Thursday, February 28, 2008

I can't believe

that I haven't posted in over a week! I've been so insanely busy I haven't had a chance...

Bruschi is coming back to the Pats next year - which I hope is a good thing. I love him, and he's certainly a team leader, I just hope he can still play with the same intensity.

Tomorrow free agency starts and I really hope we work out a deal with Moss!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Digital music has screwed me up

Back in the day when I would buy an album, tape, or cd - I would listen to the album over and over learning each song in the order they were on the album. I examined the album cover and liner notes. I read the song lyrics (if available) as I listened to the song. I knew everything about the album.

Now I either buy the cd and rip it immediately to my computer and never look at the cd again, or I download it off itunes. Which means: that often I have very little idea what the album cover looks like and I never see the liner notes, unless it's a cd I bought and I take the time to really examine them.

And the thing that really screws me up is - I like to play the songs on shuffle, which means I have no idea what the track numbers are. I don't know the order of the songs on the cd, unless I really make a note to play the album in order. I have to really pay attention to even remember the titles of the songs. It's totally different from how I used to listen to music - it's completely screwed me up.

Apparently I 'CAN'Tget it'

One night while listening to 88.9 @ Night I heard a great song about Boston called 'Gotsta Get It' by the hip-hop group Triple Threat. I'm not a huge hip-hop fan, but I like some groups like Gangstar, EPMD, Run DMC - old school stuff like that. And I like Jay-Z and Kanye too. But anyway, this song reminded me of that old school style of hip-hop I used to love so I wanted to pick up the album. You would think that would be easy right? Apparently not.

If this group wants to break out of Boston (they are local) they need to somehow get their album out there. A search on iTunes and amazon turned up NOTHING - these guys should definitely be showing up on these sites. Then I went to Newbury Comics website thinking surely they will carry this local group on their site. Once again - nothing. What's up with that? I am going to try my local Newbury Comics and I hope they sell the album, otherwise where else can a chick get this cd? I googled them and found a sparse myspace page, and an interview with them on wers.org. Not very helpful. What a bummer.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

cute cute cute!

Too bad I already have a dress (a purple Diane von Furstenberg) and shoes (black patent mary jane Manolo Blahniks) for a charity event I'm going to on Saturday.. because if I didn't I would be very tempted to buy these Spring Collection 2008 Manolos and then go find a dress to match.

Maybe this is why Burress caught that ball??

According to Boston.com - Ellis Hobbs was playing injured during the Superbowl. He had a shoulder injury he sustained in week 9 against the Colts, and a groin injury from the first meeting with the Giants. They say he had surgery on his shoulder last week, but should be recovered by the beginning of training camp.

Wonder how much the injury affected his ability to cover Burress in the game winning touchdown?

Troquet

We went out to eat on Valentine's Day, which often, is a crap shoot. But this year it turned out well. We decided to try Troquet - the location is a little too close to the Alley for me. So I was worried it might me college-y, but luckily it wasn't at all.

First impression was that it had a nice, simple decor with lots of cherry colored wood. They took our coats and led us upstairs - where we were seated 3 tables from the window. We still had a pretty decent view from the windows of the Common. The size of the restaurant reminded me of a row house - it was multiple floors (2) and narrow and long. There were mirrors hung along the walls - which I assume was to make the space seem less narrow - and I think it worked well.

Our waitress came right over and brought us water and explained the specials. We decided to go with the tasting menu with wine pairings. She asked if we were allergic to anything, or disliked anything - to which I said that I hated cucumbers.

As the first course is coming out and being placed on our table by a runner she comes running over to say they put cucumbers on the oysters and was I allergic do I need another one. I said it was ok and I could just scrape them off. I was slightly annoyed about the cucumbers, but it seemed it wasn't her fault and she offered to take it back. I'm used to cucumbers in sushi that I have to pick out so this wasn't much different. One oyster had yuzu, green apple, and wasabi sorbet on it - which was quite tasty. Each course had a wine pairing and she brought us two different glasses of wine - so we could also sample each other's. Which I thought was great - so instead of tasting 5 wines I got to taste 10.

All of the wines we tasted were fantastic - which is good as they are a wine bar. The food was also quite good. My favorite dish was a pasta with mushrooms and truffle oil - it was fantastic. And the Lagostine wrapped in a phyllo pastry shell over a sauce (made of things I forget) was also great. And we had Tuna tartar as one of our courses that I loved as well. The main course was a lamb dish - which was decent, but by this time I was really full, and it wasn't quite as great as the other dishes. Had I just had it on it's own I think I would have enjoyed it, but after tasting so many other things I really, really liked this one wasn't quite as good.

