Vampire iPods

Don't get me wrong, I really like my iPod mini, even if it has been rendered somewhat obsolete by the iPod nano. And as most of you are well aware, I've always enjoyed a good Halloween costume. But I must draw the line at paying $40 for a costume for my iPod, no matter how cute it is.

Bill Maher, Always Good for a Laugh

The posts are coming at blinding speed the last few days! Here's Bill Maher, weighing in about Harriet Miers' lack of a husband or kids:

But this sort of barrenness is threatening to the Republican base because they're generally people who hate sex and are bad at it. So they fear that their own population will dwindle because there won't be enough Republicans willing to fuck each other. Harriet Miers isn't using the equipment God gave her for making babies, and that's just wrong. It's like God giving you a beautiful garden and you not strip mining it for coal.

Leo Mazzone, Pitching Genius?

It's been a long-standing question in baseball; during all those years of Atlanta Braves pitching dominance, how much credit did pitching coach Mazzone deserve for all of the Cy Youngs, the 20-game winners, and the top-five staff ERAs almost every season? We may know the answer to that question starting next season. If Leo signs on with his good friend Sam Perlozzo and miraculously turns the putrid Baltimore staff around, then there can no longer be any doubt that he's the real deal.

Yet Another Reason to Flee the Country

Other than the current administration, that is. I'm talking about faster, cheaper internet access in other places around the world. Japan: 16 times faster than DSL, $22/month. France: 10x faster, $38/month (includes 100 channels of digital TV and unlimited telephone service also). This Salon.com article tells the story - I don't usually link to Salon since it's a subscription site that makes you watch an ad to read an article if you're not a subscriber, but check it out if you feel like it. To summarize though, the U.S. falling behind in broadband access, speed and affordability is yet another example of corporations and their lobbyists successfully lobbying to protect and increase profits at the expense of citizens and communities.

Never fear though, Google is here! Maybe. Is free Wi-Fi or broadband access desirable if it means being potentially bombarded with targeted advertising? Well, let's look at broadcast TV and conventional radio - is this use of public bandwidth really serving the public? Have you tuned into FM radio lately? Ugh. Perhaps the Internets are such different beasts, that such a comparison with more traditional uses of bandwidth isn't valid. Free broadband and Wi-Fi could be the impetus for the transformation of the Web into a true on-demand, content-rich, independent media source accessible by everyone. Or it could mean watching more commercials, reading more ads, and deleting more Spam.

On a more personal note, this is Charm City Blogger's 100th post! Cue falling balloons and confetti! I'd like to thank Google, Blogger.com, Mozilla, Tim Berners-Lee, DARPA, and Al Gore for making it all possible.

Neat Map Project

I dig maps (who doesn't?), so I'm stoked about the Common Census web site, which takes user input such as where you live and what locality and big city you closely identify with, and creates a U.S. map based on major cities' spheres of influence. So check out the site and enter your data - the more data points the better.

AND for sports fans, it's got a sports map also that attempts to map out spheres of influence for pro and college sports teams. So far, only the NFL and MLB maps are available, but they both show some unexpected, if somewhat intuitive, results. On the NFL map, check out the Green Bay Packer's area down in Mississippi and northern Louisiana (Brett Favre hails from MS). And on the MLB map, there must be a lot of Chicago-area retirees itn Arizona, because it's evidently Cubs country out there. It's also worth noting that after 2,500 entries for the MLB map, Diamondback fans are non-existent, while the Devil Rays do have actual fans!

What would be really fascinating, was if this project collected data for 10, 20, 50, 100 years. How would the city spheres and sports team 'boundaries' change? Would identification with cities change with the economy/real estate market/job growth/etc.? And would the sports boundaries correlate with winning percentage, as would be expected? I couldn't help but notice the Orioles' area is very small, appropriate for eight straight losing seasons, while the new team on the block, the Nationals, have a huge area that currently stretches into he Carolinas. Would the Mets' area in the late 60s and early 70s have rivaled that of the Yankees? How huge was the Reds' area in the mid 70s, or the Twins in the late 80s? Are associations with metro areas and sports teams more fluid on the coasts, where one would expect that people are more transient than in Central and Mountain states?

Perhaps the coolest thing about this map project is that the founder of the site, some guy originally from "Up-State" New York with a poly-sci degree who now lives in Rio de Janeiro, conceived the idea over a barbecue lunch one day. Does this mean that I should try to do more deep thinking during my lunch breaks?

New 007 Announced

I think that James Bond fans will be quite satisfied with the choice of Daniel Craig to replace Pierce Brosnan as 007. I've only seen him in one film, last year's excellent gangster caper Layer Cake, but I was impressed. I was hoping for Clive Owen to accept the role - he apparently was offered it but turned it down - but Craig is a great choice, IMO. Maybe he'll be able to inject some life into the character; Pierce Brosnan seemed bored as hell during the last few films, like he couldn't wait to get out of the role. Of course, maybe he was just tired of waiting for a nipple to appear.

One Down, One to Go

I think we should all send out a big thank-you to the Chicago White Sox, who spared us another postseason of Red Sox vs. Yankees. I admit, last year's seven-game series was the most exciting playoff series I've ever seen, and it sure didn't hurt that the Yankees lost. But all the hype - the idea that the entire country is riveted by two East Coast teams battling it out, the selling of this as a storied sports rivalry even though historically the Red Sox get their asses handed to them ninety-percent of the time, the deification of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Curt Schilling by the morons at Fox - is a bit much to bear. Hopefully the Angels can finish off the Yanks this weekend, and we won't have to hear about either A.L. East team anymore this postseason.

Now, how about those White Sox? Looking at the matchup from a mascot perspective, which Jenny likes to do, it's somewhat counter-intuitive to expect the White Sox to vanquish the Red Sox so easily. Throw them in the wash together, and a red sock will usually exert its colorful will on a white sock; that white sock is coming out of the washer as a pink sock, which is definitely not a suitable mascot. Maybe if you washed them on cold, and put them in the dryer right after the final spin cycle, the white sock stands a fighting chance. But probably not.

So here's hoping the White Sox go all the way this year. They've got the pitching, they're an exciting team to watch, and they're a new face in playoffs that have featured the same six to ten teams for the past three or four years. And from a mascot perspective, they're a team that everyone should be able to get behind. What's more populist than a white sock? Go ahead, look in your sock drawer. Any red socks in there? Maybe. But I'm willing to bet that everyone, no matter your age, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, or sports affiliation, has at least one pair of white tube socks. How can southerners get behind the Yankees? But I bet they put on some white socks before they head out to the NASCAR race. How do Native Americans get behind the Braves? It's just another sports team appropriating a racist mascot, and besides they never win it all. The Cardinals? Most people have dogs and cats as pets, birds aren't nearly as popular. I could go on, but I think I've made my point. Go Tube Sox! Make Chicago, and the rest of us, proud.

Army 11.4-Miler!

We thought we were running a ten-mile race yesterday morning, but we ended up running 1.4 bonus miles after security concerns forced the course to be re-routed. Therefore, the race was unofficial and I really can't say what my ten-mile time was (because I'm not sure at which point on the course I completed the ten miles). I ran the 11.4 miles in 1:41:38, so assuming a constant pace, I'd have finished 10 miles in 1:29:23. Up until the last real mile marker that I saw, the 7-mile mark, I had been speeding up over each of those first seven miles, so I'd like to think I would have done even better than 89 minutes. I'm satisfied with those numbers though, especially considering that I got less than 5 hours of sleep the night before, and the buffet-food and cocktails I consumed at Liz & Jarriel's wedding on Saturday night didn't exactly constitute carb-loading. It was a flat, fast course, and I'm curious to know how I would have done with more rest and less booze the night before. I'm honestly not sure whether those factors even came into effect.

My dad finished about ten minutes behind me, and like me, was somewhat faster than his anticipated pace (10 minute-miles, 9-minute miles for me). Go Barry! Not bad for an old man, not bad at all. That 11.4 miles was the longest either of us had ever run, so that was kinda cool. We did both agree that no matter how flat the course or pleasant the weather, at some point during a race of that length, you start to question how much fun you're really having. I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I predict no marathons for either of us for at least the next couple of years.

Other than the added course length, we were quite unimpressed with the race planning and logistics. Not only did race officials not notify runners of the change in course and distance until we reached the finish line, but once we made it to the race staging area after the race, it was chaotic. Food and drink distribution locations were a mystery, so you had to wander around until you found the (long) lines for the food). There were people handing out commerative coins, but unless you ran into one of those people, you wouldn't have gotten a coin. They didn't even have enough trash cans, and the Pentagon parking lot was a mess as a result. Bottom line - I'd have to really think twice before signing up next year, although ten-milers are pretty rare so we'll see. I know that it's an 'Army of One', but that one dude needs to get his act together.

