1.29.2006

Tire Rotation. Why would anyone EVER pay for that?

So, the other day, I took one of the cars to get the tires rotated. I like to stay on top of auto maintenance and ahead of the curve in terms of dropping cash on repairs that could have easily been prevented had I worked it in the schedule to do some easy minor maintenance. I took the car to a place near us called Discount Tire and I know some of you have heard of it, but if you have not, I have nothing but good things to say about this place. I'm happy they put a location much closer to our house 2-3yrs ago because I had to usually drive a few more miles to get to the one that I usually went to, but the one thing I love about this company is the consistency I have had from two different locations in two different cities. Anyway, this place does not charge to rotate tires or plug a flat in a tire. That is how it should be! If a tire company cannot stand by the simple task of throwing a car up on a hydraulic lift and taking 5min to switch tire locations on a vehicle, why would someone want to give them business when they actually need to buy tires? Of course, all bets are off if you are in the middle of no where and you get a flat and all you have is Ali's QuickyMart with attached garage to fix your flat for a few bucks, but under normal conditions and proximity to various tire shops is what I am speaking of for this post.
It's crazy how much some places charge to do that mindless (but important) task. And the part about fixing a flat is excellent. I replaced all four tires on one of the cars 1-2yrs ago and would go back to Discount Tire again when I do need new tires.
The other funny thing about being at one of these tire places are the characters that come in and want to throw on the latest/greatest rims/tires to act like they are celebs. Hilarious. These idiots have an average to below average looking ride and they want to drop 3K for some rims and they try and start their car and it struggles like it's on life support. I am sure this looks great pulling up to their housing projects or rented flat or some nonsense like that, but they got the latest dubs on their whip. LOL! Anyway, I digress.......If you ever pay to get a rotation or fix a flat, I feel bad for you...

1.25.2006

35-5!!!


The title of the post may not mean that much to many of you, but it is extremely significant to fans of Detroit sports teams. Of course, any city sports team would love to be connected to a win-lose ratio such as 35-5 at the beginning of a season. The reason for the significance of 35-5 has to do with the 1984 Detroit Tigers. If you recall, that was the year in which the World Series was won by the Tigers and they began that season at 35-5. I know basketball is the apple to the baseball orange and it is not completely fair to compare the two, but the numbers allow for the comparison.


What we (not just Detroit fans, but all the NBA fans in this world) are witnessing is something truly special in that it is MUCH MORE of a significant statistic for the 2005-2006 Detroit Pistons to be 35-5 versus the 1984 Detroit Tigers since NBA teams play half as many games as MLB teams. It is remarkable how the chemistry of this Piston's team is. They are poised to set team and league records. I know the season is still young, but I think Flip is doing an excellent job in managing the team and if they stay away from injuries and off-court drama, we have the chance to witness a once-in-generation type of season. Either way, I am fan until the end. I remember the bad old days and I am hyped about the present-day product on the court. DEEEEEEEEEEEEETRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOITTTTTTTTTT BAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSKEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTBALLLLLLLLL!!!

1.23.2006

Caption Contest 1.0



Ok. I am inspired to post a pic of some random clowns in a club who have spent waaaaay too much time watching the Gotti kidz.

What are your thoughts on the best caption for this pic?

1.19.2006

Template change

The last one kind of pissed me off. Let's see if this one falls under my graces for any period of time...

1.18.2006

Forget what you heard...

or tasted about previous granola on the market today. The subject of this post is something you NEED in your life. Your body and taste buds will thank you. I was at Costco last week and not even in search of this product, but happend to be walking through the cereal aisle and noticed they had Bear Naked granola. I recalled a story done on this company via the Food Network and I decided to purchase a bag based on my hope that it would be halfway decent. Honestly, Bear Naked granola is one of THE best healthy snack foods I have ever tasted.Those of you who know my eating habits, know that I am pretty conscious of what I put in my corpse and lets say I have been far from impressed with what's on the market in terms of granola and/or granola bars. I avoid them at all costs based on the high sugar content, bad overly-processed taste and just did not want to throw my cash at such bad products barely fit for human consumption. I am not a brand loyal consumer when it comes to food items although certain (very few) items offer no substitute, but overall, many items can be similar in ingredients and I will grab the one that is on sale. Bear Naked granola is on my list of the only granola I will throw cash at. The ingredients are of high quality with no added sugar or preservatives. Seriously, you NEED to taste this stuff. I know, I know....How much granola can a person eat? Well, I am not saying I would consume the stuff everyday, but several times a week is not too unreasonable. As the pic shows, I have only tasted the Fruit and Nut variety. I hope Costco brings in more flavors, but it's fine if they do not. I can live with paying $8.49 for a 30oz bag of goodness.

1.17.2006

Unto us a child is given.....

I have been away for a few days. Most of that was because of a new baby that was born to my bro/sis-inlaw. Chiara Gina Argentiero was born on Friday night (Friday the 13th....[key in the organ music] by C-section). This little ball of baby was not so little weighing in at 9.0lbs even. We have been at the hospital and yesterday at Domenic's house checking out the new baby and helping out with assembly of swings-n-things and just keeping them company since they were at the hospital the past three days.



