unplanned exercise

Gotta love taking Metra. Even though I personally don't, I enjoyed hearing this from Duksim during dinner tonight. She usually sleeps on the train on her ride back to the Glenview station, where she gets off to hop into her car. Usually she does a good job of waking up before the train arrives at the station, or when the conductor announces the arrival over the intercom. This time around though, she kept sleeping and instead heard the conductor announce "North Glenview", the next station over! She immediately snapped awake, which prompted another passenger to ask her if she missed her stop - to which she sheepishly replied in the affirmative. She got off at the North Glenview station - but faced a dilemma: whether to wait 20 minutes for the opposite train to arrive to go back to the Glenview station, or walk back instead. Deciding on the latter, she started to walk. Unfortunately, the walk took her 30 minutes to get back - in comparison to the 3 minutes it would have taken her by train. What's worse, that train passed her up as she was walking back! She finally arrived at her car tired, sweaty and frustrated at the choice she made. Of all the days to have this happen, a day in the mid-90's with high humidity, lots of sun and no wind was quite the unfortunate combination...

golfing casualty

the victim

location of decapitation

closeup of the victim's head

Yesterday I went to the driving range with Peter, a close friend of mine. It's been such a long time since I've last been out golfing in any form - in fact, I don't remember the last time I went...either it has really been that long, or my memory is failing me once again (big surprise). Anywho, we both took turns with my set and tried out different clubs at varying intervals. On a whim, he picked out the driver, set up for the tee shot, and swung. Afterwards, he started laughing. I turned around and saw the shaft of the driver, but no head! Apparently it snapped off during the swing (most likely upon impact with the golf ball), and now the detached head was out around the 50 yard marker. After receiving permission, he went out and retrieved it. It was indeed a surreal moment; Peter said that after the swing, he did notice a sudden lightness in the club, which prompted him to look and discover the decapitation. Thankfully, there were no more beheadings to report, but now I find myself in the market for a driver. Hmm, wonder if anybody has any tips that can guide my selection process...

college first

Finally, some sanity has seeped back into the minds of professional sports:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=afp-basketnbaoden&prov=afp&type=lgns

Just saw this on a headline, and thank goodness that they decided to raise the minimum age for NBA players to 19. I mean, LeBron James is the exception to the rule (I suppose), but realistically speaking - do people really think that high school kids are ready in any way for the rigors of professional sports? From a physical and mental perspective - I DON'T THINK SO! Spending time in college sports, along with obtaining a decent education will do wonders for these kids. It will help to develop and hone their skills, the added maturity growth will also be a major positive factor, and the overall time spent will increase their marketability and value to a future organization. But even if it doesn't (due to injury or what not), at least they have an education to fall back on. They will not have that luxury if they dive right in after high school. I am not sure if the same regulations have already been applied to other professional associations such as baseball and football, but if not, they should be. Football - now that's a sport that is definitely NOT meant for high schoolers - and I am purely talking from a physical standpoint on this one...

Odd News from Yahoo

I don't know what to think of this recent piece of news I found on the web this morning:


Man dies after lightning strikes metal cross

LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - A man died after lightning struck a metal cross he was holding during a funeral in a village near Ljubljana, the Slovenian news agency STA reported Thursday.

It said the 62-year-old man died in hospital Wednesday evening, several hours after the incident in the village of Brezovica. Another person at the funeral was slightly injured.


Seems kind of ironic in its symbolism - but then again, stranger things have happened in recent days when it comes to religious topics (i.e. Fullerton bridge saltwater stain). I really enjoy reading the odd news section of Yahoo News - it amazes and amuses me when I read about the strange antics of people and/or circumstances surrounding their odd behavior...I sometimes wonder if these things actually happened the way they are described in the articles. Then again, as I have seen and experienced in many circumstances in my life, literally anything is possible...

some random thoughts

Firstly - Jae, this is for you:

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/3705826

Now, some random thoughts that I just wanted to post, both inspired by what I saw on tv tonight:

- On DatelineNBC, the Katie Couric interview with Jennifer Wilbanks was broadcast. Now, I was not sure if I was even going to watch it, seeing that it was going to be an hour-long segment on something that really should have been kept private in the first place, but I ended up watching it anyway. The whole thing was pretty uncomfortable to watch, really. I could even tell that Katie Couric was not altogether enjoying this as well, but hey - NBC got the rights to broadcast the interview, so what was she supposed to do? At the end of the broadcast, she even intimated to the audience that she suspects Jennifer Wilbanks probably didn't totally level with her on all counts - that there's still more to the story. Jeez, well I suppose that's why there'll be the book deal and the made-for-tv movie that will come out sometime in the near future (still can't believe she sold the rights - capitalizing on this is just unbelievably wrong on so many levels). She can't be faking those eyes though...they were still larger than life.

