Here it is, in all its glory!
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Friday, July 29, 2005
Interject
Bet you were expecting the 2nd day of my trip to St. Louis eh? HA! I wrote most of that post, but didn't get a chance to finish it... and like most things, I've started a new project before finishing the last.
I went to my 2nd Kane County Cougars game tonight, and had to post my fresh thoughts (thought maybe not the clearest about now). This time sat in the Center field deck thanks to a nice vendor of ours. Can't pass up a free baseball game (er free food and beer). Good game, although very slow - Eddie Kim hit a 2 run homer to put the Cougars up by 1 in the 5th inning, but the bullpen couldn't contain the QC Swing. Reminds me of a local National League baseball team doesn't it? There were supposed to be fireworks, but after 10 innings of minor league baseball, fireworks weren't about to keep me from getting to my nice comfortable bed. It was Dontrelle Willis Bobble-Leg night... Yeah you read it right (picture to come later). We showed up too late to get a nice mint freebie, but I prayed that one of the 30 kids would leave one behind, just for me. Someone was listening to my prayers, because the 8th inning a family left a broken leg Dontrelle on the picnic table in front of us. Luckily with a little operation, Mr. Willis was back in shape to sit next to my Sosa Bobble-head and Fergie Jenkins autographed baseball. Whooo Hooo! Don't know if the Cougars won or lost the game, listened on the way home and it was in the 12th inning by the time we got home.
Waj
I went to my 2nd Kane County Cougars game tonight, and had to post my fresh thoughts (thought maybe not the clearest about now). This time sat in the Center field deck thanks to a nice vendor of ours. Can't pass up a free baseball game (er free food and beer). Good game, although very slow - Eddie Kim hit a 2 run homer to put the Cougars up by 1 in the 5th inning, but the bullpen couldn't contain the QC Swing. Reminds me of a local National League baseball team doesn't it? There were supposed to be fireworks, but after 10 innings of minor league baseball, fireworks weren't about to keep me from getting to my nice comfortable bed. It was Dontrelle Willis Bobble-Leg night... Yeah you read it right (picture to come later). We showed up too late to get a nice mint freebie, but I prayed that one of the 30 kids would leave one behind, just for me. Someone was listening to my prayers, because the 8th inning a family left a broken leg Dontrelle on the picnic table in front of us. Luckily with a little operation, Mr. Willis was back in shape to sit next to my Sosa Bobble-head and Fergie Jenkins autographed baseball. Whooo Hooo! Don't know if the Cougars won or lost the game, listened on the way home and it was in the 12th inning by the time we got home.
Waj
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
St Louis Day 1
So this past weekend we took a trip to the Gateway to the West. That's right, we ordered our tickets for the best rivalry in Baseball - at least as far as Cubs/Cardinals fans are concerned. We bought our tickets when they went on sale - oh about 4 months ago. Little did we know then, that we had purchased tickets for the most exciting and HOTTEST (literally) baseball games I have ever been to. Don't get me wrong, I've been to many exciting, come from behind/walk off/blowout games at Wrigley Field. None of them were quite as exciting as these two games.
Let me reflect on the weekend as it happened...
I received a call from my brother last Wednesday while eating pizza at Al's Pizza (Warrenvilles finest pizza!). He just wanted to let me know that the Sunday game that he bought tickets to (he bought 6 tickets together so we could all sit together - The 3 brothers and their significant others) was changed to the Sunday Night Game of the Week! We had to choose - Do we watch one game this weekend in St Loius, try to sell the tickets, and drive home early Sunday - Or WATCH BOTH GAMES AND GET HOME EXTREMELY LATE SUNDAY NIGHT/EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. For me, there was no decision - we had the tickets, we had to watch both games. Most of us didn't have the option of taking Monday off work, so we would have to sacrafice.... After a few days of pondering and checking our options for selling the tix, we all decided to go for it!
