Amuse Me Today

That readership drive seems to have gotten a flat! Oh well, can't win em' all.

2009-12-06T11:40:00.001-06:00

Its a sad day in Blog land when I can't get a single reader suggestion. Oh, fine, I'll do the work part myself. I'll go SEARCH the web for something to amuse me. pfft. Damn, I hate exerting my own effort. Is that redundant? oh well, you're captive anyway, so I could be as redundantly repetitively repeating as I want. so there.

What have I recently found on the web? Well, since we're rapidly approaching the holidays, and, as every year in recent memory, I've forgotten to take time to shop, it's off the the interwebs we go! There's the obvious - Amazon, Etsy.com, Yahoo Shopping and your various brick and mortar store websites, but that wouldn't really be the point of reading my soothing prose, now would it. My newest find is Todays Deal of the Day. This site searches the web for all the best deals from sites like Woot.com and 1 sale a day.com and organizes them all in one place. The only down side is that each site I looked at off this page requires their own registration. Nothing bad, the normal name, e-mail, etc, but it's a lot of passwords and log-ins to keep track of. It does even pull down some of the daily deals from Amazon and other better known sites, but the timing seems to be spotty on those.

I'm a long time fan of the Woot network, and have bought WAAAY too many items on these sites. My good friend Spanky and I have often longed for the mystical 'Bag-o-crap' that they sell everyonce in awhile, but have been so far unsuccessful. What you ask is a 'Bag-o-crap'? Well, you don't know until you order, and it's usually only 1 penny. But, based on what we've seen from the lucky few who have won, or read on the blogs for the site, it's anything from a can of sweet corn (Not kidding, that's hilarious) to a dvd player. The Woot Network (Woot.com, shirt.woot.com, wine.woot.com, kids.woot.com) is usually a good stop in the morning, to see what's up that day. Concept is simple, 1 item (unless there's a woot off), for a good price. Once it's sold out, the site is done for the day. Shipping is always $5, which can be a pain when buying a timy memory card, but damn nice when you buy 2 international adapter sets with all the attachments and carrying cases (Both actual purchases by yours truly).

Or, as my jedi master MW asked - 'Have you heard of this E-Bay thing?'

Happy trails on the Interwebs my friends.

Bad Zynga, Bad. Now go sit in the corner.

2009-11-25T01:05:00.001-06:00

People are reading me! OK, so I know I’m up to 3, but that’s a 300% increase from before! OK, I have now used my math quota for the day, and am safely done.

Big blog this week, since I MUST celebrate the massive increase in readership!

So what’s new this post? Well, I not only have a new reader (or new commenter anyway), but he’s a kind soul who wants us to prosper and be happy. A few of my Facebook App recommendations have been provided by a company, Zynga. Faithful reader Q has brought to my attention some naughtiness on the part of Zynga. How this hasn’t been plastered all over Facebook previously just show’s how sneaky Zynga was (Or, adversely, how smart Q is…no, has to be sneakiness on Zynga’s part). So they basically have been posting ads for ANYTHING, even if they are obvious scams and/or against Facebook rules. Read more here.
I’ll take this as a great lead-in to some free unsolicited advice. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE think very long and hard before you ever pay money in any of these Apps. Even those that are just ‘visit this site for more FarmBucks (insert generic money in game here)’ pay attention. They aren’t all as bad as the ones formerly on the Zynga ads (See above if you are confused) but they can be spam, lead to more spam in your inbox, and are just all around a pain. And if you are using the PayPal or credit card options to buy more generic game money…..really, go outside, breathe some fresh air, and GET A FREAKIN GRIP! None of these games are that good that you’d actually need to pay to play more.

OK, Today’s user submitted site (Woo Hoo) : Delicious - OOH, I don’t like this, it’s stealing my idea! Well, actually I guess they were here first, and are all professional and stuff, so really I’m stealing some of their…nothing, never mind. OK, going to attack this one from 2 sides. First cool feature, for anyone who has used Internet Explorer’s ‘Favorites Bar’ Suggested Sites finder feature, this site is WAY BETTER! It’s not based on what you surf, as the IE one is, but instead is based on what’s hot right now, and what people are searching for. You can also search by category, i.e. Tech, News, Art, etc, and see what folks are looking at, and where they’re surfing for those topics. Second feature, which is great for folks like me with a work laptop/pc and a home laptop/pc, is the store your bookmarks feature. This is a Yahoo product, so, similar to Flickr, you just use your yahoo ID and pswd and you are signed in. You then save your bookmarks (Import feature too, but it’s a bit of a pain). You can log in now from any PC, and go to your delicious page, and get all your bookmarks. 5 out of 5 stars since now I’ll be able to save all my Amuse Me bookmarks in one place!

Facebook App of the moment : Addicted to XX. OK so this is really a whole series of Apps, hosted by ‘TVLoop’. It’s really just a place to talk about, quiz about, see photo’s about, or take a trivia challenge about your favorite TV shows and Movies. I’m not going to say it’s addictive, but I’ve actually answered ALL the trivia questions for ‘The Princess Bride’ and have 29410 points in trivia (it’s 10 points for a correct answer, your turn to do the math). If you find your show right away, I suggest clicking on ‘more’ along the top above the title bar. The list is darn near endless of trivia you could play. They have TV, Movies, Sports, Countries. They have Rugby…Rugby trivia. Who knows that much about Rugby? (Based on my answers to the first 4 questions…not me). So I’m currently Addicted to 7 different things, and have made a good dent in all of them. The questions are all user submitted, but have been pretty accurate, bad grammar aside. If you do find a bad one, there is a report button, and so far they’ve been pretty well policed. Warning – I’ve lost hours to this App, only to be frustrated by how little I know about some of my favorite TV shows. And I’m still waiting on the Fraggle Rock page! 3 of 5 stars, just because I do get annoyed at the fact that the user submitted questions aren’t re-written if they contain bad grammar, and I hate LOL speak.

