Zesty!!

Bye Bye Zesty

2005-10-28T11:49:00.000-04:00

If you're looking for the personal blog of, well me, check out the new Billfer blog. Zesty will remain for archiving purposes, but new content will be found at the new site.

Costco.com

2004-12-06T20:33:00.000-05:00

At Costco you can know get a defibrilator. Conveniently enough, if it doesn't work, you can also get caskets.

2004-11-17T10:17:00.000-05:00

If you've never put Fritos in your chili, it's about time you started.

2004-11-12T13:14:00.000-05:00

Parenting challenges

So the other day Billy, who's now 3 1/2 was throwing a ball at his sister Kaitlyn who is 1 1/2. It was a very soft/light ball that wasn't hurting Kaitlyn, and she didn't seem to mind. However, as a responsible parent I felt the need to discourage this type of behavior. When I asked Billy to stop he had the following explanation of why it was okay to throw stuff at his sister:

"But Daddy, Kaitlyn is a Spartan and I'm a Michigan guy...I'm Marlin Jackson #3...and Michigan guys beat the Spartans and that's why I'm beating her and throwing the ball at her."

Wow. I didn't know what to say. On one hand he can't throw stuff at other people, especially his sister. On the other hand, he was right, Michigan does beat the Spartans. Plus I didn't want to stifle his creativity, and if he wanted to pretend to be someone, Marlin Jackson is a pretty good guy for him to be. This is where it's important to think quick if you're a parent. After pausing a moment, it seemed like the only appropriate thing to say was "Billy, Katy isn't a Spartan and it's not nice to throw things at people or call them names."

2004-11-10T16:21:00.000-05:00

Maurice Clarrett and the OSU allegations

Now I don't know if all of what Maurie Clarrett has said about The Ohio State University is true, but I'm damn sure that some of it is true. While Andy Geiger can say the the NCAA has already performed their investigation and found nothing, Michigan basketball fans can tell you that it doesn't mean a whole lot. NCAA investigators can't force people to talk. Clarett clearly stonewalled the first time, as did UM basketball players. It was only when the Grand Jury got involved that substantive proof came out. With a more cooperative Clarrett, the NCAA will have more information.

While there are a ton of pretty damning charges, the one that may hurt OSU the most are the academic related ones. Specifically, I'm talking about the joke of a curriculum that is available for football players. While not as horrible as paying players, it is more documentable. The transcripts and course catalogs make up the paper trail. It is similar to busting Al Capone for tax evasion, but it may be the easiest to prove.

As a Michigan fan I'm not gloating about this. I'm just happy that UM isn't under the microscope.

2004-11-10T14:57:00.000-05:00

When it comes to holidays, I'm not the most festive guy around. This is especially true at Halloween. Aside from eating too much candy, I don't really participate. I don't do costume parties, mostly because I don't like coming up with costumes. This disappoints the wife greatly because she really gets into every holiday. And now with the kids, I know she really wanted me to get more interested in this sort of stuff.

That's why this year I decided to try do something fancy pumpkin carving. The result is this:

I got the pattern from The Pumpkin Wizard which has oodles of patterns for free. I really enjoyed doing this, and while it was time consuming (about 3 hours) it wasn't especially difficult. The kids thought it was really cool. I think each year that will be my way of contributing to the holiday

2004-11-02T07:02:00.000-05:00

The Big Ten Championship Game er... I mean the Rose Bowl.

Now how is this for a great BCS scenario:

1. Oklahoma, Auburn, and Utah lose at some point
2. Michigan and Wisconsin win out.
3. Cal remains ahead of the other one loss teams in BCS rankings(they're currently #4 ahead of undefeated Wisconsin)

Then you would be looking at a scenario where USC would meet Cal in the Orange Bowl for the National Championship. The Big XII champ would be in the Fiesta bowl, probably against the Big East champ. The SEC champ would probably be playing the ACC champ in the Sugar Bowl. That would leave Wisconsin to face an at large team in the Rose Bowl.

Now of the candidates for at large teams that Wisconsin could face, you'd have Texas or Oklahoma (one would probably be conf. champ), Auburn or Tennessee or Georgia (depending on how things shake out in the SEC), Miami, and Michigan. Of those teams, what would be the most compelling opponent for Wisconsin? I know I'm biased, but I think the chance to have these two teams match up would be spectacular.

Unfortunately, there are a bunch of reasons why this probably won't happen. First, a lot of chips have to fall the right way to set up the scenario in the first place. Second, would the Rose Bowl take two teams from the same conference? I know that they love Michigan and that the Wolverine alumni travel well. But it would be an unconventional move. Also, given the lack of strength in the Big Ten this year, it would be hard to justify an at large spot to a weak conference, when there are probably more deserving teams in the other conferences (specifically SEC and Big XII). Also, Michigan is currently 11 in the BCS. You have to be in the top 12 to be considered. The computers don't love Michigan because of the weak schedule, and it's possible that they could continue to win, and still drop in the computers without a big game left. (So pull for ND to beat Tenn Michigan fans.)

2004-11-02T06:36:00.000-05:00

Lawn campaign signs
I don't get people who put signs in their yard indicating which candidate they are supporting - especially for presidential elections. What is the intention? Are they hoping to sway people? What really is the net effect, except to create work for the sign people. Have you ever voted for somebody because your neighbor had a sign in their yard?

Now I know that my neighbors realize they probably aren't going to sway the way people vote. Maybe it's just a show of support, similar to the way I put up my Michigan flag on every gameday Saturday. I know that I'm not going to make more people become U of M fans. However, if that is the case, shouldn't these campaign signs then stay up throughout the president's term (for the winner at least). Did you suddenly stop supporting your candidate now that he won?

I do have to give the green party credit. You just don't see the unnecessary signs from them. They know that the signs will just end up in a landfill someplace, and as they decompose the ink will leach into the soil and contaminate the groundwater. Either that or they just haven't found anybody who wants their signs.

2004-11-02T06:34:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it's been a whole year. Frankly, I just got tired of having to think of stuff to write about on a daily basis. However, over the last couple of weeks I've felt the need to editorialize. With that, I'm back. But I don't know how long this will last. It could just be this week, or it could be for the long haul. I'll just have to see.

