My life is pretty boring right now—that's good, right?

I know I've slacked with the blog posts lately. For that, I apologize. Don't worry, I'm not slipping into my old habits. I've just been really worn out this week. I have less than 2 weeks left here in Phoenix, so things are getting a little crazy at work. There are pending deadlines that need to be met, and as such I've been working later and arriving back at the hotel with much less energy than usual. I've enjoyed my time here in Phoenix, but I'm thrilled to be returning home soon.

Speaking of returning home, I'll be flying back to Chicago once again this weekend, only this time I get to stay an extra two days. Woohoo for holidays! The only unfortunate thing is that I'll be traveling back to Arizona on the 4th, so I will miss any and all festivities. That's sad, but at least the end is near. Next weekend I'm actually not coming home, since I'll be flying back for good the following week. I wanted to try to catch a Diamondbacks game while in Phoenix, but I discovered that they're going on an insanely long road trip starting tomorrow, so I will not be able to partake in some baseball at the ballpark formerly known as the BOB. That's a shame—I always enjoy checking out a baseball park for the first time.

Speaking of baseball, Stacey and I are going to the Cubs-Sox game at Wrigley on Sunday. It's disappointing that the Cubs are playing so like the Bad News Bears this season, but that only slightly dampens my enthusiasm for this game. How could I not be looking forward to (A) a ballgame at the Friendly Confines, (B) my first Cubs-Sox game, (C) a Zambrano/Buerhle pitching matchup, and (D) the returns of Michael Barrett and Derrek Lee. (Okay, so they'll both have been back before Sunday, but that's just splitting hairs.) I have a personal 6-game winning streak at Cubs games I've attended, and this Sunday that streak will be seriously tested. I almost hate to mention this because I'm sure it will jinx them, although it takes a lot less than a jinx for this particular squad to lose a ballgame. If the streak reaches 7, however, I think I might take that as a sign to invest in some lottery tickets or a flight to Vegas.

While I'm in town, Stacey and I will also be doing a little furniture shopping. It's not the most exciting thing in the world, but hey, at least we're not going to IKEA. I don't need that stress!

My friends Jill and Brian got married last weekend. The ceremony and reception were both a lot of fun, as I expected them to be. I got to meet my good buddy Scott's new girlfriend Laura, and she seemed very nice. The two of them met through MySpace, just like Stacey and I, which just goes to show you that some good does actually come from that site. In addition to seeing those two, my other pals Mike and Nick were in attendance. I was shocked to see Nick, since he's back to his old habits of using school as an excuse to never do anything on the weekends, but I was happy to get to spend some time with the old Grand Knight. As for Mike, let's just say that it's already nearing July and I still haven't gotten a ride in his Camaro this year. He'd better rectify that situation when I get back!

So I just went down to do some laundry and the dryer took my money but wouldn't start up. I was worried that it was broken and spent about 2 or 3 minutes trying to get it to start up. At that point I was ready to go up to bring the situation to the attention of the front desk when I noticed that I hadn't bothered to close the door to the machine. Whoops!

I read in the paper the other day that J.K. Rowling plans to kill off two more main characters in the final chapter of the Harry Potter series, which I believe (hope!) will be released next summer. The odds-on favorites to bite the dust have to be Lord Voldemort and Severus Snape, but I'd be surprised if that's how things actually played out. I have a feeling that she will throw a curveball or two our way. Either way, I can't wait to get my hands on the book and find out!

The NBA Draft was yesterday, and the Bulls used parlayed their pick and the one the stole from the Knicks (in the Eddy Curry trade) for Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha. I will reserve my comments for them after I've seen them play some games, but I do have two predictions: this team will win at least one playoff series next season and they will be one of the best 2 or 3 teams in the East within 3 years. No matter what happens, they should have another high draft choice next season, since the Knicks agreed to swap picks with us if they end up with a worse record. Needless to say, I don't think anybody—even somebody as talented as Renaldo Balkman—can prevent that from happening. In fact, it's likely that we'll be treated to another top-3 pick again. Boy, do I enjoy taking advantage of Isiah Thomas—it's too bad that he'll probably be fired before he can help the Bulls out any further.

Well I need to get ready for bed. Take care of yourselves! If I don't talk to you before then, have a great weekend and 4th of July!

-Mark

Just finished reading: Last Witness, by Jilliane Hoffman

About to start reading: Political Suicide, by Alan Russell

Fantasy baseball update: week 12

My fantasy baseball fortunes were mixed last week, with one team doing well and the other falling to a hot team. In HATE THE YANKS '06, I used a late surge to take over and win, 10-4. Catcher Mike Napoli, who was only picked up to fill in for Michael Barrett during his suspension, had a great week. My offense actually wasn't all that great, but it was good enough. My pitching, on the other hand, was subpar but still managed to claim 3 of 7 categories. In the end, I managed to continue my march back to respectability after my early season woes. There are still 10 weeks left in the regular season, so anything can happen, but hopefully I can do well in the next two weeks against teams that have the third worst and worst records, respectively, in the league.

