Waffles Are Good

Ok so I didn't see that coming at all. I'm extremely glad that they got Thomas with the 3rd overall pick, and believe it or not, I think they did the right thing in getting Quinn in the late first round as well. The jury is still out on them giving up next years first round pick however. I still haven't decided if that was a good idea or not.

First of all let me say that despite my rant below, I don't think Quinn is talentLESS, just not worth a 3rd overall pick. My diatribe below was based on the assumption that they would take him with their only first round pick at #3 and fail to address the other more pressing issues to get an overhyped QB. However, that being said, I had hoped that they would spend a less valuable 2nd round pick on a future QB prospect like Drew Stanton or the like. Or even possibly Troy Smith in the 4th round. So the fact that Quinn was still available at 22 and they made the move to get him doesn't make me angry at all. That was a great value for that 2nd round pick. That was my main concern was the Browns getting value for their picks. Quinn was a late first early second round talent, and that was where they got him. Granted, I still have serious misgivings about his ability to play in the NFL, but with O-Line revamped, he might at least have a chance. Plus I'm hoping that his desire to prove the teams that passed on him wrong, might spur him on a bit.

I know it sounds like I'm waffling but I'm really not. You have to read my previous post while keeping in mind that I was talking about them taking him 3rd overall. That would have been wasted value, and then there is also the fact that I was pretty disgruntled at all the talk of him being taken by the Browns when they have so many other needs. He still needs to show me a lot more in the mental department when a lot is on the line, but I'm willing to give him a shot when our whole draft success doesn't hinge on him and we don't have 35 mill tied up in him. I'm also a bit of a softy after it came out today about how big of a Browns fan he is. It's hard not to like a guy who grew up going through the same stuff you did as a Browns fan and then getting the chance to play for them. I at least know that he will give them his all which is all anyone can hope.

Say what you will but for the first time in a while I feel like the Browns used their picks very wisely to address the REAL needs that the team has. That and the fact that I was so happy that they took Thomas at #3, that I feel like getting Quinn later also feels like getting two top 5 players in the first round.

Anyway, I'm pleased and I feel like they drafted smart. I even heard talk that they might be the draft "winners" so far in the court of public opinion. I don't think I've ever heard the Browns described like that before, and I like the way it sounds.

Walking A Thin Line

The NFL Draft is this weekend. I typically look forward to this as it is a rare time in which I feel some hope for my hapless Cleveland Browns.

This year there are some really good prospects out there that could help Cleveland a lot. For instance, Joe Thomas, a great left tackle that could go a long way towards shoring up the offensive line woes that we have been experiencing for years. Also there is Adrian Peterson, a game breaking running back that could really help open up the offense and provide an outlet for short passes. There might not be a more talented player in the draft, arguably. Also there is Jamarcus Russel, a quarterback with the size of Daunte Culpepper and the arm of a Howitzer. Not sure about his mental preparation, but he has a ton of physical talent.

So what are the rumors for my beloved Browns? Who are they thinking about taking? Well naturally they are "in love" with the one guaranteed bust in the draft. The hype machine that is Brady Quinn. As a college football fan I have watched Quinn play many games over the last few years, and here is what I noticed with my untrained eye. That he can put up great numbers against terrible teams but finds any and every way to lose when anything important is on the line or when the other team has the talent level of anything greater than a geriatric bowling team. He didn't just play a tough game and get beat. Most of the time he was the MAIN reason that his team lost. Throwing 5 interceptions in one game earlier this past season for instance.

Why would anyone want this guy on their team? People keep saying that "Peyton Manning lost big games too", which is true but he wasn't the sole reason for those losses, Quinn has been.

To make matters worse, the Browns have shown that their continued ineptitude is still alive and kicking by signing washed up running back Jamaal Lewis from Baltimore. First of all, Brown's fan's can't stand this guy after he ran for 295 yards against us a few years ago, and second of all, he is a retirement waiting to happen. If you have watched any football lately you know that Lewis is washed up and his best years are behind him. We allowed Baltimore to dump a useless player and at the same time gave our team execs an "excuse" to pass on Adrian Peterson, because "we have a running back". Words can't explain how crazy this move appears to me.

So now, armed with the excuse to pass on Peterson and the fact that Russell will almost definitely go to the Raiders at #1 overall, the Browns have set themselves up nicely to pick the next Tim Couch in Quinn. They won't pick Joe Thomas because offensive lineman don't sell tickets (even though good teams tend to and that starts in the trenches, but what do I know).

