Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Time for another edition of Patrick is too f’cking busy!

I have a lot of things I’ve been meaning to do, some of my current to-do list items are more important than others, yet the less important ones are often more enjoyable to do:

• Pick my brackets for March Madness
• Prepare for my two Fantasy Baseball drafts
• Catch-up on my DC Metblogs posts
• Catch-up on my New Persuasion posts
• Wonder why I write for so many blogs (sorry Millennial Voices, this is why I don’t have any time for you!)
• Apply to Grad School (this one is getting the shaft big time)
• Network
• Arrange Roommate Happy Hour (sorry Caroline I know you want to get drunk with me!)
• Arrange Poker game with Ryan and Neal (sorry Neal I know you want my money!)
• Read Patrick Mongeau’s screenplay
• Finish reading The Back Stage Guide to Stage Management
• Catch-up on issues of Men’s Health
• Catch-up on issues of Men’s Journal
• Wonder why I subscribe to Men’s Journal (it was only a dollar when you bought that book on Amazon!)
• Edit The OBX Season 2 (I’ll have DVDs by OBX Season 3, I promise!)
• Finish working on footage for ESPN Documentary
• Catch up on 24 (I’m behind three weeks)
• Catch up on How I Met Your Mother (I’m probably behind two weeks)
• Catch up on The Celebrity Apprentice (I haven’t even started watching)
• Catch up on The Unit (I’m so behind that will become summer fodder)
• Catch up on The Office (I’m only a week behind I think)

With a list like that I feel like I need to take a week off just to get all those things done. Forget vacation travel. I just need vacation to sit in my room and get all this done.

I can name three things that actually get done in my life: showing up for work, stage managing Rabbit Hole, and going to the gym with Adam.

Sometimes I manage to write in this blog too.

How am I going to get all these things done?

Tags: 24, blog, fantasy sports, how i met your mother, march madness, rabbit hole, stress, the apprentice, the office, the unit

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

When I was in school I would often get chain e-mails from friends (and non-friends.) They came in all sorts of different colors and shapes and often begged you to forward them to a number of people or risk being alone forever or bad luck for the next century. Pretty big threats to conduct such a harmless action. By playing on our fears and superstitions, these e-mails propagate themselves throughout the interwebs like a giant game of hot potato. Makes me want to grab a certificate for breaking chain letters so I can stop them once and for all.

There are also those forwards that contain funny photos, jokes, or maybe even a video (be careful about opening those at work- you never know what your friends’ sense of humor is like.) I can’t forget those “petitions” that get forwarded because we believe they are going to start charging for Facebook or that they are going to close down AOL Instant Messenger. There are also the “surveys” that people fill out, things like favorite color and first kiss. We hate filling out forms whether it’s at the DMV or at the doctor’s office- so why do we relish filling out 100 questions in an e-mail? Most blame boredom at work, some want to forward them to their closest friends and “that person that sent it to you.” The latter hope that they receive random information from their friends later, in an easy to ready format. It kinda takes the work out of friendship- just e-mail me your details so I don’t have to learn them through years of hanging out.

Of course are we really going to remember these details? I still often forget that some of my friends are vegetarians and others like the TV show Lost. I was friends with Wendi for a year, always confused if she was Jewish or not (I knew she went to Brandeis but I totally thought she told me she wasn’t.)

So the chain letters and the surveys stopped coming into my inbox, it got way too old for us. However surveys still run rampant on MySpace and LiveJournal, but they are mostly posted by those still in high school.

So I have to say that I have noticed that there’s been a Facebook meme spreading throughout my social network. 25 Things has shown up in the majority of my friends notes for the past two weeks. The meme instructs you to: “write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, confessions, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.”

It’s the same ol’ tricks but new platform. While we may not know everyone’s e-mail- we certainly have lots of friends on Facebook.

Now here’s the hypocritical part, while I just spent most of my post ranting about them I am about to share with you 25 things about myself. I don’t usually fill out surveys but this one isn’t asking for my favorite color.

My recent writings on PostSecret has shown me that we are living in a society yearning for openness. We want to share more about ourselves in a search to know the “real” in people.

So allow me to share with you a few rare things about myself.

And yes I’m going to tag some people on this blog- but just the ones that tagged me on theirs.

25 Things About Patrick

1. I believe nobody reads this blog- thus I feel totally comfortable with sharing the following facts.
2. When I spent the weekend doing nothing I feel like I’m missing out by not going out.
3. I hate it when friends/roommates/co-workers leave my life, I am secretly afraid that people I like hanging out with in DC are all going to leave me and I’ll have to start over by myself again.
4. I’ve pretty much never had a girlfriend, that doesn’t mean I don’t go out with girls- I’ve just never had a girlfriend.
5. I secretly like to obnoxiously drive in my shitty car with my bass turned up.
6. I’ve always felt like my appearance wasn’t good enough but now I want to tell people to suck it.
7. I know I am going to achieve great things and I haven’t stopped working to make that happen.
8. The biggest reason I go to so many sporting events is because I want to make sure all my friends have a chance to enjoy the Suite as much as I do.
9. I feel like I’ve wasted my day if I get up after 10 AM.
10. I have so many video projects I’d love to work on but I lack the discipline to hole myself in my room to finish them all.
11. Every week I will eat Sushi or Kabobs at least once.
12. Every day I try and drink my 8 glasses of water, it leads to lots of bathroom breaks.
13. When I go out with Rebecca and Adam I can be often found smoking when drinking- what can I say I’m still peer pressurable.
14. I love playing fantasy football and fantasy baseball.
15. Something happened to me in middle school that will probably forever influence the way I communicate with people.
16. I would love to improve at the following casual activities: bowling, billiards, poker.
17. I get a haircut at the top of every month, you don’t want to see my hair grow out.
18. I first started to grow out my facial hair in the winters due to a compliment by a Vice-President at my workplace.
19. I chase girls I shouldn’t chase.
20. I live by the golden rule- I treat all my friends the way I would like to be treated.
21. Back in middle school Rebecca stereotyped my type of girl and she’s been right ever since.
22. I get really girly songs stuck in my head- right now it’s Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.”
23. I write for three blogs and I might add a fourth. It’s a real chore sometimes but I enjoy writing my thoughts- and I often laugh that I’ve gone from a C student in English to avid blogger.
24. I am a news geek- I have it on at work all day.
25. I’ve never been in love.

