf league, tonight will mark my first night of the season. Unfortunately I can still barely move. My right leg is a little better but my left hamstring is one big knot. I'd be better off if it was the other way around as my left leg is my sliding leg and the one I put most of my weight on at release.
Oh well, wish me luck.
Rushing TD: 6
Receiving TD: 6
Passing TD: 4
Defense/Special Teams TD: 6
Defense shutout: 6
FG < 50 yards: 3
FG >= 50 yards: 4
Coach victory: 3
I've won this league a few times and won the playoffs after finishing 3rd in the regular season last year.
We start with 4 keepers. Mine were:
Joseph Addai, RB
Steven Jackson, RB
Willie Parker, RB
Terrell Owens, WR
Here's who I picked up (in the order drafted):
Javon Walker, WR
Donald Driver, WR
Philip Rivers, QB
Darrell Jackson, WR
Baltimore Defense
Eli Manning, QB
Shayne Graham, K
Josh Brown, K
Mushin Muhammad, WR
Kellen Winslow, TE
Vernand Morency, RB
Najeh Davenport, RB
Wade Phillips (Dallas), Coach
I should be able to contend once again with that.
After missing the first week of bowling due to golf league, tonight will mark my first night of the season. Unfortunately I can still barely move. My right leg is a little better but my left hamstring is one big knot. I'd be better off if it was the other way around as my left leg is my sliding leg and the one I put most of my weight on at release.
Oh well, wish me luck.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
1 down, 3 to go
Picked up 26 boxes of laminate hardwood flooring for the house on Friday and started on room 1 (our master bedroom) on Sunday (Saturday was Badger game, they won 42-21 over WAZZU, and I enjoyed it).
Finished ripping up the carpet and putting down the new floor Sunday night (about 11 hours worth of work). Finished all the trim work yesterday and got to sit down around 5:00 to watch the final round of the PGA. After which I was unable to get up. My body pretty much was very angry with me for abusing it for 2 solid days.
Unfortunately I'm just getting started. I have 2 more rooms plus the hallway upstairs still to do and Cdubya would like that done pretty soon. Unfortunately I'm not sure how long it will be before I can actually walk normally again. My inner thighs and ass are in knots, I can barely walk today. The thought of having to do the upstairs makes me hurt even more. Maybe I should just hire my brother to do it... I'm getting too old for this shit.
Not sure how bowling is going to go tomorrow night. If I had to bowl tonight I couldn't. Of course, there's no rest for the weary as our fantasy football draft is tonight. That shouldn't take too much physical effort at least...
Finished ripping up the carpet and putting down the new floor Sunday night (about 11 hours worth of work). Finished all the trim work yesterday and got to sit down around 5:00 to watch the final round of the PGA. After which I was unable to get up. My body pretty much was very angry with me for abusing it for 2 solid days.
Unfortunately I'm just getting started. I have 2 more rooms plus the hallway upstairs still to do and Cdubya would like that done pretty soon. Unfortunately I'm not sure how long it will be before I can actually walk normally again. My inner thighs and ass are in knots, I can barely walk today. The thought of having to do the upstairs makes me hurt even more. Maybe I should just hire my brother to do it... I'm getting too old for this shit.
Not sure how bowling is going to go tomorrow night. If I had to bowl tonight I couldn't. Of course, there's no rest for the weary as our fantasy football draft is tonight. That shouldn't take too much physical effort at least...
Thursday, August 30, 2007
2nd Place
Balderdash and I succeeded in capturing 2nd place in golf league last night. It was a nail biter but we won 16.5 to 13.5.
Now that it's over, it's bowling time. I'll be starting 2 leagues next week.
Tonight starts the home stretch for hockey. 3 more games until the playoffs. I think we're probably in last right now. Time to turn it on! Last time we played tonight's opponent they beat us 7-2. We have some payback to give.
Now that it's over, it's bowling time. I'll be starting 2 leagues next week.
Tonight starts the home stretch for hockey. 3 more games until the playoffs. I think we're probably in last right now. Time to turn it on! Last time we played tonight's opponent they beat us 7-2. We have some payback to give.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Last night of golf league
It appears that the rain may be done for awhile now and we should be able to get in our last night of golf league. Balderdash and I are playing for 2nd place. One team won both halves so there's no first place playoff.
Tonight also marks the beginning of bowling league. We switched leagues and moved from Bowl-a-vard Lanes to Dream Lanes. I'll have to miss the first night because of golf.
I hate this time of the year, feels like my golf season is slipping away and snow can't be far down the road. Bowling season may be the longest season ever, running well into April. In addition to Wednesday league I'll also be bowling half time on Thursdays in the company league and every other week on Saturdays for couples league. After getting my 300 last year finally, my goal this year is to get an 800 series. Closest I've been is 787, I think.
Saturday marks the kickoff of Badger football. We're going to the game, which is against Washington State. I have experience in booing Wazzu from my years in Seattle going to Husky games. Should be a blow-out in favor of the 7th ranked Badgers.
I'll spend Sunday and Monday of the holiday weekend putting in new laminate flooring that we ordered Monday from Drexel Interiors. I'll be doing our master bedroom this weekend and at some point doing both rooms and the hallway upstairs. Hardest part of the whole thing is getting the furniture out of the room and putting it somewhere else. Not sure where we'll sleep Sunday night if the bedroom isn't done...
That's it for now, enjoy the coming sunshine!
Tonight also marks the beginning of bowling league. We switched leagues and moved from Bowl-a-vard Lanes to Dream Lanes. I'll have to miss the first night because of golf.
I hate this time of the year, feels like my golf season is slipping away and snow can't be far down the road. Bowling season may be the longest season ever, running well into April. In addition to Wednesday league I'll also be bowling half time on Thursdays in the company league and every other week on Saturdays for couples league. After getting my 300 last year finally, my goal this year is to get an 800 series. Closest I've been is 787, I think.
Saturday marks the kickoff of Badger football. We're going to the game, which is against Washington State. I have experience in booing Wazzu from my years in Seattle going to Husky games. Should be a blow-out in favor of the 7th ranked Badgers.
I'll spend Sunday and Monday of the holiday weekend putting in new laminate flooring that we ordered Monday from Drexel Interiors. I'll be doing our master bedroom this weekend and at some point doing both rooms and the hallway upstairs. Hardest part of the whole thing is getting the furniture out of the room and putting it somewhere else. Not sure where we'll sleep Sunday night if the bedroom isn't done...
That's it for now, enjoy the coming sunshine!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Oh Come on already!
This is just getting stupid now. Forecast for today was sunny and 84. So, what happens? A huge storm rolls through this morning and once again we have pouring rain to soak an already saturated landscape.
To make matters worse, almost all the golf courses are closed again. League tonight was canceled again and with more rain coming tomorrow and Wednesday it doesn't look good for Wednesday night either.
I did get out and play 18 Sunday morning at Door Creek but it was soaked. Squish, squish, squish on every step. And with all the rain, the fairways and rough hadn't been mowed in over a week so they were really long and thick (that's what she said). I shot an 89 which could have been better and could have been worse. Nothing really affected by all the water much except the 3rd hole when I pushed my drive into a very wet tree area and had to try to chip out twice from the puddles and mud. That was fun...
