Game Six

Topps Mets Want Lists

2010-02-18T00:13:00.013-05:00

(Updated June 3, 2011)

1962
#7 Frank Tanana
#213 Richie Ashburn
#421 Ken MacKenzie
#572 Bob Miller
#593 Anderson/Moorhead
#597 Rod Kanehl
#598 Jim Hickman

1963
#68 Hodges/Snider
#197 Roger Craig
#228 Ed Kranepool
#233 Casey Stengel
#245 Gil Hodges
#334 Wynn Hawkins
#371 Rod Kanehl
#386 Larry Bearnarth
#419 Tracy Stallard
#469 Jay Hook
#473 Mets Team
#495 Frank Thomas
#511 Charlie Neal
#528 Carl Willey
#550 Duke Snider
#562 Don Rowe
#566 Cliff Cook

1964
#422 Jack Fisher
#442 Pumpsie Green
#527 Larry Bearnarth
#536 Elliot/Stephenson
#546 Joe Christopher
#556 Dillon/Locke
#566 Ed Kranepool
#576 Hinsley/Wakefield
#582 Rod Kanehl

1965
#205 Warren Spahn
#470 Yogi Berra
#533 Tug McGraw
#581 Collins/Perez/Rickets

1966
#561 Choo Choo Coleman
#574 Hepler/Murphy
#589 Lou Klimchock

1967
#533 Jack Fisher
#537 Chuck Estrada
#555 Don Cardwell
#561 Sandy Alomar
#568 John Sullivan
#574 Jerry Buchek
#581 Seaver/Denehy
#587 Shaw/Sutherland
#593 Wes Westrum
#606 Ron Taylor

1968
#177 Ryan/Koosman

1971
#513 Nolan Ryan
#651 Jerry Robertson

Topps Million Card Giveaway

2010-02-15T22:16:00.003-05:00

Topps' Willy Wonka-esque Million Card Giveaway finally went live today. Over the past few weeks, I had amassed 23 redemption codes & tonight was the night to cash them in. Here's the haul, in order of redemption:

(Yup, doubles)

BONUS!

I had 23 redemption cards, but ended up with 24 cards total. My only guess is that since I drew DOUBLES! of the '87 Tony Gwynn, I was awarded with Cleon Jones.

Overall, not too bad. Sure, the eight '87 Topps cards seems out of whack (especially considering I have about 5,000 of them in the basement), but the older cards & the high number of Mets cards makes up for it. (Plus, I needed that Eilers/Gardner card for my ultimate Topps Mets collection.) Not to mention the Shea Stadium bonus on the Russell card.

I will definitely be looking for more of these cards, so if you want to pick me up some packs of 2010 Topps, I would be grateful!

Good Day

2009-04-18T20:53:00.003-04:00

We had a great day today with Payton. It went by much too quickly...

Playlist - March 10, 2009

2009-03-10T23:22:00.002-04:00

Wow! Two days in a row!!

Into You, Fabolous
Rosealia, Better Than Ezra
She Wants More, Slaughter
Take Me Home Tonight, Eddie Money
Numb, Linkin Park
'65 Love Affair, Paul Davis
Step by Step, Jesse Winchester
Beats to the Rhyme, Run DMC
I Heard a Rumor, Bananarama
A View To A Kill, Duran Duran
Words Can't Explain, Tesla
Approaching The Enemy, John Williams (Saving Private Ryan sdtk)
Little Girls, Extreme
Rock The Night, Europe
Express Yourself, NWA
Big Love, Mr. Big
Stone Cold Crazy, Metallica
Bow Down, Westside Connection
Something So Strong, Crowded House
Nightrain (live), Guns N Roses
Please Don't Go, Blackstreet
Hold On, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force
Way Down In The Hole, Neville Brothers
All She Wrote, Firehouse

Playlist - March 9, 2009

2009-03-10T00:46:00.003-04:00

It doesn't seem like too long ago when this same Walkman was attached to my hip...

My pal Brian does a fantastic job of conveying how diverse his musical taste is by showcasing songs from his iPod. Unfortunately, it's more difficult for me as I've had my iPod a lot longer and as a result, have many more songs.

So I've decided to share the songs I listen to on my longer journeys in the car. I have class on Monday & Tuesday evenings, so those present the best opportunities to give the iPod a spin on shuffle.

Here is tonight's playlist:

Slow Dance, R. Kelly
Halo, Foo Fighters
Give A Little, LA Guns
Sister Golden Hair, America
Walks Like A Woman, Baton Rouge
Africa, Toto
Nothing But Love, Mr. Big
The Look, Roxette
Hang Tough, Tesla
Halo Theme, Steve Vai
We Takin' Over, DJ Khaled
Rattlesnake Shake, Skid Row
When I'm President, Extreme
100 Yard Dash, Raphael Saadiq
Circles, Joe Satriani
Back To Paradise, .38 Special
Windy, The Association
Girl I've Been Hurt, Snow
Fascinated, Company B
Dreams, The Game

There will obviously be a heavy influence on late 80's hair metal (& 80's music in particular), but over time, a nice mix should present itself.

Ha Ha Ha!!

2009-01-17T00:14:00.000-05:00

Wow!!

2008-12-28T23:55:00.004-05:00

Worst Holiday Song Ever? - Poll

2008-12-18T20:25:00.002-05:00

A couple days ago, I mentioned on my Twitter feed that I thought "Grown Up Christmas List" was the worst holiday song out there. Since then, I've received some different opinions. We shall settle this with a vote!

Here are the nominations, with the poll to follow. If you'd like to nominate a different song, mention it in the comments.

Enjoy!

Christmas Shoes

Dominick the Donkey

Grown Up Christmas List

Mary Did You Know?

Santa Baby

Wonderful Christmastime

Online Surveys & Market Research

Happy 22nd Anniversary

2008-10-25T21:16:00.001-04:00

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

2008-09-15T23:10:00.012-04:00

On a night when the Mets lost another one and their NL East lead shrunk again, I'm here to share the stories of all the Mets games I've seen in person.

Unfortunately, my record while attending Mets games in person is not pretty. This has me feeling a little queasy holding tickets for the final game at Shea Stadium. That could be a pretty important game.

Anywho, on to the games...

Game #1
Sunday, August 4, 1991
Chicago Cubs
Shea Stadium
Cubs 8, Mets 3

My first look at Shea in person. I was thrilled to be there, but not too happy about the outcome.

Here's a shot of Greg Jefferies hitting a home run off of Greg Maddux.

Pretty good pitching matchup of David Cone against Maddux. Too bad Coney got lit up for 6 ERs in 2 IP.

Game #2
Wednesday, June 18, 1997
New York Yankees
Yankee Stadium
Yankees 3, Mets 2 (10)

My first of two trips to Yankee Stadium saw a pretty good game, even though it was another loss.

This was the final game of the first regular season Subway Series. David Cone started this game too, except he was a Yankee by now. He actually flirted with a no-hitter, not giving up his first hit until the 7th inning.

Game #3
Tuesday, August 26, 1997
San Francisco Giants
Shea Stadium
Giants 6, Mets 2

Wow, look at all those people!

Pretty good seats for this game too. I've had some nice seats at Shea in my few visits there.

Pretty uneventful game. One home run (JT Snow) & Rick Reed started this game as well for the Mets. (He also started the game against the Yankees.) At least I saw Barry Bonds play once.

Game #4
Wednesday, May 20, 1998
Cincinnati Reds
Shea Stadium
Reds 8, Mets 6

Another uneventful game, another Mets loss.

Pete Harnisch started for the Reds & Dave Mlicki for the Mets. Home runs from Brian McRae & Carlos Baerga and an appearance from the immortal Mel Rojas. Rick Wilkins was behind the plate for the Mets. Three nights later, that position would be occupied by Mike Piazza.

Game #5
Saturday, June 27, 1998
New York Yankees
Shea Stadium
Yankees 7, Mets 2

I'm not sure who those random people are, but I love the shot of the skyline above the scoreboard. Since that seems to be the one thing the Mets AREN'T selling, here's hoping it will find its way over to Citi Field.

Andy Pettite vs. Bobby L. Jones. A home run by Tino Martinez & my first time seeing Mike Piazza. Oh yeah. Jerry Seinfeld threw out the first pitch. Another loss.

Game #6
Saturday, July 15, 2000
Boston Red Sox
Fenway Park
Red Sox 6, Mets 4

Mike Hampton vs. Ramon Martinez (of course). The Mets rallied for two in the ninth off of El Guapo (a Piazza homer being the highlight), but Derek Lowe (arrrgh) shut the door on the comeback.

The highlight of this game was ex-Met Carl Everett freaking out on umpire Ron Kulpa.

Game #7
Monday, March 31, 2003
Chicago Cubs
Shea Stadium
Cubs 15, Mets 2

Ugh. Very cool to be in Shea for Opening Day. Not cool to be sitting near Tommie Agee's home run landing & freezing. Not cool to see Tom Glavine's auspicious Mets debut. (Not quite as bad as his Mets finale, but pretty close.)

Corey Patterson hit two home runs, the Mets managed 4 hits & the Mets were on their way to a 66 win season.

Game #8
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Colorado Rockies
Shea Stadium
Mets 7, Rockies4

Finally!! A victory!

This was the night the Mets honored the 1986 World Champions. Of course it rained, but at least they won!!

Unfortunately, my camera broke that night. I have the memory card with the pictures on it somewhere, but it's currently missing. Oddly enough, my next camera would break upon my next visit to Shea, a rainout in June of 2008.

David Williams (??) started for the Mets & aside from the '86 throwback jerseys, it was a pretty uneventful game. Oh yeah. THEY WON!!

Game #9
Saturday, July 26, 2008
St. Louis Cardinals
Shea Stadium
Cardinals 10, Mets 8 (14)

This was a wild one. Albert Pujols won it in the 14th, but by this time, I was on the 7 train, hoping to catch the last Metro North train out of Grand Central (we made it).

Game #10
Sunday, July 27, 2008
St. Louis Cardinals
Shea Stadium
Mets 9, Cardinals 1

As you can see, we had much better seats for this game.

Johan Santana started & pitched great. However, the highlight of the game was an amazin' catch by Carlos Beltran.

Video here:
Beltran's Catch

I could watch that over & over.

So, for the record, the Mets are 2-8 when I'm in attendance. However, they've won two of their last three in which I've been there. Lets hope they make it three out of four on September 28.

Top 20 Songs - 1990

2008-09-09T23:40:00.005-04:00

Yup. It's back. I know you've all been anxiously awaiting the completion of this project.

Some quick thoughts...

- My main association with 1990 is the beginning of my senior year of high school & playing football for the first time.

- Which ten year span featured the most change for me, 1980-1989 or 1990-1999?

- Picking songs for 1990 was MUCH harder than 1980. I've said it before & I'll say it again. The 90's are VERY underrated in terms of music. This point gets pounded home every time I listen to the 90's on 9, which is often.

On with the list...

HONORABLE MENTION: Just A Friend: Biz Markie, Fly High Michelle: Enuff Z'Nuff, The Humpty Dance: Digital Underground, Up All Night: Slaughter, Mentirosa: Mellow Man Ace, Ice Ice Baby: Vanilla Ice, No Myth: Michael Penn, Love And Emotion: Stevie B., Everybody Everybody: Black Box, So Close: Daryl Hall & John Oates, Blaze of Glory: Jon Bon Jovi, What It Takes: Aerosmith

#20
All Around The World, Lisa Stanfield

"I did too much lyin', wasted too much time,
Now I'm here a'cryin', I, I, I"

#19
Escapade, Janet Jackson

"Come on, baby, let's get away.
Let's save our troubles for another day.
Come go with me. We've got it made.
Let me take you on an escapade.
Let's go!"

#18
Feels Good, Tony! Toni! Tone!

"If the rhythm feels good to you baby
Let me hear you sing
If the rhythm feels good to you baby
Let us take you away"

#17
Dangerous, Roxette

"Hey, where’s your work?
What’s your game?
I know your business
but I don’t know your name..."

#16
Black Velvet, Alannah Myles

"Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell
Jimmy Rogers on the Victrola up high
Mama's dancin' with baby on her shoulder
The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
The boy could sing, knew how to move, everything
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for"

#15
Ready Or Not, After 7

"I'd climb the highest hill
Cross the widest sea
Nothing could discourage me
And I pray that you will be
Always there for me
Forever more"

#14
Sending All My Love, Linear

"Girl I close my eyes
and then I start to cry for you
You´re the reason why
I have to say goodbye to you
This pain I have inside
just makes me want to die for you
All these lonely nights
they just don´t feel so right for you"

#13
Whip Appeal, Babyface

"When we go to work
How the day seems so long
The only thing I think about
Can't wait 'til we get home
'Cause we got a way of talking
And it's better than words
It's the strangest kind of relationship
Oh, but with us it always works"

#12
Cherry Pie, Warrant

"She's my cherry pie
Cool drink of water
Such a sweet suprise
Tastes so good
Make a grown man cry
Sweet cherry pie"

#11
Cradle Of Love, Billy Idol

"This love starts my rollin train
You can't stop it
It ain't in vain
I ain't nobody's fool
Come on shake it up
Whatever you do"

#10
The Ballad of Jayne, L.A. Guns

"Now shes breakin hearts in heaven
Shinin bright in the sky
I still hear of us in the wind
I still think of you in the night, oh yeah
Well I guess youll never know
How much I need her so"

#9
Miracle, Jon Bon Jovi

"I'm just one man, that's all I'll ever be
I never can be everything you wanted from me
I've got plans so big
That any blind man could see
I'm standing in the river
Now I'm drowning in the sea"

#8
U Can't Touch This, MC Hammer

"My-my-my-my music hits me so hard makes me say oh my Lord
Thank you for blessing me with a mind to rhyme and two hyped feet
It feels good when you know you're down
A superdope homeboy from the Oaktown
And I'm known as such
And this is a beat uh u can't touch"

#7
Epic, Faith No More

"It's so cool, it's so hip, it's alright
It's so groovy, it's outta sight
You can touch it, smell it, taste it so sweet
But it makes no difference cuz it knocks you off your feet"

#6
I Remember You, Skid Row

"We spend the summer with the top rolled down
Wished ever after would be like this
You said I love you babe, without a sound
I said I'd give my life for just one kiss
I'd live for your smile and die for your kiss"

#5
Rub You The Right Way, Johnny Gill

"Can you feel the magic in my hands
When I touch and rub you the right way
Stroke applied with tenderness
When I hold and rub you the right way"

#4
The Power, Snap!

"Quality I possess something I'm fresh
When my voice goes through the rest
Of the microphone that I am holdin'
Copywritten lyrics so they can't be stolen
If they are snap
Don't need the police to try to save them
Your voice will sink so please stay off my back
Or I will attack and you don't want that"

#3
Poison, Bell Biv DeVoe

"She's so fly, she'll drive you right out of your mind
Steal your heart when you're blind
Beware she's schemin', she'll make you think you're dreamin'
You'll fall in love and you'll be screamin' dreamin'"

#2
(Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection, Nelson

"So I wait, here for an answer
And wonder if tomorrow will be like yesterday
I'll keep holding on
Can't go on living this way, baby"

#1
Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away), Motley Crue

"My friends called today
Down from L.A.
They were shooting pool all night
Sleeping half the day
They said I could crash
If I could find my own way
I told them you were leaving
On a bus to go away"

Fuelly

2008-08-28T23:32:00.002-04:00

Before I purchased my new car, I had toyed with the idea of keeping track of my gas mileage. That lasted about two fill-ups, as I forgot to record something (mileage, gallons pumped, whatever.)

Now, I shouldn't have that problem, thanks to Fuelly. Well, in theory. I just have to remember to enter the info into my phone as I pump gas.

Here's the link to my car.

It will look a lot more interesting once I have more data entered. You can look around to see other cars to get a taste of what's tracked.

This will be a nice record keeper for my car as I missed only a few fill-ups. Eventually, there may be a place to keep track of all maintenance records for your car.

If you sign up, make sure you add me as a friend!

Selling Out

2008-08-05T21:46:00.002-04:00

I have a bunch of stuff in the hopper to throw up on the blog, but don't have the motivation currently to actually do it.

In the meantime, enjoy some of my favorite commercials that are currently running.

1. Bacardi Mojito

The song is quite catchy, but I think the real reason I like it is this:

2. Rosetta Stone

3. Procede

This commercial plays roughly 50 times per Mets game on SNY. I'm sure it airs on other networks as well, so I'm sure you're familiar with it.

Before & After

2008-07-21T22:12:00.003-04:00

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Monday, July 21, 2008

Irene Fett???

2008-07-03T00:02:00.000-04:00

Mandalorian Dance
Uploaded by PatrickBoivin

Magnificent Seven

2008-06-30T23:39:00.005-04:00

I can't believe my little angel turned 7 years old today. Wow.

Lots of good stuff happened over these past 12 months. Teeth lost, sports played, reading levels leaped, a few tears here & there, but mostly smiles, laughs & kisses.

I love you sweetness!!!

Token Monthly Post

2008-06-24T23:25:00.003-04:00

Wow, I've been slacking here. Apparently one post per month is the norm around here. Not that anyone seems to mind.

I don't have much to say anyways. Work is busy (I'm almost at my sales goal for the year & there's a lot of selling left to do), I'm still trying (& failing) to finish GTA IV, at least the missions, Payton's room is completed, her birthday is quickly approaching, went to a rained-out Mets game, which resulted in another broken camera, played golf on Fishers, bought some new tunes from old bands thanks to iTunes gift cards for my birthday and that's about it.

I plan on expounding on some of these tales in the future, if I ever feel like writing.

See you in July.

Memorial Day 2008

2008-05-26T00:10:00.003-04:00

I'm quite happy I don't have to work today!

We spent a perfect day with Payton on Sunday. The weather was fantastic & we did lots of easy stuff. Went to the parade, then the playground, grabbed some ice cream, played some Wiffle Ball & dodge ball, watched two episodes of Phineas & Ferb, had a great dinner and dabbled with Wii Fit. I'm exhausted, so I'm sure she is as well.

Here are two of my favorite pictures, both taken today.

