From the Mind of Dave

Babies are the best!

2006-10-24T16:02:00.000-04:00

It's been brought to my attention that my blog hasn't been updating itself. Let me just say that I am shocked! Floored! And quite frankly, a little upset. I read all the rules and regulations of having a blog and nowhere did it mention this. Oh well. I guess I'll warm up the fingers and type it myself!

First off, as you know I had a baby. Yay! I of course did all the work, don't let Kelly fool you. She may say something about 9 months, pain and delivery...but that is all BS. She always finds excuses! I am in pain. I get 6-7 hours of sleep a night instead of 8. You may now take a moment to sympathize with me. Thank you. I also get to go to work and get a break while she stays home and ...oh wait, that can be a good thing at times. Actually, I hate leaving Maggie. That first week back was so hard. I was afraid I would miss something and have to hear about it rather than see it. I'm sure something will happen and I will miss it, but I'm going to try to catch anything I can.

Maggie grew so much just over the last couple weeks. I couldn't believe it. The coolest thing is while I feed her she will look at me and then follow my eyes when I move! I feel bad looking away cause I don't want her to wonder where I went. Then of course I have the dog to amuse. He lost my undivided attention and I think he is jealous. I'll say things to Maggie that I would have said to him and he looks confused/left out. I'm doing my best to make them both happy, but the dog is just going ot have to learn. He is actually doing well. We told him to give her "kisses" so he wouldn't do anything bad to her and he does. Now he does it too much! Better than biting I guess. lol

I could go on and on about Maggie, which I probably will do when I post. Note to self: make conscious effort not to stay on same subject!

I do continue to read everyone's blogs from time to time. I hope everyone is doing well!

Dave

Summer Fun

2006-06-02T23:55:00.000-04:00

Well, the title of this post is misleading. While I love summer and the warm weather, it does mean it is time for yard work. Yuck! I wouldn't mind if it was just cutting the grass. But then you have the weed whacking and the hedges to trim. Plus the lovely hill you get to mow and almost fall down, and the hill isn't that big. I can usually finish the yard rather quickly, but it still brought up the discussion of hiring someone to take care of our yard during the 4 summer months. This idea sounded really good at first. More time for me, less sweating, more time for me...Did I mention that yet? But then I thought about how lazy I would feel watching someone do my work. It jus would sit well with me. Plus, it would feel like such a waste of money. I'll save that money for things I can't do on my own like finish my basement or build a new wall outside. I could try those things, but I don't think it would turn out right.

So, one by one we are removing our bushes in front of our house. This warm weather sucks because the last thing I want to do is be in it working. I'll just have to suck it up and do it. I do recommend heated astroturf for everyone. No maintaince plus no shoveling during the winter because the snow melts.

Baby stuff

2006-05-28T21:42:00.000-04:00

You'd think registering at a store for your baby would be easy. Just go out and scan what you need. Well, not really. Thank goodness Kelly had a list of the essentials we needed, because I was lost. There are so many things and until I am in need of it, I don't even know what the item is used for. Or if we really need it. We did manage to get 15 or so items on the registry.

We are having 2 showers. One is a small dinner shower which is next month and the other will be about a month after the baby is born. By then, I should know a little more about what I am doing. One thing is for sure, it seems like forever till the baby will be here. We are about halfway along and it seems like 9 months already. I'm sure even longer for Kelly.

Anyways, we are excited and nervous at the same time.

Computer Woes

2006-03-27T22:08:00.000-05:00

One of the most frustrating things to me is not being able to figure something out. First of all, if I can't figure it out right away I get upset and don't even feel like doing it. Yeah, I know...not the right way to handle things! Anyways, I usually keep trying and figure it out in the end.

This brings us to my dilema. Currently I have a bunch of .avi files of tv shows on my computer. I would like to put these into DVD format so I can watch a nice quality show on my DVD player. Sounds like a simple "google search" will do the trick. Everything starts out fine. I download trial versions of converters so I can convert my .avi files to .mpg which is the better quality file format.

Now it gets tricky. Each program is confusing in its own. Some converters mess up the file so it skips. I'm just glad I could try the trial version and not waste $30 on the full version. So, about an hour later I have my converted .mpg file. I then open my burning software(nero) to burn my dvd. To make a long story short, I find out Nero needs some kind of fix to recognize my new file and that requires about 3-4 more confusing steps. It just isn't worth it.

If this post is confusing to anyone, now you know how I feel. Why can't any of this be easy? No wonder it costs so much to get computers fixed!

Down but not out.

2006-03-14T20:08:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been awhile to say the least since my last post. I couldn't even remember what I wrote about till now. Talk about an intreging topic! I'm sure everyone was talking about it for months!

Seriously though, I should have gotten pregnant myself so I would have a valid excuse. The truth is I just don't take the time to sit down and write. I'd like to say that would change, but we'll see. (Hopefully :) ).

