As The Yankees Turn

These guys have more Drama than Days of Our Lives, and the team hasn't even finished reporting to spring training yet!

First, Daryl Strawberry put down the crack pipe for long enough to declare that Jeter needs to "embrace" Alex in order for the Yankees to fix their "bad chemistry" and get back to winning.

"They've got to come together," Strawberry said Tuesday. "It's time for them to mend their relationship and get back to, like, OK, let's have some fun. We're here in New York together. We're on the greatest team that we possibly could play on. Let's try to win instead of going separate ways. Because I remember them when they were young and they went to dinner together and they did everything together."

His remarks about the Yankees' chemistry were sparked by questions regarding the return of Andy Pettitte, who played with Strawberry on three of the Yankees' World Series championship teams. Pettitte was in New York for a physical Tuesday, and his contract could be finalized Wednesday.

"Hopefully, it will rub off on the team, guys will get more supportive of each other," Strawberry said. "I think the Yankees' problem is that they just don't support each other enough. I mean, back when I played in those years we were winning, we all supported each other, we all cared for each other. I think they need to get back to that, because the talent is there, but everybody seems like they're going their separate ways."

"He's a sensitive guy," Strawberry said. "He's only played in Seattle and Texas. It's not New York. It's a big difference. You don't get booed in Texas. You don't get booed in Seattle when you play there."

Then, to make matters worse, when A-Rod reported to spring training he just had to open his big mouth!

"Let's be honest," Rodriguez said on Monday. "Derek and I were best of friends about 10 or 12 years ago, OK? Best of friends. We're still good friends. We get along well; we cheer hard for each other, he cheers for me. We both more importantly want to win a world championship. Do we go to dinner every night like we used to? No. But we're good friends, we have a lot of respect for each other, and we want to win."

This all started way back in the day when A-Rod originally opened his big mouth to talk crap about Jeter in a magazine interview. A-Rod dissed Jeter in a 2001 Esquire article, saying

"Jeter's been blessed with great talent around him" and "he's never had to lead. You go into New York, you wanna stop Bernie [Williams] and [Paul] O'Neill," A-Rod was quoted as saying. "You never say, 'Don't let Derek beat you.' He's never your concern."

Until now, A-Rod had denied their relationship had changed. Rodriguez said it was "important" that people heard the truth directly from him.

"Let's make a contract," Rodriguez said after the first Jeter question. "You don't ask me about Derek anymore, and I promise I'll stop lying to all you guys."

This guy is a serious BOZO!

Today Jeter was forced to make a comment about the whole lame issue, but like the professional that he is he really didn't want to get involved with all the drama.

"I don't have a rift with Alex, We go out there. We work together. This is our fourth year to be playing together. It's annoying to hear about it all the time. Everyone assumes they know what our relationship is. Everyone assumes -- they see us on the field, if one person gives another one a look, it's a story. If we're at opposite ends of the bench, people say it's a story."

"How would I characterize it? I would characterize it as it doesn't make a difference," he said. "What we do away from the field, how much time we spend together, really makes no difference when we're playing."

Thats right Jeter! Tell them how it is. And to make matters worse, Bernie still hasn't reported to spring training. Maybe he's just trying to pull at Roger Clemens, but someone tell him that you have to have someone who actually wants to put you on a big league roster before you can try to pull that kind of leverage.

Here's a little chart that might help you all understand A-Rod's situation

We Know You're Out There Monday

Hey, how about that show "Beauty & The Geek"?

"The Office" Friday

"One crisis at a time!" Well, in my opinion, this whole pam/roy thing is a crisis! Even worse than Jim becoming a vampire. Great episode. I especially enjoyed Michael telling off the business class. Ryan should have known better! But then Michael totally redeemed himself at Pam's art show! How cute!

Next week looks like another doozey!

COCKTAILS8:30/7:30c TV14 02.22.2007
MAKING IT OFFICIAL - Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) and Jan (Melora Hardin) go public with their relationship during a party at their CFO's home. At the party, Jim (John Krasinski) meets Karen's (Rashida Jones) ex. Meanwhile, the rest of the office decides to go to happy hour for drinks. Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, B.J. Novak, David Denman, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nunez, Paul Lieberstein and Mindy Kaling also star.

Baseball, always my valentine

I found this on ESPN.com - Page 2. I know I already made a valentine's day post, but I couldn't resist!




Because this is Feb. 14, I present a valentine to my first, deepest and most lasting love …

Baseball, you had me at "Play ball.''

I loved you from that first day my father played catch with me and I held you in my hand for the initial time -- and vice-versa.

Perhaps I rushed into things, for we went to bed at an early age when I would sneak a radio under the blankets to listen through the static to distant Giants broadcasts. I was probably too young and too immature for I did not understand then that you would break my heart. Repeatedly. You allowed me to follow the Giants that entire season, copying boxscores into my notebook, clipping newspaper photos (I still have the picture of Willie Mays homering for the fourth time in as many games to begin the season), collecting their baseball cards. I said their names so often that I still can repeat them as if they are members of my own family: Bonds, Fuentes, Mays, McCovey, Henderson, Dietz, Speier, Gallagher, Marichal … You let my spirits rise and fall and rise again as the Giants battled the Dodgers during the pennant drive, allowing me to feel pure joy when they clinched the division.

And then you abruptly crushed my hopes in a five-game series against Pittsburgh in October. You didn't even let the series go five games! It was my first painful lesson that you are a frustrating lover, a tease. One night you allow me to go all the way and score. The next you leave me stranded at second base. And some nights you won't let me even get to first base.

