tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35042722011-04-21T22:37:09.224-04:00Assorted musings on pop culture, sports and other issues since 2002, but sporadically updated in recent years. Hopefully that changes soon.JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.comBlogger7881100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-43075765117020038692009-04-08T21:19:00.003-04:002009-04-08T22:37:25.259-04:00

The art of time-shifting TV shows for later viewing goes back to the days of the VCR, and along with that comes the secondary art of avoiding what happens on said recorded program. This is usually the case with live sporting events, given that you might be able to hear a score in your normal activities (via the radio, some idle chatter while out and about, etc.). You're bound to be spoiled, no

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-28498970832834940442009-04-07T00:20:00.002-04:002009-04-07T00:43:04.906-04:00

I picked UNC to win it all, but was nowhere near winning any money in my pools thanks to choosing too many upsets except for the ones that actually came through. I will say that the March Madness on Demand product was great for tonight because I could watch the game on my computer while catching my other Monday viewing options on the TV. With the way the game turned out, it was best to find other

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-81382851107249903382009-03-22T21:46:00.005-04:002009-03-22T22:59:47.163-04:00

Let's see, it's been more than a year since I've updated this blog, so I suppose it's a bit overdue for a new post. So let's have at it ...As mentioned around this time last year, the cult of Facebook and Twitter have both taken my attention away from blogging. Micro blog posts seem to work better there and driven me from longer thought pieces or decent blog entries. So be it.Anyways, not

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-28407487784548311972008-03-12T00:32:00.000-04:002008-03-12T00:34:21.221-04:00

Well, apparently Mary Ann likes the Mary Jane.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-74173075047100565632008-03-07T00:02:00.004-05:002008-03-07T00:15:28.935-05:00

There are plenty of ways to waste time. But if you're a snarky and nitpicky pro wrestling fan, this video of botched moves and broadcasting mistakes (and the rest of the clips in the collection) will kill any entire afternoon. Enjoy.By the way, I actually have the MP3 of the music used in the video.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-46765885164298559552008-03-05T23:46:00.002-05:002008-03-06T00:08:01.216-05:00

Couple of interesting changes in the local broadcast booths this season:-- Steve Stone is back in Chicago, although this time with the White Sox. In effect, he's pulling a reverse Harry Caray, who worked on the South Side before becoming a beloved Cubs announcer. Stone will be doing radio with Ed Farmer. I missed Stone doing Cubs games, but he had an interesting chemistry working with Steve

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-44485469203871379572008-03-05T23:11:00.002-05:002008-03-05T23:24:28.710-05:00

If you watch enough American Idol, you'll get enough of these bizarre Paula Abdul moments. But I just realized why some of those stumbling moments sound so familiar -- Larry Merchant has made it an art form for years on HBO's boxing coverage.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-22326916960104034812008-03-03T20:42:00.002-05:002008-03-03T21:11:13.581-05:00

Put it simply, if you really want to know more about the ABA, you're better off finding the HBO documentary Loose Balls, based on Terry Pluto's great book. Yeah, I saw Semi Pro over the weekend and was predictably disappointed. They did a good job of replicating the look of the uniforms and such, but everything else was pretty bland and uninspired.But probably the most disconcerting part of the

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-12646062647038734322008-02-26T22:22:00.003-05:002008-02-26T22:52:31.278-05:00

For what it's worth, the NASCAR race restarted Monday afternoon, so I was still able to see that at work. However, it looks like Oscars ratings took a huge tumble, although I'm not surprised given the best picture nominees. It's tough to figure out where mainstream success, critical praise and pseudo-artsy snobbery meet, if at all, but I suppose this wasn't one of those years.Meanwhile, I

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-52495711961429180262008-02-24T20:04:00.053-05:002008-02-25T08:38:41.209-05:00

Well, here's one way to resurrect this blog -- keeping up with the Oscars live, like I've done a couple of times in the past. This year, I've actually seen three of the five nominated films, ticking off No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood in one afternoon last week. (At least I was able to understand one of the skits on last night's SNL because of that cramming.)8:12 p.m.:: And we're

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-63458791904069344662007-12-26T22:46:00.001-05:002007-12-26T22:46:15.414-05:00

Yeah, it's been a while since I've posted here. Chalk it up to a part of being busy, another part of wasting time on Facebook and another part of being lazy/apathetic toward keeping this blog up.However, that may change in one way or another soon. That's because I'm moving up to the greater Bristol area next month to be part of the fantasy edit staff up at the Worldwide Leader. I guess I'm not

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-74581855715272496102007-09-18T22:52:00.000-04:002007-09-18T23:25:51.642-04:00

Been a while since I've posted here, as I've been doing more stuff on Facebook. Among the brief highlights of recent days is finally going to the U.S. Open, seeing Superbad (which really could use this blog's title as a subtitle) and The King of Kong (nerds are nerds, they just wear different stripes).But a couple of incidents of celebrity or pseudo-celebrity really stick with me:-- First off,

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-24306869296368604522007-08-15T23:25:00.000-04:002007-08-16T00:14:19.456-04:00