Now, I propose a situation to everyone. We watched the Apprentice from this week and the winners had the wonderful award of swimming with sharks. While some might think that is great, I think you are nuts. Lucky for them though, they were in a cage with these 12 foot sharks. I don't care if there was a window between us, I would never get in that water. I look over at Kelly and she admits she would get in there. The only thing bothering her was that the sharks look creepy. I try explaining that your hand can still go through the bars, but it doesn't sway her decision. Maybe I am too cautious at times (ok most times), but I don't care how much you give me I would never do it. I wouldn't even be able to watch Kelly do it. So with that said, who would actually go in the shark infested water? Who would run the other way?

Crazy Stuff

2006-01-25T11:17:00.000-05:00

Just when you think our rights aren't heard, this 17 year old student shows us what to really fight for. He is fighting his high school dress code because he cannot wear shorts to school. His issue is that girls are allowed to wear skirts and the ban on shorts doesn't make sense.

Ok, first of all, this kid picks the wrong things to fight over. Just wear pants and put your focus into your grades. Secondly, and this is where it gets wierd, he decides to fight the ban by wearing skirts to school himself. He actually went out and bought these skirts to wear daily. The school banned him to attend wearing them. He fought this and is now allowed to wear skirts. Nice win there bud!

I guess he would rather be laughed at and called a girl than have to wear pants. Maybe I should pick this fight with my employer...

My Debut at Mellon Arena

2006-01-20T16:58:00.000-05:00

Well...the hype was there. They all had high hopes for #84. A man called Dave D. Would he score a goal on his first shift like Lemieux? Would he drop the gloves and fight his way to victory? Or would he just fall apart under the pressure and croak like Peyton Manning in the Divisional Playoff game.

Let's go with none of the above. I did have an average night. I scored a goal and had an assist. Nothing else really stood out. I was thrilled to get my goal. Nothing like saying you scored a goal at Mellon Arena. I would have had the game winner, but some bad calls lead to a tie game instead of a 2 goal win for us. Oh well.

So, on to the experience outside of the game. First, we get to park in the players lot and walk in the players entrance. Very cool. Next we had to get through security, which consisted on one female who only half payed attention to what we were doing. Then we make the long and boring walk to the locker rooms. I couldn't believe how dull it was. It was like the inside of a warehouse. We had big metal boxes which I can only assume were controlling the power. And that was basically it. The Penguins locker room was closed shut, so we couldn't even see in it. That is understandable though. We get to the locker room and it is very tiny and they only give us one room for 2 teams. Some of us had to get dressed in an office.

The trip onto the ice was neat. We walked onto the ice the same way the visiting team does. Once we were on the ice, the arena actually looked small. It is amazing the size difference between being in a seat and on the ice. A funny thing happened too. We were on the bench and the whole thing started falling backward. It wasn't even screwed down. I agree even more now that we need a new arena.

In the end, it was still exciting to play there. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I would love to do it again. Here are some pictures Kelly took. She gets a special thanks for all the effort she put in for me!

MCF racks our brains part VI

2006-01-17T19:45:00.000-05:00

MCF has put out the challenge once again. Here is M.C.F.A.T. Volume VI.

1) As you all no doubt remember, back in October I wrote about popular bands picking up former vocalists of other popular bands. If you could choose any one band and any one singer that have never collaborated, and put them together as a new entity, who would you choose? Have fun with this one. You can mix and match styles and eras, and choose artists living or dead. You might even NAME your creation.

I'd have to choose Phil Collins for my singer. I don't think he has ever done a song I didn't like, at least somewhat. For a band lets go with Journey. I actually think they would go well together.

2) How would you react in a hostage situation?

Depends if the Steelers are playing. If so, I'd kick some butt and run to the nearest tv. Otherwise, I'd stay calm and take the first opportunity to escape.

3) What is your favorite board game?

I really enjoy Scene It. There are many different versions out now. We just bought Harry Potter and I still manage to lose to Kelly, even though I've read more of the books than her.

4) Which is worse, being buried alive or getting locked in a freezer? Include reasons and potential methods of escape.

Getting buried alive. I hate dark places and being in tight areas. Plus, there is no hope since each time you dig, more dirt falls on you. I'd love to hear an escape method from someone on this one.

My escape from the freezer would go like this. I would take a few useless items such as a pipe, chewing gum and maybe some gun powder (yes I keep gun powder in my freezer). Then I would put them all together and blow my way to freedom. Hold on...I'm watching tv and MacGyver is back on.

5) In light of by the ”Draw Batgirl” meme I linked to yesterday, what other characters do you think would be appropriate for a similar meme? Hundreds of people with varying artistic abilities have rendered versions of the character. Some have been cartoonish, some amateur, and others professional. There have been countless variations and deviations, and all have been fun. I'm NOT asking for drawings(yet), so don't feel intimidated. Just name a comic character and at a later date I may choose one and invite readers to post their interpretations--and stick figures WILL be welcome.

This is a great question. I can't wait to see the drawings later. My choice is: "The Vulture" from the Spider-Man comics. While I like the villian, his look could be more menacing.

Some Awesome news

2006-01-13T10:46:00.000-05:00

I have always wanted to play at Mellon Arena just to see the view from a Pittsburgh Penguins level. To get a feel for what it would be like to play professional hockey and have 17,000 fans cheering for you. Well, this wednesday I get to have a little taste of that.

