Ramblings of a Technology Addict

Friday, March 14, 2003

Friday Five

1. Do you like talking on the phone? Why or why not?
I'm phone agnostic. Some situations require the phone. Some do not. I like the phone, mostly, but there are people I don't like talking to on the phone. Most of them are nice people, but have terrible phone issues.
2. Who is the last person you talked to on the phone?
Tiffany
3. About how many telephones do you have at home?
Three. Portable phone, work cell, home cell.
4. Have you encountered anyone who has really bad phone manners? What Happened?
Yeah, it happens frequently. Basically, many are telemarketers. They get hung up on.
5. Would you rather pick up the phone and call someone or write them an e-mail or a letter? Why or why not?
This goes back to the personal preference thing. Sometimes a phonecall is required. Sometimes an email will do.
11:08:14 PM  comment []

Voices.

Something just happened that I knew I had to write about. So, people who've been reading my blog know that I have a small baseball addiction. Okay, okay, a major baseball addiction. So, this afternoon, I fired up the real player and tuned into KFRC's broadcast of the A's/Cubs game. This is the first of the games that I've heard where it's been the full team. When I heard Ray Fosse's voice, I jumped in my seat. It was a wonderful feeling. All these memories came flooding back. From that first walk over the footbridge to the Coliseum from the Bart, to summer days working in the yard with the radio on, listening to Bill King, Ray Fosse and Lon Simmons. The world series in 1989. All of these are things that come flooding back to my brain
Sitting in the orange seats in section 128, row 18 of the Coliseum, steps from the A's bullpen. Watching Bob Welch and Dave Stewart warm up, watching Gallego at short, and Lansford at third. Canseco and McGwire. Dave Parker. Henduland. The iceplant in center. Way Back, Way Back, Way Back, you can TELL it goodbye.
As the spring comes, and with it, the beautiful weather in the sixties and seventies, with a light breeze, so comes baseball. Then when the competition gets stiff in July and August, the summer is at its apogee, the sun beating down on you during the day games, and dazzling the outfield at gametime at night. Seeing the darkening sky at night, the planes flying over, with their light grids flashing out advertisements.
The smell of the grass, and the colisseum dogs, and the onions, and the beer, all wafting in separately. That hot summertime smell. The dusty-ness and the heat in your chest. Ahhh, baseball. How I've missed you.
But I think what I remember most is packing up our backpacks and driving in to sit, the three of us, Dad, Erik and me, in those seats, score the game and let it all disappear for a while. Just two kids and their Dad, sharing the baseball love to another generation. Thanks Dad, for the best gift you ever could have given me.
4:38:59 PM  comment []

Afternoon Zenlessness.

So, this weekend is my draft for Fantasy Baseball, it's definitely got me a bit on the shaken-not-stirred side. Do I take Zito in the first round, or do I go after a hitter? Do I trust my instincts, or second guess them?
I'm looking forward to whupping some ass in some fantasy league ball, but I really am looking forward to the Statistical Anomaly League. We've abstracted Fantasy ball a whole other level. We've got Runs, Triples, RBIs, Sac Flys, Stolen Bases, Caught Stealing, Walks, Hit By Pitch, Strikeouts, GIDP, Total Bases, Putouts, Errors, Fielding Percentage, and On base percentage. That's just offense. On to the Pitching
Games Started, Wins, Losses, Saves, Outs, Total Batters Faced, Runs, Home Runs, Hit Batsmen, Strikeouts, Wild Pitches, Balks, Batters Grounded Into Double Plays, Holds and Strikeouts per walk ratio.
That's right, we're just crazy. But it's another element to the game.
17 Days until the US opener. 11 until the A's play Seattle in Tokyo.
3:44:10 PM  comment []

Zen

So, way back when, there was Blogarama up in Adams Morgan, and several bloggers spoke with a reporter from the Baltimore Sun who came along with someone else to talk about blogs with actual bloggers. Tiffany is featured prominently in the article with Julian Sanchez and Glenn Reynolds talking about her blog. The article, however, fails to actually creates links on their page, so, whatever.
What follows will be a rant on, of all things, Lunch.
So, usually on Friday in my office, a bunch of us will send around the email to see who wants to go for lunch. Usually, we head up to Hamburger Mary's on 14th street. It's a kitsch restaurant with the tagline "Eat Drink and Be Mary." However, their burgers are good and not too expensive, and overall, it's not a bad place to go for a Friday lunch with a pitcher or two. It became my zen moment of the week. That final turning point after which I could work for a few more hours, with a little tiny buzz from the beer, and then go home, absolved of responsibility for the weekend.
Lately, however, there's been a disturbing trend to alter the ritual. We'll get a group that wants Indonesian, or Thai, or Martian or what have you. They'll drag the rest of us along on their adventure. I don't want to be a stick in the mud, but on a Friday, after a long week, I just want a beer, some fries and burger. Is that too much to ask? Apparently so.
Ya'll stole my zen, are you happy now?
Thank God Dave and I are hitting the gym tonight.
11:52:55 AM  comment []