Saints Oust the Rams 31-13

I had the pleasure of attending the saints game last night with my boss, his buddy Tim and a good client and friend Mike. We sat in section 134 at the field entrance/exit for the saints. At one point I was able to reach down and touch the helmets of the players as they entered the field. It was amazing. The atmosphere was tremendous. It's easy to see how people can get addicted to this lifestyle of game going. I had a wonderfully exciting experience, to top it off, the Saints won pretty handily. Another cool point is, for the New Orleans Rock & Roll Half Marathon, if I use the coupon code "saints" I will get a discount of however many points the Saints won by. So if I register now, I will get $18 discount off of my registration. Pretty cool. I researched this for other cities that host a Rock & Roll event, and Dallas only gives a max of $9 credit. HAHAHAHA!!!!

Classic Dilbert

It's Official, Eden has a Sibling on the Way

My wife and I are proud to announce the coming of our second child. The unofficial due date is July 20, 2011. That's 3 weeks after Eden's birthday and 2 days after my Ashley's birthday, and 19 days before my birthday. So it'll make for some fun summers in the future.

The Orange Tree

Eden learning to twist off the "Onjarange"

The animals don't waste.

We have a beautiful Orange Tree in our yard, that has produced amazingly sweet oranges over the past 3 years for us. As we returned from our morning activities Eden asked, "can we go pick some Onjaranges daddy?" Although cold, it was a beautiful morning so there was no hesitation to say yes. Furthermore, across the street was a burning Sugar Cane field, a smell both my wife and I love. So with a bit of warmth behind us we picked to our hearts content. I lost count somewhere around 125, but that's the number of oranges I counted whilst walking around the tree. I guess there is around 175 in total. I can't seem to pick them all, but the squirrel's and Racoon's absolutely love them. Thusly, I will comply to sharing.

Sunday Morning Track Workout

 This morning I decided I would give in to my crave to go at a few track workouts at St. Martinville Senior High School's track which is open to the public. I haven't run from a sprint position in a while, but felt pretty good on all my starts. I ran 4x400's, 5x100's, and 5x200's. I tried to keep my pace consistent. After my San Antonio Half Marathon I am really interested in increasing my times. I think/hope this is the answer.

Really Big French Fry

Me and Fam went to see "Tangled" tonight and post haste Eden was wanting to go eat Waffle House. Well on  our way in she thought she would show me, "a huge french fry". She was in awe over how big this French Fry was. It was hilarious to watch her gleam over this phenomena.

Bridges

I have been a big fan of a website called thechive.com. Most of their website is NSFW but this most recent post was amazing. They had users take pics of their daily drives over bridges to work, very nice. View more here.

FIFA Announces WC Bid Winners

2018 - Russia (not going)
2022 - Qatar (not going)

Another Danny Macaskill Video (aptly named cyclist)

Danny went home for this video, this is the journey from Edinburgh to the Isle Of Skye where he is from. Enjoy this eight minutes of brilliance.

Breesus, Sportsman of the Year 2010

Indeed a well deserved titled for a most deserved individual. I can't say that I am surprised at this accolade awarded to such a leader and inspirational figure. Although I am not a huge American Football fan, I do respect the athleticism of the industry and furthermore the accomplishments of a team such as the Saints, especially in lieu of their most recent troubles i.e. Hurricane Katrina. The full article is here.

Congrats to Drew Brees and the Saints for a great post Super Bowl season and a clear road to another Championship.

Rush Limbaugh Lashes Out Against Motor Trend Magazine

In a recent radio blast, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh questioned, better yet, removed all credibility from Motor Trend magazine when they gave the Chevy Volt the "Car of the Year" award. Rush had this to say, "Of all the cars in the world, the Chevrolet Volt is the Car of the Year?" scoffed Limbaugh on his show last week. "Motor Trend magazine, that’s the end of them. How in the world do they have any credibility? Not one has been sold."

The following response was found on Motor Trends website from editor Todd Lassa: (spoiler, the last line makes the read all worth it)

"Assuming you’ve been anywhere near the biggest automotive technological breakthrough since … I don’t know, maybe the self-starter, could you even find your way to the front seat? Or are you happy attacking a car that you’ve never even seen in person?

