Nothing for Nothing, but ...

Today

2011-08-07T21:13:00.004-04:00

My son, Joey, is almost seven.

Today, Joey told me that his "real" home is the one that he lives in with his mom and his dog.

Today, Joey told me that my apartment isn't real ... it's a "fake home".

Today, Joey told me that I'm not a Davis anymore because I don't live in the same house that he does with mommy.

Today, Joey told me that I'm not his Daddy because I left.

Today, Joey told me that he can't love me because we're not a family and we don't live together.

Today was one of the lowest points of my life because it felt like my son didn't love me anymore.

Today felt like everything I have tried to do to insulate Joey as much as possible from the reality of separation and divorce was for naught.

Tonight, I knelt in front of my son in the hallway of my apartment building and wiped the tears from his face and tried to reassure him as much as possible that everything was going to be ok ... all the while fighting tears myself and failing.

Tonight, I sat on the floor of my son's room and held him, crying into his hair and told him over and over again how much I love him. That as long as he loves me, that's all that matters to me. That he is, and will always be, the most important person in my life.

Tonight, I told my son that I will always be his daddy, no matter what happens. I told him that I wish I could explain why things have changed and that maybe one day I will be able to.

Tonight, Joey said he was sorry for the things he said to me and that he loves me.

Tonight, I laid next to my son and watched him fall asleep, wishing for all the world that I could protect him from days like this but know that I can't.

Today has been the single hardest day of my life as a parent.

The Toughest Job I’ll Ever Have

2011-06-18T11:58:00.006-04:00

Father’s Day is upon us and it’s got me thinking about how things change and yet stay the same.

One of the most difficult aspects of my separation from my ex-wife is how this whole thing has and will affect our 6 1/2 –year-old son, Joey. I have struggled so long and so hard about what this will do to him, about how it will change him.

One of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life is sit down with Joey and tell him his mom and I were separating and that I was moving out. I will always remember ever single detail of that moment, the talk we had with him…sitting on the floor of the living room, trying to be as comforting as possible but at the same time honest and answer his questions.

Through tears he asked the questions I expected, “Will you still be my mommy and daddy? Will I still be your son? Are we still going to be a family?”

We reassured him that we will always be his parents, he our son and that yes, we will still be a family, it’s just going to be a little different.

He also asked questions that I didn’t expect, “Can I watch TV now?”

Leading up to this talk and making this change, I had been in therapy weekly for almost a year and agonized over what was going on at home. Much of the discussion centered on Joey and how I didn’t want him to ever be a child of a divorce, how I didn’t want to hurt him, how I would never wish this for him. He loved the idea of the three of us being together so much, the idea of family, and often initiated “Davis family hugs” and the three of us would embrace each other, usually with Joey in the middle, laughing.

As I talked to my therapist, I felt more and more like a failure not just as a husband but as a father as well. I felt like I was letting Joey down and that if I wasn’t physically there for him, how could I be a dad to him?

I was wracked with guilt, an overwhelming feeling that I was ripping his world apart, that I was doing this to him. I cried so much thinking about how this amazing little boy was caught in the middle of something he couldn’t really understand and it was my fault.

But then a funny thing happened …

I moved out, got my own place … and Joey survived.

In my darkest times, my therapist told me again and again that children are resilient. That, like adults, they find a way to cope and as long as I was always there for Joey, ultimately he would be OK.

And you know what? He was right.

Yes, Joey has his moments and he does tell me sometimes that he wishes we were all together and that I lived at his house, but overall he’s OK.

I wish everyone could meet my son. He’s got personality to spare, LOVES Star Wars and Legos … all the typical boy stuff.

He’s such a beautiful boy, inside and out. Blue eyes, freckles across his cheeks, thick brown hair that I love to run my fingers through and mess up.

His smile is infectious and I absolutely LOVE the way he makes himself laugh … a great, from-deep-down-inside belly laugh.

Even more, I love the way he makes me laugh, especially how hard he tries to get me to laugh. But the best part is when he makes me laugh without trying and I have to try and explain to him why daddy is laughing. Like when he could stare at himself in the mirror for hours, making faces, waving his hands.

Being with him is the best part of my life. Seeing the world through his eyes, the way he gets so excited and passionate about something, how well he reads and writes, takes such pleasure in little things, like keeping rocks and sticks for his “collection” … the way he talks so authoritatively about Star Wars, and his imagination is amazing.

Without a doubt, my most favorite thing in life is the sound of Joey’s voice when I pick him up from school and he comes running to me and says, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” and wraps his arms around me. His hug is so comforting to me and I can feel how much he loves me. I never get tired of hearing him say out of the blue, “Daddy, I love you.”

You often hear about how being a parent is the most difficult job in the world and whoever said that wasn’t kidding. Of course things aren’t perfect all of the time and Joey can drive me absolutely nuts. I’m not a perfect father… no one is. But I’m trying the best I can and if Joey’s hugs and kisses and how often he tells me, “Daddy, I can’t wait for Father’s Day because you’re the best dad ever!” are any indication, then I think I’m doing a pretty good job.

At least, if Joey thinks so, then that’s all that matters – and will ever matter – to me.

Double-edged Sword

2011-03-03T08:51:00.001-05:00

This is one of those issues that is a perfect example of “be careful what you wish for”.

This week the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the rights of the members of a Baptist Church in Kansas to protest this country’s involvement in foreign wars by holding rallies at the funerals of fallen U.S. soldiers while spouting what many feel is hate speech.

In essence, the church members rally at these funerals, they say, because soldiers deserve to die since they fight for the U.S. which tolerates homosexuality.

I’m not going to get into what the protestors write on their placards … google “westboro baptist church” and you’ll find all the information you want about these people and the vitriolic things they spout at their protests.

This latest case against the church involves a father burying his son who was killed in Iraq, and had sued the group for invasion of privacy and emotional distress because of the things they were saying outside of his son’s funeral. In lower courts, the father had been awarded almost $11 million in damages, which were later reduced to $5 million.

The church appealed the decision and the case made its way to the Supreme Court, which issued its ruling this week. By an 8-1 vote, the justices wrote that while many would consider the church member’s hate-filled speech abhorrent, they have a right to say what they want in this country because the First Amendment of Constitution protects its freedom of speech.

I was listening to NPR on the way home Wednesday and they interviewed the father of the fallen soldier. You could clearly hear the anger, the hurt, and the shock in his voice. He argued passionately about how disrespectful the protestors are, how (in his opinion) they could make their point somewhere else and don’t have to show up at funerals like this. He also said he couldn’t understand how the court could rule like this.

The point was also made in the NPR piece that many of these protestors are family members and a few of them are lawyers. Because of this, they are keenly aware of the laws governing what they do, are careful to notify police before they show up and adhere to the laws governing the minimum distance they must keep away from the funeral sites. Therefore, they aren’t technically breaking the law when they gather.

For an instant, I was shocked and dismayed that the Supreme Court could do this, could validate what these people say. But, the more I listened the more I realized that, for better or worse, they were right, especially when I read this quote from the decision, authored for the majority by Chief Justice John Roberts:

“Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and -- as it did here -- inflict great pain. On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker."

Of course, the ultimate irony here is that our soldiers are fighting and dying and have fought and died while protecting our right to free speech, even the free speech of those like the members of the Westboro Baptist Church.

Like the French philosopher and historian Voltaire once said, “I may not like what you say, but I’ll fight for your right to say it.”

Van Hagar

2011-02-27T08:56:00.006-05:00

So a recent post on the Van Halen News Desk assessing the Sammy Hagar-era of the band got me to thinking about the Red Rocker's stint fronting my all-time favorite band.

There's many die-hard fans out there who insist that the "real" Van Halen is when "Diamond" David Lee Roth trod the boards. Others (usually in the 30-years-old and younger set) insist there was no Van Halen until Sammy was brought on board to man the mic once Dave left or was fired (depending on who you talk to you). It's like saying Paul McCartney wasn't successful until he formed Wings. But I digress ...

As for Gary Cherone and Van Halen III ... well, let's pretend that never happened, shall we?

Anyway, so I've been thinking about this and here's what I think ... for me, they're two different bands. Van Halen is the Van Halen with David Lee Roth while Van Hagar is an entirely different band. The DLR version had more of an edge, and in general was hungrier ... well, until the 1984 album when Eddie Van Halen apparently decided he wanted to sell records instead of write a lot of hard-rocking music.

Listen to 1984 and the first disc with Sammy, 5150, makes perfect sense. 1984 featured the most synthesizers Ed had ever included on a VH album and 5150 pretty much picked up right where 1984 left off, right down to drummer Alex Van Halen including synth drums in his kit and Ed relying heavily on Steinberger guitars.

Now, you could argue that given 5150 was released in 1986 the synth drums and keyboards were a product of the time but I think it had more to do with the commercial success of 1984 then anything else. That album spawned more hits and sold more copies than any other DLR-era recording and it wouldn't surprise me if Warner Bros. came to Ed and made it clear that success needed to continue.

But what do I know? I wasn't there.

Back to Sammy ... I think too many fans of DLR are too quick to dismiss the work Sammy did with the band. It really is difficult to compare the two because, like I said, they're two different bands.

Sammy certainly brought a broader vocal range (face it, Dave's an amazing front man, but as far as range ... not so much) and he can definitely write some great lyrics (that is, when they aren't all about sex).

But Ed's writing improved as well. The whole band felt energized by Sammy and getting away from the constant battle that was Ed vs. Dave. By the way, I realize this is all moot given that the band is in the studio with Dave recording a new album, but let's keep chumming the waters and see what happens ...

For me, 5150 is one of the most seminal albums of any band, ever and here's why ... it was released in March, 1986, and that summer it's pretty much all I listened to. Hearing it now, 25 years (ye gods!) later and my first thought is driving around in my blue 1980 Pontiac Sunbird with my sister, windows open, stereo cranked listening to the album on the tape deck. It's the only tape I actually wore out the oxide on. I listened to the tape over and over and over again and knew (and still do) every single word, nuance, guitar lick, and drum fill by heart. My sister used to laugh at me because not only did I know all the lyrics, I could whistle the guitar solos, too.

I got so into the minutiae of the album that I listened to the last song, "Inside," on headphones for hours once so I could pick up and memorize the layered conversations. Those familiar with the disc will know what I'm talking about.

The News Desk post also featured a Top 10 Van Hagar song list (which, naturally, created a firestorm in the comments section), so ... here's mine in no particular order (song title, album):

"Get Up", 5150 - This song amps me up every time I hear it. Fast, driving beat and a great solo from Eddie. Great lyrics, too, that can be summed up by the lines: "Hold your head up high/Look 'em in the eye/And never say die!" I actually used that quote for my senior high school yearbook photo.

"Best of Both Worlds", 5150 - I'd argue that this could be the best song Ed and Sammy ever wrote together. Again, very cool lyrics and the music personifies what Ed was trying to do with the band in a post-Dave world.

"The Seventh Seal", Balance - For me, this is the best sounding album that band has produced to date. Drums, guitar, bass ... they all sound killer thanks to legendary producer Bruce Fairbairn who really got the best out of the band even though Ed was deep into his alcoholism and tensions between he and Sammy reportedly were at their worst. Still, this song just friggin' rocks and I love turning it up nice and loud. Very existential lyrics from Sammy and once again, Ed turns in an insane solo.

"Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)", Balance - The first single from the album and it was an excellent start. Overall, it felt like Ed was returning to writing more rocking songs and thinking less about how many albums they were going to sell. I just love his guitar work in this song. While the radio single version of this song is edited, the album version features two solos (a rarity in a VH song) and the first solo has probably one of the lowest notes Ed's ever recorded. I like the way the solo makes my sub-woofer tremble every time. In the second solo, I friggin' love the note Eddie pulls off at the end of the solo. As I'm typing this, I just listened to that part over and over again ... excellent stuff!

"It's About Time/Up for Breakfast/Learning To See", The Best of Both Worlds - From the second "Best of ..." compilation (and yes, I know these are three songs so this isn't a single entry, but it's my blog ... so there) ... All three of these songs show that these four guys could still write great songs together and that Ed (now sober) still has command of his axe. These songs are just fun to listen to and Sammy sounds like he's having a blast, especially in "It's About Time" which seems to be about his time in the band and how fans loved their music.

"A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)", OU812 - Love, love LOVE this song. From the get-go, Ed kicks the rhythm into high gear and the rest of the band tried to keep up. Just love the riff Ed came up with for this song and Sammy's lyrics are some of the best he wrote for the album (talks about touring with the band and playing for the fans). Oh, and a killer solo from Eddie.

"Poundcake", For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge -

"Inside", 5150 - As I said earlier, listen to this song on headphones. Cool rhythm, off-beat feel and some funky guitar work from Eddie that's buried in the mix. Also maintains the band's party/sense of humor reputation. Listening to this song always made me feel like I was sitting in the studio with the band and was privy to some behind-the-scenes info. In essence, Sammy's acknowledging that the band has a past and is inviting fans along for the future. And for the record, I still have no idea what the hell the album cover means.

"Cabo Wabo," Ou812 - If you ever wanted to delve into the mindset of Sammy Hagar, listen to the lyrics of this song. Sammy's a huge fan of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and tequila (he even has his own brand, which is excellent). The feel of this song makes it easy to picture the band sitting on the beach writing this tune as the sun sets and the waves crash on the sand. Very laid back and Ed's solo is kinda silky and slippery. Cool.

"In 'n' Out", For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge - No, it's not what you think. The lyrics about are how tough it is to get ahead in life and how expensive it is to be born and die. "Ain't no way around the system/Money makes this world go 'round/All the way, they got you down ... They got you goin' in/They got you goin' out/Same amount/In and out". Ed also pulls off a very cool solo featuring a wah-wah pedal and his tremlo bar ... good stuff. It's one of those solos that fits seamlessly in the song.

So there it is, my kinda sorta defense of Van Hagar. I still think they made some great music. But, at the end of the day, make mine Dave! Just sayin' ...

Monstrously Good

2011-02-13T09:40:00.004-05:00

I recently received via Netfilx the 2005 documentary Some Kind of Monster, which chronicles about two years in the life of Metallica as they recorded their album St. Anger.

When this CD was released, it was largely panned by both fans and critics alike. In fact, it was so bad that when I saw them tour for the album, they only performed two songs from the disc!

I'll admit that while I love the band, I didn't think the CD was worth the wait, either. It had a few really good tracks, like "St. Anger," "Amber," and "Dirt Window," but for the most part, it wasn't up to the band's past releases.

Fast forward to now and the documentary. It's an amazing movie and you don't have to be a fan of the band to like it. Followed for almost two years, the film shows how difficult it can be to write an album ... it's not all glamor and glitz, for sure. And Metallica faced even more issues as they didn't have a regular bass player (producer Bob Rock stood in) and lead singer James Hetfield went into re-hab for a year in the middle of writing and recording.

Again, the film was released six years ago and even though you know the band did stay together, it's riveting nonetheless. At one point, the band is in a meeting with their group therapist and you can see that they're on the brink of breaking up. I was literally on the edge of my seat watching this and said aloud (to no one), "Oh my god, they're going to break up! This is the end of the band!" Then I caught myself and realized that this wasn't the case. To me, that tells you how good the film is.

But getting back to the album, St. Anger. Even prior to seeing the documentary, the more I listened to the disc, the more I liked it. Now, after watching the movie about the making of the album, I have a whole new appreciation for what was behind the creative process. Listening to the disc now it sounds totally different ... for the better.

It's too bad more fans don't like this disc because while it's not their best effort (for me, nothing tops ... And Justice for All), St. Anger is an excellent record. The lyrics are incredible introspective given Hetfield's journey to sobriety but without being preachy. And knowing what is behind the lyrics of other songs just makes the music that much better for me.

My all-time favorite part of the album is at about 4:30 into the title track, "St. Anger" when the band kicks into overdrive and Hetfield sings:

and I want my anger to be healthy
and I want my anger just for me
and I need my anger not to "control"
yeah, and I want my anger to be me

Every time I listen to this song, I rewind that part and listen to it over and over again because it gives me chills. As a matter of fact, I got goosebumps just reading those lyrics now because I could hear the song in my head.

I hope this album eventually gets its due because it really is that good. The writing is tight, the band takes some chances musically and for the most part succeeds. Again, it's not their best effort, but it's definitely much better than most fans say it is.

Spreading the Wealth

2011-02-13T08:49:00.005-05:00

I realize I haven't posted in some time but lately I've felt inspired ... to which....

Just read in the paper that the St. Louis Cardinals are trying to decide if it's worth signing Albert Pujols to a new, multi-year deal (something in the neighborhood of eight years) for about $300 million which would account for about two-thirds of the team's payroll.

For those not in the know, Pujols is widely considered one (if not the best player in baseball.

Question is, is he worth it? You know what? Even though that's an insane amount of money, yes, he is.

But, here's the problem I have with the contract...Pujols doesn't have to make this kind of deal. I would love to see him pull a move like Tom Brady of the New England Patriots who, until this past year, always took less than what he was worth so that the team would have more money to go out and sign other players to make the team that much competitive.

Granted, MLB doesn't operate under a salary cap the way the NFL does, but the point remains the same ... Pujols could go to the Cardinals brass and offer to take less in salary so that the team can sign better players and thus field a better team.

If a professional athlete on Tom Brady's level can do it, so can Albert Pujols.

Just saying ...

It's not just another tree any more

2010-11-28T09:24:00.003-05:00

So we picked out and cut down our Christmas tree over the weekend. Like last year, we got a concolor fur tree ... it's very cool. The pin needles are soft, it stays fresh the entire time it's in the house and when you break the needles, there's this citrus smell.

Anyway, so as we're plodding through the tree farm trying to make choice, I was reminded of one of the best jobs I had.

