Don't Judge Me

2009-07-31T22:44:00.000-07:00

ESPN posted a bucket list for baseball fans today. They put together a list of the 50 things you should do before you die as a fan. Those in bold are the ones that the ESPN writers think are the most important. I think I am on my way to finishing them!

1. Spend a week at spring training. – this is on my list of things to do, will do it soon.

2. Learn to keep score. – I used to earn a cool $5 bucks per game at Granada Park, plus soda and nachos by keeping score….my first real job

3. Learn about Tommy John surgery by throwing out your arm at the stadium speed pitch station. – I have done this many times, topping out at a cool 78 mph…..and icing my elbow when I got home.

4. Watch "Field of Dreams," "Bull Durham," "A League of Their Own," "The Bad News Bears" (the original) and "The Natural." – seen them all, numerous times…..sniff.

5. Use a wood bat. – I was given a wooden bat in little league, I used it a few times, eventually breaking it at the batting cages

6. Enjoy a beer in the bleachers at Wrigley Field on a sunny summer day. – on my list, although I heard it’s hard to get bleacher tickets. I also heard the fans out there are odd (jumping in the urinal troughs.)

7. Listen to Vin Scully call an entire Dodgers game. – only about 2000 times! High fly ball into right field, she isssss gone! (20 seconds of silence) In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened. (and yes I got goose bumps just typing that)

8. Read "Ball Four," "The Boys of Summer," "Nine Innings," "The Glory of Their Times" and any (preferably all) of Roger Angell's collections. – I have read some baseball books but not these. I have a Ted Williams bio and Joe DiMaggio bios on my list.

9. Go to Japan's Koshien high school tournament (i.e., where Dice K threw his famous no-hitter). –hmm I guess this would require a passport.

10. Hit a home run. – in softball I have, and once in little league, so I guess that counts right?

11. Coach a Little League team. – this is my dream! I think it will be fun, I am debating if I can do it before I have a kids on the team or not. When I do have a kid its pretty much a given.

12. Ump a Little League game. – hmm this doesn’t seem nearly as exciting, I got kicked out of a little league game once for arguing and throwing my helmet, so I’m a little biased towards little league umps….but seriously I was safe.

13. Boo the Yankees in person. – Did this on numerous occasions. Multiple trips to Anaheim stadium, their one appearance at Dodger Stadium (on my birthday!), and 2 times in New York.

14. Play Strat-O-Matic, APBA, Dynasty League or a similar computer-simulation game. – I played with the Strat-O-Matic a little bit, never got really into it. The others I will look into

15. Attend a fantasy camp and have more fun than you can imagine feeling old and young at the same time. – I won a contest this past spring where I got to go to Dodger Stadium, take BP, throw a bullpen session, meet and greet some current, former and future Dodgers. I think this qualifies.

16. Tour the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. – Went there in 1992 with my family. It was awesome, I can’t wait to go back sometime.

17. Oil your glove and stuff it under your mattress for the winter, then play catch the first day of spring with your parent/child. – I had my glove oiled, and tied together with a ball to make the perfect pocket. Kenny Landreaux told me how to do it. Worked out great. We don’t have seasons in southern California.

18. Get to a game early enough to watch batting practice. – Done this a few times, never caught a bp homer though.

19. Go to College World Series- Perhaps when UCR makes it! we were so close….wait it’s in Iowa? Oh man that’s gonna be rough.

20. Play pepper. – I think if you played little league this is a given.

21. Go to a batting cage and see what it's like to hit a 90 mph fastball. Or, more likely, fail to hit a 90 mph fastball. – I have done this many times, I can hold my own, I’m not cranking them out, but I get a few decent hits. Then they throw a change-up and I’m frozen.

22. Attend a townball game in Minnesota (the smaller the town the better). – note to self, when going to Iowa, swing by Minnesota to kill two birds with one stone

23. Visit the "Field of Dreams" in Dyersville, Iowa and the old Durham Athletic Park (where "Bull Durham" takes place). – Iowa….again!?!? oh but people will come ray, they’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t explain. I’ll swing by Durham if I ever go to a college basketball game.

24. Take your kids to see The Chicken or The Phanatic. – I have no kids, but would take them to San Diego to watch the Dodgers play. The phanatic is a bit further.

25. Run around the bases after a big league game. – done this one or two times…90 feet….much further than you think.

26. See Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols and Ichiro play in person and chant their names with a stadium packed with fans. – Been to Yankee stadium to hear “Derek Jeter clap clap clap clap clap” and have been in attendance with huge Japanese crowds for Ichiro, but nothing for Pujols yet.

27. Buy a fitted cap to replace the cheap stadium giveaway you got with the plastic adjustable strap in the back and the Piggly Wiggly logo on the side. – I have been wanting to get a fitted Dodgers hat for the longest time. I really should get one

28. Sing "Sweet Caroline" at Fenway Park. – I do love Neil Diamond! So far I have only had the chance to sing “Don’t stop believing” during the 8^th inning at Dodger Stadium.

29. Recite "Casey at the Bat" and "Tinker to Evers to Chance." – I memorized Casey at Bat when I was younger for some reason.

30. Read the box scores religiously. – I still do, I’m really big into stats. When I was younger I used to get the sports section and look at all the box scores and stat leaders for each league, now I just do it online.

31. Join SABR. – I’m not sure if I want to join, but I have read up some on Bill James, moneyball, etc.

32. Get your favorite player's autograph. – My favorite player growing up was Darryl Strawberry, and I got him to autograph his new book…mission accomplished!

33. Learn to throw a curveball. – I can throw one, just not very well.

34. Take a week-long road trip through the minors, the lower the league the better, and make sure to include a team owned by Mike Veeck. – I have heard minor league games are fun, but alas I have yet to go.

35. Cheer the Rally Monkey. – Umm, can I cheer for him when he dies? Wait that’s harsh, okay I’ll say the Jurassic park rally monkey cut in at the stadium, is astonishingly stupid and makes me laugh.

36. Eat at Boog's barbecue pit at Camden Yards, enjoy a Primanti Brothers sandwich at Pittsburgh's ballpark, the fish tacos in San Diego, a Dodger Dog at Dodger Stadium and garlic fries while circling the concourse in Seattle. – On this list I have only had a Dodger Dog. I went to Camden yards, but I didn’t realize they had a specialty. I’ll have one next time I go back.

37. Attend a game in the Caribbean. – only if I get to see a player use a glove made out of a milk carton like Vin told me many Dominican players did as kids.

38. Buy a bleacher ticket and sneak into a box seat. – I have done this before, just go to a stadium where not a lot of people go (cough cough Nationals cough cough).

39. Passionately argue in a bar over who belongs in the Hall of Fame. – I’m not sure its passionately but I have said who I think is a sure thing guy to numerous people while discussing it. (Oh and everyone from this “loosey goosey era” should be let in….no one cares except pompous baseball writers who think they are helping steer the sport)

40. Collect baseball cards. Get your favorite player's rookie card and store it in a plastic sleeve. Treat all others the way God intended: by clothes-pinning them to the spokes of your bicycle in a pathetic attempt to make an engine noise. – I believe the 35,000 cards in my mom’s closet is s testament to me and my brother’s devotion. That’s our retirement…..wait they aren’t worth much!??!

41. Rub the Babe's nose in Monument Park. – Did they move monument park? If so I guess I’ll be going back to NY again sometime.

42. Camp out in front of the stadium for tickets to see your favorite team in the postseason. – They have this thing called the Internet now where you buy tickets….it’s neat, I login and get them.

43. Try to throw a knuckleball. – It goes about 50 feet, but it has no movement!

44. Try to catch a knuckleball. – people throw these in softball…..they are not fun to catch, not hit.

45. Catch a foul ball. And then hand it to the nearest kid. – I just want to catch one for myself at some point, then the next one I’ll give to a kid.

46. Disobey your parents by staying up late to listen to a game with your transistor radio/iPhone tucked under your pillow. – My yellow walkman was awesome. I listened to many games while falling asleep with it.

47. Go to the All-Star Game. – sadly the all star game, much like the superbowl is too corporate now and tickets are almost impossible to be had. Maybe I can find a nosebleed ticket next year.

48. Kayak in McCovey (yeah, Barry Bonds is gone, but San Francisco Bay is still there) – not sure about kayaking but I walked around the stadium….and I saw the dodgers win there…..numerous times………..giants suck

49. Eat a hot-fudge sundae in a mini batting helmet. – who hasn’t!?!! it’s messy, the helmet gets sticky, you end up forgetting it, but its totally worth it!

And finally …

50. See your team play in the World Series. (Sorry, this might not be applicable to Cubs, Mariners, Rangers and Nationals fans.) – I have seen the Dodgers win the world series on TV. Perhaps I’ll get to go to a game…..this year?!!?

Going to Staples

2009-07-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

Me and Christie were curious to see what the big hoopla was about over at Staples Center for the anticipated Michael Jackson memorial service. Here are some pictures from the event:

There were 3 posters completely covered with autographs and they were setting up others when we left

Here I am signing my message to MJ.

Here is a piece of art painted by a fan in front of us in line. It took her more than 20 hours to complete. Very impressive

Large screens throughout the LA Live area flashed images of Michael throughout the evening

In the end, Michael led a very filled life, but at the same time a very sad one. His musical genius can not be denied, but his personal life is still to be questioned. Still I think that we all can remember the time when he was still considered "cool" and not the freak or punchline he was later in life. It really must be hard to be a King.

That was good food!

2009-07-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

So yeah.....that food from the LA county fair was so good, that I decided that I should probably leave it up for about 9 months or so, in order for everyone who wanted to read about it do so....

Okay not really, my desktop computer just got pretty bad, to the point that it was taking me over 5 minutes to upload a single picture. it was beyond time consuming and left me filled with rage. I told myself that I would start this whole process again once I finally got a new computer, and thanks to my desktop deciding that it no longer liked to work anymore, I went out and bought myself a new laptop last week!! Whoot whoot! To try out how long it takes, lets put up some new random pictures.Casa Bonita in Denver! - I went in December! Would have been a great blog posting

John, Tim, Pierre Jean Pierre St Pierre, Me, Tyler - Once of us is French

Charles, John, Tyler, Tim, and Me at Elway's steakhouse. The man can throw a ball and grill a steak with the best of them!

Tyler explaining that anyone who orders a Zima at the Coors brewery needs to go over there

I finally made it for a game......the results of the game are not important...

I think its obvious that the Lakers won this year thanks to Me and Mac channeling the inner Vlade Divac (yes we both have Vlade jerseys on in the picture)

Here I am taking batting practice at Dodger Stadium. Although I'm not currently playing I can assure you I did not use any banned performance enhancers, nor any fertility drugs.

When you are driving home at 1:30 in the morning and you see the Oscar Mayer wiener dog car, you have to take a picture, its the law

It took many years, but I finally got to meet 1 of the sports stars I followed the most growing up.

Okay, well so far so good, I'm pleased with how the pictures uploaded. So I am announcing that the blog is being reborn! Hopefully I can update it more frequently, as well as perhaps finding time to change the layout. That may take a little more time though. Anyway, thanks to you how came back to read this blog. There will be more, perhaps even tomorrow! Also, I said I would do 2 things once I got a computer, update this blog and.....

Health Food?

2008-09-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was able to make my first trip to a fair. That's right, despite being pretty white, I've never been to a county or state fair. Some say this is sad, some say this is extremely sad. Anyway, from what I had been told you'd find a lot of slack jawed yokels, carnies, and fried food. After going there I can assure you that you'll find exactly those 3 things!

I didn't take any pictures of the mullet crowd, or the carnies trying to trick you into playing their fixed games. I did however take pictures of a few of the interesting food items i consumed.

The picture above is the lunch that Christie, Eric, Jenn and I indulged in. In case you are wondering we had, a slab of bbq ribs, a polish sausage, a bbq beef sandwich, 2 orders of beer battered cheese fries, and one order of regular fries (not shown the 3 beers we had to wash it down).

If you guessed the picture above is a corn dog with sugar on it, you'd be half right. It is sugar, but the friend thing on the stick is actually a snickers bar. Mmm deep fried snickers bars are quite tasty.

Have you ever had chocolate covered bacon before? Yeah, I didn't think so. I will say that despite thinking the two flavors could never go together, I, as well as the other three found it to be way better expected. The mixture of salty with sweet makes a good treat. I wouldn't attempt to make it part of my normal diet of course though....or should I?

I know I forgot to put random facts on my last 2 blogs, so here are 3 facts for you now!

1. One seven-letter word that contains ten other words without any of the letters being rearranged is therein. In includes the, there, he, in, rein, her, here, ere, therein, and herein.

2. A duffle bag is so called because the thick wool originally used to make the bags came from the Belgium town of Duffel.

3. President Kennedy's wife, Jacqueline, had the recipe for daiquiris pinned to the wall of the White house kitchen. It was the couple's favorite drink.

Any Clue?

2008-09-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

So I woke up this morning with this bruise on my leg

I have no idea how I did this. You would assume that something this big would obviously be caused by something painful or memorable right? Well I guess not. It is a pretty cool purple/red/brown color though.

I got.....something!

