GM's thread about nothing (40 Viewers)

[BobbyLayne]

Am I the only one with a mega-stressed out wife? The holidays ar e driving her bonkers - bunch of out-of-towners flying in, planning dinner, accommodations.

Biggest reason I want to get a country house is 1) place to summer, and 2) get through the last 6 weeks of the year without killing each other.

I'm 180 out from G.M. right now...life is not good. I cannot get upset about things that are beyond my control. I just shrug and move onto to something I can change or fix. Drives Mrs. BL crazy (truth be told, anything I did right now would probably piss her off - she is in impossible to get along with mode).

Cheers anyway.

 

[krista4]

Ohhhh, Lombardi is on HBO. YES!

I was in Milwaukee the last two days for some work stuff. Meeting at an investment bank there, and in the women's room, there was a prominently displayed quote from Vince Lombardi. Wisconson

 

[krista4]

I don't watch much ESPN these days, but leading off with the notion that Wooden's record was just overtaken is complete and utter horse####. I guess I'll tune in to tomorrow's crappy bowl game.

Oof. You couldn't be more right about this.

 

[krista4]

Am I the only one with a mega-stressed out wife? The holidays ar e driving her bonkers - bunch of out-of-towners flying in, planning dinner, accommodations.

Biggest reason I want to get a country house is 1) place to summer, and 2) get through the last 6 weeks of the year without killing each other.

I'm 180 out from G.M. right now...life is not good. I cannot get upset about things that are beyond my control. I just shrug and move onto to something I can change or fix. Drives Mrs. BL crazy (truth be told, anything I did right now would probably piss her off - she is in impossible to get along with mode).

Cheers anyway.

After going to see my family at Thanksgiving and then a trip to Mr. krista4's family for Christmas, Mr. proposed the following: next year we fix Thanksgiving and invite anyone and everyone to join us if they wish. At Christmas we go to a beach somewhere and also invite anyone to join us. I agreed except for nixing the "invite anyone to join us" part on Christmas.YMMV based on having kids, though. But the holidays are for the birds, IMO. Love my family and want to see them, but no need for it to be at this insane point in the year.

 

[jplvr]

I don't watch much ESPN these days, but leading off with the notion that Wooden's record was just overtaken is complete and utter horse####. I guess I'll tune in to tomorrow's crappy bowl game.

Oof. You couldn't be more right about this.

It's an amazing feat, but I just want them to quit acting like they just took down Wooden and UCLA of the 70's. It's not a men vs women thing either. I don't care about basketball in the first place, so I don't know why it irks me as much as it does. Just seeing Wooden on ESPN fielding a question about when someone would break their streak made me want to drive to CT and kick some producer in the nuts.

 

[YSR]

My BF fell asleep on the floor earlier and now, as I'm watching a DVRed "I Shouldn't Be Alive", he has "woken up", put on welding gloves from the garage and started tending to a fire that was pretty much dead. I am not sure whether to wake him or keep watching.

 

[General Malaise]

So, we'll never see you at our chat again? :sad:

I'll be there tomorrow, GB. So long as you are.

Maker's Mark now. Need some Ted.

Plug in your fax machine.

 

[the rover]

Just got back from the gym. Hour of body pump and 35 minutes of eliptical work. God, that new Deerhunter (or new to me) is one of the best things I've heard in a long long time. Can't get enough of that.Just poured a Jameson neat. About to light up my bong. No kids. Not sure where my wife is. Life is goooooood.

GB Halcyon Digest.

 

[jplvr]

So, we'll never see you at our chat again? :sad:

I'll be there tomorrow, GB. So long as you are.

Maker's Mark now. Need some Ted.

Plug in your fax machine.

Gotta work out of the office tomorrow.Buddy of mine showed me some Ted. Need to pay him a visit. Also showed me a menu which I knew nothing about, but you'd probably drool over.

 

[krista4]

I don't watch much ESPN these days, but leading off with the notion that Wooden's record was just overtaken is complete and utter horse####. I guess I'll tune in to tomorrow's crappy bowl game.

Oof. You couldn't be more right about this.

It's an amazing feat, but I just want them to quit acting like they just took down Wooden and UCLA of the 70's. It's not a men vs women thing either. I don't care about basketball in the first place, so I don't know why it irks me as much as it does. Just seeing Wooden on ESPN fielding a question about when someone would break their streak made me want to drive to CT and kick some producer in the nuts.

It's not technically male/female, but it's clear that the level of competition in women's basketball has just never come close to that of men's. Maybe it will happen some day, but to pretend that it's in any way equivalent at this point is just laughable. In addition, there's so much more to those Wooden teams and his legacy than just a streak, which I just don't see in the UConn women's program.You're right that it's amazing, but it's just not comparable at all.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Am I the only one with a mega-stressed out wife? The holidays ar e driving her bonkers - bunch of out-of-towners flying in, planning dinner, accommodations.

Biggest reason I want to get a country house is 1) place to summer, and 2) get through the last 6 weeks of the year without killing each other.

I'm 180 out from G.M. right now...life is not good. I cannot get upset about things that are beyond my control. I just shrug and move onto to something I can change or fix. Drives Mrs. BL crazy (truth be told, anything I did right now would probably piss her off - she is in impossible to get along with mode).

Cheers anyway.

