Why is everyone so addicted to blogging?

A new year, a new helmet..

2012-01-01T08:21:00.001-08:00

With 2011 drawing to a close, there are a few things that need attending to:
- Making sure any last minute charitable givings are in place for the tax year
- Using up any unused vacation days
- Adjusting your 401k
- Re-enrolling in your benefits
but there is one people often overlook: Using up reward points from your credit card before they expire...

Midway through the year, I realized I had 60,000 points that would expire on December 31st. I used 25,000 points for my wife's birthday, bringing here friend Christine to town. That left me with 35,000 to burn.

With a week left in the year, I couldn't see wasting the points on a toaster, or any of the other options available for 25,000 points when a flight could be had for an equal amount - I had opportunity cost losses..

So the wife and I began looking into vacation idea. We settled on Breckenridge, Colorado. We've never been to Colorado to ski - so lets use the miles to get there. Fortunately I was able to secure 2 non-stop round trip tickets from Columbus to Denver. A little searching on VRBO and we had a condo lined up. A trip to hotwire and a rental car for the week for less than $100..

I then began looking into equipment rental, knowing my skis are ridiculously heavy and not suited for west coast skiing, and Continental/United rape you with their baggage fees..

For $70 round trip, I could bring my skis with me, or for around 120 I could rent for the week from Blue River Sports. When I spoke with the owner, he reminded me I would need to rent a helmet. After a trip to Utah to do a product eval on LANDESK I spent a few days skiing with my buddy Temple (if you ever consider using LanDesk, he's the guy to talk to) I had a fall where my head hit on a rock in the middle of the run.

So for $6/day I could rent a helmet, - $36 bucks. Couldn't I just buy one for that much and stuff it in my suitcase??? This started me on an online search for a helmet but nothing really impressed me.

Then inspiration did.. What is the best helmet in the world? The answer is obvious. If you don't already know you can read about it here, or here.

A quick check ofto MDen and Moe's confirmed my fears. There is not officially licensed ski/snowboard helmet out there...

I decided the best possible use of my last vacation day of 2011 was to make my own helmet. A little research on the internet convinced me that no one really knows whether its safe to paint a ski helmet, but everyone in the world appears to be afraid to do so. What everyone agreed to though - many spray paints will erode the structure of plastics. The first step would have to involve a primer designed for use on plastics.

I needed some inspiration before heading out, so I pulled up a video feature Jon Falk and the winged helmet. If you've never watched it - you should immediately close this window and go watch it. It is far more informative and entertaining than anything I could every tell you about.

I stopped at Aspen Ski and Board (over priced, but the widest selection) long enough to scoff at the $150 price tags. A stop at Dick's disappointed with only 5 models in stock. TJ Maxx had only 1 in my size.

By this time, it was 11 and I knew where I had to go. Play It Again Sports on Sawmill has always had a great selection at great price. (Both new and used - I wouldn't suggest a used helmet).

I found 2 acceptable options in the $50-$60 price range, and walked out with a Rossignol:

A quick trip to the hardware store and I had everything I needed.

The first step was taping off the inner lining. Really, I'd prefer not to have paint on my face.

Then a base coat of primer:

Despite my best efforts, I still ended up with a little seep through..

Now time for adding the layer of maize:

It took another coat to cover a few spots I had missed, but then after it dried it was time for taping. After I realized I didn't have any 1 inch electrical tape (the standard width for the stripes on a Michigan Helmet) I had to run back to the hardware store. Unfortunately they didn't have 1 inch electrical tape either. Instead, the best I could come up with was Frog Tape:

It was time for the taping to begin. This was actually one of the hardest parts of the whole process. I had to decide which winged helmet I wanted. I had long loved the parallel stripes on Desmond Howard's helmet on my cover of Beckett from '92:

But there were plenty of other variations. After a few tries putting the stripes on, I ended with this configuration:

Then came the wings. I decided to follow the method described in the video, and found that electrical tape is far easier to work with than frogtape.

After taping off the rest of the wing, it was time for the coat of blue:

After an hour, the paint was starting to get tacky, so it was time for the reveal:
The finished product:

There was some leakage, so I'm going to have to do some touch up, and then a coat of clear coat to prevent any chipping/scratching.. but I am happy with the end result..

All the pics are here.

Go Blue!

Income taxes in Ohio - the argument for Married Filing Separately

2011-02-02T19:22:00.000-08:00

After getting married in May of 2010, this will be my first year filing my income taxes as anything other than single.

In an effort to reduce my tax burden, I evaluated the options of both Married filing Jointly, and Married filing seperately.

Every where I read, from FreeTaxUSA.com to turbotax.com , the repeated message is that it is rarely in your best interests to file separately.

If you live in Ohio - rethink this.

You can find the tax tables for 2004-2012 here.
For 2010

Ohio Taxable Income	Tax Calculation
0 – $5,050	0.618% of Ohio taxable income
$5,050 – $10,100	$31.21 + 1.236% of excess of $5,050
$10,100 – $15,150	$93.63 + 2.473% of excess over $10,100
$15,150 – $20,200	$218.52 + 3.091% of excess over $15,150
$20,200 – $40,350	$374.62 + 3.708% of excess over $20,200
$40,350 – $80,700	$1,121.78 + 4.327% of excess over $40,350
$80,700 – $100,900	$2,867.72 + 4.945% of excess over $80,700
$100,900 – $201,800	$3,866.61 + 5.741% of excess over $100,900
More than $201,800	$9,659.28 + 6.24% of excess over $201,800

Doing these calculations for a combined income of 80k, 100k, and 160k shows that it is clearly a marriage penalty in Ohio to file Jointly:

MiddleClass , similar salaries
	Income	Base Tax	%	Liability
Indiv. A	40000	1121.78	0.04327	1106.6355
Indiv. B	40000	1121.78	0.04327	1106.6355
Couple AB	80000	3866.61	0.05741	2666.741	<-joint liability	453.47	<- Extra cost of filing jointly

Upper Middle Class, similar salaries
	Income	Base Tax	%	Liability
Indiv. C	80000	1121.78	0.04327	2837.4355
Indiv. D	80000	1121.78	0.04327	2837.4355
Couple CD	160000	3866.61	0.05741	7259.541	<-joint liability	1584.67	<- Extra cost of filing jointly

One spouse making much more than the other
	Income	Base Tax	%	Liability
Indiv. E	80000	1121.78	0.04327	2837.4355
Indiv. F	20000	218.52	0.0391	408.155
Couple EF	100000	3866.61	0.05741	3814.941	<-joint liability	569.3505	<- Extra cost of filing jointly

The house that was almost ours ( 6801 s meadow glen westerville, OH )

2010-08-26T05:36:00.000-07:00

So we found a home that we thought was a good bargain - 6801 south meadow glen , in Westerville Ohio.

The home was beautiful, and we entered a contract to buy the home. We knew the house was priced to accomodate some work that would need to be put into the house, but we were assured the only work needed was asthetic.

We were very excited until our inspector told us we needed to look at something. Water damage coming through an external wall that had left rot on a joist in the floor, visible from the basement.

There was also a vertical crack in the basement that leaked when a rain storm came through a few days later.

