Strange HBO Trivia

So I'm boppin' around the remote last night and TRAINSPOTTING is on. As I'm watching it, one of the guys seems familiar. Scottish accent, yeah! Damn! He's familiar. He looks like somebody. . .hmmmmm! Then I recognized him.

So here goes. . . . .What HBO show is the the guy to the right of Ewan in and who is he?

Think about it. . . .I'll give you another picture. . . He's the third guy in just right of the girl.

You never know who's gonna pop up in an old movie.


THE ANSWER IS . . . . . . . . . . .
Lucius Vorenus from HBOs Rome

Global Warming! It's Not Just For Breakfast Anymore!

I'm Back. . . . Again!

A week in California on business? Break Out The Sunscreen! I thought Monterey was supposed to be nice. It was in the 50s the whole week. It was warmer here in the Philadelphia area. IT WAS WARMER LAST YEAR WHEN I WENT TO ALASKA!!

So, I went to Monterey and never left hotel. . .except to see THANK YOU FOR SMOKING! Good Movie! But let's look at the bright side of the trip. . . . . .

From a business standpoint, the trip was excellent. I proved to be a relevent part of the trip (not always the case) and was told that I was wanted (WANTED mind you) at the October Protland Maine Conference . .. . I'm drawing butter as we speak. . . . The hotel offered a full cook to order breakfast (which save on Government per diem money - - - -ching!) and (get this) a free happy hour from 5:30 to 7:30 (and with Bud and Bud lite and the beer of choice, I drank my weight in Mai Tais - thank you very much!!) I was chatty with the bartender as we were the only to people that cared that the hockey playoffs were going on. He stopped talking to me when I told him the Red Wings Blow. He then showed me his Red Wings watch. . . .good thing I was tipping (not normal fare for Gevernment employees).

Thank God for the Chili's across the street which was the only place that had OLN. Yeah, hockey!

The highlight of the trip was when the chairman of the conference had his laptop crash and I heard this guy (who was full of Gosh and Darn all week) drop the F-bomb repeatedly. I strapped his phone to my head and dialed my brother (Badger from Wyatt's stories of interest) and he talked me through fixing it. no matter how I explained that I am a computer dolt and was only able to fix it with sibling assistance, they thought I was great. They would have bought me drinks, if they weren't free.

As for the flight, why do people fly without a porable DVD player? It's great!! Now if I could just stop having to borrow one everytime I fly.

Sorry for the absence!!

'TIS THE SEASON!!

Tonight is the last night of the regular season. I LOVE this time of year. Hockey! Hockey! Hockey!

I've run a Fantasy League with a group of friends (not my friends because I'm high maintenance) for over 10 years. When it started, the stats were updated every Wednesday when the USAToday would post a comprehensive list of hockey statistics. I actually had to buy the USATOday every Wednesday. The stats were faxed to the General Managers every couple of days. They were 8 pages long. Along came advances in technology and the stat sheet is now a one page Excel spreadsheet (not counting the sidebet sheet. . .one of the more entertaining aspects of the league). I can now email the stats daily and verify the point totals when I feel the need. Recently, many sites (Yahoo, ESPN, etc) have developed online fantasy leagues. They are more involved and they keep track of themselves. In my opinion, they are not nearly as fun as the league that we started. The team's logo changes as the season goes on to reflect the performance of the team . . . . or the individual . . . .or it reflects something abusive that I just thought up. From Gimlets, Stanley Cups, Heather Locklear in a thong to toilets, tanks, logos of $60 (last place payup) and dumpsters, the league is fun, personal and entertaining (it can also be expensive if you make side bets while drunk at the bar).

The winner gets a Stanley cup plaque with their name engraved on it. Money spent during the year managing the teams is put towards drinks at the following years draft. A few people have drifted in and out, but by and large (not many people say "by-and-large" any more) it has been the same players since it's . . . what? Wyatt. . a little help. . . '94?

Sadly Team Pinchy didn't fair so well this year!

So as that ends, the next phase begins. Deemed by many as the best playoff pool ever, I have to gather playoff pool submissions from now until Friday at 7:00 (playoffs first puck drop). I started a playoff pool not long after the fantasy league. It's easy, cheap and the payout is big. More, you don't need to know players. This pool has gotten bigger every year that I have it.

The playoff pool has gotten to the point that I know about 20% of the people involved. I get emails from people who were referred by people who were referred by people who know friend of mine. As I type this, I'm thinking that I should post the progress of the pool on my blog. Hmmmmm! Anyway, ranking the teams from best to worst (16-1) is all it takes. The team gets the assigned points per win.