Kongregate Game of the moment : Dragon Age: Journeys. A plug for the new XBOX/PS3 game Dragon Age: Origins, and you can win in game content while playing this, but it’s fun, pretty easy, and of course, Turn Based Combat (yippee). Obviously, with professional studios behind it, it’s a little more in depth than your average congregate game, but not by much, and not enough to make you feel like you’re in a deeper, more in depth game. It’s an easy point and click interface, with easy to understand instructions. Combat is pretty simple, and not too challenging (I’ve died twice in 2 hours), but it’s fun, and as always, you want to see what’s next. Probably not a big challenge for a serious gamer, but good for 10-15 minutes. 3 of 5 stars. Good game play, but not a challenge.

OK, be good, have fun surfing, and I'm still drawing a blank on a Amuse Me blog unique rating system. Maybe we'll have to wait until the 10 follower mark for that one!

Blup Blup Necopie? Only in Brooklyn

2009-11-20T16:55:00.000-06:00

OK faithful reader (Still singular based on the comments the ole' blog has gotten) wecome back!

today we're going to go high level into a few amusing sites that should have existed when me and my boys were all at NCC (The College Years). Or, now that I think a little harder, maybe it's a good thing these sites DIDN'T exist. as we'd have gotten even LESS work done. I've found these on my own (read previous bitter statement about my singular reader comment), but thought I'd share, as they definetly amused me. the list - short and sweet :

People of Wal-Mart : Ok, so I'm convinced that the guys running this site are total ass-bags, but I guess I must be part ass-bag, since I still look at the site every few days, and LOVE laughing at my fellow 'intelligent' mammals. Just pics, snapped at Wal-Marts around the country, highlighting (low lighting?) some of the people who share our oxygen, that either don't own mirrors, or simply don't care. The scary thing, pay attention to the 'where' under the pic...I guarentee you'll find one or two near you! A very Guilty 4 stars.

This is Photo Bomb : A site that was actually designed with one of my masked compadres in mind I think. This is a collection of user submitted pictures where someone 'hi-jacked' the photo by jumping in, or being in the background when they are obviously not supposed to be in there! Some stupid, or not funny, others are roll on the floor hilarious, with everything in between. The occasional NSFW, but not too bad (see today's top pic..is that a thong?). 5 stars, just becuase I expected to see my friend Ace in every other picture.

There, I Fixed it:Epic Kludges and Jury Rigs : Idiots of the world, UNITE! This is photo's of accidents waiting to happen, fires in the making, or injuries just around the corner. From the garden hose shower, to the many, many plumbing failures, these pics make event the worst handiman feel good about his or her efforts! Not as funny to go through, as I think the approval of pics is pretty lax, i.e. a lot of the pics leave me scratching my head on how they fit the topic, but still worth a chuckle. And, it might make you think twice next time you reach for the duct tape and zip ties. 2 1/2 stars on this one.

Still looking for suggestions on a rating scale. Stars are so over done! It's been a light week for me on the interwebs, too much work and not enough play makes me something something.... Go Crazy? DON'T MIND IF I DO!

Facebook App of the post : Treasure Hunter - Oooh, I'm almost as addicted to this one as I am to Farmville! Very simple game play, you're an explorer, and as you explore, you either find artifacts, fruit, money, or mini-games. Of course, why wouldn't you find mini-games? The mini games are easy, but do get more difficult as you level up. I'm only about 1% done with the game, so it's HUGE. As with many games, you can only do so much before you are out of something, 'Health Points' in this case. Of course, you can pay money, or visit advertisers for additional HP, but, this game does have a relatively fast refresh rate, so if you use your HP up (could be as fast as 2 minutes, could go as long as 10, dpenending on how much fruit you find) you can go surf other sites (hint hint...see above), and you'll be fully charged in 30 minutes or so. 5 stars on this one, only detractor is when I'm unlucky and go through my HP too fast.

Kongregate Game of the post : Gem Craft - This is a great game. I blame my brother for getting my addicted to this one, and he doesn't even know how. This is a tower defense type game, i.e. build a tower, make it poserful, then shoot bad guys that go past. Game play is great in that level 1 is pretty easy, then it get's increasingly, but not ridiculously, harder with each level. You should figure out tricks and tactics for yourself, but the help button takes you to another site with some great user and developer suggestions. There are a lot of similar games, some better, a lot worse, but this one has an ease of play, and is graphically simple but not boring, and can keep you interested for a long time. Also easy to adjust how long you play, as one map usually only take a few tries at a few minutes each, and then you can save and come back later...and again and again and again. 4 1/2 Stars.

Wow, my first reader suggestion!

2009-11-14T08:59:00.003-06:00

And I had a hunch I knew who it'd come from, thanks Wudchuck! As always, my good friends timing couldn't be better. As I sit here on a Saturday morning, watching my oldest daughter take all the crayons out of her crayon box and hide tham all over the living room, I realize that I have about 6 million things I need to do around the house, and I always forget at least half of what I want to get done. So without further ado...

tadalist.com - As it sounds, and as I so cleverly aluded to above, this is a site to help you get organized! I only wish I could teach my mother more about being on-line she'd LOVE this site. It takes about 30 seconds to sign up (or 45 if you're me and can't ever type your e-mail address correctly 2x in a row), and then, you even get a personalized site, for example, when I go there now, I am navigating to wulfie.tadalist.com. Super easy to create a new list, and add or delete (Or, as the goal, actually check off items) on each of your lists. You also have the ability to e-mail yourself your lists, and even track any changes to your list that others may make. This is a no frills site, and please don't think that this will really occupy your time, unless you are my above mentioned mother, in which case, a) congratualtions on figuring the Web out, and b) please get some sleep and stop making lists.

Good tool, easy to use and keep, I think a permanent addition to my Web tool box.

On a side note, Wudchuk, I've been kicking around a cool inention for the home, we should talk, as you're much more electronically smarter than I am. I'll let everyone else in on it after we've made our first 5 million.

Time to introduce another semi regular feature. Can it be called semi-regular if this is only the second post? oh well, my blog, my rules. I've already introduced Facebook (to noone was that news, I'm sure) and now I'd like to introduce the LARGEST time killer I've found in a long time KONGREGATE!

