Macbook Revisited

Just a quick note to update you about my thoughts of the Macbook... My decision to save money by not spending $300 for a backlit keyboard, slight boost in CPU speed and HD space was a good move. This computer is extremely quick in responding to commands and completing tasks. Plus, I am pretty good at typing by feel and it is requiring me to get better at it... Earlier, I had encountered an issue with the glass trackpad. I began to notice that it was inconsistent when clikcing or tapping the the left side of the trackpad. Fortunately, this issue was resolved within a few weeks with a software update and has not been an issue since.

I am coming to realize that the missing firewire port is posing a problem that I had not anticipated. Initially, I never thought that it would be an issue because I did not plug anything into the firewire port, but I realize that in order to transfer our miniDV tapes from our camcorder to my computer I am going to need it. Looks like I am going to have to buy a firewire hub or pay someone to do it for me. Jen and I are looking into getting a camcorder with a hard drive, so it looks like it may be in my best interest to let someone take care of it for me. Otherwise I have an extra box laying around for one-time need... Not sure what I will do at this point. Otherwise, no complaints whatsoever!

Great Day In Sports!

"I've been waiting for this moment all my life, oh Lord..." 

-Phil Collins, "In The Air Tonight"

That lyric sums of my sports life today. The Football Gods have given me all I could ever hope for in Week 17  of the NFL. Let me break this down for you:

1. The NY Jest traded to get Brett Favre from Green Bay in order to take them into the playoffs. The Jets immediately cut their returning starter, Chad Pennington. 

2. The Miami Dolphins immediately sign Chad Pennington to to be the starting QB for a struggling team.

3. Tom Brady is injured and out for the season for the New England Patriots. The AFC East division is now up for grabs!

4. At Week 17, the Jets have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Dolphins will win the division and the Patriots will be eliminated if the Dolphins can beat the Jets. 

Before the games started, it was shaping up to be a wonderful day. The sun was shining and it was clear, but cold outside. A perfect day to stay indoors, where it is warn and cozy. I sat back, relaxed and watched a miserable Detroit Lions team attempt to avoid going 0-16 for the season. They came close, but ultimately lost to become the only team in NFL history to lose every game in a 16 game season. Sure, the 1976 Buccaneers went 0-14, but they were an expansion team so they get some slack. Plus- they only went 0-14. The Lions have been miserable for years and almost pulled of this feat once before (see the 2001 season). What makes it better is that they were 4-0 in the preseason- how crazy is that? Win all the games that didn't matter and none of the games that did matter... That is truly a sign of a tremendous feat that will NEVER be seen again. A part of history and sports folklore forever. 

On to the second set of games, where I see Chad Pennington have the opportunity to beat the team that released him for an over-the-hill QB that should have retired a year ago in Brett Favre. Pennington does what he does- precisely cuts through the Jets defense to lead them down the field and take the lead into the 4th quarter. Favre gives me everything I could hope for- 3 INTs (1 returned for TD), completed 50% of his passes and ends his season with a QB rating less than 50! A fitting way for his career to end- playing as horribly as ever. A vintage bad Favre game... He is the model for inconsistency. He's either goes 35-43/385/4 TDs or 20-40/3 INTs. Today he was the latter and I am eternally grateful! FOr once in my life, I can say I love Favre!

Seriously- who would have ever thought that a team that was 1-15 last year (which challenged for the right to be called "worst team ever") could turn around and win their division and go 11-5 on the season? I did not think they had it in them. I figured it was a year or so away.... So the Dolphins are in the playoffs, which means that the Patriots are out! Made my freaking day. Could it really get any better? Surely not... Yet- it did.

I then turn the channel to the Eagles/Cowboys game and see that the Eagles are obliterating the Cowboys 44-6! So, with a wild card bid hanging in the balance, the Cowboys completely melt down and mail it in against a division rival? That is so great! NOW- it cannot get any better in the NFL...

So there you have it- one of the best days for me as an NFL fan. 

Choice of Words...

My Dad sent me an email which stated that he was thinking of starting to use curse words because he is at an age where no one can tell him what to do anymore (except Mom, of course). Obviously he was joking, but I decided to write him a response rife with foul language to get a good laugh from him. Here is a excerpt:

"You can learn to do something new! Hell- I think you could get pretty f$cking good at cursing. It takes a lot to practice all of that bull$hit to cruse like a bast@rd sailor, but damn it- I think you can pull that $hit off!"

That said, his email did cause me to reflect on the use of language in our society today. I have always subscribed to the notion that cursing looses its effectiveness if used too often. If they are used in the proper manner (that doesn't sound right...), the words can instill anger, fear, and motivation. All too often a person intending to inspire others use the words so frequently that the words loose their "punching power." The best example I can give you is my father. He is a man that rarely uses foul language and would rather not hear it at all. There have only been a couple of times where I have heard the words he despises spewed from his mouth. Once uttered, everyone within earshot knew- now is not the time to mess with him. As a matter of fact- the president contacts the military to issue DEFCON-1. A two-hour hiatus occurs before returning to DEFCON-5.

Furthermore, I believe that curse words are used by less-educated people that lack the cognitive ability to articulate themselves in a more dignified manner. (How eloquent was that?) How often do you hear someone describe an object with f$cking (insert adjective here)? What about the world-famous simile, "like $hit?" You know- "their new album sounds like $hit," or "that lasagna tasted like $hit." There are numerous ways to formulate thoughts. Those that continue to use such language on a continuous basis are telling others, "My vocabulary is severely limited and I cannot carry an intelligent conversation with others. Can't talk now- Maury is on and I want to see if any of the 5 guys on stage is this kid's father!"

When my 5-year-old son gets older (much older in fact), I am going to give him the 2 Rules of Cursing:

1. Never use curse words in normal conversation. It is uncalled for at all times.

2. Only use curse words for emphasis or to show that your intensity has been raised to the highest level.

Actually- these rules are a lot like my rules for fighting, but that is for another post...