Going LIVE

I am in Baltimore preparing for the LIVE that is happening tonight at 12:00. 2 Hours to go! I've been here since 2:30pm and I am getting ancy for this thing to begin then I can start trouble shooting the issues that arise. If I get to go back to the hotel before 2:30am I will be psyched. We shall see.

Ranchero Beef Stew

Drew asked me to post the recipie from Last Night's Stew. I didn't really follow the recipie, I just started with it and then got creative, but here's my best shot:

All-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
2 lb Beef stew meat; cut into 1-inch cubes

1 lg Onion; cubed
A small bag of baby carrots
1 lb New Potatoes, Quartered
3 Garlic cloves; chopped
2 can Stewed tomatoes; (15-to -16-ounce)
1 Can Diced tomatoes with jalepenos
1 c Canned beef broth
1 Bottle Yuengling Lager (or any amber or dark beer)
2 cans Diced green chilies;(4-ounce cans)
1/2 c Sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives; (about 2 1/2-ounces) (I skipped this)
2 tb Dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground Cyanne Pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/3 c Chopped fresh cilantro (I skipped this)

Heat oil in frying pan over high heat. Toss beef in a bowl of flour seasoned with salt and pepper to coat lightly. Add to frying pan; saute until brown, about 5 minutes. Remove to Crockpot. Add onion, carrots, and garlic to fry pan; saute 5 minutes, remove to Crockpot. Add tomatoes, broth, chilies, beer, potatoes, olives and spices to Crockpot. Cook in Crockpot on low for 8 hours. (or in a Dutch oven in the oven until beef is tender, about 2 hours.)

It has a bit of a bite, so be warned. May be good with Sour cream or Guacamole on top.
Enjoy!

Indian Larry 1949-2004

Anybody who knows me, knows that I like motorcycles and enjoy the Discovery Channel's programs like American Chopper and The Great Biker Build-Off. One of the mechanics/stuntmen/innovator/sculptor of The Great Biker Build-Off was Indian Larry. Indian Larry was known for his old school choppers and crazy stunt riding. According to this article from the Charlotte Observer Indian Larry died while performing one of his trademark stunts on August 30th, 2004.

(Last?) Day in Implementation

Today should be my last day in the implementation group. However tomorrow I head off to Baltimore for a LIVE visit. And when I return I'll still be in implementation for a day to process the paperwork from the LIVE visit.

The Good: This site has been (mostly) working hard on all aspects of the installation. I may be able to see the Sox play at Camden Yards. There will be other specialists here to hang out with.

The Bad: The site is so demanding I may never get to the game. I'm anticipating that I will remain at the hospital from the moment I get there tomorrow afternoon till 3 or 4 in the morning, if I am lucky.

The Ugly: The Bloodbank at the hospital woke up a week ago and realized that they've done next to nothing to prepare for the transition. EVERYTHING is top priority.

So, today I try and clean up the loose ends that I can while I finish packing up my desk to move to my new desk downstairs. Then tomorrow morning I head to the airport and off to a 'fun-filled' weekend in Baltimore. I'll put up photos throughout the weekend if I get a chance to take any in Inner Harbor or the surrounding area.

Andy, you've got two more chances to pull ahead and win the trivia challenge for the month. I have closed the gap as you can see.

On Friday I will change the trivia topic, if anyone has suggestions please e-mail me.

Also Allison made a kick ass southwestern beef stew last yesterday. I'll ask her to post the recipe. It was no French Onion Soup but then again, what is?

Suicidal Squirrels and the Kieran Ridge Band

Have you noticed the abundance of dead squirrels all over the roads? Yesterday as I drove home I saw one tear across three lanes of traffic avoiding the cars but then ending up at the Jersey Barrier where he most likely died of a heart attack. The dead squirrels are all over the roads. Why would a squirrel run out of a perfectly good tree and across a highway? It makes no sense to me. Did anyone else see Scrubs last week with the squirrel army that the Janitor had. Funny.

My Kieran Ridge Band CD came from CDBaby.com yesterday. No satin pillow, but it did arrive safely. I listened to the CD on then way in to work this morning. Kieran has a sound like Bob Dylan. His songs are very bluesy and American rock influenced, his lyrics are masterful in their storytelling. This CD is one I would recommend that you purchase. I can't wait till Kieran is touring again so I can see the band live. Kieran e-mailed me after I purchased the CD to thank me for buying a CD. (CDBaby.com sends a message to the artist when you purchase their CD.) He is in the studio now with a new band recording the next album. After that he's going back out on the road. Kieran's band is Boston based so he plays alot in the area. Go check him out if you get a chance. I'll post the tour schedule when I see it up on his site.

