Wipeout; Buffalo; Mother's Day; Ballin'

Wipeout
Spring Wipeout tonight was amazing!  The spring loaded giant boxing glove knocked the crap out of people - when they least expected it.  Always hilarious when people get knocked down an entire flight of stairs they just climbed.

And then there's the ever-present "big balls".  In case you've never watched it, as many of you never have, there's a series of four giant, red balls the contestants need to try to get over - almost impossible, although it's been done before:

One of the finalists even proposed - right before he got eliminated.  Pretty cool though.

Buffalo
Tomorrow we head up to Buffalo to take on the Niagara Purple Eagles on Saturday and Sunday.

We're 14-0 in MAAC play, but we haven't locked up a playoff spot yet.  Still have 9 games left so we gotta keep these guys motivated and hungry for more wins.  We're 24-15 overall, which is pretty good, but we know we still have a ways to go before we consider this a successful season.

Mother's Day
It also marks the first trip I'll make away from Lindsay and Nolan (I'll also miss a majority of her first Mother's Day).  It'll be tough but knowing that her mother is here til Sunday gives me a little solace.

She's been doing a great job with the little guy, who can be a handful - especially recently.  He's been very fussy before he passes out, but I guess he doesn't know any better, he can't speak so the only way to communicate is to cry.

When he's awake and alert, he makes some pretty funny faces though, kinda like his old man.  Right  now the both of them are passed out on the couch next to me.  I will go to sleep once they wake up so he can eat and I can change his diaper, around 11:00pm.  Then we'll be up for about an hour before he finally decides to sleep until 4:00am.  He sleeps pretty well once he decides to fall asleep, so I won't complain there.

Ballin'
I am still ballin' outta control every morning (except Tuesday, because it was a baseball game day).  My jump shot is getting better which is good, but it's a hell of a workout.

The trickiest part is accounting for the wind, which can be a real bitch sometimes because we're so close to the mighty Hudson River.

Whatever, it's all about adjustments.

I am going to browse the Internet and check out some of my friends blogs and comment, since I've been awful at that of late.

Best Night of TV (Besides Thursday between 8 and 9)

That's when WIPEOUT airs on ABC.  Those "Big Balls", they're a killer.  It's really been a while since they've shown someone getting past those four giant things.  If you've never seen the show, please, do yourself a favor and watch it tomorrow night.

As for tonight, from 8pm to 10pm, there's some mighty fine shows on.  Here's a rundown:

8pm - The Middle - Brick is the best child actor on television, and he was on Conan last night.  Very much like his character on the show, kinda weird.

8:30pm - Better With You - Another show, pretty funny, the parents are the best part (Kurt Fuller and Debra Jo Rupp).  Nick Swisher's wife is in this show, too.

9pm - Modern Family - Get real.  If you've never seen this one, starring Ed O'Neill (Married With Children), I highly recommend this one.  Ty Burrell plays Phil Dunphy, an he's freaking hilarious.

9:30pm - Take a break, Cougar Town is on.

10pm - Happy Endings - A newbie to the Wednesday night circuit but it's a must watch.  A couple breaks off their wedding at the altar and makes things a little uncomfortable for their mutual friends.  Very, very funny.

Good night.  I hope you listen to me.  I wouldn't lead you in the wrong direction.

Baby D's Music Collection...

...has begun.

I went on iTunes and purchased Muse: Lullaby Versions of Muse.  We are currently sitting here on the couch listening to it while we watch Wipeout with the television on mute.

Hysteria is on and Baby D likes it I think - lots of movement.

SNOW DAY!!; Wipeout

I awoke this morning to Nathan's paws tapping against the wood floor.

I saw the green light on my phone blinking - mail and/or text.  It was a text, from a five digit number - 79516 - the Manhattan College emergency number - informing us of the CLOSING of school.  Are you kidding me?  (Awesome)x5.

Hopped in the elevator, got downstairs, and proceeded to the dog park, which had a fresh coating of snow from last nights "storm" (5" of snow, maybe).  Nathan ran around for a while, did his business, and stopped moving.  He tends to do this when the snow starts accumulating on the hair underneath his belly - it turns into wee little snow balls.

After a plow tried like hell to douse us with snow, we made it across the street.

We headed back in and returned to the apartment where Nate got a bacon treat and I got back in bed.

Fast forward three hours.

Wake up #2.  Sun is shining and I am smirking at the school's  decision to close.  Not my decision, but the results isn't so bad.  The roads are clear and the grass is covered in snow.  No problems from the 10th floor.

Here's a a nice off day before a hectic weekend - three games (Sat. @2, Sun. @12, Mon. @7).  Not to mention classes start on Monday.

Baseball, well, we're gonna get it rocking and rolling on Friday.

One last thing - if you haven't seen Winter Wipeout (Thursday, 8pm, ABC), you're missing out on TV gold.  Just watch it, you'll thank me.

Duke and non-HD suck tonight; Duke not sucking

Sorry for the myriad of posts today, lots going on.