- On the 10:00pm NBC5 news, I saw a special segment on a family in DuPage County that recently had their house totally remodeled for a tv show called "Renovate My House" (a takeoff of the Extreme Makeover: Home Editon" trend). The same timeline was used (7 days) to tear down and rebuild the house, and it was also supposed to be handicapped-accessible for their wheelchair-bound son. The end product looked good at first, but now is falling apart. Turns out everything seemed to be held together by flimsy nails, the disabled son is having a lot of problems with the ergonomics, and there were a lot of underlying safety code violations. Unfortunately, the family signed a 25-page agreement prior to the work, so the tv show and the city of DuPage, along with the contractor all wiped their hands clean. I dunno if this is symptomatic of all these 7-day rush jobs, but I hope not - otherwise my views of "Extreme Makeover: Home Editon" will be severely tarnished, as I had considered it one of the better, more heartwarming shows on tv.

sox update/batman begins commentary

Well, just wanted to provide an update on my team - they have just come back against the Dodgers to win yet again - this time 5-3, and in the last inning, compliments of A.J. Pierzynski. Record now stands at 45-22, recent comments from Buehrle and Guillen not withstanding...




Today I had the opportunity to see Batman Begins, and thankfully the movie started on time (last time I was at the theatre, the movie started 15 minutes late). Anyway, I definitely was not disappointed, much better than the camp and light-hearted fare that pretty much comprised the previous batman series (excluding the first Tim Burton version - still a very good movie in its own right). A lot of the mysteries that were left untold in previous versions were explained in greater detail in this one (where his batsuit came from, the weapons, the batmobile, his martial arts expertise, etc). This movie also exposes in greater depth the psychological changes that Bruce Wayne goes through after his parents were killed off that ultimately led him to his conversion to batman. The actor selection, I have to say, are pretty good and fitting for their respective roles. Rich goes into further detail on that on his blog (http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=earz) - and for the most part, I concur with his character analysis. I also agree that Christian Bale's attempt to lower his voice for the batman role was pretty funny - in comparison to the others before him. I still think Michael Keaton's batman voice carried over the best effect. Having seen the film, the tank-like batmobile is not that bad after all, in and of itself - and fitting for this particular setting. Overall, I still lean towards the original in Tim Burton's film as the best version (just can't beat a car propelled by a jet turbine). My hopes are that the sequels to follow will stay true to the formula that made this one work (and stay in Chicago - really enjoyed seeing the Franklin St. bridge, LaSalle St. and Lower Wacker) and that they will not disappoint - as sequels frequently seem to do.

new toy for my new toy

bluetooth headset

In a posting I put up a while back, I mentioned that I had received a new toy - my company replaced my phone with another one that is a combination phone/blackberry. I've had it for a couple of weeks now, and I've gotten quite used to it, strangely enough. It's kind of grown on me, the convenience of the phone plus email/address book/calendar/wireless web. But as I dug deeper into the functions of this device, I noticed that it also supports bluetooth wireless. This piqued my curiosity, so I started hunting online - and lo and behold - found what seems to be the bargain of the century. The earpiece in the photo above retailed at compusa for $39.99 (original price $79.99, and no mail-in rebates). Of course, I jumped at the opportunity and bought it. Charged it up, paired it up with my phone, and now is working pretty well. I admit it's taking a little getting used to keeping this thing in my ear, but it's fun to play with this while the novelty is still fresh. Not bad - considering the price. Plus, whenever the time comes for me to toss my blackberry back to the company, I can always use this for any other bluetooth-enabled cellphone in the market. What can I say - I love my toys...

