TZ Marathon

One of the signs of New Year is the Twilight Zone marathon. It runs for the whole day on New Year's Eve and has been doing so for as a long as I can remember. Many of my friends are into it also. They watch every year. It's always the same episodes. It's like an event. Not one of them owns the DVD set either. There's just something about catching a show or series when it plays on cable. I think that once we own a show or movie on DVD, it's always there for us. Knowing that, we never actually pop it in and watch it. But if we're flipping through the channels, we're likely to notice one of our favorites as it's on the air. There's that element of randomness that's somehow appealing.

Conquering CA

The Bulls started out the season on a California road trip. This was essentially a shortened circus trip and for the second year in a row, they came out of it with a winning record... 3 out of 4 from the Western Conference. This year, they only face each of those teams once. They defeated the Lakers in the opener with exciting clutch plays. Truthfully, the game shouldn't have come to that though. But players were rusty still and it was a great confidence booster to test the team when the pressure is on. The Bulls were still rusty in the loss to Golden State, but they did manage to make a 4th quarter run. They came back with a 108-98 win over the Kings in a game of runs. Both teams went back and forth with 10-point runs, making for a very fast paced game. The win over the Clippers was similar, but more of a blowout ending... 114-101. Rose had his best game of the season so far with 29pts, 16asts and 8 rebs. All starters were in double figures with a lot of bench support as well.

It's too bad the Bulls were still rusty for the Golden State loss, otherwise they'd be 4-0 right now. It's one of those cases where they lose to the bad teams. Indiana heads the Central Division at an undefeated 3-0. The home opener is tomorrow against Memphis.

December in the Office

It's my favorite month to be in the office. Most people take this time off, especially the employees with kids who have to follow the school schedule. So it's been pretty peaceful. I had 4 real emails in the last 2 days, so I really had a chance to finish up a lot of small low priority tasks that I've let linger due to the main projects. Because of the mass absences, most meetings tend to get cancelled. I had 2 weeklys eliminated. So that's +2 hours of real work time. Sometimes it's hard to use up all of your vacation days by the end of the year, but I made an effort to do it. I also don't like being off for a long time while the company is officially open. While the emails are light, things always can happen. I would almost be in favor of having the company closed during holiday week like the entertainment industry does. If everyone is off, then there's absolutely zero activity. No one can break anything while all of the fixers are on vacation.

Today was the last day before the long weekend. Since New Years is on Sunday, the company generously gave us Friday and Monday as well. So I worked the full day and cleaned up my office so I can start 2012 fresh.

Street Fighter X Tekken

NBA Present

Bulls fans couldn't have asked for anything more for Christmas Day. The NBA season began and 5 games were televised nationally. It made me not want to do anything for Christmas! I did manage to watch all the games, even during a family dinner. Even though the Bulls looked sharp during their last preseason game, both teams were a bit sloppy in the opener. The Lakers were leading most of the game. Behind Luol Deng, the Bulls came back to get a 56-49 lead. That was important because Rose got the halftime interview over Bryant. The Bulls fell asleep in the 3rd again and let the Lakers catch up, but it was clutch play in the 4th that saved the game. The Lakers led by 11 with 4 minutes to go... by 6 with less than a minute left. The game was seemingly over, but so many guys stepped up and didn't buckle under pressure. Deng scored several straight with trips to the line. Then he made a steal off Bryant and passed to Rose for the game winner. With 4 seconds left, the ball went to Bryant, who was blocked by Deng, Noah and Gibson. I think Deng got the block, but all 3 touched the ball at almost the same time. Like many Bulls classics, this game had the game winner followed by a great defensive play. That's first place and an important win on the season opening road trip. Golden State next!

The Knicks beat the Celtics in an exciting opening game. Heat defeated the Mavs in the Final rematch. OKC defeated Orlando. The rebuilt Clippers beat the Warriors.

Transformer Suit Finally!