On the other side of town, I was not as lucky in the Jack Bauer's Agents league. Both my hitting and pitching were average, while my opponents' were not, and I lost 3-8-3 as a result. Chad, my old roommate, got a fantastic week of pitching from his staff, which finished with a 1.82 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. I guess I was just due to lose in that league, as I had gone 7 weeks in a row without doing so. In any event, Chad got a little payback for the 10-0 and 9-2 beatings I laid upon him earlier this season. :-)

In HATE THE YANKS '06, I made a few transactions today: I dumped the slumping Garrett Anderson, my fifth outfielder, to make room for Derrek Lee, who just returned from the DL. On the pitching side, I dropped Texas reliever Ron Mahay in order to sign Seattle starter Jamie Moyer. Like Greg Maddux, Moyer is old and isn't going to overpower anyone, but he has a 2.67 ERA and 1.13 split at home so I figure he's at least worth using whenever he pitches in Seattle. I tried to come up with a trade for one of Stacey's dad's starting pitchers—who include Brandon Webb, Francisco Liriano, Roger Clemens, and Mark Buehrle—but we couldn't work something out. Hopefully Moyer can add an occasional strong start to bolster my staff. I'm not expecting much, so I figure I've got nothing to lose.

Anyway, here are my teams as they currently stand:

HATE THE YANKS '06
Bricks and Ivy: 87-75-6, 5th place, 20 games behind the first place team and 2 games ahead of the best non-playoff team

Jack Bauer's Agents
Soulpatch's Cubs Mug: 87-59-22, 1st place, 9 games ahead

Fantasy Stud of the Week


Mike Napoli, C, Angels
.400, 6 H, 6 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI


Fantasy Dud of the Week (Tie)


Felipe Lopez, SS, Reds
.125, 3 H, 1 R, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 SB



Edgar Renteria, SS, Braves
.167, 4 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SB

-Mark

More AOL shenanigans

If you thought my last post about AOL was bad, here's a story about how they tried to keep a dead woman's daughter from canceling her deceased mother's account.

Sheesh, how low can they go?

-Mark

You can put it on the board... NOOO!!!

Before I begin, I should mention that today was the summer solstice, also known as the longest day of the year. Starting tomorrow (Thursday), the sunlight will be getting progressively shorter each day. This means we're on our way to another cold, dark winter. How depressing is that?

While we're on the subject of depressing topics, I should mention that the Miami Heat won the NBA Championship yesterday. Okay, that's not really depressing, although I was rooting against them. Not only that, I really wanted the Mavericks to win the whole thing. I like the team and their players, and I love Mark Cuban as an owner. There's a reason why Cubs fans have deluged the poor guy with hundreds (thousands?) of e-mails begging him to buy our team: because he's not a traditional owner, but more of a die-hard fan who happens to own the team. Love him or hate him, you have to admire and respect his enthusiasm.

Anyway, congratulations to the Heat, but I hope your reign ends with just this one title. I can't stand many of players on the team. I mean, Shaq is okay, and Wade's hugely talented and fun to watch—although the media's collective orgasm over him these last few weeks is not. (I'm not too fond of the officials rolling out a red carpet for Wade to walk to the free throw line, either, but that's not his fault.) A lot of the other players—including, but not limited to, Gary Payton, Alonzo Mourning, Antoine Walker, and James Posey—are annoying and are the exact opposite kind of players I would want on my team personality-wise (and, in many cases, talent-wise). I would love to see an improved Bulls team face them again in the playoffs next year. I think it would represent a good measuring stick for them, plus I would love for the Bulls to be the team that dethrones them.


While we're on the subject of sports, let me move on to the White Sox. First, we have the continuing soap opera As the Ozzie Turns. This time, he called Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti a "fag" after Mariotti criticized him for not only asking a rookie pitcher to bean an opposing batter but also his ensuing decision to call the pitcher out in the media and verbally rip him a new asshole for failing to hit the batter. While reading about this current controversy, I thought back to previous incidents with Ozzie, including his unwarranted criticism of Alex Rodriguez before the World Baseball Classic and his decision not to accompany his team on its White House visit. All this got me thinking about how he's managed to get away with as much as he has. It's obvious that he's gotten more brazen after leading the White Sox to the World Series, which has given him an unbelieveable amount of cache with the South Side faithful and Jerry Reinsdorf. Eventually, however, you reach a point where it gets to be too much.

