This morning I had a dentist appointment to have surgery to remove extra bone growth on the inside of my jawbone (Torus Mandibularis). It's kind of gross so if you have a weak stomach, try not to Google it (but those are really extreme cases). I have been dreading this day for months. I was dreading the pain of the procedure. I was dreading the nausea that the medicine usually causes. I was dreading the long recovery time. I was dreading not being able to eat my favorite foods for a while.
I made this appointment many months ago because it's one of those crazy-expensive-procedures that cost so much that it completely exhausts your annual maximum limit. That's why I had to schedule it in the following calendar year when my benefits renews. Because it's classified as "surgical periodontal care", it's not covered at 100% so I had to pay over $250 just for the co-pay.
Now that the procedure is done with, I can reflect a little bit. To be honest, the procedure wasn't that bad today. I guess I've gone through too many other periodontal procedures that I kind of know more or less what I'm getting myself in to. And the alternative to not having these things done would be to continue to have receding gums and more bone loss and then tooth loss. I guess I can take comfort in knowing that I've been through worse before. The procedure probably lasted about an hour. The anesthesia held up so it was relatively painless though it all. I thank God for that.
With a baby on the way, it's kind of funny how your perspective changes on things. I have this receding gum problem. I have minor scoliosis and a history of various back problems. I have been in physical therapy for Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) aka runner's knee. I have psoriasis and some arthritis that is linked with it. I also have allergies to just about anything green. These problems are all minor compared to some of the things other people have to go through so I've just accepted that that is how things are for me. But with our baby on the way, I'm afraid that he might inherit some of these problems.
I'm so thankful that Tary doesn't have any of my problems. I'm thankful that God gave me a wife that can help cancel out some of my bad genes.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Current Computer = FAIL
Well, it's been a while since my last post and a few interesting things have come up that I would consider blogworthy. First up, my computer stinks...let me explain.
My friends and I have been eagerly waiting for the past several years for the next great first-person shooter (FPS) to come out for the PC. Nothing was as fun as Battlefield 2 (BF2) back in 2005. That was the first multiplayer game where it combined traditional ground combat with air combat in the form of various helicopters and fighter jets. The maps were huge, the explosions were bigger, and the dominance by our crew, "Team Rambo" was bigger still. Unfortunately, too many people complained about the balance in the game so the developers nerfed (i.e., changed the game to reduce the desirability/effectiveness of a particular game element) a bunch of things in the game. Certain attack vehicles that used to be buff were reduced to mere transport vehicles. Instead of allowing great players to play great, the developers were more concerned with making everyone feel "okay". Lame.
Anyways, the people at Infinity Ward (IW) tried to create the next great FPS with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (or as my friends affectionately call it, Call of Dookie: Modern Failure 2). This game has been a commercial success and it might even be a great game, but I will never ever buy it. The makers have made numerous decisions which detract from its appeal to PC gamers. I don't care how niche of a market they think the PC game market is. Buying their product only reaffirms their business practices and encourages future game developers to follow suit. The only way I can voice my displeasure is through my wallet so I refuse to buy this game and anything else from IW. I refuse to be a lemming.
Then came Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The developers of this game have appeared to take the opposite approach of IW and try to listen to the PC gaming community. It's a promising start. The game play trailers look amazing and brings me back to a happy place of blowing up baddies with the helicopters. My friends and I were anxiously awaiting its release. Trinhbo is back! Team Rambo lives again! And on top of that, there was a public multi-player beta this past Thursday. Yes!
Tary pre-ordered the game online for me earlier in the week so that I could get access to a beta key required to participate in the public beta. Thursday morning, I got the email with the key. I got home from work that night and started downloading the public beta client. I had to wait in a queue of about 258 people before I could start downloading the installer. It was about a half hour wait.
After I installed the game and put in my beta key, I fired up the game. I quickly set up my keys and changed a few display settings. Trinhbo was ready to start owning people again. I hopped on a random server and then I waited anxiously for the map to load. Then I waited. Then I waited some more. *yawn*
Finally, I appeared in the game and saw what looked to be a dumpster and a fence. My screen kept rotating so I figured that there was something wrong with how the game implemented my joystick controls. I unplugged my joystick from the USB port and the screen stopped rotating. Whew.
I tried to run to the fence but the game felt so "choppy". Ideally you'd like to have over 60 frames per second (FPS) for smooth game play. I was lucky if I even got 1 FPS. I quickly pulled up the setup menu and reduced the display settings to their lowest settings. I went back into the game. Still choppy. I somehow "chopped" my way over to a building (I think) and somehow killed 3 guys (or trees, I couldn't tell!). I saw a tank chop its way through the air and an enemy was following behind it to repair it. I shanked him (or at least where I thought he was) and then there was an explosion and I died. Worst gaming experience...ever.
It truly was a sad night. I finally realized that my computer just wasn't good enough to run this game. I should have looked at the minimum requirements. It's not even close. But, I've been hesitant to upgrade it for several reasons:
My friends and I have been eagerly waiting for the past several years for the next great first-person shooter (FPS) to come out for the PC. Nothing was as fun as Battlefield 2 (BF2) back in 2005. That was the first multiplayer game where it combined traditional ground combat with air combat in the form of various helicopters and fighter jets. The maps were huge, the explosions were bigger, and the dominance by our crew, "Team Rambo" was bigger still. Unfortunately, too many people complained about the balance in the game so the developers nerfed (i.e., changed the game to reduce the desirability/effectiveness of a particular game element) a bunch of things in the game. Certain attack vehicles that used to be buff were reduced to mere transport vehicles. Instead of allowing great players to play great, the developers were more concerned with making everyone feel "okay". Lame.
Anyways, the people at Infinity Ward (IW) tried to create the next great FPS with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (or as my friends affectionately call it, Call of Dookie: Modern Failure 2). This game has been a commercial success and it might even be a great game, but I will never ever buy it. The makers have made numerous decisions which detract from its appeal to PC gamers. I don't care how niche of a market they think the PC game market is. Buying their product only reaffirms their business practices and encourages future game developers to follow suit. The only way I can voice my displeasure is through my wallet so I refuse to buy this game and anything else from IW. I refuse to be a lemming.
Then came Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The developers of this game have appeared to take the opposite approach of IW and try to listen to the PC gaming community. It's a promising start. The game play trailers look amazing and brings me back to a happy place of blowing up baddies with the helicopters. My friends and I were anxiously awaiting its release. Trinhbo is back! Team Rambo lives again! And on top of that, there was a public multi-player beta this past Thursday. Yes!
Tary pre-ordered the game online for me earlier in the week so that I could get access to a beta key required to participate in the public beta. Thursday morning, I got the email with the key. I got home from work that night and started downloading the public beta client. I had to wait in a queue of about 258 people before I could start downloading the installer. It was about a half hour wait.
After I installed the game and put in my beta key, I fired up the game. I quickly set up my keys and changed a few display settings. Trinhbo was ready to start owning people again. I hopped on a random server and then I waited anxiously for the map to load. Then I waited. Then I waited some more. *yawn*
Finally, I appeared in the game and saw what looked to be a dumpster and a fence. My screen kept rotating so I figured that there was something wrong with how the game implemented my joystick controls. I unplugged my joystick from the USB port and the screen stopped rotating. Whew.
I tried to run to the fence but the game felt so "choppy". Ideally you'd like to have over 60 frames per second (FPS) for smooth game play. I was lucky if I even got 1 FPS. I quickly pulled up the setup menu and reduced the display settings to their lowest settings. I went back into the game. Still choppy. I somehow "chopped" my way over to a building (I think) and somehow killed 3 guys (or trees, I couldn't tell!). I saw a tank chop its way through the air and an enemy was following behind it to repair it. I shanked him (or at least where I thought he was) and then there was an explosion and I died. Worst gaming experience...ever.
It truly was a sad night. I finally realized that my computer just wasn't good enough to run this game. I should have looked at the minimum requirements. It's not even close. But, I've been hesitant to upgrade it for several reasons:
- Gaming takes up a lot of time and I didn't want to rob my family of that time. And having a baby on the way won't make it any easier to find the time to play a lot.
- Keeping a computer up-to-date with the latest hardware is an expensive hobby.
- There weren't any games out that made me want to keep upgrading my PC.
Monday, January 25, 2010
A Productive Weekend
Wow, that was some weekend! We had friends over Friday night for some Popeye's fried chicken and video games. I can't believe the only place that sells that stuff is in Boston. Oh why did you ever have to leave Nashua, NH?!
Saturday was even more eventful and just as tiring. My brother-in-law B.K. came by with his van and helped us pick up the new crib and dresser from Babies"R"Us. He helped me bring everything into the house which included carrying the 100+ lbs box for the crib up the stairs to what would be the baby's nursery.
Tary and I were excited to start putting things together so we started cutting open the boxes. Just as disappointing as this year's football season was, our hearts sank when we saw that the crib pieces were white and not chocolate like the dresser and changing table. This is insanity to OCD people like us.
