The Token Appearence

My firm is having an open house tonight, to mark the renaming and merger. The maintenance and marketing folks are putting the finishing touches on the lobby and the rest of the building. This open house is mostly for our clients, but the employees were/are invited as well.

I really don't deal directly with any of our clients at all, but I thought I would at least stay and work the crowd a little bit, and see what everyone has to say, and catch up with some of the folks in the firm. I won't stay long, but long enough to have at least made an appearance.

Hey free food and drink, the price is right, and it should be nice to mingle a little bit

--gfo

The Last Day In February

Boy time flies when you're having fun. We are already through two months in the year of our Lord 2007, and where is the time going. DST is coming up in a week or so, which means softball and baseball season is right around the corner, as well as the boy's first communion at the end of April.

For the most part this winter has been pretty mild, at least snow wise. We had some pretty bitterly cold streak's there, but only a few storms, only one of which was really a problem.

I am looking forward to the nice weather and Spring, sitting out on the patio, longer daylight, and opening the windows and getting some fresh air.

and most importantly, shutting the (oil) heater off, at 2.299 per gallon, that add's up pretty quick.

--gfo

Cappy and His Cogitation's

I'd thought I'd post an entry about why I am called Cappy, the significance of gocappy, and how I came up with Cappy's Cogitation's. Here you go:

Cappy is a nickname I picked up about five years ago, when I was the team Captain of a online running contest, a few of the team members started calling me Cappy for short and the nickname stuck. I use Cappy or variations (cappygreg, cappy6468) of it on message boards or sites that require a login other than an email address.

gocappy, is a play on my initials (save for the F) and Cappy, I mostly use gocappy now for things unless that is taken then I use gocappy68 (year of my birth).

Cappy's Cogitation's. I came up with Cogitation's when I created this blog, I wanted something catchy that began with the letter C, and was a synonym for thoughts. I grabbed my handy dandy Thesaurus that I keep nearby in the office and found the word, Cogitation. In Dictionary.com Cogitations are; concerted thoughts, the faculty of thinking, carefully considered thoughts. I thought that complemented Cappy well, so I went with it. Since I really don't have a real political agenda and what I post is really what I am thinking at the time, or what's going on in my own little world, I wanted something unique.

So there you have it, in case anyone was wondering, now you know.

--gfo

An Eventful Evening

Last night after I got home from work, I decided to get dinner started since I was the first one home. I pulled a London Broil out of the fridge threw it in the microwave to defrost it a little bit and pre-heated the oven so I could start the fries.

While the steak was defrosting, I reached up into the top shelf of the cabinent to grab a pan to marinate the steak. At this point, is when my trouble started. The dish I wanted was on the bottom , it had another glass bowl inside of it. I tried to move it delicately but all of the sudden the bowl that I didn't want came crashing down and hit me square above the left eye right at the eyelash level. I thought nothing of it, (full disclosure the f-bomb was dropped at the time of impact), I grabbed my head and felt some blood. I went into the bathroom and saw that I had a good size gash on my head, but surprised at the lack of blood, despite the size of the wound.

My Mrs came out into the kitchen, after my daughter reported that my head was bleeding, to find your's truly holding a towel to his head, and marinating the steak. She took a look at my head, and thought it might need a few stitches so we went to the hospital to have it looked at it. Before we went to the hospital, we finished marinating the steak and put in the fridge for use later on.

After sitting in the waiting room for about 45 minutes, the triage nurse finally called me, and I was registered. About five minutes later, I was called back by the nurse, and was fast tracked because this was a minor injury.

The doctor came in and saw me, and after taking a look at the wound, he didn't think he needed stitches, he thought some of the glue might work, but after cleaning the wound out, he decided that steri-strips would work better. He put four of them on, and we were on my way. Total time in the ER was about an hour and a half.

We picked the kids up at my brothers house, returned home, and put the steak in the oven, and had our steak dinner was by the way was very good, as it had marinated for a good two hours.

--gfo

Congrat's To Scorsese

For finally receiving an Oscar® for his direction in the movie The Departed. We saw this in the movies and got it on DVD, and thought it was one of the best movies we've seen in a long time. I thought Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Frank Costello was amazing, and deserving of a best actor award.

I normally stay away from award shows, but the Mrs had it on last night for a little bit, and I was happy with what I saw, short speeches, no Bush Sucks talk (granted I only watched for about 45 minutes from 2130-2215 EST), and things moving along rather smoothly.

Enjoy it Mr. Scorsese, you certainly earned it, this was one of your best films yet

--gfo

Bravo To The NFL

and the player's union (NFLPA), as they want to crack down on players who are so-called trouble makers. Commissioner Goodell is tired off the off the field incidents that have been occurring as of late with players. A new low-tolerance policy could be in affect by the end of June.

Hopefully this will be a wake up call to the players to watch themselves when they are off the field to behave themselves, or they may not only find themselves in jail but out of a job. Also I think these players need to be more than slapped on the wrist by the criminal justice system. Perhaps if one or two players do some real time, the players will take a message.

Let's see how this develops, and if the NFLPA has the guts to let the NFL enforce and implement tougher penalties on these troublemakers.

I know its a small percentage of players, and most of the players do a lot of great things off the field, which most of the time goes unnoticed. Players need to be recognized for the good things they do as well.

--gfo

An Uneventful Morning

We got another snow storm yesterday, and of course this are went into mass hysteria. It turned out to be a whole lot of nothing. Some schools were calling for two hour delays as early as last night. I went out around 1930 last night to run to the local convience store for a sugar fix for the wife and kiddies, and the roads were wet and slushy but otherwise driveable.