Puppets AND Hippie Music!

This morning I was all set to write about this column by the Sun's new sports columnist, and how he got it exactly right - the Orioles won't return to prominence, or even respectability, while Peter Angelos owns the team.

But then I found this video. These Gloves and Boots people took the fantastical hippie sound of the Polyphonic Spree and created a music video starring their puppets! Yeah, the lyrics and the puppet singing don't snyc up all that well, but hey most puppets aren't great singers anyway. What's important is that the video captures the peace, love, flower-child, cult-like vibe of the Spree. Enjoy!

Instant Zombie Classic

I just saw Shaun of the Dead last night for the first time. While not a very scary zombie movie, it's certainly the funniest zombie film I've seen thus far. When I finally get around to starting the all-zombie portion of our DVD collection, it will certainly be an addition. So if you dig zombies, silly British humor, and good filmmaking, check out Shaun of the Dead.

Now a note about most zombie movies - generally the premise is that if one is bitten by a zombie, one will eventually die and be re-animated by the zombie disease/curse/cooties, into another zombie. But after people are first bitten, they always continue to fight off the zombies, even though they should know that they're just going to be one themselves, eventually. So why fight? I mean, you're just going to get to the point that's in every zombie film, when your best friend or brother or girlfriend is going to have to decapitate you or shoot you in the head to protect themselves. So why put them in that tough emotional situation? Once you're bitten, time to throw in the towel!

Of course, it's just instinct to keep fighting when you're attacked by the undead, so I suppose that's part of the reason. Maybe the victim also figures that maybe there's a small chance that they're starring in a zombie film in which the cure for zombieism is found at the end of the movie, and that in that case fighting and becoming a zombie later on beats being torn limb-from-limb by the undead (which is what will happen if you don't fight them off) and ending up just-plain-dead. Don't hold your breath - I've seen a number of zombie films, and that never happens. In fact, the endings are usually pretty bleak for humanity, and relatively bright for the flesh-eating legions of undead.

[Blogger's Note: the word zombie or derivations thereof appear in this post fifteen times! I tried to change it up occassionally, throwing in undead every once in a while. The I got to thinking, are there any other synonyms for zombie that I'm not coming up with? Just one, really. The only word I could find that was specifically appropriate for zombies, as opposed to ghosts, demons, or vampires, was revenant.]

Latest 'W' Joke

Well, maybe it's not the latest, but I just received it by email so it's new to me:

Donald Rumsfeld is giving the president his daily briefing.

He concludes by saying: "Yesterday, 3 Brazilian soldiers were killed in an
accident."

"OH NO!" the President exclaims. "That's terrible!"

His staff sits stunned at this display of emotion, nervously watching as the
President sits, head in hands.

Finally, the President looks up and asks..........

How many is a Brazillion???

Negative Publicity & Google

I searched for 'underchuckle' today on Google, and the blog finally shows up! So I'm taking this opportunity, which not-so-coincidentally follows coming home to a second-floor window screen lying -bent and twisted - on the ground in front of our house, to extoll the virtues of the Patterson Park Community Development Corporation. They're the people who we bought the house from, and who offer a one-year comprehensive warranty that is taking them 18 months and counting to fulfill the terms of. They can't measure for or install window screens properly. They can't seem to find a decent plumber. Their customer service response time is measured in months. The list goes on.

Hopefully, Google will continue to work its magic, and all of my blog entries will be indexed someday. And they just maybe, aspiring homeowners who are contemplating a move to the Patterson Park neighborhood and are thinking of buying from the nice people at the CDC will Google said company, and will find this entry. To those visitors, I sincerely beseech you - don't do it. It may seem like a good deal, but dealing with them and their semi-skilled contractors will beget nothing but frustration. Trust me, I've been there.

The Only Weather Site You'll Ever Need

The guy who operates this site is a TV weatherman & meteorologist from Idaho, who believes that Russian - i.e. old Soviet - technology was used (possibly by the Japanese Mafia?) to cause and control Hurricane Katrina. He's leaving his TV gig to devote more time to his 'research'.

Destruction Photos!

As promised (a day late, not that you're surprised by that), the rubble and mayhem that is our Baltimore rowhouse:



Here's the backyard, after its fateful encounter with a jackhammer, a sledgehammer, and some pry bars. I think the hibiscus are a nice touch.







And here is the front railing, after a surprise visit from a dirtbike-riding hoodlum.

Anyone Want Some Concrete?

So I'm having some trouble trying to get rid of all this busted-up concrete that's in our back "yard". Seems that the people who work at concrete recycling companies aren't known for the breadth of their knowledge on those companies' operations. For example, a woman at a local facility could tell me how much they charge for disposal (a nominal $30 fee, no matter how much concrete you have) and how much they charge to drop a dumpster near your house ($75), but not how much to pick up said dumpster. Huh? So she gave me another phone number to call to get that information, and they evidently aren't able to pick up the phone when it rings. The other local place I've tried has still yet to answer their damn phone! I suppose I'm just surprised - and disappointed - that the concrete recycling industry in Baltimore doesn't attract the best and brightest in the construction refuse business.

And yes, I know, I promised to post photos of the concrete rubble and the results of punk-on-a-dirtbike vs. iron railing. What can I say, I have been remiss. I'll post them tomorrow, I promise!

I'm going to a Nationals game with my brother tonight, versus Barry Bonds and the Gigantes. He homered last night at RFK, we'll see if he can make it two nights in a row. The big question of course is, what's he on now? Some stealth steroid? HGH? Or a super-new, high-octane flaxseed oil? We'll probably never know.

MS Doctor Tells Dick Where to Go, Cashes In

So it seems that Dr. Ben Marble is making a bit of money off of his comments to Dick Cheney last week. (You'll recall that last summer Cheney expressed near-identical sentiments to Senator Leahy of Vermont on the Senate floor). I don't have a problem with that; the good doctor has stated pretty clearly that even though his house was destroyed by Katrina, he's not a charity case. And it takes some nerve to walk up to the VP, surrounded by Secret Service, and say what he did. I think the T-Shirt could be a bit flashier though, maybe a photo of Dick, a middle finger, something like that...

Our Latest Export

I would be remiss if I went any longer without mentioning spankledelia.com. For those of you who know Mr. Grau, neither his site's artistic merits nor his...engaging and um, enlightened prose should come as a surprise. He's recently unleashed himself upon London disguised as a mild-mannered (bwaahhahah!) art student. Well, maybe unleashed isn't the right term; it's not quite like the classic Godzilla/Tokyo relationship, because he's not nearly that tall. Anyway, good luck to all involved.

Seriously though, how much damage could he do over there? With what they already think of us thanks to our remedial president, Ryon may actually raise their collective opinion of the U.S.! You know that we live in a very fucked-up world when that last sentence is actually true.
(image from spankledelia, used without permission - I'm married to a lawyer, go ahead and sue!)

BB King, Maryland Wine

This past Sunday, thanks to Amy & Matt, we saw B.B. King at Wolf Trap. I had never been to Wolf Trap in all my years in this area, and I was impressed. Not so much with the sound or view, which were both excellent, but with the fact that on the lawn, you can bring whatever you want to eat or drink. Beer, wine, food; we had it all! Even crackers and cheese. We blended almost seamlessly into the vast lawn of yuppies. I had no idea that B.B. King was almost 80 years old! He'll actually be 80 this Friday. He took long breaks between songs to tell stories and jokes, and never played Lucille for very long stretches, but whaddya want, the dude is 80! He can still sing and still play though, and it was a great show all around.

This weekend is the Maryland Wine Festival, out in Westminster. Yeah, I know, I'm more of a beer drinker too. But we've been the past couple years, and it's a good time (because of all the wine, mostly). It's open both Saturday and Sunday - if you're interested in going, let me know and maybe we can arrange a delightful group outing on one of those days.

It's Official, He's Really That Bad

From Sky News Ireland (Sky is owned by Rupert Murdoch, go figure). It's not exactly breaking news though, about half the country has figured this out over the last five years.

Dirt Bikes and Jackhammers

Dirt Bike: Like the one a teenager was riding in our neighborhood when he saw the cops, tried to outrun them, and crashed into our front railing on Friday afternoon. A photo is forthcoming in the next entry.

Jackhammer: The implement that was used when my dad, brother and I busted up 300 sqaure feet of concrete in our back yard. Definitely better than a sledgehammer! And more fun too. Photos forthcoming also.

New Orleans Blog

Thanks to my brother, who sent me the link for this blog, which is operating from the downtown New Orelans Central Business District.

Avoiding Blog Spam

I've changed the blog settings and made it private, in the hopes of avoiding the comment spam that I've had a few problems with recently (last post - 8 spam comments). The private setting just means that it won't show up on any blogger.com searches, and it won't show up on Blogger's front page in the recently updated blogs section - I think that's where the real problem lies.