So we get up at the crack of dawn, pack up the car and go! We get to St Louis with about an hour to spare, just enough time to do a little tailgating under I64. Good thing my bro forgets the grill - we get to have a liquid lunch, not the best thing for a 100+ degree day. Luckily our seats happened to be in the shade, because it was seriously the hottest day I can remember. We stopped at a gas station on the way, a man told us that Busch stadium was the hottest stadium he had ever been in "It holds the heat well". Wonderful! We were sweating as soon as we stepped out of the A/C'd van, now we had to sit in "the hottest stadium" for an afternoon of Cubs/Cardinals baseball. Now history has told us that the Cubs had little chance to win either of these games we were about to enjoy. My siblings went to a game last year in St. Louis and after the Cubs lost the game, they said the walk back to the car was one of the worst experiences ever. "The Cardinal fans were brutal". Not sure why they wanted to go back, but here we were. The game was hot, very, very, very hot. The shade was great, I don't think we would have made it in the sun. The beer was good, although I did have to walk a few sections to get a Budweiser. Guess people really like their Bud Light down there. The game was great, the Cubs took an early lead and kept it after the Cards would battle back every time the Cubs would score. Derrek Lee hit a home run and Aramis Ramirez hit a home run in the 6th inning to put the Cubs up by 2 runs;the bullpen allowed 1 run and Dempster closed the game with a save.
Excellent close game. Final play - Albert Pujols hits a hard line drive to Neifi Perez who then tosses to Todd Walker for a double play to end the game! Very close play, Cards would have tied the game had the hit gone through the infield. AWESOME!
We drove to the hotel checked in - unpacked and cleaned up for dinner. Went to Show Mes for dinner, based on a recommendation by a friend. Probably the biggest Hooters rip off ever - its a wonder how they can even get away with it. The wings were very similar to Hooters too, can't really say I liked them better, or say they were worse. Seriously, I think whoever started Hooters had some background in starting this place. Finished off the night playing cards - no poker - but a fun game called "Hand and Foot" or something like that. Pretty fun game, we played until we were too tired to carry on.
End of Day 1. Not enough time to finish this up today. More to follow...
Waj
Let me reflect on the weekend as it happened...
I received a call from my brother last Wednesday while eating pizza at Al's Pizza (Warrenvilles finest pizza!). He just wanted to let me know that the Sunday game that he bought tickets to (he bought 6 tickets together so we could all sit together - The 3 brothers and their significant others) was changed to the Sunday Night Game of the Week! We had to choose - Do we watch one game this weekend in St Loius, try to sell the tickets, and drive home early Sunday - Or WATCH BOTH GAMES AND GET HOME EXTREMELY LATE SUNDAY NIGHT/EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. For me, there was no decision - we had the tickets, we had to watch both games. Most of us didn't have the option of taking Monday off work, so we would have to sacrafice.... After a few days of pondering and checking our options for selling the tix, we all decided to go for it!
So we get up at the crack of dawn, pack up the car and go! We get to St Louis with about an hour to spare, just enough time to do a little tailgating under I64. Good thing my bro forgets the grill - we get to have a liquid lunch, not the best thing for a 100+ degree day. Luckily our seats happened to be in the shade, because it was seriously the hottest day I can remember. We stopped at a gas station on the way, a man told us that Busch stadium was the hottest stadium he had ever been in "It holds the heat well". Wonderful! We were sweating as soon as we stepped out of the A/C'd van, now we had to sit in "the hottest stadium" for an afternoon of Cubs/Cardinals baseball. Now history has told us that the Cubs had little chance to win either of these games we were about to enjoy. My siblings went to a game last year in St. Louis and after the Cubs lost the game, they said the walk back to the car was one of the worst experiences ever. "The Cardinal fans were brutal". Not sure why they wanted to go back, but here we were. The game was hot, very, very, very hot. The shade was great, I don't think we would have made it in the sun. The beer was good, although I did have to walk a few sections to get a Budweiser. Guess people really like their Bud Light down there. The game was great, the Cubs took an early lead and kept it after the Cards would battle back every time the Cubs would score. Derrek Lee hit a home run and Aramis Ramirez hit a home run in the 6th inning to put the Cubs up by 2 runs;the bullpen allowed 1 run and Dempster closed the game with a save.