The main entree took a little while to come out. Right before each course our waitress would bring over the two glasses of wine, explain a little about them and point to them on our the wine list. Up until the main course the wines and courses had come out quickly. But at the main course the wine came out quickly, but not the main dish. We ended up finishing the wine before the main dish came out. I think the restaurant just got slammed at this point as the entire restaurant was full and everyone was eating. I was already getting a little full so I didn't mind the delay anyway. However, our waitress was once again fantastic and brought over two more glasses of wine since the food had been delayed and we finished our wine. Dessert was nice and light - which was perfect after a really filing meal.

Overall, they had great service, wine, and food - I would definitely eat here again. Our car was already waiting for us when we got downstairs - even better.

When we were leaving - around 10pm I was shocked to see how packed the streets were, I guess I forgot that Thursday night was the big night out when I was in college. We were really close to the alley so it was just insane with cars and people trying to go into the clubs etc. All I could think about was going to bed - I couldn't believe these people were heading out at 10pm. But 10 years ago that would have been me doing the same exact thing.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Green means Go!

It doesn't mean come to a stop and think about it! That would be red blinking...

Everyday I am amazed by the stupidity of some drivers. I'm sure I'm not the perfect driver, but I follow the traffic laws in rotaries and when approaching lights. I never drive slower than the speed limit, unless there is a vehicle in front of me preventing me from doing so. I pay attention and try to avoid doing stupid things.

All that said, yesterday I am behind a vehicle in Somerville. This person is driving about 5-10 miles under the speed limit and keeps inexplicably braking. Just in case a red light pops out of nowhere? Driving below the speed limit is already annoying me, but the braking is just making me crazy. What's with all the excessive braking??

Then we start to approach a GREEN light and she starts braking more and more and finally comes to a complete freaking stop! I lay on the horn of course because WTF - some of us have to get to work, and would like to do so while the light is still green. She then raises her fist in the air and starts shaking it - because of course *I* am the jerk for pointing out to her that she is stopped at a green light for no good reason blocking traffic. She then puts her right blinker on and starts to take a right turn. This also baffles me. Had she been planning on taking a right all along? Who comes to a full stop at a green light for a right with no cars coming the other way? And what is the point of putting your blinker on as you start to take the turn - it's too late for that. By this time the light has turned yellow, but I am not about to miss this light so I kept going. I made it through to the other side just as it turned red. I felt sorry for the cars stuck behind us.

This isn't the first time this kind of thing has happened to me. I'm frequently behind people that break a lot or stop approaching green lights. It's still green, why are are you stopping in anticipation of the red?

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Valentine's Day

I don't know if I really believe in this holiday, it is kind of a marketing scam, but I do think it's nice to appreciate the people you are with and do something nice together - like go to dinner or see a movie.

Anyway, this day always gets me thinking about relationships and why we make the choices we do. I once almost married the wrong guy because I thought it was the right thing to do. I'm so glad I didn't make that mistake. So for me, valentine's day reminds me of the mistake I didn't make.

In high school and college I always dated guys who were really good looking and athletic (fine... the jocks), but usually when they opened their mouth's to speak, I wished they had just kept it shut. Somehow I was wishing the brain would have have kept up with the looks. I didn't purposely date intellectually inferior guys, but that is what happens when you choose looks over substance. I finally figured that out and vowed to date guys that were maybe not quite as athletic, but actually had something to say.

Then I met the guy I almost married. He seemed pretty nice. He was ok looking, not totally my type, but I was trying to change that. He was the kind of guy that never played sports because he chose academics instead. He asked me out and I accepted. I told my best friend 'he's nice, seems pretty smart, is cute enough and hey it's not like I'm going to marry this guy, why not go on a date with him'? He took me to a fancy restaurant, ordered nice wine, talked impressively about subjects I didn't know anything about. Impressed that he was worldly and smart I accepted another date. And so it began. A friend of mine who met him said 'watch out he's a bullshitter'. I thought they just hated everyone I dated. Besides I thought he's fine. I'm not head over heels, but he's good enough for now. We are just having fun. A second time I said it's not like I will marry this guy. And deep down I knew that was true.

