MichaelShakesDotCom

The Sheakley's

2009-04-09T16:44:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to show everyone a quick slide show of the Sheakley Family and how we've grown.

I also wanted to let my wife Sarah Sheakley know that I love her the same today as the day we met. Thank you for these wonderful years together and thank you for these wonderful kids we've made. I love you with all my heart.

Ella and Liam... The same goes for you... You are both the greatest gifts I could ever imagine to receive. Boo Boo Kitty, we still love you too.

Thoughts on Favre...

2008-07-14T11:40:00.001-04:00

Being a Packers fan, I feel that I should shed my opinion on the current situation.

Update on Favre

The "itch"

During the last few weeks, there were rumors spreading that Favre had the "itch" to play football in the NFL again this year. This after announcing his retirement publicly March of 2008. Former players and family members alike all hinted to the media that Brett had this "itch" and agreed that he retired too early in 2007/2008 post season to know for sure that he was really ready for retirement. Heading into NFL training came territory, the "itch" was that he wanted to play again in the National Football League. Last week these "rumors" of the "itch" lead by Brett's family, former team mates and now fans came to an end...

Let me in, or set me free

Over this past weekend, there have been numerous texts/email/phone calls going back and forth with Brett Favre (And his agent) and Packers GM Ted Thomson and Coach Mike McCarthy , asking for a reinstatement into the NFL and the starting job at QB for the Green Bay Packers.

This has of course not gone so well for Favre, as the team has reportedly gone on record saying that the team has moved on, said it's goodbyes to Favre and is currently set to give Aaron Rogers (Brett's understudy for the past three years. First round draft pick in 2005) the starting job at QB.

Next, Brett and his agent finally agreed that since the Pack do not need Favre any longer, they should release him from the Packers so that he might find another team needing his talent (Don't laugh, you know it's true). But yet again the Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy and GM Ted Thomson rule against Favre being released, in which doing so, Brett could sign with anyone in the NFL. Even NFC North rivalry teams such as The Chicago Bears, The Minnesota Vikings and The Detroit Lions. Which would be very bad to say the least.

The Back Up Plan

The Packers have agreed to letting Brett Favre back on the Packers roaster, but knowing fully well that Aaron Rogers is still going to be the starting QB, and Favre will be his backup (His backups backup if you will). This of course would not mold well for Packers fans, nor Brett himself (Obviously).

So what's next? Should they trade Favre? Just Release him? Try and force him to just stay retired? These are all very good questions... I hope they are all answered as soon as humanly possible... As this whole fiasco is turning into one of the biggest soap opera of NFL history.

My thoughts (As if it makes a difference)

I think that the Pack should stop whining about Brett wanting to return, pull Rogers out of his starting gig this year, give the reigns back to Favre for as long as he wants (I'm sure he would be fine winning the supper bowl this year or next) and be done with it.

Rogers is probably tired of waiting, but I'm sure another year or two would not kill him. I am really actually waiting to see how Brian Brohm will look during training camp (QB... Second pick in the 2008 draft. Looks to be a better fit with the Packers than Rogers). Hell, just bring Favre back, trade Rogers to someone who needs him now, and within the next few years give the reigns over to Brian Brohm. The End.

I wish I was the Owner of the Packers, this would be so much simpler.

Top 10 favorite Actors and Actresses

2008-03-24T15:40:00.000-04:00

In no particular order.

Actors:
1. Will Smith
2. Tom Hanks
3. Mark Wahlberg
4. Denzel Washington
5. Hugh Grant
6. Christian Bale
7. Jack Black
8. Mel Gibson
9. Philip Seymour Hoffman
10. And I have to admit it, Tom Cruise

Actresses:
1. Milla Jovovich
2. Emma Thompson
3. Diane Keaton
4. Julia Roberts
5. Kirsten Dunst
6. Nicole Kidman
7. Cameron Diaz
8. Maggie Gyllenhaal
9. Scarlett Johansson
10. Jennifer Aniston

Ella, Football and other things

2007-12-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

I believe you all know I love football, and I'm pretty sure you know I love the Packers. In my last post, they were 3-0... If you watch football and/or you know anything about football, you should know that the Pack are now 10-2.

10-2!! *Cowboys Offense was pretty good in their last game*

I don't want to jinx anything, so I am not going to tell you how they are the best and they will win the super bowl this year! But you have to be some what impressed with these guys. Right? They are the youngest team in the NFL right now... They can only get better as the years go on. Brett Favre is getting old and will probably soon retire, but who knows, he may stick around a few more years.

They are 10-2! Go Pack, Go Favre! Favre was just selected for Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated. Niesh.

Ella turned 1 (as mentioned in my last post) and as of last month, started walking and almost running around now! Brilliant! She is a Genius too. She can now say 12 different words: Dadda (Which is Daddy of course), Momma (Mommy), Hi, Bye Bye, No No No No, Dattu (Which is Thank you... and actually two words), Dish Dish Dish (This), Mow (Meow), ditty (Kitty), Uh Oh (Two words as well; kinda), and I know I am missing one or two that I can't think of right now (What a horrible father, I know).

It just starting snowing here in Erie, there should be around 2 feet when it's all said and done with (Maybe more the way it is looking). More snow, more Snowboarding. I love Winter!

And now, back to your locally scheduled program...

A long time since yesterday

2007-09-28T08:34:00.000-04:00

Since last we spoke, we have started watching 'The Office' on NBC... Quite possibly the most funniest sitcom on Television. I have no idea why we have not watch this more in the past. It is now on it's fourth season, as of Thursday Sept 27th.

Which actually brings up another Date, Sept 22nd. This date has nothing to do with The Office though. It was actually my brother Dave's Birthday. Which somehow, we completely let slip by us... So, Dave, Happy Belated Birthday... Sorry for the delay. Hope everything went well, and we'll talk to you soon.

Love,

Ella, Sarah and Mike

Speaking of Television shows, we also saw the first episode of 'Kitchen Nightmares' the other day. It was the chief from the other show, 'Hells Kitchen'. If you are not familiar with 'Kitchen Nightmares', it is where the chief from 'Hells Kitchen' takes on the task of trying to repair crappy, nasty, Nightmarish Restaurants to make them a flourishing upscale eatery. Very good show, we will be watching it again next week.

Fantasy football is upon us! Week four starts this weekend... I am in three yahoo leagues. 3-0 in one, 2-1 in another, 0-3 in the last. I will win the Super Bowl in all of them.

How bout those Packers!!?? Get Some Brett Favre! I am very excited for their 3-0 start this year. Loving what their defense and (more recently) their offense is doing as of late. They are going to the Super Bowl this year, just watch.

Ella will turn 1 yrs old Oct 11th at 4:32pm... WOW! She is getting too big, too fast. Can't believe how fast they grow. I wish there was a pause button on kids.

Ella is getting very close to walking soon. She can now crawl faster than I can run... She's fast. The plethora of Ella pics can be found on flickr (link on the right).

Sarah is now done with Pharm School... Yeah!! Congrats again to you Dr. Sarah. She does need to pass the Boards before she can work as a Pharmacist. But I don't see that as being a problem (My girls wicked smart). Ella and I are very proud of your accomplishments! Love you a whole bunches!

What else...

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

Paraskavedekatriaphobia

2007-04-13T09:58:00.000-04:00

Seeing as how it's Friday the 13th, I thought I would give a quick post...

Friday the 13th is one of the most superstitious days of the year. It's where some stay home from work to try and avoid any mishaps that may occur on "The Devil's Dozen".

Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have one thing in common... They all have 13 letters in their name, coincidence? I think not. If you have 13 letters in your name, I wouldn't worry, but you should!

There are 13 Witches in a coven... The Bible tells us there were exactly 13 present at the Last Supper. One of the disciples betrayed Jesus, setting the stage for the Crucifixion. The Crucifixion took place on a Friday...

"Never change your bed on Friday; it will bring bad dreams. Don't start a trip on Friday or you will have misfortune. If you cut your nails on Friday, you cut them for sorrow. Ships that set sail on a Friday will have bad luck..."

"It was on a Friday, supposedly, that Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit. Adam bit, as we all learned in Sunday School, and they were both ejected from Paradise. Tradition also holds that the Great Flood began on a Friday; God tongue-tied the builders of the Tower of Babel on a Friday; the Temple of Solomon was destroyed on a Friday; and, of course, Friday was the day of the week on which Christ was crucified. It is therefore a day of penance for Christians."

"In pagan Rome, Friday was execution day (later Hangman's Day in Britain), but in other pre-Christian cultures it was the sabbath, a day of worship, so those who indulged in secular or self-interested activities on that day could not expect to receive blessings from the gods — which may explain the lingering taboo on embarking on journeys or starting important projects on Fridays.

To complicate matters, these pagan associations were not lost on the early Church, which went to great lengths to suppress them. If Friday was a holy day for heathens, the Church fathers felt, it must not be so for Christians — thus it became known in the Middle Ages as the "Witches' Sabbath," and thereby hangs another tale."

Now you see why "Friday the 13th" is the most unluckiest day of them all!

So! Hope everyone has a good day at school, work, home or where ever you are spending your Friday the 13th. And don't worry, if you aren't superstitious, you probably won't even see it coming... So, there's that...

Update from the north

2007-03-11T20:52:00.000-04:00

Hello! Haven't blogged in a while so I thought I'd drop by to satisfy any and all loyal readers of this wonderful blog...

As I mentioned in my last post, we were spending a month and a few weeks in Juneau Alaska for Sarah's school rotation... We've been here for three weeks so far, and we have three week left to go. Sarah not being able to see Ella Monday through Friday 8:00 to 5:00 has been quite an adjustment for her (And vice versa)... It has also been harder than planned for me too, having to work from my laptop all day while trying to take care of the young one. She can be a real handful sometimes (But a loving handful)... But we've all adjusted for the most (Time change, work change), we will all have to adjust when we get back into Erie, but that's life...

As for the weather, it has snowed every day during the week and has been sunny (almost) every weekend, so we can't complain too much. Dave, Sarah (Dave's Sarah) and I went snowboarding last weekend at Eaglecrest (Juneau's Ski Resort). It was very good weather for it... We all had a great time (See Flickr Pics for a few of the Mountains finest at play)!

Sarah's (My Sarah) birthday is tomorrow (March 12th) and Rose's (Sis's) birthday is one the 14th... So Happy Birthday to you two!! Hope everything goes right as rain! Sarah will be 28 (wow) and Rose will be 19 (double wow)! But you will never catch up to me... Because I am fast as fast can be! Ella is getting so big! She will be 5 months on Sunday... Four months younger than her cuz Kyla, she will be 9 months soon (triple wow), if not already.

Hope everyone is doing well! Talk to you all later!

-Mike

Happy Belated New Year to you...

2007-01-02T09:29:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to you all!

We have a lot to be thankful for in 2006, but by far is our newest addition to the Sheakley family... Ella Rae Sheakley! She has been a real blessing to us all... Loving her dearly... Day in and day out. Thank you for being in our lives Ella... Life wouldn't be the same without you, but of course you knew that.

Well, 2oo7 snuck right up on us this year... Gives us a fresh start, a clean slate if you will... Time for a change for the better some would say. This year I propose to you all (Myself included) to be a little nicer to your neighbor (As it were), meaning no road rage, no swearing under your breath at idiots cutting in front of you (Or riding your ass). Also, this reminds me... As my friend J.A. White would say, try to increase your vernacular and tone down your use of expletives. I also was thinking of regulating the intake of Coffee this year, but I think I will save that for lent instead. Coffee is just too good to be regulated...

Sarah is starting back up in her school duties today... She has only rotations left before she is done with Pharm School. It will be tough for her to spend time away from Ella, but I think she is going to give it a try. Ella has become the most addicting thing since Coffee and Video Games (Even Guitar Hero doesn't compare the the addicting sweet smiling face of Ella Rae). Sarah has a rotation coming up in Alaska, in which we will be visiting family as an added bonus. Six weeks here, six weeks there... And she will be known as "Dr. Sarah" Sheakly.

Speaking of "Guitar Hero", if you haven't played this game yet, I would strongly suggest you to give it a try... *Warning, once you start, you will have to cancel your plans for the next few weeks... As it is very addicting* Sarah can't get enough of it (And she is not really a "video game" player). We rock out about two to three times a day. You can buy a second guitar and play doubles, but I'm not exactly sure if that is the best idea for us, we wouldn't get anything else done (Who would be watching Precious Doll when we are doing our double guitar solo towards the end of "Free Bird"?). It's great fun for the whole family! Ella is going to love it... She already loves watching TV... She is fitting into this family quite nicely.

I'm still working at GE as a System's Analyst (GE eBusiness Helpdesk), it's going good... Although unbearably slow through the Holiday. I hope to be working from a laptop when we all go to Alaska for a month. This way, I can work from afar while still helping out with Ella care. This would be great...

Well, hope everyone's Holiday was a blast and hope everyone has a great New Year!!!

Best Wishes!!

-Mike

Holiday Whobiddy Whatty!?

2006-12-08T14:05:00.000-05:00

Getting close to the biggest holiday season of the year (Christmas, which is actually Jesus Christ's Birthday too. No coincidence), so I thought I would give a Christmas shout out.

Thing's have been going well here at the Sheakley household. Sarah and I are just loving Ella Rae Sheakley more and more each and every day she is in our lives. She is truly God's gift from heaven... Our little angle.

Ella will be 2 months old on the 11th of this month, but it sure does feel a lot longer than that (In a good way). She is constantly smiling (When she's not crying), even when she is sleeping, you can catch her with a smirk on her face at times (And no, it's not gas). We have taken about a bizillion pictures of her already and she is not even a year old yet (Sheakley habits die hard). I am sure we will take a gizzillion more...

Thanksgiving was a good... Sarah, Ella and I went to Oil City to have Thanksgiving at my Uncle Jim's house (First time my moms side of the family got to meet Ella... She was a hit!). We ate some turkey, watched some football (My fantasy QB had 300 yards passing, 5 touchdown passes for a grand total of 47 fantasy points on Thanksgiving Day, Won the Thanksgiving Day Gobbler trophy, and I still lost that game!), and passed around the the baby all day, until she pooped on someone.

I will be taking pictures at my friend Rima and Jim's wedding on December 16th of this month, I plan on posting some pics here and on flickr (So stay tuned for that). I am renting a nice Canon 5D and Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L lens for this event (Which are the ideal combo when photographing a wedding!!). I have been wanting this camera ever since if first came out... So now, I finally get to try it out first hand (Hope everything is in working order). I do have a back-up Canon Elan IIe (Film) camera, just in case (Always carry a backup! Always!). I bought a Gary Fong Lightsphere II for the event as well (This is a great diffuser for your flash). This should be a great combo, so I am anticipating some very good images... Can't wait to shoot your guys wedding! I just hope I can get some great shots!

There are a few Christmas get togethers coming up... Work, friends, family... Hope the snow doesn't make things too difficult this year. *Note to self, put snow tire's on car*

Hope everyone has a Happy Holiday!!!!

Love,

The Sheakley's (The ones in Erie on 2nd street)

Play My Bro's Station (Bidding Over)

2006-12-04T14:14:00.000-05:00

BIDDING OVER... WINNER PICKED!!!

You know you want one. You know you need one. Get one now...

PS3... Ebay, Here Now!

Time HAS run out!!! THANKS FOR LOOKING...

GOING, GOING, GONE!!! Do it now... You have 20 Hours from now to get your hands on this fine none Microsoft piece of Gaming Equipment!

1 Million Mega Pixels

2006-11-14T14:16:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I talked about my Camera needs to the millions who read my blog on a daily basis (JK, more like the 20-30 passer byes that are only here for a few seconds)... So I will take you through my normal "camera" thought routine that I go through about 3 to 4 times a week... But before that, lets first get everyone else up to speed...

For those of you who don't know me... I have a deep aspiration for this wonderful invention of "the camera". I love everything about camera's and photography, from taking the picture to processing the shot to viewing other people's pictures all over the world. I have always loved photography, thanks to my Dad (Who owns more manual camera equipment than a used camera shop)... Yada, Yada...

...Times have changed... Digital photography is now the wave of the Present and the Future. I am loving all of the options we have right now when wanting to purchase a new camera. Digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera's, Digital PS (Point and Shoot) camera's, Digital CP (Cell Phones, duh... You thought I was going to say Coat Posse huh) camera's. We even have Digital Camera's for our Car Bumper's now (sheese)! But I am lovin' it. More ways for me to get the picture.

My first camera was an old Manual Olympus OM2n that I used in my Juneau Douglas High School Photog Class, and still use on occasion (This was, and still is a great camera). I have since gone to a Canon Ellan IIe and then most recently a Canon Powershot A610 (Only Digital Camera I own so far... besides my CP Camera). I have enjoyed using all of these camera's over the years, but there comes a time when you need more. More MP's (Mega Pixels), more camera lens choices, more bokeh (Background Blur in you picture), more more more... Which brings us to some other questions...

What kind of camera I should buy? What type of camera suits me and my photography needs? You may be asking yourself the same questions. Do I get more MP's? Do I get the compact or the heavy duty professional grade camera that I really want (At a very steep cost)? Do I settle for the in between Pro-Sumer class camera (Which nowadays is a great way to go)? If I go small, do I want a long zoom? If I go big, do I want a full frame sensor or a Cropped Factor sensor (1.3-1.6 times the zoom added on to every Millimeter, so it appears)? What brand is better? For me that's a non-issue, I am a Canon man and will always be a Canon man. There are many more questions that you can ask yourself when looking into buying a new Digital Camera... And this is what goes through my head each and every week, or at least until I put those thoughts to rest after my next purchase.