close call

It's funny reading other people's blogs, as they tend to jog my memory and remind me of similar things that happened to me in the past. One such blog is a recent one that Eliza (cazile) posted about forgetting/losing her keys so that she could not get back into her apt. I recall one such incident that happened to me a while back. I was running a little late that morning as I was preparing to leave for work. I hurriedly washed up, got dressed, packed all my things and ran out the door. When I got to my car, I realized that in my rush I forgot my car keys. Unfortunately, my house keys are on that same keychain - so I couldn't get back into the condo complex. It's amazing what goes through your mind during those times - I was seriously considering at one point hot-wiring my car to get to work. Snapping back to reality, I was wondering what I was going to do - I was cutting it pretty close to being late. I couldn't call Duksim, as she had already taken the train downtown. I looked around and saw that someone was using a ladder to do some repairs to their condo. I was severely tempted to ask that person if I could use that ladder to climb up to my 2nd story balcony - since I also left the patio door open by mistake. I thought better of that, and started ringing people's buzzers in the lobby to see if anyone would let me in. Unfortunately it seemed that nobody was home, as no one was answering their buzzers. What are the chances of that...great!!! But finally the lady in the 1st floor left side condo opened her door and let me in, since she was right by the lobby door. I couldn't thank her enough, though I felt very embarrassed (I must have just woken her up). I ran upstairs, closed/locked the patio door, grabbed my keys, locked the door to our condo and proceeded to arrive late to work - though my boss wasn't around to catch me (luckily). Fortunately this was the only time I can recall having forgotten my keys at our condo - hopefully this will not jinx me into doing so sometime in the near future...

my frugal side

I will be the first to admit that at times I spend more money than I am supposed to. If a great deal comes around that I believe will not come around again (at least for a long time anyway), I will grab it - a spur of the moment decision, if you may. Duksim doesn't always appreciate this side of me, but old habits are indeed hard to break. This applies really to things that I perceive we would need at some point in the future, like computer supplies, household products, etc.

But at other times, I take the time and hunt around for good deals (comparison shop), and when I encounter a deal that seems to be the best of the bunch - then I go for it. Sometimes, however, this tactic backfires on me and I end up regretting the decision. Yesterday was a prime example of this. I started the day with less than a quarter tank of gas in my car. I had to go to Skokie for a project that morning. Around noon, my boss and I went out for lunch to a Japanese restaurant down the street. We took my car. Afterwards, I commented that I needed to fill up somewhere with gas. She mentioned a station ahead of us, but I saw that regular was $2.21/gal. I decided against it, and passed it up. Ended up going back to the Skokie site to finish the project without filling up. On the way back to my office, I saw a gas station that had regular for $2.14/gal. Thinking there must be a better deal at another place, I passed that one up too (shouldn't have done that). Unfortunately there was no other station with a better deal on the way back to the office. There weren't any others with a better deal when I left the office at the end of the day to go to the gym either - in fact, the prices were much higher. Argh!

I left the gym later to go home running almost on empty now, but I refused to cave in and pay a higher price than I needed to. I couldn't go back to the $2.14/gal station because that was all the way back at Skokie somewhere and I was in Morton Grove. I decided to head back home, hoping for the best. I passed a Citgo on Milwaukee that had $2.14/gal. Perfect! I pulled in, and just as I was about to insert my credit card, I checked the sign again - and for some reason it now said $2.19/gal! Was I seeing things? I could have sworn it said...argh! I packed everything in and left without filling up. I decided to fill up at the Gas Depot near home - the price is not the lowest, but I was gradually caving in at this point. When I got there, I pulled in - but all the pumps were roped off! What the...??? Moving closer, I realized that they were in the midst of replacing all the pumps with new ones. ARGH!!! I gave up and went home - my car now literally running on fumes. This morning I sheepishly ended up pulling into that Citgo station on Milwaukee and filled up - but only $5 worth (price was still at $2.19/gal). Now I am back up to a quarter tank of gas...good enough for me to continue my hunt for low gas prices. As of now I haven't found a low-enough price to cause me to pull in, but at least I'm not running on fumes anymore - at least not yet anyway. Argh...maybe I'll just drive back up near my mom's place - the Marathon station over there always seems to have the lowest gas prices for some reason...all the way back up in Arlington Heights...double argh!!!

the infamous apron

this woulda been classic...

by popular request, I thought I'd toss this additional Italian vacation photo out here...Jae, consider yourself lucky that we reconsidered our gift idea...

