Free Time About To Return

After this weekend my work schedule begins to ease up just a bit...which will be great to finally collect my thoughts more frequently...I hope...

Here's some quick thoughts:

Winter Olympics are over. I did watch a fair amount of coverage, mainly hockey but did see speed skating, bobsled, luge and even curling. The other countries probably amplified their stereotype of Americans with Bode Miller - not even medaling after being hyped up by himself and the media and of course the girl who tried to get cocky on the last jump of the snowboard snowcross event and wiped out after being so far ahead and losing the race...it is no wonder why people from other countries think we are all arrogant assholes...we had two athletes that did there best to exhibit that trait.

Speaking of winter... the forecast for my region is for it to start warming up....and not a day too soon! We still have plenty of snow on the ground and it's time for the thaw to at least get started...this winter has not been bad at all. Of course it still could take a nasty turn sometime before April, but odds of the temps getting into the 30's become more regular than irregular....

My 320 gig external hard drive is awesome. I am now on a quest to fill it up! I'm downloading tons of stuff in the night-time and my work hours... lots of music, movies and games!

Charger news, how could I forget... a big decision is going to be made here shortly on whether or not to keep Drew Brees. He of course is still recovering from a shoulder injury that happened in the last game. The big question is to whether or not to put the franchise tag on him again. I would like to see them try and negotiate a longer term deal out with him and then maybe move Rivers prior to the draft and pick up a backup QB in the draft. I would hate to see Brees be let go, Rivers stink and Brees continue to do well... but knowing the Chargers' track history, that is the likely course...

I Need More!

Over the weekend I ordered a 320 GB external hard drive. I have 130 gigs right now with less then 20 free... most are movies, games, shows, video clips, concerts and movies. Yes, I could be burning them onto disc, but then they get stored and when I'm looking for something I know I have, it sure is nice to find it right there on the hard drive rather then sifting through 2,000 cd's - which is the approximate amount of cd's I have and I employ a rather ingenious labeling and organizational system: none. So that always makes the hunt for a disc quite the adventure...

It will be great when I get it and have it up and running... I've halted a lot of my downloading activities because of storage issues...

Cat Hunting

While at the store today with my son, he of course was whining that he needed a toy... so I grabbed a $3 air rocket toy. It didn't take long for myself and son to start 'hunting' my daughter's cat with the toy. At home with the kids all day tomorrow, so it should be a good time...

NBA All Star Uniforms: Yuck.

I don't care about the NBA All-Star game at all, just happened to flip by the channel and noticed the god awful, ugly uniforms...

Brrr...

So the mild winter couldn't last the entire season...

Wake up this morning, it is 21 below zero. The high today is suppose to be 8 below. Tomorrow the forecasted high is a balmy 4 above. I live in the cold barren wasteland as advertised.

Validated: News Media Worthless

Disclaimer: I do not support or openly back the current adminstration, but...

The Vice President's hunting accident has shown how stupid, narrow-minded and basically obsessed with trying to nail Bush and his adminstration with something. If anyone saw highlights from today's daily White House briefing would get to see the crack White House Press Corps exhibit their finely tuned journalistic skills. The primary focus today was why Bush wasn't notified by Dick Cheney himself and within 24 hours of the hunting accident...and they were relentless in their questioning...

All I have to say is GIVE ME A BREAK! If this is the most pressing national story it only furthers proves that the national news corps is only a half-step ahead of tabloid news. And what do they really hope to come from this accident? For Cheney or Bush to resign?

Of course I will recant everything if anyone from the media is able to 'crack' this case and uncover some diabolical plot or nefarious activity...but I'm willing to take that bet...

Educators

Living in the barren wasteland that is North Dakota, one of the most talked about topics is the teachers pay for the state. North Dakota has consistently ranked towards the bottom of pay scale for teachers and every year we hear how hard teachers work and that they deserve more pay, current average salary is $35,000. At one time I did sympathize with them but I no longer can...

Let's look at the teachers 'work schedule' for this region...

They work Monday-Friday 7:45 (or 8) until 4 PM... well, heck, right now most people with other jobs are already jealous. Then they get every known holiday off - a minimum of one a month - and extended time off during Christmas. Then they get 3 months off a year over the summer. What really gets me now is the fact that the teachers have scheduled twice a year time to hold parent-teacher conferences - no school for the students. So what do the teachers do? Schedule the conferences on days before scheduled time and then go to Disney World over this break...and I'm not kidding, my daughters' teacher is going to Disney World.

The teachers average salary of $35,000 is a very good wage for this region and considering the abundance of 'perks' these people take advantage of, I no longer have any tolerance for their arguments as to why they deserve more pay. Yes, I believe there are teachers that do work during periods of vacation. But for every one teacher that works during their time off there is approximately 1,500 other teachers that are sitting on a beach.

Winter Olympics

Glad the Olympics are starting up...

Bad thing about the Winter Olympics: Opening and closing ceremonies and figure skating... because for the entire duration of the Winter Olympics regardless of the event you are watching, one of those three topics will be further mentioned as they are the only thing that people (people meaning women watching 'sports') care about watching.

Good thing about the Winter Olympics: Downhill skiing, hockey, speed skating, bobsledding and all the rest of the 'real' sports that I will get to watch. And any sport that involves a judge is not a 'real' sport, so no ice dancing and or events that involve a snowboard are on my Olympic viewing schedule. What's the over/under for the number of days before we here of a person getting 'screwed' out of a metal because of judging...

224!

A friend and I took our daughters bowling this afternoon. And I have bowled before, never in a league, but my parents are both big bowlers and grew up around bowling...so I know how to bowl. I hadn't bowled in about 2 years, but my first game today was a 165 with no warmup and then I rolled a 224...I was pretty proud of that...and I'm thinking of turning pro now, although after paying for 8 games of bowling don't know if I can afford too... $27!!!

Super Bowl XL Aftermath

Super Bowl XL is in the books. The Steelers with the help of the officials beat Seattle. The game was pretty lack-luster. Commercials (as predicted) were mostly lame. And really, the whole 'event' was forgetable.

I drank too much, then to make sure I suffered some pain, my daughter was ill and so both the kids stayed home with me on Monday while my wife went to work. Instead of sleeping off the effects of 13 hours of eating and drinking, I got about 4 hours of sleep and then spent the rest of the day on the couch being a worthless pile... I'd like to thank my wife for that specail treat...it wasn't like she couldn't have stayed home, but since I was anyways... thanks again...