2008-08-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

So I was listening to the radio last week, where they were discussing the website Somethingstore.com. Basically you send the site 10 dollars and they send you back....well something. It could be something good....something bad, something for a girl, something for a boy, something cool...well you get the point. Naturally I was on board immediately.

I found that you could purchase up to 5 things at a time, which was tempting but I decided to go for just 2 things thinking that it shows that I was committed to the site, and not just there for 1 cheap thing! So after just 5 days (the site said 7, way to go usps!) I finally received my package of two items....here is what I got:

Here I am opening the packages, notice how thrilled my mom looks! She obviously senses that I'm going to get one of the big prizes the website has sent out, like an ipod, a gps, or electric razor!

Okay, so the first thing was not quite what I expected, its a pouch made of zippers. This was actually the same thing that the guy on the radio had gotten...I guess they have a surplus or something. I gave it to my sister, who I'm sure is excited to have it and move onto item #2!

Item #2 - The Solar Powered Rainbow Maker. Its this little gadget that you stick to a window. The sun powers the wheels inside to spin and shoot a rainbow into a crystal that will illuminate your room! In my case this will be put on my co-worker's window.

So yep...that's what I got. Awesome huh? I bet everyone is now heading over to the SomethingStore right now! My only question, is how long do I wait to buy again??!?

Yes I know I'm not good at this...

2008-05-07T22:02:00.001-07:00

Thank you all for reminding me every so often that I need to blog more. I guess It lets me know that people actually check in every so often.

About 2 months ago I purchased a Western Digital portable 160 gb hard drive. The main reason for this purchase was that I was tired of having all my pictures take up space and slow down my desktop computer. Long term wise I hope to be able to scan all my old pictures that I took as a kid with film and put them on my new hard drive as well, but that is going to take a bit of time. I am also attempting to give a title to every photo...its a very tedious process. Here are 10 random pictures I came across while sorting for your enjoyment.

Me, Wally and John getting drunk at Pat O'Briens in New Orleans

Me (a lot thinner) Joe and John, who pretty much look the same

Wally singing to Lisa during a night of Karaoke, Joe and Christine laugh in the background

Me and Johnney being "extra cool" with our collars popped

Tim, Matt, Me and Luke during a hockey weekend in Vegas

Mac's 28th Birthday party, doing shots of Crown Royal

Me and Christie cheering some beer at Josh and Jenny's wedding in Seattle

Joe, Tom Arnold, Me, John and Mac at a Yankees/Angels game

Toby and Me at the 5th District farewell party

My old office, back when work was more fun.

So yeah, that's just a small sample of the random things I've been finding while going through years of pictures from a few different cameras. As always I will really try to blog more often. Sorry for the long delays.

Random piece of useless knowledge: Houdini actually trained his pet dog to escape from a miniature set of handcuffs.

Baseball 08

2008-04-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

Yeah I know the season is a week old so a preview of the upcoming season might be a little late, but who cares, right? Rather than pick who is going to win each division I thought I'd make 20 predictions and then at the end of the year see how I did.

1. The AL Cy Young Winner will not win 20 games

2. Ryan Howard will hit 50 home runs

3. By the All-Star Break Evan Longoria, Clayton Kershaw and Jay Bruce will be in the majors.

4. Both BJ Upton and Justin Upton will be 25-25 players

5. Ichiro will not be the AL Batting Champion

6. The Marlins will have a game where less than 2500 "fans" show up

7. The Giants will not win 68 games this year

8. The Mets will not have to worry about a collapse this year as they won't be heading towards the playoffs.

9. The Cubs will not win the world series this year either (100 year anniversary of their last championship)

10. Kansas City will not finish last in the AL Central.

11. the Dodgers will not have anyone hit 30 home runs.

12. The Rays (formerly Devil) will win more than 70 games for only the 2nd time in team history.

13. The Red Sox pitching staff will lose another arm for the year.

14. The Yankees will not make Joba Chamberlain a starter this year.

15. Kosuke Fukudome will hit 25 homers and steal 15 bases.

16. Rick Ankiel will hit more than 35 home runs and make the All-Star team

17. The A's will win at least 7 more games after the All-Star break, than before

18. The Rangers will not have a pitcher win 12 games.

19. The best 1-2 combo in the NL will not be Webb-Haren

20. The Dodgers will trade one of their outfielders for pitching before the deadline.

Now for a random baseball story. Twenty years ago the Dodgers won the World Series and me and my brother were given a Commemorative Trashcan with the team roster. I remember us discussing who would get to keep it, and we decided when the Dodgers won their next title we'd get another trashcan and then we'd each have one. Needless to say we haven't gotten a new one, in fact I still use it:

Great condition, huh?

This used to be round! And that blotch of red near the top of this picture is from when I had my wisdom teeth pulled and I bled into the trashcan.

Anyway, I'm letting Paul know that should the Dodgers win, I will be more than happy to personally deliver this trashcan to his apartment when I get new one! I can't wait!

Random piece of useless knowledge: Armadillos can be housebroken

Striving for Perfection

2008-04-07T21:37:00.001-07:00

When I strive for perfection it doesn't always have to do with bowling. Case in point my latest quest, to get a perfect 0 score on Microsoft Hearts. This was the closest I have come in a long time, 1 bad hand. I believe in the one hand I messed up on I was trying for the "Shooting the Moon" also known as collecting all the penalty cards. Will I get this perfect game first or my bowling perfect game?

Random fact: In the United States 40 people are sent to the hospital every minute for dog bites!

Happy Birthday LRH!

2008-03-14T01:01:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure about you guys, but in order to celebrate the great leader's birthday I decided to go to one of his numerous centers. I even got my picture taken there!

Awesome huh!

I think my thetans are at an all time low right now which is great. And I am feeling more and more "in the state of clear" than ever before! Truly I am on the right path now!

Coolest Toy?

2008-02-19T22:03:00.001-08:00

What's the coolest toy ever?

Mr. Potato Head of course!

For you keeping track at home I have Darth Tater and Original Mr. Potato Head Outside their box. The bottom row has Optimus Mash, Spud Trooper, Artoo-Potatoo, and Spider Spud. The middle row has Yam Solo, Princess Tater and Darth Mash. The top row has Luke Frywalker and Spuda Fett.

I was able to get the 5 in black boxes this past week at Disneyland. It totally made the trip worth it. I know there is an Indiana Jones Tater coming soon. I wonder what other ones PlaySkool will think up?

True Blue, True Dodger Blue...

2008-02-12T21:56:00.000-08:00

So with the boring nfl season over, that means that we are all just a few weeks away from the start of major league baseball! whoooooo! I decided that I wanted to get ready for the season by taking a tour of Dodger Stadium. It's one of those things I've been meaning to do for a while, but never got around to it.

Being that today is a holiday (Lincoln's Birthday) I wasn't sure if the stadium would be open, given that everyone I know had the day off. Amazingly, I was in luck and the tours were still going. I woke up too late for the 10 am tour, but was right on time for the 11:30 one. Here is my trip report:

The firs thing our tour guide showed us was the unique position where you can look out and see 3 different parts of Los Angeles:

The City Skyline

The Hollywood Sign/Santa Monica Beach - when not smoggy

The Snow Capped Mountains

From here we got in the elevators. Did you know that Dodger Stadium has 9 levels? Level 8 is Dodger Jail and First Aid Center. So I guess that is where you go if you beat someone up, or if you got beat up. We went to a room on that floor where we watched a video on the history of the Dodgers.

Next up we went over to the Press Box/Suite Levels. The Suites I learned go for $4000-$7000 (per game) depending on where its located, the day of the game, and the opponent. So a suite at the far end on a Tuesday afternoon vs. the Nationals is cheaper than a Saturday night game vs. the Giants. At the press box we all sat down with a placard to show which media group usually sits in that location (ESPN, Fox Sports, KFWB, etc). I didn't get anything that exciting:

Next up we went down to the clubhouse level, where you can sit for just $465 per game. It is also where the players from both teams come in and out of so you have a chance of seeing them as well as sharing a drink at the martini bar (which many players do, usually only after a win though). When you get out of the elevator there is a wall of the more than 1600 players that have worn a Dodgers uniform at some point in the team's history.

Our tour guide was able to point out some of the more popular Dodgers like these:

Naturally, being the kind of Dodger fan that I am, I wanted to find those names that truly represent the team that pisses me off year after year. Ah yes, here they are:

Ah....crap. My tour guide saw that I was taking pictures of these players names and he thought I genuinely liked Carlos. Darryl I admit, but more when he was on the mets and not doing crack in the open. When he did it and no one knew he was cooler.

Next we proceeded into the Clubhouse area where they have a bar, tables and lots of memorabilia. Our tour guide tells us that we should be happy we came for a Dodger Stadium tour rather than one for the Giants, because this way we get to see Championship Trophies....see what he did there?

Here is the 1988 World Series Trophy. Look at this team and you'll be amazed they made the playoffs, let alone win a World Series.

Here is Home Plate taken from Ebbets Field when the Dodgers left Brooklyn for Los Angeles.

Vin Scully has been with the Dodgers for 58 years! Here are 2 of his many Emmy Awards.

In 1984, Dodger Stadium hosted events for the Olympics. Other events that the stadium has hosted include: Concert by the Rolling Stones, a visit from Pope John Paul II, and even an exhibition basketball game. They may have hosted some other concert too, not sure who though...

Back to the tour. In order to get to the stadium we pass through the Clubhouse walkway at the end is the locker room, and then a stairway to the field. In the walkway are all the retired Dodger Jerseys, followed by this:

Dodger president Jamie McCourt had this empty frame put up in order to motivate players to try to get their number up there. By last year's showing, it's totally working!

The field...up close.

The Dugout...up close!

Here are the only seats that have covers on them right now at the stadium. Hmm I wonder whose they are?

On the way back to the elevators we passed the Umpire's Dressing Room. Notice the bottom left part of the sign....oh those Dodgers! They bring the funny!

After that we went back to the Top of the Stadium, coincidentally where the big gift shop is, and it was open despite the of-fseason!

That concludes my tour around Dodger Stadium, it was a fun way to kill a couple of hours and get ready for the upcoming season. Our guide told us that this was the year, so I think I'll go to Las Vegas next weekend and put some money on them. I mean, who knows the team more than the tour guide?

Piece of random information: There are 1943 names listed in the closing credits to The Matrix Reloaded.

A Rivalry Renewed!

2008-01-20T23:30:00.000-08:00

If you ask most people what the best rivalry is in college sports, you'd probably get the typical Michigan vs. Ohio St. or USC vs. UCLA, well I think I found one to add to that list. The University of California, Riverside Highlanders and the California State University, Long Beach 49ers!

I attended UCR for 4 years, and not one time during my years as a student did I actually attend a sporting event for the university, odd I know, but it wasn't what the kids were doing.

About 2 weeks ago I checked the yahoo sports page for the UCR Basketball Team and found that they were playing Long Beach on January 19th. Having no plans I called Long Beach State alum John and asked if he was willing to put school pride on the line and drive out to Riverside to watch the game. Naturally he said yes and the rivalry game was on!

Here are some random pictures from the game and the day out in the Riverside area:

Three games of bowling:

In UCR's defense the lanes were more for straight bowlers and those who throw a hook have a hard time. That said, did LBST really have to do the dirty bird?

For those who love food, or for those who went to UCR and remember the awesome food we used to have, I give to you the Carne Asada Fries....mmm carne asada fries..mmmmm

Okay now for the reason you are all reading this blog, to see who won the game....

The Highlanders...

or the 49ers?

The action was slow and tedious in the first half, but picked up at the end giving UCR a slight lead at the half:
34-33 UCR with the lead at the half!

Once the second half started, Long Beach seemed to take control of the game, and with approximately 4 minutes remaining they had a commanding 7 point lead, thus bringing down the spirits of the 250 - 300 people in attendance at the Recreation Center. About this time LBST had a brain lapse and put 6 players on the court for an inbound following a time-out. That lead to a two shot technical foul and some momentum for the home team! Down the stretch it seemed to be foul after foul, luckily UCR had some clutch shooters:

Amazingly UCR was able to come from behind and shock their Big West Rival! The crowd went crazy and the LBST fans were left to try to figure out how they just lost the game:

U-C-R! U-C-R! U-C-R!

All and all it was a fun game and a fun day. Now if only we can keep winning through the Big West Tournament and get to the Show! Oh and Cal Poly Pomona.....watch out!!

Random Piece of Knowledge: President Andrew Jackson's pet parrot had to be removed from his funeral in 1845 because it was swearing.

Still lazy apparently

2008-01-17T00:18:00.001-08:00

Sorry, all my readers, I get so lazy. Okay, playing guitar hero III a little to much I guess, whatever, don't judge me.

Because of my lack of blogging I will treat you to 3 random facts:

1. Virginia Woolf wrote all her books standing up.

2. At latitude 60 degrees, you can see all the way around the world

3. A can of spam is opened every four seconds.

I know you are all amazed!