My adult hockey team is playing pickup at Mellon Arena this wednesday and I get to attend. It will be awesome to be behind the scenes for the first time and get a feel for how everything comes together. I hear the benches have padded seats. We won't get to see the Penguins locker room, since it is closed off at all times. I think we will get the visitor's room instead. It is all so exciting. Of course I will bring my camera and post pictures on the site.

When the Cat's away, the Mice will play.

2006-01-13T10:40:00.000-05:00

Question:
What do you do when you find a mouse running around your house?

Answer:
Throw him in a pile of burning leaves outside your house.

At least that is what this man did. An 81 year old man had some leaves burning outside and decided to throw his "catch" inside the fire. Shortly after, the mouse ran back at his house and set the whole thing on fire, burning it to the ground! I don't know about you, but I carry around cheese now just in case I need to bribe these vengeful mice to let me live.

M.C.F.A.T. Volume V

2006-01-07T10:20:00.000-05:00

1) I’m not on DVD, and I may never be on DVD as much as you wish I was. What am I?
This is tough, since there have been many TV series come out recently that I have been hoping for. I'm going to say "Voltron". It was a cartoon from the 80's that I grew up on.

2) It’s going to be cold and gray for some months to come. There are no good movies playing. You don’t want to venture far or spend a lot of money, but sometimes the four walls of your home conspire to drive you mad and you just need to go SOMEWHERE. What do you do?

Call my family and have a game night.

3) If you had to give up one of your senses, which would it be?

None, I'm greedy. Well, if I have to I'll say taste. That way I can still do the same things I do now. What a tough question.

4) This sitcom will NEVER be made into a major motion picture, not in a million years. Then again, it wouldn’t be that unprecedented. What’s the WORST case scenario, from sitcom choice to casting, that you could imagine?

"Two and a Half Men". I've never seen the series, but the commercials for it are terrible. It just isn't funny. The movie would have to star Robert Downey Jr. as Charlie Sheen and lets throw Keanu Reeves in there for best supporting actor.

5) Now you’re a supervillain. Why? What has motivated you to use your powers for evil, what are your powers, and what are your methods and goals?

I can shoot lazer beams from my hand that will destroy any vehicle that gets in my way. A freak accident turned me into the villain you know today. Now, after years of putting up with the chaos, it is time I created some. Driving has never been so much fun.

6) Name one artist, in any discipline, who has affected your life in some way.

I'm going to take the easy way out and say GOD. I know it's hard to believe, but he has had a little something to do with how my life has gone. :)

And the award goes to...

2006-01-02T15:54:00.000-05:00

MCF has handed out his awards for 2005 and I must say I agree with many of them. I may even check out some TV shows based on these awards. But without further ado, I must announce that this blog has acheive an award as well.

MCF's award:
BEST least-updated blog on my blogroll:
From the Mind of Dave

While he is correct, the award is great to receive. I'd like to thank all the things that kept me too busy to write during this holiday season. And I must thank God as well for giving me this talent.

1 and 9

2006-01-02T15:34:00.000-05:00

1 and 9...what does it mean? No, I'm not talking football or the Penguins record (which isn't much better). I'm talking about the season record for my adult hockey league. 1 and 9! I don't think we've ever finished this bad. Needless to say playoffs are out of the question.

To make myself feel better, I created a list of excuses for why we lost so many games.

10) The referees didn't count my 10 goals per game
9) This wasn't xbox so there were no cheats to exploit
8) We let them win
7) It was raining outside
6) We brought a football instead of a puck
5) The fans were more entertaining than the game
4) We kept scoring on the wrong goalie
3) We didn't sing Cumbayah
2) We can't hit the broad side of a barn
and the #1 reason we went 1 and 9...
1) We were still out of shape from the NHL lockout

There is always hope though. New season starts in 2 or 3 weeks.

Prince of Persia video game

2005-12-22T19:59:00.000-05:00

I just bought Prince of Persia 3 and am anxious to start it. One problem, I haven't beaten 2 yet. It has just been sitting for a few months. Now I can't start 3 until I finish #2. This should be something that is fun to do, but instead I make it a task that I have to complete. I tend to do this with many things. For instance, watching TV series on DVD and reading books. I hurry to finish one so I can finish the next one.

Back to the video game. This is a great trilogy of games. The story line is all connected throughout. The prince has the ability to control time to a certain extent which makes for a great story. It also allows you to reverse time to fix those stupid fatal mistakes. BTW, it doesn't work on broken controllers that just happen to fall when you don't beat a board! One of the best things about Prince of Persia 2 is you go back in time and play the same level but everything is different the second time through. It also has some of the best agility and acrobatic moves while fighting.

Christmas Spirit

2005-12-22T19:40:00.000-05:00

Two thoughts come to mind at this moment. 1) It's almost here! and 2) It's almost over! Christmas is the one time each year that we look forward to and then dread when it arrives. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to mid January. Of course, there are many good things to say as well.

I've decided to break it down into 2 categories.

