The World According to Clarke

I blame Facebook...

2009-02-08T22:31:00.002-05:00

Wow, it's been a while. I discovered Facebook through my 20-year high school reunion, and that has pretty much put an end to my blogging here. If you're not a Facebook member, I highly recommend signing up. It has millions of way to waste your time. :)

That's Amore!

2008-07-13T19:00:00.002-04:00

I love our neighborhood. We have great neighbors all around us, lots of nice parks and things to do, and my commute to work is nice. My one complaint since we've lived here, however, has been the scarcity of decent pizza. The only franchise pizza I'm a fan of is Donato's, and there isn't one of those nearby. There's a pretty good mom-and-pop shop called Big Dogs across town, but it's 15 minutes away and they don't deliver. So when I saw the 'coming soon' sign for a new pizza place called 'Ciao Bella' a couple of weeks ago, I was cautiously optimistic.

Well, we tried it for the first time tonight and it exceeded my expectations! I got a sausage/onion/mushroom pizza which was excellent. The sauce was yummy--a little sweet but not too much, and the crust was just right--slightly thick but a little bit crunchy. The kids had calzones, and Maria enthusiastically declared it the 'best ever'. Chris thought it compared favorably with LaRosas and Big Dogs. Ben was not as happy because he doesn't like tomato sauce, and the calzone had it inside instead of separately for dipping like most places--so we'll have to order more carefully next time. Best of all, they deliver!

I spoke to the owner about cutting a deal for delivery down to the swim club, and he sounded very interested. My new goal is to make sure this pizza place does well--it needs to stick around. If you're ever in the West Chester/Sharonville area, give Ciao Bella a try!

The work crew...

2008-07-13T17:28:00.002-04:00

The one positive from our recent storm--we've got enough firewood to last us for a few years! Several of us in the neighborhood went in together to rent a log splitter, and with some serious help from the kids we got it all split and stacked. Time for a nap!

My 15 seconds of fame...

2008-07-08T23:19:00.003-04:00

A big storm blew through our neighborhood this afternoon, damaging several large trees in our yard as well as others throughout the street. We were at The Beach waterpark at the time, and came home to find a Channel 12 news truck in our neighborhood doing a story on the storm damage. When talking to the reporter, I mentioned that our tax incentive check came in the mail yesterday and that I'd be spending it on a tree guy. He asked me to say it again on camera, but when the lights came on I choked and they only used a brief snippet of me for the story. And boy was I looking good with my uncombed pool hair after a day of sweating in the sun! Ugh!

We love our wooded yard and it's sad to see so many big trees down, but everyone is unhurt so I can't complain too much!

No fishing...

2008-06-26T22:02:00.002-04:00

Since our cat passed away a couple of years ago, we have been a petless household (which is just fine with Annette and I). The kids have been working us for quite a while to get something--dog, cat, turtle, fish, anything. Chris even wrote a persuasive essay on why he should have a pet for a school project.

We finally broke down and got Chris an aquarium for his birthday. It is all set up and looks good. I've never owned one before, so I'll be curious to see how much work needs to be put into keeping it up. There sure were a lot of used ones available on Craigslist, which makes me worry!

Remember me?

2008-06-07T00:06:00.003-04:00

Remember me? I used to blog here. But with sicknesses, job changes, surgeries, scouts, sports, etc. I've been a bit lax in my blogging and website updating in general. I'm going to make an effort to fix that, though. And to start it off, I've added pictures from January through May of 2008 to the website. Enjoy. I'll be back.

Elder statesman?!?!

2008-03-26T22:38:00.002-04:00

While driving home this even, I heard a news story on the radio about NBA player Chris Webber deciding to retire. The story referred to him as an "elder statesman" of the NBA. Elder statesman?!? He was born 3 years after me! What's with that? I remember when the guy was still in college and called the infamous time out during the championship game. It wasn't THAT long ago...geesh!

Facebook / High school

2008-03-15T13:03:00.004-04:00

This year is the 20th anniversary of my high school graduation, and the group that is putting together the reunion has been using Facebook (a social networking website) to get the information out. Being a bit of a nerd, I've really gotten into using Facebook and am spending way too much time on it. It has been fun catching up with people I haven't spoken to in a long time. One of them recently posted a picture of our entire graduating class. Here it is if you're interested. I'm in the 2nd row from the top in the middle wearing a red shirt with a white collar.

Back to Facebook, it was also interesting to learn that it was created by a couple of college students who are now worth billions. Nice idea, guys! Here's some details.

Blizzard of 2008

2008-03-09T21:43:00.003-04:00

Finally, a snowstorm that reminded me of the Cleveland days of my youth! It snowed about 8 inches overnight on Friday night, and then about 4 more during the day on Saturday. It was also very windy, so there were some 3 and 4 foot snow drifts in our yard--the kids had a blast! And I was particularly happy when one of our neighbors came by with his snow blower and did our driveway--thank you!

Going out with a bang (or a zap)

2008-03-05T19:35:00.004-05:00

Today was my last day at the company where I've worked for the past 10 years. I've known for a couple of months that my employment there was coming to an end, and a group of friends has been commiserating during daily afternoon breaks in the snack room. For most of that time, the snack room featured a vending machine that didn't work. Just a week or so ago, the machine was finally replaced with a new, working one--much to our excitement.

Well, today as I went to purchase my final candy bar (plain M&M's actually), I pressed the appropriate button and was greeted with a large static electricity shock and then the lights on the machine went dark. It no longer dispenses candy.

To the rest of the break group, I apologize! My electric personality strikes again. I hope it doesn't take them as long to fix it this time!

Somthing to look forward to...

2008-01-22T22:10:00.001-05:00

http://www.paramount.com/startrek/

Tennessee pics

2008-01-08T21:38:00.000-05:00

I've also posted pics from our recent trip to Tennessee. Click here to see them. The weird dark ones are at the blacklight "glow golf" course.

Kruse Museum

2008-01-08T21:28:00.000-05:00

While visiting with Annette's family over the holidays, we went to the World War II Victory Museum and Kruse Auto Museum in Auburn, Indiana. We all enjoyed it, but I was particularly excited to see some of the vehicles in the museum included KITT from Knight Rider, the General Lee, the "jump the shark" motorcycle from Happy Days, the A-Team van, and more. I've added pictures to the December photo gallery. Unfortunately, the WW2 museum was dark and my pictures didn't work out. It is a huge collection of WW2 vehicles that is definitely worth seeing--a hidden gem in northern Indiana.

Olympics

2007-12-21T08:40:00.000-05:00

I've always been a fan of the Olympics (winter more than summer, but I like them both) and have been following the progress of the stadiums and such. I ran across this article lately that made me chuckle.

Chinese men walk past a signboard at a pay parking lot in Beijing, where "fee" is mistakenly spelled as "pee". The Chinese capital has began a campaign to improve its signposting in English ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games. Among signs in need of correcting were ones for "Pubic Toilets," and "Deformed Men" -- the latter indicating facilities for the handicapped.

New photos

2007-12-18T18:47:00.000-05:00

Finally updated the website with photos from August through December...enjoy!

The whole truth, so help me Me...

