Sunday, August 28, 2005
Hangover effect
Too much Fan Appreciation. Rhonda andI slept in til about 11:30. I don't know about her, but I am sore and dehydrated. Clear my calendar for the afternoon, I'm not doing jack.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Much appreciated.
Wow, what a day.
After a late start and a McDonald's breakfast, we hit the road. Our destination: Berkeley, for the Cal Football Fan Appreciation Day. It was very similar to a mix of the Giants' on-field photo day and FanFest.
It was cool, except I immediately regretted not bringing a Sharpie (some of the players didn't have them, and I would need it later) and we needed to be there much earlier.
First stop was to see Stockton's own Lavelle Hawkins, a transfer to Cal this season. Rhonda got up there and shouted out, "E-House!" He seemed pretty happy to see someone from home.
Aside from the player autographs (virtually the whole team was there), there were stations where the quarterbacks threw passes to you, you could hit the sled, or kick field goals.
There was also a sale of game-used jerseys and equipment, but we never made it there because the line was long. Instead, we got in line so I could get an autograph from Cal's next big thing, running back Marshawn Lynch.
While we were in the (very long) line for running back autographs, they announced the autographs were ending so the players could break for lunch. Maybe because he realized 90% of the people in line were there for him, Lynch made his way up the line to sign autographs. It was a classy act, showing him to be as great off the field as on.
After autographs we wandered around a bit. The longest line wasn't for Lynch though, it was for Coach Jeff Tedford.
The fans, especially the alumni, are nuts about this guy. Other than Dusty Baker, I don't think there has been this popular a coach in the Bay Area in the last 25 years. Bill Walsh was respected, but this guy is revered.
After a while, we were just screwing around. Here I am "running" through the big helmet they put at the end of the tunnel:
Rhonda takes end zone celebration to new levels:
On the way out, I posed with the cannon they fire off when Cal scores. Because of perspective, it looks like I'm about to smoke this fool next to me.
On the way out, we got hooked up with free burrito. They had free Coca-Cola Zero but ran out before we got there. The free burrito figured into my plans, so we could skip lunch. We walked back to campus and I picked up the Cal football DVD I'd been waiting to pick up. And a soda, I was dying of thirst.
It was getting to be about 1 so we hiked back to our car...and changed jerseys. And picked up a backpack and our seatbacks. Then it was off to the BART station, and off to the Giants game.
I'd forgotten how much walking is needed to get around Berkeley. By the time we walked downtown, got on BART, transferred to Muni, and arrived at the gate, it was the top of the seventh! And we were exhausted!
Normally that would be cause for concern, but today was also the first-ever Season Ticket Holder Appreciation Day at SBC Park. Or as I like to call it, "we're-sorry-the-team-sucks-so-we'll try-to-make-it-up-to-you day".
It was a pretty good three innings though - the Giants pulled out a nail-biter 2-1 behind Schmidt even though they demonstrated their usual lack of situational hitting ability, and Benitez lost command with two outs in the ninth.
After the game we headed for the portwalk, where we had a lengthy wait ahead of us to get into the park. They had told us it would be a picnic on the field, but other than that I didn't expect much. I just thought we would get to play catch on the field and see the dugouts. Imagine my surprise when they let us do whatever we wanted.
We picked a spot in left to settle into, the kind of place a blooper over the shortstop's head would land. They had food and beer stations on the map they gave us, and I was starving, so I went to get something and started counting what money I had left. I got there, and asked how much the sodas were.
Free. Hot dogs. Free. Vendors walking around handed out ice cream to us. Free. BEER. FREE. I didn't even want one. But how do you turn down frickin' free beer?
(Coincidentally, the guy in front of us in line, after pointing out the Kids' Fun Zone to his little ones, pointed to the beer stand and said, "this is the Daddy Fun Zone." High comedy.)
So it's a great day, we're on the field, people are playing catch and running the bases, the players are out signing autographs, and what does Rhonda do? Play Nintendogs (which, by the way, is a great game to play in public if you want people to think you are mentally ill, since you look like you are talking to yourself).
While I was partaking of free beer, a crowd gathered around the hot dog stand. That's because Todd Linden and Omar Vizquel were literally tossing hot dogs into the crowd.
After stuffing our faces, we started to mill around and, as usual, goof off.
We went down into the home dugout and back to the batting cage.
This sign tells us we must be special to be down here.
This is my favorite picture of the day. Considering how tired and sweaty we are from being in the sun and walking all day, we look pretty good. The home dugout is surprisingly luxurious (no report on the visitor's side).
Today, the role of Dave Righetti is played by Rhonda. Sadly, this is a pretty common sight this season.
This picture makes me laugh, because it looks like Rhonda is scoring from first.
