tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199772922024-03-13T11:59:54.758-05:00Scatterbrain.Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.comBlogger442125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-73392735809589518342009-08-09T19:20:00.003-05:002009-08-09T19:33:54.566-05:00Law of Conservation of Stupidity.It's been ages since I've written something on <span style="font-style: italic;">Scatterbrain </span>but have been disgruntled about this subject for a while now. My wife is a fantastic baker and cook, so I'm often seen chowing down on delicious brownies, cakes, cookies, or whatever amazing meal she's whipped up. And people often comment, "Just wait 'till your metabolism slows down." Or "I remember when I could eat like that." Well guess what? I don't remember a time when I've ever been able to pig out on junk food and have experienced some sort of consequence. I'll eat cookies but that's intertwined into a day of multiple, small meals featuring fiber and the correct quantities of protein and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">carbs</span>, interspersed with protein shakes and.........wait for it......LARGE quantities of exercise. <br /><br />This is what just spurred me to blab on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">internet</span> for the first time in ages:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html?cnn=yes">"People who go to the gym get fatter."</a><br /><br />Things like this just blow my mind, but on the same token, it's typical of society. The other day I went to the store to pick up some more protein powder, and the lady at the counter opined, "I've bought this in the past but I'm not seeing any results. It must be working for you, though!" Yeah, that's because I exercise for a couple hours per day and have the correct diet. <br /><br />One day I'm going to write a book called "The Law of Conservation of Mass." It's going to be the re-unveiling of an ages old concept that almost everyone knows yet few seem to comprehend. I'll change a few dollars for this book of mythical wisdom, and inside the book will the token knowledge that to lose weight you must burn more calories than you consume. It's not rocket science. Seriously. Yes, some people are easier losers than others, and some people have wacky metabolisms that make things harder for them, but I fiercely believe that consistency will ultimately yield people the results they are looking for. <br /><br />One of the things I'm begrudgingly learning is most of the things that adults told me when I was younger were correct. I had a teacher in high school tell the class "You people want A's, but you don't want to do the work." Welcome to my current view on life in general. <br /><br />So, for those of you that go to the gym, then hit up a nice Italian dinner featuring a few <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">bread sticks</span>, a large bowl of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">fettuccine</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Alfredo</span>, and a large slice of cheesecake, WISE UP and realize why you aren't losing weight. It's really not that complicated. And along the way, don't be surprised when I give you a sarcastic look when you say I'm "lucky" for being in shape.Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com97tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-8815705346209834082009-01-11T08:24:00.002-06:002009-01-11T08:26:50.057-06:00For Your Amusement.<p>I'm not sure who wrote this, and Google isn't telling me, but I found it on a message board and it's too good not to quote here. If anyone knows who the author is, let me know. </p><p>"MIAMI (SP) -- Shortly after leading the Florida Gators to a national championship with a 24-14 win over Oklahoma, junior quarterback Tim Tebow announced that he would skip his senior season and ascend directly into heaven.</p><p>Tebow entered the press room to wild applause. A reporter for a 24-hour cable sports network burst into tears when the 2007 Heisman winner entered the room. Another threw a pair of boxer shorts on the podium. Tebow smiled at the gesture and several sports reporters fainted.</p><p>"Sorry I'm late," Tebow began. "There was a six-year-old boy with cancer in row 54 and I had to make my way through the crowd to heal him."</p><p>"I want to start by saying that playing quarterback for the University of Florida, winning two national championships, has been a great honor. There has been some speculation about my future and I want to clear that up right now," he continued.</p><p>"Don't go, Tim!" a reporter shouted from the back of the room.</p><p>"After much consideration, I have decided to skip my senior season at the University of Florida and ascend directly into Heaven," Tebow announced. Upon making the announcement, Tebow was bathed in a blinding white light and vanished.</p><p>In response to the news, ESPN announced they will have a month-long tribute to Tebow. ESPN2 will now be known as ESPN-TEBOW and will feature Tebow highlights (including home videos of Tebow's childhood), re-airings of past interviews, Tebow-centric analysis by ESPN air personalities, a Tebow quiz show and a reality show to find the "most Tebow-like" person in America.