If you're not into photography as much as I am, the answer would probably be simple... "The one the guy at Best Buy says is good", Right? But for those who's passion is to get the best possible picture you can with the most possible options you can (Like myself)... then the answer isn't that simple.

What I can tell you is, do your research! Go online and "Google" the camera's that you are interested in purchasing. Type in ("Said Camera" Review) and click search... This is the best way you are going to learn about these camera's. Go to Camera Forums and read up on the best camera's out there (Or at least what everyone else says is the best camera's out there). Here are a few sites that I like to visit every day, they are all about camera's...

Pbase: A great site for viewing photo's from people that use every type of camera. You can use this site to view pictures from your next potential camera purchase.

The-Digital-Picture.com: A great place for Digital Camera reviews (This site is for Digital SLR's only).

Digital Camera Preview: Another nice D-Camera review site (This site for all type's of Digital Camera's).

Fred Miranda: This is my favorite forum to use about Cameras. I think this one is the best out there (You will have to register if you want to use).

There are many more sites out there if you just search for them, these are some of my favorites though.

So, now that you have all of your questions... You've visited all of these sites and more... You have looked at the sample pictures from users online... And you are still trying to decide what camera is best for you... You are right on track to getting your next Digital Camera. Just go through all of these question's, sites and pictures every day, and you will be close to where I am in deciding on my next purchase...

Now, let's end on a slide show...

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Meet Ella

2006-10-12T15:11:00.000-04:00

Ella Rae Sheakley

Just wanted to update everyone on our (Sarah and I) new addition to the Sheakley Family...

Ella Rae Sheakley was born 10-11-2006... She weighed 6.13 ounces... 20 inches long... and I have to get back to the hospital now...

Wooo Hooo!!!

Mike

Read the ad...

2006-10-05T11:14:00.000-04:00

Posted Date: Aug 7th, 2006

Expired Date: Sept 6th, 2006

$10,000
06' Suzuki GSXR 1000
Farmington, UT 84025 - Aug 7, 2006
2006 Suzuki 1000. This bike is perfect! It has 1000 miles and has had its 500 mile dealer service. (Expensive) It's been adult ridden, all wheels have always been on the ground. I use it as a cruiser/commuter. I'm selling it because it was purchased without proper consent of a loving wife. Apparently "do whatever the f*** you want" doesn't mean what I thought. Call me, Don. (801)xxx-xxxx

Do you believe in the John Madden Curse???

2006-09-27T09:20:00.001-04:00

Well, You Should!!!

In the NFL, a single player has been featured on the front Cover of John Maddens Football (Video Game) since 2001. Ever since, there has been a curse on that player the following year in the NFL.

Lets look at the facts (Taken from a source that was taken from another source that was taken from the horses mouth). Here we go...

Eddie George - 2000 (Season) 2001 (Madden Year)

(Stats) 403 Rush, 1509 Yds, 14 TD (Team Record) 13-3 1st Place (Player's Curse) George's curse came in 2001 where he failed to break 1000 yards and Tennessee missed the playoffs going 7-9.

Daunte Culpepper - 2001 (Season) 2002 (Madden Year)

(Stats) 2612 Yds, 14 TD, 13 Int (Team Record) 5-11 4th Place (Player's Curse) Culpepper missed 4 games with injury, threw for 1300 less yards and 19 less TD's then in 2000. Minnesota's worst record since 1984. 2002 Daunte Culpepper 2001 2612 Yds, 14 TD, 13 Int 5-11 4th Place Culpepper missed 4 games with injury,

Marshall Faulk - 2002 (Season) 2003 (Madden Year)

(Stats) 212 Rush, 953 Yds, 8 TD (Team Record) 7-9 3rd Place Despite playing the same amount of games, (Player's Curse) Faulk rushed for 430 less yards and had 4 less TDs compared to 2001. Faulk's worst season since 1996. Rams scored only 16 more points then their 1996 team who had Tony Banks at QB and Lawrence Phillips at RB.

Michael Vick - 2003 (Season) 2004 (Madden Year)

(Stats) 585 Yards, 4 TD, 3 INT (Team Record) 5-11 4th Place (Player's Curse) Vick missed the first 11 games with a broken leg. Vick's QB rating, comp pct, and yards per attempt were all down from 2002.

Ray Lewis - 2004 (Season) 2005 (Madden Year)

(Stats) 147 Tak, 1 Sack (Team Record) 9-7 2nd Place (Player's Curse) Ray Lewis for the most part avoided the curse. His numbers were slightly down from the year before, but he missed one game. He did not record an interception in 2004, the first time in his career. 2

Donovan Mcnabb - 2005 (Season) 2006 (Madden Year)

(Stats) 2507 Yards, 16 TD, 9 INT (Team Record) 6-10 4th place After week 9, (Player's Curse) Mcnabb suffered a hernia and was lost for the season. Mcnabb threw for more interceptions and his yards per attempt and completion percentage were down from 2004. The Eagles finished 6-10, in last place, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1999.0 4th place After week 9, Mcnabb suffered a hernia and was lost for the season. Mcnabb threw for more interceptions and his yards per attempt a

And now, this brings us to the Curse that hits closest to my heart (And FF Team this year)

Shaun Alexander - 2006 (Season) 2007 (Madden Year)

(Stats) 187 Yards, 2 TD, 2.9 YPC (Team Record) 3-0 First Place (Player's Curse) Shaun Alexander was the 2005 MVP, racking up 1880 rushing yards, 5.1 YPC, and 27 touchdowns. After week 3, Alexander has been diagnosed with a broken left foot. He is expected to miss a couple of weeks (He has never missed a game before in his NFL career).

Now a couple of weeks is a couple of weeks... It is not the worse curse of them all, but I need him in there every week!!! Shaun, I wish you well and a safe and speady return!

Note: Before 2001, John Madden Football did not have NFL players on its cover. It just had a picture of John Madden himself. (Thanks for the Info Fantom 1997).

What I like about the Seasons...

2006-09-21T09:21:00.000-04:00
I love every Season of the year... There's always something to love... And here are some things that do it for me...

Summer:

Lets start with Summer... I love Summer! Summer is warm... Warm means beaches, beach volleyball, beach picnics, beach barbeques and beach tanning.

It's also a great time for Golf (And the start of the Golf Season)... Golf is my favorite... If I had to do anything for the rest of my life, it would be Golf. I love playing Golf in real life, playing Tiger Woods Golf on Playstation, I love Watching Golf on the Television... Golf is grand... Golf is grand...

Fall:

Oh, Fall is another great time for me... I love the Fall!! I can still play Golf, and it's actually cheaper because of the end of the year discounts. Fall brings Colors, which brings out my Camera (Another Love) for some awesome pictures. Man, I still haven't purchased the Canon 5D yet, but I'm still dreaming. October brings Halloween and Halloween brings Pumpkins at the Pumpkin Farm.

Fall also means Football!!! And when Football comes, so does Fantasy Football!!! Both are ranked up there with Golf and Photography... My FF Team this year looks very good on paper...
QB: Drew Bledsoe, Michael Vick
WR: Anquan Boldin, Terrell Owens, Roy Williams and Deion Branch
RB: Shawn Alexander, Reggie Bush, Frank Gore
TE: Kellen Winslow, Vernin Davis
K: Robbie Gould (Which I'm hoping will be last years Neil Rackers)
Def: Pittsburgh Steelers

Seeing how it is Fall/Football Season right now... Have a look at why my Boy Reggie Bush should have gone number one in this year’s NFL Draft...

Reggie Bush in High school...

If you still don't know Reggie Bush and his skills, check him out in College...

He is the man!!! Wait until he is done with the NFL this year, he will have an Awesome NFL Highlight reel too...

Oh yeah, I love walks in the park in the Fall too (With my Wife and my Camera)...

Winter:

Winter brings cold thought, cold weather, cold cars, cold houses and cold nights (But that's not what I like about Winter)... What I really like about winter is the Snow. I love the Snow... The way it looks, the way it feels. I love to snowboard… I love to sled ride. Snow is good; the cold is not so good... But I still love Winter.

Winter Brings Beautiful Pictures too... Snow covered trees are the best. I brings Northern Lights (In AK), it brings Hot Chocolate with marshmallows, it brings Hot Cappuccino’s (Coffee is good in all Seasons, but especially good in the Winter).

Winter brings warm baths and Fires in the Place (I mean Fireplace)... I love wearing sweaters and flannel pajamas. I would much rather have many blankets at night, than being hotter than hell in the summer's night (I can't sleep good sweaty). Winter is also the Best Damn Sunset time of the Season!

Spring:

Spring comes right when you start getting sick of the cold part of Winter... It is when I start thinking of Golf (I even start thinking of Football, even though it is still a season away). All of the trees start turning green and flowers start to bloom (More photo opts).

I can't think of too much more I like about Spring, except its almost time to start Summer again...

And Summer, I love...

Who would you pick first in your Fantasy Football League?

2006-09-13T14:42:00.000-04:00

Swing Portrait (Recommend Internet Explorer)

2006-07-29T21:24:00.000-04:00
My Swing Portrait

If you all haven't seen The Tiger Swing Portrait... Here is my Swing Portrait.

Updated bundle of Joy...

2006-07-14T08:55:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I updated about our bundle of joy... Sarah has been doing very well (No bad symptoms of having a baby). She is only feeling uncomfortable when she is sleeping wrong, sitting wrong, walking and sometimes talking (Just kidding), but other than that, she's been doing great. Oh yes… We will be having a baby Girl!!! I’m not sure if I told some of you or not… but I figured it was some important information to know (I think some of you already know this, but I know some of you do not).

Sarah is Due October 9th, so we have about 3 more months to go. We have recently been able to feel the baby kicking (Or punching, Head Butting, booty bopping or whatever it is they do) the past month of so. This is such a weird feeling to know that there is a tiny living baby in there and you can actually feel it move. We bought one of those Heart Monitor things (Not the 400-500 dollar ones they use in the Hospital) and so far we can hear a whole bunch of gasses and mother’s heartbeat, but not the heart beat of the little Packers fan.
We have been thinking of names for our Precious, but we will not reveal these names due to the prevention of conspiracy to commit name theft fraud’o. But seriously, we have a few different names picked out; we just don’t want to tell you what they are (Just yet).

Baby unborn already has a Green Bay Packers bib from her soon to be Uncle Stephen Hunt (Sarah's younger brother). So she's well on her way to becoming Daddy's little packer fan. She will also love Golf, Photography and Riding her Bike Backwards with Roller Blades on (Some of you may not get that).

That should do it for now… I will keep you all updated as the story unfolds…

11 Secrets all men keep... Most men...

2006-07-05T10:58:00.000-04:00

Secret #1: Yes, we fall in lust 10 times a day -- but it doesn't mean we want to leave you
If the oldest question in history is "What's for dinner?" the second oldest is "Were you looking at her?" The answer: Yes -- yes, we were. If you're sure your man doesn't look, it only means he possesses acute peripheral vision.
"When a woman walks by, even if I'm with my girlfriend, my vision picks it up," says Doug LaFlamme, 28, of Laguna Hills, California. "I fight the urge to look, but I just have to. I'm really in trouble if the woman walking by has a low-cut top on."
Granted, we men are well aware that our sizing up the produce doesn't sit well with you, given that we've already gone through the checkout line together. But our passing glances pose no threat.
"It's not that I want to make a move on her," says LaFlamme. "Looking at other women is like a radar that just won't turn off."
Secret #2: We actually do play golf to get away from you
More than 21 million American men play at least one round of golf a year; of those, an astounding 75 percent regularly shoot worse than 90 strokes a round. In other words, they stink. The point is this: "Going golfing" is not really about golf. It's about you, the house, the kids -- and the absence thereof.
"I certainly don't play because I find it relaxing and enjoyable," admits Roland Buckingham, 32, of Lewes, Delaware, whose usual golf score of 105 is a far-from-soothing figure. "As a matter of fact, sometimes by the fourth hole I wish I were back at the house with the kids screaming. But any time I leave the house and don't invite my wife or kids -- whether it's for golf or bowling or picking up roadkill -- I'm just getting away."
Secret #3: We're unnerved by the notion of commitment, even after we've made one to you
This is a dicey one, so first things first: We love you to death. We think you're fantastic. Most of the time we're absolutely thrilled that we've made a lifelong vow of fidelity to you in front of our families, our friends and an expensive videographer.
But most of us didn't spend our formative years thinking, "Gosh, I just can't wait to settle down with a nice girl so we can grow old together." Instead we were obsessed with how many women who resembled Britney Spears we could have sex with before we turned 30. Generally it takes us a few years (or decades) to fully perish that thought.
Secret #4: Earning money makes us feel important
In more than 7.4 million U.S. marriages, the wife earns more than the husband -- almost double the number in 1981. This of course is a terrific development for women in the workplace and warmly embraced by all American men, right? Right?
Yeah, well, that's what we tell you. But we're shallow, competitive egomaniacs. You don't think it gets under our skin if our woman's bringing home more bacon than we are -- and frying it up in a pan?
"My wife and I are both reporters at the same newspaper," says Jeffrey Newton, 33, of Fayetteville, South Carolina. "Five years into our marriage I still check her pay stub to see how much more an hour I make than she does. And because she works harder, she keeps closing the gap."
Secret #5: Though we often protest, we actually enjoy fixing things around the house
I risk being shunned at the local bar if this magazine finds its way there, because few charades are as beloved by guys as this one. To hear us talk, the Bataan Death March beats grouting that bathroom shower. And, as 30-year-old Ed Powers of Chicago admits, it's a shameless lie. "In truth, it's rewarding to tinker with and fix something that, without us, would remain broken forever," he says. Plus we get to use tools.
"The reason we don't share this information," Powers adds, "is that most women don't differentiate between taking out the trash and fixing that broken hinge; to them, both are tasks we need to get done over the weekend, preferably during the Bears game. But we want the use-your-hands, think-about-the-steps-in-the-process, home-repair opportunity, not the repetitive, no-possibility-of-a-compliment, mind-dulling, purely physical task." There. Secret's out.
Secret #6: We like it when you mother us, but we're terrified that you'll become your mother
With apologies to Sigmund Freud, Gloria Steinem -- and my mother-in-law.
Secret #7: Every year we love you more
Sure, we look like adults. We own a few suits. We can probably order wine without giggling. But although we resemble our father when he was our age, we still feel like that 4-year-old clutching his pant leg.
With that much room left on our emotional-growth charts, we sense we've only begun to admire you in the ways we will when we're 40, 50 and -- God forbid -- 60. We can't explain this to you, because it would probably come out sounding like we don't love you now.
"It took at least a year before I really started to appreciate my wife for something other than just great sex; and I didn't discover her mind fully until the third year we were married," says Newton. "But the older and wiser I get, the more I love my wife." Adds J.P. Neal, 32, of Potomac, Maryland: "The for-richer-or-poorer, for-better-or-worse aspects of marriage don't hit you right away. It's only during those rare times when we take stock of our life that it starts to sink in."
Secret #8: We don't really understand what you're talking about
You know how, during the day, you sometimes think about certain deep, complex "issues" in your relationship? Then when you get home, you want to "discuss" these issues? And during these "discussions," your man sits there nodding and saying things like "Sure, I understand," "That makes perfect sense" and "I'll do better next time"?
Well, we don't understand. It doesn't make any sense to us at all. And although we'd like to do better next time, we could only do so if, in fact, we had an idea of what you're talking about.
We do care. Just be aware that the part of our brain that processes this stuff is where we store sports trivia.
Secret #9: We are terrified when you drive
Want to know how to reduce your big, tough guy to a quivering mass of fear? Ask him for the car keys.
"I am scared to death when she drives," says LaFlamme.
"Every time I ride with her, I fully accept that I may die at any moment," says Buckingham.
"My wife has about one 'car panic' story a week -- and it's never her fault. All these horrible things just keep happening -- it must be her bad luck," says Andy Beshuk, 31, of Jefferson City, Missouri.
Even if your man is too diplomatic to tell you, he is terrified that you will turn him into a crash-test dummy.
Secret #10: We'll always wish we were 25 again
Granted, when I was 25 I was working 16-hour days and eating shrimp-flavored Ramen noodles six times a week. But as much as we love being with you now, we will always look back fondly on the malnourished freedom of our misguided youth. "Springsteen concerts, the '91 Mets, the Clinton presidency -- most guys reminisce about the days when life was good, easy and free of responsibility," says Rob Aronson, 41, of Livingston, New Jersey, who's been married for 11 years. "At 25 you can get away with things you just can't get away with at 40."
While it doesn't mean we're leaving you to join a rock band, it does explain why we occasionally come home from Pep Boys with a leather steering-wheel cover and a Born to Run CD.
Secret #11: Give us an inch and we'll give you a lifetime
I was on a trip to Mexico, standing on a beach, waxing my surfboard and admiring the glistening 10-foot waves, when I decided to marry the woman who is now my wife. Sure, this was three years before I got around to popping the question. But that was when I knew.
Why? Because she'd let me go on vacation alone. Hell, she made me go. This is the most important thing a man never told you: If you let us be dumb guys, if you embrace our stupid poker night, if you encourage us to go surfing -- by ourselves -- our silly little hearts, with their manly warts and all, will embrace you forever for it.
And that's the truth.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2006 WHEN...

2006-06-19T09:41:00.000-04:00
1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers for your family of 3.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.

8. Leaving the house without your cellphone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years in your life, is now cause for panic and you turn around to go get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.

AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.

Top five things I like and dislike this week...

2006-04-28T13:47:00.000-04:00
Things I like this week...

