Internet Access More Important than Sex

I found this information on MediaPost News. Nearly half of women (46%) and 30% of men would rather go without sex for two weeks than give up Internet access for the same amount of time, according to a recent study conducted by Harris Interactive and sponsored by Intel. The study, "Internet Reliance in Today's Economy" reveals that 52% of women ages 35 to 44 and 49% of women ages 18 to 34 were more likely to say they would give up sex, compared with 39% of men ages 18 to 34.
Among the 2,119 U.S. adults who participated last month in the online survey, 65% believe they cannot live without Internet access, and 71% said it is important or very important to have Internet-enabled devices, such as laptops and mobile Internet devices that can search the Internet and provide real-time updates on important issues.
What this says about our society - you make your own judgement.

Merry Christmas

I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I hope you all get exactly what you wanted. And if you don't, well here is a little something that will hopefully make you smile.

Gordimer Xmas Video

Christmas is almost here

I hope everyone is finished shopping and doesn't have to go out anymore. I just have some wrapping to do and that's it. Sue is out right now fighting with people to get that last perfect Christmas gift. I hope it's for me. Just think, only 2 more days until the After Xmas sales! Whoooopeeee!

Rick Wins the Disney One Millionth Dream

Everybody knows how we went to Disney earlier this month. And some of you know that Disney has been celebrating the Year of a Million Dreams at Walt Disney World. Well when we were at the parks, we filled out a survey about how we liked it. I didn't realize at the time that we would be entered to win one of the dream prizes. Well we did! Check out the link below to see the last and most amazing dream Disney awarded this year. I can't believe I won!

Disney Millionth Dream!

Redskins stink

Another year of watching the Redskins and another year of disappointments. They played well this year against good teams and crappy against bad teams. Today, they fell behind the Bengals by 17 points in the first half and never recovered. Is it Spring Training yet?

Less Spending, More Coupons, This Holiday Season

According to a Harris Interactive survey for RetailMeNot.com, 45% of US online adults plan to spend less money on gifts this holiday season than last because of the state of the economy, while one in five plan to spend significantly less. 89% of online adults think coupons are a great way to save money, and 35% of those who will be spending less money on gifts this holiday season will use coupons, the study found.
Among the other shopping strategies for spending less money on holiday gifts, according to online adults who will be spending less money this holiday season:

Purchase fewer gifts 83%
Buy less expensive gifts 63%
Shop at discount stores 44%
Shop Online 37%
Use coupons 35%
Make gifts 22%

Disney World Vacation

I know it's been a while since I've blogged but we were in Disney last week and we've been trying to play catch up this week. Here is a picture of Jess and her best friend Samantha after they had a spa day at Disney. I'll upload a video soon.

Happy Thanksgiving! or TJ ER #3

I hope you and yours had a very happy turkey day! TJ spent some more time at the ER. He had this weird rash which was not getting better with Benadryl and time. So Sue took him to the ER and they said it was a viral infection and will go away on its own. We thought it might be either new and improved laundry detergent or a reaction to the amoxicilin. The ER doctor said probably not to both but it could be the amoxicilin. What do doctors no? If any doctors read this - I'm not talking about you. Anyway, Sue and TJ were home in like an hour or so and TJ is now resting comfortably. Will we make it to Disney without any more illnesses?

Our Little Monkey is Walking

I know it's been a while since I uploaded videos, sorry about that. Here is one from Halloween with TJ dressed as a monkey. As you can see he was already walking. He started in October at about 10 1/2 months.

Golfer Disqualifies Himself

You gotta hand it to this guy. If only we were all this honest. I'm not sure that most people would have done what he did. And on the other hand, golf has some of the dumbest rules ever. Sorry all you golfers out there but it's true.

TJ Visits the ER #2

We took TJ to the ER yesterday because he had a fever near 103 and his doctor was closing. It turns out that TJ has the beginnings of Pneumonia and he is now taking medicine for the next 10 days. The poor boy is very lethargic and his temperature is going up and down depending on time of day and when he had his Tylenol. Certainly not as exciting a trip as when he split that thing in between his gum and lips but no fun nonetheless. Two plus hours with all 4 of us at the ER. Fun times!

Great Holiday Gift

For the Mets fan that has everything. It makes a wonderful Xmas gift. It's the Mets Coffin. What will they think of next!

Dear Santa (and Sue),

Please do not get me the Mets coffin for Xmas. Tickets to opening day at Citi Field would be much better. If I get the coffin, I will take this as a very bad sign. If I wasn't good, please just give me coal like Callie got last year.

Thank you.

Rick

Xmas Music 2008

Now I know I went through this last year because XM radio started playing Xmas music on November 1st. Well this weekend on 106.7 Lite FM they are playing Xmas music. Why? I really don't understand it. Are people dying to hear Xmas music already? If so, just get out your CDs and your MP3s and listen. But all weekend on the radio? Give me a break!

Veterans Day

I just want to say thank you to all veterans out there for protecting our country and allowing us to continue to have the freedom we worked so hard to get. Special thanks to those that I know serving in the armed forces - Robby Allen in the USMC, Phil Farry in the Navy and my cousin Eric Tuller in the reserves. Also my Aunt and Uncle Val and Jordan Tuller who served and to anyone I may have missed - Thank You.

23 Days til Disney

It's hard to believe that in about 3 weeks we will be in Disney World. We've been looking forward to this all year and it's almost here. Jessica can't wait to go on the tea cups, and Sue and I can't wait to see how excited Jess is when she meets all her favorite princesses and characters.

Election Day

As I write this, it looks like Obama's lead is big enough to get him to the magical 270 votes. I don't know why anyone would want to be President because it seems like a thankless job. Lots of perks but lots of aggravation. And it looks like the toll 4 years takes on your body is like 20. Ugh!
And what about that electoral college thing. I still don't like it. I think everyone's vote should count the same, but that's just my opinion. I hope everyone voted.

Never Enough Advertising

In case you didn't think they could advertise anywhere else, check out the ads you will be seeing in the future on the train.

Facebook Murder

Be careful what your post on Facebook or any other social media site. Your spouse may be watching you. Now this is taking things to the extreme - that's for sure. Read more here about the Facebook Murder.

The Great Schlep to Florida

I really don't like Sarah Silverman, but I have to say this was very funny. I know she is urging people to vote for Obama, but no matter what your political affiliation, I'm sure you will get a laugh. Check out The Great Shlep to Florida.

Xmas Stamps

Xmas stamps have arrived at the post office. Why do I know this you ask? Because I happened to be near the post office and needed 1 cent stamps and found out they just came out this week. So I bought them. I have had a few run-ins in the past having trouble getting xmas stamps. One year I ordered them online and they never came. Other years Sue and I waited too long to get them and then had to wait at lunch time in December for 30 minutes just to get them. I know it's not even Halloween yet but I don't care. I'm happy I got them. Go me!

Shea Scoreboard

It’s weird to see the Shea Stadium scoreboard disappearing, but if you are interested, check out this link on MetsBlog.com. By the way, if you are a Mets fan like me, the MetsBlog.com is awesome for getting Mets news. I write better pieces about how the Mets drive me crazy, but their stuff is good too.

