Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Lions Vindicated - but still lost
As I predicted, the NFL has acknowledged errors made by the referees likely resulted in the Lions losing to the Packers. The implications of these blown calls may result in the Lions missing the playoffs (2-2-1 record at this point); when they should be at least 3-1-1 (possibly even better when reviewing the blown calls in the previous game against the Kansas City Chiefs).
Monday, October 14, 2019
Detroit Lions lose ... to the referees
I just finished watching the Detroit Lions obliterate the Green Bay Packers. They beat them offensively; they beat them defensively. There was only one element of the game they didn't dominate... the FRICKIN' REFEREES. Those referees handed the Packers an undeserved win.
The referees called the same defensive penalty twice on the same player; and it was clear from broadcast replays that both calls were incorrect. Then, they called a penalty on another defensive Lion player when again, based on the replay, there was no cause for the penalty. All three of those blown calls eventually resulted in Green Bay scores because they got to keep the ball, rather than having to kick it away.
And if it wasn't bad enough that the defensive calls were going against Detroit, there was another play when Detroit was getting the football down the field where a BLATANT pass interference by a Green Bay player was missed by the referees, forcing Detroit to kick away the ball, instead of having it deep in Green Bay territory.
I am willing to bet that tomorrow, the NFL and-or the referees will be making statements acknowledging the blown calls in the game - but that will be of no solace to the Lions, who have lost two TOUGH decisions in a row that should have gone their way.
The referees called the same defensive penalty twice on the same player; and it was clear from broadcast replays that both calls were incorrect. Then, they called a penalty on another defensive Lion player when again, based on the replay, there was no cause for the penalty. All three of those blown calls eventually resulted in Green Bay scores because they got to keep the ball, rather than having to kick it away.
And if it wasn't bad enough that the defensive calls were going against Detroit, there was another play when Detroit was getting the football down the field where a BLATANT pass interference by a Green Bay player was missed by the referees, forcing Detroit to kick away the ball, instead of having it deep in Green Bay territory.
I am willing to bet that tomorrow, the NFL and-or the referees will be making statements acknowledging the blown calls in the game - but that will be of no solace to the Lions, who have lost two TOUGH decisions in a row that should have gone their way.
Tuesday, October 08, 2019
What's wrong with this picture
So, I'm reading CNN.com today, and I come across this article about one of the kidnappers in the infamous case that "inspired the movie Dirty Harry". This particular entry in the franchise was one of my favourites, and the actor who played the crazed kidnapper really should have received an award for his over-the-top portrayal of a psychotic killer.
But, answer me this... how does a 1976 kidnapping inspire a 1971 movie??? Now, if someone said the movie acted as the catalyst for the kidnapping, that I would understand (can anyone say "Helter Skelter")?
This evening, I attended the Kol Nidre service, marking the beginning of the Yom Kippur fast. I guess it takes an evening without snacking to draw me back into blogging.
Thursday, January 31, 2019
An update
Wow, it's been 14 months since I've written anything. This will be a short post, whose sole purpose is to break the drought.
In summary, here's what's happened over the last 14 months. My mom died, one of my best friends died, I was diagnosed with cancer (early stage), had an operation to remove the tumor, paid off my car loan (6 years) and am now able to save just a BIT more money due to lowered expenses.
And Tiger finally earned his 80th PGA victory.
Other things happened, but I'd rather not talk about them.
In politics, things are not looking promising for Trump going forward, and Netanyahu may not be much better off. Politically, I'm hawkish, but geeze, there are some really dangerous people in charge of some frightening levels of armaments.
Hopefully, I'll still be alive in another 14 months for my next installment :-)
In summary, here's what's happened over the last 14 months. My mom died, one of my best friends died, I was diagnosed with cancer (early stage), had an operation to remove the tumor, paid off my car loan (6 years) and am now able to save just a BIT more money due to lowered expenses.
And Tiger finally earned his 80th PGA victory.
Other things happened, but I'd rather not talk about them.
In politics, things are not looking promising for Trump going forward, and Netanyahu may not be much better off. Politically, I'm hawkish, but geeze, there are some really dangerous people in charge of some frightening levels of armaments.