</p><p>"He wasn't just the greatest player in college football history," said a college football writer at the press conference, tears streaming down his face. "He might have been the greatest person to ever walk on earth." "</p>Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-43713814850260034782008-11-23T11:42:00.003-06:002008-11-23T11:46:09.413-06:00Is It Real?Right now I'm listening to the new Guns n' Roses album, <em>Chinese Democracy</em>. Yes, the one we've been waiting what, 15 years for? I have to say, thus far, it's freaking awesome. Go buy it!Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-37613244907676425822008-11-23T09:18:00.003-06:002008-11-23T09:26:25.515-06:00Overtime.Those of you who witnessed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">OU's</span> absolute drubbing of Texas Tech yesterday might think "wow, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">OU</span> is impressive and should surely jump both Texas Tech and Texas in the polls. You'd also be wrong. Look at the body of evidence we have, most notably that <strong>Texas beat <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">OU</span> on a neutral field</strong>. The argument is summarized nicely here: <a href="http://www.burntorangenation.com/2008/11/22/668212/attention-human-voters-the#comments">Link</a>.<br /><br />My second general musing this morning is work; I noted in my last post that I am going to transition into a new position at work soon. I should now say "transitioning." The proverbial can of worms have been opened up already, it seems, and I'm still mostly full-time in my current position, but also doing a lot of work for the new team. The bottom line here is that I worked much longer hours the past week than I have in a long time. They were good hours, though, and I'm happy about the general situation. But yes, I was too tired by the time I got home last week to blog all about it. One of these days I'll be able to write more than once a week, hopefully sooner than later. <br /><br />In the meantime, remember: OU Sucks!!!!!!Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-16155545284474204542008-11-15T16:51:00.004-06:002008-11-15T17:08:37.882-06:00Misc.So, why has there been a lack of blog posts on Scatterbrain lately?<br /><div></div><br /><div>Long story short: at the beginning of 2009 I'll be switching positions within my company. This is the culmination of Job Quest 2008: I had decided that after the acquisition of my MBA and the fact that every mentor I know has told me I can't stay in any one job more than "a few" years (and I've been in my current job more than 6) I have been working hard to move to something new over the last few months, and the hard work has finally paid off. On the same token, I found out that job-hunting is one of the most tiring and stressful activities on the planet, especially when you want to keep outperforming in your current job, so by the time I came home from work my brain was a pile of mush. The good news is that the persistence paid off, and out of all the jobs I applied for (there were many), I ended up getting the one I wanted the most. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Of course, there's also the election-and-financial-disaster thing that's been going on lately. I've had so many personal and e-mail conversations with friends and family that I had no inclination to talk about any of those things on the blog either. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Then, there's the last week: Monika and I went to Hawaii! We spent a week on the island of Oahu with a couple friends of ours and had a total blast. Now that we're back it's going to be painful going back to work. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>So, the good news is that Job Quest 2008 is over and was a success, the election is over, I've accepted that the economy is going to be heinous for the foreseeable future and we just need to accept it, and I'm now well-rested from the vacation. So hopefully I can get back to writing more than once every few weeks. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Here's a token photo for you, a watch that I bought in Hawaii. The brand is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Bathys</span> (pronounced like "Mathis," but with a 'B') and the model is 100 Fathoms. As most of you know, I've become a massive watch fiend, and this is a popular enthusiast watch. Designed in Hawaii, Swiss made. It's a quartz watch, which I purposefully wanted because most of mine are automatics, and I wanted something I could just pick up and put on instead of having to set it. I forgot to take a picture of the caseback, which has a nice relief of all the Hawaiian islands. Enjoy:</div><br /><div></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SR9WKq2tzPI/AAAAAAAAAQI/c8NoZXEpXwg/s1600-h/IMG_3816.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269024830349233394" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SR9WKq2tzPI/AAAAAAAAAQI/c8NoZXEpXwg/s320/IMG_3816.