Pictures.......

Beware this is a pointless blog entry and if you are reading this at work I hope you don't mind.....Here are some random pictures.

Question of science, the science of progress.....

So everyone who has been to my house has seen the gigantic grain silo which is being converted into condos and resides in my backyard. Every time I am home I see people scurrying around feverishly working on this building and in the past year they have made a lot of progress. The jury is still out on whether or not this will affect the value of my house positively or negatively but it's neat to watch. So allow me to get deep because the word progress is one that isn't emphasised enough. Progress to me is moving forward in anything you do. I think my outlook on life is shifting more towards accomplishing things I've always dreamed rather than dreaming about things that will never come to fruition. This has created a sense of urgency because in the back of my mind I keep thinking that, in life, we are never promised the next day. Tomorrow morning is a gift.

I have friends who have gotten married, had children, bought houses, built houses and traveled the world. I am very proud of the group I surround myself with because for the most part, all of my friends are moving forward. I feel very blessed for having come into contact with people who are not complacent and see the value in constantly moving forward. This inspires me and knowing who I know keeps me motivated to keep going. I don't think there is a more dynamic group of people and for this I am fortunate.

Just saying thanks and looking forward to more. - TS

Finish the game.....

So I have come under fire as of late for not supporting my beloved Maryland Terrapins. This is largely due to me expressing outrage at the team losing to lesser opponents like Boston College and Miami. Tonight and recently though Maryland has been looking much better, a lot like the team that won the national championship. The terps just played one of the better basketball games I've seen in a long while beating the North Carolina Tar Heels 89-87 and almost guaranteeing themselves a trip to the NCAA tournament which is a feat they have fell short of in the past few years.

For the record I love the terps. I love them through the good and bad. I will always love them. They are a team who is hard to love because they have let me down in grand fashion several times but I really think this team can run ball with the best in the nation.

Go Terps!!!! Is it march madness yet?

Fall Out Boy - Infinity on High - Album Review

So the new Fall Out Boy CD came out 3 weeks ago and since I picked it up it has been in constant rotation in my car and on my ipod. It is very reminisent of their 2005 album "From under the cork tree." This album is put together really well starting with a intro by
Jay-Z and keeps a constant level of energy with songs equipt with really memorable hooks. Some of my favorites are the opening track "thriller," "Hum Hallelujah" and track #3 "Me and You."

According to wikipedia the title is taken from a letter written by Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo in 1888. In the letter, van Gogh describes his renewed health and the vigor it has instilled in his painting. The line that inspired the title is "Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all."

Track Listing:
"Thriller" – 3:29
"'The Take Over, the Breaks Over'" – 3:33
"This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" – 3:32
"I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me + You)" – 3:31
"Hum Hallelujah" – 3:50
"Golden" – 2:32
"Thnks fr th Mmrs" – 3:23
"Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?" – 2:52
"The (After) Life of the Party" – 3:21
"The Carpal Tunnel of Love" – 3:23
"Bang the Doldrums" – 3:31
"Fame <>
"I've Got All This Ringing in My Ears and None on My Fingers" – 4:06

For more information on the band:
http://www6.falloutboyrock.com/falloutboy/
http://www6.falloutboyrock.com/falloutboy/blog.php

wax on wax off

So I belong to Merrit Atheletic Club in Baltimore but haven't been in a very long time. Today that changed but my infinite wisdom I went to the gym....in Columbia. This was because my sister set me up with an hour session with one of her best personal trainers. His name was Gary and so you get an accurate picture of this guy, picture Mr. Miyagi (Karate Kid) but rock solid and serious as a heart attack but in a nice way.

Gary proceeded to kick my ass for an hour. He took me through a lot of floor exercises, abdominals and then we moved on to machines. I was spent by the time we were done, felt a little light headed, sorta sick but otherwise pretty good.

If nothing todays workout was a wake up call. I want to be around for a while and have felt like sh*t for the last few months. I can attibute my current state to many factors. Traveling limits my ability to keep on a gym regiment and poses all kinds of dietary constraints but for the most part cif i'm gonna be real I have to call it what it is and it's me being a lazy ass.

I'd love to say that from this moment on I'll be in the gym everyday and never touch fast food again but thats not realistic. All I can say is I'm going to make a concerted effort to get healthier. Anyone is free to help. I think one thing would be doing more outside activities. Hiking, football and my favorite sport basketball would all be good places to start. And no i'm not good at basketball, I'm good at organizing football and I nearly died the last time I hiked......maybe i'm a glutton....for punishment.

super bowl kinda sucked

so not to dwell on the crappy superbowl which started out really exciting but ended sloppy all I have to say is bring on march madness.

Some observations:

1.) Both teams are over rated

2.) commercials have gotten worse

3.) the halftime shows have sucked since Janet Jackson's boob. prince...really? football is the epitome of a manly sport and prince is as far from "manly" as one can get.

