Sorry for the delay in posting this week. I was sick for a few days, but the antibiotics are helping a great deal.
- TV update links at the end are at the end of the post.
- I really really enjoyed Lost this week, but as I was watching the episode (which I had taped since I was at the UW-Guelph playoff game), the last scene cut off since the station switched feeds! So I missed the last scene. Luckily my friend Tony still had it on his PVR and I was over there on Thursday, so it all worked out. Great episode, I was waiting to see what happened after John left the island.
- I'm adding a new blog on the side bar. It's called Big Man on Campus, and it's written by Greg Layson from the Guelph Mercury. Greg covers all sports but the blog is specific to the OUA, so I highly recommend it to anyone who follows university sports in Ontario. Here's a link as well.
- I played in a fundraising poker tournament this week with a field of 83 players. I got down to the final table, and with five players left, a player raised (blinds were 4000/8000) to 20K, and it was folded tome in the Big Blind. I had Ace-Jack, and knew he was raising with bad cards most of the time, so I pushed all-in for 64,000. He called (he had about 110K, so it's over half his stack), with Jack-Queen. Good news for me. Flop is 10-7-2. Turn is a 9. River is a K for him to make a straight. Bad Beat. I would have been chip leader with 5 left, but instead I finished fifth.
- Ok, here's your TV link updates:
Survivor Recap
Survivor Talk
Jeff Probst's Blog
Totally Lost
Have a good weekend!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
February 21, 2009
As promised, here are the links to the latest Survivor tidbits:
Jeff Probst's Blog
Survivor Talk
Also, another video to watch each week. A great and funny LOST video series (each episode is about 10 minutes) from Doc Jensen.
Totally Lost
(watch all the episodes - you'll love it!)
Jeff Probst's Blog
Survivor Talk
Also, another video to watch each week. A great and funny LOST video series (each episode is about 10 minutes) from Doc Jensen.
Totally Lost
(watch all the episodes - you'll love it!)
February 20, 2009
(For those of you who don't know, I work as the Public Address Announcer in the OUA for men's and women's basketball. This is a submission I posted to a discussion list that I'm part of)
I feel compelled to post to the list on a topic that has been brewing with me all season. I understand the timing on this may be less than ideal considering the end of the season is fast approaching, but I feel the points are valid nonetheless. While I may refer to specific examples, this issue is based on an overall observation of behaviour throughout the course of the season.
The topic I need to discuss is the scorer's table. As many of you know, I have worked as a public address announcer for close to a decade now, so I've worked with a lot of officials at the scorer's table. And they are just that, officials of the game. These men and women (mostly students) are hard-working and dedicated individuals who work in every arena. It's become painfully apparent that some fans, coaches, players, and others simply don't understand the appropriate and inappropriate ways to interact with the scorer's table.
I'll go on further about that below, but to illustrate my point, I need to share a recent example.
(To the individual who I'm referring to in this anecdote, I've elected to not use your name. The point is your behaviour, not who you are. It's just as relevant if you were a random fan.)
Last week, at a game I was broadcasting for Rogers TV, we were seated beside the visitor's bench, with the fans for the visiting team relatively close behind us. At one point in the game, there was a scoring discrepancy, where the scoreboard operator had inadvertently awarded a basket to the wrong team. One of the visiting team's fans began screaming at the scorer's table, to the point of disrupting the broadcast since it was being picked up on our headset microphones. The coaching staff approached the table to ask, the problem was discovered, the officials were called over, and the game was stopped while the error was corrected. This individual continued screaming at the table the entire time, even while the problem was being fixed. Furthermore, this individual continued to scream (I'm not exaggerating when I say screaming. If you see a tape of the broadcast, you hear every word and the tone and volume.) about other issues that they had with the scorer's table, like yelling at them that the scoreboard wasn't properly displaying the correct players on the floor at that specific time, or yelling `BUZZ THEM!' to end the other team's time out.
I can't state this clearly enough.
This is completely inappropriate.
Human beings make mistakes, they happen. But to scream at people (generally students) at the scorer's table is not the way to handle it. Generally coaches or referees will spot the problem, but in the incredibly rare instance where you are the ONLY PERSON in attendance who has noticed this error (sarcasm fully intended), the proper way to handle it is to inform a coach and they will interact with the scorer's table. Fans interacting with the scorer's table only interferes with their ability to focus on their job for the game, which in turn could lead to more errors. Nobody, including you, wants this.
Now, having given that specific instance, the major point I have, which I've already mentioned, is the treatment of the people at the scorer's table. Some of the problems I've seen would fall under the category of abuse, and some would fall under the category of a simple unawareness of who to deal with.
Examples I've seen recently are (but not limited to):
- Coaching staff or trainers asking the scorer's table for cups, 15 seconds before the game is scheduled to start. Do you really think this is the place to ask? As opposed to Event Staff?