This morning was much better as the crews had worked most of the night to get the roads clear and passable. I think it helped that last night the tempatures stayed above or at freezing so none of the stuff turned to ice. I took the train into the city this morning, not because of the weather but because I am meeting my aunt for dinner after work.

So once again, the forecasters got everyone all worked up, and it turned out to be a dude.

--gfo

Sunday Breakfast

In what has become has Sunday tradition in my house, I made my delicious breakfast. Since I got my Fold N' Store Rival Grill, for Christmas, cooking breakfast has been a lot easier and faster to prepare than before. Before I had to use two or three pots to accomplish what I can on the grill. I cook sausage, bacon, pancakes, pork roll, and french toast. I have also used it for grilled cheese, and plan on using it for my patented cheese steaks.

Of all the meals I make, breakfast is my specialty, I learned from the best my dad. My family looks forward to my breakfast's every week, and I enjoy cooking for them.

A homemade breakfast, and nice hot cup of coffee, with family...can't get much better than that.

--gfo

Insurance Company Props

You hear a lot of people ripping insurance companies these days, and I have been one of them. I must digress for a moment and give a shout out to the folks at UnumProvident, this company handled my short term disability claim while I was out in December and January. I actually had a person that I could speak to directly, who returned my calls, and followed up as they said they would. I would hope that in the future should I need them again, that the responsiveness that I received for this claim would be the same.

It was nice having the whole process go so smooth, it was one less thing to worry about, during my recovery time.

So once again thanks to the folks at UnumProvident.

--gfo

Car Update

Well, it turns the car was just overfilled with oil, that was what was causing the smoke from the exhaust. My mechanic changed the oil and added some Hi-Tach Premium Oil Stabilizer which will help the car run better. He was unable to duplicate the smoke from the exhaust, so that the overfill of oil appears to be the culprit...plus it is what the check engine diagnostic said when the hooked it up.

Maybe this combined with new tire, my mileage will increase. I get about 25 MPG now, a little more would be nicer.

What could have cost a lot of money, or resulted in us buying a new car, only ended up costing us, $32.55. So for now the Civic is remaining home with us, to continue its faithful service to the Cappy Clan.

I did do some looking at cars when I was home earlier today, and that was fun.

At least for now, we don't have the added burden of another car payment.

--gfo

Abstinence and Sacrifice (Week 1)

ABSTINENCE

Today is the first Friday in Lent, and it means no meat (on Friday's) for the next six weeks. Its a little bit of an adjustment but we manage to do okay. Today, I had pizza for lunch, and will probably have the same thing for dinner. The kid's aren't real fish eaters, so if we make fish, we usually make them something else. If had the car today, I probably would stopped at the store and pick up some flounders.

SACRIFICE

As for my Lenten sacrifice, I decided to forgo soda for the forty days of Lent. This is going to be a daunting task, I am used to having two-three soda's a day, and went to zero, cold turkey. Its been tempting, but this is a time of sacrifice, and its probably better for me anyway

So for now its diet iced tea, and H₂O...at least for the next 37 days.

--gfo

More Car Trouble

When I got tires for my car the other night (Tuesday), I decided to get some stop oil leak stuff and a couple of quarts of oil for my car. I have had a slow leak for awhile, and I figured since I was there, I could pick those items up. Wednesday night I noticed that my oil light was on my dashboard. So last night, I added three more quarts of oil thinking that would help. It didn't

As I was driving home last night, the car's pickup was noticeable decreased, and the car was spewing a lot of smoke from the exhaust. The heavy smoke only happened a few times. The car was still driveable so I decided to at least try and get it to the shop, was about ten miles away. After about ten minutes of driving, the check engine light came on, but the car was still running.

I plodded along and got the car to the shop, luckily both of the mechanics were in and I was telling them what was going on. At one point they said it sounded like a head gasket, which would be a lot of money.

The Mrs and I talked last night and if the car needs too much work, we will get a new one, which of course we don't have the money for but we need two cars. This car is almost 15 years old, and has served us well, so if it to meet its demise, it was a very reliable car, and will be retired with honor.

I took the train to work today. I will find out later today what the damage is. We may be car shopping this weekend

--gfo

Prince Harry to Iraq

I heard on the news earlier today, that Prince Harry is being deployed to Iraq as part of a normal troop rotation for the British Army. Harry hold the equivalent rank of 2^nd lieutenant, and according to published reports will lead troops in a normal commander's role.

Harry graduated last April from Sandhurst, the British equivalent to the US's West Point, and has been eager to see front line action, going as far as saying,

There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country.

Got to admire his willingness to go to war. I am sure that although he is a member of the Royal family that he will perform his duties with the highest hono(u)r that past members of the Royal family have.

Good luck Harry, and the boys from the Blues and Royals Regiment.

--gfo

An Interesting Find

In my trunk the other night when I had to get the donut out. I found a steak knife. We had been missing our sixth knife for years, and it was presumed to have been thrown out. How it got into the trunk of my car still befuddles me. One popular theory on the the knife's presence in my trunk is that it was put in there with some food that went to a party or something, and was left in there, and eventually made its way into the wheel well under the lid/floor that covers the well. Sounds good to me.

I took the knife upstairs soaked in some warm soapy water, got it relatively clean, and put it in the dishwasher. The knife will be placed back in service after the next cycle.

So now, my knife holder will be completely full with no slots empty.

Once again proving, that to me that little things in life, mean so much.

--gfo

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return

Today is Ash Wednesday the start of the Lenten season. The kids will get their ashes at school today. The Mrs and I will go to mass at 1930 tonight. The kids have already expressed their displeasure about having to go to church again, but we told them that they don't have to get ashes again.