Some reflections on Italy

Well, it's been a few weeks since the trip to Italy for our first wedding anniversary. Man, some of those memories are still fresh in my mind - and that's saying something, coming from a person who is famous for being rather empty-minded at times. Don't worry, give it some time for those memories to gradually fade into oblivion. Thank goodness for cameras and video recorders! Traveling overseas to another country made me realize how different other cultures live, and how I take for granted certain aspects in life. Even though one can watch the travel channel and read articles on other countries (like I have), I've come to realize that it does not measure up to actually being there and immersing oneself in the midst of the culture. I admit I've been to Korea once before, but I was way too young and immature at that time to fully appreciate the opportunity of travel. Having been exposed to this Italian vacation was an invaluable learning experience. Some observations:

1. Do not take the water and bread that are served in restaurants here in the States for granted. In Italy, they are extras that - if you are not careful - will be added to the final tab. You need to actually tell the server that you do not want bread and/or water, and they will take them away. Although, as we have seen, expect to be given an attitude from that server the rest of your time at that restaurant...

2. The natives in Italy are pretty nice towards foreigners, if you at least attempt to communicate in their language (I think this holds true in any country).

3. Too many tourists!!!

4. I was blown away at the similarities in language between Italian and Spanish. I'm kicking myself for not paying more attention in my Spanish classes in college...

5. We are way too spoiled in terms of the amount of land we have here in the States. The typical residences in Italy are small apartments/condos, and since everything apparently is historic, nothing can be knocked down. Therefore, many of the buildings we saw can easily be 3 or 4 centuries old. Compare that to the new mansions and luxury townhomes being built all over the place here in the States...

6. The cars are very VERY small. The preferred method of transportation are bicycles/scooters. They have electric cars (literally the ones you plug into the wall). They have Mercedes-Benz public transit buses. They have no subway system.

7. Too many tourists!!!

8. They need a graffiti-blasters program in Italy - similar to what they have here in Chicago.

9. Michelangelo's David is amazing - but then again, a 500 yr old 14 ft statue is quite the spectacle no matter how you look at it (apron or no apron).

10. The street actors are very talented.

11. Did I mention that there are too many tourists?

12. Outdoor cafes are cool. Cars and/or bikes sneaking by right behind you while you eat is not cool. Proliferation of excellent wine in the country is very, very cool...

1st Wedding Anniversary Italian vacation

Duksim has been riding my back to have these posted for the longest time, so I figure it would be good to post a few of the 412 photos+video clips that we took during our vacation to Italy. We were there on the 3rd week of May and spent a good week touring Rome, Venice, Lake Garda, and Florence. All in all, a great trip and recommended for anyone who has not yet visited the country.


Michelangelo's David
(replica, as actual statue was off-limits to cameras and video)


Roman Colosseum


St. Peter's Basilica


Way to the Sistine Chapel
(no picture of actual chapel, as no cameras and video were allowed inside)


Gondolas in Venice
(including authentic Italian graffiti)


St. Mark's Square in Venice


Lake Garda

future hall-of-famer followup

I came to work today and the receptionist again stopped me. She said that some NY Mets representatives were stopping by their house tonight to have some papers signed and other formalities. I guess the reality of it all is starting to sink in...I'm actually feeling excited for them now. She told me to visit the Mets website and click on the draft link and her son will be listed 5th from the bottom. I checked, and there he is. I provided the link below:

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/draft.jsp?c_id=nym

As I said, he's the property of the Mets now, but will not be officially signed until he plays at least a year of college ball and shows improvement in key areas (speed, weight, etc). Man, she's already telling me that they were shopping around the Glen in Glenview for new houses...I told her not to jump the gun, as he hasn't been officially signed to anything. But I guess that's what happens when the prospect of financial security suddenly becomes a tangible reality...

future hall-of-famer?

The receptionist at my building at Norridge pulled me to the side today to tell me some great news. Her son was just drafted by the New York Mets! She was unbelievably excited as she told me this, but she attributed it to her lack of sleep (she went to bed at 5:30 this morning). Her son had just graduated high school, but was on the baseball team and apparently was good enough that the NY Mets scouted - and eventually drafted - him in the 47rd round or so. What probably happened, since he's so young, is that he will be a conditional draft pick or something. He will still be going to college, but will be monitored as he plays at the collegiate level. When they believe he's ready, they'll pull him into the minors and he'll start from there. Who knows? If things work out, we may see him one day at shortstop in Shea Stadium...

oops...

I unwittingly deprived one of my neighbors of her daily newspaper today. Duksim usually wakes up and leaves for work before I do...in fact, she wakes me up before she steps out the door. We have the Chicago Tribune delivered to us every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday (strange pattern, I know, but that's the delivery pattern we have). Because we live in a condo, the delivery person leaves the paper in the front lobby area. Usually Duksim takes the morning paper with her, since she reads it on the train to work. She usually brings it back home so I can read it in the evening (even though by then, the news is already a day old - oh well).

