tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78404562024-03-07T00:07:09.327-08:00If you can't stand the fat man in the cornerMy message for the day: Go to www.uncast.net and listen to our podcast. THEN go to podcastalley.com, look us up and vote for us now and on the 1st of every month. THANKS!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger199125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-16110365262136002102007-11-05T14:10:00.000-08:002007-11-05T14:13:36.189-08:00I has a new blog siteGo to danielwomack.wordpress.com for all future (and past) blog entries. It's just far easier to use. I'll keep this one active but I'm not going to be updating it anymore so you might as well just give up looking at it and change your link in your favorites to danielwomack.wordpress.com.<br /><br />In the future I plan to get a domain name that's easier to remember. Don't any of you go buying up danielwomack.com for an easy pay off because I'll simply just choose another name.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-47640006064194406222007-11-01T12:20:00.000-07:002007-11-01T12:38:40.590-07:00It's that time of the month!Some of you may not know but <a href="http://lazyphilanthropist.wordpress.com/">Victoria</a> and I have this little podcast called <a href="http://www.uncast.net/">Uncast</a>. Now I warn you, it's not for everyone. I know some of you would rather not hear us curse or talk about sex or anything dirty, vile or violent but for the rest of you who haven't checked it out at all, didn't know about it or haven't been able to yet...take a little time RIGHT NOW and listen to an episode. You can start at <a href="http://www.uncast.net/index.php?post_id=193940"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Beginning</span></a> and move up, you can start at the <a href="http://www.uncast.net/index.php?post_id=272963">most recent</a> or even in the middle like <a href="http://www.uncast.net/index.php?post_id=251142">episode 25</a>.<br /><br />NOW when you're done there AND FOR THE REST OF YOU, please at least support us by going to <a href="http://podcastalley.com/one_vote2.php?pod_id=46509">Podcast Alley</a> and voting for us. They'll send you an email. You click on the link in that email and your vote counts. Fail to do any of them and the vote won't count, we'll be sad. You don't want us to be sad do you? THEN GO <a href="http://podcastalley.com/one_vote2.php?pod_id=46509">VOTE FOR US</a>!!! There are over 35,500 podcasts listed on Podcast Alley. We started at the bottom.<br /><br />In September we were 205th and in October we were 61st. We'd like to continue that exponential climb to the top 10 if possible. The more of you that listen and the more that vote, the more possible that is. IF YOU LIKE IT TELL YOUR FRIENDS! They might like it. Even if they don't they might spread the word at least and that's good enough. More people need to know what a podcast is and what great podcasts are out there. Check out the side bar on this blog. A few are listed there.<br /><br />The counts change on the 1st of every month. Being on the front page means more potential listeners. More listeners means potential future moneys but most of all we just love people and the more people who listen, the more will like us and that's always a good thing. So <a href="http://podcastalley.com/one_vote2.php?pod_id=46509">go go go</a>!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-11236168349714253582007-10-28T13:56:00.000-07:002007-10-28T14:20:11.001-07:00Oceanaire RestaurantIt's always great to have a few connections.<br /><br />So Victoria's parents book their cruises through a couple of friends who just so happen to have a good number of connections around the city. SO, they were invited by these friends out to <a href="http://www.theoceanaire.com/">The Oceanaire Seafood Room</a>. The executive chef here is Brian Malarkey, also seen on <a href="http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/cast/brian/index.php"><span style="font-style: italic;">Top Chef</span></a>. Along with his sous chefs, Sean Langlois and Tyler Thrasher this has got to be the best seafood meal I've had EVER. Now I haven't been to Alaska, Maryland or New England so forgive the ignorance but San Diego is known for a good deal of seafood and this has not only won awards for the best seafood restaurant in San Diego but Brian won the 2007 award for Best Chef in San Diego so that's not too shabby.<br /><br />We got reservations for 5:30 and I can say the only negative thing about the restaurant (and I don't know that it's the restaurants fault) is the valet driver wasn't available until 5:30. If he could maybe come out 30 minutes earlier that'd be great. Still, when we got there the place was nearly empty and by the time we left around 7:30 there wasn't a seat to be had in either the main room, oyster bar or main bar. PLUS there was a line of people waiting to get in.<br /><br />This is no cheap restaurant either. The menu changes every night based on what fresh meats they got in that morning. Entrees ranged from the fried fisherman's platter of $24.95 to the Tuna for $45. Mind you the entrees are just what they describe and nothing else. Want a side of veges, fries, hash browns, etc? Those are extra. The bill for a salad, 3 appetizers, a side, 4 entrees and 3 drinks was $260 after tip. Not cheap but not OH MY GOD expensive either.<br /><br />Tonight, for me, it was the "Dover" Sole stuffed with shrimp, crab and brie and topped with a lemon blanc beurre. Don't know what all that meant except I know my tummy loved it. My appetizer was the escargots which was the best I've ever had. We had a BLT salad which was simply bacon, tomato and lettuce with a spicy peppercorn bacon ranch, or at least I think that's what it was. Either way it was easily the best salad I've had in a long time. Add to that their wonderful crab cakes and a side of The Oceanaire Hash Browns and it was heaven on a table. The hash browns easily could've fed 10 and were just a bit spicy. They went perfectly with the fish and my God I've got to come here every night but I just can't do it.<br /><br />So there it is. The Oceanaire Seafood Room may have just surpassed The Prado as my favorite place to eat. Especially after the mediocre service I got at The Prado last time. It wasn't bad but if you've been to enough restaurants in this price range you come to expect a certain level of service. This was something I'd expect at a Claimjumper or Chilis. However the service at the Oceanaire definitely met the level I might expect for a place as expensive as it was. Excellence all around. Now just get that valet out a little sooner and you might have yourself a lifetime customer.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-66006794221799493512007-10-23T10:57:00.000-07:002007-10-23T11:21:23.503-07:00FIRE!We had a pretty good scare the last couple days with fires in the San Diego area. You may have heard we've become Rancho Hell West.<br /><br />I don't want to bore you with too many details. Those in the area have already heard enough but for those not in the area, a fire started in Witch Creek between Ramona and Julian (Witch Fire) Sunday afternoon and around the same time there was a fire in Tecate up to Barrett Junction dubbed the (Harris Fire). Both fires headed in a westerly direction.<br /><br />We watched these fires closely on the news as we watched Game 7 of the ALCS. As the fire crept through Ramona we started talking about what we'd take if we had to evacuate. At about 2am Monday morning, the fire was still 7-8 miles off so I felt pretty safe. I woke up at 5am to advisory evacuation warnings for our area. So we filled our suitcases with clothes, grabbed my main desktop computer, some hygenic products, my camera bag, mixer, microphones, laptop and all our important papers. We filled the car to the point where there's no way we're going to fit anything more in there without blocking sightlines. Lastly we grabbed the cat, some food and treats and toys and we put her in the carrier and took off at about 6:30am.<br /><br />I realized when I turned the car on that my car was nearly empty on gas but I felt I could make it to Black Mountain Road without going empty. Then I hit traffic on Bernardo Center Drive heading south so I had to pull a U-Turn and hit the Chevron station on Rancho Penasquitos Dr. Then we headed south on I-15 to Chula Vista. Victoria's in-laws live on the west end of the city so we felt safe.<br /><br />The Witch fire burned through Ramona and forked. The NW fork went towards San Pasqual and the SW fork went towards Poway and Scripps Ranch. That NW fork followed south of Escondido and along the northern and western rims of Lake Hodges. The SW fork hit the NE corner of Espola Road and then split again with one fork going along Rancho Bernardo Road and the other heading south on Espola Road.<br /><br />The Rancho Bernardo fork burned through northern RB within 2 miles of our apartment and NW 4S Ranch meeting up with that NW fork and heading west to Rancho Santa Fe. It burned Fairfield Ranch and The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe and headed towards Del Mar.<br /><br />The Poway fork hit some homes in Poway and I hear it hit Carmel Mtn Ranch but I haven't heard any real news there so I'm not sure if our apartment is safe or not. I did hear this morning that the fires there have settled down a bit so hopefully it won't flare up again.<br /><br />At the moment we're at my in-laws house in Chula Vista west of the 805 and east of I-5. The fires that hit near our apartment seem to be either settled down or well west of us so I'm crossing my fingers that we escaped and our apartment is still there and just fine.<br /><br />If you pray, pray for us. If not, any kind thoughts or words would be helpful. We're not asking for any more than that until we learn about our apartment. Thanks for all the kind words and offers already.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-83839726287893582232007-10-02T16:03:00.000-07:002007-10-02T16:22:38.681-07:00Missing The West Wing<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTFhd1QxkaQ">CJ Does "The Jackal"</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHaVUjjH3EI">Bartlet picks apart Biblical Quotes</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KnYtaxPTtU">Take Your Legislative Agenda...</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TcGEcKjSu4&mode=related&search=">Butterball Hotline</a><br /><br />and since we're on the net...here's the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRHygbB1dp4">lemonlyman.com</a> sceneUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-34853517108511952312007-10-01T03:38:00.000-07:002007-10-01T03:38:43.178-07:00PNME & Brother LoveNow normally I might just leave it there. I mean it's been two weeks since I've posted a blog but really "if you're in, no explanation is necessary and if you're not, no explanation will suffice." Those words of wisdom coming from my buddy <a href="http://www.butchrosser.net/">Butch Rosser</a>. Except I'm not just using these words to explain <a href="http://www.keithandthegirl.com/">Keith and The Girl</a>. I'm using them to explain <a href="http://www.brotherloverocks.com/">Brother Love</a> and his KATG/BroLo army this weekend.<br /><br />OK the best I can do is to do this from memory. A lot went down and I wasn't there for all of it. I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting more than I'm remembering but really with the amount of stuff I'm about to shove down your throat you might just begin to understand the severity of the situation and why words simply will not suffice.<br /><br />Friday we (we being Butch, Victoria and I) headed up to Ontario for the 2007 Portable & New Media Expo. I'll hold back my criticisms (and there are many) because I got a free pass instead of buying into the seminars. For this alone all I can say is the hall exhibits were rather scarce. This is a growing media though so that's allowed I think.