Disgusting

2008-05-15T23:36:00.002-04:00

I'm disgusted that the Mets lost 1-0.

I'm disgusted that Pelfrey's finest outing was wasted.

I'm disgusted we're still lacking that initial no-hitter

I'm disgusted that Reyes attempted to go first to third on a bunt.

I'm disgusted Reyes has devolved from shortstop gone wild to a showy Dick Schofield.

I'm disgusted Beltran was doubled off third.

I'm disgusted that Delgado is in a two-year slump and couldn't pause it long enough to rekindle the magic of the inaugural CW 11 Weather Education Day with Mr. G and Linda Church.

I'm disgusted that Willie Harris isn't turned back at the players entrance by security.

I'm disgusted that a last-place team just won three of four from our alleged contender.

I'm disgusted that in games started by Odalis Perez, Tim Redding and Jason Bergmann, the Mets scored all of seven runs.

I'm disgusted that Billy Wagner publicly sniped at several of his teammates afterwards.

I'm disgusted that several of his teammates absolutely earned Wagner's wrath by apparently hiding from the press.

I'm disgusted that Willie Randolph manages like an NFL coach staring at one of those go-for-two/don't-go-for-two cards.

I'm disgusted at the four years handed Luis Castillo and the deterioration of Aaron Heilman and everything else that disgusts us all.

I'm not made of cotton candy, for crissake. But I can't stay disgusted for the last year of Shea Stadium, for my fortieth year of being a Mets fan. I like being a Mets fan too much.

Faith & Fear In Flushing, May 15, 2008

CPTV, You Suck!

2008-04-22T00:26:00.001-04:00

Brace yourselves. I created a video entry. Ugh.

I hate how I sound on video, not to mention how I look. But I figured why not try out this fancy computer & see what I could whip up.

What Year Is It Again?

2008-04-08T23:40:00.003-04:00

What an auspicious debut for the Mets. They show little heart in falling to the Phillies (AGAIN), ruining the final opening day at Shea Stadium.

Even though they were 2-3 after the debacle in Atlanta over the weekend, I still had no worries. The Mets started 2-3 in 1969, 1986 & 2000, all pretty good years. In '86, they even beat the same Phillies to improve to 3-3. Well, that obviously didn't happen.

I understand it's a tad too early to be jumping off the bridge. However, the signs aren't too promising. This team (& more specifically, the bullpen) look too much like last year's house of cards team. Yikes.

------

In other news, it was great to see Red Sox fans give Bill Buckner a fantastic ovation today, as he threw out the first pitch at Fenway.

Yay, Opening Day!

2008-04-01T21:48:00.002-04:00

The Mets continued their winning ways on Opening Day yesterday, defeating the Marlins at the home of the only undefeated NFL team ever.

Hopefully it was a good omen that as soon as I turned on the radio after leaving work yesterday, I heard the call of the double that drove in the first Mets run of the year.

Also, this year is the first year that I've received SNY. Every game, home & away, in HD. Oooo baby!

The Joy of March

2008-03-23T20:00:00.002-04:00

Sure, UConn lost. (I'll post more on that in the coming days.) But the sting of their early loss (& AJ Price's injury) was more than made up for yesterday with West Virginia taking out Duke. Buh-bye.

It's "The Wire" Wednesday!

2008-03-05T23:03:00.003-05:00

"From start to finish, The Wire has been one of the best series ever produced for American television, one in which the commitment to honesty and authenticity has never wavered. Despite that quality, its subject matter — nothing less than the failure of the world's most powerful nation to solve the fundamental problems of its urban centers — was never likely to pull in a mass, casual audience."

Too few were plugged in, but HBO's 'The Wire' was electric, USA Today

Also, here's two good podcasts to check out.

- Interview with David Simon

- Bill Simmons (ugh) & Jason Whitlock (yes) talk about "The Wire" for 55 minutes.

Tuesday With "The Wire"

2008-03-04T23:25:00.003-05:00

Or, "sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!"

It was something my uncle used to do all the time. Growing up, he would do it five six seven times a day. You'd go, "Did you sleep well?" and he'd go, "Ah, sheeet, my head was on the pillow." I would every now and then just do it in conversations.

The Wire: The secret origin of Clay's catchphrase

Monday's "The Wire" Stuff

2008-03-03T22:51:00.004-05:00

TV Guide interview with Tristan Wilds (Michael Lee):

TVGuide.com: Why doesn't The Wire get its due?
Wilds: The show is real enough to strike a chord in [everybody], and most of the time people don't want to see realness like that. Or maybe they think that it's fake TV and we're just being violent for no reason. What you see on the show is really happening, and not just in Baltimore. It's happening in a neighborhood two blocks down from where you live. People don't want to open their eyes to the truth.

TVGuide.com: What makes The Wire different from other cop shows?
Wilds: I don't want to say it's a cop show. What makes The Wire a beautiful story is how true to life it is. In other shows, you have a good guy and a bad guy. In The Wire, bad guys are trying to be good, good guys are doing bad. You have real life. The people who do bad get bad things done to them.

San Diego Union Tribune:

It was a harsh night on"The Wire" this week, and a beautiful one, too. Beautiful because it was so true and so human that it hurt. And when a television show can make you care the way "The Wire" makes us care, it is worth its weight in tears.

Slate Magazine:

Like the rest of you, I've been watching this story slowly crack open for several years now. It's been 59 hours of TV time; there's one more hour to go, and I can't wait for it. But for now, this hour, this episode, felt like a coming together. It was simply breathtaking -- the logical, perfect conclusion to all those hours, those years' of stories, at once exhilarating and devastating, just like you knew it would be.

I watched this on Tuesday, and it's haunted me in lonely moments ever since. I'm still a bit hopped up on it, so please forgive my sounding overwrought. The thing is, it wasn't just the plot developments that got me, though these were obviously huge: Marlo! Snoop! Namond! Kima! McNulty! Bubbs!

But there was also something more complex here, something more intricately beautiful. In describing "The Wire" to friends, we've all remarked upon on its novelistic properties. This episode felt like the climax of that novel. Every scene hangs on the subtext of years' of accumulated storylines; the story, now, is not just the script but also all that we've learned of these people's motivations, their impulses, their relationships, the constraints in which they operate. The story is the system, and now, finally, we're seeing the system in full.

Wow, Wow, Wow

2008-03-03T00:36:00.004-05:00

Once again, wow, wow, wow.

We're now less than a week away from the season & series finale for The Wire.

Once again, this show has exceeded expectations. Tonight's episode was, like Alan said, the ultimate roller coaster ride. (Speaking of Alan, I'm glad there's no shortage of TV writers who actually know what they're doing out there.)

This show not only rewards you for paying attention early in the season, it calls back stuff that happened way back in Season 1.

There's no way I can write anything to give this show justice. There are plenty of people who can articulate their thoughts far better than I can heaping praise on The Wire out there. This week, I'll try & link to as many of those stories as possible.

These past two episodes have been unreal. First, dealing with the whole Omar thing. Tonight, there was far too much to even touch on here.

Thank goodness for DVDs, because this is something I will be re-watching many times.

One Reason Why I Hate Halo 3

2008-02-28T23:22:00.008-05:00

The following represents one reason why I hate playing Halo 3.

This example seems to showcase how I'm always on the short end of random happenings in the game.

I'm very much aware of the fact that the main reason why stuff like this happens is my severe lack of skill. I'm horrible at this game. I could seriously challenge for worst player in the Halo 3 universe. I used to be decent, but now I can't even sniff a 1/1 kill/death ration. I don't know how Eric & Chang put up with me, as I severely hinder any chances of them winning a match. (I think they're mathematically challenged since they argue with me when I explain to them how I only have a negative impact on our team.)

I know you're wondering why I bother playing if I hate it so much. I play because I like playing with Chang & Eric. All my other cronies have moved on to Call of Duty 4, but I will play Halo 3 occasionally out of loyalty to my friends. I used to get extremely aggravated by my horrid play, but I've changed my mindset to make it tolerable. Now I don't care about my kill to death ratio. In fact, I'm trying to lower it as much as possible. I might as well be the best, worst player, right?

Anyway, onto tonight's little issue:

This is me sneaking up on an unsuspecting opponent. Usually, a melee attack from behind results in an instant kill, which Halo 3 calls an assassination. The difference this time is that this guy doesn't die.

As you can see by the flames (I have no idea why there are flames), I made contact.

Not only does he not die, he apparently can levitate, hanging over the edge, before coming back to attack me.

See that electricity on my body, a la the Emperor? That's me taking damage. Notice that the shots coming from his gun aren't even close to hitting me.

Yup. That's me. Dead. "Respawn in 4...3...2...1..."

By the way, here's a link to my stats from the game where this took place. I went 6-22. Not bad!!

A Whole Lot of Nothin

2008-02-19T19:53:00.003-05:00

Lots of stuff I want to throw up here, so here we go.

- Watching UConn host Depaul as I compose this. The Huskies are on a nice roll ever since the Dyson/Wiggins suspensions. Things will be quite interesting when Dyson returns next week. (By the way, how sweet are Depaul's unis? I would love to get my hands on a pair of those shorts.)

- If saying a prayer is your sort of thing, please do me a favor and say one for my cat Cosmo. Tomorrow he goes to the vet to have half of his tail amputated. He had been biting the tip of it pretty bad, saw the vet who covered it up & gave him some antibiotics (which he had a horrible reaction to) but it didn't heal properly and they want to amputate just in case there's cancer involved. He's my boy and I'll be a little on edge Wednesday thinking about him. :(

- Mary's away again, this time in Australia. At least this trip is only two weeks instead of three.

- Before she left, we went to NYC last Saturday to catch Lower Ninth, a play about two guys stranded on a roof in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The draw for me was two of the three actors in it. Gbenga Akinnagbe (Chris Partlow from The Wire) & Gaius Charles (Smash Williams from Friday Night Lights). (The 3rd was James McDaniel from NYPD Blue.) All three actors were amazing and the location, the Flea Theater, was unique, to say the least. It seats about 50 people and you have to walk across the stage to get to your seats. It made for a great time. Those guys are pretty damn talented.

-
Yup, you read that right. My Dell laptop, which has served me well for almost five years now, is on its last legs. It's been continuously locking up & giving me the BSOD several times. I'm in the process of moving all my files to my external hard drive and just waiting for the next trip to the Apple Store. I've done a lot of research and have decided that the 20" iMac is everything I'll need. I'm looking forward to playing around with iLife and doing some cool things with photos and videos.

- Thanks to this story in the Hartford Courant yesterday, I discovered The Caldor Rainbow, a fantastic blog that documents the current fate of Caldor, Bradlees, Ames and other long forgotten retail giants of the Northeast. There's a ton of fascinating information buried there. I just wish there were some tags or some other form of organization. Great stuff though. Be prepared to waste some time there.

- Another interesting item I discovered yesterday was the story of Centralia, Pennsylvania. In short, it's a town that is basically deserted due to a fire underground that has been burning since the 1960's. There are a ton of eerie photos from this town.

- The Wire is down to it's final three episodes and I'm a little sad. There's talk of a prequel movie, which would be outstanding. To any of my friends who have not watched the show, my DVDs are making the rounds & I will be happy to let you borrow them to experience this masterpiece.

- Finally, Happy Birthday Dad!!!!

Go Rudy!

2008-02-12T23:57:00.000-05:00

Looks like I'm going to have to watch the dunk contest this year.

Top 20 Nintendo Entertainment System Games

2008-02-09T23:28:00.000-05:00

Ah, the NES. This little 8-bit machine of wonder re-awakened my love of video games for good.

I first was introduced to the NES during the summer of 1987. My cousin Andrew had one at his cottage on Fishers Island. There must've been a bunch of rainy days that summer, since there's no way our parents would've let us stay inside all day playing video games. But play we did. Up in the attic, endless games of Baseball & Super Mario Brothers filled the air. It was fantastic.

That same November, my Dad & I spent Thanksgiving with the Burr's in New Jersey. Again, more Nintendo. This time Pro Wrestling worked it's way into the rotation. A month later, I received my own NES for Christmas.

I can still remember the games I received with it. Along with Super Mario Brothers & Duck Hunt, Rad Racer & 10-Yard Fight were under the tree. Soon after, Double Dribble joined the group. Over the next four years, many, many games were either borrowed, rented, bought or played with friends. I have fond memories of them all, but I'm especially fond of these 20.

The NES lives on strong today. Emulation (I can play NES games on my Sega Dreamcast), working original consoles (I have two), and the Virtual Console on the Wii (hopefully I'll have one of those soon) all allow a new generation of gamers to discover this classic. You can even play these games online. Just head to VirtualNES & jump right in!

On with the list. (Once again, these are my favorites, not a reflection on the best games ever)

HONORABLE MENTION: Super Mario Brothers 3, Rambo, Castlevania, Kung Fu, NES Play Action Football, Rad Racer, Rampage, 10-Yard Fight, Rygar, Super Dodge Ball, Rush'n Attack, RBI Baseball

(Click on the title for Youtube links. Great for remembering the fantastic sound effects & music.)

#20
Karnov

#19
RC Pro Am

#18
Golf

#17
Top Gun

Landing that plane is still difficult to this day.

#16
Major League Baseball

The appeal of this game was all MLB rosters. Unfortunately, there wasn't any player names, just numbers. Still, I swear #50 for the Mets was just as fat as Sid Fernandez.

#15
Bases Loaded

Joe Cuff & I had some great battles in this game. In fact, we videotaped one of our greatest games, which included a bench-clearing brawl & the ump calling me "a bum".

#14
Ice Hockey

#13
Blades of Steel

#12
Racket Attack

#11
Legend of Kage

#10
Baseball

Jerry loves this game & always kicked my butt.

#9
Tecmo Bowl/Super Tecmo Bowl

#8
Ikari Warriors

#7
Pro Wrestling

#6
Contra

Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a, start.

#5
Double Dribbe

Ah, the Boston Frogs.

#4
Tetris

Please tell me I wasn't the only one to play this game so much that I started seeing Tetris pieces in real life and trying to figure out how they'll fit together.

#3
Legend of Zelda

#2
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out

007-373-9563. I've never forgotten the code to fight Mike Tyson.

#1
Super Mario Brothers

As much as I played this game, I was only able to rescue the Princess once. I still never made it to the Minus Worlds.

Top 20 Songs of the 80's

2008-02-09T23:21:00.000-05:00

Compiled in one location for your convenience!

1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989

Perfect Timing

2008-02-04T00:43:00.001-05:00

Sure, they only lost one game, but it was a big one. Great season nonetheless. If I had to pick a game for them to lose during the season, this would be the one.

I'm not going to revel in the outcome of the game out of respect to my friends. My friends were pretty classy throughout the year, but there were others I run into who weren't. For them, I will be wearing this several times this summer.

I'm still thrilled that the season is over. The only bad thing about this game is more airtime for Mercury Morris. Can someone please shut him up?

This, That & The Other

2008-02-02T23:21:00.000-05:00

Just a few quick hits before going to bed & reading "The Corner".

- Yay. Tomorrow's the Super Bowl. Color me excited. I don't think I need to explain to everyone that I'll be rooting for the Giants. Unfortunately, I realize this is a futile effort. The Patriots are going to destroy them. As much as I'd like to envision the Giants pulling off a great upset (similar to the Pats over the Rams), it's just not going to happen.

The only Patriot I really can't stand is Rodney Harrison. He's a cheap-shot HGHer, who just rubs me the wrong way. Other than that, no one really bothers me. I like Wes Welker & Randy Moss and Tom Brady seems like a good guy. Belichick is a jerk, but whatever.

I'll be happy for my friends the Pats fans. Mike, Eric, Dean, Bryan. Those guys have been fans forever, so they were there when the Patriots were horrible. I can't say the same for the countless front-runners I encounter on a daily basis. They're the ones who ratchet up my hatred for all things Patriots. They wouldn't know Vincent Brisby from Vincent Price, Hugh Millen from Hugh Grant or Stanley Morgan from Morgan Stanley.

Here's hoping the recent news regarding the Patriots spying on other teams becomes a major headache for them & the NFL (Good job Roger Goddell destroying all those tapes!). Just as a disclaimer, the whole Spygate thing earlier this season didn't mean much to me. It's not like they weren't going to beat the Jets anyways & I never once thought an asterisk should be placed on this season. The arrogance from the organization bothered me more, but I didn't expect anything less. This news however is a little different. Videotaping your Super Bowl opponent's final practice before the game is pretty serious. Pats fans, this is where you respond with a) "everyone else does it, we just got caught", b) jealousy, c) witch hunt. :)

So congrats Mike & Bryan. The Patriots roll over the Giants, 55-10. It could be worse than that. Hopefully, we'll at least get to see a falling-over drunk Robert Kraft swear on TV as he receives the Lombardi Trophy.

- Here's a little bit of comedy for you. I apologize for the horrible quality, but Youtube blew the clip up too much. It looks better on a smaller size, but you'll get the general idea.

Two years ago, this guy used to sit in front of the seats I would sit in at UConn games. He would go nuts for the stupid free t-shirts, making wild hand gestures & yelling. I didn't see him at all last year, but today he sat right next to us. Good times!!! Here's a clip from 2006:

Top 20 Songs - 1989

2008-01-31T23:46:00.000-05:00

So this ends my rankings of songs from the 1980s. What a decade. In 1980, I turned 7 & was in first grade. (Just like Payton!) By 1989, I was 16 and was a sophomore in high school. Those 10 years seemed like forever then. Nowadays, 10 years goes by in a blink of an eye. (Foxwoods will turn 16 next month!!!)

Onto the list...

HONORABLE MENTION: Cryin': Vixen, Girl You Know It's True: Milli Vanilli, Seventeen: Winger, Close My Eyes Forever: Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne, Patience: Guns N' Roses, Electric Youth: Debbie Gibson, I Drove All Night: Cyndi Lauper, Toy Soldiers: Martika, On Our Own: Bobby Brown, Forget Me Not: Bad English, You're My One & Only (True Love): Seduction, Runnin' Down A Dream: Tom Petty

#20
Cherish, Madonna
"I was never satisfied with casual encounters
I can't hide my need for two hearts that bleed with burning love
That's the way it's got to be
Romeo and Juliet, they never felt this way I bet
So don't underestimate my point of view"

#19
Angelia, Richard Marx
"Angelia
Where you running to now
Angelia
Got to make you turn around"

#18
The Look, Roxette
"She's got the look.
She's got the look.
What in the world can make a brown-eyed girl turn blue.
When everything I'll ever do I'll do for you and I go:
la la la la la she's got the look."