2003-11-13T08:05:00.000-05:00

I saw this story about people becoming addicted to Tivo and I checked it out because I'm a ReplayTV owner. Now I love my ReplayTV, and if you talk to me for any length of time I will tell you how wonderful it is, and that you should get one too. However, some of these people are a little screwed up. They get stressed out about how much TV they have to catch up on: "I get to the point now where I skip going to the gym so I can keep up with watching "Dawson's Creek (news - Y! TV)" reruns," which are broadcast for two hours each day, he said. "I look forward to when they end so I won't be stressed."

Now the point of Tivo or ReplayTV is that you are no longer a slave to TV schedules (which one should probably argue you shouldn't be a slave to TV schedules in the first place). Instead, these people are becoming a slave to Tivo.

I too find myself with a lot of shows to catch up with sometimes. However, it is nothing to get stressed about. Instead, just be more selective about what you watch.

Quotes and stuff

2003-11-07T14:58:00.000-05:00

In my last post I mentioned the Steve Martin/Father of the Bride "some big shot at the hot dog factory...." quote. That got me thinking about how often I use that (way too much actually). I started thinking about other quotes that I use for a variety of contexts. Now even though the quote may have meant one thing in the show/movie, I apply these to various situations.

Kramer-I'm out there Jerry, and I'm loving every minute of it
Cheers-Not everyone likes fondue (when somebody is bitching about something, or doesn't like a food)
Homer-mmm(insert anything here)
Homer-You tried and failed, the important thing to learn is never try
Die Hard-And the quarterback is toast
George Clooney on Friends-God bless the chick pea

I'm sure there's more that I use, those are just some that come to mind quickly. What are some quotes that you interject into conversation on a regular basis?

Branding people are goofy

2003-11-07T14:52:00.000-05:00

My buddy Mike and I often mock advertising and branding strategies. I guess we're more traditional and we just aren't receptive to being sold an "image". I prefer the advertisements that inform me of something (like a sale or new product). I like funny beer ads, but while I remember the jokes I don't always remember which beer it was-and it's never caused me to buy that brand of beer (one exception here is the Coors light ads with the twins, I almost bought Coors light). I also think way too much analysis goes into ads and logos and all that other stuff.

That's why I was pretty peeved to find out that my bank was changing it's logo-not it's name, it's logo. Standard Federal recently switched to the logo of it's parent company ABN Amro. I actually don't care what the logo is. What frustrates me is that they sent a 8.5 X 11 four page, full color pamphlet, along with a letter, to tell me that while the logo is changing, nothing else is. So why change the logo? Why bear the expense of the stupid mailer telling me nothing else is changing? Why nickel and dime me in bank charges when you can afford the mailer, new ATM cards, and new signs at all the branches? I actually had to go to a branch (this only happens about once a year). As we were pulling into the parking lot I said to the wife-"Good thing we got that big mailer, or else I would have kept driving even though the name is the same, and building is the same."

So it's not so much the logo that bothers me, it's all the cost that goes into changing the logo when there is no reason to do it. It is situations like this that remind me of Father of the Bride when Steve Martin goes on his rant about the disparity between the number of buns in a package, and the number of hot dogs in a package. "Because some big shot at the branding strategy company, got together with some big shot at the bank..."

I'm back, at least for now

2003-11-07T14:39:00.000-05:00

Wow-Two and a half months away from blogging. The time has really flown. What kept me away? A bunch of stuff really. Both of my jobs got really busy about the same time. Therefore, less free time to goof around. Another reason is I just ran out of stuff to say-or maybe I became more selective about what to say. This was kind of coming for a while, as evidenced by about 5 posts all summer. It used to be that if I had any thought/observation/witty remark, I'd instantly blog it. Now, that has become less of a priority, which is really a shame because I've had several relevant thoughts. Unfortunately, by not capturing them in any way they are now gone. Trust me, I'm more disappointed about that than you are.

That being said, I've had several people come up to me and ask for some blog entries, so I figured I'd get back into this. Since I last blogged a lot of family stuff has been going on. My sister Kristin got married, which is awesome. Best of luck to you guys. Billy was the ring bearer at the wedding, and he looked really cute on the big day. He nailed the ring bearing at rehearsal, but had a tough time on the big day.

Katilyn is seven months and doesn't hate me anymore. That makes life around the house much more enjoyable. She's on the brink of crawling, and like most 6-7 months old can grab anything in site and have it in her mouth instantly. She's much harder to keep entertained than Billy was...or maybe I'm not as entertaining as I used to be.

Billy is two and a half, and some days life is rough (for everyone). At least I've become desensitized to "I don't like you." It was brutal the first couple times hearing it, but now I'm used to it. Luckily, he's generally a happy guy, and the happy times are much more plentiful than the sad ones.

In October we took a quick trip up to Frankenmuth and stayed at the Bavarian Inn Lodge. It's a great place to spend a night with the kids. It was a nice get away. We didn't spend too much at Birch Run, it didn't rain, and we ate a lot of chicken. The next day we went to visit with Great Grandma. (well, Billy and Kaitlyn's great grandma)

Other than that, the weekends have been filled with watching football, and not a lot of home improvement projects.

Well, that's a quick update. Maybe I'll get back into doing this more often.

2003-08-21T07:37:00.000-04:00

At what point, if ever, do you stop yearning to be an undergrad again? I was on the UM campus yesterday. Man, I miss it. Now that I'm coming to the end of my 20's, I figured I'd be growing out of it, but nope. It's still there. Especially this time of year when it's "back to school" time. That first couple weeks was always the best. School hadn't started yet, you had very few responsiblities, the weather was beautiful, football season was kicking off, you got to catch up with old friends. So much fun, or as Bill Simmons would say, "good times." Part of what made going up to school each year so fun, is that every year there was something new to look forward to. Freshman year is a new experience. Sophmore year you knew the ropes and what you were doing, plus you got to catch up with people you hadn't seen for awhile. My Junior year was my first year living off campus in an apartment, and senior year 1 was the first year I could frequent bars.

Man, I miss it, or did I say that already.

