Warning: Explicit content inside
I'm still in Super Bowl celebration mode. This is a remake of Whiz Khalifa's Black and Yellow done by Lil Wayne in the week leading up to the Super Bowl. I'm not a fan of Lil Wayne in the slightest. But Packers...and Super Bowl...and Go Pack Go!
Note: At some point I'll do the post about Duffy's breeds. But it's gonna be a longer post and one for another day when I have more time to the blog.
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Exercise Journal
Saturday - Cardio, Dog Walk: +2
Sunday -Kayaking, Dog Walk, Batting Cages: +3
Monday - Circuit Training, Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +3
February Total: +25
Difference from Goal: +4
Starting next month, 2 changes are going to be made to the exercise journal:
1. Dog walking will no longer count towards adding points. Additionally, on days where weather/time permit it, walks are a requirement and will be a -1 point if the walk doesn't happen.
2. There will be cap on points earned in a day. The cap makes it so that after 90 minutes of exercise there is a psychological stopping point to the exercise. In reality, more exercise after 90 minutes is still beneficial and should not be discouraged in any way.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Three Things Friday, 2/11 Edition
The Good (Part 1) - Softball season started up again! We switched leagues because we'd had problems in the city of Austin league with teams playing beneath their level and were getting blown out by 20+ runs while the other team kept running the bases as aggressively as they could and doing everything in their power to run up the score as high as the umpires would allow them and being general a-holes and ugh... In our first game in the new league, our opponent was as happy as we were that the game was competitive and the teams were both playing for fun. We led for most of the game and barely lost with a mini-meltdown in the last inning. BUT THE GAME WAS A LOT MORE FUN AND NOT A DOWNER AT ALL LIKE THE PAST 2-3 SEASONS! Yay!
The Good (Part 2) - There was too much good for there to be a bad this week. So two goods it is. We received the results of Duffy's DNA test this week. Look for my Sunday post where I reveal what breeds this dog is:
Try to guess what he is before then, correctly names breeds earn a cookie per breed! (Only those who haven't seen the results are allowed to guess)
The Best - Ummm, Green Bay won the Super Bowl this week. This could possibly be my "The Best" of next week too. I'm still thrilled and throwing little celebrations in my head. Go Pack Go!
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Exercise Journal
2/10 - Wii Fit: +1
2/11 - Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +2
February Total: +17
Difference from Goal: +0.5
The Good (Part 2) - There was too much good for there to be a bad this week. So two goods it is. We received the results of Duffy's DNA test this week. Look for my Sunday post where I reveal what breeds this dog is:
The Best - Ummm, Green Bay won the Super Bowl this week. This could possibly be my "The Best" of next week too. I'm still thrilled and throwing little celebrations in my head. Go Pack Go!
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Exercise Journal
2/10 - Wii Fit: +1
2/11 - Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +2
February Total: +17
Difference from Goal: +0.5
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Web Find: Damn You Autocorrect
http://damnyouautocorrect.com/ - NSFW
Those of you who own an iPhone or text regularly with someone who does has seen the iPhone's autocorrect function do its thing. This website is a compilation of some of the most bizarre, hilarious, and frequently inappropriate corrections brought to you by Apple. Enjoy!!
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Exercise Journal
2/9 - Wii Fit: +1
Woke up too late to go to the gym and it's too cold for a real dog walk :(
February Total: +14
Difference from Goal: +0.5
Those of you who own an iPhone or text regularly with someone who does has seen the iPhone's autocorrect function do its thing. This website is a compilation of some of the most bizarre, hilarious, and frequently inappropriate corrections brought to you by Apple. Enjoy!!
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Exercise Journal
2/9 - Wii Fit: +1
Woke up too late to go to the gym and it's too cold for a real dog walk :(
February Total: +14
Difference from Goal: +0.5
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Save the World! - Use CFLs
Replace your conventional incandescent light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. Conventional light bulbs lose 90+% of the energy they consume to heat with the remaining amount providing the light. That's a lot of waste! CFLs generate 75% less heat than a conventional bulb and therefore require 75% less energy to operate and put less of a strain on your electric grid. They do this while still outputing the same amount of light. Additionally, the lower heat output means that your A/C has to do less work to cool your home down.
What if you hate the environment? Surely you like money. CFLs have an extra few dollar upfront cost over conventional bulbs but on average will save $30-40 in energy costs over its lifetime. The sooner you upgrade your bulbs, the sooner you can start on saving money!
Unfortunately, incandescent bulbs cannot be recycled when you make the upgrade, but be sure to wrap them or put them in a box when you dispose of them. CFLs, on the other hand, can and should be recycled. Many hardware stores that sell them will also recycle them and it's important to do so because they do contain a small amount of Mercury.
So go get some CFL bulbs and get to saving the world!
