There are only a few states in the Union where aluminum cans, and plastic & glass bottles are returnable for cold, hard cash. My home state of Maine is one of them along with California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Vermont. (This is also currently true in the state of Delaware but it won't be as of February 1, 2011 as their bottle bill has recently been repealed.)
Knowing that every bottle or can you see on the side of the road is just waiting to be picked up, washed out, and returned for a bright, shiny nickel can make taking a walk in Maine a very profitable enterprise. You certainly aren't going to get rich picking up bottles but you can make some decent beer money by picking up empty beer cans. You can pick up litter, get exercise, and make some money all at the same time. That is my kind of multi-tasking!
There is one other extremely important factor when trying to find aluminum nickels in the state of Maine: poison ivy. Maine is just chock full of poison ivy. This means there is a fairly limited window to safely retrieve aluminum nickels from the sides of the road during the year. You have about a month in the spring after the snow melts before the ivy sprouts, and a couple months in the fall once it dies down again. I suppose you can look for them all winter long if you can brave the snow, wind and cold. Brrrrr.
As luck would have it, I happen to be in Maine this very week, the poison ivy has died down for the year, and the weather has been fairly decent (i.e. it hasn't snowed.) As a result I have been cleaning up on my daily walks this week and have been coming home with 3, 4, or 5 bottles and/or cans each and every day. The only limiting factor has been running out of pocket space to store them as I walk. I just can't seem to walk by an aluminum nickel without picking it up.
I actually think they should expand the bottle bill nationwide as it would create jobs - permanent jobs - reduce trash, and encourage recycling. Obama hasn't been able to jump start the economy enough to spur job creation so maybe he should give a national bottle bill some thought.
Mood: Frugal.
Movie Quote of the Day:
"Hey every dad is entitled to one hideous shirt, and one horrible sweater. It's part of the dad code."
-Cheaper By The Dozen 2
Showing posts with label What I have been doing lately. Show all posts
Showing posts with label What I have been doing lately. Show all posts
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
My Crazy Neighbor
Everyone you know has a crazy neighbor or is a crazy neighbor. As the saying goes, if you don't know who your crazy neighbor is, YOU are the crazy neighbor. I have been blessed with my own crazy neighbor in 2010.
Like all neighbors upon first glance Marty seemed like a pretty normal dude. He has a dog and a wife/girlfriend - I haven't figured out exactly which one quite yet. They have a car and a SUV in the yard. It was all pretty normal stuff until one day in August I noticed that his SUV, which I believe is an Isuzu Trooper, had been painted. It had always been white and suddenly it was jet black. I mean the whole thing was jet black, even the rims and hubs had been painted.
Upon further inspection I noticed that his SUV was painted by hand with what looks to be black house paint. Once I noticed this, I decided that Marty was definitely worth keeping an eye on for entertainment purposes. Within a few more days, he repainted the hubs, rims, and undercarriage on his SUV to a metallic blue color. Interesting. Very Interesting.
One day last week I noticed him standing in the cab of his SUV with the doors wide open spray painting the heck out of the exterior roof of the vehicle. I guess he couldn't reach it with his paint brush. A couple days after that I noticed a new Detroit Lions logo on the hood of his SUV in metallic blue paint to match the hubs, rims and undercarriage. Oh boy, this is getting good!
Within a couple more days he had painted some random words on the sides of his SUV in that metallic blue paint. Things like "NFC Football", "Detroit Lions" and a couple other things. I don't remember what they all were because he has already painted over them. He was out there over Labor Day weekend with his black house paint and a paint roller painting over all of that stuff.
I am to the point now that I can't wait to see what the next thing he does to his SUV's paint job. It is kind of like watching Ice Road Truckers. It's the same thing over and over, but I keep watching it anyway. Don't let me down Marty. I know you got something wacky left in you somewhere.
Mood: Mystified
Movie Quote of the Day:
"Drinking and driving don't mix. That's why I ride a bike."
-Pretty In Pink
Like all neighbors upon first glance Marty seemed like a pretty normal dude. He has a dog and a wife/girlfriend - I haven't figured out exactly which one quite yet. They have a car and a SUV in the yard. It was all pretty normal stuff until one day in August I noticed that his SUV, which I believe is an Isuzu Trooper, had been painted. It had always been white and suddenly it was jet black. I mean the whole thing was jet black, even the rims and hubs had been painted.
Upon further inspection I noticed that his SUV was painted by hand with what looks to be black house paint. Once I noticed this, I decided that Marty was definitely worth keeping an eye on for entertainment purposes. Within a few more days, he repainted the hubs, rims, and undercarriage on his SUV to a metallic blue color. Interesting. Very Interesting.
One day last week I noticed him standing in the cab of his SUV with the doors wide open spray painting the heck out of the exterior roof of the vehicle. I guess he couldn't reach it with his paint brush. A couple days after that I noticed a new Detroit Lions logo on the hood of his SUV in metallic blue paint to match the hubs, rims and undercarriage. Oh boy, this is getting good!
Within a couple more days he had painted some random words on the sides of his SUV in that metallic blue paint. Things like "NFC Football", "Detroit Lions" and a couple other things. I don't remember what they all were because he has already painted over them. He was out there over Labor Day weekend with his black house paint and a paint roller painting over all of that stuff.
I am to the point now that I can't wait to see what the next thing he does to his SUV's paint job. It is kind of like watching Ice Road Truckers. It's the same thing over and over, but I keep watching it anyway. Don't let me down Marty. I know you got something wacky left in you somewhere.
Mood: Mystified
Movie Quote of the Day:
"Drinking and driving don't mix. That's why I ride a bike."
-Pretty In Pink
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Radio Ga-Ga
I listen to music a lot as background noise at home and at the office. I have periods of time when I will use my iPod almost exclusively, other times when I only listen to the radio, and sometimes I even get out my cassettes and throw them on and listen to them for weeks on end. Whenever I get into a music rut I switch it up and switch from one music medium to another.
Lately I have been on a radio kick. I generally have 3 stations I listen to. A pop station, a modern country station, and a classic rock station. A few years ago it was all the rage to have "no repeat workdays" so you could listen to a station all day long and never hear the same song twice. Those days are long gone so repeat songs are a pretty common occurrence on the air waves these days. I would expect that on the pop station and the modern country station as they are both concentrating on playing the songs in their music genre that are popular right now, but it is even true on the classic rock station.
That really threw me for a loop. It seems to me that the point of a classic rock station is that they can literally choose from thousands of songs over the past 40-some years to play. As a result they should have a pretty eclectic play list. But this in fact is not true at all on BIG 100.3, the classic rock station in the DC metro area. They play the same songs over and over and over.
The song that really opened my eyes to this is "Me & Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin. This is, in my opinion, one of the worst songs of all time and BIG 100.3 seems to play it every friggin' day of the week. At first I simply turned the station every time this song came on, but eventually I started keeping track of how often it was played.
Over time, I actually built up a nice list of songs they have in heavy rotation and then took it a step further and kept track for 2 weeks of how many times I heard these songs. This is a completely unscientific survey on my part. I didn't listen to the radio 24 hours a day. I didn't look at the recently played list on their website. If the radio was on and I heard a song on my list I wrote it down. The big winner was...actually it was a tie.
I heard two different songs a total of 8 times in the two weeks I kept track: "More Than A Feeling" by Boston [which is playing right now as I edit this post] and "Blinded By The Light" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Officially, I am giving the Radio Ga-Ga Title to Blinded By The Light because I actually heard that song twice on the very last day of my music survey. I can only imagine how many other times they played these two songs while I was playing Pac-Man, asleep, watching TV, or out of the house. I would imagine the real play counts for both these songs truly are about once per day.
There was also a tie for 3rd place among six songs that I heard 6 times each over the survey period: "Crazy on You" by Heart, "Radar Love" by Golden Earring, "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" by Yes, "Magic Man" by Heart, "What's Your Name" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and "Second Hand News" by Fleetwood Mac.
The song that started it all "Me & Bobby MeGee" finished in a tie for 9th place as I heard it only 5 times over the two week period. There were five other songs that finished tied with it in 9th place: "Roundabout" by Yes, "We're An American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad, "Do It Again" by Steely Dan, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult, and "Reelin' In The Years" by Steely Dan.
The moral of the story is if you truly want music variety you apparently have to use the shuffle play on your iPod. You won't get it on today's modern radio station, no matter what genre of music they play.
Mood: Surprised.
Song of the Day:
"Some silicon sister with a manager mister told me I got what it takes"
-Blinded By The Light
Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Movie Quote of the Day:
"This is the cleanest and nicest police car I've ever been in in my life. This thing's nice than my apartment."
-Beverly Hills Cop
Lately I have been on a radio kick. I generally have 3 stations I listen to. A pop station, a modern country station, and a classic rock station. A few years ago it was all the rage to have "no repeat workdays" so you could listen to a station all day long and never hear the same song twice. Those days are long gone so repeat songs are a pretty common occurrence on the air waves these days. I would expect that on the pop station and the modern country station as they are both concentrating on playing the songs in their music genre that are popular right now, but it is even true on the classic rock station.