If It Was 10 Miles, Why Didn't You Just Drive?

I'm not sure if I preferred last year's weather, 93 and 50% humidity, or this year's, around 80 and 90% humidity. Anyway, I only got about six hours sleep because we got home from Frederick at about 11:30 and I had to be up at 5:30. But I'm used to that amount, so I don't think it affected me that much. I did improve on last year's time by a decent margin. I think that was more mental than physical though. I've been running more this year than last, but not a great deal more considering the solid 2 months of hot and humid weather we had. I think that my familiarity with the course this year made all the difference.

So without further ado, the numbers!

2004 total time - 1:36:32
2005 total time - 1:32:20

That's right, an improvement of over 4 minutes! Not too bad, I was hoping to get a bit closer to 90 minutes for a total time, but I'll take a 4-minute improvement. Now, I don't have splits from last year to compare with; I thought that I had started my timer at the beginning of the race, but I didn't press the button hard enough. Oh well.

2005 mile splits:
1 - 9:31
2 - 8:58
3 - 9:06
4 - 9:03
5 - 9:44
6 - 9:05
7 - 9:24
8 - 9:12
9 - 9:11
10 - 9:03
average mile - 9:14

So those were about as consistent as it gets (for me, at least), although looking at them I'm wondering if I could have pushed it a little more early on. But I knew that the second half of the course was especially brutal, so it was probably a good thing that I took it easy for that first mile, when the tendency is to start too quickly.

New Orleans No More?

As Katrina bears down, in all of its Cat-5 fury, on New Orleans, I'm reminded of something I heard on the news last hurricane season about the Big Easy. I can't remember if it was the mayor, or someone from FEMA, or somebody else entirely, but they basically said that if N.O. were ever hit directly by a huge storm, it doesn't make too much sense to rebuild it. The rationale being that a city that size in that location that's below sea level is lucky to still be around. Considering those factors, rebuilding might not make a lot of sense. Seems kind of strange that a city of almost half a million people could cease to exist, just because of the weather.

I know what you're thinking; If New Orleans is destroyed and isn't rebuilt, then Nature has won! Well, yeah. Nature wins pretty much whenever it wants to, and sometimes it decides to remind us of that.

Annapolis 10-Miler, Bandwagoneers

I'm running in my second Annapolis 10-Miler this Sunday morning. The weather should be much better than last year, about 10-12 degrees cooler and much less humid. So I should improve on last year's time, but of course I won't really know if any improvement is due to better weather or my being in better running shape. There's also Chris and Heather's wedding reception happening back in Frederick on the previous evening - I'll have to scale back the drinking :( and hope that the drive back home that night followed by the early drive to Annapolis doesn't tire me out too much.

I was out running on Wednesday night, and during the part of the run that went through the Canton neighborhood, I counted no less than 6 people outdoors with their Boston Red Sox caps on. Yes, Canton is a neighborhood in Baltimore - so what's going on? Is it just a strange coincidence? Did I see 6 New Englanders, who all happen to be baseball fans, during a 3-4 minute stretch of running?

Unlikely. I'm betting that these people have NYY hats in their closets or basements that they last wore 4-5 years ago. They wouldn't know Ted Williams if they opened their freezers and saw his frozen melon staring back at them. And they sure don't know much about baseball if they think they're rooting for a 'historically-great franchise'. The Red Sox are only historical in the manner that most antiques are historical; they're just old. Here's a list of all the current MLB teams - in their current locations and with current nicknames - with better championships-per-season percentages than the Red Sox (and yes this list was painful for me to compile due to item #1):

1. #$%&ing Yankees: 28.3%
   
2. Florida: 16.7%
3. Arizona: 14.3%
4. Oakland: 10.8%
5. Dodgers: 10.6%
6. St. Louis: 8.6%
7. Toronto: 7.1%
8. Baltimore: 5.9%
9. Boston: 5.1%
   

So as you can see, those Charm City-based Red Sox fans would be better off, statistically-speaking, rooting for...the hometown team!!! What a revolutionary concept! I wish that all those Sox fans who buy the gear and maybe even support the team, despite absolutely no connection to the city of Boston or the New England area, would realize this. What good is being a fan (i.e. fanatic) if your loyalties change with the wind? Anyway, I'm glad I don't personally know any of these people of obviously low moral fiber.

Now, will I still root for the Sox whenever they play the Yankees? Sure, don't be ridiculous. But I won't be enjoying myself. The choice between 98 years of mostly-average play and 92 years of pure evil is easy but uncomfortable - root against the evil, and hope for the best.

Another 2nd Place

Another poker 'tournament', another 2nd-place finish. A month after the 22-person affair in Western MD, I was down in DC on Saturday night for a smaller 12-person tourney hosted by a co-worker. I played a little tighter than I had during the last tournament, but still found opportunity to go all-in six times before losing on the seventh occurrence. It was heads-up at the end, and we traded the chip lead back and forth quite a few times over an hour or so. I definitely had some good luck on my side for most of the evening, but I also didn't make any mistakes and had a few very good plays that knocked some players out.

I'm getting better at recognizing players who I should be playing against versus those that I shouldn't. For example, not a great idea to play too many hands against the guy at the table who plays at least every other hand. Even if he has the chip lead and looks dangerous, let him knock himself out playing too many hands (that's exactly what happened). Personally, I need to work on winning more bad hands and playing a bit smarter in end-game situations (1-on-1, 3 players). Maybe then I can move up from 2nd to 1st sometime soon.

One thing I did like about this tournament were that the chips weren't real-money valued. It was a $@0 buy-in, but you received 1500 in chips. Not $1500 in chips, just 1500. If you're playing a friendly game where there isn't necessarily a winner, it's appropriate to tie chips to actual monetary value. But in a tournament I think it just adds to the fun, to be playing at the end up the game and being able to raise 5000. Again, the chips are just a way of keeping score in poker; I have more fun playing when I think that way - I can always concern myself with the money after the game is over.

Update: General Mills now makes Peanut Butter Cookie Crisp - check it out, it's super-tasty.

Freedom Is On The March!

Except for women - and young girls - in Afghanistan, not to mention Iraq (here comes Sharia law). Other than that...yay freedom!

Meanwhile, as Cindy Sheehan continues to give some much-needed publicity to the anti-war sentiment in this country, let's take comfort in a less-complicated worldview, as we hearken back to this Barbara Bush quote from her appearance on Good Morning America two years ago:

But why should we hear about body bags, and deaths, and how many, what day it's gonna happen, and how many this or what do you suppose? Or, I mean, it's, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?

(This concludes this week's geopolitical post. Thanks for reading!)

Weekend in Rehoboth

It's been awhile since we spent time at any beach, last July 4th in SC actually. And it's been even longer since we visited the MD/DE beaches in-season; in the past we've usually waited until September or October, and for good reason. It's damn crowded there in August! Tons of families mostly, although plenty of high school kids as well. It's also pricier. The hotel we stayed in was nice, but $200 per night? Welcome to the beaches closest to the Washington-Baltimore megalopolis, I guess.

So we hung out on the beach, ate, drank, got ice cream each of the two nights we were there (24 different flavors of soft serve?!? Not fair). And did a good deal of shopping. Clothes mostly. Factory outlets, whatever than means anymore. I didn't bitch too much, and actually did my share of the purchasing.

Anyway, back at work. Already, I could use another vacation. Funny how that works.

Epigenetics

This is the first time I've ever encountered the term epigenome. Did I miss the boat on this? Is this news to anyone else?

Looks like this has a lot of potential, but then again most 'hot' scientific fields always seem to hold so much promise.

Do I Smell Bacon? Jump on the BlogWagon! Time Off.

Lots going on recently, and not much time to write about any of it. I guess it's not that surprising that in an office of 10 people, if one of them gets fired 1 or 2 people are going to have a lot more work to do. That's been my situation lately (more work; I didn't get fired), which is good in that I'm certainly not bored, but which leaves less time for everything else. I've gotten to the point where I'm going to bed at night thinking about work, something which I usually try to avoid at all costs because it just doesn't seem healthy.

Our esteemed president has lost his battle with pork. So much for being a man of principle, not wanting to waste taxpayer money. The linked article talks primarily about the new highway bill, although the new energy bill is also full of pig product. Not only is he giving up on fighting pork, but in a concession to Congress, George is expected to name Miss Piggy as his new Secretary of Transportation in the near future. Seriously, you'll see it in the news over the next week or so.

More blogs in the house! (the house being the Internets) Wethotamericanmatt: he has 23 friends according to his site, which of course made me start counting my friends - no, I don't have that many, don't be ridiculous. Also he seems fond of penguins, and really who isn't? Colarama, I suspect, will be an artistic and far-ranging blog that puts most others to shame, kinda like Pixelfish's. Time will tell, I suppose. No audioblogs/podcasts or videoblogs yet, at least not by anyone I know personally. Maybe the next ipod, rumored to have video capabilities, will change that.

