The FAN 93.7 Debuts Today

The FAN on 93.7 FM debuted today as a new all sports radio station. Bob Smizik reviews the competition in his blog on the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Will the FAN be successful? Only time will tell.

Snow Blower Sunday

I just spent about 4 hours clearing the snow off my driveway with my snow blower. I only have a single stage snow blower, so that is why it took so long. I live at the end of a cul de sac, which is great. But the one down side is when the local snow plows come through, the snow accumulates at the end of the cul de sac. So, my mailbox and front of my driveway where literally buried. I also have an uncovered deck, and I cleared off about one third of it. I am tired now, time for a one hour nap, then I will have dinner. Later.

Shame on Toyota

My 2010 Pontiac Vibe that I bought this past September is part of the Toyota recall that has been in the news. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has more info here. Yes, I have a Pontiac Vibe, but is it essentially the same as a Toyota Matrix. I am disappointed in Toyota. It took them too long for them to admit there was a problem. Even though Toyota has announced a fix, the NHTSA is looking at the Electronic Throttle Control System to see if this may be the real problem. Toyota's fix is a physical part, and does not admit any electronic failure. This could be bad if it truly is a electronic problem. I still have my old 2003 Vibe, which I am driving now since it is winter. So, I am waiting to receive something official from Pontiac about when I can bring my vehicle in. I am also very curious to see if the problem is electronics and not a physical part.

I'm With Coco

Good Luck to Conan O'brien! I can not wait until the three month non-interview clause expires. Hope to see you in September 2010!

FBI Agent Renee Walker

I am glad to see that Annie Wersching is back as former FBI Agent Renee Walker on the TV Series "24", Season 8. The red hair, blue eyes, and freckles. Her character seems to be in a very dark place now. It is unusual to see her act more ruthless than Jack. I will be closely watching how her relationship with Jack develops. It should be interesting.

104.7 Cancels Ellis Cannon Sports Talk Show

I just found out yesterday that 104.7 FM has cancelled the Ellis Cannon Sport Talk Show that aired weekdays from 6 to 8 PM. Here is a link from the Post Gazette. Bob Smizik adds his two cents here. I am surprised and disappointed. I used to listen to Ellis on my way home from work and enjoyed his view on sports. Big E is publisher of the Pittsburgh Sports Report, so you can still catch up with him here. I hope Ellis shows up somewhere else on the radio dial.

Winter Blows!

I am fed up with the last week of winter weather. It's cold, windy, the snow keeps piling up, I keep shoveling. It is like the movie Groundhog Day. One good thing did happen though, my neighbor used his tractor with a snow plow blade and plowed my driveway while I was at work today. I got home after work expecting another evening of freezing my toes off shoveling the driveway. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my neighbor had plowed my driveway. There was still about a one inch layer of snow on the driveway, but I was so happy. It is great having a wonderful neighbors. Thanks Jack and Barb!

Random Reps

It has been over a month since I posted, so here is an update:

1. I got a cold a week before Thanksgiving and it has taken almost 4 weeks for me to feel better. Weeks 1 and 2 were sinus congestion. Week 3 was a cough. Week 4 was an asthma like cough. I am not 100% yet. I need to get back into my exercise routine and build up my lung capacity.

2. Can you believe the Tiger Woods fiasco? I think the mistress count is up to 14 now.

3. I wrapped all of the Christmas gifts today. Hooray!

4. I was shocked to learn today that actress Brittany Murphy died today at the age of 32 from cardiac arrest. I liked several movies that she appeared in: 8 Mile, Just Married, and Sin City. She was also the voice of Luanne Platter on the animated series "King of the Hill". She made several appearances on Late Night with David Letterman and the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. You can see her filmography on Wikipedia.

Sarah Palin "Going Rogue" Book Tour Dates

UPDATE, 11/20/2009, 7:50PM - see updated info at end of this post for details about the book signing on 11/21/2009. You better go to sleep soon so you can wake up early.

I was able to find information on Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue" Book Tour Dates. How?, well, a Political News Website linked to a blog, which linked to Sarah Palin's Facebook page. So there really was no scoop on this, it was information that was already available on the internet. So, go to Sarah Palin's Facebook page and look for the Note with the Subject Line "Going Rogue Book Tour Dates Through Thanksgiving". For those of you in the Pittsburgh area, she will be at the Sam's Club in Washington, PA on Saturday, November 21st, from 11:00AM to 2:00PM.

NOVEMBER 21

WASHINGTON, PA
Sam’s Club
80 Trinity Point Drive
Washington, PA 15301
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

ROCHESTER, NY
Borders Books and Music
1000 Hylan Drive
Rochester, NY 14623
6:00 – 9:00 PM

She is scheduled to be in Rochester, NY the same day, 4 hours later at 6:00PM. This puzzles me because I used to travel from Monroeville to Buffalo, NY and it took me about 4 hours. Rochester is a good one hour away from Buffalo, so her bus driver will really have to drive fast to get there on time. Sarah Palin also stated on her Facebook page that she will start using Twitter once the Book Tour starts. Check her Facebook page for any updates or changes to the schedule.

UPDATE, 11/20/2009, 7:25 PM:
1. I read this from the Observer-Reporter with more specific info about the book signing.

