Yeah... This close

Yep... 3 rows behind the bench.

Stardust

If you have not heard of the movie stardust I highly recommend you checking it out. We netflixed it and while we were thrown at first by the fantasy nature of the movie we were pleasantly surprised in the end. The cast includes Robert De Neiro, Michelle Pfeiffer, sienna Miller, Claire Daynes and a few others that you would recognize. It's a great break from reality and a fun movie to watch. Which is just what I needed last night after this weekend. Check it out and let me know what you think. 

More Fun

Well, the weekend is over... But it didn't end without a little more excitement. It took a battery reset to get the speedometer working again after the car's fun on Friday.

And it Continues

I'll have to take some better pictures with my camera but after getting about 6-8 inches of snow last night it has started again this morning (I guess it's still morning though I went to bed this morning... But I digress).  It should make for some more good sledding (yes, we went sledding last night... Morning - sorry).

Snow

Safe to say that we were not expecting the "snow emergency" when the group left national airport this afternoon.  And when I say national airport, I mean there was a lot of subterfuge going on before we arrived here at Deep Creek. That being said, before we settled in for the evening we dealt with a stuck MDX, a stuck Mercedes, and a stuck infinity sedan in the snow up here... Snow that everyone down in Alexandria did not deal with this evening.

In any case, we all finally arrived safely, though I definitely got my fill of snow for the winter... Pictures to come. (the fact that I had to push multiple cars this evening is a little annoying and unexpected).

But like I said, I will post some pictures of the debacle when we get back.

Treacherous Drive

So we are heading to the snowy mountains of MD. What's funny is that our friends back in dc won't see any of this snow. For us... We get snow.

The Big Day is Here...

... and I'm all packed up. Whether or not I'm going to be appropriately packed for this mystery weekend is an entirely different matter. I guess we'll have to wait and see what is in store for the big bachelor!

Given that I have no clue as to where we are going, I am unsure if I will be able to blog about the weekend as it is happening. If I get a phone signal, I'll try and post some pictures. If not, I'll recount as much as I can on Sunday when we get back.

For those of you joining me on this excursion, I want to extend my thanks for taking the time off from work to spend this time with me. I know what it's like to work around busy personal and work schedules, so this means a lot to me.

To everyone reading at home... have a great weekend!

Firesale?

Looks like someone in the building is offloading some computers... That, or some very clever thieves are making off with the goods...

Annoyances of the Day

1) In an effort to further control the speeding that is happening in the parking lot here at work, the property management company has decided to raise the speed bump total from 20 to 40 (rough estimates) in our parking lot. Keep in mind that the original 15 are of the short but severely sharp kind, and the additional 25 are wider and a tad shorter. While this doesn't really bother me in the 4Runner, I am annoyed that this could have been nipped in the bud originally by posting stop signs at areas where traffic patterns cross rather than influence traffic patterns by arbitrarily throwing speed bumps down. I'll try and take a picture at some point to give you an idea of what I'm talking about, but for those of you working at WeatherBug, you KNOW what I'm saying...

2) My Outlook has up and decided not to work anymore. My "OST" file is "corrupt." As a company that relies on Outlook for communication and schedule management, not having Outlook since I got in working has been a real pain. I understand that there is a web version available, but it's just not the same... and I appreciate some of the suggestions, like "use your BlackBerry to do email" but in an effort to conserve my thumbs, I will pass.

Big Weekend Ahead

Well, despite being a few months away from the big day, it's been decided that my bachelor party will be this weekend. And while it is technically my weekend I have been uninvolved in the planning. Traditionally, these type of things are more fun for the married friends than the bachelor or bachelorette, so we'll see how different this one is. I've received my official instructions as seen below...

b-RAD,

Your surprise weekend destination could require a multitude of clothing
requirements.  Here are a couple of things that you might want to throw in
the ol' duffel bag:

Swim trunks
Pair of shorts or two
T-shirts
Jeans
Clothes that can get gooey
Clean underwear
hiking boots
gloves
socks
toiletries
flip flops
towel
Government Issued ID
Some cash

So it appears that I will be going to a lakeside marshmellow fluff factory on top of a mountain that MIGHT be across some international border.

Hopefully, if I can get the photoblogging worked out I can keep you all posted on the events... It should be fun irregardless. These are my peeps and I'm pretty honored and psyched that they can all get away for a weekend with me.

Progress

Figured I'd keep you posted on the ever-growing Milestone Center Industrial Park area here in burgeoning Germantown. For those of you who do not traverse up 270 you would have no idea how many companies want to move into this area (I had no idea either). But apparently there is enough interest to justify another building.