It's always a hoot to watch MSG Classics on MSG Network, which is basically a bunch of old WWF matches from the Garden over the years. There's a huge sense of nostalgia -- for the old announcers, the old bad lighting, the evolution of TV graphics and of course the wrestling. Sure, there have been plenty of changes in the action over time. That's just how things have changed.But it's pretty sad to

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-32099837176173093662007-08-14T21:17:00.000-04:002007-08-14T21:28:43.646-04:00

Just when I do a little obit scouring, now comes the passing of Phil Rizzuto, a fixture of my youth watching Yankees games and just New York area TV in general. His folksy way of calling games made him a beloved figure for Yankees fans for a number of years, and his Italian Catholic background made him a popular figure around my church and grammar school growing up. In fact, I remember signing a

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-72263687173166878172007-08-14T00:33:00.000-04:002007-08-14T00:47:59.225-04:00

Here's an interesting set of three celebrity deaths:-- Merv Griffin. I still remember his talk show from long ago, not to mention Kramer turning his apartment into the old Merv Griffin Show set in one episode of Seinfeld. But his lasting legacy in the game show world is creating Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! Of course, only by adding those two factors together do you get the current outpouring

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-23335408114059445292007-08-14T00:10:00.000-04:002007-08-14T00:32:56.230-04:00

Despite the fact that I grew up in central New Jersey, it was only last night that I actually saw a concert at the PNC (nee Garden State) Arts Center -- the reasonably-sized outdoor-ish musical venue in the middle of the Garden State Parkway. In this case, I took in yet another Weird Al performance, fully embracing my nerd cred, knowing full well I'd fit in pretty well in this crowd. (It's hard

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-18125069351694833452007-08-10T23:59:00.000-04:002007-08-12T00:44:46.102-04:00

In the midst of last week's conventions, I was able to catch the first couple of episodes of GSN's Grand Slam -- a pretty interesting show featuring a number of game show legends plus a few other random names. I'm intrigued by the fact that the game tests all sorts of knowledge skills beyond just trivia. It's been fun to watch, although I will admit that having Dennis Miller as a smarmy studio

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-28247592732620619882007-08-05T23:49:00.000-04:002007-08-06T00:15:23.405-04:00

I guess I could consider my Vegas/Miami conference doubleheader a success. I got some business done in Vegas for FSTA with limited gambling damage (although I didn't get a chance to play a poker tournament while in town), and did a fair share of both networking and sightseeing in Miami for AAJA. Plus, it was good to reconnect with all sorts of people at AAJA after missing the past couple of

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-48954389044397584922007-07-31T23:07:00.000-04:002007-07-31T23:21:33.406-04:00

I'm now part of the insane travel week, starting with Vegas for the next 24 hours or so for one conference before heading to Miami for another one the rest of the week. I thought I was going to encounter luggage issues with the way Continental handles its online bag drop, but all was good since I could check into my hotel while waiting for my bags.Before I left, I did get to see The Simpsons

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-26332744181938005322007-07-22T20:46:00.000-04:002007-07-22T21:13:44.074-04:00

For the second time in just a couple of months, I got to check out Fountains of Wayne in concert -- this time at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park. Unfortunately, Bruce did not show up, but I did see a handful of acts beforehand, as this was part of a daylong festival -- including Mike Doughty, April Smith and Drive-By Truckers. It was definitely a nice bonus to get to see DBT

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-5854122410718578022007-07-20T23:13:00.000-04:002007-07-22T21:23:31.604-04:00

As I've mentioned before, I'm not eligible to play in the World Series of Pop Culture. However, I was eligible to play the Trivia Dome, an online component of the show run by VH1, and somehow won the last of their regular games and taking a nice cash prize in the process (although not anywhere close to the $250K that Twisted Misters won). I thought I was in good position to win $10K in the final

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-47334863680815271282007-07-19T22:22:00.000-04:002007-07-19T22:37:46.726-04:00

I've already noted before how amusing it was that early '90s infomercial legend Tom Vu is now a reasonably successful poker player. But at least now I know he's embraced his past as I saw ESPN showing clips of his old infomercials while he was part of the final table of one of the many tournaments this year.However, I am still intrigued a bit by the weird-looking film ESPN is using for this

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-79852259052289473632007-07-16T21:03:00.000-04:002007-07-16T21:33:21.236-04:00

It's interesting that there are two World Series in the pop culture crosshairs right now. First off, the World Series of Pop Culture has me and the rest of our office entranced for a couple of weeks. I've played against the Twisted Misters team (the young NYU guys) and they're good, giving my team one heck of a fight at TRASHionals this year. Plus, one of the Andrews clobbered us on Jeremy's

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-17291758388769316222007-07-12T23:13:00.000-04:002007-07-12T23:36:21.898-04:00

Well, sorta. WCBS-FM is back to its oldies format, replacing the controversial Jack format that I actually liked. I did wish I did hear the final minutes of the format, which involved cutting off Journey's "Don't Stop Believing," stealing from the final scene of The Sopranos.Both stations still lived on even when the format switch took place a couple of years ago, and something similar is

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-43497761679599910792007-07-08T21:22:00.000-04:002007-07-08T21:29:38.304-04:00

