Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Driving My "Smart Ass" Crazy!

This never happens. The other day, while I'm at work, I got a VERY random call from a recruiter. He said that someone who works with me said I'd be a good candidate for him to work with and asked if I was "happy" or if I was interested in possibly getting a new job. This mystery person - which he described as a "young lady who works there with you"mentioned that I was really good at what I do, was taking some classes and...is a bit of a smart ass. What the?????? I'm more interested in who would tell a recruiter that than what the recruiter actually has to say!!!! But he said confidentiality prohibits him from telling me who it was. Damnit. I've asked around as to who I thought were the suspects, and they're all denying it. I've gotta crack this case!!!!!!!!


Side note - How do you spell "damnit"? Spellchecker on here is saying "dammit" but I think that looks dumm.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Mets trade for Johan Santana!!!!!

Ok, before I get too excited and get a #57 Santana Mets Jersey off ebay, I guess I should take a deep breath.

But this is HUGE news. First, it means that I don't have to look for updates to this every 10 minutes. But of course, it means good things for my Mets. They gave up 4 prospects (Carlos Gomez and Philip Humber both have MLB experience. And minor league pitchers Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey) to get Santana, but they did NOT give up their best prospect (Fernando Martinez). This is the first time in I don't know how long that the Mets will have a true #1 top notch starting pitcher. HUGE!

Oh, and I should also mention that I'm working on a blog about the 2008 NHL All Star Game - which was amazing!!!! I'm waiting on some slacker friends whose names rhyme with Fat and Derricka to send me their pictures!!!!! In the meantime, you can get a sneak peak at mine here.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Why I'm Dumb (Part 293)

It's been a while, I guess that's good!

So, Tuesday night/Wednesday morning I wasn't feeling good. I actually went to sleep early (well, midnight, but to me, that's early). I nyquilled (is that a word yet?) myself to sleep. My alarm went off at 6:50 so I could get to my 8am class (HA!) snooze. 8:15 rolled around, I still wasn't going anywhere. Still felt like crap, still felt drugged. I tried to call my boss, half asleep I stumbled through the Aaron's telephone directory. Wound up getting a hold of some lady who is definitely not my boss. It took me a good 10 seconds but I finally hung up on her. My next bright idea. I was gonna text Beth, a coworker, to tell James, my boss, that I wasn't feeling good so I'd come in late. Those of you who know me, know I'm a speed texter, which can lead to typo's like the following:


Can you tell James that I'm coming in late. I don't feel homo.


If you'll notice, when texting "good" it uses the same keystrokes as "homo". D'oh!!!! Luckily, for whatever reason, I didn't wind up actually sending it. I actually forgot, I wound up calling my boss and telling him I didn't feel good. Later, actually the next day I noticed I had an unsent message in my outbox. When I first read it, I had no clue when or what that was from. Then I eventually remembered.

Good Riddance 99x, You'll Almost be missed!

So the only alternative rock station in Atlanta is gone as of 5:30 today. And fittingly enough, the last song? Green Day's Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”. At least they've got a sense of humor about it! I almost never listen to the radio anymore thanks to my J-Pod and accompanying I-trip. I just listen to my own 4,000+ songs on random shuffle in my car.

For those not in the know? now? no? nough? noe? know! 99x is going internet-only. Q-100, ATL's metrosexual hip-pop station is moving to 99.7. Yawn. Supposedly 99x is still gonna sponsor concerts, so I guess that's good. But I wonder how bad the ratings will be on the internet. Either way, I'm sure the website is blocked where I'm at anyways!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

This stuff is GOLD! (thepensblog)

Warning, this blog is about (errr aboot) hockey. Through various other readings I recently stumbled upon a blog devoted to the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey club (I still don't know they call themselves clubs, but that's the lingo and I just go with it). I knew it was out there but never really looked at it until recently. That blog has now emerged as a must read for me every day. There's a lot of my sense of humor on there:

Joe Benawhatever said that Malkin and Ovechkin were going at it like rams. What a weird sentence.

