Archi-blog-o

Choose Your Candidate

2012-01-08T21:26:00.000-05:00

You decide what your positions are on a variety of subjects, then it identifies which current candidate for president comes closest to your own positions.

Be sure to adjust what issues are most important to you with the sliding scales on the left of the page:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/candidate-match-game

World Leaders Make Out!

2012-01-06T17:29:00.000-05:00

Benetton has a funny ad campaign called Unhate that shows adverserial world leaders kissing. Very nice Photoshopping.

See more here.

Arrest

2012-01-03T14:36:00.001-05:00

In Downtown Crossing just now, there were 5 bicycle cops gathered together on the sidewalk beside a police car with its lights flashing. A small crowd was gathering around the police car where there was someone handcuffed in the back. A lady, presumably the arrested person's friend, turned to the 8-10 person crowd and said, "There's someone in there, and it ain't nobody's business....unless they call you!"

I have to say, she hit the nail on the head. Probably comes with experience.

Insufferable

2011-12-28T13:49:00.000-05:00

There is NOTHING I can stand about Rachel Maddow. She is caustic, bilious, pompous and sarcastic.

She is unable to deliver any news about the political race without snarking about it while so obviously reading the teleprompter. I don't think I have ever heard her deliver an extemporaneous phrase. In fact, she often trips over words, then goes back a word or two. Disjointed speaking while simultaneously putting on a sarcastic, holier-than-though tone. Ugh and ick.

Today Show's Ann Curry Says F*ck You!

2011-12-09T13:49:00.000-05:00

Just kidding. My video player got stuck on this image and I couldn't help but think it.

Don't Be Stupid, Get The Most Meat

2011-11-22T15:40:00.002-05:00

Educational and funny in a not-meant-to-be-funny kind of way.

Brave Gecko

2011-11-15T16:41:00.001-05:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Stewart On Fire

2011-11-02T11:08:00.000-04:00

Many laugh out loud moments in this clip.

Sausage on your pie
Black walnuts
Schmidt Schmomney
"It was a JOKE....Let's-do-it."
"And for my fourth point, I refer you to points 1 through 3.....Nailed It!"
Cain's smile at the end of his ads
David after the dentist comparison to Perry's NH talk

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Holy Sh*t!

2011-10-28T16:50:00.004-04:00

You might have to wait through a 15-second ad, but it's worth the wait.

Condit Dam -- White Salmon River

2011-10-27T09:51:00.003-04:00

Gorgeous footage of how Pacific Corp decommissioned the 12-story Condit Dam in Vancouver, WA to make way for spawning white salmon. Pacific Corp decided to decommission the 98-year old dam instead of building a cost-prohibitive fish ladder.

What's sort of funny is how in the beginning of this video, the fisheries guys say the salmon are "extremely fragile" and need to be handled gently or they could die. Then we see over the course of the video them measuring the salmon and scraping its eye with the measuring tape, guy bumping a netted salmon on the lip of a container, and then an explosive release of water that SHOOTS the salmon head over tail into another section of the river.

Another surprise is how a resident of the Northwestern Lake was so positive about how the dammed lake was now being changed to a river. When she was identified as a lake home owner, I thought for sure she'd have misgivings. I wonder how long Pacific Corp had to search to find a homeowner who was a proponent of this project.

Tax Nirvana

2011-10-25T17:27:00.000-04:00

I'm cannot claim I'm a Rick Perry fan, but his announcement today about a flat 20% tax while maintaining or expanding existing deductions is making me salivate. He was smart to put out a sample one-page, official-looking tax form to show how easy it would be for a typical family to file their taxes.

Here is a readable PDF version: http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Sections/NEWS/A_Politics/111025_PerryPlan.pdf

One thing that worries me about his plan is that he wants to eliminate the social security tax. With so many Gen X folks having paid so much into SS, eliminating the tax would seem to hasten its demise, robbing us of benefiting from a lifetime of contributions.

In any case, this should help move the tax debate along, which is always a good thing.

Unusual and interesting art

2011-09-02T13:42:00.000-04:00

See an MSNBC slide show of an artist who paints real life models to look like a painting.

Media Tries to R.I.P Ron Paul

2011-08-16T14:19:00.000-04:00

Go Jon! Go Ron!

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

My Sons' Favorite Hobby

2011-07-21T00:49:00.004-04:00

The Artwork I Commissioned

2011-07-20T11:58:00.001-04:00

A couple of months ago I became aware of an artist in Tulsa, Oklahoma named Celeste Vaught. A local Natick painter had linked to Celeste's site from her blog. When I saw Celeste's painting, Sunset Fence, from her Taos series, and her wonderful Hopper-esque paintings from her Urban series, I was inspired to inquire if she would paint one of my favorite photos from Flickr.

Now some reference images to keep you on track...

Celeste Vaught. See her site here.

Her painting, "Sunset Fence"

Her painting, "Rainy Night", a Hopper-esque sample from her Urban series:

Baies Vitrées, the Flickr photo I had found:

OK, now that you're up to speed, I hope you see why I chose Celeste to paint the Flickr photo. I contacted her via e-mail and she said, "That is a lovely photo and of course I'd be happy to paint it if you can secure permission." That started a 3-week process of securing permission from the Flickr user who lives in Belgium (I believe).

In the meantime, I worked with Celeste via e-mail and phone about what kind of paint would be best to achieve a rich and moody look. We decided on acrylic paint (instead of oil or pastels), ampersand board for a smoother look than what stretched canvas would provide, and talked about what I'd like to emphasize or play down, such as darkening and smoothing the field, and emphasizing the berries and sky. She then sent me a small charcoal drawing that she called a "value sketch" along with stripes of colors she planned to use.

I asked her to adjust the value sketch to make the tree smaller and give more emphasis to the sky. Within an hour, she sent me a new sketch with notes about the changes we had talked about.

I then gave her the green light to begin. A week later, she sent me an e-mail saying the painting was at a stage where she was happy with it and asked if I had any requests for minor adjustments.

I told her I loved it, that she got all the colors and mood right, but that I was distracted by what looked like a broken joint of a branch very prominent against the dark sky. I asked if she could soften that, and 20 minutes later she sent me a scan of the adjusted painting that she had entitled "Passing Storm", and we called it final.

She varnished it and sent it to me. I was so pleased with everything that I told Celeste I'd be happy to act as a reference, or provide a testimonial.

Oh, and I had consulted with her on a frame, and she said she liked the one I chose. Here is a terrible photo of it in it's frame the day it arrived in my office (it's much darker and richer in person). Colleen and I are trying to find the perfect spot for it in our home, and we're leaning toward redoing our bedroom and using this as the inspiration.

A couple of days ago Celeste e-mailed to ask if I'd provide a testimonial for a new section on her web site, and if she could feature the painting and process. I was happy to do that, and today that section went live on her Commissions page and Testimonials page. See her site for those items, as well as available works and past works. You'll see her style is eclectic -- it's fun to see such a traditional looking painting such as "Passing Storm" with her pen and ink flower paintings. BTW, "Sunset Fence" is available for $300 framed and shipped.

The Voice's Dia Frampton vs. Metric's Emily Haines

2011-06-30T17:58:00.001-04:00

I caught the semi-finals and final show of The Voice and was really impressed by the production quality, the guest singers, and, well, the voices. I was rooting for Dia Frampton after her stellar duet with her coach, Blake Shelton, and then her original song, Inventing Shadows. Check them out. It wasn't until the next day when my iPod was on shuffle and it got to Metric that I realized why I like Dia so much. Her voice is almost indistinguishable from Emily Haines'. They both have that little girl lilt to their voice that fades into something stronger.

Compare her sound to Emily's:

Wiffle!

2011-06-30T15:59:00.002-04:00

Next time Grady goes to the barber, I'll know what to ask for . . .

Amusing content from the WSJ today. My favorite rules are 11, 15 and 20.

The Wall Street Journal

The 22 Rules of Backyard Wiffle

by Jason Gay
June 30, 2011

The Fourth of July weekend is almost here, when we gather together and celebrate the invention of the outdoor grill by Founding Fathers Ben Franklin and Ryan Seacrest. I'm not schmancy enough to dispense culinary advice—though you may want to flip over that steak, or sausage, or locavore unicorn, or whatever it is—but it's important to have a Fourth of July game, too. And that game is not drunk-on-rum Scrabble. It's Wiffle ball—the reason plastic and beer were invented. Here are the rules of Fourth of July Wiffle ball:

1. It's not a real Wiffle ball game unless you can break a window. Or windows.

2. The perfect Wiffle ball field needs a wall, a fence, a tree, or a sunburned uncle lying prone in the outfield—just something—to smack the ball over for a home run.

3. Use a Wiffle ball, original brand. Don't be the guy who saves two bucks with the discount "plastic outdoor baseball orb with "Reel-Kurve-Action"—then watches it shatter into 11 pieces on a routine fly out.

4. Buy a backup ball. Don't buy more than two backups—part of Wiffle fun is the panic when you think you can't find the last ball, meaning the game will be over and you're really going to have to watch the slideshow of your sister's vacation to Patagonia.

5. Skinny yellow bats only—no taping, weighting, or curving it under a heat lamp. The fat red bat your nephew just got for his 1st birthday? Put it back in the crib. Jeez.

6. Anyone can play in your Wiffle ball game. Mom can play. Dad can play. All the kids can play. Skittles the Labradoodle can play. Okay, Skittles give back the Wiffle ball. Skittles! Mom call Skittles.

7. Grandma can be second base and Grandpa can be third. Hold still, guys!

8. If you play Wiffle ball in a public setting, be warned: the public can join. See that shirtless guy with headphones roller skating to Andy Gibb? Meet your new first baseman.

9. You know that fast-pitch Wiffle craziness you can find on YouTube, with the fratty dudes in uniforms hurling it 84 miles an hour? That's not Wiffle ball. That's unchecked male aggression and most of those players wind up in prison or public office.

10. To that point: no high-speed pitching! Everyone should be able to hit. You are in the backyard with a Michelob in your hand, and you do not care about your earned-run average, Mr. Halladay!

11. Yes you can throw your super-awesome curve ball. But throw it fat and slow over the plate. Like a 2011 Astro.

12. If someone shows up to the game in eye black and a VARITEK or POSADA jersey—pat them on the head, point them to the driveway and call a cab and then the police.

13. Two outs an inning. You want to finish before the mosquitoes, yes?

14. There's no such thing as a "walk" or a "balk" or a "Hit By Pitch" in Wiffle ball. Unless you hit Mom. Then she gets first base, and you need to make her a rum and coke.