After going to see my family at Thanksgiving and then a trip to Mr. krista4's family for Christmas, Mr. proposed the following: next year we fix Thanksgiving and invite anyone and everyone to join us if they wish. At Christmas we go to a beach somewhere and also invite anyone to join us. I agreed except for nixing the "invite anyone to join us" part on Christmas.YMMV based on having kids, though. But the holidays are for the birds, IMO. Love my family and want to see them, but no need for it to be at this insane point in the year.

We have eleven grandkids - 9 adults, sweet baby girl (2) and mensachild (12). So natch everyone wants to be around my kids on Christmas morning.We've been waffling if we want a country house or not, but I really want to pull the trigger. Getting the kids out of the city in the summer would be awesome. But mostly, I just want enough room to put everybody up. I'm borrowing two friends apartments this week (one is visiting family in Italy, the other is in Hawaii), and more staying out in Jersey. Its a bit much.

 

[El Floppo]

Am I the only one with a mega-stressed out wife? The holidays ar e driving her bonkers - bunch of out-of-towners flying in, planning dinner, accommodations.

Biggest reason I want to get a country house is 1) place to summer, and 2) get through the last 6 weeks of the year without killing each other.

I'm 180 out from G.M. right now...life is not good. I cannot get upset about things that are beyond my control. I just shrug and move onto to something I can change or fix. Drives Mrs. BL crazy (truth be told, anything I did right now would probably piss her off - she is in impossible to get along with mode).

Cheers anyway.

I'll see your angry wife, stressed out holidays, and raise you joblessness and a pregnant wife who is wondering what and who the #### she got herself into. She's really digging el floppo these days.Life is not good.

And I have the 4th anniversary of my dad's death coming up on Christmas Eve... which is always good for a few laughs.

 

[krista4]

Am I the only one with a mega-stressed out wife? The holidays ar e driving her bonkers - bunch of out-of-towners flying in, planning dinner, accommodations.

Biggest reason I want to get a country house is 1) place to summer, and 2) get through the last 6 weeks of the year without killing each other.

I'm 180 out from G.M. right now...life is not good. I cannot get upset about things that are beyond my control. I just shrug and move onto to something I can change or fix. Drives Mrs. BL crazy (truth be told, anything I did right now would probably piss her off - she is in impossible to get along with mode).

Cheers anyway.

After going to see my family at Thanksgiving and then a trip to Mr. krista4's family for Christmas, Mr. proposed the following: next year we fix Thanksgiving and invite anyone and everyone to join us if they wish. At Christmas we go to a beach somewhere and also invite anyone to join us. I agreed except for nixing the "invite anyone to join us" part on Christmas.YMMV based on having kids, though. But the holidays are for the birds, IMO. Love my family and want to see them, but no need for it to be at this insane point in the year.

We have eleven grandkids - 9 adults, sweet baby girl (2) and mensachild (12). So natch everyone wants to be around my kids on Christmas morning.We've been waffling if we want a country house or not, but I really want to pull the trigger. Getting the kids out of the city in the summer would be awesome. But mostly, I just want enough room to put everybody up. I'm borrowing two friends apartments this week (one is visiting family in Italy, the other is in Hawaii), and more staying out in Jersey. Its a bit much.

Ugh, no kidding. That's awful. Where would you look at a "country" house. My closest friend from college grew up in a rent-controlled Brooklyn apt with her parent and two brothers, but they had a beeeeeaaaaauuuutiful place in the Catskills.

 

[Frostillicus]

Roadhouse isn't quite the same without the nudity.

 

[PIK95]

Am I the only one with a mega-stressed out wife? The holidays ar e driving her bonkers - bunch of out-of-towners flying in, planning dinner, accommodations.

Biggest reason I want to get a country house is 1) place to summer, and 2) get through the last 6 weeks of the year without killing each other.

I'm 180 out from G.M. right now...life is not good. I cannot get upset about things that are beyond my control. I just shrug and move onto to something I can change or fix. Drives Mrs. BL crazy (truth be told, anything I did right now would probably piss her off - she is in impossible to get along with mode).

Cheers anyway.

My wifes Mom, Dad, Aunt(closer than her mom), Uncle, Grams and Gramps have passed away over the last 5 years with her mom and gramps (he was 96 and we took care of him the last four years) passing in the last year. Her only close family left is her lil bro. Shes 35. On top of that we have a five year old boy and a one year old girl. We have no help and no day care. I take care of the kids while she works and then she comes home and helps me out with them. I am retired because my back is toast. It has been out for the last three weeks something terrible. So she had to take care of me on top of everything else. No help from my family btw. Also one of our tenants is now 21 days late with rent and says shes moving out soon. Great! Oh yeah and yesterday her lil bro came over to tell us his wife was preggo with their first but lost it and almost died (some weird non ute preggo or something) and shes still in the hospital as I type this. So yes my wife is a bit stressed this Christmas. We are both pretty positive about life and excited for our kids and Christmas. I just hope this back comes around. I could really use a chili cheese burrito.

 

[El Floppo]

We have eleven grandkids - 9 adults, sweet baby girl (2) and mensachild (12). So natch everyone wants to be around my kids on Christmas morning.We've been waffling if we want a country house or not, but I really want to pull the trigger. Getting the kids out of the city in the summer would be awesome. But mostly, I just want enough room to put everybody up. I'm borrowing two friends apartments this week (one is visiting family in Italy, the other is in Hawaii), and more staying out in Jersey. Its a bit much.

where you thinking for the country house?we're at a point, even with jobs, where we've been completely priced out of anywhere in the city we'd want to be. Country place is the only option in terms of buying... always thought about the Catskills- Andes, Phoenecia, etc. I've always wanted to design our own little freak-a-shack up there.