Tags: blog, chain letters, fantasy sports, favorites, feelings/reflections, food, friends, live journal, lost, myspace, postsecret, rants

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Fantasy Football is over.

I know I could play in some silly “playoff league” but I’m actually ok with taking a break from fantasy sports at this time of the year. Baseball season is right around the corner.

However I’m always itching to analyze, make some picks, and play some fantasy games. Well something besides Fantasy Congress.

So I’ve decided to startup my prep work to dominate my Oscar pools. Last year I participated in a pool and I had a great time trying to watch the nominated films and make some educated picks. I quickly realized I didn’t have enough time to watch them all so I’m going to start watching now. Not only will my movie watching make me better informed for Oscar time, it’ll also force me to keep up with my films (in a time where I’ve been terrible with my Netflix queue.)

So even though Oscar nominations probably won’t come out til the end of January, I’m going to get a head start by choosing some films from the Golden Globes nominees. Here’s my list of films I think could get Oscar nods:

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Burn After Reading
• Revolutionary Road
• Milk
• Doubt
• Slumdog Millionaire
• The Dark Knight
• The Wrestler
• Frost/Nixon
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• In Bruges
• The Reader
• Happy-Go-Lucky

So fire up my Netflix queue and grab your movie tickets- I’m playing to win this year!

Update: I had so much fun treating The Oscars like a fantasy sport I’m making this an annual tradition! Click on the Oscar Watch link above to see all my Oscar reviews and subscribe to my RSS feed to get all my reviews for this year’s Oscar watch!

Tags: burn after reading, doubt, fantasy sports, film & video, frost/nixon, golden globes, happy-go-lucky, in bruges, milk, netflix, oscar watch, oscars, revolutionary road, slumdog millionaire, the curious case of benjamin button, the dark knight, the reader, the wrestler, vicky cristina barcelona

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

My life has been getting busy as you may have read- a big part of the time suck has been writing blogs. Now I love writing blogs and I feel that it’s a great way to express and write about what’s going on in my life- however I think I’m going to have to tone back the frequency of my posts.

These past few months I’ve hit somewhere close to 10-20 posts a month, which blows my 4 a month pace out of the water.

I think what I want to try and do is cutback to around 1-2 posts a weekend that will focus on the weekend. Sunday recaps aren’t going anywhere but I’m going to have to pull back on my fantasy football obsession. I’ll try and just limit it to Fridays. My rants will still be posted midweek- just not every week. Who needs to hear me rant all the time anywho.

You’ll probably posts during the week as I have also become an author for another blog- really exciting stuff that you’ll hear more of later. I’ll try and post links to my new writings.

So that makes three blogs I write for- doesn’t sound like I’m cutting back.

Tags: blog, fantasy sports, webpage

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Ray Oldenburg defines The Third Place as the environment for social interaction outside of work and home, the two typical environments that we thrive in.

I need that Third Place.

I really feel that I haven’t been as productive at home as I would like- it took me almost all summer just to finish all changes to this blog. I also wasn’t as productive as I wanted to be when it came to draft prep this fantasy football season.

I think the reason is that I am too distracted while I am cooped up in my room. I can easily procrastinate while at home (napping is a big part of that) and I think that by changing my venue- I can focus better on the task at hand. I also think the social environment will bode better instead of spending my days in solitary confinement inside my room.

So I think I’m going to start looking for that Third Place. I realize that hunkering down at a Starbucks with my laptop will instantly put me into that Yuppie group- but I think I now realize why the Yuppies do it. At least I can say I’m not working on my new screenplay (but maybe I should while I’m out there.)

I’ve already written about this idea over at New Persuasion, so I have a good idea of what I want to look for when searching for my Third Place:

• Free WiFi
• Easy access to a power outlet (my laptop is a power hog)
• Coffee (my body is a power hog)
• A manageable amount of people
• Late hours (I am a night owl)

So after looking at the Free Wifi Directory I have drafted up a list of places I want to check out:

• Busboy & Poets (Shirlington)
• Open City
• Tryst
• Panera Bread
• Perks Cafe & Coffeehouse
• Cosi
• Wegman’s (you gotta ready my NP post to understand)

So I think every week I’m going to try a place or two- maybe I’ll find the place where I can be at peace.

How about you- do any of you have a third place to recommend me?

Tags: blog, fantasy sports, favorites, rants, ray oldenburg, webpage

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

You would think I was playing the game for years, but this fall will only be my third.

