Mark Richards

Harry Potter 7 and 8

2008-03-12T22:00:00.003-04:00

The decision has been made to make the 7th book of the Harry Potter series into 2 movies. In all honestly, they probably could have done the same thing for books 5 and 6 as well.

While it feels a little odd to have 7 books and 8 movies, I believe this is absolutely the right decision. Obviously nobody wants to sit through a 4 hour movie, but I believe that splitting the novel will preserve the integrity of the movie series and allow for all the finer details to be touched upon. If you've read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, you'd know that the plot moves at a rapid pace and each chapter is important to the proper resolution of the series. Getting this right in the movies will help to not cheapen the overall "Harry Potter experience". I say do it right or don't do it at all.

I commend the producers for their choice.

Unfortunate Photo Fame

2008-03-10T10:56:00.002-04:00

I received an email from a guy last night who is one of the major contributors to the Natalee Halloway article on Wikipedia. He requested that I change the license for a photo that I took while on my honeymoon in Aruba so that it could be added to the Wikipedia entry.

As the story goes, Sarah and I were on our honeymoon in Aruba 2 days after Natalee Halloway went missing. During our stay we had the unenviable pleasure of receiving the now-famous missing girl flier, passing the club where she was last seen, and seeing the search party while out and about on the island. The search party photo is the one that was requested for the article. It was taken by California Lighthouse about 3 days after her disappearance.

I wish that my first photo to be used on Wikipedia wasn't on such a crappy topic. I'm glad that I can contribute a little something to such a famous story, but something slightly happier would have been better.

Frustrating Eclipse Bug

2008-03-06T14:52:00.004-05:00

If you haven't discovered it yet, there is a frustrating Eclipse bug when accessing files on a UNIX server via FTP. Any directories and files that were modified on leap day (February 29) will no longer appear in the File Explorer View. That freakin' sucks. To fix, simply run the following command:

$ touch dirname

That will change the last modified date. An easy fix for a stupid, frustrating bug.

UPDATE: This bug has been logged.

Monthly Update

2008-02-11T09:46:00.000-05:00

Since I'm trying to avoid a new record for the least updated blog on the world wide web, now seemed like a good time for a monthly update.

I didn't win an Emmy, but I'm sure you figured that out by my not posting pictures of me crying like a baby and tucked in bed with a gold statue poking out from under the covers. Obviously, I was disappointed but not too much. I believe that MLB's application was better than ours so there's no need to feel bad about losing to a superior opponent. Also, everything was very corporate at the ceremony. 95% of the speeches were unemotional and uninspiring. If I had to go up to accept the award, it would have been difficult to contain my emotions. I felt very out of place. The coolest part of the whole experience was that the astronaut Buzz Aldrin was the presenter for our category. I got to meet him, shake his hand, and take a picture with him. It's not too often you get to shake the hand of someone who's walked on something other than planet Earth.

We re-launched the site that I've been working on now for the last 4 years: PGA.com. It took many, many long and frustrating hours to get it out the door, but it's done now. I'm proud of how it turned out. There are definitely still some bugs, but the site is much more functional and rich than the old site. The team delivered a very slid product despite the difficulties that developing in the CNN environment can cause. We did the best job we could of getting pages to validate and be XHTML compliant, but when you have to work with other groups and systems not under your control, it's difficult to get everything done in the proper manner. It's very frustrating.

Three more friends have gotten engaged since the beginning of the year: Brian and Lori, Chelsea and Jeremy, and Robert and Sue. Hurray for all of them!

That's all I got for right now.

Live from Vegas

2008-01-07T20:44:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here in my room at The Venetian minutes away from leaving for the Emmy Awards for Technology and Engineering. I have to say that I'm going through so many emotions right now. I'm part nervous, part excited, part relaxed, and part ready to get this over with. I don't really know what to think except that I can't wait for the moment where they announce the winner.

A few weeks ago, I was told by a few of the managers at work that should we win, I will be giving the acceptance speech since I've been so close to PGA.com Pipeline for a couple of years now. I feel honored that they would want me to do such a thing except that it's making me nervous as shit right now. I'm not a huge fan of giving speeches, but this is a little different since if I have to give it, it means that I just won an Emmy. I think at that point my excitement will overcome my nervousness.

I have to go down now, but if anyone has any desire to watch live online, here's the link to do so:

http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/emmys/080107/

Whatever will happen, will happen.

Wish me luck!

And the Emmy goes to...

2007-10-16T21:47:00.000-04:00

ME! ...hopefully.

I actually found out that the application that I wrote last year with a buddy of mine, PGA.com Pipeline, has been nominated and is a finalist for an Emmy. The category is (take a deep breath) "Outstanding Achievement in Advanced Media Technology for Best Use of 'On Demand' (Consumer Scheduled or Programmed) Technology Over Broadband Networks For Active 'lean-forward' Viewing (PC)". Turner Sports has won an Emmy in the past so I'd like to think that gives us some sort of leg up.

Here are the nominees:

- Denver’s Favorite Animal: Grey Worldwide
- PGA.com Pipeline: Turner Sports
- Disney.com XD: Walt Disney Internet Group
- MLB Mosaic: Ensequence

The cool thing that I've been told is that only four names can be submitted with the award submission and my name was one of them. The others are the guy in charge of Turner Sports, the content programmer, and the producer, so I'm in good company. I don't know if that means that I get an actual Emmy for myself, but I think I've heard that I do. How awesome would it be to have an Emmy sitting on my mantel!?

The winner will be announced on January 7th, so I'll have to wait and see what happens. Keep your fingers crossed!

Yahoo! Teachers

2007-08-23T12:46:00.000-04:00

I read on Ars Technica about a cool new service/app called Yahoo! Teachers. The site hasn't gone live yet, but you can pre-register for an invitation right now. In a nutshell, the site is a social networking site that allows teachers to post and share lesson plans, images, worksheets, and just about anything else you can think of. There's a sneak peak video if you want a short preview.

From the Ars Technica article, this service seems like a perfect to tool to help teachers save time and energy, and improve classroom lessons through resource sharing. It appears that Yahoo! was extremely thorough in their application design as it includes state by state curricula and grade-level standards. Even from the standpoint of just having digitally saved copies of lessons and worksheets, teachers now have a vehicle to aid in productivity.

My only problem with Yahoo!'s new business is that Sarah and I came up with the exact same idea ourselves (including the standards inclusion and social networking) 6 months ago! This is the second business that we have come up with, but not implemented, that has become successful in the past year. We need to follow through on one of these ideas someday and become wildly rich.

DAMN!!!

About Me

2007-08-12T15:07:00.001-04:00

I am cool.

Yeah!

2007-06-25T22:51:00.000-04:00

I've been living in Atlanta now for 5 and a half years and haven't seen too many stars out and about which to me seems strange considering how many well know people live or have homes here. And it's not like Atlanta is the size of New York City, Chicago, or anything like that. The city is really rather small comparatively.

Up until now, I think the only famous person I've seen is Andre 3000 of Outkast. He was at my office doing voice-overs for his show on Cartoon Network. As far as famous Atliens go, Andre is pretty high on the list. But last Wednesday I surpassed him and essentially hit the ATL jackpot when I saw Usher at the Apple Store at Lenox Mall.

I was at the Apple Store to have my MacBook Pro looked at (the CD drive isn't working and the stupid this keeps overheating). As I'm waiting for my appointment at the Genius Bar, I starting walking around the store aimlessly. All of a sudden I turn around and there he is: Usher.

I didn't see anybody flocking to him yet, so I started to wonder if it really was him. A couple of high school kids looked over and confirmed that I wasn't crazy and it was him. I didn't go up and act like a little girl and ask for an autograph, but I call Sarah very discretely and told her the exciting news.

Usher was in the store for about 30 minutes and purchased a MacBook for one of the girls he was with (and no, there was no entourage...only he, a guy, and 2 girls). I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the Apple employees and the customers in the store. The employees acted with great professionalism (which is good considering they're a bunch of kids/young adults) and nobody went up to him and pestered him. Of course, a few kids asked for an autograph which was cool, but nobody was inappropriate.

And then it was over. Usher left and life went on as usual. I know that's not a very exciting story, but seeing as I don't see many stars here in Atlanta, I found it to be pretty cool.

Marital Bliss

2007-05-29T22:27:00.000-04:00

Today is my 2 year wedding anniversary. Sarah and I have been married for 730 days and have yet to kill each other. Go us! Also taking the plunge this past weekend were my good friends Greg and Rachel. Like Sarah and myself they've known each other since high school and now share the same anniversary weekend with us. I find that to be exciting (which makes me old) since we can now celebrate together.

Photos to follow.

Circus Pimpin'

2007-02-22T13:36:00.000-05:00

One word one could use to describe my peeps is "ballers". Last weekend a small crew of us rolled up into Philips Arena and enjoyed ourselves in our semi-private club-level suite for a show. Like true pimps we ignored the private catering menu ($90 for 30 shrimp) and went downstairs for ice cream sundaes and a much cheaper lunch at the mobile version of Buckhead Diner. Eating back in our suite was great since we were away from the crowds and watching the Daytona 500 on our very own TV passed the time quickly. It's hard to not enjoy yourself when you are in the lap of luxury.

We sure know how to throw down for the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus!

Stomp the Yard

2007-01-17T16:13:00.000-05:00

I'd like to a second to send out mad props to my hip-hop instructor at Crunch, Mike Peele. Mike is an aspiring actor, dancer, model who appears in the movie Stomp the Yard, which opened at #1 this past weekend. His role (Mu Gamma Stepper #4), while not a lead role, was an integral part of the movie. Sarah and I were excited to see him on screen a bunch of times as a member of one of the two main fraternities. The step scenes he was a part of were absolutely awesome. I wish my body could do half of the things that he and the rest of the dancers can do.

To be honest, had Mike not been in the movie, I'm not sure I would have gone to see it. But I am extremely happy that I did. Not only was the dancing excellent, but the story put black culture, education, and family in an extremely positive light. There aren't many movies that portray that message, but it was a perfect way to honor Dr. Martin Luther King.

If any of these topics interest you, I highly recommend the movie.

Super Deluxe Goes Live

2007-01-17T15:58:00.000-05:00

After months of pain and anguish, Robert and Brian's not-so-secret project has gone live. In their own words:

Super Deluxe is the premier spot on the Internet for top-quality comedy videos...We've got some of the funniest peeps in the comedy biz making exclusive clips for us. And unlike other video sharing sites, we specialize strictly in comedy...But that's not all. Super Deluxe is also all about laughing at people like you! That's why we make it easy for all of our users to upload their own funny videos, and share them with the rest of the world."

I spent some time tooling around the site this morning and it seems pretty cool from a thematic perspective. From a technical perspective, I think Robert's team did an excellent job with the numerous features found on the site: very web 2.0...simple, clean, and seamless. Very well done.

Congrats guys!

The Perfect Holiday Gift

2006-12-20T11:08:00.000-05:00

Justin Timberlake has come up with the perfect holiday gift. He is one smart dude. This video is the funniest things I've seen in a long time.

UPDATE: The video has been removed from YouTube.com, but NBC was nice enough to make it available for free on the SNL site.

I'm Bummed

2006-12-12T14:39:00.000-05:00

I'm bummed today because I found out that a buddy of mine, Nate, from the gym passed away on Friday. I don't know all the details, but apparently he just collapsed while walking around. He was only 34.

For the last 11 months I have been taking a class at the gym called Aquamarine (exercising using the resistance of the pool) every Tuesday and Thursday. It was the first class I went to when I joined Crunch and the class that I attend on the most consistent basis. The class was fairly new, but there were a few regulars that came every time who seemed to get along well and who all seemed very friendly. So I kept going back. After a few months, I had gotten to know these people and had become one of the regulars myself.

These people were the reason I went to the class. Sarah would get frustrated with me as I would plan my entire schedule around going to Aquamarine. I used to tell her that she didn't understand and that if she came, she would. I finally convinced her to come with me and she enjoyed the everybody immediately including our instructor, David. They're a good bunch of people. Then she understood.

The group of us had a lot of laughs (amidst the running of suicides) for a few months until slowly but surely, the people I had become friends with stopped coming to the class as frequently. I still see these other people working out or in other classes at the gym. Just not at Aquamarine as much. Nate and myself kept on truckin' though. And for many classes over the past two months, it was just he and I left from our little click. That was fine though as he and I always had a good time together.