That really threw me for a loop. It seems to me that the point of a classic rock station is that they can literally choose from thousands of songs over the past 40-some years to play. As a result they should have a pretty eclectic play list. But this in fact is not true at all on BIG 100.3, the classic rock station in the DC metro area. They play the same songs over and over and over.
The song that really opened my eyes to this is "Me & Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin. This is, in my opinion, one of the worst songs of all time and BIG 100.3 seems to play it every friggin' day of the week. At first I simply turned the station every time this song came on, but eventually I started keeping track of how often it was played.
Over time, I actually built up a nice list of songs they have in heavy rotation and then took it a step further and kept track for 2 weeks of how many times I heard these songs. This is a completely unscientific survey on my part. I didn't listen to the radio 24 hours a day. I didn't look at the recently played list on their website. If the radio was on and I heard a song on my list I wrote it down. The big winner was...actually it was a tie.
I heard two different songs a total of 8 times in the two weeks I kept track: "More Than A Feeling" by Boston [which is playing right now as I edit this post] and "Blinded By The Light" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Officially, I am giving the Radio Ga-Ga Title to Blinded By The Light because I actually heard that song twice on the very last day of my music survey. I can only imagine how many other times they played these two songs while I was playing Pac-Man, asleep, watching TV, or out of the house. I would imagine the real play counts for both these songs truly are about once per day.
There was also a tie for 3rd place among six songs that I heard 6 times each over the survey period: "Crazy on You" by Heart, "Radar Love" by Golden Earring, "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" by Yes, "Magic Man" by Heart, "What's Your Name" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and "Second Hand News" by Fleetwood Mac.
The song that started it all "Me & Bobby MeGee" finished in a tie for 9th place as I heard it only 5 times over the two week period. There were five other songs that finished tied with it in 9th place: "Roundabout" by Yes, "We're An American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad, "Do It Again" by Steely Dan, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult, and "Reelin' In The Years" by Steely Dan.
The moral of the story is if you truly want music variety you apparently have to use the shuffle play on your iPod. You won't get it on today's modern radio station, no matter what genre of music they play.
Mood: Surprised.
Song of the Day:
"Some silicon sister with a manager mister told me I got what it takes"
-Blinded By The Light
Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Movie Quote of the Day:
"This is the cleanest and nicest police car I've ever been in in my life. This thing's nice than my apartment."
-Beverly Hills Cop
Sunday, August 1, 2010
What I Did On My Summer Vacation
I spent the past 17 days on vacation in New England. Here are some of the highlights from my Summer Vacation 2010:
Played Croquet: July 15, July 16, July 31
Ate Lobster: July 17 – both lunch and dinner!
Had A Campfire: July 16, July 24, July 29
Went Bowling: July 28
Ate Ice Cream: July 17, July 19, July 25, July 28
Made A Sand Castle: July 20
Ate at McDonald’s July 20 – lunch in Bucksport, ME and dinner in Brewer, ME
Mowed The Lawn: July 21
Layed In The Hammock: July 21, July 22, July 27, July 28, July 29
Played Wiffleball: July 18, July 21, July 28
Went Shopping: July 19, July 28
Ate Smores: July 16, July 24
Drank Alcohol: July 15, July 16, July 22, July 23, July 24, July 25
Went Swimming: July 30; July 31
Towns Visited: Yarmouth, ME; Freeport, ME; Hampden, ME; Hermon, ME; Bangor, ME; Manset, ME; Industry, ME; Wilton, ME; Orono, ME; Upton, MA.
Mood: Recharged!
Song of the Day:
"So we'll live out in our old van, travel all across this land"
-Free
Zac Brown Band
Failed Advertising Slogan Of The Day:
"Bud Light Lime: Still tastes like ass, but we added lime!"
Played Croquet: July 15, July 16, July 31
Ate Lobster: July 17 – both lunch and dinner!
Had A Campfire: July 16, July 24, July 29
Went Bowling: July 28
Ate Ice Cream: July 17, July 19, July 25, July 28
Made A Sand Castle: July 20
Ate at McDonald’s July 20 – lunch in Bucksport, ME and dinner in Brewer, ME
Mowed The Lawn: July 21
Layed In The Hammock: July 21, July 22, July 27, July 28, July 29
Played Wiffleball: July 18, July 21, July 28
Went Shopping: July 19, July 28
Ate Smores: July 16, July 24
Drank Alcohol: July 15, July 16, July 22, July 23, July 24, July 25
Went Swimming: July 30; July 31
Towns Visited: Yarmouth, ME; Freeport, ME; Hampden, ME; Hermon, ME; Bangor, ME; Manset, ME; Industry, ME; Wilton, ME; Orono, ME; Upton, MA.
Mood: Recharged!
Song of the Day:
"So we'll live out in our old van, travel all across this land"
-Free
Zac Brown Band
Failed Advertising Slogan Of The Day:
"Bud Light Lime: Still tastes like ass, but we added lime!"
Sunday, June 20, 2010
E Tu Vuvuzela?
I am a big believer in Karma. I think if you do something good for someone you will be paid back at some time down the road. Of course this also means that the converse is true. If you act like a douchebag, it will come back to bite you in the ass. Karma got some revenge on me last night. Here's the back story.
On August 23, 2008 I went to a Potomac Nationals game with my buddy Drew. We were celebrating his birthday and had, let's just say, "a few" beers. On my way back from one of many trips to the bathroom I passed by the concession stand and right on the counter were those plastic horns you often see and hear at sporting events. I now know they are called "vuvuzelas" thanks to the 2010 World Cup, but I didn't know that in 2008. Anyway, my wallet gets a little loose after "a few" beers so I whipped out a Hamilton, plunked it on the counter, scored 2 vuvuzelas, and proudly strolled back to my seat with them.
What I didn't know then is that it takes a little bit of talent to get the vuvuzelas to make that excruciatingly annoying noise they are so famous for. You don't just blow air into the damn things. There is a definite technique involved. My buddy Drew knew what he was doing and had his vuvuzela humming in no time flat. Me, not so much. I would blow and nothing would happen or blow and a weak, feeble sound would limp out the vuvuzela. Drew gave me some lessons, luckily for free or perhaps for beer. I distinctly remember him saying "you have to parse your lips," not that I knew what to do with that information.
Eventually, after lots and lot of practice and a whole bunch of loud, obnoxious and sometimes odd noises I got the hang of the vuvuzela. By the end of the game I had it down and could make a long, loud vuvuzela note that would make any 10 year old proud.
Apparently our impromptu vuvuzela music lesson and concert was not well received by the surrounding baseball fans. We were of course oblivious to this fact and kept those bad boys humming right along all game long and even during the post-game fireworks display. That is until some guy came over and threatened our lives if we kept playing them. Yes, this seriously happened. This is all too stupid to make up.
Flash forward to June 19, 2010. As you may have heard "revenge is a dish best served cold." I got my payback for the "Vuvuzela Incident" at the Bowie Baysox game last night. Big time! My buddy Jerome and I took his daughter to the game to celebrate Father's Day. We had sweet seats - 2nd row, 1st base side, right behind the Baysox dugout.
Unfortunately, these seats were smack, dab in the middle of little league central. We were surrounded by a sea of little dudes in bright blue "Cubs" attire. I will admit, they looked pretty sporty in their unis. They even had uniform numbers and their names on the back just like the big leaguers. But they were 7 and 8 year olds. They were more interested in consuming mass amounts of sugar and being super annoying than watching the game.
We lasted 6.5 innings in our original seats before relocating to the far opposite side of the ballpark. It really did seem like the little cub bastards were multiplying as the innings went on. The wildcard was their coach, luckily I have already forgotten his name. He was super-crazy-obnoxious and wouldn't shut up for more than 2 or 3 consecutive seconds all night long. And he was of course, sitting right behind me. I seriously wonder if he was on speed. No one should be able to run at that gear for 3 hours straight. I am pretty obnoxious at sporting events (ask Drew about the "You can't do that chant" at the Frozen Four) but this guy made me look like a deaf mute. He was wayyyyyyyyyy over the top.
The Baysox lost the game, Orioles style. They were winning 2-0 heading into the top of the 9th inning and promptly gave up 2 runs to the Harrisburg Senators to make things way too interesting. The Baysox had the winning run on 2nd base in both the 9th and 10th innings but couldn't push it across. The Senators smacked not one, but THREE solo home runs in the 12th inning to steal the game and silence the crowd. It was a fitting end to the game and the evening.
Mood: Humble
Movie Quote of the Day:
"Have you ever been karmically bitch-slapped by a six-armed goddess?"
-Bubble Boy
Red Sox Stat of the Day:
The Sox were 23-4 in 2009 when Big Papi hit a home run.
On August 23, 2008 I went to a Potomac Nationals game with my buddy Drew. We were celebrating his birthday and had, let's just say, "a few" beers. On my way back from one of many trips to the bathroom I passed by the concession stand and right on the counter were those plastic horns you often see and hear at sporting events. I now know they are called "vuvuzelas" thanks to the 2010 World Cup, but I didn't know that in 2008. Anyway, my wallet gets a little loose after "a few" beers so I whipped out a Hamilton, plunked it on the counter, scored 2 vuvuzelas, and proudly strolled back to my seat with them.