2003-06-27T07:27:00.000-04:00

Go here to sign up for the National Do Not Call Registry

2003-06-26T09:35:00.000-04:00

I figured I should post something here this month, so I'll just say that SBC sucks...Well on second thought, I'll explain why they suck. Our phone stopped working. The dial tone is either not there, or very staticy. I used their very nice and efficient automated trouble reporting system. This was on Monday. I was told the phone service would be fixed by 6pm on Tuesday, I'm thinking that this sounds pretty good. Well, six o'clock rolls around, and its still not fixed. Laura, the lovely wife, calls and according to SBC, it's fixed. Huh. What's even more amazing is that SBC apparently already spoke with us to confirm it was fixed. Huh. So we get put back into the repair queue, and it's supposed to be done by 6pm on Wednesday. I'm checking throughout the day, still not working. At 6 I check the trouble status, and it has been updated to say that the repair will be delayed until 5:51pm Thursday. Let's just say I'm not holding my breath.

2003-05-22T18:51:00.000-04:00

Well, after 28 years my eyesite is finally giving way. I'd been having a bunch of headaches lately, and periods of disorientation after working on the computer for awhile. I went for my very first eye exam ever and turns out I'm farsighted. My eyes had been trying so hard to focus that was what was causing my headaches and disorientation. Today I picked up my pair of "computer glasses." While I'm not complaining that I have to wear glasses now for the first time-because I know how fortunate I am to have good vision as long as I have. It's just one of the first signs that my body is getting older and stuff is starting to not work so good anymore. I've had a few gray hairs popping up the last two years, and I've had the usual assortment of aches and pains. But this is the first thing that has really "degraded" over time. I know at 28 I'm not old, but I still can't help but be a bit bummed.

As I'm getting older I know that Billy is also. I've pretty much decided I don't want him to get any older either. He's 27 months and more fun than I could have possibly imagined. He melts my heart every day when he tells me that I'm his "favorite guy."

Yahoo! News - Fox Brings Back 'Joe Millionaire' in Fall

2003-05-15T13:05:00.000-04:00

Yahoo! News - Fox Brings Back 'Joe Millionaire' in Fall Couldn't an alternate title be "America's dumbest women?"

2003-05-15T12:09:00.000-04:00

Reason #402 why I should run a network: The Bachelorette-Lesbian Edition. Twenty-five beautiful lesbians vie for the heart of America's most eligible lesbian bachelorette.

2003-05-15T12:05:00.000-04:00

Hey there, ho there.

Sorry its been awhile. I've been focusing my blogging activities on the Tiger blog. Anyways, my weight loss plan is a bust. I've been following it pretty much to the letter. Unfortunately I've lost no weight whatsoever. Fortunately I haven't gained any either.

Katilyn is getting bigger and sturdier, and I should probably make some more pictures available in the near future.

I'm still basking in the glow of not going to school anymore, and I'm still loving working at home.

Thats about all thats happened the last couple weeks.

2003-04-30T12:34:00.000-04:00

Partly because when I was playing softball on Sunday it seemed to take me a long time getting around the bases, partly because when there was a line drive hit to me, I jumped up expecting to get it, and it didn't even hit my glove, partly because my pants are getting tight on me, and partly because I want to look good in my speedo, I've decided to start another weight loss program. I actually started it on Monday when I weighed in at 221.5 pounds. My goal is to get to 215 by May 31st. Ideally I'd like to get to around 210, but I'll be satisfied with 215 because I'm comfortable at that weight. The program will be similar to the one from two years ago. No eating 3 hours before bed, no dessert type foods, watching my portion sizes, and emphasizing protein (not in an Atkins eating a hamburger without a bun, or only eating the toppings off pizza sort of way). After two days on the program, one of which I'm confident was a negative calorie day, and one which had to be at worst case scenario a neutral day, I'm at 224. Hmmm.

2003-04-30T10:17:00.000-04:00

And on a related subject, but something worthy of its own post, Jon Jansen established himself as a very astute, intelligent, and well spoken football player. Particularly for his recognition of athlete's responsiblities as role models. The discussion surrounded how much "character" should be a factor in selecting talent. The other players essentially said that as long as the players performance compensated for the other issues, then it wasn't a big deal. Jansen, took a different tact indicating that while on the field performance should be the main factor, professional athletes have to be accountable for their actions off the field as well. His point being, that being looked at under a microscope comes with the job. And while it would be nice if people would ignore athlete's professional lives, the fact of the matter is thats not going to happen and that you should be on your best behavior because like it or not a lot of people look up to athletes.

It was so refreshing to hear an athlete who actually "gets it."

2003-04-30T10:11:00.000-04:00

I know the NFL draft was last weekend, but I just haven't had time to blog since then. I love watching the draft, and I hate that I love watching the draft. ESPN did a couple new things this year that I really liked. First, they included Merril Hoge and Ron Jaworski doing their EA Sports (formerly Edge) NFL Matchup pieces in between the picks. I love when those guys break down the film, because I manage to learn a lot. Also, Andrea Kremer sat with a panel of current players including Bill Romanowski, Deuce McAllister, Cory Chavous, and Jon Jansen. The players brought another perspective, and with the exception of Deuce Mcallister, they all spoke their minds (did Deuce say anything?). Also, kudos to Kremer for asking some direct questions. The one thing I didn't like about their coverage was Denny Green. All he did was talk over everybody the whole time, and he did so loudly. I don't think he'll be back next year.

2003-04-28T15:58:00.000-04:00

I love ReplayTV. More on this later.

2003-04-28T15:57:00.000-04:00

If you have several classes, and you have a class that you are nervous about your grade, that will always be the last class to post grades.

2003-04-24T07:43:00.000-04:00

I am done with school!, I am done with school! (it may be hard to tell, but I'm dancing right now)

2003-04-23T09:15:00.000-04:00

"Everything I needed to know I learned by listening to They Might Be Giants"

amoebacode: Sports Guy Index

2003-04-23T09:14:00.000-04:00

Bill Simmons fans: The Sports Guy Index

Wired News: Seattle Slew Was Quite the Stud

2003-04-22T15:43:00.000-04:00

Inside the Numbers:
1066: The number of kids triple crown winner Seattle Slew sired before his death at the age of 28.
2: The number of kids I sired by the age of 28

2003-04-22T08:53:00.000-04:00

Grey Poupon is neither Gray nor Poop. Discuss amongst yourselves.

