This weekend we joined the world of Hi-Def TV. I had resisted for a while because my TV was about as Low-Def as you could get...but due to an upgrade we now had the capability if we wanted it. Of course, we had so much junk on our DVR that getting rid of it seemed like too much of an effort. However, we had a problem with the DVR and so took the opportunity to replace and upgrade.
I really had no idea about how poor the picture used to be back in the old days. Wow. It is one of those things that once you get used to it, it would be tough to go back. I spent a lot of the weekend simply switching between the two feeds and marvelling at the improvement. It really does not take much to amuse me these days.
Other stuff...enjoying the few nice days left, took the kids to the park on Sunday. The weather is starting to close in and it will not be long before we are stuck inside for much of the time (lucky we now have hi-def). Also, much listening of Metallica's "Death Magnetic"...a great album for any fans of the band, their best one in 20 years I think. November 15, MSG - can't wait!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
AC/DC For The Last Time?
On Friday I drove down to Washington DC to see AC/DC yet again on this tour. A good friend from Virginia met me for the show so it was fun to catch up again as well.
As to the show, it was the best of the 5 shows I have seen. Of course, the backstage stuff at Giants Stadium put that one WAY over the top...but for the show experience itself, this was number one. The boys had a month off before this show and they were all full of energy and enthusiasm. Our seats were also amazing, literally 10 metres from the edge of the stage. Brian seemed to camp out right in front of us for much of the show. Angus, of course, was running all over the place! Anyone out there who has a chance to see them on the tour, make sure you do. You might never get the chance again.
So, ranking the 5 shows I saw on the tour:
1) Washington DC - Full setlist, great energy from the band, fantastic crowd and excellent seats.
2) Giants Stadium, NJ - Full setlist, great stadium experience and a great crowd. The seats in DC simply put that show into first place.
3) Izod Center, NJ - Awesome crowd and pretty good seats. For whatever reason they were not playing "Shot Down in Flames" and "Dog Eat Dog" at these shows...so 3rd place as a result.
4) Charlotte, NC - Probably the best crowd energy of the shows I saw, although DC was right there as well. Only problem with this show was the view. Top tier and on the side. No issues hearing them however!
5) Wilkes-Barre, PA - First show of the tour and amazing seats but this was the only show where they were a bit flat. Whether it was rust after their layoff or that they might have been sick or something is unknown, but something was not 100%. Throw in them not playing "Shoot to Thrill" as well and it is a clear choice for 5th place. Having said this, getting to see their kickoff show was pretty cool, being among the first to see them play the songs off their new album live. A good show but not a great one.
It was a great 12 months of shows...I guess it is time to let them go to Australia for a while! A side benefit of the tour is that my wardrobe has been well and truly updated with a stack of new t-shirts, sweat shirts and even some baby gear for the coming arrival. Have to start them out early!
Next up on the concert calendar - Metallica at MSG in November...and Pearl Jam are touring as well so I will certainly catch them at some point. On a related topic, Peral Jam's new album is very good and getting better with each listen.
As to the show, it was the best of the 5 shows I have seen. Of course, the backstage stuff at Giants Stadium put that one WAY over the top...but for the show experience itself, this was number one. The boys had a month off before this show and they were all full of energy and enthusiasm. Our seats were also amazing, literally 10 metres from the edge of the stage. Brian seemed to camp out right in front of us for much of the show. Angus, of course, was running all over the place! Anyone out there who has a chance to see them on the tour, make sure you do. You might never get the chance again.
So, ranking the 5 shows I saw on the tour:
1) Washington DC - Full setlist, great energy from the band, fantastic crowd and excellent seats.
2) Giants Stadium, NJ - Full setlist, great stadium experience and a great crowd. The seats in DC simply put that show into first place.
3) Izod Center, NJ - Awesome crowd and pretty good seats. For whatever reason they were not playing "Shot Down in Flames" and "Dog Eat Dog" at these shows...so 3rd place as a result.
4) Charlotte, NC - Probably the best crowd energy of the shows I saw, although DC was right there as well. Only problem with this show was the view. Top tier and on the side. No issues hearing them however!
5) Wilkes-Barre, PA - First show of the tour and amazing seats but this was the only show where they were a bit flat. Whether it was rust after their layoff or that they might have been sick or something is unknown, but something was not 100%. Throw in them not playing "Shoot to Thrill" as well and it is a clear choice for 5th place. Having said this, getting to see their kickoff show was pretty cool, being among the first to see them play the songs off their new album live. A good show but not a great one.