Hopefully, I'll still be alive in another 14 months for my next installment :-)
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Grey Cup 2017 - The Canadian Football League "Superbowl"
I don't watch Canadian Football. Until yesterday, I didn't even realize this was Grey Cup day. Needless to say, I had no idea who was playing, nor did I really care.
So, when I got home from dinner and saw that the game was in progress, I decided to tune in for a few minutes before watching my pre-recorded programs on DVR. It was nearly half-time, and Toronto was trailing. Honestly, I can't even remember what the score was.
I didn't watch the half-time festivities, electing instead to watch some of my recorded programs. A while later, as I deleted the last-watched program, I caught a glimpse of the game (which had been playing on live TV while I watched recordings). In quick succession, Toronto, and then Saskatchewan scored touchdowns and the game started to look interesting.
It really got exciting when Saskatchewan, with little time to go in the game and with an 8-point lead, decided to forego the opportunity to kick a "gimme" field goal (which would have given them a 2-possession lead with only four minutes left in the game) and instead tried to advance the ball for a first down near the goal line. The Saskatchewan receiver caught the ball cleanly, but was stripped of the ball near the six yard line. Toronto recovered the fumble on the 1-yard line and ran the ball 109 yards back for a touchdown. Toronto went for a 2-point conversion, and just before the quarterback was about to be tackled, he managed to find a receiver in the end zone. After that play, the score was tied!
Saskatchewan was unable to score after receiving the kickoff, and on the next possession, Toronto managed to get good enough field possession to kick the go-ahead field goal with only 49 seconds left in the game. It was the first time Toronto had been in the lead during the entire game.
On the ensuing kickoff, Toronto tried to keep the ball away from Saskatchewan's excellent kick return specialists, opting instead to aim a squib kick at the nearby Saskatchewan players. This gave Saskatchewan excellent field position with 43 seconds to play.
Saskatchewan's quarterback heaved a 50-yard pass down the field, and hit the receiver right on the numbers, but somehow, the pass was dropped. On second down, the quarterback tried the same play to the same receiver. This time, the pass was caught, and Saskatchewan found themselves very close to field goal range. One play later, they got a first down (I think they were around the 20 yard line) with under 20 seconds to play in the game.
If you were the Saskatchewan coach, what would you do? Would you kick the field goal, tying the score and leaving 20 seconds to Toronto to score again - and hope that your defense could stop them and that you would get lucky during the overtime frame? Or would you try to take a bit more time off the clock before kicking a field goal, so there would be almost no chance for Toronto to score again? The way Saskatchewan had been playing all day, there was no hesitation. They decided to try one more play before kicking the field goal. Worst case, they'd have an incomplete pass, and then kick the field goal.
Surprisingly, Saskatchewan caught everyone off guard and threw a beautiful pass into the end zone, knowing that the pass would be caught for the winning touchdown, or dropped - forcing the field goal. Guess what? There was a third possible outcome... the ball was intercepted by Toronto (their first interception of the game), and all of a sudden, the improbable last minute comeback was complete. The underdog Toronto Argonauts beat Saskatchewan.
This was Saskatchewan's second straight improbable loss in the championship game - where they had been the odds-on favourite to win both times.
I have to admit, that game's second half was the most exciting football I've witnessed in a very long time. Who knows? Next year, I may actually watch the whole game!
So, when I got home from dinner and saw that the game was in progress, I decided to tune in for a few minutes before watching my pre-recorded programs on DVR. It was nearly half-time, and Toronto was trailing. Honestly, I can't even remember what the score was.
I didn't watch the half-time festivities, electing instead to watch some of my recorded programs. A while later, as I deleted the last-watched program, I caught a glimpse of the game (which had been playing on live TV while I watched recordings). In quick succession, Toronto, and then Saskatchewan scored touchdowns and the game started to look interesting.
It really got exciting when Saskatchewan, with little time to go in the game and with an 8-point lead, decided to forego the opportunity to kick a "gimme" field goal (which would have given them a 2-possession lead with only four minutes left in the game) and instead tried to advance the ball for a first down near the goal line. The Saskatchewan receiver caught the ball cleanly, but was stripped of the ball near the six yard line. Toronto recovered the fumble on the 1-yard line and ran the ball 109 yards back for a touchdown. Toronto went for a 2-point conversion, and just before the quarterback was about to be tackled, he managed to find a receiver in the end zone. After that play, the score was tied!