We asked the builder to fix these two issues, and we'd be all set. They told us it would be done, then a week later they counter-offered (their own offer) to offer a $750 credit. The repairs would cost at least $1500, and WAY more if there was mold in behind the wall.

There is no way we would buy a house without knowing where the water had come from, and whether or not it was still an active problem.

I hope the next homebuyers of 6801 meadow glen in westerville ohio know what they are getting into.

Bank Of America sucks (in Ohio)

2010-06-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

So today one of our interns asked me what I thought would be a simple question. He cashed his paycheck, and wants to deposit it in his Bank Of America account. I looked up an ATM - the closest one was in Dayton. Yes, Dayton - 50 miles away. Certainly a bank as large as BOA has some connection with Jeanie, etc..

Nope - when I called their customer support line they suggested mailing any deposits to your local branch and they could deposit it for you.

Ridiculous.

Logic and Precedence

2010-04-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

So I need a marriage license.

The Delaware county website states:

•A current driver’s license OR valid state ID AND proof of Social Security
number must be shown to the Deputy Clerk.

I took that as it is written, that you need one of the following:

a driver's license
a valid state ID and proof of social security number

Unfortunately I have run into this lack of understanding so I called to make sure. Why people dont understand that you evaluate an and operator before an or operatore will never make sense to me. You learned to do multiplication before addition, is this that much harder??

Sure enough, you need a social security card and a driver's license or a social secuirty card and a state issued ID.

Down to the final four

2010-03-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

Standings of the final four:

Final Four rooting scenarios:

MSU beats butler, WVU beats Duke, MSU wins it all: Bill wins, fred gets 2nd/3rd
MSU beats butler, duke beats WVU, MSU wins it all : Bill wins, geyer 2nd, bill 3rd
MSU beats butler, WVU beats Duke, WVU wins it all : Bill, fred, todd
Butler beats MSU, WVU beats Duke, WVU wins it all: Bill, Fred, Todd
Butler beats MSU, duke beats WVU, Duke wins it all: Will, Bill , Geyer
MSU beats butler, duke beats WVU, Duke wins it all: Will, Bill, Geyer
Butler beats MSU, WVU beats Duke, butler wins it all: Bill wins, fred gets 2nd/3rd
butler beats MSU, duke beats WVU, butler wins it all: Bill wins, geyer 2nd, bill 3rd

2010-03-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

Standings as of the elite 8..

2010-03-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

2010-03-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

Kansas fell, just more proof that President Obama is no smarter than any of the rest of us!!

Charles has taken the lead, but many of the leading contenders had Kansas in the final (one of yours truly's as well)

Heres a little insight as to the potential of each bracket, orange is points accrued, blue is the total points you could possibly earn..

2010-03-20T06:21:00.001-07:00

Joe Masucci now leads the pack, clinging to the hope Villanova will be able to earn a victory in the second round without help from the zebras..

2010-03-19T04:52:00.001-07:00

At the start of day 2 Bill is dominating, in both first and second place.. 8 people are tied with 12 points.

Its still wide open, although Steve Chandler and Joe Masucci will have a long road ahead, having a final 4 team knocked out on day 1

2010-03-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

OU (sucks) shocks the hoyas and busts a few brackets! Upadated standings have Geyer, Bill, and Ben leading the way..

2010-03-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

Score after 5 games: (no one perfect this year!!!)

2009-06-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

Will,
Well in order to get an inspection or appraisal, then homeowner would be the only one that could let you in. Now in the circumstance of a vacant home, then I’m not sure how you would obtain access. That’s why the sales are buyer beware and buy as is because we can not get you inside the home for an appraisal. And if we could and the inspection came up bad and your bank decided to not lend you the money, then you would be out your deposit. The deposits are non-refundable.
I can not recommend an attorney, but I would definitely look for one that specializes in real estate law and foreclosures. They would be the best to help you.
Thanks!

Subject: RE: Individual purchasing a house
Tiffany,
Thank you for the quick response. The whole process is quite intimidating.
Would it be safe to assume my only hope of acquiring a home through a sheriff's auction would be a scenario where the previous homeowner granted me access to the property?
One more question - does the Sheriff's office have any recommendations for attorneys familiar with the sheriff sales process?
Will

"Sheriff Sales"

06/01/2009 02:34 PM

From
"Sheriff Sales"
To

cc
Subject
RE: Individual purchasing a house

Hi Will!
I will do my best to answer your questions.
1. Typically the balance is due within thirty days of the confirmation being filed, but terms do vary on different properties and you’ll need to check the ad for full terms in the Delaware Gazette to make sure that it is not 30 days from the date of sale. The thirty days is typical for how long it takes from sale date until confirmation date. Different reasons can hold it up, so it can take longer, but most are running thirty days. Therefore you’ll have 60 days to pay full balance from date of sale, pending on the terms of sale.
2. Unfortunately at no time during the process of the Sheriff’s Sale does the Sheriff nor the bank have access to any of the homes that are up for auction. Therefore we can not get you inside the property to do an inspection/appraisal.
3. This question is something that you need to discuss with your attorney as I can not answer legal questions.
Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.

Sent: Monday, June 01, 2009 2:04 PM
To: sheriffsales@co.delaware.oh.us
Subject: Individual purchasing a house
Good morning,
I recently attended the last Sheriff auction and have a few questions that are not directly answered by the FAQ.
1) I understand that 10% of the appraised value is due when you bid. If I bid on a house and win, when exactly is the full balance of the winning bid due? Is it due when the judge signs the confirmation? Or is it due within 30 days of the confirmation? Additionally, is 30-60 days a fair estimate of how long it takes to go from winning bid to confirmation?
2) While I have the cash for the downpayment, I do not have cash for the whole balance. I will need to secure a loan, but my bank has told me they will not close on a loan until they have completed an inspection on the house. Is there a time period between when I have made the winning bid and when the full balance is due where I will have access to the property in order for inspections to take place?
3) If the previous property owner is willing to make a copy of the keys before confirmation is complete, is there any legal reason I could not enter the property to do inspections?
Will

My Proposal

2009-05-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

9 years ago I started the first day of my college internship with the BWC. It was May 14th - the day I first Met Lovanna. While it would be sweet to say I remember the day because we fell in love right at that very moment - that's not the case. It was the day after my 20th birthday and I still had a headache from the night before.

I do remember the very first moment I saw her, as the elevator doors opened. Why do I remember it, you might wonder.. It was the first time in my life I had ever seen such an attractive asian girl. I was seeing someone else, so its not that I wanted to run up and ask her out - but she was cute. I looked forward to working with her all summer.

About an hour later we were in the middle of a sexual harassment orientation video when I fell dead asleep. The lights were off, the video was boring, and frankly - I was working for the State - who cares.

That very first day I must have made some impression, falling asleep at work, spilling chili all over myself, and really just not caring about the job. Somehow we clicked though - I spent close to 2 hours every day that summer laying down on her desk -- no, not that way. Literally just sprawled out bored with nothing to do.

Flash forward to December 6th, 2003. For years I had been Lov's fallback plan - she had a business function and didnt have a date - she called me. I never really understood what she got from this, but I got free food and all I could drink. You don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

About an hour into this christmas party things were different. Very different. Lov taking shots of whiskey different. Who kissed who is irrelevant, and no one believes me anyways.

