Well, my friend was having pains, particular when waking up in the morning and when he did things like cough or laugh. It wasn't very pleasant. So, he went to the doctor and had an X-ray taken, but they determined that no bone damage was done (he thought he might have had a cracked rib) and it seems to just be soft tissue damage (like a bad bruise). So they've got him taking some pain killers and hopefully the situation will work itself out in a couple of days time. We'll see how he's doing come Wednesday I guess.
On a different topic, I started playing a game on the GameCube called "The Lord of the Rings, the Third Age" with my son. He gets a kick out of it and likes fighting the bad guys. We played for almost 4 hours and the progress for our game indicated we had completed 2% of the game, although I had been taking it slow and just letting him enjoy the game, not trying to race through it as quick as I could. But then I woke up a little early on Saturday and played by myself for awhile and then played with my son again for a little bit yesterday and today. Now I'm at 13% completion and the game is kind of addicting. I love the music from the Lord of the Rings movies, along with the scenery and the story and this game has all of those things, so I find myself really drawn into it.
I find I can often spend a lot of time on something if I don't watch myself. My wife bought me the first book of the High Druid of Shannara a while back, but I only read a couple of pages and first and never really got into it. Then I took it on a business trip with me and read quite a few chapters on the plane. That got me hooked and I finished the book fairly quickly, but of course it was the first in a trilogy and had a cliff-hanger ending. My wife, the thoughtful person that she is, bought me the next two books in the series the following Saturday and ten days later I had finished with both of them.
I used to read quite a bit when I was younger (middle school up until my Jr. year in high school). Must have read 20 novels one summer alone. I realize that may make me sound like a nerd and maybe it does, but while I may have spent and entire summer with my nose in various books once, I know someone who once spent an entire summer in their basement writing programs in Pascal.
Ah, youth. They say it is wasted on the young, but that is just because they are jealous (I know I am).
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Rookies need room
I'm not the best skier in the world (or even in my small town, heck probalby not even on my street) but it's something that I really enjoy.
So, the other day I go skiing with a friend of mine that I've known for a good 16 years or so. Most of the runs were fairly uneventful, the snow was kind of crusty and icy (no fresh powder in several days and it had been sunny for at least 3 days) so it was a little choppy and hard to stop sometimes.
But on one particular run, my friend was ahead of me, cutting back and forth across the hill and I was doing the same behind him. Well, I cut one way to go behind him (kind of make a figure-8 pattern which we do from time to time going down the hill), however, he didn't know where I was and just then turned and started to come to a stop so he could look up the hill and see where I was (he's a better skier than I am). So, basically we both turned towards each other. He was practically at a stop, so couldn't really move, while I was moving at a pretty good clip. But, I could tell I didn't have enough time to go around him as fast as I was going and didn't want to fall down and clip his legs out from under him, so I just dropped my poles and crashed into him standing up.
Now, if you've ever played pool, I'm sure you've noticed that when you hit the cue ball into another ball, the other ball goes flying while the cue just sort of sits there and doesn't move nearly as much once contact is made.
That's what happened here. I fell down and lost one of my skis and then slid probably 15 or 20 feet from where my lost ski had landed. But my friend went tumbling down the hill like a rag doll fired from a potato cannon. He had to dig his heel into the snow as hard as he could before he could finally stop, a fair amount further down the hill and both of his skis and poles where up above me. We both asked the other if we were alright and both of us were and then started the walk back up the hill to reclaim our equipment, where I found that one of my poles, I'm not sure exactly how, was severly bent. It literally looked like a large letter "J", which is not a desirable shape for a ski pole.
After getting our skis back on, we went on down the hill and back to the lift for another run, where I discoved that although skiing with a bent pole isn't a big deal, trying to propel yourself on level ground using one is quite tricky.
But, all is well that ends well. After one more run we managed to bend my pole back into a relatively straight shape (it's at least usable again) and were able to enjoy the rest of the evening without any more collisions.
It was funny more than anything else, neither of us had ever done anything like that before and neither of us really got hurt.
Although, I sent email to him this morning asking how he was feeling and he hasn't responded yet...
Good times.
So, the other day I go skiing with a friend of mine that I've known for a good 16 years or so. Most of the runs were fairly uneventful, the snow was kind of crusty and icy (no fresh powder in several days and it had been sunny for at least 3 days) so it was a little choppy and hard to stop sometimes.
But on one particular run, my friend was ahead of me, cutting back and forth across the hill and I was doing the same behind him. Well, I cut one way to go behind him (kind of make a figure-8 pattern which we do from time to time going down the hill), however, he didn't know where I was and just then turned and started to come to a stop so he could look up the hill and see where I was (he's a better skier than I am). So, basically we both turned towards each other. He was practically at a stop, so couldn't really move, while I was moving at a pretty good clip. But, I could tell I didn't have enough time to go around him as fast as I was going and didn't want to fall down and clip his legs out from under him, so I just dropped my poles and crashed into him standing up.