2007-12-18T18:30:00.000-05:00

Chris (my 9-year old) was under the weather this weekend. We wanted to watch a movie, so we logged onto Netflix to see if we could find something online for him to watch. Their selection of kids movies was pretty lame, and we eventually decided on the 70's classic "Oh God" (John Denver, George Burns). Based on my memory, it seemed like something Chris would like.

Well, in one the opening scenes, Jerry (Denver) and his wife (Teri Garr) go to bed and get into a discussion about the last time they made love. I didn't remember that scene! It didn't seem to phase Chris, but I watched the rest of the movie a little anxiously wondering what other things I forgot.

This is not the first time I've watched movies with the kids that I saw as a kid and had conveniently forgotten certain scenes. "The Goonies" and "The Bad News Bears" both come to mind.

Santa comes to West Chester

2007-12-16T21:35:00.000-05:00

The kids got a final opportunity to plead their case to Santa as he and his elves came around the neighborhood in a firetruck today. Naughty or nice? We'll find out in 9 days. (I'm guessing nice.)

See Pat Blog

2007-12-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

Dianne recently posted a link to the Blog Readability test--a tool that is supposed to analyze a blog/website for its reading level. Dianne's blog rated at the college undergrad level, while Earl's rated at the high school level. I decided to try it out on mine and see what I got. Here's what it came up with...

Nice. Guess I need to start using bigger words.
Antidisestablishmentarianism is unAmerican--there, that should help.

Spiralfrog

2007-10-30T23:03:00.002-04:00

Found a great free (and legal) music download site--Spiralfrog. They don't have everything, but they do have quite a bit of both older and new music. I downloaded a bunch of Elton John, Styx, REM, and more. A minor catch is that you have to renew your membership every 30 days, but it doesn't take long and it's worth it.

New Eagles CD

2007-10-25T12:43:00.000-04:00

Just heard from my brother that the Eagles have a new CD coming out soon--I had no idea. Click here to hear a sneak preview of it. I'm listening to it right now--so far I like it a lot. Not bad for a bunch of old guys!

"Unnecessary" quotation marks

2007-10-19T17:25:00.000-04:00

One of my language pet peeves is when people use quotation marks incorrectly. Evidently, I'm not the only one...check out this blog. I find it "hilarious."

Musicovery

2007-10-18T22:57:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted to this blog lately, mainly because I've been focusing all of my blogging energy towards Songs in Haiku. Looking back at the songs I've posted on that site, I definitely notice a correlation between my song choices and my mood. A bad day will more likely mean a depressing song, while a good day brings a happy song.

I ran across a website tonight that fits in with the whole "mood music" theme pretty well. It's called Musicovery. It's an internet radio station, but it allows you to select your mood and will automatically pick appropriate music. You can choose music genres as well as the decade. I listened for quite a while tonight, and it's got a nice selection and makes good choices. Check it out!

Eye-pod

2007-08-30T22:15:00.000-04:00

Maria saw my iPod on the kitchen counter this evening and started listening to some music (she played with the dial and somehow ended up with a Boston CD--good choice!). Anyway, later on, she asked me what the music-thingy was called and I told her it was an iPod. Her reply: "That's dumb. It should be called an ear pod."

Corn Maze

2007-08-25T22:44:00.000-04:00

Every year in the fall we typically try our hand at a corn maze. I've got ours for this year picked out. It's Irons Fruit Farm in Lebanon, Ohio.

Photos (finally)

2007-08-17T23:29:00.000-04:00

Finally got around to posting some new family photos on the website, including some from our ride on the Hogwart's Express. Check 'em out!

Fun stuff

2007-08-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

One website that appeals to my geeky nature is, aptly named, thinkgeek.com. Although I'm naturally cheap and seldom buy anything, they always have stuff I think is cool. My current favorite is the LCD faucet lights. Another good one is the Yoda backpack.

Songs in Haiku

2007-07-24T22:26:00.000-04:00

There has been lots going on this summer, but I just haven't been inspired to post on the blog. A few days ago, however, Earl and Dianne invited me to join them on their Songs in Haiku blog. Each entry is an attempt to take the lyrics of a song and narrow them down into a haiku (5-7-5) poem. With my love of music and language arts teaching background, I was immediately hooked. I don't claim any creative writing ability, but it's a lot of fun. My favorites so far are Dianne's take on my least favorite song of all time and Earl's version of "One Tin Soldier"--a song I love but haven't thought about in years! Anyway, if you are a music fan you should check it out.

Tag...I'm It

2007-06-03T21:21:00.000-04:00

Wow...my last post was in March. I need to get on the ball! I discovered on Friday that I had been "tagged" by Earl. For those of you who may not be familiar with the blogger’s tradition of “tagging,” it is a get-to-know-you-better way of playing tag. When your blog is tagged, you are usually required to do something in a post that shares more about yourself or the world you live in outside of your blog. You are then required to tag a few more bloggers you’d like to get to know better.

This tag requires that I pick up the closest book around me at the time of the tag and give the title and the content of the third paragraph on page 128. The closest book to me currently is The Big Picture by Douglas Kennedy. The third paragraph on page 128 reads:

Go on. Get it over with. Grab the garden hose, some heavy adhesive tape, a bottle of Irish, a vial of tranquilizers. Then drive off to some secluded spot, insert the hose into the exhaust, tape it in place, thread it through the window, tape the rest of the window closed, pop twenty Valium, chase them with a large swig of Black Bush, turn on the ignition, and surrender to the inevitable. You'll pass out, won't feel a thing. Face it, you'd never be able to live with the guilt. Every waking hour would be overshadowed by the fear: Today they'll find out...today they'll come for me...today is the last time you'll ever see your boys again. And even if you somehow managed to dodge detection for a while, the agony of inevitable arrest would be unbearable. You're going to lost everything anyway. End the agony now. Cleanly. With the minimum of fuss.

A few thoughts:

1. Geez, it figures that the 3rd paragraph on page 128 would be the longest paragraph in the book! I hope I caught all of my typos!

2. Wow, that's a morbid paragraph. Without ruining the rest of the story for you, I can tell you that the whole book isn't quite so gloomy and he doesn't kill himself here.

3. Pretty much the only reading I do is reading fiction for pleasure. I love to go to garage sales and check out the books people are selling. I talk to the people selling the books and find out which are their favorites and why. I'm fairly picky about the novels I'll read. Every story I've ever really enjoyed has some common characteristics. 1) It's realistic/believable. This may sound weird coming from a guy who likes science fiction, but it's true. 2) It's got great character development. I need to really get to know the main characters in a story to be able to make a connection to them and want to read about the events in their lives. 3) It's written in a certain informal style. I don't want to have to work too hard when I read--deciphering what the author is trying to say in a fluffy way or wade through page after page of unnecessary description. Get to the point already.

The Big Picture definitely fulfills all of these requirements. I've read it 3 or 4 times (I often reread books I like a lot). Although I'm far from suicidal, I definitely connect with Ben Bradford--the main character in the story. And the entire book is written in first-person from Ben's point of view in an easy-to-read style.

