I have seen a lot of strange things for sale on ebay. This may be one of strangest. This is a CEREAL BOX from 1988! Who in the world would keep a cereal box for 16 years and more importantly, why would they do it??? Is there a secret underground cereal box trading community I am unaware of? 10 bucks for it, sooooo funny.
Companies shouldn’t outsource their helpdesk support to India. 🙂 (Actual call we got in our office years back)
It’s finally over. It seemed like American Idol has been going on forever, maybe that is because it has. Fantasia won and she deserved to. Her “yea, yea, yeas…” that she works into every song is annoying and having a 19 year old with a 3 or 4 year old kid isn’t exactly textbook for what we would want kids to aspire to. But she is a good performer and sings great so she deserved to win. Every year they squeeze more and more shows out of the process, I wonder when it is going to crest and lose it’s popularity. I think as long as they keep the same judges it will remain popular. The 2 hour show was ok. One of the most memorable moments for me was seeing the Fonz sitting in the audience. He looked like shit. Seeing the Fonz with a triple chin, gray, receding hair and all fat sucks.
I mention Tivo on here often. It really is an awesome device. Let me give some examples from last night alone. The AI finale started at 8. We had it set to record on Tivo. So instead of having to stop what we were doing right at 8 we let the Tivo get a headstart. Then around 8:45 or so we start watching. Giving it a headstart allows us to zip right through the commercials and/or boring parts and spend a little more than an hour watching a 2 hour show. It actually enables you to spend LESS time watching TV. Instant replay is useful. During one part of the show Simon said something that appeared to be funny but we couldn’t make it out. No problem, pause it, rewind a few secs and play it again. This also is a great thing for sporting events, no need to rely on the network to give you an instant replay. During the show someone calls, argh, how annoying! Not with Tivo, hit the pause button and whatever is on will freeze. You can freeze it for up to a half an hour and not lose a beat. Finally there is the set it and forget aspect of recording. The Tivo updates it’s schedules nightly so if an episode is scheduled to start at an odd time, the Tivo knows it and will adjust itself. Finally, the Tivo also uses the stuff you watch normally to help it record things on it’s own that you may also find interesting. For example if you are into cars and have previously watched or recorded some car shows, the tivo will search the listings to find similar shows and record them for you if it is not busy. You can also manually give certain shows thumbs up or thumbs down ratings to further tailor what the Tivo records.
Now on the downside, of course all this stuff isn’t free (unless you hack one) You can get a brand new box for around 150 bucks, you can get a used for less off ebay. The service costs either 12.95 a month or a one time 299 charge that covers the subscription for the life of the unit. Sometimes the Tivo can be too much of a good thing. For example my wife has too many shows set to record than she can reasonably watch, so our living room tivo is full of shows she will never get around to viewing. But the bottom line is even if you only watch a relatively small amount of TV, the Tivo can give you flexibility that is otherwise impossible. I have never heard of anyone that got a Tivo that was disappointed. End of infomercial. 🙂
Remember Adrienne Barbeau? Back in the 70’s and early 80’s she was a sex symbol. I remember thinking she was extremely hot. My co-worker gave me a copy of Swamp Thing where she had a starring role. It was an incredibly silly movie. But what I noticed was how she didn’t seem that hot. That afro hair was nasty and she wasn’t incredibly pretty. Apparently it was all about her body. Just like the Fonz, the years have been rough on her, check out a picture from then and now. Here is one from way back, not bad there. I think the movie that she looked the best to me was Cannonball Run.
Boy is it nice to be able to just go home after work. Last night Alison was taking the dog to adult dog training classes so it meant we drove separately. I was home by 5:30, got to quickly mow the grass around the immediate perimeter of the house, do a little work on the Vette, eat dinner, play some xbox and still found time to watch American Idol. You see most days I watch the dog after work for an hour so Alison gets a chance to go to the gym. So most nights we don’t roll in the door until close to 7. It’s amazing how much of a difference that extra hour and a half makes. It was nice to have some extra time during the week.
My brother arrives today. They don’t get in until late afternoon. It is a shame, the way it is going to break out we probably won’t see that much of them. The 3 days we have off for the weekend, they are staying in Sarasota with my sister-in-laws parents. I don’t quite understand why they didn’t schedule to see them during weekdays since they are retired and are available all week long. They are going to be staying at my mom’s place. It sort of bums me out that my brother has never been down to visit in the nearly 4 years we have been in Naples and now that he is, we will more than likely see very little of him. I could analyze this further but it is pointless to do so.
