GodsendJen

Here is some shaky camerwork for you sporting enthusists.  And for the swimming enthusiasts among you, be warned that 8 year olds don't really have the perfect backstroke technique yet.

I always knew that people had some pretty crazy ideas for inventions.  This site does a good job of poking fun at them.  Its run by a stand-up comic and an illustrator, and they put those skills to good use.  Beware of your viewing location though.  Some inventions might not be safe for work.

I finally broke down and got a new camera.  I'll spare you the technical details, but so far I'm happy.  I will try to add a video I took soon...I just need to figure out how to best edit it first. This is my favorite picture so far, from Dorothy's swim meet. For more shots, see the photo gallery.

I've never been a Roger Clemens fan.  I've been in awe of his ability as an old man in the game, but lets face it.  He played for yankies in Boston and Yankees in NY.  He helped Houston oust my team from the playoffs two years ago.  When he pitches, batters get hit.  All good reasons not to like him.

But now comes his whirlwind tour through the minor leagues. Rehabbing players, especially pitchers, were always a good reason to hit The Diamond when I lived in Richmond.  But they were nortoriously unhappy to be their at times.  (The Time-Disgrace ran a large photo of Mark Wholers talking on his cell phone from the dugout.  It pretty much exemplified his attitude about a daytrip to the minors.)  Maybe its all because Koby plays for Lexington, but Clemens looks like he is embracing this experience. His first stop was filled with improbables.  He gets to play with his son.  Fans with $8 tickets got to watch the legend up close, and enjoyed free windshield wiper fluid to boot.  Hotdogs were $0.25/each.  Here are some bits I've really enjoyed reading about the last few days:

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports...

The best right-handed pitcher in baseball over the last 50 years is making his first comeback start tonight for the Legends, the Houston Astros' Class-A farm team. Clemens -- you can call him Rocket -- wanted to leave the Legends' players with more than memories of a clubhouse overrun with ESPN cameras.

Spreading the wealth

On Sunday afternoon Clemens went on a $7,000 shopping spree. When he was finished, it looked as if the Legends' clubhouse had been hit by a Rocket.

See that 42-inch plasma television, the one that retails for $2,069.99? The Rocket visited a local electronics store and said he'd buy it -- if they could have it installed by 8 p.m. The store dispatched three guys to the clubhouse to get it done.

While you're at it, bring along another 20-inch TV, equipped with a DVD player and VCR. Don't forget the microwave. Or another DVD player.

The carpet was cleaned, the showers scrubbed. Even the furniture was rearranged. The old L-shaped, tobacco-stained couch was replaced by a pair of jumbo, plush black leather couches and two oversized leather chairs. The new furniture was arranged theater style so the players could enjoy the stack of DVDs Clemens purchased. He autographed the Bernie Mac movie on top of the stack:

"Mr. 3,000, starring Roger Clemens. Time for another comeback!"

"I just wanted to have some fun with it," said Clemens, 43. "I wanted the guys to figure out I'm not going to bite."

The Daily Quickie and Houston Chronicle both mention the Windshield Wiper Fluid windfall for fans:

What about the wiper fluid?!

If Clemens provided any highlights in his "One-Night-Only!" stop in Lexington, it was that his strikeouts in the 3rd inning that earned all fans in attendance free wiper fluid, as part of a regular Legends promotion.

Clemens didn't even KNOW about it until his son, Koby, alerted him to it at the top of the 3rd. Frankly, if Clemens threw the Ks simply motivated by the wiper-fluid giveaway (and because he COULD), I respect him now more than ever.

It's not exactly calling a home-run shot, but it was, by far, the most entertaining detail of the night: What a classic "You Know You're a Redneck Minor-League Baseball Fan" moment.

Free wiper fluid might not top the Legends' "Mullett Night" from May or "Baby Shower Night" in July, but I'm pretty sure fans weren't cheering the giveaway anyway.

(Although you have to ask if there's enough fluid to go around: The listed capacity of the Legends' stadium is 6,017; last night, they announced 9,222. If nothing else, local drivers will sport sparkly windshields.)

