Life, Baseball, and Football
A lot has been going on in my life lately. With the new job set to start next Monday, I've had to get a car, get insurance for it, get a new I-Pass, buy some "business casual" clothes, and I had to take a drug test this morning too. All those years of not abusing illegal substances is finally paying off!! Muahaha...
With all this stuff happening, I almost missed the fact that baseball's regular season just ended and the playoffs are starting. This time of year is always rather bittersweet for me. Yes, I love watching playoff baseball, but it also marks the official end of the White Sox and my fantasy team's seasons.
I've gotten used to the fact that my Sox aren't gonna be in the playoffs, and my fantasy team chokes every year. This year was especially hurtful for some reason. Despite having far and away the best hitting in the league, a great bullpen, and a supposedly solid core of veteran starting pitching, my team still finished in 2nd place, as it has in 3 out of the 4 years I've played.
Football season is well underway, but as much that is a good thing, I have a bad feeling about this year. Were it not for some luck involoved, the Bears could be 0-4 instead of 2-2 heading into Monday Night against the Packers. The defense doesn't look nearly as bulletproof after losing key players in the offseason and to injuries. Meanwhile, David Terrell catches like 2 passes a game and acts like he's Terrell Owens or Randy Moss. We don't need that attitude, David.
As for fantasy, this is shaping up to what might be my worst season ever. Take a gander at the following players: Kurt Warner, Corey Dillon, David Boston, Keyshawn Johnson, Joe Horn. What do each of these guys have in common? 1. They are all supposed big-name players that have been productive in the past few seasons. 2. They are all on my team. 3. They are all doing basically jack this year for me.
By far, the most painful is Kurt Warner. I absolutely despise this guy for what he has done to me. For the past 3 seasons, I swear he has averaged about 4 TDs and 500 yards per game in weeks he plays against my team. Finally, this year I get the 2nd overall pick in the draft, so I take him in the hopes that I can avoid being raped 2-3 times by him this year. He rewards me by throwing 8 interceptions to only 1 touchdown in 3-plus games, then bowing out with a pinky-injury that will keep him out 8-10 weeks. Sweet, eh? It's gonna be a long winter...
MLB Playoffs: First Round Predictions
Since the Sox aren't in the postseason, I really have nobody to root for. But I thought I might as well put up some predictions and analysis anyways.
National League
Braves over Giants in 4: While I do want to see Barry Bonds, Robb Nen, and Kenny Lofton win, they are really no match for the Braves. There is simply no hole in Atlanta's pitching, top to bottom. Solid starters, solid middle relief, solid closer. In the playoffs especially, good pitching beats good hitting. Not that the Braves are severely lacking in hitting, either. Chipper, Andruw, Sheffield should be able to provide more than enough firepower to carry the Bravos to the next round, at the very least.
D-backs over Cards in 5: I can't say I particularly like either team, but because of fantasy baseball, I hate the Diamondbacks much more. Still, I doubt that the Cardinals have nearly enough strength to overcome Arizona's gay duo. Doing it for Darryl Kile can only take them so far. I wish the matchups had been set differently, it would've been nice to see the Braves play the Giants in the League Championship Series because I like both of those teams a lot better.
American League
Yankees over Angels in 5: While the Angels were red-hot in the second half of the season, the Yanks were consistently good throughout the entire year. The bad news for Anaheim is that the Yankees seem to get even better once October rolls around. Look for a close series, but the experience and superior talent of the Yankees will shine through in the end.
Twins over A's in 4: I know what you're saying, how can you pick against Zito, Mulder, and Hudson in a 5 game series? Well, I can almost guarantee you that Billy Koch will blow at least one win for the team. And while the Twins aren't overpowering in either pitching and hitting, don't overlook their solid fundamentals and exceptional defense.
As I write, I see that the A's are beating the Twins. But no matter, I will not revise my predictions accordingly. As for the rest of the playoffs, I will save any extended analysis until the actual matchups are set. But I feel that this year we will see the Braves beat the Yankees in 7.
A Dudo509 Blogspot Special: My First Limericks
People have been writing lots of haikus lately. It has inspired me to express myself poetically. However, since I am not in the business of being a biter, I have decided to release my creative energy in the form of limericks. It might be the Irish blood in me, who knows? Anyways, enjoy...
My 17-inch monitor died,
so an old 14-inch one I tried.
But the screen is so tiny
a flat-panel, I should buy me,
Or else my eyes may go blind.
Soriano almost hit forty-forty,
A-Rod and Bonds are MVP worthy.