TJ Visits the ER

Last night TJ took his first trip to the emergency room. Something tells me it certainly won’t be his last. It was a little after 7pm and he was playing in Jessica’s room with Jess and Sue. He was standing on the chair acting like a monkey as he usually does and he fell off. Now this is far from the first time he has fallen off that chair but something was different this time. Sue said she didn’t see him hit his face on anything so it must have just been the floor that caused all the blood. As we would find out later from the ER doctor, he tore the upper labial frenum, which is that little piece of skin that attaches the top lip to your gums.

The bleeding wouldn’t stop for 20 minutes so Sue called the doctor and he said go to the hospital. So we were off to Saint Clare’s in Denville. Jessica was very upset about all this because she was very worried about her little brother. Once we gave her some peanut butter cups, the crying stopped.

On the way to the hospital, the bleeding stopped, of course. But it did start again when we were in the ER. After about 90 minutes of waiting, the doctor takes a look and tells us this is very common and there is nothing to do for it. Just give him soft food for a day or two and it will heal. I wish the doctor could have told us that on the phone but better safe than sorry.

TJ was fine and happy this morning at school eating his waffle and being the happy little boy he is. And I’m sure tonight he’ll be right back in Jessica’s room climbing on the chair!

Some Interesting information on Halloween

According to a recent survey, more consumers plan to celebrate Halloween this year (64.5% vs. 58.7%), with the average person spending $66.54 on the holiday, up from $64.82 one year ago. Total Halloween spending for 2008 is estimated to reach $5.77 billion, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF) and BIG Research. Interesting considering what bad shape the economy is in. The study also says:
People will spend, on average, $20.39 on candy
an average of $24.17 on Halloween costumes
$18.25 on decorations
$3.73 on greetting cards
And, 18-24 year-olds plan to spend $86.59 on the holiday, the most of any group??
People will celebrate Halloween in a variety of ways,
Handing out candy (73.7%)
Carving a pumpkin (44.6%)
Decorating (50.3%)
Dress in costume (35.3%)
Throw or attend a party (31.1%)
Take children trick-or-treating (33.6%)?
Phil Rist, Vice President of Strategy for BIGresearch, says "After months of bleak economic news, consumers are looking for a reason to let loose... and with Halloween falling on a Friday this year, consumers may plan to celebrate all weekend long."
I like Halloween - it's fun for the kids and who doesn't like kids having fun. Plus it gives me a reason to dress up however I want. This year I think I'm going back to my scary football guy. I always like that one.

Oops!

Maybe I was a little too quick on announcing the World Series matchup. The Red Sox came back from a 7-0 deficit to win the game last night over the Rays, 8-7. I still don't care about it, I just want the Phillies to lose.

It looks like a Rays-Phillies World Series

I haven't watched any of the postseason in baseball this year. After the Mets choked again, I just didn't have it in me. And now that World Series matchup isn't that exciting. But go Rays - I hate the Phillies!

Sports Venues

My brother sent me an interesting article on the top sports venues. I went through the whole list and I've been to 22 of these. There are some that you don't exactly go to, as you'll see when you read the sports venue article. Also, the Astrodome as #4. That's ridiculous.

Citi Field - No Shea

Here is a rendering of what Citi Field will look like from the sky and Shea Stadium is all gone. It's kind of weird thinking Shea won't be there but hopefully the new stadium will help the Mets not choke in the last week of the season. Citi Field.

7 Weeks til Disney

We are leaving 7 weeks from today for Walt Disney World. Everyone is very excited. I asked Jess this morning what ride she wants to go on first. She said the spinny one (tea cups) with Grandpap. I also have to update everyone on the Gordimer Year of 100 Treats. I'll do that as soon as I update that list.

Unbutton Your Beast

Jay Leno was talking about this the other day. I don't know what Levi's was thinking when they came up with this, but someone has a warped sense of humor. Check it out. Unbutton Your Beast.

Mets Wait til Next Year Kit on Ebay

For you fellow Mets fans that have it all - check out the Mets Wait til Next Year kit on Ebay. Make sure you read all the things it comes with - some are very funny. I especially like the picture on ebay of a sad Mr. Met crying. I know exactly how Mr. Met feels year after year after year. Why do I put myself through this kind of hell every spring? I should do like Nancy Reagan said and just say NO. But I can't. I just can't. It's like some weird f&*%ed up addiction that I just can't kick. I mean in my lifetime the Mets have won the World Series twice, and that first time I was much too young to remember it. So basically I've seen them win it once, and if not for Bob Stanley and Bill Buckner, it may have never happened. Maybe I need to buy myself this kit.

My Head is Stuck

I saw this picture and thought it was funny. Poor lego guy.

Fantasy Football Freakout

I love fantasy football as much as the next guy, but this person took it a little too far. This guy may want to switch to decaf. Click here.

Google Turns 10

I'm not sure how many of you heard this or not, but Google recently turned 10. Google is by far the most used search engine. If you are interested in viewing the Google timeline from birth til now, click here. I actually use Yahoo more than Google for some reason, but I use both. What do you guys use?

Finally Watched Shea Goodbye

It took me a couple of days to finally watch the goodbye to Shea Stadium. It was a nice little ceremony but it just lost something due to the pathetic way the Mets blew it again this season. It was nice to see the old players and have Tom Seaver throw the last pitch to Mike Piazza and then the 2 of them walked all the way out to centerfield and closed the gate. The End. But it still hurts to go through spring training, 6 months of the regular season and then have the team not make the playoffs again. The last day of the season - 2 years in a row - that hurts. It really is hard being a Mets fan.

Bruce to do Super Bowl Halftime Show

I heard today that Bruce Springsteen is going to perform on the Super Bowl halftime show during Super Bowl XLIII. For some reason I found this news shocking. I never pictured Bruce doing the halftime show. I personally don't even like the halftime show. I watch the Super Bowl to watch the game. Halftime just takes too much time away from the game. But I really like Bruce so I guess I'll be watching the halftime show this year instead of stuffing my face with food! In addition, I've seen some ugly Super Bowl logos, but I think this one is the worst one yet. It's ugly and it looks like it's begging for the Dallas Cowboys and their star helmets to be in it. And by the way, the Cowboys got their butts beat at home by my Washington Redskins this week. Go Skins!

What do you do when your child refuses to go to bed -- or stay in bed?

Interesting poll on BabyCenter.com asks What do you do when your child refuses to go to bed -- or stay in bed? Here were the results with about 30,000 people voting:

Lie down with him until he's asleep - 32%

I hate to admit it, but I tend to get more & more upset and annoyed with him-26%
Calmly take him back to bed as many times as it takes - 20%
Put up a gate or lock his door so he can't leave his room - 7%
Revoke privileges the next day each time he gets out of bed - 5%
Give up and let him stay up late - 5%
Other - 5%

I have to say I think we have done all of the above numerous times. I'm more of the revoke privileges type but that also usually leads to the annoyed person. I do lay down with Jessica sometimes, but that's usually cause I'm tired too.

Drunk Mets Fan

By the end of the week, this guy in the video may not be the only Mets fan who drinks so much he passes out. The video is a little long but it's funny. Click Here.

