Philly Piggy's Mud Hole

Phillies in Town

2008-05-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

Baseball season is back in full swing and that means a few Phillies games I can see against the Giants! Well, I was fortunate enough to go see them on Friday night (with the otter's work) and then on Saturday with the otter as a very wonderful birthday present!! I just finished watching the Phillies lose the series, but they won on Friday night!! It was such a great game!! Cole Hamels was on the mound, so I was optimistic going in. Not sure if i posted this site before, but it's pretty funny (based on Chuck Norris facts: http://mysite.verizon.net/heyjude421/chf/chf.html ). Saturday we had Jamie Moyer going against Lincicum (the young Giant Phenom), so the results were not so good.

See below for some pictures. Friday we were sitting on the 3rd base side and Saturday we were on the 1st base side.

Former Cardinal So Taguchi trying to stay warm in the outfield

Former Giant Pedro Feliz and the Phillies infield

Ryan Howard at Saturday's game. You can tell the score was already 5-1 in the 2nd inning.

Chase Utley I believe preparing for a ball in the infield

The Happy Piggy and Otter (this was Friday night!)

GO FLYERS!!! They're playing the Penguins in the Atlantic Conference Finals right now. Pens won game one and they literally just took the lead in this game. The Flyers kind of squeaked into the playoffs, so I believe they can come from behind! Was disappointed last weekend when the Sharks were eliminated. How fun would it have been to go see the Flyers in the Stanley Cup in San Jose!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-30T14:22:00.001-07:00

Just when you think i was never going to post again I'm back!!
Just wanted to post some Easter pics for those who care to see. I cooked a ham dinner for the otter and I and we even dyed eggs. It was fun since it's been forever since I did that! I thought the ham turned out dry, but the otter really like it!

Our Easter eggs - the good looking ones were done by the otter! As much as i try, i really lack artistic ability!

The otter and his makeshift Easter basket! Yeah, we did hide the eggs for each other!

The Happy Easter couple

The low carb Atkins friendly Easter spread

Cheers!

A good picture of the otter enjoying the dinner! What's that expression - the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?

And just for fun, my latest obsession is complete!! The puzzle was a Christmas present from my wonderful parents and this past week I was nothing but a puzzling piggy until it was complete! It was very fun but challenging! And yes i know i'm missing a piece, so i really hope that turns up!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-26T21:41:00.000-08:00

Okay after having my arm twisted - here are the first pictures of the real piggy and otter posted on my blog! Happy Thanksgiving! we stayed here and I cooked my first turkey - it was fun and i may have gone overboard, but the otter says i did a great job and why would a man lie, right?! HA HA!! and i spent most of the day with a headache, so pardon the slobby piggy!

Otter doing excellent carving job:

close up of turkey:

full spread:

let's eat!

Piggy and Otter!!

Cheers:

MLB Playoffs 07

2007-10-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo!! Both my teams actually made the playoffs!! The year was 1993 - I was still in high school in PA, and a very different person, Red Sox were still haunted by the Curse of the Bambino - that is the last time the Phillies made the playoffs! They also went to the World Series that year, (and lost to the Blue Jays). Now it's 13 years later and they're back in!! The past 2 years they have missed the playoffs by as little as 1 game - this year it took them all 162 games, but they shocked a lot of people and made it!! My excitement may have died down a little because they are now in the hole 0-2 against the Rockies. But this year's Phillies seem to be the kind of team to make things interesting. And I'm trying to ignore the Sports Illustrated I received this week with Jimmy Rollins on the cover, (a hypothetical jinx believed by some, although I did let out a gasp when I saw it). Just looked at the stats - he is batting .250 with 4 RBI and a HR in the 2 games so far. . . Rowand is only batting .125 - he got hot and helped them make the playoffs. Come on Phils you can do it!!!

the Red Sox are up 2-0 over the Angels. it was a long game last night - but i caught the last few hours (innings), and they are looking good!!! And also i have to gloat that the Indians are beating up on the Yankees. I'm not trying to jinx anything - i know things can change (hope they do with the Phils), but it's looking good in the AL!!

And thanks to my friends S&S for sending me the Red Sox pig in the picture above! He's a genuine fan from Fenway park!

Even Longer Time. . .

2007-08-28T21:51:00.001-07:00

Okay, it's been a long time since I posted. I've been trying to take advantage of summer fun in and out of the area.

In short what has happened since last post:

I went to Bolinas beach and got probably the wort sun burn of my life!! it was almost worth it, because it was a fun day relaxing at the beach. And Bolinas itself is an odd quirky town. They do not like out of towners, so the town folk do not provide any new water meters and they take the road signs down to keep people out. don't believe me? check it out: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/09/realestate/09nati.html?ex=1188532800&en=75e3f0e1e29e746f&ei=5070

The otter and I had a very successful (and overdue) housewarming poker party here.

I went to visit my friend (the Badger), in Denver, CO area. (btw - does anyone else think it's strange I call my boyfriend the otter? ) What a great trip and cool town. Even despite the bloody nose and constant dehydration feeling!! First, it was great to be in real summer weather again. (i should not have to use my heat in August!!), and i even saw some really cool lighting one night. I was able to see some really cool places- Red Rocks, 16th street and the downtown area. went to a Rockies-Cubs game. i think we sat in the literal nose bleed section, but it was still fun. The Rockies ended up winning 15-2 and had the chance to see a grand slam after wondering if there was going to be anymore scoring! Saw the Science museum and the zoo from the outside - it got too late to actually go in. It was all in all a great vacation. It was great to get caught up and the Badger is from PA, so it was nice to talk to someone who knows what an Eat N Park and Perkins are!! And it was a mental vacation for me as well since it was great to get out of California and it can be really good for the mind and soul to get a different perspective at times.

I like interesting "art", so here's a giant bear peering into a city building in downtown Denver:

Took the Otter to the Haight Asbury district this past weekend. He had never been and I wanted to go to the Amoeba records since I had not been music shopping in awhile. (Another thing that came out of my Denver trip. The badger has a good appreciation for music - he's one of the few people that can get away with controlling the radio station in my car - just ask Midwest Thunder how particular I can be!!!)

Steagle game was on Sunday night. Steelers won. could have been so much closer, if it wouldn't be for a few turnovers. The game was in Pittsburgh and it made me miss Pittsburgh. If you're a Steeler fan and have 20 minutes to spare, this is a great video about Steeler Nation and the city itself. Thanks to Leasa for passing it on: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1527321414

Trying to go camping for a night this long weekend and maybe a dinner date with the Otter in the city. Will try and keep you posted!!

It's Been a Long Time. . .