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Exercise Journal
2/8 - Softball, Wii Fit: +2
February Total: +13
Difference from Goal: +1
What if you hate the environment? Surely you like money. CFLs have an extra few dollar upfront cost over conventional bulbs but on average will save $30-40 in energy costs over its lifetime. The sooner you upgrade your bulbs, the sooner you can start on saving money!
Unfortunately, incandescent bulbs cannot be recycled when you make the upgrade, but be sure to wrap them or put them in a box when you dispose of them. CFLs, on the other hand, can and should be recycled. Many hardware stores that sell them will also recycle them and it's important to do so because they do contain a small amount of Mercury.
So go get some CFL bulbs and get to saving the world!
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Exercise Journal
2/8 - Softball, Wii Fit: +2
February Total: +13
Difference from Goal: +1
Monday, February 7, 2011
Song of the Week: Queen - We Are The Champions
C'mon, was I really going to post anything else for my song of the week after Green Bay just won the Super Bowl?
(Go Pack Go! Go Pack Go! Go Pack Go!)
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Exercise Journal
2/1 - Wii Fit: +1
2/2 - Circuit Training, Wii Fit: +2
2/3 - Wii Fit: +1
2/4 - Wii Fit: +1
2/5 - Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +2
2/6 - Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +2
2/7 - Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +2
February Total: +11
Difference from Goal: +0.5
Wanted to go to the gym proper more than I did last week but things were a wee bit iced over
(Go Pack Go! Go Pack Go! Go Pack Go!)
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Exercise Journal
2/1 - Wii Fit: +1
2/2 - Circuit Training, Wii Fit: +2
2/3 - Wii Fit: +1
2/4 - Wii Fit: +1
2/5 - Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +2
2/6 - Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +2
2/7 - Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +2
February Total: +11
Difference from Goal: +0.5
Wanted to go to the gym proper more than I did last week but things were a wee bit iced over
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Super Bowl Pre-Game Analysis and Predictions
One of these days I'll get back to posting regularly again...maybe...
This year's Super Bowl is a great matchup between two of the NFL's all-time great franchises with the top two fan-bases in the NFL. Here's a position by position comparison of the two teams:
Quarterbacks - Advantage: Packers
If I were building team in the NFL right now, AR12 would be my first choice of player to build a team around. Since he's been a starter, he's been the top QB in the NFL over the last 3 seasons. QB rating is the primary metric used to measure QB on-field performance. Aaron Rodgers finished the regular season with 101.2 rating (#3 overall) while Ben Roethlisberger finished with a 97.0 rating (#5 overall). But once the playoffs hit, Rodgers jumped to #1 overall with a 109.2 rating, despite a 2 interception game in Chicago, while Roethlisberger fell to #10 of 12 playoff QBs with a rating of 75.5. Rodgers and Green Bay's offense have also excelled on fast fields in domes where weather conditions are perfect scoring 32.1 points a game on these surfaces since he became a starter.
Additionally, there's no way that I build a franchise around Ben Roethlisberger. The QB is the face of your team and no way do I endorse a douche player like Ben as the face of my organization.
Running Backs - Advantage: Steelers
Prior to the playoffs this was a huge advantage for the Steelers as the Packers only ran the ball enough to keep defenses honest with respecting the run. Then James Starks came along in the wild-card round of the playoffs and gave the Packers an actual rushing threat. Defenses can't pin their ears back and play pass when he's on the field. Even so, the Steelers have been more consistent running the ball and Mendenhall is a more polished back.
Wide Receivers - Big Advantage: Packers
Green Bay has the best receivers in the NFL. Greg Jennings is an elite level #1 receiver. Their #3 receiver Jordy Nelson and #4 receiver James Jones would both be the #2 receiver on most NFL teams. They're so deep at this position that they ran out of a 5 wide receiver set more times than the rest of the NFL combined this year and with great success. The Steelers have the speedy Mike Wallace and the aging Heinz Ward. And that's really it.
Tight Ends - Advantage: Steelers
If Jermichael Finley wasn't injured, this would be a huge advantage for the Packers. He's a top 3 tight end and was the focal point of their offense till his injury. His replacement, Quarless, has been serviceable at best but the drop off from Finley to him is a big part of why the Packers went 5 wide as much as they did. Heath Miller of the Steelers is reliable and bails Roethlisberger out of bad situations but he's not a game changer.
Offensive Line -Slight Advantage: Packers
Neither offensive line is spectacular. The Packers is built more for pass-blocking and struggles establishing a ground game while the Steelers line is built for rushing and struggles with blitz pickup during pass protection. The loss of Pouncey at the center position for the Steelers is devastating. Look for them to struggle running the ball up the middle and for the Packers to attack the middle of the line with Raji and Matthews.
