Happy Wednesday everyone. I don’t know why I said that… I guess I just don’t know quite what to say today. It’s going to be one of those random subject posts, I think. There is a maintenance crew working right near my desk. I don’t know what they are doing, but it sounds like an industrial vacuum is running and it’s driving me up the freakin’ wall. (pointless note: maintenance and vacuum are two of those words that I always, always, always misspell. And look, I used them both in one paragraph. Is that an omen? If so, is it a bad one or a stupid, pointless one?)

This week is school vacation week in Massachusetts. My step kids go to school in New Hampshire so you’d think it wouldn’t affect me at all. You would be wrong. (of course, why else would I have brought it up?) School vacation in Massachusetts means one thing for me: Light traffic. I get the impression that roughly 40% of the working, commuting folks in Mass work for schools. How else could it be that there is almost no traffic at all on the highways during vacations? I don’t care, it’s beautiful.

On Monday I drove Jen to work and she needed to be in early. We took route 93 South to 128 South and didn’t even hit the breaks once. We got to her office in half an hour. On a regular work day that same trip would take twice that. Monday, as you’ve probably read on this site already, was Patriots day and many residents had the day off. That’s not a good indicator for traffic. Tuesday, we left together again only a little bit earlier and the trip took about 30 minutes again. That is a good indicator. No traffic at all. Today we didn’t drive in together (she has to get the kids this evening) and I left at 7:15. I took the highway again, route 93S to 128S to 90W and the drive took less than an hour. On the average day it would have taken 20-30 minutes more. I did hit some heavy traffic on 128 (between route 2A and the Winter Street exit) but it was manageable and much lighter than a non-vacation commuting day.

I did see one very unusual thing today. I was on 93S and the traffic just after the route 495 junction slowed to a crawl. Slow enough, in fact, that I could snap a couple of pics.

Check out the plume of smoke in the distance. Safe to say that would end up being the cause of the little traffic tie up.

As the traffic inched closer we could see that the source of the smoke was a car on fire in the Northbound breakdown lane.

The closer we got the slower we drove, and the worse the fire appeared. The entire engine was completely engulfed in flames. It was a pretty scary sight.

Not long after passing the fire, less than a mile… maybe less than half a mile, I saw two police cars heading North with lights blazing. Not far behind them was a fire engine. They were on their way to the fire. When I passed there were no emergency personnel there at all. It had started so recently that I sort of beat the rescue folks to it. I couldn’t see any sign of what might have caused it. There was a tractor trailer truck pulled over in front of it. Maybe the car hit the truck and after pulling over burst into flames? Maybe the truck driver flicked a cigarette out his window and it hit the car and maybe the car had a gas leak somewhere? Maybe the truck driver was a Jedi and the car driver was a Sith Lord and the truck driver used his light saber to cut the fuel line and ignite what spilled out? Who knows.

Read this article from CNN and learn about something that makes Robbie sad.

Production on the next James Bond movie has been put on hold indefinitely! That is terrible! Not as terrible as “Octopussy” or “A View to a Kill” but still terrible. “Casino Royale” was so good it was crazy. “Quantum of Solace” was all right, but better than the last couple of pre-Craig flicks. I am a huge Bond fan and I am hoping MGM gets their act together quickly. I want another Bond movie.

I’m not sure how I feel about this next subject. Recently the tech site Engadget posted pictures of what they said was an actual next generation iPhone. The pictures looked good, but there was no real reason to suspect that they were genuine. Then a couple of days later, tech site Gizmodo published this story. I might have the time line a little jumbled, but I guess Engadget said the iPhone was found in a bar. Gizmodo also said it was found in a bar, but they somehow acquired it from the person who found it. They tried to use it but it was remotely whiped by Apple (assuming it is what the article said it was) and they couldn’t set it up again because the software to do so does not exist publicly yet. So they plugged it into iTunes and took a look at the connect screen and deduced that the resolution was much better than the iPhone 3GS. They also explored a couple of buttons and a new front facing camera, and the new casing, and then broke it apart and checked out the components.