I noticed something the other day regarding people with the newer cellphones that do neato things like play mp3 songs when an incoming call goes in. It’s funny to me, they go through all the trouble to set the phone up to use the silly mp3’s but then when the phone rings, they almost seem embarrassed by the song and hurriedly rush to stop it from making noise as soon as possible. Maybe I just perceive it that way. Give me an old fashioned “ring, ring”, I have no desire to hear the macarena everytime someone is trying to reach me.
The blisters on my feet are slowly draining so I can walk without limping for the first time since Sunday. I ordered my sand socks on Monday.
Pic links
Volleyball only pic page
All the pics from the weekend
The trip to the other coast went well, we hit some traffic, not much and got there in around 2 hours and 15 minutes. We were staying at a Days Inn that was right on the beach. I read ahead of time some less than stellar reviews regarding this hotel on the web so I knew it wasn’t going to be 5 stars. It was funny seeing Nicki’s reaction, she was checking everything out and seemed to be having fun. The room was ok. It was basically clean. The only bad parts were the bathroom was rather gross and the TV was shitty. Oh and the AC unit rattled and carried on like it was ready to blow up. We didn’t get settled in until after 7 and we still hadn’t eaten. Not knowing the area and since we had the dog with, we decided to just have pizza delivered.
Walking Nicki around the area for bathroom runs was a challenge. There were the smells from many dogs everywhere. It turned out her bathroom of choice was out on the beach. It actually was better that way, easier to clean up. As I walked her I was surprised to look over the fence and see the tournament was set up right next door! I knew we were close, didn’t know we were that close. I didn’t get to sleep until around 11.
I didn’t sleep great but not bad considering the AC noise and sleeping in a foreign bed. I ran out and got pop tarts and milk for a makeshift breakfast. It was beautiful day. We had to come up with some sort of plan on how to have Ali be able to watch the tournament and Nicki at the same time. The beach where the tournament was did not allow dogs, the beach in front of the hotel did. So what we did was initially set up an umbrella and blanket for Alison and Nicki in an area where they could see the tournament from the dog beach. When I actually played Alison would take Nicki to the room to hang out for a bit. This logistically was a bit of a pain and would only work up until 1pm when we had to check out.
The tournament was going pretty well for us. We played more good than bad and were progressing through the games. The sand started to get incredibly hot. By mid-day you had to sprint across the sand to avoid severe burns on your soles. The thermometer hit 95 degrees. The heat was taking it’s toll. I was really feeling it.
1pm came so we had to come up with phase 2 of the dog plan. We decided to try to smuggle her onto the tournament beach. We set up a pop up canopy that sat low to the ground and blocked the view from 3 sides. We figured, worst case, if someone said something we could move them to the dog beach. It worked out ok. Nicki kept quiet and just hung out.
We finished 3-1 on our net which meant we got into the playoffs. I didn’t play as well as I wanted to but we still won games, a good thing. The sand, besides being hot was also deep which threw off my timing as I tried to move and jump. I lost my temper a few times getting furious at myself for screwing up what should be some easy plays. Even so we were in the 8 team playoff. We were seeded 6th. We won our first playoff game in relatively easy form. We consistently served the weaker hitter. That meant we were in the semi-finals. That game was a long back and forth battle. Both players jump served consistently and did a good job of it. We wound up losing 25-23. Bummer. Oh well at least now I can rest. My partner tells me to get ready for the 3-4 playoff. What? I forgot that they playoff to determine 3rd and 4th place. Argh. So after a bit of a rest we took on 2 young guys. During this match one of the blisters on my feet opened up, making it very painful to move around. Even so we played consistently enough to wear them down and won the game, securing third place. Yippee.
The reward for our effort was a monogrammed BudLight towel. We also grabbed 2 Bud Lights. They were handing out free beer all day, however that is the last thing you should be drinking when you are dying in the heat. The tournament was well run and the layout was impressive as hell. It looked like an AVP tournament. I saw a couple of guys that Rich and I played 2 years ago. We had a bad experience with them as they were bad sports that argued a crucial call in our playoff game. Ironically, they did the same thing in 2 of the playoff games they were in. I didn’t get to play them this time, but I would love to get a second crack at them to get some revenge. I don’t know if they even remembered me, probably not.