Defensive Line - Slight Advantage: Packers
This would've been a draw prior to the Steelers Aaron Smith being ruled out of the game with injury. The Steelers defensive tackles are all excellent at eating blocks and allowing the linebackers to go to work. Casey Hampton at nose tackle is a particularly good run stopper but they try to get him off the field in passing situations. Look for Green Bay to go "hurry up" to keep him on the field when they get a good passing personnel grouping on the field. The Packers defensive line isn't as good at fulfilling their 3-4 block-eater role but are instead disruptive in penetrating the offensive line which also opens up gaps for linebackers to fill the holes.
Linebackers - Advantage: Steelers
Green Bay's linebackers were hit hard by injury but replacements have stepped in and played well, particularly Desmond Bishop. Clay Matthews was the best linebacker in the NFL this year causing havoc all over the field. However, the Steelers field the best linebackers in the league with Harrison and Woodely having to be accounted for on every snap.
Secondary - Big Advantage: Packers
The Packers field 3 pro-bowlers in their secondary in safety Collins and corners Williams and Woodson. Throw in rookie Sam Shields who had two HUGE interceptions in the NFC championship game and you have the best secondary in the business. The Steelers have the current defensive MVP in Polamalu and their W-L record is insane in games that he plays. However, the rest of their secondary is a liability at times and struggled against the two elite QBs that they faced this year (Brady and Brees). And now the red-hot Rodgers gets to play them on a surface ideal for Green Bay's speed. Ouch.
Special Teams - Advantage: Packers
The Steelers replaced their punter and kicker mid-season. Steeler's punter Kapinos was cut by the Packers in the off-season and replaced by Masthay who was the Packer's game MVP a couple of times this season by pinning back opposing offenses. His most notable performance was against the Bears for the NFC championship where he pinned back the best return man in NFL history, Devin Hester, time and time again. Placekicking is a slight Green Bay advantage at best and neither team is particularly good at kick coverage nor does either team have a particularly potent return game.
Prediction: Packers 27, Steelers 17
A note about the Steelers: I would probably be a fan of the Steelers for a number of reasons and I did root for them in the past. They play hard-nosed defensive football which is something I appreciate. They build through the draft and don't pursue big name, big contract players in free agency. Homegrown is better; Green Bay and New England, my favorite two teams, both built their teams this way. They have a great fan-base and I have a number of friends who are Steelers fans. But, I just can't. Not while douchebag Ben Roethlisberger is the face of the franchise.
Will update the exercise journal tomorrow, but right now I'm already late to go and watch the Super Bowl. There will be an entry tomorrow. I promise...maybe...hopefully...
This year's Super Bowl is a great matchup between two of the NFL's all-time great franchises with the top two fan-bases in the NFL. Here's a position by position comparison of the two teams:
Quarterbacks - Advantage: Packers
If I were building team in the NFL right now, AR12 would be my first choice of player to build a team around. Since he's been a starter, he's been the top QB in the NFL over the last 3 seasons. QB rating is the primary metric used to measure QB on-field performance. Aaron Rodgers finished the regular season with 101.2 rating (#3 overall) while Ben Roethlisberger finished with a 97.0 rating (#5 overall). But once the playoffs hit, Rodgers jumped to #1 overall with a 109.2 rating, despite a 2 interception game in Chicago, while Roethlisberger fell to #10 of 12 playoff QBs with a rating of 75.5. Rodgers and Green Bay's offense have also excelled on fast fields in domes where weather conditions are perfect scoring 32.1 points a game on these surfaces since he became a starter.
Additionally, there's no way that I build a franchise around Ben Roethlisberger. The QB is the face of your team and no way do I endorse a douche player like Ben as the face of my organization.
Running Backs - Advantage: Steelers
Prior to the playoffs this was a huge advantage for the Steelers as the Packers only ran the ball enough to keep defenses honest with respecting the run. Then James Starks came along in the wild-card round of the playoffs and gave the Packers an actual rushing threat. Defenses can't pin their ears back and play pass when he's on the field. Even so, the Steelers have been more consistent running the ball and Mendenhall is a more polished back.
Wide Receivers - Big Advantage: Packers
Green Bay has the best receivers in the NFL. Greg Jennings is an elite level #1 receiver. Their #3 receiver Jordy Nelson and #4 receiver James Jones would both be the #2 receiver on most NFL teams. They're so deep at this position that they ran out of a 5 wide receiver set more times than the rest of the NFL combined this year and with great success. The Steelers have the speedy Mike Wallace and the aging Heinz Ward. And that's really it.
Tight Ends - Advantage: Steelers
If Jermichael Finley wasn't injured, this would be a huge advantage for the Packers. He's a top 3 tight end and was the focal point of their offense till his injury. His replacement, Quarless, has been serviceable at best but the drop off from Finley to him is a big part of why the Packers went 5 wide as much as they did. Heath Miller of the Steelers is reliable and bails Roethlisberger out of bad situations but he's not a game changer.