<br /><br />We spoke to a few folks at Odeo who promised a re-launch of the site to come in Decemberish 2007. There was talk of taking the site in a new direction and build it using feedback from podcasters and listeners with the emphasis on building a "community". Looking forward to seeing just how that comes about. This was the beginning of Butch as our sort of unofficial marketing/business/PR man.<br /><br />I didn't notice a lot of well known podcasters but then I really didn't look that well. We didn't pay much attention to the exhibitors even. Totally blew off the hall so whatever criticisms I'd have of it really is my fault but then we weren't really there looking to buy into anything but perhaps it would have helped PRwise if we'd at least talked to a few people.<br /><br />We headed out to In-N-Out at 3pm to meet up with <a href="http://www.dawnanddrew.com/">Dawn & Drew</a> and hang for a bit. I hung with them last year when they threw a big bash and since they were only here because Podshow kinda asked them to, they weren't throwing any parties and being the sweet people they are, I wanted to be sure to see them and say hi before they headed back to Wisconsin. So we hugged, said hi, chatted for a few moments and then sat down to separately enjoy our meals.<br /><br />At 4pm we headed back over to the Convention Center for the awards show. We walked into Hall B and promptly walked into <a href="http://www.erichour.com/">Erichour</a>. Then we saw all the KATG stickers, bumper stickers, buttons and Brother Love stickers. THEN...we saw then man...the myth...the legend. Brother Love himself in the flesh. Now in all seriousness I'd seen him last year but didn't really know who he was. This last year through KATG and his <a href="http://cdbaby.com/cd/brotherlove">first album</a>, I've gotten a good feel for him and some of what he's about. This weekend I'd get more.<br /><br />So we hugged and introduced ourselves to Brother Love (or Larry as he is sometimes known) and to a few of the other KATG contingency that was there. Victoria and Butch put KATG stickers on their foreheads and got a bit of media attention for it. It will be interesting to see where that video ends up. We sort of hung around, got to know each other a little (more like feeling each other out) and waited for the awards ceremony to start which it promptly did.<br /><br />About 5 or 6 shows in they called us up for KATG winning Best Mature Podcast. So Brother Love brought us all up to join him on stage and accept the award. Brother Love said the prayer from the stage (each KATG episode starts with a prayer) and then he handed the mic to Butch and Butch rocked the house with a GREAT speech. Short and to the point.<br /><br />So we ran back to the table all excited but still on edge. You see Keith and The Girl were also nominated for the People's Choice Award for Best Podcast overall. This was the BIG ONE. This was not only won by Keith and The Girl but while they tried to play it off like it was close, we all know it was a landslide victory.<br /><br />So we scream and run up to the stage like an army on the attack. Brother Love accepted the award, the prizes and we all headed back to the table full engulfed in joy and pride for our favorite podcasters (no not Victoria and I) Keith and Chemda. All of a sudden the table was alive with people buying BroLo's CD, grabbing schwag and asking about Keith and the Girl. It was GREAT.<br /><br />After the awards, we headed over to the Marriott for the first of what would be THREE major parties this weekend. There in back of the pool area was a large podcasters party. There were drinks, music and so many people it was damn near impossible to fit us into the small area. We hung out for a while before Victoria, Butch and I headed out to my Aunt Bonnie's for dinner. We were sad to leave Vudell there but she was having a good time talking to Jaspar and we promised to be back later that evening.<br /><br />We head over to Alta Loma and enjoyed a wonderful dinner with family. On the way, due to some peer pressure, I decided to slam a KATG sticker onto my forehead as well. Victoria and Butch had a war going to see who could keep theirs on the longest. The casserole, rice, muffins and cake were spectacular as all of Bonnie's food tends to be. Let's just say I've known her all my life and I don't ever remember having a bad meal at her house. The conversation was slightly awkward what with the stickers on our heads but we made due. At 7:45 we made a hasty retreat so as to make it out to the next round of get togethers. We hastily said our good byes and headed back out to Ontario.<br /><br />First we headed back to our hotel room to collect ourselves, change and check the KATG forums to see what was going on. Then I get a text from Vudell that says BroLo secured a side room at the bar in the Marriott where we were to be the pre-show and after-show for Keith and The Girl. When we get there, Marina is there to greet us and show us in. When I walk in the sight was unreal. There's a long room with a long table and tons of chairs. There's a laptop at either end with cameras and Vudell's laptop is the microphone for the room and everyone can hear us.<br /><br />So we sit down and set up our laptop and I quickly begin to get frustrated at the difficulty that is getting internet connection at the Marriott and moreso in the side room at their bar. What's making it worse is that both of the other laptops seem to be working just fine. To appease the frustrations but mostly just to get us all in a proper mood, a bucket of Miller Lite and Coors Lite is brought in. I don't mean a regular bucket. I mean a LARGE like 50 gallon tub full of like 48 bottles of beer. Then comes the waitress asking what we want. 20 minutes later there are like 3 plates each of chicken wings, buffalo wings, nachos and other assortments of foods. It's freaking awesome.<br /><br />So we listen to the show (kind of) and watch the cams in Paltalk as one by one girls start to flip their tops up. Now I missed most of this but the ones I caught were quite fine indeed. Then comes this girl...Daddys_Cheeky_lil_girl. Things get crazy here as she oils up, sheds the clothes, enjoys herself and all for our enjoyment. We notice after a while that it's a video but she's still in the chat room talking so we know that while this video is going on, it is indeed her and she turns off the video a few times to prove that the body and face in the videos are her. Half the fun of this was the video and half was watching BroLo go from one side of the table to the other trying to keep up with whichever cam was the most up to date (non-delayed or non-frozen).<br /><br />The show ended fairly quickly and then we partied as the aftershow, just chatting with people online for about 3 hours before cutting out and heading home. Well...we had a hotel room and well, Vudell had drunk about 4-5 beers and it was her first time drinking. There were a couple of offers to her to stay. We trusted that BroLo wouldn't take advantage but he left a little early too so that option disappeared. Then there was another guy and he had been hitting on her all day.<br /><br />We gave her the option of staying with us instead and let her decide for herself. We were very happy when she chose us. So she comes back and we have a little rum and record a bit (didn't turn out so well) and then we went to bed. Victoria and I took our pants off and lay in one bed while Vudell and Butch took off theirs and lay in the other. Nothing intimate happened between any four of us and this i know because shortly after we layed down Butch began to snore and it didn't stop all night long.<br /><br />In the morning we gathered ourselves and headed out. On the way out we run into Chris Marquardt of <a href="http://www.tipsfromthetopfloor.com/">Tips From the Top Floor</a> and say hello before heading home to San Diego. Victoria was planning to host a birthday party for a friend that night so we worked together to clean the house and get Butch and I back up to Ontario for the Expo Concert that night. Brother Love was slated to play a couple songs but only ended up playing one song.<br /><br />Still, for as good as the other artists were, once BroLo hit the stage it was like the room had been asleep. As Michael said, it was "the cumshot and the kiss all in one. They had to shut it down after that song." With that one song he put more energy into the room than everyone else before combined. He was definitely the closer and I hope they'll give him more time next year.<br />Still as the closer (who can follow Brother Love?) but maybe this time like 5-6 songs instead of 1.<br /><br />After the concert we all hung out and headed to the Libsyn party over at the Doubletree hotel. Someone had rented out the King Suite and filled it with about a thousand people. Seriously it may not have been that much but it was literally shoulder to shoulder and every few seconds someone asking you if they can get by. We walked up and decided to take the rear entrance. Butch hops the fence fine, Brother Love next, then Vudell, Eric, his girl, Michael, and me last. I fail on my first attempt so I back up and think "all eyes are looking to see if this fat tub of lard can make it over the fence." So I run, jump and literally tumble over the fencing. My leg feels like I tore a patch of skin off and the other will surely carry a nasty bruise.<br /><br />So we walk through to the main part of the party and someone runs up to hand me my cell phone. Thank god I put KATG on my wallpaper or I'd be talking about how I lost my phone. We stand there and talk a bit about BroLo's upcoming birthday (which was literally a couple hours away). Butch runs to grab some pizza for myself, hisself and BroLo. Then the sickness comes. I'd been feeling it for a while and even had a personal moment in the bathroom before BroLo's performance but I'd been trying to play the rock star and party through it. All of a sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks and I felt like I was about to faint.<br /><br />I walk out the front door of the suite and out into the night air. After a few moments and a check on the leg (no marks at all) I start to feel a bit better so I head back in and play the wallflower role for a bit before the hotel security comes in and breaks up the party. So we all head out and we hear about a party at the Marriott. I head out to the car and promise to meet them there but I was feeling terrible so I call Victoria, talk a bit and head over to the Marriott parking lot where I kinda crash until Butch walks up to the car and we head home.<br /><br />It was good to sleep in my own bed but I hear later there was porn on a TV, a moterboating by BroLo for his birthday which was instigated by Butch and later there was a little enjoyment of the greenery. Nick Starr gained a lot of enemies by hitting on Vudell in front of everyone and Butch damn near knocked him out.<br /><br />So the next day we all wake up on our own times, eat a little, watch some football (Bucs win again and the Chargers are 1-3) and later head out to Ontario again. This time for a meet up with Chris and a few listeners of Tips From the Top Floor at the Yardhouse in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. It was a good time talking about gadgets and enjoying food.<br /><br />We get a text from Vudell that BroLo and company are at the pool at the Marriott just chillin' so we head over there. We talk and hang for a bit and this was probably my personal favorite moment of the weekend. Just sitting and chatting personally with Larry and Vudell and Butch, Michael, Victoria and <a href="http://www.fromtheville.com/">Martin</a>. It was surreal hanging with him at the Awards Ceremony, the Concert, the parties and everything but to just sit and chill with him was really cool.