the heat is on again
The Cardinals are riding a 7-game winning streak, the longest of the season, after sweeping the Dodgers today. Prior to this streak, they had lost 13 of 16 and dropped 5 straight series. It’s certainly good to see them start the second half of the season on a surge like this.
Speaking of hot – highs in St Louis for this week will near 100, with heat indices between 105 and 115. The metro area is under an excessive heat warning through Friday. It is currently “cooler” in Fort Walton Beach, Florida (our destination next week) with temps near 90.
audio blog 070106
a walk in the park …
- killer chihuahua
- K2 and site design
- mexican train
- FL trip
- helpdesk – new duties
- countdown
- Busch Stadium in August
- Cardinals stink
- original Star Wars on DVD will be lame
- Superman Returns
(sorry for the thumping, jingling, and other ambient sounds)
<br /> <a rel=”enclosure” xhref=”http://www.hipcast.com/export/P873bbb31381c5dd430f2a078b35870eaZlt6QVREYmF8.mp3″ mce_href=”http://www.hipcast.com/export/P873bbb31381c5dd430f2a078b35870eaZlt6QVREYmF8.mp3″ >MP3 File</a></p>
Pujols delivers another win
Just as the sun poked through the clouds in the 8th inning, Albert Pujols hit his 14th home run (a Major League record for April) to put the Cards on top for good.
fast weekend
Time flies.
- Cut the grass for the first time this year. I’ll need to treat the yard for weeds and prune some tree branches.
- Washed CL’s car; after last week’s trip, dead bugs everywhere. Looks good now.
- Being outside this weekend is beating me up. My allergies are getting the best of me. Need to stock up on drugs.
- cooling pad before
and after 
- Jarhead – *** – great performance by Jake Gyllenhaal.
- Mission: Impossible – **** – a birthday gift from the kids. It’s amazing how much more you enjoy a movie when you actually “get it”. Looking forward to M:I-III.
- Chicago Cubs 7, St Louis 3 – Greg Maddux still got it. What else is there to say?
Final week of April; one-third of the year is about done. Time flies.
good baseball
The Cardinals are playing well lately. Today’s game was the first I’d seen since the home opener. I’ve been missing all of Pujols’s homers (11 to date), but today he contributed with a two-run single to put the Cards up for good. The bullpen was impressive as St Louis looks to sweep the Cubs at Busch.
Cards open new Busch with win
Mark Mulder stole the show in 8 innings, allowing only 2 runs on 7 hits. He also managed some offense with a walk, a double, and a 2-run homer (a career first). The bullpen almost blew it again; with 1 out left in the 9th, they allowed a double, 2 RBI singles, and a walk before Pujols tagged the last man up.
Probably the most touching moment for me was while I listened to it on the radio in my car. I had to make a trip to the store, and I heard the fans sing the National Anthem before the game. I took my hat off and sang along. It’s one of those moments that makes me proud to be an American and proud to be a Cardinals fan.
click on the image for ESPN.com’s Zoom Gallery of Busch Stadium
home opener
Monday is Opening Day for the Cardinals in their new home. One of my friends got to tour the place at the Open House held today. He was very impressed with it. A few minor gripes: stairways are narrower, and restrooms are smaller (although there are more of them).
cinderella dances on
George Mason 86, UConn 84 (OT)
For the Patriots, the dream continues. For Husky fans, a fantastic season comes to an end. I’m happy I got to see UConn play a more balanced basketball game this time, even though they came up 3 points shy of another trip to the Final Four. George Mason certainly showed they can play with the big boys, and I hope to see them go all the way. And if they do, the Huskies can say they lost to the best team in the tournament.
huskies battle
UConn 98, Washington 92 (OT)
UConn in survival mode (ESPN.com)
Connecticut continues to win ugly. They were able to overcome a season-high 26 turnovers and an 11 point deficit. Jim Calhoun called his group “a team of lapses”, and they continued to show it. I guess what matters is this: they’ve won 30 games this season, and they’re in the Elite Eight. I just hope they’d stop playing like the St Louis Rams and wait until the final minutes to actually start playing to win.
sweet 16
All 4 No. 1 seeds are still in it. So are Bradley, George Mason, and Wichita St (who I picked to lose to UConn in the DC Regional Final). Teams that aren’t:
- No. 2 seeds Tennessee and Ohio St
- No. 3 seeds Iowa and UNC
- No. 4 seeds Kansas and Illinois
In my bracket, I have 11 of the 16 teams. Not bad.