It was a great 12 months of shows...I guess it is time to let them go to Australia for a while! A side benefit of the tour is that my wardrobe has been well and truly updated with a stack of new t-shirts, sweat shirts and even some baby gear for the coming arrival. Have to start them out early!
Next up on the concert calendar - Metallica at MSG in November...and Pearl Jam are touring as well so I will certainly catch them at some point. On a related topic, Peral Jam's new album is very good and getting better with each listen.
Friday, October 9, 2009
No Second Prize
It is almost a week later and I guess I am over the Eels loss. They were not the better team on the night but if we had not let that one bomb fall into Inglis' arms, the game might have finished differently. That one moment killed our momentum and even though we scored late to get back into the game somewhat, it was not enough. Next year is looking good with a few additions and most key players returning but time is running out if we are to get a championship for Hindmarsh and Cayless.
Seems that too often at this time of year I am looking forward to the next season. Having said this, it was an amazingly exciting run to end the season and if we can play consistently all year, 2010 might actually be the year...
Seems that too often at this time of year I am looking forward to the next season. Having said this, it was an amazingly exciting run to end the season and if we can play consistently all year, 2010 might actually be the year...
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Old Dogs v Young Pups
Yesterday was our club's annual Old Dogs v Young Pups match, dividing the club along age lines and having an afternoon of cricket, drinking and shit stirring. Bragging rights for the year are at stake so the importance of winning cannot be understated.
This year, for the first year, I was an Old Dog. We had a decent team but I think the young blokes would have been favoured heading into the match. There was also the spectre of rain about threatening to derail proceedings but we were forced to take our chances.
After losing the toss we were sent in. First ball I faced I edged the ball through the vacant 2nd slip area and got off the mark in a somewhat dubious fashion. Next ball, Eddie carved one straight at cover and was caught, so not off to a great start. Peter and I put on a decent stand, consolidating the innings and gettting us back on track. After he got out I had partnerships with Matt and Jerome and was eventually dismissed for 56 in the 31st over. However, this does not really tell the full story. Over the course of my innings I was dropped 5 times, providing me with much amusement and many opportunities to remind the youngsters how crap they were. Rain started to fall during the final over of our innings but we finished it out and ended up with a score of 164 from our 35 overs.
Sadly, the rains did not stop and despite John's best efforts, there was nothing that could be done. We consumed the beer we had at the ground, retired to the pub for more beer and pizza and called it a day. In fact, this was my last game of the year, so I am now looking at a long winter "off season" to put this year behind me and get into decent form for 2010. Overall, personally, it was a poor year. I scored two 50's and a few other OK knocks, but should have done better. As for my bowling, well, I might have lost the plot there. I will give it one last crack to see if I can find it again but not being able to practice and playing relatively infrequently...along with getting older I guess, have ll taken their toll.
I am now awaiting the broadcast of the Grand Final, 4 hours to go. Go the Eels!
This year, for the first year, I was an Old Dog. We had a decent team but I think the young blokes would have been favoured heading into the match. There was also the spectre of rain about threatening to derail proceedings but we were forced to take our chances.
After losing the toss we were sent in. First ball I faced I edged the ball through the vacant 2nd slip area and got off the mark in a somewhat dubious fashion. Next ball, Eddie carved one straight at cover and was caught, so not off to a great start. Peter and I put on a decent stand, consolidating the innings and gettting us back on track. After he got out I had partnerships with Matt and Jerome and was eventually dismissed for 56 in the 31st over. However, this does not really tell the full story. Over the course of my innings I was dropped 5 times, providing me with much amusement and many opportunities to remind the youngsters how crap they were. Rain started to fall during the final over of our innings but we finished it out and ended up with a score of 164 from our 35 overs.
Sadly, the rains did not stop and despite John's best efforts, there was nothing that could be done. We consumed the beer we had at the ground, retired to the pub for more beer and pizza and called it a day. In fact, this was my last game of the year, so I am now looking at a long winter "off season" to put this year behind me and get into decent form for 2010. Overall, personally, it was a poor year. I scored two 50's and a few other OK knocks, but should have done better. As for my bowling, well, I might have lost the plot there. I will give it one last crack to see if I can find it again but not being able to practice and playing relatively infrequently...along with getting older I guess, have ll taken their toll.
I am now awaiting the broadcast of the Grand Final, 4 hours to go. Go the Eels!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
The Eels
The Eels have pretty much been all that is on my mind for the past month, especially the last two weeks. Beating the Dogs last weekend was fantastic to see and even qualifying for the Grand Final is quite an achievement considering where we were 3 months ago. One more game to go...I think it will be a tough one. Playing a solid, experienced side is the biggest threat to the way we have been playing and Melbourne certainly fits this. I will be watching the delayed telecast over here on (my) Sunday morning so hopefully the result is a good one. 1986 was far too long ago!
