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13 Sep, 2011

Monkey See, Monkey Do

By |2011-09-13T12:02:12-04:00September 13th, 2011|My Brain|2 Comments

This bothers me more than life itself. People who keep their phone on the table while eating. It’s possibly the rudest thing someone can do. It’s genuine discontent and disrespect for the people or person you are eating with. I’m practical and not saying that you should never take out your phone when you are out to eat. I will glance at my phone if there is a break in the action, say the person is going to the bathroom, or I am looking something up on my phone to carry the conversation. I also understand that when our parents were raising kids in the 80’s and 90’s, there weren’t rules about when it was appropriate to use your phone, maybe people just don’t understand. Essentially when you choose to take out your phone, you are saying that this is more important to me than you are. Smart phone 1, Human Being 0.

This brings me to the next phenomenon of monkey see, monkey do. It’s a reaction by humans to do what someone else is doing. We were at the golf course the other week and were waiting to tee off when a group behind us (yes it was a slow round) came to the tee box. While waiting, Monkey 1 checked his phone, Monkey 2 didn’t want to be left out and he checked his phone, unable to converse with anyone Monkey 3 decided to check his phone. It was just a weird thing that I feel like I should point out that was brought to my attention by CK4.

If you read this blog you know that I praise the smartphone. I love how it keeps me in touch with my email and how I can surf the web and have all that information at my fingertips. However, I don’t act like it’s my higher power. I don’t flaunt my phone and show everyone my latest apps. I don’t alert everyone what model droid I have or want. I use my phone for calls, texts and emails. I’ve wasted time flinging birds at pigs but never again. I use the phone as an accessory and not my primary life function. Just my two cents.

13 Sep, 2011

Fantasy Football Recap – Week 1

By |2011-09-13T11:51:26-04:00September 13th, 2011|Sports|1 Comment

My teams went 2-3, but the good kind. In the two wins I had the most points scored in the league and in two of the losses I had the 3rd and 4th most points scored only to lose to a higher total. The 3rd loss was pretty ugly. That’s really what fantasy football is all about, maximizing the point values in each league. I really only botched one league where I could have won but I played the Chiefs D against the Bills, which I thought I was being smart but if I just played my drafted D, I would have won. I do have some thoughts though about Week 1.

  • I did a brief overview of my waiver wires and there are a few TE’s who catch my eye as worth picking up. There are a few QB’s too but I probably wouldn’t waste my waiver wire position to get them, just see who becomes a F/A after the waiver period.
  • I expect to see Steve Smith have a big year. Cam Newton threw for more total yards in one game than Brady did for the span of career until last night. If Steve Smith is on your waiver wire, obvious time to put in the selection for waiver.
  • Drafting Sebastian Janikowski is one of the smartest moves I make in the draft. Everyone says how all kickers are the same but that is completely false. Rather than take a player who is going to sit on my bench in the 11th round, draft Sebastian and watch him drill 63 yard fg’s to end the half. He becomes a more consistent player than a RB.
  • A few guys who I think are going to be busts are LeGarrett Blount, Dwayne Bowe, Knowshon Moreno, Shonn Greene (again) and anyone on the Colts. Too early to tell? Perhaps, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
  • Some great late round picks turned out to be Steve Smith, Jordy Nelson, Kenny Britt (no surprise), Welker, Tolbert and Reggie Bush. I think these guys will be good all season long.
  • My final thought deals with the waiver wire position. You want to be #1. You don’t want to waste your spot on stupid picks. A stupid pick would be putting your spot in for Cam Newton this week. My plan is to wait and pick from the remains as F/A and keep my position. If I see a guy who I think needs to be picked (like Steve Smith), I’ll submit it. It’s very important to have a high waiver wire position. I know this is only week 1 and now would be the time that it matters least but when guys start getting injured, it’s important to get the back up for much needed points.
12 Sep, 2011

Being Boring

By |2011-09-12T15:38:24-04:00September 12th, 2011|My Life, Sports|3 Comments

I didn’t go out at all this weekend and pretty much just did nothing of much interest. I paid 5 bucks for True Grit which I found pretty slow and boring. I actually fell asleep at the end and turned it off without really caring what happened which is unusual for me. I woke up on Saturday and went golfing with the Shee at Shannondell which is found in Valley Forge. Neither of us played particularly well and I chalk this up to playing down to the course. At 49 dollars this price was a bit steep for its value. After that we played some mini golf with the Wevs who was back in town and I once again reigned supreme at Mini Golf. After a big win down the shore vs Bake, I came back against the Cohens like nothing had changed. After that Shee and I went to Harrah’s which I documented earlier. I went to sleep early on Saturday and woke up early on Sunday. I’m just about the 3rd book of Game of Thrones which has been occupying my time. I also started Mad Men which is fairly interesting.