Did I forgive you then? Of course I did. I always do. I forgive you everything. The 1981 strike. The canceled 1994 World Series. The Expos' move. Luxury suites and corporate naming rights and rising ticket prices. I forgive you for bullpen carts and orange polyester uniforms and the Moose. I forgive you for the Bartman game and Grady Little and the Yankees. I even forgive you for heartlessly snatching the 2002 World Series away when the Giants held a five-run lead with eight outs remaining.

Why? Why do I put up with the pain? Why do I put up with a game where the very best I can hope for is failure seven out of every 10 at-bats (at least since Tony Gwynn retired)?

That's easy. I do so because I love you wholly and unconditionally.

I love you for the anticipation I feel opening a new waxpack of baseball cards (even though I know I will get another Ryan Franklin instead of an Albert Pujols). I love you for the paperback copy of "Ball Four'' worn and tattered from annual readings. I love you for the home run Roy Hobbs hits into the light towers, the Durham Bulls discussing candlesticks and rooster sacrifice on the mound and the Black Sox walking out of the cornfield. I love you for "Who's on First?'' and Charlie Brown and the chorus of "Centerfield.''

I love you for Babe Ruth calling his shot (or not) and Lou Gehrig saying he was the luckiest man on the face of the Earth. I love you for Bobby Thomson leaping onto home plate with both feet after a 300-foot home run and Willie Mays catching a 450-foot fly ball with his back to the field. Carl Yastrzemski holding his bat high and Rod Carew holding the handle as if playing the flute. Bob Gibson scowling at a batter and Kirby Puckett smiling brightly enough to light up a state. Carlton Fisk waving his home run fair and Jack Morris stomping to the mound for the 10th inning of Game 7. Cal Ripken Jr. running a victory lap at Camden Yards and Mark McGwire hugging the Maris kids. Omar Vizquel backhanding a ball in the hole and Big Papi walking up to the plate.

I love you for the Pine Tar Game and Oscar Gamble's hair and the Tigers' old English D. For Ernie Harwell and Vin Scully and Jon Miller. The Game of the Week and "Baseball Tonight.'' The 1969 Mets and the 1995 Mariners and the 1976 Bad News Bears.

I love you for doubleheaders and extra innings and bat day. I love you for spring training and the Boys of Summer and the Autumn Classic. I love you for peanuts and crackerjack. I love you for long drives with the game on the car radio. I love you for the Green Monster and Wrigley and Cooperstown.

I love you for boxscores.

I would give you diamonds but you already have those. I would give you chocolates but the concession stands only sell red vines and ice cream sundaes in mini-helmets. I would give you intimate apparel but I don't know your cap size. So all I can offer you is my love and devotion. I love you baseball, because for all the suffering, you fill my life with endless joy and stubborn, continual hope.

After all, the Giants did sign Barry Zito this winter.

I Just Called to Say I Love You

Late Pass Wednesday: Valentines Edition

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. If there was one cartoon I really liked as a kid, and could still probably get down with as an adult, its probably the Walt Disney Valentine's Special. We had a tape of this that someone had recorded off of the TV for us, and it was the bomb. It had a bunch of short pieces put to music like Stevie Wonder & Whitney Houston. I also vividly remember one about Pluto and his girlfriend set to "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart" Am I the only person who has ever seen this?

Also, this morning while I was getting ready for work, the movie "High Fidelity" was on VH1. Now that is a great movie for Valentine's Day because John Cusack is SO extremely bitter in it. Jack Black is in it, and his typical hilarious self. Bruce Springsteen also makes a cameo. Classic. I highly recommend it.

Well! Have a good one! Post up today with ONLY Valentines Day related Late Pass info. Love you guys! <3

We Know You're Out There Monday

This weekend was Zeb's first real time spent as part of the MSU WBB Team Entourage. Here's a pic of him on the bus to Missoula. I think he enjoyed himself, although he might try to tell you otherwise. Zeb's most classic quote from the trip? "I've never seen so many grey sweatpants in my life!"

So anyway! It's "We Know You're Out There Monday" So here's my best shot at getting Zeb to reply, make sure you all take a stab at it too!

What is your favorite scene in the movie Top Gun? Mine is the beach volleyball scene!

"The Office" Friday

Wow! I am finally back on some sort of schedule here on the blog. Last nights office was a pretty good episode, but also infuriating. I am so mad at Pam! Jim was complimenting her, it was all going great, and then she had to get riled up and go off with Roy. I am really hoping that next week, they come back and we find out that Pam called it off with Roy and didn't go home with him after all....but in reality, they're probably going to get back together and torture us more. Oh well, I can't stop watching. By the way, can you believe that Phyllis stole all of Pam's wedding ideas? I guess that means that the Pam/Roy wedding can really NEVER happen now?

Here's whats up for next week:

BUSINESS SCHOOL8:30/7:30c TV14 02.15.2007
MICHAEL GOES TO BUSINESS SCHOOL WITH RYAN - Ryan (B.J. Novak) invites Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) to be a guest speaker at his business school. Meanwhile, Dwight battles a bat that gets loose in the office while Pam (Jenna Fischer) invites co-workers to her first art show. Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Melora Hardin, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nunez, Phyllis Smith, Paul Lieberstein, and Mindy Kaling also star.

And finally...

Roxaaannnneee

Thats all that really has to be said right? Kevin's band was awesome!

And lastly as a little treat to get you through until next "The Office" Friday, here is a link to some Office desktops that are pretty amusing.

http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/justforfun/downloads.shtml

Late Pass Wednesday: D Edition

So Heather is on another road trip this week so I'm posting this weeks Late Pass. I told her I would make an epic post and I think I did a pretty good job. I felt this way about Steve Sax when I was a kid.