2007-06-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

If you're a Zepplin fan, you know where that that subject is headed. i can't sing very well, so I'll spare you. It kind of sucks not working at a job where they let me read and surf all day!! It's taking me so much longer to get through books and i have not been good at keeping up with my blog!! :) But at the same time, it's nice to know my career is headed somewhere. Not sure where yet, but i feel I'm slowly getting back to the path I once knew.

I came home from running some errands earlier, and who is on tv, but my Phillies (playing the Mets)!! However, they were losing 6-3 and ended the game in even worse shape. Tomorrow I get to see which boys of mine are coming to San Fran for the All Star game. And see if they can keep the Home Run Derby champ back in Philly for the 3rd year in a row. Not going to the All Star game, (or getting a boat to sit in the water for that matter), but, I did go see the Phillies last month against the Giants! Can you believe they actually won?!! It was the first time i ever saw the Phillies win!! EVER!! It only took took going to see them since I was about 10!!! Maybe going to an Eagles game did break the jinx! It's old news now, but i had to say something, and include a picture for the heck of it!

A few weeks ago i spent a nice Sunday in Golden Gate Park getting sun burned and watching a free show of Everclear and Smashmouth. Everyone loved Smashmouth, but me. They were not terrible, but I did not like their stage show, and thought Everclear rocked!! check it out, the lead singer looks just how i remember:

Check back for updates!! It's summer in San Fran - should have lots going on. . .

SO Bay Area. . .

2007-03-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

I'm still here!! Well, it's been a little while to say the least. In all fairness, I did try and log in a few times, but the site was being SO painfully slow, so I did other things and got distracted. Plus, didn't think much was happening for awhile!

I have a job since my last post!! I'm working for a non-profit currently in Menlo Park (they are moving by August). It's a permanent position doing what I wanted to do, plus a little of the accounting piece which is real cool! Currently, I really like the job and the people are so friendly and there are so many little perks. I just found out today that I can take a PAID day off to volunteer!! Hence the "SO Bay area" title! :) Plus, they have all these recycling bins in the office and are so environmental friendly in all their procedures. It's nice! The commute isn't great because of where they are and where I am, I have to drive a lot of surface streets. It was interesting at first because I go through Palo Alto and Stanford, but sometimes sitting in traffic on University Avenue is no fun when you're tired and the sun is beating in your face just out of reach of the visors! BUT, the Otter and I are moving and the place is off the same freeway as work, so it will be much easier to get to. And it's one of my favorite freeways if I had to pick one. It's rather scenic and one of the least crowded. And wikipedia agrees about the scenic part: "Interstate 280, or at least the segment between Cupertino and Daly City, has been called the "World's Most Beautiful Freeway" and there is a sign stating this in Daly City." Read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_280_(California)

I have done so much from my last post, I thought I would slowly update you! In summary, got addicted to hockey and went to a Sharks game, went to the Chinese New Year Parade (had to since it is the year of the Pig and San Fran has one of the largest), saw lots of Poker Celebs when I went to see the Otter in the WPT event at the Bay 101 casino (if you're impatient on that one, his blog has it covered pretty well). Stay tuned!

Happy New Year

2007-01-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

It's been a little while since I posted for lots of reasons. Where to begin. . .

I lost my job right before the holidays. I thought I might the end of December, but it wasn't for the reasons I expected, (company issues, not anything I did). I was sort of relieved, but at the same time, who wants to lose their job right before the holidays?! Luckily, I did most of my shopping before hand, so it's been manageable. Unfortunately, no luck on the job front yet. I've been spending my days job searching and that's about it. Trying to stay optimistic and fit some exercise in.

Christmas was real nice. Just stayed here with the Otter. I cooked dinner for us. I think I got as close as I ever will to the meals my mom made! Got lots of cool presents too!!

Our very nice tree: (The otter was reluctant to get one at first, but I made it very clear I would be disappointed if we didn't have a decent sized one! In the end, I think he was very pleased with it!!)

Congratulations to the Eagles for a good season! They got further then a lot of people may have anticipated, and there's always next year. It's a shame they couldn't go further, but going through New Orleans was tough. (Congrats to the Saints for making their first ever Championship - there I said it!!) Since the Otter is a Saints fan, I have to put on a smile and route for the Saints!

Just had a preliminary phone interview for a financial position. . . yup, maybe headed back there. . .

Wish me luck. Anyone want to hire me, feel free!! :)

Traveling Piggy

2006-12-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

As I may have mentioned in a previous post, I just got back from about 10 days of traveling. It started off in eastern PA having thanksgiving with my folks. The Otter came with me, and that went better then I could have ever expected. I guess with my folks serving a wonderful thanksgiving meal, and having a pool table and bugertime in the basement, it made it easier for the Otter to hang with them! We even got to met Larry Holmes, "The Easton Assassin"!! He's from Easton, PA so Friday night, we decided to go to his bar that he owns there. ( http://www.larryholmes.com/ringside_restaurant.shtml). It was a little bit shady, but Yeunglings were about $3, so that made me happy! The guy sitting next to me asks if I see Larry Holmes over there. I said "yeah" thinking that he was referring to the pics on the wall, but sure enough, there he was in person! He stops by and we introduce ourselves. It was cool!

Next stop was NYC. We met up with some friends of mine (and their friends). It was fun. I did walk around the corner of 46th and 2nd with them. It was cooler then I thought it would be! Then we saw Avenue Q. It was SO funny. Unfortunately, since it's about 20 somethings trying to figure out life, I could relate to it quite a bit. The Otters brothers met up with us for the show and then we parted with the others and went to dinner and then had drinks and watched college football. That went well - at least I think it did! Next day was an overnight trip to Atlantic City with a stop in Jersey to see my very pregnant friend. My mom joined us for that one. It was fun. We stayed at the Taj Mahal. I was disappointed because the Boardwalk was really dead. Not sure if it was due to the cold weather, or it being night, or if it is really starting to be run down. Played some video poker. I think total, I lost $3.75! It was great to have my mom there, because I could hang out with her, while the Otter played real poker! Next day, we drove the Otter to the Philly airport. He was headed to St. Louis and I was hanging with the rentals for a few extra days. I'm just so disappointed because we were planning on stopping at Gino's for a cheese steak, but everyone said it would take us a while to get to the airport, and under those times, we thought we were running late. So no cheese steak. :(

A few days later I met up with the Otter in St. Louis. I was worried about getting there because a huge storm was moving through the mid west. Snow, sleet, freezing rain, all that fun stuff! I think I was on one of the last flights that landed. I was so lucky I made it. So due to bad weather, we couldn't really do anything that day, or the following day. Did go see Casino Royale. It was good! It's hard to follow Pierce Brosnan as 007, so I didn't appreciate the "beefcake" moments. however, that's no so important, so I thought the movie was great! Then after the weather cleared up, I was able to see the Otter's little one. She is about 3 and 1/2, and she's so adorable, made me want one of my own! HA HA - just kidding about that last part! She seemed to like me, which made me happy. But when you're that young, who do you really hate! :) then we took a really early flight out last night, and made it back here. The disappointing part of that, was missing the Saints-49'ers game. It took us just long enough to get back home that the game was officially over when we were pulling up. So yesterday, it was just getting food, unpacking, lots of laundry and then collapsing. So here I am back at work. Hardly feeling like I left. Why does vacation time always go by so fast? I had some work this morning, so it went by a little fast. And the boss said he lots of work for me this week, so he should be coming back up shortly. We'll see. . .

