OK, so some of you may have a DVR - Digital Video Recorder - of some sort.
I started recording TV this way back in 2002 with my first TiVo. My friend, Brian, had TiVo and he loved it so much. I, of course, made fun of him (Oh TiVo, I love you so!) for his infatuation until I was bitten by the same bug. Being able to record your shows and watch them any time completely frees up your nights. Being able to pause live TV so you can go to the bathroom - also essential.
With technology like this, over time you get used to it. When I'd travel and have to watch only live TV, I'd feel like I was "slumming" it. I couldn't stand not being able to pause or back up to hear some key dialogue I'd missed.
During the first of the year this year we finally purchased our first HDTV and, as such, got a HD box from the cable company that had a DVR on it. At first we kept the TiVo as well as the DVR on the TV, though we couldn't record HD on the TiVo because it was just a standard TiVo. For a few months it worked OK. The new DVR was kinda neat. There were a couple things it did that were a little different than TiVo. Learning the new interface was a tad annoying, but it went pretty quickly. Then in late summer, we decided to get rid of our 3rd TiVo. With the DVR and 2 TiVo's, we just didn't need a 4th recording device, so we sold it to a friend. A couple weeks later, my oldest TiVo just died. Seeing as it was a pretty old model and lasted about 6 years, I can understand this. However, this left us just the DVR in the living room for the HDTV. We still had a TiVo in the bedroom, but now we could only record/watch 4 shows at once. This may seem like a lot, but consider you have 4-5 shows that overlap on Monday night AND you want to watch Monday Night Football, and you see the problem. But, we dealt with it. We're not talking about starving to death, we're talking about missing a show now and then, ya know?
As the year progressed, I began to hate the DVR. Controlling the fast-forward/reverse just sucks on that thing. You can move a little faster than TiVo, but TiVo has built into it's manipulation an auto-back feature. So, if you're fast-forwarding a show and you get through the commercials and your show starts and you hit "Play" as soon as you see it, TiVo actually backs up the start of play a bit to compensate for your reaction time. The Motorola DVR from Comcast did not do this. So, you'd fast-forward through commercials, see your program, hit play, then have to back up a bit and hit play again. Also, sometimes it wouldn't record a show. The culmination of this occured when it just decided not to record an episode of Survivor. We had to watch it online and before I was able to start the online episode we saw who'd been voted off. Annoying! It also started saying things like "98% full" when only a few shows were recorded and stored on it. I'd have to shut it down and restart it for it to record again. I called Comcast and they sent some magical signal through it to correct this. 4 days later it started again.
My point is, TiVo is far superior to other recording devices. Not only is the manipulation much better, but the guide, features, management of shows, etc. is beyond compare. Not to mention that you can download any show/movie you want from Amazon.com (for a fee, of course - like pay-per-view), but you can transfer recordings from one TiVo to the other. You can play music from a computer where you have MP3's stored. You can store recordings on that PC, also, either for good or just until you have time to watch them. TiVo has games on it, you can order pizza, check weather, show photos, etc. And, if for some reason something isn't recorded that you think should have been, you can go see WHY. If you delete a show you have a small amount of time to recover it. Like I said - FAR superior.
I kept wanting to get an HD TiVo, but they were pretty expensive. Finally we decided to get one for both of our Xmas gifts to each-other. I found a refurbished one on the TiVo site for a pretty reasonable price and ordered it. It arrived (free shipping) 3 days later. I called the cable company to have the cable cards installed in it. Then I called TiVo because I couldn't get my payment play to switch over to the new TiVo. Turns out that I bought one with it's own plan and, since it was a refurb, they couldn't xfr my old plan to it. So, what did they do? Well, the guy really worked to get something working for me. He said that, since I'd been a customer for 6 years, they really wanted to help me. They managed to reduce my monthly payment by $10. Oh, and they also are sending us another free TiVo to replace the one that dies. Yes, that will cost $6.95 for the monthly service on that, but the device is a dual-tuner that would cost $150. Oh, and I don't have to ship my old broken one back. And it's free, including shipping.
So, we have the new HD TiVo up and running and the free TiVo will be here soon. I re-progammed my Logitech remote to perform all the duties of the remote (while you can't have too many TiVo's, you CAN have too many remotes - the Logitech does everything - I may have to blog on that thing next) and it's working great. I'd even say that the picture is better. I set it up to record our shows and, last night I saw something totally cool. Not only does it have a little red recording light like our standard TiVo, but it displays what is recording on the front of the machine. So, it actually says "Numb3rs" on the front of the TiVo. So, you know what is recording at all times, even without turning on your TV.
This was a lot longer and more boring that I'd planned, but I just am so happy to have TiVo in HD. It's the best of both worlds. If any of you think that you want to start digitally recording your TV, please go with TiVo. They aren't the only game in town any more. But, in my experience, they are definitely the best. You might get a "free" one from the cable company, but you still (usually) have to pay to lease it. And, it isn't yours. If something goes wrong with it, you have to deal with your cable company. And I can say that TiVo support is also FAR superior to your cable company's support.
Go TiVo. Go now. Merry Xmas!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Airplane seats
You do realize that when you recline your seat on airplane you give the person behind you less room, right?
For this very reason, I almost never recline my seat on an airplane unless nobody is behind me.
You also realize that when you bang or kick or mush the seat in front of you, you're jostling the person sitting in that seat, right?
For this very reason, I almost always jostle, poke, kick the seat in front of me when someone reclines suddenly, pinning my knees to the back of the seat painfully.
Change the world one step at a time. Have consideration for others. Whether it's respecting their space, letting them into a traffic line in front of you or just taking a second to open the door for someone. It's the little things that matter. Do one.
