You Can Take The Boy Out Of Dundalk

So the adventure begins

2011-11-27T10:44:00.000-05:00

Day one – November 25

Today’s trip started out from my parent’s house around 7 a.m.

States covered: Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee.

Thirty-eight different state license plates, and two Canadian provinces.

Smelled three dead skunks.

Saw three major accidents.

Got stuck in traffic several times (one because of a major road closure in Knoxville).

Total miles covered yesterday 725. We have 1600 more to cover to be broken up into three shorter segments.

Tomorrow is a big day

2011-11-22T13:08:00.001-05:00

I know for most people who commute from Columbia or points north and east, today was the big day, but since I work from home on Tuesdays, tomorrow is the big day for me. Tomorrow I get to realize the culmination of almost four years of construction delays, re-routings, and general headaches. Tomorrow, I will be able to get on I-95 and go south to MD Route 200, and drive it until it ends, exaclty .3 miles from my office. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit excited, but I'm more excited by the fact that tomorrow will be the last day that I have to make this dreadful commute. There is an element of irony that I get to drive this road only once. I'm going to go with the "glass half full" approach and be thankful that I got to drive it once FOR FREE!

Lately, my expectations for things have been way way too high, so I'll keep the trend going for the new road. I expect it to be lined with gold, I expect to have my very own police escort, I expect there to be random hockey players on the side of the road signing autographs for me as I drive by, and lastly and most importantly, I expect there to be no other traffic, so that I can make the fourteen mile run in world record time. There ya go, I'll report back tomorrow.

Oh yeah, did I say it's my LAST DAY working at TheraCom? I might have forgotten that detail.

Until tomorrow...

Yes, this is really happening...

2011-11-14T14:56:00.000-05:00

My apoligies for the long break in between posts. Needless to say we have been super busy trying to cover all the details and make this move happen.   It's incredible how much work we've done, and how things have come together for us. The biggest part of this was "downsizing" the amount of stuff we had, so we could cram it all into our new apartment. I'm thrilled to be able to say that we sold enough stuff that we PAID FOR THE MOVE ENTIRELY. I would have never thought we had that much stuff. Here's a little sample of some of the stuff we sold:

Solid Wood Bedroom Set
Couch and Chair Set
Dining room set
Twin trundle bed
Grandfather Clock
90% of my sports memorabilia
Toys/Stuffed Animals/Purses
CD's and DVD's
Tube TV and Stand.
Chair and Ottoman
Cups, Glasses and Dishes
My Car

The list could go on, but I will spare you. We are leaving on Saturday November 26, arriving in Phoenix on November 30.   We successfully leased an apartment in the Paradise Valley suburb of Phoenix, and will be putting our house on the market to sell in the next couple of weeks. We've packed up just about everything we don't use everyday and spent many hours prepping the house for what we hope is a very quick sale.   The truck is reserved, Carey's car is getting shipped, so we're just about done.   All we need to do is load up and go. My new co-workers seem to be excited for my arrival and I am ready for the challenge.

Next up is the 4 day drive across this country. I'm really excited to see whats out there.    Thanks to everyone who has helped us, and supported us this far...we can't wait for the next chapter of our life to get started.   Carey has taken to calling this our big adventure...and I agree.

Lastly...for those who want to come visit, January will be a bad month. The new boss is not approving any time off in January. Apparently it's "Welcome Season" for people to re-enroll in their benefits and our phones will be going nuts. Plan your trips for February or March(Spring Training anyone?)

I will do a better job of keeping this up to date.    I'm sure there will be PLENTY of stories to share.

Scott

ANYONE LOOKING FOR A JOB??

2011-09-21T14:14:00.001-04:00

Below is the job ad for my replacement. Feel free to email me with resume's or questions. The job is in the healthcare industry and is located in Rockville, MD. No clearance required. The VMWare experience is also desired, not required. The same for the certifications, if you have them great, but they aren't required. Thanks for looking.

Full Time
Location/State/City MD - Rockville
Position Summary As a Windows Systems Administrator, you will be responsible for operating system and hardware support for our systems including server monitoring and administration functions. You will be responsible for diagnosing and repairing system problems working closely with vendor support. You will install, monitor, and support advanced functions of Windows Operating Systems and related applications such as, IIS, and DFS. You will be responsible for maintaining and monitoring compliances to corporate security policies.
Education Ideal candidates will have a Bachelor's Degree with 5-7 years of Windows System Administration. .
Experience Experience with Windows, 2003, and 2008 is required. Strong troubleshooting skills (Hardware and Software) are required.
Microsoft certifications a plus MCITP, MCTS

Experience with setting up CITRIX and VMware environments

A solid understanding of TCP/IP network concepts and network trouble-shooting is required.
Qualifications Ideal candidates will have a Bachelor's Degree with 5-7 years of Windows System Administration.

Experience with Windows, 2003, and 2008 is required. Strong troubleshooting skills (Hardware and Software) are required.
Microsoft certifications a plus MCITP, MCTS

Experience with setting up CITRIX and VMware environments

A solid understanding of TCP/IP network concepts and network trouble-shooting is required.

Candidates must have a basic understanding of database concepts, routers, firewalls, and traffic managers.

Excellent interpersonal skills and a genuine desire to help resolve technical issues are essential

Catching up...

2011-09-21T14:06:00.000-04:00

Sorry I've been gone for a while, things have been craaaaazy busy. Here's a quick rundown:

Big/furniture type things we've sold:
Green couch and chair
Dining room set
Twin Size day bed
Bedroom Set
grandfather clock

Big things left to sell:
End/coffee tables
End tables(yes we have 2 sets)
Papasan Chair and ottoman
My Car

We had 2 successful yard sale's, and need to have one more before we start giving/throwing stuff away. The house is 99% ready for the rental inspection. We've come a long long way in the last few months. There are entire rooms that now look like we are moving. It's very exciting and I'm proud of our progress. We are putting up a new railing down the basement steps on Sunday. I hope to get the house on the market by the end of the month, and that leads me to my next point.

Apparently my company is having trouble finding a qualified individual to fill my role. It's getting to the point now where it may end up putting my move date in jeopardy. I honestly don't understand how this is happening, considering all the doom and gloom we get from the media about the job market every day, but oh well. We're going to be ready to move by the end of November, will it happen by then? Who knows.

And they wonder why we drink....

Things are starting to move...

2011-09-02T12:24:00.000-04:00

I found out this morning that my boss is interviewing a Windows System admin on Tuesday next week. Hopefully this guy will get the job and I can start getting him trained asap. We don't have any candidates for the telecom position, but hopefully that won't keep me from being able to transition to my new team on 9/18 as planned. We shall see.

This weekend is a big weekend for our move. We are having our second yard sale, and we hope to finish the projects that need to get done so the house will pass the inspection for the rental permit. The stuff that is left is mostly small, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, cleaning, etc. The last big project is installing a railing going down the basement steps. I'm going to see if I can get some help doing this myself. I'm not very sure of my skills, but I'll give it a shot. We also are going to try to re-paint/stain/coat our tiny little deck. It's not a safety issue, but it will make the place look better. A good looking place will rent faster...we hope. :-)

I wish you a happy and safe Labor day weekend, and will update you again as I go along.

s

I like this pic.

2011-08-30T14:06:00.002-04:00

Take the 30 second to read the whole thing. I apologize if you have seen it before, but I thought it was worth sharing.

YARD SALE!!!

2011-08-30T12:05:00.000-04:00

We took part in our very 1st yard sale this past weekend. We got up early, drove through the rain, and set up in Catonsville. I was amazed at how many people came out, even with the threat for rain being so high. We made almost $300 selling stuff that was collecting dust in our basement. Unbelievable. We decided that we are going to ride this horse till it bucks us, so we set up another sale, this weekend. This time in our front yard. I cant wait to see how it turns out.

The house is coming together, we fixed some small issues with our ceilings, finished off some crown molding and chair rail, and had the gutters cleaned. We decided we are going to re-coat the deck with the awful red paint that's already there, and we need to get the shingles on the porch roof straightened out. The next step is to apply for the rental permit and get it inspected. Things are moving along, and we are getting close.

Until next time.

The hole, it's dissapearing...

2011-08-22T11:08:00.000-04:00

I have good news on the hand, the hole appears to be closed now, so I won't have to wear a bandage like the one pictured past today. I've managed to keep infection away, which makes me very happy. I'm hoping that by the end of the weekend I'll be ready to go for hockey playoffs. It's quite amazing how fast your hands heal.

On the move front, we cleaned out our dressers and night tables yesterday. We have a couple of old dressers that we will be able to use in the mean time, and the mattress and box spring will sit on the floor. It's not the prettiest of setups, but it works for the short term. There is a small mutiny going on at work. The best helpdesk guy we have put in his notice on Friday, and another one will be doing the same this week it looks like. We did have a new helpdesk guy start today, but it will take him a while to get up to speed. The next few weeks ought to be interesting. I'll keep you posted.

s

Another 1st...

2011-08-19T08:55:00.000-04:00

I learned an interesting lesson that I can share with you yesterday. You should be careful when you are walking up steps with keys in your hand. I was on my way home from work yesterday afternoon, walking into my house and stumbled up the steps. I caught myself with my hands, and managed to stab myself in the hand with one of the keys on my ring. I was very fortunate, because the key that got me was the shortest one on my ring, it didn't go all the way through, and it got me on that soft part of the hand between the base of the pinky finger and the wrist. It was my 1st ever trip to the ER, which ended very anti-climatically with a Tetnis shot and a band aid basically. So the lesson learned, keys in pocket when going up steps. Sadly, this will also keep me off the golf course this weekend. It's ok, as it could have been so much worse.

SOLD!!!

2011-08-18T11:49:00.000-04:00

I've been stressing about getting stuck with our bedroom set. It's a huge solid wood set that we bought when we moved in the house. I figured I'd need a couple months to get it sold, so I listed it on Craigslist last night. I got a call at 9:30 this morning and by 10:30 it was sold, unreal. My buyer is driving up from Richmond to get it on Tuesday. I'm still in shock. I know it will be weird sleeping in a bedroom with no furniture, but hey, that set will pay for a large portion of our move, so I'm not complaining.

My new boss announced my transition to the rest of the team I'm going to be working with yesterday. I found out that they already have my cube set aside for me. I guess they're excited to have me. They made me feel so welcome, I just hope I can go out there and produce for them.

Lastly, I had an embarassing moment this morning. Apparently I never closed my fly when I left the house for work. Sadly it was 10:30 before I went to the bathroom and realized this. *DOH*

Until next time

Stood Up

2011-08-16T09:06:00.000-04:00

I guess I should have known my run of luck on Craigslist would end eventually. I was supposed to sell my 50 gallon fish tank to a Craigslister on Sunday and he stood me up. I should call his mom. It's back to the drawing board on that one. Tonight I'll be cleaning out my fancy sports memorabilia curio cabinet, it's next on the chopping block. One piece at a time, my furniture is vanishing. We're gonna have a yard sale in early September as well, so we'll see whats left by then.

Tomorrow is another big day in the progression of the move. My new team will find out tomorrow that I'm coming, officially. It's been kinda strange, the whole world here in Rockville has known for 2 weeks, but very few people in Scottsdale know. I have a feeling that will change tomorrow. It should make for a fun afternoon.

Until next time!

s

We have a date...sort of.