2003-04-22T08:52:00.000-04:00

In this weeks edition of Crain's Detroit Business (may require subscription) Mary Cramer outlined an interesting sports scenario for Detroit. What if, the Wings were to get a new home behind Illitch's Fox Theatre. Only instead of it being just the Wings, the Pistons came back to the city and moved down there as well. Then you'd have 4 major sports teams playing within a couple blocks. This is good for Illitch because he owns most of the land and many restaurants and would benefit even on Piston game nights. Also, it would be easier to finance a stadium with two owners than it would be with one. Not to mention the fact you could get huge prices for suites with a sporting event in town 5 nights a week. Also, the Palace in addition to hosting more concerts could then become the home of the Detroit (Tampa Bay) Lightning. Cobo Hall could be expanded into Joe Louis arena, and everybody is happy. Don't know if it would ever happen, but it is somthing interesting to ponder.

2003-04-22T08:42:00.000-04:00

So Sunday night apparently I had a racoon trapped in my garage. Well, it might have been a opossum, but it was definitely a critter with some girth and agility based on what happened and the muddy tracks it left everywhere. There wasn't any serious damage, just mostly stuff knocked over. I feel bad though because whatever it was got into some rat poison I had left from my rat encounter last summer. Hopefully our furry friend didn't ingest very much. Being that I have a fondness for most things nature(I say most because I have a particular aversion to the aforementioned rats, cockroaches, earwigs, and Joe's cat who peed on me) I don't want to cause it any harm.

2003-04-22T08:09:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow night I will be one happy camper. I will be finished with Grad School! One last final and I am done-forever. Good Times!

2003-04-22T08:08:00.000-04:00

Now that Kaitlyn Ann is almost 3 weeks old, I guess I need to get back to blogging. We have our good days, and our not quite as good days in the Ferris household. Billy has been great with Kaitlyn, and he seems to embrace being the big brother. Kaitlyn will go between 2-4 hours between feedings for the most part, and she's gaining weight nicely. While she is still fragile and small of course, it's amazing how much more solid she is in less than a month.

Kaitlyn Ann

2003-04-02T23:07:00.000-05:00

Introducing Kaitlyn Ann

Yahoo! News - Emmy-Winning Actor Jeter Dies

2003-04-01T13:48:00.000-05:00

Mr. Noodle's Brother, Mr. Noodle Dies

2003-03-28T15:10:00.000-05:00

Reason #34 Why I dig my consulting from home job: I'm sitting outside making this blog entry.

2003-03-27T08:29:00.000-05:00

You know that Saturn commercial where everybody is driving cardboard boxes? Pretty dumb ad, except for when they show the guy washing his cardboard box and its falling apart. That cracks me up.

2003-03-27T08:06:00.000-05:00

You ever notice that for some products, there is just too much selection? Take for example belts. All I wanted was a plain black belt. Meijers had like 49 different plain black belts. Why do there need to be that many. In my mind, belts are functional, not decorative and I just can't fathom why anybody would go through the hassle of designing that many types of belts. Do the belt manufacturers really sell that many more belts to justify all the additional design and manufacturing costs, as opposed to making like 3 different plain black belts?

2003-03-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Over the last couple years, I've done a pretty good job of cutting fast food out of my diet. I'll still eat Subway, and occasionally I'll get a grilled chicken sandwich from Wendy's, but that's about it. The problem is during the rare occasions that I do stop for fast food, I get all stymied at the drive through because I don't recognize the menus anymore. I know there's the old stand bys like Big Macs, Whoppers, and Bean Burritos, but with all the value meal combinations and stuff, I just feel so ill prepared. Last night I stopped at Taco Bell, and the drive through voice said "Welcome to Taco Bell, would you like to try our new steak quesadilla?" and my response was "Uhhhhhh, Okay." In related news it was pretty good. I figured it had to be good because the people in the commercials seem to like it, but I don't think they were faking it. It actually was good.

Twins Geek - Holy Communion

2003-03-21T09:59:00.000-05:00

I must say, I can't help be a little jealous after reading this. Afterall, I had to work yesterday.

BBC NEWS | In Depth | Reporters' Log: At war in Iraq

2003-03-20T14:21:00.000-05:00

BBC is blogging the war

CBS | Late Show Top Ten Archive: January 05, 1994

2003-03-20T13:38:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why, but this might be my favorite Letterman Top Ten list of all time.

2003-03-20T07:58:00.000-05:00

I get daily updates from Crain's, and included in yesterday's Bob Allen wrote:

"And not that this is of any importance in the grand scheme of things, but couldn't the White House find a more, well, muscular spokesman than Ari Fleischer, who looks as if he'd get the worst of it in a smack-down with Britney Spears? How about borrowing the football player in the Reebok ads. "Terry Tate: White House Spokesman." Much better.

2003-03-17T09:12:00.000-05:00

So I get this call last week, and the caller ID says that it is the US Military. The first thing they guy says, after introducing himself is-"We're calling to let you know that you've been drafted." Now I haven't been following the Iraq situation as closely as I should be, but I do know that they haven't instituted the draft-and even if they had and I'd missed it, at 28 I wouldn't be in the first group anyways. My response was a skeptical-"Oh Really?" Then the guy says- "naw, I'm just kidding." Turns out that it was a Army recruiting person, just making a recruiting call. Now is it me, or is that just not funny/appropriate/intelligent?

2003-03-17T09:07:00.000-05:00

Saturday night was quite the paradox for me. Here I was enjoying the beautiful weather, grilling burgers, having a beer- and chipping ice in my driveway.

Yahoo! News - Monarch Butterflies Recover from Killer Freeze

2003-03-13T19:17:00.000-05:00

Good News - Monarch Butterflies Recover from Killer Freeze 65 Million were killed last year, but there numbers have rebounded.

2003-02-28T08:18:00.000-05:00

Amazon receives highest customer satisfaction score ever
I'm guessing Russ wasn't one of the people surveyed.

Yahoo! News - NBC Locks in Locklear for Comedy

2003-02-26T08:21:00.000-05:00

Heather Locklear=Good

2003-02-25T07:20:00.000-05:00

Am I the only one that is a little bummed that the SI swimsuit issue isn't a big deal anymore? With the internet, and the infusion of raunch into primetime (like the Victoria's Secret fashion show, Fear Factor's D-Cup Special, and anything on FOX) SI seems so tame now. I guess I still think back to when I was in school, and there would always be a couple guys who would "sneak" it in to school-and who would instantly become popular. I remember gathering around a table before class in biology class for like two weeks to look at Kelly Lew's copy-the one with Kathy Ireland in front of the waterfall. I just don't think kids are doing that anymore.