It's a bit early, but it's a good time for you to at least find it on your dial, but apparently next weekend's Jeopardy! rerun will be my second episode (don't click if you don't want to be spoiled). You'll definitely have to check your local listings if you really care to see me on TV again.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-55693777445320418002007-07-07T15:15:00.000-04:002007-07-07T15:39:25.971-04:00

It's hard to believe that the Yankees are the only team to still hold an Old Timers Day, especially with teams like the Pirates, Red Sox and Tigers all having lots of tradition to fall back on as well. Then again, when the Yankees first did this day to retire Lou Gehrig's number, you know they can do it right.(As an aside, what would a Devil Rays or Rockies Old Timers Day look like? I guess you

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-65346239655099872532007-07-06T00:04:00.000-04:002007-07-06T00:45:20.206-04:00

So after the sunburned experience on Saturday, I redeemed myself by going back to Yankee Stadium on Tuesday with the office tickets. However, it was a weird shuffle that saw me and a fellow co-worker giving our original tickets to another one of our cubicle-mates so she could go with her family and then getting another set from someone else. Hard to figure out, but instead of the $10 face value

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-84765394035829752832007-07-05T22:47:00.000-04:002007-07-06T00:12:36.344-04:00

I guess I should fill in whatever leftover blanks from the trip reports from Mike and Craig . They've done a great job of wrapping up their long journey; I was just there for part of it, as well as serving as a home base for a good portion of it.Wednesday: I actually worked on some housing stuff before a rather uneventful trip up to Hudson Valley. The one thing that struck me was the jersey

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-65367117619779275532007-06-27T01:15:00.000-04:002007-06-27T01:44:18.352-04:00

So the sad Chris Benoit story really took a turn for the worst as the rumblings of a murder-suicide were indeed true and very disturbing. And while the attention now turns to potential "roid rage," it is very interesting to see how the WWE had to switch gears after Monday's tribute show.As mentioned before, the televised tribute shows for Eddie Guerrero, Owen Hart and Brian Pillman had a slight

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-27645367484437114892007-06-26T01:24:00.000-04:002007-06-26T01:44:59.487-04:00

Sorry for the two straight celebrity death posts. It just happens that way at times. However, I get another trash tournament title, teaming up with J-Kel, Adam Fine and last-second addition Tim Young (thanks to a well-timed phone call Saturday night) to win Maryland's event. If you're looking through stats, I'm Yuniesky.The questions were relatively solid (must speak in general terms with the

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-49902688254838079352007-06-26T00:34:00.000-04:002007-06-26T01:18:01.664-04:00

Unfortunately for WWE, it has become too used to doing impromptu tribute shows on Raw for its stars who have died while actively with the company. Brian Pillman, Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero and now, sadly, Chris Benoit.This latest tragic story in the real world of pro wrestling thankfully did away with the silly "Mr. McMahon is dead" storyline that really pushed the limits of what today's wrestling

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-35522912589179048442007-06-18T00:45:00.000-04:002007-06-18T01:43:12.911-04:00

History isn't usually kind to the second or third person in history to do something, and so was the feeling when I saw the news that Frankie from The Real World: San Diego had died (the second former cast member of the show to do so). In many ways, she's very similar to Danitra Vance, the third Saturday Night Live alum to pass away.Both shows actually now have a long list of alums, given their

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-34466842945849335822007-06-17T22:37:00.001-04:002007-06-17T22:42:10.617-04:00

So I did catch my first real sequel of the summer season by watching Ocean's Thirteen, and it was definitely fun to watch, especially after coming back from Vegas. All of the actors seemed to have fun pretending to be suave as well as doing the basic comic capering. And guys like Andy Garcia and Al Pacino chewed up the scenery as usual, and Ellen Barkin was actually usefully hot; but I was also

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-8816435336980289092007-06-17T22:27:00.000-04:002007-06-17T22:36:57.121-04:00

Forgot to mention that I easily passed my Millionaire audition on Monday. The whole process surprisingly only took about 25 minutes, not including waiting outside the ABC cafeteria door. While I had some nice people at my table, including one of the eight or so people of the 60 who passed, I had a good feeling that I could've easily went on to the next round if the Scantron-scored tests were

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-37104844519393485062007-06-13T23:25:00.000-04:002007-06-13T23:54:34.026-04:00

-- I did get to the Roger Clemens relaunch in the Bronx on Saturday, and it was a pretty fun atmosphere, although I was sorta surprised I could still walk up to get tickets just minutes before the game, especially with it being Cap Day, but I guess playing the Pirates didn't goose up the attendance (but there were decent smatterings of fans there.-- And for a change of pace, I ended up at the

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-85376007943486973702007-06-03T23:36:00.000-04:002007-06-04T00:15:19.268-04:00

So part two of the vacation had me in Vegas with family for a week or so. Finally did a few shows that I never get a chance to see in my previous trips, and I kept the gaming to an odd minimum -- assorted stops at a video poker or slot machines, a short venture into the world of Sic-Bo and a couple of poker tournaments, including just missing cashing out at a late-night one at Harrah's, where I

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-18002679055510436942007-05-28T12:28:00.000-04:002007-05-28T12:47:38.667-04:00

If there's one thing you can count on during Memorial Day weekend is a decent countdown-esque gimmick from some radio stations. New York's Jack FM station is rolling out their entire playlist in alphabetical order, as you might see here. From the small sliver I tuned into, I ended with three "It's My Life" songs.Over on the Web, WOXY.com is doing their 18th annual Modern Rock 500, and this year

