Confessions of a Schmoe

Losing a friend

2011-05-23T23:33:00.004-05:00

My dog died today. She got loose and got hit by a car. I was at work and got a call. I was shocked and in disbelief. It took a few seconds for things to register. I lost my dog. I called up the animal control agent to find out what happened. She had gotten a call that there was a dog on the street. There was a lot of blood. She said it looked like head trauma. She was gone. Lucky had her tags so the vet was called and it was confirmed to be our dog. I wanted to know what happened so I left to go home and sure enough there was no dog in my yard. I looked around to see how she could've gotten out. It seems that there was a loose board in my neighbor's fence. It's not the first time she out that way. It would be her last.
She's been out many times, but she's never been scratched and she always returned home. I guess her luck ran out this time.
She was a happy and vibrant dog. From the time she was a pup to being a vibrant adult. She was excitable and happy. She was always jumping, but never in a menacing way. She was just excited to see you.
She was way too excitable, always jumping up and down. We were wondering when she would calm down. I wondered when she was going to get old enough and calm down and I would be able to let her in the house again.
The little one was never fond of the dog. We actually got the dog for her, but she never bonded with Lucky. Over the years, it became my dog. The little one was scared of her. She just knew that Lucky had to stay outside and never wanted her in the house. She was somewhat oblivious to Lucky, only noticing her when she was making a ruckus outside or if I teased her and said I was letting the dog inside. I'll have to tell her what happened.
I'll admit that I've had some mixed emotions and that I've wanted to get rid of her. The barking. The digging. But most importantly, someone needed to watch her. And since she was so wild, it was hard to get someone to come over and take care of her. I didn't want to put anyone through that. So we always had to board her. Taking her to and from the vet was always an adventure.
But when it was all said and done, I knew I was going to keep her and we were going to grow older together.
My favorite moment was when she was a pup and we came home from bowling on a Winter night, we heard whimpering and she got her head stuck in the fence. We got her out.
I'm going to miss you Lucky.

It just gets better

2011-01-03T09:53:00.002-06:00

Thanks webmd.com. My wife has deep vein thrombosis. NOT! But because of you, she thought she did and she was at the emergency room last night.
Her knee was swelling up a little and it's been bothering her. She thought she might have a blood clot. It's been bothering a few days. And if you didn't know, she's a worrier. Since it wasn't getting any better, she began to worry and worry.
Then she looked at webmd.com and that sent her over the edge. She headed to the emergency room at around nine and I stayed home with the little one. I thought was being somewhat silly, but you can't put a price on a person's health or peace of mind. Her mom went out with her.
The verdict. You guessed it. Negative. They took did some blood work and there were no clots. However, her blood pressure was skyrocketing so even though she was negative the hospital wouldn't release her until it went down. Her blood pressure is pretty low, but under the circumstances it's not surprising. When all was said and done, she was home close to one in the morning.

Big Blue miss

2011-01-02T19:48:00.003-06:00

In the end, the Giants were probably the least deserving team to miss the playoffs. While I squawked about the Tampa Buccaneers, even though they had a weak schedule, they beat all the teams they should beat. And even came up big at New Orleans on the road in the finale. Even though they had a horrible loss to the Lions, the Packers beat the Giants, 'nuff said.
All New York had to do was beat Philadelphia or Green Bay and it was on to the playoffs. They blew a 21-point fourth-quarter lead to the Eagles and were blown out by the Packers.
Still, the Giants could get in with some help. They didn't get last weekend when the Saints beat the Falcons. But beat Washington and have Chicago beat Green Bay and Big Blue is in. The Giants beat the Redskins, but the Pack beat the Bears. Good for Green Bay. I would say the Giants did their part, but they didn't. If they did, they wouldn't have been in this position.

Bad ending, rough start

2011-01-02T16:39:00.006-06:00

The last few days of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 have been less than memorable.
It started when I brought my two winter jackets to the local seamstress on Wednesday to get it tears mended. She said she they would be repaired by Thursday afternoon. When I come in on Thursday, neither are ready. Since she's not open on Friday, she says I could come back later and she would have it done. I didn't want her to rush so I tell her Monday is fine. Unfortunately, I forgot that Friday was going to be one of the coldest days in Schmoeville.
Then Thursday my right headlight stops working so I need to get that fixed ASAP.
I was looking forward to eating at the Mexican restaurant's Friday buffet. So the wife and I went and I ate and ate and I paid for it. Interestingly when I woke up Friday morning, my stomach was a little unsettled, but nothing that felt really troublesome that would dissuade from eating plenty. I should've listened to the tiny tremors.
Winter had taken over Schmoeville and it single digits and with no true winter jacket, I'm freezing and think I'm catching something.
I'm at the car shop and find out that it's not just a bulb, but the entire head lamp needs to be replaced. It's going to cost over $200 to replace. The damage is probably caused by an accident I had a while ago but never followed up with. Now I wish I did. I decide to see if I can still follow up my claim.
By this time on Friday, I'm home and I'm freezing. I'm really struggling. My stomach is churning and I've got this intense stomachache.
The wife, the little one and myself watch the ball drop, but I'm still in a lot of pain. I can't sleep and I'm up at 4 in the morning trying to go to the bathroom. I have little success and my stomach is still churning.
We make a commitment to go to a friend's house to play cards in afternoon on New Year's Day. I suck it up and head out. I feel like crap and I didn't even party like my friends did on New Year's Eve. They were mostly hungover. Me? I just had bad Mexican.
Even though I was sick I did play well enough to win, but I didn't. I got my money in with the best hand twice once with queens against threes and jacks against queen-10. You can guess what happened.
When I got home things got worse. I slept the rest of the day and began to run a fever. Everything I did was a chore. Moving. Breathing. It didn't help that before I couldn't go to bathroom now I couldn't stop. But I took some aspirin and got some sleep.
I woke up this morning at around 5:30 and I felt better. I'm still a little achy. Things still taste a little funny. Still making bathroom runs. But I'm a lot better.

Big Blue fade

2010-12-26T23:56:00.002-06:00

I said it all along. Beat Philly. Beat Green Bay. Do that and you're in the playoffs. Okay, you had an epic meltdown against Philly. Fine. But you still control your own destiny. Beat Green Bay and you're in. You've lost to Green Bay. You don't deserve to go, but there's still a chance. Beat Washington and have Chicago beat Green Bay or have New Orleans lose its last two games.

Packers 45, Giants 17
Aaron Rodgers returned from a concussion to turn in his sharpest performance of the season, keeping the Green Bay Packers on a path toward the playoffs with 404 yards and four touchdowns.
It all came at the expense of the New York Giants, whose season is spinning out of control after the Packers blew them out 45-17 at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
Rodgers was back, and so was his sense of humor. Backup Matt Flynn played well when Rodgers sat out last week with his second concussion of the season, so Rodgers joked that he had something to prove Sunday.
There wasn’t much to smile about for the Giants (9-6), who are clinging to fading playoff hopes and certainly appeared to still be in a daze after the previous week’s collapse against Philadelphia.
The Giants couldn’t stop Rodgers and couldn’t hold onto the ball, as one of the league’s most turnover-prone teams lost two fumbles and watched Eli Manning throw four interceptions.
Green Bay (9-6) came into Sunday’s game needing to win their final two games to make the playoffs. The Packers host division-rival Chicago in their final regular-season game next Sunday.
John Kuhn ran for two touchdowns and caught a pass for a score for the Packers. The unheralded fullback is embracing his growing folk-hero status with Packers fans, who chant “Kuuuuuuuuuhn!” when he touches the ball.
Greg Jennings caught seven passes for 142 yards for Green Bay, while Jordy Nelson had four catches for 124 yards and a touchdown.
Rodgers was sacked twice, but wasn’t under much pressure otherwise as his offensive line delivered one of its best pass protection efforts of the year.
Rodgers was anything but tentative after sustaining two concussions this season, but he definitely had safety on his mind when he took off running. Rodgers made a baseball umpire’s “safe” sign with his arms after sliding instead of taking a big hit after an early scramble—a salute, he said, to a team doctor who is reminding him to be more careful when he runs.
Manning threw for 301 yards with two touchdowns and the four interceptions.
Already trailing 21-14, the Giants began the second half with yet another major mistake. On a third-down play in Packers territory, Charles Woodson stripped the ball from Ahmad Bradshaw(notes) and the Packers recovered at the 50. The Packers drove but had to settle for a field goal, taking a 24-14 lead.
The Giants answered with a drive for a field goal, but Rodgers was at his absolute best on the Packers’ next possession. Taking over at the Green Bay 30, Rodgers threw for big gains on back-to-back plays -- Donald Driver for 33 yards and Jennings for 36—then threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Donald Lee two plays later to give the Packers a 31-17 lead with 4:44 left in the third quarter.
Hakeem Nicks appeared to fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but Coughlin challenged the play and New York kept the ball. Brandon Jacobs then broke free for a long run—but Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews punched the ball, it popped into the air and the Packers recovered.
This time, Coughlin’s replay review was unsuccessful and Green Bay kept the ball.

Did I finally get it?

2010-12-23T23:01:00.002-06:00

I did something that I probably wouldn't normally do. I bought a present for my wife that she wanted. Maybe I finally understand the Christmas spirit. Maybe I ran out of gift ideas. Whatever it was I bought her something that I wouldn't have normally bought her.
The gift in question is an Ipad. She has been saying that she wants one. I thought long and hard before I got it. The big thing was that if I wait until next year, they'll have the second generation out and it'll probably be a ton cheaper. But then I thought about it. This is something that she wants. And isn't that what Christmas is about -- besides the religious implications. It's about getting gifts that we want. And there were a million reasons why I wouldn't want it and I might squawk a bit if I received it only because I knew something better is right around the block and cheaper so I should wait. Well, you can wait forever. And she knows that there's a new one coming out, but she wants one and has made no bones about it. So I bought it.

Big Blue choke

2010-12-19T18:06:00.002-06:00

I was on my way from Wichita to Schmoeville. We went to Wichita for some S&A -- shopping and aggravation. And it was mission accomplished. I wasn't going to be home in time for the Giants-Eagles showdown, but we have Sirius in the car and I could listen to the game. I was happy while we were on our first leg of the journey and then despondent. I wasn't driving so that's a good thing. I know the final score and heard how the game went down. I have the game taped -- it's deleted before it's been watched. There will be no recap. I will boycott all sports news programming until further notice because this game will be mentioned over and over again. This game ranks right up there with the Fumble and the loss to San Fran in the playoffs.

Long journey ends in a win for Big Blue

2010-12-13T22:38:00.002-06:00

It was a nice win for the Giants. Now win the next two and you're playoff bound. End of story. And will someone please tell Kevin Gilbride that he's no longer with Jack Pardee and the run-and-shoot Houston Oilers. Yes, I probably wouldn't be making that comment if Eli Manning doesn't throw the two picks, but c'mon, how did the Giants win their last two games? Run! Run! Run! He finally got the message. Oh yeah and someone named Favre didn't play.

Giants 21, Vikings 3
Brett Favre stood on the sidelines for the start of a game for the first time since 1992, rubbing his salt-and-pepper beard in frustration because his body couldn't take another pounding.
His replacement struggled early and often, thanks to the New York Giants.
Brandon Jacobs ran for a go-ahead touchdown midway through the second quarter, Eli Manning threw a lead-padding TD just before halftime and Ahmad Bradshaw added a 48-yard run to help the Giants beat Minnesota 21-3 Monday night.
Favre's NFL-record streak of 297 straight starts ended because of his banged-up right shoulder and numb hand in a game moved from Minneapolis because the Metrodome roof collapsed under heavy snow early Sunday.
The Giants sacked Favre replacement Tarvaris Jackson four times, knocking him out of the game late in the third period and again in the final seconds.
New York (9-4) moved back into a first-place tie with Philadelphia in the NFC East. Minnesota, which went to the NFC title game last January, (5-8) was eliminated from the playoff race.
The game was switched from Sunday afternoon when the Giants couldn't get to Minneapolis because of the severe weather, then was moved to the Detroit Lions' indoor stadium with a steel roof. The Vikings were technically the home team at Ford Field - which was adorned with their logo at midfield and "VIKINGS" in the end zones - but they didn't have much of an edge.
Nothing, though, was more odd than seeing Favre watch a game.
He stood on the sideline, trying to tutor Jackson at times, and sporting a purple knit hat, short-sleeved black shirt with a long-sleeved white shirt underneath, and black warmup pants.
The game drew an announced crowd of 45,910 - there seemed to be at least 10,000 more people in the 65,000-seat stadium late in the first half - and some fans made the trek to see Favre.
Even though most got in for free, they left disappointed, especially if they were rooting for the Vikings.
Whether the 41-year-old Favre plays again for Minnesota in his 20th NFL season is uncertain. It appears his third return from a brief retirement will be the end - and he might not finish out the schedule.
New York has won three straight and eight of 10 games, improving its chances for a wild card if it doesn't finish ahead of the Eagles, who it hosts Sunday.
Minnesota entered the game with a two-game winning streak and flickering hopes of salvaging what has been a miserable season.
Jackson got off to a good start, completing his first two passes for 8 yards each, but struggled for much of the game. He wasted an opportunity to show his coaches and teammates he can be counted on to fill in for Favre for a game and perhaps in the future.
He completed just 12 of 22 passes, threw an interception directly to linebacker Keith Bulluck, and fumbled a shotgun snap he was able to recover. Another shotgun snap got away and he recovered it near the goal line, seemingly getting a break from the officials on what appeared to be a safety.
While Jackson didn't have the benefit of a running game - Adrian Peterson was held to 26 yards on 14 carries - Manning relied on a one-two punch that pounded the Vikings all night.
Jacobs ran for a season-high 116 yards and a score and Bradshaw had 103 yards rushing, including the 48-yarder that was his longest run in two years. Bradshaw left in the fourth quarter with a wrist injury.
Manning bounced back from throwing a second interception in the opening minute of the second quarter and was 22 of 37 for 187 yards and a TD, a perfectly threaded pass to Kevin Boss. That put the Giants ahead 14-3 with 3 seconds left in the third quarter.
Hakeem Nicks caught seven passes for 96 yards.
Jackson limped off the field with 16 seconds left in the game, giving rookie Joe Webb another opportunity to take snaps after getting drafted in the sixth round to play wide receiver. Webb, who had played in one game without throwing a pass, completed two of five passes.

