Top 5 - a blog in review

Hello all! In a good bye to the year, I am asking you all to look back! I am doing my top 5 favorite top 5 lists I have done to date. If you go to one of my top 5 lists, the subject at the bottom of the post is top 5. If you click on that, it will give you a good summary of all the top 5 posts. Anyway, these below were my favorite either because I really enjoyed writing them or I enjoyed researching them or I felt the list was solid.

1. Top 5 American Beers - I posted this one around July 4th and I loved the list. I loved the conversation this caused with other people. Just a good topic and good timing for it.
2. Top 5 words with video - It was my first post with video and I thought it was hilarious and turned out very well.
3. Top 5 Paul Newman movies - It was therapeutic to me to spend a week counting down this icon's movies. RIP Newman.
4. Top 5 Athletes I want to drink with - I think this topic is very fun to think about and I feel like my list is very solid. I would change nothing!
5. Top 5 TV Theme songs - This was very fun to research. I can not tell you how many theme songs I listened to but it brought back a lot of good memories. It was very enjoyable.

Well, good bye 2008 and hello 2009! If everyone enjoyed the top 5s half as much as I enjoyed writing them, then it was a success.

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND GO HAWKS!!!

Shanahan - the GM or the Coach...oh wait...both

Alright, Shanahan is gone from Denver. I cannot believe it. They had a collapse of huge portions this year and have not been good the last few years. Still, I can not believe it. Shanahan's record in Denver is 138-86 and has only two losing seasons in 14 years of coaching. He coached the Broncos to back to back Superbowl Championships. Firing him was a mistake. Jeff Fisher went three years without a winning record. Bill Cowher went three years without a winning record. Neither of them got fired and did pretty well after those years. Who is Denver going to bring in that is better? The only person I would be a little happy about bringing in is Gary Kubiak. Too bad he was born and raised in Houston and now coaches there.

Let me paint you a picture. Bill Parcels is the Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Miami Dolphins. Tony Sparano is their head coach. Mike Shanahan is BOTH OF THOSE IN DENVER!!!!!! WHY????? I don't know. It happened a couple years ago. Basically, Shanahan was doing everything for the team. That was the fatal flaw. As soon as they fired Ted Sundquist, and gave his job to Shanahan, I knew they were in trouble. This did not work in Seattle with Holmgren. It did not work with Parcells when he tried it as well.

Now, if I were the owner of the Broncos (happiest person on earth would be me), I would have stripped Shanahan of his football operations job and kept him as head coach. If Shanahan refused, then fine, he is gone. It makes no sense for one person to do the job that takes two people 20 hours a day each. Well, coaching at least is a highly demanding job hours wise. I am sure the other is too.

He is one of the greats when it comes to coaching. He will go down as the Bronco's greatest coach to date. GM - Well, Shanahan was not too good there. Actually, I am not sure. Trying to do two jobs at once probably caused both jobs to suffer. He had too much responsibility.

It is reported the players are stunned and the players were behind Shanahan. Where is this organization headed? I have no idea but this move seems a bit extreme.

Advice to anyone wanting to hear about this - Please listen to Mark Schlereth. He nails this!!!!!

Good-bye Shanahan and thank you for the years! See you in Canton (if the hall of fame didn't hate the Broncos...that is a whole different post).

Prediction: If Shanahan goes to a team as just the head coach - watch out!

Top 5 - Christmas Movies

I have to say that tethering to a blackberry to get wireless connection on my computer is pretty nice. I am writing this blog as I sit on the back porch of Michelle's parents' house. On a quick sidenote, Michelle's Uncle Tom got an eagle on a par 4 today. He chipped it in from about 100 yards away. It was AWESOME. So, today's top 5 is Christmas movies and cartoon movies are allowed. I am excluding Die Hard and Gremlins. It just made it too hard. So, without further ado, from my 82 degree surroundings, here are mine.

1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - I love this movie especially the amount of lights that are on the house and Randy Quaid's character.
2. A Christmas Story - I once got a beebee gun for christmas. I probably wanted it because of this movie too.
3. Scrooged - Bill Murray plays a great role in this movie and I love the ghost of Christmas past. She is a riot.
4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the cartoon) - Who doesn't love the Grinch? Really?
5. Home Alone - Any christmas movie that has a polka bank from Sheboygan will always make my top 5!

Time to jump in the pool....

Merry Christmas to all!!!!!!

Obscure fact about me...

I am a fan of Frank Sinatra. Actually, more acurrately, I am a fan of the Rat Pack. Those guys had life figured out. Why did this come up you ask? Well, if I am going to listen to Christmas music, my favorite album is the Rat Pack Christmas album. It has 20 songs on it and they are all good.

In other news, here are a few facts about our car ride so far (we are 350 miles from Michelle's parents house right now)

1. It is 54 degrees outside and I swear it feels like SUMMER!
2. It took until we were in Chattanooga, TN before we hit a temperature above 32 degrees. WTF!
3. Michelle says Chick-fil-A is the greatest food on earth. We stopped their about 20 min ago.
4. I know this goes without saying but customer service in the south is SOOO much better than Chicago.

Happy Tuesday!

Heading South

So, Michelle and I are leaving in an hour for Florida. I can now wait to head south. This negative weather is ridiculous. I have two top 5s in mind. For Wednesday, I want you to think about your favorite Christmas movies.

Safe Travels to everyone and I will post on Wednesday.

This week in 1985

The Chair by George Strait was #1 in Country Music.

Long Live King George!

AWESOME!!!!!

This really does sum it up. Thank you media for not doing your job.

Also, please catch when the Washington Post talks about the article written about Obama during the campaign that led to Obama kicking the Washington Post off the campaign plane.

I am having trouble providing the video but here it is.

Top 5 - Baseball Movies

Ok, we are coming to the home stretch for my run of top 5s. I also have an idea of what the next two will be. Lets just say next week's top 5 has to do with Christmas movies. This week's list is self explanatory. Give me your top 5 baseball movies. This maybe a shocker to some. Field of Dreams will be no where NEAR my top 5. If you need help, think of movies, go here.



1. Bull Durham - I can not really explain it. Of course, Cosner is going to be in everyone's list in someway shape or form. I like that this movie takes place in the minor leagues. My favorite scene is the huddle on the pitcher's mound when everyone is trying to figure out their problems. Classic.

2. The Natural - I love the time period of the movie. This is another one that takes places in the minors. Roy Hobbs is the best damn hitter I ever saw.

3. Major League - Baseball's best comedy. Who doesn't love Jobu?

4. League of their Own - Tom Hanks nailed this role. Very unique movie. I could not even fathom this happening today. Just crazy. I find I have a hard time turning this movie off if it is on TV.

5. Bad News Bears (the old one obviously) - Chico's bail bonds - Enough said.

If I were to continue this list, Long Gone, 8 men out and Sandlot would be next.

Let me give a shout out to Long Gone here. It was a made for HBO movie. It is a very underrated movie. The lead actor, Stud Cantrell is played by William Peterson (head actor on CSI now) and his main squeeze in the movie is Virginia Madsen. It is a story about a low level minor league team. I highly recommend it.

Happy Wednesday!

What happens at training...

does not always stay at training.

"You mean water and soap does not remove this but I am flying straight to work tomorrow and all I have packed are short sleeved shirts. Uh oh."

Good times!

Note: They were removed last weekend with rubbing alcohol.

Top 5 Casino Games

I am in training all week and am not online very much. I am dying without the web. Actually, the classes are pretty good and there is so much going on. Well, tonight they are having a casino night for us. This is always a hit. We have not had it the last couple years but it is back! YESSSSSSSSS! They give us fake money and at the end of the night the more money you have the more chances you have of winning prizes. Anyway, this gave me the idea of the top 5 today - Casino games. Without further ado, here they are.

1. Paigow Poker - Great game if you are at a casino with friends. It is a slow game.
2. Blackjack - 22! Big winner! A couple people will get that sorry... Fun game but it is sometimes too fast for me.
3. Craps - You need a bankroll to keep up with this game but I usually do pretty will with it.
4. Poker tables - Not a no-limit buy-in game but the tables you can walk up to and sit for a while and then leave.
5. Video poker - They are usually at the bar and usually when you are playing, the drinks are free!

Back to class.........

P.S. Last night around midnight, the temp outside was 60. I heart the south from December to March.

P.S.S. I left off sports books because they are not a casino game really. However, if they were to be on the list, they would go number 2.

A New Nation Holiday!

I want to thank Funk for sending me the link and I am going to make this short since I am busy. BOOO. Today is the 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition!

So everyone, grab a drink and cheers!

http://www.repealofprohibition.com/

Top 5 - Worst College Mascots

Sorry I have been slow around these parts lately. I have been ridiculously busy at work. On a sidenote, Thanksgiving break was good including watching LU win a close one at home. Also, my goal of 150 workouts was made on the last day of November. Yess!!! I can take a whole month off! When thinking of bad college mascots, #1 was very easy to come up with.

1. Stanford Cardinal - Really? A tree that looks like 3 year olds decorated it. I expect more from this great University.



2. Wichita State - Your nickname is the Shockers. You have so much potential there in many ways BUT you decide with a Frankenstein figure called Wushock. BOOOOOOOOOOOO!



3. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers - The name is appropriate. I ran through the middle of campus and almost threw up. The hill that the entire campus is on is ridiculous. You somehow decide that your mascot is going to be a version of the Kool-Aid man after gastric bypass. (I stole this line from another blog because it is sooooo true!)



4. Akron Zips - Zippy the Kangaroo. Yes, a school in the middle of OHIO decided to have kangaroo as their mascot. Who knew Australia and Ohio had kangaroos in common.





5. Xavier University - A fellow jesuit univeristy. I didn't know that the cookie monster (Blue Bob at Xavier) is a Musketeer. He must be one hell of a shot.





I did not have the heart to put LU in this list but a wolf is a rambler???? On a sidenote, I think that Dartmouth may have my favorite mascot ever...Keggy the Keg. Wow.

Well, I hope you all have a great day/week.

Note: Lil' Smitty jarred my memory that St. Ignatius of Loyola raised two wolves. That is probably were Lou Wolf comes from. Still pretty weak...

Top 5 - Vic Mackey Style!

November 25, 2008 was an end of an era. The show that put FX on the map had its series finale. I can easily say that show was my favorite drama of all time and one of the best shows I have ever had the pleasure of watching. The Shield started on fx network when the network had basically nothing. Thanks to the popularity of the show, fx now has quite the number of shows including It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia! Plus, The Shield basically paved the way for shows like 24. Anyway, if you have never seen this show, shame on you. Shawn Ryan created it and many thought it was too extreme for cable. They were clearly wrong. I digress. Last night was the last episode and it was not a let down. In honor of the show, I am going to do five of my favorite people I loved to hate that were ever on the show.

1. Maura Vendrell - Shane's wife. She is a conniving woman. She forced a divide in the strike team and she was dumb enough to spend some of the Armenian money. I hate her. Hated.
2. Armadillo Quintero - This guy was smart and the most ruthless bad guy the show ever saw. His plot line was just amazing. He is known for burning his enemies to death. He is also responsible for the rape of a 12 year old girl who had offered to testify against him. He would mark his rape victims with a tattoo of a dove on their face. Vic gave him quite the beating with a law book after this happened.
3. Ben Gilroy - Gilroy was assistant chief and the true creator of the strike team with Vic at the helm. He was corrupt too though and was using his political influence to facilitate an illegal real estate scam. In the end, Vic forced Gilroy to run to Mexico where he ended up dying. He was always a pain in the side of the strike team.
4. Jon Kavanaugh - This character is IAD that came in to bring down the Strike team and more specifically Vic. Forrest Whitaker played the role perfectly. The character keep pushing and pushing and pushing until finally Lem broke down. He went on the run. Kavanaugh went too far and ended up in prison but the strike was never the same. Damn him!
5. Margos Dezerian- After the Armenians lost $2m, they sent their number one hit man after the robbers. Margos was known for chopping off people's feet after killing them. He was a strange and scary individual.

I am truly going to miss that show. Luckily, I have the first four seasons on DVD!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Maximum Strength

Well, I just finished a 16 week workout program called Maximum Strength. The book is written by Eric Cressey. He is a young trainer who is getting quite the reputation training athletes. It took me 20 weeks to do it. I was not very good about going 4 times a week. What can I say? Well, before you start you test your broad jump, bench, squat, deadlift, and weighted 3 rep chinup. Here are my results.

Standing broad jump - 87" to 94"
Bench - 205 to 240
Squat - 215 to 265
Deadlift - 305 to 365
Chinups: None to 2. Yes, for the first time in my life I can do chinups and pullups. I am as shocked as you are.

Not sure where I am going next but if you ever want to gain some strength this book is just awesome. Plus, the dynamic warmups he has you do before the workouts is just great. My shoulders and knees have never felt better.

Have a good week!

Top Chef

So, last season Michelle got me watching Top Chef. It was in Chicago so it was not a hard sell. I watched my first episode last night of the new season that takes places in New York. I heard that I have to pick a winner for the year. I like team Europe but there is no way I can root for them. Someone from the US has to win. I can not believe Ariane is even on the show. She should have been booted this week. Not a good call Jess. I am going with Jeff. He is from Niceville. NICE! Let the games begin!

Back to the Future - Doc - A Bronco's fan???

So I started watching Back to the Future part I from the VERY beginning this weekend. I happened to catch it on some random movie channel. Anyway, Marty goes over to Doc's house. They pan around to all the clocks and one of the clocks has the old school Bronco logo on it. I can not believe I have never seen that before. Also, I never really thought about where this movie takes place.

The delorian has a California licence plate. I paused the movie. That still does not take away the fact that in my mind, now, forever, Doc will be a Bronco fan. Way to go Doc! Go Broncos!

Top 5 - Leftovers,mmmm food.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought this idea was a very good one. Whether it was the glass of wine or not, I am not sure but Addison's mother came up with this idea last night. Nice work Jess! Anyway, this one is self explanatory so I am going to dig right in.

1. Thanksgiving plate - Re-creating the meal all over again. Hello! Who does not love that!
2. Lasagna - Am I the only person that thinks lasagna can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Am I the only person that thinks lasagna can be eaten cold or heated? I am getting hungry...
3. Pizza - The ultimate leftover food that you do not make. Lets say it is late at night and you are hungry. You order pizza. You eat and go to bed. You wake up and BAM! breakfast is waiting. Cold or warm. Great leftover.
4. Meatloaf - I am a big fan of meatloaf. The best is the next day you can make this into a meatloaf sandwhich or you can heat it back up.
5. Spaghetti - With years, I turning further away from pasta. However, I have to give credit to this meal. Add a little more sauce the next day and heat it up and it is like brand new!

Have a good wednesday!

620 - 194, 212, 214

YESSSSSSS! Can I tell you all how much I love my new ball? Can I tell you all how much I love the finger tips on this new bowling ball? Well, I am going to anyway. My first game I missed three single pin spares (note to self: change the finger tips on your spare ball). One of those single pin spares was in the 10th frame. I missed the 5 pin for a 194. Believe me when I say this. I was so close to dropping down and doing 5 pushups. My next game I started with three spares and had a clean game including two marks in the 10th for a 212. In my third game, I opened the 3rd frame and then struck the next 5. I opened the ninth. I had no business doing this. I then realized I had a 600 series in the bag. So I ended up striking twice in the 10th frame and a 7 on my last ball for a 214.

As a team, we swept last night and I carried the team the third game. That was a good feeling. I also won some money for mixed doubles. So I came home with more money than when I got there. It was a good night of bowling for me!

Why I do not gamble for a living.

Sorry I have been behind on my blogging. I have a few things to write about. One of them is Rambler basketball. They did not look good at the preseason game. They were opening up at home against a fellow jesuit school that is a division II school from Missouri. A bunch of us went to the game expecting a win and a good time. Well, Loyola ended up losing the game by 7 I think. I have blocked it out of my mind.

Anyway, Loyola's next game was against Georgia. Yes, Georgia the SEC team. You would think on name alone Georgia even though they are not a good basketball team in the SEC would recruit much better players/atheletes than LU. Also, coming off of LU's loss to a division II school, you wouls think Loyola would get killed in this game. I would have bet the house against Loyola (but I will never bet against LU again Sue).

Well, Loyola won 74-53. They won by 21!!!!!! WHAT!?!?! This is why I do not gamble for a living.

Top 5 - American Holidays

Ok, as a little shout out to the holiday season that is rapidly approaching and veterans' day, I am doing my top 5 American holidays. I will allow a little leanency with the definition of American Holiday. I do not think St. Patrick's day is an American Holiday but I will allow it if you want to use it. According to the US government, here is the list of holidays. Without further ado...