I first started Fantasy Football when I was offered a spot on my office league in 2006. After joining some failed leagues in college, I was still interested enough to actually see what Fantasy Football was all about. I have to say that in that magical year I was hooked. I didn’t know anyone in the NFL and it showed in my first ever Fantasy Football draft. Many mistakes were made, whether it was drafting Clinton Portis the day he was injured in training camp or drafting Mark Brunell as my #1 QB (I must of tried to get all the Redskins) who later got benched after nine games of sucking. I ended up close to last place that year but I already caught the bug- I was going to come back next year and not embarrass myself.

Well last year I certainly prepared for the draft- I read everything I could on players and mock drafted until I knew who were the top picks to get. I started off strong last year but then ran until a tough mid-season where I ended up missing the playoffs by a win. I blame last year on first pick Shaun Alexander. I stayed with him too long while keeping an unknown rookie named Adrian Peterson on the bench. My opinions on Alexander are now rather low- I’m not touch him again, I’d rather play LaMont Jordan (which I often did last season- wow no wonder I did bad, I played LaMont Jordnan!?!)

This year is going to be different. With a couple of years of experience under my belt I’m ready to breakout like a third year wide receiver who’s finally mastered the offensive scheme.

The first step is preparation for the draft. I read a lot last year but this year I now have a good idea of how to efficiently and effectively prepare myself for the upcoming season here’s an outline of my draft preparation roadmap:

1. Player Projections - There’s two books I want to review before I rank a single player. The Pro Football Prospectus is an annual preview of the upcoming football season. It includes stats and projections of players and teams using formulas and math similar to Sabermetrics in baseball. I figured I’ll browse through and get myself familiar to different player situations and exceptions. I’ll also use a lot of the knowledge I’ve read from David Dorey’s Fantasy Football The Next Level: How to Build a Championship Team Every Season. Diana bought it for me last year for Christmas and it’s been really helpful in learning how to study and project a player’s future performance. I’ll prolly read up and then find some time to lock myself away for a day and form some opinions.
2. The Fantasy Experts - After forming my own ideas then I’ll be ready to compare them to what the so called “experts” have to say. A lot of sites have tons of draft kits and articles including ESPN, CBS Sportsline, Yahoo! Sports, Fox Sports, Sporting News, The Huddle, FFToolbox, and KFFL- a long list I know but at least it’s comprehensive!
3. The Draft Strategy - One of the things I learned from reading Dorey’s book was the emphasis on drafting based on your league’s scoring system. What types of players excel in your league’s scoring format? I’ll be sure to take a minute before drafting to figure that out using some cool charts and graphs- it wouldn’t be geeky if I didn’t try some math!
4. Mock Draft - It’s nerve wracking when you have 90 seconds or less to make pick a player. Like last year I’ll be participating in a few mock drafts to get a feel for where players are getting taken and to get used to being, “on the clock”. This year a lot of sites are offering free mock drafts including, CBS Sportsline, ESPN, and The Sporting News.

Four steps to the start of another action packed season. It seems simple but I’m curious to see how my new revised preparation schedule will do. I plan on preparing for the draft in August so we’ll see how it goes.

Tags: clinton portis, fantasy football, fantasy sports, mark brunell, redskins

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Before I start talking about what I really want to blog about- a quick recap on the week.

I really didn’t do a whole lot this weekend- and that’s perfectly fine with me. Thursday I went to Caron Butler’s Birthday Party at the Park on 14th. Carolyn got me in and we enjoyed living the rich snooty prep life for a night. We waited outside the door for only a couple of minutes before we were let in, the bouncer denied entrance to a guy for not wearing a collared shirt and he got angry (thank goodness I dressed the part that night.) I’ve never been to the lounges on K Street, but it was everything I expected and more: swanky digs, expensive drinks, and people who think they are too good to look at you. I was just fine with that because Carolyn and I enjoyed the music, expensive drinks, and partying with a lot of Washington Sports types and Carmen Electra. After that night I was left wanting to take it easy for the weekend.

And so that I did- I saw the Harlem Globetrotters for a bit and Burak and I went to the Bruins/Capitals game but otherwise no major going out.

Now let me tell you what I’m really excited about: March Madness and Fantasy Baseball. Today was Selection Sunday and the field of 65 is now set. Lots of DC favorites are in including George Mason, American, and Georgetown. I’m excited to hopefully be able to go to a few of the games hosted here in town at the Verizon Center.

I’m already in several pools (both for fun and for money)- I’m running one on Facebook and I’m also in one on Yahoo! and one in my office. I can’t wait to sit down and make my picks.

Of course I want to try and make some educated decisions, sometimes the reading and analysis I do for Fantasy Baseball and Football is intense- just ask my co-workers who see me drag along my binder full of reading material. It’s not going to guarantee victory, but playing and reading about these games helps me become more knowledgeable next time I go to a baseball, football, or basketball game. I also enjoy becoming a geek in something- why not fantasy sports?

I just joined my third league in baseball- I suppose there’s no stopping me becoming a fantasy sports geek now.

Tags: blog, capitals, caron butler, fantasy sports, fun times with friends, k street, march madness, verizon center

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Monday I went to the second (or third or fourth- I really lost count) Capitals game of the season- which was against the Bruins. I love seeing my hometown sports teams, I definitely have seen more of them here than back home.

Of course I had to bring a hometown girl- so Wendi, Caitlin, Lauren, and I went to the game and it didn’t go well for Bs. They lost 10-2. I’ve never seen so much scoring in a hockey game ever. The Bruins were so bad they even lost in the fights. Now I remembered why nobody cares about the Bruins back home.

The rest of the week has been chill, doing some research on grad school as well as fantasy baseball. I’m so excited for another long ass season of roster management. This year Sean set everything up for a points league just like fantasy football and that’s gotten me really excited about the season. I’m also thinking about starting a league at work maybe.

