Friday, January 22, 2010

Sorry Conan! I let you down

The drama of the late night wars of NBC of 2010 finally has come to an end and Conan O'Brien will be leaving NBC and the Tonight Show on Friday, December 12. Over the past several years I watched Conan on the late show after Leno. Leno had his funny moments early in his career, but it just seemed so bland and repetitive over his 17 year career in the Tonight's Show slot. Conan was edgy and I connected more with his humor than I ever did with Jay's. It came to the point, I just started getting annoyed with Leno, and I could not wait till he was gone! Then 2004 came and it was announced that Conan would be taking over the Tonight Show in 2009. Excellent! Now I don't have to stay up as late to watch him at night! But the kicker is that we had to wait 5 years until the transition. Five years flew by, and all of a sudden, "Heeeeere's CONAN!" I discovered something about myself when he made the switch. I don't watch TV as much as I used to. For the first few weeks I made sure to either catch every episode live or on our DVR. Then I would miss one show, then two, then a week...you see where this is going. Then after his first 4 months, I removed the recording on our DVR. I just could not keep up with a new show everyday. Occasionally I would be up at night flipping through channels and watch a segment or interview on his show, but then change it back to the Lakers game or whatever west coast game was on that night. 2010 arrives, and then all of a sudden there is word that they are moving Leno back to 10:30? WTF? Oddly, I took exception to this move, even though I had not watched a full episode in a few months. And just as quickly as he arrived, he will be gone. Red "hair" and all. There are some rumors that have Conan going to Fox. That would be interesting, since Fox has The Office and The Simpsons in that timeslot, and of course the ever so popular TMZ *gag* I hope Conan finds a spot and crushes Leno. Anyways, I feel somewhat responsible for Conan's staggering ratings, so Conan...my bad, man! You were the funniest in NBC's lineup and wherever you end up, I promise I'll be a better fan! Good luck, Coco!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

My team: The Chicago Bulls...sigh

I am in the middle of watching the Bulls lose another game to yet another sub-.500 team: the LA Clippers. It just frustrates me as a fan for many years that we have the same story almost every year. Beat teams that we shouldn't beat like the Spurs, the Cavs, and the Celtics, and even compete against the Lakers, but then play like absolute dog sh*t against some of the WORST teams in the league: the Kings, the Warriors, and tonight, the Clippers. Sadly, this problem will not go away until (and IF) the Bulls can get a solid player off the free agent market this coming summer. (Bulls officially just lost: 104-97) I went into this season with no expectations, and just like every other year, I was sucked into the hype of the team. They get a few solid wins, maybe beat an elite team, put together a winning streak, and now I'm drinking the kool-aid. Then all of a sudden, SPLAT! They fall flat on their face with no explanation to teams that have been struggling all year but can somehow find their niche against the Bulls. I think the truth is the team is also drinking the kool-aid. They actually think they are above some of these teams, so they don't have to play as hard, or execute plays or, I don't know, PLAY BASKETBALL. I do blame management for not putting together a team that can compete all year.

Watching Janero Pargo run the point guard vs the Warriors gave me flashbacks of a sh*tty Rick Brunson...that's right, I said it! We need someone who can actually run an offense in the event that Hinrich is out like he was in that game.

For years we've been in the need for a big man. Joakim Noah is doing work this year, in the top ranks of rebounding, which I appreciate. I will give credit for pulling Taj Gibson - a rookie with a solid game. He needs to stay out of foul trouble, but what rookie can? Tyrus...oh Tyrus. Please stop thinking you're a guard and GO TO THE BASKET! Maybe once or twice a game shoot a jumper, but all the rest of your points should be tip dunks, alley oops, and garbage points. Fight down there along with Joakim. How can you get rebounds when you're 20 feet out? Right, you can't! Get those boards! Brad Miller...man. I don't know how you can compete in the league being as slow as you are, but you sometimes can make it happen. Other times you are as slow as rocks and it physically hurts watching you play on the court.

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Derrick Rose...it is YOUR team! Get that ball and own the game...you can do that whenever you want.

John Salmons, stay consistent! He's starting to find his game, but geez, it's halfway through the season. You should've had this in your back pocket already.

Luol...I gotta admit, Luol has been pretty good. Finally, after the year we were supposed to trade him for Pau Gasol, he is actually playing some good basketball. If he can stay healthy is a completely different story. James Johnson, remember you are a ROOKIE and you are NOT Lebron James. Stop trying to do everything when you get in. Run the play, set the screen, go to your spot...no need for a spin move or behind the back dribble on every drive. You might mess up your new jack fade!

