Playoffs?

Q: Don't talk about... PLAYOFFS?
A: You kidding me - Playoffs, I just hope we can win another game.

MySister has voiced her displeasure in regards to my lack of posting.
Actually, more specifically, that I haven't posted here.
She thinks I'm spending too much time on my new Mountie Rock blog.
Which, by the way, is something you should all consider following.
It's the best musical development to come out of the Northwest Suburbs since...
Congratulations to the new American Idol...

The largest reason for my lack of posting has been a rather large work event.
Its planning, execution, and corresponding followup has been a bear.
MySister suspected it literally made me ill, for I had to leave work sick today.
Another reason is that I've been delaying the Kick Tan Laundry update:

We lost.
Brutally.
Zero to Fourteen.
The slaughter rule was enacted, and the umpire informed us that we could still keep playing.
Without hesitation, I said, "No."
The game was a total, unequivocal, trainwreck.
We showed up a girl short.
The majority of the team was mentally and physically exhausted from the before mentioned work event.
And of course, the other team was quite skilled.
The loss snapped KTL's 3-game winning streak.
Tomorrow night the playoffs begin.
We have to win the "play-in" game at 6:45 tomorrow night.
The winner plays the #1 seed at 7:40.
If we can win two games tomorrow night, we'll be in the semifinals next week.

I have decided, for the playoffs, to bring out my secret weapon.
Have you seen the Bowling Pin photo gallery?

In about ten days (June 4, 2010) this year's Taste of Des Plaines will start.
Since moving to Des Plaines in 2006, I've gone every year.
Last year my personal highlight was purchasing a bowling pin for $1.
The downtown bowling alley, Sims Bowl, was closing - hence the pin sale.
The next day (June 6, 2009) I was bored and took a picture of it in my condo.
Moments later I took a picture of it on my balcony.

And that's how it began.
I've taken more than 20 additional pictures.
Taken it to three more States.
And tomorrow night I'm taking it to the Kickball Playoffs.

The photo gallery...
Have you seen the Bowling Pin photo gallery?
...is copied into it's own folder on my iPhone.
On many occasions I've proudly flipped through the entire "photo project" to a stunned audience.
By now most people who know me (and know how crazy I am) have seen these pictures.
They aren't surprised.
But I get a kick out of showing this madness to people who don't know me as well.
The immediate questions I get are very common:

Are these photoshopped?
You must not have kids?
You must not have a girlfriend?
You don't show these on dates?
Where's it going next?
Can I be in a picture with it?

The answers are the typical: no, no, correct, I have, where ever the world takes it, no.

What's the dumbest thing you've said recently? (again)

Q: Is this one as harmless as the last time?
A: Oh no - it's a total foot in my mouth moment of the early month.

Yikes.

Ok, so I've had a pretty long streak of misinterpreting what people have been saying digitally lately. So when a facebook - let's just say acquaintance (because I don't think I can go as far as call her a "friend") - posted something as a new status I wanted to comment.

I really don't know why I chose this moment to comment on her page for the first time. We've been "connected" on facebook for about six months (all of which comment free).

Her status update was basically saying that she doesn't want to have to apologize for hating the Los Angeles Lakers. I responded with the gigantic hydrogen bomb of course. Frantically typing that all she had to do, when arguing with a Lakers fan about why you hate the Lakers, is to mention two words: Eagle, Colorado. I didn't stop there - solidifying my comment that a Laker fan would know instantly what was meant, and it would be a silencer. And if the Kobe-Katastophe wasn't instantly recognized, the argument wasn't worth her time.

Minutes later she deleted my comment.

Reading the other comments after mine, like the one about how her son is a Lakers fan, made me realize how lighthearted she intended her status to be. Wow, I felt so intensely horrible. I instantly wrote her a personal message of apology.

This isn't the first time I've gone on a full force attack on Facebook. It's probably the fourth of fifth time I've done it in fact. Maybe I should hire a censor - or at the very least a screener.

Who said that?

Q: Got $10?
A: Tru'dat.

A man who is leaving my company soon, willingly, likes to quote a line from a Country song that I've never heard...

It's actually a quote from Alexander Hamilton:

Those Who Stand For Nothing, Fall For Anything

Will you "follow" (or "subscribe") to my other blog?

Q: Why did I start another blog?
A: I wanted to separate place for all "music" related posts.

