Limping In

Oooooof! Well, I managed to completely mess up my lower back today. It had been bothering me all day long (maybe from doing crunches first thing this morning), but was livable. So I decide to keep my normal routine and hit the gime. Everything's going fine, just minor aching really. But then, while starting a set of shoulder exercises to end the day, I picked up the 25lbs dumbells a bit quickly and out it goes. And now I'm in alot of pain! I'm like a 85 year-old WW2 vet. I have to shuffle around like I've got a broomstick up my ass. Everything I do involves alot of grunting and groaning. And no movement can be started without preparing for it well. But hopefully it's just back spasms or a pulled muscle and I'll be good as new in a few days. While I am concerned about it being a 3rd stress fracture, that would appear to be unlikely.
But like a trooper, I'm still here to do my duty to my loyal fan base of no one.

Birthing Babies - QB Style
Some people are probably aware that my beautiful and smart girlfriend is a med student. Who is interested in possibly becoming an OB-Gyn. Which means she'd get to birth lots of lots of babies. Now me, with my never-ending creativity in turning normal situations into fun situations with a sports theme, came up with a great idea. Some time when she's in there getting ready to deliver one, pop her head above the sheet and start barking out audibles just like a QB. "Green 59 Flex Wiggle!!" "Baker 18 Flex!!" It'd be the single greatest delivery-room moment ever. A memory some lucky couple would be able to laugh about for their entire lives. Sure, the GF wasn't too keen on this idea, but she's never been one to really support most of my great ideas. She's a hater, pure and simple.

Airing of Grievences
Tomorrow I get to take part in another "Employee Exchange Meeting" with the head of our group. Me and my buddy Tom, as a matter of fact. So we get to sit in a room and air out all the beefs we have with the company, management, and the stupid things they do. Pretty much the same list of beefs we had 6 months ago when we first got to do this, with a few new ones added in there for good measure. Seems the company just keeps doing more and more stupid things. We have a theory that they really are trying to get people to quit instead of having lay-offs. You have to give people severance and unemployment when you lay them off. When they quit, they get nothing. So in order to trim pay-roll cheaply, just keep cutting benefits and screwing the employees over.
Case in point...there is an item on the ballot for shareholders to stop the discounted Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP). Right now, we can have 10% of our paycheck taken out and put towards company stock. The year in broken into 2 periods, January 1 - June 30 and July 1 - December 31. At the end of each period, they take the lower of the price at the beginning and end of those periods, subtract 15% from that, and all our money we've put away is used to buy stock at that discounted price. It's really the only perk we have left right now. So we get to grill him on that tomorrow morning (wednesday).
So far they've stopped giving any real raises, stopped giving out stock options to regular employees, cut the tuition benefit to only $5300/year (from no limit), and moved us up to N.Reading from downtown. But we had the ESPP to make up at least a small piece of that pie.

Okay, I need to go lay down. Sitting here just makes my back slowly get worse. Time to lay on my make-shift heating pad and watch some more baseball and play-off hockey.
PEACE!!!

Random Garbage

This shall be a clearing of various garbage and baggage I've been dragging around.
1) Wolf's Rain
For those that don't know, this is a kick-ass anime series that I started watching with my now dead ex-roommate and friend. It was a part of our Friday Night Usual. Which was staying up til ~4am drinking way too much Budweiser, playing too much MarioKart, and watching anime. When he could get the DVDs from NetFlix, we'd watch Wolf's Rain. Since his death, I've continued the series with his sister in order to finish it. Partly to see the whole thing, partly as a way to honor Jack. It was a big effort. Many, many hours were spent watching this. And guess what, the ending was quite disturbing. In short, a disappointment. I've been bitter about it ever since. I can't believe I put in all that time and they couldn't even end that thing right. I mean, the journey was great and I wouldn't trade that for anything. But part of the fun was waiting to see the ending and see the good guys finally get what they were working so hard to accomplish. And I just know that somewhere, Jack was laughing his ass off watching me see the end of that series. Knowing full well the let-down that was coming. I even shook my fist at him up there. I'll probably never have closure about how things went down that last night, so I guess it's fitting that series didn't have any closure for me either.

2) My Wonderful Girlfriend, Hayley
As yes, "the GF". I didn't want to toss her name around here, as I didn't know if she'd be cool with it. Some people are worried about privacy, security, and the like. What was my reward? Her complaining that she was only mentioned twice in all the previous entries. So here you go, Hayley!
Those that know me, know I love her more than anything else in the world. I make alot of 'gravy train' jokes, lots of jokes about 'doing bitches' and the like. But deep down, she's all I live for right now. Everything I do I think about doing it with her. When I play baseball, I can't wait to come home to her after baseball. Hockey, same thing. No one else loves hearing my stories about how well I play in this stuff. Hell, no one else seems so entertained by my bad stories and retarded rantings. And now we're both just waiting for when the time is right to take the next move. When will that be? I don't know. Tomorrow? Next month? Next year? Who knows....

