Vacation

Me and the family are on vacation next week and for the first time ever, all four of us are going somewhere together! Well, it is barely somewhere, but it is somewhere other than home, so that will meet the minimum criteria for a family vacation. We are packing up and going to spend a few days in my hometown of Bismarck. I haven't been back there in about 3 years so it is meeting the pleas of my family that continually hound me as to why I haven't been back in so long and after next week, I will remember why I don't go back that often...actually I don't need to go back to remember why, I know why. It is about as boring and lame as it gets. I do have some friends back there but living in Dullsville, USA has made them complacent. The last time I was back none of them even wanted to go out and hit the town...and not that I blame them, there really is nothing to do there...but come on, make an effort. I've already contacted all of them and with the exception of one , I expect to not see much of any of my friends while I am back...and not that it is that big of a deal because we wouldn't be doing much anyways.

This vacation is mainly for the kids and for our family members that don't get to see them that often. I'm sure the kids are going to have a blast and my wife and I will be happy to get back home. It would be nice to have a large sum of money to go somewhere farther and do more but that is not the case...this year. Since my wife and I had children I have always told her I've wanted to go on a family vacation. Every year something has always prevented us from doing so...mostly money and time. This year I made sure my vacation time would be saved and be used during the same time as our daycare provider..taking care of the time issue. Now I just need to work on the monetary issues, but I am hoping a year from now that will at least be less of an issue, but with gas prices rising by the hour may always be an issue.

Anyways, I'm just glad to have a week off and am excited to get done with work tomorrow so that I can officially begin my vacation!

What Am I Watching?

As many that know me and frequent my blog here, know that I am very critical of television...that is, I think most everything on network television is crap. And not just crap, but unwatchable crap. Reality shows are everywhere and they all appear to be getting lamer and lamer. I have never got caught up in the 'reality show' craze. I do admit to watching the first season of the Osbournes on MTV but that is about it. So what the hell do I watch on TV you ask? Well here's your answer:

Sports. Without a doubt I love watching sports. Of course the NFL is my favorite and I'm not much of a college football fan..so I usually skip Saturdays. I like the NHL next and when it comes to the playoffs, I try and catch every game I can. NBA and MLB I will usually only watch playoff games but if I'm home and bored, I'll tune in the Twins or the Timberwolves just because I'm in their market and they are usually on. I will also watch the major PGA events as well as Tennis. I have always enjoyed the Majors in both those sports.

Ok, so if it isn't sports then what? Well, I have just started tuning into FX's 'Always Sunny In Philadelphia'. I have just seen a handful of episodes and I do believe it is a fairly new series so is just beginning to develop the characters, but to me it seems as if it is a bit Seinfeldesqe, that is a show that is basically about nothing. What makes it a bit different is that there is profanity - and a fair amount of that - and is on a basic cable channel. But overall, I think the show has a different tact then most other sitcoms on television today and have enjoyed the episodes I have seen so far.

Next up is the 'Boondocks'. I am an avid reader of the Aaron McGruder's comic of the same name and was interested to see if an animated show would appeal to me and it has. To me it parrallels the Chappelle Show, that is it makes fun of the many stereotypes in American society today. The show, to me, seems like a very edgy, modern animated series.

I have always watched the Simpsons, and as one of my former co-workers said, "The greatest show ever put on television." I definately think the Simpsons is in a class by itself. It has been on television for...ever and every year seems to keep putting out quality episodes.

For some reason I have also endured through every episode of Saturday Night Live for most of my life. SNL is one of those entities that when I was young was a great treat, getting to stay up late on Saturday to watch SNL was like Christmas every week when you are 12, because what else are you going to do on a Saturday night in your pre-teen years? And for whatever reason it is just something I haven't been able to shake. Although I very rarely sit and actually watch an episode of SNL as it is airing but I have always taped (and now DVR) and watched at a later time. I felt this last season of SNL was a down year with very few sketches that appealed to me. Debbie Downer was lame and it seemed as if that was pushed on us every episode. I don't think Horatio Sans is that good. Andy Samberg has some funny moments but it did seem as they were outnumbered by lame moments-cats with lasers comes to mind and his impression off on weekend update first episode of the new season both, lame as lame can be.

