The Modem Day Massacre

I started my laundry at 1 a.m. that makes me a winner.

… For a while there, I was worried; but it’s nothing major. I had this feeling that my home phone was giving me problems like it did last year. I was afraid that if Verizon came back they would need to come back into my apartment to fix it which would cost me.

I could see on my modem that it would lose and gain connection to the DSL. I picked up my phone and discovered there was no static like last time so I was even more afraid since that was the problem last time.

As a last ditch effort, I decided to leave the modem on to see what would happen. Sure enough it seemed to fix itself. Since then, the modem connection hasn’t always been perfect, but I think it is the problem.

Just how much longer I can keep going like this, I don’t know.

… The Winter Olympics began with tragedy before the opening ceremonies. Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died during a training run. The accident was horrific.

To say the games have not gone according to plan is an understatement. The opening ceremonies had a malfunction with the torch lighting.

In fact, I don’t think there was much build up for these games; as almost they just showed up one day. Unfortunately it took a tragedy to get my attention.

… I’ve seen five of the 10, yes 10, movies nominated for best picture by the Academy Awards. The last movie I saw was Avatar.

Visually, it’s stunning especially in IMAX 3D. It’s a wonderful story too. But if you were to ask me to say a line from that movie, I couldn’t. So of the five movies I’ve seen – The Blind Side, District 9, Inglourious Basterds and Up in the Air – I would consider it worthy of the nomination. Is it better than those four other movies? No. Can I pick my favorite one of the group, probably not. So this should be a close race.

More respect for Ringo Starr

With January gone, what am I to do?

… The heaviest rainfall I’ve ever seen since I moved to Southern California fell recently and I missed most of it being in Las Vegas.

The day before I left it felt like the movie “The Day After Tomorrow” was coming true. As it rained the city’s drains failed to do their job. I needed to get a haircut and went to where I go and the owner wasn’t worried about it until I got there and the water began to enter under her door. We did our best to prevent water getting in, but there is only so much a towel could do.

She cut my hair and the water kept coming in. When she finished the water had made it easy to see where the low points of the salon was as the water pooled there, then it crept back up to where we were. By the time she finished, the rain had stopped and the water finally started to recede.

For the next hour I helped her get the water out of her shop by first mopping until the water went down enough to open the door to sweep out the water. Luckily for us, two plumbers came by with brooms to help get the water out.

… The next day my friend and I left for Las Vegas ahead of the next storm. By the time we got to Las Vegas it was a light rain. It continued to rain off and on for the next 30 hours. The good thing about the rain was that the workers passing out cards for strippers scattered from the Strip.

For the trip I managed to break about even – not including money for all things not gambling. I actually won $74 from a nice old lady that avoided the 7 like nobody’s business on the craps table.

The only real problem I had was the night before we left as I couldn’t go to sleep. The problem was probably due to the fact I was so worried about getting to work that day. So with no sleep and up at 6 a.m. I told my friend we needed to go and so we left at 7:30. I drove to as far as Baker when my friend took over. I fell asleep for a little bit, but was up for a while then after dropping him off; I drove home in the rain. I got home and rested for another hour before going into work.

Still, it was an excellent trip.

… A little more than a week after going to Las Vegas, I went to Fresno to visit family. Their youngest daughter always wanted to play with me; at times it was a bit much. My father was also there and I talked to him for a while. Later on that first night my sister, her husband and I played Beatles Rockband for about two hours. It’s a fun game. I played drums and sang. Needless to say playing the drums was harder.

The next morning I took my dad to Turlock to watch my niece, then later my nephew, play basketball at a church league. My sister from the Bay Area met us later. I was finally able to give away all my Christmas presents. I also made lunch for the family with the help of one of my sisters.

After the last game, my dad and I rushed back to Fresno to attend Saturday Night mass that was being done in my mother’s honor. When we got to the church, my brother in law told me that we would be bringing up the bread, wine, holy water and donations up. I was in the back with my sister’s youngest daughter bringing up the donations. Knowing my niece, I knew she wanted to carry up the basket of donations on her own so I stood behind her. When they gave her the basket the person in charge of giving the gifts said that the basket was bigger than her. My niece did a good job of carrying the basket and I only helped a little. When we got to the front the priest took the basket from her and commented, “The basket is bigger than her.”

We went out to dinner then later Beatles Rockband.

It was a fun trip all in all. So yes, I can’t wait to go back – and not just because of Beatles Rockband.