We were really upset so Tary called Babies"R"Us to straightenthem out things out. They refused to admit that they made a mistake so I had to step in. We had ordered the crib about 2 weeks ago and the correct model was in stock at the time. Supposedly they reserved it for us while we waited for the dresser to arrive.
So I was talking to the person on the phone and she was not apologetic at all. She didn't care that we had to ask my brother-in-law to take time off of work just to come and help us. She didn't care that we drove all the way to Salem, NH to pick up the wrong colored crib. She didn't care that we lugged that incredibly heavy box up the stairs, or that we cut it open to find the wrong color, or that we had to repack everything to exchange it.
After all of that, she still didn't want to take any accountability for their mistake. First she tried to say that we ordered the wrong model or something but we ordered the model that was already in stock. Next she tried to blame it on the manufacturer and claim that they may have mislabeled the outside of the box. I quickly dismissed that notion by pointing out that the model number on the box was xxxxxx-21 which corresponds to "white" and that was what was inside of it. We had ordered model xxxxxx-81. Sigh.
After speaking to a manager, he agreed to refund 20% for our troubles and that seemed like a fair compromise. My brother-in-law was gracious enough to come back the next day to help us bring back the wrong crib to the store to exchange it for the correct one.
So anyways, back to Saturday night. Tary and I put together the dresser and changing table. The dresser had a lot of pieces so it took us a while to put together. The changing table was much easier. Ah, the fruits of our labor. :)
After all of our hard work on Saturday, we had our friends over again that night for more food and games. One of my best friends A.D. bought most of the food so he put us to work in the kitchen preparing the meats, vegetables, and sauces. He clearly had a game plan for the kind of meal he wanted us to have so we didn't dare venture too far from his vision. We ended up having an awesome family-style meal with thinly sliced beef and assorted vegetables cooked in butter over an electric skillet and dipped in a delicious but very spicy "prahok" sauce.
As I mentioned earlier, we exchanged the crib on Sunday. After B.K. helped me get the new box upstairs, Tary and I started getting to work. The crib was by far the easiest to put together of the 3 pieces of baby's furniture. After some reshuffling, the nursery was pretty much ready to be decorated. Tary quickly went to work and threw on a sheet over the baby's bed, a turtle bed skirt, baby bumpers with turtles on the side, and a turtle mobile. Do you sense a common theme? Tary knows how much I love turtles and now our little man will be able to match his Daddy. The final touches were some aquatic themed decals which went on the walls.
After all of that, since we had so much leftover meat from the night before, we had our friends over yet again for some homemade steak and cheese subs. Of course we had to make it buff-er so our friends brought various sliced meats (e.g., prosciutto, pepperoni, etc) and cheeses to add to the steak bombs. Mmm. I think I need to use the next notch on my belt. After dinner, we watched the end of the Saints/Vikings game and then played some Worms on the Xbox 360. That was a fun night.
So I guess some football was played this weekend. Meh. The Saints go marching on while Favre cost his team again (and again). Let's see how long Favre strings us along this off season before he tells histeam family us his plans for next season. Manning and the Colts sent Cryin' Ryan and the J-E-S-T-S (not a typo) back home. Meh. Well, I'm glad the Jets are finally eliminated.
Whew. What a weekend. Tary and I are exhausted. I'm glad the nursery is starting to take shape and it's even more enjoyable seeing how excited Tary is getting. As always, it was great spending time with our friends too. Too bad I can't have another weekend to recover from this one.
Saturday was even more eventful and just as tiring. My brother-in-law B.K. came by with his van and helped us pick up the new crib and dresser from Babies"R"Us. He helped me bring everything into the house which included carrying the 100+ lbs box for the crib up the stairs to what would be the baby's nursery.
Tary and I were excited to start putting things together so we started cutting open the boxes. Just as disappointing as this year's football season was, our hearts sank when we saw that the crib pieces were white and not chocolate like the dresser and changing table. This is insanity to OCD people like us.
We were really upset so Tary called Babies"R"Us to straighten
So I was talking to the person on the phone and she was not apologetic at all. She didn't care that we had to ask my brother-in-law to take time off of work just to come and help us. She didn't care that we drove all the way to Salem, NH to pick up the wrong colored crib. She didn't care that we lugged that incredibly heavy box up the stairs, or that we cut it open to find the wrong color, or that we had to repack everything to exchange it.
After all of that, she still didn't want to take any accountability for their mistake. First she tried to say that we ordered the wrong model or something but we ordered the model that was already in stock. Next she tried to blame it on the manufacturer and claim that they may have mislabeled the outside of the box. I quickly dismissed that notion by pointing out that the model number on the box was xxxxxx-21 which corresponds to "white" and that was what was inside of it. We had ordered model xxxxxx-81. Sigh.
After speaking to a manager, he agreed to refund 20% for our troubles and that seemed like a fair compromise. My brother-in-law was gracious enough to come back the next day to help us bring back the wrong crib to the store to exchange it for the correct one.
So anyways, back to Saturday night. Tary and I put together the dresser and changing table. The dresser had a lot of pieces so it took us a while to put together. The changing table was much easier. Ah, the fruits of our labor. :)
After all of our hard work on Saturday, we had our friends over again that night for more food and games. One of my best friends A.D. bought most of the food so he put us to work in the kitchen preparing the meats, vegetables, and sauces. He clearly had a game plan for the kind of meal he wanted us to have so we didn't dare venture too far from his vision. We ended up having an awesome family-style meal with thinly sliced beef and assorted vegetables cooked in butter over an electric skillet and dipped in a delicious but very spicy "prahok" sauce.
After all of that, since we had so much leftover meat from the night before, we had our friends over yet again for some homemade steak and cheese subs. Of course we had to make it buff-er so our friends brought various sliced meats (e.g., prosciutto, pepperoni, etc) and cheeses to add to the steak bombs. Mmm. I think I need to use the next notch on my belt. After dinner, we watched the end of the Saints/Vikings game and then played some Worms on the Xbox 360. That was a fun night.
So I guess some football was played this weekend. Meh. The Saints go marching on while Favre cost his team again (and again). Let's see how long Favre strings us along this off season before he tells his
Whew. What a weekend. Tary and I are exhausted. I'm glad the nursery is starting to take shape and it's even more enjoyable seeing how excited Tary is getting. As always, it was great spending time with our friends too. Too bad I can't have another weekend to recover from this one.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Politics and Irresponsible Voting
I am so glad that the majority of Massachusetts voters has (finally) woken up and has elected Scott Brown as our next Senator. I have never been more passionate about an election than this one. Massachusetts is America's bluest state. For the first time, I felt that my voice might actually be heard. And this recent election has shown that the voices of the people were also heard loud and clear.
We were sick of the wasteful spending of our hard-earned tax dollars. We were sick of the higher taxes that were levied on us to pay for everything. We were angry with Obama-care being forced upon us which would increase the national deficit and further raise taxes. People are struggling to stay in their homes while unemployment remains high at around 10%. We were sick of the misinformation and constant negative ads from the rapidly fading Coakley campaign. We were sick of the status quo. Yesterday, the minority became the majority.
Over the past several days, I've learned a lot about myself and about people from their various comments from face-to-face interactions, clippings from local newspapers, and status updates left on Facebook. I've learned that a lot of people make a complete mockery of our privilege as citizens to vote. I've learned that many people have not taken the time to research all of the candidates and their platforms. I've learned that a lot of people would rather speak in generalities and paint people with broad brushes than to spend a few minutes to understand the issues. A lot of people would repeat the one-liners that they've heard on talk shows, radio and TV ads, and from their peers and then call themselves "informed" voters. It's really a shame.
A 23-year-old girl said in a recent Lowell Sun article that she was voting for Coakley only because her dad was a strong Brown supporter and she wanted to cancel out her dad's vote. I can feel a headache coming on. Another person said they were voting for the Independent Party regardless of his/her platform just to "send a message" that the other candidates didn't deserve their vote. I need an Advil.
The act of voting is not just some joke where you get to flex your personal freedom muscles. Your choices affect millions of other people. It's all well and good to speak in generalities and wish that the government could fix all of life's problems. But those programs cost money and you know where that money comes from? Your tax dollars. It's easy for the government to just spend away...when it's not your money. But when you own a home, pay property taxes that continue to increase from year to year, and work your tail off to pay taxes to our governments, just consider where your money is going.
The next time you see the cop parked in front of the Dunkin Donuts in downtown, think about how much it is costing you and other tax payers. Think about him when you drive by a construction site when he should be directing traffic but instead, he's on his cell phone. Think about the cop who instead of patrolling the streets was parked in his driveway at home for 4 to 5 hours a night to collect his almost 6-figure salary. I wonder how much safer our neighborhoods would be if these state workers actually did what our dollars are paying them to do.
How about your education? Some of us went to UMass Lowell. Are you satisfied with the quality of your education? Do you feel that you received the proper attention and were taught the skills needed to compete in this marketplace? Do you feel that the price that you paid for tuition was worth the expense? I would hope the answer is yes.
