Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Close Enough to Friday for Me

Since my work week ended today, I think it would be a good time to inject some randomness in your lives!

  • Every year, we do a gift exchange thing at the office where we fight over 365 day desk calendars. Last year, I got "Dumb Dares for the Office". I didn't get into too much trouble, mostly because I didn't do the 85% of dares that were fireable offenses.
  • This year I got "The Mensa Puzzle Calendar". I'm guessing that this one will keep me out of trouble for the most part.
  • Until I don't work because I can't figure out some crazy puzzle.
  • I'm really excited for 5 days off this weekend and 4 off next weekend. Nine days off in a 12 day period is a-ok in my book.
  • Katie, Jorge, my cousin Dave, and I hit up Winter Park on Saturday. It was pretty cold, but we survived with the 4-8 inch stashes of powder in the trees.
  • I went to the Bronco game on Sunday with Johnny, his buddy John, and Matthew. It was cold, cold, and COLD. But we had a good time and stayed warm until the end of the game when the sun and the Broncos slowly faded.
  • Gartrell Johnson is a beast. 275 yards rushing and 90 yards receiving in any bowl? Awesome.
  • Sign #1 seen on ESPN during New Mexico Bowl: "Tickets to New Mexico Bowl - $60, Ticket to park and tailgate before game - $15, Being on ESPN while CU watches from home - Priceless"
  • Sign #2 seen on ESPN during New Mexico Bowl: "Fresno is not a state"
  • HD is the greatest invention of all time.
  • The next few days are going to be hectic - Christmas Eve at our house with Sarah's dad's family, Christmas morning and early afternoon with my family, late afternoon with Sarah's mom's family, night flight to Portland, wedding festivities all Friday, early morning flight Saturday, afternoon wedding anniversary party, evening meet-up with some college friends, morning snowboarding on Sunday, Christmas part II Sunday afternoon.
  • Then we take a breath.
  • Maybe.
  • Spent some time with Mike, Rosie, Fitz, Andy, and Lexie (and Elise) last night. It is always good to see old friends and catch up. I wish it could happen more often.
If I don't get anything posted between now and Thursday, I wish you all a very merry Christmas.

Mike

Monday, December 15, 2008

Film Addict?

Jason Kottke's blog found a website that determines how much of a film addict you might be. The site takes the top 250 films on IMDB and you check off how many you have seen. I was a pathetic 36%. Click HERE to compare your level of addiction with mine.

I'd love to see someone get above 75%. That would show some serious dedication to the silver screen.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Confessions of a Dangerous Flick

Random Musings on this beautiful December day. . .

  • I received Dropkick Murphys newest (but not so new) album (The Meanest of Times) for my birthday in November. After numerous cycles through the whole CD, I have decided that I love it as much if not more than their previous work.
  • Speaking of DKM - they are supposedly named after a local detox place in Boston.
  • CSU is bowl bound - December 20th in Albuquerque against Fresno State. Steve Fairchild has set a CSU record for victories in a freshman coaching campaign. Let's hope he extends his record to 7 later this month.
  • The wifey and I have purchased a new television.
  • The HD channels start on Sunday. I can't wait.
  • In related news, our Daytona party just got a hell of a lot cooler.
  • Also related: if you are in the market for a TV, shop one place - Ultimate Electronics. No other store has the combination of customer service and unbeatable prices.
  • The Rockies came out of the Winter Meetings with Alan Embree as the only addition to the roster. Excellent. We picked up a 38-year-old bullpen pitcher. Great. The Denver Post apparently is really excited for him to give up dingers at Coors Field.
  • I know that I am years behind, but Arrested Development is hilarious.
  • It is now December 12 and I have yet to be skiing or snowboarding this year. This upsets me.
  • The basement is making some serious progress. A majority of the drywall is up and the process of taping and mudding is going on now. Once that is complete, the shower and tile installs are the only real time-consuming portion of the reconstruction. After that it should not be long before we regain our working basement bathroom!
Hopefully you all have a wonderful holiday season in the next few weeks. Enjoy your time off, your time with family, and all the delicious Christmas cookies!

Until the next post -
Mike

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Typealyzer

My buddy Mike over at Beautiful is Safe found a website that does a personality analysis based on your blog entries. The website is called Typealyzer and is a sweet little thing to play with (that's what she said).

While Mike's blog came back as a "logical and analytical" type, mine came back as this:

ESFP - The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

They enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.








While I tend to agree with pieces of the analysis, I have a hard time swallowing the last sentence. Ouch. I guess I should stop my ladder climb immediately. The only thing that I can think is that my blog is a reflection of half of my personality: the non-engineering part of my psyche - the creative and artistic side (which miraculously can be present in an engineering mind).

What do you all think? Is my Typealysis accurate or is it completely off base?

Flicktastic Brain Farts

  • Yep this is my family. I took that picture at my Grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary party. Where Flicks go, chaos ensues.
  • It was Sarah's first adventure into the state of Wisconsin. It was nice for her to see all the places that she hears about in stories from my family.
  • While we were there, we went on a tour of the Miller Brewery.
  • Jorge liked the Miller tour.
  • The election is over and that makes me happy.
  • Amendment 48 failed in Colorado and that makes me really happy.
  • The only things that truly disappointed me this election season was the passing of Proposition 8 in California and similar gay marriage bans in a couple other states. I am constantly amazed that people use religious reasons for withholding secular rights from people. I thought our country was created to prevent such travesties. Religion should not dictate secular law (especially when people's rights are concerned).
  • CSU can be bowl eligible with a win over Wyoming (@ Wyo) on Saturday. I'm not saying that I was not hoping for improvement over the last few years, but I am pleasantly surprised that we have progressed so far in such a short time. The Steve Fairchild era is already looking favorable.
  • It was nice to see the Broncos offense and defense show up the last couple weeks. All those injured starters on defense better not just get their starting positions handed back to them. Those young guys are playing with fire.
  • I think Billy Beane fleeced us.
  • Year-end review have came and went and I still have a job. Success!
  • Sarah and I got our passes for Winter Park/Mary Jane and Copper Mountain yesterday. I can't wait to get up there for the first runs of the season.
  • The last week or so, my buddies over at Cru Jones Society did a great series of ridiculous movie competitions. I guarantee that some of the movies you love are listed in there. Here is part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Great way to kill some time at the end of the week!
  • If you have never been to SomeEcards, you are missing out on the fun.
  • The holidays are coming up. Hope you and your families have a wonderful holiday season.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Fall Tradition