<br /><br />This whole weekend was totally crazy. From meeting everyone for the first time at the Awards to the Friday Live Show to the concert, the parties and ending with Brother Love on his birthday, this was the best weekend I've had in quite some time. To think that Thursday I was actually worried about not having a good time and not finding anything to do this weekend. Bah! I will never doubt again.<br /><br />Next on the agenda...Uncast 30 recording tomorrow night and then the "Learning To See" Photography Workshop. We'll have Chris here with us all week and will probably record episode 30 with him in the apartment and 31 with him as a guest. Right now it's 3:36 Monday morning and I haven't been asleep since about 10am yesterday morning. I have to go to work in 2 hours and work a full eight hours. Then I get home, take back the rental car, record Uncast 30 and take Butch home. Then when I get home, Chris will be there and dinner will likely be waiting for me. We'll enjoy the night and try to go to bed early. I am really looking forward to Vegas on New Years Eve.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-72211075453755843382007-09-17T11:19:00.000-07:002007-09-17T11:23:13.631-07:00A new and healthy meA few weeks ago I stepped on the scale and noticed a number I'd never seen before when connected to my weight. There was a 3 at the beginning. I refused to accept it so I stepped on and off it two more times. Both times it registered at 298.6 and I was floored. Last year I started Sparkpeople at 288 and it was the heaviest I'd ever been. Not anymore.<br /><br />So I took this as a personal challenge. No more fast food. No more soda. No more processed crap and no more high fructose corn syrup.<br /><br />Things I've already began to replace already:<br /><br />[B]Breakfast [/B]used to be pop tarts and/or sugary cereals. Today this isn't perfect but I had a Morning Star Veggie Sausage Patty (3g carbs but 2 of that is from fiber), fat-free english muffin, less than a serving of strawberry preserves and less than a serving of Smart Balance. Still looking to improve on this. I think maybe it might be good if I'm going to drink milk to have it here and maybe some fruit like berries should go in place of the preserves and buttery spread.<br /><br />[B]Lunch[/B] used to be fast food, hot dogs, chips, or left overs from the night before. It could still be left overs but those will be much healthier than they've been in the past. Today I have some broccoli, carrots and a bit of mushrooms mixed with a low-GI thai peanut sauce recipe I found online.<br /><br />[B]Dinner[/B] for 4-5 times a week used to be fast food or restaurant food of some sort. Disgusts me now that I used to eat that way. If it wasn't that, for a while it was stuff like hot dogs and Mac n Cheese or some other processed quick to fix dinner. NOW Victoria is coming up with great light dinners from cooking light and Low-GI sites and we've cut our portions in half so that dinner is very light.<br /><br />[B]Snacks[/B] used to be candy, chips, cookies, crackers, etc. but are at the moment replaced with whole grains, nuts, fruits and we're yet again looking to improve on this even further.<br /><br />I've gone from drinking a quart of soda a day to 10 glasses of water and a glass of milk a day. I've gone from being totally sedentary in lifestyle to doing much more walking, some exercise bike, strength exercises (never emphasizing the same muscle group two days in a row).<br /><br />Due to just these changes I already feel much more energy than last week or the week before or the week before that. I've lost at least an inch off my waist and 5 pounds in the last 3 weeks. I feel more energy than I have in a long while. I tried eating fast food a few days ago and my body had a terrible reaction to it. Maybe it was just a single bad meal but it sent the message: I can't eat this crap anymore. My end goal is simply to be healthy. Fitness and weight loss will come naturally but overall health is my real goal.<br /><br />Wish me luck! Those temptations will return. I will hit bumps in the road where it feels like I'm not making any progress. I need to just ride them out and stick to what I know is right.<br /><br />Speaking of which...I should start doing that in the other parts of my life too. Why wait? Tomorrow may never come.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-85339980323670478512007-09-05T08:28:00.000-07:002007-09-05T08:38:08.083-07:00NFL Predictions 2007This year I know less than I usually do and every year all the experts look retarded by seasons end so with that in mind, here is how I see the standings playing out this year:<br /><br />AFC West: Chargers, Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders<br />AFC South: Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Texans<br />AFC North: Ravens, Bengals, Steelers, Browns<br />AFC East: Jets, Bills, Patriots, Dolphins<br /><br />OK that was easy. The NFC won't be so easy:<br /><br />NFC West: Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Cardinals<br />NFC South: Saints, Panthers, Buccaneers, Falcons<br />NFC North: Bears, Packers, Lions, Vikings<br />NFC East: Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, Redskins<br /><br />Playoffs:<br />AFC Wild Card: Ravens over Broncos, Bengals over Jets<br />AFC Divisional Round: Chargers over Bengals, Colts over Ravens<br />AFC Conference Finals: Chargers over Colts<br /><br />NFC Wild Card: Seahawks over Panthers, Rams over Cowboys<br />NFC Divisional Round: Saints over Rams, Bears over Seahawks<br />NFC Conference Finals: Saints over Bears<br /><br />Super Bowl: Chargers 31, Saints 14<br /><br />OH and there's actually a bet going on. Butch said to me that the Cardinals not only will make the playoffs but they'll win a playoff game as well. HEHEHEHA AHA HA HA HA. As long as the Bidwells own the Cardinals, the only time they'll see playoffs is in eating contests or modeling shoots (depending on which position they play). Appalachian State would have their way with the Cardinals nine times out of ten.<br /><br />So, if the Cardinals make the playoffs but fail to win a playoff game, it's a push. We both win there.<br />If the Cardinals miss the playoffs, Butch owes me $20<br />If the Cardinals do make the playoffs and actually win a game, then I owe Butch $20.<br /><br />Easiest bet I ever took. Dude could have also put money on the Lions, Vikings and Bucs. Oh well, it's too late for that.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-28309526229663427762007-09-05T07:36:00.000-07:002007-09-05T08:28:02.719-07:00Labor Day WeekendWOW what a weekend! Hmmm where do I even start?<br /><br />Saturday morning at 4am I get woken up by Victoria wrestling with the bed and begging me to turn the lights on. She said she thought she was being attacked by bed bugs, so I rolled over turned on the light, looked at the bed and there's nothing there. Then I look up at her...and covering her back and the entire left side of her body are hives. So she runs into the bathroom for a wet washcloth and some Benadryl. 50mg of Benadryl and a few minutes later she was back asleep for a bit.<br /><br />We were supposed to go together to my aunt's house for our annual summer BBQ/birthday celebration/Family reunion. It's one of the few times I get to see Anna and Marie or most of Andrea's friends. So, Victoria stays home this year and I go it alone. She told me not to worry too much, that she'd be OK and to have a good time. That's impossible. This is my wife. More than that this is my wife who I truly love and care about and not just some woman that tricked me and seduced me.<br /><br />So I get there, I hand out our gifts to Aidan and my aunt, eat some food, talk a bit to Jen and Alex, spend a few moments with Andrea and watch a little <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Classical-Baby-3-Pack-Music-Dance/dp/B0009WPKYA">Classical Baby</a>. 5:30 comes around and I just can't take it anymore. I love everyone and I always love being there but my baby is at home suffering and I just can't enjoy myself without feeling guilty, no matter what she says so I say goodbye to everyone and head home. I spend the rest of the evening taking care of Victoria, cleaning up the apartment a bit and doing some dishes. Then Sunday comes.<br /><br />Due to the hives and Victoria being drugged out on Benadryl, we decide that the barbecue we had planned with the in-laws should be postponed until at least Monday. Luckily the in-laws totally agree and so we spend the day just relaxing and trying to keep her cool. Then in the afternoon I get to talking to Butch through Google Talk and I bring up a tour of Little Italy I wanted to do for a <a href="http://www.topfloorproductions.de/v6/workshop/">photography workshop</a> I'm helping organize. So after talking to Victoria, it's decided that I'll go hang out with Butch for a couple hours and come home. Then I get a call from Rachel.<br /><br />Apparently there was an incident back at the home in West Virginia. There was a big fight that all got started over the hot water being used in the shower so Gene couldn't take a proper shower after mowing the lawn. It escalated into Rachel being permanently kicked off the 'net, threatening to smash her skull into the monitor, send her back to CA with my mom and a shove. Now before anyone gets upset, things have since calmed down, they all talked and things are good again...for now. Still by the time I left for Butch's place, Rachel was off the 'net and she wanted me to relay that message to Butch.<br /><br />So I get to Butch's place, and we're about ready to head out when I get another call from Rachel. This is where it had escalated to Gene telling mom not to pay bills so he could fly them back to California. I relayed this to Butch and quickly our tour of Little Italy turned into a couple appetizers and blank stares at each other at the Yardhouse downtown.<br /><br />We share some jokes, stories, quips and after a call to Victoria for permission, Butch came home with me and the three of us joked for a while until Victoria fell asleep. Then we turned on the live TDO (<a href="http://www.teamdrunkottawa.com">Team Drunk Ottawa</a>) podcast and the real fun began. Rhian had asked that we call into the show at some point, so when she mentioned Team Drunk SoCal on the show, I called in. I didn't really have a lot to say but it wasn't helped by the fact that I only heard every third word or so. Butch called in later, performed much better than I had and they went on to plug <a href="http://www.uncast.net">Uncast</a>.<br /><br />Butch and I then began the longest and most enjoyable night of my life thus far. We drank for nine hours straight (10pm-7am) and only stopped because we ran out of proper booze. In our wake was empty bottles of Jagermeister, Mango Rum, 2 bottles of Vanilla Vodka, Scotch (which was mostly empty to begin with) and Baileys. About 5am Butch decided to start an old school playlist and began pulling YouTube videos of old tunes from like 1989-1993 out of his hat and it was the <a href="http://www.keithandthegirl.com/forums/showpost.php?p=241275&postcount=21325">best playlist ever</a>. By about 9am or so he'd lost his touch and began pulling out some 80s songs that just weren't fitting in, IMO but we kept this going until about 11am when we had to start getting ready for that family barbecue we'd postponed before.<br /><br />Now, imagine...stretching out a nine hour drinking binge with GREAT tunes, plenty of water to keep the hangover at bay, NO SLEEP, and then add in a marathon of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" and the scent of cooked bacon filling the room. Add in a dinner of blue cheese burgers, italian sausage, grilled Nathan's hot dogs, bacon and baked beans and that is a man's dream. The only thing missing was a great night of sex and the ONLY reason it was missing (and the wife will affirm this if you ask her) was because she was still drugged off the Benadryl and dealing with the hives.