Lindsay found me the Duke game on television. Couldn't find it for the life of me, said it was on MSG+2, which I didn't even know was a channel. Turns out, channel 414 on Cablevision is iOSPH.

Too bad Duke looks like shit, as does watching the game in non-HD. I used to be no big deal when this whole HD thing wasn't even a blip on the radar. It's so dark and grainy, and Duke hasn't scored a point this half - this refereeing crew are horseshit.

The channel keeps losing sound as well. Then I got the colored bars, typically found during a programming test.

LET'S GO! Two big baskets - Curry for a long two and Singler from deep. Curry fouled, shooting three. I'm a huge Duke fan in case you didn't know, and I've gotten away from posting about them, there's just too many other things to write about. I see and hear lots of crazy stuff everyday and then put it I to blog form before I forget it - because ultimately (and relatively quickly) I'll forget it. I need memory pills. It's weird, I do crossword puzzles and love puzzle games, but nothing seems to help my ailing memory. I take lots of pictures too, they help out in a pinch.

Back to the game. Let's Go Duke!

Added to post title. They're up 5 now after putting together an 11-0 run.

Wednesday Night Television

I watch as much sports as I can on any given evening.  However, on Wednesday nights, ABC (Ch. 7) has a pretty good lineup from 8:00pm to 9:30pm.  (I flip back and forth during commercials, and DVR the shows on ABC in case I mistime the commercials).

At 8:00 is "The Middle" - a show about a semi-dysfunctional family trying to make right with one another in small-town Indiana.  The dad (played by Neil Flynn) is a huge Colts fan, so I guess there's some sports incorporated into the show.  Their youngest son, Brick (12-year-old Atticus Shaffer) might be one of the funniest/smartest kids on television.  Give the show a chance, I laugh like an idiot.

At 8:30 is "Better With You" - a show about two sister at different places in their respective lives.  Their father, Joel (Kurt Fuller), is hilarious as is his wife, Vicky (Debra Jo Rupp - mother on "That 70's Show").  It's got a chance, just waiting for that breakout episode.

At 9:00 is "Modern Family" - if you haven't seen or heard about this show, climb out from underneath that rock and reintroduce yourself to the world.  It's about three different families and the trials and tribulations they face in their lives.  Al Bundy, I mean Ed O'Neill (Jay), is married to loud-mouthed Sofía Vergara (Gloria) to go along with her son, Manny.  The Dunphy's (Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell) have three children with three different perspectives on things.  Then there's the gay couple (Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet) raising an adopted Asian baby named Lily.  It's a riot, and I DVR this one as well.  It is in it's second season, and hopefully Santa gets me the first season for Christmas. (Lindsay saw Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Mitchell, at The Standard while at brunch with Paul and Jenny)

Back to the shows!

No TV

  Day 10 of no program television is now upon us.  Things are going well, besides not being able to check out some high quality prime-time shows (all of Lindsay's shows, plus MLB baseball, SportsCenter, American Pickers, Pawn Stars to name a few).

  Netflix has come in handy as of late, movies come and go on about a three day schedule.  We watched Step Brothers the other night, hilarious freaking movie.  Lindsay's first viewing, my second.  Still entertaining.  Will Ferrell has to be one of the funniest actors alive.  Hands down.  Then we sent away for Up In The Air.  George Clooney is awesome in that one, and I'm not generally a huge fan.  But the premise was great, it was funny, and it had won awards out the ass.  I say those awards were well deserved.  Two nights ago, Jesse came over for dinner with me, Linds, and Nathan because Julia was in St. Maarten with her sister.  We ate, and watched JUNO.  Same director (Jason Reitman) as Up In The Air, and just as funny if not funnier.  The language is hilarious, the words they use.  If you haven't seen JUNO, go see it.  It also won plenty of awards from the press and media.  Well deserved.  Just because DirecTV sucks the big one doesn't mean they can damper my television viewing experience.  I still got DVD's sucker!!

  On the baseball, the Yankees are once again tied with the Rays for first place in the AL East.  Both teams share the best record in baseball (78-48) but the Red Sox are still hovering, only six games back.

  Lindsay kicked my ass at Scrabble last night, 296-216.  What an absolute drubbing it was.  I was out of it from my third turn.  I had seven consecutive turns where I had at least 5 vowels on my rack.  Needless to say, 1-point letters when your down 50 points are useless.

  It's getting muggy in the office, per usual.  I share my office with the entire student-athlete population, so the traffic is high and some of the odors are pretty horrific.  Gonna take a stroll and take care of some things on campus.  Meeting with broker today - hope things work out for this new place.

  Fingers crossed. 

All things offensive

1. The Yankees offense is offensive.  After getting owned by Takahashi Okanashi or whatever his name is last night, the Mets took game one, 4-0.  The Yankees have scored a measly FOUR runs in the past three games after lighting up Roy Halladay. 