Saskatchewan was unable to score after receiving the kickoff, and on the next possession, Toronto managed to get good enough field possession to kick the go-ahead field goal with only 49 seconds left in the game. It was the first time Toronto had been in the lead during the entire game.
On the ensuing kickoff, Toronto tried to keep the ball away from Saskatchewan's excellent kick return specialists, opting instead to aim a squib kick at the nearby Saskatchewan players. This gave Saskatchewan excellent field position with 43 seconds to play.
Saskatchewan's quarterback heaved a 50-yard pass down the field, and hit the receiver right on the numbers, but somehow, the pass was dropped. On second down, the quarterback tried the same play to the same receiver. This time, the pass was caught, and Saskatchewan found themselves very close to field goal range. One play later, they got a first down (I think they were around the 20 yard line) with under 20 seconds to play in the game.
If you were the Saskatchewan coach, what would you do? Would you kick the field goal, tying the score and leaving 20 seconds to Toronto to score again - and hope that your defense could stop them and that you would get lucky during the overtime frame? Or would you try to take a bit more time off the clock before kicking a field goal, so there would be almost no chance for Toronto to score again? The way Saskatchewan had been playing all day, there was no hesitation. They decided to try one more play before kicking the field goal. Worst case, they'd have an incomplete pass, and then kick the field goal.
Surprisingly, Saskatchewan caught everyone off guard and threw a beautiful pass into the end zone, knowing that the pass would be caught for the winning touchdown, or dropped - forcing the field goal. Guess what? There was a third possible outcome... the ball was intercepted by Toronto (their first interception of the game), and all of a sudden, the improbable last minute comeback was complete. The underdog Toronto Argonauts beat Saskatchewan.
This was Saskatchewan's second straight improbable loss in the championship game - where they had been the odds-on favourite to win both times.
I have to admit, that game's second half was the most exciting football I've witnessed in a very long time. Who knows? Next year, I may actually watch the whole game!
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Dazed and Depressed
I just looked through a few of my favourite blog posts. Like the one from July 2004 that showed a happy picture of my dad before he got sick and passed away.
The picture was gone. It was one of the casualties of my ISP's purge of web space accounts. The photo is also on my phone, so I know I have at least one good backup. That's the problem. I do full computer backups every day - and have been doing so for over 20 years.
Because I have so many backups, I sometimes purge files from my computer to make more room - knowing the files have been backed up, somewhere.
I'm not panicking about this particular sentimental file. But there may be others that are harder to find.
It just hit me as I was about to publish this post. My oldest backups were made with old backup programs that are no longer published and/or not compatible with Windows 10. Now I'm starting to panic.
P.S. It's my wedding anniversary today.
The picture was gone. It was one of the casualties of my ISP's purge of web space accounts. The photo is also on my phone, so I know I have at least one good backup. That's the problem. I do full computer backups every day - and have been doing so for over 20 years.
Because I have so many backups, I sometimes purge files from my computer to make more room - knowing the files have been backed up, somewhere.
I'm not panicking about this particular sentimental file. But there may be others that are harder to find.
It just hit me as I was about to publish this post. My oldest backups were made with old backup programs that are no longer published and/or not compatible with Windows 10. Now I'm starting to panic.
P.S. It's my wedding anniversary today.
Entertainment Tonight Returns
Within two hours of waking up, I had purchased and installed a new UPS for the Living Room. 'Nuff said.
It's Karma
There's no other explanation. Within the past 36 hours, two of the material objects I use most have gone kaput. First, it was my car - which lit the "engine service" indicator while I was driving to an appointment.
It was already Monday evening, so I couldn't bring it to the dealer. But, I did call for a Tuesday appointment. After charging me $150.00 to run a diagnostic, they told me the oxygen sensor in my engine was shot. I could opt for a repair, or I could wait, since that sensor is used to optimize the air/fuel ratio but the car will still run without the repair. I declined the repair, since I don't really have spare funds at the moment.
Fast forward to a few moments ago. As I turned on my TV, my entertainment system's UPS decided to die. The upshot is it caused the currently recording program to be interrupted, rebooted my DVR and there is *no* control on the box that allowed me to shut off the alarm. So, I had to unplug it - putting all my equipment out of service.