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-3713851207723810232007-05-28T12:16:00.000-04:002007-05-28T14:38:24.168-04:00

Back from a quick trip to Chicago for the NAQT High School NCT, which is just another good excuse to see some old quizbowl friends and faces from years past while also reading rounds in cramped hotel rooms (although I did get a nice suite for day 2). I'm always impressed by the level of play here, especially since I'd be toast on a lot of the stuff although there's always a few non-trash

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-43671542742149415922007-05-24T22:11:00.000-04:002007-05-24T22:32:28.614-04:00

So if we plopped George Constanza into Las Vegas, would we get something like this? I actually use my trips to Vegas for some good exercise trying to go up and down the Strip. These people, not so muchAnd here's a version of anti-Coverville, thanks to folks at Retrocrush -- complete with many video links.And if you haven't been fast-forwarding through commercials, let's just say that this is a

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-56465669856806619812007-05-22T22:49:00.000-04:002007-05-22T23:06:52.981-04:00

A few bullet points before my double vacation (Chicago/Vegas) this weekend:-- I made my "Broadway debut" (so to speak) over the weekend as one of the audience spellers at The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I pretty much thought I'd be a lock as a ringer for that part of the show, and I was the last audience member eliminated. It was weird watching half the play from the inside, but it

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-12659101848229300172007-05-06T21:28:00.000-04:002007-05-06T21:47:47.405-04:00

Obviously, I've come across all sorts of people of varying degrees of success in my business, considering how long I've actually been working, but there are things that still surprise me when I see it, especially when it comes to my time when the Web was such an experimental medium.For instance, one of the few writers at the Trib's Web site during my time as an intern winning a Pulitzer. And now

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-44692727736264526412007-05-06T09:49:00.000-04:002007-05-06T22:00:23.522-04:00

While the De La Hoya-Mayweather fight was entertaining but a couple of steps below the spectacle everyone wanted it to be, I will say the best part was trying to find celebrities in direct view of the main ring camera. I spent much of the time seeing John McCain catching the fight, and later on, someone else at the party where I was watching it pointed out J-Lo -- and you can tell she was

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1812153587164553932007-05-05T16:29:00.000-04:002007-05-05T16:31:39.803-04:00

So the top two sporting events this weekend are the Kentucky Derby and a boxing match. It's definitely an old-school weekend, and you don't even have to buy anything "retro" to celebrate.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-7101497680295204882007-05-04T01:36:00.000-04:002007-05-05T16:42:25.727-04:00

As much as I hate to admit, I'm very clingy to my past, and staying true/close to the alma mater is one major aspect of that. I've gone to my fair share of alumni events both in Atlanta and New York, and even represented the school at a college fair the other day. (By the way, thanks to the high school who put us next to another purple-clad college. And if this school that fit alphabetically were

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-41695829556787791122007-04-26T01:31:00.000-04:002007-04-26T01:53:17.000-04:00

Got my first taste of Fountains of Wayne in concert on Tuesday evening, and as a recent fan, I came away more than pleased. I was surprised that tickets were only $20, odd I thought, but I guess besides "Stacy's Mom," it's still a rather cultish band. Webster Hall was busy but not really sold out, whereas lots of artists I've never heard of are packing the place.(Side note: Webster Hall also

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-37092932397194158192007-04-24T00:28:00.000-04:002007-04-24T01:02:57.379-04:00

Before I got into my TRASHionals roundup, I first have to note the passing of David Halberstam, one of my favorite authors -- although surprisingly the first thing I read by him was not any of the sporting books, but The Fifties, followed by much of his '60s-'70s history works for a variety of my classes. He will be sorely missed.Now, on to the weekend, which was my first TRASHionals as a player

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-84252859448351394872007-04-18T00:04:00.000-04:002007-04-18T00:49:47.647-04:00

I've been torn watching the Thrashers-Rangers series because I grew up following the Rangers and picked up the Thrashers during my time in Atlanta (plus, one of my friends does part-time work for the team). However, it was nearly impossible to get tickets for the games at MSG (obviously), but I lucked into a great seat (club level, although I didn't partake of wait service) for Game 3 via work.It

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-61050077132974262382007-04-15T22:32:00.000-04:002007-04-15T22:37:34.107-04:00

A heads-up for the game show fanatics in my audience, one of my opponents on my first Jeopardy! episode will be on Millionaire the next couple of days. I have no idea how she did, other than I wasn't used as a lifeline but was on the list. Check your local listings.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-77440348008750679032007-04-15T15:32:00.000-04:002007-04-15T16:31:19.013-04:00

Maybe it's not the worst thing in the world that a bunch of games today were rained out, preventing many from wearing Jackie Robinson's number that suddenly became a minor controversy. I guess the impact was literally watered down.Honoring Jackie's 60th anniversary is obviously important, but sometimes you have to wonder if the players are the least aware of the impact of the day, compared to

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-25421794470509144952007-04-13T18:04:00.000-04:002007-04-13T20:33:30.706-04:00

