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Today the wind was a lot stronger than we had hoped which made laying out a challenge... That being said, we have each found different ways to atypical ways to relax at the beach.
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After a relatively uneventful drive yesterday, Lauren and I arrived down in Kitty Hawk to join my family for a week in the Outer Banks. 6 adults and 3 dogs, one of which is still a puppy. Can you say craziness?
Looks like Saturday is becoming more and more about survival these days in the college football ranks. The parity that exists these days seems to make each week about winning and moving on... Penn State managed to do this, though allowing 3 TDs in the final quarter surely won't sit well with JoePa (we listed on XM on the way down). Three teams that didn't make it through the weekend: Georgia Tech, Louisville (goodbye national championship hopes), and UCLA (same to you). With Louisville now having a loss, it will be interesting to see if they dash the hopes of their fellow Big East teams, i.e. West Virginia and Rutgers. Same with UCLA... do they have enough talent to bounce back and knock of USC later this season when they get their chance?
On to the big boys... My FFL matchups today are going to be tough with me down a few points in both leagues to my opponent. That being said, I was not favored last week as well and pulled off two very convincing wins. Will the trend continue? At least I don't have to stress about the 'Skins today with them playing tomorrow night in Philly. That being said, it still looks like it's going to be a nice day of sun and football...
Yay.
Last night, DC United continued it white hot 9 game unbeaten streak last night barely beating Real Salt Lake 2-1. The game saw Emilio score his 19th goal (who somehow is still in 2nd in the MVP voting right now behind Juan Pablo Angel), 8 yellow cards, 2 PK saves, and several beers thrown in the air. On an amazing night where you could sense Fall returning to the DC area (finally), a small group accompanied Lauren and I to the game where we saw DC take the lead off of a great goal by Emilio, only to see if disappear minutes later from a long shot by RSL. The level of play then spiraled down into a seriously chippy match with the ref seemingly calling phantom calls on DC while allowing RSL to throw 'bows at Olsen and several others. In any case, we were finally rewarded with a PK that Gomez promptly missed. Seconds later, a phantom PK was issued to RSL which Perkins made a diving save on. Finally, about 10 minutes later, Fred set up Gomez on a beautiful cross that Gomez nodded past Rimando. All in all, we earned 3 pts, took a 7 pt lead with 5 matches remaining in the season and locked up a berth in the playoffs.
Unfortunately... the previous night I was not so lucky at Jeff's steamy house of poker, donating my $20 to the eventual winner... the steamy host himself... I suppose there is always next time... Though $20 poorer, we had a good time and had 2 newcomers join us which should make it easier to get together more often in the future. Until then...
For those of you who care... the two games last night did not make much difference in my FFL games as my weekend ended in a 5-0 sweep across my teams... PSU, Skins, United, Socks but No Drawers, and Live Action.
We have a friendly game of poker scheduled for tonight and DC United plays again tomorrow night at home, so let's hope the streak continues...
More on poker tomorrow...
Latest AP and USA Today Poll is out and Penn State is ranked #12. I suppose it's no surprise given that both Georgia and Virginia Tech lost ahead of us. With the Big Ten season looming two weeks away we only have an opportunity to beat two ranked opponents this year... Ohio State (#10) and Wisconsin (#7) and both of those games are at home...
I like our chances.
As I mentioned the other day, come fall, the weekends are all about the teams, and how the teams do... A successful and "good" weekend is one where you can pull a sweep. That being said, Penn State posted a 31-10 win yesterday. Earlier today, the Skins won 16-13 in OT and DC United posted a 4-2 win in hot, humid RFK Stadium. DC's offense was too much for New England and with the win pulled ahead by 4 points in the Eastern Conference with just a handful of games remaining before the playoffs.
All that remains are my FFL teams which are currently both winning... On top of all of that Tiger pulled away today at the BMW championships to take a commanding lead in the FedEx Cup Standings. I'm not entirely sure why Mickelson decided not to play this weekend, but given that idiotic decision, he will have to play out of his mind next weekend if he wants to have any hope of winning. That being said, where in the world did Steve Stricker come from? How is it that he has played so consistently for the past three weekends that he is sitting in a great position right now? Where has he been in the majors?
So... can I pull a sweep??? Stay tuned...
After a sluggish start and two turnovers on our first two possessions (one which was returned for a TD), Penn State was able to pull away, led by a very strong defensive performance. Personally, my biggest takeaways from seeing my first game on TV this year are:
After two weeks, our campaign for "the season" is still in tact... Next week, we've got another warm-up game against Buffalo (who actually thumped Temple good yesterday) before heading up to the Big House to face what could potentially be an 0-3 Michigan team... Who would have thunk?