1. Thanksgiving. This is not even close. It is a guaranteed 4 day weekend every year. It involves food and football. What more do you need? Really?
2. Christmas - I like the general atmosphere of Christmas. I usually take a few days off and make it a break from work. It is a good time of year.
3. Memorial Day - This is great especially for people in places that have seasons. This usually is the beginning of summer! YES! The weekend is filled with BBQs. Mmmmm, bbq.
4. 4th of July - Yeah America! Screw those brits! I am not a big firework guy but I love my bbqs and since this holiday is in the middle of summer, bbqs are plentiful.
5. New Year's - The beginning of the year. A clean slate. A day of good college football. It is a good day.

On a sidenote, I rolled a 516 last night. The team did not do too well. Also, I will blog about my golfing experience within the next could days.

Cheers and happy hump day!

Editor's notes: Jessica reminded me of something. If I would have wrote this blog between the ages of 5 and 18, Casimir Pulaski day would have made my list. All hail the Polish General! Also, Cletus' top 5 that includes sports days is a great twist on this list. MLB opening day...great...

5 day weekends

I know I have no posted in a while. I apologize. Three days in San Diego and then the weekend wore me out. Hahaha. Actually I had a blast and I will have a separate blog just about my round on the south course. Here are some thoughts from the last 5 days.

1. I bought a book in the airport before getting on the plane to San Diego. It is called Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman. It was a fun book. I recommend it. I thought it was a great book to read while traveling.
2. Yes, Torrey Pines is home to a great golf course but just north of the lodge are these amazing hiking trails that take you all the way down to the ocean. I loved these trails and wished Chicago had something like that.
3. The weather was perfect the entire time we were there and the view is amazing. Landing in Chicago to 40 degree weather made me rethink where I live.
4. Most hotels, a bottle of water is hard to find and it usually costs $5. Where we stayed, all you had to do was ask an employee for a bottle of water and it was in your hands in 5 seconds. I found this strange.
5. Sprinkles cupcakes are the best cupcake I have ever had. Nothing comes close (so far but I will keep testing...). Thank you Michelle for picking those up in LA.
6. I love flying home on Friday. I then have Saturday and Sunday to recover. Ha!
7. I had the best commute to the airport I will ever have. On last Tuesday, due to the Obama gathering downtown, no one was leaving the city. I left my desk at 5:05 pm. I was THROUGH SECURITY at Ohare at 6:05 pm. I had to park the car in economy and it still was nothing. Ohare was empty. Yeah, you just heard me right.
8. Last but probably should have led with it. Happy birthday mom!

Have a good week!

Top 5 Liqour Drinks

I am having trouble here at Torrey Pines, well, focusing really. The view, the atmosphere, the peace, I need to soak it in now. Peace and quiet is coming to an alarming halt soon enough!

Anyway, here is my top 5 liquor drinks. These can be mixed drinks or anything on the rocks or neat. It can not be beer or shots. It is that simple. My biggest struggle is the order.

1. Makers on the rocks - the old standby. I can not drink too many of these(well, i pay the consequences if I do) but if I am meeting someone for a drink or two this is what I turn to. It is so smooth.
2. Jack and Diet Coke - What can I say? This is probably the most popular mixed drink in the US and there is a reason for that. They are good!
3. Lime Rickey - Funk showed me these recently and I can not get enough. I am a gin drinker so these are right up my alley.
4. Sugar free lemonade and Vodka - The summer drink! Aldi's lemonade is the perfect mixer for this. These are great for outdoor events.
5. Strawberry Daiquiri - Number 5 was hard but I have to give the nod to this blender drink. Such a sweet tasty drink.

A special shout out goes to White Russians (usually my holiday drink of choice) and gin martinis. Well, I hope you all have a great rest of the week.

Random thoughts

Ok, a few things.

1. As you probably already know, we are expecting a baby girl. I am excited to say that everything is healthy and I now have motivation to lifft weights for the next 20 years.
2. Last Friday was a lot of fun. The Dark Knight on the IMAX was amazing. There were some good joker costumes including the nurse Joker. Also, I had never been to Bubba Gump before. I enjoyed it.
3. Saturday was even more fun even though Liverpool flat out blew the match. I mean...WTF! LU won but does not look very strong. It is early though. Florida football is hitting stride at the right time of year...holy cow!
4. I am super excited about flying to San Diego. I have been to San Diego briefly before but staying at Torrey Pines...wow. I found out I am playing the same course they played the open on. I am going to shoot 150!
5. I am not sure if there will be a top 5 tomorrow. It all depends on the wireless situation at the lodge. haha.
6. Go Vote! Despite what the media says (they did give the presidency to Kerry in 2004), this race is closer than most think. Luckily by the time I land, it will already be decided...probably not....
Cheers!

Scattegories

My brother sent this email to me. I thought it would be a fun blog.

SCATTEGORIES...it's harder than it looks!
Copy and paste into an new e-mail and erase my answers, enter yours, send it
on to 10 people including the one that sent this to you. Use the 1st letter
of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places,
names, things, nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person
before you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the
boy/girl name question

WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Andy
4 LETTER WORD: avid
TV SHOW: American Idol (I do not watch it though)
BOY NAME: Alex
GIRL NAME: Andrea
OCCUPATION: Anthropologist
A COLOR: Aquamarine (that was tough!)
SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Ankle bracelet (well, not all of us...) or Bryan's favorite - Apple bottom jeans!
BEVERAGE: Alcohol...or Applejuice.
FOOD: Asparagus
SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Art (high end bathroom???), Alcohol, Aspirin
A PLACE: Alaska

REASON FOR BEING LATE: Attacked! Do you see the black eye?

SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: ARGH!

Happy Halloween!

If you want to play along, leave your answers in the comment section!

Happy Halloween and Happy Anniversary!

Today marks the one year anniversary of my blog. I can not believe I have been putting random thoughts down on paper for a year. This might not be the best idea in the long run, having documentation... Anyway, I hope you all have a great Halloween. A few random thoughts!

1. I am shocked that my Halloween costumes did not get more comments. I think I shocked everyone.
2. I am SOOOOO ready for this election to be over.
3. Today was tenant appreciation day in my building. They were handing out pumpkin shaped sugar cookies with orange icing. It was a great cookie. Thanks building!
4. Michelle and I are going to the IMAX tonight to see Dark Knight. I am so excited and I bet I see a few people dressed up as Joker and Batman.
5. Have a great weekend.

Congrats to the Phillies!

The Rays vs the Phillies left me torn. I have a soft spot for both teams. The Rays had won me some money this year and the Phillies I have always like because of Mike Schmidt. Well, last night the Phillies closed out game 5 and won the World Series. Awesome!

My favorite player on the team is Utley. He is a stud and he made a nice play at the plate in the bottom of the 7th innning to save a run.

Do not fret Rays fans. That teams is young and not going anywhere. They will be back.

Now that baseball is over, I can focus more on football and by football I mean soccer. Go Liverpool!

Top 5 - Halloween with a twist

Okay, I am going to give you my top 5 halloween treats I received as a "kid" trick or treating. Then, I am going to completely embarrass myself and show you a few pictures of me dressed up for Halloween as a kid. I was very young in all of these. That is really my only defense.

1. Caramel popcorn ball - This thing was a heaven in a small round shape. I can still point out the house that gave these away! It was an older lady. It tasted soooo good.

2. Reese Peanut Butter Cups - There were a couple houses that gave you 2 or three of these individual treats. Ummm, peanut butter and chocolate.

3. A plastic bag filled with smarties, a blow pop and a couple pieces of bubble gum - This house put this in a zip lock bag but this was before zip lock and each one was twisted. Very thoughtful.

4. Milkyway/Baby Ruth combo - Any time I could score a couple different candy bars. I was excited. Back in the day I was not much of a Snickers guy. I have no idea what my problem was.

5. Whatchamacallit - These are only available in full size so it was a nice treat to get these puppies.

That is my 5. On to the embarrassing part. I called my mom yesterday with the challenge of finding me in 5 different outfits. On a short notice, she found four pictures in three different outfits. So, hopefully my AWESOME costumes will inspire you this Friday. No one can say I am not afraid to embarrass myself.

It is safe to say that I had the idea of Kung Fu Panda way before anyone else. I am also pretty sure they made me wear this so I could not eat the candy before I got home.

