today is february 29th. for those who are unaware, it is considered bissextile day. yes, bissextile sounds very kinky and very uncomfortable at the same time. unfortunately, it means it's a leap day, which means the day occurs once every four years. according to my friend wikipedia:
"The leap day was introduced as part of the Julian reform. The day following the Terminalia (23 February) was doubled, forming the so-called "bis sextum". The first day of the bis sextum (February 24) came to be regarded as the intercalated or "bissextile" day. February 29 came to be regarded as the leap day when the Roman system of numbering days was replaced by sequential numbering in the late Middle Ages."
anyway, i suck at leap days. i was tempted to start a tradition today that would be held every four years. the tradition would be like my personal olympics, or something like that. unfortunately, i could not think of a tradition to start. oh well. better luck next time... in four years...
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
I Suck At Eating Fast Food
i suck at eating fast food. i haven't eaten at a mcdonald's, burger king, or wendy's in quite some time... that is... until today.
karen was home sick today, so i wanted to head home right after work. when i got to my parents' house after work to pick up the car, my mother asked if i wanted a hamburger to go. (my mother has a habit of trying to give me food all the time. it's no wonder why i'm shaped the way i am.) anyway, the apparent story that my mom told me was that there was a buy one / get one free deal at burger king so she got a couple for her and her friend. the only problem was that her friend didn't eat the burgers. so naturally, my mom tried to pawn the two remaining burgers off on me.
because i was having a long day at work and was duped by the ease of not having to make dinner when i got back home to see karen, i agreed to take the burgers. big mistake. after devouring both burgers, i must say... i feel ill. my breath even smells like processed burgers.
anyway, since i now feel so ill and gross, i decided to look up the nutritional information of what i just devoured. according to the nutritional information at burger king, i just consumed 980 calories (60 grams of fat) in one meal with my whopper jr and bk double stacker burgers. i now feel so much better.
i don't know if it's because i'm utterly repulsed by the amount of crap i just consumed, or the fact that my breath still smells like processed burgers, or just the fact that it's been a long day... i am washing this meal down with 12 fl oz. of bellhaven scottish ale... to add to the calorie count.
karen was home sick today, so i wanted to head home right after work. when i got to my parents' house after work to pick up the car, my mother asked if i wanted a hamburger to go. (my mother has a habit of trying to give me food all the time. it's no wonder why i'm shaped the way i am.) anyway, the apparent story that my mom told me was that there was a buy one / get one free deal at burger king so she got a couple for her and her friend. the only problem was that her friend didn't eat the burgers. so naturally, my mom tried to pawn the two remaining burgers off on me.
because i was having a long day at work and was duped by the ease of not having to make dinner when i got back home to see karen, i agreed to take the burgers. big mistake. after devouring both burgers, i must say... i feel ill. my breath even smells like processed burgers.
anyway, since i now feel so ill and gross, i decided to look up the nutritional information of what i just devoured. according to the nutritional information at burger king, i just consumed 980 calories (60 grams of fat) in one meal with my whopper jr and bk double stacker burgers. i now feel so much better.
i don't know if it's because i'm utterly repulsed by the amount of crap i just consumed, or the fact that my breath still smells like processed burgers, or just the fact that it's been a long day... i am washing this meal down with 12 fl oz. of bellhaven scottish ale... to add to the calorie count.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
I Suck At Working Out
i was talking with my friend (aimee) today and she had mentioned that she finally opened the box to her bosu ball. i assume she inflated the bosu ball because she asked me what she should do with it in terms of exercises.
for those of you how do not know what a bosu ball is, it "is an athletic training device consisting of an inflated rubber hemisphere attached to a rigid platform. It is also referred to as the 'blue half-ball', because it looks like a stability ball cut in half. The name is an acronym which stands for 'Both Sides Utilized,' (although the BOSU official web site also says it means 'Both Sides Up')". thank you wikipedia.
anyway, aimee asked if i worked out on the bosu ball because she knew i had one. (well, i really don't have one. i got one for karen for her birthday as it was something she had asked for. and yes, i suck at getting birthday presents) naturally, that got me thinking. i suck at working out because i haven't done any form of exercise in quite some time, which is somewhat odd because i just renewed by ymca membership last week. (i do get a free membership at the ymca because i work there part-time, but i have to renew it every year)
what is also somewhat odd is that the other day, the president of my former company came up to me from behind, placed his hands on my shoulders, and started to rub my shoulders. yes, i know that sounds awfully gay as i write it. if it helps, he is french. anyway, as he was rubbing my shoulders, he was surprised at how apparently in shape and strong i was. (my muscles could have been tense because i had another guy's hands on my shoulders, but if we wants to inflate my ego... so be it) anyway, he also asked about the last time i worked out and was surprised when i told him that it had been quite a while.
perhaps this is a sign that i should get my tubby body back in shape. either that, or it's a sign that i should hang out more with the president of my former company and continue to impress him with my deceptively doughy body.
for those of you how do not know what a bosu ball is, it "is an athletic training device consisting of an inflated rubber hemisphere attached to a rigid platform. It is also referred to as the 'blue half-ball', because it looks like a stability ball cut in half. The name is an acronym which stands for 'Both Sides Utilized,' (although the BOSU official web site also says it means 'Both Sides Up')". thank you wikipedia.
anyway, aimee asked if i worked out on the bosu ball because she knew i had one. (well, i really don't have one. i got one for karen for her birthday as it was something she had asked for. and yes, i suck at getting birthday presents) naturally, that got me thinking. i suck at working out because i haven't done any form of exercise in quite some time, which is somewhat odd because i just renewed by ymca membership last week. (i do get a free membership at the ymca because i work there part-time, but i have to renew it every year)
what is also somewhat odd is that the other day, the president of my former company came up to me from behind, placed his hands on my shoulders, and started to rub my shoulders. yes, i know that sounds awfully gay as i write it. if it helps, he is french. anyway, as he was rubbing my shoulders, he was surprised at how apparently in shape and strong i was. (my muscles could have been tense because i had another guy's hands on my shoulders, but if we wants to inflate my ego... so be it) anyway, he also asked about the last time i worked out and was surprised when i told him that it had been quite a while.
perhaps this is a sign that i should get my tubby body back in shape. either that, or it's a sign that i should hang out more with the president of my former company and continue to impress him with my deceptively doughy body.
I Still Suck At Riding The MBTA
i still suck at riding the mbta... particularly in the morning.
during my morning commute, i usually go through the whole routine of standing in the same location (unless of course it is already occupied by someone else), waiting for the subway train to arrive. when the train, arrives, i usually go in and find a space where i can simply stand for the duration of my commute into town for work. (yes, i frequently stand... germ issues which were alluded to in my other post)
anyway, i think i must be a flatulence magnet. today, i made the bad decision to stand near someone who was apparently flatulent. now, i can't be certain who the culprit is. all i know is that as i was approaching south station, i got a whiff of something not so pleasant... which is really a bad way to start the morning off.
i sometimes wonder why people would pass gas in a crowded train. do they get a thrill out of it? can't they just wait until they get to work to use the bathroom? i find it very rude and very annoying. i'm sure they don't want to smell their own flatulence, so why would they think other people would want to?
sadly, this occurrence is fairly typical of my morning commute... hence the flatulence magnet comment. the funny thing is, the flatulent culprit is usually not the same person as i randomly stand places on the subway train. perhaps i should take a later train...
during my morning commute, i usually go through the whole routine of standing in the same location (unless of course it is already occupied by someone else), waiting for the subway train to arrive. when the train, arrives, i usually go in and find a space where i can simply stand for the duration of my commute into town for work. (yes, i frequently stand... germ issues which were alluded to in my other post)
anyway, i think i must be a flatulence magnet. today, i made the bad decision to stand near someone who was apparently flatulent. now, i can't be certain who the culprit is. all i know is that as i was approaching south station, i got a whiff of something not so pleasant... which is really a bad way to start the morning off.
i sometimes wonder why people would pass gas in a crowded train. do they get a thrill out of it? can't they just wait until they get to work to use the bathroom? i find it very rude and very annoying. i'm sure they don't want to smell their own flatulence, so why would they think other people would want to?
sadly, this occurrence is fairly typical of my morning commute... hence the flatulence magnet comment. the funny thing is, the flatulent culprit is usually not the same person as i randomly stand places on the subway train. perhaps i should take a later train...
I Suck At Blackouts
according to cnn, there was a major blackout tuesday in parts of florida:
"Power was restored Tuesday for most of Florida after a failed switch and fire at an electrical substation outside Miami triggered widespread blackouts across the state.
Utility workers were still trying to piece together exactly what happened, Florida Power and Light President Armando Olivera said.
Olivera said disconnect switch failed at 1:08 p.m. at the automated substation west of Miami, and a piece of equipment that controls voltage caught fire about the same time. Neither failure by itself would have caused a widespread outage, he said.
While the outages cut power to more than two million people at its peak, power was quickly restored to most parts of the state and authorities said no injuries were reported."
i imagine experiencing a blackout is a pain and thankfully nobody was hurt during this particular blackout. unfortunately, because i suck at blackouts, i am hoping this incident will convince my friend (anna) from moving to florida. i believe she's supposed to be moving down to florida in a couple of days.
"Power was restored Tuesday for most of Florida after a failed switch and fire at an electrical substation outside Miami triggered widespread blackouts across the state.
Utility workers were still trying to piece together exactly what happened, Florida Power and Light President Armando Olivera said.
Olivera said disconnect switch failed at 1:08 p.m. at the automated substation west of Miami, and a piece of equipment that controls voltage caught fire about the same time. Neither failure by itself would have caused a widespread outage, he said.