I missed you Blog

2008-01-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I know you were all missing out on your fix of stupid posts from yours truly, so here I am back for 2008! First lets catch up on the past couple of weeks that I have been away:

I had originally stopped blogging the day my grandfather passed away cause I didn't really know what exactly to write at that time. Still hard at times, here is his bio: Robert E. Hutchins

Me, my brother and my dad flew back to Massena, New York for the funeral, here are a few shots from our trip:

Here is my grandfather's picture in his Army uniform with his Bronze Star and Purple Heart

Here is the river that runs along the back of my Grandparent's former, and aunt's current house

Cousin Picture: Brad, Peter, Matthew, Paul, Grandma Hutchins, Emily (not present Amy, Stacey, Sally, Kenny, Amanda)

Here I am trying to get my dad to recreate the scene in "A Christmas Story" where the kid gets his tongue stuck to the flag pole.

Not sure if I mentioned this, but it was cold.

Me and my next ride, a sweet snowmobile. These work in sand right?

This got old, very very fast.

I really like this picture cause it was the last time all of us were all together at the same time. Back row: Uncle Rick, Uncle Bruce, Sally, Aunt Judy, Aunt Beth, Uncle Kenny, Mom, Amy, Dad Middle Row: Matthew, Me Bottom Row: Grandpa Stacey, Grandma, Emily, Peter, Paul

Anyway, I thought I'd share a few of the pictures I took while there. It was cool to see everyone again, although the circumstances for us getting together was not fun.

Because I know you are all dying to know what else I have been up to recently, here are a few pictures I have taken to document the last month and a half.

Went to a Clippers game, turns out.....they suck!

Took part in numerous conference calls at work pertaining to California's Health Reform. Guess what everyone? We are all getting health insurance*

Found this peanut in my bag at work, are you aware there are 4 peanuts in that shell! Yeah, this is what i get excited about at work.

Look I am royalty! The fine people of Amazon.com seem to think so at least!

Despite going to Vegas numerous times before, this was the first "Dam" Time I had to visit the Hoover Dam. I gotta say it was "Dam" Exciting and "Dam" big. And yes this lame joke continues to this day.

Here I am rubbing the toes of some "Dam" statue that is supposed to bring good luck. Well I won a nice amount in Vegas, so I guess it worked!

Here is a T-shirt given to me by my friend Peter. Alhambra, for all of you who don't know is from this day on, to be known as "The Bra" - and since you all saw that I was royalty, this is real!

Oh well, all this blogging is now making me tired, and I'm going to read my new book before I go to sleep. Yes it's a Star Wars Book, yes its a Pop-Up Book, and yes the lightsabers are really glowing....Whatever, don't judge me.

Thank you all who came back to my blog after a long blog-hiatus. I will do my very best to blog at least once a week this year, possibly more! As a new feature to my blog, at the end of each post I will give you all a random piece of information that I learned in "The Ultimate Book of Useless Information" so that you can all be as knowledgeable as me on obscure topics!

Here is today's: It only takes 7 pounds of pressure to rip off your ear

* - You will get health insurance if the state votes to increase taxes......little word to the wise, you aren't getting health insurance.

Late Night Posts Are Fun!

2007-11-24T23:49:00.000-08:00

So as you can tell by the last few blogs, I am almost forgetting to blog before it hits midnight so thus the material has been less than stellar. I will make up for this tomorrow.........maybe.........we'll see.

Anyway I just wanted to point out how crappy this NCAA Football Season has been. Some will say, oh man it has been so great because of all the upsets. Guess what, upsets really aren't that cool when it comes to the end of the season. Want to know why? Cause it throws off the entire BSC (and yes I know the letters aren't how you are accustomed to there).

With today's Missouri win over Kansas they have now gained the oppurtunity to have their faces kicked in my Oklahoma, trust me its going to happen. That will give us only 2 teams with one loss who are eligible for the championship game, are you ready for the riveting Ohio State vs. West Virginia matchup!?!!?! Can you feel the excitement? First of all, Ohio State has beaten absolutely no one this year, well I mean those games against Youngstown State and Kent State sure were barnburners. Its not their fault that their conference had an off year (looking your way U of M), but challenge yourself with an out of conference game that means something. At least you did next year, where I am guranteeing you will start 0-1.

My new hope is that because OSU will be in the championship game, LSU will get to play USC (once they kick UCLA in the face, and if you saw each of their games this week, you also know this is happening). I would like to no longer refer to it as the rose bowl, but instead, the WHAT IF BOWL. I think it has a nice sound to it.

Anyway, that was my college football rant for the day, stayed tuned for a future NFL rant where I tell you all how tired I am of the Patriots.

Grandma's Boy

2007-11-23T23:19:00.000-08:00

I am currently watching Grandma's Boy. Suprisingly its not nearly as bad as you would think if you like geeky movies. Sure its know intellectual movie by any means, but if you have an hour and a half to kill its really not that bad and you could do far worse (cough cough the ice harvest cough cough). So yeah there you have it my lame movie pick of the day

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T23:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

I spent the day watching football and scrubs and eating a delicious meal prepared by my grandma. Now I'm off to try to get some random piece of electronics for cheap....no wait I'm not stupid, I'm just going to sit and watch more scrubs and then go to sleep.

Minesweeper works it's magic again

2007-11-21T23:07:00.000-08:00

Once again, minesweeper has worked it's magic.

2-Run Homer in softball tonight.

Details to follow...Stay tuned

New Plan

2007-11-20T23:22:00.000-08:00

So work recently has really been getting to me, I can't put my finger on it, but its just not right and I'm not sure what I can do to make it better. I could probably take a long vacation(given my seemingly endless accrued leave time) and come back reenergized, but as the season in Sacramento goes, so can my job. Therefore I need to do something that prevents me from being able to go to work, and then it hit me:

Thats right, I've deciced to tear my ACL. I recently watched the Oregon Ducks QB tear his, and he was back on the field watching the team before having to go and have surgery. I figure if I can blow my right knee out, I will have to keep it stabalized for a while, and thus will not be able to drive my car!! It's a win/win, since I can stay home and relax, without having to feel guilty about taking long periods of time off for no reason. Plus I'll get to use a lot of my leave time that i'll never be able to use up! What could possibly go wrong?

So I did some research and it appears these are probably the best ways to do it:

1. Football or baseball player making a fast cut and changing direction. - I play softball tomorrow and might play football on Thursday morning, I can easily plant my foot and turn awkwardly.

2. Basketball player coming down after a jump shot or the gymnast landing on a dismount. - We recently took the couches out from the backyard freeing up my basketball court. Time to go get a ball!

3. Baseball player sliding into a base with the knee hyperextended with additional force upon hyperextension. - This one could be hard since I usually don't slide, I'll guess I'll have to take this up if I get on base.

4. Football or soccer player quickly slowing down followed by a quick turn in direction. - This also shouldn't be that hard as I am naturally slow and will be able to turn quickly if needed.

Ah yes the perfect plan!

Things I Hate #4

2007-11-19T23:36:00.000-08:00

So its been a while since I did one of these in my continuing series so here it goes. I hate driving to work in the morning now when the sun is out. Before the most recent time change, I would leave my house around 6:35ish and pull into my parking structure around 7:20. Now because of the sun and how it hits the 5 freeway, stupid people drive so much slower than they had before so that I have to leave my house before 6:15 just to make it in before 7:30. Hasn't anyone heard of sunglasses or using that visor thing above you head to block the sun? It's really not that difficult here people. Whatever....At least the past couple of days have been overcast so I can leave at a normal time again...I'm sure that will end shortly.

Stupid Headache

2007-11-18T21:26:00.000-08:00

So apparently playing softball and bowling with a migrane headache is not good for you...or at least you don't hit very well and you have trouble picking up spares in bowling. That is what I learned today. Although both my softball team and my bowling team each won, so I guess thats a good thing.

Weekend was pretty slow, drank a little, hung out with the newly married couple, watched some football. Pretty typical for me.

Just gotta get through these next 3 days and then i'll have a nice mini 5 day vacation. Thank goodness.

Next Year

2007-11-17T18:30:00.000-08:00

Another year of waiting to beat OSU. Today's game was pretty disappointing although not somewhat expected. Oh well next year could be different with someone else at the helm. (cough cough Les Miles cough cough).

Now lets all hope that SC is able to make and thus beat OSU in the Rose Bowl.

A New High!

2007-11-16T18:48:00.001-08:00

As you can see in Game #2 I reached a new high in bowling: 279!!!!

This is the closest that I have come to bowling a perfect game, although I have bowled 15 strikes in a row in consecutive games. Nevertheless it was fun to have people gather around the lanes I was on every time I stepped up to bowl. I did get a nice round of applause after I missed the 10th strike and they announced my score for the whole alley to hear.

Thanks again minesweeper!

Random thoughts

2007-11-15T22:33:00.000-08:00

1. Beat minesweeper today, lets hope it helps me bowl well again.
2. When is it going to get cold outside
3. I hate the people who drive in the morning, it’s just the sun people!!
4. Thank goodness the week is almost over.
5. Is “Take 5” the greatest candy bar ever? Think about it

EW's Icon List

2007-11-14T22:54:00.001-08:00

Entertainment Weekly has posted their 100 greatest TV Icons. Here are the Top 10:

10. Dick Clark

9. Homer Simpson

8. Jerry Seinfeld

7. Mary Tyler Moore

6. Carol Burnett

5. Walter Cronkite

4. Bill Cosby

3. Oprah Winfrey

2. Lucille Ball

1. Johnny Carson.

I think its a pretty thorough list and I can't think of anyone omitted after reading the whole 100 list. For a full list of the top ten go here: EW's List

Not much going on

2007-11-13T23:08:00.000-08:00

Went to the Ducks/Kings "Freeway to the Face Off" game tonight. (Seriously, how lame is that? They held a big contest to name the series and that's the winner? Really bad). Anyway the Ducks won in a shootout which is always exciting. The Ducks don't seem to have what they had last year. The Kings seem much improved, and probably won't finish 2nd to last this year. Hooray Kings!

Just gotta get through 3 days, then off for 2, then work for 3 then off for 5. I can do this....I can do this.

Fishing is Fun

2007-11-12T23:05:00.000-08:00

Not much to report today, but I thought I'd put up a few photos from my fishing trip 2 weeks ago. It was awesome, despite me not catching anything that I could keep. I can't wait to go again.

Dave and a catch he could keep

Me and Mike holding bait...err fish we caught

A view from our boat

Dave, Dough giving the thumbs, Carlo looking like he is yacking

Dave with another nice catch

Carlo and a fish

Paul holds up a fish

Me with a Mackerel...Holy Mackerel!

Another Fun Night of Karaoke.

2007-11-11T22:52:00.000-08:00

So the other night Christie, Mac, Johnney and I went to Max Karaoke for another magical night of ~~butchering~~ making our favorite bad songs even better! Here is a sample of our singing selections

My Chemical Romance – Helena
My Chemical Romance – I’m Not Okay
Dashboard Confessional – Stolen
Dashboard Confessional – Hands Down
Dashboard Confessional – Screaming Infidelities (Solo by Johnney that brought down the house)
Soundtrack to Rent – No Day But Today
Angels and Airwaves –The Adventure
Yellowcard –Ocean Ave.
Kansas – Carry On Our Way
Dr. Dre – Nuthin But a G Thang
Better Than Ezra - good
Semisonic - Closing Time

We were only there for an hour, but could have stayed much longer. What are some requests for songs we can do next time?

Who Knew?

2007-11-10T18:18:00.000-08:00

Despite having crappy (pun intended) music, John Mayer has displayed on a few occasions that he is a funny guy. First on The Chappelle Show

And now on Funny or Die!

I think he should act more and sing less.

Name Him

2007-11-09T18:40:00.000-08:00

Obviously a Simpson's character.

How to Kill a Day

2007-11-08T23:35:00.000-08:00

Because most of you read this either at night or first thing in the morning I am asking for your thoughts on what I should do at work on Friday. Mind you that most sites that are even the least bit interesting will be blocked, so I can only read so much online. All suggestions will be considered, not necessarily completed, but I will take the time to think about each one. My next blog will update you all on how it went.

Oh and for all you non believers of minesweeper, let me say that I completed it again today before bowling, and was able to average 192 for the 3 game series. How should I use its power now?!?!?!

The Secret to My Success

2007-11-07T23:12:00.001-08:00

So I have finally proven my theory that all things revolve around being able to play expert level minesweeper and beat it. Two weeks ago I told myself that if I beat minesweeper before bowling I will do well that night. Unfortunately I wasn't able to complete the expert level, and what happened? That's right I averaged about a 145 for the night, far below my average. This past Thursday I told myself the same thing, only this time I beat the expert level in record time for myself. Later that night I bowled a 601 series, thus averaging a 200 each game. Today was the real test though. Lately I haven't been hitting in softball at all, dinky pop ups or routine grounders have been all I could muster. So naturally before work I played minesweeper and beat it after a few tries. This evening I am happy to report that I went 3-4 with a double and two singles, and most importantly every single time I hit the ball it was a clean line drive that made the bat pop. Needless to say I will be playing a lot of minesweeper in the weeks to follow. I suggest you all do the same.