Pulled the Trigger

I did it... Upgraded to the BlackBerry pearl yesterday. So far so good. I figure I'll test it out for the 30 days and decide if I want to keep it or change to a phone with a full keyboard. I'll keep you posted.

West Virginia Weekend

View from the Backyard
Originally uploaded by psubuzz

We have a friend who has a cabin in the West Virginia mountains and we were fortunate enough to tag along with him this past weekend. The cabin is seriously in the middle of nowhere (couldn't find it in my GPS), and at night, it is about as quiet and dark as you can get. It was so dark and quiet in fact, I almost freaked myself out standing outside on the balcony Saturday night.

In any case, this is the view from the mountain that the cabin sits on, after a very steep 25 minute climb. Based on some of the maps we had, I think this is about at 3,200 ft. facing east towards VA.

It was really nice to get away from DC for the weekend and truly unwind, and the amazing part about it is that it is only 2 hours away. Pretty cool.

The BlackBerry Saga

As some of you know, I have been jonesin' for a new blackberry for a few months now because: 1) this one is getting old and is much thicker than the new ones, 2) I want a phone with a camera so I can be cool, 3) I want to photo blog from my phone, and 4) everyone else has one.

Well, my anniversary date is February 22nd and I've tried everything I can think of at the Verizon store to get them to move it up without a fee and nothing has worked. When I say the phone doesn't work they give me a new one, when I say I'm spending a lot of money with them they don't care. I've even gone as far as to say that I am personally responsible for building the weather content on their phones, and they think that is cool, their standard response is, "call customer service."

But, the more that I think about it, the more I am inclined to switch carriers all together and go with someone that has the Curve so that I get the full keyboard AND has a camera. I'm not totally set to go this way, but as I am experiencing with Comcast (more on that in a forthcoming post), it may be time to move away from the incumbant. And no, this is not going to spiral into a political post as I am kind of getting sick of all of the primary coverage... Which by the way, thought it was interesting to hear this morning that the Chesapeake region (Maryland, DC, and Virginia) is a battleground area for Obama and Clinton. Our little area is finally politically relevant. Funny. But I digress...

Just in typing this alone, I had to spell Virginia 10 different times to get this small keyboard to figure out what I was typing so maybe it IS time for a switch... Though sources are saying that Verizon will be releasing a curve lookalike in the next few months... Should I wait? What do you think? Just think of all of the fun pictures you'll get once I have a camera on my phone!

Babysitting

Who Me?
Originally uploaded by psubuzz

One of our birthday presents to my brother was babysitting for a little bit tonight so that he and his wife could go out for dinner on his big day. While it was only an hour and a half or so it seemed longer... We had fun though... We love the little guy!

Happy Birthday Bro

My big (and only) brother turns 36 today! Happy birthday Steve! I'll have to dig around for a recent picture of him to post... Which I'm sure will thrill him tremendously.

Wedding Planning Update

For those of you who are nice enough to actually keep up on my blog, I thought I would let you know that we ARE actually listed on TheKnot.com under our first and last names and we ARE working on our registry. I was actually surprised at how complicated and exhausting it is to put together the darn registry, but after switching ideas of where we want to register a few times we have settled on 2 stores, of which details will be posted on the knot and my blog once complete. Should be in the next week or two.

Also, the save the dates are finally in (got them yesterday) and we will be putting together the packet and sending them out in the next week. We truly appreciate your patience, but this also took longer than expected.

That's the latest... More to come as we enter the final six months...

Nobody is Perfect

I don't know about you but I had mixed feelings Sunday night during the game as I watched the Patriots quest for perfection end in a last minute loss to the Giants. On one hand, I was rooting to witness history, and on the other, you couldn't help but he sucked into rooting for the overwhelming underdog. As funny as it sounds, I was at odds with myself and it took some of the enjoyment out of the game for me and left a bittersweet taste in my mouth when Eli escaped the clutches of not one Patriot but THREE Patriots and completed that pass. Don't get me wrong, we all screamed and shouted when they scored, and yes, I was happy for Eli, but I am so sick of the damn 72 Dolphins that I was hoping that it would all end Sunday night. Oh well...

By the way, did anyone else see how hammered Shockey looked in his box? I believe Joe Buck said, "Shockey must be worried about his job" (in reference to how well the rookie Boss [I had mis-typed Voss - thanks Gene] has performed in Shockey's absence) when he must have wanted to say, "geez, that guy is loaded!" I mean, did you see all the empty cups around him??