Lindsey Hunter, join the coaching staff already so we can free up a roster spot.

sigh...I'm done ranting about this team. Fact is, this team is exactly who we thought they were [sorry Dennis Green]. A team with a split personality, and I believe there is only one cure for this issue. A superstar. I don't know WHO would want to come to the Bulls and why, but if we can make a move on one of these big names, we might stand a chance. If not, get used to the mediocrity, because he's here to stay!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Ah Ebay...haven't seen you in a while, old friend!

Tonight I decided to try and sell my Ray Lewis Reebok patch on Ebay:

Feels just like 2006 when I was so into buying selling cards on Ebay. I still have a boatload of random jersey and autograph cards over the past couple of years. And as you can guess it is because I have all of these crap cards is why I decided to stop. In the years that I was heavily collecting, I easily spent several thousands of dollars on opening boxes and getting singles for my collection. I still have a good portion of my Bulls collection, but I spent a lot on the Bulls players around those years, like Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, and Thabo Sefolosha...oops! And on top of that, I kept buying boxes on top of boxes trying to get that awesome card like a Michael Jordan autograph. Never happened! Since then I have greatly decreased my box buying budget. To maybe once every couple of months. The only real nice pull of someone of relevance was this break:



Pretty nice right? Anyways back to the topic at hand: Ebay. It's good to know that my old friend is still here, just waiting for me to either buy something or sell something. Unfortunately Ebay is not always a safe place to buy if you are a collector. You always should be educated on what you are buying, because you might be buying a fake. Of course you don't have to worry about it with me! Too many people have been ripped off one way or another so it is important to ask questions on forums or on ebay itself.

The fun part about Ebay whether selling or buying are those last few seconds before the auction is over. Of course on the selling side, you just want all the "snipes" to come in and bump up the sell price one bid at a time. On the buying side you just want to have the item so you wait and wait until the VERY LAST second to put in your bid. Hoping that your bid is high enough to win the item. When you win one...it is quite exciting. I know it sounds geeky, but anyone who has won an item on Ebay can attest to this feeling!

So the auction is up, and I will check it pretty much whenever I can to see if anyone viewed it, if anyone is watching it, and of course, if anyone has bid on it. Of course in my hay-day I would have a dozen items up on Ebay. Because that is all I did. Now, one at a time is enough excitement for me. Now, I wait...

Monday, January 18, 2010

Happy Birthday Mom!

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Hey Mom! Happy Birthday! I know you don't have any idea what a blog is, but maybe one of your friends will stumble upon this and see it and tell you. We have been so blessed to have such a patient, understanding, caring, and passionate mother all of these years. And just like you have been a wonderful mother, you have been an equally great grandmother to the kids. I know I may seem frustrated when you ask me to how to change the TV to the video source for your cable, or ask that I change your alarm clock over and over again for the past 30 years. But the fact of the matter is, I do love doing these things for you. It is what makes our relationship strong. Not those specific actions/tasks, but I will always respect you for bringing up 4 boys after Pa passed away. I think I speak for the four Jao boys when I say that we love you for bringing us up into the men that we are today. And we thank you for always sticking by us through thick and thin. As a mother, I'm sure it was hard to see some of the things we went through, especially me because I was (am) such a brat (yeah, I admit it). You were always more than the famous eclair that you make that all of our friends LOVE, and even more than the strength you showed all of us during our hardest times...you are simply the definition of family...of a mother...of my inspiration. Thank you mom for being you. I love you.

P.S. Just hold down the "Alarm" button while pressing the Min+ button until you get to the time you want to wake up. Make sure the red light is next to either PM or AM, whichever one you want. I know these directions won't stick..just thought I'd try!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Geekin

I so have to get this shirt!

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For those who don't know what this is about, enjoy:


Big Bang Theory rules!! 'nuff said! :)

The two best Bulls games I have attended

I decided that the Bulls vs Pistons game on 1/11/10 was the 2nd best game I have ever attended for a VERY different reason my number one is number one. So I must first tell the story of the absolute best Bulls game I have attended.

The #1 game that I have ever been to was the championship clinching game in the 1992 NBA Finals. I went with my oldest brother Tony, who ironically knows the least about basketball [love ya bro!] The Bulls were down 15 points going into the 4th quarter. I specifically remember my brother asking me if I wanted to leave already [probably to beat traffic]. Being only 13 years old and only getting to go to one maybe two Bulls games a year, of course I wanted to stay. And a good thing we did. Phil Jackson put in his reserves and Scottie Pippen. The bench proceeded to cut into the lead within 4 minutes. Portland turned the ball over and over early in the 4th. By the 9 minute mark, the Bulls cut the lead to 3, and then they brought in Jordan. I think you probably know how that one ends. Here are a couple videos of that comeback:





Here is a picture from that game as well as the ticket stub that I still have to this day:

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So obviously the #1 game was due to the championship that was won while I was there, the basketball aspect of the game. As I said earlier, the #1 and #2 games are quite different!

