Redbeard

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2011-05-13T19:27:00.000-04:00

Here's to another long lonely night on the 12 hour night shift that has become my life and my second home.

Missing half the week's Red Sox games has taken a toll on my blogging ability and my overall psyche, but after some moments of clarity, I'm looking to get my life back on track, as it seems it was spinning out of control.

I think that's the thing though- I'm trying to control it so much and I take it too seriously, which makes me upset, which makes me try to control it even more... vicious cycle, round and round, etc, affecting my family and interpersonal relationships. Now I'm trying to take a more peaceful approach to things. Similar to AA, anger management has you taking things each day at a time, each moment at a time. It's not easy to do my yourself and on lack of sleep, but I have to be willing to do it and have faith that I can do it and the self-control to do it. I could go through a laundry list of problems that seem to perenially keep me down, but what point would that serve? To get you, the cherished reader, to feel sorry for me? That's no way to live... it's much more helpful for me to find a more positive route for the way forward.

Meanwhile, in the Bronx, New York, the rivalry continues tonight. 3 games under .500, but only 4 games out of 1st place. Could be worse, could be better. Sox fans such as myself have had some exciting moments this season... I was off the night Carl Crawford had a game-winning RBI double in extra innings that scored rookie Jose Iglesias his first Major League run-scored, so I had the pleasure of watching that. It's just a matter of putting all the pieces together, and when that happens... look out! That's not to say this season is going to be easy, nor should it be; this is the AL East, the most competitive division in baseball with 3 top tier teams, and 2 not-so-bad teams always nibbling at our heels.

Here's hoping it won't be months before my next post. Fingers crossed!

Finding a Pulse

2010-10-01T02:01:00.000-04:00

Yes, the blog is barely clinging to life. Still alive, nonetheless.

Another baseball season has come and gone. The playoffs will be significantly less interesting to this baseball fan without the Red Sox. Heh... I wasn't even able to make it to a game at Fenway this year.

It's been very different this year. Unable to even watch half the games on TV due to my 2010 night work schedule, I feel a bit disassociated with the team I love so much; only able to catch a few games here or there in the half-week I have my off-nights.

Luckily I was able to follow some of the highlights of the season: Darnell McDonald's homer and walk-off in his first game as a Red Sox, Daniel Nava's first-pitch grand salami.

However, trailing the Rays and Yankees this year has a somewhat sobering effect. That's not to say I should feel entitled to a Division Title or even a Wild Card spot in the playoffs - I don't and I shouldn't. Plenty of teams languish for years without as much as a winning record, what makes our team so special? For years that's how it was with the Red Sox, then with one taste of glory, some have come to expect it all the time. Of course this is a natural reaction, once one gets a taste of the rich life, it is very difficult to come down from that high. It's not easy to be humbled, but one must have the virtue of grace to accept things as they come and roll with the punches, however staggering they may be.

In the playoffs, I believe I will be supporting Minnesota (they have a player from my hometown, Brendan Harris). Texas should be interesting, they have had very few playoff appearances and with all their posturing this season with some of the greatest talent that organization they have ever employed, they stand a real chance in knocking off the Rays or Yankees. On the NL side, I still favor the Giants, they have a great fun-loving chemistry in their clubhouse and a tenacious, never say die attitude akin to our Sox.

On the homefront, it's been a busy summer, many days at the town pool, our annual camping trip, a few days at the lake beaches, even one visit to the ocean this year early on in June. Fall is showing just as much promise. Here we are on the first of October... September passes ever so swiftly, as always, possibly my favorite month of the year, what with school back in session, lingering warmth from the summer but cooling trends coming into play, and the change in the colors in the foliage at the end of the month... it really is the perfect month. We took Sierra to her first live stage show, the Nickelodeon kids' show Yo Gabba Gabba at the Flynn (my first time in this downtown historic theater). She had a blast, she couldn't believe her eyes! My bro Tom and I also enjoyed a concert of a different kind - LCD Soundsystem - just incredible - although I had thrown my back out the day before so I couldn't enjoy it as completely as I could have with a healthy body. I really shouldn't wait for over a year to pass between musical gigs - being such a music lover as myself I should be getting out there enjoying as much live music as possible.

Keep on truckin...

200

2010-06-29T07:46:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I thought I'd get to my 200th post a lot sooner.

But I wonder, is blogging as popular as it used to be? Or have I just fallen off the proverbial blogging wagon?

Anyhow... in the last 2 months:

1. The Red Sox have improved from a sub-.500 team to the second best record in the league, 2nd only to the hated Yankees, of course, whose robotic machine of a team seemingly rallies every game in the late innings. The Sox have meanwhile gone 35-19 in May and June, despite SEVERAL injuries (Ellsbury, Cameron, Hermida, Beckett all on the DL for the majority of the past 2 months, and now adding 3 more over the past weekend - most importantly Pedroia going to the DL for a foot fracture, the other 2 (Buchholz and Martinez) won't likely hit the DL.

2. The Essex Hornets boys varsity baseball team are 2010 state champs! I've had the privilege of seeing a good number of their home games, every one of which they've won that I've seen (they only lost twice all year). What a perfect send off for retiring long-time coach Steve Ferreira of 43 years, the winningest high school baseball coach in Vermont history with over 520 wins. I've been honing my sports photography skills and here are some of the better ones from this season at the Essex home field.

4-9. 5 games in a row - 5 games under .500

2010-04-20T12:29:00.004-04:00

(AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

5 games in a row. All of them losses. From just keeping their heads above water to playing catch up. Such is baseball, and such is April baseball. No championship was ever won in the first 2 weeks of a season, so take heart.

I was on the road yesterday spending time with my family, and before I knew it, when I checked the score of the Patriots' Day game, our beloved Sox were down 6-0. On the road back, I had the latter innings on the radio in the car, and I heard Hermida's home run, so there's that.

At the end of the day, sure I felt disappointed, ultimately it sucked. Sucks even more seeing the Rays and Yanks at the top of the standings. But I still love my Red Sox, win or lose. Sorry no words of wisdom today, just keep the faith and keep on believing.

Around the rest of the league, I'm enjoying watching the San Francisco Giants. I don't feel that betrays my love for the Red Sox since they normally don't play head to head being in the National League, although they will have an interleague series come June. They really have a great chemistry; they really look like they're having a lot of fun out there. Between Lincecum's absolutely sick pitching skills and Sandoval's unassuming and quirky qualities, this is a team to watch, not just because they are winning, but because it always seems like a party with them, not unlike the 2003-2004 Red Sox. Maybe that's what the Sox are missing this year, maybe it is what they've been saying is a "bridge" year, a team built with spare parts. We will need time for the glue of this team to set and gel. Also it's amazingly difficult when you're starting your season against 3/4 tough teams over .500, we will need some bottom feeders to kick around to get our mojo back. But never give up on this team.

Hold on, it's going to be a bumpy ride. Some bandwagoners may fall off or take that bridge. Faithful and Diehards only need apply.

(next time: post #200)

A bit of update is in order

2010-03-09T14:54:00.008-05:00

These long blogging absences have got to stop. Apologies.

Fortunately for me, my unemployment period lasted less than 3 weeks, so hooray for me. Sort of.

I go from one large company to an even larger corporation, but a completely different line of work. I'm still trying to determine if it suits me well or not. The schedule is interesting in that I work nights for 12 hour shifts, 1900 - 0700, but I've adjusted to that, so long as I get a sufficient amount of sleep, which means I must sleep in until 2-3pm in the afternoon after hitting the sack around 7:30-8am. My schedule will stay the same: Wednesdays through Fridays, and working every other Saturday. Either way you cut it, if you're working the other side of the schedule, you're working half the weekend. Since I'm no longer a young party person, I don't really miss having Friday night off, I'd rather enjoy a quiet Sunday/Monday/Tuesday out and about, running errands and such.

Spring training is in full swing and couldn't be happier that the dawn of the 2010 Major League Baseball is upon us. Currently watching the debut of Stephen Strasburg in the Tigers/National game. Strasburg the bright spot in the game pitching 2 scoreless innings, now the Nats are getting smoked by the motor city kitties. No televised Red Sox game today (not until Sunday will there be next one) but they are looking good so far this spring. It's a shame a lot of the young kids won't make the club at the beginning of the season as there is limited space unless an injury occurs. With a rotation like Beckett, Lester, Lackey, Matsuzaka, Buchholz; starting lineup of Ellsbury, Pedroia, V Martinez, Youkilis, Ortiz, Beltre, Cameron, Drew, Scutaro; bench of Hermida, Varitek, Kotchman, Lowrie ; Bullpen of Papelbon, Okajima, Wakefield, DelCarmen, Ramon Ramirez, Bard, Bonser - that makes a full team of 25 (and yes that is all from memory). Much has been said about what is perceived to be a smaller offense - I don't believe the hype. Ortiz will be back to form much more quickly this season, Beltre, Cameron & Hermida will be better than expected so long as they mesh well with the team.

With our family's new Nintendo Wii, I HAD to get the current MLB video game. I'm currently embarking on a full 162 game season. I lost the entire first series against the Yankees, after leading in early innings, losing big in later innings as the Yankees are prone to do (as I was still learning the controls, so I will grant them that). Since then I have swept the Royals in that series, including a game-winning home run by Mike Cameron in the top of the 9th to win it 2-1, and CG shutouts by Beckett over Greinke and Lackey vs. the Twins (Mauer is rated 100 for contact and a very tough out).

On the music front, is it possible to already nominate 3 of the worst songs of the year? All equally awful: Bedrock, Hey Soul Sister, and Party in the USA (although there is an amusing mashup with Notorious BIG of Party & Bullshit by Hathberger).

For last year's worst song, I'd have to say Empire State of Mind because of the Yankee World Series implications. Ugh. Love NYC but HATE THE YANKEES.

Oh, and we taught Sierra to boo the Yankees. Good times.

10

2009-12-31T21:18:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!

Here's to a fantastic 2010! Unemployment is finally slowing, but caught up to me and nabbed me in its wicked net. Hopefully not for long.

The Red Sox are now Bay-less, but it's all about the name on the front, not the one on the back, and the Mets still suck.

Any bets on the next big RIP? Who would have guessed Michael Jackson... In 2010 I'll say Jay Leno gets it in a horrific green car mishap. Just kidding. Sort of.

The day we've finally waited for - P-Day

2009-12-19T08:45:00.003-05:00

No, not Truck day, the day the truck leaves Fenway in February for Spring Training in Florida.

It's official (almost, but good enough for us).

Sierra is finished with her potty training!!!!

Well, like I said, almost. We're still doing the pull-up thing for overnights - she was completely dry one morning, and 2 days before that she chose her big girl undies over the daytime pull-ups.

But after almost 1 year of training and hundreds of pull-ups later, we are at the finish line. Our wallets and the local landfills are thanking her!

