The Mindless Void

It's Been A While...

2011-11-29T23:55:00.001-07:00

So, I'll spare a long antidote on how long it’s beensince my last post/blog/random musing. In short, it’s been a long ass time. Infact, you probably saw this link and thought ‘hot damn, this blog is stillpolluting the interwebs?’

To be honest, that is a fair thought.

There is a lot of crap out there on the internet and I’mproud to say that this blog is part of that large ecosystem of crap. So, whatdo you do on these blogs now days? Do I rant about work? How those damn leavesare the bane of my existence? Talk about married life? Fantasy football? Or howno matter how often we brush Tessie’s hair; it always looks disheveled?

I’m sure all of those will bore many of you to death.Again, I have no clue what the kids are even blogging about, if they still blogor if they don’t read anything past 140 characters (damn U twitter & urassault on the Eng. Lang #twittergripe).

And now back to our scheduled programming…

Have we alreadybeen married 1.6667 Kardashian’s?

This time last year we were starting to plan everything,my house was for sale and our plans for the wedding and what to do after werestill being decided. Where would we live? What was the wedding going to belike? Where was the honeymoon going to be?

All of the anxiety of selling the house and wedding wasjust compounded by stress at work, car dying right before the wedding and justlife happening. But the best part of all that stress in the first 7 months of2011; starting 7/30/2011 the stress started to peel off.

First the house sold, got a promotion at work that hasbeen years in the making, got the new car, moved into our place, the weddingwas amazing and the honeymoon even better. I went into the busiest time for mewith the lowest stress level that I could recall.

Following the wedding; when my watch hit 5:30pm Ipreemptively starting to wrap things up to get home. I had a new routine now.Aim to be home by no later than 6:30 to walk the dog, make dinner with my wifeand more importantly spend time with her. Granted I may have to log back intowork; but at least spend some time with her before she went to bed.

As cheesy as it sounds; I developed a new set ofpriorities. It’s getting off work in time to go look at Christmas trees. It’strying a new recipe that I’ll try to wing part of and she’ll stick to thedirections. After 4 months; it is waking up every morning and looking forwardto that time we spend together; no matter how long or short of time it may be.But I’ll fight like hell to have it be as long as possible.

Random ThoughtVomit…

One of my favorite things to do is just throw out somequick hits of what I’m thinking about. Here goes nothing:

- Say what you will about the Kardashian’s about having notalent. Butthey make serious bank for having ‘no talent’.

- The NBA Lockout ended last week. I want to be mad at them; but I just have to watch college basketball long enough to realize how much better the NBA is over college

- When will people realize that there are three things you don't talk about at work? Salary, religion and politics. These conversations almost never end well unless you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the two of you are on the same page

- Oh, assuming typically just makes an ass out of you

- honestly, what is the point of Tumblr?

- I guess you could say the same for twitter; but twitter is great for sports info, news, comedians and web discounts/local coupons

- I have Amazon Prime and yes, it has definitely increased how much I shop online. Also, I check Amazon on nearly all purchases online to see if I can get a better deal through them first. Well played Amazon...well played.

- I'm sure you've seen this link by now; but who doesn't get a kick out of the 'No Cat'?

- Bobby Valentine is the new Red Sox manager. I want him to do well, but remember his exit with the Mets wasn't pretty. But this article gave me hope for how he'll do at the Sox skipper
- I think cranberries get a raw deal. They are one of the stars of Thanksgiving dinner and rarely brought out as a side the rest of the year. I am going to make an effort to change that and so should you.
- Beermas is 10 Days away and that makes me very happy
- I love my wife very much. I hope she knows it and if you're reading this honey; it's etched forever on the internet my love for you.

And on that note; hope you are all doing well and thanks for reading.

Forever Young

2010-06-22T21:48:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone. I know it has been a while; but how have you all been? I have to say that things have been going rather well here in the Sugarhood. Gone on some trips, had some lobster, watched some Cake and Vampire Weekend, watched my alma mater go to the 12PAC or PAC12, but more importantly; I got engaged.

Yeah, crazy right? In Grand Central Terminal, with the place packed full of people, I got down on one knee. I asked a question and the answer was yes. Now, you're probably wondering if I'll go into more details about the anxiety, the stress, the fear of losing the ring in NYC and more; another time.

I thought as I am staring down the last moments of my twenties; I would write the last decade a goodbye letter.

------------------------------------------------------

Dear twenties,

Man, have we been through some crazy shit over the years? I mean, the predicaments we found ourself in over the past 10 years and the stories to tell will be timeless. I have been recounting the memories over a glass of 18yr old Glenfiddich and it is so different than what I drank in 2000 (which isn't a bad thing).

I don't want you to take this the wrong way; but I think I'm ready, whether I like it or not, to move on to my thirties. I am going to miss the college parties, the drinking until 3am and passing out on the lawn, the stories that all started with 'no shit there I was', my nephew being born, Tahoe, Seattle, New York, Boston, Maine and much more. I really will. But, I have to say that I look at where I stand today and where I stood 10 years ago and I haven't been happier. I've never been more comfortable in my own skin.

This time 10 years ago; you're parents kicked you out of the house to live at the U. They saw that I wanted to grow up so fast, graduate college and get a job. My mom kept telling me to slow down and enjoy where you were. I thought they were crazy.

In the immortal words of Yoda "All his life has he looked away—to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was—what he was doing." The irony behind that quote was when I watched that when I was around 24 or 25; I watched it and it all made sense.

My parents couldn't have been more right. Because I found many of the friends that will be there for all of the ups and downs for the years to come. Plus, we'll always have those stories from college; starting a fraternity, student government, driving 'Vince' around campus and late nights hanging out at the 5th hole at the U. But just as those next three years of college were some of the best of our life; they pale in comparison to what lays ahead. That is why I'm ready to move on to the thirties.

I learned a lot in life, friends, family and love and not always the easy way. But I made it through to the other side finally knowing who I am, what I want and where I want to be.

I know you're asking why am I so excited to jump to something else. I can't tell you what is going happen in my thirties. One thing is for certain though; the best has yet to come. We've only scratched the surface on what is in store and because of that I am more optimistic on this birthday than I have been at any point in my life. I'm not old, I'm not breaking down, I'm only hitting my stride. I know this is true for not only me; but all of my friends around me.

Don't be too down twenties, you helped me find surround myself with great friends who've been there when I've been up, down or side to side. Granted we haven't always seen eye to eye; but in the end we enjoy each others company and are there to support each other. And in the end isn't that what matters?

You also helped me gain a deeper respect and love for my family. I watched my nephew grow from a little burrito to a young Padawan. Not only that, but became closer to my sister than I've ever been. I gained a deeper respect for my parents and what they went through to raise me.

And best part of my twenties has been the end of it. I found the person to spend those years with. She may never read this, she may never come across this in a link. But I can tell you that I unequivocally, without a doubt love Aura with all of my being. It took me 30 years to find her and I will fight like hell for the rest of my years to never lose her.

So twenties, we've had a great time. We really did. I hate to say goodbye. But, just know that I'll never forget you. I'll never underestimate the impact you had on where I am today. We left things on top and that is all you can ask for. Thanks for the memories.

Sincerely

Marcus

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2009-12-17T13:19:00.003-07:00

With the Beermas holiday behind us; trips to see the lights at Temple Square and Hoogle Zoo completed; comes the time to sit on the couch with your Snuggie and watch some holiday classics. You'll find that I don't watch your typical "It's a Wonderful Life" or "Christmas Story". I love to watch movies that are more akin to my 10 year old child inside and what I loved to watch as a kid. Yes, action movies.

Everyone has their list of movies that are Christmas to them and that they watch year in and year out. I figured I'd list my Christmas movies out and why they're there. Let me know what your favorites are too.

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
I just have to say that I'm thankful my dad never really got that into Christmas lights. I always worried that one day this movie would thrust him into that realm of house decorations; but fortunately we remained safe from nearly shutting down a power grid for lights.

This movie also contains one of the greatest rants in history:

Scrooged
All I can say is Bill Murray and him improving as he goes along. Plus, the ghost of Christmas present is awesome. Not to mention the commercial for what Frank Cross (Bill Murray) thinks should be the promo for Scrooged is epic. In fact; here is a list of things great about this movie. I couldn't have put it better.

Rocky IV
I know what your asking right now:
- "Marcus, isn't this one of the greatest movies of all time?"
- "Isn't this on your list of movies that ended the Cold War?"
- "Doesn't Rocky IV have the greatest montage of all time?"
- And lastly; "How does Rocky IV relate to Christmas?"

Well, the first three questions are all yes. The last question is because this movie takes place during Christmas. Rocky goes over to Mother Russia to pound in Drago's face during Christmas. And at the end of his epic speech; Rocky tells his son Merry Christmas as the Russians are chanting his name.

Die Hard
I have to say that this is the quintessential Christmas movie in my house. I have a standing tradition to watch this on Christmas Eve/Christmas Morning (before I go to bed). I've done this for 20 years now and this year looks to be no different.

What more can you ask for? Family? Check. Witty dialogue? Check. A bad guy who tries to spoil Christmas? Check? A father who will fight like hell to make sure his families Christmas isn't ruined? Check. And watching 10 or so terrorists get leveled by a NYC cop with no shoes? Check.

So, I have a handful of awesome videos that highlight my favorite Christmas movie. Some are NSFW unless you have headphones; then you should be okay:

Die Hard Trailer: After watching this, is there any reason why you would doubt how awesome this movie is?

Die Hard Music Video: This is surprisingly catchy song that covers all three Die Hard movies. Yes, I purposely left out Die Hard IV since they didn't say 'fuck' once and it was just ridiculous. PG-13 Die Hard = Fail.

Die Hard - The Fucking Short Version: This pretty much takes the highlights of the movie. This one is NSFW either unless you have headphones.

So, those are my holiday movies. Yes, I am sure I left a few off. Elf is close, but not in the final cut. And I really don't get why people have such a hard on for the Christmas Story (looking at you Melissa). But, I think it comes down to tradition. These were movies that made up my Christmas tradition and thus are movies that remind me of the holidays.

With that in mind; what are your holiday movies? If I don't see, talk, or write to you until after Christmas; I wish all of you a safe and Merry Christmas with your loved ones.

Just let your soul glow...just let it shine through...

2009-12-01T15:20:00.014-07:00

Editors Notes: So after seeing the anonymous comments by the anonymous blogger on the last post; we've implemented a little change here at The Mindless Void; no more anonymous comments. This isn't to say that you can't leave angry or mean comments anymore; but now you just have to have the stones to put your name behind it.

Hello everybody. How are you doing? What has happened since I last posted? Did you get a haircut? Cause it looks nice. I hope your mom is doing okay. So, here are some basic blocks of major events since the last post:

Chillin' in the '303'
As noted by the previous post; Aura, Ryan, Cat and I descended upon the 303 Area Code for some football, beer and good times. The previous post displays a few pictures from the Utes Football game. Aura and I also went to the Patriots vs. Broncos Game. Our seats were what one may call 'redonkulous'. Yes; they lost in overtime, my soul is still partially frozen and I found out that hand warmers by Coleman are complete shit. But, it was a great game and the Broncos fans weren't assholes.

But when I say chillin'; we quite literally were chillin'. That game was by far the coldest game I've ever been to.

Falling in Sugarhood
When I was purchasing a home in '06; it was during the fall months. One of the biggest things that drew me to Sugarhood was the leaves on 5th east. Below are a few shots of the leaves changing on my street.

I am a Utah Man
With my new camera gave me an entirely new way to shoot pictures of the Ute games. Below is a few of my favorite pictures from the games

From The Mindless Void

Pumpkins and Costumes...OH MY!!!
This years Halloween/Birthday Party at the Oderda's was a blast as usual. I was a cheesy tourist and Aura a gorgeous Snow White. Not to mention we got a chance to carve pumpkins at #mikeymikes house. Definitely a great time

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Fakesgiving and Thanksgiving
So, for those who have never been to Fakesgiving; this is a holiday that started in college with my old roommates in which we would do a huge Thanksgiving dinner before everyone left to go home for Thanksgiving. One of the things I have become eternally grateful for is my friends. Many of them have become more like family than friends and I am very thankful to have them.

This year Katie and John hosted Fakesgiving and it was a resounding success. Bacon wrapped turkey, tons of wine and tons of food. Plus, the best company you can find for a group of friends.

From The Mindless Void

Then there is Thanksgiving with the family. This year was a first as Aura and I had two dinners to attend. Both had amazing food and we realized that man was meant for one Thanksgiving dinner and not two. Either way; the day ended with us watching a Thanksgiving movie; Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

What am I thankful for? A healthy family, a wonderful girlfriend, a stable relationship, an awesome dog and a job that I excel at.

"Oh Beermas Tree..Oh Beermas Tree...O' will thou please beer me?"

This year marked the Third Beermas Festivities at my home. This year Beermas was rather jam packed with the following:

- White Elephant Gift Exchange
- Family Photos with Santa
- Dirty Pictionary
- Ugly Sweater Competition
- And beer, beer and more beer

For those who have not been to Beermas; it is a holiday that was created to celebrate all of the wonderful things that Beer provides us through the other 364 days of the year. I intend to do an entire post on the Story of Beermas in the future (just for you Kate).

Here is the 2009 Family Beermas Photo:

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Temple Lights with an extra shot of espresso
So, every year we go to the Temple Lights. This is even more important with the little burrito. We went last night to the lights and here are a few highlights. I will say; being hungry, hating crowds and a little one who doesn't want to listen made for a unique trip to the lights. Either way; it was fun because I love to see his eyes when he sees all the lights. Also, it is great to take my favorite highly caffeinated beverage too.

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Nice and Snuggly thanks to Kris Kringle
We have a Secret Santa at work called Kris Kringle. I have to say that of all the gifts that I've received; this is by far the best one. I have to say; thank you Sandy as this really is just chalk full of awesomesauce!!! But, put your Snuggie on backwards and it just doesn't make sense. What is it? A robe? No way!

From The Mindless Void

Also seen below is the best wrapping I've ever seen. The present was wrapped in paper with the persons face all over it. Classic.

From The Mindless Void

So, I think that is a comprehensive catch up from October. There were other things mixed in. But those are the highlights. Thanks for reading to the bottom. I know it was a long one.

Wish you were here

2009-10-10T22:30:00.006-07:00

This is going to be short and picture heavy.

We all love beer. We especially love New Belgium Beer

We also love football. We love it when the Utes win. It's even better when you celebrate on the field. Thanks to Ryan's dad Tim for getting us on the field and for introducing us to the players before and after the game.

We also love drinking before the game. But we hate BYU fans. As noted by Ryan and I's feelings towards them.

Also, Robert Johnson and Steven Sylvester are both bad asses.

Long story short; great game; great beer and great friends. Now, LET'S GO PATS!!!

Keep f**king that chicken

2009-09-20T17:19:00.003-07:00

So I haven't blogged in many many moons. Aside of my rant in July; we have to go back to the beginning of the summer. I have to say that usually is a good thing. It means that I've been busy. There have been so many things that have happened that I'm not going to go through it all.

I wanted to kick a blog old school for a friend of mine and let's do this:

- With each passing day I fall more in love with 'fall' and move away from my love of summer

- Why in the hell do people need a snuggie with two holes in it? "Hey hon, I have to go to the bathroom and well...looks like you're coming with me". More over; Snuggie Fashion Show? WTF?

- Costco vodka is pretty damn tasty and damn cheap

- If Street Sharks were real; it could quite possibly be one of the most scary things alive. Shark Week would be every day. I can just say; it would not be 'jawsome'

- Best part of summer is street vendor tacos

- Best part of fall; football and the leaves changing

- Why have I never been to Cotton Bottom before this past weekend? Damn good burger

- Damn that Kayne West and his antics. According to Kayne, Bush hates black people and now everyone in American; including President Obama hates you

- Gave the dog a bath and she looks like a walking cotton ball

- Boyz II Men came to the State Fair in concert; could someone please tell Bush that they need to do a concert with Oasis, Green Day and Weezer to relive my junior high days as well?

- Bacon wrapped around fruit is pretty damn tasty. On Sunday; tried pineapple, apple and even around a piece of cinnamon roll. Yeah; it was pretty awesome

- Dust is pretty much the unwanted visitor in my home that will never leave

- I've realized my Christmas list as an adult is drastically different than a child. For example;

Kid Marcus: telescope, NES (or any game system), mountain bike, video games, basketball shoes

Adult Marcus: garbage disposal, pizza stone, lawn trimmer/edger, hard drive for computer, hoodies, more hoodies

- I have grown a deep appreciation of scotch thanks to John. An expensive, yet tasty addiction

- It also helps that I love and adore Ron Burgundy and he loves and adores scotch

- I haven't made salsa in a few weeks and it is more than time for a batch

- I think Aura thought I was kidding when I said I can live on tomato sandwiches. I practically did for two weeks and will begin another two weeks while the tomatoes are good

- My opinion of the past has changed; I liked high school, loved college and love where life can take me now even more. Yeah; that was me being optimistic. How do you like them apples?

- Something I've always believed; perception is stronger than any form of reality

- I should be sleeping

- I shouldn't tell myself what to do

- But if I don't who will?

- Guess that means I can have a bowl of coco puffs and ice cream if I feel like it

- Guess that is what being an adult is; just cause you can do something; doesn't mean you do it

- No one but yourself can make you happy. It has taken me over 28 years to believe that. Not just realize it; but believe it. A powerful and profound thought in of its own right

- I took off the beer goggles; Megan Fox is just eye candy; nothing more, nothing less. Before you know it; some other pop tart with edgy tattoos will be shoved in front of us to drool over. I drank the kool-aid; I admit it

- Speaking of Megan Fox; like fantasy football, you need to be on the look out for the next Megan Fox. Here's a list of the potential candidates

- NFL Sunday Ticket; albeit overwhelming at times, is one of the reasons I know god loves me (Paul/Mike/Dan version: is one of the reasons I know science loves me)

- Fantasy Football may be nerdy; but it makes every game on Sunday matter. Hell, it makes Cleveland vs Denver watchable

- Getting paid to golf is never a bad thing

- Getting paid to golf and hit some spectacular shots is even better

- Why is there an MTV Music Awards show when there are no music videos?

- The religious right is like a bad VH1 reality show. Here's a good one; teach adolesent boys that porn turns you gay. Um, really? Do they have a think tank of people with a combined IQ of 50 thinking up this shit? Wow. This scene describes what I think of them

- Jay Z's new album The Blueprint III; epic. Definitely worth listening too

- I'm big on mash up albums right now. Courtesy of Alice and Kirsten; I've some pretty choice albums to listen too

- Stumbled upon a list of Top 10 Female Celebrity Douchebags. Can't really disagree with anyone on this list. Good work

- Hilarious combining politicians, Facebook and humor

- Why is Tila Tequilla still relevant? Shouldn't she be in some Skank Retirement Home with Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan and other former coked out celebrities with sex tapes?

I think that about does it. I think I should probably hit the hay. I'll try not to be such a blog stranger. And be careful with those chickens. Goodnight everyone

SHUT THE F**** UP!!!

2009-07-09T12:32:00.003-07:00

So, I normally would write a blog that outlines what I've been up to for the past month or so from blog to blog. Hell, I have an entire blog that I almost have done that I'll eventually post. But now, no, not today.

I am for the most part an individual that doesn't let what my co-workers do bother me. But for some reason; today is not that day. I literally am on the verge of going Falling Down on someone. What is my complaint? How loud people are at work sometimes. Chewing food, talking on cell phones or just basic jack-assery while at work and completely ignoring the fact that they are driving their co-workers closer to a mental breakdown.

So, I've compiled a list of things that should be banned from work:

Eating of the following foods:
- Carrots
- Cornuts
- Popcorn
- Dry cereal
- Ice (yes, people chew ice)
- Apples
- Celery
- Chips
- Anything in a plastic bag that you have to rustle the damn bag to find the food you have in there
- Any left over that smells like someone died when you re-heat it

Why do I have a problem with these foods? Because you are assaulting my senses when you eat them and cause me to want to take a 3 iron to your jaw to get you to stop composing Beethoven's 5th Symphony via chewing of ice.

I know it's bad when I have to turn my headphones that are on full blast and they still don't drown out the audio attack you have launched upon my cubicle. The best part is when someone tells you that your headphones are too loud and it is affecting them.

Really? I got a great idea; you learn to limit the noise causing me inching closer to insanity and maybe I'll go ahead and turn those head speakers down a few notches. As much as I love loud music; I'd like to preserve my ears by not assaulting them with great music and just work in moderate silence.

I may be a little hyper sensitive to this today for some reason or another. But regardless, I know I'm not alone on the noise issue. So, what office life things drive you nuts? Drop them in the comments as I think we're all anxious to hear what drives you nuts (Melissa; fully expecting a list).

Now back to jamming out to Sublime/Michael Jackson while I work.

Landscaping in the 84105

2009-05-31T13:23:00.006-07:00

My how the year is flying by. I looked at my phone and saw June 1st and realized that the year is nearly half over. So many things have happened in such a short period of time that it is slightly overwhelming to look back and think of the ups and downs.

Lord knows there have been there fare share of them. I'm writing this blog from my porch and I look at my recently revamped yard and think of the reasons behind the plants, behind the lights and look at the changes with a sense of bitter-sweet accomplishment. Closing in on three years in my house I always struggled looking at it as home. It's weird to say that; but it just didn't have that home feeling to it. Even today, it isn't where I want it to be. But when you face the stark reality that you may be in this house for at least a few years you look to make it feel as much as home as you can.

Thus, home improvements that were pushed off, projects that didn't seem to have importance seem to jump up to the top of the list. My initial plan was to be in this house 2 years and use it as a learning experience for buying my next house with a moderate amount of profit pulled from this house to parlay into the next house.

As we all know; the market had different plans. So, patience is now my forced virtue as there is enough of a loss in the equity of my home to stay pat for the near future. But not all is lost; I finally took time to listen to my parents wise sage advice on my yard and start to pay attention to the landscaping of my yard.

I was a complete novice as to what to do. I didn't know the difference between an annual and a perennial or even the first thing of taking care of plants. Thought snails were harmless little creatures and now are looked at with great disdain as they are the culprits of several plants being a proverbial buffet for the enemy.

So, as I write this blog from my porch with a new found sense of appreciation for the hours of hard work my parents pour into their yard as i look out at my yard and think that slowly but surely I may get to a point where my dad can compliment my front yard without a backhanded compliment at the end of the sentence.

What did I do differently this year? Well, the addition of some annuals, transplanted perennials from my parents, pots; new wood chips, porch chairs, freshly edged lawn and of course new lighting. For those who have been to my house; my house was rather difficult to find aside of the U of U flag or Obama sign. Now, with new lighting it certainly kicks up the front yard a bit. The picture is a little grainy and I'll put another one up when I have it; but this gives you a good idea as to what it looks like at night.

So, as we move into June, the house is in good order. The next project is the lighting for the backyard. As many of you know it is a black abyss at night and I look forward to hitting that darkness with about 2000w of light.

This is a fairly bland blog that I usually shy away from. But, as I have found; many of my blogs serve more as a point of reference for me over the years as to what is going on inside the good ol' noodle. So, I should get back to those errands that I was supposed to do (really don't want to go to Lowes again).

Also, I am sure that I'll make a valliant attempt to blog a little sooner than I have in past months. Blogging from my porch is much more inspiring than sitting on my couch or my cubicle. So, with that in mind; hope you are all enjoying a nice relaxing Sunday afternoon with a tasty beverage, some fresh air and with some great company. With that said...I'm out.

And the Greg Perry Award goes to...

2009-05-07T12:22:00.013-07:00

I will admit that I did promise to produce my “Greg Perry’s Seattle Awards of Excellence” nearly a month ago. Well, here are my Greg Perry Awards:

Best Coffee: Victrola Coffee – Capital Hill
The atmosphere was much more laid back here and many more areas to isolate yourself if needs be and work. But also many areas where you can converse and not impede on others. Not to mention their espresso was top notch if not even better than Zoka.

Best Place to Take your dog: Edmonds Dog Park
Granted, this is the only dog park I went to in Seattle. However, based upon what I saw; there is probably few that are this scenic and certainly is the best one I’ve been too.

Best Place to Watch an NBA Game: Nowhere
Apparently, when the Sonics left; so did every bar that carried NBA League Pass. I shouldn’t say no one carried NBA League Pass; Fox Sports Grill in downtown Seattle does. So, if you need to catch an NBA game; this is where to do it.
Best Thai Food: Thai Toms – UW District
Do I really even have to explain this one? If you love Thai food and are in Seattle; go to Thai Toms and bring cash. Best Pad Thai I’ve ever had.

Best Mexican mocha: El Diablo Coffee Co/Dilettante
I can’t choose between the two of these. El Diablo had the best vibe to just chill and hang out. Dilettante I never went to their store but always get one in the airport before I leave.

Best Chocolate: Chocolati – Green Lake
Not only do you get a great view of the lake; their chocolates are amazing. I haven’t really made a habit of getting chocolates in Salt Lake and seriously am reconsidering this. Also, the chocolate in the mocha is just as good

Best way to kill an afternoon: Walking around Green Lake
I did this twice and have to say that this is just a nice place to walk or even rollerblade around. Catch the people roller skate dancing over by the basketball courts. They’re awesome

Best Burger: Red Mill Burger – Green Lake
Much like these other categories; I didn’t have to try many of them to figure out which was the best. An amazing burger and I strongly suggest the blue cheese burger with grilled onions/mushrooms added.