More thoughts on the playoffs

2010-12-13T12:51:00.003-06:00

I figured that if the Giants split their last four games with the two wins being Philadelphia and Green Bay, they would be sitting pretty. It seems now that an extra victory is needed to insure a playoff spot. That's because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still hanging around.
If the Bucs only would've lost Sunday (thanks for nothing, Washington!), then they probably would've dropped out of the playoff picture. But at 8-5 and with Detroit and Seattle coming up, there's a real good chance that they could go ti 10-5 heading into the season finale. Luckily, they'll be playing New Orleans and Tampa has yet to beat a team with a winning record this season.
Green Bay shot itself in the foot with its loss to Detroit so it is hurting especially with New England coming up.
Philadelphia can sew up the division if it wins two of its last three games even if it loses to the Jints.
But again, make it simple just win out and Big Blue is playoff bound.

Snowed out

2010-12-12T17:20:00.006-06:00

What does it take for a football game in a domed stadium to get snowed out? When 15 inches of snow falls on your roof and makes it come crashing down.
The Giants-Vikings game was postponed after a blizzard in Minnesota caused the inflatable roof of the Metrodome to collapse.
Here's some cool footage:

So the Giants and Vikings head to Detroit and will play at Ford Field on Monday. They thought about playing at the University of Minnesota, but couldn't because it's supposed to be minus 14 degrees on Monday. Now you wouldn't think that would be a problem, but I guess New York didn't bring its cold weather gear with it. Part of me understands, but part of me wants to say, "Hey, it's football."

Path to the playoff

2010-12-11T23:44:00.000-06:00

The Giants hold their playoff destiny in their own hands. If they win, they're win. Pretty simple. But it can get even easier than that. Play .500 ball over the last four games and they're in, provided those two wins are against Philadelphia and Green Bay.
The key to their playoffs is beat Philadelphia and Green Bay. If New York beats Minnesota on Sunday, it has a little more leeway. In that scenario it can afford lose to either Philadelphia or Green Bay, but not both. It has to beat one of them and then it has to win its finale at Washington. If Big Blue loses to Philadelphia and Green Bay, it's toast.
While it would be nice to beat the Vikings, not necessary. Still, just win and you're in.

Big Blue moves on

2010-12-05T20:25:00.003-06:00

It looked as if the Giants dominated the Redskins, but there were signs that a good team might have made it a lot closer than the final score indicated. Were the Giants that good or the Redskins that bad? Either way, it's a win.

Giants 31, Redskins 7
Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw ran for two touchdowns apiece and the New York Giants steamrolled the mistake-prone Washington Redskins, 31-7.
Jacobs ran eight times for 103 yards and scored on jaunts of 8 and 28 yards, while Bradshaw had 97 yards and TD runs of 4 and 10 yards as the Giants (8-4) moved back into first-place tie with Philadelphia in the NFC East.
A harried Donovan McNabb threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Armstrong for Washington (5-7), which saw its playoff hopes further dimmed with its fifth loss in seven games. The Redskins had six turnovers.

Addiction

2010-12-05T14:45:00.003-06:00

It has been a long time this I have been addicted. It has happened again. It happened with Wizardry and Diablo 2 and now it's happening again. This time it's Quickhit. Granted, it's only be one night, but the signs are there. I was up until 2:30 this morning playing the online football game, trying to level up my team to be a dynasty. The more you play the better your team becomes and it's free!!! So instead of trying to level up my mage so he can learn the nuclear explosion spell and wipe out the Dark Savant and his minions. With Quickhit I'm just trying to get my left guard good enough so he can protect my quarterback from getting sacked by Dexter Manley. Interestingly, while you level up in Wizardry and Diablo 2 or even Titan Quest, there was a final objective. You played until you killed the supreme baddie. With Quickhit, I'm just leveling up and playing and trying to earn points. No real end objective. I'm just playing to make my team supreme so I can beat every other team around. Anyways we'll see how obsessed I become with this game and if everything else becomes secondary. We'll see.

Big Blue thoughts

2010-12-02T20:14:00.002-06:00

Antrel Rolle needs to shut up and just play. The fans pay part of his salary and have every right to boo when the team is playing poorly. If you and the team play well, then they'll cheer. You deserve it. Why should I cheer if you play poorly. You don't deserve my accolades.
***
The defensive line gets all the credit, but the secondary is pretty darn good. They have Rolle and Kenny Phillips at the safeties. Corey Webster and Terrell Thomas at the corner. Former first-round pick and starter Aaron Ross is the nickle back and then you've got Deon Grant as the back up safety. If you ask me, that's a pretty good secondary.
***
Big Blue has to focus on two games -- Philadelphia and Green Bay. They win those two games and they're in the playoffs.

Bowling hope

2010-11-30T23:28:00.001-06:00

There might be a glimmer of light yet. I bowled a 215-177-205.

Leslie Nielsen, RIP

2010-11-28T22:26:00.002-06:00

Leslie Nielsen had the somber demeanor and stone-serious face that were just right for dramatic roles. They proved even better for comedy.
"Surely you can't be serious," an airline passenger says to Nielsen in "Airplane!" the 1980 hit that turned the actor from dramatic leading man to comic star.
"I am serious," Nielsen replies. "And don't call me Shirley."
The line was probably his most famous — and a perfect distillation of his career.
Nielsen, the dramatic lead in "Forbidden Planet" and "The Poseidon Adventure" and the bumbling detective in "The Naked Gun" comedies, died on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 84.
The Canada native died from complications from pneumonia at a hospital near his home, surrounded by his wife, Barbaree, and friends, his agent John S. Kelly said in a statement.
Nielsen came to Hollywood in the mid-1950s after performing in 150 live television dramas in New York. With a craggily handsome face, blond hair and 6-foot-2 height, he seemed ideal for a movie leading man.
Nielsen first performed as the king of France in the Paramount operetta "The Vagabond King" with Kathryn Grayson.
The film — he called it "The Vagabond Turkey" — flopped, but MGM signed him to a seven-year contract.
His first film for that studio was auspicious — as the space ship commander in the science fiction classic "Forbidden Planet." He found his best dramatic role as the captain of an overturned ocean liner in the 1972 disaster movie, "The Poseidon Adventure."
Behind the camera, the serious actor was a well-known prankster. That was an aspect of his personality never exploited, however, until "Airplane!" was released in 1980 and became a huge hit.
As the doctor aboard a plane in which the pilots, and some of the passengers, become violently ill, Nielsen says they must get to a hospital right away.
"A hospital? What is it?" a flight attendant asks, inquiring about the illness.
"It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now," Nielsen deadpans.
Critics argued he was being cast against type, but Nielsen disagreed, saying comedy was what he intended to do all along.
It was what he would do for most of the rest of his career, appearing in such comedies as "Repossessed" — a takeoff on "The Exorcist" — and "Mr. Magoo," in which he played the title role of the good-natured bumbler.
But it took years before he got to do the comedy he wanted.
He played Debbie Reynolds' sweetheart in 1957's popular "Tammy and the Bachelor," and he became well known to baby boomers for his role as the Revolutionary War fighter Francis Marion in the Disney TV adventure series "The Swamp Fox."
He asked to be released from his contract at MGM, and as a freelancer, he appeared in a series of undistinguished movies.
He remained active in television in guest roles. He also starred in his own series, "The New Breed," ''The Protectors" and "Bracken's World," but all were short-lived.
Then "Airplane!" captivated audiences and changed everything.
Producers-directors-writers Jim Abrahams, David and Jerry Zucker had hired Robert Stack, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges and Nielsen to spoof their heroic TV images in a satire of flight-in-jeopardy movies.
After the movie's success, the filmmaking trio cast their newfound comic star as Detective Drebin in a TV series, "Police Squad," which trashed the cliches of "Dragnet" and other cop shows. Despite good reviews, ABC quickly canceled it. Only six episodes were made.
"It didn't belong on TV," Nielsen later said. "It had the kind of humor you had to pay attention to."
The Zuckers and Abraham converted the series into a feature film, "The Naked Gun," with George Kennedy, O.J. Simpson and Priscilla Presley as Nielsen's co-stars. Its huge success led to sequels "The Naked Gun 2 1/2" and "The Naked Gun 33 1/3."
His later movies included "All I Want for Christmas," ''Dracula: Dead and Loving It" and "Spy Hard."

Never easy for Big Blue

2010-11-28T18:42:00.001-06:00

The Giants played like crap the first half, making the same mistakes. But they came back and beat a team they were supposed to beat. A win is a win.

Giants 24, Jaguars 20
Even without his two top receivers, Eli Manning got the New York Giants a much-needed win, helping big brother Peyton in the process.
Manning threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss with 3:15 to play and the Giants rallied to beat Jacksonville 24-20, snapping a two-game slide and ending the Jaguars' three-game winning streak.
Manning also threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham, Lawrence Tynes kicked three field goals and the defense came up with three consecutive sacks and a turnover with 1:25 to go as the Giants (7-4) rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit.
David Garrard and Rashad Jennings ran for touchdowns and Josh Scobee kicked two field goal as the Jaguars (6-5) lost for only the third time in eight games.
Jacksonville was tied with Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South when the day began.
The Giants rallied from a 17-6 halftime deficit and tied it early in the fourth quarter on the touchdown pass to Manningham and a 2-point conversion run by Ahmad Bradshaw, who lost his starting job to Brandon Jacobs this week.
Garrard used runs of 6, 6 and 11 yards to set up a go-ahead 42-yard field goal with 8:26 to go.
After the teams each punted, the Giants got the ball with 5:55 to go at their 31. Manning (14 of 24 for 226 yards ) hit Manningham on an 18-yard pass and Jacobs (14 rushes for 87 yards) broke an 18-yard run to the Jags 32. On third-and-10, Manning caught Jacksonville in a blitz and hit Boss on a short pass. The tight end broke a tackle by safety Courtney Greene at the 25 and romped into the end zone.
Jacksonville had one last chance and Garrard drove the Jaguars from their 27 to the Giants 29, where they got a first down on an illegal contact penalty against Aaron Ross with 1:51 to play.
Justin Tuck and Antrel Rolle sacked Garrard for an 11-yard loss on first down. Dave Tollefson got Garrard for 5 more on second down. Cornerback Terrell Thomas, who intercepted Garrard's first pass of the second half to set up Tynes' third field goal, then sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble that the Giants recovered.
With leading receivers Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks sidelined, this was the week the Giants' defense vowed to carry the team.
Garrard and the Jaguars did a great job on not letting that happen in the first half, scoring on drives on 75, 85 and 71 yards the first three times they had the ball for a 17-6 halftime lead.
Jennings capped the Jaguars' opening drive with a 5-yard run and then slammed the ball against a blue New York Giants banner, agitating the fans.
Garrard hits passes of 12 and 16 yards on a 15-play drive that Scobee ended with a 22-yard field goal for a 10-3 lead.
The Giants appeared to tie the game on a 9-yard pass from Manning to Manningham on their next possession, but the score was nullifed by a holding penalty against Boss. Tynes, who kicked a 22-yard field goal after New York's opening drive stalled at the Jags 5, added a 29-yarder.
Garrard then led a 13-play, 71-yard scoring drive he capped with a sensational 5-yard run on which he avoided a sack by Osi Umenyiora and broke a tackle by Tuck in going from sideline to sideline for the TD.

Bored or else ...

2010-11-28T14:20:00.005-06:00

I'm bored. I supposed I could be cleaning up my room, but I don't want to. I did make another banana split frozen treat. I am doing laundry. I could be playing poker, but I don't want to. I could be bagging comics. Maybe I'll do that later. I guess I could be doing a lot of other things, but I'd rather be bored. Otherwise I'd have to do work.