On a downer note, we put down our cat, Morticia, Saturday. She was 17 and her health was failing quickly. She was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism a month ago. We got medication but it didn't do anything. She ate and ate and defecated everywhere, loosing weight till she was down to 4 lbs. I decided that enough was enough, she wasn't enjoying life any more and constantly having to clean up messes was wearing on my patience. That's 2 animals this year, hopefully no more for another 7 or 8 years!
Work is really busy so I'm not sure how often I'll be posting. As you can tell by the time on this post, I didn't get around to my normal morning posting...
To make matters worse, almost all the golf courses are closed again. League tonight was canceled again and with more rain coming tomorrow and Wednesday it doesn't look good for Wednesday night either.
I did get out and play 18 Sunday morning at Door Creek but it was soaked. Squish, squish, squish on every step. And with all the rain, the fairways and rough hadn't been mowed in over a week so they were really long and thick (that's what she said). I shot an 89 which could have been better and could have been worse. Nothing really affected by all the water much except the 3rd hole when I pushed my drive into a very wet tree area and had to try to chip out twice from the puddles and mud. That was fun...
On a downer note, we put down our cat, Morticia, Saturday. She was 17 and her health was failing quickly. She was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism a month ago. We got medication but it didn't do anything. She ate and ate and defecated everywhere, loosing weight till she was down to 4 lbs. I decided that enough was enough, she wasn't enjoying life any more and constantly having to clean up messes was wearing on my patience. That's 2 animals this year, hopefully no more for another 7 or 8 years!
Work is really busy so I'm not sure how often I'll be posting. As you can tell by the time on this post, I didn't get around to my normal morning posting...
Friday, August 24, 2007
Winning Streak ends at 1
That's really not much of a streak. We followed up our good play from last week with another really good game. Unfortunately their goalie made the big saves while ours didn't. That's pretty much how our league goes. If you have the better goalie you'll win. We out shot the other team by at least a 2-1 margin but every time they had a shot close in they scored.
My line continued to get better as we scored all 4 of our goals in the 7-4 loss. I had another goal on a backdoor tip in off a pass from the left defenseman. I had a backhand rebound chance that rang off the pipe, at least the 4th pipe I've hit this season. That's pretty much how we go, no luck.
I was lucky to escape injury too. I was crashing the net for a rebound when the defenseman caught me under the chin with his stick and snapped my head back. To add insult to injury, they ended up with a breakaway and scored while I lay face down behind the net. No penalty called because they couldn't tell what happened from the angle the closest ref had, even though the defenseman was telling them he hit me in the face with his stick and was telling them to blow the whistle. I'm feeling a little sore today but otherwise fine. I know the defenseman that did it and he would never intentionally do something like that and was very apologetic. I'm just glad it wasn't any worse.
Apparently after today the rain will stop for 3 days or so... we'll see.
My line continued to get better as we scored all 4 of our goals in the 7-4 loss. I had another goal on a backdoor tip in off a pass from the left defenseman. I had a backhand rebound chance that rang off the pipe, at least the 4th pipe I've hit this season. That's pretty much how we go, no luck.
I was lucky to escape injury too. I was crashing the net for a rebound when the defenseman caught me under the chin with his stick and snapped my head back. To add insult to injury, they ended up with a breakaway and scored while I lay face down behind the net. No penalty called because they couldn't tell what happened from the angle the closest ref had, even though the defenseman was telling them he hit me in the face with his stick and was telling them to blow the whistle. I'm feeling a little sore today but otherwise fine. I know the defenseman that did it and he would never intentionally do something like that and was very apologetic. I'm just glad it wasn't any worse.
Apparently after today the rain will stop for 3 days or so... we'll see.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Ok, this is just ridiculous
It won't stop raining! Golf league canceled again last night. Looks like the rain that started last Saturday won't stop till some time Friday.
The funny thing is that we're getting brief respites that make you think it might be over then it just hammers you over the head again. I was able to get out and mow the yard quick Tuesday before another storm rolled through. And yesterday was pretty nice for most of the day but all hell broke loose around 3:30, dumping almost 2 inches of rain in a half hour. It let up by 5 or so but the damage had been done, everything was under water. Every stream, river, pond and lake is flooding over. The low lying golf courses are under water. It's not good.
And to top things off we had a scene right out of Final Destination last night. A bus stopped to let off a mother and her young daughter and just as they were stepping off into a puddle lightning hit a power line and knocked it down into the puddle where the 2 were electrocuted. A man on the bus tried to save them and he was electrocuted as well. Unreal...
Another storm is rolling through now, adding to the mess. They're saying the weekend should be nice but who knows how long it will be until the water has soaked in enough to get back out on the course. This totally feels like April, not August. The dogs are going nuts not getting their normal play time outside.
The funny thing is that we're getting brief respites that make you think it might be over then it just hammers you over the head again. I was able to get out and mow the yard quick Tuesday before another storm rolled through. And yesterday was pretty nice for most of the day but all hell broke loose around 3:30, dumping almost 2 inches of rain in a half hour. It let up by 5 or so but the damage had been done, everything was under water. Every stream, river, pond and lake is flooding over. The low lying golf courses are under water. It's not good.
And to top things off we had a scene right out of Final Destination last night. A bus stopped to let off a mother and her young daughter and just as they were stepping off into a puddle lightning hit a power line and knocked it down into the puddle where the 2 were electrocuted. A man on the bus tried to save them and he was electrocuted as well. Unreal...
Another storm is rolling through now, adding to the mess. They're saying the weekend should be nice but who knows how long it will be until the water has soaked in enough to get back out on the course. This totally feels like April, not August. The dogs are going nuts not getting their normal play time outside.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Waterlogged Club Championship
6 inches of rain do not help golf tournaments... or anything else for that matter.
Around 9am Saturday morning the rain started and it still hasn't stopped (other than a few brief moments). We played round 1 of the club championship in a constant rain and it didn't go well for anyone in our 4-some (or most of the players). It was a very long, slow, wet day that featured rooster-tails on the greens, soggy shoes, wet grips and general malaise.
I started out ok and probably would have had a nice front 9 if I hadn't made a couple mistakes and blew up on 2 holes (7 over for those 2 while the remaining 7 consisted of 5 pars and 2 bogeys). In the increasing rain of the back 9 I pretty much fell apart. I ended up shooting 93 (44/49) which put me tied for 3rd to last in the 1st flight.
Afterwards they still held the long drive contest (though fewer people participated than usual due to the rain). In the preliminary round I placed 2nd (274 behind a 281). It just happened to stop raining for about 15 minutes while we were hitting. That qualified me for the final of my flight. Of course, that was 2 hours and 5 beers later. By the time we got out there at 7:30 it was almost dark and completely pouring. You couldn't even see the drives after about 20 yards. The first person missed the fairway all 3 times. The 2nd guy (the 281 guy) went and missed on 2 but hit the fairway once with a nice drive, but it only went 221. I thought I would win easily. I can hit my hybrid that far... I hit my first 2 left but my last one I hit really well down the middle. I thought I would win easily... until they radioed in the distance. 2 - 1 - 9. 219! That's it!?!?!? I guess pouring rain will do that to a ball. I lost by 2 yards and missed out on the $75 prize.
The 2nd round was canceled as I knew it would be since at least 3 greens were under water when we left Saturday night. Oh well. I think most of the courses in the area are closed and it's not supposed to stop raining until Friday or so. Doesn't feel like mid-August, it's more like October. That's the first time it's rained in the CC for at least 10 years.
