Monday thoughts

By Lou | March 9, 2009

- I’ve been away from the blog for a while, because my stream-of-consciousness thoughts are better suited for Twitter and Facebook status updates.  Find me on those service to keep tabs on me and my inane rambling.

- Speaking of keeping tabs, I found out that my mom has a Facebook page, has viewed my Facebook page, but did not request to be my friend.  She’s a cyber-stalker!

- Star Wars: the Force Unleashed has turned out to be $17 well spent.  I’m playing it through a second time, and still enjoying it.  It’s challenging (to me), but not impossible, and I always enjoy Star Wars universe storylines.

- Four weeks until baseball’s opening day.  One of my favorite days of the year.

- I’ve been heavily into politics over the last several months, adding many politics blogs to my regular reading. All of them are left-leaning blogs, where I find nuggets like this: The GOP Plan for the Economy GOP

- Ugh, I drank too much coffee today, and my stomach hurts.

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Friday thoughts

By Lou | February 6, 2009

- Playing in a big poker tourney tonight.  I’m the defending champ, so I know there will be a bullseye on my back, so I’ll be playing the tightest, most conservative poker I can in the early rounds, and opening up later.  Position is everything.

- I love playing C-Lo.  Even my mom is hooked.

- Glenn Beck warns that Al Gore is creating a “Hitler Youth” (via Crooks and Liars)

- Is there a better rap album than Black Star?  I don’t think so.  There may be albums that are as good, but I doubt better.  Black Star definitely holds up well over time.

- I can’t decide what to hve for lunch.

- I get to see my two godchildren this weekend.  I could not be more excited about this.

- Most of time lately has been spent on http://ww.local2881.org.  I’m the defacto webmaster for my union now.  I’ve had fun and been tinkering around.  I just can’t figure out how to make the “Recent Posts” in the sidebar clickable links.  Because I’m using a Wordpress template, it isn’t as easy as adding the appropriate HTML tag.

- I have a friend working on marketing the new Hitchhiker’s Guide book to be written by Eoin Colfer.  Today, he’ll be passing out towels at Comic-Con to promote their new forum: http://dontpanicforum.com/

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Super Bowl thoughts

By Lou | February 2, 2009

As you probably know, I’m a huge Steelers fan.  Yesterday was one the greatest days of my life.  I got to watch the Steelers win with my new (one week old) nephew.  Also:

- My brother is going soft in his old age.  He cried no less than 3 times yesterday.

- I really should create a flickr set for photos of my nephew.  But most of them are from cameraphones.  I’ll put it on the todo list, along with updating to Wordpress 2.7

- I’m very thankful I wasn’t wearing 3D glasses when Bruce Springsteen slid, crotch-first, into America’s living room.

- I also drank several Iron City beers yesterday, courtesy of my man Mike.  Thanks for the brewskies.

- I really thought Pittsburgh was going to lose after the Fitzgerald touchdown.  My faith wavered.

- Two years in a row, the Super Bowl was a great game, with the winning touchdown being scored with 35 seconds left.  I’m glad Super Bowls have gotten better since the multiple blowouts of the 1990s.

- I got to work early today to put Steelers logos on my boss’ and his boss’ computers.  It was excellent.

- I’m still a little in shock, but the best part of yesterday wasn’t the Super Bowl.  It was holding my nephew for several hours.  Seriously, I was handing out stiff arms to anyone who tried to take him away from me.

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Long time

By Lou | January 9, 2009

Whoa.  It’s been a while.  Holidays and stuff.  I’ve still been Twittering my brief thoughts, but haven’t put a bunch of those thoughts together in a post for too long.  Here are some new(ish) thoughts.

- Count me among the people who anxiously await the day when there is a college football playoff.  There needs to be a definitive champion.  Is USC better than Florida better than Utah better than USC?

- I’m addicted to Facebook.  I’m 29.  I know it’s sad.

- I was going to attempt to plan a URI SAA reunion, but I think the current SAA is thinking about doing just that.  Maybe I’ll be their alumni liaison.  I miss my SAA buddies.  Good thing I have friended all those who are on Facebook.

- I hope Puleo doesn’t try to kill me when I start the Dan Puleo Fan Club Group on Facebook.