Part of it is SI's fault. The swimsuit issue is just too big now (I can't believe I'm saying it either), and it's seperated from the regular magazine. I sat down to flip through it, and because it was so big, I didn't even bother.

2003-02-25T07:11:00.000-05:00

I watched more of the Grammy's last night than I planned on, and I'm in agreeance with John about not knowing any of the artists. I knew some songs, like I dig that A Thousand Miles song, but I'd never even heard of Norah Jones before Sunday. I need to get out more-either that or stop watching really crappy TV like "I'm a Celebrity."

Speaking of "celebrities" do you ever wonder how some people attained that status-say like Sandra Bernhard?

Back to the Grammy's, I missed Simon and Garfunkel's performance. They need to go on tour, and pair up with Billy Joel and Elton John and have their own Nostalgia-palooza.

2003-02-25T07:04:00.000-05:00

Well, now that Laura's on bedrest, I've been trying to help out and do more around the house. There's alot to get done with the cleaning and laundry and such, and add bed rest on to that and there's not enough hours in the day. That is why I have offered to do the resting, because Laura isn't very good at sitting still-unlike me.

Welcome to A Sightseer's Guide to Engineering

2003-02-17T09:12:00.000-05:00

Engineering week fun...Welcome to A Sightseer's Guide to Engineering

2003-02-17T08:10:00.000-05:00

Now that I've been a home owner and doing various projects for several years now, I've learned several lessons. By far the most important is, "use the right tool for the job." As someone who is fairly young, I haven't always had many tools, and as a result, I would make do with what I had (or could borrow from Dad). The results were often mixed. Sometimes things would work out, and other times I'd finish the job-but it wouldn't turn out right, and I would usually use many colorful expressions along the way. Yesterday I put up baseboards, chair rail, and crown moulding in my basement office. The part I hate most about finish carpentry isn't the cutting (practice has helped me get better at it, plus Dad's compound mitre saw), it is trying to hold it and nail it at the same time, and then missing a stud and having it pop out, and then hammering my fingers several times, and then having to go back and counter sink all the holes. Yesterday I rented a finish nailer for $28 from Home Depot (+ $8 for nails) and it was so worth it. I was able to fly when it came time to nail it up, and all the holes are already countersunk. As an added bonus, my runs are level because I didn't have the piece slipping as much. The only cursing I did was trying to get my crown moulding corners to work out (I gave up), and when I was coping an inside corner for my chair rail, I also coped my finger. The moral of the story is, get the right tools for the job.

Also, if you were wondering what to get me for National Engineers Week, might I suggest the Paslode Impulse IM250II Straight 16 Ga Finish Nailer. I'll even let you borrow it.

2003-02-13T22:24:00.000-05:00

If you've been listening to sports talk radio at all the last two days, I'm sure you've heard a ton about Annika Sorenstam playing in the Colonial on the LPGA tour. I can't believe how many people just aren't getting it. This isn't a big deal, it isn't women trying to infiltrate the PGA, men shouldn't be given the chance to play in LPGA events to even things out, and I don't see this being something for women to trumpet. I won't trivialize it by calling it a gimmick, because I do think it is slightly more interesting than that. My take is that Sorenstam is just curious to see how she'll do, and I think a lot of people are curious as well. It seems pretty common that people wonder how the best at one level would perform at the next level. I know I've wondered how the Miami Hurricanes would have fared against the lesser teams in the NFL. I see this being similar. And Sorenstam is the exception because she is just a lot better than any other women on tour. It's not like if she does well, others will follow. I just don't understand why so many men are upset about this.

2003-02-13T07:24:00.000-05:00

I had this nightmare last night, well not really a nightmare because it wasn't terrifying, just disturbing. I went to pick up my dry cleaning, and there was a sign on the door that the dry cleaner had gone out of business. I start to freak out and think where are my clothes? I read more of the sign and it says "Remaining clothes have been placed on the rack outside to the right of the door." Well I look to the rack, and it is empty except for some of those plastic bags and a couple of hangers. And I start to panic about what happened to my clothes, and then I woke up. I think it is a sign that I'm carrying around too much anxiety regarding dry cleaning.

2003-02-11T06:43:00.000-05:00

Has anybody else noticed the sign on southbound I-75 at 14 Mile that says These trees were illegally cut? What does it mean, who put it there?

UPDATE: I sent an inquiry to MDOT, and this is the response I received:

The Director asked me to respond to your e-mail regarding the "These Trees Were Cut Illegally" signs on the freeways in the Bay, Genesee and Saginaw counties.

Threes were cut in three areas, all near billboard locations. We received a report of one of the cuttings, but by the time our staff arrived they were finished. Threes were cut on I-75 south of Saginaw, southbound I-75 north of Pierson Road in Genesee County and on eastbound US-10 near Auburn.

People caught illegally cutting trees can be ticketed for destruction of state property if the value is under $500 (which it seldom is), or arresting if the value of the trees is over $500.

Any trees on MDOT right-of-way are the property of the people of Michigan. On a freeway that would be all the land within the fences along the roadsides. On non-freeways, MDOT right-of-way is usually within 15 to 30 feet of the road's shoulder.

The billboard company denies responsibility for the cutting of the trees. The signs are the one action we take that gets their attention.

Thank you for letting us answer your transportation questions. Please feel free to call or e-mail me if you have any other questions.

Welcome to Fisher-Price.com!

2003-02-06T18:52:00.000-05:00

For his 2nd birthday, Billy got the Fisher PriceGrow to Pro Basketball set. I've had a great deal of fun with it. Billy just wants to slam dunk (it's set at 3 feet now, but it moves to 6 feet). I'm trying to explain that there is more to the game than dunking, like the jump shot, bounce pass, and keeping your hands up on defense.
Well anyways, the manual includes directions on how to adjust the height: To raise the rim height to four, five or six feet, place your foot on the base and pull up on the backboard with both hands to remove the upper post from the base.You may need to rock the upper post to
loosen it from the base. Now here is the tip:
IMPORTANT! Since this may require a lot of force,
make sure you are not standing with your face or
chest above the backboard.