November Update

2006-11-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

So it's been a little while since I wrote. Halloween has come and gone. The Otter and I carved pumpkins, (mine was a pig of course)! I was a pirate, he was a warewolf and we did some clubbing! I'm on my 3rd book since finishing the Dark Tower series. The end of the story was good, but there were some things leading up to it I didn't like. I will not say those here in case you have not read the story, but if you really want to know what I thought, let me know! I watched "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" last night for the DT's reference to it. Every time I saw Clint Eastwood's character and heard his short little answers, I was reminded of Roland (Mr. Long, Tall and Ugly per Eddie)! I'm taking a trip back East and meeting up with some friends in NYC, so I hope to do a mini DT tour around the corner of 46th and 2nd Streets! Silly or Cool, I don't know. . .

It was finally a good weekend for my PA pro football teams! I didn't really watch any of the games since I didn't go out, and due to 2 team market rules, each bay area team went un-opposed on tv. I did have NFL Network on for updates and was checking the play by play online for some games. The Eagles beat the Redskins! yeah!! The Otter is in London for work (lucky bastard I know), and he happened to call me in the last few minutes of the Saints-Steelers game, so we were following the play-by-play together. Steelers were up 38-31, the Saints were driving. They had it 3rd and long. Brees goes back to pass, it's caught and then fumbled and recovered by the Steelers!! Yeah from me, curse words from the Otter! By that time, the Steelers just had to take a knee and were finally able to win a game! I don't understand them. They lose to the Raiders, but beat the Saints? In all fairness, I think Ben was still a little loopy in the Raiders game and I think Batch should have played that one. Now they have the Brownies next week. That's always a tough rivalry no matter how either team is doing. I just want 1 week were my teams and the Otters teams can win. Poor Cheifs losing to Miami. Although, I think Trent Green feels a little more secure in getting his job back now!

That's all for now. Found out boss is off today, so hopefully lots of reading for me today! Not sure how long I'll be here. Looks like the end of December. Been looking for a permanent job. Temping definitely has it's downsides, but I think I'll just enjoy this one while I can!

Cards Win!!!!

2006-10-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series!!! They are not even my main team, and I was excited and just as nervous as the Otter watching the 9th inning last night. Needless to say, the victory did my job for me for the most part last night!! Hopefully this means my luck is changing! A big thanks is due to Missouri Piggy! The Otter bought him for me in St. Louis, so he is a Cards fan through and through! I brought him in during the Mets series and he did his job! The games the Cards lost he was mad at us for one reason or another.

His favorite food seems to be Calzones and his favorite players are So Taguchi and Scott Spezio!

So Congrads again to the Cards on their World Series victory. Missouri Piggy wants me to teach him about hockey since he is sad there is no more baseball until April. He likes the Blues and I'm a Flyers fan, so unless they play, I think we'll be okay!!

Bad Sports Weekend

2006-10-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm writing this, but it was a real bad sports weekend for me. It all started with my alma matter Pitt getting beat by Rutgers on Saturday. Rutgers was a ranked team, and they could have proved so much by winning that game, but nope. The Cardinals managed to win game 1 of the World Series Saturday Night, so there was some silver lining. It wasn't the Phillies, so it was as good as it could have been. Then Sunday was the worst day of the whole weekend. Michael Vick rediscovered his passing game and beat the Steelers in OT. Unfortunately, it was a televised game, so I had to sit there and watch the beating. Every time the Steelers would score and get my hopes up, Vick and the dirty birds would send them crashing down. The Eagles lost to Tampa Bay. TAMPA BAY!!!!! I mean, come on!! And it took a 62 yard field goal by the Bucs. Then the Otter didn't finish as well as he hoped in the Poker tourney he was playing. Then the Cards lost game 2 of the WS to the cheating Kenny Rogers and the Tigers. Not to mention, I tanked in my football picks. I only had 5 right! And the Otter and I played each other this week in Fantasy Football and he beat me, (with all that Vick scoring, the Steelers defense only got me 6 points, and I'm lucky at at that). Was routing for the Giants last night in Monday Night Football since they're the lesser of the 2 evils in the NFC East. They won, and Burress got me close to beating the Otter, but my luck MUST change! The World Series is going back to St. Louis and the Cards must win for many reasons. A more peaceful, happier home life for one, and maybe they can snap this bad luck streak. The Eagles have to beat the Jags next week and I want to win Steelers-Raiders tickets!! I'm surrounded with good luck piggies at home, so I can only hope maybe they can come through for me!

Poker Tips

2006-10-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Otter sent me this article, and I thought it was worthy of a Post since I mention something similar in a previous blog. It's just some tips from Clonie Gowen (courtesy of FullTiltPoker.net). I think there is more demand for articles like this with Poker taking off like it has. Article is in pink to avoid any confusion, and my comments are in the normal font. I thought it was a pretty cool article and I'm bored out of my mind just watching the clock tick away!

I am always trying to find the balance between family and poker, and I know a lot of you struggle with the same issue. For the serious player with a significant other, the poker lifestyle can be a real challenge. Here's a little advice for making poker work with the rest of your life. I've included five tidbits of advice for both the player and his or her partner.

Advice for the Poker Player

1. Don't punish your partner over your bad play or bad luck. Let it go when you walk away from the table. If you can't release that bad energy quickly, then let your partner know that you need a little while to cool off. Snapping at your partner isn't good for anyone.

2. Don't lie about wins or losses. Remember, you're incredibly lucky if you found someone who supports your dreams. If the money in play makes your partner nervous, sit down and discuss a business plan that works for both of you. Talk honestly about the pros and cons of serious poker. Don't even consider going pro until you can cover all of your bills for at least six months in advance.

3. If you make plans with your partner, don't play that day. If you get stuck or if a sucker sits at your table, you aren't going to want to leave, and feelings are going to get hurt. Believe me.

Clarification - if you make plans with your partner, you shouldn't play poker? Or if you have plans to play poker, you shouldn't make plans with your partner? Both should be true.

4. If you're traveling the circuit, be courteous and answer your phone . It's hard enough on a partner when you're out of town. There's no need to make them wonder who you're with or what you're doing..

