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NHL Hockey playoff overtime is amazing

I’m writing this post while keeping a watchful eye on the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks hockey game — it’s game 6, double overtime, 1-1.  Stars up in the series 3-2, but game 7 (if necessary) is in San Jose.  So they want to close this out.

I’ll be the first to admit that hockey is not my favorite of the major sports.  I’m not sure which is, it varies depending on my mood.  But it’s not hockey.

But that having been said, dang, playoff overtime hockey is amazing.

It’s so, so tense.  Knowing that the next goal could come in 5 seconds, or it could come in 20 minutes.  It’s up and down, fast-paced.  It’s a real battle, and every possession is a hold-your-breath-nail-biter.  One little odd skip of the puck on an uneven piece of ice, and the game (and possibly the season) is over.  One misplay.

NBA overtime is tense.  NFL overtime is tense.  But in the NBA, it’s a full quarter — so each possession is huge but you can give up a couple of baskets and bounce back.  And in the NFL, the game rarely ends on a deep pass or long run.  It’s usually a slow, methodical drive to the 25 yard line that results in a field goal.

NHL?  Sudden death, and the goalies take their game up a notch.  Amazing stops on huge scoring opportunities.  Up and down, and anything can happen.

Too much typing.  I’ve got to get back to focusing on the game.

Go Stars!

Sun May 4th, 2008 10:47 pm
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Filed under Sports/Dallas Stars | 1 Comment »

Annoyance of Day™: Banner ads that talk

Advertising drives the internet.  I understand that, and can deal with it — even this humble little site has an ad on it here and there.  And with the rise of contextual advertising and niche marketing, I’ve even clicked on some ads because they were — get this — relevant, interesting, and presented a product I was interested in.

But then there are the run of the mill banner ads.  Ones that have very little or no relevance to the content and whose sole method of gathering attention is being annoying.  Previously, this meant garish colors, annoying Flash animations or animated GIFs.  But, for some reason — perhaps file size limitations, perhaps content providers refusing to break a certain threshold of annoyance — sound had been blissfully missing from the majority of banner ads.  You saw it every now and then, but it wasn’t that widespread.  (At least, it wasn’t that widespread at the sites I was visiting.)

But now there’s a series of banner ads pointing out that I’ve won an iPod or a computer or a boat or something.  I don’t actually remember.  Nothing new, really.  The same ad has been around forever in some incarnation or another (which means it must actually be effective, which makes me worry about the IQ of the human race).

But this ad has added voices, now.  Sometimes, a perky female reads the copy to me, telling me I’ve won.  Sometimes it’s a fresh-sounding male.  Either way, it’s annoying.  Very annoying.

So, I’m sitting here listening to some tunes and reading a website that will remain unnamed and unlinked because it carries this ad.  Then the perky female starts reading the ad out loud while I try to read some content.  The ad runs its course while I’m reading and find a link that I decide to follow.  I click the link, a new page loads, and the ad reloads.  Which means… guess what!  I may have won!  I repeat this process one more time before running away from the site with my speakers muted.

To recap: I click on the ad exactly zero times and leave the site and am very reluctant to go back.  Was it worth it, content provider?  I’m probably not the only reader thinking this.  Remember content providers — make sure the ads on your site won’t cost you readers.

Sat May 3rd, 2008 9:55 pm
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Filed under Business/Advertising & Marketing, Business | No Comments »

Ceremonial first creepy-crawly sighting

I think now I’m truly officially a homeowner.

I was awakened a few minutes ago by the sound of something pitter-pattering across the hardwood floor.  I had my suspicions, so I turned on the light and sure enough, there it was: a cockroach.

Now, a little background about me.  I’m terrified of roaches.  My top five fears, in order goes something like this:

  1. Nuclear armageddon
  2. Death by asfixiation after being buried alive
  3. Roaches
  4. Complete global economic meltdown resulting in return to hunting and gathering society
  5. Destruction of the universe via rogue science experiment

I had to summon all my courage to go to my closet for a shoe with which to try to take care of the problem.  It would be my luck that my adversary would foresee my manuevre, and run over near my shoes.  The roach was clearly saying, “You have to get past me first.”