For most Catholics, lent is a time where the give up something, (read sacrifice), this year, I have decided that I am going to forgo soda for the whole Lenten season, which end 06 April, Good Friday. Also this means no meat on Friday's. Today and Good Friday as well as being an abstinence day is a fast day, which means only one full meal for the day.

The no meat thing isn't that hard, we usually have pizza on Friday's anyway, but that makes lunch tough for me.

--gfo

I Got Screwed

Well, I got one in my tire. When I got home tonight, and turned the car off, I heard a hissing sound coming from the rear of the car. Took a few seconds but a found a screw about one inch long embedded in the tire. I actually needed pliers to get it out, actually loosening like I would if was in a piece of wood or metal. I got the jack out, propped up the car, and pulled the donut tire out. It took some brute strength to get the lug nuts off, but I was successful. I got the old tire off, put the donut on and decided to take up to the store

I went up to Pep Boys with the tire, to see if they could plug the hole. They said that the screw went too deep into the tire to fix the tire, and they suggested that I buy a new one. Since its been awhile since I got tires, I decided to buy a whole set. The bill will be over 200 bucks. They were a little backed up, so I called the Mrs to pick me up. As I type, the car is still there, it should be ready within the hour.

It will be money well spent, but the timing kinda sucks

--gfo

A Mouse In The House

and not the computer type either. I've had at least three possible sightings of our new guest. The other morning, I heard him scratching in the inside of wall in the upstairs bathroom, he must have climbed up the water pipes. I brought the cat in and the cat went bonkers trying to in vain to get the mouse, even leaping a few times at the wall.

The last sighting, I saw the mouse peaking out from next to the dishwasher. After that, I moved the dishwasher up tighter against the sink and then put a piece of wood in front of it to try and block his exit. I haven't seen or heard him in a couple of days, so I think he is laying low.

The last time we had a mouse in the house, he chewed up all the hoses on the dishwasher and the dishwasher leaked all over the place.

I need to pick up some traps, I'd like to get the glue one's but I am afraid that the cat would get stuck after the mouse did, so I may end getting one of the standard one's.

or the cat could save us the trouble and a few bucks, and catch and terminate our unwelcomed guest...

Let's go Fluff, earn your keep

--gfo

Mardi Gras

I don't see the fascination in day. In all the years I have been alive, I have never celebrated this or gone out to a bar on this day.

Here is Philly we have the infamous South Street, which on a normal weekend night attracts all sorts of characters, on Fat Tuesday, the characters are even more interesting, combine that with alcohol and you have an interesting night for the Philly police.

The Philly police will have extra patrols and wagons in the South Street area to help keep the area relatively calm. I also believe the bars close earlier than normal.

I will be home tonight, being just as boring as ever.

--gfo

A Warm Treat

No its not Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts coffee or hot chocolate, (although I do have a cup of large DD coffee), its a break from the bitter cold weather we have been having the last few weeks. Mostly in the teens, with wind chills making it feel in the single digits. The current temperature right now is 39° and the high today is expected to be, upper 40's. The forecast for the next ten days is much of the same. Of course I am a cynic when it comes to weather and its predication, but if this hold true it looks like old man winter is taking a nap...hopefully a long one

It was nice walking from the parking garage to the office this morning and not shivering in the five minutes in takes me to get here.

I may take a little stroll at lunch time today just to get out and get some fresh air.

--gfo

The Deli Run

Every Sunday, I go to the local deli and get the week's lunchmeat and cheese order, rolls, and if needed chips. If one or both of the kids are with me they get some candy or other treat(s). I usually make out better, money wise when I go myself as I don't get the bombarded with the Can I get this question, every 6.5 seconds.

I am such a regular that the guy that works at the deli knows exactly what I want as soon as I walk through the door, I just tell him the usual and he starts slicing right away.

My typical order is:

• One pound of American Cheese
• ¼ pound of Swiss Cheese (for me, I am the only one who likes it)
• ½ pound of Ham (me)
• ½ pound of Bologna (kids)
• ½ pound of Turkey (Mrs)
• 8 rolls, 4 long, 4 round

Usually runs me around 20-25 bucks, which if you calculate that out on the high end of 25 bucks, at 19 lunches for the four of us for the week, (I am of Friday afternoon's) comes out to $2.08 per lunch. Usually by Tuesday we are using bread because the rolls are typically gone within a day or so, and bread add's another 2-3 bucks a week if we don't already have it. Still, going to the deli once a week is probably one of the best food investments we make of all the food purchases.

I just finished my lunch, and it was pretty darn good. Ham and Swiss on a long roll.

--gfo

Presidents' Day Holiday

Full disclosure, I am working today, this is not a holiday for our company, even though it is a national holiday, that being said, let's continue...

This is one of those national holiday's that only really matter to those that actually do have off, and retailers and car dealers. All Federal, State, and Local offices are closed, as well as banks, and there is no mail delivery. and here in Pennsylvania, the liquor stores are closed since they are run by the state.

I think this holiday would be better served to everyone if it was actually celebrated or honored in some way, but the only people who seem to take notice are the aforementioned. There are no parades, speeches, etc like other national holidays..

Maybe I am just bitter because I don't have the day off.

--gfo

Shootings Increase In Philadelphia

An article in the Sunday 18 February edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that shootings have increased 31% since 2001.

Some interesting statistics are in this article. In 2006 there were 2,004 shooting victims, 406 homicides. In 2001 there were 1,528 shootings. The most of the amazing stat was the fact that 75% (1,509) of the victims were black males. 1,130 of these victims were under the age of 25.