Last time you ranted about the Volt, you got confused about the “range,” and said on the air that the car could be driven no more than 40 miles at a time, period. At least you stayed away from that issue this time, but you continue to attack it as the car only a tree hugging, Obama-supporting Government Motors customer would want. As radio loudmouths like you would note, none of those potential customers were to be found after November 2.

Back to us for a moment, our credibility, Mr. Limbaugh, comes from actually driving and testing the car, and understanding its advanced technology. It comes from driving and testing virtually every new car sold, and from doing this once a year with all the all-new or significantly improved models all at the same time. We test, make judgments and write about things we understand.
....
If you can stop shilling for your favorite political party long enough to go for a drive, you might really enjoy the Chevy Volt. I’m sure GM would be happy to lend you one for the weekend. Just remember: driving and Oxycontin don’t mix."

Conversation

Eden has not been feeling well and is very temperamental, she is looking for every excuse to have her way or a temper tantrum will ensue. We had the following conversation this evening. In an effort to console as best I can without being a push over parent:
Eden: Daddy (cheerfully)? Can I have some milk please?
Daddy: Of course baby, let's go get some, thank you for having good manners.
Eden: Can I pour the milk please daddy?
Daddy: Sure thing angel face.
(milk is poured)
Daddy: Ok baby, let's go to bed...
Eden: I don't want to go to bed (smiling cheerfully as though a victory has been had)
Daddy: Well Eden, you know very well that when we have milk it's night night time, so either we go to bed, or the milk goes back in the fridge.
Eden: (crying hysterically) I don't want my milk daddy!!!! I don't want my milk anymore daddy!!!!!

Ahhhh the pleasures of parenthood, although I was quite impressed that she was able to make the relationship between not having the milk and going to bed.

Happy 2nd Anniversary

Happy Anniversary Ashley. We have successfully completed 2 years of bliss, or something like it. I love you and wish you all the best. Thanks for a wonderful marriage and being a wonderful wife and mother.

Science of Sunglasses Oakley's Rolling O Lab

This is some pretty genius stuff, I can finally justify my $250.00 Jawbone's. If you have 5 minutes, please watch this.

Achiote Cafe/CVS On The River

Jeremy and I had lunch on Saturday at Achiote Cafe, an exquisite Spanish Restaurant in the basement floor of the Grand Hyatt on the River. There were Gondola rides going through the river, it was beautiful. This was the view from our table, a little off from our exact table location, but you get the general idea of how picturesque it may have been. The birds were clearly no stranger to this establishment as we dinned near there habitat, the photo of the chair is of a bird eating bread crumbs off of the chair not 5 feet away from our table. It was hilarious. The birds would just hang out waiting for customers to leave, an impromptu bus boy.





With very little introduction needed, this is the CVS...on the river...

This is the entrance/exit to the CVS River Walk. I must have gone 4 times on Saturday just to take in the view. We walked everywhere because everything you need is close, and it's all worth the view.

The Trip To San Antonio

If you've never been, I strongly recommend a vacation there. It is absolutely beautiful.



Jeremy and I stayed here at the Menger Hotel, also known as the "Haunted Hotel" which was built in 1859. These photos do nothing for the beauty that this hotel represents. The rooms are all very old and operate as you would expect an old room to operate.




These photos are from the 1st floor of the hotel, all original very old artifacts that are indicative of the history this town has.


This is the entrance to The Alamo from my room window. I didn't get a chance to go. Photos as of why to come in a bit.

Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon San Antonio

This past Sunday I found myself in a pretty interesting situation. I was scheduled to run a 1/2 Marathon in San Antonio with my good friend Jeremy Zenon. We had been discussing this race for a while and been training just as long. I have been training for a sub 2 hr, specifically 1:59:59 which meant I had to find a 9:09 pace per mile. I trained within those perimeters yet failed to take into account the hills that San Antonio had to offer. The whistle went off and Jeremy and I took off. I felt great, first mile was a 7:59, I scaled back to a 8:54 for mile 2. I felt really good running a sub 9 minute split for the first 8 miles. Then the hills really picked up, and after mile 11 I started charlie horsing, badly. I had to stop twice. My pace suffered, I was psychologically spent, my feet felt smashed to bits from the up hill running. One hill was over 500 feet with an 8% grade (guessing with possible embellishment). There was no end in sight for me, I gave myself 1,000 reasons why I should stop. Then a woman ran along side me, put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Son, you made it this far, I saw your speed back there, this is your race." She smiled and jogged away, I committed to myself that I was going to finish and finish strong. With 1 mile to go I was approached by an older woman named Patty, she asked if she could pace my heels for the finish because she felt like quiting, I smiled in agreement because an audible answer was outside of my human capabilities at this point. We worked, for the next 1.2 miles we worked. I crossed the line at a clock time of 2:19:45, my watch said 2:11:36. All was good in the end, until I drove home and later discovered my chip time is officially a 2:03:17. I AM FREAKIN PUMPED. I never imagined that I could pull off such a time in such a hilly terrain with minimal training. I am in quite a lot of pain, but I am expecting a quick recovery and I look forward to the Houston 1/2 Marathon in January, thinking of setting a new PR.