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-79117051867466481762008-10-29T22:21:00.001-05:002008-10-29T22:22:42.873-05:00My Pumpkin Rules.What can I say? It's awesome.<br /><div></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SQkocKxYE6I/AAAAAAAAAPo/ChMj5e6mNe0/s1600-h/adams+pumpkin.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262782103952036770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SQkocKxYE6I/AAAAAAAAAPo/ChMj5e6mNe0/s320/adams+pumpkin.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-89632993993959647452008-10-24T23:48:00.003-05:002008-10-24T23:53:58.898-05:00Huge Props!In the past I've drawn a few amusing pictures here and there - if I were feeling more inspired I'd probably take the advice some have given me and make my blog exclusively based on amusing drawings. Maybe one of these days I'll find the time and inclination to do so. In the meantime, check out <a href="http://www.nataliedee.com/index.php">this site</a>. Look through the archives. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time.<br /><br /><a href="http://nataliedee.com/"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 275px" height="312" src="http://nataliedee.com/102508/little-lou--the-dog-that-named-himself.jpg" width="404" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://nataliedee.com/">nataliedee.com</a>Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-35524473205331821792008-10-23T22:21:00.001-05:002008-10-23T22:22:47.593-05:00Today's Sign of the Apocalypse.This headline is on CNN.com right now:<br /><br />"<a href="http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/10/23/pn.baby.eats.crack.cnn">Baby eats crack at party</a>"<br /><br />What else is there to say?Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-17773925554137939112008-10-22T20:48:00.002-05:002008-10-22T20:51:04.541-05:00Random Thought of the Night.Faith No More was a visionary band, and it's a shame they aren't together any more. You'll just have to settle for one of Mike Patton's 4,239,832 side-projects. But none of them achieve the greatness of Faith No More. <br /><br />I was just listening to "King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime" and it rules. But if you don't own "Angel Dust," go buy it immediately!Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-6057068217323798542008-10-08T22:15:00.002-05:002008-10-08T22:19:11.591-05:00Throwdown 2008.This weekend a friend is coming into town and we're going to play golf. Unfortunately for him, he faces certain destruction and monetary damage from the experience, just as he did in Super Mario Kart growing up (insert evil laugh here) [and the open offer to bring destruction upon anyone else in Super Mario Kart remains open].<br /><br />I'm also looking forward to another round of the Texas - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">OU</span> game...sort of. We've looked fantastic thus far this year, going wildly beyond my expectations. So it's going to be somewhat bittersweet if we take a sound beating from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sooners</span>. I'm hoping we can keep it respectable. If we can manage to pull it off, then we'll only have to deal with Missouri, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State AND Kansas, AND the Big XII Championship. Is there even a question whether the Big XII is the most stacked conference this year?!Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-13684647490228124692008-09-28T21:08:00.002-05:002008-09-28T21:19:38.347-05:00Writing Lessons.Teacher. Wordsmith. Madman's swan song is <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08272/915468-42.stm">here</a>. Although you're never going to see new content there (although, never say never), you should still check out the archives for the prose and the passion, because it will likely never be matched. You're likely to discover why I named my link on the right "writing lessons."<br /><br />Here's to Chad, the best writer I know. Now that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">TWM</span> is off your plate, I expect to see your version of <em>Sin and Syntax</em> forthcoming!Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-19985636552281461962008-09-20T08:43:00.002-05:002008-09-20T08:47:31.904-05:00The Blame Game.The market is in the dumper. Who or what is to blame?<br /><br />Unrealistic assessments of risk, period. Taking super-risky loans, bundling them up into AAA-rated securities, and tossing them around until they start to default, which ripples through everyone that had a hand in them (which is almost every bank).<br /><br />I'm so sick of the political banter. Bush made a brief statement a couple days ago to try to instill some calm. From Nancy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Pelosi</span>: "...(he) said very little...what was expected was an explanation to the American people of what is happening, because it has a direct impact on our lives."