There was only one nickname generated during the day. Coming up with them was Rich’s specialty so I miss that aspect of playing. After play was over, Ali and I both used the hotels shower and pool facilities to clean up somewhat, even though we were checked out. Sneaky. We did not get home until after 9pm, a very long day. The “bring the dog” experiment turned out well. It was a great little trip. It made us feel better about the idea of taking her along to the timeshare as well.
On Sunday I woke up with surprisingly few aches and pains except for 2 throbbing feet. Unfortunately I had a shitload of things that that had been neglected that I wanted to get taken care of. We busted our ass for most of the day even though neither of us really felt up to it. My bro and sis-in-law are coming down this week so I needed to get the house in at least half decent shape. It would be nice to have a short Monday blog entry once in awhile.
The Green Machine was one of my favorite toys as a kid. Somehow it seemed faster than a big wheel even though I don’t think it had a mechanical or aerodynamic advantage that would actually make this true. It’s biggest feature was the rear wheel steering via levers as opposed to a conventional steering wheel. At first this method of control was rather awkward. However after some time behind the levers it became second nature. This method of steering also made incredible power slides incredibly easy. Loved that thing.
Well when I went to Sports Authority over lunch looking for sand socks what do I see by the door but a GREEN MACHINE! This is a Green Machine for the 21st century. It looks very similar but they made some minor styling changes and I noticed the steering levers are a more durable metal variety instead of the plastic type I cut my teeth on. It still looked cool. 80 bucks! Whew that is some serious scratch for the young driving enthusiast. I am happy to see the Green Machine return to make a new generation of kids smile.
I’ve noticed that having the Vette in the garage is almost akin to a security blanket for me. Yea it sounds silly. But when I am taking out the trash and come back up the driveway and see the Vette sitting there looking ominous yet content to be in my garage it gives me a sense of calm. It’s hard to explain why having a certain automobile would generate that type of feeling, yet it does. It may just be that I always thought about having a Vette, I always imagined it was something that was unlikely to happen, yet there it sits. Never mind it is 16 years old, has a laundry list of problems and cost less than 5k. It still makes me feel better. Of course there are many other things that make me content and happy, this just happens to be one of them.
The gnome has been either very bored or just agitated from being ruled by Amish that think they are smarter than him. He has been trying to get under my skin behind the scenes. However I realize his situation for what it is. I have sympathy for his plight, it isn’t easy being so small so I choose to let him vent without contributing to his sorrow.
The car is packed. We are leaving right from work to go to Singer Island on the east coast. Nicki will be along for the ride. It will be a new experience bringing a pet on a trip. Well, one time before we took our parrotlet to the beach with us. However a 60 pound dog is another situation. Singer Island is supposed to be a beautiful place, I am looking forward to seeing it. Hopefully the volleyball tournament will produce better results. Last time I was in the beginning stages of my prolonged illness, this time I feel fine. It is supposed to be hellish hot. For some reason the sand on the east coast gets hotter than over here. Almost everyone uses sand socks. I have no such thing. I may try to find them before we leave but more than likely I will just wind up with singed soles.
I haven’t looked at my web stats recently. It is surprising how many hits a dinky little web home as mine can get. In March there were over a HALF MILLION hits on my domain. Here is the recent history.
Month Daily Avg Monthly Totals
Hits Files Pages Visits Sites KBytes Visits Pages Files Hits
May 2004 7848 4103 921 268 5301 1687520 5641 19360 86181 164808
Apr 2004 10476 4385 1130 364 7339 2334034 10921 33927 131566 314307
Mar 2004 17896 7177 1651 451 8387 2497427 14011 51197 222492 554779
Feb 2004 6496 3422 839 296 5269 1144892 8591 24353 99265 188384
Jan 2004 4997 3158 1020 392 7604 1244609 12154 31634 97915 154922
Dec 2003 4403 3450 1689 1081 28500 1363464 33535 52363 106961 136499
Nov 2003 4924 3478 1611 1025 26459 1501398 30775 48333 104350 147733
Oct 2003 3276 2823 1350 945 26787 1056458 29324 41877 87543 101583
Sep 2003 3710 2978 1416 863 22292 1132820 25905 42499 89350 111310
Aug 2003 3862 2717 811 224 5191 1403559 6944 25165 84244 119730
Jul 2003 3871 3022 827 221 4535 1424724 6879 25659 93688 120002
Jun 2003 3728 2757 716 248 5214 1052874 7458 21493 82736 111862
Totals 17843779 192138 417860 1286291 2225919
I have had some issues with my braces where the teeth haven’t moved as they should have. So as a result I had to step back a bit in my progression to ensure the teeth were where they should be. I only dropped back one and at my last checkup they seemed to be moving along ok again. However Alison has been having a hell of a time. She had the same set on for 7 weeks! She went back today and they moved her back to a prior set. It is really frustrating. The ortho basically seems to be simply trying to treat it by repeating the same mistake over again. I suspect that early on in the treatment plan they were not paying close enough attention to how the trays were fitting and now as a result she is having issues. So now if this doesn’t correct itself they may have to recast her mouth and order some new trays or even have to throw a metal bracket on it to move it. All I know is we are not paying one more dime. It sucks though because the original 18 month treatment plan is going to be stretching into the 2 year range at this rate.