<br /><br />I finally hit the sack at 10:30pm, woke up about 6am and got through my day at work with no problems at all. That's right, I dealt with drinking for nine hours straight, music blaring and NEVER got even a scent of a hangover. Mix that with 40 hours straight of no sleep and now I believe I'm ready and properly trained for New Years Eve. Bring it on people!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-79360568817307453572007-08-26T11:51:00.000-07:002007-08-26T11:56:07.683-07:00Keep Your Mouth ShutWe all knew there was corruption in the government. Now we know that, like Russia and like Communist China, if you open your mouth about specific incidents, you WILL lose everything.<br /><br />http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/08/24/ap4052736.html<br /><br />So, if you know personally about government corruption, you have a choice to make: Keep your mouth shut about it and keep the life you enjoy and the people you love OR open your mouth and risk their lives and yours.<br /><br />We are no longer the best country on earth. Our government is no more righteous than that of any other. Are the times of rallies, parades and sit-ins coming back? Riots? People died in the 60s and 70s defending civil freedoms and liberties. Will we see the same thing now?<br /><br />Answer: We already are. So choose your side. The time is soon when you cannot just sit in the middle and remain passive.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-38458692205219992522007-08-13T23:02:00.000-07:002007-08-13T23:24:12.106-07:00I miss peoplesSo she's gone home now. My sister left us this morning at 5am to catch her flight home. I got a chance to chat with her for a bit before my computer was rudely disconnected and then bedtime struck. Now I'm sitting here, hours later and I miss them both.<br /><br />I'm thinking of Stephanie and how 2 years ago she seemed to be getting her things finally figured out. She was gonna head back to school, she was looking at dresses and Josh was looking at rings with her for a possible engagement announcement...an announcement which didn't come until she was stricken and unable to mouth the words herself. Then when she passed, this kind man whom I was going to call my brother, decided that the easiest way for him to deal with the pain was to cut me and my family out of his life. Oh I'm sure if I made a call, he might answer it, but with so many emails and event invitations gone unanswered, I figure a call isn't needed to get the hint.<br /><br />Now Rachel is back home and facing my mother who I'm not too happy with at the moment. Every time we mend the fences you have to go and do something to tear them down again. Why? Do you enjoy the drama? Cause I'm not sure how much more of it I can take. I'll leave it there for now. There's so much more in my head but none of it for public consumption I think. Let's leave it to the clear and obvious point that I'm well on Rachel's side in this matter and nothing but undeniable evidence to the contrary will sway me.<br /><br />Anyways, so as I said, here I sit missing my sisters and wishing they were both seated here next to me. Oh well. Someone ugly once said "You can't always get what you want." I've already got what I need...my wonderful wife Victoria. Still, a piece of my heart died with Stephanie and Rachel's absence has left another small hole. I can still feel happy so Rachel if you're reading this don't worry. Your brother will be just fine. It's just when I think about you I miss you and I can't wait until next year when you'll visit us again.<br /><br />Well...until then...I've waited too long to head to bed. It's 2 hours later than I wanted to go to sleep. So much to do this week to clean the apartment properly and get it back in order. So tired. Good night everyone. Never take advantage of those you love. Cherish every moment that you are in their presence...even if they're annoying you or if they piss you off. Rachel never upset us while she was here but some loved ones have a tendency to do that sometimes.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-64940711164851819502007-08-04T00:24:00.000-07:002007-08-04T00:35:29.522-07:00<<<>>>Now pay attention people. All of you that read this blog...<br /><br />Since it seems I've just been using this as a place to rant and rave, and that's not really the face I want to put out there, here are places you can go to get pretty close to daily information about me. What am I doing, how do I feel, etc...<br /><br /><a href="http://pownce.com/czzyzx41">POWNCE</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/czzyzxy41">TWITTER</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/czzyzx41">MYSPACE</a>, and here at Blogger.<br /><br />Also check out <a href="http://www.uncast.net">Uncast.net</a>. We put out at least one show a week and we do our best to be entertaining. Even if it's not your normal thing...if you participate in nothing else online but this...participate in this for us. <a href="mailto:%20uncast.net@gmail.com">Email</a>, comment or whatever. I want to make this a community. ALSO, please share us with those you love and hang with. Anyone who might remotely find this entertaining. If we suck, we can accept that. A little constructive criticism can turn this from a painful weekly experience for you to a fun one you look forward to. If we don't know, we can't fix it.<br /><br />Anyways I love you guys and I'm sorry for all the rants, cursing, etc. Believe me when I say life is good right now. Just trying to be more of a positive person (and drop this little alcohol habit) and right now I'm kinda failing. Stick with me. Have faith. I'll be nice.<br /><br />Love you all!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-78532339266176440612007-08-03T11:25:00.000-07:002007-08-07T20:25:46.050-07:00Nick Starr...Some of you may not be aware of who he is or what's been going on. I'll do my best.<br /><br />First, there's this: <a href="http://www.nickstarr.com/">His personal website</a> & <a href="http://lifeas.nickstarr.com/">his blog</a><br /><br />He's a twentysomething tech/gadget junkie in southern Florida. He has become known online first as a fan of <a href="http://dawnanddrew.podshow.com/">The Dawn & Drew Show</a> and then a guest on the podcast <a href="http://www.nobodylikesonions.com/">Nobody Likes Onions</a>. He has attended both Podcast Expos and various other podcasting events throughout the country. His motive is only known by him.<br /><br />He's gotten flack on <a href="http://www.nobodylikesonions.com/">NLO</a> for lying about who he is and some of his lifestyle choices. He also got flack when he started attacking <a href="http://www.keithandthegirl.com/">Keith and the Girl</a> on <a href="http://www.nobodylikesonions.com/">NLO</a>. Later, they called in and he used a certain comment that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF9BjB7Bzr0">Don Imus was kicked off the air for using</a>.<br /><br />Subsequently, some KATG forum members posted his cell phone number, work number, his parents address, the description of his car and local places he frequents. Every time he changed his cell number they would post his new number. Then he lost his job and some thought it might have been due to all the calls in to his work from KATG fans. I'm not sure that's the case but it's just a view into the way some KATG fans treat enemies of the show.<br /><br />Keith required him to apologize in three ways before he'd "call off the dogs":<br />1. Apologize through <a href="http://www.twitter.com/">twitter</a> (which he did)<br />2. Apologize by calling into the <a href="http://www.keithandthegirl.com/">Keith and the Girl show</a> (which he did)<br />3. Apologize on an episode of <a href="http://www.nobodylikesonions.com/">Nobody Likes Onions</a> (which he has NOT done)<br /><br />All of this had calmed down over the last month or so. I felt like he'd put all that behind him so I dropped any grudges I had with him and we were cool again. It's not like we were really friends. We never talked to each other and basically I just went from not liking the guy to not caring.<br /><br />Then a couple days ago, Nick posted the following posts on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/">twitter.com</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">6:44pm August 1, 2007:</span> btw I am pretty drunk already, so consider anything from here on out a drunken Twitter post<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7:41pm August 1, 2007:</span> Hrm, there is a nice high skyway bridge nearby...I've heard of plenty of people jumping from it....maybe I should give it a try tonight.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8:01pm August 1, 2007:</span> @briancaldwell nah that's how i am all the time, I just never say the things I am thinking. I've wanted to kill myself since 1st grade.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8:27pm August 1, 2007:</span> @valerieinto what do i have to appreciate? My 4 years w/o a gf, my lack of friends, my 11 months being homeless?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8:54pm August 1, 2007:</span> Why can't life be like high school? Sure life was complicated, but at least I could get a girlfriend: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yqlndz">http://tinyurl.com/yqlndz</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9:17pm August 1, 2007:</span> Alright I'm out Twitter...time to get a few more drinks and debate jumping from a bridge tonight, Sunshine Skyway Bridge here I come.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9:27pm August 1, 2007:</span> Just paid the toll for the skyway bridge...should I stop at the top? What should I do with my car? I guess leave it there.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9:29pm August 1, 2007:</span> Has there ever been a twitter suicide before? I wonder what I would write as I am falling to my death.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9:31pm August 1, 2007:</span> alright this is it. Parked my car. I wish everyone who ever was nice to me well. See you in the next life</blockquote><br />This led to people on the <a href="http://www.keithandthegirl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7498">KATG forums</a> and <a href="http://dawnanddrewwp.podshow.com/dnds_bb/viewtopic.php?t=10358">DnDS forums</a> to voice their concerns. Most of the posts were positive and supportive. Police were called, his parents were called and local suicide hotlines were called. People all over were looking for him. Then, this post showed up on <a href="http://dawnanddrewwp.podshow.com/nick-starr/">dawnanddrew.com</a> from host Dawn Miceli:<br /><br /><blockquote><p>As you may of heard already Drew and I are very concerned over our friend Nick Starr and his recent <a href="http://twitter.com/NickStarr/">twitter posts</a>. We have been trying to reach him since we were alerted but so far have had no luck. We have been in contact with the highway patrol down there and are anxious to hear of his whereabouts. This is a very, very serious situation and I have been totally disgusted by the heartless comments and the terrible treatment Nick has received from some of those in the podcasting community. Why must some people have to tear others down, to the point of total destruction, before they realize that their behavior could have deadly repercussions? Does it make you feel good hurting other people? Are you truly that pathetic?</p> <p>We hope that Nick is safe and offer whatever help he needs to get to a better place.</p> <p>I just pray that it isn’t too late.</p> <p>I sincerely thank those of you that are sending their love to Nick right now, we all have had our bad moments and sometimes it is the simple act of friendship that saves us.</p> <p>Kindness is something you can give freely, if you choose to.