Drudge report

I love the Drudge report and check it out everyday to see what the world will be talking about at the water cooler. I also love the crazy stories that show up and one that made me laugh out loud last week read: Rogue squirrel attacking people in California. Classic!

Yet another reason the NFL is better that college football

Last week during the overtime between Denver and KC, Jim Nantz trotted out the college rule that in overtime, each team gets the ball so that everyone has a chance to score and the NFL should change their rule. Please! The rule is akin to what's happening all across the US unfortunately, as kids are being taught that no one should win a game because we're all winners. Yuck. My best buddy is a HUGE college fan and likes this rule, but I hate it because it takes away from a true defensive effort. If your team doesn't get the ball in overtime in the NFL, they know that in order to win they have to step it up and get a stop before the other team gets into field goal range. If the defense can't hold, they don't deserve to win in my book. Giving each team a chance to score is just plain ridiculous.

Are they serious?

There is now a law that folks are looking to pass that would mandate kids won't be allowed to ride up front in a car until they're 13 and will have to be in a booster seat until age 8. When I was a kid, I can vividly remember riding in the back of my Mom's Chevy Malibu with no seat belt and facing the wrong direction. Sure, there was the occasional moment of danger, like when I almost choked to death on, of all things, a Life Saver (another story for another day), but we never had any problems. I think that sometimes society tries to protect a little too much especially when it comes to kids. I still rage against the machine that my wife makes our daughter wear a helmet while riding her bicycle. At this rate, car seat of the future will all be equipped with air bags and take up even more room in the car. Unbelievable.

Observations...

While on my morning walk, I pasted by a house that I do almost everyday. The truck that is normally parked on the street in front of the home had a trailer hooked up. On the trailer, there were two black and white big jet skis with names on the back. The names...read...get ready...GOOSE and MAVERICK. No, I'm not kidding. Too funny. On top of all of it, the owner is also a Raiders' fan. I laughed until I cried and then just felt sad for the guy and whoever is "GOOSE". If I see the jet skis out again, I'll take a picture of it for everyone to enjoy.

Arnold and Phil

The story goes like this: the LA Times releases a story about a recorded conversation of Arnold and some top aides. During said conversation, the discussion about an Assemblywoman's ethnicity is brought up. Arnold says, "Maybe Cuban. You get that Latino blood mixed with the Black blood and it's hot! (I'm paraphrasing here)" The funny thing is the Assemblywoman in question, her name escapes me, has NO PROBLEM with what Arnold said. Of course, the politically correct crowd instantly begins shouting from the mountaintop about how horrible Arnold is and this is an outrage. Fast forward to how the LA Times obtained the tape. Turns out that the tape came from the staff of Arnold's opponent, Phil Angelidies (sp). According to Phil's press secretary, the 4 hour recording was publicly available on Arnold's website. In reality, to find the recording the staffer had to play a different file and then go back to search for a root directory where he/she found the file. It was obviously not meant for public consupmtion, but since the staffer didn't actually hack into the system, they won't be prosecuted. If a Republican had done this in California, the press would have swarmed down upon him and his staff, but for Phil, it's just buried in the story. Typical.

Clooney to address the UN...I'm not kidding

Again another Hollywood idiot will address the ineffective UN about Darfaur. I'm all for stopping the genocide in Darfaur, but I find it hypocritical that George would urge the UN to police the world when they would obviously need the US to intervene which is what we did in Iraq and yet he was outraged that we went there. Classic.

Fire Department & Emergency Services

I had the pleasure of seeing all the first responders in action the other day. My wife had chest pains at 0330 and after consulting all our medical reference materials decided to call 911 (not to worry dear reader - my wife is fine and it wasn't a heart attack - more to come, but right now it may have been some esophagus reflux that can mimic heart attack symptoms). As my wife was telling the 911 operator what the emergency was, she told me to turn on our outside light and open the front door so the firefighters knew which home had the emergency. It took the fire department maybe 2 minutes to arrive (amazing). The ambulance followed maybe a minute behind the fire truck (again, amazing). The paramedic worked quickly and decided to transport my wife to the hospital, which is when I began to worry. Both the firefighters and ambulance crew were professional and efficient throughout the event. After having my Mother drive over to watch the kids if I couldn't get back in time, I drove the hospital. I found my wife in room one of the ER. She said that it wasn't a heart attack and they were running some tests, but she appeared to be fine. Thank God. I can't begin to tell you the thoughts that were racing through my head on the drive to the hospital, but it was crazy. Thankfully, everything is fine and my wife feels back to her old self.

