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

Dinner Dishes

So I just got finished putting a meat loaf together for the family, and got to thinking what some of my favorite dinners to eat, and to make are. I really enjoy cooking, and I have the opportunity to do it, since I have been home for the last couple of months. Mostly I cook breakfast, which according to my family is the best in the world. My breakfast specialty is Sausage, Egg, and Cheese on English muffins. This past Christmas I got a fold up skillet, that makes cooking breakfast a lot easier.

As for dinners, here are my favorites, in no particular order:

• Steak, (medium well) and garlic mashed potatoes
• Tacos (no preference as to soft or hard)
• Enchiladas
• Pizza (my homemade kind)
• Lasagna (probably my best homemade dish)
• Spaghetti and Sausage
• Burritos
• Chicken Cordon Blue

I do have a preference for Italian and Mexican food, and would love to dabble a bit more in some of the Mexican delicacies.

Now I am getting hungry, and I won't be eating until almost 2030 tonight

--gfo

The Philadelphia Auto Show

Starts this Saturday 03 February 2007. I have lived in this area my entire life and have never been to the Auto Show before so I am really looking forward to this, and so has my son, who I am going to take with me. We are going to go on Sunday the 4^th, since the show only runs for a week, its the only day that we could really get down there. The girls have decided to sit this one out. They plan on going shopping (uh oh). What is nice is that I can take the train to the Philadelphia Convention Center and the station is right below the center, so I don't have to worry about parking, which for this type of event the lots will charge a fortune for.

I am looking forward to seeing all the cars, especially the new concepts. Lexus and Mercedes look like they have the biggest amount of floor space according to the floor plan. I hoping to see some great concepts. I plan on bringing my camera and taking lots of pictures.

It should be a memorable day for both the boy and me.

--gfo

My New Favorite Store

Is called Five Below, as they name indicates, everything in the store is less than five bucks.

They have DVDs, Cd's', video games, toys, exercise items, cell phone accessories, dishware, just about everything, and its not dollar store cheap crap either. Everything we have gotten from there has been great. My boy has gotten four computer games, he loves them. It was a great place this past Christmas to got for stocking stuffers.

Sometimes its hit or miss when you go in, but most of the time, you don't leave the store without getting something.

So far they are only here on the right coast, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia, but they are expanding. If one opens up in your area check it out, they have some great stuff there.

--gfo

Bond, James Bond

I love James Bond films, anytime they are in, I will watch them. This morning I was watching For Yours Only, which is actually one of the better Roger Moore, Bond films. My favorite Bond of course is Sean Connery (and happens to be wife's favorite hunk in Hollywood). My second favorite Bond was Pierce Brosnan. I would have like Brosnan continue on as Bond, but I guess he got tired of the role.

I have not seen the new Bond movie, (Casino Royale) but from what I am hearing he is going to be a good [looking] Bond.

Eventually I'd like to get all the Bond movies on DVD, the only I have at this point, is Die Another Day. What I am waiting for is a good deal on a box set on three or four at a time. Until then, I will catch them as the come on cable

Another bonus with Bond movies, Eye candy for both the male and female viewers...especially if its a Connery played Bond

--gfo

Book Review: Sea of Thunder

Most people who know me well, know that I am a big military buff, particularly World War II. Up until a few years ago, I concentrated most of my WW II studies on the ETO (European Theatre Operation). It wasn't until about April 2005 when I met a couple of WW II navy veterans of the Pacific Theatre, that I really began to read and research more into the Pacific war.

Right now I am reading a book entitled, Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945 by Evan Thomas. I am about 2/3 of the way through the book and its primarily focusing on the latter years of the Pacific War, and Fleet Admiral William "Bull" Halsey. Its a great read and its gets the reader into the mindset of not only Admiral Halsey, but his staff, and subordinates. You also are also able to get into the mind's of some Japanese Admirals, including Yamamoto, Kurita, and Ugaki.

The book pulls no punches and is equally critical and praising of both the American and Japaneses commanders.

I got the book for Christmas from my son, and picked it up a week or so ago. I should finish it in a few days.

