Showing posts with label random links. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random links. Show all posts

Sunday, February 15, 2009

It's February, T.J.'s Traveling, Steeler Luck, and Random Stuff

If you live in any of the following cities and I haven't gotten in touch with you, email me, cause Sharpie's coming to town: Dallas, LA, Houston, Atlanta, and Chicago. I've got to find someone in Houston - it's the only place I don't know anyone, and it'll put me behind Goldi and CHab in the "You Know Someone EVERYWHERE!" race. There's got to be some CMU dork or some relocated South Jerseyian there, although most likely it'll be someone with the hazily vague title "Used to drink with them". Step up, all locations, I'm making good use of my time away from house repairs on Republic's dime, although one week into it and my diet is already suffering pretty badly.


Read on TMQ this week, and unnoticed on the blown-call (clip of Tim Hightower), questionable-spot (crossing the goal line) INT TD by James Harrison at the end of the 1st Half of the Super Bowl: Larry Fitzgerald could have, and probably would have, caught Harrison 10 yards from the goal lins... if Antrel Rolle - Go figure, a U of Miami "graduate" - doesn't INTERFERE with his own player on the sidelines!! Watch around :27, and you'll see both the clip and a DB costing his team 7 points, and possibly the Super Bowl. And enjoy the gay music you stiller fans.


My favorite line of the holiday, from my lovely wife looking at a slightly fuller moon than she saw 24 hours previously - "is that the same moon as last night?"


Detroit... this economy and job market is hitting everyone tough, but man, the Motor City is just downright depressing. I got to spend 5 days there, and the whole area seems just dejected. Unemployment is high - closing in on 10%. The roads have more potholes than Baghdad Blvd. The city - at least the parts that house trash companies - are in disrepair. Hey at least they have nice stadiums though! The Palace at Auburn Hills was pretty sweet, we got some tickets from the local Republic guy, so Pfeif and Lori made the hike up from Curtice for that one. Plus, with all the nice Midwestern drivers, I was able to get us out of the parking lot in about 4 minutes by cutting across parked cars.

Even the food, an eclectic mix, doesn't stand out for anything special. On the weekly internet radio show I'm doing on occasion, I spotlight an NFL city for their tailgate/cooking and give a local-inspired recipe. Thank God I never had to do Detroit, I'd have no idea what to do - maybe Ribs 'n 40's. The pervasive food is "Coneys", basically hot dog shops/grills with varying degrees of food and price. I can understand stealing a signature item of another city to put on your memu - Philly cheesesteaks, Memphis BBQ, Cincinnati chili, etc... - but when the most popular eatery type is based on a city island 600 miles away, well, it just adds to the grey cloud sitting over the region.


Random thought - I might be in the minority here, but prime rib can't hold a candle to a good porterhouse or filet. Maybe it's because it's a rare meat aversion, or having to cut around multiple layers of gristle, or having to dip it into something for more taste.

MORE RANDOM LINKS

Ahhhh, Mets Fans... (from the700level.com) If you don't want to sit through all 9 minutes of hilarity then just fast forward to about the 7 minute mark. What a douche. Then again, he's a Mets fan.

Awesome - the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

I must be getting better looking - http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080911/lf_nm_life/miami_dc_1

The recession is hitting a lot of people, but damn, this is tough.

Random observations:

  • I always knew Jen had the propensity to “debate” with others (mostly me), but even I got caught by surprise when we called our credit card company to dispute an APR raise – and she started arguing with the customer service rep AFTER they had agreed they messed up and changed our rate back. Josephine would have been proud… I can't talk much though, I had to phone into Delta for the third time in 6 months to change a redeye flight that they/I screwed up somehow, the same time, three times in a row. 30 minutes on the phone before I got to talk to someone who doesn't need the TOEFL test, but vindicated in the end and saved $150.
  • Jay and Tracey are expecting tentatively on April 5. I need to call Uncle Craig and get a primer on the importance of youth sports in your nephew’s life. Those old Pirates teams (after Erik and I left, of course) were good… Jen and I can’t wait to be Uncle T.J. and Aunt Jen. I’m even going to avoid the temptation on buying toddler Cowboys stuff, in hopes that subliminal means will work in getting Jason’s kids to root for Dallas. Or, they might just be taking after their Uncle Erik. (i am looking for my picture of him in a Romo jersey, if anyone out there has it, please send to me...)
  • On the flight home from Phoenix a few weeks ago, a man and his young son (~6 or 7) had seats in separate rows. The son sat down first, and the self-absorbed a-hole that was in the seat next to him didn’t bother to help, much less offer to switch seats with the father. Lucky for the father – and very unlucky for the guy – the lady in the middle seat next to the father offered to switch seats with his son. And the lady was NOT skinny. She waddled herself up to the middle seat and sat down right next to Mr. Inconsiderate, who now was hating life. It was pretty funny, the irony of the whole thing. Karma is a bitch…