The question that I have, is why isn't the black community outraged at this. Especially at the alarming rate of victims under 25. Most of these shootings occur in poor mostly black neighborhoods. The mayor and police commissioner are both black, and the mayor's (who is a lame duck) term ends at the end of the this year, seems to be turning a blind eye to it. I hope the mayoral candidates seriously discuss this issue in the upcoming election, and whomever is elected must make it a priority to lessen the violence. I am sure there is a lot of blame to be passed around, and the blame needs to start at the top, beginning with the mayor. If crime was decreasing, the mayor would take credit, the reverse needs to be true as well. This isn't a race issue, its a crime issue, and the thugs are winning, and the citizens are suffering.

Here is a map of shootings in the city, you can break down the map by certain demographics. For those of you unfamiliar with Philadelphia, the West and Center portions of the city are predominately black, the northeast mostly white.

Philadelphia is a great city (I have lived in this area my whole life, and I work in the city), it was the birthplace of this country, and the constitution. I am sure the framers of the constitution would be ashamed to see what has become of this city.

Something needs to be done soon. The city is losing a generation of young people to senseless violence...and I don't think you can blame this on George Bush.

--gfo

Cleaning Out The Fridge

The Mrs went grocery shopping today, and normally she brings in all the stuff and I put it away. Prior to putting things away, I generally purge the leftovers that we never bothered to eat.

Its a daunting task, and its amazing some of the foods that I am unable to identify, like today, I found two meat loafs, and possibly a third one (it had so much mold on it that it was hard to identify). What is neat is how much more room we have by throwing the old stuff out. Its a gross job most of the time, but it needs to get done.

We really need to get better at eating leftovers, or purging them before they become science experiments. We always have good intentions but never follow through.

I think the former would be the better option.

--gfo

The Daytona 500 *Update*

Well me and the boy had the race on, but I ended up sleeping through a good percentage of it. I can really say that its a neat sport. Its amazing that they drive that fast, with so many cars in such a small space. What is also amazing is the damage the cars sustain in some of the crashes and the drivers just walk away. Goes to show how much safety is designed into the cars. Crashing at 180 MPH and walking away sans a scratch is good to see considering the sheer velocity and impact.

Not going to be glued to the TV every Sunday, but at this point, I think I will at least take a more than casual interest in it

--gfo

The Daytona 500

The boy really wants to watch this race today. I admit, I am a little interested in NASCAR, but have yet to jump on board, and watch races, or follow drivers. We have two tracks within reasonable driving distance, (Dover and Pocono) so we could actually go to a race and experience it first hand. So I will probably sit down and watch a little bit of it today. I probably should start reading up a little more so I understand some of the rules, etc.

This may be a nice filler until September when football starts, or at least August when the preseason begins.

--gfo

Boy Its Quiet

Without my daughter here. Normally her and the boy would getting on each others (and our) nerves. Now he is just watching TV and I am surfing the 'net looking at Plasma TV's (drool), and surround sound systems. You don't realize how quiet it really can be in a house with kid's in it until one of them is gone (or they are sleeping)

The Mrs is gone too, but she will be back around midnight.

The silence is deafening...but real nice

--gfo

The Swimsuit Issue 2007

The annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue arrived in the mail the other day, As to be expected it was a great issue. They do a great job putting this together every year.

I have only heard of Beyonce, I had actually never seen her before, but boy she is quite the looker, and certainly deserved to be on the cover.

I haven't gone through the whole issue yet, but I will. This is actually one of the few issues of SI that I actually keep. It had actually been laying around for a few days before I picked it up.

What's amazing to me is how much some of these suits (I use that term loosely as most of the time there is little if no fabric), actually cost, and I am sure that people will pay that much

My favorite suit was the Ipod suit, once you see it, you will know why.

--gfo

A Lazy Saturday

Haven't really done a whole lot today. Slept until 815ish, got up made some coffee, then rode the bike for a little over 13 miles this morning. Hopped in the shower, then I ate some roast beef sandwiches from Arby's that I had left over from yesterday.

Got the rest of the laundry done and folded, save for the towels and sheets that are in the dryer now.

Will be going to the 1700 mass, a little bit later. The Mrs is working tonight 1900-2300, and the girl is going to a sleep over. So me and the boy (and the Fluff) will have the place to ourselves tonight.

Last night I watched most of Terminator 3: Rise of The Machines, I have about twenty minutes left in it, which I will probably watch after I put the boy to bed, then I will probably watch the special feature disc. Which looks like it has some pretty cool features on it. and The T/X Kristanna Loken is a babe. She played the part very well, and her lack of expression throughout the whole movie is great.

Another exciting weekend. Tomorrow isn't looking much better.

--gfo

Another Confession

and this is for the record. I am not the father of the late Anna Nicole Smith's daughter.

I can't say that I am amazed at the amount of exposure this case is getting, this is what is really discouraging about the American News Media in general. This whole debacle is being so overblown. I don't know if I am in the minority here, but I could give two crap's about who the kid's father is, where Ms Smith will be buried, or who gets her money.

Next thing there will be Congressional hearings.

Enough already, there are more pressing issues that need this country's attention.

Now I feel better

--gfo

F-Bomb Movie Analysis

In a day or so I will be getting the movie The Departed on DVD in the mail. We saw it in the movies when it was out and we both thought it was great. As should be expected the F word was used a whole bunch in this movie. I did a little bit of research and it was said 237 times in the movie. The movie is 152 minutes long, so the averages out to 1.6 f-bombs per minute.