Now THAT'S more like it.

2009-12-15T22:15:00.003-05:00

Just when I think you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this… and totally redeem yourself!

Yes I'm looking at you, Mr. Epstein. Signing John Lackey is a very good thing. Mike Cameron ain't half bad either (most of my Cameron memories are from the beginning of his career with the Mets, I thought he was going to go somewhere, maybe he'll finally get that ring with the Red Sox in '10).

Yankees might have murderer's row, but would you want to face a rotation like: Beckett, Lackey, Lester, Matzusaka (non-WBC year), Buchholz/Bonser/Wakefield?

Now, let's round things out with some hitters. Losing Bay and Lowell doesn't help, but there isn't enough Pepcid AC in the world that will help me through all the 1-run pitchers duels we might encounter in '10.

What happened to my team?

2009-12-10T20:13:00.004-05:00

Ok, I know it's not MY team but Theo's team. But what in the world is going on with the Hot Stove winter meetings this year? Honestly... the Red Sox are passing on Granderson, Bay, and Hanley Ramirez in favor of Marco Scutaro, Boof Bonser, and Max Ramirez? Who? Are we going for the team with the goofiest names? How do you expect to compete with the Yankees with moves like these? This seems to echo last year's lack of fanfare when we passed on AJ Burnett, CC Sabathia, and Mark Teixeira. What team got them last year? And what team won the world series?

Call me bitter. Call me negative. But to be the best, you have to beat the best. This new lineup, sans Mike Lowell isn't giving me the warm fuzzies.

Updated 9pm: Also, I am NOT alone in this.

Sorry

2009-12-07T21:57:00.001-05:00

I didn't want to have to do it. But I now have word verification. I'm now getting inundated with presumably Chinese or Japanese spam.

Too Early? Nah I don't think so. Best of 2009 albums.

2009-12-06T07:48:00.003-05:00

5. Florence + the Machine: Lungs

4. Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

3. The XX: xx

2. Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest

1. Passion Pit: Manners - I can't get enough of this album, truly. So many great tunes that could be turned out as singles, there is not one throw away track on this album. Sure it goes with the current 80s retro synth trend but it goes way beyond that.

So that's how we end the first decade of the 2000s. What will the 2010s bring? Who knows but I'm looking forward to it!

Well, now you've finally gone and done it.

2009-10-21T16:35:00.003-04:00

Part of my job is to add sales tax to orders that we ship across the good old USA.

I see all different types of rates for different states and the variegates within states, counties and towns.

Most places are a constant 6 or 7%, usually an accepted rate in America.

But lately I've been seeing that number creep upward in the normally suspect areas - blue (liberal states), which we've come to expect almost.

At first I noticed areas that moved into the 8% range. Then the same areas almost overnight it seemed jumped into the 9% range. And especially now with the economy still doing poorly, I don't understand how this is beneficial.

Today, I noticed a community that crossed the threshold into the 10% range. And not just 10% or slightly over it.

Graham, Washington now has a sales tax rate of 10.6%.

Remind me never to move there, let alone visit.

Family Bonding, 2009 style?

2009-10-13T15:20:00.004-04:00

Sunday morning we decided to treat ourselves out to a nice big Sunday breakfast out at a local country eatery. But that's not what this is about. Stay with me here.

10 feet or so from our table, the waitress seats another family of 3, this time with a boy of about 7 or 8 years of age.

::bleep bleep::

I turn my head in that direction.

::bleep bleep boop bleep::

Ok, they let the boy bring his Nintendo DS Game Boy. Ok, that's fine, let him mindlessly entertain himself while Pa catches up with Ma. Saves some of the childish hassle and whining. No problem.

::bleep boop bleep bleep boop bleep boop bleep bleep::

Oh. My. God. All three of them have Nintendo DSes, and they are all playing simultaneously.

Ok. So I shouldn't judge, but have we devolved that much as a society that we'd rather play video games by ourselves while we are out in public, waiting for meals or in between waitress visits?

Personally, I wouldn't even dream of this scenario, let alone plan ahead for it for my family.

Well, Redbeard, have you considered maybe they REALLY enjoy their video games? They may even be practicing for a major competition?

Sure, although I find this highly bizarre even in this day and age. Maybe I haven't subject myself in public to make myself aware of this phenomena, it may even be some sort of trend.

Ok, I realize, the ideals of a Norman Rockwell or Leave it to Beaver family have been long gone, but as a society we still grasp on to a fraction of those ideals, am I wrong? Sure, some nights I'll be on the lap top and my wife on her DS while Sierra is doing her own thing or watching one of us, but we're not doing it out in public. We don't do it to avoid each other, because *sarcasm* what would be worse than having to talk to one another as we bond over a meal at a dinner table, whether it be ours or not?

Outrage!!

2009-10-04T08:03:00.004-04:00

One of the new features when you open up your Yahoo mail is Yahoo Buzz.

Seems like a good idea on paper - promote good topics that people think are newsworthy and you can comment on them, and give them thumbs up or thumbs down.

However, it doesn't take very long looking through Yahoo Buzz that the only topics being trended up are hot-button controversial issues.

I'll spare you the inane comments people make on Buzz, but it's quite obvious the people commenting on Buzz are of a specific slant, then similar people vote up the conservative and/or ignorant comments, and any dissenting educated opinion is voted down.

My opinion? This is not a cross-section of world views, or even American views, but rather certain organizations have instructed (or possibly even employed) groups of people to post on Yahoo Buzz, then buzz up or down according to that certain slant in order to influence popular opinion and politics.

What say you?

Random Question

2009-09-10T13:17:00.001-04:00

Who would win in a fight: an army of vampires or an army of zombies?

Answers go in the comments section. Have fun!

A Lack of Something

2009-08-15T11:21:00.006-04:00

Certainly my motivation to blog has been lacking of late, settling for the daily Facebook interactions, which can be quite satisfying, but my creative juices have suffered because of it. In addition, the summer time isn't always the best time to blog, what with all the outdoor distractions that come with it. Throw in a busy 3 year old and... Oh my god I'm making excuses again!

At least I'm not the only one.

Ok, really, enough with my excuses! Focus... dedicate...

So a quick catch-up is in order.

No, not that kind of ketchup.

Sierra got a taste of pre-school this summer. After being referred to EEE (Early Education) for speech, they decided to rush her into a 6 week summer program (which was only 5 weeks due to our annual camping vacation), 30 minutes twice a week one-on-one, then in September she will begin 2 hours twice a week with other kids. So far she loves her school and her speech has picked up a little bit but she still has a long way to go (Thursday's child has far to go).

With a couple of flips and flops, the decision to move to New Hampshire for my job is off. Mistakes were made but I think this is the right thing to do. As a result, my mother is trying really hard to get me to move back to New York but I'm not sure about that yet.

We had another excellent week at Lake Groton. It wasn't all that warm save for a couple of days but it only rained 2 out of 8 days, so overall it was a success, Sierra enjoyed herself and we made it out of the campground to enjoy some of the other things - the Nature Center, Boulder Beach across the lake.

Enjoy some pics. Maybe I'll post again sooner than 3-4 months.

Milestones

2009-05-11T13:17:00.002-04:00

Yes. This morning my trusty vehicle hit 100,000 miles. Approximately 4 miles from home, in front of Saint Michael's College on Route 15 in Colchester, VT, at 8:00 this morning on the way to Burlington to an appointment at the hospital.

This has happened only one time before in my previous vehicle, which was little more than a block from home one day on my way home from work.

More fun with Google Street View Maps

2009-05-09T21:46:00.003-04:00

For some more street view fun, see ... well ... Streetviewfun.com. (Try to find the woman who tried to flash the Googlemobile! It's in there although the photo was removed on the Google site.)

My elementary school

Abbey Road crossing

Where I resided for 10 years with my mom (yeah it's a mobile home, what of it? narrowly missed that tornado although.)

Sierra's first easter egg hunt

2009-04-12T20:53:00.003-04:00

You can't stop them from growing. Now at 3 years old, she's old enough to grasp the concept of the easter egg hunt, albeit with mommy's help. Please enjoy the easter egg hunt video.

I Heart Google Street View

2009-04-05T13:49:00.002-04:00

Ok so you might have heard the story this week that townspeople in a small village in England chased a Google Street View camera car out of town. Me? I don't think there's anything cooler 360 degree street views in online maps, especially since we're house hunting out of state and we'd like to take the neighborhood into consideration.

Above, I'm keeping tabs on the house I grew up in. My dad sold it a few years ago after I moved up here to New England. From humble beginnings... well, i'm still humble. (sort of).

Adventures in Plumbing: Fountain (for Sparkle Plenty)

2009-01-17T07:44:00.004-05:00

So Sparkle Plumby... errr... I mean Plenty... has recently had some plumbing woes with her aunt and friend. This gave me the opportunity to share with some of what I do at work on a daily basis. For the last 4 years I've been employed by a water heater appliance distributor. If there's a complaint about plumbing, I'm pretty sure we've heard all of them.

Personally, I don't deal directly on the phone with customers with what I do, but there's enough of my co-workers around me that do, so I know how much abuse they take from irate customers. But understandably so. No one really thinks about their hot water until it's gone- taking showers, washing hands, clothes and dishes are rather mundane activities but if you can't do any of that, things deteriorate rapidly; so it's our job to try to restore that hot water as quickly as possible and keep our customers satisfied. Of course doing this is costly, which is part of the complaints.

Anyway, when one of our heaters goes bust or isn't up to snuff, they get returned to us. About 10 years ago, this fountain was created with returned tankless heat exchangers. A very out-of-the-box recycling endeavor... I know... water heating is a tankless job... (HAR!)

Protein Roll-up

2009-01-13T20:31:00.002-05:00

Here's a new healthy creation I conjured up yesterday:

1 Whole Wheat Tortilla/Wrap/Flatbread
2 Tbsps Hummus, any flavor (although I recommend Joseph's Supreme or 1001 Spices)
2 slices Light Bologna
10 slices of pepperoni

Spread Hummus in a rectangle in the middle of the wrap. Layer with bologna and pepperoni and roll. Enjoy!

Where the ducks walk on fishes

2008-12-31T08:51:00.002-05:00

Last night I had a laugh at this NPR 'All Things Considered' story. I thought I'd share to end the year since it would be tacky of me to do any resolutions or top ten lists. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Please celebrate responsibly...

Taking a Break

2008-11-24T21:00:00.000-05:00

Apologies to my few faithful readers and friends. Redbeard is taking a sabbatical from blogging as he is not feeling the creative juices lately, hence the lack of posting. Instead of turning in sub-standard posts, I'm just quietly going to turn the lights out and walk away from blogging for awhile. Maybe in 2009 I shall be inspired and make my triumphant return to the blogosphere.

Those of you who know where else to find me online, please continue to do so by those other avenues. Until then, take care, and peace.