Taking tomorrow off and heading to the beach for the first time in over a year, so it's doubtful I'll post until next week. Unless I kill any sharks or dolphins with my bare hands, then I'll make sure to post the photos.

Good Luck to Sam Perlozzo

Things can't get too much worse for the hometown team these days, so here's hoping that Sam, a Cumberland native and lifetime O's fan, does well as manager. So far, so good.

Should Mazilli have been fired? I can only give my opinion, but this item from the Sun article about his firing qualifies as a fireable offense in my book:

"Players were irritated last season by Mazzilli's constant references to the Yankees"

Win or lose, at least they won't have to put up with that kind of talk around the clubhouse. Nobody deserves that (not even Palmeiro).

Raffy Saga, Day 2: Confidentiality?!?

I was thinking about this last night while I was doing some painting: why can't Raffy talk about the specifics about what he took? If MLB and its players are really concerned with protecting kids from harmful chemicals, wouldn't that be a good idea? Who exactly is this confidentiality agreement protecting anyway? The secret is out, we know it's Palmeiro! The public is always fond of full disclosure. I say he gives us all the details, and hopes that MLB or the union sues him - then he'll be a guy who comes clean AND a sympathetic figure for being dragged into legal procedings for telling the truth. That's win-win, baby!

Barring all that happening, we can only hope that one of the MLB executives is buddies with Karl Rove. Then we'd know that the truth will leak out eventually.

Raffy Suspended for Positive Steroids Test

Wow, I didn't really see this coming. Is it possible that Raffy's telling the truth, and he has never knowingly taken steroids? Sure, I guess. But that doesn't really matter. He knew that he was under the microscope thanks to Canseco's book and the testimony before Congress, especially with Mark McGwire's very evasive testimony. So there are five possibilities IMO, and two of them are real long-shots:

1. Canseco was right after all, and Raffy has used steroids for a long time. He looks like Mr. Universe under that baggy uniform, and not like a Dunkin' Donuts regular.
2. Raffy took a 'supplement' that he didn't know was on baseball's list, or something that contained small amounts of a banned substance, that he thought was OK.
3. A third party gave him something that was laced with steroids so that he would test positive. This kind of sabotaging has happened before on the Olympic level, but is unlikely.
   
4. Baseball's incompetence in most matters extend to its drug-testing program, and samples can become easily contaminated. Raffy's positive test sample was actually from teammate Brian Roberts, he of the 16-HR (and counting) season, quadruple his previous season high for HR!
5. MLB includes Viagra on its banned substance list.

OK, while #4 can't be ruled out by any means, let's assume that MLB runs their testing program reasonably well, and besides I have to believe that before any suspension there are multiple samples taken for verification purposes. Number 5? That would be a real downer.

That leaves items 1 through 3, and I'm not sure how much we need to differentiate between them - any of the three would prove one thing, that Palmeiro is really not very smart. He knows that some people are suspicious thanks to Canseco's book, and that he would be jeopardizing his HOF credentials (like McGwire already did) with a positive test. Even the carelessness that would allow numbers 2 and 3 to occur isn't an excuse, because that level of carelessness borders on brain-dead. When I remember to, I take a glucosamine chondroitin vitamin supplement for joint health (I've had knee problems in the past) - if I were Raffy I would have stayed away from that, because after all you can rearrange the letters to spell steroid nachogloucinmin, a well-known Cheez-Whiz-based steroid derivative.

Hopefully we'll get more details about this positive test, but I'm not holding my breath. Raffy will come back in 10 days, and if he finishes the year strong (and continues to hit like he has been) he'll quiet some of the talk. Should he come back strong this year, it certainly doesn't hurt that a (suspected) steroid user like Jason Giambi is having a nice comeback as well.

Juan to Portland

Juan Dixon will now be playing for the Blazers. The deal is for three years, $8 million total. Not bad for a guy who was supposed to be too small to play in the NBA. So far I'd say he's doing OK. Go Terps!

Michael Douglas, outside the Mayflower. Sorry about the lack of zoom (and quality), I was using my office's camera, a 2MP with a 3x zoom. Plus this was about as close as we were allowed to get.

Hollywood in DC

I suspect that I won't be doing as much work today as usual, since I have a window office and they're filming scenes for a movie at the Mayflower Hotel next door. What movie, you may ask? Well after I got to the office, I went out and had a look around. Based on the personalized director-style chairs that are set up on the sidewalk in front of the Mayflower - and on the other end of the block, well out of view from my window - I deduced (with some help from the Internets) that they're working on The Sentinel. It's about a Secret Service Agent who has an affair with the First Lady, then is caught up in the murder of another agent. And yes, there are some big names in this film, like Michael Douglas, Kim Basinger, Kiefer Sutherland, and Eva Longoria. Those are the people that I've been instructed by by co-workers to keep an eye out for today. I'm not too optimistic though, I doubt that the stars be heading out to the catering tables to grab a bowl of Oreos cereal (that stuff is awful; it seems like a good idea but it isn't, trust me). I hope the film crew is grateful for the weather today - it's the first day in weeks, literally, where it hasn't felt over 100 (with heat index).

Podcasting Verdict: Groovy

It took me a little while (I've had my ipod mini for a few months now), but this past weekend I looked into podcasting and have subscribed to a handful of podcasts. I have to say that this technology has real promise, and I hope it sticks around and gets more popular. Ideally, podcasting could eventually kill the on-air doldrums that is commercial radio, if satellite radio doesn't kill it first. More on that later.

For those who didn't follow the Wikipedia link, podcasting refers to subscribing to a particular audio program, updated regularly. The software I use is itunes, since it came with my ipod, but there is other (and better) software out there that manages podcast subscriptions - itunes only recently added decent podcasting functionality with its latest software release, although I've heard that more features are on the way. So the software downloads the latest program in the form of an mp3 file, which one can then listen to on their computer or mp3 player. Programs range from music programs to political shows to international news to comedy - well, you get the picture, there's a lot out there. But the idea is that you can search out shows and topics that interest you, and essentially program/compile your own personal radio station.

How many podcasts that are out there now are good? That's an excellent question. Since I've only been at this for a few days, it's difficult to say - most of the worthwhile programs that I've heard so far are, not surprisingly, produced and distributed by existing 'big media' companies such as ABC, ESPN and MSNBC. I've also subscribed to several podcasts by Adam Curry, who is considered one of the pioneers (if not the pioneer) of podcasting and who does a lot to promote the technology. Some of you may remember him as the MTV VJ from the mid-80s to mid-90s; he later founded several internet start-ups during the dot-com boom and is now apparently all about podcasting. From his latest podcast: he met with Apple's itunes people over the weekend in the Bay area to discuss improvements that they could make to their software in the podcasting department. I've also found several smaller, independent podcasts that I enjoy so far: the 40+ minute movie review show Cinecast, the short Baltimore history segment Baltimore Stories from the local NPR station WYPR, and a media & culture show from local college/public station WTMD.

I've also already discovered some bizarre, poorly-produced, and just plain bad podcasts. I was hopeful that maybe NYC Beercasting would be about beer, but it's really just stupid conversations among a group of 3-4 friends that takes place in a bar. I don't know who would find that interesting, because I sure didn't. There must be real beer-analysis shows out there, and if there aren't, there should be. The Baltimore NPR station has a weekly wine discussion called Cellar Notes, and a beer equivalent is surely needed. Let's see, what else sucked...ah yes, the British-based political comedy sketch show Whack My Bush was neither funny nor clever, and I'm a guy who really appreciates humor at W's expense. There were a few more that were equally forgettable, unsurprisingly I can't remember the specifics.

So getting back to the technology, I can see it being adopted more as mp3 players make their way into more homes (as part of the regular entertainment system components of CD/DVD player, receiver, etc.) and cars. These types of players do exist, and some even include the necessary Wi-Fi functionality that enables one to listen to pc-based mp3 files from the living room. But from what I've read, these products are far from perfect, and not all that 'smart' yet. A car-based player should have built-in Wi-Fi and should be able to scan the pc hard drive for podcast updates and new songs while it's parked outside or in the garage. As far as portable players go, leading companies (read: Apple) need to incorporate wireless features into their players, that would enable users on the street/bus/subway/airplane/boat/highway to share their podcasts and music - the music that isn't under the RIAA umbrella, of course. Although the copyright holders of signed musicians should think about loosening the copyright laws to allow temporary sharing of content - a digital stamp that starts a timer, so that a shared song is available for listening for 4, 12, or 24 hours, and then available for purchase afterwards. If they can come up with secure technology that enables that type of sharing, it makes them money in the long run, right? Put it all together, and maybe more people can start to own, and share, their own personal radio stations.