Kongregate is a game site, where game developers, or just uber geeks post their new and beta games for people to play. My buddy Zack got me into this site about 8 moths ago, and I haven't looked back since. When you first visit, there are a lot of games tossed at you. A few clicks around, and navigation becomes easier as you get how the site is set out. I recommend looking at 'Popular' games, as opposed to new. I'm not really the trailblazer, and don't have the patience to try games that no one's played yet, but if you go popular, you'll see how many other people have already tried, and rated the game. If you register, you can keep track of your accomplishments, and you get awards, badges, and medals for completing certain games or challenges. That's half the fun, and there's a new feature where someone will sponsor a contest, and to be entered you have to win multiple badges across numerous games. OK, so that's a brief intro to the site, what I'll be doing periodically is reviewing (or mocking) a game that I've played on the site.

Kongregate game of the moment - Batallion:Nemesis - Turn based combat game (Sorry, but these really are one of my fav's, so you may see alot of these). Start with Boot Camp, takes about 5 minutes to learn all the things you need. It's a fairly basic game, logic and tactics, your troops and tanks against theirs. Easy game play, nice simple graphics, good challenge at the higher levels and difficulty settings. There is a sequel, with similar, but slightly more advanced, game play, and it's a bit harder of a game early on. Batallion:Nemesis is really a classic turn based combat game. You have unlimited time to make your moves and take your shots, but the challenge comes in knowing what the enemy is going to do. Once your turn ends, you are at their mercy! I've lost more than one level thinking I'm clever (or clevy) only to then watch my tanks and troops get picked off one by one because I missed something. Good times, fun, and is a good 'break' game with each level only taking 3-10 minutes, so you don't have to commit a lot of time (but you will). 4 of 5 stars (I really need to come up with a better rating system, unique to me....suggestions?)

Facebook App of the moment - Island Paradise. OK, so it's really just Farmville on a tropical island. Similar game play, a few different features, but if you like F'ville, it's a nice change of pAAAce. Plus, in this one, you get to steal stuff from your neighbors (instert maniacal laugh here)

OK, off to maybe accomplish one of the items on my LIST!

First day of the new adventure...

2009-11-12T16:46:00.002-06:00

Why am I changing this blog? Well, honestly, I obviously wasn't writing the old one very darn often, so I figured I'd try something else to see if it holds my attention a little better. What am I doing here? Well, I love to surf the net, but realized that I always went to the same 3 or 4 sites. That's boring, there are literally millions of sites out there that HAVE to be somewhat entertaining.

But, how can I help you, Chris? I'm very glad you asked. Send me notes and comments about what sites you go to or you've found to be entertaining. I'll check them out, and write about them. Then hopefully, once we gather a few more readers than just my 2 faithful readers, we'll get enough input that folks will learn about new sites to waste time on.

So, let's get started: (easy ones to start with)

Facebook : The social networking site that's sweeping the nation...blah blah blah. OK, so everyone's heard of Facebook. If not, I'm guessing you're not actually aware of what the internet is, and have never owned anything more advanced than a stapeler (manual, not electric). IT's a great way to catch up with friends from the old neighborhood, grade and high school, college, work, and meet new friends. It's got it's good points, such as ease of use, interesting games and applications, huge following, but it's got some issues too. The recent changes making everyones new friends and new groups visable to all their friends junks up my view, and makes it harder for me to keep up with my friends true status changes. All of this can be followed all over the web, even on numerous groups in FB itself. However, I'm going to talk about a specific addiction on Facebook...Apps! I'll probably revisit this topic form time to time as I find new ones to waste my time. Today's favorites are FarmVille and CastleAge.

FarmVille: You get to be a virtual farmer, and grow crops and raise animals and trees. OK, so it sounds cheesy, but it's strangely addictive. There is a great 'Awards' system, where you have goals to achieve, such as number of crops grown, animals found and raised, etc. It becomes fun to try to get to the next award, and compare yourself to your friends. An old feature getting more life within the App is the appearance of 'season' items and animals. My favorite, possibly cooresponding to the re-make of 'V' on ABC, was the introduction of Crop Circles, and Alien cows. I've never laughted harder at a computer game then the first time I bought a green cow with anntennae that gives me 'Milkutonium' when harvested. Astonishingly easy to use and weirdle addictive. You'll find yourself checking your farm everytime you log on.

CastleAge: Fight against monsters, dragons, warriors and the like while earning money and experiance to grow your own Kingdom. Not a very mentally challenging game, very little strategy or skill, but with some of the new features added recently, it's worth a look. The addition of LARGE monsters to defeat, you are almost forced to reachout for friends or make new ones, as some of the beasties take literally thousands of hits to die. You buy castles and marketplaces to gain income, you gain or buy equipment and magic items as you go to strengthen your army and allow you to beat bigger and badder evil doers. Easy, mindless, great way to lose 20-25 minutes at a time.

Well, bloggers, that's it for this post, let me know what you'd like to check out next!

Oh my dear God, he's posting again!

2009-09-22T18:01:00.002-05:00

I steadfastly refuse to go a whole year without poasting, so here goes....

what has happened since last November....

Well, we went to Mexico with the Reptile Clan for another glorious Wedding. Q and Krissy rocked out worlds with their fantastic beach wedding! Adn we even got to watch the superbowl from the beach. That was fantastic. What else happened in Mexico...OH YEAH! I knocked up my wife...So for those readers that are 1) underage, 2) have or will ahve children who are underage, or 3) are ever thinking about having sex... IT ONLY TAKES ONE TIME! :-)

In all seriousness, I wish I had the skill to put into words how excited I am to become a dad for the second time! Ana is the best thing that's ever happened to me, followed a VERY close second by my marriage to my wonderful wife, and I can not freakin' wait until my life is touched by another tiny hand! We're having another girl, so I'm officially outnumbered.