Jessica's Birthday Weekend

Today is Jessica's birthday. She turned 4 today. We had a lot of fun this weekend. On Saturday she had a full morning of classes at the Y. She started gymnastics, Dance and Swimming. Then she came home and took a nap and then we had the family birthday party. She had a lot of fun playing with her cousins and friends. Just like the kids party the theme was the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I took a look at the videos I took at the kids party and they just weren't as crazy as I remember them being that day. So instead of a video from that day I wanted everyone to see the kind of cakes that our cousin Tracy makes. A picture doesn't do it justice so I took a video so you can get the full effect of the cake. Very cool. This is what Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse looks like on the Disney Channel. Today, Jessica's actual birthday, we went to Sesame Place with cousins Frank, Tracy and Melissa. We had a great time. Jess and TJ fell asleep on the ride home. I think I'm headed there now.

Facebook Addiction

Has anyone noticed that Facebook is addicting. My goal right now is to just have more friends than Sue cause I know in real life that will never happen. Well right now I have 49 friends and she only has 48. I am beating her. I know it seems so mean but I am really happy about this. I just need to find more friends - and I don't mean fake friends but people I actually know. Is anyone else addicted to this stupid thing? I am sure it's just a fad and I'll grow out of it but I don't know when. Help!!!!



Gotta go - my computer just beeped from something happening on Facebook.



PS - The Mets are giving me ulcers on a nightly basis. Ugh!

Last Visit to Shea

Sue and I took Jess and TJ to Shea yesterday to see the Mets and meet up with a friend from San Diego. It was TJ and Jessica's first and last visit to Shea. I'm really not going to miss it. The place is an eye sore, the amenities are lacking, the kids have nothing to do and so on and so on. We left with the Mets winning 4-2 in the 8th inning and the bullpen promptly blew another game. Their lead is at 1 game and as it is going tonight, may be down to 1/2 game. Could it be another late September collapse. I hope not but we Met fans have learned to deal with it!

Jessica Simpson Talking Trash

Can you believe that Jessica Simpson is talking trash on national television? She was just on Good Morning America telling America that the Cowboys were going to crush the Eagles this week. Why won't she just go away? I mean I thought Tony Romo had dumped her and then the next thing I know, I hear something about them moving in together. Who Cares!!!

Tomorrow is Jessica's Kids Birthday Party

Tomorrow is Jessica's birthday party at Gymboree in Wayne for the kids in her school class. 13 little 4 year olds running around. I'm just glad they won't be in my house. I mean they are cute and all but that would be a big mess in my house. It is a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme. There will be Mickey cakes, toys, music and more. Should be a fun time. I'll try and take some video for everyone to see.

What to Say

What do you say when you have nothing to say? I have some blog ideas I want to write about - but I'm just not feeling in the mood to write about those things. There is always the Mets who currently are in first place by 3 games, but I feel very uneasy since they have 17 games left and that is when it all fell apart last year. I could talk about the friends I went out with last night and Nicole and her always amusing stories. There's football and kids and a bunch of other stuff. But tonight I will just ramble about nothing. I hope everyone has enjoyed this. Good night.

Football Week 1

For those that don't know it - I really like football. I'm in 2 fantasy football leagues, a football pool, a survivor pool and of course, I love the Redskins even if I think they're going to suck and finish last this year. They're still my team. it wasn't a great week but in the football pool I went 14-3 but unfortunately so did 2 other people and I lost out on the weekly pool due to the final score of the Raiders/Broncos Monday Night Football game. Why did the Broncose have to score so many points? That wasn't necessary. I split my fantasy football games and I luckily escaped with a win in the survivor pool picking the now Tom Brady-less New England Patriots. And of course, the Redskins lost to the Giants. That might have been the worst thing about Week 1 of the 2008 season. Go Skins - we need a win in Week 2.

600 fans at Marlins game

Can someone please tell me why they would build a new stadium for the Florida Marlins? Nobody goes to the games now, what good is a new stadium going to do. They still won't go to the games. Earlier this week there were only about 600 people at a game - read the article. That is sad and pathetic!

Olympics Poll

Well I think I need to work on my poll questions a little better. It looks like the vast majority of people watched some of the Olympics everyday (76%). There were 10% that watched a little and 14% that watched all they could. Nobody voted for none so at least everyone took in some of the Olympics. It was fun to watch the Michael Phelps stuff, but how much diving and gymnastics does one person have to endure. I just wish I could have watched more Team Handball - that still looks like a lot of fun to play.

Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day to all you laborers out there. That's probably most of you. I hope you are enjoying the last unofficial day of summer as Labor Day is sometimes known as. To me it just means there is one phrase I am about to hear - "Are You Ready for some Football!!!!!!

But if you'd like to know more about Labor Day - Click here.

TJ the Speed Crawler

TJ is now crawling quite fast and as you can see from the video, pulling himself up as well.

America's Best Restrooms

Is there really a need to have America's Best Restroom Awards? Is someone now going to make it their lifelong goal to visit each one. Now I know that Sue says I make a lot of restroom stops, but I'm not going to go out of my way to check out America's Best! But I do believe that Penn Station in NYC may be one of America's worst - that's for sure. There was also a nasty restroom in PA that was flooded when we went to Pittsburgh last year to see the Steelers play. People were walking in there with flip flops on. That was nasty!

Mets continue to cause Heart Failure

Carlos Beltran hit a grand slam in the top of the 9th that gave the Mets the lead but the bullpen gave back 2 in the bottom of the ninth and the Mets held on for a 5-4 win. It was a nice comeback win, but they don't do anything the easy way. There were 2 outs and nobody on when the rally started. I stuck to my guns and did not watch the game. I followed it on the internet as I did some fantasy football research. I'm almost ready for my fantasy football auction next week. I hope that LT can lead the way for me this year.

The Olympics are Over - New Poll

So the Summer Olympics are over for another 4 years. Are you sad or could you not care less? Take my latest poll and see how much Rick from Rockaway's readers watched the Olympics!

China makes sure Finale is Dry

I was shocked to read this but China made sure it didn't rain during the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics by shooting rockets into the sky. Do you think I could borrow that technology to make sure it doesn't rain this year during Jessica's birthday party?

Quote of the Day

"Et tu, Brute?"

- William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar


Has there ever been a greater quote on betrayal than that! If you think so, please comment here - I would love to hear it.

The Mets still Drive me Crazy

I don't know how the hell the Mets are in first place. Really. The bullpen is a mess. Wagner is out indefinitely. Yet they manage to stay ahead of the other crappy teams in the division. It's going to be a long last 6 weeks of the season. At least I've had the Olympics to distract me for the last 10 days and then there is football after that. But for some reason I always have to see how the Mets are doing. I just wish I could forget about them and wake up at the end of September and they have made the playoffs. That would be so nice. Instead I have to be tortured on a daily basis with no lead safe from the bullpen from hell. Poor Johan Santana - he should have a record of about 17-5 by now. He'd be the Cy Young. Instead he'll be lucky to get 15 wins this year thanks to Aaron "I still remember blowing the 2006 playoffs" Heilman and Duaner "3am Cab Ride" Sanchez. Why do I do this to myself!!!!