I also do watch almost every televised poker show. I enjoy The World Poker Tour and The Professional Poker Tour both on the Travel Channel as well as all the WSOP events aired on ESPN. All three of those productions seem to be the standard that is set for quality poker seen on television.

Finally, I can't get enough of the Colbert Report. I like the Daily Show and still watch it as well but until the Colbert Report started to air I didn't think making fun of the news could get any funnier but Stephen Colbert somehow manages to do it. Every show seems hilarious to some degree and I'm amazed that his schtick(sp?) never grows old.

So there you have it... my television viewing...

No Luck

If I wouldn't have bad luck, I would have no luck.

So I like playing poker and play a weekly free hold'em league. And with it being free of course that means folks are playing garbage all the time. I understand all this. But to lose on a person calling a 1,300 all-in late in the game with a 3-4 is insane. I have Ace-Jack and lose. To say it is a bit frustrating is an understatement...

I'm steaming so I have to at least vent on my blog... because that is as lame as it gets!

Ready For Some Football?

Is it that time already? Yes, it is! Charger training camp opened yesterday and the big news was that the Chargers had signed all their drafted players with the exception of their first round pick Antonio Cromartie. So things seemed like the beginning of a typical Charger season...their first round pick would hold out the entire preseason and then sign 1/2 way through the season and be a non-factor for the team for this year...but not the case. This afternoon the Chargers signed Cromartie and he should be in camp tomorrow. The Chargers hope Cromartie can be much needed help in the secondary but was a bit of a gamble. Cromartie was in impact player for Florida State his sophomore year and appeared to be on his way to becoming a top-5 pick...but an injury (tore acl) in his junior year ended his collegiate career because he left college to enter the draft this past year where the Chargers then drafted him. There has been some speculation that he may be big enough to fill a void the Chargers have at safety, but early talk is that he will be competing for a starting cornerback position opposite of Quentin Jammer. We'll have to see how he looks and develops but it would be good if the Chargers could get a presence at safety that has been missing since Rodney Harrison was let go...

Liquorfest

Last night I attended the Antrhax and Rob Zombie concert. It was a good time. Had some friends drive to town for the weekend and the end result was all of us consuming way too much alcohol. I did go home fairly soon after the show last night because I do have to work today but the effects of drinking way too much on two consecutive nights is taking it's toll on me...it was good to see my friends, who I haven't seen in quite some time...so I am going to suck it up because in my mind it was worth the mild discomfort this morning to hang with them. I just know I will be going to bed early tonight and I have little doubt that I will have trouble sleeping.

New Vehicle And Missing Tool

Being an avid Tool fan I have seen them perform live 7 times since 1997. I have yet to miss any of their major tour stops in my region. Yet, it is my sad duty to report that I will be missing their performance at the Target Center in September due to work. I am still semi-stunned from this fact because this is the first time where my job will prevent me from attending the show but it is just a freak coincidence that this event is at night and the same night as a Tool concert. I am mostly confident I will get another opportunity to see them perform again, just a little saddened by the fact I am missing out on a show that I know will be attending by many of my friends and will no-doubtedly be a good time.

On the bright side of things... I got a new vehicle! It's not a new car but a 2000 Grand Am. Nothing too fancy and about a billion times better than what I was driving. And just to illustrate what I was driving... I purchased a 4-door, '91 S-10 Blazer in 1995. It was in good shape, ran good and was generally a good vehicle...until about 4 years ago. About 4 years ago was when I let the truck go into disrepair because the expense to maintain it was getting to be too great so when I got rid of this beast here's the list of issues it had that made driving it an adventure:

- There was a hole in the pipe between the catalytic converter and the muffler making the vehicle sound incredibly loud, the exhaust would smell like rotten eggs and decreased gas efficiently. The pipe itself is only about 6 or so inches long but to get it replaced or repaired ment that both the catalytic converter and muffler would have to be removed and both likely would needed to be replaced, so was never done.

