OSU Fottball Ticket Woes

So, if you have ever read this blog, you know that I am an Ohio State alumni and football fan. I went to college at OSU and went to all the games for 5 years, including several away games and 4 bowl games. As an alum, I get an offer every year to get a pair of tickets to a home game. Depending on the opponent, it can be a good deal or a bad deal. For example, a few years ago, I got Michigan State tickets. Good deal. Last year, Northern Illinois. Not a great deal. This year, I am being offered tickets to Youngstown State. yippie skippie. I used all lower case because that is how unexcited about that game. A few years ago, I would have gotten the tickets and enjoyed to fun and festivities of an OSU football game. That was back when a pair of tickets wasless that $100. Now, face value of two tickets to an OSU home football game: $126. I still may buy the tickets, but I'm not too sure. It is an awfully high price for a not-so-great football game. Looking at the home schedule, there really aren't too many games that I would want to pay so much money for. After Youngstown State, there is Akron, Northwestern, Kent State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Really, the best game would probably be Wisconsin or Michigan State. It seems like all the big games this year are away: Washington, Purdue, Penn State, and M*ch*g*n. I have an opportunity to go to Washington through the Marching Band, but I don't know if I can afford it or not. I know, I complained about ticket prices last year. I guess I should just shut up about it and accept it.

I hate to get political

I usually try to keep things light and airy here on my blog, with a hint of minty freshness. However, I read a post today from Amy's Husband Johnny relating to the war in Iraq and I thought I needed to throw in my two cents. I would have left a comment on his post, but I had to sign in and I was unable to do so (or too dumb to do so). Follow this link to get to Johnny's blog if you want to read his post. To sum it up, it looks like both congress and the senate want to see an end to the war in Iraq. They are submitting a bill to be passed that will give more funds to the war, but only if there is a date set to withdraw the troops. At least I think that's the jist of it all. It will fall to Good Ole G. Dubya to sign the bill and basically end the war. Makes sense to me. Half of the people in Iraq seem to be protesting the fact that the US troops are over there. Sure, the news shows the good things that are coming out of the US presence in Iraq, but you really need to wonder if that is all just propeganda. If the Iraqi people love us and want our help so badly, why are there so many terrorist cells still? Who is hiding them? If the people want to be rid of them, why don't they do what I would do...grab a gun, join the army or militia and fight for their rights. I know that is easy to say, but how long can you live under terrible circumstances before you stand up and fight? In my opinion, I think it is great that US citizens want to help make the world better, but there has to be a time when we look in our own boarders and fix all of the screwed up stuff in our own country. There are starving people all over the place in the US. There are serious educational issues and a list of other problems that the billions of dollars that we are spending in Iraq could help fix. Plus, why all of the focus on Iraq when there is ALL sorts of terrible things happening in Africa.

I could go on and on. Basically, our world is pretty screwed up. I think the prez is crazy to think that carrying on a war is going to change the way that the Iraqi terrorists think about the US. I think that it is time to step back, look at the situation, and change the way we are approaching things. I don't have the answers, but it is pretty apparent to me that the president doesn't either. He keeps throwning more and more troops into harms way. Why? Democracy? The different sects of Muslims have never really gotten along, so why would they start just because we want them to? They can't agree to stop killing each other, much less agree on a system of government. Unfortunately, the end result is probably going to be an Iraqi civil war that will last a long time. I just don't think that the US can afford to play referee anymore. If the president doesn't start listening to the US people, the congress and the senate, I think that he may have some issues of the impeachment kind. If the majority of the people want an end to the war, isn't Mr. Bush supposed to listen? He seems to like to imply that going against the war means that you don't support the troops, but that is bull. I support the troops 100%, but feel that the reason they are fighting should be justified. Sorry. I am off my soap box now.

Rain Rain Go Away

It has been raining here for the past few days. Great for the stuff I planted and am trying to grow, but terrible for the fact that I cannot mow the grass. I was going mow the grass on Sunday, but the bush I dug up kicked my ass. I was then going to mow Monday, but some family stuff came up and I couldn't get to it. Now, it is Thursday and my yard looks like a jungle. At least it does in the back. It is going to be rough going getting it mowed. I probably won't be able to get to it until this coming Monday and that is only if the rain lets up. I know 'April showers bring May Flowers' but enough it enough already! This weekend is an open house at the local landscaping place. They have TONS of flowers and plants. I'm not too sure how much I am going to get and when I would have time to plan anything. We need to go up to Toledo this weekend for family stuff. Nothing fun. I will probably need to take a weekend off soon to catch up. Either that or see if my mom can come down to watch the kids when I'm off. I'll be sure to take some pictures of the finished product.