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Jimmy V and other Ramblings

A few other random tidbits
  • First, it's the Jimmy V week on ESPN. The V Foundation, started by legendary coach and broadcaster Jim Valvano shortly before his death, raises money for cancer research. As a cancer survivor, and the descendant of three deceased grandparents with cancer, it's obviously something that hits close to home - and has hit close to home (or at home) with many family and friends. Jimmy V's battle against cancer was courageous, but the marks he made on the hardcourt will one day pale in comparison to the difference he's made, 15 years after his death, with the V Foundation. Find a quiet ten minutes in your day and take in his 1993 ESPY speech. It's never failed to put a lump in my throat or tear in my eye. RIP Jimmy V, your mind, heart, and soul are indeed living on forever.
  • OJ... the Juice is definitely NOT loose anymore. Sad stuff. Although I don't buy this was for this crime alone - right or wrong, there was paybacks from 14 years ago. For all you guys who want to feel old, remember where you were when Simpson and Al Cowlings were rolling down the highway in the white Bronco. We were - surprise! - at Schultzy's house having a party. I'm not sure there would have been much of a social life at Eustace if we didn't have Chad's, Bulldog's, Medford Lakes, and the shore houses of Bitonti and Falese. Anyways...
  • Speaking of idiot athletes, this is the funniest thing I've seen about that moron Plaxico (or anyone else) in quite a while. I hope Jay or some other Birds fan brings it to the Meadowlands this weekend; at the very least, I hope one of the Eagles has the cojones to take the BSG's suggestion: "I'm still disappointed that a receiver didn't honor Plaxico Burress last weekend by catching a touchdown, then pretending to shoot himself in the leg with the football and limping around."
  • Shameless plug for a friend - check out Jeanie Callen Barat's new website - thefitnessjeanie.com. Good luck Jeanie!
  • Political links - Joe Biden sounding Dubya-like, proving in politics stupid isn't exclusive to one party. Mike Ditka had an off-chance of affecting the 2008 Presidental race - how much is debatable, but still, interesting "what if". From Howard Stern, Sal in Harlem - had I gone to the early voting place by where I work (a predomindatly black neighborhood) and worn a shirt with "I'm voting for McCain because we're both Irish", it wouldn't have gone over very well, to say the least. Be happy your boy won, but don't ignorantly vote for someone because of race.
  • More Phillies (get used to it) - Game 5 apparently paid off before it was even over. Mitch Williams, all is forgiven. Also, ESPN.com's "experts" are a bunch of morons. Not one picked the Phils to even MAKE the Series, much less dominate it - and this was done the day the playoffs started! And then there's this guy (in the hat), what the $%# ?!?!? And if you haven't seen Little Will firing up the crowd at the parade, it's pretty funny.
  • I've heard of some angry divorced women before, but this is ridiculous. Actually, I'm surprised this didn't happen at CMU...
  • For those of you who only drink bottled water...

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Random Links and stuff

Back to the quick hitters - will try and post stuff here instead of emails.
  • As if there's a need for another reason to be a Flyers fan... (NSFW)
  • The Last Lecture CMU professor passed away last weekend...
  • The Spectrum is shutting down, what a shame, Flyers games at the CoreStates/FU/Wachovia Center (while great) just don't have the same atmosphere as those at the Spectrum (nor do Pearl Jam concerts on the Flyers bench). How the Daigneault goal didn't make the list is beyond me...
  • Man, you can't even try and be responsible while getting a load on these days...
  • Great story about a SEAL who made the ultimate sacrifice...
  • Biggest jerk tourists? Not the Americans, but... go figure... THE FRENCH!! F them...
  • I'm famous... ok maybe not...
  • Don't let old women with poor eyesight loose near the tiki bar!!
  • A brothel on wheels, right down on South Beach. Go figure
  • And finally, this could be the illegitimate son of any number of people I know.