- Coaches being upset that their players weren't buzzed into a game as a substitution when the official scorer didn't know they were waiting to come in since they didn't report to the front of the table. For the record, and I think it's embarrassing that this still needs to be clarified, all players should report to the center of the scorer's table to sub into the game, not crouch down at the end where the scorer can't see you.
- Coaches requesting a time-out and not being awarded the time out since they did not get it in to the scorer's table in time. To blame the scorer's table for a late time-out request is inappropriate. Also, to clarify, the request "Time out if they score" is not a valid request. This is a requested time-out as any other and will be granted on the next eligible stoppage of play. If you want to only call time out if the opposition scores, the smartest thing I've seen coaches do is to stand close to the scorer's table and tell them "I'm going to call a time-out if they score." That way, when the other team scores and you call your time-out, it is heard and awarded promptly. And if there happens to be a stoppage for an out-of-bounds call or something similar, you have not wasted your time-out.
I can't stress it enough, these are officials, and deserve the same respect that would be granted to any other officials. Please keep in mind the effort and dedication that these individuals put forth in each and every game throughout a basketball season. Verbal abuse of any form is completely unacceptable and is quite frankly an embarrassment for anyone who would choose to act in that manner.
As a public address announcer, I'm not an official. I'm just a guy who talks. So if you feel compelled to yell at someone for something, yell at me. Odds are I'll yell back. But at least you aren't interfering with the game. The world won't end if I miss announcing a basket or a foul.
Don't abuse the scorer's table.
I feel compelled to post to the list on a topic that has been brewing with me all season. I understand the timing on this may be less than ideal considering the end of the season is fast approaching, but I feel the points are valid nonetheless. While I may refer to specific examples, this issue is based on an overall observation of behaviour throughout the course of the season.
The topic I need to discuss is the scorer's table. As many of you know, I have worked as a public address announcer for close to a decade now, so I've worked with a lot of officials at the scorer's table. And they are just that, officials of the game. These men and women (mostly students) are hard-working and dedicated individuals who work in every arena. It's become painfully apparent that some fans, coaches, players, and others simply don't understand the appropriate and inappropriate ways to interact with the scorer's table.
I'll go on further about that below, but to illustrate my point, I need to share a recent example.
(To the individual who I'm referring to in this anecdote, I've elected to not use your name. The point is your behaviour, not who you are. It's just as relevant if you were a random fan.)
Last week, at a game I was broadcasting for Rogers TV, we were seated beside the visitor's bench, with the fans for the visiting team relatively close behind us. At one point in the game, there was a scoring discrepancy, where the scoreboard operator had inadvertently awarded a basket to the wrong team. One of the visiting team's fans began screaming at the scorer's table, to the point of disrupting the broadcast since it was being picked up on our headset microphones. The coaching staff approached the table to ask, the problem was discovered, the officials were called over, and the game was stopped while the error was corrected. This individual continued screaming at the table the entire time, even while the problem was being fixed. Furthermore, this individual continued to scream (I'm not exaggerating when I say screaming. If you see a tape of the broadcast, you hear every word and the tone and volume.) about other issues that they had with the scorer's table, like yelling at them that the scoreboard wasn't properly displaying the correct players on the floor at that specific time, or yelling `BUZZ THEM!' to end the other team's time out.
I can't state this clearly enough.
This is completely inappropriate.
Human beings make mistakes, they happen. But to scream at people (generally students) at the scorer's table is not the way to handle it. Generally coaches or referees will spot the problem, but in the incredibly rare instance where you are the ONLY PERSON in attendance who has noticed this error (sarcasm fully intended), the proper way to handle it is to inform a coach and they will interact with the scorer's table. Fans interacting with the scorer's table only interferes with their ability to focus on their job for the game, which in turn could lead to more errors. Nobody, including you, wants this.
Now, having given that specific instance, the major point I have, which I've already mentioned, is the treatment of the people at the scorer's table. Some of the problems I've seen would fall under the category of abuse, and some would fall under the category of a simple unawareness of who to deal with.
Examples I've seen recently are (but not limited to):
- Coaching staff or trainers asking the scorer's table for cups, 15 seconds before the game is scheduled to start. Do you really think this is the place to ask? As opposed to Event Staff?
- Coaches being upset that their players weren't buzzed into a game as a substitution when the official scorer didn't know they were waiting to come in since they didn't report to the front of the table. For the record, and I think it's embarrassing that this still needs to be clarified, all players should report to the center of the scorer's table to sub into the game, not crouch down at the end where the scorer can't see you.
- Coaches requesting a time-out and not being awarded the time out since they did not get it in to the scorer's table in time. To blame the scorer's table for a late time-out request is inappropriate. Also, to clarify, the request "Time out if they score" is not a valid request. This is a requested time-out as any other and will be granted on the next eligible stoppage of play. If you want to only call time out if the opposition scores, the smartest thing I've seen coaches do is to stand close to the scorer's table and tell them "I'm going to call a time-out if they score." That way, when the other team scores and you call your time-out, it is heard and awarded promptly. And if there happens to be a stoppage for an out-of-bounds call or something similar, you have not wasted your time-out.
