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

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

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

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.

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!).
  

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?

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.

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

The other 95%

I have just recently updated the title of this blog to reflect me as a person. There is a story behind the title that I will explain at a later date. For now, just act confused (except for Mary) and wait for the story with bated breath!

Curling Review

Curling: potentially the second greatest sport ever (behind baseball). John, Robert and I did the curling thing on Friday. The result? A couple hours of heaven followed by a day of tight hamstrings. The evening started out with a short video on the history, rules, and scoring of curling. Since we had all watched the Olympic curling religiously, this was mostly old news for us. After applying a giant strip of tape to the bottom of our left shoes, we made our way to the ice, grabbing our brooms on the way. The instructors were kind enough to remind us that we should step onto the ice with our gripping foot and not the sliding foot. Despite the reminder, a few people in the class almost went down. The first thing to address was the throwing motion. We lined up along the boards on one knee with the brooms laid on the ice in front of us. We then pushed off the wall to learn the curling throw form. After a couple tries, we replaced the broom with a rock in each hand and again pushed ourselves off the wall. Again, after a couple tries, we moved on to the next activity. The next step was using the actual curling blocks (called hacks) instead of the boards. The first attempt at this was using a rock in the shooting hand and a "training wheel" of sorts (basically a plastic handle to lean on). After one attempt with the training wheel, we replaced it with the broom and we were curling.

After a few trial runs, they let us start throwing rocks the length of the sheet. All three of us left the first toss short. In fact, we didn't even make it to the hog line, which is the line that you must pass in order to leave the rock in play (either as a score or as a block). Of course, our second throws all went straight through the house as we all managed to over correct our weak first throws! After that, we started to put rocks in play with more consistancy. John was the first to place a rock in the house and Robert and I followed with house shots later in the night.

I can't begin to explain how fun it actually was. I would highly recommend the introductory class for anyone who is looking to fill a couple hours for one night. It was $20 and completely worth getting a glimpse into a completely new sports experience. We had so much fun, we are looking into joining a league. The problem is the expense of the league. The league costs $225 per person (with 4 people on a team) for a 10 week season. That is the nature of ice time in Colorado. Expensive. However, we are going to look for a sponsor to pick up half of the registration fees and team shirts. That might make it more reasonable for all of us. As always, I will keep you posted on the progress of our Olympic curling team!!

After reading Dunham's blog, I, too, realized that I have been blogging for over 2 years now. Time has truly flown by the last couple years and I am glad I have been able to throw some thoughts, observations, etc. down for other people to see. Hopefully you have enjoyed it as much as I have.

To the next post!
Mike