Thus begins the countdown to next season... Thank God MLS starts in 6 weeks...

Bucket List & Macy's

On Saturday night, we joined our friends Dan and Leslie for drinks and an excursion to the Old Town Theatre on King St. to see the Bucket List, starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. If you haven't had a chance to either make it to the Old Town Theatre or to see the Bucket List, I highly recommend both. While the theatre is not quite what you may be expecting in terms of a normal movie theatre, it makes up for its rough edges by the small town feel you get sitting in the rickety seats. I'd say there were about 14 of us in the theatre total (and that might be generous), and after we were lectured by the owner on bringing in outside food and drink, we were able to put our feet up on the ledge, stretch out, and enjoy our wine during what turned out to be a GREAT movie. I'd have to say that Bucket List vaulted into my Top 10 and will make it to our Netflix list so that we can watch it again.

Now Macy's... last night we did our first round of registry selections. So, for those of you who faithfully check this blog and have been looking for your wedding details, this is one of the first bones I've thrown... The registry will be ready in the next week or so as we wrap up what we want online, now that the initial meeting is over. So, continue to check our knot site for updated details on that one. But as fun as it is to scan items that you wouldn't normally buy on your own, there is also something a bit pretentious about asking people to buy you something that again, you wouldn't normally buy on your own. While our friends have all been actively offering advice on what to scan and what not to scan, my personal philosophy has been to ask for things that we KNOW we'll use on a regular basis, and pass up the item if we answer "yes" to the following question: Are we scanning this ONLY because its our one and only chance to ask for it? And you know me... after an hour, I was useless... not to mention that we're both fighting off some kind of sickness which made it even harder to focus for more than an hour.

Anyway, it's nice to have gotten the ball rolling on that part, and for everyone who has been awaiting a "save the date" the order was processed and it's just a matter of getting the final pieces. Once we get those, you can look for yours soon...

Until next time...

Nothing to Say

I thought I would have grand thoughts and strong opinions following the AFC and NFC championship games yesterday, but the Green Bay loss in overtime has left me feeling a little lost for words. I would compare the feeling to breaking up with that girlfriend you had high hopes for, or Christmas Day when you didn't get what you wanted. The expectations were so high for the Packers and everyone had been talking up a Brady versus Favre Super Bowl so much that when Tynes kick went through the upright after the Packers had won the toss in OT I felt so deflated. I am not a Giants fan. They are hot right now, and that's it. But these are the same guys that were embarassed by a backup quarterback IN the Meadowlands in week 16. While they pushed the Patriots farther than any other team this season, I will be rooting for perfection in two weeks and hoping the G-men get throttled.

And for the record, I am not an Eli Manning fan at all. He is no Peyton, and quite frankly I find it hard to be a Manning fan at all. I didn't give them permission to inundate me with their family from all angles. What other family does that? Who gets more airtime as a family? It started with the ESPN commercials, then the DirecTV commercials, then the commercial with Leinart, and now these credit card commercials... It's too much.

Anyway, we have two weeks now to dissect this game every which way, and we'll hear over and over how well the Giants play on the road, that by the time the game comes around I'll be ready for soccer season.

Let's go United!

Funk & Soul

With the Birchmere as close to our house as it is, we decided to take in Isaac Hayes last night for something a little different from what we would normally go and see. I have to say that we were not disappointed, and it was one of the few shows that we've been to in recent memory that was an "experience." And when I say experience, not only was Isaac fantastic, but the crowd was in to it, and his whole band knew how to play to the crowd. I had a smile on my face from the first note until Isaac walked off the stage.

There just doesn't seem to be music like his anymore... full of funk, soul, and emotion. I can only imagine what he must have been like in his prime back in the 60's and 70's. What a life he has lived, and what stories he must have... Who in our day can polarize a community like he could (and probably still does)? Not many musicians... The only person I can think of is Bono. He might be one of the remaining "rockers" who can pull a crowd and community together like Isaac could in the 70's.

Anyway, I wish we had pictures to show, but sadly, they did not allow flash photography last night. But take my word for it... it was a great experience all around, and one I will remember for a long time.

Two Wins

I thought that last weekend was one of the best weekends ever, but if the weekends keep up at the pace they are going, I'm going to have the best year. Unless you've been out of the country, you should have seen Joe Paterno record his 500th win on Saturday night over Texas A&M and the Redskins vault into the playoffs as they whacked the Cowboys 27-6.

Two wins.