Monday, September 21, 2009
WSL Final
Saturday marked the day of our cricket league final. Our league, the WSL or World Series League has been running since 2001, named by a prior captain with a sense of humour. Our opponent on the day was our arch-enemy, Columbia University. We have had a history of some chippy games with them over the years, this year's fixture where they beat us on their field was no different, so we were all well motivated to put a beating on them. The Mad Dogs have had a good record in the WSL, winning it two of the last 3 years but wanted to get the trophy back in our keeping. Columbia have made 4 straight finals...would it be 4 straight losses???
We lost the toss and were sent in...we know they liked to chase so this was no surprise. We started OK, they bowled well but were a little erratic with a lot of wides as well...but after about 9 overs we were 3/35, with our three biggest hitters back in the shed. I was still there, scratching around but it seemed that just when we were getting a partnership going, we would lose another one. I ended up being the 5th wicket to fall in about the 20th over but by then, I knew we had enough batting to get us to a decent score. However, we did leave it quite late to make a run - Anand (#6) and Woody (#8) put on a nice partnership, Woody cashing in with a few big hits. He eneded up getting a quick 38, Anand a more patient 35 but this was enough...with some further scrambling to get us to 185 from our overs. I was quite happy with this. 180 was my target score aand I think we could defend anything over 140 if we bowled well, so now it was over the the bowlers...
Things started well for us. We had Prasanna bowling spin from one end and Bert, our West Indian "nasty fasty" coming down the hill. This really put them onto the back foot. Both picking up early wickets and Bert hitting one of their players in the helmet, sending him to the hospital for a scan. Despite going very well, the plan was to bowl Prasanna for 4 overs only, then save him until the end. We then had Anand and Neil to both bowl spin from that end and rotate the quicks from the top end. Well...Anand bowled his 7 overs, finishing with figures of 6/10! And the game was all but over. A final wicket to Woody finished things up and we had rolled them for 40! Bert was bowling very quickly, probably the best I have seen him actually. He demolished them in the final two years ago as well...seems to save his best for the big games.
We really had all things covered in this match...Prasanna - leggie; Anand - left arm finger spinner; Neil - right arm finger spinner; Bert - pace; Woody and Nick - medium pace seamers...and more options as well. It was so nice to smash them and shut their mouths. Their injured player returned after the match. I made my "you got a brain scan and they didn't find anything" joke...but he didn't get it of course.
So, then to the celebrations. First, a group shot in front of the scoreboard - wanted that to stick in the memory. Then a few beers and some pizza at the ground before we all departed. Nothing too crazy, I guess that is the problem having players from such a large area. In the end, a perfect afternoon of cricket...and a better result.
Mindy can now see the light at the end of the cricket tunnel. One more game in two weeks, our intra-club challenge: "Old Dogs v Young Pups" match. Loosely an Over 40 v Under 40 match, but normally the dividing line is a couple of years younger than that. I think this year I have crossed the median line to be an Old Dog, we will see how things work out once all of the availabilities are in. Having seen Bert bowl on Saturday, not really looking forward to facing him actually!
We lost the toss and were sent in...we know they liked to chase so this was no surprise. We started OK, they bowled well but were a little erratic with a lot of wides as well...but after about 9 overs we were 3/35, with our three biggest hitters back in the shed. I was still there, scratching around but it seemed that just when we were getting a partnership going, we would lose another one. I ended up being the 5th wicket to fall in about the 20th over but by then, I knew we had enough batting to get us to a decent score. However, we did leave it quite late to make a run - Anand (#6) and Woody (#8) put on a nice partnership, Woody cashing in with a few big hits. He eneded up getting a quick 38, Anand a more patient 35 but this was enough...with some further scrambling to get us to 185 from our overs. I was quite happy with this. 180 was my target score aand I think we could defend anything over 140 if we bowled well, so now it was over the the bowlers...
Things started well for us. We had Prasanna bowling spin from one end and Bert, our West Indian "nasty fasty" coming down the hill. This really put them onto the back foot. Both picking up early wickets and Bert hitting one of their players in the helmet, sending him to the hospital for a scan. Despite going very well, the plan was to bowl Prasanna for 4 overs only, then save him until the end. We then had Anand and Neil to both bowl spin from that end and rotate the quicks from the top end. Well...Anand bowled his 7 overs, finishing with figures of 6/10! And the game was all but over. A final wicket to Woody finished things up and we had rolled them for 40! Bert was bowling very quickly, probably the best I have seen him actually. He demolished them in the final two years ago as well...seems to save his best for the big games.