 

[krista4]

Am I the only one with a mega-stressed out wife? The holidays ar e driving her bonkers - bunch of out-of-towners flying in, planning dinner, accommodations.

Biggest reason I want to get a country house is 1) place to summer, and 2) get through the last 6 weeks of the year without killing each other.

I'm 180 out from G.M. right now...life is not good. I cannot get upset about things that are beyond my control. I just shrug and move onto to something I can change or fix. Drives Mrs. BL crazy (truth be told, anything I did right now would probably piss her off - she is in impossible to get along with mode).

Cheers anyway.

I'll see your angry wife, stressed out holidays, and raise you joblessness and a pregnant wife who is wondering what and who the #### she got herself into. She's really digging el floppo these days.Life is not good.

And I have the 4th anniversary of my dad's death coming up on Christmas Eve... which is always good for a few laughs.

Did you decide on a New Year's get-away, GBEF?I always think of your dad in connection with mine now (due to similar circumstances). I'm so sorry about the anniversary. I'd love to say it gets better, but it kind of doesn't.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Doood...when did El Floppo lose his jobo?



Or were you free-lancing and things dried up?

Anyway, I'm sorry about your dad. That has to be a mother&%$# dealing with that every year around the holidays. Haven't been through it yet, so I got nothing, but I know its gonna hurt no matter when it comes.

 

[krista4]

Am I the only one with a mega-stressed out wife? The holidays ar e driving her bonkers - bunch of out-of-towners flying in, planning dinner, accommodations.

Biggest reason I want to get a country house is 1) place to summer, and 2) get through the last 6 weeks of the year without killing each other.

I'm 180 out from G.M. right now...life is not good. I cannot get upset about things that are beyond my control. I just shrug and move onto to something I can change or fix. Drives Mrs. BL crazy (truth be told, anything I did right now would probably piss her off - she is in impossible to get along with mode).

Cheers anyway.

My wifes Mom, Dad, Aunt(closer than her mom), Uncle, Grams and Gramps have passed away over the last 5 years with her mom and gramps (he was 96 and we took care of him the last four years) passing in the last year. Her only close family left is her lil bro. Shes 35. On top of that we have a five year old boy and a one year old girl. We have no help and no day care. I take care of the kids while she works and then she comes home and helps me out with them. I am retired because my back is toast. It has been out for the last three weeks something terrible. So she had to take care of me on top of everything else. No help from my family btw. Also one of our tenants is now 21 days late with rent and says shes moving out soon. Great! Oh yeah and yesterday her lil bro came over to tell us his wife was preggo with their first but lost it and almost died (some weird non ute preggo or something) and shes still in the hospital as I type this. So yes my wife is a bit stressed this Christmas. We are both pretty positive about life and excited for our kids and Christmas. I just hope this back comes around. I could really use a chili cheese burrito.

Geez, is there somewhere I could fax you a chili cheese burrito? Good luck.

 

[Frostillicus]

I just noticed you added patsfan39 to your sig.

It's a tough list to crack, but he's something special. He's like those guys who were trying to stop the double deuce from getting it's beer delivery and I'm Dalton.Also I have no idea who half the people in this thread are anymore. Can we get some kind of freakin' anser key.

 

[bentley]

Am I the only one with a mega-stressed out wife? The holidays ar e driving her bonkers - bunch of out-of-towners flying in, planning dinner, accommodations.

Biggest reason I want to get a country house is 1) place to summer, and 2) get through the last 6 weeks of the year without killing each other.

I'm 180 out from G.M. right now...life is not good. I cannot get upset about things that are beyond my control. I just shrug and move onto to something I can change or fix. Drives Mrs. BL crazy (truth be told, anything I did right now would probably piss her off - she is in impossible to get along with mode).

Cheers anyway.

I'll see your angry wife, stressed out holidays, and raise you joblessness and a pregnant wife who is wondering what and who the #### she got herself into. She's really digging el floppo these days.Life is not good.

And I have the 4th anniversary of my dad's death coming up on Christmas Eve... which is always good for a few laughs.

Damn flop, that sucks. How soon can you sell floppinho off to an English soccer academy for cash?

 

[krista4]

We have eleven grandkids - 9 adults, sweet baby girl (2) and mensachild (12). So natch everyone wants to be around my kids on Christmas morning.

We've been waffling if we want a country house or not, but I really want to pull the trigger. Getting the kids out of the city in the summer would be awesome. But mostly, I just want enough room to put everybody up. I'm borrowing two friends apartments this week (one is visiting family in Italy, the other is in Hawaii), and more staying out in Jersey. Its a bit much.

where you thinking for the country house?

we're at a point, even with jobs, where we've been completely priced out of anywhere in the city we'd want to be. Country place is the only option in terms of buying... always thought about the Catskills- Andes, Phoenecia, etc. I've always wanted to design our own little freak-a-shack up there.

Whoa. Mindmeld.

 

[El Floppo]

Am I the only one with a mega-stressed out wife? The holidays ar e driving her bonkers - bunch of out-of-towners flying in, planning dinner, accommodations.

Biggest reason I want to get a country house is 1) place to summer, and 2) get through the last 6 weeks of the year without killing each other.

I'm 180 out from G.M. right now...life is not good. I cannot get upset about things that are beyond my control. I just shrug and move onto to something I can change or fix. Drives Mrs. BL crazy (truth be told, anything I did right now would probably piss her off - she is in impossible to get along with mode).