Not Sure Which is Cuter...

David_PostGifts
Originally uploaded by psubuzz

... or this one. My Christmas nephew! Such a happy Christmas!

Not Sure Which is Cuter...

Passed Out
Originally uploaded by psubuzz

This one...

Two Boys Fast Asleep

Two Boys Fast Asleep
Originally uploaded by psubuzz

It doesn't really get much better than this on Christmas Eve... A grandfather holding his grandson, fast asleep on the Lazy Boy. Of course, I set him up with the feeding and burping first...

Big Weekend

Where do I begin to retell the weekend that was? Should I start with the big win from the Redskins last night, or should I start with the fact that I welcomed my new nephew home?!? I don't think it really matters either way given that it was a happy and joyous weekend all the way around ranging from dinner with Lauren's family on Saturday night to celebrate the Christmas season, to holding (and feeding) my new nephew for the first time, to wrapping it all up in a Burgundy and Gold bow last night.

After a year of getting to know Lauren's family better over the past year dinner this year was much more fun and much less stressful than last year. Anytime you walk into a room of 20+ people, all of whom want to know everything about you, it gets a little nerve-wracking. But this year, I felt like one of the group and was able to be more of myself. We even got a surprise gift from one of Lauren's cousins... Hopefully I can get a hold of a picture to post.

We then flew home yesterday morning so that we could have lunch with my brother and sister-in-law AND their cute baby boy! Oh, he is as cute as all baby's are... And he's home just in time for the holidays! Though I have to admit that I have always been a little nervous holding babies in front of their parents... But he was a piece of cake the whole time and I even fed and burped him, though Lauren is the pro at burping... Seriously.

Finally, the Skins finally put on two convincing performances in a row rolling over the Vikings last night putting them one win away from making the playoffs. Shockingly, Todd Collins continued his strong showing as a backup moving the skins effectively down the field supported by one of Clinton Portis' best games as a Redskin.  Just a win over Dallas who has nothing to play for will get them in... Whew, what a game that will be.

It doesn't get any better that this at Christmas time...

The Contest Begins

It's that time of year again when the gloves come off and our collaborative teams become combative opponents... No, I'm not talking about fantasy football anymore, though I am still psyched about moving on to the Super Bowl and bitter about getting knocked out of the other league... I digress... I'm talking about the WeatherBug holiday decorations contest!

If you recall, last year while the battle was tight between the Marketing and Product teams, and publicly, the contest was declared a tie, the judges later told us it was a clear victory due to our creativity and the length we went to execute on the theme. However, given all of the effort the Marketing team spent on creating their Winter Wonderland, the felt guilty and awarded them 1st as well.

Well, that supposed "tie" has sat in our stomachs for a whole year and we're out to prove that not only are we more creative, but we are the true winners.

Am I competitive? Maybe.

Stay tuned for pictures of the decorations contest tonight and the piece de resistance tomorrow.

Happy holidays...

Big Wins

Between my 28.5 victory propelling me into the Exit 16 Super Bowl yesterday and a gutsy 22-10 win last night for the Redskins this has to go down as one of the bigger win weekends in recent memory. My 133.5-105 win over the hot $75 was all due to the fact that I got lucky on 2 kickoff returns from the Bucs and me going with my gut to bench Winslow in the snow in favor of Donald Driver in the dome. The Skins meanwhile won thanks to the mettle of their 2nd string QB and the play from their defense. All in all, a big weekend all the way around.

Sets up a big showdown in Minneapolis between the Vikings and Skins next Sunday night and a Clark Super Bowl for the Exit 16 crown. Woo hoo!

Christmas Couple

Christmas Couple
Originally uploaded by psubuzz

Did the annual Christmas show at the Kennedy Center last night. This was our pre-show posed photo since we usually are very anxious to get out of our clothes (take that how you will) when we get home.

All in all, dinner was good, the show was great, and we had a lot of fun. The National Symphony Orchestra always put on a great show and get you into the holiday spirit. Last night was no exception.

FFL Holiday Spirit

As you may or may not recall, I started blogging about my fantasy football team a few months back when the regular season started. I participated in two leagues as I usually do and had decent teams in both. The total investment is $175 with the total potential winnings of somewhere around $1,500 assuming you won both leagues.