I must add that I am constantly using the Navsource Photo Archive website to look up the American ships mentioned in the book. Its a great website, that has pictures, facts, and almost everything else you would like to know about any ship the Navy has ever commissioned or is building. There are almost 60,000 pictures, and nearly 16,000 pages. Its a privately run website and is very well put together.

The more I read about Admiral Halsey, the more I respect him.

--gfo

The SI Cover Jinx - Super Bowl Edition

Can this be a sign of things to come. Last week, Drew Brees donned the cover and the Saints lost. A few weeks ago, Eagles QB Jeff Garcia was on the cover, and the Eagles won. So this year in the NFL playoffs the cover jinx is 1-1.

The Colts are the favorite, but I will be rooting for the (Da) Bears. If the Eagles aren't in the Super Bowl, I generally root for the NFC team. Plus I am not a real Peyton fan.

So far Peyton hasn't chooked, but in the Ravens game, it was all on the kicker. Let's see how he does against the Bears defense.

--gfo

The Best Part of Waking Up

Yes it is Folgers in your cup, but also the aroma of said coffee. Ah, the magic of the coffee maker with the timer. Set it up the night before and magic, every morning at 0700 it turns itself on, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee begins to fill the house.

Sometimes it makes getting out of bed rewarding...sometimes

Almost as good as the smell of bacon cooking

--gfo

State of the Union 2007

I must admit that I again missed the SOTU speech once again. I'd really like to watch it but I always seem to get sidetracked. I probably would watch it more if the members of Congress would just stop clapping and let the President speak. Its hard to grasp what he is saying when every twelve seconds there is applause.

I have read some excerpts from the speech and some of the ideas seem sound and doable, but with a democratic controlled congress it will be tough to get anything done, without one side pissing and moaning.

One thing that I don't want, is a tax increase. The middle class in this country pay to much in taxes as it is, we don't want/need to pay anymore than we already are. I do agree that the federal budget needs to be balanced and the deficit lowered, and doing so without raising taxes would be great. My suggestion, if anyone is interested, is less pork spending. Also have the GAO take a real hard look at federal spending across the board, leave the stone unturned. There is waste all over, I am sure there a lot of things that could be streamlined, reduced, cut, and or reevaluated that could save this country a boatload of money.

Just my 2¢

--gfo

A Cold Next Couple of Days

Winter has finally arrived here in southeastern Pennsylvania. We have had a few minor snow storms (less than an inch each time) in the last few days and the temperatures have been dipping into the teens, with the wind chills taking it to below zero.

This coming Friday the high is only expected to reach 25°, as I am typing now its 35°.

Our new oil burner has been getting quite a work the last few weeks, good thing we got it replaced when we did.

--gfo

Parcells To Retire

It comes as new surprise to me that Dallas Cowboys head coach Bill Parcels has decided to retire from coaching after only four years with the team. In that time he lost two postseason games with the cowboys and had a 34-32 record. He has coached two separate teams to Superbowl wins, The New York Giants on 1986, and the New England Patriots in 1990. His overall coaching record was 183-138-1.

I always like the Parcells as a coach, and I am sure he will be elected to the Hall of Fame. Save for the Cowboys, he had success with most of the teams he coached.

I'd certainly like to see him in one of the network studio's as an analyst. His opinion, candor and experience would be a welcome addition to any of the networks.

Should he decide to do nothing, then I hope he enjoys himself.

Good luck Bill, even though you coached two NFC East rivals, you will always be respected by me.

--gfo

Our First (Real) Snow

Although this isn't our official first snowstorm we actually did get enough snow to cover the ground and the cars. Its a little slick out, but otherwise just enough to be slightly annoying. The kids and Mrs are disappointed that they have to go to school.

I cleaned off the Mrs car this morning, my car is in the garage so I have not work to do.

--gfo

NFL Conference Finals *The Outcome*

Well I was ½ right (I did pick the Colts) in yesterday's NFL Conference Finals Blog. I watched the better part of both games and they were both great games.