Flash forward to april 2009.

I'm ready to propose, and no one knows it. I know that she is the only girl that would ever make me as happy as I had been for the past 5 years. She may drive me crazy here and there, but only someone you truly love can evoke that kind of frustration :-P

So I may not have always been the best boyfriend, and anyone who knows me knows that she has had to deal with all of my eccentricaties. For the most part she has loved me for who I am - and for that I am infinitely confounded and appreciative.

I knew she wanted to be surprised. I knew she would want a proposal to remember. I had the ring, I needed a plan. I am not creative, nor rich. Crap.

So after alot of thought about ideas like flying her to NYC to see her famous jewelry designer friend, cost and execution risk were just too high. I knew of a company that does custom wine bottle labels, but Lov isnt the biggest drinker; I could imagine the disaster of trying to get her to look at a wine bottle and her screaming at me that she didnt want any. Thats out.

Deadline approaching. Explanation: Last december the Internation Gem and Jewelry show was in town. Through the help of a friend, I secured what was to be her ring without her knowledge. I may have had to stretch the truth by giving her an explanation of putting down a deposit to hold a price; Not a lie if you consider my payment a 100% deposit that locked in the price forever as it was now in my possession.

So the next Gem Show will be may 9th. I may have dropped a hint or two that I couldn't make plans that weekend as I might want to go to the Gem Show. That left me with less than a month, and one of those would be while I was in Vegas on business.

So after a little searching I found out that Gallery Hop in the Short North was May 2nd. Perfect. A great excuse to get our friends out without arousing too many suspicions. I started looking into various businesses around the short north, not sure what I was looking for. Then I came across Paul Palnik's website. I had this crazy idea that he might be able to make something custom for me. I called him and proposed the idea, and you cannot imagine my shock when he said he was game. Apparently no one had ever thought of proposing in his gallery before.

So once I had that locked down it was time to put the plan into action. That night I met with her parents, and asked for their permission to marry their daughter. The real fear in that moment was that her mom was gonig to run out and tell Lovanna right then. Thankfully that didnt happen.

I clued Stella in on the plan, and told her that I would need her help planting the seed of wanting to go to Gallery Hop. She was on board from the start.

The following weekend was the retreat and it was a nice getaway; left that directly for the airport and a week in Vegas. I found myself unable to sleep all week there - a combination of nerves, red bull, and the hotel's enriched oxygen pumping through my veins.

Saturday morning I had lunch with Henry, then Lov and I did a little shopping. Not realizing how much I had deprived myself of sleep, I fell into a 2-3 hour nap. I woke up 15 minutes before we were to leave for Stella's bday dinner at Alanas. We, of course, were late.

At dinner I downed most of a bottle of red wine, trying to keep from breaking into an all out sweat. Thoughts of whether she knew kept running through my head. I convinced myself time and again there was no way she could know. One last prayer that the weather would stay nice...

After Jeff and Ian's spring concert, we all hopped into cars for the Gallery Hop. First stop was Gallery V (which has apparently been renamed), another one I cant even remember the name of, and then it was go time.

As stella lead the pack.. I hung back. John Wung had just shown up, and was planning on catching up with us later. I clued him in as to what was about to go down, and he quickly began preparing his camera.

As I turned the corner I saw Lov a few steps from the gallery door. DISASTER - what if she walked in and saw before everyone was there??? So I quickly grabbed her arm and told her we should wait for everyone. Stella quickly hopped into the store to figure out where exactly my piece was. As people slowly entered the door, I drifted away from Lovanna, assured with Stella directly between Lov and the piece. I then asked Elliot to have his camera ready, and let him know what was about to transpire.

The rest is history. Elliot and John's pictures captured the emotions of the moment better than my words ever could.

The picture story is below, but thanks are in order:
#1 - God : for everything you have done for Lovanna and I, but espeically for the great weather you gave us that night
#2 - stella - could not have done it without you
#3 - Paul Palnik (his art is really cool, and he made this all possible)
#4 - Supreme Gems Corp - lov loves the rings - you guys did a great job!

The point of no return,

MMS 2009 closing party will suck as bad as 2008

2009-04-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

We all thought 2008's closing party was the worst Microsoft conference closing party ever, but apparently Microsoft didnt listen to the negative feedback last year.

This years event:
Attendee Party
Thursday, April 30, 7:00pm–10:00pm
Venetian Ballroom C
Close out an amazing event with an evening of great food, Xbox gaming (Halo Wars, Rockband 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour, etc.) and entertainment you would never expect: The Pete Contino Band! This Zydeco band features a new wave of music with an exciting New Orleans flare. Enjoy the music, sip on our signature cocktail - the ITProtini - and catch up on the week with friends old and new.

A little google stalking and you find out the pete contino band charges between 800 and 4000 for a event. (http://www.gigmasters.com/Zydeco/thepetecontinoband/)

Way to go all out Microsoft..

I will be skipping this one.

2009-04-08T14:42:00.001-07:00

Nick Masucci wins - (yes, he's 9 years old)

Here are the final results - lets not talk about how poorly I did OK?

Final Four

2009-03-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

Standings going into final four: (winning scenarious in previous post)

Winning Scenarios:

2009-03-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

So with only 1 spot left in the final four - here are the possibilities:

Assuming UNC wins tonight:

MSU beats Uconn, Vill beats UNC, MSU wins it all : Coleman wins, 3 way tie for second (Bill Miller, Ryan Martin, and Joe Masucci).

MSU beats Uconn, vill beats UNC, Vill wins it all: Coleman wins, 2 way tie for second (Bill Miller, Ryan Martin).

MSU Beats Uconn, UNC beats Vill, MSU wins it all : Bill Miller and Ryan Martin tie for the win, third to AmyS.

MSU beats Uconn, UNC beats Vill, UNC wins it all : Nick Masucci wins, JasonMassie 2nd, shawn patterson 3rd.

Uconn beats MSU, vill beats UNC, UConn wins it all: Bill Miller wins it all, Adam Roddy second, Mark Ferguson gets third.

Uconn beats MSU, vill beats UNC, Vill wins it all: Bill Miller, Adam ROddy, (t 3rd - coleman/JasonMassie)

Uconn beats MSU, UNC beats vill, UNC wins it all: JasonM, t-2nd (adamJ/BillM)

Uconn beats MSU, UNC beats vill, Uconn wins it all:BillM, adamRoddy, MarkFerg

Assuming OK wins tonight:

MSU beats Uconn, Vill beats OK, MSU wins it all : Coleman wins, 3 way tie for second (Bill Miller, Ryan Martin, and Joe Masucci).

MSU beats Uconn, vill beats OK, Vill wins it all: Coleman wins, 3 way tie for second (Bill Miller, Ryan Martin, Fred Hoop).

MSU Beats Uconn, OK beats Vill, MSU wins it all : Nathan wins, coleman second, 4way tie 3rd - fredhoop, bill miller, Ryan martin, Joe Masucci

MSU beats Uconn, OK beats Vill, OK wins it all : Nathan wins, coleman second, 3way tie 3rd - fredhoop, bill miller, Ryan martin

Uconn beats MSU, vill beats OK , UConn wins it all: Bill Miller wins it all, Adam Roddy second, david baldwin gets third.