This recent election has truly inspired me to write and this will be the first of several posts about politics. I'll talk about the issues and why I think the way I do. You may or may not agree with me and that's okay. But at least visit this site (2009 State Payroll) and see where your tax dollars are actually going.
We were sick of the wasteful spending of our hard-earned tax dollars. We were sick of the higher taxes that were levied on us to pay for everything. We were angry with Obama-care being forced upon us which would increase the national deficit and further raise taxes. People are struggling to stay in their homes while unemployment remains high at around 10%. We were sick of the misinformation and constant negative ads from the rapidly fading Coakley campaign. We were sick of the status quo. Yesterday, the minority became the majority.
Over the past several days, I've learned a lot about myself and about people from their various comments from face-to-face interactions, clippings from local newspapers, and status updates left on Facebook. I've learned that a lot of people make a complete mockery of our privilege as citizens to vote. I've learned that many people have not taken the time to research all of the candidates and their platforms. I've learned that a lot of people would rather speak in generalities and paint people with broad brushes than to spend a few minutes to understand the issues. A lot of people would repeat the one-liners that they've heard on talk shows, radio and TV ads, and from their peers and then call themselves "informed" voters. It's really a shame.
A 23-year-old girl said in a recent Lowell Sun article that she was voting for Coakley only because her dad was a strong Brown supporter and she wanted to cancel out her dad's vote. I can feel a headache coming on. Another person said they were voting for the Independent Party regardless of his/her platform just to "send a message" that the other candidates didn't deserve their vote. I need an Advil.
The act of voting is not just some joke where you get to flex your personal freedom muscles. Your choices affect millions of other people. It's all well and good to speak in generalities and wish that the government could fix all of life's problems. But those programs cost money and you know where that money comes from? Your tax dollars. It's easy for the government to just spend away...when it's not your money. But when you own a home, pay property taxes that continue to increase from year to year, and work your tail off to pay taxes to our governments, just consider where your money is going.
The next time you see the cop parked in front of the Dunkin Donuts in downtown, think about how much it is costing you and other tax payers. Think about him when you drive by a construction site when he should be directing traffic but instead, he's on his cell phone. Think about the cop who instead of patrolling the streets was parked in his driveway at home for 4 to 5 hours a night to collect his almost 6-figure salary. I wonder how much safer our neighborhoods would be if these state workers actually did what our dollars are paying them to do.
How about your education? Some of us went to UMass Lowell. Are you satisfied with the quality of your education? Do you feel that you received the proper attention and were taught the skills needed to compete in this marketplace? Do you feel that the price that you paid for tuition was worth the expense? I would hope the answer is yes.
This recent election has truly inspired me to write and this will be the first of several posts about politics. I'll talk about the issues and why I think the way I do. You may or may not agree with me and that's okay. But at least visit this site (2009 State Payroll) and see where your tax dollars are actually going.
Monday, January 18, 2010
So Who Should We Root For Now - Revisited
So that was a horrible football weekend. The Jets beat the fraud squad Chargers. The Colts took care of business by beating the Ravens. Both the Vikings and the Saints embarrassed their opponents, the Cowboys and the Cardinals respectively. Since all of the teams that we sports hate the least have all been eliminated, who should we root for now?
The previously mentioned sports hate rules still apply but some are a little subjective. The rules need to be further elaborated to help clear up some of the muddy waters.
Let's start off by saying that Rule 2 still applies. There is no reason ever to root for the Jets. Ever. Well, unless of course you're cheering for them to advance to the Super Bowl only to get wildly embarrassed on the national level.
So that leaves us with the Colts, the Vikings, and the Saints. There are many reasons to sports hate all 3 of those teams but we need to narrow down the teams even more. Let's introduce a new rule...
Rule 6. Thou must root against the player/team/coach who threatens to match or beat achievements of thine own home team.
This rule helps us out tremendously. The Colts are led by Peyton Manning who people love to get into ridiculous debates about who is a better QB, Manning or Brady. Anyone who is anyone already knows that Brady runs away with this title. Brady has 3 Super Bowl victories and 4 Super Bowl appearances. Manning only has a pitiful total of 1 Super Bowl victories. Manning looks like a goober; Brady does not not; advantage Brady again. So Rule 6 dictates that we root against the Colts to prevent Manning to inching closer to matching Brady's accomplishments.
Continuing with the Super Bowl totals theme, Favre (Vikings) has 2 Super Bowl appearances with 1 victory. Favre is one of the most overrated players ever. His gun-slinging style has probably cost his teams more times than it's helped them. Anyone can hop on a team with a great running game and a pretty good defense and take them all of the way. So it's a realistic possibility that Favre could make it all of the way to the Super Bowl. So again, Rule 6 dictates that we root against the Vikings as well.
That only leaves us with the Saints. As much as their players repeatedly violate Rule 4 (e.g., Jeremy Shockey, Reggie Bush), their QB Brees has never been to a Super Bowl let alone win one. Their franchise also has never reached the Super Bowl.
Oh, as a side note, it's a good thing that the Saints are no longer undefeated. If this team had a chance of actually going 19-0, this accomplishment would seriously trump the Patriots 2007 season. *sheds a tear* Had the Saints been 18-0 heading into the Super Bowl, Rule 6 would dictate strongly rooting against the Saints.
So back to the topic of the Saints franchise, this reminds me...Archie Manning played the majority of his career for the Saints. And we all know that he gave us both of the Manning "goober" brothers, Peyton and Eli. That makes it really tough to root for this team. But sports hate has its hierarchy so we're just going to have to accept that. They can't all lose.
The previously mentioned sports hate rules still apply but some are a little subjective. The rules need to be further elaborated to help clear up some of the muddy waters.
Let's start off by saying that Rule 2 still applies. There is no reason ever to root for the Jets. Ever. Well, unless of course you're cheering for them to advance to the Super Bowl only to get wildly embarrassed on the national level.
So that leaves us with the Colts, the Vikings, and the Saints. There are many reasons to sports hate all 3 of those teams but we need to narrow down the teams even more. Let's introduce a new rule...
Rule 6. Thou must root against the player/team/coach who threatens to match or beat achievements of thine own home team.
This rule helps us out tremendously. The Colts are led by Peyton Manning who people love to get into ridiculous debates about who is a better QB, Manning or Brady. Anyone who is anyone already knows that Brady runs away with this title. Brady has 3 Super Bowl victories and 4 Super Bowl appearances. Manning only has a pitiful total of 1 Super Bowl victories. Manning looks like a goober; Brady does not not; advantage Brady again. So Rule 6 dictates that we root against the Colts to prevent Manning to inching closer to matching Brady's accomplishments.
Continuing with the Super Bowl totals theme, Favre (Vikings) has 2 Super Bowl appearances with 1 victory. Favre is one of the most overrated players ever. His gun-slinging style has probably cost his teams more times than it's helped them. Anyone can hop on a team with a great running game and a pretty good defense and take them all of the way. So it's a realistic possibility that Favre could make it all of the way to the Super Bowl. So again, Rule 6 dictates that we root against the Vikings as well.
That only leaves us with the Saints. As much as their players repeatedly violate Rule 4 (e.g., Jeremy Shockey, Reggie Bush), their QB Brees has never been to a Super Bowl let alone win one. Their franchise also has never reached the Super Bowl.
Oh, as a side note, it's a good thing that the Saints are no longer undefeated. If this team had a chance of actually going 19-0, this accomplishment would seriously trump the Patriots 2007 season. *sheds a tear* Had the Saints been 18-0 heading into the Super Bowl, Rule 6 would dictate strongly rooting against the Saints.
So back to the topic of the Saints franchise, this reminds me...Archie Manning played the majority of his career for the Saints. And we all know that he gave us both of the Manning "goober" brothers, Peyton and Eli. That makes it really tough to root for this team. But sports hate has its hierarchy so we're just going to have to accept that. They can't all lose.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Gambit
Here he is in one of his favorite places. As you can see, Gambit loves squeezing himself into everything he thinks might hold him. That includes boxes, laundry baskets, bags, and suit cases. Maybe it makes him feel secure. Maybe he likes to think of himself as the same baby kitten that we fell in love with a few years ago. Even though he's the oldest of two cats, I think he likes knowing that he'll always be our baby.
When Tary first brought Gambit home, he was named Dimitri because his sister was named Sasha. Those were horrible names. He didn't look like a Dimitri. He was too cute, too energetic, and too awesome so he needed a name that fit him. I started rambling off names of buff characters like Ivan Drago (from Rocky 4) but that didn't work. Then I started thinking of X-Men characters when it finally hit me...Gambit!
Gambit will be turning 4 in April of this year. It's kind of crazy to think that we've had him longer than I've owned this house. They grow up so fast, don't they? I still remember when he was a kitten. I was still living at my parents' house. He came over to my chair and just sat underneath me while I was on the computer. I was scared of accidentally rolling and hurting him. I'll never forget the way he looked at me so I picked him and put him on my lap for the first time. He fell asleep almost instantly. I struggled to keep him from sliding off of my lap but he didn't seem to mind. He's a bit of a Momma's boy but he still prefers his Daddy's lap.