3) Derrek Lee
That damn goat curse. Hey, all you Red Sox fans that bitched about the curse of the Bambino, eat a dick! You had a fake curse. Ruth never cursed the team. No one did. It was just bad teams and bad luck and bad management coupled with a terribly negative attitute in this city. The fans here were just so bitter and unhappy they needed some excuse. We have a real curse. A man actually cursed us and we are actually cursed with horrible things. Case in point, Derrek Lee's freak injury. He was, and is, the heart and soul of this team. The rightful NL MVP last year. Gold Glove winner, Silver Slugger, single-handedly carried the Cubs for all of last year. And now, he's hurt and out for 2-3 months. I'm an optimist and I believe we still have the ability and skill to win it all this year. We just have to stay afloat for a couple months until Derrek is back. And we have more than enough bats to do it, if our pitching starts throwing like we all know they can. Will it be hard? Yes. But someone else will step up and take charge for this team in his absence.

4) What's Wrong With My Head
Ahhhhh, yes. What's been up with me. Sure, Chauncey Michaels seems invincible. Blessed with an unending depth of anger and sarcasm, yet seemingly so shallow and easy to please. But you know what they say, still waters run deep. I hate to drag things down here, but I just can't help it. So for those that aren't interested, feel free to just jump out now. This shall be the end of tonight's 'work'.
Lately, I seem to be just caught up in a dissatisfaction with my life. Either that, or I'm just stuck in neutral. Both of which are pretty true, but both are feeding off each other and are partly out of my control. A large part of me has zero desire to ever grow up and act like anything more than a college kid. Party hard, act like an idiot. But now all around me, everyone is growing up. People getting married or getting involved in serious relationships. No one parties quite so hard any more, as they have homes and other serious things to deal with. Sure, we rip it up sometimes, but it's just not the same. On top of that, I'm stuck in a sort of neutral area with Hayley. She's in NYC and I'm in Boston for at least the next year or so. So as want to spend all my time with her, and do all the things I want to do, I can't. Everyone else I know gets to have those things except for me. Petty and jealous, yes. I hate to admit it. But I'm jealous of everyone else that gets to do everything those things with their significant others. And I hate that I feel this way.
On top of that, I don't really care for my job right now. I'm bored every day, the company doesn't really show much respect for those of us that are left, and I don't see much changing too soon. So why don't I leave? Well, until Hayley finds out where her residency is going to be, it's not worth finding a new job and buying a place here. Cause I may be moving in a year. So I'm kinda trapped there as well. Yes, I could find another job if I really hated it there. But I don't hate it enough to warrent the extra work of finding a new job that I may have to quit in a year. It's just not worth it.
The frosting on the cake...surprisingly enough, I don't like being caught in situations that are outside of my control. I don't mine letting everyone else make decisions and just follow along, as long as I have the ability to veto them if I don't like it. It's how I roll! But now I'm caught up in something that I have very little control over. And any attempt to take control would probably end up in me losing the only thing I really want to keep in all this. Hayley. If I try to lay down the law and say I'm not moving from Boston, buy a condo, get a new job, and she doesn't get a residency in Boston... Or what if she has to take one that she doesn't really want in order to be with me? That's just putting her through the same things I'm going through now!
And to really top it off, I seem to have lost most of the things that I did better than others. The things that seperated me from everyone else. So I feel like I've lost some of my identity. Again, silly and petty. But that's just the way it is.
But I'm a tough cracker on the inside and I'll be fine. I'll just find other things to keep me entertained while the next year plays itself out. I'm sure I'll be able to make it out fine. I've been through worse and lived to laugh about it later. And this shall be no different! So to all, I wish you a good night. If you've actually made it this far and read all of this, bless you. You're a better person than I.
RESPECT!!