I can't stress it enough, these are officials, and deserve the same respect that would be granted to any other officials. Please keep in mind the effort and dedication that these individuals put forth in each and every game throughout a basketball season. Verbal abuse of any form is completely unacceptable and is quite frankly an embarrassment for anyone who would choose to act in that manner.
As a public address announcer, I'm not an official. I'm just a guy who talks. So if you feel compelled to yell at someone for something, yell at me. Odds are I'll yell back. But at least you aren't interfering with the game. The world won't end if I miss announcing a basket or a foul.
Don't abuse the scorer's table.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
February 15, 2009
- Lucas has had a fever this weekend, so it's been a pretty lazy time, just watching TV and playing some games on the Wii. On Saturday night we watched the NBA All-Star Saturday Night: the 3-point Shootout and the Slam Dunk Contest. We had pretty much assumed that Dwight Howard had it wrapped up, especially after effortlessly dunking on a 12-foot rim. But then we saw Nate Robinson do this...
Wow.
- Then, on Sunday, we spent pretty much the whole day playing Lego Indiana Jones on the Wii. So much fun. I really have no frame of reference for video games, but we had a blast playing it yesterday.
- Just found out that one of my co-workers at the University of Guelph basketball games is also a big Duke fan. Go J.T. from O-thrill-ya!
- Not much else to report other than the premiere of the Amazing Race last night. I'm looking forward to Josh Wolk's recap, but I have some initial thoughts:
- First of all, for all future references to this season, I will be referring to the tiny stuntmen brothers as 'The Hobbits', the two redheads as 'The Hotties', the couple from Virginia as 'The Hicks' (which is much more complimentary than what I was originally planning, 'The Inbred Mountain Folk'), and the gay father and son as 'Stan Lee and his son' (Did you see those shades on the old guy? I thought it was a cameo in a Marvel movie.)
- The Hicks will not make it far.
- I never would have been able to do that bungee jump.
- Nice to see the Mom and her deaf son win first place, but the prize sure looked romantic. I don't know if my idea of a perfect trip is a sunset cruise and sharing a room with my mom in Mexico.
- The cheese challenge was hilarious. I have no idea how someone didn't get seriously hurt with the backpacks breaking and people falling and sliding down the hill. And if all they had to do was just collect the cheese at the bottom if it rolled down the hill, why not just (insert air quotes) "fall down" and let it roll? Although the most alarming thing about the whole challenge was after the teams completed it, they had to run along by the villagers/chesse stackers who were doing some sort of odd pelvic thrust dance with those giant bells. Weird.
Wow.- Then, on Sunday, we spent pretty much the whole day playing Lego Indiana Jones on the Wii. So much fun. I really have no frame of reference for video games, but we had a blast playing it yesterday.
- Just found out that one of my co-workers at the University of Guelph basketball games is also a big Duke fan. Go J.T. from O-thrill-ya!
- Not much else to report other than the premiere of the Amazing Race last night. I'm looking forward to Josh Wolk's recap, but I have some initial thoughts:
- First of all, for all future references to this season, I will be referring to the tiny stuntmen brothers as 'The Hobbits', the two redheads as 'The Hotties', the couple from Virginia as 'The Hicks' (which is much more complimentary than what I was originally planning, 'The Inbred Mountain Folk'), and the gay father and son as 'Stan Lee and his son' (Did you see those shades on the old guy? I thought it was a cameo in a Marvel movie.)
- The Hicks will not make it far.
- I never would have been able to do that bungee jump.
- Nice to see the Mom and her deaf son win first place, but the prize sure looked romantic. I don't know if my idea of a perfect trip is a sunset cruise and sharing a room with my mom in Mexico.
- The cheese challenge was hilarious. I have no idea how someone didn't get seriously hurt with the backpacks breaking and people falling and sliding down the hill. And if all they had to do was just collect the cheese at the bottom if it rolled down the hill, why not just (insert air quotes) "fall down" and let it roll? Although the most alarming thing about the whole challenge was after the teams completed it, they had to run along by the villagers/chesse stackers who were doing some sort of odd pelvic thrust dance with those giant bells. Weird.
Friday, February 13, 2009
February 13, 2009
A few other things before I ramble on endlessly about TV shows...
- UNC beat Duke at home on Wednesday night, how embarrassing. But at least to keep the night a positive experience, Lost was great (more on that later), and I won the WNP event for the second week in a row.
- I like that they've introduced H-O-R-S-E as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend, but I can't believe they're actually spelling G-E-I-C-O instead. Too funny.
- Keeping with basketball, GREAT trade for the Raptors today. Shawn Marion will be a better fit for them than Jermaine O'Neal.