For this very reason, I almost never recline my seat on an airplane unless nobody is behind me.
You also realize that when you bang or kick or mush the seat in front of you, you're jostling the person sitting in that seat, right?
For this very reason, I almost always jostle, poke, kick the seat in front of me when someone reclines suddenly, pinning my knees to the back of the seat painfully.
Change the world one step at a time. Have consideration for others. Whether it's respecting their space, letting them into a traffic line in front of you or just taking a second to open the door for someone. It's the little things that matter. Do one.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Obama
I don't think I can truly express how happy I am about Obama winning.
I've followed Barack for a long time. For me, it's been more about his ability to lead as a PERSON...as an entity of maturity for our nation than about the positions.
America needs a change. A REAL change, not a difference. We need someone who can bring our nation back to universal prominence by his charisma and understanding. An Illinois senator. If IL isn't as representative of the USA as you can get, I don't what is.
Lead us, Barack. Bring back our reputation. Bring back our respect with the world. Bring us back from our humiliating past to a future where we can prove our strength and maturity as a nation. A nation that will lead by example and honor, rather than impudence.
Thank you, America.
I've followed Barack for a long time. For me, it's been more about his ability to lead as a PERSON...as an entity of maturity for our nation than about the positions.
America needs a change. A REAL change, not a difference. We need someone who can bring our nation back to universal prominence by his charisma and understanding. An Illinois senator. If IL isn't as representative of the USA as you can get, I don't what is.
Lead us, Barack. Bring back our reputation. Bring back our respect with the world. Bring us back from our humiliating past to a future where we can prove our strength and maturity as a nation. A nation that will lead by example and honor, rather than impudence.
Thank you, America.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
M U S I C
I like music.
In fact, I like to think myself as somewhat of a scholar of music. I started piano lessons in 3rd grade, started saxophone in 5th grade, drums in 6th grade and played in jazz, concert, marching and pep band. I was even in choir, for goodness sakes!
I like a lot of different types of music, my favorites being jazz, punk, metal and rock. I have known a lot of people who've known - and taught - me a lot about music. I've had a lot of different discussions with many people about music.
Of all types of music, and all bands I've seen, I've made the realization, that one expresses my soul more than any other: The Jayhawks.
Yes, I like harder rock, generally. I love metal and punk and irreverent, political rantings. The Jayhawks aren't any of this. They don't scream or spout rhetoric. But, their music is beautiful. And, I found them all on my own. One year, while vacationing in Minnesota, I saw an album "Tomorrow the Green Grass" and, on a whim, bought it. I saw that it was a Minnesota band and figured I'd pick it up while there. It's been the best decision I've made. Nobody told me about the Jayhawks, nobody recommended them. I didn't even hear of them from a show or video or radio show.
"Tomorrow the Green Grass" is still my favorite album of theirs, but everything they do is great. I also like their cousin-bands, Golden Smog and Wilco (Wilco's new album is shear fucking genius), but, to me, it'll never get better than The Jayhawks.
I remember one party at the lake lot when we listened to this album all night long - litterally...the CD was in my car and played over and over again all night as we slept. How can you not like this kind of music?
The Jayhawks - Tomorrow the Green Grass. If you don't have it...you suck.
In fact, I like to think myself as somewhat of a scholar of music. I started piano lessons in 3rd grade, started saxophone in 5th grade, drums in 6th grade and played in jazz, concert, marching and pep band. I was even in choir, for goodness sakes!
I like a lot of different types of music, my favorites being jazz, punk, metal and rock. I have known a lot of people who've known - and taught - me a lot about music. I've had a lot of different discussions with many people about music.
Of all types of music, and all bands I've seen, I've made the realization, that one expresses my soul more than any other: The Jayhawks.
Yes, I like harder rock, generally. I love metal and punk and irreverent, political rantings. The Jayhawks aren't any of this. They don't scream or spout rhetoric. But, their music is beautiful. And, I found them all on my own. One year, while vacationing in Minnesota, I saw an album "Tomorrow the Green Grass" and, on a whim, bought it. I saw that it was a Minnesota band and figured I'd pick it up while there. It's been the best decision I've made. Nobody told me about the Jayhawks, nobody recommended them. I didn't even hear of them from a show or video or radio show.
"Tomorrow the Green Grass" is still my favorite album of theirs, but everything they do is great. I also like their cousin-bands, Golden Smog and Wilco (Wilco's new album is shear fucking genius), but, to me, it'll never get better than The Jayhawks.
I remember one party at the lake lot when we listened to this album all night long - litterally...the CD was in my car and played over and over again all night as we slept. How can you not like this kind of music?
The Jayhawks - Tomorrow the Green Grass. If you don't have it...you suck.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Summer continues...
After a few days of colder weather, summer is back and it's in the high 70s or low 80s.
On the patio, beer on the table next to the laptop. Dog is lying in the sun, enjoying the rays and the houseplants are asking me not to put them inside just yet.
To find a more "summery" summer than this of 07, I think I'd have to go back to the lakelot, parties, beer, cigs and all-night music through car speakers.
While the winter isn't nearly as harsh in CO as in IL, I dread it. I'd much rather have another month or two in the sun.
On the patio, beer on the table next to the laptop. Dog is lying in the sun, enjoying the rays and the houseplants are asking me not to put them inside just yet.
To find a more "summery" summer than this of 07, I think I'd have to go back to the lakelot, parties, beer, cigs and all-night music through car speakers.