Find Cheap Gas on MapQuest

You can now go on MapQuest and find cheap gas in your neighborhood, or any neighborhood for that matter. Now I don't know how accurate it is, or how often they update the prices, but I think it will give you a good idea of who in the area has the least expensive gas. When I checked on my neighborhood, it seemed to be fairly accurate.

Favre Wall

Check out the Brett Favre Wall. I think this bar in Mississippi might have to change some of their colors around. A little less yellow and some more white will do the trick.

I think I was Food Poisoned

We went to a wedding on Friday night and I'm not sure if it was the FBI, CIA or KGB but they must be after me. They poisoned my food. For what reason I do not know. I ate orange roughy, some nasty fish that comes back to bite you at 3am. It was the first and last time I will be eating the orange roughy. I also will not eat any of its relatives - red roughy, green roughy or blue roughy. Now back to the poisoning attempt - I really don't know why these groups are after me but how else can you explain my illness. I guess it could be just some bad fish - but other people at our table ate the damn fish and nobody else got sick. And I don't just mean a little sick - I mean lets wake up in the middle of the night and puke the entire contents of my guts out. I wanted to die!

Welcome to New Jersey Mr. Favre

Well at least Brett is out of Green Bay. But why did he want to come to the Jets. Nothing against the Jets but Tampa Bay made the playoffs last year and the Jets won 4 games. The Jets definitely improved themselves over last year but I'd be shocked if they make the playoffs. Maybe 8-8 if everything goes well but the AFC has some really good football teams. I wish the best for Chad Pennington. Always seemed like a good guy - I hope he finds a good home as a backup QB. And Brett, if you need help finding a place to live, give me a call and maybe you can crash in our basement for a while.

P.S. - I still want that Aaron Rodgers guy to shave his beard. He's starting to look like Grizzly Adams.

Please end the Brett Favre Saga

I don't know about anyone else but I am sick of the whole Brett Favre thing. I wish the Packers would just trade the guy already and move on. They made a decision to go with Aaron Rodgers so let them stick to it and lets play some damn football already! This stupid topic is the first thing on all the radio shows, ESPN, online, etc. Enough is enough. There are pennant races going on. The Olympics start in a few days. Every other team in the NFL is getting ready to play preseason football. But the whole world is in the street outside Packer camp. What I really want to know is when is Aaron Rodgers going to shave that stupid looking beard!

Yummy Pancakes

Over the weekend we met up with our friend Soraya in Jersey City and we ate at this awesome pancake place called the Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory. I had chocolate chip and peanut butter pancakes and they were so good. I could only eat 2 of the 3 pancakes. They were nice and thick and the syrup was perfect. If you are ever in the area, definitely check it out.

Springsteen Concert - 7/31/08

Tonight's show was even better than the other show. Except for the 3 hour traffic jam to get there thanks to a flipped over propane truck on the 16W exit ramp. That was a nightmare. But Bruce did not let us down during the show. Sue and I had a brief tailgate before the show with Brad White and his family and then watched Bruce perform 30 songs for over 3 hours. He played a lot of different songs he didn't play from Monday night. It was an extremely high energy show with songs like Cadillac Ranch, Blinded by the Light and Light of Day. There were many Bruce classics for the old time fans such as Candy's Room, Night, Incident on 57th Street and She's the One. But the 7-song encore topped everything. He played Jungleland, Born to Run, Bobby Jean, Dancing in the Dark, American Land, Jersey Girl and Rosalita. The last two songs sent everyone in the stadium into hysteria since both are rarely played now and both are strong favorites of the Jersey crowd. It was a great night and even though we didn't get to Sue's parents house down the shore until around 2am, everything was right in the world.

Dunkin' Donuts Offering Healthy Menu Items

Dunkin' Donuts is going to start offering healthy items on their menu. I love Dunkin' Donuts but I don't go there for healthy food. Just give me my ice coffee with lots of cream and sugar, my egg and cheese on a bagel and my chocolate donut and me and my 2,000 calories will be on our way. Egg white flatbread sandwiches - yuck!

Springsteen Concert - 7/28/08

I went to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band last night with my friend Jonathan(Thanks for the ticket Mystic!). We had a great time. Hung out in the parking lot and tailgated for a few hours. The weather was perfect. Had good seats in the lower level for the show and what a show it was. Bruce and the band played for over 3 hours. I kind of felt the concert was like 3 concerts in 1. The first one was a powerful rock and roll event with everyone out of their seats dancing and singing. Songs like Out in the Street, Promised Land and Hungry Heart got everyone going. Then part 2 was a little more mellow, at least in our section. Or maybe it was this 40 year old body just needing a break and sitting down for a while to just enjoy the music. Then it all ended with a great final eight songs that included my 3 favorite Bruce tunes: Badlands, Thunder Road and Born to Run. It was quite an enjoyable night even though I got home way past my bedtime - 1:25am. Looking forward to going again on Thursday night with Sue.

Bruuuuuuce

The Boss is back in New Jersey where he belongs.

Ice Cream for Dinner

Sometimes in the summer we like to have ice cream for dinner. I know it's not the healthiest choice but Jessica likes it, as well as Sue and I. So last night was one of those nights. We went to Denville Dairy where they make some yummy ice cream and enjoyed our dinner. As you can see from the picture, not all of Jessica's ice cream made it into her mouth.

100 posts

I can't believe I made it to 100 posts - I want to thank all the little people who made this possible. That includes my 4 regular readers - thanks - you guys know who you are. I also want to thank my family - without them giving me my 2.3 minutes a day to type something up, this wouldn't be possible. And I also want to thank the Mets for getting back into first place all by themselves. Miracles really do happen!

The Mets are tied for First

If you told me at the beginning of the season the Mets would be tied for first after the all-star break, I would have been disappointed. I would have thought they would be up by several games by now. But if you told me 2 months ago the Mets would be tied for first after the all-star break, I would have thought you were crazy because they are just so mediocre. Well mediocrity meet first place. Hooray for being slightly above average. Go Mets!

Personal Seat Licenses

If you haven't heard the term personal seat licenses (PSLs) lately, you probably aren't a New York Giants season ticket holder. Once the Giants new stadium is opened in 2010, season ticket holders must buy these PSLs or give up their season tickets. The great thing about the PSLs is that they cost anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000, and then you have to pay for the tickets. This will help the Giants raise over $370 million to help pay for the stadium, or so they say. Let's face it, the Giants have the money to just pay for the stupid stadium, they just want to bleed their fans of any extra money they might be willing to spend. And if current season ticket holders don't want to spend the money, they have over 100,000 people on a waiting list that will probably be more than happy to fork over the money. I have never liked the Giants, but I always thought they were above this kind of thing. They become the 15th team in the NFL to have PSLs. And guess what Jet fans, it will be your turn next. The Giants may as well sell the naming rights to Giants Stadium too. Maybe they could call it Preparation H Stadium because the fans will have to dig so far into their wallet they're going to have a big pain in the ass.

