Wow, I looked at the stats yesterday and it said that was my 600 post since starting the blog. Not too bad. Although 600 posts in 44 months isn't great. So, most of you who know me know that I'm not a fan of books on tape or cd. I gave Matt a dispensation because of his 1 hour commute each way. I gave Tom a dispensation because of a 5 hour trip across the state. I, myself, never listened to a book on tape or cd. Until this morning that is. Those who know me are also aware that I hate holiday creep. So, when I heard my first Christmas Carol on the radio more than a week before Thanksgiving, I started carrying CD's in the car constantly. Well, Tom was home this past weekend and he had Shopgirl by Steve Martin read by Steve Martin. So, I thought I'd give it a try. I took it in the car with me this morning and my car cd player started the disc, let it play for about a minute and a half and started skipping. I ejected the disc and there were no spots, no scratches, nothing to prevent it from playing. I put it in again, more skipping. I waited 10 minutes to see if the car should be warmed up or something, same result. I took the disc into the office when I got there and it played just fine on my computer. So, apparently I'm not supposed to listen to books on tape or cd.

It's amazing how quickly the day goes when you get stuck in a conference room for two hours. Of course, the time doesn't go quickly inside the room, just everywhere else. Tomorrow is the last day in November already. 26 days til Christmas. That means only 34 more days til they start advertising the sales for next year.

Well Sid was back and we came away with a win. It wasn't pretty, but it puts them in better standing within their division. Back to back games this weekend and a couple of wins should put them right back on top. The nice thing is, they're hovering right around playoff contention. That will be the true test of the season. Keeping the team on track to make and advance in the playoffs.

Hopefully Sidney will be back tomorrow night. I can handle, a point, but seriously, 2.2 seconds left in the overtime? That's just missed coverage. It's the Rangers, dammit, not a good team. I find it interesting how work ramps back up after a main holiday. Most people, in fact my entire client list, had both Thursday and Friday off. Most of them took Wednesday as well. So, I had two days of relatively stress free catch-up. This morning started off fine. Then around 11 am everyone pretty much called at once with whatever emergency they had just discovered, thus ending any hope of getting real work done period.

Thanksgiving was nice. Not necessarily relaxing, but nice. Gage had a great time playing with my niece. Then later in the evening we headed over to Tom's parent's house. His nephew Eli was there so Gage had another playmate for a while. Hopefully there won't be too much of the black Friday nonsense going on on the way to work tomorrow.

Wednesday didn't go quite as fast as I had hoped, but we did get out of work earlier than normal so I guess it was a wash. So yesterday I was watching celebrity Jeopardy. Does anyone else find it both ironic and disconcerting that the Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings got whomped by Micheal McKean? And I'm not talking about just a couple hundred ahead. I'm talking 3 times the amount of money. The Pens managed a point tonight in a game they should have lost. In fact they came back in a wonderful fashion pushing it to overtime and losing in a shootout against the Bruins. Well, Friday afternoon it's the Islanders and Saturday night it's the Rangers. I'd love to see back to back wins. With New Jersey's loss tonight and a 4 point gain we'd be back on top of the division, where we belong.

The wolf raised his head slightly. His nose had detected something foreign in the air. Water dripped from the exposed fang. The fresh carcass drug to the hole lay on the flat to the left. Three wolves now crept between the watering hole and the flat. To eat meant to fight. As the first aggressor strode forward, the wolf put his head down again toward the water. Then in a flash he was on the aggressor's back and in the same motion pushed him into the tree stunning him. The companions dove at the same time. Crouching low, the wolf was able to gain the advantage and managed to sink his teeth cleanly into a hind leg. Yowling the wolf limped off to lick his wound. Now it was a one on one battle. Seeing his companions down left the third wolf uncertain and it was that weakness that was exploited. A slash to the jaw and the battle was over. Without glancing back, the wolf picked up his kill and trotted toward his home secure in the knowledge that he would not be followed.

Strength comes, not from numbers, but from singular determination.

Here's to a quick Wednesday into the holiday.

Stupid technology. Our phones were getting pretty beat up and this month we crossed that whole new every 2 nonsense. So tonight we headed to the Verizon store and listened to the spiel before explaining to the guy that, "the phone rings, we answer" and sometimes we text message. He tried selling us on some ringback tone nonsense and then upgrading our text messaging (which we have never maxed out). So when we finally got the phones, he transferred our cell numbers (so that hasn't changed for the people who have the numbers) and handed us the phones. I now have a headset that I'll probably never use. One thing that irks me is that the text messaging is set up completely different from my old phone. I haven't quite figured out how to switch it to smart-texting where it will finish my words for me, thus saving me time and energy. So, I have to type in each letter for the moment. Stupid technology.