Last night Adam and I hit Georgetown where we stopped by at a party for a local Obama supporter. Afterwards he showed me around Guards and it definitely had a pumpin’ dance scene- reminded me of a really upscale Wine Cellar (a local place back in Fitchburg which consisted of lots of dancing and little space.)

Ok well I just got a fresh cut and now it’s time to hop into the shower and do some taxes. Gotta get work done cause Patrick’s coming to visit tomorrow!

Tags: barack obama, blog, bruins, capitals, fantasy sports, fun times with friends, georgetown, grad school

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Well it’s once again time for Oscar, and this year I thought I’d pay some more attention to it than I usually do. Gayle runs a very nice Oscar pool and I thought that this year I’d give it a shot. So I approached this year’s Oscars much like I approach Fantasy Football- with a good deal of research. So these past two weeks I’ve been watching a lot of Oscar films and trying to make educated decisions about who to pick. Educated decisions has been a recent trend with me: first I dive into fantasy baseball and football, now I’m making sure I read up on Presidential Candidates and Oscar picks.

Ok well here are my short takes on this year’s nominees:

Best Picture

• Atonement- Won the Golden Globe and has that great plot twist that makes this film more than a chick flick
• Juno – Smart and witty- obivously this year’s Little Miss Sunshine; so for the same reasons that it’s too indie will probably not win
• Michael Clayton- Saw it on Blu-Ray this week and I LOVED it, a great thriller but I’m afraid it’s doesn’t have the big buzz that Best Picture flicks get
• No Country For Old Men- I personally don’t think it’s the best film out of this group but it’s a riveting movie that’s very well done and has the momentum to win it all
• There Will Be Blood- It has epic written all over it: the setting of the frontier, the great acting from Daniel Day-Lewis, and the powerful themes make this a heavy hitter

I think the winner will be: No Country For Old Men, it’s the favorite with all the momentum it needs to coast it to a win- however I can also see There Will Be Blood getting the nod as well, it’ll be a close one.

Best Actor

• George Clooney (Michael Clayton)- Great performance, well deserviing to be in this group but not enough to win against the rest
• Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)- Powerful acting played a crucial role that made There Will Be Blood so great
• Johnny Depp (Sweeny Todd)- Didn’t see the movie but figured he got a nomination for being Johnny Depp, he’s so good at playing interesting characters that captivate you
• Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah)- Interesting film but don’t really know why it’s in this mix- it’s more story driven than character driven.
• Viggo Moretensen (Eastern Promises)- Unless the Academy loves naked fight scenes- I kinda wonder why he got a nomination

I think the winner will be: Daniel Day-Lewis, clearly stands out from this group and his performance really drives the undertones of his film.

Best Actress

• Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age)- I wasn’t interested too much in seeing the first film, not in a rush to see this film
• Julie Christie (Away From Her)- When you give a great performance in a role that encounters dramatic change or challenges- it results in Oscar gold and Christie has done that
• Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)- Didn’t see it but from what I’ve read it makes sense that she got nominated, typical biopic nod
• Laura Linney (The Savages)- Didn’t see this one either but Linney is a great actress who’s been noiminated in the past
• Ellen Page (Juno)- Her performance MADE this film, in fact if I had to choose, I’d give it to her

I think the winner will be: Julie Christie, I feel her character arc will put her above the rest

Best Supporting Actor

• Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jessie James…)- It’s good to see someone in the Affleck family getting Oscar nominations
• Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)- LOVED this performance, really steals the lead actor role from Josh Brolin
• Philip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson’s War)- Loved this film and loved Hoffman’s character, but I don’t think it’s the tops
• Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild)- Didn’t see this movie but I’ll file this one under Ruby Dee
• Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)- Powerful performance of a crazed man, if I could give 2nd place here I’d give it to him

I think the winner will be: Javier Bardem, hands down

Best Supporting Actress

• Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There)- I didn’t see this one either but I heard her role was the best in the ensemble
• Ruby Dee (American Gangster)- The Academy loves to honor actors for their body of work, which is prolly why she got this nod- I didn’t think she played a big role in American Gangster
• Saoirse Ronan (Atonement)- Her character was interesting, too bad she couldn’t play her character when she got older-definately a contender
• Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)- I kinda feel that like Jennifer Garner in Juno, the role wasn’t too interesting to me
• Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)- See above, loved the film but her role was too small however well done (at least it wasn’t as small as Ruby Dee’s)

I think the winner will be: If the Academy wants to honor a great actress, Ruby Dee; if the Academy awards the best performance, Saoirse Ronan

