Friday, April 30, 2010

On-Call Programmer Blues

We almost never get calls when we are on call for customer go-lives. I am on call all weekend covering three customer go-lives.

I got a call at about 8:30 tonight... three hours after getting off the clock.

It might be a looooong weekend if this becomes a trend.

Oh yeah, and the task I had to complete was really simple but we had all sorts of problems connecting to the code that needed to be worked on. Not just me but everyone. Worse? I am guaranteed two more calls out of this.

Whoopie.

Go Bruins

Blank

I am coming up empty on topics this morning. That doesn't happen often. I think I'm going to have to force it by talking about hockey. I guess...

Is this the year that the San Jose Sharks don't choke? They opened up the second round last night by beating Detroit 4-3. I didn't watch the game, but by the sound of it Joe Thornton and Danny Heatley played well. Pat Marleau was out with the flu, but Joe Pavelski continued to be the dominate forward for the Sharks.

In the past few years they have choked nearly every time I picked them. I want to root for Joe Thornton but he is so consistent in his April disappearing act that you can practically set your watch by it. I want to be a Sharks fan. There is so much there to like... but they choke every year. Could this be the year they finally don't? Now that I am not rooting for them at all they will finally stop embarrassing themselves?

Just my luck.

I am on call this weekend. I don't know if I will be able to get to the gym, and I don't know if I'll be able to catch my step son's baseball game. I want to do both, but I get paranoid about the phone ringing when I am out of the house. I will definitely go to the game, but if the phone rings I'll have to leave. I don't want to be one of those grown ups who doesn't make it to the kid's special things. Baseball, softball, and everything else that comes down the line. I want to be a part of it all. I don't want to miss anything.

We also are trying to do some yard work at my parent's house. This weekend is the only one that my brother and brother in law can do for a while, and here I am being the one who is stuck missing out. I haven't been able to get my laptop connected to work so I can't rely on that. I am going to have to be within 10-15 minutes of my desktop. I feel like a schmuck. I don't think we'll have another chance to do the work until June.

Today is pay day. That's a plus.

The Disney trip is getting closer. I want it to be here now. RIGHT NOW. I want to go see the Mouse. The Great Mouse. THE Mouse. Mickey is one of my all time heroes. I want to go visit him and bask in the glow of his glory.

June 6, 2008 - Hollywood Studios and a Night Out

I met him two years ago. I was really pleased to see that he's a down to Earth sort of Mouse. Not the super star ego you would expect from some one as famous and brilliant as he is. He was a good guy.

Go Bruins!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Best Love Song EVER

I wish I wrote this...



"Evil Love Song" from Phineas and Ferb.

Never Date a Flyers Fan

I saw this image online today and had to reblog it.



Never date a Flyers fan, even if she shaves her moustache.

The Bruins and Flyers haven't met in the post season since 1978. It's time to bring back the hate!

Go Bruins!

Action Movies

Action movies aren't my favorite thing in the entertainment world, but I have to admit that i have enjoyed my share. I mean I do have a Y chromosome after all, right?

Today it was suggested that I view the trailer for the upcoming film, "The Expendables."



It would seem that almost every cliche action movie actor has been cast in this film.
Sylvester Stallone? Yup
Dolph Lundgren? Yup
Bruce Willis? Yup
Arnold Schwarzenegger? Yup
Jet Li? Yup
Hell, even Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts show up in this one.

Check out the Internet Movie Database page and wow at the list of possibly steroid enhanced actors.

With a cast like this there are two things we can bank on: The film will suck. Millions (possibly billions?) of people will see it in the theaters.

Money.

Home Ice

The undisputed kings of NHL choke are the San Jose Sharks. Now, however, we have to start thinking there is an Eastern Conference team that is closing the gap.

The Washington Capitals won the President's trophy. They outscored the rest of the league by some ungodly (three digit?) number.

And last night they were eliminated by the eighth seeded Montreal Canadiens. Oh and did I mention they needed to blow a three games to one lead in order to lose the series?

Yes, Eastern Conference Choking Champion Washington Capitals.

So how did I do in my predictions? Crappy, that's how.

I picked Washington over Montreal and was wrong. 0-1.
I picked New Jersey over Philadelphia and was wrong. 0-2.
I picked Boston over Buffalo and was right... and I still can't believe it. 1-2.
I picked Pittsburgh over Ottawa and was right. 2-2.
I picked Colorado over San Jose and was wrong. 2-3.
I picked Chicago over Nashville and was right. 3-3.
I picked Los Angeles over Vancouver and was wrong. 3-4.
I picked Phoenix over Detroit and was wrong. 3-5.

That's my worst first round ever.

Of course the end result of those bad predictions is that the Bruins are now the second highest seed remaining in the East. We have home ice advantage in round two. Un-fricken'-believable.

Here is the schedule for round two, as posted at nhl.com:

2010 EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
SERIES I
#4 vs. #8
Network
Friday, April 30 at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m. CBC, RDS, VERSUS
Sunday, May 2 at Pittsburgh, 2:00 p.m. NBC, CBC, RDS
Tuesday, May 4 at Montreal, 7:00 p.m. CBC, RDS, VERSUS
Thursday, May 6 at Montreal, 7:00 p.m. CBC, RDS, VERSUS
*Saturday, May 8 at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m. CBC, RDS, VERSUS
*Monday, May 10 at Montreal, 7:00 p.m. CBC, RDS, VERSUS
*Wednesday, May 12 at Pittsburgh, TBD CBC, RDS, VERSUS
SERIES J
#6 vs. #7
Network
Saturday, May 1 at Boston, 12:30 p.m. NBC, TSN
Monday, May 3 at Boston, 7:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
Wednesday, May 5 at Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
Friday, May 7 at Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
*Monday, May 10 at Boston, 7:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
*Wednesday, May 12 at Philadelphia, TBD TSN, VERSUS
*Friday, May 14 at Boston, 7:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
2010 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
SERIES K
#1 vs. #5
Network
Thursday, April 29 at San Jose, 9:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
Sunday, May 2 at San Jose, 8:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
Tuesday, May 4 at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
Thursday, May 6 at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
*Saturday, May 8 at San Jose, 10:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
*Monday, May 10 at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
*Wednesday, May 12 at San Jose, TBD TSN, VERSUS
SERIES L
#2 vs. #3
Network
Saturday, May 1 at Chicago, 8:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
Monday, May 3 at Chicago, 9:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
Wednesday, May 5 at Vancouver, 9:30 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
Friday, May 7 at Vancouver, 9:30 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
*Sunday, May 9 at Chicago, 8:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
*Tuesday, May 11 at Vancouver, 9:30 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
*Thursday, May 13 at Chicago, 8:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS

Pittsburgh vs Montreal: Going with the Penguins here. For four reasons. First, they are the defending champs. Second, they are not the Montreal Canadiens and I really hate the Montreal Canadiens. Third, I am going to assume that Halak won't have enough gas in his tank to blank another offensive juggernaut they way he did Washington in the last three games. Fourth, Sydney Crosby. In the last two years Crosby has lead his team to the Cup Finals twice, winning the second time, and lead his national team to the Olympic Gold Medal. He's starting to look like Bill Russel with all the constant winning he's doing. Hard to bet against a guy on a streak like that.