What I didn't know then is that it takes a little bit of talent to get the vuvuzelas to make that excruciatingly annoying noise they are so famous for. You don't just blow air into the damn things. There is a definite technique involved. My buddy Drew knew what he was doing and had his vuvuzela humming in no time flat. Me, not so much. I would blow and nothing would happen or blow and a weak, feeble sound would limp out the vuvuzela. Drew gave me some lessons, luckily for free or perhaps for beer. I distinctly remember him saying "you have to parse your lips," not that I knew what to do with that information.
Eventually, after lots and lot of practice and a whole bunch of loud, obnoxious and sometimes odd noises I got the hang of the vuvuzela. By the end of the game I had it down and could make a long, loud vuvuzela note that would make any 10 year old proud.
Apparently our impromptu vuvuzela music lesson and concert was not well received by the surrounding baseball fans. We were of course oblivious to this fact and kept those bad boys humming right along all game long and even during the post-game fireworks display. That is until some guy came over and threatened our lives if we kept playing them. Yes, this seriously happened. This is all too stupid to make up.
Flash forward to June 19, 2010. As you may have heard "revenge is a dish best served cold." I got my payback for the "Vuvuzela Incident" at the Bowie Baysox game last night. Big time! My buddy Jerome and I took his daughter to the game to celebrate Father's Day. We had sweet seats - 2nd row, 1st base side, right behind the Baysox dugout.
Unfortunately, these seats were smack, dab in the middle of little league central. We were surrounded by a sea of little dudes in bright blue "Cubs" attire. I will admit, they looked pretty sporty in their unis. They even had uniform numbers and their names on the back just like the big leaguers. But they were 7 and 8 year olds. They were more interested in consuming mass amounts of sugar and being super annoying than watching the game.
We lasted 6.5 innings in our original seats before relocating to the far opposite side of the ballpark. It really did seem like the little cub bastards were multiplying as the innings went on. The wildcard was their coach, luckily I have already forgotten his name. He was super-crazy-obnoxious and wouldn't shut up for more than 2 or 3 consecutive seconds all night long. And he was of course, sitting right behind me. I seriously wonder if he was on speed. No one should be able to run at that gear for 3 hours straight. I am pretty obnoxious at sporting events (ask Drew about the "You can't do that chant" at the Frozen Four) but this guy made me look like a deaf mute. He was wayyyyyyyyyy over the top.
The Baysox lost the game, Orioles style. They were winning 2-0 heading into the top of the 9th inning and promptly gave up 2 runs to the Harrisburg Senators to make things way too interesting. The Baysox had the winning run on 2nd base in both the 9th and 10th innings but couldn't push it across. The Senators smacked not one, but THREE solo home runs in the 12th inning to steal the game and silence the crowd. It was a fitting end to the game and the evening.
Mood: Humble
Movie Quote of the Day:
"Have you ever been karmically bitch-slapped by a six-armed goddess?"
-Bubble Boy
Red Sox Stat of the Day:
The Sox were 23-4 in 2009 when Big Papi hit a home run.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Kemo Therapy
I spent last Saturday doing some hiking on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in my continuing quest to hike the AT through the section of northern Virginia that I live in. This in itself isn't that memorable. I probably spend 10 to 15 days a year hiking the AT by myself - much to my sister's chagrin.
I had a beautiful day for hiking and knocked out about 6 AT miles, 12 miles round trip. I started out just north of Route 50 and headed south from Ashby's Gap on the AT. The trail climbed steadily higher as I walked south, steeply at first and then more gradual after the first mile. About two miles in I came to an opening in the trail. This was the edge of Sky Meadows State Park, which is exactly as the name implies, a series of high alpine meadows with trails that run through them.
Just before mile 4 I said goodbye to Sky Meadows State Park and the AT meandered back into the woods as it went further south. My destination was the Dick's Dome shelter, about 2 miles south of Sky Meadows. I was making good time and the breeze was keeping the bugs away - it was a good day!
It wasn't too long before I saw the brown sign up ahead pointing me to the Dick's Dome Shelter a little ways off the AT. I always try to check out each AT shelter I come across. I have learned that all AT shelters are not created equally. It's good to have a handle on which ones to count on and which ones to avoid on a multi day hike. Dick's Dome is about 0.2 miles off the actual AT, a fairly long distance after you have been traipsing through the woods for 10 or 15 miles.
I was hoping Dick's Dome would be empty so I could really poke around and get a good feel for the place but no such luck. I could see a man setting up camp as I approached on the trail. He was wearing bright yellow Crocs as he puttered around, which I found quite comical. There is no way I would lug a pair of those ugly ass shoes this far into the woods, but that's just me.
Much to my surprise, he was very friendly and talkative, so I knew he wasn't from around here. It turns out he was from New Hampshire and his trail name was Kemo. Kemo was just a few days shy of finishing the entire AT, all 2,176 miles of it! Kemo is a section hiker and he has been hiking 75 to 200 miles of the AT for years and years. He said he began hiking it in 1967 and he will finish it this week at age 67.
I sat down and shared my carrot sticks with Kemo and we talked like old friends about Maine, New Hampshire, the crazy winter of 2010, and of our stories on the AT. I even convinced him to pose for a photo. I offered to email him a copy but he said he didn't have an email address, go figure. So Kemo, here's a salute to you and your conquering of the AT, I am right behind you! Well not right behind you, technically I am 2,093.8 miles behind you, but progress is progress!
Mood: Cleansed
Song Of The Day:
"Sleep with one eye open, gripping your pillow tight."
- Enter Sandman
Metallica
It's Ironic :
That I saw a Motorist Assistance Vehicle disabled on the side of the interstate today.
I had a beautiful day for hiking and knocked out about 6 AT miles, 12 miles round trip. I started out just north of Route 50 and headed south from Ashby's Gap on the AT. The trail climbed steadily higher as I walked south, steeply at first and then more gradual after the first mile. About two miles in I came to an opening in the trail. This was the edge of Sky Meadows State Park, which is exactly as the name implies, a series of high alpine meadows with trails that run through them.
Just before mile 4 I said goodbye to Sky Meadows State Park and the AT meandered back into the woods as it went further south. My destination was the Dick's Dome shelter, about 2 miles south of Sky Meadows. I was making good time and the breeze was keeping the bugs away - it was a good day!
It wasn't too long before I saw the brown sign up ahead pointing me to the Dick's Dome Shelter a little ways off the AT. I always try to check out each AT shelter I come across. I have learned that all AT shelters are not created equally. It's good to have a handle on which ones to count on and which ones to avoid on a multi day hike. Dick's Dome is about 0.2 miles off the actual AT, a fairly long distance after you have been traipsing through the woods for 10 or 15 miles.
I was hoping Dick's Dome would be empty so I could really poke around and get a good feel for the place but no such luck. I could see a man setting up camp as I approached on the trail. He was wearing bright yellow Crocs as he puttered around, which I found quite comical. There is no way I would lug a pair of those ugly ass shoes this far into the woods, but that's just me.
Much to my surprise, he was very friendly and talkative, so I knew he wasn't from around here. It turns out he was from New Hampshire and his trail name was Kemo. Kemo was just a few days shy of finishing the entire AT, all 2,176 miles of it! Kemo is a section hiker and he has been hiking 75 to 200 miles of the AT for years and years. He said he began hiking it in 1967 and he will finish it this week at age 67.
I sat down and shared my carrot sticks with Kemo and we talked like old friends about Maine, New Hampshire, the crazy winter of 2010, and of our stories on the AT. I even convinced him to pose for a photo. I offered to email him a copy but he said he didn't have an email address, go figure. So Kemo, here's a salute to you and your conquering of the AT, I am right behind you! Well not right behind you, technically I am 2,093.8 miles behind you, but progress is progress!
Mood: Cleansed
Song Of The Day:
"Sleep with one eye open, gripping your pillow tight."
- Enter Sandman
Metallica
It's Ironic :
That I saw a Motorist Assistance Vehicle disabled on the side of the interstate today.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Joe Buck Yourself!!!
Joe Buck Yourself is the name of the Wiffleball team I am on in my first season in the DC based Potomac Wiffleball League, simply known as the PWL from here on out. You may laugh, but these people take wiffleball as serious as I do, which is not an easy thing to accomplish. They have a top notch website with game recaps, standings, stats and even league leaders. These are my people!!!
I went 6-16 with 3 doubles, 1 home run, 3 runs scored and 2 RBI in my PWL debut on Sunday, August 9, 2009. It is all there in black and white and even color on the PWL website. Yes, in color because they video tape the games and post the videos online! Now you too can see me rope a double to lead off our game against the Rough Riders and even score the winning run in the 10th inning!
This particular game is in the record books as the longest game in PWL history. (Wiffleball games are 6 innings long, not nine like baseball.) We had a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 6th inning and seemed to have the game in hand as the Rough Riders were down to their last out. Then a bloop and a blast tied the game and we headed to extra innings. I actually scored or drove in all 4 runs for the team, so I think it was a pretty good PWL debut.