- Since WHFS2 isn't streaming online anymore, I've been looking for a new internet radio station, and I've finally found one. It's called 92.3 and it's from Cleveland...it's actually pretty close to WHFS2, progran. Here's a link in case you want to listen along with me. Radio 92.3
- I was in Guelph last night shooting 3 stories for our basketball broadcast this weekend. I'm really happy with them and they should be shown on First Local as well next week. Tune in tomorrow (Saturday) on Rogers at 1 pm for the McMaster-Guelph games live, and you'll get to see all three of them.
- Ok, on to my random TV ramblings, and Lost will be first, so...
JENN STOP READING
- Lost blew my fricking mind this week. After a semi-slow episode last week, this one was great. The time jumping with Jin and the French crew was awesome, and answered some questions (but not all) about Smokey and the Temple, and why Rousseau was so bat-shit insane. Miles is being wasted thus far, so I hope they find more for him to do, and even though I saw it coming weeks ago, I'm disappointed that they killed off Charlotte. Although here reveal of Daniel being 'the crazy guy' who warned her not to come back was more than a tad creepy. But not nearly as creepy as Christian appearing to John down by the return of....wait for it....The FROZEN DONKEY WHEEL! (Best. Name. Ever.) Great episode, can't wait for next week.
- I've also added DarkUfo's site to the link on the sidebar. It's a perfect source for all things Lost.
JENN, YOU CAN CONTINUE READING NOW
- Top Chef was really enjoyable this week as well, although the last 3 eliminations have been so ridiculously predictable based on the contestants, you didn't even really have to have the challenges. Weeks ago, you could tell this was going to be the final four. Carla started off this season as a bit annoying, but she really grew on me, and part of me is rooting for her because she's become very likable. Stefan is a great chef, but annoyingly arrogant. I like Hosea, but don't really care if he wins or not. And I'm hoping Fabio wins because he is great...and his broken-English lines are the funniest thing on TV. My favourite Fabio lines from last night (verbatim, so you have to picture in a thick Italian accent):
(after he BROKE HIS FINGER in the kitchen and still kept cooking in the challenge--which he won--and someone suggested he should go to the Hospital)
"Hospital? I'll chop it off and sear it on the flat-top so it doesn't bleed anymore, and tomorrow, I will deal with nine finger."
(dealing with a finger splint while cooking)
"I got so many kick in my ass that sometime when I'm in the bathroom I still poop shoe out of my ass."
"It's Top Chef. Not Top Pussy."
(Which I still don't think is as funny as his comment on Jamie always cooking scallops: "It's Top Chef. Not Top F*cking Scallop.")
Now, while I still maintain that I do like Carla, I had to laugh at the comment made by Entertainment Weekly's Kate Ward, who stated that Carla's Green Eggs and Ham dish was "fitting, considering Carla looks like she was plucked right out of Whoville." I wasn't sure I agreed with her...until I saw this picture:
Yikes.
- On to Survivor, which premiered a new season last night. Not a lot to state just yet since I don't know much about the players yet, but off the top of my head: Sandy is crazy, Coach's mullet-rocker-head is fantastic, Jeff Probst is sneaky, who on earth doesn't know what 'ten paces' means, and why would you grab watermelons instead of WATER!? A couple of tidbits of recommended reading and viewing for you: Jeff Probst's blog, which he writes after every episode, and the EW.com video show Survivor Talk, which is hosted by Dalton Ross and the funniest man on the planet, Josh Wolk. I'll put the links up each Friday.
- Speaking of Josh Wolk, I will also add a link to his own blog, which is required reading if your sense of humour is even remotely close to mine (I'm talking to you, Salvatore! Don't make me get out the Scrabble dictionary again!). This Sunday is the premiere of a new season of The Amazing Race. Great, another TV show for me to talk about. (rolls eyes) Josh Wolk does the EW.com recap every Monday, and it is laugh-out-loud funny, every single time.
(Honestly, I'm not employed by Entertainment Weekly. This is starting to sound like a commercial for their site.)
- 30 Rock was great this week too, but I don't have anything to say other than the awesome scene of the door blowing open..."Too Soon!"
Until next time, party people...
- UNC beat Duke at home on Wednesday night, how embarrassing. But at least to keep the night a positive experience, Lost was great (more on that later), and I won the WNP event for the second week in a row.
- I like that they've introduced H-O-R-S-E as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend, but I can't believe they're actually spelling G-E-I-C-O instead. Too funny.
- Keeping with basketball, GREAT trade for the Raptors today. Shawn Marion will be a better fit for them than Jermaine O'Neal.
- Since WHFS2 isn't streaming online anymore, I've been looking for a new internet radio station, and I've finally found one. It's called 92.3 and it's from Cleveland...it's actually pretty close to WHFS2, progran. Here's a link in case you want to listen along with me. Radio 92.3
- I was in Guelph last night shooting 3 stories for our basketball broadcast this weekend. I'm really happy with them and they should be shown on First Local as well next week. Tune in tomorrow (Saturday) on Rogers at 1 pm for the McMaster-Guelph games live, and you'll get to see all three of them.