So a few dates turned into a few months and so on. I thought he was fine, I wasn't head over heels, but there was nothing horribly wrong with him to dump him either. Unless of course you count the time he brought me skiing for the weekend and left me at the bottom of the mountain because I didn't really know how to ski, and he couldn't be bothered to help me. He went off and skied black diamonds for about 9 hours, while I basically repeatedly fell down the mountain attempting the bunny slope. That night I was upset and he said I will not ski with you until you can use the lift and ski a black diamond. Gee thanks so glad you brought me skiing. Or the time he repeated something I told him in confidence (about a friend of mine) in front of a bunch of our friends at dinner. We both looked bad and my friend was pissed at me for telling him. I had told him FLAT OUT that it was not something to be repeated, but that since he was my boyfriend I trusted him. big mistake. I said why did you say that I asked you not to? And he got up and stormed out of the restaurant and walked the streets of Boston for the whole night. This was really embarrassing for several reasons: 1 he made a scene, 2 I had no ride home at this point because he had driven, 3 I didn't have enough money to pay for our half of the meal, 4 my friends now hated this guy. He didn't show back up until 11 am - his roommate promptly punched him for being an idiot. Why these two things didn't make me dump him I will never know. I should have looking back.

We decided to move in together instead and that is when the problems really started to happened. I started to realize he really was a bullshitter. He acted and spoke like an expert about any and all subjects, regardless if he knew anything about them. I started to realize this when he talked about subjects that I actually knew quite a bit about, like music. Don't try to bullshit me about music, because most likely - I will see through it. And I did. Things I hadn't noticed when we were dating casually were becoming more and more evident: like the fact that he played video games 17 hours a day (which seriously is an addiction), or that he had insane explosive anger I didn't know about and witnessed when he threw a chair across the room and broke it (over being asked to pick up the mail). Because THAT is an acceptable response to that question. I started to realize more and more everyday that I really didn't even like this guy.

But I thought we live together, we've been together for a long time - I think the right thing to do is try to work this out. Plus I hate to fail and I felt like if I walked away, wasn't that admitting failure now? So we got engaged. When he asked I thought about saying no, but said yes because I thought it was the right thing to do, not because I really wanted to. I wondered if other people that were engaged/married had such little feeling for the people they were with? I wondered if something was wrong with me? Were other people just pretending to be happy and really just as miserable as we were? Because I was realizing more and more I didn't even like this guy. I didn't want to be around him, we couldn't go one day without arguing about something. Finally after 5.5 years we realized (he felt the same way I did) it was never going to work and ended it - 9 months before our wedding date. I felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. I don't know why it took me so long to finally just accept it and move on. Because if I am being honest with myself I had known that for the last 2.5 years - but it took that long to get the courage to actually do something about it. I was annoyed I wasted so many years with a person I knew from our first date I had no intention of marrying - but that I kept trying to convince myself that I should.

Now I'm still not married and don't have kids - which sorts of sucks when all my friends have husbands and litters of children, but I hope to one day get there. And this time it will be the right person. All this makes me wonder... how many people just settle because they thought it was the right thing to do? How many Newland Archers of the world are actually out there with their May Wellands wishing they had run off with Madame Olenska?

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Writers Strike Over...

Now maybe I can stop watching so much bad reality tv?

Sen. Arlen Specter

What's with this jerk?

Now he is meeting with Goodell tomorrow to discuss the Patriots. Dude, face it your team (the Eagles) lost. Get over it. It was a few Superbowls ago. Seriously, doesn't this guy have more important things to think about - like, I don't know, the election? the war? But no, let's obsess about the Patriots even though Goodell has repeatedly told him the same thing. Specter is thinking about having congressional hearings if he wasn't satisfied with Goodell's answers.

According to the Globe: In defending the destruction of the notes, Goodell said "there was no purpose to them at all." Specter said Goodell's response "didn't make any sense at all" and also questioned whether there might have been illegal acts by the Patriots before the 2005 Super Bowl, when they beat the Philadelphia Eagles.

Because THAT is what the government should be focusing on as their top priority. Getting their panties in a bunch because their team didn't win the Superbowl. When did the NFL become a government agency anyway, what business of the senate is all this? Like they felt the steroid scandal in baseball wasn't enough, they had to start investigating the NFL... I'm wicked glad this is what my tax dollars are being spent on instead of sports, music, or art in schools.

Let it go man, let it go.....

Brasserie Joe

We went to Brasserie Joe this weekend with some friends. I had never been there before and I love French food so I hoped it would be good. I know it's been there for a while, but I've never gotten around to eating here. And I have heard the Colonnade has an awesome roof deck and pool to hang out at in the summer. Perhaps this year I will finally check that out as well.

We ordered some martinis - which were super tasty. And shots of patron, but that was the guys...

