Tried out the new Verizon Droid this morning.  Very very cool.  Makes the iPhone look like a Datsun.  Me want it!!!

Yesterday was “National Husbands Cook Dinner Day.”  When is “National Wives kill bugs Day,”  or “National Wives take out the garbage Day,” or “National Wives understand what the check engine light means Day.”

I want to know who picks up hitchhikers anymore?  Is that still a relevant way to travel?  Along those lines, does anyone ever stop to help out a stranded motorist.  I don’t.  I think anyone of them could be an ax murder.  Maybe I’ve seen one to many movies like that.

Heard this week someone describe “This Is It” as the greatest movie they’ve seen and perhaps the greatest movie ever.  Really?  Isn’t it just him rehearsing?  That’s like saying the lay-up line was the greatest NBA game ever seen.  I mean, we’re talkin’ bout practice.

Four-month-olds and large needles do not mix well.

Forgot how annoying Yankee fans are when they win.  Red Sox fans were neeeever like that .  At least the rivalry seems to be back.  Pitchers and Catchers on February 18th for those of you counting.

Sesame Street is still pretty kick a**.

If you don’t like cookies, just keep walkin’ on by me.

Enjoy the gorgeous weekend!!!!

I love Election Day.  This is the day where we all can voice our opinions and evoke our rights as American citizens.  This is my one civic duty and I take it very seriously.  I don’t serve in our military.  I don’t volunteer for the America Corps.  I’m not a volunteer firefighter or EMT.  Voting is my one call to action and should be yours as well.

Everyone gets all amped up for the big national and state elections.  We all think that our voices are truly heard in casting our vote for the next president, senator or governor.  Really though, these local muni elections is where your vote truly counts. 

Any one of these races could be decided by a handful of votes.  One or two could swing a race in a completely different direction.  One vote could change the direction of a town or city for the next two years or more. 

Many of these are volunteer positions. They are going out and sacrificing their personal time for the betterment of their hometown.  These folks are making a large sacrifice so the least we can do is show them the proper respect by going out to cast our votes.

These aren’t your races with the big names or sexy topics.  These are your friends, neighbors or relatives running for office. 

These elections affect us more than any other.  This is where local taxes or school decisions or town improvements are chosen.  The elected officials decisions have the greatest impact on our everyday lives.  This is some serious stuff.  Yeah, the presidential elections get all the glory and deservingly so, but these muni ones have the greatest impact on us.

Never take these “off-year” elections for granted.  Two years ago in my town, the Dems didn’t show up at the polls and a Republican was elected First Selectman for the first time in decades (not that the Dems had a great choice…).  The party took it all for granted. 

Anything can happen. 

One vote does matter.

So please, get out there and pull that lever.  Fill in that bubble.  Put a stone in a basket.  Do whatever you need to do to get to the polls.  I can’t wait.  I’m bringing Avery to the polls.  Will she remember this?  Doubt it, but it can’t hurt to get her started this young.

I love this day.

I’ve always enjoyed this day.  Not really sure why.  I don’t think it’s the dressing up.  Maybe it is the candy.  Could be the parties we’ve been too(some doozies ).  I think though it’s the memories that I enjoy most.  My Mom always went above and beyond with costumes.  Not once did I wear a costume that was bought from a store.  Every one was homemade.  Was I spoiled, damn right.

My favorite:  an ewok costume.  All from scratch.  Boy was it warm which was good because that year was bone-chilling cold.  I actually think my Mom still has it.  Don’t think I fit into it anymore.  WIsh I had a picture, I was adorable.

Most memorable:  A cowboy costume form 1986.  We had a fire in our house that year in August.  Leading up to Halloween I said no dress up for me.  Well, nine-year-olds tend to change their mind(shocking I know) and I came home either right before or on that day and stated my new intentions.  Well in the matter of a few hours, I had a cowboy costume made from paper bags.  Utter genius from the Mom unit.

Favorite adult:  Last year, I was a beer pong table.  Nikki was a ping pong ball.  We’ve always worked well together. 

This year, no dress up.  Only real plans is a Pennsylvania themed tailgate at UConn, which all in all isn’t bad.