- Ok, on to my random TV ramblings, and Lost will be first, so...
JENN STOP READING
- Lost blew my fricking mind this week. After a semi-slow episode last week, this one was great. The time jumping with Jin and the French crew was awesome, and answered some questions (but not all) about Smokey and the Temple, and why Rousseau was so bat-shit insane. Miles is being wasted thus far, so I hope they find more for him to do, and even though I saw it coming weeks ago, I'm disappointed that they killed off Charlotte. Although here reveal of Daniel being 'the crazy guy' who warned her not to come back was more than a tad creepy. But not nearly as creepy as Christian appearing to John down by the return of....wait for it....The FROZEN DONKEY WHEEL! (Best. Name. Ever.) Great episode, can't wait for next week.
- I've also added DarkUfo's site to the link on the sidebar. It's a perfect source for all things Lost.
JENN, YOU CAN CONTINUE READING NOW
- Top Chef was really enjoyable this week as well, although the last 3 eliminations have been so ridiculously predictable based on the contestants, you didn't even really have to have the challenges. Weeks ago, you could tell this was going to be the final four. Carla started off this season as a bit annoying, but she really grew on me, and part of me is rooting for her because she's become very likable. Stefan is a great chef, but annoyingly arrogant. I like Hosea, but don't really care if he wins or not. And I'm hoping Fabio wins because he is great...and his broken-English lines are the funniest thing on TV. My favourite Fabio lines from last night (verbatim, so you have to picture in a thick Italian accent):
(after he BROKE HIS FINGER in the kitchen and still kept cooking in the challenge--which he won--and someone suggested he should go to the Hospital)
"Hospital? I'll chop it off and sear it on the flat-top so it doesn't bleed anymore, and tomorrow, I will deal with nine finger."
(dealing with a finger splint while cooking)
"I got so many kick in my ass that sometime when I'm in the bathroom I still poop shoe out of my ass."
"It's Top Chef. Not Top Pussy."
(Which I still don't think is as funny as his comment on Jamie always cooking scallops: "It's Top Chef. Not Top F*cking Scallop.")
Now, while I still maintain that I do like Carla, I had to laugh at the comment made by Entertainment Weekly's Kate Ward, who stated that Carla's Green Eggs and Ham dish was "fitting, considering Carla looks like she was plucked right out of Whoville." I wasn't sure I agreed with her...until I saw this picture:
Yikes.
- On to Survivor, which premiered a new season last night. Not a lot to state just yet since I don't know much about the players yet, but off the top of my head: Sandy is crazy, Coach's mullet-rocker-head is fantastic, Jeff Probst is sneaky, who on earth doesn't know what 'ten paces' means, and why would you grab watermelons instead of WATER!? A couple of tidbits of recommended reading and viewing for you: Jeff Probst's blog, which he writes after every episode, and the EW.com video show Survivor Talk, which is hosted by Dalton Ross and the funniest man on the planet, Josh Wolk. I'll put the links up each Friday.
- Speaking of Josh Wolk, I will also add a link to his own blog, which is required reading if your sense of humour is even remotely close to mine (I'm talking to you, Salvatore! Don't make me get out the Scrabble dictionary again!). This Sunday is the premiere of a new season of The Amazing Race. Great, another TV show for me to talk about. (rolls eyes) Josh Wolk does the EW.com recap every Monday, and it is laugh-out-loud funny, every single time.
(Honestly, I'm not employed by Entertainment Weekly. This is starting to sound like a commercial for their site.)
- 30 Rock was great this week too, but I don't have anything to say other than the awesome scene of the door blowing open..."Too Soon!"
Until next time, party people...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
February 10, 2009
- Ok, I'm pretty much done with Heroes. I'm just not into this new Fugitives arc. The characters are acting out of character, and frankly, just stupid. The writing is horrible, everybody over-acts, and I realized I don't really care what happens to any of them.
- Lucas and I have been watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy the last couple of nights. I figured he was old enough to deal with some of the scary parts, and he's been fine. We're halfway through the second one, and he is just LOVING them.
- I was flipping around the Grammys the other night and saw Kate Beckinsale come out to introduce someone, so since I'm kind of in love with her, I stuck around to see who it was, and lo and behold...it was Paul McCartney (yawn)...performing with Dave Grohl! (Woo-hoo!) Speaking of Dave Grohl, for anyone who didn't click the SNL video I put up 2 days ago on my last post, I would highly recommend you watch it, Dave makes an appearance around the 1:00 mark.
- I had a craving for wonton soup the other night, so instead of heading out to buy some, I made my own broth and homemade wontons....soooo good.
- I'm really enjoying the new season of Scrubs. The music has been fantastic, as it always has been, the closing songs are always perfect to fit the mood and tone of the episode. Ted's new girlfriend, The Gooch, is great (not to be confused with The Gooch, the bully from Diff'rent Strokes), and Jimmy The Overly Touch Orderly makes me laugh every time he shows up.