I just don't call, (unless it's important). If I go to bed disappointed since I haven't talked to him, oh well. Better then wondering if they don't answer, or you happen to catch them in the middle of something and are rude.

5. Remember, there's life outside of poker. If you can remember a hand you played five years ago, then it's not too much to ask to remember your partner's birthday.

What's today - October 16th. . .hmmm. . . :)

Advice for the Player's Partner

1. If your future champion walks through the door looking a little grey, don't ask, "Did you win?" Just back off and give them some space. I promise they just need to analyze what happened and, maybe, replay a few hands in their mind. The last thing they want to do is disappoint you by talking about a big loss.

So I guess this means the question "how did things go?" is off limits too?

2. Poker players don't change. If you don't try to understand a player's fascination with the game, your relationship is going to see some very tough times. Andy Bloch, for example, has an incredibly supportive girlfriend (soon to be wife). She's smart and ambitious. Once she started dating Andy, she realized that if the relationship was going to work, she'd have to adapt to his travel schedule. You know what she did? She started a website called PokerWire. For a time, she traveled everywhere with Andy, reported on chip counts, and interviewed players. Now, Jennifer is back in school and Andy has moved to be with her, supporting her choice.

Men do not change in general. I know this. (Only going from what I've heard, I assure you).

3. Don't be quick to assume the worst. If your poker pro doesn't come home until 5AM, you can bet that they were stuck in some game or that a favorite fish walked in the door right as they were about to leave. Most poker players are honorable people. They might bluff an opponent, but they don't bluff in life. We are weird that way. So, unless they give you a reason to think they were up to no good, give them the benefit of a doubt.

Good to know about the honor. Assuming the worse for me is thinking someone was in a car accident. (Don't know why I always think that).

4. A player can't choose the day or time that a sucker will be at the table. Sometimes, they'll need to play on Thanksgiving or Christmas - or even on your birthday. If we get a phone call that "Ramin' Jamin' John" is in town, there's nothing that's gonna stop us... Except a car wreck because we were speeding to get to the game.

This, I would have a hard time with. The holidays/birthdays are important to me.

5. If you want to learn how to play the game, your partner may not be the best teacher . They will have less patience with you than anyone else. Get some books on poker, and start with them. It's hard to teach someone that has never played, and it's going to get frustrating for both of you. Play online at the lower limits to practice what you've learned.

I don't know - I think my partner has more patience with me then anyone!! And he does help me with any Poker tips/questions I may have.

I hope y'all enjoyed this one and, remember, bad beats make for lousy pillow talk.

Rockin' and Rolling Out

2006-10-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

Well, the Phillies season officially ended on Sunday with them rolling their way out of the playoffs again. This year they finished 3 games back in the wild card. All I wanted this weekend was a little help from the Giants to sweep their hated rival to the south. Could they even win 1 game - NO!!!!!!!! It was so painful watching them on Friday/Saturday. But, in all fairness, the Phillies could have won a few more games on their own, so they didn't have to depend on the Giants or Diamondbacks. Here's to next year!! I will be routing for a Cardinals-Tigers world series. I thought this weekend about marketing anti-subway series t-shirts. Please not again. :( On the bright side - at the start of the season, the Otter and I bet on the Phillies-Cardinals record. We split their heads up match-ups, but the Phillies finished 1.5 games better then the Red Birds, so he owes me a few cents!! Was regretting that bet the beginning of the season, but the Phillies nicely turned things around.

I saw one of the BEST concerts last night! It was Shine Down, Rob Zombie and Godsmack!! WOW!! Shine Down was a pleasant surprise. Wasn't real familiar with them until last night, but they got me rockin' out! I bought the tickets for Godsmack, but Rob Zombie completely stole the show for me!! They were SO awesome. They didn't miss a beat. Had an awesome stage performance and sounded great live. I had really high hopes for Godsmack, but they sort of let me down. Granted, they were still pretty good, but how can anyone follow that Zombie act? It may be my imagination, but I think the reason I like all Godsmack songs, is that some sound very similar. I wasn't too happy with what they opened with and there was this period of time in the show were Sully disappeared and it was just the drummer going with a generic beat. The Otter said it was just for stage presence, but I was sort of bored. The 2nd half of the show may have made up for it. Sully sat down at the drums and they had double drums going. Even playing some Sabbath with crowd karoke! It was pretty awesome. (Just read on their website that Sully was a drummer before Godsmack, so one might not be so surprised). It really was a good show and I had an awesome time there with the Otter, I think I'm just being too critical! Plus it was all the way out in Concord and we took the train so didn't get home until pretty late.

Eagles on Monday Night football tonight!! :)

E-A-G-L-E-S! Go Eagles!!!

2006-09-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

WOW! What a game and experience at the Eagles-Niners game on Sunday! It all started about 9:30 a.m. on Sunday. Since the Eagles were the late game, the Otter wanted to go to a sports bar near Monster Park and check out the early games. Turns out there is nothing by Monster Park, so we get a 6-pack and park early to tailgate! It was fun. We ended up parking next to other Eagles fans and started the celebration early. There were SO many Eagles fans there - it was awesome! I mean, we were walking into the stadium and could hear the Eagles chants from the parking lot! The Otter got us great 2nd level seats, on the Eagles side right above their tunnel! Unfortunately, our section was mostly Niner "faithful". There was this grumpy, grumpy old man that was getting on the Otter's case all day. Seriously, he wanted to take the Otter out to the parking lot and even lightly punched him in the stomach!! Read more at the "Otter Rant" link on the right - 9/25 post. (Newly added link to his blog. He describes it better detail. I was just sitting there hoping no one gets hurt. I know for a fact the Otter could have done some damage, but you have to restrain yourself against a geriatric for so many reasons)! Everyone was apologizing for him. I guess I have some sympathy. I mean, if we were at the Linc and the Eagles were getting crushed like that, I might be pretty angry at opposing team fans. But it's not like we were taunting them, we were just excited! So forget that, no sympathy! The final score ended up 38-24, but the score does not do the beating justice. The Eagles looked awesome from their first offense play - a nice 60 yard pass to set up a score. It was SO awesome and SO surreal being there after watching them all these years. And maybe I broke the Phillies jinx!

I'm reading this awesome book right now called "Last Team Standing". It's by an Eastern PA native, about the Steagles! Did you know the Steelers and Eagles combined teams in 1943, due to player shortages caused by WWII, and become the Steagles? I did, and most people thought I was crazy when I told them that! I bought the book almost as soon as I saw it. It's really cool if you're a history buff or football buff or fan of the Steelers or Eagles. Here's a link if you're interested: www.steagles.com.

and Congrats to the Otter for winning a huge poker tourney on Saturday!! And, to the Saints for starting off 3-0! (The Otter is a Saints and Chiefs fan so we went out last night to watch their Monday Night game). Another wow! If they play all their games with that emotion, they'll likely go un-defeated! And speaking of un-defeated, by some miracle my fantasy team is also 3-0! Thanks to Hasslebeck, Westbrook and Portis, I crushed my last opponent. And 2 of my starters didn't even get me any points! I must be doing something right, because I'm now 1st in coaching rating! Yeah Steagles (team name)!