Banana spilt

2010-11-27T23:34:00.000-06:00

I've been dying to make Paula Deen's frozen banana split treat forever and I finally made it. I was watching Food Network months and happened to catch Paula Deen making this frozen treat with her brother Bubba. It looked so simple and easy that even I could make it. I even taped the episode so I wouldn't forget. Months had passed and I still wanted to make it but didn't. I watched the episode numerous times, my mouth watering and saying to myself, "I'm going to make it." But I didn't, until today.
It's simply layer ice cream sandwiches in a baking dish, layer sliced bananas on top, pour hot fudge on top, sprinkle chopped maraschino cherries, pour butterscotch sauce, sprinkle toffee bits and then frost it with Cool Whip. I made a couple of changes. I added some almonds for crunch and left out the toffee and butterscotch. I'm not a fan of either.
I brought to a poker gathering and it was a hit. I had a small slice and it wasn't bad. It didn;t look as good as it did on tv, but when dos it?

Black Friday

2010-11-26T09:23:00.000-06:00

I refuse to participate in the follies of Black Friday. I did it once a couple of years ago and that's it. Unless they're giving me money, it's not worth getting up at 4 am looking for a parking spot that is closer to China than the store and fighting crazed people who somehow think they need a $15 waffle iron. Nope. I'll stay home and get things the old fashioned way. People will give them to me.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T23:58:00.003-06:00

It was a quiet and uneventful Thanksgiving. We went to the in-laws for Turkey Day. My wife's sister and her family was supposed to come to town, but there was a change in plans. They'll be here for Christmas instead. That meant just the in-laws, the wife, the little one and myself. It was all good. Turkey, gravy, potatoes and dressing, We had that for lunch and we had it again for dinner. And I had two platefuls for dinner. I am sated. Happy Thanksgiving.

Customer service

2010-11-24T21:50:00.003-06:00

The wife and I went to Sam's Club to do some grocery shopping and perhaps getting some Christmas items. We get to the register and the wife is unloading the shopping cart. We find out that there's a problem with her membership card. The cashier won't check us out. And then another person, perhaps a manager, makes my reload her cart and head to the customer service counter to fix this mess. So we get to the customer service and the wife is steaming and ready to just leave the items in the cart and walk out of the store. But the customer service person saved the day. Not only was he apologetic and friendly, he took care of the membership mess and we didn't have to go back to another register and wait in line again. He checked us out at the service desk. That was redemption. That was good customer service.

A loss

2010-11-22T12:09:00.002-06:00

While it may seem like the second-half swoon has begun for Big Blue, I'm not all that disillusioned. Despite all their injuries, I thought they played decently and they were still in the games. They didn't play particularly well, but I think they're starting to jell enough with their back ups that they can begin to make some noise. If they can stop shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers and dropped passes, the future will look brighter.

Eagles 27, Giants 17
LeSean McCoy ran 50 yards for a go-ahead score on a fourth-and-1 late in the fourth quarter, and the Philadelphia Eagles rallied to beat the New York Giants 27-17 after blowing a 13-point lead Sunday night.
Michael Vick looked a little more ordinary after a spectacular performance in a 59-28 win over Washington on Monday night, but he led the Eagles (7-3) to a comeback win nonetheless, and into sole possession of first place in the NFC East.
Vick, who accounted for six touchdowns against the Redskins, threw for 258 yards and ran for a score vs. the Giants. He outplayed Peyton Manning in a win over Indianapolis two weeks ago, and outdid Eli Manning in this one.
The Giants quarterback threw a pair of touchdown passes to bring New York (6-4) back from a 16-3 deficit. But Manning lost a fumble after running for a first down on fourth-and-6 with 2:51 left, and the Eagles recovered. Manning scrambled 16 yards and dove headfirst, but the ball came loose when he hit the ground untouched. Darryl Tapp recovered.
The Giants, who had a fumble overturned earlier in the quarter, lost the ensuing challenge.
It was a tough loss for the Giants, who were upset by lowly Dallas at home last week. New York now trails six teams with seven wins or better in a wide-open conference.
The Eagles went up 22-16 when McCoy took a pitch from Vick, who bobbled the snap, and burst through a hole on the left side, sprinting into the end zone. Vick connected with Jason Avant on the two-point conversion with 4:25 left.
Three plays before Manning’s fumble, Asante Samuel recorded his second interception but fumbled on the return and the Giants recovered. Samuel had two picks against Peyton Manning, as well.
Vick continued his remarkable comeback story, improving to 5-0 in games he’s started and finished this season. Vick missed two full seasons while serving 18 months in federal prison for his role in a dogfighting operation, and played sparingly last season.
Vick missed a month with a rib injury and returned to beat the Colts. He followed that up with perhaps the best all-around performance ever by a quarterback at Washington. Vick became the first player to record 300 yards passing (333), 50 yards rushing (80), four touchdowns passing and two rushing in the same game.
The Eagles, perhaps a bit rusty after the short week, had a slow start — by their standards. They scored touchdowns on each of their first five possessions against the Redskins last week, and have touchdowns on five opening drives this season. But they had a three-and-out on their first series vs. the Giants.
That said, the Eagles woke up and went ahead 7-0 on Vick’s 4-yard run. Vick threw a 13-yard pass to DeSean Jackson on third-and-9 to keep the drive alive.
His scoring run was vintage Vick. He took the snap, rolled right, made defensive lineman Justin Tuck and linebacker Michael Boley miss, and then outran safety Kenny Phillips to the end zone for his fifth rushing score this season.
McCoy finished with 111 yards rushing, and David Akers kicked four field goals as the Eagles won their third in a row.
But the victory wasn’t without concern. Eagles defensive back Ellis Hobbs left the field on a stretcher with a neck injury after taking a hit to the helmet on the second-half kickoff. He had full movement of all extremities.
It was another scary scene at Lincoln Financial Field as Hobbs was down for 11 minutes. Players from both teams gathered around and the crowd fell silent. There were similar situations in the previous two games in Philadelphia.
Trailing 16-3 midway through the third, the Giants scored on consecutive possessions to take the lead. Manning’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Travis Beckum cut it to 16-10 late in the third. On the previous play, a third-and-14, Manning lofted a deep pass to Mario Manningham that fell incomplete, but Quintin Mikell was called for pass interference.
Vick then fumbled after being sacked by Tuck. Barry Cofield recovered at the Eagles 27. It was Vick’s first turnover this season.
Manning connected with Brandon Jacobs for 22 yards, and then tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Derek Hagan to suddenly give New York a 17-16 lead.
The Giants had a call go in their favor midway through the fourth after Ahmad Bradshaw lost a fumble at his 38. But New York challenged and the play was overturned because Bradshaw put his hand on the ground before the ball came loose.
The Eagles hardly looked like the same team that dominated the Redskins and set multiple team records six days earlier. Two receivers dropped touchdown passes that forced Philadelphia to settle for field goals, and one attempt was blocked.
But Vick led them back when it mattered most. And because of that, Philadelphia has now won the last five meetings against the Giants, including a playoff victory at the Meadowlands in January 2009.

Big Blue letdown

2010-11-14T19:39:00.004-06:00

I'm going to bet that this week you don't hear a single expert say that the New York Giants are possibly the best in the NFL, not even the NFC. What a difference a game makes.
Sheesh.
Considering Big Blue had a ton of injuries and trouble getting in sync with a new offensive line and receivers against -- yes, -- a 1-7 team, but a 1-7 team with talent, is anyone really that surprised. Oh and by the way, weren't these the same Cowboys who were 1-3, 1-4 and 1-5, but the best one-win team in history. But they were 1-7 and suck so badly. Of course everyone will think they will run the table and make the Super Bowl or the Giants just suck.
In this game it was a little of both, bu more of the latter. It took a while for the Giants to regain some composure on defense and kept them in the game. They were very much alive in the fourth quarter and Big Blue still had a chance, but the offense couldn't get it going. Especially not being able to convert on a fourth and one.
But I'm optimistic because I think if receivers Mario Manningham and Ramses Barden along with offensive linemen Kevin Boothe and William Beatty gets more reps together, you'll see a better offense. There were sparks there, but they just couldn't finish and I think a lot of that has to do with being in sync. More reps will help that.
And I hate losing, but especially to the Cowboys.

Cowboys 33, Giants 20
Jon Kitna passed for 327 yards and three touchdowns and the Dallas Cowboys looked revitalized with Jason Garrett running the team in a 33-20 victory that served as a reality check for the New York Giants on Sunday.
Kitna had TD passes of 13 yards to rookie Dez Bryant, 71 to halfback Felix Jones and 24 to Miles Austin as Dallas (2-7) snapped a five-game losing streak in its first game since Garrett replaced Wade Phillips.
Rookie cornerback Bryan McCann scored on a team-record 101-yard interception return in a game highlighted by big plays and two third-quarter power failures that delayed the game for 11 minutes.
Eli Manning threw two touchdown passes for the Giants (6-3), who had a five-game winning steak snapped.
Dallas gained 427 yards against the NFL's top-ranked defense and forced three turnovers in avoiding its first six-game losing streak since a run at the end of 2000 and the start of 2001.
It had to make owner Jerry Jones think that he waited too long before firing Phillips on Monday or that Garrett was saving all his good plays for when he took over.
The bottom line was Dallas finally looked a little like a talented team instead of one which always found ways to lose.
Coming off a near perfect 41-7 thrashing of Seattle, the Giants made way too many mistakes and the pundits who have been calling them the best team in the NFC need to guess again.
Kitna, who took over as the starter after Tony Romo broke his collarbone against the Giants on Oct. 25, finished 13 of 22 with a meaningless interception.
Besides the plays, there were power outages.
There were two in the third quarter lasting a total of 11 minutes, with the second one turning the $1.6 billion New Meadowlands Stadium into total darkness for about 10 to 15 seconds.
When the lights were on — sometimes not totally — there were plenty of highlights.
The first outage lasted three minutes and came after Kitna misfired on the opening play of the second half. Two plays later with the lights dimmed in the Cowboys end of the field, the veteran quarterback found Jones on a screen on the left side and the halfback scampered 71 yards untouched for a 26-6 lead.
Manning answered with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham to cap an eight-play, 58-yard march that was delayed eight minutes by the second outage, one that took out every light in the stadium.
Fans clicked pictures in the darkness and when the lights came back on there was a fight in one end of the stands involving several people.
Kitna, who had not won a game since 2007, needed only six plays to move the Cowboys 85 yards on their next possession. He capped the drive with the TD pass to Austin, which came a play after finding Roy Williams for 27 yards on a third-and-22.
A 35-yard touchdown pass from Manning to tight end Kevin Boss got the Giants within 33-20 in the third quarter.
New York appeared to cut the margin to less than a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter when Manning and Hakeem Nicks connected on a 48-yard scoring pass down the right sideline, but the play was called back by a questionable holding penalty against guard Kevin Boothe, who was playing his first game of the season.
The Cowboys made big play after big play in this game with none changing the momentum more than McCann's interception in the second quarter.
With New York down 9-3 and at the Dallas 2 and facing a third-and-goal, Manning threw to a spot on a quick slant to Nicks, only to find McCann waiting. The rookie took off for the other end of the field and no one got close to him as he gave Dallas a 16-3 lead.
Kitna, who faced little or no pressure, made the other big plays, hitting Byrant for 45 yards, Austin for 44 and tight end Martellus Bennett for 32 yards.
The long pass to Bryant set up a 13-yard TD toss to the rookie. The play was originally called incomplete but Garrett challenged the call and it was overturned after a replay.
The passes to Austin and Bennett set up short field goals by David Buehler, whose extra point on Bryant's touchdown was blocked.
Lawrence Tynes opened and closed the first-half scoring with field goals of 43 and 25 yards for the Giants.

Big dummy

2010-11-12T21:16:00.003-06:00

I'm hearing Fred Sanford. i am such an idiot. It was freezing in the house yesterday and I refused to turn on the heat. I'm such a guy. As I result, i ended up with the chills and now I'm feeling pretty sick now.

Too much talk

2010-11-11T18:16:00.000-06:00

There's all this talk that the Giants are the best team in the NFC. They're the most complete team -- a balanced offense with their running and passing attack and a devastating defense. However as someone brought up -- who have they beaten? Carolina? Detroit? Seattle? Chicago? Not the greatest of teams. Who defeated them -- Indianapolis and Tennessee. Two pretty good teams. True, those were early losses. If they can go 6-2 in their final eight games then I'll be impressed because they play the likes of Philadelphia and Green Bay. We'll see.
This upcoming Dallas game has me worried a little bit. The Cowboys still have talent. Maybe they're not as good as people thought they were but they're still dangerous. They've got a new coach so they may be more pumped. Combine that with New York's numerous injuries to its offenseive line -- I'm concerned.

Restful night

2010-11-10T09:27:00.000-06:00

After a sleepless night, we all had a night of sleepful bliss. Everyone was snoring away. No talking, no trips to the bathroom, just a quiet sleep-filled night. Everyone is rested.

Reluctance

2010-11-09T22:18:00.000-06:00

I asked my partner if he wanted to bowl in the Pepsi doubles and he said sure. I thought he might say no, but he agreed so I guess we're going to bowl. I'm still feeling pretty torn about doing this. My fault. I shouldn't have brought it up.