- HPA didn't go exactly as planned the other night, but I still came 6th. And I'm back in first place overall with only 3 events left. However, I'm only a half point ahead of Tony, and only 3 points ahead of Steve (588.5, 588.0, and 585.5). Gonna be a tight race coming down to these last 3 months. Congratulations to Tony on a very impressive win.
- We're hosting a charity poker tournament next Thursday the 19th with the proceeds going to support the Waterloo Arts Festival. There are some great prizes, so anyone who is interested in playing, send me an email and I can send you details and register you.
- Duke vs. UNC tomorrow night, and I'm going to be out. I can't even tape it since I have to tape Lost. (Not sure if you noticed, I'm a bit of a Lost junkie.) Those of you who know me well, know that there isn't much that I would miss taping a Duke-UNC game for...but I guess Lost is on that list.
- Here's a funny link for you. I haven't watched the whole thing yet, but it is a compilation of EVERY curse word from the entire six-season run of The Sopranos, in chronological orders. Warning, it is 27 minutes long, and most definitely NSFW. (duh!). Check it out here.
- Lucas and I have been watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy the last couple of nights. I figured he was old enough to deal with some of the scary parts, and he's been fine. We're halfway through the second one, and he is just LOVING them.
- I was flipping around the Grammys the other night and saw Kate Beckinsale come out to introduce someone, so since I'm kind of in love with her, I stuck around to see who it was, and lo and behold...it was Paul McCartney (yawn)...performing with Dave Grohl! (Woo-hoo!) Speaking of Dave Grohl, for anyone who didn't click the SNL video I put up 2 days ago on my last post, I would highly recommend you watch it, Dave makes an appearance around the 1:00 mark.
- I had a craving for wonton soup the other night, so instead of heading out to buy some, I made my own broth and homemade wontons....soooo good.
- I'm really enjoying the new season of Scrubs. The music has been fantastic, as it always has been, the closing songs are always perfect to fit the mood and tone of the episode. Ted's new girlfriend, The Gooch, is great (not to be confused with The Gooch, the bully from Diff'rent Strokes), and Jimmy The Overly Touch Orderly makes me laugh every time he shows up.
- HPA didn't go exactly as planned the other night, but I still came 6th. And I'm back in first place overall with only 3 events left. However, I'm only a half point ahead of Tony, and only 3 points ahead of Steve (588.5, 588.0, and 585.5). Gonna be a tight race coming down to these last 3 months. Congratulations to Tony on a very impressive win.
- We're hosting a charity poker tournament next Thursday the 19th with the proceeds going to support the Waterloo Arts Festival. There are some great prizes, so anyone who is interested in playing, send me an email and I can send you details and register you.
- Duke vs. UNC tomorrow night, and I'm going to be out. I can't even tape it since I have to tape Lost. (Not sure if you noticed, I'm a bit of a Lost junkie.) Those of you who know me well, know that there isn't much that I would miss taping a Duke-UNC game for...but I guess Lost is on that list.
- Here's a funny link for you. I haven't watched the whole thing yet, but it is a compilation of EVERY curse word from the entire six-season run of The Sopranos, in chronological orders. Warning, it is 27 minutes long, and most definitely NSFW. (duh!). Check it out here.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
February 7, 2009
- I watched Pineapple Express last night, and it was ok, but it reminded me of how much I can't stand Rosie Perez. Seriously, her voice makes me want to rip my own ears off. She drives me away from movies, and if I had known she was in it, I never would have watched it. I was actually trying to mute her scenes and watch them in closed captioning. One time, years ago, we got an audio cd through at work, and it was 'read by Rosie Perez.' Seriously!
- 9th HPA event of the year is tonight. I think a win tonight would cement a spot in the top 2 and secure me a trip to Vegas. Wish me luck.
- 9th HPA event of the year is tonight. I think a win tonight would cement a spot in the top 2 and secure me a trip to Vegas. Wish me luck.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
February 5, 2009
- One thing I remembered from January that I hadn't mentioned yet was the Baseball Hall of Fame elections. Rickey Henderson was clearly a no-brainer (get your head around that statement!), but I'm thrilled that Jim Rice finally got into the Hall of Fame. It is truly well deserved, he should have been voted in a long time ago.
- For those of you who guessed at the Concert trivia question, there were some good guesses, some bad guesses, and some downright insulting guesses (Bel Biv Devoe...really?), but here are your answers: Duran Duran (obvious, since that's what spawned the question), Foo Fighters (very easy, a number of you got this one), Sarah McLachlan (6 times), and Live (4 times). Thanks for playing along.
- Last night was my return to the WNP game after 3 weeks off since I was announcing basketball games. 21 players and 5 rebuys, it was a big game. With 9 players left, I was above average stack with no takeouts yet, but then I busted all 8 of the other players to win and notch 8 takeouts. It was a nice win after 3 weeks off. Dennis and I went heads up at the end, and since he beat me last time we were heads up, now we're 50/50.