Excellent close game. Final play - Albert Pujols hits a hard line drive to Neifi Perez who then tosses to Todd Walker for a double play to end the game! Very close play, Cards would have tied the game had the hit gone through the infield. AWESOME!
We drove to the hotel checked in - unpacked and cleaned up for dinner. Went to Show Mes for dinner, based on a recommendation by a friend. Probably the biggest Hooters rip off ever - its a wonder how they can even get away with it. The wings were very similar to Hooters too, can't really say I liked them better, or say they were worse. Seriously, I think whoever started Hooters had some background in starting this place. Finished off the night playing cards - no poker - but a fun game called "Hand and Foot" or something like that. Pretty fun game, we played until we were too tired to carry on.
End of Day 1. Not enough time to finish this up today. More to follow...
Waj
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Emo-Core?
Went to an awesome show on Friday. Bands: The Get Up Kids - Straylight Run - Lucero Venue: House of Blues Chicago (HOB).
HOB Chicago is one of my favorite venue's in Chicago. It is big, but also intimate, almost anywhere you stand, you can see the band pretty well. Unless of course those 6" 5' fatheads stand in front of you (which pretty much happens at all standing room only shows, doesn't it?). For being a good venue, they really jack you for drinks though. $4.50 for a can of beer? Thats right we paid $27 for a six pack. Ouch. Luckily, no fatheads on this night! Now for the good part (very long review ahead):
We drove downtown right after work. 5:00. That is right, for all those people that know, 5:00 is not the time you want to be driving in Chicagoland, anywhere. The doors opened at 6:00, show at 7:00. We figured, OK if it takes us more that 2 hours, we'll just miss the first band, Lucero, who I have never heard of before that day, and listened the 5 songs that you can stream on their website. The drive was as perfect as a rush hour drive could ever be. There was little traffic going through the I88 construction, and even the Hillside/Oak Park traffic wasn't horrible. It was stop and go for a few minutes, but it was less than 10, so a trip to downtown was actually close to the 50 minutes a 40 mile drive should be!
We arrived about 10 minutes to 7:00, driving by the HOB, we can see that the sold-out-show was a little late opening the doors to let people in. It was about 15 minutes to showtime and there was still a line around the building. We parked nearby (parking garage) and stood in line. 10 minutes or so later, we found a nice cozy spot at the bar and waited for the show to begin. The curtain opened and the band played. I wasn't too excited, after listening to the 5 songs, and reading their bio, I kind of thought they were a mix of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Nirvana. Kind of different for sure. Their bio was something like "Lucero was started by someone that wanted to play country at a punk show". I have never liked country, and this wasn't something that interested me. They were very slow and I wasn't that impressed, but I can say it didn't hurt my ears, so it wasn't bad either.
Next up Straylight Run. My brother is a pretty big fan of this band, and he even let me borrow the CD. I think I listened to it once or twice, but never gave it a chance. I can tell you this, if you are a fan of The Get Up Kids, or any other emo band, you should definitely see them live. I have a ton more respect for this band after watching them, and am a little disappointed that I didn't give them a chance so I could "sing along" with them (I try not to sing aloud, ask anyone who has heard my sing). They put a lot of EMOtion into their music, which I felt, and it made me all warm inside. I have since listened to their CD, which is now much better!
And finally The Get Up Kids. I have seen the Get Up Kids and one of their various side projects before. They have announced this as their final tour, 14 shows, 2 of them in Chicago. I guess they have a connection to Chicago, recording one of their CDs here, and playing countless shows at The Fireside Bowl, the Metro, and of course HOB. I was very excited to seem them, even if for the last time (reunion?!). They did not disappoint. I was so glad we decided against our new theme of not driving to Chicago for anything during the week, i.e. Cubs games, Concerts, etc. They played all the old favorites and 2 songs off their latest CD that I had not heard (but have now!). They played for over an hour without delays, and finished with the Favorite "Don't Hate Me". Amazing performance, great stage presence and the crowd was great. I haven't been to too many EMO shows, but it wasn't smokey, and there weren't a lot of crowd surfers (allowing the Body Guards to stand in front of the band so you can see them), quite impressive. Guess I am getting old, but it was a great night, except for the vast amount of money we spent, but we came home with 2 T-Shirts that I'll get some use out of and a CD full of music that I'll definitely get some enjoyment out of!