No comment on the Steelers-Bengals game. Apparently it was just a "comedy of errors".

And come on Phillies!! They are now tied with the Dodgers for the wild card. The Dodgers are playing the Giants to close the regular season and all the Giants fans are with me on knocking the Dodgers out of the playoffs! Cards have to beat the Padres just in case too. GO PHILS and GIANTS and CARDS!!!!!!!!!!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2006-09-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about the Holidays. Although they are nice, I am referring to sports!! SO much to say.

1st: Phillies - unfortunately the damn Mets clinched the NL East. :( As of this afternoon, the Phillies are only 1/2 game back of the Dodgers in the wild card race! Yesterday they were tied for 1st place. I get so nervous whenever I look at the standings. Last year they missed the Wild Card by 1 game. If that happens again this year I'll be SO bummed. Plus it makes me regret going to a game since I'm a jinx!

2nd: Football - Speaking of jinxes, this weekend I'll find out if I have the Philly curse or just the Phillies curse! Yup, the Otter surprised me with tickets for the Niners-Eagles game as an early 1/2 birthday present!!! (He made a comment last year that he wishes people would celebrate 1/2 birthdays since his is near the holidays. So back in June, I remembered this and bought him little half birthday presents and a slice of carrot cake. Totally not expecting anything in return, he surprises me with these Eagles tickets! Wow - Eagles tickets vs. 2 CD's and carrot cake. . .No comparison if you ask me!! ) Anyways, I'm going to see the Eagles!!!! I sure hope they win. Such a disappointing game last week against the Giants. I was in Vegas and watched it on the big screen at ESPN zone. The Eagles were totally dominating, but it almost seems like they stopped playing after the 3rd quarter. Stupid odd fumble play going wrong among other things. I am in a fantasy league this year. I think I'm playing more with my heart then head. I have 3 Eagles! Stallworth, Akers and Westbrook. Stallworth is definitely a keeper (we did the automated draft and I'm so glad I moved him up when he was traded to the Eagles. Wonderful, wonderful acquisition on the Eagles part. Akers is always pretty solid, although my back-up (Kaeding from SD), has been putting up better numbers, I can't bench Akers. I got screwed with the running backs in the draft and then trying to claim one off waivers, so I feel like I went through so much to get Westbrook. Steelers Defense is holding up pretty good. Giving up 9 points isn't too bad, but they should have scored more then 9!! What a frustrating Monday Night game to watch. The thing I hate about fantasy is that it changes who I route for!! For example, Buress is my WR. I hate the Giants, would never route for them. Unless it's week 1, they are playing the Colts, and I want Buress to have a good game! (btw, don't get me started on the "Manning Bowl". So what? I watched the game because it was the Giants vs. Colts and thought it would be a good game)! My fantasy team is a weak 2-0 though. I go up against another un-defeated this week and it's not looking good. (Ironically, his QB is McNabb, so i do want him to dominate me on the QB side)! And by the way, you wonder how people can spend so much time managing a fantasy team? All you have to do is have one and you'll know!! It drives me crazy sometimes!! The Otter and I even have a "reject" league, (for lack of a better term), on theonion.com. We picked players to do bad, and get points based on that. It was too fun picking the worst of the league! Except, I just realized I screwed myself since I think you have to chose your line-up every week. . .

I did go see "Invincible" a few weeks back. I thought it was really good! I'm not sure how much was true, but it was done really well. Mark Wahlberg gained some points in my book, And it made me really really want a Yeungling draft!!

E-A-G-L-E-S - GO EAGLES!!!
Fly eagles fly, on the way to victory. . .

California

2006-09-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

So I was listening to the radio on the way to work and it all started so innocently with an article about where people wish to live. One of the DJ's was getting on the other's case about hating California and it just got me thinking. (apparently no one wants to live in the Midwest except for me)! I don't like living in CA. Notice I didn't say hate, so it may not be as bad as it seems. I just moved up to the Bay Area from LA, so I tried the major areas of the state. The Bay area is OK, the people are a little more down to earth, and I see many more Saturns here, but it's still California. Sometimes I miss living in LA, but I think I just miss the 'idea" of living in LA. I hate paying so much for rent. I briefly thought of selling my car and moving into the city of SF, but it's even more expensive there, and I'd have to give up most of the nice amenities that makes our place worth the money. (plus I have no idea what the Otter even thinks about that, and I might drive him crazy being car-less). Everyone out here looks at me like I'm crazy when I say I think people in NYC are friendlier then people in CA (LA in particular). In LA you have to drive everywhere, so people are confined to their cars. (however, I did get hit on while stuck in traffic and apparently it is not as uncommon as you might think). Then there's "the business" part of LA in which people will be friendly to you if you can get them something. In NY, people ride the subway together and are forced to sit a matter of inches away in restaurants, so more interaction does occur. A few years ago my mom and I were up in NYC and having dinner. This woman sitting next to us was waiting for her friend and starts up a conversation and even gives me a great coupon for shoes! In all fairness, I have never lived in NY, so that could give me a biased perspective. At least they have a great subway system. In LA, the train barely goes anywhere useful, (I took it 2/3 times and I think that is more then the average person living there their whole life)! The BART up here leaves something to be desired. I mean there are signs on BART that you cannot have beverages. sheesh. Even in Boston, there were Dunkin Donuts inside the train stations encouraging you to buy their coffee for the train ride with the enticing odor. (I miss dunkin donuts. For one reason or another they keep flopping when anyone tries to open one in CA).

LA/California has taught me a few things. (either that or some of this comes with age).
- How to dress a bit better (thanks in part to my first roommate - an LA native)
- How to drive better (laugh if you will, but I didn't drive a whole lot before I moved out here, so imagine the horror of former passengers)!
- That I can do what I want (for some reason I wanted to live in LA since I was in high school - maybe sooner)
- Waxing
- More appreciation for the East Coast
- More appreciation for my sports teams since I either have to go out somewhere to watch them, or hope they are on national tv.
- What the end of a Sunday/Monday night football game is like every week!
- That it can be fun to route for the visiting teams at sporting events
- Snow and humidity are not that bad compared to the alternatives
- A 5 hour drive home (no matter how boring), is much better then an all day/night plane ride

Why don't I leave? Well, the Otter and I are getting into new jobs, and I want to start school, so I may be stuck here for awhile. Plus, where he wants to go, the job market is not that good. Even in Pittsburgh - it's tough. We'll see what happens. In 10 years I may be elsewhere wishing I was back in CA! :)

Tourist Piggy

2006-09-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a little while since I wrote. Still kind of slow and sporadic at work, still reading Dark Tower VII! What am I going to do without my Roland fix when it is finished?! Apparently a lot of the other characters overlap into other Stephen King stories, so I guess there's those.