A few of us (John, Robert, Augie, and I) have a tradition of speculating what the following positions will look like for the Rockies upcoming opening day:
  • Starting Lineup
  • Bench Players
  • Starting Rotation
  • Bullpen
  • Set-up Man
  • Closer

This year we continued the trend. This is what I came up with:

Starting Lineup:
  1. 2B Barmes
  2. SS Tulo
  3. 3B Stewart
  4. LF Holliday
  5. RF Hawpe
  6. C Iannetta
  7. 1B Helton
  8. CF Smith

Bench Players:
  • Baker
  • Spilborghs
  • Fowler (although probably starting in AAA)
  • Quintanilla
  • Herrera
  • Bellorin
  • Podsednik

Starting Rotation:
  1. Cook
  2. Francis
  3. Jimenez
  4. Blackburn
  5. De La Rosa

Bullpen:
  • Vizcaino
  • Rusch
  • Grilli
  • Speier
  • Hirsh
  • Morillo

Setup:
  • Buchholz

Closer:
  • Corpas

Unfortunately, you can see that there is an absence of Garrett Atkins in this lineup. I think he is the guy that they trade away to get some pitching help (Blackburn from the Twins, who are looking for a 3B). I think the Rockies management would like to continue to try and sign Holliday to a long term deal if they can't do it this offseason. Tavares is also gone. Not really sure where or for whom. But we don't need his .145 OBP anymore! I think they also trade Yorbit to someone who needs a starting catcher. He's not happy with his playing time, and the Rockies have Iannetta. Fuentes is probably gone as well. Any way you look at it, the Rockies need to make some changes this offseason. Standing pat is not acceptable with the way this team looked in 2008. Pitching needs to be addressed and we have the position players to make some deals.

What do you all think?

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Jonny X's Words Have Become Truth

This lack of posting is getting ridiculous. I, like every scumbag politician, will blame the other party for this travesty.

Updates on the life and times of Mr. Flick:

The basement bathroom is slowly coming along. After making it through Deppe's bachelor party without needing to use the toilet hole in the floor after copious amounts of booze and beef, I think Sarah and I can survive with just the one bathroom for a little while.

Jon Deppe and Holly Winters did in fact get married on October 4th. Congratulations to them. Their ceremony was beautiful and very much a reflection of their personalities. I had a great time.

Softball season is coming to a close. My men's team lost in the semifinals on Monday yet again this season. It seems as if we decide to play our worst games every year in the tournaments. Pretty pathetic. The coed team has one more week of play and then a tournament the weekend of November 8-9. We'll see how that goes. We traditionally don't play well in tournaments in that league either! Starting to see a trend here?

Sarah and I will be in Estes Park this weekend to celebrate our first anniversary (September 22). We will be staying at a bed and breakfast and just enjoying out time away from work and everything else. Hopefully the weather stays fairly nice for our little weekend getaway.

Colorado State football goes from promising to disastrous to promising to disastrous again. I expected a bit of a learning curve under Steve Fairchild. This has been a roller coaster season, though. Overall, I think that Fairchild is going in the right direction. The offense actually looks like a force to be reckoned with and has unpredictability at times (something that had disappeared during Lubick's last couple years). Plus Larry Kerr has done a phenomenal job in his return as defensive coordinator.

The Broncos just plain suck. Their defense will really be hurting now that Champ Bailey is out for a couple weeks. The offense needs to get back to the absurd scoring that they experienced the first few weeks of the season.

Sarah and I sent our mail-in ballots in this week. Never have I seen such a bloated and ridiculous ballot. Let's hope that Referendum O passes so that we as voters don't have to see such ridiculousness again.

After some initial legwork, I have scrounged up snowboards for Sarah and I to borrow this season. I am actually getting really excited to branch out and try the other side. I've been skiing for a long, LONG time now, so it will be fun to be relegated to the green runs and falling on my ass all day!

In exactly one year to the month, I will be taking the professional engineer exam. I wonder what happens with all the engineering crap I pushed out of my head in the last 3.5 years? Does it magically insert itself back into my brain? I sure hope so.

Maybe this time I won't wait a month and a half before I return. . .

Mikey

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Because No One Likes a "Stressed Out Woman's Menstrual Cycle"

Thanks to E. Dagger over at Cru Jones Society for calling me out for not blogging regularly. A couple more callouts like this:

"Let’s start of with the item I enjoyed reading most this week. While checking Flickerbock’s blog, which he updates about as regularly as a stressed-out woman’s menstrual cycle, he linked to an open letter written by Roger Ebert directed at former Sun Times colleague Jay Mariotti. The crux of the letter is Roger’s criticism of Jay’s manner of exit from the Chicago Sun Times and Jay’s subsequent assertion that newspaper are dying."

And I might start doing this with some sense of normalcy.

My favorite way to post on this blog:
  • The Rockies are done. If you didn't think so before, you better start thinking it now. They are currently 8 games back of first place in the NL Worst with 16 games to play. They freaking balked a run in to lose the other night. Time to look forward to next year.
  • Monday night's game between the Broncos and Raiders was enjoyable for a few reasons. Obviously, the Broncos offense looked great (even without Brandon Marshall) and they dominated the Raiders D. However, my favorite part of the night was watching the Raiders fans in all their stupid outfits look completely dejected. That was beautiful. I'm glad they got all dolled up for that!
  • The political state of this country is borderline laughable. Our candidates spend more time worrying about what the other is saying, they completely ignore the issues. Thankfully, Jon Stewart and the Daily Show are on top of all the absurd happenings in the political world. This clip cracked me up.
  • Also humorous about the current political situation: how pigs with lipstick have become a focal point.
  • Ron Paul has officially backed neither Obama nor McCain. He has thrown his support behind Bob Barr (Libertarian), Ralph Nader (Independent), Cynthia McKinney (Green), and Chuck Baldwin (Constitution). Who says you can't just have one?!
  • Big ups to occasional blog reader Robert. His workplace is apparently full of deceit, sex, lies, drugs, gifts, scandal, oil, gas, and Native Americans.
  • My quest for retirement before age 26 is becoming less and less likely. Any and all ideas will be evaluated (and hopefully implemented).
  • Shameless plug for the Cru Jones Society.
  • Ski season is just around the corner. Thankfully, the wifey has decided to join our ranks and pick up skiing or snowboarding this year. I'm estatic because this means I won't be leaving her in Denver every weekend!
  • In the last few weeks, I have taken pictures of the DNC, the basement remodeling, and a new baby (Riley Robinson). Hopefully I can get some of them up in the near future.
Til the next post.
Mike

