Tennis, Rotheblog launch & Candlelight
After church today I got to talk with Jim a little bit about his experience with the GMAT. He went to U of I, and he had the good fortune of having Cummins help with his education. He did really awesome on his exam, and I got some good information that helped me focus my direct that much more and my plan of attack.
When we got back from church, we ate lunch with my parents quickly, and then they had to leave. It is always sad when visitors go, I know both Sarah and I always visit slumpsville for about the hour following their departure.
Eventually I went and played the Jr. Pac-man for about an hour. Sarah stayed upstairs and continued to read her Harry Potter book.
I got back to work, and started finishing up the final details to launch Rotheblog. I didn’t finalize everything before Dave and I got in touch. We were going to play tennis today, the second and last time this year before it got really cold. Sarah headed out to go to a candle light party at Paula’s, and I met him at the tennis courts. We played until about 6:30, the wind was really bad today but my outcome was favorable in general.
Right after I got back I finished up final details and launched Rotheblog and sent out an announcement to friends. Man, my bulk mailing list is really outdated and I had forgotten that it was really difficult to manage that in Gmail. Sarah got back and we took the dog on a walk.
We talked with her parents at about 8, tonight was game 7 of the baseball ALCS series between Boston and Cleveland so there were no cartoons.
At about 9:30 I sat down and talked with a freelance client, trying to finish that up and have one less distraction while I am studying. I didn’t do much for the rest of the night, ending up passing out in front of the game downstairs, I was beat. Red Sox won 11-2 and advanced to the 2007 World Series.
Indy Arcade Auction, Jr. Pac and Styf’s
We started the morning off with a power walk for Nokes.
When we got back, I got packed up and headed to the Indianapolis Fairgrounds for the Fall USAmusements Arcade Auction. Pretty good turnout this time, some classics, a good amount of pinballs, and a lot of games in general with some cheap deals on less popular games and average prices on the stuff you are interested in. I did my thing, played some, took photos, took prices, wrote down names, etc. But by 1:00, I figured I had seen and done enough so I headed home.
At home I made a couple of calls. I talked to Rich Ford about a number of things for about an hour – hour half. One of which was that he finally got my payment two weeks after I sent it. Talk about a lesson learned in always sending larger money orders via priority mail.
After that call I talked with Dad for a bit, and then I played a whole bunch of Jr. Pac-man, procrastinating a little bit but more just enjoying a game that I have sought after and worked for for 8 months and had sit at the house for two weeks before it was finally finished.
Just before 5 Sarah asked if I would take her and Nokes to the orchard, sounded like fun. We got fresh apples and cider and I got a donut. We took Nokes on a little walk of the now truncated grounds (new housing division in back). Sarah said tomorrow she would be making apple crisp for breakfast with what she got today. How awesome!
When we got back I worked for over 2 hours on finishing up a website launch. It was a lot more work that I thought it would be. Around 8 the Styf’s came over to visit, they had been out to Red Lobster right here by our house for dinner. That was great to see them, felt like it had been ages, and they go to see Nokes again and said he had grown.
When they left, I was tired from a long productive day. I watched some ALCS baseball between the Red Sox and Indians and hit the hay.
We saw a lot of Dave tonight
We lifted after work, around 4:30 – 5.
When Sarah and I got home, we had some dinner and then I was determined to finish up this Jr. Pac-man cabinet, it had only been sitting at my house for two weeks now.
I went and exchanged some bolts, and then with a lot of trial and error, by 8:45 I was playing the game in a non finished setup. Sarah was on the phone talking with mom and when she finished, we headed out. Dave had invited us over to Tom’s house to watch the episode of “The Office” for the week. It was actually pretty funny…long, but funny. Tonight was the first 2007 ALCS baseball game, and the Red Sox trounced the Indians.
He offered us a drink, and showed us the astonishingly extensive liquor cabinet. I had the opportunity to make up some Pina Coladas, so that is what I did.
We left pretty early, around 10:30. Sarah sat down and watched a little bit of tv before going to bed. I finished my monitor mount brackets and setup the Jr. Pac-man where I wanted it to stay, and finally got to play some games on my new stools. I also watched an episode or two of Scrubs.
Leaving Chicago is always stressful
I was up early, but I got a good amount of sleep. The air mattress held air last night, so I got up around 8:30-9. Tim and Mark were already up. Sarah slept for a little while longer.
I got on the laptop and figured out how to get on their internet. I sent out some emails and Mark and I talked about baseball some. Last night both the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks finished up their sweeps of the Phillies and Cubs respectively. Pretty impressive actually, the Rockies have now won 17 of 18 games. (more…)
Tigers finally and officially out of the playoff race
It came down to almost the end of the season, except it went in the opposite direction of 1987.
In 1987 the Tigers swept the Blue Jays at the end of the season to go up for the divisional lead and go on to play the Twins in the playoffs. This year, the Tigers had a crucial set of games between the Yankees and Indians and came out hobbling. They came back to within 2.5 games behind the Yankees in the wild card going into their last series against Cleveland.
This time, they go swept, and didn’t really have a chance. That ended up being the deciding series.
So, a decent season. Their second half record was absymal, so hopefully they can change that next year. They need to go out and get a really competent middle relief man, and they need one more production man. I think that their pitching is still solid, they just need to get everyone healthy. If Kenny Rogers comes back for another year, that would be a huge plus and they need to get Jeremy Bonderman healthy and some of these young guys consistent.
We saw some more awesome young arms at some point this season. Andrew Miller still has potential and can’t be labeled erratic just yet. Jair Jurrjens, Yorman Bazardo, and even Chad Durbin at the beginning of the season. And Zach Miner really has settled in. Durbin, he kind of has a history of bouncing around, so I am not sure he will ever be much of anything. But look at Timo Perez and what he did in the last two months of the season. He’s been everywhere. Ordonez finally earned his money, let’s hope he can put up those numbers next year too. And above all else, we have to keep Verlander. Middle relief guys who throw smoke are highly overrated *cough* Zoom Zoom Zumaya, but Verlander is the real deal and proved it again this year. He is in the books with the likes of Jack Morris, and we all know what a heck of a pitcher he was.
So, don’t pay Sheffield much of anything if his salary is up. He still was riddled with a ton of injuries. Same with Rodriguez, try to keep him, but he is a defensive man more now and balance for the staff than anything and a little overpaid.
Let’s now become the Chicago White Sox of 2007 in 2008.