After I noticed the battery was dying, we played catch on the first base line for about half-an-hour. They raffled off a lot of autographed stuff but we got none. They had a raffle for a "fantasy BP" session, on my birthday no less, so I felt it was in the stars for me to win that one. Nope.
The event was winding down but Scott Eyre and Ray Durham stuck around through the whole thing to sign autographs and meet fans. Very admirable. Again, no Sharpie...but I had enough in the battery to take one last picture with Scotty.
We were planning to eat Zachary's Pizza, but by the time we traveled back to the East Bay and walked to our car, we were ready to go home. Eventually, we had a bite to eat...at Target.
So we had a day packed with wall-to-wall sports goodness, and it only cost us maybe forty bucks for two fast-food meals and transportation. Not bad.
After a late start and a McDonald's breakfast, we hit the road. Our destination: Berkeley, for the Cal Football Fan Appreciation Day. It was very similar to a mix of the Giants' on-field photo day and FanFest.
It was cool, except I immediately regretted not bringing a Sharpie (some of the players didn't have them, and I would need it later) and we needed to be there much earlier.
First stop was to see Stockton's own Lavelle Hawkins, a transfer to Cal this season. Rhonda got up there and shouted out, "E-House!" He seemed pretty happy to see someone from home.
Aside from the player autographs (virtually the whole team was there), there were stations where the quarterbacks threw passes to you, you could hit the sled, or kick field goals.
There was also a sale of game-used jerseys and equipment, but we never made it there because the line was long. Instead, we got in line so I could get an autograph from Cal's next big thing, running back Marshawn Lynch.
While we were in the (very long) line for running back autographs, they announced the autographs were ending so the players could break for lunch. Maybe because he realized 90% of the people in line were there for him, Lynch made his way up the line to sign autographs. It was a classy act, showing him to be as great off the field as on.
After autographs we wandered around a bit. The longest line wasn't for Lynch though, it was for Coach Jeff Tedford.
The fans, especially the alumni, are nuts about this guy. Other than Dusty Baker, I don't think there has been this popular a coach in the Bay Area in the last 25 years. Bill Walsh was respected, but this guy is revered.
After a while, we were just screwing around. Here I am "running" through the big helmet they put at the end of the tunnel:
Rhonda takes end zone celebration to new levels:
On the way out, I posed with the cannon they fire off when Cal scores. Because of perspective, it looks like I'm about to smoke this fool next to me.
On the way out, we got hooked up with free burrito. They had free Coca-Cola Zero but ran out before we got there. The free burrito figured into my plans, so we could skip lunch. We walked back to campus and I picked up the Cal football DVD I'd been waiting to pick up. And a soda, I was dying of thirst.
It was getting to be about 1 so we hiked back to our car...and changed jerseys. And picked up a backpack and our seatbacks. Then it was off to the BART station, and off to the Giants game.
I'd forgotten how much walking is needed to get around Berkeley. By the time we walked downtown, got on BART, transferred to Muni, and arrived at the gate, it was the top of the seventh! And we were exhausted!
Normally that would be cause for concern, but today was also the first-ever Season Ticket Holder Appreciation Day at SBC Park. Or as I like to call it, "we're-sorry-the-team-sucks-so-we'll try-to-make-it-up-to-you day".
It was a pretty good three innings though - the Giants pulled out a nail-biter 2-1 behind Schmidt even though they demonstrated their usual lack of situational hitting ability, and Benitez lost command with two outs in the ninth.
After the game we headed for the portwalk, where we had a lengthy wait ahead of us to get into the park. They had told us it would be a picnic on the field, but other than that I didn't expect much. I just thought we would get to play catch on the field and see the dugouts. Imagine my surprise when they let us do whatever we wanted.
We picked a spot in left to settle into, the kind of place a blooper over the shortstop's head would land. They had food and beer stations on the map they gave us, and I was starving, so I went to get something and started counting what money I had left. I got there, and asked how much the sodas were.
Free. Hot dogs. Free. Vendors walking around handed out ice cream to us. Free. BEER. FREE. I didn't even want one. But how do you turn down frickin' free beer?
(Coincidentally, the guy in front of us in line, after pointing out the Kids' Fun Zone to his little ones, pointed to the beer stand and said, "this is the Daddy Fun Zone." High comedy.)
So it's a great day, we're on the field, people are playing catch and running the bases, the players are out signing autographs, and what does Rhonda do? Play Nintendogs (which, by the way, is a great game to play in public if you want people to think you are mentally ill, since you look like you are talking to yourself).
While I was partaking of free beer, a crowd gathered around the hot dog stand. That's because Todd Linden and Omar Vizquel were literally tossing hot dogs into the crowd.
