Fall Grades Are In...

• Operating Systems - C
• Object-Oriented Design and Implementation - A
• Intro to Advanced Math - C
• Technical Writing - B
• Beginning Golf - A

So there you have it. All in all it is pretty much what I was expecting. The math class I took ending up being pretty brutal. I would guess that there were as many people who didn't pass it as those who did. The B in Technical Writing is a bit of a burn, but that Prof was such a loon that who knows what was going through her head when she was grading my final. Having a couple retards who couldn't drag their butts to class in my presentation group ended up costing me too. Bottom line; this semester was all about surviving. It dropped my overall Texas State GPA from 3.44 to 3.24, but I should be able to finish strong in the Spring and get the you know what out of there. No offense San Marcos...

Not that you'd be able to notice...

Barring something major I won't be posting here again until this semester ends. See title...

24 Is Out For Redmption...

Apparently Tony Almeida is immortal. And not a very nice guy...

See, I Told You I'm Alive...

I can't believe how long I have gone without posting on here. Well, actually I totally can. I have been pretty swamped lately between school, work, and the usual day-to-day nonsense of life. To go along with that, pretty much any energy to blog that I've been able to muster has gone into TOFTT which has also suffered some the last couple of weeks unfortunately. I should probably try to find a couple more contributors for there, but I have other things concerning that blog that I need to tend to first.

I can happily say that I picked up a XBox 360 a couple weeks ago thanks to some sucker on craigslist who was moving and didn't want to take it with him. I had been more than prepared to hold off on picking up a new console until I was done with school, but then this came along:


All I will say is that NHL 08 is well worth investing in a new console for. It's pretty much hands down the best hockey game ever. If FIFA 08 can fall somewhere between the quality of FIFA 07 on the PS2 and NHL 08 on the 360 I will be a very happy man.

As far as school goes, this semester shouldn't be too bad. My Operating Systems class is pretty hard but everything else seems to be more than manageable. At this point, passing OS and A's in everything else would suit me just fine. Then just 3 more CS classes in the spring and I'm done! I think things are really going to start happening fast, which is both a good and a bad thing. As always though, I'll get it all done and move on to the next thing that comes along.

Funny how these things happen...

I just realized that I didn't make a single post on here in July. I guess I shouldn't be too shocked since all of my writing efforts have been focused here, but it's still something I need to rectify.

The Summer of Contentment!

I just have to say that, all in all, this summer is going pretty well. I don't know exactly why I am feeling so satisfied with life right now, but I am. It must be the little things...

My job is a touch on the boring side right now until I my next big project can get going and the class I'm taking this summer has turned out to be retarded at best. And it has been raining for the last 5 months (or so it would seem). None of that is going to get me down though.

I have the greatest family ever with three hilarious kids and an awesome wife. I have a stable job with a boss that laments that I won't work for her forever. I am nearing the end of the road with school and I am getting a newfound burst of motivation that I think I'll be able to ride until May. And I'm just content with life. I don't know how else to say it, things are just good right now, or at least that's what I have convinced myself. And that's good enough for me.

History Lesson: Why am I The Loser?

I have been asked a few times since renaming this blog (from whatever it used to be...) why I call myself a loser. First off let's be clear, I call myself The Loser. As for why...

I take you back to the fall of 2003, it was my first year in the RRFFL (a.k.a. Round Rock Fantasy Football League). Coming out of the draft I was very happy with my team and really liked my chances to win the league. Well things went about as poorly as possible and were only compounded by a stupid desperation trade that I made at mid-season. I only ended up winning two games and tied for the worst record in the league. Fast-forward a year and I found myself in a similar situation a couple weeks into the 2004 season. Resorting to the ever popular weapon of a fantasy team name change The Madden Curse quickly became Born to Lose. My team immediately got hot and I only missed winning the title thanks to a Shaun Alexander goal line fumble on the first week of our playoffs (yes, it's scary that I remember these things). Somewhere along the way during all the message board battles Born to Lose was affectionately shortened to B2L. And the rest as they say is history.

Ever since that season almost all of my fantasy teams have had some form of lose or loser in their name. Some of these teams include Lose Big or Go Home!, Lucky in Lose, Mighty Red Losers, Lone Star Losers, el Losero, and Losers for Life. This pattern/superstition has led to an amazing run in my fantasy fortunes. Since the B2L revolution began, my fantasy baseball team Loveable Losers in 2005 is the only team to not finish in the top 3. As for the RRFFL, I took the title in dominating fashion in 2005 with B2L 2k5 and then pulled off the repeat in 2006 with e=B2L (best name ever!). The 2006 triumph was especially sweet since I regularly blew away my opponents despite wearing the defending champ bullseye and having the whole league out to get me. I have also won back-to-back titles in my other fantasy football league as well. Another moment of Loser bliss was in 2005 when I pulled off the fantasy treble. I won my football, baseball, and hockey leagues that year.

So the reality is that I wear the Loser label as a badge of pride. The name has done me well and I don't plan on hanging it up. As we speak Lose on First has a relatively comfortable lead in my fantasy baseball league. And the best part of this whole story for other fantasy players is I've gone into retirement from fantasy football. I don't think it will be permanent, but I definitely won't be playing this year. I have to admit, it's kind of nice going out on top.

Book Review: The Children of Hurin

Let's get one thing clear right from the start here... it's hard not to be impressed when a guy who has been dead for over thirty years writes anything, let alone a book this good. Now that we have that out of the way...

This book will obviously appeal largely to Lord of the Rings fans, but they might not get what they are looking for. That's not to imply that they won't be happy with what they get, they are just very different books. One of Tolkien's greatest abilities has always been to adapt his writing style to suit his desire and the mood of the tale (I still have a hard time believing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were both written by the same person). Well The Children of Hurin is no different in that regard.