<br />-Dawn and Drew</p></blockquote><br />I had a lot of problems with this. First, she had no idea why Nick threatened to kill himself. The only info they had was through his posts on twitter. The only motive Nick implied was "4 years w/o a gf, my lack of friends, my 11 months being homeless." She had no right to just assume that it was due to "some of those in the podcasting community." That's not your place Dawn. Let Nick speak for himself.<br /><br />Instead, Dawn uses his apparent suicide as a platform to attack the podcasting community. That's just tasteless. You do not use someone's coffin as a soapbox. EVER. Also, name the people Dawn. If you're going to jump all over somebody, have the courage to name them personally or shut your face.<br /><br />My next problem is the hypocracy. She has the nerve to call people out for treating Nick like shit. Really? Anyone who read his twitters every day could see where this was headed. You did NOTHING to stop the slide. He lives in his car. A decision he made himself but a decision that he apparently regretted more and more every day. Still, he just couldn't stop himself from buying more phones, gadgets, tickets to go out and see you and Drew at various locations. Not once did you take him aside and offer to help? Not once did any minion in the Southern Florida area offer to hang out, buy him a meal, take him out for a night on the town or something...SOMETHING to show that people cared? Last month he slept in his car while Drew and Don slept in comfy hotel beds. That's being a friend? That's how you treat your "minions?" Oh but WE'RE the assholes. No, instead you waited until he basically said he was going to commit suicide. THEN everyone comes running (including me apparently).<br /><br />Now I never pretended to like Nick. I thought he was a decent guy until last year at the Expo party when his way of saying hello was calling me out. I put that behind me for a while until later when he started lying about who he was and then started attacking Keith and Chemda. For months he refused to apologize and then when he did, he <a href="http://www.keithandthegirl.com/forums/showthread.php?p=198779#post198779">threw Patrick from NLO</a><a href="http://www.keithandthegirl.com/forums/showthread.php?p=198779#post198779"> under the bus</a>. Even still, I put all the past shit behind me and I was cool with Nick. We weren't exactly friends but I no longer had any grudge for him and I hoped any grudge he had towards me was gone as well. Must've been since he asked me to add him to my <a href="http://pownce.com/czzyzx41">Pownce</a> page which I did and he reciprocated. Still, even I questioned his choices and confronted him about them on his blog.<br /><br />It really makes me angry when people feel they're being a good friend by continually supporting you in decisions you make which are obviously not in your best interest. Your friend is homeless by choice and you don't once come to him and try to talk him out of it? You don't even say "Are you sure?" You don't offer him a place to stay? You don't even call to see if he wants to hang out. No, you think that by supporting his every decision that makes you a good friend. NO IT DOESN'T. MY friends question my choices to drink. MY friends even question whether I really should be driving home when it's 10pm. They offer me a place or help paying for a hotel room. I haven't taken them up on it and I've made it home safe but at least they were being good friends. Hypocrites. Everyone one of ya. Sorry but that letter just really got under my skin.<br /><br />So yeah anyways, as the minutes and hours pass I start to care. I worry. He's a human being. Even if we don't get along and I don't agree with your life choices, I still care about whether you're ok or not. So yeah I shed a few tears worried about the guy. I worried and cared, until I saw this:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://skunkie.kicks-ass.org/nickstwitter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 396px; height: 187px;" src="http://skunkie.kicks-ass.org/nickstwitter.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="post-body"> <div> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>So basically not only is he just fine but he's getting a kick out of people worrying about him. So this was just an attention grab? He hasn't been in the spotlight for a while and he misses it. I fell into it. He got me to drop my grudges and try being at least civil. He got me to care and it was all fake. So now I'm feeling pissed but I still don't want to say anything because I'm not sure sure. Perhaps someone hacked his account and put that in there. There's some other explanation or something. So before I pass judgment, how about I make sure I've got all the facts. Then this comes out:<br /></div></div><div class="post-body"><div><p> </p><blockquote><p>Drew and I just got off the phone with Nick Starr. He is ok and is getting help. He thanks everyone for all their positive well wishes and asks that you will respect his privacy right now as he works through a difficult time.</p> <p>Please have patience, more information will come as the situation progresses, just know that he is safe and unharmed.</p> <p>You can continue to send Nick your love and support <a href="http://dawnanddrewwp.podshow.com/dnds_bb/viewtopic.php?t=10381">HERE</a>.</p> <p>Take care of each other.</p> <p>Love, Dawn and Drew</p></blockquote><p></p><br />Great. He's ok. Now I can breathe a sigh of relief. Now I can say, "Nick, I'm glad you're safe, alive and getting help. Get better soon. We look forward to hearing from you again." I do because I want to know what you were thinking. Why did you think it was ok to play with our emotions like that? You didn't go through with it and instead of just letting us all know you were ok you sat there and watched as all the love came pouring in. You sat there and read our worrying, the tears we've shed, etc. and you not once said "Hey guys, I'm ok." What prompted you to finally call D&D or answer your phone? Was that fun for you? Cause frankly I'm a little pissed off right now. I feel like my emotions have been used and until I hear a satisfactory answer, you and me...we're not OK again. Right now the only positive things I can say about you are that MAYBE this wasn't fun for you and MAYBE you didn't just do this for attention. That you are human and you're breathing. We'll see. Your response will play a large part in my next reply. If this was all just an attention grab, you deserved every single thing the <a href="http://www.keithandthegirl.com/forums">KATG fans</a> and <a href="http://www.nobodylikesonions.com/forums/">NLO fans</a> said about you...the personal info they shared and exploited...everything.<br /><p></p><p></p> </div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-25921131201995523462007-08-01T11:00:00.000-07:002007-08-01T11:22:20.367-07:00My issues with Ron PaulI think it was a fairly clever strategy by a Presidential candidate to get all his campaign staff and supporters to flood sites like digg.com with pro-Ron Paul stories and cries about him not getting a fair shot. Considering a lot of these users are democrats or at least lean to a very liberal side, here's what I want to bring up and wonder if these people STILL want to vote for Ron Paul:<br /><br />Abortion:<br />Embryonic stem cell programs not constitionally authorized. (May 2007)<br />Voted NO on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. (Jan 2007)<br />Voted NO on allowing human embryonic stem cell research. (May 2005)<br />Voted NO on forbidding human cloning for reproduction & medical research. (Feb 2003)<br />No federal funding of abortion, and pro-life. (Dec 2000)<br />Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record. (Dec 2003)<br /><br />Civil Rights:<br />Voted YES on protecting the Pledge of Allegiance. (Sep 2004)<br />Voted YES on banning gay adoptions in DC. (Jul 1999)<br />Rated 67% by the ACLU, indicating a mixed civil rights voting record. (Dec 2002)<br /><br />Education:<br />Voted NO on $84 million in grants for Black and Hispanic colleges. (Mar 2006)<br />Voted NO on allowing vouchers in DC schools. (Aug 1998)<br />Abolish the federal Department of Education. (Dec 2000)<br /><br />Environment:<br />Voted NO on increasing AMTRAK funding by adding $214M to $900M. (Jun 2006)<br />Voted YES on barring website promoting Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump. (May 2006)<br />Voted NO on speeding up approval of forest thinning projects. (Nov 2003)<br />Rated 5% by the LCV, indicating anti-environment votes. (Dec 2003)<br /><br />Family:<br />Voted NO on establishing nationwide AMBER alert system for missing kids. (Apr 2003)<br /><br />Government:<br />Close departments of Energy, Education & Homeland Security. (May 2007)<br />Voted NO on granting Washington DC an Electoral vote & vote in Congress. (Apr 2007)<br />Voted NO on campaign finance reform banning soft-money contributions. (Feb 2002)<br />Voted NO on banning soft money and issue ads. (Sep 1999)<br /><br />Gun Control:<br />Ease procedures on the purchase and registration of firearms. (Nov 1996)<br />Allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms. (Nov 1996)<br />Rated A by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun rights voting record. (Dec 2003)<br /><br />Immigration:<br />Keep rule barring immigrants from running for president. (May 2007)<br />Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border. (Sep 2006)<br />Voted YES on preventing tipping off Mexicans about Minuteman Project. (Jun 2006)<br />Voted YES on reporting illegal aliens who receive hospital treatment. (May 2004)<br />Voted YES on extending Immigrant Residency rules. (May 2001)<br />Voted YES on more immigrant visas for skilled workers. (Sep 1998)<br />Rated 100% by FAIR, indicating a voting record restricting immigration. (Dec 2003)<br /><br />These are all the ways that Ron Paul is possibly still too conservative to earn the liberal vote. All the issues I excluded? They're all the reasons why he's too liberal to earn conservative votes. Do your work people. No candidate will be perfect for you but one of them is close. Start doing your work now and learn about every candidate to make sure the right one wins their primary and the Presidency in 2008. It's time for a change.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-31047316236894885982007-07-20T12:27:00.000-07:002007-07-20T12:50:15.938-07:00R.I.P. Fifth Amendment<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><i>No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.<br /><br />http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070717-3.html<br /><br /></i>So he's basically declared himself the new dictator of the US. Are we even officially CALLED the United States anymore? When have we ever been united about anything? We just let the government fill us with fear and then walk all over us taking everything that we once held dear. Remember how we would say as children that this is the best country on the planet because of all the freedom we have that others don't get to enjoy? Well, how does it feel now to know that we no longer have those freedoms either.<br /><br />Remember all the bumper stickers that read "Freedom Isn't Free"? Well it isn't. Apparently the cost of freedom is your freedom. All investigations into the White House for various violations of the Constitution and for War Crimes are going sour because the White House keeps issuing Executive Orders denying access to files and ignoring supoenas AND judges and the congress are too weak and scared to do anything about it. They have all the evidence they need and all the reasons to toss the entire Executive branch into prison (please let it be Gitmo...please forgive me. I'm mormon so apparently according to Romney I enjoy torturing people) and start fresh. Instead they sit on their hands twiddling their thumbs up their collective asses. Not a single presidential candidate is going to say a word because when they come into power (if they come into power) they want the same dictatorship like powers that Bush currently enjoys.