Of course, when life starts to get in the way, I have to stand up to life. With my travel for work sending me to California for a week starting Sunday morning, a Beef and Beer scheduled for Saturday night, and D&D scheduled for Friday night (that might get cancelled), it will be typing city from now untilthe puck drops on the playoff season.

Question to you Blogger Elite: Can you attach an Excel Spreadsheet to a blog?

Anyway, Go Flyers!!!!

And Now. . . . .Alcohol!

As I sat down tonight with a glass of wine, I thought, "Hmmmm, should I have a beer or a glass of wine?" So, what do you think. . . Beer or Wine!?!?

Personally, I like Beer and I like Wine! Depends on the occasion. But my tastes go thus:

BEER
I started drinking in my mid teens and beer was the drink. Should at that age you drink what you can get . . . . .. and a little Maddog 20/20 never hurt anyon. . . . . .come to think of it, it probably has. Anyway, back then (late 70's early 80s) MGD was the drink any underager who was anybody was drinking MGD. Coors Lite hadn't made the East Coast yet and Bud {shutter}.
I've gone through the Mooseheads, and the Löwebräu (with two umlauts) and the like but when you're drinking on a budget and underage, you want something check and that stores well in the woods.

Now that I'm older and don't drink as much, my tastes have refined and I like a good Microbrew beer or Guinness (or Guinness like substances). It's gotta have some body or it's almost not worth drinking. In the summer, you can get away with a light bodied beer like Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat, but you can only have so many of them. . . might as well have a Woodchuck. When I get down to DC, I fully expect the radiognome to take me to Capitol City for some taste testing.

WINE

A few years back, my wife and I realized that the only wine that we liked was white zinfandel. And that's just not manly. So, we took a drive to South South Jersey to a place called Smithville. For those in the Phila area, it's our Peddler's Village. . . .and we're comfortable with that. Anyway, there is a winery here named Tomasello. Good wine, inexpensive. They have a tasting store in Smithville. There, we met a guy named Rory, who was great. This guy would douse you with wine. We talked to him about wine and he mad ea few recommendations and we took home some of the sweeter reds. After a while, we grew tire of that and moved down to a claret (and their is a war on whether it's {Clarett} or {Claray} and I gave up asking). Now we're are passed the Merlots, we are doing Shiraz and Red Zinfandel (very nice!). We loved popping down to see Rory and getting stocked up. Unfortunately, Rory moved on to the Tropicano Casino in Atlantic City in the Quarter in a place called the Tinder Box (a cigar and wine store).
We plan to go down but haven't made it yet. If you are there look him up.

And now my glass is empty and I must refill.

SOLID ALBUM SELECTIONS - A

Let's give Thanks to Eric Ambel. Eric Ambel is a member of a little known band called the Del Lords. A very good band that didn't last very long. Not only do have all the Del Lords CDs, I have Eric's solo album. So, why do we give Thanks to Eric Ambel. Because despite the alphabetization Eric's CD sits in between two solid albums that if put together would cause an disruption in the fabric of the Universe that would end all things.

1. ABBA - Gold

I know! I know! But it's ABBA GOLD! This is a great album. It's is a best of CD, but it should be in everyone's music collection. Now, sure, I own the Partridge Family's Greatest Hits and I'm not saying everyone should own that. ABBA Gold is chock full of hits. From SOS to Waterloo, you will find your foot tapping against its will.




2. ACDC - Back In Black

As much as I am not into the Poppy songs of top 40 (like ABBA), I am also not in to Heavy Metal. In fact, my college roommate was into metal and it furthered my dislike for it. Ratt, Motley, Iron Maiden . . .Despite their use of the umlaut, I can't stand Heavy Metal. That being said, is there an album more cathartic than Back In Black. Yeah sure, it doesn't have Big Balls on it, but other than that, this is the only metal CD that I own (other than the Poison thing that I married into. . .and that doesn't count does it?). This is one of those albums that plays like a best of but isn't. Again, a CD that should be in EVERY collection.

It's Only Fair!

As I blog a bit, I 've been noticing that I have more to say as a reply to other blogs (namely Wyatt's) than I do with my own personal blog. I need psychiatric help, I believe.

Anyway, In a reply to one of Wyatt's posts on Terrorists and the president's surveillance, I had something to say. . . .so I though that I would do a quick post here.

