Yankee Stadium’s Swan Song – Part 2
By Brian | September 22, 2008
I realize I just posted about this a couple of days ago, but now that I’ve seen it, I feel the need to comment once again.
First of all, the Yankees are about the classiest organization in professional sports.
Categories: Family Matters, New York, New York, Sports Talk | 2 Comments »
Apparently, I’ve Upgraded to WordPress 2.6.2
By Brian | September 21, 2008
Nothing should be different on your end.
Unfortunately (fortunately?) nothing seems to be different on my end.
Categories: Blogging about Blogs | 2 Comments »
Crossing the Bridge to Nowhere
By Brian | September 19, 2008
As you are no doubt aware, we have moved into that phase of the campaign where anything either candidate says is a “bald faced lie” and the “a new low in presidential campaigning.” I ignore most of these stories because they usually turn out to be just as untruthful (if not moreso) than the incident they’re describing, and both campaigns have figured out that no one ever gets eviscerated for lying about their opponent’s lying.
The one story that caught my eye, though, was the “Bridge to Nowhere” story. Each side has their talking point slogan (Democrats: “She was for it before she was against it,” Republicans: “I told Congress ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ on that Bridge to Nowhere’), and of course, each side is shocked…SHOCKED!! at how untruthful and negative the other side has become. But isn’t this an easy thing to check out? After all, we’re not talking about some abstract position on an issue that someone changed their mind about, we’re talking about the allocation of dollars from party to party and how/when it was spent. What a strange thing to lie about then, no?
Anyway, I checked it out. What follows is, in my humble opinion, an excellent case study in how politicians (on both sides of the aisle) lie.
Categories: News and/or Media, Political Rantings | Comments Off on Crossing the Bridge to Nowhere
A Different Kind of Bailout
By Brian | September 18, 2008
Ladies & Gentleman, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber:
Andrew Lloyd Webber is offering free theatre tickets to bankers who have lost their jobs in the current financial meltdown.
Between now and October 15th, bank employees who visit the box offices of The Sound of Music and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will be able to claim two free tickets for one of the shows on production of a P45 issued after September 1st, 2008.
Andrew Lloyd Webber said: “Both The Sound of Music and Joseph are feel good shows and I thought that free tickets might offer some respite, albeit for a couple of hours, for some of those people who have sadly lost their jobs in the current economic upheaval. All you have to do is present your P45 as proof at the box office and two free tickets are yours.”
The offer is subject to availability and terms and conditions apply.
That’s seventeen different kinds of awesome…
(Hat tip: Erik Hickman)
Categories: Money Talk, Random Acts of Blogging, Words about Music | Comments Off on A Different Kind of Bailout
Random Acts of Blogging – 9/16/08
By Brian | September 16, 2008
A couple of quick hits to tie you over until I think of something witty & interesting to say:
1)
Categories: Random Acts of Blogging | 2 Comments »
Goodbye, Old Friend…
By Brian | September 16, 2008
Tonight, I attended my final game at the current Yankee Stadium – 161st Street and River Ave in the Bronx, New York.
Categories: Family Matters, New York, New York, Sports Talk | 2 Comments »
Sunday, Bloody Sunday…
By Brian | September 16, 2008
This might be a good time to review my work history:
1991 – graduate college and take a job with the company now known as Accenture.
2000 – begin a two-year stint as an Accenture consultant to Merrill Lynch.
2004 – leave Accenture and join the Lehman Brothers IT department
2006 – leave Lehman Brothers and join the Bank of America Global Markets Back Office IT group
Recognize any of those company names from the news over the past couple of days? To say the least, it’s been an incredible weekend. Things no one ever thought would happen have happened, and have happened in quick succession. For some perspective: Lehman Brothers survived the great depression, but couldn’t make it through the sub-prime mortgage crisis of 2008. Explaining why that is true would take pages upon pages of blog posts, as well as a level of understanding that I don’t fully possess. Suffice to say it’s extremely complex, extremely depressing, and (much to the chagrin of the press and politicians in the days and weeks to come) not easily blamed on a given person or group of people.
I’ll leave the Bank of America / Merrill Lynch acquisition alone on the blog, since I’m prohibited from sharing anything I know about it that isn’t already in the press (which, to be honest, isn’t much at this point). But since Ken Lewis and John Thain said publicly this morning that the entire deal (from initial proposal to completion) took about 48 hours, I think I’m free to say this: all of us were shocked. Very few, if any, saw it coming. As an IT professional, that means there’s a whole lot of work ahead to figure out what it really means.
It’s time to roll with the punches, folks…
Categories: Money Talk | 1 Comment »
Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live – 9/13/08
By Brian | September 15, 2008
We all knew it was coming. Saw it a mile away. Predictable as hell. And STILL, it’s fall-down-on-the-floor hysterical!
Categories: Political Rantings, Primetime TV | 1 Comment »
House Pictures Return (again!)
By Brian | September 14, 2008
To those who have been (rightly) bugging me about it, I finally got around to posting some more pictures of our House Construction project.
Our little slide show is up to 134 pictures at this point, so here’s what I’d suggest:
- If you want to see it from the beginning, click on the “House Construction Photoblog” picture at the left, or just click here.
- If you want to pick up where you left off (“only”
Categories: Family Matters | Comments Off on House Pictures Return (again!)
9/11/08
By Brian | September 11, 2008
There are places I’ll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends, I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I’ve loved them allBut of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life, I’ll love you moreThough I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life, I’ll love you more– John Lennon
Seven years.For me, much has changed: My 16-month old is now a third grader, we’ve had another son who is now in kindergarten, I’ve changed jobs twice, we’ve gone through three leased cars, and we’re just about done renovating our home. We’ve made new friends, taken several trips, and built some lasting memories.
And, of course, much remains the same: a loving and supportive family, great friends, and hobbies/interests that bind us together and bring us much happiness.
As the poet said: some has changed, and some remains.
I don’t typically spend a lot of time looking back, since there’s so much to look forward to. But on a somber day like this, I can’t help thinking that had I been there that day, Sherry would be without a husband, Avery would be without a father, and Brandon wouldn’t exist at all. And then I note that 3,000 local families are living that reality, now and forever. I count my blessings, and I grieve for those who deserve them, but don’t have them.
I say it every year, and it probably sounds clich
Categories: Family Matters, New York, New York | 2 Comments »