While the outages cut power to more than two million people at its peak, power was quickly restored to most parts of the state and authorities said no injuries were reported."
i imagine experiencing a blackout is a pain and thankfully nobody was hurt during this particular blackout. unfortunately, because i suck at blackouts, i am hoping this incident will convince my friend (anna) from moving to florida. i believe she's supposed to be moving down to florida in a couple of days.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
I Suck At Screenwriting
yesterday, i was copying some files from my little flash drive to my computer when i noticed a little document that i wrote was still on the flash drive. the document was created in july of 2007. it was labeled "screenplay". apparently, i suck at screenwriting because the contents of the file were unfinished.
i began writing a screenplay (apparently in july of 2007) about my friends who i later went to ireland with. to me, screenwriting is an outlet for fun. it gets my creative juices going. growing up watching a lot of television, i was sometimes disappointed by the storylines of some of my favorite shows. i used to think that i could do better than what the writers wrote in terms of the storyline.
it wasn't until high school that i wrote my first screenplay. naturally, i wrote about what i know best... me and my friends. granted, the screenplay that i wrote in high school was a cross between vampires and beverly hills 90210 involving my friends. nonetheless, i think my friends enjoyed the absurdity of my screenplay.
luckily, i don't take my writing too seriously. anyway, when i saw the document sitting on my flash drive yesterday, i remembered that i never did finish that screenplay. i'l have to work on that some time to share with everyone.
i began writing a screenplay (apparently in july of 2007) about my friends who i later went to ireland with. to me, screenwriting is an outlet for fun. it gets my creative juices going. growing up watching a lot of television, i was sometimes disappointed by the storylines of some of my favorite shows. i used to think that i could do better than what the writers wrote in terms of the storyline.
it wasn't until high school that i wrote my first screenplay. naturally, i wrote about what i know best... me and my friends. granted, the screenplay that i wrote in high school was a cross between vampires and beverly hills 90210 involving my friends. nonetheless, i think my friends enjoyed the absurdity of my screenplay.
luckily, i don't take my writing too seriously. anyway, when i saw the document sitting on my flash drive yesterday, i remembered that i never did finish that screenplay. i'l have to work on that some time to share with everyone.
Monday, February 25, 2008
I Suck At Celebrating Chinese New Year
last night was the annual chinese new year celebration dinner that my parents always have. for those of you who are curious, i believe this year in the chinese calendar is the year of rat. chinese new year was also febrary 7th, but yesterday was the only time that was good for everyone. (pictured below is mr. leary)
i suck at celebrating chinese new year at my parents, not because i deny my chinese heritage (although i have historically in the past during my childhood done so), but because i get a little nervous or possibly stressed when my parents have company over. don't get me wrong, i love my parents. i wouldn't trade them in for anyone else in the world. i think the cause of my anxiety is the chance of possible embarrassment, like the time they busted out my baby pictures for everyone to see.
all right, maybe my constantly worrying is a figment of my imagination. after all, this year (and most years past for that matter) have gone pretty smoothly. this year, the usual attendees were at the chinese new year dinner: my mom, my dad, my cousin betty, karen, karen's mom and dad, karen's grandmother, pj, janine, little pj, kaleigh, and bill. marvin, who is my cousin's son, could not attend as he was having a friend over. jen, as well, could not attend because she was in aruba with hot amy.
i think everyone had a good time. the food was fantastic, and that is usually hard for me to say because i'm not a big fan of chinese food. of course, it helps that my parents made my favorite dishes.
i suck at celebrating chinese new year at my parents, not because i deny my chinese heritage (although i have historically in the past during my childhood done so), but because i get a little nervous or possibly stressed when my parents have company over. don't get me wrong, i love my parents. i wouldn't trade them in for anyone else in the world. i think the cause of my anxiety is the chance of possible embarrassment, like the time they busted out my baby pictures for everyone to see.
all right, maybe my constantly worrying is a figment of my imagination. after all, this year (and most years past for that matter) have gone pretty smoothly. this year, the usual attendees were at the chinese new year dinner: my mom, my dad, my cousin betty, karen, karen's mom and dad, karen's grandmother, pj, janine, little pj, kaleigh, and bill. marvin, who is my cousin's son, could not attend as he was having a friend over. jen, as well, could not attend because she was in aruba with hot amy.
i think everyone had a good time. the food was fantastic, and that is usually hard for me to say because i'm not a big fan of chinese food. of course, it helps that my parents made my favorite dishes.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
I Suck At Babysitting
today is janine's birthday. happy birthday janine! she's 36. to celebrate her birthday, pj took her to the foxwoods resort casino in connecticut for an mini overnight vacation. so, while they are out painting the town red, karen and i are babysitting their children. (the last that i heard, when janine checked in via cell phone, she had just won $1000 playing the slot machines. i didn't think people actually won playing the slot machines. apparently, i was mistaken. i must suck at playing slot machines.)
anyway, it's so different babysitting my niece and nephew now. before, there used to be diaper changes and easy bedtime reading where they would simply go to sleep. now, they are so much older (sure, they are under the age of seven) that they stall going to bed and just want to play all night. granted, i don't help the situation because i suck at babysitting. karen is usually the enforcer when it comes to handling my niece and nephew and getting them to do stuff. me? i usually am the pushover who simply plays with the kids.
in addition to the usual jumping that i do with my niece (kaleigh) where i pick her up off the ground as high as i can when she jumps, today i got to race around the house with the kids sitting on top of my shoulders. at one point, i even had them both on me at once (where kaleigh was just clutching my leg as i moved around the house). it's funny how they think i'm strong. i have them so fooled.
anyway, it's so different babysitting my niece and nephew now. before, there used to be diaper changes and easy bedtime reading where they would simply go to sleep. now, they are so much older (sure, they are under the age of seven) that they stall going to bed and just want to play all night. granted, i don't help the situation because i suck at babysitting. karen is usually the enforcer when it comes to handling my niece and nephew and getting them to do stuff. me? i usually am the pushover who simply plays with the kids.
in addition to the usual jumping that i do with my niece (kaleigh) where i pick her up off the ground as high as i can when she jumps, today i got to race around the house with the kids sitting on top of my shoulders. at one point, i even had them both on me at once (where kaleigh was just clutching my leg as i moved around the house). it's funny how they think i'm strong. i have them so fooled.
Friday, February 22, 2008
I Suck At Shoveling Snow
forecasters at the national weather service were predicting 6 to 8 inches (insert "that's what she said" comment) of snowfall today for the winter storm and mother nature did not disappoint. the good news, however, is that my commute home did not take 5 hours like the last time during the snow storm back in december... stupid mema (massachusetts emergency management agency)... where was the emergency management back in december?
anyway, even though my commute home in today's snow storm was much shorter than the commute in december, i still had some shoveling to look forward to when i arrived home. i suck at shoveling snow. part of the problem is that i have a driveway that could potentially fit four cars (two rows of two cars).
lucky for me, i had my trusty snow blower (insert "that's what he said" comment). back in december, i could not get the snow blower working. my snow blower is a pull chain, much like a lawn mower. during that fateful december day, i kept pulling and pulling. yes, i know, it sounds so dirty. i finally gave up, feeling defeated, because the snow blower would not start. my advice for those who have a pull chain on their snow blower, get one with an electrical starter. it will be much easier.
but that was then. today was a another day and a different snow storm. because i suck at shoveling snow, i figured i'd tempt fate again by attempting to use the snow blower. feeling all manly and all, i opened the garage door and wheeled out the snow blower. with my eyes toward heaven, i prayed that the snow blower would start with a few pulls of the chain. (okay, maybe i didn't really play. it was more like a "please please please please start").
the first attempt... nothing.
the second attempt... nothing.
finally, the third attempt... the motor started humming. too bad i played with the controls and accidentally shut the motor off... d'oh!
attempt number four... nothing.
lastly, on the fifth try, i got the motor starting again and actually kept it running. whew! needless to say, it didn't take long to shovel the driveway today...
anyway, even though my commute home in today's snow storm was much shorter than the commute in december, i still had some shoveling to look forward to when i arrived home. i suck at shoveling snow. part of the problem is that i have a driveway that could potentially fit four cars (two rows of two cars).
lucky for me, i had my trusty snow blower (insert "that's what he said" comment). back in december, i could not get the snow blower working. my snow blower is a pull chain, much like a lawn mower. during that fateful december day, i kept pulling and pulling. yes, i know, it sounds so dirty. i finally gave up, feeling defeated, because the snow blower would not start. my advice for those who have a pull chain on their snow blower, get one with an electrical starter. it will be much easier.
but that was then. today was a another day and a different snow storm. because i suck at shoveling snow, i figured i'd tempt fate again by attempting to use the snow blower. feeling all manly and all, i opened the garage door and wheeled out the snow blower. with my eyes toward heaven, i prayed that the snow blower would start with a few pulls of the chain. (okay, maybe i didn't really play. it was more like a "please please please please start").
the first attempt... nothing.
the second attempt... nothing.
finally, the third attempt... the motor started humming. too bad i played with the controls and accidentally shut the motor off... d'oh!
attempt number four... nothing.
lastly, on the fifth try, i got the motor starting again and actually kept it running. whew! needless to say, it didn't take long to shovel the driveway today...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
I Suck At Going To Aruba
today, my friends (hot jen and hot amy) left for a little vacation; their destination... aruba. apparently, hot amy's parents have a time share for a condo in aruba and it seems like every year hot amy gets to bring an invited guest. last year, my friend pam got to go. this year is jen's year.
normally, i don't get jealous at all when my friends go away on vacation. granted, it's always fun to go to new places and experience new things. with tomorrow's upcoming snow storm, however, i can honestly admit that i am slightly jealous. i am just getting tired of this cold new england weather. i am tired of waking up to cold weather. i am tired of shoveling. too bad i suck at going to aruba.
i hope my friends (hot jen and hot amy) have a great time... lying by the pool in the nice warm sun...
normally, i don't get jealous at all when my friends go away on vacation. granted, it's always fun to go to new places and experience new things. with tomorrow's upcoming snow storm, however, i can honestly admit that i am slightly jealous. i am just getting tired of this cold new england weather. i am tired of waking up to cold weather. i am tired of shoveling. too bad i suck at going to aruba.
i hope my friends (hot jen and hot amy) have a great time... lying by the pool in the nice warm sun...