2. This morning around 10:30AM, I called the Sam's Club at Washington, PA and was told the following: 1000 wristbands will be handed out starting at 6:00AM on 11/21. People are allowed to start gathering at 9:00PM on 11/20 near the Tire Entrance. You must have a Sam's Club membership or sign up for a membership. One wristband allows an autograph for two books. If you bring your own books, you must bring a receipt showing they were purchased at WalMart or Sam's Club. Only "Going Rogue" books will be signed. Sorry, no Terrible Towels. The autographs will not be personalized, so no to "Steely McBeam". Sarah Palin will be signing a specific page in her book.

3. I found this out from Channel 10 TV in Columbus, OH which is the second stop today (the first stop was Cincinnati): For the Columbus Book Signing, only 500 wristbands will be handed out.

I really want to go, but I have to consider my health. I am recovering from a cold and can not stand outside too long or my sinuses, throat, and nose will start acting up. I also have plantar fascitis, so I can not stand too long on my feet. If her book tour was in the spring or summer, I would definitely show up. I hope to meet her another time.

My Two Babies

On the left, 2010 Pontiac Vibe, AWD (All Wheel Drive), Liquid Platinum Metallic, 1100 Miles.

On the right, 2003 Pontiac Vibe, AWD (All Wheel Drive), Red Hot Metallic, 101800 Miles.

Sarah Palin Going Rogue in Washington, PA

UPDATE, 11/20/2009, 7:50PM - see updated info at end of this post for details about the book signing on 11/21/2009. You better go to sleep soon so you can wake up early.

In case you have not heard, Sarah Palin's book tour will bring her to Washington, PA on November 21. She will be at the Sam's Club at Trinity Point Drive. So mark your calendars and find your Sharpie!

UPDATE: Go to Sarah Palin's Facebook page and look for the Note with the Subject Line "Going Rogue Book Tour Dates Through Thanksgiving". For those of you in the Pittsburgh area, she will be at the Sam's Club in Washington, PA on Saturday, November 21st, from 11:00AM to 2:00PM.

NOVEMBER 21

WASHINGTON, PA
Sam’s Club
80 Trinity Point Drive
Washington, PA 15301
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

UPDATE, 11/20/2009, 7:25 PM:
1. I read this from the Observer-Reporter with more specific info about the book signing.

2. This morning around 10:30AM, I called the Sam's Club at Washington, PA and was told the following: 1000 wristbands will be handed out starting at 6:00AM on 11/21. People are allowed to start gathering at 9:00PM on 11/20 near the Tire Entrance. You must have a Sam's Club membership or sign up for a membership. One wristband allows an autograph for two books. If you bring your own books, you must bring a receipt showing they were purchased at WalMart or Sam's Club. Only "Going Rogue" books will be signed. Sorry, no Terrible Towels. The autographs will not be personalized, so no to "Steely McBeam". Sarah Palin will be signing a specific page in her book.

3. I found this out from Channel 10 TV in Columbus, OH which is the second stop today (the first stop was Cincinnati): For the Columbus Book Signing, only 500 wristbands will be handed out.

I really want to go, but I have to consider my health. I am recovering from a cold and can not stand outside too long or my sinuses, throat, and nose will start acting up. I also have plantar fascitis, so I can not stand too long on my feet. If her book tour was in the spring or summer, I would definitely show up. I hope to meet her another time.

Random Reps

Just some random thoughts:

1. Fall is almost gone, and Winter is knocking on the door. The leaves have all fallen off the trees in my yard and with Daylight Savings, I drive home from work in the dark now.

2. I have some extra bills due this month like my AAA membership, car insurance, PA vehicle registration fee, PA vehicle state inspection, and a couple of magazine subscriptions.

3. So far, my new car gets about one less mile per gallon than my old car. I have only had 3 or 4 fill ups, so not enough data to be conclusive yet.

4. With the merger happening at work, I report to a different out of state manager now. My job responsibilities are the same for now. I was told I will have different responsibilities in the future, but the combined company has been slow to make decisions.

5. I bought almost all of my Christmas presents throughout the year already, so I really should not have to buy anything for this Christmas.

Thats all for now.

Great Customer Service Does Exist

When most people contact a company's Customer Service Department, they usually want to complain. I had a completely delightful shopping trip the other evening. GNC recently opened a new concept store at the Ross Park Mall. I was there a few weekends ago when they had some grand opening activities and decided to go back there because I noticed they had a broader range of products on the store shelves.

When I entered the store, I was greeted by a very cute and personable sales girl. The GNC Girl walked me directly to the sections of the store that had the products I wanted. She also explained the current sales promotions. She even offered to carry my planned purchases to the register for me. The GNC Girl did all of this with a smile and pleasant personality. I was so WOW'd by how she treated me that I e-mailed GNC Customer Service to compliment her. GNC Customer Service was so pleased with my comments that they are going to inform the Divisional Vice President of GNC Girl's efforts. It has been such a long time since anyone has WOW'd with such great customer service. Thank You GNC Girl !

Stan Savran - Get Well Soon

Stan Savran, considered the most respectful sports broadcaster in Pittsburgh, underwent quadruple bypass surgery today. Stan, Get Well Soon !!!

