I started off watching some power skating videos on YouTube and started clicking links from there. Next thing I know I’m watching the Hanson Brothers of the Charlestown Chiefs. Absolutely awesome! The Wife has never been exposed to the greatness that is the Hanson Brothers and I think we might make watching Slapshot a kick off the hockey season tradition.

It got me to thinking, my ranking of all time best sports movies.

• 1) Slapshot, Are you friggin’ kiddin me? Don’t even argue it!
• 2) Caddyshack. Rodney Dangerfield had the best golf bag ever.
• 3) Ragin’ Bull. DeNiro.
• 4) Color of Money. Fast Eddie’s shades, Vince’s hair, and the Scorcese’s tracking shots…
1 Comment

It’s been six years, but I still remember exactly where I was and what I was doing the morning of September 11, 2001, when our country was attacked by people who want to see the death of Americans. Hopefully, we never forget that attack on our national sovereignty and the loss of innocent American life. I often wonder if September 11, 2001 will be the equivalent of perhaps the most famous date in American history, December 7, 1941. Will it be our “day that will live in infamy”?

Never forget that an enemy brought this to us.

Monday I had to sit through a meeting that lasted the entire afternoon. During part of the meeting, an external customer made a presentation, and that customer had an annoying habit. Here’s a little tip for you, if you happen to be an account manager / rep / salesperson. Before you begin your presentation, spit out the big wad of chewing gum. It is annoying and does nothing to enhance your speech or presentation. I had to endure 30 boring minutes of this ass clown’s gum chewing.

I had a big company dinner last week and got an award for my years or service. I got a nice watch, but no other swag. The theme of the dinner was that of a Hollywood party, and I know all of the people who go to the Oscars and such get a bag of swag to take home. A few imprinted pens with the company name, a few gift certificates, that’s all I’m saying. A little swag goes a long way.

All Yankee fans are Jag-offs. Yup, you heard it. Jag-offs. A Pittsburgh word used to describe the most obnoxious fans in the world by someone who lives in Tampa. You guessed it, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays just took two in a row from the Yankees. Mmmmm. Savor the Flavor.

Here’s one reason why I like hockey. Most of the players in the NHL are the kind of guys you’d want dating your daughter, or the kind of guys you wouldn’t mind having as a next door neighbor. You don’t typically see hockey players making the news for spousal abuse or drug abuse. I’m sure there are a few bad apples out there, but for the most part, hockey has a lot of “nice guys”.

Unlike some other sports…where the players are constantly in the news for shooting off guns in clubs, or using their SUV’s to run people off the road, or going on a 2 day Coke binge. Hockey has stayed away from all of that. Must be the Canadian influence!

Can you believe I received some spam snail mail trying to hock some sort of funeral insurance? You know how it works, pay something like $20 per month and when I die my funeral is covered. Jeez, I’m not that old! Plus, I want my wake to have an open bar or be held at an Irish pub with good Guinness on tap, so people will laugh and have a good time. Will it cover the open bar?

Recently I wrote about going for a sleep study. While many people suffer from sleep apnea, there are ways to over come some of the fatigue associated with it. I am a big believer in taking a nap. Especially since I was not capable of napping until I hit my mid twenties. Yup, all the partying I did in college, burning the candle at both ends and in the middle, all accomplished without the benefits of napping or sleeping until two in the afternoon. For about four years I probably average about three hours of sleep per night, which kind of earned me hero status amongst my boys. Usually, I only went to bed five nights out of seven.

However, I found this website that extols the virtues of power napping and it’s health rewards. It also shares a list of some famous names in history who were power nappers, Ben Franklin, Tom Edison, Winston Churchill…to name a few. Just remember, a power nap is usually something like twenty to thirty minutes, not two and a half hours! That is a whole nights sleep for some people. A short power nap in the middle of the day helps recharge the brain and power the body forward for that final push of productivity! Many professional athletes admit to taking naps during the day before games. Now you know why. Not because they are multi-millionaires who do not have to worry about the day job, but because it helps them perform better at their job-and make all that cash!

People who know me will usually agree - I’m cheap! Not in cheapskate sort of way (sticking friends with bar tabs and such), but just when it comes to frivolous things. Many people today live paycheck to paycheck, but waste a ton of money along the way. Fortunately, Wife and I are no longer in that boat, but we’ve been there and done that. And it sucks! Albeit, it does build some character.

Here is a great article listing 101 ways to save $1 a week, and it has some great money saving tips. The great thing about saving money is that many times it does not even involve being inconvenienced. It just means not being lazy or wasteful. Whether it is turning off lights when you leave a room, shutting off the computer, or turning of a television when you leave the room, these are easy and simple things that require zero effort and will save you money. Hell, we have remote controls so we do not have to get up and walk six feet to the television or the switch for the ceiling fan. Use the damn remote! Some ideas require more effort, such as cooking at home versus eating out, but they also reap the biggest savings. And remember, before you charge it, ask yourself is it something you can SURVIVE without? Sure it might not be easy, but saving money and your peace of mind from worrying about bills, is sure worth the extra effort. Plus, do not even get me started on being a nation of debtors or the pending social security crisis / lack of retirement savings by the “Me generation” and “generation X” (I’m right in between).

I used to like Jim Rome, the radio sports show host. Over the past year or so he’s really been getting on my nerves. Monday took the cake listening to his PC take on the cheap shot Chris Simon took on Hollweg. He was interviewing Bill Clement and Clement wasn’t biting his pansy ass PC bait. Yes, Simon took a malicious shot at Hollweg, but as Clement pointed out, it was a controlled hit. A hit to the chin is not as dangerous as a stick to the eye. Rome kept trying to equate the two. Aside from getting his ass kicked by Jim Everett on television, Rome must have never been in a fight. Otherwise he would know the difference between taking a poke on the chin and getting your nose broken. Jackass.