By the way, if any of you are subscribing to any podcasts that they really enjoy, don't keep them to yourself...

Sordid Tales: The Return of Pultoblog

A few of you (well at least one person) may have noticed that I removed the Pultoblog link from the sidebar last week. Greg is back online though with his first post since March, and it's an entertaining and scandalous one at that. But is he back for good, and will it be enough to restore the sidebar link? I think I need a few more posts to be totally convinced, but hey what else are blogs for than to link to friends' blogs and perpetuate the vicious ego-feeding cycle?

Public Grooming

On the MARC train this morning, a person sat down next to me and proceeded to clip his fingernails. Maybe it's just me, but is it too much to ask people to do that sort of thing in private? I guess I should be grateful that it wasn't the toenails?

Comedy Demerits, and a More Pleasant Shopping Experience

I was inspired to come up with not one, but TWO fabulous concepts this weekend! This is rare, usually I think of something fabulous once, maybe twice per year. Not sure what's going on here.

Comedy Demerits: I'm still filling in some of the details, but let me know what you think of what I have so far. This was inspired by dinner with some family members this weekend, actually pre-dinner drinks at the bar with my brother and my dad. Anyway, one of those guys tried to be funny and failed miserably, don't remember who it was, and I thought that it was so bad that it deserved some kind of punishment. And so the comedy demerit concept was born. It doesn't sound too bad, but the idea is that if you earn enough of them, you are barred from being (intentionally) funny in public for a certain amount of time. For a demerit to be earned, there has to be some kind of consensus reached by the offended parties - offended parties being anyone unfortunate enough to be in earshot of said 'joke'. That way, demerits cannot be arbitrarily assigned by one person. Earn enough and that's it, you're officially not funny, and must remain in comedy seclusion for a yet-to-be-determined period, to reflect on the harm that you've caused. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm still working on the finer points, suggestions are welcome.

Hassle-Free Shopping: This one was inspired when Jenny and I ran into a Best Buy yesterday to pick up a gift for her nephew's 10th birthday. First of all, there's a salesperson in the games section, trying to convince Jenny to buy some contraption for the Game Boy Advance. Yes, that's how it always seems to work at Best Buy, an 'associate' is always there to try to sell you something you don't want (like the extended warranty) but never there to answer any questions you might have, which is just as well because I've actually oeverheard them make stuff up when they don't know the answer. But I digress...so after fending off the salesguy, we pick out a game and go to the register to pay for it. The guy at the register hits Jenny with the triumvirate - "Do you have a Rewards Zone card?", "Will you be using your Best Buy card today?", "With every purchase you can choose a subscription to either Entertainment Weekly or Sports Illustrated, are you interested?". What happened to just picking out what you want and buying it? Thus my second brilliant idea of the weekend was born, a new line of stores coming to your neighborhood soon, Leave-Me-the-Fuck-Alone Mart! The store name is subject to change, I'll admit it doesn't sound too friendly. But here's how it would work. You would walk in to the store, there would be employees in every department waiting to assist you. They would not be in their friend's department, chatting it up and ignoring customers, because my store would only hire people who have no friends. Not that it would matter, because employees at Leave-Me-the-Fuck-Alone Mart would not be allowed to speak unless spoken to by a customer. OK, maybe the check-out people could thank you and hope that you have a nice day when you're done paying - that's an appropriate sentiment - but that's it. There would be no store credit card, and we would NOT offer extended warranties on anything, even if the customer asked for one. Extended warranties are practically a scam, so we'd be saving customers from themselves. When a customer needs to return merchandise, we will exchange or refund immediately, without the customer having to give us all of their personal information and sign 3 different receipts. And there would be nobody greeting customers at the door; customers can greet each other if they're really dying for affirmation while they're out shopping.

That's all I've got so far. Hopefully next weekend will bear even more fantastic ideas! The odds are against that happening, but you never know.

O's Close to Burnett Trade?

Lots happened over the weekend for the hometown ball club; Raffy's 3000th hit, and a somewhat disappointing 4-game split with Seattle. It looks like more big news may be around the corner, as Baltimore may be on the verge of trading reliever Jorge Julio, top pitching prospect Hayden Penn, and outfielder Larry Bigbie to Florida for starter A.J. Burnett and third-baseman Mike Lowell.

I think this is a trade the Orioles should make, for several reasons. Burnett is a solid pitcher who instantly becomes the ace of the staff (and hopefully moves Ponson out of the rotation? Probably not, but I can dream). Lowell has had a terrible year, but has been an All-Star in the past, has only 2 years left on his big contract, and they're already paying Sammy Sosa to do nothing this year so just replace one hole in the lineup with another. Sosa is hitting like he belongs on the bench, this trade could be a good excuse to put him there more often. On the O's side, Julio is nothing if not inconsistent, and Bigbie is in his late 20s and no longer a prospect - it's likely that he is the kind of player that he's been the past 2 seasons or so; over a full season, he'll hit .260 to .275, with 15-20 HR power and above average defense. A decent enough player, but not someone who you would hesitate to trade. Yes, a team always hates to part with a top pitching prospect such as Penn, but Baltimore is going to have to give up something other than Julio and Bigbie, and Penn is that player.

Shuffle Up and Deal

Still a bit tired this morning, or maybe the better word is weary - Jenny and I were in a small (22 people) poker tournament last night out in Washington County that lasted until 3 am. We came back to my parents' place and didn't get to bed until 4. Yes, I was in the game until the very end, and ended up tying for 2nd and winning $60. If one was inclined to look at it from a money perspective, we ended up breaking even collectively, when you consider both our entry fees of $20 each and the $19 in beer, girlie beer, and Doritos from the Jefferson Market that we brought to the game.

I played quite unlike I usually play, which is very conservatively. I won several big hands with absolute bluffs, and wasn't really caught bluffing all evening. There were plenty of tight players there who could be scared out of a pot relatively easily, and I just decided to take advantage - that strategy ended up working well. There was a guy there who was getting kind of annoying at the final table, who kept ridiculing people for not playing more hands, but in the end he ended up playing too many hands and finished in fourth. He was a good player and seemed like a nice enough guy otherwise, but definitely not good enough to be telling other people how they should be playing. It's very possible that he was doing it on purpose to try to take people out of their games, and to a certain extent it did work, for a little while at least. Anyway, by 3 am (after about 8 hours of poker), the last three players just wanted it to be over, so we started playing hands we wouldn't normally play. Eventually this led to me being down far enough where I had to go all-in to cover the big blind - $8 by the end of the night. The other guy, Terry, who was a very smart player and hell of a nice guy, went all in the same hand, so when we both lost to Mackey we split 2nd place.

Congrats to Mackey for winning the whole thing, he played very well and was appropriately rewarded for his efforts. Also, many thanks to the Corson family for the kind hospitality; Brian ran a good tournament, and I'm still amazed that he was able to come up with all those chairs. Certainly a fun evening, and somewhat of a turning point for me in terms of playing style. After that game, I don't think I'll ever go back to consistently playing tight; it's just not as much fun to play that way (and yes, poker is about fun for me - I don't view it as an investment vehicle). I need to adapt my play to who's sitting at the table, and I did a good job of doing that last night. IMO, there are lots of players who think about the money they could lose in a hand, but poker is still just a game and money is simply a way to keep score.

One last item - download Google Earth: it's super-cool.

Happy Birthday to Jenny! Stolen License Plates! When Muppets Attack!

On this day in 1977, Jenny was born in Kansas City, MO. And there is nobody more grateful for that event than me (well, maybe her parents). Happy birthday babe! I was thinking of putting a photo of her in this entry, but I did not receive prior authorization for that, so it's probably better for my general well-being if I refrain...

In other news, the front license plate was stolen off my car sometime yesterday. The front plate is the one without registration stickers, so that's somewhat bizarre. But it's also attached - was attached - with regular Phillips-head screws, while you would need a socket set and a bit more time to remove the back plates. The officer to whom I reported the plate stolen enlightened us about the O'Malley administration's creativity with crime statistics - the cop had to come out to the car and inspect the plate mount, to make sure it wasn't possible that the plate just fell off or wasn't attached properly. If an officer determines that the plate could have fallen off, then it's not a theft. How convenient for the mayor! Anyway, whatever happened, it's gone. This will cost me $20 and a trip to the MVA.

Finally, here's an amusing photo for the day - giant uni-browed muppet captures child! I'd be scared too.

Famous Comedians are WoW Geeks Too!

Dave Chapelle admits it in a stand-up appearance - he plays World of Warcraft.

