Thursday, December 28, 2006
Yuck.
Tonight I found out that I have a higher quality TV set than I thought. I flipped past CNN Headline News long enough to see Glenn Beck interviewing Nancy Grace. I thought that potent a combo of annoying, self-righteous condascension would be enough to melt the studio, satellite, cable box and my TV. Bravo Sharp for building a TV that can withstand that unfortunate pairing.
Joe Photo
I have been having a lot of fun with my digital camera since purchasing it earlier this year. I finally decided to figure out how to upload the pics to my page. So, I'll probably throw post some now and again. They are by no means artistic, just stuff I find neat or fun.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas
A quick shout out to Baby Jesus , the real Reason for the Season. But there are other reasons to love the season. Among them:
Holding mistletoe over inapproriate body parts and hoping for the best.
Hearing words that , while perhaps not distinctly Christmas-y, are rarely used other times of the year- yule log, good tidings, jingle, manger, frankincense.
Watching the Chinese dudes sing "Deck the Halls" in A Christmas Story. Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra- ra-ra!
Counting your blessings, which this year include:
-My smart, talented wife Amanda
-A dedicated support network of family and friends (Some of whom even read this blog). I appreciate you all very much.
-A new job.
-Amanda and I have reconnected with old friends (Elisa, Jody and Matt and their families) and made new ones (Angela and her boys).
May you all have a warm and happy Christmas day.
Holding mistletoe over inapproriate body parts and hoping for the best.
Hearing words that , while perhaps not distinctly Christmas-y, are rarely used other times of the year- yule log, good tidings, jingle, manger, frankincense.
Watching the Chinese dudes sing "Deck the Halls" in A Christmas Story. Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra- ra-ra!
Counting your blessings, which this year include:
-My smart, talented wife Amanda
-A dedicated support network of family and friends (Some of whom even read this blog). I appreciate you all very much.
-A new job.
-Amanda and I have reconnected with old friends (Elisa, Jody and Matt and their families) and made new ones (Angela and her boys).
May you all have a warm and happy Christmas day.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Back Again.
I'm back from another out of town training gig, so here are a few notes from last week:
*Saw an ad for Daytona 500-Fragrance for Men. Because nothing is sexier than smelling like burnt tires and exhaust. I hope my stocking is stuffed with a few bottles (or maybe it comes in a gas can).
*While trying to kill some time by walking through the giant Towson Town Center mall, I passed a store called Leather Man. It took a large chunk of self control to not walk in and ask for Marv Gomez.
*Can we please put a toe tag on the latest incarnation of Family Feud? J. Peterman isn't awful (and he's way better than the wooden Richard Karn), but that show stinks overall. Bone-headed contestants, WWF-style fake posters planted in the audience and some bloody awful questions have made the show difficult to watch. Dispatch Awesome Dawson from the Game Show Hall Of Fame or put this thing on ice for good.
*While dozing in the hotel room, half-watching MSNBC I hear Keith Olbermann mention Wednesday's "Worst Person in the World" is from Salisbury, MD. With a cringe I sit up and listen how a middle school teacher made three students pee in a bottle in the back of class because they were not allowed to go the bathroom unattended and no one answered the teacher's call for an attendant. Wow. A soda bottle? Seriously? Drink it all in here. Now, I know that misbehaving kids caused the policy change and that teachers may have a tough call about who really has to go to the bathroom, but you CANNOT make kids piss in bottles in the back of the classroom. There is a time when common sense must outweigh policy. Hey, but any publicity is good publicity, right Salisbury?
*Finally, after two weeks on the road I realized how much I love being home. I couldn't travel routinely for a living. You spend a week immersed in someone else's environment. It's sort of surreal; everyone else is in their normal routine, but your life (besides work) is in a kind of suspended animation. I know some guys who enjoy it. Maybe they don't have wives to miss or don't miss their wives, but I wouldn't enjoy living out of a suitcase for extended periods of time. My sweet, beautiful wife makes home a fantastic place to be. Thank God she came along and rescued me from a life of solitude.
*Saw an ad for Daytona 500-Fragrance for Men. Because nothing is sexier than smelling like burnt tires and exhaust. I hope my stocking is stuffed with a few bottles (or maybe it comes in a gas can).