If you have a little free time check out the video:
http://www.potomacwiffleball.org/Videos/775/complete-game-videos-su09-week-1
The game is the 2nd from the bottom - Joe Buck Yourself vs Rough Riders. It is over 70 minutes long so here are the "Regis" highlights:
1:00 Lead off double to open the game
3:00 Score on single by Mike Lemaire
24:30 Nearly 5 minute at bat where I smack a solo home run
29:00 The actual home run is hit
64:00 Another long at bat in which I hit a solid single
66:30 The actual single is hit
67:30 Involved in a base running controversy, so much drama!
69:00 Score the game winning run on a triple by Mike Lemaire
70:00 My last at bat begins
71:00 Rip an RBI double for an extra run of insurance
I am happy to report that Joe Buck Yourself won both games on Sunday and sits in a 3-way tie for 1st place in our division.
I am unhappy to report that I did not come up with the name Joe Buck Yourself because it is clearly the BEST NAME FOR ANYTHING, EVER.
Mood: Sore
Song Of The Day:
"Come on now, no batter, no batter. Big wiffah, big wiffah!"
-Right Field
Adam Sandler
I went 6-16 with 3 doubles, 1 home run, 3 runs scored and 2 RBI in my PWL debut on Sunday, August 9, 2009. It is all there in black and white and even color on the PWL website. Yes, in color because they video tape the games and post the videos online! Now you too can see me rope a double to lead off our game against the Rough Riders and even score the winning run in the 10th inning!
This particular game is in the record books as the longest game in PWL history. (Wiffleball games are 6 innings long, not nine like baseball.) We had a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 6th inning and seemed to have the game in hand as the Rough Riders were down to their last out. Then a bloop and a blast tied the game and we headed to extra innings. I actually scored or drove in all 4 runs for the team, so I think it was a pretty good PWL debut.
If you have a little free time check out the video:
http://www.potomacwiffleball.org/Videos/775/complete-game-videos-su09-week-1
The game is the 2nd from the bottom - Joe Buck Yourself vs Rough Riders. It is over 70 minutes long so here are the "Regis" highlights:
1:00 Lead off double to open the game
3:00 Score on single by Mike Lemaire
24:30 Nearly 5 minute at bat where I smack a solo home run
29:00 The actual home run is hit
64:00 Another long at bat in which I hit a solid single
66:30 The actual single is hit
67:30 Involved in a base running controversy, so much drama!
69:00 Score the game winning run on a triple by Mike Lemaire
70:00 My last at bat begins
71:00 Rip an RBI double for an extra run of insurance
I am happy to report that Joe Buck Yourself won both games on Sunday and sits in a 3-way tie for 1st place in our division.
I am unhappy to report that I did not come up with the name Joe Buck Yourself because it is clearly the BEST NAME FOR ANYTHING, EVER.
Mood: Sore
Song Of The Day:
"Come on now, no batter, no batter. Big wiffah, big wiffah!"
-Right Field
Adam Sandler
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Best Names In College Baseball 2009
I have spent the past few weeks following the 2009 NCAA Division One Baseball Championship. First the Conference Tournaments, then the Regionals, Super Regionals and finally the College World Series. Needless to say I have watched a ton of baseball over the last five weeks.
I now present my list of the Best Names In College Baseball - 2009. I did not scour the internet, reviewing team rosters or the 2009 MLB Draft to find the ultimate list. These are simply the best names I ran across as I watched games in 2009. My only rule is Only 1 Player from any team can make the list. Sorry, Russell Mauldenhauer, Brandon Belt beat you out.
1st Base: Brandon Belt, Texas
2nd Base: Cory Kovanda, Ohio State
3rd Base: Colby May, Georgia
Shortstop: Tyler Cannon, Virginia
Catcher: Myckie Lugbauer, Maine
Designated Hitter: Bryce Nugent, Marist
Left Field: Cole Calhoun, Arizona State
Center Field: Mikie Mahtook, Louisiana State
Right Field: Logan Power, Mississippi
Starting Pitcher: Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State
Relief Pitcher: Logan Munson, North Carolina
I plan to do this each year, and if so the only other rule I will add is you can only make the list once. Talk is cheap though.
Mood: Nostalgic
Song Of The Day:
"Are you real to me? Or are you non dairy...creamer?"
-Non Dairy Creamer
Third Eye Blind
I now present my list of the Best Names In College Baseball - 2009. I did not scour the internet, reviewing team rosters or the 2009 MLB Draft to find the ultimate list. These are simply the best names I ran across as I watched games in 2009. My only rule is Only 1 Player from any team can make the list. Sorry, Russell Mauldenhauer, Brandon Belt beat you out.
1st Base: Brandon Belt, Texas
2nd Base: Cory Kovanda, Ohio State
3rd Base: Colby May, Georgia
Shortstop: Tyler Cannon, Virginia
Catcher: Myckie Lugbauer, Maine
Designated Hitter: Bryce Nugent, Marist
Left Field: Cole Calhoun, Arizona State
Center Field: Mikie Mahtook, Louisiana State
Right Field: Logan Power, Mississippi
Starting Pitcher: Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State
Relief Pitcher: Logan Munson, North Carolina
I plan to do this each year, and if so the only other rule I will add is you can only make the list once. Talk is cheap though.
Mood: Nostalgic
Song Of The Day:
"Are you real to me? Or are you non dairy...creamer?"
-Non Dairy Creamer
Third Eye Blind
Monday, March 23, 2009
World Baseball Classic
I enjoyed watching the 2009 edition of the World Baseball Classic. I don't remember watching any of the inaugural event in 2006. This time around I watched every game the US played and parts of several games involving some of the other 15 teams competing. Watching David Wright get a walk off hit in the 9th inning to beat Puerto Rico and send the US team into the semifinals was up there with any baseball moment I have ever seen.
Unfortunately, as a fan rooting for the US team it became very apparent, very early that they would not win the tourney. In fact, given there horrible starting pitching and terrible game management it was a miracle they got as far as they did. It appears that the US treated this tournament as more of an All Star Game while the two teams in the final - Korea and Japan - treated it more like the World Series. The attitude and results go hand in hand.
In an All Star Game the job of the manager is to get every player into the game somehow. That explains why US manager Davey Johnson pinch hit for Curtis Granderson with Evan Longoria in the 8th inning with his team down by two runs and a man on 3rd base in the 8th inning against Japan. There is no other logical explanation for the switch. He took out a left handed power hitter, who could hit with the wind, and put in a right handed power hitter, who had to hit into the wind. That move made no baseball sense, Johnson must have simply been trying to get Longoria an at bat in the series.
The US starting pitching was atrocious and clearly overmatched in nearly every game. Roy Oswalt, Jake Peavy, Ted Lily and Jeremy Guthrie combined to give up 25 runs in 26.3 innings of work. That is an ERA of a whopping 8.54 for our starting pitching. You aren't going to win too many games with those numbers. If the US ever wants to win this thing it has to get it's starting pitchers going a few weeks earlier so they aren't still in stretch out mode during the tourney. That would make a huge difference in their results.
Still, I enjoyed watching players from different clubs all on the same team with the red, white and blue USA logo on their chests. It was clear the players involved enjoyed their experience and gave all they had for their country. I rooted passionately for everyone on the US team during the games with one exception. I just couldn't bring myself to root for Derek Jeter. The Red Sox fan in me is stronger than the baseball fan in me.
Mood: Patriotic
Song of the Day:
"She wants her nails painted black, she wants the toy in the cracker jack, she wants to ride the bull at the rodeo."
-Feel That Fire
Dierks Bentley
Unfortunately, as a fan rooting for the US team it became very apparent, very early that they would not win the tourney. In fact, given there horrible starting pitching and terrible game management it was a miracle they got as far as they did. It appears that the US treated this tournament as more of an All Star Game while the two teams in the final - Korea and Japan - treated it more like the World Series. The attitude and results go hand in hand.
In an All Star Game the job of the manager is to get every player into the game somehow. That explains why US manager Davey Johnson pinch hit for Curtis Granderson with Evan Longoria in the 8th inning with his team down by two runs and a man on 3rd base in the 8th inning against Japan. There is no other logical explanation for the switch. He took out a left handed power hitter, who could hit with the wind, and put in a right handed power hitter, who had to hit into the wind. That move made no baseball sense, Johnson must have simply been trying to get Longoria an at bat in the series.
The US starting pitching was atrocious and clearly overmatched in nearly every game. Roy Oswalt, Jake Peavy, Ted Lily and Jeremy Guthrie combined to give up 25 runs in 26.3 innings of work. That is an ERA of a whopping 8.54 for our starting pitching. You aren't going to win too many games with those numbers. If the US ever wants to win this thing it has to get it's starting pitchers going a few weeks earlier so they aren't still in stretch out mode during the tourney. That would make a huge difference in their results.
Still, I enjoyed watching players from different clubs all on the same team with the red, white and blue USA logo on their chests. It was clear the players involved enjoyed their experience and gave all they had for their country. I rooted passionately for everyone on the US team during the games with one exception. I just couldn't bring myself to root for Derek Jeter. The Red Sox fan in me is stronger than the baseball fan in me.