We Know You're Out There Monday: First Edition

Ooookay. So I have a brand new segment starting today on the blog, it is called "We Know You're Out There Monday." This post is directed at Zeb, and the fact that we know that he is out there somewhere, reading this blog, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to join in the commenting.

Basically the premise of "We Know You're Out There Monday" is that we all take a shot a brining up a topic so intriguing and stimulating to Zeb that he can not contain himself anymore, and he is forced to post up in response. The person who finally gets Zeb to respond is the winner for the week.

So I will start us off this week by using the most obvious of tactics, Baseball. Feel free to post comments covering any topic you think might draw Zeb in though! Here goes...

Spring Training is quickly approaching & MLB.com picked the Yankees to finish first in the AL East yet again. Go figure! The BoSox don't even have a closer to speak of at this point, so I've got to say that I agree! What do you think?

Our Super Bowl Spread & Misc. News

Well it's been a while since I posted, I guess it was the disappointment of losing the petition for Zeb's blogging, and then a long road this last week really slowed me down. You know, we gave it a really good effort to get Zeb on this blog, but we just couldn't pull through. Damon decided to go with the "bros before hos" philosophy and was suspiciously absent from the petition. Even Dwight Schrute & Best Buy Trev showed support...but noooo, it wasn't good enough for Zeb.

By the way, could whoever posted up as Dwight and Trev please identify themselves. I personally thought it was hilarious, but Zeb thinks that it was me who did it just to amuse myself. Lies! So, will the real poster please step forward. It was hilarious!

Pictured above is our super bowl spread for the modest get-together we hosted, which was really just a ploy by Zeb to hear how great everyone thought his big TV was. We got a chance to use our fruity chips and dip set, which i love, and also our extremely fruity avocado & chili dip set. The food was more interesting than the actual game!

My regrets for again missing out on Late Pass Wednesday & Office Thursday. I'm going to watch the office tonight, so hopefully an office post is on the way, also, look forward to a new weekly segment that I am hoping to start tomorrow. Lastly, I'm on the road again this Wednesday, so there potentially may be a guest post by Damon, who has pleanty of material for Late Pass Wednesday to share I am told.

Late Pass Wednesday: Third Edition

Christmas Lights in Bozeman

During the christmas season, there are some really cool decorations in the downtown area of Bozeman. As you can kind of see from this blurry picture, there are these big chandelier type things that extend across all the intersections going down Main Street. Most of the buildings have a really historical/older feeling to them, and it ends up being a really different look. The only down part is that it makes it a little bit hard to see the stop lights! I would know, I almost ran one while driving Zeb's car.

On a note completely unrealated to Late Pass Wednesday. Time is almost up on the petition for Zeb blogging. Tomorrow is the last day that votes will be counted. Feel free to post up numerous times under different alias'.

Don't forget to get all your old/worn out news off of your chest today! Happy Late Pass Wednesday!

Cano agrees to switch to No. 24 from No. 22

If Roger Clemens pitches in The Pinstripes again next season, the Yankees are ready for his return.

Second baseman Robinson Cano will give up his No. 22 if Clemens returns to the Bronx. Cano will switch to No. 24.

A team official told ESPN that Cano approached the team's equipment personnel and said he was aware that he was wearing Clemens' former number and hoped that the availability of the number would be a lure for Clemens to New York. Cano chose his new number because its digits reversed would be Jackie Robinson's old number.

Cano's uniform switch was first reported by The New York Post.

"I was happy to give up the number to a future Hall of Famer if Roger comes aboard," Cano said in a statement, according to The Post. "Hopefully, he will be one of my teammates, I'll have the pleasure of playing with him."

Clemens, who has pitched for Houston the past three seasons, wore No. 22 when he pitched for the Yankees from 1999-2003.

The Post reported that the number switch already might have been relayed to Clemens' representatives.

However, Randy Hendricks, Clemens' agent, told The Post in an e-mail that his client is in no hurry to pick a team.

"No decision will be made until well after spring training, perhaps until after the season starts," Hendricks wrote to The Post.

Office Sunday

Due to some unfortunate circumstances of the past week, Office Friday has been postponed until today. But don't worry, it was worth the wait! Yet another great episode! This season is constantly upping my expectations. They are on a roll. Dwight working at Staples this week was hilarious, but I am so glad that he is back at Dunder Mifflin where he belongs. My favorite quote from this week was Michael's "I don't want someone to suck up to me because they think I can help them with their job, I want someone to suck up to me because they love me so much!" Michael isn't as clueless as he seems! Imagine that!

And what about Jim & Pam?? Back to their old office pranks, and Jim admitted that he still has feelings for her!!! YES! Too bad that I predict that in the next few episodes Pam will somehow start getting back together with Roy and ruin everything!!!! Ross & Rachel styles. How long can the madness go on??

NEXT WEEK ON THE OFFICE:
There are no new episodes until Feb. 1, what will we do with our Thursday nights? Not to worry, this week's repeat is a pretty good one, especially for anyone who was slacking earlier in the season.

THE COUP 8:30/7:30c 01.25.2007
FED UP WITH MICHAEL'S ANTICS IN THE OFFICE, ANGELA PUSHES DWIGHT TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST HIM - After Jan (Melora Hardin) busts Michael (Steve Carell) for declaring it's "movie Monday," where everyone watches a movie instead of working, an upset Angela (Angela Kinsey) pushes Dwight (Rainn Wilson) is into making a play for Michael's job. Meanwhile, Pam (Jenna Fischer) internet shops and has a fashion show at lunch and Jim (John Krasinski) plays video games and gets killed again and again in virtual reality. B.J. Novak, David Denman, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Oscar Nuñez, Phyllis Smith, Paul Lieberstein and Mindy Kaling also star.