Uconn beats MSU, vill beats OK , Vill wins it all: Bill Miller, Adam ROddy, (t 3rd - coleman/JasonMassie, kim Miller)

Uconn beats MSU, OK beats vill, OK wins it all: billM, nathan, adam roddy.
Uconn beats MSU, OK beats vill, Uconn wins it all:billM, adamRoddy, baldwin.

Shawn Patterson takes the lead entering the elite 8

2009-03-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

The new standings as of the elite 8

Stupid Memphis chokes

2009-03-27T04:06:00.001-07:00

So my bracket is basically worthless now. Memphis fell to Villanova last night.

New leaderboard:

End of the Second round done

2009-03-23T05:28:00.001-07:00

As the second round is now behind us, Nick Masucci is still in first place. If North Carolina goes on to win it all, there are very few scenarios where he does not win it.

RickM follows shortly behind him, and likewise, is almost guaranteed victory if Duke wins it all. Shawn Patterson is counting on Memphis beating Louisville to win it all, but he needs louisville. If the final is against Oklahoma Nathan will most likely win it all. If Syracuse can make it to the final four (unrealistic, I know) then I'm back in the game.

Outside of that, the tourney is still wide open - so lets all root for UNC and Duke to lose in the sweet 16!

Heres the current status.

Outside of that, no one has a lock.

W Kentucky and Duke thrillers end saturday night

2009-03-21T19:44:00.001-07:00

Another day of the tourney is over and the dreams of Michigan, Texas, and W Kentucky are done.

Young Nick Masucci leads at this point..

Upsets change the face of the tourney!

2009-03-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

Its now the Rick Nick show.. Rick M's last second submission is now in first place..

After 24 games, Kim and Shawn lead

2009-03-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

Kim and shawn have predicted 21 of 24 games.

16 first round games down, 16 to go

2009-03-20T04:02:00.000-07:00

After 16 games, we have yet to see any real upsets. Michigan and W Kentucky pulled minor upsets, and 10 and 12 respectively. Western continue the annual tradition of a number 5 seed losing.

Dan Reese's unconventional bracket came just a few shots from correctly picking Norther Iowa, but his dream of Chatanooge eliminating UConn leaves his bracket remains lying in the lurch.

The big stories of the day were the almost-losses of Memphis and Villanove. Both made late runs to stay in the tournament.

Congratulations to Shawn Patterson and Jason Massie who both correctly predicted 15 of the 16 games last night.

Updated stats after day one:

Brackets are now set

2009-03-19T09:18:00.001-07:00

Click on the image for full size.

We will have 45 people in the pool this year.

You can see everyones picks HERE

Masucci D has not submitted his results, so I will have to remove him from the chart.

You have till Thursday 10 am to submit your bracket.

2009-03-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

You can find the bracket to fill our here:

HERE

Upon completion mail to miaminemo@gmail.com.

Good Luck!

I am an idiot #1 - Dont Fry Frozen Wings

2009-03-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

So last night, I was rushing around getting ready to head to a friend's house.

I was too ambitious and decided to try and make wings, along with this awesome desert Lov and I had at La Tasca last week in London. I couldn't find sorbet, so I was using Kroger brand sherbert (3.99).

So I threw some wings (8.99)in the microwave to thaw while I haphazardly began trying to use a grapefruit spoon to get the fruit out of the oranges (.55 each) . After they first batch of wings defrosted, I threw them in the fryer. Everything was going well, and I was on time to be at their house by 6:30.

So the sherbert started to melt, and I forgot about thawing the rest of the wings. Crap, I'll just throw some more wings directly into the fryer.

This is when the moment of disaster hit.

"Why are they fizzing?"

"Why is the oil rising?"

OHHHHH CRAP! - oil all over the floor. Apparently cheese sticks, jalapeno poppers, etc are all fine to throw in frozen. Wings apparently are not. The frost on them does not mix well with oil. (Oil and water do not mix - I guess I've heard that before)

So after quickly corraling the dogs into their respective cages I went into disaster recovery mode; all this had to be cleaned up before Lov got home and decapitated me.

Cleaning up vegetable oil from the entire counter top and half the kitchen floor is not easy. It doesnt really soak up, just kinda moves around.

So - the point of this post:

DO NOT PUT FROZEN WINGS IN THE FRYER

'I am an Idiot' postings

2009-03-14T07:52:00.001-07:00

So I have decided to start a new series on my blog. On what is obviously a far to frequent basis, I say to myself - 'Man, I am an idiot'. Occaisionally I actually learn something from these moments. From now on, I intend to post these moments in the hopes others will not have to experience them.

Let me start by saying that yes, I am an idiot. Comments to the effect of 'How stupid are you? or You are an idiot' are obvious, and provide no intrinsic value. If it makes you feel better... go for it.

Help me identify my dog

2008-07-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

weeks ago Lovanna and I decided to get a puppy. Well - let me clarify: We decided to go to pounds to look at dogs - just to look.
First we went to the Franklin county dog shelter. I don't like going there, its depressing seeing the sad state all the animals are forced to live in. I admire those who would adopt from there, I was too bothered by the feces everywhere, and the huge pit bulls jumping out from every corner. As soon as one dog barks, you have the London symphony orchestra on your hands..
We looked at a little rott, but it was still too big for Lovanna. As much as I love them, I can see why shes intimidated. The little 20 pound pup will soon outweigh her..
On to the Capital Area Humane Society. Short drive and we're there. The place is almost empty. From the Franklin county shelter to here, the disparity was incomprehensible. Why haven't they learned to share the burden of caring for the animals?
The only cute dog we see is a little Chihuahua (sp?) but his teeth look like a miniature version of the scene where Jaws is trying to devour the oxygen tank.
Into the last room, and I'm coming to the realization looking for a cute puppy that both Lov and I will like is going to be next to impossible.
Until I turn the corner.
Sitting in the cage all by herself is a teenie little black and brown puppy. Who knows what breed she is, but darn shes cute. Its a pound, shes probably a mutt...
A few minutes later and I knew she was my next dog - well if Lov would go for it. She did.
The pound adoption sheet reads misc. shepherd. Shes now 12-14 weeks old and 15 pounds - Im not thinking Shepherd. The girl taking care of her at the pound guessed she was part Miniature Pinscher. That size sounds a little me accurate.
So for the last 5 weeks we've been thinking our dog is at least part min-pin, probably part something else. Then this past weekend I went to my grandparents.. Grandad is something of a terrier aficionado - he thinks shes something called a Manchester Terrier.
Time for more research - sure enough she looks just like the pics of the min-pins, and the terriers. I go to sites that are supposed to help you distinguish. You look at the shape of the ears, the length of the legs, the coloration, the "thumbprint" and the spots on her cheeks. From what I can tell she may be both..
So if any of you are experts - chime in and let me know what you think!

tank disaster

2008-07-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

Free booze is not always your friend.

2008-04-04T14:56:00.001-07:00

For once I can say this where it wasnt me who learned the lesson. So I must publish it for the whole world to see.
I may get punched in the kidney for this... but hey - youll agree it was worth it. (Especially since you wont be the one who gets punched in the kidney for it)
What happens when you drink too much at a mexican wedding? THIS:

The best is when you finally wake said person up and they have no idea why everyone is laughing at them.