<br /><br />It's not as if Bush could actually sit there for hours and explain crazy-ass complex financial theory; as if more than 1% of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">American</span> public would have a chance in hell of understanding one iota of what he told them - hell, even the politicians don't really understand what's going on. McCain in speeches says "we need to reform, er, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">coughcreditdefaultswapscoughcough</span>, excuse me..."<br /><br />So I reiterate: incredibly aggressive strategies were labeled with incredibly unrealistic assessments of how risky they were, which cascaded through the financial markets and is now taking a dump on all of us. This all goes full-circle back to my general theory on housing that <strong>having a house is a privilege, not a right</strong>.<br /><br />The bad news is now the government is going to probably over-regulate going forward which will hurt the country from a competitive standpoint. What a mess!Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-19056069789112739392008-09-15T08:06:00.002-05:002008-09-15T08:14:41.204-05:00Misc.-Who cares how many houses John and Cindy McCain have? Attention idiots: politicians, by and large, are rich. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Obama</span> might not have as many houses, but he also didn't marry a wealthy heiress. Why don't people ever talk to the candidates about issues instead of picking apart their personal lives?<br /><br />-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">USC</span> fans are incredibly <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">douchey</span>. I witnessed the massive drubbing that was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">USC</span> vs. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">OSU</span> this past weekend, which mind you wasn't even enjoyable because it was such a beat-down, and noticed toward the end of the game that half the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">USC</span> fans had left. They left a massive drubbing of a huge top-5 rival. That absolutely blows my mind - no, I'm lying, it doesn't blow my mind because I've come to expect it from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">USC</span> fans, since they are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">douchebags</span>.<br /><br />-Yes, I'm sure there are many good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">USC</span> fans, but come on. Half-empty?!<br /><br />-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Metallica</span>: YES, YES, YES. <em>Death Magnetic</em> is so good I wanted to shed tears of joy when I gave it my inaugural <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">listen</span>. Yes, I was jaded too and thought St. Anger was pretty bad. Don't let your hate for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Metallica's</span> last few albums and refusal to believe that anything can touch "the trilogy" get in the way. Go buy it and enjoy.<br /><br />-Hurricane Ike ended up being pretty weak up here in DFW. Everyone I know in Houston is okay but many are without power. To those that remained in Galveston despite "imminent death" warnings, yet still called 911 asking for help after the fact: you are even lamer than USC fans.Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-39191191007450015822008-09-08T21:02:00.003-05:002008-09-08T21:14:50.850-05:00Misc.-I don't comment much on politics mainly because I am not a fan of either side and I'd rather have the option of voting for Great Candidate A or Wonderful Candidate B as opposed to the "douchebag or the turd sandwich." I'm looking forward to the debates, though, to reveal more about each candidate in terms of how they plan to structure their policies and how they react to some (hopefully) tough questions.<br /><br />-I'm being banished to "the tundra," apparently. Monika and I went out to Gallery Night in Fort Worth with friends and drunken hilarity revealed that since I didn't know how to skin a bear, I need to be banished to the tundra of the Artic Circle to become one with nature. <br /><br />-Seen on Gallery night: a series of paintings where an ostrich had it's head stuck in golf holes, and bubbles above the head revealed...ostriches thinking about other golf holes. Seriously!<br /><br />-Today I showed up to jury duty for the first time in my life. Yes, it was the first time I was summoned, people! Countless hours later I was not selected for a jury on a DWI case. I think the "engineer" thing did me in. The defense seemed to want people that thought that a field sobriety test could easily be failed due to the massive pressure of nerves, wind, or a temporary fluctuation in the earth's gravitational field.<br /><br />-The new Toadies album is good, but not great, but they tend to grow on me more over time. The new Slipknot is excellent if you are a death-metal kind of guy. But not if you're <em>too</em> much of a death-metal kind of guy because then you'll think they went too soft.Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-19214663704789978712008-08-30T21:52:00.002-05:002008-08-30T21:58:06.739-05:00What's Your Record?Tonight Monika and I ate with family and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">friends</span> at the Blue Danube restaurant in Arlington. Dinner was absolutely delicious, and THREE HOURS. Mind you, it wasn't a big deal because we were hanging out as a group and generally relaxing, so it wasn't absolutely imperative to eat quickly, but the stat is impressive nevertheless. Apparently not one, not two, but <em>four </em>servers, i.e. the entire wait staff, didn't show up. That was unfortunate for them since the restaurant was packed. <br /><br />The food was delicious and I'd certainly go back again, obviously hoping that the waiting time is reduced next time around. I became curious, though, as to whether that was the longest restaurant meal I've ever had; I'm <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pretty</span> sure it was. Have any of you ever had a longer meal?Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-21927219582428946912008-08-18T21:16:00.002-05:002008-08-18T21:24:17.879-05:00Wacky Tiebreak System Costs Liukin Gold in Beijing.On Monday, USA competitor <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Nastia</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Liukin</span> tied He <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Kexin</span> in her uneven bar routine, yet walked home with the silver medal instead of the gold. The two gymnasts' routines scored identical difficulty and execution values, requiring the computers to resorts to a sophisticated tiebreaker algorithm to determine the winner. <br /><br />The tiebreaker algorithm examined deductions from the middle 4 judges in the competition. Shockingly, these values were tied as well. <br /><br />The computer, at a loss for calculations, had to resort to it's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">uber</span>-complicated "sudden death" routine. The computer's programmer, who requested to remain nameless, was contacted for an explanation: "The computer chooses the youngest <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">gymnast</span>." <br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Kexin</span>, at the tender age of 12, was instantly the clear winner.Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-3405252512244970092008-08-13T19:11:00.002-05:002008-08-13T19:17:01.656-05:00The High Defolymplics.I must say- in years past I've been interested and engrossed in the Olympics, but nothing touches this year. I think my total hours watched for 2008 already surpasses my average total viewing time for any other year. Is it the state of the nation, the exceptionally high level of the competitors, or intrigue about the location? It's a combination of those things and my friend HIGH DEFINITION, which I haven't had until this year. HDTV is truly a thing of myth and legend. The difference between standard and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">HD</span> for regular programming is large, but the difference for sports is nothing short of massive. <br /><br />If you want to become addicted to this year's Olympics like me, go buy yourself a find HDTV and tune in.Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-9976308425908110472008-08-05T06:56:00.002-05:002008-08-05T07:01:06.411-05:00"Long Sleeves?!"Adam made that comment on my last post. People ask me that pretty often since it's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">counter-intuitive</span> to wear more clothes when it's over 100 degrees outside. The explanation is pretty simple, though: I have incredibly fair skin (shout-out to my mom) and no amount of sunscreen on my arms will keep them from burning after hours in the sun, so years ago when Nike started making <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Dri</span>-Fit products I simply started covering up, and now I'm used to it enough that I'm actually hotter in short sleeves. The white fabric deflects the sun away from me. Plus I sweat so much it gives me a surface to wipe my face on during the match. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Dri</span>-Fit fabric doesn't stay wet for long, so I'm not bogged down by soggy shirts either. <br /><br />So there you have it. :)Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-79209582842942129192008-08-03T21:33:00.004-05:002008-08-03T21:42:06.314-05:00Today We Hit 107 Degrees in DFW.And here's bonus pictures of me serving in said heat last weekend (although last weekend was a pathetic 105). <div><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SJZsUl8CSVI/AAAAAAAAAOw/fWLbUoCxS-g/s1600-h/adam+serving+3.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230487118274513234" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SJZsUl8CSVI/AAAAAAAAAOw/fWLbUoCxS-g/s320/adam+serving+3.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SJZrOtnX6wI/AAAAAAAAAOI/-9IcQaXdmJE/s1600-h/adam+serving.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230485917744491266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SJZrOtnX6wI/AAAAAAAAAOI/-9IcQaXdmJE/s320/adam+serving.