Have a great week & post up with your favorite quotes from this week!

Also, for anyone who hasn't checked out the petition yet, scroll down to the "Join The Petition...Today" blog! Only 4 days left to secure weekly blogs from Zeb!

My Appologies

Hey Everyone! Sorry that I missed Late Pass Wednesday this week, now I am even MORE behind. The other thing that I really regret to inform everyone is that there will be no "Office Friday" this week, due to the fact that I missed last night's episode. I hope to catch up when I get home on Saturday and hopefully we can make it "Office Sunday." I haven't heard to much about it yet, so everyone post up and let me know if I have a good episode to look forward to?

On another note, my travels this weekend took me through the great city of Preston, Idaho, which is famous for being the location where Napoleon Dynamite was filmed. The basketball girls wanted to stop at the high school that it was filmed at, but unfortunatly we couldn't find it easily. Too bad, I definatly had that in mind for a good blog picture.

Last but not least, great job with the petition so far. We have 5 votes from regular blog posters, which means we only need 3 more. Damon, stop holding out. And also we are still waiting to discover if there are any mysterious readers that we have never heard from before who will be willing to step up in support of blogs by Zeb. We have 6 days left on the petition, so if you are just now checking in on the blog, make sure you scroll down and hit up the petition! Make your voice heard!

Join the Petition...TODAY

Now we all know that there has been something very important missing from this blog for some time now, and that thing is ZEB.

After much debate we have agreed to leave this issue up to the loyal readers of the blog.

The deal is that this blog entry will become a petition for Zeb to post more frequently. If 8 people who have posted comments previously and 8 new people who have never posted comments before make a post on this entry, then Zeb has agreed to post at least once a week. Additionally the petition must be completed within 10 days to be valid.

Get involved! Post up in support of Blogs by Zeb!

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Its a good day to be thankful & reflect. Love you guys! Hope all is well.

Office Friday

Last night was potentially one of the top office episodes ever. And to think that we almost missed it. I forgot to set it on DVR, but luckily Zeb came through in the clutch and got it set.

Wow. Where to start? The whole thing was generally hilarious. Michael's talking computer. (BOOBS!) Classic. Picking teams for sales calls? Again, classic. Dwight & Jim's sales call team work. I didn't even see it coming. The one thing that I can not deal with though is Dwight quitting. I know that there is NO way that he would really leave the show, but its still a little nerve racking.

Also, due to the fact that I slacked on posting after last week's Office, How about Michael & Jan?! I'm glad that they came right out with it right away and didn't make us wait until later in the season to find out. And Michael's one little bead in his hair? Classic.

Here is the preview for next week:
THE RETURN8:30/7:30c 01.18.2007
THE OFFICE CELEBRATES OSCAR'S RETURN TO DUNDER MIFFLIN - Oscar (Oscar Nuñez) returns from his long vacation with mixed emotions on whether or not he still wants to be a part of the office. Meanwhile, Andy (guest star Ed Helms) takes advantage of recent events to get closer to Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell). Jim (John Krasinski) turns to Karen (guest star Rashida Jones) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) for help to stage a prank on a new target. Rainn Wilson, B.J. Novak, Brian Baumgartner, Angela Kinsey, Kate Flannery, Phyllis Smith, Leslie David Baker, Creed Bratton, Paul Lieberstein and Mindy Kaling also star.

And for those of you who missed this week:
http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/ Check out the 2 min. replay to get caught up.

I also suggest checking out the deleted scenes.

Post up your favorite moments from this episode!

Late Pass Wednesday: Second Edition

How cute are our Christmas Stockings?!? Wow. I almost missed out on posting on Late Pass Wednesday. That would have been pathetic.

Tomorrow is the big Cat/Griz Women's Basketball game, and the U of M Women are Ballers! We might be in trouble. I'm going to wear a suit, because we are 3 for 3 when i wear suits. Also, I am not letting Zeb come to the game (like he really cares) because they are like 0 for 23,445 when Zeb is in attendance. It's a fact.

Happy Late Pass Wednesday!

Something for you The Office fans...courtesy of Damon

Can you believe it, another week come and gone, its almost Late Pass Wednesday again! Until then, here's something all you office fans might enjoy.

The Office meets The Yankees

Things I Should Have Posted A Long Time Ago (A.K.A. Late Pass Wednesday) : First Edition

My first recurring feature on the blog is going to be called "Things I Should have Posted About a Long Time Ago." From now on, wednesdays will be known as "Late Pass Wednesday." This arises out of the fact that I am constantly taking pictures of random things with the intent that they would make a good blog post, and then I will put it off for so long, that the post is no longer relevant. Well, "Late Pass Wednesday" puts an and to that. From now on, on Wednesday's, no topic is out of date or irrelevant.

Feel free to take advantage of "Late Pass Wednesday" yourself by posting comments that are equally as outdated and irrelevant. Have news that you've been meaning to tell us all for a long time, but never got around to it? Today is your day! Enjoy!


Late Pass Wednesday: First Edition: Cat/Griz in the SLC Airport

The Cat/Griz football game is the state of Montana's equivalent to Civil War. In case you didn't know, its a pretty big deal. This year the conference championship was on the line, winner takes all, and my Women's Basketball team just happened to be on travelling that weekend. God forbid we miss the big game, so during our LONG layover in the Salt Lake City Airport our coaches hooked up the laptop and projector, purchased the live game stream via the airport's wireless internet, and projected the game onto the wall at one of the gates. The girls pulled rows of chairs from other gates and all kinds of other passengers from other flights kept stopping by to see what the hell we were up to. Too bad it was the same weekend as the Michigan/Ohio State game, and most people just wanted to know the score of THAT game. One person who stopped by though, was actually MSU alumni and had even played football for us on the 1984 Championship team. Small world.