So, there we were -- 3-3, not even halfway through the game. This is what the new NHL should be.
Before you could catch your breath, Alexander Semin puts his stick into Kris Letang's face.( ...wait for it... ) [skip a few lines]
Alexander Semin went to the box after that for the hook. ( Not yet...) [skip a few lines]
( ...Now ) Semin leaves a bad taste in our mouths as he gets it past Conk.


Anyways, they do game recaps every day, previews and have tons of hilarious photoshopped pictures on their site. It's absolutely hysterical. Check it out!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

I'm innocent!!!!!

I recently learned that I have been nominated for a prestigious award amongst my friends...Most Drama Free. I like it. I live by it. I want to keep that title.

When I used to blog on myspace it would ask for your mood whenever you write anything. Right now I'm "furious", "aggravated" and "somewhat scared". But, as the title states...I did nothing wrong. I parked NEXT to a handicap spot. Check out my cool drawing since I didn't think to take a picture with my phone.

I happened to be parking (at Publix, on Barrett Pkwy/Old 41 in Kennesaw) at the same time an old lady was parking in a handicap space. I walked in to publix, ordered a sandwich, as I was about to pay, the lady came up to me...

Old Lady: "Sir, I don't know if you're handicapped or not, but someone just wrote down your license plate info and are sending it to the cops."
Me: "I didn't park in a handicapped spot, I wouldn't do that! That spot is NOT a handicapped spot!"

That was it. She walked away, I was pissed. I went to my car to see if maybe I accidentally parked in a handicap space...I didn't!!! The spot next to me (to my right) and the spot across from me are clearly marked handicap spots. But not the one I parked in.

I don't know if anything can happen just because this lady said that someone got my info, but this PISSED me off!!! I did nothing wrong. Can I actually get a ticket in the mail for this? Can they issue tickets without any proof what-so-ever???? I'm sure there are video cameras in the parking lot if it should get that far. And part of the reason I'm writing this is so if this does come back, I'll know exactly what day/time this happened. I just hope this is the last time I ever have to think about this!


FOLLOW UP:
Tara had the best advice...Wednesday is old folks day at Publix...stay away.
Just got this email from work...someone's after me!

From: XXXXXXXXX
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 4:34 PM
To: Kennesaw Office Global
FW: Handicap Parking

Good afternoon.
In an effort to resolve the continuing handicap parking issue, we are asking all individuals with handicap tags to stop by the Receptionist Desk and complete our Handicap Parking Registration.


If you are not handicapped and are using someone else’s tag, please stop this practice. The designated spaces are for those individuals who are actually handicapped. We appreciate your consideration of others.


Please direct all questions, cares or concerns to me.
Thank you.
Mr. Coincidence Provider
(name changed to protect those involved in this coincidence)

Monday, January 14, 2008

Hooray for a good sports weekend! Finally!

It's been a long time. Every team I root for either sucks or, well, ok, they usually just suck. The Mets...choked. The Jets...sucked. FSU...ughhhh. (And now FSU's basketball team is down to about 2 scholarship players or something because of injuries or what-not). The Thrashers, well, we'll still see about them. I know its kind of odd to root for both the Jets & Giants, but, well, get over it. They hardly play each other, it's not a rivalry, so I can deal with it.

Finally this weekend was a good one. The Thrashers won a great game Saturday night, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins (who had won something like 9 in a row). They were losing 2-1 after 2 periods and tied it right away in the 3rd and won it in a shootout. The game winner coming from Mark Recchi (the same Mark Recchi who the Penguins tossed to the Wolves, well, the Thrashers, the Wolves would be insulting - and I would be shocked if anyone who reads this other than me got that joke - The Wolves are the Thrashers minor league team).