Things I look forward to:
-Spending time with family
-Giving gifts and seeing everyone's reaction
-Holiday music
-The atmosphere of every store/town decorated
-Eating well for days thanks to leftovers

Things I dread:
-Traffic, traffic, traffic (both people and cars)
-Short fuses because everyone is in a hurry
-Long hours and extra days at work(though the OT is nice)
-So much to do, so little time
-TV shows taking a few weeks off to show repeats

There's my list, though I'm sure there is more to add. Feel free to make a list of your own and

Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays!

Ebay

2005-11-13T01:28:00.000-05:00

Listed on Ebay was an indoor arena football team from Wheeling that the owners were selling to the highest bidder. I was surprised to hear that this would be a way of selling a semi-pro team. I just had to check this out. The starting bid was $100,000 and they are about 1 hour or so outside of Pittsburgh.

I started thinking of how cool it would be to own a team, even though I don't know much about arena football. It would be fun to create promotions and try new ideas to increase attendance and revenue. Plus, one of the owners was staying on as a consultant and the team already has a great gameplan to follow.

I'm kinda surprised it wasn't go for more money. I don't know what the final bid was, but it only increased about $500 a couple days before the auction ended. I missed my opportunity, but I'll be ready if the Pens go on sale for $100,000!

Pop Quiz, MCF style

2005-11-09T00:12:00.000-05:00

You would think answering five questions would be easy. A couple of these were tough and I think too much into them. That sitcom question was the hardest since I don't watch many sitcoms. Anyways, here are my answers.

1) There's good news and there's bad news. The good news is that, for a few brief moments, you've experienced a taste of a super power, a one-time only psychic flash of a future event. The bad news is that you're now the only person on the planet who knows that an asteroid is going to collide with the Earth in three days. People are going to have a hard time believing your story--what do you do?

Write a movie about it that includes a cheesy love song, animal crackers and the main actor sacrificing himself in the end.

2) If you could be marooned on a desert island with any three sitcom stars, past or present, who would they be and why?

Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor (Home Improvement) - So what if nothing he builds works...he may get lucky and if nothing else, we can have some good laughs

Samantha Stevens (Bewitched) - Who wouldn't want to be stranded with a witch.

Sara Reeves (Party of Five) - Who cares about the character. She was played by Jennifer Love Hewitt need I say more?

3) Who and what was your first pet? Alternately, if you've never had a pet, feel free to explain why.

My first pet (That I remember) was a dog named Tippy. The tip of her tail was white, hence the name. She ran away after a couple years and it was a sad day. We think she followed others dogs.

4) What's the worst thing you've ever tasted, intentionally or otherwise?

Defeat...Since I can't think of any food at the time. I hate to lose at hockey.

5) After months of research, you finally perfect a cybernetic helmet that will allow its wearer to operate any vehicle with quick reflexes and unparalleled expertise. Such a device would have to be tested first, and you wouldn't risk anyone else's life but your own, noble scientist that you are. What do you drive/fly/sail first and where?

F-14 Tomcat. I've always wanted to fly a jet. Of course I wouldn't let the airforce tell me where I could and couldn't fly...being a noble scientist and all.

Happy Halloween

2005-10-30T23:32:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think of Halloween as a throw a big bash weekend thing. I was working saturday night and it seems like everyone had Halloween parties to go to after. It never even crossed my mind to go to one. I'm sure it would be fun and even a good time coming up with costume ideas(Heck, last year I went to work as the Grim Rapper...don't ask!), but we just never planned for one.

So, I'm going to live through you guys by asking everyone to post their crazy Halloween adventure from this past weekend. Maybe some of us are still going and it will only get better tonight.

Of course, I will take the most interesting story as my own and be the hippest guy in town.

Happy Birthday!

2005-10-25T11:59:00.000-04:00

Today is my mother-in-law's birthday. So let's all wish Kathy a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

We celebrated on Sunday while we watched the Steeler game. We had the perfect birthday meal-Chinese! With lots of eggrolls because you can never have too many. Next we had the traditional shrimp roll, which I passed on since we all know I only eat Yellow Fin Tuna. And to top it all off, out came the s'mores. Nothing like catching marshmellows on fire in your living room. Ok, enough about the food, I'm making myself hungry.

After opening the presents and watching the Steelers romp on the Bengals, we played a game called Fluxx. This card game is so much fun because the game is always changing. One minute you can be ready to win and then the goal can change or the cards might say to switch hands. We played 3 games and I was nice enough to let Kelly and her parents each win a game. They might tell you they won fairly, but I know the truth. ;) I just have one word...rematch.

Can it get any sadder?

2005-10-17T17:27:00.000-04:00

On saturday night the moment I've been waiting for had arrived. I finally get to go to a Penguin game. The excitement was there and I could feel our first win of the season coming. But of course, the inevitable happened. The puck just had to be dropped and all my joy went with it. I don't think I've been to a more dissapointing game than this one. I actually entertained thoughts of leaving after 2 periods, something I have never wanted to do no matter what the score. The only bright spot was Sidney Crosby getting an assist to keep his 6 game streak alive. Oh wait, there was one other funny moment...

Sitting in the row in front of us was Biff, from "Back to the Future". Okay, so it wasn't really him, but that is what made it so funny. He looked just like him!

Sunday rolled around and I thought maybe a Steeler win would make things better. 3 hours later we have botched plays and quarterbacks that can't fall on a fumble and this all equals a loss in OT.