For the longest time, I was led to believe our paper was the only morning paper delivery to our condo complex, so I usually don't see any paper laying around as I leave for work. This morning as I left for work, I saw the Tribune still in the lobby. Thinking Duksim was running late and forgot to pick up the paper, I took it with me and left it in my car. The reason I do this is because we had a few times in the past where our paper wasn't delivered. Either the paper delivery person got lazy, or someone swiped it. So that was my reasoning for grabbing the paper this morning.

Well, when I got home and came in through the front door, what did I see - but today's Tribune on the living room table! I was still holding the paper I grabbed this morning in my hand (still in it's original plastic bag). I think the look on my face was priceless as I came to realize the situation. I was thinking about just accepting the fact that we have two papers today. Later on, I found that Duksim took the paper and "delivered" it to the lady upstairs (who I later found also has a Tribune subscription). But because she is a teacher, she does not get up as early now that school's out - which explains the paper in the lobby. When I mean "delivered", Duksim just left it in front of her door. She usually calls me if she forgets grabbing the paper...she didn't call this morning, and I didn't make that connection when I grabbed our neighbor's paper. Gotta love living in multi-family units...

staying cool

When the weather gets hot and humid like it did the past few days, I find it becomes a challenge to stay cool. At work, it's no big deal because the buildings I go to are usually well air-conditioned (sometimes too air-conditioned - at least to the women working there). In my car, depending on how long it has been in the sun, I can usually expect a blast of hot air upon entering the vehicle, but the air-conditioning works well enough to cool the area in a pretty short amount of time. At home, we have central air to provide our air-conditioning/heat. Unfortunately, the warm and humid nighttime weather seems to cause the air-conditioning unit to continuously run overnight (or so it seems). What I've also come to realize is that for some reason, this is not enough for me. Therefore, I have installed a clip fan on my side of the bed to assist in cooling the area to a point where I can sleep comfortably. I have heard that it is not all that unusual for guys to do this - I guess guys have a higher internal body temp than women, I dunno the scientific facts (if there are any to support this theory). True, I know the body temp for people drop during sleep, but just getting to that point is sometimes an exercise in frustration during this warm weather. As far as I can tell, Duksim has no such problems...5 minutes and she's out like a light...with sheets on, for crying out loud...

Fun times in India

I recently read a post by Slacker regarding his great conversation with tech support for his DirecTV service. It made remember the fun times I had when I purchased a wireless print server for our laser printer at home. The brand was SMC (didn't really know too much about them at the time), but the setup was just what I was looking for. So I went ahead and bought it, and proceeded to set it up once it arrived. The fun started from there. I set it up, but could not get it to recognize the signal from the wireless router. There are three LED lights on the front of it, and the middle one lights up once it receives a signal (meaning that the setup procedure is complete). For the longest time, I tried to get it to work, to no avail. Unfortunately, the wireless print server works on the 2.4ghz range, meaning if I wanted to call tech support, I would either have to use a cellphone, or use a wired landline phone (we didn't have a 5.8ghz phone at the time). The phones we had a home used the same 2.4 ghz frequency, so using them would cancel the signal path to the print server (argh!). So I used the wired landline in the computer room and was severely restricted in movement as a result. What's more, when I finally caved in and called their tech support, I knew from the long pause that I was being transferred to INDIA! Now keep in mind, I never really had a reason to talk to anyone in India prior to this, though I had heard horror stories from other people. Well, you can add my story to that list...everything you have heard is true! From the struggle to understand the person on the other side of the phone (and vice versa, I assume), to not comprehending what I was trying to say (again, vice versa as well), to frequent pauses as they went to talk to their supervisor. Unbelievable!!! I called back a few times after trying different things - each time I got someone different, but always ended up going through the exact same routine. Finally got fed up, and ended up figuring it out myself, for crying out loud. To their credit, though, they did get my technical thought process flowing amidst all that - so at least they did that much for me. Hearing about how tech jobs are being lost to offshoring (India, China, etc), I really don't know how much actual cost-saving there can be if the customers are being treated to (and being driven away from) the kinds of customer service experiences I've been exposed to...