Josh Hamilton

If you didn't see the Home Run Derby last night, you missed an exciting event. At least Josh Hamilton's part in the first round. He put on one of the most exciting shows I've seen in a long time. Josh hit 28 home runs in the first round - and these were not cheap shots - 3 of them went over 500 feet. He was in such a groove it's just a shame that he lost in the finals to Justin Morneau. The crowd at Yankee Stadium was chanting his name - it must have been pretty special considering how far Josh Hamilton has come in the last few years. He was the #1 choice in the 1999 draft but after getting in a car accident, his career was derailed by drug addiction. He has come a long way, let's hope he's able to stay clean and enjoy his major league career.

TJ and the Older Woman

TJ is already going after older women. And from the looks of this video, they seem to like him. See how little Mackenzie Baggs takes charge of the situation. Enjoy!

8/8/08

Thanks to all 33 people who voted in my very first poll. 25 of the 33 knew, or at least they say they knew, that 8/8/08 is when the summer olympics start. For the 8 people who didn't know, you must never watch NBC or any of the channels owned by NBC Universal because they are pushing that thing all over the place. I can't say that I am overly excited for the olympics but I do like to watch some of the events. I went to the summer olympics in 1996 in Atlanta and I had a good time but it was so hot and crowded. If you want to actually see a place on vacation, don't have it coincide with the olympics. It was wall to wall people there all the time. As for the poll, I also want to thank all those people that told me I need more exciting poll questions. I'll work on that for next time.

Happy Birthday to Sue!

Today was my better half's birthday. We had a fun day at the Bronx Zoo and a yummy dinner at P.F. Chang's. It was nice for the 4 of us to be able to spend the day together.

Vote for David Wright

David Wright of the Mets should be on the all-star team this year. He's having a good year and the game is in New York. It would be a shame if Billy "Blown Save" Wagner is the only Met representative. Go to MLB.com and vote for David Wright for the final National League all-star team spot. Do it now!

Mets Win 10-9

The Mets beat the Phillies last night 10-9 to take 3 out of 4 games in Philadelphia and move to within 2.5 games of first place. What the final score doesn't tell you is that the Mets were up at one point 10-9 and the Phillies had the tying run in scoring position in the 9th. I'm so glad I turned it off when it was 10-7. I don't need the added aggravation of watching the Mets almost fall apart again.

TJ the Bobblehead

I have turned my son into a Mets bobblehead. If you like the picture, wait til you go to the link below and see TJ as an actual bouncing bobblehead. If you like it, you too can go to XMBaseball.com and make your own bobblehead with any team you choose. It was easy to do, all you really need is a picture to upload. The site allows you to enlarge the image and rotate it to fit exactly how you want. Very cool! You can also have David Ortiz or Derek Jeter leave a friend a message or leave your voicemail message on your phone. Check it out! Meanwhile, make sure you go to the link below to see TJ as a bouncing bobblehead.

Bobblehead TJ

The Mets Drive me Nuts

The Mets can never make it easy. I don't like to watch them much lately, but I was checking out ESPNews and saw that the game was in the Top of the 9th. I switch over and the Mets even were able to score an insurance run while I was watching to make it 2-0. But then with 1 on and 2 out and 2 strikes - Billy Wagner lets up a game tying home run. I knew it. I knew I should have never turned on the game. The Mets were able to pull the game out in the 12th inning and finally get back to .500, but that's not the point. They drive me nuts. They haven't won a game in about a year in which they have scored 2 runs or less. They were almost there tonight - but they decided to let their fans dangle in the wind for another hour before pulling the game out. Baseball season is only half over - it's going to be a long 2nd half of the season. Bring on the NFL!!

PS - Happy Birthday to Willie Randolph - I hope you are enjoying watching the Mets play no better now than they did when you were manager.

Friends Movie

Rumor has it that there is the possibility of a Friends movie. Do we need that right now? Friends was one of my favorite shows at the time, but now, who cares. Are there really that many people craving to see Chandler, Monica and Rachel again. I mean I always like to see Jennifer Aniston but I can do without all those other dorks at this point.

Answer the Poll

In order to get more reader participation - heck more readers period, I have posted my first poll on my blog. Please take a second to answer this quick yes/no question by Thursday, July 10th. After that, I will blog about the question and results. And feel free to forward this on to your friends for them to answer as well. Thanks.

Happy 4th

I hope everyone has a great holiday and doesn't do anything stupid. If you're going to drink - don't drive or play with fireworks. Enjoy!

Top 10 Ways to Get Fired

Monster.com recently had an article on the Top 10 Ways to Get Fired. I'm pretty sure there are a few more than this but you may want to take a read to make sure you're not committing one of these job faux pas. The original list was compiled about admins, but I think it relates to everybody. My personal favorite on the list is Drink at work. I know the article refers to drinking at lunch, but when I first read just the title of that one - I got a chuckle.

Jon and Kate plus 8

You might think I'm crazy but one of my favorite shows right now is Jon and Kate plus 8 (Thank you Jackie Daniel). It's a show on TLC about the Gosselins, a family that has 7 year old twins and 4 year old sextuplets. That would be 6! And a total of 8 kids. That's absurd! I just can't get enough of this show because it makes me feel like a moron if I can't handle 2 kids. Really! I don't know how they do it. I see that people help them out but on a day to day basis, I would just lose my mind and have a mental breakdown. How could I not? They have some monster black van thing that fits the whole family when they all have to go somewhere. They have a house that doesn't seem much bigger than my own yet they all survive there. Kate says they average $150/week on groceries - not sure how she pulls that off unless she is including all the stuff she must five finger discount.
The family lives somewhere near Hershey, PA I think. I have some free time, maybe I'll try to find them so they can give me some parenting tips.

Fudgie the Whale

I think most people know who Fudgie the Whale is - it's a Carvel cake of a chocolate whale. I'm not sure exactly why Carvel thought a whale would be a good idea for a cake, but I believe it is fairly popular and often mocked in public. I don't know how long they have had this mascot Fudgie the Whale but they need to reconsider. He reminds me of a big piece of poop. I mean look at it! Would you let it anywhere near your kids? I would immediately be looking for a big pooper scooper to clean it up and throw it in the trash. Carvel is the company that also has Cookie Puss. Maybe they just need a new marketing department.

Halftime

Can you believe half the year is over already. Where has the time gone? And some of you are probably wondering where Rick from Rockaway has been? Just a little busy but I have made a half year resolution to blog more in the second half. And you can all keep track to see if I keep my resolution or not. I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. Make sure to do something fun - otherwise what's the point!

Tiger Woods out for the Year

After winning the US Open this past weekend in some of the most enjoyable golf to watch ever, Tiger will be having season ending surgery. I expect the ratings for golf won't be the same for the rest of the year. Let's fac it - you either love Tiger or hate him, but he makes you take notice and watch. The ratings on Sunday were the 3rd highest ever for a Sunday telecast of the US Open. It was like watching David and Goliath on the golf course. I like Tiger, but I think I was rooting a little for Rocco Mediate. The underdog almost won, but Tiger showed why he is probably the most dominant athlete of our era.

Willie Randolph Finally Got Fired

I was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to happen. I just didn't think the Mets would fire Willie in the middle of the night 3,000 miles away. I heard Omar Minaya on the radio this afternoon explaining away why. It was his decision and not the owners, it was time for a change, blah blah blah. Willie leaves the Mets with a 54% winning percentage, which is the 2nd highest ever for a Mets manager. Jerry Manuel will take over as interim manager, until people get unhappy with him and then it will be someone else. Where is Bobby V. when you need him?

