Thursday, August 28, 2008

We've Got Wind

Just got home from my fourth sailing lesson, our first with some decent wind. What a blast! I even got to do some hiking. Not much, as I am a heavy guy and the boat that we were sailing is built to be handled by 'lighter' people.

In past classes we have been sailing courses in front of Sand Point, but tonight we got to do an excursion.


View Larger Map

We sailed from the pier that we were taking the lessons, upwind to the NOAA pier. We farted around there, waiting for everyone to get out and headed downwind to Matthews Beach. From there we crossed Lake Washington to Denny Beach. We did circles for a bit and then headed back to the NOAA pier, dodging a big gravel barge along the way. Farted around there and then we parked the things. The wind was going good the whole time. It was the best night by a mile!

I can't wait for Tuesday, we should get to capsize the boats that night.

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New Lens



Here is the first shot with my new lens. Much to the joy of Carrie I got a new lens, a Canon EF-S 10-22mm. As I told her, this is the last lens that I 'need'.

Heh, we'll see!

Anyhow, it is a wide angle lens that can take some really interesting picture that I wasn't able to take before. You can add quite a bit of depth to a picture with the thing as you can see above. Clyde's nose is huge and his feet small.

I a few weeks I will be in Las Vegas for a work trip... In my off time, instead of losing money at a table, I'll wander around with this lens and explore what I can do with it.

Stay tuned!

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Monday, August 25, 2008

Seahawks Monday

Didn't watch much of the game tonight... Not much of a pre-season guy, I like when they play for reals. I did however tune into the Q13 post game show.

You need to catch this show. Why? Because it is a train wreck. A hilarious train wreck! Here is an example of what I am talking about...


An older clip.

...Eaton is gone, but the poor production remains. This stuff happens all the time on this show.

As an extra bonus we get Bill Wixey's hair!

BTW. silly pass interference call. I would have gone ballistic if this game had counted.

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Sailing...

takes me away...

I had my first sailing lesson tonight. No time on the lake yet, mostly terminology and rigging a boat. I sure enjoyed the rigging, I get geeked out by stuff like that. I like anything that makes adjustments, whether it is a button, knob, switch, or line (rope in sailor talk). Even the basic boat we are using had a ton of adjustments available. The challenge now will to be knowing what they are and what they do.

We also got to practice moving about the boat while tacking. Pretty awkward right now, passing the tiller behind you back and all that. I am not the smoothes of people, but I'll get the hang of it eventually. they assure us hta it'll come to you pretty quick once on the water.

I am all excited for lesson two on Thursday!

Soon I will be free. (bonus Christopher Cross not to be confused with Kriss version)

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Sunday, August 17, 2008

What I am Thinking II

Nothing says white-trash like a tri-colored* third generation Chevy C/K pickup with a mossy old hot tub thrown haphazardly in the back with a new couch still wrapped in plastic tied on top.

I saw it today.

Were was this guy going, where was he coming from? I can't figure it out.

Do you know what else I saw? Wood.


*front end one color, door and bed off of two different donor vehicles.

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What I am Thinking

Beer is too expensive at stadiums. $7.50 for a Bud Light? C'mon. Sure it is to discourage drinking... I guess that is why sodas are $4. Highway robbery of a captive audience. I'm surprised the drinking fountain doesn't accept quarters.

This NBC 'Live' broadcast of the Olympics is bull$#!^. Michael Phelps swam for his record 8th gold medal at 7:55pm our time. NBC wouldn't broadcast it until 10:55pm on the west coast. Do you know when I found out the results? 7:58:29.34pm by Vern Lundquist during the Seahawks broadcast.

Clyde needs to be kept in his crate when we aren't home.

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Bad Idea

I had two good ideas this weekend that Clyde made me realize were bad.

It has been pretty hot the last couple of days so I set up a little kiddie pool that we got for Clyde. Typically we put it out in the middle of the lawn and dump it at the end of the day. Not yesterday. I thought it would be a good idea to put it in a flat spot under the trees where there wasn't any grass so I wouldn't have to drain it.

This morning I got up made come coffee and let Clyde out to relieve himself in the back yard. Ten minutes later he is back at the door ready to come in... ...except he is soaked! The punk went out and submerged himself in it.