It took ASUS a second version of their Eee Pad Transformer for Hasbro to finally notice that they've been biting off the name! They're going after ASUS for the "Transformer Prime" name, which is the name of the race of robots and the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime. "Transformers Prime" is also the name of a new TV series too. I think the Transformer Prime tablet is by far the best on the market, but what was ASUS thinking, calling it after the robot line? Maybe they should have gone all the way and call the color Decepticon Amethyst and Cybertron Gold!

A cross branding/promotion would have been pretty cool. There could have been Decepticon and Autobot logos next to "ASUS." Maybe even a movie deal with a preinstalled digital copy of "Dark of the Moon." The device could even make a movie appearance as a minibot.

Preseason Playoffs

The NBA is back and it's  nice to cover games again. Last night, the Bulls ended their short preseason with a 2nd win over the division rival Pacers. They also won the Friday game although you could tell both teams were a little rusty. Last night's game was a lot better. Bulls won 93-85. Rose had 12pts/9asts. Boozer looked great with his 24pts. It's great to have a lot of scoring options now without sacrificing team defense. On any given night, Rose, Hamilton, Boozer and Deng can put up 30pts.

I  was also the debut of Rip Hamilton in the starting shooting guard position and I have to admit that he adjusted well, working his 19 off several fast break plays with Rose. Hamilton mentioned that he has never played with anyone faster than himself. So this should make for a very interesting backcourt if they can keep it up for the season. My gut feeling is that it will work out. The Bulls' culture is too strong for any one player to disrupt. I'm sure Hamilton is willing to start from scratch because the Pistons have been terrible for the past few years while the Bulls have been a playoff team consistently, even before Rose.

Under Fire

The Kindle Fire has been out for a few weeks now and we've seen nothing but good press. Amazon claimed a successful Black Friday and also kept saying that it was their most successful product. Some coworkers jumped on board despite already owning other tablets just because it was $200. They were pretty happy with it as well. Starting last week, there were several articles that were all of a sudden trashing the Kindle Fire, saying it lacked functionality, has unresponsive hardware and that Amazon was very vague about the sales numbers, suggesting that they were playing it up.

Sales numbers were probably true or close to it. The Kindle Fire looked good enough on paper and the price tag was a sweet spot even for current iOS/Droid tablet owners. I can understand the initial disappointment, but the truth is... the Fire IS NOT an iPad. You won't find a $600 device for $200!

Desperation - Web Ads

What's happening with headhunters can also be applied to the advertising field. Think about it a bit. Throughout the day, we all visit a lot of websites. As you click through your regular ones, did you notice any ads? They've become so common that we've mentally blocked them out. In desperation, advertisers are always trying to think of new ways to do it. They'll often come up with odd sizes or weird places to put them... to try to "trick"people into clicking. Going for dishonesty speaks to the way salespeople work. This is exactly the same as the recruiter situation.

Winter Energy Savings

Assuming it gets cold at some point here, I put together a list of energy saving tips for NYC apartment dwellers:

1) Make sure your furniture is not blocking the radiator.
2) Keep windows closed. Sometimes it's tempting to open them because the entire apartment can be set too high, with some units cooler than others.
3) Wear extra clothing. Building owners are not required to crank up the heat so you can walk around in your underwear!
4) Let in as much sunlight as possible. This means leaving the blinds open during the day and keeping the glass clean.
5) Remove your window AC... it lets in drafts even if you wrap it in plastic.

Desperation - Headhunters

This year, I've received more calls from recruiters than ever before... both calls looking to place someone and ones trying to hire me. The funny thing is, I haven't applied anywhere and don't even have my resume posted on any job boards. I've always hated recruiters because they're really just salespeople. They'll match employees and positions just so they get a commission. So I'm happy that they're in desperation now and their field is suffering. The company I work for goes mostly by word of mouth with our new hires these days. When a position opens up, employees are notified far in advance and there are interviews and often hirings that happen before it even goes public. We try to stay away from the salespeople as much as possible because we know they're in it for the money and we're looking for the best match in skills. There are enough skilled people unemployed because of the recession that there's no need for recruiters anymore.