I looked at a couple of other movies that I know had a lot of F-bombs in them , (Scarface and Goodfellas) and did an analysis of them as well. Here is what I found:

GOODFELLAS

246 F-Bombs, 145 minutes, 1.7 F-bombs per minute

SCARFACE

207 F-Bombs, 170 minutes, 1.2 F-bombs per minute.

As you can see on a per minute basis and total usage basis Goodfellas takes the cake. All three of these movies are great. I need to add Goodfellas and Scarface to my DVD collection not only because they are good movies, but they are good guy movies.

Sometimes its just what the doctor ordered

--gfo

The First Full Week

Well in about 1½ hours, I will be finishing up my first week of being back to work full time. I have had a couple of moments that I felt overwhelmed but was able to get through it okay. Its been nice being back to work full time, although I am still getting used to getting up that earlier.

Next week, I am going to try and get up at 0415ish and ride the bike in the morning. I rode this morning, but since I come in later on Friday's I got up at what I time I have been getting up all week (0515).

For whatever reason I have had a rough time sleeping, no trouble falling asleep but all of the sudden just waking up, I have been lucky that I have been able to get back to sleep. I still get fatigued mid-afternoon, which is no different than before.

Today, I may just pop a DVD in upstairs and catch a wink or two before I have to pick the kids up around 1515.

--gfo

The Parking Garage (The Depature)

A lot of the snow and ice that troubled me so much in the garage earlier this morning, was a lot easier to deal with when I left today. The fact that the sun was out all day helped to melt down the ice and snow, of course the temperatures will be in the teens tonight so it will just ice over again tonight. I am going in an hour later tomorrow, so hopefully I will be able to get a better spot than the roof.

I must say that the Honda performs(ed) magnificently in the snow despite not having anti-lock brakes or traction control, both of wish my Saturn SC-1 had and that was a great car in the snow. The Honda has a very low center of gravity, front wheel drive, and a good set of tires. Makes driving in the snow uneventful. Its the others guys you need to watch out for...especially those damn taxi's

It supposed to get into to the 40's early next week so this snow should melt soon,

It will probably melt before the Philly Streets department gets around to plowing and/or salting

--gfo

A Real Monster Truck

I am thumbing through the sports section of one of the Philly newspapers, the The Philadelphia Daily News, when I see an article about Phillie's pitcher Jon Leiber and his arrival in Clearwater, Florida for the opening day of Phillies spring training. He shows up in a Ford F650 Supertruck that he got from F650Supertruck. The truck cost him over 200 grand, has six doors (seating for seven), 45" tires, and a 300 HP Caterpillar engine, it weighs about 25,000 pounds. Jon's truck has four 50 gallon diesel fuel tanks, (over 500 bucks to fill), it gets 12 MPG, not to bad considering the size.

Must be nice to have that kind of a cash to throw around a customized truck (the fuel costs alone are unimaginable), but with a 7.5 million dollar salary this year, 200K for a truck is chump change.

Its a nice ride but for that kind of money, I'd take a Ford GT any day.

Check out the Company's website and you will see some pretty cool looking trucks, and some of the customizing work that they have done. The picture above is from the F650 website.

Hopefully for Leiber's sake, he makes the team or he made need that big old truck to move out of town, and if he makes the team, that he has a better year than he did last year.

--gfo

The Parking Garage

This morning it is a brisk 16° out, so yesterday's snow is now ice. It made for an interesting ride in this morning. I only had trouble at one intersection that I slide through, other than that, even though the road's were icy, I made out okay.

Then I got to the parking garage. Everyday indoor spot was taken so that meant I had to park on the roof, which happens sometimes. As I made my way up I got about ¾ of the way up the ramp and the car started sliding back down the ramp. I ended up getting myself wedged in a little snow drift and it took me about five minutes to get myself out. Once I did, I backed my car up as far as I could, dropped it into D1 and gunned it. I made it up the hill with no problems. Hopefully it doesn't snow today, otherwise I will have a messy car to deal with.

Some day's you get lucky in the parking garage others you don't.

and the kids have a two hour delay, and I believe the Mrs. is probably going to be off


--gfo

The Ten Commandments of Rock

This list is courtesy of the John Debella Show morning DJ on WMGK, a Philadelphia Classic Rock radio station. My favorite is of course the first one...Shut up and sing

Enjoy:

The 10 Commandments of Rock

1. Thou Shalt Not Preach: Yes just like you, we’re concerned with Global Warming, Free Speech and the Third World. But we paid to hear you sing and play!
2. Thou Shalt Play The Hits If you're a band that has 20 or more charted songs, we want to hear 10 hits before you play some new song we don't know, or that deep track from the album that no one bought that you love so damn much!
3. Thine Opening Act Shall Relate If you're going to have an opening act, find one that plays the same style of music as you do. George Harrison could get away with Ravi Shankar, you can't. Nor can you give us some half assed hip hop bands...we came to rock!
4. Thou Shall Know What City You're In Enough Said!
5. Thou Shalt Own A Timekeeping Device Our tickets say 8 o'clock show. That means at 8:01 we want someone to be playing music LIVE on stage. Use this same timekeeping device for set changes and encores. Don't go take a shower and have a sandwich while we're all out here clapping.
6. Thou Shalt Play The Original Version (The Layla Commandment) We came to hear the kick ass version you originally recorded, not some mamby pamby slow version. So unless you promoted this as an all acoustic show, if it rocked the first time...it better rock tonight!
7. Thou Shalt Not Play Medleys Hey, make a decision. Play the old stuff or don't play the old stuff. Don't put 5 of your first singles in a half assed 5 minute medley and think you did your job.
8. Thou Shalt Replace Correctly We understand this is Rock and Roll. It's a rough life. People die young or they check themselves into Betty Ford and never check out. We get it. But, if you get a new singer, try to make the effort that he should at least kinda sorta fit the band.
9. Thou Shalt Sing And Not The Audience We didn’t pay $200 for a pair of tickets just to hear 20,000 drunken people try to remember words from 30 years ago! It's your mic...you sing into it!
10. One Man Doth Not Make A Band. Even if you are an original member. If the band originally had 5 members and now you're the only one touring YOU'RE NOT THE BAND!