While we were chatting and having our drinks before we decided what to get they brought over sliced carrots that were marinated in what I thought was parley and vinegar. They were good however they were prepared. And each couple got their own baguette of bread - which was so great - it was warm and quite tasty.

We ordered salad, escargot in garlic butter, and some kind of smoked salmon for appetizers. Which were all good and the entrees were also good. We got steak tartar, sea bass, steak frites and lamb chops. There was enough food that I brought home my dinner for lunch the next day. For dessert we got the classic creme brulee, and something else - which I can't even remember? Hey I had 3 martinis by this point - I'm glad I remember my meal! It's not the best French food I've ever had, but it's definitely solid and the drinks were fantastic. I would definitely go here again.

Highland Kitchen Take 2

I meant to write about this sooner, but forgot to. We went back to Highland Kitchen over the past weekend and it was still packed. Seems like every time we drive by this place it's packed too - which is nice to see in the neighborhood.

The first time we had gone to Highland Kitchen the hostess screwed up our seating somehow - making us wait about 45 minutes after she told us 15-20, then when we asked she realized she had sat someone else (or something not really sure what happened). However the nice bartender, great drinks, and good food made us consider a second visit.

I'm glad we did. The second time around the hostess was fantastic. She sat us promptly - only about a 15 minute wait. Bartender was excellent again and so were the cocktails. We tried some different foot and it was quite tasty. I would like to see the specials change up more frequently (it was the same specials as they had the last time), but the menu seems like pretty decent comfort food and the dishes we've tried so far have been good.

Loving the Marc by Marc Jacobs Fall 2008 Collection

How cute is this little dress from Marc Jacobs for fall? Very retro looking (can we say 80s new wave?) and I love the opaque tights, shades, beret, and handbag.

Super cute tote for Spring

I love this Salvatore Ferragamo hot pink patent tote for Spring.



The only problem for me with totes is that I *always* knock the thing over and every single freaking thing in the bag comes spilling out all over the ground. Which is really annoying to pick up, especially when I am in the car driving and the crap is rolling all over the floor. Maybe I shouldn't have so much shit, but that is why I carry a bag in the first place.

I don't even know what to think

About these new Prada Waves Flower Pumps...



I need to look at them a bit longer. One one hand they look very retro, but on another - they look kind of strange and creepy.

They have 4 other styles that look pretty similar to this one in different colors. Like this black and gold Silk Camoscio pair - which I like a lot more than the flower. But at $700-800 a pair, I think I'll pass.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

The Grammy's

I've been watching the Grammy's tonight and I think it's the best one I can remember in a while. I'm not really a fan of mainstream pop so usually I think they are crappy. But this year, maybe because it's the 50th anniversary, has had some really great performances.

Alica Keys, Tina Turner, Aretha, Herbie Hancock doing Rhapsody in Blue (which was fantastic), Kanye West and a bunch of other great performances. And how old is Tina Turner now? The woman is still fantastic and looks great - it's amazing.

UPDATE: Herbie Hancock - Album on the year... even more fantastic. It's nice to see people that actually play an instrument win. Actually I just looked at the previous album of the year recipients and they are all pretty good. It's nice to see Jazz up there though for a change.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Designer Cell Phones...

So I love the iPhone, and really, who doesn't? My only two issues with it are: it's kind of big, and it doesn't have gps.

I still have a razr, which I like because it fits in my pocket. But I've been considering the iPhone for a while. I may make the leap soon. I do love the internet capability on it.

But now onto the other reason for this post. Designer cell phones, what's the deal with them? Dolce & Gabbana had their logo on a gold razr, which was ok, but I'm not paying more for a cell phone just for their label. but more and more designers seem to be jumping on the bandwagon of making cell phones (or at least putting their brand on them). I buy designer shoes and bags because they are better quality, not just for the brand alone. And to me, the cell phone is no better quality - it's the same phone as all the others with a different 'outfit'.

Now Chanel is jumping in the ring with a new concept phone: "Chanel Choco" - but what's a little cool about this one is that it actually looks like a makeup compact with a mirrored surface. It's different from all the other phones out there. Still not sure I would choose that phone over an iPhone, but it's a least something unique.

It's pretty funky looking:


According to Yahoo Tech "The designer says Choco integrates an optical fiber system that allows it to display images seamlessly even between two pieces of glass. There are 12 micro lighter fibers inside the phone, so when the cover slides down, the lights activate to project the image you see. This type of technology keeps the phone as light as possible. It would be years before we ever see something like this become a reality, but it doesn't hurt to dream." I will definitely be interested in checking this one out if it makes it to production.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Lipstick Jungle

So I am watching the first episode of Lipstick Jungle. I am interested in seeing if this is really as good as Sex and the City - which was one of the best, if not, THE best show on tv.