Well, for the first time in four years, I made the playoffs in both and seemed on my way to winning my first game last weekend when disaster struck on Monday night football. Football night in America. With a 12 point lead going into the final game and my opponent having a WR playing for Atlanta I thought I had it in the bag. And I did, even after he scored a TD in the first quarter to narrow the gap. But for those of you who watched the game - if you remember the last play of the half where 3rd QB throws a hail Mary from the 40 and the New Orleans DB jumps and intercepts the ball though the officials claimed the Atlanta WR had a hand on it as well ended with them awarding a catch to the WR (tie always goes to the offense in that situation). The catch gave the WR 3 more points changing the score to 111-110. The WR didn't touch the ball again that game. And while I could blame the loss on McGahee not doing squat on Sunday night (4 points) that one play will live in my head until next season.

On the bright side, I'm still in the hunt in my other league with my WR Brandon Marshall putting up 15.5 points last night for the Broncos. In the other semi-final, my brother scored well against Lauren's brother which might set up the first brothers only super bowl if all goes well.

Thanks for letting me vent and stay tuned for more crazy hi-jinx and holiday spirit!

Favre Goes Down

I'm not sure how many of you actually keep up on games in the NFL, but if you were able to stay up last night, and get the NFL Network, you were treated to a great Thursday night game that featured two 10-1 teams in the NFC facing off in the Big D. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, my star QB on my work FFL league, Brett Favre, went down with an injury in the first quarter, leaving me with -2 for his efforts and an FFL team without a stud entering the playoffs next weekend. The story should be that the Packers lost 37-27 even though their 2nd string, Aaron Rodgers played very well considering, but in reality, the story is that after building an 9-3 start to my season, my ability to make it to the money round of the playoffs is in jeopardy.

A big weekend is ahead as my survival in the big money league is going to be determined by my ability to beat my own brother, and the lack of points from Favre will impact my playoff position in the work league.

Stay tuned...

It's Official

I'm sick. Doctor diagnosed me with a sinus infection and a very red ear. On a prescription now and hopefully will have this whole thing kicked in the next few days... It's been a long 9 days and being sick has definitely gotten old.

Thanks for all of the well wishes...

Sick

Despite the efforts of my amazing immune system, I fell victim to whatever crud has been going around last Tuesday... and even though I've been hopped up on Tylenol Cold & Flu, over a week later, I am still fighting it... and it blows. I think I am going to give in and try to make an appointment today for some real drugs as the directions say on the box, if the symptoms continue for more than two days, you should consult a physician. Which makes me wonder, is it even possible to kick a sore throat in two days? If so, why on earth would they even sell medication that is only supposed to get you through two days? And am I doing any kind of damage by taking OTC medication consistently for 7 days? I guess we'll find out.

Some Fresh Air

After yesterday's disappointment, and my continued frustration with old coaching, combined with our 8.5 hours spent at the Conference for the Engaged, we needed some fresh air this morning. So, after driving by the entrance to Fort Marcy every day for the past 7 years, we figured we'd stop there on our way up to Great Falls to see what was there. How on earth have I lived here this long and not known that there was such a great hiking trail so close to the house?

I believe Fort Marcy marks the beginning of the Potomac Heritage Trail, which runs from just south of Rt. 123 to Roosevelt Island, a total of 5.1 miles. We only hiked about 2.5 miles south and then back again, but even that short time frame had us working up a sweat.

A real treat is the fact that you're right down at river level, in a part of the Potomac that is very slow moving and quiet. Here's a look at the Chain Bridge that crosses from VA into DC. As you can see, it was still enough to shine a reflection.

Here's a shot looking down the river towards Alexandria.

An hour and a half later, we had a nice workout, some quiet time together, and discovered yet another reason why living in Alexandria is so great. Now let's just hope the Skins don't bring back the frustration.

Redskins vs. Eagles

Redskins vs. Eagles
Originally uploaded by psubuzz

In my holiday excitement, I forgot to mention that I was at the debacle of the game yesterday. Sara and Michael were nice enough to invite Lauren and I along to enjoy their club seats. I think we jinxed the team by leaving early as the game went downhill the minute we left in the 3rd quarter.

T'is the Season

I love that it only takes for Starbucks to switch to their holiday decorum to get me in the spirit for Christmas. I walked in to the Starbucks by my gym this morning and all of the normal packages of coffee were replaced with green and red packages of the Christmas Blend, and the backdrop for the drink menu was the holiday red. Granted they've had the gingerbread lattes ready for a few weeks now, but hearing the jazz music, seeing the red and green displays, and combine that with a cold and rainy day... I'm ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas... my favorite stretch of the year.

