Quickly...

Every day I have had the intention to post an update on the new job, the demise of the Caps in the playoffs, and the Wizards inability to close out a playoff game, but sadly, despite being 7 minutes from the house, I am working harder now than I was prior to the switch. That being said, I'm actually having more fun than I've had in a long time. After 7 days, I can say that I enjoy working with my new co-workers, I am being challenged in ways I've never been challenged, and see an opportunity to learn so much more than I ever have. To sum it up... I'm happy. Funny how things work out the way they are supposed to...

In other news, I was in a car accident yesterday at the intersection of Madison St. and Washington St. in Old Town Alexandria. Somehow, I survived 80 miles a day for 7.5 years without a single incident... and 6 days into my new job 4 miles from the house I get sideswiped. Weird. The long and short of it is that I was traveling east on a 2 lane, one way road, and a lady in the right lane attempted to turn left as I was passing her in the left lane. She claims that she was in the left lane, but logistically, it would be impossible for someone to pass to the left of her if she was in the left lane. I've traveled on that road for over 10 years and have reviewed the incident in my head the three times I've driven through that intersection since and cannot see how I she thought she was in the left lane. In any case, the 4runner sustained relatively minor, cosmetic damages while her driver's side wheel well was completely smashed. Gotta love the tank. What annoyed me most was that she jumped out of her car and started yelling at me, whereas the first words out of my mouth were, "are you ok?" Her response was, "of course I'm not OK, you wrecked my car!" Which proceeded to make me even more agitated since she was clearly not of sound mind... but oh well. We traded insurance information and we'll see what the impact is to my rate... ugh. Knock on wood, that's the last of my troubles with my crazy commute.

For those of you that I have not mentioned this to, Grafik is a Mac shop, which means that I have to learn all of the shortcut keys that I have grown accustomed to on the PC. What that has led to is me using Mac commands as I'm typing this, and PC commands as I attempt to work. It's very frustrating and I'm sure I'll have even more stories as I convert to the Mac. All in all, I really cannot comment on Macs as a whole since I do not have my final laptop yet and thus have only spent as much time as I've needed to in the past 7 days on what I have. I'll keep you posted though.

Finally, I DO have some stories to share from my experiences on Saturday trying to negotiate a lower cable bill, a lower cell phone plan, and a different gym membership, but my frustration level is so high still with that and I was so unsuccessful that I'll leave it for another time.

New Start

The grand plan was to blog every day that I was off from work last week. Then of course the weather got warmer and I wanted to spend less and less time indoors. I finished off the week with two trail runs around 4-5 miles each, a trip to the gym and a 15 mile bike ride down to my parent's house. On Saturday, Lauren and I ventured out to Chesapeake Beach, MD for lunch and to check out some of the properties on the water. For those of you who have never been out there, it's a great place to do a summer weekend night dinner or get married if you live locally. The air is definitely cleaner and the people seem a tad friendlier than their neighbors 35 miles away. In any case, it's pretty safe to say that I was able to make the most of the weather before starting my new gig on Monday.

Speaking of which, yesterday was day 1 of being the "new guy" a role I had not played in over 7 years. While it's always a little uncomfortable the first few days, my new co-workers were all very friendly and are excited for me to be joining the team. After one day it's very apparent that I'll be kept pretty busy and will be challenged, which is exactly what I was hoping for... Now, if I can only get my own computer...

On to local sports... sadly, the Wizards continue to struggle with the Cavs while the Caps have now forced a Game 7, which wraps up tonight at the Verizon Center. It's definitely a first to have two DC teams in the playoffs playing games on the same night... something I could definitely get used to.

Anyway, that's all for now... more on the latest happenings soon!

Week Off, Day Two

So, it's that week between jobs, that week that we all look forward to while we're working wherever it is that we're working... a week that reminds you of Spring Break in college when you don't have to worry about anything. I don't have to think about my old job, and don't have any obligations yet at the new job. So what's the agenda for the week?

Well, the "Big Week Off" started early last Friday, when the weather was in the high 70s. I was able to sneak in a long bike ride in the afternoon on my new hybrid bike before Lauren and I went to the Eastern Shore for the weekend and tasted the food that will be served at our reception on Saturday. We also checked out the church so that we could actually see where we'll be declaring our life-long love for one another. The church is "ok." It's not your traditional Catholic church with high ceilings and stained glass windows, but it's not the building that matters... it's who is standing across from you at the altar. Anyway, from the church, we went on to Salero where we tasted pork spring rolls (C), scallops wrapped in bacon (A-), mini crab cakes (A+), Baked Salmon (B), Ham and Grueyere Cheese stuffed chicken (A), and a house salad that consisted of bleu cheese, cranberries, and nuts (B+). It was definitely enough to fill up, and helped settle some of the indecision we had about certain foods. The menu is not final yet, but it's safe to say that based on what we tasted, it's going to be a VERY tasty reception!