After stuffing our faces, we started to mill around and, as usual, goof off.
We went down into the home dugout and back to the batting cage.
This sign tells us we must be special to be down here.
This is my favorite picture of the day. Considering how tired and sweaty we are from being in the sun and walking all day, we look pretty good. The home dugout is surprisingly luxurious (no report on the visitor's side).
Today, the role of Dave Righetti is played by Rhonda. Sadly, this is a pretty common sight this season.
This picture makes me laugh, because it looks like Rhonda is scoring from first.
After I noticed the battery was dying, we played catch on the first base line for about half-an-hour. They raffled off a lot of autographed stuff but we got none. They had a raffle for a "fantasy BP" session, on my birthday no less, so I felt it was in the stars for me to win that one. Nope.
The event was winding down but Scott Eyre and Ray Durham stuck around through the whole thing to sign autographs and meet fans. Very admirable. Again, no Sharpie...but I had enough in the battery to take one last picture with Scotty.
We were planning to eat Zachary's Pizza, but by the time we traveled back to the East Bay and walked to our car, we were ready to go home. Eventually, we had a bite to eat...at Target.
So we had a day packed with wall-to-wall sports goodness, and it only cost us maybe forty bucks for two fast-food meals and transportation. Not bad.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Can you believe it?
If the Giants win two more games and LA and Arizona lose two more, the Giants could be in a tie for second place. How did this happen?
I've always maintained if they could stay close until Bonds comes back, they have a good shot at the playoffs. I didn't know that meant the other teams in the division would fold like a house of cards, but hey, whatever works.
I've always maintained if they could stay close until Bonds comes back, they have a good shot at the playoffs. I didn't know that meant the other teams in the division would fold like a house of cards, but hey, whatever works.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Keeping the action to a minimum.
Dillon, Becka, and Sarah Mae made the trip up today to eat some leftovers and check out the place. Joy, BJ, Adia, and Marv were also here.
We watched the Giants hang on to win (finally) and watched the A's drop one to the Royals (losing two out of three to a team that had lost almost twenty in a row, not a highlight). We watched some Chappelle and finished up with Sin City, which looked and sounded astonishing on my set-up.
Marv stuck around for longer than expected because Rhonda and I were showing him popjapan.tv re-runs off the PVR. We think we got him hooked on Sowelu, I think he's going to start recording it to see when her videos are on.
Signing off for tonight.
We watched the Giants hang on to win (finally) and watched the A's drop one to the Royals (losing two out of three to a team that had lost almost twenty in a row, not a highlight). We watched some Chappelle and finished up with Sin City, which looked and sounded astonishing on my set-up.Marv stuck around for longer than expected because Rhonda and I were showing him popjapan.tv re-runs off the PVR. We think we got him hooked on Sowelu, I think he's going to start recording it to see when her videos are on.
Signing off for tonight.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Party, all night. Fiesta, forever.
This was supposed to be the big 100th post, but with all the griping I've been doing, it has to settle for being #103.
We had a little get-together at the crib this weekend and have the photographic evidence to prove it. I looked all night in the unpacked boxes for the camera and finally found it.
Here's Rhonda on the eve of the big event working diligently on...something, I suppose.
Now, the same room a few hours later. Note the lack of plastic bag on the love seat and the much more deliberate positioning of the seat cushions.
My pride and joy.
On to the dining area.
I didn't take pictures of the kitchen and bathroom, as neither has changed much. (Although Becka really liked our shower dispenser.)
Here's the view of the bedroom, at least the one that obscures all the crap that we put in there to keep out of view of the public.
Finally, here's the library-slash-office. It's the only room we repainted, the trials and tribulations of which are detailed here.
Feel free to compare these pictures to the house the day we bought it. Looks a lot better, no? I didn't post pictures of the front or back yard, but I'm proud to report modest improvement.
Now, we get some air conditioning up in this mug, and we are all set.
Here's a few candids from the party. Sorry, I was just too busy playing the host to take pictures - I had tri-tip to grill and money to win (I finished second in the only poker game to Sean, after I went on a tear at the end to narrow the field). I have to practice more taking pictures at events, I'm kinda shy about it :)
(I caught some flack for the lawn, but the back was completely and utterly dead when we moved in, and then we had to spray for yellowjackets. It's only been getting water for a few weeks - those green patches weren't there before!)
Thanks to everyone who was here, it was great to see you all again. Sorry to those who couldn't make it, I guess we'll have to do it some other time. You missed out on some good food (and we could've needed the help, we still have tons leftover!).
Lastly, Adia about sums up how I feel:
We had a little get-together at the crib this weekend and have the photographic evidence to prove it. I looked all night in the unpacked boxes for the camera and finally found it.