While the winter isn't nearly as harsh in CO as in IL, I dread it. I'd much rather have another month or two in the sun.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Fantasy Sports again
Today is supposed to be the official end of summer. Since Summer is my favorite season, this saddens me a little. Still, I'm on the patio, my plants are doing well, my dog is sitting in the shade, I'm drinking a beer and listening to the latest Wilco album on my outdoor speakers. Tomorrow is Tuesday and the begining of the week, meaning Wednesday will be here before we know it and it's all downhill from there.
Speaking of the end of things, I am officially out of the running in one of my Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues. The "playoffs" have started and I finished 8th out of 12. It is a head-to-head league and while I never really got trounced in a weekly matchup, I usually lost somthing like 5-4, which isn't enough to make the playoffs. In my other league I've got a good lock on 2nd place out of 12 teams. My offensive numbers are astounding. Of the 5 offensive categories, I have 12 points (max) in 4 of them and a 9 in RBI. It's only pitching that's keeping me from the title. My wins and K's are ok, but everything else is sucky. I'm 13.5 points ahead of the team in position 3, but only 6 back from the leader. There isn't much time left, but I still have a chance.
Also, on Thursday the NFL season starts and I have 3 Fantasy Football teams to watch over. The old CBL is back and Trish and I have what I feel is a pretty strong team. We also have a brother league (Colorado Wine League) going that I am now running. It's been somewhat of a challenge to get this set up, but it's turned out OK so far. I'm also running a Yahoo! free league mainly to keep me knowledgable about players and scoring that isn't in my other two leagues. It pays to know who's hot and who isn't. This year is the first fantasy sports experience for several owners.
This got me thinking about how long I've been doing this kind of thing. I think I ran my first fantasy baseball team back in 1991, meaning this is the 16th year of doing this stuff. My friends here in Colorado used to make fun of me when we'd go to a baseball game and I'd say "hey that guy used to play for the Twins" or "Craig Biggio started off as a catcher" or something like that. Speaking of Biggio, I've seen some great players start (and end) their careers since I've been "playing". I've done fantasy hockey several years too, but the last 5 years I've been focused on Fantasy Football. It's amazing how much the game has changed. We used to have to hand-compile our stats from Baseball Weekly or the USA Today. Now a website takes care of everything for you, including research, lineups, trades, waivers, etc. It's a huge business too. Crazy.
So, here's to the end of one Fantasy season and the begining of another. Let's hope the other "fantasy" season of the Cardinals winning the central (easier than wildcard) comes true too :)
Speaking of the end of things, I am officially out of the running in one of my Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues. The "playoffs" have started and I finished 8th out of 12. It is a head-to-head league and while I never really got trounced in a weekly matchup, I usually lost somthing like 5-4, which isn't enough to make the playoffs. In my other league I've got a good lock on 2nd place out of 12 teams. My offensive numbers are astounding. Of the 5 offensive categories, I have 12 points (max) in 4 of them and a 9 in RBI. It's only pitching that's keeping me from the title. My wins and K's are ok, but everything else is sucky. I'm 13.5 points ahead of the team in position 3, but only 6 back from the leader. There isn't much time left, but I still have a chance.
Also, on Thursday the NFL season starts and I have 3 Fantasy Football teams to watch over. The old CBL is back and Trish and I have what I feel is a pretty strong team. We also have a brother league (Colorado Wine League) going that I am now running. It's been somewhat of a challenge to get this set up, but it's turned out OK so far. I'm also running a Yahoo! free league mainly to keep me knowledgable about players and scoring that isn't in my other two leagues. It pays to know who's hot and who isn't. This year is the first fantasy sports experience for several owners.
This got me thinking about how long I've been doing this kind of thing. I think I ran my first fantasy baseball team back in 1991, meaning this is the 16th year of doing this stuff. My friends here in Colorado used to make fun of me when we'd go to a baseball game and I'd say "hey that guy used to play for the Twins" or "Craig Biggio started off as a catcher" or something like that. Speaking of Biggio, I've seen some great players start (and end) their careers since I've been "playing". I've done fantasy hockey several years too, but the last 5 years I've been focused on Fantasy Football. It's amazing how much the game has changed. We used to have to hand-compile our stats from Baseball Weekly or the USA Today. Now a website takes care of everything for you, including research, lineups, trades, waivers, etc. It's a huge business too. Crazy.
So, here's to the end of one Fantasy season and the begining of another. Let's hope the other "fantasy" season of the Cardinals winning the central (easier than wildcard) comes true too :)
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
2 new definitions
This weekend I conceived (with the help of alcohol and friends) of two new expressions I'd like to share with you.
Fecal Alcohol Syndrome: The shits you get the day after imbibing too many drinks. As in *coming out of the bathroom* "Wow, I have a serious case of fecal alcohol syndrome!"
Molestatious: Adj. Relating to or the properties of being likely to molest. As in "I don't trust clowns or ice cream men. They seem really molestatious to me" or "Your uncle Ernie had his molestatious hands all over me at the funeral".
Fecal Alcohol Syndrome: The shits you get the day after imbibing too many drinks. As in *coming out of the bathroom* "Wow, I have a serious case of fecal alcohol syndrome!"
Molestatious: Adj. Relating to or the properties of being likely to molest. As in "I don't trust clowns or ice cream men. They seem really molestatious to me" or "Your uncle Ernie had his molestatious hands all over me at the funeral".
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
What to do on the road
So I'm in Michigan this week, visiting a variety of sites for work.
What do I do when I'm on the road? Usually, as little as possible. I rarely go out to eat, preferring to get something and bring it back to the room. Last night I had hot wings and cheese sticks (thank God it didn't give me the farts for my meetings today). Tonight I went to Meijer (midwest supermarket) and got some stuff to eat. The primary thing I wanted to get was beer. I don't want to go to the lounge and have to sit there and drink a beer. I want to be in my bed watching TV and drinking one.