--gfo

Happy Valentine's Day

This year will be my Mrs's and I 17^th Valentine's Day together. Since we have been married we really haven't celebrated as much as we used to when we were dating. Tonight her and the girl have eye doctor's appointments, and I plan on riding the bike inside. We do get each other card's and occasionally some little gift (I did get her a DVD this year) but other than that, we really don't do much.

We celebrate our love everyday, so we don't really need a single day to signify it

--gfo

Let It Snow *The Drive*

Well I am in the office, and last night's snow, turned into sleet, and earlier this morning freezing rain. Since my car is parked in the garage at home, it was a matter of just opening the garage, starting to car and going on my way. Usually when the weather is expected to be bad like this I back my car into the garage, so its a little easier to get out when I open it up.

The side streets by my house were snow/ice covered but drivable. Once I got onto the main roads, they at least salted, and partially plowed. I made my normal Dunkin Donuts and continued my commute in. I decided that take the main road (highway) into the office just because the roads would be heavier traveled and at least salted/plowed. Most of the time in the mornings I take back roads in through the city because its quicker and less of a distance, but knowing the efficiency of the Philadelphia Department of Streets, I knew that driving through the city would be a bad idea. So I took the roads that the State was responsible for, and just took my time, was in no rush to get here.

It was a slow ride in, but I made it in with no problems or issues, and actually got to the office about five minutes later than I would have on a normal day. There was considerably less traffic than normal, most people are probably taking the day off, or coming in later.

The Mrs and the kids have off as well, a good idea, since it is very slick out.

Hopefully the ride home will be as uneventful as the ride in, and my car is parked in a garage here too.

--gfo

Let It Snow 13 February Edition

Well its snowing here in the city of brotherly love. Its expected to get worse as the day goes on. I went out at lunch time, to the store and it was snowing steadily but not sticking to the roads, or sidewalks. the temperature right now is around 27°, but it feels warmer. It was chilly this morning. I expect the temperature will drop and the conditions will probably worsen as they drop.

The hourly forecast from weather.com is saying snow showers until around 100 then a change over to snow, after 1500. Freezing rain is expected after midnight, so driving tomorrow morning ought to be a real treat...at least my car is in the garage at home so there is no scraping and brushing to be done on my part, I park in an indoor lot when I am at the office too, so that's a bonus

The Mrs and kids will probably being doing their school closing snow dance tonight in the hopes of getting a day off tomorrow.

Should be interesting to see how this develops.

--gfo

Don't Leave Home Without it

This morning I left for the office and forgot to put my watch on. I feel so weird without it. I almost always have a watch on, save for bed time. Its usually one of the first things I put on in the morning after I get dressed. I had plenty of time after I got out of the shower this morning, and I was even thinking about which one to wear, just never got around to putting it on.

Hopefully this isn't a sign of how my day is going to go

After thinking about, and as my subject title state, besides a watch here a few other things that I a rarely leave home without.

• Wallet
• Car Keys
• Nitro Spray
• Cell Phone
• Palm Pilot

As you can imagine that's a lot of stuff to carry, so the winter is a lot easier on me to carry all this stuff.

If I travel light, its just the wallet, keys, and cell phone


--gfo

A Wise Decision

Was made today by Philadelphia Eagles Coach Andy Reid. He will be taking a leave of absence to attend to family matters. He will return to the team in mid-March.

In the last few weeks, both of his older son's have had some legal trouble, and have been arrested. One of them was involved in an accident and was under the influence of heroin at the time. The other waved a gun at another motorist in a road rage incident.

I have always admired Coach Reid for the way he runs his team, and his choice of having player's with class and good character (he gets a pass on the whole TO debacle), and this decision by him shows that he needs to what is most important at this time, his family.

Hopefully things work out for the Reid family, and Coach Reid takes as much time as he needs to tend to things

--gfo

Monster Jam 2007

Above is a picture from monster jam, at this point the Quad Wars race is about to begin. In the foreground are pictures of three of the monster trucks, just to give you an idea of how close to the action we really were.

Its a great night of entertainment, for an entire family, but the concession prices are out of this world. An example, $6.75 for a beer, that is ridiculous. I spent $41.00 on four sodas, chicken fingers, cheese steak, and three orders of fries. Aramark made a killing last night. Why is it necessary to charge astronomical prices for food.

Save for the price of the food, my brother his kids, and my son and I had an enjoyable night of 1400+ horsepower 66" wheeled monster truck fun.

,,,and thank God my brother remembered the ear plugs, it is very loud

--gfo

Monster Jam 2007

For the second year in a row, my brother and I are taking our son's to Monster Jam. We are going to the show tomorrow night at the (Wachovia) Spectrum. We started going last year and we all had a lot of fun. We will go out for dinner prior to the show, then go over and watch some smashing, crunching, and donuting. Its a great event for not a whole lot of money

Its amazing the horsepower that they can get out of those truck, and the tricks and things that the trucks can do.

Hopefully my brother brings the earplugs, because it is loud!

--gfo

Back To Work *The Recap*

Well I made it through my first week of being back to work, and I seemed to have little or no problems. It was nice only having to work ½ days instead of the normal ten hours and four hour Fridays. That allowed me readjust to the work setting and get myself mentally and physically prepared to be back.

