Watch me now, hey!

I've never owned a watch, but have been getting interested in owning one lately. Of course, my desires greatly outmatch my budget. Pretty cool article / slide show on the subject in GQ magazine online here. Go through the slide show to see lots of cool watches they like. My favorites in the < $5000 range are the Omega Speedmaster and the Tag Heuer Link Automatic, photos below:

Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow GMT

Tag Heuer Link Automatic Chronograph

These types of watches are probably the most I could ever see spending on anything like this -- and it's not even remotely within reason today. Heck, right now I can't even afford to buy a $200 watch, much less one for $3000-$5000! Anyway, the above models are about the entry-level price ranges for real Swiss-made watches with real craftsmanship. Rolex is more expensive, with their least-expensive stainless steel models starting above $5000.

In even far less reasonable price range is this IWC Schaffhausen Portugese below, about $20,000...


Or this beautiful A. Lange & Soehne perpetual calendar in platinum:


However, the ultimate choice would be this Patek Philipe Sky Moon Tourbillon 5002S, the most complicated wristwatch in the world. I could not find any retailer listing a price, but I did find one selling on ebay for "only" 1.65 MILLION USD!! Can you imagine spending that much for a watch? Even for a billionaire this collector timepiece would represent 1/500 of your entire net worth. Another question is, would you trust buying something costing that much on ebay?

Easterbrook's ESPN "TMQ" Rocks! -- Literally

Just spent a little time reading this week's Tuesday Morning Quarterback, one of my favorite sports columns of all. His column (link here for this week's) is mostly on the NFL action from the previous week, but he also delves into other thought-provoking topics, often science-related. As a sports-fan who also loves science, space, astronomy, etc. and has an MS in Mechanical Engineering (originally started off in college with an Aerospace Engineering degree plan), I think this is a really cool combo of things to write about.

Side note, I don't AGREE with everything TMQ writes (for example, I think he's completely full of crap about his liberal idea of raising gas taxes), but it's still very interesting on a wide variety of topics.

One interesting paragraph is about why NASA isn't spending more money to prevent dangerous Earth strikes from asteroids / meteors. He also links to a very interesting full-length article in The Atlantic here. Maybe some of those movies (e.g. Deep Impact) about asteroid strikes are not so science-fiction after all!

Later?

My son Daniel has begun the habit of asking for something that he wants, such as a cookie, his Superman costume, a Porsche, etc. Then when we tell him no that he cannot have that, he immediately says, "Later? ... Maybe later I can have it?"


I think he's somehow found a book on negotiating skills and is using it on me.

Musical Tuesday, Backyardigans sound like Queen

Since this is a holiday week and I'm taking off from work Wed-Friday for Thanksgiving, Musical Friday this week becomes Musical Tuesday ... TGIT!

My kids really like the Nickelodeon Jr. show "Backyardigans", and often sing and dance along to the songs. It's a show about 4-5 kids that use their imagination to pretend to have fantastic adventures while singing and dancing. It's usually a 30 minute show, but recently they had a 1 hour long show called "Tale of the Mighty Knights" (link here). It caught my attention because most of the episode sounded like a tribute to a Queen rock opera! See clip below for one of the characters, Austin, pretending to be a "Grabbin Goblin". This isn't even the most "Queen-sounding" song from the episode, but the only one I could find a good clip of.

S--- Happens!

We all know that (as Forrest Gump famously stated) that S--- Happens. But usually I'm not so happy about it. About 1-2 weeks ago ago, my daughter Lauren began pooping in the toilet regularly! She'd known how to do it for a while, but still insisted on getting a Pull-Up (training pants / diaper) to "make a poo-poo". We'd tried to argue with her about this initially, but with Lauren we've found that we really have to pick our battles to maintain sanity.


She's all excited now about being a "big girl", so much so that she now has begun pooping about 4-5 times a day -- apparently just for fun. My wife also says her Pull-Ups she's been wearing as preventive measure at night have been dry the last several mornings -- I think I have actually purchased my last diaper! Cue music:

Texas #2 in BCS standings! (Subject to change)

Wow, what a complete and total beat-down the Sooners laid on Tech. OU lead 42-7 at HALFTIME! I thought that OU might win, but had no clue that kind of beating was coming ... Lord, that was a whippin'...