I'm hoping there is a bright spot on the horizon and this week will look better. 6 games without a win for the Pens is bad, but they can turn it around. They just better do it sooner and not later.

7 Things...

2005-10-11T20:15:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since my last post. Usually I can't stop talking...just ask Kelly! She keeps telling me I should put it in my blog. I guess that once it is spoken, it is forgotten about. Anyways, I figured this blog meme was a good way to get started again.

7 Things That Scare Me
Knives
Dark Areas (when my imagination runs wild)
Spiders
Losing loved ones
Career Moves
Going to a Philadelphia Flyer hockey game in Philly (Have yet to do this one)
No longer remembering things that happened in the past

7 Things I like most
Hockey
Reading a good book
Board games
Accomplishing goals (whether small or large)
Contributing to successful outcomes (Work or fun)
Earning a hockey goal and/or scoring it differently than before
Cream cheese

7 Most important things in my room
Kelly
My Dog
Alarm Clock
Cell Phone
Hair Brush
Current Book
Kleenex Box

7 Random facts about me
I have a small hole between my right eye and my nose that we think is my tear duct. Only a select few have noticed this phenomenon
When I was young, I fell off my bike and was stung by a bee on my ear
Romantic movies always get to me. Kelly always sees it coming and I never fail her.
In 1993 I called and laughed at my friend when the Penguins lost a heartbreaker in Game 7 OT. He was a fan and I had no clue what hockey was. Today I can't even watch that game cause it sickens me that we lost. AHH!!!
I have about 500 Penguin games on tape. Now I get to transfer them to DVD...
I get frustrated when I can't figure things out on the first try.
I'm Batman

7 Things I plan (hope) to do before I die
Have Kids
Visit attractions around the US (Grand Canyon, Vegas, Niagra Falls, etc)
See my kids happy and love their parents
Beat the handful of XBOX games that I gave up on
Expand my knowledge of computer programming
Parachute out of a plane (Will never happen because I wouldn't trust the chute to open)
Feel weightless in a test plane at NASA

7 Things I can do
Pick up things with my toes and freak Kelly out
Have a good sense of direction and usually know where to go
Make Kelly laugh even when she is mad at me
Speak some Spanish. Gradually losing the four years I took in high school
Eat a steak sub with mayonaisse and italian dressing. Sounds wierd but tastes good
Make jokes at my own expense
Get along with anyone and don't hold a grudge

7 Things I can't do
Win consistently at poker
Drive the speed limit
Stand people taking advantage of friends/family
Watch "Somewhere In Time". Kelly would leave me if I did. She hated that movie.
Win an XBOX 360, even though someone does it every 10 minutes!
Beat my Father-in-law at Badmitton. (Soon to be on the Can-Do list)
Do things without worrying about what others will think

7 Words I say the most
Geez
Unbelievable
Cool
Whatzup
Idiot
Bastard
Max!

7 Celeb crushes
Meg Ryan
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Ashley Judd
Rachel Weisz
Reese Witherspoon
Andie MacDowell
Shelley Long

Things That Make You Go Hmm...

2005-09-10T23:08:00.000-04:00

Okay, so rubbernecking is part of the stupid things people do. I was fortunate enough to pass two big accidents on Route 30 (big shocker) on my ride home. Sure enough, my fellow driver ahead of me decides to watch. We pass the accident and his head is turned the whole way around. Slowly, his car turns towards the middle barrier. I give him a couple seconds to turn back, but nothing happens. Remember, this guy has more important things to do than drive. I decided to blow my horn not a second too soon and he turns the wheel back, just missing an accident of his own. His girlfriend was too busy watching the accident to tell him.

Work ethics. Where have they gone? The younger generation has no clue what it means to work. I had a 77 year old man work for me and he did twice as much as the rest of my staff. Then he would tell me he wasn't pulling his weight and he might retire! At my current job we just hired someone for the stockroom. This guy worked 1-2 days and decided the job wasn't for him. He says he was never told he would have to get items off of high shelves and carry heavy boxes by himself. The pay just wasn't worth all that. Two things. 1) You applied for stockroom...what did you think it would be? 2) You walked through our stockroom and saw the big boxes on high shelves when you came for your interview. So my question is, how dense are you? Maybe you can stay home and we'll mail your check each week.

Next, another new hire on her first day had her cell phone ring while she was at the register. She decides to answer it, then walk away and leaves someone else to ring. 5 minutes later the manager walks by and she quickly hangs up. I would never answer my phone, even if I worked there for years. This is her first day and she could care less about making a good impression. I guess people have no problems leaving a job and going to the next.

I'm afraid it will only get worse from here. Of course, retail doesn't pay very well so you get what you pay for.

"Mayor" of New Orleans

2005-09-07T11:39:00.000-04:00

The mayor of New Orleans has been bashing the government for their lack of involvement in this disaster. I don't know how well this guy ran the city before the flood, but he isn't do a good job of it now.