Best Late Night Snack: Dicks – Anywhere
Sir Mix a Lot put it best; Dicks is the place where the SWASS hang out. Get a Dicks Deluxe, fries and a chocolate shake. I love that their large drink is a 20 oz drink. Their prices have always been cheap and don’t think they’ve gone up since I went their in high school.

Best View for a Coffee Shop: Whidby Coffee in Mukilteo
Hands down the best view I've ever had in a coffee shop before. You look out over the Possession Sound and have fantastic views on a nice cloud-free day.

Best Place to Catch a Sunset: Mukilteo State Park
Hit up Diamond Knot Brewery for their Imperial IPA and tasty pizza. Then head next door for ice cream and a nice walk along the park. Jump up on the train tracks and go for a nice walk. One of my favorite sunsets I’ve seen was here.

Best Place to Develop Your Inner Yuppie: Fremont District
This is probably one of the most unique districts in all of Seattle. You have a Troll under a bridge; a huge statue of Lenin at the center and a large number of eclectic antique shops all in one area. Head to the Fremont Market on Sunday and choose the wood fire pizza over the tacos (trust me on this. I know my tacos). Hit up a number of bars in the area and a great coffee house in Fremont Coffee.

Best Place to Catch Happy Hour: Lowell’s
Again, I didn’t get to too many happy hours. But the view on a sunny day alone made this my number one choice. Plus getting a micro beer and open-faced hot dog w/ sauerkraut, grilled onions, chili and cheese for $3.50 also helped.
Best Food that you’d never know unless someone from Seattle told you: Grouchy Chef
This guy is a strange cat by all definitions of the saying. But, say what you will; for $10 you leave full and on amazing food. Tony and Ryan are dead on when they say how good this place is and strongly strongly suggest you go. Just don’t talk back or ask for substitutions.
Best Realtor in Seattle: Greg Perry
Hands down this man is the gold standard in realty in Seattle. You can’t argue with a man who’s billboard is of a man in a gold suit and a website that is powerful like www.gregperry.com.
Best Bikini Barista: Java Juggs
The girl didn't seem like she put her make-up on with a shotgun. In fact, don't think she was wearing make-up along with a swimsuit. But, the coffee and experience was better than Girltown Espresso.

Best Place to Crash While in Seattle: Casa de Pagoaga
From the Tom Sellick Plate on the wall to the adorable wupsters; this place has treated me well in the years I’ve gone up to see the Pagoaga’s. Thanks a million for all of your hospitality over the years and letting me crash there. I will be there this summer at some point and we’ll see some baseball even if it isn’t the Red Sox (this really bums me out).

So there you have it; my Greg Perry Awards of Excellence for Seattle. I’ll have to do the same for Salt Lake for my peeps not in Salt Lake. For those who read this first; enjoy my next blog.

Welcome Back to the same old place you laughed about

2009-04-06T21:39:00.044-07:00

Well, everything that begins must come to and end. Thus my stay in the northwest draws to a close. However, where one trip ends; my blog about said trip begins. It's 9:44pm here where I have started and let's see how long it takes to get to the end.

Day 1: The Beginning
Pretty basic; I landed in Seattle and hung out with the Pagoaga's pre flight. Now the key part of this story is they stayed up all night to sleep on the flight. I had to work the next day so did my best to stay up but required some sleep. About an hour or so.

Day 2: The coffee madness begins

On the way home from dropping the Pag's off at the airport I snapped one of the bluest skies I've ever seen before on my phone. I stopped on the way at a coffee shop that used to be a Bikini Coffee shop. For those who don't know; Seattle has them and the public doesn't like them. I gave the lady crap that Seattle was social prude's for getting all in arms about bikini coffee given Utah can have Bikini Cuts. I was just joking with her and she didn't find it at all funny.

Also, Melissa; these stickers exist outside of Utah as well unfortunately. I ended up at the Whidbey Coffee in Mukilteo. The coffee was okay but their sandwich was tasty. The best part of this coffee shop is it probably has the best view looking outside of any of the coffee shops.

With so much free time; I did bring up my Xbox, some games and my hard drive with all my movies and three seasons of Entourage. So that filled many of the nights along with chatting with friends.

Day 3: Bainbridge Island

As you can see by the pictures it was a rainy day. However, it was not horrible. In fact, I really didn't have a horrible weather day while I was up here. I ended up at a few coffee shops on this day. Pegasus Coffee which was the highest rated one on the island. However, horrible WiFi, couldn't get a regular croissant and the coffee was okay. Not to mention no plugs for computers. Not the best place to be working remotely from.

I left there for higher ground and search for a better mocha and place to work. Fortunately there was Andante Coffee. The atmosphere was much better for working and seemed more up my ally. Their mochas tasted like Sugar Daddy's which happened to be one of my favorite candies growing up. Not the traditional mocha; but they make their own chocolate.

Bainbridge Island is much how I imagine the town from Dante's Peak to be. I was fully expecting Pierce Brosnan to be running around the town telling me to watch out for volcanic activity (funny thing is this is a picture of the soundtrack which some how needed two discs to express the full magnitude of the theatrical score of Dante's Peak; WTF?).

The town is one that you can just find yourself walking through and hanging out. But watch out for Lizzie Sivitz; she'll debate your ass to the ground.

One of the highlights of Bainbridge Island is you have to take a ferry to get there. Long story short; you're on a boat man, you're going fast and you should wear a nautical themed cashmiere afghan. They are just something you have to do if you're in Seattle. With that in mind; here is our first touristy picture.

The first picture just seemed like it screamed pretentious Seattle coffee company. "It's not just Tully's; it's Seattle". This is a view from the ferry of the Seattle skyline. And like I said, a touristy shot of me and the skyline.

Day 3 and 4: Weekend Adventures

The weather cleared up quite a bit from the day before. One thing I learned from Cat and Ryan is that if the suns out; you better be outside as you don't know when it will be back. Seemed like a great day to take Bailey to the dog park in Edmonds for some outdoor fun. Their dog park is amazing as you can see. Didn't hurt that it was a gorgeous day too.

So following the dog park, some episodes of Entourage and a walk with both dogs it was time to have some (surprise surprise) coffee. Grabbed a cup from Whidbey and looked out at the sound. I did some exploring to find out there was a park just down the street. A beach that went into the water. Given it was close to sunset; figured I'd throw on some headphones and walk the beach. There are some pictures that I will be the first to admit; I took as my ode to The Red Pen herself (she'll know which style I'm talking about). I had to take a ton of pictures as I am a huge fan of sunsets (thus the sun tattoo).

As you can see, it was a gorgeous day to be outside. This was all Sunday. Saturday I tried to go watch the Jazz vs. Suns game only to find that it wasn't playig at any of the bars. Go figure. Ended up driving for a half hour to get to watch the game in downtown Seattle to see the Jazz barely hold on to the win.

Day 5: The University of Washington District (UW to the locals)

The UW District is a pretty chill place to hang out. I started the day off at the Trabant Coffee & Chai. This was a coffee win; great coffee, great WiFi, power outlets and really relaxing atmosphere. I just plugged away counting down the moments to when I'd head to Thai Toms for lunch.

Pictured above; my working space at Trabant and my mocha. Then you have food from Thai Toms. If you like Thai food and like Pad Thai; I strongly suggest you go here if you're in Seattle and they only take cash. Next you have Zoka Coffee which is still my #1 Coffee shop in Seattle for actual coffee. Also, their patrons are smart asses; but again I am taking a picture in a coffee shop.

Day 6: Peet's Revenge

On Day 6 I landed in Queen Anne (Cat's favorite district). This place has amazing (very expensive) homes too. In my attempt to hurry and get logged in for a conference call; I landed on a place called Peet's. Looked local from the outside and quickly learned it was not. Rather, the farthest you can get from local; it's owned by Starbucks and was started in Berkley. The coffee was bad, the place was noisey and no plug ins. This was a working remotely fail location.

I needed some local flair and stat. Fortunatley the most colorful coffee shop I've ever been to was in my near future; The El Diablo Coffee Co. From the outside it doesn't look like much. But inside is an amazing shop. Hands down the best Mexican Mocha around. Not enough places use Mexican chocolate and I can only hope it is the next craze like dark chocolate and Snuggies. Not to mention they sell beer there as well which was a double bonus. Because after dealing with some clients you need some barley and hopps. Also, this had the most colorful artwork. Think Day of the Dead meets coffee shop. Also very informative signs on the bathroom door.

Now, I needed some sustinance. Given the Mexican Mocha; a burrito sounded right up my alley. But where? Thanks to Pablo Escobar; Bimbo's Bitchin' Burrito's was in my sights as well. Certainly, this doesn't beat the burritos at home; but it still is a quality burrito.

Plus I couldn't beat the lunch special of a huge burrito and a bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbion for $5.50. That would just be ridiculous.

Following that I needed one more coffee to round out my work day. So, we moved to my third office of the day. Caffe Vita helped close out my work day and had quite the atmosphere. I'd have more pictures but I began to feel a little weird being that guy taking a picture in a coffee shop and trying to blend in.

The coffee was pretty damn good and I really felt out of place in this coffee shop. Maybe it was because I kept trying to get a picture in this place.

Day 7: I'm in Capital Hill...errr...Wallingford/Fremont

So, I plugged the coordinates into my phone wrong and thought I was in Capital Hill and turns out I was in a completely different area. I ended up at the Fuel Coffee more in Fremont. They were under some renovation and thus the bare walls. The coffee was okay; not great but they were really friendly. I did like how some people got judgemental and shot dirty looks if you answered your phone quietly.

They had great WiFi but the best part of this place was that it was across the street from Bottleworks. Why is this important? Because they have a beer that I've wanted to get my hands on for years. Had it once at a beer party which inspired Beermas about 3-4 years ago. It's called La Folie by New Belgium. It is expensive to say the least for a 750mL bottle and I'm praying the two bottles I'm bringing home are returned safely.

Following that, you need lunch right? Well, after dropping a pretty penny on beer; cheap and tasty food was needed. Lucky for me I just happened to be right by a Dick's Drive In (it is after all where the SWASS hangout).

From here I needed a location STAT to work from. Knowing Paul's deep affinity for the Lenin Statue; I selected Fremont Coffee to close the work day out with. What I loved about this place was how it was out of a converted house that it was turned into a coffee shop. The bedrooms with coffee tables and lamps. Each room in a different color and amazing art on the walls. The only distraction was there was a lot of traffic for the art; but I could see why. The coffee was above average for Seattle but they did have that sense of arrogance to them.

Also, one of the key selling points of Fremont Coffee is their $1.50 24oz PBR cans.

Day 8: The Actual Capital Hill

I initially started the day in a coffee shop in Edmonds by the dog park called Walnut Street Coffee. Their coffee wasn't spectacular but I loved the colors and vibe I got from this place. The place was packed with regulars who just kill their morning chit chatting about current events. Bring their grandkids and hang out. Also, their ham & cheese croissant wasn't too shabby either.

I needed to move on though; mostly due to parking and partly due to my desire to find more coffee shops. I wanted to visit the real Capital Hill and ended up at a place called Victrola Coffee. This shop's mocha gave Zoka a serious run for their money if not actually took the top spot for coffee. This area is definitely a beautiful area and the houses are amazing.

This coffee shop had great service, great atmosphere and an amazing setup for working remotely. The only downside is they blocked a certain access that is used for our servers because gamers use it and bogs down their network. But the coffee was worth it.

As I was leaving to head back north; I realized I needed some food to tie me over for the drive home. Nothing like some fish n' chips and some beers right? That is where the Canterbury Ale & Eats comes in. It's greasy deep fried food and it seems fitting you grab it from a local ale house. I can't eat fish and chips that often; but this was definitely a great experience. Even bad fish n' chips is better than in Salt Lake. For my health; probably better that way too.

Day 9: OD'ing on Caffeine

I decided to take on the challenge of working in the heart of downtown Seattle. Work from the original Starbucks and home of capitalistic coffee. This seemed crazy at first given parking downtown. But there is a parking lot that is $8 for 12 hours of parking if you get there before 9:30am during the weekdays.

So, I ventured to Mikey Mike's mothership and the shop was cool. But not a sit down place, but I had to get a cup of coffee from here. I moved on to a Starbucks a block away but refused to pay for WiFi and plus; it's Starbucks. We have 1400 in Salt Lake and isn't any different there than it is here.

I ended up at the Seattle Coffee Works a block away from Pikes Market. This shop was ground zero for pretentious coffee. Hell, they did tours about coffee. The coffee was amazing and the little hole in the room I found to locate was rather nice. The staff seemed a little pretentious; but also it's probably cause they are close to Pike Market and deal with a lot of dumb tourists (I may be a tourist; but I'm not a dumb tourist). Not like the guys in the last picture taking a tour of a coffee shop. What dorks ::said in best mocking of myself voice::

For lunch I had the luxury of enjoying the company of someone in person. Up until this point; hanging out with Tony for sushi on Day 6 was about the extent of my human interaction in person aside of ordering from a barista. I met up with Erin; one of Cat's friends who lives up here who took me to a place given to us from the hand of God himself; Beechers Handmade Cheese.

I haven't had many homemade mac & cheese's and certainly not with cheese from a high end cheese store; but this was amazing. Plus, their Flagship cheese is amazing as well and I'll try to bring some back. Combine that with some good conversation for lunch and an apple cider (yes, I'm crazy like that at times) and it was quite the lunch. Although, I will soon find out I should have gotten the large to counter act my coffee.

Friday was a crazy day; I really had some important deadlines that I had to have done by no later than EOD and having reliable internet connections was critical to this. Unfortunately for me, the next shop, Caffe Umbria on my list didn't have a reliable internet connection. And by not reliable I mean non existent. I was in Pioneer Square at a shop I've been with Cat/Ryan before and it is good coffee. However, no internet was bad. Really bad. I wish I knew that before I ordered my coffee so I ended up pounding a 20oz mocha and moving to the next location.

Now, if you want to sit, talk, have coffee and a pastry; this is your shop to do it. gorgeous on the inside and during the summer is wonderful to sit out in the square. But when you need WiFi; you need WiFi.

I found a shop just up the street on an off street called Cherry Street Coffee. This store had a nice unique charm to it. Now, I'll be the first to admit that my review of this coffee is entirely based upon me finding the threshhold of my caffine-to-food ratio.

I sat down; logged into work and plugged away. I was seriously naucious from the caffine mixed with low amounts of food and high amounts of stress for the afternoon. Regardless, the deadlines were met and we moved forward. The coffee was okay, but again it has a bias, but the atmosphere was great. Also, I like Pioneer Square; but don't get why people are so in love with this place. It's okay and I certainly like other areas better (see Queen Anne, Fremont, etc).

Now, also being at Pike Market means you have to take some touristy pictures. Below should give you a good feel for my inner tourist that was just dying to come out.

Well, after working my tail off and having a rough week (as rough as it can get from a coffee shop) I was more than due for a tasty beverage. As I walked through Pikes Market to get to the parking lot; I thought I'd stop at Lowell's for happy hour.

Now, since it was closing on sunset; not only did I get a beer, chili dog w/ saurkraut and grilled onions for $3.50 (yes, you read right; all of that for $3.50 and it was just the food I needed for the caffine); but I got some amazing pictures of the sound.

Weekend #2: Rain in Seattle? Not this weekend

I asked for the rain to wait until at least Wednesday until it came back to Seattle. I have to say it is a reasonable city who listened and gave me some fantastic weather to close this trip. Saturday I took Bailey to the dog park in Edmonds again and I think she was more than tuckered out this time. How do I know this? She slept the whole way home.

Of course we got some more candid shots of her on the beach and there wasn't any "Where did Bailey go? Oh I may have lost her" moments either.

Following that, I took Bailey and Maggie for a walk; put them back up and headed south for a bit. I have this thing where I really like to look at cathedrals. I am not a fan of organized religion but find peace and solace when sitting inside a cathedral when it is nearly empty. Saint Josephs is a beautiful cathedral and as usual I took more pictures than I needed. But I'm fine with that.

Following the cathedral I went to head home but traffic was horrible on the I-5 due to construction so I headed to Green Lake. But before walking around the park; food as in definite order. There was a place Ryan and I tried to go to with no avail as they're closed on Mondays; The Red Mill Burger.

Anytime I can order a burger medium rare it is a good thing. Throw on blue cheese and we're going to have a good time. This was a great burger and strongly suggest it if you want a tasty burger in Seattle. To put it in perspective; Red Mill is to Seattle and burgers as The Pie is to Salt Lake and pizza. They just dominate.

From there, you need to walk off some of that burger to make it through. Well, before I did that I decided to take a quick stop to a chocolate/coffee shop called Chocolati and is directly across from Green Lake. I don't get chocolates in Salt Lake but this store will certainly get me to consider it. Their dark chocolate was very impressive and their mocha was just as impressive given they use their own chocolate. If you crave sweets; then this is the place for you.

Following that, I decided to take a little walk through Green Lake. I lost track of how far I went while talking to Paul and didn't know how far I went. So, keep on truckin' right? Turns out I wasn't even half way and after 3 miles around I was close to my car again. The best part is it went by so fast and it is a great lake to walk around if you have time; or in my case, don't have time but do it anyways. As you can see, I took a lot of pictures of this lake as the sun was setting.

Later on, I met up with Tony and his friends and we went out to a handful of bars in Everett. We polished of the Patron like it was going out of style and then moved on to Irish food; best shepards pie I've had in a while. But certainly not the best bangers n' mash. We all made it home in one piece which is what matters. But waking up the next day wasn't I would classify as bright and early.

Moving on to Sunday; it was another gorgeous day. However, I was what you may classify as lazy on this day. I ended up taking the dogs for a walk and going to the Fremont Market. I had some tacos that were supposedly the talk of the town; but fell short of my tacos at home.

But I did get a great smoothie though at Custom Smoothie. Got the Mango Tango and it was a smoothie win. Following the market; I just walked around Fremont for a bit and just took in the gorgeous day. Got pictures of things when it was sunny compared to gray when I was in Fremont earlier (i.e. the Lenin picture referenced above was from this day). Went and saw the Troll again, hung out with Lenin, went to some antique shops.

Following that I headed to Green Lake. This time with a book in hand, a pear, an apple and a Powerade (no coffee). And surprise surprise; more pictures from Green Lake. Why is this important? Because no walking around the lake; just enjoying the area.

So, here are a few more pictures of Green Lake; I promise...they are the last ones from Green Lake:

Day 12: Back where it all started

As I brought this trip to the northwest to a close; I figured I'd go to where my coffee journey began; Whidbey Coffee. Great day, a great view and a great way to close out my trip up here. Today was rather uneventful other than a busy packed day of work. I did pick up some of the Beecher cheese at the store last night and I will tell you what; that was some amazing cheese. It's like a creamy English cheddar. Freaking awesome cheese. The half pound was gone before it knew what hit it.

Took the dogs for a walk and here are some pictures from today.

I also got the chance to go to the Grouchy Chef. I would love to share pictures with you; but respect the fact that he asks you to not take pictures. I have to say for $10; pan fried trout over shitake mushroom rice; salad with feta, strawberries and balamic vinegar and some sort of creamy sauce over the trout and a drink is pretty damn impressive. He does make the Soup Nazi look like a piece of cake though. But well worth it.

Wrapping up the end notes:

I almost forgot about one of the more interesting aspects of this trip. So, as mentioned very early on; Seattle has bikini coffee drive through stands thoughout Seattle. They are pretty ghetto and I had never been to one. Let's provide a review of the two I went to:

Girltown Espresso: We'll just say that it looked like someone put the make up on with a shotgun rather than applied it normally. The girl is regardless; the people in the line is what makes it so special. Watching guys pull further from the curb; saying sleezy lines. When I ordered I felt so awkward and slimey for being there that I had to look forward and just make eye contact when necessary.

Java Juggs: yes; you read the name right. We'll just say this girl wasn't in a bikini. She had what appeared to be electrical tape as pasties. Um, yeah; I can't make this up and no I wasn't about to take or ask for a picture of this one.

The coffee was just like every other drive through stand; mediocre at best. But, I will tell you that it is a unique experience and an awkward one at that to get your coffee. I know you may have made your judgements; but I can assure you it was the most uncomfortable coffee ordering experience I've ever had. The best was at the second one; the girl almost spilled coffee on herself cause I made a joke (I do that when I'm nervous) and she said "Um, that would have been bad". Thus why these stands are just walking Workers Comp. stands.

Also, I went to add links to their sites and let's just say I'll pass. Google search if you want.

------------------------

All in all it was a good trip. I had plenty of time to think and also explorer Seattle like I had never done before. I hope you enjoyed the recap and I'm sure I left some things out. Hell, I took nearly a 1,000 pictures while up here. Well, the closing time to write this blog is at 2:18am so 4 1/2 hours to write. Wow; long time and probably will take you that long to read it. And at this hour; I'm not going to proof it either.

I'll see you at the crossroads (crossroads crossroads)

2009-04-04T17:35:00.003-07:00

So, my sabbatical to the "Great Northwest" is almost drawing a close. I write to you on day 10 from the Chocolati Cafe with one of the best mocha's I've ever experienced. Probably has a lot to do with some of the best chocolate I've ever had. We'll get to that in a second.

For those who may not know why I took a two week trip to Seattle; my good friends are in France for two weeks and when opportunity for the trip came up having someone watch the dogs was a big seller in them going. They flew me up here; gave me their car to use; gave me some cash-money to roll with and here I am. 10 days removed from my cozy confides, my bed, my wupster and have developed a good amount of clarity while I have been up here.

I'm not an individual who usually spends a lot of time alone. My "Marcus" time is usually from the hours of 12am-3am each night after friends have left. But this has forced me outside of my comfort zone and to a point where I am even more comfortable in my own skin than I was when I got here. Unfortunately, this clarity did come at a cost. Every gain in life has a cost; whether it is an equal one or imbalanced.

One of the things I've learned about being an "adult" is that it is much more than homeowners insurance, 401k choices and leasing or buying a car. It is much more than that. Rather it is making decisions that you don't want to make. Decisions that when you were younger you would have made without batting an eyelash and dealt with the consequences regardless of who may be affected or hurt along the way.

Being an adult is making decisions that you may not want to make; but have to because it is ultimately the right thing. It's about learning to not be selfish and think about just you and factor in those around you who are your support or more importantly look to you for support. A wise friend always tells me to "just be honest with yourself". An extension of that concept is being honest with those around you. No matter how brutal it may be; just be honest.

So, as I sit here in a coffee shop by Green Lake and look out at a seemingly serene setting; I know that this clarity came at a cost. But it is these decisions that I was raised to make. When I was younger and made a very selfish decision she would merely point out "I raised you better than that". Well, she did and 28 years later I am finally making those vaunted adult decisions. Making those decisions that you don't want to make; the ones that go against what you want for yourself; but for the greater good (the greater good).

I'll leave the tour of Seattle to another post. Don't know why I felt compelled to write this blog and post it today. Either way, the next blog might be one of my longest yet. So make sure you have your Snuggie, a tasty adult beverage and enjoy.

Humor Fail?

2009-03-05T10:23:00.002-07:00

So, I love to give Melissa crap from time to time. Sometimes this results in humor; sometimes confusion; and sometimes complete failure. Either way, the conversation below "pleases me". Don't know why it made me laugh but it did:

10:07 AM me: word

last nights episode

blew

chunks

10:08 AM Melissa: what?

what are you talking about?

me: disappointment

10:09 AM Also, i think you should really give Kid Sister another chance

i really mean that

10:10 AM Melissa: no, no you don't

me: yes i do

he's just trying

Melissa: quit it

me: I've been too hard on him

also, gremlin; i should get to know him

Melissa: AND last night's ep was awesome

me: maybe he isn't as creepy as I thought

Melissa: waht, he's creepier?

me: you know what; Mormonism...maybe it is for me?

10:12 AM

Melissa: i am confused and hurt by your words

me: alcohol; not for me. I don't like how it makes me feel

10:13 AM also, I've realized I really like soccer more than basketball/baseball/football. I think I'll trade my season tickets for Real Salt Lake tickets

10:14 AM Also, I've been thinking that it's high time I listened to Paul and stopped shopping at Wal-Mart

Melissa: speechless

10:15 AM me: You know what; I should stop being so judgmental on you wanting to be a vegan. It's a bold statement that you're willing to try. I should be more supportive of this decision you've made

10:18 AM Melissa: you are actually starting to creep me out now

stop it, seriously

10:20 AM me: Also, I really think LaDon was a good guy deep down. He really cared about all of those girls. He never used them

10:21 AM have you caught on yet?

10:22 AM Melissa: what?

me: I'm trying to tell you that I really did like Lost last night. It was either flat out tell you my first statement was "Opposite Day" or go this route. I figured you would catch on I was saying the opposite of things I really believe. But to no avail

::Humor Fail::

Melissa: well, i kinda figured, but still...creepy

me: LOL

Melissa: it was a humor fail

This is why we're friends. It may not make anyone else laugh; but I got a kick out of it.