New Toy

Nextel BlackBerry 7520

Today my group at work decided that having access to our email 24/7 is a good thing to have (highly questionable, if you ask me). As a result, they have replaced my current phone (Nextel i730) with this model. I admit, it is quite a bit bigger than my previous one. On the other hand, it has a lot more functions that can keep a guy like me entertained for hours. Wireless web, games, email...and I haven't even cracked open the manual yet. Guess I'll have to get used to holding this large thing next to my head when making cellphone calls...

famous celebrities

This is so funny...at work we are using Lotus Notes as our email client. As such, the Notes administration group came up with an internal phonebook that lists the name/phone number and other pertinent information for all company employees worldwide. My coworkers and I happened to come across a few names that matched up letter-for-letter to famous hollywood celebrities...it just strikes me as funny to think that these celebrities are working for my company. Some of the names we ran across are Michael Jackson, Jack Nicholson, Marilyn Monroe, and Robert Wagner. I even came across George Stephanopolous. What are the odds? I wonder if these people actually refer to themselves as such when they meet up with clients...I think their reactions would be priceless...

Bargaining with Car-X

Well, this was interesting. I took my car in over the weekend to have my brakes serviced on my 116,000-mile car. A few days ago, I took my car in to Firestone to have my oil changed (with a coupon), and had them rotate my tires as well (unfortunately, without a coupon). Since they were going to do that, I asked them to check my brakes. They told me that the front pads were 80% worn (I had a feeling), but the back drums were fine. They gave me an estimate which came to about $125 bucks for parts and labor for the front brake replacement. Luckily, I had a coupon for Car-X that provided the same service for about 20-25 bucks less, so I went there. After dropping it off, they called me an hour later giving me an estimate for the work that needed to be done. Turned out, the pads needed to be replaced. But also, I needed to have the rotors replaced, the calipers replaced, the back drum brakes cleaned out, and the brake fluid replaced. Altogether, the bill came out to about $660.00...a little more than I bargained for. Fortunately, Duksim was with me at the time, so knowing her prowess in bargaining - I transferred the call to her. After some severe arm-bending, she knocked the price down to about $560.00 or so. A few hours later, the job was done, so we went and picked up the car. We payed the price that was agreed upon, and the manager was good-natured about the whole thing - saying to me that I should never leave the house without her (Duksim). I really should brush up on my bargaining techniques, but then again, I probably wouldn't get the best price as I would if I transferred the phone over to Duksim and let her do her thing...

Whiffleball

so a bunch of us went to a park district picnic area and played some whiffleball after work today. Man, when was the last time I played that game? It was funny how it came about - it almost didn't happen at all. Some people from another group at another building at work wanted to challenge us to a game, and it was supposed to be today around 2:00pm (yup, I got the clearance from my manager to attend). But they were going to cancel at the last minute due to conflicts in time with my group. So as a result, I left my change of clothes at home this morning. I should have known better - they contacted me later saying that the game was back on, and that they expected me to be there. Great! I got in my car, drove back home (glad I'm only 30 minutes away), packed my clothes, and met up with everyone at the park. It was a good time all around - glad the rain stayed away (though the gnats kept circling around everyone's heads).

Now either I haven't played Whiffleball in such a long time that I forgot the rules, or we totally made it up as we went along. Apparently there's no physical baserunning, but the kind of hit made is dependent on how far you hit the whiffleball past the designated cones along the baselines (failed outfielder catches also count, depending on where it was dropped). Unbelievably, my coworker Angelo was the slugger of our group - even though he has no depth perception (due to past eye injuries). He chalked it up to tennis practice...well, I suppose anything's possible. Unfortunately my team lost by one point, even though we staged a furious last inning comeback from a 4 point deficit. That's OK, we plan on playing again in August...hopefully we can all get to play, and that my team emerges victorious...

ipod mini

I saw this on the news the other day...

http://www.suntimes.com/output/business/cst-fin-apple03.html

This does not surprise me...nothing seems to these days. Apple seemed to hit a home run with their ipod lineup (it pretty much resurrected the brand and put Apple back on the map), but now this comes along to put a monkey wrench in the works. Fortunately, the model that I have doesn't seem to be affected by this, as it only encompasses the earlier models (I'll have to double check). But I do have to keep in mind that the internal rechargeable battery in mine is non-replaceable, and that eventually I will have to either toss it, or ship it back to Apple for an expensive battery replacement when the battery finally runs down. I dunno, by then something new will probably be on the market that will render the ipod obsolete, so we'll see how it goes. As it is, I only use my ipod for workouts at Bally's (I know Wany, no butt references this time). I have to admit, though, the design is pretty good - the jogwheel is very innovative, and despite jamming all the music I care to listen to into it, I still have about 3 GB of memory left to use (out of 4 GB). Really makes me wonder how people make do with those 20 or 40GB models...