After all the talk of dead bodies and disease in the water, how could he allow anyone to come back into the city. I don't care if it is just for a couple days. I can sympathize with the victims and would want to go back myself, but why put their lives in further danger. Then to make it worse, he calls for a mandatory evacuation by force if necessary due to diseases that could be in the water. Does this guy not pay attention to what is going on around him. Does he think if you stay for only a couple days you will be alright...just get out by Wednesday and you'll have a clean bill of health? This puts more work onto the rescuers which could be channeled elsewhere. At least the violence is subsiding.

It also upsets me that people didn't get out when they had the chance. One story really makes me mad. A 37 year old lady let her daughter leave before the storm hit and she stayed at home with the dog. The storm hits and rescuers find the lady and the dog. I guess they weren't taking animals because the lady left the dog there to die. Why put yourself through all that and let the helpless dog suffer when you could have got out before hand?

Okay, I feel a little better now. ;)

Top 100 songs from 1995

2005-08-31T17:49:00.000-04:00

This is from Wendy's blog and I thought I would give it a try. I graduated in 1995.

Here are the rules:

A.) Go to musicoutfitters.com
B.) Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year
C.) Bold the songs you like, strike through the ones you hate and underline your favorite. Do nothing to the ones you don't remember (or don't care about).

1. Gangsta's Paradise, Coolio
~~2. Waterfalls, TLC~~
3. Creep, TLC
4. Kiss From A Rose, Seal
5. On Bended Knee, Boyz II Men
6. Another Night, Real McCoy
7. Fantasy, Mariah Carey
8. Take A Bow, Madonna
9. Don't Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days), Monica
~~10. This Is How We Do It, Montell~~ ~~Jordan~~
11. I Know, Dionne Farris
12. Water Runs Dry, Boyz II Men
13. Freak Like Me, Adina Howard
14. Run-Around, Blues Traveler
15. I Can Love You Like That, All-4-One
~~16. Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?, Bryan Adams~~
17. Always, Bon Jovi
18. Boombastic / In The Summertime, Shaggy
19. Total Eclipse Of The Heart, Nicki French
20. You Gotta Be, Des'ree
~~21. You Are Not Alone, Michael Jackson~~
22. Hold My Hand, Hootie and The Blowfish
23. One More Chance-Stay With Me, Notorious B.I.G.
24. Here Comes The Hotstepper, Ini Kamoze
25. Candy Rain, Soul For Real
26. Let Her, w Hootie and The Blowfish
27. I Believe, Blessid Union Of Souls
28. Red Light Special, TLC
29. Runaway, Janet Jackson
30. Strong Enough, Sheryl Crow
31. Colors Of The Wind, Vanessa Williams
32. Someone To Love, Jon B.
~~33. Only Wanna Be With You, Hootie and The Blowfish~~
34. If You Love Me, Brownstone
35. In The House Of Stone And Light, Martin Page
36. I Got 5 On It, Luniz
37. Baby, Brandy
38. Run Away, Real McCoy
39. As I Lay Me Down, Sophie B. Hawkins
40. He's Mine, Mokenstef
41. December, Collective Soul
42. I'll Be There For You-You're All I Need To Get By, Method Man-Mary J. Blige
43. Shy Guy, Diana King
~~44. I'm The Only One, Melissa Etheridge~~
45. Every Little Thing I Do, Soul For Real
46. Before I Let You Go, BLACKstreet
47. Big Poppa / Warning, Notorious B.I.G.
48. Sukiyaki, 4 P.M.
49. I Wanna Be Down, Brandy
50. I'll Make Love To You, Boyz II Men
51. Dear Mama / Old School, 2Pac
52. Hold On, Jamie Walters
53. Keep Their Heads Ringin', Dr. Dre
54. The Rhythm Of The Night, Corona
55. Roll To Me, Del Amitri
56. Scream / Childhood, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson
57. Freek'n You, Jodeci
58. I Wish, Skee-lo
59. Believe, Elton John
~~60. Carnival, Natalie Merchant~~
61. You Don't Know How It Feels, Tom Petty
~~62. Back For Good, Take That~~
~~63. Tootsee Roll, 69 Boyz~~
64. You Want This-70's Love Groove, Janet Jackson
65. Tell Me, Groove Theory
66. Can't You See, Total
67. All I Wanna Do, Sheryl Crow
68. This Lil' Game We Play, Subway
69. Come And Get Your Love, Real McCoy
70. This Ain't A Love Song, Bon Jovi
71. Secret, Madonna
72. Player's Anthem, Junior M.A.F.I.A.
73. Feel Me Flow, Naughty By Nature
74. Every Day Of The Week, Jade
75. The Sweetest Days, Vanessa Williams
76. Short Dick Man, 20 Fingers Featuring Gillette
77. Brokenhearted, Brandy
78. No More "I Love You's", Annie Lennox
79. You Used To Love Me, Faith Evans
80. Constantly, Immature
81. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, U2
82. 100% Pure Love, Crystal Waters
83. Ask Of You, Raphael Saadiq
84. Sugar Hill, Az
85. Good, Better Than Ezra
86. Brown Sugar, D'angelo
87. Turn The Beat Around, Gloria Estefan
88. 'Til You Do Me Right, After 7
89. 1st Of Tha Month, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
90. Like The Way I Do If I Wanted To, Melissa Etheridge
91. I Live My Life For You, Firehouse
92. Dream About You-Funky Melody, Stevie B
~~93. Cotton Eye Joe, Rednex~~
94. Thank You, Boyz II Men
95. I'll Stand By You, Pretenders
96. I Miss You, N II U
97. Give It 2 You, Da Brat
98. Best Friend, Brandy
99. Misery, Soul Asylum
100. Can't Stop Lovin' You, Van Halen

DVD Recorders

2005-08-22T16:34:00.000-04:00

A couple months back Kelly and I broke down and bought a DVD Recorder. It was $400 and we weren't sure about spending that much. The idea of putting my Pittsburgh hockey games onto DVD is what put us over the edge and we picked one up. I hate clutter and was looking forward to having more room in our basement.