Then last night, the Giants beat the hated Dallas Cowboys. Tony Homo can go back and cry in Jessica Simpson's boobs. Terrell Owens can sit back and eat as much popcorn as he wants while watching the Giants-Packers NFC Championship game next Sunday! Did anyone see him after the game? CRYING about how it's not fair how the media picks on Tony Homo???? Poor baby. I've gotta admit though, the whole game, I was sure the Giants were gonna lose. It was until there was a 4th and 11 for the Cowboys at the end of the game that I let myself get excited. And Homo threw a Cowboys season-ending pick in the end zone. WOW! The Giants have won 9 straight road games. If they make it 10, they go to the Super Bowl! But, first a stop in Green Bay, where Brett Farvuruh awaits. Should be a good game. Hopefully Eli Manning has finally realized he's never gonna be Peyton, he just can't LOSE the game for the Giants with his stupid mistakes. Let the rest of the team do it's job and we'll be good. Go G'Men!!!!

And go CHARGERS! I was rooting for the Colts, just because I think they have a better shot at the Pacheatriots, but it was pretty impressive that they won without pretty much their 3 best offensive players being healthy (LT, Rivers, Gates). Hopefully those guys are ok and can give New England some payback for last season.

Oh, and to top off my joy this weekend, the Braves made a pretty bad trade. They got Mark Kotsay (and his Andruw Jones-like season - he hit .214 with one homer and 20 RBIs) for their first round draft pick from a few years ago - Joey "I think Grand Slams are" Devine.

Now, I've got a dilemma for next Sunday:
Edmonton Oilers @ Atlanta Thrashers 2pm
Chargers-Pacheatriots 3pm
Giants-Packers 6:30pm
I've only missed 3 Thrashers games so far this year. I'd HATE to miss one where I'd also miss the Canadian Anthem. If I were to go to the game, I should make it home by 5 to see most of the 2nd half. I could tivo it and watch with alot of fast forwarding to finish before the Giants game. Or I could skip the Thrashers game.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

My All-Awesome Bubbie, AKA "The Bread Lady"

I am 100% plagiarizing an article found in the January edition of Healthy Directions magazine. Hope that's not a problem :)

A BREAD OF HOPE

Her name is Ruth Zaikov, but to patients and staff of CentraState Medical Center, she's mostly known as the "Bread Lady." Once a week, for nearly five years, the 82-year-old Manalapan resident has delivered baskets of homemade, still-warm-from-the oven, mini-loaves of challah, a special Jewish bread, to CentraState's Radiation Oncology department for patients and staff of all faiths to share. A former patient and breast-cancer survivor, Ruth calls the challahs "bread of hope" and says they're a way of giving thanks and sharing her fortune with others.

"We love it. The patients and their families love it. It's such a positive sign of support and camaraderie. Some even leave Ruth thank-you notes," says Edward Soffen, MD, chair of Radiation Oncology. "Having cancer is a life change. Even if the doctor says there's an excellent chance of survival, there's always the fear the patient might be among those less fortunate. Receiving this gift from a former patient who is doing well is uplifting and inspiring."


THE INSPIRATION

Ruth, a widowed mother of four and grandmother of 11 [I'm #1!!!], was diagnosed with a suspicious lump in her breast about six years ago. She got the news after she accompanied her daughter Rona, a pastry chef [and a damn good one!] and co-owner of Thyme Square restaurant [also a damn good one!] in Red Bank, to a mammography appointment and she decided to have one herself. She underwent a lumpectomy and was referred to CentraState for radiation therapy.

"From day one the people at CentraState have been phenomenal," Ruth says of the Radiation Oncology staff. "They're warm, supportive, and funny. They went out of their way to accommodate me when scheduling appointments."

During her treatment, Ruth befriended another patient who mentioned how her oncologist bought challahs for patients that he called "bread of hope."

"My friend said, 'I need all the hope I can get.' It was such an inspiration. I though, 'I can do that'," recalls Ruth.