During my first year of college, I took a part-time job selling Christmas trees and making deliveries for a local flower shop/nursery. The shop was located in a fairly urban area, so the trees were already cut. People would come, take a look at what we had and off they'd go. Simple.

But the more I worked there, the more I realized that these weren't just trees once families made their decision on which one they wanted. It was a lot of fun to watch people, especially those with kids, look through the trees and make what it is, after all, a very important decision. And it was the look on the kids faces that was the best. They would get so excited once the tree was wrapped up and on the car. Most of the time I would tie it to the top of the car and I could see the kids bouncing in their seat. More than once some of them would start singing Christmas songs, especially "Oh Christmas Tree".

And the parents would be so appreciative of my help of holding the tree up so they could all look at it on the lot, or helping to tie the tree to the car or fresh-cutting the bottom so it would last longer once they got the tree home. People would often try to tip me for my help and even though I could take it, I always declined ... Christmas was expensive enough for people and I was getting paid to do this job anyway.

I used to get home every day from that job so excited for the holidays. No doubt I was long forgotten for the families that I had helped, but it was kind of neat knowing that I had something to do with their Christmas celebrations.

Really, it was the best job I ever had.

Another chapter begins ...

2010-06-13T09:03:00.005-04:00

So June 10, 2010 marked the end of my tenure with Progress Software.

After ten years with the company and about a month after marking such a milestone, I was laid off. Rumors had been swirling for some time that a "reduction in force" (RIF) was coming and this was the first year I hadn't actually been worried.

Layoffs are an annual even at Progress since 9/11 so the threat is always there and while no one is indispensable, I had always thought I might be a little more safe given that I was the only one in the company that did what I did (editor and production manager).

Turns out, I was wrong.

Yes, it was a huge shock and I'm still freaked out and scared. But at the end of the day, there's nothing I could have done to save my job. Over the course of 10 years, I regularly received excellent reviews and was promoted from entry level to Senior Editor to Principal Editor (the highest level I could attain before becoming management).

One of the most interesting things is that I'm not now (and haven't been) mad. Yes, I'm disappointed and like I said, a bit scared, but I don't have time to be mad. It's not worth it. I was not let go because of my performance ... rather, it was a numbers issue, plain and simple.

In my time at Progress I had seen dozens of friends and co-workers laid off (my department went from a staff of 22 to now six). And a former manager (who was laid off a few years ago) would always say people were laid off because of numbers, not performance.

I used to get angry hearing that because it meant that no matter how well you did your job, you always could be let go and that thought didn't help morale.

But, now being on the other side of things, I take a lot of comfort in that very thought. The decision to eliminate my job was nothing personal and I know I'm going to be missed there.

So, now my full-time job is looking for another job ... a daunting task if there ever was one. But, I have a huge network of connections that I've built over the past ten years I intended to call in every favor I've ever been owed.

Now more than ever, it's not just what you know, but who you know.

Metallica St Anger (official video)

2010-05-23T19:42:00.000-04:00

Sox Nation on its heels

2010-05-08T09:09:00.003-04:00

I know I have a Red Sox blog, but I thought I'd post this here, too.

Six weeks into the 2010 season I can say it now: I don't get it. I just don't understand this Red Sox team.

I've been following the Sox all of my life and this is the first time I have absolutely no read on the team. "Enigma" doesn't even begin to cover it. It's not just that this team seems to lack personality (where's Kevin Millar when you need him?!?) ... it's that they have no identity. It almost feels like we've gone back to the "25 guys, 25 cabs" era where it was every player for themselves. They just don't feel like a team.

The Sox are currently sitting in next-to-last place in the AL-East with a 15 - 15 record, 7 1/2 games out of first (frankly, I think they're lucky to be at .500).

They're supposed to be better than this. During the Hot Stove season last year, we kept hearing about how this team was built for run prevention, how the pitching staff was going to keep the opposition off of the scoreboard and the offense would score just enough runs to win games.

Hmmmm, how's that working out so far?

Look, I'm not pushing the panic button here and I don't expect they're going to roll right over everyone and dominate night after night. What I'm saying is that this team's flashes of brilliance are too far and too few between to foster any sense that things are going to right themselves in time to compete consistently this season.

I mean, they got swept in Baltimore last weekend ... Baltimore! ... the worst team in the majors (well, Houston in the NL-Central is almost as bad ... as of this morning, they have one more win that the Birds).

Ye gods.

Red Sox Nation has been fed a steady diet of "In Theo We Trust" over the past few years but I'm not sure the Sox brass is firing on all cylinders lately. It still astounds me that they didn't try to get a bat for the lineup, especially when David Ortiz' last season and a half decline is so obviously not a fluke. As much as I want Big Papi to succeed, I think the team and fans need to acknowledge that, for whatever reason(s), he's done. Seems to me that he's either hurt and isn't telling anyone or he's just simply lost his ability to hit (it happens). And I don't buy the argument that he's not seeing good pitches anymore because he doesn't have Manny Ramirez in the line-up to protect him. Ortiz could find some place in the order to hit.

I'm beginning to think that Ortiz has been struggling for so long that he's now too far down the rabbit hole to crawl back out. I would love to be wrong about this, but I honestly don't think I am.

And then there's the pitching ... virtually the entire rotation is like a roller coaster right now, up and down (forget about Dice-K ... I think we all need to accept the fact that he is a major bust and will never live up to expectations).

I was at the game last night vs. the Yankees. Sox lost 9-3. Beckett was brilliant in the first three innings with six strikeouts and pinpoint control but he absolutely imploded over the next 2 2/3 innings and gave up nine earned runs. He was a completely different pitcher, like someone threw a switch in his head between the third and fourth innings.

And for me, that stat alone from last night's game perfectly sums up this team ... it just doesn't make sense.

The countdown is on!

2010-04-07T19:33:00.002-04:00

I have to post this because it's Van Halen

2010-02-23T15:53:00.002-05:00

Any hard-core fan of the band knows that in its heyday, Van Halen had a rider in its touring contract (Article 126) that stated there should be a bowl of M&Ms backstage and that all brown candies had to be removed.

Check out this article on the Van Halen News Desk to find out why ... it's actually a stoke of genius on the band's part.

Welcome to Rapture ... again

2010-02-23T08:32:00.009-05:00

Just finished playing through Bioshock 2 on Xbox for the second time.

Those of you who are gamers probably are familiar with Bioshock even if you haven't played it.

The premise of the game is thus: Rapture is an underwater city created by Andrew Ryan who believed people should live as they want to, free of government and religion telling them how to live their lives.

Part of Ryan's "utopia" is that his scientists have developed a way for people to genetically alter themselves so that they can throw electric shocks, incinerate with fire, use telekinesis to manipulate objects ... you get the idea.

In the first game, Ryan basically losses his mind and dies and you have to defeat his under boss to save the city.

Bioshock 2 picks up where the first left off and you're now playing as one of the bad guys from the first game, a Big Daddy named "Subject Delta" who was the first Big Daddy ever created, so you're a good guy. This time out, you have to defeat the new leader of Rapture, Sophia Lamb, while looking for and saving your daughter, Eleanor.

And yes, I'm way over-simplifying the plot of the game and leaving out tons and tons of details (splicers, audio diaries, etc.). If you really want to delve deeper into the world of Bioshock, check out the Bioshock wiki here.

What's amazing about the game is how immersed one gets in the whole atmosphere of the game as you play. For starters, it looks simply gorgeous in the Art Deco style of the 1930s and 1940s. The sound, too, is all-encompassing as every single part of a good home theater system is used. More than once I would turn around because I heard something in the background and thought someone (or something) was behind me.

Making my way around Rapture and looking at the environments, I kept thinking (as I did with the first game) how cool it would have been to see Rapture before it went to hell. You're in a decaying world in which most things are broken down or rotting and it would be amazing to see what this world looked like at its zenith.

Anyway, the game play in BS2 is great, too, and improved upon from the first game. You're free to mix and match the genetic alteration you want to use in whatever combinations you want whereas in the first game it was more restrictive.

And quite frankly, walking around Rapture as a Big Daddy is just too damn cool. At the end of the first game you actually became a Big Daddy and the second game has another plot twist that's just as bizarre.

**ALERT: MAJOR SPOILERS TO FOLLOW**

But for me, one of the best thing about the game is that it actually has three different endings. Depending on who and how many people you kill during the game, there can actually be three different outcomes:

everyone lives happily ever after,
you sacrifice yourself so that Eelanor may live, or
you sacrifice Eleanor to save yourself.

What's really interesting, though, is that only if you sacrifice Eleanor do you get even the hint that there could be a Bioshock 3 and man, it's a hell of a teaser because of what the story line in the third game could be.

**SPOILER ALERT ENDS**

Overall, an excellent FPS game and a very worthy sequel to the first. As one reviewer put it, Bioshock didn't need a sequel, but I'm glad they made it anyway.

Joey's Christmas spirit

2009-12-23T08:22:00.001-05:00

Yup, Joey's really into Christmas ...

Where's the Shelf Elf?!?

2009-11-30T09:02:00.004-05:00

My manager turned me onto a holiday tradition in her brother's family and Joey's really had a lot of fun with it.

Every day when Joey wakes up, one of the first things he does is look for the Shelf Elf in the house.

What is Shelf Elf? He's the elf that watches over Joey during the day and then goes back to North Pole to report to Santa every night. So that means that Shelf Elf, who Joey named "Pinocchio", is in a different place in the house every morning. So far, he's been on the fireplace mantel, on window valences, on top of kitchen cabinets and in the dining room chandelier.

When Shelf Elf first arrived at the house, young Mr. Davis was very skeptical to say the least.

"Daddy, he's not real. He can't talk!" I told Joey that the elf may not be able to talk to us, but he can talk to Santa. The look on Joey's face told me he still didn't buy it.

Fast forward to the next morning and, lo and behold, the elf was in a different place!

"Mama, Daddy, look! He moved, he moved," Joey said. "It's magic!"

Needless to day, Joey loves trying to find the elf every morning ... it's like hide-and-seek.

I think my favorite thing about this and that it's never even occurred to Joey that Mama or Daddy might be moving the elf. As soon as he saw that the elf was in a different spot that first morning, he's totally bought into it.

Yet another reason why I love Christmas again ... just amazing and so much fun to see it again through Joey's eyes.

Would you rather read Sarah Palin's new book or kill yourself?

2009-11-19T14:27:00.002-05:00

This is why I love The Daily Show ... brilliant!

Bugatti Veyron

2009-11-04T14:04:00.011-05:00

The Bugatti Veyron.

Look, I'm not a gear head ... cars are nice and I appreciate a good car but it's not really a big deal to me.

And then there's the Bugatti Veyron.

I had never heard of this car until I saw a piece on BBC America's Top Gear.

Oh.

My.

God.

A few statistics:

It costs about $1.55 million ... yes, you read the right ... "million".
It is currently the fastest, most powerful and most expensive production car in the world.
It has two, four-liter V8 engines and four turbo chargers.
It's rated at 1,000 horsepower ... 1,000 HP!
Goes 0 - 60 mph in 2.5 seconds and has a top speed of 252 mph, which comes to 373 feet per second.
Its gas mileage is rated at 8 mpg/city and 13 mpg/highway. At full throttle, it would empty its tank in about 12 minutes.
On average, drivers hit 7th gear at around 252 mph at which the engine is taking in 10,000 gallons of air per minute.
The engine (which is mounted in the middle, rear of the car) doesn't have a cover but it does have 10 radiators: three to cool the engine itself, three for the inter-coolers, one for the rear axle oil, one for the engine oil, one for the differential oil and one for the hydraulic fluid used to raise the car's rear spoiler.
The control stalks for the windshield wipers and directionals are made of a magnesium-aluminum alloy and cost almost $7,000 ... each.
It costs $7.5 million to make one car.

I have to admit that, even not being a gear head ... if I had all the money in the world, I'd have one of these in my garage.

My hovercraft is full of eels

2009-10-29T08:55:00.001-04:00

Brilliant ... absolutely brilliant.

Sporting some completely random thoughts

2009-10-27T11:35:00.003-04:00

Bunch of things going on in the world of sports, to which:

Former Boston Red Sox gunslinger Pedro Martinez is penciled in to start Game 2 of the World Series for the Phillies. Nice. Would love to see Petey light up the Spankees and get a W for his team. Martinez has said that he would probably retire should Philly win their second consecutive title. While I'd be disappointed to see him go, it'd be sweet if the Phills could beat down the team from Gotham.
Speaking of which ... like I need any more reason to not root for the NYY in this series but I came to the sudden realization that if the Spankees do win, that means Johnny Demon-I mean-Damon will get another WS ring. Ye gods.
The New England Patriots had better pay Brandon Meriweather this off-season.
Speaking of the Pats ... the Patriots have scored 94 points and only given up 7 over their last two games. Granted, they scored against two of the worst teams in the league but still. I would like to think the Pats used these two games to finally get their Offense going, the Defense as well. They're on a bye week this week and then face a rough November, to which: vs. Miami, @ Indy, vs. Jets, @ Saints, @ Dolphins. Not too worried about the Fish, but Indy, Jets and Saints are going to be huge if the Pats plan on playing in February.
Still on football ... with the Pats and Buccaneers playing in London last week, there's renewed talk of the NFL not only expanding the number of regular season games per season but actually getting a NFL team established in Europe. Dumb, dumb, dumb idea as this would likely stretch the regular season to 17 or 18 games and expose players to more potential injuries. American football isn't known as one (if not the) most violent sport for nothing.
Red Sox have a lot of off-season issues to deal with if they even want to think about contending next year.
Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo and the team can't agree on a contract and it looks like he's headed for free agency at the end of the season ... not good.
Bill Simmons has lost his edge. He just doesn't make me laugh like he used to.
The Boston Bruins came sooooo close last season. I like their chances this year.

Record day in the snow

2009-10-19T07:43:00.005-04:00

It's October, but yesterday it looked like December at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA, home of the New England Patriots, who hosted the Tennessee Titans.

Sixty minutes of football later and the game wasn't even close: NE 59 - Tenn. 0.

Ye gods.

The Titans are the worst (or at least one of the worst) teams in the NFL this season and yesterday's game did nothing to change that perception. New England fans have been waiting for QB Tom Brady to come back to full form since missing last season with a knee injury and this game could very well be the game in which he shook off any remaining rust.

The best thing to take away from this game is that for the first time this season, Brady was razor sharp with this throws ... he hit his receivers with his trademark zip and accuracy, which was great to see.

Needless to say, it was a record-setting day for the Patriots, to which:

The Patriots posted the largest shutout in the NFL since Dec. 4, 1976, when the Rams beat the Falcons by the same score.
Brady threw for 380 yards while tying a career high with six touchdown passes.
New England set team records for points (59) and total yards (619) in a single game.
Receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker combined for 21 catches for 279 yards and five touchdowns.
The Titans were held to 186 total yards as QB Kerry Collins completed just 2-of-12 passes for -7 yards ... minus seven yards!
This was the Titans largest margin of defeat in franchise history. The previous record was 54 set in 1989 when the Oilers lost to Cincinnati, 61-7.
Patriots improved to 11-0 all time in snowy games in Foxborough (7-0 under Brady).

And a few more random stats:

Most points in a game - 59
Most points in a half - 45 in the first half
Most points in a quarter - 35 in the second quarter
Most total net yards in a game - 619
Most net passing yards - 426 (tie)
Most touchdowns - 8 (tie)
Most passing yards in a half - Tom Brady, 345
Most passing touchdowns in a half - Brady, 5 in first half
Most passing touchdowns in a game - Brady, 6 (tie)

So the Pats are now 4-2 for the season. Here's hoping they can build on this win and make a serious run through the rest of their schedule. Could be a fun winter here in New England!

Another reason why I hate Wal-Mart

2009-10-15T08:12:00.004-04:00

Although they're not entirely to blame for this ...

So I admit that I like the occasional pop song. Joey watches the Disney Channel which, between shows, will play the latest videos of artists signed to its label, Hollywood Records.

Because of this, I've been exposed to more of the "tween" generation of music (Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, et. al.) than I normally would have. And, in the interest of full disclosure, some of it isn't bad, like Selena Gomez's Falling Down and the Jonas Brother's song "Keep it Real" ... they're actually well-written songs with better than average lyrics. Still not my first choice of music (Slayer's new CD drops in November ... giddy!), but once in a while, it's fun to listen to some of this stuff.

Anyway ... what does this have to do with Wal-Mart? Miley Cyrus has a song our right now called "Party in the USA" and it's a good tune and I thought I'd download it from Amazon.com. Went to the site ... no song. They don't even have the CD on their site. Weird.

Started hunting around and it turns out the CD is only available at Wal-Mart, which means you can't download the disc or any tracks. Ooooookay.

The more I thought about this, the more I don't understand why Cyrus would want to do this. I wonder how many sales she lost because people (like me) won't shop Wal-Mart on principle.

Then again, I don't think 40-year-old dads exactly fall in her target demographic ...

Whovian in 2010

2009-10-06T10:44:00.002-04:00

Geek alert ... you've been warned.

The last of the David Tenant Doctor Who episodes are about to make their way to BBC America and the logo for the next Doctor has been revealed:

Very cool stuff.

How slow IS time, anyway?

2009-09-17T12:50:00.002-04:00

I'm posting this because I can ... the reaction of the other newscasters is priceless!

Trees are 90 percent air

2009-09-16T11:10:00.002-04:00

I met my cousin, Joe, and my Uncle Joe at Rolling Meadows Country Club in Ellington, Connecticut, for 18 holes last Saturday and had a blast.

Although it has "country club" in its name, the course is public and it is absolutely beautiful. Immaculate greens, nice wide fairways and great customer service.

We were met on the first tee by the course ranger who explained the course and one of its coolest features ... usually courses use a wooden or metal marker of come kind to delineate when you're 150 yards from the pin. At Rolling Meadows, they use a rounded bush. It's a little thing to be sure, but yet something unique.