Special thanks to Jeremy for his lodging assistance and race knowledge on Friday night. The ride to San Antonio Saturday was brilliant, weather was ideal. Had some great food and scenery on day 1, photos to come. Also, race pics to come as well. The pics above are of me in recovery mode...I'm sleepy, I'll post to you guys later. Cheers. Thanks to everyone for your support.

Lap Times:
Mile 1 7:59
Mile 2 8:53
Mile 3 8:56
Mile 4 8:39
Mile 5 8:54
Mile 6 8:40
Mile 7 8:37
Mile 8 8:59
Mile 9 8:59
Mile 10 9:51 (tried to rest here...)
Mile 11 10:49 (first big climb)
Mile 12 11:29 (second half of first big climb + Cramps)
Mile 13.1 9:54

Right at the end, there was a huge climb for about 150 feet, not a very long climb if you haven't just completed 13 miles of running, good weekend.

Ferrofluids, Rare Neodymium Earth Magnetics...What?

Is it a robo-hedgehog? A Lady Gaga headpiece? Or merely a new way to juice lemons? No. In fact, it's not even a solid object: it's a ferrofluid.
Ferrofluids are colloidal mixtures - where one substance is microscopically dispersed evenly throughout a carrier fluid - containing magnetic nanoparticles. When placed in a magnetic field, the suspended particles cause the entire fluid to become strongly magnetised.
In this image a small drop of ferrofluid is placed within a magnetic field created by a neodymium iron-boron rare-earth magnet. The peaks and troughs result as the magnet tries to pull the liquid along its field lines.
Ferrofluids are being used in experimental cancer treatments called magnetic hyperthermia, and are the basis for a new breed of shape-shifting telescope lenses.

Artice credited to: http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2010/11/ferrofluids-the-spiky-side-of.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

Officially Official

I was recently involved in a licensing course here in Lafayette at CSC with administrator Colin Gilmartin, in an effort to receive my Level 1 & Level 2 Goalkeeper licenses. I was able to learn a great deal in those two days. I have been a goalkeeper for a very long time and truth be told, I have never had any formal, or informal training. So this course was insightful and informative. I have the books we used for the course, I am scheduled to get one to Wilablog pretty soon, if anyone else needs a copy let me know. It's a pretty extensive binder, so it will take some time to copy, but it's a great tool to have for any coach.

They Grow So Quickly

Getting ready for the ride to school...


Her book sack is almost bigger than she is...



My little princess started school last week, and its seems that she is enjoying it very much, in fact, when I get home int he evenings that's really all I hear about. Her new friends and her new found social life.

I Want to be a Cheerleader, no wait, a doctor, no wait...Shit

Please watch till the end. Not at all what you expect from these interviews. I love science. Hurray for intelligence.



The video is cheesy, but really interesting. You may hate me for asking you to watch this. For Pele1410, this is the equivalent to when I read those damn Twilight books and then told you I enjoyed them.

Next time you watch an American Football game, perhaps we will have a different perspective on the cheerleaders...then again maybe not.

Rooney Comes To America for Rehab

I am sure this is an article that is not lost to anyone who views my blog, but I thought for the theoretical people who read here, this is interesting stuff.