Last week some of my friends from Boston were nice enough to come visit. They both work weekends, so I took a few days off and tried to make it a mini vacation for me. You know sometimes you feel like you need a vacation to recover from your vacation? That is how this felt! I was SO exhausted every night! Luckily I only worked a day and half after I dropped them off at the airport, and had a nice 3 day Labor Day weekend to recover, but I did spend 1/2 the weekend not feeling well, so that didn't turn out too well. Here's what we did. Pictures my follow from home.

Sunday :
* Otter and I picked them up at the airport mid morning
* Went to brunch at a place near our home that I'm blanking on the name
* Went to the Winchester Mystery House (minus the Otter - we saw it when his mom was in town, and I was only glad to go back a second time since I forgot my camera the first time).
* Saw Monopoly in the Park in San Jose - giant Monopoly board
* Saw comedian John Pinette at the San Jose Improv. You may remember him as the carjack victim from the final episode of Seinfield. He was really funny. Otter joined us for this since we heard him on the radio a few days prior. (yes, some of those radio plugs do work)!
*Collapsed at home after a beer

Monday
* Mystery Spot - odd, but part of me felt like it was a hoax
* Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - ate a deep friend twinkie and other assorted junk. Saw lots of sea lions
* Met up with the Otter for dinner at In and Out
(doesn't sound like a horribly exhausting day, but it really was)

Tuesday
*Haight-Asbury district
*Japanese Tea Garden (a bit disappointed they charge to see the garden)
* Golden Gate Bridge
* Weinersnitzel (friends really wanted that)
* Home very late to a sweet Otter who grilled for us and taught them how to play Poker

Wednesday
*Pier 39 - more Sea Lions
*Alcatraz - saw it when my mom was in town, but it was worth seeing again and forgot my camera the first time (again).
*Cable car ride
*Met the Otter for a yummy dinner in Chinatown
*walked around Chinatown to find a green piggy like the blue one I bought last time I was there, but no such luck. 2007 is the year of the Pig, so I did buy a 2007 calendar with a cute pig on it.

Thursday
did the normal breakfast routine, took them to the Airport and came to work for 1/2 day.

sheesh, does that sound like a lot? We did most of the things they wanted to do. Lots of walking / driving, but should I have been so exhausted?

More later - did see Invincible before they arrived, but that's a different post.

Boredom

2006-08-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm completely bored out of my mind. I'm here at work in an empty floor that ironically used to be a women's prison! My boss and other co-workers are in a different building, so I thought I'd write before I went completely out of my mind. My friends from Boston are coming to visit next week, so I have a nice 5 and half day weekend coming up! (Boston was another one of this Piggy's stops for a little over a year). Piggy really liked Boston, but had to try out CA. Steagle (Eagles vs. Steelers) game is on tonight! The Otter is coming down to meet me after work and we're going someplace to watch it since I will not be able to make it home in time. I'm so glad it's a pre-season game. Don't tell my Pittsburgh friends, but I hate to route against the Steelers! Placed a bet when I was in Reno, so if either of those teams win the SuperBowl, I'll get some money! Honestly, it will not be easy money. I think it will be tough for the Steelers to repeat and I think the Eagles are still doing some rebuilding after last year's collapse.

Phillies climbing up in the wild card race! They are currently in 3rd place and 2.5 back from the Reds, (maybe soon to be Cardinals since they are currently tied atop the NL Central). I really don't want the Phillies and Cardinals battling out for that wild card spot. It might be nice to see them battle in the playoffs since the Otter is a red bird fan and that would make things interesting! If I can be a Red Sox fan and survive living with a Yankee fan during those ALCS games in 2003 and 2004, I think I can survive a little friendly rivalry with the Otter! Aaron Roward surpassed Chase Utley as my favorite Phillie after their collision on Tuesday night. Utley seemed real standoff-ish about it, and I got the impression he was trying to blame Rowand. I seriously doubt it was Rowand's fault, or anyone's fault. I'm just really glad that he didn't break his neck!

Might try and bury myself in my book for the remainder of the day. Still reading the Dark Tower series! Just started book 7, but can't stay focused this week to read it. Keep finding silly stuff online to do.

oh, hope to check out "Invincible" this weekend. Review may follow. . .

Poker

2006-08-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well, the World Series of Poker just passed and I was in Reno this past weekend, so Poker's been on the brain. Personally, I'm a little too intimidated to sit down at a Casino and play Texas Hold 'Em, so video poker was what I did. Unfortunately, I didn't have much luck until the end, and it didn't take nearly as much time as I thought, so I was bummed. I only lost a total of $6.80 on video poker and broke even at Pai Gow, so I guess I can not be overly disappointed. : ) Last weekend, I went to a house tourney and got my butt kicked and that was all my fault. It had been awhile since I played with real people, so they saw my weakness and took advantage of that. I don't blame them, I think a good poker player would do the same. Although, I'm really starting to believe in female intuition. SO many times it has paid off for me. In the house tourney, at one point, I was barely able to make the blinds and needed to make a move. I had pocket 6's, but I didn't have a good feeling about them. A few people later told me it would have been a great spot to move in, but I didn't feel it, so I didn't and was glad! I ended up going all in the next hand and doubling up and making it through another round of blinds. It may be silly, but it's proved true.

As far as the WSOP, this year I was thinking it would be nice to start a partners of poker players support group. Not like Gamblers Anon, but more like a group of people who either A, do not want to hear about Poker, or B, need help consoling someone who took a bad beat! Someone who read Moneymaker's book was telling me that before he won the main event, he would work all day, spend time with the family and then play online poker. I have no idea what his family was like, but don't you think it would have been nice if they had someone to talk to who can relate? Again, not in dealing with an addict, but maybe if they hear him cursing in the other room because some idiot caught a 2 outer on him. What's the best thing to say? The Otter is a big poker player, so he is owed a big Congratulations on earning a spot into a WSOP side event (found out this year there are many WSOP events, not just the main one that gets all the attention). He didn't quite make the money, but I think it's a feat playing in the event and finishing as high as he did, (even if he doesn't think so)!

Football's Back!!!!