I applaud Ozzie's passion and intensity—Lord knows the Cubs could use an infusion of that in their manager—but Ozzie is over-the-top and his act is starting to get old—eventually, it will catch up with him. I'm not the only one saying this, either—columnists from both the Chicago Tribune and ESPN.com agree with me. I know many (most?) Sox fans love him and his outspoken nature, and I know Jerry Reinsdorf will stick up for him through quite a bit more serious stuff than this, so I don't think any serious repercussions will come about in the near future. A couple of years down the road, however, the tide may begin to change—especially if the White Sox can't continue their winning ways. I will say this: when Ozzie Guillen leaves the White Sox at some point in the future, be it a year from now or ten years from now, it will be because he quits, not because he got fired. He'd have to really screw up to get fired.


Speaking of the White Sox, I was reading an article in the Tribune about Tony LaRussa coming to town this week to face the team he once managed. In the article, Jerry Reinsdorf was quoted as saying that the two biggest mistakes he ever made were (1) hiring "Hawk" Harrelson as the GM, and (2) letting him fire LaRussa. Let me add another entry to that list: (3) firing Harrelson, thereby letting him transition over to the broadcast booth and annoy the hell out of us for over twenty years.


Breaking off of sports for a moment, I listened to a recording of a phone call where a man tries to cancel his AOL account but the AOL phone rep practically refuses to do so (see this article for more). I'm not surprised by this at all, as AOL is desperate to keep customers from leaving for better online services, be they dial-up or broadband. In fact, I hear that these reps can be fired if so many customers cancel their accounts in any given hour. In any event, the rep in this case goes way too far, whether or not AOL was pushing him to do so. Seriously, is good customer service a thing of the past?

Apparently Saddam Hussein and the co-defendants in his trial have decided to go on a hunger strike as some sort of protest. Here's my question: would anybody be upset if he succeeds and starves himself to death?

Well I've been typing this post for a long time, and I need to go get ready for bed. See you again soon.

-Mark

P.S. Look below for my weekly fantasy baseball update—I posted it just before I wrote this blog.

Fantasy baseball update: week 11

I know this is pretty damn late, but here's my fantasy baseball update for last week. I emerged from my week 11 matchup in HATE THE YANKS '06 in a pretty foul mood, as my team imploded over the weekend. On Thursday morning, I was winning 11-1; by the end of the weekend, I had lost 6-8. I was never blowing my opponent out in any of those 11 categories I led in, but I had decent margins that should have held up. The problem is that my batters decided to take the weekend off. Geez, I thought this was supposed to be fantasy baseball—if I want to see poor hitting, I've already got the real life Cubs!

Compounding the aforementioned frustration was the fact that the players I benched on a given day would inevitably have great games, helping to cost me this matchup. As always, the stats never line:

Combined totals, July 16-18
Starting lineup: 17/81 (.195), 12 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB
Bench: 9/20 (.450), 8 R, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB

Rickie Weeks since July 16 (including this week)
When starting: 1/15 (.067), 0 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
When benched: 3/6 (.500), 3 R, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1 SB

Ugh, just looking at those numbers makes me sick. After a lot of thought—probably too much thought, in fact—I've decided that I just wasn't meant to win last week. Thus, I'm going to just move on and focus on the road ahead. Without further ado, here's how I stand in my two leagues at the moment, followed by last week's awards:

HATE THE YANKS '06
Bricks and Ivy: 77-71-6, 8th place, 18 games behind the first place team and 5.5 games out of a playoff spot

Jack Bauer's Agents
Soulpatch's Cubs Mug: 84-51-19, 1st place (8-5-1 last week), 13.5 games ahead

Fantasy Stud of the Week


Scott Rolen, 3B, Cardinals
.375, 9 H, 7 R, 7 RBI, 2 HR


Fantasy Dud of the Week


Carlos Beltran, OF, Mets
.182, 4 H, 4 R, 4 RBI, 1 HR, 0 SB


Fantasy Villains of the Week (i.e., opposing team's studs)


Paul Konerko, 1B, White Sox
.522, 12 H, 5 R, 7 RBI, 1 HR


Jose Reyes, SS, Met
.500, 13 H, 9 R, 3 RBI, 3 SB

-Mark

My weekend, plus some assorted thoughts

I hope you all had a great weekend (and Monday, too, since this is kind of late). Usually I like to start off the week with a fantasy baseball update, but I started writing this too late at night to do that—my brain has turned off, so doing anything related to stats just ain't happening. So, unfortunately, you'll have to wait a little while longer for the update. (I know you're all crushed!)

I'm back in Phoenix for another week of work. I've got less than a month remaining, so the end is in sight! In the mean time, things are going well. I had a pretty nice weekend, although it was way too short for my liking. Friday was a travel day, as usual, but at least this time my limo picked me up from O'Hare on time—last week I had to wait about an hour. (Supposedly the guy waited for 15 minutes before leaving, but I was the only person standing at the curb. He saw me, so why didn't he take 5 seconds to ask if I was his passenger? What a dumbass.)