Hey I'm a chick that loves fashion and football - of course my two favorite shows are inside the nfl and sex and the city - how's that for split personality!

I'm pleased to see in the opening scene - the two friends watching the fashion show of the other friend - I have that same silver jacket that one of them is wearing! I feel fashionable now. :)

Why would HBO Cancel

Inside the NFL!????????? It's only of of the best shows on tv! I love this show. What other football shows are even half as good? I am so pissed HBO canceled this.

I love these guys: Collinsworth, Carter, Marino and Costas. I will greatly miss all four of you on my tv each week. It was so fun to watch. My Sundays started out watching the rerun of Wednesday's shows and then the games.

HBO SUCKS! Idiots! And I'm not alone in thinking so. What a bunch of idiots. Who cancels a hugely popular show after 31 years!???? Meet the Press is still on - NBC isn't canceling that!

Ok and I know I said I wouldn't talk about the Pats until the draft... but I have to. Watching the final inside the NFL is painful. I didn't watch it when it aired last night, I needed an extra day to handle it.

HOW did Manning get away from 3 defenders that were grabbing onto him for the sack? How Did Tyree catch that ball??? HOW? WHY? And WTF happened to the offensive line? How did they collapse like that and let Brady get hit like that again and again and again? This was the most painful inside the nfl I have ever watched.

And now the Onion has some snarky article about the Pats. I normally love the Onion, but this I just cannot take!

is he kidding me?

Romney suspends his campaign.

"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and frankly I would be making it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror," he said.

Really? democrats aid in surrendering to terror? Give me a break.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

More Blizzard of '78 pics...

I grew up in a suburb of Boston - pretty close to 128 - like maybe a 5 minute walk away. During the Blizzard people had to abandon their cars. The National Guard came and picked them up and brought them to a local church where they stayed for about a week. Can you imagine what a nightmare that must have been?

Here's some pics of the highway. It's funny the exit numbers were different back then.







Look at all these people on the bridge staring at the cars. We had nothing else to do...



Here's the center of town - everyone had to walk to get their food and whatever else they needed.





My mom later told me there were still snowbanks melting in August of that year in parking lots like one at Babson college. Not sure if it's an exaggeration but from this wikipedia entry it sounds plausible.

30 years ago tonight...

Blizzard of '78

YEY! Got the scanner working with my laptop and scanned in some of my Blizzard of '78 pics.

So here I am enjoying my super cool fort. Look how high this snow was! And it fell in one night! Crazy! You can click on the photos to see a larger photo.





and here I am standing on what was my front lawn. This snow is piled up 4 or 5 feet high!!! I am standing on what was underneath a 4 foot high fence.



Don't make fun of my outfit! I was young, it was the 70s, I had no choice!!!!!

I created a monster

I think it may have been a mistake to buy bf guitar hero. He's been playing it for about 2 hours, maybe longer tonight. And there is no end in sight.

Sunday I think he played for 5 hours. And Monday was probably another 5 hours.

I have created a monster. What was I thinking buying this game???

The Blizzard of '78

I would love to share some photos I have of the blizzard that my parents took when I was young, but my friggin scanner won't work with my computer right now. So I have to try another computer and plug the scanner into it. Annoying.

I remember walking over to 128 and seeing all the cars that had been abandoned covered in snow. We had to walk to everywhere, or ride our bikes - cars weren't allowed on the road for a week - only emergency vehicles. I don't remember a lot about the blizzard since I was pretty young. I only remember the morning of the storm and it was a struggle to get our front door open because the snow was packed against it almost to the top of the door. Or at least it seemed to me like it was at the top.

When my dad was snow blowing the driveway the snow banks had to be 5 feet tall or higher. It was just crazy how much snow there was. One of our neighbors was an elderly woman that was trying to get shoveled out and she fell. My dad heard her screaming and ran over to help her. I think she ended up breaking her hip and they had to get the ambulance to come get her. I just remember hearing the screams and it scared me. She ended up being ok though. She had beautiful Siamese cats that I was always sad wouldn't come near me, or anyone but her.

My dad built me a fortress in the snow and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. At the time it seemed huge, now looking at the photos it was just a little cave. If I can ever get my driver errors fixed I can show you...

Things that are Bullshit

People that can't see themselves for who they really are. Or are so delusional that they are unable to.

People that blame everyone else but themselves for their problems and shortcomings.