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Roger > Jay

I (like my friends at the Cru Jones Society) am a big fan of Roger Ebert. His reviews are truthful, they are witty, they are fun to read. And with his latest review, I have decided that I like Mr. Ebert even more.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080828/COMMENTARY/808289997&loc=interstitialskip

Basically, Ebert lays into Jay Mariotti for the way Jay handled himself during his resignation from the Chicago Sun Times. And it is beautiful.

Hopefully, this means that Jay Mariotti will never show his face on ESPN's Around the Horn ever again.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Beer League Softball

As many of you know, I play softball like it is my job. In fact, I wish that were actually the case. But as much as I love playing softball (or any other rec sport, for that matter), there are always those super competitive jerks and worthless lazy jerks that play in your league. Luckily, I am not the only one who feels this way. Our friends at the Cru Jones Society agree.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Congratulations

Congratulations to Justin Morneau for winning the Home Run Derby last night (although Josh Hamilton was probably more deserving). Based on Hamilton's huge first round and the slow decline afterwards, it definitely looks as if the Home Run Derby could use a bit of a tweaking. Jayson Stark at ESPN agrees.

Basically, Stark's idea is this: have a two round Derby with eight players. Only 2 advance to the second (and final round). The final round would involve the two contestants taking turns in three, three-out "innings". Highest total in the final round wins.

What do you guys think about this format? How could they tweak it to make it enjoyable to watch and fair for the players?

Monday, July 07, 2008

Monday Randomness

The past week or so has been tough on the work front because (a) the last week in June was spent vacationing in Mexico, (b) this past weekend was the 4th of July holiday weekend, and (c) I, like everyone else, would rather be doing anything besides working during the warm months in Denver. Nothing like some time off to make me want some more time off. Onward. . .

  • Although the Rockies have sucked hard this year, they sure did entertain this weekend. My company bought tickets to the July 3rd game, which the Rockies ended up winning in 11 innings. Then, we all headed down to the outfield grass to watch the fireworks. Great day. Follow that with a come-from-9-runs-down 18-17 victory on Friday, they sure did keep the folks in Denver on the edge of their seats.
  • Sunday marked the first day of rest that I have seen liquor sales in Colorado. Glorious. I celebrated by doing nothing. In fact, I had forgotten about it until I read about it here:
  • I stole Jorge's copy of Super Mario Galaxy when he was in Mexico. Great game. Incredible game. Might be my favorite game for the Wii. Might be my favorite game of all time. It is that good.
  • Speaking of the Wii, NCAA Football 2009 comes out pretty soon on that platform. I was upset they didn't have this game before. As fun as Madden is, NCAA Football is always way better.
  • When is my next paid holiday?
  • A few of my buddies took a 5 day trip through remote southwestern Colorado with nothing besides the packs on their backs. Pictures, videos, and stories can be found here and here.
  • Our trip to Mexico was incredible. The week was relaxing, fun, relaxing, and relaxing. There are three albums of pictures at my Picasa site.
  • Now that our Mexico trip is over, it is time to start looking forward to our next couple trips - camping at Horsetooth the weekend of the 19th, Seattle (Barr family reunion) the weekend of the 26th, Milwaukee (G&G's 60th wedding anniversary) the first weekend of November, and possibly Tampa (Sarah has a conference) the next weekend. I'm trying to hit as many corners of this country in one year!
  • It is 2:35 and I am starving. Don't think I can make it to dinner. . .

Monday, June 16, 2008

Monday Jeep Update

My "Saturday = Jeep day" turned into a "Saturday = Lawn and Jeep day". After mowing the lawn and all that jazz, I turned my attentions to good old Olive. I started by trying to follow the electrical lines through the car to see if there were any discontinuities. After seeing no obvious gaps, I tried to turn her over again. Same result. The next plan - wait for Papa Flick to show up with a voltmeter to figure out where the problem sits. The problem with that plan - Papa Flick could not make it over. So the day was spent doing more cleanup of both the Jeep and the garage. I do think I might know what the problem might be. I found out this weekend that the solenoid on the Jeeps are a pretty finicky part. They tend to go out fairly regularly, so I may just have to replace that for the electricity to get to the starter. Determining if that is the problem, for now, is my next step to getting that baby fired up.

On Saturday, I did end up getting underneath the passenger seat enough to remove it. I also cleaned the storage bin under the passenger seat and gained access to the side step bolts in that bin. I got all but one of the bolts off on each of the side steps - the ones I removed were all hex head bolts. However, the two remaining bolts have a regular screw head on them. Add the rust factor and you have a strip/no torque situation. After struggling with that for a while, I decided that maybe cutting the bolts off might be the easier method. It is really too bad I did not go get that angle grinder when Robert found those on sale. Also a possibility - breaking the nuts off the bottom of the bolt. Either way, I need to buy a new tool. Dang!

This week is going to be fairly hectic as we have a lot of stuff going on (softball game tonight, Rockies tomorrow, Sarah has a haircut on Wednesday, we are doing a Sam's Club trip with Mama Flick on Thursday, a work BBQ after work on Friday, the dogs are getting groomed on Saturday, Kourtney comes in on Saturday afternoon, picnic at my parent's house on Saturday evening, leave Sunday morning for Mexico). Somewhere in there, I have to pack for a week on the beach. Based on that schedule, I don't think there will be much work done on the Jeep in the next couple weeks. Good news is that July is pretty open, so I will most likely be elbows deep in grease for that month.