To our surprise, the recorder does more than we hoped. We can record live TV and then edit out the commercials later. The quality stays when tranferring and you have different recording speeds just like VCRs. I can't wait till this hockey season starts so I can record straight to DVD. BTW, did I ever mention I like hockey? I wasn't sure!

The only downfall is I can't save shows to my recorder because it doesn't have a hard drive. There is a recorder out there that does save 400 hours, but it was $400 more and that isn't worth it. I'll just change my DVD-R between shows and save myself a few bucks!

Has anyone else tried out a recorder yet? What do you think? Our next step might be a flat screen TV, but only if the price drops a good bit as expected.

Man Dies After 49 Hours of Computer Games

2005-08-10T09:26:00.000-04:00

I couldn't believe this story was true. The guy missed work and was fired for playing too much. That should have been his first clue that it wasn't healthy. I would get bored or too upset at the game long before the 49 hours. The only thing that could top this is to see a lawsuit saying his job led him to too much free time to play his game.

I can see it now...moms everywhere will use this to get their kids to go outside. "Johnny, don't be like that Korean guy, turn off the PS2 before it kills you!"

James Marsters comes to Smallville

2005-07-30T23:11:00.000-04:00

James Marsters, who played Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, is coming to Smallville. He will play the role of Brainiac, an arch enemy of Superman. I can't help but be excited. Marsters was great as Spike and it will be cool to see him back on tv. He has at least 6 episodes.

I've seen all 4 seasons of Smallville and it has its ups and downs. Sometimes it is too much like a soap opera with the relationship angle. Introducing a known villian for multiple episodes will make it an interesting season. Last season Lois Lane arrived and they have done a good job with her.

Still waiting for the Bruce Wayne appearance. Maybe this season...

To Infinity and Beyond!

2005-07-26T21:57:00.000-04:00

NASA just launched space shuttle Discovery this morning. I don't know about you, but the thrill and interest just isn't there for me anymore. I remember when I was young how exciting it was to launch into space. I even had a model replica of the space station and shuttle.

Since I haven't been reading up on this, I don't know if our space travel has been effective recently. I'm curious as to everyone's thoughts and what the US is looking to explore.

So many books, so little time.

2005-07-21T14:43:00.000-04:00

I never thought I could read more than one book at a time, since I would probably get confused. Now here I am reading 4 series of books at a time, and I somehow manage to keep it all inline.

I just started reading Harry Potter and am on Book 2. I've seen the movies, yet the books are still good. I can't wait until book 4-6 when the stories will be new to me. I hear they even take a turn to the dark side, which should be interesting.

I just picked up a copy of "The Rising", which is the prequel to the Left Behind series. I've read all the books except this one and my goal was not to read it because I feel the authors are just out for money now. The last few books could have been condensed to maybe 2. Of course I gave in and bought "The Rising" and am helping Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins live in luxury. I may be wrong, but isn't greed a deadly sin?

The Dark Tower series is a great adventure. You have a gunslinger from another world making a journey to find The Dark Tower, which is the central being in all our worlds. Stephen King does a great job creating different obstacles along the way as the gunslinger recruits 3 other gunslingers (a boy, a new yorker and a woman from the 60's). The only downer to these books is King is too wordy at times. I could fall asleep listening to the book, wake up 10 minutes later and not miss a beat. Sometimes though King is wordy and it fits as it adds humor to the conversation. If you pick up these books, give it a try at least until book 2. #1 was boring at times.

Last would be the Han Solo Trilogy. These books are surprisingly good. I just finished book 2. You start with Han as a young boy with no family. He lives on a ship with a cruel guardian who has him pick pocket to earn his way. Eventually, Han continues on his own and has his own adventures smuggling and trying somewhat to do the right thing. He is still out to help himself as we see in the Star Wars movies. I liked the 2nd book because it deals with Han and his relationship to the Hutts. A lot of questions are answered from the movie. Even Chewbacca appears in this book.

And there it is. As much as I enjoy reading these books, I am anxious for the calm of reading just one book at a time.

Fantastic Four: Fantastic after all

2005-07-14T23:29:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I wasn't very excited about seeing this movie. It looked like the typical throw in lots of action, a cheesy plot(with bad one liners) and we'll see what happens. Plus, after watching Batman Begins, nothing could compare.