The Other Winners

• Best Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen (No Country For Old Men)- It’s going to be a close one between this and Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood), I can see one of these two winning
• Best Screenplay (Original): Diablo Cody (Juno)- She has the buzz and her first screenplay, Juno, is a hit
• Best Screenplay (Adapted): Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (No Country For Old Men)- I’m starting to regret this pick, I just have a feeling that the Coen brothers are going to win big on Sunday but maybe it’s more realistic to keep it down to two wins, I can also see Christopher Hampton winning for Atonement
• Best Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey (Atonement)- I wanted to try and give Atonement an Oscar somewhere
• Best Editing: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen (No Country For Old Men)- See Best Screenplay (Adapted), I really want Christopher Rouse to win for The Bourne Ultimatum
• Best Art Direction: Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock (The Golden Compass)- I’m going to give it to the more fantasical production
• Best Costume Design: Colleen Atwood (Sweeny Todd)- See above, I think Sweeny Todd needs a nod somewhere
• Best Makeup: Didier Lavergne, Jan Archibald (La Vie En Rose)- Norbitt and Priates just won’t win
• Best Original Score: Dario Marianelli (Atonement)- Love the typewriter motifs
• Best Original Song: Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz (Enchanted)-It’s easy to say these two people will win, I just had Mallory pick a song and she told me that “That’s How You Know” was good
• Best Sound Mixing: Scott Millan, David Parker, Kirk Francis (The Bourne Ultimatum)- Either this one or Transformers, however I can also see No Country For Old Men or There Will Be Blood just dominating tech categories based on buzz
• Best Sound Editing: Matthew Wood (There Will Be Blood) – Same as above, maybe The Bourne Ultimatum will win or the two powerhouses
• Best Visual Effects: Michael L. Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris, Trevor Wood (The Golden Compass)- The whole movie was an effect, but maybe Transformers will get it
• Best Animated Feature Film: Ratatouille- Disney just dominates
• Best Foreign Language Film: The Counterfeiters- Based on plot summaries, I liked this one the best
• Best Feature Documentary: No End in Sight- With four nominees based on war, I think this one will win with it’s relation to current events
• Best Short Subject Documentary: Sari’s Mother- Again based on summaries this one interest me the most
• Best Animated Short: Peter & the Wolf- It looked cute but I also liked Meme les pigeons vont au paradis and Madame Tutli-Putli
• Best Short Film: Tanghi argentini- Just picked the last one at random, sometimes it just about luck

Well it was really hard trying to pick the Oscars for the first time, but now I’m actually excited to watch the big show this Sunday

Tags: alan menkin, amy ryan, anna pinnock, atonement, away from her, ben morris, bill westenhofer, bourne ultimatum, casey affleck, cate blanchett, christopher hampton, christopher rouse, colleen atwood, daniel day lewis, dario marianelli, david parker, dennis gassner, diablo cody, didier lavergne, eastern promises, elizabeth, ellen page, enchanted, ethan coen, fantasy sports, film & video, george clooney, gone baby gone, hal holbrook, in the valley of elah, into the wild, jan archibald, javier bardem, joel coen, johnny depp, julie christie, juno, kirk francis, la vie en rose, laura linney, little miss sunshine, marion cotillard, michael clayton, no country for old men, oscar watch, oscars, paul thomas anderson, philip seymour hoffman, ratatouille, ruby dee, saoirse ronan, scott millan, seamus mcgarvey, stephen schwartz, sweeny todd, the golden compass, the savages, there will be blood, tilda swinton, tom wilkinson, tommy lee jones, trevor wood, viggo moretensen

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

As the fogginess clears from New Years and we all take an extra nap for that headache we all woke up with (not me of course- I don’t get those) I’d like to once again take a minute to reflect on what the hell just happened this past year.

School

My college days are moving further and further into distant memory. Last year I spoke about Grad School and 2008 will be my exploratory year into serious thought about the subject. I’m really interested in going back and this year I’m going to sit down and work it all out. I don’t know where and I don’t know for what but I know that I’m ready to figure it out.

Work

I had a great year at work. I was exposed to a lot of travel and new experiences- everything from following racers in the Bull Run Rally, to pushing GM’s newest electric vehicle. My travels took me from ghetto fabulous Detroit to ghetto fabulous Miami. New co-workers has led to new friendships and even better lunches in the edit suite. I hope 2008 will not only has great- but better than 2007. I am energized to step up and make an impact in 2008.

Friends

Like I wrote above, my friends at work continue to be a good time. From the moments with Chanelle to schemes with Krissy and Ryan to baked goods from Mallory and let’s not forget the sports commentary from Neal. Birthday office pranks have shown that with enough newspaper and awesome interns, work can be very enjoyable. Thanks to Rachel and Jessica for keeping the workplace entertaining in as little as 20 hours a week (maybe 5 hours a week when talking about Jess.)

In 2007 friends like Falkor and Wendi have moved into the area and has led to many great times. Other friends have moved away like Diana, Ben, and Lindsay and that has made me sad. Some friends spent a short time here, like Patrice and Colleen and made things interesting. As always Sarah, Doug, Laura and Emily have made trips to Renaissance Festivals and Hershey Park fun. CJ and Eliza throw awesome Maryland tailgate parties and know how to have a good time in B’more. Jessie has taught me that half Asians are just as good as the 100% variety.

I really enjoyed the conversations I’ve shared with Rebecca in 2007; anything from my stupid love life to other details- she’s been a great friend to have down here in DC. I’m excited that Adam, Camille, Sara, and Charlotte have made me appreciate the nights out on U-Street, the new neighborhood I discovered in 2007. Watch out Adams Morgan!

Something I’ve come to appreciate in 2007 is as life goes on you’ll always have friends no matter where you move off to. My visits back home made me realize who my lifelong friends were going to be. I can’t go back home without giving Bill or Dave a call. Patrick and I continue to keep in touch and I think that in 2007 our friendship has become even stronger post high school. Catching up with Mike and Joe feels like it was only yesterday that we were all roommates in TH404.

Life with my five crazy roommates has been better than ever in 2007. Adam has introduced me to some awesome new friends in LJ. Burak always makes living in this house unpredictable. Laura has become the first ever female resident to Cleveland Street- and in 2008 we will see the female population double in the house. She’s also got Burak and I into a Kickball league which has led to many more new friends and experiences.

This past week has made me realize that sometimes life changes, sometimes people change. I’m thankful to know that I have such a great group of friends and I know that all my friends will continue to make every year a great one.