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /><br /> </div><div><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SJZsP4293GI/AAAAAAAAAOo/raHp1UIbz38/s1600-h/adam+serving+2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230487037454179426" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SJZsP4293GI/AAAAAAAAAOo/raHp1UIbz38/s320/adam+serving+2.JPG" border="0" /></a></div>Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-55382334256660162682008-08-02T09:19:00.004-05:002008-08-02T09:23:37.222-05:00I Heart Watches.I have an Omega Seamaster Professional (the "grail" watch, if you will) and recently picked up a "beater" watch that is extremely popular on enthusiast forums, referred to as the "Orange Monster." The OM is known for having great lume (the glow after the lights are out) so I decided to take a couple comparison pictures. Enjoy!<br /><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SJRtfTVw4SI/AAAAAAAAAN4/J24w8IVJPF4/s1600-h/IMG_3814.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229925451818918178" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SJRtfTVw4SI/AAAAAAAAAN4/J24w8IVJPF4/s320/IMG_3814.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SJRtfTVw4SI/AAAAAAAAAN4/J24w8IVJPF4/s1600-h/IMG_3814.JPG"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SJRtfTVw4SI/AAAAAAAAAN4/J24w8IVJPF4/s1600-h/IMG_3814.JPG"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SJRtfTVw4SI/AAAAAAAAAN4/J24w8IVJPF4/s1600-h/IMG_3814.JPG"></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SJRtivG3cII/AAAAAAAAAOA/Rv7rErXgRzY/s1600-h/IMG_3815.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229925510812233858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_x93QKhaqPVc/SJRtivG3cII/AAAAAAAAAOA/Rv7rErXgRzY/s320/IMG_3815.JPG" border="0" /></a>Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-81634962821253441522008-07-27T19:38:00.000-05:002008-07-27T19:39:27.647-05:00Tennis Results This Weekend.I played in the men’s 5.0 bracket this year. There were only 8 players in the bracket, so the first match happened to be the quarterfinal match. My results:<br /><br />Quarters: played a guy from Houston that outsmarted me. He had a consistent but returnable serve which I got back about 90% of the time. He came in after just about every stroke (serve, return), etc. In the first set we played it pretty straight and I won with one break, mainly because I had more firepower than my opponent.<br /><br />In the second set, my opponent realized that his strategy wasn’t working too well so he slowed down the game on me. He took most of the pace off the ball and focused on hitting deeper but slower, and occasionally throwing in some moonballs. That was taking me deeper into the court, and since he’s approach the net after aforementioned balls, I had fewer angles to pass him and he had more time to see what I was doing with the ball because I was so far back. I certainly had my chances in the second set, though, and let myself get down instead of executing passing shots. I can’t even tell you how many bad lobs I hit in the second set, but it was at least ten. We went to a tiebreak (they were ordering Komen tiebreakers in lieu of third sets since it was over 100 degrees outside) and I played horrendously there, and that was it.<br /><br />Consolation Semis: played another guy from Houston. Friends of mine that play League ball in Houston had been looking forward to this match (although they thought it would be in the main draw). The guy had solid strokes but simply didn’t execute anything. He hit a handful of winners but many unforced errors. I spent most of the match hanging out while he self-destructed (just being honest). In the second set I was up 5-1 and he decided to rattle off a bunch of winners (like I said, he was playing sporadic tennis). He even went up 30-0 on his serve before throwing in a couple more unforced errors, and I put away a couple solid shots. <br /><br />Consolation Finals: I looked forward to this match because I was to play a league teammate who has rotated with me in the #1 singles spot on our team now and then. I knew that he is a serve-and-volleyer and he knew that I’m a baseliner, so it was to be an intriguing matchup, right?<br /><br />Apparently when a serve-and-volleyer is red-hot it trumps the baseliner. I lost 6-2, 6-2. A friend said “when you told me that score I figured you either bombed or were dominated,” and it was the latter. Now, there were a handful of things that I could have done better (executing lobs, executing passing shots where I actually had a chance to get a piece of the bal), but my teammate was just so solid from the net that he took away a lot of angles that I normally have on a guy. He took away rallies, period. There were perhaps 4 points where I forced him to stay back with deep serves and deep groundstrokes, and I won all of those. He knew that he’d be clobbered in a baseline fight, so he simply removed that possibility, and he did so skillfully and smartly. Kudos to him for that.<br /><br />Two major points to take from this match:<br /><br />-I need to create a serve/volley threat; that doesn’t mean I need to serve and volley, but I at least need to do it on occasion to create an environment where the returner has to at least think a little about what he has to do to keep the ball away from me, which creates errors.