Around 9am Saturday morning the rain started and it still hasn't stopped (other than a few brief moments). We played round 1 of the club championship in a constant rain and it didn't go well for anyone in our 4-some (or most of the players). It was a very long, slow, wet day that featured rooster-tails on the greens, soggy shoes, wet grips and general malaise.
I started out ok and probably would have had a nice front 9 if I hadn't made a couple mistakes and blew up on 2 holes (7 over for those 2 while the remaining 7 consisted of 5 pars and 2 bogeys). In the increasing rain of the back 9 I pretty much fell apart. I ended up shooting 93 (44/49) which put me tied for 3rd to last in the 1st flight.
Afterwards they still held the long drive contest (though fewer people participated than usual due to the rain). In the preliminary round I placed 2nd (274 behind a 281). It just happened to stop raining for about 15 minutes while we were hitting. That qualified me for the final of my flight. Of course, that was 2 hours and 5 beers later. By the time we got out there at 7:30 it was almost dark and completely pouring. You couldn't even see the drives after about 20 yards. The first person missed the fairway all 3 times. The 2nd guy (the 281 guy) went and missed on 2 but hit the fairway once with a nice drive, but it only went 221. I thought I would win easily. I can hit my hybrid that far... I hit my first 2 left but my last one I hit really well down the middle. I thought I would win easily... until they radioed in the distance. 2 - 1 - 9. 219! That's it!?!?!? I guess pouring rain will do that to a ball. I lost by 2 yards and missed out on the $75 prize.
The 2nd round was canceled as I knew it would be since at least 3 greens were under water when we left Saturday night. Oh well. I think most of the courses in the area are closed and it's not supposed to stop raining until Friday or so. Doesn't feel like mid-August, it's more like October. That's the first time it's rained in the CC for at least 10 years.
Friday, August 17, 2007
The Streak is Over!
We finally busted our 5 game losing streak in hockey last night with a 6-3 victory. It helped to have a real goalie but we came out on a mission and pretty much dominated.
I finally got off the schnide too scoring a pair of goals. First one was a big slapshot from the top of the right circle that beat the goalie inside the far post. Honestly, I never really aimed at anything. The puck was dumped up ahead of me and I was just skating as fast as I could to get to it with a defenseman angling towards me. I just wound up and hit it as hard as I could. Luckily it was towards the net. :)
The 2nd goal was with less than a minute left as we were hanging on to our 2 goal lead. My center intercepted a pass just inside our blue line and caught me on the fly from the right wing and I went in alone. The goalie decided to come out and poke check me. It actually caught me by surprise, just as I looked up to see where he was I saw him coming at me so I just flipped it through his legs and cut left to not get creamed.
Afterwards a bunch of us went to Beef O'Brady's (a fairly new sports bar near the Sun Prairie rink) for some brewski's. We started with the Hopalicious from Ale Asylum followed by pitchers of Smithwicks, Island Wheat, Spotted Cow and more Hopalicious. Got home around 11 and needless to say I have a whopper of a headache this morning.
They have some pitchers that I'd never seen before. They're bigger and have a cylinder in the middle that they fill with ice to keep the beer cold. I, of course, questioned them to make sure we weren't getting screwed out of some beer.
I'll have to leave work early today to try to get the lawn mowed. That recent rain has brought the grass back from it's slumber with a vengeance. It's grown about 4 inches since Saturday morning when I mowed. We're golfing at 5:30.
I finally got off the schnide too scoring a pair of goals. First one was a big slapshot from the top of the right circle that beat the goalie inside the far post. Honestly, I never really aimed at anything. The puck was dumped up ahead of me and I was just skating as fast as I could to get to it with a defenseman angling towards me. I just wound up and hit it as hard as I could. Luckily it was towards the net. :)
The 2nd goal was with less than a minute left as we were hanging on to our 2 goal lead. My center intercepted a pass just inside our blue line and caught me on the fly from the right wing and I went in alone. The goalie decided to come out and poke check me. It actually caught me by surprise, just as I looked up to see where he was I saw him coming at me so I just flipped it through his legs and cut left to not get creamed.
Afterwards a bunch of us went to Beef O'Brady's (a fairly new sports bar near the Sun Prairie rink) for some brewski's. We started with the Hopalicious from Ale Asylum followed by pitchers of Smithwicks, Island Wheat, Spotted Cow and more Hopalicious. Got home around 11 and needless to say I have a whopper of a headache this morning.
They have some pitchers that I'd never seen before. They're bigger and have a cylinder in the middle that they fill with ice to keep the beer cold. I, of course, questioned them to make sure we weren't getting screwed out of some beer.
I'll have to leave work early today to try to get the lawn mowed. That recent rain has brought the grass back from it's slumber with a vengeance. It's grown about 4 inches since Saturday morning when I mowed. We're golfing at 5:30.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Not a good tune up
Well, I totally don't feel ready for the club championship now. I didn't play worth a crap last night. Only hit 1 fairway and 2 greens. About the only thing I did well was chip and putt. I seem to have lost the draw on my drives so I kept missing right. I also hit a few really bad iron shots. Maybe I just got all that out of my system. We shall see...
Retro played very well after the 2nd hole (the first 2 were ugly). He ended up hitting 6 fairways and hit his irons as crisply as I've seen and putted pretty well too. He still shot a 48 to my 43, not sure how that happened.
I've got to figure out a time when I can mow my yard again. I just mowed on Saturday for the first time in nearly 2 months but with all this rain we've had I could have mowed again on Tuesday. And I should have, since I had golf last night, hockey tonight, golf tomorrow night, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Looks like maybe Tuesday now but it'll be 3 feet high by then. I'll try to get off at noon on Friday and get it done before we go golfing. It's the only chance I'll have.
And then there's the Brewers... I guess this was to be expected with such a young team. They're feeling the heat of a pennant race and not responding well. The pitching staff is getting beaten like a rented mule and the offense only seems capable of hitting a few solo homers each game. Mean time the Cardinals have come alive, like a defending WS champ should and have closed to 3 1/2 games. Some people said I was nuts when I said "don't count the Cards out yet" when they were 8 1/2 back a few weeks ago. Who's nuts now? Brewers are in a must win situation today, with Dave Bush trying to get the first win by a starting pitcher since August 3rd today at 1pm. If there's a silver lining to any of this it's that they're still in 1st and the Cubs truly suck.
Gabe Gross was called up yesterday and Chris Spurling sent down. Look for Gross, who hit .355 in 20 games at Nashville, to be in the starting lineup today. Also, Prince Fielder was suspended for 3 games for his ejection/tirade in Houston Saturday. He has appealed.
Think happy thoughts and have a great Thursday.
Retro played very well after the 2nd hole (the first 2 were ugly). He ended up hitting 6 fairways and hit his irons as crisply as I've seen and putted pretty well too. He still shot a 48 to my 43, not sure how that happened.
I've got to figure out a time when I can mow my yard again. I just mowed on Saturday for the first time in nearly 2 months but with all this rain we've had I could have mowed again on Tuesday. And I should have, since I had golf last night, hockey tonight, golf tomorrow night, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Looks like maybe Tuesday now but it'll be 3 feet high by then. I'll try to get off at noon on Friday and get it done before we go golfing. It's the only chance I'll have.