No. This is not really Superman (with shades?!?!?). It is me...I am not lying. FYI - Back right- the hobo - he has a blog you read. His issues with life started early...

The last costume is Mickey Mouse and I was barely 5 or shall I say the year is 1981! And mom - I know you wanted a daughter but that is no excuse for making me pose like that. Actually, I blame my father. Really? You ok-ed this?

Oh, and when was Craig heavy weight champion of the world?

Thanks Mom for finding those pictures so quickly...I think...

I haven't played this much tag since grade school!

Yes, I too was tagged by Lauren. Growing up this would mean me trying to catch up to skinnier kids that were faster than me. My only hope was that a couple of them would run into each other and I could get to them before they got up. Anyway, I digress.

The first part of the tag is to post the 6th picture from the 6th picture folder on your computer. Well, this is a picture from the weekend I asked Michelle to marry me. These are the roses that were in the hotel room.




The second part of the tag is as follows:
1. Link the tagger and provide the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.
Seven facts about me:

1. For the first time in my life, at the age of 32, I can do pullups. I was never ever able to do them. Yes, I am excited about this.
2. I have lived in one state my entire life. Also, if you include college, I have lived in Chicago for 14 years.
3. Umbrellas annoy me, especially in Chicago. If you want to stay dry, wear a pancho or a hooded jacket of some sort. Umbrellas do mre harm than good.
4. The first college football game I attended was at Nebraska. It was after college.
5. Growing up, we made a bunch of backyard wrestling tapes. My brother has them. I hate to say growng up too. We started making them in 1989 but we have made a few in the 21 century. Lets move on.
6. I am afraid of heights but did jump out of a perfectly good plane once. Face your fear! I am still not too keen on heights...
7. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

I am tagging no one. It ends here.

Liverpool! Top of the EPL!

Thank you Liverpool.

The Dodgers are eliminated from the playoffs. The Broncos' defense can not stop a pop warner team at this point. Liverpool has started off this season on fire! It is fun to watch.

On Sunday, they walked into Stamford Bridge and beat Chelsea to take over first place in the EPL. Chelsea has not lost at home in 86 games or 4.5 years. Nice job Liverpool! At least one of my sports teams is getting it done.

On another sidenote, LU basketball starts this saturday. YESSSSSSSSSS!

Sports Hazing

I love hearing stories on rookies getting hazed by old athletes. They always crack me up. Well, Funk sent this to me in an email today. I thought I would share it. It also helps that I am a huge Clinton Portis fan.


PUT IT ON THE UNDERHILLS' BILL

"Clinton was young. Let's just say we gave him the rookie experience."
-Newly acquired Redskins running back Shaun Alexander reminiscing about a trip to the Pro Bowl where he and Priest Holmes welcomed Clinton Portis to the league.
"Priest Holmes calls me in Hawaii, asks, 'Man, what room you in? I'm going to call you. I'm like, '814.' Never heard from him, but you go to check out and you see charges on your credit card for mai tais. I know I didn't drink 200 mai tais over that weekend. He and Shaun owe me about $15,000 still."
-Redskins running back Clinton Portis

Top 5 - Comfort Food

Hmmmm, food. So this top 5 is pretty easy. What food do you go running to in a time of need? Actually, another way, what food do you also go find yourself going to, the ole standbys. Maybe these are foods that somehow afterwards put you in a better mood. I think everyone has the point. On to my top 5!

1. Loaded Nachos - Oh, my biggest weakness. I love them. They make me smile. They always hit the spot. How can you go wrong with Nachos? You can't!
2. A good burger, if possible, a Moody's burger - Moody's has it all. I feel better jut walking in that place. Their burger is the best and as soon as I take a bite, all is right with the world. Okay, maybe not but I do enjoy a good burger.
3. Pizza - I prefer chicago style but any pizza will do. It is just too good and I find myself craving it on the weekends a lot.
4. Ice Cream - I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream. It is true that I have run a couple blocks in between buildings in the middle of a BBQ trying to track down the ice cream truck. You know what. It was totally worth it!
5. Tater tots - Oh how I miss you. I can not wait until January 1 when this self-imposed potato ban is lifted and I eat a pound of tator tots!

A special shout out goes to chips and con queso and lasagna. Anything that involves melted cheese is OK in my book!

Happy hump day!

One last thing from the weekend

I am so happy I live in a state that is already predetermined when it comes to the presidential election.

The amount of commercials on both the radio and tv in Florida is staggering. I have never seen anything like it. Obama has his own channel down there. You can not go two commercials in a row without one of them being political.

It could make for one hell of a drinking game though...

Random Thoughts

1. The weekend in Florida was good as always. The heater for the pool and hottub was a very nice addition. Christmas is going to be a good time.
2. My golf game took two steps back. I did not think that was possible. The two giant blisters on my left hand could be a part of the problem.
3. Southwest is the best airline. Is there really any argument?
4. Ahow is right. Best bowling ball ever!
5. I am very happy that the Rays made it to the WS. At the beginning of the year, when I was betting them to win more than 77 games, why did I not put $10 on them to win the WS? ARGH!
6. Not sure what my top 5 will be tomorrow.
7. Still have not decided which vehicle we are taking to FL for Christmas. We are leaving toward the 4-door car.
8. Halloween is going to come and go this year with us not dressing up. I am not a big fan of Halloween.
9. Have a good Tuesday.

Omaha Steaks arrive!

Usually when Michelle and I arrive home after work, we check the mail. We forgot last night. So, when Michelle left for the gym, she checked the mail. I was already at the bowling alley. I received a text message from her saying the steaks had arrived! I was pumped! They arrived on a bag of dry ice in a styrofoam container. YESSSSSSSS! Too bad we will not be around this weekend to cook them up. That will be happening soon. I guarantee that!

Bowling Summary

I went 2 of 7 in single pin coversions. That just should not happen. I opened the 10th frame in the first two games. I can just hear all those pins I am leaving off my score.

Well, outside of those negatives, I ended up rolling a 588. Yes, I averaged a 196. It is obvious to say but I really like this new ball and the way it is drilled. My second game I left the 5-10 split in the 10th but still rolled a 226. The last game I knew going into the 10th that I needed two strikes and a high count to break 600 (something I have not done in league yet). I threw a strike on the first ball but then did not throw a very good ball for my 2nd ball. I ended that game with a 191.

Plus, our team that is in 2nd place, swept last night. The last game was close but the other two were not. A good night of bowling all around for me and the team. I just wished I would have broken 600...ARGH!

Top 5 - Music

This top 5 is a suggestion my Aunt Karen provided. What five artists/bands must be on your ipod. If you do not have an Ipod, pretend that someone gave you one for Christmas. What would be the five artists that you must put on there? This was a bit of a struggle for me because I love 80s music and 80s music is a lot of one hit wonders. Anyway, here is my 5.

1. George Strait - Or should I call him King George. He is my favorite country musician ever.
2. Brooks and Dunn - If George is #1 in my country rating, B&D is 1b. They are the greatest country duo of all time. This is not a discussion.
3. John Mellencamp - He has too many songs that I love. His greatest hits is a must.
4. Run DMC - Yes, this comes out of no where. They are my favorite rap group. I have been listening to the them for over 20 years. I could not imagine an ipod without some old school.
5. CCR - What can I say? I heart the Fogerty brothers. Green River is an awesome album.

A special shout out goes to Michael Jackson and Madonna - two icons of the 80s. Also, Metallica was another band that could have easily made the list.

Random Thoughts

1. Bloomington was a lot of fun. In the end, sink the biz...the biz sank me.
2. That was maybe the first and only tailgate I will ever be at where the bathrooms were in a building and not portapottys. That was awesome!
3. Tomorrow's top 5 will have to do with music.
4. The Dodgers are in some trouble. I thought when they took the lead in the 7th that they had control. I was wrong. With it being 3-1, it is win or go home.
5. We are driving to Florida over Christmas and struggling on which vehicle to take.
6. We are also headed to Florida this Thursday! I am looking forward to a three day weekend! Four day work weeks rule!
7. Have a good Tuesday!

Paying off bets - Thanks Smitty!

So Smitty is a Cubs fan and I am a Dodgers fan. Smitty and I had a bet. If the Cubs win, I ship him a chicago style pizza and if the Dodgers win, he sends me some Omaha steaks.

Well, I received the email below today. Thanks Smitty!