- No air conditioning. About 3 years ago the air conditioning needed to be recharged, I just never did.

- Driver side window and one back window would not work. On hot days, with no air conditioning... good times!

- Rear hatch window would not remain open.

- Vacuum issues. When you would drive faster than 50 MPH, for whatever reason the air being circulated into the vehicle would not come out the vents but only through the front window and lower dash vents (a setting typically used for heat). But worked properly if under 50 MPH.

- A steering joint was broken. What this meant was anytime I would turn left or hit a respectable pothole, a loud THUD could be heard. It did sound as if the entire front end of the truck would no longer be attached.

- Cruise control didn't work.

- Both front CV joints were shot. This meant as you would drive you could hear the front wheels 'chirp' anytime they would move up or down with the road you were driving on.

- Big crack in the windshield.

- Having aluminum rims in the winter time meant that anytime the temperature was below 10 degrees the tires would constantly deflate. What makes this a bigger pain is that when it gets that cold that most places that have an air hose to use (convenience stores) will have them inside because they will not function when it is that cold either.

- 4 wheel drive was somewhat functional, yet not fully functional - as it once was.

- The ABS went out shortly after I purchased the truck so the ABS light was always on.

- Driver side door panel was cracked. You could not close the door using the 'handle' because that would just pull the inner panel and would cause it to further crack while the door would remain open.

- The brake lights always remained on. Probably due to a sticky brake pedal, but if the truck was to remain parked for any extended period of time, I would remove the fuse to get the brake lights to turn off and then prior to starting the truck up, I would replace the fuse and the brake lights would be on, but always on, as I would drive.

That details many of the woes that truck had. It also had some other minor things like the tape player didn't work and the rear seat latch was sticky...but those didn't seem that bad compared to the list above.

Needless to say the things I enjoy about my new vehicle that is like a new found pleasure to me is air conditioning, windows that work, cruise control and operable brake lights.

A Cooker

The upper midwest (aka: barren wasteland) is in the midst of a scorching heat wave. Temperatures for the past couple days have been in the 90's with no signs of a cool off anytime soon. A 100 degree day hasn't been logged in 11 years around here but many a forecaster has said that 100 degrees could be possible the next couple days.

The down side to all this is that this region is in desperate need of rain. But the kids on summer break and all the summer related events are loving this beautiful weather.

Ha Ha

Unique

More Fireworks

Happy 4th Of July

Happy 4th of July!

Taking It Easy

Summer time is officially here for me. The end of June through July is the 'slowest' time of the year for me in regards to my employment and for blogging... just because I'm not around a cpu as much as I am during the other parts of the year... I am also taking some days off here and there which also cut into my blogging time...

So I'll be posting a bit less over the summertime, but most likely will increase the posting frequency as football season approaches...

Happy Father's Day

Went to the Zoo with the family... the Red River Zoo in Fargo is small, but still a pretty respectable Zoo... They continue to expand, so here's some of pics from the outing...

There are Bison painted up in various ways and placed throughout the community (like 50?)... this is a pretty cool looking one that was outside the Zoo... a Catfish Bison... My daughter turned 9 on Father's day... that's her with said painted Bison...







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More Mentos and Diet Coke

It's getting even more insane! Check out these two guys...

Mentos and Diet Coke

So there are several of these videos out there where people dump a bunch of Mentos into a 2 liter of Diet Coke which then creates a geyser of soda I'm sure you may have seen one and if not, they are like the following:




But of course that was just the beginning... I have yet to try this out, but when I do, I think I will try to replicate the way these guys are doing it:

The Simpsons Movie: Excellent

Next Generation's "Cultured Society"

A live performance of level 1 of Super Mario Brothers... not sure if it is sad or funny?