Pat Forde mentions the arrogant lucky young man who hit that first inning home run:

Thanks to Clemens' careful scripting of his comeback from semi-retirement, Lexington lucked into the biggest event in the Class A franchise's five-year history. Much the way Drennen lucked into a hanging split-fingered fastball that allowed No. 22 for the Lake County Captains to take No. 22 for the Cooperstown Immortals deep.

"I was thinking that he had a great number, so I'd hang him a split," Clemens joked after step one in his comeback attempt to amaze America once more. "I hung it to him, and he did what you're supposed to do with it. ... I'll ask him how he liked the room service."

I'm not sure that Drennen's teammate appreciated that homer though.  Clemens plunked him in the elbow. Reports are that he made a trip to the visitor's clubhouse to check on his status after he left the game.

Clemen's next stop? Playing for the Astros' AA team in Corpus Christi on Sunday. They are even selling Roger Clemens Hooks Jerseys.

I've never eaten at Sugo but I might have to add it to my list of "must try" places.  A recipe of theirs was featured in today's AJC for Federico's Pork Braciole. The chef was flattered that someone would try to make what he refers to as a "highly complex" dish at home, so he included his phone number with the recipe so people could call him if they ran into problems and needed help.  Here is a snippet from the article:

If you want to re-create the best meal you've ever tasted, you'd better be prepared to work for it. This recipe will take a home chef at least two evenings to prepare, but the work could actually be spread over three or four days...

If you'd like to attempt this braciole at home, plan to roast the garlic and caramelize the onions one day, and then stuff and roast the tenderloins the next. And if you get stuck, Castellucci invites you to call him for advice (phone number above). "Sincerely, anybody that puts in the effort to re-create a complex dish like this, I want them to know that if I have six calls at once, I'll take theirs first."

The menu descriptions sound like they might use just a little too much "stuff" for me but if the chef cares this much about his food it might be worth a venture.

Buy 10 of these babies and they will make you the dealer and give you a state, or even your own region, as territory.  Just think of all the fairs, gun shows, flee markets and nascar races you could sell these at...



Cruzin Cooler

Head over to Hey Jenny Slater and check out the rundown of who your college football team would be if they were a Simpson's character.  All I can say is that dude has way way way too much free time on his hands.  I don't agree with making my boys Krusty the Klown, but overall its amusing so go already.  Thanks to Deadspin for highlighting it today.

Some highlights:

Notre Dame: Montgomery Burns
Been around since the beginning of time; the amount of money and power he controls is massive, absurd, and quite frankly, a little scary. The kind of guy everyone in town loves to hate -- but they'd switch places with him in half a second.

Miami: Snake
A straight-up thug and proud of it. If you don't fear him, you're a fool; if you don't dislike him, you're just a dick.

Florida State: Police Chief Clancy Wiggum
Oh, man, what a season. It's no cakewalk being an aging football coach, juggling a punchless offense and a growing nepotism controversy like so many juggling balls . . . two, I suppose. Still an authority figure, mainly because nobody else stepped up to take the job, but getting easier and easier to laugh at.

Virginia Tech: Krusty the Klown
Famous, powerful, living the kind of celebrity life anyone in his circle would gladly trade for. Yet each is haunted by his own demons of self-loathing -- Krusty is constantly worried he's going to be exposed as a no-talent fraud, while the Hokies are constantly worried they really are going to be pumping gas one day for the kids over in Charlottesville.

Virginia: Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Went through long, difficult, trying ordeals to get from where they started out (the slums of India, a 32-77-1 record in the 1970s) to where they are now . . . which still ain't that good, unless you like working in a convenience store or spending your postseason on blue Astroturf. Then there's the whole mustache thing.

I noticed a little something extra on a $20 today.  It had several stamps in red ink.  One was a cute little red flower, the others direct you to "track" the money at the website Where's George.