The Chicago/New Orleans game was a little less exciting. It looked the Saints were going to make a game out of it in the third quarter, but the Bears defense really stepped it up and made some great plays. Brees had a heckuva game, and a great year for the Saints, but his magic just wasn't enough.

The Colts/Patriots game was incredible, it was as exciting of a game that I have seen in a long time. New England looked liked they had it in the bag. In fact my son was surprised when I told him that the Patriots lost, (when he went to bed they were still winning). Jabbar Gaffney's (interesting that his picture in the link has him in an Eagles uniform) TD catch in the third quarter was a great grab. Of course there will be a lot of talk in this area, because the Eagles cut him late in training camp.

This game was a true nail biter to the end.

Congrat's Coaches Dungy and Smith on two well coached games.

Its going to be a great Superbowl in two weeks.

--gfo

NFL Conference Finals

Should be a good day of football today. Chicago hosts New Orleans and New England visits Indianapolis. A couple of quarterbacks have a lot to prove, The Bears Grossman, and the Colts Manning.

Will be interesting to see if Peyton and his boys can actually win this one without Peyton choking. The Colts do have the advantage as they are playing at home, and I think that will be the factor.

The Saints look really good last week and their running game is hard to stop. The Bears are at home and are used to the cold weather so that is an advantage to them. But, I think the Saint's are a better team and will prevail.

My predication, Saints versus the Colts in the Super Bowl

--gfo

Two Years

From today, a new President of the United States will be inaugurated. Its interesting, that we are over eighteen months away from the election and various candidates are setting up exploratory committees, raising money, and even mud slinging. I have no opinions right now, just that we are just barely into a new Congressional session and the wounds from the mid term elections are still being licked by the Republicans, and we are already discussing the 2008 Presidential election. There is no escape from it, talk radio, the Internet, newspapers (I barely read any other section of the paper outside of the sports section), and emails. I get two or three a day from candidates and parties, asking for donations.

How about focusing on some issues that matter to this country now, not who is going to be President in 2008. Let's start really debating about that this time next year.

Politics and politicians suck most of the time.

--gfo

A Boring Friday Night

The Mrs is working until 2330, my son is at his friends house, my daughter is talking on the phone to one of her friends, and there isn't really anything interesting on the 200+ Directv Channels that we have. I do have to pick the boy up in about an hour or so, and while I am there, I will probably chug back a cold Coors Light with the neighbor.

Not a whole lot going in Southeastern PA this cold January night. Its been real cold here this week, and we even got a little snow (see my blog post from earlier today).

Wish I had something more interesting to write, but blogging about being bored killed about five to ten minutes.

Maybe I will play with the cat (if I can find him)

--gfo

Our First Snow

Turned out to be a real bust, my weather alerts were honking all day yesterday about a winter storm coming in. Kids and the Mrs. were all excited with the prospect of not having school. Woke up this morning, barely a dusting. The only real excitement was that it was cold and wet enough that those who park outside had some ice to scrape off their cars. Fortunately for this blogger, he parks in the garage, no windows to scrape, car starts right up, and away I go.

So, surprise, surprise, the weather folks got everyone all worked up for nothing.

--gfo

The Ultimate Rock Band

I have been thinking over the last few days about what the ultimate rock band would be (guitar, drums, vocalist, bass, etc). I am going to include some folks that are deceased, since this is just a fantasy, but boy what a band it would be. Since it is so hard to choose just one, I am going to list my top three or five. For guitar I am going to list ten, since its so hard to choose just five.

VOCALIST

1. Roger Daltry (The Who)
2. Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones)
3. Brain Johnson (AC/DC)
4. Robert Plant (Led Zep)
5. Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)

BASS GUITAR

1. John Entwistle (The Who)
2. Nathan East (Studio Musican, has played/toured with Eric Clapton)
3. Berry Oakley (The Allman Brothers Band)

GUITAR

1. Eric Clapton
2. Stevie Ray Vaughan
3. Jimi Hendrix
4. Angus Young (AC/DC)
5. Jimmy Page (Led Zep)
6. Stevie Ray Vaughan
7. Carlos Santana
8. Duane Allman (The Allman Brothers Band)
9. Joe Satriani
10. Richie Blackmore