2011-08-13T11:35:00.000-04:00

September 17 2011, if things go according to plan will be my last day working for TheraCom. September 18th will be my first full day as a member of the CVS/Caremark telecom team. The move wont happen for some time after that date, but at least I have one. My new boss and I still have to work out the details of exactly where I'll be working from, and the date for my "find a place to live" trip to Arizona. All this could change if the development team here drags there feet hiring someone or someones to replace me. Honestly, I don't see that happening, because the sooner they get someone in here, the sooner they start making more money on a new contractor. I'll be sure to keep you guys in the loop.

Answers...finally.

2011-08-09T13:28:00.000-04:00

It looks like I will have to be moved to Arizona by the end of November at the latest. The company wants me to stay here to train my replacements. Yup, they are hiring two people to cover the role I currently handle on my own, with a little corp. help. I'm looking a 2-3 weeks to get someone hired, then 2 weeks to train, then I make the official transition. I know it sounds like a long time, but it's not...it will be over before I know it. I'm very fortunate that my new manager in Arizona likes me enough to hold the job for me. I hope I can meet the expectation.

Part of me still cant believe I'm going to do this. I have so much to do...and so little time. Here we go....

A place for your stuff...

2011-08-09T08:39:00.001-04:00

George Carlin once said that your house is just a place for your stuff. I always enjoyed that routine, always thinking "I don't have that much stuff." Well that all changes when you decide to move across the country and downsize to an apartment. We decided that we are going to sell/get rid of as much stuff as we can. Originally it was a really easy thought to wrap my brain around. "I'm not emotionally attached to most of this stuff, hell...it's just stuff." Uh huh...yeah, right. I sold my grandfather clock this weekend, and actually had to call my parents after it was gone to help deal with the guilt. My father said it best "Scott, it's a piece of furniture, not a family heirloom" and he's right, but it didn't make the feeling suck any less. I experienced a similar feeling as I disassembled my 55 gallon fish tank. Hell, I hadn't cleaned the thing in a month, I shouldn't be attached to it...ugh. I never expected to feel this way about "stuff", but I do. I'm still getting rid of it, but I didn't expect to feel any attachment. Live and learn I guess.

I still haven't heard anything about my transfer. I feel like I'm walking a fine line between being proactive and being annoying. I know this for sure, patience is hard...and being in limbo sucks. The silver lining...I still have a job, so it's not all bad.

We're Moving!!

2011-08-08T09:56:00.000-04:00

Phoenix, Arizona here be come. I've finally decided to take a full time Avaya Telecom position with my company(CVS for those who don't remember) in Scottsdale, Arizona. It's taken me almost three years of on and off talks about going out there, and it's finally coming to fruition. I've never lived anywhere except the Baltimore/DC area, so this is both extremely exciting and petrifying all at the same time. I don't have a time line for the move of yet, because my little divison on CVS decided that they want to put up a fight. My first lesson in this move process appears to be patience. I will need it as "the suits" are deciding my fate. I must say, it's not the most comfortable feeling in the world to have someone else deciding your career path, and you get little to no input. I really wan't this job, so I'm willing to be patient and wait them out. Hopefully I'll get some kind of information in the next day or so. Going to work everyday in limbo is not fun at all.

Obviously, the direction of the blog now will be "move-centric". I'll be sharing my experiences, feelings, ups and downs as we go along. Thanks for coming back and reading, and I hope you enjoy the ride!

S

The blog is back!

2011-08-08T09:41:00.000-04:00

So I took a break...ok, a BIG break from the blog. I honestly had run out of weather stuff to talk about, AND I didn't feel it had a good direction. For those of you that read a lot, I'm sorry I cut off without any warning. But now I'm BACK, and I have big news.

Uh oh...

2010-12-16T15:41:00.000-05:00

Well, I hope my winter classic forecast turns out better than my 5 day for this week:

12/14- Sunny, windy, COLD. High, 38 Low 30. Winds 30+ MPH (CORRECT, except for the snow flurries on Monday night)

12/15- Sunny, cold, still windy. High 40 Low 30 Winds 30+MPH and decreasing(Partially Correct, temperatures off by more than 10 degrees)

12/16- Sunny, still cold, still windy. High 41 Low 29 Winds 20 MPH and decreasing(WRONG...didn't see the clipper on the computer models)

Below are my revisions for the next two days:

12/17- Sunny, cold, windy High 32 Low 19

12/18- Partly Cloudy, High 34 Low 18

On another note, my 1st semester at community college is finished, and I know why it snowed today. It snowed because I'm currently carrying a 4.0 GPA. Yup, A's in both classes. Scary huh.

s

This week's forecast...

2010-12-13T11:14:00.000-05:00

This is something that I'm going to try to do regularly to see how I do. Feel free to comment:

Rest of today: Clouds giving way to sun. WINDY, COLD. High 32(earlier today) Low 19. Look out for wind chills in the teens.
12/14- Sunny, windy, COLD. High, 38 Low 30. Winds 30+ MPH
12/15- Sunny, cold, still windy. High 40 Low 30 Winds 30+MPH and decreasing
12/16- Sunny, still cold, still windy. High 41 Low 29 Winds 20 MPH and decreasing
12/17- Sunny, cold High 39 Low 29
12/18- Partly Cloudy, warmer High 45 Low 32

Five days is about as far as I'm willing to go at the moment. I'm curious to see how this works out. Looks like a fairly consistent week as the storm that rained on us all weekend moves to the northeast slowly. The winds will die down slowly as it moves away. Clouds in the area Friday are from a possible storm to our south. The model for 7-10 days out shows something worth watching for early next week, but it's far too early to give that much credence. Enjoy!

s

Thunderstorm or Supercell Thunderstorm, whats the difference?

2010-12-10T17:40:00.000-05:00

My meteorology 111 final is coming up on Tuesday, so the next few articles will help me in studying for the test. Today we tackle thunderstorms.

I think it's safe to say that we've all experienced a thunderstorm in our lifetime, and most of us have probably heard of a supercell thunderstorm. The big difference is at the core of the storm. A regular old, garden variety thunderstorm is formed as warm air rises into the atmosphere, gets above the freezing level, condenses to form a nice tall cloud and then the air rushes back down toward the ground as a downdraft. Regular mid-summer afternoon storms have a life cycle of about 45 minutes to an hour before the rain that is falling, cools the air below the storm enough that it no longer rises, robbing the storm of the lift it needs to continue on, and it rains itself out. Regular thunderstorms don't usually need a strong trigger(i.e., frontal lifting or convergence lifting) to get going, they can pop anywhere that the atmosphere will support the lifting air.

A supercell storm is a little different kind of storm. The ingredients are all the same for a supercell, they are just much stronger. A storm will be classified as a supercell if the core of the storm is rotating, also known as a "rotating updraft". Supercells usually require some kind of "trigger" in the atmosphere to get the strong lifting they need. Triggers like a strong cold front, or moist tropical winds converging tend to do the trick. The air that is drawn into the storm and forced upward will begin to spin, thanks mainly to wind shear in the atmosphere. Once it gets spinning, if the core of the storm is tall enough, it may be able to tap into the jet stream winds aloft and pull them into the storm, they usually get forced down to the surface by the existing downdraft, making it that much stronger. Supercells have a much longer life cycle as the lifting mechanism that caused the storm also helps to continually provide the warm air needed to feed the updraft. The downdraft from a supercell can spread out for miles after it hits the ground, sometimes strong enough to case damage. Imagine pouring a bucket of water out on the floor. The descending air from the downdraft does the same thing when it hits the ground. The rotating updraft of a supercell thunderstorm is also the main cause for tornadoes, which we will get to later on. Don't get me wrong, both types of thunderstorms can cause tornadoes, for example, the November 17th storms that hit northeast Baltimore with an EF1 tornado were not supercells. The odds are much greater for a supercell to put down a tornado.

The thing to remember here is rotation. "Regular updraft"= regular thunderstorm. "Rotating Updraft" = Supercell.

Cold, Cold, Cold...and did I say cold?

2010-12-07T14:53:00.000-05:00

It appears that old man winter has finally gotten a really tight grip on the Mid-Atlantic region, for me that means my first semester studying Meteorology is coming to an end. I've really picked up a lot of knew knowledge from this class, even if we didn't do the mathematics or science to back it up. Today is our last class before the final and we are going to try an apply all the things we've learned during the fall and make a forecast.
A forecast is the one tangible thing that people get from a meteorologist, and most people have no idea how much effort forecasters put into their predictions. Heck, I was one of those people back in September. Now, I have a very limited knowledge of the art of forecasting, but I have gained a huge amount of respect for the folks that do it. There are several popular ways to put together a forecast, so I'll share some of the highlights with you.

1. Now-casting. The art of relaying to the people what is happening right now where they are. Twitter is full of now-casts, just look up the Capital Weather Gang, or Accu-Weather, or The Weather Channel. They are constantly posting updates about current weather all across the country.
2. Persistence Forecasting: This is used when the weather pattern is the same, day after day after day. Use the desert for example. The forecast of Sunny, and hot is very reliable over a period of days.
3.Climate-Forecasting: This is the art of using the climate data collected for a given area to build a long term forecast. These forecasts are usually pretty vague but try to give people an idea of what they can expect over a period of weeks or months.
4.Computer Forecasting: Plugging data from points all over a given area into a computer, and letting the computer model out what it thinks is going to happen. This is how most of our local 72 hour, 5 day and 7 day forecasts are generated. The computer will run several models with the data that is entered and the forecaster will apply climate data, and current data to try and get as close to the actual events as possible.

So the next logical question is 'What exactly is a good forecast?' The answer that is most popular is "One that is right.", but how do you gauge "right"? If you got the temperature right, but it was raining and you forecasted sun, were you right? The matter of being right is difficult to define, so we broke it down into categories that you can score:

1. Did you get the temperature right? Were you within 3-4 degrees either way?
2. Did you get the conditions right? You called for rain, did it?
3. Were you able to successfully prepare people for the conditions they will encounter during that day?

So that's the very basics of weather forecasting. From time to time I'll try to throw a forecast out there, just to see how well I do. The outlook this week is a simple persistence forecast: Sunny and COLD for the DC area. Highs around 35 degrees F all week. You can look at the current U.S. Radar composite and see, there isn't much out there that will impact our region....see for yourself here. The wind will die down after today though. So there it is, my 1st official weather forecast, let the criticism begin!

Triumphant Return

2010-12-07T14:10:00.000-05:00

I never intended on taking a break from my blog, but it looks like that's what I did. Between work, school, holidays, hockey and the like, I just ran out of time. School for the semester is over, so I should be able to give my little corner of the Internet the time it deserves. All it took was a little encouragement from my wife and a buddy, and I'm back on track. Thanks guys.

Speaking of school, I'm excited to report, that with only the finals left for both of my classes, I'm still carrying an "A" in each. The final will determine my fate in my math class, I could pretty much not take the final in Meteorology and still get an A. Both of these are firsts for me. I'm enrolled in the next math class(basically advanced high school algebra)and a computer information security course for the spring. I'm using the computer course to update my skills and have a "fall back" plan in case something bad happens at work before I can get into the meteorology field. Besides, I couldn't take the science I want yet, I'm not advanced enough in math.

And now back to our regularly scheduled content!

s

Pure Hockey Gold

2010-11-19T17:18:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday. I found this image gallery on SI.com this afternoon and couldn't pass up the opportunity to share it with you. Enjoy!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1011/nhl-hockey-culinary-delights-could-have-been/content.1.html
s

THE DROUGHT IS OVER!!!!