I think I am ready to return full time, although there were moments that I felt a little overwhelmed, but I was able to get through the week okay.

Hopefully things will remain stable, although I suspect with the conversion coming up that things are liable to get pretty hectic in the Accounting world.

Only time will tell

--gfo

Cover Hog Karma

Karma is a weird thing, just yesterday I wrote about my problem with cover hogging, and low and behold last night, I became a victim of the very condition that I blogged about. Hmm something funny is going on here.

I will confess that it only got to as far as a cover tug of war, and an unspoken compromise was worked out eventually, but I was chuckling to myself.

I needed the laugh, and the joke was on me

--gfo

Another Confession

It has taken me 13+ years, but I am finally going to admit that I have an acute condition of Cover Hoggedness Syndrome (ACHS).

Symptoms of this condition include:

• bruised ribs (possibly from elbow jabs in an effort to procure more covers)
• Whacks in the head with a pillow
• Modest tug of the covers often accompanied by a garbled sort of grunt or in rare cases profanity occurs. If the latter occurs generally the affected party rarely remembers or denies comments or use of profanity.
• Complaints from your spouse of being cold
• Being very warm when you wake up
• Feeling like a mummy, with the covers all bunched
• Numb hands from keeping a firm grip on the covers

I know of no known cure for this affliction, but it becomes more severe in the midst of winters.

A cure that has worked for me when I catch myself in the acute stages is to remove myself from the mummified cover state and gently place the covers on my spouse under the guise of snuggling. This is most effective when accompanied by a gentle kiss, stroke of the hair, or a three to five minutes back scratch. The most effective method for me is the latter method, and it generally admonishes me from being labeled the cover hog.

I am working through this condition, and have been trying to be a better cover sharer instead of a hogger, but as with most things, it takes time and patience of the spouse. Effective communication is a key to overcoming this condition, but just in case you suffer from this syndrome, some of my methods have been proven to work, at least for me.

If you suffer from ACHS, you are not alone.

--gfo

More Auto Show Pictures

Above are pictures of me in a Mustang GT, and my son and I in a 2007 Corvette. Probably the one time I will actually be in one of these cars. Boy sitting in both of these fine machines was magical.you could feel the power just sitting in them.

Maybe someday I will own one, hopefully the Mustang GT as its more affordable than the 'Vette, and I always kinda think of myself as more of a 'Stang kind of guy

--gfo

Let It Snow

Today we got about two inches of snow, which gave my Mrs's school the day off, and the kid's school a two hour delay. I left a little bit later than normal this morning, (lost track of time) and got to the office about ten minutes later than I normally would have had a left at my regular time. The secondary roads were snow covered and the main roads were mostly wet. I take mostly secondary roads into the city and traffic was moving along fairly well.

It is still bitterly cold, when I left this morning it was 20°, with a wind chill that took it below zero, of course dummy me leaves his hat and gloves in the car, which is park in an unheated albeit indoor garage.

--gfo

The Return To Work

So far has been uneventful. The fact that I am working ½ days all this week is helping me get back into the swing of things. I work with a great bunch of folks and I missed them a lot. I am still getting used to the work setting, and so far it doesn't feel like I have missed to much. The two months off was a nice break, and it really gave me some time to reflect on my life, my family, and most importantly myself.

Next week I resume my normal forty hour, 4½ day work week.

Feels good to be spreadsheeting again...and getting paid to do it

(and this is my 100th blog post)

--gfo

Colts 29 Bears 17

Well it had to one of the sloppiest, and wettest Superbowl's on record but the Colts beat the Bears 29-17. There were six fumbles, one botched extra point snap, and three interceptions. It was a good game to watch, but not as exciting as I would have expected or liked. I predicted a Colts victory, but a little but higher score (38-31). I am sure the rain was a factor is the miscues in the game but the Bears could not seem to get to Peyton Manning, and Grossman just couldn't seem to do anything right.

I am sure Peyton is glad to finally have that choke monkey off of his back, and he certainly deserved the MVP award.

as for the Commercials, wasn't really impressed this year, no one really stuck at as really good.

--gfo

The Philadelphia Auto Show

Today my son and I attended the Philadelphia Auto Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center here in Philadelphia. We saw a lot of neat cars and concepts. My favorite concept was the new Chevy Camaro. What I was most looking forward to was being able to see and sit and a Mustang. Not only did I get to sit in one, I got to see the new GT500 (although it was blocked off and you weren't able to get in. The best part was that one of the Ford rep's so me with my Cobra hat on, and we struck up a conversation, and she asked if she could take our picture. Here is my son and I in front of Mustang GT

My only complaint of the show was the cost of food. It was very expensive, $4.50 for a hot dog, $3.50 for a drink. I thought that was ridiculous, but we were hungry and thirsty so we really had no other option.

Other than the cost of food, we had a nice time, and got to see a lot of really nice cars, and sit in and look at some very expensive car's.

Oh if I only had a few hundred grand extra laying around, what fun I could have.

--gfo

Super Bowl Pick

As promised here is my Superbowl 41 prediction. Colts 38 Bears 31.

I see a lot of scoring in this game. Let's see if I am right

--gfo

Leadership at the point of a bayonet

Anyone who has seen the HBO mini series Band of Brothers, knows the leadership of Lt/Capt/Major Dick Winters. Recently he wrote a book. Beyond The Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters. At the end of the book were his principles of leadership, I thought they were worth sharing.

Leadership at the point of a bayonet

1. Strive to be a leader of character, competence, and courage.
   
2. Lead from the front, Say, "Follow Me!", and then lead the way.
   
3. Stay in top physical shape - physical stamina is the root of mental toughness.
   
4. Develop your team. If you know your people, are fair in setting realistic goals, and expectations, and lead by example, you will develop teamwork.
   