So, I bought a 6-pack of beer (new Miller chill - I figured, wtf, who cares, right? It is pretty good, actually), some corn chips, 7-layer dip and an asian salad. I've been eating far too shitty, so I thought I'd get something half-healthy.
I'm sitting in bed, chilling 3 of the beers in my ice bucket, eating my dip (maybe I'll get to the salad eventually) and drinking a half-warm one. I'm watching "War of the Worlds" on HBO and getting ready to participate in a mock fantasy draft on SportingNews.com. I really miss home. But, if you have to travel, it's really nice to be able to "hole up" in your room and live like a fucking slob and not have to do any actual work (once email is caught up).
BTW...Meijer is like a Super Walmart. Well....in the fact that it's full of a bunch of slow, bloated people. Unlike Super Walfuck, it has 40000 self-serve isles that worked very good. So, I didn't have to put down my choices and get out of the store before I could buy my stuff :)
What do I do when I'm on the road? Usually, as little as possible. I rarely go out to eat, preferring to get something and bring it back to the room. Last night I had hot wings and cheese sticks (thank God it didn't give me the farts for my meetings today). Tonight I went to Meijer (midwest supermarket) and got some stuff to eat. The primary thing I wanted to get was beer. I don't want to go to the lounge and have to sit there and drink a beer. I want to be in my bed watching TV and drinking one.
So, I bought a 6-pack of beer (new Miller chill - I figured, wtf, who cares, right? It is pretty good, actually), some corn chips, 7-layer dip and an asian salad. I've been eating far too shitty, so I thought I'd get something half-healthy.
I'm sitting in bed, chilling 3 of the beers in my ice bucket, eating my dip (maybe I'll get to the salad eventually) and drinking a half-warm one. I'm watching "War of the Worlds" on HBO and getting ready to participate in a mock fantasy draft on SportingNews.com. I really miss home. But, if you have to travel, it's really nice to be able to "hole up" in your room and live like a fucking slob and not have to do any actual work (once email is caught up).
BTW...Meijer is like a Super Walmart. Well....in the fact that it's full of a bunch of slow, bloated people. Unlike Super Walfuck, it has 40000 self-serve isles that worked very good. So, I didn't have to put down my choices and get out of the store before I could buy my stuff :)
Thursday, August 02, 2007
New Belgium does it again
When first moving to Colorado, I became acquainted with a beer called "Fat Tire".
It quickly became one of my favorite beers. Over the last few years I drink it less than I used to, but it's still a good beer.
A few years ago they came out with 1554, which is a black ale. I still think it's one of the best beers I've ever had. While it's a little too strong to be a "drinking" beer, it is really smooth and tasty.
I just returned from the liquor store and they have a new flavor - "Mothership Wit". The liquor store owner hadn't even gotten it in the system yet, but he sold me a sixer. It's an "organic wheat beer". I'm a big fan of both organic and wheat, so this is right up my alley. Bonus? It tastes great! While it's not of the level of something like a Paulaner Heffe or other Belgium or German "Weiss Beirs" it is certainly very enjoyable. Try it out the next time you're at the liquor store! Hell, get a 12-pack at the drive-through!
It quickly became one of my favorite beers. Over the last few years I drink it less than I used to, but it's still a good beer.
A few years ago they came out with 1554, which is a black ale. I still think it's one of the best beers I've ever had. While it's a little too strong to be a "drinking" beer, it is really smooth and tasty.
I just returned from the liquor store and they have a new flavor - "Mothership Wit". The liquor store owner hadn't even gotten it in the system yet, but he sold me a sixer. It's an "organic wheat beer". I'm a big fan of both organic and wheat, so this is right up my alley. Bonus? It tastes great! While it's not of the level of something like a Paulaner Heffe or other Belgium or German "Weiss Beirs" it is certainly very enjoyable. Try it out the next time you're at the liquor store! Hell, get a 12-pack at the drive-through!
Monday, July 09, 2007
Barry Bonds
So I'm sitting here watching the All-Star Home Run Derby. There was an interview with Barry Bonds and they asked him about the Home Run record and the interest by the press and fans and (moreso) the lack thereof. He said that he is disappointed that people are more interested in listening to something a 3rd party says about his game than what he says or what he shows on the field. When asked about commisioner Bud Selig's lack of interest in him setting the all-time home run record this year and he basically said that the commisioner is the commisioner and he doesn't have any control over what he does.
Now, I'm no Barry Bonds fan. But, I do think he's definitely one of the top 10 players to ever play in Major League Baseball. This year he's going to hit more home runs than anyone in the game has ever hit. He's one of only 4 players to EVER have a 40/40 year (40 HR and 40 SB) Did he use steroids? I don't know. And, actually, I don't care. Steroids weren't illegal for much of his career. Do you think that Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron or any of the other greats would have taken steroids if they'd been available? You bet your ass they would have. Barry Bonds isn't a media darling. He's never been very glib or funny and sometimes he's been downright reclusive. So-the-fuck what?! He's under no obligation to be super nice. Is he a biggot or a drunk partier like Ruth or some of the other old greats? Doesn't seem to be. Which is the worst offense, to use performance-enhancing drugs or to dislike someone because of the color of their skin? Which is worse, to not be very friendly to a press who has always criticized you, or to be a drunken, wife-beating husband?
Barry is one of the best and should be treated with a lot more respect than he is. I'm glad he's going to break the all-time record. Give him a break!