On a sad note, on September 4th of this year we lost our boy Ambrose. For those that know us and knew the puppers, you know that this was a huge blow to Natalie and I. He was only 6, and should have had a much longer life ahead of him, but the tumor around his heart disagreed, and he left us. We're handling it on our own, and while there are still bad days, I'm trying hard to remember the wonderful times we had with the big lummox, rather than rememebr that he was taken from us so darn early. I can't say enough about what he meant to us, but my lovely wife did a fantastic job - Check it out http://theimpendingpicchi.blogspot.com/2009/09/ambrose-winston-1112002-942009.html

What else...I'm still on a quest for enlightenment. I've been re-investigating my spritual side, and have determined one thing... I am NOT a religious person. I have been dabbling in Buddhism, and so far am very intrigued. I admit that there are a few piece that I just can't fathom, like the fact that if I don't achieve enlightenment I may come back as a stink beetle (Which some of you may say is an improvement). Or the fact that I'm not supposed to kill bugs. OK, I get not beign that little kid with the magnifying glass lighting ants on fire, but let's be realistic here. I hate spiders. I'm not sure you understand...I REALLY hate spiders. Think Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter series, or Aragog from Lord of the Rigns. I HATE SPIDERS. And it's very, very hard for me to get one on a piece of paper so I can let it go outside. So..how do I get around this little quandry? I ask my wife to kill it.

Well, I've got a lot more things to write about, but I have to return to working, and I want to see if I actually write in this again before next year...

Well, I guess it's time again....

2008-11-13T10:23:00.002-06:00

...to bore and upset my 1 reader.

A few tips for today's suburban driver: 1) Use your damn turn signal, 2) When you do use your signal, please note this does not automatically clear the lane next to you, you are still required to turn your head and look, 3) It's not a race, really, we're all headed down the same road. When you spped, the slam on your brakes, and weave in and out of traffic, you're actually making the traffic worse. Plus it makes you look like an asshole. 4) I'm glad you like your music, I really am, but I do not need to have my fillings removed by the BAAAAAASE from your crappy '82 POS.

Otherwise, how's life going? Well, work is pure and unadulterated hell, just like every year at this time... AND I LOVE IT!!!! I love this time of year, I live for the stress, the pain, and the emergencies. Now, my wife may disagree, but hey, she still loves me..usually.

It's November 13th and my Halloween decorations are still up...oh well, sue me. No, don't really, I can't afford it. I've determined that I hate credit card debt. My wife is getting severed from her employer...again...and we're trying to see how to live on 1 income for the next few months....ouch. So, to our friends and family that want to do things with us in November and December, unless those things are free, close to home, and come with free babysitting, we're not available.

Being a Dad ROCKS!! I love the hell out of this kid! Even when we decide we'd rather wear our dinner than eat it. Even when we decide that it's now cry time, even if it's not really. And I'm really wondering if this kiddo's ever going to get teeth!

OK, I promise Wudchuk that I'll try to do this more often.

Shel for President -

2008-09-25T12:27:00.002-05:00

OK, so my one reader may remember that I've had a few interesting debates with my good friend Shel. Well NOT TODAY MISTER!

I have been kicking around writing my thoughts about the bailout plan, and the state of our eceonomy, and out namby pamby excuses and blame game (Yes, I used namby pamby in a sentance, and I'm proud of it), and all I manage to do is get all worked up and too pissed to write.

Then today, I'm checking out my friends blogs, and lo and behold, I see Ms. Shels. Go, read it NOW

http://shels-blog.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-dont-wanna-be-political-energy.html

While there may be a few differences of opinions around the edges, I agree 10000% with the basic sentiment. This is not any ONE persons fault folks, stop looking for a scapegoat, there ain't one. It's EVERYONES fault who bought something they couldn't afford on credit, or just HAD to have that huge SUV they couldn't afford. Suck it up folks. Unless you have no debt, and are living 100% within your means, you are part of what caused this, so stop trying to pass the buck.

We will get through this, and we'll hopefully get through this smarter. And if you don't learn anything, then at least I'll be happier knowing I did.

He likes fruit with his meat....

2008-09-11T14:37:00.003-05:00

the newspaper headline about a soft cuddly polar bear? A recipe book for new exciting recepies? No, of course not. This would be what my wife thought of when she saw a recipe for turkey burgers, and thought of me. Hmmm, how the hell do I take that? There's 1) Awwww, how sweet, My wife is thinking of me, and wants me to be happy when I eat? then there's 2) Why is my wife thinking of me and fruit in the same sentance?

Anywho...how are you faithful reader? I hope on whatever diety you put your faith in that you are better than me! I am sick, and for once, I do not mean in the head! I feel like ther eis a small yak, or perhaps a large emu sitting on my chest. I am coughing at all hours of the day and night, and I can't seem to get any better. AARRGGHH. Oh well, what sweet release from work death would bring. And it'd guarentee my baby girl could go to the college of her choice.

Ok, so I'm not really going to die...that'd be too easy on you, and you could go through life not having to read anymore of my mindless rambling. In case you haven't noticed, I'm stalling. I can't really think of anything to gripe about today...

The Presidential Election - naaa, too damn easy. But I will say how clever both candidates are to keep sniping at each other so no one notices that no one seems to be talking about any actual issues. I predict that by the year 2100, we'll just put a bunch of names in a hat and let a lobotomized monkey pull the name of our next president.

Work - naa, too depressing.

Marriage - naa, too wonderful. (aaawwwww)

OK, I got one. 9/11. Now, DO NOT misread this, I salute every brave man and woman who risked or lost their lives that day, and I FULLY support out troops around the world. What pisses me off is a combination of the speeches/events, and or the press coverage of those same this year. Not that we shouldn't remember every year, but all the sudden, every politician, celebrity, and talking head tis doing some special or article or speech or tribute on this, the oft remembered 7th anniversary. Am I the only one here cynical enough to just think all the coverage is because it's an election year? damn politicians...

