November 2005 - Posts
It’s 30 degrees outside; there is about 5 inches of snow on the ground.
About an hour ago I cam inside from playing in the snow with my kids and clearing my driveway and walkways.
I am in my lounge chair with my dog Jack at my feet.
As I sit here writing this entry I see, with my peripheral vision, (and hear) the Falcons/Lions game on my TV.
The kids are now downstairs in the Rec Room with my wife and her mother. They are watching The Wizard of Oz.
The smell of pumpkin pie cooking is permeating throughout the house. I will get up in about a 1/2 hour or so (or at half time – which ever comes first) to head out to the garage to deep fry a 17 pound Turkey.
It’s THANKSGIVING!
Hopefully this is the begging of a happy and healthy holiday season for everyone reading this and everyone you know.
Happy holidays everyone!
I am thankful for so many things:
My Children - their laughter and their innocence and the unconditional love I have for them (and they me) – even when they are driving me up a wall.
My wife – she keeps me grounded and helps me through times that I would not make it through without her. Her loving heart makes me want to be a better husband, a better father, a better person in general.
My mother – she is one of my best friends – and even though she continues to battle with her health – she is the bravest person I know. Her love and courage help me understand that life is to be LIVED not watched form the sidelines.
My family as whole – no matter how crazy we all are – we are a family and I wouldn’t substitute any others even if I could. They are a big part of the man I am today.
My friends – I don’t use the word friend lightly – I know a lot of people – I have a TON of acquaintances – but my true friends I chose with care and great though. My friends are very important to me – they too have had a hand in me becoming the man I am today.
My job – not only because I enjoy it and I am happy working for the company I work for – but also that (taking those things into consideration) it enables me to take care of my family.
My life in general – I am thankful to be here and to be able to BE thankful for the things I mentioned above and the things I may have left out.
So, tonight I was watching LOST and my wife asked if I wanted a cookie.
I said “not right now, thanks” and out she came from the kitchen with a glass of milk for herself and a pretty big chocolate chip cookie.
When she finished the cookie I thought it looked good - so up from my chair I got to get myself a glass of milk and one of those cookies.
The cookies were from a brand called Gak’s Snacks. This brand is apparently made (primarily) for food allergy households. The funny thing is they’re pretty good.
Conveniently, we’ve had some of their entire line in our house. They make Brownie Chip cookies, an Apple Coffee Cake and the Chocolate Chip Cookies.
If you saw my picture on the front of my BLOG you’ll see that it may be possible that I not only enjoy a cookie now and again, but I may just know a good cookie good from a bad cookie as well. So, purely in the interest of research I assure you, I have tasted all of them and they are all really good.
Both of the cookies are thick and full of big chocolate chips and pretty thick and tasty. If you’ve ever tired a “healthy” food (or even a Whole Food) snack and been disappointed by the dry/chalky/dusty after taste – don’t worry there’s none of that with these cookies.
While the cookies are good - the Apple Coffee Cake is (in my opinion) their best product. It’s moist – it’s got really big chunks of apple – there’s a cool lemon taste in there too. I am originally from the Philadelphia area – a home to some of the best bakeries you can find – and this is hands down the best apple cake (Apple Crumb Cake, Apple Coffee Cake, Apple Spice Cake – whatever) I have ever had. I’m telling you – and I’m getting nothing from Gak’s here – it’s really good. Try it – you won’t be disappointed.
There are plenty of choices out there for (most of) us. But, unfortunately – especially for KIDS – there are folks out there that have allergies to some pretty common things (various nuts, eggs, dairy products). These allergies, unfortunately keep them – again, especially the kids – from eating some really great stuff.
For those folks – now there’s Gak’s Snacks.
Remember how much you liked cookies as a kid? Remember how great a giant fresh chocolate chip cookie was with a freezing glass of milk? Do you like the taste of a really moist coffee cake or muffin with your coffee? Gak’s is your answer if you have kids that can’t normally eat cookies or cakes because of one allergy or another.
Check them out here . Again, I’m not getting anything from Gak’s so I’m not benefiting from this –but if you tell them you heard of them from my BLOG – maybe they’ll email me and find out where to send me some of their Apple Coffee Cake – GRATIS.
Ken did a little write up on the Eagles V Cowboys game and Andy Reid (aka Fat Man) and I have to agree.
I'm jumping on the bandwagon here with a few more points and an “I concur” as well.
1. Even the coach I had when I played for the 65 pounders in the Roslyn Athletic League knew that when you are ahead (1 point or 13 points) and there are only a few minutes left in the game - there is NO NEED nor logical reason to put the ball in the air. You KEEP it on the ground and chew up the clock while trying to move the chains.
For the second week in a row - Fat Man decided to throw the ball and it was picked. This time - picked and run back for a TD. In fact the GAME WINNING TD for the Cowboys.
2. This brings me to my second point. I KNOW Fat Man is the coach. I know that Donavan McNabb knows that Fat Man is the type of coach that sends in offensive plays from the sidelines rather than let the Quarterback call the plays based on what he is seeing on the field, how the game is going and how his offense is working together as a whole like most other coaches do.