2010-11-08T17:24:00.000-05:00

I had two separate hockey league games yesterday and they couldn't have been more polar opposites. The 1st game was a 12-2 blowout at Wells as we had no goalie. I also decided to use my head to closely inspect the ice and the boards about 5 minutes into that game. The second game was later at Columbia and I was on the right end of a 9-2 decision. I finally broke both the Columbia and the Mutineers Red Jersey curses with two goals and an assist on the evening. The second goal was particularly pretty, a one timer on a cross ice feed. Today I'm paying for it, as I'm tired and sore, but ohhhhh was it worth it. What a fun day!

s

College Update

2010-11-05T14:42:00.000-04:00

My boss was here all week so I didn't get much chance to blog.
Enrollment for the spring semester at Howard Community opened up this week. I wanted to take the next math class and chemistry, but you need to be DONE the next math class before the college will let you take chemistry. SO, in order to make the most of my spring semester, I signed up for math, and a CISSP class. CISSP is an IT industry standard for Information Security. I'm hoping that getting this cert will allow me to get out of this job that I drive to far too and hate so much. It would be so nice to finish my IT career working close to home while I go to school.
The spring semester for me has been VERY successful. I'm 3/4 of the way through and still carrying an A in both of my classes, which is a first for me. I'm very excited about being in school and it's showing in my grades. I'll be taking time over the spring to start looking at schools to take my main Meteorology or Atmospheric Science coursework at.
Lastly, I've decided to create a new blog that is specifically for the Meteorology content that I have been posting here. I'll still maintain this blog with the non-scientific content. I'll be sure to post the new blog URL after I get the template going.

That's it for now...enjoy the weekend!

S

Best Halloween Costume EVER

2010-10-29T14:57:00.000-04:00

Huge Storm In the Mid-West

2010-10-26T09:53:00.000-04:00

There is a huge fall storm in the mid-west. My limited understanding of meteorology is helping my ability to decipher this map, so here we go. The 1st thing you should notice is all of those tightly packed isobars(maroon circles). Isobars represent an area of the same barometric pressure.(pressure of the air in the atmosphere). You can read this a lot like a contour map. The closer those isobars are together, the faster the pressure is changing. In this example, the pressure is dropping QUICKLY as you get closer to the central low, which is in northern Minnesota. This giant difference in pressure is causing the low to essentially "suck in" all the air from around it. This is why it's such a prolific wind maker. You can see the number "1004" in the middle of Nebraska, that's the barometric pressure there. I know its hard to see, but on each isobar you can see the pressure that it represents. The numbers drop from 1004 all the way down to 970, that's a huge difference in pressure, also known as a "gradient". The wind they are experiencing is that air being sucked into the low from the surrounding area. A central low pressure of 970 millibars is the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane. Unbelievable! The second part of this storm is the cold front that is triggering the thunderstorms across Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky. The counter clockwise motion of this low is sucking cold air from Canada and moving it south and east. The cold air is crashing into the warm air already in place, and lifting it rapidly, causing the thunderstorms(sound familiar??). The front will be moving east, and will affect us here in the Mid-Atlantic overnight into tomorrow morning. The low itself isn't moving all that much, so we won't be seeing a lot of this wind, yet at least.

I hope this brief explanation has helped you understand, at least on a high level, why this storm is so strong and such a big deal. Enjoy!

s

Funnies.

2010-10-20T11:27:00.000-04:00

A co-worker sent these to me this morning, they made me laugh, so I decided to share. Enjoy.

1.The fattest knight at King Arthur's table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaska island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

3. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math distruption.

4. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

5. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

6. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the grass'.

7. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

8. When the cannibals ate a missionary they got a taste of religion.

9. A vulture boards an airplane carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says "I'm sorry sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger."

10. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

11. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocaine during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

12. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you'd be in Seine.

The things your parents tried to tell you...

2010-10-20T09:44:00.000-04:00

I'm a bit frustrated this morning. I realized this week that I'm not going to be able to take chemistry next semester. Chemistry is the first of many sciences I need to persue my degree in meteorology. I need one more math pre-requisite before I can take Chem101. I considered doing the math I need over the January short semester, but after talking to the instructor about it, and hearing what it's like to cram 3 months of work into 4 weeks, I'm fairly sure that it's a bad idea. I'm frustrated because this will delay the process, that is already going to take forever because I can only go to school part time.
I've never been this motivated to go to school. I guess it helps that I want to get out of IT with a passion. For the first time in my life, I'm wishing I would have listened to my parents and advisors when I was at Towson and taken a far more challenging curriculum. YAY.

s

Monsoon's

2010-10-13T17:19:00.000-04:00

Last night we started learning about wind. I was surprised about how much there is to know about wind, and how great of an effect it has on the weather. Today I'm going to review how the wind causes the monsoon's in India and the US Southwest.

Like everything in meteorology it all starts with air. We'll start over the water. We all know that water heats and cools slower than the land, so in the summer months, especially the early summer months, the air over the water of the Indian Ocean, or the Pacific Ocean is cool. The cool water allows the air above it to stay cool. Cool air, means the pressure is high and there is not much lifting going on in the atmosphere. The land on the other hand soaks up the sun's moisture quickly and heats up fast. The warm land radiates the heat back into the air and causes the adiabatic rising of air we talked about earlier. Warm rising air creates low pressure in the atmosphere. Remember that air that is under high pressure(over the ocean) is drawn to air under low pressure(over the land). The cool air is drawn in over the land, heated and then it rises(moist adiabatically), condenses into clouds and rains. The warm air up high is now drawn back out to sea by the high pressure, and cools as it lowers back toward the surface. The whole process starts over again. This process will continue until the temperature of the water warms and the pressure difference between the water and the land isn't so great. Hence the reason that the monsoon seasons in India and the desert southwest last for months. During the winter the exact opposite of this occurs and the land becomes very dry and barren, which explains the desert like conditions in India and the Southwest.

Until tomorrow!

s

The Adiabatic Process Part 2

2010-10-12T14:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we covered the dry adiabatic process. It is very rare that the adiabatic process stays 100% dry like the scenario we talked about. There is almost always some level of moisture in the air, and that changes the process fairly dramatically. The process still starts in the same way though, sun heats the atmosphere, heats the earth, and the earth radiates heat back into the air. The air absorbs the heat and warms, but here's where things change. Air that is moist or saturated with moisture will still rise, but it will cool(release latent heat) and expand less quickly than dry air. There isn't a constant for the cooling rate of moist air, the closest thing we can come to is ~6 degrees Celsius per 1000m. Again, that rate is subject to change. Also, there are some different things that happen to the air as it rises, cools and interacts with the air around it. Moist air will rise and cool until the temperature of the rising air reaches the dew point(temperature where the air is 100% saturated) and then the vapor in the air will begin to condense and form clouds. The stronger the current of warm air rising, the farther up the condensation will take place, hence you will start to see clouds that form in what looks like columns building upward. Eventually that rising/cooling/condensing air will reach a level where it matches the temperature of the air around it and stop rising. It is also possible, just like in the dry adiabatic process that the warm air will cool too quickly and start to sink back toward the ground until it reaches that stable temperature. There you have it, the moist or saturated adiabatic process is one of the ways to create clouds. This process is particularly evident in the summertime as we get more of the sun's direct rays and our part of the earth gets heated more intensely. There are still other scenario's where the adiabatic process can start as dry, but as the air lifts and cools it becomes moist(remember cool air holds less water vapor than warm air)and then the moist adiabatic rules start to take effect. The whole process is quite complicated, but it's neat to know how it works. Enjoy!

OV in OT!

2010-10-12T11:20:00.002-04:00

It's moments like this that keep me going to games. He played like CRAP the entire night, but ended with this! LETS GO CAPS!

The Adiabatic Process

2010-10-11T10:56:00.000-04:00

The Adiabatic process is one of the more fascinating topics we have covered in meteorology class so far. The following is a VERY watered down description of how it works, but hopefully you will get the idea.

One of the first concepts we learned was how the sun heats the atmosphere, which in turn heats the earth, and that the earth's surface can only hold so much latent heat before it has to release/radiate it back into the atmosphere. Now, as the earth radiates this heat into the air, the air absorbs some of this heat. The air gets warmer, and warm air wants to rise, as it rises, the decreasing pressure on the air allows it to expand. Remember, air pressure decreases as we increase altitude because there is less atmosphere pressing down on it. Air will expand and cool at a rate of ten degrees Celsius per 1000 meters risen. We are assuming that this particular parcel of air is dry. The numbers and effects change if the air is saturated. So our parcel of air will rise, cool, and expand until it reaches the same temperature as the air surrounding it, and it will stay there, assuming no other forces act upon the air to change it's temperature. It is possible for our air parcel to go a little bit too high, and become cooler than the air around it. At that point our parcel will being to sink down toward the earth and get compressed and warm back up. The same rule applies for sinking air as it does for rising air(as long as the parcel stays dry). Temperature will increase ten degrees Celsius for each 1000 meters lost. So, we learn from this that the air in our atmosphere is constantly in motion, warming and cooling, rising and falling, changing pressure with altitude. This process is called the dry adiabatic process. Changing this process by doing something as simple as adding water vapor to the dry air changes the results dramatically. We'll touch on those results in the next article. Don't forget your umbrella!

s

The Return...

2010-10-11T10:24:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the long delay. Most of you know that I post mostly while at work, and my schedule has not been allowing me to post. We had a guy leave and another take vacation. Hopefully things will get better this week. So here's the short story. Those of you that know me or follow me on Twitter know that I crushed that Meteorology test, to the tune of a 97%. The score made me feel so good. I'm still carrying an A in my algebra class(although I'm playing hookie tonight to go to the Caps game). So school is going well. My car on the otherhand, was not doing so well. I had to replace the clutch, the pump, the fly wheel and put two new oxygen sensors into it, in addition to replacing the tires(which I planned on.) So, $2500 later I'm back on the road. I guess that's part of the chance you take when you buy a used car with a manual transmission. Lucky for me, I REALLY like the car, because it looks like we are going to be together for a long time. Carey and I celebrated out 6th wedding anniversary over the weekend. We went to the Melting Pot to cook our own food. It was great fun. Lets see, what else....Carey is close to being done her Masters, we got a sectional couch for the "man cave"(that was before my clutch blew up, go figure.) That's all that comes to mind at the moment. Oh yeah, one last thing. Thanks to the "Pig Hat Girls" for the free tickets to the Caps pre-season game two Sunday's ago. I'll have to tell you that story later. Later!

s

Cloud Types

2010-09-27T16:46:00.001-04:00

I have my first Meteorology test tomorrow and I'm struggling to remember my cloud types, so I'm going to put them in writing and share them with you. Lets start with the high clouds. Cirrus, Cirrostratus, and Cirrocumulus. All are at the very top of the Thermosphere and are made up of ice crystals. Its too cold for water not to be frozen up there. They are usually very "whispy" looking and precede or follow a weather system. Next are the mid level clouds. Altocumulus and Altostratus. These are liquid water vapor clouds and are generally non threatening looking. You can usually see blue sky between these clouds. We continue to descend as we start to see the stratus cloud type. Also including cumulostratus and nimbostratus. Stratus clouds and their ilk tend to be rain clouds. Nimbostratus cover the whole sky in grey and don't appear to have a defining shape. People often mistake a low hanging bank of stratus cloud for "lifting fog" as they are very similar in makeup. Lastly we cover the clouds that grow from the ground to the top of the Troposphere, the cumulus family. Regular cumulus clouds are generally small and broken up in nature, they tend to be what people call "fair weather clouds", but as they grow, conditions tend to deteriorate. Cumulus clouds can grow in to towering cumulus(thunderheads), or even cumulonimbus which are widely known as thunderstorm clouds. So there you have it, a "vertical tour" of cloud types from top to bottom..Cirrus at the top, cumulus at the bottom. Enjoy!

s

College Update

2010-09-23T11:59:00.000-04:00

I took my 1st unit exam in my algebra class last night. I was actually nervous, considering I haven't taken a math test that counts since 1993. I got 13 out of 15 correct, 87%. Honestly I was hoping for better. The reality of it is, 87% because its on a heavily weighted test, brought my gaudy 97% class avg down to 90%, which was disappointing to me. One of the TA's was talking to me, and her point was "Hey, its still an A", but it really sucked to see my average dip so severely thanks to only two wrong answers. I think I underestimated how hard it's going to be to carry an "A" in my classes....but I'm on a mission. I'll have some more meteorology posts coming in the next few days. My load at work hasn't allowed me to get any published in a while. Until next time!

s

Three Hurricanes at Once!