And then there's the Brewers... I guess this was to be expected with such a young team. They're feeling the heat of a pennant race and not responding well. The pitching staff is getting beaten like a rented mule and the offense only seems capable of hitting a few solo homers each game. Mean time the Cardinals have come alive, like a defending WS champ should and have closed to 3 1/2 games. Some people said I was nuts when I said "don't count the Cards out yet" when they were 8 1/2 back a few weeks ago. Who's nuts now? Brewers are in a must win situation today, with Dave Bush trying to get the first win by a starting pitcher since August 3rd today at 1pm. If there's a silver lining to any of this it's that they're still in 1st and the Cubs truly suck.
Gabe Gross was called up yesterday and Chris Spurling sent down. Look for Gross, who hit .355 in 20 games at Nashville, to be in the starting lineup today. Also, Prince Fielder was suspended for 3 games for his ejection/tirade in Houston Saturday. He has appealed.
Think happy thoughts and have a great Thursday.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Rain Rain...
Go away! Just fuck off already! Why can't it just be nice? Let's just go from 90 and super humid to t-storms. What ever happened to just being 75 and sunny? Oh yeah, global warming, that's right. We're all gonna die... I think Al Gore's jet just went over my house. I hope he turned the lights off at home before he left.
Today looks horrible for golf. Hold on, album over, need to pick a new one to listen to on my ipod. I still need to sell this thing so I can justify an iPhone. Anyone want an 80 gb ipod video? Only a year old, perfect condition. New $350, yours for only $275. What a deal... email me.
Ok, Audioslave over, Black Crowes now.
Where was I? Oh yeah, rain bad... golf league tonight. Last night of regular season. Not sure what would happen if we got rained out. We typically don't make anything up.
Did I mention I want the rain to stop? After golf today, I'm also golfing Friday night (9 holes with Cdubya and my sister and her husband), then Saturday and Sunday we have the Door Creek Club Championship. Forecast for Saturday is 69 and rain. Sunday, 76 and rain. Not ideal conditions. Maybe I have an advantage in the rain though, considering my 15 years of golfing in Seattle where if you don't golf in the rain, you don't golf.
Then Monday I'm subbing in the company league again. Cdubya is showing considerable patience with the amount of golfing I'm doing. She hasn't complained once. Could be that she just enjoys me not being around. I find that hard to believe as I am quite charming and a joy to be around. :) Shut up, you know it's true!
While I was bbq'ing last night I saw Retro out in his backyard practicing his chipping towards a bucket. He must have been out there an hour, still in his work clothes I might add. I asked him this morning if he's got it all figured out now. His reply: "no, i'm no good at this game." I see he's finally reached the knowledge the rest of us already knew. It's probably good that he realizes that 3 days before the club championship. Still time to give up and focus on buying a new minivan for his ever increasing family. :) (Just kidding Retro, you can do it! You'll win, I know it! hahahaha, sorry, couldn't say that without laughing, I'm soooo funny)
Jeez, I'm rambling so much this is starting to feel like a Grinder post (without the "special" spelling).
Ok, I'm done. I need to update another dozen sequence diagrams for these lazy motherfuckers... it's killing me.
Later.
Today looks horrible for golf. Hold on, album over, need to pick a new one to listen to on my ipod. I still need to sell this thing so I can justify an iPhone. Anyone want an 80 gb ipod video? Only a year old, perfect condition. New $350, yours for only $275. What a deal... email me.
Ok, Audioslave over, Black Crowes now.
Where was I? Oh yeah, rain bad... golf league tonight. Last night of regular season. Not sure what would happen if we got rained out. We typically don't make anything up.
Did I mention I want the rain to stop? After golf today, I'm also golfing Friday night (9 holes with Cdubya and my sister and her husband), then Saturday and Sunday we have the Door Creek Club Championship. Forecast for Saturday is 69 and rain. Sunday, 76 and rain. Not ideal conditions. Maybe I have an advantage in the rain though, considering my 15 years of golfing in Seattle where if you don't golf in the rain, you don't golf.
Then Monday I'm subbing in the company league again. Cdubya is showing considerable patience with the amount of golfing I'm doing. She hasn't complained once. Could be that she just enjoys me not being around. I find that hard to believe as I am quite charming and a joy to be around. :) Shut up, you know it's true!
While I was bbq'ing last night I saw Retro out in his backyard practicing his chipping towards a bucket. He must have been out there an hour, still in his work clothes I might add. I asked him this morning if he's got it all figured out now. His reply: "no, i'm no good at this game." I see he's finally reached the knowledge the rest of us already knew. It's probably good that he realizes that 3 days before the club championship. Still time to give up and focus on buying a new minivan for his ever increasing family. :) (Just kidding Retro, you can do it! You'll win, I know it! hahahaha, sorry, couldn't say that without laughing, I'm soooo funny)
Jeez, I'm rambling so much this is starting to feel like a Grinder post (without the "special" spelling).
Ok, I'm done. I need to update another dozen sequence diagrams for these lazy motherfuckers... it's killing me.
Later.
Monday, August 13, 2007
New Favorite Show
A couple people mentioned they really liked "Gene Simmons: Family Jewels" in the past couple weeks and I found 4 episodes back to back on A&E last night so I thought we'd give them a try. And wouldn't you know it, the show was hilarious! It's my new favorite and I'll be setting up the tivo to record as many as I can. If you haven't seen it, give it one episode, it's only a half hour, and you'll be hooked.
Rock of Love is very close to being cut from my rotation. There's one woman on there that I like (Jes) and in no way would I want her to be in a relationship with Brett Michaels. For one thing, she's not a party-girl type and for another she's young enough to be his daughter and it makes me ill to think about it. The rest of the women are just bitches who cuss like sailors (or strippers of course). I think Brett should end up with one of the strippers since that fits his personality better and he'll just cheat on her anyway.
I watched Ghost Rider Saturday night (instead of suffering through a Packer pre-season game). It was ok, kind of interesting and pretty good special effects but one thing bugged me that I couldn't get out of my head. In the movie, Nicholas Cage is a stunt bike rider and he attempts to jump a football field from goal post to goal post (ramps on the outside of the posts). After he does it everyone keeps saying "300 feet, a new record!" Well, according to my memory the goal posts haven't been on the goal line in some 25 or so years. They're at the back which adds 20 yards to the jump. It was 360 feet you idiots. For some reason that kept bugging me.
I finished the last Harry Potter book yesterday. Best book of the series, by far. Great story and the finish kept you on the edge of your seat. Loved it.
In the world of golf (no, not the PGA with Tiger winning again) we played a free round at the Oaks. After complaining about how crappy our round was last time (5.5 hours with no beer cart service) the head pro gave us a chance to do it again. This time the course was dead (sunny Sunday morning at 9am and it's dead?) and we played in 3:45. Much better. I played up and down, hitting some good shots and some terrible ones. Shot a 90 (45/45). Not sure if I'm ready for this weekend's club championship at Door Creek or not. My goal is 160 for the 36 holes. I would pretty much have to shoot my best round 2 days in a row. Not likely to happen.
Rock of Love is very close to being cut from my rotation. There's one woman on there that I like (Jes) and in no way would I want her to be in a relationship with Brett Michaels. For one thing, she's not a party-girl type and for another she's young enough to be his daughter and it makes me ill to think about it. The rest of the women are just bitches who cuss like sailors (or strippers of course). I think Brett should end up with one of the strippers since that fits his personality better and he'll just cheat on her anyway.