But Big Unit and Schilling,
my team, they love killing,
I guess it's just not meant to be.
What's the matter with David Terrell?
He hasn't even played all that well.
But he dances and shakes,
when just one catch he makes,
I'm thinking "man, what the hell?!"
The Vikings have quite a bad seed,
to no man does Randy Moss heed.
He's always been shady,
he ran over some lady,
and he probably smokes too much weed.
My team has a QB named Kurt,
this season he's been worth less than dirt.
I thought he could pass,
but now he sucks ass,
I'm almost glad he got hurt.
My pants are a little too baggy,
and my shirts are too beat up and crappy.
I must look respectable,
so-called "business casual,"
No more clothes from Abercrombie.
My Maxima brought me great bliss,
its color was green, or "Sage Mist."
My sis took it to drive,
but I got G-thirty-five,
So I guess my old car I won't miss.
I handed out resumes for a year,
Not having a job was my fear.
But I worked with my father,
until Northrop's offer,
and now I have a career.
Olivia's too busy with academics,
Studying her biochem and genetics.
She's got no time free,
to hang out with me,
so here I am writing my limericks.
Tuesday, October 01, 2002
Monday, September 30, 2002
Favorite Pickup Lines
In case some of ladies or gents out there need a little prodding or starting point to find yourself a man/woman, here are a few recommendations. However, I take no responsibility if you get laughed at or slapped. (By the way, I didn't come up with any of these. This is just a collection of my favorites out of all the ones I've heard, the relatively clean ones at least)
- If you were a booger, I'd pick you first.
- Good thing I brought by library card, cause I'm CHECKING YOU OUT!!
- If I had a soccer ball, would you kick it with me? (Hint: works on more than one level if you actually play soccer)
- Are you part Jamaican? Cause JAMAICAN me crazy for you!
- Did you just eat some Campbell's Soup? You're lookin "mmm mmm Good..."
- Your dad must be a baker, cause those are some really nice buns...
- You remind me of my speeding tickets cause you got FINE written all over you (yes... and I have quite a few speeding tickets)
- Do you like chips? Cause I'm Frito Lay...
- Is it hot in here, or is it just you?
- I wish I knew the Pythagorean Theorem, cause you got all the right angles (I do know the Pythagorean Theorem... muahaha)
Of course, I would never use any of these myself except on Olivia. Too bad I got like half of them from her so that wouldn't work too well.
In case some of ladies or gents out there need a little prodding or starting point to find yourself a man/woman, here are a few recommendations. However, I take no responsibility if you get laughed at or slapped. (By the way, I didn't come up with any of these. This is just a collection of my favorites out of all the ones I've heard, the relatively clean ones at least)
- If you were a booger, I'd pick you first.
- Good thing I brought by library card, cause I'm CHECKING YOU OUT!!
- If I had a soccer ball, would you kick it with me? (Hint: works on more than one level if you actually play soccer)
- Are you part Jamaican? Cause JAMAICAN me crazy for you!
- Did you just eat some Campbell's Soup? You're lookin "mmm mmm Good..."
- Your dad must be a baker, cause those are some really nice buns...
- You remind me of my speeding tickets cause you got FINE written all over you (yes... and I have quite a few speeding tickets)
- Do you like chips? Cause I'm Frito Lay...
- Is it hot in here, or is it just you?
- I wish I knew the Pythagorean Theorem, cause you got all the right angles (I do know the Pythagorean Theorem... muahaha)
Of course, I would never use any of these myself except on Olivia. Too bad I got like half of them from her so that wouldn't work too well.
Thursday, September 26, 2002
Commenting
Ok, we'll see how this thing works. Thanks to Scott's hookup, I signed up for this thing that will let people comment on my blogs. It's pretty simple, click on the "Comment" link and a window will pop-up. If you leave comments, I will respond if appropriate, otherwise, I don't mind if you just want to read my blogs anonymously and snicker at how nerdy I am. Ideally, I would rather get an occasional message from a wide variety of people so there will be lots of different opinions, etc. You could even leave a message with a fake name, it's all good. But if it turns out that my fears are true, and only 1 or 2 people actually read my blog, then I will deal with it, I won't cry. The only thing is, don't be annoying and leave obnoxious messages. I don't want to have to remove the Comments feature some day down the road, that would be pretty sad if I had to.