#17
Rock Wit'cha, Bobby Brown
"I wanna rock wit'cha, baby
All night long
I wanna roll wit'cha, lady
Feelin's so strong
I wanna rock wit'cha, baby
All night long
Rock and roll, and roll and rock
Make your sweet love, don't ya ever stop"

#16
Second Chance, .38 Special
"Since you been gone
I feel my life slipping away
I look to the sky
And everything is turnin' grey
All I made was one mistake
How much more will I have to pay
Why can't you think it over
Why can't you forget about the past"

#15
Baby Don't Forget My Number, Milli Vanilli
"Ba ba ba ba baby
Don't forget my number
Baby love is stronger than thunder
Ba ba ba ba baby
Don't forget my number
Love will see you through"

#14
A Girl Like You, The Smithereens
"Now if I seem a little wild, there's no holding back
I'm trying to get a message to you
I won't take anything from anyone
I won't walk and I won't run, I believe in you
London, Washington, anywhere you are I'll run
Together we'll be
Inside, outside, got my pride
I won't let him take you from me"

#13
Higher Ground, Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Teachers
Keep on teachin'
Preachers
Keep on preachin'
World
Keep on turnin'
'Cause it won't be too long
Oh no"

#12
Fire Woman, The Cult
"Shake shake shake shake it. yeah...
Wound up, can't sleep, can't do anything right, little honey,
Oh, since I set my eyes on you.
I tell ya the truth.
Twistin' like a flame in a slow dance, baby,
You're driving me crazy.
Come on, little honey, come on now!"

#11
I Remember You, Skid Row
"I paint a picture of the days gone by
When love went blind and you would make me see
I'd stare a lifetime into your eyes
So that I knew you were there for me
Time after time you were there for me"

#10
Bust A Move, Young MC
"New movie's showin', so you're goin',
could care less about the five you're blowin'.
Theatre gets dark just to start the show,
then you spot a fine woman sittin' in your row.
She's dressed in yellow, she says hello,
come sit next to me ya fine fellow.
You run over there without a second to lose,
and what comes next, hey, bust a move."

#9
Just Between You And Me, Lou Gramm
"Staring at each other with accusing eyes
Keep our voices low, don't act surprised
If the word gets out, yeah, that's alright"

#8
Poison, Alice Cooper
"I want to love you but I better not
touch (Don't touch)
I want to hold you but my senses
tell me to stop
I want to kiss you but I want it too
much (Too much)
I want to taste you but your lips
are venomous poison"

#7
Every Little Step, Bobby Brown
"Don't matter what your friends try to tell you
We will even fall in love
And we will be together in any kind of weather
Just like that, just like that"

#6
New Thing, Enuff Znuff
"Worry worry is your answer
If you like your wrinkles faster
Nursing old things make em last
The way we did it in the past
Everybody telling you
You ain't got no respect"

#5
One, Metallica
"Back in the womb it's much too real
In pumps life that I must feel
But can't look forward to reveal
Look to the time when I'll live
Fed through the tube that sticks in me
Just like a wartime novelty
Tied to machines that make me be
Cut this life off from me"

#4
Cult of Personality, Living Colour
"Look into my eyes, what do you see?
Cult of Personality
I know your anger, I know your dreams
I've been everything you want to be
I'm the Cult of Personality
Like Mussolini and Kennedy
I'm the Cult of Personality"

#3
Paradise City, Guns N' Roses
"Just a' urchin
livin' under the street
I'm a hard case
that's tough to beat
I'm your charity case
So buy me somethin' to eat
I'll pay you at another time
Take it to the end of the line"

#2
18 And Life, Skid Row
"Tequila in his heartbeat, His veins burned gasoline.
It kept his motor running but it never kept him clean.
They say he loved adventure, "Ricky's the wild one."
He married trouble and had a courtship with a gun.
Bang Bang Shoot 'em up, The party never ends.
You can't think of dying when the bottle's your best friend"

#1
Headed For A Heartbreak, Winger
"Darling don't wait up for me, tonight I won't be home
You've become a stranger, I just got to be alone
Don't need nobody on my side to dull the blade I'm on
So don't be waiting for love, 'cause I'll be waiting to ramble on"

Race Point

2008-01-30T23:27:00.001-05:00

IMG_1295ps Ferry to Fisher's Island, originally uploaded by JMalcolm.

I found this on Flickr tonight. I need to dig around some more there.

I'm not sure if I'll be adding many photos there, as I use PicasaWeb already. Then again, I don't have many photos up there either.

Regardless, this is a nice shot of the M/V Race Point passing Ledge Light on the way to Fishers. I like this one a lot because it's headed the right way, to Fishers.

(BTW, this is a test. If this doesn't look right, drop me a comment.)

Payton's Webkinz

2008-01-29T20:26:00.022-05:00

This will be a running list for everyone to keep track of the Webkinz Payton has & will be getting. Look for a link on the right once this gets pushed down the list.

Current Webkinz (updated 7/13/08)
**New additions: Crocodile, Toucan

ALSO, please let me know if you have any of the figures, which I will also start to list here.

Beagle
Bengal Tiger
Black Arabian
Black & white cat
Black cat
Black lab
Black Stallion
Brown Arabian horse
Brown dog
Bull frog
Charcoal cat
Cheeky Dog (Black & white)
Cheeky monkey
Chicken
Chocolate lab
Clydesdale
Collie
Cow
Crocodile
Dalmatian
Duck
Elephant
Elephant (velvety)
Frog
German Shepard
Golden Retriever
Gorilla
Grey Horse (Arabian)
Grey & white cat
Himalayan cat
Hippo
Husky
Kangaroo
Koala
Lemon-Lime Gecko
Leopard
Lion
Lion (little kinz)
Lioness
Love frog
Monkey
Orange & white cat
Panda bear
Penguin
Persian cat (white)
Persian cat (little kinz)
Pig
Pink google
Pink & White Cat
Pink pony
Pink poodle
Pinto
Polar bear
Rabbit
Raccoon
Reindeer
Samoyed
Siamese Cat
Spotted frog
Tiger Snake
Tree frog
Unicorn (little kinz)
Velvety Elephant
Wacky Zingoz
Whimsy Dragon
White poodle
Yellow lab
Yorkie

Purchased, but haven't given to the Princess yet:

Black Bear
Black Poodle
Blue Rhino
Bull dog
Chihuahua
Cocker Spaniel
Tiger
Toucan

Figures:
Brushing Up Hippo
Chillin Out Polar Bear
Fire Chief Elephant
Kinzpinz Panda
Shootin Hoops Black & White Cat

Misc.:
Notebook
School Supplies kit

Top 20 Songs - 1988

2008-01-21T17:15:00.000-05:00

Another solid year. You can really start to see the influence of my rock ways starting to show, although it's still a fairly diverse list.

HONORABLE MENTION: Two Occasions: The Deele, Just Like Paradise: David Lee Roth, Wishing Well: Terence Trent D'Arby, Hands to Heaven: Breathe, Walk on Water: Eddie Money, Edge Of A Broken Heart: Vixen, Look Away: Chicago, Waiting For A Star To Fall: Boy Meets Girl, If It Isn't Love: New Edition, All Fired Up: Pat Benatar, Lost In You: Rod Stewart, Supersonic: JJ Fad

#20
I Still Believe, Brenda K. Starr
"Each day of my life I'm filled with all the joy I could find. You know
that I am not the desperate type. If there's one spark of hope left in
my grasp I hold it with both hands. It's worth the risk of burning to
have a second chance."

#19
Beds Are Burning, Midnight Oil
"The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
Let's give it back"

#18
Kiss Me Deadly, Lita Ford
"But I know what I like
I know I like dancin' with you
And I know what you like
I know you like dancin' with me
Yeah, yeah"

#17
New Sensation, INXS
"Cry baby cry
When you've got to get it out
I'll be your shoulder
You can tell me all
Don't keep it in ya
Well that's the reason why I'm here"

#16
Nite And Day, Al B. Sure
"Believe me when I say that I do care (I can tell you)
I’d like to run my fingers through your hair (I can tell you)
Baby, if you left I could not bear (I can tell you)
Please don’t share"

#15
Sign Your Name, Terence Trent D'Arby
"Sign your name
Across my heart
I want you to be my baby
Sign your name
Across my heart
I want you to be my lady"

#14
Parents Just Don't Understand, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
"I said, "This isn't shinin' armor, c'mon mom, I'm not Bowser.
Mom, please put back the bell bottom, Brady Bunch trousers.
But if you don't want to I can live with that, but,
You've gotta put back the double-knit, reversable slacks"

#13
Going Back To Cali, LL Cool J
"I'm going back to Cali, rising, surprising
Advising realizing, she's sizing me up
Her bikini - small; heels - tall
She said, she liked, the ocean
She showed me a beach, gave me a peach
and pulled out the suntan lotion"

#12
The Flame, Cheap Trick
"Just can't stand up for fallin' apart.
Can't see through this veil across my heart, over you.
You'll always be the one.
You were the first, you'll be the last."

#11
Endless Summer Nights, Richard Marx
"Do you remember all the nights we spent in silence
Every single breath you took was mine
We can have it all again
Say that you'll be with me when the sun brings your heart to mine"

#10
I Want Her, Keith Sweat
"I seen ya last night
I saw you standing there
Couldn't picture the color of your hair
And all I wanted to know
Were you really there"

#9
When It's Love, Van Halen
"You look at every face in a crowd
Some shine and some keep you guessin'
Waiting for someone to come into focus
Teach you your final love lesson"

#8
Forever Young, Rod Stewart
"May good fortune be with you
May your guiding light be strong
Build a stairway to heaven
with a prince or a vagabond"

#7
Electric Blue, Icehouse
"I just freeze everytime you see through me
and it's all over you, electric blue.
In too deep, standing here waiting
as i'm breaking in two, electric blue."

#6
Born To Be My Baby, Bon Jovi
"My heart beats like a drum (all night)
Flesh to flesh, one to one (and it's alright)
And I'll never let go cause
There's something I know deep inside"

#5
It Takes Two, Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock
"My name is Rob, I gotta real funky concept
Listen up, 'cause I'm gonna keep you in step
I got an idea
That I wanna share
You don't like it? So what, I don't care"

#4
Father Figure, George Michael
"Sometimes I think that you'll never
Understand me
But something tells me together
We'd be happy"

#3
Pour Some Sugar On Me, Def Leppard
"You gotta squeeze a little, squeeze a little
Tease a little more
Easy operator come a knockin' on my door
Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet
Little miss innocent sugar me, yeah"

#2
Sweet Child O'Mine, Guns N Roses
"She's got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain
To quietly pass me by"

#1
Hysteria, Def Leppard
"Out of me, into you, yeah
You could hide, it's just a one-way street
Oh, I believe I'm in you, yeah
Open wide, that's right
Dream me off my feet
Oh believe in me"

The Wire - Top 20 Characters

2008-01-11T22:22:00.001-05:00

If you're not watching "The Wire", don't worry, this isn't the post where I try & convince you to watch. I've most likely already talked to you about it and if you really need more convincing, just Google "The Wire" + "best show". Wait. I'll save you the time. Just click here. Besides, that post will be coming soon.

Instead, I'd just like to list MY favorite characters from the show.

This show is incredibly written, incredibly cast & acted even more incredibly. David Simon & Ed Burns throw a lot of characters at us over the years, but they all grow on you eventually. I wish I could put into words how great everything about this show is, but again, you can Google for yourself & read what people with far better writing skills than I have to say about it.

For the HM guys, I will try & link to a YouTube clip of theirs. For the other 20, I'll embed the clip right into the post. BEWARE. I can pretty much assure you that all of these videos that will have language NSFW.

One other thing to watch out for. If you plan on watching the show (which I really hope you do), many of these clips will contain spoilers, some pretty big ones too. Just a heads up.

Honorable Mention: Detective Leander Sydnor, Deputy Ops William Rawls, Marlo Stanfield, Slim Charles, Wee-Bey Brice, Avon Barksdale, Poot Carr, Gus Haynes, Randy Wagstaff, Bunny Colvin & Butchie.

#20
Sgt. Jay Landsman

Landsman cracks me up. He's not ashamed to be sitting at his desk, reading some hard-core porn, even in front of the Mayor of Baltimore. He's based on a real Jay Landsman, who happens to play the role of Lt. Dennis Mello. The show really is "all connected."

One of the most memorable moments of the show:

#19
Elena McNulty

Det. McNulty's ex-wife, she didn't make the list because of her character, she made the list because I adore Callie Thorne. I've liked her ever since her role of Detective Laura Ballard on Homicide: Life On The Street. (Another David Simon production.)

#18
Senator Clay Davis

Senator Davis, a horribly corrupt politician, makes the list for his signature line.

#17
D'Angelo Barksdale

One of the many great aspects of this show is how it blurs the line between good guys & bad guys. The guys you're supposed to root against, you end up rooting for. D'Angelo is one of those guys.

#16
Brother Mouzone

A small, but memorable role for the Harper's Weekly reading enforcer.

#15
Dennis "Cutty" Wise

Cutty's rise during season's 3 & 4 is one of the very few uplifting story lines in The Wire.

#14
Preston "Bodie" Broadus

Bodie has lots of memorable scenes in nearly every season. He grows on you.

#13
Det. Kima Greggs

Unfortunately for my faithful readers, there aren't many good YouTube clips of Kima that don't involve her & her girlfriend. I wanted to show her police-ness in this space. :)

#12
Michael Lee

Season 4 focuses on the problems with the schools in Baltimore. We're introduced to a handful of kids, nearly all of which you will become extremely attached to emotionally.

#11
Chris Partlow

I love, love, love this character. The way he goes about his business, expressionless & without emotion (with one notable exception) is fun to watch.

#10
Bubbles

How Andre Royo has not won himself a handful of Emmy's for his role of Bubbles is beyond me.

#9
Sgt. Ellis Carver

For all the bleakness The Wire shows, there are many, many funny scenes. Sgt. Carver seems to be behind a lot of them.

#8
Duquan "Dukie" Weems

Poor Dukie. I love this kid. His interaction with Prez is inspiring to this future teacher.

#7
Proposition Joe

Prop Joe, the master of negotiations.

#6
Major Cedric Daniels

Major Daniels climbs the ladder, but has a questionable past, which we may learn about in season 5.

#5
Stringer Bell

#4
Det. Bunk Moreland

Bunk is a funny man!

#3
Set. Lester Freamon

Lester is the Father Figure of the bunch. Stand-up guy & real po-lice.

#2
Det. Jimmy McNulty

McNulty would probably be considered the main character. I could post 20 clips just of him. Good stuff here.

#1
Omar Little

Omar is not only the best character on The Wire, he may be the best character in the history of television. A modern-day Robin Hood, Omar answers to a code & that's it. For all the cursing these characters do, good like finding one coming from Omar's mouth. (Only one to be exact & that was it.)

The Stuffed Animal (and more)

2008-01-11T17:20:00.000-05:00

Well, I've received a couple of comments regarding my sleeping with a stuffed animal. Allow me to expound a bit.

There is a reason for it. Sure, I had plenty of them growing up (still have some of my originals), but this one is special.

Since I don't sleep under the same roof as my daughter, I thought it would be cool if we both slept with the same stuffed animal. So, I picked up two of these when Kohl's was selling them about a year ago.

I've kept my end of the bargain, but Little Miss P has way too many now (especially her precious Webkinz), so I believe Spotty has been relegated to the closet.
-----
In other news, Mary is currently on her way to Shanghai. Therefore, I will have more free time than I know what to do with for the next few weeks. Look for more posts here, including the conclusion of my Top 20 songs of the 80's (& hopefully 90's), my Top 20 characters from The Wire, and more, if I can find my list of ideas that's in a notebook somewhere.

The Century Mark

2008-01-05T00:09:00.000-05:00

No, this isn't my 100th post here. The official counter says 96, but that doesn't take into account really old posts which seem to be lost forever. This is more like post 200, but whatever.

As I saw the "official" number inch closer, I was reminded that I wanted to do a 100 post, similar to Mike's. Why? I have no idea, other than I thought it was interesting. So, without further adieu, here we go. 100 things you may or may not have known about me.