15. Look at your team. Look at Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma. Look at Sarah, your niece in art school. Look at Ralph, your second cousin who sells bugs on the Internet. Congratulations, you're in better financial shape than the Los Angeles Dodgers.

16. Objects in play: that rosebush, that Datsun, that Richard Serra sculpture.

17. Decide what you're going to do about baserunners. I ran this by Josh Rubin of Brooklyn, one of the great Wiffle artists of his era, and he's firmly anti-baserunners. "I prefer marking hits and doing the simple math to calculate runs," Rubin says. (Personally, I like runners if there are 5-6 players, because you can throw the ball at a runner to record an out, and it's a great opportunity to settle old grievances with family and friends.)

18. Here's how Josh plays without runners: "Anything on the ground is an out. A single: in the air past the pitcher. Double: lands in front of outfielders but has to be kind of a shot. Triple is over the heads of the outfielders." A home run is over whatever your "fence" is. Runners are imaginary, like in Mariners games.

19. If there's someone from New England in your game they will spend at least five minutes explaining how growing up in New England, there was no such thing as a "a crew cut" or a "buzz cut"—you just went to the barber and asked for a "Wiffle." It's not an interesting story, but it's harmless.

20. Don't get frustrated by flaky players. There is always someone who forgets what team they're on, who forgets what their turn is in the batting order, who is inside the house making a turkey sandwich when it's their time to hit. Don't get mad. Just roll with it, and imagine you are managing Manny Ramirez.

21. If the ball gets hit into poison ivy, just decide which person in your Wiffle ball group is the least-liked, and send that person straight in.

22. The game is over when you hear a window smash. Now everybody run.

Baseball Card Fun

2011-06-28T17:41:00.001-04:00

Amusing post on ModernMan.com. 12 Hilarious Old Baseball Cards.

Hoarder

2011-06-28T14:43:00.000-04:00

There are some things I just can't seem to get enough of.

Flashlights
Scissors
Batteries

It's hard to pass up a good deal on any of these even if we're well supplied. Anyone else?

Murderess

2011-05-26T17:00:00.002-04:00

I've watched a bit of the live stream of the Casey Anthony trial down in Orlando, FL and read some of the opening statements, and to me it's so clear.

MURDERESS:

Time Lapse at its Best

2011-05-11T10:54:00.000-04:00

A Quebecer named Dominic Boudreault recently completed a mesmerizing project called City Limits. He set up his camera at night along several east coast cities and countryscapes and let it capture the lights, vehicles, people, trains, boats and stars all in motion. He sped it up, added music and the result is so pleasing. It makes everything look like a living organism.

Click on any of the pictures to be taken to an HD version of his 3:28 video on Vimeo.

Magical Bosom

2011-04-11T16:56:00.000-04:00

Very funny SNL Digital Short. The clips they use are ecclectic and hilarious.

"My feet are wet"

2011-03-18T09:10:00.002-04:00

The innocent phrase at the end of this choked me up.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Destruction

2011-03-11T08:47:00.000-05:00

This Reuters picture of Natori City in northeastern Japan should become the defacto image that accompanies the word "destruction" from here on.

My thoughts are with the earthquake and tsunami victims today.

W.A.R.C.

2011-02-21T10:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was driving with my sons and we were behind several cars that were merging onto Rt. 9 in Natick. The driver two cars in front of me was super timid and didn't merge when everyone thought he would, causing the driver directly in front of me to jam on his brakes. I was going a bit too fast, and I saw that the pavement in front of me was wet and skimmed with ice. Uh oh. I fish-tailed twice and my tires screeched loudly.

Thankfully I came to a stop within inches of that SUV. The driver's wide eyes were looking at me helplessly in the rear view mirror.

My 8-year old started blaming the other driver, but I explained that I was going too fast and it was my fault.

He said, "We apologize random citizen" in an official tone, almost like Buzz Lightyear. Liam surprises me with his vocabulary pretty regularly, and this one made me really laugh.

OMG! Literally.

2011-02-07T15:26:00.003-05:00

My family and I were in church yesterday and my wife nudged me to look at a lady who was texting in the pew in front of us. My wife said, "Can you believe her?!!" I thought it was pretty bad. But...

About five minutes later, during the opening hymn, I saw the newly ordained deacon up on the alter smiling an uncomfortable smile and looking down. I followed his eyes, and what did I see? Our octogenarian priest, standing before us, supposedly leading us in the hymn, but instead TEXTING ON HIS PHONE.

To say I was shocked is an understatement. I was also extremely disappointed.

The Hacker

2011-01-07T16:54:00.002-05:00

Man, oh man. This had me in tears. Ed Bassmaster's best character yet.

Who Am I?

2010-12-13T13:01:00.003-05:00

Seeing a T.V. advertisement with Mark Harmon in it this weekend got me thinking about who I've been told I look like at varying times in my life.

In high school: Tom Cruise
In college: Mark Harmon
In my 30s: Doug Flutie, John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Theo Epstein

Definitely a type. Short dark hair, prominent eyebrows, and average height. I could take or leave these comparisons, but sometimes it's fun to hear what others think about your appearance. Other times, it's not.

Welcome Bitter Cold

2010-12-10T20:18:00.003-05:00

The one good thing about this bitter cold that has descended upon Boston lately is that it punishes the smokers. I relish in their hunched shoulders, squinted eyes and pattering feet as they take that unhealthy drag.

Black Dub (feat. Trixie Whitley and Daniel Lanois)

2010-11-15T13:49:00.004-05:00

I'm a subscriber to the Youtube channel nprmusic because each week they post an intimate performance or two from new and sometimes well-known artists. The bands come into the NPR offices in Washington, D.C. and perform at Bob Boilen's desk, hence the name of the series, Tiny Desk Concerts. Bob Boilen hosts the NPR show, All Songs Considered.

Every once in a while I am blown away by an act. The most recent is Black Dub, featuring Trixie Whitley, who has a soulful, resonant voice. She's sparsely accompanied by guitarist Daniel Lanois. The result is a powerful mix of jazz, blues and soul music. Typically not my cup of tea, but I can't argue with this result.

As luck would have it, Black Dub is playing in Boston tonight. But, seeing as I have a very early meeting tomorrow morning, the Tiny Desk Concert will have to suffice this time around.

If you have time for just one song, I think the highlight is Silverado, starting at the 5:00 mark.

Dag Gummit...Golly...Pull UP TAMMY!

2010-10-28T10:54:00.002-04:00

Bring 'Em Back

2010-10-06T10:35:00.005-04:00

The Red Sox need to sign Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez again, if only for the head rubbing shenanigans. The most surprising thing in these animated GIFs is that stone-cold J.D. Drew actually involves himself in off-the-field team moments.

(clicking the picture brings you to the animated GIFs)

Powerful Names

2010-09-27T09:43:00.002-04:00

My interest was piqued in the meaning of names by a project my son (who is in 4th grade) just completed. So, when I saw American Banker list the top 25 most powerful women in finance, I thought you might like to see what girl names get the most respect in a male-dominated profession:

1. Abigail
2. Abby
3. Nicole
4. Stacy
5. Barbara
6. Candace
7. Catherine
8. Muriel
9. Diane
10. Carla
11. Jane
12. Kathleen
13. Charlotte
14. Diane
15. Isabelle
16. Ruth
17. Liz
18. Elizabeth
19. Susan
20. Dominique
21. Margaret
22. Carla
23. Martina
24. Suzanne
25. Maria

Wyoming Scare

2010-09-14T19:55:00.002-04:00

I logged into MSNBC right now and had a bit of a jolt. My screen displayed a headline reading "Wyoming body may be missing Utah woman" and next to it was a picture of a zombie-like corpse. I thought the picture was attached to the story and I was ready to cry foul on their editors. Then I scrolled down a bit further and it became clear the picture was for a movie.

Wild Cat Mystery

2010-09-02T11:42:00.005-04:00

The kids were eating breakfast this morning around 6:40 when Grady frantically came to find me. "There's a coyote in our yard!" I ran and got the camera and zoomed in and said, "That's not a coyote, it's a cat."

Grady: "It's too big to be a cat."
Me: "I think you're right."

The animal was messing around in the fringes of our wetlands and then disappeared. I was bummed because I hadn't gotten a good photo to identify it.

Two minutes later, it emerged and walked down our neighbor's driveway. I told the kids to stay inside while I ran out and tried to get a close up. I was blown away when I finally got a good look at it.

It was so big for a cat and so wild looking. He stared me down with that icy gaze for about 30 seconds. When I moved a bit closer, he slinked away.

Only to turn around majestically:

I quickly posted these on my Flickr page with a WHAT IS IT? tag and e-mailed it to my family. I called my wife who had already left for work and she said a client of hers lives in a neighboring town and has a problem with fisher cats. I Googled fisher cats and saw they are dark brown and badger-like in appearance. Definitelly not the same as the beautiful creature I had just photographed.

A couple of hours later, my dad e-mailed me with some information a colleague of his passed his way. Turns out there is a breed of cat called a Chausie. It is a cross-breed of a domestic cat and a wild cat. Get this -- they act like dogs. They are loyal, loving, attentive, they come when called, they fetch, they like showers, and they even love smaller cats, dogs and kids.

First generation kittens are classifed as F1. Given an F1 looks like this monster......I'd estimate our local one to be an F3. Its head is kind of small, but its body is very puma-like.

We had new neighbors move in across the street and I'm guessing this is theirs. Our house has several acres of wetlands before the street, so considering Chausies love reeded landscapes, he probably thinks he moved to heaven. Our wetlands are loaded with snakes, frogs, birds, even some ducks now and then.

I hope he continues coming around because now that I know they are amicable, I'm going to try to befriend him.

UPDATE: The cat does not belong to the new neighbor, but he said he has seen it twice emerging from the wetlands across from his house (our wetlands), so I have renewed hope we'll run into him again.

Goodbye TV and Computer, Hello Freedom!

2010-08-31T08:11:00.006-04:00

Oh glorious August 31! This is the day Jonathan Franzen's long-awaited novel, Freedom, hits the bookshelves. I already have in my greedy little hands a first edition copy.

Franzen penned The Corrections back in 2001, and it instantly leapt into my top 5 books of all-time. (If you care to see what other books are at the top of my list, access my profile.