Injured Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will spend a week in the United States undergoing intensive conditioning work on an ankle problem.
The 25-year-old will miss Wednesday's Manchester derby, and is not expected to play for another three weeks.
Rooney is to train at the Nike Town centre in Oregon.
"He can go there without the attention he'd get here," said United assistant manager Mike Phelan. "He needs the conditioning. We all agree with that."
The England international caused controversy recently when he signed a new five-year contract only two days after stating that he wanted to leave Old Trafford.
Rooney said that concerns over the club's squad strength were behind his decision to seek an exit, but then made the shock U-turn after speaking to manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the club's owners who he stressed "convinced me this is where I belong".

Full article

Here's a Reason to Leave Your Modem at Home When Travelling Overseas

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- A Philadelphia man said he received a $17,505 Verizon Wireless bill after using his wireless USB modem overseas.

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2010/11/01/Man-gets-17505-wireless-bill/UPI-43391288633646/

Brilliant Reffing, Brilliant Attention by Nani (no sarcasm needed)

Not quite sure how this panned out, but well played to Nani for not giving up. Should have been a PK to start with. Manchester United deserved the goal. If Gomes would've punted the ball away this would've never happened.

Conversation

Tony: Tim, you gotta suck on that thing before you just put it in your mouth and bite!
Me: Wait, what? I did, I sucked for like 10 seconds.
Tony: Oh, ok.
James: What the hell are ya'll doing in there?


I was eating a life savers candy.

Dooley Thinks His Vols are Like Germans in WWII

Tennessee coach Derek Dooley on Monday compared his young, inexperienced team's struggles to that of the German forces during the Allies' invasion of Normandy during World War II.

"Right now we're like the Germans in World War II," Dooley said. "Here comes the boats, they're coming. You have the binoculars, and it's like, 'Oh, my God, the invasion is coming."

I'm gonna go with... no, not quite like the invasion of Normandy Dooley, not quite at all.

Read more http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/10/25/dooley.vols.ap/index.html?eref=sihp

Reggae Icon Gregory Isaac Dies at 59

Reggae mogul Gregory Isaac died this morning from lung cancer at the young age of 59. I grew up listening to this guy. My dad lived for this music and I have come to love everything about the genre of this art. From the well known Bob Marley to the talented but under the radar Steel Pulse. Gregory Isaac was most famous for this song Night Nurse. Here it is. Enjoy.

Conversation

Eden: Daddy?
Me: Yes ma'am?
Eden: I like your yellow sweater! You're cute daddy (laughing sheepishly)
Me: Thank you baby, you're adorable too.
Eden: Daddy, let me wear your sweater please daddy, I wanna be cute too!

2004 Impala LS

3 weeks ago my 2001 Chevy Impala left me on the side of the road with a blown transmission. I called a local shop that I have done business with in the past, they instructed me to bring it in. After about 4 days I get a call saying, "Timmy, hey it's Ronnie, are you sitting down?" I knew it was bad. Turns out my pump had failed inside my tranny. It snapped the drive shaft off, bent the torque converter, stripped my clutch, damaged gears 2-4, gear 1 was gone completely, and smashed the internal computer to bits. The total repair would cost 2989.54 and he wasn't charging me for the labor to reinstall the transmission back on the car, which was about 600 more dollars. I immediately went to eBay in search of a transmission, instead I found this 2004 Impala LS for the same price. It's fully loaded w/ sunroof, xm radio and on star, as well as leather interior and an integrated on board computer with MP3 connections. The buy it now was 3495.00. The gentlemen and I went back and forth for a few days and settled at 2900.00. I am flying to Fort Myers, FL this Friday to pick it up. I am juxtaposed by nervousness and excitement. Above all, I am happy to have another vehicle, having a kid with one car is tough, thanks to my parents for being so supportive and orchestrating a driving arrangement with us.

The Worst Beer in the World

While Budweiser may be going to desperate lengths to remind beer drinkers it exists, it can rest easy in the fact that it's not the world's worst beer -- at least according to a poll on RateBeer.com.

That label goes to the 3.2% ABW version of Olde English 800, which scored a .96 out of 5 on the site. The standard version of O.E. fared somewhat better; its 1.35 score was enough to merit a ranking of 41st worst beer in the world.

Taking second place on the craptastic list was another malt liquor that's a favorite of penny-pinching teenagers, Natural Ice with a score of 1.03. That beverage's non-malt counterpart, Natural Light, had an identical score but must have lost a tie-breaker to end up in third place.