New Wheels, Epilogue

I took delivery of my new car, a 2010 Pontiac Vibe (All Wheel Drive), two weeks ago. I could have waited one more year to buy a new car, but this is the last model year for the Pontiac Vibe, and I really like the 2003 Vibe that I currently own. GM is killing the Pontiac brand as part of their restructuring/bankruptcy. The Vibe is essentially a Toyota Corolla with different body styling. 2003 was the first year the Vibe's were produced, and 2010 is the last year. I have one of each.

New Wheels?

Yeah, I have been AWOL, MIA for a while. So, what is new? Well, I am seriously considering buying a new car. I completed a written paper loan application at my credit union on Saturday. Unfortunately, the employees who work on the loans do not work on Saturdays. I thought that submitting an application in person would be faster than on-line, but maybe I was wrong. I did not hear anything today about the status of my application, so I am worried that the paperwork may have been literally lost. I can run my own credit report in less than 10 minutes from www.annualcreditreport.com, so I am concerned because the credit union has not contacted me. I am going to call them tomorrow morning. To be continued...

Janelle Hall Has Baby Boy

My favorite female TV anchor, WTAE's Janelle Hall, had a baby boy last weekend. Click here for the news story, click here for a short video. Congratulations Janelle !

ILLs and Spills

2009 has been the year of Ills and Spills for me. I have had various lingering health issues this year, and it has been frustrating. Here is a quick breakdown:

December 2008 - sprained right ankle. I found out in June that I have arthritis in my right ankle, hence the feeling that it gets better then feels like it re-sprains. I tweaked it again about two weeks ago in almost the exact same spot in my house. I am still rehab'ing on my own.

May 2009 - Hallus Rigidus, Arthritis in left big toe. I just got my custom made orthotics last week. Yes, my feet feel better, but it will take time.

June 2009 - Poison Ivy. I had to get a cortisone shot, take oral steroids, and a topical steroid. I have scars/discolored skin on my arms from the poison ivy. It took about 3 to 4 weeks for the scabs to fall off. I also have a few spots/scabs on my thighs that have not fully healed yet. Stop picking! I still pick up a few spots of poison ivy after I dump grass clippings at the end of my lot.

July 2009 - Summer cold. It lasted about 3 weeks. I am trying to build up my aerobic capacity again. My exercise induced asthma is a problem now, but should calm down after I get back into my regular workouts.

I can not believe it, over half of the year I have been battling health problems. I am hoping for a better second half of the year.

Sonni Abatta Leaving KDKA

Yesterday, I was listening to Mark Madden on 105.9, WXDX, on my way home after work when I heard a caller state that Sonni Abatta was leaving KDKA TV. When I got home, I did a quick Google, and found two articles on the Pittsburgh Post Gazette which confirmed this. Yes, It's True, It's Damn True, Sonni Abatta's last day on KDKA TV is Friday, July 10th, 2009.

Everyone had a feeling that her talent and looks would lead her out of the Burgh and into a bigger TV market. She was without a doubt the favorite Eye Candy for the male viewers in the Burgh. Good Luck Sonni!

Update 7/8/2009, Rob Owen from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Sonni Abatta will join WOFL, Fox 53 News in Orlando, FL. Mr. Owen states he will have more info from Sonni on why she decided to make this move.

Update 7/10/2009, Rob Owen provides some details from Sonni Abatta about her decision to leave the Burgh for Orlando, FL.

Good News

Good News Today, I still have a job. I spent the weekend sweating bullets, looking up how to file for unemployment, and thinking about what home projects I could work on over the summer. My job responsibilities will be changing, but it will be a while. My director estimated things will start changing 60 days after the other company has joined our Microsoft Active Directory domain. I am relieved, but also know my employment status could change in 3, 6, 9, 12, etc. months. I need to update my resume so I am prepared just in case.

MIA Update

I have been Missing In Action from blogging for almost two months. So, what has been happening? Well, I have been dealing with some health problems since the beginning of May. After attending a Cinco De May party at a neighbor's house, I started having pain in the ball of my foot under my left foot. A lot of standing in old basketball shoes was what triggered the pain. At first, I thought it was Metatarsalgia. I saw a podiatrist last week, and it turns out I actually have a condition called Hallux Rigidus, which is arthritis of the big toe. It can be treated by getting some custom foot orthotics, and luckily my insurance covers it 100%. I sprained my right ankle last November, and it still bothers me, so the podiatrist looked at it also. He believes I had a Level 2 sprain, and I just need to continue with my stretching and strengthening exercises that I have been doing.

On top of all of this, while cutting down a dead tree in my yard three weeks ago, I unknowingly brushed up against a lot of poison ivy plants. It was so bad that I had to get a steroid shot, take Prednisone steroid pills for six days, and now I am on my fourth day of using a topical steroid.

At work today, I was one of about 25 people asked to attend a conference call on Monday at 9:00AM. Problem is there are 75 people across the country with my same position who were not invited to the 9:00AM conference call. All 100 people were asked to attend a conference call at 10:30AM. My company is merging with another company and the feds finally approved the merger. July 1 will be the first day the merged companies will operate as one company. It looks like I am going to be laid off, downsized. The two companies had paychecks on opposite bi-weekly cycles, and are planning to change this to sync the paycheck cycles. I am guessing that my last day will be either July 18 or 25. Considering my years of service and vacation not taken yet, I am estimating 48 weeks of severance pay. It has been a bad Spring for me this year. I am not looking forward to Monday's conference call.