Dear ANDREW ,

Someone thinks so much of you they are sending you only the best!
SMITTY has sent you a tasteful gift from Omaha Steaks and it should be arriving at your door on approximately 10/14/08.

If you have any questions about your gift shipment, call us at 1-800-228-9872 or email us at custserv@omahasteaks.com. Your order number is xxxxxx.
Please enjoy your gift!

Thank you,

Fred Simon, Owner

Top 5 - Tailgates!

In honor of GACRT (great american college road trip), my top 5 this week is going to revolve around things I love about tailgates. On a sidenote, if you do not know what GACRT is, please email Sachs or Stone. Basically, 8 years ago, these two decided to pick a college game a year to attend. Basically, thier goal is to check out a different college campus/staidum each year. They are making their way through the big ten right now. This saturday, we are hitting up Indiana. I am excited about the event. Actually, I prefer the tailgate to the game. Here is my top 5.

1. The energy of the tailgate - I am an energy guy. I feed off energy. I love this about tailgates. Everone is excited about the upcoming game. People are decked out in costumes, sometimes, and if not, they are wearing their favorite sports teams clothes. It is 7 or 6 in the morning and people are hyped up. AWESOME! Lets be clear. This energy starts with your tailgate. The people you have at your tailgate make or break it.

2. Partying/Drinking in the AM - It feels like cheating. There is this giant party going on and it is 7 in the morning! How fun is that! It is like 2-a-days but in a GOOD way! YES!

3. Smell of the grill- The best part of this is that you don't necessarily have to be the one with the grill. There are so many people grilling that you can sit there and soak in that smell. Oh, so good. On a sidenote, this is where Wisconsin really brings it especially in baseball. Go to a Brewers game early to tailgate. They are pros. It is a great great time!

4. Tailgating games - Whether this is playing Euchre, bags, or that tailgate golf ball game. Tailgates are a fun time to play.

5. Being outside - Most every other time you get together with a big group of people, it is in a bar, or restuarant or at someone's house. You are inside. It is great getting together outside and enjoying the environment.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this top 5. I know I am going to enjoy the tailgate this saturday!

Cheers!

Mustang Football!

On Saturday morning, I drove out to watch Fubar coach the Morton's freshmen B team. It was something I had wanted to do for the last couple years and it had finally worked out. The day ended up being absolutely perfect for football. Fubar's roommate Stacey showed up for the 2nd half.

This game was very exciting. Fubar said the spread was at 24 for the game with Morton as the huge underdogs. Well, they came out and scored first with the help of a great special teams return to go up 6-0. The tone was set from there. Morton ended up losing the game 14-12. Oak Park converted a two point conversation. That was the difference in the game. Morton did complete two passes of 40 yards or more and they blocked a punt with less than a minute to go into the game. Very excited to the very end. Below are a few pics from the morning.

Fubar coaching from the sidelines...umm, get off the field...you are not playing!

Mustangs in action....

Fubar talking after the game. He owes the kid who blocked the punt McDonalds.

Women Lifting

Ok. I need to get this off of my chest. Oprah had a segement with Gwyenth Palthrow and her trainer. Her trainer said that women should not use any dumbell more than three pounds. Really??? That is so ridiculous. Oprah needs to bring Valerie Waters on next. She trains a lot of models and celebrities in Hollywood. I guarantee her take is a little different.

Lets be clear. Lifting weights will not make you big and bulky ladies, that fourth cookie will.

Anyway, here is a good article about women lifting along with a bunch of videos of normal women staying in shape and not bulking up.

Be forewarned. The author is a little crass.

Boom goes the dynamite!

Greatest sports announcer in history!

#1 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Sundance Kid: You just keep thinkin' Butch. That's what you're good at.

This maybe my favorite movie ever. Godfather is high on my list as well. This is my favorite western. What really impressed me about this movie is how much it holds up over time. It is a funny movie. What a shame that Newman and Redford only made two movies together. They were both stellar. With this blog, ends my homage to Newman. May he rest in peace. Here are some scenes from this funny movie.

Butch: Then you jump first.
Sundance: No, I said.
Butch: What's the matter with you?
Sundance: I can't swim.
Butch:: Are you crazy? The fall will probably kill you.



1,2,3, go...



Butch: All of them?!? What's a matter with those guys?



The only way to end this homage...the last scene...

#2 - The Hustler

Bert: You got talent.
Eddie: So I got talent? So what beat me?
Bert: Character.

This is just one of many great quotes. It is also how Ebert begins his review of the movie. You can read it here. It is a great review. I highly recommend it. This movie has a peak performance from Paul Newman, a breakout role for George C Scott, and Jackie Gleason as Minnesota Fats. I think if you catch me on any given day my #1 and #2 change. It is more like 1a and 1b.

Paul Newman was nominated 6 times for best actor but only won once in Color of Money. Many believe, including me, that was more of a fix for him not winning for the Hustler. He should have won it in 1962 for the Hustler. With no offense to Cool Hand Luke, I believe this was his best individual performance. Shame on the AFI for not putting it in their top 100 movies. I will forever think it is #101 on their list.

Go about 2 minutes in to this scene. The back and forth between Gleason and Newman is awesome.

Fats: "Now I know why they call you Fast Eddie."



Here is part of their first match.

2:15 in - Eddie's description of Fats is great. Gleason is gliding around the table.

4:45 in - Eddie's manager tell him to quit and Eddie stands up and takes control. Awesome!



Their last match and basically the rest of the movie. Do not watch if you want to watch the movie.

6:00 in - Bert yells "You owe me MONEY!" I love this whole scene after that line!
10:05 in - Fast Eddie: "Fat man, you shoot a great game of pool."
Fats: "So do you fast Eddie."

#3 - The Sting

The second movie that Robert Redford and Paul Newman made together. Why they did not make any more is beyond me. This one won 7 academy awards including best picture. The two they made were amazing. The Sting is one giant hustle that in the end hustles the viewer. Just a great movie and it takes place in Chicago. Bonus!

Great card scene...



The trailer (i love this music)...



Cheers!

Top 5 Actors of All time

A few ground rules for this top 5. We are sticking to movies only, no tv stars. Also, we are talking about male only. This was hard enough. I am not throwing both sexes in there. Here is my top 5. The top 2 to me are above the rest.

1. Paul Newman - I love his movies. I love his style.
2. Clint Eastwood - The man with no name. Who makes a better western (not John Wayne)? No one. He is the star amongst stars.
3. Jack Nicholson - One who flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining, Chinatown, just to name a few. This guy was awesome. Not sure so about his movies today...
4a. DeNiro 4b. Pacino - It is hard for me to pick between the two. Both are so good and similar. I am putting them together. It is my top 5. I can do what I want!
5. Harrison Ford - He has been in too many of my favorites not to be included. Indiana Jones and Han Solo...come on. Even is later movies like Clear and Present Danger are good.

A little shout out goes to Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Morgan Freedman, and the godfather - Marlon Brando.

Happy Wednesday!

#4 - Cool Hand Luke

"What we've got here is a failure to communicate."



Let me clear something up. I love this movie. If I were to list my top 25 movies, this would be in it. It is just that Newman has some really good movies, so this gets dropped to #4 for me. I know it would be #1 for a lot of people. I am okay with that. Who else could have played this role? I do not think there is anyone. Newman nailed this role. As Fubar said, nobody can eat 50 eggs.

Just standing in the rain...



One last tribute...



#3 and top 5 coming tomorrow.

#5 - Slap Shot

Slap shot is #5 on my Newman movies and would also be somewhere in my top 5 sports movies ever. That is an interesting stat considering I am not even a hockey fan!

This was a different role for Newman than some of his other roles. Any movie that has a bench clearing brawl before the game starts is ok with me!




I heart the Hanson brothers.

Preview of the week

My blog is going to be a tribute to the myth, the man, the legend, Paul Newman all week. Each day this week I will post a blog with clips from my top 5 movies of Paul Newman. On Monday, I will start with number 5 and on Friday, I end with my Paul Newman favorite movie and honestly my favorite movie ever.

Also, start thinking, my top 5 on Wednesday will be my top 5 favorite actors of all time. Yes, I am going overboard this week but the movie industry and the salad dressing industry!!!! lost an icon.

Anyway, I hope your weekend went better football-wise than mine.

Cheers!

RIP Paul Newman

I just saw that my favorite actor of all time has passed away. RIP Paul Newman.