One thing that most people don't know about Gambit is how tough he really is and how much he had to overcome. He's a fighter. When he was about 5-months-old, Gambit got into some sort of accident while he was at Tary's parents' house. It was one of the worst phone calls. No one knows what exactly happened but the parents heard this pitiful meowing from behind one of the sofas and found Gambit hiding back there. By the time we rushed there, Gambit was already in his kitty bed but we knew something was horribly wrong. He tried walking over to us but he couldn't put any pressure on his rear right leg. We were heartbroken but Gambit tried to comfort Tary with one of his trademark licks.
We rushed Gambit to the nearest animal hospital. It was late but the time didn't matter. The doctors confirmed our suspicions of a broken leg. They gave us a quote for over $2,000 to try to operate and fix Gambit's leg. I had no clue how we were going to afford this...especially with me set to close on the new house soon.
We didn't know what to do but we knew we couldn't get Gambit treated there. It was just too expensive and we were scared that he would need to be put down. Thankfully, we got in touch with the lady who Tary adopted Gambit from. She referred us to a local veterinarian that she goes to. We paid whatever fees we to check Gambit out of the animal hospital and brought him to this vet.
A rod was inserted into Gambit's leg. It felt like the longest week waiting for him to recover and for us to bring him home. When we came to visit, he would do somersaults in his cage when he saw us. This made the vet cringe but that's part of what makes him Gambit. The vet told us that Gambit may never be able to walk the same. But Gambit sure proved him wrong.
Like I said before, Gambit is very much a Momma's boy. He knows when Tary is sick or sad and he tries to take care of her. He'll just stay by her side all day, tuck himself into a ball, and sleep beside her. He'll follow her around the house just to keep her company.
As for me, he loves sitting on my lap. Maybe because it's flatter than Tary's but it's his thing. Sometimes he'll wait for me to sit down in the mornings just to jump on my lap. If I get close to his face, he'll lick me on the nose. It's gross but I don't care. When he's really happy, he'll start kneading and drooling all over the place.
Gambit loves his Greenie dental treats. He'll come right over to you if you shake the bag and eat straight from your hand. He loves them so much, he'll eat all of the treats laid out in front of him and then run over and steal them away from his younger brother, Maverick (aka Mavi).
To pass the time, Gambit likes to look out of the windows throughout the house and just observe what's going on outside. He likes hunting birds with his eyes. You'll usually find him downstairs on the living room couch in the mornings. At nights, he may still be there or he may be upstairs looking out the window from the ironing board.
Gambit also loves to mess around with Mavi. He'll usually chase Mavi around the house and try to smack him around a bit. Gambit likes to go on offense while Mavi likes to lay on his back and counter. But I know they still love each other. It's adorable when Gambit helps groom his brother.
Gambit is a very independent cat. He won't come to you if you call his name. He doesn't normally show affection if you reach out your hand. And he definitely takes his sweet time warming up to strangers. He's content sitting inside a box or in some other room for most of the day. But in those few moments when he wants to be sweet, there isn't a sweeter cat in the whole world. That's why we love him.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Massachusetts Senate Special Election
With all of the attention being brought to the upcoming Massachusetts Senate special election, I figured I'd weigh in on the topic. For those of you who don't already know, the special election is to be held on Tuesday, January 19th to fill the vacant seat left behind by the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy.
If you registered to vote in Massachusetts, please remember to cast your vote this Tuesday. It is a privilege of ours to have a voice in how our governments are run. It's important that your voices be heard.
The one good thing that came about from last year's presidential election was that it got more people interested in politics. Record numbers of young people registered to vote. However, one thing that I did not like was that so many people voted so irresponsibly. So many people voted based on emotion and irrational fears rather than on the actual issues. It's sad that some candidates gained or even lost votes based solely on the letter of their political party after their names.
We all come from different backgrounds. We all have our own views on how things should be run. So I don't mind if you ultimately agree or disagree with me on the issues. But at least take the time to actually know what the issues actually are. Take the time to learn what each of the candidates stand for on the important issues. Do some research and check the facts. Don't be misled by the negative ads. You don't want to vote like a fool with your pants on the ground. After you've educated yourself on the candidates, then feel free to vote for the person whose values are most in line with your own.
One thing that I always recommendnew all voters do is to take a "Vote Match" quiz. You are given about 20 questions on various personal and economic issues. Then percentages are displayed which show how much of a match you are with each of the running candidates. The "Vote Match" quiz for this special election can be found here. Go ahead and take the quiz. You may be surprised who you match with.
As for me, who will I vote for this Tuesday? I'm endorsing Scott Brown.
If you registered to vote in Massachusetts, please remember to cast your vote this Tuesday. It is a privilege of ours to have a voice in how our governments are run. It's important that your voices be heard.
The one good thing that came about from last year's presidential election was that it got more people interested in politics. Record numbers of young people registered to vote. However, one thing that I did not like was that so many people voted so irresponsibly. So many people voted based on emotion and irrational fears rather than on the actual issues. It's sad that some candidates gained or even lost votes based solely on the letter of their political party after their names.
We all come from different backgrounds. We all have our own views on how things should be run. So I don't mind if you ultimately agree or disagree with me on the issues. But at least take the time to actually know what the issues actually are. Take the time to learn what each of the candidates stand for on the important issues. Do some research and check the facts. Don't be misled by the negative ads. You don't want to vote like a fool with your pants on the ground. After you've educated yourself on the candidates, then feel free to vote for the person whose values are most in line with your own.
One thing that I always recommend
As for me, who will I vote for this Tuesday? I'm endorsing Scott Brown.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Hey, You're Number 1!
On the drive to work this morning, I nearly got sideswiped by this total jerk. I had already entered the Route 20 rotary in Waltham, MA and was making my way around it. Then suddenly, some guy comes barreling down the onramp to my right and cuts directly in front of me. Good thing my spidey-sense was tingling and I had to slam on my brakes just to avoid a collision. I gave him a piece of my mind by honking loudly (as I have been known to do to everyone else that drives this stupidly). Then this jerk had the audacity to give me the finger (and remind me that, "Hey, you're number 1!") as if I'm the one who did something wrong. What's even crazier is that he did all this with a passenger in his car.
I hate this rotary. I really do. I always cringe every time I drive through here. I got rear-ended last year on my way to work because apparently, I was (foolish) enough to actually yield to the row of cars that were already making their way around, and the driver of the van behind me decided to get a closer view of my rear license plate. After making sure he was okay, he then tried to flip-the-script on me and accuse me of some sort of traffic violation. To which I metaphorically backhanded him by pointing to the "Yield" sign 30 feet from his vehicle.
Rotaries are just part of driving in Massachusetts. The Drum Hill rotary isn't that bad. The Concord and Route 20 rotaries are only bad because stupid people make it bad. Rotaries would be just fine if people just followed these simple rules. If there are cars already in the rotary, you slow down (or stop if needed) and let them pass. Then you enter when it's safe to do so. I'm just incredulous at the number of drivers out there who just refuse to obey the traffic laws.
So the next time you approach a rotary, please use some common courtesy and yield to the other drivers. You may save a life...and because you can't assume the next guy was fortunate enough to have been bitten by the same radioactive spider.
I hate this rotary. I really do. I always cringe every time I drive through here. I got rear-ended last year on my way to work because apparently, I was (foolish) enough to actually yield to the row of cars that were already making their way around, and the driver of the van behind me decided to get a closer view of my rear license plate. After making sure he was okay, he then tried to flip-the-script on me and accuse me of some sort of traffic violation. To which I metaphorically backhanded him by pointing to the "Yield" sign 30 feet from his vehicle.
Rotaries are just part of driving in Massachusetts. The Drum Hill rotary isn't that bad. The Concord and Route 20 rotaries are only bad because stupid people make it bad. Rotaries would be just fine if people just followed these simple rules. If there are cars already in the rotary, you slow down (or stop if needed) and let them pass. Then you enter when it's safe to do so. I'm just incredulous at the number of drivers out there who just refuse to obey the traffic laws.
So the next time you approach a rotary, please use some common courtesy and yield to the other drivers. You may save a life...and because you can't assume the next guy was fortunate enough to have been bitten by the same radioactive spider.
Monday, January 11, 2010
So Who Should We Root For Now?
So my favorite sports team has been robbed eliminated from the playoffs. If you're like me, as a fan of football, you'd still continue following the rest of the NFL playoffs. But who should we root for now? A better question would be, "Who should we root against?"
To help determine this, let me first introduce a new term...
sports hate (verb): To strongly dislike/hate an opposing player and/or team. This hatred is intense but just shy of actually wishing harm on said player and/or team.
Example:
I sports hate that goober-face, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.
So with that out of the way, there are rules that must be followed when rooting for or against a sports team. You wouldn't want to root for the wrong team and get labeled a sports n00b.
Rule 1. Thou shalt always root for thy home team.