Yahoo! News - Student Sues to Change A to A-Plus

2003-02-06T18:35:00.000-05:00

So a student is suing his school district to change an A to A-Plus. The grade in dispute is for a work-term project in which the student worked for his mother. Mom says the boy deserves an A+ but the school doesn't give out grades higher than A. I'm not sure whether this story falls under asinine law suits, or the problem and/or obsession with grades. Another story in USA Today points out that while test scores are declining, GPA's are rising. At Harvard, 70% of students receive a grade of B+ or better, and 90% graduate with honors. At this point, why have grades? Why not make everything pass fail? I guess it is just easier for profs to give easy grades than to risk law suits.

Ranting and Roaring

2003-02-01T15:51:00.000-05:00

National Weather Service radar shot of shuttle disintegration

National Engineers Week: February 16-22, 2003

2003-01-31T14:28:00.000-05:00

Only 16 shopping days until National Engineers Week.

2003-01-31T14:02:00.000-05:00

Research sure has changed since I was an undergrad student. I remember thinking it was cool that there were online databases to search. These databases didn't have any soft of gui front end, and you had to be in the library to get to them for the most part. I've been doing some research for my consulting gig, and I'm able to remotely access various libraries catalogs via the web. What's more, a sizable number of journals are available online, so if your articles are current, you don't even have to go the library anymore. It's a beautiful thing.

The other thing I've noticed doing research, is that I don't mind it anymore. Maybe it is the fact I'm learning for the sake of learning (and getting paid) as opposed to learning for the sake of getting a grade.

2003-01-31T13:32:00.000-05:00

I've been spending way too much money lately. I know this because I have a whole lot of rebate money coming back. Between my cell phone, my computer, the whole turbo tax rebate extravaganza, and some other peripherals I need a whole system now for keeping track of what I've sent, when it's coming back, and what other pieces of information I need.

2003-01-31T13:28:00.000-05:00

Shameless plug of my other website: Russ has been pretty active lately over on the detroittigersweblog.com

ESPN.com: MLB - 'I will bleed black and orange until the day I die'

2003-01-30T17:02:00.000-05:00

Rob Neyer, one of my favorite baseball columnists interviews Josh Charles who played Dan Rydell on Sports Night, one of my favorite shows.

2003-01-30T09:43:00.000-05:00

When Shania Twain says, "Man, I feel like a woman" do you suppose she means:
(a) That's what she actually feels like, "I feel happy"
or
(b) That's what she's in the mood for, i.e. "I feel like a Bennigan's Monte Cristo"

I vote B.

2003-01-30T07:25:00.000-05:00

Every year, my parents get Laura, Billy, and I some instant lottery tickets as a stocking stuffer. Well, this year we collectively parlayed that into $13 in winnings (Billy was the big winner with $7 I think). Instead of putting it in Billy's college fund, we decided to "let it ride" and bought more tickets. Well, these new tickets yielded $80 (a $50 and a $30). If I can continue at this rate, all I have to do is make 1-2 trips to a convenience store each week, and I'll be able to retire in August!

2003-01-30T06:37:00.000-05:00

I haven't done a sports related post in a while (actually I haven't done much posting at all lately), but I'm still astounded by the UM basketball team. With each game in the win streak, the next one seemed more winnable. Even after stringing 13 wins together in a row, people (including myself) were still skeptical about how good this team was. After all, during that streak they hadn't beaten a ranked team. Well, last night the streak ended at Illinois. But, UM was in the game, and they hung tough on the road. Even in the loss, they showed that the team is for real. Way to go guys! As someone who was in Ann Arbor while the Fab Five was shocking the world I got used to having a winning team, and games that meant something. Watching Crisler arena sit deadly quiet and half full the last few years was entirely depressing. Then on Sunday, hearing that place rock against MSU, well it gave me chills. Win streak or not, I'm just happy they are playing relevant games again.

2003-01-30T06:32:00.000-05:00

Milhouse: Hey Bart! You remember Bill don't you? Well he's back--in blog form

2003-01-21T08:42:00.000-05:00

I've decided that I can't stand Mcafee, and that I really like Norton. I'd used Mcafee in the past, and I'd always thought that their automatic updates didn't work, and that scheduled tasks never ran as scheduled, and that I never felt my computer was protected. About 2 years ago I switched to Norton, and found out how easy it can be to keep you computer protected, and schedule tasks. Norton just seemed to be easier to use, the task scheduler actually worked, and updating the software was a breeze.

Well, when my laptop shipped with a 90 day trial version of Mcafee, I figured I'd give it a shot. Afterall, the company hadn't gone out of business yet, so I figure their software must have improved. Much to my disappointment-it still sucks. You had to register 3 different products (virus protection, privacy manager, firewall), and I swear I registered them more than once each. Little update windows notify you that updates are available-several times a day. Trouble is, when you go to update, you have to log in and then find out that you need to be a full subscriber to get the updates. Also, those notification windows don't go away until you click on them. Highly annoying. On top of it all, I have no confidence in the product itself. I'm going back to Norton.

As near as I can figure, the only people who use Mcafee, are people who have never used Norton-or their corporation dictates what virus software to use. I just can't understand why people continue to buy such an inferior product.

2003-01-20T07:08:00.000-05:00

With me working at home part time now, I was figuring on having more free time to do other things-like blogging. It turns out I've been busier than ever. The toughest part has been actually moving to part time at my "office" job. My workload hasn't really changed since I was full time, and I'm just trying to cram it into fewer days. As is expected I'm failing miserably and falling behind.

On Saturday my consulting boss flew in, and we met with a couple of other colleagues and talked about where the business was going, and how we are going to conquer the world and get rich and famous. I don't know how much of what we're planning will come to fruition, but having the meeting and talking about the future was pretty cool and it left me pretty fired up.

2003-01-08T06:08:00.000-05:00

Today is my first day of my new stay at home consulting gig-Which should be cool. My basement office is rounding into form, with the carpet coming on Friday. My computer and desk should be arriving today and I'll be picking out a big comfy chair this weekend. The coolest part is not having to dress up for work. As I was opening my Christmas gifts this year, I'd get sweatpants, swoosh-swoosh pants and sweatshirts and I'd think "Yay-more work clothes."

Speaking of comfortable clothes, I'd forgotten how wonderful hooded sweatshirts are. The fact you can pull the hood up and put yourself in your own seperate world is cool. I love the pockets in the front of the sweatshirt. Plus, there are the drawstrings on the hood which are great for fiddling with to release nervous energy. Red hooded-sweaaaaaaaaaatshirt!