Boston vs Philadelphia: See that? I get to put Boston first there because they are the higher seed. I am shocked. I am still stunned they beat Buffalo. Hell, I am still stunned that they scored a single goal off of Ryan Miller. Now on top of all the winning they did against all odds in the first round, they get their top offensive player, Marc Savard, back for the second round. I thought Philly would have died quick in the first round after all the fighting they had to do just to get there. Turns out it was New Jersey who died quick. I will not underestimate Philly again. I see this one going a long way. All seven games perhaps. I also see The Boston Bruins in the Conference Finals. Go Bruins!

San Jose vs Detroit: I am picking the Red Wings for two simple reasons. First, they are friggin' awesome right now. Second, they are not San Jose. The inevitable Sharks choke waits for round two this year, but it will happen.

Chicago vs Vancouver: I am pretty undecided on this one so I am going to pick Vancouver based on former Lowell Lock Monster Roberto Luongo shedding his can't-win-the-big-games image and standing on his head and carrying his team to the third round.

So there are my picks for round two. I need to go 3-1 just go get back to .500... and here I am picking two upsets in the West again. I probably should have learned not to do that after the first round.

I have just one more thing to add to this post:

GO BRUINS!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Bobby Orr Statue at the TD Garden

On May 10th there will be a statue of Bobby Orr scoring the 1970 Stanley Cup winning goal unveiled outside of the Garden. Click here to read the story, or just keep reading because I am going to copy the text right here...

Bobby Orr Statue to be Unveiled
Ceremony will be May 10th at 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday, 04.28.2010 / 10:09 AM / News
Boston Bruins
BOSTON, MA - The Boston Bruins and TD Garden announced today that a bronze statue depicting the famous scene of Bobby Orr flying through the air immediately after scoring "The Goal" that clinched the Bruins 1970 Stanley Cup Championship over the St. Louis Blues will be unveiled at a ceremony on May 10th at 11:00 a.m. ET.

Present for the ceremony, which is being held on the 40th anniversary of "The Goal" and the Bruins four-game sweep of the St. Louis Blues to win the Stanley Cup on May 10, 1970, will be Bobby Orr, Bruins Owner, Jeremy Jacobs, Mayor of Boston, Thomas M. Menino, TD Garden President, John Wentzell, the sculptor of the statue, Harry Weber, and Orr's teammates John Bucyk and Derek Sanderson.

The larger than life sized bronze statue (110% life sized, weighing more than 600 pounds) which will permanently be installed in front of the TD Garden at the mouth of the West Walkway outside of the arena facing Causeway St., has been designed and sculpted by Weber. Weber, has designed and sculpted a number of famous works including "The Captains' Return" in St. Louis, MO, “The Plaza of Champions” in St. Louis, MO, and “Doug Flutie” in Boston, MA.

In the creating the statue, Weber wrote: "The main objective of the statue of Bobby Orr is to faithfully capture both the likeness of this great defenseman, and the spirit and emotion of the few seconds on May 10, 1970. ‘The Goal’ has become a defining moment, not only for the Bruins, but for the sport of Hockey."

The creation and installation of the statue is being funded entirely by the Boston Bruins and the TD Garden as a gift to the City of Boston and the fans of the Boston Bruins.

Further details regarding the ceremony and the media availability for all of the participants will be released in the days leading up to the event.


We will have to make sure we use the West entrance when we see Rush in September. That should be my next trip to the Garden.

Now we'll have a statue of Ted Williams at Fenway, Red Auerbach in Faneuil Hall, and the greatest hockey player ever, Bobby Orr at the Garden.

Congrats Bobby!

Kind of a Let Down

Today is starting out as kind of a let down. After all the excitement yesterday of basking in the glow of the Bruins advancing in the playoffs, and getting Rush tickets, and going to the gym for the fourth day in a row and not feeling like I was going to die I don't know how today can match up.

To make matters worse when I woke up this morning I was sure it was Thursday. Then I realized we didn't have the kids, which meant last night wasn't Wednesday, which meant today wasn't Thursday, which meant today was actually Wednesday.

Bummer.

On the upside, as of today it's less than a month until our vacation. Also, in two days it will be Jenny and my 11th monthiversary. I'm on call this weekend so that sucks, and the week after is mother's day and we won't have the kids and that sucks too, but we're going to celebrate mother's day this Sunday instead and that's excellent. The kids and I are scheming a little. Just a little.

Tonight is the final night of the 1st round of the playoffs. Washington vs Montreal in game seven. I don't know who to root for. I want them both to lose.

My predictions for the 1st round sucked. I got Boston and Pittsburgh right in the East and Philly wrong. In the West I got San Jose, Detroit, and Vancouver wrong. If Washington wins tonight I will be 4-4. But if Washington wins tonight the Bruins won't have home ice in the 2nd round. Oh woe is me and my ridiculous picks.

I have a fat lip. It hurts. A lot. That's something else to add to the things that suck list. I have a beautiful wife who loves me as much as I love her. That's something to add to the things that don't suck list. I think that one should count more than once. Maybe a few billion times.

I still haven't had any caffeine. I think tomorrow marks three weeks. I'm sleeping much better and the random eye and finger twitches have gone away. The lack of coca~cola and the short work outs at the gym have conspired to cause me to lose a few pounds. That's on the things that don't suck list too.

How did I get into a things that suck/don't suck lists discussion anyway? This one is getting a little stream of consciousness here. Maybe I should start writing in second person, just to weird it up a little more.

You read about Robert's suck list and think he should shut the hell up because his things that don't suck list vastly outweighs his things that do suck list. You then click off of the page and go to something that actually holds your interest for more than 0.68 seconds and isn't totally stupid.

You think the second person voice is lame and the writer agrees with you.

Anyway.

Florida is approaching. Mother's Day is approaching. My birthday is approaching but we aren't going to talk about that tragedy, The 2nd round of the NHL playoffs is approaching, Rush is a looong way off still but it is approaching (and the word yesterday was that there would be two knew songs released just prior to the start of the tour. Nice!). Good things are happening. There's a few other things that I need to kick into gear so that I can add them to the don't suck list and I am going to do it, I just need a kick in my motivational ass.

Hear that motivation? I'm going to kick your ass into gear!

WOOHOO for Progress!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Floppy Discs

This post 100% qualifies as an in-joke...

Should I send this article to my father?

RIP Floppy Disk

I love the slipping a corrupted disc under the teacher's door reference. I never did that, but there might have been a time or two when I could have.

Rush Update



As with all musictoday.com pre-sales, you get in the second the sale opens and you end up almost as far away from the stage as possible.

I don't care, we're going.

This will be my 18th Rush concert.

Rush!!!

Did Hell Just Freeze Over?

Last night at about 9:40 or so I went upstairs to our bedroom and quietly said to my wife, "Sweetie I'm sorry, but there are going to be at least four more Bruins games this year."

I cannot believe that the Bruins have advanced to the Conference Semi-Finals. I am in a state of shock and awe. Last night's game was awesome. Back and forth, high tempo, lots of scoring chances. Just a lot of fun to watch, although the Bruins have a nasty habit of making things hard on themselves. Watch the highlights. I thought the first Sabers goal was the result of the dumbest play I'd ever seen in my life, only to see an even dumber play on the second Sabers goal. I think Wideman and Ryder should get assists for the hard work they put into those two goals.