5. Delegate responsibility to your subordinates and let them do their jobs. You can't do a good job if you don't have a chance to use your imagination or your creativity.
   
6. Anticipate problems and prepare to overcome obstacles. Don't wait until you get to the top of the ridge and then make up your mind.
   
7. Remain humble. Don't worry about who receives the credit. Never let power or authority go to your head.
   
8. Take a moment of self reflection. Look at yourself in the mirror every night and ask yourself if you did your best.
   
9. True satisfaction comes from getting the job done. The key to a successful leader is to earn respect - not because of rank or position, but because you are a leader of character.
   
10. Hang Tough! - Never ever, give up.

­©Major Dick Winters, Easy Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne

--gfo

My Life So Far

I was thinking about what has happened during my 38½ years on this planet. Its amazing what I have seen, done, and accomplished during my short tenure on this earth.

Various World Events and technology advances since 1968

• Men landed on the moon
• Nixon resigned as President
• The Russians and US boycotted each others Olympics
• 9/11
• Viet Nam war ended
• Persian Gulf War
• Iraq War
• Clinton impeached
• Soviet Union Collapsed
• The Internet/Email
• CD's/DVD
• Cell Phones
• Disposable diapers
• Tang
• Remote Control's

Personal achievements (in no particular order)

• Graduated High School and College
• Ran a marathon
• Married the most beautiful woman in the world
• Had two children
• Done CPR five times
• Served the community as a volunteer firefighter/EMS
  

Things I would like to see before I leave this world

• Eagles win a Super Bowl
• A strong third political party, (sometimes none of the above is just too tempting a choice)
• A cure for all forms of cancer
• The children graduate, marry and have families of their own
• Live a long happy life, with my beautiful bride
• Be healthy enough to ride a century
• Visit Pearl Harbor, and Normandy
• Purchase a Mustang (okay this ones a fantasy but could be doable)
  

Of all the things I have seen and done, getting married and having children has been the greatest experience of my life. They bring me the greatest joy, I am thankful everyday for their love, and each and every day I thank God for his blessing he has bestowed on me and my family.

-gfo

Wing Bowl 15

In what has become a Philadelphia tradition the Friday before the Super Bowl, Wing Bowl 15 was held before a sellout crowd at the Wachovia Center. The basic premise of this contest is to eat as many Buffalo chicken wings as you can. This years winner ate 182 wings, which is a record for the Wing Bowl.

This event has grown en masse every year since its inception. It all started as a radio stunt for the local sports talk radio station 610 WIP and has gotten bigger and bigger every year. Contestants qualify for this event by doing various eating stunts, such as eating 3 large pizzas in 15 minutes, or other really weird events.

As you can see by the picture above there are also wingettes, which add a little flavor (pun intended) to the event.

The radio station really promotes the event, and the prizes for the winners are really great, usually a nice vacation and/or a car.

Some people may find the event silly, but for a city that has lacked any sort of major sports championship for a long time, this event is always very popular.

182 wings, I don't think I have eaten that many in my whole life.

Bring on the Pepto Bismol

--gfo

The SI Cover Jinx - Super Bowl Edition-Bears

As I have previously blogged about the SI Cover Jinx, last week Peyton Manning was on the cover. This week, Brian Urlacher is on the cover. So SI the jinx is a wash as both teams were on the cover. Although you can argue that the Bears appeared last, so they will be jinxed, but I will stick with my theory.

Personally I think this is going to be a great game. I will post my predication on Sunday morning.

--gfo

An Early Spring

According to Pennsylvania's own Punxsutawney Phil hopefully Phil is right. Its been really cold of late, but we have a minimal amount of snow. There were even some parts of December where the temperatures were in the 60's.

An early spring would be great. My oil tank needs to be filled, and one more fill for the season would suit me just fine.

See you next year Phil

--gfo

Back To Work

If all goes according to plan, (I am awaiting word from the insurance company) I am returning to work this coming Monday 05 February 2007. The plan at this point, is to work ½ days for the first week, and then resume a full time schedule the following week.

I am both excited and nervous about returning to work, but I am looking forward to it. I think the transition week will be very helpful, it will allow me to get used to the work environment again, without a little less stress.

I have learned a lot about myself in the last few months, and I hope that I can apply what I have learned.

Most importantly, Accentuate the Positive.

I have a great support system in place, and I need to utilize them, especially during the transition time back to work.

I wonder how many emails I will have

--gfo

A Record Month

Of cycling for me. The month of January I rode 413.87 miles on the bike, albeit all inside on the trainer, but its a record for me no less. My previous high was this past November where I rode, 341.20. My January total, is 121.30% more than the November 2006 total.

I was able to do this because I was home most of the time, and I was able to get a lot of longer than normal rides, and I rode 29 out of the 31 days in January. I even managed to do a 20+ miler on the trainer. My average ride was 14.27 miles, that number was helped of course by the one 20 miler, but I had a couple of 15+ miles rides.

Once I go back to work next week, my mileage will back down, mostly because, I won't have the time that I had in January, and the fact that I usually take a day or two off during the week. As it is now, I have ridden 25 days straight, which is amazing.

Felt good to get that much mileage in, but I know I probably overdid it. I know this morning, I was tired, so I think its catching up with me a little bit. Most of rides average around 13 miles, so I will probably stay around that number during the week, and based on how I feel on the weekends, bump it up a little bit.

I am sure I won't get near the 400 mile mark again for awhile, but I thought I'd at least brag, its an accomplishment that I am pretty proud of.

--gfo