I Suck At Matchmaking
a couple of days ago, i contacted my friend angela. angela is the sister of aimee, who i have known since childhood. so, we are all practically family. (i used to call them pretending to be dr. ruth... long story) anyway, in true dr. ruth fashion, i had inquired about angela's relationship status. (she's single for those who are interested).
the reason i had inquired about her relationship status was because one of coworkers (sean) saw her photo on my facebook account and told me that she was pretty cute. when sean told me that, i had to do a double take... not because i think angela is fugly or anything. i've just known angela for a long time. like i said, she's practically family. it should probably be noted that my coworker, sean, has a thing for asian women... in that he loves asian women. well, he actually loves women in general. he also thought hot amy was pretty attractive too when he saw her at my company's holiday party. so i guess even sean couldn't resist the legend and mystique of hot amy... and really, who can?
anyway, that's beside the point. needless to say, when i asked angela if she were single, angela became a bit curious. so, i explained to her the entire story about how my coworker (sean) thought she was cute. it was like middle school all over again. for the record, i suck at matchmaking. my friend (kerry) can probably tell you that too as i had tried to set her up once with another coworker (brad). brad was a good looking guy.
well, angela probed me for some information about sean. the best i could come up with was that he had ungodly strength, to which angela chuckled. sean is ungodly strong. he could pick me up with ease (which he actually has). i also said he was tall, had a demented sense of humor (more demented than mine), and likes guns. i don't think either of those traits sold sean to angela. but i must have done something right (or maybe it's the fact that angela felt pity for me), because angela did say she would go out on one date with him... just one.
now comes the hard part of whether or not i should tell sean... see, i told you how so middle school this whole thing is...
the reason i had inquired about her relationship status was because one of coworkers (sean) saw her photo on my facebook account and told me that she was pretty cute. when sean told me that, i had to do a double take... not because i think angela is fugly or anything. i've just known angela for a long time. like i said, she's practically family. it should probably be noted that my coworker, sean, has a thing for asian women... in that he loves asian women. well, he actually loves women in general. he also thought hot amy was pretty attractive too when he saw her at my company's holiday party. so i guess even sean couldn't resist the legend and mystique of hot amy... and really, who can?
anyway, that's beside the point. needless to say, when i asked angela if she were single, angela became a bit curious. so, i explained to her the entire story about how my coworker (sean) thought she was cute. it was like middle school all over again. for the record, i suck at matchmaking. my friend (kerry) can probably tell you that too as i had tried to set her up once with another coworker (brad). brad was a good looking guy.
well, angela probed me for some information about sean. the best i could come up with was that he had ungodly strength, to which angela chuckled. sean is ungodly strong. he could pick me up with ease (which he actually has). i also said he was tall, had a demented sense of humor (more demented than mine), and likes guns. i don't think either of those traits sold sean to angela. but i must have done something right (or maybe it's the fact that angela felt pity for me), because angela did say she would go out on one date with him... just one.
now comes the hard part of whether or not i should tell sean... see, i told you how so middle school this whole thing is...
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
I Suck At Winning The Lottery
last night, the lottery jackpot was an estimated $220 million for the mega millions game. normally, i don't play the lottery. the only time i actually play the lottery is when the jackpot is an astronomical number, so in the event that i do win, i would still have a significant amount of money after taxes.
the winner numbers last night were 1-38-42-55-56 with the special ball (or whatever it is called) of 38. unfortunately, i suck at winning the lottery. i used the quick pick option to generate a lottery ticket. surprisingly enough, i actually got one number which means i won a whopping big can of nothing.
oh well. i guess i'll just have to dream and fantasize of a life full of riches another time... which incidentally could be this friday because no one won the jackpot.
the winner numbers last night were 1-38-42-55-56 with the special ball (or whatever it is called) of 38. unfortunately, i suck at winning the lottery. i used the quick pick option to generate a lottery ticket. surprisingly enough, i actually got one number which means i won a whopping big can of nothing.
oh well. i guess i'll just have to dream and fantasize of a life full of riches another time... which incidentally could be this friday because no one won the jackpot.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
I Suck At Making Martinis
my friend, andrea, today got me thinking about the martini making competition that my other friends (hot jen and hot amy) came up with as a possible event for the 2008 event series. (i had started the 2008 event series with a photo scavenger hunt in early january, which was before i even started blogging. so you won't see any postings about it). anyway, this martini making competition would be the second event in the event series.
never shy when it comes to promoting herself (unless of course it comes to men), andrea wanted to call her concoction an "andi-tini". she has yet to create an andi-tini, so i'm not even sure what the ingredients are for her drink. rather than call it an andi-tini, i suggested she would be better off calling her concoction a digitini (since the first four letters of her last name are "digi") as it would have a better ring to it. needless to say, andrea likes "didgitini" better than digitini, proving that i suck at making martinis. apparently, "didgi" has more phonetical emphasis to it so that people will not mess up when pronouncing. (you know, because when i see the word "digital", i get confused on how to pronounce it).
anyway, the whole martini thing got me thinking about what makes a martini a martini, which is actually useful to know if i am going to plan this martini making competition for the next event in the event series. thanks to wikipedia, here is the research i've come upon thus far:
anyway, based on the wikipedia information, i think that the competition will be more of the vodka type. i'll have to work on flushing out the details of this competition some more.
never shy when it comes to promoting herself (unless of course it comes to men), andrea wanted to call her concoction an "andi-tini". she has yet to create an andi-tini, so i'm not even sure what the ingredients are for her drink. rather than call it an andi-tini, i suggested she would be better off calling her concoction a digitini (since the first four letters of her last name are "digi") as it would have a better ring to it. needless to say, andrea likes "didgitini" better than digitini, proving that i suck at making martinis. apparently, "didgi" has more phonetical emphasis to it so that people will not mess up when pronouncing. (you know, because when i see the word "digital", i get confused on how to pronounce it).
anyway, the whole martini thing got me thinking about what makes a martini a martini, which is actually useful to know if i am going to plan this martini making competition for the next event in the event series. thanks to wikipedia, here is the research i've come upon thus far:
While variations are many, a standard modern martini is a five to one ratio, made by combining approximately two and a half ounces of gin and one half ounce of dry vermouth with ice. Many Europeans, however, prefer somewhat less vermouth—about a six to one proportion of gin or vodka to vermouth. Many bartending schools insist that a beverage shaker tends to dull the taste of the vermouth, and some argue that it sharpens the taste of gin by "bruising" the liquid. However, it is relatively common to see a bartender mix a martini with a shaker due in part to the influence of fictional super-spy James Bond, who asked for his martinis "shaken, not stirred" (such a martini is traditionally referred to as a "Bradford"). The ingredients are mixed then strained and served "up" (without ice) in a chilled cocktail glass, and garnished with either an olive or a twist of lemon (a strip of the peel, usually squeezed or twisted to express volatile oils onto the surface of the drink).
While the standard martini may call for a five to one ratio of distilled spirits to vermouth, aficionados of the dry martini may reduce the proportion of vermouth drastically for a drier martini. Connoisseurs boast of sweetening the cocktail by merely coating the glass with vermouth. It is said that a "Churchill martini" contains no vermouth, just British gin. The legend holds that Churchill would get as close to the vermouth bottle as to "look at it from across the room". This would make it very dry or a so-called "Churchill martini" On the other hand, some experts strongly object to this practice, arguing that a cocktail with one predominant ingredient is no cocktail at all, and furthermore, that the term "dry" has nothing to do with the gin-to-vermouth ratio, but with the use of dry, white, French vermouth instead of sweet, red, Italian vermouth.
Although it started with olive as a garnish, olive juice can be added to a martini to make it a dirty martini. The taste of olive distracts from the taste of straight gin and vermouth, easing the stiffness of the drink.
Some aficionados avoid imparting excessive flavors to their martinis. If they do use an olive, it is either unstuffed or is stuffed with something as neutral as an almond; the olive itself is rinsed of any brining or vinegar solution prior to use. The olive is then slipped into the martini so as not to disturb the fine mixture of gin and vermouth. A "lemon twist" is considered a more delicate garnish because of its mild and complementary flavor accent. In this case, a special lemon peeler might strip off a slender rope of lemon (including the pith) while the lemon is held carefully above the nearly finished martini. This orientation allows the mist of lemon oils to gently spray the top of the cocktail.
However, classic martini recipes from the early part of the 20th century use a gin-to-vermouth ratio as low as 2:1. The most common ratio for a classic, as opposed to a modern, martini is 3:1. The broad variation of gin to vermouth ratios is the source of much discussion and speculation.
Another common but controversial variation is the vodka martini, made with vodka instead of gin. In the 1990s, the vodka martini supplanted the traditional gin-based martini in popularity. Today, when bar and restaurant customers order a "martini", they frequently have in mind a drink made with vodka. Martini purists decry this development: while few object to the drink itself, they strenuously object to it being called a martini. The martini, they insist, is a gin-based cocktail; this variation should be designated as such, with the name "vodka martini" (or "vodkatini", or "kangaroo"). Further confusion may arise from confusing Martini vermouth, a brand of vermouth, with the martini cocktail.
A more recent development that further offends martini purists is the use of "martini" (or the suffix "-tini") to refer to any flavored vodka cocktail served straight up in a cocktail glass, such as the appletini, the chocolatini, or the pineapple martini."
anyway, based on the wikipedia information, i think that the competition will be more of the vodka type. i'll have to work on flushing out the details of this competition some more.
I Suck At Riding The MBTA
normally, i suck at riding the mbta. the subway trains are usually packed. in the morning, the people on the subway are either tired, scary, or just plain annoying. whenever i am on the train, i usually think of how germy the subway train must be, which is why i try to avoid holding onto the poles for as long as i can.
today, however, begins february vacation week for a lot of kids. i love february vacation week, not because i have kids (at least to my knowledge). february vacation week generally means that there will be less people commuting with me on the mbta! kids are generally not taking the subway because they are on vacation; and parents are generally not taking the subway because their kids are on vacation. less people... less crowded... less germs... makes me happy. (thankfully as well, i don't have the constitution of hot amy who is always sick).
today, however, begins february vacation week for a lot of kids. i love february vacation week, not because i have kids (at least to my knowledge). february vacation week generally means that there will be less people commuting with me on the mbta! kids are generally not taking the subway because they are on vacation; and parents are generally not taking the subway because their kids are on vacation. less people... less crowded... less germs... makes me happy. (thankfully as well, i don't have the constitution of hot amy who is always sick).
