USA and Work Lameness

First off, Team USA Won the 60th running of the Motocross of Nations. This is the 17th win for the US - now the most of any nation. So who cares about the damn Ryder Cup (golf is not a real sport anyways)- USA rules Supercross/Motocross.

So this week the company decided to implement "Operation Clean Sweep". Working in an IT department that has been around for about 30 years, you know there is a lot of crap so it was decided to have the crap cleaned up. Not a bad idea, let's us get out of work for a few days. But then out came the "team assignments" - this is a contest to see who can clean up the best to win a pizza party (yeah??) and on my desk I find my team name: Team Toy Story. Are they freakin kidding me?? They named all the teams after childrens Disney movies. One more joke that the employees here get that Mgmt does not. At least I'm not on Team Dumbo I guess.

If you missed it, watch "Heavy -The History of Metal" on VH1. It is about 3 hours and actually very cool. My only complaint about the whole thing is the complete passing on metal nowadays. Just brief mentions of Korn, System of a Down and no mention of Tool. I know it's history but those three bands have mad their lasting mark.

Back to "Operation Clean Sweep"!!

A Whole Lotta Nothing

Not much new going on. As I mentioned in my last post, this was the summer of losing two co-workers/friends here and as of the end of Thursday - losing another one (female also - pattern!!!!) It is amazing how fast things can change in life.

An item that caught my attention:

Here in CA a Senator Perata has introduced a bill that would take 75% of all punitive damages awards and give it to the state leaving 25% to the plaintiff or plaintiffs. I just do not understand how anyone can think this is a good idea but then again he does represent the Berkeley area so...... but I guess we can be thankful that juries will not automatically increase the size of punitive damage amounts so that the 25% the plantiff gets is adequate (since the state will take most of it) and we can be sure that the state will not try to have any influence on this process because they are nice and have no real vested interest in how much money they would get from this process....and for sure this will not increase the cost of doing business in the state as any increase in damages will not be passed on to the consumer.....right???

Under the category of DUH: This headline from Yahoo: "Rachel Ray Show potentially annoying".

For The Hero, the band name I have always liked and one that is mine all mine:

Unknown Chung

Songs of the Day:

The Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love

Really cool old song - very catchy early punk and if you didn't know - Pete Shelley was and is in the band (remember that cool 80's hit "Homosapien")

No lyrics this time... but a link to the video - 197freakin8!!

Even Fallen in Love

and

The Jam - A Town called Malice

That is all - I'm out!!!!

BEER and Good Friends

I was cruising the net looking for some inforamtion about L.C. Alleycat Amber - a great beer I had since we were advised it is brewed only by chicks and I came across these really cool facts about beer.

ENJOY!!

BEER FACTOIDS:

It was the accepted practice in Babylonia 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the "honey month" or what we know today as the "honeymoon."

Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thumb or finger into the mix to find the right temperature for adding yeast. Too cold and the yeast wouldn't grow; too hot and the yeast would die. This thumb in the beer is where we get the phrase "rule of thumb."

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's."

Beer was the reason the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. It's clear from the Mayflower's log that the crew didn't want to waste beer looking for a better site. The log goes on to state that the passengers "were hasted ashore and made to drink water that the seamen might have the more beer."

As was noted on The Wriders blog, she is leaving our hallowed work halls. The bad part about making such good friends at work is they tend to turn over - not that the friendship does not remain but all the fun things you do and inside jokes you have disappear from you everyday work life. These are the things that get you through the day, especially the rough days.

The part I find most interesting is as a person who has been at the company a long time - I have seen a lot of people come and go and you usually make an initial judgement about them- will I be hanging out with this person in time - doing happy hours, having long jabber converstaions. With the Wrider my initial take was no - (maybe the fact that I did not talk to her when she started had something to do with that - my bad) and not in the sense that we would not talk, etc but that we would have a friendship that is more than work. All that has been proven wrong. I have learned that people can suprise you and in turn, you will suprise yourself and I owe that to the Wrider. I think most people would say we are an "odd pairing" and would not put us together as friends but life can be strange and I'll definately miss having her in the cube next to me. Things happen for a reason right Wrider? No coincidences!