I watched Ghost Rider Saturday night (instead of suffering through a Packer pre-season game). It was ok, kind of interesting and pretty good special effects but one thing bugged me that I couldn't get out of my head. In the movie, Nicholas Cage is a stunt bike rider and he attempts to jump a football field from goal post to goal post (ramps on the outside of the posts). After he does it everyone keeps saying "300 feet, a new record!" Well, according to my memory the goal posts haven't been on the goal line in some 25 or so years. They're at the back which adds 20 yards to the jump. It was 360 feet you idiots. For some reason that kept bugging me.
I finished the last Harry Potter book yesterday. Best book of the series, by far. Great story and the finish kept you on the edge of your seat. Loved it.
In the world of golf (no, not the PGA with Tiger winning again) we played a free round at the Oaks. After complaining about how crappy our round was last time (5.5 hours with no beer cart service) the head pro gave us a chance to do it again. This time the course was dead (sunny Sunday morning at 9am and it's dead?) and we played in 3:45. Much better. I played up and down, hitting some good shots and some terrible ones. Shot a 90 (45/45). Not sure if I'm ready for this weekend's club championship at Door Creek or not. My goal is 160 for the 36 holes. I would pretty much have to shoot my best round 2 days in a row. Not likely to happen.
Friday, August 10, 2007
From bad to worse
Our hockey losing streak has now reached 5 straight after a 7-2 drubbing last night. Once again (2nd week in a row) we were stuck with Roger in goal. I don't want to say he's bad but... yeah, he's downright awful. I swear he has no peripheral vision. Shit that had no business going in continues to go right by him. It wouldn't be so bad if there was another crappy goalie to match up with him but he's far and away the worst there is. We lose by 5 but dominated the game. How in the fuck does that work? We hold the puck in their zone for minutes at a time peppering their goalie but we can't get one by him. They finally get the puck out, skate down, take a weak ass shot and score. And once again, he gives up 2 goals in the first minute of the game so we're automatically playing from behind. That's disheartening. We were down 3-0 and staged a mini-comeback getting it to 3-2 and then they got a breakaway and it was the turning point in the game. If Roger makes the save we gain momentum and possibly catch them. However, Roger couldn't come up with it and that was all she wrote.
Strange drive home after the game too (10:45pm). The temp was 71 and the dewpoint must have been the same because the air was so thick you could hardly breathe. There was a ton of fog and I could not keep my windshield clear despite all the windows open and the a/c cranked and on defrost. I'm sick of the humidity!
Strange drive home after the game too (10:45pm). The temp was 71 and the dewpoint must have been the same because the air was so thick you could hardly breathe. There was a ton of fog and I could not keep my windshield clear despite all the windows open and the a/c cranked and on defrost. I'm sick of the humidity!
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Not that bad
I'd have to say that the weather was not that bad last night. In the midst of having an awfully humid week it turned out to be slightly less humid and with a nice cloud cover and light breeze it was quite tolerable in golf league.
I played just ok. 3 pars, 5 bogies and a double (on a par 5 I should not be doubling but I hit a horrendous drive and couldn't recover) for a 43. That's about average for me I guess. Not sure how we did as a team but probably not very well and Balderdash hacked his way through the first 4 holes at 11 over and finished with a 50. Man, he is getting heavy... I don't think a 170 lb man should have to carry a 290 lb man. Just not fair. And to make matters worse, next week is the end of the 2nd half and I'm pretty sure we don't have a chance unless we maybe win 20-0, which is pretty much impossible.
I think I have found my proper number of beers per 9 holes as well. The number is 4. At 4 I was hitting my drives and my irons nicely as I was properly lubricated. And after beer 5 I was still doing that but unfortunately the fine motor skills were impacted and I couldn't chip or putt properly. Gotta remember that.
Even got Retro to have a few beers but of course, being the lightweight he is, he was hammered after 3 and started getting pretty loud and loopy. I think his beer number is 1. :)
I played just ok. 3 pars, 5 bogies and a double (on a par 5 I should not be doubling but I hit a horrendous drive and couldn't recover) for a 43. That's about average for me I guess. Not sure how we did as a team but probably not very well and Balderdash hacked his way through the first 4 holes at 11 over and finished with a 50. Man, he is getting heavy... I don't think a 170 lb man should have to carry a 290 lb man. Just not fair. And to make matters worse, next week is the end of the 2nd half and I'm pretty sure we don't have a chance unless we maybe win 20-0, which is pretty much impossible.
I think I have found my proper number of beers per 9 holes as well. The number is 4. At 4 I was hitting my drives and my irons nicely as I was properly lubricated. And after beer 5 I was still doing that but unfortunately the fine motor skills were impacted and I couldn't chip or putt properly. Gotta remember that.
Even got Retro to have a few beers but of course, being the lightweight he is, he was hammered after 3 and started getting pretty loud and loopy. I think his beer number is 1. :)
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
First Eagle
I had my first eagle ever last night, subbing at the Oaks. It was on the first hole we played which was the 4th. It is an uphill par 5, usually playing 526 from the black tees but the tees were up yesterday, probably only playing about 480.
I hit a fairly good drive that must have caught a downslope and rolled quite aways. I ended up just on the right edge of the fairway, about 186 yards out. I took out a 5 iron and hit it nice and smooth. I knew it had a great line on it but since the green is so much higher and has bunkers in front of it I couldn't tell where it ended up.
As I walked around the bunkers I saw a ball on the green and as I got closer I realized it was actually pretty damn close to the pin. Ended up only being 3 feet away. Buried the putt for a 3. Not too long ago I gagged one from similar range so I was happy to get that one down.
Of course, from that point on I was mostly crap. I ended up 3 putting for double from short range on the next hole, then falling apart on the next for a snowman. I ended up shooting a 50 taking double, triple and quad on the par 4's while going bogey, double and triple on the par 3's. I was -1 on the par 5's (eagle, par, bogey).
Oh well, those greens are really tough and I 3 putted 3 times. I also 1 putted 4 times so it wasn't really a putting problem as much as putting myself into some bad situations and losing a couple balls.
And while I realize that 85 is not a hot temperature, the humidity and lack of any breeze at all made it miserable. We were all completely soaked after 2 holes. No matter what you did you couldn't dry off. Made it difficult to hang on to the club because you couldn't keep your hands dry. Might have been better to wear two gloves but it was so hot I could barely stand having one glove on. Oh well.
The Brewers and Cubs both lost last night, while the Cards won again to cut the Brewers lead over them to 7 games. I don't think the Cards have enough pitching to seriously make a run but I thought the same thing last year, even when they had Chris Carpenter still. I guess I can't count them out as they are the defending WS champs.
I hit a fairly good drive that must have caught a downslope and rolled quite aways. I ended up just on the right edge of the fairway, about 186 yards out. I took out a 5 iron and hit it nice and smooth. I knew it had a great line on it but since the green is so much higher and has bunkers in front of it I couldn't tell where it ended up.
As I walked around the bunkers I saw a ball on the green and as I got closer I realized it was actually pretty damn close to the pin. Ended up only being 3 feet away. Buried the putt for a 3. Not too long ago I gagged one from similar range so I was happy to get that one down.
Of course, from that point on I was mostly crap. I ended up 3 putting for double from short range on the next hole, then falling apart on the next for a snowman. I ended up shooting a 50 taking double, triple and quad on the par 4's while going bogey, double and triple on the par 3's. I was -1 on the par 5's (eagle, par, bogey).
