piano prodigy
Check out Ethan Bortnick, a 6 year old who can play 200 melodies from memory and has composed over 20 pieces.
Thanks to Dad for sharing!
and here he is playing a duet with his piano teacher …
garbage truck
Here’s a little anecdote sent to me by a dear friend of mine. Thanks Marilyn, aka “Mom”! (I have many “mothers” at work)
How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you’re the Terminator, for an instant you’re probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly she can get back her focus on what’s important.
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here’s what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches! (more…)
Colorado "a little rusty"
World Series – Game 1 – Boston 13, Colorado 1
Counting their comeback from a 3-1 deficit against Cleveland in the AL Championship Series, the Red Sox have outscored opponents 43-6 in their last four games. In the first five innings against Colorado, the Red Sox were 11-for-15 (.733) when batting with two outs.
The last time Boston was in a situation like this, it was against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series. They hadn’t been to the championship in 86 years and had just come back from an 0-3 deficit against the New York Yankees. I don’t expect the Red Sox to sweep the Rockies like they did the Cards. But there’s no curse haunting them anymore, and this powerhouse made a statement last night.
update 102307
Sorry for the lack of updates. A lot has been going on, but there’s not much to talk about. Lately, time on the computer has been for maintenance, new tools, and multimedia; I learned a few new things this past weekend. Work is steady; I’m trying to enjoy the lapse before the major system implementation kicks off in Dec/Jan. A lot to do around the house. New furnace being put in this week. Fall is upon us, which means cooler weather and leaves. Lots and lots of leaves. I’ll probably update on a weekly basis until the motivation returns.
Oh, and a Happy Belated Birthday to my cousin Ren 
free month of Netflix
Want a month of free movies from Netflix? Click the link below before October 31 (quantities are limited).
little voice
I discovered Sara Bareilles thanks to a free download on iTunes. This girl is talented, and her album Little Voice is excellent. In fact, with the exception of the Foo Fighters’ latest, it’s the only album I’ve listened to on a regular basis all year. If you haven’t heard her yet, give her single “Love Song” a listen:
Disturbia
Disturbia – 3 out of 5 – I haven’t seen Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, where this thriller gets its inspiration. This movie has terror and violence – two things I normally don’t have any interest in. The opening sequence with the main character and his dad was enough to make me look away. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this movie; Shia LaBeouf is great as Kale, the teen under house arrest who occupies his time by spying on his neighbors. This brings him to suspect one of them of being a murderer. That’s where the “fun” begins.
random 10 #126
10 songs that sum up your weekend… or were on your weekend playlist…
- “Stranger Things Have Happened” – Foo Fighters
- “Not Falling Apart” – Maroon 5
- “Don’t Worry Baby” – The Beach Boys
- “Bubbly” – Colbie Caillat
- “How Far We’ve Come” – Matchbox Twenty
- “What Goes Around…/…Comes Around” – Justin Timberlake
- “Romeo Delight” – Van Halen
- “Bold As Love” – John Mayer
- “Back in the U.S.S.R” – The Beatles
- “Love Song” – Sara Bareilles
…and one picture that relates back
fake grapefruit
why he's still single
My friend claims this is the scientific proof he’s been looking for:
NFL – week 5
My picks (updated as final scores come in):
Arizona @ St. Louis – Cardinals √
Cleveland @ New England – Patriots √
Carolina @ New Orleans – Panthers √
N.Y. Jets @ N.Y. Giants – Giants √
Seattle @ Pittsburgh – Steelers √
Detroit @ Washington – Lions X
Miami @ Houston – Texans √
Atlanta @ Tennessee – Titans √
Jacksonville @ Kansas City – Jaguars √
Tampa Bay @ Indianapolis – Colts √
San Diego @ Denver – Broncos X
Baltimore @ San Francisco – Ravens √
Chicago @ Green Bay – Packers X
Dallas @ Buffalo – Cowboys √
Music and Lyrics
Music and Lyrics – 3 out of 5 – a charming “chick flick”. Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore have good chemistry, and the musical performances are actually pretty good, although I could do without Grant’s dancing.
Breach
Breach – 4 out of 5 – based on the story of Robert Hanssen, the FBI agent convicted of spying for the Soviet Union, and Eric O’Neill, the operative who helped catch him. This thriller is a fantastic character study with fine performances from Ryan Phillippe as O’Neill, Laura Linney as Agent Burroughs, and Chris Cooper, who is excellent as Hanssen. Highly recommended.
Indian summer
Yesterday the temp reached a record high of 91. That’s really hot for October. We usually average in the 70′s as fall begins to settle in. This week however has been unseasonably warm with Friday being the hottest. We went to the annual chili cook-off last night, and it cooled off a little as the sun went down. But as the night grew, so did the crowd. Eating spicy food, lots of warm bodies in a tight space, and no air flow made for a pretty uncomfortable evening. Christine and I normally hit each booth and sample every chili; we’ll skip one if we already know we don’t like it. However we couldn’t finish the final stretch after filling up very quickly on chili and soda.
Bulger benched
Rams name Frerotte starter for injured Bulger against Arizona
All season, Bulger has insisted he was healthy enough to play. It’s unclear how much time Bulger will need to heal. He originally suffered the injury in Week 1 against Carolina, and was sacked six times in the second week of the season against the 49ers. “I was never going to pull myself out, I know that much,” Bulger said. “It’s real easy to play hurt when you’re winning, but it’s just not in me to pull myself out when we’re 0-4.”
NFL coaches need to start thinking like MLB managers. If your quarterback is struggling, and your team is not scoring points, you go to your “bullpen”. You’re not permanently replacing your starter; it’s a move to get the offense going again.
Jocketty out; LaRussa next?
Jocketty out after 13 years as Cards’ GM (ESPN.com)
St. Louis won six NL Central titles, one wild card and two NL pennants under Jocketty. After failing to spend much on free agents last winter, the Cardinals faded to a 78-84 record this year and a third-place finish behind Chicago and Milwaukee.
Injuries to key players didn’t help either.