Cheers anyway.

I'll see your angry wife, stressed out holidays, and raise you joblessness and a pregnant wife who is wondering what and who the #### she got herself into. She's really digging el floppo these days.Life is not good.

And I have the 4th anniversary of my dad's death coming up on Christmas Eve... which is always good for a few laughs.

Did you decide on a New Year's get-away, GBEF?I always think of your dad in connection with mine now (due to similar circumstances). I'm so sorry about the anniversary. I'd love to say it gets better, but it kind of doesn't.

Thanks Mista-Krista.We (meaning "I") waited too long, so got priced and seated out of travel plans- we're pushing them back a week and going to Orlando. :confetti: If the holidays don't do it, somebody please put a bullet in me.

 

[PIK95]

Am I the only one with a mega-stressed out wife? The holidays ar e driving her bonkers - bunch of out-of-towners flying in, planning dinner, accommodations.

Biggest reason I want to get a country house is 1) place to summer, and 2) get through the last 6 weeks of the year without killing each other.

I'm 180 out from G.M. right now...life is not good. I cannot get upset about things that are beyond my control. I just shrug and move onto to something I can change or fix. Drives Mrs. BL crazy (truth be told, anything I did right now would probably piss her off - she is in impossible to get along with mode).

Cheers anyway.

I'll see your angry wife, stressed out holidays, and raise you joblessness and a pregnant wife who is wondering what and who the #### she got herself into. She's really digging el floppo these days.Life is not good.

And I have the 4th anniversary of my dad's death coming up on Christmas Eve... which is always good for a few laughs.

Hang in there dude. It will turn .

 

[BobbyLayne]

We rented on Shelter Island last year, and it was fantastic. But the rail service to Greenport is limited, and bang-for-our-buck wise, I'm looking Hudson Valley or CT. Either one is an easy commute in the summer.

Seriously looking at a waterfront community in Bridgeport called Black Rock. Pretty good turn-of-the-century housing stock. Not as homogenized as the rest of CT. You understand RE code, right? Dat means we live by some uppity black folk, and pay less. Dis a good deal.

 

[El Floppo]

Doood...when did El Floppo lose his jobo?Or were you free-lancing and things dried up?Anyway, I'm sorry about your dad. That has to be a mother&%$# dealing with that every year around the holidays. Haven't been through it yet, so I got nothing, but I know its gonna hurt no matter when it comes.

I was full-time AND free-lancing... was going bat-#### crazy with stress and doing a poor job at both. Freelance ended, but the damage had been done for the fulltime (although they told me work had dried up), and I got laid off within a month afterwards. Then found out about Floppo2 electric-boogaloo.Seriously considering another profession. I dont' really need any worthwhile skills to do something else right? Ideally something that makes a lot of money without requiring much work?

 

[El Floppo]

We rented on Shelter Island last year, and it was fantastic. But the rail service to Greenport is limited, and bang-for-our-buck wise, I'm looking Hudson Valley or CT. Either one is an easy commute in the summer.Seriously looking at a waterfront community in Bridgeport called Black Rock. Pretty good turn-of-the-century housing stock. Not as homogenized as the rest of CT. You understand RE code, right? Dat means we live by some uppity black folk, and pay less. Dis a good deal.

Would you have to keep talking in white guy pigeon Jamaican? then it's probably not such a good deal.The wife has become interested in CT after spending time at one of our son's classmate's weekend house somewhere out there. I'm more interested in the Catskills for the $$/stuff ratio, but know nothing about CT other than the bajillion dollar houses I've worked on there.eta: we took Jr to Shelter Island when he was just a couple of months- love it out there and are dying to get back.

 

[General Malaise]

Am I the only one with a mega-stressed out wife? The holidays ar e driving her bonkers - bunch of out-of-towners flying in, planning dinner, accommodations.

Biggest reason I want to get a country house is 1) place to summer, and 2) get through the last 6 weeks of the year without killing each other.

I'm 180 out from G.M. right now...life is not good. I cannot get upset about things that are beyond my control. I just shrug and move onto to something I can change or fix. Drives Mrs. BL crazy (truth be told, anything I did right now would probably piss her off - she is in impossible to get along with mode).

Cheers anyway.

I'll see your angry wife, stressed out holidays, and raise you joblessness and a pregnant wife who is wondering what and who the #### she got herself into. She's really digging el floppo these days.Life is not good.

And I have the 4th anniversary of my dad's death coming up on Christmas Eve... which is always good for a few laughs.

:( Hang in there good buddy. It's always darkest before the dawn. Or something.

So sad to lose your dad on a day like Xmas eve. That's the day we spend with my parents. It's the day we have the kids. I don't have them on Xmas day and frankly, I don't really do much on that day. Xmas eve is when I do my heavy celebrating.

Think I'll give my old man an extra high five on Friday.

 

[the rover]

I don't watch much ESPN these days, but leading off with the notion that Wooden's record was just overtaken is complete and utter horse####. I guess I'll tune in to tomorrow's crappy bowl game.

Oof. You couldn't be more right about this.

It's an amazing feat, but I just want them to quit acting like they just took down Wooden and UCLA of the 70's. It's not a men vs women thing either. I don't care about basketball in the first place, so I don't know why it irks me as much as it does. Just seeing Wooden on ESPN fielding a question about when someone would break their streak made me want to drive to CT and kick some producer in the nuts.