P.S. Everyone here always makes comments about the '84 Championship team. Kind of the same way that everyone at OSU refers to the 2000 season as the "Fiesta Bowl Year." I Don't know exactly what Championship was won in '84....but I'll let you know when I do find out.

Well, there you have it. The first installment of "Things I Should Have Posted About a Long Time Ago (A.K.A. Late Pass Wednesday)" Hope you enjoyed it!

Happy New Year

Well happy New Year to all the loyal blog readers!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks for us, but its a new year, and time for new resolutions. So guess what mine is going to be? Well, I want to make a real effort to be a better BLOGGER! Yes thats right, I realize that this whole thing was my idea. And yes, I did force Zeb to post on more than one occasion. But come on, we've had some good times here. What about the Cake Stand Punch Bowl debate? And how about all of Melanie's hilarious comments? Now we all know where Damon got his sense of humor. I know you all like this thing just as much as I do, and that is why with this new year I am going to make commitment to take this blog to a whole new level. Right now I'm working on some idea's for weekly recurring blog features, such as possibly Napoleon Dynamite quote of the week, courtesy of Emily's daily napoleon dynamite calendar, or I could do hotel reviews from the places I stay on the road. Ummmmm...Zeb could do a weekly blog entry on the various shows he watches on PBS-HD. He watched one on beatles recently (the bug, not the band) which was apparently very informative. I know you all are interested. I also think we definitely need a weekly overview of "The Office."

Well, I hope everyone is having a good new year so far! Post up your New Year's Resolution & any ideas you have for future blog features! We need your help!

In the meantime, check out this link I found where you can have Dwight Schrutte call you! Some of you have already been lucky enough to hear from him!

http://www.theofficedvd.com/dwight/

Christmas Time

Okay! Enough of the TV mania! That TV took over our lives for the better part of 2 and a half weeks, but you know what, I think its finally blown over.

We are now in full force getting ready to come home for Christmas, and it is coming so soon! We spent the last weekend making another trek to Billings for christmas shopping, which ended up to be an all day affair. We actually got just about everything done in the course of only 2 days, which I think is a world record. I'll check into that. We can't wait to see everyone, and are especially looking forward to the second annual White Elephant Party hosted by Emily & Chicken. I can't even begin to imagine all the ridiculous things that will surface at this party. I need find something that will top the bowling ball bag complete with matching ball engraved with the name Jerry, that I brought last year.

The picture above is my office all decked out for the holiday season. My snowflake lights were a real hit, too bad Zeb and I haven't really bothered to put up any decorations at the apartment.

Hope all is well, we'll be seeing most of you guys in just barely over a week!

And now the TV that we all have been waiting for(or just me)

Of course you all know me and know I have wanted Plasma for a long time. Wait no more guys/gals the time has arrived. You know I don't buy anything full price so I did some dealing. So the biggest shopping weekend of the year was here and I thought it would be a great idea to start looking for the deals. So I started on Friday after my last day of work at Kamp Implement and drove to our local Vanns TV and Appliance dealer. I started off with just wondering around until the Ultimate Plasma TV, I WORK on Commission, gonna sell you the biggest largest Plasma with the MONSTER cables and the Surround System guy comes over to me. His name is Aaron. Anyway, he started talking about the TVs and then we came to the Samsung HP-S4253 where the picture was clear and the colors were so vivid that it felt like you were there holding the camera. I WAS IMPRESSED(it hit hard!!) So, he starts to tell me that it's 1299.99 on sale this weekend original price 1999.99. He goes on with his sale pitch of what else I can get with the saved money some Monster Cables, which you will have to get to watch TV and the super duper Surround Sound that is originally 1800.00 on sale for 425.00 this weekend. Gonna have to admit the deal sounded spectacular. So I got myself all physic up went home did some research on the TV and then did my sales pitch to Heather. hmmmmm.hmmmm Ya so after explaining to Heather my pitch she agreed that Saturday we would go and look at the TV. When we arrived Saturday morning Aaron saw me across the room and was like "HEY ZEB HOW ARE YOU" like he knew me for years. Im like hello? Anyway, He was too much for Heather and she gave him the death glare every time he did his sales pitch. They didn't get along so ya...We didn't get the TV but again Heather was right and a better deal awaited me. That night I did some calling to Best Buy and found out they match prices of Authorized dealers so they Best Buy guy his name is Trevor answered all my questions and even went to Vanns.com and was like yes we can match that price but we can also give you 1 more year on a warranty and 150 dollars cheaper. I was like this guy will work with me plus he was very intelligent with the TV. Anyway, I told Heather that we would be doing a road trip on Sunday in search for the deal of a lifetime on a TV. She said "I'm up or an adventure" SWEET!!!!!!!!!!! I was locked in Plasma mode now. I looked at weather conditions and what do you know SNOW AND ICE.... GREAT I was for sure that Heather wasn't going to be down with that. (But again she never fails me and was completely ok with it) Sunday comes and it snowed a good 5 inches with ice. Remember I was in Plasma mode now so nothing was stopping me. We set off at 10:30 and drove 2 1/2 hours to get there in the snow and ice. Below are some pictures of how it all went down at the Billings, MT Best Buy.
First Picture is Trevor showing me this Open Boxed Plasma, which added 10% off. Again, another Zeb Deal.