9 long years later and Franzen has released Freedom to spectacular reviews. Here's just a sample:

"Franzen isn't the richest or most famous living American novelist, but you could argue — I would argue — that he is the most ambitious and also one of the best. His third book, The Corrections, published in 2001, was the literary phenomenon of the decade. His fourth novel, Freedom, will arrive at the end of August. Like The Corrections, it's the story of an American family, told with extraordinary power and richness." (Lev Grossman, Time)

“Writing in prose that is at once visceral and lapidary, Mr. Franzen shows us how his characters strive to navigate a world of technological gadgetry and ever-shifting mores, how they struggle to balance the equation between their expectations of life and dull reality, their political ideals and mercenary personal urges. He proves himself as adept at adolescent comedy (what happens to Joey after he accidentally swallows his wedding ring right before a vacation with his dream girl) as he is at grown-up tragedy (what happens to Walter’s assistant and new beloved when she sets off alone on a trip to West Virginia coal country); as skilled at holding a mirror to the world his people inhabit day by dreary day as he is at limning their messy inner lives.” [Michiko Kakutani, New York Times]

“However similar Franzen’s novels might look from a distance, there’s always one key distinction: They’re populated by different people. Few modern novelists rival Franzen in that primal skill of creating life, of tricking us into believing that a text-generated set of neural patterns, a purely abstract mind-event, is in fact a tangible human being that we can love, pity, hate, admire, and possibly even run into someday at the grocery store. His characters are so densely rendered—their mental lives sketched right down to the smallest cognitive micrograins—that they manage to bust through the art-reality threshold: They hit us in the same place that our friends and neighbors and classmates and lovers do.” [Sam Anderson, New York]

"Also odd is the depth of Franzens brilliance. There isnt a page that goes by without insights you can mull over and sentences you can admire…But, forgive me, despite the brilliance, or maybe even because of it, I found the novel quite unappealing, maybe because every line, every insight, seems covered with a light film of disdain. Franzen seems never to have met a normal, decent, struggling human being whom he didn’t want to make us feel ever so slightly superior to. His book just has too much brightness and not enough color." [Alan Cheuse, NPR)

“While his contemporaries content themselves with small books about nothing much or big books about comics, Franzen delivers the massive, old-school jams. It's not that Franzen's prose makes other writers seem untalented; it's that he makes them seem so lazy, so irrelevant, so lacking in the kind of chutzpah we once expected from our best authors. Freedom doesn't name check War and Peace for nothing. It's making a claim for shelf space among the kind of books that the big dogs used to write. The kind they called important. The kind they called greats.” [Benjamin Alsup, Esquire]

For the next week, every moment I can steal will be spent reading Freedom.

End of August

2010-08-27T16:21:00.002-04:00

The end of August, the start of school. This time of year always gets me a bit wistful for the earlier days of summer. I could easily live in a climate that is summer-like all year long, so it surprises me that I enjoyed my 10 years in Oregon so much.

It led me to think about a post I did back in 2005 where I lamented the change of seasons, and posted my favorite poem that captures that feeling so well.

By W.S. Merwin

TO THE GRASS OF AUTUMN

You could never believe
it would come to this
one still morning
when before you noticed
the birds already
were all but gone

even though year upon year
the rehearsal of it
must have surprised
your speechless parents
and unknown antecedents
long ago gathered to dust
and though even the children
have been taught how to say
the word withereth

no you were known to be
cool and countless
the bright vision on all
the green hills
rippling in unmeasured waves
through the days in flower

now you are as the fog
that sifts among you
gray in the chill daybreak
the voles scratch the dry earth
around your roots
hoping to find something
before winter
and when the white air stirs
you whisper to yourselves
without expectation
or the need to know

Here is a nice little video of Merwin talking about how he got started in poetry:

Red Sox Brawls

2010-08-04T16:19:00.011-04:00

Boston.com has a great 17-page slide show & captions of the best Red Sox brawls over the years. The 2003 ALCS brawl with the Yankees, resulting in Pedro Martinez throwing a deranged Don Zimmer to the ground tops my list, followed closely by the Varitek/A-Rod scrum.

See slide show.

Who could ever forget Pedro Martinez's discarding of Yankees coach Don Zimmer? In the fourth inning of Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS Roger Clemens threw a high and inside pitch at Manny Ramirez, emptying the benches. An enraged Zimmer charged Martinez as both dugouts cleared.

The Yankees went on to beat the Red Sox in the game, 4-3, in a series they eventually won in seven games. Zimmer left Fenway that day in an ambulance, and offered a tearful apology for his behavior the next day.

The image that appears on countless computer screen-savers across New England: Sox catcher Jason Varitek feeds Yankees star Alex Rodriguez a glove sandwich that led to a raucous brawl during a pivotal July 2004 contest between the Yanks and Sox, a game Boston rallied to win on Bill Mueller's home run off Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.

Falling Apart

2010-08-04T09:38:00.003-04:00

Not sure what's happening, but it's been a weird health month for our family.

My oldest son is having surgery today to get his third set of ear tubes. UPDATE: Grady did great in surgery and is feeling 100% 2 days after.

Last night my youngest son was feeling sick last night and slept in my spot in bed next to my wife. I slept in the guest room to give him space. So, when I went to bed later than everyone, I used the guest bathroom so I didn't wake him up in our master bedroom. I turned the lights off before I left the bathroom, and forgot that I wasn't walking out of the master bathroom. 3 steps later, I tumbled headfirst down our flight of hardwood stairs. Cracked my head against the wall and bruised up my ankle and knee. Walking wounded.

Also, for the past 6 weeks, my voice has been raspy and kind of weak. For a couple of weeks it felt like I had to clear my throat often -- like I had a frog in it. Then I attended the WFNX Clam Bake all-day music festival and lost my voice because of excessive cheering, and it just hasn't healed since. So, tomorrow, I'm going to MGH to see an ENT specialist who will look at my vocal cords. My primary care physician didn't see anything in my throat to explain why my voice would still be raspy more than a month after the concert, so thinks I damaged my vocal cords. I'm hoping the ENT doctor finds the cords are just strained and not indicative of something more serious. UPDATE: I have papilloma on vocal cords, which is essentially warts. They are easily removed with laser surgery.

So, if you asked me "How are you doing?" I'd be like an old fart and actually tell you. Be glad you can just close my blog and be done with me.

Batman Pugman

2010-07-22T11:37:00.002-04:00

This made my wife and kids laugh this morning, so thought it might tickle you too.

R.I.P. Captain Phil Harris

2010-06-23T19:34:00.004-04:00

What an exemplary job the Discovery Channel did with last night's Deadliest Catch finale. Everyone watching knew the inevitable tragedy that was to take place on the Cornelia Marie, so the suspense was thick. Without Phil, nor his sons Jake and Josh, having the benefit of knowing the pending tragedy, I thought the last moments they had together were poignant. Looking through old pictures of themselves from 20 years ago, laughing at the memories. Keep in mind, this was just 19 hours after Phil's youngest son, Jake, was caught stealing Phil's medication and then coming clean that he was an addict.

For those not in the know, Phil Harris was the captain of the most successful crab boat in the Bering Sea, and was the star of the Discovery Channel's most compelling program, Deadliest Catch. Before this season started, we found out Phil had died, but I, for one, had not researched how it happened.

After unloading the crab at St. Paul's Island, Phil suffered a stroke. He was carried away on a stretcher, that was hoisted off the deck with the crab pot crane. The camera then shot to a black crow that had perched on the Cornelia Marie's railing, letting us viewers know this was Phil's final moments alive. As the ambulance raced away, the camera switched to a soaring eagle, and then switched the camera shot to one taken from a helicopter circling ever higher around the docked boat, signifying Phil was leaving this earth.

I was not dry in the eye, that's for sure.

WFNX Clam Bake

2010-05-19T17:22:00.002-04:00

Our local alternative music station here in Boston, WFNX, is holding its first annual Clam Bake Festival come Sunday June 27, where five bands play outside during the day in the shadow of Fenway Park on Lansdowne, and then three bands play inside the House of Blues after sundown.

I'm headed there with one of my best friends who I've been going to concerts with since my return to Boston in 2006, and I'm anticipating a sun-filled, beer sloshing good time. After all, the outside performance area is called The Budweiser Stage. I'm considering taking Monday off since the Clam Bake starts at 3:00 and I'm sure the inside shows won't end until after midnight.

I'll get to see one of my favorite bands, Nada Surf, for the second time in 2 months, and their other acts have had me scouring the Web for samples, and it looks to be a musically promising good time.

The line up outside: Matt & Kim, Gogol Bordello, The Silver Sun Pickups, Against Me!, The Henry Clay People,

Inside: Nada Surf, Metric, and Rogue Wave

Outside, I'm most excited to catch Matt & Kim based on this oddball, but infectious performance in their hometown of Brooklyn 2 years ago. I love how Kim so clearly LOVES playing music -- that smile is great.

Watch the full concert at baeblemusic.com

And, if you want to see a VERY interesting (stripping/nude) video, for which they won an MTV Video award, check this out. It's SFW, as everything is blurred.

Metric should be a good show too, if not a bit dreary. Reminds me of Garbage.

I'm filled with anticipation.

Stripped Kooks

2010-05-11T17:28:00.005-04:00

A few of you have told me how much you enjoyed the post of The Kooks in Paris when they performed the impromptu Ooh La song at that girls school. I thought you might like to see another of my favorite Kooks song, Shine On, performed at what looks to be a friend's backyard. I'm a sucker for intimate, stripped down performances.

For a more polished Kooks performance, with full band, check this out.

Zip-It Drain Tool

2010-05-07T16:59:00.004-04:00

You have got to see what comes out of this guy's drain!

Mango + Peach

2010-04-26T10:28:00.003-04:00

My 9-year old son went to a sleepover birthday party on Saturday and received a goody bag. When he got home, he asked to play XBox, and I said, "No, try to find something more creative to do."

So, he sulked off and ended up going through his goody bag. About 15 minutes later, he came and showed me a letter he had written. In the goody bag was a package of Extra gum, and he was studying the package and saw it included the address for the Wrigley Company.

His letter was perfect. He thanked them for making great gum, and suggested a new flavor: Mango + Peach. He had talked to his younger brother and asked him what flavor he would want, and included his request for Triple Blackberry, "if you don't already make that."

He explained he was a third grader and named his elementary school and wrote "if you want to write back, my address is ...."

I put the letter in the mail today and really hope for his sake they write back - even with a form letter or a coupon for gum. Who thinks he'll hear back?

The Bigsby Factor: He's Okay

2010-04-15T15:56:00.001-04:00

Oh man -- this blogger had me laughing/crying. His dog was having problems and found out that it had not been pooping. His camping metaphor is priceless.

The Bigsby Factor: He's Okay

New Music

2010-03-24T16:04:00.005-04:00

Rolling Stone had a nice review of a new band's debut album. Whenever they give an album 3.5 stars or more, I hop onto iTunes or YouTube to preview it. Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More got 3.5 and I fell in love with what I heard and promptly downloaded it.