So now we have to wait until Wednesday to see who wins game seven between the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens. Far be it from me to ever root for Montreal, but if they win we'll have home ice advantage against Philly in the next round. If they lose we'll be the lower seed against Pittsburgh. Both opponents are going to be tons of trouble for us. I definitely prefer to see Philadelphia, although my feelings on their competence have changed 180 degrees after the way they handled New Jersey. Hopefully everyone is saying the same thing about the Bruins right now.

Tuukka Rask is the man. Just have to say that publicly.

In other, equally important, news: Today the pre-sale for tickets to the 9/14/10 Rush show at the TD Garden in Boston begins. It starts in 39 minutes. I am ready. I need to get three tickets. One for Jen, one for Mike, and one for me. Then I can amp up my excitement to the next level. I might load a bunch of Rush bootlegs onto my iPod and start freaking out five months in advance.

We also changed our hotel reservations in Florida because we are expecting to get there a day earlier than we had originally thought. We are going to leave much earlier in the day, and we are going to have Jen's parents with us. That's two extra drivers. We should be able to eat up quite a bit more miles each day.

I can't wait for Rush.
I can't wait for the 2nd round.
I can't wait for Florida.

Go Bruins!

Monday, April 26, 2010

All for Science

Okay... read this article.

Now read this blog post, written in response to the previous article.

Seems to make sense. If immodestly dressed women cause earthquakes then we should be able to reproduce the issue by having a large sample of women voluntarily dressing immodestly.

Boobquake.

If you are offended by the second article, read this blog post, which aims to clarify that the blog post above was meant to be funny, not political activism.

I think it was funny, but I think the first article might be funnier.

heh heh... Boobquake.

Rush Documentary Premier

A couple of videos from the Rush Beyond the Lighted Stage documentary premier this past weekend.

I find this to be very funny. Check out how embarrassed Geddy Lee looks.


I was going to embed another one. This one, in fact, but the user disabled the embed function. Oh well.

I think I am going to wait to read up on this movie until I get the chance to see it for myself. The DVD/Blu Ray release will be June 29, and the film maker's website says there will be a one day only release in select theaters. Wherever they may be. I am hoping the Brattle in Cambridge will step up. I like that place. Either that or the Loop in Methuen. I like that place more. It's less than 10 minutes from my house. Yeah, that one gets my vote.

I'm looking forward to seeing this.

Game Six

I didn't watch any hockey this weekend. Not a single second. Vancouver clinched against Los Angeles. That makes me 0-2 on predictions so far.

It'll be worth it if the Bruins can win their series. Game six is tonight. They are up three games to two. They could have won it on Friday if they had bothered showing up to rink. They were flat and looked bored. It was the Bruins team that lost 10 games in a row earlier in the year, not the team that won three straight over the favored Sabers. Hopefully the games two through five team will show up tonight, not the game six team.

After a long day of shopping for Florida supplies on Saturday we went to Mike and Tammy's house to play on their daughter's new swing set yesterday. It was a good time. Mike and Jen and I got up to speed on the upcoming Rush tour/documentary/album, and possible pre-album release of a song or two... that's just a rumor, but it was started by the band so maybe it'll be true.

I went to the gym on Saturday and really wore myself out. I didn't over do it, but I did give more than the usual push. I went back on Sunday and couldn't quite repeat Saturday's performance. I was just too dead by the end of the hellish elliptical machine that I couldn't push it for another couple of minutes. We're going back tonight. I think I'll just try to redo Sunday's workout and not try and push ahead any. We'll see how I feel when I get there.

Until then...

Go Bruins!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Pocket Dial

My phone just rang. I didn't recognize the number. It was from area code 805 in Carmarillo, CA. They left a voicemail. It was almost five minutes long. It was a pocket dial and the message was two guys and their grandmother talking about some game some where. It was a little on the fascinatingly voyeuristic side.

Ain't cell phones cool?

I had my first cell phone back in 1995... I think? It looked like this:



Subject change...

Nearly two years ago I popped the question to the love of my life. She said yes. She also bought me a little tiny pocket sized 10 megapixel camera. We took it to a bunch of places, including a couple of Rush concerts, and had some fun with it. Unfortunately the battery charger vanished. We tried to find a replacement but couldn't.

Last weekend, magically, the charger reappeared. I charged it and it's now back in action. It's been totally trumped by the awesomeness of the awesome Nikon D90 Awesomest awesomeawcity. But it's still pocket sized and can go with us anywhere.

I used it to get a picture of my Jenny on a swing.
CIMG2447

I also got a picture of this cryptic message... but what does it mean?
CIMG2459

I also got this awesome shot of the 2nd most awesome ice cream shoppe in the universe. This is the Kimball's store in Carlisle, MA. The awesomest ice cream shoppe of course is the Kimball's in Westford, MA.
CIMG2469

...and in closing, Phineas and Ferb is currently the best cartoon in this and any other universe.

...and in closing, again...

Go Bruins!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Saturday

I went to the gym this morning at a little after 7:00. We have the kids this weekend so Jen and I are going separately.

Oh.
My.
God.

My legs are killing me. I pushed the treadmill much harder than usual and I'm totally feeling it. I did a few minutes on the hellish elliptical what-ever-the-hell-it's-called and then I was toast. I was considering a couple of minutes on a bike too, but after the hell machine I could barely move.

Isn't this fun?

Notice how I haven't mentioned the pain that is the Bruins losing game five last night? If Jack Frickin' Edwards mentions 2004 one more time I am going to stick a fork in his eye. Shut up Jack!

Go Bruins!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Best Photo Ever

Someone posted this on twitter a few minutes ago. I have no idea where it comes from, but it is the best picture ever... maybe. Sure enough it's a great summation of the current Bruins/Sabers playoff series.



Here is the url, I think it might be boston.com?
http://boston.3432.voxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/bruins2-480x440.jpg

Free Turn by Turn Directions on the iPhone?

Sometimes I feel like I get all of my news from Mashable. Of course we know that's not tr... well... maybe it is true.

They posted an article today saying that Google is going to make turn by turn GPS directions available on the maps app on the iPhone. How freakin' awesome would it be if they shipped that out prior to our drive to Florida? We have a GPS unit that we got prior to the honeymoon last year, but if we could just go with our iPhones that would be easier and better and cooler and more Google/Apple fanboyish. I think it would be cool.

I was getting the feeling that Google was going to stop dealing with Apple, but if this happens it would make me happy.

Especially since the Tom Tom app for the iPhone cost an insane amount of money. Free is my favorite price, kids. Never forget that.

Rush Doc Trailer

Here is the trailer for the documentary, Rush Beyond the Lighted Stage.

Finally Friday

First: The trailer for the Rush documentary, which debuts at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, can be found here. http://music.msn.com/video/music/?g=42fbdc32-f1f2-4e81-b504-7e760a21f0e1

There, now that you've watched that and can't wait to see it and can't wait for the tour, and can't wait for the expected new song or two to be released... somehow, and can't wait for the new album, we can move on.

So what was it that got me stuck in about 40 minutes of traffic on route 93 South this morning? Oh, a pothole? Yeah, that makes sense.

A POT HOLE????

I had a rough night sleeping last night. At a little before midnight Jen woke me up to try and get my to stop snoring. Yeah, I snore. Some nights it's worse than others, but it's always bad. Last night was really bad, I guess. At first she asked me to sleep on the couch... that's how bad it was last night... but then decided to let me just sleep on the other side of the bed. That seemed to work. She didn't wake me up again.