People that are fake.

Lights that are on timers, rather than sensors - so people spend more time waiting at red lights. There is a light on my way home that is almost always red when I get there, but there is NEVER anyone coming the other way. Every day I make note of this and count how many times there has actually been a car at the light. 3 times out of about 50 there was actually a car at the green light. Three times!!! Put a sensor on the light to keep traffic flowing!

well I don't know...

Since I decided not to post about the Patriots until the draft. I don't know what to say. Which for anyone that knows me *never happens*.

The weather sucks out and now there's a severe storm watch in effect here. The election happened. Now what do we do? LOL

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

My last Patriots Post...

I hope this is my last Pats post until the NFL draft. Seriously. I have to stop wallowing in self-pity over the loss. I need to move on and get out of this shocked and depressed state. Bostonians all look sad, people are walking around dazed heads down - and the weather has been reflecting our collective mood. I feel like I've gone through a breakup. Like I wake up and something is missing, I've lost something...

If we had lost to the Packers I would have been upset, but not quite as badly. I really like Favre - he's great, but we lost to Eli? The guy that always has his mouth open looking stupid and confused? THAT GUY beat us? Stick a fork in my eye and be done with it.

But part of being a fan is dealing with the heartbreak. Boston has had such a good streak this decade that we forgot what it was like to lose. Young people don't know the heartache we've gone though. And really I don't even understand the heartache my parents and grandparents went though. My grandmother hasn't missed a Red Sox game in probably 8 decades. That's got to hurt.

But in '05 we lost to Plummer and the Broncos. And seriously that guy looked homeless and as if he played for the hell of it. He looked like some dude you smoked pot with in college - he just wasn't worthy of that win - wicked happy when the Steelers beat them. Where is he now anyway, oh he retired... And then we lost last year in '06 to Indy. That totally sucked, but at least Peyton is a really great QB. I'm sure if I was born and raised in Indy I'd be rooting for him. But I wasn't. I was born and raised in Boston! And this is just about football, never mind the heartbreak with the Sox for 86 years...

I watched the 93 draft when we got Bledsoe and I thought this is it. We are so going to win the Superbowl now! We had Parcells, Bledsoe surely it was in the cards for us? And we all know how that turned out... Then the Pete Carroll years? I don't even want to think about those. Then Belichick came along, and some unknown 6th round draft pick Brady steps up - and we were on top of the world. Untouchable. I think we all knew we wouldn't be on top forever, but we really hoped this year wouldn't be the one that it happened. It was. sigh.....

I think for us here in Boston sports are a part of us. Most people living here are just fans whether they wanted to be or not. Like baseball - I'm not really a fan (not like football). But I hate the Yankees and love the Sox - it was just built into me. Plus I don't think other areas of the country have the fans like we do. The only other two cities with fans like us that come to mind are: Chicago and NYC. But those cities have more than one team, so the people are split. It's not like the entire city comes together to root for one team like we do. They are too busy arguing which one of their local teams are better to join forces. But in Boston we have one team for each sport. It's part of the city's history here. It's who we are. I've gone to other cities and thought maybe I'll check out a baseball game but it's probably sold out... nope tons of tickets available. That NEVER happens here. People just don't understand what it's like unless they have lived here and let Boston into your soul.

I voted, did you?

I went to my polling place and voted this morning. Pretty uneventful by the time I got over there. The screaming and beeping seemed to have died down. Everyone must have gone off to work.

I don't care who you vote for (well I kind of do, but whatever) just get out and vote and make your voice heard! :)

People are going crazy

I live across the street from one of the polling places - and omg people are going crazy. There is screaming, beeping of horns, chanting... it's nuts!

I don't remember any other election getting this many people yelling in front of my house. Most of the screaming seems to be for Obama. And it's pouring rain out - I don't know why anyone would stand there in the rain like that.

Even people walking out of the building after they voted are cheering. This is going to be an interesting election.

OK seriously the beeping and screaming are excessive now... shut up! It's been almost non-stop for 2 hours. I'm still too depressed over the Pats loss to be excited about the election.

Monday, February 4, 2008

I am boycotting Macy's

That's it. I'm done with that shit store. First it sucks - the stuff in there is mostly crap (at least in this area) - the San Fran and NYC stores are good. but I don't care - I'm done.

I got an email from them today and the headline was 'The Giants win it all! Celebrate with a Waterford Crystal football!' I thought are you fucking kidding me?? Like seriously - is this just to throw salt on the wound? Perhaps they purposely sent this to all their shoppers in MA, to make us HATE THEM! Assholes. They should have only sent that filth to their own people in NY. And it turns out they also emailed a whole shit load of other Bostonians.