In honor of the 'Q'

2008-08-22T15:18:00.002-05:00

OK, so, the list of things to bitch about today would take me about an hour just to list, let alone complain about, so, I decided instead that I needed to laugh, and I want to share with you as well... Here is a selected list of my favorite quotes from a long lost newletter that predated the fascination with blogs... Q, you are the man!

3/23/1999 - OK everyone in the world has a first crush on some guy, girl, or sheep that they know.

4/6/1999 - I was under the influence of a female so I do have an excuse.

4-17-1999 - Definition: SPAM : (n) an asshead who thinks that they are somehow cooler and better and tougher than everyone else. i.e. a frat boy, a person who wears 'No Fear' t-shirts, a person who rides a crotch rocket (especially if they cannot get it out of second gear), a person who wears oakley sunglasses, one who wears 'Tomy' anything, one who doesn't care about anything but themselves. Plua a lot more, you get the idea.

...so I didnt feel bad getting my chode chopped by him.

4-21-1999 - I'm still unemployed for next year, I may be leaving for CT at the drop of a chode, I have to be a talk show host in 2 days, I shaved my head, and may have busted my finger playing air hockey...just another week in the life of the only Minnesota Mexican.

Ahh staff meeting we're just making root beer floats and talking about porn.

...Bob Stoval's Chode Surprise... [- In refernce to the food at a Chinese Buffet.]

That is all for today, but I will be sprinkling these in from time to time, I have 32 more to re-read!!!

China, the Olympics, and pissing off the French!

2008-08-12T10:16:00.004-05:00

OK, so, I'm sitting at home, watching the olympics, not really into it, but whatever, I want to see our athletes win some medals. And then three things happened; 1) I realized that I HATE the newscasters/commentators on American TV covering the Games, 2) China is in a lot of trouble, and has NO idea what it's people need, and 3) I LOVE seeing the smirk wiped of the faces of the French relay team.

So, let's take these in order shall we...

1) Holy crap, I'm all for free speech and all, and I understand that as a highly paid commentator you are allowed to have an opinion, but I'm really really tired of the idiots on the TV gushing over all the chinese athletes and russian athletes and such and basically telling everyone at home how much the US athletes suck. Even Phelps isn't immune as proven in the relay when all everyone could say was that there's no change the US could win, and may not even medal. Wiat, who took gold...oh yeah, THE US! Then watching the women's gymnastic competition, and the commentators were doing everything they could to say how badly the US team was doing, and how they couldn't afford a single mistake. then, all they can do is tout the amazing atheletes from China. OK, 2 things to point out here. If all those girls on the Chinese team are 15 or 16, I'll eat my damn hat, and I don't care what their 'papers' say. The freaking Chinese government is sponsoring these games, not Beijing, so don't tell me it's not hard to forge documents. The Eastern Bloc countries did it for years. Anyone remember Nadia Comenich (I don't spell, deal)? Other point...where'd the terrible US team with all their mistakes come in during the prelim's... 2nd PLACE!!!!!! OMG, they must have been so very awful! UGH!

2) If I see one more picture of the outside of these multimillion dollar facilities, or another flashback to the 300 million dollar openeing games I'm going to puke. 300 Million dollars on openening ceremonies, while the majority of the country lives in povelty. There's a good idea. And if one more Chinese official says that the smog over the games is 'mist' I'm going to crack. Seriously, mist goes away once the sun hits, this is not hard to understand. And when the machines that measure air quality are all moved 25 miles AWAY from the urban center you're trying to measure, it's not surprising that you do not get accurate results.

The father in law of the Men's Volleyball coach was attacked at knife point and killed, his mother in law seriously wounded, adn then the attacker killed himself....? um..ok, yeah, whatever, I'm sure that doesn't sound fishy to anyone else, just me, the crazy nut.

3) 'We're going to Crush the Americans, that's why were going to the games' French member of the relay team. Final order - Gold - US, Silver - France. Enough Said.

OK, by for now faithful reader.

Where the h-e-double hockey sticks have I been?!?!?

2008-07-25T14:31:00.002-05:00

So, I'm sad to say that I've been away from the blog-o-sphere for way too long. My heart was warmed by the outpouring of support I got on my last post. And by outpouring, I mean 4 comments, and by support, I mean no one threatened my life.

So, since it's been awhile, let's catch up. My kiddo's almost 5 months old now! 5 MONTHS! Holy crap, the days of my growing up are fast approaching, and pretty soon I'll have to actually start actng like the adult I pretend to be. Work is still work. Those of you who know me, know enough. Those of you that don't...why the hell are you reading this blog?..anyway, for those of you that don't know me, I'm about to enter my 11th year at the same company, and i LOVE my job! the sad part is that's not sarcasm! I love what I do, it's 50% stress, 50% teamwork, 50% people management, 50% creativity. Wait a darn minute, that's 200%!! oh yeah, I forgot the other 50%...political crap. that's the part that I do not like, but oh well.

So, since I know that you all tune in to hear me complain about something, I'm going to complain. Today's victim is..me.

I have come to a few conclusions in life, and they are painful, hopeful, stressful, wonderful, etc, etc. I'm a little bit crazy. I know, I know...'Not You!' is EXACTLY what you're all thinking. I've been looking back over the last few decades, and I've come to the conclusion that I have to be crazy for one simple reason. I'm happy, and it seems like the rest of the world is FREAKING OUT! Let me go into a little more detail... (sorry)

I am 33 years old, only slightly out of shape, I have an excellent house, a WONDERFUL wife, a beautiful baby girl, a great puppy, I love my job, my health is good. Now, there's debt, and gas proces, and terrorism, and whatnot, but why should I get stressed about thing I can not control. I do my best, like car-pooling, keeping the air and heat at reasonable temps, recycle a lot, garden, etc. But for things like the oil proces, what can I do, yell at OPEC, ok...AARRRGGHHHH! did it work? oops, guess not. I had my water heater die, and had to buy a new one. Wht can I do, not have hot water.

So it's these reasons, and many more you can come up with that have led me to belive that I'm crazy.

Oh well, I've accepted it.

I promise to be bitchier next time....