Karma bit me on the ass though. My step son had a nearly unbroken string of nightmares last night. Twice he came into our room scared. After switching sides with Jen, I was the one closest to the door. >insert smile here< If Jen was having trouble sleeping because of me, then the little man was going to even the score for her and wake me up too. Justice for Jenny!

Just kidding.

I am more than happy to help out with the late night frights. Don't let my smart assedness about my snoring lead you to doubt that. Having been a regular recipient of nightmares when I was his age I will make it a priority to help him through his scares.

Still... sometimes his nightmares (and his sister's too) are just so damn funny. At around 3:00 this morning he knocked on the door and came in and hugged me saying he had a really bad dream. I asked him what the dream was about and he said, still sounding really scared, that a giant pepper with eyes had killed him.

I laughed. I couldn't help it. A giant pepper with eyes? What might his seven year old subconscious be trying to tell him with this? Stop eating salad? By morning he was laughing about it too, but at that time he was really scared so I felt pretty bad for chuckling. I gave him a hug and asked him what he would like to dream about when he went back to bed. The Easter Bunny was his answer. Not a bad idea. He's a smart kid.

At about quarter after four he was knocking on the door again. Poor little man! He said that every time he fell asleep he had another nightmare. He could remember five of them. Five nightmares in one night. That would have ruined me when I was his age. I tried to calm him down again and gave him another hug and then he went back to bed.

This morning when I got up he followed me down the stairs. He didn't want to sleep anymore. He said that after the last nightmare he had not gone back to sleep. He says stuff like that often, and usually you can tell that he was really asleep the whole time, but I asked him if he heard his mom wake up earlier and he said yes. He looked really tired and had huge bags under his eyes. I think this time he really did stay awake. From 4:20am-ish to about 6:30am he must have been laying in bed afraid to go back to sleep. I think he's going to be in for a rough day today. Maybe he'll be willing to go to bed a little early tonight... probably not though... would you have been willing to go to bed early on a Friday when you were seven? Nope, me neither.

This leads me to our plans for tonight. On Wednesday, the last time the Bruins played, we took a short walk to the park hear our house and hung out on the jungle gym equipment. The Bruins won that game... so maybe the park was the source of the good luck. Maybe if we don't go back to the park tonight they'll lose. So, back to the park it is! (assuming the weather continues to cooperate) After that hopefully we'll be able to catch the game. If the rest of the family really doesn't want to watch then I will hang out with them in the living room, listening to headphones. Or at least with an auto-updating scoreboard running somewhere.

I need the Bruins to win tonight. They simply aren't good enough to let Buffalo back into the series with a win. They have to put the hammer down now while they have the chance. If this series stretches on I am going to be very nervous about the outcome. Win tonight please!

I should probably make a quick update on the rest of the league... there is a rest of the league after all.

Philly ousted New Jersey last night which means I got at least one pick wrong. I didn't think the Flyers had it in them. Show's ya what I knows.

Pittsburgh had a chance to eliminate Ottawa last night and failed. They now lead the series three games to two. I still think the Penguins win this one.

Chicago and Nashville are tied at two games a piece, as are Colorado and San Jose. Still hoping for another San Jose choke.

Los Angeles and Vancouver, and Detroit and Phoenix are also tied at two games each. I think the Kings and the Coyotes are both going to pull off upsets.

That leaves the Capitals and the Canadiens. I hate the Canadiens almost as much as I hate the Yankees. Washington hasn't been the monstrously dominate team I thought they'd be, but they are up three games to one. Hopefully they will also close out their series tonight.

Go Bruins!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Top 10 Excuses of the Guy Who Lost the iPhone Prototype

From David Letterman,

"Top 10 Excuses of the Guy Who Lost the iPhone Prototype"

Wonders Ne'er Cease!

Are you a Bruins fan?

If you are, then let me just say... Wow.

I didn't see the first period. There is a park near our house and the four of us took a walk there so the kids could show of their prodigious monkey bars skill. It was a nice little change of pace and we managed to get back home before it got too cold.

The first period was just about over when we got in but we all sat in front of the tube to watch the second. The kids stayed up about 30 minutes later than normal because none of us were paying any attention to the clock.

It was one to nothing Buffalo after one. It was two to nothing Buffalo after two. It looked pretty bad. After the kids went to bed Krejci scores to make it a one goal game. Not long after Patrice Bergeron scored yet another huge goal for the Bruins to tie it. Jen wanted to go to bed but was sweet enough to stay up with me until the end of the third. It was two to two after three. Overtime babie!

From the sports fan's point of view, there is nothing more stressful than over time during playoff hockey. Overtime in Football is a joke. Overtime in basketball is fun, but they always play a full period so the only possibility of heart attacks is at the end of the OT period. Baseball, like everything else in sports, is it's own animal. The pace is slower, and you know the home team will get it's last chance. It's very exciting, but it's just different. Hockey however... sudden death. It can all end at any moment. It's edge of your seat from the start of the period right until the end of the game. I went to a playoff game between Boston and Washington once, back in... 1995 was it? Something like that. The game went to double overtime. It was hands down the most exciting sporting event I have ever been to. Nothing else comes close. The Bruins lost that game and it was devastating, but I will never forget it.

Last night... double overtime. Tuukka Rask and Ryan Miller both played like super heroes. I had the game on the radio (on my iPhone, thanks Apple app store and AOL) and was trying not to scream while Jenny slept. I think I did all right... mostly.



The Bruins lead the series three games to one. I never saw this coming. I really believed that the way they played post Olympics they were going to get blown out. Somehow though, they have saved their best play for the post season and have really looked fantastic. Buffalo too. I can't knock how they've played. They've been unable to hold the lead in the third and frankly I am thankful for that, but they have played some great hockey too. This has been a really fun series to watch.

Still... Bruins in five would make me happy. Please don't try and be cute and wait to win it in game six at home. Just go to Buffalo on Friday and do what you've done the last three games and get it over with.

Please, my heart can't take it. I've had to change the batteries on my defibrillator twice this week!

Go Bruins!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Wednesday

Happy Wednesday everyone. I don't know why I said that... I guess I just don't know quite what to say today. It's going to be one of those random subject posts, I think. There is a maintenance crew working right near my desk. I don't know what they are doing, but it sounds like an industrial vacuum is running and it's driving me up the freakin' wall. (pointless note: maintenance and vacuum are two of those words that I always, always, always misspell. And look, I used them both in one paragraph. Is that an omen? If so, is it a bad one or a stupid, pointless one?)

This week is school vacation week in Massachusetts. My step kids go to school in New Hampshire so you'd think it wouldn't affect me at all. You would be wrong. (of course, why else would I have brought it up?) School vacation in Massachusetts means one thing for me: Light traffic. I get the impression that roughly 40% of the working, commuting folks in Mass work for schools. How else could it be that there is almost no traffic at all on the highways during vacations? I don't care, it's beautiful.

On Monday I drove Jen to work and she needed to be in early. We took route 93 South to 128 South and didn't even hit the breaks once. We got to her office in half an hour. On a regular work day that same trip would take twice that. Monday, as you've probably read on this site already, was Patriots day and many residents had the day off. That's not a good indicator for traffic. Tuesday, we left together again only a little bit earlier and the trip took about 30 minutes again. That is a good indicator. No traffic at all. Today we didn't drive in together (she has to get the kids this evening) and I left at 7:15. I took the highway again, route 93S to 128S to 90W and the drive took less than an hour. On the average day it would have taken 20-30 minutes more. I did hit some heavy traffic on 128 (between route 2A and the Winter Street exit) but it was manageable and much lighter than a non-vacation commuting day.