<br /><br />I swear on everything I hold dear, if Bush does anything to hamper the end to his administration I will join the uprising. If there is no uprising, I will start one. It's time to stop being brain-washed pansy asses people. If you truly believe this land is blessed by the Lord or if you believe that this country is or at least WAS great or if you even believe in defending your basic human rights then you need to stop cowering in fear. You need to stop saying to yourself, "what can I do? I'm just one person." .<br /><br />Stop being weak. Stand up and fight. The Lord would not have us hating one another and threatening one another. That does not mean that the Lord asks us to lie down while our free will is being taken from us. He has sanctioned wars in the past. Our freedoms are being destroyed by the Executive Branch of our government (and Dick Cheney too). Don't feel like getting involved with politics? This is what has come of 70% of you sitting on YOUR collective hands with YOUR thumbs up your asses every election. If you continue to not let your voice be heard then I wish nothing but the absolute worst on all of you because by help me God the worst WILL come to you.<br /><br />Good day and God Help Us All.<br /><i><br /><br /></i></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-37583736886744770732007-07-14T08:53:00.000-07:002007-07-14T10:05:24.274-07:00So little to do and so much time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/7402/hurstwedding001jr1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 100px; height: 151px;" src="http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/7402/hurstwedding001jr1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you.<br /><br />Last weekend I went out to my mom's wedding. You know I write these blog posts out now wondering if I should just save it for the show but then I realize a few of you wanna-be pranksters aren't listening to our show and I'm wondering why. What's stopping you? It's not that hard. You go to www.uncast.net and click on the MP3 button for the latest show. OR You can get a podcatching software like iTunes or Juice or something and subscribe to our podcast there so everytime we release a new episode it'll just automatically download for you. Get with the 21st century, people!<br /><br />Anyhow, so let's start from the beginning. The plane trip out. The trip was pretty uneventful. I got me a book, the Sporting Illustrated and a bag of M&Ms and headed to Las Vegas. In the LV Airport I got some Sbarro for breakfast (BK line was too long) and a banana. Then I slept and read for most of the four hour flight to Pittsburgh. Rented myself a 2008 Chrysler Sebring convertible and started the drive to West Milford, West Virginia.<br /><br />On the way two things happened. My cell died. I knew I should've charged that thing up before I left. Also, it rained. HARD. So hard in fact, that a few times I had to slam my brakes on Highway 79 and come to an almost complete stop on the highway. Thank God there was no traffic around me.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/5974/airport2007001vc3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/5974/airport2007001vc3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I arrived at their home and my mom had chicken and rice casserole cooking for me when I arrived. The wedding itself went off without a hitch. Or well there was none that I saw. The bride and groom always know of a few and they worry about whether everyone else knows. Of course no one ever does but it's funny how that works.<br /><br />The roads in West Virginia can be harrowing if you haven't driven them before. Most of them are well marked and wide enough for no troubles. There isn't any straight stretch of road in the entire state outside of the freeways. Some stretches of road (Like Kincheloe Rd) are not marked, are rougher than the other roads and are just barely wide enough for two cars to pass. This wouldn't be so bad if the locals didn't drive those roads at 40mph. For someone who's never been up there, that's terrifying. By the end of the weekend I had gotten used to it so there's not a long adjustment period but it was still a little scary.<br /><br />So I got to meet my new step-dad's family. His daughters, mother and step-dad are cool. Some of his other family (aunt, cousin, etc) were cool and some were well...I'm sure they're good people. I was just happy to not only meet them but realize that the people of West Virginia are not necessarily rednecks and aren't necessarily backwards mountain hillbillies. Well, there IS a little redneck in them but it's not crazy. You all know me. I can't stand rednecks and I thought these people were alright. Some were even pretty cool.<br /><br />We had the rehearsal the night before, decorated the church up and I took a few photos. I picked up a pizza for Rachel on the way home and discovered that West Virginia has my favorite snack. A snack that California doesn't seem to have: Tom's Hot Fries. If you ever want to get on my good side, buy me a generation one Trasnformer or a bag of Tom's Hot Fries.<br /><br />Then I took mom and her soon-to-be new husband out to a chinese buffet place for dinner. The food was mediocre but that's not the story. Just as we sat down to eat, the power went out in the area. We sat there, eating in the dark, got 20% off our bill and went home. It was just hilarious seeing all these people running around, talking hurredly, grabbing flashlights, checking on all the guests and the weird part was that other than a few comments, the patrons just went about their business as if nothing had happened. People got up and got more food, sat there talking to each other and paid for their meals.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7789/hurstwedding080ov2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7789/hurstwedding080ov2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The wedding was in a cute little country church off Branch of Dry Fork. Had a loose gravel ramp, grass parking lot, cemetary next to the church, porch out front, wooden exterior, all that you'd want for a country church but the choir. They weren't there this weekend.<br /><br />The wedding went off without a hitch. At least that is what we all thought. The bride and groom always know of a few things that went wrong and they always worry if others know too. They never do. I walked my mom down the aisle, was the official photographer, said a toast to those appropriate and then it was time for the trip home.<br /><br />Rachel and I headed out. We drove to Pittsburgh, had lunch at Primanti Bros. (the original location), very good sammiches by the way, and headed to the airport...FOUR HOURS EARLY.<br /><br />This was the one mistake I made all weekend. Go to the Pirates-Cubs game at PNC or the airport. I chose safety over fun. I'll never do it again. hehe. We get to the airport at 1:50 for a 6:15 flight. So early in fact, that we can't even check in our luggage until 2:15. So we went to a newstand for some reading material, something for Victoria and another bag of M&Ms.<br /><br />Then at about 4pm we headed over to the TGI Fridays in the Airport for a little something to tide us over and waste some time. I sat there watching the end of the ballgame that we would have gone to and finally it was flight time.<br /><br />This was Rachel's first flight ever. I didn't know this until we were just about to take-off. I'd have made it more special for her if I'd known earlier. The flight from Pittsburgh to San Diego was cool. Rachel took a few photos, as did I.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/9523/airport2007014ly1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/9523/airport2007014ly1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>We flew over a fire that was raging in the northwest corner of Arizona and arrived safely in Las Vegas. There we ate some BK while we waited another 90 minutes or so for our flight home. The flight took off a little soft, meaning it seemed to take forever for us to climb to 10,000 feet. It seemed like we got a couple thousand off the ground and stayed there. I heard the engines revving harder like they were trying to gain altitude and were having problems. It kinda freaked me out a little but if anything had happened, I wouldn't be typing this so we landed in San Diego about 11:30pm.<br /><br />After getting our bags, hopping a taxi to the in-laws place and driving home, we met Victoria and got to hang out for a bit before falling asleep.<br /><br />AND THAT WAS JUST LAST WEEKEND. This weekend is yet to come what with the lunch date with Jennifer, Victoria going to a bachelorette party, Bill visiting with Rachel and next week Victoria is taking the week off to have fun with Rachel. We'll see Harry Potter, I still need to review Transformers and well there's just too much. I've said enough here already. So much so, that I needed pictures to keep you from falling asleep. So as Victoria says, tah tahs for now.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-65645569661135705172007-06-26T12:41:00.000-07:002007-06-26T12:47:08.492-07:00More news going unpublishedSo it seems that Dana Jill Simpson has something to say. In fact, in a signed affidavit she has said it. We all know politicians are corrupt but she's not keeping quiet and it's angered someone in Alabama. They've burned her house to the ground and run her car off the road, totalling it, all after<a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/images/rove.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003508.php&h=311&w=220&sz=55&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=yKssmDQF2-oI3M:&tbnh=117&tbnw=83&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2522Jill%2BSimpson%2522%2BAffidavit%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official"> this affidavit</a> came out. What news is this receiving nationwide? NONE. Not a single bit. Hmmm, and the Republicans make claims about a liberal media? Perhaps after seeing someone have their house burned down and their car totalled, the media is scared to run this story? Well, I'm not. My insurance will more than cover my car and my apartment doesn't belong to me so with myself not being the cause of the blaze I'd have nothing to fear I think.<br />If you think this is just happening in Alabama you're very wrong. I don't like extreme political activists no matter what side they follow. If you can't see the truth in the middle then you're blind and you need to take a step back. Problem is, nowadays even those in the middle are acting crazy. God help this country because the people living here sure aren't doing anything to help.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-43954629599711690862007-06-25T08:53:00.000-07:002007-06-25T09:28:39.403-07:00How to deal with lazy copsGrowing up I often heard stories just like this. Let me preface this by saying that I totally support the local police. That is, those who come to work and put in an honest days work, never abuse their authority and genuinely care about the general welfare of the public. OK, here it is. This was a clipping from an unnamed newspaper:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round like a shot</span><br /><br />Going to bed the other night, I noticed people in my shed stealing things. I phoned the police but was told no one was in the area to help. They said they would send someone over as soon as possible.<br />I hung up. A minute later I rang again. 'Hello,' I said, 'I called you a minute ago because there were people in my shed. You don't have to hurry now because I've shot them.'<br />Within minutes there were half a dozen police cars in the area, plus helicopters and an armed response unit. They caught the burglars red-handed.