You always have to cheer on your home team (e.g., Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox), no matter what. Even if they stink and are the worst team in the league, you still root for them. Even if you don't follow that sport (e.g., hockey, soccer, etc) and you're only watching the game because there is nothing else on TV, you still cheer on your home team.
a. Thou shalt gloat when thy home team wins.
When your home team wins, you must gloat to any fans of the opposing team and remind them of how awesome your team is and how inferior their team is.
b. Thou shalt blindly defend thy home team's shortcomings.
If one of the players or coaches on the home team does something wrong, you must passionately defend the person for the said offense. Here are some examples:
Example 1:
Example 2:
c. Thou shalt not give thy opposition any credit for beating thy home team.
You can never say that another team beat your home team. Instead, you must use any excuse (real or imagined) to explain why your home team lost. A few examples include: the refs blew a bunch of calls, the condition of the field was horrible, or the alignment of the stars.
Rule 2. Thou shalt always root against thy division rival's team.
a. Thou shalt always root against the cities of thy division rival's team.
The division rivals are always a pain. Your home team has to play against them more frequently than other teams each season and this familiarity yields very tough games. Therefore, you are obligated to sports hate them. For football, the means you always root against the NY Jets (and by extension, the NY Giants). For baseball, you always root against the NY Yankees. The Tampa Bay Rays also fall under this rule. For basketball, this would include the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers.
Rule 3. Thou shalt always root against teams which art the royal pain-eth in the butt-eth.
You must sports hate the teams that are always perennial championship contenders and always seem to stand in the way of your home team winning it all. In football, this includes the Indianapolis Colts, the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. If you had to pick some for baseball, this would include the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Cleveland Indians. For basketball, this list would be headlined by the Los Angeles Lakers. Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, and the Atlanta Hawks are next in line.
Rule 4. Thou shalt always root against the team with a player, coach, owner, etc that you sports hate.
a. Thou shalt sports hate anyone who art a royal jerk.
Kobe Bryant; Lamar Odom; and Ron Artest (Los Angeles Lakers), Philip Rivers; LaDainian Tomlinson; and Shawn Merriman (San Diego Chargers), LeBron James and Anderson Varejao (Cleveland Cavaliers), Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks), Alex Rodriguez (NY Yankees), Rex "Cryin'" Ryan (New York Jets), Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens)
b. Thou shalt sports hate anyone who hath the face of a goober.
The Manning brothers, Peyton and Eli.
c. Thou shalt sports hate anyone who hath the face of a llama.
Pau Gasol.
d. Thou shalt sports hate anyone who art a drama queen.
Brett Favre.
Rule 5. If thou hast sports hate for both teams, thou shalt root against the team which hast people that thou sports hate more.
If your home team is not playing in a game that you are watching, then you must consider this rule when deciding which team to root for and which team to root against. You must always root against the team with the person that you sports hate the most. In this case, it's not about the number of players that you sports hate on each team.
Whew...so who do we cheer for to win the Super Bowl? Let's apply what we've learned. The remaining teams on the AFC by seed are the Indianapolis Colts, the San Diego Chargers, New York Jets, and Baltimore Ravens.
Well, we obviously root against the Jets (Rule 2). You then root against the Ravens because they eliminated the Pats (Rule 1c). You have to sports hate the Colts because of Rules 3 and 4b. San Diego also has Rivers, LT, and Merriman so they're out because of Rules 3 and 4a. So that basically eliminates cheering for anyone in the AFC.
Argh, but someone has to make it to the Super Bowl from the AFC. Rule 5 has to apply here. The Jets are an obvious no-no as they are a division rival. You can't cheer for the Colts to win it (again) even though Peyton Manning is having a great year (excuse me as I think I just threw up a bit there). San Diego has too many players that I sports hate so that automatically disqualifies them. I'm going to have to pick the Ravens only because no one would really care if they got that far.
Onto the NFC. The remaining teams are the New Orleans Saints, the Minnesota Vikings, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Arizona Cardinals. You have to sports hate the Saints for Rule 4a with players like Reggie Bush and Jeremy Shockey. The Vikings are out because of Rule 4d alone. That leaves supporting either Dallas or Arizona. Neither team really has people to sports hate except for maybe Tony Romo, Roy Williams, and their coach Wade Phillips. Kurt Warner is really likable so it's difficult to sports hate the Arizona Cardinals.
My Super Bowl teams are the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Arizona Cardinals. Based on Rule 1c, however, I'm rooting for the Cardinals to go all the way...in an ugly game. Final score: 2 to 0.
To help determine this, let me first introduce a new term...
sports hate (verb): To strongly dislike/hate an opposing player and/or team. This hatred is intense but just shy of actually wishing harm on said player and/or team.
Example:
I sports hate that goober-face, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.
So with that out of the way, there are rules that must be followed when rooting for or against a sports team. You wouldn't want to root for the wrong team and get labeled a sports n00b.
Rule 1. Thou shalt always root for thy home team.
You always have to cheer on your home team (e.g., Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox), no matter what. Even if they stink and are the worst team in the league, you still root for them. Even if you don't follow that sport (e.g., hockey, soccer, etc) and you're only watching the game because there is nothing else on TV, you still cheer on your home team.
a. Thou shalt gloat when thy home team wins.
When your home team wins, you must gloat to any fans of the opposing team and remind them of how awesome your team is and how inferior their team is.
How you like them apples, Washington?! 52-7!
b. Thou shalt blindly defend thy home team's shortcomings.
If one of the players or coaches on the home team does something wrong, you must passionately defend the person for the said offense. Here are some examples:
Example 1:
Guy: What the heck was Bill Belichick thinking going for it on 4th-and-2?!
You: Are you some sort of sports n00b? The refs messed up the spot of the ball which was clearly beyond the 1st down marker. If the call on the field was correct, the offense would have retained the ball and run out the clock.
Example 2:
Guy: I told you Ramirez and Ortiz were using steroids! The Boston Red Sox are a bunch of cheaters! They should give back their World Series rings!
You: They only had to use steroids because your boys from the Yankees were all juicing. It was the only way to try to level the playing field. Look at Clemens, Pettitte, Giambi, and A. Rod!
c. Thou shalt not give thy opposition any credit for beating thy home team.
You can never say that another team beat your home team. Instead, you must use any excuse (real or imagined) to explain why your home team lost. A few examples include: the refs blew a bunch of calls, the condition of the field was horrible, or the alignment of the stars.
Rule 2. Thou shalt always root against thy division rival's team.
a. Thou shalt always root against the cities of thy division rival's team.
The division rivals are always a pain. Your home team has to play against them more frequently than other teams each season and this familiarity yields very tough games. Therefore, you are obligated to sports hate them. For football, the means you always root against the NY Jets (and by extension, the NY Giants). For baseball, you always root against the NY Yankees. The Tampa Bay Rays also fall under this rule. For basketball, this would include the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers.
Rule 3. Thou shalt always root against teams which art the royal pain-eth in the butt-eth.
You must sports hate the teams that are always perennial championship contenders and always seem to stand in the way of your home team winning it all. In football, this includes the Indianapolis Colts, the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. If you had to pick some for baseball, this would include the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Cleveland Indians. For basketball, this list would be headlined by the Los Angeles Lakers. Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, and the Atlanta Hawks are next in line.
Rule 4. Thou shalt always root against the team with a player, coach, owner, etc that you sports hate.
a. Thou shalt sports hate anyone who art a royal jerk.
Kobe Bryant; Lamar Odom; and Ron Artest (Los Angeles Lakers), Philip Rivers; LaDainian Tomlinson; and Shawn Merriman (San Diego Chargers), LeBron James and Anderson Varejao (Cleveland Cavaliers), Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks), Alex Rodriguez (NY Yankees), Rex "Cryin'" Ryan (New York Jets), Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens)
b. Thou shalt sports hate anyone who hath the face of a goober.
The Manning brothers, Peyton and Eli.
c. Thou shalt sports hate anyone who hath the face of a llama.
Pau Gasol.
d. Thou shalt sports hate anyone who art a drama queen.
Brett Favre.
Rule 5. If thou hast sports hate for both teams, thou shalt root against the team which hast people that thou sports hate more.
If your home team is not playing in a game that you are watching, then you must consider this rule when deciding which team to root for and which team to root against. You must always root against the team with the person that you sports hate the most. In this case, it's not about the number of players that you sports hate on each team.
Whew...so who do we cheer for to win the Super Bowl? Let's apply what we've learned. The remaining teams on the AFC by seed are the Indianapolis Colts, the San Diego Chargers, New York Jets, and Baltimore Ravens.
Well, we obviously root against the Jets (Rule 2). You then root against the Ravens because they eliminated the Pats (Rule 1c). You have to sports hate the Colts because of Rules 3 and 4b. San Diego also has Rivers, LT, and Merriman so they're out because of Rules 3 and 4a. So that basically eliminates cheering for anyone in the AFC.
Argh, but someone has to make it to the Super Bowl from the AFC. Rule 5 has to apply here. The Jets are an obvious no-no as they are a division rival. You can't cheer for the Colts to win it (again) even though Peyton Manning is having a great year (excuse me as I think I just threw up a bit there). San Diego has too many players that I sports hate so that automatically disqualifies them. I'm going to have to pick the Ravens only because no one would really care if they got that far.