Revisiting the 80's

Currently I am watching a TV show on channel 5 called "Hit Me Baby, 1 More Time". I have to say, it's definitely something else to see how music groups that I grew up with change over the years - especially from a physical standpoint. Man, how they have aged! Their expressionistic dress and exaggerated hairstyles have toned down, but the music is still the same as I remember them. Groups like Arrested Development, Loverboy, Ce Ce Peneston and Tiffany were some of the groups performing - and brought back memories of the interesting 80's era. Apparently this is a twist of the reality-tv craze (meaning it will be a weekly thing), but it's a better concept than some of the others out there...

Hi-Lo

Duksim and I have an established workout schedule that we try our best to adhere to. We have a membership to Bally's and usually attend the NorthShore (Morton Grove) facility every Monday and Wednesday after work. Sometimes I go on Saturdays as well, if Duksim is successful in kicking me out of bed (hard to motivate myself to work out on the weekends, for some odd reason).

Monday workouts are usually the run-of-the-mill variety, where a combination of cardio and weight-training is usually what encompasses the regimen. However, on Wednesdays we attend an up-tempo cardio class called Hi-Lo. It lasts about an hour, and involves a lot of jumping, kicking, and running at a rapid pace to fast music (that's the best way I can describe it - how you envision that description of the class actually playing out should prove to be hilarious and/or wildly inaccurate). Duksim originally started attending this class, and eventually got me involved. It's a pretty good class, and a great way to pack in a cardio session into one hour. However, after not attending this class for a few weeks (due to vacation time away), yesterday was our first time back to this class in a while. Let's just say that today my lower body is definitely feeling the effects of that workout class...much more so than when I played tennis over the Memorial Day weekend (strange).

This past Monday, Duksim decided to attend a Pilates class at Bally's...I'm not sure if she's planning on attending any future sessions, but I think I'll choose not to get involved in those...

Movie Mistakes

A coworker just sent me this link. I thought it was interesting to see the number of mistakes made in various movies - mistakes that many people may have missed...almost makes me want to watch the ones I have at home all over again to see them. You have to be a member to see any pictures or what not, but what it gives you as a nonmember is pretty interesting.

http://www.moviemistakes.com/

Wi-Fi security

I was recently reminded of the importance of maintaining a secure Internet environment when using Wi-Fi at home. I was having breakfast with a close friend this past Memorial Day, and he inquired about how I had set up my wireless access at home. The reason is that he has wireless set up at his place, but every once in a while when he fires up his computer, he would be connecting to another router (he would notice this from the indicator by his system clock). He still connects fine, but worries about how secure his own router is - that someone can hack in and mess it up. He also didn't like the idea that someone could be leeching off of his wireless connection that he's paying good money for. I told him I'd stop by later to check it out, but I remember I had to deal with that when we first set up our wireless connection at our condo. Being that we were in a condo, anyone upstairs, downstairs, and across the hall could tap into our router if they had a wireless card in their computer. But since the people in the condo complex at that time were elderly, retired people, there was no reason to act on anything. However, a younger couple later moved in next door, and soon enough I noticed wireless activity on my router at a time when I was sure our computers were turned off. At that time, I decided to filter out all wireless card access except for the ones I specifically allowed access. That apparently did the trick, and haven't had a problem since. Security is an important issue, and it's always good to stay on top of things to avoid getting burned. Ironically, every once in a while I still can access other wireless routers when I do a scan of the area from our condo (as other people have jumped on the wireless bandwagon by now)...

AZN TV

For those of you who like to watch Korean television (or asian programming in general), you may be watching it on channel 28 on free tv. The major downside to this is of course that it is a very weak signal, so major antenna changes and/or enlisting the help of another person to hold the antenna with arms waving around is the usual M.O. to obtain decent reception (trust me, I know). But now there's something comparable that exists on Comcast cable, on channel 240 - AZN TV. It's kind of the cable counterpart to channel 28, though I don't know if they deliver news. But they have Korean dramas, music videos, and other things. Other asian programming is offered, and other nationalities/infomercials rent it out once in a while. Overall, not a bad alternative - though Duksim is getting more out of it than I am...