A sleepless night for some

2010-11-09T16:46:00.002-06:00

It was not a good night for the wife. She woke up in the middle of the night worried about a case that she didn't follow up on. She was worried that the client was going to fire her and have a malpractice suit filed against her. She worries a lot.
She couldn't sleep and I suppose that's good because nether could the little one. Since the wife was up I suggested that she go into the little one's room and sleep with her. That usually works. Well, it didn't.
When I got up around six. Everyone else was up and I found out that the wife didn't get to sleep until about 4:30 because that's when the little one went to sleep. But the litle one was unaffected by her lack of sleep. She was up and raring to go! We were a little worried about how her day at school would go and there was even a suggestion of keeping her home. She went to school. Of course, we would let the teachers know of her lack of sleep.
Surprise. Surprise. She had a good day.
And my wife checked on her case and everything was hunky-dory. No one is firing anyone.

Total domination by Big Blue

2010-11-07T19:03:00.002-06:00

All I'll say is that my gut feeling was wrong and I'm glad.

Giants 41, Seahawks 7
The first half was all the New York Giants needed to put away the Seahawks and memories of past losses in Seattle.
Eli Manning picked apart Seattle's secondary for 232 yards and three touchdowns and Ahmad Bradshaw added two TDs — all in the opening half — and the Giants routed the Seahawks 41-7.
Coming off its bye, New York (6-2) won its fifth straight game and is among the NFL's top teams halfway through the season.
The win had a little extra meaning. Five years ago at Qwest Field, the Giants were penalized 14 times — including 11 false starts — in a 24-21 overtime loss. A year later, after the Giants made claims that artificial crowd noise was being piped into the stadium, the Seahawks jumped to a 42-3 lead in another win over New York.
This time, the Giants were called for just two false start penalties and handed Seattle its worst home loss since 2002. It was the Giants biggest road win since a 41-7 win at Washington in 1993.
Manning's passer rating was a nearly perfect 152.3 in the first half. He finished 21 of 32 for 290 yards and TD passes of 46, 6, and 5 yards. Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs and D.J. Ware combined for 201 yards rushing, while Hakeem Nicks had six catches for 128 yards.
About the only positive for Seattle was keeping quarterback Charlie Whitehurst upright and in the game after the Giants had knocked out five quarterbacks already this season.
But Whitehurst's performance, in his first NFL start, should silence those calling for the end of Matt Hasselbeck's tenure in Seattle. With Hasselbeck out with a concussion, Whitehurst completed 12 of 23 passes for 113 yards and two interceptions.
It didn't help Whitehurst that two starting offensive linemen were out, along with three-fourths of Seattle's starting defensive line. And Seattle's run game never got started against the Giants defense with Marshawn Lynch held to 48 yards on 11 carries, 26 yards coming on one run.
Whitehurst did complete the first regular season pass of his career — for a 3-yard loss — and he threw a 36-yard TD pass to Ben Obomanu early in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks first touchdown since the second quarter against Arizona two weeks ago.
But Whitehurst wasn't alone in Seattle's general ineptitude. Offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates called a double pass on third-and-1 in the first quarter that fell incomplete when Whitehurst overthrew tight end Chris Baker by 10 yards.
After Manning hit Nicks on a 46-yard touchdown — a drive kept alive by an illegal contact call against Seattle rookie safety Earl Thomas on third down — Leon Washington fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Jonathan Goff recovered and returned it to the Seattle 4 and Bradshaw piled in on the next play.
Washington's next kickoff return went for 57 yards and Lynch got Seattle its first first-down on a 6-yard run. But two plays later, Lynch fell on his face before the snap and was called for a false start. Whitehurst was intercepted on the next play on a throw into the end zone that Mike Williams should have caught, but instead was deflected and landed in the hands of Terrell Thomas.
Manning then led the Giants to another score, hitting Steve Smith on a 6-yard TD pass and a 28-0 lead. Smith celebrated by running over and standing next to a "Volume 12" sign in the end zone and getting a beer shower in the process.

It smells like a trap

2010-11-06T23:37:00.001-05:00

When the New York Giants play the Seahawks at Seattle Sunday, it should be an easy win for Big Blue. So why do I think it's going to be a loss? Seattle is riddled with injuries -- its starting quarterback is out, the offensive line is hurting, one of its best wide receivers is hobbled. But, the Jints have been known to implode. I've got this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I hope it's just gas.

Dilemma

2010-11-05T23:30:00.002-05:00

I've been griping about the bowling betrayal. I'm still pretty pissed about it. I find out that I may have a pretty good chance of actually winning it. Since people are pissed at the hidden fee, they decided not to pay the extra money and dropped out. The smaller the number of entrants, the better shot that I have.
The dilemma? I will feel like a hypocrite if I bowl because I made such a big deal about the extra fee and then I end up paying it. Just on principle, that would be wrong. Decisions.

Sparky Anderson RIP

2010-11-04T20:41:00.003-05:00

Sparky Anderson, the white-haired Hall of Fame manager who directed Cincinnati's Big Red Machine to back-to-back World Series championships and won another one in Detroit, has died from complications from dementia. He was 76.
Anderson was the first manager to win World Series titles in both leagues and the only manager to lead two franchises in career wins.
His Reds teams featuring Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan that won crowns in 1975 and 1976 rank among the most powerful of all time. Led by Kirk Gibson and Alan Trammell, Anderson won with the Tigers in 1984.
Anderson's win total of 2,194 was the third highest when he retired after the 1995 season, trailing only Connie Mack and John McGraw. He's still sixth on the career list.
George "Sparky" Anderson got his nickname in the minor leagues because of his spirited play. He made it to the majors for only one season, batting .218 for the Phillies in 1959.
Anderson learned to control a temper that nearly scuttled his fledgling career as a manager in the minors, and went on to become one of baseball's best at running a team. And Anderson won with a humility that couldn't obscure his unique ability to manage people.
Anderson's win total trails only those of Mack. McGraw, Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre.
While Anderson was often surrounded by top players, there was more to his ability than merely filling out a lineup card.
He had the right touch with superstars, and it came in handy when he led the star-studded Reds to World Series wins in 1975-76. He won four National League pennants in Cincinnati from 1970-78, then was stung when the Reds fired him after consecutive second-place finishes.
Anderson took his disappointment to the other league and won there, too, directing the Tigers to the 1984 championship and a division title in 1987. He was voted into Cooperstown by the Veterans Committee.
Even then, he showed his usual self-deprecation. Anderson had refused to step foot inside the Hall until 2000 because he felt unworthy.
The only notable thing about Anderson as a player was his prematurely graying hair and his nickname. He was playing for Fort Worth in the Texas League in 1955 when a radio announcer, taken by his feisty play, started calling him Sparky.
The name stuck. He didn't. Anderson made it to the majors in 1959 and singled home the go-ahead run on opening day in Cincinnati, which turned out to be the highlight of his playing career. A light-hitting second baseman, he had 12 extra-base hits -- zero home runs -- and 34 RBIs in 477 at-bats.
He was back in the minors the next year, and soon realized it was time to think about another career.
He decided to try managing.
That almost flamed out, too. His first job was managing a minor league team in Toronto in 1964. He was overly aggressive in his strategy and argued every close call with umpires, showing a short fuse that soon got him fired. Cardinals general manager Bob Howsam gave him a second chance to manage in the minors, then moved to Cincinnati to build the Reds.
When he needed a big league manager there, he decided to call Anderson, who was shocked to get the chance. The youngest manager in the majors at age 35, he signed the $28,500 contract - by far the most money he'd ever made - and set out to make himself known in a city asking: Sparky who?
Howsam assembled one of the most talented teams of all time -- Bench, Morgan, Rose, Tony Perez, Ken Griffey Sr., George Foster, Davey Concepcion. Anderson was charged with making it work.
Anderson's plaque in Cooperstown calls him "the crank that turned the Big Red Machine," and his players agree that it fit. Bench noted that Anderson treated his players respectfully and was always on top of game strategy.
In Cincinnati, Anderson also got himself another nickname: Captain Hook, a reference to his habit of pulling a starting pitcher when he got into a jam late in a game. He also showed creativity in making lineup changes.
One of the most important moves: switching Rose from left field to third base on May 3, 1975, allowing Foster to play full-time in left. It was the final piece of the Machine, which beat Boston in a dramatic seven-game Series that year, then swept to another title while winning 108 games the following season.
Two second-place seasons led to a surprising firing. The Reds have won only one other NL title and World Series since he left, in 1990 under Lou Piniella. Anderson moved on to Detroit, where he had more longevity and added one more title.
He refused to manage replacement players during baseball's labor dispute in spring training of 1995, angering owner Mike Ilitch. He resigned after a 60-win season, saying the franchise needed a new direction. He hoped to manage somewhere else, but when an offer never came along, he retired.

Bowling betrayal

2010-11-02T22:04:00.004-05:00

I was looking forward to bowling in a local doubles tournament. The tournament is being sponsored by the local bowling center. We were told it cost only $4 to enter and if you qualified, you could enter a chance to bowl for a trip to Las Vegas. I found out that after you qualified you would have to pay an additional $25. To make matters worse, we were told that you can enter as many times as you wish -- for the $4 -- with the more you enter, the better chances you have. But you had to pay $25 for each entry. I was furious. So I asked what was up with the entry fee. I said it wasn't on the flyer but he said the entry fee was stated on the application, which we never got, but was on the wall. That's just bull. Since I qualified three times with three different partners it's going to cost me $75. My partners would each pay $25. I probably won't bowl. It's one thing if I didn't qualify. It's another thing that I did and they want me to pay more.
It also puts me in an awkward position because my partners may not have a problem with the money and may want to bowl. Since I'm their partner, I feel I have an obligation to bowl with them regardless.
The more I think about it, the madder I get. As far as I'm concerned the bowling center stole $12 from me because if I had known about the fee, I would have never entered. And it's not just me, but I spoke with a bunch of bowlers who agreed with me.

SF Giants are World Series champs

2010-11-01T21:36:00.003-05:00

Congrats to the San Francisco Giants. They beat the Texas Rangers in five games to win their first championship since moving to the left coast in 1958. Like I said before, happy for them as long as Barry Bonds isn't on the team.

Halloween bummer

2010-10-31T18:29:00.003-05:00

This is the first Halloween that I don't go trick or treating with the little one. Since I started working at the college, Halloween has never fallen on a Sunday. It did this year. So it's up to the wife to take her out. They did drop by and the little one was awfully cute as the Statue of Liberty.

The joy of newness

2010-10-30T21:15:00.000-05:00

I told you we got a new toy -- a new range -- and immediately it was put to use. The wife made an apple pudding cake and a sirloin roast. It was all good. Maybe if I buy her a power saw ....
I will admit there was some concern. I did a lot of reading on glass ceramic ranges and heard a ton of negative comments. I guess that's the negative of the Internet. You get a ton of good along with a ton of bad. I was worried about all the negatives -- you need new pans, heat doesn't distribute well, hard to clean, lots of scratches, but after using it I think it'll work out just fine.

Bill Shannon, RIP

2010-10-29T13:38:00.003-05:00

Bill Shannon passed away earlier this week, but I just found out about it today. It's very tragic and sad. He died tragically in a house fire. I was stunned. Surprisingly, he was only 69.
I knew Bill from my days at the Ticker when I used to cover games at Yankee and Shea Stadiums in the 90s. He was the official scorer. Bill was an affable man. A real nice guy. I didn't know him well and our conversations were often brief, but when I had a question about a scoring play, he took the time to answer it in detail. He was never rude or abrupt. He took pride in his scoring and was happy to explain his position or what the logic or intent behind the rules. He'll be missed.

Appliances

2010-10-28T21:24:00.000-05:00

The Schmoe clan has purchased a new shiny toy -- a range. Now I can boil water without the pot being slightly crooked because the coils are popping out. It's new and it's flat. And speaking of boiling water, there's a speed heat function so I can boil water three times faster. Pretty exciting, huh?

How not to run a business

2010-10-27T23:38:00.000-05:00

As the weather gets a little nippier, it won't be too soon before we need to turn on the furnace. We haven't had it checked in a while so I decided to call up for an appointment to have it checked out. Now comes the fun part. I called on Monday, but the company couldn't give me a date or time when they could come. Basically it was, "We'll get there when we get there and we don't know when." Now this is kind of a problem because you don't want to sit all day waiting and they may or may not show up. At least give me a time frame. Even the cable and telephone companies give you a date. Maybe you'll have to spend the whole day there, but you're not guessing. So I was completely frustrated and dumbfounded when they wouldn't commit to a date. I finally told them I needed them to come out Wednesday. They finally relented, but in a non-committal way.
I called them this morning, trying to pin them down and still couldn't get a commitment. I think it finally took me guilting them into saying that they would come today. Sheesh,
So they came and we needed filters and everything was fine. Then I found out that the repairman fudged the bill. He gave himself some extra time. My wife checked the bill, but she wasn't there when he got there. I should've looked at it, but i didn't think much of it. Surprise. I should've. I haven't decided if I want to make a big deal about it. But it is the principle.

Same old song

2010-10-26T22:11:00.000-05:00

My bowling is consistently inconsistent --181, 213 and 134.

Sloppy, but still a win for the Jints

2010-10-25T23:09:00.004-05:00

The New York Giants overcame a deficit and a ton of turnovers and get a 41-35 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. The defense kept Big Blue in the game while the offense was sharp when it wasn't turning the ball over. Lots of positives and some negatives. Still, a W is a W.