No World Cup Fever Here

Just like clockwork, every 4 years the biggest sporting event the entire world cares about, except of course for the United States Of America, the World Cup of soccer has begun. And prior to each World Cup, in an effort to get Americans to care, is the hype surrounding America's team. This is the year that they advance deep into the field and become a true contender. And it seems like every World Cup the American team disappoints...with this World Cup likely to be the same. Sure, they have only lost 1 game and have 2 left to play, but out of the 2 past World Cups only 1 team has ever advanced out of pool play after losing their first game...so the likelihood we will see much more of the American squad after their third game is unlikely.

And I'm like most Americans... I really couldn't care less. But what really bothers me is the hype. And of course it's our favorite sports channel that is leading the charge...of course they are also carrying many of the games so they will do their best drum up some interest. But what sickens me is that ESPN prior to game 3 of the Stanley Cup decided to mention that the game may be the least watched program during prime time in the history of sports. I'm sure there wouldn't be any mention of that if ESPN was carrying the Stanley Cup. I'm sure ESPN's newest programming decision to air dominos is paying off immensely already. I happened to be just sitting around when this hit the air. After 15 minutes of domino hype you actually saw people playing dominos...yes, it is about as exciting as watching a chess match...yawn....

Light Posting

I have been working a festival this past week which has prevented me from posting much... after I recoup with a couple days off, I hope to get back to posting...

During the week I was able to see Little Texas and Emerson Drive - two country acts - that solidify my reason for not wanting to see country acts. Both acts played almost equal covers to original material. I also saw Kansas and Styx - neither of which played any covers - both were good and Styx was surprisingly really enjoyable...the weather was less then ideal for Styx which really affected the crowd potential but they still drew fairly well considering.

When Do I Get Spokesperson Money?

People that first meet me sometimes judge me fairly hastily as whining, complaining dick...and sure, I may give off that first impression. Those that get to know me and understand what I am basically talking about will (hopefully) not have that impression. I will often complain and gripe about things, but in reality, the things I complain/bitch about are things that are often times basic life 101 things that most people are willing to tolerate in today's society for no reason other than it apparently is accepted behavior now. But, when something/someone does something that counters today's trends, I am the first on the bandwagon and will taut their services/products to any and all people and here is yet another such instance... Direct TV.

Again, up until a year ago I had cable television. I had cable television from three different providers but they all essentially operated the same. You see, cable television at one time was a greatly sought after service and the cable television industry knew this. They (cable television companies) did not care about customer service or convenience for it's subscribers. No, if you had issues/problems with your cable tv it meant a telephone call where you sat on hold for an hour and then scheduled a service call that would occur sometime within the next year which also required you to be at home. Cable tv's 'installation' - which at one time I paid $60 for - was often times a person dropping off a few recievers, some coaxial cable and the bill...no actual 'installing' ever happening.

So again, here is another instance of what I think is just unbelievable great service... my daughter's DTV receiver was not receiving all the channels we subscribe too...so I look up the service number and right away I am hooked into an automated system...oh great I think, how long is this call going take? I punch in my phone number and the error code we are receiving on the tuner... the automated voice on the end of the line tells me to tune into a channel we should be receiving and in a few moments they would be doing some diagnostic testing...before that very sentence was even completed, BAM, the picture is on the television and everything is working just fine... a total time of about 60 seconds... incredible!

Of course there are the 'weather issues' that I have heard from a couple of other Direct TV users where they would lose reception during storms. In the 1 year that I have had Direct TV we have lost reception twice and probably for a total time of 20 minutes. Now whether or not that is because we haven't had strong enough storms yet or that I haven't been around to notice any other outages, I do not know. But as of this time, I know of people that subscribe to our local cable affiliate and have had more outages and downtime in the past year then I have by a considerable amount... so as of this time, I continue to praise and love the Direct TV!