I Still Suck At Sharing My Blog
i still suck at sharing my blog. granted, it's only been about a week since i last sent a friend (aimee) a link to my blog.
anyway, the stinker that i am, i did not divulge the url of my blog to hot amy. instead, i wanted to see how long it would take her to find my blog. if she had mad google skills like my other friend, kerry, it shouldn't take her long at all... at least, that was my train of thought. plus, i didn't really think she would look for my blog... because who would really want to read the stuff that i write and pass off as blogging?
to my surprise... apparent she did. (okay, so maybe she didn't really find my blog with her mad google skills). i ended up sending her the link because i felt bad and i was relatively certain she wouldn't have found it with her mad google skills. (the only person who currently comes to mind who has worse google skills is probably andrea.) it wasn't until after the fact, that i had learned that she had actually tried to search for my blog. oh well.
needless to say, i now have two people with whom i have shared my blog with (aimee and hot amy). yay! today there's two... tomorrow... the entire world will be reading my garbage that i call a blog! (insert evil laugh) just kidding!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
I Suck At Euphemisms
while my friends, karen, and i were visting scott, ofelia, and xavier in new york, certain topics came up for discussion. naturally, not everyone in the group knew the meaning of certain euphemisms (in fact, some of them suck at knowing euphemisms), so i figured i would share them here. (these topics, by the way, came up a lot during our visit, causing much laughter and merriment)
term #1: sharded. (a verb). according to urbandictionary.com, when you go to fart and a little shit comes out instead.
term #2: skeet. (also a verb). to paraphrase urbandictionary.com, it is a form of birth control whereby the men pull out and shoot (like skeet shooting) during sexual intercourse. the term has been spread through rap music where "skeet skeet skeet" has been used.
lastly, term #3: pearl necklace. (a noun). this term is most likely used in conjunction with the other term just mentioned above. to paraphrase urbandictionary.com, the term refers to when a man "skeets" his manliness over a woman's neck area and thus produces something resembling a necklace.
don't ask me how these terms came up during conversation. they just did.
anyway, these terms got my mind thinking... and envisioning a movie scene (albeit a possible porn movie scene):
INT. BEDROOM. The moonlight barely reveals the silhouette of a man and woman by the bedside. The woman is kneeling before the man. Her head bobs up and down. The room is pitch black. ANGLE ON the man's butt.
MAN.
Don't stop, baby. Keep going.
WOMAN.
mmm... slurp... mmm...
MAN.
Yeah yeah, I'll let you know... okay, it's time to skeet skeet!
The man makes a motion toward his groin area with his hands. He grunts.
MAN.
Hey baby, there's your pearl necklace. Don't say I never get you anything.
The man lets out a loud flatulent sound and grunts again.
MAN.
Hee hee. I just sharded!
okay, maybe i'm a little demented for even thinking of a possible scene involving those terms. my demented mind also got me thinking about some other non-related issue. that issue is as follows:
for those of you who are unaware of the term "slam-pig", a slam-pig according to urbandictionary.com is a woman who is a little loose. i have generally heard the term used to describe women who are a heavy and easy. so, i was just curious if there were a similar term to describe a fat gay man who was easy. i don't know if a term existed. i assumed it would be something like "slam-bear". if the term doesn't exist, i would like to create it just so i can say i created a term.
term #1: sharded. (a verb). according to urbandictionary.com, when you go to fart and a little shit comes out instead.
term #2: skeet. (also a verb). to paraphrase urbandictionary.com, it is a form of birth control whereby the men pull out and shoot (like skeet shooting) during sexual intercourse. the term has been spread through rap music where "skeet skeet skeet" has been used.
lastly, term #3: pearl necklace. (a noun). this term is most likely used in conjunction with the other term just mentioned above. to paraphrase urbandictionary.com, the term refers to when a man "skeets" his manliness over a woman's neck area and thus produces something resembling a necklace.
don't ask me how these terms came up during conversation. they just did.
anyway, these terms got my mind thinking... and envisioning a movie scene (albeit a possible porn movie scene):
INT. BEDROOM. The moonlight barely reveals the silhouette of a man and woman by the bedside. The woman is kneeling before the man. Her head bobs up and down. The room is pitch black. ANGLE ON the man's butt.
MAN.
Don't stop, baby. Keep going.
WOMAN.
mmm... slurp... mmm...
MAN.
Yeah yeah, I'll let you know... okay, it's time to skeet skeet!
The man makes a motion toward his groin area with his hands. He grunts.
MAN.
Hey baby, there's your pearl necklace. Don't say I never get you anything.
The man lets out a loud flatulent sound and grunts again.
MAN.
Hee hee. I just sharded!
okay, maybe i'm a little demented for even thinking of a possible scene involving those terms. my demented mind also got me thinking about some other non-related issue. that issue is as follows:
for those of you who are unaware of the term "slam-pig", a slam-pig according to urbandictionary.com is a woman who is a little loose. i have generally heard the term used to describe women who are a heavy and easy. so, i was just curious if there were a similar term to describe a fat gay man who was easy. i don't know if a term existed. i assumed it would be something like "slam-bear". if the term doesn't exist, i would like to create it just so i can say i created a term.
I Suck At President's Day Weekend
this weekend is president's day weekend. luckily for me, this holiday is one of the few holidays i actually get off from work, which makes this weekend a three day weekend. anyway, because i have president's day off and want to avoid sucking at president's day weekend, i decided to visit my friend scott, his wife ofelia, and his son xavier, who live in new york, with a few of my close friends. (the following picture is xavier with karen).
anyway, my friends (marc, kelley and cass), karen are i left bright and early saturday morning. packed in one car, we made good time making only one pit stop at a ruby tuesdays for lunch. it's been a long time since we've seen scott and his family. the last time that i recall was after thanksgiving and my infamous choking on steak incident. (luckily, i'm still alive after that incident.)
regardless, we got to hang out with scott and his family. it was good to hang out with them. we ended up watching a couple of movies (which were pretty funny movies), and playing "dead rising" on the xbox (which was also pretty funny... because killing zombies is always fun). in fact, it was sort of a zombie weekend as one of the movies we ended up watching was "planet terror".
scott and ofelia totally spoiled us with their hospitality. they provided such great food for all of us, etc. i would say everyone had a very good time hanging out, eating, laughing, etc. i sometimes wished they were closer so that we could hang out with them more. (although, if you read my post about how i suck at hanging out with ron, physical location may not matter in terms of my suckitude). anyway, i hope to see them soon.
anyway, my friends (marc, kelley and cass), karen are i left bright and early saturday morning. packed in one car, we made good time making only one pit stop at a ruby tuesdays for lunch. it's been a long time since we've seen scott and his family. the last time that i recall was after thanksgiving and my infamous choking on steak incident. (luckily, i'm still alive after that incident.)regardless, we got to hang out with scott and his family. it was good to hang out with them. we ended up watching a couple of movies (which were pretty funny movies), and playing "dead rising" on the xbox (which was also pretty funny... because killing zombies is always fun). in fact, it was sort of a zombie weekend as one of the movies we ended up watching was "planet terror".
scott and ofelia totally spoiled us with their hospitality. they provided such great food for all of us, etc. i would say everyone had a very good time hanging out, eating, laughing, etc. i sometimes wished they were closer so that we could hang out with them more. (although, if you read my post about how i suck at hanging out with ron, physical location may not matter in terms of my suckitude). anyway, i hope to see them soon.
Friday, February 15, 2008
I Suck At Firefly's
my friend (kerry) wanted to go out for dinner tonight with karen, jen, and i. we ended up eating at firefly's. for those who do not know, firefly's is a bbq restaurant.
all four of us were tired from the week and absolutely starving for food. in fact, i devoured the entire cucumber salad thing that they put out when they sat us. yes, i suck at firefly's. luckily, no one in the party really liked the cucumber salad thing, so it was okay that i basically inhaled it like it was cocaine.
anyway, after receiving sustenance from the cucumber salad thing, the appetizing chips, the pickle condiments, and the actual entrees (i had jambalaya), we hung out and had fun. it was just like old times, which for me, reminded me of those nostalgic days when things were basic and simple growing up. it was definitely a nice feeling.
all four of us were tired from the week and absolutely starving for food. in fact, i devoured the entire cucumber salad thing that they put out when they sat us. yes, i suck at firefly's. luckily, no one in the party really liked the cucumber salad thing, so it was okay that i basically inhaled it like it was cocaine.
anyway, after receiving sustenance from the cucumber salad thing, the appetizing chips, the pickle condiments, and the actual entrees (i had jambalaya), we hung out and had fun. it was just like old times, which for me, reminded me of those nostalgic days when things were basic and simple growing up. it was definitely a nice feeling.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
I Suck At Valentine's Day
well, today is valentine's day.
i normally don't get excited for the day because i suck at valentine's day, but after yesterday's suggestion from my friend on a possible present (courtesy of hot jen), i was a little anxious to see karen's response. (see my post on giving valentine's presents). little did i know, karen did not get to see it until late tonight when the day was almost over. so that was somewhat of a drag.
but today wasn't all that bad. i got to have lunch with another friend (hot amy), who works near where i work. we ended up at an irish restaurant. the food was very good. unfortunately, the place was completely empty with the exception of the two of us. naturally, i thanked her for renting out the entire restaurant in honor of my birthday celebration. (she really didn't rent out the place. and even though my birthday was almost two months ago, we did celebrate my birthday.)