Giants 41, Cowboys 35
Tony Romo threw the pass, then didn't have a chance. Linebacker Michael Boley was coming right at him, unblocked and going full speed.
The hit was so hard that when Romo landed on his left shoulder, Boley heard him "let out a little scream." All Romo remembers was how much trouble he had breathing.
It was probably the last gasp for the 2010 Dallas Cowboys, too.
Romo broke his left collarbone on the play, turning a promising start in Monday night's game against the New York Giants into yet another loss. The Cowboys went through a funk after losing their quarterback and Eli Manning took advantage, powering New York from a 13-point deficit to a 41-35 victory that put the Giants a full game ahead of the NFC East and tied for the most wins in the conference.
Manning led New York (5-2) on five straight scoring drives over the middle two quarters, posting 31 points. He bounced back from interceptions on his first two drives of the night to match his career best with four touchdown passes, Brandon Jacobs ran 30 yards for a touchdown and Lawrence Tynes kicked a career-best 53-yard field goal, just some of their many highlights.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he was told Romo would miss about 6 to 8 weeks. More tests that are scheduled for Tuesday should help set a timetable. But it might not matter much. Dallas is 1-5, so there may not be any reason to rush back. The 1970 Bengals are the only 1-5 team ever to make the playoffs.
The historically woebegone Texas Rangers could win more games in October and November than the five-time Super Bowl champion Cowboys. And with the Super Bowl coming to Cowboys Stadium in February, it's all but certain the host team won't be playing. Worse still, this once-promising season is now linked to 1989 — the year Jones bought the team, Jimmy Johnson took over as coach and the Cowboys went 1-15; that was the last time Dallas started 1-5. At least back then everyone knew the team was lousy.
This was the fourth straight win for the Giants. The really stunning number is five; that's how many quarterbacks they have injured this season.
X-rays showed the break before halftime. Romo was back on the sideline for the second half, his arm in a sling and covered by a jacket. He wore a headset and tried encouraging teammates, but there wasn't much to cheer about.
The Cowboys actually were up only 10-7 when Romo left and stretched it to 20-7. Then came New York's scoring flurry, which sent home much of the crowd by the middle of the third quarter and prompted chants of "Let's go Rangers!"
The Giants were already ahead by the time Romo's injury was diagnosed.
Dallas backup Jon Kitna hadn't played since Oct. 5, 2008, when he was part of Detroit's winless season. Whether it was the long layoff, being 38 or both, he sure looked rusty.
His first and third passes were tipped. The next time he dropped back, he was sacked for a 10-yard loss, forcing Dallas to punt from its own end zone. The Giants took advantage of the short field to score the go-ahead touchdown. His next pass was fumbled by Jason Witten, setting up Tynes' long field goal. It got so bad that there was a mock cheer when he completed a pass for a first down early in fourth quarter. He finished 16 of 33 for 187 yards.
Kitna ended up throwing a pair of touchdown passes to rookie Dez Bryant in the final 3:17, but Dallas failed to recover onside kicks after each. New York got another field goal from Tynes after the first, then ran out the clock after the second.
Manning was 25 of 35 for 306 yards. This was the fourth time he'd thrown four TD passes.
Hakeem Nicks caught nine passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Steve Smith caught nine passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. Mario Manningham had the other TD catch.
Ahmad Bradshaw ran 24 times for 126 yards. Jacobs had 75 yards on 12 carries.
Romo had thrown every pass by a Cowboys quarterback since Nov. 16, 2008, when he returned from a broken pinkie on his throwing hand that cost him three games. He set the franchise record for yards passing in a season last year, making the Pro Bowl for the third time. In his brief action Monday night, he broke his own club record by throwing for a touchdown in his 18th straight game. He was 5 of 7 for 39 yards.

Folliculitis

2010-10-25T20:26:00.000-05:00

It's always a little frustrating when you go to one doctor multiple times and he can't figure it out, but you go to another and she figures it out right away.
I went to a doctor three times before I sent to someone else and she diagnosed it instantaneously. I have folliculitis.

Random thoughts

2010-10-24T20:16:00.004-05:00

This could be a fun World Series. Not sure if I care who wins. I like both Texas and San Francisco. I rooted against San Fran when Barry Bonds was on the team. He's gone so I can root for the Giants.
Watched (500) Days of Summer with Zooey Deschanel. It was funny and depressing and brought back memories of my past before getting married.
The Blind Side was on cable and the wife remarked that if Sandra Bullock came to Schmoeville, I would go out with her. I said I couldn't because I was married. (I'm a quick thinker, huh?) Anyways if I had to choose between Sandra Bullock or Zooey Deschanel, it would be Deschanel hands down. First saw her in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and hooked ever since.

Hard to believe

2010-10-23T21:17:00.004-05:00

I've been married 11 years. Seems like yesterday and it seems like forever. There have been plenty of ups and downs. Some wonderful highs and some very hard bumps. It's been an incredible ride. A really incredible ride.

Hats off to the Rangers

2010-10-22T22:17:00.002-05:00

The Texas Rangers knocked off the New York Yankees, 6-1 in the Game Six of the ALCS to advance to their first-ever World Series. They simply outplayed the Bronx Bombers and that's that. No crying or yelling. They were the better team. Congratulations.

A pulse

2010-10-20T20:11:00.002-05:00

In the immortal words of Mel Allen, "How about that?" The New York Yankees beat the Texas Rangers, 7-2, to win Game Five, but still trail 3-2 in the ALCS. The Bombers are still on life support.

On the brink

2010-10-19T23:18:00.001-05:00

The Texas Rangers are one game away from eliminating the New York Yankees after handing them a 10-3 whooping, taking a 3-1 lead in the ALCS.

It was bound to happen

2010-10-19T21:59:00.004-05:00

It was going to happen sooner or later and it finally did. All is right in the bowling world. I reverted back to form. And my undoing was exactly as I figured -- spares. I missed a bunch of spares and it cost me.

Tom Bosley is dead

2010-10-19T18:00:00.001-05:00

Tom Bosley, whose long acting career was highlighted by his hugely popular role as the understanding father on television's nostalgic, top-rated 1970s comedy series "Happy Days," died. He was 83.
Bosley died of heart failure at a hospital near his Palm Springs home. Bosley's agent, Sheryl Abrams, said he was also battling lung cancer.
TV Guide ranked Bosley's "Happy Days" character, Howard Cunningham, at No. 9 on its list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" in 2004. The show debuted in 1974 and ran for 11 seasons.
After "Happy Days" ended, Bosley went on to a recurring role in "Murder, She Wrote" as Sheriff Amos Tupper. He also was the crime-solving priest in television's "The Father Dowling Mysteries," which ran from 1989 to 1991.
When he was first offered the costarring role in "Happy Days," a series about teenage life in the 1950s, he turned it down.
Propelled by the nation's nostalgia for the simple pleasures of the 1950s, "Happy Days," which debuted in 1974, slowly built to hit status, becoming television's top-rated series by its third season.
It made a star of Henry Winkler, who played hip-talking, motorcycle-riding hoodlum Arthur "Fonzi" Fonzarelli, helped launch the career of Howard and led to other television spinoffs.
Although "Happy Days" brought him his widest fame, Bosley had made his mark on Broadway 15 years before when he turned in a Tony Award-winning performance in the title role in "Fiorello!"
His Broadway triumph depicted the life of New York's colorful reformist mayor of the 1930s and '40s, Fiorello La Guardia. For two years, Bosley stopped the show every night when he sang in several languages, depicting La Guardia during the years the future mayor worked at New York's Ellis Island, aiding arriving immigrants.
The play won a Pulitzer Prize and Bosley received the Tony for best actor in a musical.
After failing to duplicate his success in "Fiorello!," Bosley moved to Hollywood in 1968. He would not return to Broadway until 1994 when he originated the role of Belle's father in Disney's production of "Beauty and the Beast."
In Hollywood, the rotund character actor found steady work appearing in the occasional movie and as a regular on weekly TV shows starring Debbie Reynolds, Dean Martin, Sandy Duncan and others.
During the 1990s, Bosley toured in "Beauty and the Beast" and "Show Boat," playing Captain Andy in the latter.
Bosley made only a handful of theatrical movies. Among them: "Love With the Proper Stranger," ''Divorce American Style," ''The Secret War of Henry Frigg," ''Yours, Mine and Ours."
Bosley capitalized on his fame from "Happy Days" to serve as a pitchman for GLAD trash bags along with other products.
Born in Chicago in 1927, Bosley served in the Navy before returning to his hometown to study at DePaul University. Intrigued with acting, he enrolled at the Radio Institute of Chicago and began appearing in radio dramas.
Bosley married dancer Jean Eliot in 1962 and the couple had one child, Amy. Two years after his wife's death in 1978, Bosley married actress-producer Patricia Carr, who had three daughters from a previous marriage.

Roles reversed

2010-10-18T22:35:00.004-05:00

Now that the Yankees have been humbled in an 8-0 loss to the Rangers and trail the 2-1 in the ALCS, does that mean they're toast? Are they done just like the Rangers were after losing Game One? I'll say it again, it's not over.

Another win, another struggle for Big Blue

2010-10-17T16:48:00.003-05:00

I know the Lions are playing hard and better than people think, but somehow you had to believe that the Giants should have coasted to the win and shouldn't have needed an interception in the final seconds to salt the victory away.

Giants 28, Lions 20
Eli Manning threw two touchdown passes and the New York Giants barely held on for a 28-20 victory that sent the error-prone Detroit Lions to an NFL record-tying 24th straight road loss Sunday.
Safety Deon Grant preserved the third straight win for the Giants (4-2) by forcing and recovering a fumble by Lions receiver Nate Burleson at the Giants 42 with about 5 minutes to go and New York ahead by four points.
Ahmad Bradshaw, who finished with 133 yards, ran for 45 yards on the first play, setting up Brandon Jacobs’ second touchdown run, a 6-yarder. Jacobs also scored from 4 yards out, helping New York avoid the trap.
Manning threw touchdown passes of 33 yards to Mario Manningham and 1 yard to Travis Beckum.
Shaun Hill left late in the first half with an injured left arm. Drew Stanton came in and had an 87-yard scoring pass to Calvin Johnson in the fourth quarter for the Lions (1-5).
Neither team played particularly well, but the Lions made a couple of more costly errors, including Burleson’s fumble and 11 penalties for 91 yards, including two major calls that helped New York on touchdown drives.
The Giants, who play Dallas on the road a week from Monday — hence the trap game — also had their own blunders. Punter Matt Dodge dropped a snap to set up Detroit’s first touchdown and Rolle took a horrible angle on the long touchdown pass to Johnson that basically allowed the receiver to make an uncontested catch along the right sideline.
The bottom line was that the Lions’ futility on the road continued. They have not on the road since Oct. 28, 2007, and this latest setback allowed them to tie their own league record for consecutive road loss (24), set in the 2001-03 seasons.
The Lions’ big mistakes were the penalties. With the game tied at 7, rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was called for a hands to the face on a second-and-20 at the New York 19. The first down allowed the Giants to continue what turned into an 11-play, 93-yard drive with Jacobs scoring the go-ahead touchdown from 4 yards out with 3:14 left in the half.
Hanson closed the gap to 14-10 with his first long field goal and the Lions squandered a chance to take the lead early in the third quarter when an illegal formation nullified a 28-yard Stanton to Burleson pass to the New York 5.
Stanton was sacked on the next play by Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck recovered at the Giants 43.
Seven plays later, Manning hit Beckum on the 1-yard TD pass on third down.
The drive was kept alive when defensive end Cliff Avril took a swing at Giants tackle Kareem McKenzie after Manning missed Hakeem Nicks on a fade pattern in the corner of the end zone.
Given a first down at the 1, the Giants eventually got into the end zone for a 21-10 lead.
The long touchdown pass to Johnson got Detroit in position again and they were driving for a go-ahead score when Burleson fumbled and New York took advantage again.
The Giants got off to a horrible start when Dodge dropped the snap and then mishandled the ball again after picking it up.
The Lions took over on the Giants 43 and scored nine plays later on a 14-yard pass from Hill to Burleson.
Dodge redeemed himself on the next series, when his 56-yard punt died at the Lions 4.
New York’s defense got a three-and-out and Darius Reynaud’s 20-yard punt return set the Giants up at the Lions 40. Manning hit Smith on passes of 20 and 11 yards to set up Jacobs’ tying 4-yard TD run.

Not finished yet

2010-10-16T21:47:00.001-05:00

To all those who believed the Rangers were dead, I think they beat the Yankees, 7-2, to the tie the ALCS at one game each.

First blood

2010-10-15T23:26:00.003-05:00

The Yankees came back from a 5-0 deficit to win 6-5 over the Texas Rangers to win Game One of the ALCS. Nice win, but it's not over yet.

Long day

2010-10-15T20:51:00.001-05:00

Since the wife was at a seminar, it was up to me to entertain the little one all day. We couldn't stay in the hotel because we were checking out and leaving for Wichita. We managed a late check out, but not late enough so I had to figure out some things to do. We went to the library, a book store and a candy store. Then we walked and ended up in a toy store and then back to the book store. Lawrence is a nice town. It seems like a hopping place. It is a college town. So I survived a day with my daughter. It's back to Wichita.