Offensive Line -Slight Advantage: Packers
Neither offensive line is spectacular. The Packers is built more for pass-blocking and struggles establishing a ground game while the Steelers line is built for rushing and struggles with blitz pickup during pass protection. The loss of Pouncey at the center position for the Steelers is devastating. Look for them to struggle running the ball up the middle and for the Packers to attack the middle of the line with Raji and Matthews.
Defensive Line - Slight Advantage: Packers
This would've been a draw prior to the Steelers Aaron Smith being ruled out of the game with injury. The Steelers defensive tackles are all excellent at eating blocks and allowing the linebackers to go to work. Casey Hampton at nose tackle is a particularly good run stopper but they try to get him off the field in passing situations. Look for Green Bay to go "hurry up" to keep him on the field when they get a good passing personnel grouping on the field. The Packers defensive line isn't as good at fulfilling their 3-4 block-eater role but are instead disruptive in penetrating the offensive line which also opens up gaps for linebackers to fill the holes.
Linebackers - Advantage: Steelers
Green Bay's linebackers were hit hard by injury but replacements have stepped in and played well, particularly Desmond Bishop. Clay Matthews was the best linebacker in the NFL this year causing havoc all over the field. However, the Steelers field the best linebackers in the league with Harrison and Woodely having to be accounted for on every snap.
Secondary - Big Advantage: Packers
The Packers field 3 pro-bowlers in their secondary in safety Collins and corners Williams and Woodson. Throw in rookie Sam Shields who had two HUGE interceptions in the NFC championship game and you have the best secondary in the business. The Steelers have the current defensive MVP in Polamalu and their W-L record is insane in games that he plays. However, the rest of their secondary is a liability at times and struggled against the two elite QBs that they faced this year (Brady and Brees). And now the red-hot Rodgers gets to play them on a surface ideal for Green Bay's speed. Ouch.
Special Teams - Advantage: Packers
The Steelers replaced their punter and kicker mid-season. Steeler's punter Kapinos was cut by the Packers in the off-season and replaced by Masthay who was the Packer's game MVP a couple of times this season by pinning back opposing offenses. His most notable performance was against the Bears for the NFC championship where he pinned back the best return man in NFL history, Devin Hester, time and time again. Placekicking is a slight Green Bay advantage at best and neither team is particularly good at kick coverage nor does either team have a particularly potent return game.
Prediction: Packers 27, Steelers 17
A note about the Steelers: I would probably be a fan of the Steelers for a number of reasons and I did root for them in the past. They play hard-nosed defensive football which is something I appreciate. They build through the draft and don't pursue big name, big contract players in free agency. Homegrown is better; Green Bay and New England, my favorite two teams, both built their teams this way. They have a great fan-base and I have a number of friends who are Steelers fans. But, I just can't. Not while douchebag Ben Roethlisberger is the face of the franchise.
Will update the exercise journal tomorrow, but right now I'm already late to go and watch the Super Bowl. There will be an entry tomorrow. I promise...maybe...hopefully...
Monday, January 31, 2011
Song of the Week: U2 - One
U2's One is my favorite song from my favorite band. Not my favorite song of all time, I can't seem to decide on that one but it definitely isn't it. (Depending on my mood, U2's Beautiful Day is occasionally in the running for best song ever but most of the time One is my #1 from them).
Adam Lambert did a great rendition of One during his time on American Idol. One of my top 3 favorite performances on AI (although I admittedly have only viewed one full season and have just seen a spattering of clips from the other seasons).
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Exercise Journal
Saturday - Dog Walk, Cardio: +2
Sunday - Dog Walk: +1
Monday - Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +2
January Final: +35
Goal Exceeded by 4!
Next month, the goal is to average half the days at 30 minutes (1 point) and half at 1 hour (2 points) for a total of 42 points. I'll need to make 7 more points than I did last month and I'll have 3 fewer days to accomplish it. Any missed days will be absolutely killer.
Adam Lambert did a great rendition of One during his time on American Idol. One of my top 3 favorite performances on AI (although I admittedly have only viewed one full season and have just seen a spattering of clips from the other seasons).
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Exercise Journal
Saturday - Dog Walk, Cardio: +2
Sunday - Dog Walk: +1
Monday - Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +2
January Final: +35
Goal Exceeded by 4!
Next month, the goal is to average half the days at 30 minutes (1 point) and half at 1 hour (2 points) for a total of 42 points. I'll need to make 7 more points than I did last month and I'll have 3 fewer days to accomplish it. Any missed days will be absolutely killer.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Three Things Friday, 1/28 Edition
The Good - I was extremely productive this week both at work and otherwise. Not sure where all the focus came from but in addition to getting an insane amount of projects completed at work this week, I also did: 2 bits of exercise every day this week, took the puppy to the vet, got some work done on my car, did some work/research on my finances, spent time with the family, tons of housework including some furniture repair, and more! The only downside was a definite lack of blogging time.