I don't know much about Nate, but what I do know is that he was a kind and funny guy. I couldn't tell you his last name, but I could tell you when and where he got his last tattoo. I couldn't tell you exactly what his job was, but I could tell you what his favorite restaurant was and what he liked to get there. I could tell you how much weight he's lost and what he did on his trips to California. I had built a relationship with the guy and spent many hours talking to him before, during, and after class.

Anybody that knows me knows that the gym is a huge part of my life. It's always a great escape for me from the rest of the world. I just didn't realize how much the people I came into contact with meant to me until I heard about Nate. I guess it's not a surprise though considering how much time and energy I spend there. It's just really sad that a good guy like Nate passed away at such a young age as he was trying to be healthy so he could live a longer, happier life. Life sucks like that sometimes.

Nate was a good guy and I will miss him. My trips to the gym just won't be the same.

I own a PS3....for now

2006-12-06T14:26:00.000-05:00

Last week I walked into Best Buy with the flu and walked out with a PS3.

About a week ago, I came down with the flu and it put me out of commission for a few days. Although I didn't go into work, I had some things to take care of from home. I had recently tried installing an Apple Airport Express (which I later returned) and it completely messed up my ability to connect to my home network wirelessly. Begrudgingly I got off the couch and went to Best Buy in search of a new wireless router. I found what I was looking for within a matter of minutes and hopped in the checkout line so that I could get home as quickly as possible. I start talking to the checkout guy and I hear a small commotion behind me. I turn around people are all excited as they are paying for their newly acquired PlayStation 3's. I asked if there are any left and they said that there was only one (they were delivered 8 units a few minutes earlier), so I grabbed it and took it home with me for the low, low price of $650.

Now that I own a PS3, I am trying to decide what to do with it: keep it or sell it. In previous months, I did say that I would like to get a PS3, but I didn't realize that it would cost so much. Not only did it cost a small fortune, but it came with no games and only 1 controller. Seeing as funds are tight around the holidays, I am leaning towards selling it, but only if I can make a small profit through eBay or craigslist.

We'll see what happens.

I lack wisdom

2006-12-06T14:18:00.000-05:00

After many years of pain and suffering, I had my final 2 wisdom teeth pulled yesterday. This procedure went much better than the first two times I had to go through it. The teeth slid out cleanly, which meant that I didn't have to endure the additional phases of a difficult extraction. Oddly enough, the cavities that I had filled were worse than the wisdom teeth pulling. Go figure.

On a side note, I would like to thank the Tooth Fairy for still stopping by despite me being 27 years old. From what I heard, the Tooth Fairy only had large bills and no change so she had to leave a coupon for a free massage. How thoughtful of her!

The Joke is on Microsoft

2006-11-17T13:16:00.000-05:00

As an avid Firefox user, I find this very funny:

http://www.ie7.com/

I'm lazy

2006-10-18T12:10:00.000-04:00

I'm lazy which is why I haven't been posting. I'm also tired, but not from work or anything like that. I've been having too much fun. Since my last post, I have:

1. Traveled to Ireland for the Ryder Cup
2. Missed Ducky's wedding (not by choice) for the Ryder Cup (I am a bad friend)
3. Been sick for 10 days
4. Watched Vandy take it to UGA and beat the Dawgs up in Athens
5. Dominated fantasy football
6. Lost my voice
7. Came within inches of firing my first, and only, employee
8. Rejoiced in the success of my Clemson Tiger and Chicago Bears football teams

Work is very slow right now which is nice seeing as how much I had going on during the summer. Things will probably pick up in the next couple of months, but I'll deal with that when it comes.

The most exciting thing going on is that ESPN's College Gameday will be at Clemson for the Clemson/GA Tech game this weekend. This is the first time in the 20 year history of the show that they'll be in town. It's long overdue if you ask me and I think the people at ESPN will be very pleased with their choice. This combined with Homecoming is going to make for an atmosphere like no other. I can't wait.

PGA TOUR, Turner Sports New Media announce media partnership

2006-09-12T22:02:00.000-04:00

After months of keeping this secret, I can officially let the cat out of the bag: Turner Sports will take over the production of PGATour.com in January 2007. The negotiations have been going on for a while now, but was only finalized last week. This is a very sweet deal for Turner as we will now run the top 2 golf websites in the industry in PGATour.com and PGA.com. The opportunities in this space are now endless.

My initial role will be to help bring the site's current systems in-house. We have an enormous amount of work to complete by the January 1, 2007 deadline. I've never been a part of a site migration project so this is an exciting opportunity for me. What will my long-term role be with the property? Who knows, but it will sure be an interesting ride.

Here's the official press release:
http://www.pgatour.com/info/company/story/9655485

PGA TOUR, Turner Sports New Media announce media partnership

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL and ATLANTA - The PGA TOUR and Turner Sports New Media, a division of Time Warner, announced today the signing of a multi-year Internet and Mobile agreement. Turner Sports New Media will partner with the PGA TOUR to produce and sell PGATOUR.com, the official site of the PGA TOUR.

PGATOUR.com is the number one site in golf, leading other sites in key user metrics, including number of fans, times spent per fan and consumption per fan. PGATOUR.com leads coverage of the tournament competition of PGA TOUR players and of other facets of golf with a strong combination of exclusive assets, including exclusive live scoring, exclusive use of ShotLink distance data, including Emmy Award winning TOURCast coverage; exclusive audio and video coverage, highlights, unparalleled "access" and much more.

"We are excited about the future of the New Media business, and especially with our new partnership with Turner Sports New Media," said Ed Moorhouse, Co-Chief Operating Officer of the PGA TOUR. "With the coming of the FedExCup in 2007, truly a new era in golf, the timing is perfect to partner with Turner, a leader in the digital media space and to increase investment in our New Media offerings, beginning with PGATOUR.com. We look forward to even more innovation, compelling coverage and entertainment value on these platforms."

"Golf lends itself perfectly to the New Media platforms as there is a great deal, over 30 hours worth, of competition each week that fans want to know about," said David Levy, president of Turner Sports. "The Internet and mobile platforms are the best way to deliver this additional information to fans in their offices, homes or on the go. In addition, our new alliance with the PGA TOUR speaks volumes about the reputation that Turner Sports New Media has established in the marketplace. From production to sales to technology, Turner Sports has a reputation of maximizing opportunities and building league brands."

"We couldn't be more pleased to partner with Turner Sports New Media in this venture," said Paul Johnson, Vice President of PGATOUR New Media. "Turner brings world-class digital media capabilities, and has shown it can partner successfully with leagues to create compelling fan experiences and businesses. The partnership positions the TOUR and Turner to take the fan experience to the next level in the golf new media landscape."

Turner Sports New Media also handles PGA.com. This venture is structured to unlock the synergies between the properties and create an even stronger, more dominant position for each in the golf new media landscape.

In addition to the above, Turner will provide promotion across its family of media brands to support and grow the venture and the TOUR will continue to promote via PGATOUR.com via its various promotional assets.

The PGA TOUR and Turner Sports New Media are planning enhancements to PGATOUR.com, including the depth of coverage and the fan experience. These will be announced in more detail closer to the 2007 season launch.

PGA.com Pipeline

2006-08-17T16:15:00.000-04:00

It's almost as if I've dropped off the face of the planet. In some ways I have. Nevertheless, I am still alive although be it barely. I know I haven't blogged in over two months, but I have a really good excuse: PGA.com Pipeline.

What is PGA.com Pipeline?

PGA.com Pipeline is an interactive video player application that allows you to watch live streams and archived video from the 88th PGA Championship. You can choose from four different live broadband video streams, including the first-ever multi-platform simulcast from TNT, player cams, and exclusive bonus coverage from PGA.com.

Who the hell cares?!

We'll I do because I co-authored the darn thing! Timothy Gray and I have been developing PGA.com Pipeline non-stop over the last couple of months. The plan for the project came down rather rapidly and went up in profile almost just as quickly. Check out the online version of the print article about PGA.com Pipeline in USA Today.

Techy Stuff (For those who care)

PGA.com Pipeline uses a smorgasbord (a smattering if you will) of different technologies and 3rd party libraries. It seems appropriate to give credit to where credit is due so here goes:

1. script.aculo.us - Based on the popular prototype javascript library, I used script.aculo.us to perform simple AJAX calls and some of the "Flashy" form effects.

2. Unobtrusive Flash Objects (UFO) - A standards-compliant DOM script that detects the Flash plug-in and embeds Flash objects.

3. Lightbox Effect without Lightbox - A lightweight technique to create modal dialogs that block interaction with underlying layers.

Thanks to the people who have taken the time to create such fine open source libraries without which PGA.com Pipeline would not have been as successful. Hooray for open source!

I am tremendously proud of the product that Tim and I were able to deliver. This is by far the most high-profile, public web application that I have ever been a part of, let alone written. Considering that CNN Pipeline was developed by a huge team with a gigantic budget, I'd say that Tim and I did alright for ourselves given the constraints.

Product development has caused me many late nights with little sleep to get this out the door in time. Thus, I haven't had a chance to spend very much time with my wife Sarah. I'd like to take a second to just thank her for being so understanding and putting up with all my crap. Much love!

If you have a chance, please check out PGA.com Pipeline during the 2006 PGA Championship.

Enjoy!

The ClemUDelt Ketchup

2006-06-08T10:23:00.000-04:00

I know this isn't The Superficial (an excellent entertainment news/parody site), and I know ketchup is not the proper word here, I'm just following their lead. Here's what's been going on in my life:

My 1st anniversary came and went in a very eventful manner. Sarah and I had a pool party/BBQ on Memorial Day which culminated in wedding cake being splattered around the apartment and soaking Sarah with water from the kitchen sink hose. All of this came as a result of Brian and I finishing a handle of Bacardi rum by ourselves.

The Panama City vacation was severely needed and was almost everything I could have asked for. Massages, relaxing in the sun, golfing, and renting waverunners were the highlights of the trip. Panama City Beach=nice. Panama City Beach water=nasty (lots of seaweed). We also had some bad luck with my car as the battery died leaving us stranded at certain points in time.

100-150 grams of protein a day is extremely difficult to eat. At the request of my personal trainer Jeff, I have been attempting to consume more protein to promote lean muscle buildup. It's not as easy as it sounds considering that protein makes you feel full for a long period of time. As my body tries to adjust, I constantly feel bloated, stuffed, and like I need to go to the bathroom (TMI...I know).

Mad Props to Evite

2006-05-26T14:24:00.000-04:00

A couple of days ago I was having an annoying issue with Evite. I don't ever recall having a problem with the site and I've always viewed it favorably. This problem angered me greatly though. Luckily, the people at Evite were able to quell my ill feelings rather quickly with excellent customer service.

Sarah and I decided to have a Memorial Day pool party and, as always, we created an Evite. We used her account to generate the invitation. I like to be added as a guest to my own parties so I can see who's coming and make a witty response. Sarah and I tried and tried to add me, but the system just would not have it. No matter what we did, or how many times we tried it, nothing worked.

After a day of dealing with this crap, I became so frustrated and wanted to pull my hair out. Instead of hurting my wonderful head or hair, I thought I'd try emailing Evite customer support. I sent them a message explaining the situation. The email was sent at 8:45pm. At 8:49pm the same night, I received a response saying that my issued had been resolved. Sure enough, I went to check my account and there it was: the Memorial Day pool party invitation.

Normally I would get on here and tell everybody why the site sucked, but I cannot do that in this case. 4 minutes to fix my problem?! Are you freakin' kidding me?! How can I possibly say anything bad about Evite, their system, or their services? If I could, I'd buy stock in them at this point.

Let me throw out this scenario. Imagine a world in which all customer service departments responded one-tenth as quickly and as accurately as Evite. Do you know how delighted the entire population would be? Or how much productivity would be gained by users? Or how much better your company would be viewed? In striking contrast, when my printer broke and I had to contact Epson customer service, they were slow, unhelpful, and wanted to charge me for phone support. Needless to say, I dumped Epson for HP.

Mad props to Evite.

Home Sweet Home

2006-05-17T16:37:00.000-04:00

Kevin: "So are you a homeowner, Greg?"
Greg: "No, no. I rent."

It appears that Sarah and I are no longer in the same position as Mr. Gaylord Focker. As of the beginning of July we will no longer be renters because, today, we came to an agreement to purchase our first house. Woohoo!