On the road

2010-10-14T22:56:00.001-05:00

We've been traveling all day to Lawrence. The wife has a seminar up there, the little one didn't have school for a couple of days so off we went. It's about six hours to the land of Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk from Schmoeville. It was a long trip. I probably wanted to nix it, but I really the wife and the little one wanted a family trip. We'll be in Lawrence one night and then head to Wichita for a day and then back home on Sunday. It does suck because I've gotta work on Sunday, but I'm getting someone to open the library for me and so I won't have to rush back.
I used to live for hotels. Now the thrill is somewhat gone. I think it has to do with the house I know live in. I've got a shower and central air and satellite. Why would I want to leave? When I was back in NYC, I lived with my folks with one room and no air conditioning. A hotel room seemed real sweet back then.
The hotel room is nice enough. There are two beds and three of us. You'd think that the little one would want to sleep with us. No. She wants her own bed. Go figure. When she's at home, she wants to sleep with mommy and daddy and not in her own room and bed. My guess is that she's simply comforted by having us in the room. since we don't have two beds in our room at home, she'll sleep with us. If we did, I'm pretty sure she would like to sleep by herself.

Too much thinking

2010-10-13T09:55:00.003-05:00

I was worried about bowling. I went bowling three days in a row -- Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I started reading books about bowling, looking at youtube bowling clips, all the stuff that would help a normal person, but it was destined to screw up my game. On Tuesday night, it did and it didn't. I was well aware of everything that I was trying to do to improve my game like put the thumb in tighter (I ended up throwing the ball in the gutter) or making sure the ball was in the palm of my hand until I released (the ball either went wide right or didn't turn at all). Anyways, I had a good first game even though I was thinking quite a bit then I thought some more and had a horrible second game. I had a shaky start to the third game, but then got it back together by simply moving my feet to the right and finished strong. So in the end, my thinking gave me some hiccups, but I was able to overcome my brain and just calm down and get back to basics.

Good MLB playoffs

2010-10-12T22:04:00.000-05:00

The MLB playoffs are going to be good. There are going to be some fabulous pitching matchups. In a way, I'm actually looking forward to the NLCS more than the ALCS. The Phillies and Giants have such great pitching. I think it's going to be a lot fun. I was telling someone that and he said that no one likes low-scoring games. I suppose that's true, but I'm looking forward to some good pitching duels.
The ALCS will be interesting. I don't know if I had a preference on whether I wanted the Rangers or the Rays, both are good teams, who presented problems for the yankees, but it ended up being the Rangers. I think it's going to be a slugfest. Both teams have solid pitching, but I think the Yankees have more depth in the rotation, although the Rangers have the stud in Cliff Lee, but luckily he won't pitch until Game Three. It wouldn't surprise if the Rangers won, but I'm thinking New York as a slight favorite because of the pitching depth and the bats.

Big Blue wins again

2010-10-10T19:22:00.003-05:00

The G-Men may have won, but it seems that Eli Manning is making more and more bonehead plays. The defense continues to play well.

Giants 34, Texans 10
HOUSTON — The New York Giants found some offense to go with that powerful defensive front.
Eli Manning threw two of his three touchdown passes to Hakeem Nicks and the Giants held Houston to a franchise-low 24 yards rushing in a 34-10 win over the Texans on Sunday.
Nicks finished with career highs of 12 catches and 130 yards, another big day for a receiver against the Texans' porous secondary. Manning went 27 of 42 for 297 yards passing, and threw his third TD pass to Steve Smith in the fourth quarter.
But Nicks was Manning's true go-to receiver early on Sunday, catching seven passes for 97 yards in the first half.
Osi Umenyiora sacked Texans quarterback Matt Schaub twice and also forced a fumble, while the Giants (3-2) held NFL rushing leader Arian Foster to 25 yards on 11 carries.
Linebacker Brian Cushing made four solo tackles in his season debut for Houston (3-2). He was suspended the first four games for violating the NFL's policy on banned substances.
His much-anticipated return was quickly forgotten as the Giants rolled to a 21-0 lead in the first 17 minutes. The Texans had no choice but to start throwing, and that played right into the hands of the Giants' pass rush, which generated 10 sacks against Chicago last week.
Manning faced little pressure in the first half and completed 15 of 22 passes for 175 yards, while Nicks dominated Houston cornerbacks Kareem Jackson and Brice McCain. The Texans were giving up 338 yards passing per game and their young cornerbacks had taken most of the blame.
Manning noticed this week while studying the Texans that their safeties often creep forward on play-action fakes, leaving gaps down the field. He told his receivers to watch for that, and Nicks was apparently paying attention.
The Giants' defense took care of the rest, holding Houston's top-ranked rushing offense to 8 yards. The Texans came in averaging 172 yards rushing per game.
New York already led 7-0 on Nicks' first touchdown catch when Corey Webster intercepted Schaub's pass to Andre Johnson near midfield in the first quarter. Manning promptly threw a 27-yard pass to Nicks to set up Brandon Jacobs' 1-yard TD run.
The Texans ran four plays for negative yards and mustered only two first downs in the first quarter. At one point, three Giants knocked down Schaub in the end zone after another incompletion, prompting boos from the sellout crowd.
The Giants led 24-3 at the break, and the home crowd booed the Texans as they trotted off the field. Houston had only 74 total yards at halftime.
Schaub threw a 48-yard pass to Johnson on Houston's second play of the third quarter, but Umenyiora sacked Schaub and knocked the ball loose on the next snap, and Justin Tuck recovered.
Jackson intercepted Manning later in the third quarter and returned it to the Giants' 17. Johnson caught a pass at the 1, and former Giants running back Derrick Ward scored on the next play. But Manning started the Giants' next series with three straight completions to Nicks, and Tynes kicked a 42-yard field goal with 1:22 left in the third quarter.
Smith beat Jackson on a 45-yard gain to the Texans' 28 in the fourth quarter, then outjumped second-year cornerback Glover Quin for New York's last touchdown with 4:50 left in the game.

Onward

2010-10-09T23:57:00.002-05:00

The New York Yankees are moving on after sweeping the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS. Who will they face next? Rangers or Rays? Doesn't matter to me. They're both very dangerous teams.

Dangerous terriority

2010-10-09T22:51:00.000-05:00

It's dangerous that I'm thinking. Since my improvement in bowling, I've started thinking about things on what I can do to get better. I started looking at youtube, reading my old books, surfing the Internet. This is bad. I wasn't doing this before and I was bowling well. I was not thinking, just doing. Not only did I go bowling on Friday, but I went today as well. Uh, oh. That's two days in a row. Will my obsession to get better lead to thinking and cause me to tumble down that fateful path? Perhaps. This could be trouble.

Better days

2010-10-07T20:49:00.000-05:00

After two rough days at school and during homework, it seems like the little one is back on track. Hopefully, Monday and Tuesday were just blips. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Bowling well

2010-10-05T23:05:00.000-05:00

I continue to bowl well. I don't know why. I shouldn't worry about it. Enjoy it while it lasts. I'm sure the bottom will fall out soon enough.

Meltdown Monday

2010-10-04T22:46:00.000-05:00

When you have so many good days, it's easy to forget that the little one is capable of having some very bad days. Today was one of them as she was in full meltdown mode at school. She was having a real good day and then with an hour or so to go, the wheels fell off. A CD player didn't work and that just set her off. There were tears and hysteria. It took the teacher by surprise. And while she calmed down, she melted down again during homework. We finally got through homework, but it's a reality check that our girl is autistic.

The defense of old shows up

2010-10-03T23:50:00.002-05:00

It was nice to see a dominating performance on the defensive side by Big Blue. The defense really hasn't played poorly with the exception of the Colts game, but let's see them put up a performance like tonight next week against Houston. And the scary thing is that even though the Giants were dominating in the first half, they were only up 3-0 at halftime and the game was in doubt until the fourth quarter. With a first-half like they had, Big Blue should've salted that game away long before then.

Giants 17, Bears 3
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants' defense delivered a knockout punch that sent Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears reeling from the unbeaten ranks.
The Giants knocked out Cutler (concussion) with a nine-sack first half, sent his replacement to the sideline late in the fourth quarter and limited Chicago to 110 total yards in a 17-3 victory.
The Giants (2-2) did just enough on offense to beat the Bears (3-1), with the best thing being they didn't turn the ball over much until the fourth quarter.
It was just what the Giants needed after a week in which many wondered whether coach Tom Coughlin was losing the team after a disappointing 2009 season and two straight bad games.
The defense answered with a resounding 'No' and the offense went along for the ride in a so-so effort against the Monsters of the Midway.
Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown against a defense that had allowed 119 yards on the ground in its first three games and Lawrence Tynes kicked a 22-yard field goal as the Giants snapped a two-game losing streak.
Brandon Jacobs, whose fourth-quarter fumble inside his own 30 set up Robbie Gould's 40-yard field goal for Chicago, capped the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:31 to play.
On a night the Giants inducted 22 of their greatest players into their new Ring of Honor, including Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson, this defense emulated some of the great ones of the Giants' 86-year history.
The Giants' defense performance ranged on spectacular both in appearance and statistically.
New York limited the Bears to six first downs, did not allow a third-down conversion in 13 attempts and forced three turnovers in addition to the 10 sacks.
The sack total was two shy of the league record, which the Giants tied in 2007 in a Sunday night game against Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles. Osi Umenyiora had six that night. He had three against Chicago.
Cutler and Todd Collins paid the price. Cutler was sacked nine times in the first half and suffered a concussion and did not return. The veteran Collins took over in the second half and lasted until about four minutes remained in the game.
That's when he was sent to the sideline with a stinger after taking a blindside hit from linebacker Michael Boley.
Smith then sent out No. 3 quarterback Caleb Hanie and he got sacked by Justin Tuck for New York's 10th and final sack with about three minutes to play. Tuck also had three sacks.
The Giants took an early 3-0 lead, driving 76 yards in 11 plays with Tynes hitting the chip-shot field goal.
New York didn't take control until the third quarter when Manning (18-of-30 for 195 yards) engineered an eight-play 90 yard drive that featured passes of 21 yards to Hakeem Nicks and 25 to tight end Travis Beckum. Bradshaw had runs of 13 and 25 yards before capping the drive with a 3-yard run on which his line seemed to shove him into the end zone.
The Giants led 3-0 at the half and the margin certainly should have been more.
Perry Fewell's defense limited the Bears to 22 yards, two first downs and sacked Cutler an amazing nine times and forced two turnovers that gave the Giants the ball twice inside the Bears 30-yard line.
Tynes missed a 38-yard field goal wide left after an interception by Terrell Thomas gave New York the ball at the Bears 28.
Instead of going for the knockout punch with a 3-0 lead, the Giants called a run by Bradshaw and two Manning passes, the last one on a third-and-2 play to Kevin Boss that would not have gotten a first down.
Early in the second quarter, Umenyiora caught Cutler from the blindside and got his third sack of the half, forcing a fumble that was recovered at the Chicago 29.
Three plays and false start against guard Chris Snee pushed the Giants back to the 34 and New York was forced to punt.

Tony Curtis, RIP

2010-09-30T22:12:00.006-05:00

I'm pretty sure this is the only Tony Curtis movie I ever saw in the theaters. I saw this with a friend at the Guild 50th at Rockerfeller Center.

Tony Curtis dead at 85
Tony Curtis shaped himself from a 1950s movie heartthrob into a respected actor, showing a determined streak that served him well in such films as "Sweet Smell of Success," "The Defiant Ones" and "Some Like It Hot."
The Oscar-nominated actor died of cardiac arrest at home in the Las Vegas-area city of Henderson. He was 85.
Curtis began acting in frivolous movies that exploited his handsome physique and appealing personality then steadily moved to more substantial roles, starting in 1957 in the harrowing show business tale, "Sweet Smell of Success."
In 1958, "The Defiant Ones" brought him an Academy Award nomination as best actor for his portrayal of a white racist who escaped from prison handcuffed to a black man played by Sidney Poitier.
The following year, Curtis donned women's clothing and sparred with Marilyn Monroe in one of the most acclaimed film comedies ever, Billy Wilder's "Some Like It Hot."
Curtis' first wife was actress Janet Leigh of "Psycho" fame; actress Jamie Lee Curtis is their daughter.
Curtis struggled against drug and alcohol abuse as starring roles became fewer then bounced back in film and television as a character actor.
His brash optimism returned, and he allowed his once-shiny black hair to turn silver.
Again he came back after even those opportunities began to wane, reinventing himself as a writer and painter whose canvasses sold for as much as $20,000.
Curtis perfected his craft in forgettable films such as "Francis," "I Was a Shoplifter," "No Room for the Groom" and "Son of Ali Baba."
He first attracted critical notice as Sidney Falco, a press agent seeking favor with a sadistic columnist, played by Burt Lancaster, in the 1957 classic "Sweet Smell of Success."
Other prestigious films followed: Stanley Kubrick's "Spartacus," "The Vikings," "Kings Go Forth," "Operation Petticoat" and "Some Like It Hot." He also found time to do a voice acting gig as his prehistoric lookalike, Stony Curtis, in an episode of "The Flintstones."
"The Defiant Ones" remained his only Oscar-nominated role.
After serving in the Pacific during World War II and being wounded at Guam, he returned to New York and studied acting under the G.I. Bill. He appeared in summer stock theater and on the Borscht Circuit in the Catskills. Then an agent lined up an audition with a Universal-International talent scout. In 1948, at 23, he signed a seven-year contract with the studio, starting at $100 a week.
Bernie Schwartz sounded too Jewish for a movie actor, so the studio gave him a new name: Anthony Curtis, taken from his favorite novel, "Anthony Adverse," and the Anglicized name of a favorite uncle. After his eighth film, he became Tony Curtis.
The studio helped smooth the rough edges off the ambitious young actor. The last to go was his street-tinged Bronx accent, which had become a Hollywood joke.
Curtis pursued another career as an artist, creating Matisse-like still lifes with astonishing speed.
He also turned to writing, producing a 1977 novel, "Kid Cody and Julie Sparrow." In 1993, he wrote "Tony Curtis: The Autobiography."