Here's Rhonda on the eve of the big event working diligently on...something, I suppose.
Now, the same room a few hours later. Note the lack of plastic bag on the love seat and the much more deliberate positioning of the seat cushions.
My pride and joy.
On to the dining area.
I didn't take pictures of the kitchen and bathroom, as neither has changed much. (Although Becka really liked our shower dispenser.)
Here's the view of the bedroom, at least the one that obscures all the crap that we put in there to keep out of view of the public.
Finally, here's the library-slash-office. It's the only room we repainted, the trials and tribulations of which are detailed here.
Feel free to compare these pictures to the house the day we bought it. Looks a lot better, no? I didn't post pictures of the front or back yard, but I'm proud to report modest improvement.
Now, we get some air conditioning up in this mug, and we are all set.
Here's a few candids from the party. Sorry, I was just too busy playing the host to take pictures - I had tri-tip to grill and money to win (I finished second in the only poker game to Sean, after I went on a tear at the end to narrow the field). I have to practice more taking pictures at events, I'm kinda shy about it :)
(I caught some flack for the lawn, but the back was completely and utterly dead when we moved in, and then we had to spray for yellowjackets. It's only been getting water for a few weeks - those green patches weren't there before!)
Thanks to everyone who was here, it was great to see you all again. Sorry to those who couldn't make it, I guess we'll have to do it some other time. You missed out on some good food (and we could've needed the help, we still have tons leftover!).
Lastly, Adia about sums up how I feel:
Friday, August 19, 2005
Good for them
Movie theater owners fire back at studios
Hey nimrods, box office sales aren't down because of theater owners or your usual targets, file-sharers. It's because your product, for the most part, sucks. Another Deuce Bigalow movie? Theatrical remakes of every twenty-year-old TV show that aired? What for? What's next? The Love Boat, with Patrick Stewart as Captain Stubing and Snoop Dogg as Isaac? ALF: The Movie?
Don't laugh. Some Hollywood exec would read this and think it's brilliant.
You're only making the problem worse by shortening the window from theater to DVD. Why should I pay $22 for Rhonda and I to see a movie in a theater when I can wait four months, buy it on DVD for $14 at Fry's, watch it on my 60-inch screen with 5.1 DTS sound, then sell it back on eBay if it sucks? I could practically break even.
Make better movies with smaller budgets, and of a wider variety. Not every movie has to be PG-13. Didn't you learn anything from the successes of Sin City and Million Dollar Baby?
I always used to think theaters were a racket, until I found out the studios charge the theaters so much for the privilege of shilling their crappy movies, that they have to charge five bucks for a small drink to break even. If studios can bring their costs in, theaters can bring their prices down, and people will be more willing to take a risk on going to the movies, rather than waiting for the video.
Hey nimrods, box office sales aren't down because of theater owners or your usual targets, file-sharers. It's because your product, for the most part, sucks. Another Deuce Bigalow movie? Theatrical remakes of every twenty-year-old TV show that aired? What for? What's next? The Love Boat, with Patrick Stewart as Captain Stubing and Snoop Dogg as Isaac? ALF: The Movie?
Don't laugh. Some Hollywood exec would read this and think it's brilliant.
You're only making the problem worse by shortening the window from theater to DVD. Why should I pay $22 for Rhonda and I to see a movie in a theater when I can wait four months, buy it on DVD for $14 at Fry's, watch it on my 60-inch screen with 5.1 DTS sound, then sell it back on eBay if it sucks? I could practically break even.
Make better movies with smaller budgets, and of a wider variety. Not every movie has to be PG-13. Didn't you learn anything from the successes of Sin City and Million Dollar Baby?
I always used to think theaters were a racket, until I found out the studios charge the theaters so much for the privilege of shilling their crappy movies, that they have to charge five bucks for a small drink to break even. If studios can bring their costs in, theaters can bring their prices down, and people will be more willing to take a risk on going to the movies, rather than waiting for the video.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
101st post
I had hoped to have some momentous or reflective content for my 100th post, but instead I had to bitch about work.
I'll have to save it for post #102, as I'm gonna vent some more since I'm totally stressed out. With Rhonda preparing for school and both of us getting hammered by allergies (I barely made it home yesterday; I kept nodding off during the commute before I got home and promptly passed out for three hours), we picked a bad weekend to have people over. The place is still a mess (although less so than in previous weeks) and we don't have enough time to get it as ready as we'd like. Time to start making like Winston Wolf in Pulp Fiction and start hiding the evidence.
Rhonda also wants me to come help her set up the room, and while I sympathize with her plight, it's just difficult to do. I've got work, we've got a house to clean and food to buy, her school is pretty far away (and down 101, never good except in the middle of the day)...she's going to be upset, I feel guilty but also not in a position to help much, and the whole situation just sucks right now.