Then there is the fact that Romeo Crenell is good friends with the Notre Dame coach Charlie Weiss and the fact the Brady Quinn is from Ohio and I'd say it's looking pretty likely that we are doomed to endure another 5 years of horrible quarterback play, assuming he can stay off his back long enough to even try to pass.

Let me just say this. I hope I'm wrong. I hope that they are smarter than I think they are and they take either Peterson or Thomas, because if they take Quinn, I'm done. I'm done wasting my time rooting for a team that can't pick players better than a monkey with a dart board. I'm not wasting another 20 years waiting for them to return to their old glory when a decision like that would prove that they are either incapable or unwilling.

Peyton Manning is easily my favorite player in the league and has been since he came out. I rooted for him in college and still think he is smart and fun to watch. I'm guessing that there is still an open seat on the Colts bandwagon should I need it, and it's looking more and more likely that I will. Might I change my mind? Sure, but I doubt I will need to since the only thing that would change it would be a successful season and I'd say there isn't much danger of that happening any time soon.

An Army of Four

Yesterday we had a "Hunt For Hunger" obstacle course/scavenger hunt here at work. Some friends and I got roped into fielding a team and ended up having a ton of fun. We named our team "Poor Ellen" in regards to Ellen being stuck with the three of us guys. We definitely had the coolest looking outfits of all the teams. Get it?, we're "hunting" :)

















The contest was set up to make money for Operation Feed so you could bet money for or against other teams to increase or decrease their times. The tasks were a lot of fun, and included such things as pushups, quizzes, basketball, cornhole, counting tissue paper, and a lot more.

















We ended up finishing second after it all shook out, by about 14 seconds. Which wouldn't have been too bad but at one point we had trouble finding the next station. (the clue said go to the copy center, so we did. How were we supposed to know the clue was OUTSIDE the copy center). We wasted a good 5 minutes in there until we figured it out, so had that not happened we would have won by a landslide.

Sour grapes aside, it was really fun, and hopefully we will get to do it again next year.

Old Hobbies

Some people seem to pick one hobby and carry it through their life. Always trying to find time to fit that one thing in. I can see the merits of that, but apparently my attention span wasn't designed for that kind of devotion. My hobbies have changed pretty regularly over time, as the dusty fishing tackle and car parts in my garage can attest. Now I'm into weight lifting/fitness, golf and snow boarding. I like to think that I will stick to these as they have been with my for several years now, but you never know.

Operation Feed

We are having a benefit for Operation Feed this week at work. This morning there were tons of companies handing out free gifts etc in the lobby. I'm not sure how that helped feed the hungry but it definitely gave them the chance to hand out their business cards. Later today they are having a talent show, which should be very interesting. Tomorrow some friends and I are competing in the Hunt For Hunger event which is basically and obstacle course/mental/physical challenge. It should be fun, and hopefully it will raise a lot of money. Laughs are practically guaranteed.

Instant Info

I grew up pre-internet, which I know is going to be the "wow you are old" tagline for later in my life, just like the, "you grew up before tapes and cd's", was for our generation. I can't even imagine at this point in my life doing a school research paper without the internet. I don't know how I did it back then. You can get so much so easily that it seems silly to look anywhere else. News, games, market research, shopping, you name it. It really has changed the world. Where will it go from here? It's hard to say, but things won't ever be the same. The world is a much smaller place now that everything is nearly as instant as we want it to be.

Fitness Update

Well my goal of running the half marathon didn't happen. My knee started giving me trouble when I ran and no matter what I did it just got worse. It only seemed to affect my running though which is good, so I imagine that it was just some sort of repetitive stress injury.

So now I'm back to weight lifting as I said before. I've put Weight Loss (for the record, I don't personally endorse diet pills, as I don't think they work, and I have questions about their safety) on the shelf for now and am focusing 0n bulking. I think that the big mistake I made early on was trying to get lean enough to show off my muscle but forgetting that I have to build muscle to show off first. The body comp results I have bear this out as well. My lowest body fat % to date was one that I had during a bulking month where I wasn't watching my diet at all. The extra muscle I built made the real difference. So I'm going to focus on the Hypertrophy plans from the book I mentioned in the last update and try to eat enough to build muscle. I also picked up another book call "From Scrawny To Brawny" that is written for tall lanky people like me who have trouble building muscle. I'm hoping it will tell me the best way to eat etc.