Now, if you've ever played pool, I'm sure you've noticed that when you hit the cue ball into another ball, the other ball goes flying while the cue just sort of sits there and doesn't move nearly as much once contact is made.
That's what happened here. I fell down and lost one of my skis and then slid probably 15 or 20 feet from where my lost ski had landed. But my friend went tumbling down the hill like a rag doll fired from a potato cannon. He had to dig his heel into the snow as hard as he could before he could finally stop, a fair amount further down the hill and both of his skis and poles where up above me. We both asked the other if we were alright and both of us were and then started the walk back up the hill to reclaim our equipment, where I found that one of my poles, I'm not sure exactly how, was severly bent. It literally looked like a large letter "J", which is not a desirable shape for a ski pole.
After getting our skis back on, we went on down the hill and back to the lift for another run, where I discoved that although skiing with a bent pole isn't a big deal, trying to propel yourself on level ground using one is quite tricky.
But, all is well that ends well. After one more run we managed to bend my pole back into a relatively straight shape (it's at least usable again) and were able to enjoy the rest of the evening without any more collisions.
It was funny more than anything else, neither of us had ever done anything like that before and neither of us really got hurt.
Although, I sent email to him this morning asking how he was feeling and he hasn't responded yet...
Good times.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Twisted, sick and wrong
So, there's a game out there called "Would you rather" and there's a version of that game that is called "Twisted, sick and wrong". We had some friends over last night and we played that game. It was interesting. One of the sample questions on the box asks:
Would you rather swallow a bottlecap - or - eat a spider the size of a bottle cap.
Now, I might rather swallow a bottlecap than eat a large spiders, but there's just no way that I would rather pass a bottlecap than a spider.
Yes, I know, that's just twisted, sick and wrong, but I think that's the point. I haven't played the original game, but for those less adventerous it might be a better choice. I must say though, it did get some interesting discussions going.
Here's one to get you thinking:
As a railroad engineer driving a packed commuter train, would you rather run over a man trapped on the tracks - or - risk the 25% change of derailing that train by attempting to stop and avoid hitting him?
Would you rather swallow a bottlecap - or - eat a spider the size of a bottle cap.
Now, I might rather swallow a bottlecap than eat a large spiders, but there's just no way that I would rather pass a bottlecap than a spider.
Yes, I know, that's just twisted, sick and wrong, but I think that's the point. I haven't played the original game, but for those less adventerous it might be a better choice. I must say though, it did get some interesting discussions going.
Here's one to get you thinking:
As a railroad engineer driving a packed commuter train, would you rather run over a man trapped on the tracks - or - risk the 25% change of derailing that train by attempting to stop and avoid hitting him?
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Good thing I'm not a gambler
Well, if I had put any money on that Av's game I was watching I would have lost that too. They lost in overtime, but the frustrating part was the goal they let Radim Vrbata get to send it to overtime. I'll give props where props are due, it was a good play and executely perfectly (Vrbata used to be an Av player you know), but the Av's just let it happen. Nobody picked him up and they ended up losing. Hopefully they'll learn from that and keep fighting until the season ends.
Okay, so enough about hockey for now. We got a little snow today, not nearly as much as we've seen with some previous storms, but enough to cause some problems on the road. I drove my Mustang into the office this morning and saw an SUV that had tipped onto its side. Not sure what they were doing, but some people just don't seem to respect slick road conditions. I mean, if I can get my Mustang to work safely, surely others should be able to arrive safely in their SUVs.
I just got new business cards for my company yesterday, they look pretty good. Should be fun handing those out rather than the plain ones I had before.
Okay, so enough about hockey for now. We got a little snow today, not nearly as much as we've seen with some previous storms, but enough to cause some problems on the road. I drove my Mustang into the office this morning and saw an SUV that had tipped onto its side. Not sure what they were doing, but some people just don't seem to respect slick road conditions. I mean, if I can get my Mustang to work safely, surely others should be able to arrive safely in their SUVs.
I just got new business cards for my company yesterday, they look pretty good. Should be fun handing those out rather than the plain ones I had before.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Good thing I didn't have any money on the game
Well, it's a good thing that I didn't have any money on the big game. The Giants looked like a lot better team than they did against the Packers (at least to me).
My wife picked it though. She said that the Giants would win by 3 so man, did she nail that one.
That virus that I had I'm hoping is gone, but my cough still lingers and I've discovered that when you cough a lot, particularly deep, hacking coughs, you tend to get head aches. I normally don't get head aches very often, so it's been a different experience for me. I'm WAY better than I was a week ago at this time though, that's for sure.