The newer version of Mozilla Firefox (I haven't used it in a while, and I love having 5 tabs of browsing fun opened in one browser window).
The Summer Sun and a temperature of 50 degrees or higher (It's been so nice out lately... I guess its time to Golf and Take more pictures whilst I’m on one of my many brisk walks… lol).
The NFL draft is this weekend (Yes, more Players to choose from in our Yahoo Fantasy Football fake draft. I can't wait till football season starts). Also Brett Favre will be with the Packers for at least one more year AND they have reportedly signed defensive back Charles Woodson! NNNNNNIIIIIIIIICEEE!
Quizno's Subs (Man O' man, do I love the refreshing taste of Quizno's Subs… I love their Tuna) “Tuna Crap!”… “Have a Cheese Sandwich.”
My Wife (My Wife will always be in the top five things I like each week), nutin but love for ya baby. I’m so proud of you for doing so well at LECOM! I know that I couldn’t do it (And these aren't in any kind of order or anything).

Things I don't like this week...

Loading time on my PC (By this time next year my computer will have the worth of a great big, giant paperweight. It is so outdated it's not even funny... and I'm supposed to be some kind of Computer geek).
Since it is getting warmer, I am not able to snowboard anymore (My favorite winter passion is snowboarding. I didn't get to go that much this past winter and now I will miss it so).
How much money Charles Woodson reportedly signed for with the Packers for (As part of what was mentioned in what I like for number 3, Charles Woodson signed with the Green Bay Packers… a seven-year deal for $52.7 Million Dollars. I will only get to dream of having this much money... lucky SOB).
Rug burns (I love playing tag with Kevin Bacon, our cat. But these rug burns on my knees are killing me). What, you don’t play tag with your cat?
I still do not have my Canon DSLR and beautiful “L” Lenses (I am patiently trying to wait for this purchase, but I don’t know how much longer I can last).

What to Expect

2006-04-11T13:25:00.000-04:00

What to Expect,
originally uploaded by Michael Shakes.
This is some artwork I put together in Photoshop 7.0 (I know, I need to upgrade. Also I know I need to practice more using the Selection tool in PS).

This is a picture of a pregnancy test showing positive for being pregnant in the place of the Bicentennial Tower (If you hadn't guessed it already).

If I hadn’t told you about my sister Rose yet… She is pregnant and expecting. I am going to be an Uncle again (My brother Dave has two girls of his own)! Which is exiting on it’s own! Congrats to you Rose!

But the other reason for me posting this today is that for some strange reason, Sarah (My wife) has two heartbeats (After visiting her doctor today). One big one and one small one…

I guess what I'm trying to say is...

Not only am I going to be a new Uncle… I'm going to be a D-A-D!!

I hope that I didn’t confuse you too much here. Let’s go over this one more time…

1) Rose is going to be a mother.
2) I am going to be an Uncle.
3) Rose is going to be an Aunt.
4) I am going to be a Dad.

Any Questions?

Chip Fetish...?

2006-03-31T16:05:00.000-05:00
Do you remember that one Potato Chip commercial where someone “pops” a chip into their mouth and then closes the bag back up? Like they’re all set for the entire week with that one chip (“No more chips for me…!”)? And then all of the sudden, for some unexpected reason they can’t wait to get their hands on that next chip and stuff it into their mouth (They just can’t stop)?

Why is it that we can’t eat just one Potato Chip? Are we just extremely hungry people? Do we have some sort of a chip fetish? Do they really make Potato Chips that good; you can’t just have one now and save the rest for later?

Take me for example... I opened a bag of Doritos the other day and had them finished in a day and a half (I love Doritos). Same thing goes for Cheetos (The Puffy ones); I would have a bag of Cheetos gone within an hour (No Problem).

Maybe a bag of Pork Rinds... If I had a bag of Pork Rinds and I ate just one, I could probably stop eating after just one (Not a fan of the Pork Rinds). Have you ever dipped your pretzel in the Potato Chip Dip (French onion)? Very good stuff…

Does anyone else have a Potato Chip fetish or maybe just a fetish (Why not be general)? Which ones can you eat in an hour or which ones would you never eat in a million years (Chips that is)? I need some fresh ideas for my next bag to buy...

Oh and by the way... "It's Friday!!!"... *Hi Five*... "Yessssss!!"... *Fist Pump, right down by my waist (Tiger Woods Style)*...

Happy Saint Patty's Day!

2006-03-17T15:03:00.000-05:00

St. Patty's Day Sunrise,
originally uploaded by Michael Shakes.
Just wanted to wish everyone the best on St. Patrick’s Day... and try not to have too much fun.

Happy P-Day Everyone... Happy P-Day!!

-Mike

Log...

2006-03-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

"What rolls down stairs alone or in pairs
Rolls over your neighbor's dog?
What's great for a snack and fits on your back?
It's Log, Log, Log!

It's Log, Log, it's big, it's heavy, it's wood.
It's Log, Log, it's better than bad, it's good!
Everyone wants a log! You're gonna love it, Log!
Come on and get your log! Everyone needs a Log!"

(Writen by the creators of Ren and Stimpy... It's the "Ren & Stimpy - The LOG Song" Performed by Tammy Ames) Tam wishes she was a Canadian.

Pin stealing pieces of...

2006-03-09T10:55:00.000-05:00
I'm not sure if everyone has read this or heard this but... Check you bank account and get your Pins and Bank Cards changed!!!

Click here for the whole story!

"Police in Erie, Pa., say they've taken reports from dozens of residents."

Damn those theftians!

Do you Blog?

2006-03-06T10:51:00.001-05:00
Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog

Its funny... when you say and see the word blog like 30 times, it just starts to look and sound Weird.

Mmm...

You talkin to me?!

2006-02-19T21:51:00.000-05:00

You talkin to me?! (The Fix),
originally uploaded by Michael Shakes.
Here is a picture that I took on the 18th of this month (Feb. Yesterday). I'm not sure if you all have a Flickr account, but this Picture made it to the front page of "Interestingness"... out of the top 500 Most Interesting pictures that were uploaded on the 18th of February, mine was 5th most Interesting (And hopefully moves up some more spots).

If you click here, and then click on the 18th of February's calendar... you should see my picture (That last I saw was in the fifth spot).

This is the first time my picture has made it on the list at all (That I am aware of) and it is right at the top.

I am proud of my (Not all the way sharpened) Pigeon "You Talkin to Me?! pic, as there are a ton of awesome pictures in "Interestingness" that I made it ahead of...

If you have time and would like to look at some Interesting pictures, check out the pictures on Interestingness… they are really interesting.

Cheers!

-Mike

Coming to a Theater near you...

2006-02-17T21:59:00.000-05:00

Coming to a Theater near you...,
originally uploaded by Michael Shakes.
Just to let everyone know, there's a new movie coming out next year...

If you like action packed...

You Do Not want to Miss This!

And now, you know the REST of the story...

2006-02-15T13:39:00.000-05:00
For a few years now, I have had what we now found is probably Acid Reflux problems... every now and again (If I have WAY too much Caffeine and/or foods/drinks that bring up Acids from the... acid... place) I would get (Kind of) an upset stomach... And it usually doesn't feel good.

So anyway... I often take Prevacid to calm my shaky ass down... And it works great (I'm on day 4... what day are you on?).

We got a pack of Prevacid about a week ago and I usually take one a day to keep the Acid away... Well on my forth day, I reach around the back of the kitchen door to grab day 4 of Prevacid (Because we keep a bunch of pharmacy/medicine type stuff on the back of the kitchen door...) and just realized that for the past three days now, I've been taking Cold Time Sick and Flu (Whatever) Medicine...!

To make a long story short... I'm kind of on day two again, my stomach isn't bothering me just yet, I just had Coffee yesterday (Without a Prevacid), I haven’t been sniffling that much lately, I love taking pictures with my Canon Powershot A610 but would still love to have a 20D already, a cloth shoe rack hung on the back of a kitchen door works great for medicine AND tea, Brett Favre may have already retired before you are done reading this (He's the Quarter Back of the Green Bay Packers)... and I just saved a ton of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico.

And now you can enjoy my favorite Bicentenial Tower Pics in this slide show brought to you by all of our good friends over at Bubble Share (All photo's taken with a Canon Powershot A610)...

This album is powered by
BubbleShare - Add to my blog

To thaw or not to thaw

2006-02-13T14:18:00.000-05:00

To thaw or not to thaw,
originally uploaded by Michael Shakes.
On my Monday lunch break, there was a miracle of sunshine surrounding Erie... I had to snap some pics here and there before it was gone.

I gave these pics a bit of a saturation boast for a more dramatic affect (I love the sun in the winter!).

The picture I took here is one of my favorite places to photograph this Tower...

-Mike

Kohler Stack Demo

2006-02-09T22:59:00.000-05:00

Kohler Stack Demo,
originally uploaded by Michael Shakes.
I made some time on my lunch break to go and see the Stack of the Kohler Building being imploded (I was not the only one).

I couldn't get any closer than this (There was caution tape right in front of me) and there was a bunch of wire/telephone poles/signs in the way... so I practiced my PS skill on this picture to clean it up a bit.

I wanted to use PS on all of the pics (Around 20), but after finishing up with this one... I changed my mind (It would take me for-EVER).

If you would like to see the rest of my pics from this Smoke Stack Extravaganza... go to the Kohler Stack Demo "Set" on Flickr and Click on Slide show (Put on 1 sec. intervals).

Cheers!

-Mike

Koehler to be no more...

2006-02-07T14:30:00.000-05:00

Koehler to be no more...,
originally uploaded by Michael Shakes.
This Thursday will be the Demolition of the old Koehler Brewery.

I'm not sure about the time, but 21st to 24th street will be blocked come Thursday morning.

I know that Ron will be trying to attend... so I hope to see some of his pictures if I am unable to attend myself.

This shot was taken on Monday morning (During the early morning "Golden Hour"). I didn't have a fish eye lens, so I had to take two photos and stitch them together.

Bye bye "Old" Koehler Building, time to make room for the future.

Pittsburgh Steelers with a Baseball Bat!!

2006-02-05T23:03:00.000-05:00

Pittsburgh's ~~goin'~~ Won the Super Bowl... Here We Go!!!

Congratulations Pittsburgh!! Way to Go Julie!!

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!!!!

Yes, It's Cold out...

2006-01-28T22:01:00.000-05:00

Liberty Park Frozen,
originally uploaded by Michael Shakes.

Waiting down at Liberty Park for the Sunset to appear... I have some pictures to show you how cold it actually was.

If you take a look at the ice forming on the rocks, railing and the Liberty Park look out bow... you can see that it was not only cold, but fairly windy too.

I did managed to get back to my car in the Nick of Time (To remove the frozen camera from my frostbit eye socket).

Time for the Super Bowl... what to expect...

2006-01-24T11:09:00.000-05:00
This is for the Football fans out there... I just found this and thought it to be a bit on the funny side...

What can you expect to hear in the upcoming week...

These totals are for the entire Super Bowl Week, starting precisely at 12 a.m. on Sunday, January 29th and ending with the Super Bowl's coin toss on February 5th.

Times you are reminded that Jerome Bettis is from Detroit: 65

Times you see the Bettis "fumble" highlight in slow motion: 23

Times you hear the name Terrell Owens: 145

Times you hear the name Drew Rosenhaus: 10

Times you hear the name Drew Barrymore: 0

Times you hear a reference to Chuck Knox: 50

Times you hear a reference to Chuck Noll: 51

Times you hear a reference to Chuck Norris: 1 (FYI: Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.)

Times you see a promo for Jake in Progress: 30

Times you hear someone describe the past weekend's championship games as "Jake's NOT in Progress": 1

Times you hear a Starbucks reference: 15

Times you hear a Nirvana reference: 10

Times you hear a Backstreet Boys reference: 0

Times you see a segment on all the different "Roethlis-Burger" specials in Pittsburgh-area restaurants: 4

Times you see a segment on all the different "Boul-tupper-ware" specials in Seattle-area "Bed, Bath and Beyonds": 0

Times someone makes a lame "wardrobe malfunction" quip: 10

Times someone is amazed the Rolling Stones are still alive: 100

Keeping an eye on things

2006-01-22T11:10:00.000-05:00

Keeping an eye on things,
originally uploaded by Michael Shakes.
Well, I know I will be keeping an I on things today...

Pittsburghs going to the Super Bowl! Here We Go!

Pittsburghs Steeler Time! Pittsburghs Steeler Time! Pittsburghs Steelers wit a baseball bat!

Go Bussy! Go Wardy! Go Me! Go Cowher's Mustache!

HERE WE GO!!!!!

Kevin Bacon

2006-01-19T10:58:00.000-05:00

Something to bore you... and the rest

2005-12-29T14:03:00.000-05:00
I have been recently looking at different Camera/Camera Lenses online a bit much lately. I have been Eying the 20D, the 5D and the 1d Mark II (Of Course. These have only been the same cameras I've been looking at for a while now). I really can't decide if it's worth saving up the $2,000 more for the 5D or 1d Mark II (I know what your thinking..."Are you kidding?! $2,000 MORE than the original $1,200 for the 20D!?"). I know you would probably never purchase such an expensive camera, but you are not me... and I LOVE taking pictures much more than you!

Now after I stop thinking of what camera it is I want to get, there also will be something to think about when looking for the right lens to go with the body. Now, I would love to just throw a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L (Zoom. $1,100), the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS (Zoom $1,699) and the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS (Prime. $3,200) and head straight to the races. But this is very unlikely given the fact I will already have a hard time saving up the money to purchase the Canon Body alone.

I have been reading a lot of review's the past few day's about Sigma Lenses, particularly the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX and 24-70mm f/2.8 to be exact (Both of which are the counter parts that are made by Canon. Both of which cost about half the price as Canon and surprisingly have just about the same image quality too).

So, I guess if I were to go out and get a Body and a couple of lenses right now (If money was not a problem), I would get the 1d Mark II with all three Canon Lenses. But seeing as how money plays a huge roll in it, I would settle for the 20D and the Sigma lenses. A very nice package in the 20D and some very fast lenses make's it a great buy!

Sorry to bore you with my thoughts on my Camera toys, but I had to tell someone; Sarah is getting kind of sick of hearing about this kind of stuff.

Any who, Christmas was fun... we got a lot of movies (Which are my favorite), Cloths and Gift Cards (Another Favorite). We had family and a few friends over at our apartment for dinner the day after Christmas, which was a good time indeed.

About a week before the party I made a buffet table for Sarah to put the food and Drinks on during the party (My first real attempt at building something from scratch). I think I did OK; I am looking forward to building a lot more in the future (It's cheap and as I get better I will feel like more of a craftsman). Maybe this summer I will build that Poker Table I have wanted to build for a while now.

Well, that’s about it for now and… I know you don't want to hear that "I'm sorry for not posting in a while" shizzle... so I won't bother telling you that this time. I won't even try to tell you that "I will try and post more often" crap-o-la. I will just leave you with this...

Happy Holiday's

2005-12-27T11:22:00.000-05:00

I hope that everyone is having a very Happy Holiday.
I got everything except the PS3 this Christmas! Jk.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

My wish list this year...

2005-12-20T09:27:00.000-05:00
I thought since it was getting close to Christmas, I would share with you my all time no limitations never gonna happen (This Year) top 10 Christmas list... that I hope Santa will read... (I've been good, but not this good)

1) (Even before a Car or a boat) I would like the Canon 20D (See, not the more expensive 5D or 1Ds Mark II) with the Canon EF 70-200mm/f2.8L IS USM Lens and the Canon EF 24-70mm/f2.8L Usm Lens (All this counts a one gift. It's a kit).

2) BMW ACS 7 G-style or the Subaru STi, I'm not picky.

3) The IPod Nano from Apple.

4) The MJ-12® m7700a System notebook from Alienware

5) Klipsch speakers for the home theater.

6) The Samsung’s 80-inch 1080p Plasma TV for the home theater.

7) A Samsung HL-P5085W for the Bedroom.

8) A Playstation 3 (when it comes out).

9) A house to hold all of the stuff.

10) Oh, and Season Packers tickets (For life). This way I could make good use from the Camera.

Would you want the same as me? Take one away and tell me what you would put in its place.
If I get rich, I may want to get you a gift.

**************************************

There's only 5 more days till Christmas! Rejoyce! Hark! Jingle!

My favorite Christmas movie to watch this year is Love Actually (Don't laugh, its a good one).

My favorite Christmas music to listen to this year is Bing Crosby "Merry Chrismas".

My favorite Christmas line to say this year is "The nerve of those Whos. Inviting me down there - and on such short notice. Even if I wanted to go my schedule wouldn't allow it. Four o'clock, wallow in self pity; 4:30, stare into the abyss; 5:00, solve world hunger, tell no one. 5:30, jazzercize. 6:30, dinner with me. I can't cancel that again. 7:00, wrestle with my self-loathing; I'm booked. Of course, if I bump the loathing to 9 I could still be done in time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling and slip slowly into madness. But what would I wear?" (From the Grinch Who Stole Christmas).

My favorite Christmas time article of clothing is a nice comfy sweater.

Merry Christmas to all... and to all a good Weekend!!

Smoke Stack of Fire

2005-12-15T10:52:00.000-05:00

Smoke Stack of Fire,
originally uploaded by Michael Shakes.
It's very hard not to stop and snap a few pictures... when an Erie morning sunrise transforms this simple smoke stack into a glorious "Smoke Stack of Fire".

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All done Christmas shopping (Done two weeks ago), an all time record for me (Packaged and wrapped too).

10 more days til’ Christmas!