The word is that gizmodo’s parent company paid a heafty price to get their hands on the phone. There may also have been a bidding war between tech blogs for the chance to buy some one else’s property. Was it stolen? Who knows. There are stories coming out saying that the Apple employee who lost it really did just lose it. I don’t know… the whole story kinda smells bad to me. Apple has since had a lawyer make a formal request for the phone’s return. That proves one of two things, either it’s the real deal next generation iPhone, or Apple set the whole thing up as a hoax because they have a weird sense of humor about their renown internal security. I chose to believe the thing is just real.

Still… it’s just a test model. There is no reason to believe the final product will look exactly like the iPhone that caused the fuss. What it does do is take a lot of the fun out of the lead up to the unveiling. Really, a big part of what makes being an Apple geek fun is the speculation. The rumors leading up to the iPad were crazy. Almost every day some one published a story speculating on what the final product would look like. It was fun. Not this time though. This time we know what the new phone looks like and we know what it’s made up of. There might still be software surprises, but on the hardware end it’s already old news. When Steve Jobs gets up on the stage with his new iPhone 4G in hand we’ll already know most of what he’s going to say. That kinda sucks.

Of course, after reading the story I immediately tried to find out when I would be able to get a hardware upgrade. I think January. iPhone… iWant.

Last night the Red Sox won in a walk off. Darnell McDonald, just called up from Pawtucket was the hero. A Cinderella Fenway debut if ever there was one. I am happy about the win, but I am also embarrassed. The Rangers stole nine bases on us last night. NINE (9) BASES! We didn’t throw them out a single time. They were nine for nine! That’s the worst showing for a Red Sox team since 1913. (at least that’s what I read on ESPN’s recap this morning.) It’s shameful. Nine stolen bases. Even Vlad Guerrero stole on us last night and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have any knees in those legs of his.

In sad minor league hockey news, the Lowell Devils lost last night. Worcester leads the series three games to one. Game five is tonight at the Tsongas in Lowell. If the Devils lose they are out. Good luck to my Devils.

In much more exciting news, tonight is game four between the Bruins and the Sabers. I am really excited for this game. More excited than I’ve been all season. A B’s win tonight puts us up three wins to one. We’d have three chances to beat the Sabers once. While we all remember a few years ago when Montreal came back to beat us after they trailed 3-1 I would prefer to think of this as a new season and not dwell on that painful memory. Of course a loss ties the series at two and gives Buffalo back the home ice advantage. The Bruins have to win tonight. They have to.

Go Bruins!
Go Devils!
Go Bruins!

Just came back from the gym. Big increase in treadmill and elliptical times. Still embarassingly short over all, but big increases for us.

My legs feel like rubber and I am covered in sweat, but it’s good for me and I am happy about it.

The Red Sox are playing like garbage. Six steals against in three innings? Is that what they said on the radio?

Go Bruins

(please stop sucking Red Sox!)

I became a fan of Warren “The Ape” Demontague on Facebook today. Clearly he is the finest actor in the history of acting. His brilliance is without end.

He has a new show starting on MTV… someday. I don’t know when.

In preparation I figured I’d post a Greg the Bunny episode here. This one is R rated for language, violence, and extreme puppet gore. View at your own risk. Oh and it features The Wumpus so it’s extra special.

Greg The Bunny-You Know, For Kids

So I’m driving up the road this morning and what do I see coming toward me in the on-coming lane?

A car?
A bicycle?
A jogger?

Nope. A turkey. Just trotting down the lane like he belonged there. As I got closer he dashed off the side of the road and I lost sight of him. I opened up my iPhone’s camera though as those suckers often travel in groups.

I got this guy. He was just standing on the side of the road, hanging out. I pulled over to try and get a shot of him but as I crept closer he crept farther away. This was just before he ran off the road.

Makes me hungry for Thanksgiving. How about you?

Go Bruins!