While The Lord of the Rings was a story of clinging to hope in the face of seemingly unavoidable doom, The Children of Hurin is a tale of an inescapable curse despite moments of triumph. The Children of Hurin revolves mainly around Turin, the son of the titular hero Hurin. After Hurin is captured by the dark lord Morgoth (Sauron's old boss for you Rings fans) his bloodline is cursed and he is bound to a mountaintop where he is forced to witness the curse play out on Turin and his daughter Nienor, who was at that time still unborn.

Most of the book follows Turin as he travels throughout Middle Earth trying to fight back the ever growing forces of Morgoth. Raised for the most part by the elves of Doriath, Turin is a mighty warrior and has many triumphs against Morgoth's minions, but there is a shadow that follows him wherever he travels and Turin's life is one filled with great sorrow. During this time Turin meets in battle and eventually defeats the great dragon Glaurung (one of the most purely evil characters ever), but it is the encounter with Glaurung that ultimately leads to Turin's undoing and the culmination of the curse on the children of Hurin.

I won't go into any more detail because I highly encourage you to read the book for yourself and don't want to give anything away. It is pretty accessible for a Tolkien work and there is even a comprehensive list of names in the appendices in case you lose track of someone or something. This is a good thing since, much like roads in Texas, everything and everyone in Middle Earth seems to have three or four names at least. Turin alone renames himself a number of times as he tries to flee from his past over the course of the book.

Bottom Line: This is an excellent book that is a must read for Tolkien fans. I would also recommend it to anyone looking for a rich piece of fiction to get lost in for a week or two. It's a pretty quick read so you really have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. I could honestly see myself reading The Children of Hurin on an annual basis. If that's not praise enough for a book than I don't know what is.

So this is what the other side of the hill looks like!

I'm back! I'm sure you missed me... right? Someone? Anyway, let's get caught up shall we:

• I turned 30 on Tuesday. I can honestly say that it was no biggie at all. I felt much more like an "old man" on my 20th birthday than I did this time. So I'm 30, life goes on.
• My break is over and I am back in school for 5 weeks as I take Software Engineering this summer. It shouldn't be that bad as long as the other two guys in my group carry their weight on our project. Then I'll have almost 2 months off to recharge (and work on my correspondence course) before fall semester starts and I get my lunch handed to me.
• Most of my break was spent writhing in pain as I managed to come down with some random virus that made me feel like crap and randomly attacked my joints in a very painful manner. And that is coming from someone with a history of joint "issues".
• At least I have this to show for the break. Going forward pretty much any sports related writing/posting that I do will go there. So if you're interested, check it out, and if you aren't then don't (be that way!)

I'm sure there are other things I should be including here, but I can't think of them at the moment. I hope to be posting more regularly now that I'm back on a consistent schedule, but we'll just have to see how that goes.

Spring grades are in...

• Computer Ethics - A
• Discrete Math 2 - A
• Fundamentals of Technology - C
• Historical Geology - B

All in all I can't complain. I dug myself such a huge hole on the first quiz in Fundamentals that a C was pretty much the best case scenario. The B in Geology was a nice twist since I just wanted to get through that class alive and with a C.

So on that note... let's kick it!

Spring semester is finally over!

Well, I'm out of school for almost a month. This semester seemed like it was never going to end and I am all too happy to put it behind me.

A more comprehensive post is forthcoming...

Hi, remember me?

So I'm at work right now. Ainsley is here with me because it's take your kid to work day and I'm a nice Dad so put two and two together...

What child labor laws?

I don't get paid enough for this.

Kaylee was supposed to come but bailed at the last minute. Ainsley, to her credit, was quick to jump on a way to get out of going to school for a day. That's my girl!

I'll post to explain my prolonged absence from here soon.

Well my laziness paid off!

For the past couple of weeks I have been all set to write a rant about how lame 24 has been this season. Well I would be eating crow big time right now if I had because season 6 just saved itself... Jack is off to fight China!

Although my prediction of Audrey dying is now back in the pending file, this is an excellent development that has completely revived the show for me. Hopefully the last 7 episodes will concentrate on Jack taking out two years of frustration on helpless Chinese people and not worry about whatever Wayne Palmer's problem of the hour is. Happy days are here again!

Wednesday is going to be a long day.

Here's the breakdown:

• Liverpool plays the home leg of their Champions League quarterfinal with PSV Eindhoven. Not a huge deal since they're up big thanks to their 3-0 away win, but it's still the Champions League none the less.
• The Penguins open their playoff series against Ottawa (my least favorite team for the next two weeks). First playoff game for the Pens since 2001 when The Moose made believers of us all.
• I register for Fall semester.
• I have a Geology lab quiz. I kinda sorta care.

My head may explode at some point during the day.

And exhale...

I just got out of my latest "quiz" for Fundamentals of Technology. All in all I think it went well. I'm hoping for another B. Then I just have to nail the final and keep on keepin' on in the lab. My life would be so much easier if I hadn't bombed that first quiz. Oh well, life goes on.

All stations, report in!

Okay, so the fallout from my pre/post Spring Break barrage of major assignments has settled. Here's the breakdown:

Geology:
-Test: 84/100 (just need to pass this class, no need to show off)

Computer Ethics:
- Mid-Term: 89/100
- Presentation: 100/100

Fundamentals of Technology:
- "Quiz": 81/100 (that's solid for that class. 3rd highest grade in the class.)
- Lab Mid-Term: 85/100 (this lab is a mess!)

Discrete Math 2:
- Mid-Term: 87/100 (he's letting us hand in corrections, so it will be a 92.)