I love being able to take my time on a project like this. I don't need the car on a daily basis (or ever, really), so I can get things done when I have time. And having the Jeep in the garage means anytime I get bored or need something to do, I have something waiting for me!

Friday, June 13, 2008

Friday Brain Farts

  • At Tuesday's Rockies/Giants game, Taveras is on 3rd with 2 outs. Helton hits a ground ball on the right side. Travis Denker makes a great diving stop in the hole, flips the ball to the Aurilia at first, end of inning. Some moron behind me says, "at least Taveras scored." I wanted to punch him in the face.
  • Speaking of the Rockies/Giants game - it was nice to actually see them win a game that we were at (that was not played against the Twins).
  • After not meeting Jon and Holly for dinner for some time, Jon has convinced us to head to Jim 'N Nick's BBQ for dinner tonight. The fat kid in me is really, really excited.
  • Yesterday, the transportation group at my work went to Elitch Lanes at 38th and Tennyson for the afternoon. I think these type of things should be mandatory in the workplace. There is a renewed energy, a greater sense of camaraderie, and a better overall work environment in the office today.
  • Plus, Elitch Lanes has some sweet bowling deals Monday through Thursday.
  • I got a new battery for Olive. I added some fluids. I turned the key. And I heard absolutely nothing. That means that Saturday = Jeep day.
  • Slowly but surely, all my friends that have a Wii are getting Mario Kart. Online play with your friends is about as fun as it gets. Next step - dominate Sarah/Robert/Natalie/Jorge/Katie/Short/Josh/all-of-the-above in one fell swoop. If you have Mario Kart, shoot me your Friend Code. I will gladly dominate you, too.
  • Agent Jamie of the BP was in town last week. It was nice to see him and hang out with the college crew a bit over the weekend. Tuxedo t-shirt!
  • We (meaning whole Flick crew) spent a day last weekend in Breckenridge. Anna and David will especially enjoy some of the pictures. Seems like just yesterday Davey was wearing a toilet/poop hat and Anna and I were planning our lives after high school at Colorado Mountain College!
  • I wish the NBA Finals would wrap up so I don't have to see all the articles in the papers and on the sports websites. The NBA is lame.
  • Mexico is right around the corner. I cannot wait!
  • Finally, the Friday Links will be up on the Cru Jones Society website sometime today. Make sure you check it out. I'm getting paid big money to mention their website (although I am still waiting for my first check. . .)
'Til the next post,
Mikey

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

My Annoyances - Silver Bullet Commercials



By now you have probably heard the Coors Light radio spots that go a little something like this:

Announcer: It may come as a surprise to you to hear that Coors Light is the new official sponsor of Green Giant Canned Corn. But the similarities are obvious.

First, the corn comes in a can. Coors Light? Comes in a can!


The corn has a yellow color. Coors Light? Yellow!

And the eerie part of all this - the word "corn" starts with a "C-O" and has an "R". Coors Light? Starts with a "C-O" and has an "R"! Amazing!

I don't care if you are trying to sell Coors Light by linking it to the NFL, tailgating, baseball, whatever. The "eerie similarities" that you point out are stupid, pointless, and most importantly, not funny. Beer commercials need to be on the level of "Real Men of Genius" and need to have guys like John C. McGinley running an imaginary (but totally awesome if it were real) More Taste League.

Coors Light, this time I will let you off with a warning. I think you deserve a second chance after putting T.O. in a commercial doing what he does best. That's HIS quarterback! That's HIS teammate! The tears don't lie! But next time you fashion a series of commercials that lulls your consumers (of which I am one) into lethargic doldrums, expect to hear from me again.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

LP Convention

The Libertarian Party National Convention starts today in Denver. It looks as if either Bob Barr. . . . . .or Mike Gravel. . .. . .will be winning the nomination for President. I don't think it really matters who wins the LP nomination, I will probably be voting for them. Although I don't necessarily agree with Barr or Gravel on all issues, they are at least in the right ballpark. The Republican and Democratic nominations are not (meaning BIG, BIG, BIG, BIG GOVERNMENT).

Friday, May 16, 2008

Allegiances

I received a comment about my sporting allegiances earlier this week, so I thought I would fill the void and address this incredibly serious issue. Growing up in Minnesota, moving to Colorado at age 10, and having family in Wisconsin has muddled my views on fandom in general. Some of the information listed below may be difficult to view. Please refrain from showing this post to people with heart issues, pregnant women, and small children. And now, a sport by sport look at the mind of a Flick Fanatic.

NHL:
Background: Let's start with the easiest explanation of the bunch. I grew up in Minnesota and I had a pulse, so I was naturally a North Stars fan. However, the team moved from hockey heaven to, simply put, hell (Dallas) in 1993 and I immediately lost all connection to the Minnesota professional hockey scene. Although I still pull for Mikey Modano (one of, in not the last, remaining North Star), I cannot fathom cheering for a hockey team from Dallas that was stolen from my home state. Thankfully, after moving to Colorado in 1991, the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver in 1995 to become the Avalanche.

Verdict: I am an Avs fan through and through.
NBA:
Background: I was a Timberwolves fan until after I moved to Colorado. I remember going to Nuggets games with my Wolves gear on. After a few years, the glimmer faded and the Wolves apparel was gone from my closet.

Verdict: The NBA sucks. I do cheer for the Nuggets, but I find it hard to watch too many of their games without throwing up.
COLLEGE:
Background: My father attended the University of Minnesota. My mother attended the College of Saint Catherine. Take a stab at which of those two has Division I athletics. If you guessed College of Saint Catherine, please refrain from ever reading my blog again. You are too dumb to qualify for readership. I am the second of four siblings. I am also the second of four siblings to attend Colorado State University. This is where my Wisconsin relatives enter into the picture. They are all Marquette fans and University of Wisconsin-Madison fans. They have made sure that I had several Badger sweatshirts in my collection.