Hopefully, most of the Imus hand wringing is over (although he could be indirectly be held responsible for the car accident that led to serious injuries to the New Jersey governor since he was on his way to moderate the discussion between the Rutgers team and Imus) because the whole storm over his comments has been ridiculous on so many levels. Flax seems to have expressed a lot of the same

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-40528991894738615942007-04-08T21:09:00.000-04:002007-04-08T21:30:25.861-04:00

I think I finally did my last draft of the baseball season with the auction for the long-running NL-only league that actually had its roots with a couple of guys from Pittsburgh I met at a summer program in Massachusetts when I was in high school -- in 1991. I found my way into it since those guys were friends with one of my eventual college roommates. And now the league now has an interesting

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-85275422006176030902007-04-08T20:38:00.000-04:002007-04-08T20:42:56.296-04:00

I opted to skip out on the sports trivia contest I'd cleaned up on the past couple of weeks, and thus I missed this cool visual round. Based on the answers, I probably would've gotten 8 of 10. And that probably would've been fine to help me win another one of these things flying solo. Instead, I've been learning a bunch of different tax codes for the multiple state returns I have to file this

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-58833982803934029232007-04-08T20:21:00.000-04:002007-04-08T20:34:18.171-04:00

It's somewhat notable that B.C. cartoonist Johnny Hart passed away the day before Easter, given that his strip had been drawing plenty of controversy for religious messages in recent years -- as it apparently moved away from the "fat broad" jokes and the strangeness of his characters appearing ads for shocks and struts.Even more intriguing is the Bob Clark obit, considering that while he should

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-5468650867539179972007-04-03T21:38:00.000-04:002007-04-03T21:42:30.272-04:00

After all this time, Alanis really does know irony:Meanwhile, here's a live version of one of the best covers ever:

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-5862590734522250892007-04-02T23:41:00.000-04:002007-04-03T00:03:39.941-04:00

I suppose I could only go so far to sell myself out to the Buckeyes, although it would've been nice to collect on the different pools. However, it actually seems like Ohio State was proving the Ewing Theory as the game was going on -- Greg Oden finally has the breakout game and his team loses. Not being in foul trouble actually cut into his endurance. Oden seems to prove a strange paradox that

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-31853610024084020692007-04-01T20:47:00.000-04:002007-04-01T20:56:34.377-04:00

So it's on to the national championship game for the Rutgers women, continuing the nice run set by the football team. However, while the Scarlet Knights shot lights out from behind the arc and played some stifling defense to smother LSU, I can't help but think that there was some awful basketball played by both sides, especially in the paint. There were lots of botched layups and putbacks, and

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-52027963220277202152007-04-01T20:24:00.000-04:002007-04-01T20:45:43.482-04:00

One way to spend the interim between the men's Final Four games and the 1-2 punch of the women's Final Four/Opening Day is to see a figure skating movie? Why not -- it's another Will Ferrell comedy that was funny at moments and silly and over the top in other parts (pretty much par for the course). It wasn't as good as Talladega Nights, but some of the actors were game for their parts, such as

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-80143640109831873142007-03-31T23:14:00.000-04:002007-03-31T23:21:54.530-04:00

I guess I'll be rooting hard for Ohio State as my hope for a Buckeyes-Gators national championship game, part deux, has come through -- but this time OSU winning it all. Hard to believe I've actually had that much at stake with my numerous pools ever.Also, I think I discovered some lazy ad wizards over at Pontiac. While the Kansas-"Bobby Knight" bit wasn't too bad, I just figured out that the bit

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-53217424557627803992007-03-30T15:30:00.000-04:002007-03-30T15:36:32.876-04:00

It seems weird that Northwestern's basketball futility is fodder for a Final Four column, especially from someone like Joe Posnanski, but that's what we get today. And as he mentioned, there are so many NU alums scurrying around the business -- including two guys from my office who were in school around the time I was -- that it seems almost like there should be some outrage over it from the "

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-44042098862614166352007-03-29T19:46:00.000-04:002007-03-29T20:38:06.209-04:00

It's always fun listening to Bill Raftery doing college basketball, but the odd thing about him is that his quirkiness is practically an act. If you ever listen to his radio interviews, he's amazingly subdued, only turning on the catchphrases if he really needs to. It's an interesting phenomenon.Meanwhile, does it seem like we were paying more attention to Gus Johnson after he got dropped out of

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-80838917447197583412007-03-26T22:43:00.000-04:002007-03-26T23:06:59.424-04:00

Somehow I've picked the Final Four correctly for the first time ever probably despite some awful early picks. But sorta going by chalk works as was hoping to see some cool matchups in later rounds (national title rematch, UNC-G'town revival, Dr. Hibbert vs. Oden, UF-OSU national title game rematch).Meanwhile, the women's bracket is all shaken up with a 3 and a 4 in the Final Four, although it's

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-90309167666462822092007-03-26T17:13:00.000-04:002007-03-26T20:59:18.368-04:00

So I went to this place for my birthday, which was pretty good, considering I hadn't done the Brazilian steakhouse thing in a while. And given the amount of meat coming through, it's good to do only occasionally. While it's nice to see places like this pop up in the suburbs, I can't help but wonder how over-hip they wanted to make this place. It's one thing to do the rodizio thing and leave it at