If you have a blog and want to add the Comments feature, click on the "Haloscan" link on the side. There's not much around that is free anymore, but Blogspot and Haloscan deserve props for providing a pretty solid service without charging. I am seriously considering upgrade to Blogspot Plus but we'll see if that happens. But yeah, you actually can add the Comments feature without adding the button to link to Haloscan, I just thought it was nice that they didn't just force it on me:
"Step 3: (Optional)
We would appreciate it if you could place a link to us somewhere on your page. The following code will result in a button-link like what you see on the right hand side of this page (just copy and paste the code anywhere in your page): "
That's what they wrote, nice of them to ask, eh? Politeness works with me, and you see that I did indeed add their button to my Links. A Chinese saying goes "Li-duo, ren bu guai" which translated basically says that nobody would ever fault you for having too much manners. That's true, to a point. If you idolize Miss Manners or Martha Stewart, I would fault you for having no life.
Ok, this was supposed to be a short post but as always I managed to make it longer than it should've been. Feel free to leave me some comments now. (Nice, I like saying that)
Ok, we'll see how this thing works. Thanks to Scott's hookup, I signed up for this thing that will let people comment on my blogs. It's pretty simple, click on the "Comment" link and a window will pop-up. If you leave comments, I will respond if appropriate, otherwise, I don't mind if you just want to read my blogs anonymously and snicker at how nerdy I am. Ideally, I would rather get an occasional message from a wide variety of people so there will be lots of different opinions, etc. You could even leave a message with a fake name, it's all good. But if it turns out that my fears are true, and only 1 or 2 people actually read my blog, then I will deal with it, I won't cry. The only thing is, don't be annoying and leave obnoxious messages. I don't want to have to remove the Comments feature some day down the road, that would be pretty sad if I had to.
If you have a blog and want to add the Comments feature, click on the "Haloscan" link on the side. There's not much around that is free anymore, but Blogspot and Haloscan deserve props for providing a pretty solid service without charging. I am seriously considering upgrade to Blogspot Plus but we'll see if that happens. But yeah, you actually can add the Comments feature without adding the button to link to Haloscan, I just thought it was nice that they didn't just force it on me:
"Step 3: (Optional)
We would appreciate it if you could place a link to us somewhere on your page. The following code will result in a button-link like what you see on the right hand side of this page (just copy and paste the code anywhere in your page): "
That's what they wrote, nice of them to ask, eh? Politeness works with me, and you see that I did indeed add their button to my Links. A Chinese saying goes "Li-duo, ren bu guai" which translated basically says that nobody would ever fault you for having too much manners. That's true, to a point. If you idolize Miss Manners or Martha Stewart, I would fault you for having no life.
Ok, this was supposed to be a short post but as always I managed to make it longer than it should've been. Feel free to leave me some comments now. (Nice, I like saying that)
Good Stuff
The past couple of days, 2 especially good things happened. First, I woke up and found that this canker sore that's been bothering me for days is all but subsided. Second, I heard back from last friday's interview, and they are giving me a job offer! (exclamation mark sighting)
It's the first time I have actually been offered a job, I don't know how exactly to react. When I got my job at Jewel in high school, they basically called me in to "interview," asked me a couple questions like "do you steal?" and "wanna work here?", then they told me to show up on Monday for training. Not really a true "job offer" by any means.
So people who know me well probably know how they don't see me excited very often. I may not always show it, but certain things do make me happy and excited, and this was definitely one of them. It's the best piece of news I have heard in a really long time, I don't think I was really all that excited even when I got accepted into college or got my SAT/GRE scores back.
Some may be wondering about details:
Company: Northrop Grumman - One of the major corporations in the aerospace field supplying the nation's defense with fighter jets and tech components. Others in the industry include Boeing, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin. It's a big company based in Baltimore, but I will be working in the Electronic Systems division.
Location: Rolling Meadows, IL - About an hour drive during rush hour from my house, it's maybe 5 minutes north of Woodfield Mall. This is one of the best things about this job, that I get to stay in the Chicagoland area. I don't know if I will have to eventually move to live closer, but for now I will live at home and see how it goes from there. I visited their facility for the interview, and it is like a miniature city in there.
Start Date: 10/7/02 - Tentatively scheduled for the Monday following the next. That gives me a week and a half to get ready. I might need to buy some shirts and pants or something. Most of all, I will need to get a car so that I don't have to drive the minivan up and down 355 every day.
Overall, I'm really happy with how this all worked out. The job sounds actually pretty cool, I will get to work on a lot of different projects so I'll be exposed to a wide range of things, not exclusively focused in software or hardware. At the interview, I met with about 6-7 people and most of them seemed cool. I didn't notice a lot of people my age there, but I am pretty sure they are around and I will meet people who are under 30. I hear that the employees like to play softball too, that would be pretty sweet.