Family

It’s exciting to see Diana starting her career in publishing in NYC. The lovely gifts she gave at Xmas shows that she’s going to do a great job. Kim is quickly making her mark at my old alma mater- I’m proud of all the accomplishments she’s doing there. Danny? Well he’s having fun at CHS and I guess that’s all we can hope for.

Love

Two words to describe the women of 2007. Crazy Bitches.

Besides the fact I need to meet normal people- I’m starting to realize that there have been some vestiges of the past that I should really stop even trying with. As Bill just told me, “fuck FSC bitches.” That I will- well not to that extent.

The dating scene in 07 included stupid drama with girls hundreds of miles away, one or two scientists (you wouldn’t believe how many of them there are in this town,) and chasing girls that are just teases or crazy- maybe both. Let’s also mix in a couple first dates for good measure.

Over the summer I dated Marjorie and reminded me why I like girls from the South… and also why I shouldn’t date girls from the south. She fit Rebecca’s sterotype of women I date. I think I need to fix that, maybe date girls who are a bit taller. Marjorie was good while it lasted and she taught me a lot about dealing with women.

Goals for 2008? Avoid crazy girls. That’s about it.

Travel and Special Events

Besides work I did a little bit of traveling during the year. The OBX was a blast and the videos that spawn off from my second annual trip excites me for the fun times we’ll have in 2008- double the houses means double the fun!

The Three-way birthday party was by far one of the best ideas Krissy, Ryan, and I have come up with. I think it needs to make a return in 2008. I should also note that Krissy has awesome friends that I’ve gotten to know in 2007 and I’m looking forward to awesome theme parties in 2008.
People got married in 2007. My cousin Mai, Krissy, Christina, and Mallory. These Weddings proved that I have no skills in dancing- even after a few drinks. People also got engaged in 2007: Melanie, Rebecca, and Dave (the first wedding where I’m in the party.) This means that 2008 will have a couple more nuptials I’ll get to see. Did people have babies in 2007? Prolly but I’m too young to think about babies.

I celebrated my 30th DMB show in Bristow with front row tickets, made a return trip to North Carolina to see the Tarheels play, and attended my high school five-year reunion.

I still haven’t taken that cruise but I think it’ll be a good vacation to take before I start Grad School- that prolly means 2009.

In Conclusion

Made some headway with my videos- I hope slowing down on these Wedding projects will give me time to tackle some side projects I really hope to do. I have some new ideas for my blog that I hope to implement in 2008 and I still need to find that hobby. I know that Fantasy Baseball and Football has become a year round hobby- but maybe something with more people. 2007 has given flavor to a new life that start back in 2006. I hope 2008 will continue to bring good times while also firming up the direction of where I want to go in the future.

Tags: adams morgan, blog, fantasy sports, favorites, feelings/reflections, friends, girls, grad school, travel, u-street, year in review

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Back in DC, and I just found out that I won my weekly football pool! Yes.

Tags: blog, fantasy sports

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

First off I got to express my joy to see the Sox clinch the American League East as well as the best record in the MLB this week. I’m psyched to not see the Red Sox totally screw it up at the end of the season (see end of 2006 season.) Too bad it appears I’m about to settle for 4th place in my fantasy baseball league. It’s a drop from my third place finish last year but at least I have fantasy football.
I’ve been busy with lots of work this week. Long hours have really kept me from doing anything fun. I did get a break however on Friday where I went bowling at the Naval Medical Center with Melissa and Hollie (it appears they have a pretty cheap bowling center.) The part I love the best: cheap subsidized food. Makes me wish I actually worked at NIH, but then again I’m not that smart.

Yesterday I went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival with all my favorites. It was quite the experience, turkey legs, sword fights, and jousting were abundant, so were the extreme fans that actually dressed up in costumes. It wasn’t that bad, the shows were pretty entertaining. I’d still call my Diana and Kim dorks for going to them however.

Ok well it’s almost time for week 4 of football. Here’s to a big fantasy comeback!

Tags: baseball, bethesda, blog, bowling, fantasy sports, nih, red sox, renaissance festival, stress

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

My love for football has grown steadily since college. From watching Patriots games freshman year to fantasy football last year. Now I’m in two fantasy football leagues and I’m even enjoying watching college football games. My how love flourishes. I think I may have reached the point where Sundays are just going to be useless.

This past week I drafted my team in my office league, I’m satisfied with my choices. I grabbed Shaun Alexander and Tony Romo and even drafted two players that caused me grief last year, LaMont Jordan and Joey Galloway; however with all the preparation I did this year I made sure I grabbed them later in the draft so I wasn’t wasting my picks. Man I feel like a football dork.
But back to Earth for a minute, I enjoyed Labor Day by watching Superbad with Doug. It is by far one of the best movies I’ve seen since Anchorman. It’s the American Pie for a new generation… which really doesn’t make sense since we are the American Pie generation… oh well.

Wednesday’s kickball match was an utterly disappointing loss but we made it up in flipcup afterwards. Ya I woke up the next day without my contacts, car, and sharpie on my left arm. It was one of those nights.

Friday we all celebrated Emily and Laura’s birthday at, where else, Union Jacks. It was an ok night- I wasn’t feeling the tunes the DJ was pumping out.