The Real "ThePensblog"

The other morning when my alarm clock radio went off, I was surprised to hear two bloggers from ThePensblog on 102.5 WDVE. Since I was groggy, I could not quite understand everything that was being said. It turns out ThePensblog is a victim of Cybersquatting. Here is the definition of Cybersquatting from Wikipedia:

Cybersquatting (also known as domain squatting), according to the United States federal law known as the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else. The cybersquatter then offers to sell the domain to the person or company who owns a trademark contained within the name at an inflated price.

ThePensblog details how this all came about in this blog post.

They refer to the bogus ThePensblog site as Bizzaro Pens Blog, a tribute to an episode of Seinfeld. Out of curiosity, I went to the Bizzaro Pens Blog website, and quite frankly it is so lame. Remember, the site only exists to receive false hits and make a few pennies each time from Google AdSense.

My blog is so, so tiny, I do not think I will ever have to worry about Cybersquatting. I feel bad for the authors of ThePensblog and all of their readers.

Vote Zelienople for X-Men Wolverine Premiere with Hugh Jackman

The Marvel Comics movie “X-Men Origins:Wolverine” is having a contest where the American ZIP code with the most votes before April 17 will host the movie premiere on May 1. Hugh Jackman will attend the premiere.

According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Zelienople was 10 th on the list as of yesterday. The last day to vote is tomorrow, 4/17, and the winning city will be announced Monday.

To vote for Zelienople and the Strand Theater, go to www.x-menorigins.com, enter the site and under navigation on the main page, go to "hometown premiere." Follow the prompts and type in the ZIP code 16063.

PG's Rob Owen Praises Janelle Hall's Shooting Coverage

Rob Owen, TV editor for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, praised WTAE TV weekend morning anchor Janelle Hall for her live coverage of the Stanton Heights shooting last Saturday. "Janelle Hall made the best impression. She handled the live ongoing coverage with a calm, steady tone and managed to avoid repeating herself too often, one of the easiest traps for a news anchor to stumble into in this sort of situation."

Mr. Owen reviewed Saturday's TV coverage of the 3 local TV stations in his Post Gazette Blog, "Tuned In Journal". "Hall was particularly skilled at narrating to fill gaps -- so necessary in breaking news coverage -- with an empathetic but professional demeanor that did not strike me as overly repetitous."

As you know, Janelle Hall is my favorite local TV news anchor. She is not just attractive, but a skilled and talented news anchor.

Thank You Pittsburgh Police

Ashley DiParlo Leaves WTAE and the Burgh

I just found out that last Friday, 3/27/2009, was Ashley DiParlo's last day on WTAE-TV 4. Ashley was WTAE-TV's first "Web Reporter". She hosted the "Plugged In" report and co-hosted the "Links N At" videos. Ashley posted a farewell post on her blog, "The Plugged In" Blog on WTAE and Wordpress. What exactly is a "Web Reporter"? Ashley reported on just about anything that you could find on the web - entertainment, finance, sports, shopping, etc. She did not just report about technology, which was a good strategy to attract and kept viewers. It also helped that Ashley was very cute and had a very pleasant, upbeat, personality. She is best described as a "Sweetheart" - you will see her pic in Websters next to Sweetheart. Why is she leaving? Well, she is getting married, and moving out of the Burgh. Sorry to all the single guys who thought they had a chance. I am hoping the "Boomerang Effect" takes place - a Burgher leaves our great city, then returns a few years later. Yes, I was a Boomerang. I left in my mid 20's and returned to the Burgh in my late 30's. Anyway, Best Wishes to Ashley DiParlo.

Welcome Spring 2009

For the first day of Spring 2009, the high temperature is forecast to be 41 degrees. Lovely. Where have I been the last month? Hibernating of course. More posts to follow. I just upgraded to Internet Explorer version 8, and it will not allow me to log on to www.blogger.com. So, I log on OK to www.blogger.com with Firefox, and it takes me about 3 attempts before I can add an image to this post. Anyway, Happy Spring 2K9 to everyone!

PittGirl Jane Pitt Guest Blogged for SB43

I have been MIA from the blogosphere for the past 2 weeks, and learned today that PittGirl, retired blogger from TheBurghBlog, guest blogged on Have A Good Sandwich during the week preceding SuperBowl 43. I always wondered "What Would PittGirl Say?" about the Steelers and SB43, and now I know. Even though she only made a guest blogger appearance, I was so happy to read her posts. Thank You Jane Pitt!

Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year to the Asian community. 2009 is the Year of the Ox.

Goodbye Gil Grissom

Last night was William Peterson's last episode portraying Gil Grissom on CBS's TV show CSI. I have been a fan of CSI for a long time. I started out as a dedicated viewer, and the last few seasons became an occasional viewer. It is sad to see the main character leave, but with Laurence Fishburne taking his place, it should be interesting to see how the show evolves.

2K9

Happy New Year to everyone! I have not posted in about 3 weeks, and this will be my first post of 2009. I am feeling a little stressed out right now. Why? Here are a few reasons:

• I did not have the entire week off between Christmas and New Years, so I spent time traveling back and forth from my house in the North Hills to my mother's house in the South Hills. I am trying to get back into my regular sleep pattern.
  