JENN - STOP READING
- I didn't enjoy Lost last night as much as the first 3 episodes, but on it's own it was probably pretty good. It's just that after 3 mind-blowing episodes...well, it's a pretty tough act to follow. I wasn't that shocked by the reveal that Jin is still alive, but it will be interesting to see what effect his interaction with Rousseau's crew in 1988 will have.
- The links are active now on the sidebar on the left for those of you that want to check out the recaps. Also, check out http://darkufo.blogspot.com as well. There is a contributor named Vozzek69 that always writes some great recaps as well. Today he had a great theory on the whispers/apparitions on the Island.
JENN - YOU CAN CONTINUE READING NOW
- I'm excited for a new season of Hell's Kitchen. The premiere was pretty good.
- Waterloo vs. Guelph this weekend at Guelph. Should be interesting with all the Waterloo regulars at the game and me announcing for Guelph now.
- I recently discovered the show Chef School on Food Network and I highly recommend it. It's about students training at the Stratford Chef School.
- I watched The Wrestler the other night on DVD (sssh...don't tell anyone) and I really enjoyed it. Mickey Rourke was great, and I have a newfound appreciation for Marisa Tomei. Seriously, anyone who has seen it, can you believe she's 45 years old?!
- For those of you who guessed at the Concert trivia question, there were some good guesses, some bad guesses, and some downright insulting guesses (Bel Biv Devoe...really?), but here are your answers: Duran Duran (obvious, since that's what spawned the question), Foo Fighters (very easy, a number of you got this one), Sarah McLachlan (6 times), and Live (4 times). Thanks for playing along.
- Last night was my return to the WNP game after 3 weeks off since I was announcing basketball games. 21 players and 5 rebuys, it was a big game. With 9 players left, I was above average stack with no takeouts yet, but then I busted all 8 of the other players to win and notch 8 takeouts. It was a nice win after 3 weeks off. Dennis and I went heads up at the end, and since he beat me last time we were heads up, now we're 50/50.
JENN - STOP READING
- I didn't enjoy Lost last night as much as the first 3 episodes, but on it's own it was probably pretty good. It's just that after 3 mind-blowing episodes...well, it's a pretty tough act to follow. I wasn't that shocked by the reveal that Jin is still alive, but it will be interesting to see what effect his interaction with Rousseau's crew in 1988 will have.
- The links are active now on the sidebar on the left for those of you that want to check out the recaps. Also, check out http://darkufo.blogspot.com as well. There is a contributor named Vozzek69 that always writes some great recaps as well. Today he had a great theory on the whispers/apparitions on the Island.
JENN - YOU CAN CONTINUE READING NOW
- I'm excited for a new season of Hell's Kitchen. The premiere was pretty good.
- Waterloo vs. Guelph this weekend at Guelph. Should be interesting with all the Waterloo regulars at the game and me announcing for Guelph now.
- I recently discovered the show Chef School on Food Network and I highly recommend it. It's about students training at the Stratford Chef School.
- I watched The Wrestler the other night on DVD (sssh...don't tell anyone) and I really enjoyed it. Mickey Rourke was great, and I have a newfound appreciation for Marisa Tomei. Seriously, anyone who has seen it, can you believe she's 45 years old?!
Monday, February 2, 2009
February 2, 2009
- It has been brought to my attention that when I post details about Lost, not everyone has watched it yet, so that I should warn people if I am about to post a spoiler. (by the way, 'not everyone' and 'people' both translate to 'Jenn') So, since Jenn refuses to watch the show when it actually airs, instead waiting approximately a year or longer to watch the episodes, any future posts that contain pertinent info regarding Lost will contain a warning. I was considering writing 'Spoiler Alert', but I've instead chosen to go with the phrase 'Jenn, Stop Reading!' in big, bold, red capital letters. Please don't be alarmed when you see that in the future.
- Speaking of Lost (It's ok Jenn, this is fine for you to read.), I found out something interesting tonight about Kevin Durand, the Canadian actor who played Keamy last season. I just found out that my brother gave him one of his first acting jobs when he directed him in a stage production in Toronto right after he had graduated from the University of Windsor drama program. Interesting.
- So, back in December I had posted on the topic of bands or artists I had seen in concert 3 times or more (See December 11th post), and I realized I never posted the answer. I'll give it another day or so in case anyone else wants to answer since there are significantly more readers now. I'll post the answers later this week. You can email me or post your guesses in the Comments section.
- I watched Heroes tonight and I really don't like the way the series is going. A plane crash...seriously? Are they going to stumble upon a hatch and some Scottish dude pressing a button every 108 minutes now?
- Speaking of Lost (It's ok Jenn, this is fine for you to read.), I found out something interesting tonight about Kevin Durand, the Canadian actor who played Keamy last season. I just found out that my brother gave him one of his first acting jobs when he directed him in a stage production in Toronto right after he had graduated from the University of Windsor drama program. Interesting.