“on demand”, my ass
Being in the midwest, I normally don’t get to see UConn play on TV. With the Huskies playing Kentucky, the local affiliates were going to show the game. But George Mason was putting on a great show, and CBS switched over to their game against North Carolina. They decided to show that game instead, so I went online to watch the UConn-Kentucky game via “March Madness On Demand“, only to be denied due to local blackout rules. What a crock! I already knew I couldn’t watch games televised locally because of the blackout rules. But CBS decided to air a game I could’ve watched “on demand” if I wanted to. The one game I wanted to see out of the four being played was nowhere to be found (at least until GMU defeated UNC).
"on demand", my ass
Being in the midwest, I normally don’t get to see UConn play on TV. With the Huskies playing Kentucky, the local affiliates were going to show the game. But George Mason was putting on a great show, and CBS switched over to their game against North Carolina. They decided to show that game instead, so I went online to watch the UConn-Kentucky game via “March Madness On Demand“, only to be denied due to local blackout rules. What a crock! I already knew I couldn’t watch games televised locally because of the blackout rules. But CBS decided to air a game I could’ve watched “on demand” if I wanted to. The one game I wanted to see out of the four being played was nowhere to be found (at least until GMU defeated UNC).
close call
What a scare.
I’m thankful that I could watch the game of my choice on the Internet (for free, even). But once again, the Huskies played 30 minutes of sloppy and careless basketball (this always seems to happen when I watch). Albany took it to them and played outstanding basketball. UConn turned the ball over too many times, and surprisingly led by 1 at the half. Then Albany turned it on. With 11:33 left in the game, the Great Danes led the Huskies 50-38. Damn – I think that’s my bracket going out the window.
But thanks to Marcus Williams, the Huskies went on a tear. In the final 10 minutes, they scored 34 points and held Albany to 9 points. In that stretch, they didn’t turn the ball over once. Now that’s Husky basketball!
the big dance
Let the madness begin. I made my picks last night; I basically winged it. At this point, I have 5 of 7 correct. So far so good. Of course, I picked UConn to go all the way. They have a very tough bracket; they could meet Kentucky in the 2nd round, Illinois in the Sweet 16, North Carolina in the Elite 8, and Big East rival Villanova in the Final Four.
update 031506
just trying to keep it simple:
- IT had a chili cook-off today. CL’s chili won 3rd place, out of 6. God’s chili won 1st, as predicted, of course.
- 24 lost a great character in Tony Almeida on Monday. Jack has lost 3 people close to him in the last 13 hours, and his own daughter won’t talk to him. He may have broken down crying at the end of the episode, but we know how Jack will bounce back, pissed off and seeking vengeance. The show is going to heat up now.
- March Madness begins tomorrow, and I still haven’t made my picks!!
Gotta go make my picks …
Orangemen stop the Huskies
Syracuse 86, UConn 84 – OT (ESPN.com)
Huskies lose a heartbreaker; I’m thankful I didn’t see the game. UConn apparently had no drive or hunger from the get-go. When they did have the chance to close out the game with a 3-point lead and 11 seconds left, they could not do one thing – keep G-Mac from getting the ball. I guess I was wrong about them closing out the big ones. If they’re gonna lose, better sooner than later. They’ll lose the #1 ranking, and probably the overall #1 seed in the NCAA tourney. But it looks like Coach Calhoun prefers it that way.
fall breaks cheerleader’s neck, not her school spirit
I was watching the Missouri Valley Conference tournament final between Bradley and Southern Illinois University, and they had returned from a commercial break. I saw the medical crews surrounding the fallen SIU cheerleader and listened to the commentators explain what had happened. They replayed her fall, and everyone watching at Savvis Center and on tv feared the worst. But when the SIU fight song began playing as they took her away, she waved to the crowd and led the cheer while strapped to the gurney. It was an emotional scene.