4.) i can always count on the party bucket (bucket of salty snacks) to be there for football

5.) eric can make some really good mac 'n cheese

6.) payton manning dosen't stop complaining throughout the entire game

7.) rex grossman is gonna be hated even though his sub-par performance lead the bears to a superbowl.

8.) football is still better than soccer, baseball, tennis and golf.

9.) in football you're main goal it to protect the ball

10.) i hope turkeybowl happens next year and if it does, i hope it isn't more exciting than the superbowl (as was the case this past year).

that is all.

-QB

my next obsession.....

Basically the idea is to refinance my house and take the cash and buy a new car. I haven't looked into this realistically but we are currently in the "dream" phase. So let me introduce you to my next obsession. Her given name is Infiniti G35. I call her beautiful girl.


The goal is to have her by my next birthday but who knows if that will come to fruition. For now she's pretty to look at. I don't know whether she'll be black, red, white or graphite but whatever the color I will love her....this is my promise.

Used and 2 years old she averages 30k.......

-TS

i'm bringing lazy back.....

Concert Review Time:

So last weekend was pretty good. It started with me leaving work on Friday and driving to pick up Megan. Our destination was the Verizon Center in Washington DC to see a concert.......Justin Timberlake and Pink. I'm into chicks I swear it's true.

We get there after a short trip via metro (green line from College Park) just as Pink was going on stage. She was amazing. Pink is one of these performers who pretty much sticks to her CDs and plays each song like your use to. She played around 11 songs including: just like a pill, who knew, leave me alone (i'm lonely) and because she was in DC "dear mr. president," which was really really good. Honestly the concert could have ended here and I would have been slightly satisfied but after a minor set change Justin Timberlake came out and blew me away. He was even more amazing than Pink who was again amazing. So this was amazing in itself.

He played all of his hits both old and new and danced the whole time. There was an intermission in the middle of his performance and during this Funk Master Flex and Timbaland came out and DJ'd back and forth. They played a bunch of club hits and other random stuff by bands like the Fray and others. Justin had some really hot dancers and a full band.

I swear the next concert will be more hetero but I had an excellent time so there....

junk food and beer

I have too much junk food and beer at my house which was supposed to be consumed during the superbowl. If anyone is around next weekend and would like to help me get rid of it I'd appreciate that very much.

Upcoming posts:
1.) What I did superbowl weekend.
2.) G35......frivilous purchase or not?
3.) Review of new Fallout Boy CD (comes out Tuesday Feb. 7th)

Thats all for now. Hope everyone sleeps well and has a wonderful and productive week.

-TS

jah bless.........

Back in 2002 we use to say Jah Bless a lot because like any white kids who've been to jamacia we identified with Bob Marley's Legend album and when intermixed with songs by sublime we were all irie' That being said I have been reflecting on the past year and damn have I been fortunate. I have traveled more in the past 9 months than many people do in a life time. Below is a short photo tour (in order) of the places my job has taken me and allowed me to travel.

1.) View from hotel in Belfast, ME

2.) Me at Fenway Park, Boston, MA

3.) Skyline of downtown Tampa Bay, FL

4.) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Lake Erie in Cleveland, OH

5.) Mt. Saint Helens seen from Portland, OR

6.) Fabulous Las Vegas

And of course the place I spent the most time besides Baltimore was Fabulous Las Vegas, NV.

I anticipate being in Vegas in 2007 (especially for my birthday).

Again, I'm very very fortunate. I'm planning trips to Hawaii and if I can swing it, Rome. It's been a while since I've taken this TS party international........

Peace - TS

in a name......

The title of my new blog is "the weakening clarity of anger" which is fitting for my internet outlet for venting. Occasionally I loose my temper and just like any human I feel uncomforatable when this happens. Some may argue it is a natural human state to be angry. Rage against the Machine (one of the best bands ever) said "anger is a gift." But contrary to popular opinion I hate feeling anger towards anyone. Sure it breeds excellent humor and cynical comments. But allowing myself to be that affected that much by anyone or anything is simple weakness. Simply put, anger sucks. It is ugly, childish and the things uttered in fits of anger cannot be taken back.

So to all the pissed off people, tread lightly because anger only hurts you in the end. And let me tell you. It hurts bad.

-TS

Adorable must run in the Family.......

Here are some recent pictures of my nephew.......

....the end.

Now come one come all to this tradgic affair, wipe off that make-up whats in is despair. So throw on the black dress mix in with the lot, you might wake up and notice your someone your not. If you look in the mirror and don't like what you see, you can find out first hand what it's like to be me. So gather round piggies and kiss this goodbye, I'd encourage your smiles I expect you won't cry......

Welcome to my new blog. I loved my old blog and hope it dosen't come down quickly but thats not my decision.

Hope everyone likes this one though, I'm anticipating a good 2007 full of new places, people and hopefully my dream car but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

For now enjoy the music.......