1. I'm an only child. Can't you tell?
2. I have no idea why I have a blog. Few people read it, so I suppose it's cathartic for me.
3. I have never lived anywhere besides Connecticut.
4. I don't think I could ever survive living in a city. Baltimore may be the lone exception to that rule.
4. Fishers Island, NY is the place I would live if I had the opportunity/choice to live anywhere.
5. I don't trust anyone with a mustache. That includes women.
6. I have a beautiful, smart, funny and just plain wonderful six-year old daughter.
7. I have a fantastic girlfriend I'm not sure I deserve.
8. I have four cats (plus three from a previous marriage) and wouldn't mind more.
9. I'm a divorcee.
10. I'm currently a salesman.
11. My dream job is to become a teacher.
12. I don't have a bachelors degree yet, hence the reason I'm not a teacher yet.
13. My GPA my first semester in college was a 0.6. (See #12.)
14. I have never once been drunk in my life.
15. I despise cigarette smoke.
16. I really can't stand people who don't know how to drive. The rules of the road are not difficult. Pay attention, know what lane you're supposed to be in & use your turn signal and I'll be happy.
17. I'm quite picky when it comes to food.
18. My perfect salad is lettuce, sharp cheddar cheese, croutons & dressing.
19. My all-time favorite Kool-Aid flavor is Berry Blue. (followed closely by Purplesaurus Rex, Sharkelberry Fin & Grape.)
20. I love history, mainly U.S. history.
21. I'm a registered member of nearly 50 message boards.
22. The things that I enjoyed doing 20 years ago I still enjoy today. (playing video games, collecting baseball cards, playing basketball & listening to 80's music.)
23. I coached my daughter's soccer team this past fall & (hopefully) am coaching her basketball team this winter.
24. I've had four surgeries on my left knee.
25. Count Chocula is my favorite cereal.
26. I'm a Gemini.
27. I will always have a real Christmas tree. This is not debatable.
28. I enjoy making lists.
29. I'm totally spoiled by HDTV. I rarely watch anything that isn't in HD anymore. Too blurry.
30. I greatly enjoy fantasy sports, but I'm horrible at fantasy baseball.
31. I love weather of all kinds. I get very excited for thunderstorms, snowstorms, cold snaps, heat waves, you name it.
32. Summer used to be my favorite season, now it's my least favorite. (In order, fall, winter, spring, summer.)
33. Honolulu Blue is my favorite color.
34. 12 is my favorite number.
35. I have a knack for recognizing voices in voice overs.
36. I have a knack for making a comment during a televised sporting event moments before the people getting paid to make comments say the same thing.
37. I do not find anything remotely attractive about Angelina Jolie.
38. I hate country music, with the exception of Carrie Underwood.
39. I enjoy acoustic versions of songs.
40. I try & get along with everyone I meet/know. However, if someone screws me over or doesn't treat me with the same respect, I don't forgive or forget. Thankfully, only a few people are on that list.
41. I sleep with a stuffed animal.
42. I collect many things, much to Mary's dismay. (Star Wars figures, baseball cards, Fishers Island postcards and lots of other random junk.)
43. I'm really bad when it comes to seeing movies. Go ahead, ask me what I haven't seen.
44. I don't have one artistic bone in my body.
45. One of my dreams is to finally live in a house with a finished basement. I love basements.
46. The Xbox 360 may be my favorite video game system of all-time, and I really loved my Atari 2600, NES, Sega Genesis & PS2.
47. I'm a night person and don't function well in the morning.
48. I hate being late.
49. I love to shop.
50. I hate Wal-Mart, but love Target.
51. My first car was a 1980 Buick Regal. Lemon.
52. The only country I've ever traveled to outside of the U.S. is Canada.
53. My iPod has 2,494 songs on it, plus Anchorman.
54. I still need to rip at least another 50 CDs from my collection.
55. I order my sodas in restaurants without ice. I want my money's worth!
56. I find it very difficult to save money, although I did open a high-yield savings account last year.
57. I have a cousin who has been on a soap opera (Santa Barbara), Three's Company, the cover of GQ, a failed NBC show (High Performance), US Marshalls & the cover of GQ.
58. I have another cousin who is a member of an up & coming band. (Grace Potter & The Nocturnals.)
59. I follow 52 blogs in my Google Reader. (According to my records, one person subscribes to this blog.)
60. I have a very large collection of Sports Illustrateds dating back to the 80's that will largely be recycled come this spring.
61. I'm still a loyal Miami Dolphins fan, even after this wonderful season.
62. I have personalized license plates.
63. Seinfeld is my favorite sitcom of all-time.
64. The Wire is probably my favorite drama of all-time, surpassing Homicide: Life On the Street.
65. I hate the Red Sox, but love Fenway Park.
66. I try not to get involved in politics or political discussion. I hate when people try & force their beliefs on you.
67. My Friends Five list would probably be Evangeline Lilly, Carrie Underwood, Julie Bowen, Jennifer Aniston & Kate Beckinsale, not necessarily in that order. (I smell at Top 20 list here)
68. I have at least five different versions of Monopoly.
69. My favorite cartoon was Underdog.
70. I don't like seafood at all, aside from the occasional shrimp.
71. I hate spiders.
72. I'm not fond of clowns either.
73. I have great parents.
74. I have a great long-term memory.
75. I have some long-time friendships that I'm proud of.
76. I wish my friends & I had more time to spend together.
77. I love the smell of asphalt & gasoline.
78. I definitely believe in life somewhere besides Earth.
79. A lot of movies make me cry.
80. I like sleeping in a cool room.
81. I'm loyal to brands that I enjoy.
82. I'm beginning to get a little mad at Mike, who said this list should take 20 minutes to create. (I've been at it for well over an hour.)
83. I don't like John Madden at all.
84. I could eat pizza every single day.
85. I didn't receive my driver's license until I was 18.
86. People who whistle in public annoy me.
87. I despise Uggs.
88. I really enjoy spending time on eBay.
89. I'm still a Hartford Whalers fan. Hockey is dead to me.
90. My car has nearly 180,000 miles on it.
91. I have a hard time falling asleep on Sunday nights.
92. I really don't enjoy going to concerts, unless it's a band I absolutely love and have never seen live.
93. I don't drink coffee. Can't stand the taste.
94. I'm a notorious procrastinator.
95. I like to fly.
96. I love period movies/TV shows, but not from too long ago. (40's - 70's.)
97. I'm so glad that I won't have to take any foreign language classes as I work towards that degree.
98. I miss the chili cheese burrito from Taco Bell.
99. Roberto Clemente is my all-time favorite baseball player & he died before I was born.
100. I really enjoy sleeping, which is what I'm going to do right now.

Happy Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T20:44:00.000-05:00

Top 20 Songs - Christmas Edition

2007-12-22T00:52:00.000-05:00

I figured I'd take a break from documenting my favorite songs from the 80's & 90's and list my favorite Christmas songs.

I'd list my favorite TV/movie specials, but that would be very difficult to pick a favorite. They are all required viewing each season & they all hold special memories. That list would include Rudolph, Frosty, The Grinch, Emmett Otter, Charlie Brown's Christmas, Year Without Santa Claus, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, It's A Wonderful Life, Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story & Elf.

Anywho(ville), here is my Top 20 Christmas songs:

#20
Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me) - Elvis Presley

#19
Little Saint Nick - The Beach Boys

#18
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - The Carpenters

#17
Sleigh Ride - The Ronettes

#16
Linus & Lucy - Vince Guaraldi Trio

#15
A Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives

#14
Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses

#13
Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley

#12
White Christmas - Bing Crosby

#11
Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms

#10
All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

#9
Feliz Navidad - Jose Feliciano

#8
Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

#7
The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole

#6
All Alone On Christmas - Darlene Love

#5
Christmas In Hollis - Run DMC

#4
Winter Wonderland - Stryper

#3
Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid

#2
Sleigh Ride - Boston Pops

#1
Last Christmas - Wham!, Jimmy Eat World, Carrie Underwood

Top 20 Songs - 1987

2007-12-18T23:06:00.000-05:00

This may be the pinnacle year for me in the 80's music-wise. A great summer, a great Thanksgiving and just an all-around great year for music. This was the last summer that I strictly listened to music on FM & MTV.

HONORABLE MENTION: (I Just)Died In Your Arms: Cutting Crew, Tunnel of Love: Bruce Springsteen, Should've Known Better: Richard Marx, One Heartbeat: Smokey Robinson, Casanova: Levert, Since You've Been Gone: The Outfield, Point Of No Return: Expose, Something So Strong: Crowded House, Head To Toe: Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Pump Up The Volume: M/A/R/R/S, I Want To Be Your Man: Roger, Faith: George Michael

#20
Fascinated, Company B
"'Cuz I, I'm fascinated by your love boy
And I'm fascinated by your love toy
I'm fascinated by the way U make me feel"

#19
Seasons Change, Expose
"Some dreams are in the night time
And some seem like yesterday
But leaves turn brown and fade
Ships sail away
You long to say a thousand words
But seasons change"

#18
I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Michael Jackson
"Each time the wind blows
I hear your voice so
I call your name...
Whispers at morning
Our love is dawning
Heaven's glad you came..."

#17
Don't Shed A Tear, Paul Carrack
"Cab fare to nowhere is what you are
A white line to an exit sign is what you are
Oh but I saw in you, now I see through"

#16
Don't Disturb This Groove, The System
"Pay attention are you listening
You're my favorite girl
Excuse me for the moment
I'm in another world"

#15
I Need Love, LL Cool J
"When I'm alone in my room sometimes I stare at the wall and in
the back of my mind I hear my conscience call, telling me I need a
girl who's as sweet as a dove for the first time in my life I see
I need love"

#14
Rock Steady, The Whispers
"You looked at me to my surprise
You were too anticipating
I should have known -- It was in your eyes
That you were getting tired of waiting"

#13
Lost In Emotion, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
"Between you and me
Just how true are the rumors
I am hearing
About this crush you have on me"

#12
Carrie, Europe
"Can't you see it in my eyes
This might be our last goodbye"

#11
Heaven Is A Place On Earth, Belinda Carlisle
"When you walk into the room
You pull me close and we start to move
And we're spinning with the stars above
And you lift me up in a wave of love..."

#10
Is This Love, Whitesnake
"Can't stop the feeling I've been this way before
With you I'll find the key to open any door
I can feel my love for you was stronger day by day
And I can't wait to see you again
So I can hold you in my arms"

#9
Meet Me Halfway, Kenny Loggins
"Meet me halfway
Across the sky
Out where the world belongs
to only you and I"

#8
Brilliant Disguise, Bruce Springsteen
"I hold you in my arms as the band plays
What are those words whispered baby just as you turn away
I saw you last night out on the edge of town
I wanna read your mind and know just what Ive got in this new thing I've found"

#7
Jacob's Ladder, Huey Lewis & The News
"Step by step, one by one, higher and higher
Step by step, rung by rung climbing Jacob's ladder"

#6
Don't Dream It's Over, Crowded House
" Now I'm walking again to the beat of a drum
And I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart
Only shadows ahead barely clearing the roof
Get to know the feeling of liberation and relief"

#5
Midnight Blue, Lou Gramm
"And I remember what my father said
He said "Son, life is simple"
It's either cherry red or...
Midnight Blue..."

#4
Here I Go Again, Whitesnake
"I'm just another heart in need of rescue
Waiting on love's sweet charity
And I'm gonna hold on
For the rest of my days
Cos I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams"

#3
The Way You Make Me Feel, Michael Jackson
"Hey pretty baby with the high heels on
You give me fever
Like I've never, ever known
You're just a product of loveliness
I like the groove of your walk,
Your talk, your dress"

#2
Only In My Dreams, Debbie Gibson
"Couldn't see how much I missed you (now I do)
couldn't see how much it meant
now I see my world come tumbling down
now I see the road is bent"

#1
Heart & Soul, T'Pau
"More than an ocean,
Keeps us apart.
I feel a tearing in half of my heart.
A walk on the water,
Is all that I need.
But miracles are not happening"

When I Was Your Age, We Called It Graffiti

2007-12-09T18:50:00.000-05:00

P.J. tagged me. Here we go.

1-Grab the closest book to you, go to page 18 and write down the 4th line :
"dles: one to be lit on Christmas Eve, one on Christmas Day," - Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Christmas Collection

2- Whats the last thing you saw on TV
Rise of the Video Game on Discovery HD

3- Other than the sound of your computer, what else can you hear?
The dehumidifier in the basement.

4- Last time you went out, what did you do?
Went to breakfast at the Oh Boy Diner, then hit Target.

5- What are you wearing?
Jeans & a long sleeve Jordan shirt.

6- Whats on the walls in the room you are in?
Unfortunately, just paint. However, I have lots of pictures waiting to go up.

7- What’s strange about today?
Mary shipped off for England for the week, so I'm cooking dinner for myself tonight.

8- Whats the last Movie you saw?
I popped in the Anchorman HD-DVD Friday night.

9- Tell us something we don’t know:
I haven't shaved since Friday.

10- Do you like dancing?
No.

11- If you had a daughter, what would her name be?
I have a daughter.

12- If you had a son, what would his name be?
Sterling.

13- Ever thought of living abroad?
No.

14- What would you like GOD to tell you when you crossed the pearly gates?
"Oops. Sorry. Not yet."

15- Mouhahaha, there is not question 15, mouhahaha!
That's just dumb.

I suppose I'll tag Brian & Mike.

Water Water Everywhere

2007-12-09T16:33:00.000-05:00

Along with all the ways we deal with water in our daily routines, I seem to deal with a lot more.

I make sure the cats have water by filling up their water bowl.
One cat, Bandit, only drinks water from a running faucet. I need to make sure he gets his fix.
I have to empty the dehumidifier in the basement. It's not a daily process now like it was back in October, but it still needs to be emptied every two days.
I have to change 30% of Fiona the Goldfish's water about twice per week.
I need to fill the humidifier in the bedroom every night. I probably will have to pick up another one for the living room. Damn electric heat.
'Tis the season to make sure the Christmas tree has enough water. The dry living room ensures that the watering can is emptied three times per day.

Top 20 Songs - 1986

2007-11-28T23:12:00.000-05:00

Finally! After many requests (one), here's 1986. (Seriously, I can count the number of regular readers to this blog on one hand and have enough fingers left over to tie my shoes. Oh well.)

This is a fantastic year. I'll probably list the top three years when I finish this, but 1986 should be up there. Lots of tough choices.

HONORABLE MENTION: I Can't Wait: Nu Shooz, Who's Johnny: El Debarge, Human: Human League, The Captain Of Her Heart: Double, Brand New Lover: Dead Or Alive, Tuff Enuff: Fabulous Thunderbirds, Dreamtime: Darryl Hall, Heartbeat: Don Johnson, Word Up: Cameo, Walk Like An Egyptian: Bangles, Invisible Touch: Genesis, Something About You: Level 42

#20
True Blue, Madonna
"I've had other lips
I've sailed a thousand ships
but no matter where i go
you're the one for me
baby this i know cause..."

#19
Rock Me Amadeus, Falco
"Er war Superstar
Er war populär
Er war so exaltiert
Because er hatte Flair
Er war ein Virtuose
War ein Rockidol
Und alles rief:
Come and rock me Amadeus
Amadeus, Amadeus..."

#18
Venus, Bananarama
"Her weapons were her crystal eyes
Making every man a man
Black as the dark night she was
Got what no-one else had
Wa!"

#17
I Didn't Mean To Turn You On, Robert Palmer
"When I took you out
I knew what you were all about
But when I did
I didn't mean to turn you on
Now I bring you home
You tell me the night's not enough for you
I'm sorry, baby
I didn't mean to turn you on"

#16
This Is The Time, Billy Joel
"And so we embrace again
Behind the dunes
This beach is so cold
On winter afternoons
Ah, but holding you close is like holding the summer sun
I'm warm from the memory of days to come"

#15
When The Heart Rules The Mind, GTR
"When the heart rules the mind
One look and love is blind
When you want the dream to last
Take a chance forget the past"

#14
Your Wildest Dreams, Moody Blues
"Once upon a time
Once when you were mine
I remember skies
Mirrored in your eyes
I wonder where you are
I wonder if you
Think about me
Once upon a time
In your wildest dreams"

#13
Your Love, The Outfield
"Josie's on a vacation far away
Come around and talk it over
So many things that I wanna say
You know I like my girls a little bit older
I just wanna use your love tonight
I don't wanna lose your love tonight"

#12
Point Of No Return, Nu Shooz
"No turnin' back
it's much too late
To go back now would be a big mistake.
It's taken me a while to learn
I'm at the point of no return."

#11
Mad About You, Belinda Carlisle
"Something 'bout you
Right here beside me
Touches the touched part of me like I can't believe
Pushing the night into the daytime
Watching the sky's first light
While the city sleeps"

#10
West End Girls, Pet Shop Boys
"Too many shadows, whispering voices
Faces on posters, too many choices
If, when, why, what?
How much have you got?
Have you got it, do you get it, if so, how often?
And which do you choose, a hard or soft option?
(How much do you need?)"

#9
Dreams, Van Halen
"Run, run, run away
like a train runnin' off the track
got the truth bein' left behind
falls between the cracks
standin' on broken dreams
never losin' sight, ah
well just spread your wings"

#8
The Rain, Oran "Juice" Jones
"I gave you silk suits, blue diamonds and gucci handbags.
I gave you things you couldn't even pronounce!
But now I can't give you nothing but advice.
Cause you're still young, yeah, you're young.
And you're gonna find somebody like me one of these days . . .
Until then, you know what you gotta do?
You gotta get on outta here with that alley-cat-coat-wearing,
punch-bucket-shoe-wearing crumbcake I saw you with. Cause you
dismissed!
That's right, Silly rabbit, tricks are made for kids, don't you know
that. You without me is like corn flakes without the milk! This is my
world. You're just a squirrel trying to get a nut! Now get on outta
here. Scat!
Don't touch that coat..."

#7
Danger Zone, Kenny Loggins
"Revvin' up your engine
Listen to her howlin' roar
Metal under tension
Beggin' you to touch and go"

#6
Living On A Prayer, Bon Jovi
"Gina dreams of running away
When she cries in the night
Tommy whispers: Baby it's okay, someday
We've got to hold on to what we've got
'Cause it doesn't make a difference
If we make it or not
We've got each other and that's a lot
For love - we'll give it a shot"

#5
Rumors, Timex Social Club
"I can't go no place without somebody pointin' a finger- I can't show my
face cuz when it comes to rumors I'm a dead ringer- I'll think I'll
write
my congressman and tell him to pass a bill- the next time they catch
somebody started rumors-shoot to kill!--"

#4
Heaven In Your Eyes, Loverboy
"I can tell by the look in your eyes
You've been hurtin
You know i'll never let you down oh, no
And i'll try anything to keep it workin
You gave me time to find out
What my heart was lookin for
And what i'm feelin inside"

#3
Take Me Home Tonight, Eddie Money
"I feel hungry it's a hunger
That tries to keep a man awake at night
Are you the answer I shouldn't wonder
When I can feel you whet my appetite
With all the power you're releasing
It isn't safe to walk the city streets alone
Anticipation's running through me
Let's find the keys and turn the engine on."