The car

2010-09-27T22:42:00.005-05:00

My car is finally fixed, I hope. It's been hit or miss whether my car will start.
I brought it in to a different mechanic and while the other one at the dealership couldn't figure out what was wrong, this other mechanic says it was the starter. That was my guess from the beginning. The starter, maybe the alternator or perhaps the battery, things that you would check right off the bat. Not the case at the dealership. Makes me wonder if they were simply trying to get me to come in again and just milk more money out of me.
I spent over $300 on getting a part at the dealership and the car was still having problems starting. And I probably knew that it wasn't that part that was causing the problem because the car was starting fine for the longest time even though the engine light was on (indicating I needed that part). They thought that part was the solution. It wasn't. Like I said, they should've known better and I think they were simply trying to get more money out of me. It's either that or they're incompetent. Either way, the dealership will never see another dime from me.
And I paid over $400 (part plus labor) to the other mechanic. I don't begrudge him and he's probably going to see all my business from now on. But still, I'm cheesed.

Bumbling Big Blue

2010-09-26T17:03:00.004-05:00

You get the feeling that this season is already on the brink for Big Blue.
Could this be 2007 all over again when the Giants are 0-2 and seem to be in total disarray and then manage to put it together? Or is it like 2006 or 2009 when the team is not going to wait for the second half of the season and go into collapse mode now?

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A week after giving away a game, the Tennessee Titans were handed one by the New York Giants.
Chris Johnson ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns, Vince Young threw a touchdown, and the Tennessee defense forced three turnovers in beating the error-prone and undisciplined New York Giants 29-10.
The victory was the 10th straight against an NFC opponent for the Titans (2-1) and their fifth straight over the Giants (1-2), who have now lost two in a row.
The Giants missed two field goals; had two drives inside the Titans 6-yard line end in turnovers; gave Tennessee a safety with a chop block in the end zone; and committed five personal fouls, including two by offensive tackle Kareem McKenzie that led to him being yanked from the game.
New York got a 50-yard field goal from Lawrence Tynes and a 10-yard touchdown run by Ahmad Bradshaw in a game in which it outgained the Titans 471-271.
The mistakes, however, made the one-sided yardage figures meaningless.
After turning over the ball seven times in a loss to Pittsburgh last week, the Titans didn't lose it once against New York and were more than happy to take advantage of Giants errors.
The go-ahead score came early in the third quarter with the game tied at 10. On a third-and-10 from the Giants 1, Manning found Mario Manningham for a 44-yard pass down the sideline.
The play was nullified when Bradshaw was flagged for a chop block in the end zone, which resulted in a safety.
Rookie Matt Dodge sent a line-drive 53-yard punt downfield on the ensuing kickoff and Marc Mariani returned it 22 yards to the Titans 49. Six plays later Young, who was lifted in the loss to the Steelers, hit Kenny Britt on a 13-yard touchdown pass for a 19-10 lead.
The Giants had a chance to get back in the game on the next possession, but Bradshaw, who had runs of 22 and 20 yards, fumbled at the Titans 5 after being hit by Michael Griffin and Alterraun Verner recovered.
That play ended with Giants tackle David Diehl being called for a personal foul for ripping the helmet off the head of safety Cortland Finnegan.
Tynes, who missed from 53 yards in the first half, missed on a 44-yarder early in the third quarter. The wide-right kick came after New York was called for a delay of game, then a miffed McKenzie got his first personal foul after the play.
Rod Bironas added a short field goal after the miss and Johnson, who scored on a 1-yard run in the first half, iced the game with an 8-yard run to the pylon.
Johnson had his streak of 12 straight 100-yard rushing games snapped last week, but he got back on track this week.
Tennessee jumped to a 10-0 lead on a 48-yard field goal after lineman Sen'Derrick Marks picked off a deflected pass on the opening series. After Tynes missed his 53-yarder, Johnson carried nine times for 35-yards on a 10-play drive that ended with his 1-yard run.
The Giants tied the game on Tynes' long field goal and an impressive nine-play, 63-yard drive late in the first half capped by Bradshaw's run that followed a 20-yard pass from Manning (33 of 47 for 385 yards) to Manningham.

Irate

2010-09-25T23:03:00.002-05:00

I was the bubble boy at poker tonight, my car is still having problems and the dishes weren't done when I got home. I'm pretty irate right now.
I hate when I put all that effort into playing and then finish one out of the money. I enjoy playing so it's not that big of a deal. Still, it's aggravating to play all night and then come up short.
My car is still having problems. After I spent over $300 on getting a stupid part, it still is having problems starting. And I probably knew that it wasn't that part that was causing the problems because the car was starting fine for the longest time even though the engine light was on (indicating I needed that part).
I usually don't care about the dishes, but we had a mess of dishes tonight and I wanted to make sure that i didn't have to do them tomorrow. So when I left to play cards, my wife said she would do them. I figured she would do a batch and I would finish them up when I got home. They weren't done. I'll probably stay up until this wash is done and then I'll finish up.

Plugged up

2010-09-21T22:34:00.002-05:00

It was so sad to see the little one in so much discomfort. She seemed fine when I picked her up from school, but then around 5 or so, she began running to the bathroom. And then the poop would not come out. And as if the bathroom was the key for the poop coming out, she tried to go in each of our three bathrooms. None of them had the magic touch. We tried some grape juice and then some prunes and then sitting in a tub. She was miserable and let us no. She was crying and she had to poop. But it would not come out. It was just a waiting game. The poop eventually did come out. Lots of it. So much that the wife needed to use a plunger to make sure the toilet didn't overflow. I think the little one better get used to drinking more water and eating more fruit and veggies.

A Giant disaster

2010-09-19T23:08:00.000-05:00

INDIANAPOLIS –- Peyton Manning showed some compassion for his little brother. It didn't help — the Indianapolis Colts pummeled Eli anyway.
Big brother Peyton dispensed with his usual encouragement for his defense to get after the opposing quarterback. No matter: Peyton proved he still rules America's first family of quarterbacks and the Colts dominated Eli's New York Giants 38-14 Sunday night.
Manning Matchup II was no contest.
One week after a distressingly lopsided loss at Houston, the Colts (1-1) looked like defending AFC champions. They made Eli and his team resemble amateurs, forcing two quarterback fumbles that gave Indianapolis 14 points.
Four years ago, in the first meeting of sibling NFL quarterbacks, Peyton's Colts won 26-21 at the Meadowlands. Five months later, he guided Indy to the Super Bowl title.
A year later, it was Eli matching that championship, leading the Giants to one of the NFL's biggest upsets over undefeated New England.
The brothers even have grabbed the spotlight away from the field with a series of commercials, including one in which Eli locks Peyton in a closet before heading to the stadium. Maybe he should have used that strategy Sunday night.
The Mannings chatted during pregame warmups and met at midfield for the coin toss, twice shaking hands, but otherwise they could have been total strangers during the game. There were no signs of Peyton wincing on the sideline — or father Archie cringing in the stands — while Eli was being pounded.
Indy was unrelenting on the pass rush, unnerving the younger Manning and forcing a fumble on Robert Mathis' sack late in the second quarter. That's not the kind of break you give the Colts, and big brother threw for 43 yards on a TD drive that ended with Austin Collie's 3-yard reception with 9 seconds left in the half. That made it 24-0.
Eli nearly was sacked on the first play of the second half, but then showed some resilience by taking New York 87 yards for its first score. He hit Mario Manningham for a 54-yard touchdown pass against a blitz.
But Dwight Freeney sacked the New York QB on the next series, and Fili Moala rolled into the end zone with the loose ball. Giants coach Tom Coughlin just shook his head in frustration while Eli dejectedly trudged to the sideline.
Freeney and Mathis each had two sacks.
It clearly wasn't just Peyton over Eli that decided this ballyhooed Week 2 game, however. Indy's ability to run over the Giants was just as crucial.
Joseph Addai, who gained 44 yards at Houston, nearly doubled that in the first half with 80 yards rushing. Donald Brown added 44, and by game's end they accumulated 156.
They keyed an 80-yard drive to open things, getting 33 yards on seven carries, with Brown surging through a huge hole on the left side for 7 yards and a TD.
Indianapolis never backed off as Addai and Brown alternated dominating New York's defense, particularly on a 98-yard march capped by Peyton's perfect lob throw to Dallas Clark.
The Colts were weak against the run last week, surrendering 257 yards overall, 231 to Houston's Arian Foster. The Giants have a far more vaunted ground game than the Texans, yet managed only 120, much of it in garbage time.
All the while, Eli was looking like a lost younger brother, and he wasn't going to get bailed out by Peyton. He went 3 for 8 for 17 yards in the first half, which included a deep pass into triple coverage that was intercepted by Jerraud Powers. Although he hit the long pass to Manningham in the third quarter and a 31-yard TD to Hakeem Nicks with 1:46 to go, Eli wound up 13 for 24 for 161 yards.
Peyton finished his winning night with a 10-yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne with 9:11 remaining.

Broken teeth

2010-09-17T22:20:00.003-05:00

I've been worrying that what if I give my dog a Milk Bone one night and it breaks her teeth. How would I know? She couldn't tell me. Although I could probably tell because she has really sharp pearly whites. Still, if they broke, she could never eat solid food again. That would be sad.
Went to the doctor today. He gave me some drugs. Not as many as last time, but drugs nevertheless. And he thinks I have infected hair follicles. Could be. We'll have to wait and see.

Back to the doctor

2010-09-16T21:21:00.000-05:00

While not as bad as last time, the rash is back. I'm not rashy on my neck or chest or arms, but there are the same bumps and blisters on my neck. It's not itchy and definitely not as bad as last time, but I'm not waiting this time around. This is a preemptive strike.

A good effort

2010-09-14T22:58:00.000-05:00

I had a feeling that I might bowl well tonight. Usually that feeling is unwarranted, but this time I was Nostradamus. I bowled a 600 series. Not too shabby. And to make things even more interesting, my stomach was kinda flippy, I couldn't find my wrist support and my daughter was with me. But even with all that, I did pretty well. Next week I'll probably bowl a 12.

Better but

2010-09-12T22:44:00.003-05:00

I was feeling much better today. My stomach wasn't really acting up and I thought I would be okay. I did have some concerns since I was going to work and it would be hard to make a run to the restroom since I'm the only one there. I was absolutely fine until the home stretch. Luckily for me I had a student worker help me cover the desk and I was able to make a break for it otherwise it may not have been pretty.

Big Blue is 1-0

2010-09-12T16:13:00.003-05:00

Hakeem Nicks caught three touchdown passes from Eli Manning, all in the left corner of the end zone, and the New York Giants surged in the second half Sunday for a 31-18 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
Ahmad Bradshaw set up his own 4-yard TD run in the fourth quarter with a 39-yard romp that provided the cushion New York needed to get some revenge on Carolina.
The Panthers routed the Giants 41-9 in the hosts' final game at Giants Stadium last December. In 2005, the Panthers shut out the Giants in a playoff game at the same venue.
But Carolina couldn't match New York in the final two quarters this time before 77,245 fans — considered a sellout despite the unusual sight of hundreds of empty seats in the $1.6 billion New Meadowlands Stadium. The Giants could not sell all the club seats, which don't count under league blackout rules.
Nicks finished with four catches for 75 yards, while Manning went 20 for 30 for 263 yards. But he also was picked off three times.
So was Carolina quarterback Matt Moore, who left the game wobbly in the final minutes after being sacked by Osi Umenyiora.
The opener hardly was a classic, often matching the gloomy weather and gray colors that dominate the stadium that already has hosted concerts, international soccer matches and preseason football. Both teams were sloppy more than they were efficient — they combined for 16 penalties and nine turnovers, five by the Panthers_ but the Giants got going in the second half.
New York turned a botched snap on a Carolina punt into seven points as Nicks caught his third TD pass late in the third quarter for a 24-16 lead. The second-year receiver already has half as many touchdowns as he scored as a rookie.
The Giants had taken the lead for good on Lawrence Tynes' 31-yard field goal earlier in the period, a series kept alive by Manning's quarterback sneak to gain the necessary few inches on fourth down.
Although 30 points were scored in the opening half, neither offense was particularly sharp. Each side made some big plays through the air, but so did the defenses, with Carolina's Charles Godfrey and New York's Deon Grant each making interceptions.
John Kasay had field goals of 21, 52 and 43 yards when Carolina drives stalled. New York offset that thanks mostly to the Manning to Nicks connection, which produced touchdowns of 26 and 19 yards.
Nicks' second TD capped an 80-yard drive that took just over a minute, but Mike Goodson's 45-yard kickoff runback followed. That gave Moore 33 seconds, enough time to boost the Panthers ahead 16-14 with a pinpoint 19-yard pass to Steve Smith between three defenders.
It was the first touchdown for the Panthers, who managed only 33 points in the preseason, none by getting into the end zone.
Yet that was about the last gasp for Carolina, the league's youngest team. The inexperience showed in the last period, particularly when Moore was picked off by Terrell Thomas and Kenny Phillips, both in the end zone.
For New York, the second-half stinginess was a welcome change from the final two games of 2009, when the Giants yielded 80 points.
Carolina's only second-half points came when Greg Hardy blocked a punt through the end zone for a safety with 3:57 to go.
The Giants, who opened last season 5-0 before slumping to 8-8, lost tight end Kevin Boss (neck/concussion) and special teams captain Chase Blackburn (knee).

