On to Posterous...

So, I tried the import from Blogger routine on Posterous.  I am going to give this a shot.  

Blogger had just lost its edge for me. It seems to be a forgotten product in the Google landscape.  Plus, Posterous does a really, really good job of convincing you to switch over.  Consider me easily swayed.

One of the big parts of switching was the auto-post to Twitter.  I need that.  I do an umpiring blog with my dad, and if this experiment works out, I will probably make the switch from WordPress.

I like Blogger...it just started to gather some cobwebs.  Kind of like my blog.  I guess it is unfair of me to criticize when I am doing pretty much the same thing, but I am allowed to do some things just because.  This is one of them.

For those of you who do still read me on blogger, Posterous should continue to post on that site.  It was more about the vehicle than anything.  I will miss you, Blogger, but now I got me a blog host with big fake boobies, and I am going to give those a test drive for a while.

Lou Piniella announced his retirement today...he will leave the Cubs at the end of the season.  Did I ever tell you that I met him in O'Hare airport?  It was the day after the Cubs were swept out of the playoffs by the Diamondbacks several years ago.  He was a great guy, very nice.  I will miss him, but I hope they replace him with Ryno. Call me selfish, but I want to see my hero manage the Cubs and lead them to a World Series ring.  That would be the ultimate.

I checked a big thing off of my bucket list this week...I saw Weird Al live.  Yes, I am a nerd, but you knew that.  It was great...he was funny, spot-on, and the show sounded great.  His band is looking a little bit old, though.  I guess they don't age as well as Al, because he still looks like he is 30.

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KCBD 11 TV Real Estate | Find Agents

KCBD 11 TV Real Estate | Find Agents

Poor web design makes this woman look like the missing link.

Awesome Parents Sue Hockey Team That Cut Their Sons [Hockey]

Awesome Parents Sue Hockey Team That Cut Their Sons [Hockey]: "

Two Toronto hockey dads are suing a youth league because coaches had the temerity to point out to their sons' that they aren't very good at hockey. Pay attention, because important life lessons are about to be taught. More »

Wow...where to start. These awesome parents in Toronto are suing their sons' hockey coach because he had the GALL to cut them.

Remember when Michael Jordan got cut from his high-school team? Imagine if his parents had decided to sue the coach instead of him deciding that it might be time to work on his game and get better.

Michael Jordan would probably be waiting tables somewhere, wondering why he now has a vagina.

Thank God for coaches, who have to make that difficult decision all the time, because it is their job to put the best team on the field. I hope those parents get what they deserve...Hopefully the judge will rule that they have to pay the coach something for dragging them through a legal process that wastes everyone's time and money.

Makes me sick.

Tunak Tunak Tun (Best Copy)

Just a little entertainment to brighten your day....

A source of constant frustration...

One of the things that i have to deal with on a daily basis has kind of reached a critical mass with me.

I can't stand people who do not want to learn new things.

I freely admit that I am a bit more "techy" than most of the people I work with.  I routinely scan tech blogs like Gizmodo and TechCrunch to keep up with the newest things, things that won't even come out for years that get me excited.  Having said that, there are many things out there that would make people's lives so much easier, but their aversion to learning new things keeps those awesome tools out of their hands.

I am routinely frustrated with my co-workers fear of learning Google Docs.  Google docs makes my life easier in so many ways, but I am constantly bumping into roadblocks because people just don't want to learn anything new.  We are still content with sending 10 different copies of spreadsheets, documents and emails back and forth, day in and day out, until no one knows what copy is current and we all get frustrated...easily solved by switching to Google Docs.

Even small things, such as using Excel to build a spreadsheet instead of embedding a table into Word (gah) fall well short of the people I have to work with on a daily basis.  I regularly have people approach me at work to ask them how to do the SIMPLEST things in Excel.  I never mind helping them, but people just don't actively search for ways to do things that will make their lives easier!  Very few people out there actually say to themselves, "There has GOT to be a better way to do this!" and go out and find the answer to that riddle.

I realize that getting people to change might be the most difficult thing on Earth besides being a Cubs' fan.  It just baffles me that people don't want to improve.  The whole "give a man a fish" story is amazing, because it really seems like most people don't want to learn how to fish.  They just want someone to give them the same old fish every day until they die.  I can't do that...I need to grow, and I wish those around me shared the same goal.

A few other pet peeves in this mindset:

• People who still click the "To" button when composing an email in Outlook.  Just type the effing name!!!
• People who are amazed when you show them "Alt-Tab".  This feature has been around since Windows 95.  Learn it.
• Hand-written handouts.  Seriously?  Have you even heard of a typewriter?

Tournament time in Texas...

Long, but very satisfying, weekend...

ExplosiveSon had a baseball tournament in Grand Prairie this weekend, which we took 2nd place.  Great time, but the son was having a really rough time at the plate...I kind of lost it on him and went a little overboard.  Nothing like an overbearing father to set things right, huh?

Well, he snapped out of the slump the next day, much to my relief.  He even pitched the championship game, which we ended up losing 8-3, but he pitched very well. The team we played was pretty good, and he did an awesome job getting the ball over the plate.  I am immensely proud of him.

Politics in youth baseball never ceases to amaze me...I will leave it at that, but just know that there were some POUTY people out there.  Combine that with an egregious non-balk call that could have turned the tide in the championship game, and you almost could have brought my spirits down, but I had a great weekend.

It kind of makes me sad....this is probably the last year I am going to be able to be the coach of my son's team, as he hits 9th grade next year and in all probability will be able to be on the HS JV squad (or one of them).  I really don't know what I am going to do with my time...which is why I have taken up umpiring as a separate pasttime.  Man, it is a blast.  I love being out there and helping to make baseball a better sport...because nothing can ruin a good time like bad officials...I probably will be getting back into refereeing basketball again too...this time, ExplosiveWife wants to learn as well.  I am anxious to see how she handles that!

The 'Code': Ten unwritten baseball rules you might not know - Big League Stew - MLB Blog - Yahoo! Sports

The 'Code': Ten unwritten baseball rules you might not know - Big League Stew - MLB Blog - Yahoo! Sports

Great article about some of the "unwritten" rules in baseball...I especially liked #8.