Anyway, Saturday was my sister Mary's college graduation party, and it was a lot of fun. Stacey came up and got to meet a lot of my extended family, and I think she even remembers some of their names. (The party was just a tune-up—the real family event of the summer will be my sister Laura's wedding next month. Now that should be interesting...) Stacey mentioned in her blog that it really sucks that we only get to see each other for maybe 6 or 7 hours a week, and I agree. I feel just as bad that I've barely had a chance to spend time with my friends this past month. Thankfully, as I've mentioned, I will be home soon, so this won't be an issue for much longer.

I bought my dad a wireless router for father's day to replace the one currently at the house, which I'll be taking with me to Stacey and my new townhouse in a little over a month. Unfortunately for my dad, I'm also taking the TiVo, which he has grown accustomed to. Now he'll have to go slumming and use the VCR to tape his shows.

Speaking of my dad, I shared a limo ride with him to the airport on Sunday morning. While I was heading west to Phoenix, he was flying in the opposite direction, to Atlanta for a class for work. Our flights were early, so I didn't get to spend any of Sunday at home. So my weekend in Chicago basically consisted of one day. I will be so glad when I don't have to catch a plane every weekend.

* * *

Apparently, Screech from Saved by the Bell is selling t-shirts to try to raise enough money to keep his house from being foreclosed. I enjoyed that show as much as anybody my age did, but anybody who wastes their hard earned (or even their easily stolen) money on this loser deserves a good smack across the face. Instead of sending money, why don't they try sending links to Monster.com, where he can get a real job and stop pretending that he actually has fans—and that these fans would have fifteen whole dollars to give to him. (That'd be at least two weeks allowance for most of them.)

* * *

An article in the Chicago Tribune asks whether the signs above the new open road tollways that say "Open Road Tolling. Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor" are worth the $15,000 they cost to produce. The possible responses to this question are: "No," "Hell No," "I want my money back," and "I still use the (twice-as-expensive) manual tolls—don't get me started on that f***ing Blagojevich."

* * *
Disney has decided to revamp the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland to make it more like the movie which it inspired. Purists have criticized the move, claiming that Disney is taking its marketing too far. The purists then realized that they were talking about Disney, thought about it for a moment, and stopped acting so surprised.

* * *

Before I leave, here's an interesting note for all of you who are fans of the Jack Bauer Power Hour: there's a rumor that 24 might head to New York for next season's series of implausible yet entertaining terrorist threats. Personally, I think Jack should spend season 6 trying to save Chicago from the disaster that is the Cubs, although that might be an even bigger challenge than saving Los Angeles from nuclear missles and biological weapons.

-Mark

Currently reading: Prior Bad Acts, by Tami Hoag

Some baseball rants

Rant 1: Why is it that players who I bench on my fantasy league always end up having great games?

Rant 2: Why is it that the players who I have in my lineup in place of those mentioned in rant 1 end up not playing due to them getting the day off or getting injured?

Rant 3: Dusty Baker is a horrible manager, Glendon Rusch is a horrible pitcher, and Neifi Perez is a horrible everything, and yet they will all likely be back next season. Why do I bother with this team? Seriously, I could cut myself with razor blades and it would be more tolerable than this incarnation of the Cubs.

-Mark

Does not having a favorite zoo animal make me an oddball?

I've noticed at work that my attention span can be pretty short, particularly when the task I'm working on is tedious or uninteresting. Yesterday at lunchtime, after a rather uninspired and frustrating morning of work, I decided to bring my iPod back to work with me so that I could listen to it while I worked in the afternoon. Let me tell you, the difference was night and day. I know there are lots of work environments where you should not have headphones on, but thankfully it works for mine. I think there's a part of my brain that has ADHD, and the music (or whatever I'm listening to) calms it down, thereby allowing the work-oriented portion to do its thing without distraction. I find this phenomenon very interesting.

Speaking of work, this past Tuesday was my one-year anniversary with my company. I can't believe it's been a year already. I think it's gone quite well, and I'm very happy that I ended up where I did. Being a consultant/contractor affords me the chance to do a lot more things than if I simply found a company and did software development work for only them. Additionally, the people who work at my company are very nice and also are pretty young. So here's to a second year even better than the first!

My company is sponsoring an outing to the Brookfield Zoo next month. I don't think I will be able to make it then, but Stacey and I both want to go later this summer. It's been ages since I've been to the zoo, and although it can be kind of smelly I really enjoy it. Stacey thinks I'm weird for not having a favorite animal, though. What's wrong with that? Actually, now that I think about it, my favorite is probably a dog, although you probably won't find them in the zoo. (Interesting fact: in the Chinese calendar, the year I was born was the year of the dog. Coincidence?) In terms of zoo animals, there are many that I like and a few that I dislike, but none that stand out above all others. Feel free to call me names if you think that makes me a weirdo. (For the record, Stacey's favorite animal is the elephant. Personally, I think she just picked that animal because she's fascinated by any creature that isn't tiny like she is!)