Now, I'm no Barry Bonds fan. But, I do think he's definitely one of the top 10 players to ever play in Major League Baseball. This year he's going to hit more home runs than anyone in the game has ever hit. He's one of only 4 players to EVER have a 40/40 year (40 HR and 40 SB) Did he use steroids? I don't know. And, actually, I don't care. Steroids weren't illegal for much of his career. Do you think that Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron or any of the other greats would have taken steroids if they'd been available? You bet your ass they would have. Barry Bonds isn't a media darling. He's never been very glib or funny and sometimes he's been downright reclusive. So-the-fuck what?! He's under no obligation to be super nice. Is he a biggot or a drunk partier like Ruth or some of the other old greats? Doesn't seem to be. Which is the worst offense, to use performance-enhancing drugs or to dislike someone because of the color of their skin? Which is worse, to not be very friendly to a press who has always criticized you, or to be a drunken, wife-beating husband?
Barry is one of the best and should be treated with a lot more respect than he is. I'm glad he's going to break the all-time record. Give him a break!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Henry Rollins - Drawing Conclusions -
As if I didn't already love Henry Rollins enough, here he rants about one of my most unfavorite places - Walmart!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
People on TV who bother me
You ever have shows that you like, but somoene on it just bugs you? Or maybe it's a commercial personality and every time you see it you cringe? Here's a list, in no particular order, of people on shows who bother me.
1) Chloe on "24". She isn't so much "frog-face" as an actual amphibian. She's always serious, always frowning and I am constantly expecting her to flick out her tongue to catch a fly.
2) The Bachelor(yeah, Trish makes me watch this). Or, more precisely, his ribcage. I realize he's a triathelete and a navy dr. and everything, but his fucking chest cavity is about 3x the size it should be. Freaky.
3) Lisa Lyden and her hair. She's one of our local newscasters. She's actually pretty good. But, in the 10 years I've lived here, I don't think I've ever seen her with good hair. It's distracting and bugs me whenever I see her, even TiVoing through commercials.
4) Those two guys who do the Sonic ads. Now, they don't bother me as much as they used to but I really don't think they are funny. They are dumb-looking and annoying.
5) Donald Trump. He's an ass, I've mentioned that. But, specifically, every time he comes into the "firing room" through those double doors, he walks like a dumb gorilla. He's annoying.
1) Chloe on "24". She isn't so much "frog-face" as an actual amphibian. She's always serious, always frowning and I am constantly expecting her to flick out her tongue to catch a fly.
2) The Bachelor(yeah, Trish makes me watch this). Or, more precisely, his ribcage. I realize he's a triathelete and a navy dr. and everything, but his fucking chest cavity is about 3x the size it should be. Freaky.
3) Lisa Lyden and her hair. She's one of our local newscasters. She's actually pretty good. But, in the 10 years I've lived here, I don't think I've ever seen her with good hair. It's distracting and bugs me whenever I see her, even TiVoing through commercials.
4) Those two guys who do the Sonic ads. Now, they don't bother me as much as they used to but I really don't think they are funny. They are dumb-looking and annoying.
5) Donald Trump. He's an ass, I've mentioned that. But, specifically, every time he comes into the "firing room" through those double doors, he walks like a dumb gorilla. He's annoying.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
The Cleanse
As promised, a reality-TV-free entry!
So, a few months ago Trish and I decided to do this "cleanse" thing. Her family had done it a while back and remarked on how good it made them feel.
We bought the stuff at least 2 months ago and we kept trying to make plans to do it, but had to put it off because of travel for one or the other of us. Finally we made the commitment to start it last week.
The cleanse is from Isagenix where they have several different plans. We opted for the 9-day cleanse since that is what her family had done. Basically you start with 2 cleanse days. This involves not eating any solid food except for 2 raw, unsalted almonds or one of their "snacks". The products in the 9-day cleanse are the cleanse, snacks, shake, and accelerator capsule.
The cleanse days you start out with 8oz of water. Then, 30 minutes later you drink 4 caps of the cleanse with 8-12oz water. You snack like 5x/day and have the cleanse for breakfast, lunch, dinner and then an hour or so after dinner. Days 3-7, you don't have the cleanse, but you replace your breakfast and dinner with a shake and have a 400-600 calorie, healthy lunch. You're not allowed any dairy or caffeine and you're advised to stay away from artificial sweetners or regular sugar. Basically you're not supposed to drink anything but water.
The "snack" is basically a hard tablet of compacted shake powder, in my opinion. If you've ever had a protein shake made from powder, that's what it tastes like. The shakes are mixed with water, so, while it isn't horrible, it isn't exactly yummy.
The first two cleanse days weren't too bad, really. It was novel and I stuck to the program completely. I scoffed at 2 almonds. TWO? Come on. But, they really make a difference. By the end of the 2nd day, I was looking forward to my real lunch. Turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread with no condiments...it was great. 5 days of trying to eat very healthy without dairy or additives. Diet Coke was starting to sound really really good. We did good, though. I even made some chicken fingers rolled in home-made bread crumbs (uh, yeah, dried bread, crunched up...high level of difficulty) and then baked in the oven. They were pretty good. Were they as good as Red Robin's...or pretty much any other chicken fingers? No, not really. But, they weren't bad and they were healthy and that's what this all about, right?
Today is day 9. It's the 2nd cleanse day and the last day of the program. I've begun having halucinations about the smell of cooking steak. I am trying to decide what my first real meal will be tomorrow. Chipotle? Subway? What, no pizza? No. See, the thing is, this cleanse is a "reset" button for me. We're going to start eating healthy from now on. Not as much pizza or fast food. Granted, we didn't eat lot of that anyway, but at least once every 2 weeks or so this winter we were ordering pizza. And, since I like deals, I was almost always getting the special of 2 large pizzas so we could have some leftover. So, essentially I was eating pizza like 2-3x after the initial meal. Not good.