• I gained a few pounds over the holidays, not too much, but not too little.
• I sprained my right ankle before Thanksgiving and I am still rehabilitating it on my own. It is getting better, but it is a slow process. With the sprained ankle, I have been a little reluctant and lazy to work out.
• I am worried about the economy and the stability of my job. My company downsized at the end of last year and almost every week you hear about another local company announcing job cuts. I am going to work hard on updating my resume this month just in case.

So, are there any positives with the New Year? Sure, it is a good time to reflect on the past year and look forward to improving myself. In a roundabout way, I have "resolutions" to make, but I will not list them here.

Pittsburgh Mills

I took a day off work yesterday to burn some remaining vacation days, shop for a few remaining Christmas gifts, and have the tires rotated on my car. I bought my tires about two years ago from Sears, and tire rotations were included in the price. I usually go to the Sears at Ross Park Mall for my tire rotations, but I decided to try out the Sears at the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills. Someone that used to work with me mentioned that Pittsburgh Mills is not that busy, so that is why I decided to try the Sears there. I arrived at the Sears around 9:00AM and to my delight, there were no vehicles in any of the service bays. Quite different from Ross Park mall, which is usually busy. Maybe because it was a weekday instead of the weekend. It only took them about one hour to rotate my tires and change the oil, very quick.

The Galleria Mall was designed differently that other malls I have been to. Ross Park Mall, The Mall at Robinson, South Hills Village, Century III, Monroeville Mall, all have the same look to them. (Yes, I actually have shopped at all of these malls. Strange for a guy, right?) The Galleria is a one story mall, so it was difficult to compare the size to a two story mall. It had many of the same anchor stores like Sears, JCPenney, and Macy's. Inside, there were alternating areas of carpeted floor, and wood flooring. Benches and sitting areas were artistic, colorful and geometric at the same time. Outside of the mall had a lot of restaurants and big box stores like Lowes, Walmart, etc. It reminded me of the whole Robinson shopping area without the traffic. If you live in the area, everything that you could possibly need is there, all in one place. I am not sure if I will visit again, but it was a nice change of pace.

Janelle Hall Dance Video

I have to thank Janelle Hall for getting me out of my writer's block with this blog. Sure, I have a couple of excuses: the Thanksgiving Holiday, a business trip out of town for a week, and a sprained ankle. Or me just being lazy.

A charity event called "Dancing With The Celebrities of Pittsburgh" took place this weekend. The 3 major TV stations each had a few of their TV news anchors participating. To my delight and viewing pleasure, WTAE posted a video clip of Janelle Hall's dance. As I have mentioned before in previous posts, Janelle Hall is my favorite female TV news anchor in Pittsburgh. She is tall, attractive, and I absolutely love her bubbly on-air personality. Janelle sometimes will guest news anchor on WDVE in the morning and here she shows more of her appealing personality on the radio. Some will argue that KDKA's Sonni Abatta is hotter, but not me.

Trib Writer Bashes Blogging

Mike Seate, Columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribrune Review, wrote a column in Tuesday's edition titled "Mourn not for end of pointless blogging". Mr. Seate tries to explain the difference between a paid writer like himself versus an average "Joe the Blogger". I blog, but not everyday, so I am not obsessed with blogging. I disagree with Mr. Seate. I will not bash him here, but simply say he really does not understand what blogging is all about.

Goodbye and Best Wishes to PittGirl and TheBurghBlog

Today is one of the saddest days in Pittsburgh, the Blogosphere, and the Pittsburgh Blogosphere. Anonymous blogger PittGirl, has shutdown her popular blog, TheBurghBlog. Both the PostGazette and PopCityMedia reveal in e-mails from PittGirl, that her identity had been compromised, which could have resulted in her losing her job. Sadly, PittGirl had no choice but to shut down her blog.

I will definitely miss TheBurghBlog. PittGirl's posts always put a smile on my face. She has done so much for Pittsburgh, bloggers, and Pittsburgh Bloggers. Although PittGirl joked about everything Pittsburgh, she did it because she truly loves everything Pittsburgh. She inspired everyday Joe/Joe-ette The Plumbers to blog, and unknowingly united people as minions/fans. PittGirl, Thank You and Best Wishes.

Winter Weather Hyping

We had snow flurries since Sunday, and it looks like the local TV stations are doing their best to hype up the Winter Weather forecasts. Here are some tricks I saw this evening watching TV and the local news:

• Multi-day accumulation totals - if the accumulation amount for one day is too small, provide an accumulation today for more than one day. This increases the accumulation total, but you have to remember it is spread over several days, not one day.
• 30 second commercial teasers - always play 30 second teaser commercials hinting at impending doom, school closings, etc, but don't really tell the whole story yet. Tell the viewer they have to wait for the next scheduled newscast.
• Live report from the snowiest place in the area outside of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh is located in Allegheny County. If the snow forecast for Allegheny County is too small, have a reporter travel outside of Allegheny County (at least an hour drive) and broadcast a live report of the "horrible" conditions.
• Report accumulation totals from an untreated surface like an empty parking lot - To make it look worse than it really is, have the live broadcast with a reporter showing the accumulation total from an untreated surface like an empty parking lot. An untreated surface will have more snow that a treated, well traveled road.