it was fun though. i had a good time. plus, hot amy treated for lunch... so how can i complain about free food? of course, it being valentine's day and all, i did feel a little guilty knowing hot amy would be treating me for lunch. so, i gave her a little something for valentine's day. since she likes jewelry so much (heaven help whoever actually ends up marrying her because that guy will inevitably be broke buying her jewelry), i gave her a ring... albeit, it was a ring pop, but i thought she'd get a kick out of it... especially when i labeled it as coming from her ex-boyfriend, joe, who she now kindly refers to as "dumbass".
later, i also had the pleasure of taking the mbta subway with hot amy and my other friend/coworker (carlos) after work. the instigator that i am, i had learned that hot amy and her bff (andrea) were having a valentine's date tonight at blue-22, which is the restaurant owned by my friend, garv. anyway, i must have kept referring to andrea and amy's date as a "hot date" because carlos asked me on the walk home from the train station if amy and andrea were actually dating, not that there was anything wrong with that.
naturally, i had a good laugh over it. (i sometimes wonder why hot amy and andrea remain my friend. in their defense, they are very good sports with the ribbing i give them). for the record, i did set carlos straight that hot amy and andrea were not dating each other and both liked the opposite sex. i can't say for certain, but i think he was relieved.
anyway, after that i went to pick up karen as we were going to my friends' place (marc and kelley). it being thursday, we were going to watch the new episode of "lost". yes, very romantic for valentine's day, i know. it was shortly after i picked up karen that i learned she had yet to watch the video i made for her. sad. she eventually saw it when we were at marc and kelley's and said it was very cute. i think she liked it. (so thank you hot jen for the idea!)
that's pretty much it for my exciting valentine's day.
i normally don't get excited for the day because i suck at valentine's day, but after yesterday's suggestion from my friend on a possible present (courtesy of hot jen), i was a little anxious to see karen's response. (see my post on giving valentine's presents). little did i know, karen did not get to see it until late tonight when the day was almost over. so that was somewhat of a drag.
but today wasn't all that bad. i got to have lunch with another friend (hot amy), who works near where i work. we ended up at an irish restaurant. the food was very good. unfortunately, the place was completely empty with the exception of the two of us. naturally, i thanked her for renting out the entire restaurant in honor of my birthday celebration. (she really didn't rent out the place. and even though my birthday was almost two months ago, we did celebrate my birthday.)
it was fun though. i had a good time. plus, hot amy treated for lunch... so how can i complain about free food? of course, it being valentine's day and all, i did feel a little guilty knowing hot amy would be treating me for lunch. so, i gave her a little something for valentine's day. since she likes jewelry so much (heaven help whoever actually ends up marrying her because that guy will inevitably be broke buying her jewelry), i gave her a ring... albeit, it was a ring pop, but i thought she'd get a kick out of it... especially when i labeled it as coming from her ex-boyfriend, joe, who she now kindly refers to as "dumbass".
later, i also had the pleasure of taking the mbta subway with hot amy and my other friend/coworker (carlos) after work. the instigator that i am, i had learned that hot amy and her bff (andrea) were having a valentine's date tonight at blue-22, which is the restaurant owned by my friend, garv. anyway, i must have kept referring to andrea and amy's date as a "hot date" because carlos asked me on the walk home from the train station if amy and andrea were actually dating, not that there was anything wrong with that.
naturally, i had a good laugh over it. (i sometimes wonder why hot amy and andrea remain my friend. in their defense, they are very good sports with the ribbing i give them). for the record, i did set carlos straight that hot amy and andrea were not dating each other and both liked the opposite sex. i can't say for certain, but i think he was relieved.
anyway, after that i went to pick up karen as we were going to my friends' place (marc and kelley). it being thursday, we were going to watch the new episode of "lost". yes, very romantic for valentine's day, i know. it was shortly after i picked up karen that i learned she had yet to watch the video i made for her. sad. she eventually saw it when we were at marc and kelley's and said it was very cute. i think she liked it. (so thank you hot jen for the idea!)
that's pretty much it for my exciting valentine's day.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
I Suck At Giving Valentine Presents
on this eve of valentine's day, known to some this year as "black thursday", i was talking with my friend jen during lunch. (she probably prefers the term "hot" jen so as to compete with "hot" amy). anyway, she was curious if i had gotten anything for karen. naturally, i said no because i suck at giving valentine presents. my father is even better at giving valentine's day presents than me. he gave my mother a diamond necklace today. he was very giddy about giving my mom the present. it was very cute to watch him. i love my dad.
anyway, in my defense, karen and i don't exchange valentine's day presents and we haven't exchanged presents in quite some time. instead, our valentine's day traditional revolves around having bananas fosters for dessert, which we already had on sunday after dim sum. when i told jen that i had not gotten anything for karen, jen was surprised and started brainstorming ideas. (jen... er... "hot" jen is chock full of ideas. she should have a blog about each idea she has because they are very interesting ideas. either that, or she should blog about bathrooms.)
at first, jen suggested at least a valentine card for karen. i've never been a big fan of cards, so i turned that idea down saying that karen would just recycle the card shortly after opening it. jen then wondered why there are a bunch of christmas cards sitting on our mantle, to which i added that the only reason why those cards are still around is because those cards are picture cards, primarily of my friends and their children. that led to jen's suggestion of putting a picture of myself on the valentine card.
from there, jen came up with a cute idea. she suggested that i make a video saying "i heart karen" and give it karen tomorrow. although i've never liked getting my picture taken or being in a video, i actually liked that idea. so here is the video that i'm going to send to karen tomorrow. yeah, it's lame. so, wish me luck!
anyway, in my defense, karen and i don't exchange valentine's day presents and we haven't exchanged presents in quite some time. instead, our valentine's day traditional revolves around having bananas fosters for dessert, which we already had on sunday after dim sum. when i told jen that i had not gotten anything for karen, jen was surprised and started brainstorming ideas. (jen... er... "hot" jen is chock full of ideas. she should have a blog about each idea she has because they are very interesting ideas. either that, or she should blog about bathrooms.)
at first, jen suggested at least a valentine card for karen. i've never been a big fan of cards, so i turned that idea down saying that karen would just recycle the card shortly after opening it. jen then wondered why there are a bunch of christmas cards sitting on our mantle, to which i added that the only reason why those cards are still around is because those cards are picture cards, primarily of my friends and their children. that led to jen's suggestion of putting a picture of myself on the valentine card.
from there, jen came up with a cute idea. she suggested that i make a video saying "i heart karen" and give it karen tomorrow. although i've never liked getting my picture taken or being in a video, i actually liked that idea. so here is the video that i'm going to send to karen tomorrow. yeah, it's lame. so, wish me luck!
Monday, February 11, 2008
I Suck At Sharing My Blog
i suck at sharing my blog. i have never sent any of my friends a link to my blog since i've began blogging... until today.
today, i decided to send my friend (aimee) a link to my blog as she was curious as to what i did with the rest of my day after dim sum. as i was too lazy to type what i did in an email, i sent her the link to my blog about how i suck at dim sum.
it's a weird feeling to actually send a friend a link to your blog. i think what makes the feeling peculiar is not because providing a link to my blog allows people to access your personal thoughts and feelings (i would normally tell people my thoughts anyway because i lack that filter when talking), but because i worry if the people who know me who read my blog will think i'm stupid that i suck at a lot of things. it's almost like i need approval for my blog... as though i feel that i lack confidence in what i'm doing, which perhaps could be the case. i remember growing up, i was always my harshest critic when it came to writing. everything i wrote was never good enough to me no matter what other people told me. i think i'll have to work on that.
oh well. regardless, i guess i'll see if aimee returns to visit my blog anytime soon.
today, i decided to send my friend (aimee) a link to my blog as she was curious as to what i did with the rest of my day after dim sum. as i was too lazy to type what i did in an email, i sent her the link to my blog about how i suck at dim sum.
it's a weird feeling to actually send a friend a link to your blog. i think what makes the feeling peculiar is not because providing a link to my blog allows people to access your personal thoughts and feelings (i would normally tell people my thoughts anyway because i lack that filter when talking), but because i worry if the people who know me who read my blog will think i'm stupid that i suck at a lot of things. it's almost like i need approval for my blog... as though i feel that i lack confidence in what i'm doing, which perhaps could be the case. i remember growing up, i was always my harshest critic when it came to writing. everything i wrote was never good enough to me no matter what other people told me. i think i'll have to work on that.
oh well. regardless, i guess i'll see if aimee returns to visit my blog anytime soon.
I Suck At Dim Sum
well, apparently this weekend was friend reunion weekend. i got to see many friends from past and present... all in one weekend... highlighted by dim sum. dim sum (which means "touch the heart" in cantonese) is a chinese cuisine involving a bunch of light dishes alongside chinese tea. basically, it's brunch... with the exception that there are usually chinese women pushing carts of food around the tables.
anyway, friend reunion began on friday night where i got to see hugh and jenny. hugh and jenny have kids and are usually busy. i imagine having kids must be a chore. so naturally, what better way to spend time with them than to play wii till the wee hours of night. it was silly but it was fun.
the following day, i got to play sultan with a harem of hot women. we started off at an italian restaurant known as the villa rosa, and from there we headed to my friend's (garv) restaurant called blue 22 because someone (hot amy) had a hankering for a martini. i personally think she wanted to see garv, even though he's engaged. needless to say, we (me, karen, janine, kerry, jen, hot amy, and andrea) went to the bar where there was a band playing that night. there was also "mouse" cake for desert that night, which naturally none of us wanted to touch. anyway, it was good being sultan. i believe hot amy and jen ended up going to their favorite irish bar, sarsfields, afterwards.
with two days down, the big dim sum event had yet to come. i've never been a big fan of chinese food, in part because i think my mom spoiled me with her cooking. i had a great time, though at dim sum. we went to a place called china pearl in quincy, which i hear is relatively new. because it was chinese new year weekend (it's the year of the rat in case anyone was curious), there were lion dances and stuff. it was very entertaining. the biggest plus of course was seeing my old friends of yore like nhut, john, anna, bill, nicole, aimee, and amy czarnowski. it was like old times and it was great catching up with everyone. aimee did a good job organizing the event. i think, to me, what was most touching about dim sum was when amy got a little choked up and said she missed all of us when we were leaving. to me, at least, it was very touching. i miss that about her. it also got me thinking that it may be the last time i see anna for awhile too as she is moving to florida. needless to say, dim sum was great. the food may not have been all that spectacular, but the chance to hang out with everyone was awesome.