Luckily for me, I had forgotten to put my sandals with the rest of my shoes.  I grabbed one and methodically stalked my prey, waiting to strike until he was away from areas where he could hide and potentially escape.

I attacked with a single, potent strike, and felled my foe.

That is, of course, the easy part — cleanup is even more challenging.  I had to gather all my fortitude again, and made a makeshift broom and dustpan out of some junk mail sitting on my desk.  (But not until I did some extra prodding, to make sure there would be no surprises from a playing-possum counter-manuevre from the roach.)

A flush of the toilet was the sound of official victory.  I had handled the first roach situation in my house, and did it without screaming once and without calling for my roommate Mike for tactical backup.

Wed April 23rd, 2008 4:14 am
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Filed under Life | 1 Comment »

On measuring success

One the topics floating around here in Meadows administration is the topic of measuring success — specifically, how students define success and whether or not that changes throughout the course of their college career.

That got me to thinking, how do I define success?

Life-wise, that’s a tricky question.  But career-wise?  Easy.

Flexible hours, an office with a door AND a window, and the ability to afford furniture made out of real wood instead of particleboard.

I’ll get there one day…

Tue April 22nd, 2008 4:28 pm
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Annoyance of the Day™: Income taxes

It’s April 14 in the US, so what could today’s annoyance of the day be if not taxes?

Of course, calling tax time an annoyance is like calling a leg amputation a minor medical procedure.  But the point stands.

The current system of taxing, deductions, and 9,000,000 pages of tax laws on the books is arcane.  Do I have a better solution?  Probably not.  OK, no, definitely not.  But I’m tired and grumpy from doing my taxes, so really the point here is to complain, not to fix things.  I’ll let people much smarter than me fix things.

But, on the bright side, I do live in Texas, so there’s no state income tax.  But I am paying 8.25% sales tax.

And on another bright side, there is the federal economic stimulus package.  I think that since over the past year I have proven that I will not be wasting my money not stimulating the economy and sticking it in savings accounts but instead driving business by purchasing critical items such as Rock Band for the PS2, I should get a bonus stimulus package. 

After all, if you get taxed more based on your income, you should be rewarded more for your frivolous purchases, right?  I think the logic there is as sound as any.

(Note: This originally was going to be a well-thought-out post discussing the economy, taxation, and solutions to an outdated system.  Or as well-thought-out as any of my blog entries. But instead you have this drivel.  And I apologize for that.  I encourage you, dear reader, to bring some intelligence to this topic in the comments section.)

Mon April 14th, 2008 10:55 pm
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Filed under Life | 2 Comments »

Important NCAA basketball bracket update

One of my pet peeves in life is when people talk too much about their fantasy baseball, basketball, or football team or talk too much about their bracket around people who aren’t in their league.  Sure, amongst other people in your league?  Talk until the cows come home.  But among unconcerned parties?  Spare us the details of how your second string wide receiver did.

But, rules are made to be broken.  And I have to share this important NCAA basketball update:

I won my office pool, picking not just the final two but the champion, Kansas.

It was quickly pointed out to me that this wasn’t such an impressive feat, since I picked the top two ranked teams to finish one and two, in that order.  And that the office pool had a total of five people in it.

While those minor details may be true, I still have finally broken my tradition of losing heartily in NCAA bracket office pools, dating back to an internship with Micrografx in 2001.

So, I’ve decided to go ahead and brag to every soul I can find.  Didn’t play in the office pool?  Don’t care.  Don’t even work with me?  Don’t care.  Don’t even know the difference between NCAA and NBA basketball?  Don’t care.  If I run into you, I’m going to brag about this for a little while.

I think I earned this one.  And if not, fine.  I’ve never claimed to not have a hypocritical side.