I did see one very unusual thing today. I was on 93S and the traffic just after the route 495 junction slowed to a crawl. Slow enough, in fact, that I could snap a couple of pics.

Check out the plume of smoke in the distance. Safe to say that would end up being the cause of the little traffic tie up.
Car Fire - First

As the traffic inched closer we could see that the source of the smoke was a car on fire in the Northbound breakdown lane.
Car Fire - Second

The closer we got the slower we drove, and the worse the fire appeared. The entire engine was completely engulfed in flames. It was a pretty scary sight.
Car Fire - Third

Not long after passing the fire, less than a mile... maybe less than half a mile, I saw two police cars heading North with lights blazing. Not far behind them was a fire engine. They were on their way to the fire. When I passed there were no emergency personnel there at all. It had started so recently that I sort of beat the rescue folks to it. I couldn't see any sign of what might have caused it. There was a tractor trailer truck pulled over in front of it. Maybe the car hit the truck and after pulling over burst into flames? Maybe the truck driver flicked a cigarette out his window and it hit the car and maybe the car had a gas leak somewhere? Maybe the truck driver was a Jedi and the car driver was a Sith Lord and the truck driver used his light saber to cut the fuel line and ignite what spilled out? Who knows.

Read this article from CNN and learn about something that makes Robbie sad.

Production on the next James Bond movie has been put on hold indefinitely! That is terrible! Not as terrible as "Octopussy" or "A View to a Kill" but still terrible. "Casino Royale" was so good it was crazy. "Quantum of Solace" was all right, but better than the last couple of pre-Craig flicks. I am a huge Bond fan and I am hoping MGM gets their act together quickly. I want another Bond movie.

I'm not sure how I feel about this next subject. Recently the tech site Engadget posted pictures of what they said was an actual next generation iPhone. The pictures looked good, but there was no real reason to suspect that they were genuine. Then a couple of days later, tech site Gizmodo published this story. I might have the time line a little jumbled, but I guess Engadget said the iPhone was found in a bar. Gizmodo also said it was found in a bar, but they somehow acquired it from the person who found it. They tried to use it but it was remotely whiped by Apple (assuming it is what the article said it was) and they couldn't set it up again because the software to do so does not exist publicly yet. So they plugged it into iTunes and took a look at the connect screen and deduced that the resolution was much better than the iPhone 3GS. They also explored a couple of buttons and a new front facing camera, and the new casing, and then broke it apart and checked out the components.

The word is that gizmodo's parent company paid a heafty price to get their hands on the phone. There may also have been a bidding war between tech blogs for the chance to buy some one else's property. Was it stolen? Who knows. There are stories coming out saying that the Apple employee who lost it really did just lose it. I don't know... the whole story kinda smells bad to me. Apple has since had a lawyer make a formal request for the phone's return. That proves one of two things, either it's the real deal next generation iPhone, or Apple set the whole thing up as a hoax because they have a weird sense of humor about their renown internal security. I chose to believe the thing is just real.

Still... it's just a test model. There is no reason to believe the final product will look exactly like the iPhone that caused the fuss. What it does do is take a lot of the fun out of the lead up to the unveiling. Really, a big part of what makes being an Apple geek fun is the speculation. The rumors leading up to the iPad were crazy. Almost every day some one published a story speculating on what the final product would look like. It was fun. Not this time though. This time we know what the new phone looks like and we know what it's made up of. There might still be software surprises, but on the hardware end it's already old news. When Steve Jobs gets up on the stage with his new iPhone 4G in hand we'll already know most of what he's going to say. That kinda sucks.

Of course, after reading the story I immediately tried to find out when I would be able to get a hardware upgrade. I think January. iPhone... iWant.

Last night the Red Sox won in a walk off. Darnell McDonald, just called up from Pawtucket was the hero. A Cinderella Fenway debut if ever there was one. I am happy about the win, but I am also embarrassed. The Rangers stole nine bases on us last night. NINE (9) BASES! We didn't throw them out a single time. They were nine for nine! That's the worst showing for a Red Sox team since 1913. (at least that's what I read on ESPN's recap this morning.) It's shameful. Nine stolen bases. Even Vlad Guerrero stole on us last night and I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any knees in those legs of his.

In sad minor league hockey news, the Lowell Devils lost last night. Worcester leads the series three games to one. Game five is tonight at the Tsongas in Lowell. If the Devils lose they are out. Good luck to my Devils.

In much more exciting news, tonight is game four between the Bruins and the Sabers. I am really excited for this game. More excited than I've been all season. A B's win tonight puts us up three wins to one. We'd have three chances to beat the Sabers once. While we all remember a few years ago when Montreal came back to beat us after they trailed 3-1 I would prefer to think of this as a new season and not dwell on that painful memory. Of course a loss ties the series at two and gives Buffalo back the home ice advantage. The Bruins have to win tonight. They have to.

Go Bruins!
Go Devils!
Go Bruins!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Gym

Just came back from the gym. Big increase in treadmill and elliptical times. Still embarassingly short over all, but big increases for us.

My legs feel like rubber and I am covered in sweat, but it's good for me and I am happy about it.

The Red Sox are playing like garbage. Six steals against in three innings? Is that what they said on the radio?

Go Bruins

(please stop sucking Red Sox!)

Warren the Ape

I became a fan of Warren "The Ape" Demontague on Facebook today. Clearly he is the finest actor in the history of acting. His brilliance is without end.

He has a new show starting on MTV... someday. I don't know when.

In preparation I figured I'd post a Greg the Bunny episode here. This one is R rated for language, violence, and extreme puppet gore. View at your own risk. Oh and it features The Wumpus so it's extra special.

Greg The Bunny-You Know, For Kids

You Turkey

So I'm driving up the road this morning and what do I see coming toward me in the on-coming lane?

A car?
A bicycle?
A jogger?

Nope. A turkey. Just trotting down the lane like he belonged there. As I got closer he dashed off the side of the road and I lost sight of him. I opened up my iPhone's camera though as those suckers often travel in groups.

I got this guy. He was just standing on the side of the road, hanging out. I pulled over to try and get a shot of him but as I crept closer he crept farther away. This was just before he ran off the road.

photo

Makes me hungry for Thanksgiving. How about you?

Go Bruins!

Bruins Take the Lead

Watch the highlights and marvel:



The Bruins... the Boston Bruins... the team that sucked up a storm for most of the season... the team that I picked to beat Buffalo in the first round playoff series only because I am a Bruins fan and I could never pick against them... the team that I expected to lose four straight games by a 1-0 score...

Has a two games to one lead in the best of seven series.

I am stunned.

I am also really excited. I need to be more cautiously optimistic (it worked for me in 2004 when the Red Sox won the world series. I never had any expectations. Even in game four against St. Louis when we were up in the ninth inning, I still didn't let myself get too excited. Memories of 1986 still haunt me.) I actually found myself looking toward the second round today and that's a sure fire way to jinx my team to a six game loss.

Still, it was beautiful last night.

Jen and I were up very late on Sunday night and very early on Monday morning. She was exhausted all day long. I was in a little better shape. She had to stay at work late so I went to the gym without her. I took my iPhone, a pair of headphones, and the AOL Radio app which streams 98.5FM which carries Bruins games. I got up on the treadmill and logged in just as the game started. It was also on a television in the gym but the radio had a delay and it was out of sync. So I walked and listened.