2003-01-08T06:01:00.000-05:00

Dude-I'm getting a Dell! My new Dell notebook is on its way and should arrive today. There's just something about getting a new computer. I don't know if it's the fact that the hard drive is completely fresh and hasn't been the least bit corrupted, or if it's the thrill of having a new toy to play with, or if it's that "new computer smell." Couple all that with the fact that it's the first notebook I'll own, and my first attempt at configuring a home wireless network and I'm in techno-geek heaven.

Yahoo! News - Sports Photos - AP

2003-01-07T08:17:00.000-05:00

I just really don't understand cricket

2003-01-07T08:12:00.000-05:00

Was I the only one that thought Joe Millionaire was really, really boring? I guess I'm not buying the fact that this guy is a construction worker, and that the girls don't think something is up. Plus, the women really aren't that attractive. I think I've lost interest already. I was surprised to see Alex Mcleod "hosting" the show though.

2003-01-03T06:59:00.000-05:00

You know those FedEx commercials where one guy talks about these silly companies, and the other guy makes smart-ass comments? Not really a big fan.

2003-01-03T06:17:00.000-05:00

I've always thought that company-named bowls were kind of silly. I mean did the Poulian Weedeater Bowl ever help to elevate sales? Until this year, when I was watching the Outback bowl, and the announcers kept talking about the Bloomin' Onion (easily in the top 5 on the "Top Chain Restaurant Menu Items" list) and my mouth started watering. After the game I couldn't help myself and I went to pick one up. MmmmmOnion-ey.

2003-01-02T20:32:00.000-05:00

Random Holiday Thoughts...
-Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season
-There's nothing like Christmas for a two year old to make your house seem totally inadequate
-Win Schuler Bar-Schips Snack Chips are simply the best crackers the American cracker industry has ever produced. The combination of zesty flavor, and stuctural integrity to stand-up to even the toughest of cheeses make this the premier cracker.
-Tequila+Sweet & Sour Mix+Orange Fanta=Bill's Orange Margarita
-Congratulations Mike and Debbie on Ryan who was kind enough to come two weeks early and provide a nice present come April
-I got the Sports Night DVD set for x-mas (Thanks Laura!) and I've watched disc 1 of 6. However, watching it I get mixed emotions. I'm happy because I forgot just how freakishly good the show is. But then I get pissed off because ABC screwed up so bad while the show was on, and essentially killed it.

Yahoo! News - NBC, in Surprise, Re-Signs 'Friends' Cast

2002-12-23T06:29:00.000-05:00

NBC, in Surprise, Re-Signs 'Friends' Cast

2002-12-19T08:57:00.000-05:00

I know that this show isn't new, but I've recently started watching The ScreenSavers on Tech TV. It's a pretty entertaining show, and it addresses some very basic computer issues, to some pretty involved ones. Plus, they make talking about computers pretty light and enjoyable, and they don't get bogged down in jargon-ese.

2002-12-19T08:54:00.000-05:00

Now that school's done, I'm looking so forward to doing some recreational reading. Unfortunately, I started a Tom Clancy book back in August, and now I feel like I have to finish it before I can move on to something else. I'm about 350 pages into an 1100 page book, so its feeling less and less like reading for fun, and more like reading for completion. I'm thinking this might be my last Clancy read. The last several books have gotten so ridiculously long, it's not even fun to read them anymore. Couple that with the fact that they haven't been that great, and it hardly seems worth the effort.

ThinkGeek :: Matrix Binary Watch

2002-12-18T06:56:00.000-05:00

ThinkGeek :: Matrix Binary Watch

2002-12-17T19:22:00.000-05:00

I just remembered one of my other commercial comments (actually I just saw the commercial). Am I the only one that thinks "Corey the Wal-mart customer" looks like Michael Wilbon from PTI?

2002-12-17T06:47:00.000-05:00

Thoughts on various commercials:
-Is that the chick that used to be on Boston Public in the Gap Commercial?
-Please boycott Nivea, at least until they get a new commercial. They have been using the same commercial for well over a year, and playing it 7-8 times per NFL game. You know the one with the guy standing in his front yard spraying the hose on his face. Whenever I hear that music, I have to leave the room.
-I actually had 2 or 3 more commercials to comment on that have completely escaped me at the moment

2002-12-11T07:06:00.000-05:00

I've had quite a bit to say lately, just no time to say it. Anyways, from the "Having a crappy day department," I stopped by the Milwaukee and Cass car wash yesterday between meetings. I saw that the line was only 2 cars and thought, "This should only take me 10 minutes or so." First let me digress and plug this car wash. For $7 they wash your car, vacuum it, do the windows/dash, hand dry, and it's done in like 5 minutes. Great deal, great service. And this is one of those car washes where you get out, and they clean your interior as its moving through the wash. Anyways, Moving on...Well I get in line and only one car moves into the carwash for like 10 minutes. I'm thinking, "What the heck is going on?" Well, a minute or two later, one of the employees comes out to tell the people in line, that somebody got out of their car and locked the keys inside. Oh yeah, and they put the car in Park as well. They had to shut the whole car wash down. That's just gotta suck to be that woman. (and I'm not making an assumption about gender, the car wash guy told me that).

2002-11-27T21:54:00.000-05:00

I don't know why, but I'm going to share my recipe for BBQ ribs with you, especially on Thanksgiving eve.
Ingredients: Ribs-a couple bounds worth, 1.5 cups Jack Daniels Original BBQ sauce, 1.5 cups Jack Daniels Spicy Western Chargrill, .5 cups H2O, .25 cups soy sauce
How to do it: Broil the ribs for 5 minutes on each side just to brown them, I like to lightly salt them while they're broiling. While the ribs are broiling, mix all the other stuff together. Feel free to add other spices as you see fit. Personally, I like to add some garlic into the sauce as well (I just never measure so I'm not sure how much to tell you). Once the ribs are done broiling, stick them in the crockpot with the sauce. Cook on low for about 6-8 hours. Next, pre-heat your grill. Once the grill is ready, throw the ribs on for 3-4 minutes on each side, basting with the sauce from the crockpot.

