Keep It Warm

Winter struck again today, causing Deb, Hannah and Lily to have their first snow days of the school year. The snow started early, turning to sleet by afternoon and now just rain. I went to work, but they closed the office at 3:30 so the parking lot could be plowed.

Deb used the free time to check out new cell phones. We bought our last ones in 2005 and while they still worked, they were pretty banged up and archaic by today's standards. Deb ended up getting a Verizon EnV, which opens up to reveal a full keyboard for texting. We got a deal where I got a more traditional Motorola phone for free; I could have whined and got the same phone as Deb, but honestly, I don't text that often and couldn't be bothered. I just need a phone that works as a voice communication device; it has a camera, which is fine, but I don't use my phone to take pictures or listen to music or watch videos.

Can't believe I'm already into week 4 of my marathon training. I'm feeling pretty good so far, but I've done a lot of treadmill running, which is a bummer. I ran outside for my 17-miler on Saturday and it wasn't bad; I was really careful to watch my footing so I didn't wipe out. I've got 20 coming up this weekend while we're in NJ.

I came across an interesting situation yesterday at work. There are four soda machines in our building and they are continually ripping people off, either eating dollar bills, out of soda, or giving you a Diet Coke when you want a Coke. I've probably had close to $30 in dollar bills eaten by those damn machines over the years. Yesterday afternoon I noticed that the machine near my office was unlocked; the door was closed to keep the sodas cold, but you could open it. For a split second, I considered the moral implications...and then I reached in and grabbed a couple of Cokes. And I told a few other people. The machines are run by the son of our building's landlord and between the mismanagement of the machines and the rest of the building (which leaks, is moldy, and has countless other problems), I figured we're due. When I came in this morning, the machine was open, but I didn't partake. Later in the morning, I was feeling sleepy and went out to get a Coke, but the machine had finally been locked. It was good while it lasted. Just as well that it's locked now...I'm trying to stay off that stuff, anyway.

Chips and dip:

• No doubt you saw and laughed at the ads for the Snuggie, that wearable blanket thing that was hyped every 10 minutes over the holidays. Well, apparently the ads worked...to the tune of $40 million in sales. Maybe people figure they can save money on heating costs by wearing those silly things. Whatever the case, the dude selling the Snuggie is laughing all the way to the bank...while wearing a Snuggie.
• The Super Bowl is this weekend and my interest is about as low as it's ever been. I'll root for Arizona just because they're the underdogs and I don't like the Steelers, but really, I'll be rooting for my Super Bowl squares to hit. Hey, the last time I won anything was when Tampa Bay beat the Raiders, another game I didn't give a rat's arse about.

Constructive Summer

Was ist los? Just hanging here digging the new Hold Steady album, Stay Positive. I actually went and bought the CD today at Best Buy; I would have downloaded it off eMusic, but the CD included three bonus tracks, so I decided to pick that up instead. Of course, they combined them all on one track, which is annoying. But the album itself is excellent. I'm looking forward to listening to this throughout the summer. They actually played a free show at the Paradise last month that you could only get in via RSVP through Like.com; I got on the list but it was the same night as the Corporate Challenge and I couldn't blow that off, so there you have it. But I'm sure they'll swing through here at some point in the near future, so I'll catch them then.

Last night, I was flipping back and forth from the MLB Home Run Derby to TiVoed stuff. I've always enjoyed watching the derby in the past, but this year, I was kinda blase about it. But then I switched back and Josh Hamilton of the Rangers was hitting and I watched him hit 28 freakin' homers in the first round, most of which were of the bizzomb variety. Three were over 500 feet. He had the Yankee Stadium crowd losing its collective mind; they were chanting his name. The story was made all the better with the knowledge that the former number 1 draft pick was only a few years removed from a serious drug addiction. He was out of the game for three years before working his way back and this season threatening for the Triple Crown. And last night, although he didn't win the HR derby, he put on a show for the ages. Pretty cool.

Eggs over easy:

• Stephen Colbert plans to have Rush on his show tomorrow: The legendary Canuck power trio, not the blubbery right wing radio guy. Nerds rejoice!
• So the other day we were hanging out with some friends and I was wondering why I can never find Pete's Wicked Ale anymore. Pete's was my go-to beer for several years in the mid- to late-'90s, when after softball games we would hit the bar that sponsored our team. It was an excellent brown ale that went down smooth but had some heft to it. I also enjoyed Pete's Summer Brew. But over the last several years, Pete's has all but disappeared from stores and bars around here. I found some Wanderlust Cream Ale at a local store a few years ago, but I suspect that had been on the shelves there for a while. Doing a little Web research, I found that founder Pete Slosberg sold the company in '98 to the Gambrinus conglomerate, which brews Corona. But it appears the beer, if it is made anymore, has disappeared. Slosberg went into the chocolate business a few years back. Plenty of beers have replaced Pete's for me, but I would love to get ahold of a six-pack of the classic Pete's Wicked.
• I laughed my arse off when I saw the end result of the big Jose Canseco-Vai Sikahema boxing match over the weekend. The hulking former steroid aficionado Canseco, who wanted to fight a fellow former pro athlete, had previously rebuffed former NHL enforcer Lyndon Byers in favor of the much smaller Sikahema, a former NFL kick returner. So it was poetic justice when Sikahema proceeded to knock Canseco out. Beautiful.