On the subject of company outings, here's some news: I'm going to miss a whirlyball outing for the third straight time! For those of you who don't know what it is, all I can say is that it's basically a combination of lacrosse and basketball played in bumper cars with some alcohol mixed in for good measure. Can you see why I'm so upset? Anyway, the next outing is at the end of this month and is to celebrate the arrival of the new employees we have coming on board. I will, of course, miss this because I'll be in Phoenix. The previous two were missed because I had to drive to NIU to go take my comprehensive exam and because I worked late into the night, respectively. Apparently I can't catch a break when it comes to this game. I'm afraid to see what will happen the next time they schedule a whirlyball outing!

When I return home, one of the things I'm looking forward to the most is using normal bars of soap. I've been holding back from going to the store and buying my own bars of soap, but I don't know how much longer I can last. I'm just glad they don't have the same size policy when it comes to toilet paper, although they haven't restocked me with a new roll in a while, and my current roll is starting to run out. Panic time!

I really need to get to work, so I'm going to have to cut this short (or at least shorter than it would have been otherwise). I do have a lot more to talk about, so I'll try to post again later today.

-Mark

What the hell was she thinking?!

Did you hear about the 16 year-old girl from Michigan who flew to Jordan to meet in person somebody she had met on MySpace? Apparently, she was enamored with a (supposedly) wealthy 25 year-old man, who called himself "Abdullah," and he paid to fly her to the West Bank—one of the most dangerous places in the world. He wanted to marry her, he claimed. She's very lucky that her parents were able to get in touch with the U.S. Embassy and get to her before she met up with this man. While I can't say with any certainty that this man intended to cause this girl harm, the fact that he paid to have an obviously naive teenager fly to meet him is a pretty scary thought.

The really disturbing part about this situation is that this girl is an honor student. I swear, I don't know how people can be so bright in one regard while being completely clueless in another. I know she's just a teenager and that "all kids make mistakes," but when I was 16 I sure as hell would have known better than to fly to the Mideast to meet a complete stranger. (Even if I didn't know better, my parents sure as hell wouldn't have allowed me to get out of the state, let alone the country.) Look, I know that MySpace (and similar web sites) has a lot of positive aspects to it. Hell, if it wasn't for that web site, Stacey and I wouldn't be together right now. However, certain people should not be using that site—and that includes anybody under 18, in my book. There's really not much else to say.

-Mark

P.S. I posted a fantasy baseball update just before I posted this message, so check that out if you feel so inclined.

Fantasy baseball update: week 10

It's time for my weekly fantasy baseball update. I'm in two leagues, but this week I'm going to focus on Stacey's Dad's league, where I've been having an up-and-down season so far. Last week, my offense went on a tear like I've never seen! I've had some really rough stretches for my hitters, but they finally seem to be busting out of their slumps. My outfield was in shambles earlier this season, but definitely not last week—Lance Berkman, Carlos Beltran, Trot Nixon, and Garrett Anderson all hit at least .400 and combined for 26 runs, 26 RBI, 7 homers, and even 5 steals (all by Beltran). The numbers put up by these 4 players alone would have been enough to best my entire team in previous weeks of this season! Speaking of outfielders, Rocco Baldelli returned from the DL (he hadn't played in a major league game since 2004), but I sat him last week while he worked the rust off. On the other side of the ball, my pitching wasn't the greatest but I managed to win 5 of 7 categories, and I only lost the strikeout battle by one K.

Anyway, I ended up winning 12-2, which brings me above .500 for the first time since week 3. There are still 12 weeks left to go, so a lot can happen between now and the end of the season. I certainly hope that the worst is behind me in terms of injuries and slumps, and that I can finish the season strong. Here's the official update on both of my leagues:

HATE THE YANKS '06
Bricks and Ivy: 71-63-6, 7th place, 17.5 games behind the first place team and 1 game out of a playoff spot

Jack Bauer's Agents
Soulpatch's Cubs Mug: 76-46-18 (6-6-2 last week), 1st place, 8 games ahead


Fantasy Stud of the Week (tie):


Carlos Beltran, OF, Mets
.483, 13 R, 12 RBI, 2 HR, 5 SB


Felix Hernandez, SP, Mariners
2-0, 1.69 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 14 K


-Mark

TGIF

With Stacey blogging these last few days, I'm beginning to feel like a slacker. So I have returned, with fresh material for you all.

It rained here in Phoenix on Wednesday—conveniently enough, right when I was walking home from work. Can I really complain, though, when my walk is all of 3 minutes long—especially when most of that is through a parking garage, where I have a ceiling over my head? I didn't think so. Anyway, it's really weird to see it rain here, or at least it was for me. It generally doesn't rain much—if at all—here in the summer. They have brief periods of monsoons in the fall (and maybe in the spring), but that's it. I'm just mad that it interrupted weeks of uninterrupted sunlight, which was one of the advantages Phoenix has over Chicago that I thoroughly enjoy. Never fear, however, as things were back to normal today. :-)

Speaking of the nice weather today, I made sure to take advantage of the pool after work. I got a little time out in the sun and some chlorinated fun. What better way is there to unwind after the daily grind? I really noticed how much more relaxed I felt after being outside at the pool for an hour. I'll need to do this a lot more often, at least while I'm down here.