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-26223780054097064802007-03-24T21:49:00.000-04:002007-03-24T22:33:15.635-04:00

Yes, I've been very lax here. But here are some random thoughts while waiting for my fellow birthday buddy to host SNL:-- Depending on which bracket you're looking at (most likely the ones I entered for money), I'm doing much better with Final Four teams than in the past, but you can thank all those high seeds very much going according to form. Instead, all the goofy bracket-busting upsets are

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-86251768620958383372007-02-26T00:33:00.000-05:002007-02-26T00:42:08.361-05:00

I didn't notice it as much the few times there was a hint of winter weather in the Atlanta area, but now that I'm back in the New York area, I now see that the local network affiliates are running school closings in the crawl. It's a big change from when I grew up where the only places you could depend on for school closings in my area were this local AM station and its sister FM station. The Web

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-56324093581670004452007-02-26T00:25:00.000-05:002007-02-26T00:27:19.285-05:00

I haven't done this in a while, but since I'm not working on Oscar night for the first time in a while, why not do the self-indulgent award telecast blog. I've only seen two of the five nominated films (The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine) and not that movies in general this year (is it a bad sign when the movie I was most excited for was Clerks II?), so I can't necessarily tell what's good and

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-31325024793811744742007-01-31T23:05:00.000-05:002007-01-31T23:50:59.002-05:00

-- It's funny what does and doesn't get edited out of The Sopranos on A&E. And some of the complete redubbing of scenes is downright hilarious -- close to being like the old kung fu films.-- I actually got to see Bill Simmons' appearance on Mike and the Mad Dog and I was actually looking forward to his writeup of it. The one thing interesting about Simmons is that he was just wandering around

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-77846097699997585172007-01-28T22:13:00.000-05:002007-01-28T23:10:22.563-05:00

I dug up a poster checklist of the 1990 Bowman set the other day, and while I saw a ton of spring training head shots, the notable part of the set were special portraits of the stars of the day (a sort of takeoff of the Donruss Diamond Kings). And I stress, of the day. Take a look at the 11 special card subjects (highlighted nicely on the Topps Magazine checklist) and what happened to their

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-72926529837636358262007-01-21T22:35:00.000-05:002007-01-21T23:04:25.188-05:00

It should be a fun Super Bowl, if today's championship games are any indication. As much as I wanted to see the Saints in there, at least we have a different socially conscious storyline that will overdone by Thursday -- the first big game with an African-American head coach, and there's one on each sideline. (That New Orleans one would've been pulverized by Tuesday afternoon.)Which gets me to a

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-33326433831812404732007-01-10T18:31:00.000-05:002007-01-10T19:44:59.262-05:00

I used to enjoy picking apart the Baseball Hall of Fame ballots -- how will guys on the cusp like Goose Gossage, Jim Rice and Bert Blyleven fare; and how many votes marginal players on the ballot such as Bobby Witt, Scott Brosius and Tony Fernandez will get.But the fallout from this year's election had me grateful that I'm on vacation this week and thus more interested in watching the numerous

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-67690397738596546352007-01-10T15:59:00.000-05:002007-01-10T17:03:02.692-05:00

After nearly five years at this spot, and more than 10 years at this mindspring address, I'm moving this blog over to BlogSpot to take advantage of the new Blogger features. So update your bookmarks shortly to howawkward.blogspot.com.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1166846064058517672006-12-22T21:44:00.000-05:002006-12-22T22:54:24.080-05:00

Yeah, so it's been a while since I've posted something. A combination of work, travel and lots of apathy in play here. Anyways, lots of this and that going on since the last post. First off, I returned to Atlanta at the end of last month/beginning of this month for Trashmasters once again in Chattanooga. Nice to be a tourist in my former home city for a few days, not to mention seeing some old

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1162955259968386502006-11-07T21:29:00.000-05:002007-01-10T17:04:30.041-05:00

Here's the one thing that has intrigued me about the state of elections these days -- how did the current red and blue state designations come to be? When I was at the Reagan Library last year, a map of his 1980 victory had the states he carried in blue while Carter's was in red.Secondly, to use some, I guess, outdated stereotypes, wasn't the left formerly accused of being red (the old Communist

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1162701005596835732006-11-04T22:59:00.000-05:002007-01-10T17:05:02.938-05:00

The latest dosage of VH-1 list crack just came through this past week with the 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s. I had somewhere around 70 or so of the songs already on my iPod and trying to add more for completeness sake, even though there were a few interesting omissions -- Simple Minds, Tears for Fears and Survivor come to mind. But it's always a good font for trash questions and hey, Deborah

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1162144527608493402006-10-29T12:51:00.000-05:002007-01-10T17:05:31.624-05:00

I finally got confirmation about the song that plays in the GEICO ad with the caveman in the airport. It's called "Remind Me" by Royksöpp. Oddly enough, I got the information straight from the Gecko's blog on GEICO's site.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1161832274397447502006-10-25T23:08:00.000-04:002006-10-25T23:11:14.420-04:00

While my double review of Brainiac and Trebekistan was a little bit rambling and such, it still isn't this New York Times twin review, which seems to want a lot more from the books than what could ever be offered from former contestants, even those who have been on plenty of times, like Ken and Bob.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1161664672751689962006-10-23T23:38:00.000-04:002006-10-24T00:37:52.773-04:00