It's a shame. I brought so much work home this weekend and I've done next to none of it. I know that most people are applauding that I spent my weekend doing other things, but since I was behind on Friday when I left work and I haven't caught myself back up, tomorrow's going to suck. I just have to keep checking til I get into the clear.

Today was my 2 year anniversary at work. I can't believe it's been 2 years already. Mid-July next year and I'll surpass my own record at keeping a job. Of course, that's assuming I make it that long. At least next week is only a 4 day week. That should give me a slight break I guess.

A lot of people at work and several regular readers of this blog watch the new NBC show "Heroes" every week. It's a frequent topic of discussion. One of the guys in the pod next to us will come over, chat briefly about Studio 60 with me and then join the Heroes conversation with two of my other pod-mates. During this week's conversation there was a turn to heroes with super powers and regular people raised to the hero level. The natural flow of the conversation turned to pop culture. Big name actors, rock legends, sports personalities all mentioned in the same sentence as the word hero. But they were mostly in the past...Bogart, Brando, Dylan, Cash, Howe, Lemieux, all guys that are either retired from their profession (either by choice or by nature) or guys that are simply trying to keep a little of their past alive by lacing them up for a pick-up game, playing some benefit concerts, whatever. By the time Gage grows up will there still be heroes? Will there still be someone to look up to? Or will society be jaded beyond the point of raising a common man to an uncommon status based on ability? Since hockey is usually the prevalent theme...will someone like Sidney Crosby have the same level of career that Mario Lemieux did? 90% of the time most of the fans in the arena aren't even sure that Lemieux is in the building. Yet, they simply show a clip of one of his goals or a charitable act and the whole place is on their feet in a standing ovation. And it's not just hometown bias. I thought for sure it would on YouTube, but I couldn't readily find it. When Mario Lemieux first retired from the game of hockey in 1997 it was during the Playoffs. Pittsburgh was playing Philadelphia and ultimately ended up losing the series in Philadelphia. So, at that point, Mario had played his last game on the road. The fans in Philly stood and applauded for several minutes to the point where Lemieux did a farewell lap in the opponent's arena. Ask Matt to confirm, there is no love period between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in the world of the NHL, but they showed respect to a premier athlete of the game. A man who could change the entire course of a game with one play. People in Pittsburgh sometimes called it Mario Magic. When television did a close-up on Mario, Mike Lange used to warn people about his "hungry" look. When Mario looked hungry, things happened. Will Malkin make a similar impact? Malone, Fleury, Armstrong...will they match up to Orr, Howe, Richard? Doubtful. Will they make their own impact like Trottier, Stevens, Francis? Only time will tell, but it's to the point now where the media is gun-shy to even make comparisons or observations about talent and productivity at any level. Johnny Cash's music is ingrained in the fabric of American society. Will Toby Keith have the same effect? Mark Twain's fiction is available in any book store. Will Stephen King prevail beyond his time? Most people in Pittsburgh and beyond recognize the names of Terry Bradshaw and Jack Ham. How many people remember Roy Gerela? Tom and I had a similar discussion about Entourage and the fact that neither one of us truly bought Grenier's character as the newest hottest actor. He had no presence. Yet when we started looking at the "hot" actors of today, there was no presence among them either. Maybe it's just the cold medicine talking, but I hope that Gage or Nathan or Katie or Nicholas or Andrew or Kadin or Jacob or Norah get to grow up and experience some form of awe over an everday hero, someone who has overcome the odds and still come out on top. Whether that's a famous athlete, a teacher, or even a next door neighbor I hope they are sitting around in 30 years talking (okay rambling) about how impacted they were by childhood and adult "Heroes."

Last night's hockey game was good. It's kind of ironic that getting our seats moved between the first and second periods cost us t-shirts in the third period, but I guess having the extra seat and closer view makes up for it.
After reading Conversations Before Dinner you know that even though they mean well a toddler just won't absorb everything you say. Sometimes you even suspect they might not be listening. But what of the other people in your life? Wife, husband, mother, father, co-workers, boss, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. What happens when you suspect they might not be listening? And then, what happens if it goes beyond suspecting? What if you have proof that your co-worker isn't listening? Your wife? Your parents? Your siblings? I'm not talking about forgetting some minor detail of a conversation that you had 3 years ago about what your favorite color shirt button is on an oxford button down bought after July 4th in an outlet mall on a rainy Tuesday (greyish blue, in case you forgot). I'm talking about big things. I'm talking about the fact that I'm expected to know every nuance of the 78 projects that I currently have going on. But if I send an email to someone and follow up one day later, I get a blank look. Why does the road never go both ways? Am I expecting too much?