All in all things turned out well. Fundamentals class is the only one I really need to worry about since I bombed the first quiz so bad. Everything else is under control.

A nice stroll through Holland

The Champions League quarter-finals got under way yesterday and the Reds came out flying. Hot off their trouncing of Arsenal, Liverpool took it to PSV Eindhoven from the get go and took an early lead thanks to a Steven Gerrard header from inside the box.

It's Superman!

John-Arne Riise would add a goal off a poor clearing attempt by the PSV defense. And then it was time for Crouchy to strike! A brilliant header from Peter Crouch (compliments of a gorgeous Steve Finnan cross) put the Reds up by three.

Celebrate good times come on!

Liverpool now has one foot in the semis as PSV would have to beat them by four goals when the teams meet again at Anfield to advance. That just isn't going to happen.

Don't even think it.

Bring on the winner of Chelsea/Valencia!!!

Postpone those tee times!

Well it took me almost as long to post on the Pens making the playofss as it took them to do it, but after 6 long, painful years the Penguins are officially back in the chase for Lord Stanley's Cup!

They did it in the most fitting fashion too... a come from behind win over the Caps.

Don't forget your sand wedge Olie!

So the Pens are currently a point up in the division over the Devils thanks to their OT loss in Toronto tonight, but the Devils have a game in hand and an easier schedule down the stretch. I still think the boys can get it done though. Even if they don't, if you had told me in September that the Pens would have the inside track to the 2 seed in the East with a week to go in the season, I would have gladly taken it.

Things to note:

• The Pens have the best record in hockey since the All-Star break.
• The Pens have the best home record in the East.
• The Pens are arguably the toughest team in the league to play against right now.

Welcome back Croucher!

Liverpool had a huge tilt with Arsenal this afternoon (or morning for us Yanks), with 3rd place in the Premiership on the line. 3rd is more critical than ever with the new UEFA Pres. trying to change Champions League qualifying from the top 4 to the top 3. But I digress...

Peter Crouch, back in the lineup after surgery to repair his broken nose, scored just 4 minutes in thanks to some nice work in the corner between Pennant and Arbeola. Crouchy added another before the half ended. Daniel Agger put in a nice header in the second half before Arsenal finally got one by Pepe Reina. And then it happened...

Suck it Gunners!

Now the team is off to Eindhoven for their Champions League tie on Tuesday. But not before Rafa met with Hicks and Gillett this evening to tell them how he is going to spend their money this summer.

Odds and ends...

So I am smack in the middle of mid-terms this week (3 down, 1 to go) which is why I still haven't gotten back to posting much. I had a pretty solid day though so I figured I'd give it a go.

• I spent pretty much my entire work day today watching my boss go over my last 3 (or so) months of work with a fine toothed comb (and sharp, red pen) only to have her come to the conclusion that it more or less rocked the house. At which point she informed me that I am never allowed to leave her. So yeah, I'll get right to work on my new book "How to Survive Working Only 22 Hours A Week" as soon as this semester ends.
• So far mid-terms have been pretty solid. Saturday is the one I really need to nail though. Keep the faith!
• My new Gerrard jersey arrived in the mail today... good times!
• I was again unable to get school to waive my second PE unit, so it appears that I will be taking Beginning Golf in the Fall. FORE!
• Finally, if this doesn't bring a smile to your face nothing will. YNWA!!!
  

24: How stupid do they think we are?

So the batteries on my Official Jack Bauer Suspension of Disbelief Emitter ran out this week and here's what I came up with:

• If it's 6:30pm in L.A. it is 7:30am in Omsk, Russia... I somehow doubt that the Russian President's wife would be giving a speech at 7:30 in the morning. Call me crazy.
• There is no way Wayne Palmer would have Powers Boothe as his VP! Especially after David Palmer had the power hungry VP in season 2. Nevermind that Powers Boothe only plays bad guys. Didn't Wayne see Sudden Death? Didn't that play into his decision?
• After doing some rough math I've determined the most conservative estimate still puts Jack in his late 40's. Realistically he's probably at least 50. Not to mention the fact that he has a little wear and tear on those old bones. Is this really the guy we want the fate of our country depending on? Can they reanimate Curtis or something?

The truly sad part is... these are the kinds of thoughts that go through my head. A little sad, yes?

Victory at last!

Just another manic Monday!

So Chris, how was your day?

Well:

• Some dopey lady rear-ended me on my way to work. I guess her lame conversation with her three dopey lady passengers was more important than not running me over. Damage is minimal and she seems to be being pretty cool about the whole thing.
• I got a 69 on my Geology quiz. That's actually not a bad thing. You'll have to trust me on that one...
• Mario sent out a letter effectively telling local PA officials that they had better put together a real proposal like yesterday, or they can start saving up for their new Kansas City Penguins jerseys.
  
• Draft status on Fantasy Baseball was set to Ready!!! Fantasy Baseball, this time it's Roto!

So yeah, happy Monday to all. On the positive side of things, I'm telecommuting tomorrow. Yay...

200 reasons why Wayne can suck it!

It has begun... The Kid has started his assault on Wayne's records. And it's gonna get worse for The Gambler before it gets better.

The picture above pretty much says it all. The guy in charge of the big NHL record book had better get used to erasing Gretzky and writing in Crosby. Maybe it has a search and replace feature or something. In any event, any day that makes Wayne a little less special is a good day.

"Man do I suck..."

Meet your new Pens!

There's nothing like trade deadline day in the NHL to get the blood flowing. The Penguins were arguably the most active team and for once weren't just dumping salaries. Here's the breakdown...