Well, the fan mail has been pouring in, wondering where I have wandered off to, so I figured it was time to return from my hiatus and entertain the masses. To everyone who expressed their concern, thank you, I'm fine, we've just been busy being busy.
What have we been up to over the past two months?
Well... a simple check of the Google Calendar, which by the way we swear by, shows that we've been to a friend's wedding, Lauren has been to the DR, Beckham came to town (prior to ending his season), we spent a weekend in Ocean City, our parents finally met, and at work, it's been about the busiest as it has ever been in the 7 years I've been there (more on that next week).
So, the summer is now over and we're entering what has to be one of my favorite times of the year... Fall...
What does Fall mean to me? OBX, FFL, NCAA, and NFL... translated... Outer Banks with my family, Fantasy Football, Penn State games, and Skins games. This is the time of year where a man's happiness is directly proportional to how his teams do during the weekend... when we'll ask one another, how did you do, and we'll respond 2-2 or 1-3 or if it's a great weekend... 4-0. What does this mean? That your fantasy teams won, Penn State won, and the Redskins won.
Anyway, with week 1 upon us, Socks but no Drawers takes on the Scrappy Irishmen in the WeatherBug league, and Young Action takes on the DC Lions in the AFL. Penn State hosts Notre Dame, while the 'Skins host the Dolphins. It's too early to call the fantasy games since I have yet to see how my guys are going to do this season, but I'll call for a convincing Penn State win, and a close Redskins win.
For those of you who care, and are still reading, I'll paste my fantasy rosters at the end of this post... To everyone else, the hiatus is over. Please check back as the fall progresses to stay up to date on all of the sports happenings, the wedding planning, and all of the exciting things happening at WeatherBug. Until next time...
Socks But No Drawers Roster
J. Cutler QB
R. Brown RB
L. Johnson RB
P. Burress WR
D. Driver WR
M. Stover K
K. Winslow WR-TE
D. Dolphins DST
B. Favre QB
D. Foster RB
J. Lewis RB
A. El WR
B. Marshall WR
D. Hackett WR-TE
Young Action Roster
T. Brady QB
W. McGahee RB
C. Portis RB
R. Brown WR
L. Evans WR
J. Hanson K
S. Holmes WR-TE
D. Seahawks DST
J. Campbell QB
J. Norwood RB
D. Williams RB
D. Bennett WR
J. Cotchery WR
K. Curtis WR-TE
Leaving Sumter Behind
Originally uploaded by psubuzz
After 3 hours in the sun, we were pretty burned and beat, and had heard enough of the history of Fort Sumter. I have to admit though that I find the Civil War one of the most fascinating wars and hearing how the battle for Fort Sumter started the Civil War was pretty interesting. It's hard to believe that in the very first battle, there was no loss of life.
Too bad it didn't stay that way for the rest of the war.
Lauren, Myself, and the Bridge
Originally uploaded by psubuzz
Who knew that the largest cable suspension bridge in North America was down here in Charleston? I was actually surprised.
In any case, here is a picture of Lauren and I on the water taxi taking us over to Patriot Point to catch a ferry over to Fort Sumter. We missed the ferry from downtown Charleston by literally 2 minutes. In the end, our taxi ride saved us those same two minutes had we waited for the 3:00 ferry, 3 hours later. :)
Lauren's Dream Breakfast Place
Originally uploaded by psubuzz
What a great idea... a breakfast place that specializes in cereal. We didn't actually go in, but we both thought this could be a neat little niche place back home as well... Different kinds of milk, a wide range of cereal, coffee, and wi-fi!
But would enough people come to sustain the business... that's the question.
Love the Architecture
Originally uploaded by psubuzz
Lauren and I are in Charleston, SC this weekend and as we walked along the bay, despite the nasty humidty and extreme temperatures, we both love the architecture of the south. Nice palmettos, big porches, big courtyards...
A far cry from the colonial houses we have back in Virginia.
You know how you get that feeling that you can't cool off after working out, as hard as you try? Well, this morning, even after stretching for 15 minutes and taking a long cold shower I can't stop sweatin'. And walking down the street in this damned humidity does not help!
Love DC summers...
Much better weather prevailed on Tuesday with temperatures in the low 80's and winds a lot calmer than they were on Monday which made for a great day of fun in the sun, sand, and surf.
Couple at the Beach
Originally uploaded by psubuzz
MIOL and I are on the Eastern Shore for the long weekend and today went over to Ocean City for the day. Unfortunately, the combination of getting more than enough sun yesterday at the pool, combined with a stiff breeze made the visit short. We'll give it another shot tomorrow and hope for a warmer day.
