Malas Palabras

Breaking the silence

el borracho — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:43:20 +0000

It occurred to me this evening that it’s been over two weeks since I last posted. That’s really staying on top of things! Nothing too exciting has happened lately, so haven’t really had much to say. Work has been a real killer as of late, and I don’t expect that to change in for the next few weeks. The highlight of my evening tonight has been watching UFO Hunters and Mega Disasters on History channel HD. Thrilling stuff there.

For quite some time, I’ve tried to figure out why my cable provider has less than 20 HD channels available, while DirectTV offers a plethora of choices. I’m guessing there must be high costs associated with adding more channels, but after finally ponying up the cash to get a “real” TV (42″ 1080i LCD) two months ago, I can’t figure out why anyone would watch a non-HD channel when given a choice. I guess that’s one of those eternal mysteries that will continue to go unsolved. Kind of like why I pay $110 per month for cable and internet (no phone, no premium channels). Maybe this would provide good fodder for a new History channel myster investigation…

Steroids, baseball, and Congress… oh my!

el borracho — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 04:26:35 +0000

I’m not sure what the deal is with Congress getting involved with baseball’s steroid investigation, but I think it’s getting a little out of hand. Obviously, there’s a problem with “performance enhancers” in sports, but this is nothing new. Hasn’t anyone ever wondered how football players and pro wrestlers got so big so quickly? Of course! Rumors abound regarding athletes and drugs. Even the Tour de France is not immune to the allegations and scandal. With that in mind, the question arises, aren’t there more pressing issues going on in this country that should warrant Congressional attention?

Cruising CNN.com, the daily top stories cover the “slight” possibility of an economic recession, gas prices exceeding $3.00 per gallon, an going conflict and tension in the mid-East, and an ever escalating home loan crisis. With the American public greeted by these issues with every television newscast, what good could possibly be served by diverting legislative resources to “investigate” steroids in baseball instead of focusing on real domestic problems?

Someone should tell Rep. Waxman… IT IS A GAME! I’m a baseball fan and I could care less if any institution outside of MLB itself looks into performance enhancers. Or stimulant usage. Or pot smoking, for that matter! Does it matter if Roger Clemens injected HGH to add a few years to his playing life? To the HOF, yes! But should it matter to Congress? Absolutely not. Why do I, as a taxpayer, want to fund an investigation that means absolutely nothing in the long run? Will this investigation change the nature of the game? Will it eliminate drug use by professional athletes? No and no. The only way that MLB will ever get a handle on these issues is when management and the player’s union finally come together, pull their heads out of the sand, and own up to the fact that they’ve been turning a blind eye to these issues for years.

Maybe someday our elected officials will realize that they are working for us, the people, and should have our best interests in mind instead of wasting time and resources on frivolous pet projects. I’m not going to hold my breath for that day, but there’s always a chance. In the meantime, did you hear that the New England Patriots have been videotaping their competition…

Weather Redux and Super Bowl prediction

el borracho — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 17:12:20 +0000

Still no snow in the metro KC area, but this morning it began raining balls of ice, probably an eighth inch in diameter. And no, I do not mean hail, it was raining ice. Of course, the weather gurus predicted cool and clear skies this morning with the possibility of rain by the end of the day. Again, great job guys. Weathermen 0-2. At least we can rely on Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction of six more weeks of winter.

In an odd oxymoron, I’m a huge Red Sox fan and could really care less about the Patriots. That being said I would like to see New England win today and earn their 19-0 season. That might finally keep Schula and the rest of the ’72 Dolphins quiet. Especially considering they just about threw up the big ol’ goose egg this year. Also, I’d like to see Junior Seau pick up a championship ring. Eighteen years in the league… he’s not going to get many more chances.

Got a couple of buddies that want to get together and watch the game this afternoon, but I think I’m going to blow them off to catch the game with my dad, instead. That may sound kinda lame to some, but I really like hanging with my pops. Growing up, we were constantly going at it, but we’ve definitely both changed over the years and I like the fact I have such a great adult relationship with my parents.

Go Pats!

First Post and Snow

el borracho — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 05:24:45 +0000

Everyone wants to start their first post off with something witty, or meaningful, or witty and meaningful. I’m not so bold, or naive, to think that I’ll be able to accomplish either of these goals, but hopefully, over time there will be a couple of flashes in the pan that may be mildly entertaining at the very least.

Snow was the forecast of the day for the last day of January, which didn’t bode well for a Thursday morning. After working close to 60 hour weeks for the past three, the last thing I was looking forward to was an extra hour or so of weather related traffic jams. The local and national (read weather.com) weather prognosticators had predicted progressively escalating amounts of accumulation all day Thursday. 3-5″ predicted on Wednesday morning had ballooned to 6-8″ by afternoon! I woke up late (of course!) this morning fully expecting to see at least a couple inches on the ground.

Much to my amusement, however, I discovered no snow. Not a flake, not a flurry… barely even gray skies. Keeping one eye skyward throughout the morning revealed about ten seconds of light snow and a brief period of sunshine. That, as it turned out, was the extent of the major snow event that had been predicted for at least two days. The part of this little irony that I find most entertaining is that a group of high paid, ego-centric meteorologists and weather “personalities” make it their job to take a WAG (wild ass guess) at the forecast for any given day. If I was so inconsistent at doing my job on a daily basis, I do believe I would be fired. Quickly. Even a nation that puts their faith that the beginning of Spring can be determined by an underground rodent deserves better guessing. Great job weathermen, you’ve done us proud. 0-1 on the week. Thanks.