Good news and bad news After working an 18 hour shift at the gas station I have a few things to report.
1. We lower gas prices a penny, so come on down to Marathon and buy some gas from me.
2. I have to go back in at 4 PM to work another 18 hour shift.
Hey, at least I have a job, right?  ¶ 8/31/2004 03:37:00 PM 0 comments

  Millin around We went over to the school playground a block and a half away and they have a 7 foot rim. Sick! So we had some fun and I taught Sara a couple moves.

She learned the reverse layup and the jump catch shoot tip in. She's still working on the later, but the first one was no problem until we moved over to the 10 foot rim. She'll need more practice but she's pretty good at the alley oop pass.

In other news, Nutmeg enjoys cricket hunting in the garage. Last night she brought us one into the living room and then proceeded to eat it right in front of us. After that she went crazy and kept going back to the garage for more. She needs more crickets. I think she has an addiction. Tonight, she came in with one and ate it up. She loves crickets.

I beat my personal best tetris score with 851 lines and 651,000 points tonight.

Well, I'm off to the gas station, gotta pump out some gas.


Writer note: I don't really work at a gas station, but I kinda wish I did right now, cause then I would be at least making money. So, you may read some things in the future that could lead you to believe that I work at a gas station.. Well. I don't but.. maybe eventually I will.. so you'll just have to assume I don't.  ¶ 8/30/2004 02:21:00 AM 1 comments

  New Number I had to get a new number cause Verizon isn't covered here, so if you need it, email me to get it.  ¶ 8/29/2004 10:21:00 AM 0 comments

  Bla Bla Bla Nothing to do but tie my shoes..

Here I sit. What to do?

I could really be doing something now.

Anyway.. so guess what. Michigan is the only state in the United States that has No Fault auto insurance or something like that which basically means that no matter whose fault it is in any accident, the insurance company has to pay for it.

Do you know what that means kids?

Auto Insurance is extremely expensive here.

It's basically double what we were paying in New York, and that is after combining our plans. Ahh. So annoying. But whatever...

Ramen Noodles and working at the gas station here I come.  ¶ 8/26/2004 12:57:00 AM 2 comments

  A Karam and Hogan post Hey guys.. by the way... the Mets are now 12 games behind the Braves.
Sit on that!  ¶ 8/25/2004 10:47:00 AM 3 comments

  Sitting Around As I sit around waiting for things to happen I'll write to you again. Time goes slower here mostly cause I'm taking a break from twiddling my thumbs. My Tv antenna only picks up one channel (CBS) and we have been without all the others for quite a few days now. I'm so far behind on my PTI and ESPN viewing that I am about to go stir crazy. I've got the Internet and that has helped. But now I am ready to do something, anything. Well almost anything. I could stand to not go for a long drive for a while. I think I'll turn the fan on now. It's getting hot.

This is Team Penske, well except for Sara who is taking the picture. Cell phones and walki talkis made traveling in a four car caravan a lot easier. Without this technology it would have been a true pain in the ass. We took the long way here, by staying in the US and going around Lake Erie. We didn't want to deal with any border anxiety or chance that they would make us unpack the whole truck or have issue with the cat or turtle or plants we were carrying, so we just went around. It made the trip immensely longer but it was okay. We left around 11am Tuesday and with all the stops for gas, food, and restroom we got here around 11pm. It rained as we went through Cleveland, but other than that the weather was really nice.


Here is the corner of our main room. I haven't setup this Stereo yet. The computer feeds us our music. However, the plants have adjusted nicely and we have plenty of space for them. I'll share more pictures later when we have more things setup. It still seems like we have a lot to do.
  ¶ 8/25/2004 10:35:00 AM 0 comments

  Destination Reached Team Penske has touched down in Mt Pleasant MI and has arrived. The apartment is sweet. So much nicer than the last one. It's the little things that make us happy. You know, like cupboards, windows, driveways, garages, closets, and lots and lots of space to breathe. In that picture below, at that intersection we are below the softball field in the bottom left, so to the left of where that red pin is. That house has two apartments and we are on the left hand side. My parents and Joanna took off about an hour or so ago and we are doing some things and then taking the truck back. I'll have to post some pictures later on to give you an idea. Not very much is setup yet.. but.. we have time. Anyway, thank you to everyone for supporting us. This is a big change for us. We are a little farther away from everyone than we would have liked but... that just means you have to come visit us more. Alright, time to try out the shower.  ¶ 8/21/2004 10:53:00 AM 3 comments

  New Apartment Talk Okay, so here is our confession. We are moving. Yet, we haven't even seen the new apartment we are moving to. Truck loading and driving is going to start tomorrow and run through Thursday into Friday. Here is the description of the apartment from our new landlord. This is all we know about it :)