This one is for Mac

2007-11-06T23:10:00.000-08:00

With little or no life, or no creative spirit for the time being this post will be funny to a select few...until the rest of you find the magic! This song has been stuck in my head thanks to Mac who sings it at every opportunity, as well as send me videos for it. I think he might be in love with Tom Delong. So for all of you out there who haven't seen, heard or read the lyrics before, I give you "Everything's Magic" by Angels and Airwaves

And do you ever feel like you're alone?
And do you ever wish you'd be unknown?
I could say that I have..
I could say that I have..
And do you ever feel things here aren't right?
And do you ever feel the time slip by?
I can say that I have..
And I can say that I have..
So hear this please
And watch as your heart speeds up endlessly
And look for the stars as the sun goes down
Each breath that you take has a thunderous sound
Everything, everything's magic
Just sit back and hold on, but hold on tight
Prepare for the best and the fastest ride
And reach out your hand, and i'll make you mine
Everything, everything's magic
And do you ever lay awake at night?
And do you ever tell yourself don't try?
Don't try to let yourself down
Don't try to let yourself down
And do you ever see yourself in love?
And do you ever take a chance, my love?
Because you know that I will..
Because you know that I will..
So hear this please
And watch as your hearts speeds up endlessly
And look for the stars as the sun goes down
Each breath that you take has a thunderous sound
Everything, everything's magic
Just sit back and hold on, but hold on tight
Prepare for the best and the fastest ride
And reach out your hand, and i'll make you mine
Everything, everything's magic
Everything, everything's magic
So hear this please
And watch as your hearts speeds up endlessly
And look for the stars as the sun goes down
Each breath that you take has a thunderous sound
Everything, everything's magic
Just sit back and hold on, but hold on tight
Prepare for the best and the fastest ride
And reach out your hand, and i'll make you mine
Everything, everything's magic

Yes it simply is magic. But can someone tell me why Angels and Airwaves are called AVA? Where is the V from? This confuses me.

Korean for a Day!

2007-11-05T23:25:00.000-08:00

So apparently people forget every once in a while that I'm not actually Asian, but I am white....I know some of you are shocked and amazed at this revelation, but yes its true. Because of this I don't necessarily get all the culture and tradition that goes into some ceremonies. I mean a wedding if you are white is pretty typical, and then you get the reception. Just the basics there. The day after the wedding this past weekend I was able to watch a Korean Wedding/Tea Ceremony. Here are some pictures with observations:

Here is the proud groom, showing off his KISS-esque boots.

Here is the bride, shoes not nearly as tall. Apparently the two sets of clothing were really heavy.

After bowing to their family members, the happy couple receive words of wisdom. After that the bride and groom have dates thrown at them which they catch using the white cloth on the brides dress.

Following the dates, the groom gives a piggy-back ride with his bride around the tea table. What this represents...I'm not really sure. But it was amusing

After carrying his bride around the table, he does the same thing with his mother. Still not sure of this significance either.

Then the groom stripped down to reveal his awesome pink jumpsuit and pretended to take our orders as if we were at a Chinese restaurant.

All and all, it was a very nice ceremony, and most of all I am very happy for the new bride and groom. I wish them many years of happiness together.

Man, I Get Lazy Easily

2007-11-04T23:21:00.000-08:00

So I could post all the individual pictures of the wedding I attended this weekend, or I could just link you all to my awesome new flickr account that I just started....so yeah here is the link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bronger743/

As you can see it was a truly wonderful time and fun was had by all!.

Here are some other bits of news:

1. The Broncos really suck, we could easily be 0-8...I mean they could be, not me.

2. I am not looking forward to going to work this week, no reason in particular, just cause.

3. I wish i were part of the finer things club

4. I have had this song stuck in my head all weekend: Jaymay - Sea Green, Sea Blue

5. I love that most networks finally realized people watch shows on their computers so they offer them free every week.

Short Blog

2007-11-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry everyone, no big blog today. I am off to Sunny and Will's Wedding this afternoon. I will hopefully post pictures tomorrow.

Oh and happy 10th reunion to the 1997 AHS Class.

Inside the Actor's Studio

2007-11-02T19:45:00.001-07:00

I have come to the realization that I will probably never be an actor despite the fact that I could easily build a sitcom based on my humor. I guess I won't be appearing on Bravo's "Inside the Actor's Studio." Nevertheless, I still want to know what it would be like, so here are the questions that James Lipton asks every episode, followed by my response.

1. What is your favorite word? - I'd have to say ESPN, wait, that is a word right? What? It's not? fine just sports then.

2. What is your least favorite word? - Probably some racist term like cracker or honky. They are just lame and never really caught on.

3. What turns you on? - Hmm probably smells, good ones of course

4. What turns you off? - Bad smells, BO, vomit, mildew, etc

5. What sound or noise do you love? - Hmm, that's a good question Mr. Lipton. I'd probably have to go with "I love LA" after a Dodgers victory. Nothing sounds better.

6. What sound or noise do you hate? - Haha, i'm seeing patterns here. I think the sound of bones breaking or some gruesome injury.

7. What is your favorite curse word? - I try not to swear that often, but I'd have to go with Wap Dego. I got it from South Park

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? - I think I could be a sports journalist, probably broadcast. Having my own radio show would probably be ideal.

9. What profession would you not like to do? - I'd probably have to go with something really boring Mr. Lipton, like a legislative analyst or something where you read all day.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? - Something simple like welcome home would be nice, but it wouldn't hurt if he went over the happy hour times as well.

That time again

2007-11-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, yes I know that I haven’t blogged in a while. I have been busy or lazy, you can decide for yourself. Anyway it’s national blog everyday month or something, so in an effort to try to get my creative blogging juices going I will participate in this event again. So check back every day and you will be able to see something new and exciting…..okay just new…..whatever.

-Darth

Quiz Answers!

2007-09-17T23:25:00.000-07:00

Here are the answers to my sports quiz, see how you did!

1. Broncos: John Elway, Steve Atwater, Champ Bailey

Dodgers: Darryl Strawberry, Raul Mondesi, Orel Hershiser

2. Sorry, although Jerry Rice was the best, I was a big fan of Andre Reed, so I chose:

3. I had an old New York Mets Jersey, I did like Strawberry when he played there.

4. Bo knows everything! I remember watching his career end vs. the Bengals. That was sad, he was so good!

5. Tommy Lasorda, Brett Butler, Mike Morgan

6. Broncos vs. Raiders, back when they played in Los Angeles. Broncos lost, I couldn't wear anything orange or that said Denver. My mom was scared i'd get beat up or something...she was probably right.

7. The final game of Magic vs. Larry. Even with Magic's comebacks he never got to go against Larry due to injuries. I saw them play in the old Forum.

8. Kent Mercker for the Braves vs. the Dodgers. April 8, 1994. It was the day they found Kurt Cobain's body, I guess the Dodgers decided they were too depressed to hit.

9. I bet my grandma that the Mets would beat the Red Sox in the 1986 World Series. We bet a Baskin Robbins ice cream cone. I won!

10. Who is this Jordan figure that you all think I had my picture taken with? You are way off, it was the USA Jersey of WNBA superstar Rebecca Lobo!

Trivia Time!

2007-09-13T16:02:00.001-07:00

Here is a brief sporting quiz about yours truly. Most of you probably won’t get that many, well my brother might, but regardless guessing is fun too.

1. Everyone knows I am a huge Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Dodgers fan, or at least you should. Who are my top 3 favorite Broncos players and top 3 Dodgers players of all time?

2. When I played football at Margarita Elementary School, I had a gold jersey with what number on it, and why did I pick that number? (hint: my position was WR)

3. Other than the Dodgers, I was a fan of this team growing up, I even had a jersey.

4. I loathe (hmm loathe is too nice of a word actually) that team who plays football in oakland pretty much more than anything. That said who is the only player on that team I enjoyed watching?

5. When I was an Honorary Dodgers Bat Boy for one game I was able to obtain autographs from 3 Dodgers, name them.

6. What was the first football game I attended? What were the results?

7. What historic basketball game did I attend?

8. I have seen one no-hitter, who pitched it and who was it against?

9. What was my first sports bet (hint, it didn’t involve money), who did I bet with, and did I win
10. When I went to Washington DC in the Spring of 06, I had my picture taken with whose basketball jersey?

Homer and the Pig

2007-08-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

This was by far my favorite moment from the movie:

Welcome Back Hutchins!

2007-08-24T23:41:00.000-07:00

So after just a mere 6 years I have decided that its time to go back to school! Yes, I have pondered this for quite sometime and I feel its the right thing to do. Now of course having not picked up a book for the purpose of studying in a while I decided that it was important that I not overextend myself, so...

1. Take one class - Management 110 - Elements of Management.

I figure this way I can slowly get back into the mind frame of the academia world. At the same time I don't want to have to change my current work schedule or haul myself to a far place, so...

2. Take Online Class!

Reading over the description of the class it says that I should be spending about 3.1 hours per week on this class. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that I will spend about an hour a week...hmm that actually sounds like a lot, make it 30 mins.

So here I am, a student again! Should I visit my new campus? The answer is simple yes, and why!

3. Get a new student I.D. for the movies!

Suck it University of San Diego!

2007-08-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

So today U.S. News and World Report published their list of America's Top Colleges

We're #96! We're #96 We're #96!

And no, I don't take these things completely serious, but just to mention schools not on the list:

Biola University

California State University Long Beach

California State University San Diego

...so...umm..... yeah Go Highlanders

Movie Trailer

2007-08-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I wish this movie were real.

Oww! That probably hurts

2007-08-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Top 5 Sports Injuries. Why? Cause its a slow day and I saw the video of the x-game guy falling 50 feet so I figured it was appropriate.

5. Geoff Jenkins...ankles aren't supposed to do that right?

4. Jason Kendall continues to run, despite his ankle barely being attached

3. Alabama ruins the career of Tyrone Prothro by continuing to play him in a blow out game.

2. Shaun Livingston's Knee is crooked for some reason...oh yeah dislocated

1. Napoleon McCallum gets twisted....be forewarned, its not easy to watch.

Honorable Mentions: Joe Theisman, Willis McGahee, Robin Ventura, Moises Alou.

Washington DC

2007-08-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

As most of you know I went to Washington DC last week. Here are some pictures from the trip in no particular order:

-Lincoln Memorial taken at night

- Robert E. Lee's House at Arlington

- An Orangutan with a bag on his head, perhaps a Lions fan.

- Race of the Presidents at the Nationals game. Teddy does not win.....ever!

- Beers after the game with Jim, Malinda and Christie

- Fords Theater. Damn you John Wilkes Booth!

- Portrait Gallery of the Presidents. Here is George H. W. Bush, my favorite president with the surname Bush!

- George Washington's House, or as I call it: Cribs Revolutionary War Style!

- The administrator of Rhymes with Gin believes in blog promises!

- Lincoln's picture in the Portrait Gallery's Civil War Exhibit

- View of the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial from the top of the Washington Monument. Its a Kodak moment

- Bulls at Washington's House. Notice the small wooden fence, is this secure?

- Mei Xiang lounging on some rocks. Apparently pandas are not cuddly and will maul you, go figure?

- 2 year old Tai Shan being lazy as usual. At least I could see him this time!

- The Vietnam Memorial....there are way too many names

- Grandpa Hutchins!

- World War I Memorial. This one doesn't get the love the others do.

So there you go, a quick recap. I have more pictures, but I just chose a few so you could get a glimpse of some of the things we did. Fun trip overall. One of these days I'll actually get a White House tour, go see Monticello, and take the Green Metro Line someplace.

If I can change, we can all change!

2007-06-06T23:13:00.000-07:00

Because the Stanley Cups are over (Go Ducks!) its time for all the hockey players to shave their playoff beards. I decided this was the appropriate time to try out some new looks myself before shaving (well that and cause its hotter now and thus way more itchier). Please tell me if there is anything that you like so that I can grow it back in the future.

First up: The Eric Gagne

Its quite simple, all you have to do is shave the hair underneath your chin, but keep the hair around it. I put on the Dodgers jersey, hat and glasses for effect.

Next up: The Hulk Hogan

This could be an interesting look for me! Although you don't see it, I totally ripped that shirt into shreds. WATCHA GONNA DO BROTHA, WHEN HUTCHAMANIA RUNS WILD ON YOU!!!

Third: The Cop

Here is me practicing giving a ticket to my sister. I totally can do this law enforcement thing!

Fourth: The look of the family.

Everyone always says that my brother looks just like my dad, I think its obvious that I actually have the look down better.

Lastly: The Charlie Chaplin

I know what you are thinking, I've never seen Mr. Chaplin with a red sash on his left arm, but trust me he did!

So there are some options for later this winter when I'll need facial hair to stay warm, until then I guess you are stuck with this.

NYC...part II (Days 3-5)

2007-06-02T23:14:00.000-07:00

Okay so where was I, that's right Day 3 in NYC (that's Friday)

Friday morning we got up extremely early to get stand-by tickets to watch Conan. We get up at around 5 am, take the subway and sit in line outside NBC studios until 9 am when they hand out the tickets. Sorry there are no pictures of us in line, but I can tell you we discussed riveting topics like: Sports, Television, Movies, Netflix, Family life, etc. Those things you just can't incorporate into pictures.