Applying for the Zero Percent
Checking Out damn that's a big bill

Waiting for the idiots outside to figure out how to load a fridge onto a trailer.
Trev shrink wrapping the TV for ultra weather protection
Trying to load it into the Civic(Trev said you BROUGHT A CAR?)

I say let me give it a try I'm going home with this TV

Civil War

Well the Beavs came away with a win at the 110th edition of the Civil War. They tried to give it away there at the end, which seems to be a trend this season. I guess they just like the excitement? Now we'll have to wait another season to see who will finally break the streak of the home team coming out victorious. Looks like O-State has the bragging rights for this year, sorry Uncle Phil.

Ban on Baseball

This week, one of the greatest american tragedies occured. Jeter lost the AL MVP race to the Twin's Justin Morneau. I am personally horrified at this, and have decided to completely ban baseball until this wrong is made right...oooor, until February when spring training starts. Who's with me?!?!

Although part of me says...this is what Jeter gets for dating Jessica Biel? Ick.

Travelling Man....errr...Woman

Well I was back in the great state of Oregon this last weekend on my final road trip for the season with the Volleyball team. Not so great weekend playing wise, but I got to see Emily, Gal, Mom, Charles and Ford. As you can see from the picture, Charles was a little bit worse for the wear. Rumor has it, he got in a fight with a samoan guy at a cocktail party. Hmmmmm. At any rate, it was great to see them all.

I'm off again on another road trip this weekend. This time its Long Beach State followed by Oregon State. I'm excited to get back to the Alma Mater. I should be able to see Dad this weekend, and hopefully Damon and Charles. Looking forward to seeing what they've done with the place since Zeb left.

Hope you all have a great weekend, and anyone in Corvallis this weekend, can't wait to see you!! I'll try to take lots of pictures!

Blog Awareness Weekend

It was great to have Mom here this weekend to visit. She finally got to see our new place, and the new city we call home. By the time she got here, all the snow had pretty much melted away for her, and it was actually a pretty warm weekend here. She is never going to believe us about this whole "frigid winter" thing. I got to take Friday afternoon off of work to hang out with her, so that was a very welcome break. Mostly we just hung around together and laughed. We made a trip to the local grocery co-op (a.k.a. Hippie Central), which was hilarious. Mom was right in her element with all of the hippies, and it made for lots of jokes!

I also got to explain the concept of the "blog" to Mom, and show her what we have been talking about the last few months. Come to find out that she and Ford had no idea what we had been talking about all this time. I guess it was good that she found out now, because it took her about 5 years to figure out what an Ipod was. (It happened last year around christmas time, she finally got the guts to ask me...."so hey, whats an ipod???") Anyway, we cleard up the difference between a blog, and the classic horror flick "The Blob." Hopefully now, with this new knowledge, Mom and Ford will start checking this out and making comments.

Hope everyone had as good of a weekend as I did! Love ya!

The Bahamas

The bahamas, you say....what does that have to do with anything? Well, I'll tell you what it has to do with. ME. Because for 8 days in May, thats where I will be. Say it again, The Bahamas. Dumb luck I guess you could call it, my women's basketball team is starting a tradition of taking a foreign tour to play basketball once every 4 years. And yes, you guessed it, this year is the bahamas. Awwww Shucks. And the real kicker is, Zeb might even get to come too! So everyone keep your fingers crossed for that. I just found out yesterday, so im pretty psyched. The prospect of this trip is definitely going to help me get through this cold winter!

Cat on a Leash

Well for those loyal blog readers, here it is: Cat on a Leash. This cat lives in the apartment buildings across the street from our complex. I have never seen such a thing in my life. The people put their cat on this lease tied to a rope, and then they let it roam around the yard of they apartments. Hope this gives you all a laugh.

In other news, we are going to a small halloween party tonight. Should be fun. Zeb is most likely dressing up as Pedro Martinez (again) and I haven't decided yet. Arg! Also, we went and saw the movie The Departed last night. It has Matt Damon in it, talking with that Boston accent. Excellent. It also has Leonardo Dicaprio, Marky Mark, Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin, and some others in it too. Its pretty good, we would recommend it, but not if you're squemish.

My mom comes to visit in 6 days! Can't wait!

Snow!

We had our first real deal snow this last week, including my first drive to work on the snowy roads. I saw a VW Bus spin out on the road ahead of me, but in spite of all that, I kept that hatchback on the road, and I made it to work on time. So far it hasn't been too cold, and the snow does make the mountains look beautiful, but.....we'll see what we think about it when it hits 0 degrees.

Long time, no Blog - Return of Pic of the Day

Wow. Its been a while since we blogged. UGH! I'm too tired now to write a long one, but I will get with the program soon......hopefully. Meanwhile, you thought it was done...but its not done yet. Yes thats right, pic of the day is back. Enjoy.

So what's new with everyone?

The Playoffs, The Job, The Coat, The trip that Damon is making out

The Playoffs:

It's sad to see that all of the teams we all wanted to go lost :( Oh well that's baseball if I had it my way.....well you know how I would have it. I'm hoping to see the Tigers and the Mets in the WS but we will see. Go ahead and post who you want.