and to cap off the friend reunion weekend, i got to travel to the burlington mall shortly after dim sum with karen to see renee, christine falcone, and michele. i haven't seen many of them in ages as well. the last time i saw most of them was at renee's wedding, which was two years ago i think. anyway, that likewise was a good time.
all in all, i had a very pleasant weekend whereby i got to see all my friends from past and present. and of course, it got me thinking... mostly because of amy's touching comments about missing all of us. since i haven't seen many of these friends in a long while... i suck at hanging out with all my friends...
anyway, friend reunion began on friday night where i got to see hugh and jenny. hugh and jenny have kids and are usually busy. i imagine having kids must be a chore. so naturally, what better way to spend time with them than to play wii till the wee hours of night. it was silly but it was fun.
the following day, i got to play sultan with a harem of hot women. we started off at an italian restaurant known as the villa rosa, and from there we headed to my friend's (garv) restaurant called blue 22 because someone (hot amy) had a hankering for a martini. i personally think she wanted to see garv, even though he's engaged. needless to say, we (me, karen, janine, kerry, jen, hot amy, and andrea) went to the bar where there was a band playing that night. there was also "mouse" cake for desert that night, which naturally none of us wanted to touch. anyway, it was good being sultan. i believe hot amy and jen ended up going to their favorite irish bar, sarsfields, afterwards.
with two days down, the big dim sum event had yet to come. i've never been a big fan of chinese food, in part because i think my mom spoiled me with her cooking. i had a great time, though at dim sum. we went to a place called china pearl in quincy, which i hear is relatively new. because it was chinese new year weekend (it's the year of the rat in case anyone was curious), there were lion dances and stuff. it was very entertaining. the biggest plus of course was seeing my old friends of yore like nhut, john, anna, bill, nicole, aimee, and amy czarnowski. it was like old times and it was great catching up with everyone. aimee did a good job organizing the event. i think, to me, what was most touching about dim sum was when amy got a little choked up and said she missed all of us when we were leaving. to me, at least, it was very touching. i miss that about her. it also got me thinking that it may be the last time i see anna for awhile too as she is moving to florida. needless to say, dim sum was great. the food may not have been all that spectacular, but the chance to hang out with everyone was awesome.
and to cap off the friend reunion weekend, i got to travel to the burlington mall shortly after dim sum with karen to see renee, christine falcone, and michele. i haven't seen many of them in ages as well. the last time i saw most of them was at renee's wedding, which was two years ago i think. anyway, that likewise was a good time.
all in all, i had a very pleasant weekend whereby i got to see all my friends from past and present. and of course, it got me thinking... mostly because of amy's touching comments about missing all of us. since i haven't seen many of these friends in a long while... i suck at hanging out with all my friends...
Sunday, February 10, 2008
I Suck At Agile Development (Part 4)
ok. i finally finished the book a couple of days ago. so, here is a list of the remaining practices of an agile developer on agile collaboration:
38. schedule regular face time. use stand-up meetings. stand-up meetings keep the team on the same page. keep the meeting short, focused, and intense.
39. architects must write code. good design evolves from active programmers. real insight comes from active coding. don't use architects who don't code-they can't design without knowing the realities of your system.
40. practice collaborative ownership. emphasize collective ownership of code. rotate developers across different modules and tasks in different areas of the system.
41. be a mentor. knowledge grows when given. there's fun in sharing what you know-you gain as you give. you motivate others to achieve better results. you improve the overall competence of your team.
42. allow people to figure it out. give others a chance to solve problems. point them in the right direction instead of handing them solutions. everyone can learn something in the process.
43. share code only when ready. never check in code that's not ready for others. deliberately checking in code that doesn't compile or pass its unit tests should be considered an act of criminal project negligence.
44. review code. basic styles of review include: the all-nighter with the entire team; the pick-up game where another developer "picks" up the code as soon as the code is ready (rotate developers); and pair programming where one person is the driver, the other navigator and they occasionally switch roles. code reviews are invaluable in improving the quality of the code and keeping the error rate low. if done correctly, reviews can be practical and effective. review code after each task, using different developers.
45. keeps others informed. publish your status, your ideas and the neat things you're looking at. don't wait for others to ask you the status of your work.
resources:
agile developer www.agiledeveloper.com/download.aspx
pragmatic programming www.pragmaticprogrammer.com
up next, version control and subversion! yes, very exciting i know...
38. schedule regular face time. use stand-up meetings. stand-up meetings keep the team on the same page. keep the meeting short, focused, and intense.
39. architects must write code. good design evolves from active programmers. real insight comes from active coding. don't use architects who don't code-they can't design without knowing the realities of your system.
40. practice collaborative ownership. emphasize collective ownership of code. rotate developers across different modules and tasks in different areas of the system.
41. be a mentor. knowledge grows when given. there's fun in sharing what you know-you gain as you give. you motivate others to achieve better results. you improve the overall competence of your team.
42. allow people to figure it out. give others a chance to solve problems. point them in the right direction instead of handing them solutions. everyone can learn something in the process.
43. share code only when ready. never check in code that's not ready for others. deliberately checking in code that doesn't compile or pass its unit tests should be considered an act of criminal project negligence.
44. review code. basic styles of review include: the all-nighter with the entire team; the pick-up game where another developer "picks" up the code as soon as the code is ready (rotate developers); and pair programming where one person is the driver, the other navigator and they occasionally switch roles. code reviews are invaluable in improving the quality of the code and keeping the error rate low. if done correctly, reviews can be practical and effective. review code after each task, using different developers.
45. keeps others informed. publish your status, your ideas and the neat things you're looking at. don't wait for others to ask you the status of your work.
resources:
agile developer www.agiledeveloper.com/download.aspx
pragmatic programming www.pragmaticprogrammer.com
up next, version control and subversion! yes, very exciting i know...
Thursday, February 7, 2008
I Suck At Agile Development (Part 3)
yep, i still suck at agile development as i am still not done with the book.
so, here are some more pointers (about agile feedback, agile coding, and agile debugging):
19. put angels on your shoulders. use automated unit tests. good unit tests warn you about problems immediately. don't make any design or code changes without solid unit tests in place. unit testing provides instant feedback. unit testing makes your code robust. unit testing can be a helpful design tool. unit testing is a confidence booster. unit test can act as probes when solving problems. unit tests are reliable documentation. unit tests are a learning aid.
20. use it before you build it. write tests before writing code. use test driven development (tdd) as a design tool. it will lead you to a more pragmatic and simpler design. (in tdd, you write code only after writing a failing unit test for that code. the test always comes first. usually, the test case fails either because the code under test doesn't yet exist or because it doesn't yet contain the necessary logic to all the test to pass.)
21. different makes a difference. automate to save time. run unit tests on each supported platform and environment combination, using continuous integration tools. actively find problems before they find you.
22. automate acceptance testing. create tests for core business logic. have your customers verify these tests in isolation, and exercise them automatically as part of your general test runs.
23. measure real progress. focus on where you're going. measure how much work is left. don't kid yourself- or your team- with irrelevant metrics. measure the backlog of work to do.
24. listen to users. it's a bug. every complain holds a truth. find the truth, and fix the real problem.
25. program intently and expressively. write code to be clear, not clever. express your intentions clearly to the reader of the code. unreadable code isn't clever.
26. communicate in code. don't comment to cover up. comment to communicate. document code using well-chosen, meaningful names. use comments to describe its purpose and constraints. don't use commenting as a substitute for good code.
27. actively evaluate trade-offs. no best solution. consider performance, convenience, productivity, cost, and time to market. if performance is adequate, then focus on improving the other factors. don't complicate the design for the sake of perceived performance or elegance.
28. code in increments. write code in short edit/build/test cycles. it's better than coding for an extended period of time. you'll create code that's clearer, simpler, and easier to maintain.
29. keep it simple. simple is not simplistic. develop the simplest solution that works. incorporate patterns, principles, and technology only if you have a compelling reason to use them.
30. write cohesive code. keep classes focused and components small. avoid the temptation to build large classes or components or miscellaneous catchall classes.
31. tell, don't ask. keep commands separate from queries. don't take on another object's or component's job. tell it what to do, and stick to your own job.
32. substitute by contract. use inheritance for is-a; use delegation for has-a or uses-a. extend systems by substituting code. add and enhance features by substituting classes that honor the interface contract. delegation is almost always preferable to inheritance.
33. keep a solutions log. don't get burned twice. maintain a log of problems and their solutions. part of fixing a problem is retaining details of the solution so you can find and apply it later.
34. warnings are really errors. treat warnings as errors. checking in code with warnings is just as bad as checking in code with errors or code that fails its tests. no checked-in code should produce any warnings from the build tools.
35. attack problems in isolation. prototype to isolate. separate a problem area from its surroundings when working on it, especially in a large application.
36. report all exceptions. handle or propagate all exceptions. don't suppress them, even temporarily. write your code with the expectation that things will fail.
37. provide useful error messages. provide an easy way to find the details of errors. present as much supporting detail as you can about a problem when it occurs, but don't bury the user with it.
i'm hoping the finish the rest of the book shortly...
so, here are some more pointers (about agile feedback, agile coding, and agile debugging):
19. put angels on your shoulders. use automated unit tests. good unit tests warn you about problems immediately. don't make any design or code changes without solid unit tests in place. unit testing provides instant feedback. unit testing makes your code robust. unit testing can be a helpful design tool. unit testing is a confidence booster. unit test can act as probes when solving problems. unit tests are reliable documentation. unit tests are a learning aid.
20. use it before you build it. write tests before writing code. use test driven development (tdd) as a design tool. it will lead you to a more pragmatic and simpler design. (in tdd, you write code only after writing a failing unit test for that code. the test always comes first. usually, the test case fails either because the code under test doesn't yet exist or because it doesn't yet contain the necessary logic to all the test to pass.)