A few minutes later Jen called and asked me if I could come and get her. She was so tired she was afraid to drive. I finished my treadmill program, left the gym, went to get gas and a soda (no caffeine, still), and headed to Lexington to get my love. During that time the first period ended and the second period was well underway. (I was pumping gas during the Wideman goal and missed it. Stupid empty gas tank.) By the time we got home it was mid way through the third period, still tied at one.

I made sandwiches for dinner for the two of us (I used the last of the marshmallow fluff, and we're running low on bread... note to self) and we sat and watched a few minutes while scarfing down our food. We had decided that as soon as the pb&f was gone we would go to bed. Just after I ate the last bite, Patrice Bergeron scored the tie breaking goal. I immediately shut off the television. If I was going to bed before the game ended, then I was going to bed on a very, very high note.

Then Jen suggested I listen to the last few minutes via my iPhone while in bed. If I fell asleep before it was over then no big deal. She is the sweetest, isn't she? I did. The Bruins won. I am shocked and awed. It was magic.

It was also only game three. It feels like a series winner... like a conference finals winner (not quite a cup winner though) but it only gives us the lead. I was so sure we were going to get blown out easily that the simple fact we are not losing in the series has me extremely excited. I can't wait for game four! (Wednesday at 7:00.)

And in closing, here is the play of the game. Johnny Boychuck ruins Matt Ellis.


Go Bruins!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Dealing With the Guy Who's Clearly Hiding a Zombie Bite

From Cracked... Dealing With The Guy Who's Clearly Hiding a Zombie Bite.

Dan "Buckner" Boyle

I picked the Colorado Avalanche to upset the San Jose Sharks in round one of the NHL Playoffs because San Jose has cemented their reputation as Kings-of-all-Choke over the last few years.

Last night Shark Dan Boyle made me look good with a play worthy of mention along side the great Bill Buckner.

Avs fans, enjoy...

Happy Patriots Day!

Today is Patriots Day in Massachusetts. The day we remember the start of the war for independence. 235 years ago today the battle of Lexington and Concord was fought between Colonial militiamen and British army regulars. As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, it was the "shot heard 'round the world."

The state celebrates today as a holiday, but since the rest of the country does not many of us don't get the day off. I'm not complaining. My company gives us a ton of holidays... just not this one.

It is also Marathon Monday, as the Boston Marathon is run today. In fact, the race is about to begin. It's 9:06 by my clock, which means the wheel chair racers will be starting in about 11 minutes. (wheel chairs at 9:17, elite women at 9:32, and elite men at 10:00) 26.2 miles from Hopkington to Boston. Frankly, I think you have to be nuts to run that far without having a tiger chasing you, or something like that... but folks do it.

A high school classmate of mine is running the marathon to raise money for Dana Farber. Among those whose memory he is running for is my friend Jeff's son Justin who passed away nearly three years ago and remains the bravest, strongest human I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

It is also the annual marathon Monday Red Sox game at 11:00. They start at that time so the game lets out at about the same time the leaders are hitting Kenmore Square. I've done it once, it was a blast.

More importantly, game three of the Bruins playoff series with Buffalo is tonight and the B's are riding the momentum. I am actually excited to watch tonight. I might be at the gym for the start of it, but I will be watching it there. I'll bring my iPhone with the radio app that gets 98.5 FM so I can listen. It should be a lot of fun.

This weekend was pretty quiet. On Saturday we had a steak and cake to celebrate my father's birthday. My step kids weren't there (it was a dad weekend) but the rest of the family was. Both not-quite-babies-anymore were in fine form. They both said my name, and they both let me play with them. Who is the happiest Uncle in all the land? I am.

Of course I had the whole evening with my niece and nephew and I failed to take a single picture. I must be slippin'!

Sunday was spent at home recovering from the trip to the gym Saturday morning. We had done our regular treadmill/elliptical 15 minutes or so, and then Jen wanted to check out some of the weight machines. We did a few seconds on maybe four or five different machines and it totally ruined both of us. Pain, agony, suffering, the works. Sunday we had planned to go back but decided to error on the side of injury prevention and wait until Monday. We went three days this week. That seems like a decent amount for starters. Maybe after another week or two we'll up it to four days and see how it goes.

The rest of Sunday was spent doing chores. Jen spent the day on the couch with her work computer working like a demon. She has a release coming up in the not too distant future and she cranked out the code last night as if she were on fire. It was something to see.

Robbie did laundry. Lots of it. I also did some cleaning upstairs and took care of a very simple lunch and dinner. I felt like John Lennon during his house husband days. To be honest, I kinda like taking care of my wife. It makes me happy. She makes me happy.

Today we car pooled to work. Jen wanted to get to her office as early as possible so we left the house at about 6:50am. Yup, before 7:00! We were able to take advantage of the Patriots Day traffic and make the hour drive to her building in 30 minutes. All highway, no traffic at all. It was glorious.

Had I gone straight to my office from hers I would have been in the parking lot before 8:00am. I decided to use some of that extra time to make a little celebratory detour. I drove down route 225 to River Street in Carlisle, which turns into Monument Street in Concord, and I drove past the Old North Bridge in Minuteman National Park. The site of the first real engagement between Colonists and British troops. Every year on Patriots Day the battle is re-enacted. I think there is a parade too. Concord Center is decked out with souvenir vendors and all sorts of good stuff. It's one of those things that every year on this day I think to myself, I should have taken the day off and gone to this... next year I will.

Half the fun of driving through the area is the random sighting of a re-enactor in full period specific (I think) costume. Last year I saw a couple of small groups of "soldiers" casually walking down a couple of different roads heading toward the "battle". This year I saw a good sized group of them lining up outside of the Colonial Inn, in Concord Center. I wonder if they stayed there, or were they going to breakfast or something.
Happy Patriots Day

So in summation: Happy Patriots Day, Happy Marathon Monday, Happy Red Sox Patriots Day Celebration, Happy Bruins Hopefully Taking a 2 Games to 1 Series Lead Over Buffalo Day!

Go Bruins!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Shocked

Here we are, nearly 5:00pm and still no post? My legion of loyal readers must be wondering what's going on.

I'll tell you. I am too shocked to write anything.

The Bruins won a game. They beat Buffalo in game two of their best of seven yesterday by a score of 5-3. The series is now tied at one game a piece. In fact, with the exception of the one NHL series that hasn't played it's second game yet, they are all tied at one a piece.

Buffalo had a two nothing lead at one point. They also lead after two periods. Their record this year when leading after two (including game one of the series) was 31-0. THIRTY-ONE and ZERO. The Bruins scored three times in the third to win the game. That record for Buffalo is now 31-1 babie!

I am in a total state of shock.

Of course the Red Sox lost twice yesterday and they're losing right now. Maybe that's the price we pay?

Probably not.

Who cares.

GO BRUINS!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Saturday Pain

We went to the gym a little after 8:00 this morning. We did the same machines we'd done during the week.

Then we did a bunch of weight machines.

Aye Caramba!

My arms/legs/back/shoulders/entire-body hurts!!

But it feels pretty good too.



Friday, April 16, 2010

93 Minutes to the Weekend

93 minutes to go before the end of the work week and the start of the weekend. It's been a decent week, but a really slow Friday.