I need to go home. There's too much waiting for me to do there to continue griping.
I'll have to save it for post #102, as I'm gonna vent some more since I'm totally stressed out. With Rhonda preparing for school and both of us getting hammered by allergies (I barely made it home yesterday; I kept nodding off during the commute before I got home and promptly passed out for three hours), we picked a bad weekend to have people over. The place is still a mess (although less so than in previous weeks) and we don't have enough time to get it as ready as we'd like. Time to start making like Winston Wolf in Pulp Fiction and start hiding the evidence.
Rhonda also wants me to come help her set up the room, and while I sympathize with her plight, it's just difficult to do. I've got work, we've got a house to clean and food to buy, her school is pretty far away (and down 101, never good except in the middle of the day)...she's going to be upset, I feel guilty but also not in a position to help much, and the whole situation just sucks right now.
I need to go home. There's too much waiting for me to do there to continue griping.
Fun @ Sun
I'm tired, tired, tired of miscommunication. Somebody decides we need a database refresh, fine. But I could've been told all the tables in all the schemas, not just those being refreshed, were going to get plowed over. That would've saved me the trouble of waking up early Tuesday and working two hours from home before business hours on said tables. Now I have to recreate those tables, and the data in them. Four hours of my life, wasted. Miscommunication just plagues our relationship with IT, and outsourcing and Sarbanes-Oxley have just amplified the problems.
Besides that unsettling news, I got copied on an e-mail from my manager regarding some complaints about our service. Why is it some people are just complete and utter dicks? One colleague, who shall remain nameless, has done nothing but bitch and moan about my project since he came into the picture. This individual is a very bright person I'm sure, but instead of making actual contributions to the project, has used his energy to deride and insult this team and anyone associated with them in his usual smug and sanctimonious manner. Heaven forbid this person should ever make an error in judgment - which he has, instead splitting hairs with laser-like precision in order to avoid the semblance of fallibility.
There's another contributor to the program who has been antagonistic with our team in the past, but at least her venom has had some reason behind it, and I think she has made actual effort to improve our application. Whereas this other individual just seems out to run us into the ground, or at least take a few shots at us to bolster his ego.
I'll be the first to admit service has been a nightmare (can you say, "outsourcing"?) but these people are doing their best (at least, as best as they can do as contractors, since they have neither familiarity with our business processes nor incentive to help Sun as a whole). They have shown improvement. But it's not their responsibility to correct or validate data if the morons who filed service tickets can't do it correctly. Said morons are employees, they should be able to file a ticket without f'ing it up.
I love working at Sun, but right now I just want to go home.
Besides that unsettling news, I got copied on an e-mail from my manager regarding some complaints about our service. Why is it some people are just complete and utter dicks? One colleague, who shall remain nameless, has done nothing but bitch and moan about my project since he came into the picture. This individual is a very bright person I'm sure, but instead of making actual contributions to the project, has used his energy to deride and insult this team and anyone associated with them in his usual smug and sanctimonious manner. Heaven forbid this person should ever make an error in judgment - which he has, instead splitting hairs with laser-like precision in order to avoid the semblance of fallibility.
There's another contributor to the program who has been antagonistic with our team in the past, but at least her venom has had some reason behind it, and I think she has made actual effort to improve our application. Whereas this other individual just seems out to run us into the ground, or at least take a few shots at us to bolster his ego.
I'll be the first to admit service has been a nightmare (can you say, "outsourcing"?) but these people are doing their best (at least, as best as they can do as contractors, since they have neither familiarity with our business processes nor incentive to help Sun as a whole). They have shown improvement. But it's not their responsibility to correct or validate data if the morons who filed service tickets can't do it correctly. Said morons are employees, they should be able to file a ticket without f'ing it up.
I love working at Sun, but right now I just want to go home.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Slow news day.
Sadly, not much to report today. As usual, I'm pretty wiped out. Both Rhonda and I have been under the weather with allergies. She's back to getting up early again for new teacher orientation. It's exciting since she has her own class this year for the first time, and also because she should be signing a contract soon (no more of those sub rates). Well, exciting for one of us, at least...she just said a couple hours ago, "I can't wait for June 16." This from the person who's been off for two months. Like I'm going to have much sympathy.
Speaking of getting up early, I had to wake up with Rhonda to do some database work during off-hours. Then I get my con-call to India in nine hours. Lucky me...
At least the Giants are winning, beating up on the lowly Reds. If they get Barry back, they probably still have a shot. They've hung in there on this road trip against some tough pitching And to everyone who's complained about how much they suck, at least they haven't dropped seventeen straight.