Now for the hard part--who to tag next. I only read a few blogs (Earl's being one of them), so I have limited options. Earl was kind enough not to tag his wife, so I'll tag Dianne. I'll also tag Catalin, who I'm guessing is either sitting by a children's book or a technical book that is WAY over my head. Third I will tag Trei Lewis. I learned of Eragon and Eldest, which I enjoyed, from him--so let's see what he's reading now.

March Madness

2007-03-11T20:51:00.000-04:00

Thanks to an amazing last second shot, my Miami Redskins--sorry, I'm a Redskin, not a RedHawk--are going to the big dance! Click here to see the video.

Mercy Heart Mini Marathon

2007-02-22T13:30:00.000-05:00

I'll be participating in the 5K Cincinnati Heart Mini Marathon coming up next month. It seems like a good cause, especially considering the history of heart disease in my family. If you'd like to join our team and run/jog/walk/waddle with us--or make a donation--visit our team site here.

Movies

2007-02-17T22:05:00.000-05:00

I took the boys to Trei's birthday party at the Rave movie theater today. We saw Bridge to Terabithia, which I remember reading as a kid but I couldn't remember the details very well. It was a good movie, although pretty sad.

While at the movie theater, I also saw a movie poster for the upcoming Sandra Bullock movie Premonition. I don't know that I'll see the movie, but it's one of the cooler movie posters I have seen in a while.

Humor on the highway

2007-02-13T15:14:00.000-05:00

Due to the bad weather, I decided to go into work late today to avoid traffic (it took me 4 1/2 hours to get home one day last week--I wasn't about to go through that again). I was headed south down I-71 in the left lane and noticed a spray of snow ahead of me. A snow plow was headed northbound and was spraying the contents of the left lane and emergency lane (mostly snow, but also pieces of tires and garbage) across the median into the left lane of I-71 south. I got over just in time to avoid the spray.

A few minutes later, I passed another plow heading southbound spraying the contents back into the northbound lanes. Pretty amusing--our tax dollars at work!

Jack Bauer Kill Count

2007-01-22T21:21:00.000-05:00

I'm not a big fan of the TV show 24. I love Lost and sci-fi movies, but somehow 24 is just a bit too unbelievable for me. However, I recently ran across a website that cracks me up...the Jack Bauer Kill Count website. The site tracks every kill made by 24's lead character--Jack Bauer (and there's a bunch of them). Each "victim" is listed along with the episode, cause of death, and a photo and video of the "incident". It's kind of gross, but the time and effort the webmaster must put into the site is really something.

I don't watch the show, but I noticed that this season's first kill was by "vampire bite". I wonder if the writers of 24 saw "The Lost Boys" back in the 80s when Keifer played a vampire? Ick.

More fun stuff...

2007-01-06T23:51:00.000-05:00

More interesting (to me, anyway) stuff I ran across while mindlessly surfing. Check this link out...pretty cool.

Line Rider

2007-01-04T22:54:00.000-05:00

Got something you're procrastinating? Here's a great site to waste some time...Line Rider. Play it, and then check out some of the videos. Some people were doing some SERIOUS procrastinating, especially this guy.

New photos

2006-12-28T13:31:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to report Ben is feeling fine! Photos from Christmas (as well as older ones I've been meaning to post) have been posted to the website. Enjoy!

Blue Christmas

2006-12-23T13:57:00.000-05:00

It's been a rough holiday season for Ben so far. He started feeling bad last Sunday and missed the two days of school (Monday and Tuesday) before Christmas break. These are the first days of school he has missed in his entire scholastic career, so he was kind of bummed about this. He also had to miss a sleepover and the neighborhood Christmas party. His fever persisted, so we finally took him to the doctor on Friday. It turns out he has pneumonia! The doctor prescribed antibiotics, which he turned out to have a bad reaction to--so he has spent most of today in bed or in the bathroom. Definitely not a vacation to remember so far!

Yankee swap

2006-12-07T21:44:00.000-05:00

At our office holiday party today, we had a "Yankee swap" gift exchange. I'm typically not a big fan of these games. The gifts tend to be somewhat generic--a scented candle, a red and green oven mitt, etc. However, this year I hit the jackpot. We drew numbers to determine the order selecting gifts and I drew 40--the last number--meaning I had my pick from everything. So I am now the proud owner of a Dwight Shrute (from The Office) bobblehead. I'm quite pleased. I have a small bobblehead collection in my office, and Dwight makes a fine addition!

Bengals notes...

2006-12-03T21:36:00.000-05:00

The Bengals game on Thursday night was INCREDIBLE! The crowd was louder than I have ever heard them, and the team played with an intensity that I haven't seen all year. Even the pouring rain and obviously corrupt referees couldn't dampen our spirits or keep us from victory! By the way, my arrow was a bit off in my previous post--our seats were right at the 50-yard line!

The victory, combined with the Kansas City's unexpected loss to lowly Cleveland, has propelled US into the playoff picture. If the season were to end today, WE would be a wildcard team. Let's hope things continue on their present course. For stats nerds like me who are interested, click the photo below for the tie-breaker system details.

Who dey!

2006-11-29T22:46:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a good friend, this is where I will be tomorrow night! I don't make it to many Bengals games, and when I do I'm typically in the nosebleed section. However, for the big Ravens game I will be at the 50-yard line in row 10! To psyche yourself up for the game, check out the latest effort by Ryan Parker on YouTube.

Silver lining...

2006-11-29T22:25:00.000-05:00

My drive to work today stunk! I was running a little late, left home at about 7:15 a.m., and knew I was in trouble when I hit traffic while still in my neighborhood. It turns out there was some sort of accident that closed Route 42--the street that gets me to the expressway. It took about 45 minutes of winding through an alternate route to get to the interstate, where I was greeted by an ARTIMIS road sign that said there were multiple accidents and to expect delays. I finally arrived at the office at around 9:00 a.m.

In retrospect, though, it could have been worse. When I first saw the traffic I considered coming home and going into the office at 10:00 or so; however, I learned later that this would not have been a good idea as the highway was closed later due to a bomb (see story here). The highway was closed, and some people were evidently stuck for up to 6 hours! The lengthy drive also gave me a chance to listen (twice) to the new Chris Daughtry album (yes, iTunes still calls them albums) that I bought last night. In case you don't remember or aren't a fan of American Idol, Chris is the very talented singer who should have won last season. If you're a fan of rock, I'd recommend the album. It's got sort of a Nickelback sound, but with a much better singer and not nearly as redundant (almost all Nickelback songs sound the same to me).

Fun with iTunes

2006-11-09T22:06:00.000-05:00

As I posted earlier, we are now using an iPod as our main music system at home. Because my musical tastes differ somewhat from Annette's (we both like Billy Joel, but she's not a big Linkin Park or LL Cool J fan) I have been creating some playlists that weed out some of my music that she wouldn't appreciate hearing. It's been kind of fun grouping songs in various lists--playlists for certain moods (depression, joy, etc.) and playlists for certain time periods (the 80's list is my favorite).

I've also been working on a playlist that lists my favorite songs in order (I always wanted to be Kasey Kasem). With nearly 3,000 songs on the iPod, this may take a while. When I was a kid, I used to organize my cassette tapes in order from my favorite to least favorite. I would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and switch the places of two tapes--for example, Night Ranger's "Dawn Patrol" with REO Speedwagon's "Hi Infidelity". I think I can probably trace the roots of my current sleep disorders to this activity.