Struggling

2010-09-11T22:20:00.000-05:00

It's been a tough day. I'm a mess. I don't feel well. My stomach is bothering me. I've been making a path to the bathroom. I guess those apricots and prunes are doing a thorough cleaning. I'm freezing. I went out for a little bit and planned to play cards, but I figured that I should stay home because I have to work tomorrow. I ended up watching Date Night with the wife. It was OK.

Never forget

2010-09-11T13:20:00.002-05:00

It's been nine years,but I'll remember it like it was yesterday. It was two years since I left NYC. I was going to get some blood work at the doctor. At the office, the nurse says a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center. At first, I don't believe it. Then I'm thinking it's a small plane. On my way home, I'm listening to the details on the radio. I get home and watch the disaster unfold. I wonder where my parents are? What about my brother and sister? My friends? The scenes on TV are dramatic. I watch burning buildings and the eventually collapse of the Twin Towers. I wonder if I was still in NYC where would I have been? Downtown Manhattan was one of my favorite stomping grounds. It was early in the morning so it would've been unlikely that I was there, but you never know. Also my friend and his fiancee were supposed to fly out later that month and we were supposed to bowl in the Pro-Am in Wichita. Because the flights were disrupted for a good week or so, they never made it out. I went anyways with another friend. Never forget.

Walking into a crisis

2010-09-10T21:43:00.000-05:00

I got a new bowling ball. Very psyched. It's Dark Star by Roto-Grip. It seems to have some ummph to it. I think it'll be good. Of course when I bowl a 12, it's a piece of junk.
So I come on home and I walk into a crisis. The little one is crying and the wife is upset. The little one has a habit of forgetfulness, which is amazing because of her memory. She can remember something that we did on Monday, June 9, 2008 at exactly 10:15 a.m., but she won't remember what she did with her shoes that she just took off 10 seconds ago.
The little one wanted to see the card the wife had bought for a friend, who just had a baby. We were all going over later tonight. Well, the little one took the card and forgot where she put it. Like I said, she was crying, the wife was upset and I walked into chaos. The little one was inconsolable until we could find it. We looked. I retraced her steps. We couldn't find it. There's still chaos. Then we find it. It was lying on the bannister railing to our basement. The crisis was over. Calm was restored.

Curious

2010-09-09T23:27:00.002-05:00

Don't you hate when someone says that you agreed to something and you can't understand how you could agree to doing it.
The wife came home tonight and told me that she had gotten basketball tickets. I was a bit surprised because we hadn't gone to a basketball game in a while and it seemed strange to me that I would agree to it. Now I've always been a big advocate of getting the basketball tickets because I see them as an investment. The tickets aren't inexpensive, but people always want them and it could be good for the wife in building client relationships.
Still, I kept insisting that there had to be something else going on. I don't think I would just simply say go for it. Then maybe I did. The wife is insistent that we had a conversation about this and that I was insistent that we get the tickets. I vaguely had a recollection of that particularly conversation. I remember having conversations about the tickets before, but in general.
I think about all the things that make me hesitant. They're not going to be that good this year. But the big thing is that I work on Sundays and we can't go on the weekends. And that's usually the only time we can go -- during the weekends. So unless I brain farted and we both forgot that would be the biggest reason NOT to get tickets.
And then I found out that the tickets aren't even together. They're behind each other. They got two rows of three seats and they're behind each other.
I just think something's going on. That were was a caveat to this. It just doesn't seem right. Or we just weren't thinking at the time. Maybe it's just buyer's remorse now. I just wish I could remember that conversation.

Life of Riley

2010-09-08T19:45:00.001-05:00

Hoarder

2010-09-06T20:45:00.002-05:00

I just watched Hoarders on A&E. It's a scary show. There was a scene where they were cleaning a house that was buried three-feet deep in junk. They were shoveling and uncovered a dead cat in the debris. Very scary.
It made me realize that I'm a hoarder. Maybe not as bad as those people on the show, but I've got issues. After all, we managed to fill up an industrial size dumpster last year and still had some stuff remaining. I guess the positive thing is that at least I know and I do take action when things get extreme. Of course, it should never have to get that far.
All this comes down to fear. The fear that I'm throwing away something valuable. I'm throwing away something that I might need. I need to get over it. I really do think I'm doing a much better job in conquering the fear.

A rarity

2010-09-05T18:37:00.000-05:00

It's been forever since I went bowling on my own -- when it's not league night. I did that Saturday. But then I went bowling on back-to-back days. I went bowling yesterday by myself and I went bowling with the wife Sunday. I guess I just have the bowling bug.
When I first came out to Schmoeville, there was little to do so the missus and I bowled. We bowled a lot. We came out almost every day. Then a few years later, the little one came into our lives and we found ourselves with better things to do. Gradually, bowling became secondary and eventually it was an afterthought.
We've been out bowling on our own (aside from league night) in the last month than we have over the last year. It's nice to get back into the swing of bowling.

Struggling with directions

2010-09-04T15:08:00.000-05:00

I'm having a hard with the medications I'm taking for my rash. Like I said, I was a walking pharmacy. I was given three types of pills and a cream. One pill I was only taking only once a day and realized on Friday that I needed to take it three times a day. Then I got my other two pills switched. One was to be taken as NEEDED, the other one was NEEDED to take. So I got those mixed up and I did start the NEEDED until today. Maybe that explains why I'm not getting better quicker. I mean I feel much better, but it seems to be taking a while. I guess I know why now.

Alone

2010-09-03T21:52:00.003-05:00

The wife is out of town tonight. She went to her 30th high school reunion. Since I was still rashy and itchy, it was better for me to stay put. So I did and I'm home with the little one. I feel a little guilty because I don't think she wanted to go stag, but what are you going to do? She'll be back Saturday.
Another reason that I'm home is deadlines. I had some stories that HAD to get done today. I usually have some kind of leeway,but not this time. And since I've been battling the rash, it hasn't been all that easy to get things done. But I'm proud to say deadlines have been met.

Big Italy PIzza

2010-09-02T23:16:00.002-05:00

I know. I know. I shouldn't have ordered it. But I couldn't resist. The commercials looked so good. And besides the little one would help me eat it. That's why I ordered it with Canadian bacon and hamburger along with pepperoni. If it was just for me, it would've just been pepperoni or pepperoni and italian sausage.
I feel better. The rash is still there. I think it's getting better. I'm not as itchy so that's a good thing.

No answers

2010-09-01T22:49:00.001-05:00

I went to see the doctor today about my rash. What did I find out? I have a rash. Don't know how I got it. Don't know why I got it. I just know that I've got it.
He gave me a shot. He gave me some drugs. My blood pressure will rise and so will my blood sugar.
I feel somewhat better.
And since we don't know what the cause is I'm putting a stop to my broccoli, cucumber veggie diet. He doesn't think that's the reason why I'm breaking out, but he wants me to stop and when I clear up to start that again.

It doesn't happen often

2010-08-30T22:24:00.003-05:00

This isn't something that I should be proud of, but it's a feeling that I don't get very often. I ate so much that I thought I was going to throw up. I'm not feeling well and I thought it might be because I've been dieting. I've been eating nothing but salad -- cucumbers, broccoli, lettuce and squash. I thought that diet might be causing me to break out. So I checked out the cafeteria menu and they had grilled pork chops and Philly cheese steaks. So I went a little overboard. Two pork chops, one sandwich, a plate of cheese fries, a six-inch cheese pizza and two peaches. And as I was eating the fries, I felt myself getting nauseous. I can't remember the last time that has happened to me. After a meal I always feel I could eat something more. And you know, even though I felt sick I still managed to eat one more thing. I couldn't eat any more cheese fries, but I managed to scarf down a fresh peach. What possess such stupidity?

A good mom

2010-08-30T08:05:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning and the wife was not next to me. Instead she was in the little one's bed, sleeping next to her. The little one was fussing about sleeping by herself last night so the wife got up and ended up sleeping with her through the night. She is a good mom.

Itchy

2010-08-29T15:00:00.002-05:00

I am miserable. I'm really struggling. It seems that I've broken out in some kind of rash. It's on my arm -- mostly my left arm and my neck. I'm itchy. I'm trying not to scratch, but I'm not really succeeding. My neck is dry and bumpy. I've been using baby oil and Neosporin. It's helping the dry part, but not the itchy. Not sure how much of more I can take.

Not enough awareness

2010-08-28T23:41:00.001-05:00

Just like everything else I do, I can tell you what to do, but I have trouble applying it.
And this certainly applies to my poker playing. I know that I have to try and put opponents on a range of hands and then figure out the math on whether I should call, raise or fold, but it's too much thinking and I get distracted. I try hard with the math, but I can't seem to get the read on opponents.
I finished fifth and one out of the money on Saturday night. I'm short-stacked and I'm not sure if I should start shoving in with marginal hands. Should I simply wait?
Here's another situation, I was big blind and called an all-in with J5 of clubs. I was already in for $1,000 and it was only going to cost me only an additional $1000, but someone ahead of me also called and I probably should've folded. I didn't win the hand and the question is whether I could've used that extra $1,000. While it wasn't going to cripple me, I probably should've saved every chip I had. But if I would've hit, I would've been in a lot better shape.
I ended up being all-in for my big blind and the small blind called and her 10-5 beat my 4-3. I was high carded as the board was two pairs and a 7.

Wake up call

2010-08-08T22:50:00.000-05:00

I haven't been taking care of myself. I know I have to. If not for myself, for the little one and the wife. I just checked my blood sugar and it was soaring. I should be in a diabetic coma. I know what I have to do.

Choices

2010-08-08T12:49:00.002-05:00

We all make choices. Whether it's going all-in with a small pocket pair or not buying any comics so you can save for something else in the future. Life is about choices. Some choices seem easy while others are hard. Still, very seldom are choices black or white. There's always some gray.

One of those nights

2010-08-05T21:55:00.000-05:00

I played one hand all night and I got beat. I raised very big and I got called. I had queens and he had kings. My queens got beat. I probably played them too fast, but I didn't expect a call. I put in about $1700 of $1900 when blinds were only $50 and $100.

Back to Schmoeville and 100 pounds heavier

2010-08-02T22:46:00.001-05:00

It's nice to be back home. Colorado Springs was gorgeous. The weather was beautiful. It's 104 here. But like I said "It's nice to be back home." If I would've stayed any longer in Colorado Springs, I think I might've become a blueberry like Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I ate and ate and ate. But I'm back home and I also can de-stress. I need a vacation from my vacation.

Vacation stress

2010-07-30T22:13:00.000-05:00

We're in Colorado Springs. It's a family vacation. The in-laws are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and the entire family is invited. It's stressful. A wife who doesn't handle aggravation easily and a little one who is quick to flip out when things don't go right -- such as when we get lost -- it leads to a very stressful trip. And it's only Day One.

Hot tub time machine

2010-07-27T23:13:00.000-05:00

Finally saw Hot Tub Time Machine. I was plenty amused.

Ants

2010-07-24T22:03:00.000-05:00

It's not Empire of the Ants, but it's a few ants. Our hotel room has been plagued by a few ants. Maybe we've had three or four ants, but you still don't like to see them. This hotel has been excellent so we're a little surprised by the visitors. The hotel was nice enough to put us in another room. It would've been nicer if we could've gotten our stay for free. Oh well. The room we're in now is pest free. We're content.

Seeing the dentist

2010-07-22T21:38:00.000-05:00

There's always anxiety when you see the dentist. There's even more anxiety when it's your child who's seeing the dentist. The screams of bloody murder, the tears and worst of all, the fear that your child making a break for the door in hysterics make for a less than anticipated visit to the dentist.
I will say that it was a lot harder on the missus than me. Of course when I heard some screaming, I was a bit anxious. But in the end, the little one did okay. I guess. They said she did fine. I think that's code for "she didn't bite us and didn't have to restrain her." But they asked us to come back in January. That's a good sign, right?

Happy birthday to the missus

2010-07-20T21:50:00.000-05:00

It's the wife's birthday. I got her a $50 gift card to Amazon. She was happy. Really.