Todays venom unleashed

2008-04-18T13:43:00.002-05:00

OK, so I got nothin'. I had a great rant the other day about how crappy the drivers are here in Chicagoland, but had to keep stepping away and just sort of lost it.

I'm sick, feel crappy, and really don't have any energy today. Oh well. I promise to bitch about something on Monday.

P.S. - Is there anyone reading this drivel? Please tell me....

Wow, it's been a while, sorry 'bout that faithful reader.

2008-04-10T09:54:00.002-05:00

And yes, I've accepted that it's reader, in the singular.

So, where have I been for the last 5 weeks? Well, can't really say as I remember it all. I am loving the new dad thing. My little biscuit (first nickname, woohoo) is a wonderful handful! I've been trying to help out the wife as much as possible, and I think I'm doing an OK job, but she requires a level of work no one can prepare you for. We've had the filled diapers (and the overflowing ones), the unexplained crying sessions (the Biscuit, not her mom and I), and the newest, I'm not done eating, keep feeding me or I'll scream.

So far, my only issue is my stress level. I hate hearing my baby girl cry, and it makes me feel bad. No, that's not a call out for pity, I know it's irrational, but we ALL do irrational things, no matter what people tell us. Otherwise, I've been blessed with a wonderful wife, a beautiful daughter, and so many amazing and supportive family and friends.

Also - In a rare escape from this blog, I want to send a Thank You out to an inanimate object. Thank You to Facebook. I have reconnected with some great friends that I haven't spoken to in years! Someday, I may even tell them about this blog...

OK, since It's what I live for, and what you dread, it's time to hear about what's pissing me off today about our messed up world. I'm actually going to do some rapid fire here, as my thoughts are jumbled, but there's a lot of them:

China - The Dali Lama is inciting rioting and wants to use Tibeten monks as Suicide Bombers...or so says the Chinese governement...huh? Do they even know what the heck a Buddhist is? (By the way fellow bloggers, your hapless author, and junior buddhist found out this week that he shares a b-day with good ol Mr. Buddha himself). I first heard this news story and thought, no, someone's reading their AP wire wrong..then I heard it again, then I saw it on a translated Chinese news site. Wow...and what amazes me is that people believe the crap coming from the Chinese government. CNN has had some reporters on site in Beijing, and it's amazing how mad the people are at the rest of the world for 'telling lies about China'...Stunning.

Texas - WTF is wrong with people? So this roving piece of shite Dale Evans Barlow is probation for conspiracy to have sex with a minor, and he lives in a COMPOUND (never a good thing) in Texas, where last thursday two men were arrested for obstructing police, and 416 children were taken into custody at the Yearning For Zion Ranch after a 16-year-old girl made some phone calls to a violence hot line. This 'ranch' is run by Warren Steed Jeffs (notice all the 3 names...hmmm) who is currently in prison for accomplice to rape, stemming from a poligimist, forced marriage (and subsequent consumation) that he performed in 2001. WHAT THE HELL. How do we continue to 1) let these degenerates out of jail, and 2) why does no one follow up. One trip to this ranch by a local LEO (law enforcement officer for those that are not addicted to NCIS) would have shown something out of whack!

USA political crap - OK, I know I've said it before, but Hilary scares the hold bejesus out of me. She, and her husband, are hold overs from old political days. They are after power, and it's priveledges, that's all I see. I feel that very few politicians are worth a fart in a windstorm, but she just scares me on a level I have a hard time describing. So my latest beef...she's now publicly disagreeing with her husband on the Colombia free trade agreement. Hmm, how convienent that she's had little to no opinion about it since 2000 when hubby Bill started supporting it, but suddenly, just before primaries in very union Pennsylvania, she's very against it. oh well, who can trust a politician. Oh, and by the way, is bill supporting this solely because it's a grand idea? According to AP, Bill Clinton raked in $800,000 from Gold Service International, a development group based in Bogota, Colombia, that supports the Colombia free trade deal. The payment was for appearances in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil in 2005. I really wish we could just vote and move on.

OK, I'm done for the day... Thanks all!

Well, the day has arrived!

2008-03-03T15:47:00.002-06:00

My baby daughter was born this past weekend. Let me tell you, there is no other feeling like this in the world! For those of you that are not parents, I can't describe it, for those that are, now I get it.

My baby girl was born via emergency c-section, and for those that think this post won't have a gripe because I'll all happy, you got another think coming! But I'll get to that in a minute. So an emergency C-Section, because someone wanted to be really late, and then decide that the whole 'head down' concept of birth was silly. Also had the cord wrapped around her little foot. So, we get all scrubbed up, and from entry into the OR to holding my daugter was about 1 hour. AMAZING!

OK, so my gripe for today (don't worry it'll be short, it's almost feeding time, and I have very specific duties here). If we EVER move to socialized healthcare, kiss your excellent medical facilities goodbye. Now, I have a hunch I know a few of my friends here who are going to disagree with me, and as always, bring it. I'll try to write more on this later, but a sweet little bundle just started crying, so I have more inportant things to do.

Simple Debate!

2008-02-17T10:39:00.005-06:00

I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!!!! Why you may ask, well there are too many reasons to put here, but the most recent, is the ability, freedom and education to engage in a debate!

To preface this, I think this will be the shortest debate ever. Check out my friend Shel's blog: http://shels-blog.blogspot.com/

Now, I love Shel with all my heart, but she made two major errors in judgement in her blog. 1) she said I was smarter than her, hmm, me benefits analyst, her lawyer...yeah, not so much on the smarter scale, but she's a flatterer. and 2) she thinks I disagree with her. I may have been less than clear in my last post. I tend to go all emotional when I get fired up (See Lewis Black, or Glenn Beck whenever they get fired up and forget how to speak for a few seconds). I absolutely agree with stricter control! WHAT WHAT WHAT? That's right, I absolutely agree with stricter gun control. I DO NOT think we should be outlawing guns, and I absulutely agree with conceal and carry laws. Do those contradict each other? I don't think so. If someone received a thorough backgroud check, by the FBI, not local law enforcement (Not a slam against local law, just the FBI databases are national), has never been convicted of a crime, has never been hospitalized in a mental institution, is not under mandatory or voluntary help for mental illness, and is not, and has never been on regular medication for mental instability, they can own a gun. To take it one step further, if they voluntarily submit to a state police run gun safety course (which would need to be improved from todays standards) and submit to a mental examination, at their own cost, a conceal and carry license could be awarded.

