Baseball in DC

So baseball is returning to the Washington DC metropolitan area. I have mixed emotions about it. After all it is the nations capital, and having a team from the capital represemting the national pastime is a nice thing. But it's a National League team, bah! The traffic around here is bad enough, 40,000 people flocking to a ballpark certainly won't help. Plus the team known as the Expos sucks. I mean they are below the Mets in the NL East. That's pretty bad. But I guess they will fit right in with the Capitals, Wizards and Redskins :-).

Last night on Ron and Fez they were asking people to call in with ideas for a team name. My favorite was the DC Snipers. But since they made the Bullets change their name to the Wizards, I don't see that happening. Another one I liked was the DC Comics. It's Justice League seat cushion night at the ballpark. Personally I would like them to go with the original name of the Washington Senators.

Ok so some people have come up with drinking games for tonights debate. Like if President Bush says "nucular", Sadaam, or flip flop you do a shot. And if Kerry says Vietnam, purple heart or his wife , you do a shot. I say if the president calls Kerry a horse face, or Gomer Pile we should all just finish the bottle off. And if John Kerry mentions ketchup or any of the other Heinz 57 varieties, we should all eat a hotdog topped with tons of condiments. "the blood of American soldiers is flowing like Heinz ketchup!" Hrmmm there may be a lot of hungover people calling out of work tomorrow...

Madden Online

Check this out... I'm a little embarassed by shitty record, but these stats are so cool...

http://www.easports.com/games/madden2005/onlineplay/statbook/home.jsp?playername=Squilky&platform=xbl&server=madden2005

Random Stuff

I used to wake up frequently with pains in my joints, an achy back and a stiff neck. I thought it was just part of getting older. So I lived with it for a while now. Then back in August when I was up in NY visiting my family, I slept in my old bed when I lived at home with my mom. I woke up terribly sore and felt really stiff. Hrmmm maybe it's the mattress. So when I got back home, I did some research online and learned quite a bit about mattresses. So 2 weeks ago Rachel and I purchased a Simmons Beautyrest extra firm mattress and boxspring. The old mattress I had was the mattress I bought when I first moved to VA. I only paid like $400 for it and a boxspring. It was a clearance special at Montgomery Wards. Well since we got the new mattress, I feel so much better in the morning. My body doesn't hurt, I don't wake up a dozen times every night, its fantastic. What neat about the Beautyrest is that the springs on the left side are independent from those on the right. So I could do a barrel roll and Rachel wouldn't feel it on her side of the bed. I know this probably sounds like a commercial, but I really recommend a firmer, more supportive mattress for anyone who wakes up all achy and stiff.

It's amazing how many TV shows are now available on DVD. I recently started watching season 1 of Alf. While the show is still entertaining, it's VERY dated and seemed a lot funnier when I was 12. Two of my favorite shows, Nip/Tuck and Rescue Me are winding their season down. Not sure when the Shield (another favorite) will start back up. Everyone talks about HBO's great original series, but I really think FX has a trifecta here with the tree shows I just mentioned. Very well written, intriguing story lines, well developed characters. The only think lacking is they can't really curse and no nudity. It's funny because I guess you can say asshole according to standards, because the characters on all three shows overuse the word asshole. Every episode it's "Hey asshole!" "Would you look at that stupid asshole" "Can you believe what an asshole he is"?

NBC announced that Conan Obrien will be taking over the Tonight Show in 2009. That comes as a bit of a surprise to me. I don't see your typical Tonight Show viewer watching Conan Obrien. So I'm not sure how well Conan will do without some major overhauling of his show. Jay Leno's show is so sanitized and non offensive. I just don't see the people who watch crap like Jay Walking and Iron Jay liking Pimp Bot and a masturbating bear. Something else I heard which I found interesting is that following NBC's announcement, Conan O'Brien added a clause to his contract that states if he is not given the hosting duties of the Tonight Show by 2009, NBC must pay him $100 million dollars. Talk about a win, win situation. Did everyone hear that loud bang? Could that be Andy Richter shooting himself ;-). Andy leaving Conan ranks up there with Shelly Long leaving cheers.

Greatest Porn Names Ever...

There's a XXX DVD featuring some actors and actresses with some great porn names. So I thought I would share it with ya'll...

Drew Berrymore
Dick Nasty
Arnold Swartzenpecker
and of course
Samantha Swallows (she's got game)

Passionate Weekend

No this posting has nothing to do with my sex life... Im referring to The Passion of the Christ. Finally got around to watching the DVD. And Im pretty sure I never want to see that movie again. Not because it was a bad movie, just because it was so tough to handle. I think what bothered me most was the fact that Mary witnessed everything. I just kept imagining what it would be like for my mom, or any other mom out there to witness their son being murdered. The part I found most inspiring was that the three people who stood by Jesus were his mother, his best friend (John) and his wife (according to the DaVinci code). I would like to think if I, or any other man for that matter was being prosecuted, that the three people that would stand by him would be his Mom, wife and best friend.