KEYBOARDS

1. Chuck Leavell (The Allman Brothers Band, Rolling Stones, among others)
2. Gregg Allman (The Allman Brothers Band)
3. Billy Joel
4. Elton John

DRUMS

1. Jaimoe and Butch Trucks (The Allman Brothers Band)
2. Alex Van Halen
3. Keith Moon
4. John Bonham

THE BAND

• Singer: Roger Daltry
• Guitars: Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan
• Bass: John Entwistle
• Drums: Jaimoe and Butch Trucks
• Keyboards: Chuck Leavell

It was a tough list to compile, and in the end what a lineup it would be. I think the guitarist were the hardest, they are so many good one's out there.

The song I'd like to see this band do, would be the Derek and The Dominoes classic Layla

--gfo

The Eagles Encylopedia

Here is another must have book for the Philadelphia Eagles fan, The Eagles Encyclopedia by Ray Didinger and Robert Lyons. This book has year by year stats, player, coach and owner bios, even information about the stadiums the Birds have played in. It also has over 200 photos, from all eras. It makes a great coffee table book, and is well written and very informative. Didinger is a NFL Hall of Fame member (media) and former writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He now works for NFL Films, He also does radio and TV appearances, and is one of the foremost experts on NFL football that I have ever read and heard.

Any die hard Eagles fan needs to have this book

--gfo

Two Great Books On Philadelphia Sports

If you are a fan of or are from or used to be from the Philadelphia area, I highly recommend two books that are quick reads, but are very funny, informative, and capture, the passion, love, and hate this town and its fans have for its teams. The books are written by three hosts of the very popular AM sports talk station 610 WIP, Glen MacNow (who co-wrote two of them), Anthony Gargano, and Big Daddy Graham, MacNow and Gargano used to be writers for the Philadelphia Inquirer before they switched to talk Radio. Graham was and still is a local stand up comic. All three men grew up in the area and are very knowledgeable about Philly sports, its vast history and its fans.

The first is The Great Book of Philadelphia Sports Lists by Glen MacNow and Big Daddy Graham. This book which feature lists by many other sports and other celebrities. Some of the lists include:

• Who were the ugliest mugs to ever play in Philadelphia?
• What Philly athletes gave the best performance in film or TV?
• What are the top area sports bars?
• Who are the most overrated and underrated players in Philadelphia history?
• What Philadelphia mortals had "touched-by-God" moments during the game?
• Who is the most hated rival to Philly teams?
• Who made the greatest sports exit?
• Who are the most beautiful women associated with Philly sports?

I picked this book up last Friday, and have already gotten through it, its funny, brings back a lot of memories (some good, some bad) but mostly its very informative

The second is The Great Philadelphia Fan Book by Glen MacNow and Anthony Gargano. This book is mainly a book about the fans of this city, yes the one who booed and threw snow balls at Santa, and have often been labeled the toughest fans in the world, (Bloggers note, having been to many sports events in this town, we live and die with our teams, are we tough, hell yes, but we do support them through thick and thin. I just started this book, and so far it is really good.

Like I said earlier, if you are a Philly sports fan, you really need to pick these books up, especially the Fan Book. If you aren't a fan, at least pick up the Fan Book, it gets into the psyche and passion that we the fans in this city have for our teams, written from the fans perspective.

--gfo

Healthcare and Insurance Companies *UPDATE* Part IV

Miracles can happen, I finally got the CT Angiogram done yesterday, it almost took an act of Congress but it finally happen. Probably over 50 phone calls, for a test that took all of ten minutes.

Hardly seemed worth the effort.

--gfo

Eagles 24 Saints 27

Well the season is over for the Eagles, after last nights disappointing loss to the Saints at the Superdome.

The defense came up way short last night, allowing over 200 yards rushing, they did manage to hold Drew Brees to 243 yards passing, but Brees completed 20 of his 32 passes. The Eagles defense which has been so impressive through the latter part of the season really choked last night. Missed tackles, missed opportunities and overall poor fundamentals, which plagued them so much earlier in the season.