2010-09-17T14:33:00.003-04:00

The eye of hurricane Igor 9/13

There are currently three active hurricanes in the Atlantic basin, two of which are major hurricanes. A major hurricane is defined as a category 3 or higher. Basically a storm with sustained winds of 115mph or more. The two major players are Igor and Karl. For the record, none of these storms are a threat to any US coastline. I'll start with Karl. This storm made landfall in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday as a strong tropical storm. It re-emerged over the Bay of Campeche and went crazy, developing into a category 3 monster. It's now making it's second landfall in Mexico. The area it's impacting is very rugged with lots of hills and mountains. Wind and rain damage will be extensive as well as a very high mudslide potential. It's amazing how quickly Karl spun up, the whole thing happening in just a few days.
Igor on the other hand, has been with us for more than a week. The storm is a classic "Cape Verde" storm for this time of year. He got his act together quickly after emerging from the African coast and intensified to within 1 MPH of being a category 5 storm. Category 5 storms have sustained winds at or in excess of 155 MPH. Between 1924 and 2007, 32 hurricanes were recorded at Category 5 strength, so they are fairly rare. Igor has weakened to a category 3 storm with winds of 115 mph and looks to make a direct hit on the island of Bermuda over the weekend. Most of the buildings on the island adhere to their strict building code so hopefully structural damage will be minimal.
Lastly we have hurricane Julia. Julia formed up in Igor's wake and hasn't had a very favorable environment to work with. She also got turned north very quickly after forming. She's a minimal hurricane with winds at 85 MPH and is no threat to any land mass at all. According to the article I read on StormCarib.com the have only been eight times since 1850's that there have been three active hurricanes in the Atlantic, so this is certainly a rare occasion. The last time was in 1998 when there were four hurricanes in the Atlantic.
The weather in the area for the weekend looks awesome. I would expect the Capital Weather Gang to rate them 9 out of 10's. Sunny and 80 both Saturday and Sunday, lows in the mid 50's. Get out and enjoy! Talk to you next week.

s

Automated Surface Observing Stations and Thermometers

2010-09-15T09:28:00.000-04:00

The air temperature for an area is taken by an Automated Surface Observing Station,(ASOS pictured above) , most of which are located at airports. The National Weather Service has a network of 900 ASOS stations nationwide. The thermometer used to take the temperature is an electric thermometer that is housed in a shelter that sits about 5 feet off of the ground. The temperature at the earth's surface can be as much as 5 degrees warmer or cooler than the air temperature just 5 feet above. This happens because the Earth's surface is a great radiator of long wave radiation, but air is a poor absorber of long wave radiation. The thermometer is housed in a shelter so that it gets a measurement of the air temperature that isn't affected by direct rays from the sun or cold winter winds. Pretty neat 'eh?

s

The second most wonderful time of the year...

2010-09-14T17:00:00.000-04:00

The return of the NFL also means the return of cheerleaders! Here's the week one gallery. Thanks to si.com for the link.

By the way, the most wonderful time of the year is the beginning of the NHL playoffs.

sa

Seasonal Change

2010-09-14T09:38:00.000-04:00

It's an interesting and little known fact that the Earth is actually at it's closest point in relation to the sun in January on our calendars. I know, I know, I can hear you already, it doesn't make sense that the weather for us is coldest when we are closest to the sun. Well here's the explanation. Most people don't realize that the Earth is tilted on an axis of 23.5 degrees. It is that fact in conjunction with our atmosphere that causes the weather to be coldest when we are closest to the sun. First, during northern hemisphere(that's where we live)winter, we are tilted away from the sun. So the sun's rays hit our atmosphere at more of an angle, and are more diffused by the atmosphere by time they get to us. During northern hemisphere summer we are tilted closer to the sun, and the suns rays hit us more directly, if you notice the sun seems more "directly" overhead during the summer. When January comes, we get closer to the sun, but the 23.5 degree tilt points us away from the sun, and the atmosphere diffuses the incoming light and spreads it over a wider area, making it weaker, and the temperatures colder.
To see this effect for yourself, take a flashlight, and point it at a spot on the wall directly in front of you. You will see the light makes a nice even circle that is very bright. Now take a couple of steps to the left or the right, and keep the flashlight pointed at the same spot on the wall. You will notice the area of light gets bigger, more oval shaped, but it also gets dimmer. A larger area is lit, but less powerfully. That effect is exactly what happens to sunlight coming in contact with the earth. Hence forth, the winter and summer seasons.

Hydrostatic Balance

2010-09-10T10:19:00.000-04:00

I don't have much news to report this week, it's been a slow one for me, which isn't always a bad thing. I do have one thing to be proud of though. I'm carrying a 92% avg in my Algebra class. That's an "A". I'm a solid two weeks ahead of the class, and I'm having fun. Don't get me wrong, were only talking about Algebra I here, not rocket science, but I've never had an "A" in any math class ever. I will keep you up to date.

I also learned this week another interesting fact about the atmosphere. There are two forces at work that keep our atmosphere in place. The first and most obvious is gravity. Gravity holds our thin little blanket of atmosphere close to the Earth's surface. The second force is called the Gradient Pressure Force(GPF). The GPF is essentially the atmosphere's desire to expand and fly away into space. These two pressures form a perfect balance, known as "Hydrostatic Balance" that keep the atmosphere in place in a perfect position for us to be able to live under it. Pretty cool huh.
Next week....wind.

s

Meteorology Fact of the Day:

2010-09-08T09:37:00.001-04:00

Albedo: The Earth or the Earth's atmosphere reflects 30% of the sunlight that hits it. Therefore the Earth's Albedo is 30%.

Last night I had 3 more hours of Meteorology 111, or Meteorology without math or science as I call it. We had an interesting discussing about measuring temperature using Fahrenheit, Celsius, or Kelvin. When it came time to do some actual conversions, the instructor said "we can either do the math, or press the 'I believe' button. I think I was the only one in class who voted for 'do the math'. Needless to say, I lost. I still learned stuff, and that's the most important part.

It's been a while...

2010-09-07T09:53:00.000-04:00

I got a great present just in time for my 1st week of school, a nasty allergy/sinus thing. It really shut me down last week. I would wish that on no one.

I'm officially back in school as of last Monday. I have Introductory Algebra on Mondays and Wednesdays and Meteorology on Tuesdays. Classes went well for the first week. Howard Community College has made it very convenient for me to be able to get "caught up" on my maths and sciences, while still maintaining a job and a little bit of a social life. I was able to jump ahead on the Algebra because of all the practice I did over the summertime. Meteorology 111 is basically meteorology with no math or science attached, which should be interesting but has the potential to be dreadfully boring. We shall see. My goal is to get A's in both classes. There's no reason I can't do that. I may even try to get far enough in the Algebra class to test out of the next level, but I don't want to get ahead of myself. I'll just keep plowing through material until I get stuck. I'm really excited to share some of the stuff I'm learning about the weather, so I'm going to try and throw random weather facts up here that I think you may find interesting. Today's weather fact:

Without greenhouse gasses such as water vapor and carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, the average temperature on Earth would be a chilly 0 degrees F instead of the balmy 60 degrees we are used too. BRRRR.

sa

Cruise Review, as promised

2010-08-25T09:33:00.001-04:00

I wrote a review of our cruise earlier this week for CruiseCritic. I'll post more details this week. You can click the word "review" above, or paste the link below into your browser. Enjoy

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=71675

s

Back from vacation

2010-08-24T13:07:00.000-04:00

Here are some pics from our cruise on the Carnival Pride. I wrote a review for CruiseCritic.com I will link to it as soon as it's posted. I'll give you more details as the week goes on, it's been really busy since we got home.

Tribute to Chris Chelios

2010-08-15T10:07:00.001-04:00

What an amazing player, and an amazing career. Enjoy.

Green Day at Jiffy Lube Live!

2010-08-12T17:05:00.000-04:00

Carey and I got to see Green Day again last night. This time our seats were awesome. Seven rows behind the pit. The show was aswesome, as we expected. Two and a half hours of super high energy rock n roll. I dont know how they do it. It was 90some degrees and they performed for two and a half hours in pants and shirt sleeves. The coolest part of the night was watching a random fan get chosen to sing "longview" on stage, if that wasn't good enough, Billie Joe GAVE him his guitar when the song was over. What a piece of memorabilia 'eh? So cool.. You have to see these guys if you get a chance. I've attached a few photos from last night. Enjoy!

All quiet for now...

2010-08-05T10:21:00.000-04:00

That's expected to change this afternoon as more storms are predicted for the area. Areas south of Baltimore County and city dodged a bullet last night as some strong/severe storms rolled through not long after dark. My neighbors and I took the opportunity to clean out our gutters yesterday evening before the weather arrived. Luckily we are connected to good folks who aren't afraid to climb up on the roof. Its amazing the havoc a couple of leaves and a pile of whirly-birds can create.

I'm really excited about the upcoming weekend. I'm participating in the "Leap Towards A Cure" hockey tournament at The Gardens Ice House in Laurel. Here's a link to the web site so you can learn all about it. Hopefully I'll have the cure for sore legs and a tired body by Sunday. I'm really looking forward to it, and it's a great cause. I'll be playing with "Josh and the Gang." Our game times are 3:20pm on Friday, 8pm on Friday(not a typo) and 12:30pm on Saturday. There will be activities and food at the event, so come on by if you are local and free. Besides, who could turn down a chance to laugh at me while I play.

Look out for storms and have a good one.

s

Here we go again...

2010-07-29T13:36:00.000-04:00

The radar image from this afternoon:

What it looked like in real life:

The lightning show was very impressive. It seemed everyone at the office was at the window watching it. I'm just thankful the power stayed on.

Big Storms Last Sunday

2010-07-27T11:52:00.001-04:00

**EDIT: Here is a link to a great article from the Capital Weather Gang that touches on why the storms we had on Sunday were so strong.**

Power in a large part of Montgomery County is still out today(Tuesday) after a line of really strong thunderstorms ambushed the entire DC/Baltimore region on Sunday. Montgomery County took the worst hit of the area. The storms that roared through Rockville, Bethesda, and Gaithersburg were tornado warned when they came through the area. It was the second tornado warning for the region in a week! These were the worst storms to hit the area in several years. Carey and I were putting up molding at home on Sunday afternoon and we could hear the "alert beep" from the Weather Channel going off endlessly as warning after warning for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flash flooding were issued. The thunder and lightning were almost constant at our house, it was quite the spectacle. Luckily we never lost power. The National Weather Service is investigating the Rockville/Gaithersburg area to see if a tornado actually did touch down. The weather made for quite an afternoon on Sunday and has successfully made my commute even worse, as some major intersections in Rockville are still dark. PEPCO announced that some folks wont have power back until Friday. Storms like this do a lot to help me remember how small I am on the global scale. Hopefully the rest of the summer is a little less eventful.