Also fun was the beer cart that came around several times. It was about 10:30 a.m. the first time we saw it and while I was not looking for a beer or a shot (we had just gotten a round of Bloody Marys from the bar after completing the front nine), I just had to buy a beer from the cart because I could. So, $4 and one Corona Light in a can later, I was good to go.

Overall I did fairly well (we didn't keep score). As usual, I made some really great shots, a lot of mediocre shots and many bad shots.

One of the best holes I had was the 15th (433 yards, par 4). I absolutely crushed the tee shot for about 310 yards ... it was just perfect (one of only a small few I had that day). My next shot was with my 3-Wood and I crushed that too ... another perfect shot and I landed about 10 yards away from the pin (which was at the front of the green). On both of these shots, it just felt amazing. As soon as I hit the ball, I knew they were good shots ... just felt and sounded "right".

Anyway, I hit a sweet pitch shot onto the green and then two-putted, so even though I bogeyed the hole, all three of my approach shots were very satisfying.

With the good news always comes the bad and there most bizarre thing happened to me all day ... I had a wicked hook in my drives. I have absolutely no idea where the hell this came from but damnit if I couldn't stop hooking the ball. It took me a few holes to diagnose what I was doing ... I was cupping my hands at the top of my back swing which closes the club head at impact. Even figuring this out didn't help much because I kept hooking my drives. Really, really strange because I can literally count on one hand the number of times I've ever hooked my drives (I usually have some kind of slice). Something else to work on, I guess.

All in all, it was a great day on the course. Had a lot of fun with my cousin and uncle and we're going to be a tourney in October at another course in the Nutmeg State, so we have that going for us ... which is nice.

This is why I love golf ... and YouTube

2009-09-15T15:36:00.000-04:00

Glenn Beck is a dumbass ... Keith Olbermann is not

2009-09-10T15:25:00.005-04:00

Now THAT'S dedication!

2009-09-10T13:07:00.004-04:00

Regular readers (if there are any) of this space know that I'm a huge gamer with the Xbox 360 and in particular, I like FPS (first person shooter) games (altho lately I'm obsessed with Tiger Woods PGA 2010).

Anyway, one of my all-time fave games is Bioshock. When it came out a couple of years ago, I could barely put it down ... it's creepy, violent and gorgeously rendered with a great story line ... in other words, perfect.

Well, there are fans like me and then there are FANS. Check out this guy's blog about how he built a costume of one of the characters in the game, Big Daddy. Just amazing.

As it's always been or a new way of life?

2009-08-31T09:32:00.004-04:00

I live in a city of about 40,000 and it's not unusual to see people picking though trash looking for cans. Monday is trash collection day in my neighborhood so this is when you will see people walking up and down the street.

Usually it's two middle-aged men or an Asian couple who look like they're in the mid to late 40s.

This morning I saw this woman, whom I'd never seen before. She walked slowly up the street and spent quite a bit time at my neighbor's trash across the street.
Unfortunately for her she picked the wrong week to come to our street because next week is recycling pickup and there are much more cans and bottles to be had.

I couldn't help but watch her while standing in the shadows of my house. She worked slowly but methodically and what was odd was that suddenly I realized I was standing there hold my camera shooting a picture of her through the screen door. Honestly, I don't remember getting the camera, turning it on or even lining up the shot. It wasn't until I heard the first click of the camera that I realized what I was doing.

Standing there watching I wondered to myself about her circumstances ... the economy is still struggling, is she, too? Does she do this just to make a little extra money? Is it something she has to do to support herself ... her family?

I was struck with the urge to give her the $30 I have in my wallet and I'm not sure why I didn't ... I just didn't.

Watching her further I wondered how long she had been doing this. I would guess it's been some time because the wagon she was pulling just didn't look like something rigged together recently.

Not sure where I'm really going with this. I guess it's one thing to see people on a main city street picking through trash but it's another thing entirely to see it in your neighborhood.

Ted Kennedy

2009-08-27T07:21:00.003-04:00

Regardless of your political affiliation, I think all of us are saddened by the passing of Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, a larger-than-life figure in political and personal circles.

My personal memory of Senator Kennedy is a "brush with greatness" moment from the 1990s.

Kell and I were vacationing on Martha's Vineyard and having breakfast at the Black Dog restaurant in Vineyard Haven. We were sitting on the porch of the restaurant and I suddenly realized that the Senator and his wife, Vicki, were sitting two tables away from us. Admittedly, I tried to eavesdrop on their conversation while trying to contain my excitement at being seated so close to such a dynamic person as the Senator.

At one point, the two were reading the newspaper and Vicki asked the Senator in an exasperated tone, "Ted, what IS Jesse Helms' problem, anyway?!?"

The Senator looked over the top of his newspaper and, without missing a beat, said (and I'll never forget this as long as live), "Well, Dear, everyone is entitled to their opinions on things and Jesse certainly has his."

I think that speaks volumes not just about the type of politician Senator Kennedy was, but the type of person he was, too. He may not have always agreed with people (especially those on the other side of the isle), but he always respected their opinions. And for that, I think the Massachusetts and the country are that much better off. He will be greatly missed.

"Welcome to golf"

2009-08-25T11:02:00.003-04:00

If anything typifies my experience with golf, it's my playing ability over the past few weeks ... well, my abilities with one certain club - the pitching wedge.

For the past month or so, I haven't been able to hit the PW at all. Used to be that my "go-to" clubs were my 4-iron, 9-iron and PW. But for some reason, the PW has absolutely eluded me recently, especially the last three weeks of the golf league I'm in.

Speaking of which, the league is over and Kell and I (Team 5) came in at 5-6-3 for the season. We're missed the playoffs, but it was a lot of fun playing every week.

Anyway, I lost all touch with the PW ... until yesterday. Kell and I shot 18 at the Woods (7 a.m. tee time ... amazing) and it was like night and day with the PW. I couldn't do anything wrong with it. Every shot had great loft, I was dropping the ball exactly (well, most of the time) where I wanted it and was swinging it consistently. I was even hitting out of very tall rough with it. Go figure.

Told a co-worker this morning about this anomaly and he smiled and said, "Welcome to golf!" Indeed.

Playing yesterday morning reminded me why I love this game so much. There is nothing like standing in the tee box at 7 a.m., sun has only be up for about an hour at the most, the air is still, fresh-cut grass and a faint dirt smell permeate the air and there's barely a sound save for a few birds. There was no one else on the course at the time, so it felt like Kell and I were the only two people in the world.

But even when there's others on the course, it's fun to hear people shouting in celebration on other holes when someone does something well.

Yesterday's pace was fantastic because we didn't have any other players pressing us. We shot our round in about 4 1/2 hours, which is pretty good.

So it's a bummer I won't be playing every week, but I've got a tournament or two and some golf dates lined up and Kell and I have already said we can't wait to golf in the Fall when it's cooler out.

So at least I have that going for me ... which is nice.

A win is a win

2009-08-06T08:32:00.004-04:00

A weird night for the golf league last night.

First, I wasn't sure we were going to get nine holes in because there were nasty-looking thunderstorms predicted for our area right around the time were supposed to be going out (which seems to be the norm this summer because every Wednesday has had rain or the threat or rain, no exaggeration).

But, after a torrential downpour around 3 p.m., the skies cleared and it actually was a nice afternoon.

When we got the to the course, we found that the team we were playing couldn't make it, so we "played the card" instead, meaning that we still went out and played nine holes because the scores were still needed for the sake of our handicaps.

We played the back nine and on the 11th hole we were met by another two-some and decided to join together for a four-some. So that made for a good time ... both of the other guys were about our skill level although one of the guys, Jerry, was a bit better. He seemed to make better shots when he needed them.

As for me, I shot 63 for the round and as usual, I made some great shots and some not-so-great shots. Still, I was making consistent contact, but I still need to work on my aiming. Once again I would make what would've been a nice, straight shot but because my aiming was off, the ball would sail to the right or left of where I wanted it.

The only real mistake I made was on the 16th hole, (par 3, 129 yards). I teed off and landed in the rough just to the right of the green, but this rough is very steep and instead of taking a drop, I tried to hit out of it. If I had taken a drop, I would have been on in three; instead, I was on in five and ended up with a seven. I've talked before about taking chances but this was one of those times where I should have taken a drop, especially since the cup was on the side of the green near where my tee shot had landed.

Anyway, it was kind of nice to play and not have to think about scoring and points. I took last night's round as a practice of sorts.

So, what did I learn this week?

I need to remember that the last thing I need to think of before I start my swing (whether it's teeing off or on the fairway) is to keep my head down. I found last night that if I didn't do this, I topped the ball. Ye gods.
I've got to find a way to get more confidence and I think a good way to do that is to more often picture the shot I'm about to take. I think doing this will lead me to subconsciously do the things I need to do in my swing to make a better shot. Something has to change because if I can't change the issues with aiming, I'm in trouble.

What was most fun about last, though, was that Keith, Kell and our friend Johnny B met us as the clubhouse and we had dinner and drinks after. It was great sitting on the deck in the cooler weather (after a couple of weeks of heat and humidity) and relaxing. Good times.

Me ... sorta ... I guess

2009-08-06T08:29:00.001-04:00

Well, according to this Political Spectrum Quiz ...

My Political Views
I am a center-left moderate social libertarian
Left: 1.41, Libertarian: 3.38

Political Spectrum Quiz

My Foreign Policy Views
Score: -3.51

Political Spectrum Quiz

My Culture War Stance
Score: -4.92

Political Spectrum Quiz

Under the umbrella and dreaming

2009-07-30T14:26:00.003-04:00

Looking at yesterday's radar for our area on weather.com yesterday, you could just see the rain and thunderstorms creeping closer and closer. Personally, I thought it was going to be a miracle if we got nine in for the golf league.

But, nine holes and a lot of soaked players later, we did.

Shot a 60 last night and I really think I would've done better if it weren't for the weather. It just got very distracting after a while and frankly, it was tough to concentrate. I'm not saying I would've broken my personal best of 54 from last week, but still.

We started off OK, but briefly had some light rain on the second hole. OK, no problem. It pretty much held off on the third (which feature a couple of rumbles of thunder, but nothing serious). But the fourth featured a downpour that soaked us for a few minutes. Once that was over, it was drier until the sixth hole where the rain steadily got heavier and heavier. By the end of the seventh, my golf glove was toast.

Anyway, other than the weather it was a typical round for me ... made some really great shots and others were horrible. Still searching for even a modicum of consistency.

But, like last week, I didn't focus on my score (we split the round 18-18). I just concentrated on the hole we were playing.

And I also took some chances on some shots to see if I could make them (like hitting out of longer rough, for example) and for the most part I did well. I was trying to take as few drops as possible and I'm gaining confidence in my ability to make something out of nothing.

The most frustrating shot, though, was my tee shot on the third hole (525 yards, par 5). I shanked the shot and it dribbled 15 yards at the most from the tee box to the edge of the fairway. So, instead of trying to hit it there (it was just too close to the wooded area) I teed it up again and hit a gorgeous shot to the middle of the fairway for about 280 yards. As I said to the others in my foursome, "Now, why couldn't I have done that on my first shot?" Still, I didn't let the first bad shot rattle me and I actually double bogeyed the hole (only because I had to take a drop) so it wasn't that bad.

I then had two best shots on the round. The first was on the next hole, the fourth (295 yards, par 4). I destroyed the tee shot with my 3-wood and put it exactly where I wanted it. I was on in three and two-putted, so even though I bogeyed the hole, I was making solid contact and had my PW working.

The second "best-of-the-round" for me was the sixth hole (175 yards, par 3). Hitting my 5-iron, I dropped the rock right onto the fringe on the back of the green. I had trouble with my putter and took a five for the hole, but I still liked what I had done from the tee.

Speaking of which, here's what I learned:

I really need to work on my putting. I'm taking too many three and four putts on the green, which is driving up my score. Not good.
Speaking of my score, I've found it very helpful to not think about my score while playing. I literally take it one hole at a time and don't look at the scorecard during the round (Kell keeps track).
I've gotten so much better at shaking off bad holes or shots. I'm working hard on adopting an "it's only a game" attitude while still trying to improve myself. We'll see how long this lasts.

Lost two balls last night. Still searching for that regular round in which I don't lose any.

An excellent birthday present

2009-07-23T13:01:00.004-04:00

Turns out I can play this game after all.

Under humid and partly sunny conditions, we trudged around the back nine in the golf league yesterday afternoon and lookie lookie here ... I shot a 54! The best round I've ever had over nine holes.

Of course, it didn't start out that way as I lost my ball on my first tee shot. Over the course of play, I ended up taking three drops, so if I hadn't had to do that, I would've shot a 51 ... bummer. Still, I really felt good yesterday and was in a bit of a groove. Dunno if it was because it was my birthday (40th) but whatever it was, I had it working.

Even better, Kell and I won the round and it was close throughout, so that made for a great game. Kell also won the closest-to-the-pin hole and the skin for the hole, so that was fun, too.

Here's my score card:

#10 / 5 / 6
#11 / 4 / 6
#12 / 4 / 7
#13 / 5 / 5 - par! Woo-hoo!
#14 / 3 / 4
#15 / 4 / 8
#16 / 3 / 5
#17 / 4 / 7
#18 / 4 / 6

Only one snowman and no nines!

Of course, what might have helped was a new weapon I bought earlier in the day ... a TaylorMade 3-Wood ... sweet! I picked up this club because I really hated my old 3-Wood. I just couldn't get any touch on the old club and couldn't hit it consistently. I tried out the TaylorMade at Dick's Sporting Goods and once I bought it, took it right across the street to the driving range. Ho-lee crap ... it's just incredible how different the club feels at impact. It's so solid and the ball really takes off. As with my driver, I was blown away by how much this club does for correcting a less-than-perfect strike ... just beautiful.

Anyway, I ended up using this thing on the tee on the first three holes last night (although the first hole was a mistake, should've used my 4-iron). It just felt so good in my hands and swings so sweetly, it felt like a perfect fit. Can't wait to test it out even more.

Last night I also had two really great drives. On Hole 15 (315 yards, par 4) I absolutely crushed the ball and landed on the fringe, just enough to keep me out of trouble. Saved the best for last, though, on Hole 18 (340 yards, par 4). Just tied right into the ball and landed almost in the middle of the fairway. If I hadn't fraidy-catted my chip shot, I could've been on in two, but it took three instead. Even though a double-bogeyed the hole, I still felt like I had done well.

So a good night all around on the course. Yes, made a few mistakes and ended up losing a sleeve of balls but still, it was nice shooting a low score (well, low for me).

Over nine holes, I learned the following:

Spending time on the practice green before the round is a good idea. I spent the better part of 20 to 30 minutes practicing different putts and chipping and it really did make a difference later. Still, I have a lot of work to do because I'm still taking way too many putts to finish a hole.
I don't have to use my driver on every tee shot, especially dog legs. Others in our foursome would use their drivers on some holes, but I went with my instincts and either used my 3-wood or 4-iron (or, in one case, my 8-iron) and still got the results I wanted.
Trust my instincts. On one shot, Kell advised me to take a club saying it was the one she would play in the fairway. But, I knew if I had done that I would have fallen way short of the green, so I took a club up and - PLOP - dropped the rock onto the green. I'm getting to know better every week how I hit clubs, so that's helping a lot.
I can get out of tough lies. We're on Hole 17 (300 yards, par 4) and my tee shot found some tree love and ended up in the middle of the fairway (thank you, golf gods!). I hit my second shot with my pitching wedge because I was less than 100 yards from the green and ended up over-shooting the green (figures, when I want to hit the PW like that, I can't!) and found my ball buried in some really deep weeds. Oy vey. I kept looking at the lie and was considering taking a drop, especially after taking a few practice swings and it looked like I had a scythe in my hand with all the weeds and grass flying in the air. But, I decided to hit out, instead. The ball ended up skidding onto the green rather than flopping with a nice arc (as it "should" have), but, I was on the green and didn't have to take a drop. I'll take that any day!

After the round, Kell kidded with me that maybe it was the Jack Daniel's that I had gotten from the bar for the cart that helped me yesterday. I think what helped is that I never focused on my score while playing. In the past, I've kept track of how I was doing during the round ... but not yesterday. With that pressure off, I think I was better able to focus on my game.

It's beginning to look a lot like ... winter?!?

2009-07-16T09:46:00.005-04:00

Apparently, yesterday was the first day of winter and no one told me because there were more snowmen on my golf scorecard than there are at the North Pole.

Another round in the golf league last night and some typical results ... shot 65 and we lost.

I did well in not focusing on my score (I really had no idea what the actual number was while we were playing) but, I knew it wasn't good because I couldn't stop shooting double pars for many of the holes.

It started off badly when I shanked my first tee shot and had to take a drop about 30 yards from the tee. But, what seems to be my modus operandi in such instances, I made a really sweet rescue shot (this time with my 4-iron) and set myself up for a nice pitch onto the green ... which I then proceeded to 3-putt on and wound up with a seven.

Sigh.

Still, I was making much more consistent contact for most of the afternoon (something that's eluded me recently) but once again I would lift my head at the absolute worst possible time and just kill any momentum I had going.

Truly, my worst hole was the 7th (405 yards, par 4). It's a dog-leg right which features a wide water hazard just after the bend. Two weeks ago I dominated this hole ... hit the perfect tee shot for about 220 yards with my 3-iron, then shot right over the water (still with the 3-iron) to about a foot outside the edge of the elevated green.

Last night? Not so much.

It's about 250 yards from the tee to the bend, and I flopped my tee shot about 30 yards at the most, so with my 4-iron in my hand, I went searching for the ball because the greens were very tall. I actually almost lost my ball and found it at the last minute. After three attempts to lift it out (tried my pitching wedge, too), I picked up and dropped. I was at nine strokes before I even got on the green. So I took a 10 for the hole and used it as putting practice. Hoo boy.

