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11/28/08

Turkey alert

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma Liz' but O still refused to try off-the-bird turkey, as well as just about everything else served. It's like the ol' Chinese finger prison, this battling over the food. The harder you fight it, the worse it gets. Otherwise it was a fun day, including a primo spot at the float launch area @ the parade. Julie found another great board game that Owen can already beat me at.

Interesting study related to Thanksgiving

11/26/08

Reading, 'riting & relaxing

Julie and I had been trying to get a conference with Owen's teacher for a while since there had been some 'issues' (O not being allowed to go on a trip to the library ....) Seemed like she was dodging us so we showed up unannounced last Friday and waited til she had a prep period.

Apparently, O "does his own thing" often spreading his stuff out over a few different desks, rarely completing in-class work. Just that day, she informed us, he was at his desk READING A CATALOG during a lesson. (whether he had on bifocals and a cardigan and was smoking a pipe cannot be confirmed).

We've now instituted a plan whereby his teacher will jot down a note in his homework book informing us whether he completed his in-class assignment or not. This note will be tied to whether or not he gets to use the computer that night. In the past, he seems to have responded to the 'you're on notice' approach. We shall see.

11/20/08

Moose cuts loose

As far as I can tell, Mike Mussina announced his retirement today after 17 full MLB seasons, 9 with the O's, 8 with the yankees. I won't try to hide my bias: he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Impossible to directly compare eras because of the increased role of relief pitching in today's game, so I don't want to hear anything about 300 wins. The two biggest stats in his favor -- 117 wins over .500 and NINE top 6 Cy Young finishes. No, he was never THE DOMINANT starting pitcher in the league over his career but nine top 6 Cy finishes says consistent greatness to me. Plus, the only other AL rightie with better numbers in his era is Roger Clemens and his forever-tainted legacy. Never was on a WS championship team BUT for the 1997 O's who went wire to wire first place, these were his postseason stats: 29 IP, 11 H, 4 ER, 7BB, 41 Ks against two of the highest run-producing teams of the decade (Mariners, Indians).

So he gets in, I'll say on the fourth try. In the nine years between now and then, he'll get elected to the Orioles' Hall of Fame, allowing some of the bad blood between him and ownership to disappear; then he'll go into Cooperstown as an Oriole.

11/17/08

Ewwww

The Bears went up to Green Bay and laid a stinker yesterday. Looking for the silver lining -- Orton a little rusty, team a little flat, badness snowballs on the road especially in Lambeau? I don't know how to explain 20 yds rushing given up to the undefeated Titans and 7 times that given up to Ryan Grant though. Anyway, the Minnesota game in 2 weeks basically is a must-win at this point because I don't see the NFC North producing a wild-card team.

Pujols won the NL MVP. Statistically, no argument here. Also no argument from the 'who would you want on your team?' standpoint. The whole issue of 'how much playing for a playoff team should count' means the arguing will go on forever. I hope the World Series ring matters more to Ryan Howard. He's already got an MVP anyway and will get another if he can shorten his swing w/ two strikes.

11/11/08

Veterans' Day at the VA

It's a little quiet around here...most everyone except 'essential clinical personnel' has the day off. Hmmm, does it seem right that a veteran who's here in the hospital can't get a psychiatry consult or an ultrasound because it's Veterans' Day?

Anyway, O is with me (not in clinical care areas) and I told him to wish any patients in the main halls a Happy Veterans' Day. He said he's not supposed to talk to strangers. This kid will be a great lawyer I tell ya.

11/10/08

Cats rock, as do giraffes

this one is pretty good

and Kath, yes, the giraffe video on SNL was superb. I'm trying to find it. Here it is.

A guy named Kerry

Da Bears D said - 'Make Kerry Collins beat us' and then Kerry Collins did just that. But with their back up QB, the Bears had a legitimate shot to tie the game late in the fourth quarter against arguably the league's best team. That's the silver lining.

This from the Sports Guy, Bill Simmons:

Saaaaaaved byyyyyy zerrrrrr-ohhhhhhhhhh.

"Now, for a limited time only, you can get amazing zero APR financing on your favorite Toyota."

Saaaaaaved byyyyyy zerrrrrr-ohhhhhhhhhh.

"That's 0 percent financing on 11 different models! Featuring Toyota's legendary quality. No other car brand can make this offer. So hurry in now, and see how much zero can save you on a brand new Toyota."

Saved by zero! Saved by zero!

(By the way, I did that off the top of my head. We are reaching the point that I am two weeks away from stopping by my local Toyota dealership, buying a brand-new Toyota Tundra with zero APR financing, driving the car off the lot, doing a U-turn, then plowing it through the front window of the dealership at 60 mph while screaming, "SAVED BY ZERO," like the guys from "Red Dawn" screamed, "WOLVERINES!" Cut down on the ads, Toyota. We're not kidding. You know why you haven't see John Mellencamp in two years? He's trapped in the basement of some frustrated baseball fan who dressed him like the Gimp and keeps him in a trunk after hearing "Our Country" for the 700,000th time. Look, we're all ecstatic that the guys from the Fixx are getting royalties again. Just tone it down. We get it. Zero APR financing. Heard you loud and clear.)

11/6/08

Rex in Effect

Da Bears will turn to Rex Grossman for Sunday's game vs. the undefeated Titans. I'm going to call it right here -- Bears 24, Titans 17. Oops - just checked the weather report: rain/snow showers. Let's go with Bears 13, Titans 10 in OT. It's a shame that Kyle Orton's progress towards legit starting NFL QB was slowed by this ankle injury. He wants to play Sunday but I think he and his neck beard should sit at least til the Packers in week 11.

Without cheating, name the teams whose home stadiums are below.

1FedExField
2Giants Stadium
3Arrowhead Stadium
4INVESCO Field at Mile High
5Dolphin Stadium
6Ralph Wilson Stadium
7Bank of America Stadium
8Cleveland Browns Stadium
9Lambeau Field
10Qualcomm Stadium
11Georgia Dome
12Candlestick Park
13M&T Bank Stadium
14Reliant Stadium
15Louisiana SuperDome
16LP Field
17Gillette Stadium
18Lincoln Financial Field
19Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
20Qwest Field
21Edward Jones Dome
22Texas Stadium
23Raymond James Stadium
24Paul Brown Stadium
25Heinz Field
26Ford Field
27Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
28University of Phoenix Stadium
29Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
30Lucas Oil Stadium
31Soldier Field

11/4/08

Finally!


Wow - surreal...what an exciting night. Can't wait for the acceptance speech; McCain is very gracious in defeat.

11/1/08

Halloween 2008


Per tradition, O had two costumes. School he was a cowboy and at night he was a clone trooper. No one, including possibly Owen, knows what a clone trooper is.

On an unrelated note, do you think foxes prey on wild turkeys? trying to settle a bet.