Random work rant.

2010-07-22T13:35:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted one of these in a while, so here goes:

I noticed on my co-worker's calendar that he has a "meeting" scheduled from 1-2pm every day, Mon-Fri. We are on a lot of the same meetings so I looked at the details of this meeting and there were none. I then realized that 1-2pm is his lunch hour. Apparently he's ~~so important that he can block off his lunch hour every day~~ sick of people scheduling calls or meetings during his lunch, so he now shows as busy on the calendar for that period of time. I can't believe he's getting away with this. Unreal.

We were also informed by our boss today that all travel has been cut. Our boss is in Greensboro, NC. He would usually make a trip a month or so up here to have some "face time" with us. Who knows when we will see him now. He just keeps getting further and further out of touch with whats going on with our group. I've got coworkers who think that they are the most important people in the world, coworkers who think the rules apply to everyone but them, and coworkers who refuse to help anyone else on the team out, and there's only five of us on the team. Now that we know he won't be coming anytime soon, I expect this to get worse. I can't get back in school fast enough.

Interesting turn of events...

2010-07-20T17:35:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I see a cloud that resembles a funnel...and today my home county goes under a Tornado warning. The storm is small, but seriously potent. It missed home by only a few miles. We dodged a bullet. I'll try to find out if it actually did put down a tornado. The radar image is below. Thanks to WeatherUnderground.

WOW

2010-07-20T12:06:00.001-04:00

It's moments like I had yesterday afternoon that make me want to study the weather. I was on my way home from work, and there were some thunderstorms in the area, but my commute was generally unaffected. I came to the top of a hill on route 108, just barely past the Howard County line and I saw this:

The sun was out, it wasn't raining, but I was staring at what looked a lot like a funnel cloud. I pulled over and snapped the shot above. The cloud was very low in the sky, but I couldn't see any rotation. Considering the powerful radar that the National Weather Service has, had it been anything dangerous they would have known about it...or so I hope. The cloud hung together for quite a while, I took this pic about 10 minutes later.

If anyone knows what this was, drop me a line, I'd love to know.

**EDIT** I'm fairly sure that it's not '"God's Dick" as my co-worker so eloquently put it.

s

Interesting weather pattern

2010-07-15T14:48:00.000-04:00

The chance of thunderstorms from the last few days has past for the greater DC/Baltimore area. The storms we had this week were interesting to me for several reasons. Early on in the week the general motion of the storms was from southwest to northeast instead of the traditional west to east that is common here. Yesterdays storms were tracking almost due south from the north. The storms were associated with a low pressure area that passed almost directly over the area. The counter-clockwise rotation of the low pressure center is what was causing the storms to travel in directions different than what we are used to in the area. The only thing I haven't figured out yet is why we were getting storms at all hours of the day and night. Usually the sun needs to be out to heat up the atmosphere to trigger storms, that wasn't the case with this system. It's off the coast now and the 3 H's of summer are back, Hazy, Hot, and Humid right though the weekend. Enjoy!

A letter to Ilya Kovalchuk

2010-07-14T16:45:00.000-04:00

Dear Mr. Kovalchuk,

I’m sorry to hear that your free agent experience has not been all that you hoped for. I know that you expected the red carpet to be rolled out for you in city after city this summer as teams vied for your services in a Lebron James’esque frenzy. Honestly, I expected that too. I must say that I am glad to hear that teams aren’t totally re-working their salary structure just for you. I mean, you’re a good player and all, but you're no Ovechkin, Towes, Kane, Iginla, or Lidstrom, even though you want what most of their salaries are combined. I’m sure some team will give in and make you an offer that you deem worthy. Personally I kinda hope that offer comes from Russia, because the NHL needs less players that will turn down $100 million offers. By the way, just for those of us that haven’t seen it. One hundred million looks like this:

100,000,000

Please remember Mr. Kovalchuk, that even $100,000,000 can’t buy this:

which for the record, I’m not sure you are really interested in winning. The only way to get that is hard work and dedication. So good luck finding your new team, here’s hoping you contribute more than you did for the Devils.

Sincerely,

Scott Antoszewski

Best seat in the house.

2010-07-12T15:16:00.001-04:00

I'm typing as the rain core from a fairly strong thunderstorm smacks us around a little bit at work. Generally in this area storms travel west to east. Today's storm was rotating from the southeast to the northwest, so I got a front row seat as it approached. What a rare treat! I wish I could have gotten a picture of the initial cloud, it was very impressive. I love a good thunderstorm, and this one will help me get through the middle of the day. The folks north of here in Baltimore and Anne Arundel county are really getting slapped around. I can't wait to get a better understanding about how these storms work. You will see from the pic below, the radar is lit up like a Christmas tree. My location is where the little plus sign is on the map. Thanks to WeatherUnderground for the radar.

Have a good day!.

Marketing people are funny.

2010-07-09T15:44:00.001-04:00

Check out the link below. Take the time to read it all the way through, it's REALLY funny. Happy Weekend!

http://jezebel.com/5582562/clueless-secretary-makes-for-hilarious-office-email-thread

Why is it so damn hot?

2010-07-08T10:40:00.000-04:00

Aside from the obvious answer "It's summer dumbass." I wanted to see if I could get a better answer, and the internet was happy to oblige. The reason for this week's heat wave* is a large area of high pressure off the coast that was not moving. We got a few more clouds in the sky yesterday which is what kept us from a repeat of the 105 degree record breaker at BWI on Tuesday. The area of high pressure is slowly moving away, which is why we are getting some relief today, but it won't get a lot better until the cold front to our west pushes through and kicks this nasty summer high to the curb.

I was reading yesterday on the Capital Weather Group blog that we were exactly six months out from the double barrel snowstorms that crippled the area back in February. It's been a very interesting year for the weather in our area. It's amazing what a little tilt toward the sun can do 'eh. I can only imagine what's coming next. Stay tuned!

* A heat wave is defined as three or more days in a row of 90+ degree temperatures. Yeah, we qualify.

s

Weekend Recap

2010-06-30T13:44:00.000-04:00

I took one of my friends and went to Newark over the weekend(and we survived!)for the New Jersey Devils equipment sale. The Devils were selling off some new/used hockey equipment, lots of teams do this. We made a $20 donation to one of the Devils charities to get access to the pre-sale. Dan and I were roughly 150'th in line. I came away with a new pair of hockey pants, and new stick, and a pair of game used gloves, all for about $100 less than the price of the stick by itself at your average pro-shop. I had hoped to get a few more sticks, but only the most dedicated collector's and ebayers got the limited number of right handed sticks. I still did very well I think. The trip was a lot of fun, with the exception of the 15 mile backup we sat in on the way home. The New Jersey Turnpike was clogged up from just before exit 9, all the way to exit 8 due to a sink hole in the right lane. I've never sat in stop and go traffic for two and a half hours before, and I hope I don't have to again. We made the best of it, and still managed to get home in one piece. Overall, it was still a really fun trip.

Stormchasers...

2010-06-23T09:26:00.000-04:00

Carey and I were on our way home from our allergy shots last night as the area was getting pounded by some pretty strong thunderstorms. We decided to take a drive and follow the storm to see what we could see. The pictures I was able to take are pretty amazing. Enjoy.

My Job Stinks..LITERALLY

2010-06-23T09:16:00.000-04:00

I was on my way to the cafeteria yesterday morning to fill my cup with ice water for the morning. The journey is simple, take the elevator or stairs to the first floor, and as soon as the doors open *WHAM* the smell hit me like opening a trash can full of week old trash. The odor was awful. I don't know where it came from or what it was, but I was seriously thankful that my desk is two floors above this smell. Facilities arrived, opened all the doors, and put a fan or two in, and by lunchtime the smell was only a hint of it's former self.
Today I made the same journey, and as soon as I got close to the first floor in the stairwell, it was back. I started giggling, cause I know how the people in my office are, and I'm sure building facilities has gotten at least 50 calls complaining. I could tell they had been here because the smell of freshly sprayed air freshener masked all but a little of the foul odor. The few people I did see on my way to the cafeteria looked pissed. I love taking comfort in the fact that my co-workers are busy annoying someone else. It will be interesting to see if the smell goes away by lunchtime. Lastly..while I was writing this entry, an email went out to the entire building. Facilities is "working on it". The plot, and the smell, thickens.

s

So close, but yet so far.

2010-06-18T10:02:00.000-04:00

I played my first playoff game with the Unknowns last night. We lost 10-9 (no that's not a typo) in a shootout. The game ended up being a battle of our ringers versus their ringers. The skill level of the ringers at the C2 level is much higher than the ringers at the D level. I would say that would be one of the biggest things I learned during this spring season. I'm proud of the way I played during the course of the season, and especially in last night's game. We went down 5-2 during the first period, but rallied for six goals in a row to take the lead. I had the primary assists on the second and fourth goals of the game. The Admirals battled back as well and had a 9-8 lead on us(with yours truly watching from the penalty box) in the dying seconds of regulation. The captain of our team scored with about 10 seconds left in the game to get us to overtime. I had two shifts in the five minute overtime period. Overtime had about 10 seconds left when I saw a teammate behind the net with the puck. I charged to the front of the net and shot the puck in the opening between the goalie's pads. My momentum carried me behind the net, and I eagerly looked down to watch the puck appear. It never did. The goalie somehow got it stopped, on the goal line, under his leg. I came up about an inch and a half short of delivering a playoff game winner. We then proceeded to get crushed in the shoot out. It totally sucked to be that tantalizingly close to winning the game. All the good things I did prior to that in the game were gone from my head, I couldn't stop thinking about what I could have done differently to get that puck in. Long story short, it wasn't my turn. The item that reads "Score a game winning goal in overtime" still remains on my hockey "to do" list.

My totals for the Spring season are: 0 goals, 5 assists, 4 penalty minutes. I wouldn't call that a rousing success, but I also wouldn't call that a failure either. I did get invited back for the Winter season if I want to.

My first season playing a higher level game was great fun. I learned a lot, and I'm hoping some of that extra knowledge and speed will translate to the D level game and allow me to be an even better D level player.

Have a great weekend.

Recycled Post

2010-06-18T09:36:00.001-04:00

This was intended for the DownNDirty site, but it never got published. I didn't want it to go to waste, so here you go. Enjoy.

UFC 115

Chuck Liddell vs Rich Franklin

“The Beginning And End Of An Era”

Five months ago history was made at General Motors Place in Vancouver as Team Canada won Olympic Gold. Saturday night history may have been made again in the same building as just over 20,000 fans saw UFC(ultimate fighting championship) hall of famer Chuck Liddell fight for what might be the final time. Liddell was knocked out but Rich Franklin with about 10 seconds left in round one, a round that Liddell most likely would have won. Liddell, in typical form was throwing a huge right hand trying to knock Franklin out and left his head wide open. Franklin did not miss, as his response split Liddell’s lip open all the way to his chin and knocked him out cold. Liddell was responding to growing criticism that his out of the ocatagon lifestyle was keeping him from fighting effectively. He showed up in great shape and was well on his way to proving lots of people wrong when disaster in the form of Rich Franklin’s fist struck. Liddell had even added leg kicks back into his arsenal, as Franklin found out the hard way. Liddell broke Franklins arm with a kick very early in the fight. I think its wrong for so may people to speculate that Liddell is done, it’s his decision, and he’ll do what’s best for him. I will say, that as a novice fan of MMA(mixed martial arts) I wish I could have seen him fight more.