After many months of stressing over the purchasing process, we finally decided on a 2 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom townhouse with a finished basement, two story deck, and a 1-car garage. If you are familiar with the city at all, it's in the Morningside area of town. The location is perfect for us as we are in between all sections of the city, a short cab ride away from great bars and clubs, less than a mile from Piedmont Park, not too far from work, and close to all necessities like grocery stores and pharmacies.

This surely has brightened my day considerably.

More details to come once we have signed on the dotted line.

You might be having a bad day when...

2006-05-17T12:14:00.000-04:00

you have over 22,000 emails in your inbox saying that your site is broken. 22,000?! That has to be some sort of record. I should have taken a screen grab of it because I can't imagine having that many unread emails is a common occurrence. Lucky for me, the site being down for 3 hours had absolutely nothing to do with me or my team.

A Couple of Sites I Enjoy

2006-05-02T14:08:00.000-04:00

www.lookatmebeingserious.com
"On Sunday, April 2, 2006, USC Vice-President Ryan Holt traveled to Washington, D.C. to voice students' concerns to members of Congress. On Monday, April 3, 2006, members of the Student Senate purchased $80 worth of balloons. What you are about to see may be disturbing to people without a sense of humor."

www.hotchickswithdouchebags.com
"I'm the biggest douchebag you ever met. The problem is I don't get the hot chicks so maybe I'm like the anti-douchebag douchebag. They need a new term for my sorry ass. This site is all about poking fun at scuzzbuckets and the women who love them."

My Wife

2006-04-28T15:17:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to my wife, Sarah. She is old (26).

Congrats to my wife, Sarah. She got a new job (the old place sucked).

Eurotrip

2006-04-20T12:42:00.000-04:00

I'm not talking about the awesomely terrible movie EuroTrip which sports classic songs like Scotty Doesn't Know. No. In this case I am referring to my "business trip" to London, England and Dublin, Ireland.

I know I lead a very tough life and this will be just another struggle for me. I understand that an all expense paid, week-long trip to Europe to do two days worth of work would be a burden for some...but not I. I will attempt to turn it into a positive by playing as many rounds golf, visiting various authentic pubs, and attending a soccer match or two. My schedule will be jam packed, but I'll find a way to work it all in.

Be back in a week.

Talley-ho!

Celebratory Lunch

2006-04-18T12:06:00.000-04:00

To celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover, today, I will eat a ham sandwich on wheat bread.

My Little Baker

2006-04-04T14:30:00.000-04:00

I am currently eating a muffin that Sarah made last night. It is some sort of cream cheese muffin with fruit preserves inside and tastes very yummy. A few simple substitutions made it not unhealthy as well. I'll see if I can get the recipe so that the rest of the world can have some of the delicious goodness.

Well Again

2006-04-03T14:51:00.000-04:00

I have finally returned back to full health after being almost beaten to death by the flu for the past week. After days and nights of puking and pooing my brains out (disgusting, yes, I know), I am now able to eat solid food and not have to see it again.

When my illness was all said and done, I had lost eight pounds. That would be excellent if I were crash dieting. Instead, I am just weak and tired. I didn't even get the opportunity to go to the gym once last week. Withdrawal was beginning to set in seeing that I usually go five times (some would consider me to be obsessed).

I feel great now though...just in time to get hammered at work.

I Am The Bracket Master

2006-03-27T14:22:00.000-05:00

NEWS FLASH...
I may be the best NCAA Tournament bracket picker of our generation.

Over the past 8 or so years, I have finished in the top 3 in at least one pool that I have participated in. I have to admit that after the opening round of the 2006 NCAA Basketball Tournament two weeks ago, I was fairly confident that I was about to have my worst year on record. So many teams that I was counting on just let me down. The most notable defeats were that of conference tournament champions Kansas, Iowa, and Syracuse. Nice job losers! Those teams really just blew my chance at continuing my streak...or so I thought.

The number of bracket crushing losses I took in the first round was so bad that I conceded to my fellow co-workers that I was no longer going to look at my picks after the first weekend. The last time I looked at the leaderboard in my 36-person league, I think I was 29th with one bracket and 35th with another. "Great freakin' job, Mark!" That was enough for me.

As the tournament progressed, favorites like Duke, Boston College, and Gonzaga began to fall earlier than expected. After the Sweet 16, I thought that I'd take a look at my brackets one last time (I needed a good laugh going into the weekend). I knew that my bracket sucked, I wanted to see just how much everybody else's sucked as well. To my surprise, almost everybody in the league bombed their picks for that round and a good portion of my remaining teams actually won. Only 2 people scored more points than me in the round. I was back in the ball game!

Fast forward, to the Final Four. No #1 seeds are left and #11 George Mason is still alive and kicking, which only means good things for Mark "The Master Picker". With only 3 games remaining in the 2006 season, my brackets have risen all the way up to sixth and eighth place. I would be very proud of this finish knowing how far down the charts I was after the first weekend. But the game is not over yet. My sixth place bracket is one of only three left that can still score more points!

After three agonizing weeks of college basketball, a UCLA victory in the Final Four will get me my all-important top 3 finish and second place overall. Unfortunately for me, the guy in first place also has UCLA in the championship game so I cannot win the pool. That's slightly disappointing, but I have no room for complaints. Keep the streak alive!

Let's go Bruins!

Whoopideedoo!

2006-03-24T14:59:00.000-05:00

It's Friday and I'm leaving for the weekend!

Oh yeah, here are Brian's pics from last weekend's birthday bash.

"I found myself a nice Jewish girl"

2006-03-10T14:42:00.000-05:00

Not me...well, yes me...but I'm not talking about me right now. My high school friends Greg and Rachel got engaged last week after dating for something like 4 or 5 years. It's about freaking time!

"I found myself a nice, Jewish girl" was the way Greg told me that he had proposed. For anybody out there that is still looking for a significant other, I do highly recommend a Jew. I would try to avoid the JAP's (Jewish American Princess) as they can be very high maintenance. Don't know any Jews? Check out JDate.

I know the news of Rachel's new status will come as a major disappointment to many of my non-New Jersey guy friends, but please try to handle it gracefully. It's not the end of the world. There are many other Jews in the sea. Granted, there aren't too many other Hispanic Jews (at least not as hot as Rach and myself), but if you search long enough, I'm sure you'll come up with a couple more of us.

All kidding aside, I have known Greg and Rachel for a long time. They are great friends (they were both in my wedding) and I am very excited that they are now engaged.

Congrats!

Motor Vehicle Stupidity

2006-02-28T16:34:00.000-05:00

A couple of years ago, I saw what I thought to be the strangest thing I had ever seen while driving. Last night, I may have topped that with something so pointless that it makes Seinfeld look like a dramatic, plot-driven masterpiece.

I was driving home from the gym and got caught at a red light right before turning onto my block. Sarah and I were chatting it up about the usual topics like our post-workout evaluation (we study each other's bulging muscles...just kidding). The light turned green and as I started to move forward, I saw what officially is the stupidest shit I have ever seen: a taxi cab with spinners.

If you don't know what spinners are, allow me to show you:

When a vehicle comes to a stop, subsequently the wheels stop (obvious, yes I know). With spinners, the same is true except that there is a piece inside of the wheel that continues in motion in a nauseating fashion. It's both eye catching and distracting, not to mention pointless.

As I was saying, I started turning the corner and the spinners on the taxi cab caught my eye. I pointed at the cab in shock to show Sarah and almost ran off the road. Not only was it a taxi cab with spinners, but it was a grey and blue minivan taxi cab with spinners. Nothing says pimpin' like a soccer-mom-mobile with flashy ghetto wheels. I'm sure when I make my stop in the hood to pickup a few grams, being in a cab with spinners will give me enough street cred to keep people from messing with me.

Needless to say that I have yet to come up with a rational reason for putting spinners on a cab, let alone on any car at all. Apparently the owners of these cars didn't come equipped with the rationale needed to see how worthless these things are. Not to mention that I'm sure that the wheels are worth more than some of the cars that you see them on. Get your freaking priorities in order.

Just plain stupid.

Lots of Firsts

2006-02-21T21:17:00.000-05:00

The last four days have included many firsts for me. I think the last time I did this many new things in one weekend was right after I moved to Atlanta. Keeping up this pace would be exhausting, but could also be a blast.

New places
I don't know what's gotten into me, but I seem to have gotten back into the swing of going out on both weekend nights. This is a good thing as I am almost always up for a good throw down.

The weekend started with a trip to Graveyard Tavern in East Atlanta with the drinking bloggers. The newly renovated bar had a great atmosphere and featured a Latin Jazz Band. Nice joint. I also can't forget to include that I finally found somebody that appreciates the movie EuroTrip as much as I do. That Dave guy is cool in my book.

Saturday night began at Taverna Plaka, a Greek Restaurant with decent food, belly dancers, loud music, and lots of tossed napkins. The place is perfect for a group party as people are dancing and yelling on the tables and chairs. Really can't go wrong with that, can you? Ouzo shots for everybody! Opa!

The night concluded at The Local, mere seconds away from the Majestic and Clermont Lounge. I'm not usually into places like this (old, dingy, and smoky), but I found it to be fine for a few drinks and some friendly chatter. The lack of large crowds makes The Local okay in my book.

New home
Sarah and I met with our real estate agent for the first time. Brandi Adjmi is a friend of Lauren, our wedding planner. Brandi has been sending us properties via email for the past few weeks and took us to see some of them in person. We're mainly looking in the Piedmont Park/Ansley Park/Morningside areas and it looks as if we'll be able to find something that fits our needs and desires. I cannot stress how much I enjoyed seeing places that could possibly be my future home. So cool!

We also met with a mortgage advisor, which we had never done. Now we have a good idea of how much house we can buy. Let me take a second to say how much monthly housing association fees suck. It's very difficult to get away from them down here in the South though as so many new properties are built in small neighborhoods. Advantage: The North.

New movies
A special thanks goes out to Bobafred for letting me borrow Saw and Saw II. I have been trying to see these movies for God knows how long, but Sarah has kept me from doing so. Scary movies just aren't her bag, baby! Without Brian's persistence and affinity for horror flicks, I may never have seen these two "twisted pictures". On a side note, I highly recommend both movies for their gore and shock factors, as well as plots that keep you on your toes. The writer of these movies is one sick mofo.

Life rocks when you do new and interesting things. If you have anything different you want to do and need someone to do it with, give me a call.

Flex 2 Beta 1 Released

2006-01-31T22:07:00.000-05:00

Macromedia has just released the first public beta of it's Flex 2 product line. The following beta 1 downloads are now available:

- Flex Builder 2
- Flex Charting Components 2
- Flex Enterprise Services 2
- ColdFusion/Flex Connectivity
- Flash Player 8.5

I am currently attempting to download and install the new applications before the Macromedia/Adobe servers get hammered. Being that I have not had a chance to play with Flex for a few months now, I am not sure it even matters if I get this stuff ASAP. That being said, maybe I will report my thoughts on Flex 2 beta 1.

Then again, maybe not.

Funniest Song Ever or Worst Song Ever?

2006-01-30T21:32:00.000-05:00

When I first heard this song I thought my ears might be deceiving me. Was this song serious or just a joke? After hearing it about 5 times now, I am 100% convinced that the artist, T-Pain, wrote a serious song called "I'm N Luv (Wit a Stripper)".

Pretty much everybody I've talked to who has heard the song agrees that it is just plain ridiculous. Brian's reaction was "they have officially written a song about everything." Yes, Brian, you are correct. This song may actually mark the downfall of the human civilization.

For those of you who are not down with the hip-hop/R&B/rap scene, allow me to give you the lyrics. I promise that you will not be disappointed.