Those starting pitchers have a combined ERA of 4.21 this season.  I mean that is pretty average by MLB standards.  It's not like they faced three big names either - Jamie (Abe Vigoda) Moyer, Kyle (Don't Call me Howie) Kendrick, and Hisanori Takahashi.  Had it been Cole Hamels, Johan Santana, and Mike Pelfrey, maybe, but those three stooges? 

I guess it really goes to show you how good these guys really are.  Even the guys who you think belong on a club team can beat anyone on any given day.  Rings true with the Yankees.  They get to hit against Mike Pelfrey today, so things aren't getting any easier.  They counter with Phil Hughes, who is having just as good a year as Pelfrey. (Both are 9-1 with a 2.39 and 3.11 ERA, respectively)

Trying to avoid dropping four straight today, and fourth straight to the Mutts.

2. USA World Cup Soccer Team.  This is supposed to be the 14th ranked team in the world, and all they can manage is a 2-2 draw with Slovenia (25th)?  I mean it seems to me that every time there's a World Cup, the US media tries to pump it up and make it a big deal, but the results are always the same.  As my buddy Ralph said to me on Facebook, "what a joke. Every four years its the same over-blown hype about nothing. why do they even bother playing this sport anymore?"

I suppose the USA is fortunate their remaining game in Group C is against Algeria (30th), but they need a point.  Their best match was against the best team they've played, England (8th). 

Truth be told, soccer is an international sport.  Not a national one.  We have our national pastime, BASEBALL.  And if you're looking for "America's Team", that'd be the Dallas Cowboys of the National FOOTBALL League.

3. The oppressively hot temperature in our apartment.  It's only 10:00 am and it's already starting to feel like a sauna in here.  Nathan is moping around because he's so damn hot in here.  Time to crank up the box fan - no we aren't poor, we have an air conditioner in the bedroom.  Immediate relief, although Nathan seems to think it's a good idea to sit behind the fan.  He's not the brightest dog.

The windows in this place allow cold air to pump in during winter, and don't keep the place cool in in the summer.  They might as well be made of clear cellophane.  I am not going to let the curtains and drapes block the windows, because then we'd get less of a breeze than we already get. 

I hate it here.

4. Wayne Knight's role in FOX's new show, The Good Guys.  Rumor has it, he is only going to be in one episode.  What?  Maybe he wanted it that way.  I ran in to him recently in Dallas in a CVS on Main St.  He even took his headphones out of his ears and had a little conversation with me.  Seemed like a really good dude.  I will post the picture in it's own post.

According to givememyremote.com, he plays a low-level clerk at the County Records office.  Read it yourself, I'm not plagiarizing.

Time to get in touch with my brother.  He answers his phone somewhere between very rarely and never.  I hope it's very rarely.

Misc.

TV:  Lindsay is watching "Real Housewives of NY" on DVR and this "Countess" is singing this song, and this boob who's playing the piano is convincing her she sounds good - this is total trash, I want to throw the remote through the television, but I'll hold back.  Here's the link for those of you who love torturing yourself:  LuAnn's Craptastic Song.

Music:  The first random song of the day today was "1901" by Phoenix.  Makes you want to nod your head a little bit.  I'm not a huge fan of it, but I might let it play all the way through - here's a link to this one:  "1901".

Local News:  According to NY1, more than 40% of streetlights are out on our local highways here in the Bronx.  Here's the breakdown:  Major Deegan (I-87):  38%; Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95):  46%; Henry Hudson Parkway (US-9):  43%.  Not only are we dealing with pot-hole filled roads, but the damn light aren't working either.  The Alexander Hamilton Bridge, however, is in complete darkness.

Sports:  The Yankees blew another game last night, to the Red Sox - Mariano got the loss because Marcus Thames went from hero to goat in the course of 24 hours.  Dropped a pop-up in short right field - bad baseball play.  Tonight they open up a two-game set with the best team in baseball, the Rays.  Tonight's pitching matchup is: Wade Davis (TB) 3-3, 3.38 ERA vs. A.J. Burnett (NY) 4-1, 3.31 ERA.  Fixing to be a pretty tight one, unless Davis pitches like he generally does against the Yankees - 5.73 ERA in two home starts vs. NY in his career.  This is his first time taking the bump in the Bronx.  I just hope Carlos Peña decides not to get hot - he's only hitting .191 with 5 HR this year.  Friday, the Yankees head to Queens to open up their weekend series with Los Mets. 

Miscellaneous:  Lindsay has been asking me what I want for my birthday for the past few weeks and I honestly have no idea what I want.  I am a very good gift giver, but when it comes to telling people (Lindsay) what I want, I struggle.  Nathan is here, next to me, chewing his rawhide - he loves the stuff, but only the ones with a bacon flavored treat in the middle - gives him something to work for.  He snagged a piece of Lindsay's steak tonight - I made steaks with an avocado/jalapeño/mango/salsa mixture - pretty good.  Dessert is Ben & Jerry's Key Lime Pie flavor - it's a limited batch. 

Hands Off!  Let's go Yankees!!