- I’m in another wedding party this weekend.  I’ve been in, like, a dozen wedding parties in my life.  That’s a lot of tuxedos.

- Is it spelled “tuxedoes” or “tuxedos”?

- I think I’m making inroads on getting my girlfriend to expand her musical tastes.  I’ve already hooked her into Paramore and The Ting Tings a while back, and Muse recently.  Now I think I’ve got her into Jamie Lidell and the Strokes.  What else should I make her listen to?  Hell, what else should I be listening to?

- Here are quick thoughts on what I’ve been listening to lately.

  • Rise Against - Appeal to Reason: Nice, hard-driving political rock.  I like it, but it sounds a lot like The Sufferer and the Witness.  Basically that’s the reason I don’t listen to a lot of hard rock or metal.  It all sounds the same after a while.
  • Jamie Lidell - Jim: An exceptional sophomore release.  I just want to get up, dance and sing along to this album.  Please buy yourself a Jamie Lidell album.  It is neo-funky pop dance music that is very very good.
  • Radiohead - In Rainbows: Radiohead is one of the few bands that actually make albums, not just a collection of singles.  The only downside is that after three consecutive listens, it feels like hipster elevator music.
  • Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line: Wow.  This one knocked my socks off.  I feel like a cross between Vampire Weekend (without the African influence) and Spoon (without horns and a better singer) and throw in a violin and cello.  I hope they come to Providence, because I need to seem them live.
  • MGMT - Oracular Spectacular: Very enjoyable electronic pop.  The frivolous feel of the music belies the serious nature of most of the lyrics.  It took me three or four listens to catch that.

- I tweaked my lower back yesterday.  This sucks.

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Webmaster? Me?

By Lou | December 17, 2008

The president of my union local wants me to set up a website for our union members.  The main point is to provide contact information (e-mails, maybe phone numbers) and to update them regarding union news.  I’m guessing WordPress would be an clean, simple way to do this instead of trying to create one by hand, or worse, hiring someone to do it.  I mean, just because I’m the youngest, most technologically savvy of the executive board doesn’t mean that I’m smart enough to manage a website for an organization.  Sheesh.

Do you have any tips for me?  Is a WordPress blog a good way to communicate with members of an organization?  What your favorite WordPress theme that incorporates the color green?

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Feline thoughts

By Lou | December 11, 2008

- I am not a cat person, I’m a dog person.

- However, I LOVE Cuttino “Cat” Mobley.  He was the best player on the 1997-1998 Rhode Island Rams men’s basketball team, winning Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year.  That team finished #11 in the country, after making the Elite Eight, and being seconds away from the Final Four.  He was a good NBA player over the last 11 years, playing for four different teams and averaging 16 points.  My favorite thing about Mobley was that he was a classy, approachable guy.  He never disrespected our University, or the game of basketball.  Unfortunately, he is retiring today.  There was no better time during my college career than that March in 1998 when all of my SAA friends and I hung on every second of the NCAA basketball tournament.

God speed, Cat.  Enjoy your life after basketball!

- I’ve been listening to some new music lately here are the quick reviews.

- Coldplay Viva La Vida: After 4 or 5 listens, I’m still not sure how to feel about this album.  I feel like there is a lot more production into this album than their previous ones.  I love the singles, but I’m almost ambivalent about the rest. I like it as a whole, but…I can’t place something about it which I don’t.

- The Killers’ Day and Age: Way better than Sam’s Town.  It’s like they took the songwriting of Sam’s Town and combined it with the catchy synth sound (albeit toned down a bit) of Hot Fuss.

- One of my girlfriend’s friends gave me two Kaiser Chiefs albums and I’m very excited about listening to them a bit, but they haven’t made it into the queue yet. I’ve been busy building a holiday music playlist for my office holiday party.

- This is the first year since 2003 that I’ve lost more playing poker than I’ve won. I’m terribly upset about this.

- I still hate Fantasy Football. It’s like I drug. It’s bad for me, costs me money, I feel worse after experiencing it, but still, I can’t quit it. Ugh.

- Vin and I can’t think of a song. We think it was in a commercial, but can’t find it. I even asked Metafilter, but nobody has provided an answer. Please help us, internets, you’re our only hope.