The Friends & Family Plan

2009-02-23T22:56:00.004-07:00

I believe I'm supposed to start this mindless meandering with something like "Man, it's been so long since I've written". Well, not today; it seems like yesterday I posted a blog. Man, it feels like Christmas Eve all over again. Hell, I can't lie; it has been a long time. A longer hiatus than normal for me.

I'm the typical monthly blogger and for some reason have been a little apathetic to blogging for some reason or another. Maybe the lack of time; lack of motivation; lack of topics to write about or maybe my dad was right; this whole "blog" technology is just a fad and won't be around long.

Either way, I'm here writing and you are here reading. So, let's make this awkward like a high school first kiss and try to make it through without missing our target okay? Great.

First off, I have some of the greatest, opinionated, passionate, irritating, caring, hilarious, talented, stubborn and brilliant friends. You're thinking that is one hell of a back handed compliment. But allow me to elaborate. Why would I emphasize the negatives alongside the positives? Well, it is what makes me appreciate them all the more.

They care about me, each other and themselves to be all of the good and bad all in one. Much like family; you love them, but damn they can annoy the living shit out of you. So, with that in mind; I want to thank my friends for just being there for me. Calling me out on my shit; playing video games when I need to think about something other than what the hamster wants to drone on and on about and just being you.

I know you have not always agreed with my decisions; agreed with how I deal with my own issues. But regardless you are always there when I need you; even if you annoy the hell out of me. But let's get the facts straight; you're just paying me back for all the times I annoyed you to the point of insanity.

It's Miller Time

One thing everyone can agree on when Larry H. Miller is brought up; you love him or you hate him. It was impossible to have a neutral opinion of him. Growing up as a Jazz fan; my perspective of him was skewed. I didn't agree with his politics, religion or even how he approached business.

However, I can't tell you how much I appreciate him as a basketball fan. He kept our beloved Jazz here in Salt Lake when no one else would have thought they would stay. He gave Coach Sloan the power to discipline players no matter what their salary was and backed up up 100%.

But above all else; he saw what this team meant to this community and fought like hell to keep it here. The Jazz are a corner stone of the NBA and a franchise that despite it's small market and lack of championships; franchises still try to emulate. So, than you Larry for keeping the Jazz here and showing they belong in the NBA and in Salt Lake. Rest in Peace Larry.

Kicking it old school like a rotary dial

Time to do what I do best; random lists. Cat; you may want to divert your eyes here cause this may go for a bit.

- Dentists suck. Four days later my tooth still hurts. WTF?
- I find it ironic that after a year plus of Paul's pressure to get an iPhone he is now upset we all listened
- But the iPhone is the most fun one can have on a phone
- I'm ready for my love affair with warm weather, shorts, flip flops and open sunroofs to begin
- For those who haven't been at my place recently. I added another lamp and man did it make a difference
- Hey, have you heard? The Utes won the National Championship? GO UTES!!!
- I am still wondering why everyone talked about getting "Snuggies" but no one did. Really people? Really? Here's the link for you to order
- I still think Mikey Mike and Dan are both closet Benjamin Button fans and are really lactose intolerant but are ashamed to admit it
- The Jazz finally have everyone back. 55 games later they finally have the roster they were supposed to have to start the season. Time to kick ass and take names
- My mom joined the technology world and began to text. My mom is all grown up now
- There ain't no party like my nana's tea party ::Hey....Hooo::
- Oh, Paul; you really should watch this show. I think you'll like it
- It's still all about the Hamiltons baby
- Street Fighter IV turns all grown men into 14 year olds again. After enough hours playing; you'll be saying "sike", doing the Carlton to celebrate a "Perfect" round and saying Kris Kross will make you wanna JUMP JUMP
- Yes, another FOTC link. But this one is dedicated to Ryan and Cat. My challenge to you in France is to recreate this video in France.
- I chose to write this blog over going to the gym; wise move?
- I'm still on the fence on whether to do the 25 List thingy-ma-jig.
- Listening to the FOTC makes me want to make every other line on this list a lyric from their album. Oh...going to see them in concert; HELL YEAH!!!
- I got my swim trunks and my flippy floppies; I'm flippin' burgers and you're straight flippin' copies
- Paul; if you could steal a smooch from any guy in Hollywood, who would it be?
- Kirsten; my deepest apologies for my horrible use of puntuation.
- I've said it once and I'll say it again, Jose Conseco needs to be in the Hall of Fame. He changed an entire era of baseball players. He was right about everyone he called out. Including A(HGH)-Rod
- Basketball is to the best part of the year and baseball is around the corner
- I may release rats in Paul and Mikey Mike's homes just to see this in action. Lord help them if the mice ever come to my house again

So, there you have it. I blogged. It was pretty long and verbose. I am sure I could keep on writing but I'm Ghost like Swayze.

Happy Holidays with a glorious song

2008-12-24T10:48:00.002-07:00

First off, I want to say that I hate winter and hate snow more than anything else. Which makes Christmas all that more impressive of a holiday. I hope that everyone got home to their families safely and are spending time with their loved ones. On that note, here is a quick hits of things I love about Christmas:

- Sugar cookies: Look, there ain't nothing wrong with that. But sugar cookies with no frosting. Don't hide your cookies taste and glory with frosting. Let it shine sans frosting.
- Wrapping presents: Yes, I probably should be committed to a hospital for saying that. But I love seeing wrapped presents under a tree.
- Lights at Temple Square: Granted 2.3 million women are proposed to during the Temple light season; but they are gorgeous.
- Watching Die Hard on Christmas Eve: A tradition that has lived for the better part of 20 years and it is my Christmas movie.
- A clean driveway after a snow storm: Okay, not Christmas specific; but I love the look of a shoveled driveway. Especially when the neighbors looks like ass. Not to mention, you have to keep salt on that bitch or someone will slip and fall. And you know how much you can get for a slip and fall at my house? Not much, I'm pretty broke.
- Christmas Music: Pandora has made Christmas music even that much more enjoyable. More on this later.
- Family: Our family doesn't have many traditions; but our Christmas morning tradition is one I look forward to every year. Strawberry waffles with whip cream at the parentals.
- National Lampoons Christmas Vacation: nothing more has to be said here.
- Working as one of "Santa's Elves": Yes, it is often times a thankless job; but someone has to help the big man out.

So, once more; I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and to those who really aren't into celebrating Christmas; hope you have a great Thursday. And my Christmas present to all of you readers out there on the interweb...enjoy.

Dear MySpace Profile

2008-12-06T12:00:00.004-07:00

First off, I want to say that I really have appreciated you and what you have done for the social networking scene on the internet. Really, you are a pioneer in that regard. However, I think it is time we went our separate ways. Please don't cry MySpace, you have so many other people to look after that will appreciate what you have to offer. ::offering MySpace a tissue::

We've had our good times; the funny comments, the messages back and forth and what not. But all in all; there is nothing you have to offer me right now. I really believe I have outgrown you as a site and really need something more tangible at this stage in my life. I'm past the glittery file layouts, the random song or video that plays without me wanting it too or stupid chicken heads with their MySpace photo's while driving (which makes me wonder how many wrecks you have indirectly caused) or in the bathroom.

Not to mention, the people that have found me via MySpace is not what I would consider to be a good thing. Trust me, some people were better left in the past and thanks to you MySpace; I found myself driving to Kansas with one of them. Not to mention hitting a deer on the a fore mentioned trip to Kansas. Let us not forget the porn-esque friend requests that tried to pass off as some girl that everyone knows is a porn star. Also, the mIsPELling oF foNT SIzEs 4 nO apPARenT reAson.

I know I've been hard on you and you deserve someone who'll appreciate your annoying layouts, stupid MySpace posed pictures (by the way I just googled MySpace pose and this picture came up) and the random person from Junior High that tried to talk to me that I'm wasn't that big of a fan of 13 years ago and sure as hell am not a fan of now. Granted you are Yuniesky Betancourt's favorite website, but it isn't enough to keep me. I've moved on to other sites. Please don't try to change my mind. Shhhh....just go.

Sincerely,

Marcus

Random Musings from a Tully's

2008-12-05T14:43:00.003-07:00

So, it has been nearly a month since I last blogged and quite a bit has happened since. Is it just me or do I start nearly every blog off that way? Maybe I should blog more often. Well, let's get this shit right and drop it like it's hot...

- On my second Tully's for the day and that is in no way sad. The irony; Coffee 2; Food 0 and it's 2pm
- Speaking of the lack of food; HURRY CAT!!! I need Thai Tom's soon
- I played gasoline roulette with the Civic today and won. What is gasoline roulette? When you laugh at the fuel light and win. But the Civic now has plenty of petrol to last
- Leaked music sounds better for some reason. Maybe it's cause you shouldn't have it but you do
- I've twittered more pictures in the past few days than at any other point in my Twitter history
- Dan, Paul and Melissa are awesome. The care package is awesome by every definition of the word
- I feel like sitting in a Tully's writing this blog is the ultimate Seattle experience
- I saw a commercial this morning for Paris Hilton's BFF and suddenly realized what is wrong with society
- Thai Toms is awesome. Yes, it is better than Chanon Thai
- Today's WTF Moment
- Whatever happened to Boyz II Men? They need to make a comeback
- Cat says my blogs are too long. Maybe I should stop here; nah...I'll keep going
- The latest "I can't break these cuffs" video I like
- I think Ron Goldman's dad still has the same mustache from 1994
- Crazy enough; I remember where I was when OJ was acquitted from the murder trial in the '90s. I was in 4th period English in 10th grade
- Yes this happened a while ago; but Max Hall will be officially inducted into the Utah Football Hall of Fame
- Also, I just picked off of Max Hall along with Dan
- Let's hope for Utah to the Fiesta Bowl. Probably will be Ohio State; but I'm full of Hope after the election so who knows
- Watching the Ball State vs Buffalo game on ESPN and LET'S GO BUFFALO!!!
- Speaking of; Ball State just fumbled and Buffalo took it to the house and it's 28-17 Buffalo
- Ryan lost a bet today. He owes me a pitcher of beer for Air Force not being ranked when Utah played them. He'll owe me another pitcher when Florida beats Alabama by 18 points or more
- Maggie likes chillin' while watching tv

Well, since I know Cat is not going to read past this as it is too long. I'll stop here for now. But maybe I'll post another time from Seattle. Perhaps. Now off to the store to get stuff to make dinner for the Pag's.

Solid like Ba"rock"

2008-11-07T01:23:00.005-07:00

I can't begin to express the emotions myself, my friends and certainly many other people have experienced this week. I will never forget running out of bed Wednesday morning to my computer to check if Tuesday night was real.

The feeling was one I haven't felt since I was a child running to open presents on Christmas morning. Thinking that maybe it all was a dream; maybe the headlines, the celebration and raw emotion we all experienced was a dream.

Fortunately, it was not. I think Mikey Mike put it best when he said that he had a complete new sense of optimism about our country and it's future and thought it was unfounded despite the event. However, it is founded; our nation and the worlds perspective of us has changed forever.

Well, the day didn't quite start there. It started off rainy and cold as many remember. One of the benefits of living in Sugarhood apparently is everyone waiting in line for hours for early voting so I could merely stroll to the front of the normal voting line. Thanks guys.

Once I voted I stayed at home and watched CNN while I worked from home. I couldn't believe what I saw in the afternoon when a CNN reporter carved up Joe the Plumber like a well glazed ham.

I think Bill Mahr put it best (and rather smugly) in that Obama was campaigning with Al Gore, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Climate Science and McCain was campaining with a guy who could get a fork out of your garbage disposal. Harsh but true.

So, the polls began to close and as the east cost results came in the Election Party anticipation became more of a reality and game of how much would Obama win by and when would McCain conceed. Also, DirectTV was nice enough to combine the best part of NFL Sunday Ticket in all eight games on one channel with my political coverage. To some it is too much political pundints...for me it was the best of both worlds.

We had two pools going. The first was the Electoral Number pool. Paul, Justin and Carter were all in a dead heat and if the latest reports are accurate; Paul will win with 364 for Obama. Justin was off by one state in Missouri and Carter was off on one state as well. Well done guys.

The second was on when McCain would conceed. I was the "maverick" and went with 8:45pm. On the basis that he had no chance after the exit polls in California were drastically against McCain. Carter had to be the bitch of the group and go with 9:01pm. McCain conceeded at 9:16pm.

Below is a slide show of the festivities. Lots of wine, cheese and cake. But the item that stole the show was Jenn's Obama Cookies. They were historically tasty. The best was taking the cake into work the next day and calling it Freedom Cake.

The full screen view is here

Oh, and we popped champagne to usher in our new President-Elect Obama. One last thing on the election. The last thing I remember before I voted was the lady in front of me who lifted her kid up to vote with her. It reminded me the history we were making on that day was just as much for them as it was for us.

Utah vs. TCU

Okay, now I had such an election/emotional hangover from the magnitude of what happened that I had to pass on the Jazz vs. Trailblazers game on Wednesday in order to recharge the batteries for the Utah vs. TCU game.

Even though I wasn't there; I watched the forth quarter and they made it way too close for my liking given how drained I was. Which brings us to the Utah/TCU game. This is the biggest game in Utah Utes football history not to include the team down south.

The Utes are ranked 8th in the BCS and the TCU Horned Frogs were ranked 12 coming into this game. Two great teams that were eerily alike in their defense and offensive abilities. To add more hype to a game that did not need any hype; Utah wore their new all-black uniforms and asked the crowd for a "blackout". Essentially wear all black to the game. Everyone for the most part complied and this game was for the first 4 1/2 games an absolute defensive struggle.

But TCU drove the ball down Utah's throat on an exhausted defense and looked to extend their 10-6 lead with a 26 yard field goal. Well, I told Justin that rumor has it this guy was horrible inside 30 yards. So, the kick clanks off of the goal post.

The Utah offense struggles yet again and TCU rams the ball down the throat of worn down Utah defense. Now, the field goal attempt is 35 yards and only 2:35 left in the game. This could essentially guarantee at least overtime. CLANK

Now, this should in no way allow Utah any comfort as they are down 10-6 in the fourth quarter and haven't moved the ball well at all. Brian Johnson was throwing darts and his receivers were either dropping the ball or getting de-cleated by the defenders and not getting a pass interference call. The crowd was pumped beyond belief and low and behold Brian Johnson leads the Utes down the field for a 80 yard drive that ends in a touchdown.

This is the second time he did this. From the depths of dispair against Oregon State he leads us to a game winning drive. He does it again when we were going against a much more talented defense. So, we did what we do best; rush the field and take lots of pictures. Below are some pictures from the game. Enjoy!!!

The full screen view is here

I think I've written enough. No quick hits this time. But either way; it's been a crazy week. We saw history happen in politics and from the Utes on Thursday. Crazy week.

Thoughts of a Sugarhood Liberal

2008-11-04T01:08:00.003-07:00

So, I am up with excitement to vote tomorrow. I can't wait to cast a ballot in an election that will forever alter the political and American landscape for decades. Many of you have already voted and for those who have not; don't underestimate the power of your vote.

I remember the first thing I thought when I saw the speech below; here is my generations Kennedy. I wrote about it earlier and honestly can't put it any more clear than that. His policy won't be the strongest; his ability to move bills through congress won't be legendary. But what Obama does is show the America that the dream is still alive and well; the American dream.

There is no man that embodies this more right now when this nation needs it the most. The parallels to Nixon and Bush in terms of distrust in our nations government eerily close. Our nation needs a man who regardless of if you agree with him; he commands your respect. Bringing respect to the Oval Office, abroad and more importantly to each American will resonate far and wide.

My perspective on Kennedy is limited to school books, libraries and stories from my parents. He represented hope for a nation that was in need to believe they could change this country. Obama represents hope to this generation. We've long heard the power of the youth and the lack of their voter turnout.

Tomorrow will change that perception. Tomorrow everything changes. Tomorrow Generation X, the Dot.Com generation or whatever label you want to put on us is going to turn out and change this country.

Unlike the John Mayer song; tomorrow is the day we don't have to wait for the world to change; cause we'll already have done it. Go Obama

The Art of Leaf Raking

2008-10-20T21:23:00.005-07:00

Like many of you, I have sat back and admired the beautiful tapestry of colors that have blanked the valley and mountains over the past few weeks. Watching the colors change drastically from day to day makes the daily drive to work slightly more bearable and even therapeutic at times.

However, there are slight problems that are caused by such beauty and amazement. One of those happens to be when those beautiful leaves decide to make their home on your lawn. Leaving your once green lush lawn to be a prisoner to the oppressive yellow and gold blanket.

For many the raking of said leaves is a once or maybe twice a year event during the fall. I am not among those people. Raking leaves becomes a necessity; a battle; a task that if not done right and often enough, you will lose the war and your lawn in the same breath.

Sugarhouse has beautiful, majestic, mature trees. Trees that can grow easily 90 feet in the air. Why the drastic set up for me raking leaves? I have 9 of these behemoth 90ft+ trees in my back yard. Plus six 25ft+ trees in the front and sides of the house.

Needless to say, when the city offers the orange bags for leaves it is enough to attack perhaps the first two rounds of leaf attacks. While many people in the south end of the valley or any new developments have done raking leaves; I have barely begun. Many of the trees have not even begun to turn their color.

This is crucial as if they turn too late in the year; they fall when it snows which means you have to rake in th snow. If you don't; the leaves turn in to a sludge like goop that suffocates your lawn. Don't believe me? Come see the three bald spots my lawn has now because of my underestimating the leaves last winter.

Style of Raking:

I have gone back and forth on this and of the various methods, I landed on the "Saucer" technique. You start in one spot and go in a circle around you. Repeat until the yard is covered. Raking in a straight line is inefficient to move the large pile across my large backyard.

I really can't talk much more about leaves. They are pretty and my trees are a big reason I bought my house and why I choose this location. They are a pain in the ass and I did buy a brand new lawn mower to handle the leaves this year. I'll pass along some pictures when I have more of them once the leaves fall.

Quick Hits:

Here are some random thoughts that have popped up in my head over the past little bit:

- Tessie is a little devil. She has developed a habit (which is currently being broken) of eating her treats in my bed. I'm tired of the crumbs Tessie and it ends now
- I love that Mikey Mike is terrified of being "Rick Rolled". Live your life in fear young padwan....FEAR!!! And it will happen, when you're least expecting it
- I want to welcome Justin back to the driving community. It has been many years, but welcome
- Why does this election feel so much like '04? Cause half the country is going to move to Canada pending the results of the election
- Heidi from "The Hills" supports McCain. McCain supported her back. Enough said. This picture is awesome in of itself
- Yes, I have a stance on the characters from "The Hills". Spencer is a douche and makes the show worth watching. It's like watching a train wreck. Sorry, Ash, but he is the best part of that show for the crazy things he does. How he just appears in a room with those creepy beady eyes. Not to mention how much of a douche he looks like with a beard
- I think Ashley and I agree that this is the reason the Dodgers lost in the playoffs to the Phillies. Not because the Philles were good; but that the Dodgers were cursed when these two became fans
- Have you ever noticed that Brooke Hogan looks like a man? Not, slightly...like a real man in drag
- Hmmmm...Saint Obama? Even I think this is going a little far
- How desperate is McCain? He'll rag on Obama for saying he supports the Phillies vs. Rays. Well, I'll be the first to admit that supporting the Phillies should be avoided at all costs unless your name is Goldie or live in the Philidelphia area
- Kerry cracking a "Depends" joke at McCain is hilarious. But the disturbing side is him using the reference of going commando on the question of boxers or briefs. I wasn't able to eat my cinnamon roll this morning thinking of that. ::UPDATE:: I just found my ability to eat said cinnamon roll
- This is the man who half the country thinks should lead? Wow...
- Utah on tap to tear up the BCS. Ranked #11 now...now it is just for Whittingham to not screw up
- The Rays beat the Sox. I'm okay with it; I promise
- THREE HITS IN GAME 7??? ARE YOU EFFIN' KIDDING ME?
- Seriously, I'm okay with losing to the Rays. At least it's not the Yankees
- THE RAYS? ARE YOU EFFIN' KIDDING ME?
- There is always next year. We have deep talented pitching core and offense. We can fill some holes in on defense and make another run at the title and over take the Rays a top the AL East
- THE RAYS AL EAST CHAMPS??? ARE YOU EFFIN' KIDDING ME? THEY WERE LAST PLACE LAST YEAR??? AGGGGHHHHHHHHH
- ::Taking deep breath:: I'm okay
- Oh, and where was the Patriots team last night last Sunday? But, depsite the score, it was amazing to go to an NFL Game. Oh, and NFL Fans are nuts. I'm not even that much of a fan compared to these guys
- For the love of god...Cassel; please please please keep playing like this for the remainder of the year
- I think the New England area would have experienced riots if they lost Game 7 to the Rays AND got blown out on Monday Night Football to the Broncos. The Patriots win kept stability in New England...for now
- This past week was quite possibly one of the greatest weeks for food; Ashley's Pot Roast, Chicken Tortilla Soup (via Cat's recipe) and beef stroganoff. Pretty solid three days of Ashley's cooking. Needless to say I have a very happy tummy

With that....I am back to work.

Obama said knock you out

2008-09-13T10:03:00.004-07:00

I am not the typical read an article and feel compelled to write something; but low and behold I found a reason to. It basically boils down to me looking at the upcoming election and seeing one of the more crucial elections we have seen in the past 20 years if not for the next 20 years.

Do you think the people in 1960 looked at the Kennedy/Nixon election in the same light as we do Obama/McCain? Did they look at it as an election that could determine either the fate of the free world or the domination of communism? I see this election as one that we as a nation will look back and tell our kids about as the day American politics changed forever.

Obama's critics attack his policy or lack there of. However, one can't deny the fact that he represents change. He has rejuvinated a demographic in this country that has yearned for a reason to care. We are a nation that longs to be inspired and Obama is my generations Kennedy. His speeches talk of an America where we all have a greater stake in it's success.

Our country needs is less of the self absorbing, selfish and arrogant mind set. Rather, we need to look back to the famous words of Kennedy of "ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

Those are powerful words that couldn't be more true than right now. Yet, if those words were said in today's political climate; the RNC would paint Kennedy as a socialist who wanted the government to control your life.

However, what is the role of the government? To make you rich? Or to be the momma bear that watches over us and gives us the tools to succeed? Keep order in the sandbox between the people and the corporations; between foreign dictators and US Military war mongers. That is the purpose of the government; protect those who can't be protected, be it rich or poor.

The Democrats at their soul are more socialistic than capitalist. But, a nation that takes care of its weak; helps it's poor and ultimately helps build a path for the lower class to acheive the American Dream is ultimately a richer society. Is that necesarily a bad thing? A party that ultimtely wants to help everyone from the bottom up? Help more have a shot at the American dream?

Do I want to live in a country where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? Ask the USSR how that worked out for them. Communism and capitalism in their purest form are both cannibalizing systems which can't work. They are great in theory, but fail miserably in their purest forms. Pure capitalism asks us to take away government control. Capitalism at it's heart is less government, less regulations, more privatization and less safe guards to protect the American people from companies that are not held liable to what is best for the people but to their shareholders.

Is that the American dream? What is best for the shareholder? Or what is best for the people? What do you think would happen if the head of Exxon went before the board and said his plans were to increase money dedicated to finding alternative fuels by 200% or the Camel cigarette CEO said we're going to triple money to anti smoking campaigns? Those are both in the best interest of the American public. But they will never happen because they are not in the best interest of the shareholders. They ultimately would vote him out to put in someone who represents their interests which is their stock price and will vote to protect and advance their stock price.

The American ideal is a balance between the two. A balance between corporate America and the government. That is my ideal that Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson tried to reach with numerous social programs and Obama will try to bring back to the forefront in American policy. A government that helps our trade prosper but not at the hands of hurting the American public.

You are only as good as your weakest link and the gap between rich and poor is at it's highest at any point in American history. As the lower class increases and the middle class becomes more distant from the upper class we essentially make the American dream even more difficult to acheive.

I look at Obama as someone who will fight for the people rather than the corporations that have their shareholders interests rather than mine. If you were to ask me if I thought McCain would fight for the people 8 years ago I would have agreed with you. I was for McCain in '00 and would have voted for him over Bush if I voted in the Republican Primary.

But something happened when McCain got close to getting the nomination; he did something he didn't do in '00 and ultimately cost him the election. He didn't sell out to the extreme right and their corporate ideals. Washington didn't change him; the Republican National Committee changed him. He sold his soul to get elected and if he'll do that for the presidency, what is he going to sell out when he's in office.

Ironically, McCain is the Republican's version of John Kerry.
- Left his wife for a younger, richer trophy wife who has financially backed his campaigns (in fact his wife picked up on him while he was still married in a bar)
- Despite his war record, he is not fully supported by the military as there are questions about his support of veteran benefits. He didn't even vote for Jim Webb's veteran bill which was ultimately passed by a bi-partisan Senate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKRMTkutuMA
- Republicans don't like McCain but like him better than Obama. I didn't like Kerry; but liked him more than Bush
- He has flip flopped his position from a liberal conservative to a hard line conservative recently
- He says some bone headed things from time to time (see Kerry)
- His VP was picked soely to shore up the extreme base of the party (Palin to get right wing nut jobs and Edwards was to get the hard line socialists who want more programs for the poor. See Edwards speech on two Americas).