I got a replacement credit card the other day. It had one of those stickers on it that said you had to call an 800 number on it from your home phone number to activate it. So I do as instructed, punch in the card number and then the recording says it is processing, but while it is processing, here are some great offers we want you to listen to. I was part way through the THIRD offer when I hit the pound key hoping it would get me out. Luckily it worked. I think it is ridiculous that they try to sell you shit when all you are doing is trying to activate the card.
If you want all the exciting details on how you too can handle excessive back hair yourself all the info you need is here. 🙂
After about a week and a half of prep I took the first of the 2 tests I need to upgrade my MCSE to the 2003 designation. I passed. I didn’t pass with flying colors but it was good enough. I have gone over about 450 practice questions for this so I was ready to get the damn test out of the way. Studying for these tests is extremely boring for me but a necessary evil in the IT field.
The signs leading up to the test were bad. I was almost late after getting stuck in bad traffic due to a rollover accident. Then when I got there, the girl behind the desk was filling in for someone and did not know how to administer the test. As a result I didn’t start until a half hour late. The test itself wasn’t so bad as I had seen the majority of the questions on the practice exams I took. However I have to believe that a lot of the answers given on the practice exams had to be incorrect else my score would have been higher.
No big deal though, 1 down 1 to go. I will probably give my brain a week or so to relax and then cram for the second exam.
Did you boycott buying gas today? I got several emails regarding not buying gas today as a protest against the oil companies raping us at the pump. I highly doubt that enough people got word to make a difference but it would be cool if it actually hurt those bastards a bit. Over $2.20 a gallon down here for premium and climbing.
Someone I know actually bought this thing off ebay! You would immediately assume it was the furry gnome since he has such back hair problems, but you would be wrong! I mean ok, I guess the concept is legit, if you have a hairy ass back, you can’t reach it all conventionally so this may come in handy. But 20 BUCKS?????????!!!!!!!!!!! All it is, is a piece of molded plastic that probably cost a dime to make. The revelation that this individual bought this changed my viewpoint about him forever. Oh I forgot to mention 7 BUCKS shipping! So close to 30 bucks was dropped on this. Unbelievable. This could be equated to the government paying 300 dollars for a screw driver, it is a rip off of the same magnitude.
This upcoming weekend I am playing in another volleyball tournament. This time it is at Singer Island on the east coast. This trip will be a a first for a couple reasons. I never played at this location before so that is new. But we are also going to be taking Nicki with. Evidently the beach where the tournament is being played is pet friendly. I found a hotel that accepts pets as well. It should be interesting. She is fine in the car and basically sleeps most of the time. Hopefully it doesn’t turn out to be a disaster. Of course Alison is thrilled about the idea of bringing her “baby” along.
Today will be spent basically studying all day. Tomorrow I am taking the first of 2 tests required to upgrade my MCSE to the Windows 2003 server designation. It is really cool that I have the ability to prepare for these certs at work, it is a luxury I was never afforded at any of my other IT jobs. There is no real need for me to get the cert other than my desire to keep my skillset somewhat current and to always keep myself marketable in the job market. Although I feel very secure in my job I would hate to get caught with my pants down. I’ve seen it happen enough in my industry where people get secure in their jobs and decide to not learn anything new. If for some reason the rug gets pulled out from under them they wind up being in a world of hurt.
Last night I played vball at the indoor 6’s gym. I really enjoy going there even though you wouldn’t always know it by watching me there. I let a lot more expletives than normal fly last night. I was embarrassed by some of them. I couldn’t pass to save my life however I had a few hits that made me feel like I could actually still play a little bit so that evened things out for me. The day after aches and pains aren’t so bad either. I think I have broken down whatever adhesions in my shoulder that were causing such stabbing pain. It still hurts but it is much more manageable. I hope it will be good prep for this weekend. I’d like to at least make the playoffs this time.