Mood: Patriotic
Song of the Day:
"She wants her nails painted black, she wants the toy in the cracker jack, she wants to ride the bull at the rodeo."
-Feel That Fire
Dierks Bentley
Thursday, December 11, 2008
No Soup For You!
I tend to eat a lot of soup in the winter when the weather is cold outside. Since graduating from Ramen Noodles in college to actual soup a few years ago my soup buying habits haven't changed much. I buy Progresso soup, cause it tastes so good. My standing favorites are Chicken Noodle and Chicken Rice but I have been known to buy Clam Chowder, Italian Wedding Soup and even Minestrone if the mood strikes.
There is a bit of a soup war going on right now between Campbell's and Progresso. They have been trading barbs in their TV ads about MSG. Your soups have MSG and ours don't, blah, blah, blah. I decided to try the Campbell's Select soups after seeing one of their ads saying their soup is MSG free, so the ads worked on me.
Soup was on sale at Giant (not my trailrunning cousin, the local grocery store I patronize) last week. In fact both brands were on sale, so I decided to have a little taste test to see which I preferred better. Progresso was 2 for $5 and the Campbell's Select was 2 for $4. 1 point for Campbell's! I bought cans of Chicken Noodle and Chicken Rice from both brands.
Upon closer inspection back at the ranch the Campbell's cans are taller but they are also skinnier. They hold 18.6 ounces of soup while the Progresso cans hold 19.0 ounces. 1 point for Progresso! Skimming over the ingridients did indeed show that both Progresso soups contained MSG and neither Campbell's soup contained it. 1 point for Campbell's!
Now the good stuff - the taste test. I started with the Campbell's Chicken Noodle. Poured it in a pot, threw in some minute rice and heated it up on the stove and waited for it to cool. The first taste was...hot! Got to let it cool some more. Once I could wolf it down I really wasn't that impressed with it. I thought it was too bland. It just didn't have the flavor the TV commericals promised. Next was the Progresso Chicken Noodle which I have been eating for years. No comparison here. Progresso wins hands down. It was much more flavorful and hearty. 1 point for Progresso!
A few days later I tried the Chicken Rice soups, starting with Progresso. Same routine - pour, rice, heat, wait. The Campbell's Chicken Rice was very close in taste to the Progresso Chicken Rice. The Progresso seemed to have more chicken in it, the Campbell's had more carrots. I would give Progresso the edge here but by the slimest of margins. 1 point for Progresso!
Final score: Progresso 3, Campbell's 2.
My conclusion is that you get what you pay for and MSG stands for "Makes Soup Good".
Mood: Satiated.
Cheezy Pick Up Line of the Day:
Are you from Mars? Cause your ass is out of this world!
Random Movie Quote:
"We just get Miami Wice on television. Miami Wice is number one new show!" - Eurotrip
There is a bit of a soup war going on right now between Campbell's and Progresso. They have been trading barbs in their TV ads about MSG. Your soups have MSG and ours don't, blah, blah, blah. I decided to try the Campbell's Select soups after seeing one of their ads saying their soup is MSG free, so the ads worked on me.
Soup was on sale at Giant (not my trailrunning cousin, the local grocery store I patronize) last week. In fact both brands were on sale, so I decided to have a little taste test to see which I preferred better. Progresso was 2 for $5 and the Campbell's Select was 2 for $4. 1 point for Campbell's! I bought cans of Chicken Noodle and Chicken Rice from both brands.
Upon closer inspection back at the ranch the Campbell's cans are taller but they are also skinnier. They hold 18.6 ounces of soup while the Progresso cans hold 19.0 ounces. 1 point for Progresso! Skimming over the ingridients did indeed show that both Progresso soups contained MSG and neither Campbell's soup contained it. 1 point for Campbell's!
Now the good stuff - the taste test. I started with the Campbell's Chicken Noodle. Poured it in a pot, threw in some minute rice and heated it up on the stove and waited for it to cool. The first taste was...hot! Got to let it cool some more. Once I could wolf it down I really wasn't that impressed with it. I thought it was too bland. It just didn't have the flavor the TV commericals promised. Next was the Progresso Chicken Noodle which I have been eating for years. No comparison here. Progresso wins hands down. It was much more flavorful and hearty. 1 point for Progresso!
A few days later I tried the Chicken Rice soups, starting with Progresso. Same routine - pour, rice, heat, wait. The Campbell's Chicken Rice was very close in taste to the Progresso Chicken Rice. The Progresso seemed to have more chicken in it, the Campbell's had more carrots. I would give Progresso the edge here but by the slimest of margins. 1 point for Progresso!
Final score: Progresso 3, Campbell's 2.
My conclusion is that you get what you pay for and MSG stands for "Makes Soup Good".
Mood: Satiated.
Cheezy Pick Up Line of the Day:
Are you from Mars? Cause your ass is out of this world!
Random Movie Quote:
"We just get Miami Wice on television. Miami Wice is number one new show!" - Eurotrip
Monday, August 11, 2008
Pine Tree Top Five
I spend at least one week each summer back in my home state of Maine. No matter what else is on the itinerary I always time to fit these 5 things into each visit.
Lobster – You think lobster and you think Maine, no doubt about it. I always partake when I am there because the lobster there is fresh and crazy cheap. I can crack open a lobster with the best of ‘em but my favorite way to eat it is via the Lobster Roll. Let someone else do all the work and give me the reward. Am I an American or what?
Star Gazing – I always find a few spare moments to make my way out to a dock or a field to star gaze. I am always amazed at how many more stars I can see in the sky without the street lights of the suburbs. I truly understand why our galaxy is called the Milky Way after a few minutes of star gazing in the Pine Tree State.
River Rat – That is the brand name of the inner tube I use to float on Clearwater Pond each summer. There is nothing I enjoy more than paddling out in the River Rat and dubbing around the lake for a few hours or until I need another beer. Good times!
Red Hot Dog – In Maine, the hot dogs are red, bright red. Not exactly fire engine red but pretty much exactly the color red of the red socks in the Boston Red Sox logo. They crunch when you bite them, much like a good dill pickle does. I have never seen Red Hot Dogs anywhere else in the world besides the State of Maine.
Hammock Time – my second favorite way to kill time after the River Rat is to chillax in my mom’s hammock. It is one of those big fancy ones with its own metal stand – no trees harmed thank you very much. Swinging in the breeze with my iPod or WKIT supplying the tunes is a great way to kill a sunny afternoon.
Mood: Refreshed
Song of the Day:
"There's a fire that's been burning, right outside my door..."
-Take Me Home
Phil Collins
Lobster – You think lobster and you think Maine, no doubt about it. I always partake when I am there because the lobster there is fresh and crazy cheap. I can crack open a lobster with the best of ‘em but my favorite way to eat it is via the Lobster Roll. Let someone else do all the work and give me the reward. Am I an American or what?
Star Gazing – I always find a few spare moments to make my way out to a dock or a field to star gaze. I am always amazed at how many more stars I can see in the sky without the street lights of the suburbs. I truly understand why our galaxy is called the Milky Way after a few minutes of star gazing in the Pine Tree State.
River Rat – That is the brand name of the inner tube I use to float on Clearwater Pond each summer. There is nothing I enjoy more than paddling out in the River Rat and dubbing around the lake for a few hours or until I need another beer. Good times!
Red Hot Dog – In Maine, the hot dogs are red, bright red. Not exactly fire engine red but pretty much exactly the color red of the red socks in the Boston Red Sox logo. They crunch when you bite them, much like a good dill pickle does. I have never seen Red Hot Dogs anywhere else in the world besides the State of Maine.
Hammock Time – my second favorite way to kill time after the River Rat is to chillax in my mom’s hammock. It is one of those big fancy ones with its own metal stand – no trees harmed thank you very much. Swinging in the breeze with my iPod or WKIT supplying the tunes is a great way to kill a sunny afternoon.
Mood: Refreshed
Song of the Day:
"There's a fire that's been burning, right outside my door..."
-Take Me Home
Phil Collins
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Rockets Red Glare....
Happy belated birthday to America!!! There are a lot of good ways to celebrate the founding of a nation. Ice cream and cake are always my choice to celebrate anything - birthday, graduation, driver's license renewal...
One of the most festive ways to celebrate the 4th of July is with fireworks. You can go to pretty much any dot on the map and somewhere nearby there will be a fireworks display. I happened to be in Aurora, Ohio for the 4th this year and sure enough there was a magnificent fireworks display just a couple towns over on the evening of Friday July 4th.
But we all know the real American way to celebrate the 4th is to shoot of some of your own fireworks. Fireworks you bought at Wal-Mart which were made in China by some malnourished 11 year old boy. Now that is what freedom is all about!!! Now, there is some risk associated with setting off your own fireworks. You have all seen the ads and public service announcements on TV where they have a watermelon holding a firecracker and then "whammo" it gets blown to bits. I say "This is America dammit, if we wanna blow off a finger or two then let us!"