Jeff Garcia was less than impressive last night as well, completing 15 of the 30 passes for 240 yards. The big spark came on the 75 yard touchdown to Donte Stallworth in the second quarter. It was a beautiful throw by Garcia and great run by Stallworth.

Save for the 62 yard touchdown run in the third quarter, Brian Westbrook performance last night as well as the Eagles running game was shut down well by the Saints defense.

It was a nail biter the whole game, and it was exciting to watch, although disappointed at the outcome, the Eagles had a great season, despite losing McNabb midway through.

I hope the Eagles management re-sign Garcia and Stallworth in the off season, as both of these players proved their value to the team.

--gfo

Healthcare and Insurance Companies *UPDATE* Part III

As I blogged about earlier this week, the CT scan that was scheduled for last night was not done, because a doctor needs to be there for the test. Would have been nice to know that beforehand, we wasted three hours last night.

Sigh, one of these days this damn test will get done

--gfo

Missing Socks

Probably one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in/of life is where are all the missing socks. I have a plastic shopping bag full of lonely, unmatched socks just waiting to one day be reunited with its long lost mate.

About once a month I take the aforementioned bag and dump it on my living room floor and spread each sock out individually. I usually have about a 5% success rate in matching up a pair so the effort is not all in vain. This matching attempt usually takes about 15-30 minutes, and looks rather silly if you happen to walk into my house and that time. After I go through the pile, the unmatched socks go back into the bag, and return to the cold, damp basement where they will wait another month or so to perhaps be matched, and leave the basement and be reunited with their brethern in the warmth of one of the four sock drawers in our house.

Most of the socks are kid's socks, so I will most likely throw them out after a few more unsuccessful mating attempts.

I'd still like to know where the other half of the pair went though. It defies all logic, you put things into the washer and dryer, and everything should come out, right. Pants, underwear, and shirts never seem to go missing, only socks.

We had our heating coil replace in our dryer a few months ago, no socks were found by the technician, so the dryer isn't eating them.

One other theory that I have, is that there is an island of unmatched socks, much like the fictional island of misfit toys in the classic Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer Christmas special. If such a place exists, I'd like to take my bag and try to find mates for my missing socks.

Perhaps this is a question that only God himself can answer, or maybe Congress can open hearings...although they may try to blame President Bush, but somehow I think he is not responsible for my missing socks

--gfo

Baseball Hall Of Fame Voting

It comes as no surprise to me that Mark McGwire was not voted into the Hall of Fame this year in his first year of eligibility. Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, Jr. (both in their first year of eligibility) were voted in as expected and certainly deserve to be enshrined. Most impressive of all was the percentage of votes* that were received for Ripken (98.5%) and Gwynn (97.6%). Both men were class acts and great players

Had McGwire (23.5% of the votes), not been suspected of steroid use, I would certainly say that he belongs in their, but until he can prove otherwise, he like Pete Rose (who I do believe deserves a place in the hall of fame) can go around the country and plead his case. I think his not testifying at the Congressional hearings certainly hurt his case. Americans can be very forgiving, but his arrogance at the hearings turned me off. His home run race with Sammy Sosa in 1998 was very good for baseball but the after affects send a bad message to the young kids out there.

Come clean Mark, and maybe one day you will be enshrined

*75% needed to be enshrined

--gfo

Healthcare and Insurance Companies *UPDATE*

As blogged about yesterday I was having trouble getting a CT scan scheduled approved, etc.

I got a call from my doctor's office late yesterday afternoon and my test was scheduled for this friday at 1745. Let's see if it actually gets done without any hassles.

--gfo

Healthcare and Insurance Companies

So for the last two months, I have been trying to get a CAT scan scheduled. The doctors are playing phone tag with the insurance companies and each other...(side note the CT scan I need is a very unique one), and here it is two months later, and I still haven't been able to schedule the test.

I call to schedule the appointment and the CT they say I need a pre-cert number, the insurance company says, I don't need one, the CT department says I do, and the cycle repeats. In the last 15 minutes, I have made five phone calls, and have gotten no where.