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Meeting thoughts

By Lou | November 12, 2008

Being in long, large meetings makes my mind wander. Generally, I’m not so important that I am needed to be point man for every discussion that takes place, so my mind likes to meander a bit. Here are a few thoughts that popped up (and I jotted down) in my last meeting.

- Monogrammed shirts are ridiculous. Monogrammed shirts on fat guys with less than average concern for their appearance is hilarious.

- If you are an average state school, bachelor of science graduate who is not the absolute foremost authority in your field, please don’t use a one-dollar word when a 10-cent word will do.

- When stuck in a large, long, boring meeting and there is an attractive person at this meeting, do your best to sit with a line of sight to that person. At least you’ll have something to entertain you when you have a lull in your attention.

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Election thoughts

By Lou | November 5, 2008

- I’m a complete political junkie. I watched election coverage from 6pm until 1:30am.

- Seeing reaction from around the country made we wonder if this was what it was like for my mother’s generation when Kennedy was elected. Al Gore was my Kennedy, but Obama is pretty close.

- I’m very happy that Obama won, but I was just as impressed with McCain’s concession speech. If he didn’t make that Faustian Bargain to try to appeal to the right-wing base, I think it would have been a much, much closer race. I’ve always liked McCain, he’s certainly a center-right politician, and we are a center-right nation. Why couldn’t he have just been himself from the beginning?

- I sincerely hope that President Obama can enact some real positive policies, and bolster the middle class like he has said he will.

- There are so many New England politicians rumored for positions in Washington under the next administration, I might even be running in a special election to fill a seat!

- My fantasy football team name has been changed from “Yes We Can!” to “Yes We Did!”

- In celebration of Election Day, some co-workers and I participated in a pub crawl on Monday night. Yes, a pub crawl on a Monday…that ended in karaoke. Good thing we had Election Day off.

- It just occurred to me that I never read political blogs outside of Rhode Island blogs. Leave a comment and suggest some for me.

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All Hallow’s Eve Eve

By Lou | October 30, 2008

- I’m not a Halloween guy. I like hanging out with people, I just don’t like the dressing up part. Mostly because I’m lazy, but partly because my dad used to take me out on Halloween.

- I’m pretty disappointed in Ben Folds’ new album “Way to Normal.” It’s too…I don’t know…avant-garde? Best track: “You Don’t Know Me”; it’s radio friendly, piano pop with an awesome contribution from Regina Spektor.

- I was hoping that Tampa Bay would win the World Series. But maybe now Philadelphia sports fans won’t be so angry all the time.

- The Steelers got beat by my girlfriend’s (and her family’s) favorite team, the Giants, last weekend. New York’s front four had express lane access to Ben Roethlisberger. It was ugly, even though the score was close.

- This Monday (Nov. 3), I’m participating in a pub crawl because I’m so excited about the presidential election. Actually, it’s because I have Tuesday off.

- Speaking of drinking, the following weekend is the semi-annual beerfest in Providence. WOO!

- I really love Brian Clark’s twitter profile photo.

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Weekend sports thoughts

By Lou | October 20, 2008

- I totally expected the Red Sox to win the ALCS, but I’m glad they didn’t.

- Joe Maddon should have had Barlett sacrifice bunt in game 7, when the Rays had men on first and second with no outs. Best case if he swings is one run scores, worst case is that he hits into a double play. With Iwamura and Upton behind him, I’d rather have runners on second and third with one out, than take my chances with Bartlett swinging away.

- I totally expected Kelly Pavlik to beat Bernard Hopkins on Saturday night. I’m sad that he didn’t.

- I was happy to see the Steelers get another win yesterday. I thought it was 2004 when I saw that Mewelde Moore scored 3 times.

- I need Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, and Matt Prater to get less than 35 points tonight to get a win in one of my fantasy football leagues. Chances of that actually happening is slim to none.

- All three people left in my survival pool picked Tampa Bay yesterday. That was pretty anti-climatic. I was hoping at least one of the other guys would have picked Dallas.

- Michael Bisping totally dominated his fight against Chris Lieben, even though Lieben looked to be in the best shape of his career. Lieben has an iron chin, but Bisping was right about his style being sloppy, consistently landing straight punches.

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