It almost makes the Redskins abysmal play yesterday disappear... Almost. The weekend ended with me going 2-2... A Penn State win and a win in my Exit 16 FFL league, though the two teams that needed the wins were the Skins and my AFL FFL team. Oh well. Think holidays... think holidays...

Why Me?

How do I lose my two star RBs in 2 weeks for the rest of the season? Ronnie Brown and Larry Johnson out for the season essentially kill any hope I have come playoff time, assuming I can even make it now. Unbelievable.

Halftime 17-7

Seems like the only way our defense can stop the Buckeyes is the clock running out for the half. It's a very rare that our offense is not giving away the game and our defense is not holding up.

JoePa better light a fire under their ass in the locker room to get them ready to play in the second half. The stadium is just waiting for something to go nuts on... I hope we get that in the 3rd quarter...

Until then... We are...

After One

Defense has been hard to find so far... After each team had 2 possessions in the first quarter, OSU leads Penn State 10-7 after one.

That's What I'm Talking About

7-3 after a possession from each squad. 7-3 Penn State that is...

The stadium is rocking and this promises to be a game to remember.

Game On Son

It's 30 minutes from kickoff and we are fighting our way through the crowd to get in.

So far the day has seen higher seeded south Florida, Kentucky, and Florida go down. Based on the crowd I have seen so far today, Ohio state will be no different.

Penn State 20
Ohio State 17

Game on son... We're ready.

We decide the snap count.

Speakerphone

What's the deal with more and more people these days carrying on their private conversations on speakerphone? I really don't want to hear what Tito had for breakfast or why your daughter needs you to run to CVS. They make an earpiece so you can hold it up to your ear. Spare us the annoyance and use it please.

Unnecessary Nail Biter

Unbelievable. As has been the case in the previous games when it looked like the Skins had it nicely sewn up, the game came down to the final play. After staking a 21-6 lead we let Arizona climb back into it after they scored the tying TD with 45 seconds left to go. However, the D came up big shutting the AZ O down on the 2 point conversion.

You'd think that was it... Which we did as we headed for the exit with the other thousands who assumed it was over. Yet, my cell phone was buzzing and the people around us were screaming as Arizona recovered the onside kickoff and lined up for a game winning, 55 yard field goal. So Phill and I huddled around a TV in the concourse and watched Rackers push the kick left. A nail biter indeed.

Redskins 21
Arizona 19

Next week: New England, 49-28 winners today. Brady had 6 TDs and is well on his way to breaking the TD record set by Manning a few years ago.

Should be an interesting game next Sunday. For now, I'll take the 4-2 record.

4th Quarter

After three quarters, the Skins lead 21-6 thanks to a short run from Portis. My Portis FFL stats at this point read 35 yards rushing and 2 TDs for 15 points. Thank god they are giving him the ball near the goal line...

Btw, can you believe Brady has 5 TDs already against Miami? Talk about a FFL dream...

At the Half

After it looked like the Redskins were poised to go into the half up 21-0 or at the minimum 17-0 Campbell turned the ball over which led to an eventual touchdown. The one bright spot on that unfortunate turn of events was that the extra point was blocked. Thus, at the end of the first half, the Skins are up 14-6.

But seriously, the sun is hot for October. This is ridiculous.

At the End of One

Thanks to a fortuitous interception (courtesy of Kurt Warner), the Redskins took 11 plays to punch it in the end zone for a 7-0 lead. I think I'm coming home with a sunburn...

Game Day

Beautiful day for football... Skins vs. the Cards.

The skins are 8 point favorites here with the Cardinals starting Warner despite the injury last week. That being said, the Skins are missing almost their entire offensive line... So we'll see...

There is supposedly a sold out stadium here today, though looking around it looks like a lot of people are choosing to pass up this amazing day to spend it somewhere else.

Stars

No I'm not seeing any. Last night Lauren and I went to the 930 Club to see the Canadian darlings, Stars. The place was sold out and a far contrast to what we saw on Tuesday for the Maroon 5 show at Verizon.

After navigating our way through a slightly frightening Howard University homecoming night, we arrived with enough time to grab a beer and catch up with some friends before the start of the show. Stars led off with their heart thumping instrumental from their new album, In the Bedroom After the War, and quickly transitioned into a few of their new songs. Despite the push to promote the new album, they played the songs that made me really take interest in them 2 years ago... Elevator Love Letter, Calender Girl, and of course Your Ex-Lover is Dead.

Safe to say their voices were amazing and the show was just as amazing.

When I get a second I'll try and grab some pics from Flickr from the show since I forgot yet again to take my camera.

Someone took a great series of photos from the show... click here for a closer look.