Another example of Rob Slowly Losing His Mind: Spelling.

I have never been a good speller. When I was in elementary school I used to forget to use vowels all the time. wht's p wth tht? (*)

Over the last couple of weeks though I have been making more spelling errors than ever. Just finding them everywhere. I looked on this page and the private version of this page and saw, without even looking, two misspelled titles. TWO!

I think going to college 136850 times packed so much information into my little pea brain that a lot of stuff is starting to leak out. We were quizzing one of the kids on multiplication tables last night and the answers were flying back at me faster than I could figure them out myself.

whn dd rb frgt mth? (**)

Oh well... at least I'll have the wknd t rcvr... or should I say at least I'll have the weekend to recover.

Go Bruins.



Translations:
* What's up with that?
** When did Rob forget math?

Game One: Buffalo 2 Boston 1

It wasn't the 1-0 loss I expected... it was a 2-1 loss instead.

Honestly, I missed the game. We ended up having a lot to do last night and I only saw a few seconds here and there.

Here is the nhl.com video recap:


Somehow Washington lost to Montreal in overtime and the Kings lost to the Canucks... that's three teams I picked to win the first round that lost their first game. All in one night.

Nice!

Bruins/Sabers game two is Saturday at 1:00pm Eastern time. I think I might be missing that one as well. Maybe I'll set the DVR.

Go Bruins!

(oh, and in AHL news, somehow... miraculously... the Lowell Devils opening round series against the Worcester Sharks is tied 1-1. There will be two playoff games in the Tsongas Arena. Amazing! Go Devils!)

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Wisconsin Meteor

A large meteor lit up the midwestern sky last night. Here is a gif and a video. The video is 43 seconds long and nothing happens until the end, so be patient... as if 43 seconds were an eternity that required lots of patients...





I found these on Mashable.

Playoffs

I'm getting excited about the start of the Boston/Buffalo playoff series tonight. I don't know how much of it I'm going to get to watch, but I will see at least some of it and I will be rooting for my Bruins even though I really doubt they have any chance.

Last night there were some game one surprises. Ottawa beat Pittsburgh and Philadelphia beat New Jersey. Both are contrary to my picks for the series. I don't think either will make it to round two, but a game one win does put a little fear into my pick.

Out West, Phoenix beat Detroit and Colorado beat San Jose. Both go right along with my picks. Phoenix is the higher seed but definitely look like the underdogs. San Jose is the top seed in the conference, but they are the undisputed kings of choke so Colorado's win is an upset, but not really a surprise. Go Avs!

Tonight though, the Bruins take on the Sabers. Tuuka Rask vs Ryan Miller. I enjoyed rooting for Miller in the Olympics, but that was ages ago. Now it's Tuuka time.

Go Bruins!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Floyd Revisited - Recap

I came home and the first thing I heard was my step daughter asking, "did you hear about Floyd?" Tears were admitted to and I gave hugs where hugs were due. My step son said, "I want to cuddle with him."

Poor Floyd, but they are handling it well.

I really love these two kids.

Floyd Revisited

I hope the kids are okay today. We are only about 24 hours removed from their finding out that their cat Floyd was put down. I am unsure of how to handle it. If I get home and they are their usual energetic happy selves then should I mention it or should I let it slide? If they are bumbed out when I get home then I will totally know what to do. Hugging is something I am very good at. If any little person needs a hug then I am there for them.

I had a cat when I was little... too little to actually remember it. My brother had a hamster when I was in high school (I think) and we were sad when he died, but that isn't quite the same. Granted Floyd hadn't been living at the kids' dad's house for a year so maybe it won't affect them as much as it would have if it were one of their currently residing cats.

I'll just play it by ear I guess.

Quick Entry

I am busy but I am starting to go through posting withdrawals, so here's a quick one.

Jen and I went to the gym again. Two days in a row. That's a record. Considering that one day at all was a record, I am pretty impressed with myself. We only stayed about 15 minutes before we were fried, but considering that 15 minutes is a massive upgrade over no minutes, I am feeling good about myself. So is Jen. We are both feeling weak legged, but it will get better as we go.

The NHL draft lottery was held yesterday. The Bruins hold Toronto's first round pick, and they finished 29/30, which means we should expect a second overall pick. The lottery agreed. Edmonton gets the first pick, Boston second, and Florida third. Prepare to welcome either Tyler Seguin or Taylor Hall to the Hub of Hockey. Both are forwards who are scouted to have great offensive skills. We could sure use them right now. The playoffs start tonight. The Boston/Buffalo series starts tomorrow.

Go Bruins!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

RIP Mr Floyd

I just got some sad news about a member of our extended/blended family. Mr Floyd was a cat that lived at the kids' father's house when I first came into the picture. He was old and a little temperamental, but I liked him and he seemed to think I was okay. I used to ask him if he was ticking away the moments that make up a dull day, or if he would fritter and waste the hours in an off hand way, in the hopes of finding out if his first name was Pink or not.

Last year some new animals moved into Floyd's house and he had a tough time adapting. We are not allowed to have pets in our rental so we couldn't take him. Jen's mother and step father very heroically decided to take him in. He got sick and went to the Vet today. They did all they could for him but in the end he had to be put down.

So take a moment and remember Mr Floyd. One very cool cat. We will all miss you.

2009-12-24 and 25 - Christmas 036

photo

Gym

I never imagined it would happen to me. I thought I could escape it, and for almost 39 years I did.

But last night...

I joined a gym.

Jen and I did it together. We joined a gym in Salem. We then worked out for about 15 minutes before calling it a night. When I say that I am out of shape, I mean that I am out of shape!. Do not underestimate the meaning of that statement. We did about 12 minutes on a treadmill and that was all right. Then we did a couple of minutes on another machine... I don't remember what it was called... elliptical machine? After that we were toast. Burned toast. It was clearly time to go home.

We're going back tonight.

If we are going to go to Florida with two extremely energetic little people, we are going to have to do something to prepare ourselves for the amount of time we will be spending on our feet. A little torture today will make the trip more enjoyable in a couple of months. It could also help us lose weight, and it could also make us feel healthier, and it could also make us feel better about ourselves. But primarily, it will make Florida more fun. (not really, I am just so psyched to go to Florida that all things sort of revolve around it.)

Oh I almost forgot, Go Bruins.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Geddy Lee's Mom!

Two clips from the forthcoming Rush documentary...


rush clip 2
Uploaded by azmovies. - See the latest featured music videos.



rush clip 1
Uploaded by azmovies. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

NHL Playoffs

The NHL regular season is over. It's time for the playoffs! The second season! The important stuff! Whatever, bring it on... on Wednesday. It is now time for my annual pointless first round predictions post that is based on gut and my tiny knowledge of hockey... and my outspoken Bruins fanboy nature.