- So, back in December I had posted on the topic of bands or artists I had seen in concert 3 times or more (See December 11th post), and I realized I never posted the answer. I'll give it another day or so in case anyone else wants to answer since there are significantly more readers now. I'll post the answers later this week. You can email me or post your guesses in the Comments section.
- I watched Heroes tonight and I really don't like the way the series is going. A plane crash...seriously? Are they going to stumble upon a hatch and some Scottish dude pressing a button every 108 minutes now?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
February 1, 2009
I can't possibly give a month's worth of 'random thoughts' in one post, so I'll just go with what's been happening lately and take it from there.
- First and foremost (and for all those new readers, get used to my TV geek-dom if you plan on coming regularly), The fifth season of Lost is absolutely blowing my mind. And we're only three episodes in! When Richard said 'Put your gun down, Widmore.' in the last episode, I was shocked. And I'm thinking that Elly has to be Mrs. Hawking. I hope the shot of Sawyer's bloody foot is just a red herring to attach it to the concept of the four-toed statue. As I was recommending the Jeff Probst blog during Survivor, if you enjoy reading recaps of the show, make sure to read the following:
I'd be happy to talk Lost anytime, feel free to email me, but I'm not reading any spoilers. I'm enjoying the surprises too much.
- Are the Arizona Cardinals really in the Super Bowl? Really????
- I might be going to Manitoba for two weeks in March. Why, you ask? More info to come in the future...
- Lucas and I have been having a blast playing Rock Band and Rock Band 2. We started a World Tour with our band, The Furfys (of course!) and now have just over half a million fans, bought a plane, and played our first gigs in Europe!
- Lucas finally lost his front tooth on the top. It had been loose forever.
- Duke finally made it to #1 this season, and then lost to Wake Forest last week with 0.8 seconds left in the game. ARGH!
- At the Gryphons game last week, during warmups there was this guy in the stands dancing along to the music, and it was hilarious. Ryan from the scorer's table took some video on his iPhone, I need to find out if there's a way to post it on here...soooo funny.
- I'm enjoying CSI with Laurence Fishburne so far, and I'm glad they didn't bring him in as the leader of the lab. Although last week's episodes that had the CSI's working with 'the FBI', who ended up actually being criminals from a mental institution, I had to think to myself "That never would have happened under Grissom's watch."
- The University of Guelph did a profile of me as the new "Voice of the Gryphons" this year. Here's a link if you're interested. It's worth it for no other reason than the 'deer in the headlights' picture.
- Comments are open....feel free to leave one if you're a new reader.
- First and foremost (and for all those new readers, get used to my TV geek-dom if you plan on coming regularly), The fifth season of Lost is absolutely blowing my mind. And we're only three episodes in! When Richard said 'Put your gun down, Widmore.' in the last episode, I was shocked. And I'm thinking that Elly has to be Mrs. Hawking. I hope the shot of Sawyer's bloody foot is just a red herring to attach it to the concept of the four-toed statue. As I was recommending the Jeff Probst blog during Survivor, if you enjoy reading recaps of the show, make sure to read the following:
Doc Jensen at www.ew.com
The Lost Diary at www.thelostdiary.com
Erika's recaps at www.longlivelocke.blogspot.com
(I'll put links to the last two on the sidebar before Thursday so you can link to them right from here)The Lost Diary at www.thelostdiary.com
Erika's recaps at www.longlivelocke.blogspot.com
I'd be happy to talk Lost anytime, feel free to email me, but I'm not reading any spoilers. I'm enjoying the surprises too much.
- Are the Arizona Cardinals really in the Super Bowl? Really????
- I might be going to Manitoba for two weeks in March. Why, you ask? More info to come in the future...
- Lucas and I have been having a blast playing Rock Band and Rock Band 2. We started a World Tour with our band, The Furfys (of course!) and now have just over half a million fans, bought a plane, and played our first gigs in Europe!
- Lucas finally lost his front tooth on the top. It had been loose forever.
- Duke finally made it to #1 this season, and then lost to Wake Forest last week with 0.8 seconds left in the game. ARGH!
- At the Gryphons game last week, during warmups there was this guy in the stands dancing along to the music, and it was hilarious. Ryan from the scorer's table took some video on his iPhone, I need to find out if there's a way to post it on here...soooo funny.
- I'm enjoying CSI with Laurence Fishburne so far, and I'm glad they didn't bring him in as the leader of the lab. Although last week's episodes that had the CSI's working with 'the FBI', who ended up actually being criminals from a mental institution, I had to think to myself "That never would have happened under Grissom's watch."
- The University of Guelph did a profile of me as the new "Voice of the Gryphons" this year. Here's a link if you're interested. It's worth it for no other reason than the 'deer in the headlights' picture.
- Comments are open....feel free to leave one if you're a new reader.
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