* * *
I was reading USA Today this morning, and I noticed two things which I wanted to comment on. First, they have a little box on the front page with the national price for gasoline compared to the previous day and a year ago. It's called "Gas Gauge," or something to that effect. After looking at the prices, though, I think they ought to replace the word "gauge" with "gouge." Yikes!

My other comment about today's USA Today concerns its TV critic, Robert Bianco. Before I begin my little rant here, I should say that I'm a big fan of The Office, a comedy on NBC. (There was also a British version of the show, which I also loved and which the American show is based off of.) I really enjoy the show not just because it's not a standard, formulaic sitcom (which I'm not a big fan of) but also because the writing and acting are both top-notch. The actors, many of whom are from the improv scene, take the written material and make it seem like it's been ad-libbed, which is exactly what you want for this type of show.

As you can see, I've got a bias with regard to The Office. I freely admit this and make no apologies for my opinion. My beef with Robert Bianco isn't so much with him as it is with critics in general. He wrote a column in the paper with his choices for the nominees for the Emmys (which, I believe, aren't officially announced until next month). In his piece, the man showed no love for my beloved Office, as he didn't choose it or its actors to be nominated for any awards. Now, I may be biased, but I know good TV when I see it, and there is no way there was enough other good TV as to be able to exclude The Office from the ballots. So that's the first problem I have. The second is that he took several pot shots at the show, basically saying that it would receive several nominations, which he felt is undeserved. He actually had the balls to say that Steve Carell is the reason why the show is, in his esteemed opinion, nothing more than a drawn-out SNL sketch. All I can do is shake my head at this guy. I know it's his opinion and he has the right to express it, I just wonder why he has a bug up his ass with regard to this show. You can tell that he loves Arrested Development, as he gave that show several nominations—probably more than it deserves, and definitely more than it will actually get. Now, I didn't watch that show (although I hear it's pretty good), but my point is that you can just see this guy's biases show up in his work. This just goes to show you that a critic's opinion is just that—an opinion. Who knows how they come up with their views on TV shows, movies, books, or whatever else they're reviewing. So just keep that in mind... and make sure to start watching The Office if you aren't already. ;-)

* * *
I'll be once again flying home to Chicago on Friday. On Saturday morning I'm going with Stacey to see our new house—I'm very excited! I know I haven't mentioned it here yet, but we'll be moving into the house in late-July or early August (I'm not sure exactly how that will work). At this point I've only seen pictures, so I won't try to describe it or offer any kind of opinion until after I've actually been inside it. From what Stacey has told me, however, I'm sure I will love it!

After the house viewing, I hope to spend some time with my friends while Stacey is at a craft party at one of her friends' houses. If time permits, we might go visit the model for Mike's townhouse, which is currently under construction. I'm also looking forward to maybe hooping it up, if weather permits (which, sadly, it may not). Then, that night, Stacey and I are going to see X-Men: The Last Stand. She caught up on the two previous movies this week and is ready for this one—and so am I!

Speaking of Stacey, Friday is her last day at her research lab downtown. Come Monday, she'll be a full-time professor of biology. Congratulations to her! I know she'll be relieved to be done with the stress that comes from working in the scientific research field, and she'll also be happy to be teaching, which is a real passion of hers. (That's a good thing, too, because she's very good at it!)

* * *
Before I let you go, I had several articles I wanted to link to and comment on quickly:

How NOT to steal a Sidekick: This page recounts one man's effort to bring justice to someone who found his friend's lost Sidekick and refused to return it. (In case you were wondering, a Sidekick is a PDA/cellphone device. You may remember when Paris Hilton's Sidekick was hacked into not too long ago and all of her personal data—phone numbers, e-mails, and naked pictures—was published on the web.)

Drug revelations enrage Ozzie, Nelson: As you may know, I'm not a huge fan of Ozzie Guillen, and stories like this are the reason why. Basically, he's pissed that a player who got caught using steroids (HGH) ratted out other players who did the same. Now why exactly does this upset Ozzie so much? It's not that I think he's guilty of using steroids, but I'm bothered that he's basically defending the rights of cheaters. I say if you cheat, you deserve to get caught—and you have no right to bitch about the guy who ratted you out, especially if you were stupid enough to take the drugs in the locker room or somewhere else where you could be seen.

Judge orders lawyers to settle their differences with a game of rock, paper, scissors: I, for one, say bravo to this decision.

That's all for now. Have a great weekend!