Those of you who know me pretty well, probably know that I am not a big fan of seafood. Well, being older and hopefully a little wiser, I've noticed that my tastes have changed quite a bit over the years. So while at the super market yesterday, I saw some tuna steaks. They looked really lean and tasty, so I bought 2. I believe it was yellowfin tuna. When I got home I marinated the steaks in some olive oil, rosemary, garlic and balsamic vinegar. A few hours later I slapped them on the grill and man were they tasty. Didn't taste fishy in the least bit. Best part was that there was no fat, and it was so light and flakey that you could cut it with a fork. I think next Im gonna try some Japanese blowfish ;-).

Today after work I plan on picking up Tiger Woods 2005 for the XBOX. I have always loved JOhn Madden football, but this year being I can play it online through XBOX live, it has really added a whole new dimension to the game. No matter how good the AI is, there is no substitute for playing a human competitor. I think playing in online tournaments in Tiger Woods will be a lot of fun. Although if TIger keeps playing the way he has, the 2006 edition may be EA Sports Presents ViJay Sighns Golf.

Lastly, watched this "documentary" called "9/11 in Plane Sight". While some of the theories are far fetched, they made some good points as well. Some of the main points of the movie was that the 2nd plane that hit the WTC was not a commercial plane, and there was a bomb on the undercarriage of the plane. I don't know if it was a bomb, but there is certainly something on the bottom of the plane. Secondly that it was a missile and not a plane that hit the Pentagon. The hole where the initial penetration was at the Pentagon was only about 12 feet wide. Way too narrow for a commercial plane with a huge wingspan to fit through. Plus there wasnt any plane visable plane wreckage. Or a large fire which would typically be associated with hundreds of gallons of jet fuel. Check it out if you can find a copy...

Madame!!!

I managed to find a picture of Madame. She doesn't seem as scary now that I'm an adult, but she still creeps me out a bit...

Wake up with the King?

I'm not sure if I'm the only one who feels this way, but I need to get this off my chest. While watching football they played this strange Burger King commercial. This guy wakes up with this man in a giant King mask on. I'm a little freaked by any kind of puppet, or doll with a dead, lifeless stair. This giant king guy definitely has a weird look in his eye, and this bizarre almost sexual grin on his face. Burger King is freaking me out. First the subservient chicken, now this. JEEESUM!!!

Weekend Wrapup...

Wow, what a weekend. The weekend started out rather bizarre. I saw something really disturbing on the way home friday. I'm sitting at a red light when I look over at the traffic on the other side of the road, and I saw something small, fuzzy and gray flopping around. I looked closer and it was a squirrel who's hind legs had been crushed. I'm guessing he was hit by a car trying to cross. It was sick. I mean the back part of his body was just completely flat like a pancake. Very disturbing.

Then as I was driving closer to home, the sky kept getting darker and darker. Then the emergency broadcast system broke in and said there was a tornado warning. Luckily none touched down by my house, but abouyt half a dozen tornados touched down in and around my area. We just got tons of lightning, high winds and lots of heavy downpours. A few times the dark clouds started spiriling down like a twister was trying to form, but it never reached the ground.

Friday night we watched Kill Bill Volume 2. I paused the DVD a few times to check in on the Yankees game. I was going to watch it, but after the 2nd rain delay I started to lose my patience. I was pretty crushed that the Yankees lost the game in the 9th inning on friday. But then when they bounced back Saturday and again Sunday to crush the Red Sox, it made me feel a whole lot better about the heart of the team. I don't think as a whole they have as much drive and desire as the late 90's teams, but a few guys, namely Sheffield, Jeter and Matsui have a whole lot of desire and spirit. That's what differs from the Red Sox. Manny Ramirez, who is an incredible baseball talent showed his true colors in an interview. He said he didn't care if the Red Sox didn't win the AL East, he just wanted to make the playoffs as a wild card team. I hope to never hear a Yankees player utter those same words. I could never imagine Jeter saying something like that. Then again I don't see Manny Ramirez diving headfirst into the seats either to catch a fly ball. Or going that extra mile to motivate his team.

Saturday, we watched a bit of the first Star Wars DVD. A New Hope looked pretty sweet in DVD quality, yet the coloring and now cheesy looking effects are enough to remind me that the film was made in the 70's. What's really cool is how all three movies are broken down into chapters. So you can sort of jump around and watch your favorite parts.

Now back to Kill Bill. I really liked Volume 1, and was execting much of the same in Volume 2, but it was a much different movie. None of the over the top blood squirting everywhere. My favorite part of Volume 2 is the dialog. There is some great dialog by Michael Madsen, David Carradine and Pai Mei. Made me realize that into todays modern society, the art of conversation and story telling has been lost. Seems like most people nowadays shorter stories, and leave out most of the detail and are a rush to get to the end of the story. People don't really conversate. The movie drug on a bit, but it was entertaining none the less.

Wow

Ladies and Gentleman....

MANDONNA!!!!!

Creepy

So summer has unofficially ended, but one thing hasnt changed. Ken Jennings is still creepy. Have you ever seen a more forced smile? It's like someone has their hand up his ass like a puppet.