The Hustler, Bustch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke, the Sting...these are 4 must see movies and this is only the tip of the iceberg.

I will give many more blogs to this...RIP Paul Newman...RIP.

Trivia at the PO!

In a last second decision, I headed over to the Purple Otter for trivia night. Michelle's friend Paul is in town and we decided this could be a good thing to keep us occupied until Michelle finished her midterm. We had the Brewers game on one tv, Sox game on another, Mets game on another, and the USC debacle on another. It was a nice setup.

It was a good time with some easy questions and challenging questions. Paul, Michelle and I ended up getting 2nd place in the contest. The bar owner and cook got 1st place...sketchy I know. So we won $15 off our next tab at the PO! Woohoo! I will be there Sunday for the Broncos game.

So, if you ever want something to do on Thursday night, swing by the PO. It is fun.

539 - Welcome New Ball...and watch Fox News!

I picked up my new ball before bowling. I had them drill it the same as my spare ball but I had them put in tighter finger tips in-sets (is that the right word?). This is I believe the key I have been looking for. I have much more control on the ball. A few times I held on too long but for the most part, I felt in control and I did not drop the ball ever. I think I am going to take my spare ball in and have new tips put in. Anyway, as a team we bowled awesome. We have over 1,100 pins each game and still lost. I know...impossible but the other team's anchor averages a 179 and had a 686 series. His games were 220, 236, 232. I had a 539 series but I left 30 pins out on the alley. I should have had a 570. I opened two tenth frames and I had a 1 after a spare(held on to the ball too long...oops). My games were 183, 199, and 157. Oh, karma did help us out for the tough loses. We won the strike pot and we struck so it was 53 dollars a person. Yes!

Now, if you are around the TV on Friday. The Fox news is running a clip on 'Who is the best bowling alley in chicago?'. How do I know? Well, there was a camera there taping people bowling. The camera guy would be on the lane about 5 feet up. I picked up a single pin spare while he was taping me. That is intense...I probably will not be on the clip by it could be a fun clip to watch.

Cheers!

Top 5 - Welcome to the Fall!

We are officially in the fall season. The weather is cooling down. Football is on every weekend. Baseball teams are in playoff hunts. Bowling season is back. Oktoberfest beer is flowing! This top 5 will be your 5 favorite things about the fall. (Here is a hint... a couple of mine are above).

1. Football begins! Now, I am not just talking about Denver Bronco football or even American football. I am also talking about Liverpool football! Really, sports are at their peak during these couple months with baseball playoffs and all the football games going on. What a great time!

2. Thanksgiving! It is no secret that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. My mom's side of the family gets together. It starts off with football in the morning. Stuffing our faces during the day and then playing cards. Great day. Not sure how much longer these Thanksgivings will last (I say under 5 years) but I will never forget them.

3. Oktoberfest beer! I am sorry. This is my favorite beer. Sam Adams Oktoberfest beer is great. I actually like most of the Oktoberfest beers that are out there this time of year.

4. TV show are back! Holy cow are shows back! I love it! This week especially, every night has been a plethora of new seasons. It is a good time to be a TV fan.

5. Pumpkin flavored items! Now, I make pumpkin shakes at home year around but what I am talking about is the options at the restuarants, fast food places, and ice cream shops. Yes, please...I will take two!

That is my list. What is yours?

Cheers!

PECOTA is the best!

It does not surprise me at all that PECOTA was better at predicting the baseball season than any of the so-called experts. Additionally, it comes of no surprise that Buster Olney and Steven Phillips came in dead last. I love the two best predictions are the ones I put bets on. Yeah!

Now, I just need to figure out how to send something through registered mail...

A little homage to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Season Four just started and the second episode was just amazing. This show can miss from time to time but I have put together a little video of some of my favorite scenes. I hope you enjoy!

Cheers!!

Weekend Wrap-up

My oh my, what a great weekend!

First off, the weekend up in Michigan was just perfect. I will give a quick overview.

• The weather was perfect.
• The cottage we stayed in was AWESOME. You could easily put 30 people in that place. It is literally two different houses with a giant pool room in the middle.
• Pool volleyball Friday night was great. What a fun time!
• Saturday moring golf with Fedea and Murphey was a great way to start the day. I even came to terms with my driver! I am back baby!
• After the wedding, the party bus was a good time.
• A new first at a wedding...knowing the bartenders...never a good sign. Lets just say my night ended a little earlier than others. Fun times!
• Sunday - traffic was light getting home for the most part.
• Denver wins again. They are 3-0 when I go to the Purple Otter to watch the game. I am just saying!
• My wife is starting to turn the corner on not feeling well. This is VERY IMPORTANT!

As you can see, the weekend was jam packed! It was a great way to end the summer. I am looking forward to having the next few weekends free.

End of Summer

The weather may disagree with me but this weekend is end of the summer for me. It was a great summer and I could not think of a better way to finish the summer than with Phelan and Ali's wedding. Just wow.

I am actually glad that the summer is coming to an end. Do not get me wrong. The summer is my favorite time of year. I am looking forward to having more weekends free and getting back on a workout schedule. I am not sure I am on board with this whole sympathy pounds idea. I do not like where this is headed. Hopefully, next week I will start back to a normal routine!

I am also super excited for all the TV shows to start next week!

Cheers!

Top 5 - Wedding Style

Due to the high volume of weddings we have attended in the last few weeks, I am listing my top 5 wedding drinks. This is different than a drink on a normal night. You have to pick something you want to go the whole night with that will not a) fill you up or b) knock you out. For example, I love to have a Makers on the rocks but there is no way that is what I drink at a wedding reception. I would have to mix it with something. Without further ado, here is my 5.

1. Gin and tonic. Actually, in my ideal world, this drink would be a gin and DIET tonic. I am a gin fan. This will become clear as you go through this list.

2. Gin Gimlet. I actually was just introduced to this. It is lime juice and gin, nothing else. It turns out to be a fantastic drink.

3. Whiskey and diet or bourbon and diet. If I had my choice, it would be Makers and diet but any whiskey or bourbon will do. The only downfall of these drinks is that they can pack a punch you do not see coming.

4. Light beer. In general, I stay away from beer because it fills me up and I want to be moving around on that dance floor! You can never go wrong with beer...well, ever.

5. So-co and diet. I still remember the first time someone showed me this drink. It was 1998 and it was my brother's wedding. Thank you Chuck! It tasted like a cherry coke. The only down fall is that when comsuming for than one or two (or 10), it can become a little sweet.

Cheers!

Bigger, Stronger, Faster

This weekend I watched a very interesting documentary. It is called Bigger, Stronger, Faster and is about steroids in America. I can not recommend this movie enough. The man who made this movie has two brothers that both do steroids. It brings up very intriguing questions like what are steroids? Why are some acceptable and some not? What about other performance enhancing drugs? Why does a person feel the need to take steroids? How harmful are they?

Anyway, if you have the time, it's about an hour and fifty minutes long.

Cheers!

Dear Ed Hochuli,

Thank you so much for blowing your whistle early and thus causing the play to be dead. I appreciate it and I know that Jay Cutler appreciates it even more.

Keep up the weight lifting!

Your friend,

Toolio

Election Humor

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Happy birthday CFunk!

Happy birthday to retired blogger and political guru extraodinaire, CFunk.

Is he at work or did he take the day off?

Lets hope no singing chickens show up today...

Top 5, with video!

Happy Wednesday to all! Today's top 5 is a little hard to explain. Sue gave the suggestion of top 5 exclamatory words (i.e. Never! or Ouch!). You get the point. I turned that into top5 words that you use most frequently (keeping it clean of course). What makes this one difficult is that you need people around you to tell you what they are because you do not even realize you are saying them. Without further ado, here are my five words in no particular order.

1. Horrible. I find I say this a lot especially when talking about sports.


2. What?!? Actually, it is more the wwhhhhaaaaat? If I am out having a good time and someone shocks me with information, you have 100% chance of hearing this.

3. Easy... Easy... This usually comes out when I am getting ripped on. So, I say this a lot.

4. Garbage. I did not realize I said this a lot until talking to some co-workers. Much like horrible this comes out a lot when talking about sports.

5. NICE!!! My cousin Bryan says this much more than I do but I have definitely picked it up.

Happy hump day!

Top 5 - TV Show Theme Song

I am doing my favorite tv show theme songs of all time. Thank you Sue for the suggestion. I found this link to be very helpful and there is a fun guess that theme game there too! One rule - no cartoons.