Time to go Mr. Leather

2007-12-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

This is my leather coral. It has grown too big for my tank.

I will be attempting to find it a new home in the near future.

RIP Bo

2007-11-16T12:04:00.000-08:00

For the 104th time, The Game will commence tomorrow at noon (EST).

My prayers have been with the little man to the right all season. He gives me hope. He struggles against the odds. He is the hardest working back in College Football. He is Michael Hart.

For 4 years I have had the privelege of watching him bulldoze through every obstacle in front of him. Ive literally forgotten about the worry of a lost fumble. He has fallen forward for more yards than I can count. He has picked up a team that I had given up on.

1 year ago today, Bo died. A little piece of me did as well. I cried on the inside, and refused to let all of the OSU fans who surrounded me know how much it hurt to lose the godfather of michigan football.

Tomorrow Michael Hart will take the field in the Big House for the last time. He will take on OSU for the last time. He has carried the team for the last 2 years, nearly single-handedly.

He could have gone pro. He passed on millions for the just one more chance to beat OSU. He does not belong in this era of College Football. His coach didnt ask him to come back - he did it for himself - he did it for his team. Though some may see this season as a failure, I guarantee you that if he can lead the team to victory - you will not see an ounce of regret on the face of our little engine.

I sprained my ankle Monday. I would gladly take every ounce of pain from his sprain and add it to mine if I could. I want to see his smile after the clock has struck 0 and he has his W against OSU. I want that for him more than I want the W for me. He has given me hope every Saturday he has taken the field.

Run, Michael, Run.

Go Blue.

Napa - stream of consciousness

2007-10-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

So I pick up Lov at 8:36 outside the hotel after arguing for 10 minutes with Garmin on how to get to the hotel. Why do you keep telling me to turn right onto one-way streets going left???
K – it wasn’t garmins fault. I had set the darn thing to ‘pedestrian mode’ the day before. So we are now 6 minutes behind schedule and its all my fault… grrr.
We hope onto what I believe has to be one of the longest bridges in America. Driving in my teenie Saturn I am terrified of a) being run over by semis b) Flying down a bridge at 75 being passed by old ladies c) farting too firmly and the Saturn being blown off the bridge, falling to my doom in the bay below.

Onto highway 29 and into napa.. Were made great time as we pull into Domaine Chandon.
Much research had been put into the upcoming day:
Forget most of my research. Turns out there is a lot of outdated information on the internet (gasp)..
I will show you the sample plan. The following post will be a list of what you need to know…
Plan –
8am pick up car - check
8:30 Pick up Lovanna – 6 mins late
10:00 arrive at Domaine Chandon – 2 minutes early.. thank god no speeding ticket
Use coupon for buy 1 tasting get 1 free
~~Go to Sawyer Vineyard for ‘Best Value’ tasting~~ The bottles are expensive, why bother tasting if I’d never buy?
~~Go to St. Supery for ultra sweet fruity tasting~~ Nevermind – they no longer have crushing on weekdays
Go to Niemann-Copola for tasting, see the Copola Museum (spend hour here)
Go to sterling, use coupon before 12:30 and take tour. (plan for 90 minutes)
If time permits, visit Schramsberg for sparkling wines
Go to nearby deli and pick up picnic supplies
Stop by Shafer for tasting, possibly pick up bottle for coworker who helped plan trip
Hard stop at 4pm and make like the wind for Van Der Heyden, which should close at 5.

Now heres what actually happened:

We arrived at Domaine Chandon. As beautiful as advertised. Clearly a large corporate entity, huge banner outside supporting Breast Cancer. Yay - breasts, boo – cancer.
We arrived just before 10 as they opened, we were 4th ones for a tasting, no wait. While renowned for their champagnes, Lovanna is not a huge fan. I liked, but not enough to warrant buying. The reserve etoile was delicious, but as expected, TWCIO holds true for napa as well. I did have a coupon which gave us 2 for 1 tastings.. Damage - $15.

As we are walking out, a tour bus unloads. Hurray for the early wino gets no wait.. Exit quickly hoping to avoid crowds. Back onto highway 29. I ask Lov whats next, and she looks at me quizzically.. I remember at this point I have not made any of my plans aware to her. I ask her which one is highlighted next, and she says there are two that are crossed out. I don’t explain why. On to Niemann-Copola. As we make our way down 29, I see Sawyer and drive by. Goodbye overpriced winery. Two blocks later, St Supery has a giant sign. As I pass the enterance I see “Grape Crushing Today”. A sharp 90 degree turn and we are in the driveway, Lov wondering if Im already drunk.

We go in, find the grapes being crushed, its kinda boring. Lov reads some information about how they make wine.. We then go to the tasting. $15??? Are you kidding me. I ask if she can just have a single tasting of their sweetest wine rather than the 4 tastings for $15.. They oblige without hesitation.

Unexpected – Lov loves it. Buys 3 half bottles. We exit after $42 worth of damage. As we are leaving the wine guy informs us that Sawyer has some great wines, we really should go back and check. Ok – we shall go back.

2 doors down we are walking into the quaint wooden storefront of Sawyer Cellars. A sign informs us reservations are necessary. We don’t have one. We ask politely if they could see us, as the place has only 1 other couple. The kind employee tells us that it is against regulations, but since they are already doing a tasting, they will squeeze us in. The cabarnet is delicious, but also $146 for a bottle. Im out. The old man next to us drops $600. Damage – 1 tasting at $7.50. Truly a deal if you are in Napa just for the purpose of drunk.

Back onto the road. We drive past a sign for niemann road. When I go another ½ mile and don’t see anything resembling niemann-copola we reverse course. We go down Niemann road until there is a giant sign stating ‘private road – no winery’. Huh? So we go to the small road between the two where a sign for Rubicon Estates are. A sign informs us the ‘Red Carpet is ahead’. Hrmm. I smell fish and I am not on the wharf. We pull up to the valet and I ask if we are in the right place – he politely informs us that the place has been sold, the museum removed, and there is now a single wine tasting available for $25 per person. No thanks. We apologize and drive away. So much for Copola not wanting to rename the winery. (Ive since read that the rubicon place is overrated, excessively expensive, not nearly as nice and was the Copoloa estate).

We get stuck in ‘I wonder if someone drunk drove into a ditch already’ slow traffic going through St Helena. The town is a grocery store long. The time is 12:25 and Garmin tells me we are 3 minutes away. Go Go Go… My $5 coupon is withering away.. There are 2 of us.. That’s $10 – that’s another tasting, or maybe cheap bottle of wine.

Garmin states, “Arriving at destination” only we are in the middle of the road with nothing there. Why do you mock me garmin??? So I drive up to a grocers, turn around, cant find it. Use gramin to call Sterling and they tell us we are 5 minutes south of where we need to be. At that moment I see the building up on its perched hill. Time check – 12:29. 5 minutes my butt – lov is passed out and Im there in 2. “Honey, we have to hurry, coupon expired 2 minutes ago…” We walk up to the ticket booth and shes angry/tired/confused… which is clearly better than angry/tired/objective.