The Bad - Ummm, I've got nothing. My week was more awesome than yours. Deal with it.
The Best - GREEN BAY IS GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!! THE PACKERS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!! SUPER BOWL, SUPER BOWL, YAY!!
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Exercise Journal
Tuesday - Cardio, Dog Walk: +2
Wednesday -Circuit Training, Dog Walk: +2
Thursday -Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +2
Friday - Circuit Training, Dog Walk: +2
January Total: +30
Difference from Goal: +2 :)
The Bad - Ummm, I've got nothing. My week was more awesome than yours. Deal with it.
The Best - GREEN BAY IS GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!! THE PACKERS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!! SUPER BOWL, SUPER BOWL, YAY!!
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Exercise Journal
Tuesday - Cardio, Dog Walk: +2
Wednesday -Circuit Training, Dog Walk: +2
Thursday -Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +2
Friday - Circuit Training, Dog Walk: +2
January Total: +30
Difference from Goal: +2 :)
Monday, January 24, 2011
Song of the Week: Mark Ronson and The Business Intl - Bang Bang Bang
Actually had some free time tonight and totally forgot to post. Ack!
This song has been stuck in my head for weeks. Alamo Drafthouse is playing it as the music for their January preview. It's extremely catchy and was a huge hit in the UK debuting at #6 in July.
Good night!
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Exercise Journal
Saturday - Dog Walk, Cardio: +2
Sunday - Dog Walk: +1
Monday - Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +2
Cumulative Total: +22
Difference from Goal: -2
This song has been stuck in my head for weeks. Alamo Drafthouse is playing it as the music for their January preview. It's extremely catchy and was a huge hit in the UK debuting at #6 in July.
Good night!
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Exercise Journal
Saturday - Dog Walk, Cardio: +2
Sunday - Dog Walk: +1
Monday - Dog Walk, Wii Fit: +2
Cumulative Total: +22
Difference from Goal: -2
Friday, January 21, 2011
Where did "Danimal Quackenberger" come from? and 3 Things Friday
See that title at the top of the blog? That's my nickname and it has been for a full decade now. This is the story of where "Danimal Quackenberger" came from.
On the way home from a high school debate tournament, we stopped for food at the Waco 6-pack. A number of my classmates went to Pizza Hut where they had children's animal books for their kid's meal. They bought one and while we were eating dinner we started to assign a person to each of the animals in the book. When they got to the duck, my name was nearly unanimously exclaimed by the table. The reason was that I wanted to learn and get better and would follow the more experienced members around "quacking" questions at them. Or at least, that's how the story goes, I was in a different restaurant at the time.
The next day, I showed up to class to find a number of people quacking at me and I thought "What the hell?!". I had no clue what to make of it and quickly found it annoying. I was no longer "Dan" but people were instead calling me "Danimal". Then it was "Danimal Quackenberger". It kept going and they kept quacking and eventually the situation grew from annoying to frustrating.
And then one day, I embraced it. I took on Danimal as my name among my friends. It grew into my online persona/avatar. When it came time to do Secret Santa, I gave a children's toy duck that quacked and played music as you pulled it along the ground by a string. All of my friends loved it, the teachers hated it (and one of them eventually threw it under the portable building to get rid of it). Our final exam was a 1 minute impromptu speech on a topic drawn out of a hat. For my speech, I stood up for 60 seconds and quacked and a friend stood there and interpreted. I received a 100 for my effort.
The End
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3 Things Friday:
The Good - I had a "Don Juan" breakfast after a multi-year hiatus. Delicious!
The Bad - Rex Ryan is still talking.
The Best - Green Bay ran Atlanta out of their own building by a score of 48-21. One of the most dominant performances of any team all season. Fun!
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Exercise Journal
Thursday - Dog Walk: +1
Friday - Circuit Training: +1
January Total: +17
Difference from Goal: -4
On the way home from a high school debate tournament, we stopped for food at the Waco 6-pack. A number of my classmates went to Pizza Hut where they had children's animal books for their kid's meal. They bought one and while we were eating dinner we started to assign a person to each of the animals in the book. When they got to the duck, my name was nearly unanimously exclaimed by the table. The reason was that I wanted to learn and get better and would follow the more experienced members around "quacking" questions at them. Or at least, that's how the story goes, I was in a different restaurant at the time.
The next day, I showed up to class to find a number of people quacking at me and I thought "What the hell?!". I had no clue what to make of it and quickly found it annoying. I was no longer "Dan" but people were instead calling me "Danimal". Then it was "Danimal Quackenberger". It kept going and they kept quacking and eventually the situation grew from annoying to frustrating.