We got:

• Gary Roberts - LW
• EDIT: Gary Roberts is going to be wearing number 10... JERK!!
  
• "Big" Georges Laraque!!! - LW/Muscle
  
• Nolan Schaefer - G
• Joel Kwiatkowski - D
• Minnesota's 2007 3rd round pick

We gave up:

• Dominic Moore - C
• Danny Carcillo - W/undersized goon
• Noah Welch - D
• 2007 4th round pick
• 2007 7th round pick
• 2008 3rd round pick

My commentary:

• I'm not a big Gary Roberts guy, but if he can produce in the playoffs (assuming we make it) then I will be okay with him. He allegedly agreed to re-sign for next season too. I do think it was too early to give up on Welch, but we shall see.
• Losing Dom Moore hurts a little, but the other acquisitions gave us too many forwards plain and simple. Something had to give.
• I think Schaefer could end up being a huge get. I expect him to take over the backup role from Thibault next season and run with it. Just give us 15-20 quality starts.
• Freaking Georges Laraque!!! This makes it all worth it! I personally was not a part of the evergrowing group of people that felt the Pens needed an enforcer. But if you can bring in arguably the toughest guy in the NHL and he can actually play... I'm all for it.
• I was hoping for a top 4 defenseman and got nothing. I think that will come back to haunt us in the postseason. But if you told me in September that that would be my biggest complaint this season I would have taken that gladly.

Here's a little BGL in action:

Who has the coolest birthday?

So I was checking out all of our birthdays on Wikipedia just to see what kind of cool things went on on those dates. Some pretty cool stuff. I'll let you see for yourself and then you can decide who has the "coolest" birthday. I'd highly encourage you to look this stuff all up on Wiki if you have the time. Be careful though, you can get sucked into that thing pretty fast.

Ainsley – January 18:
Events
* 336 - Marcus elected Catholic Pope.
* 1778 - James Cook is the first known European to discover the Hawaiian Islands, which he names the "Sandwich Islands."
* 1788 - The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from England to Australia arrives at Botany Bay.
* 1827 - Joseph Smith, Jr. marries Emma Hale.
* 1886 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. * 1896 - The X-ray machine is exhibited for the first time. [Sadly, lead underwear was still months away from production.]
* 1903 - Theodore Roosevelt, the President of the United States, sends a message of greetings from a Marconi station built near Wellfleet, Massachusetts to King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, marking the first transatlantic radio transmission originating in the United States.
* 1911 - Eugene B. Ely lands on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania stationed in San Francisco harbor, marking the first time an aircraft landed on a ship.
* 1919 - World War I: The Paris Peace Conference opens in Versailles, France. Ignacy Jan Paderewski becomes Prime Minister of the newly independent Poland.
* 1943 - Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: The first uprising of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.
* 1944 - Soviet forces liberate Leningrad, effectively ending a three year Nazi siege, known as the Siege of Leningrad.
* 1958 - Willie O'Ree, the first African American National Hockey League player, makes his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins.
* 1964 - Plans are revealed for the World Trade Center in New York City.
* 1964 - The Beatles appear on the Billboard magazine charts for the first time.
* 1974 - The Six Million Dollar Man debuts on ABC. * 1975 - The Jeffersons debuts on CBS.
* 1983 - The International Olympic Committee restores Jim Thorpe Olympic medals to his family.
* 1990 - Washington, DC, Mayor Marion Barry is arrested for drug possession in an FBI sting.
* 1993 - For the first time, Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is officially observed in all 50 United States states.
Births
* 1782 - Daniel Webster, American statesman (d. 1852)
* 1813 - Joseph Glidden, American farmer who patented barbed wire (d. 1906)
* 1849 - Edmund Barton, 1st Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1920)
* 1882 - A. A. Milne, English author (d. 1956)
* 1892 - Oliver Hardy, American comedian and actor (d. 1957)
* 1901 - Ivan Petrovsky, Russian mathematician (d. 1973)
* 1904 - Cary Grant, English actor (d. 1986)
* 1922 - Bob Bell a.k.a. Bozo the Clown, American clown (d. 1997)
* 1933 - Ray Dolby, American inventor (Dolby noise reduction system)
* 1938 - Curt Flood, baseball player (d. 1997)
* 1955 - Kevin Costner, American actor [Can't win 'em all Ainsley]
* 1961 - Mark Messier, Canadian hockey player
* 1970 - DJ Quik, American rapper
* 1971 - Christian Fittipaldi, Brazilian race car driver
* 1979 - Brian Gionta, American! professional hockey player
* 1980 - Julius Peppers, American football player