Tyranny Is Dead. But Is Not Dead.

2008-11-23T21:07:00.005-05:00

I originally wanted to write this on September 3 2008. This would have been the 350th anniversary of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector who died on this date in 1658.

Always the controversial figure, he bucked the system when the system was corrupt by waging war against the Catholic King, Charles I. Of course we all know Cromwell then became corruptible after overthrowing and beheading the King. The Rump Parliament failed whilst Ireland was pillaged, then of course he did the ultimate flip-flop and shut down Parliament and assumed a dictatorship.

I've had some post-election thoughts. Though I have high hopes and the utmost respect for President-Elect Barack Obama, how much are things really going to change? Of course I hear the conservative grumblings that government will be so one-sided. My answer to that is that they should have done a better job in the last 8 years, then things wouldn't have come to this. The nation spoke, like a New Model Army or a changing of the guard, and our new leaders will take us forward.

But how much are things really going to change? Government is still government. They will still spout the same rhetoric; the same problems still plague us along with new ones. That is why I say, Tyranny Is Dead. But Is Not Dead. I do not know if Utopia can truly be a reality, if the human condition continues with corruption and deceit. It would be a good ideal to strive for, but with so many variables I highly doubt it truly can be achieved.

Election Day

2008-11-04T08:14:00.003-05:00

Yes, I've already voted at this early hour.

We do have early voting in Vermont, but I just don't trust it. Plus I like seeing everybody else going out to vote, and I wanted to have something to write about, since I haven't blogged in a super-long time. Shame on me.

So I woke up a few minutes before my alarm went off, at approximately 5:52am. I got ready for my day and even helped The Girl get Sierra's diaper and clothes changed. I left the house about 6:35 and got to my polling place across town at 6:45.

It was unseasonably warm - no frost, about 48 F / 8 C, and the sun was coming up against a cloudless blue sky. Forecasts indicate a warm sunny day reaching up into the lower 60s F / 14 C, excellent for an early November. So many other election days have been cold or with a cold rain. But today I only needed a light hoodie.

I got a decent parking place about halfway out. The end of the line at the school was half way between the school and the parking lot, there might have been about 100 people in line already. Scanning the people, the demographic seemed mostly male, white, aged 40+. I feared that the McCain voters were out in droves, but I calmed myself remembering this is a blue state and that Republicans are early birds. I came prepared for a long wait with my mp3 player, but not even 2 tunes in...

The doors opened a couple of minutes early and already we were moving inside the building at about 6:55.

Since I'm registered in District 3, which is the more rural sparsely populated section of my town from when I first moved up here, I could avoid the long line for Districts 1 and 2 in the gym to the left and move right into the small room to the right for my district. The surprisingly young election official asked me my name and crossed me off the list. No ID, no address necessary. She handed me my ballot and I stood in line for just a moment waiting for a booth to open up. I look up and down the ballot, which looks like a scan-tron form for a test we took in high school, and there I found it, Barack Obama. It took a second, I wasn't expecting to see the name at the bottom, however it was organized alphabetically. McCain's name was in the middle. I was out of there by 7:11. No bubbles, no troubles.

Ok, so I know what you might be thinking but no, I didn't vote party line on everything. I did vote Republican for the state Senate, namely because I want the Circumferential Highway to be completed and I think they would be the ones to push that through after years of red tape and silly environmental protests. This highway would be fantastic for business, especially for IBM, the state's biggest employer in my town.

So many emotions today. I was able to vote for a president who wasn't an old white male. I didn't allow myself to get "swift-boated" by negative ads like I did in 2004. I am voting for positive change. I am voting for a better tomorrow for my child. I am voting for better education and health care. I am voting to help end the unneccessary war sooner rather than later. I am voting to stand up and be counted. I am voting to be a part of history.

Missed it by THAT much

2008-10-20T09:18:00.004-04:00

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

It's only fitting that I end the Red Sox blogging season with a photo of Papi since I began the season with David Ortiz. The only exception being that instead of inspiring as the king of cool, after a lackluster injury-riddled season, he had struck out. Such is the game of baseball. After getting 2 more games than previously anticipated, our Sox were limited to one run in last night's 3-1 loss to the 2008 American League Champions, the Tampa Bay Rays. (Gulp, that sounds very odd and looks even odder in writing!)

But that's the reality of it. The Rays played like they have played all season. They have finally earned the respect of the American League, doormats no more. 10 years after their inception, they have earned their way to play in the World Series. My hat's off to them.

That doesn't mean I'll be rooting for them in the Series; I know where my loyalties lie. The Phillies will crush them in 5 games.

Thank you, Boston Red Sox for a fantastic season and for putting up a fight to the end.

Keep Smiling!

2008-10-18T10:31:00.003-04:00

AP Photo

J.D. Drew has a reason to smile. And all of Red Sox Nation is smiling with him.

Thanks to J.D. and his game winning RBI in Thursday night's historic comeback win, the Red Sox soldier on and play another decisive game. Do or die. Again. Backs against the wall. Again. Tonight, we take the battle back to Tampa, Florida with the faith of another miracle can get us through another game.

The Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays can bite my tweeter. Johnny Cash says so too.

Peak Leaf Peeping

2008-10-18T10:13:00.002-04:00

Just outside my door, looking down my street. Gorgeous in the early morning light as I head to the car.

Outside my window at work.

Drive-by photo of Camel's Hump from Bolton, VT.

Near Peak

2008-10-12T21:14:00.004-04:00

More love from the Mad River Valley in Central Vermont.

The Lesser Known Beach Boys songs, as sung by John McCain

2008-10-08T08:37:00.006-04:00

10. Bomb-bomb-bomb, bomb-bomb Iran*

9. Little Deuce Hummer

8. Be True to your Naval Academy

7. When I Grow Up (to be a Grumpy Old Man)

6. Help Me, Sarah

5. Arizona Girls

4. Let Them (Wall Street) Run Wild [b-side to Arizona Girls]

3. I Get Around (with Charles Keating)

2. Kokomo (Indiana, now nearly a battleground state)

1. Hot Fun in the Summertime (of Iraq for 1000 years)

----------------

*In no way do I condone bombing Iran. This is in reference to the deplorable joke McCain made that was brought up in last night's debate, which shouldn't even be joked about with war buddies. Like waterboarding. Senator McCain, you sir are not my friend, nor am I yours. Please stop calling me as such.

Early Autumn in Vermont - Appalachian Gap

2008-09-27T17:54:00.004-04:00

As always, clicky the piccy to biggy.

Heading up the gap on Vermont Route 17. Switchbacks ahead.

From the summit of Appalachian Gap looking west. Elevation 2375 feet, or 724 metres. In Vermont, the term "gap" or "notch" is used instead of "pass".

Radio tower also at the saddle.

The challenging gap is popular route for bicyclists. I snapped this brave fellow right before he crested, then he rode back down to his trailing mate to lend some support and crest the gap again.

Another lovely sunset from our third floor window, actually Sierra's room. She has the best view in the flat.

Top Ten Stand-Ins for John McCain at Tonight's Debate

2008-09-26T08:27:00.003-04:00

10. A cardboard cut-out of John McCain.

9. Sarah Palin (oooohh, that would be disastrous.)

8. Rush Limbaugh (do people still listen to this douche?)

7. Another Vietnam War POW (because that qualifies McCain to be president.)

6. A Ventriloquist. Is Howdy Doody still around? Someone call his agent, stat.

5. The Ex-Office Humpbacked Grinch.

4. Nothing for #4. Literally. The Empty Seat.

3. Curt Schilling.

2. Jeff Baker, the neo-con who brainwashed me into conservatism all those years.

1. A Rubber Chicken.

Storming the Fort

2008-09-23T20:22:00.010-04:00

*added to Doodle Week: Greed - I'm sure you're all ENVIOUS with GREED that I've met the illustrious Claire and Aerten*

Also, read Aerten's account here.

Yes, there is a real photo that this stick figure drawing is based on, but you'll never see it. See, I promised Claire aka CRPitt from A Little Piece of Me that I wouldn't post the photo, but I never said anything about doodling it!

I've been a follower of her blog since June something or other, and when she announced she was coming to America, more specifically the Northeast, I thought there could be a chance that I might meet this lovely English beauty.

She had already planned a couple days with fellow blogger Aerten in upstate New York, as well as some time in Boston, which put her within 3 hours driving time from my residence in Vermont. That was certainly doable. When she mentioned that they would be making the scenic drive up to Fort Ticonderoga in the Adirondacks on Lake Champlain, along the New York-Vermont border, I almost wet myself, putting them 1.5 hours away. Very doable.

I then decided to take a mental day off of work, made the obligatory sick call into my co-worker who would tell my supervisor for me (ah... pressure is off), then it was off to run some errands before we got the text saying meet us there in 2 hours.

Sierra and The Girl accompanied me and the wee one behaved herself very well. We took the fort tour, then wandered around the exhibit, discussing everything from "what would the British side of the history of the fort be?", "but wikipedia is the BIBLE!", my woes of my computer temporarily dying Sunday night (only to spring back to life Tuesday morning), and inevitably Claire's near Liverpudlian accent, which did sound quite akin to that of Sir Paul McCartney's.

After seeing pretty much everything there was to see of this smallish fort, the five of us headed to lunch in the small town of Ticonderoga at a small country diner called The Hot Biscuit for some country home cook'n. Actually pretty good for this sort of rednecky frontier small town of 5167 souls.

Our quick 3 hours had come to an end and we reluctantly parted ways, but our day with Claire and Aerten will not be soon forgotten. Also, I will now be a regular follower of Aerten after meeting her and her very interesting wit and weirdness (I mean that in the best possible way!). All in all it was a fantastic day - the weather was beautiful, Sierra was well behaved and slept all the way back home, and the only downside was losing my computer for the day.

*Ticonderoga was the hometown of one of my first girlfriends when I was 12. I once rode a bicycle that summer the 50 miles all day over mountains along Lake George to Ti in an effort to visit with her. Alas, she was spending the night at her grandparents after getting wisdom teeth pulled, and her parents drove me the hour plus back home to Glens Falls after midnight. It was the same day as SummerSlam 88.

Catching up...

2008-09-17T06:55:00.003-04:00

That's what us Red Sox fans have been looking at for the vast majority of the season - Tampa Bay in first place, Sox in 2nd. Personally, I thought they would have started slipping from that number 1 spot back in June before the All-Star break. But it never happened. We had the chance to retake that spot last night with a dead-lock tie for first, with 12 games left to go.

The other day, I actually saw a Tampa Bay fan up here while shopping at the supermarket. I felt like saying to him "SERIOUSLY. You're kidding, right? No - wait, you're wearing that ironically, right? You're trying to jinx them so they'll lose, yeah? No? Well do you remember where you are?" I had to snicker to myself.