First week of Playoffs (For me and my FF Team that is)…

I want to snowboard, but my knee's are telling me "NO"…

Still thinking of moving to Alaska next fall (About 70% sure we will). We will go up for Sarah's rotations (And if she gets an offer, who know how long). The only thing that would stop us from going is, if Sarah gets a job offer in Erie in the next 5 months or so (Tops or otherwise).

Hope everyone is having a wonderful December Christmas time! I will post more Christmas pics as soon as they present themselves.

Mike

Keep it Classy San Diego...

2005-12-06T13:21:00.000-05:00
Sorry about the lack of Blogging lately...

For some reason, I haven't been in the blogging mood. I will try and get a few thoughts up sooner then later... as soon as they hit me, that is.

One good thing is, I am starting to feel better from the Erie Bloggers Turkey Bowl (I mean it, next year's Turkey bowl is going to be played on the Playstation 2... NFL 2k5 or Madden 2006). I knew I was out of shape... and I was getting old, but damn!

Not much else going on with me... Sarah is trying to overcome the cold virus and I am trying to avoid it if possible. It may be too late...

My fantasy team should make the playoffs (With only 4 teams going... I predict after getting into the playoffs, my team will come in third or possibly 2nd place). I don't foresee them winning the Fantasy Bowl this year, but watch out next year… I’ve got Shawn Alexander and Terrell Owens. And once T.O. gets on a team, we's gonna be non-stoppable Bay-BE!

Green Bay, Green Bay, Green Bay... What'a we gonna do wit you? Eh?

Kevin Bacon is a non-stop Meowing Machine! I have no Idea what his deal is... my guess is that he is too spoiled. It doesn't matter what time a day, "Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow... meow... meeeeeooooowwww..." Kevin, could you please cut us a break?!

We are thinking of going to Alaska for Sarah's rotation's next fall. We would have to be up there for half a year if she wanted to finish them all up there. We have a little while to decide, but the window for decision-making is getting smaller and smaller every week.

Gosh it's snowy outside... We are supposed to get 7 inch's today, 7 inch's over night and another 7 inch's tomorrow. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..." (Cue the Reindeer). I will be getting ready for this years trip (Or first trip) to Peek-n-Peak Ski Resort to get my Snow Boarding on. There should be some sick powder (As they say).

Well, time to bid you adu...

Thanks for stopping by San Diego... but still, keep it classy.

Thanksgiving and Turkey bowl

2005-11-28T10:56:00.000-05:00
Sarah and I had a nice quiet Thanksgiving at home this year; we had a free Turkey given to us by our downstairs neighbors Tom and Caley (As they had gone out of town to visit family). Thanks guy's, I hope you had a good time out of town… and I hope you will enjoy your new (Honda) Element!

Dinner was excellent! Kevin Bacon agreed. Sarah makes a mean Thanksgiving Dinner!

As some of you may know, Turkey Bowl 2005 was in effect on (Black) Friday morning... and even though I showed up about a half-n-hour late (And missed my chance to be on the news), I still managed to get VERY sore (It was only two hand touch... what's up with that?). I mean, I was like "Car accident" sore from the shoulders down for the rest of the weekend (whatever that means) (Please tell me that I was not the only one to get sore?). Thanks to Corry (Right), we were all warmed up with his special blend of Irish Coffee!

I managed to catch a few balls on offence and knock a few balls away on defense, but didn't manage to score a touchdown the entire game. As it was, I didn't need to score since our team won 5 to 3 (That’s 5 touchdowns to 3). Rich was on the opposing team... he did manage to score 1 or 2 touchdowns for his team (As I recall). Good Job Rich (Tell me that you were as sore as me that night, and especially Saturday morning due to the pounding our teams very own Corry Lino put on you... but a few times?)!

Although I didn't take too many pictures of actual playing time... I snapped a few pictures during half time to show you at least how the conditions were during this years Turkey Bowl (2005).

I think we had a very good Thanksgiving this year... and playing in the Turkey Bowl just made this year’s Thanksgiving complete (With sore back, legs, groin, arms and feet included).

Hope everyone else had a spectacular Thanksgiving!

Over My Head...

2005-11-23T09:08:00.000-05:00
'Over My Head (Cable Car)'

12 WINS FREE COKE!

2005-11-22T15:18:00.000-05:00
No it doesn't.

Weekend Happening

2005-11-14T08:30:00.000-05:00
This past Friday Sarah and I went to Fox & Hound for an evening of high quality food, drinks and entertainment in an upscale, casual environment. It was a nice night, if you don’t count Sarah being sick all night with something that could not be categorized or easily referenced (some sort of food poisoning). But other than that, it was gravy baby. Before Fox & Hound I went out to take some Pictures and got a few pics of some local Gulls flying about. They were diggin the Jalapeño Flavor Kettle Chips I was dishin out. I tried to get a Gull to take a chip from my hand, but 1) It was too windy and 2) These weren’t your garden variety beach Gulls (Beach Gulls would take a chip out of your mouth if you let them). Before the night was over I managed to get a few shots of the sunset down at Port Erie (You can never have too many pictures of a good sunset in Erie).

Saturday evening was Sarah’s moms Birthday Party at Fox & Hound (Two nights in a row, this time Sarah didn’t get the Chicken). The party started around 7:30 and ended at (?) (Question mark, Ooooo, when is it gonna end?). It was Diane’s (Mom) 50th Birthday (as you may have already known) so it was quite the party. There were around 51 people in attendance ranging from Friends, Family and two people who were just there at the right time. Sarah Decorated with a bunch of Balloons and home made table-standing pictures of Diane (Mom) when she was young(er). We had Appetizers, Beer, cake and I think this one guy had a few too many shots of Mr. Jack. We played Pool, Darts, Video games and I think that same guy with the Jack played a round duck duck goose (He had the most fun out of everyone). By the end of the night, ? Mark turned into 12:30 and guy with Jack turned into “That Guy”. In the end it was a very nice 50th Birthday bash… and Sarah, you did a great job (With everything).

Also this past weekend we house/dog sat at the same place Sarah usually baby-sits. They have two dogs, Gracie and George… I can never remember what kind they actually are, but I know it’s a mix of two different breeds (Maybe English Beagle/something else). We (even Sarah) watched football on Sunday (Thanks Sarah, I know how much you hate it), and then had “Delivery”… I mean Digiorno for dinner. Now I didn’t get to watch, but I saw the scores online when My (The) Packers beat The Falcons 33 to 25. That puts them 2-7… “Way to go Sam Gado! Favre, you can do it!"

It was a good time, and time good a was it.

This concludes our broadcast weekend. Thank you, and have a pleasant tomorrow.

Wednesday

2005-11-09T08:23:00.000-05:00
Wednesday is such an odd day of the week... I mean, it's better then Monday but not quite as good as Thursday and definitely not even close to being as good as Friday. Def… Definite… Definitely not as good as Friday… (This will differ if you are currently unemployed. If you are unemployed weekdays are all the same and weekends are when you see you friends and family. It doesn't matter really which day of the week it is. You’re set. This really doesn't apply to me though).

Wednesday’s are usually filled with, "Ahh... two more day's till Friday..." and "Ahh... I made it half way through the week..." (This may differ, if your job is the only thing you like doing and if you didn't have your job you would go crazy. Again, This doesn't apply to me). Wednesday’s are filled with busy days, slow days and just plain lazy days (Most fall into slow and lazy). If you’re a football fan, it's like, "What am I going to do from now until Sunday?" If you’re a Martha Stewart fan, it's like, "I wonder whom Martha is going to let go this week on Martha Stewart - The Apprentice?" (Which is now on at 9, I didn't get the memo...).

For me Wednesday’s are some, if not all of the above. You could add on Poker Day, if James White could get a damn spot for us on one of http://www.pokertropolis.com/ ‘s private tables (Which I heard yesterday, he finally did. Woot Woot! Way to go Jim!) .

If we followed the days of the week the way it was in The Godfather, I would like Wednesday’s a little bit more... "Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday." But since we do not, ”I am reluctantly crouched, at the starting line…” But seriously folks, Have a good Wednesday on me.

If you thought you knew, you have NO idea… This is the diary of Wednesday…

Niagara Falls

2005-11-07T10:14:00.000-05:00
We left Saturday afternoon to go to Niagara Falls Canada (For Sarah's Mom's Birthday getaway!), it was around 3:10 pm when we finally got on the road; so it took us about 2 ½ hours to get to the Welland Canal (The Canal is a man made Canal that stretches from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie.). We stayed at The Inn at Lock 7 as mentioned before (Located right next to one of the Locks on the Canal, Lock 7 to be exact. Bruce (Sarah's Step dad) made the reservations for Sarah’s Birthday Mom and us at the Inn!). During our stay we saw at least 7 ships go through the Lock within 5 ½ hours that Saturday night (Usually you can see an average of 4 all day long; but toward the end of the season, it’s usually a lot busier). It was dark by the time we got to our hotel, but it gave the mood a whole “Foggy London Town” type experience (Sarah's mom loves to come to the Inn at lock 7 to watch the boats). These boats are truly massive! It was quite neat to see how these huge boats could fit into the Locks with only a few feet extra on both sides. I've never seen anything like it. We woke up Sunday morning to a beautiful sunrise... we took some picuters and then headed for the Falls. We separated from Sarah's mom and Family from here... they went to Goat Island to finish celebrating (Sarah's mom) the Birthday and headed home.

Unlike our morning sunrise, it quickly turned into a huge gust storm; that eventually turned into a downpour. We had umbrellas but it didn’t seem to help us, as we waded in some huge puddles. It only lasted about 30 minutes and it was an on/off storm that went by fairly quickly. During our stay, we went to the new Niagara Casino, then walked along the falls, then stopped by the place where we got married last summer to take a few more pictures (The Oakes Garden Theatre "July 2004").

The day after we got married last year we walked around downtown looking for a good place to eat lunch and found this little Pizza shop called "Antica Pizzeria". It's this very nice little pizza place that we now go to EVERY time we are at the Falls. They "seriously" make the best Tiramisu in the world… The Pizza they have there is also in a class of its own. We get the same thing every time we go there… Garlic Cheese Bread for an appetizer, small Number 1 (Pizza with pep, mush, bacon and cheese. Good things), and for dessert we get a piece of Tiramisu cake and a fresh cappuccino (You cannot get it any better than this). Try it, I know you'll love it!

We wrapped things up after the good eats and hot treats at Antica Pizzeria and finally headed for home. We made it home just in time to watch the second half of Green Bay losing to Pittsburgh (Damn it!).

Even though it rained and blew pretty hard on Sunday, we ended up having a very nice time at the falls. Who needs a tripod when you can hold the camara and get a picture like this. "Love you Sarah, I hope you had a fun time too! Happy One year and four months!"

Love,

Mike

Ben Folds...

2005-11-04T19:36:00.000-05:00
Well, let me just tell you that going to a Ben Folds concert is "Off the hook!" And this is where our story begins…

Sarah hears about this restaurant called "Chovy's" (A nice Casual Italian joint) in Meadville. She's been wanting to go for a while now, so we leave early enough to get something to eat there before we go to the show (I just got some good old fashion Italian Pizza and she gets this spaghetti/linguini tasting pasta. Both were very good). We really couldn't finish the whole thing, because, 1) It was a lot of food and 2) See below...

We enter Chovy’s (The place wasn't that busy), the waitress starts walking us to our seats… and all of the sudden... we pass… BEN FOLDS!!!… on the right of us, sitting with his feature bassist Jared Reynolds and drummer Lindsay Jamieson. Sarah walks by first and does a double take and then I walk by and do a triple take. I nudge Sarah seconds later and she just turns around and whispers, "I Know!" So the waitress sits us like, 30 feet away and we keep turning our heads for like ten minutes straight (Trying not to do it so much that they start to notice).

I continue to ask Sarah to let me know when they are getting up to leave (So I could run over and talk to them and ask for a picture. I didn't want to bother them while they ate), she finally said, "There paying... there getting up!"... I stand up, walk quickly over and say, "Hi, Ben? Ben Folds?" He say's, "Yes, how are you?" I quickly introduce myself, tell them that we are in town to see their show and ask if we could get a quick picture. He kindly says, "Sure, no problem." I motion for Sarah to come on over (She was patiently waiting for the signal). The bassist say's, "Yeah, that would be great, I can take it for you." (The Bassist and Drummer have this awesome English accent). Since we were standing like in the middle of the walkway they say, "Why don't we go to the front so we won't be in anyone's way?" I agree and we walk up front.

Jared (Bassist) say's, "Hey, cool... why don't you all sit on the bench (Picture below)? We sit down and Ben (Folds) says, "Let's sit straight up and take a real serious shot?" (He is a funny guy, and Jared and Lindsay were both very nice too) But by the time we sat down, we just couldn't stop smiling (As you can see, Ben was the only serious looking one). We all got up and Sarah and I thanked them very much for their time. We shook hands (For the second time. Hello/Goodbye), told them to have a good show and we would see them there. They all said “Thanks”, shook hands once more and said, “See ya”, and we went back in to try and finish our meal. THIS WAS A VERY AWESOME EXPERIENCE!!!!

We get to the auditorium, get our tickets and find some of the better seats (It was first come first serve) in the auditorium with Paul, Tom and Caley and waited for the show to begin. We ended up with some good seats but when things were just about to start, they said if anyone wants to come up to the front of the stage, we were all welcome (Just no Mosh Pitting!). Immediately 100 kids ran down to the front. We stayed where we were, seeing how we had pretty good seats to begin with and let everyone else cram up front (No Problem, we were good).

Ben Folds had an opening band that we had never heard before... their name was "The Fray". They ended up being a very good band (They kind of sounded like Maroon 5, and the singer had a hint of David Grey’s voice... sort of). They were pretty darn good though. They played for about 45 minutes and then came out in front of the auditorium to sign some autographs. I went out to buy one of their CD's and tried to get a picture of them close up (They signed with EPIC records, so I don’t think that they’re doing THAT bad at all). I bought a CD, they signed it and while I took a picture of them signing it, they asked if I wanted a picture with them. I said that would be great... and if they become more famous in the near future (Which I'm sure they will), I will have an autographed CD and my picture taken with them.

I go back in and sit down and just as I do... the lights dim and Ben Folds comes out. Let me just tell you... Ben Folds puts on one of the best shows I have ever seen! He is hilarious too! They played like 7 songs straight... stopped to act crazy... played another 5 songs... stoped to talk a bit and make up a few songs on the spot (Friggin Hilarious stuff)... and played another 20 songs the rest of the time with intermediate babbling in between (They played a lot of songs)... and then they ended the show once, came back out for an encore and had us all take part in their last song by teaching us the chorus (It was more like... aahhhhAAAAHHHHH for the chorus). He ends the song by conducting everyone in the audience to sing the chorus up and down and all around while standing on top of his piano (It was truly an experience we will never forget)!

We had a great time, and meeting Ben Folds at Chovy's before the show just topped it ALL off!

I highly recommend everyone (If you get the chance) to go and see one of Ben Folds shows. You will love it! Ben has one of the best voices you will ever hear and his shows are VERY fun… and are VERY entertaining!

And now, I leave you now with...

It's Friday... again. Hi Five, do the shimmy shimmy shake! Talk to you all later. If not Sunday night, I will let you know on Monday how our Canada trip was.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!!!

Today is Friday... no really.

2005-11-03T13:31:00.000-05:00
Today is Friday for me at least... to you it is probably still Thursday. I am taking the real Friday off this week, which for all of us is tomorrow. Sarah had off all week and I wanted (She of course did too) to have at least one day off so we could do a few things on her week off.

Tonight Sarah and I are going to see "Ben Folds" in Meadville, PA Allegheny College - Shafer Auditorium. We just love Ben Folds... the band was originally "Ben Folds Five", but the band does not play together anymore since 1999... so it is just Ben Folds. At any rate, it should be great show! We are going to go with our friends Caley and Tom… it was Tom's birthday this past week and the tickets are a surprise... he doesn't know anything yet (So mums the word...).

Are there any other Ben Folds fans out there? We used (as I mentioned before) one of Ben Folds songs off of Rockin the Suburbs... which was Ben’s first solo album after the break up... for our Wedding Song. Our song was "The Luckiest"... one of the best Wedding songs I have ever heard.

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This weekend we are celebrating Sarah's mom's birthday on the road. We are going to Canada to stay at the Inn at Lock Seven to watch the ships roll in, and then shoot over to Goat Island, Niagara Falls on the way back home. Her mom does not know we are coming to the Inn at Lock Seven; it will be another surprise (Icksnay ethay irthdaybay urprisesay!)

This weekend is full of surprises... but not necessarily for us. I will be showing you all of my photos from the concert and the Canada trip, so stay tuned...

I am not sure how the “It’s Friday!” ritual works, when in actuality…”It’s Thursday!” So I’m going to just give the “Hi Five” and call it a day.

We finally made it to Pittsburgh!

2005-10-31T11:58:00.000-05:00
The consensus was to leave Saturday morning at around 9 or 10...

We left the house around 10:15 am... but our first stop was just 5 minutes away, as we both needed something in our bellies before the Long 2 hour drive (JK). We pulled into the local Panera Bread for some fine coffee and rich and filling pastries. Sarah ended up getting the Cream Cheese and I got the Cherry and Cream Cheese filled Pastry, we also got the Hazelnut Coffee (What would we do without Panera…). After the quick stop for breakfast to go, off we went...

But just as we were about to get onto I-79, I realized that I had forgotten to grab my Lens Pen to clean the dust and would-be finger prints off of my Canon Powershot A610 (It also coats the lens with a special cleaning compound, very nice addition to any camera set). I definitely didn't want to have every picture from our trip to Pittsburgh to be covered in spots (What to do?!). We were a block away from Van Tuil Photography (I still had a twenty dollar gift certificate from them, sweet!), so we decided just to stop there and pick up a few things...