Well, his record was overtaken. Technically speaking.It's apples and oranges, of course. And nobody's questioning the vast disparity in talent between the two games. Women's hoops today and men's hoops back then are similar in that a lot of the talent is concentrated amongst a few teams, and the best talent goes to Connecticut. The best talent back then went to UCLA. Back then, there were a few titans and everyone else fought it out for the scraps. Now, with the best players only sticking around for a year, things change quickly. Look how quickly UNC and Duke flipped. Look at how quickly UCLA fell into the toilet. Missing on two big recruiting targets for a big program in football might be the difference between a national title shot and a BCS bowl, in hoops it can be the difference between a Final Four trip and first-round chum.

I don't follow women's basketball much, but Auriemma is an incredible coach. He might even be to women's hoops what Wooden was to men's (even if their respective personalities couldn't be more different).

Which is more impressive? Hard to say. Auriemma more or less gets the pick of the litter in terms of recruiting talent, I don't know if even Wooden could lay claim to the same sort of dominance. Auriemma doesn't have to deal with distractions to the players (women, drugs, parties, being a minor celebrity in Los Angeles) that Wooden did, but Auriemma also doesn't have the kind of "glue" ( ) to keep players in the fold.

 

[General Malaise]

Man, this Lombardi is fantastic. Donnie Anderson's son Blake went to Highland Park High...drafted into the majors as a catcher. Never got very far. His dad was a legend.

Also, I met Forrest Greg once. He joked with me about having the same name. Pretty cool for a little kid.

 

[PIK95]

Doood...when did El Floppo lose his jobo?



Or were you free-lancing and things dried up?

Anyway, I'm sorry about your dad. That has to be a mother&%$# dealing with that every year around the holidays. Haven't been through it yet, so I got nothing, but I know its gonna hurt no matter when it comes.

Floppy and I both lost our dads to pancreatic cancer. Mine died five days after my 30th birthday, and I got the call from my brother to come home on my birthday. For a few years, I moved my birthday from September to May. Weird how powerful that association is, I guess, and the effect it can have on an otherwise happy time. :(

My parents were divorced when I was young and my wife and I started dating at 15 and I pretty much lived with them other than not sleeping there. Her dad (he was pretty much my dad) was a teacher and had one year until retirement and he got lung cancer even though he never smoked. Her aunt (his only sib who lived upstairs) died from cancer a week earlier. Cancer is the suck. Her mom had a liver problem (NEVER drank either) and we were at Yale with her every day over her last couple of months it seemed getting checked and meld scores. She was finally #1 on the transplant list and on the table getting ready for the new liver when her pancreas failed and she died. That was ugly but we are getting through it. Sorry to keep going on but it makes me feel better to write it. The worst part about seeing all this is now Im pretty much terrified to go to sleep at night in case I never wake up. My wife and kids need me.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Seriously considering another profession. I dont' really need any worthwhile skills to do something else right? Ideally something that makes a lot of money without requiring much work?

Dollar + Dream = $145M tomorrowMr. Krista4 is now in cooking school.I wish I was in cooking school right now. I'd love to go in a different direction, but at 48 and wearing golden handcuffs, not bloody likely.I had an uncle who was a private school administrator, last job was headmaster at a prestigious UES school. Lost his job when he was 50ish (52-54?)...anyway, went back to school and at 55 became a paralegal. That had to suck, bu he had to have a new skill so he could work 7 more years before pensions and SS kicked in.I probably have to keep working until Chloe graduates from college - another 20. Feels like a friggin' prison sentence.

 

[PIK95]

We rented on Shelter Island last year, and it was fantastic. But the rail service to Greenport is limited, and bang-for-our-buck wise, I'm looking Hudson Valley or CT. Either one is an easy commute in the summer.Seriously looking at a waterfront community in Bridgeport called Black Rock. Pretty good turn-of-the-century housing stock. Not as homogenized as the rest of CT. You understand RE code, right? Dat means we live by some uppity black folk, and pay less. Dis a good deal.

Would you have to keep talking in white guy pigeon Jamaican? then it's probably not such a good deal.The wife has become interested in CT after spending time at one of our son's classmate's weekend house somewhere out there. I'm more interested in the Catskills for the $$/stuff ratio, but know nothing about CT other than the bajillion dollar houses I've worked on there.eta: we took Jr to Shelter Island when he was just a couple of months- love it out there and are dying to get back.

Screws that just come to Rhode Island. It's the best place to be in the summer with all our beaches and it also has a great holiday atmosphere.....and lots o college wimmins.

 

[-fish-]

Which is more impressive? Hard to say. Auriemma more or less gets the pick of the litter in terms of recruiting talent, I don't know if even Wooden could lay claim to the same sort of dominance. Auriemma doesn't have to deal with distractions to the players (women, drugs, parties, being a minor celebrity in Los Angeles) that Wooden did, but Auriemma also doesn't have the kind of "glue" ( ) to keep players in the fold.

where are they going to go? the WNBA? I was wondering how that league stays in business, so I looked up their salaries. the top salary in the WNBA is capped at $101,000. Most of them make around $50K. A degree from UConn is worth a heck of a lot more than they can expect to make from basketball.

 

[BobbyLayne]

We rented on Shelter Island last year, and it was fantastic. But the rail service to Greenport is limited, and bang-for-our-buck wise, I'm looking Hudson Valley or CT. Either one is an easy commute in the summer.

Seriously looking at a waterfront community in Bridgeport called Black Rock. Pretty good turn-of-the-century housing stock. Not as homogenized as the rest of CT. You understand RE code, right? Dat means we live by some uppity black folk, and pay less. Dis a good deal.

