Good Bye Christmas Until Next Year

The holiday has passed once again and now the bank account needs to recover from a shopping spree. The good news is that I didn't use my credit card for one purchase, the bad news is that I have about fifty dollars until January 14th. That leads me to my primary New Year's resolution, which is for me to save money. Part one of this goal is to pay off any credit card debt. Part two is to maintain at least a $3000 balance in my checking account at all times and part three is to begin saving money so someday I won't waste money away on rent. Obviously this won't be easy, but I am determined to accomplish these goals by the end of 2005. Any donations will be gladly accepted in the pursuit of this goal ;o)

Okay now back to the past week. Jennifer and I did Christmas on the 23rd, we started by walking through the monsoon to Rustic Kitchen. The food was yummy, afterwards we opened up presents. I got a nice new long wool coat, a 1-UP tshirt, new iPod headphones, hot chocolate and a photo for the house in Maine. Dec 23rd Christmas Photos

On Christmas eve I stayed in most of the day and did laundry. Later in the afternoon I left and went to my dad's house for a small party. I went over to Nissa's house for her little party and then I drove to Somerville. I basically repeated that for the next two days. Drive to Amesbury... hang out... drive to Somerville. On the 26th Jennifer came back from CT and we drove up to Amesbury for the 39R Christmas. 39R Christmas Photos

It was snowing heavily, but we still ended up driving to Maine. It took four hours, but we finally made it to Bethel. The next morning we woke up and the high was supposed to be 5 at the summit and 17 at the base. We went up to the mountain and signed Jennifer up for her lesson. I met her after the lesson and I was happy to see a big smile on her face. We sat in the lodge a little while to warm up and then skiied a few runs before going home. Later on we went to dinner at Noelle's house and had an amazing time. It was so nice to be having dinner with such great and interesting people. The next day we woke up to find the temperature was five degrees below zero. This morning we took our time and got up to the mountain at 10:30. The first two hours of the day we stayed down in South Ridge and Jennifer successfully skiied every trail down there before taking a break. After the break we headed for Dreammaker. I was relieved when Jennifer said she liked it. She did very well and didn't have any problems at all. We stopped up at the Peak Lodge and had lunch before taking one last run down Dreammaker. We made it down safely and went back home. Jennifer said she had a lot of fun and really enjoyed skiing. Woohoo!!!! Jen Skiing

Here is something I found while looking for something my grandmother used to say many years ago:
"GOG."

(_TO THE AUTHOR OF "JONG," PUNCH, SEPTEMBER 19TH._)

O singer sublime of Beeyah-byyah-bunniga-nelliga-jong,
It isn't envy, the green and yellow,
That makes me take up my lyre, old fellow,
And burst with a fierce cacophonous bellow
Across the path of your song.
I want to propose another name,
Unknown to you and unknown to fame;
It is like the sound of a hand-sawn log
Or the hostile hark of a husky dog:
Chagogagog-munchogagog-chabun-agungamog!

This cracker of jaws is a lake, I'm told,
A lake in the U.S.A.,
And first the Indians, the red sort, owned it,
But later to Uncle Sam they loaned it,
Who afterwards made no bones, but boned it
In the fine Autolycus way;
And though life wasn't a matter vital
He kept with the lake its rasping title,
Which recalls the croak of an amorous frog
Or a siren heard in an ocean fog:
Chagogagog-munchogagog-chabun-agungamog!

Christmas Time

Wow the season is now upon us and so far I have had a wonderful holiday. Of course I did spend more money than I should have, but on the bright side I didn't charge one thing, now thats progress. In the past I have had less than spectacular holidays, however this one is shaping up to be very good. Last night I finished the top secret Christmas project for Jen and then went over to her house while she finished up her wrapping. I had so much fun with her last night wrapping, playing the guitar, working on a little gift project for tonight, drinking hot chocolate and dancing around to Christmas music. It feels great to be excited about the holidays for a change. Not being able to spend Christmas day with Jen will not be a highlight this year, but our Christmas tomorrow night is going to be off the hook. Plus after Christmas we are going skiing for two days.