Kaylee – February 24:
Events
* 1803 - The Supreme Court of the United States, in Marbury v. Madison, establishes the principle of judicial review.
* 1839 - William Otis receives a patent for the steam shovel.
* 1868 - The first parade to have floats is staged at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana.
* 1868 - Andrew Johnson becomes the first President of the United States to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives. He is later acquitted in the Senate.
* 1909 - The Hudson Motor Car Company is founded.
* 1920 - The Nazi Party is founded.
* 1925 - A thermite (magnesium) bomb is used for the first time to break up a 250,000-ton ice jam clogging the St. Lawrence River near Waddington, New York.
* 1946 - Juan Perón is elected president of Argentina. [Don't cry for him Argentina]
* 1970 - National Public Radio is founded in the United States.
* 1975 - Hard rock band Led Zeppelin release the classic double album Physical Graffiti.
* 1983 - A special commission of the U.S. Congress releases a report that condemns the practice of Japanese internment during World War II. [How big of them.]
* 1989 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini offers a USD $3 million bounty for the death of The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie.
* 1989 - United Airlines Flight 811, bound for New Zealand from Honolulu, Hawaii, rips open during flight, sucking 9 passengers out of the business-class section.
* 2002 - The Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah end.
Births
* 1500 - Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1558)
* 1557 - Mathias, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1619)
* 1709 - Jacques de Vaucanson, French inventor (d. 1782) [the man invented the robot!!!]
* 1874 - Honus Wagner, American baseball player (d. 1955)
* 1885 - Chester Nimitz, U.S. admiral (d. 1966)
* 1921 - Abe Vigoda, American actor
* 1938 - Phil Knight, American sportswear manufacturer
* 1943 - Terry Semel, chairman and CEO of Yahoo!
* 1943 - George Harrison, English songwriter, guitarist and member of the Beatles (d. 2001)
* 1947 - Edward James Olmos, American actor
* 1951 - Debra Jo Rupp, American actress
* 1955 - Steve Jobs, American computer pioneer
* 1955 - Alain Prost, French race car driver
* 1956 - Eddie Murray, American baseball player
* 1963 - Mike Vernon, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1970 - Jeff Garcia, American football player [if it looks like a rat…]
* 1971 - Brian Savage, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1972 - Manon Rhéaume, Canadian female ice hockey player
* 1973 - Alexei Kovalev, Russian ice hockey player
* 1977 - Floyd Mayweather Jr, American boxer
* 1977 - Bronson Arroyo, American baseball player

Chris – June 5:
Events
* 70 - Titus and his Roman legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem.
* 1851 - Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery serial, Uncle Tom's Cabin or, Life Among the Lowly starts a ten-month run in the National Era abolitionist newspaper.
* 1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Piedmont: Union forces under General David Hunter defeat a Confederate army at Piedmont, Virginia, taking nearly 1,000 prisoners. [no word on how many were UT grads]
* 1917 - World War I: Conscription begins in the United States as "Army registration day."
* 1924 - Ernst Alexanderson sends the first facsimile across the Atlantic Ocean (to his father in Sweden). [the lengths kids go to in order to bum money...]
* 1933 - The U.S. Congress abrogates the United States' use of the gold standard by enacting a joint resolution (48 Stat. 112) nullifying the right of creditors to demand payment in gold.
* 1944 - World War II: The two largest invasion fleets heretofore in history sailed that morning on opposite sides of the world. Most of the ship were United States flagged vessels.
* 1944 - World War II: More than 1000 British bombers drop 5000 tons of bombs on German gun batteries on the Normandy coast in preparation for D-Day.
* 1944 - World War II: Rome liberated by the Allies
* 1945 - Allied Control Council, military occupation governing body of Germany, formally takes power.
* 1947 - Marshall Plan: At a speech at Harvard University, United States Secretary of State George Marshall calls for economic aid to war-torn Europe.
* 1956 - Elvis Presley introduces his new single, "Hound Dog", on The Milton Berle Show, scandalizing the audience with his suggestive hip movements.
* 1968 - U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California by Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan. Kennedy dies the next day.
* 1977 - The Apple II, the first practical personal computer, goes on sale.
* 1981 - The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that five homosexual men in Los Angeles, California have a rare form of pneumonia seen only in patients with weakened immune systems, in what turns out to be the first recognized cases of AIDS.
* 2001 - Tropical Storm Allison makes landfall on the upper-Texas coastline as a strong tropical storm and dumps large amounts of rain over Houston. The storm caused $5.5 billion in damages, making Allison the costliest tropical storm in U.S. history.
* 2002 - Mozilla 1.0, the first 'official' version, is released.
Births
* 1850 - Pat Garrett, American Western lawman (d. 1908)
* 1862 - Allvar Gullstrand, Swedish ophthalmologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1930) [I can see this post thanks to Allvar!]
* 1878 - Pancho Villa, Mexican revolutionary (d. 1923)
* 1919 - Richard Scarry, American children's author (d. 1994)
* 1920 - Cornelius Ryan, Irish-American author (d. 1974)
* 1925 - Art Donovan, American football star (d. 2006)
* 1934 - Bill Moyers, American journalist
* 1941 - Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots
* 1956 - Kenny G, American saxophonist [Guh!]
* 1965 – Bob Probert, Canadian hockey player [simply the best!]
* 1967 - Ray Lankford, baseball player
* 1968 - Ron Livingston, American actor
* 1969 - Brian McKnight, American musician
* 1970 - Martin Gelinas, Canadian hockey player
* 1971 - Mark Wahlberg, American singer and actor
* 1976 – Tory Holt, American football player
* 1983 - Marques Colston, American football player