Hyping up the winter weather is one of my pet peeves with the local media. Just think how bad it will be when a real snow storm hits.

Mark Cuban Charged with Insider Trading

Mark Cuban, Pittsburgh native from Mt. Lebanon, entrepreneur millionaire, and owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA basketball team has been charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with insider trading. Pittsburgh sports fans will remember that Mark Cuban was supposedly interested in buying the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Pittsburgh Pirates. You will also remember that Cuban was a lot of talk and no action. Everyone has a blog these days, and Mark Cuban responds to the allegations on his blog.

Hello Old Man Winter

The average temperature this time of year is still supposed to be in the 50's, but here we are in the mid 30's. I have been slowing introducing winter clothes out of storage - long sleeve shirts, sweats, gloves, hats, etc. Another sure sign of winter is breaking out my Under Armour Coldgear for workouts in the basement.

OneCare is One Mess

I have had enough of Microsoft Windows Live OneCare. It is supposed to be an all in one suite for PC maintenance - security updates, virus software, firewall software, backup software, etc. OneCare is supposed to start automatically after the PC is rebooted and an icon should appear in the taskbar to indicate that it is active and working. Yesterday was the third time where OneCare would not start automatically on startup. The previous two times, I had to un-install and re-install to get it working again. For this third time, I just un-installed and did not reinstall. Sure, I like fixing PC problems since it is my chosen profession, but after 3 strikes, and one late night trying to fix it, enough is enough. I am going to call Microsoft to cancel my OneCare subscription. As an interim solution for my antivirus software, I installed AVG Anti Virus Free Edition. Damn you Bill Gates!

LLBean Open at Ross Park Mall

I took a day off from work to burn some of my remaining vacation days and made a stop at the Ross Park Mall. It has been advertised that an LLBean store would be opening on 11/21/2008, so I thought I would walk by to see where it was located in the Mall. It is located across from the Cheesecake Factory, and to my surprise they were actually open. One of the employees indicated that it was a "soft" opening. The official grand opening celebration will be 11/21/2008. The employees were very friendly. Almost everyone greeted me and asked if I needed assistance. Of course, there were very few customers in the store, so this could explain the enthusiasm of the employees. The store is actually two floors high, and is quite spacious. The employees seemed familiar with their primary area of responsibility, but were a little unfamiliar with other areas of the store. I was told that they have not received all of their merchandise yet. I have purchased products in the past from LLBean online, and have been very satisfied with the quality of their products, even if they are little more expensive. I am glad to see an LLBean store in Pittsburgh now.

Patch Tuesday

Patch Tuesday is the second Tuesday of each month, the day on which Microsoft releases security patches. For November 2008, there will only be 2 patches released by Microsoft.

PittGirl Interview

PittGirl, from theburghblog.com was recently "interviewed" for Pittsburghmagazine.com. Check it out. If you are a Pittsburgh blogger, then you know about theburghblog.com and PittGirl. If you have not heard of theburghblog.com, then start reading, you will be hooked.

Hood Happenings

One of my neighbors in the block had his annual 29th birthday party this Saturday. Yes, he celebrates his 29th birthday every November and he invites everyone in the neighborhood to attend. He does not ask for gifts and even provides all the food, beverage, and entertainment. What a great neighbor. I missed posting yesterday due to the festivities.

Downsize

I usually do not talk about work in my posts, but tonight I will. My employer is a national company with locations in several states. Over the past several years my company has been downsizing as many others have. The downsizing usually occurs a few months before the end of the year - the end of October/early November. One of my fellow employees was notified today that his job is being eliminated. His supervisor from out of state (which is common with my company) drove in today and delivered the news personally. He has two weeks left and will receive a severance package. I am saddened because this employee is very friendly, works long hours, is liked by everyone, and has a family to support. He is around my age, mid 40's. I am a little shocked because there are much older employees near retirement age still working at my company. Life is just not fair.

Lady Heather

When I got home from work today, I was wondering what my daily blog post would be for today. TV and CSI to the rescue. Lady Heather, one of the most memorable recurring characters, returned to tonight's episode of CSI. The end of the show leaves the impression that Grissom and Lady Heather finally hook up. I have lost some interest in CSI since a few of the major characters/actors have left the show. However, the trailers with Lady Heather coaxed me into watching.

Pittsburgh Penguins Introduce Third Jersey

The Pittsburgh Penguins will introduce a third team jersey today. The jersey and uniform are the same light blue color pattern that the Penguins wore in last season’s NHL Winter Classic against the Buffalo Sabres on New Year’s Day. Here is a link to the history of the team uniform. I think the jersey is pretty cool.

Election Day

I took the advice from most of the news outlets and avoided voting before work and after work. I left work around high noon and arrived at my designated polling location around 12:30 PM. I did not have to wait at all, I was in and out in about 10 minutes. The Ivotronic voting machines where a new experience for me. Pressing the big red button at the top of the screen is supposed to officially cast your ballot. It flashed for what seemed like an eternity and then finally the flashing red VOTE button went out and the screen changed with a confirmation message saying I was done. I was hungry so I went to a nearby Wendy's and encountered a line that was longer than the non existent line to vote. The Wendy's was understaffed, at the registers and the food prep area, and the employee's main focus was the drive thru line. I avoided waiting in one line, but then ran into another, oh well.