-Mark

I hope you like sports

  


Although Stacey and I have been aware of this for a while, today it was officially announced that NIU and Iowa will open up the 2007 season at Soldier Field. With me being an NIU alumni and Stacey an Iowa alumni, we're both really looking forward to the game (She's a total diehard!) As some of you know, my other favorite college team is Florida, and they played Iowa in the Outback Bowl this past January. That was the first taste of the collegiate rivalry between the two of us, and this one promises to be even more fun since both of our schools are involved. (I have to admit, though, that Stacey really got into the bowl game, partly because she hates Florida... I don't think she has much animosity for NIU, so things might be a little less heated this time around.)

Iowa and NIU also play this season, on October 28 in Iowa City. Tickets for that game are going to be a bitch to come by, so we might not end up going. We're definitely headed to Chicago next season, however. Assuming I don't go to a Bears game this season, that will be my first trip to the new Soldier Field. Yeah, it may look like a spaceship, but I'm excited to experience the new digs. (Although I can't say that I've really experienced it until I've seen a Bears game there.)

In other news, Carlos Zambrano almost threw a no-hitter tonight. I was following it on my computer through 7 innings, then I tuned into ESPN for the 8th, figuring they'd have bonus coverage in anticipation of a no-no. Sadly, after retiring the first batter of the inning and walking the second, Carlos gave up a hit to Preston Wilson. Oh well, we Cubs fans aren't in any position to complain about a win, much less an 8-0 throttling of a division rival.

While we're on the subject of baseball—and Carlos Zambrano's gem—I have a wonderful story of how I finally caught a (small) break in one of my fantasy baseball leagues. I can't recall why I did this, but I benched Lance Berkman in favor of Trot Nixon, and I'm glad that I did! Berkman's Astros got only one hit against the Cubs, and he wasn't the one who collected it. Nixon, on the other hand, went 2-for-2 with 3 runs and 2 walks. I've had my struggles in that particular league, but I (inadvertently) had a nice night, for a change.

Oh, and here's a new weekly feature: the fantasy sports update! I'm in two leagues for baseball: HATE THE YANKS '06, which is run by Stacey's dad; and Jack Bauer's Agents, run by my friend Tim. (For those who are interested, there are 14 teams in the former, of which 6 make the playoffs; and there are 6 teams in the latter, all of which make the playoffs.) Here are how my teams are doing after last week's matchups:

HATE THE YANKS '06
Bricks and Ivy: 59-61-6, 9th place, 20.5 games behind the first-place team and 4 games out of a playoff spot

Jack Bauer's Agents
Soulpatch's Cubs Mug: 70-40-16, 1st place, 9 games ahead

Speaking of fantasy sports, if you're interested in joining my fantasy football league, send me an e-mail and I'll forward you the sign-up info. I know the football season seems like a long time away, but it will be here before you know it. ;-)

I'm writing this as I do my laundry in the basement of the hotel. The machines are, of course, coin-operated. I had a bunch of quarters from when I went to the laundromat in the shady part of town a few weeks ago, but I needed another dollar's worth. Of course there isn't a coin machine here, so I went up to the front desk to break my dollar bill. Wouldn't you know it that there weren't any quarters in the two registers there! (Of course, I'd be surprised if there's any change in those machines at all, seeing as it's a hotel and not a fast food restaurant.) Thankfully, the lady at the desk graciously exchanged four quarters from her purse for my bill, so it all worked out in the end. At home I have a big bag of change with probably $60 or more worth of quarters, so I'll be digging into that while I'm back home.

On that fantastic note, I'm off like a smelly sock... or something. Catch you all later!

-Mark

Currently reading: Deception Point, by Dan Brown

Weekends are too short

It's a nice Sunday afternoon in Phoenix. I just returned from Chicago and all the hustle and bustle of the busy weekend, so I decided to unwind and write a blog. I slacked over the weekend, but that's only because I was incredibly busy. Don't worry—I don't hate you guys or anything. (At least not most of you... just kidding!)

I know Stacey hates me for this, but I managed to fly to and from Chicago without any delays. I was incredibly fortunate that the weather was nearly perfect, unlike the thunderstorms that she had to put up with on her travel days. It's funny, I didn't really feel homesick at all until my plane approached O'Hare, and I could see familiar streets and buildings that we were flying over. When I saw the skyline in the distance, that's when I realized how much I missed Chicago. Sure it's got its quirks, and calling the weather "flaky" is an understatement, but no place is perfect and few others have the appeal (to me) of the Windy City. Alas, my stay was short, but I shall return soon—and, before long, I'll be back for good!

Before I left for Phoenix, I set my TiVo to tape the series finale of Alias, which I couldn't watch live because it conflicted with the season finale of 24. When I got home on Friday, I discovered that it wasn't on there—apparently, it had been deleted because of a lack of space. You can tell the TiVo not to automatically delete programs to regain space for future recordings, but I neglected to do so. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Thankfully, ABC is streaming the show on its web site through the end of this month. I didn't have time to watch it this past weekend, but I will make up for that this weekend. (Unfortunately, the internet access at the hotel here in Phoenix is insufficient for watching this stream... needless to say, I was disappointed to find that out.)