Maroon 5 at Verizon Center

Maroon 5
Originally uploaded by MeetJustin

Last night Jeff, Katie, Lauren and I went to the Maroon 5 concert at the Verizon Center. A concert that was probably 4 to 1 girls to guys with all guys there either on dates, engaged, married, or the fathers of 13 year olds.

Looking around the audience, it was definitely a mixed crowd of 30 somethings out on girls night out, parents with their junior high kids, young couples, old couples, you name it. While the music was great, the lines for drinks were ridiculous with one line taking Jeff and I a good 25 minutes for a very strong mixed drink.

Since I forgot my camera last night, I had to borrow this photo from "MeetJustin" on Flickr, but it's a pretty good representation of what we saw from our seats in Section 102.

Besides a great show, the other highlight of the evening was dinner at Zengo a Latin-Asian fusion restaurant next door to the Verizon Center. While the food was a little pricey, it was EXTREMELY tasty and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is down in that part of town looking for something new.

All in all, a great night... though a very late night...

Quiet on Campus

Old Main in the Morning
Originally uploaded by psubuzz

Amazing how quiet the campus can be on a Sunday morning... a mere 6 hours after most students had called it a night...

Funny when you think that this exact space can be jammed wall to wall people on a nice spring day and here you have it... completely empty.

Another New #1

With LSU losing, who will take over the number one spot this week? Seems like a curse doesn't it?

Will it be Ohio State? Cal? South Florida? Wow... Wouldn't that be something?

Bend But Don't Break

A great defensive philosophy that seems to have shut down the Badger offense. After a quick score in the first quarter, the Lion defense has quietly pitched a shutout the rest of the game.

Did I Say Close?

When we play aggressive from start to finish it's a completely different team... 31-7 with 11 to go in the 3rd.

A Little VA Magic

Always good when the hometown boy, Evan Royster, runs it in from 22 yards out on 4th and 1. The boy carried westfield to a state championship 2 years ago, it's time for him to get more involved in our offense.

Turnovers

Always a good sign when you have 0 turnovers and the opponent has 2 and you have scored 2 TDs off of both of them.

A good day for sure.

10-7 After One

After one frame Penn State has a 3 point advantage. So far, the offense seems to be more organized than in previous games with the coordinator calling relatively easy pass plays for Morelli. If only quarless would hold on to the ball.

We'll see, but I think my prediction of a tight game is on track...

Great start

Not only are our seats on the 40, 24 rows behind the Wisconsin bench, you gotta love when a team that desperately needs a gift to get one and take advantage of it.

First play of the game, Wisconsin fumbles and Penn State scores 3 plays later for a 7-0 lead.

Yeah!

Perfect Day

It doesn't get any better than this for football... It's about 60 degrees, sunny, and a slight fall breeze. A perfect day for an upset.

Tailgaters out in full force

Our quiet little spot (with the exception of Jeff)

Homecoming Love

Game Day

The day of the Penn State-Wisconsin game has arrived and the day finds Lauren and I in State College with Jeff and Katie to witness what should be a tight game. After two Big Ten losses Penn State is unranked while Wisconsin has dropped to 19 after losing to Illinois last week. Most of the pundits are picking the lions to lose this game but having been here in person for these late afternoon games when the lights come on and the crowd screams, I think we'll pull it out 24-17.

5 hours will mark the start... And 8 hours from now we'll know who comes out on top.

3-1

Yet another week passes and I am ashamed to touch on the performance of my Nittany Lions. Fortunately, we were not able to watch the game since we were on our way to meet the priest who will be performing our wedding mass at his parish up in Wilmington, DE. But try driving up 95 on a saturday when your team is losing and you are an hour late. It was a pleasant ride to say the least.

Anyway, Penn state choked it away again blowing countless opportunities to take the lead. I'm not sure what changes need to be made as I have been out of the loop, but as a fan, the season was over for me after the first loss, even though this past weekend opened the door for a potential one loss team making the national championship game. What a crazy NCAA weekend it was....

However, the sporting weekend was salvaged with a strong DC United win on saturday night over the hurting kids from Toronto and a dominant performance from my two fantasy football teams Socks but no Drawers and Live Action. My 2 wins this weekend put me in a solid position at 2-2 after 4 weeks.