Verdict: I am a Ram Fan through and through. I bleed Green and Gold. However, I am still a big supporter of the University of Minnesota. I don't follow them as closely as CSU, but I pay pretty close attention during football and hockey seasons. I have a slight bias towards Marquette and UW-Madison, but the roots aren't deep.

MLB:
Background: Baseball is my favorite sport so it would make sense that my strongest allegiances are in this sport. Again, I grew up in Minnesota. I like the Twins. It happens. But when it was announced in 1993 that the Rockies were coming to Denver, I couldn't have been more excited. Finally, I once again had a local team I could follow closely.

Verdict: My Wisconsin relatives are all Brewers fans. Although I don't root for them, I don't root against them either. But my allegiances are strong - Twins and Rockies. They are in different leagues, so this makes this much easier. They play each other in the regular season once every three years or so. And they would only meet in the playoffs in the World Series. One day, that should happen. You would find me drooling all over myself for that week of games.NFL:
Background: I saved the most muddled for last. My dad's family is from Minnesota, my mom's family is from Wisconsin. One likes the Vikings, one likes the Packers. Packers and Vikings fans don't get along. Throw in a move to Colorado, and you have yourself one big mess.

Verdict: As strange at this may seem, I am a Vikings, Packers, and Broncos fan. The Broncos are the only AFC team, so that makes following them the easy part. The Vikings and Packers are not only both in the the NFC, but also hated rivals. Can I really say that I like one over the other? I would probably have to say the Vikings, because I have never lived in Wisconsin. But it would kill my mom's parents to hear me say that.

NLL, AFL, MLS, WNBA:
Background: Who cares?

Verdict: No one.

Funny little story about my mom's family. My mother is the oldest of 3 girls. They grew up in Mequon, Wisconsin, which is about 45 minutes or so north of Milwaukee. They are Packers fans. My mom married my dad, a Vikings fan. My Aunt Patty married a Gary. Gary is a Bears fan. My Aunt Mary married my Uncle Mike, who hails from Detroit and is a bum (meaning Lions/Redwings/Pistons/Tigers fan). When our family gets together, we have the entire NFC North taken care of. Let's just say we don't tend to agree on things sports related!

To the next post,
Mikey

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Firefox Update

Everything seems to be working fine today. I don't know what the problem was (maybe Google's problem? maybe Mozilla's problem?) but I have had zero issues today. Weird stuff.

Good news story of the day - my boy Harry is finally back in Denver after living in Vegas for a while now. Lucky for him, he's been able to experience all four seasons in the few days he has been back!

Maggiano's leftovers are incredible. I support garlic bread and gnocchi!

Lastly, happy birthday to Kellie O!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Complaints

I received a complaint from Dagger himself that I wasn't updating my blog enough. So here is a new post with a couple points.

1. Ask and you shall receive, Dagger.
2. Check out www.crujonessociety.com. I really think you will enjoy it.
3. Today is May 12th and it snowed in Denver this morning. Unreal.
4. Gmail is not really working with Firefox these days. Don't really get it.
5. The next week or so is going to be pretty hectic at work for me. Not real excited about it, but anything is better than the thumb twiddling I have done in the recent past.
6. It is hard to believe that we are in May of 2008 already. This year has been the fastest I have seen.
7. I am ready for a camping weekend. Who's in?
8. Not a lot to talk about on the Jeep repairs. I haven't had a lot of time to work on it lately.
9. The Twins come into town next weekend. I can't wait!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Time for a bleg

No, that is not a typo - this post is a bleg, not a blog. A bleg is a weblog that is begging for something (at least that's what the Freakonomics blog states). In this case, I'm begging for a name.

Here is a picture of my new baby:

She is a 1957 Jeep/Willys CJ5. Sarah's grandparents have owned her from sometime in the 80's. Grandpa used to take her when they went hunting and fishing and they used her to get around the woods. Since his bout with cancer, she has sat idle on the side of Grandma's house, waiting to play again. When Grandma started talking about finally selling it, Sarah put a bug in her ear that I would be interested. A quick discussion with the wife and I became the proud owner of she-who-is-not-yet-named.





Now that she is mine, I need a name for her. Sarah's grandfather loved this Jeep and he and I had many conversations about it before he passed. Because he regaled me with countless stories of him and the Jeep, I was thinking about somehow making the name a reference to him in some way. His name was Paul. Hopefully, we can come up with a great name for her. Thanks for the help!

To the next post!

Mikey

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Weekend Recap

Great, great weekend. Here's the recap:

Thursday:
Augie comes over for the night. He was planning on staying at our house all weekend to watch the dogs, anyways.

Friday:
6:45 - Wake up, get ready for day, load car with Phoenix luggage
7:30 - Drop Sarah off at her work. Silly girl didn't take the whole day off!
7:45 - Get to Las D's, not open, head across street to coffee house
8:00 - Las D's opens, deliciousness ensues! (Funny side story, the lady spoke to us exclusively in Spanish, although neither Augie nor I know a lick of Spanish!)
8:00 to 8:30 - Watch various coworkers walk to work. Suckers!! What a great feeling.
8:45 - Arrive at Greyhound Station to park car
9:00 - Stand outside of Sports Column, angry that they are not already open
9:30 - After walking around for a while, notice Tavern Downtown is open. Go inside. Run into a high school friend of mine and his dad. Have a beer, talk about things.
10:00 - Head back over to the SC. Definitely open at this point.
10:00 to 1:30 - Pitcher after pitcher after pitcher of Coors Light. And a Jagerbomb.
2:05 - Gametime. Too bad the Rockies played like ass.
4:45ish - Sarah and I head out of Coors Field to run home and get the camera we forgot. Then it is a quick turnaround and we are off to the airport.
8:00 - Flight takes off for Phoenix.
9:00 (Phoenix time) - land in Phoenix, get picked up by Jaime, head to her apartment.