2006-08-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

Football is finally here again!!! As you may know, the Eagles played the Raiders in a Hall of Fame game last night. The Eagles lost, but they looked impressive as hell on their first drive. Granted, it was against the Raiders, so maybe it was a false sense of hope. Donovan McNabb only played that one drive, so hard to tell with him. Westbrook had some nice runs. Back-up runner Bruce Perry took a bad hit late in the 4th quarter, but it was reported that he went home with the team and had a mild concussion, so that was good to read it was not worse. I am still a little worried about the Eagles (pronounced egg-els, or e-agh-les. Inside joke, don't worry if it's not funny to you)! They didn't acquire a whole lot of new talent in the off season. Maybe they're done with signing the big names after the whole T.O. fiasco. (Jeff Garcia is they only one I knew before they acquired him, and he doesn't count)!
Either way - E-A-G-L-E-S. Go eagles!! Must get those 49'ers - Eagles tickets. I SO hope that game is exactly like last year. It was early in the season, and they routed the Niners! I have never been to an Eagles game before so I don't know if I have the Philly curse, or just the Phillies curse. . .

Phillies were on Sunday night baseball same time as Eagles last night. Flipped back and forth until I saw a horrid score, and checked back after the game was over only to make sure I didn't miss a great comeback. No such luck and the Phillies fall 13 games back from the Mets and 3.5 back in the wild card race. Not sure what I think of all the starters they traded to make room for the rookies. 3 I'm certain of - sad to see David Bell and Bobby Abreu leave, and happy to see Sal Fassano go. Even if Fassano went to the Yankees - I didn't like the guy. I believe Nunez is Bell's replacement. Maybe I'm not giving the guy a fair shot, but I don't like him either. I've really only seen him in the pinch hitter's spot, and he always gets out! I think he ended the game in San Fran a few weeks back that I was at. David Dellucci and Victorino were rotating as Abreu's replacement. Dellucci I like, even if he is a former Yankee. He is a consistent hitter, and was glad to see him off the bench. Victorino is another Nunez.

Exciting time of year with baseball playoffs heating up and football starting. If summer wasn't ending, I'd be happy as a pig in mud!

Have it No Way

2006-08-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

Maybe a little over a year ago, I swore I would never eat Burger King again. The one in LA by my old work screwed up my order one too many times and they were not nice about it at all. I can't quite remember the details anymore, so it may be kind of silly. However, I've pretty much kept that promise. Although, I must admit, I've eaten their breakfast sandwiches a few times, but I haven't paid for them so they are not getting any of my money. One of the few fast food places by my work is Burger King and one of the managers picks up breakfast sandwiches from there most mornings. Maybe once or twice my hunger has taken over and I've eaten one - but either someone else from the company would have, or it would have been thrown away. Most of the times I say "no" not only because of my "boycott", but because they have piggy meat, and also must be loaded with fat and calories. The only thing I sometimes want is their onion rings with actual onion ring sauce! yum! Also, not sure if it's true, but heard once that their french toast sticks are vegan! (funny since what is french toast made with? - milk and eggs!) Oh, and they were one of the first chains to offer veggie burgers, but alas, I must refuse. Either way, I was very glad to see this article posted today:

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.asp?Feed=AP&Date=20060801&ID=5911547

Ha ha - evil Burger King - my boycott is working!!

Update

2006-07-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been a little while since I posted anything for many reasons. 1st, because I didn't have anything interesting to say. Do I ever?! 2nd, I do most of my writing at work since it's SO slow here, but as of late, I've been completely sucked into Stephen King's Dark Tower series! It all started so innocently a few summers ago. A friend coming to LA had "The Gunslinger", finished it during the trip, knew I was a Stephen King fan and left it for me. (I believe I'm remembering that correctly). I mostly remember reading it by the pool in my old apartment on the verge of the San Fernando Valley in the summer. It was freakin' hot and I couldn't get into the story all that much. Some parts were good, but mostly I thought it was dry. I mean I should have related to the guy - he was wandering across the desert - I was baking in the southern ca sun. . .! Anyways, I eventually finish it and think maybe someday down the road, I'll get the rest of the series, not putting too much thought into it. Flash forward a few years later. The Otter is visiting my place for one of the first times and is doing the routine check, looks at my bookshelf and notices "The Gunslinger" sitting there all by itself (with no others in the series). We have a brief conversation about it, and he says he has the rest of the series if I want to read them. Eh, I'm not too eager, but a few months later he's giving me the 2nd one to read. I'm sort of dreading it. It summarizes "The Gunslinger" in the beginning and I think "Hey, that sounds like it would have been a good book"! By then it was starting into the summer of 2005 and I'm reading "The Drawing of the Three". It's so darn good, but I wasn't taking too much time to read, so it drags on a little past summer. The 2nd one gave me faith for the series, so I wanted to eventually borrow the rest from the Otter, but my mound of reading was high, it was going to be awhile. Flash to present summer. I finally get caught up with my other readings, thanks to a boss who gives me minimal work and lets me bring books to work! I quickly read the 3rd and 4th books in a few weeks time. I was wondering if I was going to read them all at once, or space them out, maybe finishing the last one in the summer of 2010, but the 3rd one abruptly ends, so I have to continue. Luckily I didn't read them right when they came out, or I would have been waiting 7 years for the 4th one! "Wizard and Glass" was SO good! I mean last week at work, I lost track of time and ending up staying late because of that story (I didn't take the overtime for it - I'm an honest person)! I finished the 4th one on Friday and started the 5th one this morning. The first few pages were tough, then I got distracted by the wonderful internet and eventually blogging. Roland or Susannah or Eddie are not in the first few pages, so that bummed me out. But then again, they were not in the first few pages of the back story in the 4th book, and that bummer me out, but it turned out to be such an awesome story. I just need to be more optimistic about this 5th one because before long, this book will be the equivalent of Roland's Tower and nothing will stand in the way of me reading!! Haa Haa (evil laugh)! :)

Weekend Follow Up

2006-07-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, so if you follow baseball and saw the Phillies-Giants game on Friday, I went 50% on my predictions. I actually saw Barry Bonds play! I was happy about that, and thought it might have been an omen that things were going to change. I mean, not only did he play, he stole a base and made a great outfield catch! I was even in the concession area one time he came to bat, but I wasn't lucky enough to catch a HR ball. :( I'm not like other Philly fans - I actually respect the guy. Hitting seven hundred and some home runs is still a feat. If I hold any grudges against him, it's for leaving the Pirates. I was happy and nervous when the Phillies took the lead early in the game. Then thanks to a couple of fielding miscues, the Giants regained the lead and ended up winning. I'm not too surprised, but it's getting frustrating! They ended up taking the series from the Giants winning 2 out of 3, but what game was I at - the only one in the series they lost! Someone pointed out that I'm not a jinx because last year after I saw them lose, they went on a 7 game winning streak. So far this year it's a 2 game wining streak, but they go to San Diego tonight and that is going to be a tough battle. Come on Phils!!!!