Sorry I am a little obsessed about gardening this week. I really like Spring time when everything is growing and new. It just sucks that there was a freeze after the trees and bushes started blooming. It zapped all the flowers.

Outdoor work can HURT

So, yesterday I took a day off from work to do some yard work. First, I have to say that I kind of hate taking days off, because Jessica always wants to go shopping instead of letting me do what I wanted to do. Yesterday wasn't bad though, since she wanted to go to Target (and bought two things only) and Lowe's to get plants. Since we were planning on yard work, the plants were ok. I was planning on doing that sort of stuff anyway. We bought two azaeleas, two tea rose bushes (little flowers), a a climbing rose bush, and some other plants. Jessica cleared out the entire front flower bed and we are putting in new stuff. We didn't like the old stuff that was planted there. It was very boring and green. No other colors. The hardest part of the day was digging up a big bush on the side of out house. The roots probably spread out five feet in each direction. After pulling the first root all the way out (and creating a trench as a result) I just started cutting the roots and leaving them. Hopfully they don't start sprouting. I'd say that it took me a full two hours to get the damn thing up. It was SO ugly too. Why anyone would want a bush like that is beyond me, but my neighbors have three along their deck. UGLY. I guess not everyone can have good taste like we do. I still have a huge 'to do' list. I am hoping that my mower will start up so that I can mow the lawn. It is probably about a week over due. The biggest project that I am putting off is getting the garden ready. I got a Mantis tiller for Christmas, so it shouldn't be too bad, but it is still going to be a lot of work. anyone feeling bringing a shovel over and lending a hand? I promise good food and hard drink.....

Crackdown

So, I took a page from Woody and signed up for my Xbox to start its own blog. I haven't played anything since signing up, so it doesn't say anything. Still, I think that it is a neat idea for checking in on other gamers and their activity. Looks like Woody plays Dead Rising alot. If you check under the games I have, you can see that I play WOSP Tournament of Champions alot. It's a poker game that I can play online.

I recently bought a game called Crackdown. It is silly, but I bought it because it has a link to a Halo 3 multi-player test. I know it is alot to pay for a test download, but I am so hyped about Halo 3 that I had to do it. Anyway, I started playing Crackdown last week. I'm not too sure how I feel about it yet. It is similar to Gears of War, which is a third person shooter. Basically, that means that you are seen from above as you run around and shoot things. I really liked Gears of War, but Crackdown has a bit of a diferent feel and I'm not quite used to it. The point of the game is that you are a genetically enhanced police officer that is sent out to stop gang activity. Seems simple enough, right? Well, the controls are a little hard to handle. I guess I'm not used to them yet. I wish that all shooters would take a page from Halo. They are much simpler to manage. One thing about Crackdown is, that while you are trying to kill gang members, you need to avoid the many civilians wialing the streets. Otherwise, the normal cops turn on you and then you have gang members and cops shooting at you. I would think that people would avoid the streets if there are hundreds of gang members running around. I guess that Crackdown is OK. I just need to get used to the controls. I just can't wait for the Halo 3 download to be available.

Worst ER visit EVER!!!

So, to add to my stress to my already shitty day yesterday, Alydia ran and fell into a wall, cutting a gash into her forehead. I was able to stop the bleeding relatively quickly, but looking at the cut, I could tell that she needed stitches. I tried to call Jessica's brother to have him drive us to the hospital and watch Gabriel, but he was not available. So, I gathered up Gabe and a screaming Alydia and went to Doctors Hospital West (on Broad St.) We had been there before when Jessica cut her arm and it wasn't too bad. This time was awful. We checked in and waited. And Waited. And Waited. In the mean time, Alydia tripped and bumped the cut spot on her head, causing more bleeding and more screaming. After waiting three hours, we were moved to the 'Fast Track' department so that we would be 'seen more quickly'. Another hour of waiting, a nurse comes in to put some numbing stuff on Alydia's head so that the numbing shots wouldn't hurt so much. She screamed bloody murder the entire time it was on her head. No one came in to check on her to see why she was screaming. So, I took off the gauze patch, which made her stop. I popped my head out and told the nurse that put the numbing stuff on her that it was making her scream and that I took it off. In a snotty voice, he said, "Oh well. It'll just hurt when she gets the numbing shots. " I about lost it. I wanted to grab his geasey pony tail, yank it, and scream in his smug goateed face. Finally, the doctor came in. That was when things got hard for me. I had to help hold down my sweet little girl while she screamed while getting some shots and stitches. The doctor was very nice and the other nurse helping was very nice as well. If that ass hole nurse had tried to help, I would have refused. I didn't want that prick anywhere near my little girl. The experience was awful. Gabriel had a hard time seeing his sister going through this ordeal. He didn't understand that we were trying to help Alydia. At the end, she was so sweet. After screaming bloody murder the whole time, when the doctor said we were done and she did a good job, she told him 'thank you.' She is such a sweetie.