<br />One of the officers said: 'I thought you said you'd shot them.' To which I replied, 'I thought you said there was no one available.'<br /><br />BINGO. More proof that you just have to know the system. I only hope this wasn't in <a href="http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2007/06/87543.shtml">NYC</a> or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9hS0ZhpFPA">Los Angeles</a>, otherwise the person would have been <a href="http://www.nynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070622/NEWS02/706220362">beaten</a>, <a href="http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6680802">tasered</a> and <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_6187811">arrested</a> for the smart remark. Again, I'm sure there are a decent cops in these cities but if there are, you people better do something about those few morons who <a href="http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/localnews/news8/stories/wfaa070606_mo_policetasering.20bcdeb9.html">taser first</a> and ask questions later, <a href="http://www.ww4report.com/node/4014">steal bikes</a> for ordinances that have already been repealed and arrest those who ask for your badge number. Moderate yourselves because it's obvious your captains could care less how their subordinates do.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-9906178449059609382007-06-05T22:38:00.001-07:002007-06-05T22:49:23.253-07:00My buddy found himself a job!Big shameless plug. Check <a href="http://www.anthologysd.com/">this place</a> out. It's brand new. They made my buddy <a href="http://www.butchrosser.net/">Butch</a> their new Guest Relations dude.<br /><br />Oh and may I also indroduce <a href="http://lazyphilanthropist.wordpress.com/">Lazy Philanthropist</a>? Yes I may. Victoria started it for those that want to give back to society but don't have the motivation or time to get out of their chairs and physically help others. Check it out.<br /><br />OH and here ya go Podshow. <a href="http://www.christopherspenn.com/2007/06/01/here-is-what-is-wrong-with-podshow-and-maybe-how-to-fix-it/">Fix this!</a> NOW!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-43285125088634757372007-05-21T01:31:00.000-07:002007-05-21T01:32:56.743-07:00Pictures from the cruise are now available!Check out the pics here: www.flickr.com/photos/czzyzx41 and then click on the set titled "Cruise 2007."<br /><br />I'll post a full review later. It's 1:30 and I need to get up for work in less than 4 hours.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-58325667462566244782007-05-16T14:31:00.000-07:002007-05-24T15:07:27.321-07:00Cruise Day Five<span style="font-style: italic;">I'm writing this blog as if I wrote it the days it all took place when in reality I'm writing this then Monday after the cruise was over. Enjoy...<br /><br /></span>Got up a little early and had breakfast at the Windjammer with the in-laws. Headed off the ship and stood in line for the bus for the historical excursion. We were herded onto local school buses and introduced to our driver who went by the name Mother Goose. Our tour guide or the voice of the trip was a man named Bill.<br /><br />We first headed over a low bridge (the small one in the picture of the bridge and mountain), through a neighborhood and down a road to Fort Clatsop and the Lewis & Clark museum in Astoria. We watched a movie on the Clatsop people and their view of Lewis & Clark expedition team and the winter they spent with them.<br /><br />The ranger there talked a bit and led us out a door, down a trail to a replica of the Fort which was built on the exact spot where the original fort stood. I didn't feel like I got enough time to explore the fort before Victoria and her parents were ready to move on. I shoulda said something. It's not their fault. We just sorta progressed past all that. I just tried taking in as much of the surrounding forest as I could. I love the Northern California/Orgeon coast with all the redwoods and cedars.<br /><br />We hopped back on the bus and out to the Maritime Museum which was cool. Yet another place I wish we could have had more time. There was a Coast Guard cutter and a ship called the Columbia docked next to the museum. They had a Coast Guard rescue boat and a few other boats on display inside along with all kinds of old nautical stuff along with sheets of labels from Astoria's old canning past and double guns from boats that were running in the world wars.<br /><br />After an hour or so we hopped BACK on the bus and up a narrow winding road to the top of a hill where we saw the Astoria Column. The hill was high and narrow enough that you could walk around and see the landscape for miles. I tried taking pictures of some of the rolling hills of trees, the river, the flowers, etc and I just couldn't capture it. I can't come up with the proper adjective to describe it. Breath-taking? Awesome? Beautiful? Nothing seems to fit.<br /><br />On the way back the bus offered to drop us off "downtown". Astoria's downtown district would make Santee look like a large city. Small little shops off the street, narrow streets, hardly any traffic lights, lots of homes and steep hills that reminded me of San Francisco. We walked down 12th to Baked Alaska for lunch. I had fish and chips. WONDERFUL. The service was pretty good too. Victoria seemed to enjoy her sandwich since it was gone nearly as soon as the plate touched the table. Sheesh!<br /><br />As we walked out of Baked Alaska, we JUST missed the trolley. We could see the ship from where we were so we decided to walk back. Seemed like it was MAYBE a mile away. Took us about 20 minutes to get back so it was probably a little more. We just walked on the trolley tracks, since the trolley was headed in the opposite direction, there's only one of 'em and they don't go very fast at all. The tracks often were on wooden bridges or pier like structures where there was nothing but a single layer of boards and pylons between us and the water which was MAYBE two feet below the wood. I loved that. Victoria did not. She often sped up ahead of us to rush over a bridge because it made her nervous.<br /><br />When we got back to the boat, I headed up to the top deck to get pictures of downtown and the bridge. My immature side kicked in and I thought it'd be funny to catch a picture of the last people on the boat and even hoped that maybe we'd leave someone behind and I'd catch a picture of them rushing to the boat as we pulled away. I'm a bad person sometimes.<br /><br />I enjoyed watching the guys untie the mooring lines. Front, then back and then the side. All was going well when they pulled the first line off the side. Then the ship started to naturally pull away from the dock, pulling the last line REALLY tight. I saw them backing away from the line and someone scream out "It's gonna burst!" Then the ship pulled back towards the dock so they ran up real quick and pulled the line off. I just stood there staring and thinking, "I'm gonna see something freaky here." I told you I'm a bad person sometimes.<br /><br />We did end up leaving a couple people behind but I never got a picture cause they just didn't make it back to the ship. Later that night I stood talking to Lorand about photography and San Francisco, had a few drinks at the Schooner Bar with the family and headed to bed since Victoria was the next day and THAT's the city I was really looking forward to.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-89236706594943724882007-05-15T20:04:00.000-07:002007-05-21T20:12:24.428-07:00Cruise Day Four<span style="font-style: italic;">I'm writing this blog as if I wrote it the days it all took place when in reality I'm writing this then Monday after the cruise was over. Enjoy...<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>Woke up late this morning. Got up around 10am after the in-laws had already headed for breakfast. In fact, we caught them as they were finishing up so we sat at their table. Had my usual breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, danish, donut and today it was sausage gravy and biscuits. Other mornings I had no extra except Vancouver when I had a waffle and pancake which were terrible.<br /><br />Today was totally lazy day. We had three days left and we wanted to be sure and get as much relaxation in as possible so we'd be ready for it. So Victoria napped in the afternoon and then we headed out to Latte-tudes, a Seattle's Best Coffee stand on deck 5 and tried reading for a while before getting ready for our second formal night and dinner.<br /><br />Before dinner, as was becoming tradition, we headed to the Schooner Bar for a round of drinks : a Mango Flow or Lava Flow for Victoria, Diet Coke for Teresa and a Dewars 12 and Coke for Bart and I. I took some of the pictures you see at the entrance to the Colony Club which turned out to be a bad idea. Teresa's dress blended too much with the mural behind us and the lighting was all wrong for pictures so most of the shots either had us too dark to see or overexposed our faces.<br /><br />We crashed early and waited for Astoria to come the next morning.<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-51605485896713439392007-05-14T23:33:00.000-07:002007-05-21T20:01:18.662-07:00Cruise Day Three<span style="font-style: italic;">I'm writing this blog as if I wrote it the days it all took place when in reality I'm writing this then Monday after the cruise was over. Enjoy...</span><br /><br />Our first day at port. I got up early to shoot some pictures of our entry into San Francisco Bay. I pulled on my 70-300mm lens and headed up to deck 12. When I got there we were far too close to get any decent shots so I ran back to the room for my 18-55mm lens. By the time I got back we had passed the bridge and I missed my shot. Took some pics of the shoreline and Alcatraz Island before heading back to the stateroom where Victoria was already awake and getting ready for breakfast. We met in the dining room for breakfast and then disembarked to enjoy San Francisco until midnight.<br /><br />We started out walking along Fisherman's Wharf to Powell Street. I caught a picture of our restaurant for dinner, a streetcar, a sign for the wax museum where I also caught a pic of a dude dressed as a sub sandwich crossing the street. Walking down Powell, we stopped in at Highway 66 where Victoria got a keychain and I figured we'd return to get me a flag for $10 and maybe a funny sign or ten. We never made it back.<br /><br />We walked down to the north end of the cable car line and caught the cable car all the way down to Union Square and Market Street. It was fun to say I've ridden one but it was pretty jerky, uncomfortable and loud.<br /><br />We immediately headed for the Virgin Megastore where Victoria picked up three CDs for $10 a piece: <span style="font-style: italic;">The Best of Bowie</span>, Bob Marley & The Wailers <span style="font-style: italic;">Legend</span>, and Amy Winehouse <span style="font-style: italic;">Back to Black</span>. From there we headed up to Citizen Cupcake on the third floor. They were doing renovations and we read a sign posted that said it was only going to be closed the day we were there. Suck.<br /><br />After this Teresa was thirsty and Victoria had to pee so we headed to Macy's up the street. This Macy's is huge with it's own food court and everything! We noticed an iPod vending machine so I took a picture. Victoria bought us cookies and soda to sustain me for the long walk we were about to take. The walk turned out to not be so long after all.<br /><br />We reached the Chinatown gate and from here Victoria and Teresa stopped into nearly every store on both sides of the street for about three blocks. We ended up with another buddha for our living room, a couple lucky cats and a gift for Becky. We were all hungry so we headed out for dim sum at the Four Seas Restaurant. We couldn't have made a better choice I think. They have some really good dim sum there. BBQ Pork Buns and Shu Mai and spring rolls OH MY!