After getting our tickets we walk around time square.

Here is MTV Studios

While in Times Square I had to go to the large Toys R Us to see all the neat toys that I can never find in LA.

Here is Lego Jack Sparrow

Here is the Lego Empire State Building with Lego Kong (I love legos by the way)

Having been up for a really long time, we were getting hungry so we stopped at Carnegie Deli before we took a TV and Movie tour of the city.

Here is probably one of the bigger turkey sandwiches you will probably see....the picture still doesn't do it justice.

So onto our tour. One of the first buildings we saw is both the ending building from "Crocidile Dundee" or the Building where Borat poops outside of in "Borat: Cultural Learning of America for make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan"

Here is the penthouse building where Lois Lane lived in the original "Superman" Could a news reporter really afford to live up there?

Here is the top of the Plaza Hotel. Seen in movies such as "Home Alone 2" "North by Northwest" "Big Business" and "Almost Famous" just to name a few.

Here we have the New York City Library, seeing this all I could think of is "Get her Ray!!!!" - that's Ghostbusters for those of you who don't know.

About halfway through our tour we got to make the stop that I was waiting for all day, The Cosby Show House! These are the steps they used for the establishing shot each episode. Growing up on that show I have to say this was a highlight.

Here is the apartment used in Friends, the tour guide made the bus sing the theme song....I refrained.

Here is the firehouse used in Ghostbusters, as well as Hitch, I did not see Hitch

Here is an interesting place, it's home to the first Cappuccino maker in America brought over from Italy. It's also the bar used in Godfather II in the scene where Michael Corleone men attempt to strangle Frankie Pentangeli. "Michael Corleone says Hello!"

Leaving the tour early we went back to watch Conan. Unfortunately for us, this is as close as we got to Conan on this day. Too many of the regular ticket holders came, and thus our stand by tickets were useless.

After a quick nap at the Waldorf Astoria (spoken with a British accent) we went out to dinner in Chinatown.

After walking around a bit we settled on this place.

After dinner we decided to visit the observatory deck of the Empire State Building

If only you could see what we were looking at....

Here is a look of Lower Manhattan at night (I suggest clicking on the picture to seeing the full view)

Here is the Chrysler Building

The World's Largest Macy's

Day 4

Day 4, we slept in before going back to Yankee Stadium to watch the Angels play. The crowd wasn't that bad, but this angel fan got ejected for throwing something

Here is a picture of my least favorite Angel pitching to Johnny Damon

This is pretty much the only time you'll see me in a non-Dodgers jersey, but just like John stepped up in San Francisco I decided to do the same. Jim and Jen don't have jerseys because: Jim wanted to show off his favorite polo and Jen "forgot" to take it out of her purse.

Following the game we went to have a nice steak dinner.

After dinner we went to see the "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" It was hilarious and I highly recommend it. See if you can be an audience participant as well.

After the play we grabbed some desert. I went with the peanut butter fudge cheesecake. I think it put me in a coma.

Day 5

The Day started with John, Jim and I waking up early again to go see the Statue of Liberty. Jen decided to sleep in. Here is a subway car that passed us...many did as we were waiting for the 1 train.

After waiting for a lengthy time period we checked the schedule and found there was no 1 train on the weekend. We were not thrilled but ventured on and eventually got in line. Here is John looking around at some other tourists.

After waiting for a bit we finally got over to the island. The Statue is quite impressive. I would have liked to have seen it went it was covered in its original Bronze color.

Here is a neat picture of the statue and the Manhattan backdrop.

Here are the three of us on Liberty Island

Here is Ellis Island, I heard at the gift shop you can still pick up an immigrant orphan!

So after the boat trip we came back and met Jen at Virgil's BBQ in Time Square for our last meal.

After lunch we walked Jim back to his subway stop, killed time and then went back to the Waldorf to catch our shuttle.

Overall it was an awesome trip that went by way to fast. ---I'd write more but this blog to look enough as is.

Trip to NYC (Days 1 +2)

2007-05-31T23:41:00.000-07:00

Upon arriving in New York on Wednesday morning, here is how my trip went

Here is the first picture my camera took in New York, its of a fountain/waterfall combo thingy...it just looked nice

Then we went to the "Top of the Rock" (That's Rockefeller Center) That's Central Park from above...obviously.

Still on top of the building, but looking the other way, toward the Empire State Building.

Here is our hotel, well the door to it a least. A common occurrence on this trip was John holding the revolving door shut so Jen couldn't get out....funny every time!

After checking in at our hotel we took the subway to Yankee Stadium for a Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees game.

Curt Schilling warms up for the Sox, no bloody sock, I was pretty sure that meant they were going to lose...

Yep, they lost, but at least the Yankee fans were nice and respectful........oh wait.

Day 2:

The next day started with Jen going to meet a friend for lunch. With the whole city at our disposal, what do me and John do?

Go to Central Park to play catch of course!!

Here is a picture of John admiring the scenery and views that Central Park provides.

After playing catch, we took the subway to the World Trade Center (This is one of the numerous pieces of artwork around Ground Zero)

Here is some of the construction.

Here is a drawing of what is being built there now.

After the WTC site, we decided to visit the Natural History Museum.

Here is a seismic map showing all earthquakes from the past week. I'd hate to live in that sea of yellow circles!

Following the museum, Jen wanted to lounge and me and John wanted to play catch, so back to the park we go! There wasn't any scenic shots for us to admire this time.

Saw this in the park...I just found it funny for some reason.

After John's cousin Jim came in from DC, we all went to Serendipity for dinner and deserts. Here is my Frozen Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate drink...mmmmmm (Yes like the movie!)

Come back tomorrow (hopefully) for the remainder of my trip. It's late and I'm tired right now......don't judge me.

Three week update blog

2007-05-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

Yeah I've been ignoring the blog for the past couple of weeks, and I do apologize for that. Lets see if I can get a few blogs in a row going. Here are some topical updates:

My foot:

I had the stitches pulled last week, and am back to wearing normal shoes, although it hurts if I have to push off or if I step wrong on a step or edge. I was able to bowl and play softball again, so my stint on the disabled list is over.

The Dodgers:

Being a ticket package holder is fun, although its a lot of games, haha. So far I have been impressed with the team, despite a few glaring holes, i.e. no power threat, a void at 3b for much of the season, the big free agent pitcher on the DL since mid April. Despite all that they are still in first place with a decent lead compared to other divisions. I think the things that have made the difference though are: nomar's incredibly clutch hitting, martin's ability to call great games, a dominant bullpen, and the call up of Andy LaRoche....well maybe just his walk-up music:

I heart Andy LaRoche now!

Denver's Draft: B (could be an A, could be a D)
Denver as usual took at least one player with off-the-field character issues, who had huge talent while playing, but couldn't straighten himself up when he left it. On the plus side at least, we did draft defensive line players that we desperately needed. With our two corners and a fast linebackers, that was all that was missing. Hopefully Cutler matures fast and keeps the offense going.

New York:
Just over a week til we get to go. Unfortunately John's company canceled his meeting and thus didn't need him to go out. What that meant was that John no longer had a free hotel room and we were forced to look for something since we had all bought our plane tickets already. I suggested this:

The luxurious YMCA in Harlem. Shared bathrooms, locks on your doors, iron on the fences. Everything you could possibly look for in a room right? Well apparently not, so we are staying here instead:

Its supposed to be nice, we'll see.

My next post will be funnier as well...this one is lame, but I said I would blog today.

Owwwwwwwww

2007-04-22T22:50:00.000-07:00

So this will probably be many of my readers favorite blog. Why you ask? oh cause it involves me getting hurt....badly.

So today I was at church, setting up for this coming Saturday's rummage sale (If you are in town go and support!). Anyway, I put up some tables, put up some racks for clothes, I was feeling pretty good. Then someone says that we need the two signs up. The signs are tied to real estate metal posts that we stick in the ground. With the recent rain, I figured that the ground should be pretty soft. I stick the first metal post in the ground and use the proper spots to push down with my feet to get in in the ground. Unfortunately for me however, the ground was still kind of hard, and my shoes were kinda weak. Thus i push down and feel a sharp pain that I shall not soon forget. I instantly realize what i did, I pushed the metal footing piece through my shoe and into my foot. I jump off and at that point feel the full extent of the pain. I fall to the floor and start pounding, no crying just more yelling into the ground and pounding my fist. Think of it if I were a compulsive gambler and I just lost a huge bet and i was kicking and pounding the floor...this is all speculative of course.

So at this point I get a quick tape up job and get sent off to kaiser Baldwin Park. There after sitting in the waiting room I get to see my doctor. She orders some x-rays to make sure that I didn't' hit bone (yeah it went that deep). That turned out negative so it was just a tetanus shot, some stitches, a boot, and some crutches...oh the joy!

Here is a picture I took on my cell phone of my doctor doing my stitches:

So from then on I have been in pretty significant change for the rest of the day. I don't think I will be able to drive to work tomorrow, we'll see about Tuesday.

Lesson learned: use a hammer to put posts in the ground people, even if the ground is supposed to be soft.

The Landlord

2007-04-19T23:26:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't been online the past couple of days, you are missing one of the great 2 minute comedic skits, "The Landlord". I have watched it numerous times during the past 2 days, (it gets me through work). I think my favorite line is "I'm not doing so good Pearl." Trust me you'll see why.

Question of the Day?

2007-04-16T23:09:00.000-07:00

I asked this question to John the other day and then we debated it after. So now I ask you my loyal viewers:

"Would you rather go sailing with Tim Crews or flying with Cory Lidle?"

-Its thought provoking I know.

Umm okay

2007-04-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

"Listen to friends with an ear to the future" -my fortune cookie.

What does that even mean?

Satisfaction?

2007-04-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of months I have become increasingly annoyed with the am 570 KLAC afternoon drive co-host Petros Papadakis. At my wits end I decided to email the station this letter:

Dear Money and KLAC Management,

Please discontinue Petros Papadakis from being the co-host of the late after show. It is unbearably bad. I can no longer listen to the show that I had enjoyed from its inception because of his constant lack of knowledge on sports subject matter, his constant interruptions, and most of all his yelling and slobbering into the microphone. Matt “Money” Smith can easily hold down the show himself. It would be to the betterment of the show and the station as a whole to rid yourself of Mr. Papadakis as quickly as possible. Until this happens I will have to listen to those other two afternoon hosts on another station, who I find annoying as well, although, at least they know what they are talking about, and do so in a normal calm matter.

Sincerely,

Bradley Hutchins

Just a little bit later, then man himself Petros emailed me back, not just once, but twice!

"thats true that guy sucks
p"

followed up by:

"brad
you are also right about the slobbering
p"

I didn't respond to either of them. Should I or just enjoy the emails I got in return?

Opening Day

2007-04-02T10:45:00.000-07:00

After what feels like forever, major league baseball's opening day is finally here for the Dodgers. For all you to enjoy, here is the Dodgers vs. Brewer opening day blog!

Here are some early observations:
I feel bad for the Brewers, I don't even think they sold out half of their stadium
It's good to see the Dodgers with their names on their backs, stupid idea Mr. McCourt.
Sweet! Vin Scully will be doing the game, I know you are thinking..umm Brad he always does. That's where you are wrong, he only goes to western division road games. All the other road games he stays home for.
Okay here we go....Sheets! Lowe! Brewers! Dodgers!

My friend Will has just predicted that if Brady Clark plays he will do something....keep this in mind to see if his premonition comes true.

1st Inning.
No Rafael Furcal today, this is game 1 without the normal projected lineup. What's the line for games with the normal players? It can't be higher than 100.
Ah crap, Pierre reminds me of Delino Deshields the way he wears his helmet. This can't be good. After Vinny mentions Pierre was the hardest guy to strike out last year, what does he do? Yep strike out swinging.....great. Martin and Nomar pop out.

Brewers get two weak hits to open the 1st. I hope Lowe took his ADD medicine. Who has a stronger arm? Pierre, Damon or Bernie Williams? Force out scores 1. Well could have been worse. End of 1. Brewers 1 Dodgers 0

Second Inning
Kent's mustache makes me want to shave today. WHOOO KENT HOMERS! BOOYAH! THE POWER OF THE STACHE!

Wait Craig Counsell still plays? When did this happen? I just tuned over to the Yankees/D-rays game. Eljah Dukes on TB is gonna be a beast. Plus his dad is in jail for murder so you know he is a badass. Okay back to the Dodgers. Fricking Lowe, gives up another run, and now has 2 on with 2 out. Now the bases are loaded for the Brewer's star Bill Hall.....I'm calling double. Deep Fly out..phew
Brewers 2 Dodgers 1

Third Inning
Dodgers do nothing, a bottom of the lineup inning. I should have made lunch.

Johnny Estrada, as Vin just told us is a huge Raider fan. My new least favorite player ladies and gentlemen! Brewers get another one on a Sac Fly. Andre Ethier did just make an awesome catch on the play.
Brewers 3 Dodgers 1

Fourth Inning
3 lazy fly ball outs for the Dodgers. Ben Sheets doesn't even look like he is trying.