CSI:NY

I was able to watch CSI New York yesterday. It was pretty good (except for the ending) I think that CSI: Miami is the best, New York and the original one are closely tied for second though.

I see that the trivia contest is picking up some new players, welcome. I don't know who everyone is but everyone is welcome to play.

I got my packing boxes today for my move downstairs to the Marketing Support Group. Only three more days in the office. And then off to Baltimore. Hopefully I won't be at the hospital the entire time and I will be able to go to the Sox game.

Joe and Jen's Engagement Party

Yesterday Allison and I went to Joe and Jen's engagement party in Raymond New Hampshire. We had a great time hanging with their family and sharing a delicious BBQ of ribs, chicken and the best corn on the cob of the summer. Joe's dad made a homemade salsa that was awesome. Here are some pictures from that evening.

Allison and Ned

Ned and Sarah

Jen, Joe, Allison and Drew

Amazing Animals

Did you know that the dog sniffing your crotch in an overly friendly manner may in fact be fighting cancer and not just molesting you.

It is true.

Please read.

And did you know that one day if you are trapped in the rubble of an earthquake you may find your salvation at the paws of a cyborg rat.

Again it is true.

Please Read
Another Article
and Another
and yet Another!

I can't tell you how long before some pervert uses this technology to create www.robo-rat-up-skirt.com, but I can tell you how all of those videos will end. "AHHHH! A rat!" Giant foot comes into frame, and [ZZZZKKKRT!]

And then there are cats that can perform acupuncture to help clear up acne.

True enough...

Nah, just messing with you.

Last Day for Jeans

Today is my last day to wear jeans on Fridays. The Marketing group does not allow jeans on Fridays. No big deal, in fact I am excited because that means that I'm getting closer to making the transfer to the new job. Now if I can just survive next weekend without losing my patience things will be golden.

Did anyone see that a 15 foot great white shark was spotted in Woods Hole. There is a story about it in the Cape Cod times. [Shark Story]. On the news last night there was video and it looked like the length from dorsal fin to tail fin was way more than 15 feet. It looked like two huge sharks swimming behind each other. This thing is huge. Not something I'd like to come up alongside in a kayak, i.e. big plastic seal-looking-snack.

I love newspaper articles sometimes. Here is a quote from the Cape Cod Times.

..He used a six-foot-long spear to attach the device to the shark's dorsal fin.

..."When you're dealing with an animal of that size, you've got to be careful, period," said Skomal. "It's not likely to do any harm, but if something triggered it, watch out."

Hmm, do you think a probe on a six foot spear jabbed into the shark's dorsal fin could possibly be, I don't know, a potential "trigger". I know I'd be pissed if some guy came up and tagged my shoulderblade by shoving a spear into it.

Check out the NECN video too.

CD Baby

Yesterday I placed an Order for THE KIERAN RIDGE BAND CD through CD Baby.com. If you go back through the archives you will remember that Kieran Ridge is a Boston Based Blues Rock singer who also happens to have gone to college with me. Yesterday when I was looking up folk singers and musicians I went to his site to check out the latest news and see if the band was performing near me at any time. They are actually in the studio now recording a new album. Anyway, I placed an order for his debut album. And the following this the confirmation from CD Baby.com letting me know my CD was shipped.Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.

A team of 50 employees inspected your CD and polished it to make sure it was in the best possible condition before mailing.

Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over
the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.

We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved 'Bon Voyage!' to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, Wednesday, September 22nd.

I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did.
Your picture is on our wall as 'Customer of the Year'. We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!

This of course is a much better message than the one I got from Action-HQ when they sent me a banged up Binaltech Silverstreak and basically told me "Too Bad So Sad about our incompetence of shipping products."

Lost, Law and Order, and a new CSI

Well it looks like Wednesday night will be the reason for multiple VCR's. J.J. Abrams new show "Lost" premiered last night and it was awesome. The pacing, the feeling of terror and confusion and the unknown. I think this series will be one that I will try and catch each week.