Now for the good (or, least the better) news ... my tee shots with my driver (when I was making good contact) were straightened out. I've said before how I've developed a wicked slice lately in my drives and was at a total loss trying to fix it. I asked a co-worker who has been playing for years and he suggested turning my right hand in my grip a 1/4 of an inch to the left so my hand was more on top of the shaft. I saw immediate results. I didn't realize my grip had changed that much. Thanks, Craig!

Another testament to my shots being straighter (although not always well-aimed) was that I spent very little time in the woods. Good feeling. Still, I lost three balls for the night because when I did hit into the woods, there was no way I was going to find them.

There were a lot of frustrating things about last night, but I did end on a high note because I parred the last hole (#9, 320 yards, par 4). Had a tremendous tee shot that landed just outside the green. Nice flop shot onto the green and I 2-putted ... I'll take it!

Also, my pitch shots are getting better. I'm not over-hitting them as often and I'm getting better at controlling the shot, so that's helped on those lies that are within 100 yards of the green.

So, what did I learn this week?

I really need to work on putting. There are times when I can get onto the green in two or three but then I'm all over the place with my putter (#8 hole, a par 3, was a perfect example last night because I could have parred the hole but ended up with a six instead). I was reading the greens fairly well, but just couldn't make the shot to sink the rock. Putting is key and I don't work on that enough at the range.
I have got to stop over-thinking shots. No doubt this is killing me, especially when I tee off. Look, I know perfectly well I can hit the damn ball, I do very well at the driving range. The issue is that I start thinking too much on the course and it destroys what little talent or touch I have. I'm considering not taking practice swings before I shoot ... we'll see.

Next week we'll be playing on my birthday. My golf partner said she'd understand if I skipped next week and I thought, "Playing golf on my birthday? How cool is that?!?" I mentioned this to Kell and, god bless her golf-widowed heart, she totally agreed. Sweet.

My Top 10 ... well, 12

2009-07-12T21:11:00.019-04:00

Kell and my sister are planning a party this month to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of the date (July 22nd) when I was spawned unto this unsuspecting world (we're having dinner, live music, the whole shebang).

As part of the planning, my sister wanted me to burn her a CD of my top 10 favorite songs of all time.

Riiiiiiiiiight ... 10 songs?!? I have hundreds of bands, musicians, artists on our external hard drive ... thousands of songs ranging from classical to jazz to musicals to all manners of rock, hard rock, metal, speed metal and the like.

Needless to say, I had a daunting task. Seriously, how do I figure this out? Without thinking about the number of songs I was choosing, I went through the bands and selected my favorite CD by each band, then my favorite song from the disc.

I stopped at 96 tracks.

So I pared the list down to 12 ... I just couldn't get it any shorter than that. Here's the list (in alphabetical order by band) and a brief explanation about why I chose the song:

Aerosmith: "Train Kept a Rollin'" (live version) - This song is a classic among classics. I remember being in high school and just cranking the radio to 11 every time it came on. I love the fact that it's a live recording and it still sounds that good. The band is simply at its peak and the drum solo/guitar riffs/base line towards the end is amazing. Just a great pounding sound ... must have been amazing to have been at that particular show.
Allman Brothers Band: "Dreams" - The version I chose is from the An Evening with the Allman Band CD. I'm a huge ABB fan and loved this song the first time I heard it and this version in particular. At the time of this recording, Dickie Betts was still with the band and he and Warren Haynes absolutely kick the living crap out of this song. Seriously, the ABB is one those bands everyone should see at least once but if you don't, this disc is a great way to get a good feeling for what it's like to see them. As usual, Tom Dowd manned the boards for the recording and he captures the band at their height with this line up. This song is amazing in its tempo, guitar solos and the lyrics are Greg Allman at his cosmic best.
Boston: "Foreplay/Longtime" - Boston's first, eponymous CD is one of my all-time faves and every song could have made the list. Again, it's one of those discs that as a teen, whenever a song came on the radio, you just had to turn it up. I think the thing that amazes me the most is how good this song (and CD) sound from a production perspective ... and it's over 30 years old! The band's guitarist and techno-wiz, Tom Scholz (an MIT grad) built and/or developed much of the recording equipment used by the band and they sounded light years ahead of their time. I just think this song in particular shows why the band was so good ... they sound so tight and the lyrics are great. I can't not listen to this song when it's on the radio.
Cream: "Crossroads" - C'mon, this song is legendary even for the casual rock music fan. If you ever want to explain to someone what Eric Clapton is all about, then look no further than this song. Whenever I hear it, it's one of those songs that I'll rewind to the beginning of the solo and listen to it again ... and again. This may sound weird, but Clapton just doesn't waste a note anywhere in this song and Jack Bruce's base playing (especially during the guitar solo) is insane ... and keeping everything together is Ginger Baker who must have had to trade in for a new pair of arms when this song was done. One of the top five rock recordings of all time, IMO.
Dave Mathews Band: "Jimi Thing" - I wish I could explain in words exactly what this song does to me every time I hear it but whenever it comes up on a CD, I have to listen to it at least two or three times in a row. First off, the production is fantastic ... nice, fat acoustic guitar sound, the drums, and the fact that there's a fiddle solo in the middle of the song ... well, damn. And Dave's lyrics are truly bizarre, but in a good way. You have to really listen to the song to get it. I can never hear this song enough ... just an amazing 5:57 of music. It also reminds me of Martha's Vineyard because when Kell and I would go down there before we were married, we'd always listen to the DMB as we drove around and hearing any DMB song, but this CD in particular, reminds of those times.
Jane's Addiction: "Slow Divers" - OK, I'll be up front and say it right now ... this song reminds me of when I used to smoke um, a leafy green herb, in particular, smoking with my friend Ray at his house. It'd be summertime at night, we'd be outside with a drink and feeling very relaxed and mellow and we'd put Kettle Whistle on and man, when this song came on everything was allllright. Just an amazing song to relax to and the lyrics are great (quick synopsis: the singer is at an amusement park and watches people going down a water slide and imagines them trying to procreate while doing so). The song itself, though, sounds amazing ... another great live recording. The band is just peaking during this recording and you can almost hear the audience sitting in stunned silence watching this.
Jimi Hendrix: "Red House" - My favorite story around this song is that when Hendrix was recording in London before he made it big in America, the record people were telling him to not include this song on the album because Americans didn't want to hear a rock guitarist play blues music. Wow! For me, this song is the epitome of Hendrix's style ... he was greatly influenced by the blues and this was his hand at recording in that vein. Thankfully he did eventually record it and released it on his Smash Hits record. The song also has one of my all-time fave Hendrix lyrics in it: "'Cause if my baby don't love no more/I know her sister will!" Always makes me laugh when I hear it because you can hear the smile on Hendrix's face when he sings the line.
King's X: "Life Going By" - King's X is one of those bands that a lot of people have never heard of but for those of us who are lucky enough to have heard of them, they're one of the best ever. This song in particular is one that I can't explain why it affects me the way it does, but it's one that I have to listen to a few times when it comes up on the CD. Again, the production is amazing so it sounds unbelievable and the lyrics ... well, I can honestly say that if I'm in the right mood, I actually get a bit choked up when I hear this song. Ty Taybor's guitar work here is some of his best ... it's a shorter solo, but just perfect, tight and to the point.
Led Zepplin: "Nobody's Fault But Mine" - I knew when compiling this list that a Led Zepplin song was going to be on it and I had no idea how I was going to come up with one song. And this is the only song on the list that isn't on that band's favorite CD of mine (Led Zep II is my fave). But as I was going through the band's catalog and I saw the title of this song, I listened to it and was once again absolutely blown away by it and I've heard this song dozens and dozens of times. For me, this song is a perfect amalgamation of four of the greatest musicians in a single song. Robert Plant's voice hits every note perfectly with authority and clarity, Jimmy Page's guitar work is genius, John Paul Jones has the best and most amazing bass sound ever recorded and John Bonham is ... well, being John Bonham. When you listen to this song, you can hear every influence the band ever had ... the blues, rock, R&B, it's all there. This is a song that the louder you listen to it, the better it sounds.
Stevie Ray Vaughn: "Couldn't Stand the Weather" - The title track from the first SVR album I ever bought. I love, love love this song. Chris Layton's drum playing is just spot on and nails every fill he has in this song; bassist Tommy Shannon has this awesome, fat sound that perfectly fills in the low end of Stevie's playing and it makes you really appreciate what a good bass player like this does for a song ... and then there's Vaughn and his quintessential blues-rock guitar in this song. The stuff he does in the bridge, the rhythm guitar and that solo ... holy crap, the solo. As I'm typing this, I can hear it in my head and I want to stop and go listen to this song. Vaughn always said he never liked his singing voice but c'mon, I think it's perfect for his music ... gritty, kinda down and dirty, like his guitar playing at its best.
The Beatles - "I Am the Walrus" - I first heard this song on a two-disc vinyl album I got for Christmas when I was around 12-ish. It was a Best of the Beatles compilation that featured their later stuff and I couldn't get enough of it. I must have listened to that album over and over again. Like Led Zepplin, it was difficult finding one song, but in the end, I think this song really represents the different, um ... altered state-influenced direction the band headed into later in their career. And the lyrics are just unreal ... "Sitting in my English garden waiting for the sun/If the sun don't come, you'll get a tan from standing in the English rain" ... ooookay. A lot of people talk about Sgt. Pepper as being the best Beatles album, but I think Magical Mystery Tour is at least as good, if not better. Like Pepper, the production is just insane but unlike Pepper, I think the influences and styles of music on MMT are more diverse and show the band spreading out and taking chances. Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't say that any Beatles song reminds me of my cousin, Liz, and that's never a bad thing.
Van Halen - "Mean Street" - Geez, where to begin?!? As many people know, things didn't end well between David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen when Roth left/quit in 1985. Whatever the case, legend has it that it got so bad that when the band would record, Eddie would lay down his guitar tracks late in the night and Dave would come in the next day and put down his vocals and rarely did the two see each other. It's been said that Eddie was at his angriest during the recording of Fair Warning, (my absolute favorite Van Halen album and Mean Street is my fave track, hands down) and you can hear that anger in these recordings. There's simply an edge to these songs that doesn't exist on any other VH record before or since. I will never forget being a teenager, sitting in my room and putting on this record (on vinyl!) and listening to it for the first time ... and my jaw just dropped. By the time this album was released (in 1981), Eddie's reputation as a guitar virtuoso was firmly in place; listen to this song and you'll know why. The two-hand tapping and hammering on and off intro as it fades in then gives way to this edgy, almost grating string sound that fades out then ... BOOM! Eddie launches another diatribe again and the drums and bass kick in. And then Dave sings some the greatest lyrics he ever wrote with the band that begin with: "At night I walk these stinkin' streets, pass the crazies on my block/And I see the same old faces and I hear that same old talk/And I'm searchin' the latest thing, a break in this routine/I'm talkin' some new kicks, ones like you ain't never seen!" Gives me goose bumps every ... single ... time and that says a lot about a song when it affects you like that.

Truly, this list could go on and on and on ... but it's only supposed to be 10 ... well, 12 'cause it's my list, so there!

2, 4 and 9

2009-07-09T14:09:00.003-04:00

A little different take on the golf league last night. Instead of playing teams, we did a tournament-type thing, every player for themselves.

The rules were:

Nine holes with a shotgun start.
Each player was allowed only two clubs: 8-iron and putter.
You could only bring four golf balls. Once you lost them, you were done even if you didn't shoot nine holes.
Individual scoring, no teams.
All players hit from the ladies' tees.

At first, this type of play was very daunting because you just didn't know what to expect. But it was a lot of fun because it was relaxing and it forced you to look at the holes in a completely different way. Standing on the ladies' tees on holes I've played plenty of times was weird ... many times you could actually see the pin from the tees instead of being so far back.

So, with a sleeve of balls plus one and two clubs, we headed out. I ended up playing with my regular golf partner; the other pair in our foursome weren't regular partners (one was A-Flight, the other B).

We shot the back nine and started off on the 17th (255 yards, par 4). After we all teed off (I never used a tee, just put the ball on the ground because that's how I usually hit with an iron anyway), we all thought using an 8-iron was a great idea because we were making great shots.

But, again, on longer holes, you really had to think about how you were going to swing as you approached the green. Pitches and chips were the order of the day.

So I shot a typical 60 for the round (my lowest score in a while) and I didn't lose a ball, which was a great feeling. I don't think I've ever played nine holes and not lost a ball and I attribute my luck last night to the fact that I wasn't hooking or slicing shots with a 3-wood or driver. As I've noticed before, I rarely hook or slice my irons. If the ball doesn't go where I intend with my irons, it's because I aimed poorly or shanked the shot.

There were two particular highlights for me last night:

The 13the hole (350 yards, par 5) it dog legs a bit to the left, so you have to clear a small hill on the left or hit to the right of the hill and stay on the fairway. I ended up half way down the hill. No worries, I've hit from there before. So I set up for my second shot, trying to cut around the hill a bit and THWACK, I hit a tree about 10 yards in front me square on and my ball ricocheted back at me and almost landed right at my feet. Too funny.
On the 16th hole (125 yards, par 3), I didn't hit down on my swing enough and the ball ended up scooting right along the fairway (the tee box and green are both elevated, so it's like a bowl in the middle) and the ball popped up right onto the green (I ended up winning closest-to-the-pin for the night on the hole). The guy standing next to me (he plays A-Flight) just stared and said, "That was the longest goddamn putt I've ever seen!" I do what I can to keep people entertained.

Anyway, a fun night at the course. It was nice playing in such a relaxed atmosphere and not thinking about scores and team points.

So, what did I learn?

I can play this game. I have the skills to do it, I just need to give it time and I will get better.
If I slow down, I'm a better player. Slow down in my back swing, realize when I need to slow down in my follow through ... I can make the shots I need to make when I need to make them. I just need to take the time to recognize things like that.
I shouldn't stand over the ball at address for too long. The longer I do, the more chance I have for making a mistake and the worse my shot will be. Like a player from another team told me weeks ago, "Get up to the ball and pull the trigger."

Here's hoping the weather gets a little more consistent and we have more sun. Yesterday there were tornado and hail warnings south of us and the temperature was barely 70 degrees. So much for July summer weather!

Shooting 18

2009-07-06T07:57:00.004-04:00

Shot 18 holes with two of my brother-in-laws, Paul and Neil, and my nephew, Nick, at Westminster last Friday. Finally had an absolutely gorgeous day after so much rain ... high 60s to low 70s, sunny and dry.

Needless to say, playing in this foursome was an adventure. As the day wore on, we tended to not keep score as stringently ... well, at least Paul and Nick didn't. Paul has been playing for a long time and Nick is just starting. Neil and I are scratch golfers, but Neil is definitely better than me.

I shot a 129 for the day, taking an automatic double par for a hole once I got to that score even if I hadn't finished the hole, so my score is a bit skewered at best. I readily admit to not being a good golfer, but I will say that I think the condition of the fairways definitely influence my score. We've had so much rain that it was like playing on a sponge ... a muddy one at that. I've never been covered in so much mud after golf ... it was so bad I threw away my socks when I got home. We had had a torrential day of rain the day before, so conditions weren't at their best when we teed off.

Still, we had a blast and once again I tried to learn as much as possible. Speaking of which ... what did I learn this time out?

I really need to slow down. I think at this point I'm trying too hard. As Paul pointed out when I saw him the next day, he could tell I over analyze every shot and the more I do that, the worse I get. Don't think, Meat ... it can only hurt the team.
I need to find a way to translate to the course what I do on the practice range. I spent the better part of an hour at the range yesterday and was hitting iron shots like I could do it in my sleep ... great loft, nice and straight. When I get on the course, many times I top the ball and/or the shot goes anywhere but where I'm aiming. Very frustrating. And once again, I seem to have lost the ability to at least make solid contact on the course. Need to find that groove.

I talked to Paul about that last point at some length the other day and he made another good point when he said I'm thinking too much about my score. Paul's a very good golfer, but he doesn't often keep score because, as he said, he gets ultra competitive and that's no fun for anyone he's playing with, including himself. While I'm grateful to be in the golf league because it's given me the chance to play every week, it may ultimately do me a bit more harm than good in the sense that I'm feeling the pressure (consciously or subconsciously) to do well and with my limited skills, I don't need any more distractions than I already have.

So, I think slowing down my swing and trying not to over think everything will help me in the end. Something has to because I know I can play this game ... I just need to find a way to bring that confidence to the fairways when it counts.

Hanging with Joey

2009-07-06T07:33:00.007-04:00

Kell wasn't feeling well yesterday (cold) so Joey and I spent the better part of the day together and I was reminded once again why I love this kid so much.

I took him to Cogshall Park and he had a lot of fun feeding the ducks (left). He's too funny because he likes to talk to the ducks and says, "Here you go boy (or girl)." Recently I taught him the difference between male and female mallards and now he looks for the male's green head and calls them the "boy ducks" and the other ducks the "girl ducks".

I called my parents to see if they wanted to meet us for ice cream and my mom said they were headed to a local state park with my sister and nephews. So after spending sometime on the swings and playing around the park, we headed over.

The small stream/river that runs through the park was fairly strong given all of the rain we had recently, so Joey had a blast throwing rocks in the water. We also had fun getting my sister and mom wet as they sat nearby.

Joey also discovered the advantage of being a boy, to which: the woods are your toilet. He came up to me and said, "Daddy, I gotta go pee!" So, I turned him around, pointed him towards some rocks away from us and away he went ... and went ... and went. He loved peeing in the outdoors.