Balk This Way

The Orioles have now been called for 8 balks now this season, twice as many as the #2 balking pitching staffs in the league, Toronto and Chicago. I 've seen games in which 2 of those 7 previous balks occured, that ended up helping to decide the outcome of Baltimore losses. Those were both widely viewed as legitimate balk calls by both TV and radio announcers, but not this evening's call. Steve Kline was waiting for his sign, stepped off the pitching rubber, was called for the balk, appeared to be (politely) questioning the parentage of the umpires, and was ejected. HOFer Jim Palmer was on the TV side tonight, and couldn't have been more definitive in dismissing the call as wrong. The balk ended up leading to a Yankees run.

Times like this make me wonder why baseball can't have some kind of replay system. It's a rhetorical question, of course, because the umpires are so involved with the mechanics of the game, if you added instant replay you'd be that much closer to electronically determining the strike zone and calling balls and strikes using a computer. So......why can't baseball have some kind of a replay system?

Now I hear from the announcers that the NYY starter, Carl Pavano, was evidently called for a balk earlier in the game (I wasn't watching until the 5th inning), that helped the O's score a run. So maybe the umpires this season are working on commission, bonuses for every balk call?

That Baltimore has not been playing well lately is a gross understatement. Emblematic of that, the fact that tonight the excellent defensive catcher Sal Fasano had 3 passed balls? It's a strange game, baseball.

Game 7

I'm not a big NBA fan by any measure, but I did watch Game 7 of the Finals last night. The NBA playoffs are a universe away from the NBA's regular season, because you get the sneaking suspicion that during the playoffs, the players actually care. Well, the players in this game definitely cared, as The Spurs beat the Pistons in an ugly but intense game. Tim Duncan was awesome. I remember seeing him a few times at Cole Field House when I was in school, leading Wake Forest to victory over the home team. No shame for the Terps, though, WF with Duncan won a lot of games in the mid-90s. Back then, everyone could see that he was good, a future NBA starter. But this good? He's been All-NBA 1st team for 8 seasons! (he's been in the NBA for...8 seasons). Anyway, Tim did everything last night in the second half after a less-than-impressive first half. And the Spurs are champs, not those thugs from Detroit, which is cool.

Unfortunately, I'm operating on 5 hours of sleep (I prefer at least 6) since the Finals games don't tip until around 9:30. What's up with that? And I know they were playing in San Antonio, but what's with Brooks & Dunn singing the National Anthem? Do NBA fans and country music fans really come from the same demographic pool? I wouldn't think so, but what do I know. About Brooks and Dunn, because I know you're all dying to know more about them; after some research this morning, I found out that Ronnie Dunn is the taller blonde one who looks like a country singer, while Kix (Kix?) Brooks looks very unlike a country singer when he's not wearing his black cowboy hat - actually I thought he looked a lot like Mandy Patinkin when I saw him on TV. It's smart of them to go by Brooks & Dunn though - I'm betting they'd sell a lot less records if they were known as Kix & Ronnie.

Maybe Renting Is Better After All

The Supreme Court ruled today that local governments can use eminent domain to condemn and seize private property to give to other private interests, such as developers or industry. If that's true, how can anyone actually own their property? If it's the will of the local government that your property is more valuable to 'the public' (in terms of tax revenue generation for said government) as a strip mall or some shiny new condos, then there's nothing you can do about it but take what they offer you for your home?

OK, for those who haven't followed the link to the Post story yet, quick, guess which Justices were on the side of the local gov't/developers! Scalia, Thomas, Rehnquist, etc., the 'Republican' justices who are all about protecting states' rights (except in Florida during an election year)? Wrong! Those 3, plus O'Connor, were the dissenters in the 5-4 vote. The more liberal judges sided with usually-wealthy developers and potentially greedy (not to mention potentially corrupt) local governments. Say what you want about the Court, at least they're not predictable.

Justice O'Coonor summed it up well at the end of her dissenting opinion:

...the government now has license to transfer property from those with fewer resources to those with more. The Founders cannot have intended this perverse result. "[T]hat alone is a just government," wrote James Madison, "which impartially secures to every man, whatever is his own."

21st Century Protesting

It's not easy to protest these days in the U.S. - you're likely to be confined to a protest area that's a quarter-mile or more from your target, while supporters of the Bush regime/administration are allowed to get much closer to the president. Dissent may as well be a four-letter word to 'W'. That's why I was surprised that D.C. cops and the Secret Service let a small group of protesters - waving signs about religious freedom for Vietnam and Bush not negotiating with dictators - congregate in front of the Mayflower Hotel's side entrance (which is almost directly below my office window). These are the doors through which they shuttle VIPs such as Ariel Sharon when they're at the Mayflower.

Of course, they were later moved to the end of the block. And despite being on my way to 30, I'm not that old that I could recognize this flag, which protesters were waving, without some online searching. Perhaps the Vietnamese prime minister, who is meeting with our beloved president, is within the hotel?

They have now been moved around the corner, almost out of my line of vision, so that they can't even see the Mayflower doors. This is a group of 15-20 obviously dangerous protesters, waving menacing-looking flags. Ah, Democracy!

(You've no doubt noticed that any mention of the president includes an appropriate change in font size. I've decided that he just doesn't deserve the full-sized font when mentioned in my blog. I apologize if this makes it difficult to read, but it's the price that must be paid for freedom.)

FE Exam Revisited, Music Reviews

OK, so I was apparently wrong about bombing the FE Exam, because I passed after all. A source of pride? Not really, more like relief that I don't have to re-take it, and can move on to the PE exam. Yay. Too bad these exams don't actually test your competency as an engineer. How can any multiple-choice format test do that? It's a good way for state licensing boards and the test prep industry to make some money, meanwhile years after the college application process and initial job-seeking, I'm still playing the "it will look good on your resume" game. I've grown to hate that game. However, a PE license will make it much easier to jump to another firm should I want to do that in the future (to shorten my commute, primarily).

I'm also not thrilled that I'll probably end up taking the Civil Engineering test. That test and the Environmental test includes topics such as transportation systems and air pollution that my Biological Resources Engineering program did not include, but the environmental test is 20 questions longer over the same time period, and there are fewer available study materials by far than for the Civil exam. I guess the labels aren't that important, but it still annoys me for some reason.

The White Stripes' Get Behind Me, Satan - two thumbs up. Just what one would expect of this band. They're a blues band as much as a rock band, IMO, and when I hear the Stones or Zeppelin, especially earlier stuff, it's no wonder that the White Stripes sound like such a throwback - those bands we're playing the blues back then, too. The Stripes keep it simple, and it works. Meg's drumming really comes through on this album, too. Sometimes it's like that bass drum is pounding on your skull. In a good way, though.

Coldplay's X&Y - eh, not so great. It's pleasant enough music, but after two solid-if-not-spectacular albums, I expected more than pleasant. There's nothing all that noticeable, new, or catchy here, and too many soft spots.

The Dark Knight Returns

Of course there are natural tendencies to compare creative works that share a protagonist. Batman Begins will be, appropriately enough, compared with Tim Burton's 1989 Batman. But most people will want to pick a 'winner', and that's unfortunate because I think there's room for both movies at the top of the pile. They are such dissimilar films, set in different universes, yet I think they both hit the mark in their portrayals of a billionaire with lots of neat toys and the lunatics that he battles (both externally and within his own head).

I'm not going to make any of those comparisons now. I'll just say that I loved Michael Keaton as Batman, Nicholson's Joker obviously hit the mark, and Tim Burton's vision of Gotham City was fantastic. It didn't hurt that a decent Batman movie was a long time coming (50 years), but when it finally arrived it sure blew Superman out of the water.

Now, onto Batman Begins. WOW. I absolutely loved this film. I'll get my only two complaints out of the way first: (1) It was a bit long and (2) Katie Holmes looks like she's 15, that does not make her a very convincing district attorney. Christian Bale as Batman - yeah. It works, big-time. He's got the look, he has a fantastic voice (the voice he gives his Batman is creepy as hell! Plus they amplified it somewhat I think, to give his raspy bellow more...bite?), and his transitions between Bruce Wayne and the Batman are seamless. Supporting cast? Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman aren't on screen enough to steal any scenes, but Caine as Alfred is the butler we all wish we had (I know my butler can't hold a candle to him, that's for sure), and Freeman is his usual charming self. Gary Oldman as Gordon wasn't really given that much to do, which surprised me - you cast an actor of his caliber, I would figure he'd be a bit more interesting. But as always, a solid performance. The bad guys? I don't want to give anything away, so I won't comment on them directly, other than to say that it's nice that Christopher Nolan chose two lesser-known but still intriguing baddies for his (hopefully first of many?) Batmans. Casual fans won't even recognize either of these villains, but they're worked into the plot quite well, and the performances behind the masks are solid, if unspectacular. But that's OK, because for this film, the focus is all on the Batman. None of the bad guys are half as scary as the good guy with the point ears, and that's how it should be.

Ok, I have to get my ass going this morning to help friends move. More on Batman Begins later...