I'm N Luv (Wit a Stripper)

[Verse 1]

Got the body of a goddess
Got eyes butter pecan brown I see you girl
Droppin Low
She Comin Down from the ceiling
To tha floo
Yea She Know what she doin
Yea yea yea
She doin that right thang
Yea yea yea yea ea
I Need to get her over to my crib and do that night thang
Cause I'm N Luv wit a stripper

[Chorus x2]
She poppin she rollin she rollin
She climbin that pole and
I'm N Luv with a stripper
She trippin she playin she playin
I'm not goin nowhere girl I'm stayin
I'm N Luv with a stripper

[Verse 2]

Out of all the girls she be the hottest
Like n the way she break it down I see u girl
Spinnin wide
And She lookin at me
Right in my eyes
Yea She got my attention
yea yea yea
Did I forget to mention
I Need to get her over to my crib and do that night thang
Cause Im N Luv Wit a Stripper

[Chorus x2]
She poppin she rollin she rollin
She climbin that pole and
I'm N Luv with a stripper
She trippin she playin she playin
I'm not goin nowhere girl I'm stayin
I'm N Luv with a stripper

[Verse 3]

She can pop it she can lock it
Teddy Penderass down I'm bout to see this sexy girl
In My bed
She don't know what she is doin
To my head
Yea She turnin tricks on me
Yea Yea Yea
She dont even know me
Yea yea yea ea
I'd have got her over to my crib to do that night thing
Cause I'm N Luv Wit a Stripper

[Chorus x4]
She poppin she rollin she rollin
She climbin that pole and
I'm N Luv with a stripper
She trippin she playin she playin
I'm not goin nowhere girl I'm stayin
I'm N Luv with a stripper

"That like made my life!"

2006-01-22T19:30:00.000-05:00

Those were Sarah's exact words after we experienced Bon Jovi play Livin' on a Prayer live at Philips Arena. What a great experience! It does not matter how old the guy is or how long he has been around because he still kicks some serious ass.

I have never been one to attend many huge, live performances (Barenaked Ladies, Matchbox Twenty, Staind, 3 Doors Down), but I do know that this one was better than any of the others. There was no overly-complicated light show or odd stage tricks. It was a simple, clean, classic show. There was plenty of excitement and crowd interaction though, which put it off the charts.

For a bunch of old guys, playing for two and a half hours straight is pretty impressive. Of course, they had to play a portion of their new songs from Have a Nice Day (some of which are pretty good), but Bon Jovi did not disappoint when it came to the classics. My favs were Bad Medicine, Livin' on a Prayer (the Jersey Anthem), and Wanted Dead or Alive. No real surprise there, but the live performances were even better than expected.

What also rocked was that Jon was all over the arena singing, playing, and doing his thing. That was partially what made the show so interesting. There were small platforms set up around the arena where Jon could get to and perform right in the crowd. And when I say in the crowd, I mean in the crowd. There was very little separation between he and the people at times, if any. Fans were eye level and within mere feet of the New Jersey legend. Also, he walked through crowd (not necessarily using aisles) singing, talking, and physically greeting spectators. I am not sure how popular that is these days with all the crazies in this world, but it was pretty effin' cool.

I honestly believe that every New Jersian should see Bon Jovi in person while it's still possible. It was a surprisingly surreal experience that only someone from the "Tri-state area" can fully appreciate. What a kick ass show!

My "Sort of" New Job

2006-01-03T19:35:00.000-05:00

Now that Robert has broken his silence, I will do the same. As Robert is moving onto a new "double secret" project within Turner, I will be filling his role as the Manager of Technology of PGA.com.

I would first like to thank Robert for the opportunity to join the PGA.com team two years ago. It has been a blast working with he, Todd, and Buzz. I have learned a great deal from him and have enjoyed the experience of working with a close friend. Secondly, I would like to thank Robert for leaving. His moving on to another project has allowed me to receive the first promotion of my professional career. But seriously, I welcome the challenge of my new position and I enter it refreshed, excited, and raring to go.

Here's to a new year and new experiences.

Buffy In Space

2005-12-14T16:26:00.000-05:00

A "strange new object" has been found at the edge of the solar system. It was found beyond Pluto and has an orbit that is tilted much greater than most other objects in the solar system. While that is sort of cool that a discovery has been made, that is not what I enjoy most.

According to the article, Neptune is usually the cause for a tilted axis in our solar system, but scientists insist that did not happen here. The axis tilt is puzzling to experts. With that said, scientists have decided to nickname the object Buffy, "after the US television series about a vampire slayer...Maybe Buffy is going to be a bit of a theory slayer".

This is great as Buffy first started out as a National wonder, then became an International phenomenon, and now is a Galactic power! Maybe someday Buffy will rule the Universe. One can only hope.

Yumm-o!

2005-12-13T15:06:00.000-05:00

Food Network in HD? Just what I have been waiting for! This is the closest thing to smell-o-vision. The only roadblock now is Comcast <insert collective groan here>. Hopefully they won't be slack in picking up new channels like they usually are (i.e. WGN-HD, ESPN2-HD, ESPNU).

I will try not to get my hopes up.

Rose's Turn

2005-12-12T16:50:00.000-05:00

While in New York last month, a couple of friends took me to this incredible piano bar called Rose's Turn. I was a little skeptical at first as this was my first ever trip to such a venue. Honestly, I expected to spend a few minutes in this place, have a few drinks, and be on our merry way. Two or three hours later I found myself having to be dragged out of the bar.

When you first walk down the stairs, there is a small seating area with tables next to which the "piano man" sat (and please do not ask him to play the Bill Joel song). Give him a tip and he will play you what you want. If you have the guts, step up and sing a song yourself. But this is not your typical karaoke joint as most of the patrons can actually sing well. I considered getting up and bringing the house down with my musical talents, except that I am not sure if I know every word to an entire song of the appropriate genre. That is my excuse and I am sticking to it!

On the right of the room is a long bar with two or three bartenders serving drinks. But these are not just your run-of-the-mill bartenders; they too are performers. They bang on the tambourine, have choreographed dances for certain songs, and sing back up, harmonies, and even entire songs for the crowd.

The fan favorite seemed to be Terri White. Terri kicked some major ass. To put it in perspective a bit, a friend of mine wants to have her sing at his wedding. He also said that "listening to a large, black woman sing is better than sex and pizza." Obviously, this guy really liked Terri. I believe I may have enjoyed Terri about as much as he did, but I cannot make the sacrifices he is willing to make.

This West Village secret is a must-visit for anybody looking for a change of pace. I would highly recommend Rose's Turn as I had one heck of a good time there.

Political Compass

2005-11-17T14:44:00.000-05:00

My Jersey peeps have been passing around this test which gives you a score based on you political views.

Apparently, Gandhi and I think quite similarly.

Yahoo! Maps Goes Flex

2005-11-03T10:13:00.000-05:00

Yahoo! has released a new beta version of its mapping software using Macromedia Flex. From this post, you will know that I love me some Flex and this is easily the most high profile Flex project to date. The application they have written is pretty sweet and may even be better than Google Maps (written using DHTML and AJAX), which has been my map service of choice to date. Although I have not checked it out yet, I also hear that the Yahoo! Maps Flex API is pretty extensive and easy to use.

Robert informed me that Yahoo! did a demo of this app at MAX, but apparently I missed the memo (Ha!...no memo of the demo). I knew they were there...I just did not pay attention as to why.

Mad Hot Ballroom

2005-10-28T14:19:00.000-04:00

Sarah and I rented a DVD called Mad Hot Ballroom from Blockbuster last weekend. We pushed off watching it due to time constraints and finally got around to watching it last night. A call from Blockbuster about it's late return led us to almost return the DVD without watching it, but I sure am glad we didn't because it was absolutely fantastic.

Mad Hot Ballroom is a documentary-style movie about a ballroom dance program that was implemented at a number of New York City public schools. The purpose of the 10-week class is to introduce urban 5th graders to dance, the arts, and other less defined social ideas and values. Students are taught by trained teachers how to merengue, rumba, tango, foxtrot, and swing. At the end of the class, select students are chosen represent their school in a competition to crown the school with the best ballroom dancers.

By the end of the 10 weeks of learning and practicing, the product that these 10 year-old kids put together on the dance floor is incredible. Some of those kids can really move! The biggest transformation though is watching these children learn about commitment, competition, being ladies and gentlemen, improving social skills, enjoying something out of the mainstream, and finding something they're good at...something that they enjoy.

These kids are much less fortunate that I ever was. Everyday they must endure parental issues, drinking, drugs, fighting, poverty, just to name a few. Unfortunately, their low socio-economic status has them trapped in a situation where opportunity does not come very often, and certainly, nobody is going to help them out. Escaping their own life is damn near impossible. But this program gives these children hope...a chance to see life from a different perspective...the vast range of possibilities that lie in front of them allowing them to make something out their lives. The best part is not that I am able to see this, but these kids can see it. They can acknowledge that paths exist for them and they can follow them for an improved life. These 10 year-olds are smart! Much smarter than I was at 10.

I never would have thought that ballroom dance classes could change the life of a kid so drastically. Watching their actions and listening to their thoughts brings out a great deal of emotion. Their passion is inspiring. Something so simple as ballroom dancing, that so many of us could care less about and take for granted, is changing the lives of urban kids by the hundreds. The experience will stick with them forever and they will be better people for that very reason.

The Mad Hot Ballroom website say that they are thinking about expanding their program to additional cities and I wonder how something like this would do here in Atlanta. Atlanta does not have the best arts experience in the world. The city does alright for itself, but it is nothing like New York. But that may be the perfect situation as the children of the city have had limited exposure to such culture. In a state where education is so poor and test scores are the "answer" to all problems, I wonder how a program such as this would affect the kids in this city. Would crime decrease? Would test scores increase? Would graduation rates increase? Would parental and teacher involvement increase?

From what I saw in this documentary, my guess is that the answer is a resounding yes.

Back From MAX

2005-10-25T16:30:00.000-04:00

I am now back from my week-long trip to Anaheim, CA for Flex Promotion Conference 2005, formally known as Macromedia MAX 2005. For those of you who do not know, MAX is a developer and designer convention run by Macromedia where dorks go to meet other dorks and talk about dorky computer things. Sessions are held by "experts" on topics related to the various Macromedia technologies. The sessions are a mixed bag when it comes to value, but I see the real value of the conference being exposure to thoughts and ideas that may be foreign or unexplored topics.

I usually only give a rat's ass about ColdFusion and the CF-related topics. That should not come as a surprise considering that I my area of expertise is ColdFusion. I tend to shy away from all the designy crap like Flash and Dreamweaver (and yes, Dreamweaver is for designers, not developers) that I just don't understand. This year was a little different though as Macromedia kept shoving their new pet project, Flex, in your face at every turn.

Flex is a pretty cool concept though. Using the standard Flex XML format, one can create an interactive, data-driven Flash web application. Sweet! Admittedly, I was intrigued by this developer/designer tool at MAX 2004, but at $15,000 a license, learning and implementing Flex seems highly unreasonable. Booooo! At MAX 2005, Macromedia announced its plans for Flex Builder 2. Flex Builder 2 (previously code-named Zorn) is Macromedia's way of answering the question, "How the hell am I gonna learn Flex if it costs 15 grand?" For less than $1,000, one can purchase Flex Builder 2 and develop, compile, and deploy data-driven Flex applications...with no need to purchase an enterprise license! Woohoo! What I like about Flex is that it integrates with ColdFusion smoothly on the server-side, allows for a pleasant user experience on the front-end, and has the feel of a programming language as opposed to a "designer, make things pretty, artsy-fartsy" feel.

Macromedia also announced the launch of Macromedia Labs "to provide early access to emerging technologies." Basically, as Macromedia develops news products and extends existing products, the work in progress will be posted at Labs for users to download and try out. The crap that gets put up there may not work very well since it is only an Alpha release, but this does give users a chance to play around with some cool, new stuff. This is perfect for somebody like myself who wanted to give Flex a try, but could never find a way to do so. I have been playing around with Flex Builder 2 over the last week and it is just a really cool product that allows me to take my web apps to a different level...that is if I can ever really learn how to use the stinkin' thing.

OK, enough of the geek speak. MAX 2005, as always, provided me with many entertaining moments outside of the tech world. Eventually, some of these moments can be re-lived through my photos on Flickr. Until then, I will just have to use other people's pics to give mad props to some of the cool people I met (R-Bizzle, M-Bizzle, Rob, Jim, Cathy).

Finally, my MAX adventure concluded with a trip north of Anaheim to the Los Angeles area. I was happy that I was able to convince both Robert and Cameron to go with me so I did not have to go sightseeing alone. Our tour consisted of walking down Hollywood Blvd., shopping on Melrose, driving through Beverly Hills and down Rodeo drive, cruising Santa Monica Blvd. all the way down to Santa Monica, and walking the Third Street Pavilion in Santa Monica. Being that this was my first time in California, I was pleased with how much of it I got to see in such a short amount of time. I took some good pics of our outing, but they too are not ready yet.