Law an Order has a new face Dennis Farina has replaced the retired Jerry Orbach as the new older detective with some moxie. Farina brings a humor and edge to the series as a detective who could easily pass for a mobster. From his martinis to his huge money clip, (with the big bills on the outside, like Pacinio says to Johnny Depp in Donnie Brasco [And as an aside, Mike Newell the director of Donnie Brasco is now working on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I can just picture Pacino as Mad Eye Moody]), to his ride, and his tough guy attitude, I may actually enjoy having Brisco gone. If you'd like to see Farina in a lesser known work but very funny rent Dave Barry's Big Trouble, you will laugh.

I didn't get to see CSI New York or Rescue me last night but taped them. Not sure if I am going to get into another CSI since CSI Miami is the one I really like but they killed off Speed and that bugs me. I liked that character.

WERS

Emmerson College has a nice radio station. The call letters are WERS. I stumbled upon this station because someone (not naming names) used my car and had been listening to the station and left one of the presets programmed to 88.9FM. Each morning from 6-10:00am there is the CoffeeHouse. The CoffeeHouse plays folk music, some of our favorites like Ellis, Vance, Christopher and Don are played often. I've even begun to enjoy songs by a few new people like Andrew Kerr (Listen to song Don't forget your Fans), Mark Erelli, and Peter Mulvey. This station is great for the morning ride in. Check it out. You can even listen online.

The experiment is over

Well, I Found Some of Your Life is toast. I've had some mixed feelings about the site. At first I thought it was funny because the messages were not mean in any way. But then the more I thought about it I realized that it really was an invasion of someone's privacy and a public display of their life without permission. Even though the author may have been trying to do something to maybe find the owner of the memory card, it wasn't the best way to do this. I hope the authors intentions were sincere because there are plenty of insincere people out there who would have taken that card to mock the owner regardless. I think that by taking down the site the author knows that his actions may embarrass, or may have embarrassed someone. It is good to see that he did the right thing, eventually.

[09/21/04 1:08PM] I sent a message to the author of I Found Some of Your Life asking why he took it down. and this was his response.

Nothing in particular caused me to take the site down. With the site's sudden exposure, the concept lost its innocence.

I Found Some Of Your Life

[09/20/04: 2:32PM] Apparently taking someone's digital card and posting the photos on a website may get you into trouble. I Found Some Of Your Life Has been put on hold until further notice.

I have found an interesting little blog that details the life of a young man who lost his memory card in the back seat of a taxi. Check it out but make sure you start at the archives and begin reading from the beginning.

I Found Some Of Your Life.

This site has also been added to my blogs of note section of links.

Jolly Mon

With International Talk Like A Pirate Day just around the corner I thought I would check out some other books by the Pirate born 200 years too late... Jimmy Buffett. Jimmy has written a children's book called Jolly Mon based on the song by Jimmy of the same name. Jolly Mon is about a guy who is gifted with great singing ability and one day finds a magical guitar and is befriended by a dolphin. Jolly Mon also becomes King. The song is a fun one and if you have the East Hampton 2001 CD there is a story about the song and about how Disney wanted to make the song into a movie. But the caveat was that, "Could Jolly Mon be white?" To which Jimmy exclaims, "No! Ever seen Bob Marley you Dumbass!" Gotta love corporate suits.

Speaking of corporate suits, I got roped into The Apprentice last night. "The" Bradford was fired for being such a cocky idiot. Granted there were other people who should have been fired before him but he made a fatal error. And it cost him.

Dave Barry's Blog

The man who came up with the International Talk Like a Pirate Day, Dave Barry has his own Blog. Enjoy. http://weblog.herald.com/column/davebarry/

Off to an all day meeting.

International Talk like a Pirate Day

September 19, 2004 be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. It also happens t' be me three year anniversary with MEDITECH. But more importantly it be a day t' heave t' and speak likes t' that o' a scurvy dog.

I've just finished readin' a few books that be piratical in nature.

• Treasure Island
• The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty
• A Pirate Looks at Fifty

Or rent one of these movies

• Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl
• The Bounty

Pirate Links

• Margaritaville
• Pirates
• Pirate Mod - Clothing

Full Metal Jackie

So, yesterday Allison and I were watching VH-1's A2Z TV show and suddenly a synapse in my brain snaps to attention as I notice that someone I am watching on screen is someone I know. I can't believe it, but am not sure if I was seeing things correctly. But, then she came back on the screen and I knew, Jackie Clarke from Bishop Feehan Class of 1992 is a comedian in New York and she is one of the comedians who gives color commentary on all things A2Z for celebrities. After the show I checked the internet to see if she had a website and sure enough after some digging I found it. http://www.jackieclarke.net is where she hangs her internet hat.