I have had two really good people leave here this summer (both chicas) and that bums me out - (anyone else sensing a pattern here??? - more on me repelling women when I get off my ass and start the second blog) but life and work go on and I still have a lot of great people around me.

HOT HOT HEAT!!!

What a weekend. I basically wait all year for this weekend to go the the AMA Motocross Nationals at Glen Helen and I was not disappointed. The racing was great - especially in the Moto Lites class - the track was great and although it was hot, not as hot as years past. The highlight of hte track was the new "triple step up" jump. It was basically a table top jump followed bu an uphill double jump. For the few riders that were making the whole jump, they were about 30 to 40 feet high and going about 100 feet in distance. Check out the photo:




Besides the racing, I hooked up with Avman, my bro and a couple guys from work. Motocross, friends and family... it don't get no better.


I am spending most of today gettig my PC at wok set back up as my hard drive crashed on Friday -what a pain in the ass.....

I'm Locked in a Glass Case of Emotion

So I am going to hell. Why?? Well I watching a nice 9/11 piece on NGC when a commercial came up for a Flight 93 memorial. As the spokeswoman was talking (her sister died on the plane) they panned out and low and behold..... HUGE JUGS!!! It was all I could focus on after that. They tried to hide but to no avail. What else can I say.....

I also had my nephew stay with us for 5 days while mom and dad were looking for a place to live in NC as the dad is now stationed there. He is a good kid (almost 6) but has learning disabilities and what I would call space/strength issues. Personal space can mean nothing to him and he is really big and strong for his age and he does not understand his power. I had forgotten what it is like to have to know where a kid is at all times, even in my own house. He does get frustrated and has a habit of squeezing the mouth of my 5 year old DH. This is where his strength comes in. Luckily we had very few issues with him - he did really well but it took me back trying to get him to listen and to focus when were talking to him and/or trying to discipline him. BIG PROPS to all parents who go through this everyday. It takes constant work. On the big plus side, I was able to get him to ride a bike without training wheels for 4 or 5 houses (with only a little help from me to keep him on the straight and narrow). He was so happy with himself when he did it and I was so happy for him (and me I must admit). If he does not get a bike soon, one will be making it to NC that is for sure.

My youngest started kindergarten today. She seems very cool with it but since she has been going there with my wife for years (room mom, volunteer, Girls scouts with my oldest) I don't think it was a big shock to her. It was really good a friend from her day care days is in her room and sits right behind her (no idea the family lived near us). It's odd, the kids are getting older but I don't feel I have changed at all.

Finally, Song of the Day.

Heroin Girl by Everclear. No lyrics (blocked here at work) but a really cool song. Heard it Sunday on my way to band practice.

It's not MTV

First ESPN and now MTV. I was looking at photos of the VMA's which I did not watch (I catch some MTV but since there isn't any music on MTV...??)and thought of a few things:

• Is it just me or is the whole "add 500 dancers, special costumes, and make it a duet" thing they do to live performances just pure shit? I like the song because I like the song.. MTV is making it not about the song but about the "artist". It is "Media TV" not "Music TV". Music has become an after thought. Personally, if a band can't just go up there, plug in and just jam their song and have it work then the song is not that good to begin with.
• They should have zero street cred as they are the biggest "corporate whores" or "sellouts" if you want. There is no way half that shit should ever see the light of day much less make the airwaves. That is not only the videos but the crappy crappy shows they run all day.
• Yes, VH1 Classic is way the f better but it aint because I am to old. : I do want to see the performance by The Killers who I think closed the VMA's. Love their new song.
• I am guessing all the really good bands who actually write the music themselves boycott MTV out of principle. With the exception of Headbanger's Ball (and even then) when was the last time TOOL was played. (I hope they do)
  
• I don't think it is a case of "we play what the viewers like" but a case of "we will play this enough the viewers will like it".
• If you can get it but not exactly much better lately is FUSE TV. At least they are not 24 hour a day hip-hop KIIS FM type of crap.
  

What else.... hmmmm. Kids start school next week and my youngest is starting kindergarten. I feel so sorry for them!!!!

Funny: A headline from MSNBC - COSMIC LOG: A SPOT ON URANUS.
A spot on URANUS?? Is it LUPUS Jerry? Is it LUPUS?

That's it. Have a great holiday weekend!