Looking at the candidates, I don't look at McCain and see some crazy guy that is going to destroy America. But I don't see him as the man who can both improve our foreign policy and break this very partisan nation we live in. Obama can speak to both sides of the aisle and bring them together.

This election like I said is less about policy as it is someone who brings America together and shows the world that America is ready to be the leader it was before this last administration. A nation that is a partner, leader in trade/industry and more important an ally. Also, I see Obama as someone who is going to inspire an entire generation of people to give back to the government that has helped them.

Our nation is jaded to the government; even during President Clinton's terms, people were happy with the where America was heading, but not to the point of giving back to the country as Kennedy asked us to over 40 years ago. One of Obama's policy's that I believe will help transform this nation from the ground up is the government paying for college if you commit to doing service for your country; be it military, Coast Guard or some way of serving the country. Giving back to your country gives you a sense of ownership in where it is heading and helps lower apathy.

I haven't even brought up Palin and why I think she could be even more crazy and dangerous than VP Dick Cheney. I'll save that one for another day.

Also, Justin...this liberal post was inspired by you and how I have kept politics out of my posts. Don't worry; a post in list form will follow soon enough.

I'm just Free Fallin'

2008-09-05T10:24:00.004-07:00

Well, I have to say that despite the fact that winter is lurking only a few months away; the happiest time of the year has officially begun. That's right boys and girls...football is finally here. I thought I'd give you a short list of reasons why the fall rocks; but more importantly...why right now rocks even more:

- As mentioned above, football has begun. With the U of U game on Saturday and NFL on Sunday I am beyond excited
- With football comes Fantasy Football. It is like Magic the Gathering to nerds; Sex and the City for girls and Sarah Palin for the religious right zelots. All I can say is the Sugarhood Spaniards will reign supreme this year in multiple leagues
- The temperature is perfect; warm enough for shorts and flip flops and cold enough to be able to wear a hoodie; awesome
- Especially this year; election season. I love watching stuff on the election. Yes, that may make me a nerd in some ways. But at least I'm an informed nerd
- Back to football; the Utes are ranked 22 in the country and the first home game is Saturday. I can't flippin' wait
- The leaves are about to change which is by far the most beautiful time here in Utah. Especially going on the Alpine Loop. Who's wants to go on a picnic this year around the loop?
* Downside to the leaves changing; raking said leaves up. It sucks when you have 8-10 trees that are roughly 50-80 feet tall and full of leaves that inevitably change and drop into your back yard
- The smell of fall. Flat out awesome. The air is a little crisper and more refreshing
- My electric bill starts to go down cause I'm not using my AC
- No risk of giving the wupster heat stroke on her walk because it's too hot
- Bike rides are more enjoyable
- I mentioned this earlier; but it is applicable enough for two mentions. I can wear hoodies. I have a slight obsession with hoodies, zip up hoodies, track jackets; well, you get the point. But I can wear them which is awesome
- Golfing Bountiful Ridge, Wasatch or Mountain Dell are legendary during the fall when the leaves change
- As I get older, I like uber-hot weather less. Shhh, don't tell anyone
- More sports; it's time for October baseball. Now, this has only been relevant for the past 5 years as a Red Sox fan as playing in October was a pipe dream for many years prior
- Speaking of, it will be fun to watch the second baseman that I was pulling to get in the starting line up last spring go on to complete a career year. Good ol' Dustin Pedroia followed up his Rookie of the Year with his first All Star bid and a serious run at MVP. GO PEDROIA!!!

So, that is a few reasons as to why I love this time of year. Granted winter will soon be here and I will go into hibernation until spring (thank you NFL Sunday Ticket for giving me another reason to never leave my house in the winter).

Given this blog is being written from work; there are no crazy links or pictures. But there is a first for everything. Now to you, what is your favorite part of the fall?

It's been a while (said in best Incubus voice)

2008-08-19T07:47:00.005-07:00

So, oddly enough I didn't realize that it has been over a month since I last blogged. As you can see, I've Twittered a lot but not blogged. But in the past month quite a bit has happened. For example, my personal stock market crashed and investors are scared to re-invest, the Red Sox traded Manny to the LA Dodgers, Pioneer Day happened, Tessie's UTI is resolved and Mikey Mike got married. Just to name a few things.

I usually take my blog to random tangents that really have no direction or particular meaning. Rather, just the raw random output of my convoluted and complicated mind. However, this blog has a little more of a serious twist to it.

I'm just going to throw it out there. I'm seeing a therapist. Now, the reason I say that is because I don't get why there is such a taboo on the subject. I can in good confidence say that many people close to me have seen or are seeing a therapist for a variety of reasons. These "idea makers" help people look at their own life from a different perspective.

But what I have struggled with is the perception that this is a negative. Since when is it negative to admit that something that is bothering you may indeed be bigger than you? That perhaps you may need someone entirely detached from the situation to help you see things with the correct perspective?

I know for myself, I have my reasons and know that for me to grow as a person on my own, it is needed before someone else can come into the picture. To me that is important and I would rather ask for help then have help forced upon me down the road. I see things in a different perspective and feel that what I'm trying to acheive is not a pipe dream, but something I can work towards.

I write this as people I've talked to who have let me in on that part of their life share the same opinion as me. That it isn't something you just announce for a variety of reasons. Well, eff that. This is part of who I am and honestly, I'm glad I have the foresight to see that I need a little extra work on myself.

My personal opinion is that we as a society, perhaps more so in Utah, have this opinion that people will look at us less; look at us as weak. It shouldn't matter if I need to talk to someone outside of my Chief of Staff or advisory panel. So, I'm interested in hearing if you the reader thinks I'm on or off base.

With that in mind...back to your regularly scheduled programming:

Mikey Mikes Wedding

The big day has come and past and all in all it was a great time. Anytime you start of your wedding day with a big golf game it can't be all that bad right? Well, not necessarily. Unfortunately, Mikey Mike's dad took a hard fall before our golf game and broke his arm. But our golf game went forward, unfortunately without Chuck.

Well, I've been told that Bart, Taylor's dad (and now Mikey Mike's father in law) is quite the golfer and I decided to tell him before our round began that the probability of me tossing my club a few times and swearing like a sailor by the 18th hole was more than possible.

The first few holes come and go and I'm doing pretty well. He seems to be slightly dejected that I am golfing better than I said. For those who haven't golfed with me; I tend to be en fuego on the front 9 and fall apart on the back 9. So, I just told him to wait for the back 9 to happen.

Fortunately, it didn't. The back 9 came and despite my very very suspect putting; I posted the best round I've shot and beat the Groom. Now, I've been told I should have let him win. But I had to help him get used to what married life is like right? You don't win as the husband. BADA CHING.

Either way, he dubbed me the Snake as "that Marcus just lays in the weeds. Doesnt' go left, doesn't go right...just down the fairway."

Fast forward to the wedding of which the ceremony was absolutely beautiful. You couldn't have asked for a better day and we were all thankful the bee hive that was above all of our heads was kept in check. Also, I am glad I didn't know it was there until well after the ceremony.

The food was amazing, the band was great and the drinks were flowing. Add in great friends and some pretty hilarious pictures and it turned out to be a great evening. I even kept my speech under 3 minutes. How's that for cutting time off Cat and Ryan?

The after party took us to Mikey Mike and Taylor's house where many people had quite a bit to drink and it was a good time had by all. Between the gummy bear warfare, the countless shots of Makers Mark and Jager; everyone seemed to have a good time. Even though I could barely stay awake on the drive home; it was well worth being tired.

Now, with that in mind...here is a little photo maddness.

My Flickr for Mikey Mike's Wedding in slide show form
If you wanted the pictures with my commentary

Enjoy. Now, I should probably go to work.

It must be Friday

2008-07-11T17:02:00.003-07:00

Cause you're getting hit up with two blogs in one day. Well, I just saw this and had to share:

I can't wait for another celebration. Also, Green Apple Jolly Rancher Slurpee's are effin' amazing. That couldn't wait until the next blog. Big big fan of those. Also, I'm excited to upgrade my Jazz season tickets tomorrow. Been waiting all year to do that.

With that said I leave you with the immortal words from Friday:

Craig's Dad: "Every time I come in the kitchen, you in the kitchen. In the goddamn refrigerator; eating all the food. All the chicken...all the pig feet...all the collard greens...all the hog maws. I wanna eat some of them chitlins. I love pig feet.

Now, when I went to bed last night, didn't I tell you to take out the trash?"

Craig: "Yeah"

Craig's Dad: "Then why didn't you do it?"

Craig: "I fell asleep"

Craig's Dad: "Boy, I wish you you was sleeping right now. I'd knock you upside your head with a lef and make your ass wake up and take out the trash!"

Oh...and a good clip:

God that is a classic movie. That is all, carry on.

Guess who's back?

2008-07-10T22:34:00.002-07:00

Hello folks,

I figure that it is high time I try to write a blog that was not typed out on my phone. I figured after a few beers and a some pastry's I figured I was more than ready to take on the task of writing a blog.

I can't believe that the summer is almost half over. I looked at my calendar and saw the plethora of client calls that were associated with this Fall's Open Enrollment and realized that the summer is flying by. It is amazing to think how things change so quickly.

One moment you have nothing figured out and think you're going down a dead end road. Then you find yourself on a new road, all paved, pristine and in the right direction; only to find yourself on another road that is not so much paved, in a slightly different direction and kind of bumpy.

Either way, I thought I'd go on a quick hit of some random shit to kick start your Friday:

- I like the X-Games and watch them when they're on. But, I don't know anyone's name other than Shawn White. But after this commercial I will always remember BRIAN DEEEEEEEEEEEGAN
- Tomorrow is one of the greatest days on the calendar. That's right folks...FREE SLURPEE DAY!!!
- Speaking of Slurpee's; thebrainfreeze.com has to get a majority of it's hits on July, 11th. Not only does it make you respect the power of the Brain Freeze; but it also makes you want to listen to the Final Countdown over and over again. I've watched this video hundreds of times and it still cracks me up
- I went to Lake Tahoe and realized that a potato gun will revert any one back into a 12 year old learning to play with small explosives
- I hit a bird with my car this morning. That brings my running total of birds killed by either my golf game or driving to three
- There is something quite therapeutic about floating down the Truckee River with a beer
- Costco's outside of Utah are much better due to their insanely low liquor prices. A case of Fat Tire for $22 is more than fine in my books
- I think I'm going to have a salad tomorrow. Having the Caputo at Caputo's for lunch and 5 Guys Burger and Fries for dinner I could use something slightly healthy
- I have been a zombie this week. I can't wake up for the life of me. My alarm has been blaring at near full blast (which can wake the dead from what I hear) and it is going off for about 30 minutes before I turn it off or get out of bed. I think I need to put on worse music to wake up to. Cause whatever I choose is too relaxing and having the adverse affect
- Why did the Red Sox have to include Hanley Ramirez to get Beckett? Ramirez is even better than was advertised
- So, I've grilled my own hamburger, gone to Crown Burger and had 5 Guys Burger and Fries this week. For some reason, I think it's time for some Steamed Hams!!! Who's with me?
- Okay, so Stumbleupon.com is awesome. Here are a few more videos I liked:
- That walrus from 50 First Dates is pretty talented. The girl seems hotter than the Russian lady though
- I really think we need to add the "Asshole Law" to the American fabric. Unfortunately, based on the situations where it would be applied, Mikey Mike, Dan and I might be screwed.
- Maybe George Bush can learn the countries around the world after all. Thanks to Animaniac's. Why in the hell did they ever cancel this cartoon? It was legendary
- Why didn't the Coyote ever catch the Road Runner? This video explains it. I would like the Road Runner on the Roulette Wheel
- Okay, I just had to say What the F@#@*? I'm still trying to figure out what Simon Cowell has to do with Owl's or the king of the beavers. But man is it catchy
- Again, why did they cancel Animaniacs? Kids might learn? Hell, I never knew so much about the brain until I saw this

Well, it is 1am and time to try to get some sleep. I'm going to leave you with this video of BRIAN DEEEEEGAN!!!!

And so it was written...

2008-06-17T19:22:00.001-07:00

Dear readers,

It was settled on this day, the seventeenth day of June in year 2008; the IPhone lost a courageous battle to the Blackberry Curve.

In a one on one battle of internet sites such as Rottentomatoes.com, newyorktimes.com and ESPN.com; the Blackberry was victorious in the Battle of Fastest Web Browser.

This is a dark day for Paul and Mikey Mike. But a day of victory for Ashley, Dan, Kate and I. Also a victory for all BlackBerry Owners worldwide. The iPhone proved inferior in the realm of speed; but still reigns supreme in the world of multiple browsers.

Paul, I accept your concession as you are a man of honor. It was a good fight.

BlackBerry's UNITE!!!

That is all.

Sincerely,
Marcus

EDITORS NOTE: Paul is currently calling foul play as my phone is using Opera Mini 4.1 (as if the version matters). Sounds like loser talk from those that proclaimed the iPhone Untouchable

Through the days and nights; I don't worry cause everything is going to be alright

2008-04-23T02:06:00.005-07:00

It has been far too long since I have blogged on here in any matter of significance. I can't seem to collect my thoughts long enough to blog as of late. It seems weird, I get going on a tangent only to get distracted by life or a blinking light.

I mean, isn't that just things go. You start off trying to accomplish everything, only to find that there aren't enough hours in the day. I mean to keep in touch with all of my friends, family, watch my TV/Sports/News, workout, golf, blah blah blah. But there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day.

I find it all maddening. As productive as I can be, I still feel I can be better. Hell, to feel moderately productive, I'm here blogging at 3:15am; so does that tell you anything? With that, time for quick hit list from my brain. Now, it's late, I'm stressed; so this may come off a little more Emo than usual:

- Why in the hell is chocolate milk so damn good? Whether made with Nesquik, Hershey's Dark Chocolate syrup; doesn't matter, they all taste fantastic
- Why are Craig Sager's jackets so damn legendary? If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch a game on TNT and watch his majestic jackets. Here is one from the All Star Game; god it's so bad it's almost good
- I really need to chill the f@$% out. I mean my head gets going and it plays its own little "War Games" and calculates all of the scenarios out. This doesn't always work out well for ones sanity
- Speaking of old school movies; I really want to sit down and watch the Star Wars trilogy; who's with me?
- Speaking of movies...What would NPH do?
- I decided recently to rock my iPod back to 1997 and jam out to Bone Thugs n' Harmony, 112, Notorious BIG. For some reason I started wearing baggy pants and taking about getting jiggy with it
- The Jazz are up 2-0 on the Rockets. It is only slight revenge for what they did to us back in 1994. Well, that was David Benoit's fault. Either way it's nice to see the Jazz win two on the road and come back to the Tox Box
- I think that I'm going to get some golf in finally. One time to the range is not enough for me
- But, I know I need to work on my yard; we'll see which one wins out
- I ran the 5k in the Salt Lake City Marathon last week. I didn't do too bad for not running in almost a year. Came in at 28:17; not bad in my book, but I can do better
- Now, going to sleep at 3am after throwing up, waking up at 7am to run a 5k and then laying sod (I really was there, promise) will make me very tired. And yes, it did
- Mikey Mike has returned to the Land of Zion and brought forth a glorious 18pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon in bottles. I can't tell you happy this made me. Beaming to be honest
- Speaking of back in town; Welcome Back Melissa to Zion. Now you can enjoy Rio like a civilized person wants to, all the time
- I need to stop overreacting to things
- I've realized that no matter what I do, you're going to be like your parents. But it's up to you to be the best parts of them and choose not to be the parts you said you'd never be
- The Lil' Burrito is now to the age where when you pick him up; he likes to nut kick me. Awe, how precious, right? No, this is not cool at all
- I am excited to go to the Jazz Playoff games this weekend; it should be a blast. Last year was and I'm sure this year will be even better
- I can't explain it; but there are certain decisions I make that only me and the other person understand. It is maddening, frustrating and great all in one breath. Maybe one day it will make sense
- Just as an FYI, drinking will not make the voices go away. It just makes them talk in funny accents
- Dan; don't forget to sodomize intelligence and ignorance
- Paul; how can you read this if you're blind?
- Time to see if my mind will shut off this time at a quarter to 4

I am going to give this sleep thing another shot. I know, why? Just power through the night. Well as many of you may know, going to bed at 3am isn't all that unusual for me. So, 4am shouldn't be that bad. See you all on the other side.

Oh, one question that I wanted everyone to answer; If you could flip off anything or anyone; who would it be? I'm interested to see what you come up with. Mine is I'd flip off space, my mind, being numb, ignorance and lack of time. Now you try.

You're a Towel

2008-04-08T21:50:00.003-07:00

Well, the spring officially begins when I get to go to a golf course and swing the good ol' sticks around while having a few beers along the way. Not to say that it was pretty, but it was nice and stress relieving. With that in mind, here goes a list that didn't take weeks in the making:

- Drinking PBR while golfing is more than therapeutic, drinking PBR after a great shot is amazing
- Tessie is more than obsessed with towels. I should show you the collection she has amassed over the past few months. It is ridiculous. If she sees a towel (you're a towel), you bet your ass she'll drag it away
- The last few weeks of the NBA season has not been this exciting for so long. I can't remember a playoff race like this for a very very long time. Let's hope the Jazz keep up the strong surge and maybe go 6-0 or 5-1 for the last six games
- My lawn in the back has gone to shit for some reason. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that this spring will be a lot of lawn maintenance
- I really have taken a liking to Twitter (see for yourself). It's really like these list blogs, but on a different site and I can update it from my phone
- It's time for the snow to go away for a very very long time. I don't want to see snow on my lawn again until late late November
- The 5k I'm running in is in two weeks. I probably should really start running
- Playoff tickets go on sale for Jazz season ticket holders tomorrow at 10am. I'm nervous about getting more than my 2 tickets to sell
- Ashley really really really kicked my ass at our NCAA Bracket. But to the same accord, she also kicked many of the people at my works ass too. Congrats to Dan for his victory and Paul for his top 10 finish
- So, I may have been wrong as to when Memphis's free throw problem would get them in trouble, but it did happen. It was one of the best championship games in a long time though
- This summer is going to have so many great concerts; Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, 311 & Snoop together. Yeah, I don't know how that happened, but that is awesome
- I went to the eye doctor today and I didn't realize that the contacts I was using were that outdated. But, fortunately my prescription hasn't changed in years. Aren't you all excited about this? I was, just cause the eye doctor didn't tell me I was blind
- Paul, I believe that the war between us can end. I would like to extend a peace offering of my version of an olive branch next time you are over
- Dan, don't forget that the winnings need to go to the "Everyone gets a keg" fund
- It is time for P. Diddy to leave the living room. That will be done sooner than later
- Baseball has officially kicked off and the Sox are 4-4. Yes, it is a long season and I'm sure they'll be fine in the end. But I'm a little nervous about Bucholtz in the starting rotation and the lack of a solid 5th starter

Okay, with that, it's time for me to bring this blog to a close before it turns into an epic long winded blog.

It's Spring....time to let the good times roll

2008-03-24T23:51:00.002-07:00

It has been a roughly two weeks since I last posted anything. Now, granted the size of my last blog almost warrants a significant space between posts. I went back to read my last blog and thought I had read a book. The irony behind that last statement is that I don't read that often.

Along those lines, I think the internet has made me lazy in that regard. I like my information in short, quick bites where I get the info I need and GTFO (for those at home; Get the F*&^ Out)

I've tried to make time to read and somehow never manage to make enough time. In fact, I believe we need an additional three hours each day as I continually find that I am running out of time. Is it because I plan to many things? Say 'yes' to something when I should say 'no'? Not so sure, either way I find that I rarely have time for some of the remedial things that I need to do.

For example, what did I do Friday afternoon through Saturday? I cleaned the slate in the bathroom by hand, re-sealed it, washed my car, had the lawn arriated (not sure how to spell that, but just know it's where you have little dirt turds all over your lawn), raked up said "dirt turds", sprayed the outside of the house for spiders, had some pants tailored, did laundry, helped get some pictures hung at Ashley's and went ceiling fan shopping

I have to say that is a fairly productive 24 hour window if you ask me. Granted I didn't get a chance to go golfing; but I think I'll live for now. I think it was better I passed on golf in lieu of doing some much needed work.

Also what happened this weekend? My tournament bracket decided it would lay an egg and fall apart. I have a sneaking suspicion that Ashley may have me in our bet for who has the better bracket of the two of us. More importantly, given how my picks have gone, I'm just hoping to not come in last.

Now for a little list of some random crap:

I just found out that I have a horrible slurping problem. Why I wasn't notified of this about 10 years earlier; I'll never know
Also, I seem to be completely content with a beer, computer and cell phone. I'd add a few other things to make me completely content. Such as, wearing shorts in a park while hanging with Ashley
I remember writing that I would much rather do yard work than have it snow. I think I may rescind that comment after having to do yard work for the first time this year. Actually, it isn't that bad, kind of therapeutic in a way
I was glad to wear shorts for the first time this year with the sunroof open on I-15 (while pushing my car to 116 mph)
Melissa is coming back to the 801 next Tuesday. It will be interesting to see Ralphie and Tessie meet for the first time. Good thing one of them has been fixed or we'd have to postpone that initial meeting
Speaking of getting spayed; Tessie goes under the knife soon. Guess that means the interesting cone to keep her away from her stitches
Easter brunch at Market Street is pretty freaking awesome; but one can get bored if there too long. Here is another look at the faces of boredom while waiting for your check at Market Street
On Friday, went to brunch at The Park Café and it wasn't too bad. Even though Dan realized it was a little too cold to go for a walk at Liberty with no coat and shorts on
The tickets for both Jack Johnson and the Red Sox vs. Mariners came in this past week. Talk about a great summer planned out so far
Ashley's dryer sounds very similar to crickets when drying from time to time. But did you know that crickets do not come out this early in the year? Thanks to Ashley, now I know this little fact
After eating lunch at Market Street, I need a nap
Tessie is still boycotting peeing outside. No matter how long the walk is, she'll hold it until she gets back to the house. Damn she can be stubborn
Thanks Mikey Mike; thanks to you I now have a knife block from IKEA. I'm one step closer to having a complete kitchen
I forgot how fun dying Easter eggs can be along with root beer floats; both are pretty fantastic. What did we come up with for designs? How about this?
So, last Monday was both Kate's and Kyle Korver's birthday. As you can see we all celebrated the occasion properly. Don't let Paul fool you; even he had a good time
Rachel; I'm glad you had a bib for your Irish Car Bomb...I'd hate to see you spill on your shirt
I wish my ceilings were about 4-7 inches taller or that decent looking ceiling fans were about 4-7 inches shorter
Thanks to Mr. Oderda; I too have a nice rack
Despite wearing shorts, warmer weather and golfing; allergies are the least fun part of the spring
My work just did Johnsonville Bratwurst Day last Thursday. Nothing like watching the NCAA Tournament First Round with free brats
Instead of sweeping the floors….just vacuum them
Is it just me, or is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups the Official candy of Easter? Not that I'm complaining either
Also, another thing to love about the spring; Thin Mints are aplenty
This is what Mike's iPhone thinks of other phones and their owners
We went to a meet and greet of the Jazz players and waited an hour and a half to not get one autograph. We waited to meet Deron Williams and he looked really excited to see the fans
At 4am MT the Boston Red Sox open their defense of their 2007 World Series Title. This article is something I didn't think I'd ever see when talking about the Red Sox going into a season. Yes, it's a good thing; but it also means even more people on the band wagon. A bunch of fans who can't even name who the All Star Injury Prone Shortstop for the Red Sox who was part of the key trade to bring the defense needed for the '04 World Series Title
It's 1am and Tessie's new thing is chewing my table. Such a little brat
Congrats to Mikey Mike and the offer that was accepted on the house on Roosevelt. I hope your inspection goes smoothly and you don't find any surprises
Thanks to the Whipple's for letting me have a near perfect copy of Axis and Allies. Man I can't wait to play
I hate Red Hanger. I dropped off a suit jacket/pants and a shirt and got back a shirt and a suit jacket; no pants. Damn Red Hanger lost them a few hours before a wedding I had to be to. Thanks Red Hanger. You're lucky my dad is the same height/weight and has more suits than he needs
Derek Fisher is not happy the fans booed him. Maybe it was cause of his B.S. reason to leave Utah and opt out of his contract for “medical reasons” for his daughter and to be closer to his doctor. Now, last I checked her doctor is in New York; since when was L.A. closer to New York than Utah? Goodbye and good riddance Derek. I’ll take Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver over your sorry sellout ass

Well, I have to say that it is late, I need to have a bowl of cereal and hit the sack. Hope all of you are doing well and I'm out.

Fourteen Days since my last blog and Tessie is still scared to piss outside

2008-03-10T22:54:00.002-07:00

Well, everyone welcome back. It seems to have already been the customary two weeks from the last time I blogged. I don't know where the time goes; but it seems to fly by rather quickly, wouldn't you agree?