Flickr Tag Browser

2006-11-08T22:57:00.000-05:00

As I've posted before, I use a free product called SimpleViewer to display photos on my website. The company that makes SimpleViewer has some other cool, free stuff on their website. One such item in the Flickr tag browser. Check it out.

Windows XP

2006-11-06T22:53:00.000-05:00

For the most part I like Windows XP; however, I've always thought that it is kind of ugly. The default "Teletubbies" wallpaper is awful, but at least you can change it. Then there's the big green Start button, which is a bit tougher to change. The silver color scheme is a bit better than the default blue, but still not pretty. While mindlessly surfing the 'net after watching Heroes (which is off to a promising start, but I'm worried it's going to pull a 'Lost' and never answer any questions) tonight, I ran across the Royale Noir theme. It's an improvement.

MyTunes

2006-11-02T21:32:00.000-05:00

Despite the fact that I don't have any musical ability, music has always played an important role in my life...and recent events have validated this fact.

I am constantly listening to music--at work, at home, in the car. I even like to fall asleep to music at night. I may not be actively focusing on music--for example at work I have music playing while I am testing software but I might not even be aware what is playing. One day my CD player was set to "repeat 1 track" and the same song played the entire day without me realizing it. But if the music had stopped, I would have noticed.

Our 6-disc CD changer at home had been acting strangely for the past year or so, and recently it finally officially bit the dust. I tried listening to the radio, but the commercials were annoying and none of the stations played a good variety of music so I wasn't happy. Then the owners of my company were kind enough to reward us with a shopping trip. At first I planned on buying a replacement CD changer, but upon further reflection decided that compact discs are probably soon going the way of the 8-track and the dodo bird so I instead bought an iPod.

Now to get to my point...the next step in setting up our sound system was to rip the music from our CDs onto the computer and eventually to the iPod. Going through my CDs was strangely like going through a photo album. It was amazing to me how certain CDs and songs are connected to significant events in my life--going to my first concert (Kool & the Gang) as a 14-year old during Little Sib's weekend at Miami, thinking all of my sister's friend were gorgeous, and deciding that was where I would go to college...Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" always reminds me of my first date with Annette...sitting in my dorm room listening to George Winston's "December" in the glow of my roommate's stolen giant polar bear Icee light while agonizing over the decision to change my major...any Beatles song makes me think of my good friend Tom (the inspiration for Chris' middle name) who passed away several years ago...the soundtrack to "The Lion King" was playing during Ben's birth...sitting on the floor in the hallway of Mercy hospital singing James Taylor songs to newborn Maria for hours because it was the only thing I could do to stop her from crying and I wanted Annette to get some sleep...the list goes on and on.

Starbucks

2006-11-01T19:38:00.000-05:00

After an off-site meeting at work today, Steve wanted to stop at Starbucks to pick up some sort of green tea/soymilk concoction that he likes since he's allergic to all normal food and drinks. There was a lady in front of us who placed her order without taking a breath. I don't remember the exact words, but I did count that it was 16 syllables. It was something like a "grande latte mocha no foam low caff supremo gold coast blend". I thought she was making a joke, but the lady behind the cash register -- to my amazement -- nodded her head and repeated the order word for word to the coffee-maker guy in the back, who again repeated the order. It was an impressive display of memory and diction. Our turn came, and I felt a bit inadequate ordering a "hot chocolate" (which has a measly four syllables, and that's only if you really enunciate the "choc-O-late") so I just walked away.

Trick or treat!

2006-10-31T21:42:00.000-05:00

The rain held off for the most part and we had a great time trick or treating tonight. Annette made costumes for all the kids this year. Maria was a butterfly, Chris was a penguin, and Ben was a refrigerator. Ben's costume was particularly elaborate this year. They spent a lot of time on it, and it turned out great. It even had a "treat" drawer for him to hold his candy stash.

Blogger isn't letting me upload a picture. I'll try again tomorrow.

No fear...

2006-10-30T23:04:00.000-05:00

Took the kids to the haunted Halloween village at Sharon Woods last night with Chris' Cub Scout den. Instead of your typical haunted house with ghosts, vampires, witches, and skeletons the haunted village is mainly centered around the legend of Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane, and the Headless Horseman. I figured the boys would get a kick out of it, but I was a little worried about Maria and how she would handle it--but Annette was out of town so Maria had to go with us.

It turns out I had nothing to fear. Maria found the concept of a headless horseman truly hilarious and couldn't stop giggling whenever she saw him.

Camping in winter...why?

2006-10-22T10:06:00.000-04:00

This weekend the entire family attended Cub-O-Ree, a Cub Scout camping event. "Camping? But it's almost November? Why would you do that?" you ask. I couldn't agree more!

I am a child of the technology era. I work in technology. New inventions, gadgets, and devices that make life easier and more comfortable are a GOOD thing, in my opinion. I think this is why camping is not for me. Take, for example, the furnace and the matress. These are all good things that have improved life and helped society move forward. When we camp, let's look at our chosen downgrades...

The furnace--->sticks and logs. Once you are sleeping, a campfire doesn't do you much good. You can't put it IN your tent. You certainly don't have the control offered by the thermostat. And you can get burnt.

The matress-->sleeping bag on the ground. No contest here. I love my matress. It's soft and warm and always the same. The ground is hard and wet and cold, and there are unpredictable roots and sticks that add to the discomfort.

I'm not saying there's nothing good about camping. Sitting around the fire, singing songs, telling ghost stories, making smores--these are all great things that I enjoy. But then let's hit the hotel!

I'll even give you the occasional summertime campout. The temperature is much more comfortable, everything doesn't get cold and wet like it does during fall/winter camping. Once when we were dating, Annette and I saw a meteor shower while camping--tons of beautiful shooting stars. It is one of my favorite memories, and I never would have experienced it had we not been camping. And you can take a very affordable vacation away from home by camping.

But camping in 35 degree temperatures in the crowded back field of Garfield Junior High in Hamilton--20 minutes from my house? Not for me. Annette tells me that my negative attitude rubs off on the kids, and I know it's true. I feel guilty about it, but I can't seem to help it. When I don't sleep well, I'm very irritable--and I'm not a very good actor.

Ben and Chris both seem pretty into the Cub Scout thing, so I have a feeling I better try to learn to enjoy it--there will be many more cold-weather campouts to come, I'm sure. Since my camping issues all seem to revolve around sleeping, perhaps proper camping gear would help. A better sleeping bag...an air matress that actually keeps it's air throughout the night...an RV with satellite TV? :)

Mareeu

2006-10-15T21:55:00.000-04:00

Annette and Ben went camping with the Cub Scouts this weekend (brrr) and Chris spent the night at his friend Ben's house, so Maria and I got some quality daddy/daughter time in on Saturday. She has been learning to read in kindergarten and is really enjoying it. Before bed, she read me a book about colors. Then, I tucked her in, said goodnight, and turned out the light. As I was headed out of her room she said "Hey Daddy" and we had the following conversation...