We really had all things covered in this match...Prasanna - leggie; Anand - left arm finger spinner; Neil - right arm finger spinner; Bert - pace; Woody and Nick - medium pace seamers...and more options as well. It was so nice to smash them and shut their mouths. Their injured player returned after the match. I made my "you got a brain scan and they didn't find anything" joke...but he didn't get it of course.
So, then to the celebrations. First, a group shot in front of the scoreboard - wanted that to stick in the memory. Then a few beers and some pizza at the ground before we all departed. Nothing too crazy, I guess that is the problem having players from such a large area. In the end, a perfect afternoon of cricket...and a better result.
Mindy can now see the light at the end of the cricket tunnel. One more game in two weeks, our intra-club challenge: "Old Dogs v Young Pups" match. Loosely an Over 40 v Under 40 match, but normally the dividing line is a couple of years younger than that. I think this year I have crossed the median line to be an Old Dog, we will see how things work out once all of the availabilities are in. Having seen Bert bowl on Saturday, not really looking forward to facing him actually!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Your Life...Sold for $1
Mindy saw a advertisement for an estate sale in our local area. One of the items for sale was a freezer, which would allow us to store even more crap in our house. Upon arrival, we were told that it was broken so not for sale anymore but since we were there, we decided to take a look around.
I made myself at home, enjoying a cup of coffee they offered and we proceeded to look around at the stuff on offer. Most of it was cookware, books and a few items of furniture. We found out that the prior owner had recently passed away at the age of 93 and I guess most of the stuff had already been claimed by her relatives. We bought a few pieces of pyrex cookware that Mindy thought she could use. I like to keep her barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen, so this should help. There was a really annoying Asian lady who was haggling like it was her job (perhaps it was). "How much for the iron?". "$4". "I will give you $2". I think I would have kicked her out if I was them, there was just something really crass about her manner.
As we were driving away, we were both thinking the same thing...I guess this is how it ends for all of us. Eventually, someone is going to go through all of your crap and sell it to annoying Asian ladies for virtually nothing. It struck me as sad that the furniture, nick nacks etc that you collect over your life will all be sold off to people who don't know or care about the history and memories that they represent. That pretty much depressed us for most of the drive home, then the rains came in and washed out cricket on Saturday, the Orioles and Redskins got thumped and almost all was lost...
...but the Eels beat the Dragons in the League! This is a HUGE deal, keeping alive their season and as an added bonus, ending Manly's season. Things are rolling well for them now after a horrible start to the year, if they keep playing this way, they have a chance I feel.
In other news, this past weekend was my 20 year high school reunion. Unfortunately I could not attend but got to hear an update from Daniel and see lots of pictures on Facebook. It looked like I missed a great night but hopefully there will be other future gatherings that might coincide with a visit home at some point.
I made myself at home, enjoying a cup of coffee they offered and we proceeded to look around at the stuff on offer. Most of it was cookware, books and a few items of furniture. We found out that the prior owner had recently passed away at the age of 93 and I guess most of the stuff had already been claimed by her relatives. We bought a few pieces of pyrex cookware that Mindy thought she could use. I like to keep her barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen, so this should help. There was a really annoying Asian lady who was haggling like it was her job (perhaps it was). "How much for the iron?". "$4". "I will give you $2". I think I would have kicked her out if I was them, there was just something really crass about her manner.
As we were driving away, we were both thinking the same thing...I guess this is how it ends for all of us. Eventually, someone is going to go through all of your crap and sell it to annoying Asian ladies for virtually nothing. It struck me as sad that the furniture, nick nacks etc that you collect over your life will all be sold off to people who don't know or care about the history and memories that they represent. That pretty much depressed us for most of the drive home, then the rains came in and washed out cricket on Saturday, the Orioles and Redskins got thumped and almost all was lost...
...but the Eels beat the Dragons in the League! This is a HUGE deal, keeping alive their season and as an added bonus, ending Manly's season. Things are rolling well for them now after a horrible start to the year, if they keep playing this way, they have a chance I feel.
In other news, this past weekend was my 20 year high school reunion. Unfortunately I could not attend but got to hear an update from Daniel and see lots of pictures on Facebook. It looked like I missed a great night but hopefully there will be other future gatherings that might coincide with a visit home at some point.
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