At least Nordstrom's doesn't insult me!

Finally got a wii

I tried to get my bf a wii for Christmas, but I couldn't get my hands on one until later. It came last week, or maybe the week before.

This weekend he took it out of the box and we played some of the sports games. Really fun! I knocked out my opponent in boxing! and my arms feel it today - a little bit of a workout too - very cool.

But Guitar Hero... this may have been a mistake to buy. He's been playing it all day yesterday and most of tonight. I had to force him to put the damn thing down to eat dinner. I have attempted to play as well, but I suck so bad I haven't gotten better than 70% of the notes hit on the easy songs. :( it's really hard. He knows how to play the guitar so it's easier for him - he's getting like 89% notes hit. I practiced for an hour tonight and went from 78% notes hit, down to 70% - I got worse the more I tried. Annoying!

I must think about

something other than the Pats...

so to change the subject I am having two computer issues and one other random issue:

First: I have a computer with XP - it's about a year and half old or something. It's always worked fine - no issues. I have an Epson Stylus CX5000 printer/scanner combo plugged into it. It's worked beautifully since I got it. I also have the JBL "creature" speakers plugged into the computer - they have worked great too.

So last weekend, or the weekend before I got a new USB 2.0 hub, and upgraded my itunes (it prompted me when I opened it so I accepted the upgrade). Right after I did these two things my computer got screwed up.

My computer makes no sound now - EXCEPT itunes - itunes plays just fine - speakers sound excellent. BUT no other app has sound coming out of the speakers - and if I go to the control panel and to sound it says "there are no speakers plugged into this computer" UM YES THERE ARE, and I am hearing a song out of itunes on them. So I know they are plugged in and working. Why are they only being recognize by itunes and not the OS / other apps????

The second thing wrong with my computer is that I can no longer scan photos. My printer will still print - I can send anything to it - prints just fine. However, if I try to run Epson Scan, or try to call the scanner from within Photoshop - it says this device is not properly installed (code 39) it may be corrupted. But the printer from the same device works!! If it was busted wouldn't the printer not work? how can the printer work and not the scanner that is part of each other.

So I tried to allow windows to fix the printer/scanner automatically. didn't work. tried to get the latest driver - already had it. disabled/enabled - nothing. uninstalled/reinstalled - still nothing. tried to roll back to the previously installed one - there wasn't one. So I totally uninstalled the printer and downloaded the latest scanner software from Epson. Went into the registry - deleted the printer driver entries. Shut off the printer, rebooted the machine. Turned everything back on and reinstalled the printer. Printer still works fine - scanner is still hosed. WTF!!!!!!!!! I don't know what else to do and it's driving me crazy - this thing used to work.

I thought it was the hub, so I unplugged it and rebooted the computer. No change. Plugged it back in still nothing.

I really hope some random technical person reads this and can give me some advice how to fix this.

Now for the random issue: Didn't Digg used to update dynamically? I SWEAR I remember the newest post being added to the top - like fading in, and pushing down the previous posts - with a really nice transition using what I assumed was AJAX. But now it's not updating. It just sits there status until I manually hit F5. Maybe it was DZone? But that site is also not updating dynamically. The only site I use that is updating their news feed dynamically is Newsvine, but I know there was another site that did this. I liked the technique and I wanted to show it to my developers, but now I can't find an example. Crap!

Interesting

So people shit all over the Patriots for "spygate" even though the NFL commissioner said that it didn't give them a competitive edge.

But now it comes out that the Jets got caught taping us!? Where's the outrage about that? Why isn't the Senate thinking of investigating them? And it's not that I think some big deal should be made about the Jets, I just think people shouldn't make such a big deal about the Pats.

and give me a fucking break 50% of people on boston.com answered this question: 'How will you remember this Patriots' with "They blew it. I will remember them as the most disappointing Patriots team ever."

Ok fine they blew it, but the "most disappointing Patriots team ever?" Right after they got NFL MVP, and record breaking seasons all around? Sure I am disappointed they didn't win, but they accomplished quite a bit. Come on that is just insane to say they are the most disappointing Patriots team ever. I think it's the biggest choke ever by the Pats in a Superbowl. But for the most part this is the team give or take some players that won 3 Superbowls - so it's not like they are complete failures.