...After talking to Dan the Van inside and almost walking out with a brand new $3,200 Canon 5D (Dan actually had one in the store. I saw, I touched, I shot, I drooled, I left)… …He almost let me take'r for a spin for the weekend, but I didn't want to let him down when I didn't buy it on my return (David, he wants you to call him collect)… …We ended up leaving with a nice new saddlebag from lowepro for my Canon EOS Elan IIe (Or for the future 5D) and a top of the line lens pen for the weekend. We finally left Erie around 11:30 (As you can see, we were going by Indian Time).

We had great weather all the way there, and it only took us a little over 2 hours to finally get their (Not too bad, we got there around 1:30). Julie was home and Chris worked till 5, so we had some time to walk around town and take in some of the sights. The Buildings downtown were just magnificent, I couldn't get enough... what a beautiful weekend for trip to Pitt!

After walking around a bit we went to Ikea for some more walking and grabbed some lunch "to boot" (Ikea did have some pretty good food in their cafeteria). We didn't stay very long and Sarah just grabbed a few decorations for the Christmas tree. We then headed over to the Robinson Mall to do some window-shopping. After that, we picked Chris up from work and headed back downtown to go up Duquesne Incline to get a great view of Downtown Pittsburgh from above (Pics, pics and more pics). Later that night we went to get some delicious Pittsburgh style sandwiches and since you can only get that at one place, we headed over to Primanti Brothers! It must have been good, because I stuffed myself way too much that night.

On Sunday I had planned on taking some pictures of my cousin Josh for his senior pictures (My cousin Josh lives in Pittsburgh with my Aunt Tish). We walked around downtown taking pictures of him whenever we came across a good backdrop. I will post some of those pics when I am done editing them as they are still in postproduction. We then headed for Heinz Field to see if we could get in to get a few pics of the Hall of Fame floor on the lower level, but of course it was closed for the day.

We started to get the hunger pains, so we decided to feed the belly again before it was too late (And no, I don't now what happens when it actually becomes too late). We walked over the historical Smithfield Street Bridge (1881) to get to Station Square, where we ate at a nice restaurant called Houlihan's. We wanted to go to the Ross Park Mall after that, but it ended up getting too late and we needed to rest up a bit (our legs were hurting) before heading back to Erie.

So! We finally got to go to Pittsburgh to visit Julie and Chris... and we couldn't have picked a better weekend to do so. We will be back again I'm sure, I still have some pictures I didn't take, I can get them the next time around.

Thanks Julie and Chris for letting us stay with you in Pittsburgh and next time we come, we will have to play poker.

I hope everyone else had a good weekend... and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Yesterday was Thursday

2005-10-28T21:23:00.000-04:00
Yesterday Sarah and I took the kids (Not our kids, the kid's Sarah baby-sits. We don't have kids) to the Zoo for the annual Holliday "Zoo Boo". Every year before Halloween the Erie Zoo opens it's doors to let the ghouls and goblins of Erie wreak havoc on the poor and helpless animals of the night (JK). They actually call it "Zoo Boo" because every year around the same time, the ghosts of the EERIE ZOO come out of hiding and... Ok, you got me again, I was JK. It is of course Halloween and the Zoo Boo is where grown up's turn into Zombie's while the kids run from booth to booth snatching candy from stranger's and go howling in the night (That's more like it).

You couldn't really see most of the animals though, as it was dark out and a bit too cold for them to be roaming around at this time of night. Truth be told, we were just there for the candy anyway.

It ended up being a fun time with Mikayla on my back and Bella running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off (She really wasn’t that bad. She didn’t even get lost once!). We had a great time indeed.

I have a few dark and fuzzy pictures of our trip if you’re interested. They will be posted on Flickr (Don’t you just love Flickr?!)

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This morning as I was on my way to work, I noticed the sun rising up through the clouds. It was a very cool sight, so I had to pull my car over and document it.

Insert Ohhhs and Ahhhhs here…

Happy Friday! Yesss **pump pump**

Pumpkin Farm

2005-10-23T21:32:00.000-04:00
Every year Sarah and I make it a tradition to find our way to the Pumpkin Farm located in Cambridge Springs, PA (Thanks Rich), just south of Edinboro Campus. We try to go at least once a year during the most beautiful time of the year (Isn't Fall the greatest? I knew that you'd agree). Leaves are changing into what could only be described as newborn butterflies coming out of their cocoons, the colors they turn are just magnificent. The air smells fresher and the sky bluer. You couldn't imagine a better time of year if you tried.

There really isn't a WHOLE lot to do here at Finney's Pumpkinville, but there is just enough to tide you over for an hour or two; if you like to take pictures and do your fair share of popcorn and peanut eating (Which I of course love to do), then you'll be just fine. They do have horse and hay rides which always looked like fun, but we haven't actually taken the time to try them yet, (Maybe we will get to that level next year).

A student doing an article for the Edinboro paper did interview us about how long we’d been coming and what our favorite thing to do while we were here was. Sarah's favorite was the hot apple cider (I can't argue with her there); mine (at least this year) was taking pictures of everything I saw (Of course). All in all, it was a very nice way to spend our Sunday afternoon. Maybe we will go again next week and actually grab a pumpkin or two.

Right before leaving Edinboro, I spotted a gorgeous photo opt over a near by lake with a small boating dock located right off of Route 99 (Did I tell you how much I like the Fall?). It was just like a scene from of a movie, so I had to stop and get it's autograph (A...I mean Picture, huh?).

If you are ever in town and get a chance to visit the Pumpkin Farm at Finney's Pumpkinville I can tell you that you won't be disappointed. If it's a sunny autumn day, it is a MUST SEE.

Now I know what you’re all thinking, "Michael, I thought that you guys were going to Pittsburgh to visit your sister Julie. I mean, you've been saying you were going to go for like a month now." Well, Sarah didn't get off of work this past Saturday so we decided to postpone the venture until next weekend. I am 98 percent sure that we will be going this time... or is it 98 degrees sure? Whatever it is, we're going!

If you want to see a few more pictures from our visit to the Pumpkin Farm, be sure to visit the Flickr Pickr... they're hot off the press.

Should I, Will we/it/the and finely

2005-10-21T08:54:00.000-04:00
Going into this weekend, I have just a few things on my mind...

...Will we go to Pittsburgh and visit my sis Jules and her boy Chris or is it just a great big fantasy we keep telling ourselves?

Will it be sunny enough for me to take some sweet pictures with my coveted A610 or will it rain, rain and rain some more?

Will the Packers lose another game to put them at 1-6 or will they pull one out of a hat in Minnesota to get to 2-5?

Should I start E. Manning against the Bronco's or J. McCown against the Titans (If J. McCown is indeed named their starter)?

Should I consider getting Kevin Bacon a sister (kitty that is) or should I just let him believe that he is the last kitty left in the world, kind of like the last of the Mohicans?

Should I eat this last Little Debby Snack because all of the starving kids in Africa or should I just throw it away because it is bad for me and I don't even like it that much anyway?

And finely, what’s the deal with all the category 5 Hurricanes this year? Does Mother Nature not like us anymore? Is she mad that we polluted her lands and thinks we need to back off a bit? What’s UP with that?!

Those are the things on my mind for this weekend...

Also for this weekend that I think, I think, I think... (In alphabetical order as it appears on my blog list)

Aj, you better stay away from Homosexual's, Bum's, Woman, Jewish people... you probably should just stay away from ethnic people all together.

Tam, if you happen to watch any of my kid's in the future (That is, when I get kids), please don't EVER leave them outside alone with a shovel or pitchfork (Or even a rake).

Kim, you are a lucky son of a bitch! That’s not a perk, that’s a PERK!

Jenny, take a break from all of those nut case tempers and just take in all of the "Memories, la tee da tee do, memories".

Julie (sis), I hope that it is not just a fantasy, if not this week, then next week for SURE.

Kristen, Hallelujah (for Ray)! And have fun with Tam and Matt, you might want to have Tam clean out the Gutters as well, it's going to get cold soon.

Melissa, I think that this weekend should be about you and a bottle of rum. Forget school; just spend time with the rum. This is just what the doctor ordered. Don't even think about school until Monday.

Siz, mice are cute adorable creatures, but if you happen to see one, don't get the vacuum cleaner out just yet... a broom and a bucket work just fine.

Kipper, if I ever win the lottery I am going to Vegas, and you are coming with me. We are going to play $2000/$4000 at the Wynn. And we are going to also play at the next WSOP main event (hell, all of the events).

Richard, no time to relax... you need to get your 1001 résumé’s out there Pronto! Congrat's my friend.

Eden, I once laughed so hard, not only did the snort hurt, but I also stopped breathing for like 3 minutes straight. Ellen D. is one funny gal.

That's all folks!

It's Friday... *High Five* …Yeessss... *Pump'um if you got'um people*...

Have a great weekend Blogger’s and Bloggett’s.

The PA Powerball is like up to twenty-forty-hundred!

2005-10-19T15:16:00.000-04:00

I am playing the Pennsylvania Powerball today because it is like almost $300 million and you should too, those of you who reside in PA that is.
If I win a million, I will be happy... and I will give each of you $1,000 each... but only if you respond to this post... that's my only stipulation. Let me know if you want $1,000 each if I win a Million! Do it! Do it now!
I will give each of you $5,000 each if I win over $2 million! If I win the whole thing... I will give you $10,000 each. You just have to let me know by 11:00 o’clock tonight… just let me know, that’s all you have to do!
Oh....! And wish me good luck!
************Update**************
Well, as you may have figured, I did not win. I got two numbers right two times, but I don't think that gets me anything. If I would have got the Powerball number right and the two other numbers I would have won something, but alas... I did not. What are you going to do, ehh?
For those of you who participated in the last free post'a money contest, thanks for your support... you will have another chance next week, as I plan to play the lotto more often than not.
Have a good night, and a better tomorrow.

OMG Becky...

2005-10-18T14:21:00.000-04:00
It is getting too close to Halloween... and I don't have anything to wear!

**Update** Sorry Siz, I had to change the picture... it was giving me nightmares.****
I have NO idea what to dress up as this year... maybe a Vampire... no no, that's been done... maybe a Vampire Bat! No no... that wouldn't work out so well, I'd have to get the ropes like in the matrix (Which also has already been done) and swing around my house all day... that would definitely scare Kevin Bacon WAY too much. There is always "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"... that's my best idea so far this year... I just don't know!
I will have to think about it and let you know...
What is everyone else going to dress up as (Those of you that are cool enough to dress up still) this year?! And don't give me none of that, "Oh, I want it to be a surprise..." crap! Just tell me! Come on! I won't tell anyone else, I promise.
I will tell you mine, as soon as I figure out what that is. Mmmm....

Ice Ice Baby!

2005-10-17T10:38:00.000-04:00

Ice Ice Baby!,
originally uploaded by _Mr.Mike.
You know that you're not doing so hot, when your latest gig was playing for the packed house of Erie PA's own, The "CellBlock".

Now I didn't actually go this past Saturday to see him jimmy-jam, but now that I think of it, I wish I would have.

Ice Ice Baby... ...Ice Ice Baby...
All right stop, Collaborate and listen,
Ice is back with my brand new invention...

Boo Boo Kitty (Sarah's name for him) and Macro

2005-10-15T18:44:00.000-04:00
I was testing out the macro feature on my A610... I think it is just awesome. I have been reading up on some of the reviews from different owners of this camera (Something I usually do before I buy, but I just had a feeling about this one), and needless to say... I was very happy with the things they raved about. The start up time is quick (Something modified from the A85 and A95), the Digic II chip (As mentioned before, lets you take 2 photos per second, even with the flash... very fast for a normal point and shoot), and as shown here... very nice macro focusing (Much improved from the others, very nice stuff).

I'm sorry for continuing to give you my take on this awesome camera purchase, but I-just-love-it and maybe if you are in the market for a new camera soon, you know you can count on my support for the Canon A610 (Do it, get one now!). I’m just trying to help out folks, just trying to help out.

On to other news...(not really news)

I stumbled upon Ship's Blog a little while back, and they talk about their boating trip to Alaska over the summer with Pictures and summaries every week. I thought it was quite interesting seeing as how I am originally from Juneau (She also has a Canon 20D to top it off btw, nice). Ahhh, my Canon 20D... *drool* ...sorry.

So anyway, they posted about how they were reading Dooce's blog and Dooce posted pictures of her dog doing balancing tricks with treats and stuff with a caption saying, "Can you do this with your cat?” So they (Ships Blog) posted some pictures of their cat doing the same types of tricks mentioned by Dooce. I thought this was a funny thing to get your cat to do, so I told them (Ship's Blog) that I would try to get Kevin Bacon to do these tricks and post them on my blog if it was successful, so here we are... enjoy.

In this picture Kevin balances his treats just long enough for me to get a good shot off. For some reason Kevin sleeps all day and runs some kind of nightclub at night, why is that? (Only cat owners will get that). We will be going on the road as soon as he learns to breathe fire or swallow a sword (Which ever comes first). As you can tell, I couldn't quite get one on his nose (But I think this is close enough).

But as you can see, he doesn't last very long... Kevin is always in the mood for a snack or two. I think he is somehow related to Scooby Doo (Not by blood of course), because Kevin loves the Scooby snacks (We call them Kevin Snacks, get it?).

Well, hopefully you didn't fall asleep during this presentation... and yes, I have a lot of time on my hand.

At any rate, Happy Sweetest Day Everyone!

I hope you like Camera's...

2005-10-14T17:35:00.000-04:00
Thursday's are when Sarah baby-sits Mikayla and Bella after she gets done from School/Work. She scoops them up from daycare and whisks them away to see there mommy at the hospital (She's a Pharmacist, what a coincidence) for a bit and then brings them over to our abode to watch Finding Nemo or Shrek for the umpteenth time (Mostly Finding Nemo, Bella love's Nemo).

After getting off work today, I thought I'd take a trip to the Erie Dock to get a few pictures with my shiny new camera (At the foot of Peach Street). I love this new addition to our family, now if only it would get nice and sunny so I could go out and really get a few good shots (I would also have to make the time to go on these ventures as well; maybe next week camera… maybe next week). Well, fall is finely here... this is the best time to own a camera (The-Best).

I have always been into photography ever since my dad bestowed to me my first camera when I was a freshman in high school (I believe that was back in 1990-01). My first camera was a manual "Olympus OM-2n", which was given to me to use in my very first photography class. In class we used black and white film and we had to develope our own film in the class darkroom... this was way too cool, I only wish I could have my very own dark room. Oh, but wait... with digital, I can!

Since then I have upgraded to a "Canon EOS Elan II E" SLR, which I have been using for the last 6 to 8 years. The Olympus and Canon (That I own) are both film camera's, as Digital was still in the development phase way back when... (No pun intended). But Digital has been knocking on our door for a while now, and now it is ready to explode (If it hasn’t already).

In resent years of the Digital age, I have been following development of Canon’s D60, D30, 10D, 20D and now the 5D (Not to mention the 1D, 1Ds and 1Ds MarkII). Every year Camera makers always seem to “up” the competition with some new and improved Digital camera with more megapixel's, DigicII Chips and anything else cool they can think of, leaving us consumers wanting to buy a new camera every year and scrapping the one year old camera we haven’t quite grown to love yet (Kind of like how it works with everything else in the world). But as the prices drop each year on newer digital camera's, we as consumers are able to upgrade with less hassle and less dough$ out of our pockets (Which make’s everyone happy, except for me because I never had the dough to begin with).

Which brings me back to my new Canon A610. It's a hell of a lot more affordable then the Digital SLR's, yet the quality of pictures you get is tremendously good (Yes, I said "tremendously good", it makes sense, doesn't it?). If you are in the market for a nice digital camera and can't afford the more expensive/pro outfit, do not panic... DO NOT PANIC... you will be in good hands with a new Canon, Sony or Nikon (There are a plethora more as well of course) palm size Digital camera's that will make your Aunt Myrtle proud. Just as long as you get enough pixels to make it worth blowing up that beautiful smile into an 8x10 framed masterpiece.

I am very anxious to get out there with my spectacular Canon A610 and give this new digital photography hobby a good college try. But not to far down the windy road, my Canon 20D will be waiting for me… ohh yes… it will be waiting for me.

Just remember this before you go... The Godfather answers all of life's questions. What should I pack for my summer vacation? "Leave the gun, take the cannoli."

Enjoy the fall...

*Update newer pictures (It got Sunny) and... It's Friday! Yesss!*

Gozer the Traveler

2005-10-13T10:30:00.000-04:00

...you said before you were waiting for a sign. What sign are you waiting for?

Gozer the Traveler. He will come in one of the pre-chosen forms. During the rectification of the Vuldrini, the traveler came as a large and moving Torg! Then, during the third reconciliation of the last of the McKetrick supplicants, they chose a new form for him: that of a giant Slor! Many Shuvs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day, I can tell you!

Camera, Golf, Dinner and a Doughnut

2005-10-10T15:26:00.000-04:00
This past week Sarah finally got her check from school... so we splurged (Oh, we'll pay it back later).

