A Night To Remember

If the season goes as it seems to be going, with the Mets finally capturing the NL East flag, last night's game may be looked at as the defining moment of the season. The Mets went into Atlanta and decisively defeated the Braves. It wasn't the first time the Mets have won at Turner Field, but it was one of the few times, and was sort of step-on-their-neck-ish in that no matter what happens the rest of this weekend, the Mets will have a healthy lead on the Braves heading home from Atlanta.

It will not be hard for me to remember this game - this game will be ingrained in my memory - even though I was unable to watch a single inning. I did hear the last nine outs of the game on Gameday Audio, but I was not able to watch the telecast even though it was on SNY, I have SNY, and I was home last night. No, I was not able to watch the game, but I will remember this game, as it happened on the night that I fell from the attic, through the ceiling, of my house.






















Early Friday morning I was awoken by a strange sound. My wife and I figured out it was coming from the attic - it sounded like a small animal, like a mouse. So Friday evening, after work, we went up through the crawl space to investigate - we just wanted to see if there was any sign of the critter, and then we'd just set a simple trap as long as there didn't seem to be any issues that required a professional. It was our first time up in the attic since buying the house a year ago. I don't have a lot of experience with attics, and my only frame of reference is my mom's old house on Long Island, which could accomodate some storage, as plywood planks were installed so boxes, etc. could be stored up there. I guess I thought all houses had this. Despite my wife's warning that there were very specific places up there where I should be stepping...









I indeed misstepped and came through the sheet rock, creating a very large hole in our ceiling, and causing a tremendous amount of insulation to fall onto the floor and stairs below. Luckily I was able to react quickly enough to hold onto a beam and not break my neck or something, but it was quite a mess.














Lesson learned: listen to your wife, leave home inspections to professionals, and never, ever, miss a Mets game.

Counting Crows Touring With Goo Goo Dolls

This is somewhat of a strange pairing with strange timing. Goo Goo Dolls and Counting Crows are going on tour this summer, together. Goo Goo Dolls have a new album out, but Counting Crows haven't released any new material since including a few new tracks on their Greatest Hits album back in 2003. In a March 7th posting on his website, Adam Duritz says only that the band "may even see the inside of a studio soon," so it doesn't sound like any album is quickly forthcoming.

Pearl Jam Video

A video of an in-studio performance of "Life Wasted" from Pearl Jam's new album can be viewed by visiting the Amazon.com homepage. The new album comes out May 1, and the dates and venues for their tour can be viewed here.

Why is the sky blue?

"Solar radiation sunlight is scattered across the atmosphere by a process called diffused sky radiation. The sky is blue because much more short-wave radiation -- blue light -- is scattered across the sky than long-wave radiation -- red light."

Other facts you should know by now if you've graduated high school.

USA Today: Use Less Gas, and Prices Will Crash

According to a recent article in USAToday, If we REALLY want to see gas prices go down, there is a solution that is surprisingly simple: drive less.

According to the Oil Price Information Service, cutting back on gas consumption just a little bit could cause gasoline prices to drop dramatically. "If everyone decided to drive 3% less the next 30 days, prices would crash," says Tom Kloza, senior analyst at the Oil Price Information Service.

Unfortunately, history shows that Americans have always just adjusted to higher prices at the pump and then resume driving the way they always had.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2006-04-19-gas-use-usat_x.htm

Find Cheap Gas Where You Live!

Just enter your zip code and this site tells you which gas stations on your area have the cheapest prices (and the most expensive too). Supposedly it's updated every evening:


http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?zip=&src=N! etx

Mookie Of The Month - April 2006

The Return Of Guns N' Roses

Last month, Chuck Klosterman wrote an April Fools review of the long-awaited CD from Guns N Roses, Chinese Democracy in SPIN magazine. The article was a complete fabrication, and the album has yet to be released, but the real band, led by Axl Rose, has scheduled two real gigs at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on May 16 and 17. Tickets for the May shows cost $63 and go on sale April 21 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster locations. Call 631-888-9000 or go to www.ticketmaster.com.

Things To Do When You're Bored, #176

Practice makes perfect!

What To Do If The Avian Pandemic Flu Hits?

The government has created a website to help individuals be prepared in case the Avian Flu becomes a pandemic:

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/tab3.html

Based on what I saw on the Oprah Winfrey show about a month ago, the American economy, and infrastructure in general, would go completely into the toilet if this happens.

Here's some additional links:

Center for Disease Control Avian Influenza site

WGAL Bird Flu site

USA Today questions and answers about the bird flu

Awesone Pork Kabob Recipe

It was a bit cold this morning while we did some yard work, but it turned out to be a nice warm, clear day. A perfect day for grilling. I found this recipe for pork kabobs on allrecipes.com, and it turned out to be a great one. Real tasty with a nice kick to it! Goes great with some couscous and corn on the side...

INGREDIENTS:

• marinade:
  
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
  

• kabobs:
• 1 pound boneless pork loin, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 3 portobello mushrooms, cut into quarters
• 1 large red onion, cut into 12 wedges
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• 12 bite-size chunks fresh pineapple
  

• sauce:
  
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can low-sodium beef broth
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 
  

DIRECTIONS: In a shallow dish, mix together 3 tablespoons soy sauce, olive oil, 1 clove minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Add pork cubes, and turn to coat evenly with marinade. Cover, and refrigerate for 3 hours.In a saucepan, combine beef broth, cornstarch, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, brown sugar, 2 cloves minced garlic, and ginger. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate. Thread pork cubes onto skewers, alternating with mushrooms, onion, tomatoes, and pineapple chunks.Cook on grill for 15 minutes, or until meat is cooked through. Turn skewers, and baste often with sauce during cooking.

Ahhhh...

My Review: Inside Man

I wasn't feeling too well on Saturday when we went to the movies, but I really enjoyed what we saw. Inside Man, starring Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster is a much better movie than I expected. The acting is as good as the script, which is a nice change of pace for a cop movie. It was especially cool watching a movie set in New York City in New York City, especially because some of the jokes in the movie were jokes that just couldn't have gone over as well in other cities. In all, a memorable that I recommend, even in New York where the ticket prices have reached $10.75.

Grade: B+

I wasn't feeling too hot that day so I slept through the previews, but fortunately the trailer I had wanted to see can be seen on the Internet (they have the Internet on computers now) by clicking here.

Baseball Obsessed

I'm having trouble coming up to stuff to write about in this speace lately, mostly because I have baseball fever and can't think of anything besides the Mets. I've been posting quite a bit over at my other blog, www.tranplantedmetsfan.com, though, so if that subject interests you please stop by!

We visited New York this past weekend and it was awesoem to see our friends and family for the weekend, as well as to indulge in our favorite New York treats - H&H Bagels, Angelo's Pizza, and the New York mass transit system. It's good to be back in N.C. though, as today my friends back home are suffering through a snowstorm and it's warm enough down here to walk around outside without a jacket.

I was outside a little bit more than usual this morning, as I had to clean up after Mookie. Mookie killed her first rabbit this morning. Michelle found a baby rabbit sleeping under our deck, and then Mookie found it. Needless to say, the two animals did not become friends, and I had to go home and dispose of the rabbit's body. So, Easter will be cancelled this year at the Mookie household, as it turns out Mookie killed The Easter Bunny's kid.

Dogs will be dogs, I guess.