Busy Weekend

• Out for Cal's birthday Friday night. Franklins on Route 1 in Hyattsville, very good beers but the decor was too cheerful, in my opinion.
  
• Shopping for patio stone, movie Saturday (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, I thought it was great, lots of fun)
• 7-mile race early Sunday morning. I was pretty happy with my results, 1:01:57 for a pace of 8:51 (don't ask me why the pace they have on the results page is the gun time pace, the net time pace is what really counts). Not bad for me, especially considering how miserable it was that morning (heat, humidity), and that I didn't exactly have the luckiest bib number - 666. On the other hand, it was a very flat course. I'd sure like to move up in my division though, 27/47 is OK but not great.
• Six Flags America trip w/Jenny, Tammie, Liz, and Jarriel the rest of Sunday. A good time, we hit all the major coasters very quickly; because of how hot and humid it was, we suspected that everyone was at the water park. Later, we visited said water park and it was pretty damn crowded (we didn't stay long). Their Batwing coaster featured a car design that I hadn't seen before, where you're sitting, but completely horizontal with the track. When the cars invert below the track, you're basically hanging from the various restraints. It's a freaky feeling that wasn't all that comfortable at first, but I got used to it after 30 seconds or so. Neat idea, but why isn't it a Superman themed ride? Because it looks and feels like Superman flying more than anything Batman-related.
  

Nats Win!

Finally, at my third Nats game, they finally win. The Mid-Atlantic is currently the center of the MLB universe, with Baltimore and Washington both leading their divisions, and Philadelphia the hottest team in either league right now.

Third Nats game, only one O's game? Well, I usually don't go to many games early in the season. I'm going to try to get to a few games on the next homestand though, before anyone else goes on the DL.

Who Is PixelFish?

Several people have already asked about the new blog link that I added just this morning: she is Lis, Jenny's childhood friend from Utah (that sounds so picturesque, doesn't it?). She and her b/f Lee are both artists who currently reside in the artisit-hippy utopia that is San Fransisco.

She's also into these newfangled online communities more than anyone I know. Of course, since I don't know too many people who are blogging, forum-posting fools (that's a compliment, Lis), I'm not sure how much meaning that has. Seriously though, rumor has it that our esteemed president was ready to give Lis her very own Internet, but then he found out that she wasn't exactly his biggest fan.

Bah, who needs his internets anyway?

The Artist In The Family

These are some glass tiles that my sister Em has been working on recently. I would have to say that my favorites are the one in the top right corner, and the one in the first column, third row. Although they're all quite groovy.

As you can see, I've finally figured out how to include pictures in posts, using a Google-affiliated app called Hello that links directly with Blogspot. The Hello icon is that little white and blue box above. It's primarily for sharing pcitures without using a website. If anyone starts using it, let me know; eventually I'll be adding more photos to my Hello profile (name: underchuckle).

Revenge is a Dish Best Served on Ebay

I don't know whether it's a real auction, but either way it sure is creative.


Yes, in case you were wondering, it IS a slow (and rainy) Friday at the office...

Is It Stuffy In Here?

I re-read each entry after I post it, and usually go back and do some editing on every post. Most of the time, it's to attempt to make the post friendlier. I have a tendency, especially with serious topics like war, politics, the president (oops, I said serious, so that excludes that asshat), to write like I'm writing an essay for an English class. I don't necessarily think that way, nor do I use that extensive a vocabulary every day - I much prefer grunts and snorts as means of communication - but I re-read some of these entries and wonder what the hell I was thinking when I phrased a certain sentence with 6 commas, or went out of my way to avoid a contraction. I can't promise that I won't lapse into the heavier prose on occasion, but from here on out, I'm really going to try to be more conversational. Well, as conversational as one can be when writing a monologue.

In other news, I re-designed the page layout a bit (mostly link colors, more colors=cool) and added more sites to the LINKS section. I'm also looking to add more sites to the OTHER BLOGS sidebar, so suggestions are welcome. I have a few in mind, but need to ask the owners first. I'm also thinking about removing an inactive blog that's rarely updated (you know who you are) - gotta clean house occasionally.

The Fog of War

Jenny and I saw this Oscar-winning documentary this past weekend; it's essentially a long interview with its subject, Robert McNamara. Talk about a well-made film, I can understand why it won the Oscar instead of higher-profile films like Michael Moore's more entertaining but less coherent Fahrenheit 911. The archive footage that was chosen really hit the mark, but McNamara himself is a very able performer. I sure hope I'm that coherent when I'm 85 years old. He's extremely blunt and in-your-face, but just below the surface there's a lot of regret? Frustration? Defiance? All of the above, perhaps. He doesn't take full responsibility for anything (his roles in the firebombing of Japan in WWII and as Secretary of Defense for most of Vietnam are well-documented), but at the same time admits that he was at the center of this huge military decision-making apparatus that went horribly wrong when mixed with Cold War politics.

McNamara is a paradoxical figure. He was a master of efficiency and optimizing who helped develop the bombing technique that destroyed most of Japan long before the Bombs were dropped, but acknowledges in the film that if the U.S. had been on the losing side of WWII he would certainly have been convicted of war crimes. He was the public face of one of the most controversial military operations in U.S. history, but behind the scenes was working to extricate us from that mess long before the troops came home. At the end of the film though, he remains guarded, unwilling to directly address the emotional toll that's been taken, or any feelings of guilt or remorse (I'm assuming those feeling do exist, btw). He doesn't want to visit those places publicly, because he doesn't think that anything good will come of it. Likewise, as well made as this documentary is, it's unlikely that anything good will come of it anytime soon - the 'leadership' of the U.S. seems to be making the same mistakes in the Middle East that were made in Vietnam.

The footage of Lyndon Johnson was most striking - the president with the thick Texas accent, speeches filled with rhetoric about stopping tyranny and preserving freedom. Sound familiar? Too bad that our current president was busy getting drunk and doing lots of drugs while Vietnam was happening, otherwise he might have actually learned something! One of the most memorable scenes in the film was of McNamara meeting with the former North Vietnamese foreign minister in 1992. He told McNamara that the North Vietnamese leadership considered the conflict in their country as simply a civil war, and the U.S. as a colonial power looking to take the place of former occupant France. They never saw it as part of the Cold War, and were not concerned about Chinese influence. Big surprise, a U.S. war for no good reason! Hey that reminds me, have we found those weapons in Iraq yet?

That scene did remind me of something though - Brian Schweitzer, the current governor of Montana (of all places), a Democrat who spent time as a businessman in the Middle East and can speak Arabic, said this in a Salon Interview last month when asked about Iraq:

I had misgivings from the very beginning. We were told that this incursion was going to make the world a safer place. But that didn't square with me because I knew, in the Middle East, the days of the Crusades are like they happened just a few years ago. Any incursion of the West into Islamic cultures is going to be met with resistance.

Anyway, I could write four more pages on this film, but I've probably already lost some people. Check out the movie yourself, especially if you plan on supporting a war anytime soon - McNamara's eleven lessons (they serve as a loose framework for the film) may give you pause.

Store Wars!

http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html

The Beer Tax

Now I'm not a fan of super-conservative PA Senator Rick Santorum (based on past comments, he's proven himself to be - gasp! - somewhat of a bigot). So it's always nice to discover a Republican who is not, in fact, pure evil. Santorum introduced a bill last month that would reduce the dreaded Beer Tax. And several other Republican Senators were co-sponsors.

What I'd like to know though, is why this didn't make the front pages of all the papers. Our priorities in this country are so out of whack. Some of you may be thinking, "Hey, it's only beer. And I didn't even know that there WAS a tax, so the tax can't be that bad!" WRONG. The tax is built into the price (like fuel taxes), and can be up to 44% of that price! Besides, it's a luxury tax - should any product made by Budweiser, Coors, or Miller really be considered a 'luxury' item?

The Beer Tax - another reason why the terrorists have already won. Why does our Federal Government hate Beer/Freedom?

From the Office of the Governor

Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich is going to veto a bill that would require large companies (such as Wal-Mart) to spend at least 8% of payroll on healthcare costs for employees. That's too bad, but also unfortunate is the press release from the governor's office.

"...the county expected to most largely suffer from the passage of the bill..."

That's a brilliant staff you have there, Bob. Perhaps you can introduce them to the English language someday.

First though, please get a decent haircut.

George Lucas Is Stealing From Me!

People keep asking me if I'm going this weekend to see the final installment of the Star Wars prequels. Probably not. Yes, I'll see it eventually, and probably while it's still in theaters. But I'm in no hurry.

I'll acknowledge that George Lucas is a good storyteller, but he is by no means a good director. And the nostalgia for the original Star Wars films - I still remember going to see Return of the Jedi in the theater with my family, and when the original Star Wars came out, it was the first time that my parents hired a babysitter for me - means that many of us who remember the original films fondly feel obligated to see the new films.