Despite the 2 wins, the post-Tom Brady era isn't all that exciting, and one of my 2 fantasy teams has suffered for it, having picked Randy Moss in the first round with the 3rd pick overall. Grrr...

In other news, it's been great getting out of the house for boys night out the last couple weeks. D, who was the best man in my wedding, whom I thought I had a falling out with about a year ago, is now back in touch. Nothing like some male camraderie when you're around a bunch of women all day. Even at work, I only have 2 other males in my department, the other 4 are women, outnumbering us.

Have some random pictures from the last month or so.

Go Pats!

2008-09-07T11:09:00.007-04:00

Professional football has always been a part of my life. Sundays on the couch with my dad were the norm in my house as a kid growing up, and throwing the pigskin in our conveniently gridiron rectangular shaped backyard was commonplace. I remember my dad teaching me different passing routes, the difference between an out and an in, a post and a slant, a button-hook and a hail mary. He would bring home pick sheets from work and I would make my picks, usually the favorites because they had a better chance of winning.

Though my favorite teams have changed over the years (Giants, Bills, Packers, and now the Patriots), my love for the game hasn't changed over the years.

This time of year has always been my favorite - autumn's coolness replacing the heat of the summer. Schoolyard pickup games on weekends were a great way to get the guys together and flag football was played in PE. Defensive pass rush counts were heard: One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi...

Welcome to the 17 weeks of NFL Football.

PS: Kudos to my fantasy football mate Rob who named his "team 18 and OH NO". I know this Colts fan is snarking on our Pats but it is worth a giggle.

And I Quote... (I)

2008-09-07T10:53:00.004-04:00

But the leaders of the free world
Are just little boys throwing stones
And it's easy to ignore
Till they're knocking on the door of your homes

Passing the gun from father to feckless son
We're climbing a landslide where only the good die young
Passing the gun from father to feckless son
We're climbing a landslide where only the good die young

-Elbow, "Leaders of the Free World"

Special thanks to Dawn for the idea for quotable posts.

No such luck...

2008-09-05T11:27:00.004-04:00

...for the game running over on time on McCain. That was stitched up quite nicely, it couldn't be more obvious that the NFL and NBC had their marching orders, however isn't it funny how nothing has been mentioned about it? Similar to the ECONOMY NOT being mentioned in McSame's speech? (Yes, I sat through the lameness that was. Clearly I laughed the whole thing off while trying to withhold my contempt for the septigenerian.) But right on for Code Pink for disrupting the speech. Bravo.

Anyhow, WTF Strahan? Has the NFL been taken over by the WWE and/or Hollywood? I have never seen anything like that opening. So surreal. But by far the quickest game I've seen, the time clock seemed to move right along. Shocking.

In other news, with Comcast retracting analog stations off their basic cable (basically having people pay the same for less service as stations migrate from analog to digital - I'm not affected in the living room as I have full digital there, but on the other 2 TVs I don't have digital boxes), MSNBC was removed from analog service. FOX NEWS was not. I smell conspiracy. Comcast, shame on you.

Are you ready for some football?

2008-09-04T16:08:00.004-04:00

First, read this.

I sooooo hope tonight's NFL football season opening game goes extra long tonight, thwarting McCain's network manipulating plans to cash in on viewers. So if you're reading, Eli Manning, throw lots of passes, keep it close; Refs, throw lots of yellow penalty flags; and coaches throw lots of red flags for challenge replays. America is counting on you! Defend this country from the right-wing crazies!

Labor Day - one month to go in the baseball season

2008-08-30T10:11:00.003-04:00

With the Yankees' season finally dead most likely, I've compiled this video, hope you enjoy. Happy Labor Day weekend! I'll be heading to NY to spend time with my family and enjoy one more shindig before the end of the summer. I haven't seen them since May and the new baby must be getting so big. Lots of photos to come, for sure.

Doodle Week: Sunflowers

2008-08-25T21:22:00.004-04:00

It's time for another Doodle Week!

I need to bust out of this creative slump, so I thought I'd really give some effort and replicate Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers.

And here is the original, care of Wikipedia:

The Blame Game

2008-08-25T09:46:00.008-04:00

(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)
Red Sox' Coco Crisp comes to the aid of RF Jacoby Ellsbury after making a catch crashing into the outfield wall.

All work and no blogging makes Redbeard a dull blogger...

Apologies for the extended absence, I've been suffering from blogger's block, plus Saturday I focused my energies so that Nothing But The Girl would have a nice post. Also now that a lot of my Red Sox bloggy buddies are on Facebook, we've been whooping it up over there. I could also blame the Olympics, that's also sapped a portion of my interest, sadly leaving the blog to hang out to dry.

Then there's also my fantasy baseball team tanking and mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, 2 fantasy football drafts (one autopicked so I'm scrambling to make changes before next Thursday), not to mention domesticity. There is much to contribute toward my blog delinquency.

I will get cracking on a cracking good post for tonight or tomorrow, hang tight!

Oh, and did I mention, I really hate John McCain and his divisive Rove-like tactics? I truly hope that you, the voter, can see through this thinly-veiled rouse.

This world is way too small...

2008-08-18T15:09:00.004-04:00

So I get an order for processing this afternoon from one of my colleagues. I looked at the name on the order and did a double take. Looked at the address on it, sure enough, that's got to be him.

I went over to my colleague who took the order and collected the information and said "This is too funny, you're joking with me right?"

He looked perplexed.

"See this address? This is where I went to college. And this name? He was one of my professors - Western Civilization, freshman year."

Now mind you, I didn't go to a large school, we only had about 1200 students maximum at any given time. But after 9 years of not hearing that name took me aback.

Another colleague had overheard this and said "Maybe you should 'lose' this order."

I said, "Well, he may have not have been my favorite teacher but he wasn't the worst one. I'll give him fair treatment."

Just another random chance meeting.

More on McCain

2008-08-17T09:13:00.003-04:00

Care of TheRealMcCain.com and Brave New Films Youtube Channel.

If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.

Separation of Church and State?

2008-08-16T07:51:00.004-04:00

courtesy of someecards.com

Exactly what does God or religion have to do with running the country?

Tonight there will be a "forum" at the California megachurch Saddleback, home church of the Reverend Rick Warren and 23,000 of his mindless sheep. Here is an article.

If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.

At any rate, it's going to happen. Obama really needs to shine here and frustrate McCain to the point of showing McW's need for anger management and inability to calmly and rationally lead a country, amongst other misgivings. By now those of us in this country have all seen the audacious and incredulous ads McCain has blanketed us with. You would think it's a no-brainer that Obama should win the election in 3 months. However there are still some small-minded ignorant individuals who are in need of enlightenment, like Hillbilly Willy or the asses at Free Republic, where if you have a differing opinion, you will be ridiculed, zotted, and your IP banned from the server. How American. As the title of Michael Moore's book asks, "Dude, where's my country?"

[I can't believe I've linked those 2 horrible places on the net, but I'm just doing it to prove a point that these kinds of people still exist and cannot be reasoned with. I know, I was brainwashed by one for about 4 years. Yes, I'm looking at you, Jeff Baker of Pennsylvania.]

Just Because... More Distractions

2008-08-13T21:36:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Claire for sharing this lovely little tidbit. Llama llama duck!

Top 10 Albums Ever, IMHO, a distraction.

2008-08-12T11:40:00.003-04:00

To distract myself from what's going on around me (see yesterday's post just below), I'm going to list my top 10 albums. Something simple, but maybe it will create some interesting comments or you can even list your top ten if you so desire. I won't judge you.

1. Death Cab for Cutie: Transatlanticism
2. Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid
3. Cure: Disintegration
4. Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair
5. Sigur Ros: Takk...
6. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: Raising Sand
7. Barenaked Ladies: Gordon
8. Depeche Mode: Violator
9. The Smiths: Meat is Murder
10. Coldplay: Parachutes

Thank you to all the well-wishers, I am feeling a little better today, but who knows when the next wave will hit me. Anyone who's suffered grief before will understand - I compare it to treading water in the open ocean. You may or may not see land nearby. You can be treading water just fine, then a huge wave will suck you under, then you resurface, just trying to keep afloat, keep it together. Even for those of us some people consider "the strong ones", it's still the same. Tomorrow I will see the family and I'm sure it will happen all over again.

My/our supervisor who is blissfully unaware and out of the country - I'll be the first familiar face she sees when she comes back (I'm storing her vehicle at my place), and I'll have to break the news to her, and I've been thinking about how to do that. I won't have to do that until next Monday, and I'm sure all the same things will hit me all over again. Maybe not quite as hard or in a different way, but it will still hit me all the same.

Thanks to The Girl who made us a fantastic breakfast this morning, I was not expecting that. Thanks to her for putting up with my zombie ass.

This isn't how I wanted to start my Monday.

2008-08-11T09:12:00.003-04:00

The kind of coffee I usually get coming into work wasn't available.

I slammed my hand into the counter.

Small potatoes, those are nothing compared to what's really troubling me.

This morning I've come to find out the co-worker who happens to sit next to me, a part-timer, passed away this weekend. He was only 22. What I didn't know was that he had a heart condition. It was quite sudden by all accounts. Also his mother works here full-time, also in my department, actually my partner-in-crime as I like to refer to her as we work together on most of our projects. The poor woman... I've known her for the last 2 1/2 years. Her son I've only known like a year, maybe less.

I'm still trying to take it all in and just get through the grieving process so if I seem a bit off in the next few days to come, please understand. Thanks.

What I've Learned From "No Reservations" with Anthony Bourdain

2008-08-08T09:01:00.002-04:00

Ok, I'm going to wrap all this China/trout stuff together.

Awesomest show of the decade, No Reservations, featured either on Food Network or Travel Channel (I can't remember which - maybe both!), had a wonderful episode a few months ago. It featured Anthony in rural China, fishing with fisherman in the boats on whatever river it was in those funky looking mountains that look like something out of a fantasy novel or Lord of the Rings.

Except these fisherman had no fishing poles. None in sight. Instead they used an ancient method used in some societies around the world which used partially domesticated cormorants. Fishing with birds. The birds dove (see what I did there?) off the boat, diving to deep depths for what seemed to be an eternity. Suddenly the cormorant would surface on the water, the fishmonger would grab the fish from out of the cormorant's gullet. It was amazing to watch...

Ok so it shouldn't be any surprise that birds have been domesticated for ages. But placed in cages. Most people don't trust birds outside of a cage, you know for that whole flying away thing. Even used in occupation - the canary in a coal mine, those were caged. And what's preventing the cormorants from swallowing the fish for their own? I was so transfixed on this faraway place and the ancient time-tested traditions.

If I was in China, that's what I'd want to do, not inhale the nasty Beijing smog... I'd rather work in the rice fields than in a factory...

Have a marvelous weekend!

Hey, where's that trout that stole my comments???