Oh well, those greens are really tough and I 3 putted 3 times. I also 1 putted 4 times so it wasn't really a putting problem as much as putting myself into some bad situations and losing a couple balls.
And while I realize that 85 is not a hot temperature, the humidity and lack of any breeze at all made it miserable. We were all completely soaked after 2 holes. No matter what you did you couldn't dry off. Made it difficult to hang on to the club because you couldn't keep your hands dry. Might have been better to wear two gloves but it was so hot I could barely stand having one glove on. Oh well.
The Brewers and Cubs both lost last night, while the Cards won again to cut the Brewers lead over them to 7 games. I don't think the Cards have enough pitching to seriously make a run but I thought the same thing last year, even when they had Chris Carpenter still. I guess I can't count them out as they are the defending WS champs.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Rollercoaster ride
The Brewers are fucking with my emotions big time. Saturday night was one of the greatest comebacks of the year. Down 5-1 against Cole Hammels and the Phillies the chipped away to get it to 5-4. Then with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th Prince Fielder crushes a Tom Gordon fastball 400 feet to give them the lead. Then in the top of the 9th Corey Hart leaps high above the right field fence to rob Taguchi of a game tying home run. Amazing...
Fast forward to Sunday. They jump all over the Phillies from the start, scoring 4 in the first and 2 more in the 4th. Staked to a 6-1 lead the Brewers coasted in, until the 9th... Matt Wise in to close it out gave up a runner and a 2 run homer to make it 6-3. He hasn't been the same since hitting Cinci's Pedro Lopez in the face a couple weeks ago. Yost summons Francisco Cordero from the pen to close it out. He gets 2 outs but then a couple hits. Ex-Brewer Wes Helms dumps one down the right field line for a double that makes it 6-4. A grounder that gets past rookie 3b sensation Ryan Braun (E5) ties the score. Cordero gets out of it but in the 11th the Phillies score twice off rookie Manny Parra with 2 outs. The Brewers get guys on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs in the 11th. Yost goes to Estrada and he's intentionally walked to get to Craig Counsell, a career .411 hitter with the bases loaded. He smokes the first pitch he sees from Jose Mesa but it's lined directly into the Taguchi's glove at 2nd to end the game. A foot to the left and we're all tied up again. What a horrible way to lose.
Luckily Tom Glavine got his 300th win in Chicago as the Cubs stayed a game back. Now comes a tough stretch where the Brewers are back on the road (in Colorado to start tonight). The Cubs are going to have to deal with their own adversity as well as stud LF Alfonso Soriano injured his quad and is out 2-4 weeks. That won't help them any. It's going to be an interesting last 2 months of the season for sure.
Fast forward to Sunday. They jump all over the Phillies from the start, scoring 4 in the first and 2 more in the 4th. Staked to a 6-1 lead the Brewers coasted in, until the 9th... Matt Wise in to close it out gave up a runner and a 2 run homer to make it 6-3. He hasn't been the same since hitting Cinci's Pedro Lopez in the face a couple weeks ago. Yost summons Francisco Cordero from the pen to close it out. He gets 2 outs but then a couple hits. Ex-Brewer Wes Helms dumps one down the right field line for a double that makes it 6-4. A grounder that gets past rookie 3b sensation Ryan Braun (E5) ties the score. Cordero gets out of it but in the 11th the Phillies score twice off rookie Manny Parra with 2 outs. The Brewers get guys on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs in the 11th. Yost goes to Estrada and he's intentionally walked to get to Craig Counsell, a career .411 hitter with the bases loaded. He smokes the first pitch he sees from Jose Mesa but it's lined directly into the Taguchi's glove at 2nd to end the game. A foot to the left and we're all tied up again. What a horrible way to lose.
Luckily Tom Glavine got his 300th win in Chicago as the Cubs stayed a game back. Now comes a tough stretch where the Brewers are back on the road (in Colorado to start tonight). The Cubs are going to have to deal with their own adversity as well as stud LF Alfonso Soriano injured his quad and is out 2-4 weeks. That won't help them any. It's going to be an interesting last 2 months of the season for sure.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Golf/Brewer Day #9
Yesterday was the 9th annual Bubba/Adubya golf/brewer extravaganza. We left Cottage Grove at 5:45am heading for DeerTrak Golf Course just north of Oconomowoc. After a 10 minute detour due to some poor navigational skills by Bubba we made it to the course a little before 7. Lucky for us the course was pretty empty.
The course is pretty nice looking, enough trees, ponds, blind shots, etc to make it interesting but not super tight or long to make it too difficult. Only thing that bugged me constantly was the lack of yardage markers. I never saw a 200 marker and I think the longest mark I saw was 176. They did have 150 and 100 yard markers but that was about it. Many times we were left guessing the yardage.
I played ok in spurts and terribly at other times. Ended up shooting 43/47 for 90 while Bubba went 50/50 for 100. He probably would have beaten me on the back had he not had a nuclear meltdown on the last par 5 and took an 11. Or if he hadn't missed a half dozen short putts just to the right.
I had a couple nice shots. On a par 4 where you have to lay up short of a creek I hit a 6 iron from 178 yards to a back pin that stuck about 5' from the hole and I made the birdie. Almost had the chip of my life on another hole. After thinning a lob wedge from about 30 yards clear over the green and under a tree, I punched out into the rough above the green. It was a 2 tiered green with the pin down on the lower tier. I chipped just to the edge of the green and it barely made the down slope and turned and went right at the hole and missed by a fraction of an inch. I made the putt to salvage a bogey.
I putted pretty well with the new putter, 1-putting 4 times on the front 9. I did have a couple of 3 putts, one where I was about 100 feet away and the other where I rammed it past the hole too far. All in all, I'm pretty excited about it.
We finished golf about 10:30 and our plan was to head to the game and eat at Friday's grill at Miller Park. Unfortunately we hit some traffic on the way to Milwaukee (opening day of the state fair) and didn't get there till 11:45 and by then Friday's had a 45 minute wait so we just ate from the concession stands (polish and a hot dog). We grabbed a beer and drank it but it was so hot that even beer didn't taste good (oh my god, did I just say that?), so we pretty much stuck to water.
Craig's choice of seats, while a good thought, was not comfortable. We were 8 rows from the field just past 3rd base, which is directly under the sun the entire game. I don't think I've ever sweated so much just sitting still before. And to make matters worse we were situated amongst dozens of Mets fans, including one woman I referred to as "the stalker" who was alone, in all her Mets gear with a sign that said "The Future Mrs. David Wright." As the game wore on she kept getting closer to the field. I was certain she would be running on the field at some point to attack Wright. She didn't, but I'm sure she was waiting for him at the team hotel.
As for Wright and the rest of the Mets, they put an ass kicking on our Brewers, 12-4. They are really looking like the pressure is too much for them. Lots of pop ups in clutch situations, bad pitching, Hardy made an error on a ball that didn't look that tough, and then Yost and Estrada get into some fight in the tunnel after the 7th inning. I still don't know what that was about. They need to get their shit together and soon.
We left in the bottom of the 9th and lucky we did. Traffic was awful when we left but half way home we heard a traffic report that said Miller Park to Moorland Road (8 miles) was taking 73 minutes. Phew, I didn't have enough left in me to handle that. We got back to Cottage Grove by 5:30.