I'm going to try to cram in some culture tonight by reading something before I knock out. But before I go, I'll leave you with this gem: Va. Laptop Sale Turns Into a Stampede
Speaking of getting up early, I had to wake up with Rhonda to do some database work during off-hours. Then I get my con-call to India in nine hours. Lucky me...
At least the Giants are winning, beating up on the lowly Reds. If they get Barry back, they probably still have a shot. They've hung in there on this road trip against some tough pitching And to everyone who's complained about how much they suck, at least they haven't dropped seventeen straight.
I'm going to try to cram in some culture tonight by reading something before I knock out. But before I go, I'll leave you with this gem: Va. Laptop Sale Turns Into a Stampede
Monday, August 15, 2005
Creepiest Mascot Ever
Mr. Red (with the late Marge Schott).
Those soulless eyes, that frozen grimace....yeesh. Can't imagine taking my kid to see this guy. I don't think I could afford the therapy.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Extolling the virtues of craigslist
For those of you who aren't familiar with it, craigslist is maybe the best site on the Internet. Those who do know about it know I'm only slightly exaggerating.
I first heard of craigslist during the 2002 World Series, where it, not eBay, was the hottest market for buying and selling tickets. The concept is simple: in addition to discussion forums and who knows what else, you can sell stuff easily and (usually) for free. Whereas eBay is like an online auction house, craigslist is more like the want ads. Usually you need to call or e-mail the seller to buy something, and the transaction is handled the old-fashioned way: offline.
I use craigslist regularly to attempt to sell Giants tickets, and usually have fair success since a bunch of cheapskates like us out there can't turn down $15 baseball tickets. I sold my car on craigslist. But today I witnessed the awesome power of posting something in the "free" section.
I have been putting off posting a "free" ad for our old washer and dryer. Since I was at it, I offered up our old moving boxes so I could those damn things out of the kitchen. I got up a little late, so I didn't get the ads posted until 11.
Literally 5 minutes later the phone rang.
It didn't stop for more than 10 minutes at a time over the next couple hours. The first guy came and swooped up most of the moving boxes, leaving only a few. That was kind of annoying, since I had wanted him to take all or nothing. But someone called a couple minutes later and he gladly scooped up the remaining boxes.
A nice couple came and hauled away our washer and dryer. They actually wanted just the washer because our dryer was gas, but they called back twenty minutes later and decided to take both so they could get the washer. Such is the power of free.
So by 1, all our stuff was gone. Unfortunately, craigslist's posting server went down, and I couldn't edit the posts to say the stuff had been claimed. People continued to call. We went out for a couple hours and had seven messages when we got back.
So if you have crap you want to get rid of, you don't need to put it in a landfill. There is always someone out there who will haul it off for free.
I first heard of craigslist during the 2002 World Series, where it, not eBay, was the hottest market for buying and selling tickets. The concept is simple: in addition to discussion forums and who knows what else, you can sell stuff easily and (usually) for free. Whereas eBay is like an online auction house, craigslist is more like the want ads. Usually you need to call or e-mail the seller to buy something, and the transaction is handled the old-fashioned way: offline.
I use craigslist regularly to attempt to sell Giants tickets, and usually have fair success since a bunch of cheapskates like us out there can't turn down $15 baseball tickets. I sold my car on craigslist. But today I witnessed the awesome power of posting something in the "free" section.
I have been putting off posting a "free" ad for our old washer and dryer. Since I was at it, I offered up our old moving boxes so I could those damn things out of the kitchen. I got up a little late, so I didn't get the ads posted until 11.
Literally 5 minutes later the phone rang.
It didn't stop for more than 10 minutes at a time over the next couple hours. The first guy came and swooped up most of the moving boxes, leaving only a few. That was kind of annoying, since I had wanted him to take all or nothing. But someone called a couple minutes later and he gladly scooped up the remaining boxes.
A nice couple came and hauled away our washer and dryer. They actually wanted just the washer because our dryer was gas, but they called back twenty minutes later and decided to take both so they could get the washer. Such is the power of free.
So by 1, all our stuff was gone. Unfortunately, craigslist's posting server went down, and I couldn't edit the posts to say the stuff had been claimed. People continued to call. We went out for a couple hours and had seven messages when we got back.
So if you have crap you want to get rid of, you don't need to put it in a landfill. There is always someone out there who will haul it off for free.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Must be getting old.
This evening, I was going back and forth between washing dishes and grilling a tri-tip, when I said, "I really don't want to go to work tomorrow."
To which Rhonda said, "Huh? It's Saturday."