Today was my boy's birthday and my wife got him a cake from a local bakery, which made me think of the cake that she got for me at that same bakery. A few years ago, I turned 30 and my wife wanted to get me a cake and take it to my parent's place for a family get together. But, she let my daughter pick the cake. So, there I was, at my parent's place with most of my brothers and sisters, celebrating by 3-decade birthday with a My Little Pony birthday cake. As you can probably imagine, I got a bunch of crap from my brothers and sisters, but I sure won't ever forget it.
The Colorado Avalanche are playing tonight, leading 1-0 against the Coyotes at the moment. We'll see if they can hang on for the win. Okay, check that, Coyotes just scored on the powerplay (5 on 3) so the game is now tied and they still have a power play. I'll sign off before another goal gets scored.
My wife picked it though. She said that the Giants would win by 3 so man, did she nail that one.
That virus that I had I'm hoping is gone, but my cough still lingers and I've discovered that when you cough a lot, particularly deep, hacking coughs, you tend to get head aches. I normally don't get head aches very often, so it's been a different experience for me. I'm WAY better than I was a week ago at this time though, that's for sure.
Today was my boy's birthday and my wife got him a cake from a local bakery, which made me think of the cake that she got for me at that same bakery. A few years ago, I turned 30 and my wife wanted to get me a cake and take it to my parent's place for a family get together. But, she let my daughter pick the cake. So, there I was, at my parent's place with most of my brothers and sisters, celebrating by 3-decade birthday with a My Little Pony birthday cake. As you can probably imagine, I got a bunch of crap from my brothers and sisters, but I sure won't ever forget it.
The Colorado Avalanche are playing tonight, leading 1-0 against the Coyotes at the moment. We'll see if they can hang on for the win. Okay, check that, Coyotes just scored on the powerplay (5 on 3) so the game is now tied and they still have a power play. I'll sign off before another goal gets scored.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Update on health and a quick explanation of my nickname
Okay, so my fever is gone now and my aches are pretty much gone as well. However, I'm still congested (sinuses and chest) and coughing like a 30 year smoker. I do seem to be on the mend though, so I'm just trying to not overdue it. Hopefully I can get this completely out of my system in the next couple of days. It has not been pleasant, but I can see light at the end of the tunnel and I'm pretty sure it isn't an oncoming train.
As for my nickname, it's a pretty short story really. My sister and I used to have an apartment together when we first moved out of our parents house after high school. She was the "Twisted Sister" and I was the "Doobie Brother". The name "Doobie" just stuck and many people still call me by that to this day.
Well, we have been getting a lot of snow and it is still snowing now, who knows how much we'll end up with when this storm is done. Today would be church day, but I think it best that I not attend today. The last thing I want to do is pass this along to someone else or get a relapse of it myself. (For the record, I couldn't care less who wins the Super Bowl, but I think that the Pat's will take it. I saw the Giants beat the Packers and I must say, I didn't find the win very convincing. Looked to me like that game could have just as easily gone the other way)
As for my nickname, it's a pretty short story really. My sister and I used to have an apartment together when we first moved out of our parents house after high school. She was the "Twisted Sister" and I was the "Doobie Brother". The name "Doobie" just stuck and many people still call me by that to this day.
Well, we have been getting a lot of snow and it is still snowing now, who knows how much we'll end up with when this storm is done. Today would be church day, but I think it best that I not attend today. The last thing I want to do is pass this along to someone else or get a relapse of it myself. (For the record, I couldn't care less who wins the Super Bowl, but I think that the Pat's will take it. I saw the Giants beat the Packers and I must say, I didn't find the win very convincing. Looked to me like that game could have just as easily gone the other way)
Friday, February 1, 2008
Okay, so it wasn't just a fever
Well, I'm still under the weather. Yesterday I was much worse than Wednesday, so I went to the doctor. They tested me for influenza A and B, both came back negative, but I think what I have is viral. If I'm not feeling quite a bit better tomorrow, I'm supposed to get some antibiotics and then if I'm still not doing better a few days after that, I go back in for more tests.
At this point, I'm just really hoping nobody else in my family gets this as it has been extremely unpleasant.
Shifting gears, I have recently started exchanging information regarding religions with a good friend of mine who lives on the other side of the country. We have found that we have many things in common, even though there are things that are peculiar to our specific faiths. I think it is great that we can have such an open exchange of beliefs and mutual respect. Religion is no reason to go to war.
At this point, I'm just really hoping nobody else in my family gets this as it has been extremely unpleasant.
Shifting gears, I have recently started exchanging information regarding religions with a good friend of mine who lives on the other side of the country. We have found that we have many things in common, even though there are things that are peculiar to our specific faiths. I think it is great that we can have such an open exchange of beliefs and mutual respect. Religion is no reason to go to war.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