Hopefully when I get the chance, I will get to post some more in depth thoughts about the whole experience, from graduation, to working for my dad, to where I am now. I'm sure you are all dying to read another long, drawn out sappy entry.
The past couple of days, 2 especially good things happened. First, I woke up and found that this canker sore that's been bothering me for days is all but subsided. Second, I heard back from last friday's interview, and they are giving me a job offer! (exclamation mark sighting)
It's the first time I have actually been offered a job, I don't know how exactly to react. When I got my job at Jewel in high school, they basically called me in to "interview," asked me a couple questions like "do you steal?" and "wanna work here?", then they told me to show up on Monday for training. Not really a true "job offer" by any means.
So people who know me well probably know how they don't see me excited very often. I may not always show it, but certain things do make me happy and excited, and this was definitely one of them. It's the best piece of news I have heard in a really long time, I don't think I was really all that excited even when I got accepted into college or got my SAT/GRE scores back.
Some may be wondering about details:
Company: Northrop Grumman - One of the major corporations in the aerospace field supplying the nation's defense with fighter jets and tech components. Others in the industry include Boeing, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin. It's a big company based in Baltimore, but I will be working in the Electronic Systems division.
Location: Rolling Meadows, IL - About an hour drive during rush hour from my house, it's maybe 5 minutes north of Woodfield Mall. This is one of the best things about this job, that I get to stay in the Chicagoland area. I don't know if I will have to eventually move to live closer, but for now I will live at home and see how it goes from there. I visited their facility for the interview, and it is like a miniature city in there.
Start Date: 10/7/02 - Tentatively scheduled for the Monday following the next. That gives me a week and a half to get ready. I might need to buy some shirts and pants or something. Most of all, I will need to get a car so that I don't have to drive the minivan up and down 355 every day.
Overall, I'm really happy with how this all worked out. The job sounds actually pretty cool, I will get to work on a lot of different projects so I'll be exposed to a wide range of things, not exclusively focused in software or hardware. At the interview, I met with about 6-7 people and most of them seemed cool. I didn't notice a lot of people my age there, but I am pretty sure they are around and I will meet people who are under 30. I hear that the employees like to play softball too, that would be pretty sweet.
Hopefully when I get the chance, I will get to post some more in depth thoughts about the whole experience, from graduation, to working for my dad, to where I am now. I'm sure you are all dying to read another long, drawn out sappy entry.
Wednesday, September 25, 2002
Awards
Ok, even though I recently posted a list of Dudo509 Blogspot Awards, I still think the concept of awards is way overrated. There are simply too many different awards being given these days and I don't understand why people take it so seriously. Just off the top of my head, there's the Golden Globes, American Music Awards, Viewers Choice Awards, ESPYs, Soul Train Awards, MTV VMAs, Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, plus too many others that are even less meaningful. Academy Awards might be a little more prestigious than the others, but still I don't put much stock in them and I haven't watched an Oscars, Emmys, or Grammys in a really long time.
So I have to wonder why it is that people take these things so seriously. Movie stars, rappers, or athletes end up feeling dissed if they are not nominated or don't win a category. Or, they burst into tears of joy when their name is called, leading them to go up and thank God, their agent, and their mother (in no particular order). You know, I don't give a crap about them winning the award, I have a feeling that God cares even less. Anyways, why do these awards mean so much to these people? Aren't their millions of fans, their Cribs-worthy homes and cars, and the fact that they can pretty much date whoever they want enough to satisfy them? I guess not...
In reality, how much is an Oscar or Grammy worth? I'm sure there are a lot of great artists or actors who have won them, but I bet if I looked through a list of winners of the past 5 years, I could find a lot that suck too; what does that say about the credibility of such awards? And do we ever really go see a movie because it has 3 Oscar-winners in the leading cast? If so, is that even the real reason why people are so happy to win one, that more people will buy their music or see their movies, and they will make even more millions to add to their existing pile of money? I doubt it, people don't sob uncontrollably onstage because of something like that.
If I ever become an accomplished star, however unlikely, I will choose to ignore all awards ceremonies even if I am nominated or win. I remember when Eminem was first getting popular, he would say in his songs that he didn't care about Grammys, yet nowadays he still shows up to all the awards shows with a speech prepared. Artists and performers should make it their goal to constantly improve their skills and serve their fans with more creativity and excellence. They shouldn't strive for schmaltzy awards, but getting these awards should be a byproduct of how much they put into their work.