Election Eve

Tonight is Election Eve. I am glad Election Day is tomorrow. I am getting a little tired of the negative TV advertising, the flyers in the mail, and numerous messages left on my answering machine. Even though the election tactics can be annoying, be glad that you live in a country where there is an election process. If you are registered to vote, exercise your right. If you want more information on where to vote or how to use the new voting machines, go the Votespa.com.

NaBloPoMo

November is National Blog Posting Month, NaBloPoMo. Silly me, I missed posting yesterday. I was going to talk about Pitt's quadruple overtime win over Notre Dam, but it is old news today. The Cincinnati Bungle's (as the late Myron Cope would say) won their first game of this season. I watched the highlights and it was painfully obvious how ugly their uniforms are. I looked up their uniform on Wikipedia, and they wore their alternate uniform, which was bright orange with black tiger stripes. The orange is just too annoying. I think their helmets are cool though.

October Snow

Here is a picture this morning from my deck.

WTAE Decreases My Janelle Time

WTAE TV Channel 4 recently re-shuffled their weekday anchors. I did not realize until this morning that it also affected the weekend morning newscasts. Janelle Hall previously anchored the morning weekend newscasts solo. Now she is co-anchoring with Sheldon Ingram. I am bummed, my "Janelle Time" has been decreased. Saturday is the day after Friday high school football games, so more "Janelle Time" was cut out due to High School Football highlights. Nothing against Sheldon Ingram, but I am not in favor of this move.

Mark Madden Returns to Radio 10/13/2008

Anyone who follows sports talk radio in Pittsburgh has been asking "When is Mark Madden returning?". Well, the answer is Monday, 10/13/20008, on 105.9 FM, WXDX, from 3 to 6 PM. See the screenshot from WXDX's website.

Pittsburgh Penguins 2008-2009 Info

The Pittsburgh Penguins season opening game will be this Saturday, 10/4, against the Ottawa Senators in the great country of Sweden. Here is a link to the official Pittsburgh Penguins website where you will find the 2008-2009 schedule, and TV/Radio info. Here are two of the best blogs that cover the Penguins: 1) The Pensblog - this blog is run by a group of young Pens Fans. They are known for their reader submitted Photoshops, humorous game analysis, and are the originators of the WWGRD phenomena; and 2) Faceoff Factor - this blog is more cerebral with their game analysis. Let's Go Pens!

I Like Biker Girls

There is just something about a Biker Girl that sparks my interest. No, I am not talking about motorcycles, but human powered bicycles with 2 pedals. Ever since I bought my bicycle last fall and started riding my bike, I pay more attention to news articles about biking. The Pittsburgh Tribune Review had an article about a female bike messenger in Pittsburgh. There is also a short video online that you can watch, check it out.

Mark Madden Returns to Radio in October

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette is reporting that Mark Madden, former sports talk show host on 1250 ESPN, will be released from this contract with ESPN, and will start a new show on WXDX 105.9 FM in early October. He will most likely return to the air on October 6, with the 3-7 PM time slot. He will complete with the "Paulsen, Logan, and Crow Show" on 1250 ESPN and Joe Bendel on 970 Fox Sports Radio.

Pirate Parrot Being Manny Ramirez

My friend and fellow Pitt Grad Jim is in town this week, so we attended our annual Pirates game with his brother Tom and good friend Gerry. It was a great night for baseball: It was Dollar Dog Night (Hot Dogs for $1), the weather was perfect, there was an absolutely cute girl sitting in the row below us, we had prime seats in Section 5 near the 1st base line, and the Pirates actually won the game. One of the more entertaining parts of the evening was seeing the Pirate Parrot wear a Do-Rag and Dreadlocks in honor of LA Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez. It was a great evening to unwind and connect with friends.

Lights Out

So the burning question at work has been "Do you have power yet?" The power at my house went out around half time of the Steeler game, approximately 10:00PM Sunday. My house has always been more likely to have a power outage than say my neighbor one block away. My next door neighbor told me once that my house and her's are on a different "grid", and we always get more outages. I was well prepared, I have candles, matches, flashlights, batteries. However, I did not have enough batteries for either one of my two boom boxes, so I could not listen to the Steeler game. I am a night owl, so I had not done the dishes or ironed any clothes for Monday. I even had a load of laundry in the washer which was just about to run through the rinse cycle. I still did not have any power when I woke up for work on Monday. During work, I called my home to see if my answering machine would answer. Finally, around 3:00PM, I had power. I feel very fortunate, I was only without power for about 15 hours.

Max Payne Movie, 10/17/2008

As I watched the Steelers game this past Sunday, I was surprised to see a trailer for the new Max Payne Movie. Mark Wahlberg has the lead role as Max Payne and Mila Kunis from "That 70's Show" will play Mona Sax. For a video game, I thought Max Payne had a very good story. We will see how well it works on the big screen.

2009 Gary Fisher and Trek Bikes

Both Gary Fisher and Trek have updated their websites with their 2009 models. For 2009, Gary Fisher is introducing a line of road bikes. I already have a mountain bike and it would be nice to have a road bike too. However, I have other financial priorities. I can dream though.