Recently, an 80 year old man in Texas (Of course Texas) was confronted and acosted by two very large men. I'd explain the story, but the old gents statement beats anything I could say.

Reporter: So what do theink was going through their minds when they threatened you?
Old Person: Well, I 'spect they was thinkin' they was gonna whup my ass.
Reporter: What did you do then?
Old Person: Well, I drew my gun, and shot the first one, then chased the second one. He got away, but I heard they got him later.

DAMN! This man is my hero. Upon further review by the reporter, this old dude was a former police officer, and VOLUNTARILY submits every year to a texas state police abiliy/agility test with his firearm, and says that as soon as he fails the test, he'll lock up the guns or give them to his sons.

I have friends in law enforcement and the military, and I'd never take chances with gun safety, I wantto learn the proper and correct way to handle, care for and shoot a gun. Shoot you say? YES, if you own a gun, or ever want to own a gun, learn how to use the darn thing. Having a loaded gun in the hands of someone with absolutely no experience shooting one, is just as dangerous as not having one.

OK, so back to my short lived debate with Shelk, I think gun groups have gone overboard with the 2nd amendment. I believe (form all the deep personal conversations I've had with Ben F, and George W) that the founding fathers wanted to ability to maintain a militia to protect our lands and our citizens. This is not necesarily what it means to own a gun. However, I am against laws that prohibit gun ownership. Restrictions, within reason, are great, but not prohibition. There was a 'burb around here not too many years ago that passed a law prohibiting ALL gun ownership within city limits. Well, sure enough, within a year of the law being passed, a man's house was broken into, and he pulled a gun, and sudued the creep until the police could arrive. And HE GOT ARRESTED TOO! Because he owned a gun in town. BUT, he used the gun properly, effectively by protecting his family and property. Now, he didn't have it licenesed with the state, so that's wrong, and he should have been punished (He paid the fine for that, and updated his FOID card), but I believe that city ordinace is way out of line.

OK, Done rambling for now. Check out Shel's blog, she's funny, creative, and we love her, even if she is a law dog....

What the hell is wrong with people?!

2008-02-15T09:50:00.005-06:00

Folks, I'm going to keep it short today, but I'm really getting worried about the general state of affairs among the youth of this nation. A gunman entered a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University yesterday and opened fire. As of today, 7 people have died. This is Beruit in the late 80's. this isn't Baghdad in the 'Green Zone'. This isn't Darfur. THIS IS DeKalb ILLINOIS! What the hell. You know, I'm boggled by this, and I'm more boggled every time it happens. This was the 4th time in 2 weeks someone was killed in a school. Of course the media was too involved with the Congressional hearsing on baseball to mention them, until it happened at a major university. (BTW - Estimated cost to the US Taxpayer for the congressional hearings Wednesday, that actually accomplished nothing, is about 2 Million). I have a good friend who is a student at NIU, another who works for the DeKalb Co. Sherrif's office, and was working in 911 dispatch on Wed., and I am a PT Student there as well. What the hell. We never think it'll happen here. NIMBY, not in my backyard. Well, guess what, appearantly, crazy knows no bounds. I'm really getting tired of the media, and the families telling us that all these idiots are 'misunderstood' or 'got teased' or whatever. A few things here...I got picked on every day of my life, hell a few of my more ass-like friends seem to think it's their job, but guess what...NEVER FELT THE NEED TO SHOOT UP A SCHOOL! Also, and I'm sure, as I always tend to do, this next one will piss off my more left leaning friends, I do not think the answer is outlawing guns. The kid plans on shooting up a school, obviously breaking the law is not a major concern for this individual.

Where the hell are the families here? I know when my wife or brother, or friends are having a bad hair day, let alone when they are really ticked/peeved/ready to rampage on something. All it takes is a few seconds to see how someone is doing.

OK, getting riled up, and I need to go back to work. Please, call a friend today, maybe one you don't see or chat with a lot, and see how they are doing, remind them that you are there, and you care about them.....

Of course, if you pray, please keep the NIU deaths in your prayers, if you don't, at least keep them in your thoughts.

Got too fired up last time....

2008-02-11T12:52:00.000-06:00

OK, so not really, but now I feel like I need a big issue to get all biblical about. Oh well, I got nothing. There's a lot of pressure on being a blogger...

Well, since I did title this blog to be pretty generic, let's go off on a tangent (I know, big surprise). So, I'm going to a talk about where I am in life. I realized this weekend that I am DAMN HAPPY! That's a great feeling! I'm looking forward to meeting my daughter, I'm enjoying my religious persuits (of sorts, still enjoying the debate of is Buddhism a religion...I say it's not, it's a philosophy), I'm becomming happy with my house, I'm becoming a semi-talented carpenter on the side, I'm enjoying my job (I want more money, but who doesn't). all in all, I'd say I'm doing pretty darn well.

So it's Tax season, and this is the first year in my 18 years of paying taxes that I'm not getting a refund. IT SUCKS. Of course, my desire was totally selfish, as I wanted to get a new PC, but I also wanted to do some work around the house. Oh well, this too shall pass.