Best Dog Ever Spring 1998 - 04/18/2007

It is with a sad heart that I have to let you know that we had to put my dog, Lexie, down yesterday. She's had bad hips for a while and lately it was just too much for her (and me) to take. She could barely stand up on her own and I had to start carrying her up and down the porch steps for her to do her business. The latest X-rays showed that her right hip was almost dislocated. She had also stopped eating and the vet said that he thought she was getting a mysterious mass in her mouth that could have been cancer. I am totally bummed about losing my puppy, but it was heart breaking to look at her struggling to be the dog she wanted to be. To the end she stayed SO sweet, which made it harder. I will never find a nicer dog or a better puppy friend.

Sorry for the late notice

I know this is a little late to tell you all, but QFM 96 (a local radio station) is having a presale of Rush tickets today starting at 9:00 AM. Apparently you go to ticketmaster.com and use a pre-sale password of 'Farcry' to get your tickets early. I am going to be all over that. I had planned on buying them tomorrow, but if I get them early, I have a better chance to get better seats.

As a side note, it is getting to the time when I need to start thinking about when to plan our summer cookout. I'm thinking either June or July. Possibly August. I know, I am SO specific. Actually, since we are going to California in July, June or August may be the best bet. I'm sure I will have a better idea as the dates approach, but wanted to plant the idea in your heads.

Sorry. Not much content today. I feel pretty tapped out lately.

I need to get back on the Diet Wagon

As you know, last year I was doing the South Beach Diet and it was going pretty well. I had lost about 50 or 60 pounds depending on which scale I used. Basically, on the south Beach Diet, you cut out all of the carbs from your diet for two weeks. You then start adding some 'good' carbs back into your diet. Add some excercising, and you lose weight pretty fast. My problem is that I am a stress eater and our lives have been double stuffed with stress over the last several months. If you read this blog regularly, you know most of the issues. There are more that are too personal to post on the internet, as I'm sure most people have. Then, add in the fact that I LOVE whiskey. Manhattans and whiskey in Diet Squirt are my two favorite drinks. Drinkin' makes me want to snack. So, so make a long story short, I have gained some weight back. The Holiday season is no help either. For example, Easter. We had a day full of sweets and good meals. And since you know that you are going to have a day of bad eating, you think, 'I might as well buy and eat a bag of Doritos." Not good for the weight. What I NEED to do is stop drinking and buying bad snacks. I am sorta on the diet. I eat well in the morning and for lunch and even dinner, but in the evening when I am winding down for the night, I have a drink and another, and then start snacking. The problem now is that, since we had Easter dinner at our house, we have all sorts of good, fattening foods left over in the fridge. I made some KILLER peanut butter, cream cheese, chocolate cookie thingys (I think I had them at my cookout last year). Plus, the kids have a TON of candy. I have very bad self control when it comes to sweets. I just need to get myself motivated when I have time to excercise. I always want to get on the tread mill when I have to work or do other things. I need to start drinking only water all day (well, my AM coffee too). Can anyone help? What type of motivational techniques do you use? I am tired of feeling fat and lazy all the time. What do you do?

When I am Depressed

As you may or may not know, OSU lost in the final game of the NCAA tournament. No revenge for the Buckeyes against Florida. I don't feel the need to post about it, but I was a little upset. The worst part was that I was watching the game with an OSU hater (he is a Duke fan) and he was talking all sorts of trash diring the game. Nevermind that Duke was out in the first round of the tourney. He just kept running his mouth. Still we were playing poker too and I won $55, so it was all good in the end. Karma bit the OSU hater in the ass as I think he lost about $60. I'm still pretty proud of the Bucks for going to the finals. Hell of a season!