Why all the hating on the Pats and Belichick? I am pretty sure that people of ANY city that had him as a coach and won 3 rings wouldn't be complaining if he was their coach. But since he's not, and the Pats have had 7 great years, everyone hates them like they are the evil empire or something. I wasn't this bitter when the 49ers had their dynasty in the 80s/early 90s - in fact I rooted for them when they were in the Superbowl. So why all the hating?

I couldn't sleep

last night was horrible. I couldn't sleep I kept replaying the final minute in my head over and over, and wondering did that TD really happen? Really? Really?

Then I kept hearing Howard Cossell's words "the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat" over and over. It was horrible. Just horrible.

I feel exhausted today and deflated. It's a sad, sad day in Boston. People look depressed.

On a random note: in my fantasy league (which I won) my QB was Tom Brady with a backup of Eli. I guess it's a bit interesting I picked the two QB's that eventually made it to the Superbowl this year.

Let's go Red Sox...

Sunday, February 3, 2008

I still love my team

Even though this game was heartbreaking - I still love my team. I'll be rooting for them again in August.

I just wish they could have had the perfect season and have 4 Superbowl rings. Let's hope for next year.

I HATE the GIANTS

and I hate the Mannings. I just CANNOT believe that in the final minute the fucking giants scored to win the game. They only had to hold them off for 59 more seconds.

How could this happen? Our perfect red zone defense let up the biggest TD in their careers.

I am sick. I am in tears. I hate the giants.

I am more upset than I was in '86 and '96 but I think this one takes the cake. Those I knew were a loss early on. This was a loss in the final seconds.

I think this is as upsetting as when the Sox left Pedro in - in the 7th and he blew the game to the Yankees. I love NYC, but I hate their sports teams!!! Damn you NY!

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TOUCHDOWN Brady to Moss! Finally my boys are back!

Now Defense Bruschi, Seau, Wilfork, Vrabel, Samuel, Harrison etc... - hold them off!!

I'm going to have a heart attack

I just cannot take this game. It's insane.

Brady who's been amazing all season has not gotten it together all fucking game. WTF. My perfect Patriots. Moss has been open all game and he's barely getting it thrown to him. Come On for the love of god.

and these fucking giants and their bullshit defense time outs - I think they are faking "injuries" to get a break for the defense.

Welker has been amazing, but we are down with 2:45 left. I am shaking so much I can barely type. Brady seriously, you can have 18-0 not turn into 19-0 - I KNOW you all have it in you... make it happen!

Ok Pats... Bring it Home!!!

I feel sick to my stomach I'm so nervous about this game!

Come on Pats only 3 more quarters....

Friday, February 1, 2008

Love this Pats Dynasty Pic

This is the best.

Go Pats!

UM so WTF?

Last time I checked the NFL was a private organization. It's not run by the government. So why the hell do senators think they have the right to question or investigate why commissioner Goodell destroyed the spygate tapes.

And seriously - why are we back on this again. The Pats were fined. The commissioner didn't feel they had a competitive advantage and destroyed them. Done.

Now almost 6 months later ... 3 days before the game is this getting resurfaced? Because senators are angry their team didn't make it to the Superbowl and the perfect Patriots did? And really aren't there bigger issues for the senate to worry about than trying to screw up my team's momentum? Like I don't know the war or something?

Specter, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the issue could put the league's antitrust exemption at risk. Perhaps the Republicans feel they are losing ground on the 2008 election so they are trying to shift attention to something else?

Give me a break. Senators get back to what you are supposed to do, not try to screw up football too.

Cute Cute Cute!!!

Loving these Manolo's from the new Spring Collection. I feel like I'd be channeling my inner Audrey Hepburn in these.

Rachel Roy new Fall Winter 08/09 Collection

So I was on Vogue's site checking out Rachel Roy's fashion show.

Some cute items, and definitely some strange ones.

I really liked this one though: I like the texture and colors.

Bring it Home Boys...

and fulfill your destiny!

Microsoft Makes Offer to Yahoo

Interesting. I wonder if they really will join forces and if they will really be able to compete against Google?

Yahoo has some cool features, but besides for their nice AJAX mail client I don't use it for anything else. Well Fantasy Football in the fall, but that's it.

Google on the other hand - I use their email, love the Google maps, and use it all the time to search. I occasionally use some of their other offerings as well. Will Yahoo and M$ really be able to compete? Although Yahoo could definitely help M$ - who hasn't successfully created web apps the way Yahoo has.

Steve Ballmer says of the deal "Emerging user experiences: Our combined ability to focus engineering resources that drive innovation in emerging scenarios such as video, mobile services, online commerce, social media, and social platforms is greatly enhanced."