Mumford & Sons are categorized as a folk band, but I'd argue they have an edge to them that doesn't let you pigeon-hole them into that genre. They are four 20-somethings from London, and in their interviews, they look like they're having the time of their lives.

They appeared on The Letterman Show a little while ago, and are starting to sell out their venues. The Middle East in Boston is a smaller-sized club, and I discovered them too late to get tickets to their May 14 show there. Craigslist is loaded with "I need Mumford tickets!" and eBay has one auction to the show for $80 a ticket. Face value is $25. So, I have a feeling they will be booking larger venues as their tour progresses.

Two of the highlights from Sigh No More are below.

In other music news, one of my old obsessions, Nada Surf, is coming to town and Colleen and I are going to take in the Saturday, April 3 show at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. The Dise, as it's called locally, holds about 800 people, all standing room, and its claim to fame is that U2 played their first U.S. show at The Dise in 1981.

My favorite song from Nada Surf:

These two bands may lead you to believe I'm all about acoustic folksy stuff, but that's not the case. Some of my other favorites: M.I.A, Green Day, Kings of Leon, The Clash, Japandroids, The Kooks, Modest Mouse, among others.

If you didn't click on The Kooks, here is the fun video. Makes me hope so much that my son, Liam, really pursues his love of music. How great would it be to get this kind of reaction just walking down the street?

Sunnova--

2010-03-17T10:57:00.002-04:00

Sudless

2010-03-15T17:32:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, about 10 minutes after I started the washing machine, Liam came upstairs and said he smelled something burning in the basement. Colleen and I went downstairs and thought it was the furnace, but our noses led us to the laundry room. The motor on the washing machine had burned out, leaving us with a washing machine full of clothes and water.

We bought the Kenmore Series 80 washing machine and dryer when we bought our first home back in Oregon in 1998. That's 12 years, with about 6 loads a week average (or over 3,700 loads) and just one or two service calls. Unmitigated success in my book.

So, I was totally with Colleen when she said, "Let's go look at some new ones -- it'll be fun." We agreed we should buy a new washer and dryer together so both would be on the same lifespan. As luck would have it, Sears was having a great sale on their appliances. 25% off and free pedestals for front loading machines.

We kind of went overboard. We bought Chili Pepper Red Kenmore Elite front loading machines, complete with steam cycles and all other sorts of great advanced settings. Link to the washer here and the dryer here.

The washer has a 4.5 cubic foot capacity, which is 47% larger than our Kenmore Super Capacity Plus washer from 1998. And, with the higher RPMs of the spin cycle, the dryer will not have to work as hard. Colleen is excited about the steam dryer, since a couple of times a week she uses the dryer to take wrinkles out of clothes. She has a convenient iron phobia.

They get delivered on Saturday, and they'll take the old washer away for $10. We're giving the perfectly functional dryer to my brother- and sister-in law for their house on Cape Cod.

With all the rain we've been receiving, almost the whole state is experiencing flooding problems. I got a call today from my town asking us to not do any laundry until futher notice, so as to not tax the sewers. Well, that'll be no problem.

On the rain note, our house is surrounded by wetlands. They usually are contained pretty well, and at low levels, but this 72 hours of rain have swelled them so much that they have taken over all the wooded areas. Our house is on a hill and not in any danger of flooding, so it's kind of fun to see our landscape change so much. I'll post pictures a bit later.

Let Thy Nightmares Commence

2010-02-25T12:53:00.001-05:00

Bud Light Clothing Drive

2010-02-04T17:23:00.002-05:00

Really funny Bud Light commercial.

Double Trouble and Gushers

2010-02-03T13:23:00.002-05:00

I was starting to get bored with the all pimp dressing guys that know they're going to be up on PeopleOfWalmart.com, so after a few days of taking a break, I was very pleased to be stifling my laughter at the candid Feb. 3 - Jan. 29 postings. A small sampling:

Double Trouble

Beware The Gush

Scott Brown Pimps Out His Daughters

2010-01-20T10:14:00.009-05:00

First let me disclose that I voted for Scott Brown in the Special Senate Race here in Massachusetts yesterday. I eagerly awaited his victory speech last night, but found some of it cringe-worthy. Take this moment:

That's his younger daughter, Ayla, who I have circled in red, reacting to Scott's proclamation that "Just in case anybody who's watching throughout the country, yes, they're both available." You can see his wife has a WTF?! expression on her face.

After the crowd kind of laughed nervously, he muttered, "Only kidding, only kidding. Arianna definitely is not available, but Ayla DEFINITELY is." His wife then shrieked to him, "Stop!" Then he took Ayla's arm and kind of presented it to the crowd making sure they knew who was the available one.

To see the clip, click play on the picture below. See if you can watch without cringing.

He recovered after that, and Ayla noticeably forgave him. The next time he went off script, he fist-bumped Doug Flutie and comedian Lenny Clarke during the USA! chants after making saying "Our tax dollars should pay for weapons to stop them [terrorists], and not lawyeres to defend them!"

So, it was a fun speech, but I found Scott Brown a bit shrill and giddy. Kind of drunk on victory. I know he's a hard worker, and I align nicely with his moderate social policies, but conservative fiscal and militay policies.

On to Washington, Scott! Good luck.

Battle of the Artists

2009-12-22T17:58:00.007-05:00

This is Milton and me. Milton goes to a a local Boston school that partners with my company in a Pen Pal program. The photo is from June 2009 when we all met for the first time at a luncheon. Milton is a great kid.

I was happy to be paired up with him again this year, his 5th grade year.

In a letter Milton sent to me this week, he drew me from the photograph. Gosh, I wish I had shaved closer that day in June, because it looks like Milton thinks I have a mustache. Overall, though, I think this is a very good drawing for a 5th grader -- I'd recognize myself if I saw this out of context.

I tried to return the favor, but I'm not sure if he'll like it. It's so hard drawing a face the correct shape. I think I made his face too long, but I like how I captured his mirth.

The drawing reminds me of what you'd see on the wall of a middle school. I think my portrait skills pretty much peaked in 7th or 8th grade. My cursive is that way too.

A decade in 7 minutes

2009-12-08T09:07:00.001-05:00

Newsweek compiled a quick-fire video that chronicles the important events of the last decade. Worth a watch.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/40211#?l=1753282802&t=47079697001

Raccoon anyone?

2009-11-25T09:34:00.004-05:00

Jim, at Sweet Juniper!, has a great post that shows some hand-painted signs in his Detroit neighborhood. In one, a crudely stenciled sign reads "Fresh Coons" and lists a telephone number. Jim provides a link to the DetroitBlog that profiles the guy who hunts raccoons, skins them and then sells them in plastic bags. If you want your stomach to turn at the site of a skinned, fatty, rat-tailed raccoon, head on over to the DetroitBlog posting about the raccoon hunter, Glemie Dell Beasley.

Wow! Can I Touch Them?

2009-11-24T17:33:00.000-05:00

Kitty At My Foot and I Wanna Touch It

2009-11-20T12:22:00.000-05:00

Diamond Cream

2009-11-17T16:11:00.003-05:00

From PassiveAggressiveNotes.com:

Beat Boxing Bird

2009-11-03T12:02:00.003-05:00

Check out this cool bird that makes so many electronic sounds, and then the baby mimics it very well. And then check out some of M13's other videos. He's a Canadian who lives in Taiwan and most of his videos are shot while riding his motorcycle. Strangely interesting and satisfying to be along on his rides. (the embedded video didn't seem to be working, so I pasted the URL that will take you there)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7WI8lVQchY

Mini-boom

2009-10-23T13:51:00.004-04:00

MSNBC juxtaposed a couple of headlines that seem inappropriate next to one another. The one on the left is about a huge gas facility explosion in Puerto Rico, which was foreshadowed by graffit stating "Boom, fire, RIP, Gulf." Next to it is a headline that says Mini-Boom in housing.

Yesterday on my way to CVS during lunch, a homeless guy was rattling some change in a cup to people who walked by - "Spare change please? Spare change?" Something about his "please" got to me, so on my way out of the store, I approached him and said in a semi-aggressive way: "I don't have any change for you!" He looked at me confused, until I said, "Because all I have is a $20 bill." When I put it in his cup, he embraced me and said, "God bless you sir." Despite the foul body odor that wafted into my nose during the hug, I was glad I did it.

"Screw 'em!" My buddy passed me a story of a 4-year old who has memorized the lines to the hockey movie, Miracle. His dad posted the kid's recitation of the locker room speech by Kurt Russell on YouTube, and it's hilarious. The link takes you to the story that includes the boy's video and the original Kurt Russell version. If you're not familiar with the movie, watch Russell's video before the kid's.

The Big Let Down X 3

2009-10-12T09:32:00.003-04:00

Wow, what a terrible Sunday for this fan. First, the Red Sox squander a two-run lead in the top of the ninth with two outs to end their season. Second, the Patriots lose in overtime to the Broncos after ceding a 10 point first half lead.

Things come in threes don't they?

Yes, they do.

I'm a fan of The Amazing Race and this season there really is only one team to route for - Zev and Justin. Zev has Asperberger's Syndrome, so is a bit slow, but he posseses a wry sense of humor. Justin is his friend and is perhaps the kindest contestant the Amazing Race has ever had. Zev and Justin met as camp counselors, and Zev interviewed that Justin befriended him and introduced him to his group of friends and just made him fit in. They were on the verge of elimination last week, but last night they vaulted to first place, only to realize Zev had lost his passport.

If contestants lose their travel documents, they must find them before the last team checks in. Since the race was tight the whole day, it was a foregone conclusion they would be eliminated. So, instead of sniping at one another and blaming each other for not keeping track of the passport, they calmly, though dejectedly, retraced their steps with the help of a cabby they had charmed with their kindness earlier in the day. Often eliminated teams will gripe, yell, cry, blame. Not these two. Real great guys to the end.

So who the heck am I going to route for now? The Yankees??!!!! Lance & Keri?!!!!!!!!!!!

Soothing

2009-09-30T14:28:00.001-04:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Pictures

2009-09-28T17:02:00.004-04:00

These picturs are on http://www.baconbabble.com/ which I discovered today courtesy of BeachBum.

The caption from baconbabble cracked me up: "No! Damn that! I see that, I don’t go get a can of Raid, or a shoe to kill them. I pack the fuck up, and move to Alaska or something. Damn that!"

This one reminds me of my son Liam. He's always doing things just a little bit differently than everyone, and often gets a lot of attention for it.

Yuck.