#2
Yankee Rose, David Lee Roth
"When she walks
Watch the sparks go flyin'
Firecrackin' on the 4th of July
No sad songs tonight
Somethings in the air
Yeah, the feeling gets you
A real state of independence
So pretty when her rockets fly
Still provin' any night
That her flag's still there"

#1
Walk This Way, Run DMC
"School girl sleezy with a classy kinda sassy
Little skirt's hangin way up her knee,
There was three young ladies in the school gym locker
And I find they were looking a D.
I was a high school loser, never made it with the ladies
Till the boys told me somethin' I missed,
Then my next door neighbor had a daughter had a favor
So I gave her just a little kiss alike this"

How I Spent My Black Friday

2007-11-24T00:26:00.001-05:00

No shopping on Black Friday for this guy. After waking up at 10:45 AM, I spent the majority of the day playing my 360. I took a shower, drove to pick up a pizza & watched some TV. (Beauty & The Geek with Mary and The Rise of Video Games on Discovery.) Here's the breakdown:

Halo 3: 8 hours, 48 minutes
Guitar Hero II: 1 hour, 6 minutes
Soltrio Solitaire, 21 minutes

(Stats courtesy of LiveEye)

Tomorrow should be a little more ambitious for me.

For the two of you reading my list of songs, 1986 should be up by the end of the weekend.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Top 20 Songs - 1985

2007-11-18T23:51:00.001-05:00

This was a strange year. Lots of good songs, but nothing really stood out for me. I ranked them, but I could've just as easily picked them at random. Weird.

HONORABLE MENTION: Only The Young: Journey, California Girls: David Lee Roth, High On You: Survivor, Perfect Way: Scritti Politti, Day By Day: The Hooters, Silent Running: Mike & The Mechanics, Burning Heart: Survivor, Sentimental Street: Night Ranger, Emergency: Kool & The Gang, Take On Me: A-Ha, Summertime Girls: Y & T, Who's Holding Donna Now?: Debarge.

#20
Life In A Northern Town, Dream Academy
"He said in Winter 1963
It felt like the world would freeze,
With John F. Kennedy and the Beatles."

#19
You Belong To The City, Glenn Frey
"The sun goes down, the night rolls in
You can feel it starting all over again
The moon comes up and the music calls
You're gettin' tired of starin' at the same four walls"

#18
Kyrie, Mr. Mister
"When I was young I thought of growing old
Of what my life would mean to me
Would I have followed down my chosen road
Or only wished what I could be"

#17
Don't Lose My Number, Phil Collins
"There came a night leaving fear behind, shadows are on the ground
Nobody knew where to find him, no evidence was found
I'm never coming back, I heard him cry, and I believe him
He never meant to do anything wrong, it's gonna get worse if he waits too long"

#16
Party All The Time, Eddie Murphy
"Girl I seen you at clubs, just hangin out and dancing
You give your number to every man you see
You never come home at night because your out romancin
I wish you'd bring some of your love home to me"

#15
One Night In Bangkok, Murray Head
"You’re talkin’ to a tourist whose every move’s among the purest.
I get my kicks above the waistline, Sunshine.
One night in Bangkok make a hard man humble!
Not much between despair and ecstasy.
One night in Bangkok, and the tough guys tumble!
Can’t be too careful with your company.
I can feel the devil walkin’ next to me."

#14
Sara, Starship
"I'll never find another girl like you
With fire and ice
a dream won't come true"

#13
Dress You Up, Madonna
"You've got style, that's what all the girls say
Satin sheets and luxuries so fine
All your suits are custom made in London
But I've got something that you'll really like"

#12
Some Like It Hot, Power Station
"We want to multiply, are you gonna do it
I know you're qualified, are you gonna do it
Don't be so circumscribed, are you gonna do it
Just get yourself untied, are you gonna do it"

#11
Axel F, Harold Faltermeyer
"dum dum dumda dum dum dum dum dumda dum dum dum dum dum dumda dum dum"

#10
Oh Sheila, Ready For The World
"Oh oh Sheila let me love you
Till the morning comes
Oh oh Sheila you know I want
To be the only one"

#9
Money For Nothing, Dire Straits
"We gotta install microwave ovens
Custom kitchen deliveries
We gotta move these refrigerators
We gotta move these color TV'"

#8
Obsession, Animotion
"I will have you
Yes I will have you
I will find a way and I will have you
Like a butterfly
A wild butterfly
I will collect you and capture you"

#7
Be Near Me, ABC
"All my dreams came true last night
All my hopes and fears
All my dreams came true once more
In tears in tears"

#6
Voices Carry, 'Til Tuesday
"I try so hard not to get upset
because I know all the trouble I'll get
oh, he tells me tears are something to hide
and something to fear
and I try so hard to keep it inside
so no one can hear"

#5
And We Danced, The Hooters
"I met my be-bop baby at the Union Hall
She could dance all night and shake the pain of the walls
But when I saw her smile across a crowded room
Well I knew we'd have to leave the party soon
As the band began to play out of tune"

#4
Nightshift, Commodores
"Marvin,
He was a friend of mine,
And he could sing a song,
His heart in every line,
Marvin,
Sang of the joy and pain,
He opened up our minds,
I still can hear him say..."

#3
Tarzan Boy, Baltimora
"Jungle life
I'm far away from nowhere
On my own like Tarzan Boy
Hide and seek
I play along while rushing cross the forest
Monkey business on a sunny afternoon"

#2
Raspberry Beret, Prince & The Revolution
"I was workin’ part-time in a 5-and-dime
My boss was Mr. McGee
He told me several times that he didn't like my kind
Cuz I was a bit 2 leisurely
It seems that I was busy doin’ somethin’ close 2 nothin’
But different than the day before
That's when I saw her, ooh, I saw her
She walked in through the out door, out door"

#1
Save A Prayer, Duran Duran
"Pretty looking road,
try to hold the rising floods that fill my skin
Don't ask me why I'll keep my promise,
I'll melt the ice
And you wanted to dance so I asked you to dance
But fear is in your soul
Some people call it a one night stand
But we can call it paradise"

Top 20 Songs - 1984

2007-11-15T23:44:00.000-05:00

Once again, another tough year to rank.

HONORABLE MENTION: Back Where You Belong: .38 Special, Come Back And Stay: Paul Young, Jump: Van Halen, New Moon On Monday: Duran Duran, I Want A New Drug: Huey Lewis & The News, Here Comes The Rain Again: Eurythmics, Drive: The Cars, Breakin'...There's No Stopping Us: Ollie & Jerry, Loverboy: Billy Ocean, Jungle Love: The Time, The War Song: Culture Club, Desert Moon: Dennis DeYoung

#20
Somebody's Watching Me, Rockwell
"When I'm in the shower I'm afraid to wash my hair
Cause I might open my eyes and find someone standing there
People say I'm crazy, just a little touched
But maybe showers remind me of Psycho too much
That's why..."

#19
Eyes Without A Face, Billy Idol
"Now I close my eyes
And I wonder why
I don't despise
Now all I can do
Is love what was once
So alive and new
But it's gone from your eyes
I'd better realize"

#18
Dancing In The Dark, Bruce Springsteen
"You sit around getting older
there's a joke here somewhere and it's on me
I'll shake this world off my shoulders
come on baby this laugh's on me"

#17
I Can't Drive 55, Sammy Haggar
"One foot on the brake and one on the gas
Well there's too much traffic and I can't pass No
So I try my best illegal move
A big black-and-white come an' touch my groove again"

#16
It's My Life, Talk Talk
"It's my life
Don't you forget
It's my life
It never ends"

#15
Easy Lover, Phillip Bailey & Phil Collins
"And don't try to change her, just leave it, leave it
You're not the only one, ooh seeing is believing
It's the only way
You'll ever know, oh"

#14
Ghostbusters, Ray Parker Jr.
"If you're seeing things running through your head
Who can you call?
Ghostbusters!
An invisible man sleeping in your bed
Oh, who you gonna call?
Ghostbusters!"

#13
Cruel Summer, Bananarama
"It's a cruel, cruel summer
Leaving me here on my own
It's a cruel, cruel summer
Now you're gone"

#12
I Can Dream About You, Dan Hartman
"I don't understand it
I can't keep my mind off loving you
Ooo, now baby, I'm caught up in the magic I see in you
There's one thing to do"

#11
Let's Go Crazy, Prince & The Revolution
"If you don't like the world u're living in
Take a look around u
At least u got friends
I called my old lady 4 a friendly word
She just picked up the phone
Dropped it on the floor
"Ssss ahh, sss ahh!" is all I heard
I'm not gonna let D-elevator bring us down
Oh no, let's go...let's go crazy"

#10
Sunglasses At Night, Corey Hart
"While she's deceiving me, she cuts my security
Has she got control of me
I turn to her and say"

#9
Jam On It, Newcleus
"Said Superman had come to town to see who he could rock
He blew away every crew he faced until he reached our block
His speakers were three stories high with woofers made of steel
And when we boys sit outside, he said "I boom for real"

#8
Boys Of Summer, Don Henley
"Nobody on the road
nobody on the beach.
I feel it in the air: The summer's out of reach.
Empty lake
empty streets
the sun goes down alone.
I'm driving by your house though I know you're not home. "

#7
Infatuation, Rod Stewart
"Caught me down like a killer shark
It's like a railroad running right through my heart
Jekyll and Hyde the way I behave
Feel like I'm running on an empty gauge"

#6
Magic, The Cars
"Twisted under sideways down
I know you're getting twisted
And you can't calm down
I see you under the midnight
Love darts in your eyes
How far can you take it
Till you realize
There's magic in your eyes"

#5
Oh, Sherrie, Steve Perry
"You should've been gone
Knowing how I made you feel
And I should've been gone
After all your words of steel
Oh I must've been a dreamer
And I must've been someone else
And we should've been over"

#4
Dance Hall Days, Wang Chung
"So take your baby by the wrist
And in her mouth an amethyst
And in her eyes two sapphires blue
And you need her and she needs you
And you need her and she needs you"

#3
Missing You, John Waite
"And there's a message that I'm sending out
Like a telegraph to your soul
And if I can't bridge this distance
Stop this heartbreak overload
I ain't missing you at all"

#2
The Reflex, Duran Duran
"I'm on a ride and I want to get off
But they won't slow down the roundabout
I sold the Renoir and the TV set
Don't want to be around when this gets out"

#1
Panama, Van Halen
"Ain't nothin' like it, her shiny machine
Got the feel for the wheel
Kept the moving parts clean
Hot shoe, burnin' down the avenue
Got an on-ramp comin' through my bedroom"

Top 20 Songs - 1983

2007-11-14T23:37:00.001-05:00

This is really starting to become difficult. After I picked my Top 20, I still had 56 songs to pick the Honorable Mention from. Once again, this isn't going to get any easier going forward.

HONORABLE MENTION: Poison Arrow: ABC, Little Red Corvette: Prince, Rio: Duran Duran, Affair Of The Heart: Rick Springfield, Overkill: Men At Work, Too Shy: Kajagoogoo, She Blinded Me With Science: Thomas Dolby, (Keep Feeling) Fascination: The Human League, Let The Music Play: Shannon, Far From Over: Frank Stallone, Rockit: Herbie Hancock, Come Dancing: The Kinks

#20
Burning Down The House, Talking Heads
"Hold tight wait till the party's over
Hold tight We're in for nasty weather
There has got to be a way
Burning down the house"

#19
Cum On Feel The Noize, Quiet Riot
"So you think we are the lazy type, you should know better
And I don't know why
I don't know why"

#18
In A Big Country, Big Country
"I never took the smile away from anybody's face
And that's a desperate way to look
For someone who is still a child
In a big country dreams stay with you
Like a lover's voice fires the mountainside
Stay alive"

#17
99 Red Balloons, Nena
"Floating in the summer sky
Panic bells it's red alert
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky Where 99 red balloons go by"

#16
Every Breath You Take, The Police
"Since you've gone I been lost without a trace
I dream at night I can only see your face
I look around but it's you I can't replace
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
I keep crying baby, baby, please"

#15
Electric Avenue, Eddie Grant
"Oh no we gonna rock down to Electric Avenue
and then we'll take it higher
Oh we gonna rock it down to Electric Avenue
and then we'll take it higher"

#14
The Safety Dance, Men Without Hats
"I Say we can act if want to if we don't nobody will
And you can act real rude and totally removed
And i can act like an imbecile"

#13
Come On Eileen, Dexy's Midnight Runners
"Come on Eileen, well I swear (what he means)
At this moment, you mean everything
With you in that dress my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty
Ah come on Eileen"

#12
Twist Of Fate, Olivia Newton-John
"It's gotta be a strange twist of fate
Telling me that Heaven can wait
Telling me to get it right this time
Life doesn't mean a thing
Without the love you bring
Love is what we've found
The second time around"

#11
Our House, Madness
"Father wears his Sunday best
Mother's tired she needs a rest
The kids are playing up downstairs
Sister's sighing in her sleep
Brother's got a date to keep
He can't hang around"

#10
Der Kommissar, After The Fire
"Don't turn around, oh oh
Der Kommissar's in town, oh oh
He's got the power
And you're so weak
And you're frustration will not let you speak"

#9
Photograph, Def Leppard
"I see your face everytime I dream
On every page, every magazine
So wild, so free, so far from me
You're all I want, my fantasy
Oh, look what you've done to this rock and roll clown
Oh, look what you've done"

#8
White Wedding, Billy Idol
"Hey little sister what have you done
Hey little sister who's the only one
I've been away for so long (so long)
I've been away for so long (so long)
I let you go for so long"

#7
Beat It, Michael Jackson
"They told him don't you ever come around here
Don't wanna see your face, you better disappear
The fire's in their eyes and their words are really clear
so beat it, just beat it"

#6
Suddenly Last Summer, The Motels
"One summer never ends, one summer never began
It keeps me standing still, it takes all my will
And then suddenly last summer"

#5
Mr. Roboto, Styx
"Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto
For doing the jobs that nobody wants to
And thank you very much, Mr. Roboto
For helping me escape just when I needed to
Thank you-thank you, thank you
I want to thank you, please, thank you"

#4
Major Tom (Coming Home), Peter Schilling
"far beneath the ship, the world is mourning
they don't realize he's alive
no one understands but Major Tom sees
now the life commands this is my home
I'm coming home"

#3
She's A Beauty, The Tubes
"You can say anything you like
But you can’t touch the merchandise
She’ll give you every penny’s worth
But it will cost you a dollar first"

#2
Separate Ways, Journey
"Someday love will find you Break those chains that bind you
One night will remind you How we touched And went our separate ways
If he ever hurts you True love won't desert you
You know I still love you Though we touched And went our separate ways"

#1
Billie Jean, Michael Jackson
"People always told me be careful of what you do
And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts
And mother always told me be careful of who you love
And be careful of what you do 'cause the lie becomes the truth"

Top 20 Songs - 1982

2007-11-12T23:40:00.000-05:00

It's on now. After two easy years, 1982 proved to be quite difficult. This does not have me looking forward to the coming years, as there are bound to be some tough decisions.

HONORABLE MENTION: Edge Of Seventeen: Stevie Nicks, Caught Up In You: .38 Special, I Ran: A Flock Of Seagulls, Africa: Toto, Who Can It Be Now?: Men At Work, Eye In The Sky: Alan Parsons Project, Steppin' Out: Joe Jackson, Mickey: Toni Basil, Maneater: Hall & Oates, 1999: Prince, Goody Two Shoes: Adam Ant, Do You Really Want To Hurt Me: Culture Club

#20
Heartlight, Neil Diamond
"He's lookin' for home
'Cause everyone needs a place
And home's the most excellent place of all
And I'll be right here if you should call me"

#19
Down Under, Men At Work
"Buying bread from a man in Brussels
He was six foot four and full of muscles
I said, "Do you speak-a my language"
He just smiled and gave me a Vegimate sandwich
And he said"

#18
Shock The Monkey, Peter Gabriel
"Darling, don't you monkey with the monkey
Monkey, monkey, monkey
Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey"

#17
Somebody's Baby, Jackson Browne
"Well, just - a look at that girl with the lights comin' up in her eyes.
She's got to be somebody's baby.
She must be somebody's baby."

#16
Words, Missing Persons
"What are words for
When no one listens anymore
What are words for
When no one listens what are words for
When no one listens
There's no use talking at all."

#15
Hungry Like The Wolf, Duran Duran
"Darken the city, night is a wire
Steam in the subway, earth is a afire
Do do do do do do do dodo dododo dodo
Woman, you want me, give me a sign
And catch my breathing even closer behind
Do do do do do do do dodo dododo dodo"

#14
You Dropped A Bomb On Me, The Gap Band
"You were my thrills, you were my pills
You dropped a bomb on me
You turn me out, you turn me on
You turned me loose, then you turned me wrong"

#13
Twilight Zone, Golden Earring
"Help, I'm steppin' into the Twilight Zone
Place is a madhouse
Feels like being cloned
My beacon has moved
Under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I've gone too far (ooooo)"

#12
Gloria, Laura Branigan
"A-ha-ha, a-ha-ha, Gloria, how's it gonna go down?
Will you meet him on the main line, or will you catch him on the rebound?
Will you marry for the money, take a lover in the afternoon?
Feel your innocence slipping away, don't believe it's comin' back soon"

#11
Only Time Will Tell, Asia
"You're leaving now
It's in your eyes
There's no disguising it
It really comes as no surprise
To find that you planned it all along"

#10
Rosanna, Toto
"I can see your face still shining through the window on the other side
Rosanna, Rosanna
I didn't know that a girl like you could make me feel so sad, Rosanna"

#9
Don't You Want Me, Human League
"I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar
That much is true
But even then I knew I'd find a much better place
Either with or without you
The five years we have had have been such good times
I still love you
But now I think it's time I live my life on my own
I guess it's just what I must do"

#8
Tainted Love, Soft Cell
"Once I ran to you (I ran)
Now I'll run from you
This tainted love you've given
I give you all a boy could give you
Take my tears and that's not nearly all
Oh...tainted love
Tainted love"

#7
'65 Love Affair, Paul Davis
"'65 Love Affair
We wasn't gettin' nowhere
But we didn't care
It was a crazy
'65 Love Affair
Rock 'n' roll was simple and clear
Oh, I still can hear I can hear it baby"

#6
Only The Lonely, The Motels
"We walked the lonliest mile
We smile without any style
We kiss alltogether wrong
No intention"

#5
867-5309/Jenny, Tommy Tutone
"Jenny Jenny, who can I turn to?
You give me something
I can hold on to
I know you think I like the others before
We your name and number on the wall "

#4
Rock The Casbah, The Clash
"The shareef don't like it
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
The shareef don't like it
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah"

#3
Heat Of The Moment, Asia
"Do you remember when we used to dance
And incidents arose from circumstance
One thing led to another, we were young
And we would scream together songs unsung"

#2
Freeze-Frame, J. Geils Band
"Thursday morning was a hot flash-factor
Her face still focused in my mind
Test-strip proof-sheet love is hard to find
Friday night we'll dance the spotlight grind
Stop-time heart for me if she's not mine"

#1
Eye Of The Tiger, Survivor
"It's the eye of the tiger
It's the thrill of the fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all
With the eye- of the tiger"

Top 20 Songs - 1981

2007-11-10T23:24:00.000-05:00

This was a pretty boring year looking back. I know this is going to get a lot harder real soon, but this wasn't much of a challenge to pick 20 songs. Heck, some of the honorable mentions could crack the Top 10 on a different day. I felt indifference to many of these songs.