And then one day, I embraced it. I took on Danimal as my name among my friends. It grew into my online persona/avatar. When it came time to do Secret Santa, I gave a children's toy duck that quacked and played music as you pulled it along the ground by a string. All of my friends loved it, the teachers hated it (and one of them eventually threw it under the portable building to get rid of it). Our final exam was a 1 minute impromptu speech on a topic drawn out of a hat. For my speech, I stood up for 60 seconds and quacked and a friend stood there and interpreted. I received a 100 for my effort.
The End
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3 Things Friday:
The Good - I had a "Don Juan" breakfast after a multi-year hiatus. Delicious!
The Bad - Rex Ryan is still talking.
The Best - Green Bay ran Atlanta out of their own building by a score of 48-21. One of the most dominant performances of any team all season. Fun!
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Exercise Journal
Thursday - Dog Walk: +1
Friday - Circuit Training: +1
January Total: +17
Difference from Goal: -4
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Web Find: Literal Movie Trailers
Here's a literal interpretation of the Tron Legacy trailer:
IMO, far better done this way, or at least far more hilarious.
The author Toby does a number of other game and movie trailers. The Harry Potter trailer stands out as another particularly good one but there's plenty if you click around youtube.
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Exercise Journal
Today - Dog Walk: +1
Cumulative Total: +15
Difference from Goal: -4
IMO, far better done this way, or at least far more hilarious.
The author Toby does a number of other game and movie trailers. The Harry Potter trailer stands out as another particularly good one but there's plenty if you click around youtube.
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Exercise Journal
Today - Dog Walk: +1
Cumulative Total: +15
Difference from Goal: -4
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Save the World! - Cruise Control
HAI! So it's been awhile...oops...
Did you know that you can be a more fuel efficient driver just by using cruise control? A 2005 study by Edmunds.com revealed that on average you decrease your fuel consumption by 7% when you use cruise control versus typical highway driving. That means you're producing 7% less pollutants when you drive from point A to point B.
What if you hate the tree-hugging hippies and don't care about the environment? Cruise control means that you'll be able to drive 7% longer between fill-ups saving you money. So join the tree-huggers and use a little bit of cruise control to save yourself a few pennies (and the world!)
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Exercise Journal
Thursday - Cardio, Dog Walk: +2
Friday - Dog Walk: +1
Saturday - Cardio: +1
Sunday - Dog Walk: +1
Monday - Dog Walk: +1
Tuesday - Dog Walk: +1
Cumulative Total: +14
Difference From Goal: -4
Really need less things happening so that I can cut into the gap a bit more
Did you know that you can be a more fuel efficient driver just by using cruise control? A 2005 study by Edmunds.com revealed that on average you decrease your fuel consumption by 7% when you use cruise control versus typical highway driving. That means you're producing 7% less pollutants when you drive from point A to point B.
What if you hate the tree-hugging hippies and don't care about the environment? Cruise control means that you'll be able to drive 7% longer between fill-ups saving you money. So join the tree-huggers and use a little bit of cruise control to save yourself a few pennies (and the world!)
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Exercise Journal
Thursday - Cardio, Dog Walk: +2
Friday - Dog Walk: +1
Saturday - Cardio: +1
Sunday - Dog Walk: +1
Monday - Dog Walk: +1
Tuesday - Dog Walk: +1
Cumulative Total: +14
Difference From Goal: -4
Really need less things happening so that I can cut into the gap a bit more
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Web find: Who's that Pokemon?
When you're feeling sad, frustrated, or down (I wouldn't know this feeling, I'm too awesome for it), then you can watch this video a few times and you'll instantly feel better.
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Exercise Journal
Tuesday - Dog Walk: +1
Wednesday - Dog Walk: +1
January Total: +7
Difference from goal: -5
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Exercise Journal
Tuesday - Dog Walk: +1
Wednesday - Dog Walk: +1
January Total: +7
Difference from goal: -5
Monday, January 10, 2011
Song of the Week: Linkin Park - Somewhere I Belong
I really like Linkin Park. This song is by Linkin Park.
I like fire. There is fire in this video.
I always liked Gundam growing up. There are Gundam models in the video.
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Exercise Journal
Saturday - Cardio, Dog Walk: +2
Sunday - Dog Walk: +1
Monday - Circuit Training, Dog Walk: +2
January Total: +5
Difference from goal: -5
I like fire. There is fire in this video.
I always liked Gundam growing up. There are Gundam models in the video.