27 and countingJust as I thought I was outgrowing Weird Al Yankovic, all of a sudden, he has his first top 10 album and top 10 single. The first single is a YouTube sensation, which is a big reason for the chart sucess. YouTube somehow reached the people wanting to buy the album and single, even moreso than a "Top 40" station, wherever those actually exist these days.Slate has an interesting

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1161486838132003192006-10-21T23:07:00.000-04:002007-01-10T17:06:07.057-05:00

Note to self: Do not order a sandwich called the meltdown while watching your alma mater set a dubious NCAA football record. And oh yeah, I was on hand for this account of said meltdown.More updates on the past few weeks in due time.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1159929010158816562006-10-03T21:46:00.000-04:002006-10-03T22:30:10.696-04:00

Publishing industry for $2000So I've now finished off both Brainiac and Prisoner of Trebekistan, fulfilling the need for books about Jeopardy! for about 10 years -- although there will be plenty of first-person accounts in various media outlets until the show finally runs it course.These books are definitely must-reads for Jeopardy! fans, or more to the point obsessed game show geeks like myself.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1159414025499063832006-09-27T23:23:00.000-04:002006-09-27T23:39:11.306-04:00

I'll have reviews of the Jeopardy! books in due time, although I will say it is weird to read the two books with the new Chuck Klosterman collection in between.Anyways, I figured I'd point out that somehow I'm mentioned in the same sentence as one of the more well-known writers at SI. There's a lot more I probably could say about it, but I'll keep that to myself for now.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1158639928450661042006-09-18T23:58:00.000-04:002006-09-19T00:25:28.803-04:00

TV timeCaught a couple of series premieres tonight in between the offensively-challenged Monday night game. Nope, neither are on my LaPlaca squad.The Class: I'm a big fan of the concept, although it seems like it could've been a better movie than sitcom. (I'm a sucker for the nostalgia they're highlighting). However, the weird twist at the start of the show sort of tries to force the action into

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1158290803548425612006-09-14T22:33:00.000-04:002006-09-14T23:45:44.143-04:00

I am nerd, hear me roarIf I needed any verification of my utter nerdiness or geekiness, I went to the first signing stop in the Ken Jennings book tour (although he's been just all over TV plugging the book -- including a fun appearance on The Colbert Report on Wednesday).An aside, what a strange 1-2 punch on Colbert: Ken on Wednesday, Bill Simmons on Thursday.In many ways it was your basic book

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1157684725028987272006-09-07T22:35:00.000-04:002006-09-07T23:05:28.216-04:00

Sure it's been a while since I've posted anything here -- the day job (and especially the day blog) is taking precendence.However, I was able to make my annual trip to Vegas, and that's always fun -- even if my sort of fun often involves wandering up and down the Strip in 100-degree heat. This time around, I was at the Stardust for very much its last hurrah. While I thought Excalibur was a bit

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1156123136640201132006-08-20T20:56:00.000-04:002006-08-20T21:18:56.736-04:00

Disembodied headEventually I'll have to scan in my floating head that appeared in the new fantasy insert of the magazine this past week. Hey, I actually beat a couple of my NU colleagues in the office in getting my face in the mag. That, and some nice promos for the other blog.Unfortunately, my fellow alum Luke Donald couldn't overcome the Tiger juggernaut, but I'm trying to figure out what's

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1155698829446738052006-08-15T22:50:00.000-04:002007-01-10T17:06:28.647-05:00

I didn't post much off the recently completed World Series of Poker main event, although it's good to see ESPN turning it around into shows starting next week. It was interesting following along on-line, mainly because other outlets started making money off it.Anyways, the one thing I found sorta intriguing about the final table is that there was plenty of support for the one true "pro," although

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1155164828618382112006-08-09T18:46:00.000-04:002006-08-09T19:07:08.833-04:00

Silly cinemaSorry for the lack of posts. A rapidly declining laptop at home, combined with regular updates at the work blog has kept me from randomly spouting off on stuff here.Two movie-related things that needed to be posted here:1. I went to the Netflix Roadshow screening of Clerks in Red Bank, down the street from the original Quick Stop where the movie was filmed. Kevin Smith has his own

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1153967629189387802006-07-26T22:17:00.000-04:002006-07-26T22:33:49.263-04:00

Settling inI'm slowly but surely getting used to life back in the Northeast. I'm learning different ways to get into the city and to the office via a variety of commuter trains and subways, not to mention working "regular" hours.On the other hand, I'm diving right into my work (although still having to solve a variety of paperwork/computer issues that come with starting a new job), which includes

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1153621171151637092006-07-22T21:46:00.000-04:002006-07-24T00:04:38.980-04:00

Safe at homeWell, I'm now in New Jersey for good, and starting up in New York on Monday. It's been an interesting week or so as I made the move out of Atlanta. While I did have a fun "goodbye tour," including a big party at this place a little more than a week ago (which saw a number of my different social universes converging in one place -- much like the Jeopardy! party), I also had to spend a

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1152778048053430602006-07-13T03:37:00.000-04:002006-07-13T04:11:40.743-04:00