I don’t know why but last week was all about not sleeping. After three hours of sleep on Wednesday I got just about the same amount after Union Jacks. Why? Because I was smart enough to schedule to bring my car in for an oil change at 8 AM on a Saturday. Ugh- never again. The state inspector was out so that means I gotta bring my car back- and I have to fix my turn signal light before I can get it inspected… great…

At least last night was fun… kinda. Sarah, LJ and his sister Leigh, and I went to the Red Sox/Oriole’s game. LJ and Leigh are Sox fans and I was excited to get a chance to see Dice-K pitch. However Dice-K kinda blew the game and I had to put up with mocking from Sarah instead.

The times after the baseball game were much better. We all went to Fells Point and met out with Cliff and Eliza at Max’s. It was a pretty cool bar with all kinds of different beer but more importantly, multiple TV’s showing all kinds of NCAA games. LJ and I were engrossed with the SFU/Auburn game. It was an intense game that came down to overtime. If you arn’t familiar with NCAA rules for overtime in football, then you should check them out, it lends for lots of suspense.

Ok enough writing I gotta get back to watching the Redskins game- Portis isn’t doing that bad so far… maybe I should of drafted him again too.

Tags: american pie, anchorman, baltimore, bethesda, blog, camden yards, clinton portis, daisuke matsuzaka, fantasy football, fantasy sports, football, joey galloway, kickball, lamont jordan, orioles, patriots, red sox, redskins, shaun alexander, superbad, tony romo

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

When life gets slow during the day, I’ve been getting really into Fantasy Football. Well I gotta get into something since Fantasy Baseball is slowing down soon. So far I’m doing well in my Yahoo! League, and I completed a couple of mock drafts to prepare for my office football league- I don’t wanna suck like I did last year. I know I must sound like a dork, but fantasy sports are pretty cool. It is one of the rare times I enjoy analyzing lots of information.

So it’s been a really up and down week for me- but luckily the ups ended up being better than the downs. Wednesday all of my friends gathered for a goodbye dinner for Evan, Diana, Lindsay, and Ben at Buca di Beppo. It was an Italian restaurant specializing in “Immigrant Dinners” as the window read. The place had a real family look- the walls were plastered with old black and white family photographs and the food was served in gigantic portions for 2-4 people. It was a good way to send off our friends. This fall is going to be really different without them around- I know that my life down here will be totally different without them.

Thursday Adam and I traveled to Baltimore to check out the Mariners/Orioles game. The weather held out for the most part- there was a 15-minute rain delay when we arrived and once the game started we got wet from some more rain, but it wasn’t too bad. We met up with Adam’s friend LJ where they proceeded to drink 40s in a matter of five minutes in the parking lot. It was a real high scoring game and it was great to see Ichiro up-close.

Friday Krissy invited me to go out with Mark, Gina, and a bunch of her friends. We went out to Tony and Joe’s before heading over to Old Glory and Mie n Yu. It was a really great night out- Krissy’s friends were really nice people and I had a real quality time. Highlight of the night had to be the bathroom at Mie n Yu. The whole place had this really nice Asian lounge feel and the look went all the way down to the unisex bathroom in the basement. The stalls were the nicest I’ve ever seen in a bar and the sinks were old oaken barrels with rocks. I think we took 30 photos down in that bathroom, luckily the attendant didn’t mind.

Saturday Marjorie and I went to Nissan Pavilion to see Dave Matthews Band. For my 30th show- I had such a great time. My review of the show will be posted on Nancies.org soon. Before the show I was able to meet up with LJ and Kevin and I enjoyed a lot of great drink and conversation. I am surprised that Marjorie and I finished an entire bottle of JD- and I was also surprised that Gatorade and Jack did not taste as bad as it sounds. You gotta do what you gotta do when you run out of Coke. After the show, we went to Marjorie’s favorite place in all of Prince William County- Wa-Wa. It’s a mid-atlantic chain of gas stations/food marts. It’s kinda like Sheetz. After that we got lost for awhile but we eventually made it back to the district.

So it’s been a great week and I’m sure another one is just around the corner. Right now I’m starving and I need to get some lunch.

Tags: baltimore, baseball, blog, dmb, fantasy sports, food, fun times with friends, georgetown, girls, ichiro, montgomery county, orioles, sheetz, wa-wa

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Last post I said it was going to be one of those weeks. It’s one of those weeks. I’ve been working non-stop, trying to manage multiple projects at once. I like the challenge of what’s going on and I kinda feel good about being able to step-up and take the challenge head on. However I’ve noticed that it’s really easy to get sucked into just focusing on work, and leaving the rest of your life behind. I felt a little bit like that this week. I felt great about managing work but realized I could easily lose myself in it if I’m not careful. Conclusion? I need to make this weekend about myself, make sure I revisit other parts of my life I don’t want to leave by the curb.

In other news my office just got an Nintendo Wii, and I played it today, and I already think it’s really cool. I didn’t get a lot of face time with it but I can see it really being something different than the PC games I typically play. I kinda wanna get one of my own and play Wii Sports all day long. This is probably as Asian I will get about the subject. Unlike others I do not spend hours playing DDR or Guitar Hero.

So what’s my plan this weekend? Well I don’t want to stay in for another weekend but quite a few people are going home for Easter. I didn’t know that was a holiday people went home for, I guess it makes sense. Well I think tomorrow I should go out maybe a little if I can rest up today, Saturday I should catch up on dreaded videos, and Sunday I’m going to the Nationals game with Rebecca.

Also fantasy baseball is now in full effect and I am welcoming it with open arms. I’m also glad to see that an Asian can rock baseball once again.

Tags: baseball, blog, dance dance revolution, fantasy sports, guitar hero, holidays, nationals, stress, wii, work

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I am excited. I am excited for fantasy sports. I am excited for March Madness. I’m excited for nice weather. What I’m not excited about is being tired.