Clipped

The Bulls have have gotten Hamilton as the missing piece to their starting 5, but it was the Clippers who made the headlines, beating out the Lakers in nabbing Chris Paul. The Lakers' master plan was to get Paul and use him to woo Dwight Howard. That all went down the toilet. Paul, coupled with Blake Griffin and Chauncey Billups makes the Clippers a mid-seed playoff team. This could also make them the best team in LA!

Rip

I never thought Rip Hamilton would be a Bull, but that's what looks like will happen later today. He was offered a 2 year/$10 million deal and is expected to take it after he cleared waivers with Detroit earlier today. His basketball skills fill the needed shooting guard position. He's from the Detroit championship team that touted defense. So these are all good. It's his personality that I didn't think would fit. He's a league leader in technical fouls and has a reputation for bitching all the time. This can only work if he changes himself to fit the personality of the Bulls' core... just shut up and work hard. If things work out, with Boozer healthy all year, the Bulls can be placed right up there with Miami and Boston.

Detroit is now depleted of championship players, and Ben Gordon must feel ripped off by moving there, but it's also his chance to get some minutes back. Hopefully he can get back on track to being an All-Star there. I wish we could deal Rip back for BG7 instead!

Clockwork Apple: Bus Driver Tanya

Tanya is the bus driver on days that I make it to the stop late. Fortunately, she's always rushing and it makes up for some of my lost minutes. When the last person on the stop boards the train, she's already taking off. There are usually about 3 people in front of the white line, one of them still in the stepwell! She drives the bbus like a sports car, making hard turns, beating lights and making sudden stops. Passengers, especially the standing ones often lose footing. I know to grip tighter when I'm riding Tanya's bus. 

Tanya's brain is also in fast forward as she burns through the streets of Manhattan. She automatically says "stand clear off the doors" as people step on and off. It's so automatic that she even keeps repeating it at the last stop when everyone gets off. The doors aren't even closing. There's nothing to stand clear of!

No Moves

The Bulls have no plans for making any significant moves. It seems like they're going to build on the team they have. While they made the Eastern Conference Finals last year and gave the Heat some close games, I think they needed a move to put them over the top. The Bulls last year were arguable equal to the Heat. With the addition of Shane Battier, the Heat got better. They now have someone solid beyond James and Wade. So if the Bulls go with last year's team, they'll still lose to the Heat at some point. Boozer had an off year with injuries, but if you apply his averages, it still won't add up if he's healthy all year.

The Knicks have also made significant steps as they acquired Tyson Chandler and Mike Bibby. And you have to figure Melo and A'mare will be more used to each other. They now have a complete team and have moved from an eliminated team to a middle playoff seed... on paper.

Power Shift

Albert Pujols was the biggest name this time around in MLB free agency. After 11 years with the St. Louis Cardinals, he signed a new contract with the LA Angels. Not many position players can impact a game, but he's one of them, right up there with Jeter and A-Rod. I really thought he would stay with his team, but I guess the money and big market team were too appealing. This puts a lot of power back into the Yankees main nemesis. They were starting to put together winning records against the Angels the past couple of years, but this move could change things back in favor of LA.

Pujol's resume is amazing for an 11th year guy:
- .328 batting average
- .420 on-base percentage
- .617 slugging percentage
- 445 HR's
- 1,329 RBI's
- 1,291 runs
- 3 MVP's
- 2008 Roberto Clemente
- 7 playoff berths
- 2 World Series rings

Even though this is bad news for the Yankees, I'm happy for Pujols. He's a great guy. He does things the right way and is great for the MLB. If the Yankees didn't already have Tex and the Sox Gonzalez, he definitely would've taken one of the two sides. Unfortunately, he's a 1st baseman.

Sword of Azrael: Micky D's Cast

Way back in October, 2 women went to pay for their McDonald's order with a $50 bill. As in standard procedure at any cash register, the employee checked to see if the bill was a counterfeit. Rachel Edwards and Denise Darbeau were offended by it and started to cause a scene. Things got loud and they climbed over the counter. One of the cooks, Rayon McIntosh then went up to defend his colleagues, striking the aggressors down with a metal cooking instrument. Later, the 2 women were rightly charged with trespassing. The cook was initially arrested, but charges were dropped after a jury agreed with his self-defense plea. He did lose his job though.