Sara: The duplex with a garage is a good choice. I am not real savy
about pictures, but I will try an outside one if you desire. I will
try to use my written descriptive abilitiy to help. As you look at
the front of the duplex, there is an attached garage, separate by a
wall for each unit. There is a door from the garage into the house.
There are also a front door and a side door. The outside-from the
side door has a cement patio area. There is also a small side yard
and a larger back yard. THe house is across from a youth baseball
diamond area, two blocks away from an elementary school and three
blocks away from the city's largest park. The inside of the unit has
a living area, large enough for two couches, large TV unit and several
chairs. That rooms goes into a small dining area (large enough for a
4foot round/square table or maybe a little larger if a rectangle.
This then goes into the kitchen, which has a newer stove, refrigerator
and dishwasher. Then a hallway to both bedrooms and bathroom. In the
hallway, is a closet with washer/dryer and another closet for storage.
The master bedroom is large enough for a king size bed and dresser-it
has two closets. The smaller bedroom is large enough for a nice
office with one closet. It will be all painted new, with some or all
new flooring and carpeting. The outside is yellow vinyl siding. It
is in a neighborhood where students, families and renters live, but
mostly families. It is close to campus, parks, etc. Let me know if
this helps. Don Schuster

And this is the closest we have come to seeing it.

  ¶ 8/17/2004 11:58:00 AM 3 comments

  **News Flash** Packing Friggin Sucks  ¶ 8/16/2004 11:13:00 PM 0 comments

  Braves Continue To Roll   ¶ 8/13/2004 07:44:00 AM 2 comments

  Chasing down the dude who took my bike okay. so I have two bikes. 1 is a piece of shit that just sits in my back yard and doesnt really get used. (too heavy, not fast).. my girlfriend and i each have a bike we use and we lock them on the front porch (her other bike got stolen last year randomly.. assholes).. but anyway.. the guy that lives in the apartment below me (total nut bag, weirdest dude i ever care to meet.. type that wears his socks on top of the sweat pants type).. anyway.. he has like 12 bikes in the yard and tons of other bike parts and other shit all over the place and even down in the basement. we dont think he has a job. anyway.. so i look out and theres this truck with like 6 bikes in the back about to drive away.. i see my yellow bike (the one i leave in the backyard, it sucks.. but still) in the back of the truck and im like what the fuck?? so i high tail out of the apartment and go chasing down this random truck with my bike in the back of it.. im all yelling and waving my arms in a full sprint.. turn the corner and book it a little more.. haha!! at this point the truck stops and im like what the fuck?? thats my bike? so some big burly dude (not the guy who lives below me) says.. "the landlord told mark that he has to get all the bikes out of there".. so i was like whatever. give me my bike.. he's like, "why was it there?" and im like.. its my apartment.. ahh it was kinda funny.. he wasn't really stealing my bike.. but he thought it was just another one of marks.. i dont even care for the bike at all, but it was just the principle of it.. seeing it in some truck being taken away.. i was like.. oh no you dont and i chased his ass down.. ahh! it was great.. and now ive reclaimed the bike i dont really want anyway.   ¶ 8/07/2004 06:23:00 PM 2 comments

  The Glove Traded An NBA source told ESPN.com's Bill Simmons that the Celtics have dealt Chris Mihm (in a sign-and-trade), guards Marcus Banks and Chucky Atkins and a future second-round pick to Los Angeles for Payton, Rick Fox and a lottery-protected first-round draft pick.

Alright so now what are we looking at?

Projected Starters
C Vlade Divac
PF Lamar Odom
SF Caron Butler
SG Kobe Bryant
PG Chucky Atkins

Subs
F/C Chris Mihm
F/C Brian Grant
F/C Slava Medvedenko
F/C Marcus Douthit*
F Luke Walton
F Brian Cook
F Devean George
G Kareem Rush
G Marcus Banks
G Sasha Vujacic*