Well Lowe also doesn't look like he is trying, but I think its not quite the same thing. Seriously, can Lowe go through 1 inning without putting two men on? Fine, how about not giving up a run? hmm not so much. Warm up Billingsly please. Old-man Gonzalez just lost a ball in the dome, cost the dodgers 2 runs. Its okay though, cause he has never played in a dome before right? wait...what?...oh well at least the yankees are losing too.
Brewers 6 Dodgers 1.

Fifth Inning
Gonzo totally makes up for his misplay by....flying out. 12 straight Dodgers have failed to reach base, just wanted to point that out.

Dodgers take out Lowe and Gonzo and replace them with Mark Hendrickson and Brady Clark...ooh maybe Will's premonition will come true!
Shocking no runs!
Brewers 6 Dodgers 1

Sixth Inning
Update: The shots of the empty stadium were taken earlier, there is a big crowd there. Good for the Brewers. No good Dodger news 15 in a row retired by Sheets. I'm gonna go make a sandwich.

Seventh Inning
Back again after making lunch, I missed a Brewers Home run...Bill Hall. I did make it back in time to see the Sausage Race. The rookie Chorizo sausage looks like he still needs more seasoning (zing!). The veteran Italian pulled off the victory, way to go Italian sausage!

Dodgers go out in order again.
Brewers 7 Dodgers 1 - no brewer 7th inning update. I'm gonna eat my lunch now.

8th inning
Okay I'm back. Update: I was mistaken, Ethier came out for Brady Clark, not Gonzo....which makes total sense cause Ethier made an awesome defensive play, where Gonzo lost a ball, so naturally you take out the better one. It's science.
Ben Sheets has now retired 21 straight Dodgers. Either he is really good or the Dodgers are that crappy. Today it could be a combo of the two. The Bottom of the lineup is coming up for the Dodgers, I'm pretty sure no one is gonna reach.
Brewers 7 Dodgers 1

9th Inning
Well Will was right, Brady Clark just hit a double! watch out now. Well that was the end of any rally. Ben Sheets gets the complete game 2 hitter.
Final Brewers 7 Dodgers 1.

Final Thoughts: If the season ended today, then we'd be in last place. Stupid Dodgers. Oh well, tomorrow is a new day right?

Gotta Catch Them All!

2007-03-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Being a political scientist (okay I'm not really one, but that's what my degree is in), I do find politicians interesting people and have decided to try to say that was able to meet someone at each political level. Let's do a quick checkoff right now.

President:

President George W. Bush: Check!

Speaker of the House:

Speaker J. Dennis Hastert: Check!

United States Senator:

Sen. John McCain: Check!

United States Congresswoman

Rep. Hilda Solis: Check!

California Sate Senator

Sen. Lou Correa: Check!

California Assemblyman

Rep. Todd Spitzer: Check!

County Board of Supervisor:

Supervisor Thomas W. Wilson: Check!

And now the newest member to my collection

Governor:

Gov. Arnold Schwarznegger: Check!

I need to meet a Vice President, preferably not Cheney. Elder Bush would be cool though

I think next up I'll do a sports one of these lists of who I met....yeah I know its sooooooo exciting.

Going to see Arnold....It's gonna be HAWWWTT

2007-03-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

Sacramento here I come! Hmm upon thinking this over, perhaps its not that exciting. On the plus side its all expenses paid, on the down side its Sacramento. On the plus side I get out of the office for a few days. On the down side, its still Sacramento. On the plus side I get to sleep in since the conference I'm attending is just downstairs. On the downside the conference is in Sacramento still.....yeah good times.

I fly out tonight and will be back on Thursday night, then off to Vegas on Friday evening for my dad's bowling trip, where hopefully he will win big so we can go to Wynn Buffet. Or perhaps Morten's Steakhouse? I doubt he will take the cue from my the last person I went to Morten's with and get to taste it twice. Haha, good one Tim!.

My Day Thus Far

2007-03-27T08:31:00.000-07:00

1. Spilled scolding hot water on my hand this morning fixing hot chocolate.
2. Spilled scolding hot coffee on my hand this morning after purchasing it from coffee machine.
3. Sit down at my desk with my cup of coffee and a gnat decides to commit suicide by flying into my cup of coffee.

It has not been a good day for me drinking things today. I am somewhat scared to go get a glass of water now.

Long time, No Blog

2007-03-24T00:27:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of blogs, I think most pissed off would be my blog itself. So a big forgiveness, please blog?

Moving on…

After reading John’s blog trip to New York, I felt that I needed an awesome trip myself. Then it was announced that John would be making a return visit in May. Deciding to be a good friend so that he wouldn’t have to watch plays by himself, eat by himself, do tours by himself, etc. I decided that I would sacrifice my time and go along (this has nothing to do with the hotel his work is paying for or the fact that the Red Sox happen to be in town to play the Yankees). My only other trip to NY lasted for about 5 hours back when I was living in DC. Me and two friends drove up, had a slice of pizza watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest on stage, went to Rockefeller Center and then proceeded to drive back. Needless to say, I have a lot of sightseeing to do. For those of you who have been there, what do you suggest I do?

Email of the Day

2007-03-14T23:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been posting as much as I should be. Here is a new feature which I hope to start using more, "Email of the Day!" Today's email comes from my friend Toby while discussing the movie 300. Enjoy:

I haven't seen it, it looks tight though. Ever since I saw the previews, whenever I disagree with someone I yell and at them and kick them down a well.

For example:

Guy at Wendy's: We're all out of freshly cut tomatoes.

Me (kicking guy in chest): THIS. IS. SPAAAARTAAAAAA

This had me laughing for the rest of the afternoon. I can't promise that everyday I'll post an email that is the funniest or most entertaining, as some days are really slow. I can say that in order for more postings, send me more emails!

Viva Las Vegas!

2007-03-07T23:32:00.000-08:00

So this past weekend me and my bowling team, "The Pinaholics" had are sweepers for the end of the season in the happiest place on earth.....LAS VEGAS!

The trip started out badly as the person who was supposed to go with me fell ill and it looked like I would be left alone.......lucky for me I knew someone who is usually up for Vegas, gambling, and especially drinking.....that person....

TIM!!!!

The trip started out like every trip with Tim does, lots of drinking and Tim winning lots of money. How does he do it? No one really knows for sure, I think the magic lies in the Jack Daniels that he drinks by the gallon, but I digress.

On Friday night, and with both of us up money still, we decided to splurge and go eat somewhere nice:

Morton's Steakhouse.

It's cool, they really bring out the pieces of meat like this. Anyway, the meal was awesome, and we felt really grown up. After dinner we proceeded to lose all our our money. Although we should have known from previous trips, but, Mandalay Bay is the worst Casino in Vegas. Don't ever go there under any circumstance to gamble! I cannot stress this enough. So yes we both lost.

The last day I did my bowling sweepers. I personally didn't bowl very well, but lucky for me the other members on my team rocked, and as a team we took 1st place - Booyah! New season starts tomorrow, our new goal is to try to come in 1st for the regular season and get a trophy. I think our team is due for a name change, here are my suggestions, do you have any better?

1. Angry Pirates - For some reason the girl on our team doesn't like this
2. Barely Legal - Our team number is 18, so 18, barely legal...huh..huh?!? clever i know!
3. Dancing Avocado - Our teammate works for the Avocado Association and jokes he has a costume he takes to events to dance in.
4. You said No??!! - This is a joke towards another guy who said no to a hot girl when she asked him out cause he was shy, no one ever lets him live it down.

So yeah, those are what I've though of thus far. Pretty lame I know, but Pinaholics was a whole other team, time to move on.

Oh and congrats to whoever hits 5,000 for views. Amazing I got that many in under a year.

It's here

2007-02-27T23:21:00.000-08:00

So as the comments in the previous blogged explained. The "Special Agent: BSH2" is my new bowling ball. I knew I wasn't throwing my ball properly since I wasn't using my thumb, but lately my fingers had been really swollen and I was having some pain in my wrist and elbow after bowling. Because of this I went to the pro shop at my bowling alley. The pro informed me that only 1 pro bowler has ever thrown with no thumb and hooking the ball.......today that bowler can't do anything having gone through 10 elbow and 5 wrist surgeries. Needless to say this was my version of scared straight. I ordered my new ball and it arrived today. With my Las Vegas bowling trip this weekend I decided it was time to redo my technique. I like to think of myself as Tiger Woods of bowling, I mean he redid his swing and won 7 tournaments in a row....I can easily do the same. I know many of you are thinking, why change right before an important trip? Well, Vegas lanes are oiled a lot more than normal lanes and the "Excalibur BSH" doesn't work well with oily lanes. The "Special Agent BSH2" is made for oily lanes as it is sanded and cuts through any surface (yes I know I'm a bowling nerd). I took it out today for 8 games, four at 2 different places. My avg was about 35 pins less than what it normally is, but its okay, I'm still learning and I plan on practicing a lot.

For your enjoyment, here are some pics of it.

Work Productivity

2007-02-26T23:18:00.000-08:00

I was bored at work for a while today, so I made this graph, I make a lot of graphs

It will be here shortly.....

2007-02-23T14:44:00.000-08:00

Special Agent: BSH2

You still bug me

2007-02-21T23:59:00.000-08:00

New Blogger, you delete my page counter, then you won't accept 3 new ones. Lucky for you I found one that worked.

Secondly, I would still like to divide my links

Third, I would like to make the side bar column and the font smaller.

Show me the way New Blogger

Songs on TV: Answers

2007-02-20T22:47:00.000-08:00

1. At this moment - Billy Vera
Show: Family Ties
Scene: Alex P. Keaton rushes to the train station to stop the girl he loves, Ellen Reed, from going to marry another man.

2. Breathe Me - Sia
Show: Six Feet Under
Scene: At the end of the series this song is played revealing the fate of each of the stars.

3. We've Got Tonight - Bob Segar
Show: The Wonder Years
Scene: Following an accident, Winnie Cooper is taken home where Kevin Arnold is waiting for her. Her parents tell him that she does not wish to see him. Not believing this, Kevin Climbs to the second floor to look in her room, at which point they mouth "I love you" to one another.

4. Winter - Joshua Radin
Show: Scrubs
Scene: Dr. Cox is seen talking to his best friend, Ben (Brendan Fraser) on the way to what we believe is his son's birthday party. When J.D. arrives we realize Ben is not there, and has been the imagination of Dr. Cox. They then turn and walk through a cemetery to Ben's funeral.

5. Live to Win - Paul Stanley
Show: South Park
Scene: Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny train to help save the world.......of warcraft from a powerful player. To do so, they spend 3 months doing nothing but killing boars in the forest to gain power points so that they will have enough skills to face the evil one.

6. Mother of Pearl - Roxy Pearl
Show: How I Met Your Mother
Scene: After Ted Mosby is left in the middle of nowhere, he is picked up by his friend, Robin Scherbatsky, she drives him to a date set up to be his perfect match. Along the way, the two talk and find their wants are totally opposite. Despite this, when Ted is dropped off he realizes its Robin who he loves and he doesn't meet the match set up for him.

7. Anna - Arthur Alexander
Show: Married....with Children
Scene: Al Bundy hears his favorite song on the radio, only to learn that its the first of 500 in a row and doesn't learn who sings it or what its called. He asks everyone and eventually goes to a record store to ask. When the clerk doesn't know it, Al is distraught only to have the song come on the store's jukebox. Go with Him!!

8. With or Without You - U2
Show: Friends
Scene: After Ross and Rachel's Break incident, Ross calls a radio station and requests this song to be played for her. Rachel calls the station to let them know what he did, to which they immediately stop playing it.

9. The Final Countdown - Europe
Show: Arrested Development
Scene: GOB Bluth holds an outdoor magic show, in which his grand finale is making the family's yacht disappear.

Thank you all for playing.

Happy President's Day

2007-02-19T21:12:00.000-08:00

Every year we celebrate Lincoln's Birthday, and to a lesser extent Washington's Birthday, but since this is President's Day I thought I would give you a fact about each of the men who have served our country.