Woo, Hoo - I do have something to bitch about! I was distracted, and I forgot! And this may (will) piss off many of my friends, but I'm going to bitch about Personal Rights and Freedoms. I adore free speech, freedom of religion, right to bear arms (or bare arms even), hell I like all of the Bill of Rights, and I understand everyone's fighting to keep all those rights open, but here's the thing, there are times when you can't use the bill of rights to get out of some form of moral responsibility. Here's what set me off. There was a lovely gentelmen from NYC traveling from Canada back to the US. At the border, when he was asked to show his laptop, it happened to be on, and the Border agent was able to clearly see child pornagraphy. Now child porn is against the law, and rightfully so, but as soon as this guy realized he was in trouble, he lcoked his PC, and is now refusing to give anyone the password. And, as per the current interpretation of the 5th amendment, he has the right to not provide that password because it will incriminate him. Now, I know a few of you reading this are lawyers (I don't hold this against you, I still like you), and I'm all for freedom, but abuse of freedoms, to me is just as reprehensible as abuse of power. This is an exaggerated case, not everyone crossing our borders is trafficking child pornagraphy, but those laws that protect everyone else, are going to let this guy get away with it. Now, there is a little good news, because I'm guessing this guy won't be able to pee without some scrutiny right now, so maybe he'll make a mistake, buthe's still getting away with crossing into this country with illegal material on his laptop.

OK, so, you're probably asking yourself, what's my point. Well, I don't know. Every ounce of my being wants to scream from the rooftops that if you are breaking the law, I don't CARE how you're caught. I know, I know, someone's going to compare me to a nazi, and say that I'm trampling on the constitution, well, screw them. I am not, unlike many of my peers, I have read the constitution, in fact I make it a point to read it regularly, and I have a good friend who actually carriers a copy with her (MR - You ROCK for that, and many other reasons), and I believe in it with all my heart, and would fight to defend it. BUT, by letting criminals and pederasts, and murders, and spies, and on and on hide behind it, it cheapens it, and makes it a worthless document. Now, I could go on about the politicians that I feel are doing the same thing, but that's another post...

If you do, good, if you succed, better, if you don't try, shame on you, if we don't help, shame on all of us.

Picchi

It's true, I used steroids, I wanted to be able to mow the lawn in under 6 seconds flat!

2008-02-07T17:38:00.000-06:00

OK, since you all know me (I'm assuming no one else will read this tripe), I'm just going to warn you up front that when I give an opinion, on politics, the weather, or how hot Lea Thompson was in 1986, just bear with me, it's just an opinion. I'm VERY happy that you also have one, and even happy that it'll probably differ from mine, but trying to change my opinion with your own opinion, won't work. Now, FACTS are something different alltogether. My good friend (hope he still thinks so) Duch is a GREAT example of this. I had an opinion, he differed, and sent me some FACTS. Now, he didn't change my mind, but he did make my feelings a little less severe. OK, set-up aside, my first bitch session in the blogosphere....

Can someone, ANYONE, please explain to me what the United States Congress has to do with Baseball and steroids? We are in the middle of a war (Which I support), we have a roller coaster economy (Which I know nothing about) we are entering a historical Presidential race, and all I am hearing that comgress can seem to accomplish is meeting after meeting on Steroids and HGH in baseball.

I'm not saying that I think that Steroids and HGH aren't bad, they are, baseball needs to get on the ball and take care of it. Certain athletes feelings aside, I DO happen to think that you are a role-model. If you don't want it, don't play the game. But, I'm unsure why our tax dollars (That's who payd for congress, and congressional lawyers, and the buildings they use, even the pens they write with) are being used on this issue. All I can think of is that some senator wanted Clemons' autograph so he figured he find a reason to get them to Washington. Seriously, there is nothing better that our congress can work on? Last time I checked (which was not too recently, admittedly) Oil is somewhere in the $90 range, unemployment claims sit about 350k a month, the US dollar is still in a moderate freefall, we have kids pulling guns on teachers, malls being used for target practice, teachers leaving the profession in record numbers, but my elected officials are worried about who took steroids 10 years ago?!

My message to the next President of the United States, whomever that will be."My vote will go to the candidate who will put the govermnet back on a track of governing and leading this country, not providing for those with the most contributions and the ability to give you the most press headlines."

Thus endth my ranting for the day...

The colors of a baby's life...

2008-02-04T14:51:00.000-06:00

OK, so my poor kid isn't even here yet, and we've already diceded that she'll like jungle animals, the collor green, and of course the letter Q. We completed the nursery this weekend, not that we waited until the last minute or anything. Suppose it could be worse, she's still in the cooking stage, at least she won't have to breathe in the fresh paint fumes. not that it effected me at all...much...

I read that newborns really only recognize black and white. I'd say we have every color represented in her room BUT balck and white. Oh well, it's all cute, colorful, and not 'girly'. I am getting more and more excited by the day to meet this little girl. I fear for her sanity however. I know her family all too well. She will be blessed with two parents, three grandparents, 5 Aunts, 3 Uncles, about 400000 honorary Aunts and Uncles, and 3 pets. not bad for a fetus!

Ok, then, I regret to announce that I'm expanding the blog...sorry, coulnd't resist, this is just too much damn fun! After this post, my baby girl will be a part of the larger musings of my warped and twisted life. I've also decided to release the blog on the unsuspecting public...sorry...

Why oh Why does one start a blog?

2008-01-31T14:24:00.000-06:00

Well, I could go with the simple, everyone else is, why shouldn't I? But that wouldn't be quite fair. While that is the reason I started this, I decided that wasn't a good enough reason to keep writing. I want to write this to help myself remember the journey I'm about to begin. As many of you know, my wife and I are about to have our first child. I have so many thoughts and feelings on this, it could be a seperate blog (No, I'm not going to subject cyberspace to me twice) but needless to say, I am incredibly excited to meet my daughter!

Of course, some will ask, how can I have a kid, when I'm not all grow'd up myself yet. Well, let me tell you, I'm not, and if I have anything to say about it, I'll not grow up until about 10 seconds before I die. That does not trnslate to the care and love I'm planning on sharing with this little girl. Lord knows if my wife still loves me (ok, assuming here, but feel pretty safe) then I must be doing OK!

Well, I'm on post 2, and I'm probably going to keep this to myself for a few posts, but we'll see....

Until next time -

Picchi

"If you are going through hell...Keep going" - Winston Churchill

2008-01-07T18:13:00.001-06:00

Oh boy...here we go, another blog...just what the world needs...