STILL GOING STRONG

She bakes about 45 to 50 plain, poppy-seed, and sesame-seed mini-loaves each week and is nearing the 10,000 mark. Like the storied post office couriers whom "neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night can stay from their appointed rounds," nothing short of serious illness has interfered with Ruth's weekly deliveries. She missed some while recovering from a fractured ankle. "I kept nagging the orthopedist to let me go back," Ruth says. A heart attack in 2006 also waylaid her temporarily. "I was taken to CentraState's Emergency Department and when I was getting the EKG, the technician said, 'You're the Bread Lady'," she recalls with delight.

"I thrive when I'm busy and involved," says Ruth. She's taking art classes at the adult community where she lives, attends lectures at two local synagogues, and loves pursuing the Englishtown auction. During the school year she volunteers in a kindergarten. She also has taken courses at Brookdale Community College. Perhaps a sign in her kitchen sums it up best: "God has a lot planned for me and I'm not near finished'"

For information about Radiation Oncology and other cancer services at CentraState, call 866-CENTRA7 or visit http://www.blogger.com/www.centrastate.com
Ruth Zaikov is greeted by Brian Chon, MD, radiation oncologist, as she delivers her specially baked "Bread of Hope" to patients and staff.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

LSU is good, Ohio State and FOX? Not so much

So last night LSU won the National Championship over Ohio State, who is now halfway to becoming the Buffalo Bills of college football (they lost 4 straight Super Bowls back in the 90's). I guess it was last year that Fox bought the broadcasting rights to all the non Rose Bowl BCS games. What a TERRIBLE idea that turned out to be! ABC had been doing it, and I'm sure whatever amount of money they offered was close enough to Fox that it would have been worth it to stick with them. But what do I know about the dollars involved in a sports broadcast contract. All I know is that Fox is AWFUL. They seem to do alright with the NFL, but for whatever reason they can't hang with the college game.

It was pretty rare that they showed a replay after anything worth seeing happened. The commentary was terrible. Not only with annoying voices but sometimes they had no clue what was going on. They had fu&*()ing Urban Cryer on the pregame/halftime set. After every play, instead of showing a replay, they showed either LSU or OSU's band. And when they did show a replay with their ridiculous "Jumper" picture, it was a replay of something that happened a couple of quarters ago. At the end of the 3rd quarter, LSU had the ball, and got tackled out of bounds. The clock kept running. I was the only one who seemed to notice this. The announcers couldn't care less. They sure as hell didn't show a replay! Then at the end of the game, when it was clear that LSU had the game won...all they could talk about was Ohio State. All the stats were about Ohio State, I don't think I ever even saw any LSU stats. Like maybe they could've told us that 10 different players caught passes...8 different players ran the ball...I had to look it up. To give you an idea of how Ohio State played, 4 players caught passes, 3 ran the ball. The only thing they even said about LSU was about Hurricane Katrina and how the team has helped the city. Come on!!!!

But my biggest pet peeve of the night is that 3 times (THREE!!!!!) the football fell off the tee before a kickoff. The game is in a DOME!!!! How does that happen?

Monday, January 7, 2008

Am I Cursed? Brrrrrrrrrrrr

So last week it was (insert Dr. Evil accent) FRIGGIN freezing (end accent) here in the ATL. It was 17 one morning that I remember. Which seems like the perfect time for my heater to stop working. Yep, I got home from work and it was about 50 degrees INSIDE my place. Poor Mitsa, I could almost hear her shivering! I'm not a Pierson, so I was not about to brave the cold, I slept at a friends' house (Thanks Jason & Tara!) that night. Wanna take a wild guess as to what happened that night? Yep, my presence broke their heater.

We each managed to get our respective heaters fixed within 24 hours, so I guess there was a happy ending. If anyone needs their heater broken for any reason...give me a call, I'll be happy to see what I can do.