We then went to Cherry Hill Ice Cream in Lunenburg where Joey got his favorite: chocolate ice cream (or, as he calls it, "cow ice cream") with hot fudge, whipped cream and a cheery on top. Giddy up.

Finally got home around 4:30 p.m. and he snuggled in for some time with mama. I went to the driving range and got home around 6:30-ish and Kell said he had been asleep for about 20 minutes at that point. A couple of hours later we tried to roust him so he could take a bath and get ready for bed but that wasn't happening ... he was out cold. I picked him up off of the couch, brought him up to his room and rolled him into his bed and he didn't even flinch. Almost 12 hours later and he was up. Too cute.

Is this the Northern or Southern hemisphere?

2009-07-01T14:04:00.003-04:00

OK, it's July 1 ... cloudy, cold, foggy and rainy ... oh, and it's 61 degrees.

Unreal.

Saw a report today that for the month of June in this area, there were only 11 sunny days. All other days were either partly or totally cloudy with rain.

Swingin' in the rain, Part II

2009-06-25T22:26:00.003-04:00

The saga continues ...

Another rainy, cold day in June in New England and we're out shooting nine in the golf league.

And, as usual, it was a disaster for me ... shot a 66. Damn.

Once again, I just couldn't get anything going. I just can't seem to stop lifting my head, which is killing my shots.

And the most frustrating thing is that I know exactly what I'm doing wrong and yet I keep doing it!

It got so bad that I actually threw a club ... well, I tossed it in the air. On the 15th hole, I had already taken five strokes and had only gone about 150 yards ... so I picked up the ball and took a snowman for the hole, which was double the par for the hole.

Just so, so, so, so frustrating.

What did I learn?

I have got to stop lifting my head. I think what has happened is that I was concentrating so much on other things that I got into the very bad habit of lifting my head. Now that I realized this, though, I can start working on correcting it.
I need to slow down in my swing, especially in my tee shots. My backswing is good, but I think I'm coming down too fast in my downswing. If I slow down more consistently, I think that will help.
Gotta work on my aiming. Too many times I'm really surprised at where the ball goes. Everything feels good as I line up, but then the ball goes in the totally wrong direction. My irons don't seem to be slicing or hooking, my aim seems to be off because the ball is going straight ... just not where I want it to go.

I have my work cut out for me at the driving range for sure.

Swingin' in the rain

2009-06-22T16:36:00.005-04:00

Co-worker of mine and I made our way through the 35-par, nine holes that is the Groton Country Club in Groton, MA.

Overall, it's a nice course with short and long holes, but battling the elements was definitely less funner. For those who may be unfamiliar with the weather here in New England, June thus far has felt more like March or April ... cold and damp. We've had cloudy and/or rainy weather almost continuously for weeks. Truly the last nice weekend was Memorial Day weekend in May.

The first couple of holes were OK, weather-wise ... just overcast, low 60s and humid. But, showers kept moving through and it got dicey for a while.

Needless to say, this didn't really affect my game because I ended up with a 60 for the round ... well, I ended up picking up the ball on a couple of holes because I was double par and had reached my patience limit.

Speaking of which, I finally lost it on a golf course. You'd think being the mediocre golfer that I am that I would have fairly low expectations for myself.

You'd be wrong.

Turns out, I was wrong, too.

I just could not make solid contact consistently and as I've said in this space many times, if nothing else per round, I want to make consistent contact. Just wasn't happening last week (or lately, for that matter). And as much as I'd like to blame the weather, my buddy, Craig, shot a 45 (although he's been playing a lot longer than I have and is a much better golfer).

Still, shooting in the rain was kind of fun ... at least it wasn't thunder and lighting. The course is nice, but wow are there some serious hills. On the second hole, you can't even see the pin on the green because you have to shoot up and over a hill. And then once you get over the hill, you have to shoot straight up another hill to get to the green.

But like I said, I had had enough by the time I teed up on the 9th hole (303 yards, par 4). I "teed off" (and I use that term loosely) and only hit the ball about 20 yards. I took the penalty stroke and teed off again ... same result. At first I picked up the ball and announced I was done, but Craig encouraged me to drop the ball somewhere on the fairway and play through for practice ... so I did and it was still a disaster because I used too much club and cleared the green and then putted all over the place.

In the short time I've been playing this game I've never been so frustrated. I actually think about my game all the time and I think I've figured out that my address is messed up in that I'm standing too far away from the ball. Going to work on that at the range and see if that's what the problem is. If it's not, then I've got to figure this out soon because I'm really getting aggravated and that's not what I want when I head out onto the fairways.

I'm trying to have fun, but damn it's getting so tiring doing so poorly so consistently. If the weather would break, I could go to the range and get some work done ... here's hoping we see the sun soon.

So, what did I learn in Groton?

I need to pay closer attention to my mechanics if I'm going to try and figure out what's wrong. You can't diagnose and fix a problem if you're not paying attention.
Without a doubt, I've got to be more consistent in slowing down as I enter my backswing. Between too much speed and potential issues in my address, my contact is all off.
Once again I've got to work on lowering my expectations. I haven't been playing that long and this game takes quite a while to get at all good.
Despite my recent troubles, I can play this game. My first tee shot last week was spot on and beautiful ... just perfect. And I did make a few great shots. Like Craig said, that alone should tell me that I've got the basics to play this game ... it's a matter of playing and getting more experience and, like anything else, practice practice practice.

The Beatles on Rock Band

2009-06-18T15:08:00.005-04:00

For all you gamers out there ... the Rock Band franchise is about to come out with its The Beatles video game and an absolutely brilliant trailer has been released.

Now, I don't have the Rock Band peripherals (not enough space at my house), but I'd get this game to play the guitar parts ... wow!

Four shy of complete disaster

2009-06-18T09:59:00.003-04:00

Ye gods.

Despite the weather being picture perfect for golf last night (sunny, dry, low 70s, slight breeze), I shot the worst round of my life in a long time ... wait for it ... 68.

Yes, that's 68 over nine holes.

Again, for those blessedly devoid of golf knowledge, let me put this in perspective ... a typical 18-hole course has a par of 72, so that means the par for the front and back nine holes is 36 each. So, I shot 68 last night, which means that I only needed four more strokes and would have doubled the par for the nine holes! For those keep track at home, that's really not good.

I can't begin to figure out what was my problem. For some reason, I kept lifting my head on my downswing, which made me top the ball, which caused very poor shots, which means it took far too many shots just to get to the green because I couldn't get any loft or distance. For as much as I was confident that I had improved on my goal of making solid contact, I sure as hell did not do that last night. Amazing ... just amazing.

I don't know if the issue was that I was playing without my partner (who has a miserable head cold) and therefore was playing both of the guys on the other team or if I simply wasn't concentrating but didn't realize it.

I'm still just as frustrated now, 14 hours after playing, as I was last night walking off of the 9th hole. Speaking of which ...

If I had had any chance of redeeming myself last night, it was gone on the 9th (and last) hole. I hit a gorgeous tee shot to land right in the middle if the fairway and set myself up for a chip shot onto the green. The cup was at the front of the green which is protected by a bunker ... you can see where this is going. One chip shot later and I'm standing in the kitty litter.

OK, no big deal, I know how to hit out of a bunker, so if I take my time and ... three shots later and I'm finally on the green. Instead of a possible bogey for the hole (or even a par), I wound up with a seven. Ho-lee crap.

Here's my score card:

#1 / 5 / 7
#2 / 4 / 7
#3 / 5 / 10
#4 / 4 / 9
#5 / 4 / 7
#6 / 3 / 5
#7 / 4 / 9
#8 / 3 / 6
#9 / 4 / 8

I'm trying to focus on the few good things that happened last night because the round was completely discouraging. So here's the good news:

On Hole 2 (275 yards par 4), I hit a perfect tee shot with my 3-wood ... straight, dead on. Then I shanked the PW shot to get to the green and four putted to drop the rock. Crap.
On Hole 5 (345 yards, par 4), I topped the tee shot and it flopped about 50 yards (at most) in front of the tee box. Hoo boy. But, with my 3-wood I hit a beautiful, dead-on shot to drop the ball less than a yard off of the green. It was all downhill from there (shot a 9 for the hole!) but at least I hit my 3-wood well, something I have trouble doing.
On Hole 3, I had to hit out of some very tall grass on the edge of the fairway using my PW. Was able to flop the ball right onto the middle of the fairway. So at least I had that going for me, which was nice.
On the par 3 holes, especially Hole 6 (172 yards) I teed off well and was hitting my irons fairly straight and with great loft, for the most part.

I'm trying to put this round behind me because I know it's going to affect me next week if I don't do so. But, damn, it's difficult to not roll this over and over in my head. I'm the type of person who falls asleep almost instantly when I get into bed. It took me a good half hour last night.

So, what did I learn this week?

That I really need to figure out how to recover from a bad hole. I didn't realize last night how much I carry poor playing from one hole to the next instead of letting things go and essentially "starting over" on the next hole.
A good tip from one of the guys I was playing against for teeing off. When placing the ball on the tee, put the words on the ball so that you can read them as you stand at address. That way, it forces you to look down at the ball and, hopefully, keep looking down so that you don't pick up your head.

Next week is another round ... gotta put this one behind me.

Grab the suntan lotion, kids, we're on the beach!

2009-06-11T08:07:00.010-04:00

Shot 62 in the golf league last night and my partner and I lost the round, so we're 2-3-1 for the season. I just couldn't get anything working and only got four points for the night.

I'm trying not to focus on my score, but it still stinks when I shoot over 60 like that and look at the sheet from the league and see that my handicap is listed as 28 ... ye gods.

Having said that, though, I seem to have worked out the slicing issue in my drives (at least for last night I did). As I've mentioned before, for some reason this slice that has crept into my drive over the past few weeks. Well, after practicing and analyzing my swing, I realized the issue is that I'm cupping my hands at the top of my backswing which breaks my wrists and opens up the club face by the time I hit the ball.

So, I made a small adjustment in my backswing and that seems to have taken care of it because every drive was straight last night. Granted, some didn't go exactly where I wanted them because I mis-aimed and I topped a couple, but still, I met my goal of being able to diagnose the problem and find a solution and that's huge for me.

What's weird, though, (at least I think it is) is that the slice doesn't show up in my irons. I hit those straight on every time.

Moving on ...

Without a doubt, the biggest problem I ran into last night is when I hit into a bunker on the 13th hole, a 435-yarder with a slight dog-leg to the left. My third shot (I topped the tee shot, so I was screwed right from the beginning) landed in really tall stuff and I had to hack my way out with my PW. Sure enough, I couldn't clear the bunker and landed in the sand. It took me three shots to get out of the bunker and then I three-putted on the green. Not good ... really not good.

Despite hitting 62 for the back nine, there were a few good things that did happen last night:

For the second week in a row, I won the "closest to the pin" hole (last week it was eight feet, this week it was 11 feet, 11 inches). I also won the skin on the closest hole last week, so I won $25 (not sure how much I won this week). Every week the league has such a hole on a par 3 and it's the par 3 holes that I seem to excel at (my golf partner started calling me "Captain Par 3" last night).
Although I didn't birdie it, I did par the money hole last night, so at least I had that going for me ... which is nice.
Once again I was making solid contact, so now that I seem to have that down, I need to work on another part of my game. I've got a consistent address and solid contact, so I want to work on my aiming, which would help me immensely.
I only lost one ball last night, which was a huge improvement over last week when I lost four.
I didn't have any 10-stroke holes. It seems like every week I have at last one hole (usually a par 5) that I hit 10, but not last night. Um, I did have a few nines, but at least they weren't tens! < rolls eyes >

OK, so what did I learn this week?

I really need to work on my bunker shots. I'm not sure how I'm going to practice this because the only driving range in my area that I know of that has a practice bunker isn't very good ... it's literally like standing on beach sand because your feet sift through the sand and frankly, no sand trap is really like that. So I'm not sure how I'm going to practice this, but I definitely need to. I can't be taking three shots to get out of a trap. Of course, if I was a better golfer, I wouldn't end up in the kitty litter in the first place.
I should lower my expectations. I have to remember that this is only the second season I've been playing and I can't expect that I'm going to shoot around 50 over nine holes. I'd like to be able to do that, but I still have a lot to learn.
It's a cliche, but high risk, high reward ... I should every so often try to take more chances, especially with shots using my PW. Last night I was in some pretty tall stuff right on the edge of the fairway and normally I would've just taken a drop, but instead I decided to try hitting out of the grass and lo and behold, it worked! Flopped the ball right back onto the fairway and set myself up nicely for the next shot. Now, I may not want to do that every time, but making those kinds of shots will only add to my confidence.

Finally, I was wearing my desert camo boonie hat last night because it was in the low 60s, misty and very overcast. When I picked up Joey from daycare he said, "Dad, I love your hat! It's Star Wars awesome!" That's high praise from young Mr. Davis and it made me smile through all nine holes.

Look at the pretty birdie!

2009-06-04T07:50:00.003-04:00

Had the golf league last night and shot a 59 on the front nine. For the points race, we split with the other team 18/18, so we're 2-2-1 for the season thus far.

I started off poorly on the par 5 first hole with a 10, but I regrouped and hit OK to fairly well at times after that. As usual, though, drops were killing me and I lost four balls last night ... not good.

But, the real highlight last night was that I birdied my first hole. Very, very cool feeling. It was on the 6th hole, par 3, 147 yards. Used my 7 iron to tee off and dropped the rock right on the green, eight feet from the hole. I know it was eight feet because we actually measured it as the 6th was the money hole for the night (whichever player gets closest to the hole for the night wins some money ... I think it's $10).

Anyway, it was such a great feeling. I knew I was set up for a birdie when I was lining up for the putt and I was trying to ignore that and just sink the shot. Frankly, I would've been happy with a par for the hole, but the birdie was mighty sweet.

As any golfer will say, it's a hole like that that keeps you coming back to play.

Of course, this hole was followed by the 7th, which is a dog-leg right with a huge water hazard at the bend. It's a par 5 and I picked up my ball on the green after hitting 10 and still not dropping in the cup. And just like that, you're humbled once again.

But like the past few weeks, I was absolutely crushing my drives ... I mean, not for nothing but, damn I can really tie into these things. I have no idea where this stroke came from, but that ball will sail if I hit it right, to which ... we were on the third hole, par 5, and it's a long, straight fairway with a hill in the middle that just cuts off your view of the green. Anyway, I teed off and the rock took off nice and straight for about 330 yards. Had a little trouble on the green so I parred the hole.

Also, as I've said before, I'm consistently making solid contact with my driver and irons, which is a good thing. Now that I'm getting that part of my game down, I need to work on consistent accuracy.

The only really disappointing thing from last night is that I went to the 9th hole with a 52 and could've shaved three strokes off my average if I had parred the hole. Alas, once again taking a drop killed me and I ended up with a triple bogey.

So what did I learn this week? Actually, three things:

I figured out why I tend to slice or fade my drives. As I was warming up with my driver, I swung through completely a couple of practice swings and for some reason on the third practice swing decided to stop as the club head was at the ball. Sure enough, the club face was open, hence the tendency for the ball to slice or fade. OK, so what's going on? Took a few more swings and realized I was rolling my wrists at the top of my backswing which changed my left wrist (I'm a right-handed player) and opened the club face. Once I started concentrating on not rolling my wrists, my drives straightened out.
Other golfers have told me that a "secret" to pitching is to swing the club with the same force as though you were standing with the ball in your hand and tossing it underhanded onto the green. Doing this, my pitches got a bit better.
Definitely need to practice hitting out of sand traps. I know what you're "supposed" to do, but knowing and executing are two different things. Problem is, I don't hit the beaches very often so it becomes a "use it or lose" kind of thing for me. Still, the driving range I go to has a practice sand trap and I should be practicing there as well.

Finally, I got some great advice from my league partner ... last night I found a dozen balls while looking for mine on several occasions and I said I didn't know what I was going to do with the every-increasing stash of these "range balls" I have at the house. Kell said she uses them for holes with water hazards, that way if you lose them in the woods or water, at least you're not loosing the balls you always play with and actually pay for. Good idea!

In a fog

2009-05-28T08:04:00.005-04:00

Let's see ... 49 degrees at game time, fog rolling in, light to heavy mist in the air ... yup, it must be time to play golf!

Shot the back nine in the golf league last night and it was probably the most surreal round of golf I've ever played. It had been raining steadily all day and had stopped only a couple of hours before we set out. As we went hole to hole, the fog got worse to the point where the average visibility was about 20 - 30 yards at best. You could hear people yelling all over the course asking from the tee if the green was clear because you just couldn't see a damn thing.

I'd like to think that it was because of the weather that I shot one of the worst rounds I've shot in a long time ... 67. Yes, that's about 7 1/2 shots per hole. The closest I came to a par was double bogey, and I did that a lot. Add to the mix that I lost three balls and it didn't make for a good afternoon.

But, in my defense, I will say that it was very disconcerting teeing up and realizing that you were going to have NO idea where in the hell the ball was going to land. If you really shanked the tee shot, you could kind of see the ball hit the rough or trees, but if the shot went fairly straight, it often took some time to find it on the fairway or in the rough (as was often the case).

So what did I learn this week? That I need to modify my drives better. Once again, I was absolutely crushing the ball and with solid contact, but often I was over-driving the shot and not leaving myself set up for the next shot. Really need to work on that if I want to cut down on strokes.

The (new) final frontier

2009-05-22T23:15:00.002-04:00

Believe what you've heard about the new Star Trek movie, folks ... s'all true.

This move ROCKS.

I'm a passive Trek fan at best and don't know much more than the iconic stuff and I've been hearing that the buzz about the movie is that you don't have to know anything about the Star Trek world to like this movie.

This is an amazing movie. Great story, great actors, great special effects.

Kell and I went and she's a kinda sorta sci-fi fan at most and even she thought it was "awesome".