Obviously Sunday is fantasy football so I will add a few thoughts. I’m in 5 leagues this year and it looks like I will go 2-3. I beat the poop out of Evan with a Stafford, Calvin and Kenny Britt combo. Gusto is going to lose to me because I had Steve Smith and Calvin against him. Bill Schmidt laid the smackdown on me and even though I probably will finish with the 2nd highest point total for the week, a loss is a loss. Those were my Yahoo leagues, all of which were good showings. My two in ESPN were a complete debacle. Mendenhall, the Chiefs D and Vincent Jackson all let me down in the one league and the other was a no show by Chris Johnson, Owen Daniels and not playing Steve Smith. I still have a shot but 4 guys totaling 70 points is unlikely. I was pretty happy with my teams though and think that this is only one week of a long season.

11 Sep, 2011

HBO Finales

By |2016-11-01T23:30:33-04:00September 11th, 2011|Tv|1 Comment

True Blood – D- – If this series was their first series, this show would never have caught on. They tried really, really hard to make the Sookie, Bill and Eric love triangle dramatic but it just didn’t have the right effect. There was no emotional connection this season like there was in others. The Jason Stackhouse – Jessica plot line just came from nowhere and was pretty dumb. Lafayette and Jesus was just too magic oriented and seemed dumb. Sam’s plot line with Luna and the kid and Marcus wasn’t interesting. Arlene and Terry seems forced in the mix. Basically, I thought there were too many plot lines and they weren’t very good. The story was all over the place with magic, vampires, shifters, werepanthers, werewolves, and pixies. Stick with the vampires and maybe the show will find its roots again. Killing off characters in the finale doesn’t make the finale good either.

Curb Your Enthusiasm – B+ – With only 10 episodes this season, it’s easy to be disappointed. However, I think there were still memorable episodes and this season certainly wasn’t a let down. From the Palestinian Chicken, to LOL Larry, to the Mister Softee, each episode still had it’s own unique storyline. At this point things out of the ordinary happen to generate the story line but you just have to accept that with this show. I always find Larry’s romantic scenes sort of out of place because he’s so goofy but he’s a really funny actor. I thought tonight’s finale was decent with Michael J. Fox. The cameo’s (Rosie, Bill Buckner, Ricky Gervais) throughout the season make this show even better.

Entourage – B – I feel like everyone is always very hard on this show and expects the world. The way they summed it up was pretty well done. The Vince and Sofia marriage story line was rushed and dumb. The E & Sloan being together at the end was predictable but felt right. Turtle being a millionaire and Johnny just sort of being Vince’s brother didn’t have much closure. But let’s face it, Ari & Mrs. Ari steal the show as being the best, most interesting, plot line. The way they depict Ari’s life and how he never has any time to spend with his kids is so typical that it hits home to so many people. Him realizing this and quitting his job and devoting his life back to Mrs. Ari made for a storybook ending. What I liked the most though was the scene after the credits with the CEO giving the company to Ari and basically saying the world is yours. He shows so much sacrifice quitting his job but there is always something bigger out there that can tempt you. Really cool and shows how easy it is for Ari to go back on his words. I thought this show wasn’t fantastic but Ari still salvaged what was right in Entourage. Give him a spin off.

11 Sep, 2011

Sheepish

By |2016-11-02T00:13:42-04:00September 11th, 2011|My Life|0 Comments

sheep·ish- adjective
1. embarrassed or bashful, as by having done something wrong or foolish.

I don’t know if everyone knows what this word means but I got to experience it for about 2 hours yesterday playing poker. I was playing at a table with a guy he raises 100% of the pots to 10 dollars. In one hand I made it 25 with AQ over his 10 and 4 people other than him called. The flop came A75 and with 100 in the pot he made it 60 and I pushed my stack which he called. The board ran out bricks and he tabled A2 for an early double up. The big pot happened about 2 orbits later which brought about this post. He made it 10 preflop and I made it 60 which only he called. The flop came 249 all diamonds and I checked to him. He had me covered still by the way and one of my Kings was a diamond. He bet 125 and I called, I had about 350 still behind and the pot got to around 400. I don’t remember the turn but it was a brick and he pushed the river. I thought for about 5 seconds and called thinking this guy usually has any two and my KK could still be good at this point and I probably have an out if I’m wrong. He had actually flopped a flush a flush and I was drawing at 7 outs. The dealer brought me a diamond and it shipped a 1,200 dollar pot my way.