So now, I'm wondering what I did to deserve this punishment. Nothing really comes to mind. Am I being paranoid? The fact that I'm asking should be a clue.
I may be able to live without a fuel-optimized vehicle, but there's no way I can go a day without my entertainment system. Today will be an expensive day!
UPDATE:
After posting this message, I noticed that my blog page looked like crap. I thought it was because Google has recently forced the content to be https (secure), and that might be the reason why all the graphics disappeared. But NO, it's not Google's fault. Instead, it's my Internet Service Provider, who in their infinite wisdom decided to delete the web hosting space associated with my email accounts. Tech support says I was sent a notice by (snail) mail. I didn't get it. Nor, apparently, did the other people who have been posting on internet forums about the sudden (and IRRETRIEVABLE) disappearance of their files.
Yup. It's Karma.
My blog has never been popular (unless you can call an average of one visitor a month popular) and was never meant to be. But, without the humorous pieces of goodness collected over the past 16 years and stored on my web storage, there may not be much point in continuing this project.
UPDATE #2:
There are too many memories here to abandon the project, but my graphics and templates were all erased by my Internet Provider. So, as of today, August 23, 2017, I'll be trying to find a new theme I like, and over time, maybe I can recover some of the humorous snippets that made this blog unique to me.
It was already Monday evening, so I couldn't bring it to the dealer. But, I did call for a Tuesday appointment. After charging me $150.00 to run a diagnostic, they told me the oxygen sensor in my engine was shot. I could opt for a repair, or I could wait, since that sensor is used to optimize the air/fuel ratio but the car will still run without the repair. I declined the repair, since I don't really have spare funds at the moment.
Fast forward to a few moments ago. As I turned on my TV, my entertainment system's UPS decided to die. The upshot is it caused the currently recording program to be interrupted, rebooted my DVR and there is *no* control on the box that allowed me to shut off the alarm. So, I had to unplug it - putting all my equipment out of service.
So now, I'm wondering what I did to deserve this punishment. Nothing really comes to mind. Am I being paranoid? The fact that I'm asking should be a clue.
I may be able to live without a fuel-optimized vehicle, but there's no way I can go a day without my entertainment system. Today will be an expensive day!
UPDATE:
After posting this message, I noticed that my blog page looked like crap. I thought it was because Google has recently forced the content to be https (secure), and that might be the reason why all the graphics disappeared. But NO, it's not Google's fault. Instead, it's my Internet Service Provider, who in their infinite wisdom decided to delete the web hosting space associated with my email accounts. Tech support says I was sent a notice by (snail) mail. I didn't get it. Nor, apparently, did the other people who have been posting on internet forums about the sudden (and IRRETRIEVABLE) disappearance of their files.
Yup. It's Karma.
My blog has never been popular (unless you can call an average of one visitor a month popular) and was never meant to be. But, without the humorous pieces of goodness collected over the past 16 years and stored on my web storage, there may not be much point in continuing this project.
UPDATE #2:
There are too many memories here to abandon the project, but my graphics and templates were all erased by my Internet Provider. So, as of today, August 23, 2017, I'll be trying to find a new theme I like, and over time, maybe I can recover some of the humorous snippets that made this blog unique to me.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
I feel taller
I feel taller
I'm experiencing a sensation akin to vertigo, but less severe. When standing and looking down at the floor, I feel like that distance is greater than it was yesterday. Sitting behind the wheel of my car, the steering wheel is further away, as is the instrument cluster and the windshield.For the first time in 35 years, I'm viewing the world without glasses. Even three weeks ago, when I got my first cataract removed from my non-dominant eye, I still wore my glasses because I needed perfect vision through my dominant eye. Yesterday, the dominant eye had its cataract removed, and now, I can no longer wear my glasses.
Without the magnification of those lenses, objects seem a bit smaller - a bit further away. The ground seems further away when I'm standing, giving me the illusion of increased height.
In anticipation of that second surgery, I bought a dollar store pair of reading glasses with a slight magnification, just so I could read small print. But, once my eyes heal from the surgeries, I will be happy to get a fresh pair of bi-focal glasses - to clear up my astigmatism and give me the ability to see properly at a distance and close up without putting on and taking off glasses.