Concert tip: If you ever have the opportunity to go see Blues Traveler - GO SEE THEM!! I saw them on Sunday and they were amazing! The otter is a big fan, and I like them, but it's not like I own a lot of their CD's, but their show was so full of energy. I wanted to stand and "dance" the whole show. (I have dance in quotes because I think what I do doesn't quite qualify as dancing)! Unfortunately, there were some old cranks in the audience that sat the whole time and were telling people to sit down. It's an energetic concert - let people have fun! I mean Blues Traveler only stopped because the venue shut them down! Seriously, some noise ordinance or something. It was at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, beautiful place. And luckily thanks to the otter I'm going back next month!!! Yeah!!!!!!! :)

Sports Betters

2006-07-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

Oh, and I'm going to see the Phillies-Giants here in San Fran on Friday! WOOO HOO!!
2 almost sure bets:

1st: Barry Bonds will not play. He hasn't played during any of the San Fran games I've been to.

2nd: Phillies will lose. I don't mean to be a downer, but I've been going to see Phillies games since I was about 10. I saw them at the old Vet, the new Citizens Bank Park, Dodger stadium. . .They didn't win once!!!! Not ONCE!! I told myself last year if I have a game 7 ticket to see the Phillies, I wouldn't go. Seriously. Time to break that streak!

All Star Game

2006-07-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the American League won the All-Star game again. And a Southern CA NL pitcher blew a save opportunity again. Remember a few years ago when the Dodger's Gagne was going on that streak of saves? Well, he missed one in that time and it was the All Star Game! Part of me was glad the the game went to the bottom of the 9th, I wanted to see Ryan Howard bat. Unfortunately, he didn't smack that game winning homer like I imagined he would. drat! I hated that the Mets were responsible for all the NL runs. And those darn Fox announcers seemed to snub the phillies. Chase Utley made a nice catch, but unfortunately it was right after Vladimir Guerrero smacked a homer, so the announcers barely acknowledged it. Then Utley got a single, but that happened right after Wright smacked a homer, so they barely acknowledged it. Poor Utley was batting 7th. If he would have been 6th and Wright was 7th - it could have had a better outcome.
Thome trade. . . Yeah or nay? During the HR derby the announcers said it worked out for both teams - the sox needed a power hitter and the phillies couldn't have kept Howard in the minors performing the way he was, and got Rowland too. When is the last time Thome put his face at risk to make a catch?! The biased Fox announcers basically said only the White Sox benefited, completely forgetting about Howard. The otter thought Fox is a west coast biased station, but just remember they talked about the Mets enough, so that can't be it.
And Kudos to Tom Gordon for pitching a scoreless inning and for making me feel young!

More baseball venting:
Stadium names. In Pittsburgh when PNC bought the naming rights to the new ballpark, they thought about naming it Roberto Clemente Park. Obviously, they named it PNC Park and named a street after Roberto Clemente. That's sad. I lived in Pittsburgh. Everyone and their dog knows PNC - they don't need the name recognition. And are you going to switch your bank just because there is a PNC Park?? If you are, stop reading and never visit this site again! Or better yet, send me your rationale. I'd like to know!

another bad example: "On April 7, 1999, Houston-based Enron Corporation agreed to pay more than $100 million over 30 years to name the stadium Enron Field. However, on December 2, 2001 Enron became the largest corporation in history to declare bankruptcy. On February 27, 2002, the Astros made an agreement with Enron to buy back the naming rights. After two full seasons of being called Enron Field, the home of the Houston Astros then became temporarily know as Astros Field. On June 5, 2002, the Astros announced that the Minute Maid Company, a locally-based subsidiary of the Coca-Cola Company since 1960, will pay an estimated $170 million for a 28-year naming rights deal."
need I say more?

same subject, different sport: The former Fleet center in Boston. People in Boston knew it was named by Fleet Bank, others did not and you ended up with some smirks, and chuckles. . .

It's about 2:00 p.m. on a Thursday and I should feel bad about taking the time out of my day to write this, but I do not. You know why? I have nothing to do work-wise!! nada! You have no idea how many books I've finished at this job. I shouldn't complain, but sometimes I just want to be busy so the day goes by fast and some days I just feel the brain cells flowing out. . .

Link and a bit about the Home Run Derby

2006-07-10T20:56:00.000-07:00

Funny little web comic, sort of applicable to first post:

http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=2099

I'm sure some All Star game and HR derby commentary will follow! WOOO HOO RYAN HOWARD!!! At least the Phillies can win something! (in poor taste I know). Let's just hope the Bobby Abreu slump from last year doesn't affect Howard. Interesting, but sad fact from Sports Illustrated:

18 - Home runs hit by the Phillies Bobby Abreu before the All-Star break last year. . .

14 - Home runs, in 145 games by Abreu since the Home Run Derby.

and btw, I believe it was 24 home runs he hit last year in the first round of that derby!
Come on' Bobby, I want to like you. . .

Am I a trendy wannabe?

2006-07-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

This is a question I was pondering during my recent job search. The job I really wanted at the time was for a trendy home store and it just got me thinking. Plus when I was in college trying to decide where to go next, a former friend said it to me, (btw, where is she now - SEATTLE)! I sit at work and listen to my iPod and read books in which a lot have turned to movies. Although, I don't think the music on my iPod is trendy - it includes a variety from Neil Diamond to Pantera and everything in between. I go home in my not so trendy car that I want to trade in. I play my PSP, sometimes watch Friends or Sex and the City repeats and watch the O.C and Smallville on Thursday nights! (I don't admit to many people about the O.C., but it's addicting and maybe a part of me does miss living in southern cali). I know my current wardrobe isn't trendy, but I do wish I had more style. Now I'm wondering if Blogs are trendy. I have asked people how mutual acquaintances or even how my cousin is doing and what response do I get- a Blog link!

Me at work:
thanks to the super talented otter for the sketch!

why me?

2006-07-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, so i'm trying out this blog thing. Not sure how good i'll actually be at keeping it up. Maybe i can use it as a sounding board for those editorials / compliant letters i've been wanting to write (or maybe elaborate on the ones i did).

why Philly Piggy? well, why not? Actually, i'm from eastern PA and Philly Piggy sounds much better then Bethlehem Piggy and I do like my philly sports teams. One of these years they will end this drought and win a championship. It would be awesome if the Mets go on a major losing streak and the Phillies make all there talent work at the same time for the 2nd half of the season. Is that too much to ask for? uh. . .well. . .let's go eagles!

And I do adore those pigs! I don't like when cops are called pigs - it's an insult to the pig! They are a lot smarter then most people give them credit (pigs, not cops!). See for yourself:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/pigs/smart.html

it's online, it must be true! I'm having an ethical dilemma since pork and ham are so tasty! luckily, there are some alternatives. turkey dogs or even better veggie dogs! why can't i like cows - i don't really like beef!

and a big thanks to the Otter for introducing me to this site! :)