Jackie has put on many one woman shows and is now starring in a couple more, one called Full Metal Jackie and the other I cannot post here.

Buffett at Fenway

Last night Allison and I attended the Jimmy Buffett concert at Fenway park. It was no Great Woods, but it was awesome none-the-less. Allison and I were joined by her parents Dan and Marcia, her friends Beth and Jen, then Richie, Gail, Dana, Debbie, Dave and Jen, and Aunt Sandy. We were in two sections: Allison, Beth, Jen, Dave, Jen and I were in Section 15 while Dan, Marcia, Aunt Sandy, Richie, Gail, Debbie and Dana were in section 26. Although I had a post in my direct line of vision (Would it have been any other way? Honestly) I was still able to see both of the giant screens.

Jimmy played many of his old favorites and some of his new songs from the License to Chill album. But he played Southern Cross and so it was all good.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Brookline and during the walk home I was looking around at all the apartment buildings. In one building on the top floor there were some people who were watching the crowds disperse. And as I loooked around for other folks who were watching us, I apparently was staring too long at one particular window on the 5th or 6th floor of some building. There was a young woman who was brushing her hair. She looked down, right at me, and flashed me. So despite the lack of tailgating there was some parking-lot-like action going on.

We returned to the Holiday Inn to have a couple more Coronas and call it a night.

Jimmy Come back to Great Woods next year!

Race for the Cure

This morning Allison and I got up at 4:30am and headed down to Boston for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Allison worked with the Zeta's on handing out bags, shirts, and hats to the survivors. I walked around and checked out the booths while I waited for the race to begin. Allison also gave a great speech to the entire crowd. I am so proud of her addressing a crowd of over 5,000. She did a great job.

I participated in the race as a runner. I ended up walking most of the race because there wasn't really much space to do any running. I did end up running over a mile of the race. Hey, I'm working up to more than one mile. Maybe on the race at the end of October. It took me about 43 minutes total. I'll improve on the next one.

Allison addresses the crowd, surrounded by the survivors.

Drew and Allison

Drew finishing the race.

Dano's 50th

Yesterday we celebrated the 50th birthday of Allison's father Dan. We spent the day babysitting Caleb from down the street. He bit Allison because "I have sharp teeth." Well Allison has a big bruise on her arm. Caleb is 3. And he is a speedy three year old.

We had some Alley Cat Pizza for dinner, Allison made Bongo Bongo dip and we had plenty of Corona. Good time. Happy Birthday Dano.

Buffettless Buffett Party

Last night was the Buffettless Buffett Party at Besty's. What a fun time. Of course I haven't been out for a rip roaring fun time in a while and needless to say I put myself into a state where, as Sammy would say, "I'd need a helmet".

It was a nice night and I made Margaritas..... for me. Let's just say that I was pretty much the only person who got any margaritas last night, which I started drinking at 2:00pm. Anyway it was fun and everyone was great and I hope I didn't totally offend anyone whom I may be working with in the near future. (Rick, sorry about the Garden State Shirt comments, being as you have not seen the movie nor the commericals and the fact that your shirt in no way looked like the shirt from the Garden State commercials if must have not made much sense to you nor would it have been as funny as I apparently thought it was last night.) Like I said, I was in need of a helmet.

Anyone got a Helmet for this nut.

Peter,Drew,Rick,Christine

Senior Pictures

Mo sent me this link to a collection of senior pictures. Very funny.

http://www.planetdan.net/junk/seniors/index.htm

Doggy Day Care

My sister Tara and her husband Erik are off to Colorado for a long weekend excursion and wedding of a friend. The 'girls' are at home and need someone to watch them. My cousin is watching the dogs for the weekend but she cannot drive a stick so she can't take the dogs to day care. So I took the dogs this morning. I can drive a stick but its been a few years since I have driven one and I am a little rusty. So I was up at 6:30 and out to the driveway to take Tara's car over to her house to pick up the dogs (Taylor and Daisy Mae). After almost taking down our fence I was off. I got to the house and got the girls out of their crates and got their leashes on, grabbed their lunches, made sure everyone got to pee before they left and loaded them into the back of Tara's Passat wagon. Daisy has a very sensitive stomach and she gets sick on every ride. Couple that fact with the one that I didn't exactly know where I was going, nor did I have a complete and full mastery of the intricacies of the car, and the driver's windshield wiper was as effective as a greasy paper towel, the drive was not smooth. So after driving around and finally calling my father I found the Doggy Day Care center. I open the trunk and Daisy had left me a nice neat pile of puke. And they had dragged their leashes through it. I grabbed the clean ends and hurried into the Doggy Day Care center and quickly explained that one end of the leash was puke covered and while tyring to hold these two little spazes as they strained to get inside and play with their friends. Well at least they got there. Oh and don't worry I cleaned the car too.