Earlier in the same evening, the same group of fight crazed Canucks may have seen the birth of a new star in MMA. Rory MacDonald took on Carlos Condit in the second fight on the pay per view card. Condit is an experienced MMA fighter, a legitimate bad ass, with a 24-5 record. MacDonald is a 20 year old kid, fighting on his first pay per view card, and was fighting in front of his home crowd, as he is from a nearby city in British Columbia. Condit won the fight, on a technical knockout with seven seconds left in the third round, but that was hardly the story of the fight. It was the opinion of most of us who gathered to watch the fight, that MacDonald won both of the first two rounds before running out of gas and succumbing to Condit. The energy from the crowd was like nothing I had ever seen on a UFC pay per view. Multiple times during the fight the partisan Canadian crowd chanted “ Rory, Rory!” urging their countryman on. MacDonald served notice that he will be a force to be reckoned with in his division. He even got kudos from UFC President Dana White on his twitter feed during the fight. Condit fought a great fight, and took all the punishment MacDonald could dole out. He took advantage of a worn out MacDonald in the third round and thoroughly dominated the round. Most of us expected Condit to win, but we were cheering on MacDonald to get the upset. This fight was the fight of the night in my opinion.

Next up is UFC 116 on July 3. The main event is the return of heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. He will take on interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin. Lesnar is returning from a serious illness and hasn’t fought in over a year. He has dominated the heavyweight division thus far, so it will be interesting to see how Carwin fares. UFC will be held at the Garden Arena at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Quick Rant

2010-06-11T11:16:00.000-04:00

I haven't ranted about work in quite a while, so here goes:

We had a fairly major outage this morning. We've gone over the procedures for how to handle an outage over and over again with the out help desk guys, to the point where I made a checklist. I'm on the way back to my desk from getting a cup of water this morining and I hear the help desk guy talking about something being down. "Yeah, we know that's down" were the words I heard. He got off the phone and I asked if everything was ok, and he proceeded to tell me that "application A" was down. He had passed the ticket off to someone else to get it resolved, but hadn't notified anyone. Why is this so hard for help desk people to understand? When an application is down, put out notification, change the helpdesk message, update the news, follow up on it every 30 mins until its fixed, and you're done. It's not rocket science. This happens every time we have an outage, it's happened with every help desk agent we've ever had. Unreal. Maybe I'm just expecting too much from them. I'm not their boss, so who cares.

Ahh....I feel better now.

My last hockey blog for the season will be up at DownNDirtySports.com shortly. Click on by and give it a read.

Have a great Friday, and a wonderful weekend. I'm going to see the Orioles get the snot kicked out of them by the Mets at Citi, oops Camden Yards. I'll have updates on getting back into school next week. Until then!

s

A New Ice Cream Flavor

2010-06-08T16:05:00.002-04:00

EDIT: 6/9/10 8:50AM
I heard back from the folks at Ben and Jerry's. The caramel hat trick flavor is available in the US, just under a different name. It's called caramel triple chunk, and no they didn't send me free samples. :-( ENJOY!

Ben and Jerry's has unveiled a new ice cream flavor with a hockey twist. The flavor is called "Caramel Hat Trick" and a portion of the proceeds from the sales of this flavor will go to benefit the NHLPA's Goals and Dreams program. The flavor features caramel ice cream with caramel swirls and fudge covered caramel chunks. Sounds awesome to me. I know for me personally there wouldn't be a better way to cure the craving for ice cream during the Stanley Cup Finals, than with some Caramel Hat Trick. I do not know if it will be available in the US, but I have emailed B&J to find out that answer. Here is a link to the press release, it has more info as well as links to more pics. Kudos to Ben and Jerry's for using their customers' craving for ice cream to support a great cause. I hope I get a chance to try it! Let me know if you see any in your local grocery store.

s

I forgot to mention...

2010-06-03T19:33:00.000-04:00

I'm writing game by game recaps of all the Stanley Cup Finals games for the Down N Dirty blog. So be sure to click on over and check them out. It's a really fun way for me to stay a little bit more involved in the finals, since my Caps are busy golfing. Enjoy!

s

I couldn't pass this up.

2010-06-03T12:02:00.000-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the tastycake Stanley Cup. Enjoy.

For other Gems like this, check out This Is Why You're Fat.

A change in career path

2010-06-02T15:54:00.001-04:00

Those of you that know me know how much I dislike my current employment situation and my current employer. I know, I know, it could be worse, I could work at BP. I have spent at least two blog entries talking about needing to make a change. I decided a few weeks ago that the change I need to make needs to be a big one. I am giving up on IT after ten years or so and going back to school. My goal will be to get a degree and a new job in the field of Meteorology. Its something that I have found fascinating for years, and it's something that I think I will enjoy doing. I have a long road to make this happen, but it starts in the fall as I start by catching up on maths and sciences at Howard Community College. I'm really looking forward to this new change and new challenge in my life. I will continuing to work in IT to pay for school, as I attend in the evenigs and on the weekend. The amount of advanced math and science I have to take is pretty daunting, especially since I avoided it like the plague the 1st time I was in school. I've already been "catching up" on the math basics for the last few weeks, and it's actually fun, that bodes well for me. My goal with this is to get all the way through the Masters program in Meterology and end up working someplace like NOAA or the National Weather Service. Wish me luck!

s

It's a tease....

2010-06-02T10:43:00.000-04:00

I had no idea it had been half a month since I posted. I have some big news coming this afternoon..and no Carey isn't pregnant, the blog isn't going away etc...

I do have some other fun news to share. I won a contest on the Hockey, Hot Chicks and Somewhere in Between blog this week. Here's a link to the thank you letter I sent, and the blog editor was kind enough to publish. Enjoy!

Weekend Post Mortem...

2010-05-17T14:52:00.000-04:00

I experienced a first this weekend. Winning games at the Labatt tournament. Twitter followers know that the Crush won on Friday and Saturday morning, but lost on Saturday afternoon. Sadly, even though 2 out of 3 ain't bad, thanks MeatLoaf, we still didn't get to play in the championship round on Sunday. Carey and I each contributed and assist to the effort and I took a two minute penalty along the way. The tournament and time spent with the team was great fun. I had a Mutineers game last night to cap off the weekend. We lost 3-1, and had only ten skaters, guess everything can't go perfectly 'eh. I'm very sore and tired today. Looking forward to getting home and relaxing. I've got a busy week planned between more hockey tomorrow, scorekeeping and work. Here's hoping everything goes smoothly.

s

Happy Weekend....

2010-05-14T10:50:00.000-04:00

Carey and I have a jam packed weekend planned. We're playing in our local USA Hockey Labatt sponsored tournament this weekend. The games will be at The Gardens Ice House in Laurel. We play Friday at 4:30, Saturday at 8:30am and 4:30pm, and possibly again on Sunday. Stop by and see Carey and I in action, as well as fellow blogger Kevin, from Jumping The Glass. Autographs will be available. ;-) Our team is the Crush, we wear Orange. We are also squeezing in some R&R at Price Georges Stadium on Saturday night, watching the Bowie Baysox. Good times.

I'll try to post some pics from Labatt over the weekend, if I'm not dead from hockey overload.

I'd like to thank my friend Vanessa from Puckleberry loves to craft, for putting Beavis and Butthead back in my head today. She's making beanbags for "cornhole" the beanbag toss game, and because she's like me, she can't let the word "cornhole" go. I love it. The pic is priceless. Enjoy!

.

s

Lucky Dog

2010-05-04T15:52:00.000-04:00

I got a speeding ticket a few months back. You may remember the article where I ranted about it. Today was my day in court, my first trip to traffic court in over 10 years. I'm happy to report that the officer didn't show and my ticket was thrown out. No points, no fine, no court costs, no nothing. I chose to use the horse shoe to lead the article becuase this is the second time in a row that I have gotten away with no fine or points. The officer missed my last appearance in court 10 years ago. Needless to say I am extactic, as well as a little more cautious behind the wheel.

Carey and I took a three day weekend to the Outer Banks last weekend. We stayed at a little bed and breakfast in Kitty Hawk called the Cypress Moon Inn. The Cypress Moon is totally worth checking out if you are going to be down that way. The room was awesome, it smelled of cedar. The view of the sound from our deck was unreal. The inn is on the sound side so you get beautiful sunsets. The "off season" rate that we got was $155 per night, and it's totally worth it. Breakfast is served daily at 8:30am, the owner puts together some sort of egg dish, with fruit, a muffin, and orange juice. We loved it, and will certainly be going back. Check out their web site as well. The pictures aren't doctored at all, it really looks like that.

All else is well, just working to get through the week. Until next time!

s

Post Mortem

2010-04-29T16:27:00.001-04:00

If you are here looking for a profanity filled tirade about the Caps game last night, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Don't get me wrong, it sucks that the Caps lost, it sucks that Mike Green is overrated, and it sucks that Alex Semin is a mental case, but all in all, it was a REALLY fun season to watch Capitals hockey. Hopefully management will fix the issues the Caps have over the summer and the Caps will capture that elusive Stanley Cup next year. They are still my team, and I'll still be at as many games as I can next year!

Click HERE to go to a very cool story I found in the Washington Post this afternoon. Every now and then people need to be reminded that sports are just games. I think this story does that.

My first round recap and second round preview should be up on the Down N Dirty site shortly.

Lastly...take some time to get outside...the weather is awesome!

Later!

s

Thoughts on Game 7

2010-04-28T09:12:00.000-04:00

I'm torn this morning. My buddy Kevin, sold us his tickets to Game 7(Caps/Canadiens). I'm super excited to be able to go, as I've never been to a game 7 before, but I'm also dissapointed that the Caps have let it get this far. There is something about this team that I cant figure out. They have made every series since they returned to the playoffs three years ago a seven game series. Either way, Carey and I will be there, supporting our team. LETS GO CAPS!

Watch the Caps/Canadiens Game tonight...