Saturday:
Sometime in the morning - Wake up, lounge around, get ready, EAT IN-N-OUT BURGER (the capitals signify the most important piece of the puzzle)
12:00ish - Start the journey to Tubac, AZ (30 miles north of Nogales and the Mexican border)
3:00 - Jason and Sara's wedding ceremony - very nice, pretty short, very warm.
After this point, time becomes a blur. The wedding was at Tubac Golf Resort, as was the reception and our room. We went from the wedding to the reception, drank some beer, some wine, some champagne, did some dancing, had some dinner, the usual stuff. At some point, we headed back to the room and crashed. Good day.

Sunday:
Woke up somewhat early.
Had brunch with the bride, groom, and family.
11:00 - Left Tubac for Tucson
12:00 - Met Ninja Jamie for lunch right outside the University of Arizona main gate. The little Old Town looking place was hopping and very reminiscent of Fort Collins. Very cool place. Sat with the Ninja for a couple hours before he had to go home to go to bed and we had to head back up to Phoenix to catch our flight.
4:30 - Get to the Phoenix airport. Jaime has to work at 7:00 and she lives on the west side of the metro area right by her work. It was pointless and a waste of time to go all the way back to her place, so we just had her drop us off at the airport early. Sarah and I walked and walked and walked and I did the Tulo chant in every corner of the airport. Sarah loved it.
8:45 - We finally take off for Denver. Phew.
12:30 - Get home, unload the car, get into bed and try to get some sleep before work on Monday.

All in all, it was a great weekend. Congratulations, Sara and Jason.

Thursday, April 03, 2008

I expect this will be crazy

By this, I mean this weekend. It starts tomorrow with Opening Day here in Denver. I am NOT working tomorrow, but I will not be home either. Augie (http://augieworld.blogspot.com) and I will be taking Sarah to work in the morning and then grabbing some breakfast before we hit the bars. With all the festivities going on around Coors Field, we should have plenty of entertainment before the game. Right after the game, Sarah and I are off to the airport to catch our flight to Phoenix. We are going to Sara and Jason's wedding outside of Tucson. Late flight on Friday, wedding on Saturday, meeting up with our favorite Border Patrol agent on Sunday. Should be a good weekend.

On to some random things:
  • A few of my buddies have started a website that is fairly entertaining. It is called The Cru Jones Society and so far it has been a pleasure to read. The posts are fairly constant and I plan on disagreeing with them at all times. Check it out.
  • The Rockies dropped their first series in St. Louis. Not cool, guys, not cool. What happened to the Rockies having the most potent lineup in the NL?
  • The Twins have also started their season in a sucky way, dropping 3 of 4 against the Angels. I do miss Torii Hunter, but Carlos Gomez has a chance to be really, really good.
  • Since baseball started, I have had this ridiculously large craving for baseball movies. I just want to take a day off and watch Bull Durham (lollygaggers!), Major League, 61*, Eight Men Out, The Sandlot ("You play ball like a GIRL!"), The Natural, For Love of the Game, A League of Their Own, and any other baseball movie I can get my hands on.
  • I Am Legend is a disturbing and great movie.
  • The Denver Auto Show was fantastic as always. The Nissan GT-R was the highlight of the show.
  • The Avs are in, the Nuggets are in (right now). Let's hope it stays that way and they can do something once the playoffs start.
  • As unhappy as I am that the economic stimulus package passed, it will be nice to get that check in the next month or so. How can our lawmakers completely disregard the future of this country each and every time they vote on something?
  • The liquor law that would legalize Sunday sales of alcohol has reached a stopping point at the governor's desk. Looks like the supermarkets are not happy about the deal and they want to be allowed to sell regular strength beer, not just 3.2. I say let them all sell everything (including hard alcohol) every day. Whatever happened to economic competition?
  • The Sin City graphic novels are an incredible read. I use the word "read" lightly considering a majority of my "reading" time is spent marveling at the artwork. Frank Miller does incredible work using a very hard artistic concept (especially for an analytical engineer like myself). His drawings are created by drawing the negative space, not the object. To me, it is a completely backward concept and I love looking at the effectiveness of his style.
  • It is a sad state that we are in when every single political discussion that occurs around me ends up with me being angry or depressed. With all the crap out there, is there a bright spot anywhere? Someone please tell me if there is. I'd love to check it out!
  • Super Smash Bros. Brawl is an incredible game. The one player game is actually playable (unlike the N64 version).
  • Green tea has become my staple caffeine at work. I'm getting in the habit of grabbing a cup or two of that every morning at work. Great stuff.
  • This website is a bit of a time waster, but it will challenge your brain. Check it out. The periodic table of elements kicked my ass. I think I ended up with only 28 elements. Terrible.
I can't wait for tomorrow. The first baseball game of the year is always a good time. It's even better when you are missing work for it!

To the next post,
Mikey

Friday, March 14, 2008

March Madness?

Yes, March is flying by. We are halfway through the month and I still think it is only February. . .

The last few weeks have been pretty busy. I've still been doing the normal stuff (working, sleeping, etc.), but a few more activities have popped up.
  • The weather has been glorious in Denver, so Sarah and I have been trying hard to get outside as much as possible. One afternoon, we spent a little bit of time working out the kinks in our softball arms. Needless to say, Sarah had to run after my off-target throws more than once! Hopefully the kinks are slightly more gone by Sunday. Our first game is Sunday night, so hopefully it won't be as bad!! Good news is that the softball pro threw pretty well for the first time of the season! Another afternoon, we took advantage of our neighborhood park. We ran to the park, then Sarah ran and I played some basketball. Let me tell you, my basketball skills have diminished over the past few years of not playing basketball!! However, it was great to get outside and play a little ball.
  • Katie and Jorge are in the process of buying a house and moving into it. Sarah and I have been helping them out here and there this week. I had Robert's truck all week, so we moved a mattress and box spring up to Jorge's mom's house. We also moved a refrigerator and a full size freezer down from Jorge's mom's house. Lots of moving. Big thanks to Katie and Sarah for all the help lifting the two fridges (nope). The official move day is Saturday, but I was over at their place helping them move the washer and dryer into the house and the fridge and freezer into the garage. We also installed new doorknobs and deadbolts, so the house is all set to go. Good times. I remember my first house like it was last year. . .
  • The Wii is now hooked up to the internet. A few months ago, I tried setting all that up and I failed miserably. The instructions were confusing and convoluted and I couldn't make any sense of what needed to be done. This week, I tried again. It was simple and I have no idea what drugs I was on when I tried the first time. The two setups were completely different. I don't get it at all. Either way, we are up and running.
  • Sarah and I purchased a new computer a little while back and I've been messing with it from time to time. It has Microsoft Vista on it and I have yet to get a good grasp on how I feel about it. There are some positives and some negatives, just nothing to sway me either way.
  • AM 950 The Fan has now switched to FM104.3. It's not too often that a sports talk radio channel is found on the FM dial, but I do enjoy the improved reception. Especially when I'm driving down Sheridan where the power lines run right next to the road the entire way.
  • Every holiday season, my group at work goes out to lunch and we do a gift thing where everyone draws numbers and we select gifts in order. The people with higher numbers can steal the already unwrapped gifts until everyone has stolen all the good stuff and someone is hosed and stuck with the lame gift. Our group does it with the 365 day flip calendars. This year, I ended up with 365 Dumb Dares for the Office. So far, so good. A large number of the dares are stupid, but there is a gem dare hidden every once in a while. The best one so far was to page yourself over the intercom without disguising your voice. One day, I did just that. I do have to admit, it was pretty funny. And I never called myself back. . .
Again, I wish I would contribute to this blog more often than once every couple weeks. I'm sure the number of posts will rise dramatically when the baseball season starts for real!