Yearly Review

Today I had my yearly review at work. And unlike last year I am feeling pretty good about the outcome. Even with leaving to go to another group, getting two very difficult sites and staying longer for two extra LIVEs I think things are going to work out. I've got some high hopes. But we shall see.

Labor Day - Another day of Kayaking

Hi everyone, hope that your Labor day was great. Allison and I started off the day with a great breakfast with Neil and Andrea at Crabapples. And thanks to a small craft advisory yesterday they were unable to go on a kayak trip. But they were scheduled for one today at noon with Cape Cod Kayak. So Allison and I called Kim and got in on the trip and we also spent the afternoon with Neil and Andrea and Kim on the water. We paddled out of Pocassett river over and around the two smaller islands of Toby's Island. Then in the afternoon we went for a BBQ at Kim's to celebrate Greg's birthday.

Labor Day Weekend on the Cape

This Labor day instead of the usual Jimmy Buffett afternoon we were on the Cape. This morning My father and I kayaked around the Coonamessett Farm Pond. It started as a windy morning and as we crossed the pond the weather turned very tranquil. It is such a great place to go and kayak. There is a photo below of the landing at the pond.

My sister Tara and her husband Erik came down with their two dogs, Taylor and Daisy. Taylor is the retriever mix and Daisy is a German pointer mix. They are both Southern Belles, as they came to us from Mississippi (Daisy) and North Carolina (Taylor). Those two caused quite a ruckus at the house as they chased Shelby's two cats, Hannah and Lilla around the house. Hannah christened the kitchen. Ahh lysol orange and cat piss, how aromatic.

The beach was very windy today but the water was wavy and warm. I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day weekend and hopefully a fun day with the families.

The landing at Coonamessett Farm Pond

Taylor

Daisy Mae

Kayaking the Coonamessett Farm Pond

Today Allison and I found a new kayaking spot on the cape. There is a pond not far from the house that is out in the woods. Its a half mile off a dirt road in Falmouth. There was an article in the Cape Cod Times last Sunday that talked about beginning kayaking and some of the nice places to go. The Coonamessett Farm Pond is 151 acres in size and has very few houses around. It was a perfectly clear day to go and kayak there.

Today was also a great beach day. It's been nice to relax out on the Cape. I was able to finish one of the four books I've been reading and start a new one. I finished Shackleton's Forgotten Men, the story of the group of men whose jobs it was to lay supply depots for Ernest Shackleton for his trip across Antarctica. It was a long slog through that book but I finally finished.

Tonight I tried a food network recipe for Grilled Bacon Wrapped Corn on the Cob. It was pretty good, I'll have to try it again and figure out how to make it better.

Off to the Cape

Allison and I are headed to the Cape for the weekend. I may be able to update the blog throughout the weekend but may not. Expect updates on Tuesday.

I just found out that I may have to go to Canada again for their LIVE visit. This would be after my transfer. On the bright site that will put me on Platinum status for Sheraton hotels. Cool. Oh and Simpsons trivia will last throughout the weekend. New topic on Tuesday.

Arrghh!

The countdown cannot go any slower! I have been ready to make the move to the new position for months now and each hour, each minute, each second is painfully slower than the last. Today was the worst so far as I spent many of those minutes begin harangued by... Satan's nephew. Satan's nephew was angered by some information that I provided and in usual form got right to the point and then whacked the crap outta that dead horse for 20 excruciating minutes. Thank God a long weekend is on the horizon.

Garden State Part III

Last night Allison and I saw Garden State. Allison for the first time and me for the second time. The movie was even better the second time around. It has so many great themes in it. Love, Pain, Loss, the Unknown, Angst, Friendship, Sadness. Its got tragedy, and the flawed characters and humor and all of it wrapped into a well paced and introspective film. If you want to see a movie that will make you laugh and the next minute move you to tears then go see Garden State.