I am tired of writing, so I am done for now.

Tearing Down the Walls

2005-10-06T14:37:00.000-04:00

For years I have played fantasy baseball. For years I have struggled to be successful. For years I have never been able to finish higher than 5th place. For years I have been frustrated by bad drafts and players having "down years". But that has all finally come to an end, as I Mark Richards, General Manager, Owner, and Manager of team Anal Leakage, have won the Dick Hertz 2005 fantasy baseball championship.

The story begins 7 years ago while I was still in college. The league was created by a few fraternity brothers of mine. I believed that I had more baseball knowledge than all of my competitors, but that is not that wins fantasy leagues. What wins fantasy leagues is not big name players. It's about having the best team assembled that will give you the most amount of points in all statistics...balance if you will. A player with 50 homeruns can win you as many games as a player with 50 steals. Unfortunately, I did not realize this at the time. Subsequently, I finished in 10th place out of 10 teams.

As time passed, some of my fraternity brothers were kicked out of the league for "fixing trades" and for not playing the season out to completion. In their places, UGA law students were added as they were in school with one of the elder league members. They added to my struggles as they were intelligent and knowledgeable sports fans. It is not necessarily that they were smarter, but they grasped the game better. I never fully understood the finer intricacies of fantasy baseball until this year.

The season started out perfectly. I had the best draft I have ever had by a longshot. My infield was easily the best in the league and there was actually quality pitching to support those stats as well. I even took a chance on old, broken down Ken Griffey Jr. who turned out to be a star most of the season. I knew it was going to be a good year. But then reality settled in. My first half was marred by inconsistent pitching. And once that came around, my luck ran out and the injury bug hit. After starting in the top half of the league, I had fallen to 8th place. Here we go again. I contemplated trading my top pitcher, Johan Santana, in a desperate move to change my luck, but decided that it was in my team's best interest to keep him because the law of averages said that his numbers would get better. And they did. And I picked up some surprising quality free agents. And then the season started to turn around.

A few weeks from the end of the season, I had clawed back into fifth place with my re-tooled lineup. And then the injuries hit again. I lost 4 starters for the season and despite being playoff eligible, I thought I was done for. I has season-long backups shouldering the load down the stretch. There was no chance of winning like this.

I entered the playoffs as a wildcard team needing 3 wins to bring home the championship. That is when the light clicked on for me and I understood how to win games in the league's scoring format. My position players were never the problem. All season long they were stars. My pitching is what cost me games. If I could get good starts out of my guys during their first outing of the week, I didn't have to pitch them again that same week. This would keep stats like ERA, WHIP, hits, walks, and hits low. The strategy worked. I tore through the playoffs beating the other wildcard team, the regular season winner, and finally, the third place team to win the championship. The games were not even close. Anal Leakage did some butt kickin' (pun intended obviously)!

This is my proudest fantasy sport moment. I have won league titles in football numerous times, but this is slightly different. Not only because it's my first time winning in baseball. Nor is it the fact that I have been in this league longer than any other. It comes down to the fact that I have struggled mightily over the years. But the struggle has ended and the final wall has been torn down.

Anal Leakage
Dick Hertz 2005 League Champion

Trivia Masters

2005-09-28T13:53:00.000-04:00

Since Team Bad Guy was locked out of the fall softball season, a few of us decided to play trivia in its place. Getting together and meeting up with friends was the driving force behind the idea, but we also wanted to do something where we actually have a chance to win.

Meehan's Pub is a mere few minutes away from my place and has been the location of our first few trivia outings. There are not an abundance of trivia locations nearby, so Meehan's will be sufficient for the moment. The food selection at Meehan's blows. Do not confuse that with them having bad food, but their menu just sucks due to the lack of variety. The D.J. who runs the trivia is a tool. He tries to act like he has a clue, but what he does not realize is that talking to people in the "D.J. voice" is freakin' weak. But when all else fails, at least the servers are hot...and that is good enough of a reason for me to return.

Last week, in our inaugural game, we came in third place which sounds like a poor showing when only four teams were playing. But in the infamous words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast my friend". What I left out is the fact that everybody cheats at this thing! Why? I do not have a clue. Look around at the other teams and people are calling friends on their phones, asking other teams for help, and looking up answers on handheld devices. Cheating at bar trivia is just so ridiculously lame to me. It is like taking money from the offer plate in Church (yes, I have been to Church even though I am Jewish), or stealing a library book. Come on? Who does that?! That is why our team has agreed to a no cheating policy. When we win, it will be that much more fulfilling.

This week, our team went into battle knowing what it was up against. We were going to have to fight for every point because the drunk bar schmucks were going to be out in full force. In the end, Team "Rodney and Bullwinkle" prevailed as victors by 1 point! For the record, we did not succumb to the pressure and the desire to cheat even when the going got tough. All of our points were earned honestly and that makes our win even more special (as special as bar trivia wins can get). Thank goodness we won because after listening to Mr. "I Am A Giant Tool" D.J. for over two hours, I did not want to come away empty handed.

Now that the good guys came out on top, the challenge will be to defend our trivia title next week. Hooray Team "Rodney and Bullwinkle"!

Party at My Place!

2005-09-08T11:48:00.000-04:00

I would like to invite everybody to come over to my place every Thursday night (except 10/13 when Clemson plays N.C. State) beginning tonight to watch The O.C. If you do not know where I live, just ask me. If you do not want to ask, then I probably do not want you there anyway. The more the merrier!

The O.C. was added to my "must watch television list" in the middle of last season. All it took were a few episodes of hot chick lesbian scenes to grab my attention. Now I am hooked...and the plot is good too. But not only does The O.C. start tonight, the NFL opens its season tonight as well with the Oakland Raiders vs. the New England Patriots. These teams do not necessarily do it for me, but I will take whatever I can get when it comes to football.

Thank goodness for the fall television schedule starting back up because this summer has been horrendous.

"Californiaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...here we coooooooooooome!"

Gas Prices Suck

2005-09-08T10:02:00.000-04:00

I filled up my Nissan Altima with 15 gallons of regular unleaded gasoline this morning and it cost me $45! That is just stupid. I remember when I first went to Clemson in the summer of 1997, gas cost $0.80 per gallon. Obviously the days of sub-dollar gas are long gone, but $3.00+ is out of control. I can pretty much guarantee that when I get a new car five years from now it will be a hybrid. Having to refill my car so often with such expensive gasoline is not my idea of a good time.

I may have to pick up a second job so that I can pay for the gas to drive up to Clemson during football season.

I'm Famous!

2005-09-02T14:23:00.000-04:00

As you all know by now, Sarah and I are amazingly attractive people. If you doubt me, check out exhibit A and exhibit B. Now that that has been clarified, it will not come as a surprise that one of our wedding photos was selected to be in the wedding section of September 2005 issue of Jezebel Magazine...page 50 to be exact!

Jezebel Magazine describes itself as "upscale Atlanta living". They do interviews with stars, give beauty and style tips, review Atlanta events, and a slew of other crap that you would expect. Since Jezebel's audience is successful, attractive, and hip Atlantans, they knew that we fit their demographic perfectly. It was either that, or the fact that our catering manager/wedding planner/friend, Lauren Lenoir, who knows everybody important in the city of Atlanta, got us in. Lauren kicks major ass! Either way you want to look at it, this is pretty freakin' cool.

Thanks L.L. for helping us to look cooler than we actually are!

Take That!

2005-08-29T13:44:00.000-04:00

So this friend of mine (for privacy purposes, I will call him Spameron) mocked me a few months back when I said that I was determined to break 100 in golf. He said that I could not do it. Well Spameron, I did it! That that biotch! I finally broke through and achieved my first major golf milestone and shot a 99 on Sunday.

My previous best score was a 103 and a 4-shot improvement is fairly significant. I think a portion of my improvement can be attributed to the new irons I purchased a few weeks ago: the Adams Ideas. These clubs have a steel shaft (unlike my old graphite clubs) and give me a more consistent swing feel due to less erratic bending in the shaft. After I could "feel" my swing better, making a few minor swing changes have me on the path to golf excellence. I predict that my score may even drop below 90 within a few short months if I work hard at it.

Too bad my putting blows.

I Flickr'd

2005-08-25T14:04:00.000-04:00

I have finally gotten around to uploading the hundreds of pics I have from various events over the last two months. They date as far back as the 4th of July.

Cubs/Braves Baseball
Dezeray's Hammer Show
Dimugno/Salemo Wedding
Charleston Weekend Getaway

...I think I may start referring to myself as Señor Slackass.

2005 PGA Championship

2005-08-19T12:42:00.000-04:00

The last two weeks are the busiest time of the year for all of us PGA.com-ers. As Robert has written about, the development, updates, and site monitoring that goes along with being the primary source for the 2005 PGA Championship can be quite stressful. Long hours and crazy requests define the work for which we are ultimately are responsible. Luckily for me, all the negatives related to this hectic time were far outweighed by the fact that I got to attend the event and experience, firsthand, the production of a major golf event.

This was my first ever golf event and I had the opportunity to experience it in style. Since I was there with work, I was provided media credentials which allows access inside the ropes and to different areas that the public is barred from. I felt all important when I flashed my badge and walked through the ropes to a place where not all could venture leaving the commoners to wonder, "who's that guy?". Rock star, baby!

While I did not have the chance to watch more than a couple of hours of play (work, work, work), what I did see was amazing! Anybody that has played golf knows that the game is not even remotely as easy as the pros make it look. But when you see it in person, that feeling is magnified. My favorite shot (that I saw in person) was not actually a great golf shot. I was standing at the rope by the 17th green waiting for John Daly to take his second shot from the rough. As he swung and the ball left his club, I immediately lost the ball. The guy next then said, "It's coming right toward us!" I ducked into a defensive position (I am man enough to admit it) and the ball landed right in front of me a mere 10 feet away. I was then in perfect position to watch him take his third shot, which he flopped onto the green. Right place, right time for me.

The main purpose of my trip was to experience a golf event and all of its intricacies and my boss did an excellent job accomplishing that. He took me around to various "behind the scenes" locations to meet people and get a feel for everything involved. Upon my arrival, it did not take long for cool shit to start happening. Within in the first minute of stepping out of the media center, we walked past 2004 Ryder Cup Captain Bernhard Langer in the parking lot. I did a double take because it was very unexpected and I had just spent a bunch of time working on the 2004 Ryder Cup site, of which he was such a large part.

The non-play-related highlights of the event continued from there and they were aplenty. Surely I have forgotten a few things, but I was ten feet from a Tiger Woods interview (I could have asked a question, but obviously I am not qualified to do so), I watched the TV crew put together the PGA.com streaming video broadcast for AOL inside the Turner Sports truck, I sat in on the Phil Mickelson post-victory interview in the media center, and I was ten feet from Luke Donald at the driving range inside the ropes. I never would have had the chance to experience all this as a fan.

I have become a HUGE golf fan over the last two years because of work and as I have picked up playing the game. But now I have a new appreciation for golf. Not just the ease with which the pros play the game, but for the game itself. The guys on the Tour are just regular guys. They do not act like superstars or come across like that in person. Organizing and running a golf event the magnitude of the PGA Championship is simply mind-boggling, and I loved every minute of it. People could read the excitement on my face when recalling the time I had. I felt much better about my job afterwards.

I hope I have the chance to experience more events like the 2005 PGA Championship.

Hot Streak

2005-08-04T21:25:00.000-04:00

For the first time in my softball career, my softball teams are on a hot streak. Team Bad Guy (2-2) and Turner Sports 2 (3-0) are a combined 5-0 over the last two weeks. All this winning is unprecedented. For the longest time, I had only heard that it was fun to win, but now I am getting a chance to feel like a winner myself.

I am very proud of these last five victories because I am finally beginning to get myself on track both at the plate and in the field. I can sum up my plate appearances over the last year in one simple word: crapola. Another change in my stance and approach was needed. I observed some professional ballplayers for tips and took lots of practices swings in the mirror at the gym (yes, I know I am a loser). Finally, I found something I was comfortable with. Since the changes, I have gone 10 for 13 with 7 walks. For you non-math majors, that is a .769 batting average and .850 on-base percentage. Those are some pretty hot numbers. Hopefully, I can keep the momentum going and help both teams score some runs.