Everyone and their mother...well, actually, mostly the grandparents have been visiting and holding/watching the baby as the mother tries to get some much needed rest. The baby is growing by the minute! Since this is the first grandchild from the Argentiero, Esposito, Diaz crew, she is getting some serious attention although I expect all the future babies to get the same, but as all the firstborns know, it's good to be king or queen for a while. :)



In other news, I am slowing messing around with a new template since shqipo mentioned that his browser of choice (IE) was having seizures dealing with my previous template since that junk of a browser is not as advanced as firefox of even flock to deal. Ok, maybe I was thinking about changing the template anyway for a different look and feel, but anytime I get to blame an albo for something, I must take advantage of that situation.

1.12.2006

So you're pissed at your life....Ok...and that's my problem?


Here we go. Without getting into excruciating detail (to protect the guilty, of course) on the particulars, I find it so hilarious that some people you work with on a professional level just cannot separate work from their own personal life or really just try to play that whole blame-game when they should just blame themselves. Sheesh...I was doing some work (let's call it pro-bono because it was/is) for a guy and had not heard from him for a few days on a project we were working on. Ok, fine....well, I send a follow-up email to confirm some previously discussed details and the clown acts like he has no idea what I am talking about?! Then, he has the stones to get kind of snippy on the reply back to me, but the areas in which he was directing his disgust at were part that HE requested and somehow got bitten by the selective-amnesia bug...Idiot!! To top things off, he follows up his nasty-gram to me with an apology about how his personal life is hitting some speed bumps and he just wanted to vent on me...Uh, excuse me.........Anyway, I guess that is enough for now because I said earlier, I am not about dropping specific details in this blog because I don't really operate in a 'smear campaign' kind of way, but if you have ever worked with someone who drags personal circumstances into the professional realm, it’s just an annoying situation. Again, if I were getting paid, then it is certainly possible that I could stomach this situation a little bit more, but trying to help someone out with the eventual payoff when it becomes feasible is an interesting dynamic......I'll leave it at that for now....

1.08.2006

You never get a second chance for a good shot...



Woke up this morning and looked out the front window (I ALWAYS do that; some OCD ritual of mine) and lo and behold, there is a fat rabbit sitting near the small tree in our front yard. Ok, I attempt to seize the moment and run to the computer room to grab the cam for a nice nature shot. I run back to the window and it's still there. Then comes the part that NEVER should have had to happen.....Which settings on the cam to use?! Oh man, I was going through all 259 different modes since I did not want to punk out and shoot in auto. So, I work the zoom and that was fine, but I felt the light and exposure were not right. A few more seconds go by.........GONE!!! My subject hopped away and I was stuck with nada....Oh well, more opportunities will hopefully present themselves. Either way, know your cam and take that shot quickly!!

1.05.2006

Google AdSense...

Trying this out. We'll see how the process goes.

Morons with too much money amaze me...


News out of Austin, TX mentions that there is going to be an auction tomorrow for the "banana note" that some moron paid 10K for off ebay a few years ago. Amazing! Of course, I am not surprised that this clown lives in TX since we all know the infamous celebs (both public and private sector individuals) from that state. The real sad thing is that I am sure this Jackson will go for several more Gs in the upcoming auction.

Hey, at least Del Monte did not have to pay for this advertising.

1.04.2006

Blow it out your ears!!



Amongst all the new year hoopla, I have been keeping my eye on the news as usual and came across this gem from yahoo in which Pete Townshend from The Who is giving a warning to iPod users (like myself) to keep the volume low so that the tymapanics don't get blown. I guess when people were walking the walk with the Walkman back in the day, your hearing was much less important OR MAYBE....JUST MAYBE the news is so slow and mediocre, that we are stuck with a famous band guitarist recommending that we keep our volume down since the iPod is such a media darling and there were no shark attacks to report lately. Sheesh...I hope this is not a preview of how great news reports will be this year....

1.01.2006

Out with 2005, bring on 2006!


I hope the reality of another year brings with it hope and ambition for everyone. I am not a believer in resolutions because I am of the opinion that you should make immediate adjustments to behavior that you feel could offer improved results in your life at any time. I am not against resolutions at all, but I think they are really overrated in that human beings tend to fall into their comfort zone and right back into the behavior that they know is detrimental or irresponsible or anything outside of being positive and productive. I don't look for a new year to make adjustments in my life. I think weekly or monthly assessments can provide you with an accurate inventory of what is working and what is not. I crack up at all these clowns who flood the gym and swear to eat better and at the end of the month, they are back to 2005 habits. Anything with a good reward (improved health, more money in the bank, etc.) requires a certain amount of sacrifice and people will come up with varied excuses to make them feel good when they are back to old habits. Oh well, it's a new year and I hope it brings with it some new and improved changes for all of us. Cheers.