The final countdownJust about a week or so before I leave the ATL for good. Been doing tons of packing, cleaning up, selling off most of my furniture on Craiglist (if anyone in the Atlanta area wants a couch, I've got a nice one available) and having friends and family taking me out to lunch to send me off. Still some more prep work to be done, including how I'm going to fit what's left in my car

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1151821573407315822006-07-02T02:17:00.000-04:002006-07-02T02:26:13.420-04:00

Shuffle up and watchWhile World Cup Soccer has curtailed some of my late-night poker reruns, the actual World Series of Poker has already started. And even more interesting, ESPN will be starting coverage of the main event in late August, just a few days after it has been completed. And for those (possibly like me) wanting to follow in real time, the final table will be available on

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1151780368185133992006-07-01T14:56:00.000-04:002006-07-01T14:59:28.196-04:00

So I guess that line about "closing the state of Florida" from National Lampoon's Vacation isn't completely wrong. You just have to go up to the Garden State where a sales tax dispute had the governor "closing" the state of New Jersey.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1151698938551786432006-06-30T16:07:00.000-04:002006-06-30T16:22:18.590-04:00

Goodbye, coachSometimes it's both good and bad that I currently live close to work. That really came into play when I caught the news of Randy Walker's sudden death on ESPN News when I got home last night. I eventually rushed back to the office to get that story up and then deal with a second fire of the latest Tour de France doping scandal.But back to Walker. He provided lots of ups and downs

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1151295848723669212006-06-26T00:11:00.000-04:002006-06-26T00:30:52.700-04:00

On the road againPosting has been plenty infrequent lately as I prepare for the move to Gotham. I've been up here at home in Jersey for most of the past week -- my brother's birthday party served as a good reason to drive up a ton of my stuff and get ready for jumping into the fray in just under a month.And in a few hours I'll be starting another 16-hour road trip back to the ATL. The drive up

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1149986742232498722006-06-10T20:44:00.000-04:002006-06-10T20:45:42.243-04:00

Caption time!"Ah, crikey! It's another one of those candygrams again."Now it's your turn.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1149960997623272572006-06-10T13:33:00.000-04:002006-06-10T13:36:37.636-04:00

For your reading enjoyment, here's the 2006 WOXY.com Modern Rock 500 list. I've been trying to figure out how many of these songs I already have -- it looks like 200 with a few more not ripped from my CDs. Not a bad ratio, especially with a handful of artists/songs I'm used to seeing on these lists not mentioned.Now to do a similar project with 99X's Top 1000 countdown from last year. At least

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1149491791473866662006-06-05T02:40:00.000-04:002006-06-05T03:16:31.523-04:00

Slacking offTime to get cracking on the updates. There are some good excuses, but laziness is the easy one ...-- Played tour guide for my brother his fiancee over Memorial Day weekend. Good times all around, even if we couldn't make it to the aquarium (I hope to do that before leaving town). I'll need to really brush up on my places to go in New Jersey and New York when I inevitably have my first

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1148277499617866712006-05-22T01:50:00.000-04:002006-05-22T01:58:19.626-04:00

One thing that used to be a staple of major summer holidays was the Top 500 countdowns. I haven't seen much of it lately down here in Atlanta, save for the 99X countdown I linked to a while back. Well, it looks like there will be at least one Top 500 countdown that might be worth catching, and you can all find it online at WOXY.com (the "future of rock and roll" from Rain Man) over Memorial Day

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1147408747319647282006-05-12T00:18:00.000-04:002006-05-12T00:39:07.330-04:00

More random musings--I'm trying to get my stuff together for the move, and so far it's involved clearing out about 5-6 years worth of EWs and SIs. Next up is figuring out which books that I bought at Goodwill sales over the years will end up going back to Goodwill.--Eventually I'll read The DaVinci Code, but instead I finished up reading this book, which was written by a former colleague from the

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1146687235768021342006-05-03T16:09:00.000-04:002007-01-10T17:07:04.770-05:00

In a move that's a bit overdue, I'm being transferred up to the New York office, starting in mid-July. The details of what I'll be doing up there is still to be determined, but it's probably not much different than what I'm doing now.I've enjoyed my nine years (yikes, has it been that long?) in Atlanta, but I guess you can go home again.

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1146686889281214622006-05-03T13:44:00.000-04:002007-01-10T17:08:22.716-05:00

Talking points from a long weekend in Austin for TRASHionals 9:-- Flew Southwest for the first time, having to go from Birmingham. The 2 1/2-hour ride from Atlanta to Birmingham was fine (first time in Alabama, shockingly), but the adventure parking was amusing because the airport still had signs for "Long-Term Parking," but the lane for it had a few extra speed bumps and a cone moved out of the

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504272.post-1146678174041796842006-05-03T13:26:00.000-04:002007-01-10T17:09:04.554-05:00

So in the midst of a lot of big things going on with me, I've spent a good part of the past two days trying to get that sad face of my iPod. After trying all the different "official" fixes, I finally got it to work by using an old staple -- dropping it on the floor. Since the iPod had gotten jostled a bit in my bag over the weekend, I eventually realized rejostling it might work -- and sure

JQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05104668024009962313noreply@blogger.com0