21. different makes a difference. automate to save time. run unit tests on each supported platform and environment combination, using continuous integration tools. actively find problems before they find you.
22. automate acceptance testing. create tests for core business logic. have your customers verify these tests in isolation, and exercise them automatically as part of your general test runs.
23. measure real progress. focus on where you're going. measure how much work is left. don't kid yourself- or your team- with irrelevant metrics. measure the backlog of work to do.
24. listen to users. it's a bug. every complain holds a truth. find the truth, and fix the real problem.
25. program intently and expressively. write code to be clear, not clever. express your intentions clearly to the reader of the code. unreadable code isn't clever.
26. communicate in code. don't comment to cover up. comment to communicate. document code using well-chosen, meaningful names. use comments to describe its purpose and constraints. don't use commenting as a substitute for good code.
27. actively evaluate trade-offs. no best solution. consider performance, convenience, productivity, cost, and time to market. if performance is adequate, then focus on improving the other factors. don't complicate the design for the sake of perceived performance or elegance.
28. code in increments. write code in short edit/build/test cycles. it's better than coding for an extended period of time. you'll create code that's clearer, simpler, and easier to maintain.
29. keep it simple. simple is not simplistic. develop the simplest solution that works. incorporate patterns, principles, and technology only if you have a compelling reason to use them.
30. write cohesive code. keep classes focused and components small. avoid the temptation to build large classes or components or miscellaneous catchall classes.
31. tell, don't ask. keep commands separate from queries. don't take on another object's or component's job. tell it what to do, and stick to your own job.
32. substitute by contract. use inheritance for is-a; use delegation for has-a or uses-a. extend systems by substituting code. add and enhance features by substituting classes that honor the interface contract. delegation is almost always preferable to inheritance.
33. keep a solutions log. don't get burned twice. maintain a log of problems and their solutions. part of fixing a problem is retaining details of the solution so you can find and apply it later.
34. warnings are really errors. treat warnings as errors. checking in code with warnings is just as bad as checking in code with errors or code that fails its tests. no checked-in code should produce any warnings from the build tools.
35. attack problems in isolation. prototype to isolate. separate a problem area from its surroundings when working on it, especially in a large application.
36. report all exceptions. handle or propagate all exceptions. don't suppress them, even temporarily. write your code with the expectation that things will fail.
37. provide useful error messages. provide an easy way to find the details of errors. present as much supporting detail as you can about a problem when it occurs, but don't bury the user with it.
i'm hoping the finish the rest of the book shortly...
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
I Suck At Agile Development (Part 2)
since i have yet to finish the book my coworker (tim) lent me and thus, still suck at agile development, here are some more lessons:
10. let customers make decisions. decide what you shouldn't decide. developers, managers, or business analysts shouldn't make business-critical decisions. present details to business owners in a language they can understand, and let them make the decision.
11. let design guide, not dictate. design should be only as detailed as needed to implement. a good design is a map; let it evolve. design points you in the right direction. it's not the territory itself; it shouldn't dictate the specific route. don't let the design (or the designer) hold you hostage.
12. justify technology use. blindly picking a framework is like having kids to save taxes. does the technology really solve the problem? will you be tied to this technology? what about maintenance costs? don't build what you can download. choose technology based on need. determine your needs first, and then evaluate the use of technologies for those specific problems. ask critical questions about the use of any technology, and answer them genuinely.
13. keep it releasable. keep your project releasable at all times. ensure that the project is always compilable, runnable, tested, and ready to deploy at a moment's notice.
14. integrate early, integrate often. code integration is a major source of risk. to mitigate that risk, start integration early and continue to do it regularly. never accept big bang integration.
15. automate deployment early. deploy your application automatically from the start. use that deployment to install the application on arbitrary machines with different configurations to test dependencies. qa should test the deployment as well as your application.
16. get frequent feedback using demos. develop in plain sight. keep your application in sight (and in the customer's mind) during development. bring customers together and proactively seek their feedback using demos every week or two.
17. use short iterations, release in increments. develop in increments. release your product with minimal, yet usable, chunks of functionality. within the development of each increment, use an iterative cycle of one to four weeks or so.
18. fixed prices are broken promises. estimate based on real work. let the team actually work on the current project, with the current client, to get realistic estimates. give the client control over their features and budget.
10. let customers make decisions. decide what you shouldn't decide. developers, managers, or business analysts shouldn't make business-critical decisions. present details to business owners in a language they can understand, and let them make the decision.
11. let design guide, not dictate. design should be only as detailed as needed to implement. a good design is a map; let it evolve. design points you in the right direction. it's not the territory itself; it shouldn't dictate the specific route. don't let the design (or the designer) hold you hostage.
12. justify technology use. blindly picking a framework is like having kids to save taxes. does the technology really solve the problem? will you be tied to this technology? what about maintenance costs? don't build what you can download. choose technology based on need. determine your needs first, and then evaluate the use of technologies for those specific problems. ask critical questions about the use of any technology, and answer them genuinely.
13. keep it releasable. keep your project releasable at all times. ensure that the project is always compilable, runnable, tested, and ready to deploy at a moment's notice.
14. integrate early, integrate often. code integration is a major source of risk. to mitigate that risk, start integration early and continue to do it regularly. never accept big bang integration.
15. automate deployment early. deploy your application automatically from the start. use that deployment to install the application on arbitrary machines with different configurations to test dependencies. qa should test the deployment as well as your application.
16. get frequent feedback using demos. develop in plain sight. keep your application in sight (and in the customer's mind) during development. bring customers together and proactively seek their feedback using demos every week or two.
17. use short iterations, release in increments. develop in increments. release your product with minimal, yet usable, chunks of functionality. within the development of each increment, use an iterative cycle of one to four weeks or so.
18. fixed prices are broken promises. estimate based on real work. let the team actually work on the current project, with the current client, to get realistic estimates. give the client control over their features and budget.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
I Suck At Super Tuesday
before i forget, happy mardi gras! if only i had some beads... if only i had some beads...
anyway, i'm not normally into politics. the presidential race this year, however, has become quite exciting with the closeness of the competition between the potential candidates of both parties. as of right now, the projections are as thus:
for democrats:
clinton is the projected winner in oklahoma, arkansas, tennessee, new york, massachusetts, new jersey, and missouri;
obama is the projected winner in georgia, illinois, delaware, alabama, utah, kansas, north dakota, connecticut, idaho, minnesota;
for republicans:
mccain is the projected winner in new jersey, connecticut, illinois, delaware, new york, oklahoma, and arizona;
huckabee is the projected winner in west virginia, arkansas, alabama and georgia;
romney is the projected winner in massachusetts, utah, and north dakota;
it seems like mccain has all but wrapped up the republican nomination. for the democrats, it still appears too close to call. what is also interesting is that (much like al gore in the 2000 presidential election), it's not the popular vote that actually matters, but the votes of the state delegates. so, it's conceivable that the democratic winner of the popular vote can actually lose the delegate vote (and hence lose the nomination).
anyway, this very exciting day got me thinking... because i suck at super tuesday... how does someone not affiliated with either the democratic or republican party vote in the primary?
here is the answer from my friend... wikipedia:
there are actually types of primaries that vary according to each state, which may/may not allow for unaffiliated people to vote:
in case you are curious, massachusetts is a semi-closed primary... so voters must be affiliated with a party in order to vote in that party's election, but may change enrollment at the polls.
for more information about massachusetts primary voting, go here:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080113063653AAtXLTW
so, to answer my original question of "how does someone not affiliated with either the democratic or republican party vote in the primary?", the gist of the answer is as follows:
If you are a registered voter and your political party designation is "unaffiliated," then on election day you may choose whichever party ballot you wish to vote on (i.e., Republican or Democrat). For the presidential primary, I believe you must then switch your designation back to "unaffiliated" after you vote, which you can do at the polling place when you check out. I believe if you don't do this then you will now be a member of the party you just voted.
Also, remember there is an "independent" party now, I believe you must be "unaffiliated" to be able to pick your ballot, not "independent."
anyway, i'm not normally into politics. the presidential race this year, however, has become quite exciting with the closeness of the competition between the potential candidates of both parties. as of right now, the projections are as thus:
for democrats:
clinton is the projected winner in oklahoma, arkansas, tennessee, new york, massachusetts, new jersey, and missouri;
obama is the projected winner in georgia, illinois, delaware, alabama, utah, kansas, north dakota, connecticut, idaho, minnesota;
for republicans:
mccain is the projected winner in new jersey, connecticut, illinois, delaware, new york, oklahoma, and arizona;
huckabee is the projected winner in west virginia, arkansas, alabama and georgia;
romney is the projected winner in massachusetts, utah, and north dakota;
it seems like mccain has all but wrapped up the republican nomination. for the democrats, it still appears too close to call. what is also interesting is that (much like al gore in the 2000 presidential election), it's not the popular vote that actually matters, but the votes of the state delegates. so, it's conceivable that the democratic winner of the popular vote can actually lose the delegate vote (and hence lose the nomination).
anyway, this very exciting day got me thinking... because i suck at super tuesday... how does someone not affiliated with either the democratic or republican party vote in the primary?
here is the answer from my friend... wikipedia:
there are actually types of primaries that vary according to each state, which may/may not allow for unaffiliated people to vote:
- Closed. Voters may vote in a party's primary only if they are registered members of that party. Independents cannot participate. Note that due to the appropriation of the term "independent" by some political parties, the term "non-partisan" is often used to refer to those who are not affiliated with a political party.
- Semi-closed. As in closed primaries, registered party members can vote only in their own party's primary. Semi-closed systems, however, allow unaffiliated voters to participate as well. Depending on the state, independents either make their choice of party primary privately, inside the voting booth, or publicly, by registering with any party on Election Day.