Here are the match ups and the television schedules:

2010 EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
SERIES A
#1 vs. #8
Network
Thursday, April 15 at Washington, 7:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
Saturday, April 17 at Washington, 7:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
Monday, April 19 at Montreal, 7:00 p.m. TSN
Wednesday, April 21 at Montreal, 7:00 p.m. TSN
*Friday, April 23 at Washington, 7:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
*Monday, April 26 at Montreal, 7:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
*Wednesday, April 28 at Washington, TBD TSN




SERIES B
#2 vs. #7
Network
Wednesday, April 14 at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. TSN
Friday, April 16 at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. TSN
Sunday, April 18 at Philadelphia, 6:00 p.m. TSN
Tuesday, April 20 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. TSN2
*Thursday, April 22 at New Jersey, 7:00 p.m. TSN
*Sunday, April 25 at Philadelphia, TBD TSN
*Tuesday, April 27 at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. TSN




SERIES C
#3 vs. #6
Network
Thursday, April 15 at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m. CBC
Saturday, April 17 at Buffalo, 1:00 p.m. NBC, CBC
Monday, April 19 at Boston, 7:00 p.m. VERSUS, CBC
Wednesday, April 21 at Boston, 7:00 p.m. VERSUS, CBC
*Friday, April 23 at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m. CBC
*Monday, April 26 at Boston, 7:00 p.m. CBC
*Wednesday, April 28 at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m. CBC




SERIES D
#4 vs. #5
Network
Wednesday, April 14 at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
Friday, April 16 at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
Sunday, April 18 at Ottawa, 6:30 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
Tuesday, April 20 at Ottawa, 7:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
*Thursday, April 22 at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
*Saturday, April 24 at Ottawa, 7:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
*Tuesday, April 27 at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m. CBC




2010 WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
SERIES E
#1 vs. #8
Network
Wednesday, April 14 at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. CBC, VERSUS (JIP)
Friday, April 16 at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. CBC, VERSUS (JIP)
Sunday, April 18 at Colorado, 9:30 p.m. CBC, VERSUS (JIP)
Tuesday, April 20 at Colorado, 10:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS (JIP)
*Thursday, April 22 at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. CBC, VERSUS (JIP)
*Saturday, April 24 at Colorado, TBD CBC
*Monday, April 26 at San Jose, TBD CBC




SERIES F
#2 vs. #7
Network
Friday, April 16 at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. TSN2, VERSUS (JIP)
Sunday, April 18 at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. TSN, VERSUS (JIP)
Tuesday, April 20 at Nashville, 9:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS (JIP)
Thursday, April 22 at Nashville, 8:30 p.m. TSN2, VERSUS (JIP)
*Saturday, April 24 at Chicago, 3:00 p.m. NBC, TSN
*Monday, April 26 at Nashville, TBD TSN
*Wednesday, April 28 at Chicago, TBD TSN

SERIES G
#3 vs. #6
Network
Thursday, April 15 at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
Saturday, April 17 at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
Monday, April 19 at Los Angeles, 10:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
Wednesday, April 21 at Los Angeles, 10:00 p.m. CBC, VERSUS
*Friday, April 23 at Vancouver, 10:00 p.m. CBC
*Sunday, April 25 at Los Angeles, TBD CBC, VERSUS
*Tuesday, April 27 at Vancouver, TBD CBC




SERIES H
#4 vs. #5
Network
Wednesday, April 14 at Phoenix, 10:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
Friday, April 16 at Phoenix, 10:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
Sunday, April 18 at Detroit, 3:00 p.m. NBC, TSN
Tuesday, April 20 at Detroit, 6:30 p.m. TSN
*Friday, April 23 at Phoenix, 10:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
*Sunday, April 25 at Detroit, 2:00 p.m. NBC, TSN
*Tuesday, April 27 at Phoenix, TBD TSN




In Series A we have the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens. Washington scored 23586235235 goals this year (approximate) and the Canadiens more or less limped into the playoffs. The teams in 6th through 8th in the East (sadly, including Boston) are cannon fodder this year. None of them are any good. I don't know if Washington has what it takes to win the cup (see San Jose over the last 2465426 years) but I do know they have what it takes to utterly destroy Montreal. I pick Washington, easily... and so does everyone else on Earth.

In Series B it's the New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Devils have been awesome this year, but their recent past (including the Olympics) shows that they (meaning Martin Brodeur) have been a bit shaky in the big games. Philly has been fighting for it's life over the last couple of weeks. They needed to win yesterday to clinch their spot and they did. I don't think the Flyers are that good, and on top of that I think they might have used themselves up just getting into the playoffs. I don't see New Jersey getting past the second round, but I do see them getting past the first round. I pick the Devils, but it might be a fun series to watch.

Series C is a match up between the evil, vile, hated Buffalo Sabers and the majestically awesome, heroic Boston Bruins. Of all the first round match ups for my Bruins, this is the one I wanted. I don't think we have what it takes to win a single game in this year's playoffs, but I would say Buffalo is the team we have the best chance of not getting swept. Ryan Miller is the King of All American Hockey after his incredible run at the Olympics, but he's been showing some cracks in his armor lately. It might be fatigue. It might be boredom caused by clinching the division and at worst the third seed quite a while ago. Who knows, but if it continues into the playoffs (it won't) the Bruins might just have a fighting chance. I am going to pick this series as my upset because I think the Bruins might make a series out of it, but also because I will never, ever, for all eternity pick against my team. I pick Boston in seven grueling 2-1 games.

Series D: the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Ottawa Senators. Sorry Ottawa, been nice knowing you and all, but you are done. There are three teams that have a shot against the Penguins. Washington, because they dominated everyone this year, and New Jersey, because they actually dominated Pittsburgh this year. No one else has a prayer... and really... I don't thin Jersey and Washington do either. It's too soon to call them as the finalist from the East, but I think they will probably be the finalist from the East for the third year in a row. Pittsburgh wins this one.

Over in the West we have series E featuring the San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs were picked to finish lower than the East Coast League this year. No one expected anything out of them. Over the last few weeks it looks like they might have run out of gas, but it was enough to get them to the post season. San Jose is the first seed in the West yet again. As usual they dominated everyone in the regular season. They should rip the Avalanche to shreds. That's why I'm picking the Avalanche. I will not pick San Jose for anything again until they win a Stanley Cup. They have cemented themselves as the masters of choke. They rule in the regular season and then die immediately in the playoffs. I don't see any reason to believe it will be different in 2010. The Avs win this.

In series F we have the Chicago Blackhawks and the Nashville Predators. I have to admit I know almost nothing about the Predators this year... okay I know nothing at all about the Predators this year. I know Chicago is having some questions in goal that might be enough to keep them from making a deep run, but they are a whale of a team. I don't think anyone will be able to take them in the first round. No offense to Nashville, I just think Chicago is too good for anyone.

Series G: The Vancouver Canucks and the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings have been door mats for years and here they are with the sixth seed. The Canucks are a great team. The league leading scorer, the Olympic gold medal winning goalie. They really should win this easily... but what can I say, I am a Kings fan. Here is an upset pick for me. the Kings win this in a long, painful, drawn out seven games.

Last but not least, series H. The Phoenix Coyotes and the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings should own this series. It shouldn't even be close. But I am going with the feel good story of the year and picking the Coyotes. Like Colorado they were destined to spend the season in the basement. The organization spent the off season in court trying to decide who the real owner is and whether they were going to move to Hamilton Ontario, or Kansas City, or Las Vegas, or wherever. Now here we are after the regular season and Phoenix is not only in the playoffs, but they are the fourth seed. Detroit is as low as they are in the standings due in large part to injuries and questionable goal tending. Neither of which are a question now. So they should slaughter Phoenix. But I am picking Phoenix anyway. Sure, they might move to the other end of the continent after the season is over, but for now I think they make it to round two.

So there you have it. Eight predictions, most of which are probably dead wrong. I don't care. That's how I see it.

Go Bruins!