The BCS standings were released just a few minutes ago (link here), and Texas moved up to #2, a slim lead just ahead of Oklahoma. Although OU is one spot ahead of Texas in the AP and coaches poll, the computers have Texas ahead and give the Horns the edge to play in the national title game!

Only problem is, this week's BCS ranking isn't the one that counts, and this is subject to change next week. OU plays 9-2 OSU next Saturday and Texas plays 4-7 A&M Thanksgiving night. Thus if both Texas and OU win their upcoming games, OU will have a better strength of schedule in the computers (which make up a portion of the BCS calculations) next week than this week, likely enough to pass Texas. Texas needs to lay an absolute arse-whipping on A&M just like OU laid on Tech to have a chance to win the Big 12 south. We also need to pray for OU to beat OSU, but just barely.

Unfortunately we can't root for OSU to beat OU. If OU loses to OSU, then Texas Tech will play in the Big 12 championship game with the tie-breaker over Texas.

The fact that I even have to type a post like this is sad. Why is there not a playoff? If an 8-team playoff were held now, we'd have the following great games:

#1 Alabama vs #8 Penn State
#2 Texas vs #7 Texas Tech (rematch! kind of like Pats / Giants in 2007 NFL season)
#3 Oklahoma vs #6 Utah (would OU lose on a 2-pt conversion like Boise State?)
#4 Florida vs #5 USC

The ratings for this would be through the roof and I bet would match ratings for NFL playoff games.

OU Giving Texas Tech the Bird

Since Texas is forced to root for Oklahoma to beat The Pirate Tortilla-Chuckers (Texas Tech, coach Mike Leach pictured above) this weekend, I give you the following video to get you in the mood:

Martha increases her street cred

Ran across this funny video on Youtube of rapper Snoop Dogg. A commenter said that since Martha's been to prison, she now has lots more street cred. Indeed ... In-dizzle?

More things a man should not do

From Jeff Ward's radio show, more things a man should not do (I agree with most of these):

A man should not:

• Wear a Speedo
• Line dance
• Drive a mini-van
• Have a downloaded ring tone for their cell phone
• Wear gold chains
• sing karaoke
• Ask for a spot at the gym
• Wear a sports jersey above college age
• be caught without cash in his wallet

Clarification to backpack = dork post

In an earlier post here, I comment that grown men in a professional job should not wear college-style backpacks to work.

I should clarify one thing. If you're riding a bike or motorcycle to work and have a legitimate physical reason that a backpack makes sense, then that's cool. I'm pretty sure that you need both hands on the wheel on a motorcycle! What I'm talking about are the guys who I see getting out of their car, truck, or SUV in my covered parking garage at work, wearing nice, professional clothes and have at most 1/4 mile to walk to their desks, wearing their backcountry hiking pack to their desks.

Save, er ... indict the cheerleader!

Link here to a story in the Houston Chronicle about hazing at Morton Ranch High School in Katy, TX. I first heard about it on Jeff Ward's radio show yesterday. I have actually driven by this subdivision on the way to visit my uncle in Richmond, TX. Gotta love those Texas cheerleaders.

I really detest hazing in any form. I think if I had been the dad of one of the JV cheerleaders bound and thrown into a pool that there would be some dead people once I found out!

I am free / three / four

My daughter, who just turned 4 recently, likes to sing quite a bit. Photo in previous post here. She memorizes pretty long songs and actually carries a tune pretty well. Anyway, she really likes the Newsboys' song "I Am Free", link below. Chorus lyrics are "I am free to run / I am free to dance / I am free to live for You / I am free / yes I am free."

I was kind of singing / humming this song in the kitchen while doing a few dishes, and my daughter, sitting at the table finishing her dinner, heard me and started singing it, too. But instead of "free", she was saying "three" (I am THREE to run ... yes I am THREE), and holding up 3 fingers.

But I pointed out to her because of her recent birthday that she's 4 years old and not 3 ... so she promptly began singing "I am FOUR to run / I am FOUR to dance"!

