Post-Game Notes

(Picture courtesy of Crossfit)

I can't seem to get this shot to appear bigger on the site. Go to Crossfit.com and click on the picture (its on the front page) - it will enlarge. The expressions on the two girls' faces are priceless. Oh, if only every kid could have such awesome influences around them - goodbye, diabetes, hello, life!

So, the card game I played on Friday turned out to be a fun-filled event, but it didn't really resemble cards. Oh well, its not like it wasn't a great time. I don't care how serious you are about playing, if you can't enjoy an old-fashioned BS-fest for $10, with all the beer and pizza you can handle for 6 hours, than you my friend, are not a man.

I will be out of town starting Saturday, and there is a lot of stuff I want to get up here before I go. I've been trying to get links up the side of here with many of the bands I like (or I've been told out), but I'm still seriously lacking in content right now. It would be nice to have enough up by New Year's to allow anyone who stopped to check out the page to find a new band that they haven't heard of before.

I plan on getting a few end-of-year lists up here, too. I'm thinkin' a YouTube Top 23, a mp3/video (not sure which yet) Top 23, a Top 23 things to do in 2007, and another list that will be a surprise- but I think it could be a hit. We will see. I want to do it to help someone I used to know pretty well, but I am not entirely sure how to go about doing it. I'll explain what the hell I'm talking about when I begin that list. Anyway, until then, enjoy another plug from me for Crossfit, and see ya in a day.

Three things to leave you with

So, I decided I can write on a few things after all. I am about to engage in a live poker night for the first time in so so long. I'm beyond content. Anyway, before I go, let me share with you three things that I just can't stand anymore.

1. Credit cards for people with bad credit. I am seeing these ads everywhere.

Here's an example of one. Asses.
http://www.creditcards.com/bad-credit.php

First of all, if you sell these things, you're probably going to hell. Let's see, who should we make money off of.. I know! People who desperately need money! It is as bad as camping out overnight at the Goodwill Store in your finest, most expensive suit, the day before you know a bunch of needy individuals are going to be there shopping, and then once the place opens, breaking out $2,000, and buying every piece of clothing in the place. Then, you proceed walking the bags out, one by one into your SUV, as you pass the needy folks staring in disbelief and disappointment
2. Drive-thru people always taking precendent over me, standing in line to pick-up my to-go order from a fast-food place.

Okay, fast-food jagbags. I took the time to get out of my car and place an order from you inside, thus avoiding any confusion over the details of the food/currency transaction we are about undertake. I have done you a favor by not helping clog your drive-thru line even more than it already is, and I have also grace your interior with my presence, revealing myself as a patron to any and all citizens that I, yes, am a supporter of this business. I see that as great advertising. Why, then, do you proceed to serve the next 5 cars in line their rediculously large orders ahead of my simple, pre-numbered, no-special-ingredient-needed value menu purchase? I HATE this. I hate how when you go inside to get your order, they wait on the next 20 people inside vehicles, and then get to you, as if staying in your car made you some sort of first-class citizen that deserved special treatment and advanced service. Are they giving them special treatment because surrounding a fast-food place in a steady stream of carbon emissions and engine exhaust is somehow beneficial to the food inside, and therefore a service I could provide them?
If you go inside to get your order, you should get priority ahead of people in drive thru, if anything. Screw that. And if your car line gets too long to process the orders that way, then tough, hire someone smarter who can organize pre-made sandwiches and pre-timed fried foods in a more efficient fashion.


3. People spending 10 minutes circling the parking lot, looking for a close space to park next to the gym.

Someone agrees with me.

I'm not sure if I need to explain this one. You are attempting to pay money to use a facility that will increase your physical conditioning and well-being by engaging in activity. If you are trying to park as close as possible to this place of business, you might be getting a workout, but you are definitely not getting the POINT.

If anyone out there is about to circle the parking lot at their gym for 10 minutes, then give up and go through a McDonald's drive-thru with their bad-credit credit card, and they get their food ahead of me, I will end you.

Fighting back after a bad beat

So I was all about to get started putting together some random things for the weekend, when I ended up getting a call telling me some very sad news. To my friend and his family, my thoughts are with you - I pray that this will lead to a truly inspirational story of triumph and recovery.

I had also planned on posting a couple of very funny videos I found on the Internet, including some a new invention that I think should hit the market sometime very soon. I then noticed that they all had a common theme in them, though, that in light of the incident that happened I really don't feel comfortable posting about this stuff yet.

The only thing I had planned on posting that I think I will is this link: http://www.jackdaniels.com/bottlechoose.asp

Why? Not because I like Jack Daniel's.

As all alcoholic beverage advertisement and information pieces have, this particular page also notes that those that imbibe should "always drink responsibly."

Drink Jack Daniel's responsibly?

Has anyone, EVER, in the history of alcohol, drunk Jack Daniel's responsibly? Is that even possible? Is there a tracable amount of JD that someone could consciously digest that would leave them in a state that they could effectively navigate a go-kart, much less a vehicle?

I have an idea to help solve this issue, but I'm going to hold off on it for now. All I'll say is...

It's isn't that drinking and driving can be tragic. It is always tragic.

Mini-Charities and Forward Thinking

A different kind of charitable auction

Quite an interesting angle on charitable giving, don't you think?



Aside from the headline story in this little article/blog, I think this is an interesting post I found on two topics that are dear to me: The Freakonomics book that I enjoyed so thoroughly and highly recommend, and innovative and creative charities. Check out the comments left by some of the readers.

I will be harvesting many of the links you can find on this page for my own, so I hope you find something that piques your interest.



A wide variety of stuff to come - this is all for now.