If you find any interest in the odd music I like to share with the world - please "follow" or "subscribe" to my new Mountie Rock blog: mountierock.blogspot.com

I'm still going to be writing mindless rambles here on todaysquiz.blogspot.com. (This includes everybody who reads these posts as "notes" on Facebook - that importing is also not going to stop.)

As much as I like how smooth the Blogger posts become Facebook notes, it has always bothered me that the embedded videos don't make it through the import process. Therefore, it made sense for me to start a separate, music only, blog because I will probably always include an embedded YouTube video to help share the music of a particular subject. Therefore, I am not going to import the new blog into Facebook.

Again, if you would like a taste of that indie rock music that I tend to lean towards please follow or subscribe. The links to do so, which I used as the picture of this post, are at the bottom of MountieRock.Blogspot.com. I'm not sure how frequently I will post there, but I've already put up a couple posts which should give you a good sample for what you can expect to see in the future.

What is the [other] best named team in our Kickball League?

Q: Did Kick Tan Laundry win their third game in a row?
A: Yes, KTL defeated Kick in a Box 6-2.

I made the following comment to two teammates in the car ride home:
Tonight was the best we've ever played as a team.
That is a strong statement given the fact that, on paper, we had a perfect result the week prior.
Last week we won 10-0 in a five inning shortened slaughter rule contest.
The team we played last week was vastly inferior, failing to capitalize on our mistakes.
This week, we had zero defensive errors.

The other team did get a few hits, but for the most part we held them to singles.
If they hit it deep, our outfielders were able to track it down and catch them all cleanly.
One guy on the other team boomed a shot over our heads, that 2 run homer was earned.
We scored 3 runs in the top of the first.
They tried to answer in their half of the first, but only scored two.
The extra insurance runs weren't needed after all.
We have held the other team scoreless in 11 of the last 12 defensive innings.

The other Thursday Night Kickball League at Brands Park teams should be afraid.
Unpopular 13 year old boys have a better shot at getting to 2nd base than our opponents.

What are you listening to now?

Q: What is making this week awesome?
A: "Forgiveness Rock Record" by Broken Social Scene.

I'm really enjoying listening to this album.
That is all.
Please return to your lives.

Is that some kind of Eastern thing? (An Open Letter to a Stranger)

Stranger

Dear Mr. Pin Model,

I don't know you, but the above picture of you continues to bring me joy more than a year after I first saw it. Speaking of joy, perhaps you don't realize how much joy that pin costume you so dutifully modeled gave thousands.
The revamped pin head costumes were commissioned by the Founding Dudes to help them embark on 2009's historically epic Speed of Sound Tour. The pins made their debut at the Bonnaroo Music Festival before showing up in Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Diego, Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Austin and (of course) Louisville!

Do you have a facebook account Mr. Unknown to Me Bowling Pin Model Man? If you do, you know the importance of one's Profile Picture. Many people quickly changed their Profile Picture to the one they took in between these pin costumes.

Bree

I don't know where in the world you live, but it has to be near one of the upcoming Lebowski Fests. Judging by your facial expression, it appears you are having a difficult time comprehending why such costumes would be custom ordered for professional construction. If you were to attend a Lebowski Fest, all doubt will be removed. And, not to mention, if you come to a Lebowski Fest you yourself can be pictured WITH the pins instead of a stark isolated solo portrait AS it.
What else can I learn from your picture that can potentially give me a glimpse into your life?

You have an awesome mustache. On a personal level, I'm an enormous fan of high quality facial hair - mainly because I'm a fuckin' amateur in the beard growth department. Many key characters in The Big Lebowski have iconic facial hair. You and your mustache will feel at home.

I can see you're sporting a pair of running shoes. And by the looks of it, those things get used. You're not wearing any pristine white, fresh out of the box, kicks. That footwear will serve you well if you happen to attend the 9th Annual in Louisville because there's an outdoor aspect to that Fest. Also at that Fest has side games such as The Ringer Toss and Mug Throw in which athletic footwear will give you a key advantage over those wearing jellies.