So, here is another collection of random thoughts from the past few weeks. Some make sense, some don't and some only make sense to those who were there. But either way...enjoy

- If I ever work in a hospital; I want to work in the Cabbage Patch Wing. Not the Maternity Wing with real babies, but the Cabbage Patch Wing with the fake babies. My butterfingers can't hurt babies there
- Speaking of dropping babies; it isn't cool. I should know
- You want to know why I'll never live in St. George? You never know when a damn Ford Taurus will end up in your damn living room
- work lappy means work comes home. Not cool when your sick. In all fairness, it was my own fault for logging in when sick.
- Sleeping on a LoveSac is fun; but beds are more practical
- The Swed's need to test their materials more thourghally. Their squirt bottle doesn't squirt worth crap
- I forgot that I turn into a whiney little kid when I get sick. That's right, I need cartoons and soup to get better
- Be careful when playing the card game War with a 5 year old; they don't take losing very well.
- I need IKEA to move about 20 miles north...mmmkay?
- Same goes for Chadders; it too needs to move 20-30 miles closer to me
- I realized that not having a lock to your bathroom door can be somewhat inconvenient
- Daylight savings in the spring is the only time I can lose an hour of sleep and be cool with it
- Speaking of spring; almost time to break out shorts and flip flops
- Cat; I've decoded to do my entire house in yellow and green just like in the new Pottery Barn catalog
- Paul, I have not been very happy with your tone as of late
- I figured I'd give Mikey Mike the "Mindless Void Bump" and state that he has rejoined the blogging community. There you go buddy, you now have hit the big time. Check out his mindless meanderings at bigalaska.blogspot.com. Even though I refuse to vote about the toilet paper
- Speaking of Mikey Mike; here is a tip of blogging: Tell me what the hell is in the package. This isn't Pulp Fiction and the mysterious brief case for hells sake
- I have realized that once you cross into the Utah County "Bubble", the level of douchebaggery increases the further in you go. How did I come to this conclusion? Maybe it was the two douchebags that thought it fun to have a staring problem. I wonder if they were looking (and hoping) to see a garment line in Ashley's jeans. If they would have looked to the right of them; that's what they would have found
- I'm probably an ass for the last picture. But, I wasn't the one making snotty comments in the line. Also, I loved how her husband kept bitching about the 'secret menu' that both Chadders and In n' Out Burger have. He kept on rambling on how "I just don't get it, it so stupid" and his friend put it best; "that secret menu has you talking about it doesn't it? And you're in line for their food right?"
- So Jon had a shot of tequila this weekend. These next three pictures demonstrate the experience:
1.) Inquisitive Jon: Hmmm, this shot does contain alcohol and I do love alcohol!!!
2.) Jon entertaining the thought of tequila: Maybe I should do this shot. After all, Dan gave it to me
3.) Jon realizing he should pass: Ehhhh, I better not. Last time I did tequila I ended up with no pants at the local police station

- Mike; I think you're the one who needs to take more pictures. Last time I checked we've had our cameras about the same amount of times and I have 13,000 pictures compared to your 2,000 in a little under 2 years. Time to play catch up
- I think Justin and Freddy died in a horrible accident as I haven't heard from either of them in the past few weeks. Maybe they were in the Taurus in St. George mentioned earlier
- I am glad to see that my random musings have inspired another soul to begin her blogging journey. Melissa; welcome to the fold. You can check her out at Melissaluck.blogspot.com. And trust me; you don't want her luck, but you'll die laughing at her adventures
- Semi-Pro was better than I thought it would be
- Paul; I agree 100% on the theory of lines at the Century 16; three registers = three lines. Just like our highways people
- Paul and Mike: why haven't you donated to Obama's campaign yet?
- Dan; let it go. Hillary is going no where. Time to jump on the Obama train
- Goldie; the Jew-Dough's were great; but the green curry made a great late night snack
- I learned a valuable lesson this weekend via Family Guy; Diamonds...she'll almost have to
- Mikey; could you please move your Puff Daddy picture to your room. It was funny at first, but it's kind of weird now. Well, I do admit he is rather regal and distinguished. Okay, he can stay
- Tessie went for her first walk and tell me if she liked it. She liked everything but the bulldog that mistaked her for a treat (bastard)
- Tessie got her haircut the other day. I sound like a proud parent when I say this, but she got an 'A+' from the groomer
- Here is her before....here is her after
- I was a human pinata today work; when I stood up, there was no candy
- Thanks to Urban Outfitters; The Dude is always watching and mindful of your movements and decisions. Along with making the statement that every time is a good time for a White Russian
- The Vatican left some sins off of their list; Thou shall not rip ass and blame in an animal, Thou shall not eat the last Thin Mint cookie and leave the box in the freezer and Thou shall not watch Paris Hilton movies
- This makes me question my belief in mankind. Who the hell buys this shit?
- Mikey; how would this computer fit into your question regarding toilet paper?
- So, Ashley; do you think these were the Lego's you were thinking for the little fugitives?
- Jack Johnson is coming in concert; you can guaran-freaking-tee Ash and I will be front and center for that one August 19th
- Starbucks nearly ruined my morning. When you order a venti mocha; I don't want more than half of it to be foam. Given I was running late due to my forgetting to change the alarm clock for daylight savings, I grabbed the cup and didn't notice until I was in my chair at work that it was more froth than mocha-goodness. Fortunately Erin at Starbucks said my next mocha was on her for the mishap. Close call Starbucks, shit almost got real
- So, walking to get my prescription at Wal-Greens, I couldn't help but notice this sign next to the condoms. I have to say it seems like it would be more of the Family Prevention aisle rather than the Family Planning aisle. But I guess that would look a little odd as a sign
- The trip to the Great Northwest is planned. Memorial Day weekend Ashley and I descend on the land of lattes and cupcake stores. Two Red Sox games, some golf, some Tully's and cupcakes (yes, it deserves two references); I'm so damn excited
- I can't explain it now, but Vote Yes on Proposition 6
- Paul; where is the "Paul's Tech Deal of the Week"?

Okay, I think this list has about reached it's maximum. Hell, it's been in the making almost immediately following the last blog. However, one blogger felt compelled to call me lazy. I didn't know what to think initially. Do I let this comment go by the wayside? Do I come up with some witty banter to point out my 'non laziness?" Then I realized, the two grandma's from the movie Friday put it best:

"Well f*&^you too then. Half dead mother f#$*&^er....come on sister..." ::walking away in my Sunday best::

Yeah...that just happened people. That is all for this blog; until next time dot dot dot

If you can't take the heat get yo' ass out the kitchen....we on a mission

2008-02-26T20:00:00.010-07:00

I don't know what has gotten into me, but I'm all about putting stuff into lists and posting it here. I will be the first to admit my grammar was checked at the door when I started writing these lists.

- Chipotle needs to change their marketing strategy. Rather than free burrito cards in the mail. Why not a Burrito Cannon at a Jazz game. Granted, this will ultimately lead to a "Maude Flanders" like death for a patron. But for the rest...tasty free burrito and a great advertisement: Chipotle Burritos...They're to Die For
- Coco Cafe's mint mocca is like a Thin Mint in a cup...no shit...literally a thin mint in a cup!!!
- I think Tessie's fur weighs more than the rest of her; yep, more fur than meat (and she can't see unless she's running. Do you think this is safe? I think so)
- My dining room looked as if either A.) NORAD is stationed here, B.) Bill Gates is spending the night or C.) A WoW geek lives here who hasn't seen a breast outside of Skin-a-Max or scrambled porn (Dan, don't lie, you still stop at the scrambled stations when you have a spare moment)
- Have you seen this man? If so, please contact your local authorities. He was last seen February 17th drinking beer and playing Rock Band and his friends are concerned
- There is actual proof that Mikey Mike drinking a PBR; yep...here it is folks (real men drink PBR)
- Did you know that Bruter Willey can sing R.E.M.'s Orange Crush better than Dan? No shit...here's his score and him singing it
- Speaking of Rock Band; hey Rachel? Where's your six shooter?
- Cardy; since your my gaming insider. Please tell me they are going to make another Alvin and the Chipmunks game. It could be called "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Man, this game blows but you still bought it for only god knows why"
- Jen; some girl dressed in Osh-Kosh was hanging out at the bus stop this morning. I couldn't tell if she was 25 or 12, but regardless it was interesting
- Tickets for the Mariners go on sale Saturday; Cat; please remind Ryan of this event
- Despite Mikey Mike living here; my fridge still looks like a bachelor pad. Well, sort of, the beer is in another fridge. So the main one is mostly condiments. It's still better than the Pre-Married Pagoaga fridge
- This story made me so freakin' mad when I read it. UNTIL, I found out she cut the employees at the golf course. At that point she needs to HIT THE ROAD JACK!!!
- I hate ironing, I love my button up shirts, but they have to be ironed often; this angers me
- Relationships are like legos; no matter what your building, you need the base to connect your legos to or it will all fall apart
- My work, after nearly 4 years of bitching and moaning; will be giving me a laptop for work. Work Lappy is a pretty sweet damn set up too. Welcome to the Geek Family Work Lappy
- Ash, I saw and advertisement for a Search and Rescue program; I'm thinking this is right up your alley
- Speaking of alley's, I have one behind my house. Do I use said alley; no. But I might want to do that
- Ash, your salad is as good as advertised. But seeing you get mad at the seasame seeds made me question if it's worth getting them out. JK, it was more than worth it
- It has been brought to my attention that people were able to get a tee time yesterday afternoon. This means it's time to clear out the trunk, throw the clubs in and hit a course soon
- You know what I love about spring? Dew drops on flowers and warm weather
- So, I have the VH1's Top 100 Songs of the '80s. But, it has been brought to my attention that they did a Top 100 Songs of the '90s. I will download this immediately when I get home. Here's a classic song from the '90s (just for you Ash): Paperboy - Diddy
- Today was a half day of work; you know what beats a half day of work....a day of NO work...if only
- Like I said earlier...time to put the clubs in the trunk and hit some golf balls
- Anytime when your planning a quick get away to somewhere warm and the girl suggests "What about Spring Training?", I'll probably be speechless. Reason #29 why you rock Ash
- I have no motivation today to work

That is all and with that I leave you with this Fantastic Voyage (just for you Colby and Lindsey):

Oh Oscar....you're boring and I didn't want to watch you... i

2008-02-24T20:43:00.003-07:00

It has been a long time since I have done this; but we're bringing back "live blogging" for the Oscars. So, here we go:

- So, I think the consensus is that Paul gives great follow up comments. See his reference to the birds and the bees in the prior blogging comment section
- I almost shot my milkshake out my nose when I read it
- Sorry Mikey; Amy Adams is really damn hot
- Damn it Paul; I'm sorry that you're song didn't win for Oscar. Please don't throw your beer at the TV. I know you wanted one of the three songs from Enchanted to win
- Yes, Paul....I CAN HEAR YOU ::singing that too::
- When Mikey Mike belches...he changes the color of my paint...STOP IT MIKE
- We have never found out what Mikey Mike's "Vantage Point" is
- You know what I love about the Wing Co-Op; when they give me 30 free wings for no reason; thanks Wing Co-Op!!!
- Sing these lyrics to this chorus of the Sweeney Todd song:
I write blogs
I write blogs for people to reeeeeaaaad
They are in list fooooorm
They are funny.....and sometimes witty
I WRITE BLOGS!!!
BLOGS FOR PAUL!!!!

- I don't know what Mikey Mike is smoking; Cameron Diaz is smoking
- The best presenter was Seth Rogan and Jonah Hill were the best presenters. And Seth Rogan soooo looks like Hallie Berry
- I really believe that if Calista Flockhart turned to the side she would completely disappear
- Why in the hell does Harrison Ford have an earring?
- You know what a sad moment is; when your fast forward your TV and realize that you're on "Live TV"
- The show Eli Stone looks like one of the worst shows I've ever seen a commercial for. But I guess it did give George Michael a job for few weeks
- I love how John Stewart eventually began to recycle jokes from the Daily Show
- There is a guy who presented a movie who's name was Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Smith. He should move to Utah where his name will undoubtedly get him free Jell-O any day of the week
- Why did "No Country for Old Men" steal my milkshake?

That is all for live blogging for now. Yes, it's posted the next day. But I think I am boycotting the Oscars until shitty movies like Norbit and Vantage Point get their day in the sun. Vantage Point better win at least Sound Mixing next year or Oscar is dead to me (dot dot dot).

I saw Fool's Gold and all I got was this t-shirt

2008-02-20T02:16:00.003-07:00

So, I haven't blogged in quite a long time. We are closing in nearly three weeks and I would like to say that nothing has happened. But that would be a lie, now wouldn't it? Well, let's see, shall we break this down circa list style? Why not.

- The Super Bowl happened and I honestly remember maybe one or two commercials. Talk about not impressive at all
- Dan, why haven't we had a Boboli pizza since the Super Bowl? I have 10 pounds of cheese and no Boboli has been made. This is a top priority when you return
- Speaking of the Super Bowl, I think Tom Brady's offensive line thought the game was in Maui where the Pro Bowl is as they sure as hell weren't protecting Mr. Brady
- The beer fridge managed to as happy on this day as it was on Paul's birthday. I know, impressive
- Football is over until September; this makes me sad. I guess I can see my family on Sunday's now
- Kyle Korver is a wet dream to Utah Jazz fans; he's a good looking scrappy white kid who can shoot the three. If he was from BYU he'd have a statue in front of the Tox Box....errr...Energy Solutions Center
- It's official; Martyrs of Babylon has broken up; but we will be going on a reunion tour this summer; check local listings for upcoming dates
- Also, our VH1 Behind the Music is airing this May
- Okay Paul, the new American Gladiator's isn't as cool as I initially thought. But still better than no American Gladiators
- Thanks to a team of computer experts; the Lappy 486 has received a significant makeover into the Uber-Lappy486+. This team of experts consists of Matt and Paul
- Dan, enough already; we'll get our tickets to see Vantage Point. I can't wait to see it too. But I'm not sure what it's about. Have you seen a trailer for it yet?
- I'm freakin' sick of the snow, cold, lack of sun and overall "Not Summer" weather
- During the winter; always carry a coat in the car and some warm shoes even when it's nice outside. As the one day you forget to bring a coat or wear warm shoes; it will snow and you'll find yourself running inside with bare feet in the snow
- IKEA Bed's can be broken...or at least bent pretty damn bad
- I am not all that impressed with Vista and it's speed. Paul, I look for a presentation to how I am wrong
- ATTENTION ATTENTION READ ALL ABOUT IT: Mikey Mike was right that you could add a hard drive to my computer. Paul was unfortunately wrong. And yes this is news worthy
- Roller coasters are meant for theme parks
- I have come up with a new name for my neighborhood. Sugarhouse Proper
- Mikey Mike; I need this shirt. It would speak to my heritage...oh wait; I'm Spanish though. Ooops
- Song that's playing Right now: Dumpweed by Blink 182. I think the key line in this song is "I need a girl that I can train". I thought girls were the ones who trained guys, I'm so confused now
- Having two mochas, a Twix bar, two beers and nachos for a day of eating is probably not a good thing. I wonder why my stomach is hurting?
- I saw this article and it was kind of a surprise. Since when did the world wake up and start listening to Jack Johnson? It isn't that it's a bad album, just didn't think he'd hit No. 1
- Speaking of that article; does Paul Grein look like he'd be the resident expert on music ranging from Jack Johnson to Flo-Rider? I didn't think so
- Did you know the Primaries are happening? Did you know that the Obama Express is going around and it isn't too late to jump on. I know I need this shirt. Hell, my mom is on the Obama Train; next stop Democratic Nomination
- Sometimes no matter how far you run, you just end up where you started. But that may not be such a bad thing
- It's easy to hold a grudge; it's easy to be revengeful; it's easy to say hurtful things; it's harder to forgive someone. But, the latter is what I'm learning I need to do
- I joined the Crackberry Revolution and it is a very very happy place to be
- We are almost to the Holiday Abyss. Following Easter there really isn't a holiday that Hallmark can force us to buy cards, candy or something we really don't need
- I've decided that all I want for my birthday is a beach, a Corona, a street vendor taco in Mexico and some company
- Oh, Mikey Mike; welcome back from your Mission in the District of Columbia. From what I hear your journey to spread good coffee to the D.C. area was not a success. Maybe next time
- I'm still beyond done with snow
- I'm tired and still blogging
- Rock Band is awesome; but sorry Dan, Paul is singing Orange Crush by R.E.M. next time
- I still think the Wing Co-Op is one of the best things since sliced bread; when they remember my order. The past two times I've gone they've lost my order But they're so damn good it doesn't matter to me
- Yes, I'm 28, have a successful job, college graduate and I drink Pabst Blue Ribbon; I am proud of that fact
- My house looks like "Nerd Headquarters" with Mikey Mike here; three laptops, one desktop computer, two ipods, three digital cameras and cords everywhere. Man we're geeks
- This song seems to be the anthem for not just me
- It's now 2am; should I have a bowl of cereal? Maybe
- There is a difference between doing something cause you believe you should or want to. If you don't want to, it makes it hard to do even if you believe the reason is right
- I don't want to go to work tomorrow....errr....later this morning
- Hey Goldie...we are all anxious for your glorious return to the Land of Zion. I hope you come bearing "Jewish Donuts"
- I can't wait for the sequel to Fool's Gold; Fool's Gold II: The Roller Coaster of Fortune. It's probably set in a place where it snows a lot, crazy up and downs and who knows how it will end. Will the guy get the girl? Will they find the missing treasure? Will there be previews? Wait and see
- Now that it's getting warmer I really need to clean my car inside and out. It is starting to feel neglected

Okay, I think that about does it for the random list of stuff. I thought I would try something a little different. Let's break open my music and see the first 6 songs that pop up. I'm interested to see where this goes:

1. Float On - Modest Mouse
2. Orange Sky - Alexi Murdoch (The O.C. Mix - No. 1)
3. War Within a Breath - Rage against the Machine
4. Who Knew - Eminem
5. When the Sun Goes Down - Arctic Monkeys
6. Two Words - Kanye West

That isn't too shabby given there are currently 5000+ songs in my collection. By all means do the same to your iTunes and let me know what you come up with. With that I leave you with a song that has been playing in my head the past few days since I heard it on the radio again.

They say we stand for nothing; there's no way we ever could

2008-02-01T02:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been awhile since I last posted and maybe it's just that I've tried to take a break from the inner-workings of my mind that has left me uninspired to write anything of quantitative or qualitative value. I think the wind storm or the snow must have shook the hamster back on the wheel. Whatever it was, I'm here blogging away.

With that in mind, here we go:

- I was disappointed by the new Rambo movie. I thought it was supposed to be an action movie; not a pseudo love story
- Speaking of Rambo; according to the movie, the English bombed Thailand and left a bomb that appeared to be a nuclear bomb. Leave it to Rambo to know "Hey, I should use this to kill some people"
- Dan; you have your wish. The Super Super Bowl Party will have Boboli pizza's
- Paul; I expect to see some organic sauce there as well
- Snow is cold, ice is slippery and my house is warm. What does this all mean? I try to not leave my house unless absolutely necessary
- Tessie is on crack I swear. Not to mention the fact that the hair in front of her eyes is almost too long
- Thanks Dan for cooking all of the good German food for Paul's 50th Birthday Party (Deirdre; the apple dessert was the bomb too)
- Speaking of the 50th Birthday Party; my Beer Fridge has never been so happy before. I mean, a 1750ml and 750ml bottle of Jaeger, 5 growlers of Wasatch Beer and a ton of liquor store beer...oh and some PBR to boot. That's what my fridge should look like
- Sorry Paul, I never could find the bottle. But man, that's a lot of Jaeger
- Yeah...I needed a haircut and Dan's new style is awesome with a capital 'A'
- Apparently, I am the only person in America who thought "There will be Blood" was good, but not great. Sorry, it was a little slow for my take
- Can't wait for Mikey Mike to come back home. It's about damn time. Now getting a round of golf won't be like pulling teeth
- My large project that was so stressful last year kicked off today...I pray that it goes smoother than last year...or you may find me in a mental institution
- I think I may have to eat my words on Duke. As much as I love to watch Coach K teams, I believed they'd never compete again due to the lack of raw athletes. And look at how Duke is doing...3rd in the nation and 18-1. That will make the Duke vs. North Carolina game epic to say the least
- Started the second season of 24 and here I am at 2am watching yet a third episode tonight
- I need to think of a name of a good Bed n' Breakfast
- They said it was supposed to snow tonight. It better snow tonight or I'm going to be fairly pissed
- Ashley...I told you we don't get winter. I mean look outside
- Ann Coulter is a crazy bitch
- Britney Spears is just plain crazy...
- I want to stay at this hotel
- I don't want to go to this sauna, unless this girl is hanging out there
- This bed looks cool until you fall out during some after-hours activities and obtain a concussion
- Maybe one day a girl will wear this shirt with me

Okay, it's 3am and I need some sleep. No more 24 for tonight. I'd talk politics...but I'll save that for the Politico Forum. Until next time, dot dot dot

We are the Martyrs of Babylon

2008-01-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody,

Before I jump into my normal blog, I want to talk about the elephant in the room; Ashley and I decided to stop seeing each other the other night. As much as we both agree this sucks, it is for the better and neither one of us hates or has hard feelings towards each other.

Sometimes life hands you a hand that you need to stop and deal with before you can move forward. Such is life and what happened to us and ultimately we will be the better for it. I maintain that if it is meant to be, it is meant to be. I never rule people out as I know anything is possible. I should have held a press conference on the topic based on the feedback I've received in such a short time.

I know that the first impression may be to make someone in this situation be the bad guy. However, there isn't on in this case. I wish her the best and I care for her more than she'll ever know. I hope she figures things out and is ultimately happy, whether that is with me or with someone else.

Also, I wanted to say thanks to all of my friends and family who talked to me yesterday and really helped me add some perspective to all of this. I can't tell you how much it means to me. I know that after Carmella everyone was concerned cause I took it hard and quite honestly, self-destructively. But this time around, I have a much better grasp of who I am as a person and truly believe that she needs this time to figure things out. If you truly love someone, you want them to be happy above all else whether it is with or without you. Thus, we are where we are now. Also, if it was meant to be, it will happen.

So, with that in mind; here goes my slightly EMO blog:

- I don't agree with Regan Economics, but I agree with Regan's policies about walls and tearing them down
- Speaking of Walls, I hate them and have a horrible track record with them. In high school I was "Snout" in A Midsummers Night Dream, also in high school, I drove my dad's Thunderbird through a wall and at work my projects are constantly on the "Wall of Shame". Needless to say, I've never liked walls and I really hate them now
-What do I love about Utah? The mountains, four seasons and that Salt Lake is tops on the list for Vainest City and Best City for Jobs in 2008; but also for wacky stories about "alcopops" and "porn at a Golds Gym"
- Pizza for dinner and lunch the next day doesn't go well together
- I have great friends, I don't know what I'd do without them
- As much as I want to be an asshole, I just can't do it
- As much as I want to eat something at my house other than cereal, also, I just can't do it
- Pillows; you can't ever have enough of them
- Socks; in the winter...they better be warm
- Dan; I think you may have an addiction to home improvement shows
- My mind has been running at such a high capacity as of late that I can hear the hamster wheel turning
- Surprisingly enough, I've slept pretty easy the past few nights
- I'm constantly amazed at how people's perception is stronger than reality
- It blows me away the subtle things people notice. For example, that for the past week the picture on my desk was always covered by a coffee cup or drink
- I don't get certain abbreviations; LOL, ROFL, OMFG and so on. I know, they are meant to be taken seriously; but I've decided to create my own: LTMQ = Laughing to Myself Quietly and this one is one my cousin Cardy uses that is freakin' classic GTFO = Get the Fuck Out (as in, you're cornered by Jehovah's Witnesses and you tell them to GTFO!)
- The Martyrs of Babylon has only two guitars, three people and no talent. We're going to be freakin' huge!!!
- Dear Bayou: I love your selection of beers. When they are actually in stock.
- Hey Mary; thanks for letting me know you had a blog. Wait, did I tell you I had a blog? Okay, we're even
- For those who haven't learned this yet about either Facebook or MySpace: If friends from high school contact you and want to hang out. DON'T! My theory is you stopped hanging out for a reason. This may offend some people, but I'm just calling it how it is. The people I talk to from High School is cause I want to
- Speaking of high school; the sick feeling of my 10 Year Reunion is coming up. Honestly, I could care less and have no intention of going. Unless I had a job like John Cusack in "Grosse Point Blank". If I were an assassin, I'd totally go back
- I don't get why people read the obituaries when you're under 40/50 years old
- I hear songs on the radio and see them in "Green, Red, Yellow, Blue and Orange" dots now
- Hey Paul, you better be reading this on your iPhone. Better yet, if you comment, it has to be from the iPhone

I think that about does it for a random list of stuff. Not as EMO as I thought, which is always a positive. With that, I end this blog like every other one: dot dot dot

blah blah blah

2008-01-12T21:33:00.001-07:00

For whatever reason, I've been motivated to write more than I have in months past. I know, lucky you. Here is another quick list of things that are bouncing around in my head.