Keep in mind that I am not very political and I believe that the general public has no idea what is really going on. Unfortunately, most people believe that they know what is going on, but that's what stimulates the economy . . . .a expert puppeteer. But I digress. . .

My issue, is the country's obsession with Security. When 911 happened, the US made the Department of Homeland Security. This is truthful and misleading at the same time. What is the job of DHS. . . other than to fund part of my salary. It is to make the United States people feel more secure. Conversely, there is a Department of Public Safety, whose job it is to keep the Public Safe.

DHS, although they try to keep tabs of terroristic activity, doesn't even infer that they are keeping the public safer, they are making everyone feel more secure.

Let's use the show 24 as an example. If there is a threat of a nerve toxin about to be released in the country, the Government has two jobs:

1. Try to stop the attack from happening.
2. Make sure that the people of this country feel secure that they are safe. . .whether they are or not.

Terrorist's are trying to damage our country by destroying both. An attack is an immediate problem (9-11). A bigger problem is if the country no longer feel secure (for the most part the effects of 9-11 were temporary in this regard {in my opinion}).

So, when you hear the TV talking about Security, think to yourself. . . .Am I Safer?

Maybe I should just go back to album reviews.

Welcome Zippy!

Welcome to the Bloggersphere Zippy! Actually Zippy has had a blog for some time, but recently has set up blog at Blogger. So, Welcome!

For those of you that stray by my Blog, please welcome my friend

Zippy

. . . . .I can call you my friend, right Zip!

Modern day friendship. About two years ago (2 years sound about right?), I found a streaming radiostation called Dayglo Radio. It was awesome (no disrespect to radiognome and radiohidebound). There was a chat bar on the side and members got to cyber meet each other. I developed a lot of acquantances on the site and a few friends. At the top of the list is Zippychik. Without ever actually meeting, we have been in touch ever since. There were plans that didn't pan out recently to meet another Daygloer in NYC, but someday we will meet. Despite the fact that her husband looks like Corzine, we have been in touch via different sites and through the mail. . . .yes, it's not just for bills!

To give you an idea of the type of people that I have met this way, I had to go on travel for work (because it beats actually working) to San Diego. San Diego just happens to be were the former Dayglo Radio was stationed. . . .heh heh stationed! On of my other friends, Her Glo-ness herself, Di, set up a meet and about a dozen people showed up. Di, treated me like a celeb while I was out there.

Like, my trip to the land of Di, when I finally get to Zippyland, I will bring scrapple up there too. Prepare, Zippy! Your tastebuds will dance with joy (which distracts everyone from the internal tract revolt).

Now that Dayglo is gone, thanks to that evil S O B at Nigel Radio, Zippy and I have met up again at radiohidebound (and why isn't everyone listening to that I gotta wonder). Being a Government Worker, I will eventually have to go to Washington and I'll be looking to meet the Gnome, too.

What’s Wrong With People? – Part 1

One Class To Go! That’s the kind of year it has been.

I am a religious education teacher. . . . . .Yeah, Me! For the last 5 years, I taught 5th grade students. Being one of the few MEN that teach, I got rooked this year into moving to the 8th grade. Coincidently, my daughter is in the 8th grade class. What a bunch of degenerate monsters. Did the art of parenting go out of vogue while I wasn’t looking??

There are several kids that are only there to be disruptive. When I hear about gun violence in schools, it amazes me that it isn’t the teachers. God bless them. I couldn’t do that. No wonder they need the summer off. When you mention that the kids have no interest in “the whole CCD thing”, the parents get all high and mighty. I have a student that told me that he never goes to church and the no one in his family goes either. “Why are you here?”

The kicker was last night. We were trying to coordinate a party for the last class. . . YEAH ! THE LAST CLASS! I was trying to get suggestions for a movie to bring in. I suggested Wallace and Gromit, Spirited Away, Corpse Bride, Howl’s Moving Castle something good that will be appropriate for a religious education class. A group a boys suggested one of the American Pie movies. . . .AMERICAN PIE!!! These kids are 13 years old. Is that what there parents want there kids to think is normal as they develop into their sexual years. I actually had a 5th grade student tell me that he got American Pie for Christmas. That’s 10 years old if you are counting. I thought that I was softening when I contemplated letting my daughter watch Gangs of New York for Saint Patrick’s Day . . . .but didn’t!

As it turned out, we are picking the movie. So I’m going to surprise them with the Aristocrats!!

At least this gave me another reason to use a picture of Ms Hannigan.