On Saturday I went to the White Sox game with Stacey. My company had an outing there, complete with a patio party (a.k.a, free food). We both had a good time, although we were worried during the drive that we'd get there late. Traffic on 290 was absolutely horrible, and we figured that it was just congestion and that the whole drive would be like that. While I'm thankful it wasn't, I'm pissed at the reason why traffic slowed down—gapers! Some damn car was off to the side of the road, with a police cruiser parked behind it. Needless to say, the dim-witted Chicago drivers had to slow down to get a good look at this non-event. People, this is not exciting, nor is it a rare occurrence!

Stacey and I both enjoyed the patio party, although I think it's kind of a rip-off. Okay, so I didn't pay, but that's not the point—the patio party tickets were $40 each. I don't know about anybody else, but I did not eat and drink $40 worth—even using the inflated ballpark prices. I guess if you drink more than the one beer I had, it might be worth the cost. Foodwise, though, you'd have to make multiple trips and get lots of food each time to cover the cost. (And even if you did make it worth the money, you'd have to worry about blowing thousands of dollars when you have the ensuing heart attack from eating that much ballpark food!) Again, I'm not complaining about the outing, I'm just warning you ahead of time that you might want to think about whether this is worth the money should you ever have the chance to purchase patio party tickets.

As you know, I'm a Cubs fan, but I will admit that U.S. Cellular Field is not a bad place to go see a ballgame. I enjoy Wrigley Field a lot more, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Park Formerly Known as Comiskey. It definitely doesn't have the charm or intangibles of classic parks, and it probably doesn't have as appealing of a design as newer parks like Camden Yards. It is, however, clean and comfortable, and it has much better parking and bathroom facilities than the home of the Cubs. It does have its share of hopelessly drunk morons, but that's an affliction common to all major league ballparks, I'm afraid.

In other news, I'm thinking of going to use the pool in a little bit, but it's a scorcher out there right now so I'm not sure if I want to endure that heat. It doesn't help that I just cut my hair, so now I have massive scalp-sunburn potential.

On that note, I'm out of here. Catch you next time!

-Mark

Meetings, babies and wedding gowns

Greetings everyone! I tell you, I had a hard time coming up with a title for this post. The one I chose sucks, but at least it's indicative of what I'll be talking about. Now, without further ado...

I have just returned from a company meeting that was held at a local establishment here in Phoenix. I've been to many of this type of meeting in Chicago, but this one was a little different because I barely knew anybody there. Thankfully, everybody seemed really nice and I had a great time. Unfortunately, there's a good chance that I'll never see 99% of those people ever again. Oh well, I guess that's just how it goes!

Friday afternoon I will be on a plane, heading back to the Windy City. I'm pretty excited to be back, even if it will be an abbreviated stay. I'll be coming home every weekend between now and when I return for good, so hopefully I'll get to see all of you guys at some point during that time.

In other news, my good friend Tim's wife, Sarah, gave birth to their first child on May 30th. Emma was a healthy 9 pounds and 12 ounces, and she's doing just fine I hear. The lovely couple also recently moved to a home up in Woodstock. Congratulations, you two—I'm sure you'll make wonderful parents! (I know, I know... I "gotta see the baby!"... don't worry, I will!)

Speaking of children, my friend Dan and his wife Andrea are due next month, while my friend Jennifer and her husband Todd will be having a baby later this summer. I can't wait to meet all these little people once they've entered the world!

On a completely unrelated subject, I have to confess that I love the "on your side" column in the newspaper. In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, it's the column where people write in with problems and the newspaper helps resolve them. (Usually, they get resolved right away because the offending parties don't want to risk getting slammed in a highly-circulated newspaper.) Anyway, I think I just enjoy reading how poor some of these companies/organizations/people treat people, whether they be customers or something else. I don't know why I enjoy it... I mean, I don't enjoy that people have to put up with all this bullshit, because Lord knows I hate that when it happens to me. I think I'm just intrigued by how far some of these offending parties think they can go. In any event, I forwarded this story to Stacey today. It's about a woman who ordered a $7000 wedding dress in October of last year and was supposed to have it by May 1 (the wedding is July 8), but of course that didn't happen. It's pretty sad customer service, the way it was handled. So go and read that, and some of the other columns if you have time. It's great to read them after you've had a bad day, because it makes you feel like you aren't alone—and usually your problem isn't nearly as bad as these peoples'!

Okay, that's about all I've got for now. I need to go pack and get ready for bed. Thanks for allowing me to usurp another small chunk of your life—please come back later for some more!

-Mark

P.S. Spending 7 grand on a wedding dress is insane!