Would you have to keep talking in white guy pigeon Jamaican? then it's probably not such a good deal.The wife has become interested in CT after spending time at one of our son's classmate's weekend house somewhere out there. I'm more interested in the Catskills for the $$/stuff ratio, but know nothing about CT other than the bajillion dollar houses I've worked on there.

eta: we took Jr to Shelter Island when he was just a couple of months- love it out there and are dying to get back.

Seriously, if you have not spent time in CT, you need to, just for the entertainment value. If you're not around Hartford or Bridgeport its like Cummings, GA - you could go weeks/months without seeing a person of color. So I went up to go look at a place a few weeks ago, not quite ready but kinda want to start gauging the inventory. Real estate agent kept dropping all these code words about Bridgeport's diversity (but its still safe) and rambling on about the next town over or two towns over. Jeebus, I just wanted to slap her forehead and tell her I could figure out myself if it was a good fit.

Shelter Island you can still find deals but you're going to have to sink money in expanding, winterizing, updating, whatevs. I want something turnkey, and so far I really like what I am seeing around Black Rock. But most of CT (especially along the Sound) - NFW.

Not unless I hit it tomorrow.

 

[bentley]

Man, this Lombardi is fantastic. Donnie Anderson's son Blake went to Highland Park High...drafted into the majors as a catcher. Never got very far. His dad was a legend.Also, I met Forrest Greg once. He joked with me about having the same name. Pretty cool for a little kid.

Way back when, Forrest Gregg coached (or played, I'm not really sure) high school football in Gainesville, TX which is about 15 miles from my hometown. Many years later, dad and I were sitting in the bar of a Mexican restaurant in Gainesville getting hammered when Forrest comes walking in. Apparently he'd come back for a reunion. The guy's with his family expecting a nice quiet little dinner. And my dad stands up and yells at me "HOLY ####! THAT'S FORREST GREGG! LOOK RIGHT THERE! NO! RIGHT THERE BY THE DOOR! IT'S FORREST GREGG!"Everyone in the restaurant stood up and looked at Coach Gregg, who turned red and slunk off to a corner table for dinner. Pretty sure he didn't appreciate the attention.

 

[PIK95]

Which is more impressive? Hard to say. Auriemma more or less gets the pick of the litter in terms of recruiting talent, I don't know if even Wooden could lay claim to the same sort of dominance. Auriemma doesn't have to deal with distractions to the players (women, drugs, parties, being a minor celebrity in Los Angeles) that Wooden did, but Auriemma also doesn't have the kind of "glue" ( ) to keep players in the fold.

where are they going to go? the WNBA? I was wondering how that league stays in business, so I looked up their salaries. the top salary in the WNBA is capped at $101,000. Most of them make around $50K. A degree from UConn is worth a heck of a lot more than they can expect to make from basketball.

There are like five great teams in womens college hoops every year. It's a JOKE to compare. If UConn catches the Globetrotters record then I'll be impressed.

 

[the rover]

Which is more impressive? Hard to say. Auriemma more or less gets the pick of the litter in terms of recruiting talent, I don't know if even Wooden could lay claim to the same sort of dominance. Auriemma doesn't have to deal with distractions to the players (women, drugs, parties, being a minor celebrity in Los Angeles) that Wooden did, but Auriemma also doesn't have the kind of "glue" ( ) to keep players in the fold.

where are they going to go? the WNBA? I was wondering how that league stays in business, so I looked up their salaries. the top salary in the WNBA is capped at $101,000. Most of them make around $50K. A degree from UConn is worth a heck of a lot more than they can expect to make from basketball.

True, but Wooden by and large didn't have to worry about early entries either. The modern men's game is an entirely different ball of wax.

 

[bostonfred]

Which is more impressive? Hard to say. Auriemma more or less gets the pick of the litter in terms of recruiting talent, I don't know if even Wooden could lay claim to the same sort of dominance. Auriemma doesn't have to deal with distractions to the players (women, drugs, parties, being a minor celebrity in Los Angeles) that Wooden did, but Auriemma also doesn't have the kind of "glue" ( ) to keep players in the fold.

where are they going to go? the WNBA? I was wondering how that league stays in business, so I looked up their salaries. the top salary in the WNBA is capped at $101,000. Most of them make around $50K. A degree from UConn is worth a heck of a lot more than they can expect to make from basketball.

You're forgetting advertising. A top WNBA star should be able to make hundreds of additional dollars in media revenue, and maybe a few dozen more from autograph sales.

 

[General Malaise]

Am I the only one with a mega-stressed out wife? The holidays ar e driving her bonkers - bunch of out-of-towners flying in, planning dinner, accommodations.

Biggest reason I want to get a country house is 1) place to summer, and 2) get through the last 6 weeks of the year without killing each other.

I'm 180 out from G.M. right now...life is not good. I cannot get upset about things that are beyond my control. I just shrug and move onto to something I can change or fix. Drives Mrs. BL crazy (truth be told, anything I did right now would probably piss her off - she is in impossible to get along with mode).

Cheers anyway.

After going to see my family at Thanksgiving and then a trip to Mr. krista4's family for Christmas, Mr. proposed the following: next year we fix Thanksgiving and invite anyone and everyone to join us if they wish. At Christmas we go to a beach somewhere and also invite anyone to join us. I agreed except for nixing the "invite anyone to join us" part on Christmas.YMMV based on having kids, though. But the holidays are for the birds, IMO. Love my family and want to see them, but no need for it to be at this insane point in the year.