Well that ends the review... Not sure what is next, nor when it will be. Thanks for reading until the end!
Waj
HOB Chicago is one of my favorite venue's in Chicago. It is big, but also intimate, almost anywhere you stand, you can see the band pretty well. Unless of course those 6" 5' fatheads stand in front of you (which pretty much happens at all standing room only shows, doesn't it?). For being a good venue, they really jack you for drinks though. $4.50 for a can of beer? Thats right we paid $27 for a six pack. Ouch. Luckily, no fatheads on this night! Now for the good part (very long review ahead):
We drove downtown right after work. 5:00. That is right, for all those people that know, 5:00 is not the time you want to be driving in Chicagoland, anywhere. The doors opened at 6:00, show at 7:00. We figured, OK if it takes us more that 2 hours, we'll just miss the first band, Lucero, who I have never heard of before that day, and listened the 5 songs that you can stream on their website. The drive was as perfect as a rush hour drive could ever be. There was little traffic going through the I88 construction, and even the Hillside/Oak Park traffic wasn't horrible. It was stop and go for a few minutes, but it was less than 10, so a trip to downtown was actually close to the 50 minutes a 40 mile drive should be!
We arrived about 10 minutes to 7:00, driving by the HOB, we can see that the sold-out-show was a little late opening the doors to let people in. It was about 15 minutes to showtime and there was still a line around the building. We parked nearby (parking garage) and stood in line. 10 minutes or so later, we found a nice cozy spot at the bar and waited for the show to begin. The curtain opened and the band played. I wasn't too excited, after listening to the 5 songs, and reading their bio, I kind of thought they were a mix of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Nirvana. Kind of different for sure. Their bio was something like "Lucero was started by someone that wanted to play country at a punk show". I have never liked country, and this wasn't something that interested me. They were very slow and I wasn't that impressed, but I can say it didn't hurt my ears, so it wasn't bad either.
Next up Straylight Run. My brother is a pretty big fan of this band, and he even let me borrow the CD. I think I listened to it once or twice, but never gave it a chance. I can tell you this, if you are a fan of The Get Up Kids, or any other emo band, you should definitely see them live. I have a ton more respect for this band after watching them, and am a little disappointed that I didn't give them a chance so I could "sing along" with them (I try not to sing aloud, ask anyone who has heard my sing). They put a lot of EMOtion into their music, which I felt, and it made me all warm inside. I have since listened to their CD, which is now much better!
And finally The Get Up Kids. I have seen the Get Up Kids and one of their various side projects before. They have announced this as their final tour, 14 shows, 2 of them in Chicago. I guess they have a connection to Chicago, recording one of their CDs here, and playing countless shows at The Fireside Bowl, the Metro, and of course HOB. I was very excited to seem them, even if for the last time (reunion?!). They did not disappoint. I was so glad we decided against our new theme of not driving to Chicago for anything during the week, i.e. Cubs games, Concerts, etc. They played all the old favorites and 2 songs off their latest CD that I had not heard (but have now!). They played for over an hour without delays, and finished with the Favorite "Don't Hate Me". Amazing performance, great stage presence and the crowd was great. I haven't been to too many EMO shows, but it wasn't smokey, and there weren't a lot of crowd surfers (allowing the Body Guards to stand in front of the band so you can see them), quite impressive. Guess I am getting old, but it was a great night, except for the vast amount of money we spent, but we came home with 2 T-Shirts that I'll get some use out of and a CD full of music that I'll definitely get some enjoyment out of!
Well that ends the review... Not sure what is next, nor when it will be. Thanks for reading until the end!
