It's Tribe Time Now!

WATCH OUT RED SOX! HERE COME THE INDIANS!!

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It's just about midnight and I am worn out from a long day... I'll fill you in on it later... In the meantime, y'all have a good night... You come back now, ya hear?

Outback: No rules, yeah right...

We decided to go to Outback for supper on Saturday. The waitress suggested one of their specials (blackened perch topped with crab in a honey-butter sauce served with fresh steamed veggies), and it sounded good (and the picture looked great), so I ordered it. Now, when I ordered it, I asked if I could substitute mashed potatoes for the veggies. "Sorry, you can't sub on a special... kinda throws the whole 'no rules' thing out the window, doesn't it?" Yes, as a matter of fact, it does. So, I just had the potatoes on the side. In retrospect, I should have told them to just keep the veggies for the next person that orders them.

Now, I'm sure if you've been reading for some time, you may remember I am not usually a crab person. And, I'm not a veggies person... So, what possessed me to try this concoction? We've been watching the Food Network for quite a while now. Things look so good on there, and this looked so good, so I thought I would try it.

What the blankety-blank was I thinking!?

The perch was edible enough, but you know I'm not eating the crab when a bite of broccoli actually tasted better! UGH! Well, on the plus side, I had lots of room for the Milk Duds and Popcorn at the movie!

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The movie.... "Good Luck Chuck" has very cute commercials and trailers. The premise is seemingly harmless enough. It has Jessica Alba, so I made the HUGE mistake of assuming the nudity and sex would be minimal, and amount to cut-aways. WRONG. This movie is soft-core porn. True, Alba show nearly no nudity (there is one scene where she flashes a side shot of herself). But, nearly all of the rest of the characters appear nude in various positions with the main character.

Perhaps we should petition the ratings board for a 'soft-core porn' rating that fits between "R" and "NC-17." On the other hand, I would love to know what kept this from getting an NC-17 rating...

Without the LITERALLY in your face sex, it's a cute movie. Frankly, I'd spend my money on something else.

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Sprint sucks. Specifically, the Sprint Store in Texarkana, Texas, sucks. Even more specifically, the customer "service" at that store sucks. Shan bought brand-new phones, which I have talked about before, and she has a bad battery or a bad phone. Not sure which, but either way, it is brand new. We had to do just about everything short of giving blood or children to get a response, let alone anything "new." Now, here's the kick - even though Shan has been there several times within the first 30 days, because this visit was after the first 30 days, the only replacement phone she can get is a refurbished phone. Ridiculous. They finally offered a new battery. They had to order it.

Frankly, I think we should pay the stupid $200 to cancel the contract and never look back, all the while making sure everyone in the world knows how bad that store sucks.

The kicker is that we do not have a problem with corporate, for they are the ones that fixed Shan's bill and told us to go to the store and demand resolution. I believe in the future, though, we will perform any upgrades over the phone directly with corporate. Maybe the T-Town store has seen "Good Luck Chuck" too many times already - they sure have the technique down pat.......

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The Yanks Spank the Tribe. Holy cow... Indians get a jump on things, and then collapse in the middle of the game... EIGHT to FOUR!? It sounds better than it was... I just hope there was some kind of "Joe Torre Sympathy" thing going on there, and they get over it ASAP!!

Speaking of Joe... Can his butt. There was already a hullabaloo when he came on board. He can't deliver what the Yankees are supposed to be about. That is his job. Can him. Buh-bye...

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Tribe Spanks Yanks!

'Nuff Said!

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I always have reservations when I am asked to present to my peers. And, today, I had to present. I really don't know why I have a bit of reluctance, after all, I usually know what I'm talking about when I present. I think it is the fear that just how much I *don't* know will be made evident... :-) Well, this was all about Sharepoint and adding content, customizing pages, etc. There was one question I could not answer (and I'll have to ask the group what it was, because I have forgotten it now), but it was a good question and I want to find the answer!

The group seemed to really love what they learned. Though they have been using the distance learning portal for some time, they did not necessarily feel the "ownership" factor, I think. Today, they were given sites that THEY had control over - layouts, colors, content, everything was theirs - and they loved it! I think for the first time, I truly saw the power and potential of what we've been moving toward.

Next week, I will be training another group of folks on the same subject, and those that I taught today will be the hands-on helpers/tech support. I hope the group of teachers gets as excited at the group of distance learning coordinators! :-)

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Okay, who am I kidding? The Indians opened up one serious can of whoop-a$$ on the Yankees! When the first Yankee batter got up and smacked a homer, I was worried. Then, the Indians took the lead, and never looked back. 12 to 3? Sounds like a football score! The Tribe were ON tonight, and I am so happy that they came out and kicked butt!! And, I have GOT to get one of those "It's Tribe Time Now!" towels!