I don't want to give anything away, but I'll just say more than once I thought to myself, "Hmm, didn't see THAT coming." I love when that happens.

Great, great movie. It was so good that I wanted to buy tickets for the next show tonight as we were leaving. Also thought on the way home that I can't wait for it to come out on DVD.

Damn, what a great start to the '09 movie summer season.

Handicapped

2009-05-21T08:43:00.003-04:00

Had the golf league yesterday ... a gorgeous late afternoon for shooting nine holes.

Shot 59 on the front nine, which was a stroke less than what I shot on the same holes two weeks ago. So, at this rate, I should be shooting about a 53-ish by league's end. Oh yeah, my partner and I won the round (so we're 2-1 now).

I also found out my handicap ... 28. Yes, I literally laughed out loud sitting in the cart reading that. That means that for every nine holes I play (assuming it's a par 36), I'm expected to shoot 64. Unfortunately, that works out about right. Well, not quite because so far I've shot 60, 59 and 59.

Still, I've got a looooong way to go before I can come in under 20 for my handicap. But, I need to keep reminding myself that this is only the second season I've been playing golf and I have to patient with my game.

So, what did I learn this week? Actually, there were two things. First, I need to trust my instincts. On the last hole, I found myself on the beach (much to my chagrin) and I've read/been told that you really need to put a huge swing on the sand wedge to get out of the bunker. But, as I was standing there, I just felt I had the right touch to pop the rock out instead of swing like Big Papi. But I didn't listen to that inner voice and took a massive cut and sure enough, hit the ball square and absolutely crushed it about 30 yards, thus leading to yet another stroke when I had to drop. If I had listen to my instincts, I probably would've flopped that bad boy right onto the green and would've ended up with a par (or bogey at worst). Instead, I went double bogey. Ye gods.

The other thing I learned was really more of a reaffirmation ... that slowing down in my back swing when I'm teeing off is helping me tremendously. For all nine holes yesterday I was absolutely crushing my drives when I needed to, which was a good feeling because it meant that I was making solid contact (which is the goal every time I go out). Now, that doesn't mean the drives always went straight or had great loft, but I wasn't hooking and slicing, either. If the shot was off, most of the time it was a draw or fade.

Still, I've got to stay on the fairways. Taking drops on holes is killing me.

One last thing ... only lost one ball yesterday. Here's looking forward to the day when I play the same ball for nine holes.

Another nine, another 20 over

2009-05-15T14:07:00.004-04:00

Went with a friend of mine, Craig, to Lancaster Golf Center and shot their nine-hole course.

It's a very short, par 3 course (longest hole is 202 yards) for a 27 overall. Did OK, but ended up 20 over ... yeesh. Once again, taking drops killed me on a few holes.

Although I didn't shoot nearly as well as I had hoped, I did make solid contact on every single shot I took (of course, there were some shanks into the woods) but it felt good hitting the ball so solidly and consistently.

What did I learn? I need to think more often about hitting down on the ball to get loft on short shots. It took a few holes, but once I remembered to hit down, I could get some good loft with my pitch and 9 iron.

By the way, did I mention how much I love golf?

The back 9

2009-05-14T12:59:00.003-04:00

Had the golf league last night and shot a 59 over the back 9.

Biggest difference I noticed this week was that I consistently made solid contact, especially with the driver. For the first time, I was using these new brush tees and I think it did make a difference because the ball was teed up at the same height every time. I've been trying to develop a method for consistently teeing up the ball with a wooden tee so it was one less thing I'd be thinking of at address, but nothing was really working. So far, these brush tees seem to be working out.

The other thing I'm really trying to work on is not topping the ball with my irons and damn if I didn't do that always at the worst possible times yesterday. On at least two holes I ended up having to take one to two drops because I topped the ball and shanked the shot.

And why do I top the ball? BECAUSE I KEEP PICKING MY HEAD UP! As I told my golf partner, Kell, yesterday, if there's one thing that really super duper aggravates me in golf is topping the ball. Talk about a line of explicatives ... ye gods. The worst part is that I know what I'm doing and still do it. Yeah, I get a little annoyed.

But, over the first three holes, I had a par, bogey, par and the pars felt really good. Nice drives, solid irons and the putting was there, so at least I had that going for me. I only bogeyed the second hole because I mis-read the green and missed it by *that* much.

What I learned this week: To slow down in my back swing on the tee. That's really helped me in making a better drive. Also, I try not to stand at address too long. Like another league member said, "Get up to the tee, address the ball and pull the trigger. Don't stand there thinking." Good advice.

A four letter word

2009-05-13T14:13:00.006-04:00

I think my brother-in-law, Paul, put it best: "Why do they call it 'golf'? Because all the other four letter words were taken."

I realized recently that I haven't posted about this before, so here goes.

I love golf ... really, really really love golf.

For the longest time, I've had people ask me if I play and I'd say no, but I've always wanted to.
Then friends of mine needed another player for a foursome last summer and asked if I wanted to join them. I borrowed my brother-in-law's clubs and 18 holes later, I was smitten ... big time.

So I played a number of rounds last year, even going to Connecticut to shoot 18 with my cousin and uncle. Good times, good times.

But, as my cousin pointed out, I really needed to take lessons. So over the past winter I took intro and intermediate lessons and this season I'm seeing improvements already.

And then my friend, Kelly, got me into her golf league ... which means I get to play golf once a week for the next 14 weeks. Sweet.

So, what's in my bag? I bought a set of used PowerBilt clubs (4-9 irons, SW, PW, 3W, 7W and a driver). I like the clubs (they're about 10 years old) and had them re-gripped, but the driver wasn't great, so I bought a '07 TaylorMade Burner driver (on sale at Dick's Sporting Goods for $250). Giddy up.

The league started last week and Kelly and I were paired together. We shoot the front or back nine in a foursome at the Woods at Westminster course.

I don't have a handicap yet (that'll come in a few weeks) but I shot 60 on the front nine last week and parred my first hole.

I'll post weekly how I did in the league. Hoping to get out as much as possible this summer and fall.

New brew

2009-05-05T08:47:00.004-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Kell and I and another couple went to a beer festival at the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, MA. There were about two dozen different breweries there (mostly micro brews) which offered samples of their wares.

If you've never been to something like this, here's how it works ... you buy a ticket (in this case, $35 for a drinking ticket, $5 for a designated driver ticket) and you get a 4-ounce "glass" (read: plastic) cup that vendors fill as you try their different beers, ales, stouts, etc. Most vendors had several different brews available so you get to try a real variety of their offerings.

Oh yeah, and there's food, but whatever.

After walking around for an hour and trying most of the vendors, I think I've found my new favorite beer company, the Cape Ann Brewery in Gloucester, MA. Wow, was this stuff good.

They have five main offerings and we sampled the IPA (excellent) but then they had their Fisherman's Tea Party and Fisherman's Greenhorn Double IPA ... ho-lee CRAP. The Greenhorn was amazing, but the Tea Party is hands down one of the best beers I've ever had.

According to brew master, he researched the types of teas that were thrown into the Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party and used those three teas in brewing the beer. It's like drinking iced tea but with a beer flavor. Just amazing.

So, needless to say the four of us are planning a day trip to the brewery for some growlers. Giddy up!

Breaking out the brooms

2009-04-27T08:28:00.005-04:00

An excellent weekend at the friendly confines of Fenway Park as the Red Sox swept the NY Yankees in three games.

In Friday's game, at which your humble blogger was seated, Jason Bay hit a two-run dinger to tie the game then Kevin "Yooooooouk" Youkilis hits a walk-off home run in the 11th.

Saturday's game was an old-fashioned slug-fest with the Sox prevailing in 16-11, four hour, 21 minute game that featured 12 pitchers and 385 pitches.

But the Sox saved the best for last on Sunday night's nationally televised game, which featured Sox Centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury stealing home plate.

Sweet.

My fave quote from the NY Post about Ellsbury's steal:

"It hasn't taken the 25-year-old Ellsbury long to establish a reputation as a dare devil on the bases, and last night he became Evel Knievel clearing a row of dump trucks."

Mii and my Wii

2009-04-17T10:26:00.003-04:00

We just picked up a Nintendo Wii and after being an Xbox 360 fanatic for so long, I have to admit Nintendo's machine is pretty impressive.

For those not in the know, at the heart of the Wii is the motion detection technology in the console's game controller, which really gets you into the games you play because instead of sitting and using a controller, you have to physically move the controller to affect actions on the screen. For instance, if you're bowling, you have to go through the physical motions of bowling in order for the game to do so on screen.

Also, the Wii is overall a bit more family-oriented. Yes, lots of the FPS (first-person shooter) and other (more violent) games available on other consoles are made for Wii, but Nintendo produces a slew of games rated for everyone. Xbox does, too, but most of the stuff they have is more for the teen and older crowd.

You also create your Wii on-screen self in the form of a "Mii", which is a caricature of yourself that you can use in many of the games. When Joey saw mine, he said, "Hey Daddy, that's you!" I also created one for him, which he thought was pretty cool.

We also bought the Wii Fit, which is a fitness-based add-on for the Wii system that features a motion-sensitive board which you use for a ton of games that help improve strength and balance.

Joey loves a running game in Wii Fit because you have to keep pace with a character on the screen by holding the controller in your hand and jogging in place ... he laughs like crazy while pistoning his feet trying to overtake the Mii character in the game. And he breaks a sweat doing it ... very cool.

The Will's main screen also features a bunch of channels you can peruse, and the other night I found myself looking over the news channel and reading up on world, national and sports news ... again, very cool.

Of course, leave it to someone to have their own take on the Wii and its unique game controller, to which Saturday Night Live's is presented here:

The Decline of Western Civilization

2009-03-17T14:34:00.011-04:00

Progress and technology are great things, but at what cost do they come into our lives?

Not sure if you’ve heard about this recently, but more and more American newspapers are putting their final print editions to bed and either folding completely or becoming only an online entity.

The latest casualty in the newspaper industry is The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which produced its last print edition today after 147 years of serving the greater Seattle, WA, community.

Click here for an excellent, in-the-trenches account of the PI's last deadline day from one of its reporters.

The PI's Carol Smith writes a great eulogy and historical account of the paper here.

As a former newspaper reporter, I find all of this incredibly sad. Honestly, I had never heard of the PI until today, but I was just as sadden and unnerved to peruse (online, ironically enough) it's final edition and read about its staff, a handful of whom will be staying on to produce the online-only version of the paper.

Maybe this makes me sound old, but I don't care ... I like having a physical newspaper to hold. To this day, I read (virtually) cover-to-cover the entire Sports section of the Boston Sunday Globe ... not online, but on my couch, or in the kitchen or on the porch when it's warmer. For me, there's something very gratifying about actually holding the paper in my hands, the crinkling sound of the paper itself, smelling the ink on my fingers after I put it down. It just feels right ... walking out onto the porch and grabbing the paper every morning.

It genuinely saddens me to think that print papers are rapidly becoming dinosaurs and will likely one day go the same way these ancient creatures did.

And if newspapers aren't stopping the presses entirely, they're at least in deep trouble, to whit: the New York Times and The Boston Globe announced recently huge revenue losses, the Christian Science Monitor will release its last print edition this year, New Jersey’s Newark Star-Ledger is laying off half of its news staff, and the Los Angeles Times and San Jose Mercury News have both drastically reduced their staffs over the past year.

When you stop and think about it, though, it's not really that surprising that newspapers aren't what they used to be. The explosion of the internet certainly was the death knell for the newspaper. It's too easy to fire up the 'puter and get all the news that fits. Hell, you don't even need a desktop or a laptop, news is a click away on most cell phones now.

But, given the current economic climate, ad revenues for all print media is rapidly declining. Have you noticed how thin magazines have become over the past year? My wife just received the latest issue of Oprah magazine and I was genuinely shocked at how thin it is. And just the other day I saw in the pages of The Boston Globe a huge white space where an ad might have been.

Still, all this begs the question ... will my 4 1/2-year-old son know a world in which a newspaper is delivered to his front door or will his be one of only online news?

UPDATE: The news continues to get worse for the nation's dailies.

MLB, A-Rod and the home run record

2009-02-12T11:19:00.005-05:00

Pitchers and catchers report today ... ahhhhh, spring is around the corner and soon we'll be hearing the dulcet tones of Don O. and the RemDog and seeing the Sox in all of their HD glory on TV ... excellent!

Meanwhile, A-Rod did the right thing and admitted that he did, in fact, take steroids from 2001-2003. Good for him for not denying it and owning up. Is he really sorry (as some in the press contend he's not)? Dunno, but at least he didn't deny it this time as he has in the past.

Word today is that MLB Comish Bud Selig is considering suspending A-Rod because, as Selig said, he sent a memo in 1997 that "made steroids illegal."

What?!? Selig has got to be kidding here. As I understand it, the 2003 report in which A-Rod's failed test results were listed was done to establish how wide-spread the problem was in MLB and the results were sealed. Steroids weren't "officially" banned until 2003 after that report was completed.

IMO, if Selig suspends A-Rod, then he's got to suspend the other players that are listed as positive in the 2003 report. How can Selig justify suspending only A-Rod ... just because his was the only name that was leaked?

I think the bigger issue here is that A-Rod's name was leaked, not that he tested positive. MLB has to find out who leaked A-Rod's name and really go after that person to make an example of them so that something like this never happens again.

In other Selig news, he says he's thinking of reinstating Hank Aaron as baseball's home run king in the record book given that Barry Bonds (who broke Aaron's record) is in a steroids scandal. Man, I would love to see that! While he's at it, Selig should take away Bonds' seven MVP titles, too.

A-Rod

2009-02-09T11:31:00.003-05:00

Talk about a Hotstove season ... Sports Illustrated.com's revelation that NYY's Alex Rodriguez failed a steroid drug test is lighting up the internets almost as much as when Roger Clemens became the latest face of steroid abuse.

Of course, leave it to the New York Post to come up with the most outrageous headline for the story:

Look, anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a Yankees fan, so in many ways I can't believe I'm going to say this about this story but ... so what?

Let's take a step back and look at this objectively for once, shall we?

MLB tested players in 2003 as a way of gauging just how wide-spread a potential problem existed with steroids. Depending on that testing, MLB and the MLBPA would move forward with a test program.

Because of the nature of the testing, the results were (supposed to be) sealed because, at the time of the testing, using steroids in baseball wasn't illegal.

The results of the 2003 testing showed that too many players were using substances and therefore MLB went forward with devising a program. Four years later, the Mitchell Report was released which named known users and rightfully so. Steroids use had since been banned in baseball and a testing program was in place, yet players were still trying to use them.

So, this begs three very important questions:

Whoever leaked A-Rod's name should be punished severely because the results were never supposed to be released. Again, there was no steroids policy in place at the time and the testing wasn't done to try and catch people ... it was done to ascertain how wide-spread steroid usage was at the time.

And parenthetically speaking, don't kid yourself in thinking that at least one Red Sox player isn't among the 2003 results. It's hard to imagine that no Red Sox player wasn't trying to help their performance.

I'm not an A-Rod fan, never have been and I was relieved that the Red Sox failed in their bid to get him a few years ago (even if he's probably one of the best players of his generation ... well, in the regular season, anyway) because I think he's more of a distraction that an addition in the clubhouse.

But, I feel for the guy in this case. It's too easy to pile on him (especially given the media's tendency to pounce on the famous) and thus far, his is the only name that has been released. Speaking of which ...

Here's another sentence I never thought I'd write: Curt Schilling is right when he says in his blog that if A-Rod's name is leaked, then the rest of the names on the list should be released. It just isn't fair to A-Rod that his be the only name that is now out there from the 2003 testing results.

And yes, before you email me or post to this entry and say, "Uh, Bry ... didn't A-Rod flat out deny using steroids?" Yes, he did deny taking them, but who wouldn't, unless you're Jose Canseco and want to sell books? Unlike Clemens and Barry Bonds (allegedly), A-Rod never testified under oath that he didn't take steroids, he just denied it in an interview.

I really hope A-Rod and his agent, Scott "The Anti-Christ" Boras" come to their senses and have Rodriquez publicly admit the test results, say that he regrets taking steroids and hasn't taken them since and point out that he's been tested since (as I'm sure he has) and that all those tests have been clean.

Never a dull moment in Gotham, is it?

Moving closer to four decades

2009-01-18T11:56:00.005-05:00

This year I'm going to be 40 years old ... and I have to say it's not really a big deal to me ... sorta.

It's not a big deal in the sense of being 40 means I'm old, because I'm not. Honestly, I had a much more difficult time when I turned 29 knowing that I was going to be 30 the next year.

The idea of turning 40 just doesn't bother me. As a smart-ass friend of mine (who's birthday is Dec. 22, exactly 5 months to the day after mine and will also be 40 this year) likes to remind me, I'll be 40 before him. But, as I like to tell him, I may be 40 before him, but he'll always look older than me (he went salt-and-pepper looooong before I started).

But News Year's Day got me to thinking about this whole turning 40 thing and a party I went to last night put it in even more perspective.

I realized last night that I have three basic groups of friends: ones that are older than me, ones around my age, and another that are younger.

My wife, Kelley, is five years my senior so when we hang out with her friends that she's known since high school, I'm always the youngest in the crowd because Kell is one of the youngest in this group. Last night age came up and I said I was turning 40 this year and some were mockingly aghast saying they had seen 40 a long time ago. It's funny because until the issue is brought up and I realize that some of these people are almost 10 years older than me, age isn't a big deal. I guess it still isn't ... until some of them like to joke that I'm still a "youngster."

Then there's the group of friends who are younger ... much younger in some cases. Kell has become friendly with some of her co-workers at school and it's been great getting to know and hanging out with them. To put the age difference in perspective, Kell graduated high school in 1982 and one of her co-workers was born that year. We were sitting around recently and heard Van Halen's "Jump" on the radio and I said I could remember exactly where I was when I bought that album on vinyl in 1983. One of our friend's girlfriend's looked at me and said, "Wow, I wasn't even born yet." Yeah, I felt a little old then.