We buy our tickets, use the coupon with no object. Offer extra coupon to rich looking 40 something couple in line behind us. He looks at me with his ‘what would I want a coupon for?’ look. Get in line for the Gondola. Yes – the resort has a Gondola. So does the rich couple. When he realizes he has to pay to ride the gondola, he regrets not accepting the coupon. The wife asks if the coupon is for the Gondola, I say the coupon is for the gondola, which includes the tasting. I extend it out and she takes it, and hands it to the guy. Use the coupon you rich looking too-good-for-my-coupon-man. While I envy his richness, I still cannot resist the overwhelming need to save money – even if its not my own.

The Gondola is a romantic ride up a very scenic overlook of the valley. A glass of wine going up would have been nice, but was not an option. Not sure why. Maybe because then theyd have to bring the wine down the gondola?

Apon arriving, you are directed to the first tasting booth. Not bad. Watch a video, follow the signs through a series of other videos, tour, and tastings. A great setup actually. Highly recommend. Old Indian couple taking pictures of each other in front of wine cellar. Lov’s asian ‘ I support all picture taking by anyone of anything’ gene kicks in and she offers to take pics for them.

Little did I know it, but that random act of kindness was the most important moment of the entire day. No – they were not rich and did not bestow apon us honorary kingship in India.. But the 3 ladies behind us did see. Out on the terrace (best view in Napa) they ask Lov if shed like a pic of the two of us. They take a pic for us and we return the favor. Small chat ensues, what places have you been, what have you liked, etc..

Moments later the entire days plan was scrapped, ruined, and replaced. The leader of the 3 informs us she is a member of the reserve club and can take 4 guests into the reserve room. She only has 2 friends. Are you kidding me?? Of course well go.

Inside the reserve room, Jean-Pierre informs us that the normally $20 additional fee for the reserve room tasting is waived. Awesome. They provide crackers, which Lov was in desperate need of. 4 of us go with the hardcore red series of reserve wines. Jean-Pierre senses Lov’s inhibition to ordering reds, and instructs her that he will select a number of wines that may be more suitable to her pallet.

I don’t remember what the first wine was… nothing special – no offense. He then brought out the 3 famous reds. They can only be purchased in the reserve room, or by wine club members. He pours out 3 – the Rutherford, the 2003 SVR, and another one that was more expensive than the others.

Starting left to right as instructed, I try the Rutherford. Good. Really Good. In great anticipation of the 2003 SVR (flagship of Sterling) I smell, act like I know anything about wine, and then drink. Its good. But wait, is it any better than the Rutherford? Hrm. Is it $25 a bottle better than the Rutherford – clearly not. The third was okay, I liked it, but had way too much body for the 4 ladies at the table with me.

Do I buy anything, little dilemma. Lov and I decide to buy a Rutherford, and another white she liked. Then the greatest news – wine club members and their guests receive 20% when buying in the reserve room. 2 more bottles of the Rutherford, please. Damage - $20 for 2 tastings/gondola rides, about $130 for our 4 bottles of wine. Ouch. Its Napa, cant get it elsewhere.. further rationalizing goes on in my head.

Before the ladies head off, we conclude our advice giving. We inform them of the acclaimed ‘chocolate raspberry’ wine at Van Der Heyden. They tell us we should check out Schramsberg, the tour includes caves, and to try the Italian wines at Castella di Amorosa. Both are minutes away. We are also instruct to go to V Sattui for a picnic and free tastings.

On the road we head to schramsberg. The tour has 2 spaces, but will take 90 minutes. No time, that will be at the top of my list next time I come back. (Fingers crossed that it will happen) On to Castello Di Amorosa. The castle has been completed within the last year, the moat is not full. Odd to be in a castle that was made to look old, but is brand new. Im sure in a few years it will seem far more authentic. The driveway entry is a breathtaking sight. It is how I picture Tuscany looking. The wines were good for the price. I bought a moscato and a Sangiovese. Damage - $10 tasting and $40 worth of wine.

At this point Lov has left the angry/tired/confused mood and has entered angry/tired/hungry/hurry-the-hell-up mood. I hurry up. Food will calm the beast. Or so I hope.

Arriving 10 minutes later at V Sattui, we enter a deli of commotion. She tries a sample of cheese, which she likes. I concede it is very soft and delicious. But $4 for a little slice. She asks the cheese guy what he would suggest. Of course, he suggest an even more expensive little block of cheese. We get Onion Blossom Horseradish pretzel chips from Robert Rothschild Farms. Interesting taste. Too much taste. Kicks you in the face like cheap sushi with too much wasabi.

I also buy a bottle of the V Sattui family red for myself, and lov picks up one for her boss. I buy nothing for my boss. Maybe I would have if I hadn’t been pulling 50+ hour weeks because he hasn’t hired a replacement for Par, the guy who left me with a double load of work. No anger towards him, I would have done the same. (insert anger towards boss)

What time is it? 4:55pm Ack. Fear of Lov sets in. Serious fear. She had only one request and that was to go to Van Der Hayden. Gasp. What if we missed it. I think it closes at 5. Maybe it will stay open late? I am tempted to sing ‘did you ever know you’re my hero’ to the register lady who tells me they are open till 6. Damage – cheese - $6, chips $5, deli sandwich - $9, 2 bottles of wine - $33.
I only pseudo trust her so we fly to Van Der Heyden. On the way we keep an eye out for Shafer. It evidently has gone out of business. Maybe it has been renamed. Either way – we didn’t find it.

5:30 – we arrive at Van Der Heyden. See a limo. Meet the drunk guy who has rented the limo. Its his 50th birthday. Evidently he partied like it was his birthday. He didn’t want the tasting, just 2 bottles. The owner finally acquiesced and was happy to see the drunkards go. Thankfully the bday drunkard had a limo driver. Did I mention when the owner went inside to get him a bottle, he grabbed the tasting bottle and poured himself a glass, which he quickly pounded and replaced the glass which was later handed out to someone else?

I asked if I could try a couple of the grapes before they were crushed, Mr. Van Der Hayden allowed this, but only if we did not try them till after the tasting. Inside to his little shop. The first story is 1-3 minutes of uninspired talk about his white wine. He himself seemed unimpressed. Then the moment out whole day had been building up to.. (anytime something has been built up this much it is doomed to disappointment.. only a question of how much) He goes on for 10-15 minutes of the impossibility of creating a ‘late harvest Cabarnet-Sauvignon’. Only he has been able to. While he appears to be a modest man, you can sense the pride oozing from every gland on his body. A righteous indignation against mass-production wine facilities..

Finally – the tasting. It was good. Imagine a cabarnet with the sweetness of a moscato. Not what it had been billed up to be – a delicious chocolate raspberry taste that not even cheapest person alive (lov’s sister) could resist.

So when the young lady from the south commented to her former boyfriend from Chicago (assumption made, but I got the impression they had mated in the past, and planned to again as soon as left alone) that it tasted like a port. Danger. Danger. Back away from Mr. Van Der Hayden. With a look that was a painful combination of calm and rage. He had clearly heard this before, but the sharp cut that resulted had not dulled by previous comparisons. In what I can only describe as refrained exhortation, he explained to her that the flavor from a Port was determined by the quality of the liquor, not the wine. His flavor had been the result of his endless search of perfection..