1. A-Team. I almost put Cheers theme song here but I just can not. A-team theme song is the greatest ever! If you have a problem, no one else can help, and you can find them, maybe the A-Team can help! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
2. Cheers. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name... I think this is not only a good theme song but a good karaoke song.
3. Jeffersons. Moving on up! This song makes me laugh. It is so catchy.
4. Fresh Prince of Bel Air. What can I say? I heart Will Smith.
5. Chips. This one was tough. I have many that could be number 5 but this one is unique and worked well.

I want to give a special shout out to a few more - Married with Children, Threes company, Night Court, Sanford and Son, Miami Vice, The OC and Dawson's Creek.

Have a good rest of the week.

Bowling - straight!

Last night was my first night of bowling. Technically, last week was but I missed it.


Well, if you remember correctly, my hook ball is in the bottom of the Chicago river. We had a bit of a falling out. I never got the ball replaced. All I had with me last night was a plastic ball I use for picking up spares.


Well, I hunkered down and threw a straight ball from the right corner. Man, I miss throwing that. You do not have to worry about oil. I was throwing the ball on the same mark every time. Granted, you hit a little light or a little high and you leave splits and I definitely left some splits.


I ended the night with a 508 series (my average is only 161...yikes). 158, 156, 194. Not a bad night. I was pretty consistent. My straight time will be short lived. I plan on buying a new hook ball this weekend.


Top 5 is coming around lunch today.

Cheers!

Top 5

I want to thank people who sent me ideas for top 5. I have one more top 5 I need to do before I start using ideas from my readers.

Since television shows start next week, I am doing the top 5 shows I am excited to come back on TV. I love having a DVR but because of it, I watch a lot more TV! Some people probably do not even watch 5 tv shows a week (I call these people anti-Fubar). I digress. Without further ado, here is my 5.

1. The Shield - This is not even close! 10 episodes left in one of the best shows ever.
2. Lost - It has been so long since this show was on I do not even remember where it stands.
3. Heroes - I am addicted to this show. I like the action, plot lines. Count me in.
4. Biggest Loser - I love watching fat people struggle to walk and then by the end of the show they are doing mini trialthlons. Awesome.
5. This one is a tie. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Office - Both are good comedies and completely different from each other.

On a side note, work is pretty busy from now unitl October 15 so I will not be blogging very much.

Have a great week and an even better Labor day weekend!

Tampa Bay wins! 2 days ago!

I did not even realize but Tampa is now at 77 wins! 76.5 was the over in Vegas at the beginning of the year. So with that, on August 19, both bets have won. Time to mail those puppies back to Ceasars to collect!

Thank you TB and thank you Seattle!

YESSSSSSSSSS!

I need your help!

Top 5 every week has been fun but quite frankly I am not that creative and I am running out of ideas.

So, I am going to run top 5 by request for a few weeks (and maybe more). Leave me a comment with top 5s you would like me to address and I will pick one.

It is that easy.

Top 5 - Karaoke Time!

That is right people. I just want your top 5 favorite songs you like to sing at your local pub. I understand that most people probably do not have 5. I will be honest. My top 3 are way above 4 and 5. Actually, my first one is above anything else.

1. Humpty Dance - It comes of no surprise this is my #1. I love to sing this song!
2. The Gambler - You have to know when to hold them and no when to fold them.
3. Ain't nothing about you - Great upbeat B&D song that you can just belt out. I think my best version of this was in Vegas.
4. Friends in Low Places - This song is overplayed. I agree. It is very easy to sing and the song talks about drinking whiskey and beer. Hello! Sign me up!
5. Small Town - I love this song in general. I love giving a shout out to Larry Legend.

After looking at this list, I think I need to work on getting a couple ore 80s songs in there like Take me home tonight and get out of my dream, get into my car...

Happy hump day!

Do not mess with this 85 year old!

Pa. woman, 85, makes burglar call 911 at gunpoint

How humiliating for the 17 year old punk who thought he could just break into some old lady's house! He got exactly what he deserved.

Most of the time, the always left media loves to focus on how guns are bad but it is good to see guns being used for good in the media for once.

I am getting a little too political in my blog...damn you CFunk! Bring your blog back!

Seattle loses! YES!

Am I happy that the Sox won last night? Yes! However, I am even more happy that with 38 games left in the season, my under for Seattle has already come in. Almost 25% of the season is left!

Thank you BP for showing me the real projections for the teams. And thank you America for being completely ignorant about baseball and thus putting the over/under at a ridiculous number. My only regret was not betting more (obviously).

Now, all I need is Tampa Bay to win one more game...and both bets are won. I hope they can do that.

Tomorrow

So last night Phelan, a couple people from the cottage, his brother, the other team were all out at the fields. It was a lot of fun. We then went to the bar to celebrate the big wins. It felt good to have Phelan back in the city. The fun is just beginning though. Smitty flys in tonight. Neyer flys in tonight. Basically tomorrow is going to be maybe the last big reunion (minus any Steak Knights) of Loyola boys plus other friends. I was already looking forward to it but after last night's appetizer, I am really fired up. Tomorrow is going to be a great day. I can not wait.

Win and.... WIN!!!!!!!! YESSSS!!!!!

Finally! Our softball came to play last night. We finally put together an offensive game (the first one) and a game where we never had the always famous 'bad defensive inning'.

For tournament, they combine two leagues into one bracket. We were 6th place team in our league out of 12 teams. Our first game was against the 11th place team from the other league. We were solid favorites in Vegas. We showed up and scored some runs today, good sign. We had our bad inning and some bad base running but won 13-5. Very nice.

The second game was very tight. We played the 3rd place team in the other league. We always play good defensive so we are in any game. After two innnings, it was 1-1. We then busted out for 3 runs and that was enough for the game. We ended up winning 4-3. We were visitors and in the last inning, we gave up 2 runs.

Erin Smith saved the game and played PHENOMENAL first base defense. She ended the game with jumping in the air to catch the ball thrown to her and she spun around in the air and tagged the guy out at before he got to first. Awesome play. MVP last night!

After the game, a little later, a couple guys dumped some ice down my back. What are they going to do three games from now...

Now, the league has not updated the bracket yet but there is a chance we are playing the 2nd place team from our league. We will be the underdogs but as long as we keep playing good defense, we can play with anyone.

As coach Norman Dale says "There’s a condition in tournament play; do not talk about the next step until you’ve climbed the one in front of you."

Top 5 Summer Olympics Style

Since we are in the middle of the summer Olympics, this top 5 will be five events that need to be revoked from the olympics. Before you think I am bashing the olympics, I am not. I love wathcing the olympics. I just think there are a couple sports that maybe need to be taken away. Maybe there needs to be some new ones put in...maybe a top 5 for another day. To make this a little harder, it has to be events from this year's summer olympics. Here is a list of the events.

1. Walking events (all) - Listen. It is not even walking. The 31 mile race record time is 4 hours...or under an 8 minute mile. Basically, someone came up with these weird rules around racing because they were slow and now it is an event. Great.
2. Sychronized swimming - These people hold their breath for minutes at a time. I am not saying it is not tough. It is up to the judges in the end. I find it not very exciting to watch. Next.
3. Synchronized diving - In general, growing up I loved diving. I am not as big a fan now. I still enjoy regular diving. Synchronized...really...Why stop at 2 people? Why not 8? Drop it.
4. Sailing - Unless John Candy is throwing frozen fish fry overboard to win this race, it does not belong!
5. BMX biking - We have road race (like the Tour de France). We have mountain bike race in trails. Do we really need BMX biking too? Go back to the X games!

I am a little shocked that the shooting events are not in my top 5. To be honest, gymnastics are on my bad side these days. Anything that is left up to a judge is a problem in general. After last night seeing the balance beam, the judges were totally helping the Chinese. I digress...

Anyway, here are my events. A quick notes.

Happy birthday Ploth! Goodbye thirty fun and welcome to thirty-woo-hoo!

Bernie Mac

I am a little behind on my blogging. We have been a little busy on the weekends and I have been even more busy at work. What is up with that?!?!

I knew Bernie Mac was in the hospital but I was shocked by his death. I have always liked his roles in basically everything from Transformers to Mr. 3000 to the Ocean movies. This really bummed me out. So first Carlin and then Mac...should we expect a third comedian to fall this year? Yikes.

Put down the beer and slowly step away

Do not mess with this woman when she is drinking...