I laid around for a couple hours then it was time for hockey. By the time I got to the game at 8:30 I was ready for some serious nap time. I ended up volunteering to go back on D since I knew I wouldn't have the energy to play up front. We ended up losing 8-3. Our goalie didn't help matters at all, allowing 3 goals from behind the goal! He's really bad and I pretty much gave up trying to hard by the beginning of the 3rd period.
Got home around 11, quick shower and straight to bed. Usually I can't sleep after a game and have to stay up for at least an hour but not last night.
We'll see if I can make it through a full day of work today.
The course is pretty nice looking, enough trees, ponds, blind shots, etc to make it interesting but not super tight or long to make it too difficult. Only thing that bugged me constantly was the lack of yardage markers. I never saw a 200 marker and I think the longest mark I saw was 176. They did have 150 and 100 yard markers but that was about it. Many times we were left guessing the yardage.
I played ok in spurts and terribly at other times. Ended up shooting 43/47 for 90 while Bubba went 50/50 for 100. He probably would have beaten me on the back had he not had a nuclear meltdown on the last par 5 and took an 11. Or if he hadn't missed a half dozen short putts just to the right.
I had a couple nice shots. On a par 4 where you have to lay up short of a creek I hit a 6 iron from 178 yards to a back pin that stuck about 5' from the hole and I made the birdie. Almost had the chip of my life on another hole. After thinning a lob wedge from about 30 yards clear over the green and under a tree, I punched out into the rough above the green. It was a 2 tiered green with the pin down on the lower tier. I chipped just to the edge of the green and it barely made the down slope and turned and went right at the hole and missed by a fraction of an inch. I made the putt to salvage a bogey.
I putted pretty well with the new putter, 1-putting 4 times on the front 9. I did have a couple of 3 putts, one where I was about 100 feet away and the other where I rammed it past the hole too far. All in all, I'm pretty excited about it.
We finished golf about 10:30 and our plan was to head to the game and eat at Friday's grill at Miller Park. Unfortunately we hit some traffic on the way to Milwaukee (opening day of the state fair) and didn't get there till 11:45 and by then Friday's had a 45 minute wait so we just ate from the concession stands (polish and a hot dog). We grabbed a beer and drank it but it was so hot that even beer didn't taste good (oh my god, did I just say that?), so we pretty much stuck to water.
Craig's choice of seats, while a good thought, was not comfortable. We were 8 rows from the field just past 3rd base, which is directly under the sun the entire game. I don't think I've ever sweated so much just sitting still before. And to make matters worse we were situated amongst dozens of Mets fans, including one woman I referred to as "the stalker" who was alone, in all her Mets gear with a sign that said "The Future Mrs. David Wright." As the game wore on she kept getting closer to the field. I was certain she would be running on the field at some point to attack Wright. She didn't, but I'm sure she was waiting for him at the team hotel.
As for Wright and the rest of the Mets, they put an ass kicking on our Brewers, 12-4. They are really looking like the pressure is too much for them. Lots of pop ups in clutch situations, bad pitching, Hardy made an error on a ball that didn't look that tough, and then Yost and Estrada get into some fight in the tunnel after the 7th inning. I still don't know what that was about. They need to get their shit together and soon.
We left in the bottom of the 9th and lucky we did. Traffic was awful when we left but half way home we heard a traffic report that said Miller Park to Moorland Road (8 miles) was taking 73 minutes. Phew, I didn't have enough left in me to handle that. We got back to Cottage Grove by 5:30.
I laid around for a couple hours then it was time for hockey. By the time I got to the game at 8:30 I was ready for some serious nap time. I ended up volunteering to go back on D since I knew I wouldn't have the energy to play up front. We ended up losing 8-3. Our goalie didn't help matters at all, allowing 3 goals from behind the goal! He's really bad and I pretty much gave up trying to hard by the beginning of the 3rd period.
Got home around 11, quick shower and straight to bed. Usually I can't sleep after a game and have to stay up for at least an hour but not last night.
We'll see if I can make it through a full day of work today.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Rock of Love
Ok, with the demise of Pirate Master we were looking for a brainless show for the summer and we've found it. Rock of Love on VH1 is The Bachelor in Skank-town starring Brett Michaels of Poison fame (hair band of the 80's for you youngsters out there). He's looking for the love of his life and has been provided with 25 strippers, rockers and whores from which to choose. I'm not saying these girls were nasty but... uh, yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. First episode and they're comparing their breast implants!
It's like watching a car wreck in super slow mo, over and over again. Perfect summer viewing.
3 episodes have aired thus far, we've only watched the first but looking at the previews for the rest of the season I'm jazzed to watch more. I believe you can get video on VH1's web site.
It's like watching a car wreck in super slow mo, over and over again. Perfect summer viewing.
3 episodes have aired thus far, we've only watched the first but looking at the previews for the rest of the season I'm jazzed to watch more. I believe you can get video on VH1's web site.
Monday, July 30, 2007
New putter
For the past year I have used an Odyssey White Hot center shafted belly putter to various degrees of success. I have putted better and with more confidence than I have in the past but I'm still having times of struggles and I'm not really lowering my number of putts per round. I really love the face on the Odyssey but the angle that I putt at made keeping it square very difficult as it was always toed up. This changes the angle the ball will come off the face and cause you to pull left often. I tried compensating by always aiming a little right. All in all, not a great way to approach it.
Saturday I went to Golf Galaxy and tried all the different Odyssey's as well as many other brands until I picked up the new
Odyssey White Hot XG Marksman Blade.
It felt unbelievable. I started draining putts left and right. The balance was amazing and I loved the look standing over it. But that was just the start. I was fitted for it which involved adjusting the length, lie and loft. It didn't take very long but I was amazed at the results. The shortened it an inch, adjusted the lie 6 degrees flat (so it's not toed up any more) and increased the loft by 1 degree (from 2 to 3 degrees).
I went out and practiced with it Saturday night for a half hour or so, enough to get a feel for it. I played Sunday at a course I'd never played before but I putted ok with it. I left a couple of 10 footers 6" short but I always had a pretty good line and I made everything inside 5 feet which was the one thing I was worried about most in giving up the belly putter.
It does make a huge difference in getting the putter fit to how you use it. Like the guy at Golf Galaxy said "there's not a single putter on the shelf that would work for anyone as is."
I certainly can't blame the putter for my poor performance yesterday. I did ok on the front nine, getting 5 pars but 3 doubles and a bogey for a 43. I then went on to lose 4 balls in 5 holes on the back and shot a 49 for 92. Didn't hit a single good drive until 17 and 18. I think I was trying too hard to hit a perfect drive and when I finally relaxed and just let it go I hit two bombs. Just gotta relax, it's not that hard of a game.
Friday was just plain ugly. Played the Bridges from the Blue tees which totally changes the look of that course, increasing every hole about 50-70 yards and turning a fairly pedestrian course into a 6,900 yard monster. I struggled with everything and shot 47/51 for 98. My first 9 over 49 in a very long time. I lost 6 balls that day too. Good thing I picked up some more at Golf Galaxy while I was there. I've been very happy with that store. Always someone knowledgeable to help me, unlike Nevada Bob's where we were putting for 20 minutes and not once did anyone ask if they could help.
Saturday I went to Golf Galaxy and tried all the different Odyssey's as well as many other brands until I picked up the new Odyssey White Hot XG Marksman Blade.