2 ½ bottles and 2 tastings later: damage 20 + 100 = 120.

From here we make our way to the napa mall. Lovanna makes up for a admirable lack of spending in Union Square.. The instinctual need for J Crew that lives in every Miami student overcomes her, as she buys a number of items. As we walk out, she walks back in and buys another outfit she somehow missed during our first hour in the store. More shopping at Barneys. We close down the mall.

Following a recommendation of the clerks at Barneys, we pass on the Spanish tapas of ZuZu’s and head for a Mexican restaurant. My food was delicious, hers was not. Arriving home I had my obligatory west coast writhing stomach pains.

That was our napa trip. Other than breakfast at Odouls in SF and 2 more stores shopping, that concludes this already-too-long napa blog entry.

The following post will include advice for those considering going in the near future..

San Francisco - More than just hills and ...

2007-10-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

Prerequisite knowlege - This trip was was not for any reason other than an attempt to satiate lov's neverending desire to travel. I owe thanks to Skybus for enabling this trip. We looked through the list of flight destinations and prices back in early summer... Tickets were 120/person for round trip to the west coast.. Could I really complain?

So months passed with no thoughts of the trip until a week or two ago when I realized I would be going and knew absolutely nothing about the city.. What were we going to do for 3 days there? Then I realized we hadnt even planned where to stay.

First things first - find a cheap place to stay. Scratch that. Find a reasonably priced place to stay. Scratch that- lets stay at this famous old hotel : Hotel Whitcomb. Prior to booking - obligatory tripadvisor search - bums, bums, dirt and asbestos. I like classical, history etc, dont like that. Back to searching - Hotwire, priceline, nothing.

New goal - find a decently clean place for something less than outrageous. Attempt after attempt on priceline fail. Waiting for Lov 1 week before trip at 6:30am to go to work... Accepted. WHat?!?! what have I done?? - Grand Hyatt San Francisco for 148/night. Hrm - guess ill deal with that. (in retrospect, ended up being a nice hotel, not worth what we paid, but that statement could probably apply to 99% of everything on the west coast).

Fly to SanFran - skybus is skybus. Its southwest without food. I love skybus. Hooray skybus <- thats the weekly hurrah.

Arrive in sanfran, take airBart to Bart. Bart (train, not yellow little guy) takes us to downtown sanfran for like 6 bucks. (One of the 1% that is worth the money we paid).

Check in to hotel - Huge hotel, 39 floors. No real complaints. No problems with priceline reservation.

So Id made a list of things to do, then threw them out the window and decided to just see where things would take us (other than tix to alcatraz and a trip to napa)

First night - bus through chinatown to fishermans wharf. Tons of people. Elephant seals - loud and stinky. Clam chowder - delicious. Fresh dungeness crab (sp?) - cold, but would be delicious otherwise. Throwing bread crumbs to birds who flock only to be chased away by nearby dog on a leash - hilarious. Went to ghiriardellie square. Eat chocolate with ice cream. I cant eat chocolate. Writhing stomach pains all night.

Back to the hotel - im exhausted. I dont like PST, requires me to stay up past bedtime.

Sunday morning - wake up at 5 am. Think about going to service at beautiful catholic church we see walking home last night. Roll back over and go to sleep knowing I will again be kept up past my bed time. I would have stayed in bed longer if I had known if was going to be one of the longest days of my life.

So we stayed in Union Square - guys, never ever ever do this unless... no, never ever do this.

After a brief stop into chinatown to eat sticky buns (soft white bread with red BBQ pork in it) we go to a noodle shop. Eat noodles. Not bad.

Now begins the day that never ends. Lov wants to go shopping. Were in SanFran and shes going to wine country with me, Ill weather the storm. It wasnt a storm - it was a weeklong deluge followed by a tornado and a hurricane all at the same time. Somehow only I was hit by this storm, everyone else was smiling. Freaks.

List of hellholes: neemen marcus, guess, niketown, hm, chanel, nordstrom, bloomingdales, armani, bsbg, arden b (lov is providing store names) we went to so many not even she can recall all of them... Around 5pm we finally stopped. The headache she woke up with had somehow magically transferred into ever small crack of my brain, eyes, and feet.

Back to the hotel to drop of her purchases.. Now with 6 hours of shopping youd think there was a ton of clothes.. nope. She bought like 3 things of the 3,202,200 items she tried on. And on, and on.

A little rest for the feet and we were starving. Or I was. Now time for something fun. We rushed to find a way to the wharf again. We made it witha few minutes to spare so I knifed my way thorugh the giant horde of tourists (somehow we were the only 2 going that direction... I now feel like I know how a salmon must feel). We grab bread bowls full of clam chowder. Runnier - she likes more, i liked the thick stuff the night before with potatoes better.

Onto the boat. It slowly steams its way to the island. Audio tour around the island that Id highly reccomend. Prisons are scary, even without the cons and butt raping. Got to walk into a solitary confinement cell - if they shut the door I may have wet myself a little more than i did (note to self - never go on an insane killing rampage, you are not cut out for prison) We learned about prison breaks, etc. Good tour. Missed the 7:15 boat leaving the island. Tempted to jump for it but lov would yell at me for leaving her behing and she isnt a good jumper.

We get back to SF and realize we have no idea where we are. I need cars. I dont like public transport. Im lost, even with Garmin. Lov finds the way to a trolley.. we find out its $5 a piece and we decide to walk. We head to north beach and eat at a little italian place. Great waiter, great homemade spinach pasts. The seafood risoto was not great. Long walk up steep hills and we finally give up and hail a cab. Hotel = me tired. Noodles or something didnt like me, writhing stomach pains all night. Pain keeps me up long enough to make a car reservation for the following morning. That was a blessing in diarrhea.. i mean disguise.

Monday morning has finally arrived. I managed to wake lovanna who concedes to getting up and ready while I walk to go get the car. Enterprise did not pick me up. Liars.

I get the car - of course I booked the cheapest one possible - and expected to be bumped up because they didnt have what I booked. "Do you want to upgrade to an SUV?" - no. Do you want to upgrade to a sedan? -no. Do you want insurance? -no. Do you want power windows? -what??

So I got the saturn with absolutely no options. Oh well. Wasnt a big deal.. great gas mileage... but we take power windows for granted when we fly into the toll booth... And since when is the toll for a bridge $4????

Next post will be on napa..

Carson Butler cleared of all charges

2007-07-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

Over the summer some of the worst news to hit Ann Arbor was the loss of Carson Butler. Of course this news was second fiddle to Alan Branch's decision to go pro, but was also completely unexpected. Evidently he and a friend on the team (Christian Richards) beat the crap out of another student on st. patricks day.

Richards was convicted of aggravated assault.