I wanted (Needed) a digital camera for a while now but couldn’t afford the one I really wanted. The one I really wanted was the Canon 20D (Very nice D SLR) or the newer and improved 5D (Even nicer D SLR btw), but for now we couldn't spend the $1,500 for the 20D, or $3,000 for the 5D... so I had to settle for the Canon Power Shot A610 (As you can see to the right; as I extend my 3D Saturday morning/before coffee self portrait). The PowerShot A610 was purchased from Staples in Summit Township, which was the best deal out of the 4 stores I looked at. Canon does make a PowerShot A620 that has 7.1 mega pixels, but I think 5 mp was good enough. Well… good enough until I get my hands on the Canon 5D 12.8 mp wonder (This will have to wait a while I think).

This very same Saturday morning I decided to go for a golfing trip to Millcreek Golf Course (I haven't been golfing in a 'long' while, I just wanted to see if I still had it in me). Well, about half way through I started to suck out so I decided to take a few pictures with the new Cam (I really like this new Camera. It is the Upgraded Canon PowerShot A80 and A95, with a few extra Pixels and features tacked on). This shot to the right was a par three and I was (Wouldn't you know it) putting here to make par (Ugh, I believe I made Bogey here fyi). I went on to make like 13 over par *Ouch*. I have got to get out more if I am going to join the PGA Tour soon, hehe. No, really. I will fit this in between the World Poker Tour that I will be joining soon too, hehe. No, really.

We also treated ourselves to 'Matthews Trattoria' for dinner. A very nice restaurant if you're looking for an elegant evening. RichardZ (I think) still handles their website (Prop's Richard). If you have the time and the money (It's not the cheapest place to eat) to splurge, you may want to splurge at 'Matthews Trattoria', I recommend the Bruschetta, Poached Salmon and Tiramisu. This is the second time we ate at this fine establishment, and both times we've given it a 5 star rating experience.

Our kitty Kevin Bacon helped with the reservations
(Thanks Buddy).

Sunday morning I went to get us a very nutritious breakfast at Krispy Kreme (As I said, very nutritious). When I got there, the Hot light was on (Yippy!) and when I got inside the new soft and chewy glazed doughnut's were coming down the glazed highway, right through the stream of warm and creamy glaze. But what's this?! where is everyone at?! Don't they see me standing here in line by myself?! Isn't there a Hot doughnut waiting for me?! I mean, the Hot Sign is on as you can see from the picture, and the doughnuts are flowing down the creamy glazed stream of a highway thingy. Where's my free Hot doughnut?! Ahhh, here someone comes... "How can I help you?" What do you mean how can you help me?! You can help me by giving me what I deserve! A nice, HOT, soft, creamy, free, glazy doughnut (I think to myself)! "I'll have a dozen assorted doughnuts." I say politely while thinking about my free glazed doughnut. She gets me my dozen doughnuts and hand's me off to the cashier. I know, if I haven't received my free doughnut by the time I get to the cash register, I wasn't going to receive one at all (unless I speak up). But this wasn't something I wanted to make a big deal about. I mean, everyone knows the rule is... HOT sign on... FREE doughnut, it's not rocket science. Well, I walked out and said nothing (I don't want to sound like a cheap bastard but...hey free is free), no free doughnut... no free doughnut... and as I drive away, I watch as the Hot sign turns off and fade away. Too bad, soo sad, no free doughnut (I will be getting two next time I go, that's all I can say about that).

Right when I got home from Krispy Kreme I told Kevin Bacon that they didn't give me a free doughnut even though the Hot Sign was on... he was not happy! Next time I'm bringing him with me. He's much better with the complaints than I am.

Candy Candy Candy Candy...

2005-10-07T10:25:00.000-04:00
You know what I love... I mean what kind of treat I love... I mean candy, do you know what kind of candy I love...?

Nutty Bars (Little Debbie is a genius), Did you know that a box of 12 of these delicacies are only $1.29....! That's like... .11 cents a Bar! I mean, I like Reese’s Peanut Butter cup's as much as the next man/woman... but you can't beat .11 cent Nutty Bars with... ...well, a Nutty Bar! It say's right here on the box that it's "America's BEST-SELLING Peanut Butter Wafer" (Well not on this box, but the one I have in front of me say's so), so I don't think I'm alone in this.

You know something else...? Have you tried one of those Take 5 candy bars? Take 5 has got to be one of the best candy bars out there today. Hershey introduces TAKE 5 in December 2004. GE Vending machine introduces TAKE 5 to Michael Shakes in July 2005. Combine Pretzels, Caramel, Peanuts, Peanut Butter, Milk Chocolate and you're on your way to the best candy Bar None.

I think for Halloween, we will be stocking up on these two delicacies "mucho aloto". But giving them only to our friends and family (then keeping what’s left for us, hee he hoo hoo haa haaaaa). Yes, I love the tricker treater's, but they will still only be getting the smarties and bite size candy bars they have grown to love. We are not cheep... we are just poor.

If you had to choose one candy to eat for the rest of your life… What would that candy be? (This is merely hypothetical of course) If you must, you can choose two.

**Edit- Oh yeah, I almost forgot... "It's Friday!" *Hi Five* *You know the drill* "Yessss!" **

Wie, Wie, Wie... all the way home...

2005-10-05T16:47:00.000-04:00
Can you believe this grown up girl...? I can say grown up girl because her birthday is next week. How old will she be you ask...? Young but old Michelle Wie will turn 16 next week and has announced herself to the public today as a LPGA/PGA Golf "Professional"... “I’m finally happy to say I’m a pro starting today,” Wie say's, already sporting a pink Nike Shirt.

Why is she sporting a Nike Shirt you ask? Well, to get Nike and Sony to stop drooling all over the place of course. She has signed deals with both Sony and Nike (as I tell you this now, both sponsors are wiping the drool from their grinning faces). They are deals worth $10,000,000. No, I didn't accidentally type one too many zero's in there. That'a Ten Million Big One's a Year for this soon to be 16-year-old Golf Professional.

To put it a little bit in perspective... Annika Sorenstam, the number one golfer on the LPGA Tour has won 66 times and 9 majors over her accomplished career and rake's in around $6 million a year in sponsorships. Wie will be the Top Dog in sponsorship earnings with a $10 Million dollar price tag, and they say that more sponsorship’s are definitely on the way. "You go Girl!"

Wie announced that she would donate $500,000 to the Katrina Relief when she gets paid. Wow, half a mill... that's a big'a meat'a ball. I saw her play in Erie and took many pictures of her (They are still not developed yet)... did I tell you that before? (Sorry, just a little side note)

Wie can't join the LPGA Tour until she turns 18, but she can play in as many as eight LPGA Tour events over the next two years until then.

She will definitely be as big, if not bigger than mister 'Tiger Woods' himself I can tell you... but you don't have to take my word for it... *wink* *wink* (That's a take off of Reading Rainbow for those of you living in the Western parts of the States... JK)

Caption of the week...

2005-10-05T16:46:00.000-04:00

Oie!

Happy Birthday and stuff

2005-10-04T08:41:00.000-04:00
This past weekend my sister Julie was in town to… 1. Help my mom with her garage sale. 2. Both of their Birthdays are close together, Julie's is today Oct 4th (Happy Birthday Julie!) and my moms is Oct 6th, so we celebrated them both at the same time.

On Sunday we all (Julie, Rose (my sis’s), my mom, Sarah and I) went out to Damon’s Steak House and got some ribs and stuff while we watch some of the games on the big screen (sort of). We played the trivia game on the TV monitor a few times too… this is so cool, you play against everyone who play’s at Damon’s… and your score is entered in the national standing too (We don’t play that often so were way down on the list for nationals though, LOL). I ended up winning the first round out of about 10 people playing, yessssssssss… but sucked out on the others, oh well, when in Rome, LOL… I know that doesn’t pertain to this… it’s from a movie. We then went back to my mom’s crib for some yum yum cheesecake from Waterford and sang Happy Birthday to each other. All and all, it was a great time.

This weekend did sucked out for my fantasy team though. I think my team lost by like 10 points (105 – 95), Woe is Me. Ferguson did not catch any of the four touchdown passes Favre threw in that game… what’s up with that?! We also did not get to play poker as planned, so I guess the challenge will have to wait until next time.

Sarah and I got a new board game… 90’s Trivial Pursuit. This game as you may have figured out is similar to the original ‘Trivial Pursuit’, but (That’s right) the trivial questions take place in the 90’s… wow, lol. We started a game between the two of us on Saturday and I was ahead 3 pie’s to her 1 (I think it was). The pies… if you don’t remember are what you need to get to win the game, but we ended up not finishing this game because we had other things to do (Like, going to bed and stuff like that). We started over from scratch yesterday and I am currently in the lead with 4 pies to her 2 (She might have gotten 3, I don’t remember) and will continue the game today or tomorrow.

Oh and JULIE…

Happy Birthday to you… Happy Birthday to you… Happy Birthday dear Julia… Happy Birthday to you!

Wear the Fox Hat... People... Come on!

2005-10-03T11:05:00.000-04:00
Watch this once, and then watch it 3 more times. I thought it was HILARIOUS!

Ok, so maybe it's not the funniest thing... But I got a good kick out of it anyway.

It's Friday and you know what that means?!!

2005-09-30T09:55:00.000-04:00
That's right! *Hi five* "Yesssssssssssss!!!" *Pump Fist! A little low, right near the hip*

It's one day before the weekend (which actually starts when you get off work, which for me starts at 5 o'clock), two days before Football Sunday (oh, and church too) where we all get our face paint on and run around the house rooting for our FANTASY TEAM (Is this just me again, Come on people!), and your one team actually play's for like ten different teams in real life (That's fantasy football for ya). Even Monday isn't a bad day because on football season it's Monday Night Football. This Monday 'My' Packers take on the Panthers. It will probably be a slaughter (Javon Walker is out for the season after the first week. Bubba Franks is out this weekend, Donald Driver is iffy this weekend and WHAT IS UP with the defense?!! You're better then that Rat Pack, get with it!), but I am going to root for my team none the less. "Go Farve! It's your Birthday! No Presents! Just a Part'a'y".

My Sis is in town again! We will be playing poker to see who is actually better the whom. Uh huh, that’s right, I said it! That's a challenge...! “I hope I don't get it handed to me like the Panthers are going to hand it to the Packers.” (What 'it' is, I'm not sure)

My mom will be having a garage sale this weekend too.... OMG! If you haven’t seen my mom's house (Which most of you probably haven't), then you don't even know. My mom has the most stuff in her house she could buy like 5 houses and have enough stuff to fill each house with more stuff than you have in all of your houses combined (Sorry mom, if I offended you. Just click on the Numa Numa dance and you should feel better). I can't wait to see what she is getting rid of.

We missed the Wine Fest this past weekend in North East, so I think that we will go to Penn Shore and buy like 5 bottles's of wine and have our own wine tasting this weekend at our house. You’re invited! And You’re invited!

Well, Have a great weekend rooting for your favorite football team, and if you don't watch football, have fun doing, whatever it is, that you do, while everyone else watches football.

If you don't see me this weekend you know where I'll be... "Here We Go Packers... Here We Go!!"

And remember, Just Say No!

In a hurry much?

2005-09-29T17:20:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are always in a hurry to get somewhere.

This is the kind of stop that I do all the time. I don't need a sign. Is this really called a California stop?

Do I like Halloween?!

2005-09-28T16:04:00.000-04:00
I was going to leave a comment on ~~Mrs.~~ Ms. Sizzle's page but it got a bit long...~~Mrs.~~ Ms. Sizzle, this comment is for you.

I love Halloween! My friends and I usually have a Party every year too, at RichardZ’s old place. I used to bring over the audio (Speakers and receiver) and he provided the music (from the countless songs on his computer). Everyone has been out of town the past few years (Including RichardZ) so it looks to be just Mrs. Smith and myself this year (I think this is what we will be dressing up as this year 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith'). Not the most technical costumes one could wear for Halloween, but we've done our share of well thought out costumes in the past.

One year (At the Halloween Party ‘RichardZ Bash’) I came as Harry Carey (But the one Played by Will Farrell on SNL) and did some funny skits from SNL I can tell you. My wife was a baseball player, awesome! Then in about an hour switched into the sly Ricky Martin (Cloth’s, hair, chained cross and all tight black cloths baby) and shook my bon bon for everyone with a special one song concert, the song was ‘Shake Your Bon Bon’ of course. My wife was a crazed fan of Ricky, holding a sign that said I love Ricky, awesome! Then an hour later changed into Neo from The Matrix and did a nice gun scene from the movie (The lobby scene), with the same music and everything (One handed cartwheel gun grab, back hand spring, bullet dodge, the works!). My wife was Trinity, awesome! They got it on video, but by the end of the night the camera some how ate the tape...AGH. I wanted to see it too!

So, I guess you can say I like Halloween... yeah.

Recomendation's...

2005-09-28T08:17:00.000-04:00
Music, Movie and a book I can recommend for you are...

Music...

IZ (Or if you can pronounce it... Israel Kamakawiwo'ole) has now passed away, but his Hawaiian music lives on in this great album 'Alone in IZ World'. You may have heard his rendition of 'Over the Rainbow' in movies such as 'Finding Forrester' and 'Meet Joe Black'. Also in an older car Commercial (I can't remember which one it was though) is where I first heard his 'Over the Rainbow' remake. Sarah and I both love this album and we used a few of his songs at our wedding reception. We recommend that you do the same.

Movie...

You've heard of 'Night of the living dead' right? But what about 'Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Revenge of the Terror of the Attack of the Evil, Mutant, Alien, Flesh-Eating, Hellbound, Crawling, Zombified, Living-Dead Part II in Shocking 2-D'? No?! What's this?!! You haven't heard of it? If you haven't heard of this dubbed version of the original 'Night of the Living Dead' than you probably never will; because they don't sell it or rent it out any more since the Director George Romano (Of Original) decided he didn't give the rights for this to happen. Lowell Mason (Writer and Director of re-mix) decided to do this dubbed version of the original without George’s approval.

If you can find a copy of this re-mix version, I recommend you pick it up and watch it immediately! I found my copy on DVD at Cinema Wasteland.

You won't be too disappointed... It's a great movie with lines you will quote to your friend's for years to come...

And the book I will recommend is none other then...

Tony Robbins- 'Awaken the Giant Within'

This book will change your life. If you want to get pumped up, and inspired to live your life and master your inner self while reaching for your dreams more than you ever have before!

Well, I'm not as good at he is at the ‘Motivate’ the people type ‘Speaker’ stuff; he is much better at it than I, so I won’t even try. So go out and read this book for a life changing experience! Do it! Do it NOW!

I, never! Have you?

2005-09-26T14:08:00.000-04:00
I was driving home for lunch today... and I was driving by this big rig to the right of me... and while passing him or her I was all like, "Ok buddy, don't turn into me, I'm coming around. Stay...stay...thank you!" Like whoever is driving this truck could actually hear me or something. I tend to do this quite often it turns out. Does anyone else do this, or is it just me?

***************************************

You know when you get those grapes off the vines... you know, the one's that have all of those little seeds in'um. I've always had the tendency to just crunch them, seeds in all. I don't mess around trying to chew around the seeds and spit'um out or just swallow the seed's whole (They're the tiny one's). They get stuck in my teeth, but... I don't seem to mind. Does anyone else do this, or is it just me?

***************************************

Any time I get a bag of Skittles or M&M's (Anything with different color pieces of candy)... for some reason I like to dump them out on my desk and then separate them all in individual color groups... and then eat them in such an order as to where no single color has the majority over the rest of the colors, I think I'm just koooky like that. Does anyone else do this, or is it just me?

***************************************

Whenever I am watching a movie, I have to have complete silence until the moment comes as to where you are supposed to laugh at something... if I miss a second of the movie after the laughing should have stopped, I have to rewind it and listen to it again. This holds true more so when there is a group of people watching a movie with me (At my house only). If I think you missed a part of the movie when you were laughing when you should have stopped, I will rewind the movie.

I guess what I'm trying to say is... Does anyone else do this, or is it just me?

What idiosyncrasies do you have? Or am I just living on my own little island here?

The longest yard

2005-09-24T20:48:00.000-04:00
Over the weekend we watched The Longest Yard (2005)...

Not too shabby. It's the remake of the old film with Burt Reynolds playing the lead role as QB. If you like Adam Sandler movies you should like this one. Even though he plays a different character then usual (He's been playing more serious rolls), you should enjoy him and Chris Rock reuniting from previous roles together on SNL. Chris Rock definitely makes you LOL, he is friggin re-hilarious.

I haven't seen the original, but I hear it is pretty close to this newer adaptation directed by Peter Segal (Who also directed 50 First Dates, Anger Management and Tommy Boy, all very funny films).

If you’re looking for a football comedy that has some hard hitting and fast action NFL camera angles than The Longest Yard (2005) should be in your must see fall line up. And remember, if you can’t get out GET EVEN.

Tag used to be such a fun game...

2005-09-23T13:53:00.000-04:00
Has anyone gotten tagged before? (Yeah, me neither)

I was reading Kim's Notebook and she posted about being tagged to do this on her blog. Now she didn't tag anyone except the one person she new would love to do it (Not important), but she gave the go ahead for anyone who wanted to do it, to go ahead and do it. I was a little curious as to what my sentence would be, so I did it...

Here are the instructions...

1. Delve into your blog archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five people to do the same.

Here are my results...

"I think that I would like to be labeled a 'Native American Tlingit Indian' because I am Tlingit, I am Native to America, and my Tribe is Tlingit, and I am Indian."

Here is my explanation...

I am an Alaska Native American Indian and the OP was what my thoughts were on being labeled an Indian or Native American. I thought this to be appropriate at the time. I stick to the label to this very day...

Here’s whom I will be tagging...

I will tag everyone who commented on my last post (About Monopoly). And if you must make me delve into the comments page and pull your name out... Tam, Ms. Sizzle, Melissa, Kristen, and Lil Sis.