To the next post!
Mike

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

New Year, Same Results

After a couple weeks of not posting, I decided it was time for an update. . .

Before I say anything else, I need to send some congratulations out. First to Tim and Amanda - Shyler Elizabeth was born on Monday, March 3rd. Next to Adam and Michelle - Addison Marie was born on Tuesday, March 4th. It kind of blows my mind that friends from college are now having kids. Amazing! And before you can ask - Sarah and I are not ready yet. So hold your horses.

This is a great time of year. Our softball season starts this Sunday, March 9th. Spring training has been going for a while and opening day is just around the corner. Sara and Jason's wedding is next month. As is the NFL draft. Same with the first 2 of our 12 Guy's Night Out Rockies games. Love me some spring. . .

As for news on the home front, we've been pretty busy. I spent 2 weeks in February (the 4th - 8th and the 25th - 29th) up in Boise, Idaho. Nice little town. Fun little place. Don't like being there for 2 weeks. First off, living in a hotel is not a great experience. The only REALLY good thing about the situation is the fresh cooked breakfast every morning. And that kind of gets old after a while. But the thing that really gets to me (besides the obvious of missing the wife) is the eating out every single day for both lunch and dinner. That is a pain in the ass. Seriously. The reason for my travels was work. Our Boise office is busy. The Denver office is less than busy. So I went up to (a) help out the Boise office and (b) kill some time.
The first week was pretty lame. I didn't really know anyone up there, so I spent the evenings either driving around town or in my hotel room. The second week, I knew some people, so I managed to entertain myself with the help of the HDR employees up there. I had a couple nights out in downtown Boise and I went skiing at Bogus Basin, a local ski resort that has night skiing. It is only 45 minutes away from Boise. Tuesday evening after work, I went up for a few runs. The first run was solid ice, but after realizing that I was on the wrong side of the mountain, I found the softer snow on the other side. It was not even close to Colorado skiing, but compared to sitting in the hotel room, it was a great night.
The way home was a different story. For Valentine's Day, I bought Sarah some cooking classes for her and I to attend. The first one was Friday, February 29th. I knew of this well in advance of booking my trip to Boise. So I was scheduled to leave Boise early afternoon on Friday (1:00). Turns out the plane coming in to Boise to go to Denver was late. By four hours. So instead of making it to Denver with plenty of time to spare, I was left in the cold as Sarah and Jorge went to the class. Luckily, I will be in Denver this Friday for the second class. Come hell or high water, I will be there.

There is definitely more to my life than a couple trips to Boise and a missed cooking class. But I need to save something for the next post!

To the next post,
Mike

Thursday, January 24, 2008

South Park

"I know hippies. I've hated them all my life." - Eric Cartman

Could there be a truer statement ever? I don't think so.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Lay it all out there:

What I Believe:

  • I believe that freedom is the most important ideal in this world.
  • I believe that I should mind my own business and other people should do the same.
  • I believe the Broncos will be 10-6 next year.
  • I believe the Rockies will be NL West champs in 2008.
  • I believe that "Stone Gods" will not be as good as "The Darkness".
  • I believe that one should refrain from giving money to beggars on the street.
  • I believe that being a called a nerd is the greatest compliment one can give me.
  • I believe that people should be able to love whoever they would like to love.
  • I believe that those people should get the same rights that I do.
  • I believe that the Cherry Cricket has the best burgers in Denver.
  • I believe that the time for change is upon us, but. . .
  • I believe that ethanol is not the answer.
  • I believe that politicians are scumbags.
  • I believe that the writers' strike needs to end soon.
  • I believe in equality across the board (sex, race, orientation, age, etc.).
  • I believe that the term "hate crime" does more harm than good. How is killing a person for their skin color worse than killing someone because they annoy you? A victim is a victim. Period.
  • I believe affirmative action has gone too far. We need to promote equality, not favoritism.
  • I believe that there is nothing better than standing on the top of a mountain in Colorado.
  • I believe that cold weather is wonderful.
  • I believe that CU is full of hippies, Wyoming is full of hicks, and Air Force can't throw.
  • I believe that dogs are superior to cats.
  • I believe I hate cats, actually.
  • I believe Firefox is better than IE.
  • I believe Chuck and Dick are terrible owners.
  • I believe they can redeem themselves in the next few years with a commitment to winning (meaning $$ and a good product).
  • I believe Troy Tulowitzki is the second coming of Jeter.
  • I believe that I will actually like Troy, though.
  • I believe that organized religion often loses sight of the real goals.
  • I believe Focus on the Family is one of the worst organizations in the country.
  • I believe they should focus on their own damn family.
  • I believe that athletes get paid too much and teachers get paid too little.
  • I believe that this won't change until they start having spectators in the classroom.
  • I believe that all people deserve health care, however. . .
  • I believe that I shouldn't have to pay for other people's health care.
  • I believe that Led Zeppelin and the Beatles are the greatest rock bands of all time.
  • I believe that my true calling is bullriding.
  • I believe that I just lied.
  • I believe that I am a genuinely good person, but. . .
  • I believe that I can flip the switch at any moment.
  • I believe that the perfect night is a steak dinner on the grill, a movie in the DVD player, an open bottle of Riesling, and the wife and I cuddled under a blanket.
  • Finally, I believe that this list will actually generate some comments (cross my fingers!).