<br /><br />From Chinatown we headed to the City Lights bookstore. I really wish we had spent more time and cash here. Lots of cool books. I did pick up a little something that might turn into a gift. From the bookstore we grabbed a taxi and headed back up to Pier 35. The in-laws headed back to the boat for a nap while Victoria and I headed out to the Ripley's museum for a cheesy good time. Turned out to be more than I thought. Maybe not worth the admission but then again few things geared towards tourists are. We walked back down Powell and over to Barnes & Noble to rest and read a bit before heading out to meet the parents at Buena Vista Cafe at 4pm.<br /><br />As we got to The Buena Vista, the wind picked up A LOT and it got really cold. This was perfect because the Irish Coffee we got warmed me up pretty good. They say this is where the drink was developed and that it's still the best place to get an Irish Coffee. I won't dispute it as it was the best I've ever had.<br /><br />As we left The Buena Vista, I mentioned that I wanted to get to the ballpark to take some pictures. The Giants weren't in town but I wanted to see it in person. Victoria was tired and cranky and decided not to join me so I hopped a rusted out streetcar with a cranky ticket guy in it. His job was to lift the bar, check tickets and alert the driver on when to stop and when to get going again. Fascist Bastard is what he'll always be to me.<br /><br />I lost my way, missed my stop (though I didn't know it until later) and got off at 3rd Avenue. I went into Kinko's to get some bubble wrap and tape to wrap the scotch bottles since I'd have to put them in the suitcase for the flight home. Then I walked to Geary and Market and took another streetcar back up to Fisherman's Wharf to meet the family for dinner at The Franciscan.<br /><br />A couple stops after I got on, a group of young black teens got on and headed to the back. Just before we got to Pier 35, a group of Hispanic kids got on. One of the kids must have said something to the teens because the teens started barking, challenging them to fight, etc. I'm so glad this didn't start any sooner. I got off on the next stop and walked the rest of the way. No way I need to get in the middle of a fight while I'm on vacation.<br /><br />At The Franciscan I had their Surf and Turf dinner where I learned from the waitress how to crack a crab leg properly. The food was OK but not worth the price. The calamari appetizer I got was some of the worst calamari I've ever eaten. I appreciate the educational experience though.<br /><br />After dinner we headed to Pier 39 to see the fairy store Teresa wanted to go to. It was the only thing she'd been looking forward to in San Francisco and it was nearly the last thing we did. My legs were sore, back hurt and I was pretty cranky by the time we reached the boat. I rested a bit, then we hit up the Schooner bar for more drinks before heading up to the top deck with my camera to watch the boat leave and take some night shots of the skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge.<br /><br />Never in my life have I dealt with winds so fierce or air so cold as the forward side of deck 12 was on that trip out of the bay. It was tough to keep the camera still due to all my shivering, the wind and the movement of the ship. Still, as you can see above, I got some great shots. Headed over to the Thirst Quencher area outside of the Windjammer for some Hot Chocolate and to the stateroom to sleep.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-41663966436021165302007-05-13T19:14:00.000-07:002007-05-21T19:31:40.892-07:00Cruise Day Two<span style="font-style: italic;">I'm writing this blog as if I wrote it the days it all took place when in reality I'm writing this then Monday after the cruise was over. Enjoy...</span><br /><br />This was a sea day. Still getting our sea legs when we woke up, every time the ship moved we thought it was an earthquake before quickly remembering we were on a ship and such a thing was impossible. We met the in-laws for breakfast at the Windjammer and headed over to the solarium to hang out and chat. Bart and Teresa told us about some of their other cruises and some of their initial impressions about this one.<br /><br />Before lunch, we headed to the store and I found alcohol is VERY cheap on cruises. Duty free and tax free. The bottles are bigger too, full liter bottles instead of the 750mL bottles you get on shore. In San Diego, a bottle of Dewar's 12 year is about $45. On the ship, I got TWO liter sized bottles for $39.95 total. I figure I'll take one until I give up alcohol forever at the end of June and I'll find something to do with the other. After Victoria found a sweater and shawl to help keep her warm, I headed back to the stateroom for some rest while Victoria headed out to the art auction which she only attended for the free champagne.<br /><br />We hit up the dining room for lunch and had the only bad meal I would have on the ship. I ordered a buffalo chicken sandwich which came with grilled peppers. I asked for white onions instead. The waiter didn't hear me and said they didn't have grilled onions and asked if I wanted onion rings instead. I just wanted raw white onions but I got onion rings because I was still too shy to just bluntly tell the staff what I wanted.<br /><br />After lunch, Victoria headed out for her hair styling appointment. She got her hair straightened for our first formal night of the cruise. Meanwhile I stayed in the stateroom and watched some ESPN before getting ready for dinner.<br /><br />I put on my newly purchased black suit, black dress shirt and red tie and we headed out to the Schooner Bar to wait for our seating time. Meanwhile we attended the Captain's Welcome Aboard Reception where we got free drinks and listened to the captain introduce himself and the staff to us. After this we headed to the dining room for dinner. Lobster bisque, caesar salad and fillet of beef. I tried some of Victoria's escargot and loved it. Tonight's wine was a merlot from Chile.<br /><br />After dinner they had photographers with backdrops around the ship taking formal pictures that we could purchase later for $19.95 per 8x10. Kinda pricy I thought but we weren't sure yet when we'd do this again and it was our first cruise so we ended up buying three of them.<br /><br />At night it was back to the Schooner bar for drinks and off to bed. We'd be pulling into San Francisco early and I wanted to be there to take pictures of the bridge as we pulled in. Victoria and her mom headed out to the theatre to watch the Adult comedy show with Louis Johnson.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7840456.post-66080191151259782872007-05-12T18:32:00.000-07:002007-05-21T19:17:05.810-07:00Cruise Day One<span style="font-style: italic;">I'm writing this blog as if I wrote it the days it all took place when in reality I'm writing this then Monday after the cruise was over. Enjoy...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Victoria and I got everything together and into the car. Becky came over to help us put everything in the trunk. Becky was our cat sitter for the week. She did a little more than that. We'll get to that at the end. We arrived at the in-laws place around 11am. We went over our itinerary for each port, I put a few last things on the mapping program of the laptop we were taking with us and then we hopped a shuttle to the cruise terminal.<br /><br />When we got to the dock, we gave the porter our luggage, keeping only what we needed (my camera bag, the laptop, Victoria's messenger bag and her mom's purse) and headed through security which is much like you'd see at the airport only they didn't make us take our shoes off.<br />We went into the line for Royal Caribbean to pick up our stateroom key. It's basically a credit card with our name, stateroom number, seating time and dining table on it. It works as our credit card on the ship, our entrance on and off the ship and our key into our stateroom.<br /><br />We entered the ship at 12:30pm and waited as our room wouldn't be ready until 1pm. We entered on deck 4 and sat at some chairs in the centrum lounge across from Guest Relations. Our stateroom, number 4555, was on that deck, that side of the ship and 4 doors down on the left side. That info means little to you but it meant a lot to us as it put us really close to the central hub so we could get anywhere on the ship in a pretty short amount of time.<br /><br />After dropping some things off at the stateroom, we grabbed our cameras and took a long tour of the ship (or at least areas we were allowed into) while we waited for the 5pm departure time. I took pictures of various areas of the ship and headed up to deck 11 where the solarium, spas, pool and the Windjammer Cafe which served buffet style meals through stations which I thought was much more efficient than a single long line.<br /><br />The food there was really good for a buffet place. Better than Hometown Buffet at least which I guess isn't saying a lot. After eating, we had a mandatory safety drill, so we all donned our life vests, went to our emergency meeting spaces and they went through the drill of how we would all exit the ship should it start sinking.<br /><br />After this, I got some pictures of a sailing ship, the ships in harbor and then headed up the stairs to deck 12 which gave me the best perspective for taking pictures as we headed out of port.<br /><br />We laughed, waved and shot pictures as we left port and sailed through the bay and out to the ocean on our way to our first port of San Francisco.<br /><br />After we were out in the ocean we went to the Aurora Theatre for our Welcome Aboard entertainment. We saw some singers and dancers that were decent but I could barely understand them. The male dancers were a little overly feminine. There was a comedian that we thought was pretty funny but we had to take off just as he was finishing his set so we could get to dinner for our seating.<br /><br />We went to the dining room for the first night and found out our table was right next to the captain's table. He never showed up for a meal but we got the captain's waiter and assistant waitress and these two were my personal highlights of the crew on Radiance of the Seas. Lorand noticed my camera, told me he was into photography and cameras as a personal hobby and from then on we couldn't meet up without stopping to talk for a few minutes about it. I'm sure I got him in trouble because I was a big distraction but he didn't seem to mind the conversation so that was cool.<br /><br />The dining room was beautifully designed with the grand staircase, big nautically themed mural, wood columns and wood trimmed ceiling. The experience resembled some of the fancy restaurants I've been to before only on a slightly higher level. Since we had assigned waiters, they got to know us during the cruise and that really provided for some very nice personal touches which I'll mention later.<br /><br />Victoria and her dad got a wine package where we bought six bottles of wine for a price. We started with a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile and it was wonderful. I can't remember many of the meals we had since they all kinda ran together but I didn't taste anything all week that I didn't like. The closest thing was a buffalo chicken sandwich I ate for lunch one day. It was good but nothing special. By the time we returned from dinner, our luggage was waiting for us. Nice.<br /><br />Our first night of sleeping was surprisingly calm. I was expecting perhaps a little uneasiness or seasickness but it never came. I got my sea legs by the end of the second day and from then on it was easy going.<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0