Boston Driving, Part II

Are you ready for part II? Here we go...
Boston Drivers, Part II
Okay, so last tiem we covered bad habits on the expressways. This time we're going to chat about the city driving. Which is even more retarded than the highway driving.
People here have developed an extremely annoying habit. It they're trying to make a left turn, instead of just waiting for a break in traffic like they should, they just start inching along until they physically block traffic and force people to let them go. The best part is that they get pissed at you if you don't stop and let them go. Which I NEVER do. If I have to, I will hit them before I stop. I have the right-of-way, they have to yield to me. The best part about having the right-of-way is that I don't have to stop if I don't want to. They can give me all the dirty looks they want and make me swerve well out of my way. But I'll be damned if I'm going to stop and let them in, extenuating circumstances not withstanding of course.
The better trick is when they block 1/2 the road doing it. Like when you turn left out of a parking lot. As soon as they get a break in the near lane, they just start going and assume the people in the far lane will let them in. And when they don't, they get stuck there blocking the near lane. And yes, when I see this go happen I do everything in my power to not yield to them. Why? It's the only way they'll learn. I feel bad for the people that are now getting blocked, but people need to be smart enough not to start a left turn until you're sure you can finish it. Yes, you may have to wait for awhile, but too bad. There are several places around here and back home that I just don't turn left out of because it's too tough. You either get ready for a long wait, or simply turn right and make a u-turn next chance you get. It's an inconvenience, but that's your own fault. The rest of the people on the road shouldn't pay for your impatience.
There may have been a time when the entire city complied with these unwritten rules. But that time is now gone. The influx of people from other areas of the country means that people now have to obey the rules of the road as they are written in the damn book. The way the rest of the country does it. And if people don't start figuring that out, we're going to see some pretty bad accidents.

Okay, that's enough for 1 night. I need to start closing up shop and heading off to bed. And coming up soon will be part III, talk about the immigration issue, and other fun Boston news.
PEACE!!

Boston Driving - 3 Part Series!!

I feel I need to get some things off of my chest about Boston driving, but it's way too much for just 1 day. Too much anger and ranting. So this will be my first multi-part series!

Part 1 - Passing on the Right
We'll start out slow. This is something I've noticed to be a very Massachusetts behavior, not the entire East Coast. New York, Connecticutt, New Hampshire, etc don't do it.
Let's say it's 9am on a sunday. You're cruising along the Mass Pike doing a comfortable 70mph in the middle lane. No one else around at all. You see a guy coming up behind you doing 75-80, also in the middle lane. Now then, there is a perfectly good left lane and he's got plenty of time to see you as he approaches. Everywhere else I've been the situation goes something like this: Other guy changes into the left lane (aka the passing lane) well before getting to you, passes you, then changes back once he's clear. It's how the system is supposed to work, and it works well.
Here's how it goes in Massachusetts: Other car comes flying up on your ass like you just popped up out of nowhere. They will then tail-gate you for awhile expecting you to get out of their way. Why? I'm still not really sure, but I'll cover my guess in part 3. They stay there long enough to make sure you know that you're really putting them out by not moving out of their way. Then they swerve into the right lane and punch it, further hammering home the point that they feel you blocked them. So not only do they not change lanes nice and early, but they then feel the need to pass on the right. It's like most people out here are afraid of the left lane. On a typical day they avoid it like the plague. Sure, when the road is jammed with traffic they'll use it, but only cause they have to if they want to speed and tail-gate.
Whenever I drive back from NYC to boston, I can pretty much tell as soon as I'm getting close to Mass. Everyone starts avoiding the left lane and driving like an idiot. Don't get me wrong, NY drivers have their own issues. But it makes more sence. They just speed and cut you off alot, but they can at least stick to proper lane usage, so their moves are fairly predictable. You can see it coming. Around Boston, you don't always know what the idiots are about to do, making it tougher to avoid.
Okay, part 1 complete. Stay tuned for for 2 and 3, coming soon.

V for Vendetta
On a lighter note, me and the GF saw "V for Vendetta" over the weekend in IMAX. Awesome. First, the IMAX thing is pretty awesome. Definately adds to a movie like this. Second, the movie was quite good. This is actually one of the rare movies that we both really liked, which is saying something. The plot is really good and avoids becoming cheesy and stupid. The acting is all very good, allowing you to really get into things and connect with the characters and the goings-on. Special effects were very tastefully done. Yes, you can have too many explosions in a movie and too many fight scenes. If things are done half-ass, they take away from a movie. But these were all very well done. Nothing over-the-top and nothing just thrown in because they could. So I highly recommend this movie to all.