The Willie Watch Continues

The Willie Randolph firing squad is lurking behind every corner. The question is whether they will end up just going away or call him into the street one night and fire away! It's hard to blame Willie for what happened in San Diego -four game sweep by the Padres that included three games by the score of 2-1. It's hard to blame Willie for what Billy Wagner has recently done - 3 blown saves in a row. If Wagner had blown just 2 of those games and the Mets had split in San Diego, when they actually should have at least won 3, The Mets would be over .500 and only 4 games out of first and we wouldn't be having this conversation. But the point is they did lose those games and it does appear to me that something needs to happen. And soon. I like Willie, but you can't fire the team and you can't trade Reyes, his contract is too team friendly as a like to call it. I wouldn't push the button yet, but if we get to the end of the month and the Mets are still in the same position, get your guns out Omar! But watch out - you may be next!

Is the Road Trip Over yet?

Sorry it's taken me so long to write again. I've been very busy readjusting to my new (old) schedule. I've been going to bed early so that leaves less time to blog. Anyway, after the Nationals game we went to see my Uncle Jordan and Aunt Val on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We spent a nice and relaxing 1.5 days with them and then drove up to Sue's parents down the shore. After a couple of days there we finally got back home. Callie was happy to see us. We had a great trip - drove over 1,000 miles in a week and the kids were wonderful. We are looking forward to our next vacation - Disney World later this year.

Nationals Stadium

After West Virginia, we went to see friends in Columbia, MD and then the next night we went to the new Nationals Stadium in Washington, DC. It was the 17th MLB ballpark I've been to. The Stadium is nice, it looks a lot like most of the other newer stadiums being built. It has a beautiful jumbotron TV in the outfield and a nice little play area that Jessica ran around in for an hour. However, there were a lot of things that I didn't like and they all revolve around money. We parked two and a half blocks away and paid $25. That's a ripoff. To park in the lot directly across the street from the stadium, you had to buy passes when you bought tickets and it cost $40 to park there. More ridiculous! Ticket prices were as expected, but the food was overpriced. I know it always is but $8 for a square slice of pizza is insane. Sodas were like $4.50, beers were $8 and so on and so on. I'm sure when the Mets and Yankees open their new ballparks next year, the prices will be just as insane. Baseball teams are going to make it near impossible to allow families to attend games due to the high costs of everything.
The most embarrasing thing of all at the stadium is all the empty seats behind the backstop. The Nationals completely overpriced those seats. They go for like $300-$800 or something like that for the ones directly behind home plate. If you ever watch Sportscenter, you'll probably notice how empty those seats are for most games. Take a look next tiime.

Western Maryland and West Virginia

Our next stop on the road trip was Frostburg, MD. We visited with some of Sue's relatives and went to the cemetery where her grandmother is buried. It's not easy trying to explain to Jessica about Grandma. Jessica knows Grandma is in heaven so didn't fully understand why we were there. She asked a lot of interesting and intelligent questions for a 3 year old. She still remembers that GG likes to drink coffee and I think she even asked a question like, "Do you have to drink coffee to get into heaven?" It was cute.


We then went to drive through West Virgina on our way to our next stop in Columbia, MD. West Virgina was my 41st state that I have been to. We stopped at Harpers Ferry, WV after getting a little lost. Our GPS and I were having some angry moments which caused the worst "hour" of our trip for everyone. After a family hug at Harpers Ferry, we all kissed and made up.

The Willie Randolph Job Watch

Of course Willie Randolph's job is in jeopardy. The Mets have played awful and whether it is his fault or not, it doesn't matter. I hate these sports radio guys saying that when Omar Minaya was asked if Willie would manage the whole season, Omar said Willie is our manager and he has a contract for next year. The radio guys go OOOOHHHHH that doesn't sound good. The fact is that if the Mets continue to lose, Willie will lose his job. It's that simple. You can't tell me that if the team goes on a 10 game losing streak right now that Willie will survive. The Mets are losing right now because of the players. There aren't many on the team playing well. If Willie is to really be the manager next year, then guys like Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran better turn it around, and fast.

Hershey

Our next stop on our road trip was Hershey's Chocolate World. We didn't go to Hershey Park since we were at Dutch Wonderland the day before. We met cousins Frank, Tracy and Melissa there and we had fun going on the chocolate tour, pretending to be chocolate factory workers and eating lots of chocolate. Jess was a little scared at the 3D movie, but other than that we had a great time.

Dutch Wonderland

The first stop on our road trip was to Dutch Wonderland. This is an excellent amusement park for kids ages 3-6. Jessica had a wonderful time, as did we all. She was just about tall enough for all the rides, either by herself or with an adult. They have over 30 rides and several shows and other attractions. Jessica's favorites were the Thomas and Friends show, the roller coaster and the giant fun slide. I highly recommend a trip out to Dutch Wonderland for you and your little ones.

Vacation

We are going on a little road trip to have some family fun time. If I get a chance to post during our trip I will, otherwise, I'll see you when we get back.

E:60

One of my favorite new shows is the ESPN journalism show called E:60. To me it's like Real Sports on HBO except weekly. This week's show is the last until July but when it comes back, you should definitely check it out. One of the main journalists doing stories is Jeremy Schaap, who I believe is just as good as his father Dick Schaap was. They have covered some very interesting topics such as Mike Tyson, football in prison, a blind high school wrestler, etc. If you go to the E:60 page you can view some of the segments they have had.

Happy Mother's Day

I just want to wish all the moms out there a Happy Mother's Day! Especially to my mom, my mother-in-law and to my wonderful wife Sue. Have a great day!

Kid Finally takes off Favre Jersey

This 12 year old kid finally took off his Brett Favre jersey after 4 years. WTF! He wore the jersey every day for 4 years straight. Doesn't he have any adult supervision? I don't think I've ever loved any player that much to do that. Not even the great Darryl Strawberry.

P.S. Did you know that Brett's middle name is Lorenzo and that Darryl's is Eugene. Who would have thunk it!

Softball Sportsmanship

If you haven't already heard about this story, a girl on the Western Oregon University softball team hit her first ever home run and when she realized she missed first base and turned around to go back, she destroyed her knee and crawled back to 1st base. Unfortunately, there was no way she was going to be able to crawl around all the bases. Her teammates weren't allowed to touch her or she would be out. According to the umpire, a pinch runner would make the home run only a single, even though later it was determined that she could have had a pinch runner and it still would have been a home run. Instead, two girls on the opposing team carried her around the bases so the girl could have the home run. You definitely will never see that in Major League Baseball - that's for sure!

TJ and his Jumparoo

People want to see more videos so here is one of TJ and his Jumparoo! Enjoy.

TJ turns 5 months old

It's incredible at how quickly TJ has grown. It seems like just yesterday he was 1 day old and then 1 week old and 1 month old. And now he is 5 months old and Sue and Jess and I are enjoying every minute with him. He provides hours of entertainment. I just wish some of those times weren't at 3am.