- I want a burrito with all of the meats in it (i.e. carnitas, steak, chicken, barbacoa and hell...maybe some fish)
- I was thinking of redoing my kitchen. Where should I get my granite? China?
- I finally beat Slash on Medium on Guitar Hero....HELL YEAH!!!
- So, I'm only 6 years behind the craze of "24". I started season 1 and in the first four episodes there was two lesbians making out, a teenager hopped on on heroine, teens having sex in a furniture store and a cop gets her brains blown out. No wonder this show was a hit
- I want a house with 2 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms...oh and a few vanities to boot
- I'm going to miss watching football on Sunday afternoons. It is the best way to just sit back and relax when you normally would be doing yard work during the summer months
- The only thing that should be smothered is a burrito
- When is it appropriate to listen to emo rock?
- Paul; you make a great note taker. Whenever there is a meeting of which minutes need to be taken....Paul will be there
- I need to get my agenda ready for the "Very Important Business Lunch". Don't know if I should do a power point or not
- I can't wait until February; we're supposed to have casual dress back (no more khakis and button up shirts)
- Forrest Gump is full of shit. Life isn't a box of chocolates. Unless the bad chocolates are filled with rocks...then he may be onto something
- I have a hard time with Mitt Romney for President. Why? Cause what action star does he have that is supporting his campaign? He can't even get Steven Seagal
- I wonder what percentage of comedians are clinically depressed? If you think about it, they just have a funny way of explaining their messed up lives (not all comedians). I realized this as I TiVo'd a lot of comedy specials over the past week
- Does anyone really care about who won the Golden Globes? Okay...other than Paul?
- I had flour tortilla chips this past weekend and it opened my eyes. There is no other chip in my book now
- Also, this has led me to support Paul in riding our planet of corn. SCREW YOU CORN LOBBYISTS!!! Your scare tactics won't work on me
- Paul, Dan and I have started a new band: Martyrs of Babylon
- Hey Goldie: Freakin' Post something about either one of the following games; A.) Double Dribble B.) Excitebike or C.) What is your favorite between Metroid, Zelda and Contra? And why. Yes, Goldie, we're all watching
- You know what is funny, San Diego State's arena is known as the Cox Arena. Why is this funny? Who knows, but it is
- According to Dan and Paul; I need a dog. Since, Tessie isn't around I do need something that will pee on my rug. I really will miss the little tike.
- How does San Diego State not recruit better? Hot chicks and in San Diego? Makes no sense
- Paul got schooled at Wii Tennis by Dan and I. That's right biatch
- Also, Paul, stop burping while we're watching basketball
- I need another ruuuuuuuuuummmmm and coke
- I beat Guitar Hero III on Medium. I'm a rock legend (according to the game that is)
- History repeats itself, no matter how hard one tries to avoid it
- I think I'm going to end this blog on a similar note of DOT DOT DOT

Hope you enjoyed the random list of crap. I'm going to watch the Utes play some baskeball, drink some rum...errr, rum and coke and try to get the hamster in my head to stop running today as he's ran 1,000 miles already.

My head's a greyhound station where i send my thoughts off to far off destinations

2008-01-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't blogged in list form for a bit. With that in mind, hold on cause my head is all over the place:

I wish I could be a time traveler....cause I'm a master of poor timing
Maybe I should actually get gutters and it would cut down on my porch's consumption of sodium
13 months later...the neighbor still has a bathtub on their porch
Listening to Taking Back Sunday and Hawthorne Heights is oddly therapeutic
Why do I get the feeling history is repeating itself? Is it cause of American Gladiators?
I love my more feng shui living room
I get the sneaking suspicion I'm going to be at the Tox Box a lot in the next few weeks (5 Jazz games in two weeks)
Why can't one's head be like a light switch that you can just turn off when you don't want to listen to it anymore?
How many comments will I get that will imply that I'm depressed, down or upset based on the bullets up to this point? I have my money on 3
I miss "scripted" TV
Have I ever mentioned how much I hate snow?
And, yes Ashley, I'll admit that Utah does have winter
I feel like my worlds are colliding
I've been so tired lately...maybe I should start drinking espresso again...
The BCS Games this year sucked...all of them
So how is it if one is conscious of history, they are still destined to repeat it?
I can't wait for the NFL Playoffs this weekend
Don't try to catch water with your hands, it will only slip through your fingers
Argyle socks are still cool, no matter what anyone tells you
Does anyone other than Paul and Kramer use AOL Moviefone?
Melissa: I'm catching up to you in the race to fill the "Shit Bucket"
Speaking of buckets...what's on your "bucket list"? Mine...make Flag Day the biggest damn holiday on the calendar
I have a sneaking suspicion that the hamster in my head has gone on strike...cause I can't think anymore
Why is anything that pertains to Canada funnier than if it were from the US?
Paul gave me a whole new reason to hate the Light Bulb Lobbyists. Trying to get me to buy "a particular CFL" light for my ceiling fan.....JOG ON!!!
Just so it is out there somewhere...Mandros's grand prediction: Hilary and McCain with the nominations; Obama as vice and Hilary/Obama take the White House
You know what the world needs? More people who take massive amounts of pictures at events in order to one day blackmail you ::Looking back to you Paul::
I dominate Z when it comes to playing Wii Play
So Paul is hell bent and determined to break my soul; Marcus + XBOX360 = Internet Friends; Dan + Wii = Real Friends. P.S. Paul - you have to be a real person to have the internet....so they are real!!!
I think my mom can now be proud; I believe that I finally developed patience. I'm patiently waiting until John Rambo comes out and not thinking..."Is it Jan. 25th yet?"
I also don't worry as much anymore...I haven't thrown as much as a pillow over ADP Stock plummeting this past month
I seriously believe John Mayer's song "My Stupid Mouth" is about me. Damn you Mr. Mayer....DAMN YOU
I think this list is just about....done

Now, don't freak out people. This is just a list of random thoughts. I told you my mind was all over the place. With that...I should get back to work.

I tried to find the key; to 50 million fables

2008-01-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

Hola folks. Long time no talk to. I believe the last time I decided I would write something, it caused quite the response (looking in Paul and Dan's direction). Allow me to retort in the blogging sphere of the world.

What I meant by growing up was there are somethings that maybe aren't as funny anymore and getting hammered like I did in college isn't as cool. But there are still several things that no matter what age you're at; is completely acceptable:

Eating cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is the perfect meal really
Watching American Gladiators is just as entertaining (if not more now that it is in HD). More on this later
Classic cartoons are still funny (i.e. any Looney Tunes or Animaniacs)
Speaking of TV shows; Saved by the Bell, Charles in Charge or The Simpsons are still funny
Drinking chocolate milk is not only tasty, but...hell...it's just plain tasty, that's all
Reverting back to a kid when you meet your favorite basketball players is completely normal
My "No Chip Left Behind" Nachos are still the perfect compliment to watching any sporting event, movie, TV show or infomercial

Feel free to add to this list as it is clearly not the be-all-end-all list.

Hey, Happy New Year!

First off, I hope all of you had a happy, safe and entertaining New Years Eve. I have to say that this was by far the best new years I've had in....hell, ever. I know that usually people say that and then when the dust settles, they realize that '99 was better than '08 and so on.

But, this new years was spent with great friends, great dinner and a whole lot of fun afterwards. Hell, I can't complain with dinner at Spencer's Steakhouse. Who could complain with a Spencer's steak and a good merlot? Then people met back at my house to play some Guitar Hero III and Rock Band (thanks Cardy).

I'm telling you if you didn't have Rock Band or Guitar Hero at your New Years celebration, you missed out. That is by far one of the best party games ever. Watching people play was classic. I was watching a few videos on my camera and it was pretty damn funny.

I have to say the drums were a lot harder than I thought they would be and singing...well; I shouldn't sing. Either way, it was a great evening. Here is an abbreviated list of my New Years Resolutions:

Take more vacation. I carry too much from year to year and in '09 I gain an extra week of vacation (4 weeks; what in the hell am I going to do?)
Run a half marathon. I'll need to get my iPod Nano for this....darn it
Cut my credit card debt by 60-70% without selling my car
Finish my front patio in my yard
Visit somewhere I've never been before

I think that is a fairly accurate list. Shall we see how I did on last years list?

Stay in my house for the entire year - Check
Go to Seattle, Moab, Indiana and possibly D.C. in the next year - Went to Seattle and Boston again. No on anywhere else.
Complete one of my larger projects on my house (either the bathroom or the kitchen) - did the bathroom
Make more time to go golfing; even join a Men's League - never did and should do this year
Be more productive - Overall, I'm getting better. Especially with a house and all of the random tasks that one has to do
Get promoted to Senior Coordinator - Still working on this one. A position is open, but I've definitely made progress
Kick ass at my new Total Compensation Statement for URS; successfully manage the WIIP Conversions, implement the Dependent Audit (DAS) Letters and have another successful year managing the Interns (if you couldn't tell, all work stuff) - Rocked the URS statement, WIIP never happened, I still am rocking at DAS and another successful year with interns
Have a drama free year - There were a few bumps in the road. But for the most part a very drama free year. Especially compared to '06 (phew)

Time for some random shit...

First off, if you have made it this far...pat yourself on the back. This is a long blog and you deserve some recognition for making it this far. Back to the show...

So here are a few links that I thought were rather hilarious.

The Listen Up Sound Amplifier: I saw this the other night and it was so re-damn-diculous I had to blog about it. Watch the commercial. I love how the old lady uses it to spy on what her neighbors are saying. Now if it was backed by Homeland Security, I'd buy one in a second. Cause you know of all people who know how to spy...it's the Dept. of Homeland Security
The Samurai Shark: Okay, another infomercial. This one claims it can sharpen any knife with a few swipes. I just love the commercial how it cuts a tomato so thin that it's just the skin. When in the hell will I need something that thin?
If only a Costco was next door: This comedian has decided to abandon his wife and move into an IKEA. I love how he likens it to living on the set of Friends. I wonder why his wife would oppose to living in a place where thousands of people walk by your home everyday? I can't imagine why? It does highlight one of IKEA's glaring issues....blinds in their model homes
Hell, if Chuck Norris approves...: Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee decided to get the most powerful action star in history to back his campaign. How can you go wrong with Chuck Norris spouting off facts why to vote for Huckabee? I was completely on the Obama train; but now who knows. I don't want Chuck at my doorstep asking questions about my vote...those steely eyes would haunt me
Finally, quality Reality TV: This past Sunday, the boring and predictable world of reality TV got a shot in the arm. One of the greatest shows returned; American Gladiators. I used to watch this show, like every other good hearted American, when it was on TV and loved it. Nothing like your average Joe going up against a guy that is so roided up that merely mispronouncing his name may send him into a murderous "roid-rage". It's even better when the contestants taunt the Gladiators. I can't wait for the Sports Mascot vs. Gladiator show too. Also, I think Wolf is Sabertooth's long lost brother. Look below and tell me I'm wrong

I think I've typed enough. I'll try to post some pictures from New Years and the Holiday's shortly. But until then....

Screw a "White Christmas"...give me some sand and sun

2007-12-24T23:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've blogged and with good reason. I haven't really had anything that came to mind that really stood out as groundbreaking in my head or motivated me to sit down for 10 minutes and actually put my thoughts into words.

But as I sit in my toasty house this Christmas Eve, I've finally found a topic that motivated me to write as we close in on Christmas Day. I remember when I was growing up and I would be playing video games on Christmas morning (and for the next few days straight) my mom would joke that one day I would have to grow up. I always put this "growing up" business squarely in the back of my head and really never gave it much thought for many years.

There are various stages where you could say I "grew up"; high school and college graduation, first job, first promotion, first house and so on. These are a few of the grand life milestones to which one attaches success, failure and a barometer to how much one has grown up. In the past few years, I have achieved many of these milestones and yet refused to really allow myself past college. Odd, right?

So, as I type this blog I can say that I am officially growing up. Yep, I've announced it in the blogging community (in turn...all three of my readers). I won't say what it was that brought me here and I'm sure that no one will guess. Maybe it was as I watched Die Hard tonight as part of my Christmas tradition or the beer boxes on my fridge fell down or something else. But whatever it was, I realized that maybe it was time to retire the following:

- Beer boxes on top of the fridge
- Referring to my fridge as a "Beer Fridge" (as it does contain many other things such as Diet Dr. Pepper and more)
- Thinking it's funny to have 69 in most of my passwords
- Using PBR Cans as Christmas Ornaments
- Not dressing up for work when it is Business Casual Day
- Thinking doing donuts in the parking lot is fun (and trust me....tonight they would be prime to do)
- Thinking that songs about drinking are funny
- And a few other things that I'm sure I forgot

Now, again, you are probably perplexed as to where this development came about. I've had it in the back of my head for sometime now as each birthday passes and the sad realization that I'm no longer 21 and in college. As much as I want to say that I'm still there, it isn't happening. There is a multitude of reason my head stuck there; I had a lot of great memories.

But, I've watched my friends grow up, begrudgingly or not, but they have. Watching friends get married, get careers and buy houses, I realized that yes, I'm at that age now where you get Christmas Cards for your friends (thanks to those who sent me cards...they are decorating my living room as we speak) and have parties where people come over and hang out, have dinner and maybe play a little Guitar Hero III and no one gets trashed.

Long story short, college Marcus is officially and entirely retired. For those who have no clue what I'm talking about, ask me about a story or two; I have plenty. For those who do know of College Marcus, sorry, but there will be no additions to the line of stories.

With that in mind...

Merry Christmas

I wanted to wish everyone, friend or not, a safe and Merry Christmas to you and your families. I hope you have the opportunity to spend this special day with the ones you love and carrying on or starting new family traditions.

I know that this year, someone has taught me a new perspective on life in many ways and I can't say how thankful I am. They think they are being a pest, rude and sometimes think that nothing should be said. But I'll say it here that it is that very honesty that has been the best Christmas present I've received (and will receive this year).

So, with that, I'm off to surprise someone by shoveling their walkways and then to bed. For the morning will be filled with presents for the boy, family and my mom's amazing waffles. Goodnight and god bless us....every last one of us.

Okay....so I leave you with some pictures of hanging with my friends during the holidays:

This is my Christmas Tree

My main Christmas Tree Decoration

My Baby, Lil' Tessie and Me in front of the tree

Hanging out with friends from out of town

An awkward moment that Melissa and Tessie had together

That's all folks....now go to bed.

In case you needed a reason...

2007-11-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

I know that many of you don't need a reason to hate Derek Jeter. But this chart re-affirmed his douchebaggery:

Yeah, I have a lot of things to write. But this was important. Is it a new story? No, but still important to know. You know what else...I love In n' Out Burger. Since it will be a cold day in hell before it is in Salt Lake...I will have to settle for Chadder's.

Is Chadder's a rip off of In n' Out Burger? Probably. But I could care less. I don't care what legal ramifications come from this joint opening if I can get a tasty burger in the end. Unfortunately, Chadder's is being sued by In n' Out Burger and faces closing before I can even enjoy this wonderful burger.

KSL: Customers forming long lines at new restaurant
KSL: In n' Out Burger sues American Fork restaurant

Myself, Ashley and Co. are going to try to infiltrate behind the Zion Curtain to try this Chadder's on Friday. I hope that we can try this wonderful burger that mimics one of the greatest burger joints around.

Another note, I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving this weekend and that you all have safe travels to see your loved ones. Here is what I'm thankful for:

- My family; mom, dad, sister and Lil' Papi
- As much as I bitch about it, my job. I am gainfully employed and I am thankful for that
- My wonderful girlfriend (yes, it's sappy...but I don't care). You constantly amaze me and in a short time have found a way to make me a better person
- My friends; you guys are there to shoot it to me straight when I call. Ryan, Cat, Melissa, Mikey Mike, Dan, Paul, Z, Justin and the countless others....thank you. I am so fortunate to have a group of friends like you. You'll give me shit and great advice at the same time

So with that, have a great start to your Holiday Season. Now, you can officially take out your Christmas shit, play your Christmas music and watch your Christmas movies.

Yeah....I'm out.

Musings from the Cubicle Wall

2007-10-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

So, let's take a trip back to 1989 ::Queue time travel sound effects:: Back to a time where Zach Morris's phone was the size of a small car, Britney Spears wasn't old enough to slut it up and Hypercolor shirts were all the rave.

This was a time when you had two young actors who were stars in their own right; Steve Guttenberg and Tom Hanks. The reason I bring this up is that they were essentially the same actor but one made some bad decisions.

My theory is that if Guttenberg made some better decisions or had a better agent...he'd be bigger than Tom Hanks. Okay, maybe not bigger, but certainly in the same ball park. Why? Look at the movies this guy had:

Short Circuit
Police Acadamy
Three Men and Baby
Cocoon

In the same time frame, Hanks did:

Dragnet
Big
Turner & Hooch
Splash

The only difference in their careers at this point is that Hanks didn't do sequels. Where as Guttenberg did sequels for everything. I mean, Police Academy 4? Come on man. After he did a sequel to Cocoon he was done. Hollywood rejected him.

Do think Hanks would be as big as he is if he did "Turner & Hooch II: On the Prowl" or "Spash 2: Making Waves"?. Or even if he decided to make "Bosom Buddies: The Movie" that he would have had been offered to play in Philadelphia or Forrest Gump? I'll error on the probably not.

Stallone Does it again!!!

So, just when you think steroids and Human Growth Hormones are bad...people like Sly Stallone show you that they still have a place for society; Action Movies. I stumbled across one of the greatest trailers of all time and it's for the new Rambo movie: John Rambo. At least Stallone is consistent in naming his latest movies. Rather than Rambo IV or Rocky VI; he went with the characters full name.

This movie is going to rock. It is an old fashion action movie full of many bodies being blown to pieces and the enemy sending dozens of men after one guy...and them all meeting the same fate: Death.

The best part of this trailer is that there is someone who gets decapitated in the middle of it. All I know is that the plot seems a little thin. But name me one of the Rambo movies that was laced with an intricate plot?

Here is what I derived from the trailer:

Rambo is an old soldier who happens to still be taking roids
He doesn't want to fight and some tree hugging activist group wants to stop people from dying in a war zone
They have no weapons and miraculously get captured while trying to do good
Rambo hears of this news and is now forced to go save their hippie asses
A man is decapitated
Many bad guys die
There are several explosions happen
One liners are abundant

But, I'll let you be the judge by watching the trailer yourself:

Rambo - Watch more free videos

Quick Hits

Here we go:

The Sox won the World Series....Yes...I'm still smiling about this
Work this time of year is hell. Rather, this is what it feels like
Kids who smash other kids pumpkins should have a pumpkin smashed over their head from about 20ft in the air
Raking leaves blows...especially when the wind blows your pile of leaves
Leftovers are awesome. Especially good leftovers
Who knew a Love Sac could be as comfy as a bed at times
Hey Beastie Boys...if you need a guitarist for your next album...you should hear me play Sabotage on Guitar Hero III
Dear High Schoolers: STOP F&(*^#$ TRICK OR TREATING!!!

I'll post some Halloween Party pictures later when I have access to my camera. So, I'll leave you with an offensive joke. "Like Helen Keller running to first base...I'm out"

Take a guess what this is about...

2007-10-30T03:36:00.001-07:00

So, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what my blog is going to be about today. It doesn't matter if this is a blog about my life, sports or which perennials to plant in the spring...I'm going to blog about the Red Sox today.

The phone calls, texts and emails have been flowing in today with people expressing their joy of the Boston Red Sox winning their second World Series in the last four years. People passing their congratulations on to me as they know what a die hard fan I am. To those people, thanks. It's kind of weird to hear that when people hear that the Red Sox won the World Series, I'm the first person they think of.

One of the most common questions was "how does it feel?" And to be honest, it is different than '04. That was a sense of relief, a weight being lifted off of Red Sox Nations shoulder. Say what you will, but it was the elephant in the room when you watched a Red Sox game. If something started to go wrong, you just felt it was destined to result in the Sox losing and somehow the Yankees winning.

2004 helped put that elephant almost entirely out of the room. He still lingered around in 2007 when the Yankees closed the gap on the American League East lead in the last month of baseball. But like I said back in May...the Sox needed a 13-14 game lead to protect them from the August/September slide. And low and behold...they had that lead and they let it go in August/September.

But, this post season felt different than anything I have experienced. There wasn't a sense of urgency, that this was our only shot. I remember telling a guy who was a huge Cleveland Indians fan at work that if we didn't win this year, there was always next year. But, that comment was full of complete confidence and optimism. Cause I knew the Sox had massive amounts of youth and talent that would keep them competitive for years.

So come the playoffs this year and they swept the Angels. I didn't think they would lose the series even if they were at full strength, but they were hurt in a few key positions which made the sweep possible.

Then there was the Indians. If you were to ask me that in a seven game series CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona would pitch in four games resulting in 3 losses and a no decision for Cleveland I would have said you're full of shit. But that is exactly what happened.

The Sox are down 3-1 and they have their ace on the mound in Josh Beckett. What does he do? What he's supposed to do, shut down the Indians in game 5. Looking back, that was the most damaging game of the post season for any of the Sox opponents. The Indians were up 3-1 and now they had to go back to Boston and play two games.

The one thing about home field advantage is it doesn't affect your superstars. They'll perform regardless of where they are, that is why they're superstars. But you're role players come up big at home with the crowd behind them. Enter in Dustin "2007 Rookie of the Year" Pedroia, Jacoby "Free Tacoby" Bellsbury and J.D. "Hey...I finally earned a paycheck" Drew who all came up big at home.

I would be lying if I thought the Sox were going to pull of the comeback on the Indians. The pitching matchups seemed bad at the time. I knew they would get to game 7, but was nervous that Dice-K would get knocked around in game 7. The good thing was the Sox starting pitching got them to the 6th inning of games where the bullpen came in and shut everything down.

Also, when J.D. "my nickname used to be Nancy" Drew hit that Grand Slam in game 6, you just knew something special was about to happen. I mean, did someone trick him in to thinking it was a contract year?

So, once the Sox moved on to the World Series I called the Sox in 5 and a great possibility of a sweep. I don't care what people say, the National League is like the Eastern Conference in the NBA...weak. Yes, Colorado had a layoff for 8 days, but are you telling me that it would have made a difference in games 3 and 4?

Their bats were up to speed and the only game the layoff would have changed was game 2. Even if they win that game, they have to beat Beckett in game 5 which I don't see happening the way he was pitching this post season. The Sox offensive numbers over a 7 game span in the post season produced the most prolific differential of all time. The biggest differential in history prior was 40-10 by the Detroit Tigers last year over the ALDS and the ALCS. The Sox run scored to allowed over their last 7 games was 59-15. That's a solid 14 runs more than the all time record.

So where to the Sox go from here? Well, I think they are well on their way to a dynasty given the following factors:
- Matt Clements salary comes off the books next year
- As does Edgar Renteria, Eric "Hey...can I blow this game for you?" Gagne, possibly Schilling, or at least it will be cheaper to have on the roster and the possibility of a trade of Coco Crisp or JD Drew to free up some salary space
- The following players who made huge contributions late in the season and in the post season were players who have been starting less than 3 years: Dustin "2007 ROY" Pedroia, Jacoby "Free Tacoby" Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Kevin "YOOOOUK" Youkilis, Jonathan "the New Sandman" Papbelbon, Clay "No Hitter" Buchholz and Manny Decarmen
- Manny and Ortiz had horrible regular seasons in regards to power numbers and they still were the best team in baseball
- Their starting pitching will only get better with Buchholz and Lester coming up through the farm and Dice-K getting stronger

What would I do this offseason if I was Theo Epstien, GM of the Red Sox?
- Resign Mike Lowell to a three year contact - yes, the Sox don't like to sign players past 35. But you made an exception for Varitek in '04 and you have to do it for Lowell in '07. Especially to keep him away from the Yankees
- Trade Coco Crisp or JD Drew to make room for Jacoby Ellsbury
- Figure out what to do with Manny. Either trade him and sign Andrew Jones or resign Manny to a deal that will make him retires with a Sox logo on his jersey in Cooperstown. You can't go into next off season with Manny able to walk away for nothing
- Try to resign Schilling; but for less. His experience is invaluable to the younger pitchers. Especially in the post season
- Get the replacement for Varitek as he's getting to the point where he's going to need to retire
- Let Gagne walk

I have to say that it has been a great season. From watching NESN's Extra Extra Innings show all season long it's been amazing to watch this team dominate from start to finish. I'll never forget this season as long as I live. To think that I lived to see the Sox win two championships when some never saw them win one.

Lil' Papi was born into a world that knows the Red Sox by a new name...World Champions. It's a great time to be a Red Sox fan. Unfortunately, that means the band wagon is going to get full. But, those who have been fans for sometime remember the hard ships in '86, '99 and especially '03. They remember the Boston Massacre in game 3 of the ALCS and will always remember Dave Roberts and his "Steal".

It was those moments that helped me appreciate this one so much. I was practically speechless last night when they won and am still in a state of disbelief right now. I know that my passion for the Red Sox, like my other teams, causes people to love them or hate them. Frankly, I don't care. I love my team and I'm proud to see that they are once again champions.

On that note, I can't wait for Spring Training...it's only 5 months away. Oh...and here are some pictures too from the Season

My Boston Red Sox Games from '07

Dear Anonymous

2007-10-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

I figured your comment was deserving of a blog in its own right. So, for those who didn't see:

Is it weird that I'm good friends with nearly all of my ex girlfriends?