Wife and I are leaving town Christmas day (first time she's been in Portland for Xmas) to head down the Gorge and stay here that day/night. Love this place and think I might have mentioned it to you a while back. Tremendous food, huge fire places, great place to sit and read and just relax. Cannot wait.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Doood...when did El Floppo lose his jobo?



Or were you free-lancing and things dried up?

Anyway, I'm sorry about your dad. That has to be a mother&%$# dealing with that every year around the holidays. Haven't been through it yet, so I got nothing, but I know its gonna hurt no matter when it comes.

Floppy and I both lost our dads to pancreatic cancer. Mine died five days after my 30th birthday, and I got the call from my brother to come home on my birthday. For a few years, I moved my birthday from September to May. Weird how powerful that association is, I guess, and the effect it can have on an otherwise happy time. :(

My parents were divorced when I was young and my wife and I started dating at 15 and I pretty much lived with them other than not sleeping there. Her dad (he was pretty much my dad) was a teacher and had one year until retirement and he got lung cancer even though he never smoked. Her aunt (his only sib who lived upstairs) died from cancer a week earlier. Cancer is the suck. Her mom had a liver problem (NEVER drank either) and we were at Yale with her every day over her last couple of months it seemed getting checked and meld scores. She was finally #1 on the transplant list and on the table getting ready for the new liver when her pancreas failed and she died. That was ugly but we are getting through it. Sorry to keep going on but it makes me feel better to write it. The worst part about seeing all this is now Im pretty much terrified to go to sleep at night in case I never wake up. My wife and kids need me.

If you don't mind me asking, did that just go down recently? So sorry for your loss.Just eerie, have a lot of friends going through losing their folks or in-laws this year. Our four parents are 71-80 so I know that day is coming sooner rather than later.

Just thankful we have all of them this week.

 

[PIK95]

We rented on Shelter Island last year, and it was fantastic. But the rail service to Greenport is limited, and bang-for-our-buck wise, I'm looking Hudson Valley or CT. Either one is an easy commute in the summer.

Seriously looking at a waterfront community in Bridgeport called Black Rock. Pretty good turn-of-the-century housing stock. Not as homogenized as the rest of CT. You understand RE code, right? Dat means we live by some uppity black folk, and pay less. Dis a good deal.

Would you have to keep talking in white guy pigeon Jamaican? then it's probably not such a good deal.The wife has become interested in CT after spending time at one of our son's classmate's weekend house somewhere out there. I'm more interested in the Catskills for the $$/stuff ratio, but know nothing about CT other than the bajillion dollar houses I've worked on there.

eta: we took Jr to Shelter Island when he was just a couple of months- love it out there and are dying to get back.

Seriously, if you have not spent time in CT, you need to, just for the entertainment value. If you're not around Hartford or Bridgeport its like Cummings, GA - you could go weeks/months without seeing a person of color. So I went up to go look at a place a few weeks ago, not quite ready but kinda want to start gauging the inventory. Real estate agent kept dropping all these code words about Bridgeport's diversity (but its still safe) and rambling on about the next town over or two towns over. Jeebus, I just wanted to slap her forehead and tell her I could figure out myself if it was a good fit.

Shelter Island you can still find deals but you're going to have to sink money in expanding, winterizing, updating, whatevs. I want something turnkey, and so far I really like what I am seeing around Black Rock. But most of CT (especially along the Sound) - NFW.

Not unless I hit it tomorrow.

Al Skinner (URI and BC hoop coach) was the only person of diversity that had a cabanna at our beach in 18 years we have been going. I wish we had more diversity. Fat White dudes get on my nerves.

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

"HOLY ####! THAT'S FORREST GREGG! LOOK RIGHT THERE! NO! RIGHT THERE BY THE DOOR! IT'S FORREST GREGG!"

 

[PIK95]

Doood...when did El Floppo lose his jobo?



Or were you free-lancing and things dried up?

Anyway, I'm sorry about your dad. That has to be a mother&%$# dealing with that every year around the holidays. Haven't been through it yet, so I got nothing, but I know its gonna hurt no matter when it comes.

Floppy and I both lost our dads to pancreatic cancer. Mine died five days after my 30th birthday, and I got the call from my brother to come home on my birthday. For a few years, I moved my birthday from September to May. Weird how powerful that association is, I guess, and the effect it can have on an otherwise happy time. :(

My parents were divorced when I was young and my wife and I started dating at 15 and I pretty much lived with them other than not sleeping there. Her dad (he was pretty much my dad) was a teacher and had one year until retirement and he got lung cancer even though he never smoked. Her aunt (his only sib who lived upstairs) died from cancer a week earlier. Cancer is the suck. Her mom had a liver problem (NEVER drank either) and we were at Yale with her every day over her last couple of months it seemed getting checked and meld scores. She was finally #1 on the transplant list and on the table getting ready for the new liver when her pancreas failed and she died. That was ugly but we are getting through it. Sorry to keep going on but it makes me feel better to write it. The worst part about seeing all this is now Im pretty much terrified to go to sleep at night in case I never wake up. My wife and kids need me.

If you don't mind me asking, did that just go down recently? So sorry for your loss.Just eerie, have a lot of friends going through losing their folks or in-laws this year. Our four parents are 71-80 so I know that day is coming sooner rather than later.

Just thankful we have all of them this week.