This is amazing, the United States is so advanced with our medical systems, treatments, and hospitals, yet getting things done is practically impossible, due to the assclowns at the insurance companies. I feel bad for the doctors who want to get test done, and have to beg, borrow, and steal to get things approved. In the end, its the patients who end up getting screwed in the long run, and the doctor's and their staff spend countless hours trying to justify why they need certain tests done, while the insurance companies throw up roadblocks. The doctor's should be doing what they are/were trained to do, patient care.

Sometimes I think that the insurance companies forget that peoples lives are often at stake, and all the companies seems to care about is their own bottom line.

Only in America

--gfo

The Apprentice LA Edition

I must say I like the way the show has been reformatted, making the losing team sleep in tents, the project managers stay the same until they are fired, and the winning project manager is part of the board room team.

Should be an interesting season this year. I think the changes were needed to make the show more interesting, and make it more competitive for the participants. I do miss George though, his years of experience and insight brought a lot to the table.

I must say that Martin, the first guy that got fired should have been canned just for the way he dressed. The shirt he had on was hideous, it looked like a table cloth that you use on picnic tables. He was the obvious choice to be fired, I just don't see him as having the personality to work with a Trump like guy.

I have a feeling that Frank, the losing team's project manager won't be around long. He seems to be to much of an ass kisser to early on for me. Although he seems pretty bright, the way he was kissing the Donald's ass didn't sit well with me, and from the Donald's expression it didn't sit to well with him either.


--gfo

No Worse With The Curse

I almost picked the score right in this blog post, and the oft talked about SI cover jinx didn't happen. Although it was close it was a win. Sorry SI but the jinx didn't affect Garcia and the boys.

Let the good times roll

--gfo

Eagles 23 Giants 20

Well it wasn't pretty (and neither was the weather) but the Eagles edged out the Giants 23-20 with a 38 yard field goal by David Akers with no time remaining in regulation. It was truly a nail biter up until the end. Brian Westbrook had an incredible game, 20 carries for 141 yards but only two catches for twelve yards receiving. He did have a 65 yard punt return for a touchdown, but it was nullified by an illegal block in the back penalty. I knew right after he took off down the sideline and Joe Buck said there was a flag, that the TD was coming back. However it was a very nice play, and shows how dangerous he is a returner. I am sure Coach Reid will throw him back there every once in awhile.

Note to Coach Reid and GM Heckert, look for a better Punt/Kick Returner in the off season, Reno Mahe sucks, and the team needs a Westbrook type threat back that can be a real threat to break one open for some real yardage, and maybe get a kickoff return past the 20 or 25 yard line.

Jeff Garcia had a less than stellar game, completing only 17 passes on 31 attempts for 153 yards and one touchdown, but in the clutch and under pressure, in the last four minutes of the game performed wonderfully.

Tiki Barber's final game turned out to be a good one, 137 yards on 26 carries, although he had no touchdowns. He is a class act and the Giants are losing a great player, and future hall of famer.

Another good event this weekend was the Cowboys loss to the Seahawks last night, after the anointed one Tony Romo fumbled the snap on what would have been a easy 19 yard field goal for the win in the closing seconds of the game. After he had a few good games, he was everyone's golden boy, and it was great to see him choke in the big game, just like he did a few weeks before against the Eagles. (Cue Sarcasm) It always breaks my heart when the Cowboys lose, especially on national TV. (/End Sarcasm)

Next up the Saints, this coming Saturday evening at the Superdome.

I think my heart rate is finally coming down, and the game has been over for nearly thirty minutes.


FLY EAGLES FLY ON THE ROAD TO VICTORY, FLY EAGLES FLY SCORE A TOUCHDOWN 1-2-3, HIT 'EM LOW, HIT 'EM HIGH, AND WATCH OUR EAGLES FLY, FLY EAGLES FLY ON THE ROAD TO VICTORY, E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES

--gfo

Hopefully the often talked about Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx will not be a factor in the Eagles/Giants Playoff this coming Sunday. Although Jeff Garcia's phenomenal play in the last few weeks has certainly warranted his gracing the January 8, 2007 cover, I just hope the jinx is not a factor in this game. The town is buzzing about this game, and it should be a real good game against two fierce division rivals, with two stellar running backs, Tiki Barber of the Giants, and Brian Westbrook of the Eagles.