Every locality seems to have their own rules surrounding the purchase, transportation and even usage of these pyrotechnic wonders. Some states allow them, some don't. Some cities and counties in states that allow them don't allow them. Some states will let you drive through with a trunk full of em and some won't. By far the oddest regulation of the firework trade I have come across in my travels is by the state of Ohio. (Hi in the middle and round on the ends.)
Fireworks are legal to purchase in Ohio, you can but a whole truckload if you want. You just can't set them off there. It is illegal to light your fireworks in the state of Ohio. In fact when you purchase fireworks in one of Ohio's many fine fireworks establishments you need to sign an affidavit and swear that you are taking them out of state. It is by far the dumbest thing I have ever run across. Having spent July 3rd through 8th in wonderful, wild...Ohio I can assure you there are a lot of liars residing in Portage County, Ohio.
Mood: Mellow
It's Ironic: That you can purchase fireworks in Ohio but can't set them off there.
Song of the Day:
"I'm gonna live where the green grass grows, watch my corn pop up in rows."
-Where The Green Grass Grows
Tim McGraw
One of the most festive ways to celebrate the 4th of July is with fireworks. You can go to pretty much any dot on the map and somewhere nearby there will be a fireworks display. I happened to be in Aurora, Ohio for the 4th this year and sure enough there was a magnificent fireworks display just a couple towns over on the evening of Friday July 4th.
But we all know the real American way to celebrate the 4th is to shoot of some of your own fireworks. Fireworks you bought at Wal-Mart which were made in China by some malnourished 11 year old boy. Now that is what freedom is all about!!! Now, there is some risk associated with setting off your own fireworks. You have all seen the ads and public service announcements on TV where they have a watermelon holding a firecracker and then "whammo" it gets blown to bits. I say "This is America dammit, if we wanna blow off a finger or two then let us!"
Every locality seems to have their own rules surrounding the purchase, transportation and even usage of these pyrotechnic wonders. Some states allow them, some don't. Some cities and counties in states that allow them don't allow them. Some states will let you drive through with a trunk full of em and some won't. By far the oddest regulation of the firework trade I have come across in my travels is by the state of Ohio. (Hi in the middle and round on the ends.)
Fireworks are legal to purchase in Ohio, you can but a whole truckload if you want. You just can't set them off there. It is illegal to light your fireworks in the state of Ohio. In fact when you purchase fireworks in one of Ohio's many fine fireworks establishments you need to sign an affidavit and swear that you are taking them out of state. It is by far the dumbest thing I have ever run across. Having spent July 3rd through 8th in wonderful, wild...Ohio I can assure you there are a lot of liars residing in Portage County, Ohio.
Mood: Mellow
It's Ironic: That you can purchase fireworks in Ohio but can't set them off there.
Song of the Day:
"I'm gonna live where the green grass grows, watch my corn pop up in rows."
-Where The Green Grass Grows
Tim McGraw
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Somewhere in middle America......
This time of year I am glued to the TV watching the NCAA College World Series (CWS) from Omaha, Nebraska. There is something about the ping of the ball off the bat that you just don't get from the pros. As always, you have your national college baseball powerhouses in Omaha - Miami, Rice, LSU - but there is usually a cinderella story somewhere in the field of eight.
This year the Fresno State Bulldogs take the cinderella crown home with them no matter where they finish in the tourney. They are the first regional #4 seed ever to advance to the CWS. The NCAA baseball tourney starts with 16 regionals of four teams. If you win your regional you play in a super regional, you win that and you go to Omaha. Having a number four seed win the regional and super regional is equivalent to a 13 thru 16 seed in the NCAA men's basketball tourney reaching the Elite 8 during March Madness. It does not happen - ever. Until this year.
In fact, Fresno State has advanced all the way to the championship series against another set of Bulldogs - the Georgia Bulldogs. The Georgia Bulldogs won a squeaker in the first game of the series by scoring 4 runs in the 8th inning to come back from a 6-3 deficit and win 7-6. Game two featured a barrage of offense from both clubs with the Fresno State Bulldogs coming out on top by a score of 19-10. 29 runs and 34 hits in the game, proving that virtually no lead is safe with aluminum bats.
The deciding game is to be played on Wednesday evening and televised live on ESPN beginning at 7:05pm EST. Only one thing can be guaranteed at this point - the Bulldogs are going to win a National Championship on Wednesday night. Only time will tell if it's the good old boys from Georgia or the cinderella kids from Fresno. I am hoping Fresno State pulls it out. I always root for the underdog unless my Red Sox are involved.
Mood: Relaxed
Song of the Day:
"Omaha, somewhere in middle America....."
-Omaha
Counting Crows
This year the Fresno State Bulldogs take the cinderella crown home with them no matter where they finish in the tourney. They are the first regional #4 seed ever to advance to the CWS. The NCAA baseball tourney starts with 16 regionals of four teams. If you win your regional you play in a super regional, you win that and you go to Omaha. Having a number four seed win the regional and super regional is equivalent to a 13 thru 16 seed in the NCAA men's basketball tourney reaching the Elite 8 during March Madness. It does not happen - ever. Until this year.
In fact, Fresno State has advanced all the way to the championship series against another set of Bulldogs - the Georgia Bulldogs. The Georgia Bulldogs won a squeaker in the first game of the series by scoring 4 runs in the 8th inning to come back from a 6-3 deficit and win 7-6. Game two featured a barrage of offense from both clubs with the Fresno State Bulldogs coming out on top by a score of 19-10. 29 runs and 34 hits in the game, proving that virtually no lead is safe with aluminum bats.
The deciding game is to be played on Wednesday evening and televised live on ESPN beginning at 7:05pm EST. Only one thing can be guaranteed at this point - the Bulldogs are going to win a National Championship on Wednesday night. Only time will tell if it's the good old boys from Georgia or the cinderella kids from Fresno. I am hoping Fresno State pulls it out. I always root for the underdog unless my Red Sox are involved.
Mood: Relaxed
Song of the Day:
"Omaha, somewhere in middle America....."
-Omaha
Counting Crows
Monday, May 26, 2008
The Sting of Summer
Memorial Day Weekend is often referred to as the "unofficial start of summer". Works for me! Spring 2008 in NoVa has been a wet one. The good news is the drought is over. In fact, we have had a whopping 22 inches of rain since April 1st. That is just over 7 months worth of rain in 55 days. It certainly isn't time to start building an arch but it has made spring rather cold, damp and miserable.
Summer is my favorite season. You can keep winter for yourself, send me pictures of the spring and write me a postcard about autumn. Summer is where it's at! I will take 12 months of July - no school and my birthday to boot! To me, summer means road trips to the beach, baseball games on sweltering summer nights, campfires and smores with the family and getting off the beaten path for a little while.
With gas at $4.00 per gallon I will probably be a little more conservative with my travel time this year. I am more likely to attend a Potomac Nationals game - a round trip of 28 miles - than to make a trip to Baltimore, Frederick or Pittsburgh to watch a game - all places I have ventured to in the past to see a game.
I will most likely make one trip to New England instead of two but it will be a few days longer than in the past. I will probably squeeze in a trip to the Midwest to visit my bro somewhere too. Places to go and people to see this summer for sure.
My long weekend was nice. Got in my first baseball game of the year. Hot dog, nachos and a soda for $10.50 at Pfitzner Stadium - gotta love the minor leagues. I even had the ambition to make some ice cream on Sunday but I have apparently misplaced my ice cream maker. I have the thing you freeze but not the big arm that churns it. It's kind of like having a car without an engine. I hope psycho doesn't have it. The bitch definitely has my smores maker - grrrrrrrrrrr!
Mood: Adventurous
Song of the Day:
"As we are dancing, Mary's wrapping her arms around me and I can feel the sting of summer on my skin."
-Anything But Mine
Kenny Chesney
It's Ironic: That too much fertilizer will kill your lawn and garden.
Summer is my favorite season. You can keep winter for yourself, send me pictures of the spring and write me a postcard about autumn. Summer is where it's at! I will take 12 months of July - no school and my birthday to boot! To me, summer means road trips to the beach, baseball games on sweltering summer nights, campfires and smores with the family and getting off the beaten path for a little while.
With gas at $4.00 per gallon I will probably be a little more conservative with my travel time this year. I am more likely to attend a Potomac Nationals game - a round trip of 28 miles - than to make a trip to Baltimore, Frederick or Pittsburgh to watch a game - all places I have ventured to in the past to see a game.
I will most likely make one trip to New England instead of two but it will be a few days longer than in the past. I will probably squeeze in a trip to the Midwest to visit my bro somewhere too. Places to go and people to see this summer for sure.
My long weekend was nice. Got in my first baseball game of the year. Hot dog, nachos and a soda for $10.50 at Pfitzner Stadium - gotta love the minor leagues. I even had the ambition to make some ice cream on Sunday but I have apparently misplaced my ice cream maker. I have the thing you freeze but not the big arm that churns it. It's kind of like having a car without an engine. I hope psycho doesn't have it. The bitch definitely has my smores maker - grrrrrrrrrrr!
Mood: Adventurous
Song of the Day:
"As we are dancing, Mary's wrapping her arms around me and I can feel the sting of summer on my skin."