Bad idea.


Clyde is now about eighteen months old. Typically when he is unsupervised we keep him crated this is for his well being, our houses, and our possessions. Lately I have benn leaving him alone for short periods. A run to the grocery store, etc...

Do you know where this is going?

Usually he would be laying on the floor sleeping, right where we left him. that is when he is in 'low power mode'. Yesterday Carrie and I had to run some errands when he was in 'high power' mode. I told Carrie that I wanted to leave him out, and she reluctantly let me. He likes to shake the couch pillows so we put those away and off we went.

Bad idea.

An hour or two later we came home. Luckily nothing of great worth was destroyed. He had pulled one of our Ikea CD shelves out and shredded the press-board. More concerning he grabbed a CD and crunched that into little bits. It was Limp Bizkit. Both were spread evenly across a large portion of our family room floor.

Bonus, in the middle of typing this up, he puked up a handful of pieces from the case. The good news is that he is eating and pooping just fine, no food came out with the pieces so his system is working. We are getting to be old hands at this.

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Saturday, August 16, 2008

Hawk Time!

Yes, ladies and gentleman, it is that time of the year. It is time for football.



Carrie and I headed down to Qwest Field for the the Seahawks preseason game. It was a bit weird as the temperature outside was in the mid to upper 80's. The other weird thing I noticed was a tip bucket at the stadium beer stand... WTF??? (Sorry mom) They charge $7.50 for a beer and people tip? Before the game I paid $5 for a pint of Boundary Bay IPA at a pub and was a bit miffed at the price... I tipped there because they brought it to me and when I was done they asked if I wanted another. (yes, please) I didn't feel the least bit guilty not tipping for my marginally cold stadium Bud Light in a plastic bottle.

I also saw a teddy bear that got ran down by an old truck...



...then I found five dollars.

Which still didn't make me feel better about the $7.50 beer

We left the game at halftime and went to grab some dinner downtown. I honestly don't know why they charge full price for these preseason games. It is fun but only half as much as a 'real' game. I can't wait for the regular season, and mid-sixty degree weather. I honestly can't wait for the rain, and I hope for snow once or twice...

Go Hawks!

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Ice Pack Please


http://view.break.com/555174 - Watch more free videos

Ahhh, is there anything funnier than testicular trauma.... I say no.

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Wednesday, August 13, 2008

C'mon, You're Kidding, Right?

In a previous post (Are You Kidding Me?) I brought up the Spanish Basketball teams 'slant eyed' team photo. Now, big surprise, people are calling them 'racist'.

Pul-eze!

Was it stupid and childish? Yes. Racist? No. Every player over the age of ten that posed for that picture is a moron, you have no argument from me.

The word 'racism' has been so overused that it actually makes me nauseous. Any freakin' controversy between people that look different is quickly labeled with it. The word has been cheapened to utter meaninglessness. Like the boy that cried wolf.

Of course, as a white suburban male, I am not qualified to say anything about this subject, so please ignore me.

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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

That's Funny

Almost two years ago, Carrie and I purchased a new car. Since I am a gadget freak, we (I) had to have the 'tech package'. One of the things included in the package along with freakin' laser beams was XM satellite radio. I am now a converted. I thought all we would do on long road trips is listen to an Ipod sine min eis loaded with countless hours of music. NO! We like the satellite radio!

I think our favorite stations to listen to now XM Comedy channel 53. We are hooked on comedy. It has even inspired us to catch a few shows such as Kathleen Madigan Seattle's own Last Comic Standing finalist, Jeff Dye.



I even went all 'fourteen-year old girl" and voted the maximum allowed times... I have NEVER done that before.

My favorite comic is Mitch Hedberg. Sadly he passed away a few years back, but there is quite a bit of material out there to view. Here is a good set from Letterman. Enjoy.

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Monday, August 11, 2008

Volley Ball

...Just may have passed swimming as my favorite sport. It's fun! (heh)

I'm a Misty May/Kerri Walsh fan!

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Media Bias

55% Say Media Bias Bigger Problem Than Campaign Cash

Glad to see people are starting to notice.