Feel free to consult with me for my opinion on the NBA playoffs, 2008 NFL football season, and eventual World Series Champion.  My crystal ball is nice and polished.

Tue April 8th, 2008 8:47 pm
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Filed under Life, Sports/National, Sports | No Comments »

On stubbornness

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a pretty stubborn cat sometimes.  More often than not, really.  Sometimes, it’s because I have a strong conviction and feel that I’m in the right and don’t want to compromise.  But sometimes I’ll be sitting around minding my own business and having a stubborn moment all by myself.

For example, a few days ago I decided that it probably wasn’t going to be cold anymore here in Dallas this season, so I folded up my heavy comforter and put it away in the closet.  I jumped the gun a little bit, though — because last night it was chilly and I woke up in the middle of the night cold with only my sheets and a light blanket.

Now, had I had my thinking cap on, I would have gotten up, walked five feet to my closet, pulled out my comforter, and resumed my slumber.  This would have taken all of 20 seconds, probably.  If that.

Instead, I decided the better decision would be to stay in bed, rather cold.  And laying awake thinking, “Hrm.  I’m rather cold.”

So, I’ve decided I have to come to grips with my stubbornness and better learn when it is an asset and when it is just silly.  I started by pulling that comforter out of the closet this morning.

Sun April 6th, 2008 7:05 pm
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Dirk Nowitzki is a lot of things - including tough

From the day Dirk Nowitzki was acquired by the Mavericks on draft day, one of the knocks on him was that he was soft.  He’s been fighting that reputation ever since, which I think is a pretty unfair one.

He went ahead and proved that he is as tough as they come — and, as John Hollinger of ESPN Insider wrote, “a freak of nature” by bouncing back from a high ankle sprain after an unheard of 5 games off.  That type of injury can take months to heal, not days.

Dirk wasn’t 100% against Golden State, but the way he made the surprise start really woke the Dallas basketball world up.  The crowd was more electric than it’s been since the 2006 Finals run.  And most importantly, the players had a swagger I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Dirk’s inspiration was the MVP of the game.  Jason Terry played with hustle and energy we haven’t seen from him, and Josh Howard was being a good garbage collector inside.  The Mavericks were just getting to more loose balls.

This season will come down to how well Josh Howard, Jason Kidd, and Jason Terry will play.  Against Los Angeles tonight, Dirk was spectacular — but Howard, Kidd, and Terry all disappeared down the stretch.  The Lakers were able to double and triple team Dirk, and Howard and Terry missed badly on some open shots.  And Kidd wasn’t able to get out in the open court and orchestrate in space like he’s so adept at doing.

Dirk’s defense is better than it’s been: he’s getting a lot of key blocks coming helpside and he’s rebounding well.  And Dirk’s toughness can’t be questioned.  And he’s playing efficient, spirited basketball.  But the team keeps losing close games.  They need to figure out how to win these close games — when the open court game shuts down and things tighten up at the end, the Mavericks tighten up and take bad shots.

They’ve failed at getting to the free throw line late, and I think that will help them.  Of course, referees are more reluctant to call that foul late in the game, but you’ve still got to drive the lane and try to draw that content to have a chance late.

I feel like this team is close to figuring it out.  But they’re running out of time this season to get it figured out.  The playoffs are around the corner — and if the Mavericks aren’t careful, it could happen without them.  I don’t think that will be the case, but it’s possible.

I think Dirk will be able to get this thing on his back and carry them into the playoffs.  He’s shown he’s tough enough.

Sat April 5th, 2008 12:05 am
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Filed under Sports/Dallas Mavericks | No Comments »

Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson. Whatever.

I know I haven’t blogged in a while, but the whole Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson thing has me a bit riled up, so moments before the Cowboys and Giants kick off in round 2 of the NFL playoffs, I figured I would weigh in.

I understand that when two celebrities date, the paparazzi will show up and everything the couple does is “news.”  Fine, whatever.  I think the coverage is overblown, but people are eating it up, so it will continue being covered.  I can understand that.