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Exercise Journal
Saturday - Cardio, Dog Walk: +2
Sunday - Dog Walk: +1
Monday - Circuit Training, Dog Walk: +2
January Total: +5
Difference from goal: -5
Friday, January 7, 2011
Three Things Friday
The Good
I've blogged every day this week! The holidays and some motivation issues had hindered me a bit but I've posted every day since Monday.
The Bad
One of my co-workers was in a car accident last night. She's going to be ok but there will be some recovery time. Keep her in your prayers!
The Best
I saw Black Swan tonight. The film is pretty much par for the course for Darren Aronofsky. If you liked his other films (other than The Wrestler which doesn't feel quite like one of his films but is still quite good), then odds are you'll like Black Swan. If you didn't, then you probably won't like this film either. Not going to say more than that because I don't want to spoiler it. But it's *really* good. For me anyway.
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Exercise Journal
Today - Black Swan > gym: -3
January Total: 0 :(
Difference from goal: -7
Oi, I really need to work on this and be focused for the remainder of the month.
I've blogged every day this week! The holidays and some motivation issues had hindered me a bit but I've posted every day since Monday.
The Bad
One of my co-workers was in a car accident last night. She's going to be ok but there will be some recovery time. Keep her in your prayers!
The Best
I saw Black Swan tonight. The film is pretty much par for the course for Darren Aronofsky. If you liked his other films (other than The Wrestler which doesn't feel quite like one of his films but is still quite good), then odds are you'll like Black Swan. If you didn't, then you probably won't like this film either. Not going to say more than that because I don't want to spoiler it. But it's *really* good. For me anyway.
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Exercise Journal
Today - Black Swan > gym: -3
January Total: 0 :(
Difference from goal: -7
Oi, I really need to work on this and be focused for the remainder of the month.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Football: The NFL Needs a Seeded Playoff
At first I was tolerant of the 7-9 Seahawks making the playoffs but unhappy about their hosting a playoff game. Over the last few days I've given it some thought and I'm no longer cool with this. So what if they won their division? The NFC West was 25-39 as a division, -322 in division point differential for all 4 teams across 16 games, and no team in the division finished with a positive point differential. This has to rank among the worst performances by a division in history.
The NFL keeps a ranking of the 32 NFL teams that employs the same tiebreaking procedures that are used for wild card tiebreakers. An examination of this list shows that 6!! teams that did not make the 12 team playoff are ranked higher than the Seahawks.
The status quo has the top 6 teams from each conference making the playoffs with the 4 division winners from each conference seeded #1-4 within their conference's playoffs. Two at-large teams are added in as wild-cards and are seeded #5 & 6. The Seahawks were able to get in ahead of a superior team and take a higher seed (playoff advantage) simply by winning a weak division. That's ludicrous! This system also allows for an elite team to be bumped to a low seed (playoff disadvantage) if they happen to play in a division with another elite team. This year the 12-4 Ravens are a 5 seed in their conference while two 10-6 teams are seeded higher and have an advantage over them as a result. That's just wrong.
Gregg Easterbrook, writer of the weekly Tuesday Morning Quarterback (a must-read for me every week), has argued for a seeded playoff system in which conference affiliations are ignored when setting up the brackets. Here are the impacts that it would have:
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Exercise Journal
Today - Cardio: +1
January Total: +3
Difference from goal: -3
One of these days I'll have some more time to try to catch up to my goal for the month.
The NFL keeps a ranking of the 32 NFL teams that employs the same tiebreaking procedures that are used for wild card tiebreakers. An examination of this list shows that 6!! teams that did not make the 12 team playoff are ranked higher than the Seahawks.
The status quo has the top 6 teams from each conference making the playoffs with the 4 division winners from each conference seeded #1-4 within their conference's playoffs. Two at-large teams are added in as wild-cards and are seeded #5 & 6. The Seahawks were able to get in ahead of a superior team and take a higher seed (playoff advantage) simply by winning a weak division. That's ludicrous! This system also allows for an elite team to be bumped to a low seed (playoff disadvantage) if they happen to play in a division with another elite team. This year the 12-4 Ravens are a 5 seed in their conference while two 10-6 teams are seeded higher and have an advantage over them as a result. That's just wrong.
Gregg Easterbrook, writer of the weekly Tuesday Morning Quarterback (a must-read for me every week), has argued for a seeded playoff system in which conference affiliations are ignored when setting up the brackets. Here are the impacts that it would have:
- The top 12 ranked teams get in, the rest are out. For this year's playoffs that means that the New York Giants (10-6) are in the postseason and the Seattle Seahawks (7-9) are out.
- Teams #1 and #2 would have first round byes and home-field advantage up until the Super Bowl (may as well leave it on a neutral, predetermined field). This would have no impact on this year's playoffs as the #1 New England Patriots (14-2) and #2 Atlanta Falcons (13-3) already have home-field advantage and a first round bye.