Watch the highlights and marvel:

The Bruins… the Boston Bruins… the team that sucked up a storm for most of the season… the team that I picked to beat Buffalo in the first round playoff series only because I am a Bruins fan and I could never pick against them… the team that I expected to lose four straight games by a 1-0 score…

Has a two games to one lead in the best of seven series.

I am stunned.

I am also really excited. I need to be more cautiously optimistic (it worked for me in 2004 when the Red Sox won the world series. I never had any expectations. Even in game four against St. Louis when we were up in the ninth inning, I still didn’t let myself get too excited. Memories of 1986 still haunt me.) I actually found myself looking toward the second round today and that’s a sure fire way to jinx my team to a six game loss.

Still, it was beautiful last night.

Jen and I were up very late on Sunday night and very early on Monday morning. She was exhausted all day long. I was in a little better shape. She had to stay at work late so I went to the gym without her. I took my iPhone, a pair of headphones, and the AOL Radio app which streams 98.5FM which carries Bruins games. I got up on the treadmill and logged in just as the game started. It was also on a television in the gym but the radio had a delay and it was out of sync. So I walked and listened.

A few minutes later Jen called and asked me if I could come and get her. She was so tired she was afraid to drive. I finished my treadmill program, left the gym, went to get gas and a soda (no caffeine, still), and headed to Lexington to get my love. During that time the first period ended and the second period was well underway. (I was pumping gas during the Wideman goal and missed it. Stupid empty gas tank.) By the time we got home it was mid way through the third period, still tied at one.

I made sandwiches for dinner for the two of us (I used the last of the marshmallow fluff, and we’re running low on bread… note to self) and we sat and watched a few minutes while scarfing down our food. We had decided that as soon as the pb&f was gone we would go to bed. Just after I ate the last bite, Patrice Bergeron scored the tie breaking goal. I immediately shut off the television. If I was going to bed before the game ended, then I was going to bed on a very, very high note.

Then Jen suggested I listen to the last few minutes via my iPhone while in bed. If I fell asleep before it was over then no big deal. She is the sweetest, isn’t she? I did. The Bruins won. I am shocked and awed. It was magic.

It was also only game three. It feels like a series winner… like a conference finals winner (not quite a cup winner though) but it only gives us the lead. I was so sure we were going to get blown out easily that the simple fact we are not losing in the series has me extremely excited. I can’t wait for game four! (Wednesday at 7:00.)

And in closing, here is the play of the game. Johnny Boychuck ruins Matt Ellis.

Go Bruins!

From Cracked… Dealing With The Guy Who’s Clearly Hiding a Zombie Bite.

I picked the Colorado Avalanche to upset the San Jose Sharks in round one of the NHL Playoffs because San Jose has cemented their reputation as Kings-of-all-Choke over the last few years.

Last night Shark Dan Boyle made me look good with a play worthy of mention along side the great Bill Buckner.

Avs fans, enjoy…

Today is Patriots Day in Massachusetts. The day we remember the start of the war for independence. 235 years ago today the battle of Lexington and Concord was fought between Colonial militiamen and British army regulars. As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, it was the “shot heard ’round the world.”

The state celebrates today as a holiday, but since the rest of the country does not many of us don’t get the day off. I’m not complaining. My company gives us a ton of holidays… just not this one.

It is also Marathon Monday, as the Boston Marathon is run today. In fact, the race is about to begin. It’s 9:06 by my clock, which means the wheel chair racers will be starting in about 11 minutes. (wheel chairs at 9:17, elite women at 9:32, and elite men at 10:00) 26.2 miles from Hopkington to Boston. Frankly, I think you have to be nuts to run that far without having a tiger chasing you, or something like that… but folks do it.

A high school classmate of mine is running the marathon to raise money for Dana Farber. Among those whose memory he is running for is my friend Jeff’s son Justin who passed away nearly three years ago and remains the bravest, strongest human I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

It is also the annual marathon Monday Red Sox game at 11:00. They start at that time so the game lets out at about the same time the leaders are hitting Kenmore Square. I’ve done it once, it was a blast.