Recovery & Premiere Week

If you're wondering why it's taken me a few days to post since Sunday, it's because it's taken me this long to recover from the abysmal sports weekend that took place. If you know me at all, you know how emotionally invested I become in both Penn State and the Redskins... throw that on top of the two fantasy football teams I manage and it becomes borderline dysfunctional. And then imagine how you feel when all these teams lose and not just lose... but REALLY lose... a la Penn State or Redskins lose... If you caught any of the highlights of either game, you can understand how these two losses were felt like a backhanded slap or an oncoming migraine. I won't use this space to launch into a tirade about Penn State's coaching, or the Redskins complete offensive breakdown in the second half because I wasted too much of my time on Monday rehashing every possible scenario with my fellow Skins and PSU compadres. Just know that I am hoping for a rebound this weekend in some way... some glimmer of hope for the sporting future... Until then, there is TV premiere week to distract me...

So... what shows are we DVRing this week?

Monday: Heroes, Journeyman, Chuck, and How I Met Your Mother
Tuesday: Really nothing on this day unless you count Dancing with the Stars - Which Lauren can't stand anyway... oh wait The Unit!
Wednesday: Bionic Woman, and for now the Practice
Thursday: Smallville, Earl, and of course THE OFFICE
Fri-Sat: Nada
Sunday: Family Guy

What are my winners so far? Well, I have to say that Family Guy definitely opened with a very good premiere. Their "Star Wars" spoof was hysterical which featured Stewie as Darth Vader and Peter as Hans Solo. I had planned on adding a link to the clip on YouTube, but believe it or not, Fox made a copyright claim and forced YouTube to take all of their Family Guy clips down... Unbelievable.

Anyway, on top of a stellar Family Guy, I was very impressed with The Unit and HIMYM, giving them all 4 stars. After watching Journeyman, I definitely think it has potential and will give it 3 stars with a strong likelihood it could reach 4. To me, Heroes was only mediocre this week also earning 3 stars. Bionic Woman could be interesting, but I was not really that impressed last night giving it 2 stars.

Left to watch from DVR: Chuck, Kid Nation, and the Practice. Stay tuned for my reviews on these three as well as my commentary on tonight's premieres!

Perfect Picnic Day

Jefferson Memorial
Originally uploaded by psubuzz

Today the weather was so nice, Lauren had the great idea to head down to the Mall and have ourselves a picnic. We chose to park by the FDR Memorial and walk around the reflecting pool before having lunch. When you live here, you forget sometimes how lucky we are to live so close to these national treasures. It literally takes us 10 minutes to be across the bridge and parked...

Anyway, we could not have asked for a more perfect day... unless of course the Skins win... then it's the perfect day. ;)

Two Years

For those of you following along at home... Today marks two years from the day I walked into Clyde's after work one night and was blown away by a blond at the bar...

Two years, and so many great memories later we're the happiest we've ever been and as you know, 10 months away from our big day!

Our thanks to all of you who have been a part of our lives these past two years and have been a part of making these wonderful memories.

All Good Things...

... must come to an end.

Though the weather has not been the greatest these past few days, it's been nice to slow down and chill out. I was saying to Lauren the other day, what makes vacation down here so great is that the hardest decision you have to make on a daily basis is what you want to eat for dinner. Between now and July 12, I imagine that will not be the case, which is why this week has been so important... and appreciated...

Goodbye OBX...

A Tad Chilly...

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.

Here, Lauren is attempting to get some sun despite the layers of clothing that were required.

This is pretty much all I've done today... that and keep an eye on the games on TV.

Sophie and Sadie causing nothing but trouble today...

Aurene and Steve playing with Sophie on the beach.

No matter how fast Aurene ran, Sophie was right behind her.

At the Beach

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.

DC Wins, I Lose...

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...

Sweep Complete

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...

White Out Notre Dame

What Penn State is all about...

Bring on Michigan...

#12

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.

Looking for a Sweep...

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...

Redemption

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:

1. Our defense is going to be pretty beast
2. Our offensive line needs a little work
3. Morelli has to work on his decision making skills
4. D Wheels has earned that nickname for a reason... he is so fast
5. Our stadium and fans are #1 in the country - check out this whiteout

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?

2 Month No Show

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

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.

Suspension Bridge

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

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

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.

Humidity and Sweating

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...

Ocean City Day 2

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.

MIOL's cousin joined us and here is a shot of the two of them catching up and waiting for the perfect wave.

Here, her cousin actually caught the wave while MIOL was left behind.

Here, MIOL FINALLY, catches the wave she's been waiting for, and I can finally go back to my chair and finish my book!

All in all, we had a great day, got more than enough sun, and will look forward to getting back to the Eastern Shore again soon.

Couple at the Beach

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.