Now, it is your choice to post this or not on your blog; but if you don't, you will likely have bad luck/karma for the next 10 years. So I highly recommend it.

Cheers!

Monopoly

2005-09-22T12:52:00.000-04:00

When was the last time you played Monopoly?
You know, "One of the best-selling commercial board games in the world.... Players compete to acquire wealth through stylized economic activity involving the purchase, rental and trading of real estate using play money, as players take turns moving around the board according to the roll of the dice." Yada Yada...You know the drill.

Well, before yesterday... I think it was about 3 or 4 years ago (Maybe more) for me. It was one of my favorites to play when I was young, and also one of the worst games to play if you had a bad temper (I don't think I had one that bad, but did lose it on occasions). I was pretty good at it too (At least that's what I thought when I was younger).

A few other favorites when I was young were Scrabble, Trouble, ~~Shoots~~ Shute's and Latter's, Candy Land, Trivia Pursuit, Sorry! just to name a few.... in case you were wondering.

So yesterday my wife and I thought we'd try something different for a change so we give Monopoly a try. Now I thought I could just jump back into the groove of things and start kicking ass and taking names like the olden day's... boy was I mistaken. I think the game lasted about...maybe less then an hour before I went broke.

My strategy was to buy as much as I could before she got a chance to, so I did just that... (You know you only get a total of $1,500 starting off right?)... I bought everything I landed on the first two times I went around the board. Everything, even the crap one's. Her strategy was to just buy the one's that I didn't have the other half of the "Monopoly" on already. And to pace herself, Ha! I was like... "Yeah baby, lettin’ me get the Monopoly on these aren't gonna do you any good." (In my head, but let her play her way. She was gonna lose big time) But luck wasn't on my side to land on the other properties that would give me the Monopoly. Oh no, luck was not on my side.

Fast-forward about 9 or 10 times around the block... She somehow got all of the Railroads and 3 Monopolies, to my one...! (Mine was Park Place and Boardwalk though) I landed in jail about 5 times (Without collecting $200 for passing go, mind you), landed on her Monopoly of Railroad's like...5 times and couldn't pay my mortgage on the other 5 properties I owned and had to get a second mortgage on most of them to pay the bill's.

In a little less than an hour she had houses on 3 of her Monopolies, and I mortgaged off everything I owned to pay her off!@ I mean, I couldn't get a break the entire game! She totally rocked my boat! She ruled! I kissed her feet afterwards. It was... ...it wasn't a pretty picture, that's all I could tell you. So much, that I let the old school Monopoly anger start to seep out a bit (But I think I controlled it pretty well. I was very proud of myself).

It was very degrading though to say the least, not my best moments in board gamage. But I did challenge her two out of three... and plan to deliver my best Monopoly Playing ever, on our next two outings! She'll see, I'm the best. She just got lucky.

As for all of you out there in computer land... I challenge you all to a game of any of the above-mentioned games.... any time... anywhere! Go ahead, make my millenium!

"You just don't fit in..."

2005-09-22T00:23:00.000-04:00
We just watched "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart". If you liked The Original (Trump), you will love it, and if you like Martha, you will love it even more, and if you like both Martha and The Original Apprentice, you will just absolutely friggin adore it.

Martha is a big bad mofo, who doesn't mess around when it comes to 'Living'. Even though it's exactly the same as the Original 'Apprentice', Martha makes it her own, with her sweet self.

I know there's a bunch of new 'TV' out there to watch, but none of you mentioned anything about this. And frankly my dear, I don't give a damn! As long as you don't miss another episode of "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart Style". Everything will be just fine.

Apparently it will be on Wednesday's at eight. Be there, or Martha's going to have to let you go! Because "You just don't fit in..."

If only....

2005-09-21T14:56:00.000-04:00
Oh, how my fantasy football team has fallin in the hands of the 'Sith' (Shew, or Lew, or Mr. Nordan Jr). If only Julius Jones could run for a touchdown or two against the Redskins... If only My QB (this week is Leftwich) could throw a Touchdown or two.... If only Fred Taylor can get out of his funk and score one already... If only Brett Favre Could throw to Ferguson more... If only Walker wasn't out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL... If only..... If only...

I will be in my room....

...and when I come out....

...Julius Jones will have a touchdown...

...and I will finish doing the dishes....

...then cut my wifes toe nails....

...This is how I felt on Monday night around 11:00 PM by the way...

...None of it came true...
Final - Centerville Sith 94.90 Juneau Fifth Street 85.76

...Damn you Tiki and Horn (Plays for the 'Sith') ....damn you...

...*sigh*...

...there's always this weekend....

...You're going down SuperMen...(Berry, or Jim, or Mr. White)...I'm going to take you down.... take you down to China Town....

"Who does that....?"

Chore anyone...?

2005-09-20T15:04:00.000-04:00
Why is it that most men (myself included) are only given one job to do around the house? Is it because you only trust us with one chore, you think we are only capable of doing one thing at a time? No, I'll tell you why.... It's because there are more important things for us to be doing... like, watching the game. If we didn't support our team, then who is going to? No one. And what is a team without fans? They would be nowhere without us...

What is the most important job that only men do around the house? I'll tell you, the most important job that men have around the house (once a week) is take out the garbage. This is the only job we are really responsible for. If you are asked to do anything else on top of this, you are going above and beyond the call of duty, and should be rewarded handsomely.

All jokes aside... I need to start helping out around the house more or my wife is going to feed me the grizzlies, then to the killer whales, and then she'll go to work on me!

No I’m kidding, she’s great. I asked her if she would ever do that (feed me to the grizzlies)? And she said, “That’s ridiculous, who would take out the garbage.”

If you or someone you know has problems doing chores around the house, you’re not alone. It’s not too late to get help. Please call ‘1-888-GoodForNothing’ now for a free brochure. Come see the countless Americans and Canadians that have already gotten help and are well on their way to a Healthier and Happier life. That number again is ‘1-888-GoodForNothing’. That’s ‘1-888-GoodForNothing’.

Call now you good for nothing chore hater! Our operators are standing by!

Would you rather....?

2005-09-20T09:43:00.000-04:00
Would you rather... get thrashed by a killer whale for 3 hours?... or....Get attacked by a grizzly bear for 3 hours?....

2005-09-19T09:03:00.000-04:00
Movie's I watched recently...

'Fever Pitch'

This movie tickled my funny bone while giving me an understanding of how the curse of the Bambino actually came about (I didn't know the whole story of this, really). Jimmy Fallon was funnier then expected and Drew Barrymore was sweet and saucy (Which is a good thing).

I gave it 2 Thumbs Up and encourage all of you to stop at your local video store and give this movie a try.

'In Good Company'

This movie has been out for a while but it's a good one to watch again and again. I think everyone should get a chance to see this movie once, twice and even three times, maybe. The witty humor, warm story telling and great acting will have you stuck to your seat until the very end. Dennis Quad, Scarlett Johansson and Topher Grace give this an all star cast (IMO).

This movie is a lock for your DVD collection, go out and get a copy, Right Now. 2 thumbs Way Up!

Weekend Check list...

2005-09-16T16:15:00.000-04:00
This weekends checklist...

(Red is updated)

1) ~~Watch a movie at Tinsletown early in the day on Saturday; you know, for the cheaper seats.~~ Instead, we went to Waterford and got some gourmet cheesecake. Five pieces of different variety and had bite size samples when we got home. We also went to Campbell Pottery in Edinboro and had pizza for lunch at John's Wildwood Pizza. Then watched "Fever Pitch", very funny movie.
2) ~~Sell my watch, playstation 2, and around 5-7 DVD's on ebay to help pay for the popcorn from the damn movie this weekend. (What's up with that?)~~ I didn't do this do to the fact we did not watch the movie, hence no popcorn purchase.
3) ~~Buy some Martha Stewart Stock.~~ This one was a no go. See number 6.
4) Go jogging (and when I say jogging, I mean a brisk walk) at the beach or bayfront (Close to where I live). We just finished our walk/jog. It was glorious!
5) Kick booty with my fantasy football team. Up by 10 points and still have Monday Night! *fingers crossed*
6) ~~Sell my Martha Stewart Stock.~~ See number 3.
7) ~~Cut my hair.~~ Will do this Monday.
8) ~~Sort my sock drawer.~~ I just added this, I don't know why. Like anyone actually has time to sort their sock drawer, ha!
9) Watch some movies at home. Done and Done.
10) .....?

...Yeah, not much.... not even good enough for a post, but there it is.

I may not even buy the Stock, and that probably would have been the most exiting thing this weekend too.

I hope next weekend will be a little more exiting. Yeah, you're right, probably not.

Hope you all can find more to do on your weekends.

It's Friday!!!! Yeeessssssssssssssss!!!!!! *pump fist* *then high five*

Joke of the day........

2005-09-16T11:03:00.000-04:00
I've heard this joke and told this joke that I got from PokerSource.com before, but haven't shared it with you yet....

There's a guy who lives in Erie Pennsylvania. One morning, he hears a voice in his head.

The voice says, "Quit your job, sell your house, take all your money,
and go to Las Vegas."

He ignores the voice.

Later in the day, he hears the voice again. "Quit your job, sell your house, take all your money, and go to Las Vegas."

Again, he ignores the voice.

Soon he hears the voice every minute of the day. "Quit your job, sell your house, take all your money, and go to Las Vegas."

He can't take it anymore. He believes the voice. He quits his job, sells his house, takes all his money, and flies to Las Vegas.

As soon as he steps off the plane, the voice says, "Go to the Horseshoe."

He goes to The Horseshoe.

The voice says, "Put all your money into a World Series of Poker (WSOP) entry."

He puts up his $10,000 and buys an entry into the WSOP. He goes to his assigned tournament table.

The first hand is dealt and the guy is dealt Ace of Spades and Ace of Diamonds.

The voice says, "Go all in."

He pushes his entire $10,000 bankroll into the pot. Three players call.

The dealer lays down the flop which is Jack of Hearts, 10 of Hearts and 9 of Hearts.

The voice says, "Shit."

Some people...

2005-09-15T10:16:00.000-04:00
On my way to work this morning there is a few school zones on the way, as I'm sure you all have 1 or 2. If you don't, you are lucky sons-a-beotch's. The speed limit goes to 15 miles an hour, which is fine. I don't mind slowing down for all the kiddies.

I was going through this morning at my usual 15 mile'n hour speed when I got to this cross walk where there was a car stopped on my right, so I slowed down and stopped. There was this Girl (Mom) and her daughter, along with the mom (Grandmother) that looked like they were trying to cross, but when I stopped the Girl (Mom) looked very frustrated and was waving her hand as though she was telling us to go ahead and go! I let my foot off the brake and rolled forward about two inches. The Girl (Mom) started walking and I stopped. She looked at me like I was crazy and proceeded to call me an "ass-hole" (in front of her kid, mind you. Not to mention the kids running around the schoolyard) and says, "You better not! You're an Ass-Hole!" I was like, what the...? And I stuck my head out of the window to tell her that I stopped for them and it looked like she was waving us through. But OH NO, she wasn't hearin' none'a dat', she continued to yell while crossing the street at me like I was going to run her and the kid over or something. What a bleotch!

After getting to work, I was thinking to myself... "I'm not an ass-hole am I, no, she's the ass-hole, isn't she? I did nothing wrong, yeah she's the A-hole. Yeah." I actually had to convince myself that she was the a-hole. I don't know why I let things like this get to me so much, but I was like... "Man, I don't think I am a bad guy. In fact, I think am a very nice guy, right? Yeah, I am, right?" I just feel horrible when I think someone doesn't like me for some reason. I mean, if I am a nice guy and all, why would anyone say things like that to me. I mean they don't even know me.

Well, I have more then convinced myself that I am not an a-hole now and even more, that girl must have had some serious problems. She was even talking on her damn cell phone at the time! Idiot! Not that talking on your cell phone makes you an Idiot. She just needed to pay more attention in what she was doing with her kid in her hand, trying to cross the street.

Well, the fact of the matter is, I let people get to me way too much. I need to realize that these people have know idea who I am and have no room to judge someone this way. Man that chic got to me! (Pardon me for saying Chic if this offends.) I hope everyone else can realize what I have found out about certain people. Don't let anyone you don't know judge you for any reason if you know in you mind/heart you are in the right.

Some People. What'a'ya'gonna'do... I should have just run her over... Just kidding.

You are what you wear....

2005-09-14T16:18:00.000-04:00
Here is a test to see what kind of person you are from what kind of cloths you prefer....

What kind are you? Does it come close, or way off?

Here are my results, they are pretty damn close... Ooooooo, scary.

What others see from your style

You tend to be affectionate but not very strong emotionally. You want to be loved, and this can make you appear needy and clingy at times.

What your nightclothes reveal

You're a romantic person at heart. You are imaginative but your temper can sometimes get in the way of your happiness.

What others see from your ties

You are a happy and contented person. You are protective of your friends, honest and tidy. You are hardworking and like to be the person in charge.

What others see from your belts

You are a kind of person who likes to hide your feelings. You may have a hot temper but tend to cover it with an outwardly calm and gentle demeanor. You are sensitive when it comes to love.

What others see from your shoes

You're very young at heart. You regard freedom highly and don't like to be controlled by a set of rules. You don't like conflict, will compromise wherever possible, and are hardworking people. Occasionally you can become vulnerable when having to face problems, especially emotional ones.

What others see from your earrings

You are probably an independent and strong-willed person. Fairness is important to you, and you always stand up for what you believe in. You are friendly and get along well with people.

The last analysis

You are probably a romantic and passionate person. You are sensitive and lonely when you aren't in love. You can be somewhat self-centered, but you are honest and sincere to others. You like to make a good impression of yourself and worry about what others think of you.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

2005-09-14T10:17:00.000-04:00
We just saw this movie the other day at our cheap movie Cinema 6 Movie Theater. Which Tuesdays is only .75 cents (they actually bumped it up from .50 cents).

I thought this movie had enough action in it to make any action movie goer jump and cheer. It was also quite funny as well. A few of the action scenes were unbelievable, but I think I could overlook this part of it. One scene in particular when they stood in the middle of a store and took out about 70 to 80 people at once, this was the unbelievable part (Comparable to Antonio Banderas in Desperado).

All in all, I would own this in my DVD collection any time. Brad and Angelina were good together, I guess so good that they had to give dating in real life a try. I'm sure most of you who were planning on seeing this movie have already seen it, but for those of you who didn't yet... I recommend that you go out and give it a try. Even my wife liked this movie, and she doesn't really like action/shoot'em up movies, at all.

I haven't seen too many newer movies in theaters much lately, but it's good to get out there and spend your .75 cents on a good action movie once and a while.

P.S. Wedding Crashers was one of the Previews, and I can't wait to get this one on DVD. Hillarious! Just plain Hillarious.

Top ten signs that your cat is a boy...

2005-09-13T09:10:00.000-04:00
Number 10: Whenever the game is on, you can never get anything through it's thick scull.

Number 9: It always takes the newspaper in the litter box when going number 2.

Number 8: When the female hussy cat walks by the house, it franticly tries to get out for a quick shag.

Number 7: When that cute cat on the Friskies commercial comes on, it starts humping the living room table.

Number 6: You name it Bella, then when you see it grew some balls , you change it's name to Kevin Bacon.

Number 5: It never gets why you cry every time you watch Million Dollar Baby and then continues to call you a loser for being such a wuss.

Number 4: When you take it to the vet they ask you why he's dressed up in that cute pink dress and bonnet.

Number 3: On weekends, you can catch it at the local pub bragging about all the great pussy it got the other night.

Number 2: Whenever you log onto your computer, the browser's home page is always set to some girlie kitty-porn site.

And the Number 1 sign that your cat is a boy: It likes to refer to its private parts as Big Ben and the Willie Parker Gang.

Dedicated to our cat Kevin Bacon....

Million Dollar River...

2005-09-12T14:23:00.000-04:00
My wife and I just watched two movies the other day, both Directed by Clint Eastwood. Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby. Now, these movies were good; but these two movies are some of the saddest movies that we had ever seen in a long while.... *pause* ....even now, I can't think of a more sad movie I watched in the past. Mystic River wasn't too bad, but wait until you get to Million Dollar Baby.

Have you ever watched a movie that was so sad, or so scary that you had to put on something funny right after to get you out of the mood the movie put you in? I'm sure you have no idea what I'm talking about.

When I was younger, I watched scary movies all the time. And if need be, I'd watch some good old Tom & Jerry (or whatever cartoon happened to be on at the time) right after to get rid of the feeling of actually getting killed by Chucky or Freddy Kruger (whatever scary movie I decided to let haunt me before my bedtime). Nowadays I don't get that scared of scary movies (as much), but certain movies can still depress the hell out of me. This is when I go in my younger fail safe/watch something funny to get me out of a sad movie funk, mode. This is why I mainly stick to comedy/action/'slight' drama movies, so I don't have to go through this funk mode.

I guess that’s the kind of guy I am. I like to make good of the bad times and make fun of the awful times in life. This is the way I am. This may seem a little too laid back for most. But I feel this is how to enjoy life. Don't let stuff get to you and know that everything has a purpose, whether you can see it or not. Everything will work out in the end.

I guess my point was going to be, if you are going to rent one of these movies. Make sure you also rent something from the comedy section as well. And don't try watching both of these movies one after another, unless you are a trained professional (like me).
Happy movie watching all you moviegoers!

Relief...

2005-09-10T09:58:00.000-04:00
Well, the more I watch, the more I can see that there are good people out there. I just haven't seen them until now.