-Anything But Mine
Kenny Chesney
It's Ironic: That too much fertilizer will kill your lawn and garden.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Road Trip
Got my first road trip of the year in last week. 1,530 miles in 5 days. Truth be told, it was a little rushed. Another day to relax before the drive back to the VA would have been nice. All in all it was a good trip and I got to see some new territory along the way.
I sucked it up and took I-76 through Pennsylvania as I headed West because with gas at $4.00 per gallon it offers the shortest trip mileage wise to my brother's in Ohio. I-76 is one of my least favorite roads. They literally cut I-76 into the earth when they built it which means you are two to five feet below the surrounding countryside during much of the ride. There is a lot of pretty scenery in Pennsylvania but it is hard to see from I-76. Add in the huge concrete barrier that is always 15 inches to your left and you get a fairly stressful ride. An accident, road construction or rush hour traffic can quickly turn the ride into a nightmare. I hit the construction jackpot on my trip, seemed like the whole thing was torn up but it was really probably only 20 miles or so. 6 hours and 45 minutes to Westlake, not horrible but not great either. The highlight of the day was going through the Allegheny Tunnel on I-76. It is always exciting to drive THROUGH a mountain.
Day two found me West bound and down from there on the Ohio Turnpike. I have only been West of my brother's a couple times and it always amazes me how flat western Ohio is. It isn't Illinois flat, but it is pretty flat. Headed up Route 23 and into Michigan - wahoo new territory! I was surprised by how flat Michigan was too. I bypassed the big cities and headed for Lake Huron. Now I have seen 2 of the Great Lakes, 3 more to go! Lake Huron was cool, the entire shoreline was sand which is a trip for me. There ain't much sand in Maine, just a lotta rocks. I was far enough north that it wasn't million dollar estates on the shores of Lake Huron, it was just everyday homes. I think it would be pretty cool to live on the shore of the world's 5th largest lake.
I always try to eat at new places when I am on the road and I hit the jackpot in Michigan. I hit a Big Boy for dessert one evening and a Tim Horton's for breakfast the next day. I had never been to either before. They just aren't around in my neck of Virginia. I would have liked to try the Big Boy - the hamburger the Big Mac was cloned after - but it was late so I settled for a simple slice of pie. Tim Horton's was good - really I have never met a donut I didn't like.
I had to boogie back to Ohio to make it to my Brother's slightly belated Cinco de Mayo party. What's 5 days when free margarita's are involved? I was really too pooped to party at this point, so I took it pretty easy at the party. I even snuck upstairs for a nap at one point during the evening.
Had Sunday to relax with the fam before heading back to VA on Monday. We went and saw Iron Man on Mother's Day. Not sure if my sis-in-law picked this one or if she was simply out voted. I wanted soooooo much to hate this movie but it was a really good flick. I still think Robert Downey is a cock master but he was a perfect fit for this movie.
The drive back to NoVa started out fine but it came to a screeching halt in Pennsylvania on, you guessed it, I-76. An accident 10 miles up the highway had traffic at a standstill at mile 34. I put the car in park, shut off the ignition and cranked up the iPod. Eventually, I got bored enough to dig my camera out from the trunk to document the standstill. 7 hours and 45 minutes back home - yucko!
Miles: 1,530
States Visited: Ohio, Michigan
States Along the Way: Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania
Food Stops: Big Boy, Tim Horton's, Roy Rogers
Highlight: Standing on the beach looking out at Lake Huron
Lowlight: Traffic jam on I-76 in Pennsylvania
I sucked it up and took I-76 through Pennsylvania as I headed West because with gas at $4.00 per gallon it offers the shortest trip mileage wise to my brother's in Ohio. I-76 is one of my least favorite roads. They literally cut I-76 into the earth when they built it which means you are two to five feet below the surrounding countryside during much of the ride. There is a lot of pretty scenery in Pennsylvania but it is hard to see from I-76. Add in the huge concrete barrier that is always 15 inches to your left and you get a fairly stressful ride. An accident, road construction or rush hour traffic can quickly turn the ride into a nightmare. I hit the construction jackpot on my trip, seemed like the whole thing was torn up but it was really probably only 20 miles or so. 6 hours and 45 minutes to Westlake, not horrible but not great either. The highlight of the day was going through the Allegheny Tunnel on I-76. It is always exciting to drive THROUGH a mountain.
Day two found me West bound and down from there on the Ohio Turnpike. I have only been West of my brother's a couple times and it always amazes me how flat western Ohio is. It isn't Illinois flat, but it is pretty flat. Headed up Route 23 and into Michigan - wahoo new territory! I was surprised by how flat Michigan was too. I bypassed the big cities and headed for Lake Huron. Now I have seen 2 of the Great Lakes, 3 more to go! Lake Huron was cool, the entire shoreline was sand which is a trip for me. There ain't much sand in Maine, just a lotta rocks. I was far enough north that it wasn't million dollar estates on the shores of Lake Huron, it was just everyday homes. I think it would be pretty cool to live on the shore of the world's 5th largest lake.
I always try to eat at new places when I am on the road and I hit the jackpot in Michigan. I hit a Big Boy for dessert one evening and a Tim Horton's for breakfast the next day. I had never been to either before. They just aren't around in my neck of Virginia. I would have liked to try the Big Boy - the hamburger the Big Mac was cloned after - but it was late so I settled for a simple slice of pie. Tim Horton's was good - really I have never met a donut I didn't like.
I had to boogie back to Ohio to make it to my Brother's slightly belated Cinco de Mayo party. What's 5 days when free margarita's are involved? I was really too pooped to party at this point, so I took it pretty easy at the party. I even snuck upstairs for a nap at one point during the evening.
Had Sunday to relax with the fam before heading back to VA on Monday. We went and saw Iron Man on Mother's Day. Not sure if my sis-in-law picked this one or if she was simply out voted. I wanted soooooo much to hate this movie but it was a really good flick. I still think Robert Downey is a cock master but he was a perfect fit for this movie.
The drive back to NoVa started out fine but it came to a screeching halt in Pennsylvania on, you guessed it, I-76. An accident 10 miles up the highway had traffic at a standstill at mile 34. I put the car in park, shut off the ignition and cranked up the iPod. Eventually, I got bored enough to dig my camera out from the trunk to document the standstill. 7 hours and 45 minutes back home - yucko!
Miles: 1,530
States Visited: Ohio, Michigan
States Along the Way: Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania
Food Stops: Big Boy, Tim Horton's, Roy Rogers
Highlight: Standing on the beach looking out at Lake Huron
Lowlight: Traffic jam on I-76 in Pennsylvania
Friday, February 29, 2008
Leap Day 2008
Today was a very special day. A day that only comes along once every four years - it was leap day. The day we make up for the fact that it actually takes our planet 365 and 1/4 days to orbit the sun. I knew it was going to be a good day today when something unique happened to me this morning. I saw a guy sporting a mullet haircut.
Yes it's true that mullets were all the rage back in the early 1990s. Heck, even Jason Priestly sported one in the early days of Beverly Hills 90210. But to see a mullet in greater Washington DC in 2008 is a rare treat. And this was no ordinary mullet. It was a gift from the mullet gods. It can only be described as a baldmullet. A bald guy with a mullet. I checked www.mulletsgalore.com - the ultimate mullet classification website - and they did not even have a category for it. Perhaps, I discovered a new species of mullet today. If so, it was quite a find. This guy was not shy about his mulletude. He was sporting a bright orange polo shirt. The only way he could have been more obvious was if he actually had a neon arrow on his shirt pointing to his head. You go boy!
I figured since February 29th only comes along once every four years I should do something out of the ordinary today. I heard on the radio that my bank was collecting winter coats today. So I dug out a couple coats I no longer wear, dusted them off and took them over. It was hard for me to say goodbye to my "Crayola Rocks" LL Bean coat. It has served me well through the years. My college buds always teased me about wearing a bright yellow winter coat. "Crayola Rocks", "Bumblebee", "I can see you 5 miles away" - I heard it all. Luckily, it just bounced right off me. I was like a duck in my LL Bean coat - a bright yellow duck!
Mood: Pensive
Random Movie Line:
"Hey sweet thang. Can I buy you a fish sandwich? " - The Ladies Man
Listening To:
The Cars Greatest Hits
Yes it's true that mullets were all the rage back in the early 1990s. Heck, even Jason Priestly sported one in the early days of Beverly Hills 90210. But to see a mullet in greater Washington DC in 2008 is a rare treat. And this was no ordinary mullet. It was a gift from the mullet gods. It can only be described as a baldmullet. A bald guy with a mullet. I checked www.mulletsgalore.com - the ultimate mullet classification website - and they did not even have a category for it. Perhaps, I discovered a new species of mullet today. If so, it was quite a find. This guy was not shy about his mulletude. He was sporting a bright orange polo shirt. The only way he could have been more obvious was if he actually had a neon arrow on his shirt pointing to his head. You go boy!