The complete story is available here -

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2932939

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- One former Michigan football player has been convicted
and another has been cleared of charges stemming from an attack on a fellow
student.
Christian Richards, of Pacoima, Calif., was found guilty Tuesday of
aggravated assault and assault and battery, while Carson Butler, of Detroit, was
cleared. Both were charged in a St. Patrick's Day beating in a residence hall
and dismissed from the team in March.
Richards will be sentenced July 30.
Assault and battery carries a maximum of 93 days in jail, while aggravated
assault carries up to a year in jail.
Nick Roumel, Richards' attorney, said
he was stunned by his client's conviction, which the judge said was based on the
testimony of witnesses.
Butler's attorney, Joe Simon, said evidence pointed
to his client's innocence but declined to comment on Richards'
conviction.
District judge Ann Mattson announced her verdict after a nonjury
trial that started June 29.
Butler, a tight end, started seven games for
Michigan last season and caught 19 passes. Richards, a reserve defensive back,
had five tackles last year.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated PressANN ARBOR,
Mich. -- One former Michigan football player has been convicted and another has
been cleared of charges stemming from an attack on a fellow
student.
Christian Richards, of Pacoima, Calif., was found guilty Tuesday of
aggravated assault and assault and battery, while Carson Butler, of Detroit, was
cleared. Both were charged in a St. Patrick's Day beating in a residence hall
and dismissed from the team in March.
Richards will be sentenced July 30.
Assault and battery carries a maximum of 93 days in jail, while aggravated
assault carries up to a year in jail.
Nick Roumel, Richards' attorney, said
he was stunned by his client's conviction, which the judge said was based on the
testimony of witnesses.
Butler's attorney, Joe Simon, said evidence pointed
to his client's innocence but declined to comment on Richards'
conviction.
District judge Ann Mattson announced her verdict after a nonjury
trial that started June 29.
Butler, a tight end, started seven games for
Michigan last season and caught 19 passes. Richards, a reserve defensive back,
had five tackles last year.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Supreme Court Addresses Segregation

2007-06-29T03:53:00.000-07:00

This post will not be about the Bachelor party I went on over the weekend. That may or may not end up happening.

This post will be about the recent Supreme Court ruling 'PARENTS INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS v. SEATTLE SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1 ET AL.' For ease of reading, I will refer to this case as 'Parents' .

I havent written a legal brief since my senior year in college, but I can't resist the opportunity to comment on the latest Supreme Court ruling. (On a side note, I have a double minor in Politcal Science and Political Analysis from Miami University, so while I clearly am not a lawyer, I do have a limited background in legal studies.

If youd like to read the full text of the opinion - it is available here

In Parents , The Supreme Court was asked to review the use of race in determining attendance for school districts in Kentucky and Seattle. Both school systems, like many others around the country, had practices in place to determine which schools children should attend based on their race. The Jefferson County district had suspended the policy because of the suit, while the policy is still in place in the Seattle schools.

Parents took issue with the policy for a number of reasons. One of the main complaints of the plaintiffs was around the busing that took place in order to attain "reasonable" standards of integration.

For those of you who did not have busing, I'll explain it in the most simple terms: Neighborhoods are often racially homogenous, leaving a nearby school with a similar racial makeup. Understandably, objections are raised when this happens. The busing solution simply says 'Lets take kids from their neighborhoods, stick them on a bus for 45 minutes to get to their school, despite the existance of a school much closer'. The result may lead to more integration, but at a steep cost to those children.

Let me go on record as stating that I am biased. Instead of attending Parkmoor elementary, a school 2 block from my home, I caught the bus there - for a 45 minute bus ride into a less than safe neighborhood. Instead of middle school a 5 minute walk from my home, I was assigned to Champion middle school. For those not from Columbus - that is the worst neighborhood in Columbus. I was forunate enough to enter a lottery that allowed me to go to Franklin - a better school in a only slightly less dangerous neighborhood. Yes - drivebys were not uncommon.

Back to the case - over the last 30 years the Supreme Court has stood by using race as a factor to try and achieve integration. Most recently in 2003 the court upheld a college's practice of using race to determine college admission standards.

2007 is a new year - with new Justices. The court is no longer controlled by liberal activists. In Parents, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the parents. They struck down the racially discrimination policies that were in place. They reasoned that the policies placed an undue burden on the limited number of students that were affected. The policy violated their constitutional right to 'Equal protection under the law'.

Justice Roberts also argued that Brown v BOE reasoned that integration was necessary because children had previously been forbidden from attending certain schools - segration was a state supported practice. In Seattle, the schools had never had segregation.

Concluding his thoughts, Justice Roberts states simply "The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race."

On a personal commentary - I applaud the Supreme Court for its ruling. We are entering a new day in America. While it would be foolish to argue that racism no longer exists, we are facing challenges and discriminations far more reaching. The problem in public schools no longer is segregation based on race. It is becoming commonplace for schools to be segregated on class. Those with the financial means to do so leave the inner city school districts, seeking better schools in suburban areas. In doing so, they cannot be blamed for attempting to provide for their children, but this only leads to the further degradation of the inner city public schools.

This a problem that will challenge the very foundation of our society - capitalism. Financial discrimination if you will.. Heres the problem: I certainly will want to send my children to the best school I can.

My first blog - nipples

2007-06-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me probably are afraid to read on - let me put those worries aside. This post will have absolutely nothing about womens nipples. I am here to tell the whole world about MY nipples. Well - actually - just my left nipple. (If I had more time right now I would insert a picture of it HERE for your viewing pleasure.)

Fortunately for you - I do not have time to. I am waiting for 2 friends to show up before we drive to yet another friend's house where we will consume large quantities of pizza (thanks Frank!) and then have his wife so kindly drive the 7 of us to the airport.

This post is not about where I am flying to, who I am going with, or the high hopes for an all out guys weekend I hope we have. Although - as this post is about nipples - I will include that hopefully our trip will involve a trip to hooters. hooters

This post is about my bleeding nipple.

Where did my bleeding nipple come from you ask? (ok - you didnt ask and may not care, but Im going to explain it because its really bothering me right now).

It all started 8 weeks ago when I made an off hand comment to a guy I work with about how if he wasnt careful - he would end up looking like another guy we work with who should probably watch the Seinfeld episode about the mansier.

I meant nothing serious by the comment, but it stuck, and next thing I know I agreed to start training for a 5k with him. We finished our first 5k in 24:40 - not horrible for the non runner type frame god has gifted me with.

So this morning I absent-mindedly forgot to pack a shirt to run in . (We go every day at lunch). I however, had in my desk the shirt we got for running in the breast cancer 5k. I wore it. It was raining. The shirt has decals all over it. Foolish design. Must make a note to complain about this - although it will be ignored.

Got done with 3 or so miles, nipple hurting. Looked down, nipple bleeding. Not happy.

On a side note - this weekend is ComFest - an excuse for hippies, gays, and all others that are usually associated with the alternative community to gather and do drugs and eat fair food. We ran through commfest today - fortunately no painted sagging breasts were out in the open. (Hey - they have nipples, so they fit into this post).

So while waiting for my friends, I got to wondering what people do about nipple bleeding. I went to Google, pondered whether this was a good decision, then searched for bleeding nipples. Fortunately it appears as though this is not yet a porn fetish.

I did however come across this site - http://www.nipguards.com/

I found this

After my initial bout of laughter, I am now contemplating a purchase.
BTW- all reviews of these products are from men, I find that interesting. I may have to look into why.

Time to get running (not actually running)- I will follow up soon with this weekends happenings. No cameras will be allowed though - so it will be yet another blog with no good pics.