Waj
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Fantasy Baseball
A little update on the fantasy front. Vladimir is down and the Corked Bats Squad is not longer corked. I'm on the verge of losing 2 weeks in a row, after not losing a week yet. Some good things must come to an end. Even though I was winning the margins weren't enough to keep me that far ahead in my league.
In my other league on the other hand, there is no competition. I'm destroying every team that I play, and am well ahead in the standings. I had to post about it, because it really can't last much longer. I'm probably jinxing myself royally, but if I don't post about it now, it will be lost forever, long forgotten as I lose the rest of the season. Right now I am 23.5 games ahead of second place. I'm playing the team in second place right now, and am winning 11-2, which may not end up that way on Monday, but even so, it will take a few shutouts for anyone to make ground.
Have a happy holiday weekend, I'll be relaxing, drinking some brews and playing a little cornhole. Too windy for disc golf, still haven't been out yet, but I will be very soon.
Waj
In my other league on the other hand, there is no competition. I'm destroying every team that I play, and am well ahead in the standings. I had to post about it, because it really can't last much longer. I'm probably jinxing myself royally, but if I don't post about it now, it will be lost forever, long forgotten as I lose the rest of the season. Right now I am 23.5 games ahead of second place. I'm playing the team in second place right now, and am winning 11-2, which may not end up that way on Monday, but even so, it will take a few shutouts for anyone to make ground.
Have a happy holiday weekend, I'll be relaxing, drinking some brews and playing a little cornhole. Too windy for disc golf, still haven't been out yet, but I will be very soon.
Waj
I can see my house from here!
Google has done it again. First their search absolutely destroys yahoo and msn. Then their maps system (although still in Beta) is by far much better than mapquest or yahoo maps. The clean interface, dragging of the map, in my opinion, is way better than mapquest or yahoo. Now they have a link where you can actually view a satellite image of the address you are looking for. Some addresses you can zoom in further than others, but still amazing. I'm not sure if all images were taken at the same time, but judging by the buildings in our area, we estimated they were about 5 years old.
Hey there's my house!
Waj
Hey there's my house!
Waj
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Obligatory 60 day post
What can I say, who has the time? Went on a fishing trip this past weekend in MN, near Wynona if anyone knows MN. Its walleye country up there, but out of our group of 10 people, only 2 were keepers. We also caught a few Northern, big suckers too.
I've been pretty busy so far this year, can't believe we're going on the 6th month already. Summertime is here again. Weekend gatherings, daylight until 9:00, and of course the evergrowing grass that needs to be cut.
The new job is going great, though its really diminishing my IT skills. I piddle around on the server a few times a week(next up SBS SP 1), but the day to day troubleshooting I am used to doesn't happen when you have 10 PCs to support, and even though some aren't the most PC saavy people, they are smart enough not to cause problems. Speaking of support, I had an offer to support a side project of our graphic designer. She was thinking about hosting a web site and setting up a mini network. Any of my faithful readers that host their own sites have any suggestions on firewalls? I don't know much about hosting a site, as far as the incoming Internet traffic and how to keep it under control. I would be mostly in charge of the hardware, but I'm sure I'd be doing most of the initial setup.
That's about all I have time for today, but I'll try to post more often.
Go Cubs. Beat Valley!
Waj
I've been pretty busy so far this year, can't believe we're going on the 6th month already. Summertime is here again. Weekend gatherings, daylight until 9:00, and of course the evergrowing grass that needs to be cut.
The new job is going great, though its really diminishing my IT skills. I piddle around on the server a few times a week(next up SBS SP 1), but the day to day troubleshooting I am used to doesn't happen when you have 10 PCs to support, and even though some aren't the most PC saavy people, they are smart enough not to cause problems. Speaking of support, I had an offer to support a side project of our graphic designer. She was thinking about hosting a web site and setting up a mini network. Any of my faithful readers that host their own sites have any suggestions on firewalls? I don't know much about hosting a site, as far as the incoming Internet traffic and how to keep it under control. I would be mostly in charge of the hardware, but I'm sure I'd be doing most of the initial setup.
That's about all I have time for today, but I'll try to post more often.
Go Cubs. Beat Valley!
Waj
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