Onto the NFC. The remaining teams are the New Orleans Saints, the Minnesota Vikings, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Arizona Cardinals. You have to sports hate the Saints for Rule 4a with players like Reggie Bush and Jeremy Shockey. The Vikings are out because of Rule 4d alone. That leaves supporting either Dallas or Arizona. Neither team really has people to sports hate except for maybe Tony Romo, Roy Williams, and their coach Wade Phillips. Kurt Warner is really likable so it's difficult to sports hate the Arizona Cardinals.
My Super Bowl teams are the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Arizona Cardinals. Based on Rule 1c, however, I'm rooting for the Cardinals to go all the way...in an ugly game. Final score: 2 to 0.
Married Life - 6 Months Later
A stolen credit card, several thousand dollars in fraudulent charges, 2 separate trips to the emergency room. Those were some of the things that happened in the first 6 months of married life.
It's been exactly 6 months since our wedding day and I must be the happiest person in the world. I love my wife, Tary and I am so in love with her(and yes, they are two separate things). What's even more amazing is that I love her more with each passing day.
I could go on and on about why I love Tary but let me just share a few of those reasons. Tary loves me. I see it; I hear it; I feel it; I know it. She loves me for me. She loves me for my strengths and she loves me despite my weaknesses. I feel her love in the way she packs my lunches, to the OCD way she folds my clothes, to the way she looks at me when she tells me she loves me.
She lets me be me. She lets me enjoy the sports that I'm passionate about. She enjoys it when our friends come over and gang up on me in Worms. She supports my ever-changing list of hobbies. I like the way she blankly stares at me when I get excited about some new technology and totally "geek out". *readjusts glasses on the bridge of my nose*
I love Tary's sense of humor. I'm a bit of a wise guy and I'm usually the one who likes to randomly tell jokes about any and all things; but it always cracks me up when Tary sneaks in one of her own. I love the way she laughs at my corny attempts at humor like the Num Pao (Cambodian name for Chinese steamed pork buns) grenade. I don't remember the context of that joke but I knew it wasn't as funny as the laughter it drew. She understands my OCD tendencies and I think it's funny when she sometimes like to test those boundaries.
I feel so blessed to have Tary as my wife. I love our daily devotion time together where we not only get to grow closer with God but with each other.
Some say the first year of married life is the hardest. If the first 6 months were an indication of how this first year would be, then I can't wait for the 2nd half (Was that an arbitrary sports reference?).
A husband loves his wife. A wife loves her husband. Their love grows. A baby was conceived and is on his way. Those were some of the things that happened in the first 6 months of married life.
It's been exactly 6 months since our wedding day and I must be the happiest person in the world. I love my wife, Tary and I am so in love with her(and yes, they are two separate things). What's even more amazing is that I love her more with each passing day.
I could go on and on about why I love Tary but let me just share a few of those reasons. Tary loves me. I see it; I hear it; I feel it; I know it. She loves me for me. She loves me for my strengths and she loves me despite my weaknesses. I feel her love in the way she packs my lunches, to the OCD way she folds my clothes, to the way she looks at me when she tells me she loves me.
She lets me be me. She lets me enjoy the sports that I'm passionate about. She enjoys it when our friends come over and gang up on me in Worms. She supports my ever-changing list of hobbies. I like the way she blankly stares at me when I get excited about some new technology and totally "geek out". *readjusts glasses on the bridge of my nose*
I love Tary's sense of humor. I'm a bit of a wise guy and I'm usually the one who likes to randomly tell jokes about any and all things; but it always cracks me up when Tary sneaks in one of her own. I love the way she laughs at my corny attempts at humor like the Num Pao (Cambodian name for Chinese steamed pork buns) grenade. I don't remember the context of that joke but I knew it wasn't as funny as the laughter it drew. She understands my OCD tendencies and I think it's funny when she sometimes like to test those boundaries.
I feel so blessed to have Tary as my wife. I love our daily devotion time together where we not only get to grow closer with God but with each other.
Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it[.]And I sure love my wife. You know what they say, "The family that prays together stays together."
Some say the first year of married life is the hardest. If the first 6 months were an indication of how this first year would be, then I can't wait for the 2nd half (Was that an arbitrary sports reference?).
A husband loves his wife. A wife loves her husband. Their love grows. A baby was conceived and is on his way. Those were some of the things that happened in the first 6 months of married life.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Post Game Analysis
I guess my prediction for the final score was pretty dead on (actually 33-14) but too bad I was dyslexic with the teams. Sigh. Another year of cheering, screaming, following draft boards and roster moves, listening to sports radio, following team blogs, and watching games is finally over. I've spent so much energy trying to fool convince myself that this '09 Pats team had what it took to win another Super Bowl. This just wasn't our year.
A special thanks goes to the Bourrets for having us over today to watch the game on their brand new and gorgeous 55" Samsung TV. Steve and Judy are always wonderful hosts and this was no exception. I always enjoy the fellowship there, even if the game was horrible.
Back to my thoughts on the game...it's kind of scary rereading my previous post. Most of the glaring problems that I had listed reared their ugly heads during this game. Let's see where to begin...
The offensive play-calling by Bill O'Brien was horrible. Knowing that the Pats were without Welker, I knew that the Pats would be limited in what they could do. Moss would be bracketed so that ruled him out for most of the game. I knew the Pats would revert to quick screens, dump-offs to their RBs, and an occasional draw play. Unfortunately, the Ravens were expecting the same thing. They contained the receivers on those screens and almost picked off a few of them. On those short dump-offs, there was always someone nearby to limit the YAC.
The offensive line play was shaky at best. Matt Light once again got beat badly which resulted in a heartbreaking strip-sack which ultimately led to the Ravens 2nd TD of the first quarter. A miscommunication between Koppen/Neal led to a huge hole for Ray Lewis to shoot through and sack Brady. I love Neal but he got run over another time which resulted in another sack.
It drives me crazy listening to sports radio, or reading forums, or watching analysis where they're killing Brady for this game. I understand that some of his throws were a little wobbly and at least one of the interceptions was simply a poor decision, but let's consider the context of the season. Aside from the '07 season, Brady has had career bests in several statistical categories despite playing much of this season with cracked ribs and a broken finger on his throwing hand. So it's not like he's forgotten how to be a good QB. The problem is that the offense doesn't have any reliable players. Tom Brady looks unsure in the pocket because the receivers don't know what they're supposed to be doing or where to be. And when they do get open, they have the most untimely drops. How is Brady supposed to trust throwing to this cast of receivers?
There is no rhythm on offense. The team got another delay of game penalty. A few times, the WRs didn't even know which side of the field to line up on. Randy "Houdini" Moss disappeared again in this game. Sam Aiken is a wonderful special teams player but he's not even close to being a serviceable 3rd WR. It seems like every time a ball is thrown his way, he tips it up for the other team to intercept it. Watson dropped another pass. Edelman had a few dropped balls as well. You know it's not your day when Faulk also dropped one.
The defense played okay for most of this game. Obviously, the 83-yd scamper by Ray Rice was tough to swallow. But the other 17 first-quarter points are solely the offense's fault for putting the defense in tough situations. But once again, the Pats couldn't get off the field on 3rd downs. Joe Flacco was horrible. He finished 4/10 for 34 yards, 0 TD, and an INT. That is a 10.0 passer rating! The Pats knew the Ravens were going to run the ball and tried loading up in the box. But they still couldn't get the key stops.
The Pats' special teams was also horrible. They nearly lost a fumble while misplaying a short kickoff from the Ravens. They also gave up several long returns. And Gostkowski's missed FG was the straw that broke the camel's back.
The Pats got beat down, outplayed in every phase of the game, and got out-coached. To be honest, the Pats overachieved this year in simply reaching the playoffs. They were a very flawed team and it showed today. But even though the Ravens were the tougher, smarter, and more physical team today, I won't get carried away and say that the Ravens beat the Pats. No way! The refs were totally biased! /sarcasm.
I'm exhausted. It's going to be a long off-season...
A special thanks goes to the Bourrets for having us over today to watch the game on their brand new and gorgeous 55" Samsung TV. Steve and Judy are always wonderful hosts and this was no exception. I always enjoy the fellowship there, even if the game was horrible.
Back to my thoughts on the game...it's kind of scary rereading my previous post. Most of the glaring problems that I had listed reared their ugly heads during this game. Let's see where to begin...
The offensive play-calling by Bill O'Brien was horrible. Knowing that the Pats were without Welker, I knew that the Pats would be limited in what they could do. Moss would be bracketed so that ruled him out for most of the game. I knew the Pats would revert to quick screens, dump-offs to their RBs, and an occasional draw play. Unfortunately, the Ravens were expecting the same thing. They contained the receivers on those screens and almost picked off a few of them. On those short dump-offs, there was always someone nearby to limit the YAC.