But, much like the "older" group, age really isn't a big deal and it's not something we really think about ... until we start teasing Kell that she really is the oldest in this circle. Thankfully, she couldn't care less (still, it's fun to remind her).

Finally, the third group are people around my age (within two or three years). Some of them are lamenting pushing towards 40 until they realize that I'm going to get there first, then they don't seem to feel so bad. But some in that group are far more grayer than I am or have less hair than I do, so I have that going for me, which is nice ... LOL.

Anyway, as I think about 40, it feels like I'm turning more into an adult. My 20s were spent largely trying to figure out who I was and what I wanted to do professionally. As I moved through my 30s, I got married, bought a house and became a dad, things that make you grow up and mature very quickly.

So I'm looking at 40 and it feels like the beginning of another chapter. I think this is going to be the part of my life where I really establish who I am as a person, husband and father. My life hasn't been just about me since Kell and I got married in 2000 and it became even less so when Joey was born in 2004. By the time I'm 50, Joey will be a teenager(!) and Kell and I will celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary.

Yup, should be a fun decade.

A new frontier ... sorta

2009-01-15T07:28:00.002-05:00

President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration is a little less than a week away and his official presidential portrait has been released.

The kinda sorta cool thing here (I think, anyway) is that it's the first presidential portrait to be taken with a digital camera.

I missed that cookie smell

2008-12-24T11:34:00.000-05:00

Finally, I feel-good story about the economy!

In the dark

2008-12-21T07:51:00.006-05:00

On Thursday night Dec. 11, a massive ice storm hit the New England area, in particular north-central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. At its height, almost 500,000 people were without power and now, 10 days later, thousands still are ... I heard on the news that it was the worst ice storm to hit the area in over 30 years. It's so bad that many school systems in the area are closed until Jan. 5 because the towns are still mostly without power and need the schools for shelters.

One town in particular, Lunenburg (which boarders our city, Fitchburg) was hit so hard and the damage so extensive that the electrical company CEO said it's taking so long to restore power because virtually the entire system has to be completely re-built.

Click here for some pictures I posted on my Facebook page of our neighborhood the day after the storm.

The power at our house went out at 9:30 that Thursday night and we stuck it out the first night, but as Kell and Joey took a nap late Friday morning, I could feel the house getting colder and colder, so we knew that with a 4-year-old in the house, we had to find some place to stay warm because it was pretty obvious the power wasn't coming back on anytime soon.

I started making calls to hotels in the area and if they did answer their phone, they either didn't have power and heat or had no rooms available. The first room I could find was at a Holiday Inn in Marlboro, MA, which is about 40 minutes south of us. So we stayed there Friday night and found many others from our area ... all without power and grateful for someplace to stay.

We checked on the house on Saturday, packed more clothes, and then headed for my mother-in-law's house in Pepperell, MA, which is about 30 minutes northeast of us. She had only been without power for about 12 hours. My brother-in-law and his girlfriend were there, too, so it was kind of fun hanging out with everyone. Still, like everyone else, we just wanted to be in our own house.

On Monday, the 15th, the power finally came back around 4:30 a.m. A few anecdotal things about the storm and its aftermath:

It was such a creepy, disconcerting feeling lying awake Thursday night/Friday morning listening to the CRACK CRACK BOOM sound of tree branches falling in the neighborhood and wondering if something was going to hit the house. I kept getting up and going to the windows and looking out to see where branches were landing.
I'm 39 years old and I've never seen anything like the extent of the damage the next morning. I tried to clear some of the branches from the street because one end of our street was completely impassible, but then I realized working under the trees was stupid because the branches were still coming down and I literally could have been killed.
Our next door neighbor had no idea about the storm and I was outside when she came out onto her porch at 10:30 Friday morning. "Oh my god!" she kept saying over and over again. She had gone to bed when the power went out and had not heard any weather reports. She lost one of the pine trees in her back yard and it had just missed taking out a corner of her garage.
Speaking of our neighbor, she toughed it at at her house because she has a gas stove and therefore had heat. I went to check on her at one point and her little dog greeted me at the door in her own little sweater ... very cute.
On that Friday morning, Kell and I came to the realization that we couldn't make coffee and because virtually the entire city was without power, we couldn't just go to get coffee somewhere else. So, I went out to our gas grille, took off the cooking grates and put the kettle right on the flavor bars that sit on top of the gas jets. It took about 30 minutes, but we had boiling water and coffee. It's the little things, you know?
Here's how odd the storm's track was ... a co-worker lives in Acton, MA, which is only about 20 minutes east of where we live. They only had rain ... it was like a completely different world.
Perhaps the most unnerving thing was when we came back to the house on Saturday to check on things. I was walking up and down the street and even though it was sunny, it was the creepiest feeling because, save for a few generators running in the area, there was no noise, nothing was moving and there was no one around. Because of all the downed branches, it literally looked like a war zone you see in movies or like a tornado had plowed through the area and only affected the trees.
As the clean-up effort continued in the days after the storm, electric company crews from all over the area (especially the eastern part of Massachusetts) and out-of-state started heading to our area. From what I personally saw and was told by others, crews from New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia and New York were here (and some are still here).
My sister-in-law's husband is a linesman for the local electrical company, Unitil, and is working shifts of 16 hours on, 8 hours off, which means he's not even getting 8 hours of sleep at a time. He was saying that recently he was working on a job and heard this other crew talking with heavy southern accents. "Man, I must be tired," he thought, "because those guys sound like they're from the south." Turns out they were a crew from Alabama.
Kell is a teacher of English at a vocational high school here in Fitchburg and was told that the Superintendent was at the school when some out-of-state utility trucks pulled up and the workers asked if they could use the school's bathrooms. Of course, he let the men inside and soon there were dozens of linesmen in the school cafeteria. Being that the school was closed and they needed to do something the food there, the school fed the workers and the Superintendent gave the guys hats and t-shirts from the school.
It was a strange feeling when the power went out knowing you couldn't call any relatives or friends to go and stay with because no one had power.
We got our power back comparatively quickly and so friends and family were coming over to use our shower and have a hot meal. But in this day and age, another important thing was to re-charge cell phones because if the phone lines weren't down at someone's house, then most people now have cordless phones, which need power. Needless to say, cell phones were critical to keeping in touch.
I understand how frustrating it is to be without power for so long (my parents are being told they likely won't have power before Christmas), but it's disappointing to hear how the linesmen out there are being cussed out by people. It's not their fault the power is out and there's only so much they can do at once. Even given the fact that Unitil apparently completely mis-managed the response to the storm (many of the linesmen who work for Unitil are saying this), the severity of the storm and the resulting damage is unprecedented.

Out of all this, the experience reminds me how powerful nature really is and how it can impact our lives.

Wolverine

2008-12-18T16:34:00.001-05:00

Three words for you ... oh ... my ... gawd!

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD

Joey likes to spread Christmas cheer

2008-12-11T11:03:00.001-05:00

Joey's pre-school teachers are telling us he likely has a future as the class clown ... gee, you think?!?

My favorite Christmas ornament

2008-12-07T19:19:00.003-05:00

Unless Santa brings me a Jack Daniel's ornament, this one is the fave so far ...

EDIT: It's one of my faves.

Jack Frost nipping at your turkey

2008-11-22T07:54:00.005-05:00

It's Nov. 22 and there's a dusting of snow on the ground this morning ... like, Holy unsually cold weather, Batman!

And to think last Saturday I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt because it was 70 outside.

I'm gonna be a good driver

2008-11-20T12:52:00.003-05:00

I just heard this story and had to share it. File this one under kids-say-the-darndest-things ...

A co-worker related the following conversation he had with his 10-year-old son:

Classic!

Top 10 Favorite Soundtracks

2008-11-16T09:57:00.024-05:00

Here's the impetus for this list ... over the weekend I saw a band that friends of mine are in and they did a cover of "Son of a Preacher Man" which got me to thinking about Pulp Fiction and the Pulp Fiction soundtrack and how much I love that CD.

So I started poking around the ol' external hard drive onto which I've ripped our 1000+ CDs and we have a number of soundtracks. So here is a list of my faves (in no particular order, except the first one):

Pulp Fiction

The Producers

The Fifth Element

Austin Powers

really

Jackie Brown

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

that's

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Monty Python's Spamalot

stays

A Charlie Brown Christmas

The Song Remains the Same

Honorable mentions would include:

Chicago - Yes, I'm a guy and yes, I liked this movie. Great soundtrack, too. Who woulda thunk Catherine Zeta-Jones could sing like that? Fave track, tho, is John C. Reilly singing "Mister Cellophane" ... heartbreaking.
Pink Floyd's The Wall - Yes, the album came first but it's a concept album and the movie followed it virtually verbatim.
The Breakfast Club - I defy anyone who grew up and was in high school in the 1980s to not know at least one line from this movie. "Don't you, forget about me ..."
The Big Chill - Top to bottom, front to back, one classic song after another.
Woodstock - 'Nuff said!

So, how are you?

2008-11-08T13:45:00.002-05:00

Here's something new in Joey's arsenal of expressions ...

We were at a store today and the guy behind the counter said, "Hey buddy, how you doing?"

"Mine name is Joey," was the reply.

"Oh, hi Joey," the guy says. "So, how are you?"

"I'm Star Wars awesome," was Joey's answer.

Apparently he's used this expression at pre-school, too.

Does a bear trick-or-treat in the woods?!?

2008-11-06T07:58:00.008-05:00

Joey originally wanted to be an ewok for Halloween, so Kell borrowed a bear costume and was going to fashion a red hood and we'd be good to go.

But, Mr. Davis decided being a bear was good enough and much to our pleasant surprise, he actually wore the costume and had a fabulous time going trick or treating. Two things stand out from that night:

At first Joey would say "Trick or Treat!" and then thank the person for the candy. But as the night wore on, he would just look at the bowl and say "CANDY!!" and then say thank you. To a person, people at the door thought this was hysterical and said it was the best thing they'd heard that night.

The other thing was we went to one house and a woman opened the door, from which you could see into the living room and that a Baby Einstein DVD was just starting. Joey saw this and walked right in and said, "Ooooo, you're watching Baby Einstein?!?" The woman laughed as I corralled him out of the house ... classic!

Fast forward to the day after Halloween and my sister-in-law and nephew came to the house for dinner. Joey decided to show them his bear costume and things got a little silly. For some reason, whenever Auntie Suzie shows up, a song of some type seems to ensue and the lyrics for this ditty go something like, "I've got my furry sausage casing on/And it's Capri-length!/And it's Capri-length!"

And yes, Joey's been regaling us with this song everyday since ...

Watching history unfold

2008-11-04T23:33:00.004-05:00

I'm sitting here in my living room and just watched John McCain give his concession speech. Very graceful and classy.

Watching the TV and the scenes of people in Chicago gathering waiting for President-Elect(!) Obama to make his acceptance speech ... it's like watching New Year's Eve coverage ... hundreds of thousands (if not over a million) people cheering, hugging, crying. It's an amazing scene and I have to admit that I'm getting emotional because I never really thought I'd ever see in my lifetime an African-American president and I'm so glad I did.

Admittedly, I wish Obama had more experience as a Senator, but I think he's better for this country than McCain would have been. In my opinion, the last thing this country needed was another four years of Republican rule.

The National Anthem is now being sung and I have goosebumps ... always happens when I hear this song.

I really hope Obama can come through on many of the things he promised during the election ... he certainly has his work cut out for him. I know that no matter who was elected tonight, no one has a magic wand that's going to be make all of America's problems go away, but I really hope Obama is the person to at least get this country back on the right track. He has to be ... he just has to be because there are so many issues facing this nation and we have to turn a corner soon.

It's 11:43 p.m. EST but I'm so glad I stayed up to see this ... Obama's going to speaking soon ... I'll likely remember where I was at this moment for the rest of my life.

EDIT: Obama just finished speaking ... wow ... I wish I could succinctly put into words what I'm feeling. This is such an amazing moment in the history of this country and again, I hope he can do for this country what he has talked about.

Just an amazing speech ... an amazing day ... an amazing time for this country.

If ever there was a reality check ...

2008-10-14T07:58:00.002-04:00

For those who may think that the problems with the economy are being blown out of proportion or just aren't as bad as they actually are, read this story posted on cnn.com.

What strikes me after reading this is that incidents like those described in the story (people killing themselves because of foreclosures and financial problems) could become more prevalent. Scary ... very scary.

Sign o' the times

2008-10-14T07:18:00.000-04:00

So my commute takes me over a bridge everyday and as I make the left turn over the bridge, a gas station's sign is at eye level ... it's one of those tall, rectangular signs that electronically displays the station's prices.

I've been watching the price fall fairly steadily for the past week or so and this morning I saw this: $2.99 for regular unleaded.

How sad is it that I'm this excited that gas is "only" $2.99 a gallon?!?

Wow.

DEFCONOMY 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... ?

2008-09-25T10:28:00.003-04:00

As I'm sure many others have been doing lately, I've been paying a lot of attention to the turmoil surrounding the U.S. economy and the president's $700 billion bailout proposal.

I don't usually watch the president when he's on TV because without fail, every time I see the man speak, I always think (even eight years later), "I can't believe this guy is our president." But, I was watching TV last night at when he came on at 9 p.m., I watched because I wanted to see what he was going to say about the disaster that is our economy.

Just when I thought I couldn't feel any worse about our current situation ... hearing that he has little support (even from within his own party) for this plan makes it all that much more depressing. As stated on many websites, in articles and by talking heads lately, Wall Street has had a party for the last decade and now the U. S. taxpayers are going to pay the price to the tune of $700 billion.

Virginia Rep. Tom Davis (no relation) said it best when he was quoted as saying that the president's plan is the worst he's ever seen but there is no other plan.

Wow ... just, wow.

Glenn Beck of CNN Nightly News wrote a piece about the plan and introduces a new phrase that, as things continue to worsen (which they likely will) could become part of the lexicon used by everyone: DEFCONOMY.

And folks, we are rapidly reaching DEFCONOMY 1, which would be the next Great Depression.

Much like DEFCON 1 (Defense Condition 1), which is the highest alert status at which the U.S. armed forces can be set, DEFCONOMY 1, according to Beck, is the step at which this country's economy is standing on the edge of the cliff with one foot in the air.

Never in my life did I ever think I'd see something like this. I remember as a kid growing up the recession of the '80s and the economic downturns of the 1990s, but I never thought I'd see the economy at the verge of collapse. I remember my grandparents talking about living through the Great Depression of the 1930s and how there was almost a fairy tale-like quality to their stories.

But it was real ... very real and here we are again. The U.S. is (supposed to be) the greatest free market economy in the world and when the stock market crashed in 1929, it started the domino effect that led to the world-wide Great Depression. And if you know your history at all, you know how the global economy recovered back then ... World War II. Nothing like a war-based economy to reverse an economic collapse.

Ye gods. Could it really come to that again? I mean, look at what has happened within the past couple of weeks ... the economy tanks and the rest of the world's free markets swoon in response. Not good ... not good.

And I don't even want to know what my 401k looks like right now. A co-worker looked up hers last week and says the value of her 401k is down 27%. Ho-lee crap.

Then I came across this ... we bought our house six years ago for $151,000. There are six houses on the street that were built by the same builder within a few years of each other (circa 1924) and they're virtually identical (Dutch colonial). The house two doors up from us (which is more updated than ours) went on the market a few months ago for ... $150K.

I keep looking at Joey and wondering what kind of world he's going to inherit and I never factored the economic future into that until now. I keep hearing how the baby boomers are going to clean out the Social Security system so that my generation will see nothing of what they contributed. If that's the case, what is Joey's generation going to face?

And not for nothing, but ... picked this up from the Doonesbury website on which is quoted part of the Republican Party platform for 2008:

"We do not support government bailouts of private institutions. Government interference in the markets exacerbates problems in the marketplace and causes the free market to take longer to correct itself."

Hillary and Palin

2008-09-19T08:39:00.003-04:00

For those who missed it ... this is absolutely brilliant ...

Now wouldya ...

2008-09-16T07:16:00.003-04:00

Joey has these little sponge toys that he likes to play with in the tub. They're shaped like animals and he asks me what they are and I tell him, "That's a killer whale, that's a sting ray, that's a crab ... " and then he held one up and I said, "Oh, that's a barracuda."

Well, he liked the sound of that name and kept saying it. Then the MP3 player in my head went off and I started singing Heart's "Barracuda". Needless to say, young Mr. Davis loved that and now that's the first thing he says when he gets in the tub, to which:

"Hey, Daddy!"

"Yes, Joe?"

"Now wouldya ... BARRACUDA!!!"

The 8 minute season

2008-09-11T08:26:00.003-04:00

So much promise ... so much excitement ... so much anticipation ... and in less than 8 minutes, so much dashed.

New England Patriots starting QB Tom Brady is out with torn ACL and MCL ligaments in his left knee, an injury suffered in the first game of the 2008-2009 season.