*rookie
  ¶ 8/06/2004 03:06:00 PM 2 comments

  Growing the Fro!
Vick will go to and fro until he wins Super Bowl Aug. 2, 2004 / By Pete Prisco / SportsLine.com
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Michael Vick doesn't quite have the Ben Wallace look yet, but it's moving in that direction.
Getting a helmet over his growing hair might soon be a problem for Vick, the Atlanta Falcons do-everything quarterback. Yet, there will be no trips to the barbershop this summer or this season, not after what happened last summer.
"I'm growing my hair out it, and I'm not going to cut it until we win a Super Bowl," Vick said. "I was going to let my hair grow last season, but I cut it three weeks before I got hurt. I'm really superstitious, so I'm going to let it grow. As bad as I want it off my head, and as hot as I am, I won't cut it off until I win a Super Bowl. I will win a Super Bowl -- someday."
Revealing this piece of information as he sat comfortably in a golf cart at Furman University doing an interview, Vick wasn't kidding. His hair is considerably longer than it has been for most of his career, which might be good for a bandana endorsement or two, but the preference would be for a nice, neat trim come next February.
Vick is coming off a nightmare season, one in which he became the poster-boy for why stars should be protected in the preseason. While scrambling in the Falcons' second preseason game last summer, Vick suffered a broken leg, news that devastated a city and his growing legion of fans.
The NFL's new poster boy, a weapon of the like the league has never seen, was shelved because of a meaningless game running a meaningless play.
It led to a year of mostly watching for Vick, and a year of losing for the Falcons. It ultimately cost coach Dan Reeves his job. One year after a playoff season and an upset of the Packers, the Falcons finished 5-11.
Maybe this was a one-man team? It sure looked that way.
We know better because football is a team sport, and Vick is quick to give a wave of the hand when the one-man band and savior talk is brought up.
"Just because I'm back doesn't mean everybody else can simply not show up," Vick said. "This is a team game. You need all 11 guys every play to succeed. We all have to play together."
That sounds good, but without Vick this is a six-victory team. With him, they have playoff-and-beyond possibilities.
"The things he does amaze me every day," Falcons coach Jim Mora said. "He's getting better and better everyday. He's a special player, and you can see him getting more and more confident with what we're doing."
Mora took over for Reeves and quickly made an offensive hire he believed he needed to win in coordinator Greg Knapp. That meant Vick would be learning a new offense, the West Coast with some varying principles to take advantage of his ability to get outside the pocket.
It is a timing offense, meant to get the ball in a rhythm. It's an offense that made Joe Montana, Steve Young and Brett Favre great. But there are questions whether it's an offense for Vick.
He has a bazooka for an arm and he would seem to be more of a big-play passer than one that would feast in the West Coast's short passing game. Some have said he's miscast as a West Coast quarterback. Don't tell him that.
"I really don't know what that means," Vick said. "We have a system and you play within the system. It allows you to get the ball out of your hands. In Reeves' system, we had plays similar to this. So, I don't understand that."
To help acclimate himself to the new system, Vick spent three days a week in the offseason with Knapp studying the offense, while also working on his mechanics.
Said Mora: "That tells you he wants to be great in this offense."
The end result is a quarterback who appears comfortable with what he's doing. While he still sometimes holds onto the ball too long -- earning a scream from Knapp to get the ball out -- Vick seems to be enjoying the new offense.
He's also still moving outside the pocket, which might or might not be a good thing. Let's put it this way: He isn't about to change that, despite the injury last summer.
"Can't stop, won't stop, never will stop," Vick said.
Why should he? Isn't that like putting weights around the leg of a thoroughbred?
During one practice last week, Vick sprinted outside the pocket, saw a defensive back in front of him, put a move on to drop him to the ground and kept on trucking. How can anyone expect that Michael Jordan-like ability to be stifled?
"In any offense you put me in, when things break down, I'm going to get outside the pocket and move," Vick said. "Just because this is a timing offense doesn't mean I'm just a pocket passer. I'm going to get outside. That's the way Michael Vick plays the game.
"When things break down, you won't see a different side of me. West Coast, East Coast. It doesn't matter. I'm taking off if I have to, to make things happen."
When he does move outside the pocket, he will look to throw first, then, if that breaks down: "Of course, I will try to get out of bounds and get down to protect myself. I don't want to have a repeat of what happened last year."
That injury broke more than just a bone. It broke the spirits of the Falcons and it also led to some criticism for Vick, who was coming off such a wonderful season in 2002. When it took more time than expected for Vick to return, some questioned his desire. Was he working hard enough? Was his rehab working?
Normally easygoing and approachable -- on the day of this interview, he gladly signed anything put in front of his face -- Vick bristled at the notion he didn't want to return to play, which he did for the final four games.
"I came back at about 80 percent because I was tired of sitting at home and hearing people saying I wasn't taking my rehab seriously," Vick said. "I took that as an insult and I wanted to get back and prove that I could play even though I wasn't 100 percent."
He's back to 100 percent now and says there are no lingering physical effects from the injury. It's a good thing when the only problem is a blister on his throwing thumb, which will force him to miss a day of practice.
"No problems with the leg at all," he said.
That's what the Falcons and their fans want and need to hear. The backups are impressive rookie Matt Schaub and veteran Ty Detmer, which says everything about the importance of Vick.
"Vick gets a tremendous amount of credit and has a lot on his shoulders from the media and the fans because of the perspective that we're nothing without him," linebacker Keith Brooking said. "Vick is the best athlete in the NFL, there's no doubt about that. And we can't afford to lose him again. But we also have to play better around him if this team is going to be better."
The Falcons play in the tough NFC South, but Vick's athletic ability makes them a division-winning threat. How much deeper they can get than that depends on his health and the improvement of the defense.
Vick said he plans to play in the preseason, but he will obviously defer to what the coaches want him to do. Vick needs to get work in the new offense, but risking a player of his magnitude in a meaningless game is a fine line.
At least this year, he has something else going for him in that growing hair, which is certainly going to get bigger and bigger each week.
"It's staying," he said, "until I win a Super Bowl. I mean it."
The Falcons have their new motto: Hair's to You, Michael Vick.
Or course, they're hoping he gets a nice cut come next February.   ¶ 8/03/2004 01:29:00 PM 2 comments

  2 Weeks

Two Weeks
10 Days
4800 Minutes
No more, no less.
And that feels good.

  ¶ 8/02/2004 11:59:00 AM 0 comments