A beautiful thing

I saw a most beautiful sight at my local HEB gas station in Kyle last night. Hard to be believe it was only 4-5 months ago that this same sign said $3.96! (2nd price is E-85 and 3rd price is diesel)

Cool jogging map tool

I overheard some folks down in the gym discussing their run they did that day, and one guy mentioned he mapped out his run using a web site called "Map My Run." Link here. So I checked it out later and thought it was pretty cool. I discovered that my run at home (which should not be combined with pizza and beer) is about 2.5-2.6 miles, and my run at work is about 5 miles, see below. It also can show elevation changes and show approximate calories that run would burn. For example, my rather hilly work run has about 270 ft of uphill climbing and burns about 700 calories.

Pizza, beer, and jogging

I learned a quite painful lesson Sunday afternoon. The lesson was as follows:

Pizza + beer = good.
Pizza + beer + jogging = bad.

For lunch after our long Sunday morning service, I had some leftover pizza and a cold Duvel. Duvel (web site here) is a very tasty Belgian ale that happens to have the alcohol content of about 1.8 Shiner Bocks in a 11.2 oz serving.

Because it was such a nice weather afternoon, my wife and I wanted to go for a run. So we took turns while the kids were down for a nap. She went first, then I went next, about 45 minutes after I'd had my pizza and beer.

I won't go into any details of exact symptoms, etc. Let's just say I do NOT recommend doing what I did. Do the run, THEN have the pizza and beer.

Red Raiders are who we thought they were!

OK, so I didn't vote for the Big O, but I do appreciate his position on a college football playoff. On a recent Monday Night Football interview with Chris Berman on ESPN, he said we need to get rid of the BCS and do an 8-team college playoff. OK, that is some change I can believe in. Call it The Audacity of a National Championship Decided on the Field. I think I can reach across the aisle for this issue. I think I even got a little tingle in my leg. That position, stated to a national audience the night before the election, might have even helped him carry Ohio ...

In football news, Texas Tech played Oklahoma State this weekend, and Tech looks like the real deal this year, with both an explosive offense and an actual defense. Beating Texas was not a fluke! Also gotta love the interviews with Mike Leach -- is he on some sort of combo of Vicodin and weed? Last year when Tech played OSU, we got one of the all time great coach rants after the game, the Mike Gundy (OSU's head coach) "I'm a MAN, I'm 40!" rant. Mike Gundy original rant here, version edited into very funny unofficial Coors Light commercial here.

So OSU and Mike Gundy (now 41), found out that the Red Raiders "are who they thought they were", and "let 'em off the hook". OK, that's another classic coaching rant joke (Dennis Green, Arizona Cardinals coach, after loss to Chicago Bears), see that original rant here, and official Coors Light commercial here, or see below.



So this sets up a big showdown in 2 weeks where Texas finds itself in the position of rooting FOR the Oklahoma Sooners (which just feels somehow wrong and icky) to beat Texas Tech. It will be interesting to see how Tech plays in a big road game without their great home crowd. Hopefully Texas doesn't take out all of the drama by choking and losing to Kansas or the Aggies.

We got DirecTV installed Friday. I get my first chance to see how the picture does in rain tonight -- weatherman said we might have hail and even possibly tornadoes. I will be very upset if I lose picture on Monday Night Football during a tornado ... will have to call DirecTV and complain about that one... (e.g. "I never lost picture when a tornado was hitting my house with Time Warner!")

Musical Friday!

Due to the wild popularity of my previous musical Friday (link here), I proudly present the following submission of a cappella John Williams movie themes, sung with lyrics from Star Wars movies.

Awesome clip forwarded by my friend Susan!

Markets, Like Oceans, Beginning to Lower Already!

In response to Obama's historic election, the markets are showing confidence in his ability to, like the planet, heal the economy:

I'm feeling you

I saw another interesting car sticker on the way out to the parking garage. Not sure if it was as interesting as this one was, but it was close. It was a new breast cancer awareness campaign. See below for sticker, link here for web site. When I told her about it, my wife asked me if I was planning to volunteer to help out with the campaign...

Backpacks at work

OK, I have a problem with a trend I'm seeing at the office -- that of grown, professional men bringing their stuff (laptop, files, etc.) to work in a backpack, as if they're a college student. I often see these men wearing both straps and walking from the parking lot to their office very quickly, faster than normal people walk. The pack is often one with daisy chain loops and other features that come in handy when hiking in the backcountry.