So what’s your favorite?  Movie, party, costume, blog(hello??) whatever.  Enjoy the night and don’t do anything overly stupid.  Enjoy a couple links.  First, the grand daddy of them all:

And one of my favorite songs:

When I write this blog, I put in post tags.  Words that I think will get my blog to pop up when doing an online search.  Sometimes I’ll get lucky by putting in something generic like football and get a ton of hits.  Yesterday, my entry was all about the Swine Flu and how someone gets infected.  Got nuthin’ from it.  Zilch.

So today, I’m trying something out.  I’m taking the top five Google searches and putting those as my search words.  I just wanna see what this gets me. 

Lets call it a human study on searching by a semi-educated person. Or as I am calling it the HuSSoBASEP.

SAT SCORES:  Kids, don’t fret over these.  I got into schools with a 990.  Don’t go crazy over them.  Get good grades, volunteer, be involved in school activities and write a kick-ass essay and you should be set.

COLLEGE BOARD: The only college board I knew about was the piece of plywood we used as a beer pong table.  Again, a vital part of the higher education process.  Don’t be fooled by any other board, that is the only one that matters.

CT BIG LIST:  Free MoneyFree Money Free Money.  Too bad I’m not on that list.  Not me , not relatives, no body.  I could use some free money.  Who couldn’t right?  Check it to see if you’re a lucky one.  BTW, I do charge a finder’s fee.  Only 10%, thanks.

MICHEAL JACKSON AUTOPSY PICTURE:  It seems like it may be leaked to the public soon.  I thought it already was:

 WORLD SERIES:  Boy, what a showing by Lee.  Nice catch on the pop-up too.  I’d be furious w/ one of my kids if they tried that.  Plus, it was nice to see a WS game start before 8pm.  Maybe, MLB can get an afternoon game sometime.  Crazy I know.

So thats that.  Lets see how this plays out.  I’ll let you know tomorrow.

I figure it’s about time I give back.  With all this flu talk and scare going around has anyone ever stopped and explained just HOW the virus infects us?  I have and my question wa answered this morning in an email from my mom.

Click on this nice picture of a flu bug for the link to the video.

THE FLU!!!!!!!!!!!

 Interesting huh?  Hope you all are as lucky as I am and are blessed with a super-powerful immune system.  I think all my white-blood cells all have an “S” emblazoned on them.

There was an article in Sunday mornings Hartford Courant about my hometown.  Usually this would make a smile come across my face till I realized the article was about the Goodspeed Opera House.

Now I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the Opera House.  I did work there as an usher for  one season and I hated every moment of it.  The pay was brutal, the hours were awful, the people were horrendous, the bosses were unbearable.

I do love the history of the theatre and I love the fact that they bring much-needed tourists into town which brings much-needed moolah.  I don’t like the fact that they own a large number of properties on high-valued land that is un-taxable.

The article on Sunday was about the new actors village that is being built.  Saying it was a tad one-sided may be an understatement. 

Building these houses is one thing, where they are being built is another.  You see, that part of town is very susceptible to flooding.  Every spring, the river backs up into the floodplain and the small stream always overflows its’ banks.  No one actually can predict how these new houses will affect these delicate plains.  I guess we’ll find out in March and April.  If you hear a gurgling sound, that is me swimming in from my house.

What happened to interviewing the residents of that tiny little area of town?  What happened to journalism?

This is just a continuation of a long history where East Haddam officials bend over backwards to accomodate Michael Price and his theatre. 

I’m still waiting for the return in kind.  Really seems like a one-sided relationship with the residents of this small town always dealing with the ugly side.

What gets into ( and then out of) these dudes who think they can hide an extra-marital affair??  Don’t they know it will almost always turn bad.  So let me guess, you are man enough to sleep around but aren’t man enough to confront your wife about issues.

Dirty Bird

Steve Phillips, what the hell you thinking??  I can’t believe you are actually a worse husband and father then you are a broadcaster or GM.  When did you think this was a good idea??  Not only were you messing with a 22-yr-old, but messing with a 22-yr-old and your career.  How dumb you gotta be.  If you need a refresher, Deadspin.com has the recap.