1. George Washington: Was the only president who did not live in Washington D.C.
2. John Adams: Was the first, one-term president, losing to Thomas Jefferson in the election of 1800.
3. Thomas Jefferson: Founder of the University of Virginia
4. James Madison: Appears on the $5000 bill
5. James Monroe: Apart from George Washington and Washington DC, James Monroe is the only U.S. President to have had a country's capital city named after him—that of Monrovia in Liberia which was founded by the American Colonization Society, in 1822, as a haven for freed slaves.
6. John Quincy Adams: He was the first president to have his photograph taken, although not till many years after his presidency
7. Andrew Jackson: During Jackson's Administration, the U.S. Government was, for the first and last time, debt-free.
8. Martin Van Buren: Van Buren was the first President born after the signing of the Declaration of Independence (1782), thus technically making him the first true American President, the first seven Presidents being born British subjects.
9. William Henry Harrison: Was the first, but not only, US president to have no military vessel named after him (what can you expect, he only lived 30 days)
10. John Tyler: First Vice President to assume the role as president, after the previous president had died in office.
11. James Polk: Only Speaker of the House to be elected president.
12. Zachary Taylor: The last President to have served in the War of 1812.
13. Millard Fillmore: An avid reader, Fillmore found the White House void of books, and established the White House Library.
14. Franklin Pierce: Franklin Pierce was arrested for running over a woman while driving his carriage in Washington, DC.
15. James Buchanan: Was the only single president in office.
16. Abraham Lincoln: During the Civil War, telegraph wires were strung to follow the action on the battlefield. But there was no telegraph office in the White House, so Lincoln went across the street to the War Department to get the news.
17. Andrew Johnson: occupied every major non-judicial elected office in the American political system — city councilman, mayor, state representative, state senator, governor, representative, senator, vice-president, and president.
18. Ulysses S. Grant: Grant was known to never use bad language, instead exclaiming "Confound it!" or "Doggone it!" when angry or frustrated.
19. Rutherford B. Hayes: Was the first president to visit the West Coast while in office.
20. James Garfield: Garfield was the first ambidextrous president. He could simultaneously write in Latin with one hand, and Ancient Greek with the other
21. Chester A. Arthur: Before serving as president, Arthur was the Collector of Ports in New York.
22. Grover Cleveland: Was the first police officer to go on to serve as president.
23. Benjamin Harrison: Was the last president to have a beard.
24. Grover Cleveland: The first and only president to serve 2 non-consecutive terms.
25. William McKinley: After his assassination, the Secret Service's job began to also cover protection of the president.
26. Theodore Roosevelt: Became the first American to be awarded a Nobel Prize.
27. William Taft: Was only man to serve both as President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
28. Woodrow Wilson: Was an avid baseball fan, and was the first President to attend a game while in office and throw out the first pitch at a World Series.
29. Warren G. Harding: Was the only President to be elected on his birthday, November 2nd.
30. Calvin Coolidge: Was the first to have his inauguration aired on the radio.
31. Herbert Hoover: Lived for 31 years after his term ended, the longest of any president.
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Appointed 9 Supreme Court Justices, the most by any president except Washington, who appointed all 11.
33. Harry Truman: Was the first president to be given a Medicare card.
34. Dwight D. Eisenhower: Was the last president born in the 19th century.
35. John F. Kennedy: Was the first, and only Catholic President.
36. Lyndon B. Johnson: Favorite drink was Fresca, he had two buttons for drinks in his office, Fresca and coffee.
37. Richard Nixon: Was the first President to visit all 50 states.
38. Gerald Ford: Was the only President to be neither elected President or Vice President.
39. Jimmy Carter: Studied nuclear physics at Union College and contributed to the development of the nuclear submarine.
40. Ronald Reagan: Being a member of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan was the only trade union member elected President.
41. George H. W. Bush: Was the only President to have been CIA Director.
42. Bill Clinton: Was the first President to be a Rhodes Scholar
43. George W. Bush: Was former owner of the Texas Rangers, only President to have once been an owner of a major professional sports team.

Songs on TV

2007-02-17T13:55:00.000-08:00

A lot of people have songs they like a lot that remind them of a certain movie (i.e. Eye of the Tiger reminds people of Rocky). What I found is that TV shows usually don't do that for as many people. In order to give songs from TV shows their due respect here are 9 songs with artist that remind me of a certain show. Try to identify the TV show, as well as the scene in which it was played that made it memorable:

At this moment - Billy Vera
Breathe Me - Sia
We've got tonight - Bob Segar
Winter - Joshua Radin
Live to Win - Paul Stanley
Mother of Pearl - Roxy Pearl
Anna - Arthur Alexander
With or Without You - U2
The Final Countdown - Europe

Here are a couple of hints:
1. I watch(ed) all these shows pretty consistently at one point or another, except for one, I just happened to catch an episode of it.
2. 1 of these songs is from a cartoon.
3. One of the songs is from a show, for which other songs are probably a bit more memorable.
4. 1 of the songs is from an 80s show, 3 are from shows aired in the 90s, and 5 are shows aired in the 2000s.

Best of luck to you!

Here is your "Oh Crap" moment

2007-02-15T08:35:00.000-08:00

I saw this article the other day, but didn't get to see the video until just yesterday. If you are a bit squeamish, I would not recommend watching the end, as the noise is kinda bad. The person does survive however, so that's good. This video also confirms why I don't really think sky-diving is my thing.

You got to know when to hold em....

2007-02-12T23:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, I didn't actually play poker, but i did spend my day at Barona Indian Casino outside of San Diego today. I had to drop off my sister at San Diego State University anyway, so it just made sense that I find something to do to make the trip worth going for me as well. Right now Barona has a pretty cool promotion going on where if you play slot machines for 2 hours, the Casino will reimburse you up to $200 dollars or double your winnings up to $200. I figured what do I have to lose, so I ventured in and signed up. I got off to a very slow start, as the Giant Wheel of Fortune game ate $40 from me really quickly. Seeing that I needed to space out my time so I don't exceed the $200 limit before the 2 hours were up, I went over to the "Deal or No Deal" slot machine. I was somewhat disappointed that Howie Mandell didn't loan his voice. I was able to play the bonus suitcase game 3 times. On two of the occasions I made a great deal, only one time did the banker get the better of me. I think i'm ready to give advice should NBC ever call John in for the show. Next I went over to some other random games before a seat at my favorite slot machine opened up....Star Wars Darkside!

On my first spin, I hit a bonus game and won 36 bucks (its a penny machine, so consider this big bucks). From here I was able to play a few more bonus games and chat with the people playing around me. I sat there for more than an hour before finally giving up on it. After a quick round of video poker, I checked in at the Club Center and was reimbursed for the money I had lost.

Not wanting to leave quite yet, I ventured over to the blackjack tables. All that was open was a $25 table, so I sat down, I made a little bit with Dealer #1. Next they sent over an older Russian guy to deal (2nd Russian dealer, and both were awesome!) The whole table made money with him and was having a good time. At this point, the pit boss noticed our cheering and sent over "The Closer." For those unaware, of what this is, its the Asian dealer that nobody wins with. True to form, she started taking back money left and right. AFter being beat 3 hands in a row by 1, I decided I needed to leave while I was still up. So I cashed out and left with more money than I had started with. Fun had by all!

Happy Lincoln's B-day

2007-02-12T23:01:00.000-08:00

Because I work for the County of Orange (the most Republican County in America, according to the emails i receive) I was off today to celebrate our 16th President. Here are some random facts I learned today about the man, the myth and the legend.

- Lincoln grew his beard at the suggestion of a woman, Grace Bedell, who told the presidential candidate that she would get her 4 brothers to vote for him if he followed her advice.

- John Wilkes Booth's brother Edwin Booth saved Robert Lincoln from being hit by a train after he was accidentally pushed onto the platform.

- The last Lincoln descendant was Robert Lincoln's grandson Robert Todd Lincoln, who passed away in 1985.

- Lincoln was colorblind

- Lincoln is the only U.S. president to hold a patent. He came up with an idea that would help boats to float over sandbars when traveling on rivers.

- Lincoln, like many Americans was afraid of dentists, although his fear came from a time when a dentist broke off part of his jawbone while pulling a tooth.

Anyway, Lincoln was a great president who we should all look up to. The political system is far different today than it was back then. Would Honest Abe even make it through the early primaries today? With that, I would like to take a moment and say thank you to our forefathers who elected such a great man.

Blast from the Past

2007-02-11T21:59:00.000-08:00

Today while I was driving home from bowling I heard a song that brought me back to my childhood. I think it was around 6th or 7th grade, when the artist/genius that is Timmy T put out his single: One more Try. Naturally, I listened to the whole thing and reminisced about it. Anyway, once I got home I sent the video to Mac, who equally enjoyed it, which then led us to sending lame videos back and forth. Here is how our battle went (I have included links for you all to enjoy):

Me: Timmy T : One More Try
Mac: Tommy Page: I'll Be Your Everything
Me: Another Bad Creation: Playground
Me: The Boys: Dial My Heart
Mac: Stevie B: Waiting For Your Love
Mac: Jon Secada: Just Another Day
Me: Expose: Point of No Return
Mac: Wilson Phillips: Hold On
Mac: Richard Marx: Right Here Waiting
Me: Pointer Sisters: I'm So Excited
Mac: Peter Cetera: Glory of Love
Me: Joe Esposito: You're the Best
Me: Tiffany: I Think We're Alone Now
Mac: Hot Sundae: Put Your Mind To It
Me: Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch: Good Vibrations
Me: Heavy D and the Boyz: Now That We Found Love
Mac: Snow: Informer
Me: Wreck N Effect: Rump Shaker
Mac: Biz Markie: Just a Friend
Me: Young Mc: Bust a Move
Me: Shanice: I Love Your Smile
Mac: Neneh Cherry: Buffalo Stance
Mac: C&C Music Factory: Gonna Make You Sweat

As you can easily tell, we are both quite knowledgeable when it comes to awesome music. I hope you all take the time to sit and watch these videos as remember, the "artists" put a lot of hard work into their work and deserve our respect.........okay who am I kidding feel free to mock away.

Annoyed Viewer

2007-02-08T23:24:00.000-08:00

Dear Nbc,
You had me hooked since last week when your promos started hinting about this being an important Jim and Pam episode. So I come home today, put on my tape of the show and what do the viewers get? About 15 seconds of interaction, i think they showed that all in the preview. I hate sweeps and I hate you.

Dear Abc,
So you bring us a decent episode of Lost last night, but you keep introducing more characters for us not to care about. Last night you give us Carl to take to the real island. Do we really care about this random ass guy? Next, give us the people we care about Locke, Jin, and of course Sayid. It's not that hard.

Dear Fox,
Stop with American Idol praise. Yes we understand that this is your big moneymaker, but i can't go through an entire 30 minute show without seeing at least one promotion for the show. Its big, you don't need to promote it, people will watch regardless.

Dear MTV,
Play something of substance, seriously! You shows are crap and the people on them are annoying. Stop referring to yourself as "Music". What was the last thing you did that was music related. Bring back unplugged at the very least.

Sincerely,

Angry Viewer #1334039

You maybe a bit off on this one....

2007-02-08T11:02:00.000-08:00

Everyday ESPN.com has the "Poll Question of the Day" in which they ask a multiple-choice question on some sports related item. Whats cool is that they give you the breakdown of each state, as well as international voters as well. I usually answer the question just so I can see the map come up and see which way the country is leaning. What I find entertaining is when one state is just completely out of the loop with the rest of the nation. Here is today's question and results:

What is wrong with you Nebraska? Why are you so different than the rest of the world? There are other teams out there besides the Cornhuskers. In case you were curious, in the state of Nebraska only 16% agreed that the Bulls had the best season, while 77% thought the Cornhuskers did.

Yes I know this is a stupid post, but graphs like this entertain me.

Updated

2007-02-08T00:10:00.000-08:00

Well you finally made me do it blogger! You finally made me update to "New Blogger" So far I have been less than impressed. You wouldn't take my Google password, and then you tried to update my yahoo geocities. What are you thinking blogger?

Anywho, as those of you who came to the website yesterday can see, I was forced to take down the picture links I had at the side and replace them with regular links. My page became all jacked up with the side bar either being at the bottom of the page, or with it overlapping my blog in the middle of the page.

So here we are now, back to square 1. I will attempt to do more with this site soon. Please bear with me.

Working on it!

2007-02-06T23:47:00.000-08:00

As you can probably tell by the mess that is my menu column on the right, I'm still trying to figure this HTML thing out. Hopefully I will be able to correct this at some point tomorrow so that everything lines up. In the meantime enjoy my newly added profile picture, as well as my links with pictures of the website headers, (I took the idea from rhymeswithgin.blogspot.com. So thank you to the blog administrator for the brilliant idea.

Superbowl Sunday

2007-02-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

Congrats to the Colts for winning the game today. Although I never though I would cheer for Peyton Manning, I felt he deserved it. Overall it was just an okay game with below average commercials in my opinion. Watching the Superbowl made me think of my favorite game:

I can watch these highlights over and over again and it still gives me chills. To watch John Mobley knock that ball away to clinch it...goosebumps.

So know we are only about 364 more days til the next big game. Hopefully Cutler can bring the magic back to Mile High!

2007-02-01T23:46:00.000-08:00

Don't you hate it when extremely lame songs get stuck in your head? What's even worse is when you are driving home from bowling and you hear both songs on the radio back to back and it makes you happy. I hate myself right now. Feel free to leave me what songs you think I had in my head, and lame songs you have had stuck recently.

Its Thursday, so that means time for The Office

2007-02-01T00:09:00.000-08:00

My new morning thing

2007-02-01T00:04:00.000-08:00

I found on the second floor of our building is a coffee machine that has other tasty drinks as well. I cup of espresso is only 40 cents! Compared to the amount they charge at Harbucks around the block I have to say that Coffee Machine 1 is a good value.

2007-01-28T23:10:00.000-08:00

A wise man once said that trying is half-way to failing. Well we tried and we failed, so I guess in this case he was right. Team "Up & Atom" was pumped and ready this past Friday. We went to the Meridian Hotel in Los Angeles, and along with 30 some odd teams took the test at around 4 pm. I think it was a very fair test. Everything they asked was relevant to the world of pop culture. I would reveal some of the questions they asked, but the made me sign some waiver about not revealing what was asked or anything in particular about it. So, because I want this blog to continue I'll refrain from posting some of the questions. I will say that I have a good memory...just in case you ever seen me....wink wink nudge nudge.