TJ and his toes

It's great to watch how fun and amusing a babies toes can be to the baby. First he tries to catch them and then when he catches them, it's all he can do to continue to hang on to them. Then to see all the effort that goes in to getting them close to his mouth - it is all good. We adults take our toes for granted most of the time. Well, maybe not women who like to get pedicures, but I think guys just ignore them. I know I do.

The Mets are 10-9

I don't know if I can watch the Mets anymore. They are driving me crazy. They can't hit the ball. Scoring 1 or 2 runs a game just won't get it done. I don't care how good the starting pitching has been. They were looking good after beating the Phillies 4 out of 5 but they couldn't finish the sweep and then they lost a 2 game series to the Cubs. I'm not watching this week until they win a game.

Shaving

Shaving is annoying. We all have to do it - for the most part. Guys shave their faces - women shave their legs. One of the reasons I like my goatee so much is that it's less I have to shave. Well Sue had never seen me without my goatee so I decided to shave it off last week. It had been about 10 years since I grew it so I was hesitant about it at first but finally said WTF. Before the goatee I had always at least had a mustache. So it had been a lot longer since I didn't have the mustache - probably over 15 years. Anyway, Sue said she liked how it looked without it but liked me better with it. Well I completely agreed with her and thankfully, it has grown back. Not fully, but it's getting there. If I looked good in a beard, which I don't, I would let that grow in.

Oh No - Four O

I don't know how I got here exactly but somehow I turn 40 today. I tried to work on stopping time so I wouldn't reach this day, but that didn't work out. In my mind, I don't feel 40, but lately my body feels older than that. Thankfully I have a wonderful wife and two cute kids to keep me active and feeling young. Happy Birthday to Me!

Boston College Wins National Championship

The Boston College Eagles won their 3rd national hockey championship over the weekend defeating Notre Dame 4-1 in the finals of the Frozen Four. It's very exciting when your school wins a national championship, and since they will probably never win in football or basketball, this is the next best thing. Thanks to the nation's leading scorer, Nathan Gerbe, BC won the title after two straight years of losing in the finals. Gerbe tallied five goals and three assists in the two games he played in the Frozen Four. Way to go BC!

Weight Watchers Week 14

I think I may discontinue my weekly Weight Watchers updates. I stayed the same weight this week and Sue dropped another pound. Nothing much more than that to report. I think from now on I'll just give periodic updates to how we are doing as compared to our goals. I have 3 pounds to go and Sue has about 6 or 7.

Frozen Four

Everyone knows what the Final Four is but have you ever heard of the Frozen Four? The Frozen Four is the NCAA Men's Hockey version of the great basketball tournament. Except for the fact that most people don't know or care about it. Tonight is the beginning of the Frozen Four and my alma mater, Boston College is playing against North Dakota. The other semi-final would make a great classic football game, Notre Dame vs. Michigan. BC is playing at 6pm on ESPN2, so if you have any interest in watching some great hockey you should tune in. This is Boston College's 21st time in the Frozen Four and the fourth time in the last five years. However, they have only won it twice in their history - the last time being 2001. Go BC!

Jessica Loves to Dance

For those of you that have never seen Jessica dance - check out this video of her dancing to The Sugarhill Gang. She has a few moves that worry me for when she gets older. Luckily I have a few years to figure out how to keep her locked up when she gets to be a teenager.

One Shining Moment

One Shining Moment is about all that is left of the NCAA Men's basketball tournament. Oh, and of course, the title game, but at this point, most people probably don't even care. Most people have been eliminated from their office pools - heck in our 3 person office pool Luis has already been declared the winner cause Jason and I were pathetic and Luis happened to get the two teams in the finals correct - nice job Luis. For those who don't know what One Shining Moment is - you have to either stay up for the end of the championship game, or just record it like I do. They play the song over the 5 minutes of credits and show highlights of the best plays of March Madness. I always enjoy it because it reminds me of the great plays over the last 3 weeks and gives some of these kids one last shining moment before we forget about them forever. Because just like the commercials say, most of these kids will be going pro in something else besides basketball.

Smart Marketing IQ Test

Check out this Smart Marketing IQ Test and see how well you pay attention to current brands. Let me know how many you get correct. I had 18 out of 20. Thanks to Soraya for sending me this test. She got 19 out of 20. Check it out.

Weight Watchers Week 13

Another week and another pound gone. So after one quarter of the year, I have lost 25 pounds on Weight Watchers. I'm just 3 pounds from my goal. It feels a little tougher now that I am home with TJ every day. I had my certain routines at work as far as eating and so I will have to develop some new routines at home. I drank more water at work for some reason and ate more fruit. Don't know why - that's just the way it seemed to work out. I have more options at home and tend to go for the candy more - what a shocker. Something is still working so who am I to complain.

Pedro Goes Down

Well it didn't take long for a regular season injury to happen to the Mets. I thought Pedro Martinez was in the best shape of his life. It just goes to show you that you can't stop time. It's better for Pedro to get hurt now as oppposed to later in the season, but it's not a good way to start off. I think the Mets will be okay, especially after the way they won last night, 13-0, behind Oliver Perez. Hopefully Pedro will be back by early May and can regain his health.

3rd Graders Plot Attack on Teacher

Children ages 8-10 planned to attack their teacher in Georgia with a knife, handcuffs and a toy gun. WTF!!! What is the world coming to? It's when I read things like this that I start to realize how bad television is for little kids. I don't care what learning disabilities these kids have - how could they ever think trying to attack their teacher with a knife is ok. What are the parents of these kids teaching their children? Is there some new video game they are playing called kill your teacher? Acting up in school is one thing, but bringing weapons into school is another. Unfortunately, some day in my lifetime there will probably be metal detectors at every school in America. That is very sad!

Let's Go Mets

It's opening day, what a beautiful thing. TJ and I will be watching the Mets play the Marlins later today. I can't wait. Johan Santana is on the mound and I'm ready for another exciting year of baseball. My prediction for the year - Mets over the Indians in the World Series!!

TJ Rolls Over

TJ just started to roll over. See the video to watch TJ in action.

Weight Watchers Week 12

I got back on track this week on Weight Watchers by losing 2 pounds. I'm down a total of 24 pounds and just 4 short of my goal. Woohoo. And my wonderful wife lost over 2 pounds in the last 2 weeks and she has now dropped 21 pounds total. I'm very proud of her. She has now lost the 50 baby pounds she put on and she wants to lose more. In addition, at Weight Watchers, she lost over 10% so she got her keychain. When you lose 10% of your weight they give you this keychain as a symbol. Back in 2002 when I lost 31 pounds, I gave her my keychain when I got it because if it wasn't for her I would have never lost the weight. So now she gave me her keychain - that was nice.

And now a word from our sponsors...

So I signed up for google adwords to appear on my blog. If you look on the left hand column under the archive of blogs, you'll see a little ad posted. So far I've only noticed ads for weight loss stuff and sports stuff. I guess that's because of everything I write about weight watchers and sports. Makes sense to me. Anyway, please visit my sponsors on a regular basis. Google says I can make big money. But I think I need about 5 million clicks to get $5 or something. Anyway, if everyone that visits my blog clicks on the links each time - I'm curious to see if I ever get anything from it. But don't click on them like a hundred times - that's not right. Click fraud is bad and I don't want any of my readers to be visited by the FBI in the middle of the night.