Happy Birthday Susie!!!!!!

Hopefully the Pens can turn into the skid tomorrow night when Philadelphia skates into town. We could use another 8-2 whomping in our favor. The past two games haven't exactly been indicative of the season which is a good thing. On a more positive note I'm pretty much caught up on all the television I've been blowing off. That all changes tomorrow when we're at the game and I have to tape Studio 60 again. Since I have to be at work at 7 a.m. on Tuesday I doubt I'm going to be in the mood to come home and skim through 43 minutes of television that you have to pay attention to closely.
Tom had sent me a CNN article on a complete season pickup for Studio 60 which makes me happy. It really surprised me that the article pointed out that Sorkin was aiming for a demographic that was smaller in scope and more refined than advertisers usually strive for. Since I'll have to tape tomorrow's episode, I might do a quick analysis of the commercials.
And, I've got to say, a sketch putting Jesus Christ as the head of the standards and practices bureau of a network would be hilarious.

The two parter episode of South Park that played on Buck Rogers was absolutely hilarious. It made me want to run out and pick up the series just to see the in-jokes that I might have missed due to memory lapses from childhood. Another week gone by and once again I have that sinking feeling of a distinct lack of accomplishment. Often I wonder if therapy might help ease my apprehension in times like that, but then I realize that if I tried to schedule another hour in my week to actually meet with a therapist, I'd get even less done. I believe Joseph Heller described it best.

We have to figure out how to win in overtime. And even more difficult, I have to figure out how to break to my parents that the plans that we changed 4 times for Thanksgiving have to be changed again since I forgot to cross reference it with the hockey schedule. Fun.

Tom was in this weekend and gave me some interesting things for my birthday. The two books were this and this. An interesting mix to say the least. There was also a magnetic bumper-sticker that I didn't really understand how it related to me. It was something to the effect of, "I'll be perfect as soon as I get that walking on water thing down." I'm not sure how this pertains to me. I'm probably the most humble person I know. I mean, I'm truly humble. In all aspects of life. Completely and totally humble.

Tomorrow is election day. Take 5 minutes, pull up your local paper online, make a few informed decisions and VOTE!!!! Previous Americans fought hard to give us the right to vote and exercising that right is a great way to repay them. Besides, I have to hold out that slim hope that one day our politicians we elect will do what's right for America (and not necessarily the party they represent).

Okay, so we're 1 and 1 on the west coast going into Anaheim. I can live with that I guess. Although there was certainly some sloppy hockey played in the shark tank. It just would have been nice to stick it to Ron Wilson again like we did so many years when he was with the Capitals. It's also a shame that Malkin's scoring streak came to an end. But, there were still good things to look at in the game and hopefully they can carry that stuff into the Duck pond and come home on a winning note. Terri's at work all day today pulling a double shift. So, I have the little from 7 am to 9:30 pm. So far so good.

Ah, overtime on the west coast. That meant I climbed into bed somewhere in the vicinity of 1:30 am. Right before I shut off the television, the local sports show has "highlights" of the Pitt/Carnegie Mellon basketball game. I think the score was something like 103 to 45. Let's just say we weren't really on the winning end of that one. Oh well, I guess that's just one more thing the Pitt students can add to their list of things to dislike about their bosses when the Carnegie Mellon students hire them.

I actually got quite a bit accomplished at work. One of my clients is quite a talker, which is actually a nice break occasionally. I'm working, so I don't feel guilty about it. A large portion of my job is good customer service. What's funny is that this particular client has been working with me in various capacities for well over a year and she might carry enough weight to have me flown to Chicago to meet her and her staff. I doubt it's going to come about, but it's kind of funny. Putting a face to a voice on the phone is always interesting.
The west coast swing isn't starting off as well as I had hoped, but maybe they can pull it out.
Oh, and my usual yearly rant...It's 11/1 and we're shopping for one of Gage's little friends who is having a birthday party. I'm expecting to get good deals on some Halloween candy that's been slashed because of the packaging. Instead, when I wander back to the seasonal section of Target I see one small section of some pumpkins and a couple costumes and 8 aisles of Christmas assorted merchandise. Christmas. Dammit, if I ran the world Christmas wouldn't be allowed to start until the day after Thanksgiving. That would be law.