He took the beat very well and I had to sit there feeling like I just completely ratted a huge pot. This isn’t really a fun feeling because the guy has a tendency to not forget a 1,200 dollar pot so fast. Not to mention this guy was a Kimbo looking fellow with a beard about a foot long. This guy was a complete professional though and didn’t berate me or say anything so this process of people getting over this monster pot wasn’t so bad. Nevertheless, I have the feeling of an undeserved 1,200 dollars in my wallet. So my Saturday 3 hour session resulted in a 770 dollar profit which I’m happy to deposit in my bank account. I’ll take it.

9 Sep, 2011

Unemployed

By |2016-11-03T15:27:04-04:00September 9th, 2011|My Life|0 Comments

Since I’ve graduated from college, I’ve been employed for all but 2 weeks. These past two days are what it feels like to be unemployed, a feeling that is completely new to me. Our building didn’t have power for the past two days due to a fire underneath the street and it did some damage to the electric supply. When you don’t have power, you can’t really work. Yesterday the traffic was maddening and with no power to boot, I stayed home. Today I drove in thinking there was going to be power and there wasn’t. Now it’s 10:15 and I’m sitting at this computer typing a blog post. This is like not having a job and being able to do whatever you want. The sense of freedom is pretty nice but I don’t really have anything to do. I’ll probably go for a run but for the most part, this would get old fast. I finished the Soprano’s series yesterday (a complete separate post to come) and I will probably start Mad Men but sitting her for hours watching shows can only keep you entertained for so long. It’s just a weird feeling. I’ll probably sit here and create a bunch of posts for this website. Keeps me busy.

7 Sep, 2011

Storage Wars – The Advanced Level of TV

By |2016-11-02T00:11:59-04:00September 7th, 2011|Tv|2 Comments

I had this entry in mind when my original plan was to write this entry. If you’ve been reading my blog recently, you’d know I’ve been a fan of the show Storage Wars. I’ve been DVR’ing every episode that I haven’t seen and I’ve probably watched some 20+ in the past few weeks. I feel like I’ve gotten a pretty good understanding of the show and I have my pros and cons that go further than just thinking Brandi is hot. What I meant to explain when I correlated this entry to the entry below is that this show has the element of reality and the next level of “real” TV.

I don’t believe this show is doctored. I believe these characters go to the auctions and engage in live bidding for these lockers. There is nothing false about this. I do think there may be some false valuations on items which is sort of strange but it’s not too far off to ruin the show. When Darrell finds a used set of Callaway golf clubs and says they will fetch 300-400 dollars, I know that can’t be right considering I just bought a brand new set for 400. Without getting sidetracked, the cameras take footage of live action in the auction process and behind the scenes. When Dave Hester is getting steamed at Jarrod, there is a genuine dislike that just can’t be acting. If it is, he deserves an Emmy. This is the kind of programming I like the most. The realness of the show is what I enjoy. However, I like the show even more because of the next level thinking that can only be found because of this reality.

To the first time watcher, this show can still be entertaining. To someone who has watched a ton of episodes, you start to get into the mindset of the characters. This is the key point to this post and why I think this show is awesome. When you understand the backgrounds of each of the characters, you can start to see their thought process behind a locker’s value and than the bidding war is just the most exciting part when their personalities and knowledge collide. Using specific examples, Dave is the professional and most interesting character on the show. When he is involved in the bidding process, if you are bidding against him you have reason to be both concerned and excited. If Dave is bidding on the locker, it means it most likely has some value. Or he could just be bidding you up because he doesn’t like you. So when you put yourself in Dave’s place, it’s always a strategy in how you bid against each character. Dave knows that when he’s up against Jarrod, it’s going to be a back and forth because they dislike each other and he can pretty much own Jarrod. Barry has a load of cash and will spend money if he likes the chances of a collectible. This means that starting a bidding war with him is idiotic because his goal isn’t nickel and diming it for a small profit with material goods. Darrell is the 2nd most knowledgeable character but he seems to lack the balls to back up his intuition. It’s just really interesting to see how they interact with each other in a real life situation. There’s no script and no acting. That’s the best part though because being an outsider watching the show, you don’t know what’s going to happen. Sure you don’t know what’s going to happen watching “reality” tv but if it’s scripted, who really cares, you’re just being played with. This is real. I would be heartbroken to find out that it was fake because this entry would make me look like a buffoon.