2008-08-07T06:36:00.002-04:00

Is anyone else having issues with disappearing comments? Because in the Striped Bass post, 2 comments disappeared. Not marked 'deleted'. Just GONE.

Brown Trout

2008-08-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

Beware of the Brown Trout...

aka Phoning It In...

Trout Bass Week!

2008-08-05T10:31:00.003-04:00

The best way to catch a salt-water striped bass is to use a hot dog as bait. True story. The Girl's 8 year old cousin did it off the Maine coast earlier this year.

Obviously not the 8 year old cousin. Photo by massbayguides.com.

Trout Week!

2008-08-04T08:42:00.004-04:00

Ok so I bet you're asking yourself, what does Moxie have to do with trout? Well, I'll tell ya.

This week has been declared Trout Week by the lovely and also Canadian Cake, and she has delivered a very punny trout post today. So I thought of the only trout story I could think of.

With camping week still fresh in recent memory, I'll tell you a camp / fishing story.

There's this fishing hole some distance away from where we camp where one of The Girl's uncles takes the kids. All the kids are sworn to secrecy and I've never been there, so I can't tell you exactly where it is other than it's in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

It's on private property, I can tell you that. Uncle brings a whole gaggle of kids once or twice a year during the camping trip to this fishing hole. Uncle tells the kids there's just one price for admission to this coveted fishing hole.

A SIX-PACK OF MOXIE.

Soda. Fizzy drinks. Non-alcoholic. This man loved his Moxie.

Now if you're not familiar with Moxie, let me tell you. Moxie is one of the most vile concoctions ever produced. It can only be found in New England shops. It's like liquid marmite in a can. I've tried it only once, and only once is all you need.

Uncle and kids give the gentleman his Moxie, and he shows them the way to the fishing hole. Uncle and kids come back with about THIRTY Brook Trout (affectionately called Brookies around here), all about between 8 to 12 inches in length. Evidently fishing here is like shooting fish in a barrel. Just drop in your baited line into this small stream, and a bite is just moments away. Unreal. These are quality fish too, not some farm raised fatty fish. I ate at least three of these little guys last time they brought fish back.

So moral of the story is:

Almost in Jesus-like miraculous fashion, you can turn 6 Moxies into 30 Brook Trout and feed the multitude.

Happy Blogoversary, DrowseyMonkey!

2008-08-02T00:01:00.006-04:00

A little over a year ago, I began on my own blog venture. On June 10, 2007, I took on the Redbeard persona originally as a baseball journal. It didn't take long for all other aspects of my life to take over the blog, which has made it more of a personal / humor / sport / music / political / mixed bag type of blog. As the cliche goes, life is what happens when you're making other plans. Now here I am on the eve of my 150th post! (I didn't post very often in the beginning.)

Little did I know shortly after I had begun my blog, so would a happy-go-lucky Canadian that goes by DrowseyMonkey. We had only met just a short month ago or so just before I went on vacation and just before Doodle Week.

So here's to you, DrowseyMonkey! :lifts glass: Cheers! Salut! Slainte! Tops and Bottoms...

Great Britain Journey, part 5

2008-07-31T21:15:00.003-04:00

The West Country and the South Coast | Part 4 | Part 3 | Part 2 | Part 1

Day 29

- depart Glastonbury
- West on A39
- Exmoor National Park

Day 30

- Tintagel
- Padstow
- Newquay

Day 31

- Penzance
- Land's End

Day 32

- eden project in St. Austell
- Dartmoor National Park

Day 33

- A30 to A35 to A31 along the South Coast
- The New Forest

Day 34

- M27 to Brighton

Day 35

- Seven Sisters
- Hastings
- Sissinghurst Garden

Day 36

- Dover
- Canterbury

Day 37

Pip pip, cheerio and all that sentimental rot. Fare thee well, England. Back to the Colonies with me.

Unless I take the train to Paris from here.

Moment of Fleeting Brilliance

2008-07-30T11:21:00.006-04:00

Some weeks ago, I replied to Dawn's situation upon waking up in tropical humidity and the power gone out. I'm still impressed how this little tidbit came out:

What would Shakespeare say?

"Whence in times of lack of coolness,

Get thee to a place of shops

Wherefore there art backup generators

To cool thy moist skin."

Maybe I should make this a series, or an advice column and write a short sonnet as a Shakespearean response and throw in some anachronisms and errant spellings to make it just goofy enough.

Monday Video to Start Your Week Off Right: Lake Groton 2008

2008-07-28T00:01:00.003-04:00

Since I started last Monday off with a video, I thought I'd do another one for this Monday.

Here is a collection of the photos we took while we were in Groton, and a few at the end of Sand Bar State Park on Lake Champlain at the end where we went after coming home from Groton to escape the heat.

Pet Therapy and Get Your Wellies On

2008-07-26T07:16:00.006-04:00

Click to enlarge, of course.

The flooded Winooski River.

The not-so-famous Vermont Hiking Cows. Look at them get way up this steep hill!

Camel's Hump shrouded in clouds.

Subtitle: Stay clear or he could rip your arm off.

Our illustrious ~~maintenance~~ facility manager is nowhere to be found most of the time. Most likely he's enjoying himself at our Florida facility. Or parked next to the fire station stealing wifi.

When my co-worker wore her wellies to work, I had to take a picture of them for Jayne as I know she is wont to wear her wellies all day, even when it's not rainy. And these are fancy heart wellies.

So the little beast that could rip your arm off made an appearance.

She was not shy at all to ~~ripping my arm off~~ licking me to death.

Outside, the rain came pissiting down.

The Mad River was also running up on its banks and this narrow rock filled area was creating some severe rapids.

To conclude, possibly 2 of the cutest houses in Vermont, directly across from each other in Moretown, VT.

Have a good weekend!

Love's not a competition, but I'm winning...

2008-07-25T09:28:00.004-04:00

...at least I thought I was, but there's no way of knowing. -Kaiser Chiefs

Ok, so I've been sitting at a mediocre 65 friends on Facebook. For a LOOOONG time. Probably the better part of a month or so. About a month ago, The Girl was sitting pretty at about 30 friends.

Then IT happened.

She added her maiden name to her last name on her profile. How unfair and selfish!

She's steadily increased friends since then and caught up to me yesterday!

So what did I do?

I went out and sent out a shit ton of friend requests to people I knew, but didn't really know too well. I've already got 5 adds since yesterday.

Sometimes it pays to be shallow.

(I'm not usually this shallow, but it makes for a fun blog post! Please take this as tongue-in-cheek as a sign of our times!)

The Redbeard and Sierra Show, episode 1

2008-07-23T20:29:00.005-04:00

First, read Jayne's post and her comments section. (Apologies to those who previously got a dead link before. The programmer has been sacked. Oh wait, I can't fire myself. --edited 7/24/08)

Second, watch this.

The After-Party

2008-07-22T22:28:00.001-04:00

The stage in the daylight over a sea of automobiles.

Well, thank you McDonalds. We will try not to throw trash at your employees while sweeping.

The cheap seats. Reeeaaaallll cheap.

Nighttime lights of the stage.

Some more links to follow for more coverage:

Story by WCAX CBS channel 3. - Do NOT miss the link to the video coverage. Reporter Jack Thurston is super duper excited to be in the presence of Sir Elton. Most likely the best story of his young career to date.

Slide show - Champlain Valley Expo

We couldn't stay for the whole thing, Sierra was getting tired. But he did some favorites before we left:

The Bitch is Back
Tiny Dancer
Levon
Believe
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Daniel

and a couple of others we didn't know.

Monday Dance Video? & Elton John Day!!

2008-07-21T00:01:00.005-04:00

Since I haven't really embarrassed myself yet here on this blog, I thought it was about high time that I did. Ok so I was bored today and saw Erika's vlog entries and her link to the news people doing dances, and I've been thinking about doing this one for some time, so here it is! If only I could dance as crazy as Aaron Behrens of Ghostland Observatory.

Also today is Elton John Day. We don't have tickets. Sold Out. But it's an outdoor concert at the fairgrounds, sometimes we can hear the concerts from our house a mile away. We need to do laundry anyway. Laundry place is right in front of the fairgrounds. So is McDonald's. So we walk from the laundromat over to McDonald's picnic tables and hear it for free.

The stage where Sir Reginald Dwight will be playing. (Actually, probably not, this is the second stage they have set up today for a country music festival.)

Local music store displaying Elton John's Red Yamaha Piano, valued at $80,000.

The store was closed so I took a picture from outside the window. I'll take a better one when the shop is open. It was a foggy rainy day Sunday when these were taken. It appears Elton brought the English weather with him.

Doodle Week: Body Doodle

2008-07-20T08:30:00.004-04:00

For awhile now I've been thinking about getting some ink work done on my arm in a tattoo sleeve and I think I've decided this is what I'd get: a drawing of one of my medieval Welsh ancestors (Rhys ap Gruffudd) with a Celtic cross/dragon, hopefully it will look something like this.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! One more day until EJ-day in EJ! That's Elton John Day in Essex Junction.

Doodle Week: Pet Doodle

2008-07-19T07:27:00.002-04:00

Pets by Porno for Pyros

Maybe another race could
Come down and take o-ver for us
Maybe Martians could do
Better than we've done, We'd make great pets

Doodle Week: Evil Doodle

2008-07-18T21:18:00.003-04:00

Need I say more??

Yes, Yankee Stadium, aka the Toilet. More evil there than anywhere on earth, so long as the Steinbrenners are running the organisation. I was originally going to do Doctor Evil, but wouldn't you know it Yankee Fan Jeter Harris had already done it. So something needed to be done, since this IS a Red Sox Fan's blog. Notice A-Rod and his purple lips took over SS.

Doodle Week: Vacation Doodle

2008-07-17T21:09:00.003-04:00

Today's doodle takes us to the seashore where Redbeard is bold enough to swim in shark infested waters. And what's this? The slugs who were incensed by the last post are chasing Redbeard whilst surfing on this Great White. Spongebob Squarepants joins along for the ride and hangs 10 and seagulls play target practise with Redbeard's head. True Story.

Doodle Week: Garden Doodle, and Slugs

2008-07-16T19:50:00.005-04:00

Beware: Gross Factor = 7.5 out of 10

Why did the slug cross the road??

To get to Sparkle Plenty's garden!

Honestly, this was the largest, longest slug I've ever seen, must've been about 3 inches or so - it was crazy huge!

But if you're having slug problems in the garden, Redbeard's advice column is open and ready to dispense with the knowledge. Just please don't compare me to John Tesh. *blech*

Dear Redbeard,

My vegetable garden has been plagued by slugs all summer, this must be some kind of record year. What can I do?

-Sluggish in Saugus, MA

Dear Sluggish,

I hope you have a strong stomach. Or perhaps a weak one, depends on how you look at it. By accident, we made a discovery while on a camping trip. We first got to the campsite and for whatever reason, most likely car motion sickness, The Girl got sick at the edge of the campsite. Much to my chagrin, about an hour later after setting up the tent, I found her vomitous on the wipes she used to clean her mouth off also around the perimeter of the campsite.