*While trying to kill some time by walking through the giant Towson Town Center mall, I passed a store called Leather Man. It took a large chunk of self control to not walk in and ask for Marv Gomez.
*Can we please put a toe tag on the latest incarnation of Family Feud? J. Peterman isn't awful (and he's way better than the wooden Richard Karn), but that show stinks overall. Bone-headed contestants, WWF-style fake posters planted in the audience and some bloody awful questions have made the show difficult to watch. Dispatch Awesome Dawson from the Game Show Hall Of Fame or put this thing on ice for good.
*While dozing in the hotel room, half-watching MSNBC I hear Keith Olbermann mention Wednesday's "Worst Person in the World" is from Salisbury, MD. With a cringe I sit up and listen how a middle school teacher made three students pee in a bottle in the back of class because they were not allowed to go the bathroom unattended and no one answered the teacher's call for an attendant. Wow. A soda bottle? Seriously? Drink it all in here. Now, I know that misbehaving kids caused the policy change and that teachers may have a tough call about who really has to go to the bathroom, but you CANNOT make kids piss in bottles in the back of the classroom. There is a time when common sense must outweigh policy. Hey, but any publicity is good publicity, right Salisbury?
*Finally, after two weeks on the road I realized how much I love being home. I couldn't travel routinely for a living. You spend a week immersed in someone else's environment. It's sort of surreal; everyone else is in their normal routine, but your life (besides work) is in a kind of suspended animation. I know some guys who enjoy it. Maybe they don't have wives to miss or don't miss their wives, but I wouldn't enjoy living out of a suitcase for extended periods of time. My sweet, beautiful wife makes home a fantastic place to be. Thank God she came along and rescued me from a life of solitude.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Quick Hits
I haven't posted lately because I have been out of town for a week training for My New Employer. I hope to post more regularly again shortly (when I'm settled into my new position). Until then here are some quick hits from the past few days:
I have never gotten into My Name Is Earl , but I watched this past Thursday's episode while in the hotel. Maybe it was five days on the road or the stuffy recycled hotel room air-I laughed my ass off. I think I am a convert. "To the Field of Rakes!"
Brief Movie Review #1:Before I left for my trip, My Wife and I caught Casino Royale. Bond is back, baby. Even though Connery sets the standard and I grew up with Roger Moore, I really liked Daniel Craig. He kicks butt, doing some action work that wouldn't have been believable with his predecessors. His Bond is both introspective and vulnerable, another departure from previous incarnations. Without giving away anything, know this- This movie has the best "hero climbs the side of the truck" scene since Raiders of the Lost Ark and some of the signature "Bond" elements are delivered in dynamite fashion.
Brief Movie Review #2: I thoroughly enjoyed Stranger Than Fiction. It is a little different than you might expect from the previews; it's more serious than I thought it would be. Wil Ferrell's understated performance grounded the movie letting Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson dive into funny, eccentric characters. Toss in the sweet performance of Maggie Gyllenhal and you've got a clever, character driven film.
I have never gotten into My Name Is Earl , but I watched this past Thursday's episode while in the hotel. Maybe it was five days on the road or the stuffy recycled hotel room air-I laughed my ass off. I think I am a convert. "To the Field of Rakes!"
Brief Movie Review #1:Before I left for my trip, My Wife and I caught Casino Royale. Bond is back, baby. Even though Connery sets the standard and I grew up with Roger Moore, I really liked Daniel Craig. He kicks butt, doing some action work that wouldn't have been believable with his predecessors. His Bond is both introspective and vulnerable, another departure from previous incarnations. Without giving away anything, know this- This movie has the best "hero climbs the side of the truck" scene since Raiders of the Lost Ark and some of the signature "Bond" elements are delivered in dynamite fashion.
Brief Movie Review #2: I thoroughly enjoyed Stranger Than Fiction. It is a little different than you might expect from the previews; it's more serious than I thought it would be. Wil Ferrell's understated performance grounded the movie letting Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson dive into funny, eccentric characters. Toss in the sweet performance of Maggie Gyllenhal and you've got a clever, character driven film.