So, ok, this is not the way Fat Man coaches - but maybe - just MAYBE, Fat Man, it's time you rethink things. Maybe you should consider putting a little confidence in the fact that you “franchised” your Quarterback and gave him 125 million dollars and let him call a play or two. I understand that this may not cure every ill the team is having but for god's sake - it's not gonna hurt.
Let your Quarterback run the field - you let Jim Johnson (The Defensive Coordinator) run the defensive field - - you could surely let McNabb call the odd play or two (for starters at least).
3. I commend Fat Man on the game as a whole right up until the last 3 minutes. I (one of MANY Eagles fans at the time I am sure) lost my mind when I saw Fat Man was still going to the air at the end of the game. STOP IT! RUN THE BALL. I know you consider the little drops to The Flat and the 3 or 4 yard screens and the little dump offs to be less of a pass play and more of a LONG hand-off - but guess what - -THEY'RE NOT “long hand-offs. They are PASS PLAYS and they can get picked - especially in the last 3 minutes of the game.
In short, Fat Man, pull your head out of your four-point-of –contact and play it a bit closer to the vest at the end of the game - - KEEP THE BALL ON THE GROUND.
Westbrook, Gordon, Parry AND McNabb showed you in the first half that they CAN, in fact, establish a run game – LET THEM RUN for the love of Pete!
I don’t care how much of a “West Coast Offense” you have - - you can STILL run the ball!
So, I am using Internet Explorer 7 (BETA) now and I have to say – I really like it.
I know other browsers are using tabbed browsing but I am most found of MS’ effort with IE7 over the others (Opera and Firefox) I have seen and tested out there.
I also like the built in phishing filters and the reporting capabilities.
The overall design is basically the same as you are used to but just a bit sleeker.
The only thing I have found that I am not crazy about (and it’s a design/esthetics issue) are the size of the buttons on the LINKS toolbar. I think they are too big. I am sure there is either a setting (or registry hack) that I have not yet come across to reconfigure just how big these buttons will be/appear – but as I say – I have not found it yet and until I do – I won’t be satisfied with the size of the buttons.
But, over all, I like it. Nice job and kudos to the Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 design team.
Hey RON - check out THIS CAMARO.
Unfortunately - or fortunately (depending n how you look at it) I don't have $400K burning a holel in my pocket.
Here's the thing - In My Humble Opinion, Owens is the best Wide Out in the game - - he's got the skillz to back up his mouth (if you are talking about talking SMACK with other players and/or other teams) BUT (and it's a big one) Football is a TEAM sport - this ain't tennis - - there are no individuals on the gridiron - - I don't care if it's your 100th or 1,000th TD catch.
That coupled with the (whether frequent or in frequent - hell or even ONCE) garbage talk about your own team and especially calling out individuals - - - that dog won't hunt (with me). You are but ONE player (regardless of your talent level) on a team of 52 - gear up SHUT UP and play ball or hit the road.
What makes me happiest about this entire situation is that the Eagles have the opportunity to teach him a lesson here - whether it's a lesson he will except or learn is beside the point (for me). The lesson being one that will hit closest to home for T.O. too - -the WALLET. With having about 3.5 mil left on his contract for this year - -- each game he does not play in costs him about $200K. So, maybe after he gets cut loose from Philly he will learn a bit of manners and professionalism to help him settle in and be a team player in whatever city he ends up.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Yeah. . . . . ok. . . . .wishful thinking I know.
It’s a shame (for everybody) really. Here’s a guy with the talent to not only present a threat to another team when he is on the field and help whatever team he is on – but he also presents a threat in another manner. His presence on the field opens avenues for other players. You see, while he’s out there he is either tying up two or three defenders thus opening up opportunities for his teammates to run or receive the ball OR the are manning up one on one which, in most cases, the defender will lose.
But, all this being said, it does no good to have a threat like this on your team if the very threat you bank on is also threatening to destroy the very fabric of cohesion your team is trying to build upon.
All I know for sure is I have been a lifelong Eagles fans and the garbage that has gone on with this team this year ( starting in camp with T.O.) has really been a shot in the arm of confidence for myself and, I am sure, other Eagles fans.
So, it’s been so long since I had wireless I forgot how freeing it is.
A while ago my access point went out on me and I just never got around to replacing it. I just got used to going downstairs to the desktop and taking care of what needed to be done.
It’s not like I have this enormous house and NEED to have wireless – so I just plugged along via the desktop workstation.
Tonight when I got home from work I configured and deployed my new GB WiFi/WAP and here I sit on the living couch while my kids watch Sponge Bob and I can’t believe I allowed myself to go so long without replacing the burnt out access point.
It seems, sometimes, we forget how convenient things can be and we become content with the “old school” way of doing things. As a Network/Systems Engineer – I suppose it was really wicked bad case of Physician Heal Thyself.
But, no more - -- I have cut the cord (so to speak) once again.