The rest of the weekend was spent watching the Masters and Tiger fail to make a move on the final day for the first time in awhile. I was actually disappointed that Immelman was never challenged on Sunday, though he seemed like a pretty decent guy in the interviews, and you have to feel good for a guy who four months ago was in a hospital bed wondering if the tumor in his body was cancerous. Sadly, the weather itself was a bust on Sunday... cold and kind of rainy. Also watched the Caps give away Game 2 to go into Game 3 today tied 1-1.

Yesterday, Lauren took the day off and we spent most of the day running errands letting the weather slowly warm up. By the afternoon, it wasn't too bad (mid 50s), so we went down to the water in Old Town and laid out in the sun for a few hours reading. Speaking of which, I picked up a great book by James Rollins, called Subterranean. It looks like this is one of a few books that he has written, so I'm looking forward to spending more time today and the rest of the week doing some much needed reading.

So, today... I've already been to the gym and perused the Washington Post to get caught up on my local sports news. In summary, the Wizards won last night in futility as the Cavs locked up the 4th position in a bizarre set of events that had them shooting the winning free throws after the 76ers had already left the court. The Wizards will face the Cavs in the first round for the 3rd straight season beginning this weekend I think. Meanwhile, the Caps play Game 3 tonight against the Flyers and hope to regain home ice advantage. Based on what I saw on Sunday, the Caps need to shake off the mental games and play their game. The Flyers are playing a rough style that seems to shake the Caps, particularly Ovechkin, who cannot seem to get into a rhythm. That being said, if Boudreau can wake them up, there is no reason why the Caps can't take this game tonight. We'll see.

Finally, I came across this great video on Chris Cooley's blog this morning that pits Portis versus Cooley's fiancee to see who knows Chris best. I am pretty excited that Chris is blogging since he's by far my favorite Skin and a guy that seems to have no problem giving his fans a window into his life.

Anyway, time to get moving and make some lunch. I think I'm going to try and go check out another part of the Potomac Heritage Trail after lunch and see if it's going to provide a place to go trail running in the future. Have a great day everyone!

End of an Era

Well, it's official... my time at WeatherBug has come to a bittersweet end after seven and a half years of amazing and memorable accomplishments. During this time period I've learned so much about product management, about building a business, and made some great friends along the way. The products that I've helped build are used by millions of people every day and have saved countless lives over the years.

For those of you who do not know, I've accepted a position at Grafik, a marketing communications firm based in Old Town as their new Director of Interactive Strategy. In this position, I will get to work with a great team to build up the interactive practice, and learn so much more about marketing and advertising. Not to mention, it's 5 minutes from our place in Del Ray.

As I shutdown my laptop and get on I-270 South one last time, I wish everyone at WeatherBug good luck and thank everyone for an unforgetable seven years.

Coming Out of a Haze...

After 7 days of feeling absolutely terrible, I woke up this morning feeling as if a great fog had been removed from my head. While I am still horribly congested, I have a lot more energy and have no problem eating. Not sure if it's the weather or the drugs, but regardless, I'm happy that this craziness is almost over... I hate being sick.

Birthday Fun

Grandpa's Birthday Present
Originally uploaded by psubuzz

Despite fighting some form of the flu and feeling absolutely miserable, there is something to be said for how a happy baby can make you feel. We celebrated my dad's birthday over at my brother's and this was surely the best present of all.

Big Night Tomorrow

After a 4-1 win last night over Tampa Bay, the Caps have taken over the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference, temporarily. Philly plays tonight against the Devils while Boston faces off against Ottawa. The outcome of those games should determine where the Caps sit going into tomorrow night's season finale against the Panthers.

That being said, not only are the Caps finishing off their regular season tomorrow night, the Final Four tips off, AND we have DC United's home opener against FC Toronto. A pretty big night for Washington sports...

Regardless of how the season ends for the Caps, it's been an amazing run that Boudreau has spear-headed the second half of the season, and I can easily see a Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry developing for the next 5-10 years which will be great for the NHL and great for this town.

Sick... Again

I'm not sure if it's the changing seasons or if Lauren continues to bring home various sicknesses from work, but I am suffering from yet another malady. I felt OK yesterday morning, but after doing a few odds and ends around the house and eating lunch, I been completely laid up by some form of flu/cold crud. I don't know about you, but when I get sick, I slip into a selfish survivor mode where I have no interest in anything but myself and feeling better.

How do you handle being sick? Any special remedies out there I should be aware of??

The Verdict Is In...

Despite emptying half of the trash can that was full of dirt from our little project, the trash team decided that it was still too heavy to take this morning. So, I'll be out there again this morning trying to remove more dirt until it reaches acceptable weight standards.

Lesson learned.