My Bracket is Busted

Why did I pick Georgetown to win it all? I tried staying away from the obvious teams but I certainly didn't think the Hoyas would be eliminated by round 2. Very disappointing. I was doing well before they lost. I was in the top 10 out of 280 - but that's over now. Now I have to root for Carolina - I have them in another pool. Winning lunch isn't quite as good as $1400, but a win is a win. Go Tar Heels.

Weight Watchers Week 11

Uh oh. I gained a pound this week. Shame Shame! What can I say - I didn't eat that badly but I didn't eat great either. I was also at a conference in the city most of the week and so I wasn't eating my normal lunches either. And it is Easter tomorrow so I might have had a little more candy than I normally do. I do like my chocolate. Oh well - that week is over and this is a new week. Wish me luck.

Let the Madness Begin

Selection Sunday is over and as usual, there are schools upset that they have been left ouf of the Big Dance. Too bad! You had over 30 games to distinguish yourself and if you left yourself on the bubble at the end, you have no one to blame except yourself. Same goes for the #2 seeds saying that they shouldn't have to play the best #1 seed when that would mean they are the worst #2 seed - yada, yada, yada. Just shut up and play the game. Each team needs to win 6 games - unless you won every game during the season - don't complain. Every team lost a game they probably shouldn't. Well here is your chance at redemption. Win 6 in a row and you can cut down the nets in San Antonio.

Weight Watchers Week 10

We're both still going strong on weight watchers. I lost another pound this week and Sue lost 2. She keeps losing at this pace and Sue will catch up to me.

Mets Sign Barry Bonds

Now wouldn't that headline freak you out. As a Met fan, it would make me ill. But that is exactly what Buster Olney suggested on ESPN Radio. He said it would be a perfect fit based on the fact that Barry's agent has said he'll do whatever it takes to be on a ballclub. He'll be a good citizen, he'll only get one locker, he'll stretch with the team and won't cause any problems. If the Mets could sign him for a base salary of $2 Million and then have the rest be incentives, why not. If he acts up - just send him on his way and no other team would probably touch him again. He still has the stats - .480 on base percentage last year - better than any Met by far. Barry is also very motivated - he is 4 RBIs short of 2,000 and 65 hits away from 3,000.

The Mets now find themselves shorthanded in the outfield with Alou's injury. Buster had me considering it for a minute until I actually visualized Barry in a Met uniform and I felt sick just like I did in the beginning of the radio segment. I would hate to think the Mets could help Barry Bonds win a championship and I would hate to listen to Barry talk about it afterwards that he put them over the top. I hope Omar Minaya is not considering this. I'd rather go out and get Sammy Sosa - also a cheater - but I think I could stomach him more.

Disney CMO

So in following with my Disney theme, I wanted to tell you about a very cool job that Disney currently has available. It's called CMO - Chief Magical Officer. It's sounds cool, but I didn't apply. For the next year, the winner will tour the different theme parks granting wishes, etc. Lucky them. Here are the ten finalists and you can vote for the person you think would make the best Disney Chief Magical Officer. But hurry, voting ends March 22nd.

Disney Treats - March Update

I just wanted to let everyone know what has been given out so far during the Gordimer Family Year of a Hundred Disney Treats.

1 Tickets to see Disney on Ice - Nemo (Jess, TJ and Sue)
2 Nemo Coloring Book with snorkel (Jess)
3 Mickey Mouse Tissues (Family)
4 Cars Fruit Snacks (Jess)
5 Ariel Bathing Suit (Jess)
6 Ariel Drink Cup - Blue (Jess)
7 Ariel Drink Cup - Pink (Jess)
8 Nemo Click Start game (Jess)
9 Winnie the Pooh Hat (TJ)
10 Ratatouille Poster (Jess)
11 Mickey Mouse Post-Its (Rick)
12 Buzz Lightyear Fleece (Rick)
13 Giant Mickey Mouse V-Day Card (Rick)
14 Mickey Mouse Sticker Book (Jess)
15 Mickey Mouse Stickers (Jess)
16 Dalmations Dog (TJ)

It's still a work in progress and doing the math I realize I am slightly behind schedule if we're going to get to 100, but trust me, we'll get there.

Weight Watchers - Week 9

A funny thing has been happening with Sue and her weight loss. The last 6 weeks Sue has lost the following weight - .4 lbs, 3.4 lbs, .6 lbs, 3.4 lbs, .2 lbs and 3.2 lbs(She gets weighed at Weight Watchers so they have cool digital scales with tenths of a pound - whoopee!). It seems really strange that she loses less than a pound one week and then over 3 pounds the next week. I'm very proud of her - she's lost 17 pounds in 9 weeks - that is great. She's almost back to her pre baby weight in just a little over 3 months. That's pretty good for someone who doesn't have a nanny, personal trainer, chef and multiple assistants. I lost another pound, but I have a feeling if I went to the Weight Watchers meetings, it would have only been .8 lbs.

More Mets Injuries

It was only a matter of time but now Moises Alou needs to have hernia surgery and will be out until probably at least May. I don't want to jinx the Mets any more than they already have been this Spring, but they are now down to just 2 regulars playing in spring training games. Ugh!

Mark Your Territory

If you have some free time, check out this silly dog game from Meaty Bone called Mark Your Territory. The "Greatest Game for Dogs. Ever" is self-explanatory: score as many points as possible by squirting targets such as tents, boots, trucks, fire hydrants and picnic baskets. But don't squirt a cat - you lose points. If you click on the link, the game is very silly - but does it really help sell more Meaty Bones? Dog owners - if you play this game - let me know if you now have a stronger urge to buy some Meaty Bones. I'm curious to know.

Mets Spring Training Injuries

What is going on in spring training? It seems like every other Met is getting injured. Carlos Delgado went back to New York for an MRI that showed a hip impingement - what is that? Ryan Church and Marlon Anderson collided yesterday sending both to the hospital. Today, Ruben Gotay hurt his ankle and this does not even take into account that Carlos Beltran, Damion Easley, Endy Chavez, Jose Valentin and others have yet to play in a spring training game due to nagging injuries of one type or another. I hope they are getting the injuries out of the way now so we don't have to worry about this during the regular season and the playoffs.

Pot Vending Machine

This has got to be a WTF. I am all for using marijuana for medicinal purposes, but to be able to get it out of a vending machine just seems like someone is asking for problems. I can see the late night news story now - Pot Vending Machine Stolen! It's gonna happen.

Weight Watchers Week 8

I am now at the point where I am stupefied. I keep shocking myself week after week. Considering I am still not exercising, I don't know how I continue to do it. I lost another 2 pounds this week. I am now down a total of 21 pounds in 8 weeks. I started at 226 and I am now down to 205. My total goal weight loss when I started was 28 pounds so I could get down to 198, which is what I was in 2002 when Sue and I moved to San Diego. At this point, I don't know why I should stop at 198, I should keep going. But sooner or later I know I won't be able to continue losing 2 pounds every week. I will have to start walking or something. It just goes to show you I was really eating BAD!!! Too much food and too much of the wrong food. Weight Watchers really does work. Do you think since I blog about them every week that maybe I could work out some kind of endorsement deal? Stay tuned.