The offensive line play was shaky at best. Matt Light once again got beat badly which resulted in a heartbreaking strip-sack which ultimately led to the Ravens 2nd TD of the first quarter. A miscommunication between Koppen/Neal led to a huge hole for Ray Lewis to shoot through and sack Brady. I love Neal but he got run over another time which resulted in another sack.
It drives me crazy listening to sports radio, or reading forums, or watching analysis where they're killing Brady for this game. I understand that some of his throws were a little wobbly and at least one of the interceptions was simply a poor decision, but let's consider the context of the season. Aside from the '07 season, Brady has had career bests in several statistical categories despite playing much of this season with cracked ribs and a broken finger on his throwing hand. So it's not like he's forgotten how to be a good QB. The problem is that the offense doesn't have any reliable players. Tom Brady looks unsure in the pocket because the receivers don't know what they're supposed to be doing or where to be. And when they do get open, they have the most untimely drops. How is Brady supposed to trust throwing to this cast of receivers?
There is no rhythm on offense. The team got another delay of game penalty. A few times, the WRs didn't even know which side of the field to line up on. Randy "Houdini" Moss disappeared again in this game. Sam Aiken is a wonderful special teams player but he's not even close to being a serviceable 3rd WR. It seems like every time a ball is thrown his way, he tips it up for the other team to intercept it. Watson dropped another pass. Edelman had a few dropped balls as well. You know it's not your day when Faulk also dropped one.
The defense played okay for most of this game. Obviously, the 83-yd scamper by Ray Rice was tough to swallow. But the other 17 first-quarter points are solely the offense's fault for putting the defense in tough situations. But once again, the Pats couldn't get off the field on 3rd downs. Joe Flacco was horrible. He finished 4/10 for 34 yards, 0 TD, and an INT. That is a 10.0 passer rating! The Pats knew the Ravens were going to run the ball and tried loading up in the box. But they still couldn't get the key stops.
The Pats' special teams was also horrible. They nearly lost a fumble while misplaying a short kickoff from the Ravens. They also gave up several long returns. And Gostkowski's missed FG was the straw that broke the camel's back.
The Pats got beat down, outplayed in every phase of the game, and got out-coached. To be honest, the Pats overachieved this year in simply reaching the playoffs. They were a very flawed team and it showed today. But even though the Ravens were the tougher, smarter, and more physical team today, I won't get carried away and say that the Ravens beat the Pats. No way! The refs were totally biased! /sarcasm.
I'm exhausted. It's going to be a long off-season...
Friday, January 8, 2010
Patriots vs. Ravens
Sunday, January 10th, 2010. 1 PM at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots will face off against the Baltimore Ravens. I'm scared to death of this game. I'm not scared because the Ravens are a tough and physical team. Nor am I scared that Ray Rice ran all over the field the last time these two teams faced off. And I'm not scared of the vaunted Baltimore defense. This game scares me because the Pats scare me. They always do.
Tom Brady is banged up. The Ravens will frustrate Moss early on and he'll take himself out of the game. The Pats can't score in the 2nd half. Maroney will tip toe into the back of his linemen only to lose another fumble on the 1-yd line...that is if he ever gets off the bench. The play calling is predictable and unimaginative. And Watson and Baker are still in the witness protection program. Nick Kaczur is a revolving door at his RT position. They have problems in the red zone. And on top of that, they'll be playing without their bestWR player, Wes Welker. And that only summarizes the problems on offense.
They can't stop the run without a healthy Wilfork. The LBs can't set the edge in the run game. There's no consistent pass rush. The DBs not named Bodden can't cover anyone. Meriweather is a rising star but still gets caught out of position too often on play-action fakes. A-fail-ius Thomas is a bust. Mayo is clearly hampered by his early-season injury. The tackling is atrocious. The defense can't seem to get off of the field on 3rd downs or get a key stop to close out games.
And then there's special teams. There are no explosive players to return kickoffs. And I don't trust anyone back there to return punts. Hanson stinks and I could probably punt the ball further...with my left leg! Gostkowski's kickoffs have been shorter and shorter and it leads me to believe he's dealing with some of his own aches and pains.
I hate to be so negative but I'm a realist. I follow the Pats year-round so I can't help but notice all of the weaknesses that the Pats have. I know that this team doesn't have a realistic shot at making it to Super Bowl, let alone winning the whole thing...
So the final score? Patriots 38, Ravens 16. What can I say? I'm a homer. Go Pats!
Tom Brady is banged up. The Ravens will frustrate Moss early on and he'll take himself out of the game. The Pats can't score in the 2nd half. Maroney will tip toe into the back of his linemen only to lose another fumble on the 1-yd line...that is if he ever gets off the bench. The play calling is predictable and unimaginative. And Watson and Baker are still in the witness protection program. Nick Kaczur is a revolving door at his RT position. They have problems in the red zone. And on top of that, they'll be playing without their best
They can't stop the run without a healthy Wilfork. The LBs can't set the edge in the run game. There's no consistent pass rush. The DBs not named Bodden can't cover anyone. Meriweather is a rising star but still gets caught out of position too often on play-action fakes. A-fail-ius Thomas is a bust. Mayo is clearly hampered by his early-season injury. The tackling is atrocious. The defense can't seem to get off of the field on 3rd downs or get a key stop to close out games.
And then there's special teams. There are no explosive players to return kickoffs. And I don't trust anyone back there to return punts. Hanson stinks and I could probably punt the ball further...with my left leg! Gostkowski's kickoffs have been shorter and shorter and it leads me to believe he's dealing with some of his own aches and pains.
I hate to be so negative but I'm a realist. I follow the Pats year-round so I can't help but notice all of the weaknesses that the Pats have. I know that this team doesn't have a realistic shot at making it to Super Bowl, let alone winning the whole thing...
So the final score? Patriots 38, Ravens 16. What can I say? I'm a homer. Go Pats!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Bible Reading Plan
One of my goals for 2010 is to grow spiritually. The past several years have started off the same way with a renewed vigor to read through the entire Bible in a calender year. And like clockwork, my dedication wanes as the weeks and months pass by. Satan sure is a crafty one. Whether it's being too tired from work, or chores, or video games, or just distracted by the Celtics game that's playing in the background, there's nothing that he won't try to keep me from reading God's Word. But this year will be different!
Last night, my wife and I agreed to read completely through our Bibles this year. It's such an encouragement and a blessing to have someone to share this journey with.
I started browsing through my "Holy Bible" app on my iPhone and it had a section for various Bible reading plans. One by one, I read through their summaries taking mental notes of each one. I immediately eliminated plans that took exactly a year to complete. It was already January 5th which meant that if I started one of those full-year plans, I'd already be 5 days behind schedule. And to be fair to myself, there will be those days where I probably won't be able to complete my readings.
Then there were those plans that were 90-day bull rushes. Yeah right! I knew right away that I'd have no shot at completing those plans. I'm not much of a reader to begin with and I read slower than Mike Lowell on the base paths.
There were other plans that would have taken a bit longer to follow but were still pretty short because they omitted one of the testaments. However that clearly violates my goal of reading the entire Bible.
And then I read the description of Professor Horner's Bible Reading Plan. It lasts 8 months so I should complete this goal with time to spare. This also allows time for those days where I don't read as much. The basic idea is to quickly read through a single chapter from 10 different books each day. The next day, you read the next chapter from the same 10 books and so on. Some books are much shorter than others so when you complete one book, you are given a new one.
After one day and 10 chapters later, I really like this approach. In the past, I've always started at Genesis and read as far as I could. But Genesis is a beast! And after a certain number of those larger books, I missed out on all of the other treasures that remain undiscovered because I never got to them. What I like about Professor Horner's plan is that it's about breadth instead of depth. I'll get to familiarize myself with 10 books each day. 10 is a nice round number and that appeals to my OCD-ness. Instead of trying to internalize everything, I'll just focus on reading and let God reveal what He wants me to see. By the end of this plan, hopefully I'll know enough about each of the 66 books that I can go back and study my favorites more deeply.
10 chapters down. 1179 more to go. 0.4% complete.
Last night, my wife and I agreed to read completely through our Bibles this year. It's such an encouragement and a blessing to have someone to share this journey with.
I started browsing through my "Holy Bible" app on my iPhone and it had a section for various Bible reading plans. One by one, I read through their summaries taking mental notes of each one. I immediately eliminated plans that took exactly a year to complete. It was already January 5th which meant that if I started one of those full-year plans, I'd already be 5 days behind schedule. And to be fair to myself, there will be those days where I probably won't be able to complete my readings.
Then there were those plans that were 90-day bull rushes. Yeah right! I knew right away that I'd have no shot at completing those plans. I'm not much of a reader to begin with and I read slower than Mike Lowell on the base paths.
There were other plans that would have taken a bit longer to follow but were still pretty short because they omitted one of the testaments. However that clearly violates my goal of reading the entire Bible.
And then I read the description of Professor Horner's Bible Reading Plan. It lasts 8 months so I should complete this goal with time to spare. This also allows time for those days where I don't read as much. The basic idea is to quickly read through a single chapter from 10 different books each day. The next day, you read the next chapter from the same 10 books and so on. Some books are much shorter than others so when you complete one book, you are given a new one.