Playing baseball from the time I was five, I had the opportunity to play most positions in baseball. The one exception was my current position: shortstop. I have struggled at times getting comfortable in my new surroundings making both fielding and throwing errors frequently. A new glove and some advice from TBG teammate, Brian P., has made a huge difference though. I am starting to feel comfortable at shortstop and I think with a little more time I can develop into a very good defensive player. For my teams' sake, let's hope that I am right.

I would like to raise my glass to Team Bad Guy and Turner Sports 2 for their win streaks.

Here's to streaking!

New Mexico: Cleaner Than Regular Mexico

2005-07-27T13:10:00.000-04:00

I was pretty much rolling on the floor when I saw this t-shirt at Urban Outfitters a couple of months ago. I felt funny buying the shirt because of the dirty looks I would probably receive from others. It took all my willpower not to make the purchase. People are now up in arms over this t-shirt. Personally, I am not offended by this at all despite being Hispanic myself. Then again, I am not Mexican. Maybe if someone had a t-shirt that said, "Colombia: We Have Drugs and Bugs", I might be slightly upset myself. Doubtful though.

Salem-oh!

2005-07-22T15:00:00.000-04:00

Lots of crazy shit happened leading up to my attendance at a Connecticut wedding this past weekend. It is actually a small miracle that I made it to the wedding on time and conscious. All of the trouble was worth it though as I got to see my old friend Mike get married.

This was the first wedding that I have attended since my own wedding, and I must say that I was able to enjoy and appreciate the event much more having just gone through the experience myself. Mike and his new wife Regina put together a very nice event if I do say so myself. From my vantage point, all of their guests had a good time (picture proof is still to come)...I know I did! (Thanks open bar!)

I have known Mike since elementary school, which puts our friendship somewhere around twenty years. Despite the fact that I got married less than two months ago, watching a long-time friend get married was an eye-opening experience for me: we must be getting old! That aside, Mike and Regina seem very happy together and appeared to enjoy their big day thoroughly.

Best of luck to them in the future and congrats to the Salemos!

Nobody Up But Us Birds

2005-07-14T05:01:00.000-04:00

If you happen to be up working at 5am like I am, or you just happen to be awake, check out the coverage of The Open Championship on PGA.com. You may be more familiar with the name "The British Open", but I affectionately call The Open Championship "The O.C.". Please so not confuse the golf O.C. with Fox's hit show The O.C.. I highly recommend both the golf event and television show.

Sold!

2005-07-05T11:47:00.000-04:00

Congrats to my parents who sold their house in New Jersey last week. The closing will be in a couple of weeks and on August 15th, they will be on their way down to Georgia to begin the next chapter of their lives together.

After seeing how much of a pain in the ass it is to sell a house up there, I am very happy that I do not have to go through it. Thank goodness that everything went fairly smoothly though. When mom and dad came down to Atlanta for the wedding, they found a house that they both really liked, but could not move on it because the NJ house had not yet been sold. Since then, a couple of deals with potential buyers fell through, but as luck would have it, the owner-to-be came along and wanted the process to move swiftly and it did as they reached an agreement in only a couple of days. As for the new house, couple of obstacles had to be removed, but the road seems to be clear for them to finalize the deal (and no, nobody was killed). I am so excited for my parents!

Mom and dad have wanted out of the Northeast for a while and now it is all coming to fruition. What makes this all even better is that they are moving about 40 miles north of where Sarah and I live in a town called Flowery Branch. The house is only about a mile from Lake Lanier and is a fast drive along the interstate. Not that I will see them all the time (college football season is an exception), but living near family for the first time in almost 10 years will be a welcome change.

Selfishly I am happy for myself, of course, but most of all I am happy for them as they will have the chance to greatly improve their lives. Hooray mom and dad!

I Tied the Knot...A Freakin' Month Ago!

2005-06-26T23:51:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I know it has been almost a month since I got married, but that just shows you how busy I have been. From the moment I returned from my Aruba honeymoon work has been non-stop craziness. My summer officially belongs to the golfing gods. Not only have I been busy, but Sarah, my new wife (it still feels weird to say!), started grad school three days after we got back. She has class four days a week for almost four hours at a time. No rest for the weary I guess. Despite our lives still being rather hectic, there is nothing that can make me forget the fact that my wedding was the best day of my life.

The entire wedding week was awesome actually. Sarah and I organized a few smaller events prior the wedding day. We had a pool party at our apartment complex, rehearsal luncheon at the 755 Club at Turner Field, a dessert reception, and the infamous bachelor and bachelorette parties. These activities gave me a chance to see all the out-of-towners, and for the out-of-towners to get to know each other. With the opportunity for guests to become more comfortable in the foreign environment that is the ATL, everybody was able to let go a bit and really get into the wedding day itself.

I could talk about the wedding and all the events surrounding the wedding in detail, but a run-through of the itinerary would be rather boring. I have found that the best way to describe the feelings and emotions is visually. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here's a half million words:

The Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties
The Rehearsal Luncheon
The Wedding Reception
The Honeymoon
J.P.'s Pics
Brian's Pics

What more can somebody ask for in a wedding? My entire family was there. All my closest friends were there. And I got to marry the most amazing person I have ever met. I have had a difficult time finding the words to describe all the emotions that I felt during the wedding. The best way I can sum them up are with this quote:

I don't have all the answers. In life, to be honest, I've failed as much as I've succeeded. But I love my wife. I love my life, and I wish you my kind of success.

Dicky Fox
"Jerry Maguire"

Latino Heat

2005-06-09T10:30:00.000-04:00

My peeps are taking over!

12:01 AM = Stupid

2005-05-19T09:38:00.000-04:00

"Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" opened last night, I guess it was today actually, at 12:01 AM. I have my tickets already and will be there with lightsaber in hand (I am just kidding, but damn that was dorky). The reviews have been very positive, and combine that with a trailer that looks awesome, I must say that I am rather jazzed about this movie.

I do have a problem though (as always). If the movie was scheduled to be released on May 19, 2005, why on earth do the showings need to be at 12:01 AM? Last time I checked, 12:00 AM and zero seconds officially makes it May 19th. Does having a show time of 12:01 AM validate to both people and theaters that it truly is May 19th? Do people not believe it otherwise? Is 12:00 AM not really the first minute of the day? Do people need to finish one minute of the day before accepting that yesterday is over and today has begun? Assuming people and theaters are not this stupid, are the Lucas people insisting on holding the movie hostage for an extra 60 seconds? Do they plan for consumer sales to double or triple in the 12 o'clock hour, which is all of 1 minute? Does 12:01 AM have some greater importance in "a galaxy far, far away"?

Obviously, I never learned to tell time properly. I will make sure to laugh at everybody on New Year's when they start cheering at midnight.

UPDATE: Tomorrow is payday and there is a system that sends me an automatic email notifying me of that fact. Here is the first line of the email:

"Your current pay period direct deposit advice will be available for viewing after 12:01 AM on payday."

Apparently, this system, be it a bank or an internal department, does not comprehend the fact that the day actually begins at the stroke of midnight and not 1 minute after midnight either.

Well, Shit

2005-05-11T09:40:00.000-04:00

Team Bad Guy returned to the field last night looking to even its record at 3 and 3 against a team with only 8 players (10 is the norm). Guess what? We didn't! We lost...badly. Damn, that was disappointing. A win would have brought us into third place and given us a distinct shot at making the playoffs. Definitely a missed opportunity. We just did not do anything right: we hit like crap, we fielded like crap, and people's attitudes in general were crap. I think the last part is what bothers me the most.

On a positive note, my latest swing changes have virtually erased my constant lazy pop fly hitting. Over the last two games, I have gone 3 for 6 at the plate while hitting 5 ground balls. Honestly, the hits have been weak at best (mostly seeing-eye singles), and my swing still needs some tinkering, but I think I am headed in the right direction. I really should go to the batting cages and get myself straightened out and see what works.

Oh well, there is always next week.

National Teacher Day

2005-05-03T15:20:00.000-04:00

Today is National Teacher Day. I would like to send some love out to my fiance Sarah, who teaches third grade, and the thousands of other teachers throughout the country. They perform a service that I surely do not want to perform, as they shape the minds of the future of our great country.

Keep up the good work!

Help!

2005-05-03T12:05:00.000-04:00

Somebody please save Toby!

Birthday Convo

2005-04-28T13:44:00.000-04:00

Me: I would like give a Happy Birthday shout out to my wonderful wife-to-be, Sarah, who turns ## today!
Joe Generic Guy: Wow! ## years old? That's getting pretty old.
Me: I guess. Most of our peeps in the ATL are older than us. They think Sarah and I are young.
Joe Generic Guy: How old could they possibly be that they think ## is so young?
Me: They're anywhere from ### to #$#% years old.
Joe Generic Guy: ### isn't much older than you guys, but at #$#%, I can understand why they'd consider you to be young. And getting married at ##? Now, that is young.
Me: Whatever, deuchebag. I think Sarah and I are at a good age and full of youthful exuberance. I hope she enjoys her ##th birthday...despite what you think!

Birthday Gifts

2005-04-27T15:51:00.000-04:00

Sarah and I decided that since the wedding planning was taking up most of our time and energy, instead of getting each other individual birthday gifts (My b-day: 3/15, Sarah's b-day: 4/28), we would invest in something that we both wanted. Together we chose a digital camera: the Canon SD400 to be more specific.

My first real experience using the camera came at "The Orange & White Game", Clemson's spring football scrimmage. It was a perfect day for taking pictures: sunny, clear, and warm. There were a bunch of nice opportunities for taking the camera for a spin like the construction being done on the stadium and the play on the field. The pics came out well considering it was my first time as a photographer.

Now that I have a new camera (thanks me), a new Dell computer to locally store all my pics (thanks Sarah), and a Flickr pro account (thanks Robert), the digital photography revolution is in my grasp.

Game on!

Struggling

2005-04-25T15:33:00.000-04:00

I am totally struggling today after drinking lots of vodka, snacking on tons of Sour Patch Kids, and eating like crap yesterday at the East Andrews Spring Music Festival. Drinking excessively on a Sunday afternoon is not usually my thing, but I had a friend in town from NYC and he had to be kept entertained. Little did I know when I signed on for this how much it would hurt my body. I guess I should have realized that any event that serves free vodka drinks from 12PM to 2PM could conceivably be trouble.

Avast!

2005-04-19T15:25:00.000-04:00

N.C. State has elected a guy who goes by the name The Pirate Captain as their student body president. The article is not a joke, nor is this Pirate Captain guy.

I know I would vote for him just to avoid having to walk the plank.

Ducky Does It!

2005-04-19T14:00:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, my good friend, Adam "Ducky" Howitt proposed to his girlfriend of two years, Melissa. From her smile in the pictures, it appears that she accepted and is happy about it! Crazy girl.

I met Adam over three years ago here in Atlanta. We both did programming for a crappy pool chemical company, where Brian still works. During our friendship, I have seen Adam with his fair share of women and heard stories about past experiences. He has been down this road before, but this time is going to be different. Melissa is different than the others. And, honestly, Adam is different as well.

How is Melissa different? Well, Melissa kicks ass. She is such a cool gal and one of the sweetest people I have met since living in Atlanta. Rarely, if ever, will you see Melissa without a smile on her face. I like people like that because they make me happy. Adam needs a happy, outgoing person because he is the same way. Not only is she happy, a great person, and attractive (did I mention that yet?), she is smart! Melissa is currently going to law school in Chicago where they both now live. An intelligent, attractive, happy, good person? Where do I find myself one of those?! Oh wait! I already did. (That should earn me some extra brownie points)

How is Adam different? I am not sure if I can point to specifics, but he is. Whenever he talks about her or is with her, he seems happier. That is more than enough for me. I could go on and make more gushingly cheesy comments about them both, but I think I will stop myself before I get too sappy. I will try and save all my sappiness for my wedding in a couple of weeks.

I have always liked Adam and Melissa both individually and as a couple. They will have a great marriage and be happy for a long time. And if they do not, I will personally beat Adam's ass because it will probably be his fault!

Congrats and best of luck to Adam and Melissa!

We Got Screwed

2005-04-13T14:58:00.000-04:00

Last night, Team Bad Guy got screwed out of a chance at a victory by an adding mistake by the umpire. Entering the fifth inning, our team had scored 16 runs. During the inning, the 2 through 8 batters came to the plate, which is a total of eight batters. Well, if you add up the three outs we eventually made and the one runner left on base, that leave four batters...THAT ALL SCORED!!! The adding-deficient umpire only gave us three runs though, thus leaving us with only 19 runs. We eventually lost the game 20-19.