I'm going to get my body comp tested again soon but instead of focusing on the body fat %, I'm going to focus on the lean mass, and try to get that number as high as I can. Then when I feel like I have built enough muscle, I will do some more cutting to try to get more lean and show it off more.

I continue to learn, and at least now I don't feel as confused as I once did.

Lost Last Night

So what exactly was the point of that episode? That they don't have enough mysteries to solve so they needed to introduce a new character? That Emergency Kits are enough if your friend gets shot with an arrow? That Desmond is scared of absolutely everything, but yet seems totally confident in himself to the point that he has no trouble bossing people around and being a leader? Or is it just that somehow helicopters are capable of finding an island that not even a sailboat can get to without a beacon? I have to just remind myself that they know where they are going with this, it just seems that they are opening a ton of doors without closing any at this point.

Advice

I sometimes have a hard time explaining things to people. Even if I understand exactly the situation about which I am trying to convey my ideas. I just can't seem to find the right word quickly enough. That's probably why I prefer writing because I have all the time I want to make it sound right before anyone reads it. You don't know how much time I spent thinking about how to say this or that correctly. I guess I could never do Telecom Consulting or anything else that would require me to talk on the phone a lot. Those people definitely have a talent that I don't.

Mightier than the Sword

Kylie isn't the only one in our family with a thing for writing utensils. (see post below). Kerrigan has also taking a liking to them lately although the results haven't been as funny as of yet. We were sitting at the computer desk the other day and she kept reaching for something and I figured out that she wanted a Pen. Turns out she just wanted to hold it, although she did try to do a little scribbling but apparently thought better of the idea. It's just funny because with computers these days we don't write by hand very much so I'm not totally sure where she got the idea although it probably is just that enjoys coloring. Look out Molly dog...

Coat Of Many Colors

The other day I came home from work and went in through the garage as I usually do. The same thing happened next that happens everyday, Molly (our dog) came running up to greet me. Today was a little different than normal though I noticed as I took a close look at Molly.

"Someone" had decided to draw all over her fur with colored markers. More surprisingly, Molly had obviously set still for this whole procedure because the lines were more or less straight on her back. She even had a few green marks on the top of her head.

I decided to talk to the most likely suspect. I asked Kylie, "Why did you draw all over Molly". Her response was direct and she clearly believed that this could happen to anyone...

"I guess I confused her for a piece of paper"

Sigh....

Pain Killers?

I'm starting to wonder about taking pain killers. I've always been of the opinion that if you're in pain and you don't have to be, then take the pills. I'm starting to wonder now if that is the best approach. I have started to be more selective with when I take something because I don't like taking too much. It makes me feel like I might be doing something wrong to my body in the long run and that if I'm in pain, it means I need to make a lifestyle change and not a medicinal change. I normally take Aleve, although I'm sure others take things like tylenol, advil or Fioriciet, which I know nothing about. I just don't want to find out 30 years from now that something that seemed meaningless at the time, actually was a big detriment to me.

Meetings

I'm not a big fan of meetings. Unfortunately my job requires a lot of them. I find myself sitting through a lot of meetings in which I'm there to just keep a chair warm, and then there are meetings where I'm expected to present on something which are a lot more stressful. One thing we don't have here is video conferencing. I'm not really sure why other than it just isn't our corporate culture to do things that way. Either that or I'm just not high enough up the chain to get invited to those kinds of meetings. Lucky me.

Manly Vehicle

I've never been much of a truck man. I had a truck once and it was such a lemon and such a poor handling vehicle that I find it somewhat unlikely that I will ever own another one. However, every time I see the commercials for the F150's I can't help but think that they look really nice. Especially the super duty version. That surprises me a lot as I've never thought that I was a dually or truck rack kind of guy. I always thought dually's were way over the top when I saw them but as far as sheer looks go, I have to say those trucks look nice. My buddy Matt would probably have something to say about this if he read it as he is a Chevy man through and through. I don't really have a dog in that fight, but I am a little surprised that I like the fords as I used to always lean toward chevy's growing up.

Restoration

We've been working a lot at church lately redoing the elementary room. We set it up to be part class room part lounge. Hopefully this will give the kids another reason to be at church and hopefully they will all like it. At first we felt like we had a lot of space to fill but as we got the chairs set up and started looking for a place to put the folding tables, we started to realize that there would be a few challenges. Some teachers want the tables and some don't and as of now we still need to put the projector on a table instead of hanging it from the ceiling so space will be somewhat limited. My hope is that things will work themselves out for the best as the room starts to get used.