Another Day, Another Dollar

Saturday's Project
Originally uploaded by psubuzz

Today, Dan (pictured above) and I decided to build a patio for the the grill I got for Christmas. Four hours and $100 later, mission accomplished. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be though the blisters that are currently forming on my hand will hurt for awhile. The REAL question is whether or not the garbage trucks are going to pick up the 350 lbs. trash can of dirt on Thursday.

I know you're asking, what in the world were you doing with dirt in the trash can.... well, ask Dan... it was his idea. ;)

Local Sport News (3-29)

In local sports news, the Wizards won a big game over the Kings tonight 114-108 further improving their impressive March record.

Meanwhile, the Flyers lost in OT and Carolina won big over the Trashers making it harder for the Caps to make the playoffs. I think our only hope is going to be catching up with Boston or Philly, but Boston has a game in hand at this point, so I guess we'll see how the weekend plays out.

And Then There Were None...

No Big Ten teams left in the tournament. It's not that I'm surprised that both Michigan State and Wisconsin lost to Memphis and Davidson respectively, I'm more surprised at how badly they were dispatched. Wisconsin couldn't find an answer for Stephen Curry and Davidson and MSU was completely run out of the gym by Memphis. They say that this could be the first Final Four that contains all of the #1 seeds... I guess we'll see if that's the case on Sunday when play completes.

In our NCAA draft pool, my money pick of Stephen Curry is keeping me within striking distance and if Davidson somehow finds a way to dispatch of Kansas on Sunday, he could be my ticket to the cash this year. Stay tuned.

The Billygoat is Back

The arrival of spring and warmer weather of course means that it's time to start the trail running again. I figured that since I had been doing 3-4 days of cardio a week over the winter that I would be able to slide back into trail running without a problem...

I finally found a web site that has a great explanation of what the hike/run is like. Click here for more information.


View Larger Map

Sadly, I was only able to run the trail in one direction yesterday and had to hoof it back on the towpath. This morning, I woke up with sore legs from the various muscles you use to maintain your balance as you make your way over the various rocks and branches. Oh well... can't wait for the next run... It's so peaceful out there, though yesterday the quiet was broken up now and again by what appeared to be Fire and Rescue were practicing something on the river as they were speeding up and down in about 4-5 different rafts.

Grenade Ho!

I was racking my brain this morning about what was newsworthy or worth blogging about, and fortunately the daily crime report produced by the City of Alexandria came through for me... Directly from the report:

400 block of Crown View Drive. 03/24 between 3:00 P.M. and 3:30 P.M. The reporting person, a 48 year-old Alexandria man, reported a grenade attached to a basement window in a residence. The Alexandria Fire Department, Arlington County Bomb Squad, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Army Emergency Ordnance Disposal (EOD) responded to the scene. A perimeter was set up and several homes were evacuated. Army EOD safely removed the device from the home.

As you can see from the image below, it's not a neighborhood where one would expect to be requiring a helmet or flak vest, but there's always something interesting going on in Alexandria.


View Larger Map

If you live in the area and do not subscribe to the Alexandria enews, I highly recommend it as you learn a lot about your neighbors by the crimes that are committed... Click here to subscribe.

Easter Fun

Bunny on the Loose
Originally uploaded by psubuzz

Nothing says "Happy Easter" like a baby in a bunny suit. I hope all of you had a peaceful and relaxing Easter!

Badger Fan

Hoping the Big Ten can continue to represent.

Bowling

Lauren is apparently bowling here...

Tournament Time

For some reason this Thursday and Friday haven't felt the same as they have in past years. Not sure if it's the fact that not as many of the peeps are able to take the time off, or if it's watching it in the living room versus the "cave" of a few years ago, but it has lacked the excitement of previous years. I am sure this so-so feeling is a combination of the factors mentioned above, and changing priorities, a lackluster day one of the tournament, and a few other life changing events over the past few months... In any event, it feels like a little bit of the magic, or "madness" if you will, has disappeared for the moment. Honestly, up until Davidson's win over Gonzaga, and W. Kentucky's win over Drake, I was more interested in doing some spring cleaning than watching hoops.

Side note: how in the world is W. Kentucky beating Drake an upset? Since when did Drake earn the right to be "upset?" Makes no sense to me.

Anyway, Georgetown advances, and of my NCAA draft team (see below), only one guy (from Kent St.) has been eliminated in the first round... Could mean big things for Team B-rad...

Team B-rad
Josh Shipp - UCLA
Darrell Arthur - Kansas
Stephen Curry - Davidson
David Padgett - Louisville
Connor Atchley - Texas
Wayne Chism - Tennessee
Lazar Hayward - Marquette
Keaton Grant - Purdue
Kyle Weaver - WSU
Al Fisher - Kent St.
Keith Benjamin - Pittsburgh
James Mays - Clemson

3 Goals in 4 Minutes

After a sluggish 1-0 first half DC exploded to make it 4-0 by the 68th minute. Not a bad first home game of the season.

UPDATE:Game finished 5-0 after the flurry during the second half.

Milking Cows

Dan has done this before.