2010-04-26T15:09:00.000-04:00

Notice the Bell advertisement on the boards. There's the face of a man smiling. You will notice that in the first period he's cleanly shaven, and by game's end he will have a full beard. It's quite amuzing. Here's a link to an article about it. Enjoy!

s

Frustration

2010-04-23T08:59:00.000-04:00

The Caps get their first chance to eliminate Montreal tonight. I was flipping through my twitter feed on the my way to work this morning, only when I'm stuck at a stop light...relax. I couldn't help but think about the multitudes of people that are getting to go tonight that have no vested interest in the team of the game. They are going because " a friend has tickets" or something like that, and a guy like me, who would pay good money to go gets shut out. The bandwagon phenomenon is the worst part about cheering for a team that has progressed from terrible to awesome like the Caps have. I saw this exact same phenomenon at opening day up in Baltimore a few weeks ago. The girl sitting next to me had never been to a baseball game before, and had no idea what was going on. She and her friend got tickets from a friend and decided to go. I'm sure there were thousands of die-hard O's fans that would have paid for those tickets, and stayed for more than three innings. You'll have to forgive me for being a little bit bitter this morning. Happy Friday! Have a great day!

s

Random "PIG" Links

2010-04-22T17:08:00.000-04:00

I've been slacking on this for a while, so I'll throw all the boys out there a bone. si.com has photo galleries of the Cheerleader of the Week, and the L.A. Kings Ice Crew. Enjoy and thanks si.com for the photos.

s

A Dose of "Humble Pie"

2010-04-22T16:53:00.000-04:00

I decided this spring to try playing on a higher level hockey team. I've been playing for 5 years now, and have always been on the beginner/novice level teams, and am having great fun. I realized over the winter that I wouldn't continue to improve without doing two things. The first was practicing, so I addressed that by doing about half of the sessions at the Wells Hockey Clinic. The second was playing against better competition. The levels of play are designated by letter and number. The closer you get to A1 the higher the level of competition. I have been playing D2 and D1 level hockey my whole career. When I started with the Mutineers last summer, we played C3. The Mutts eventually got moved down to D1 becuase we weren't winning, and players weren't interested in getting better. Getting moved down to D1 is what sparked this interest in moving up for me. I met a lot of people over the winter while I was scorekeeping, one thing led to another, and I found a spot on the Unknowns, a C2 level team. I played my 1st game with them last week, and I was pleasantly suprised with my ability to keep up. I played my second game with them last night, and boy did I learn some things. The team we played last night was seriously fast, and seriously physical. I was telling my buddy Kevin today, that I felt like all my decisions were wrong. Things happen so much faster, I didn't have the time I expected to figure things out. It has been a long time since I've been outplayed like I was last night. The silver lining for me are several things:
1. I didn't do anything that led directly to a goal.
2. I was on the ice for more goals FOR us than AGAINST us.
3. My straight line speed is fast enough to be able to play at this level.
I'm sure I will be able to play at this level, but I'm going to have to put in some work to get my game to a level where I can contribute. I like this challenge, and I'm willing to put in the time to make myself better. I will make sure to keep you aprised on my progress.

Talk to you soon!

s

I stole this post..

2010-04-19T16:55:00.000-04:00

But I'm more than willing to give Habs Laguhs his due, cause I'm not nearly this funny. Visit his site...enjoy!

How The Habs Can Upset The Capitals

I’m only 22, but I like to think I’ve watched a lot of Hockey. I’ve witnessed some of the great moments in Habs history (Donald Audette scoring after getting his hand chopped off) and some of the ‘lesser’ moments in Habs history (Saku Koivu getting blinded by Justin Williams). Because of my superior Hockey knowledge I was able to develop several methods that the Montreal Canadiens can use to successfully defeat the Washington Capitals in their quarterfinal series. These methods will work just as surely as the Chicago Blackhawks will lose in the Stanley cup final because they have Hossa on their team.
Enjoy.

How The Habs Can Upset The Capitals.

-Bribe the Capitals’ nutritionist to add in KFC’s ‘Double Down’ as a mandatory addition to every meal.

-Once a day, slip a different season of 24 on DVD into the Caps’ locker room.

-Copy ‘The Simpsons’ ‘Pigeon-Rat’ idea and create Caroslav Prilak.

-Trick the kids on Washington (Backstrom, Carlson, Varlamov etc) that the Ghosts of the Forum are real.

- Find Marty McSorley’s Illegal stick, make dozens of copies and sneak them in to the Capitals equipment bags.

-Ensure that Jose Theodore is in goal for the Capitals.

-Watch ‘Rocky IV’ before every game.

- Have a team meeting in between the second and the third periods in which everyone says passionately where they’re from. This is to be followed by a speech from an old veteran, who opens a box and gives the team new uniforms.

-Have a few team members go out on the town with the local mob and convince them to bet heavily on the Habs.

-Have your leading scorer make some benign comments about the other teams’ starting goalie.

-Cover the blades of the Capitals’ skates with clear Hockey tape right before they get dressed, and then play the ‘Benny Hill’ theme song when they come out to the ice for the pre game warm up.

-Expose the roster to a liiiittle bit of Gamma Radiation, then get them pissed off.

-Win game one. If that happens Bruce Boudreau will be fired, Ovechkin will bolt to Russia...and we’ve got ourselves a sweep!(That was too close to being true)

-Play better than them.

-Douse Ovechkin’s Hockey pants in superglue, he’s bound to sit at some point .....right?

-Inform Bruce Boudreau that he’s late for a commercial taping...in Japan.

-Avoid mentioning what occurred the last time the Habs won a playoff series around any of the players.

And the most effective method of all:

-Trade for Lecavalier.

Step back from that ledge...

2010-04-16T13:02:00.000-04:00

Unless you are cheering for the Orioles, then go for it. Today has been one of those days at work. My Caps lose thier first playoff game and every single person I see is like "Oh man, whats wrong with the Caps!" The Canadiens played a perfect road game last night, perfect, and they still just barely won. The Caps are fine, they will show up on Saturday and the series will continue. All is well in Caps-land...no reason to panic just yet. Everyone has a bad game sometimes.

The coaching death watch is officially on for Dave Tembley in Baltimore. A 1-9 start will do that to ya. The Orioles look awful. They are almost too painful to watch(thank God for hockey). It's going to be a seriously loooooong season in Baltimore if they don't figure it out quick. The silver lining...good seats are still available, and we're not the Nationals.

Carey and I are headed to Ocean City this weekend with some freinds. I can't wait to get away, even if its only for 2 days. I may even have a pic or two to post when I get back. Have a great weekend!

s

Funny Stuff

2010-04-13T08:12:00.000-04:00

Minor League baseball is the best. You get to see all kinds of funny things. This video was taken recently during a Northwest Arkansas Naturals game, they are the AA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Enjoy.

Poetic Justice

2010-04-11T12:22:00.000-04:00

Matt Cooke got what was coming to him last night. Evander Kane is a rookie for the Atlanta Thrashers, so not a lot of folks have heard of him, I bet most of the hockey world knows who he is now. His parents named him after Evander Holyfield, and he lived up to the name on Saturday night. I'm sure Marc Savard will be smiling when he sees this:

Happy Friday!

2010-04-09T10:26:00.000-04:00

Carey took this pic yesterday, I thought it was really funny, enjoy!

Today is the Orioles home opener, and even though we are going to be awful, I'm still excited that I get to go. The weather looks good, and the ticket includes lunch and beer, can't go wrong there!

Orioles Magic, feel it happen!

s

New Post

2010-04-08T09:16:00.000-04:00

I've got a new article up at down n dirty sports...check it out. :-)

s

How Sweep It Is

2010-04-07T14:04:00.001-04:00

The Caps completed a 4 game season sweep with a 6-3 win in Pittsburgh last night. The exclamation point was Alex Ovechkin's empty net goal with .2 second left. I saw that as a very definitive messages to the Pens. This was the first year in the history of the Capitals francise that they swept all the regular season games from the Pens. I agree with my buddy Kevin though, we'd rather have 4 more wins against the Pens in April. The playoffs start next week! I cant wait!

Top 10 Games in Caps History

2010-04-02T13:38:00.002-04:00

Several NHL teams have released DVD sets in the last few weeks that are a compilation of that team’s 10 best games of all time. The Washington Capitals are my team(as you most likely know) so I am particularly interested in the Caps version of this. I got my first look at the list and was pleasantly surprised about how many of the listed moments I have witnessed in person. The list is below and I will detail each of the games that I was lucky enough to attend:

• 10: Ovechkin’s hat trick in game 2 against Pittsburgh last May, one matched by Sidney Crosby in a losing effort. I was NOT there for this one, but was going nuts in my basement and texting my friends who were there.
• 9: Game 7 versus the Rangers last April. I shared this moment at home with my wife. She loves hockey almost as much as I do.
• 8: Game 1 versus the Flyers in 2008. I was at this game. I’ve never been at a louder building in my life. The Caps erased a 3-1 2nd period deficit to win 5-3. I remember getting light headed from jumping up in the air when the Caps scored the go ahead goal. My throat was sore for a full day afterward. It wasn’t my first playoff game, but it was the first playoff game that I saw the Caps win. This game was also the last time I high fived a random stranger.
• 7: Caps winning the Southeast and qualifying for the postseason in the last game of the season against Florida, April 5, 2008. I still watch the last 30 seconds of this game on youtube every now and then. I decided exactly one day before this game that I wanted to go. I called a sales guy I used to know that worked with the Caps, and because he knew that I had bought seats for less meaningful games, he sold me four $55 seats for $35 each. People were paying two and three times face for this game and I got discount seats. The last minute and a half of the game was one of the coolest environments I have ever experienced. I smile every time I think of that night, including right now. The memorabilia collector in me wonders who ended up with the Ovechkin game used stick he chucked into the stands at the end.
• 6: Ovechkin scores 4 goals against the Canadians while enduring a broken nose, January 31, 2008. I took my boss and my wife to this game. I was playing broom-ball on the ice after the game, so I didn’t get to see Ovechkin’s fourth goal. My wife and I ran into some friends at the game and she left my boss and I to sit 4 rows from the ice. Ovechkin’s was the first NHL hat trick I had ever been in the stands for. My hat didn’t make it to the ice from the 400 level.
• 5: Bruce Boudreau’s first game behind the Caps’ bench, Novemver 23, 2007. This game was in Philadelphia, and I wasn’t there. I was however at Glen Hanlon’s last game as coach two days before. I was not part of the crowd chanting “fire Hanlon”. The change was needed, but I couldn’t bring myself to join the chant. Nicklas Backstrom got Bruce Boudreau a win in his 1st game with an overtime goal.
• 4: Ovechkin’s first Caps’ game, against Columbus, October 5, 2005. I was at this game. I remember going in wondering if this “Big O” guy could live up to all the hype. I’m glad we don’t call him the “Big O” anymore. I think I have the ticket stubs for this game around somewhere. They were big and fancy because it was opening night.
• 3: Juneau catapults the Caps to their first-ever Stanley Cup finals, June 4, 1998. This was before I got into hockey, but I do remember watching this game on TV. I started following the Caps regularly about a year later.
• 2: Game 1 of the 1996 Eastern Conference quarterfinals when the Caps overcame a 4-1 deficit to beat Mario, Jaromir, and the Pens 6-4. This was before my time, but any victory against the Pens makes me smile.
• 1: Dale Hunter vanquishes the Flyers in overtime of game 7 in 1988! This game may have been one of the first games I ever watched. The memory that stands out to me was thinking “Wow, they are celebrating like they won the game” after Hunter’s goal. I didn’t know that overtime in the NHL was sudden death. I asked my father several times in subsequent years to take me to a game, but we never went. I was honored to take my Dad to HIS first game sometime during the early 2000’s.

The set seems to be a little heavy on the recent history, mainly due to the Pollin family’s unwillingness or inability to produce video of some of the early years of the organization. I know there is a set out for the Blackhawks and several other teams. I feel very lucky to have seen as many Caps games as I have. I’ve been a hockey fan for about ten years and feel very fortunate to get to see a player the caliber of Ovechkin in my city. I hope you enjoyed this, it was great fun to write.

s

Where ya been??

2010-04-01T11:59:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, it's been too long since my last entry..but I'm here now. This week has been a crazy week for me at work. Too much drama going on, it's making me sick. Literally. I applied for a corp. training position at my current company. It would allow me to continue to use/grow my technical knowledge, at the same time rid me of my current co-worker situation. I would also be able to keep my seniority. We shall see if anything comes of that. I may have to start looking around again, but I already know what I'm facing there, and I don't want to do that. I'm also going to apply for a part-time gig at the Apple store. I think that would be a fun way to get better with Apple technology, make a little bit of money on the side, and have a little fun. Who knows. I need to shake things up a bit, my current routine is very unsatisfying.