Tony Romo made his choices, and it’s his right to do what he pleases in his free time.  I don’t think the city of Dallas, or the rest of the country, should criticize what he does in his free time.  I know that if it were me, I wouldn’t appreciate the media and every Joe on the street telling me what they think I should do with my free time.

Which brings us to the Tony Romo / Jason Witten / Simpson family weekend in Mexico.  Yes, Tony’s job is to be prepared for the Giants — and it’s his coach’s job to help him get prepared.   That coach told the entire Cowboy team, including Tony Romo, to take a couple of days off and re-energize.  Tony works hard to prepare, and every teammate that’s gone on the record about the subject has said as much.   He earned the break.So, what he did on the break doesn’t matter.  No one is criticizing Jason Witten for going to Mexico, so why criticize Romo?

The city will blame Jessica Simpson and Romo’s relationship if the Cowboys lose vs. the Giants, no matter how irrelevant the subject is.  In a way, I feel for them — I know I wouldn’t want that scrutiny on my relationships.  And I know I’d feel awful if my girlfriend was blamed for any shortcomings I might have.Which means Tony has put a lot of pressure on himself to win this game.  If anyone can handle that pressure, it’s Tony Romo.  He is who he is, and has confidence in his abilities and his team’s strengths.  I wouldn’t be comfortable with that pressure, but that’s reason #18931 I’m not an NFL player.  (Reasons #1 - #18930 have a lot to do with my athletic ability).

The only solution to this situation?  The Cowboys winning the Super Bowl.  Go Cowboys! 

Sun January 13th, 2008 3:45 pm
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Things I learned about Dallas real estate on my way to becoming a home owner

So… it’s been a little while since my last post.  The full time day job is keeping me busy, as is the burgeoning side business.  I figured that wasn’t providing me with nearly enough stress, so I decided to enter the Dallas real estate market.

I did eventually find a house, after roughly six months of looking (not all six months were spent in full-tilt-house-hunting mode, but a lot of it was).  I learned plenty along the way — and as a peace offering for my absence from you, readers, I’ll share what I’ve learned.

  • It helps to have a good realtor.  My realtor, Stephanie, did a great job, despite the fact that I am indecisive, picky, inconsistent, and, all in all, probably the worst client ever.  To make a long story short, we looked at so many houses that if you calculated her commission into an hourly rate, she probably made about 38 cents per hour.  She did do a great job — and also does apartment locating.  Check her out at www.citilandapartments.com .
  • No really, it helps to have a good realtor.  Besides Stephanie (who is, not coincidentally, married to one of my former roommates), I have other friends in the Dallas real estate business — and they also do great work.  You should also check out Rogers Healy at www.rogershealy.com (full disclosure: I designed the website) and John Angell at www.eastdallasliving.com .
  • If they’re having an open house, it probably means it doesn’t need much work.  Which means I can’t afford it.
  • There are a lot of investors looking for a flip out there.  Bargains are hard to come by.  If you wait a day to put in a bid on a bargain, you’re out of luck.
  • I got into a lot of bidding wars with investors.  I always lost.
  • Some people should not be allowed to purchase paint.  I’m talking to you, person who painted the living room orange.  And to you, person who painted the bedroom puke-green.
  • Some people just don’t seem particularly interested in selling their house.  These people are hard to work with for showing and bidding.
  • The more I like a house, the less likely it is I can afford it.
  • Remember… you’re not just buying a house, you’re buying a location.  This isn’t always easy to remember when bidding more for a house that needs a lot of work than for a house that’s more move-in ready.
  • People have trouble keeping their garages clean.

I probably have other observations, but they’ve melded into the vague memories of dozens of houses and buried under the mountain of stress that is home ownership.  But hey, at least the house hunt is done.  Until next time, of course.

Sat August 4th, 2007 10:37 pm
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Filed under Life | 1 Comment »

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