I also start back at the gym next week. It's been almost a year since I went regularly and at least 5 full months since I've been at all. Although this time it'll be more cardio and less weights.
I highly recommend this program to anyone. It's certainly made my pants fit better and I am lighter and more energetic. I think it's even improved my mood. I'll definitely be doing this a few times a year to get all the toxins out of my body. In the mean-time I plan on dining with care.
I love food. I'm a huge fan of chocolate and I love fries and chips and meat. But, the thing I've missed the most on this program? Cheese. I can't wait to have some cheese. Subway sounds better and better tomorrow. Pizza would probably kill me from excitement right about now, but I'm not going to start off on that.
It was definitely and interesting experience. You wouldn't blame me if I woke up at 12:01am tomorrow and cooked a tombstone pizza, would you?!
So, a few months ago Trish and I decided to do this "cleanse" thing. Her family had done it a while back and remarked on how good it made them feel.
We bought the stuff at least 2 months ago and we kept trying to make plans to do it, but had to put it off because of travel for one or the other of us. Finally we made the commitment to start it last week.
The cleanse is from Isagenix where they have several different plans. We opted for the 9-day cleanse since that is what her family had done. Basically you start with 2 cleanse days. This involves not eating any solid food except for 2 raw, unsalted almonds or one of their "snacks". The products in the 9-day cleanse are the cleanse, snacks, shake, and accelerator capsule.
The cleanse days you start out with 8oz of water. Then, 30 minutes later you drink 4 caps of the cleanse with 8-12oz water. You snack like 5x/day and have the cleanse for breakfast, lunch, dinner and then an hour or so after dinner. Days 3-7, you don't have the cleanse, but you replace your breakfast and dinner with a shake and have a 400-600 calorie, healthy lunch. You're not allowed any dairy or caffeine and you're advised to stay away from artificial sweetners or regular sugar. Basically you're not supposed to drink anything but water.
The "snack" is basically a hard tablet of compacted shake powder, in my opinion. If you've ever had a protein shake made from powder, that's what it tastes like. The shakes are mixed with water, so, while it isn't horrible, it isn't exactly yummy.
The first two cleanse days weren't too bad, really. It was novel and I stuck to the program completely. I scoffed at 2 almonds. TWO? Come on. But, they really make a difference. By the end of the 2nd day, I was looking forward to my real lunch. Turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread with no condiments...it was great. 5 days of trying to eat very healthy without dairy or additives. Diet Coke was starting to sound really really good. We did good, though. I even made some chicken fingers rolled in home-made bread crumbs (uh, yeah, dried bread, crunched up...high level of difficulty) and then baked in the oven. They were pretty good. Were they as good as Red Robin's...or pretty much any other chicken fingers? No, not really. But, they weren't bad and they were healthy and that's what this all about, right?
Today is day 9. It's the 2nd cleanse day and the last day of the program. I've begun having halucinations about the smell of cooking steak. I am trying to decide what my first real meal will be tomorrow. Chipotle? Subway? What, no pizza? No. See, the thing is, this cleanse is a "reset" button for me. We're going to start eating healthy from now on. Not as much pizza or fast food. Granted, we didn't eat lot of that anyway, but at least once every 2 weeks or so this winter we were ordering pizza. And, since I like deals, I was almost always getting the special of 2 large pizzas so we could have some leftover. So, essentially I was eating pizza like 2-3x after the initial meal. Not good.
I also start back at the gym next week. It's been almost a year since I went regularly and at least 5 full months since I've been at all. Although this time it'll be more cardio and less weights.
I highly recommend this program to anyone. It's certainly made my pants fit better and I am lighter and more energetic. I think it's even improved my mood. I'll definitely be doing this a few times a year to get all the toxins out of my body. In the mean-time I plan on dining with care.
I love food. I'm a huge fan of chocolate and I love fries and chips and meat. But, the thing I've missed the most on this program? Cheese. I can't wait to have some cheese. Subway sounds better and better tomorrow. Pizza would probably kill me from excitement right about now, but I'm not going to start off on that.
It was definitely and interesting experience. You wouldn't blame me if I woke up at 12:01am tomorrow and cooked a tombstone pizza, would you?!
Idolation
OK, so after reading Voteforetheworst.com, I'm less interested in Idol as a "contest" and more interested in it as reality show. Basically, I know that Sanjaya is going to be kept around longer than others more talented. This week Gina was voted off and it did make me mad because Gina is one of my favorites. But, you know what? Chris Sligh and Gina and their respective mates get to go on vacation together now. ;) Haley, Phil and Gina were the bottom 3. Haley was the least talented of that group. Whatever. It is, what it is.
Dancing with the Stars is mildly interesting and Apprentice has kinda turned around. Survivor has become somewhat more fun and The Race is OK. I just wish that Mirna and Schmirna would get eliminated. The Race is "real" and those two, particularly Mirna, are not very nice.
Oh well, that's my anti-rant on reality this week. Possibly next post won't even be about Reality TV... :)
Dancing with the Stars is mildly interesting and Apprentice has kinda turned around. Survivor has become somewhat more fun and The Race is OK. I just wish that Mirna and Schmirna would get eliminated. The Race is "real" and those two, particularly Mirna, are not very nice.
Oh well, that's my anti-rant on reality this week. Possibly next post won't even be about Reality TV... :)
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Reality Rant
So I like to blog about reality shows, OK? Got a problem with that?
So, yeah, it's only Thursday and no Race or Survivor has yet been watched.
However, there is a new player in the Reality game. This is the 2nd season I've watched Dancing with the Stars. This week Paulina Porizkova was sent home. Sure, maybe she wasn't the best dancer, but she wasn't the worst. The thing about Paulina is she was witty, funny and more than a little silly. She was entertaining. Voting her off was a big mistake. Overall, the show is more than a little annoying. I don't like the female host very much. The judges can be irritating and any of the "professional" dances that aren't competition is a little uninteresting. But, it's still fun to see what happens.