No because if you dont fuck them they dont end up with all the hate! Your still in the humping stages busting nuts in your pants girls dont care so much about that. So they keep you around just incase they cant find better. Also The sox really again im so bored let someone else go.. And wait your in Utah why is the best team your fav? Not even close to them try picking a closer team and support them.

So, I'm guessing you are pointing out that if I don't sleep with my ex's once they're ex's than I'm cool? Good policy and I would concur on this point. I think I left the "humping stages busting nuts in my pants" stage back at Junior Prom in '96, but hey...that's just me. From the sounds of it, you are rather familiar with this stage though. I hope you get out of it though.

As for keeping me around until they find something better. That would imply that I'm trying to get with them. Which all parties agree, we're better as friends and not dating. Thus, why we're not together. So, to retort: no, I'm not trying to get into their pants and visa versa.

Now, for the part that caused me to make an entire blog about your comment. Why am I not a Rockies or Arizona Diamondbacks fan? Because I've been a Red Sox fan since I was a little kid. My dad and uncles were Red Sox fans back when Ted Williams played and thus they passed this time old obsession on to me. They were Red Sox fans as kids cause the teams covered in Utah were limited to big market teams.

Thus, I was born to be a Red Sox fan. My dad's advice to me growing up was "don't knock a girl up in high school, graduate college, root for the Sox and Ted Williams was the best hitter that ever lived." This advice was immediately followed with a complete set of the '86 Red Sox Topps cards.

My favorite player growing up was Roger Clemens and I still remember the day they announced he was leaving for Toronto in '96. I refused to watch a Red Sox game in boycott of the owners who let him walk. Even though, they were probably right in letting him walk. He wouldn't have been the pitcher he was in Toronto/New York/Houston if he stayed. Being scorned by management provided him enough motivation to reinvent himself and become a mix of Roger of new and old.

Then they brought over Pedro in '98, new ownership shortly followed and all was right in the world. He reminded me of Roger in that he didn't give a f@#$@ and would throw at someones head to make a point.

To wrap up, yes I'm a Red Sox fan in Utah. No, I won't switch teams cause one is closer to me geographically. I was a fan well before they won the 2004 World Series and will be one long after they win this year and one day have a stretch of bad years. I was sad to see Clemens and Martinez go and will be just as sad when Schilling leaves.

Hell, if I moved to Boston, I would still be a die hard Utah Jazz fan over the Celtics. So, to your request for me to root for a closer team I look to the immortal words from Hot Fuzz....JOG ON!!!

In other news...

- Goldberg; you'll be missed in the 801. Go show those shit-assed Giants fans what's up for me. You gave me a reason to root for the Eagles (sorry Z, it wasn't you) whenever they aren't playing the Pats
- This just in...I like Thai food
- Mikey Mike is coming back...again. Maybe he should heed everyones advice and move here. Maybe?
- Fortune cookies seem to be more right that we give them credit for. Here's one of the last ones I got: "You'll find what you're looking for once you stop looking"
- It must be an amazing time to be in Boston right now; Red Sox in the World Series, Patriots are 7-0, Celtics are the favorites in the East and Boston College is ranked 2nd in the BCS
- Where's the best place to stash an obscene amount of coke? Thanks to Alice...I now know guitars may not be the right place
- Whatever happened to Billy Idol? That guy was the f*&#@ man
- Same goes for the other dad (not Paul Reiser) from My Two Dads
- Thanks Tacoby Bellsbury (Jacoby Ellsbury) for stealing a base in the World Series and providing all of America with Free Tacos

With that in mind...I leave you with these pictures:

Get off my wagon Rudy!

2007-10-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

I like to think I have an appreciation for the political process and believe that we really do have an amazing political system. But the more I follow politics lately; both national and local, I realize they are all slimy bastards that deserve to be thrown in muddy Charles River.

A good example is former Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, who is a die hard Yankees fan was campaigning the other day in Boston. Now, any true blooded Yankee or Red Sox fan would cut off their arm before they would root for the other team. They could be playing the Russians for the fate of the free world and I wouldn't root for those bums down south.

So, being die hard fan that he is...what do you think his stance would be to a Boston crowd for a campaign speech? Would he respectfully say, I understand your tax and health care issues, but regardless of if the Red Sox are in the series or not...I can't root for them. Hell, can't even wear red socks.

Or would he be a slimy politician who would swear his allegiance...for one day...to try to gain a vote or two? Can any one guess where this one is going? Yeah...scum bag Giuliani decided to do with Option B.

Yankee Fan Giuliani Backing Red Sox - AP Wire

All I can say is this...

Dear Rudy,

Get the F@#(*& off of our wagon!!! Just cause your team is being run by an owner who decided it best to run one of the greatest managers of all time out of New York, is on the verge of running two true Yankees out in Posada and Rivera and probably going to resign Mr. Regular Season in A-Rod to a longtime deal.

Don't jump to our bandwagon cause it may get you a vote or two. Trust me, people won't vote for you if they had a choice between you and a deaf-blind monkey who had turrets. Don't think that every word you said about how "I root for the American League team to win".

Either you're full of shit when you say you're a true Yankees fan or you're full of shit as a politician. In this case...I'll take it that you're both. In the immortal words of Colin Cowherd..."If Giuliani was a home run over the Green Monster...I'd throw him back".

Sincerely,

The Spaniard

Quick Hits

Time for some quick hits...
- You know a good idea for a tattoo? Make it look like you got your ass kicked for all time and eternity. Paul...you so should get this done
- My nephew has two nicknames of which I gave him: Little Burrito and The Boy. It is time for his new name: Lil' Papi
- I still hate MLB.com
- The producers at MTV are geniuses. I tried to avoid the Tila Tequila Show on MTV; but have been sucked in. How? They play it non stop and have successfully pounded it into my head. You bastards at MTV are brilliant
- I hate dressing up for Halloween...especially as Zorro
- Is it weird that I'm good friends with nearly all of my ex girlfriends?
- In case you didn't know...I still love cheese
- I have nothing more to say on this story...
- Why in the hell is Ben Affleck the spokesman of Red Sox Nation? Watching him talk about the Sox makes me want to punch the elderly
- Alice was right...the new Britney album isn't that bad. Rather...it's kind of good
- The IT Trolls took one of my reasons for staying at my job away...YouTube. Thanks assholes. How am I now to get through those long dreary conference calls where it is mandatory that I stay just to say "ECS has no update"? Thanks
- Bill Simmons puts my Red Sox love so perfectly sometimes. And yes...I nearly threw a shoe at my TV when I realized JD Drew was up with two outs and the bases loaded. I figured..."at least he can't hit into a double play" and then he hits a Grand Slam

And on that note...I'm off to watch the series. GO SOX!!!

Talk about a slow news day...

2007-10-23T08:22:00.001-07:00

People in Salt Lake wonder why the perception of Utah is that nothing really happens here. But when you see stories like this on the Salt Lake Tribunes website as one of their top stories; you kind of see why people have that impression.

Salt Lake Tribune - Culture Vulture: Diamond Dallas just wants his cat back

Are you serious? A story about how some wrestler wants his cat back? The guy who's primary wrestling move was the Diamond Cutter? Wow.

Plus, I have it on good information that Brandon Griggs is a douche bag. Yeah, that's right. If you're Googling yourself...I just called you a douche bag who suffers from a severe case of douche baggery.

Stupid MLB.com

So as you may already know, the Sox are in the World Series against the Colorado Rockies. The games in Colorado are Saturday and Sunday. This would have been a dream come true if I could see a World Series game with the Sox in it.

That brings us to Tuesday where you could buy tickets as of noon Mountain Time on Coloradorockies.com. Well, the site says to call for tickets too; which Ashley found out is not the case.

Lindsey had the tickets in view and ready to order only for it to send her back to the waiting lobby. I think my coworkers may think I'm slightly insane after I almost bit my tongue off to prevent a long profanity laced tirade from occurring in the office place.

The light seems to be dim to get tickets, but I believe god is only testing my resolve. I will stay diligent until the Rockies website says they are sold out and "Please Marcus, stop calling our ticket office...we're sold out".

Not to mention, the site keeps on crashing much like the site did yesterday. Oh, and this story is full of shit cause if the sales are picking up...why in the hell can't I get in?

Stupid MLB.com and their waiting room.

New and creative ways to get drunk

2007-10-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

I think that I need a new health plan. Often times I find that I have to pay for both my medical costs and social/bar costs separately. Why is that? Why can't we live in a world that when I am getting better I am getting my liquor at the same time?

Well, thanks to a hospital in Australia they have come up with a solution. Unfortunately, this was the recipient of said vodka drip (image on the right...in case you were a little slow to the take).

Speaking of drinking, one of the most disturbing articles I have read in quite sometime was yesterday. No, it had nothing to do with Iran, Dafur, Global Warming, terrorism, the economy, Lindsey Lohan or Britney Spears.

No, it is the pending beer crisis that is starting to take hold of market and leading to increasing costs of beer. Due to a shortage of barley and grain, the cost of beer is going to start taking a significant hike in price. For example, yesterday was the first time in many years that I noticed NONE of the Uinta Beers were on sale.

Now, you're thinking, there is no way I would no if this has happened before. Probably right, but the percentage of time where every Uinta beer is on sale is smaller than Kate Moss's chances of quitting coke. It isn't like I mind paying $14.50 for a 12pk of Cutthroat...wait...yeah I do mind. It is now cheaper to go to the bar and drink Cutthroats on Sundays during $1 Draft Day and watch football all Sunday long with their NFL Sunday Ticket.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas? WTF?

I can't f@#(*$ing believe this. I went into Lowe's the other day and you bet your ass they already have Christmas stuff up. I couldn't f#$&^*ing believe it. I had to go to the Home and Garden Center and pass all of the Christmas items.

Hearing Christmas songs at the beginning of October makes me want to punch the elderly. I don't want to do it (it may piss off Chuck Norris); but businesses seem hell bent and determined to force my hand. It didn't stop at Lowe's either. No, Costco and JC Penny's are also on the shit list.

Why don't we just celebrate Christmas year around? Rather than having the Fourth of July; we'll have a Half-Way to Christmas Party. It makes me want to burn my Christmas tree.

Quick Hits

Now for the portion of the program where I just throw out whatever the hamster on a wheel has been working on:

- Pants...man are they comfortable
- Flip-flops...man are they bad when it is partially snowy outside
- Spiders...I f#$@#@hate you. Enjoy the bug spray assholes!!!
- Halo...man, it's been too long old friend
- Beer...how is it you seem to make nearly any situation a little bit better?
- Pinata's - I feel like one now
- Ryan and Cat were right (I won't tell you on what though...and it isn't what you think)
- Sports in HD makes me happier than sports without HD (imagine that)
- I want to take these utensils to a nice sit down place and see what people think
- You know a great way to fire someone...by making a customized Fruit Rollup that says "You're Fired" with a smiley face as the graphic. They may be fired...but they at least have a tasty treat.

I'll leave you on this note. A project I am working on sent their Employees a survey card to see what they thought of their Total Rewards Statement. This statement tells the employee how much the employer pays for the employee in addition to their salary (bonuses, 401k, retirement, medical, etc.). These are a few responses we got:

"Is there any way to capture the demoralizing affect of office politics and nepotism?"

"This is an insult. SAID COMPANY hasa cut our benefits repeatedly. Total Rewards? sounds like a supermarket ad campaign. I'm more depressed than I was before. I need an even stronger drink at work now. Someone should be fired for this" (hope that person isn't me...)

"There is no reward here. I earned it. Complete bullshit! YOU BASTARDS!!!"

Man, I'm glad to see 9 months of my life is gone and it was ruined because some dumb exec decided to change the word Total Compensation to Total Rewards.

For some reason I want a burger

2007-10-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

So, I have a deep affinity for In n' Out Burger. I don't know why, but it is like crack to me when I'm in Cali. It is almost reason enough to go at least to Vegas for a quick trip. The fact that they have about 10 things on their menu always puzzled me.

I've always heard of this hidden menu and thought people were full of it. Until, someone in front of me ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. Of course the people at the counter are of no help. They confirmed you could get a grilled cheese (thanks Einstein).

Fortunately, a friend who grew up in Cali told me all of the side things he knew of. But thanks to the internet...here's what they have.

No time to "Finish the Fight"

So, I haven't beat Halo 3 yet. It isn't cause the game is overtly hard, rather I just haven't had time. Between work, watching baseball and football, BOT Meetings, TV Shows and other things, I haven't really played the 360 that much at all.

The good thing is that I really don't mind. It is cool to have and play; but it isn't like the last time I played Halo 2 where I made time to play. Weird how things have changed. Maybe I am growing up after all. Dare I say...becoming responsible?

Random Shit

- Why do I hate the Yankees? Aside of the basic rivalry between the two teams; it's shit like this that just adds to it
- Doesn't it appear that Brooke Hogan is trying to go down the "Britney Spears Plan"? I think there is going to be a DUI, drug allegations and some sort of sex scandal in the 2008 plans for Brooke, what do you think?
- Work is starting to get real stressful. It is making me feel like this or this
- Sunday football at Green Street is awesome. If you get the right seat you can watch 7 big screen TVs with different games without having to move your head more than a few degrees. It's awesome
- I think I may miss the leaves changing this year....BOLLUCKS TO YOU SCHEDULE!!!
- HDMI Cables are way to expensive at stores such as Best Buy, Radio Shack, etc. They are usually $50-$100 in the store. Online: $7 and that's with shipping
- LoveSacs are awesome
- If your knee hurts for over a month...I'm guessing a doctors visit is in order

That is all.

Tired musings from the couch

2007-09-30T03:05:00.001-07:00

So, it is 4 in the morning as I sit on my couch and I came up with a few musings that are running around in my head:

- I hate that I can and have hurt someone I never intended to hurt
- I hate cold weather, it means flip flops go to the back of the lineup
- Speaking of cold, I really need to put the weather stripping on my windows in my room
- Someone finally bought the house across the street. Now the goal is to find out for how much
- The Wing Coop is the closest thing I have found to Wings n' Things. This definitely makes me happy!!!
- I wish I could be penicillin and make things all better. Instead I am the opposite for some
- A bowl of Trix at 1am while watching Anchorman is really really cool
- Cereal is an "every meal" type of meal. It can work for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night snack
- Getting your computer back to how it was prior to it crashing sucks
- The MLB Playoffs are next week; I have waited for the next few weeks since the end of last season
- Note to self: take contacts out before you go to bed
- Derek Jeter is dead...where is he? Who knows. But he stopped eating the Decon...so I assume he is no longer. He was a formidable opponent who I have to say I respected

That is all for now. Off to dreamland where everything is cotton candy wishes and lolly-pop dreams.

The Beatles were wrong

2007-09-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

Happiness is not a warm gun (or a Touch iPod). Rather, happiness is a warm XBOX 360 controller in your hand and Halo 3 on a new 56" DLP TV. That is happiness.

Not to mention having an HD Receiver to watch TV through only added to my happiness level. The irony is that not too long ago I thought my HDTV and XBOX 360 were going to be far out of reach for me. Aside of winning the Monopoly game at McDonald's, I was destined to wait for all time and eternity to have the electronic toys I yearned for.

Something happened though. I realized that as important as refinishing my bathtub was or re-doing my fireplace was; I wanted to have something for me. So, a little over a week later, I have my toys.

I have to say that I am more than slightly excited to watch Monday Night Football and the baseball playoffs at my house. Put it this way, it is the first time I have bought a TV since 1996. Yeah...that long ago. Back when OJ wasn't in jail, Britney wasn't even a name yet and Mariah Carey wasn't a hooker.

Needless to say...I'm happy with my new toys.

I'm not superstitious...just stitious

The Office came back on this past week. Even though it wasn't one of the best episodes, the fact that it has been so long since a new episode has been on, it didn't matter.

But I did learn a lot from this episode:
- I know now that Rabies is ugly...real ugly (see image to right)
- I can run a 5k better than Michael
- Andy is going to hook up with Angela
- Toby reminds me of the Atlanta Braves this year. Great story on here about which playoff team is which Office character
- You can't get drunk off of Kahlua...it's only a type of coffee
- Pam and Jim go together like PB&J....wait a minute!!! Pam Beasley and Jim = PB&J!!! Wow.

That is all.

High Def, Derek Jeter and a Sick Lappy

2007-09-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

I recently decided to join the 21st Century and purchase a HDTV. Yes, in past blogs, I have mentioned how gutters and refinished tubs would come before this purchase. However, the more and more people came over to watch football at my house; I decided it was time to get a bigger TV.

This is the first TV I have bought since I was in high school and only my second TV I have bought. Shortly after buying this TV, I ended up with buyers remorse as Best Buy had a smoking deal for the same TV, but slightly smaller. The only difference is that I paid $1000 for a Samsung 56" DLP HDTV and Best Buy was selling the smaller 50" version of this TV with an XBOX 360 and Halo 3 for $1080.

I called to get the details on returning my 56" back to RC Willey. After confirming I would get dinged for a restocking fee; I got on bestbuy.com and found out that the TV I wanted was sold out. Son of a bitch I was mad. So, now I have no XBOX 360 and Halo 3. Now, this may be a good thing as I tend to disappear when playing Halo and not talk to many people.

Screw you Derek Jeter!!!

I have a mouse in my house. This irritates me given that I like to think I am clean for the most part and do not attract rodents. Well, I as in my living room and heard something in the kitchen. I turn on the light and there is this mouse behind the coffee pot with a torilla chip. He notices me, drops the chip and jumps behind my stove.

I try to scare him from outside the stove to no avail. Of which I go and grab some mouse traps at the store. I first grab the sticky pads. Now, I have never had a mouse or had to kill one. I thought these pads would have some sort of poison that would essentially kill them. I hear him get caught in the trap and go to the kitchen to see.

He's stuck and is trying to escape under the cupboard. I notice him lunging upwards trying to get in but the trap is keeping him from escaping. As I go to grab him and throw him away he breaks free and is gone.

Okay, so he got through the first trap. I decide to try the sticky pads again to no avail. The next is to get the old school mouse traps. I set two initially. He eats the peanut butter on all three and the traps are not released.

Now, I bump up the traps to 4 old school traps. He decides to eat two of them clean...I mean he cleaned those traps dry. The third one was half eaten and the fourth wasn't touched. I noticed if he could slide the trap he could get the peanut butter.

So, I go and get even better traps and today he not only ate the peanut butter...but stopped before he would have been in the trap too far and been caught. The irony is that he released one of the traps but no mouse left inside.

Now, why is this story lead in with "Damn you Derek Jeter"? Cause I named him after someone I hate; Derek Jeter.

Get better Lappy 486

My Lappy-486 is not doing so well. He's getting surgery to remove a stripped screw in his hard drive. When he comes home, he'll get a shiny brand new hard drive to have. He lost a lot of memory and will need to have that put back in place.

Thanks again to Paul for letting me use Uber-Lappy while my Lappy is at the doctor getting fixed.

Aside of that, the Office starts next week and can't begin to tell you how excited I am. The first three episodes are 1-hour episodes. If you can't get excited for that, then you need help...serious help.

It's Been a While

2007-09-18T02:30:00.000-07:00

Guess who's back? I know, it's been so freakin' long since I posted, but hey...work has been hell and my computer crashing didn't help matters any. Well, the Lappy 486 is still out of commission. Fortunately, Paulie is a great American and let me borrow his uber-Lappy while mine is being worked on.

So with that...sit down, strap in and enjoy:

- Tommy Grady learned how to throw...WTF???
- Computer crashes and the Sox lose two of three to the Yankees and I'm still walking on sunshine
- Martini Ice Blocks are ultra cool
- I'm proud to be part of our families Rat Pack; Lex, Eric and Bobby...we rock
- Schill pitched a great game and Papi crumbled in the clutch. But Rivera looked more than human
- Touchdown Tom Brady looks like he likes his new receiver toys
- If you see a lady on a motorcycle, in a moo-moo and with a mullet; it's okay to almost wreck your car. I almost did
- How many accidents do you think this intersection will cause Utah drivers? I say about 400 in about a week
- Kicking it old school with your internet isn't cool
- Trees falling in your back yard is not as cool as you may think
- Fall is in the air...this means two things
1. Football is here = good
2. Winter is almost here = bad
- Watching football makes me really really want my HDTV
- Will pay PBR for someone to mow my lawn
- I hate, abhor, loathe, despise Open Enrollment
- The Office starts next week; life will be good
- I haven't been to a movie in a while...I should fix that
- But Superbad was Superawesome
- There can only be one Zion Fantasy Football team from Sugarhood...and it is me
- I can't wait until the fall leaves change
- My "Can't touch this" salsa proves to be a dominating force in my departments Salsa Fest walking away with best in show
- Terrel Owens has more heart than the entire Eagles team
- Our golf team rocked at the LeFavor Golf Tournament; posting 4th place. That is pretty damn good with only one guy who was really good. The other three of us haven't played hardly at all this year
- Dear Manny: Stop being Manny and come back!!! We need you!!!
- I should go to bed since I have to go to work EARLY tomorrow
- My work needs to add MySpace to things I can do at work
- Probably not...wouldn't be as productive
- One of our interns had one of th coolest jobs ever; ball boy and equipment manager for 9 years. I would consider quiting my job to just do that
- My lawsuit is still pending against Wal-Mart for age discrimination. Apparently I'm to young to be a door greeter
- I hate snow. I plan on throwing hot water on snow when I see it
- Gutters on my roof will eliminate the ice skating short program for people visiting my house

Did that blog blow your mind, because that just happened.

More Sober Musings

2007-08-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, my friends and family rock (rough and stuff with afro puffs - bonus points for anyone who can catch the reference). The reason is that following my last blog; some may have thought I was a little down; blue if you will.

Well, let me set the record straight; I'm doing fine. In hindsight I see that a few of my jokes were taken a little too literal. But the fact that people were so quick to check to see if I was okay was awesome.

So, I failed to drunk blog the other night. Of course I was reminded of this the following morning when I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do the night prior. But here are some more random musings that hopefully won't come across as I so down and in the dumps:

- Cheese is great; it's better than queso
- College football makes me stock my fridge with PBR and Totino's cheap pizzas
- If you don't golf for a few months; you forget a few things
- When passing forwards to friends; make sure you're not sending a blonde joke to a blonde. They may fail to see the humor
- I ended my losing streak at mini golf
- I don't have an ulcer; someone I know thinks she does
- I'm so glad someone researched this. Finally the debate is over
- I don't want a camel for Christmas anymore
- Three fantasy football leagues is almost too many. Especially when one is based entirely on Mountain West Conference players
- Until they invent the Lunch Gun which shoots food directly into my femoral artery; I would like my lunch in a Failure Pile in a Sadness Bowl
- Death is our nations number one killer. And I thought it was Failure Bowls
- My fridge is pretty sad, especially after cleaning
- I am anxious to go into work tomorrow; we may...finally...GET APPROVAL for my project
- Oh, an update on the last blog. I mowed my lawn and cleaned my house
- I still hate Eric "I'm secretly working for the Yankees" Gagne
- Who's excited for college football? I know I am. Can you say BCS again?
- I don't want to go to work tomorrow...or the day after that either
- I want to go on a hot air ballon ride
- I need to go to sleep
- I'll probably play Madden

Hopefully the Drunk Musings will be coming this weekend. I'll have to get drunk after the three fantasy drafts I have coming up. Speaking of, here is my quick Sports Version of Random Musings:
- Michael Vick is still a severe douchebag
- Who would have thought that "Marcus" Vick would be the smarter of the two brothers
- I've been saying it all year; Dustin Pedroia will be an All Star in no more than two years. He's my vote for Rookie of the Year
- I don't like that the Pats LB Core is all 30+ years old
- I still think the Jazz need to move Okur. He has to play defense in the post season and thus is a liability as we rely to much on his scoring
- I am going to be a huge TCU Horned Frog fan when TCU goes to Austin to play Texas. That way when the University of Utah pulls off the upset at TCU, it will be all the sweeter
- I hope Brian Johnson (U of U QB) is half as good as I think he is and a quarter of how good he is on my NCAA 2006 game going into his junior year
- I believe the Sox will win the AL East. But I've said it since May that the Sox need a double digit lead in August as they will give up 8-10 games. The month is almost over, phew
- Wakefield still makes me nervous when he pitches. I know he's good; he has 15 wins and I still get uneasy watching him
- Clay Buchholz was impressive. Let's hope he settles into being a solid 3 in the rotation. Beckett, Dice-K, Buchholz and Lester. That's a rotation

I think that should about do it. Off to bed. Hell, who am I kidding, back to Madden.