Desperate times call for desperate measures

2009-09-28T14:05:00.006-04:00

Check out this photo of the flood in the Philippines. Some very brave people chose to traverse the flood waters overhead on a tangled web of wires. I remember a particular wire in my neighborhood when I was a kid where a couple of times a year you'd find a squirrel completely fried, stuck to the wire in a grotesque pose. Obviously there was some kind of break in the insulation. And that was in a suburb of Washington, D.C. I can't imagine the not-to-code type of wiring that exists in the Philippines.

Crying about Modern Family

2009-09-23T21:22:00.005-04:00

I am crying laughing right now. Modern Family on ABC has practically brought me to my knees with laughter. The dad who thinks he's cool is so damn funny. His 1:1 camera time demonstrating how his eyes intimidate while his mouth is kind got me giggling and then when his back went out from slipping on the baby oil on the bannister while he was trying to implement the eyes/mouth thing to his daughter's boyfriend I lost it. Shortly after, when he was in the back yard shooting his son with the plastic pellet gun that his wife made him do when the son accidently shot his sister, and he says, "I'm not enjoying this son," and then his son asks, "Then why are you smiling?" hit me absolutely 100% in my funny bone. Tears shot out of my eyes.

I am hooked.

"Let's all chillax."

9/25/09 Update: The full episode is available for free on Hulu.com

Good for a few laughs

2009-09-17T16:38:00.004-04:00

People of Walmart

Samples:

Dreams Burst

2009-09-17T16:26:00.000-04:00

I was riding the T in Boston today and two teenage girls were talking near me. One said, "My mom always told me I was beautiful, but I let go of that fantasy once I got to junior high."

Funny and a bit sad.

20 Most Bizarre Craigslist Adverts of All Time

2009-09-09T15:50:00.002-04:00

6 & 7 are good, and 17 is hilarious. 17 reminds me of our neighbors when we first moved in. They had a cat who they said was "very nice, but just don't pet him - he bites."

From the Telegraph in London:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6157363/20-most-bizarre-Craigslist-adverts-of-all-time.html

Earlier this year the website agreed to drop its "erotic services" section over claims that it promoted pornography, but otherwise the unmoderated, anything-goes ethos on which its success was built continues.

Below we present a selection of some of the most bizarre adverts, requests and personals listed on the site - from the elderly woman looking for a lodger to live in her bathroom, to the man selling 1,300 Pope hats.

While some were undoubtedly posted as pranks, they still reflect the spirit of a website that proudly keeps itself open to all internet life.

1) Ralph Nader chair
"Yes, that's right. Ralph Nader, perennial Green Party candidate for the U.S. presidency MAY have sat in this very chair! It was used in his Washington, DC campaign headquarters until I purchased it on Craiglist several months ago. It has a nice red, commie upholstery and a sleek black plastic backing. The wheels don't function well, but that is a small price to pay for state control of the means of production."

2) I want some orange juice
"I'll give you $2 + cost if you'll deliver me some orange juice with receipt. I'm too lazy to get it myself. I live right by University Drive in Elon. Thank you."

3) Seeking adult drunk clown for 30th birthday party
"We need an Adult Drunk Clown who is good at getting drunk and stupid. No need to do any clown tricks, just hang out and drink a shit load. We will be hopping around to different bars and want a clown to tag a long and drink heavely. He doesn't even need to socialize with anyone, just drink."

4) Duck mask
"Full head rubber mask, old, has discoloration on white feather part from age, storage. Hey I got it on my big head, so it works that way."

5) Woman to sit in my bath tub full of noodles, wearing a bathing suit
"I will pay you $1 to sit in my bathtub full of noodles while you wear a one piece bathing suit. I will not be home, nor will anyone else while you do this. I will leave the key for you, and you will sit at your leisure. DO NOT bring any sauce. I will season the pasta after I return home prior to dinner."

6) Wanted: Pony
"My kid is having a birthday coming up soon, and there'll be a lot of children around, so I figured I'd better get a pony. If you do have a pony you could sell, please contact me, and then immediately start putting barbeque sauce in it's bedding or add some Lawry's to it's salt lick - I like to marinade it early and long, so that the flavor is at it's peak by the time I take possession."

7) I have a huge bathroom
"I am a female in my mid 60's and I am looking for a room mate. Times are tight and I need some extra money. I am willing to rent out my bathroom in my 1 bedroom east village home. My bathroom is large. You can easily put a twin air mattress in there. I only ask that when I need to use the bathroom, you or your air mattress are not in it. I do ask that when you are in the apartment, you confine yourself to the bathroom. I do not feel comfortable with a stranger walking around my living room. This might change as I get to know you better."

8) Pope hats
"Because of this terrible economy, I'm having to shut down my business. I have OVER 1300 Pope hats (replicas) that I REALLY need to get rid of. The pope hats came from China and are a little too small for most adult heads and are also irritating to the skin, so you would need to have long hair or wear a smaller hat underneath (just like the REAL POPE). Dogs do not like to wear these pope hats, but maybe a large cat or maybe a nice dog would wear one."

9) Need someone to hide easter eggs in my apartment when im not home
"I need someone to hide easter eggs in my apt when i am not there ! They are small and filled with candy! I would like to find them myself on sunday! I am willing to pay! Serious inquiries only!"

10) Free couch, if you can bend time and/or space
"I have a free couch for anyone who can get it back out of my room. It's a comfy couch, cool stripe velvet in great shape, impossibly uncomfortable sleeper, but otherwise easily worth $50-75 bucks in Craigslist land. So why am I listing in for free? Because I am pretty sure it is physically impossible to remove this thing from my second story bedroom down the narrow hallway, down the narrower staircase and out the front door of my little Victorian duplex."

11) I took your purse and felt a connection
"Tuesday night around 11:30. On 53rd btw 1st and 2nd. You came out of the subway and I followed you. You looked over your shoulder, saw me and started walking faster. I ran up, grabbed your arm, took your purse and ran away. I've done many a snatch-and-grab but no one has ever stuck in my mind like you. There was a quick moment when our eyes met that I felt something strong. I think you felt it too. If I wasn't so shy (or so committing a crime) I would have asked your name. I, of course, later got your name from your drivers license. So Jennifer if you'd like to get together for a drink sometime get back to me."

12) Looking for bridesmaids
"So, my fiancee and I are getting married in June. He has 8 groomsmen lined up and I only have one bridesmaid. So, I need some girls who are attractive and around my age to stand up in my wedding. You can be single or taken. It doesn't matter....you just have to be hot. But, not hotter then me. Email me for more information. The wedding will be in Madison and you won't have to pay for a thing."

13) Do you have a small, incontinent dog?
"Or perhaps you work for a small dog rescue of some sort. Either way, I have a package of small doggy diapers. I don't want to throw them out coz they are pretty expensive. (as someone with a small, incontnent dog would already know). Please don't try to put them on a cat. It won't work. Trust me."

14) My teeth
"I left my Dentures in your Silverado last night. I gave you my number but did not get yours. Please call me asap. I need my teeth. We met in the parking lot of Margarita Jones. Get back to me asap please. Thank you."

15) Disgruntled American seeks Canadian for political asylum, maybe more
"Are you a lonely, possibly desperate Canadian woman aged 18-50? Tired of trying to find a good man among your flannel clad, Labatt's drinking, moose hunting country men? Willing to take in an American who is fed up with his country? Then I'm the guy for you! Maybe you're a bit overweight or suffer from "Lifelong Ugly Duckling" syndrome. I don't care."

16) Autographed copy of Plato's Republic
"1st edition of The Republic signed by its author. There is of course a reasonable amount of wear and tear, (light highlighting and underlining, dog-eared pages, back cover missing, etc.), but it is in overall good condition considering its age."

17) Ferocious attack kitten
"This destructive kitty has been trained as a proud warrior and will fiercely defend your house, even against you. Has a very soft and furry belly, like a teddy bear - however he will bite your face if you try to touch it. For the love of God, someone please take this thing out of my house."

18) Free - international ketchup packet collection
"This is a collection of ketchup packets from around the world. approximately 25 countries are represented here, including japan, finland, estonia, greenland, brazil, and portugal. none of the packets have been opened and they are labeled with their home country. Collection comes in decorative box with ducks on it."

19) Personal texting assistant
"I get 40 - 50 texts an hour, I cant handle my workload plus texting responsibilities. My phone gets too full and needs deleted every couple hours. This is a full time position and you must be where ever I am at, because my phone is always with me. Serious inquiries only."

20) 300 stuffed penguins
"I'm going through a pretty weird time in my life right now--having just gone through a break-up and graduated college and temporarily living in my parents' house before I move out for good in in the fall, though I remain unemployed because my philosophy degree is at *such* a premium--and sifting through my room (which has become a strange amalgam of my adolescence and burgeoning adulthood), it's been brought to my attention that I probably won't "catch a man" or have anyone believe I'm about to turn 23 with 300 penguins and a bunch of purple furniture around, that looking at my current room one might think some sort of 13-year-old with developmental issues is living here."

Red Sox & Fenway Park

2009-09-09T10:18:00.003-04:00

We took our sons to their first Red Sox game last night and enjoyed a blow out win and beautiful weather.

Grady's birthday is in a couple of weeks, but this game made the most sense for our schedules, and it helped keep it a surprise for him. Colleen picked Grady and Liam up at the bus stop, worked from home for a little while, then told the boys she needed to run an errand with them. She had secreted away their Red Sox jerseys in the car earlier. It's about a 20 mile trek into the city, so they were full of questions along they way, wondering if we were going to visit Richard in the hospital, visit me at work, or what? Astute Liam saw the Citgo sign and asked if they were going to a Red Sox game. When Colleen let the cat out of the bag, they went crazy with excitement.

I was already in our seats in the bleachers at 6:00 (game time was 7:10) waiting for them to arrive. Colleen called when they were entering Fenway and a few minutes later Grady and Liam bounded up the steps and wrapped me in ferocious hugs. It was so nice.

The hour before game time flew by because they were soaking in Fenway. They spied Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy in their broadcast booth with the binoculars, marveled at the fact a lot of Red Sox players were socializing with the Orioles - "LOOK! They're FRIENDS!", scurried up to the last row to look out over the wall, and consumed pretzels and pizza before the first pitch was thrown.

The Red Sox hit 6 home runs last night in a 10-0 win over the Orioles, so it was a fun game for the boys. I would have preferred a closer, nail-biting game, but the fireworks at the plate are just what young boys want.

The bleachers contained a fun mix of families and drunk 20-somethings. Much nicer crowd than what I experienced back in the early 90s when groups of drunks would be taunting each other, fighting, making fun of all the hot dog vendors, and just generally causing havoc.