Maybe I'm just gulible, but I went to the website and entered in my $20s serial number.  The person who "stamped" it had freed it from a Suntrust near my house.  I had gotten in either in change from a local merchant or from a teller at my Bank Of America branch down the road.  The concept is interesting. You can track any bill you want in the database and register to get updates on bills you've entered.  Of course you have to deface the currency in some manner hoping to instruct the next user to go put in some information about the bill as well.  I think having a life (and largely using my debit card everywhere) will probably be enough to deter me from marking up other bills that might come into my wallet...but it could be interesting to see where this little $20 goes from here.

For anyone interested their is also a Where's Willy site to track the currency of Canada. That site is tracking 1,716,693 bills totally $25,791,580 (Canadian). The US site tracks 84,295,862 bills totalling $472,849,798.

Now, can someone tell me who Willy is?  I'm afriad I know little about Canadian history.

In unrelated news I finally got out to a Braves game this year.  The game was sometimes exciting despite our loss.  That disapointment was offset by great company and fireworks.

The Wall Street Journal ran a fascinating article today covering new trends in Wedding Photography.  Don't ask why I read it, we all know I'm not getting married any time soon.  But what I found fascinating was the new trend for the sultry and risqué.

A choice snippet from the article:

The multibillion-dollar wedding industry is offering a revealing new twist on the old bridal portrait. Catering to older and more independent brides -- and reflecting popular culture's turn toward the risqué and voyeuristic -- more photographers are setting up in dressing rooms to immortalize unguarded, preceremony moments. Wedding albums and public photographer Web sites alike are filling up with a different view of the bride -- daddy's little girl cavorting in lingerie, adjusting a bra or hiking her gown for a bathroom break.[Emphasis mine.]

Established wedding photographers say they're taking racy photos at events of all price levels. At a $250,000 affair at the Chicago Four Seasons, photographer Steven Gross -- he charges $10,000 and up a day -- took nearly 8,000 shots, but one that made it into the bride's wedding album was a close-up of her waist and prominent cleavage. Southern California photographer Brian Kramer's portfolio includes black-and-white photos of darling children, classic portraits -- plus an underwear-clad bride chatting on her cellphone in a suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Chris and Mary Jo Prinos of Lancaster, Mass., whose packages start at $3,000, recently captured a bride discussing last-minute details with her officiant while wearing a camisole, sheer boy shorts and a garter belt. (It's not just women: Grooms, too, are caught brushing their teeth or having their necks shaved.)

The article goes on to point out that a lot of older brides (and we know I'll be one of those someday ;)) want to show off the results of the pre-wedding bootcamps and such.  I'm not a prude and I kinda like this idea.  Lord knows that if I ever look good running around in lingerie I might want it documented--in my version of the wedding book, not the one I pass around to the in-laws!

What I can tell you I'll never ask for....a shot of me during a bathroom break.  Some moments are still best kept private.

Full article (subscription required) http://tinyurl.com/g8cvb.

Remember trying to figure out how to color people skin when you were a kid?  Peach, pink, white, appricot, various tans? Crayola just made it easier with MultiCultural Markers.  Chalk one up to progress.

A coworker made some Jasmine necklaces for the office.  Its real beauty is lost in this photo.  Each flower had been picked and threaded onto some standard sewing thread.  Needless to say the  sweet scent of Jasmine has taken over our section of the office. It almost makes you wonder if she is trying to let us know she things someone stinks ;)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said he was privately approached about his interest in becoming the NFL's next commissioner. Bush said Tuesday the issue was discussed at a recent meeting with Patrick Rooney Sr., according to the 'South Florida Sun-Sentinel'.

Rooney's brother is Dan Rooney, owner of Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers and co-chair of the search committee looking to replace the retiring Paul Tagliabue.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5634820

This story is both interesting and terrifying for me. We know the Bush family are traditionally sports fans, but their focus has always been baseball first. I'm not sure what would qualify Jeb Bush as a candidate for NFL Commish and it really makes me wonder what other prominent politicos might have been questioned--and would any of them ever been questioned if Ms. Rice hadn't first introduced the notion of the Washington Insider as NFL comish to begin with?