… With January over, it is finally upon me. The traditional worst two months of the year begin with 59 days to go until April. I hope that this year it’s not so bad, but I’m not really holding out hope. I can only imagine what could happen. January was a good way to start 2010 as nothing really uneventful in a bad way happened to me. By this time last year, I had a friend laid off and was told about the transfer to West Covina.

The good news is that friend that was laid off has a new job that he’s starting on the first of the month. Hopefully the job freeze is melting. So maybe the next two months won’t be so bad … maybe.

Think about it

Hey, is anyone out there?

… Mark McGuire has come out and admitted he used steroids.

There he said it. Although no one is shocked, not many former major league ball players are happy.

Hall of Fame player Goose Gossage said he should not be in the Hall of Fame because the Hall stands for “Integrity.”

Former major league player Jack Clark went a step further saying he should be banned from baseball altogether and not be allowed to take his new job as hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. Clark also said players like McGuire should be inducted into a Hall of shame.

I think people just need to calm down. If you’re going to say that your era, or even your game’s shrine, was better you need to think again.

Performance enhancing drugs have been around since the 60s when the season was stretched to 162 games and teams were all over the United States. It’s been documented players took amphetamines to help boost energy. Why is that ok? If you’re naturally tired and take something for it, isn’t that giving you an edge?

I wonder how many players back then would have taken some kind of steroid back in the 60s if they were told it would do what it did for players today. How honest could some players have been? I’m sure of one thing; the numbers would probably be comparable to what we have today.

As for shame, Clark once put up in the Padres dugout an effigy of teammate Tony Gywnn so I really don’t think he should be talking.

As for integrity, the Hall of Fame has Ty Cobb in it; a man that once went into the stands to beat up a man in a wheelchair with only one hand. Sure the man said something about his mother, but really, it is no excuse. If that is not enough there are many in Hall that did not want to ever see the color line broken.

As for Gossage, he was the pitcher that gave up the “Pine Tar” home run to George Brett. When asked to sign the ball later in life he did writing, “… I threw the (bleeping) thing.”

There’s your integrity.

… It’s easy to say I’m a big fan of Conan O’Brien and it sad to see he may leave “The Tonight Show” due to poor management at NBC.

It’s easy to paint Jay Leno as the villain as he is being brought back to his old spot of 11:35 p.m. However it really isn’t his fault, for the most part.

He’s under contract with NBC and is going where they put him. I’m sure he didn’t ask for it, but the company is doing what they think is best. If that means giving him back his old show, then he’s going.

At the same time, he should also know if he does do it, “The Tonight Show” will never be what it was when he had it. He will be given a broken product, not by Conan’s doing, but NBC’s. The public backlash will be tremendous.

Leno also needs to look back at what he said in 2004 when he announced he’d be leaving the Tonight Show in 2009. He didn’t a replay of the early 90s when he and David Letterman battled for Johnny Carson’s seat.

Well, that’s what he has now.

… As for me, well the new year and decade has been much calmer than 2009. The annual trip to Las Vegas is a few days away so that’s nice. I’m also going up North the week after to see family again and drop of the final Christmas presents I have yet to give. I’m also going to a mass said in the honor of my mother at my sister’s church in Fresno.

The time has been good, however, I forgot until now January is half way done and soon it will be February and March upon me. I can only hope for the best.

Where did I leave off?

2010 is so far off to a good start, but I have my eye on it.

… I went Christmas shopping later than usual mainly because my work schedule had me work nine straight days during the shopping rush. The good news is that from the 13 nieces and nephews I buy for, six can now receive gift cards since they are old enough to decide what they want. Since more of them are getting gift cards, I can spend less time in the store.

The tricky part was what to get my dad. Usually I got him something he can share with my mom. What I ended up doing is was buying a photo album and printed out some of the photos I took with him on our trip to Las Vegas and Mexico City, this way he has copies to show friends around the farm.

… As for my Christmas, it was the usual holiday with my family and watching my nieces and nephews down here open the gifts I gave them. As always, I went to work for the holiday.

For New Year’s I went back to my sister’s house in Pasadena and celebrated there as one of my sisters from Northern California came down with her family and they brought my dad as well.

In all, it was a nice way the end a horrible year. The last weeks of the 2009 were uneventful to say the least. After a year of much turmoil it went out without much of a bang.

… So what do I have in store for 2010? Well, I failed in all four of my goals: I got down to 206 pounds instead of 200; I’m still working for LANG; I’m still in my apartment; and I’m still single. Well I guess I’ll have to try again.

Do I come into this year with more hope? Yes, but I’m weary on the worst still being around the corner.

However, I am starting the year with some promise.