<br /><br />-I need to hit my second serve harder; this is more of a systemic problem that affects all my matches.<br /><br />All things considered, I’m sore and didn’t have a good record this weekend, but somehow I still feel pretty good about the tournament overall. I feel like I got some good match experience that taught me some things I need to look out for in the future.Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-38000550083622974012008-07-26T09:14:00.002-05:002008-07-26T09:19:24.725-05:00Can CNN Top This?<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/07/22/single.black.women/index.html">Black and single: Is marriage really for white people?</a><br /><br />I had to do a double-take when I saw this article. But yes, it's really there. <br /><br />Future headline: "White and Divorced: More white people divorce than any other race; are they just stupid?"Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-60120116787814215712008-07-25T23:07:00.002-05:002008-07-25T23:18:29.291-05:00Rice 'n' NoodleI'm fairly sure I've mentioned this before, but it deserves reiterating: if you are in the mood for great Thai food (or Chinese food, or bubble tea, or chicken wings), go to Rice 'n' Noodle immediately! Rice 'n' Noodle first popped on my radar screen a couple years ago when Monika and I were about to move out of our apartment into the house. I got a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">flyer</span> on my door and decided to give the place a shot although I thought the name was one of the oddest names I'd seen for a Thai restaurant. I got red curry and loved it. Afterward I continued to get the red curry for a long time, then switched to the (now-standing) <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">panang</span> curry, which is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">panang</span> perfection. <br /><br />An aside: I am addicted to bubble tea. For those of you unfamiliar, bubble tea is beverage of some sort (usually tea based, but it doesn't have to be) that contains tapioca balls at the bottom of the drink that come up with the liquid via a large straw. The bottom line is that bubble tea is ridiculously delicious and I never get sick of it. I used to get my bubble tea from a drink stand in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Hulen</span> Mall, but 3 months ago the stand mysteriously disappeared. One day I went to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">RnN</span> with a fellow <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Noodlehead</span> and was baffled to notice that they had bubble tea on their menu and I'd never noticed. Predictably, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">RnN</span> is the new fixture for bubble tea in addition to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Asian</span> food now. And guess what? They <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">freakin</span>' sell chicken wings, too. <strong>Awesome </strong>chicken wings. Once I get the owner to copy Wing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Stop's</span> ranch and fries it'll be the go to wing place since they actually have slightly better wings than <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">WS</span>. <br /><br />If you're not already at Rice 'n' Noodle sucking down bubble tea and snarfing down curry, you're missing out. I'll see you there.Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-66757255239218840982008-07-25T23:06:00.003-05:002008-07-25T23:07:50.152-05:00Fort Worth Major Zone 2008.Tomorrow I return to the annual Fort Worth Major Zone. I'm signed up for the 5.0 bracket and play my first match tomorrow at 10:30. I'll report back with results afterward.Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19977292.post-37037084458746939452008-07-23T21:37:00.002-05:002008-07-23T21:47:57.052-05:00Apparently I Shamelessly Love Magic.When Monika and I went on our Alaskan cruise a couple months ago, the most entertaining show we saw by an order of magnitude was The Great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Gaetano</span>. Yes, that's pronounced "Gay-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Tano</span>;" yes, he had the fiercest mullet I've ever seen; and yes, he was awesome. He and his assistant, Natasha (or something along those lines), demonstrated illusions of shock and awe to a packed house. <br /><br />Right now I'm watching "Chris Angel: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Mindfreak</span>." I had seen a few ads in Rolling Stone for this show before, but I never thought to actually watch the show. I have to say, this is on TV, so who knows whether the illusions are enhanced in any way, but honestly I couldn't care less. The stuff this guy does is absolutely INSANE! Magic? Illusion? I don't care what you want to call it, this guy is massively entertaining no matter how you classify what he's doing. Check it out!Badgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07669200969332692995noreply@blogger.com0