Anyway, here you go.

HONORABLE MENTION: Turn Me Loose: Loverboy, Angel Of The Morning: Juice Newton, Crazy Train: Ozzy Osbourne, Limelight: Rush, The Breakup Song: Greg Kihn Band, In The Air Tonight: Phil Collins, Lady: Commodores, Urgent: Foreigner, Let's Groove: Earth Wind & Fire, Shake It Up: The Cars

#20
Morning Train, Sheena Easton
"My baby takes the morning train, he works from nine till five and then
He takes another home again to find me waitin' for him"

#19
Queen of Hearts, Juice Newton
"Playing with the queen of hearts,
knowing it ain't really smart
The joker ain't the only fool
who'll do anything for you"

#18
Key Largo, Bertie Higgins
"Here's lookin' at you-ou kid
Missin' a-all the things we did
We can find it once again, I know
Just like they did in Key Largo"

#17
Can You Feel It, The Jacksons
"All the children of the world should be
Loving each other wholeheartedly
Yes, it's all right"

#16
America, Neil Diamond
"Far, we've been travellin' far
Without a home, but not without a star
Free, only want to be free
We huddle close, hang on to a dream"

#15
Believe It Or Not, Joey Scarbury
"Look at what's happened to me,
I can't believe it myself;
Suddenly I'm up on top of the world,
Should've been somebody else."

#14
Super Freak, Rick James
"She likes the boys in the band
She says that I'm her all-time favorite
When I make my move to her room it's the right time
She's never hard to please"

#13
Harden My Heart, Quarterflash
"I'm gonna harden my heart
I'm gonna swallow my tears
I'm gonna turn...and...leave you here....."

#12
Private Eyes, Hall & Oates
"You play with words you play with love
you can twist it around baby that ain't enough
cause girl I'm gonna know
if you're letting me in or letting me go"

#11
Bette Davis Eyes, Kim Carnes
"And she'll tease you,
She'll unease you
All the better just to please you
She's precocious and she knows just
What it takes to make a pro blush"

#10
Talk To Ya Later, The Tubes
"Talk to ya later—don't want to hear it again tonight
Talk to ya later—just save it for another guy
Talk to ya later—don't want to hear it again tonight
I'll just see you around"

#9
Physical, Olivia Newton-John
"Let's get physical, physical, I wanna get physical, let's get into physical
Let me hear your body talk, your body talk, let me hear your body talk"

#8
Our Lips Are Sealed, The Go-Go's
"Can you see them
See right through them
They have no shield
No secrets to reveal"

#7
Don't Stop Believin', Journey
"Working hard to get my fill Everybody wants a thrill
Payin' anything to roll the dice Just one more time"

#6
In The Dark, Billy Squier
"You never listen to the voices inside
They fill your ears as you run to a place to hide
You're never sure if the illusion is real
You pinch yourself but the mem'ries are all you feel
Can you break away from your alibis
Can you make a play will you meet me in the dark..."

#5
Working For The Weekend, Loverboy
"Everyone's looking to see if it was you
Everyone wants you to come through
Everyone's hoping it'll all work out
Everyone's waiting they're holding out"

#4
Young Turks, Rod Stewart
"Young hearts be free tonight. Time is on your side,
Don't let them put you down, don't let 'em push you around,
don't let 'em ever change your point of view."

#3
Hold On Loosely, .38 Special
"You see it all around you
Good lovin' gone bad
And usually it's too late when you, realize what you had
And my mind goes back to a girl I left some years ago,
Who told me"

#2
Centerfold, J. Geils Band
"Slipping notes, under the desk
While I was thinking about her dress
I was shy, I turned away, before she caught my eye
I was shakin' in my shoes whenever she flashed those baby blues
Something had a hold on me when Angel passed close by"

#1
Jessie's Girl, Rick Springfield
"I play along with the charade,
there doesn't seem to be
a reason to change
You know, I feel so dirty
when they start talking cute
I wanna tell her that I love her,
but the point is probably moot"

Top 20 Songs - 1980

2007-11-10T00:22:00.000-05:00

Here we go! My Top 20 songs from 1980.

A few notes before I begin:

- This wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I'm sure it will become progressively more difficult as I move closer to the present day, but the process wasn't too hard.

- I will list each song with a lyric snippet, as well as a YouTube video, if applicable.

- Hopefully this will inspire conversation from some of my readers. Comment away!

1980

I was 6/7. Wow, that's how old Payton will be in 2008. To think that she could be working on a list like this 27 years from now is pretty mind-boggling. Yikes.

That's probably the reason this year was fairly easy. I pretty much knew every song on the list, but I was able to whittle it down fairly quickly.

HONORABLE MENTION: Flirtin' With Disaster: Molly Hatchet, The Second Time Around: Shalamar, And The Beat Goes On: The Whispers, Call Me: Blondie, Ride Like The Wind: Chistopher Cross, Cars: Gary Numan, Train In Vain: The Clash, Let's Get Serious: Jermaine Jackson, Tired Of Toein' The Line: Rocky Burnette, Give Me The Night: George Benson, Xanadu: Electric Light Orchestra & Olivia Newton John.

#20
Rapper's Delight, Sugar Hill Gang
"Now what you hear is not a test--i'm rappin to the beat
and me, the groove, and my friends are gonna try to move your feet"

#19
Steal Away, Robbie Dupree
"C'mon and hold me, Just like you told me, then show me... What I want to know"

#18
Take Your Time, S.O.S. Band
"Now baby we can't do it take the time - do it right, we can do it baby -do it tonight."

#17
Another One Bites The Dust, Queen
"Are you happy, are you satisfied, how long can you stand the heat?
Out of the doorway the bullets rip to the sound of the beat"

#16
Against The Wind, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
"The years rolled slowly past and I found myself alone
Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends found myself further and further from my home."

#15
September Morn', Neil Diamond
"We danced until the night became a brand new day, two lovers playing scenes from some romantic play, September morning still can make me feel that way"

#14
Stomp, Brothers Johnson
"Stomp all night in the neighborhood, don't it feel all right gonna
Stomp all night wanna party, 'till morning light"

#13
Brass In The Pocket, Pretenders
"Gonna use my arms,
Gonna use my legs,
Gonna use my style,
Gonna use my side-step-
Gonna use my fingers.
Gonna use my, my, my, imagination."

#12
Cupid, Spinners
"Cupid, dDraw back your bow and let your arrow go
Straight to my lovers heart for me, nobody but me"

#11
Celebration, Kool & The Gang
"So bring your good times, and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you"

#10
Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Pat Benatar
"Before I put another notch in my lipstick case
You better make sure you put me in my place"

#9
Fool In The Rain, Led Zeppelin
"Well there's a light in your eye that keeps shining
Like a star that can't wait for the night"

#8
Ah! Leah!, Donnie Iris
"I see your lips and I wonder who's been kissin' them.
I never knew how badly I was missin' them."

#7
Funky Town, Lipps Inc.
"Well, I talk about it, Talk about it,
Talk about it, Talk about it,
Talk about, Talk about,
Talk about movin,"

#6
99, Toto
"99
I've been waiting so long
Oh, 99
Where did we go wrong
Oh, 99
I love you"

#5
Heart Hotels, Dan Fogelberg
"Well there's too many windows in this old hotel
And rooms filled with reckless pride
And the walls have grown sturdy
And the halls have worn well
But there is nobody living inside"

#4
Video Killed The Radio Star, The Buggles
"I heard you on the wireless back in Fifty Two
Lying awake intent at tuning in on you.
If I was young it didn't stop you coming through"

#3
Off The Wall, Michael Jackson
"So tonight gotta leave the nine to five up on the shelf
And just enjoy yourself
C'mon and groove, and let the madness in the music get to you
Life ain't so bad at all"

#2
I Love A Rainy Night, Eddie Rabbit
"Well I love a rainy night, it's such a beautiful sight
I love to feel the rain on my face
To taste the rain on my lips
In the moonlight shadow"

#1
Sailing, Christopher Cross
"It's not far to never never land
No reason to pretend
And if the wind is right you can find the joy
Of innocence again
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me"

IT's Going to Be A Lot of Lists

2007-11-09T23:43:00.000-05:00

While listening to XM's IT today, I was inspired to make a Top 20 list. It'll be a Top 20 list, except it will be a list of 10 and there will be 22 of them. **UPDATE** Screw it! I will rank 20 songs for each year!!!

Using the IT playlists, I will be ranking MY top 20 songs from each year, beginning with 1980 and ending with 1999. I will then rank my top 20 songs from the 80's & 90's.

Please bear in mind that IT is the compilation of all songs that ever cracked the Top 40 charts. It will not include some of my favorite songs, so this is not the be all, end all rankings for me personally.

I'm hoping to complete this project over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, enjoy IT!

Tauntauns & Teeth

2007-11-06T08:13:00.000-05:00

Well, my wisdom teeth will be history in about an hour. Ugh, ugh & more ugh.

The good news is that Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is out today, so I'll have a few days to dig into that.

The Lego Star Wars games have been two of the most enjoyable games I have played in years. I'm not expecting anything less from this version.

My Blackberry has stopped receiving emails from GMail, so I also need to fix that today as well.

I shall be in touch! In the meantime, keep checking Twitter.

Back for More

2007-11-03T23:10:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts the past week. It was crazy week. We had our annual company retreat in Newport, Halloween & basketball on Wednesday, UConn preseason game Thursday & just exhausted yesterday. Now for some catching up...

- First & foremost, an update on Joe. He's doing well. He was released from the hospital on Monday & I was able to spend about an hour with he & Laura this afternoon. Mary made some curry chicken for him, which he loves. He's up & moving and feeling pretty good. He'll be wearing a neck brace until the broken bone in his neck heals. He's making progress with regards to his hands as well. He's working the laptop, so that's progress. As soon as the bruise on his spinal cord subsides, he'll have issues. He looks great and definitely has some perspective about the whole situation. I'm very, very thankful that we were able to laugh a bit today and that he's still with us.

- The retreat was interesting. We seemed to accomplish a lot, but the results of the brainstorming and other stuff won't be known until sometime in 2008. The highlight of our two days there was a touch football game. We drew numbers throughout the day on Monday & around 3 PM, we were told the even numbers were one team and odds were the other team. Touch football game, winner gets an additional day of PTO. My squad won 6-2 and it wasn't that close. Here are some photos from the game:

- Halloween was uneventful. Payton was Pikachu. We went trick or treating at West Farms Mall last Sunday & she hit her school on Halloween night. Not too many houses on our street were passing out candy. She had fun and that's all that matters.

- I've been playing basketball on Wednesday nights for the past few weeks. This past Wednesday was my best showing so far. I finally played halfway decent & I felt I had my best workout yet.

- UConn wasn't too impressive Thursday night against Assumption College. I was hoping to see some improvement over last year, but I didn't see any Thursday. I suppose it's tough to judge using the first exhibition game of the year, but we'll see.

- It was great to see Navy beat Notre Dame today. UConn also had a nice win over Rutgers.

- I've managed to stay alive in my NFL Survivor leagues up until this point, but I'm not feeling that confident this week. I'm leaning towards Washington, but that goes against one of my two rules. (No road teams, no division games.)

- Go Colts!!!!!!!!

Change of Plans

2007-10-27T21:18:00.000-04:00

I had planned to post an update on the house and other random thoughts that are running through my mind. However, a call I received late this afternoon has me changing things up.

I thought I was receiving a call from my good friend Joe, because that's what the caller ID on my phone said. However, it wasn't Joe. It was his wife Laura.

She was calling to let me know that Joe was in a bad car accident Friday night. He's okay, relatively speaking. He broke a vertebrae, but apparently it's the one to break if you break your neck. He also has a bruise on his spine, which has the doctors concerned.

I don't remember too many of the details of her call. He can't really talk and he will be wearing a neck brace for awhile. I'm not sure how soon he'll be released from the hospital.

She also mentioned that he had been drinking. I don't know any of the details about the accident at all, but that surprised me. Joe's a pretty responsible guy and I don't ever recall him drinking and driving in all the years I've known him. That doesn't mean he hasn't, he just hasn't done it while I've been around.

I hope that if he was drunk, that it is the last time he makes that decision. I love the man like a brother and will be by his side no matter what. I will do whatever I can to make sure that he takes whatever steps necessary to make sure something like this never happens again.

In the meantime, I'll be thinking of Joe and saying some prayers. Hang in there pal...

21 Years Ago Tonight...

2007-10-25T23:22:00.000-04:00

Apparently, there's a baseball game being played in Boston tonight. Gee, I never would've known if it wasn't for being surrounded by Red Sox fans.

Anyway, there was a World Series game being played in Flushing 21 years ago this evening. This game (along with Tate George's shot against Clemson in 1990) is the seminal sports moment of my life. It is the genesis for this blog.

As I type this, I'm watching the 10th inning of said game. It's currently the top of the 10th & Dave Henderson just hit a leadoff homerun to give the Sox a 4-3 lead. They just cut to the scene of Roger Clemens celebrating in the Red Sox bullpen, complete with his act of vandalism.

Someday, I'll have a page dedicated to this game. Until then, there's really nothing for me to say that hasn't already been said.

I'd just like to state again for the record that if there's someone to be labeled a goat for this game, it's Rich Gedman, who should've caught Bob Stanley's "wild pitch".

Aside from that, I credit the Mets, especially Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell, Ray Knight & Mookie Wilson, for not giving up, even when the end looked inevitable.

"They say a picture is worth a thousand words...if that is so, you've just seen a million words but more importantly the Mets are alive and well and will be playing the 7th game tomorrow night." - Vin Scully

Interesting XM Ratings

2007-10-24T00:41:00.000-04:00

Arbitron recently released their Spring 2007 rankings for XM & Sirius. Since I don't have Sirius, I have nothing to say about their numbers. (For the record, XM had a cumulative audience (cume) of 10.33 million listeners compared to 6.6 million for Sirius. The Howard Stern channel on Sirius was the most listened to channel on both services, with a cume of 1.22 million listeners. XM's 20 on 20 was second, with a cume of 1.05 million listeners.)

I thought it would be interesting to list some rankings & share which channels I frequent.

Top 10

20 on 20 (1,055,300)
Flight 26 (713,700)
70s on 7 (654,100)
80s on 8 (648,900)
60s on 6 (619,600)
Top Tracks (607,600)
Highway 16 (554,100)
The Blend (548,000)
The Heart (489,200)
Fox News (485,400)

Of those ten, I listen to Flight 26 the most, 80s next, then Top Tracks. I'll tune in to the 70s and 20 on 20 and occasionally The Blend. (all are presets, then again, there are 30) I never listen to The Heart and I have never even thought of tuning in to Highway 16 or Fox News. The 60s is also a preset but I very rarely even check it out. I LOVE listening to the vintage American Top 40 Countdowns on the 70s & 80s. They fly by without those pesky commercials.

Top 5 Traffic Channels

Los Angeles (16,300)
Washington DC (13,700)
New York (12,500)
Philadelphia (7,900)
Dallas/FW (5,700)

I know Brian isn't surprised DC is second only to LA.

My Favorites

Boneyard (223,000) (35th)
90s on 9 (366,000) (17th)
Lucy (388,000) (15th)
Flight 26 (713,700) (2nd)
The Rhyme (80,400) (69th)
Cinemagic (50,600) (85th)
ESPN Radio (262,000) (26th)
MLB Homeplate (81,500) (68th)
XM Comedy (422,200) (12th)

I'm not surprised by the Boneyard being so low on the list. It's very specific in content and varied in the years covered, different types of metal/rock, etc. I'm most disappointed in Cinemagic being so low. That is such a unique, fun channel and I find myself listening a lot at work. I suppose part of the problem with Cinemagic is if the current movie is one you're not interested in, you have to wait 20 minutes or so for a new one to come up. By that time, you'll most likely have found something else to listen to. I'm glad Lucy & the 90s are high on the list. Two channels I thought were underrated.

(rankings via post from Orbitcast)

Still Drying Off

2007-10-20T22:25:00.000-04:00

Last night, I was lucky enough to work the chains along with Mike for our local high school football team. We do it every home game, pocket a bit of money and enjoy a little football up-close.

For those of you in the Northeast, you remember last evening's weather. It poured. The wind howled. It was blast. Poor P.J. had to work in it. I loved it.

It wasn't too bad until the kickoff. Then the skies opened. The first half was played almost entirely in the downpour. The second half started off fairly dry, but the last five minutes of the game was easily the worst. It didn't matter to me. I was soaked as soon as the game started, so after that, it didn't really matter how much it rained. BTW, the home team won.

I would've loved to have been playing. I played in two games with weather like that in my brief career, both blowout losses. The first one was a home game versus Naugatuck, which we lost 50-something to zero. It was our second game of the year & I saw the field as a free safety for the first time in mop-up duty. I picked off a pass & became the starting free safety the rest of the way.

The second game in that weather was at Ansonia, a traditional Connecticut HS football power. By that point in the season, I was starting on offense, defense & special teams. Once again, we lost 50-something to nothing.

Perhaps I should amend my statement to say I would've loved to be playing in that weather as long as my team wasn't being trounced.

One other thought that crossed my mind working the game last night. I was figuring out when the kids playing were born & sure enough, if they are 17, they were born while I was playing football or even after that. It amazes me how fast time has flown, especially since high school ended.