I figured since February 29th only comes along once every four years I should do something out of the ordinary today. I heard on the radio that my bank was collecting winter coats today. So I dug out a couple coats I no longer wear, dusted them off and took them over. It was hard for me to say goodbye to my "Crayola Rocks" LL Bean coat. It has served me well through the years. My college buds always teased me about wearing a bright yellow winter coat. "Crayola Rocks", "Bumblebee", "I can see you 5 miles away" - I heard it all. Luckily, it just bounced right off me. I was like a duck in my LL Bean coat - a bright yellow duck!
Mood: Pensive
Random Movie Line:
"Hey sweet thang. Can I buy you a fish sandwich? " - The Ladies Man
Listening To:
The Cars Greatest Hits
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Numbers
Every August I head North to the Pine Tree State for my family's annual camping trip. Here are some relevant numbers from the 2007 edition:
3 - the number of moose I saw during my 4 day visit to the Maine woods.
8 - miles from our campground to the nearest paved road.
9 - the cost in dollars, per person, per night for our lodging in a three sided lean-to.
11 - total number of aunts, uncles, cousins, cousins-in-laws and first cousins once removed (that is your cousin's kids, in case you were curious) that made the trip.
25 - number of miles I hiked during the trip. (Not to shabby, eh?)
45 - the temperature INSIDE my lean-to at 6:00am Monday, August 6th.
86 - the high temperature on Saturday, August 4th, the day I hiked 12 miles.
Infinite - the number of stars you could see after dark while lying down in the grass in the campground's picnic area. (I totally get the whole Milky Way thing now.)
3 - the number of moose I saw during my 4 day visit to the Maine woods.
8 - miles from our campground to the nearest paved road.
9 - the cost in dollars, per person, per night for our lodging in a three sided lean-to.
11 - total number of aunts, uncles, cousins, cousins-in-laws and first cousins once removed (that is your cousin's kids, in case you were curious) that made the trip.
25 - number of miles I hiked during the trip. (Not to shabby, eh?)
45 - the temperature INSIDE my lean-to at 6:00am Monday, August 6th.
86 - the high temperature on Saturday, August 4th, the day I hiked 12 miles.
Infinite - the number of stars you could see after dark while lying down in the grass in the campground's picnic area. (I totally get the whole Milky Way thing now.)
Monday, July 23, 2007
King of the Road
Just got back from a much needed two-week vacation. Put about 2,000 miles on the beemer over the past 15 days. I got a little road weary from time to time but for the most part had a fun trip.
To keep my sanity as I motored up and down the highway I tried to come up with travel slogans for the various states I visited. Perhaps I was a bit jaded by exhaustion or fumes but here is what I came up with:
Maine: "Fun for a week, but you wouldn't want to live here."
New Hampshire: "You have to drive through us to get to Maine."
Massachusetts: "Hey, at least we aren't New York!"
Connecticut: "Everything costs more in Connecticut."
New York: "Hey, at least we aren't Massachusetts!"
New Jersey: "Come see if you can figure out what that smell is."
Delaware: "Welcome to Delaware, now give us your wallet!"
Maryland: "Nothing memorable will happen to you in Maryland."
Virginia: "No radar detectors allowed, but bring your shotgun!"
Random Movie Quote:
"You have shown me a life I could only dream about back home while masturbating in my father's woodshed." - Van Wilder
To keep my sanity as I motored up and down the highway I tried to come up with travel slogans for the various states I visited. Perhaps I was a bit jaded by exhaustion or fumes but here is what I came up with:
Maine: "Fun for a week, but you wouldn't want to live here."
New Hampshire: "You have to drive through us to get to Maine."
Massachusetts: "Hey, at least we aren't New York!"
Connecticut: "Everything costs more in Connecticut."
New York: "Hey, at least we aren't Massachusetts!"
New Jersey: "Come see if you can figure out what that smell is."
Delaware: "Welcome to Delaware, now give us your wallet!"
Maryland: "Nothing memorable will happen to you in Maryland."
Virginia: "No radar detectors allowed, but bring your shotgun!"
Random Movie Quote:
"You have shown me a life I could only dream about back home while masturbating in my father's woodshed." - Van Wilder
Sunday, April 1, 2007
The saying goes....
...no good deed goes unpunished, but is it really true? I am gonna have to give you a "definite maybe" (oxymoron or what?) on that one. I spent Saturday morning picking up trash as part of the 19th annual Potomac Cleanup. That's www.potomaccleanup.org for anyone interested enough to web surf.
Three hours of picking up cans, bottles, candy bar wrappers, shoes, straws, plastic bags and anything else you can think of. My favorite item was the "No Parking" sign I found in the middle of the woods. It was still attached to its metal signpost but it had obviously seen better days. Silly me - in the woods without any bolt cutters - so this fine wall decoration simply ended up with the rest of the trash.
Now the world is a little bit cleaner than it was on Friday and that makes me feel good. But boy, do I have some sore muscles today. Apparently the muscles you use to pick up trash are not the same ones you use to walk, lift weights or use the stepper. These are all part of my normal exercise routine but they did not prepare me for the endless repetition of bending over, again and again. Who knew you had to cross train to get in shape to pick up litter!?!
Three hours of picking up cans, bottles, candy bar wrappers, shoes, straws, plastic bags and anything else you can think of. My favorite item was the "No Parking" sign I found in the middle of the woods. It was still attached to its metal signpost but it had obviously seen better days. Silly me - in the woods without any bolt cutters - so this fine wall decoration simply ended up with the rest of the trash.
Now the world is a little bit cleaner than it was on Friday and that makes me feel good. But boy, do I have some sore muscles today. Apparently the muscles you use to pick up trash are not the same ones you use to walk, lift weights or use the stepper. These are all part of my normal exercise routine but they did not prepare me for the endless repetition of bending over, again and again. Who knew you had to cross train to get in shape to pick up litter!?!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
New Miserable Experience
Well, something happened to me today - technically it was yesterday as I am writing this at 3:15am - that had never happened to me in my 32 1/3 years on the planet. I was driving home on I66 this afternoon about 1:00pm and suddenly traffic slowed to a crawl - as it often does on I66. Then I hear the sirens and see the flashing blues and reds - there is a car accident up ahead, big surprise. Now 4 lanes of traffic have to squeeze down into one lane - good times!
So I am crawling along and everyone is merging and finally I am almost past the accident when suddenly a big old fire truck drives up and blocks all lanes of the highway. I am now the second car in line. I am thinking - no big deal, they are just turning it around so they can get closer to the accident. Nope, they park it and walk away and then I hear it. The unmistakable thumping of a helicopter closing in. Can this be? Oh shit, it is! It's a life flight and it is going to land on the highway.
I can honestly say that I have never before had to wait for a life flight to land on the highway I was driving on. I have seen them on occasion from the other side of the jersey barrier, but this bad boy was coming right to me. So they land and the EMS and paramedics do their thing and get someone, maybe more than one person - I really couldn't see - on the stretcher and onto the chopper and off it flies - 42 minutes later.
Hopefully, they got to the hospital in time to save a life. Certainly I was inconvenienced today, but it really was no big deal in the grand scheme of things. Still, I think to myself if I was 2 cars ahead of where I was, I would have been 40 minutes ahead the rest of the day. Life is a game of inches, for sure.
Well, once they gave us the thumbs up to be on our way we had an open highway. I was the second car in line, so I only had to pass one person and I had nothing but 4 lanes of white lines in front of me. When am I gonna get another chance like this, I thought to myself. An open highway, every police officer within 10 miles was behind me at the accident site - so I put the hammer down. I got the ghetto cruiser up to 103 mph! My exit was the first after the accident or maybe I could have gotten up a little more speed or maybe my car would have exploded. We will never know, I figure that was a once in a lifetime run. Seacrest out!
So I am crawling along and everyone is merging and finally I am almost past the accident when suddenly a big old fire truck drives up and blocks all lanes of the highway. I am now the second car in line. I am thinking - no big deal, they are just turning it around so they can get closer to the accident. Nope, they park it and walk away and then I hear it. The unmistakable thumping of a helicopter closing in. Can this be? Oh shit, it is! It's a life flight and it is going to land on the highway.
I can honestly say that I have never before had to wait for a life flight to land on the highway I was driving on. I have seen them on occasion from the other side of the jersey barrier, but this bad boy was coming right to me. So they land and the EMS and paramedics do their thing and get someone, maybe more than one person - I really couldn't see - on the stretcher and onto the chopper and off it flies - 42 minutes later.
Hopefully, they got to the hospital in time to save a life. Certainly I was inconvenienced today, but it really was no big deal in the grand scheme of things. Still, I think to myself if I was 2 cars ahead of where I was, I would have been 40 minutes ahead the rest of the day. Life is a game of inches, for sure.
Well, once they gave us the thumbs up to be on our way we had an open highway. I was the second car in line, so I only had to pass one person and I had nothing but 4 lanes of white lines in front of me. When am I gonna get another chance like this, I thought to myself. An open highway, every police officer within 10 miles was behind me at the accident site - so I put the hammer down. I got the ghetto cruiser up to 103 mph! My exit was the first after the accident or maybe I could have gotten up a little more speed or maybe my car would have exploded. We will never know, I figure that was a once in a lifetime run. Seacrest out!
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