Here’s what I don’t get.  Why do it?  If you are that unhappy in a relationship, just end it, then go off and act like an 18-yr-old.  How can you have that little respect for your wife/husband.  If you cheat, than your whole marriage was just a sham.  Hey, I get it, some things don’t work out, but don’t end it like that.  Taking the coward out by hiding behind an affair.

  It’s despicable.

How will you remember these baseball playoffs?  The resurgence of the Yankees?  The Phillies going for a repeat(yuck, I think I just vomited a bit)?  The undressing of the Red Sox by the Angels?

For me, it will be the atrocious umpiring.  It has been down right brutal and something needs to be done.  From some of the questionable strike zones to the obvious blown calls, it has been the fall of their discontent.

I think I have a solution too.  Instant Replay. 

Wow, i think I just heard a collective gasp from the baseball “traditionalists.”

Now, you can’t go crazy with it.  You shouldn’t be able to challenge balls and strikes.  Everything else is up for review though.  I think that each manager should get two replays to use during a game. 

Those two challenges will be viewed by a fifth official up in the broadcast booth.  There, he/she would have access to all camera angles.  They too will have one official challenge per team per game.  That’s a total of three challenges a side.

These challenges should not take any longer than a minute.  Hell, a manager/umpire argument can take longer.  Watching at home, we all know instantly whether the player is safe, out or whatever the call should be. 

The system works in other sports.  Football is better for it.  Hockey and basketball implement it.  Baseball has to join the 21st century.  The players are bigger, stronger and faster while the umpires just get older and older. 

This really should be a quick and easy fix.  Now fixing the overall umpiring, that’s a whole other issue for another post.

BTW, 110 days till spring training.

Job #1 of course is my directing duties here at the New and Improved Peacock.  I job I love and take very seriously. 

Job #2, I thought, was my baseball coaching gig at Hale-Ray HS.  Well, it turns out that’s been bumped to #3 for now.

My new #2, a bed.  Yep that’s right, a sleeping apparatus.  Humanus Beddia I think is the latin phrase for it.  Roughly translated: Human Bed.  In dealing with our first of countless child sicknesses, my wife and I realized quickly, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.  For me, that was transforming into a cot for Avery(in case you were wondering, I’d be an autobot.  Along with a dresser, nightstand, armoir and blanket chest we’d form Boudoir-Bot, the ultimate furniture menace…….sorry, went off ona bit of a tangent there )

Anyway, as I was saying, Avery has been sick with an upper respiratory thing w/ an onset of an ear infection.  The most comfortable(and only) way she can sleep is on her chest with her head elevated.  Well, since there isn’t a great (or safe) contraption inveted yet that fits into a crib, the options are limited.  So, I become a bed.  She slept on my chest for 2 1/2 hours yesterday afternoon while Nikki got some much needed shut-eye (32 straight hours can make anyone tired) then last night another 4 hours. 

Oh the sacrifices we make.

I’ll make sure to store this away for when she tells me how much she hates me when she’s 13.

Gotta thank Grant Routhier for this.  He sent it to me yesterday.  Words don’t really do it justice, so here just watch:

You done??  Good.  How great was that.  Now you all know how much I love tailgating (and if you didn’t, consider yourselves informed).  It really enhances the football watching process.  In fact, my step-dad said he’d enjoy football a whole helluva lot more if he knew about tailgating earlier in life.

So, I’d figure it’ll cost about $60,000 or so to build my Port-a-Bar(still a working title, I am always up for suggestions).  Of course I would modify it to suit my needs.  Two TV’s (eliminates viewing conflicts), a tap system, lights, heat if needed maybe even make it solared power(going green ).

I would also need a new truck to tow it, maybe a nice new f-250.  Like this:

Of course I would also need some sort of portable grilling apparatus.  Hmmmmmm, let me see.  I GOT IT!!!!

Perfect.  I think that just about completes it. 

So consider this a formal plea for the public’s help.  I will accept all donations, large and small.  I am not opposed to selling ad space( yea, I can be bought.) I would prefer some sort of sausage company(hello Johnsonville) or a beer company (great opportunity for Dogfish).  I’d even be willing to run a tickerboard so your small business could get in on this.  Imagine advertising a cab company that offered rides home from parking lots, for a small fee of course.

Lets get this done folks.  Humanity will be better off ro it, I promise.