So, most card-carrying members of Patriot Nation (including yours truly) have a lot of questions about this season. But, I've been mulling this over all week, reading everything I could get my hands on and have come to the following conclusions:

I'm going to reserve judgment until the Pats play half their season. If they're not at least 4-4, then there's less hope for the season ... not completely lost hope, but just less hope given their schedule.
Speaking of which ... from a scheduling point of view, Brady's injury couldn't have come at a better time. The Pats were widely regarded as having the easiest schedule this season (nine of their 16 opponents this year had losing records last year). So that could bode will for them this season.
At the risk of being overly optimistic, my instincts are telling me that now-starting QB Matt Cassel could surprise people this season. Yup, he looked horrible in the pre-season and hasn't started a game in his professional career, but he's been under Brady's wing for the past four years, knows the Pats' offensive game inside and out and look at what he did when he was thrust into the game last week ... he was about a yard from the very back of his own end zone and floated a 50-yard pass to Randy Moss. Talk about performing well under pressure!
There are a lot of people getting down on Cassel, but give him a chance. In 2001 when Drew Bledsoe was knocked out for the season, no one had ever heard of Tom Brady. Can lightning strike twice? Hey, anything's possible.
One other thing ... the Patriots organization took a lot of heat this past off season about seemingly not planning for the future when they didn't draft another quarterback or make a trade to bring in a "solid" back-up for Brady. Something tells me that those in the know in the organization (head coach Bill Belichick, VP of Player Personnel Scott Pioli, et. al.) may know more about Cassel than others.
And let's not forget that this game isn't about one player, it's a team effort and no team exemplifies this more than the Patriots. The Pats have what is widely regarded as the best offensive line in the NFL and one of the best defenses, so if the O-line can give Cassel enough time to read the opposing defense and make a play and the defense can hold the other team to as few points as possible ... yeah, I know, I know ... there are a lot of "if's", but without seeing a Cassel-run offense, what else can you do but speculate?
And not for nothing, but ... there is, in fact, a recent precedent for coming back from an injury like this in the NFL. Cincinnati Bengals QB Carson Palmer suffered a similar injury in 2004 and came back (his rehab was even featured in a cover story in Sports illustrated because of hard he was working). At the time, it was very doubtful he would walk normally again, let alone play professional football and yet, here is back with the team.
Finally, if you think about it, the Patriots have nothing to lose now. If they tank this season, detractors and fans alike will say, "Well, what did you expect?" ... if they do well and make the playoffs and (in a perfect scenario) win the Super Bowl, then Belichick can truly be called a genius because he got his team to win without its franchise player. So in my mind, this Patriots team could be the most motivated team we've ever seen. Do you really think there guys aren't going to play this season without the "nobody believes in us, nobody's giving us a chance" mantra?

The bottom line here is that Patriots fans just can't give up on the season until we know how the team will react and personally I don't think you can make a real judgment until the team has played a few games with Cassel at the helm.

Here's hoping they do well because it's going to be a long season without the Pats to watch. Still, it would leave my Sundays open, and I'm sure Kell would love that!

A few Joey things

2008-09-09T09:08:00.003-04:00

It's another milestone ... Joey has started pre-school. He's all ready to go with his Thomas the Tank Engine lunch box and thus far he loves going to school. The program is actually in the high school at which Kell is a teacher, so mama drops him off and picks him up when he goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Kell says the playground for the program is right under the window of her second-floor classroom, so it's all she can do not to watch him while he's out there.

One other thing ... Joey loves to help when Kell and I are doing anything around the house. If he's helping daddy with a project he says, "OK, Daddy ... I'll be little helper and you be big helper."

The best, though, is when we're cooking and he wants to help. Joey'll say, "I'll be little chef and you be big chef." Classic!

Tiger and his Rubik's Cube

2008-08-27T12:47:00.002-04:00

Another great clip from EA Sports ...

Yup, Tiger really CAN make that shot!

2008-08-21T11:58:00.004-04:00

For those of you not in the know about video games ...

Every once in a while when a game is released, there can be glitches in the game that make graphics render incorrectly, code is wrong and will allow people to walk through walls, do weird things, whatever.

When this happens, the game maker will release a patch to fix these things so that when you fire up the game and play on a console that has internet access (like the Xbox 360 or the Sony Playstation), the patch is automatically downloaded and the problem fixed.

EA Games, which produces the excellent Tiger Woods golf games, recently became aware of a glitch that allowed the Tigers Woods character to stand on water to make a shot in the 2008 version of the game. Instead of tucking their tail between their legs, tho, EA made a fantastic commercial about it, to which ...

Metal A-team

2008-08-21T10:25:00.001-04:00

Now this is a cover of the A-team theme song!

A day to remember

2008-08-14T09:00:00.006-04:00

My sister recently completed the annual Pan-Mass Challenge, which raises money for cancer research. I blogged about my sister's ride before and she sent this update:

I've never been more proud of my sister. Donations are still being accepted, so please do what you can by visiting the Pan-Mass website at pmc.org.

On the couch last weekend

2008-08-11T12:54:00.005-04:00

My son-to-be-4-year-old son, Joey, has strep throat for the second time in a month and dear old dad has came down with it over the weekend, too. This strain is a doosy, I'll tell you. I've had strep before, sore throats ... I've even had mono ... but I've never had a sore throat like this. I can't eat or drink anything without a lot of pain. F-U-N, fun. Headed back to the doctor's today to make sure it isn't anything more than strep.

Even though it was gorgeous outside for the most part (70s, no humidity, sunshine) I was stuck inside on the couch this past weekend, which gave me a chance to watch more Olympic games than I might normally had. I saw men's and women's beach volleyball, men's basketball, men's rowing, bike racing, women's individual and synchro diving, women's gymnastics (no way all of the Chinese team members are the minimum 16 years old) and men's water polo.

The water polo was actually fascinating to watch. Much like curling a few years ago in the Winter Olympics, I knew nothing about water polo. I still don't understand all of the rules, but it was interesting to watch the players set up plays, the way the goaltenders defended their goals, and the way the players "dribble" the ball (apparently, they can only hold the ball with one hand). The game even has a penalty box (a roped off section of the pool) and the opposing team goes on power plays much like in ice hockey.

Pretty cool stuff ... NBC's coverage is pretty good, if not too dramatic at times. They seem to spend a lot of money on the opening montages and showing back stories of the athletes.

Finally, not for nothing, but ... at one point yesterday, Bob Costas interviewed President Bush (he's been in China for the games so far) and as I sat there chagrined listening to the interview, the same thought struck me that I have every single time I see him speak ... "I can't believe this guy is our president." Oy vey.

Top 10 things ...

2008-07-30T09:02:00.005-04:00

I love about my wife, Kelley (in no particular order):

The way she laughs like Betty Rubble when I kiss her neck.
Her eyes.
The look on her face when she's holding our 3 1/2-year-old son.
The way she'll just listen when I spout off over something that's not worth getting upset over.
The way she smells after being in her clothes all day ... it's like this warm, soft kind of scent.
Her sense of humor and the way she cracks herself up.
The fact that she's a voracious reader. It amazes me how fast she can read and retain it all.
How passionate she is in her beliefs. She's all about equal rights for everyone and she doesn't see color or sexual or religious orientation when she meets someone. She takes people for who they are and isn't a judgmental person.
Her love of a good drink ... gin and tonics in the summer ... martinis, well, year 'round, actually.
The way she calls me "Crash" with that smile on her face.
(OK, so it's 11 things ...) How what you see is what you get. She doesn't try to be someone she's not and if you don't like it, it's your loss.
(OK, OK, it's 12, then!) She loves me.

Partying with Gabba

2008-07-22T12:57:00.000-04:00

I love this show ... my 3 1/2-year-old son runs around the house singing this song:

A darker knight

2008-07-19T15:27:00.004-04:00

Just got back from seeing the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight" and on my way home, I was trying to think of a succinct way to put into words my thoughts about this flick.

Then I remembered a favorite expression of a good friend of mine, Kelly McLinden, which goes something like, "Holy CRAP!"

Personally, I haven't seen this movie get a bad review so you can believe everything you've heard about it. Simply put, this movie is amazing. It's definitely dark (both in the way it looks and in tone).

Two things stand out: this was a hell of a role for Heath Ledger to have as his final appearance on the silver screen. As far as I'm concerned , there's no comparison between Jack Nicholson's Joker and Ledger's ... Ledger's is much more realistic. If you know anything about the Batman comics, you know that the Joker character is a psychopath and a criminal. While Nicholson's Joker was psycho, he didn't really have the edge that Ledger gave the character. Tim Burton's two Batman movies were good, but they were a little too campy.

Chris Nolan's Batman movies (the last two made thus far), however, have much more of an edge and again, Ledger stole every scene he was in. He was already a star, but I really think this role would've catapulted him as made him a major film star.

The other thing that stood out was that during the last 1/3 - 1/4 of the movie, things happen (no spoilers here) that, for a change, do not leave it obvious that there will be another movie. The way this movie was written, there's a distinct possibility that this incarnation of Batman could be over, which would be kind of disappointing because Nolan has really done the Batman character justice.

So glad I saw this in the theater ... it's big, loud and a lot of fun to watch on a large screen.

Talking with a friend of mine last night and he said this movie was the best super hero movie he'd ever seen ... I totally agree and will take it one step further by saying this is one of the best movies I've ever seen, period.

Update: I've seen this movie twice now (can't remember the last time I did that) and if I could have, I would've bought tickets for the next show. I went with another couple and my wife, Kell ... she's not really into these kinds of movies but the next day out of no where she said, "Man, that movie really stays with you, doesn't it?" Yeah, it does.

Sweep the leg, Johnny!

2008-07-10T08:32:00.005-04:00

Even if you've ever only seen "The Karate Kid" once, this video is brilliant. The band is called No More Kings and apparently they're fans of the movie juuuuuust a little. Well worth seven minutes of your time ... and every time you watch it, you see something new.

Sage advice

2008-07-08T15:19:00.001-04:00

A flute with no holes is not a flute ... a doughnut with no hole ... is a danish.

Happy 4th!

2008-07-04T10:00:00.002-04:00

Today's the day the US celebrates its birthday, which means most people have the day off and (weather permitting) spend it outside grilling various meats and imbibing assorted libations.

As I type this, it's cold and rainy here in the Boston area (just barely 70 degrees) so not sure how much BBQ-ing is going to happen today ... we'll see.

And oh yeah ... Muno rules.

At a Last Supper far, far away ...

2008-07-03T08:15:00.002-04:00

Hmmm ... seems to be a bit of a Star Wars theme going on here today.

Click the image for larger version.

What a feeling!

2008-07-03T07:18:00.002-04:00

Boba Fett taps into his inner steel worker ...

Mandalorian Dance

Live Out Loud

2008-06-26T05:58:00.003-04:00

My sister, Beckie, and her husband are riding in the Pan Mass Challenge in August and sent this email. They're riding to raise money to fight cancer and in memory of our cousin Liz, whom I've blogged about.

Please check it out ...

www.pmc.org

I heart Jerry Remy

2008-06-25T13:02:00.003-04:00

Jerry Remy is a former second baseman for the Boston Red Sox has been a Sox broadcaster for the past 20 years.

This is, without a doubt, one of the funniest things that's ever happened to him on live TV ...

Hitting the links

2008-06-24T10:30:00.006-04:00

Golf has always been one of those sports that I've had a casual interest in. I'll watch it on TV very rarely, usually just to see Tiger Woods (who doesn't, right?) and I'll play golf on the Xbox 360 but other than that, not so much any real interest but it's something I've always wanted to try.

Well, I actually played golf for the first time last Friday and ... wow. If I had the money, I would've gone and bought a set of clubs as soon as I walked off of the 18th green.

What a blast.

Of course, it helped that I went with three of the coolest people I know: Keith and Kelly Mclinden ("Her Majesty" or "Her Highness" as she liked to be called) and Johnny B ... my wife, Kelley, works with Keith and JB at the high school and Kell "Her Royal Highness" Mclinden rocks the party that rocks the house. She's very self-effacing when it comes to her game but don't let her fool you ... she knows what she's doing ... just ask Spongie.

Anyway, we played 18 holes at a public course in Westminster, MA, called The Woods of Westminster, a nice course that challenges a newbie like me but not so much that it makes one want to quit.

I was using a set of clubs I borrowed from my brother-in-law, Paul, and it turns out the clubs were my father-in-law's, so that was kind of cool.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day out ... sunny but with intermittent clouds so the sun wasn't beating down on you the whole day ... low 80s, no humidity ... perfect.

As for my game ... well, not so perfect, but then again I didn't go into this with any expectations at all given that aside from an occasional trip to a driving range or mini-golf, I've never played before.

For the day it was a steady diet of double and triple bogeys at minimum. Every once in a while I bogeyed a hole ... but for the most part, it was living in Hacksville and I was the mayor. But, regardless of how many strokes it took to get to the cup, you just had to drain it because, as Keith observed, "You just have to hear that sound."

One of my biggest problems was hitting the top of the ball when I would tee off ... man, that was annoying. But, when everything came together, I'm pleased to say I could really drive the ball ... and drive it straight. Unfortunately, when everything would come together, it was usually when I was within 100 yards of the pin and I would way overdrive the hole. Still, it was nice to see that I was capable of hitting the ball well.

Once on the green, tho, for the life of me I could not putt the ball without it veering off to the right. What my drive lacked in a slice was more than made up for in my putting game.

After a few holes I realized how much you have to know to be any good at this game. Like Kell said, "It's ridiculous how much you have to remember at the same time" and she's right.

Still, I can see really getting into this ... now, I just need to get to a Pro Shop and get a set of my own clubs ... hey, it's only money, right?

Oh and not for nothing but ... but bought a dozen golf balls for the day and came home with two ... I dunno why, but I'm very proud of that.

This is what can happen when you ride with a drunk driver

2008-06-19T12:42:00.006-04:00

I've kept in touch with a friend of mine, Randy, since he left the company a couple of years ago. He moved his family to take a new job in Mississippi where he lives with his wife, Deirdre, and their 20-something daughter and 18-year-old son, Daniel. Great, great people and a lot of fun to be around. I really miss working with this guy because you could be having the worst day at work and you'd always have a smile on your face after he left your office.

Anyway, he sent this email the other day. It's a real wake-up call for anyone who even thinks twice about getting in a car with a drunk driver.

Daniel was in a really bad car accident on Monday night. He was a passenger in a car that was being driven by a drunk teenager. (Dumb I know. But Daniel did say the only thing he remembers about the accident was saying, "Stop and let me out" before it happened.). It was the classic drunk teenager accident - speeding - missed a curve in the road, hit trees, flipped over. I don't know how but the right side of the car was largely ripped off, (even the floor was missing on the passenger side). Daniel was in the front passenger seat. The driver got away with only a broken arm. The other boy was in the back, and has some major internal injuries. The EMT said it was hard to tell who had been sitting where because everyone was so thrown around inside.

A pregnancy pact

2008-06-19T12:19:00.001-04:00

My mouth literally dropped open when I read this story in the Boston Globe.

Amazing ... just amazing.

Truly, how stupid can you get?

Frankenstein

2008-06-19T07:58:00.003-04:00

This is worth 10 minutes of your time ... especially 4:50 in ...

And holy crap, this is too ...

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of a Really Bad Movie

2008-06-17T09:10:00.003-04:00

A friend of mine and I went to the see the new Indy movie last Friday ... neither of our wives were interested in seeing it, so we decided to go because we're both fans of the franchise.

So we head the to theater all excited at seeing (an albeit older) Indy again ... over two hours later we walked out shaking our heads and wondering what in the hell we had just watched.

Ye gods, it was bad. When the lights came up after the credits starting rolling, my friend and I just sat there then looked at each other and were at a loss for words.

As we walked out of the theater, my friend summed it up well: "Dude, that movie sucked ass." Indeed. It was so bad, I actually nodded off a couple of times. It felt like a bunch of different people made parts of the movie which were then mashed together.

I've been trying to come up with a list of problems I had with this movie, and then my friend sent me this link and the writer sums up my feelings perfectly.

As for Shia LaBeouf, who plays a Indy's son (c'mon, I'm not spoiling anything for you if you haven't seen the film yet ... in one of the thinnest plot lines in the movie, you know this kid is going to turn out to be Indy's son minutes after he's on screen for the first time) I just can't stand this guy as an "actor" (and I use that term loosely). I thought I didn't like him in Transformers because of his character. Nope ... turns out, he sucks as an actor. To say he's one dimensional is being kind.

Spielberg and Lucas really blew it with this movie. What kills me is that all we've been hearing prior to the film's release is that it took 19 years to come to fruition because everyone was waiting for the right script. Really?!? This was the "right" script?!?

As I was watching the movie, I kept realizing that it was making little sense and I was trying, really trying to like it. That's when I knew I was in trouble ... when I have to will myself to like a movie.

And what really astounds me is that this movie is getting good reviews, even from reviewers that are notoriously tough on films.

I can't remember the last time I was this disappointed in a film. At least "The Dark Knight" comes out soon,

Sign O' the Times

2008-06-12T09:54:00.001-04:00

I went to gas up my car yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to "only" be paying $3.99 a gallon.

Ye gods

Basketball observations

2008-06-10T08:55:00.002-04:00

As many of you may know, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling has his own blog (www.38pitches.com) and he recently posted some comments about watching courtside Game 2 of the NBA Finals. If you have a minute, it's worth a read because Schill is an admitted casual fan at best, but his comments are made from the perspective of a professional athlete, so he has a different take on things, especially about the Lakers' Kobe Bryant. (If you check out the post, his Game 2 comments are towards the bottom.)

Anyway, he ends the post with this:

"I think it’s fantastic that there seems to be this mutual support thing going on here in (New England). You fans are being treated to your third World Championship appearance since last October and that’s awesome. But at each one there seems to be a crossover, Celts and Sox at the Super Bowl, Pats, Bruins and Celts at the World Series, and last night Sox and Pats all over the place. Cool stuff."It wasn't until I read this that it occurred to me that this is something I noticed, too. I remember thinking about how many jerseys from other Boston-based sports teams you always seem to see in crowd shots at these games. Even Sox road games, which always feature a healthy amount of Red Sox jerseys, you'll see Pats, Bruins and Celtics jerseys ... especially now with the C's in the Finals. Very cool, indeed!

Even with the Pats loss in February, it's been an amazing sports run in New England these past few years ... here's hoping the C's can bring home the hardware and that the B's aren't far behind.