What does this have to do with slugs, you ask? Well, when I picked up the sick wipes, there were about 2 or 3 slugs that had raced to the play up to get a tasty morsel.

I got to thinking, if one had some extra play up around, perhaps after a night of infrastructure *drinks* or if a pet randomly heaves on your favourite pillows, one with a vegetable garden infested with slugs could strategically place the play up around the perimeter of the garden to draw out the slugs!

In honour of Sir Elton John coming to my town on Monday!

2008-07-16T15:37:00.002-04:00

Read here ---> http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2291076,00.html#article_continue

Mmmmm.... Eating Elton John....

Doodle Week: Space Doodle

2008-07-15T21:01:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd give Claire's Doodle Week a go. Feel free to have a laugh at my pathetic sophomoric attempt at using microsoft paint. Cheers.

Reflections on 32 years

2008-07-14T21:02:00.003-04:00

-I'm almost halfway through my 30s now. *sigh*

-40 really scares me. 40 says I'm really old now, and definitely not young by any stretch.

-Chocolate cake has never tasted so good. Even when it's cheesecake.

-Can I trade my 32 years in for two 16 year olds?

-No, I'm not having a mid-life crisis.

-If I knew then what I know now...

-You're only as young (or old) as you feel. Somedays I feel 22, some days I feel 52.

-It's just another day (day 11,688), but now that I've recently discovered I'm also part French, it makes me just a little bit more bonded to Bastille Day.

-The Girl says the above piccy of my shadow looks like a dildo.

Silent Sunday: NEK photos around Lake Groton

2008-07-13T07:45:00.005-04:00

For more photos see The Girl's blog.

Pass the Deep Woods Off

2008-07-02T22:41:00.002-04:00

Lake Groton Boat Parade

"Now do you want to ride the jetboat, or cruise the lake in comfort?"-The Great Outdoors

I'm off to brave the wildlife in the Northeast Kingdom for a week.

Also to self-medicate and to wander aimlessly in the wilderness with several open containers.

Send a rescue team if I'm not back by the 14th to give you more self-indulgent history lectures, er... I mean perspectives.

Happy 4th! I'm about to get drunk up in this motherf.... oops, sorry if there's kids around.

Catherine

2008-06-26T21:00:00.005-04:00

Historical Series part 2 | Part 1

Catherine cried.

"I can't believe he's gone, not like that.

He's dead. . . my brother. . . he's dead.

He was doing so well, I mean, it was just months ago that he was conferred as Earl. An Earl!!! Do you know what this could have meant for this family had he not crossed...?"

Her husband Morgan comforted her. "Don't you worry, we'll be fine."

"But the way it all happened, it all happened so fast! It was only eight years ago that we were common folk. Everything was just as it was, we are simple folk. Sure your father enjoyed his closeness with the royals, he married the cousin of the king. We are but simple brewers, pulling pints in our pub. We live a quiet staid life, we could not imagine all this excitement in our lives all over again", Catherine said as she sobbed over her words.

Morgan pulled her in close to reassure her. "We are fine, he finds much favour in our son, we have nothing to be disappointed about." Mistakenly Morgan utters these words in misunderstanding, thinking only of themselves.

"But he's my brother! His head was fucking cut off, can't you see that? He did not deserve such hell!"

Morgan retreated a bit. "All I'm saying is when you're close that to anyone in a position of power - and Henry, if I can be frank here, is the most powerful man I've ever seen in action in my lifetime - you better not get on their bad side and unfortunately that's what he did."

"I don't know", said Catherine sullenly as she settled down. "I suppose he did. But still, 8 years of service to the king and it ends like this? He was a simple clerk, an office boy for Wolsey, and then It began. He just had to have Anne, didn't he?"

"Men have needs, and an insatiable appetite such as a king's cannot be quenched. You know this of men, I need not remind you of this. You know the story, the old bat Aragon was not doing it for him. She was his brother's wife and much older, as you recall. God bless her soul," Morgan reflected.

"But that whore, Anne" -

Morgan interrupted - "Anne helped get us to where we are today, like it or not. His influence has helped this whole family. Our Richard was granted the old nunnery up in Huntingdon two years ago and our nephew Gregory was allowed to marry the one true queen's sister Elizabeth Seymour, things are still looking up," Morgan waxed nostalgic.

"Yes, I suppose," Catherine replied. "But how horrible, put in the tower for treason and heresy. If only had he not pushed for His Majesty to remarry so soon, and to that ugly German, what did He call her, the Flanders Mare? Then to have his head cutoff, boiled and impaled on a spear and placed on London Bridge facing Southwark? That damned Norfolk, he's to blame for this. May he get what's coming to him and his niece Catherine Howard, whom His Majesty just married," she said angrily.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Thomas Cromwell was executed on July 28, 1540.

---------------------------------------------------------------

**Poetic liberties were taken in this post, it is unknown the dates of death of Morgan Williams and Catherine Cromwell Williams. They would have been in their late 60s-early 70s if this were to be true. -SJD

We Interrupt this Historical Series for these words.

2008-06-24T21:00:00.004-04:00

Google reader has changed my life. Never miss another blog post with Google Reader! Use it today! And subscribe to all your favourite blogs, for instance redbeardonredsox.blogspot.com! It's way easy and fun to use!

Ok, now with that shamelessness out of the way... I got an idea from the geniuses at Surviving Grady. Ok, actually it's the same idea, with different results. It's the Random iPod game!

Take your iPod/MP3 Player/computer music library and put it on random. List the next 5 / 10 / 20 how many ever tracks you want, I like seeing what kind of music people listen to.

Here are my random 10 to get us started:

1. The Shins - Pam Berry. Short 1 minute interlude track from an otherwise brilliant band.

2. Death Cab for Cutie - Brothers on a Hotel Bed. Fantastic track from their breakthrough album Plans.

3. Big Audio Dynamite - The Bottom Line. The first reincarnation of the Clash with their classic 80s post-punk anthem.

4. Santogold - Shove It (feat. Spank Rock). I love this newcomer, I never get sick of this album.

5. The Ramones - Beat on the Brat. Classic punk tune.

6. Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench. Foos rock, they have never ceased to amaze me since Dave Grohl and the boys burst on the scene shortly after Kurt Cobain and Nirvana passed away.

7. Los Campesinos! - Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks. Great new twee indie pop band out of Cardiff, give them a listen.

8. Death Cab for Cutie - Death of an Interior Decorator. I swear, they don't always sing about death! Still one of the most fantastic bands of the past few years.

9. Editors - Escape the Nest. Just brilliant.

10. Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Happy. Sort of a one-hit wonder from the 90s, I really had higher hopes for this band after buying their cassette as a teenager after seeing them on MTVs 120 Minutes.

Ok, have at it!

*Ted, I know you're musically challenged so you may obstain.

William and Morgan Go to London

2008-06-21T22:16:00.003-04:00

Historical Series, part 1

William ap Ievan was an excellent Welsh archer. In those days, he was one of the best. So much so that he caught the eye of Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford who was the Lord of Glamorgan, sat in Cardiff Castle. William was from just outside present-day Cardiff in the Vale of Glamorgan, which to this day remains the more Anglicised part of Wales; partly due to its proximity to London and the heart of England, also due to its role in the Wars of the Roses, fought in part by Jasper.

You see, Jasper was a Tudor, before the name Tudor was made infamous by King Henry VIII. Tudor is an anglicisation of the Welsh Tewdwr, which was a common name in those days, which happened to be Jasper's great-grandfather's name. Jasper's father's name was anglicised from Owain ap Marededd ap Tewdwr to Owen Tudor, setting up what would be the Tudor Dynasty, and the lineage of the monarchs of England to go henceforth. Jasper and his father Owen laid claim to the kings of the old Welsh kingdoms of Powys, Gwynedd, and Deheubarth, having descended from Rhys ap Gruffudd (The Lord Rhys), among others.

Jasper's mother was the former Queen Catherine of Valois (valois meaning French for Fortune), who succeeded her husband King Henry V of England. Also Catherine was the daughter of the succession of French kings; her father being King Charles VI (le Bienaimé or le Fol) of France, being of the line of French kings that began with King Philip VI le Fortuné.

In the days during the Wars of the Roses, Welsh marriages were outlawed and were done in secret. Thus, Jasper's two daughters were considered bastards, although had it not been for the infighting in England between the Yorkists and the Lancastrians, and the Welsh struggle to show support for England after Richard III ascended, the marriage and the children would have been legitimate in the eyes of English law.

Anyway, this story isn't about Jasper, after all, it is about William and Morgan. William surely had impressed Jasper so much that he consented to the marriage between William and his daughter Joan Tudor. The Wars of the Roses were over at this point, their marriage legitimised, and they had a son, Morgan ap William.

Now with the ascension of Jasper's nephew Henry VII (whom much time was spent with Jasper in his younger years) to the throne of England, and William with his status of top archer, William made the obvious choice. He brought his family to London to join in King Henry VII's entourage.

As the years went on, Morgan grew up and married a woman named Catherine from Putney, just outside London, daughter of a brewer who ran his own alehouse in that town. Little did Morgan know in the years to come that her younger brother (13 years between them, as Catherine was 22 when she married Morgan) will come to work for the royal family and again alter the course of English history.

Great Britain Journey, part 4

2008-06-19T06:31:00.002-04:00

Now to refresh everyone here's a link to
Great Britain Journey part 1
and
Great Britain Journey part 2
and
Great Britain Journey part 3

Day 22

-Depart Manchester
-Take the M56 toward Cheshire into North Wales.
-M56 to A55 through Conwy to Bangor
-Penrhyn Castle
-Snowdonia National Park

Day 23

-head south along the Welsh coast (A470 to A487) out of Gwynedd
-Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
-Pembroke Castle

Day 24

-A477 to A40 to A48 to M4
-All day in Cardiff
-Cardiff Castle

Day 25

-Stratford-upon-Avon

Day 26

-Oxford

Day 27

-Stonehenge
-Bath

Day 28

-Glastonbury

Overheard this morning.

2008-06-18T09:35:00.002-04:00

::in car commuting with carpooler KC::

::driving past a man picking something up out of a puddle::

KC: Someone lost their money and this guy's picking it up. Hope it was at least a 10 or something.
RB: Yeah, I don't think I'd stick my hand into a dank puddle for a dime.

::pause::

RB: DANK. I like that word too, it's just fun.
KC: That's some DANK shit, mayne.

::laughter ensues::

--------------

Office speak phrase of the day:

"Let's get all of our arrows pointing in the same direction."

You may now commence with the eye rolling.

Some of my favourite words.

2008-06-17T10:06:00.003-04:00

Filth.
Juggernaut.
Rural.
Plutonium.
Rubbish.
Titillate.
Douchebag.
Underwears. (yes, with the 's' on the end.)