I'm sorry, but if you wear a backpack to work at a professional, engineering-type job, you're a dork! Just because it's leather like the guy in the photo below doesn't make it ok.

Side note: Woman in photo is telling dork wearing backpack, "Oh, is this your first day on the new job out of college? Your mommy must be very proud!"

Unless you actually have to walk several miles to your desk, a man should have a briefcase, worn on ONE shoulder only. Thank you. That is all.

Up and coming food capitol?

Another interesting story on Forbes.com about up and coming foodie havens. Check out which small town they had listed as one of their finds! Link here to story.


Fredericksburg, Texas
About an hour north of San Antonio, Fredericksburg might not strike some as an emerging culinary destination. But the city, which is in the heart of Texas hill country, is home to a handful of creative restaurants. At August E's, the menu features a mushroom salad with warm baby oysters and a champagne and sherry mignonette. At the Fredericksburg Herb Farm, pork tenderloin is wrapped in bacon, dressed with a green apple glaze and served with a smoked cheddar-apple crisp.
--Chosen by Erik Wolf, president of the International Culinary and Tourism Association.

Dude, where's my flying car?

Very interesting video article on Forbes' web site (incidentally, one of my all-time favorite web sites). See here:

I could sing of Your love forever

I had a very moving, powerful, and emotional experience in our church's worship service yesterday. After doing a very cool song called "revelation song", we went into an extended time of "free worship", just playing a 1-2-3-4 (E-F#m-E/G#-A) pattern. We then modified it and went 1-2-4-5 (E-F#m-A-B), which is the base chord pattern for Delirious' "I could sing of Your love forever."

People were coming down front to sing and get prayed for, and we did this song for a long time. After a couple of minutes, I noticed Ivy and her two kids, Angel and Ivy-Lynn, down in front singing, raising their hands and worshipping. Ivy-Lynn was crying quite a bit. I had not seen them much in church since their husband/dad Kevin was killed back in July. This blog was started partly in his memory. See very first post here for details.

Anyway, when I saw the three of them down front, it just really hit me how much I still miss Kevin, and I also started feeling like that this worship service was for him. I was envisioning that Kevin could hear us and that it would bring him some joy. Anyway, I just kind of lost it and started crying quite a bit -- it had been about 4 months since his death and I had not cried about it since his funeral. It was a really neat experience. Of course, no one had any Kleenex on stage so Wes had to go down and get me some so I could keep playing...

Video of "Revelation Song":


Video of Hillsongs / Darlene Zschech with Delirious' Martin Smith:

Arrrrrgh ... Pirates send Longhorns to Davey Jones' Locker

I couldn't decide on a pirate analogy in the title or something involving Texas getting "tortilla-wrapped". That loss to the Red Raiders was painful. See here for game recap and highlights. At least I got to experience the feeling of Texas having won this hard-fought game -- for about 1.5 seconds (when Texas freshman safety Blake Gideon dropped what would have been the game-icing interception -- a ball my 3-yr old daughter Lauren could have caught). Texas Tech thoroughly spanked the Horns for 3 quarters, leading 19-0 initially and leading 22-6 at halftime. It had the makings of a similar blow-out that Texas put on Missouri earlier this year.

Three posts earlier, I mentioned that getting lots of good press and being #1 does not suck. Well, losing a heart-breaker like this and the #1 ranking DOES suck.

But credit the Longhorns and Colt McCoy for coming back and making it a game. I respect them for that (but would have respected them more if they had shown up ready to play in the first quarter). I knew Texas wasn't as ready as they should have been on the first offensive play when Texas, pinned at their own 2 after a nice punt downing, allowed their O-line to be blown back on a running play and Ogbonnaya was dropped for a safety. Texas Tech has a DEFENSE? Who knew?

At least Texas only dropped to #4 in the BCS standings, meaning they still have some chance to play in the national title game if Texas tech loses. And it's very likely that they will -- the Pirates still have to play Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. Tech is a great team, but I'm not sure they'll have the same fire and passion in Norman against the Sooners as they had at home against then-#1 Texas. That was Tech's Super Bowl. As Texas demonstrated, it's hard to get up for 3-4 "games of the century" in a row. We'll see!