She died last July. So actually it's been over a year now. I'll never forget those 2ish hour rides to Yale with our newborn little girl crying both ways. That was hellz. I just read that they found that Erin Brockivich stuff in 85ish% of the drinking water in the 35 big cities tested. It makes me wonder. We are only 35y/o so this has been very unexpected other than gramps btw.

 

[krista4]

Doood...when did El Floppo lose his jobo?



Or were you free-lancing and things dried up?

Anyway, I'm sorry about your dad. That has to be a mother&%$# dealing with that every year around the holidays. Haven't been through it yet, so I got nothing, but I know its gonna hurt no matter when it comes.

Floppy and I both lost our dads to pancreatic cancer. Mine died five days after my 30th birthday, and I got the call from my brother to come home on my birthday. For a few years, I moved my birthday from September to May. Weird how powerful that association is, I guess, and the effect it can have on an otherwise happy time. :(

My parents were divorced when I was young and my wife and I started dating at 15 and I pretty much lived with them other than not sleeping there. Her dad (he was pretty much my dad) was a teacher and had one year until retirement and he got lung cancer even though he never smoked. Her aunt (his only sib who lived upstairs) died from cancer a week earlier. Cancer is the suck. Her mom had a liver problem (NEVER drank either) and we were at Yale with her every day over her last couple of months it seemed getting checked and meld scores. She was finally #1 on the transplant list and on the table getting ready for the new liver when her pancreas failed and she died. That was ugly but we are getting through it. Sorry to keep going on but it makes me feel better to write it. The worst part about seeing all this is now Im pretty much terrified to go to sleep at night in case I never wake up. My wife and kids need me.

Ohhhh. :( That's just awful. I had deleted my post above, BTW, as I thought maybe I sounded too whiny. Your venting is good, though--I hope it will help you feel better. You know your feelings (i.e. not waking up) are not practical but completely understandable given what you've gone through. Just so sorry and hope it will get better for you.

 

[krista4]

Am I the only one with a mega-stressed out wife? The holidays ar e driving her bonkers - bunch of out-of-towners flying in, planning dinner, accommodations.

Biggest reason I want to get a country house is 1) place to summer, and 2) get through the last 6 weeks of the year without killing each other.

I'm 180 out from G.M. right now...life is not good. I cannot get upset about things that are beyond my control. I just shrug and move onto to something I can change or fix. Drives Mrs. BL crazy (truth be told, anything I did right now would probably piss her off - she is in impossible to get along with mode).

Cheers anyway.

:(

After going to see my family at Thanksgiving and then a trip to Mr. krista4's family for Christmas, Mr. proposed the following: next year we fix Thanksgiving and invite anyone and everyone to join us if they wish. At Christmas we go to a beach somewhere and also invite anyone to join us. I agreed except for nixing the "invite anyone to join us" part on Christmas.YMMV based on having kids, though. But the holidays are for the birds, IMO. Love my family and want to see them, but no need for it to be at this insane point in the year.

Wife and I are leaving town Christmas day (first time she's been in Portland for Xmas) to head down the Gorge and stay here that day/night. Love this place and think I might have mentioned it to you a while back. Tremendous food, huge fire places, great place to sit and read and just relax. Cannot wait.

You did! Very envious. I still want to make it there, this year if possible. Considered it for late May but know you said the weather was still sketchy then, so we're heading to South Korea instead. Is the weather still OK if we tried late August/early September, or is it really just a June/July proposition for having an awesome time in Oregon?

 

[PIK95]

Im fine K it's my wife I'm worried about. I have a LONG history of repressing things (and A.D.D.) so it will be ok. Thanks for the kind words.

 

[commisholio]

Worst day ever at the office today. Found out that the guy who made partner up from the ranks 2 years ago out of our practice group has decided to go to another firm. That leaves us with no partners in my group and if this guy couldn't make it work, I don't know who could. Also leaves us with no practice leader and no one who wll be acceptable to partner leadership and be someone we have a relationship with in our office. We're pretty much ######.

Good luck Floppo. My wife was completely psycho throughout the 2nd pregnancy. Things have improved slightly (#2 is 11 months now) but her fuse is a lot shorter than it used to be (and it was never long to begin with). Hope your experience is better.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Seriously, if you have not spent time in CT, you need to, just for the entertainment value. If you're not around Hartford or Bridgeport its like Cummings, GA - you could go weeks/months without seeing a person of color.

So I went up to go look at a place a few weeks ago, not quite ready but kinda want to start gauging the inventory. Real estate agent kept dropping all these code words about Bridgeport's diversity (but its still safe) and rambling on about the next town over or two towns over. Jeebus, I just wanted to slap her forehead and tell her I could figure out myself if it was a good fit.

...

Al Skinner (URI and BC hoop coach) was the only person of diversity that had a cabanna at our beach in 18 years we have been going. I wish we had more diversity. Fat White dudes get on my nerves.

Yeah, its one of things I liked about Black Rock. The agent kept talking about this school being better than xyz school (she hadn't even paid attention - we're not going to live their full-time). Anyway, Mrs. BL was taking notes, and when we looked it up, the school she thought we would prefer was like 97% white (and xyz was like 65-35). So, good school = really really whitish. Gotcha.The other thing is there is a pretty active artist community so the cultural opps are decent...just has a nice vibe to it. Some of the other parts of CT just feel like Hamptons north (I'm more of a down to earth North Fork kind of guy).

 

[kevzilla]

Amazed how we powered from 10K to 15K posts on this thread. My goals are twofold:

1)Stay above 1% of the total posts.

2)Stay out of Frosty's sig.