There's my top 8. You got any words that you think are fun to say, just to say them to give you a giggle?

And there's a prize. 50 Redbeard bucks to the person who can write a sentence using all 8 words. Redbeard bucks only valid as legal tender currency in the Republic of Dalbonia.

My wife the blogger

2008-06-16T20:49:00.002-04:00

At Sparkle Plenty's suggestion, Jess has started her own blog. It can be found here.

In other news, I think I got Sierra to say Manny, but it sounds like "Man-mee" or "Man-man".

Body Parts

2008-06-14T14:07:00.002-04:00

Video courtesy of Jess, Mrs. Redbeard.

Also today Sierra graduated to a big girl bed. For the past week she's been screaming whenever we put her in her crib for a nap or down for bed. She would scream for almost an hour in come cases, and she would scream when she woke up, increasingly earlier and earlier each morning. For the past 2 mornings it's been at 4:30-4:45am.

At first we thought it might be the heat. We put the fan in her room, no change.

Then we thought that the light in the room coming through her southeast facing windows were keeping her up in the evenings and getting her up early in the mornings. We nailed blankets over her windows. This temporarily assuaged her crying for one night, then she was back to her old newish habits.

So this morning we took Jess' old single bed out of storage, knowing we were keeping it for Sierra when she is old enough. And now is the time. Taking down the crib was a lot easier than putting it together with no instructions (I had bought it secondhand from a co-worker). We put the bed together in no time although my wrists are quite sore from the ratcheting.

Sierra was absolutely giddy when we got her up in the bed. Now tonight will be the true test - what will happen when we put her down for the night unrestricted.

Desert Island Disc

2008-06-11T17:00:00.004-04:00

If you were stranded on a deserted island and you could only listen to one CD over and over, what would it be?

Mine without a doubt would be Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's Raising Sand, for many reasons which I would love to go into detail, but I'll withhold that for the comments section.

How about you? You've been tagged.

[edited 11:30am 6/12/08] WAIT!!! I CHANGED MY MIND!!!

I want Elbow's The Seldom Seen Kid as my Desert Island Disc. Utterly brilliant disc, I'm so glad to have been introduced to them, I need to go check out their back catalogue as well. I just listened to it twice the whole way through, and I could do with another listen to be completely honest.

Workplace hijinks and nature

2008-06-06T20:17:00.007-04:00

Click on the photos to enlarge.

It was extreeeemely cold the other day so CB decided to wear her fleece on her legs.

I was bored so I needed to amuse myself by drawing a watch on my hand. Notice the time. Never mind my pasty whiteness.

No doggie appearances this week, this was the closest we got - DF brought in a gift she was giving a friend of hers with a Dachshund.

You must bring us.... A SHRUBBERY! Yes, one with red on the tips. Ooh yes I quite like that.

The Zen garden, replete with heelstone.

The dandelions are all but gone, but in their place have come these peculiar red flowering weeds that are actually rather pleasant looking, with their shades of purple in their stems.

A patch of the red flowering weeds.

At the crest of the hill stands what looks like a smokehouse or maple sugaring shack. Definitely abandoned, the sign above what used to be the door says "The Treehouse / Welcome".

The view from the crest of the hill looking across scenic VT route 100 to the hills of Waitsfield.

Clouds cling low to the mountaintops opposite from the lush green football/soccer/lacrosse fields on this leaden-skied day.

Oh, and the Red Sox emptied the dugout last night in a huge brawl. But of course you already know that. We won, too. The game that is, not necessarily the fight.

Random photos from holiday

2008-06-01T08:18:00.002-04:00

Sierra sitting in her toys again.

Bleeding hearts from mom-in-law's garden.

Sierra feeding Shelby cubers (ice cubes).

Sierra and her cousin Charlotte in NY. They're growing so fast.

Rebecca (9 days old in the photo) and her uncle Redbeard.

Time Lords

2008-05-28T20:34:00.004-04:00

While in Boston I stopped in ye olde funny book and nerd shoppe and met the pleasant reporter Lois Lane as planned and unexpectedly the ace of bacon. While there I picked up a copy of Doctor Who magazine featuring actor Peter Davison (whom you might know from "At Home with the Braithwaites", one of my favorite shows from a few years back). Little did I know I got the special edition that contained a bit of magic.

The next day I was surprised to see the Tardis on the front lawn and was lured inside with candy. I was whisked away to parts unknown. When we stepped outside the Tardis, we first saw this lovely garden.

We went a little bit up the road and came across this farmer plowing his field the old-fashioned way. I commended him for his brave fashion choice in hats. We followed the sign to the village, we weren't far from civilazation, fortunate for us.

Next we saw this house and asked the lady of the house where and when we were while she was cooking dinner. 1799, Massachusetts she replied.

Sierra was given some goldfish crackers which immediately attracted the attention of this woolly beast, and nearly mistook Sierra's hand for baked cheesy goodness.

The good doctor was nice enough to take this group photo in front of the town, who saw us coming. We were dressed oddly to them so they formed a lynch mob so we needed to high tail it on out of there.

Not even the cuteness of this lamb would stop the mob armed with torches and pitchforks. They kept yelling "burn the witches, burn the witches!"

The doctor was briefly distracted as he is wont to do by these wild violets. Silly doctor, we need to run!

The townspeople started building this stake where we were to be burned at. Funny that they wanted to burn us right in the middle of this lovely garden next to the village common.

Luckily we escaped with our lives with nothing more than a mere splinter. Nothing was accomplished in this mission. We only managed to frighten the simple townspeople of Old Sturbridge Village and we were returned back to our own time.

Pilgrimage.

2008-05-23T21:40:00.003-04:00

Mecca.

Canterbury.

Jerusalem.

Add Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts to that list.

Speakers on for the full experience.

Stumbling over what to say

2008-05-16T04:00:00.005-04:00

Apologies for the lack of interesting material of late, but I'm heading off on holiday tonight. I'll have the laptop with me of late I might try to blog from the road.

Whilst on the road, I hope not to see too many of these characters standing on corners. The ones up here stand out in all sorts of dismal weather, usually hiding behind their billboards, or "directionals" as they say in the biz. They seem the most miserable lot; the job can't pay that much and to hold a sign, you really do look like a chump just to boost your business by a scant 8%. I really do feel sorry for this lot; I suppose I shouldn't, it was their choice to take such a horrid job, but I still can't help it if I want to splash them with a massive rain puddle or throw a half-empty cup at them as I drive past. However, here are the Elbow lads and the most cheerful human directional to ever twirl a sign.

Here we go again

2008-05-13T21:26:00.006-04:00

9:05 pm EST: Sister of Redbeard heading to hospital to deliver her 2nd child.

We still don't know the gender of the baby; he or she refuses to show him/herself in any and all ultrasounds. We are prepared for a very stubborn devil child.

9:29 pm EST: Red Sox - bases loaded with no outs for Manny Ramirez. Down 5-3.

9:34: Manny fouling off pitch after pitch.

9:35: Manny gets jammed inside and grounds into a double play, out at home and first.

9:38: Mike Lowell flies out to left field to end the inning, stranding 2 baserunners.

9:39: Realises that maybe this live blogging thing is bad luck for his team. However, baseball pales in comparison to the delivery of the newest member of our family.

Wednesday 14 May, 7:15 am: Receives call from Mother of Redbeard. Sister of Redbeard has been in hospital all night and received her epidural at 5 am. Any time now.

7:25: Redbeard leaves the house to commute to work.

8:30: Redbeard arrives at work, no new messages.

8:40: Redbeard gets call from Mother.

::drum roll please::

Rebecca Hosler was born at 7:52am this morning. No middle name as of yet.

7 lbs 6 oz, 20 1/2".

Pictures presumably soon to come.

No News

2008-05-09T19:42:00.002-04:00

Nothing new to report really, but things are going well. Lunch was provided again at work today, 2 Fridays in a row now. Today was somebody's birthday, and unlike Milton from Office Space, I didn't get skipped on the cake. Or cupcakes, as it were.

Red Sox win again in a fantastic effort by Josh Beckett and Manny DelCarmen who did a fantastic inning of work in an otherwise lackluster year (season ERA shrank from 7.30 to 6.75 in one inning of work).

It is cemented, I will be joining fellow bloggers in a "palooza" in Boston next weekend. I'm extremely psyched.

Oh and I'd like to thank the US Treasury for depleting the government account so we can pay for gas. Today was the first time I've filled up my gas tank completely in the last month. Lately, I've only been getting $20 here, $20 there. It's like I gave my car an extra treat with a full tank. Sad times, these.

But that's ok, it's a weekend! Happy Mother's Day, especially to all you single moms out there, who do so much for your kids. I hope your kids do something a little extra special for you! Now at Sprockets, we dance...

Great Britain Journey, part 3

2008-05-06T22:02:00.004-04:00

First, some updates.

1. The Humpy Emailing Puzzle Retard who ruined streaming audio and other frivolities at the job has left the company, her temp assignment was up. We threw a going away party, but it was more for us celebrating her departure than honouring her time there. Don't let the door hit ya, biotch! Walking into work on Monday was quite honestly a breath of fresh air, I really had to pinch myself. She really is gone! ::happy dance::

2. Sierra now loves bacon and pizza. We couldn't be happier. Until she gets a cholesterol problem. But at least now, no more bacon abuse. But she still loves her toast. Just wait until I get her up to a full English. Now that's a proud moment.

3. Elton John is coming to my town, MY TOWN!!! This summer to do a gig at the fairgrounds, but not during fair week. First time to Vermont I hear. I'd say that's almost better than the Queen coming to town. Wait, it IS the Queen coming to town! Who's next, George Michael?

Now to refresh everyone here's a link to
Great Britain Journey part 1
and
Great Britain Journey part 2

And now,

Day 15

-Edinburgh all day
-Edinburgh Castle
-Royal Mile
-Holyrood
-possibly an extra day in Edinburgh, depending on how much we love it. All plans are subject to change.

Day 16

-M90 to A92 to A915 to St. Andrews
-morning/early afternoon in St. Andrews
-A91 to M90 to Perth, where there's a Red Sox fan in Scotland I've met online who would get together for a pint. You know who you are, Nips.

Day 17

-M90 to Aberdeen
-short stop in Aberdeen for lunch and a quick walk
-A944 to A97 to A939 to A95 to A9 to Inverness.
-take loads of photos passing through Cairngorm National Park

Day 18

-morning in Inverness
-drive along Loch Ness down the A82
-pass Ben Nevis
-drive through Loch Lomond National Park, still on A82
-night in or around Glasgow, again.

Day 19

-drive south on the M74 to M6 to A66
-Lake district all day. Lancashire right and proper.