It felt unbelievable. I started draining putts left and right. The balance was amazing and I loved the look standing over it. But that was just the start. I was fitted for it which involved adjusting the length, lie and loft. It didn't take very long but I was amazed at the results. The shortened it an inch, adjusted the lie 6 degrees flat (so it's not toed up any more) and increased the loft by 1 degree (from 2 to 3 degrees).
I went out and practiced with it Saturday night for a half hour or so, enough to get a feel for it. I played Sunday at a course I'd never played before but I putted ok with it. I left a couple of 10 footers 6" short but I always had a pretty good line and I made everything inside 5 feet which was the one thing I was worried about most in giving up the belly putter.
It does make a huge difference in getting the putter fit to how you use it. Like the guy at Golf Galaxy said "there's not a single putter on the shelf that would work for anyone as is."
I certainly can't blame the putter for my poor performance yesterday. I did ok on the front nine, getting 5 pars but 3 doubles and a bogey for a 43. I then went on to lose 4 balls in 5 holes on the back and shot a 49 for 92. Didn't hit a single good drive until 17 and 18. I think I was trying too hard to hit a perfect drive and when I finally relaxed and just let it go I hit two bombs. Just gotta relax, it's not that hard of a game.
Friday was just plain ugly. Played the Bridges from the Blue tees which totally changes the look of that course, increasing every hole about 50-70 yards and turning a fairly pedestrian course into a 6,900 yard monster. I struggled with everything and shot 47/51 for 98. My first 9 over 49 in a very long time. I lost 6 balls that day too. Good thing I picked up some more at Golf Galaxy while I was there. I've been very happy with that store. Always someone knowledgeable to help me, unlike Nevada Bob's where we were putting for 20 minutes and not once did anyone ask if they could help.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Losing streak hits 3 games
No, I'm not talking about the Brewers, though they have lost 6 of 9. They just stink on the road.
I'm talking about my hockey team. We lost another nail biter 6-5. After giving up a goal early in the 3rd period to fall behind 4-1 we mounted a fierce comeback to eventually tie the game at 5 but a freak bounce gave them a break away with 4 minutes left that turned out to be the final tally.
I got to play forward the entire game. First 2 periods at left wing and the final period at center. I think we did a lot better when I was at center instead of my off wing. It gave our banger a chance to get to the front of the net where he eventually scored.
I had plenty of chances. Early in the game I got a rebound out front and pulled it to my backhand and rang it off the inside of the near post, just missing the far post. In the 2nd I got a rebound as I was crashing the net hard. The goalie had slid left and it was just me and a defenseman. I ripped it towards the open net and drilled the defenseman in the thigh. Sheesh.
And to make it worse I was shoved from behind and crashed into the goalie and in trying to brace myself I somehow bent my right thumbnail back. It didn't break but it was bleeding pretty good. I iced it later but it's pretty sore this morning. Hopefully I'll be able to swing a golf club as I don't really use my right thumb much.
My fantasy baseball team is taking quite a hit this week. I still have a sizeable lead but my star players are dropping. First on Sunday, Hanley Ramirez dislocated his shoulder swinging the bat. Tuesday night, ERA leader Chris Young strained an oblique warming up for the 3rd inning. Now last night, all world 2b Chase Utley suffered a broken hand when he got hit by a pitch and is out until late August.
I really don't have replacements for those 3. I'll have to find a way to tread water till they return.
I'm talking about my hockey team. We lost another nail biter 6-5. After giving up a goal early in the 3rd period to fall behind 4-1 we mounted a fierce comeback to eventually tie the game at 5 but a freak bounce gave them a break away with 4 minutes left that turned out to be the final tally.
I got to play forward the entire game. First 2 periods at left wing and the final period at center. I think we did a lot better when I was at center instead of my off wing. It gave our banger a chance to get to the front of the net where he eventually scored.
I had plenty of chances. Early in the game I got a rebound out front and pulled it to my backhand and rang it off the inside of the near post, just missing the far post. In the 2nd I got a rebound as I was crashing the net hard. The goalie had slid left and it was just me and a defenseman. I ripped it towards the open net and drilled the defenseman in the thigh. Sheesh.
And to make it worse I was shoved from behind and crashed into the goalie and in trying to brace myself I somehow bent my right thumbnail back. It didn't break but it was bleeding pretty good. I iced it later but it's pretty sore this morning. Hopefully I'll be able to swing a golf club as I don't really use my right thumb much.
My fantasy baseball team is taking quite a hit this week. I still have a sizeable lead but my star players are dropping. First on Sunday, Hanley Ramirez dislocated his shoulder swinging the bat. Tuesday night, ERA leader Chris Young strained an oblique warming up for the 3rd inning. Now last night, all world 2b Chase Utley suffered a broken hand when he got hit by a pitch and is out until late August.
I really don't have replacements for those 3. I'll have to find a way to tread water till they return.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Adubya vs. Retro
To my surprise, I went head to head with Retro in league last night. I gave him a stroke on 6 holes but luckily it came down to putting and I made a few while he 3 putted 4 times. He did manage to make a nice 10 footer on the last hole to win his 3rd hole to my 6.
I ended up shooting my best back 9 at Door Creek ever, with a 38. 5 pars, 3 bogeys and a birdie on 17. Missed a couple of putts that could have gone, but I'm satisfied with how I played. Retro had a 49, about average for him. I took home $10 for low net in the league with 31. That's my 3rd time this season.
My USGA handicap is the lowest it has ever been, down to a 14.0. Until this year it had never been below 17.2. Hopefully I can continue this for the next month as the club championship is August 18th and 19th. I'd really like that parking spot with my name on it!
Did anyone see the Reds player get beaned in the face by Brewer reliever Matt Wise last night? Oh, that had to hurt.
Also, the Brewers traded 3 minor league pitchers, including their 3rd rated prospect Will Inman, to the Padres for reliever Scott Linebrink. Linebrink will take over the set up role, previously held by scatter brained Derick Turnbow.
Linebrink has appeared in 44 games, pitching 45 innings. He's 3-3 with 1 save, a 3.80 era and 1.222 whip while striking out 25. He's struggled at times this year and the one scary stat he does have is an 11.17 era with runners in scoring position. Also, he had a 2.52 era before the all star break but has a 9.35 era in July. Hopefully he'll return to form with the Brewers.
I ended up shooting my best back 9 at Door Creek ever, with a 38. 5 pars, 3 bogeys and a birdie on 17. Missed a couple of putts that could have gone, but I'm satisfied with how I played. Retro had a 49, about average for him. I took home $10 for low net in the league with 31. That's my 3rd time this season.
My USGA handicap is the lowest it has ever been, down to a 14.0. Until this year it had never been below 17.2. Hopefully I can continue this for the next month as the club championship is August 18th and 19th. I'd really like that parking spot with my name on it!
Did anyone see the Reds player get beaned in the face by Brewer reliever Matt Wise last night? Oh, that had to hurt.
Also, the Brewers traded 3 minor league pitchers, including their 3rd rated prospect Will Inman, to the Padres for reliever Scott Linebrink. Linebrink will take over the set up role, previously held by scatter brained Derick Turnbow.
Linebrink has appeared in 44 games, pitching 45 innings. He's 3-3 with 1 save, a 3.80 era and 1.222 whip while striking out 25. He's struggled at times this year and the one scary stat he does have is an 11.17 era with runners in scoring position. Also, he had a 2.52 era before the all star break but has a 9.35 era in July. Hopefully he'll return to form with the Brewers.
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