"Hey Daddy, why doesn't my name end with a U?"

"Hmm?"

"Why doesn't my name end with a U? It says 'uh', like 'bus'?

"Well...(pause)...some letters make a different sound depending on how they're used."

"Oh...that's dumb."

And honestly, I couldn't disagree with her. The spelling rules in the English language really don't make sense. I before E except after C. Why only after C? And what about "weird"? I don't speak any other languages, but I wonder if their rules make more sense. If a 5-year-old can figure out it's dumb, why couldn't the developers of the language?

Discount Dugout

2006-10-12T21:47:00.000-04:00

With Annette being a stay-at-home mom, we try to be fairly frugal--but it's still fun to eat out. One website that has enabled us to do so more often is the Discount Dugout. Each week, 1530 (WSAI) and several other radio stations offer a limited number of gift certificates at half price. For example, I bought $50 worth of Izzy's gift certificates for $25 and got to fatten up on double the yummy potato pancakes. This week, one of the stations is offering $50 of Cold Stone gift certificates for $25. I'm all over that one! If you check it out, be sure to try out all 8 radio stations--each one offers a different deal each week.

Reggae Run

2006-10-09T20:55:00.000-04:00

As part of my effort to lose some weight, Kyle and I have been running during lunch at work. It's not nearly as much fun to run without some kind of goal in mind, so we decided that we would start participating in some actual running events. We did our first one this weekend--the 5K Reggae Run. The course takes you through a beautiful (but hilly) area of Cincinnati and ends in Ault Park--where there is a reggae band and lots of food and drink booths waiting for the participants to celebrate (I realize this defeats the purpose of running for weight loss...). We had a good sized group--Annette & me; Kyle, Tresha, and Trei Lewis; Cassie; and Lisa K. We all survived the course and had a great time--it definitely made me want to train harder and try to improve my time.

No, it's not a porn site...

2006-10-06T21:30:00.000-04:00

I recently discovered a music website that I have been visiting a lot--www.strippedmusic.com. The concept of the site is pretty simple--bands and singers playing stripped-down versions of their songs (basically the same as MTV Unplugged back when MTV played music). The quality of the music is very impressive. So far I have been particularly impressed by the Carrie Underwood songs, and well as those by The Fray.

Amazing Technology

2006-10-06T21:24:00.000-04:00

Dianne posted this on her blog a few days ago. Sharp has developed a tri-directional display which, depending on what angle you look at the screen from, displays a different picture. Check out the photo--those are mirrors on the right and left. Dianne mentioned the implications for multi-player gaming. My first thought was that it would enable me to watch sports. I can imagine a Sunday afternoon with me sitting on the left side of the TV watching the Bengals, Annette in the middle watching a chick flick, and the kids on the right watching a cartoon. Pretty cool--family togetherness for the 21st century. Click here for more details.

Analyze this...

2006-10-03T20:51:00.000-04:00

I'm sure I dream, since Annette tells me I talk in my sleep. However, I very seldom rememeber anything about my dreams. I wake up and remember that it was, for example, a bad dream--but the details always seem to vanish almost instantly.

Every once in a great while, though, I remember a dream vividly. Last night was one of these times. I dreamed that I was a contestant on American Idol. The weekly theme was 70's music. Ryan Seacrest introduced me and I sat down at the piano (which is odd, since Idols never play instruments and I don't know how to play piano) and performed "Dust in the Wind". I finished the song and the camera panned to the judges, who instead of Randy, Paula, and Simon were the three owners of the company for which I work. I woke up before they had a chance to give me their opinions, but I could tell by the looks on their faces that they were not impressed.

Is there a deeper meaning? Or was I just having flashbacks from watching "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" on Friday night (Ted "philosophizing" with Socrates..."all we are is dust in the wind, dude")?

Who dey!

2006-09-24T22:02:00.000-04:00

From ESPN.com in early September...

Coming off his knee surgery, Carson Palmer will have to fight hard for the Bengals not to get off to a 1-3 start against the Chiefs, Browns, Steelers and Patriots. Then the Bengals take a bye and start on a five-game stretch against three tough NFC South teams (the Bucs, Panthers and Falcons) followed by the Ravens and Chargers.

Bring on the Patriots...let's go for 4-0!

It's healthier than Girl Scout cookies...

2006-09-24T21:36:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again...the annual Cub Scout popcorn fundraiser. If you're interested, send us an email or give us a call. Thanks!

I'm fat...

2006-09-21T22:27:00.000-04:00

And out of shape. This must change. Seeing Kyle's incredible willpower and success is motivating me to do something about it. So is the sight of my man-boobs. Maybe going public with my weight loss (or lack thereof) will help as well, so here it is...

Current weight: 221 (an all-time high)
Goal weight: 190

Understandable confusion

2006-09-11T19:48:00.000-04:00

As I do every Monday after a Bengals' victory, I wore my Bengals' jersey to work today. As I was walking into the building, I held the door for a young man and an elderly woman. As I turned to go down the hall to my office, I heard the woman say to the man "Was that the REAL Carson Palmer? I didn't know he lived here."

I can certainly understand how she could have confused me with the Bengals' QB. After all, we weigh the same (granted he is 5 inches taller than me). And we have the same hair color (although his covers his entire head). And he has lots of talent. And, oh yeah, lots of money too. But otherwise, we're like twins.

Who Dey!

2006-09-08T22:55:00.000-04:00

In celebration of the upcoming Bengals' opener, I submit "Ballad of the Bengals". I especially like the Steeler "cheerleader". Who dey!

Photos added to website

2006-09-08T22:21:00.000-04:00

Photos for August and September have been added to the website. Included are photos of the kids' first day at school (including Maria's first day of kindergarten), soccer (check out Chris' cool lime green uniform), the fireworks, and birthday celebrations.

20/20 Vision

2006-09-08T22:15:00.000-04:00

As promised, here is a photo of Chris in his new glasses. He seeems to be taking to them very well--no complaining or refusing to wear them. His friends have told him that they make him look smarter.

Labor Day Weekend

2006-09-05T22:35:00.000-04:00

I've always though Labor Day was a particularly appropriate name for the September holiday, since Mom's and my birthday (both 9/5) always fall near or on Labor Day and Mom was in labor for almost 24 hours on her birthday having me.

The Labor Day/birthday weekend was a very enjoyable one, which in retrospect centered mostly around food. It started on Friday evening with a yummy grilled steak dinner and fun birthday get together at the house with Annette, the kids, and the Braces. On Saturday we drove up to the Dayton Airport, where Annette's Aunt Jeanie and cousin Angela were arriving for a visit. We met them and Annette's parents and had brunch at Cracker Barrel--chicken and dumplings for me, of course! We then drove to Springboro where Kara Hampton gave Chris an eye examination and confirmed the fact that he needs glasses (pictures of Chris in his cools specs to come soon) and then to Mike and Kara's house for a barbeque. On Sunday we went to the Toyota/WEBN fireworks, where we ate homemade salsa, chocolate cookies, and brownies while we watched a very cool fireworks display (I particularly liked the smiley-face fireworks). On Monday, we got together with my parents and the McClary's to celebrate the birthdays and eat--KFC and chocolate cake. After the party, we ran to the pool for a last swim of the summer--and wouldn't you know if the snack bar was selling everything at half price to clear out their stock.