Kelly and I saw the movie tonight and we both loved it. It had a really good story with good character development. You really felt for the Thing when he realized he was a big ol' hunk of rock. Everyone was true to the comics, as I heard through other posts. The one liners were placed well throughout and I actually enjoyed them, even after I knew they were coming. Even Dr. Doom turned out well. Plus, the action scenes were unpredictable for the most part.

As good as Batman Begins, no...but it wasn't too far off.

To top it all off we had a family of like 15 (Okay it was a couple and their 5-6 kids all under 12). The father decided to eye up Jessica Alba and involve his kids while encouraging them. It just made me sick to know kids this age will be going to school with my niece and who knows what they will think of her and other girls. Why does society have to be so lazy that we can't even raise our kids right, if we even raise them at all!

After 301 Days, it has come to an End

2005-07-13T23:36:00.000-04:00

Finally, the NHL Lockout has come to an end. I think we all thought it would by next season, but it is a great feeling to know it has happened. The details are here if you wish to read them.

I am very excited about this season. The Penguins will have a new co-owner that can increase our salary cap, therefore allowing the Pens to go after some big money player(s). I think Lemieux needs someone to help him bring along the young guys and to give us a chance at the playoffs. Also, with a salary cap of 39 million, all teams will be competitive.

We won't know the final details until July 21rst. I am anxious to learn the new rule changes. My fingers are crossed, hoping scoring will go up in the league. Gotta love the defense, but there is nothing like a goal being scored.

It's gonna be total chaos the next few weeks when players resign with their teams. Should be an interesting ride. It also sounds like there will not be an All Star Game in 2006 to make way for the Olympics. This way the NHL players can participate. Lemieux needs just 2 more all star points to tie Gretzky, so we need all the games we can get before he retires!

Giving in to the Hype

2005-07-12T04:02:00.000-04:00

I am a fan of the Batman comics and have read almost every recent collection produced. I have passed on Batman: the Dark Knight Returns many times for fear I wouldn't like it. It was made in 1986, is very wordy and has a different feel than the comics I am used to.

After reading Wendy's post about this book and seeing MCF's comments, I decided to look past the dark side of this book and see what I was missing. I just finished it and here are my thoughts.

The coolest part about the book is it starts 10 years after Batman has retired. This is the first time this has been done, as far as I know, so it was interesting to read. Of course, Bruce Wayne at age 55 decides to suit up and fight crime again...who wouldn't? His comeback is alot like his first appearance, not many are on his side and the cops don't want him around. It worked for me.

What I didn't like was the way Superman was portrayed. He comes across as almost evil in this book. Letting people die because he doesn't want to be seen by the public. In a way he becomes Batman's enemy. I don't want to say too much so I don't give anything away.

I'm sure this book fit right in back in 1986. For me, I enjoyed it but it wasn't the characters that I know now. This is probably the only setback.

Now I'll get back to reality and remind myself it is only a story and don't get worked up! Of course, I'll probably buy the sequel just to see where it goes.

Fun With Words

2005-07-08T23:55:00.000-04:00

Lorna had a great idea for a Blog Party. Check it out: Lorna's Blog
The idea is to use 15 words and create a story. This was a fun thing to do. Well...here it goes:

The dream occurred again as it had incessantly for as
long as I remember. It was 63 Million B.C. and I was
living alongside the dinosaurs. I'll admit, the
immaculate condition of the planet was a sight to see,
but I would trade it for my Xbox anyday.

While reaching for an apple I felt a vibration that
could only be from the king of all lizards,
Tyrannosaurus Rex. He spotted my quivery body and I
did what any professional survivor would do, I ran like
hell. In my desperate attempt at escape, I dove into
the lake and hid beneath the seawater. Out of nowhere
two huge tendrils wrapped me up and tossed me back on
land. Luckily I landed in a pile of straw. My only
guess was I wasn't the creature's type. I started to
blush when I remembered the T-Rex. The deafening roar
halted my thoughts as I was wondering if I was safe.
It was time to manufacture a plan for escape. Just then
the T-Rex eyed up a better meal and chased it down.
Only then did I feel seperated enough to relax.

When I went to bed the next night, the same dream
occurred. Only this time, I had the scratches and
bruises from my T-Rex chase. It was then that I
realized this wasn't my dream, it was real. My
everyday suburban life had only been a dream!

Initiation

2005-07-06T14:30:00.000-04:00

After enjoying my wife Kelly's blog, I've decided to try one of my own. Not sure if I can keep up with her, but we'll see what happens!

My first topic will be about gambling pros and cons. I bring this up because I have always been against casinos and there is talk about putting them in Pittsburgh.

CONS: They are addicting to most gamblers. I knew a family that would miss church so they could gamble. I guess gambling was a good excuse. I know we are all independant and make our own choices, but I would hate for the city to become all about gambling.

PROS: I am a HUGE Pittsburgh Penguin ice hockey fan. The team is in money trouble and a new arena may be the only way to save them. Casinos in Pittsburgh may be the only way to get a new arena. This creates a dilema.

What the city does with the income from casinos could possible be a good thing. The money could be used to improve the city's appearance and roads, as well as other areas that may be in need of attention. It could actually rejuvenate Pittsburgh.

Feel free to post your thoughts as I am still torn myself and would love to hear them.