Honestly, I can handle losing...sometimes. And I know this rec softball league is supposed to be for fun, but who the heck wants to lose like that? And you know what? I can even handle when people make mistakes because everybody makes them...even I do (shhhh...do not tell anybody). What pissed me off the most was when we discovered the problem, and tried to bring it up with the ump, he would not even listen to us. He asked the other team what we had and of course they said 19 runs. The ump then stopped listening and ordered everybody onto the field despite the fact that our evidence was indisputable. Thanks for taking the time to check it out, jackass!

Team Bad Guy currently holds a 1-2 record and now desperately needs a victory next week. The good news is that the entire team has been producing offensively and scoring runs has not been an issue. The team could easily be 3-0, but an error and a bad call here and there have cost us. The current cast of characters is easily the best team we have put on the field to date, and I feel confident that we can turn this around in time to make the playoffs.

Correction: We sent batters 2 through 9 to the plate. We batted 10 players that game and the last batter led off the next inning. Thus the 9th batter made the final out.

Through The Storm

2005-04-13T14:45:00.000-04:00

With all the Masters-related hubbub over, I am now able to take a step back and relax. I took yesterday off and plan on taking Friday as well so that I can rest up. Unfortunately, I was not able to use my first day off to catch up on sleep. Since I had no free time this weekend, I had to take Tuesday to get some chores and errands accomplished. Friday should be better though.

Waiting....

2005-04-07T08:03:00.000-04:00

As I sit here waiting for The Masters to begin (stupid rain), I would like to congratulate my fiance, Sarah, on getting into UGA's master program for Educational Administration and Policy. She received her acceptance letter on Friday and is very excited to begin her classes this summer.

The cool thing about the program is that she does not have to drive the 60 miles up to Athens for the classes. They are all given at UGA's Gwinnett campus 20 minutes up the road. I am extremely excited for her because I know how badly she wanted this. The thing that sucks is that the majority of the classes appear to be scheduled during the week from 5PM to 8:30PM...even during the summer. How does this affect me? Well, since I work until about 5PM that means I will not see her until after her class ends at 9PM! That sucks. We will be ok, though. It is only for a couple days a week for a couple of years.

Now that a close friend of mine and my wife-to-be have been accepted to UGA, does that mean that I am going to become a fan of the school? Absolutely not! Even if I decide to eventually go back to grad school and attend UGA, I will still hate most UGA people with the same fiery passion that they have for driving their pickups through the mud and shooting game. Take that!

Too Much School For Me

2005-03-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate a close friend of mine. Last week, Lee was accepted to the doctoral program at UGA for economics. Even better, it looks as if he is going to choose UGA and move down to the Dirrty Dirrty (the Dirrty South for all you non-natives) for the next five years! While going to school for as long as he has been, and as long as he plans to be, is not the least bit enticing to me, I am extremely happy. I know this is what he really wants to be doing.

Lee is one of my oldest friends, and probably the closest mutual friend of Sarah and mine. Although he will not be living in Atlanta exactly, Athens, Georgia is only a short drive away. I guess there is even a chance that he would look for work during the summer down here in the big city.

This is so cool!

I'm Dope

2005-03-21T16:07:00.000-05:00

For those of you who did not know how dope I am, check this out:

Look at me in this pic. Could someone not dope pull that pose off?

When I do a web search, I do it in style. Now that is hip.

I know all the latest forms of communication. Fresh.

At this very moment, I am wearing a DKNY shirt with hints of both purple and pink in it. Only the dopest of all the dope can go there.

Check out this pic. Note the visor.

That is it. The votes are in, and I am fresh!

In the words of one-hit wonder hip-hop artist Skee-Lo, "Ah yes, ain't that fresh. Everybody wanna get down like that."

Misconstrued Quote of the Weekend

2005-03-12T08:45:00.000-05:00

"Always wait until the last moment to wash your berries."

Rachael Ray
30-Minute Meals

Terrific Tuesdays

2005-03-09T15:29:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy Tuesdays. Currently my Tuesdays include ballroom dance lessons and The Amazing Race. In a few weeks, the dance lessons will be complete and softball will be back in full swing...no pun intended. Domino's pizza has a commercial talking about how much Tuesday sucks, but for me, it is a day that I look forward to the entire week.

Why ballroom dance lessons? So Sarah and I do not look like fools during the first dance at our wedding reception. Thus far we have learned the Foxtrot, Swing, and the Waltz. As far as wedding dances go, the Foxtrot is where it is at. It is a versatile dance that is controlled, elegant, and smooth...perfect for a multitude of songs. Swing is always fun, but it is much more difficult to look good swing dancing due to the upbeat tempo of the music. The Waltz sucks...bottom line. I am not sure what exactly makes the Waltz so unbearable, but I think it is the accompanying music. I find it very humorous to watch the facial expressions and body language of my fellow classmates when we begin going over the Waltz. It truly is a life draining experience.

I would consider myself a reality TV buff. I have seen many of the programs that stations have to offer and would consider myself an aficionado. For the longest time, if asked the question "What is the best reality show on television?", the response would have been Survivor. Ask the same question now and my answer would be The Amazing Race. I have thought long and hard about what makes The Race so enjoyable to watch and I think that I have narrowed it down to a few points including the awesome destinations, the unique and creative challenges, the non-torturous environment, and the fact that anything actually can happen. If I had the chance to be on any reality show, this would be it. I know I would do well on Survivor, but The Race is a different sort of beast. In The Amazing Race, you can outwit, outplay, and outlast (so goes the Survivor motto) and still lose because your stinkin' cab driver gets stuck in traffic...will not drive up on the curb to go around...because he cannot understand a word you are saying...because you do not speak the same random language he speaks...nor does he care since it is not his race for $1 million. I just flat out love it!

Softball is right around the corner and I am pretty jazzed up about it. From what I am hearing, I will be playing shortstop this year, which is the only position I never played growing up. During our practices over the past few weeks, I spent most of my time fielding ground balls at short, getting used to the angle of the throw over to first base, and turning double plays. For the most part, I feel very comfortable. More comfortable than I expected actually. I have also been pleasantly surprised at the fielding range I have. Since losing a bunch of weight over the past 2 years, my reflexes are much improved and my movements are quicker and more crisp. I am very confident about my new role. My preseason prediction for Team Bad Guy is 7-3. Bring it on! I love a challenge.

Tuesday rocks!

Odd Scholarships

2005-03-07T11:32:00.000-05:00

What is odd about these scholarships is that there is nothing scholastic about them. If you are a tall male (6'2" or taller), a tall female (5'10" or taller), or are simply left-handed, you already qualify, so apply now!

Handing Out Thanks

2005-02-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

I would like to thank everybody and everything that has made is impossible to blog over the past two weeks:

All the sick people who have worn down my immune system until my body finally gave in to the germs

The Greatest Show on Earth

Accenture and the WGC for holding a match play tournament only once a year

My fiance for wanting a nice wedding

Myself, for not wanting to be as fat as I am in this picture, or this one, at the wedding.

Atlanta traffic

Guns 'N Roses cover band, Appetite For Destruction, their great music, and excellent party atmosphere

Michael Jackson...if something is wrong, he is usually behind it.

Team Bad Guy softball

and finally, The Academy, for putting together a relatively uninteresting show and giving awards to movies that most of mainstream America could not care less about (see The Aviator)

The Honeymoon

2005-02-16T15:21:00.000-05:00

Finally, something exciting has come out of all the wedding planning. The honeymoon to Aruba has been set! Woohoo! I cannot wait to spend a week on the beach getting a tan, eating unhealthy food, and drinking frosty beverages with the new wife (that last part sounds scary). The trip will be just what I need to relax after the action-packed wedding weekend and stressful year of planning. Bring it on!

Is it May yet?

Atlanta Symphony Center

2005-02-10T16:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, design plans for the new Atlanta Symphony Center were unveiled. The building will be located at the corner of Peachtree and 14th Streets, and could be a defining landmark for the city when it opens in 2008. As someone who is interested in The Arts, I think this is an awesome and unique addition to Atlanta. It will be very exciting to see a performance in a venue of this magnitude.

Wedding Website Released!

2005-02-08T15:29:00.000-05:00

Last night at about 10PM, my wedding website went live. Sarah and I spent many long hours putting together some excellent information for out of town guests and introducing the wedding party to everybody. We hope everybody enjoys our blood, sweat, and tears.

Since the release, we have received positive feedback from many of our visitors. Here is what they are saying:

"What a great idea to have your own website!" - Melissa Pittman

"Your website is really fun, warm, and very helpful." - Joe and Evy Braun

"Awwww..." - Andrew Scott Johnson

"This website is just THE BEST!" - Kristy & Michael Gothelf

"That site is really cool. I just showed everyone." - Nancy Johnson

I hope you are ready for this. Do you have a pen or pencil ready? Here is where to go:

http://www.mybigfatatlantawedding.com

or

http://www.mybigfatjewishwedding.com

Do not be the last person to check it out!

More Super Pics

2005-02-08T11:14:00.000-05:00

Robert's Super Bowl XXXIX party pics.

Super Successful

2005-02-08T07:15:00.000-05:00

Sarah and I hosted a Super Bowl on Sunday and the exit polls are looking rather favorable. We entertained 16 people in our apartment, made a huge platter of chicken nachos, and brought in 5 pizzas and 100 wings...mmm mmm good.

I would say that the Super Bowl party was super successful and here's why:

1. While watching an episode of Food 911 on the Food Network, I learned an excellent recipe for chicken nachos using rotisserie chicken and a homemade cheese sauce. I prepared the dish for all the guests and they loved it. The nachos went like wildfire, and there were so popular that a couple of people have already asked for the recipe. Not that I want to give away all my secrets, but here is a freebie.

2. The game was good. I was pulling for the Patriots over the Eagles despite the Eagles having two former Clemson players starting on defense. What made the game more enjoyable was the betting that went on during it. We played a game where the we picked the right-most digit of the score for each team at the end of each quarter. Lucky for me, I won three of the four quarters and made back a few of the bucks I spent buying all the food.

3. I have been a little down on the fact that a bunch of my friends are moving or have already moved away from Atlanta recently, but this get-together made me feel a little better. It was nice having a bunch of people over for a good time where everybody could see and/or meet other friends of ours.

Thanks to Brian for taking a few pics of the extravaganza.

A Cold, Dark Weekend

2005-01-31T16:45:00.000-05:00

With the winter storming hitting the Southeast, it made for a pretty crappy weekend. All we got was a half inch of snow/sleet/freezing rain and we were without power for over 15 hours. Yeah, that was a blast.

Before the storm got into town, a trip to Target and Publix (which ended up closing early) was made to get the essentials: DVD's and chips. While at the store, we saw our next door neighbor doing the same thing and we decided have an easy night together. A couple hours later while watching TV, the power went out leaving the evening's plans in disarray. Back to Target.

The second trip to Target had a different feeling. The first trip left me pleased and excited for a lazy night, but the second trip was the exact opposite. We were scrambling for necessities like flashlights, games, and Duralogs. We purchased the cheapest flashlights possible (we definitely got what we pad for), Scattergories, and Harry Potter Uno. All the fake fire wood logs were sold out. They had these Chimney Sweep logs things, but who knows what sort of crap chemicals we would be inhaling all night. Back to the apartment.

Back at the apartment...well...nothing was going on. The parking garage was pitch black as were everybody's apartments. I could not handle sitting in the darkness, so Sarah and I went out to eat. We ate deliciously bad food. I enjoyed it. Back to the apartment.

At this point, our place was freezing and all we had was candle light. There was nothing to do except play Scattergories with our neighbor Laura and her brother. In the end, the night was pretty decent actually (I think it was the rum that Laura brought over). All I know is that I hate the cold, hate the snow, and hate how unprepared the South is for winter weather.

Ballroom Dancing

2005-01-26T15:40:00.000-05:00

In preparation for our wedding, Sarah and I have begun taking ballroom dance classes. Our first class was last night and we learned the basic steps for the Foxtrot. Of course, being the dance pros that we are, picking up the Foxtrot was no problem at all. While many of the other couples (especially the guys) stumbled around the room, Sarah and I gracefully danced the night away.