How loud do you think the John Edwards affair have been if he he was republican? I'm just saying...

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Are You Kidding Me?



Anybody that is familiar with me knows that I am vehimately 'un-PC'. I believe that if it offends, ignore it. This story, however, amazes me with it's thick headedness.

You see one person do this gesture, fine, ignore them, everybody has a God given right to be an idiot if they aren't hurting anyone. I don't count feelings, as you also have the right to turn you back and realize that you witnessed an idiot.

You'd think that when posing for a 'funny' picture like this, one of the fifteen players or a coach to step up and say, "Uhhh, this is a dumb idea", ridicule the idiot that suggested it and take a normal picture.

For a picture like this to be taken and then used as advertising... Wow.

Now I don't claim to know much about Spain, other than Fernando Alonso and my buddy Steve, but it is hard for me to imagine that this could make it that far in todays world. How many people checked off on this? Nobody questioned it? C'mon!

Still, I believe a company has a right to put out an advertisement like this... I also know that I would choose to not spend my money with them.

...And root against the team.

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I Got the Fever!

Olympic fever!

I am hooked. After not watching one second of the 2004 Olympics in Athens, I can't turn them off this year.

Before, I wasn't really interested in any of the sports. People running, swimming, doing somersaults, yawn.... What has changed for me this year is that I am drawn in by the 'spirit of competition'. I almost get a bit emotional with every competition. (sniff, sniff) It doesn't even matter if it is a US athlete or not. Like the Womens Road Cycling. Nicole Cooke from Great Britain had been riding with a breakaway of five riders for the last part of the race. On the final climb it looked like she was cooked, falling off the back. You felt bad, riding almost four hours, getting yourself into a position where you only had to beat four other, not a pack of many, and you blow up a km from the finish. Poof. But no! The next thing we see is her rolling by on the outside to snag the gold! Fantastic! I'm getting choked up just typing that.

...And that mens 4x100 freestyle... That has to be one of the greatest races in Olympic history. Jason Lezak of the US behind by a length at the turn to the powerful (and cocky) French team. C'mon! If that doesn't get you going, you are dead to the world of sports. Check it out here if you haven't seen it, it is worth it.

BTW, swimming might be my favorite Olympic sport now. You can clearly see the effort going into the race, the 4x100 is a prime example. I'm a Phelps Phan!

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Friday, August 01, 2008

Sail Away



I'm sailing away. Set an open course... for the virgin sea. Because I've, got to, be free!

Well, Mike stepped up and took action instead of sitting on his arse as he is prone to do.

Yes my friends, I signed up for sailing lessons. I've been talking about it ad-nauseam to anyone who'll listen, or at least not run away, for over a year. ...And now I am finally doing it. I have always been fascinated by boats since I was a wee lad, yet have surprisingly little time on them. I believe the majority of my time on the water has been on a Washington State Ferry. Sad. For the longest time, it was powerboats that I desired. It started out with the hydros, throwing a big rooster tail, to ski boats and fast runabouts. Later I desired a fishing boat that I could overnight in which eventually turned in to a cruising trawler.

About a year and a half ago I got infatuated with sailboats. I don't know why, it just happened. I read a few books, Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum, Fatal Storm: the Inside Story of the Tragic Sydney-Hobart Race by Rob Mundle, Close to the Wind by Pete Goss, Fastnet Force 10 by John Rousmaniere and Adrift by Steven Callahan. All good reads.

The dream as of today is to eventually have a little boat that I can race. That looks like a fun challenge. Of course that can all change tomorrow. The Puget Sound is a great place for cruising. It would be a blast to fart around in the San Juans.

Realistically my goal is to learn to handle a boat, get decent at it, and work my way up to being able to charter a decent sized sailboat and know what I am doing.

Ultimately it would be really interesting to cross an ocean. I worked with a fella once that told me about when he sailed to Hawaii once. In the middle of the Pacific, hundreds maybe thousands of miles from anywhere, they had a very still night, no wind what so ever. The sky was clear. He said that there were more stars than he ever could have imagined in the sky and since the ocean was glass, they were all reflected from below. It was as if his sailboat was in outer space. I need some stories like that in my repertoire.

I have to start somewhere.

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