- Teams #3 and 4 would have first-round byes. Currently the #5 Chicago Bears (11-5) have a first round bye while the #3 Baltimore Ravens (12-4) do not and in fact have to travel for a road playoff game. This is due to them losing their division tie-breaker with the the #4 Steelers (12-4). In a seeded system, both the #3 Ravens and #4 Steelers would have a first round bye.
- Teams #5-8 would host opening round games. This year these would be the #5 Chicago Bears (11-5), #6 New Orleans Saints (11-5), #7 New York Jets (11-5), and #8 Green Bay Packers (10-6). Green Bay gets the home game over the other 10-6 teams off the NFL tiebreakers.
- Teams #9-12 would have road opening round games. This year these would be the #9 Indianapolis Colts (10-6), #10 Kansas City Chiefs (10-6), #11 New York Giants (10-6), and #12 Philadelphia Eagles.
- Seeds would not be switched around each round to protect the top teams like in the current system. Additionally, home-field is determined by the better seed in the matchup.
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Exercise Journal
Today - Cardio: +1
January Total: +3
Difference from goal: -3
One of these days I'll have some more time to try to catch up to my goal for the month.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Web Find: Sticking to Your Resolution
stickK is a website designed for those who have sticking to goals that they set. This time of year it's especially pertinent as most of us set New Year's resolutions and then fail to meet them. The website has a four step process for helping you meet your goal:
Wish me luck!
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Exercise Journal
Today - Dog Walk: +1
January Total: +2
Difference from goal: -3
- Set your goal. This is where you plug in your goal or resolution.
- Set your stakes. This ranges from donating to a charity (you chose the amount, they chose the organization) to an anti-charity (e.g. the George W. Bush Presidential Library or the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library or the NRA) to a person of your choosing. You can also set no money at stake. Research has shown that putting money on the line triples your chance of success at meeting your goal.
- Designate a referee. The referee(s) monitor your progress on your goal/resolution and provide accountability.
- Add friends and supporters. These are the people that are going to help you stay on track with meeting your goal and can track your progress.
Wish me luck!
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Exercise Journal
Today - Dog Walk: +1
January Total: +2
Difference from goal: -3
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Save the World! - Plastic Grocery Bags
So I've decided that I cannot do a non-football sports entry during football season. 99% of my sports energies are channeled toward football. Instead, Tuesdays are going to become my pro-environment posts where you can learn how to save the world.
I went grocery shopping tonight so this is fresh on my mind. Millions of plastic grocery bags end up in landfills each year. The best solution is to use heavy duty reusable bags that most stores now offer. Also, recycling the single use bags (most grocery stores offer recycling of their plastic bags) is another option. If you're just buying a few items, skip bags entirely if you can carry it out by hand.
If you don't use reusable bags or recycle the normal ones, here are some alternative uses for the plastic bags before you throw them out:
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Exercise Journal
Today - C25K: +1
January Total: +1
Difference from goal: -3
I went grocery shopping tonight so this is fresh on my mind. Millions of plastic grocery bags end up in landfills each year. The best solution is to use heavy duty reusable bags that most stores now offer. Also, recycling the single use bags (most grocery stores offer recycling of their plastic bags) is another option. If you're just buying a few items, skip bags entirely if you can carry it out by hand.
If you don't use reusable bags or recycle the normal ones, here are some alternative uses for the plastic bags before you throw them out:
- Pet owners can use the bags to pick up pet business instead of purchasing special bags for it
- Use as packing material for fragile items instead of packing peanuts or bubble wrap
- Can be used as a trash can liner for small trash cans
- Keep a few in your car for emergencies
- If you buy paper bags for packing lunch in, consider using plastic grocery bags instead
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Exercise Journal
Today - C25K: +1
January Total: +1
Difference from goal: -3
Monday, January 3, 2011
Song of the Week: House of Pain - Jump Around
This is to uplift all of the Badger fans out there after their Rose Bowl loss to TCU
Best student section in college football.
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Exercise Journal
Dec. 31 - Nothing: -3
December Total: +7
Jan. 1 - Sat on sofa and watched football as God intended for New Year's Day: -3
Jan. 2 - Dog walk: +1
Jan. 3 - Circuit Training, Dog Walk: +2
Jan. Cumulative: 0
My goal for this month is +31 points. This would put me at 30 minutes of exercise minimum per day. Days off hurt that, a lot.
Best student section in college football.
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Exercise Journal
Dec. 31 - Nothing: -3
December Total: +7
Jan. 1 - Sat on sofa and watched football as God intended for New Year's Day: -3
Jan. 2 - Dog walk: +1
Jan. 3 - Circuit Training, Dog Walk: +2
Jan. Cumulative: 0
My goal for this month is +31 points. This would put me at 30 minutes of exercise minimum per day. Days off hurt that, a lot.