From what we were told, aside from the Foxtrot, we will be learning the Waltz and Swing. About eight years ago, Sarah and I took swing lessons from this little old couple named John and Ginny up in New Jersey. It should be interesting to see the differences between what we learned from them and what we learn in this class. Either way, I expect us to blow everybody out of the water.

My First Year

2005-01-26T09:55:00.000-05:00

Today is my one year anniversary at PGA.com. When I came into the office and announced the good news, Todd replied, "A year, huh? Seems like longer." What's that supposed to mean, Todd? Todd's opinion does not phase me that much though. He is one of those artsy-fartsy Mac guys. They are impossible to please.

Aside from Todd's badgering, I have enjoyed my first year here. Both the people and the work are cool and exciting. The environment is exactly what I am looking for and I am pleased with my decision to come work for the company.

Where is all my time?

2005-01-21T14:33:00.000-05:00

Where is all my time?
A Haiku by Mark Richards

I have no free time
My time no longer is mine
Hope to get it back

My Pictures

2005-01-10T13:28:00.000-05:00

I have finally gotten off my lazy ass...not to post to my blog more, but to put up some pictures that I have taken over the past few months. I opened up a free account at Flickr a while back and now want to put it to use. The plan is to keep this space as my primary location for all my digital images, which is why I am adding a link to the right navigation under the "Links" section called "My Flickr".

Take a look at my most excellent photography skills!

Not Just Another Year

2005-01-03T13:43:00.000-05:00

Bah! Currently, I am sitting back here at work in my cubicle in front of this stupid computer screen after two weeks off. I would be lying if I said that I was not trying to figure out how I could "get rich quick" and have many more two week vacations. Getting back to work is never any fun.

The past two weeks may have been the best vacation I have ever had. It was the perfect combination of family, friends, down time, NYC visiting, shopping, etc. I could not have planned it any better.

With 2005 already in full swing, the year feels like any other (working, exercising, dieting). I would venture to guess that this is not going to be just another year though since I am getting married in a few months. My nerves have officially kicked in.

With that being said, I know this is going to be a great year for me personally. So, I would like to take the chance to wish everybody a Happy New Year, and a spectacular 2005!

Oops!

2004-12-17T13:10:00.000-05:00

I just spilled strawberry Slim-Fast on my wireless keyboard here at work. It is now nasty, sticky, and smells like strawberries. I am sure the keys will be nice and gross when I return to work in two weeks. I think that means it is time for me to leave and begin my vacation. If that is not a sign, then I do not know what is!

The Winner

2004-12-14T15:27:00.000-05:00

Last night I beat Sarah in Trivial Pursuit. I was beating her pretty badly when she came storming back with a vengeance. We were neck and neck...battling tooth and nail. In the end, I was able to fend off her attack, and her relentless attempts to cheat, and come out victorious.

It was a good night.

Who Broke Out The Fly Swatter?

2004-12-06T13:31:00.000-05:00

My friends from New Jersey keep dropping like flies. Blake, a long-time friend from high school, got engaged this weekend to his girlfriend of two years, Katie. That makes four (including myself) of my high school crew who have agreed to "tie the knot". That number seems to be increasing on a monthly basis. What a weird feeling.

According to a source close to the situation (Blake), the joyous event happened after a nice dinner, out by the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City. Good work Blake...very romantic! While I have not had the chance to get to know Katie as well as would like, I do know that she is a sweet, kind, and funny person, and that her and Blake will be very happy together.

Congratulations Blake and Katie!

Sports Fight - Part 2: Clemson/South Carolina Game

2004-12-01T15:23:00.000-05:00

When I started writing about all this sports and fighting stuff I was real fired up. Now, a couple of weeks later (and a couple of Thanksgiving pounds later), I still feel very passionate about the fight that occurred between my Clemson Tigers and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

I have tons to say about the situation, but I cannot bring myself to get worked up about it again. Thank goodness JP was able to get his thoughts down before he got fed up with the situation.

Here are a few quick thoughts on the subject:

The fight was unfortunate and uncalled for, and strict punishment was necessary. In no way do I condone the actions of either team.

USC set the tone for the day when they met the Tigers before the game at the bottom of the hill...they did not come to play football...they came to fight.

USC Head Coach Lou Holtz said the Gamecocks started the fight. Who do you think started it: the team that won the last two games by a combined score of 92-24 (Clemson), or the team that lost (USC)?

The fight lasted 70 seconds, and the field was cleared in under six minutes...not 15 minutes as reported by the media.

Florida and Florida State had a fairly bad fight last year. Did they not accept bowl bids? No. Were any of players suspended? No.

Would either team have turned down a $15 million BCS bowl this year? No. Will they now be forced to turn down a BCS bowl if a similar situation occurs again? Who knows.

On a final note, ESPN (which includes losers like Trev Alberts, Mark Madden, Jim Rome, the producers, and many more) can bite ass for misrepresenting the fight as they did. For days and days, I watched game footage and interview highlights that portray the fight, the team, the coach, and the school unfairly. I was at the game. I saw what happened. I felt the emotion. These "journalists" did not.

All I can say, is that I now realize that these guys you see on TV and listen to on the radio have no more of an idea or what is going on than you and I. Why is that? Because all they do is watch highlights and report on the clips that some video nerd put together. Their coverage of the fight shows a lack of journalistic integrity by not researching what "actually" happened. How hard can it be to sit in a booth somewhere and make bold, obnoxious, and uneducated comments like they do on a daily basis.

Heck...isn't that what blogging is all about? Where is my 6 figure paycheck and television show?

Sports Fight - Part 1: Pacers/Pistons Game

2004-11-22T21:49:00.000-05:00

Friday evening, I was at a bar in Clemson when I saw one of the nastiest scenes I have ever seen anywhere, let alone at a sporting event. For those of you who have been living in a cave somewhere, a skirmish that began on the court between the Indiana Pacers’ Ron Artest and the Detroit Pistons’ Ben Wallace, turned into a riot situation between the players and the fans.

Late in the fourth quarter, with the result of the game a foregone conclusion, Ron Artest fouled Ben Wallace with a relatively hard hack to the arm. Wallace took exception and went after Artest. For a moment it seemed as if control would be regained. Regrettably, that never happened. An already ugly situation was about to be taken to the next level.

The fight spread to the stands when a fan tossed a beer at Pacers’ guard Ron Artest. Artest jumped into the stands and went after the man who he thought threw the beer. Unfortunately for Artest, the guy who he chased into the stands and attacked was not even the guy who threw the original beer……I smell a lawsuit coming. A few of the other Pacers players flowed into the stands, some to pull Artest off the fan and some to get in a couple of shots themselves. And that’s when the melee ensued.

Fists were flying, drinks were being tossed, chairs thrown, dustpans swung: I was witnessing the most deplorable fight between fans and players in American sports history. The fight lasted nearly twenty minutes and ranged from the stands, to the court, to the tunnel to the locker room. Fans were attacking players from the front, from the back, and from the side…and the players likewise. I found the entire scene extremely unnerving to watch on live television (the game was broadcast on ESPN). By the time the officials, security, and team representatives had regained control of the game, there was no choice but to cancel the game.

Since then, the NBA has come down swiftly, yet harshly, on the participants with the largest penalty being dealt to the Pacers’ Ron Artest: a 73 game suspension. In total, nine players were suspended by the NBA for a total of 143 games! That has to be some sort of record.

I have mixed emotions on the severity of Artest’s punishment. Let me start off by saying that there is virtually no reason for any athlete to jump into the stands and chase down a fan. Name calling, racial slurs, family insults, drink throwing, etc. by fans is unacceptable and should not be tolerated, but that is something that athletes must endure. It is one of the many prices of fame and fortune. But to say that I would be able to control my emotions and react appropriately beyond a shadow of a doubt would be a lie.

I am a relatively peaceful person. I do not believe in, or condone, violence of any nature. But sometimes it happens. If I had played an entire game of basketball, been in the middle of an on-the-court skirmish, and then had a beer thrown in my face, I do not know how I would have reacted. All I can say is that I have over-reacted to smaller situations and cannot truthfully predict how I would react. Having said that, the comment is in no way a justification for Artest’s or any of the players’ actions. Do you think you are a better person than Ron Artest? Let me come to your job and throw a beer in your face.

This is not the first time Ron Artest has been suspended for fighting. Unfortunately, he has a history of this. He had shown signs of controlling his temper in recent months, but obviously his attempts were not as successful as I wanted to believe. His history is why I feel that the suspension is justified. I do not think he needs to be taught a lesson though. I think he needs to get help, and hopefully some tough love can straighten him out.

What about the fans though? What responsibility do they have in this? Well, first off, they need to keep their mouths shut and not make all the inappropriate comments. I understand sports are a passion for many people, myself included. But fans should not think that they are better than the athletes or that they know “who” these athletes even are. Fans have no right to judge these people, which happens all too often.

To be honest, I think what bothers me the most is that the NBA players are going to get stuck twice for this. Yes, they were wrong. They deserved to be suspended and fined. But now, many of them are going to face legal action as well. In the case where Artest attacked the wrong fan, this legal action will be appropriate. But then there is the case where the fan has an unfair advantage. Fans who were not attacked by the players, but did attack them will never see any form of retribution. Charges will be pressed against the fans and very little will come from it, while some of the players will lose millions of dollars to undeserving fans. It seems a little unjust and unfair to me.

And to the fans that were on the court and got clocked, they deserved it. Once you put yourself on the playing field, you are fair game. You are obviously where you should not be, and the players, coaches, and referees do not know your intentions. Are you looking to attack someone? Cause harm with a weapon? Who knows, so why not just stay off the playing area and stay out of trouble.

All I know is that the fight was disgusting. It was a terrible display by Ron Artest, a bunch of other players, and the fans of Detroit. I have rambled on now for far too long and without saying all that I would like. But this needed to be said since the repercussions of this horrific event have played a role in a much more personal situation: the Clemson/South Carolina brawl.

My New Beer

2004-11-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

Last night, I had the pleasure of going out to dinner with a couple of old fraternity brothers of mine, one of whom I had not seen in a couple of years (Is that sentence grammatically correct?). Anyway, that is not the point this post, so I will not bore anyone with the details. The point is that I now have a new favorite beer: Flying Dog's In-Heat Wheat.

I stumbled across this beer when my usual wheat beers, Hoegaarden and Hefeweizen, were nowhere to be found on the restaurant's menu. The beer was extremely smooth, easy to drink, and quite tasty. Flying Dog has an entire line of beers ranging from light to dark and bitter to smooth. Many choices for the picky beer drinker.

Although I have only tried "Flying Dog's In-Heat Wheat", I am confident in recommending it to beer drinkers across the world.

Hmmm.....maybe I can get some Flying Dog Beer for the wedding...

Question: Cool or tool?

2004-11-17T14:00:00.000-05:00

The Scenario
Saturday night, I went to see Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason with three attractive females. I wanted to see The Grudge, but was unable to due to the inconvenience of the show times.

The Question
Am I "cool" for going out with three attractive ladies, or a "tool" for seeing the new Bridget Jones movie?

My Take
The movie was decent considering that it was a big time chick flick, and that I had never seen the first Bridget Jones. I actually am a big fan of many British actors including Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. That made the outing much less painful.

Even I am unsure of the answer to the question. My vote is for cool, but only because the alternative sucks.

New DVD

2004-11-17T13:36:00.000-05:00

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is set to be released on DVD this Tuesday. Guess what I will be purchasing that day? If you do not currently own any of the DVD's, may I suggest purchasing the Years 1-3 Collection, which contains all the DVD's released to date.

Bad Sign

2004-11-11T09:31:00.000-05:00

I had a ton of trouble sleeping last night. While that may not seem odd, the reason for my lack of sleep is: I was dreaming about the setup and decorations for the wedding. That is probably a sign that this whole wedding planning thing is starting to get to me. That is a little scary.

I would like to clarify my fears. I am not scared of the wedding, or getting married, or anything like that. But the fact that I am losing sleep over the details of my wedding is scary. Maybe that is understandable though. This week alone, I have already been to heavy duty powwows with the Rabbi at The Temple and the Catering Manager at the Grand Hyatt. And today, I have another appointment with another florist. It is all so exhausting and time consuming.

I sure hope we are nearing a point where the number of meetings will subside. May 29th cannot get here fast enough.