Never have I felt so old. I was just about to put out the trash. I think I got thrown off because I worked from home yesterday, and because the Niners were playing, I just assumed it was Sunday. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
The house is coming together. I think we made our final IKEA trip of the immediate future (and fastest of all time, parking lot and back in 45 minutes). We had to drive all the way to Emeryville because the EPA (East Palo Alto for all y'all not from these parts) IKEA hasn't had a couple things we need in stock despite frequent trips. Even the website didn't have the table we were looking for, hence the hellish trip up 880 to the East Bay.
We have raided the local Aaron Brothers and our walls are looking a little less bare. I have been nailing and drilling away and I think even in an earthquake some of that stuff will stay up. I picked up some Harman Kardon Soundsticks at Costco (see little pic on the right) for my computer and for the "library" and these things are SCHWEET. They are a little too "look at me" for my taste but they sound spectacular.
(I had a speaker and sub set that held up for about five years until the left speaker shorted out, and they got trashed when we moved. I tried to get some cheapie speakers from Fry's but they were tinny as hell. I figured I would need to spend at least $50 to get any decent sound, the reviews on the speakers I was looking at weren't exactly dazzling, and the amount I was willing to spend escalated beyond common sense.
Oh well, they sound good, and if I wanted to, you can hear them clearly and crisply from the kitchen.)
Well, I'm outta things to say. That's got to be a sign I'm getting old...
To which Rhonda said, "Huh? It's Saturday."
Never have I felt so old. I was just about to put out the trash. I think I got thrown off because I worked from home yesterday, and because the Niners were playing, I just assumed it was Sunday. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
The house is coming together. I think we made our final IKEA trip of the immediate future (and fastest of all time, parking lot and back in 45 minutes). We had to drive all the way to Emeryville because the EPA (East Palo Alto for all y'all not from these parts) IKEA hasn't had a couple things we need in stock despite frequent trips. Even the website didn't have the table we were looking for, hence the hellish trip up 880 to the East Bay.
We have raided the local Aaron Brothers and our walls are looking a little less bare. I have been nailing and drilling away and I think even in an earthquake some of that stuff will stay up. I picked up some Harman Kardon Soundsticks at Costco (see little pic on the right) for my computer and for the "library" and these things are SCHWEET. They are a little too "look at me" for my taste but they sound spectacular.(I had a speaker and sub set that held up for about five years until the left speaker shorted out, and they got trashed when we moved. I tried to get some cheapie speakers from Fry's but they were tinny as hell. I figured I would need to spend at least $50 to get any decent sound, the reviews on the speakers I was looking at weren't exactly dazzling, and the amount I was willing to spend escalated beyond common sense.
Oh well, they sound good, and if I wanted to, you can hear them clearly and crisply from the kitchen.)
Well, I'm outta things to say. That's got to be a sign I'm getting old...
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Kruegergate
If you are a Giants fan and have not been living in a cave, you've heard about the comments KNBR radio host Larry Krueger made about the Giants' "brain-dead Caribbean hitters hacking at slop nightly" and the firestorm of controversy that has followed. The excrement hit the fan today when Krueger and two other KNBR employees were fired.
I've been listening to KNBR today and a few things about the whole thing are troubling. First off, I'm half-Mexican, and at first I didn't think the comments were that bad. Then I thought about it, and I could see why Giants manager Felipe Alou and the other Latino players were upset. Then I thought about it some more, and I too wanted to see a stiffer punishment for Krueg. A one-week suspension was so light a punishment for so serious an infraction that it gave the impression that what was said wasn't that bad.
There are several thing wrong with what was said. One thing is he laid the blame for the troubles of the Giants on the Latinos. While I've said the Giants need to learn how to take a pitch once in a while and be more selective, I think players since as Lance Niekro and the recently departed Marquis Grissom are as much to blame as Feliz or Cruz. Secondly, I wasn't aware that being stupid is a stereotype Latin players have had to fight against. Once I understood that, I fully understood why Felipe was making such a big deal about this.
What really bothers me is the number of people calling in to say how Felipe overreacted, Felipe should be fired, etc. etc. For one thing, Felipe played back when there was still REAL racism in the game. If anything, he should be commended for fighting for something he believes in. He has taken a lot of guff for blowing the story out of proportion, but other players were also angered. Omar Vizquel compared Krueger to John Rocker. Alou is doing this for himself, but also to stick up for his players. That's part of his job.
If something similar had been said about another racial group (try substituting "Black" for "Caribbean") there wouldn't have been this controversy. Krueger would've been shown the door before you could say, "Jimmy the Greek". I know if something like that was said at Sun, there would be no week-long suspension and no second chance.