Landon – July 30:
Events
* 1619 - In Jamestown, Virginia, the first representative assembly in the Americas, the House of Burgesses, convenes for the first time.
* 1729 - Baltimore, Maryland is founded.
* 1733 - First Freemasons lodge opened in what will become the United States.
* 1930 - In Montevideo, Uruguay win the first Football World Cup.
* 1932 - Walt Disney's Flowers and Trees, the first Academy Award winning cartoon and first cartoon short to use Technicolor, premieres.
* 1953 - Rikiduzan holds a ceremony announcing the establishment of the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance.
* 1954 - Elvis Presley makes his debut as a public performer.
* 1956 - A Joint resolution of the U.S. Congress is signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, authorizing "In God We Trust" as the U.S. national motto.
* 1965 - US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Act of 1965 into law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid.
* 1974 - Watergate Scandal: US President Richard M. Nixon releases subpoenaed White House recordings after being ordered to do so by the United States Supreme Court. [But he's not a crook!]
* 1975 - Jimmy Hoffa disappears from the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, at about 2:30 p.m. He is never seen or heard from again. [A crime in Detroit? Get outta here!]
* 1990 - The first Saturn automobile rolls off the assembly line.
* 2002 - Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie became the first woman to dunk in a WNBA league basketball game. [Booyah!]
* 2003 - 490,000 Rock Fans attend Sarsfest concert at Downsview Park in Toronto, Canada, Headlined by The Rolling Stones, AC/DC Rush, The Tea Party, and 12 other major rock acts. Births
* 1863 - Henry Ford, American industrialist (d. 1947)
* 1890 - Casey Stengel, American baseball manager (d. 1975)
* 1934 - Bud Selig, baseball commissioner
* 1936 - Buddy Guy, American guitarist and singer
* 1947 - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian-born American actor, body builder, and Governor of California [womanizer]
* 1948 - Jean Reno, Moroccan-born French actor
* 1960 - Richard Linklater, American director
* 1961 - Laurence Fishburne, American actor
* 1963 - Lisa Kudrow, American actress
* 1963 - Chris Mullin, professional basketball player
* 1964 - Jürgen Klinsmann, German football manager
* 1971 - Tom Green, Canadian comedian and actor
* 1971 - Christine Taylor, American actress
* 1973 - Markus Naslund, Swedish ice hockey player
* 1974 - Hilary Swank, American actress

Christa – November 18:
Events
* 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land, begins.
* 1307 - According to legend, William Tell shoots an apple off his son's head.
* 1477 - William Caxton produces Dictes or Sayengis of the Philosophres, the first book printed on a printing press in England.
* 1865 - Mark Twain's story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is published in the New York Saturday Press.
* 1883 - American and Canadian railroads institute five standard continental time zones, ending the confusion of thousands of local times.
* 1916 - World War I: First Battle of the Somme ends - In France, British Expeditionary Force commander Douglas Haig calls off the battle which started on July 1, 1916.
* 1918 - Latvia declares its independence from Russia.
* 1928 - Release of the animated short Steamboat Willie, the first fully synchronized sound cartoon, directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, featuring the second appearances of cartoon stars Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
* 1943 - World War II: Battle of Berlin (air), 440 Royal Air Force planes bomb Berlin causing only light damage and killing 131. The RAF lost nine aircraft and 53 air crew.
* 1943 - Holocaust: Aktion Emtefest: Nazis liquidate Janowska concentration camp in Lviv, western Ukraine, murdering at least 6.000 surviving Jews. German SS leader Fritz Katzman declares Lviv (Lemberg) to be Judenfrei (free from the Jews).
* 1978 - Jonestown incident: In Guyana, Jim Jones leads his Peoples Temple cult in a mass murder-suicide that claims 918 lives in all, 909 of them at Jonestown itself, including over 270 children.
* 1999 - In College Station, Texas, 12 are killed and 27 injured at Texas A&M University when a huge bonfire under construction collapses.
* 2001 - Luigi's Mansion makes its launch for the Nintendo Gamecube introducing two new characters: E. Gadd and King Boo [The Gadd family tree would never be the same!]
Births
* 1923 - Alan Shepard, American astronaut (d. 1998)
* 1948 - Jack Tatum, American football player
* 1953 - Alan Moore, British comic book writer and novelist
* 1956 - Warren Moon, American football player
* 1962 - Kirk Hammett, American guitarist (Metallica)
* 1963 - Len Bias, American basketball player (d. 1986)
* 1967 - Jocelyn Lemieux, National Hockey League player [Made the list of top 3 NHL Lemieux's for the 1990's]
* 1968 - Gary Sheffield, baseball player
* 1968 - Owen Wilson, American actor [The Owen WIlson face was born just a few days later.]
* 1969 - Sam Cassell, American basketball player
* 1970 - Peta Wilson, Australian actress
* 1975 - David Ortiz, Dominican Major League Baseball player
* 1983 - Jon Johansen, Norwegian software developer

I was pretty happy with my own birthday until I saw Kenny G. I still think Bob Probert and the Allied Invasion of France overcome that.

The lows of higher education...

So this week ended with all the excitement of a big, flaming turd! The fall schedule for school came out and it was less than good. As it stands now I am going to be taking classes this summer after all so that I can put myself in a comfortable position to still graduate next spring. The upside is that next spring semester will be pretty light/easy.

If that wasn't enough, I also totally tanked my Fundamentals of Technology quiz. I knew I made a bunch of dumb mistakes, but man... My professor also made it abundantly clear that he's not really into partial credit, to put it mildly. I won't tell you my exact score because I don't want to be come just a number in your eyes. Just take my word for it that it wasn't pretty.

I guess my dramatic re-commitment to school came a week too late. Overall I feel like school gave me the Peter Crouch treatment this week.

What do you mean summer school?

On the bright side, Michel Therrien is doing everything he can to create a full-blown goalie controversy in Pittsburgh. Oh wait, that's bad too... At least Amazing Race is on tonight. Either the bald guys or the coal miners are outta here!

Rafa's not playing for the draw!

When people use the phrase "best case scenario" in the near future, today's Champions League match between Liverpool and Barcelona should get a mandatory mention. Liverpool headed into Nou Camp wanting a win, but knowing that a draw would serve them just fine heading back to Anfield for the second leg. Well, the boys pulled out a huge 2-1 victory in very ironic fashion...

Earlier in the week a story came out that Craig Bellamy attacked John Arne Riise with a golf club in the middle of the night because he wouldn't throw down in a karaoke contest a few hours earlier. The team was pretty quiet about the incident (never denying it), but the media took the story and ran with it. There was even a story posted less than 24 hours before the game that the team plans to sell Bellamy over the summer (and they still may).