2002-11-27T21:30:00.000-05:00

Stuff I'm thankful for...
-My wonderful wife and son
-That I only have one term of grad school left
-Pepsi One
-24
-My dad and his compound mitre saw which I borrowed about 4 years ago, and I still have in my basement (I mean the saw is in my basement, not my dad)
-Alan Trammell has returned to the Tigers
-That I get to eat not one, but two Thanksgiving dinners tomorrow
-E's Saved by the Bell True Hollywood Story
-That I'll be starting a new job next year-without having to give up the old one
-Joey Tribiani
-BBQ Ribs
-Regner and Karsch on Team1270
-ESPN.com's Page 2-Especially Tuesday Morning Quarterback and Bill Simmons
-Blogger and friends who blog
-DVDs, Digital Cable and my home theater
-Curling
-The #28 at Maize n Blue deli in Ann Arbor
-My Craftsman cordless drill
-The Detroit Red Wings
-Animal Crackers
-Madden, Michaels, and Melissa on Monday nights
-The heated driver's seat in my car
-That I'll be spending another Thanksgiving with Grandpa

ABC to search for

2002-11-20T10:53:00.000-05:00

This week in reality tv: ABC to search for "Hot" hunks and babes
Apparently ABC will air a show entitled "Are you hot?" that will be a "talent search" for attractive people. The producer Mike Fleiss says, "We want to find people with true outer beauty," Fleiss told Reuters in a telephone interview. "We'll definitely have skimpy little bathing suits. Whether we can go further than that will be up to the network's standards and practices." This is from the same man that is producing another show currently in development called "The Will" in which family members compete for a rich relative's inheritance.

2002-11-19T13:27:00.000-05:00

I've read several reviews of Eminem's movie 8 Mile, and as a Detroiter I'll probably end up seeing it. But I bring this up because on more than one occasion the reviews refer to the movie as "Mile." As if it were that much more work to type the 8 in front of it. I don't mind when people shorten longer movie names like when Shawshank Redemption gets referred to as Shawshank. But shortening 8 Mile? Please.

Maybe I'm just grumpy today because my fantasy football season ended when Donovan McNabb's season ended.

2002-11-19T13:24:00.000-05:00

I was having a lunch meeting today in the cafeteria here at work. There happened to be music playing from the overhead speakers-no problem because I can tune stuff out. Then, that Celine Dion song from Titanic came on. I'm not sure why, but that song and business lunches just don't go together.

2002-11-15T09:15:00.000-05:00

Now I don't really care that much about the whole Jennifer Lopez/Ben Affleck engagement. However, I'm a little curious as to what J-Lo will go by after the wedding. Will it be J-LoAf? Or could it be J-AfLo? Personally I'm rooting for J-PezFleck.

ESPN.com: MLB - Alou named Giants manager, receives three-year deal

2002-11-14T10:40:00.000-05:00

Today's "life is good" award goes to Felipe Alou who last year was the bench coach on the worst team in baseball, and today is the manager of the NL Champion Giants.

The Breast Cancer Site : Fund Mammograms for Free

2002-11-13T11:09:00.000-05:00

Clicking for a cause...
The Breast Cancer Site : Fund Mammograms for Free Just click the pink button and you help to provide free mammograms to women.

Yahoo! Search Results for My highlights in my hair look too light and my lowlights look to dark...what can I do?

2002-11-13T07:20:00.000-05:00

Hmmm...If you search for "My highlights in my hair look too light and my lowlights look to dark...what can I do?" on Yahoo, Zesty is the 18th result returned.

2002-11-13T07:07:00.000-05:00

A seriesof interesting/disturbing things from the world of sports...
-Yesterday the Detroit Free Press sports section had a headline about the Lions...Coach to emphasize catching in practice this week .
-Ohio cable stations are going to offer phenom Lebron James' high school basketball games on Pay-Per-View.
-After the Marshall-Miami game last night, the Marshall fans rushed the field as college students are known to do. Well, a couple of guys run up to the Miami defensive coordinator. Said coach takes exception, shoves one of the guys, and gets taken off the field in hand-cuffs.
-Bobby Knight is doing commercials for Glad-Ware. First of all, I can't believe Bobby Knight is doing commercials. Second of all, given his reputation, I can't believe a corporation would have him endorse their product. Third of all, I have a hard time believing that the target audience for Glad-ware commercials would be that aware of Bobby Knight, at least to the point of influencing a purchasing decision.
-I never commented on the whole Terrell Owens/Sharpie-gate thing. I thought it was actually pretty funny. What I didn't like is that his teammates came to celebrate the touchdown with him, and he was too busy doing his own thing and drawing attention to himself to celebrate with the guys who helped get him in the end zone. That being said, the new Sharpie commercial was worth a chuckle.

Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves.

2002-11-06T14:17:00.000-05:00

I don't know what it is, but there is just something about a brand new cylinder of Play-doh. They have all these gizmo's to make Play-Doh into different shapes and foods and stuff. I'm just asking for one that returns it to it's virgin form.

2002-11-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to John for sending me this zesty Dilbert cartoon yesterday...

2002-11-05T09:58:00.000-05:00

Did you ever notice the movie you want to watch is always on the movie channel you don't have?

Marriott to dust off Book- Cadillac

2002-10-31T06:09:00.000-05:00

I have to say I'm excited to see that a Detroit landmark isn't going to rot away. Marriott renovate the Book- Cadillac hotel and have it done in time for the Super Bowl.

The project calls for preserving the building's exterior, redoing its ballroom and putting in 35,000 square feet of meeting space, 475 luxury rooms and as many as 95 condominiums. The hotel once had 1,200 rooms.

2002-10-30T15:00:00.000-05:00

So I was watching 24 last night and I got to thinking about the potential for Jack Bauer. I know after one spectacular season this maybe premature, but couldn't Jack Bauer become a legendary James Bond type character? I'm not necessarily suggesting that 24 begins a 30 year run on TV because that just doesn't make sense. But I think that beyond this season, this season, it would make sense for Jack Bauer and 24 to part ways.

24 could continue for additional seasons with the story revolving around new characters. This would allow the series to continue to evolve as it could explore the character intricacies or a new leading man/woman. Of course, part of the likability of the series is the likability of Jack Bauer. He's an easy character for root for. By changing the main character you run the risk of not having a likable protagonist.

As for Jack Bauer character, I see there being the potential for movies. The creators of 24 have created a great hero character. There's no reason this couldn't translate to other mediums than television. There is the potential for a Tom Clancy-ish Jack Ryan progression here.

However, in no way or form should they make 24-the movie. You would lose the whole time factor which is central to the success of the TV show.