- Open. A registered voter may vote in any party primary regardless of his or her own party affiliation. When voters do not pre-register with a party before the primary, it is called a pick-a-party primary because the voter can select which party's primary he or she wishes to vote in on election day. Because of the open nature of this system, a practice known as "raiding" may occur. "Raiding" consists of voters of one party crossing over and voting in the primary of another party. Although no cases can be shown where this has happened successfully, the theory is that opposing party members vote for the weakest candidate of the opposite party in order to give their own party the advantage in the general election.
- Semi-open. All voters may vote in any single primary, but must publicly declare which primary they will vote in before entering the voting booth. Typically this declaration is accomplished by requesting a ballot. In many states with semi-open primaries, election officials record each voter's choice of party and provide the parties access to the information.
- Blanket. This system allows voters to vote for one candidate per office, regardless of which party they were a member of.
- Run-off. A primary in which the ballot is not restricted to one party and the top two candidates advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation. (A runoff differs from a primary in that a second round is only needed if no candidate gains a majority in the first round.)
in case you are curious, massachusetts is a semi-closed primary... so voters must be affiliated with a party in order to vote in that party's election, but may change enrollment at the polls.
for more information about massachusetts primary voting, go here:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080113063653AAtXLTW
so, to answer my original question of "how does someone not affiliated with either the democratic or republican party vote in the primary?", the gist of the answer is as follows:
If you are a registered voter and your political party designation is "unaffiliated," then on election day you may choose whichever party ballot you wish to vote on (i.e., Republican or Democrat). For the presidential primary, I believe you must then switch your designation back to "unaffiliated" after you vote, which you can do at the polling place when you check out. I believe if you don't do this then you will now be a member of the party you just voted.
Also, remember there is an "independent" party now, I believe you must be "unaffiliated" to be able to pick your ballot, not "independent."
Monday, February 4, 2008
I Suck At Agile Development (Part 1)
my coworker (tim) lent me a book to read which he thought i would enjoy. the book is called "practices of an agile developer" by the pragmatic programmers venkat subramaniam and andy hunt. basically, the book is a collection of best practices for... being an agile developer... which is of particular use for software developers in the ever changing environment of technology. and by agile, i don't mean doing cartwheels or somersaults... although that would be interesting. agile, in this sense, refers to the ability to adapt to situations.
to many who are not into software developing, this content would normally sound pretty dull. some lessons, however, actually translate well into the non-software developing area. since i suck at agile development, here are some of the lessons thus far:
1. work for outcome: blame doesn't fix bugs. instead of pointing fingers, point to possible solutions. it's the positive outcome that counts.
2. quick fixes become quicksand: beware of land mines; don't code in isolation; use unit tests; don't fall for the quick hack. invest the energy to keep code clean and out in the open.
3. criticize ideas, not people: negativity kills innovation; set a deadline; argue the opposite; use a mediator; support the decision; take pride in arriving at a solution rather than proving whose idea is better.
4. damn the torpedoes, go ahead: do what's right. be honest, and have the courage to communicate the truth. it may be difficult at times; that's why it takes courage.
5. keep up with change: learn iteratively and incrementally; get the latest buzz; attend local user groups; attend workshops or conferences; read voraciously; you don't have to become an expert at everything, but stay aware of where the industry is headed, and plan your career and projects accordingly.
6. invest in your team: raise the bar for you and your team. use brown-bag sessions to increase everyone's knowledge and skills and help bring people together. get the team excited about technologies or techniques that will benefit your project.
7. know when to unlearn: expensive mental models aren't discarded lightly. learn the new; unlearn the old. when learning a new technology, unlearn any old habits that might hold you back. after all, there's much more to a car than just a horseless carriage.
8. question until you understand: keep asking why. don't just accept what you're told at face value. keep questioning until you understand the root of the issue.
9. feel the rhythm: tackle tasks before they bunch up. it's easier to tackle common recurring tasks when you maintain steady, repeatable intervals between events.
i have yet to finish the rest of the book, but so far... i would recommend the book to anyone. it's easy to read and the concepts make sense. i will post more lessons as soon as i get to it...
to many who are not into software developing, this content would normally sound pretty dull. some lessons, however, actually translate well into the non-software developing area. since i suck at agile development, here are some of the lessons thus far:
1. work for outcome: blame doesn't fix bugs. instead of pointing fingers, point to possible solutions. it's the positive outcome that counts.
2. quick fixes become quicksand: beware of land mines; don't code in isolation; use unit tests; don't fall for the quick hack. invest the energy to keep code clean and out in the open.
3. criticize ideas, not people: negativity kills innovation; set a deadline; argue the opposite; use a mediator; support the decision; take pride in arriving at a solution rather than proving whose idea is better.
4. damn the torpedoes, go ahead: do what's right. be honest, and have the courage to communicate the truth. it may be difficult at times; that's why it takes courage.
5. keep up with change: learn iteratively and incrementally; get the latest buzz; attend local user groups; attend workshops or conferences; read voraciously; you don't have to become an expert at everything, but stay aware of where the industry is headed, and plan your career and projects accordingly.
6. invest in your team: raise the bar for you and your team. use brown-bag sessions to increase everyone's knowledge and skills and help bring people together. get the team excited about technologies or techniques that will benefit your project.
7. know when to unlearn: expensive mental models aren't discarded lightly. learn the new; unlearn the old. when learning a new technology, unlearn any old habits that might hold you back. after all, there's much more to a car than just a horseless carriage.
8. question until you understand: keep asking why. don't just accept what you're told at face value. keep questioning until you understand the root of the issue.
9. feel the rhythm: tackle tasks before they bunch up. it's easier to tackle common recurring tasks when you maintain steady, repeatable intervals between events.
i have yet to finish the rest of the book, but so far... i would recommend the book to anyone. it's easy to read and the concepts make sense. i will post more lessons as soon as i get to it...
Sunday, February 3, 2008
I Suck At The SuperBowl
it's a going to be a very sad few days here in new england.
the new york giants have just upset the new england patriots in superbowl 42 by a score of 17-14. it's most unfortunate because everyone will always remember the superbowl loss and not the extraordinary season the patriots had in 2007. the patriots went 16-0 in the regular season; 2-1 in the playoffs. that feat has never been done in the modern era of professional football and it should be remembered regardless of the whole "spygate" incident.
needless to say, the giants deserve the win. they outplayed the patriots and were more "hungrier" for the victory than the patriots. apparently, plaxico burress was correct in predicting the giants victory and he was pretty close at predicting the final score too of 23-17. the dreadful offensive performance by the patriots should make brady eat his words when he scoffed at burress's prediction and retorted "we're only going to score 17 points? ok. is plax playing defense? i wish he said 45-42 and gave us a little credit for scoring more points."
as it turns out, there was no need to give the new england patriot offense credit for scoring more points because tom brady and the patriot offense sucked at the superbowl. i blame gisele...
the new york giants have just upset the new england patriots in superbowl 42 by a score of 17-14. it's most unfortunate because everyone will always remember the superbowl loss and not the extraordinary season the patriots had in 2007. the patriots went 16-0 in the regular season; 2-1 in the playoffs. that feat has never been done in the modern era of professional football and it should be remembered regardless of the whole "spygate" incident.
needless to say, the giants deserve the win. they outplayed the patriots and were more "hungrier" for the victory than the patriots. apparently, plaxico burress was correct in predicting the giants victory and he was pretty close at predicting the final score too of 23-17. the dreadful offensive performance by the patriots should make brady eat his words when he scoffed at burress's prediction and retorted "we're only going to score 17 points? ok. is plax playing defense? i wish he said 45-42 and gave us a little credit for scoring more points."
as it turns out, there was no need to give the new england patriot offense credit for scoring more points because tom brady and the patriot offense sucked at the superbowl. i blame gisele...
Saturday, February 2, 2008
I Suck At Hanging Out With Ron
last night, i went to the bbc (british beer company) in pembroke to meet up with some friends. the whole thing came about almost spontaneously. i have this friend (ron) who, as it turns out, i haven't seen for almost a year. the last time i saw him was the last super bowl weekend. it's amazing how time flies and before you know it, it's been x amount of time since you last saw so-and-so.
anyway, i've known ron for a long time... since childhood. in fact, i think he may be one of the few people who have never annoyed me... ever. (it's a select few and i consider myself a patient person). ron, incidentally, lives in the next town over so it's not like he's that far from me. he's got a great family: his parents are great; his wife is awesome; his daughters are adorable. he has done very well for himself and deservedly so.
out of blue, ron contacted me to get together and catch up. naturally, i jumped at the chance and gathered some friends together. we ended up at the bbc, where as it turns out... the cover band that was playing there was also scheduled to play at the restaurant owned by my other friend (garv). garv, of course, wanted to scope them out. needless to say, the groupies were fun to party with and i had a great time. i think ron had a great time too because he suggested that all of us do this more often as he hadn't gone out in quite a while to just "hang out".
naturally, it got me thinking... i suck at hanging out with ron. how come, in the past, i haven't done this more often with him? like i said, he's in the next town over. we should have been hanging out and having fun. i think i'll have to try and work on that... before it becomes another year (near superbowl weekend) that i see him again.
anyway, i've known ron for a long time... since childhood. in fact, i think he may be one of the few people who have never annoyed me... ever. (it's a select few and i consider myself a patient person). ron, incidentally, lives in the next town over so it's not like he's that far from me. he's got a great family: his parents are great; his wife is awesome; his daughters are adorable. he has done very well for himself and deservedly so.
out of blue, ron contacted me to get together and catch up. naturally, i jumped at the chance and gathered some friends together. we ended up at the bbc, where as it turns out... the cover band that was playing there was also scheduled to play at the restaurant owned by my other friend (garv). garv, of course, wanted to scope them out. needless to say, the groupies were fun to party with and i had a great time. i think ron had a great time too because he suggested that all of us do this more often as he hadn't gone out in quite a while to just "hang out".
naturally, it got me thinking... i suck at hanging out with ron. how come, in the past, i haven't done this more often with him? like i said, he's in the next town over. we should have been hanging out and having fun. i think i'll have to try and work on that... before it becomes another year (near superbowl weekend) that i see him again.
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