Watched Idol last night. Fucking Sanjaya. He didn't even make it in the bottom 3. Haley, Chris and Phil all were. All are about 4x better than motherfuckinsanjaya. Chris, who was one of my favorites, got voted off. He's had a couple of sub-par weeks and it might not be able to have won it, but he's in a whole different category from san-fucking-bear-dick-jaya. I heard someone (was it Simon Cowell?) make a comment that America is voting who they want. That's the big problem. America is fucking stupid and they think it's funny to keep this kid with the stupid hair (did you happen to see his ridiculous fucking mohawk?) on the program while talented people get sent home. Yeah, it's a problem. I have a solution.
America wants to see Sanjaya? Really? OK, then let's make everyone who voted for Sanjaya sit through an entire concert of his "work". OK? Yeah, you like that moglie look-alike with the freakishly huge mouth? You wanna vote for him when real singers get voted off? Cool, then plunk down $50 and go see him rock his silly-ass style for a couple hours. I can only imagine the absurdity a complete body of his work would produce. Go, Sanjaya fans. Go see him. Fucking morons.
So, yeah, it's only Thursday and no Race or Survivor has yet been watched.
However, there is a new player in the Reality game. This is the 2nd season I've watched Dancing with the Stars. This week Paulina Porizkova was sent home. Sure, maybe she wasn't the best dancer, but she wasn't the worst. The thing about Paulina is she was witty, funny and more than a little silly. She was entertaining. Voting her off was a big mistake. Overall, the show is more than a little annoying. I don't like the female host very much. The judges can be irritating and any of the "professional" dances that aren't competition is a little uninteresting. But, it's still fun to see what happens.
Watched Idol last night. Fucking Sanjaya. He didn't even make it in the bottom 3. Haley, Chris and Phil all were. All are about 4x better than motherfuckinsanjaya. Chris, who was one of my favorites, got voted off. He's had a couple of sub-par weeks and it might not be able to have won it, but he's in a whole different category from san-fucking-bear-dick-jaya. I heard someone (was it Simon Cowell?) make a comment that America is voting who they want. That's the big problem. America is fucking stupid and they think it's funny to keep this kid with the stupid hair (did you happen to see his ridiculous fucking mohawk?) on the program while talented people get sent home. Yeah, it's a problem. I have a solution.
America wants to see Sanjaya? Really? OK, then let's make everyone who voted for Sanjaya sit through an entire concert of his "work". OK? Yeah, you like that moglie look-alike with the freakishly huge mouth? You wanna vote for him when real singers get voted off? Cool, then plunk down $50 and go see him rock his silly-ass style for a couple hours. I can only imagine the absurdity a complete body of his work would produce. Go, Sanjaya fans. Go see him. Fucking morons.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Remember the 80s?
I grew up in the 80s. Maybe that's dating myself, but it's true.
Do you remember the dorky/dumb things you did when you were a kid? In the 80s we did some of these things.
1) We pegged our pants. Seriously. What you do is pull out the cuff so it's tight, then fold it back so it is tight against your ankle. THEN you roll up each leg a couple of times, "setting" the fold. So, essentially you shorten and thin your leg. Some guys even had their mom's alter their pant legs so that they were slimmer. Talk about dorky!
2) Carried a comb. I've never really had that much hair. But, in the mid-80s I carried one of those de-tangling plastic combs. You know, the kind with the handle and the wavey teeth? My hair never got tangled, but I had to have one of those combs. I also think I carried a "pick" for a while. Afro anyone?
3) Trapper Keeper. Remember those obnoxious things with the velcro openings? Mine usually lasted all of 3 weeks before the plastic wore out, or I'd doodled on it so much you couldn't see the cool skateboard design or something. Rarely did I actually use it to organize shit. I threw everything in the main compartment and just closed it up.
What kind of things do you remember from the 80s?
Do you remember the dorky/dumb things you did when you were a kid? In the 80s we did some of these things.
1) We pegged our pants. Seriously. What you do is pull out the cuff so it's tight, then fold it back so it is tight against your ankle. THEN you roll up each leg a couple of times, "setting" the fold. So, essentially you shorten and thin your leg. Some guys even had their mom's alter their pant legs so that they were slimmer. Talk about dorky!
2) Carried a comb. I've never really had that much hair. But, in the mid-80s I carried one of those de-tangling plastic combs. You know, the kind with the handle and the wavey teeth? My hair never got tangled, but I had to have one of those combs. I also think I carried a "pick" for a while. Afro anyone?
3) Trapper Keeper. Remember those obnoxious things with the velcro openings? Mine usually lasted all of 3 weeks before the plastic wore out, or I'd doodled on it so much you couldn't see the cool skateboard design or something. Rarely did I actually use it to organize shit. I threw everything in the main compartment and just closed it up.
What kind of things do you remember from the 80s?
Sunday, March 25, 2007
My reality week ends on Sunday
So I was traveling this week and had to work to not see certain shows that I was TiVoing at home.
(Again -spoiler alert if you haven't watched reality TV from 3/20-25)
Survivor was interesting. They changed the teams and I found it more interesting than so far this season. I felt bad for Anthony, who was eliminated. He was the "geeky" guy. Yeah, he was a little whiny, but I'd liked to have seen someone else eliminated. Rocky is starting to irritate me and he's being a royal cock to Anthony, so I'd like to have seen Rocky go instead of Anthony, but oh well.