ESPN & Spiedies

I was watching ESPN last night. ESPN is celebrating their 25th anniversary, so they were showcasing some of the highlights from the past 25 years. When they first started out, they couldnt afford to aire things like NFL football and NBA basketball, so they would aire all kinds of wacky things. One of which was remote control model airplane racing. I would SO watch that if they brought it back. Flight sims have been my new hobby, and I've been thinking of building a model airplane that could fly, so I would be way into that if they decided to bring it back. One other wacky moment was when Steve Levy reported that a football player had been playing all season with a bulging DICK, instead of disk in his neck. Not sure if it was the teleprompter guy playing a joke, or just a Freudian slip, bit either way its funny.

A co-worker of mine grew up in central NY. It amazes me that we grew up in the same state, but things are so different. He's always talking about spiedies. I asked him what was in it, and it almost sounded like this marinade my mom uses on chicken which she calls "Amaugia". It decided to try it on Sunday and man was it delicious. We tried it on beed and chicken and it tasted great on both. We didn't eat it the traditional way, which is where you take a slice of italian bread and wrap up the pieces of meat inside the bread. We just ate the meat by itself with a salad and potatoes. I think it may even be ok for those on the SB diet. It has white wine, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, oregeno, and basil in it. We marinated the beef for 2 days and the chicken for about 8 hours. Very delicious.

Weekend Wrapup

It's been a little while since I last updated my blog. Sometimes I get a little bored with it, sometimes I get a little overwhelmed with other things, this time I was just a little lazy.

So Rachel's parents have gone on the South Beach diet. So the other day Rachel opens her trunk and there are bags and bags of groceries. So I said to her "oh you went food shopping", and she said no this is all stuff my parents can't eat anymore. Some of it was healthy stuff, like corn nibblets, but it was mostly bags of chips, and a shitload of candy. I have a real sweet tooth, so I have to be careful with that.

Last THursday we had a company bowling tournament. Originally I didn't sign up for it because I haven't bowled in over a year. But they sent out an e-mail last Monday that said there were still spots available. So I signed up. Each team had 5 people on it. My team consisited of 4 people who work in the operations center with me. The tournament was to begin at 1:00. 1:15 turns around and we hadn't started yet, and we were still missing one person on our team. He wasn't due to work that day, and he lives out near where I do about 30 miles from the office. So I sort of figured he was a no show. Well we start and set Paul (missing guy) as our last bowler. He shows up just as his name comes up on the screen to bowl. And damn were we lucky he showed up. Despite me having the best bowling score I've ever had (177 in the 1st game), Paul still beat me with a 184. We were both on fire. I bowled 5 strikes in the 1st game. Overall we did pretty well. We ended up coming in 4th place overall, we missed out on 3rd place by 15 pins. The top 3 teams got trophies, so we just missed out. Since winning a bowling trophie is on my list of things to do before I die list, I would have really liked one. Next year, we are going to recruit a few players and try to finish in one of the top 3 spots.

On Sunday Rachel and I spent a nice lazy day. We woke up around 11:00AM, had some breakfast and began watching some DVD movies. 1st we watched Miracle, the story of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team. A very inspiring story, it sort of reminded me of Rocky IV when Rocky fought Ivan Drago. The 2nd movie we watched was Second Hand Lions. Now this was a great movie. It was everything that Big Fish should have been. Big Fish really disapointed me when I saw it. I read Big Fish, and thought it had so much potential, but it just didn't do it for me in movie form. Second Hand Lions had one of my favorite actors, Robert Duval in it. And ol' Bobby didn't disapoint me one bit in this movie. He played a very low key, heroic, spirited older man. I found the movie to be very inspiring. Even though I saw more of myself in the Michael Caine character, I really enjoyed the role Robert Duval played. The movie featured a phrase that I can really relate to. They referred to men who died with their "boots on". I think thats what scares me most about growing old. I realize I'm going to die like everyone else, I just don't want to die of a long, painful, debilitating disease. I want to go out with my "boots on".

Lastly, one of my favorite new TV shows is Rescue Me. I had falled about 3 weeks behind watching it, so I tried to catch up with a few episodes this past weekend. I got around to watching this one episode that just had me rolling. On the show Dennis Miller's character gets a call from his brother saying that their mom called and she doesn't know where their dad is. So Dennis Leary goes out looking for his dad. He shows up at his uncle house and there is all this loud hip hop music playing. It almost sounded like House of Pain. He peaks in the front window and sees his uncle, played by Lenny Clark , dancing around in his boxers. Now if you know who Lenny Clark is, you can just imagine how funny that was. At one point Dennis Leary is pounding on the door yelling to try to get his uncles attention. His uncle pauses for a second like he hears something, so you assume he's going to go answer the door. But no he just starts dancing again.

Finally Dennis Leary makes his way into his uncles house where he finds his dad, along with 2 hookers. He takes his dad into the other room and asks what they hell they are up to. His uncle is totally unphased by this ad keeps asking Dennis Leary if he wants a shooter. He then opens up a mini fridge full of tiny liquor bottles. Then he walks over to a table full of pills and asks Dennis Leary if he wants some Viagra. Or how about this one here, it's the one Mike Ditka uses. When I take it, it makes my cock thicker. I almost fell on the floor when he said that. Between his Boston accent and the line itself, it just killed me!!!