I just don’t like fake shows anymore. Why has cops been so successful, live footage. Here’s an idea for a successful show, take Blind Date but make some adjustments. Don’t let the characters know they are being taped for a show. Don’t cut out the awkwardness. People would love to see real interaction among people without them knowing they are being watched. Real conversation, real interaction, real emotion and sincerity. THE INTEGRITY OF THE SHOW IS IN TACT. I really think it would be a hit.

7 Sep, 2011

A brief history of TV, Decade by Decade

By |2016-11-02T00:11:36-04:00September 7th, 2011|Tv|1 Comment

When shows are popular, you have to ask “why are they popular”? Good TV has evolved over time. That’s the wonderful thing about the world we live in, things are constantly improving. Society is always trying to make things better and people are attracted to things that are better. I’m going to go through a little TV history and than give my opinion on today’s broadcasting.

50’s

True regular commercial television network programming did not begin in the U.S. until 1948. The most popular shows of the 50’s were I Love Lucy, Dragnet, Gunsmoke, The Bob Hope Show and the 64,000 dollar question<. Tv in this decade was just getting started and I have to admit that I've never seen even the most popular shows (let alone the least popular). The above named shows were your typical sitcoms. Lucy is your family comedy, Dragnet your detective show, Gunsmoke the Western, Bob Hope was the comedic talk show, and the 64,000 Question is the start of game shows on TV. Let's face it, they had the same types of show we are watching today except it was set in the 50's. These shows would probably be fascinating to watch in 2011 and how differently things played out that were set 50+ years ago. However the genres haven't changed much, just updated.

60’s

The 60’s brought about popular shows like The Andy Griffith Show, The Price is Right, The Beverly Hillbillies, Rowan and Martin’s Laughin and Bonanza. Other than the Price is Right, I’ve only seen a few of these shows. Bud’s dad watched Beverly Hillbillies so I’ve seen that a few times. Probably not too much advancement in quality of programming except that color TV was starting to spread in the 1960’s. A huge event for TV in the 60’s was the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. It’s worth a watch to understand the hysteria around this event. In the video, the text that appears when they identify the Beatle is so prehistoric it’s comical. Owning a TV was probably a big deal and programming was probably minimal. Meaning that if these were the shows that were being made, these were the shows you were watching. Quality was probably average but it was better than nothing.

70’s

The 70’s most popular programs were All in the Family, 60 Minutes, M*A*S*H, The Jeffersons, Happy Day’s and Laverne and Shirley. The finale of Roots holds the number 3 spot of the most watched shows of all time. A news program enters as one of the highest rated shows along with the same format of sitcoms we are all used to. Back in the 70’s, I get the feeling that there more shows were being produced and the quality was improving. African American programming was also becoming a hit with the Jeffersons, Roots and Sanford and Sons. Not being alive during this period, I have a feeling this had a dramatic cultural effect. More shows were probably available and the quality was improving but I still would think the programming was limited.

80’s

Moving into the 80’s, it’s getting close to when I started watching TV. The most watched shows of the decade were Dallas, 60 Minutes, The Cosby Show, Cheers, Murder She Wrote and Family Ties. I used to watch The Cosby Show regularly and my mom used to make me sit through Murder She Wrote which was a bit over my head as a 5 year old. During the 80’s TV continued to become more widespread and more homes had the ability to afford it. The 1 and 2 most watched shows of all time took place in this decade. The series finale of Mash was watched by more than 100 million people and holds the #1 spot. The series finale of Dallas holds the #2 spot. The thing to note is that there are probably 20 quality shows during this decade that I don’t have time to list like A-Team, Alf, Growing Pains, MacGuyver. Who’s the Boss, Webster. The Super Bowl also routinely became one of the most watched programs each year. Also to note is that Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune were re-invented during this decade.