More importantly, game three of the Bruins playoff series with Buffalo is tonight and the B’s are riding the momentum. I am actually excited to watch tonight. I might be at the gym for the start of it, but I will be watching it there. I’ll bring my iPhone with the radio app that gets 98.5 FM so I can listen. It should be a lot of fun.

This weekend was pretty quiet. On Saturday we had a steak and cake to celebrate my father’s birthday. My step kids weren’t there (it was a dad weekend) but the rest of the family was. Both not-quite-babies-anymore were in fine form. They both said my name, and they both let me play with them. Who is the happiest Uncle in all the land? I am.

Of course I had the whole evening with my niece and nephew and I failed to take a single picture. I must be slippin’!

Sunday was spent at home recovering from the trip to the gym Saturday morning. We had done our regular treadmill/elliptical 15 minutes or so, and then Jen wanted to check out some of the weight machines. We did a few seconds on maybe four or five different machines and it totally ruined both of us. Pain, agony, suffering, the works. Sunday we had planned to go back but decided to error on the side of injury prevention and wait until Monday. We went three days this week. That seems like a decent amount for starters. Maybe after another week or two we’ll up it to four days and see how it goes.

The rest of Sunday was spent doing chores. Jen spent the day on the couch with her work computer working like a demon. She has a release coming up in the not too distant future and she cranked out the code last night as if she were on fire. It was something to see.

Robbie did laundry. Lots of it. I also did some cleaning upstairs and took care of a very simple lunch and dinner. I felt like John Lennon during his house husband days. To be honest, I kinda like taking care of my wife. It makes me happy. She makes me happy.

Today we car pooled to work. Jen wanted to get to her office as early as possible so we left the house at about 6:50am. Yup, before 7:00! We were able to take advantage of the Patriots Day traffic and make the hour drive to her building in 30 minutes. All highway, no traffic at all. It was glorious.

Had I gone straight to my office from hers I would have been in the parking lot before 8:00am. I decided to use some of that extra time to make a little celebratory detour. I drove down route 225 to River Street in Carlisle, which turns into Monument Street in Concord, and I drove past the Old North Bridge in Minuteman National Park. The site of the first real engagement between Colonists and British troops. Every year on Patriots Day the battle is re-enacted. I think there is a parade too. Concord Center is decked out with souvenir vendors and all sorts of good stuff. It’s one of those things that every year on this day I think to myself, I should have taken the day off and gone to this… next year I will.

Half the fun of driving through the area is the random sighting of a re-enactor in full period specific (I think) costume. Last year I saw a couple of small groups of “soldiers” casually walking down a couple of different roads heading toward the “battle”. This year I saw a good sized group of them lining up outside of the Colonial Inn, in Concord Center. I wonder if they stayed there, or were they going to breakfast or something.

So in summation: Happy Patriots Day, Happy Marathon Monday, Happy Red Sox Patriots Day Celebration, Happy Bruins Hopefully Taking a 2 Games to 1 Series Lead Over Buffalo Day!

Go Bruins!

Here we are, nearly 5:00pm and still no post? My legion of loyal readers must be wondering what’s going on.

I’ll tell you. I am too shocked to write anything.

The Bruins won a game. They beat Buffalo in game two of their best of seven yesterday by a score of 5-3. The series is now tied at one game a piece. In fact, with the exception of the one NHL series that hasn’t played it’s second game yet, they are all tied at one a piece.

Buffalo had a two nothing lead at one point. They also lead after two periods. Their record this year when leading after two (including game one of the series) was 31-0. THIRTY-ONE and ZERO. The Bruins scored three times in the third to win the game. That record for Buffalo is now 31-1 babie!

I am in a total state of shock.

Of course the Red Sox lost twice yesterday and they’re losing right now. Maybe that’s the price we pay?

Probably not.

Who cares.

GO BRUINS!

We went to the gym a little after 8:00 this morning. We did the same machines we’d done during the week.

Then we did a bunch of weight machines.

Aye Caramba!

My arms/legs/back/shoulders/entire-body hurts!!

But it feels pretty good too.