Surprisingly, Bellamy got the start today against Barca and he made the most of it. He scored just minutes before the half to send the boys into the break tied at 1. Apparently he even celebrated his goal with a mock golf swing. Stay classy Craig! If that wasn't enough, Bellamy then set up, naturally, Riise for the eventual winning goal with about 15 minutes left in the match.

Suck on it Barca!

This puts the Reds in great shape heading home for the second leg on March 6th. As good as they are at Anfield, the boys should definitely be able to lock up a trip into the round of 8. This was such a great win it even takes some of the sting out of Liverpool falling out of the hunt for the Premiership title.

Pick up skate wrap up

So I managed to skate for 2 whole hours without having a heart attack or getting maimed. I had no legs at all though. I was understandably rusty, but I made some decent plays and managed to put a few pucks in the net. My shooting accuracy was actually better than I expected, even though my sticks felt pretty dead. Maybe I'll have to spring for a nice $200 composite stick...

The older guys there were all pretty cool. We all got a kick out of watching the hot shot teenagers strut their stuff. One of the guys on my team told me that you "totally can't tell" that I hadn't played in 7 years. I'm pretty sure that was a compliment. Another guy told me I look like a cross of Sergei Zubov and Darryl Sydor. Well, at least I've got that going for me...

My two dads?

All in all it was a good time though. I'm looking forward to going back. I can't wait until my hands and my legs catch back up with my head. It'll be like the mid-90's all over again!

Keeping my head on a swivel!

I'm going to play pick-up roller hockey tonight. I'm finally dragging my butt out to do it after planning to for a couple months. It should be interesting considering I haven't played in like 6 years. Can't wait to see how sore I am tomorrow morning...

Ushering in a new era in Texas athletic excellence...

So Christa and I somehow got roped into coaching Ainsley's soccer team. It's not that big of a deal except that since I have class on Saturdays I will probably make it to somewhere around zero of the games. Still, it should be fun though. Any excuse to get out and kick the ball around for a little bit is just fine with me.

24: The world is full of retards!

Let's get right to it:

• Morris is a bum. How could he give the terrorists a working detonator when he knew Jack was right outside? I mean, he'd already been drilled once, what's another hole or two in the grand scheme of things.
• Jack's sister-in-law/former flame is a bum. She let's him waltz right into a trap and doesn't give up his evil dad just to protect her dopey, ninja son.
• CTU is a joke. They'll let just about anyone wander through that place freely. I mean really, how is Jack's dad not a suspect after all that has gone on? I'm convinced at some point we'll see a 4th grade field trip passing through CTU during a crisis.
• Our government sucks. Can they all stop trying to stab each other in the back long enough to keep me from getting nuked? I mean honestly, throw me a bone here!
• On the plus side, pretty soon Jack will be fighting Russians... it's like the 80's all over again! I can't wait.
• Oh, and 24 is so much better without commercials it's not even funny.
  

Oh and the Penguins won again last night. This is getting to be ridiculous.

This is getting to be like Groundhog Day!

Well the Pens have done it again. Shaking off their OT loss the Montreal, the Penguins rebounded by beating the top team in the NHL 4-1. I have to tell you, I could not be more in love with this team unless I was on it. Hopefully Shero will add a top 4 defenseman before the deadline. Even if he doesn't though, with Flower playing the way he is and the Sid Show at the other end... this is a team I would not want to face in the playoffs (yes, I said the P-word!)

Insert Stanley Cup here!

Is that Mack Brown on the phone?

So Landon had his 6 month well check this week and, as we already knew, he is huge! Here's the stat line:

• 75th percentile in height
• 85th percentile in weight
• 95th percentile in head size

insidetexas.com already has Lanny penciled in as the starting Left Tackle for the 2024 Longhorns. That scholarship will come in handy too since tuition will probably be over $20,000 per semester by then.

I can handle more days like this...

• My math class was cancelled so I had no school tonight.
• Liverpool beat West Ham 2-1 to pull within 2 points of 2nd place Chelsea on the table. Peter Crouch had a goal and an assist to celebrate his 26th birthday.
• The Penguins beat Florida 3-0 to run their record to 6-0-1 in their last 7 games. Another dominating performance by Flower. And there's word of them acquiring some veteran defensive help before the trade dealine. This team could make a run...

Flower shuts the door on the Panthers

YouTube-a-palooza!

Enjoy...

Pens vs. Stars


Ruutu vs. Robidas


Yo Gabba Gabba!


Top 10 Jagr goals

What $3.05 can get you on ebay (plus shipping)

My Genesis library is starting to round into shape with the recent addition of the following:

Cyberball

FIFA International Soccer

Galaxy Force 2
(to this day I regret buying Desert Strike instead of this one day at the mall.)

John Madden Football '92

Speedball 2

Sports Talk Baseball

And I only had to drive for 6 hours!

So I went to the Penguins game in Dallas last night. What a freaking awesome game! The 1st period was a bit of a snooze-fest, but things quickly turned around in the 2nd after the Pens got on the board, compliments of Jordan Staal. Mark Recchi chipped in a pair of goals, including a power-play goal with about 8 minutes to play that tied it up. The goal was also the 500th of his career. Props to the Stars fans for giving the Wrackin' Ball a nice standing O. The game moved into OT, and the overtime period was INTENSE. Both teams had some chances, but the Stars definitely had quality opportunities to end it. They couldn't though and the Pens uncharacteristically won in a shootout, with their proud papas on hand to boot.

The Pens left quite an impression on the Stars.