Whither The Squirrels?

2007-10-18T14:27:00.001-04:00

I feed birds. I enjoy having different birds around and the cats greatly enjoy watching them fly from trees to the feeders and back.

We have a regular feeder and a suet feeder outside of a living room window. I also have a small feeder hanging from a tree near the driveway.

In addition to the bird feeders, I have a squirrel feeder. It is attached to a tree in the backyard, right at the edge of the yard and woods. It holds four ears of corn & spins. Back when I lived in the house years ago, the squirrels loved it and I would replace the corn constantly, almost on a daily basis. This feeder is primarily entertainment for me.

Well over a week ago, I filled up that squirrel feeder and I also installed another one. This is similar to the suet feeder, only larger and instead of suet, it's a giant corn cake.

The birds seem to enjoy the corn cake (I think there are sunflower seeds in it) but the other squirrel feeder hasn't been touched. I understand it may take some time for them to re-discover the feeder, but I haven't seen one squirrel in the yard.

Mary said she saw one in the yard last week, but not since. I'm wondering if something is keeping them away. There is a neighborhood cat, Daphne, who patrols the yard, but I doubt she's chasing squirrels.

However, this past spring, a fisher cat was spotted in the woods behind the house, eating a small animal. It looked like a squirrel, but I couldn't be certain. Perhaps the squirrels took a hint and decided to vacate the area?

Stay tuned...

This Is A Test

2007-10-17T15:16:00.001-04:00

Just trying to see if I can post to the blog via email.

Seeing as Blogger & Twitter are two of the sites blocked here at work, this will be a way for me to post updates if anything interesting were too happen while sitting at my desk.

It's A Miracle

2007-10-16T22:02:00.000-04:00

38 years ago today, Jerry Koosman got future Mets manager Davey Johnson to fly out to Ron Swoboda, completing the storybook year of the Miracle Mets.

I was still four years away from being born, but I love reading about that team & all the early Mets teams. Hopefully there's some interesting items in the Hall of Fame I'll be able to check out when I get up there in December.

----

In other news, here is a shot of Payton, her soccer team & handsome coach.

-----

The "renovations" on the house are continuing. I still feel like we're camping. The first project we're doing is redoing my computer/TV room. We ripped out the carpet & Mary has painted the ceilings. Once the primer & paint is up and I scrub off the old paint off of the hardwoods, I'll be able to set everything up in there, including this computer. I haven't touched my 360 in almost two weeks!

I do have lots of pictures to share, but first I'll need to locate my memory card reader so I can take them off of the camera. The real interesting shots will be of the driveway/patio project, which started yesterday and is progressing nicely.

-----

I should have plenty of time to enjoy my new setup during the first week of November. I will be having my wisdom teeth ripped from my mouth. I am not looking forward to this procedure as I have been hearing horror stories about this my entire life. Ugh. Hopefully I'll get to enjoy lots of ice cream.

Bandito!

2007-10-12T21:57:00.001-04:00

This is Bandit. He loves water. The only time I've ever seen this cat drink water is from a running bath faucet. He's a piece of work.

In other news, tomorrow we'll begin the first phase of fixing up the house. We'll begin painting my computer/tv/guest room and hopefully I'll be able to hook all my stuff up. (Surround sound, Xbox, wireless network, etc.)

We'll also start to peel the wallpaper off of the master bedroom walls & paint some of the hallways. I'll also continue to clean out the basement. (HUGE project) The driveway paving project is set to begin Monday.

I will be sharing before & after photos of all projects.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

I'm Back!

2007-10-09T10:50:00.000-04:00

Yes, the DSL is running. Finally.

There's too much for me to do around here to do a large post, but I do want to respond to P.J.'s new header over at A L'il HooHaa, which proclaims "At least they (Phillies) ain't the Mets".

I'll agree 100% with that little nugget. The Phillies have been playing baseball for a loooooong time. They've been the Phillies from 1890 - 1942 and 1945 - 2007. (They were also the Philadelphia Blue Jays in 1943 & 1944 & the Quakers from 1883-1889.)

Someone else will have to do the math for me to figure out how many years they've been around. In all those years, they've amassed a winning percentage of 0.469, while winning ONE world championship.

The Mets on the other hand have been around only a fraction the time of the Phillies and have a winning percentage of 0.478 and have won TWO world championships. Plural.

Yes, at least they aren't the Phillies. :)

Moving Update

2007-10-04T21:53:00.000-04:00

So the U-Haul got picked up this morning and by 6:30 PM, it was fully loaded with all pieces of furniture and any other large items. It was a fairly easy process.

The rest of the stuff that has to go is all small & can be boxed up. That, the big TV & the cats & goldfish. We have until Sunday to get all that out.

Nothing like sleeping on couch cushions on the floor! Good times!

Hopefully fall weather will show up soon & kick these mid-80's temps out to sea. Yuck.

Funny, I didn't miss being at work today. :)

Moving Time

2007-10-04T01:03:00.000-04:00

Well, the time has come. Wednesday was my last day of work until next Wednesday and the focus is now on moving everything out of this apartment.

We pick up the U-Haul tomorrow morning & will be spending most of the day tomorrow and Friday loading it up with the large things (couch, mattress, couch, bookcases) and the odds & ends we haven't been able to move to the storage unit over the past month.

My Xbox 360 is already packed away. :(

Friday morning, the DirecTV installer is supposed to arrive between 8 AM & noon. Yeah, right. Hopefully he/she won't be too late so I can get back and help load the truck.

Saturday morning we unload the U-Haul with most of the big stuff, drop off the sectional at the storage unit & return the truck. The rest of the day & weekend will be spent cleaning, removing wallpaper, painting and slowly bringing boxes from the storage unit to the house. I will be sharing before and after photos here as we progress.

On Monday, we should see the beginning of the driveway paving project, along with a nice square paved area for a basketball court. Sweeeeet.

I probably won't have the computer hooked up again until Saturday sometime, but I should be able to jump online here & there. I'll try & keep my two readers updated via Twitter.

Dark Days

2007-10-02T23:44:00.000-04:00

While reading Mike's blog today & his gloating over the Patriots & Red Sox, I was brutally reminded about how horrible things are for me sports-wise right now.

Nothing more needs to be said regarding the Mets collapse. The Dolphins are currently the second worst team in the NFL according to ESPN's NFL Insiders. Compounding those two horrific scenarios is the fact that I'm surrounded by Patriots & Red Sox fans, which is simply nauseating. Sprinkle in the occasional Yankees fan, along with my friends the Phillies fans, who by the way, get to enjoy the postseason at the Mets fans expense, and life is simply brutal.

If you are one of my few readers (I lost another one, thanks Eric) who happens to be a Red Sox fan, I'd like to remind you that you are considered the most obnoxious fans around. Most Patriots fans believe football was invented with the Tuck Rule and couldn't tell John Hannah from Hannah Storm.

There are a couple of silver linings in this world of misery. The UConn football team is 5-0 and is currently "receiving votes"! However, nothing can top the fact that Notre Dame is horrible. (Sorry P.J. It's not personal!) Charlie Weis is some offensive genius! Their ineptitude is the welcome result of bad karma for how Tyrone Willingham was treated. Go Service Academies! This is your year!

In Other News...

2007-09-30T23:17:00.000-04:00

Just some quick & random thoughts while I wallow in self-pity thanks to the Mutts...

I've pointed www.game-six.com to now point to gamesix.blogspot.com. The blogspot.com address should be added to your RSS reader (I highly recommend Google Reader) to be able to keep up with my ever so frequent posts.
Now that I know I can be tracked a little easier, I suppose I should try & update this a little more.
I actually have a couple of interesting post ideas in the can, just waiting for me to write.
I'm currently in the process of moving. I'm very excited (MUCH closer to Payton, MUCH shorter ride to work), but since we're moving this week, I'm starting to get a little anxious. Not stressed, just anxious.
For those of you who don't know, I'm coaching Payton's soccer team. I don't have any photos yet to share, but I will soon. She seems to be having a good time and I know I am.
I'm currently watching Season 1 of Friday Night Lights & Season 2 of The Wire. I love them both, but The Wire is a television masterpiece. Look for more detailed thoughts on both shows soon.
P.J. and I have started a separate blog that will cover our baseball card collecting & collections. We are currently soliciting unique titles for the blog. Submit your ideas in the comments.
I'm giddy over the arrival of autumn.
Damn, I still have a lot of junk to pack.
I think Tom Glavine just gave up another run.
Halo 3 is everything the hype led everyone to believe. I would more than likely be playing right now, but I didn't have the patience tonight after the Mets game. I'm really, really bad at Halo 3 & I couldn't take a night of beatdowns.

The Choke's On Us

2007-09-30T22:29:00.000-04:00

Ugh.

I don't know what to say or where to begin. The Mets collapse is finally complete. It was a long, drawn out process these past two/three weeks. It wasn't a quick death. It was long & painful. And the Phillies benefit. I think that makes it even worse. While I'm happy for P.J. and Brian, that list ends there. I'll be happy for them if they have success in the post-season, but I will be rooting for the Cubs.

At least I have the Dolphins, right?

GPTN

2007-08-02T00:27:00.000-04:00

Go Matty!

Tonight, my cousin Matt Burr makes his national TV debut as his band, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals performs live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

They'll also be on Good Morning America August 7, the day their new album arrives in stores. Also, the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on August 10. Did I mention that Grace Potter also appears on the August issue of Glamour? (Yes, George Costanza's favorite magazine.) These guys are going big time!

Whatevah

2007-07-31T00:10:00.000-04:00

So I go almost two months without updating here and I only hear one "complaint" about not updating the site. (Sorry Eric.) Granted, I know that outside of Eric, one, maybe two people check in regularly. Also, I don't really post anything here for others, considering the extremely low readership, but it's still nice to be noticed every now & then.

Oh well.

Anyway, just some random notes before going to bed.

- I played golf for the first time since last October today. (Thanks Johnny!) I played horribly, but since it was free & I was able to hang with Johnny V for a couple of hours, it was a blast.

- A week from tonight (Tuesday), there will only be one more regular season game left for my work schedule. It's amazing how fast the season flies by.

- The last post I had prepared was about Payton's goldfish, Fiona & Sleeping Beauty. Sadly, only Fiona is left. However, she is thriving. Maybe I'll finally post that info in October.

- I may actually watch a few Celtics games this year. I'll definitely check out the preseason game at MoSun Arena.

- All this talk of rain the past few days that never delivered has left me in a foul mood. This guy is with me.

- Tonight I finally earned the stupidest achievement yet for the 360. I had to simulate 60 seasons of dynasty mode in NCAA 07. I've been working on that for two weeks. What a waste of time. I only went for it so I could earn all 1000 points for the game before picking up NCAA 08. I love unlocking achievements, but the pointless ones need to be left off of these games. Now I just have to block a field goal & recruit eight, five-star high school players to finish it off.

- I finally upgraded my web browser to Mozilla Firefox.

- I'm starting to get excited for fantasy football again.

Look for another update sometime in late September Eric.

Happy 30th Birthday Star Wars!

2007-05-25T00:01:00.000-04:00

Star Wars turns 30 today. Just another sign that I'm getting older & older. :)

Since I can't be at Celebration IV, here's my own little celebration. My Top 20 Vintage Star Wars Action Figures.

Every vintage figure is special to me. If I didn't have a figure, one of my friends did, so I got to play with them all. I'm sharing the pictures of the packages, as those images trigger more memories as they aren't as common as the loose figures.

Honorable Mention:
Gonk Droid, IG-88, Ree-Yees, Snaggletooth, Ugnaught, Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot, Bossk, Death Star Droid

#20
Walrus Man

Apparently, his name is Ponda Baba, but he'll always be Walrus Man to me.

#19
Jawa (with cape)

I didn't have one of these guys, but Todd Sipala did. Well, he had one, until he lost it in a hole on one of the giant rocks we used to climb on.

#18
R5-D4

Always overshadowed by R2-D2.

#17
Greedo

Han shot first!

#16
AT-AT Driver

#15
Stormtrooper

A classic package.

#14
Bib Fortuna

"Die wanna wanga!"

#13
Han Solo (Hoth Gear)

#12
R2-D2 (with Sensorscope)

I loved the clicking sound his head made when you moved it.

#11
Yoda

The accessories that came with Yoda (the cane & the snake) were fantastic.

#10
Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot)

#9
C3PO (with Removable Limbs)

What? A figure that was actually made to be broken? Sweet.

#8
Admiral Ackbar

Honestly now, who doesn't love Admiral Ackbar??

#7
Darth Vader

Ah, the telescoping lightsaber. Quality stuff!

#6
Biker Scout

I picked up my first Biker Scout, along with the Speeder Bike, while visiting Uncle Sonny in Greenfield, MA.

#5
Luke Skywalker (Bespin Fatigues)

This one is this high for one simple fact. After seeing "The Empire Strikes Back" multiple times, I made this figure anatomically correct. I rubbed off his hand on the cement, wearing it down to a nub.

#4
Imperial Snowtrooper

Just a cool looking figure.

#3
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Knight)

This was one of the first "Return of the Jedi" figures I obtained. I know exactly where it was purchased too. The Groton CVS.

#2
Emperors Royal Guard

Any & all incarnations of this figure are an immediate favorite.

#1
Boba Fett

Was there really any question as to who would be #1?

Birthday Recap & More

2007-05-24T00:33:00.000-04:00

Ugh. Another birthday came & went on Tuesday. 34.

With every year that goes by, the day feels more & more like an average day. I try to fend off all the well-wishers, although I do appreciate them. It's obviously not the same. I look more forward to Payton's birthday than I do mine.

It was still a nice day. My big gifts were tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld a couple weeks ago & this nice jersey:

I also received some nice gear with the 2007 US Open logo on it. I love squirrels. :)
-----
Anywho, just some random items to close this entry.

- More t-ball photos have been added to the online gallery. Eventually I'll throw a link up on the right, but for now, scroll down a couple of entries to find the link.

- Speaking of t-ball, here's Payton's YouTube debut. Notice the lack of a tee.

- I had no idea Coach T had been through this. Wow.
Cystic Fybrosis & Coach T

- In closing, another fantastic shot from Patty. The M/V Race Point sailing back to New London in a gorgeous sunset.

Disney Animated Movies

2007-05-21T23:10:00.000-04:00

As promised, here's another Top 20 list, this time I'm counting down my all-time favorite Disney animated films.

As with all my Top 20 lists, this only lists MY favorites, not which film is necessarily the best. Any & all comments are appreciated!

(I apologize for the brevity of the comments. I'm trying to get to bed at a decent hour.)

Honorable Mention: Fantasia, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Toy Story, Incredibles, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Jungle Book, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mulan & Brother Bear.

#20
Sword in the Stone

Just a movie that has always stayed with me, even though I can't remember actually watching it. Very strange.

#19
Pocahontas

I just watched this for the first time this past weekend. This makes the list simply for having one of the greatest Disney sidekicks ever, Meeko the raccoon. Awwww...

#18
Home on the Range

A decent, recent movie, but this is on the list because it was the first movie Payton saw in the movie theater.

#17
Bambi

I love me some Thumper!

#16
101 Dalmatians

Ewww, Cruella DeVille. I was working at the Disney Store part-time when the live action version of this was released. I hated that job.

#15
Lady & the Tramp

Who can ever forget the classic spaghetti eating scene?

#14
Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs

My Aunt Linda collects all things Dopey. My favorite dwarf would have to be Sleepy, for obvious reasons.

#13
Monsters, Inc.

This movie made me realize that everyone associated with Pixar is a genius. The little things you pick up while watching this movie is incredible.

#12
Rescuers Down Under

The late John Candy provides a voice for this movie. What more needs to be said?

#11
Little Mermaid

This is a movie I only discovered on video, a few years after being released. I realized then that I missed watching classic Disney movies.

#10
Sleeping Beauty

The image of that spindle, Malificent & her dragon alter ego are all burned in my brain as images of evil.

#9
Aladdin

See #11. This may be Robin Williams' greatest role.

#8
Beauty & the Beast

I'm guessing that this is Payton's favorite Disney movie. I enjoy the story greatly & love hearing Jerry Orbach's voice.

#7
Finding Nemo

Again, Pixar hits another home run. The beauty of the colors in this movie are fantastic.

#6
Rescuers

R-E-S-C-U-E
Rescue Aid Society
Heads held high, touch the sky
You mean everything to me

In a fix, in a bind
Call on us anytime
We'll appear from nowhere
Mighty are we

R-E-S-C-U-E
Rescue Aid Society
Honesty, loyalty
We pledge to thee

#5
Lion King

Now this one I saw in the theater. James Earl Jones baby!! This is a classic & I'm sure Elton John has a lot to do with that.

#4
Fox & the Hound

I saw this one in the theater too, at Fishers Island, on a summer night a long, long time ago. I remember wearing my very first pair of Nike's that night. They were white & because they were new, they helped light the way back home. (I can't remember what I had for dinner last night, yet I can remember that like it was yesterday.)

#3
Cars

Never mind Disney, this is one of my all-time favorite movies period. I've seen it probably seven or eight times now & it doesn't get old. The 360 game lets me drive around Radiator Springs 'til my hearts content. I prefer to do it at night, when everything is lit up.

#2
Robin Hood

I don't think I can pinpoint a specific reason why I like this movie so much, other than I feel like I'm 5 years old again whenever I see it. Simple nostalgia.

#1
The Aristocats

It's about cats! Of course it's going to be #1! I'm eagerly anticipating the release of the special edition DVD later this year. "Everybody wants to be a cat..."

Baseball (Cards), T-Ball & Softball

2007-05-07T23:44:00.000-04:00

Yes, a smorgasbord of ball & glove activities.

I'll start with t-ball, since Miss Payton is the main reason why the majority of my visitors make it over to this little corner of the internets.

Payton has now played three t-ball games & loves it. Lucky for you guys, I remembered my camera on two of those days.