I think everyone got what they deserved. The whole incident wouldn't have happened if the women didn't make a big stink about their $50 bill. Who buys McDonald's with a $50 bill anyway? You can argue that Rayon McIntosh was excessive, but if a customer is crazy enough to jump the counter, they're in attack mode already.

December Rain

Rain in December isn't totally abnormal, but it is when the temperature is 60 degrees and humid. That's what it's been like for the past 2 days.  I'm not even sure what to call it. It's somewhat early Spring-like, but there are also a lot of leaves on the ground from a delayed Autumn. And it's dark in the mornings and evenings like it should be in Winter. December is  supposed to be snow and slush at 30 or 40 degrees. There is snow in the forecast, but naturally it will be too warm to stick in the city area. We'll probably have thundersnow sometime this month too if the temperatures keep up.

Rumors Begin

The official end to the NBA lockout will be December 9, but it's refreshing to see things get started. There's tons of basketball news and my Bulls text alerts are coming in. During the lockout, there would be one article every couple of days. Now there are several per day. The Berto Center opened last week, which was a good sign. Though teams can't make moves until Friday, the rumors are already coming out. Many will be based around Dwight Howard's free agency. There's a lot of news on both sides of the issue... whether he'll stay in Orlando or move on to a top team. I just read in the Chicago Tribune that some believe the Bulls could be a sleeper and trade Noah, Deng and Boozer. As someone who believes in building rather than buying a team, I'm totally against that. At the center position, Howard is the best in the league, but Noah is also considered a top center. Deng is one of the most consistent guys and the other clutch player besides Rose. Boozer is a consistent 20/10 guy. Dwight Howard's numbers don't add up to these 3 stars.

The Bulls are one player away from a championship, but it's not the center. They need a consistent shooting guard... it could be Carter, Butler... maybe even Iverson from retirement. They just need someone with offense.

Overrated Beats

It was always Apple products that were the in thing to carry when walking around the city.It all started with the first generation iPod... then various models after. Then it was the iPhone family and now the iPad as well. The one non-Apple item that has emerged over the past year is the Beats Audio headphones by Dr. Dre. The large over-the-ear models start at $300 and the buds are $100. Headphones can only sound so good because they're already right up to you ear. It's not like speakers where 3  or 5 or 7 make a difference.

Valentine's Day in Boston

Earlier in the week, there were talks of Bobby Valentine getting hired as the Red Sox  manager and it became official yesterday. After their end-of-season collapse, Boston fired Terry Francona, the man who helped them get 2 rings after the 86 year drought. I think things worked out pretty well here. Despite hating the Red Sox, I have always liked Francona and his Joe Torre-like management style. He obviously has a successful method. The same can't be said about any recent Sox manager in the past 8 decades. So as a Yankees fan, I'm glad hes not a Red Sox anymore. Hopefully a better club hires him. Bobby Valentine is sort of an annoying manager, so it's great that he's joining the Sox. They deserve each other!

Subway Tales: Priority Seating

The seats at the end of each subway car are for  elderly, disabled or pregnant people. If you take one of them, you should always be aware who is entering the train at stops after yours. The seats are designated by stickers and more recently, posters mentioning that it's the law. Your safest bet is not to use them at all unless the train is empty, especially if you're going to shut yourself down to the outside world by playing with your smartphone or reading a book. 

This morning, I was on a crowded train. The priority seating on my end was all taken up by 5 elderly and 1 teenager. An old guy with a cane entered the train, looking for a seat. The teenage girl pretended not to see him. He even asked her for a seat and she ignored him twice. She did end up giving him the seat, but it shouldn't have come to that. The seat is reserved for the elderly. They shouldn't have to ask. It's extra work for them and an embarrassment for the person occupying it.