Better yet, do not even think of drinking her beer. Oh my!

This part for some reason cracks me up. This person is not sane...

Groebner said Williams got back in the vehicle and finished drinking her beer.

What happens at a sporting event when they shut down beers sales? Does she turn into Hannibal Lector?

Top 5 Cartoons growing up!

That is right people! Turn back that clock. What cartoons did you love watching as a kid? I am throwing out the use of Simpsons, Family Guy, and Beavis and Butthead...these are more for adults anyway. I mean I watched Simpsons as a kid but it was a sitcom. Anyway, you get the idea. Here we go.

1. Transformers - I know of at least one other person that will put this #1 . This show had it all. Who doesn't love Optimus Prime?
2. Scooby Doo - This may have not been a new cartoon in my time but I loved this show. Mystery cartoon...what is not to love?
3. Inspector Gadget - Go go gadget arm! I watched this cartoon every day after school like clockwork when I was younger...okay maybe at LU too...just kidding...
4. Thundercats - Lion-O was one bad M-fer. Thunder, thunder, thunder cats, hoooo! I digress...
5. TMNT - Putting something number 5 was pretty tough. I did love the turtles especially Donatello.

A special shout out goes to the Smurfs (when I was really young), GI Joe, He-man, Bugs bunny, Yogi Bear, and Tom and Jerry.

Clearly I watched too much TV as a kid...

8/8/08

Unlike a certain misanthrope I know, I am fired up for the Olympics. This morning, while getting ready for work, I was watching the USA basketball team play against Austrilia. Yes, the Olympics are only a few short days away. I have a few comments about the upcoming Olympics.

- What was Michael Phelps thinking when he grew that fu man chu? Is this his version of resistance training?
- Losing Paul Hamm is going to hurt the US gymnastics team in a big way. Why are we not hearing more about this?
- Will this US basketball team win gold? I think so but why is Jason Kidd starting? He is too old and can not play defense.
- Could I beat the 400m gold winner (in track) if I started at the 200m mark? I think it would be embarrassingly close.

FYI - I want everyone to get into the cartoon mood for tomorrow's top 5!

Nash Vegas!

A long weekend to Nashville was a great way to spend my birthday. Here is a quick overview of the weekend in bullet form.

- Drive down was easy. I ended up driving the whole way. We took the BMW and it was the right decision.
- Friday morning, I worked. Michelle went shopping with her cousin and Aunt. It was a tax free weekend in Nashville. They brought me a Publix sub for lunch! SCORE!
- Friday by 3 we were at a honky tonk listening to music have a couple cold ones.
- Went over to Barry's at 5:30. His new place is amazing! I love the pool area...more on that later.
- Left at 6:50 for Longhorn Steakhouse...the one were cousin Kristi works at. I had ribs...so good.
- Back to Barry's and played a few games before heading out to the bars.
- After the bars, two people jumped into a fountain to cool off. Security came out. I was not one of the two. That is all I am saying. By the way, it was HOT down there.
- Saturday started with some Chic-fil-a and a trip to Kix Brook's winery outside of Nashville. The winery was great.
- We then hit up Barry's pool area for about 3-4 hours. Great time. Highlight of the weekend by far!
- We then played some more games at Barry's. We did not go to the bars until 12:30 am on Saturday.
-Sunday we left for home around 11:30 and we were home at 7:20 pm. Not too bad.

In general, the trip was fantastic! Thank you Barry and Amy for being great hosts!

Manny to the Dodgers!

When I first about this move, I was pretty excited about it. The Dodgers desperately need a bat and Manny has that in spades. I too was excited when they signed Andruw Jones...mistake. The more I look at this trade the more it looks like the Pirates and the Red Sox have really made a good trade, the Dodgers not so much.

The Dodgers gave up LaRoche who will be an all-star third baseman in the future for the Pirates. Ned Colletti has created a mess in Dodgertown. With the signings of Pierre and Jones, the outfield has become a disaster. Manny was basically a cover up for the mis-haps of Ned. He is trying to save his job. Why was such a young star like LaRoche expendable? Well, we earlier traded two really good prospects for Casey Blake and now there is a log jam at 3rd. Mistake. Another fear of mine is that Juan Pierre will still be starting in CF. Ethier and Kemp need to be starting out there with Manny. However, Torre is blind sided by Pierre's quickness (he is quick to make an out). He has lead off in 55 of the 56 games Furcal has been injured. Why is our offense bad???

Lastly, Christina Kahrl made an interesting point. If we wanted a good bat in LF, not very good defense, why not pick up Barry Bonds for the rest of the year and not give up anything? I just threw up in mouth...

Fire Ned Colletti.

Happy Birthday to me.

Making a wrong a right. Top 5 Arnold Movies

This top 5 is much harder than Sly's top 5. Arnold blows Sly away when it comes to action moives. Here is the link to all of Arnold's movies. As you can see, he also made some bad ones too. Someone here suggested I do bottom 5 Arnold movies. Not a bad call. Without further ado, for the govenor's 61st birthday, my top 5.

1. Predator - It is my favorite plus two future govenors. You can not go wrong with this movie. We will pretend the sequels never happened.
2. Conan the Barbarian - A classic Arnold movie. An original comic book movie.
3. T2 - This movie was ahead of its time when it comes to special effects. Lets pretent 3 never happened.
4. The Running Man - Action movie/game show with Arnold and Richard Dawson! Sign me up!
5. Twins - I have a soft spot for this movie. For some reason, I can never turn it off when I see it is on. It is so ridiculous that it cracks me up.

A few honorable mentions have to go to Total Recall, Commando, Conan the Destroyer, True Lies, Red Heat, and Pumping Iron.

I need to have an Arnold day sometime this winter...

Huge Mistake!

So all this work is quite distracting! I did not have enough time to do my research for top 5. I apologize. I picked top 5 sly movies on the DAY that Arnold Schwarzenegger turns 61. Happy birthday Arnold. A little later today I will be posting another top 5, top 5 Arnold movies. Check back tomorrow to see it. Again, my apologies.

Top 5 a 'sly" way

Happy hump day! I am giving a little shout out to Sylvester Stallone this week. I am listing my top 5 favorite Stallone movies. After looking at imdb.com, I was shocked at how many movies he has been in that I have seen. Without further ado, here is the list.


1. Rocky III - I love the Rocky movies so the list must start here. I also love Hulk Hogan. This seems like an obvious choice.
2. First Blood - There is not as much action in this movie but it the original and a very good movie.
3. Over the Top - It's like a switch! Go Lincoln Hawk! Added bonus - wrestler Terry Funk is in this movie...i am noticing Stallone likes putting wrestlers in his movies.
4. Cobra - Your last name is Cobretti so your nickname will be Cobra...very original.
5. Rocky IV - He single handedly ended the cold war. Enough said.


On a sidenote, I have never seen Victory. I know. This is a travesty and I am pretty sure when I see it, this will crack my top 5 Sly movies of all time.

Have a great day!

My apologies and few random thoughts (including a b-day)

I have not been blogging much lately. I am ridiculously busy at work so will not see much of me this week. Top 5 will be here tomorrow and then maybe a post on Friday. Here are a few random thoughts

- Happy birthday dad! He turns 69 today! He is still kicking my arse on the golf course (although that does not take much...).

- Dark Knight will break the record for fastest movie to $400m. The old record was 43 days. It will do it in about 18...wow. I do not think it has enough momentum to catch Titanic at $600m. I hope I am wrong.

- I am having a hard time working out the last couple months. The summer I find it harder to stay consistent than the winter just because there is so much going on. I still make it three times a week but hardly get 4 or 5 in.

- Bye in softball this week. This is good because we are driving down to Nashville on Thursday night. I am still working on Friday. Boo!

- I am PUMPED for Nashville. PUMPED!

Goodbye Rod Smith

Rod Smith officially retired today from the NFL. It is a sad day for me, any Bronco fans, and the entire Bronco organization. He went undrafted in the NFL and had the best career of anyone that has never got drafted. He rewrote all the records for WR in the Broncos organization and he has a chance of making the pro football hall of fame.

Here is a great quote from Rod. "I didn't have any dances, I didn't spike the ball, I didn't say 'Hey, look at me,' " Smith said. "And the reason is I knew those other 10 guys had more to do with it than I did. I was just the end result."

Here is Rod doing what he did best...



I salute you Rod, back to back champ!



Enjoy retirement!