Oh and if trends continue, my 4000th reader should be on this post...Identify yourself!

My Launch.com Music Player

2007-01-26T10:26:00.000-08:00

During slow sports weeks, I usually don't listen to sports talk because it's not that interesting. This is one of those weeks as the Superbowl is still more than a week away and for the most part they are discussing things that don't interest me that much. Being unable to sit and work in complete silence I decided to give my yahoo.com launch player spin to see what gems they can give me. Mind you, as you rank your favorite music, they will play more music similar to it.....or so they say. Here is a sample of my latest playlist:

1. John Mellencamp - "Our Country" - This is the song featured in those Chevy commercials, where we learn that Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, hicks and rodeos apparently make up OUR COUNTRY!
2. Seven Mary Three - "Cumbersome" - I hadn't heard this song in ages, but I for some reason remember my cousins John and Melissa enjoying it one summer I hung out with them in Santa Cruz .
3. Jimmy Fallon - "Troll Jingles" - This is from Fallon's "comedy" album. Here he does impressions of famous bands singing about those ugly troll dolls, in case you forgot what they look at here is a picture of something similar:

4. Tupac - "Lord Knows" - I can keep it real too!
5. Ian Van Dahl - "Secret Love" - I listen to some trance music occasionally, this is one of the better ones.
6. The Michael Garson Ensemble - Streets of Philadelphia " - Apparently this guy takes famous songs and does them with a symphony. It was actually pretty good. Maybe I'll look into other songs by him.
7. Garbage - "Milk" - This song, along with "Vow" made me by this album. One of my better music buying decisions.
8. The Smiths - "Big Mouth Strikes Again" - One of my favorite songs by the Smiths.
9. Blink 182 - "All of This" - Actually this is what happens when the Cure meets Blink 182. Surprisingly good!
10. Sigur Ros - "Untitled" - I think it was untitled #2, but it didn't say for sure. Hey Sigur, you wrote the song, give it a title!
11. Bill Conti - "Gonna Fly Now" - Don't recognize the song? Imagine Rocky running around and up the stairs...yep that's the song!
12. The Pixies - "Where is my Mind?" - Always makes me think of the end of Fight Club, perfect song for that scene too!
13. Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies - "Uptown Girl" - Speeds up Billy's version just a little bit
14. Elliot Smith - "Everything Reminds me of Her" - I think I have all of Elliot's stuff rated pretty high so that way I get one of his songs pretty often.
15. Tori Amos - "Lust" - Ditto for Tori, get a song from her nearly every hour.
16. Oingo Boingo - "Not my Slave" - I wish they'd hurry up and come back for Halloween already, maybe this year? maybe?
17. Collective Soul - "World I know" - how the heck did this get on my list? Where's the skip button...oh yeah there it is.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this look into my launch player. You don't need to tell me that my music taste is weird, I'm fully aware

Make that 100%

2007-01-23T23:54:00.000-08:00

In the previous post I set the line for Lexus not doing anything with my car for me at 85%, well we can now make that 100%.

In totally unrelated news, who wants to buy a 1999 Lexus ES300, it has small repairs that need to be made. Make me an offer!

Happy 100th!!

2007-01-22T21:36:00.000-08:00

In just under 1 year I have put together 100 blogs for you, my fellow readers to comment, mock, and occasionally enjoy. I would like to thank you all encouraging me to continue this website, as well as giving me ideas on which to blog on.

Here are some Brad updates:

-My car still has no engine. Well it has an engine, but it doesn't work. I am waiting to hear back from corporate. My current lines are that there is an 85% chance they are going to do nothing, and I will be in charge of paying for it all; 10% chance they will assist me some way; and a 5% chance they will get me a new engine. Maybe I'm being a pessimist, but hey its a car company, why shouldn't I?

-I have been at my new job for 1 month now. I have to say that thus far it has been pretty much what I expected, which really means nothing. Its getting old trying to find things to read and look over. I listen in on conference calls, and read budget stuff, not exactly glamorous by any stretch of the means. I am waiting to see how much it will pick it in the weeks to come as bills start being written.

-Me and my teammates have our World Series of Pop Culture interview this weekend, so lets hope all my useless knowledge finally comes in handy.

-Haven't seen many of the possible best picture movies. Oscars nominations come out tomorrow. I would like to see "The Departed" and "Borat" get nominated, just because I found them both to be enjoyable. I recently watched "United 93" and it was hard enough to watch on my computer, in the theater, probably would have been too much.

One last thing, after watching the AFC championship last night, I guess I have to say that I'm okay with it.........

Oh blackberry

2007-01-04T23:07:00.000-08:00

I WISH I KNEW HOW TO QUIT YOU!

A look inside.....

2007-01-03T23:41:00.000-08:00

I was bored at work today and decided to clean out my wallet. Mind you, I clean out my wallet, about once or twice a year, if that. I thought I would list the contents of my wallet to get a better idea of who I am:

Inside my wallet:

Bank receipts:
Washington Mutual ATM: 6 receipts

Las Vegas:
Luxor Hotel Pyramid Café: February 5, 2006
Star Trek Experience Quark’s Bar and Restaurant: March 4, 2006
Wynn Buffet receipt: Sept 9, 2006

Event Tickets:
Washington Nationals Ticket: NYM vs. Wash, Apr 13, 2006
Baltimore Orioles Ticket: LAA vs. Bal, April 15, 2006
Ticket stub: radiohead – June 26, 2006
San Fran Giants Tickets: LAD at SFG September 29, 2006

Restaurants/Bars:
Souplantation: 3 receipts
Crown city: 3 receipts
Tustin Lanes 2 receipts
Gordon James, San Clememte, February 22, 2006
Jake’s Billiard Café: November 25, 2006

Retail:
Receipt from store at the Baltimore Airport, April 17, 2006
Macy’s paying my bill , June 10, 2006

Movie Tickets:
Movie ticket: “Wordplay” July 8, 2006
Movie Ticket: Gridiron Gang Friday September 29, 2006

Ah yes, that is what it’s like to be me. I now have my awesome LV wallet to replace my Gucci one. It’s totally real!

A look back at 2006

2007-01-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, sorry about the lack of blogging:

Here are some highlights and lowlights from the year that was:

10 Highlights

- Going to Washington DC on vacation
- Getting to go to Santa Cruz for a week
- Getting to see the famous Tai Shan
- Watching the Dodgers make the playoffs
- Getting to see 2 USC Football games, 1 Arizona Cardinals Game, 2 Clipper games, 1 Washington National game, 1 Washington National game, the last 2 rounds of the World Baseball Classic, and countless Dodgers and Angels games.
- Getting to closer to my 100 beer goal at Crown City Brewery
- Getting a new job with the Orange County Health Care Agency
- Getting to watch my favorite shows endlessly: Arrested Development, the Simpsons, the Office, and How I Met Your Mother.
- Getting to go to Disneyland twice after not going at all for 5 years.
- Throwing a fun BBQ at my house for my birthday.

10 Lowlights

- Having to put Tootsie, our wiener dog to sleep after she got very sick
- Watching USC lose to Texas in the national championship game
- Watching the Dodgers get swept in the first round of the playoffs
- Watching the Broncos get held out of the playoffs after losing their last game to that other stupid team from nor-cal.
- Car troubles: Car dying coming home from Vegas, shredded tire with body damage coming back from SF, and to top it off a blown engine right at the end of the year.
- Leaving the most exciting Dodger game since they moved to LA early
- Not having any real successful trips to Las Vegas despite numerous attempts
- People in the family getting sick
- My sister moving away and being forced to fix lunches for myself everyday.
- Having the house broken into and losing my bags of change, my camera and all of my mom’s and sister’s jewelry.

10 Hopes/Expectations for the upcoming year.

- Go on vacation somewhere
- Read at least 4 books
- Reach my 100 beer goal, and then slow down the drinking
- Watching a few more movie series straight through while keeping updated logs
- Try to take more pictures for my blog and for myself (I know I need a camera)
- Try to update my blog and the 742evergreenterrace blog more frequently
- Win the World Series of Pop Culture (Hey I have an interview, anything is possible!)
- Try to go to at least one baseball game per week during the regular season
- Go see a Broncos game in Denver
- Possibly move out of the house

A PSA from Brad

2006-12-15T09:19:00.000-08:00

Hey kids, when you find you have a lose string coming from a spot on your pants leg, don't pull it. Simply cut it off.....Trust me on this one.

In completely unrelated news, does anyone have a few safety pins I can borrow?

Why is Scrubs so good?

2006-12-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

I was watching some of my Scrubs Season 3 the other day, and wow this really was its best season. Almost every episode from that season was very well made and acted. Although that past couple of seasons haven't been as good as they once were, I still think its worth checking out if you haven't done so before.

Here is the last scene from my favorite episode.

Foo Fighters are great

2006-12-10T23:21:00.000-08:00

I've got another confession to make
I'm your fool
Everyone's got their chains to break
Holding you
Were you born to resist?
Or be abused?
Is someone getting the best of you?
Or are you gone and on to someone new?
I needed somewhere to hang my head
Without your noose
You gave me something that I didn't have
But had no use
I was too weak to give in
Too strong to lose
My heart is under arrest again
But I'll break loose
My head is giving me life or death
But I can't choose
I swear I'll never give in
I refuse
Is someone getting the best of you?
Has someone taken your faith?
It?s real, the pain you feel
Your trust?
You must confess
Is someone getting the best of you?
Has someone taken your faith?
It's real, the pain you feel
The life, the love you'd die to heal
The hope that starts the broken heart
Your trust?
You must confess
Is someone getting the best of you?
I've got a another confession, my friend
I'm no fool
I'm getting tired of starting again somewhere new
Were you born to resist or be abused?
I swear I'll never give in-I refuse
Is someone getting the best of you?

Conan is great!

2006-12-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

Not sure how many of you watch Conan O'Brien every night, but if you haven't watched him recently I highly recommend it. Usually he is on way past my bed time, but last night I was up a little later than normal. On the show, Conan got to unveil his newest purchase, the website www.hornymanatee.com Its pretty much exactly what you would expect. Here is a sneak preview:

Pretty awesome huh? If you have any manatee photos, you can email them through the site. I think you should take the tour of the site until you reach the webcam, I think that's my favorite. Enjoy!

We have an interview!

2006-12-06T22:54:00.000-08:00

Not sure if any of you saw this the World Series of Pop Culture on VH1 earlier this year, but its coming back for a second season, and guess who has an interview? Yeah, that's right I do.....Well Christie and Paul are on my team, but I set it up, so we'll just go with me....Just kidding guys. How can I begin to train for this so that the team can make it to New York and get on the show itself?

I'm not a chiefs fan at all, but....

2006-12-05T22:12:00.000-08:00

2006-12-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

So I was listening to Kevin and Bean this morning and they were discussing this site called My Heritage. When you go there, you can upload a photo of yourself that will be sent through their "supercomputers" and they will find which celebrities you resemble most. I found a fairly recent picture of myself, and this was what I got back. I highly recommend you all do this, for entertainment purposes only of course, as its pretty much BS.

Well......

2006-12-03T21:12:00.000-08:00

1. Well Jay Cutler had his first start tonight. He wasn't overly impressive and I think Shanahan tried to limit how many mistakes he could make by running the ball a majority of the time. There were a few glimpses where he looked pretty good, and other times where I thought it was the second coming of the left-handed throwing Plummer. Next week will be a huge test as the team goes to San Diego. Right now I really can't say that I expect a whole bunch this year.

2. As usual, the BS-C....err I mean BCS computers got the game wrong. Everyone who watched college football this year can pretty much see that the top 2 teams this year were the University of Michigan and ohio state universtiy (all teams I don't like are never capitalized, in case you haven't noticed). Alas though, the computers somehow put the university of florida in the big game instead. For all of you who don't know the SEC is entirely overrated, but like to talk about how hard their schedule is. Its pretty annoying. If only USC had won yesterday, none of this talk would even be necessary, so thanks a lot (f)ucla! I could go on about this, but I'd get upset, although the games aren't for a month, so I'll have more time to vent later.

3. Yeah, the beard thing is still kinda itchy. Sure it looks nice, but it actually takes a bit of up-keep. Thoughts?

In case you didn't know........

2006-12-02T22:56:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I am not a fan of that school on the western part of the city.

I can't breathe

2006-12-01T23:18:00.000-08:00

I hate having a running/stuffy nose. It pretty much ruins whatever it is that I'm doing. Anyway, I found this picture of post nasil drip. According to one person, its the diagnosis for everything!

I did it!

2006-11-30T23:17:00.000-08:00

That's right, I was able to do 30 blogs in 30 days. Some blogs weren't my best writing, but I did accomplish this goal. I must say that it was a lot of fun. So much fun actually that I am gonna see how long I can keep this going. So for all my fans, thank you for visiting, and keep the comments coming!

As for bowling today, nothing to spectacular: 169,171,181...I think I found what I was doing wrong, I was throwing it to hard and over-rotating. I think I have fixed it for the most part.