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: