Marty March 7th, 2007
Everyone’s heard the jokes about the DMV - the lines, the ’smiley faces’, the bureaucracy. And to be honest, I’ve gone through it all, especially having moved so often between 1994 and 2002. But my wife’s experience over the last 7 days is so ludicrous, that I can’t help but laugh - except not around her because she’s far from laughing about it. Continue Reading »
Marty March 1st, 2007
I had a pretty weird and disturbing dream last night. Well, my dreams are usually weird - my wife is scared to hear them anymore - but this one was one of those that you have, and then you can’t shake when you wake up. This one started as one of my normal bizarre dreams (family, strange house, dogs, concrete construction and Santa Claus mugs - you know, normal). But then it drifted into frightening, a terror dream that I won’t soon forget, as much as I’d like to.
Marty February 28th, 2007
Last night I had some ‘me’ time after a long day with a big headache - which meant a stimulating game of Civilization IV. I know, I know - you’re probably jealous, but please try to contain it.
Actually, I think it was 50% needing to get away from a concept I’ve been working on (the usability of ‘tabs’ and how we can design in a tab-centric world), to help things get a little clearer. Other projects I have on my “To Do” list: Continue Reading »
Marty February 22nd, 2007
Well, today was one of those “I’ve got good news … and I’ve got bad news” sort of days. But in an effort to be more positive about things, I’m going to try to do what they call in all of those silly ‘Better Management” books, the Oreo Cookie method and sandwich the bad items in between good ones, where possible - or at least look at the bright side when I can. Continue Reading »
Marty February 13th, 2007
One of the side effects of Adderall and having four pets is that my sleep patterns haven’t been the greatest. We’ve done what we can to minimize the ‘disturbances’ that 2 dogs and 2 cats can make: removing collars and tags, ‘relaxation’ treats, tiring them out before bed. But I was still being woken up nightly 2-3x by doggie emergencies, frolicking or fighting felines or the odd sound in the night. I was getting exhausted, so the doctor prescribed Lunesta, which had worked well when I really needed to get some sleep. All was well and good until I switched insurances with the new job, and the new insurance company denied my refill, saying that I hadn’t used cheaper alternatives first. So last night, I had to try Ambien instead. I’d tried it in the past but hadn’t liked it because I found it hard to wake up from, but I figured I would give it another shot.
Man, did it mess me up. Not quite “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”-style tripping, but definitely on the “Cheech and Chong” level. I was completely unbalanced and I swear that I was hallucinating on the stuff. I’m in the bedroom getting ready to slip into bed, and the sheets were moving. Now, I have to admit that I’m not sure whether I was more freaked out or enjoying it, but I’m fairly sure that I’m not looking forward to that effect every time I take the stuff, either. It’s like Sleepytime Crack™.
Marty February 9th, 2007
Good God, people - get a frickin’ life. I am so sick of entertainment news - especially inconsequential entertainment news - being reported as though it should matter. Since when was a pseudo-celebrity like Anna Nicole Smith worth the gargantuan amount of coverage she’s been getting? Continue Reading »
Marty February 5th, 2007
Okay, it now qualifies as f@#$in’ cold out. You know it’s bad when you can’t even do the 4-block walk from the train to work without stopping into a cafe for a tea and a thawing. I’m so glad my wife suggested the sweater instead of the t-shirt and collared shirt thing. It’s even cold IN the office, especially my little corner of it. But I’ve come up with some ways to keep yourself warm, at the office, at home and in between:
Marty January 8th, 2007
Well, this was NOT the best Sunday I’ve ever had. I wasn’t feeling well most of the weekend - some sort of ear infection that’s been intermittent for the last month or so - and we still had a LOT to do on Saturday, along with a particularly unsavory task set up for Sunday. Continue Reading »
Marty November 20th, 2006
I won’t pretend that I’m the biggest Eagles fan in all the land - but I have come to enjoy and root for them after being exposed for all of these years. The fact that Andy Reid and the team were doing all of the things that I wanted to see from a good sports franchise - ignoring the whining of players, managing the cap, putting together a TEAM not a group of individuals, recruiting good, solid people. And it was hard to argue with a team that was (for the most part) made up of guys that seemed to stress team instead of the ‘ME’ (besides the obvious exception).
So it was really hard to watch how bad they looked yesterday. Even before Donovan McNabb went down with the career-ending injury, they were struggling on all sides. McNabb is a great quarterback, and goes out and gives everything every week. I have my gripes about him (his avoidance of running, despite his great legs; his lack of touch on a lot of passes), but he’s a good leader and has often come up with something to win a game when it didn’t look like there was anything to come up with.
But lately, both he and Andy Reid have looked lost. Donovan’s touch passing has been worse, and his decision-making has been suspect, at best. Worse, Andy Reid - the architect of 4 straight NFC Championship game appearances, and 1 Super Bowl, has seemed to lose his lustre. Unlike a lot of other, more die-hard, fans, I don’t think Reid needs to go. However, he does need to start looking at what he has to work with and use it more effectively.
First in a (growing) list is that fact that he seems allergic to the run. Consider that their running back - the dynamic Brian Westbrook - is averaging a fantastic 5.2 yards per carry. Even Corell Buckhalter, their backup, is running a respectable 3.9 ypc. In fact, the Eagles have the second best rushing average as a team in the NFL (4.9 ypc). But yet, when it’s crunch time - 3rd and 1, 3rd and 2, etc. - they consistently turn to the pass, often to a missed opportunity. Why aren’t they putting that running ability to use more?
Reid’s inability to change his style to reflect the styles being used against him is concerning. Instead of a more balanced attack to start with, they start and finish with mostly passes, even when the passing game has been keyed on and made almost ineffective. Sure, they get their 1 long play a game, but for the rest of the game they struggle to get even first downs, let alone touchdowns. If it weren’t for the fact that Westbrook is also a heck of a receiver, he would be the most underutilized starting RB in the league.
The evidence was shown yesterday when Donovan went down and Jeff Garcia, who hadn’t played with the starters at all this season, even in practice, had to come in and run the offense. He didn’t do poorly, but you could tell that the lack of reps was there, and even though they were working the running game fairly effectively, they still refused to use it. THAT is what makes for ugly games like the one shown yesterday.
Marty November 6th, 2006
I really can’t. I’m not doing anything special, but finally, the bullshit political ads will end. I’m so sick of the pandering, the
smears, the lies and the attacks. Living in a tri-state area (PA, NJ and DE), we get an extra dose of the crap all over the TV
and radio (and even phone calls), and I’m so sick to death of them all. They all seem like crooks and crazies to me. Continue Reading »