Good thing the new workout room has opened at the office--I'm going to need it!

The Vanishing Planet

2006-08-25T20:41:00.000-04:00

Back in school, I learned the order of the planets through the acronym "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas." That acronym no longer works, because I just was enlightened by a 5th grader at the bus stop that Pluto is no longer considered a planet. After hearing this, I had to go home and check it out and it turns out to be true! The International Astronomical Union has stripped Pluto of its status as a planet. Click here for details.

The acronym for the 21st century..."My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nothing!"

Survivor again

2006-08-23T21:40:00.000-04:00

Like a car wreck on the other side of the highway, I know I shouldn't watch but I can't help myself--Survivor is coming back (season 13) on September 14th! The twist for this season: there are four tribes and they are divided by race--white, black, Asian, Hispanic. No Cincinnatians this time, so I don't know who I'll root for just yet. Glancing through the names and occupations, Pavarti (the waitress/boxer) sounds interesting. There is also a heavy metal guitarist, which could prove interesting.

Personal DNA

2006-08-21T06:08:00.000-04:00

Although I don't always agree with the results, I enjoy tests like the Myers-Briggs that attempt to categorize people's personalities. For example, my Myers-Briggs type is ISFJ--and after reading the personality type descriptions, this seems pretty accurate. This morning I read a post on Earl's blog about another personality test and had to check it out. I was a little surprised by my results on the aesthetic/functional category (but not at all shocked by my low marks for imagination). I like how they show the results in a color bar. Mine are below (with my low score for 'openness'--4 out of 100--I'm surprised I'm sharing these). Click here for a more detailed report.

Generous Architect

Update:
Proof that opposites attract, here are Annette's results...

Benevolent Inventor

Chillin' with Carson

2006-08-15T21:50:00.000-04:00

While inching our way up I-71 on the way home from work Monday evening, Erin (with whom I carpool) says, "Hey, that looks like the ugly hat Carson Palmer was wearing at the game last night." As we get a little closer, we realize that it's not just the same hat--it's the same guy. I'm a big Carson Palmer fan--and his choice of cars (unlike his chioce of hats) only increased my appreciation of him. Most NFL players I've seen drive big blingy Escalades with neon and spinners. Carson was driving a simple, conservate (but very nice) Audi sedan--a tasteful, classy car to go along with a classy guy.

This event reminded me of something that happened on Sunday. Maria and I were at the swimming pool, and her soccer coach went walking by. Maria was very shocked and excited to see her soccer coach somewhere besides the soccer field. In the mind of a little kid, she assumes that he just lives at the soccer field never goes anywhere else. It was the same way back when I was a teacher and would run into a student at the mall or a movie--they were always shocked that I actually had a life outside of school. It can be weird seeing someone who you are used to seeing in one specific element. I felt a little like this on Monday seeing the Bengals' quarterback stuck in a traffic jam. Wow, he drives to and from work just like me. Who'd have thought?!

King of Karaoke

2006-08-09T21:08:00.000-04:00

I recently scored my first diamond single (better than gold or platinum) on Karaoke Revolution with my rendition of Kansas' "Dust in the Wind". A diamond rating means that you get a rating of "perfect" on every single note in the song. I'm proud to say I'm the first and only one in the family to earn a diamond rating so far. I'd like to thank my older brothers, without whom I would probably have never heard over and over and over again the classic rock hits that have taken me to this level of karaoke prestige.

The funny part is that I probably have the least pleasant singing voice of anyone in my family. Annette and Ben are both very talented singers--I evidently hit the right notes, but I sure don't sound good doing it. I'll enjoy the bragging rights while I've got them, though. If you have an XBox (or PS2 or GameCube) I highly recommend Karaoke Revolution Party--it's a really fun game.

Happy Birthday, Annette

2006-07-27T23:48:00.000-04:00

Today is Annette's birthday. We had a fun night at the pool pasta party, followed by ice cream cake and presents. Annette's main gift was Karaoke Revolution (a karaoke game on the XBox). She really rocked on "Fame" and sounded great on "The Greatest Love of All". I tackled "Play that Funky Music (White Boy)" and the 80s A-ha classic "Take on Me".

The Amazing Race: Birthday Edition

2006-07-23T20:54:00.000-04:00

The boys wanted to do an Amazing Race birthday party this year. What started off as a small neighborhood scavenger hunt evolved into a major event that included about a dozen adults (drivers, camera operators, etc.), 15 kids, 9 locations around West Chester (including the swim club, a golf course, a park, Dairy Queen, etc.) and countless hours of planning. It all went off without any major glitches, however, and all involved seemed to have a great time. I've included a brief clip here--but feel free to stop by some time if you'd like to see the full 45-minute DVD highlights.

I watch too much TV...

2006-07-09T23:33:00.000-04:00

We just returned from a fun weekend in Fort Wayne visiting the Anthony's. I was going through my pictures, and this one made me think of the Cingular "raising the bar" TV ads.

There was a very cool chalk art thing going on in downtown Fort Wayne. I'll post pictures from it soon--but it's my bedtime.

38 years and still rocking...

2006-06-29T19:55:00.000-04:00

Annette and I went to the Huey Lewis/Chicago concert at Riverbend (an outdoor arena) last night. It was a great show! When most people think of Chicago, they think of "Hard Habit to Break", "You're the Inspiration" and other bubble-gum, cheesy (but enjoyable) pop ballads--without realizing that in the late 60s and throughout the 70s Chicago was an innovation, trend-setting rock band. They showed it last night, concentrating on their older songs (other than 2 songs from their new album, they didn't play anything from Chicago 17 on).

We purchased lawn tickets (no chair, just a patch of grass with no roof). I saw that rain was in the forecast, so we brought along a couple of hats and rain ponchos. When we parked the car, however, the sun was shining and the sky was clear--so we left the ponchos in the car. Bad idea! At about 9:30, a huge thunderstorm rolled through. At one point, much of the power went out--but the band kept on playing while the crowd (everyone knew the words) sang along. It was actually a cool moment. When the storm subsided, about 85% of the people on the lawn had left and we got to enjoy the rest of the show with a better view and plenty of elbow room.

As I mentioned, Huey Lewis & the News was the opening act. They sounded good and really rocked on "Workin' for a Livin'" and "Heart of Rock and Roll". I was disappointed they didn't sing "Bad is Bad", my favorite Huey song. Huey also sang a couple of songs with Chicago, which was cool to see. Overall, it was a great night!

Click here for the local newspaper's review.

June photos added

2006-06-21T23:31:00.000-04:00

June photos have been added to the site. Warning for those of you on a dial-up connection: there's a bunch of them. Enjoy!

Vacation

2006-06-19T22:22:00.000-04:00

We just returned home this evening from our summer vacation to the east coast. We spend 3 days in Dewey Beach, Delaware followed by 4 days in Washington, D.C. The 2 parts of the trip were very different but both great!

Our time at Dewey Beach was very relaxing. We spent our days playing in the waves and building sand castles, while exploring the boardwalk and eating seafood and ice cream in the evenings.