Pitt Panther Football Info

The Pitt Panther Football Team will begin the 2008-2009 season tomorrow at Heinz Field against Bowling Green. Here are two links to keep you up to date on what is happening this year:

• Official Pitt Panther Football Home Page - you will find the schedule, roster, and broadcast info here.
• Pitt Blather - a blog that covers all sports at Pitt. IMHO, the best blog coverage of Pitt Sports.

Here is a list of radio stations that will air the football games:

• 3WS, WWSW, 94.5 FM, Pittsburgh
• Fox Sports 970 Pittsburgh, WBGG, 970 AM, Pittsburgh
• WBUT, 1050 AM, Butler

Go Panthers!

Tool Time

As a homeowner, my collection of power tools has grown steadily. This past weekend, I applied a second coat of driveway sealer. The sealer comes in 5 gallon buckets, and I used a large paint stirrer attached to a corded electric drill to mix the sealant. The keyless chuck on the drill got stuck, and I had to use two pipe wrenches to loosen the chuck, which eventually broke the keyless chuck. My backup plan was to use my cordless drill, which I hardly use, so I had to wait about one hour for the battery to charge before I could use it. Later, I discovered that my second battery was dead and would not recharge. So, now I have a broken corded electric drill and a cordless drill with only one battery. I checked for a replacement battery on Sears’ website and found out that a replacement battery costs $60. For $60 I can buy two new corded drills or a whole new cordless drill. I have started to look online and my local Lowes and Home Depot. Decisions, Decisions.

Random Reps

It has been a few weeks since I posted. I am trying something new here called "Random Reps". Random for random thoughts. Reps (repetitions) to keep with a fitness theme. Sometimes there are times when I do not have enough material to post about one topic, so I do not post. "Random Reps" will help me post when I have a number of small items to talk about. So here goes my first "Random Reps":

• I spent the last 2 weekends applying driveway sealer to my driveway. IMHO, my driveway is the best looking one in my development. The weather has been perfect for this as there has been very little rain.
• Over the past month, I have gained five pounds, but my body fat has also increased two percent. I noticed last week that I had to loosen my belt one notch. My plan is to watch my diet more closely and increase my cardio.
• Between my last post on 8/7 and now, I celebrated my 45th birthday. WooHoo!
  
• I replaced the standard handlebar grips on my mountain bike with Ergon GC2 grips. I tried them out on 8/3. They seem to help some with the handlebar palsy, but not entirely. I have not been biking because I have been working on my driveway the last two weekends
  

Happy Birthday to Sidney Crosby

Happy Birthday to Sidney Crosby, who is 21 today. Sidney wears the number 87 on his jersey, and his birthday is 8/7/1987. It is very easy to remember. Thank the Hockey Gods for letting the Pittsburgh Penguins win the NHL 2005 Draft Lottery. In honor of Sidney's birthday, I have set Blogger to publish this post at 8:07 AM.

ESPN Radio 1250 Announces Line Up

Today, ESPN Radio 1250 officially announced their radio show line up after Mark Madden was let go several months ago. The 10AM to 1PM time slot will now be hosted by Guy Junker and Stan Savarn. They will also be joined by Chris Mack. The 3PM to 7PM time slot will be hosted by Eddy Crow and Scott Paulsen, with Mike Logan joining the mix. During the football season, Jerome Bettis will appear on the afternoon drive time show on Fridays from 5:30PM to 6:30PM. The Post Gazette originally broke this story before it was officially announced. I think the tag team hosting works very well.

TR2N, Tron 2

Disney showed a 3 minute proof of concept video of Tron 2 (TR2N) at the Comic Con last weekend. The video was an updated version of the famous Light Cycle duel. Here is a link to a video that was captured on someone's cell phone. A lot of the bootleg videos have been removed from the Internet, but I was glad to find this one, even if the video is small and not the best quality. The release of the video was a total surprise, and the audience went nuts. I remember when Tron was originally released. Some people just did not get it. At that time, I thought it was a ground breaking movie. This was only test footage, so I am really looking forward to seeing TR2N when it is officially released.

Randy Pausch, 1960-2008

Randy Pausch, Carnegie Mellon University professor, lost his battle with terminal pancreatic cancer today. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he decided to celebrate his life. He presented a speech called “The Last Lecture”. It was recorded on video for colleagues/friends who could not attend the presentation. But, with the help of the Internet, his inspirational video has been viewed by literally millions.

I will admit that before his death, I did not follow his story that closely. Today, I finally had a chance to watch the whole 76 minute video “The Last Lecture”. Wow, it was truly inspirational. Watch for yourself.

My thoughts and prayers go to his family and friends.

Hard To Recycle Event, Sat, 7/26, Mall At Robinson

The Allegheny Health Department and the Pennsylvania Resources Council will be conducting a “Hard To Recycle” Drop Off Collection Event this Saturday, 7/26/2008, at the Mall at Robinson, from 10AM to 2PM. Items being collected include old TVs, tires, computers, etc. There is a recycling fee for each item. For more information, please click on this link. There will be two more events in 2008 after this one: 1) Saturday, 9/20/2008 at the North Park Pool parking lot and 2) Saturday, 11/15/2008 at the Mall at Robinson. I have an old dehumidifier (with Freon), computer, and CRT monitor that I would like to dispose of properly. Even though I live North of Pittsburgh, I plan on going to this event in case I can not go to one of the later events in 2008. Be Green.