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Traveling

The past few weeks, Sarah and I have been in the process of determining our vacation schedule for this summer. We want to take a week and just get away somewhere. Add to that the incredible story that we have witnessed with Fitzy's journey across Europe and our friends' locations all around the country, and we are ready to see some sights.

Now the crazy thing is that Sarah and I come from two very different family travel styles. A large part of Sarah's travelling was centered around her softball schedule. Hawaii for a tournament, Florida for a tournament, etc. My family was more of a "where can we get in the car and go this time around" kind of family. As a result, we have both seen a wide variety of different places and each with a different perspective. Needless to say, as Sarah and I are planning a vacation together, we have a ton of different places and experiences that we want to share with each other.

So to the meat of the blog post: the checklist of places we would like to go in the near future (hopefully) -

New York City: We have friends there (the Dunhams, Bryce and Steph), so it is a natural draw. I have been there 3 times, once with my family when I was 18, once with Sarah for a short weekend and a PA school interview in Dobbs Ferry, and once for Dunham's bachelor party. But as the people who live there will attest, there is way more to see in that city than you can experience in a few weekends. We would love to go back there to get another glimpse of the city that never sleeps.

Athens, GA: The dirty South. Kyle and Amy said we are welcome any time. However, we were told that our stay would involve slow living and live music. Georgia is a state I have driven through, but never stayed in. I would love to see Atlanta and experience true Southern life with the Dirty Southerner himself.

Washington DC: Again, people in the area that I know (Mandy and Jake, Andy and Lexie). Plus Sarah has never been. This is one of my favorite cities to visit. There is so much history, so much to see, so much to do. I was there when I was 18 on a family trip. So incredible and we saw a fraction of the things I wanted to see.

Baltimore, MD: Again, friends in the location (Sara and Jason). Neither Sarah nor I have ever been there, so it would be interesting to see a new city.

Boston, MA: No one I know lives there. Neither Sarah nor I have been there. But Beantown is a city we would love to see. Again, the history and culture of this city is something we would love to experience.

Seattle, WA: Luckily, we know that this one will be knocked off the list this summer. We are heading up there for Sarah's family reunion in July. I have heard great things from people who live(d) there and visited there. Again, this is a place that Sarah and I have not been to. We are both really excited about seeing this part of the country! (In fact, I have never even been close to this part of the country. Closest I have been is probably Yellowstone!)

There are several other places we would love to go. (Europe, Napa Valley, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, Florida Keys, LA, San Diego, Chicago, etc.) Obviously, we can't hit everything right away. We will have to save a few trips for later in our lives.

What do you all think? Where should we travel?

Friday, January 04, 2008

Sad News for Today

Why I hate terrorists: reason #678 - http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=99&id=3180745&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

This really makes me upset. My boy Robby Gordon has been planning for this race for months. The support vehicles were already over there; the two Team Dakar USA Hummer H3's were probably on their way. This sucks. I was really looking forward to this year's race. This was potentially the year that Robby Gordon could win the whole thing. He has a few Dakars under his belt, he has a teammate this time around, he had things going his way. Now there will be no race. Damn. Stupid terrorists.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

The Explanation

The more that I have sat around wasting time between posts, the more I realize that I have mislead all six of my readers. The story behind "the other 95%" is not so much a story, but an explanation. And it probably isn't that interesting to anyone besides me and Mary. But I figured I would clear the air so that people don't think I am completely ridiculous. . .

The term "The Other 95%" derives from conversations held between myself and a friend and colleague at work, Mary. She sits in the cube adjacent to mine and we get along great. As a result, there are are countless episodes of intellectual (and nonintellectual) conversation between the two of us. When you throw in a couple trips to the local tavern for a pint and the fact that I have a big mouth, you come up with a lot of chats among coworkers and friends. For those of you who know me, I tend to be a tad bit off. I like to sit on that fine line between "Normal" and "What the $#@%?!!" Because of this, there have been times where things have shot out of my mouth that even make me wonder where the hell I thought of that. They are just not things that normal people say. I guess Mary has noticed this diarrhea of the mouth and one day she pointed it out to me. I honestly cannot remember what I said. I do know that it was far enough out there to get a response that was probably something like, "Flick, I have no idea where you come up with some of that stuff." My response, instead of agreeing, was to tell Mary that she only hears about 5% of what is going on in my brain. (Imagine corny pointing gestures towards head.) And thus, we have "The Other 95%". "The Other 95%" consists of all those thoughts and ideas that teeter over the edge of normality and how they form a collection of bizarre and random words that spill out of my mouth.

See? I told you the "story" (if you can call it that) was less spectacular than I had made it out to be. I apologize for that. However, I think the idea is important enough for me to highlight it. You all know me. You all know how I can and have acted around each one of you. Sometimes, I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer and it shows. Sometimes my randomness could not be explained. Until the year 2007, the absurd nature of the Flick was undefined. Now we have a name for it. "The Other 95%".

As for the blog. . . last night I made the mistake of drinking large quantities of iced tea with dinner. Because of this, I spent several hours in bed trying to sleep, but instead staring at the green dot on my phone that let me know that it was charging. I do this far more than I would like to admit. Iced tea = highly caffeinated. Caffeine = good way to stay awake. Therefore, iced tea late at night = terrible idea. But I do it anyways. But as I was laying in bed, I was brainstorming ideas for this blog. I have not been very excited about the lack of posts in the last few months and it is my goal to change that for this year. My night of iced tea induced restlessness has at least given me enough ideas to get this thing rolling. Let's see how this goes!

To the next post,
Mike