I pulled off two trips to the Verizon Center: first on Tuesday for a Raptors/Wizard’s game and then on Friday for a Capital’s game. Ben and I went to the Wizards game, it was a total domination of the Toronto Raptors, a thrashing that left me wondering what sport Canada doesn’t suck at? Maybe it’s Hockey. Dan decided to make the game a little more interesting with a little wager on the total points of the game. I grossly miscalculated the scoring potential. One of Margaret’s friends won the pot. It was my first time traveling down there by car, which I carpooled with Margaret. Amazingly DC isn’t that bad at night.

Friday I went to the Capital’s game with Rebecca- and it was a lot of fun. There was a fight which kept me entertained as the home team lost. Of course after seeing numerous National’s game I’m used to see a DC team lose. After the game I got a word that Doug, Sarah, and Emily were in my hood at Dr. Dreamo’s. Carolyn and I went down there to meet up and enjoy the many selection of beers they had to offer. It’s too bad they don’t sell any liquor. I should go back and check it out when the open the beach patio. After throwing some darts that night I’ve come to realize that I should stop trying to put money into Jukeboxes- they never play the song you want.

There’s been a lot of transient faces at my house- my roommate Simon brought back some drunk chick who proceeded to spend the entire night in the bathroom washing her face and throwing up. However she also cleaned the entire bathroom when I got up. That’s gotta be a plus.

Last night I went out with Melissa to Union Jacks, and I had a really fun night. Melissa certainly dances to her own beat. I also noticed an influx of older gentlemen, definitely higher than usual. Now dancing with 20 somethings when you’re 70 is one thing, trying to get their numbers after last call is something else. Gross.

This new Daylight Savings Time situation has left me with even less sleep than usual. I walked in last night and wondered how I was out for that long. I don’t like how my computer updated the time but my VCR didn’t. I know this will probably lead to problems in a month.

Oh I just thought of more things to be excited about: WWE Raw at tomorrow (I know, real high class Patrick- but at least the Donald will be in town) and St. Patrick’s Day. Let’s hope I can make it through the week first.

Tags: bethesda, blog, capitals, clarendon, daylight savings time, donald trump, fantasy sports, fun times with friends, holidays, march madness, nationals, raptors, raw, wager, weather, wizards, work, wwe

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I had a nice rest of the weekend I must say. Last night I went out with Melissa and I ended up all over the place. We originally was supposed to meet up to catch a movie at the Landmark on E Street but Melissa ran into some metro problems on the way. I waited it out in Barnes and Noble and browsed around. In my recent wanderings in bookstores I keep browsing through books on investing and mutual funds. I have a 401k like many of the employed out in the world, and right now I have it managed for me by somebody that is prolly playing with my money in any which way. I’ve been hearing that I should take control of my money, but I have no idea where to start. I get inspired when I walk through the personal finance section of the bookstores but I haven’t done anything yet. Like Ellen says, “We don’t know how much time we have here so don’t put off procrastination.” I also browsed through the magazines and realized it’s almost baseball season- which means it’s almost time for fantasy baseball season, I really hope Sean gets a league together again this year.

Ok back to last night, so Melissa shows up and we go on a whirlwind tour of drinkaries about DC. Dupont, Adams Morgan, even a little Bethesda all in one night. I’ll tell you I felt like I walked all over the place but we had a pretty fun time. I’m beginning to get recognized at Ventor’s Sports Cafe, we walked in and the bartender recognized me, why? Yes because I’m Asian. Oh to be a minority.

Watched the Super Bowl over at Sarah/Lindsay/Doug’s house and it was a pretty rawking time for the first half… then the Colt’s decided to start winning. That sucked. But it was nice to be with the crew, Ben’s back in the country and it was great to see him around.

I’m waiting to throw some more laundry in downstairs, makes me want to buy some more clothes so I don’t have to wash them so often.. but does that really solve the problem? Probably not.

Tags: barnes and noble, blog, fantasy sports, washington dc

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Well September definitely ended with a bang, more like sparks- work this week was full of more late nights and deadlines. The final one on Thursday came complete with work drama that I did not really want to deal with. Well all I can say is that it is over and I have learned and coped and hopefully I will never go through a month like that again.

Big news for my car- it is really mine. Last week I gave up my Massachusetts license, plates, and title, in exchange for all Virginia credentials. To get all of these things involved long lines at the DMV, state inspections, car insurance, and expensive repairs to my car. Of course my window is still broken- it is going to cost another $300 to fix it. I will get it done later- I have spent enough money this month. Between entertaining Kim and Brenna, fixing up my car, and paying for car insurance- I am in the hole $800 + this month. That really really sucks. I guess in October I will be not spending any money.

For more pleasant news- I had a great weekend. Saturday I went out with Tobi to the National Zoo. I had a really great time- we saw Pandas, brown flamingos, and elephants. Today I went to the Redskins game with Chanelle. Dan was nice enough to offer me some tickets with him in a very luxurious suite. We had food served to us and it was an amazing view of the game. The Redskins won in overtime- with both Clinton Portis and Byron Leftwich scoring me major points for my fantasy football team. Chanelle was really intense with her cheering- she even knew the fight song.

Well I have a lot to look forward to in October, company retreat and Halloween at the end of the month, a trip home for Mai’s engagement party next weekend, and a lot of wild times in between. I look forward to it- I know I deserve it after last month.

Tags: blog, byron leftwich, carolla, clinton portis, fantasy sports, girls, massachusetts, national zoo, redskins