Day 20

-quick jaunt through Yorkshire National Park
-quick swing by Wigan and on to Liverpool
-remainder of day in Liverpool.
-Docks museum
-Beatles museum
-pass on the jokes please.

Here's one. What do you call a Liverpudlian in a suit?

The accused.

Day 21

-debate still exists in my mind whether or not to spend a day in Manchester or not, since I'm not much of an Oasis fan or Joy Division fan. I am however a fan of the Moz and the mighty Smiths, that might be worth the day itself. Please convince me people of England, otherwise I'd go on to the next leg that takes me through North Wales, Snowdonia and down the western edge of Wales through Radio 1 Aled's hometown of Aberystwyth. I'm the only gay in the village. (Is there a Llandewi Breffi?)

More to come...

(Red Sox win again, with back-to-back blasts by Ortiz and Ramirez! No easy feat in Detroit's enormous Comerica ballpark.)

Friday 5 Meme

2008-05-05T16:20:00.003-04:00

Today's Meme c/o Dawn.

1. Describe where you grew up:
Upper Hudson Valley, New York. About an hour or so north of Albany, the state capital. A small city of ~14,000. On the outskirts, within walking distance to a beach on the Hudson River. There is a small mall (I miss Caldor! Don't you?), a drive-in (there used to be 3, one of them the adult variety). Besides the school trips to the state museum in Albany or passing through on the way to summer camp, I never went there until I was a teenager (to the bigger, way cooler 2-story mall).

2. Do you wear any jewelery?
Only my wedding ring usually. I'm not one for chains but I do have a watch that I seldom wear. It's so heavy and I don't like the idea of being weighed down by time or bound to a clock, so I prefer to go without it. Such a hippie, as contrary as that is to being a punk, but some ideals they can agree on.

3. What do you have too much of?
Nothing, you can never have too much of anything. Well, maybe excess weight. I would love to get down to a svelte 190 again, a number I haven't seen since high school.

4. Who is a fool?
Stupid drivers that make me get all road ragey.

5. What's your nickname?
My sister calls me "Mon Frere". Professionally I try to go by Stephen at work, but most people who know me call me Steve.

Things to do during a 2 hour 20 minute rain delay

2008-05-03T07:17:00.005-04:00

-do the laundry*
-make whoopee
-go shopping
-put the kids to bed*
-set the squirrels free
-reload the mp3 player with new music
-get drunk
-sit in traffic waiting for the train to pass*
-wash the dishes, especially the forks. filthy buggers.
-make a new x-rated blog
-get ready for Vermont Green-Up Day
-go fishing
-watch the 40 Year Old Virgin*
-count the balls in the yard
-text someone
-buy tickets to the Elton John show that just went on sale
-make strawberry shortcakes*
-search for a good Friday dance video

What say you?

Have a most enjoyable weekend.

*things that actually happened while I waited for the Sox to start their game. Waiting paid off, they won 7-3 after I fell asleep.

Well you say you want a revolution...

2008-04-30T09:58:00.004-04:00

I've come to the realisation that this should be my theme song.

It seems as though I have been destined to be a revolutionary.

Born a bicentennial baby. Also born on Bastille Day. Also descended from figures in the English Civil Wars.

Even my senior quote from my high school yearbook was a quote from King Missile: "Just Protest, even because it's Saturday, and there's nothing else to do."

Free Tibet. Free Iraq (meaning US get out of Iraq-that's the only way they'll know freedom). Free Darfur. Is East Timor still in turmoil? Free them too. Free America. Free yourself.

Let's Go for a Ride!

2008-04-26T15:44:00.005-04:00

No, not that kind of ride. I can't afford gas anymore.

So we walk.

Put your feet up, we're about to go around town in search of spring blossoms and colorful gardens.

The cemetery borders the business district in the background. Also on the right is the train station, I wonder if the trains that go by several times a day wake the dead. Oh, hey Owen.

Yes, this house is purple. Do not adjust your computer screen.

Yes, that is a painted recycled tire. We Vermonters are quite inventive when it comes to recycling and gardening. Notice the recycled railroad ties in some of the other gardens.

Treehouse!

I just like the top of this house a lot and the ironworks around the chimney.

Video Experiment #1

2008-04-24T20:41:00.010-04:00

Friday video is a little early as I won't have much time Friday morning to upload this. Hope you like it; a little homemade creation taken a couple of weeks ago. It was still stick season/mud season when I took this (a few ice chunks still clinging to open rock faces). But now I know what it looks like to drive at 300 mph.

If you don't know what stick or mud season is, please allow me to educate.

In addition to the 4 seasons everyone knows, in the north country, stick season is when the leaves have fallen but there's no snow yet, or after the snow has melted.

Mud season is when the snow melts and the dirt roads turn into a muddy, rutted, difficult to drive, bloody mess.

Then there's black fly season. No explanation necessary.

Also there's the not-so-old joke (or maybe it is) about the 4 seasons in Vermont:

Almost Winter.

Winter.

Still Winter.

Construction Season.

Anyway, I digress. Spring has sprung forth, here are some photos I took today.

Play nice in the sandbox.

2008-04-23T20:26:00.003-04:00

Daddy I love the Red Sox. (The words I can't wait for her to say, almost as much as Daddy, I love you.)

Chin up!

It isn't fun until you have sand in your hair. Then when you take a bath, the sand will exfoliate your scalp.

Happy

2008-04-22T10:05:00.002-04:00

That's Sierra's new word. She said it over and over this morning. She was in a very happy mood this morning, and why shouldn't she be? She's been going outside everyday now playing with some older kids in the sandbox in our condo complex. The weather has been gorgeous - about 75 F / 22 C all week. This morning coming in to work, seemingly overnight, everything is springing up green. Buds and leaflets on trees, green grass, and flowers! Yes even flowers! And the 5 game win streak for the Red Sox!

There are lots to be happy about. Quite the turnaround from the dismal end to last week. As long as I can still carpool and afford gas, I'll stick with this company.

Now doesn't it make you feel better...?

2008-04-18T19:52:00.003-04:00

Apologies for the moodiness today, but I need to rant here, so brace yourselves.

2 weeks ago, my IT guys sent a company wide message: No streaming audio allowed henceforth. Ok, no problem, I can deal with that, I can bring in my MP3 player even though this means I won't be up on the leading edge of indie rock during the week. I later learned that this is the humpy emailing puzzle retard's fault. Apparently she got the bright idea to do it herself, but she lacked speakers. So she goes to the IT guy and asks him for speakers, he says "what for?". She says so I can listen to the radio online. He says well you're not supposed to be doing that. She says why not, so and so does it (another co-worker who also cannot stand LL). Then the email went out, no more streaming audio.

But that's just the start of it. A day later, I try to get onto Facebook. Denied access by Barracuda firewall - Social Networking. I try Youtube (so I can do my Friday videos). Denied. (When embedded in a blog, it shows up as an empty space.) Red Sox Nation Ning, Flickr, livejournal. Denied. Denied. Denied.

Bastards.

But here's the kicker. I missed a company wide meeting on Wednesday while in New York where the CEO announced - after over 9 months of planning that the office would relocate from 35 miles away to the next town over from where I live - that we would not be moving the office due to our numbers not being met and the current economy being the way it is.

This totally blows because I've been anticipating it and it would help out a number of us that live in the more urban area from having to drive to the Mad River Valley. Carpooling isn't working out as well as I'd like it to although it seems that more of an effort is going to be made and HR is going to restart an effort in coordinating a vanpool, of course they're reluctant to pay for or subsidize it at all. But they've been doing that whole song and dance since they've been anticipating the move and courting more commuters from Chittenden County. Now that gas is about 3.50 a gallon give or take a couple pennies, it's really starting to hurt so much so I'm seriously considering leaving the company, I've already started looking online. When I started working there, I was just a newly married guy. Now with a child, I would really like to be home more with Sierra instead of the added commute time.

What was also disturbing was when it was announced, the local townies, one of them my manager were high-fiving and celebrating - how rude and inappropriate. She said and did a couple of other things which were also rude and inappropriate, and that really bothers me.

I wish I could be like Peter Gibbons of Office Space: "I don't think I'm gonna go anymore."

To finish, since it's Friday, get your Doc Martens on 'cause we're going back to 1994 and doing some moshing with Nine Inch Nails. To sum up: it just about sums up my day.

Mortality

2008-04-17T16:01:00.004-04:00

Thanks for your support all. I quite enjoyed the bread, T.A.R.D.I.S. cake, macaroons, coffee and marshmallows! You all are too much!

It all was very sweet the last two days. He was a sweet old man, and my dad, his sister and his brother all spoke fondly this morning of him. I wish I had more memories but having spent the better part of the last 14 years over 100 miles from the rest of my family will do that to you. There was more laughter than tears the last two days and I'm very thankful for that.

And now, picture time. It's a little unnerving seeing your last name on a headstone, but I had to take a picture shortly after the committal. (These gravediggers don't waste any time.) Notice the nice little camping scene on the lower left.

Sierra liked playing in the sandbox top more than the actual sandbox itself.

Charlotte joined in the fun and her Poppa stopped by and thought it'd be a great idea to spin them around in the sandbox top which is cleverly disguised as a red crab.

My mom took this at the girls' party - her cousin Charlotte and friend Eliza are looking at her like she's nuts.

Decisions, Decisions...

2008-04-15T20:24:00.003-04:00

Ok, I think I'm done tinkering with colors. The yellow shown much brighter on a desktop so I'm going with sort of a Sox theme. Red, white, blue, and Fenway Green.

The photos were from last Tuesday on the previous post from my 4 day weekend. Since then I haven't been doing much but I'm heading back to NY to be with my family tomorrow- weather should be great 60s maybe 70s (15-20C). My grandfather passed away on Monday. Save the tea and sympathy though, we weren't all that close, but thanks anyway. He lived a full life, he was 78. He was the last of his generation on that side of the family, and now I have one lone grandfather left as my grandmothers have already passed.

But it has made me a little contemplative on my own existence.

Things I've been thinking about:

Life is short.

Life is what you make it.

Life is too short to be angry or hurt or to have an attitude or a chip on your shoulder.

Make sure your loved ones know how much you love them.

R.I.P Grandpa D, aka Dink, aka Bob. We will miss you. I know I'll miss the clam bakes and riding the 4 wheeler and snowmobile, among others. Here's to wishing we could have had another beer together.

The Life of Riley

2008-04-14T20:50:00.003-04:00

First we sent Sierra slipping down a slope from great heights.

Then we placed her on a suspended bench and reflected a very bright sun off the lake.

Then we saw if she could swim. Keep swimming, it's only 9 miles to New York on the other side of the lake.

I think I just saw Champ, the American Loch Ness Monster! Oh, it's just a buoy. Keep swimming.

If you make it all the way across, you win one of these million dollar lakefront condos. (Not Really.)

Ok, since Jayne asked for it, albeit 3 days late, here's the Friday Dance Video.