Idol. Oh Idol. What Sanjaya did was different this week, but I still think he sucked. Let me clarify... He's talented. He has a good voice. But I think he's the weekest competitor left. By far. He butchered "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks (Yes, Van Halen did a good version of that song in their debut album, but it was a cover of the Kinks, not written by Van Halen as many think). OK, so Sanjaya wasn't voted off. Stephanie was. Once again, while I don't think Stephanie was going to win the whole thing, she is infinitely more talented than Sanjaya. The shocking thing is, Sanjaya wasn't even in the bottom 3. Chris Richardson and Stephanie were the bottom two. Chris is one of my favorites, not because he sings my type of music or anything, but because he has a good voice, great stage prescence and is possibly the most marketable of all of the contestants. And, he was in the bottom 2, but not Sanjaya. The show has almost become a joke to me now. Sanjaya should have been gone weeks ago. My only hope that he leaves this week, because (have I mentioned this before?) everyone else left is much more talented.
SIDE NOTE: If you didn't catch SNL with Peyton Manning as host this week, you simply have to see it. Andy Samberg does an excellent Sanjaya. I think the current cast of SNL are some of the most talented folks that have been on in quite a while.
This brings me to Amazing Race. Charla and Mirna are back using their annoying fake accents. As I watch, they are currently in the lead, which makes me sick. The only thing that tempers that a bit is that Charla was sick on the boat too, puking over the side of a boat. But, that didn't prevent them from finishing 1st again. These people are rude to everyone, including most of the local folk they meet. They prayed with one on this trip (highly awkward for him) and then kept saying (again, in their fake spanish accent) "hurry up, we're not on a leisurely trip" to people like cab drivers, etc. Frankly, I think they're jerks, annoying, mean and I was ready for them to go weeks ago. Maybe they and Sanjaya can take a trip to somewhere far from any TV cameras together? Please? Teri and Ian, the older couple on the Race were eliminated. Nice people. Too bad Mirna and Schmirna weren't the ones :(
Does anyone else even watch this stuff?
(Again -spoiler alert if you haven't watched reality TV from 3/20-25)
Survivor was interesting. They changed the teams and I found it more interesting than so far this season. I felt bad for Anthony, who was eliminated. He was the "geeky" guy. Yeah, he was a little whiny, but I'd liked to have seen someone else eliminated. Rocky is starting to irritate me and he's being a royal cock to Anthony, so I'd like to have seen Rocky go instead of Anthony, but oh well.
Idol. Oh Idol. What Sanjaya did was different this week, but I still think he sucked. Let me clarify... He's talented. He has a good voice. But I think he's the weekest competitor left. By far. He butchered "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks (Yes, Van Halen did a good version of that song in their debut album, but it was a cover of the Kinks, not written by Van Halen as many think). OK, so Sanjaya wasn't voted off. Stephanie was. Once again, while I don't think Stephanie was going to win the whole thing, she is infinitely more talented than Sanjaya. The shocking thing is, Sanjaya wasn't even in the bottom 3. Chris Richardson and Stephanie were the bottom two. Chris is one of my favorites, not because he sings my type of music or anything, but because he has a good voice, great stage prescence and is possibly the most marketable of all of the contestants. And, he was in the bottom 2, but not Sanjaya. The show has almost become a joke to me now. Sanjaya should have been gone weeks ago. My only hope that he leaves this week, because (have I mentioned this before?) everyone else left is much more talented.
SIDE NOTE: If you didn't catch SNL with Peyton Manning as host this week, you simply have to see it. Andy Samberg does an excellent Sanjaya. I think the current cast of SNL are some of the most talented folks that have been on in quite a while.
This brings me to Amazing Race. Charla and Mirna are back using their annoying fake accents. As I watch, they are currently in the lead, which makes me sick. The only thing that tempers that a bit is that Charla was sick on the boat too, puking over the side of a boat. But, that didn't prevent them from finishing 1st again. These people are rude to everyone, including most of the local folk they meet. They prayed with one on this trip (highly awkward for him) and then kept saying (again, in their fake spanish accent) "hurry up, we're not on a leisurely trip" to people like cab drivers, etc. Frankly, I think they're jerks, annoying, mean and I was ready for them to go weeks ago. Maybe they and Sanjaya can take a trip to somewhere far from any TV cameras together? Please? Teri and Ian, the older couple on the Race were eliminated. Nice people. Too bad Mirna and Schmirna weren't the ones :(
Does anyone else even watch this stuff?
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Reality continues to disappoint
Ug. Sanjaya made it through last week's Idol. Brandon, while probably not someone who would have won, was voted off. Are the people who vote idiots or do I have no right to complain since I don't vote? I still think the whole system is wrong. Judges and voters should have equal influence.
And watching Amazing Race right now and Charla and Mirna have arrived first. While they weren't quite as annoying this week, I still want them gone. They are so phony and mean and then act like everyone else is mean to them. And, what's with their fucking accents? They speak normal English one minute, the next they sound like a bad actor portraying a mexican in a b-grade movie. They need to go! Instead, Uchenna and Joyce were last but they were NOT eliminated. I am so relieved, because I really like them, even though they are past winners. I still hope the "'irna" team chokes next week. I could stand to see the Guido's gone too, though.
And watching Amazing Race right now and Charla and Mirna have arrived first. While they weren't quite as annoying this week, I still want them gone. They are so phony and mean and then act like everyone else is mean to them. And, what's with their fucking accents? They speak normal English one minute, the next they sound like a bad actor portraying a mexican in a b-grade movie. They need to go! Instead, Uchenna and Joyce were last but they were NOT eliminated. I am so relieved, because I really like them, even though they are past winners. I still hope the "'irna" team chokes next week. I could stand to see the Guido's gone too, though.
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