::End Transmission::

Sober Musings

2007-08-17T00:02:00.000-07:00

Sober Musings

So, I could sit here and write out these long and verbose musings about what has happened since I last posted; but I think I'll take a different approach to blogging. You could call it "Blogging ala Christopher". But here's the kicker; these are my sober musings. I will ultimately follow up with my Drunk Musings

- I love Madden '08. I have missed playing video games and the mindless hours spent on them
- Pabst Blue Ribbon is an amazing shitty beer. And yes, I have two 12 packs in my fridge and one to the left of me
- Apathy is the new happy
- I hate Eric Gagne; he better not blow the season for us
- Speaking of season; fingers crossed, knocking on wood that Sox win the AL East and the Yankees miss the wild card
- If your stomach hurts for years and you think it's an ulcer...see a doctor
- If something seems to good to be true; be it a person, concept, deal or relationship...chances are it is
- If an event is happening on Saturday and you want that person to go; tell them the night before the event
- What do I have in common a violin? I've been played pretty well before
- I like the opera
- I'm slowly becoming a pretentious yuppie with designer jeans, drinking wine, watching the opera and driving a subaru
- I should sleep more
- I should work less
- I should stop telling myself what to do
- I should stop being so hard on myself for telling myself what to do
- ::Space for rent. Call 801.699.3212 for more info::
- How in the hell did Flavor Flav become so popular?
- The housing market sucks right now
- I want my promotion
- I'm waiting for my "dare to be great" situation
- It seems like life is paused but the calendar keeps shifting month to month
- Why does it seem to make sense to drink when you are a) extremely happy and b) extremely down?
- I need to finish my bathroom AND mow my lawn
- probably will play Madden instead
- Great line from a song: "It sounds so soothing to mix a drink and sink into oblivion"
- My fridge has nothing in it apparently (according to the opposite gender that is)
- How can you have a case of the Monday's on a Friday?
- I lack the proper motivation to clean my kitchen
- I am way too coherrent to be writing
- Why do I crave KFC all of a sudden?
- I'm so excited for football. GO UTES and GO PATS!!!
- I should probably get ready as I am leaving soon
- High school was fun, college was better and the real world blows
- Wal-Mart said I was over qualified to be a door greeter; FUCK YOU WALMART!!!
- Boston is the home of the greatest homeless people ever. They put some effort there
- note to Utah homeless; go to Boston and learn how to ask for money
- I realized I like acapella music
- Sorry Melissa, not everything from Indiana is bad
- I can't drink Scotch straight, mixed, injected...well, maybe injected
- Mexican Buffet establishments aren't bad, but they aren't so easy on the stomach
- Why aren't there more Mexican Buffet's? But tons of Chinese Buffet's?
- Yes, the University of Utah has sports teams. The only school with the 1 NFL and NBA draft pick in the same year
- Alex Smith is an ass; but by god, he's a hell of a QB
- Speaking of QB's; FUCK YOU MICHAEL VICK!!! I hope you get sentenced to years in a Federal Pound You in the Ass Prison
- OJ Simpson is a douchebag
- Douchebaggery: This word is not used enough; go forth and apply it to your daily vernacular

That is all. I will bring you Drunk Musings soon enough. So, don't get your panties up in a twist quite yet.

I Love Summer

2007-08-06T00:03:00.000-07:00

Well, where to begin. The last time I wrote on here I was posting live from Boston. It was definitely a great trip. Unfortunately when you leave for vacation your work doesn't magically disappear while you are gone.

Since I have been back, work has been busy as all hell. Hopefully the project from hell will be sent to print in two weeks (fingers crossed). Aside of work, things have been rather busy since Boston. Summer is in full swing which means everyone wants to get out and do something. From BBQ's to late nights at the bars, things have been good.

Speaking of, Brett and Ann Marie had their wedding this weekend. It is always good to have some of the old ATO's in one place at one time. There is something to be said for a group of guys with such diverse backgrounds to come together years after they have been removed from daily interaction and pick up like nothing left off. I have to say some of my closest friends are ATO's of which I am fortunate for.

I have to admit that I have been living somewhat of the high life the past few weeks or so. Hell, flying to BostonAlice), actually owing a pair of designer jeans (thanks Alice first class (thanks Lindz), starting to drink wine (thanks and Cat), and drank a bottle of Don Perignon (thanks Freddy).

Not going to lie, it's been one hell of a past month if you ask me. From Fenway to the Tavernacle; it has been a blast. I've been a tour guide, have plans to see the opera on Saturday and go to Bear Lake the following week.

But despite all of the fun and exciting things that have gone on; I am happy to report that there is really no drama to report of. Regardless of how you look at it; that is a positive thing. I'm fortunate that I don't have people around me who either A.) Attract drama or B.) create their own drama.

Now, in most situations, I find it hard to have someone who is an A and who isn't a B; just in my experience. But, that is immaterial cause, I am hoping that my relatively drama free streak keeps going. Maybe I shouldn't talk about it as that probably jinx's it.

Time for some sports talk…

Also, this one is just for Matt: The Sox are in first place and they just added another closer and former Cy Young winner Eric Gagne. You know what irritated the hell out of me about this trade? The fact that we gave up Gabbard for Gagne knowing full well that he wasn't going to a contender cause no team wanted to pay the Rangers the ransom for a hired gun for a few months.

To add insult to injury in my mind; John Kruk from ESPN pointed out that "now the Red Sox can rest easy knowing that Gagne is there to bridge the 8^th inning to Papelbon". Are you out of your fucking mind? What in the hell is Okajima doing? HE'S ONLY A F*(&@ ALL STAR!!! He has an ERA and number of base runners that is only comparable to Putz with Seattle (also an all star).

Not to mention, the Red Sox just got back another reliever from the DL in Mike Timlin. Oh, did I mention that Timlin was ALSO an All Star recently. Not to mention that Gagne isn't the Gagne of old. I would take Okajima over Gagne easily right now.

Not to mention you give you a future start in Gabbard for Gagne. Gabbard was 4-0 and pitched a complete game with 1 earned run. I know, the mentality is you have to win now. But the Yankees weren't going to move on Gagne cause the Rangers wanted Phil Hughes.

That's right, the Yankees wouldn't give up one of their top pitching talents for Gagne and they need a closer to get the ball to Rivera. But the Sox sure as hell did. Sorry, but I am not a fan of this trade. The Sox have three horses in their bullpen who currently are baseballs top reliever unit and one of the strengths of the Red Sox was their depth at STARTING pitching, not just relief pitching.

Either way, the Red Sox bats are waking up with Manny and Papi, which is good since the rest of the team can't hold their power numbers through the whole season like they have been.

On a side note; I can't get mad at Barry Bonds for steroids as he is only one of many who has taken them. He is the best hitter of our generation. He can hit for average and power seamlessly and is more patient on a pitch than I have ever seen before.

Summer Movies

I'm going to keep this one short as this blog has become quite lengthy with the addition of my rant on the Red Sox and their trade deadline deals.

I was really impressed with The Simpsons and the Bourne Ultimatum. If you have any inkling to go to these movies; do so. They were great shows. But, there are also a great number of movies coming out that are really good as well.

I can't wait to see American Gangster, Lions for Lambs, The Kingdom and Get Smart. All of these movies look great. But on that note…it is 2:30 in the morning and I have to get to work tomorrow.

In closing:

My nephew turns 1 years old on Tuesday and my dad 60 on Wednesday. A lot has happened in the past year and our family is blessed to have the Little Burrito or "The Boy" in our lives. I can't wait to post some pictures of his birthday party for all to enjoy cause they were good.

So, I am going to post this without even going back to read it. Which means a lot of pointless rambling and incoherent thoughts.

Cause Alice Tagged Me

2007-08-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

I usually don't give into being tagged on things. But what the hell. It's 2am here and I'm wide awake.

Attached or Single-- Single.
Best Friend-- Ryan, Mikey Mike, Justin and Melissa
Cake or Pie-- Pie (pumpkin that is).
Drink of choice-- Iced Tea or Sam Adams Boston Ale
Essential item-- iPod and laptop
Favorite color-- Blue
Gummi worms or bears-- Bears, worms...both are gummi and good
Hometown-- Salty Lake, Utah
Indulgences-- Watching NESN, my MP3 collection and my hats
January or July-- July; long days and warm weather
Kids-- Eventually
Life incomplete without-- family, friends, sports and sunshine
Marriage date-- Depends on who you ask. According to me; no rush. Ask my friends and they would say otherwise (they're wrong, but shhh, don't tell them)
Number of siblings-- Just my older/younger sister Raquel
Oranges or apples-- I used to love peeling oranges when I was a kid...so oranges
Phobias/fears-- chainsaws, failure and disappointing my parents/sister
Favorite Quote-- Sports quote: "They are down, 3-0, after last night's 19-8 rout, and, in this sport, that is an official death sentence. Soon it will be over, and we will spend another dreary winter lamenting this and lamenting that." Bob Ryan on the Red Sox being down 3-0 to the New York Yankees in '04.

My favorite quote on life: "Damnit Marcus!!! Everything happens for a reason" - my mom after one very rough summer
Reason to smile-- my little nephew turning 1, sports is about to kick into full gear, I have my house and I have a great family and set of friends
Season-- Summer; means golf, warm summer nights and no snow (sorry Alice, I hate snow)
Tag 3 people-- Rocky, Melissa, Lindsey
Unknown fact about you-- I didn't drink at all until after I graduated high school
Vegetarian or oppressor of animals-- I'm a carnitarian
Worst habit-- staying up until 2am every night and when I'm nervous, biting my finger nails
X Ray or ultrasound-- I don't get this question. So.....XRay.
Your favorite food-- tacos, spaghetti w/ meatballs and sushi
Zodiac sign-- Cancer

Seattle and the Scorching Desert known as Utah

2007-07-10T00:05:00.000-07:00

So, since I take forever and two days between blogs. I tend to built up a few things to write about. However, something seemed to jump to the forefront from which I cannot decide what to do. If someone you know is now in your past and you are happy with them being just that; in the past, wants to sit down and rehash the reasons of why things happened. Do you just walk away? Or do you let them explain their side of the story? Bonus...what if it doesn't matter what their reasoning was; it woulnd't change a thing in your eyes, the past still belongs as it is - in the past.

Now, I put this to some members of my executive cabinet and it is looking like a split decision. Two say to talk to this person and the other two say leave it be and move on. I didn't think a decision like this would come down to a magic 8-Ball, but it just so happens that I found mine in my basement and will probably use that to figure out what to do.

In additoin to the blog; I finally threw up some pictures from Seattle and Warped Tour. With that in mind…back to your regular scheduled blog posting:

Boston Red Sox:

Okay, for those who are not sports fans; you may want to scroll down until the next bold heading. The Sox have the best record in baseball, but it doesn't feel that way. Schilling is on the DL, Paps has given up two saves as of late and Manny and Ortiz slugging numbers are down this year. Not to mention Tavarez is struggling and Timlin is still shakey. I am nervous that they'll give up their patented 10 games in August and lose the AL East. I know, it's a long shot, but I'm a Sox fan and know that no lead is enough when up on the Yankees.

Sleeping in Seattle

I will have to say that sleep was not an issue up in Seattle. I crashed so easily; it was glorious. Ryan and Cat were ever so gracious to let me crash at their pad for a week over my birthday and it was fantastic. I mean, camping, golfing, drinking, your closest friends and catching two Red Sox games. I have to say it was one of the best trips ever (right up there with Boston).

Also, I had a lot of Tullys coffee and also found out that some Mariners fans don't like it when Red Sox fans cheer. At the first game, a guy got mad at the Red Sox fans for cheering and turned to Ryan and I who were leading the charge and flipped me off. Well, I simply replied with cheering louder in his general direction. His reaction was to throw popcorn at me. It wouldn't have been a big deal; but the popcorn got in my beer. Thus...I cheered louder.

Not to mention, that every time I go up there I find a new reason that I need to move for there. The financial reasons to stay in Utah are strong at the moment. But, it is only a matter of time (regardless of what Ryan and Cat say) before I may a stint up north. Plus, I can't wait to go up there for the Bears vs. Seahawks game in November.
Note: Check out pictures of Seattle by clicking here.

Bathroom Remodeling

So, I decided to remodel my bathroom. Now, I learned a few valuable lessons in this endeavor:

- Plumbing sucks. No matter how you cut it, it sucks. Also, don't trust the plumbing department at Lowe's

- Always take a digital camera with pictures of what you need fixed down to the store with you. It will cut down on a lot of explaining

- Changing electrical light switches isn't as easy as you think if the electrical boxes are old

- When wanting to change the shower head/handle out for a new one; remember that you have to change the valve system too which needs to be done BEFORE the slate goes in

My cousin Xavier started the slate the day I left to Seattle and when I got back it took about a week to get everything up and running. I figured I would just throw things together and walaaa; bathroom done. Didn't quite work that way and as I mentioned it took longer than expected.

Let me tell you, it became expensive to go to 7/11 to use the bathroom since you don't have one and you buy a Slurpee every time you go. Thank god I could take baths since my shower wasn't set up yet. None the less, here are some links to pictures of my bathroom:

- Bathroom Picture 1
- Bathroom Picture 2
- Bathroom Picture 3

It's getting hot in here

As many of you know, it is scorching hot in Salt Lake as of late. I have just a few pictures to illustrate this:

That is good to know that the moderate wind somehow makes it only feel like it is 104. The worst part is that I took this screen shot at 3pm. At the same time Seattle was at a scorching 70 degrees. Despite the heat, I still want to go golfing and still went to Warped Tour. Nothing like 100+ with 8% humidity. Dry heat rocks.

Summer Movies

I have noticed over the past decade that the number of original concepts for movies has drastically declined. Hollywood is in a rut where every summer we are fed a steady diet of sequels that are marginally close to the originial in terms of quality. Here is my list of this years sequels and where they stacked up:

- Spiderman 3:This movie sucked really really bad. I wanted to watch Gigli or Showgirls before watching this again. Okay, that is extreme; but it was bad. Topher Grace was a horrible Venom and Evil Spiderman with the '70s porn music was just a joke. How did Yahoo give this a "B-"?
- Pirates of the Caribbean 3: Better than the second of the series; but not better than the original. Some cool fight scenes and one liners; but again, the original was much better (but Kira Knightly was uber-hot)
- Oceans 13: Much like Pirates; the third was better than the second; but not better than the original. But this movie was still a great movie. Just what you expected; a ultra-cool movie where they pull off some ridiculous heist. Also, throw in Pacino and it only adds to the cool factor this movie has
- Live Free or Die Hard: Clearly the best sequel of the summer. This movie had a great plot and the usual aspects of the orignal Die Hard that made it a classic.

Now this movie wasn't an original concept, but I thought it was going to suck donkey balls when it came out; Transformers. All I can say is that this movie rocked. I have to say that my first car wasn't nearly as good at making a move on women as Bumblebee was (even though the Protégé was a chick magnet).

Also, it didn't hurt that when we went to see the movie, the ultimate nerd was behind us that was very vocal about how giddy he was to see Optimus Prime show up. If you haven't seen it yet, stop reading and go to your local theater and watch it; especially if you grew up watching Transformers.

Now, I didn't want to forget to mention Knocked Up, the best comedy of the year by far. Also a must see.

Rocking at Warped Tour

Now, I almost bailed on this year's Warped Tour since it was a few degrees cooler than the surface of the sun. But I had been talking aboyut this concert for far too long and between my sister, cousin and some friends; it turned out to be a great show.

The best way to beat the heat…go on a huge Slip n' Slide. Yep, they had one this year and it rocked. Plus, the bands I wanted to see kicked ass (Yellowcard, New Found Glory and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus) as well as a the bands I haven't seen before (Pepper, Bless the Fall and Bad Religion). Plus, they had really bad Mexican wrestling there as well. It was so bad, that it was like watching a skit on Saturday Night Live.
Note: Check out the pictures of Warped Tour; click here

Well, that about catches everyone up to date for now. I am glad I sacked up and finally bought my mountain bike. Even though, I probably should get a rack so I can take it on some trails rather than just riding around town.

Oh, I almost forgot; 11 days until I go to Boston again and see the Red Sox play the White Sox in Fenway. I have a feeling that Matt and I are going to make Lindsey catch up quite a bit by the time she's done with her work stuff. Sam Adams brewery...here I come.

For those of you who have stuck through to the end of this blog. I have some presents for you. With that, I leave you with these nuggets of gold:

- Kill Bill Dramatic Chipmunk: By far the best of the dramatic chipmunks
- Return of the Hoff: Ladies...just take a ride in his car. Watch out for the ejector seat though. I believe this is what the Hoff was doing before he got drunk and tried to eat a hamburger off of the floor. As a side note; the Hoff's kid is an asshole for leaking this video to the web. The drunk one, not the music video.
- Super Frustrating Mario: I didn't know Borat had a Nintendo? This is hilarious; especially if you watch it all the way through. Any gamer will relate to this guy
- Spiderpig...spiderpig: Man, I cannot wait to go see this movie. Giddy with anticipation.

Seattle bound?

2007-06-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

As I sit in my friend's condo comfortably drinking a Tully's, I began to provide some serious thought as to the possibility of moving up to Seattle. As I have mentioned earlier, it is currently #1 in the Power Rankings for me to move to.

There are always the reasons that you don't move and I began to think to type them out (as my handwriting is similar to a child's handwriting), maybe it would make things more clear. Aside of having some of my closest friends to live by up here in Seattle, the job market is great, weather is amazing in the summer and if you like the outdoors it is one of the few places that rivals Salt Lake. Add in the Red Sox play 6 games a year here, they have Tully's and it's more of a sports town.

But there is always the downside; I have a great job in Utah (of which I am underpaid but am getting amazing experience at), Seattle is more expensive, I just bought my house and avoiding capital gains is 1 1/2 years away, I would have to move away from the family from which I am now close to, lose season tickets to my favorite sports team - the Utah Jazz and the most obvious; move away from everything I've known.

I think the key thing is timing. I am a strong believer that I need to leave Utah at some point regardless of the where. Does that mean I won't come back; not by any means. But I need to experience something other than the same Utah that I have grown accustomed to.

Like Ryan and Cat (friends in Seattle) pointed out to me, "Marcus, you just need a change". There is some truth to that. The culture up here is so much different. In Utah you feel like an black sheep if you're not married with kids by 27.

Now, there are places that aren't that way; but yes, where I work I am the only one who is either never married, no kids and not Mormon. Oh, and a few people constantly ask if I get trashed every night cause I drink.

It is this very culture that has led me to believe that maybe a change isn't so bad. Maybe saying "screw the time line" is in order. I may just be punch-drunk on visiting Seattle at the moment, but it seems like a very plausible scenario to move up here.

Yes, there is the cost of living increase and trying to find a job that is as conducive to developing my professional skills as the one I have currently. But isn't there inherently risks in everything we do, regardless of how large or small the ramifications are?

This is my second trip to Seattle in as many years and each time I am up here it does seem quite possible to jump ship to be up here. Houses are more expensive, but the culture is more diverse and laid back. I can't go to Jazz playoff games up here, but I can watch the Red Sox 6 games each year.

So many decisions. Hell, I'm just going to drink my Tully's and take Bailey for a walk.

Quick Musings from Boston

2007-06-24T00:04:00.000-07:00

This isn't going to be long and done entirely in bullet form:

- Homeless people here have much better stories as to why they need money
- Trying to stumble into a hotel room only makes it worse for the person who you are trying not to wake up
- There is a point where you have had to much Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee
- The original Cheers restraunt was on Beacon Street next to Boston Common
- You can crash and burn on with the same girl two nights in a row
- Boston women don't fall for jokes about "scurvey" like Salt Lake one's do
- There is a reason the buddy system is in place
- Stay away from any guy that looks like a Siberian Bear and named Ivar
- Drunken phone calls to everyone on your phone is the only way to document where you've been. But you have to string the calls together as to where you were when you called

That is all for now. I need some breakfast pronto. More to come later

SMILE for Google

2007-06-01T00:07:00.000-07:00

The internet is amazing. As I type on my computer at work, I have a window behind this one that has the latest and greatest addition to the web; Google Maps - Street View. Granted Microsoft has been developing a similar tool which is essentially Google Earth on steroids.

The new Street Map view is like Google Earth on steroids. The ability to map out a location has changed drastically in the last few years. I remember using MapQuest for the first time and thinking how amazing it was. With satellite technology becoming more prevalent, we now have Google Earth which offers satellite imagery of nearly any place on Earth.

Now, the next step in the technological revolution is here; Google Street Maps. Granted, this is only in a handful of cities; but it is ultra cool. You can travel the streets of New York City or San Francisco virtually before you even set foot on the ground. But with all new technologies; there is setbacks. Below are a few interesting views from Google Street:

This guy picked the wrong time to be coming out of the strip club
Apparently Google is above the law with this shot. The reason this is an interesting shot is because photographs in the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel since 9/11.
Hey...isn't that the black cloud thingy from "Lost"?
Look how close you can get on the license plates
Here's a guy peeping into a strip club
What are these two guys starring at?

Regardless, this is something that is really cool. Granted it raises some issues with privacy; but it is a van that is driving down the street at 30 miles an hour. I can't wait to see what we're able to find in Utah when it comes to Salt Lake.

Smile for Google

2007-05-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

This guy picked the wrong time to be coming out of the strip club
Apparently Google is above the law with this shot. The reason this is an interesting shot is because photographs in the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel since 9/11.
Hey...isn't that the black cloud thingy from "Lost"?
Look how close you can get on the license plates
What are these two guys starring at?

LET'S GO JAZZ!!!

2007-05-28T00:08:00.000-07:00

So, I have started and deleted about five blogs that I had intended at one point to finish and post. However, I am compelled and obligated to share the events of this past weekend. As many of you may know, I am a die hard Utah Jazz fan. Have been since I was 7 years old and watched Stockton and Malone force the Los Angeles Lakers to 7 games on their way to the NBA Championship.

Up until this year, I had only gone to one Jazz Playoff game and in this post season I will have gone to at least 6. For those who have gone to games this year; you know what I mean. It is a borderline religious experience. I would rank Game 2 of the Jazz/Warriors series as one of, if not the, greatest sporting events I have ever watched. It is right up there with the Ute's Fiesta Bowl and watching the Red Sox beat the Yankees in Fenway.

On that note, the Jazz are playing the San Antonio Spurs. There is a very interesting personal dynamic to this series. My best friend is a Spurs fan and yes, he is from San Antonio. When I met him; the Jazz big rival was the Spurs. Justin and I didn't exactly start as "friends". Rather, hated each other and the Spurs/Jazz was the fuel underneath that got everything started.

As you can see, we have put this difference aside. But when it comes to sports; you can't find two people that find themselves on the opposite side of the fence of sports teams. He's a North Carolina fan, I'm a Duke Blue Devil fan; he's a Yankee's fan, I'm a Red Sox fan; he's a Spurs fan and I'm a Jazz fan.

So, given that Justin's birthday is coming up on June 1^st; I found it fitting that there is only one thing I could get him for his birthday; tickets to Game 3 of the Jazz vs. Spurs in the Conference Finals. Granted, this is a slightly selfish present; the Spurs are now 1-6 when he watches them play the Jazz. Either way, here are a few pictures below.

No Justin; you can't hide it. You WE'RE at the Game

Yes, the streamers stand for Victory

Yep, you're still at the game Justin

Now, for the best part of the weekend; after the game we all went to Lumpy's to party with Brett and Ann Marie while they are in town. We're hanging out and lining up the drinks when one of my favorite players from Duke walks in; Carlos Boozer. This is the part where I revert into that 7 year old kid when he met Karl Malone.

Well, thinking that there is no way in hell I will get to meet him, we go about drinking. Which is where Brett yet again tried to pull one over on me. We did our patented drinking contest with a stein rather than a pint of beer. Ann Marie and Brett had olive juice added to my beer. I found out before the contest, got a good beer and kicked their asses in the contest. There was no debate as Brett didn't even finish his beer.

Well, Mandy decided to give it a run to try to meet Boozer and we headed upstairs where he was hanging out by the dance floor. They had blocked off the area and a few bouncers come and shove us to move. Long story short; they spilled Mandy's drink, Carter told the bouncers to stop shoving him, Mandy pulled Carter back and I got in the bouncers face for trying to kick Carter out.

The bouncer drags me out to the fire escape to talk and as we're talking; out come Carter flying through the door with another bouncer. I try to stop that bouncer and he turns and starts yelling at me. Okay, that wasn't so short. But they let us back in the club and I handled the situation like a diplomat. That's right, Drunk Marcus the diplomat.

So, we go back downstairs and drink some more. I talk to the bouncer as I'm coming back from the bathroom. I apologized for how things played out and told him he has to understand; my friend Carter is the guy that won't bail you out of jail; but will get thrown in jail to join you. Well, Boozer was walking towards the kitchen and Mandy and I decided to give it another run at meeting Boozer.

We get up to him and he won't take a picture with us. But I did get a chance to tell him that I was a Dukie and "to pretend they're Carolina and go Tobacco Road on their asses". He grinned and obliged. As I was going outside to call everyone I knew I ran into Gordon Giracek and told him good game. As I was coming back in from outside I met Andre Kirilenko and told him to shut down the Spurs and keep up the good work.

Now, that I am completely beside myself; we went back upstairs where the players were and tried to get some autographs where Mandy and I met Jared Collins, Paul "Paperboy" Millsap, CJ Miles and Dee Brown. Thanks to Mandy and getting their attention; we got Paul Millsap and Jared Collins's autograph.

So, in one night; the Red Sox extended their lead to 12.5 games in front of the Yankees, the Jazz beat the Spurs and I met 5 Jazz players. It was definitely a night to remember to say the least. You could say that the "Victory Cigar" was definitely in order. But, I really hope to have one after next Friday night for the Jazz to force a Game 7.

The sweet sweet Victory Cigar