Scoop

Come to think about it, I might be making a gross assumption: Have you even seen The Big Lebowski Mr. Bowling Pin Model with Athletic Shoes and a Mustache? All my enthusiasm of getting to you to a Fest doesn't necessarily dissipate if you haven't seen it. True, it's not a good experience to see the movie for the first time at a Fest. (SPOILER ALERT: people tend to shout their favorite lines) Send me an e-mail and I'll overnight one of my many DVD copies. Don't worry about me, I'll give you the Achiever Edition and if I need to, I can always watch the 10th Anniversary Edition I picked up last year. Don't worry about the postage in returning it - you can joyfully hand it back to me when we meet up at your first Fest.

Tickets are on sale now, so I'd recommend not delaying any further. It's a wonderful voyage to your first Fest!

Oh, one final thing... I'll introduce you to John Goodman.[TQ]

What's happening?

Q:What's happening now?
A: You know a lotta ins, a lotta outs, a lotta what-have-yous.

On Thursday Night Kick Tan Laundry (the second, and for the record last, kickball team I will captain) won ten to zero in a slaughter rule shortened game. The team is really coming together well. I can't wait until next season when I'll be able to enjoy just being a player and not the organizer. We've won two in a row now, and the bar we go to before and after loves us. They should: we increase their business some 400%.

Friday morning I asked my friend, who I had planned on seeing Los Campesinos! that night with at Metro, if his girlfriend wanted my ticket. He quickly told me that his other friend would like to go, but was sad that I was backing out. Truth be told, if that was a 9 PM show, I would've gone. But with it being a 7 PM start, I would have to go straight from my office to the show. The last three weeks, and these next three, is the most important time for my role at my company. It's a pressure cooker. Not only did I end up working late again on Friday, the week exhausted me.

That Friday night was spent playing video games. It was a relaxing night indeed. (If you must know, this is the game I purchased) The real story of this video game is how I bought it. I've had a VAIO laptop doing nothing but collecting dust in my closet for over three years now. I bought my iMac the day I moved into my condo and never gave it a second thought. With Earth Day the week prior, I was looking into recycling options for it. The nearby Sony Style store gave me $59 for it. Thankfully they don't know I would've been happy with $15!

Saturday was a beautiful day, but for a few reasons I didn't swing a golf club that day. It's okay, because it looks like the sun is out long enough now for after work golf! The biggest regret on Saturday involved a movie I watched. I had agreed to watch The Big Lebowski with a special lady friend. She has only seen parts [anyway]. But we decided to see what was available "instantly" on NetFlix and picked a bad movie instead. The worst part is that NetFlix gave me a "pan and scan" version to watch. If you are like me, and abhor that format, wait until you see it on a widescreen television. The "reverse letterbox" effect was the visual equivalent to nails on a chalkboard.

Earlier today (Sunday) I saw my family who had recently came back from Fort Wayne, Indiana? What's there you may ask? Two words: Vera Bradley. Need more than two words?

If you're like me, you can't explain this if given an infinite amount of words. The reason why people would drive hours to a rented out sports arena in the middle of America to buy discounted purses will forever be outside my realm of comprehension. I would understand it if the brand had a little more power. But "Vera Bradley?" What? Who?

The, correction: my, most anticipated album of 2010 is released this week. Since I pre-ordered the album off the band's website I was able to download it an hour ago (along with a second B-Sides album). I'm referring to "Forgiveness Rock Record" by Broken Social Scene. My favorite track is called Texico Bitches.

There's been a lot of chatter on Facebook about privacy invasion. I recommend the following article: http://librarianbyday.net/2010/04/protect-your-privacy-opt-out-of-facebooks-new-instant-personalization-yes-you-have-to-opt-out/. There's also a site called Spokeo that might have you on their grid. Removing your name is easy - scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Privacy." The steps to remove your listing are simple, although a bit scary. I had to give them an e-mail. Ladies and Gentleman, this is why you should have multiple e-mail addresses.

I actually need a third e-mail address. One that's gotta be super off the grid. Yes, I understand the contradiction in having an e-mail address off a grid. My two email addresses were very simple, yet my logic (like most of the time) is flawed. If you are my friend, you have my actual e-mail address. If you are a potential employer or girlfriend, you got the other. And if I was buying tickets off Craigslist - you earned as much trust as those romantic interests.

Over on the other blog I write, I penned an open letter to someone who I don't know personally. This is a fun exercise concept that I think I will make a theme for the next few weeks over there. It's an idea that I will quickly admit to being stolen from friend's classmate turned blogger turned author turned awesome Brad Listi.

That should bring you up to speed (if you care).
Hope you're doing well.