Rev. Jesse Jackson

Ahhhhh, the good reverend has decided to emerge from whatever dark corner he'd been hiding in and grace us with his presence. He seems to have found a new person that is in desperate need of help. Someone who is being unjustly oppressed by The Man. Someone who just does not have the resources and/or ability to fight for themselves. Oop, my bad. He's fighting for Barry Bonds. Whose $20mil/year salary and extreme roid rage should allow him to fend off any attacker, be it physical or legal.
Barry Using Roids
For those that need a re-cap of the news, we'll start at the basics. Barry Bonds is at the center of a gigantic cluster-fuck for the MLB regarding steroid use. Everyone knows he used them. You can look at his body and know. No one at his age just suddenly puts on like 50lbs of muscle, grows 3 hat sizes, and triples their HR output from taking extra vitamins and hitting the gym. I'm sorry, it just doesn't happen. Had it been a gradual bulking up, fine. Had he not been an ego-driven media whore who was sick of being over shadowed by the likes of McGuire and Sosa, fine. Had his head not grown for no reason, fine. Had their not been a pile of evidence connecting him to the use of illegal substances from BALCO, fine. But you put all this together and you really can't ignore it. At some point you have to stop being nieve. Sure, lots of other players were juicing. Some just to make it to the Big Show from the minors, others to inflate their numbers to get a bigger contract. But it doesn't matter. If you juiced, you're guilty and need to just fess up.
Opening Day Incident
So opening day was upon us. Giants were in San Diego for their opener. Now then, there is already increased security at the game because of the Barry Bonds fiasco coming to town. Extra cops, extra searches, etc. But after the 8th inning, an 'object' was thrown on the field at Bonds. Barry called it a syringe, but it was not a medical syringe. It was a toy. With no needle to boot. There is the possibility it was the type of syringe you use for injecting flavorings into meats, which is still pretty harmless without a needle.
The Hypocracy That is Jesse
Now then, the good Reverend decides he needs to jump on the honey wagon and speak out about this. Saying that MLB and San Diego should provide even more security for Barry. Essentially, he's a special player and deserves to be protected far and away better than anyone else in the MLB. But now, last season when fans were throwing batteries at players during one game where was Jesse? Batteries from the upper deck can cause a serious injury, even end a career if they get you in the face. Did Jesse speak up? Nah, they were just regular players. How about a few years back when that father-son team jumps out of the stands and kicked the crap out of Royal's 1st-base couch Tom Gamboa? He lost partial hearing in 1 ear and was beaten pretty good. Did Jesse say a word? Nah, he's just your average old white coach. But what about the other dozen times in recent times when player-fan incidents have occurred? Surely he'd make a statement somewhere. Nope. And why not? Because he's nothing more than a media whore that just wants to get a little slice of the Bonds fiasco. It's just a fantastic opportunity to get his name out there on a uber-high profile event. Cause the American media and population aren't already giving enough attention and debate to this topic.
Pure crap.
I can't wait for the criminal trial to find Bonds guilty of knowingly buying and using illegal substances. It will be quite the happy day for me.
Okay, time to get back to watching the Cubs play like crap today. Like I said on monday, when Glendon Rusch is your #2 starter, you have a problem. Glendon should be either forever placed in the bullpen or sent to AAA. Bring up Rich Hill. At least then when Hill has a game like Glendon just had, it serves as a good learning experience. He'll gain something good from it. Today's pitching performance so far is just a waste of time. Oh well, when we win it all this year I won't even remember this game!
PEACE!!

Play Ball!!

Baseball has finally started, and I could not be happier. I love baseball season. Sure, there have been all the scandals with steriods, the strike not too long ago, poor fundaments, yada yada yada. But the simple fact remains that I love baseball. I love watching it, playing it, thinking about it, talking about it.
Especially my Cubbies. Who are off to a great start as far as the record and offense are concerned. But once again Zambrano had a shaky opening day start. At least he didn't get tossed for telling the home plate ump he's blind.
Pierre is doing exactly what we need him to do, which is get on base. Triple and a couple bunts. Perfect. Sets the table for Walker/Hairston, then Lee and Ramirez. Murton is going to be a stud this year. He can hit and is just a good guy.
But there's still our pitching. Wood being hurt, expected. We knew when he had surgery this off-season that he wouldn't be ready for the start. But Prior going down with another suspicious injury is not good. Which leaves us with Zambrano and Maddux. Rusch is a great long-relief and spot-start guy. And the kids (Guzman, Hill, Marshall) are all going to be real good, but probably not right out of the gate. So we may be in trouble in April and May. But once Marshall and Hill get up and get a few starts, we should be solid. And that's about when Wood will be back up, which never hurts. And Wade Miller shortly there after. Prior is just an enigma. I'm not really banking on anything much from him before the break. And we'll be okay if that comes to fruition.
Speaking of playing baseball...our Framingham Sunday Morning league also got started on sunday. Just a few hours of BP and throwing around, but real good to be out there. Catch up with the regulars, take some cuts at live pitching, throw a baseball again. Even got a little sunburn on my neck.
Yes, this is a pretty plain entry, but screw it. Looonnng day at work and I'm tired and it's late. So you'll just have to wait until later to get some good baseball chatter. Like how Bonds' joints should explode sometime in May from all the juicing. Or how Julio Franco needs to wear his medic alert braclet during the games in case he falls and breaks his hip.
But for now, it's time to call it a day and put this mess behind me.
PEACE!!