Well, the game did have me a little bummed. What do I do when I'm bummed? Sometimes I have myself an adult beverage. However, considering the fact that I was home alone with the kids and I actually have some cash in my checking account, I decided to go to the Buckeye Corner. Basically, they sell everything Buckeyes. From shirts, to golf bags, to garden gnomes, they sell just about anything that you'd want as an OSU fan. So, I dropped about $300 there. Splurging can be fun. I bought myself two hats (a red one and a black one. both with a block O), a football jersey for Gabe (he's worn it four days straight now and won't take it off), a basketball jersey for Noah, shirts for myself and Jessica, a bean bag toss game (for fun durning the next cook out) and the afore mentioned garden gnome. Oh, I also got a new flag, but it was not as big as I wanted. Oh, I also bought a street sign looking thing. I think it says Buckeye Ave. or something like that. I then took the kids to JC Penny and bought some much needed new clothes. I usually hate shopping for clothes. I make a speed-shopping event out of it if possible. I found some new t-shits, some new shorts, and a few short sleeved button down shirts. I went to their big and tall section because the normal sized shirts are always too short. I made sure to the the 'tall' items. All in all it was pretty fun. A busy day though, what hauling two little kids around with me.

Seeing Rush gives me a rush

So, Rush is going to be touring this Summer. They are tourning to support their new album, Snakes & Arrows. Tickets are on sale for the Columbus show on April 14th. The show is going to be in September. Apparently, there is a song on Itunes that you can download. I think I will be doing that shortly. Rush is my all time favorite band EVER. I may not listen to them as often these day as I do groups like System of a Down and Breaking Benjamin, but if there is ever a Rush song on the radio, I turn it up and I have all of their CDs to date. There may be a few obscure import albums I don't have, but not many. I remember back in the day (highschool years) the AWHS percussion section would blast Permanent Waves to get pumped up for the halftime show. To date, I have seen Rush in concert three times: for the Roll the Bones tour, the Counterparts Tour, and the Test For Echo tour. I wanted to go see them when Vapor Trails came out, but couldn't afford it. Well, I can afford it this year and plan on getting the best tickets possible. Front row would be great, but I won't get my hopes up. The way I see it, I need to go see them this year because, since they are getting kinda old, you never know how much longer they will tour. Neal Peart (the drummer) has said that he as going to stop touring off any on since 1989. In my opinion, he is the best drummer of all time. He does things with a drum kit that I could never dream of doing. I need to see them at least one more time before they call it quits for good. Here's a list of groups that I will definately go see in concert the next time they are in town:

1. Rush (duh)
2. System of a Down (a GREAT show last time I saw them)
3. Pink floyd (hey, I can dream, right? I saw them once in the OSU stadium. It was AWESOME)
4. Korn (another great show. How does he make bag pipes sound cool?)

I may go to a big day long concert like Lolapalooza if there are a bunch of bands I like. They are pretty pricey though.

"New Math" SUCKS

Ok, I don't usually like to post twice in a day, but I feel strongly about this whole 'new math' bull shit. I was trying to check Noah's math homework (he's had a bit of trouble in math lately) and it was all strange to me. He was working on 'algebra'. There were some numbers and an X, which I got, but there was also an X with another line through it. Apparently, that was suppsed to be "the opposite of X". Here I thought that the opposite of X was -X. There were also white triangles and black triangles. WHAT THE FUCK??? How are parents supposed to help their kids with math homework when it is TOTALLY different from the math that they (parents) were taught? I know algebra. Geometry and trig too. But this 'new math' bullshit is beyond me. The worst part is that the kids can't take their books home these days (I guess they don't want the books stolen, lost, or damaged) so I have nothing to reference. For those of you with kids not in school, watch out. It's WAY different than when we were in school. God, am I really one of those old guys that say, "Back when I was in school......"? Shoot me now.

Big Game, Take Two

Back in January, OSU played Florida in the National Title game......for Football. I was pumped and excited at the prospect of another National Title for my beloved Buckeyes. Then, they got their asses kicked. Needless to say, I was a little miffed. Well, now they get their second chance. OSU takes on the Florida Gators in the National Title game.....for Basketball. I'm not really a huge basketball fan, but I love OSU and I love the college tourney. It's just great that they both go hand in hand this year. In the regular season, I don't go as nuts about OSU basketball as I do for football, but I watched all of the big games that I could and watched any game on TV then there was nothing else to watch. Does that make me a fair weather fan? I don't think so. I just don't have the time to watch so many games. That's why I hate baseball. But that is another story all together. Back to the point. I am a little concerned about the game tonight. OSU played Florida back in December last year and got killed by 26. But then OSU got their game on and currently have the longest winning streak in the country. A big difference in tonights game compared to the game in December is that OSU will have full use of Greg Oden. The 7 foot center was injured for the last meeting with Florida. I'd say that, after the last two games OSU has played, they are firing on all five cylinders. The inside game and the outside game have been well balanced and their defense have been outstanding. I don't know if they will be able to beat Florida's returning National title winning team, but it will definately be a good, close game. It would be nice to get some pay back for the Football team. GO BUCKS!!!