We were close to the group that was attempting to get the wave started, and once it did, Grady and Liam were thrilled when it lasted 5 times around Fenway. Liam, with his sharp voice, found his calling - he started the "Let's Go Red Sox!" chant and all of the bleacher-seat fans joined in. He was so proud. And, he felt responsible for Alex Gonzalez smacking a double off the lip of the Green Monster. Felt like he gave him the extra energy.

With the Sox up 10-0, we left at the end of the 7th inning, and the Sox made quick work of the top of the 8th, so we were able sing Sweet Caroline as we walked away from Fenway to our car.

The boys slept on they ride home, and woke with bags under their eyes this morning, but definitively claimed it was all worth it. I agree!

Pictures from last night are on my Flickr site (linked to on the right).

Japandroids

2009-09-08T11:48:00.004-04:00

Some unique, killer music I've stumbled upon. Just two guys in low-fi. Electric guitar and a drum set with some yelping/shouting vocal accompaniment. I can't quite put my finger on what appeals to me, but the tight drums and the jazz-like sympatico between the two guys makes it a fun listen (and a fun viewing).

The highlights are song 1, "Crazy/Forever," in part 1, and then song 2, "Young Hearts Spark Fire" beginning at the 4:03 mark in part 2. Both are from Japandroid's new album, "Post-Nothing."

Summer Hiatus

2009-08-18T09:03:00.005-04:00

It's been about a month since I last posted. It's because I've generally been working long hours and then decompressing at the beach each weekend.

It's made the summer go by lightning quick. But, let me pause to just give some updates:

My 6-year old son, Liam, started taking guitar lessons. He has quite an energetic and forceful personality, so we thought having him channel some of that energy into music would be beneficial. In fact, it was the Green Day concert that made Colleen think of this, because she said if Billy Joe Armstrong didn't have a music release, he might lead a destructive life. That got her thinking about Liam down the road. Plus, Liam is really musical -- picking up lyrics immediately, making up songs about everyday things, and being able to identify which band is playing a new song. He's had three lessons and the teacher who comes to the house is impressed with Liam's acumen. When I hear him practicing up in his room, it's a very nice sound. No careless strumming, instead, measured notes.

The Red Sox seem to be losing their identity. The other night I turned on the game in the 3rd or 4th inning and 4 batters in a row were new to the team within the last 2 weeks - either through trades, or up from the minors. The injuries are really testing this team at the wrong time -- the Yankees are on a tear and not giving back any of the ground they gained on the Sox. The mood around Boston is that we're holding on for a Wild Card berth.

I can't recommend buying a used, loaded iPod enough. I bought my 80GB Video one from a 14-year old whose dad was selling it for him. I think I may have blogged about this kid's eclectic and grown-up tastes, from jazz to rap to top 40 to rock to alternative to law lectures. It makes putting your iPod on shuffle so much fun. I probably have 5,000 songs on my iPod and only about 2,000 are ones from my collection.

We all have bikes now, which created quite a cluttered garage. I hung three of them from the rafters with a J-shaped hook (front rim slipped over the J and the bike hung straight down), but they were either too high or too heavy for Colleen and the boys to get them down. So, if I was not home, they could not ride. I had seen pulley bike hoists in a magazine or two over the years and started researching solutions. I eventually bought 4 RAD EASY Bike Hoists made by RAD Cycle Products on Amazon.com after reading really positive reviews. This past Sunday I hung them, and they're a breeze to operate. Grady, Liam and Colleen can all get their bikes down on their own safely. It was a satisfying project.

My godfather in January started getting bad back pain and then had trouble walking. Cut to 7 months later and he is at Mass General Hospital in ICU on a ventilator, and with a feeding tube in his belly, fighting for his life. It's an ALS-like disease that is ravaging his body. I feel blessed to have had so close a relationship with him all my life and hope that he can reverse some of the ill effects of this thing. The hospital is just 2 T stops away from my office, so it's been nice being able to visit him regularly, even if he doesn't always know I'm there (he's sedated quite a bit).

Boston Green Day 21st Century Breakdown Concert Review

2009-07-21T09:22:00.002-04:00

I went to the Green Day concert at the TD Banknorth Garden last night. One word: meh.

You see, I am veteran of their American Idiot tour, which was the best concert experience of my life. So, the 21st Century Breakdown tour had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, it didn’t. I’m trying to decide what makes me feel that way. Here’s a list I’m trying to choose from:

Same old, same old: It seems the only thing Green Day changed from their stage show 4 years ago was the curtain behind the drum set. Everything else was the same, from the flames, to the stage shape, to the confetti at the end, to the bringing audience members up to stage dive or play guitar. Been there, done that.

Venue: The Garden is cavernous, and we were up in the balcony essentially at mid-court. It was an end-stage set up, so we were looking at the band from an angle, and all the speakers were pointed straight out. So, not only was the sound sub-par, but we were too far away to really see any of the band members’ faces. There were no video screens that helped us out in that regard.

City: Billy Joe must have shouted “Boston!” or “Boston Massachusetts!” about 40 times during the night. It got everyone cheering, but it made me realize something. When I lived in Portland, Oregon, I felt like an ambassador of the city. Proud to have family, friends, and even bands come to the Rose City. Bands usually personalized their Portland banter with something like, “Portland – a kick ass city!” Or, “You guys live in one beautiful city!” It felt like bands tried a little harder to connect with us Pacific Northwesterners. The last couple of concerts I’ve been to (read: Kings of Leon) I’ve noticed the lack of any oomph to the crowd banter.

Set list: I am a big fan of their new album, so was hoping to hear more songs from that during their 2 hour and 10 minute set. Surprisingly, they only sang about half the songs from 21st Century Breakdown (Song of the Century, 21st Century Breakdown, Know Your Enemy, Before the Lobotomy, American Eulogy, East Jesus Nowhere, 21 Guns). It was disappointing to not hear Christian’s Inferno, !Viva La Gloria!, Peacemaker, or Last of the American Girls. I think there was too much from American Idiot (St. Jimmy, Jesus of Suburbia, American Idiot, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Holiday, Are We the Waiting), a good amount from Dookie (Welcome to Paradise, She, Basket Case) and a couple of older ones that I didn’t recognize, and, of course, Billy Joe finished the night with an acoustic Good Riddance – Time of Your Life.

East Jesus Nowhere and Basket Case were the show highlights for me.

If what I was watching in person last night had been, instead, something I was watching on T.V., I would have changed the channel.

That said, I had a fun time with Colleen, Erin and Chris at drinks and dinner before the show, and they were a lot more into the show than I was, so it was fun to see them dancing and singing along.

Flippin' Cool!

2009-07-14T17:44:00.005-04:00

I'll give you 10:1 odds that the kid in the news story is a little brother. I know from experience that second-born boys find fun in dangerous activities.

Reuters
updated 3:42 p.m. ET, Tues., July 14, 2009
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - A boy celebrating his third birthday was unhurt and apparently unfazed after he floated nearly eight miles down a river riding atop his toy truck, police said.

The boy's family was camping at a popular park near Fort St. John, in northeastern British Columbia, on Sunday when the boy wandered off unnoticed and somehow entered the nearby Peace River, Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Monday.

The boy's parents at first thought he was playing with other relatives at the campsite. But police were later alerted and had begun a search when a boater found the boy, and the toy, about 7.8 miles away.

After a nearly two-hour journey down the swift-moving river, the boy had no injuries and was apparently unaware of the danger he had been in.

"He was very excited to see the police," said RCMP Constable Jackelynn Passarell.

A local news report said the boy made sure the boater who found him also retrieved the toy truck.

Hard Working Turtle

2009-06-23T22:55:00.002-04:00

Hard Working Turtle
Originally uploaded by Utahbeach

I took video of a turtle digging a hole in our backyard to lay her eggs.

Kaplooey!

2009-06-22T15:37:00.003-04:00

Wow, check out this photo from space that captures the power of a volcanic explosion.

Caption:

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured this striking view of Sarychev Peak in Kuril Island chain, northeast of Japan, on June 12. Volcanologists are excited about the pucture because it captures several phenomena that occur during the earliest stages of an explosive eruption.

News Story:

Amazing volcano photo shows shock wave
Image from space shows several phenomena that occur early in eruption
LiveScience
updated 2:15 p.m. ET, Mon., June 22, 2009
An amazing new picture from space reveals a volcanic eruption in its earliest stage, with a huge plume of ash and steam billowing skyward and creating a shock wave in the atmosphere.

Sarychev Peak on Matua Island is one of the most active volcanoes in the Kuril Island chain, northeast of Japan.

The new photo was taken June 12 from the International Space Station. NASA says volcano researchers are excited about the picture "because it captures several phenomena that occur during the earliest stages of an explosive volcanic eruption."

The main plume appears to be a combination of brown ash and white steam, according to a NASA statement. The vigorously rising plume gives the steam a bubble-like appearance.

The surrounding atmosphere has been shoved up by the shock wave of the eruption, scientists said.

Volcano plumes are so chaotic that they produce lightning, as revealed in pictures for the first time earlier this year.

The smooth white cloud on top may be water condensation that resulted from rapid rising and cooling of the air mass above the ash column. This cloud is probably a transient feature, scientists say, with the eruption plume is starting to punch through. The cloud casts a dark shadow to the northwest of the island.

Often, winds high in the atmosphere sheer a volcano's plume and flatten it out. That didn't happen with this one.

The photo also shows a ground-hugging plume of light gray ash, probably a mix of hot gas and ash in what volcanologists call a pyroclastic flow, descending from the volcano summit. Pyroclastic flows — deadly to anything or anyone in their paths — are known to be up to 600 degrees and rush across the land at 130 mph.

Commercial airline flights are being diverted away from the region to minimize the danger of engine failures from ash intake.

The last explosive eruption from Sarychev Peak was in 1989.

Conan's Evil Sidekick

2009-06-03T21:07:00.005-04:00

I've watched Conan O'Brien's first two nights manning the The Tonight Show on Hulu.com and have enjoyed it a lot. He seems to have retained his off-beat sense of humor he displayed on Late Night despite the older audience demographic. Though, I can't stand Andy Richter - they have him mic'd too loud, and his laugh is annoying and ploying. I hope he does not last long.

I like the look of the new studio, but I can't believe someone did not see that Conan has an evil face over his right shoulder when he's at the desk.

Do you see it? The hills morph into a face looking left, the left eye is lit blue with a pupil clearly seen. The nose is almost touching the edge of the vertical glass and, below that, the mouth and jaw are easy to decipher. So, although I like Conan, and his guests have been stellar the first two nights - Will Ferrell, Tom Hanks, Pearl Jam and Green Day - the annoying Andy and evil face take me out of the show too often.

Quick Hits

2009-05-26T10:58:00.002-04:00

We had a great Memorial Day weekeend in Maine. The weather was unpredictably gorgeous, affording us 2 beach days. Liam even went swimming a couple of times.

On the drive up Rt. 128 Friday evening, we passed some radio towers. Liam (age 6) exclaimed excitedly, "Someone is taking a bunch of pictures up there!" Colleen and I looked at each other not understanding what he meant. "Look at all of the flashes!" Ha! He thought the airplane beacon was someone whose job it was to sit atop the radio tower and take pictures of everything around it.

Later on the same ride, Grady (age 8) out of the blue told us that we couldn't water ski anymore. Because we never have water skied together, we just let it go. He started up again, though, and said it's against the law. We asked him what he meant. He said that the president said no one was allowed to water ski anymore. Then it clicked - he had heard about water boarding and thought it was water skiing. Heh, heh.

New template

2009-05-19T22:03:00.002-04:00

I got tired of my old template being so skinny that pictures would be cut off and the YouTube videos I put up could only be the small size. I'm going to go with this one for a while unless, for some reason, it doesn't work for you. Please let me know via comments if it's screwy at all.

21st Century Breakdown

2009-05-18T21:07:00.003-04:00

Whoa! Green Day's new album, 21st Century Breakdown, is an instant classic. I don't say that lightly either, but I will admit that I borrowed it from Erik Henne, and his Hearsay blog, because back in 2004, he deemed Green Day's American Idiot an instant classic and that made me buy it. And, am I ever glad I did. It prompted me to take in their American Idiot tour in Portland, Oregon and it is my favorite concert experience.

21st Century Breakdown is an ambitious endeavour by Billy Joe, Tre Cool and Dirnst. It's not unlike American Idiot in that it weaves a story among the songs, but this new album is even more explicit in it's storyline. So much that there are 3 acts to 21st Century Breakdown, telling a story about Christian and Gloria. I'm still trying to suss out the meaning of it all, but while I do, I'm listening to classic Green Day licks that are interspersed with progressive sounds, sometimes almost poppy, but that always revert back to a stomping anthem-like crescendo.

The latest Rolling Stone has Green Day on its cover and the accompanying story tells of a music-obsessed Billy Joe Armstrong who tears it up on stage, but strives to live a mundane, family-centric life off stage. It's a nice retrospective story telling how Dirnst and Billy Joe met in junior high.

I pre-ordered 21st Century Breakdown on iTunes after seeing an earlier Rolling Stone rating of 4.5 stars and the publication saying the new album blew away an already well-regarded American Idiot. I have to agree. American Idiot will always have a place in my earbuds, but I'm happy to have new Green Day material that I'm even more jazzed about.

I played it for Colleen on Saturday and after the 2nd song, I asked if she would want to see them in concert if they came to Boston. She said she was past her rock show days and I told her that was pretty sad commentary. Cut to 24 hours later, and about 3 full listens to the new album...I'm downstairs playing with Grady and Liam and I hear, "Rob! Come upstairs! Quickly!" Usually that means she has seen a fox or some other cool wildlife, but she was at her computer with Ticketmaster open. Yup, we're headed to TD Banknorth Garden on July 20 to participate in a raucous good time. Well done, Colleen!

Happy Friday!

2009-05-15T09:31:00.005-04:00

I've been looking forward to this Friday for 96 hours. Lots of work behind me, and lots to come, but this coming break is much appreciated. Who is responsible for creating reserving these sacred two days that interesect the grind?

Check out this enjoyable video. It's a mash up of about a dozen musicians, from as many countries, singing Bob Marley's One Love. I can't quite decide if it's trite or great. Probably a bit of both, with the chorus when everyone is singing together being hokey, but the individual performances are dynamite. I'm blown away by Mermans Kenkosenki, from the Congo, who comes in at 1:50 and then again later.

Multiple Thoughts

2009-05-13T16:51:00.011-04:00

I'm excited by Boston sports these days. It seems the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins are in synch with their wins, despite the Sox and Celts decimated by injuries. There's a nice vibe to the city these days. Grady is tickled by the sports options on our new flat screen too, so it makes for either a great time at our house when it's the weekend and he can watch, or a disappointing time for him if the games are on during a school night.

The new rage among elementary school kids are Japanese erasers, called Iwako. They are so cool. Little erasers shaped like everyday objects - from food items, to sports equipment, to animals, to plants, etc.

What's great is they are $1 each, so collecting them is an affordable endeavour. Last weekend, my wife and Liam went to the beach to celebrate Mother's Day with my mother-in-law, while I stayed home with Grady, who had a Sat. baseball game and an overnight birthday party to attend. When Colleen and Liam left, I turned to Grady and, with a serious face said sternly, "Do you know what the rules are this weekend?" With wide eyes he looked back at me fearfully. I said, "NO RULES!" and picked him up and spun him around while he laughed and laughed. We had a great weekend, and when he asked if he could use his own money to buy some Iwako, I hopped in the car and took him to an iParty store, which opened my eyes to this new phenomenon. This week he brought the five erasers he bought to school to trade, and he now has 20. He's a shrewd negotiator. I just spent $30 on a bunch of unique ones I found online to surprise Grady and start Liam off. I'm not sure whether I'll give them all at once, or reward the boys with one or two at a time.

We keep adding to the list of wildlife we've encountered in our yard. The old list: coyote, a fox, five deer at once, 8 turkeys at once, red hawk, raccoons, red squirrel, rabbits, chipmunk, and the normal grey squirrels and songbirds. Last night my headlights picked up an ENORMOUS skunk picking at our lawn. We know this means grub season has started.

This story about a toddler lost in the woods for 50+ hours has a feel-good ending, but I kind of got choked up because the still pictures of the boy being put into an ambulance look kind of like Liam. Liam was notorious at age 3 for wandering, and I could easily empathize with this boy's parents. I also think it's cute that when found, the boy was most worried about his lost shoe.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I bought a new car last month and am loving it. I had been driving a used Volvo 960 for the last 6 years, but before that, was in a Volvo 240. The 960 treated me well after pouring a couple of thousand dollars into it right after I purchased it, but I always remembered my 240 fondly, and was determined to get back into one. The problem is that Volvo stopped making the 240s in 1993, so we're talking about a minimum age of 16 years. I wanted to get one that had less than 150,000 miles on it, and my search was coming up empty. I primarily used local Craigslist, because I learned my lesson with the 960 about buying via eBay and shipping the car home. One morning after about 6 weeks of no luck, a local dealer advertised a 1990 240 DL wagon with 92,000 miles on it. I ran out to this guy's lot, which was full of used Volvos, and fell in love with the navy blue wagon. After some successful negotiations with him (and with my wife), I drove away with my "new" car. It's a 1990 that was first driven in the fall of 1989, so it's coming up on 20 years old. It runs like a top and looks fantastic. I've been getting 20 mpg city and upwards of 25 mpg highway with this tank. In comparison, my 960 was in the mid-teens for both. I sold the 1995 960 via Craigslist for a little more than half of what I paid for the 1990 240. Classics don't come cheap. The one below looks just like mine, but mine has a roof rack, and a 3rd seat in the back (which folds down flat). Click picture to see the whole tank-line beauty.

Work has been very stressful lately, with lots of late nights, but it was all worth it. The preparation for a hugely important meeting netted fantastic results. It feels like a huge weight was taken off my shoulders. For the first time in a while, this morning I woke up feeling optimistic.

But, that won't stop me from some rants:

- It seems like "No Smoking" signs in downtown Boston are a magnet for smokers. I could see the irony in that if their smoke clouds weren't stinging my eyes.

- BeachBum has chronicled his distaste of pedestrians in Boston, and I'm grateful to him, because whenever I encounter a group of 3-4 people walking abreast on a sidewalk, blocking the way of everyone around them, I can chuckle at his rant, rather than getting ticked at the thoughtless actions of those morons.

- Sometimes when I'm feeling lazy, I'll take the Red Line from South Station to a stop closer to my office instead of walking the .8 mile. Today, was one such day. I stepped into a car and there was woman who was about 8 months pregnant standing up right over some teenagers and businessmen who were averting their gaze instead of manning up and offering her a seat. Usually the contrast in passengers on the Red Line compared to the stoic, robot-like passenger on the Commuter Rail is a good thing. Not today.

- On said Commuter Rail, I like to read, listen to music, or watch things on my iPod. I bought the season pass of the Ultimate Fighter, United States vs. Britain from iTuens, and paid the up front season pass fee. Well, iTunes skipped a week! Between what iTunes labeled shows 4 & 5, there is a missing show. I know because at the beginning of each show, they review the fights from the previous show. Show "5" had unbeforeseen fights reviewed. I posted my complaint on iTunes, as others have done, but to date, there has been no fix. And, in my eyes, the only fix would be to refund me the cost of one show, since I already know the results of that missing episode's fights.

To end on a high note, my work upgrade my BlackBerry from a really old school version that was huge and laden with an antennae, to the sleek BlackBerry Curve. I love it. It fits in my pocket, at just a bit larger than my cell phone. My old BB could fit in my pocket, but looked like a softball in there.

Ciao!

Gone With The Wind

2009-04-28T09:28:00.002-04:00

Two stories I happened upon in recent days relate the power of wind. Interesting stuff.

First, the perils of kiteboarding:

Second, the story of a chihuahua being blown a mile through the air. The kicker is the dog was found with the help of a pet psychic.

Gone with the wind: Chihuahua blown away
Report: Six-pound puppy found a mile away from where gust sent her flying

The Associated Press
updated 5:10 a.m. ET, Tues., April 28, 2009
WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A six-pound Chihuahua has been reunited with her owners after a 70-mph gust of wind picked the puppy up and tossed her out of sight.

Dorothy and Lavern Utley credit a pet psychic for guiding them on Monday to a wooded area nearly a mile from where 8-month-old Tinker Bell had been last seen. The brown long-haired dog was dirty and hungry but otherwise OK.

The Utleys, of Rochester, had set up an outdoor display Saturday at a flea market in Waterford Township, 25 miles northwest of Detroit.

Tinker Bell was standing on their platform trailer when she was swept away.

Dorothy Utley tells The Detroit News that her cherished pet "just went wild" upon seeing her.

Beautiful Bicyling

2009-04-24T15:37:00.003-04:00

Thanks to the Rambling Canuck for posting this on his blog. Gorgeous footage of a Scottish cyclist doing Parkour-type stunts on his bike. How his back rim doesn't shatter is beyond me. Band of Horses soundtrack isn't too shabby either.

Mystery Wardrobe Game by The Plug

2009-04-06T20:21:00.003-04:00

This has got to be the funniest thing I've read in a long time. The Plug (on the right in my Blogs of Note) never fails to deliver, but this Mystery Wardrobe Game is over-the-top great.