I got to play hockey at the HersheyPark arena last weekend, that was great fun. I love that old building. It's so nostalgic.

This weekend we are going to see Carey's grandparents in New Jersey, then I get some "boy time" with my friends in Atlantic City. I'm so ready for that.

All else is well, I should have a new article up on the down n dirty site in the next few days. I'm lovin' the warm weather! YAY Spring!

s

Re-Post

2010-03-26T15:55:00.000-04:00

This post was originally intended for the DownNDirty site, but Dan's slammed with schoolwork, so I'll share it with you here. Enjoy.

A Real Life “Major League”

It was about this time last year that Jerry Moyes was debating how he could get out from under the mountain of debt that was the Phoenix Coyotes. The team was terrible, in the middle of a rebuild that seemed to be going on forever. Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky was struggling as coach of the team, and no one was showing up at the games. The future of hockey in the Arizona dessert looked bleak when the team entered bankruptcy court and Canadian billionare Jim Balsillie was in line to be the next owner.

Fast forward one year, and the Coyotes are now tied for the top spot in the Western Conference. Who saw this coming? Nobody! I was fortunate enough to see this team play the Caps in Washington earlier this year, and I knew then that they could be a playoff team. Ownership is still up in the air. The Coyotes are officially owned by the NHL, but there is a group that is going through the proper channels to take over the team. The Ice Edge group includes established MLB owner Jerry Reinsdorf. The team has re-worked its deal with the City of Glendale, helping the team make more money, and the fans are slowly starting to return.

The Coyotes aren’t doing this with a bunch of young kids, or a ton of high prices veteran talent, but they seemed to find that “spark” between youth and experience. The chemistry on this team is clicking. Although I doubt they have a cardboard standup of the owner that they remove clothing from after each win. (see.. Major League)

I’m willing to bet that Jobing.com arena will be rocking once the post season starts. This Phoenix team isn’t just a flash in the pan either. They have a farm system chocked full of young talent, almost ready to make their mark.

It looks like hockey is safe in the desert for the moment, so all the “non-traditional hockey market haters” can aim their venom at the Florida Panthers and Atlanta Thrashers. By the way, the Thrash are only one point out of a playoff spot, without Ilya Kovalchuck. The next few weeks should be very interesting.

License and registration please sir...

2010-03-24T10:26:00.000-04:00

I get up five days a week to drive an hour or more to and from a job that I can't stand. Why?, because I don't want to live "in a van down by the river." Today the Montgomery County Police decided that I needed to donate a little of my salary to them. I was quite startled when officer Barbrady jumped out in front of moving cars on 108 to wave me off the road. 46 in a 30 was his claim. I didn't argue, as I wasn't actually looking at the speedometer when the fearless officer, who was hiding behind a telephone pole pointed his radar gun at me. The fine is $90 and it carries 2 points. I haven't been pulled over in more than 10 years, so I'm going to head to court and take my chances. Fun 'eh. BLAH!

On a good note, Carey is meeting me for lunch today. I'm looking forward to that. Sushi Chalet, here we come!

s

It's NCAA Tournament time, and you know what that means!

2010-03-23T17:15:00.000-04:00

CHEERLEADERS!!!

SI.com has come throuh again. Enjoy this year's first Cheerleader gallery.

Spring? Maybe...hopefully??

2010-03-22T15:51:00.000-04:00

Those of you that live in the area know, we experienced our first little taste of spring this past weekend. It was sunny and in the 70's Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday. People were out and about everywhere, some even in shorts. Why must we always rush into summer clothes.

My highlight of the weekend was our trip to the BWI observation area. The lot was full, so people were parking on the inside of the two travel lanes in the lot. We were on our way out when the Transportation Authority Police showed up and started "generating revenue" for the State at the expense of those not parked in an actual spot. We discussed how this must be a regular occurance during the early spring months when folks are just itching to get outside. I'm excited about spring, it brings with it softball, Major League Baseball, and the NHL playoffs. Good Times!

To my friends in Denver, I saw it snowed there last week. Enjoy!

s

Hockey on the Caps home ice.

2010-03-16T20:10:00.000-04:00

Below are the pics from my scrimmage at Verizon Center last Friday. We lost 8-3, but I was on the ice for two of our three goals. The ice was terrible, I can't believe the best players in the world play on that. The ice had nothing to do with why we lost, for the record. It was also very hot playing under those lights. I haven't sweated like that in a long time. Overall it was a wonderful experience, I'm so glad I got to do it.

I've got some new stuff going up on Down N Dirty, so keep your eyes peeled! Enjoy!

Post 200.

2010-03-10T11:35:00.000-05:00

I never would have thought when I started blogging that I would have gotten to two hundred posts, much less get the opportunity to blog on someone else's blog. I have to say, blogging is a lot of fun for me. Thanks to all the folks who stop by and read my little corner of the internet. I will keep 'em coming as long as its fun.

I've had a pretty good week so far. I got invited to play with my friend Kevin's hockey team at the Verizon Center after the Caps game with Tampa on Friday night. This is exciting to me for two reasons:

1. Verizon Center...DUH
2. Someone thinks enough of me as a person and hockey player to want to include me. I like the way that makes me feel.

I've also started blogging with the Down N Dirty guys this week, and the response has been very positive. I will make sure to link to the site as new posts go up.

My first HNA winter season came to an end last weekend, with a 6-1 win. We did not win enough games to quality for the playoffs, so no free trip to Toronto for us. The spring season starts in April, and it looks like I'sm going to start playing for a second team. This will be my first try at a higher level, faster game. I'm looking forward to testing myself and seeing where I measure up.

That's all I have for now.

s

An exciting new opportunity

2010-03-08T13:01:00.000-05:00

I'm very excited to share with you that I have been added as a writer on the Down N Dirty Sports Blog. It's a relatively new blog, run by some Towson Univ. students. My content will be mostly hockey related, and I'll probably mix some baseball in during the summer. This is going to be a really fun opportunity for me, so please check out the site, and feel free to leave feedback!

s

I need your help

2010-02-25T13:04:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago my lovely wife allowed me to upgrade my cell phone to the Iphone 3gs. Now that Iphone and I have had some time to get to know each other, I'm ready to take our relationship to the next level. Apps. So what is your favorite Iphone app? It doesn't have to be a free one, I'm willing to pay for a useful one. There are so many thousands of them out there, I feel lost trying to browse through the app store. So, please comment with the name and purpose of your favorite Iphone app. I'm currently enjoying such gems as "Gun" for Iphone...which has an assortment of weapons that you can fire and reload, I also have Uno(the electronic version of the card game), Air Hockey, Shazam, a background cheker, and Carey's personal favorite "Fart for free." I look forward to your help in broadening my horizons.

s

The "other" shot heard round the world...

2010-02-23T11:14:00.006-05:00

Or at least all around DC.

I could watch this for days on end. I know this shows the slightly barbaric nature of professional ice hockey, but I love it. There are three reasons to love this hit from a hockey perspective. First and foremost, this is a clean, legal hit. You can see at the very beginning that Jagr is carrying the puck with his head down.Ovechkin was making a play on it, therefore it isn't illegal. Second, to a long time Caps fan like myself, this is just karma, beautiful, violent karma. Lastly, the Russians took that puck and scored the game winning goal, again showing that physical play is, and should be part of the professional game. Jagr was unhurt on the play. He got up, finished his shift, and played the rest of the game. I'll have to see if I can find the video of Jagr doing the postgame interview with a broken visor. I wonder if he could get Ovechkin to autograph it for him.

I'm still cheering for the USA in the tournament though. It should be a great week of hockey. Enjoy! Thanks to On Frozen Blog for the image.

Need I say more?

2010-02-22T09:36:00.001-05:00

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know the result of last night's USA/Canada hockey game. All I have to say is, what a game, and I hope we get to see a rematch later in the tournament. Thanks to si.com for the photo.

I played twice yesterday and am feeling the burn today. I went 1-1 yesterday and scored a goal(a sweet one if I do say so myself). Carey's team had an easy 4-0 win. Overall it was a good weekend. I just need to figure out if I can get in a nap today here at my cube.

s

This is why you're fat!

2010-02-18T14:04:00.000-05:00

The above pic of a "Bacon Lombardi Trophy" was found on With Leather.com. The pic reminded me of one of my favorite websites that I haven't been to in a while. This is why you're fat.com is a great collection of unbelievable foods. My current favorites are The Bodybag and The ScothMegaEgg.

I'm playing hockey tonight in College Park. I'm really looking forward to that, and the weekend. Enjoy the links.

s

You get to learn about me...

2010-02-17T14:28:00.001-05:00

I stole this from someone else's blog because I thought it was fun, AND I didn't have anything else to write about. Enjoy!

4 shows I like to watch:
1. Deadliest Catch. It makes me feel like my job is cake.
2. How I Met Your Mother
3. Las Veags(TNT)
4. Get Out. Carey hates this show. It chronicles 3 hot chicks as they travel the world, usually in bikinis. It's on HDNet, almost every day...hint hint.

4 things I'm passionate about:
1. Ice Hockey
2. Sports Memorabilia
3. Carey( I know, I know)
4. This is a tie between travel and weather.

4 words or phrases I say a lot:
1. No worries.
2. Sup G
3. Holy Sh**
4. You know what Carey, I was thinking...This is usually not followed by anything good.

4 things I've learned from the past:
1. You will usually regret quitting, anything.
2. Never tell people you are ticklish. It may be tempting, but don't, because you will regret it.
3. Life isn't fair, so get over it.
4. Just when you think you are the best at something, you will meet someone that is better at it than you.

4 places I would love to go:
1. Santorini Greece
2. Italy
3. Western Canada(Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver)
4. Tahiti

4 things I did yesterday:
1. Ate Macaroni and Cheese with Hot Dogs in it.
2. Watched an online sports card box break.
3. Watched the Winter Olympics.
4. Hugged my wife.

4 things I'm looking forward to:
1.Playing hockey tomorrow night.
2. Going to the mountains with friends in two weeks.
3. Going to Atlantic City with the boys in April.
4. The prospect of a new job, in a different industry.

4 things I love about winter:
1. The first snow of the year.
2. Ice Hockey(watching and playing)
3. Using my fireplace.
4. Our annual New Years Eve party.

4 things on my wish list:
1. Having a plan for my life.
2. Score a game winning goal in overtime.
3. Learning how to do backward crossovers.
4.A new job, that I love.

Happy Mardi Gras!

2010-02-16T10:26:00.000-05:00

I don't know who the guy in the picture is, and no it's not me. I can honestly say I wouldn't mind being that guy today, considering its going to be almost 50 degrees in "The Crescent City" today. I'm sure Carey and I will enjoy a beer or two tonight to celebrate the Mardi Gras, as we have already polished off her King Cake.

Today is also National Pancake Day. I think my friend Tim put it best when he posted on Facebook " Pancakes and Mardi Gras, too good to be true!" I totally agree. I would like to say that I had pancakes for breakfast today in honor of the holiday, but I didn't know about National Pancake Day until I was in the car on the way to work. My pancakes were just dumb luck today, but I'll take it. IHOP is celebrating National Pancake Day on February 23rd, click here for details. There are few things better than free IHOP pancakes!

Enjoy Fat Tuesday, and some pancakes! Lent starts tomorrow.

s