Washington was also very fun, but in a different way. We tried to cram in as many monuments, historical sites, and museums as we possibly could in our short time there. We also celebrated Chris and Maria's birthdays, as well as Father's Day, while there.

Photos and more details, including the very interesting "peanut butter incident", will follow--but for now I'm heading to bed!

Swim Meet

2006-06-07T21:41:00.000-04:00

The kids participated in their first swim meet of the year yesterday. Maria has joined the boys on the swim team this year. It was pretty cute watching her make her way across the pool, stopping every 10 feet or so to grab the wall and smile at the fans cheering her on.

The boys both had good days--each beat their best times in freestyle and Chris beat his in backstroke as well. Our goal for the year--to have the boys successfully finish breast stroke and butterfly without getting disqualified!

Fun with Science

2006-06-07T21:39:00.000-04:00

Our friend Tanya shared this site with us. It makes you wonder what would happen in your stomach if you combined them there!

News story

2006-06-01T18:46:00.000-04:00

Click here for a very sad but unbelievable news story.

Double Feature

2006-05-31T22:02:00.000-04:00

Probably not since high school have I been to the movies twice in a single day. Last Friday, however, I had the chance to see two first-run movies at the theater. At work, we wrapped up a project at 2:00 so Bob and I went out and saw X-Men 3. Then, later in the evening Annette and I saw The DaVinci Code.

While it was fun to see two movies in one day, unfortunately neither of them was particularly entertaining. I suppose when you see a movie based on comic-book superheroes you should expect it to be a little hoaky, but the writers of X-Men took cheesiness to the extreme. The special effects were very impressive and the action was fast-paced, but the plot was very weak and some of the lines were laugh-out-loud terrible. I'd still recommend seeing it on the big screen, but don't expect it to be as good as 1 or 2.

In the defense of The DaVinci Code, we went to a late showing and I was too tired to think really hard. The movie was okay (I read the book and liked, but not loved, it). I was entertained, but at times I definitely found myself glancing at my watch and hoping for it to just move along a little faster. I enjoyed Brown's other book, Angels & Demons, much more than The DaVinci Code and hope they make a movie of it someday.

Camping

2006-05-22T22:07:00.000-04:00

Other photos of the trip are now posted. In addition to breakfast, another highlight of the trip was the hike through Clifton Gorge. If you've never been there, I highly recommend it--the scenery is beautiful. We were also proud of Maria, who made it all the way through our 3-mile hike over some rough terrain. I was afraid I would have to carry her halfway, but she actually led the way through much of the trip.

"The Breakfast"

2006-05-22T21:19:00.000-04:00

We returned Sunday after a somewhat cold but very enjoyable camping trip to John Bryan State Park and Clifton Gorge. The entire trip was a lot of fun, and I will post pictures shortly, but I first had to post about the most memorable part of the trip--"The Breakfast". We went to Clifton Mill for breakfast on Sunday morning and ordered an item on the menu simply known as "The Breakfast". For a little over $20, we received a meal that fed Annette, Maria, and me (with enough left over to share bacon with Ben and a pancake and potatoes with two other Cub Scouts).

Wednesday night surprises

2006-05-10T22:11:00.000-04:00

The ending to Lost last week was possibly the most surprising thing I have ever seen on TV. It was a great twist--totally catching me off guard like the ending of the movie The Sixth Sense or the book Debt of Honor.

However, tonight's television viewing had an even more shocking ending...but unfortunately, it was not a good twist. Chris Daughtry was, in my opinion, by far the most talented singer on American Idol--this season or in any other season. I'm not sure how he lost. The only thing I can think of is that people assumed he was OK so they voted for whoever they thought was on the bubble.

I have no doubt that he will have a successful career, and I will definitely be buying his CD when it comes out. In the meantime, I suppose I'm rooting for Elliot.

The Lunch Nazi

2006-05-10T08:28:00.000-04:00

I took the day off work last Friday, in part so I could attend Chris' end-of-year school singing performance. After sleeping in 'til 10:30 (which was WONDERFUL), I stopped and got carry-out Skyline Chili to take lunch to the boys at school--a break from the usual dining hall fare. While we were enjoying our lunch, one of the lunch ladies suddenly raised her arm and made a "peace" sign and repeatedly (and annoyingly) started blowing a whistle. The noise level was evidently too high for her.

It got a little quieter, and she seemed placated. However, a few minutes later the hand and whistle started up again. This time she made everyone stop talking and had one of the kids recite the cafeteria rules.

I have a several problems with this:

1. The noise level wasn't ever very loud. For a room with 100 or so elementary school kids, I would say it was pretty darn quiet. It's often louder in my office than it was in that cafeteria.

2. The kids were very well behaved. No food was flying, nobody was punching anyone--they were just talking to each other. Isn't that what you do at lunch?

3. The kids actually had the cafeteria rules memorized. This disturbs me...how often do they recite these rules. Daily? Weekly? Obviously this isn't the first time it's happened.

4. The kids get only about 20 minutes to eat. I don't appreciate 10 percent of this time being taken up by a recitation of the cafeteria rules.

Lunch is the time for the kids to be able to vent a little and talk to their friends. I agree that you can't just let them go wild and swing from the chandaliers, but to demand a large room full of kids to keep their volume to a whisper is asking too much. Let them be kids.

By the way, Chris' performance was excellent.

Weboggle 2

2006-05-02T21:55:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my new evening addiction is playing Boggle online. It has been fun, but humbling. I have always considered myself pretty good at word games, and my scores have been decidedly average.

Playing as a team with Annette, Dianne, and Earl, we typically place fairly high (and have even come in first place a time or two). However, when I play solo I usually finish is 30th place or even lower (there are usually 100 to 120 people playing at any given time).

Tonight, however, the words were leaping off the screen at me and I had my first top-five solo finish. It was pretty exciting--which is a sign that I really need to get a life! :)

Bush impersonator

2006-05-02T21:27:00.000-04:00

I'm about as non-political as they come, but this video is pretty darn funny.

Baseball Fever

2006-04-26T22:43:00.000-04:00

While my fantasy baseball team--the Cincinnati Blues--is stinking so far this season, my real team--the Cincinnati Reds--is doing great. Their win today was their 15th. They are the first team in major league baseball to reach 15 wins this season. Last year they got their 15th win when they were 15-26 (and 11 games out of first place). What a difference a year can make!

So far, the Arroyo for Willy Mo deal is looking pretty good!

April pics posted

2006-04-25T22:00:00.000-04:00

As you will be able to see from the pictures, April has been a busy month full of soccer and Cub Scout events, with Spring Break and a little flooding thrown in for good measure. The above picture is one of my favorites--this is how Maria spends most of her time during her soccer games (picking flowers to give to me and Annette).

What will they think of next?

2006-04-13T21:51:00.000-04:00

There's nothing really practical about this technology, but it is just so darn cool! I want one. Click here for details.