Grady, the poet

2009-04-06T20:04:00.006-04:00

My 8-year old son, Grady, was feeling extra creative this weekend. He penned two books of poetry. A good mixture of funny, somber, and nonsensical. The only things I changed were some misspellings.

Winter
Winter has come
But in a few months winter will be gone
Roses, petals, plants
But winter has come
I just can’t stand it
Nor can the people in our town

Fall
Fall is when you can play ball
It’s just simply like checking a ball in the fall

Summer
Summer is a bummer if you fall in Niagara Falls
Or you might have the fright
It’s just like something bites
Or you might have stage fright…
But if you don’t fall in Niagara Falls you will have a great summer!

Tigers
Tigers at twilight all creeping around
You can hear them coming up close all around town
But he quit so when sun comes up ghosts come into town all around

9
I’m nine, I’m nine, I can’t believe my eyes
I just can’t wait to go on the carousel ride
It only costs a dollar to holler
And if you want a collar
You will have to pay one million dollars

Time Has Come
Time has come to say
Goodbye to the bug who died yesterday
That was Monday
It’s time to say goodbye
To his cry

Cars
Cars go speeding by all day and night
I’ve been in the car since last night
But I had stage fright all day and night
I can’t wait to get in my bed and go nighty-night
In my cozy bed

The End
The end I will see you again
But not until then or again or again
And again my friends
I will come again and again and again
Or I might not see you again
But don’t worry
I will see you again

Blood
Blood everywhere and around
The little bird goes all around
Saying tweet tweet
Blood all around my town

Mass
Mass rhymes with gas
But Mass means church
Church rhymes with bass
Bass rhymes with class

1,2,3
1, 2, 3
I can’t tie my shoes
Or count by 2s or 3s
What can’t I do?
I can’t tie my shoes
Or count by 2s
But what can I do?
Wow I almost tied my shoes!

July
July is when my friend went bye-bye on the 4th of July
But his name was Jack
His nickname was Mack
But he liked to be called Slap!

Fishing
In class
I can’t stop thinking about bass in my class
Then next I’m thinking about trout
And am up and about saying trout

Can
Can I get a tan
Or get a tin can?
Out of plaque
But my school has plaque
Should I take a nap or a snack?

Witch
A witch got a tick on her neck
But she blamed it on Saint Nick
For bringing sick on a tick
Or a tooth pick

Opening Day!

2009-04-06T13:43:00.006-04:00

So, the Red Sox opening day has been delayed until tomorrow at 4:06. With any luck, I'll be able to catch the last couple of innings on T.V. Here is a video of the Fenway ground crew rolling out the tarps during the Rays' batting practice that I thought was interesting.

Cute

2009-04-03T15:19:00.000-04:00

Bear in a hammock.

P.U.

2009-03-19T16:55:00.003-04:00

From icanhascheezburger.com.

Sixth Sense Computing

2009-03-16T17:21:00.004-04:00

Wow. This demo of "sixth sense" computing is very compelling. I'm most impressed with just the day-to-day uses of it like calling up product information real time, using your hand as a keyboard, and simply drawing a circle on your wrist to display a clock face right on your skin.

It's a tad clumsy, but it sure opens up one's imagination.

How to move iPod content to a new computer for free

2009-03-10T15:47:00.004-04:00

A few months ago the battery on my 5th generation 30 GB iPod started waning. Via Craigslist, I was able to sell it to someone who wanted an iPod they would permanently dock, so the battery wasn't an issue for them. I then bought a 6th generaion 80 GB iPod for just $20 more than what I was able to get for my old iPod.

That new (used) iPod came with 4,000+ songs on it, loaded by its previous owner, a 14-year old boy. His dad bought him an iPhone and handled the resale of the iPod. This kid has great, ecclectic taste in music and I've discovered lots of enjoyable artists through him, from M.I.A. to Regina Spektor to law professors talking about law concepts such as Mens Rea and Actus Rea.

Anyway, the new iPod was formatted for a Mac, so I needed to reformat it for Windows. That would erase all the contents on the iPod, so before I did that I dragged all those songs onto my external hard drive.

That worked for the most part, as I was able to drag them all back onto my iPod and successfully play them, but I was unable to play those songs in iTunes, or create Playlists or burn discs.

So, I was happy to see Walt Mossberg recommend a product back in January that specializes in copying the contents of an iPod back to a Windows computer. However, I wasn't keen on paying the $20 to a UK company. Last night I researched other programs that would do the same thing, and kept running into $25 charges. I was about to give up when I finally found the magic query combination in Google Search that brought me to the uber helpful CNET.com.

Turns out you can transfer all the contents of your iPod back onto a computer without any 3rd party utilities or $. Just follow these simple steps outlined on CNET. It's an article from 2006, so I'm so surprised this isn't more widely known, and that people like Walt Mossberg are recommending $20 utilities to accomplish what can be done with a few clicks of the mouse.

Weird Beards

2009-03-04T16:19:00.004-05:00

Click pic for more, including a windmill sculpted with beard hair.

Restoration

2009-03-03T09:05:00.006-05:00

My faith in the general population of Boston has been restored. Not that it was damaged too much, but little things like pushy folks on the sidewalk and inconsiderate commuter rail riders (loud cell phone talkers, personal space invaders) were whittling at it.

These two incidents recently buoyed my faith.

This morning when I got to the office and reached down for my badge that opens the doors, it was missing. I gained entry from a colleague who came along, and when I got to my desk, I called corporate security to deactivate the badge. No sooner had I hung up with security, than I received a call from an outside line. Someone had found my badge, called my company, and was routed to me. He asked me where I was and told me he would bring it to me (about 4 blocks). When I met him in the lobby a few minutes later, I learned he had worked at my company for 12 years, but had been laid off a few weeks ago. If I had been laid off by a company and found someone's badge that was lucky enough to still be employed there, I don't know if I'd go to the trouble this guy did. I would have just dropped the badge in a mailbox, as the badge states postage is guareanteed. Well done, sir.

On Friday, Feburary 13, I was packing my things to head home from the office and noticed a jewelry case I had on my desk. It was from when I bought Colleen a piece of jewelry this fall for our 10-year anniversary, and I brought the case back to the office to give back to the jeweler. He is a one-man shop, so I thought he'd appreciate recouping a few bucks. But, he has since moved his jewelry shop to the North Shore, so the box sat on my desk for a couple of months. I thought I'd perform a little experiment. I put the box in my coat pocket and walked to the train. I was the first on one train car and before I sat in my seat, I tossed the box on the seat across the aisle from me to make it look like someone had dropped a piece of jewelry they had planned to give as a Valentine's Day present.

A guy walked up the aisle, passed the seat, but did a double-take and went back to the seat with the jewelry box on it. I pretended I was absorbed in a book. He slid across the seat to hide the box between his leg and the wall and never touched it. I thought he was going to wait until I got off to open it and discover if he had made a lucky find. The box had a clasp on it that required two hands to open it, so it would have been easy to tell if he was secretly trying to open it. He wasn't. When the conductor came to collect fares, the man calmly informed the conductor he had found the jewelry box on the seat, and handed it to him. The conductor opened the box and found that it was empty. They both laughed a bit and that was it. Very honest of this gentleman. If I found a jewelry box on the train, the curiosity would no doubt get the best of me. I know that I would not keep it, but I would need to look. Would you?

If only there was no FCC...

2009-03-02T10:49:00.002-05:00

Man vs. Wild Fail

2009-02-17T14:59:00.003-05:00

Despite knowing that Bear Grylls, who stars in Man Vs. Wild, stages some of the precarious situtations he is shown overcoming, the show is still one of my favorites. He's a likeable guy and there's no doubting that he does put himself in life-threatening situations. One only has to see him jump into quicksand or a frozen lake, drink his own urine, eat the eyeballs out of dead sheep, free climb hundreds of feet of rock face, or jump 35 feet into a pool of water not knowing the depth to understand he's the real deal.

But, on the other hand, one only has to watch the below clip to see that he sensationalizes many feats. Keep in mind, his task in every program is to survive hellacious environs and work his way into civilization.

To see some highlights of his more impressive moments, watch below.

Timing is Everything

2009-02-13T12:24:00.012-05:00

My favorites are the Ant vs. Helicopter and the Stork with jet propulsion. (Pictures forwarded in an e-mail from my dad.)

Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman

2009-02-12T11:53:00.004-05:00

Joaquin Phoenix had a memorable appearance on Letterman last night. Awkward, uncomfortable, maddening. Brilliant actor, but a lethargic, arrogant, depressed person.

Update: Newsweek had a similarly bizarre experience with Joaquin. A hoax in the making? If so, not a very funny one.

Work Hard. Place Nice

2009-02-09T17:33:00.005-05:00

I just watched a thought-provoking 20-minute speech by Bill Gates where he outlines a couple of the most important problems his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is working on. The first is malaria, the second is the quality of education in the United States.

The disparity in the quality of education between high-income areas and low-income areas is astounding. As Gates states, "If you’re low income, even if you graduate high school, you have less than a 25% chance of ever completing a college degree. If you’re low income in the United States, you have a higher chance of going to jail than you do of getting a four year degree."

He then highlights KIPP, a successful school effort in Houston, and outlines some of his ideas on how to improve the quality of teachers. He also talks about some of the counter-productive measures that have been recently taken, namely that in many teachers' contracts it is stipulated that the principal can only visit their classroom once per year, and advanced notice must be given. Another is that in NY, you can not factor in teacher performance data into tenure decisions. Crazy. But, Gates says he's an optimist and thinks we can make dramatic improvements.

"Is this real life?"

2009-02-04T14:13:00.002-05:00

:55 is hilarious. (Not my kid.)

Like, totally, Demi!

2009-01-20T13:55:00.005-05:00

I'm trying to break my youngest son's habit of including "like" in what seems to be every sentence. He's only 6, so hopefully I'm catching it early enough. Otherwise, he might sound like the Disney dolt, Demi Lovatno. I clicked into a story about Lovatno being excited to play for the Obama girls, and I had to slog through this garbage:

"I met a lot of really cool people, but Usher was really cool because I got to
meet him," she shared.
Uh, OK. You know, I ate a warm chocolate chip cookie,
but that chocolate chip cookie was warm because I ate it.
"For my birthday, when I was like 10, I went to his concert, so it was like surreal to be on the same stage with him and hanging out backstage just being like, 'A few years ago, I was at your concert for my birthday and freaked out when you looked my way.'"
That is like totally rad, I mean, like you are so like lucky.

Like, here's the idiot.