Hopefully (SH)Eli Manning will choke like his brother does in the playoffs, and our much improved defense get's in and stay's in his face, and puts him on the ground a dozen or so times.

Will be nice to see Koy Detmer back on the field again. He was signed earlier this week, primarily to be the holder for Kicker David Akers

My predication, an Eagles win, 27-17.

--gfo

An Interesting Roster Move

The Philadelphia Eagles announced today that former Quarterback/Holder Koy Detmer has been signed to a one year contract.  Detmer was signed primarily to be the holder for Kicker David Akers.  Punter Dirk Johnson had been the holder all season, and has done an admirable job this year. 

 

My opinion is that the Eagles signed Detmer not only to be the holder but as third Quarterback, since Donovan McNabb has gone down, Jeff Garcia has played remarkably, and AJ Feeley had an excellent game yesterday as Coach Reid played the second and third team players yesterday as the NFC East was clinched earlier in the day with Detroit upsetting the Cowboys. 

 

Welcome back Koy, hope you aren't too rusty.

 

--gfo

A New Era

Well its official, the US has its first female Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. as the US Congress began its 110th session yesterday

Let's see if she and the new democratically controlled house can put they money where their mouths are, and actually do some of the things they said they were. She wants both party's to play nice and work together, I wish that would happen, but I am a realist. Its all nice to say in while the cameras are on, but once the door's get shut, I am sure the backstabbing will begin.

Some of the items on the democratic agenda:

• Increased minimum wage
• Medicare Drug Plan and Stem Cell Research
• Retirement Security
• Energy
• Education Loans
• 9/11 Recommendations

The democrats have their chance, if not, then let's toss them out in two years

--gfo

Notre Dame 14 LSU 41

In a nationally televised game, the Fighting Irish got their butts whipped last night 41-14 in the Sugar Bowl (I refuse to use the corporate name).

I only watched the first half and I really like what I saw from the Irish, and was surprised when I woke up this morning to find out that the 14 points they had scored at halftime were to be the Irish's only points of the game. Darius Walker's first half performance was amazing, he was over a 100 yards rushing by ½ time. His overall numbers were impressive as well (22 carries for 128 yards, 2 receptions for 30 yards) and it looks like from his total yardage for the game that the Tiger's defense was able to shut him down for the remainder of the game. Should be interesting to see if he comes back next year for the Irish or make's himself eligible for the NFL.

Jeff Samardzija had a good game from what I saw, 8 catches for 59 yards, and 1 touchdown. He has an interesting decision to make whether he will play pro baseball or football. He was drafted by the Cub's, and based on his height 6'5" he would be a great addition to any NFL team, and has great hands. I am sure he may try to do both, but I think he is better suited for the NFL.

Quarterback Brady Quinn, a Heisman candidate this year, should be a high first round NFL pick, although his performance last night was pretty subpar (15/35, 148 yards two touchdowns, and two interceptions), his overall year was impressive.

Not a bad year overall for the Irish, 10-3 overall. Congratulations on a fine year Coach Weis.

--gfo

Score One For The Good Guy's

Yesterday a suspect was arrested, without incident, in the shooting of Glenolden Borough Police Officer, Matthew Illich. The shooting occurred in Norwood, PA, early yesterday morning, which is about two miles from where I live. I also have a cousin who is a police officer in the borough of Norwood, who was not working at the time.

I have a special place in my heart for police officer's as I worked as a police dispatcher for many years, and worked with so many fine officers during my Fire/EMS years. Since this occurred so close to my home and could have been a member of my family, we were very concerned.

I also have a deep angst against people who shoot at cop's. Hopefully this guy is tried, convicted, and put away for a long time, as he deserves it. People like these are truly a menace to society, and should face severe consequences.

Officer Illich is recovering from his wound, and is expected to make a full recovery.


--gfo