I just wanted to say how impressed I was in all of our First Responders. I'm also glad to know that we live so close to a Fire Department! The whole event made me regret not following my dream of being a firefighter (another story). My hat is off to those folks in the emergency services.

Rewarding Stupidity

Nothing grinds my gears more that people who reward stupidity. Today while I was waiting for my drink at Starbucks, a lady went to grab her drink that was ready. When she picked it up, she remarked, "I ordered a Tall." She in fact did have a Tall drink. The worker informed her that her drink was the correct size and the lady then said, "But I wanted the biggest one." The worker told her that it would cost more and the lady stood near the person working the cash register rather than getting back in line (there were only two people in line). By the time the worker had remade both her drinks to the largest size, Venti, she told the lady they were ready. The lady said that she hadn't paid for the drinks yet and the worker then told her not to worry about it. What the hell? Let me get this straight, if you screw up your order and want the larger and more expensive size, all you have to do is say you didn't know. Got it.

Now, for those who are not familiar with Starbucks and their wacky sizing, it goes like this: small = Tall, medium = Grande, and large = Venti. I can understand the confusion, but there is a freaking display with all the names and the actual cup sizes right there before you place your order.

I don't have a problem with the lady making a mistake, but to be rewarded for a mistake is utterly insane.

Israel vs. Hezbollah thoughts...

How stupid does Hezbollah feel after grabbing those Israeli soldiers? They've succeeded in bringing hell down on them now and I must say that I can't blame Israel. Hezbollah started this latest conflict and I'm fine with Israel taking the war to them. Israel is isolated in the region with nothing but other countries ready to wipe them off the map. Hopefully, the force that Israel has responded with will deter others from helping the morons who grabbed the soldiers.

Today the Vatican denounced Israel's response to the kidnappings. Then they added they also denounce the kidnappings in the first place. Strange that the Vatican didn't issue a statement about the kidnappings last week, but had no problem jumping on Israel when they went in to get their boys back. While I disagree with the Vatican's response, I hope that next time they are a little more prompt with their statements regarding the first aggression.

There was also a blog entry I read that postulated a frightening theory. What if the axis of evil that GW mentioned is working in concert with this latest effort? Apparently, Lebanon is a puppet state of Syria, Syria is a puppet state of Iran and Iran and North Korea are good buddies. I sincerely hope that all the countries are not working together, but it remains a possibility that we may need to deal with on a much larger scale.

Big Ben - me stupid, that unpossible

For those who have been living in a cave, Big Ben was in a motorcycle accident a few weeks ago and he wasn't wearing a helmet. There is no law in PA requiring riders to wear a helmet but being QB of an NFL team who just won the Superbowl, perhaps Ben should have put one on before jumping on his crotch rocket. At first, I simply prayed that he was okay and not dead. Once Ben came out of surgery, the news was too good to be true. Aside from some new hardware, titanium plates in his face, he would make a full recovery and experienced no brain damage. I was happy that a) he was alive and well, b) he could continue to lead my beloved Steelers this season, and c) everyone was able to walk away from the accident. The problem I have is that someone who is paid an unbelievable amount of money to play a kid's game, is the face of an NFL franchise, is responsible to his employers, his team, and his fans would be so reckless in his off the field behavior. I'm not trying to say that NFL players should live in a bubble, but reasonable precautions can be taken while still under contract. Terry Bradshaw said it best, "Ride those things when you retire."

AVP in Sacramento

Went to the AVP event in Sacramento on Friday. What a great event. One of the things I love the most about the AVP is how accessible the players are to the fans. Not only do you run into the players in between matches, but a good deal of games are on the outer courts where you can stand within a few feet of the action. Too cool. I went on one of the two qualifiying days and it was probably better than coming on one of the big days on the weekend becuase the crowd wasn't bad at all. It felt like old homecoming week as I was reunited with a ton of folks I've played volleyball with in the past. I even ran into some friends who had come all the way from San Diego for the event. I was also able to watch most of the action from the MVP section after a friend had worked his way onto the stage. The best part of the day was getting to talk to some of the players in person. It was surreal watching Karch play against Fonoi while Misty May was standing right next to our group. Great day.

Talking while doing business

Ladies...you may want to skip this post. What is it with guys wanting to talk while using the urinal? Maybe it's me, but I can't think of a time when I feel less like talking than while going to the bathroom. I often use the stall if I see some jackal who I know will say something brilliant if I saddle up next to them at an adjacent urinal. The unfortunate encounter happened today when in mid-stream, this hammerhead who works near me starts chatting me up and all I can think of is hurry up and finish to get the hell out of there.