Spring soccer

2006-04-02T20:32:00.000-04:00

This weekend marked the first games of the spring soccer season, and Maria's first games ever. It should be an interesting season. Ben is playing on a regulation-sized soccer field for the first time. He is one of the youngest on his team, which includes 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. Chris has moved up to the next age level, and has to deal with offsides calls for the first time. I think I finally understand soccer offsides (it's so much simpler in hockey). Maria is playing at the instructional level, and is most interested in finding four leaf clovers on the field and the post game snack (which is pretty typical at that age). All three had fun at their first games.

March photos posted

2006-03-26T22:51:00.000-05:00

March photos have been posted to the website. I need to start taking more pictures of Maria--everything has been Cub Scout events lately.

Weboggle

2006-03-22T23:04:00.000-05:00

Annette has her Sodukos--but I've always been more of a words person and less of a numbers person. Thanks to Dianne, I've found my new addiction on the 'net--Weboggle. When I was a kid, my family would play word games such as Scrabble and Boggle all the time. Now there's an Internet version of Boggle where you play in real time and compare your scores to other Bogglers around the world. WARNING: It's very addicting (and somewhat humiliating when I compare my score to others)--try at your own risk!

Willy No Mo

2006-03-20T12:04:00.000-05:00

The Reds traded away one of my favorite players, Willy Mo Pena, today. Normally I don't post news on my blog, but I wanted to post my clever headline before tomorrow's newspapers steal it.

Widgets

2006-03-15T22:19:00.000-05:00

My job requires me to use both Windows and Macintosh computers. For the most part, Macs are a pain in the butt. However, I must admit that the folks at Apple occasionally do come up with a good idea. In their most recent operating system release (OS 10.4), they introduced "widgets". Widgets are small, useful programs that are easily accessed at any time with a simple click. A friend at work recently informed me that these widgets are also available for Windows--so I had to check it out. The screen capture above shows some of my favorites. In addition to the obvious ones (clock, calendar, system resources meter, weather), my favorites are the magic 8-ball (when I have a really important decision to make) and the iTunes companion, which displays the track information and album art for the song currently playing. I also downloaded a Soduko widgets to further feed Annette's addiction!

Widgets are free and can be downloaded at widgets.yahoo.com.

Take the red pill...

2006-03-11T09:08:00.000-05:00

Took this picture of Ben at his Upward Basketball awards night. It sort of reminded me of a scene from The Matrix.

Photo updates

2006-03-06T21:48:00.000-05:00

February photos have been added to the website.

I'm an idiot

2006-02-27T22:38:00.000-05:00

You probably already knew that, but let me give you another example to add to your collection.

Cincinnati Reds opening day tickets are hard to come by. I've been (unsuccessfully) trying to get them for several years now. Would I like to go to the game? I suppose. But based on the demand for these tickets, what I'd really like to do it get opening day tickets, sell them, and use the profits to buy tickets to go to several games.

As usual, I go online at 9 a.m. and try to buy tickets. On my first click, the website gives me an opportunity to purchase six SRO (standing room only) tickets. Wow--I got through! That's great. But standing room only--will people be willing to pay extra to stand and watch the game? Sure, there's a half million people who want to go to the game and only 30,000 or so tickets. And sure, this is the first time I've actually gotten through in five years of trying to purchase tickets. But I don't know--I'd hate to spend a whole $60 and get stuck with the tickets. I'm sure I don't know of any friends or family that would want to go to the game.

As I ponder, a small countdown timer clicks unnoticed in the upper-right hand corner of my screen. Hey, there's a time limit to make your purchase? I didn't know that. He who hesitates is lost. I'm lost. I try again and again to connect a second time, but lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place. The game sells out in about 14 minutes.

Tonight, as I surf the web, I finally decide to measure the depths of my stupidity. It doesn't take long. eBay auction #6607155563. Six standing room only tickets: $399.

I want to go home...

2006-02-23T16:30:00.000-05:00

...but I can't, because the expressway is currently closed. Icy roads? A major accident? A buckled bridge? No, none of these are the cause of the closure. The highway is closed due to a presidential motorcade. I'm all in favor of protecting our president, and totally understand the need to close the roads when he is travelling. However, it seems like they could plan it a little better. Every time he comes to town, he arrives right at the beginning of rush hour. I-71 north is bad enough on a normal day, but start rush hour out with 30 minutes of closure and it's not going to recover for hours. I realize the president is a busy guy, but if he's going to visit a major city and shut down the roads maybe he could sh0w up at 3 p.m. or so. They could order him some LaRosas and maybe play a little X-Box 360 to fill the time. Plus, it's not like he's here for an important meeting or a national crisis. He's here for a $4,000 a plate fundraiser in Indian Hill. (No, I'm not going.)

Picasa

2006-02-15T23:02:00.000-05:00

I really like my Olympus digital camera, but the one thing about it that bothers me is the red eye in the photos. It seems like any picture that uses flash has terrible red eye, and if I use the red eye flash the moment is over before the camera gets around to taking the picture. I typically have used Photoshop and Photoshop Elements to remove red eye from photos. Recently, however, I discovered Picasa. This free utility from Google allows you to fix red eye, lighting, and other aspects in digital photos. It also allows you to create screen savers, SimpleViewer web pages, and much more. And best of all, it's free. I highly recommend it.

Self delusion and paranoia

2006-02-14T18:50:00.000-05:00

I recently visited Go Bananas comedy club to watch Marcus, a friend and former colleague, give his stand-up routine on "open-mike" night. Marcus was always a funny guy at work, and he actually had a very funny routine that had the audience rolling in the aisles. Several of the "comedians", however, were absolutely TERRIBLE. I don't mean they just only made me giggle or crack a smile--I mean they were about as funny as a funeral or car crash. It made me very uncomfortable being in the audience while these people performed, having to pretend to be amused--I left the club having added to my stress level instead of getting de-stressed. How can these people actually think they're funny?

As I've mentioned before, I'm a bit addicted to reality television--including American Idol. The early shows, however, that have the tryouts of people who sing about as well as me are as painful as the comedy club. I've always thought that these people MUST realize that they can't sing and are trying out on a dare or to get their 5 minutes of fame on TV. In many cases, though, they leave in tears--their dreams seemingly shattered. Are they incredible actors/actresses or did they really think they were that good? I'm starting to believe that they really think they are talented.

It kind of makes you wonder--at least it does for me. What is it that I do that I think I'm pretty good at that others look at me and say, "Can you believe he actually thinks..."? (By the way, that's more of a rhetorical question--I'm not looking for comments.)

New pics

2006-01-28T21:22:00.000-05:00

January pics are posted on the website. Enjoy!

Pinewood Derby

2006-01-26T21:43:00.000-05:00

Ben and Chris have been working hard on their cars, and tonight was finally the big night--the Pinewood Derby. Ben built a video game themed car (of course) with Mario and Luigi driving, while Chris made an all-American patriotic car. Their cars both turned out great!

As far as the race itself, both cars performed well. Chris finished 12th out of 27 cars in his age group. To give you an idea of how close it was, his average time was 8/100ths of a second slower than the car that won first place. Ben finished in 18th out of 42 cars. His average time was 4/100ths of a second slower than the car that won first place. I'm really proud of both of them!

In addition to Ben and Chris, the other kids in the den made some really cool cars. If you'd like to check them out, click here.