Here are a couple of my favorite images:

Click on this picture to see the entire collection of shots:

Payton T-Ball

----
As for myself, I will be helping out Joe Cuff in a pinch on Wednesday, filling a roster spot for his softball team. I haven't stepped into a batters box since 2002 and that was for only one game. I haven't played truly competitive softball since the late 90's. This could be ugly. Hopefully the knee will hold up and I'll play in the outfield, greatly reducing the risk of my jaw fielding another ground ball.

----
I'm back into the baseball card collecting gig.

As a kid, I loved my baseball cards. I can look at an 1980 or 1981 Topps card and be instantly transported back to those years, at the Mystic IGA with Dad, picking up a rack pack during a grocery shopping trip.

I didn't get too many cards in the next few years until the collecting bug started again in 1985. In 1986, in 7th grade, I joined a baseball card collecting club in school and that was that. I was in deep. My collecting peaked in 1987, as I have tons & tons of 1987 Topps, Fleer & Donruss cards from that year. (Which for the record are basically worthless, since the rest of the world has tons & tons as well.)

When Upper Deck jumped on the scene in 1989, baseball card collecting started to become too difficult. All the companies produced too many different sets, too many inserts and I couldn't keep up, let alone afford all these new cards.

The 2001 Topps set was pretty cool and I amassed almost the entire Series 1 set for that year. I've picked up some cool Mookie Wilson cards as well as Roberto Clemente cards over the past five or so years. However, I now have a new focus.

I've narrowed my collecting to acquiring every Mets Topps card ever produced. I picked up a fantastic checklist on eBay & have been figuring out what I have & what I need over the past couple of weeks.

I managed to score a couple good deals on eBay and I hit a card shop and a card show (that was a blast from the past!) the past couple of weekends. There's nothing like digging through the common bins, finding a bunch of cards you need and spending less than $20 for your treasures.

Right now the process is fairly easy, as I need lots of cards. Save for 2001, I had practically zero cards from 1991 through the present day. Thankfully, these cards are cheap. Going back through the 70's & 60's will be a little more challenging, although there are bargains to be had.

I'm enjoying it and hopefully I'll be able to keep crossing off more & more years as the summer wears on.

A True Nightmare

2007-05-06T23:11:00.000-04:00

All I have to say about this story is that this is as close to a worst-case scenario for me as it gets. Yikes.

Oh my...

Ode To Cheese

2007-05-01T14:06:00.000-04:00

It looks like my favorite cheeseburger palace is going to see a spike in attendance. Shady Glen was recently named by Esquire magazine as one of the "Five Most Decadent Burgers in the U.S."

Shady Glen was a treat for me a looooong time ago and it had been too long between visits before rediscovering it a couple of years ago. Mom likes their coleslaw, but that can be substituted for extra crispy cheese. Besides the cheeseburgers, I remember the lime sherbet coolers, which I'll get occasionally.

Shady Glen also makes their sodas the old fashioned way, with soda water & syrup. The cherry Coke's are made with real cherries. Good stuff!

Click here for a video of Shady Glen.

Success!

2007-04-26T22:44:00.000-04:00

BYDTWD was an rousing success! Payton had a blast & I'm pretty sure she didn't drive everyone completely crazy. Seriously, she kept busy for most of the day by helping out with a large project. The rest of the time was spent coloring, drawing on the white boards, going to the bathroom (three trips) and helping me out. I can't wait until next year.

That's my girl, closing the sale!

Take Your Daughter to Work Day

2007-04-25T23:32:00.000-04:00

Thursday is Take Your Daughter to Work Day. Yes, Payton will be joining me at the office for the day. This should be interesting. I'm confident she will be fine, but you never know.

If I remember my camera & can find a way to grab the pics off it while working, I will try & post some pictures during the day. If not, they will be posted tomorrow night.

Wish us luck!

Picture Show

2007-04-19T23:24:00.000-04:00

Just some pictures from the recent huge Nor'easter from Fishers Island and the cutest video EVER.

These shots are from Silver Eel Pond, where the ferry arrives. The water usually isn't this high.

----

Now this is quite simply the cutest video I've ever seen (aside from any Payton stars in.)

Jackie Robinson Day

2007-04-17T23:31:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to write a long-winded write-up on Jackie Robinson. I most certainly can't do justice to him or his accomplishments. I will simply try & share some personal thoughts.

As a history buff and a sports fan, I'm fascinated with Jackie. His courageousness helped change not only the face of sports, but of America. He started the civil rights movement, which unfortunately had to be started. This is nothing new. Everyone should know this.

I don't think a big enough deal could be made with regards to Jackie's accomplishments. I thought MLB did a fantastic job this year, but would like to see a celebration every year.

A quick nugget to touch on his nobility. His plaque at the Hall of Fame makes no mention of his breaking the color barrier. This is his doing. He wanted people to know that he earned his way to the Hall of Fame based on his baseball skills, not his social achievements.

I'm also a big fan of his widow, Rachel. She lives right down the road in Salem, CT, and I would go to great lengths to be able to meet her someday.

In the meantime, I'll re-read his autobiography and wear his jersey proudly. Thanks Jackie.

**Here's a great feature on Jackie from the Philly Inquirer.

Taking Out the Trash

2007-04-12T23:15:00.000-04:00

- That title is my lame attempt at trying to be creative. This will be my standard post title when I have no general theme and just want to post a bunch of nonsense. Even if you hate it, at least I didn't rip off Mike DiMauro, right Mike? :)

- I attended a wake tonight for an old acquaintance. He died unexpectedly the other night. It was obviously horrible and the weather while waiting to enter the funeral home was almost scripted. A cold drizzle fell into a sharp wind. Thankfully I was near the front of the line when the doors opened. The same can't be said for the hundreds of people who lined the street. Let's hope that's the last wake I'll have to attend for a long time. RIP Mike...

- I'm amazed at how quickly this whole Imus thing escalated. It went from an afterthought last week to a firestorm today. At least the story is a little more relevant than the Anna Nicole mess, which I paid zero attention to. I find it quite funny how MSNBC & CBS Radio make it seem like they made a moral decision when it boils down to cash, plain and simple. They were happy to release statements and then suspend him until the advertisers started pulling out. CBS should've at least waited for the radiothon to end before pulling the plug. Who knows, maybe this will help raise more money.

- I could listen to Penelope Cruz talk all day.

- I'm watching "The Andrea Doria" right now. "GEORGE: Oh, right! (Shakes her hand) Right! Hey, hey.. I love the floors in here. It's like a gymnasium in here! Try and guard me! (Dribbles an imaginary ball)." I love me some Seinfeld reruns.

- There's waaaaay too much Easter candy lying around here.

- This site will be down a reader next week. Have fun at Disney World Eric!

- Some things to look forward to here in the coming days:
Some thoughts on Jackie Robinson Day
Maybe a few more Top 20 Lists
Current TV show patterns

- Remember, you can always keep tabs on me by following my Twitter page.

Virtual NBA... Fantastic?

2007-04-10T13:53:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to take over a team in an NBA 2K7 online league. I had requested to be in the league when it started, but all the teams were taken. Once the season started, some owners left, thus creating the opening. I said sure, picked the Atlanta Hawks and was told to make up the games the previous owner missed as soon as possible.

(Just some quick background info. There was a fantasy-style draft before the season, so the rosters don't reflect their real-world counterparts. The games are played online with the Xbox 360, with results and statistics recorded on the league's fabulous website, located here. Each team plays three games per week, with each game representing "one week" in the season. My team had played three game and the rest of the league was pushing 20.)

I played two games right away and was destroyed both times. It was at that moment I began to wonder if I had made a sound decision. I was home sick last Wednesday and played four more games, all losses. I told the guy who invited me that this really wasn't fun and I know I'm not helpful to the league, being a pushover and all. He asked me to wait until I played him, since he's not that good either, and then see how I feel.

Before I had a chance to play him, I managed to win a game. It was a great game, one where I was losing early, fought back, took the lead, lost the lead in the fourth quarter, but held on and survived a last-second, potential game-tying 3-pointer to win 107-104. I felt a little better. Then I played last night and was destroyed again.

It's not the losing that bothers me the most. Sure, it really stinks to waste 45 minutes being embarrased, but it's everything else that comes with this league.

All the league members are now on my Xbox Live friends list. Before joining the league, I had maybe 20 friends, mostly all people I know personally. Now I have close to or over 50 and I don't know any of them.

Whenever I turn the machine on, I'm innundated with messages from these guys either looking to get our game in or to pester me about a trade. It's non-stop. Being in this league is more stressful than my job. The league feels like a job. (There is an option to "hide" and appear as if I'm offline, but I enjoy being connected to Xbox Live and seeing if other friends are on, etc.)

I hate to quit something I've committed to, but this is much more involved than I expected. Work is only going to become busier and busier the closer we get to summer and that means less time to play these games. I also want to play other games, not just NBA 2K7. I have lots of games that I want to play but I can't since I'm always being asked to get the league games in.

Any thoughts from my readers before I send off a message to the commish? Even though I'm 99% sure what I'm going to do, I'd like to hear some other thoughts.

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T01:21:00.000-04:00

I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Easter!

I honestly plan on updating the site more often, especially since Eric said he will start checking. I have some post ideas & changes in mind, so hopefully I will get to them soon.

Guitar Hero II is amazing. I stink at it, but I enjoy the heck out of it. Whoever thought playing a Cheap Trick song on a fake guitar would be so enjoyable???

The Mets lost their first game of the year yesterday. I was hoping for a longer streak to start the year, but that's okay.

If you're looking for me today, I will be planted on the couch, enjoying the Masters in HD, which is one of the showcases for HD. Everything looks amazing in HD, but the Masters is extra-stunning.

One Shining Moment

2007-03-29T10:17:00.001-04:00

Happy March 29!! 77-74 Day.

Zzzzzzz

2007-03-26T22:28:00.000-04:00

If anyone is still paying attention, I apologize for the lack of posts. Quite frankly, there hasn't been much to talk about.

The past weekend with Payton was great. We saw Beauty & the Beast at the Garde & attended the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Mystic. The weekend went by much too fast.

Work has been crazy busy, so that leaves me no time to update.

This weekend brings about my annual fantasy baseball drafts. I'm proud to report that my teams won both leagues last year, something that would never be possible without Mr. Upson's help. Thanks Boss! (I also can't believe that this will be my 10th Tulip League draft. Wow.)

Back to school tomorrow night. Last week was Spring Break & it was fantastic. Oh well. A necessary evil.

For the past week, I've been attempting to download the HD version of The Departed from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Because it's in HD, the file is massive & I don't leave the 360 on long enough to download it all in one shot. I'm getting there though!

In the meantime, check out my Twitter page. Eventually, maybe by the time you read this, I'll have a funky little button on the right that will show updates.

Hope life is treating my three readers well!

Sweeeet!

2007-03-15T23:26:00.000-04:00

Although UConn is not participating in the tourney this year, there is still joy to be found. Thank you Virginia Commonwealth!

There's Always Next Year

2007-03-11T23:21:00.000-04:00

I'm very much aware that the title of this entry is a rallying cry for many sports organizations (hi Cubbies!). This year, it's also one for UConn, one that us fans have used many times in the past. However, this year is different. For the first time since Jim Calhoun's first season at UConn, the Huskies will not be attending a post-season tournament. So, to help lift my spirits, here's a rundown of my Top 20 UConn games in my lifetime. As with all of my Top 20 lists, this is solely based on my feelings, not general consensus. Also, my lifetime basically extends back to the beginning of the Big East. I don't remember much of the Yankee Conference Huskies, so no comments regarding any omissions there.

HONORABLE MENTION:
March 19, 1993 vs. Jackson State (watching Lindsey Hunter drop 39 in a UConn NIT loss)

#20
December 6, 1986
Purdue 88, UConn 70 (HCC, attn. 9,155)
UConn falls at home to the #4 team in the country. This makes the list because I was able to move down & sit directly behind the visitors bench, yelling like mad at Gene Keady & constantly calling Boilermaker Doug Lee, "Ugg Lee".

#19
February 20, 1988
Syracuse 73, UConn 71 (HCC)
I'm at this game with my Dad, on his birthday, as we watch Jeff King throw a horrible inbounds pass in the final seconds of a close game, which leads to the game-winning points. UConn falls to the #12 in the country and we are devestated.

#18
March 24, 2002
Maryland 90, UConn 82 (Elite Eight at Syracuse)
This makes the list because I was there & was hoping to watch UConn make the Final Four. Unfortunately, the fell to the eventual national champs, but I did get to watch Caron Butler go down swinging. In his final game as a Husky, he dropped 32 points, 26 in the second half, almost single-handidly carrying UConn to victory.

#17
March 24, 1990
Duke 79, UConn 78 (Elite Eight)
March 24 seems to be a bad day. He Who Shall Not Be Named hits a shot at the buzzer to end The Dream Season. Memories of Tate George with a game-sealing steal falling out of bounds continues to haunt me. I'll share this picture of HWSNBN to make us feel better.

#16
January 26, 2002
UConn 100, Arizona 98 (OT, @ Arizona)
No more losses on this list. This is unreal game from Emeka Okafor/Ben Gordon's freshman year. Mek should've had a triple-double, but the official scorer robbed him of at least two blocks. (He finished with 9)

#15
November 28, 1987
UConn 102, Maryland-Eastern Shore 63 (Field House)
My first game at the Field House. Other than that, not too memorable. Even though UConn score 102 points, they made only two three-pointers, both by Greg Economou, not Phil Gamble.

#14
February 28, 1987
UConn 56, Seton Hall 54(HCC, attn. 8,130)
Once again, the lack of fans allows me to sit directly behind the home bench. I sit one row behind suspended stars Cliff Robinson & Phil Gamble, who both sign my program. UConn wins it's 9th & final game of the season. This was the last season UConn failed to make the postseason until this year.

#13
March 9, 1996
UConn 75, Georgetown 74 (BE Championship Game, MSG)
Ray Allen hits a running jumper to give UConn the lead. The Allen Iverson-led Hoyas miss two easy shots at the buzzer, leading to another UConn BE Tourney championship & a #1 seed in the NCAA tourney. That ended ugly two weeks later against Mississippi State.

#12
March 24, 2006
UConn 98, Washington 92 (OT) (Sweet 16 in Washington, DC)
This one's for you Brian! UConn trailed by six with 1:55 to go in regulation and Rashad Anderson hit a game-tying three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left. They never trailed in regulation, moving on to the George Mason debacle two days later. Next please.

#11
March 19, 1998
UConn 75, Washington 74 (Sweet 16 in Greensboro, NC)
Sorry Brian. Another miraculous finish, this time with Rip Hamilton hitting the game-winner after what seemed like 10 missed shots prior to that. My Dad was there to witness this beauty. Again, this set the stage for another Elite Eight loss to the hometown Tar Heels two days later.

#10
January 20, 1990
UConn 70, Georgetown 65 (HCC)
This was a snowy Saturday night. Dad was there, but I was stuck in Torrington watching the game on a 5" inch black & white TV. I liked what I saw, as UConn jumped out to a big early lead, preventing the #2 Alonzo Mourning-led Hoyas from ascending to the #1 spot the following week.

#9
January 15, 1990
UConn 70, Syracuse 59 (HCC)
Five days before the aforementioned Georgetown game, UConn squared off against the Orangemen on ESPN. Syracuse was ranked #5, which made this win one of the program's biggest wins ever at the time. We had great seats for this one, compared to our regular seats, so this was special.

#8
March 13, 2004
UConn 61, Pittsburgh 58 (BE Championship Game, MSG)
One of the most amazing games I've ever been to. UConn trailed most of the game, but for some reason, I sensed they were going to win. Pitt shot the ball extremely well early on & UConn struggled. I was hoping the Law of Averages would take over & they did. Unreal atmosphere in the Garden that night.

#7
March 30, 1988
UConn 72, Ohio State 67 (NIT Championship, MSG)
I listened to this one on the radio, laying in bed, while Dad was there. An unbelievable moment, UConn going all the way to win a title. I'm aware it was the NIT, but this is UConn we're talking about. They won 9 games the year before and had never sniffed the post-season since I started watching. Unreal.

#6
March 20, 1999
UConn 67, Gonzaga 62 (Elite Eight in Phoenix)
Finally, UConn is over the hump. They made it interesting, but they finally proved they can make it to a Final Four. I was proud to be watching on TV with my Dad.

#5
March 25, 1988
UConn 72, Virgina-Commonwealth 61 (NIT Elite Eight, Field House)
I remember this game like it was yesterday. It was a Friday night & Dad picked me up for school. This was only my second game at the Field House & it was for a ticket back to MSG for the NIT Final Four. It was ridiculously hot in that building, but also incredibly loud. According to many reports, it was the loudest home game ever, no matter the venue. Dust was falling from the rafters it was so loud. I would love to get a copy of this game. I was glad to be one of the 4,801 in attendence.

#4
March 22, 1990
UConn 71, Clemson 70 (Sweet Sixteen, Meadowlands)
The Shot. Scott Burrell to Tate George with one second remaining. I'm afraid to say I didn't see the play happen live. I was too busy crying into a pillow. A game that UConn was in control of the entire time had slipped away in the closing minutes & they were going to lose. I couldn't bear to watch. I heard it, but I didn't see it. (Dad, you don't get off easy here either. You took Trapper out for a walk & missed it too.) This game made the Duke loss two days later that much more painful.

#3
April 5, 2004
UConn 82, Georgia Tech 73 (National Championship, San Antonio)
This isn't #2 only because it was almost anti-climactic. Don't get me wrong, it was still amazing, but after the game before and the fact they were always in control, knocks it down a peg.

#2
April 3, 2004
UConn 79, Duke 78 (Final Four, San Antonio)
Whew. This was a barn-burner. Like the BE Championship game against Pittsburgh, UConn trailed late. However, some timely three's & clutch free throws gave them the victory. This was sweet given the opponent and the sense that UConn was the class of the country & deserved to win. A great game.

#1
March 29, 1999
UConn 77, Duke 74 (National Championship, St. Petersburg)
I don't have to look any of that information up. I can remember what I had for dinner that night. (Chicken & rice, one of the only things I can cook.) This was something that I thought I would never see. To do it against the hated Dukies, when the national media had already crowned them National Champions, was simply amazing. A night I'll never forget.