After one day and 10 chapters later, I really like this approach. In the past, I've always started at Genesis and read as far as I could. But Genesis is a beast! And after a certain number of those larger books, I missed out on all of the other treasures that remain undiscovered because I never got to them. What I like about Professor Horner's plan is that it's about breadth instead of depth. I'll get to familiarize myself with 10 books each day. 10 is a nice round number and that appeals to my OCD-ness. Instead of trying to internalize everything, I'll just focus on reading and let God reveal what He wants me to see. By the end of this plan, hopefully I'll know enough about each of the 66 books that I can go back and study my favorites more deeply.
10 chapters down. 1179 more to go. 0.4% complete.
My Wrist
I was at a loss of what to blog about next when my friend, Chit recommended that I update everyone on my wrist. For those who don't already know, I hurt my left wrist playing Ultimate Frisbee a few days before Halloween. I was running after someone and my legs got caught up with my friend who was on the other team and I fell hard on the pavement. I tried to soften the fall as best I could with my hands and even ninja rolled after the impact. After I got up though, I knew it wasn't going to be pretty but adrenaline was still flowing so we finished playing the game. After the game was over, the adrenaline wore off and I couldn't really move my wrist. After a visit to the ER, some x-rays, and a talk with the doctor, I was diagnosed with a "FOOSH" (fall on out-stretched hand) injury...aka a sprained wrist. They gave me a protective brace to wear for a few days to help immobilize the wrist to help it heal. Checking account: -$75...ouch...
Well about a week or two after that, the wrist was feeling much better considering how much it hurt originally. But it still wasn't quite right so I scheduled a visit with an orthopedic to take a closer look. He took some more x-rays and told me that he didn't see anything broken so it's probably just a sprained wrist. The wrist should continue to get better with more time. Checking account: -$20.
3 weeks later, I returned for a followup visit and the wrist was still bothering me. Another set of x-rays were taken and again I was told that there's probably nothing broken and that the wrist should get better with time. He said to call back for another appointment if the wrist is still bothering me after 6 weeks. That's 2 weeks from today. Checking account: -$20. Sigh.
So that brings us to today. It's been nearly 2 and a half months since the fall and my wrist still hasn't completely healed. It really doesn't bother me most of the time. I could probably still play Ultimate Frisbee right now if it wasn't so cold outside. Anyways, just when I think it's healed, I do something routine and get reminded that it's still injured.
In years past, whenever I went to the orthopedic, they'd order up an MRI. Then I'd get to nap on a table for an hour, and then find out what's wrong with me a week later. Instead, health insurance companies are making it nearly impossible to get these kinds of diagnostic services performed without jumping through hoops. Why? It hurts their profits. Every time an MRI is prescribed, they have to pay for them. Some doctors over-prescribe these services. Some doctors are "persuaded" to refer as many patients as they can to certain MRI centers whichovercharge bill the insurance companies and in return get some kickbacks. Health insurance companies won't pay for MRIs unless they feel they are absolutely necessary. I get that. They are a business after all. I'm shaking my fist at them but I used the hand that hurts...
Well about a week or two after that, the wrist was feeling much better considering how much it hurt originally. But it still wasn't quite right so I scheduled a visit with an orthopedic to take a closer look. He took some more x-rays and told me that he didn't see anything broken so it's probably just a sprained wrist. The wrist should continue to get better with more time. Checking account: -$20.
3 weeks later, I returned for a followup visit and the wrist was still bothering me. Another set of x-rays were taken and again I was told that there's probably nothing broken and that the wrist should get better with time. He said to call back for another appointment if the wrist is still bothering me after 6 weeks. That's 2 weeks from today. Checking account: -$20. Sigh.
So that brings us to today. It's been nearly 2 and a half months since the fall and my wrist still hasn't completely healed. It really doesn't bother me most of the time. I could probably still play Ultimate Frisbee right now if it wasn't so cold outside. Anyways, just when I think it's healed, I do something routine and get reminded that it's still injured.
In years past, whenever I went to the orthopedic, they'd order up an MRI. Then I'd get to nap on a table for an hour, and then find out what's wrong with me a week later. Instead, health insurance companies are making it nearly impossible to get these kinds of diagnostic services performed without jumping through hoops. Why? It hurts their profits. Every time an MRI is prescribed, they have to pay for them. Some doctors over-prescribe these services. Some doctors are "persuaded" to refer as many patients as they can to certain MRI centers which
Monday, January 4, 2010
My First Post
Hey everyone! Being that this is the first post, I wanted it to be special. I wanted it to be clever, well-written, humorous, and just be fun to read. But the more I thought about it, I realized that I really have no clue what to write about. You should always try to make a great first impression but I'm already feeling the pressure before I've even written a single word. So being the OCD person that I am, I googled "first blog post tips" and I got back several hits which pretty much recommended answering the same 4 questions so here goes...
Who are you?
Well, I consider myself a pretty normal guy trying to live the classic American dream. I'm married to the most beautiful and loving wife and we're anxiously expecting our first child in May. We also have two wonderful cats as part of the family. I'm a Christian and it's still a work in progress living in this world of ours. I consider myself to be pretty level-headed but I also have strong opinions on many things. I have many interests so I enjoy learning a little bit abouteverything anything nothing, which can sometimes come off a bit as "know-it-all-ism"...but I'm working on that. I love sports and am a huge Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox fan (and in that order). I'd like to think that I have a pretty good sense of humor but my wife may tell you otherwise whenever I tell a "Dad" joke. I'm also probably the most OCD person in the world but I just like things to be organized and consistent.
Why are you blogging?
I've always enjoyed expressing myself and I've had websites in the past. But updating them was tedious work and not very rewarding. I don't want to start some sort of web portal where I share links of interest. There are a million other sites that do that. But the Internet is sometimes a pretty boring place. I'm one of those people who enjoysobsessively religiously reading my friends' statuses on Facebook or reading their blogs just to see what they're up to. Is it a little weird? Yeah, probably. So part of starting this blog is to share my thoughts and feelings to anyone who might want to read them. Maybe I can make someone's day just a little bit less boring.
Also, sometimes when I go back and read some of the old things I've written, I ask myself, "Is this who I am? Is this how I want to be remembered?" I sure hope not. I'm not always proud of everything I've ever said or done in my life. I sure wouldn't want to expose my kids to that kind of stuff. But Romans 3:23 says that, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God[.]" No one is perfect and it's a new year. The days where I was Thoticus, Daryl Wojchikowski, and of course Trinhbo are long gone. Here's my chance to help redefine who I am. Maybe one day when I look back at these posts many years from now, I'll get to see a servant living for the Lord, a husband selflessly loving his wife, a father respected and loved by his kids, and a person that his friends adore.
What will you be blogging about?
I think this blog will contain a little of everything that's on my mind. Sports, TV, movies, music, religion, politics, life...anything. I'll try to share as much as I can without getting into too many specifics because ofthe creepy people out there privacy concerns. Hopefully you'll get to celebrate in life's triumphs and laugh at wallow with me in those failures. No matter where this journey takes us, hopefully it'll be a fun ride.
How I can leave feedback?
You can always leave comments to the blog posts. Feedback is always welcome so feel free to comment on things that I've written about. And if you even disagree with me, that's even better...but you'll be wrong. :)
Who are you?
Well, I consider myself a pretty normal guy trying to live the classic American dream. I'm married to the most beautiful and loving wife and we're anxiously expecting our first child in May. We also have two wonderful cats as part of the family. I'm a Christian and it's still a work in progress living in this world of ours. I consider myself to be pretty level-headed but I also have strong opinions on many things. I have many interests so I enjoy learning a little bit about
Why are you blogging?
I've always enjoyed expressing myself and I've had websites in the past. But updating them was tedious work and not very rewarding. I don't want to start some sort of web portal where I share links of interest. There are a million other sites that do that. But the Internet is sometimes a pretty boring place. I'm one of those people who enjoys
Also, sometimes when I go back and read some of the old things I've written, I ask myself, "Is this who I am? Is this how I want to be remembered?" I sure hope not. I'm not always proud of everything I've ever said or done in my life. I sure wouldn't want to expose my kids to that kind of stuff. But Romans 3:23 says that, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God[.]" No one is perfect and it's a new year. The days where I was Thoticus, Daryl Wojchikowski, and of course Trinhbo are long gone. Here's my chance to help redefine who I am. Maybe one day when I look back at these posts many years from now, I'll get to see a servant living for the Lord, a husband selflessly loving his wife, a father respected and loved by his kids, and a person that his friends adore.
What will you be blogging about?
I think this blog will contain a little of everything that's on my mind. Sports, TV, movies, music, religion, politics, life...anything. I'll try to share as much as I can without getting into too many specifics because of
How I can leave feedback?
You can always leave comments to the blog posts. Feedback is always welcome so feel free to comment on things that I've written about. And if you even disagree with me, that's even better...but you'll be wrong. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)