As I watched television the past few days on Katrina, I've noticed that there is a lot of wealthy and good people willing to give and give to help Katrina victims. I guess that I had to see it for myself to know for sure. Seeing in the news that people like John Grisham (I think thats who it was) giving 5, count them, 5 million dollars to the relief fund helping those people in need. The same amount a whole city can donate.

I've seen how upset the entire New Orleans football team is and what they are doing to help out. Some that have a family of 12 staying at their houses and some that will pay people's rent/mortgage for them until they can get back on their feet. Just helping any and everyone out that they possibly can. Giving so much money to the relief fund without a second thought.

Brett Favre and the Packers (My team) doing all they can do to help get food, money, cloths and anything else to these people who need them the most right now, everyone coming together as a team. I can see now that there are so many people out there in the world that really do care about others (as they should), and are doing their part as to help out.

It's just good to see the other side of it. The side of people getting together and really making a BIG difference to help everyone in need. I couldn't get enough of it, seeing how many people that really help out. It gives this country hope (This world).

At first I didn't think that there was as many helping as there could be, but now I can see that this is far from the truth. I only wish I could do more than just pray for these people, I wish I could send my millions over. Give these people a place to sleep, eat and live. I wish I could do more.

I am predicting that Extreme Make-Over Home Edition will be working over time to help these families get back on their feet. We love watching this show; it's one of the kindest and most generous shows that I have ever seen. These people are the best, and they continue to help families out all year round.

Thanks to all of you that are helping and for those who will continue to help aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Also, thank you ABC for bringing Extreme Make-Over Home Edition to the aid of all of the families in need throughout the past few years. I am sure you will dedicate many episodes to the relief of Katrina as well.

Thank you all, and God Bless…

I See it Differently

2005-09-09T10:33:00.000-04:00

The way that I see it # 3

If someone doesn't like you for who you are?
Then they are not going to like you for who your not.
Unless you are, who your not.
Then in that case they will like you.
But in the end, you will not like yourself for being someone you not.

A little word of advice:
next time you're watching a place,
don't claim that you own it just because you're watching it, OK?
I house sit for my sister all the time;
it's not like I claim that I own her house,
ya know what I mean?
That goes for all of you,
don't pretend to be someone your not.

~Michael Sheakley
On September 9, 2005
The last paragraph was not Mike though.
But still good advice.

Cusack who?

2005-09-08T15:22:00.000-04:00
I got this from Kristen...

Which John Cusack Are You?

...Who got this from Richard...

...Who got this from the John Cusack test...

...I am the one from High Fidelity (Shown above)...

...Past it on...

???

2005-09-08T11:18:00.000-04:00
Who do I have to shag to get a deal on gas in this ~~city~~ country?

I guess I should be glad that it went down .20 cents. Yippy!

Willimantic CT, check... Labor Day, check...

2005-09-06T21:53:00.000-04:00
We finally made it back from Willimantic CT yesterday at around 8:30 last night. We went to the Wedding of two of our friends, Matt and Colleen. It turned out to be a beautiful weekend for an outside wedding. I was asked to be an usher at the Wedding, and of course I wasn’t going to say no to that.

Sarah and I left Erie Friday afternoon at around 5 o’clock in the evening, which wasn't the actual time we should have left of course (This should have been 3:30). But since I’m an Indian an all, we had to go by Indian time, which I believe is 2 to 3 hours behind schedule, give or take an hour.

We drove because it was cheaper then flying, but little did we know flying probably would have been about the same price seeing is how we paid a arm and a leg for the gas and toll price's along the way. I used to pay about 27 dollars to fill my 14-gallon tank, but now I pay around 48 dollars, which is about double the pleasure, double the fun. Ah well, when in Rome (I know that doesn't go with what I'm saying).

Since we left so late, we ended up staying at a Red Roof Inn about a third of the way (It was around 10:30 and a bit dark). This wasn't so bad since we got to sleep in Saturday morning and then had beautiful scenery the rest of the way. It reminded us of when we drove home from Alaska, what an experience that was (We kind of do, and we kind of don’t want to do that again).

We finally made it to Willimantic around 2:45 Saturday afternoon and contacted Rich, Matt and Jim (Our friends from Erie which now have dispersed in every direction for reasons of school and work). They were getting their tuxes fitted (They were in the Wedding) at the time so we just chilled at Matt 'The Groom's' house (This is where we planned on staying for the weekend with our friends Jim and Kelly). This was fine since rehearsal dinner was later in the day.

Rehearsal/dinner was planned around 5:00 PM but started around 6:30. Dinner was supposed to be at 7:00 but ended up starting around 7:45 (It's all good though, Wedding's are supposed to be this way). The dinner was in Downtown New London (I believe this is the name of the city), which ended up being a very good time indeed. I had Steak and the Wife had Lobster Ravioli and a few glasses of wine. Getting close to 10:30, everyone decided things should get wrapped up since there was a wedding the next day and all, so we retreated back to Matt's abode for the night.

On the way back we get pulled over at a checkpoint where the Poe-Poe were checking for drunk drivers along the way. Now I hadn’t been drinking too much, just a few glasses of wine (Three). I was still kind of shaking a bit though, since this was my first drunk driving checkpoint I had ever been in. I pulled over and the officer asked if I had been drinking, so I say "Yes, a glass of wine." He say's "Just one..?", and without hesitation I say, "Yes." He then asks me to follow his finger back and forth a bit checking to see if I should be driving or not, but of course I pass with flying colors and he let us pass through. That was fun, good thing I hadn't really been drinking, or we might have been screwed. Fun, fun, time for bed now.

Sunday rolls around and we decided that the drive back and forth from the Lighthouse Inn (Where The Wedding stuff takes place) and Matt's house was a little bit too far for us to travel every day, so we booked a Hotel room at this very nice little Indian Place (Not my kind of Indian, but the other kind). This was about 35 minutes closer of a drive, which I guess would have made more sense to get the day before, but…. Ah well, when in Rome.

The Wedding started at around 5'ish, which ended up being a glorious day. Matt and Colleen looked very much in love and it turned out to be a beautiful outside wedding at the Lighthouse Inn. They had appetizers and alcohol waiting for us afterwards (Yum, Yum). This was a real treat, as I was pretty thirsty from all of the heat. After mingling time was over, we retreated into the reception hall and danced the night away (I had Salmon and the Wife had Salmon, we love Salmon). Matt and Colleen had a swing band playing at the reception, as they are big swing dancers. So this was the perfect touch to a blissful and swingin’ marriage. We had a fun time, but like my father always says, “When the fun it gone, it’s time to move on.” (The reception was over)

We stayed the night at our hotel and left for home Monday morning. We had a great time this weekend and we wish Matt and Colleen our best. Have fun traveling to Hawaii and through Europe. I think that they will surely be together forever. The ride home seemed to last forever too, but we eventually made it back to Erie safe and sound. I will definitely post some pictures of the Wedding once I get them developed. Which if you haven’t figured it out already, will be in Indian Time.

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day Weekend! And remember, When in Rome…..

Wow...

2005-09-02T09:43:00.000-04:00

Warning to 'hoodlums'

Police Chief Eddie Compass said there was such a crush around a squad of 88 officers that they retreated when they went in to check out reports of assaults.

“We have individuals who are getting raped, we have individuals who are getting beaten,” Compass said.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco called people who committed such crimes “hoodlums” and issued a warning to lawbreakers: Hundreds of National Guard troops hardened on the battlefield in Iraq have landed in New Orleans.

“They have M-16s and they’re locked and loaded,” she said. “These troops know how to shoot and kill, and they are more than willing to do so, and I expect they will.”

...all I have to say is..... Wow.

A map of Chaos...

Pray and more....

2005-09-01T16:55:00.000-04:00
If you would like to do something for the Hurricane Katrina Aftermath, but not sure what to do. You can Pray for them...

Please Pray for....

Wisdom for the President and his cabinet as they formulate and implement response.

Healing and health for the injured, ill and elderly.

Wisdom and strength for relief workers and law enforcement officials.

Consolation for those who have lost loved ones and those whose loved ones are missing.

Smooth evacuation of residents to the Astrodome in Houston.

A stop to the looting and a spirit of lawfulness on the part of all.

Restoration of electricity and water supplies, willingness to conserve by all.

Aid to those still needing basics of food and water.

Cooperation and communication between federal, state and local agencies.

These are just some that you can Pray. I found these on the website of the Presidential Prayer Team's.

And I think that this is a good place to start....

Blow out...

2005-08-31T10:41:00.000-04:00
I need to get cable, or at least the Bravo Channel. For some reason I love watching this channel (My wife and I both). Our favorite most recently was/is Blow Out. Has anyone else watched this show? Brilliant!! I'm not sure if this show is on anymore, but it was great to watch (We couldn't get enough of it). Jonathan Antin wanted to become a "Prominent 'Hairstylist' Player" in Beverly Hill's and they followed him on his crazy journey through this process to find the right team and right spot to fulfill his lifelong dream (He is surprisingly not even gay, not that there's anything wrong with that).

Man, I'm sorry if I'm sounding like a soft soggy sandwich here...

Jonathan made you laugh, cry and even made you say "No he didn't!" all the way up to the end (He was doing a lot of tearing up himself). We will definitely have to get this on DVD when it comes out. So we can see all of the episodes we missed and to re-watch the one's that we just have to see again.

Thanks Jonathan, for your ability to keep us entertained and (Keeping us) coming back for more.

Brilliant!!

A penny for your thoughts....

2005-08-30T16:43:00.000-04:00
If we only had $.50 cents to split between us and I gave you a quarter, and you gave him $.10, and he gave her a nickel, and she gave them $. 03 cents to split, but one only got a penny. And the one that got a penny, gave it to their brother....

....Which one of us was more generous?

And, if you are thinking that this is one of the optional questions that Google's Blogger gives you in the "About Me" section, you would be wrong. I made this baby up all by my self.

You really don't have to answer this...

....but then again you probably don't know the answer anyways.

Oh, and about our new kitten (And the possible name for him, not her as we origonally thought), I just call him 'Kevin Bacon', he seems to like that name.

Loser....

2005-08-29T23:07:00.000-04:00
Why do A-Holes have to be such A-Holes? Why can't they just be B-Holes like everyone else? I’d even settle for a C-Hole every now and then.

Sarah went to school today and noticed when she got out of her car, there was a HUGE dent in her back door. This must have happened over the weekend, because she hasn't driven her car since then. HIT AND RUN BASTARDS! That's all I have to say.

So now, if she wanted to use her insurance to fix her car, she has to pay $500 just for the deductible (Collision). Which I'm sure will cost a little less than this... so basically she's fuct. Damn those hit and run bastard a-hole son of a motherless goats!

Well, I guess the next house/apt. we rent will have to have off street parking or Nada renting for us! It is ridiculous that it has to come to this, but a very similar thing happened to her car at our last Apt. (No off street parking) and we don't want to make it 3 for 3.

Maybe all we need to do is put camera’s up around the house and have a few pointing at our cars in hopes that the next time this happens, we will see a license plate number or maybe even a head shot.

We are still on the look out for a car/truck around our neighborhood with green paint scrapes and a possible dent on the front or back bumper. And only then, when we find'um, we can open up a can of whoop ass on this sad waste of a human being.

For the guy/girl who participated in the Hit and Run... You can eat a big fat rotten knuckle sandwich! Beotch! And Please accept our loser of the month care card...

Signed,

Victim's of a crime

FF News Report....

2005-08-28T01:24:00.000-04:00
We interrupt you from your regularly scheduled bloggram to bring you this special news bulletin....

...Sorry if you are not interested in Football or Fantasy Football as that is what this post is ALL about... Well it is Football Season damn it!...

Double Down's Fantasy Football Draft on Yahoo! Sports has came and gone. I think I did Ok with the picks that I made, but I'm sure that I could have chosen a few better picks than I did.

My Two keepers from last years League were going to be Ahman Green from Green Bay and Shaun Alexander from Seattle, but I had to make a last minute change from Ahman to Julius Jones from Dallas. Jones will be one of the top 5 Running Backs in the NFL this year (At least in Fantasy Football). So I think I made a wise choice to keep him instead of Green.

The others I drafted were Javon Walker from Green Bay, Darrell Jackson from Seattle, Issac Bruce from St. Lois and Lee Evans from Buffalo as my wide receivers. My other Running back was ~~Fred Taylor from Jacksonvillewhich I now know may not get as many touches the first few weeks because of his knee injury~~, I now have Mike Anderson which I may still trade for LaMont Jordan (This is fine, cause he will only serve as back up to Jones and Alexander). I managed to grab up Tony Gonzales from Kansas City as my Tight End, and my back up is ~~Jeb Putzier from Denver~~ I had to grab another RB to spell other RB in the later week when others are on bye weeks, but still need backup TE so I picked up Chris Cooley from Washinton instead (He can be played as TE or RB positions) Which I'm sure won't last too long on my team before trading for a better backup for Gonzales. My Quarterback's are the picks I probably could have done a little better with. I got Drew Brees from San Diego and Carson Palmer from Cincinnati. Not horrible, but what are ya gonna do. Our Defense counts as the whole team, and I snagged Pittsburgh and ~~Washington~~ Traded Washington for Dallas (We'll see). Kickers are Jason Elam from Denver and Jason Hanson from Detroit (Huh, two Jason's). So all in all, I think this will be a good season for my team Juneau Fifth Street. I plan on riding my running backs all the way to the end of the season.

Well, in a nutshell, this is my team this year. I hope that all you Fantasy Football players out there are as siked as I am (I don't see how that is possible). Give me a run down of your starters in this years fantasy football leagues.

And as for this years team head coach's for League Double Down... Get ready to have your whop ass handed to you on a silver platter my friends!

Thanks you for tuning in… You may now return to your regular schedule bloggrams....

Saturday mornings are....

2005-08-27T09:51:00.000-04:00
So, Saturday mornings are usually filled with Video Games and Online Poker playing. I thought I would try something a little different. Now that I've beaten the Redskins this morning with my Packers on ESPN 2k5, I will start my household cleaning.

When we moved in at the beginning of this month, we started this unpacking of the household things, thing. You know, the one where you unpack your things throughout the year and hope to get-r-done (Ha) by the one-year anniversary of the actual moved in date. Well, maybe we are the only ones who participate in the yearly unpacking ritual. I don't remember half of the stuff that comes out of these bins (We have about 35 to 40 small blue bins you buy at Wal-Mart for storing EVerything. They stack nice on the truck during the move and also in the attic once moved in). I think we should participate in an annual or even better, biannual garage sale to get rid of some of this stuff. It's amazing, the amount of stuff you can keep stored in your house you actually don't need. For some reason people (and when I say some people, I mean me) get attached to the most useless stuff, that they know, they are never going to use, ever.

"Are you really going to use that speed bag you bought at a garage sale 3 years ago?"

"Yeah man, don't get rid of that, I'm still going to use that."

"For what? You haven't used it ONCE, since you got it three years ago (I guess it does keep the dust off of that one spot in the attic). Were you still thinking of training to be a heavy weight boxer? Cuz you are heading in the right direction eating potato chips, sitting on your ass and playing video games all Saturday morning!"

That reminds me, I have got to stop going to garage sales too. This is one of my worst habits, seeing as how I myself can't get rid of anything, it’s probably not the best idea to go to someone else’s house and bring more stuff back to my own. I think of it as buying from others, who are on the right path of getting rid of their own useless junk so that they can make room for more useless junk of their own (I like helping people out). There is a lot of useless junk at garage sales that would look good in my attic though. You know what the saying is, "One man's junk, can be another man's junk, at the right price!" And man, garage sales have the right price for everything! I love (SW) it when I'm out garage sailing (and yes, I do Sail though these garages sales), and there is this lady (or man) looking at a glass bowl (or whatever useless item they're shopping for), with a price tag of .25 cents on it, and has the audacity to say, "Will you take a dime for it?" That just drives me up the wall! I just want to go up to the owner of this useless item and say, "I will give you a Dollar for it, just so this bartering shmuck can't rip you off even more." I mean how low can you go! The useless stuff here is worth 10 times what they are selling it for, and they are already ripping themselves off, selling it for the prices that they are. And you are going to stand there, and try to get it for .10 cents? I'm sorry, but I don't take kindly to cheapskates. Which also reminds me, cheapskates are another thing I think we need to get rid of in this world. Too bad I don’t bring my boxing gloves when I’m garage sailing, cuz I think I would get some good use out of’em smacking these people upside.

I forgot where I was going with this post… Oh yeah, Saturday mornings are great. That’s all I wanted to say.

So, until next time... Happy hoarding! And if you’ve got something you don’t need, let me take a look at it. I might have just the place for it!

The Friday Ritual...

2005-08-26T15:17:00.000-04:00
Every Friday, when we get home from work/school my wife and I remind ourselves that, it is indeed Friday, and we give each other a nice big Hi Five. Afterwards we do a fist pump, and say, yesssssss! It really helps to kick off the weekend right, and it puts you in a good mood and everything. So next time you are with your wife, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend, friend or anyone you can find, I want you to look them right in the face, and say...

"It's Friiidaayyy!" As you raise your hand in the air, and wait for that person to give you a Hi Five. Then, after the Hi Five has commenced; do one of those fist pumps I told you about, right down by your hip, just a really tiny one and say...

…"Yessssss!"

This is what we do, and all I'm say’in is it makes you feel better for your entire weekend. Give it a try, and I know that you'll be glad that you did.

Caution: If you are going to try this, just be forewarned. It will only work if you do this on a Friday. No Thursday’s, and definitely no Wednesday’s. It just doesn’t feel the same, and you might even ruin it for yourself if you were planning on doing it on Friday anyway’s.