Here is the full top 10:
1. Olde English 800 3.2 (0.96)
2. Natural Ice (1.03)
3. Natural Light (1.03)
4. Milwaukees Best (1.05)
5. Michelob Ultra (1.06)
6. Sleeman Clear (1.08)
7. Budweiser Select 55 (1.09)
8. Coors Aspen Edge (1.11)
9. Bud Light Chelada (1.13)
10. Busch Ice (1.13)

Check out the entire rankings at RateBeer.com

Got My GK Diploma Level 1 & 2, and the Bruises to Prove It

Had a little 1 on 1 action Saturday morning and these are my battle wounds. Came out against striker Andrew Wright for a 1 v 1 battle and the ground took the position of victor on this go round. I played the whole damn weekend with this annoying scrape. The lighter pictures are from Sunday night, the scabbed photos are from this morning. Burns like all hell.

Goalkeeping Diploma Course

This past weekend I attended the local Level 1 & Level 2 Goalkeeping Diploma Course held here at CSC hosted by the amazing, the magnificent Colin Gilmartin (more on him later). It was a great success. I have been a goalkeeper my entire life and I learned more in this past weekend than I have in all my time. That is primarily because I had no formal training as goalkeeper growing up. The weekend went off without a hitch with an attendance from the likes of FC Gold Pride Women's Professional Soccer GK Brittany Cameron attending, striker Andrew Wright from the Baton Rouge Capitals who also played pro in Brazil for some time and is a graduate of Wake Forest, DOC from the Chicago Fire Program in New Orleans Saul Martinez and Javier Pastor. We also had a gentlemen Daniele Zangolli from Canada, and Josh Guay from Alaska. Another outstanding individual was Aaron Avila from Laurel, Mississippi. Others attending were Bret Malone of BRSA, Chris Ireson from Alexandria, Brandon Lewis of Houston, Tx; Arms Brown of Shreveport, John Carriere of CSC, Greg Comeaux of CSC, myself, and Don Smith from Mississippi.

I have plans on attending the Level 3 GK Diploma Course in San Jose, CA with Brittany Cameron in December. It will be an experience of a lifetime. I wish all of my colleagues could've been there. For those who attended, I cannot express my gratitude enough. You guys made this weekend worth every minute. There is no doubt in my mind that we evolved from Players, to coaches, to friends in a short time with the commonality being soccer, and by the end of the weekend we spoke of everything but...lol. This course was priceless, the magnitude of character that was represented by the individuals we were able to interact with was most satisfying. Thank you all again and I hope to see you all soon in the future.

Stormtroopers of Death - Ballad of Jimi Hendrix

Another classic, had a very nostalgic day at work.

Anti Procrastination Song by Stormtroopers of Death 1985

This is an actual song from their 1985 album Speak English or Die. Very morbidly hilarious album from members of Anthrax.

Is It Racist?

David Vitter may possibly have the most racist ad campaign video of the year. Charlie Melancon is a good guy, and this shows how maniacal good people can be in the face of politics. Total rubbish.

Another Great Dilbert

It's more so funny when you think back to meetings where conversations like this actually took place. I was in one recently.

I was looking at photos of Eden last night and began to awe at how big and intelligent she is getting. She has learned how to format her own opinions of the things around her and how she thinks things should be/operate. This morning I was reading The Prophet by Khalil Gibran, an amazing book of poetry if you haven't read it, I recommend it. There is an iPhone app for it if that's your thing. The chapter on children is as follows:

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Danny Macaskill

I am a fan of any man or woman that masters an art. This young man has done just that. Enjoy!

Don't like white potatoes, heaven forbid we don't want to enjoy the ambrosial sapidity of our ground grown carb loaded friends. Well the Scottish have found your solution. Far be it from me to judge whether or not they found the compound analysis of this crop in a sober state, only that they found it, and for that we thank them. The crop has been being grown all year, and plans for a big Holloween potato are already in the books. You can read the full article here.

Conversation

This a conversation I overheard outside my door today at work between the Vice President of our company, and our second in command manager of the facility of which I work:

VP: Man, we just got a huge opportunity to bid 28 platforms in Pennsylvania, need guys. (Chuckling)

Manager: Wait, offshore Pennsylvania?

VP: What? No, offshore? there's no offshore in Pennsylvania, these are on land platforms.

Manager: Oh, I thought Pennsylvania was on the coast.