The #2 game just happened this past Monday at the United Center. The Pistons were coming in with a 12 game losing streak, and the Bulls were 15-19, seemed like just the usual regular season game. Not this time!

Yeah the Bulls won by 32 points and Ben Gordon didn't get to have his "revenge" against his old team [mainly because he got injured]. But besides all of that basketball stuff that was going on, I got an opportunity to participate in the Air Guitar contest. Now I know as a concept, air guitaring is just silly. But I get to "perform" for a sold NBA arena? Yeah, I'll do whatever it takes to do that. If you know me you know I like to perform. So lo and behold, the video...



Thanks Tracy for the video!

After my win, my 30 minutes of fame started. I did not even think that this would happen or that anyone would even remember me. As I walked thru the United Center I was getting high fives from strangers and whispering all around me. Now I knew it was just for the rest of the game, so I just enjoyed it. Thanked anyone who said hi or "CONGRATULATIONS!" or "HEY THE AIR GUITAR GUY!"...haha, it was real silly, but also super fun.

And to add icing on this awesome cake, Marlon got a hook-up and we were able to get access to ANYWHERE in the United Center. We didn't get courtside seating, but we got to sit right next to the tunnel. I could absolutely get used to that view. Now I just need to figure out how to win the lotto or invent something to pay for season tickets for the courtside seats. Who wants in?

Sunday, January 10, 2010

9 months and counting...

NO! It's not what you are thinking! haha

Of course I am talking about the Chicago Marathon that will be on October 10th of this year. That's right, it is on 10/10/10. Now the furthest I've actually run in an organized race is 10K. I was training for the 15K and actually got up to the distance, but then if you remember, I got the H1N1 flu...which SUCKED!! I've signed up for some races already to get me started out of the gate when it gets "warmer" this March. Here are the races I plan on running to get me ready for my ridiculous goal for 2010:
  • Shamrock Shuffle 8K - March 27 [registered]

  • Soldier Field 10mi - May 29 [registered]

  • North Shore Half Marathon - June 13 [not registered yet]


  • I hope writing and blogging about it will actually make me be more accountable this time around. Last year my goal was a 1/2 marathon, and I never got it done. I did make some good strides to get there for this year.

    Being that it is 9 months away, today on 1/10 I decided I had to start liking the treadmill. In my copy of Runner's World this week it was talking about what kinds of different workouts you could do on the treadmill. Speed, tempo, random, and of course hill workouts. Of course I went after the most difficult and tackled the hill workout. Here's what the magazine said to do:
    Try one minute runs up a 4% incline with two minutes of slow, flat jogging between. Build up to 10 repeats at 6% incline


    Instead of two minutes I only jogged for 1 minute, because I forgot and I kept it at 4% the whole time since I wasn't sure if it meant that I should end this particular session at 6% or gradually work towards 6% in the next few hill workouts. It wasn't terrible, although I thought for sure I was gonna give up after only 5 intervals. Luckily with the Cardinals/Packers game on [Sorry Coop] I was able to get through it all. It didn't feel as bad as when I ran in the bay area a couple weeks ago. I didn't go up and down those CRAZY hills in San Francisco, just the ones I like to call the "beginner" hills in the outskirts of the city.

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    Me after running the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco


    So there you go, 1 step [actually over 13,000 steps according to my pedometer] closer to training for a marathon. I don't know what struggles lay ahead of me, but I knew I better start now, because before you know it, October will be here as quickly as 2009 left.

    Random picture from our SF trip

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    While we were playing scrabble with Eric and Jessica. I love our camera

    Trying out a new Mac app for Blogging

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    I am using MarsEdit for this one. Instead of a WYSIWYG editor, there is a real-time preview that you can look at as you are typing. I was testing with Qumana for the past couple of days. It seems ok, but there it seems awfully buggy. Probably will be uninstalling that one soon. By the way, aren't these space jams SICK?!?

    Information overload

    There are so many things in my head and I just can't seem to keep them straight sometimes.  I'm sitting here floating through internet space on Facebook, Twitter, HobbyKings, Ebay, Email, Google Reader, while listening to my new You Tube favorite singer: Melissa Polinar.  It just feels like information overload, almost to the point where I can't get my thoughts straight.  I'm not trying to be profound or anything like that...I just feel stuck.  You ever have that feeling?