90’s

The decade of the most TV watching of my life. From ages 7-17, I watched a ton of TV. The most popular shows were Seinfeld, Home Improvement, the Simpsons, Full House, Friends, ER and Frazier. Other less popular shows were The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Family Matters, Step by Step, Married with Children, Saved by the Bell and Wonder Years. Who Wants to be a Millionaire was the most popular program in 1999 and it re-introduced the game show’s popularity. A couple of shows like Greed and The Chair tried to capitalize but never panned out. Notice though that most of these shows are all just sitcoms. We hadn’t hit reality TV yet and this was the last time period when sitcoms ruled. I think the programming was still halfway decent though and the 90’s produced a lot of memorable shows.

00’s

Let’s thank Survivor for Reality TV. Now let’s understand something during this fabulous decade, this is very close to scripted “reality” TV. The actual reality TV that has ruled this decade is American Idol. American Idol holds the most watched program for the past 7 years. People like watching real people doing real things. This sparked tons of other shows like Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, cooking shows, police shows…the list goes on. HBO & Showtime also broke into this decade with some of the best programming of all time with hits like the Wire, the Sopranos, and Dexter. Because people paid for the subscription, they had the advantage of making their shows even more “real” because they weren’t restricted by what the network was allowed to show. This was a huge advance in what people saw on TV. No more censorship led to better television. These two concepts, reality TV and the ability to show unrestricted television, set this decade apart from the rest. Now “real” reality TV is the next step to where better TV can still go. Show’s like the Real World and Jersey Shore are still entertaining but there isn’t any real feature to them anymore. It’s just sort of real. The shows that will take it to the next level will be really real. The market is inflated with tons of shows to watch nowadays and the concept of fake reality is all over. Real reality, without the influence of producers and the forced story lines, will win for the next decade. The cable networks series will continue to thrive as well.

I sort of got carried away with this entry and am not really sure how this took shape. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed the history of TV shows and if you read through this and found it interesting, a quick comment saying you enjoyed the read would be appreciated. If I wasted your time, that’s ok too.

7 Sep, 2011

Integrity

By |2011-09-07T08:30:44-04:00September 7th, 2011|My Brain|0 Comments

There is such an easy way to sound smart and it involves one simple phrase which is “it ruins the integrity of …”  I know this sounds idiotic but it’s such a broad statement that it’s hard to argue against it.  This statement works great in games especially.  Take beer pong for instance, if someone wants to add a no air ball rule, you just say tell them “no, it ruins the integrity of the game.”  When CK4 tells me a great idea is a bowling ball that knocks down all the pins, the simple response is “that idea is retarded, it ruins the integrity of the game.”  Anytime someone is cheating, you tell them they are ruining the integrity of the game. Look at this definition and tell me you don’t always want to be known as a person with integrity.

in·teg·ri·ty
noun
1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.
3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship’s hull.

Plus the best part about this is that people will really like you a lot if you tell them they have a lot of integrity. It has to be one of the ultimate compliments. If you ever find yourself in a room of smart people who you know you can’t compete with, just find a good spot where you can use the word integrity and they’ll respect you for the rest of your life.

6 Sep, 2011

My last few days

By |2011-09-06T11:58:47-04:00September 6th, 2011|My Life|0 Comments

No this is not a morbid post like the title might suggest. I’m just going to recap a few of the more interesting things that happened to me over the long weekend.

  • I watched Sam’s XC race on Saturday and I have a video of the race that I just need to figure out how to get from my phone to youtube.
  • I bought a new 12′ Acura TL. I was able to turn my car in (even with a cracked windshield), put 500 bucks down and lower my payments by 50 bucks.
  • I played poker for 8 hours on Saturday at Harrah’s Chester and lost a bit over 200 bucks. I played pretty average. I lost a big pot with AK on a KT4 board against the opponents KT. I won a big won with 58 on a 557 board against 68. I lost a big one with KK on a QJ8 board where some maniac who played every hand flopped a straight. Basically it was just a huge waste of time.
  • I shot a 90 at Bella Vista from the Blue Tees which was pretty good. I also had a drive that went 365 yards.
  • I took an elbow to the face playing ball on Sunday that sent me to the ER and required 3 stitches. I probably could have done without them but the cut was pretty deep as my tooth punctured my mouth. I also got a tetanus shot which completely made me feel ill on Monday. My arm was killing me and my body felt so weak. I had flu like symptoms and just felt awful. I still feel pretty bad today.
  • My 3rd fantasy football draft took place last night and I’m pretty sure I drafted a good squad. Peyton Manning dropped to pick 60+ after I already got Romo and now I have great trade value which should give me a huge edge in the league. My last draft is tonight and then the season commences on Thursday.
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