The real story of the game in my opinion was Marc-Andre Fleury. If the Pens make the playoffs this season it will be because of him. That's not a knock on Sid or Geno, the Pens' defense is just that bad. Flower was killing the Stars all night and brought the fans out of their seats on a couple occasions. He got a couple lucky breaks too, but that's all part of the deal when things are going well. He also stopped all three shooters in the shootout to secure the extra point for the Penguins. That is especially noteworthy when you consider the Stars are one of the best shootout teams in the league.

Not this time Sergei!

All in all the game was more than worth the drive and the price of admission. Dallas has a nice arena and a fun area around it to eat and such. I'm looking forward to seeing the Pens there again when they come back... in 3 years :(

Mixed emotions...

I know I said that I don't want the Penguins to move, and I still don't, but ownership met with officials in Houston today. And this is after being presented with what Mario deemed an insulting arena offer from Pittsburgh officials. I really don't want the Pens to leave the 'Burgh, but if they are, PLEASE let it be to Houston!!!

Mega Post: It's been a long time coming...

Let's get right to it!

• I'm back in school for real now. The ice has all melted and I have officially attended every class exactly one time. yipee...
• The Pens killed Toronto 8-2 Saturday night to head into the All-Star break on a high. There next game is at Dallas, and yes I will be there. One word to describe me when I think about that... giddy.
• Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-0 at home on Saturday also to possibly ressurect their title hopes. At least they'll be well rested down the stretch since they are out of the FA Cup and Carling Cup. I'm mostly serious there.
• 24 is officially better on DVD. Not much happened tonight except that we learned that the rest of Jack's family is trying to take over the world. More or less...
• And finally, in what is some of the saddest news ever, Berkeley Iceland is closing down. California is just about dead to me at this point. I wish I had the means to fly back and skate there one last time.

Farewell Iceland, we hardly knew ye...

We have liftoff!

So after an ordeal that was too long and painful to detail here, I have a working Sega Genesis up and running. And I couldn't be happier. For years I proclaimed the Genesis to be my favorite all-time console, and the last 24 hours have done nothing to dampen that point of view. There's also just something nice about getting to play Sonic 2 and World of Illusion with your kids. Takes the Genesis legacy to a whole new level. It doesn't hurt when Sonic 2 is probably better than any game that came out last year with the exception of the new Zelda.

Gaming at its best?

Family fun for two!

Baby it's cold outside...

This is what our week has looked like. It stared out with heavy rain/flooding over the weekend and turned into three solid days of ice/sleet/snow. Schools have been closed all week which has meant no school for Ainsley and no school or work for me. Awesome indeed! Looks like it should be back to reality tomorrow though. Just in time for Ainsley's birthday.

Book Review: How Soccer Explains the World

So I finished Franklin Foer's How Soccer Explains the World today. It was a very good read and a very fresh take on globalization. A lot of the American mainstream media likes to crap all over soccer (and Foer addresses that), but it was nice to have a nice work that presents just how important soccer is around the world. Foer really did a great job with the book as he looked at a wide variety of topics ranging from English hooligans, to the state of soccer in Brazil, to the Italian elite, to how soccer is impacting Islam in Iran.

My only complaint with this book would be the chapter dealing with FC Barcelona. Foer immediately stated that he is a big Barca fanboy, but this chapter was still a little much. I'm sure Barca is great and all, but he was laying it on a little thick. I was waiting for him to tell us how the players all got together and cured cancer during half time of a big game.

All in all I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in soccer, or if you just want a refreshing and informative view of the world.

Day 6: 8am-10am

Here's my reaction to Monday night's episodes of 24:

• Curtis should have bought into the "less talk, more action" way of life. (And Jack can cry and barf all he wants, but from here on he'll always be the guy who killed Curtis.)
• Somebody nuked L.A. ... it's about time!
• Wayne Palmer learned the wrong lessons from his brother. "Oh sure, let's give the terrorists what they want!" Yeah, that always works out well.
• Sandra Palmer is a turd. And her boyfriend is up to something.
• I'm not buying the whole Milo is back thing. Where was he when the rest of them were getting blown up and gassed? What a fair-weathered worker. And he's just weird looking. He should start dating the Frankenstein looking guy from season 3.

Day 6: 6am - 8am

So what have we learned after 2 hours?

• Jack Bauer is part vampire.
• Chloe has a new partner in crime (and possibly a new partner).
• Buchanon married the Homeland Security chick, which means one of them must DIE.
• We have another President who doesn't think he's up to the task.
• Stabbing Jack Bauer in the spine does nothing.
• Even after being tortured for two solid years Jack Bauer was able to give himself a haircut better than any I have ever gotten... in 5 minutes!

All in all I have a good feeling about this season after the first two hours. I just hope Jack gets his taste for torture back. What was that "I can't do this anymore" crap all about Jack?!?

And the 7th day became Day 6!

So Season 6 of 24 starts tonight. Here are my predictions:

• Jack will brutally interogate a government employee.
• Mrs. Logan will still be crazy.
• Kim Bauer will still be an idiot.
  
• Wayne Palmer will be a better President than Logan, but not as good as his brother (the State Farm guy).
• Chloe will secretly do something against protocol to help Jack.
• Bill Buchanon, Audrey Raines, Chloe and/or Morris O'Brien, and Jack Bauer will all DIE!
• Something really important will blow up.
• Jack will kill more than 10 terrorists in a 3 minute span.
• There will be a mole within CTU.
• Jack will blow up China.

Obviously I went a little more out on a limb with some of these than others, but I wanted to have a couple gimmes to cover my you-know-what. Turn the phone off and enjoy kids... it's Bauer Time!!

This sucks...

I am still intent on making a legit post, but we're having network/router issues right now so I'm putting most of my computer energy into that at the moment. Sorry...

Sorry I've been neglecting you...

Substantial post(s?) coming soon...