fall breaks cheerleader's neck, not her school spirit
I was watching the Missouri Valley Conference tournament final between Bradley and Southern Illinois University, and they had returned from a commercial break. I saw the medical crews surrounding the fallen SIU cheerleader and listened to the commentators explain what had happened. They replayed her fall, and everyone watching at Savvis Center and on tv feared the worst. But when the SIU fight song began playing as they took her away, she waved to the crowd and led the cheer while strapped to the gurney. It was an emotional scene.
madness ensues
UConn 84, Louisville 80 (ESPN.com) – The Huskies claimed a share of the Big East Conference title, a No. 1 seed in the Big East tourney, and (with Duke losing twice this week) the No. 1 ranking in the nation. They will most likely get the overall No. 1 seed for the big dance. It was my first time watching them play this season, and it was crazy. The Huskies were sloppy at times – 17 turnovers?!?! But they showed they can close out the big ones, and that’s key going into postseason play.
UNC 83, Duke 76 (ESPN.com) – The Blue Devils, looking tired and lost, were blasted at home by the Tar Heels. JJ Redick started the night on fire, but fizzled in the end. Sheldon Williams was in foul trouble, and the rest of the Dukies could not step up. A late rally whipped the Cameron Crazies up into a frenzy, but NC, led by Tyler Hansbrough, held them off. Duke, having lost earlier in the week to Florida St., are not unbeatable, while the defending champs are riding into the postseason on a 7-game winning streak.
in like a lion
Spring doesn’t start for another 19 days, and it’s frickin’ warm here – a high of 75 today.
The madness is approaching – and UConn is ranked 2nd in the nation behind (who else) Duke. Hopefully I’ll get to see the Huskies take on Louisville this weekend on tv. A coworker of mine took the rest of the week to attend the MVC tourney and watch his team play.
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I’m sacrificing the iPod until Easter. It’s sucks, but it’s not like I gave up music altogether, so I shouldn’t complain.
update 022106
Weird day at the helpdesk. Got all kinds of weird calls, and I felt befuddled. I’m glad it calmed down as the work day came to a close.
I’m enjoying the new laptop. I’m still trying to get used to it, as opposed to the main family PC. I like the keyboard very much, but the touchpad is not as easy as I thought it would be; a wireless mouse for my birthday might be good.
I’ve finished transferring the majority of my files to the laptop. The next big project I’ve got is upgrading to WordPress 2.0.1. After the upgrade, I’ll revise the blog’s theme.
I’m giving up the iPod for Lent. I’m in the process of converting certain AAC files to MP3′s. This way, I can still use my smaller MP3 player. Now some may think this is cheating. I didn’t say I was giving up music; just the pod itself. I take it everywhere I go, and it has well over 10 gigs of music. And I’m also losing the best feature – the smart playlist. My other MP3 player doesn’t even support playlists. That’s gonna suck. I’m gonna have to start listening to “albums” again.
Monday’s “hour” of 24 was another dull one for me. Too much indecision from the President, a lot of sneaking around behind the boss’s back at CTU (that happens a lot), and not enough Jack. When Jack did show up, he knocked out his fellow CTU agent Curtis and took out 2 bad guys and a helicopter with no more than his pistol.
Just finished watching the ladies on American Idol. A few good performances, but I couldn’t tell you who. Also saw Italy’s Enrico Fabris take the gold from Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick in 1500m speed skating. That might teach someone to keep their mouth shut.
update 021906
The M140 features:
Intel Pentium M 740
Windows XP Media Center
1 GB RAM
80 GB HDD
DVD burner
I’m currently trying to remove all the “crap” Dell preloaded it with, then add the apps I want to have on it.
Been enjoying the Olympics, but does it all have to be on at primetime? They stretch it so late that I’m so tired the next day. And in the age of the internet, it’s very easy to get realtime results of big events taped to be shown later that night. On several occasions I’ve already known the outcome, and the anticipation is gone.
4 degrees. 10 below wind chill. Yeah, it’s cold here.