When it rains...

I decided to hang out until the air conditioner guy came. Turns out that was a very good decision. Soon after Shan had taken Tyler to school, she called me to ask if I would go get him. He was not feeling well. Without being crude, allow me to say that he barely made it to the bathroom by the time we got home. And, several times during the day, as well...

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(from 'howstuffworks.com')

The air guy came and looked at my cleaning handywork and said I had done a pretty good job. Works for me. He then said we were about 4 pounds low of freon. Bummer. He also schooled me on all things A/C, which I truly appreciated. I don't plan on getting HVAC certified or anything, but understanding some of the 'whys' and 'hows' helps me understand how to extend the life of our A/C. He showed me where 'raw air' was getting into the system, and offered advice on how to fix the places where that unfiltered air could be blocked out. I also got a quick lesson in filters, along with a bunch of terminology I didn't understand but truly appreciated. He also explained the process of A/C and what the problems are with a leaking system, and HOW those problems and symptoms come about. TMI? Maybe, but I feel a lot better as a homeowner for it....

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For a good chunk of the day, Tyler and I hung out. We also played a bit with a game called "Coaster Rider." It's on YOYOGAMES... Basically, you are given a setup in which you have lay track for your coaster to collect stars and pass the finish line. Sounds easier than it is. There are a lot of physics involved, and it can be very frustrating when you finally get the car to go where it needs to, only to realize you missed a stupid star! On the other hand, it is a LOT of fun, especially the "Free Build" mode where you lay down track and create the wildest rides ever... It's kinda like "Roller Coaster Tycoon" but it is a home-grown version....

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Did I do that???

Yes, please use your best Steve Erkel voice when you read the title. When I came home from work, I was greeted at the door by a rush of ht air coming from inside the house. This can only mean one thing - AIR'S OUT! Holy cow! 90 degrees in the house when I walked in, air conditioner chugging away. I turned it off, of course. The fix-it guy is coming on Wednesday to..well..fix it.

I cannot help but wonder though... Did I do that?? In my zeal to clean the mold or whatever it was off the coils, did I mess something up? Was it the Mean Green? I checked the coils and some are bent, but for the most part, the majority are vertical as should be. They are dirty as all get out. I am hoping to meet the guy here so I can explain what I did, see if that has any bearing, and also to see if he thinks it needs a more thorough (read, professional) cleaning.

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For quite a while now, there has (er, had) been a strange squeaking coming from Shan's van. From the front, it sounded like it was coming from the back. Tyler, sitting in the middle, said he thought it was coming from the front.

At first, it seemed to only show up when you put the brakes on, or let them off. I figured it was a brake pad gone bad. But, as time went on (yes, we put off having it checked out..), the squeak would sometimes happen without any real reason we could think of... say, during acceleration... I was determined to find the source, so on Sunday, I told Shan I would ride in the back and see what the problem was. Of course, I never made it that far.

After Sunday School, we were heading back home and came to a stop sign. A car was coming from my right, so I looked over my shoulder to see where it was. As I did this, I heard the squeak and turned my head suh that I could look to the back of the van. In the back, hanging from the passenger-side clothes hook, was one of Emily's dresses. I turned to Shan, asking, "How long has that dress been there?" Shan said, "Since her pictures at Sears." I asked Tyler to take the dress off the hook, and sure enough, our squeaking problem was cured.... Whodathunkit?

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Did you watch the Rockies/Padres game on Monday night? The Rockies won in 13 innings. Well, the ump called the Rockies player safe at home, anyway. Replays show the catcher had the plate blocked, but the runner called safe anyway. Of course, that doesn't matter since there were other blown calls during the game. I didn't care who won, but I love Instant Replay/Challenges in football, and I think baseball should have the same thing. Let the coach challenge a call. If he's right, overturned. Wrong, and he's assessed an out. Harsh? I don't think so. If the challenge comes on the third out, then the out is assessed at next bat.

Of course, all I am interested in is Thursday when the Tribe takes on the Yankees! :-)

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Is it just me, or does Boston Legal keep getting better, even though they dump some of their best actors? Frankly, I am not a John Larroquette fan. Never have been. He could leave the show and not be missed, unlike Rene Auberjonois... What happened to him?? Dang... I must have missed something.... And what about Claire Simms?? Dang, dang.... And Denise Bauer is on "maternity leave" but I read an article online that says she won't be back... Dang, dang, dang.... Oh well, I still love it!

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