There are probably a number of exceptions to what I'm saying. The Nobel Prize, for example, is rich in history and given to a very limited number of people each year. If you win a Nobel Prize, your immediate peers include such people as Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa. Not too shabby. With Grammys, on the other hand, even Christina Gaguilera and the Baha Men have won awards, while Britney Spears has been shut out for years - that's simply unacceptable.
Maybe I am just bitter because me and my Senior Design partners were ignored at the Senior Design awards this year, despite our project being awesome (haha). Or maybe I am feeling left out seeing that I haven't won anything half-resembling an award since freshman year of college (the Koehler Outstanding Freshman in Electrical and Computer Engineering Scholarship which basically fell in my lap).
Nah, I am not one to be bitter. If someone really deserves recognition, then I have no problem with them getting an award. It's just that I am so tired of hearing about a different award ceremony every single week. Then there is hype beforehand and all this controversy afterward about who should've won and why. I don't see how big movie stars and musicians can complain about being "shafted" when they don't win an award. Those thousands of Enron employees losing their job because of poor management, they got "shafted". And, isn't it sad that there are magazines and TV shows which dedicate themselves to this crap, and that people have jobs purely based on reporting this kind of stuff? Leads me to wonder if anybody in this country has a life of their own outside of watching the E! Entertainment Network all day. Not that I have a life though, I write blogs all day...
Ok, even though I recently posted a list of Dudo509 Blogspot Awards, I still think the concept of awards is way overrated. There are simply too many different awards being given these days and I don't understand why people take it so seriously. Just off the top of my head, there's the Golden Globes, American Music Awards, Viewers Choice Awards, ESPYs, Soul Train Awards, MTV VMAs, Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, plus too many others that are even less meaningful. Academy Awards might be a little more prestigious than the others, but still I don't put much stock in them and I haven't watched an Oscars, Emmys, or Grammys in a really long time.
So I have to wonder why it is that people take these things so seriously. Movie stars, rappers, or athletes end up feeling dissed if they are not nominated or don't win a category. Or, they burst into tears of joy when their name is called, leading them to go up and thank God, their agent, and their mother (in no particular order). You know, I don't give a crap about them winning the award, I have a feeling that God cares even less. Anyways, why do these awards mean so much to these people? Aren't their millions of fans, their Cribs-worthy homes and cars, and the fact that they can pretty much date whoever they want enough to satisfy them? I guess not...
In reality, how much is an Oscar or Grammy worth? I'm sure there are a lot of great artists or actors who have won them, but I bet if I looked through a list of winners of the past 5 years, I could find a lot that suck too; what does that say about the credibility of such awards? And do we ever really go see a movie because it has 3 Oscar-winners in the leading cast? If so, is that even the real reason why people are so happy to win one, that more people will buy their music or see their movies, and they will make even more millions to add to their existing pile of money? I doubt it, people don't sob uncontrollably onstage because of something like that.
If I ever become an accomplished star, however unlikely, I will choose to ignore all awards ceremonies even if I am nominated or win. I remember when Eminem was first getting popular, he would say in his songs that he didn't care about Grammys, yet nowadays he still shows up to all the awards shows with a speech prepared. Artists and performers should make it their goal to constantly improve their skills and serve their fans with more creativity and excellence. They shouldn't strive for schmaltzy awards, but getting these awards should be a byproduct of how much they put into their work.
There are probably a number of exceptions to what I'm saying. The Nobel Prize, for example, is rich in history and given to a very limited number of people each year. If you win a Nobel Prize, your immediate peers include such people as Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa. Not too shabby. With Grammys, on the other hand, even Christina Gaguilera and the Baha Men have won awards, while Britney Spears has been shut out for years - that's simply unacceptable.
Maybe I am just bitter because me and my Senior Design partners were ignored at the Senior Design awards this year, despite our project being awesome (haha). Or maybe I am feeling left out seeing that I haven't won anything half-resembling an award since freshman year of college (the Koehler Outstanding Freshman in Electrical and Computer Engineering Scholarship which basically fell in my lap).
Nah, I am not one to be bitter. If someone really deserves recognition, then I have no problem with them getting an award. It's just that I am so tired of hearing about a different award ceremony every single week. Then there is hype beforehand and all this controversy afterward about who should've won and why. I don't see how big movie stars and musicians can complain about being "shafted" when they don't win an award. Those thousands of Enron employees losing their job because of poor management, they got "shafted". And, isn't it sad that there are magazines and TV shows which dedicate themselves to this crap, and that people have jobs purely based on reporting this kind of stuff? Leads me to wonder if anybody in this country has a life of their own outside of watching the E! Entertainment Network all day. Not that I have a life though, I write blogs all day...
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