Fine, except for this unfortunate detail - the new movies just haven't been very good so far. The early reviews indicate that the third film is markedly better, but comparing it to the first 2 prequels, that's a low bar to clear. Lucas takes actors like Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen, who have turned in good performances in other films, and turns them into cardboard. Only Ewan McGregor seems immune from being compressed by Lucas into a 2-D construct 'acting' against a blue screen (or green, or whatever they use these days). Ever wonder what the original films would have been like without Harrison Ford? Without his Han Solo, would we hold those movies in such high regard? Maybe. But take Ewan McGregor out of this series, and I'm not sure if the first two movies are even watchable.

The Star Wars saga tells a fantastic story, simplistic at times, but still engaging. George Lucas isn'ty the the storyteller that Tolkien is, but may be the closest thing to him in the realm of sci-fi filmmaking. But he's nowhere near Peter Jackson, Ridley Scott, Spielberg, Mel Gibson, or these guys when it comes to directing the epic film. I really wish he would have entrusted the directing duties to someone else. I'm out $15 to $20 after the first two movies, and I can't say that it was worth it. But I'll fork over my money for the third installment all the same. You're robbing us blind, George! At least make the 7th, 8th and 9th episodes, to make up for these last three films, OK?

HFStival 2005

Saturday was quite a busy day for me. I began the day out in Frederick, running in the Mission of Mercy 5K with my dad and sister. Beautiful weather, and a decent race. I got almost the exact same time I had been getting earlier in the week when I ran the 5K course over in Patterson Park - 25:35. Odd, because usually people run a bit faster on race day, perhaps I've hit a bit of a 5K plateau and need to push through it. Anyway, Em finished about 90 seconds after I did, and Barry came in 30 seconds after her. Not too bad overall, especially the old man, who knocked 2+ minutes off of his previous 5K personal best.

After the race, it was back to Baltimore for the 2005 HFStival. The lineup this year was really strong, so after living in this area most of my life and never attending an HFStival, I've been the past two years. Strange. Overall, a good time. This is despite some crappy weather, tons of inconsiderate, punk-ass kids, and a few less-than-stellar performances. Here's the summary, I'll start with the not-so-good:

• Interpol - I'll put them first not because they were particularly bad, because they weren't, but because I've seen them twice before. They were incredible both times, so expectations were high. Yes, they sounded great. But they went on early in the day, around 2:30, and it seemed like they didn't want to be there. They played 6 songs or so, and while this was similar to the set lengths of other acts, their set seemed much shorter. Their bass player smashed his bass (badly - the Who would have laughed at him) before they walked off the stage, so maybe they were angry about something. Message to Interpol: you guys might be big now, but you're not U2 just yet. Adjust your attitude.
• Echo and the Bunnymen - Their lead singer's voice was malfunctioning, so they couldn't even play. He tried a song or two, but that was it. If you haven't been around for a while, it's probably best to take care of your voice before a big live show. Echo didn't get any new fans on Saturday. Also, the Bunnymen were not in costume.
• Good Charlotte - I thought their stage set, which Amy hilariously called the "Hot Topic set", consisting of gargoyles in a graveyard, was a bad sign. I was right. How did these guys ever get a record contract? They stink. Maybe there should be a new label for their type of music, because applying the pop-punk label to these types of bands disparages both Justin Timberlake AND the Ramones. Throw them together with Blink 182, Sum 41, Linkin Park, and you've got Hot Topic Rock. Cheap, trendy, appeals only to teenagers, won't last more than a few years.

Now, on to the acts that didn't suck:

• Garbage - We've seen them twice before, but unlike Interpol, the third time didn't disappoint. They are simply a great rock band, and Shirley Manson is a great performer and terrific live singer. If you like their music, I would recommend a live performance. Even the songs from their new album, which I think is quite unspectacular, sounded great live.
• The New York Dolls - I don't know much about them, other than they were a short-lived but influential punk band from the early 70s (the American answer to the Sex Pistols?), perhaps more influential for their style and appearance than anything else. They sounded damn good! They were clearly having fun up there, playing in front of a larger crowd than I'm sure they've seen in many years. And here's some bizarre music trivia about their lead singer, David Johansen. I knew I recognized him from somewhere, but when the guitarist announced his name mid-way through the set, I finally put it together. This is the same David Johansen who was also known in the 80s as Buster Poindexter, a purveyor of cocktail party songs and cheesy conga line dance numbers. He was almost unrecognizable, he currently looks like he's about 70 years old (he's 55) and a poster child for heroin use - either that or he's really sick.
• The Pietasters - Over at the locals stage, they went on last, and played an abbreviated set due to the appearance of some lightning. They sounded much better than last time I saw them, probably because they weren't drunk (yet). I vowed to never pay to see them as headliners ever again - they're a great band if they're opening for someone, but as the main act they can't keep it together because they're drinking - heavily - before and during their act. On Saturday, they were behaving, and consequently they sounded good.
• Billy Idol - The biggest reason that I was at the HFStival was to see this man perform, and he did NOT disappoint. He and his band just rocked. Simple as that. Definitely the highlight of my evening. He looked and sounded amazing, and knew how to work a crowd better than anyone else there (although Shirley Manson and Chris Martin came close). He reminded us several times that he was, after all, "Billy Fucking Idol". But we didn't need him to tell us that - we knew.
• Coldplay - They came on after a brief lightning delay, and had a surprisingly good live sound. Like Billy Idol, Chris Martin has a very distinct voice that shines through during live performances. He's quite the performer, very animated on stage, he really gets into each song. I'd love to see a show of theirs in the future.
  

As for the other acts that we saw, we caught They Might Be Giants towards the end of their set. They were funny, energetic, nothing really special though. That goes for the last act of the evening as well, the Foo Fighters. They played loud, hit their power chords, and Dave Grohl sounded good. I've never been too impressed with them though. Evidently, neither had Jenny, Amy, or Matt; we left mid-way through their set.

Baltimore 3, Minnesota 0

Jenny and I went to our first O's game of the season last night, a 3-0 win against the Twins. How is it that we have a first-place team in Baltimore for the first time in 8 years, and I don't get to Camden Yards until May? Good question. It's because I was in no hurry to fork over my money to Peter Angelos this year, after the morons in the 'customer service' department wouldn't return my calls when all I wanted to do was upgrade the seats in my ticket package. No wonder he was so scared about a Washington team.

We had marvelous seats, good enough that you could recognize the players without reading the jerseys or knowing their uniform numbers. But there wasn't much of a crowd there. I suppose it's because it was a Monday, but the weather was perfect, and the Twins are a good team; they've been to the playoffs the last few years. The fans down in section 14 aren't too vocal either, which is too bad. I always suspected that once D.C. got a team, the long-time Orioles fans would finally be in the majority at Camden Yards, displacing the cell-phone-chatting casual fans from the D.C. area. I guess I was wrong - the $40 seats are apparently still full of those people, using their company's season tickets, chatting on the phone, leaving early during a great game on a beautiful evening. Could it kill them to make some noise, other than when the scoreboards instruct them to?

There was a 5-6 year old kid sitting behind us who started asking in the fifth inning if they could leave. Thank God for short attention spans, which led to the kid's discerning observation in the seventh: "Whoever cut that grass did a pretty good job." Yeah kid, they sure did.

On to the game! A dominating pitching performance by Daniel Cabrera, shutting out a team that hadn't been shut out since July of last season, and striking out a career-high 11 in 8 innings (B.J. Ryan pitched the ninth to complete the shutout). And Cabrera is a BIG guy. He's listed at 6' 7", and used all of that leverage last night -he was hitting 99 mph on the radar gun on more than one occasion, with most pitches above 95. Miguel Tejada also hit his 10th home run (and 200th of his career), a line-drive that cleared then left field wall in a hurry.

Hopefully this is a defining moment in Cabrera's young career - he's got the stuff to be a frighteningly good, intimidating pitcher. Baltimore pitching coach Ray Miller supposedly compared his mound presence (and fastball) to that of J.R. Richard, a similarly-proportioned pitcher who had some great years with Houston back in the 70s. That's good news for the Orioles, if Cabrera can have a career similar to that of Richard.

One last item: now that Washington has a team, would it kill the Orioles to put Baltimore back on their uniforms? Their road uniforms used to include 'BALTIMORE' in big block letters. We looked around the ballpark last night, and couldn't see one sign, uniform, or advertisement that included the name of the city in which the game was being played. That's just sad. In all fairness, this can't be blamed on Angelos (see link to Sun article), but he has the power to rectify it. Time to stop pretending that this is a huge regional team, because it isn't anymore (if it ever was in the first place). I know that Baltimore has its problems, but there's something wrong when a team purposefully dissociates itself from its own city.