This whole situation could've been nipped in the bud if only the initial punishment had been more stringent. If Krueger had been suspended for, say, the remainder of the baseball season, I honestly don't think Felipe would have taken this as far as he did. But because the punishment was so weak, the mounting negative publicity made Krueger's firing a foregone conclusion.
I've been listening to KNBR today and a few things about the whole thing are troubling. First off, I'm half-Mexican, and at first I didn't think the comments were that bad. Then I thought about it, and I could see why Giants manager Felipe Alou and the other Latino players were upset. Then I thought about it some more, and I too wanted to see a stiffer punishment for Krueg. A one-week suspension was so light a punishment for so serious an infraction that it gave the impression that what was said wasn't that bad.
There are several thing wrong with what was said. One thing is he laid the blame for the troubles of the Giants on the Latinos. While I've said the Giants need to learn how to take a pitch once in a while and be more selective, I think players since as Lance Niekro and the recently departed Marquis Grissom are as much to blame as Feliz or Cruz. Secondly, I wasn't aware that being stupid is a stereotype Latin players have had to fight against. Once I understood that, I fully understood why Felipe was making such a big deal about this.
What really bothers me is the number of people calling in to say how Felipe overreacted, Felipe should be fired, etc. etc. For one thing, Felipe played back when there was still REAL racism in the game. If anything, he should be commended for fighting for something he believes in. He has taken a lot of guff for blowing the story out of proportion, but other players were also angered. Omar Vizquel compared Krueger to John Rocker. Alou is doing this for himself, but also to stick up for his players. That's part of his job.
If something similar had been said about another racial group (try substituting "Black" for "Caribbean") there wouldn't have been this controversy. Krueger would've been shown the door before you could say, "Jimmy the Greek". I know if something like that was said at Sun, there would be no week-long suspension and no second chance.
This whole situation could've been nipped in the bud if only the initial punishment had been more stringent. If Krueger had been suspended for, say, the remainder of the baseball season, I honestly don't think Felipe would have taken this as far as he did. But because the punishment was so weak, the mounting negative publicity made Krueger's firing a foregone conclusion.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Whoa, I'm beat...
The good ol' computer is finally set up. No more wifi laptop. Now I can finally do my bills.
Being a homeowner has been kicking my ass. The "library" was painted last weekend. What a disaster. Never let any person or website tell you it's an easy DIY job. It was one calamity after another for Rhonda and I. I think we got it looking OK, but it was our first time painting, and it shows.
After the paint was dry I was able to get some BILLY bookcases from IKEA put up. I got a great idea from a magazine to paint the bookcases using the trim paint. Great idea, bad execution. I don't think I sanded the parts I painted well enough (I was exhausted), and then when I put the pieces together, some of the paint scraped off. I tried to touch it up for a few days and it is better, but still not quite the catalog-cover look I was shooting for. Even today, when we were putting the shelves in, little bits of paint were scraping off...I dread what it's going to look like in a few years.
So finally we're getting our immense DVD and book collection out of boxes and onto shelves. I had to shift my attention to the yard. I let one weekend go by without tending to the yard and all of a sudden I had a bigger weed problem than Bobby and Whitney. I pulled a whole 5-gallon bucket of weeds today from the front and back, and used almost a whole bottle of Round-Up getting rid of the pesky bastards cropping up in the driveway and walkways. I'm more convinced than ever that I'll need to let the backyard die and re-sow it...
The house is slowly getting into BBQ-ready shape. As I said several weeks ago, I'll get some pictures up if I ever find my camera.
Being a homeowner has been kicking my ass. The "library" was painted last weekend. What a disaster. Never let any person or website tell you it's an easy DIY job. It was one calamity after another for Rhonda and I. I think we got it looking OK, but it was our first time painting, and it shows.
After the paint was dry I was able to get some BILLY bookcases from IKEA put up. I got a great idea from a magazine to paint the bookcases using the trim paint. Great idea, bad execution. I don't think I sanded the parts I painted well enough (I was exhausted), and then when I put the pieces together, some of the paint scraped off. I tried to touch it up for a few days and it is better, but still not quite the catalog-cover look I was shooting for. Even today, when we were putting the shelves in, little bits of paint were scraping off...I dread what it's going to look like in a few years.
So finally we're getting our immense DVD and book collection out of boxes and onto shelves. I had to shift my attention to the yard. I let one weekend go by without tending to the yard and all of a sudden I had a bigger weed problem than Bobby and Whitney. I pulled a whole 5-gallon bucket of weeds today from the front and back, and used almost a whole bottle of Round-Up getting rid of the pesky bastards cropping up in the driveway and walkways. I'm more convinced than ever that I'll need to let the backyard die and re-sow it...
The house is slowly getting into BBQ-ready shape. As I said several weeks ago, I'll get some pictures up if I ever find my camera.
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