Great endings...

I just finished the latest Harry Potter novel, The Half-Blood Prince, and man did it have a great ending. Never saw it coming and it floored me completely. I love when a book or movie or story has a good ending. All too often writes take the easy way out and wrap everything up nice and tight for that good feeling at the end. I'm not saying that every story should end with some twist or question, but it's nice to see it done if it's done right. What's even better is when the great ending is done so skillfully by a deft writer and JK is that for sure.

More immigration fun!

Just a few more thoughts on the immigration story...

The bill recently passed in the Senate grants amnesty to 10 million illegal aliens. Huh? What? Are you kidding me?

And just when I thought I couldn't be any more surprised, I see that Arny met with Vincente Fox and asked if he could get Mexico to make the border tunnels illegal. First, does that mean that the tunnels are legal now? Second, Vincente then shows how cooperative we really are by saying that he would consider making the tunnels illegals?!?

What kind of world am I living in? Why didn't the Terminator just backhand him right there?

Smoking and exercise - a great combination

Funny thing happened the other day. I was on my morning walk and a lady approached on my side of sidewalk with a dog on a leash. After I stepped onto the street (yes, I'm quite the gentleman) to let her pass on the sidewalk, she smiled and went past. It was approximately three seconds until I caught the nauseating aroma of cigarette smoke. I looked back and sure enough, she was happily puffing away on a cancer stick. I love the fact that she's out taking the dog for a walk and getting some exercise, but still takes the time to insure that she negates all that by smoking. What a wonderful world!

NSA flap

Wow, I'm shocked...the NSA is doing their job. I'm not too worried over hear about the USA Today story that broke yesterday. The funny thing about the story is that the NY Times already had the story months before, but no one seemed to freak out back then. I also found it funny that a poll said that 60% + of folks were not concerned either.

I'm no fan of government intrusion, but isn't it speaking out of both sides of one's mouth if you chastise an administration that didn't connect the dots before 9/11 and then tell them to stop trying to connect the dots and shut down the NSA program?

Thanks for NOT thinking of others...

I was treated to some fun exposure to illness when a young girl in church was being held by her Mother as she hacked without covering her mouth. Now, me personally, would not have brought one of my sick children into a church to spread the disease. Perhaps, I'm paranoid (just ask my wife), but I was pissed not only that she was there and sick, but that her parents didn't even make an attempt to ask her to at least cover her mouth. I was bobbing and weaving until my wife shot me a look of horror. I was simply trying to avoid getting sick and then infecting my family. After a while, the sick little girl began to cover her mouth and I thanked her for that. Am I crazy?

What the hell?

Why is it that some people feel the need to brush their teeth in the bathroom at work? I understand that hygiene is important, but do you really need to brush at work? The funny thing is that for these tools that want to make sure their mouth is clean are asking for trouble if they use their toothbrush at work. I read that when a toilet is flushed, the spray containing all the fecal bacteria can shoot up and be dispersed up to 12 feet. Basically, these moronic people are bushing their teeth with other people's ass matter. Sweet.

NFL Draft Day

Ah, I was filled with joy on Saturday as I tuned into the 2006 NFL Draft coverage on ESPN. My son, Dave, and I sat all day watching the draft unfold. Our beloved Steelers traded with the NY Giants to move up in the draft and grab Santonio Holmes-WR on their first pick. Brilliant move since we recently lost Randle El to the Redskins. One quick side note, I already am SICK of the Under Armor ad, Click-Clack. Stop already. Please. The Steelers also grabbed the following folks: Anthony Smith-S, Willie Reid-RS, Willie Colon-OT, Orien Harris-DT, Omar Jacobs-QB, Charles Davis-TE, Marvin Phillip-C, and Cedric Humes-RB.

I cannot WAIT for the season to get here. Go Steelers!

Movie review: Requiem for a Dream

Cool, but disturbing movie about three, well - four, drug addicts. It reminded me of the crank movie, Spun, in the quick cuts and weird visual effects. Superb acting from all the leads: Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Ellen Burnstyn, and even Marlon Wayans. The guy who wrote/directed this movie also did the other avant garde movie, Pie (the mathematics symbol). Pie was a tad too strange for my tastes, but Requiem was good. Although exercise caution when viewing because a good deal of the images are pretty shocking.