We like games. Games like Scrabble, Checkers, Chess, Fooseball, and especially Darts. We try and play at least once a week while in the basement. During a session recently the wife was getting a bit erratic with the throwing. She hit the wall, the actual wooden box the dart board lives in, and she hit the dry-erase pen. The PEN people! She used such pinpoint accuracy that she actually penetrated it sturdy plastic outer coating. It was awesome. I still beat her.

I used to play a lot of Chess when I was a kid. Actually, I used to play a lot of games (no shit, get to the point, you were a kid). In my adulthood I have lost the strategical attack of the game and have since stopped playing with any frequency to mention (save for the massive losses via my Mac). I’m aware of the problem, and seeking professional advice for the condition.

This past weekend the wife and I had the rare opportunity to head out for a good amount of time. I woke up with the wrath of all that is evil for some reason, so I needed to hit something; badly. We opted for the pool hall with good food. Someone RENTED the damn ROOM on a Saturday night, so I was left with 3 options: hit my wife and go to jail, hit a stranger and play the odds on going to jail, or drink and play checkers. So, as stated prior, I’m no Chess player anymore, but checkers to me is slightly more complicated then tick tack toe (that’s going to piss her off). So my wife and I start to play a friendly game of checkers at the bar while we wait for 30 minutes to be served cold appetizers. I beat her in the first game. Apparently when I attempted to spew tactical advice I was “being condescending…” so I stopped and set the game anew. I beat her again, but this time she wouldn’t let me beat her, so instead she jumbled the board and said “you won…”

It’s occurred to me that my limited brain cells can grasp moves faster then that of Chess, while my wife was irritated at the simplicity of the game. The more I drank, the clearer the board became… unlike my wife, who became more incensed the more she drank. She became so unruly that we were asked to leave, and subsequently spat of the waitress who was held hostage by the kitchen staff.

Next time we’re playing Scrabble so she can beat me and all with be right in the world.

(Only part of this story is actually true – I did beat her twice)

While I was in NY my meetings were always in midtown. I’ve been staying close enough to walk the past few trips and have successfully summoned the east coast “get the f*ck out of my way, I’m walking here…” stare and walking pattern. Never was I unfocused, never was I ever backing down to the suited masses during morning rush, never did I hear from my cousin who lives there (not even a freaking phone call, after I emailed AND left voice messages 2-3 times…), never did I miss a beat… till I walked by true lust herself. In red blazing sexual glory, my gaze never wanting to stare… as I walked by the Ferrari dealership at 54th and Park… Talk about a great way to start and end a work day.

I am officially a KipPlay fan. His video production is top notch, his voice over is fantastic, his videos are short and very well thought out, and not only are they useful but sometimes damn funny. His main website is, eh, created by an electrical engineer, but his submitted video over at MetaCafe are organized in a cleaner format.

The latest video I’ve felt compelled to share with others (I know, you’re not the only one I share things with) is his Traffic Light hack. It’s awesome. The guys here are going to test it out over lunch to see if it works. After watching there was a poster who mentioned he did a parody of the original – very funny as well.

KipPlay, you have made a new fan. Looking forward to watching all your other videos and new ones to come…

I try and take a brief moment out of my day to check in on the aggregate sites for useless information… I get my regular news via NPR on my hour drive into work, so all the other crap users have found serves a purpose (somehow; I don’t know, it can sometimes). So what I found today is one of the coolest things I’ve seen as of late – forget all the iPhone hacks, this hack is AWESOME!

I’ve been up rather late these past couple of weeks, and it’s starting to show. I’ve grown a goatee, I have a part in my hair again (not since high school have a had a freaking part in my hairline), I’m not speeding… things of serious concern. So on my way to work this AM (7:21am to be exact) I see a pack of dogs. A PACK of dogs people, in Kansas City. I don’t know if I hallucinated this, but I did a double-take and sure enough there they were… The Tramp, Jaque, some of his posse… didn’t see Lady though.

While in Clear Water we visited the aquarium near by with Winter, the dolphin missing his tail. Traumatic story about a dolphin who lost his tail in a crab trap… anyway, it was educational and the kids liked it, but the really cool part was the petting stingray area. These rays had the stingers removed so we could interact with them. Was cool. They feel real slippery; come to find out that’s due to the thin layer or mucus… nice. I wiped my hands of on the boy.

I’ve recently been in Chicago, NYC, and am currently in the Tampa airport waiting for our Memorial Labor Day weekend (thanks to Moe for the correction… I know nothing about holidays) vacation to come to a close. We spent the last three nights in Clear Water Florida… wow, what a fantastic place. I ate seafood every day/night by the truck load; lets recap, shall we:

1. Steamed Clams
2. Steamed Mussels
3. Steamed Shrimp
4. Steamed Crab Legs
5. Broiled Crab Cakes
6. Lobster Bisque
7. New England Clam Chowder
8. Fried Scallops
9. Fried Shrimp
10. Pan Seared Tuna
11. Fried White Fish
12. Shrimp Salad
13. Fried Gator
14. Shrimp Kabobs
15. Shrimp Linguine
16. And lets not forget the killer Hush Puppies at Crabby Bills!

On our last day we discovered a sandbar beyond the “swim” sign out in the ocean… we found sand-dollars by the hand full… kids loved it. I am burned, but working on the Mojitos from lunch so doing just fine. Kids are making way too much noise here past security, but such is that of a tired traveler.

It can be the forum community on any of my Porsche sites I frequent, the comments on Digg, the chatter on Rotten Tomatoes / IMDB… some of the stuff in here is hysterical. I try and stay clear of the really ugly and mean discussions, but for those that comment and use wit to elevate a ridiculous story I raise a glass of electrolyte enhanced water to you. I’ve read multiple things this morning that have caused me to openly laugh here in the office. Granted, I tend to snicker and chuckle (who the hell chuckles) now and again (and who the hell says “now and again”), but to laugh out loud (lol for those in the know… man, I’m even more of a looser today for some reason) at a comment thread, that doesn’t happen much.

So when I read, in reference to a posting over at Reddit about a stupid picture of a lonely dog in the rain:

“When are you coming back, Phillip J. Fry? (link to comment thread)”

That just freaking had me on the floor (if you are a fan of Futurama, like I am, you get it… maybe not that funny, but it hit a nerve).

Or, when over at Digg someone posted an application to test if you happen to have Autistic Tendencies (the site is down at the time this posting was posted):

“Hey! fuck you test! just because I don’t like people doesn’t mean I’m autistic! (link to comment thread)”

I mean, I’m still laughing at that. I don’t know if it’s because I can see myself saying (writing) the same thing, or if my medication is reacting to all these new electrolytes in my system, but some of these anonymous people out here are freaking great. Most are self-serving jackasses who enjoy belittling the masses, but some of you are freaking great (no, not you, them; them over there).

Although, to be fair, this does have the potential to be very helpful with reviews about local business and such. It’s a competitor of CraigsList, with a Facebook type of spin. We’ll watch and see how it evolves. From their about us section:

…the ultimate city guide that taps into the community’s voice and reveals honest and current insights on local businesses and services on everything from martinis to mechanics.

Of course I’ve setup a profile and am going to showcase the best and worst experiences in this great slice of life I like to refer to as Kansas City. What I like about Yelp is that it’s the “ULTIMATE” city guide, as opposed to those other not so ultimate ones… er… k…