Not surprisingly, the cool weather did not keep other beachgoers off of the beach as the sand was packed as far as the eye could see in all directions.
Overall though, a pretty relaxing day... which has been much needed.
Well the trip is coming to a close. After another late night the crew was up, cleaned out, and on the road by 10am. Safe to say that the drive is MUCH better than the way up.
Now it's time for some food and then an afternoon to catch up on all that has happened over the weekend.
I'll post some pictures where appropriate, emphasizing the word appropriate, when I get home. But I believe the bachelor had a good time with good clean fun...
The longest day of golf ever finished at 5:15 after teeing off at 11. I think Dan had the best round of the day by far parring quite a few holes and nearly getting himself a Brad chest bump twice only to choke and par instead.
It happens.
In any case we're heading back to the house for what will more than likely be a much tamer night than last night. On the menu for the evening are some ribs, grilled chicken, and some salad. Like I said, tame. So what are the girls up to tonight?
After a rough night, the crew has made it up (at 10) and are now on the course here at Wisp. Dan is having the best day so far with Jeff right on his heels. Ahmed is balancing pretty good play with brotherly advice, and Royce just looks good today. Chris and I are driving the boys around offering a tip every now and again and some well timed remarks. I THINK they appreciate our humor, but maybe not?
A good day was had by all. Many memorable quotes... Quite a few pictures we will more than likely delete... And friendship abound.
Jeff is soundly asleep upstairs, Royce is asleep on the couch, last I saw, dan was still laying on his bed in his bathing suit, and Chris and Ahmed are chatting the night away across the hall...
I'm definitely bummed that I can't share some of the pictures as they are all priceless in their own way. Soon enough. I have to admit that it is a lot nicer up here than I expected. It's very quiet and everyone we have met is very friendly. I will have to look into Deep Creek again with our friends for a long weekend...
Anyway, this is the latest I have been up in a long time so it is time to call it a night. What will tomorrow hold?
Six guys ventured out for a nice dinner by the lake. Damn is it cold out! After a few drinks and some tame stories about how Jeff met Katie and all of the wonderful qualities Katie has that he loves it got a little crazy.
I'm not sure if it was the game over T-shirt or the fact that we were congratulating Jeff very loudly on his impending wedding, but it did not take too long for two blonde locals from joining us at the table.
And then their husbands stopped over...
2 hours later Jeff has heard some sage advice: no guys nights out, take out the trash, do the laundry, tell her she looks good in a size 6 even if it is a size 8, and all kinds of things you'd only hear out in deep creek Md.
The pictures will tell it all, but it is safe to say we will see our friends tomorrow...
Until then....
Sorry ladies, no internet access this weekend which of course means NO pictures! I'll do my best to Blog from the cell phone. Tedious.
In any case we're here and the place is sweet! Not sure how much Jeff knew ahead of time but he seems genuinely happy which is what is important.
It is quiet, the weather is cool, and we have the makings of a good weekend... Oh, and the beer is cold!
More later...
So.... After finally passing what appeared to be a chicken coop in a truck on the side of the road we finally started moving again. For all of 45 mins. We have the good fortune of driving on 68 when it is shut down to one lane for road work. So... 3.5 hours later... Still another hour to go.
Ugh. My biggest fears were realized. We didn't hit the road until 2 and have been stuck in traffic for 2 hours. We're a mile from Hagerstown with another two hours to go.
Jeff has been a good sport so far. We're sure he knows where we are going but he's playing along anyway. 
I hadn't realized that it's been a solid month since I've actually had time to log on and blog about what's happening... My apologies to all 2 of you who actually read this to keep up on our lives around here.
Between one of the busiest and exciting months we've had at WeatherBug in years, the beginning of wedding planning, moving roommates in and out, and planning my buddy's bachelor party it's been almost too much. But somehow, we find a way to put our head down and keep moving, which in this case is what the mantra has been.
We're only a few weeks away from me being able to talk more about what's happening at the Bug, and once revealed, you'll have a better understanding of what has been keeping me busy night and day and weekends... But until then...
Anyway, today is the beginning of Jeff's bachelor party. Seen here.
For those of you following at home this weekend, depending on air card availability, I will do my best to document the weekend and keep you posted...
I just can't guarantee it won't be censored... ;)
Tuesday Morning - Laid out most of the day
Tuesday Evening - Sat in the hot tub
Wednesday Morning - Laid out on the beach
Thursday Morning - Went shopping and saw a movie with MIOL
Friday Morning - Slept in, sipped on coffee, and worked on puzzle with MIOLDay one is finally here. We arrived yesterday afternoon to 20mph sustained winds and chillier than expected temperatures. We also arrived to see that Tropical Storm Andrea had her way with the dunes down here last week. I took a picture of our dune deck below that used to actually be ON a dune. As you can see from the picture, there is not much left protecting this house from the next major storm. It also looks like they had to lower the deck by about 4 feet (there are four new stairs), and add a new stairway (so that you don't just walk down into the ocean).
So, as many of you who know me well, you also know that this is about the time of year that my family takes its first trip down to the Outer Banks for a week. A week long vacation could not come at a better time as I am ready for the peace and quiet and ready to relax. I know MIOL is also looking forward to being able to close her eyes and sleep on the beach.
I'm going to give the no work email for the entire week a try again this trip and see what awaits me upon my return, but I do know that when I did that last fall, it made a huge difference in my ability to fully enjoy the time off. But as most of you know, the amount of email you have after being gone for a week is beyond ridiculous.
Which makes you wonder why we opt to communicate so much over email. It's one thing if you use it as a form of communicating with friends overseas or friends that are hard to get a hold of on the phone. But work? It seems that more and more people are becoming either passive aggressive or non-confrontational, and would rather send a flaming email or send a series of email questions, rather than get up and walk 20 feet to talk to the person. This has got to be one of my greatest pet peeves as I am very much a "walk and talk" kind of person. I enjoy getting up from my desk and walking around, talking to the people I need to talk to get the job done.
As BlackBerrys become more and more prevalent over the next few years, will we become an email society?
What matters is that I will not be participating in that society next week.
It's official!!! MIOL and I are engaged!!!
17 months in the making, I have met my match and the person I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with.
I promise you that the story leading up to the proposal is well worth a phone call to me if you want to hear it. The intricate details and subtleties are too much to go into on here and will take too long to describe.
In any case, I look forward to blogging about the progress and planning as we set a date and move forward towards the most exciting day of our lives.
Stay tuned...
I'm excited to announce the launch of a new product from WeatherBug, WeatherBug Alert. Whether you want one-click access to live conditions and the forecast for your neighborhood, or severe weather alerts delivered to your desktop, WeatherBug Alert is right for you. For those of you concerned about downloading big desktop apps, or using a lot of memory, WeatherBug Alert is less than 400KB in size, and uses less than 5MB of RAM when running.
And if you're happening across this blog outside the U.S., never fear, WeatherBug Alert works everywhere!
Click here to download it and let me know what you think!
After great expectations of coming up to visit Pittsburgh and go mountain biking with my college roommate, rain has chosen to "dampen" our spirits a little bit. It definitely stinks and maybe if the rain moves on we'll get a chance to get outside, but for now we're laying low, relaxing and waiting for the NFL draft to start.
The is about as close as I may come to a bike this weekend... So sad.
Last night I was fortunate enough to meet up with a friend I met last summer at Gnomedex in Seattle, along with his friend who were visiting the States from South Africa. After a day of sight seeing, I picked the two of them up from the metro and met MIOL at Mai Thai down at the end of King St. in Old Town Alexandria.
Today, My Inferno of Love (MIOL) and I decided to take advantage of the warm weather and check out one of the regional parks in Northern Virginia that we had not been to as of yet. So, after visiting the NOVA park web site, I settled on Red Rock Potomac Overlook Park out by Leesburg. The park definitely earned its name as it was full of red rocks throughout the hike.
After a bit of confusion on where we were supposed to go, we pulled up at the hotel at 9:50. If I had gone to the right place it would have been 9:30. So, I would say that we spent all told about 3 hours on the road for a 2 hour trip. Once we got passed Fredricksburg, we were able to fly for the final 45 miles. It was just that darn stretch between there and the beltway.
Anyway, thanks for following along this evening. Hope you had fun and have a great easter weekend.
After a nice dinner at panera we're back on the road at 7:30. Hopefully it won't be long... Say maybe an hour and a half? Two hours? You decide.
To be fair we have stopped for dinner at potomac mills. A half hour on the road so far. Traffic was as expected but hopefully it will lighten up when we get going again. Stay tuned.
So we're heading down to Richmond for a family wedding and like a few thousand other geese, we'll be driving down 95. For those of you following along at home, we are leaving Arlington at 6.
Will it be 2, 3, or 4 hours to drive 120 miles on a holiday Friday... Good Friday at that!
Stay tuned as I Blog our progress.