The Job:

Well as Heather said I got a job working for Kamp Implement as the Shipping and Receiving Manager. It isn't my ideal job but w/e right? Anyway, I have been working like 11 hours a day plus every other Saturday so it keeps me busy. I'm hoping to hear from the City of Bozeman Streets Division this week. Again, not my ideal job but it's moving up ;). So, Mondays are really busy with freight coming in for the week. Then Tuesdays you have to stock the parts on the shelves and put overstock upstairs. On Weds we get more trucks and you guessed it Thursday we put it away. Come Friday it's last min. trucks and last min. stocking. Saturdays we have to do "chores" sweeping the shop, organizing, cleaning the shitter, vacuuming the offices, dusting, ya you get the point. So that's my work week. The Marketing guy who has been with the Company 56 years is retiring at the end of the year and they want me to take over with my "professional business background" I guess if I stick it out that might be something to look forward to.

The Coat:

I purchased a new Quiksilver snowboarding coat off eBay because I plan on doing TONS of boarding this year. It's white with grey pinstripe looks sharp!!!!!!!!!

The trip that Damon is making:

Damon arrives tomorrow at 3:59pm and staying until Sunday. I can't wait to hang out with one of my friends. Wait.......My best friend. Plan on doing some driving around the mountains and such just researching the area and bsing.

Anyway, I hope all is well with you that is my story for a while hope you all enjoy!!!!!!!! Congrats to the Collousses of Clout on their first season. I'm sure there are more to seasons to come.

Seasonal Depression

I think I have seasonal depression. Not the kind you normally hear about...but mine involves the season of the year that the yankees get eliminated from the post season. Very depressing. A whole bleak baseball-less winter ahead of me? Bummer.

Weekend Update

It is finally Friday, and I can't be happier. I'm home this weekend, and next weekend too actually, so that is a huge plus. There is so much big news that has happened this week. Where do I start?

1) Zeb got a job! He is now working hard everyday at Camp Implements. It is a farming supplier...type thing. He can explain more, but he is working in shipping and recieving. He got hired on to be the manager of the department, among other things, but for now, he has to learn the ropes of the business. Which means quite a bit of manual labor. He's still got his eyes open for other opportunities, but for now, its a good paycheck!

2) My dad is getting married?!?! Yes, Tim Murray, the eternal bachelor is getting married. How crazy is that? Her name is Jan. They met at church, and got to be good friends through a singles group that they were involved in. They are actually the second couple from that same singles group of about 8 people or so that will have been married this year! Pretty productive little group....but what happens to the singles group now? They become a newly married couples group? They set the date for December 23rd, because Zeb and I will be back in Oregon then. It will definitely be an exciting trip! Congratulations Dad & Jan!

Ummm, I guess that's really all the new news! The Office was great last night, but I can not deal with Jim hooking up with that girl in in his new office! So that better not happen. How is the Collosus of Clout doing? I haven't gotten an update on them this week. Hope everything is well, and Emily is off the DL? Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Basking in the Glory of another playoff win

AAAHHH. Well, last night's yankee game started out well. The middle relief is so shaky...it makes me really nervous...but we'll see. All I can say is 5 for 5 baby! My boy Jeter had a great night...and A-Rod? naaah, not so much.

Playoff Prediction

It's time and I know you are all ready for this...So it's time now to post your playoff predictions on here.

Here is mine(Zeb's):

ALDS--
MIN vs OAK - MIN in 4

NYY vs DET - NYY in 3

NLDS--
STL vs SDG - SDG in 5

NYM vs LAD - LAD in 4

ALCS--
MIN vs NYY - MIN in 6

NLCS--
SDG vs LAD - LAD in 7

World Series--
MIN vs LAD - MIN in 6

Ode to October

Well, well, well....I can't believe that it is October 1st! I just got back from one of the longest road trips of my life. We left last Wednesday and flew into Denver and then made an hour drive to Greeley, CO to play against Northern Colorado University. I got to see a classmate and good friend of mine from OSU who works there as an athletic trainer, so that was a lot of fun...but that was about the only pleasant thing about Greeley. Our team got swept in 3 games by UNC, in a pretty painful loss. The next day we got up early in the morning to make the drive back to Denver, race through the Denver Airport and catch another plane to Phoenix. From Phoenix, we again loaded up in our Mini-Van Caravan and made the 2 hour drive to Flagstaff, AZ. On Saturday we go to go down to the football game (MSU football just happened to be in town also playing NAU) for the first half, before we headed to the gym to get ready for our match. Football pulled off a huge win to break their losing streak and later that evening we continued the trend with a big come from behind win over NAU volleyball. We finished off the night with a celebratory trip to Safeway for snacks (aaah yes, the joys of D1-AA) and got in bed. This morning, we got up bright and early to make the drive back to Phoenix to catch the plane back to Bozeman, via Denver. I am SO glad to be home!!!

On another note, its October! I think October has got to be my favorite month. The Yankees are back in the playoffs, ready for another World Series run, college football is in full swing, NFL is off to a good start, the air is crisp but there are still a few nice days of sunshine left, leaves are changing, we have daylight savings time and actually fall back, gaining an entire extra hour of sleep one night. There are halloween decorations everywhere, which means everywhere you look BEAVERS COLORS! And the best thing about October? It is October Scary Movie Month (OSMM). OSMM is in it's 6th year and still going strong. For those of you who have never observed October Scary Movie Month, the basic rules are that you try to watch as many scary movies throughout the month as possible. They can be old favorites, tried and true classics or brand new ones, it doesn't matter as long as they are scary. You can catch them on TV, go out to the theater, pull them from your own personal collection, rent them from the video store, and for the first time this year, I'll be ordering them in from blockbuster online.

For you OSMM beginners, here are some of my top recommendations for you to give a try:

Psycho
Halloween
Halloween II
Friday the 13th
When a Stranger Calls
The Vanishing
Silence of the Lambs
Scream

There are many many more, so in the sprit of October Scary Movie Month, go ahead and post up your favorite scary movie!

Hope everyone is off to a great October!

p.s. We got our plane tickets to come home for Christmas! We'll be back in Oregon from the 21st through the 25th!!! Mark it on your calendars!!!

Yup, this is where we live. On Sunday we took a drive out to Bridger Ski, which is the local mountain where people snowboard. The drive was really beautiful and Zeb got to take some pictures. It was nice getting out of town and seeing some of our surroundings.

The Office

The season premiere of our favorite TV show, The Office was this thursday. Since I know that many of our frequent blog readers are also avid Office fans, I decided to make a weekly post so that we can all talk about the happenings on the show.

The need for this post mainly comes out of the fact that absolutally NO ONE in Bozeman, MT watches The Office. On Thursday I went on a mission to find somone, anyone, who likes the show. My extensive research (conducted within the MSU athletic department) found: not a single person who watches the show on a regular basis, several who had never heard of it, more still who had heard of it but never watched, and probably most offensively, multiple people who had seen a few episodes of the show but did not find it funny.

Aside from all that, it was a great season premiere. I had to work at a volleyball game (we play every thursday night! which could turn out to be a real problem. haha) but luckily Zeb taped it so we could watch it when I got home. There were lots of big surprises, including the fact that Jim works at the Stanford branch now, and that Pam called off her wedding to Roy!

So now, all you Office fans out there who caught the season premiere, post up your favorite part of the new episode. I'll start it off....my favorite part was when Jim pulled the jello joke on his new co-worker at the Stanford branch.

Don't Try This At Home

Don't ask me how zeb had time to take a picture of his spedometer while driving over 100 miles per hour....but he did, and may I add, he's pretty proud of it. For any of you who plan to drive out here to visit us anytime...DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME.

Today it snowed up on all the hills and mountains around Bozeman. Luckily for me, it didn't really stick at all down in the valley. I had to work a cross country meet this morning out in the rain and snow. Ugh! I have gotten really spoiled working court sports for the last year, and I can't really hack it out in the elements anymore. I got home, and it took me at least 3 or 4 hours to finally warm back up to a normal temperature. I was really missing the mild Oregon weather this morning, as I was pretty sure that it wouldn't be so miserable on September 16th at home.

The women's basketball team that i work with has 5 days off between my birthday and the day after christmas, so Zeb and i are looking into flying home to visit then. I am really looking forward to that!

Lastly, Zeb has another job interview on Monday, this time with an up-and-coming technology company that is based out of Bozeman. So please be praying for him!

It's a Great Day to be a Beaver!!!

So, I got hooked up a few weekends ago to the OSU vs Sweet Home Loggers semi-pro team( I mean Eastern Washington). I took Heather's Dad to the game and we had a blast. It was our first time back since the "Raising Reeser" phase and the acustics were impressive. It obviously helped as the Beavs took it to the Loggers. To bad I cannot say that about Boise right? Damn that Smurf Turf it will get you everytime. Anyway, check out the pics and let me know what you think. I miss and love you all :) Hope things are going great in OreeeeeGUNNN!! By the way did you guys get your tickets?

Question of the Day: Cake Stand/Punch Bowl....Doubley Uselful or Doubley Useless???

On our wedding registry we asked for a cake stand/punch bowl & we got it! However, ever since we got it, there has been a non-stop debate about the practicality of this item. I say that it has two functions and is doubley usefull. Zeb, says that I will never use it, and that it is, as Damon puts it "doubley useless."





For the record, this is the third cake that has been put on this cake stand, in only 3 months of ownership. Admittedly, I have not made punch in it yet. So now, I am opening up the blog for comments regardling the usefulness of the Cake Stand/Punch Bowl. Solve this debate once and for all for us!

And, NO, I did not decorate the Red Sox cake.

Heeeeerrrrreee's Zeb!

Well, he's officially here! Zeb is in Montana for good. This is a picture of Zeb using our new BBQ for the very first time!! (Thanks Emily & Chicken!!!) So far he's been job hunting pretty much all day everyday for the last two days. This evening he said that he has applied for every job in Bozeman that he is interested in! Zeb even considered joining the Bozeman Police Department!!! hahah, but then he decided that really might not be for him! He has really been working hard at this. Now its time to wait a little while and see what comes of all of the leads! Keep him in your thoughts and prayers that something will work out quickly.

On another note, Damon has a blog going now too. He's actually had it for a long time, but he hadn't been posting on it in a few years. Check it out, theres some pretty interesting stuff going on over there. http://justcallmed.blogspot.com/

Last but not least, congrats to "The Colossuses of Clout" on their first win of many to come this season in Eugene City League Softball. We look forward to keeping up on your season here at the blog. Maybe even a new weekly feature??? The Beavs Signs pics of the day are running out...so we are definitely going to have to find something to keep people interested here. Just a thought!

It's Baaaaack

Pic of the Day is back, and in full effect. This time taking on Corvallis Burger King locations.

How about them Bobcats?

Well, I just got back from my road trip to Kansas State, and although our girls didn't have a great weekend on the court, there is other big news in the MSU Bobcat Athletics family. In this first weekend of college football, our team had the week's biggest upset win, beating the University of Colorado. It is a huge win for us, and has everyone around here talking! What a great way to start off the season! Go Cats!

In other news, I am sending the graduate assistant who works with me on the Volleyball road trip to Arizona next weekend, and Zeb is finally moving out here for good! He should be out here sometime on Saturday, so it will be a really good weekend to have off. Keep Zeb in your thoughts and prayers this weekend, so that he will have a safe trip out!