Merry Christmas!!!
Keegan

I Went Skiing

Believe it or not I actually went skiing this past weekend. I drove up on Friday night did the Suds thing and skied on both Saturday and Sunday. It was very cold on Saturday, I was a bit scared when I called the ski phone and the temperature at the base was two degrees. I ended up skiing with all sorts of different people, one might say a perfect mix of ski companions. What else, hmmm?!? Not much really just a typical weekend in Maine. I did go to the Mattherhorn for the first time since they remodeled it. I liked what I saw. Last night I drove home and finished up Jen's my top secret project for Jen. Now I just have to put all the pieces together. This week looks like a busy one with wrapping on Monday and Tuesday, Amy's party on Wednesday and Christmas with Jen on Thursday night. No work on Friday woohoo so I will be sitting home all day until a party at my dad's on Friday night. Saturday will be another day of sitting around Somerville not doing much of anything and then on Sunday Jen comes back from CT and we go to my mom's for Christmas brunch (Boxing Day Brunch) and then it is off for two days of skiing at Sunday River.

Sunday River Slideshow with Andy in a one piece ski suit Email me for the full size picture for your desktop. keegsands@gmail.com

Well hello there Winter

I woke up this morning at 5:30 to find that the temperature outside was 16 degrees. I wasn't too excited about this, but at least I was prepared and bundled up in a fleece and my heaviest parka. It turns out the walk wasn't too bad. I had to come in to work early because we were getting a new network drive and so far everything is working just fine.

Last night was my last Spanish class. Only five people showed up, but it was a lot of fun. We played a couple games and other fun activities. I was actually pretty funny and had people laughing out loud, which made me feel pretty good. I went home and had a nice yummy bowl of Spaghetti-O's with sliced franks. It was such a healthy dinner I know.

Now I am sitting here at work considering a trek outdoors to get a bagel.

Crazy Weekend

My weekend started off with a bang at my office holiday party. Jen came to State Street and I gave her a tour of the office and she was able to meet a couple people. We went to the Harp around 6:30 and enjoyed some appetizers. After a couple hours I got up and did a little karaoke. This year I wowed the crowd with Buffalo Springfield's "For What Its Worth" (Something's happening here) and The Beatles "I Saw Her Standing There". We left around ten because Jen had to get to bed.

Most of the next day I spent shopping, yes I know very silly to go shopping on a weekend at a mall. However I did finish Jen's stuff for the most part and ate lunch at Papa Gino's. Afterwards I met up with Jen for a little while before going home. I found myself bored at 8:30 and called up Vanessa to see if I could go to their holiday party. Forty minutes later I was on Hanover street. An hour into the party and I was the only guy among twelve girls, which was very interesting. Eventually some guys showed up and evened the ratio out a bit. Anyway I ended up missing my train and had to sleep over, but since people didn't leave I didn't get to sleep until four.

I woke up at 6:00 and took the T to Somerville. Slept for an hour. Drove to my mom's house. Threw up. Drove with Carol to see Jen's nutcracker. Her performance was amazing. She choreographed her entire piece and it was by far the best part of the show and not just because she is my girlfriend. It was so fantastic to see her dance for the first time. Afterwards we met her in the lobby and hung out for a bit. I also got to meet the girls she teaches, they were great. I then drove Carol back to Amesbury and ended my day back in Somerville. Needless to say I am tired.

Nutcracker Pictures

Time For Some Reader Responses

After a discussion at work about the origins of referring to Target as Tarjay; I decided to try and search for the result. In my searching I came across a long discussion where users submitted different names they use for common place or words.

Here are some examples:
McDonalds => Mickey D's
Home Depot => Homers
perfect => perfeck
sandwich => sangwich
Taco Bell => Taco Smell
Salvation Army => Salv Al
Dunkin Donuts => Dunkins => Niknud Stunod
Wal-Mart => Wally World

I was wondering what other sayings people have for places or things. Please add some comments!!!

Interesting Craigslist ad Click here

Career Discovery

I am sitting at my desk waiting for my second and final Career Discovery Workshop. In a few hours I will know what I should be doing here at State Street, which is a very exciting prospect. Chances are it will be a computer job of some sort. I'll keep you all posted.

Last night I completed most of my Christmas shopping. Only a few more small gifts here and there and it will be in the books. Thankfully this year I didn't even have to rely on a credit card either. Here's to fighting credit card debt!!! Once again I did the Ofoto thing again, which makes my life a whole lot easier, plus people really enjoy there gifts. I don't feel like I am ruining the surprise because this year there are a few new photo tricks up my sleeve. You will all see this though in a short eighteen days or so.

I guess I haven't updated in a week or so. Basically I have been around doing things here and there. I stayed in Somerville this weekend to work on Christmas presents. Jen and I went to dinner at an Indian restaurant called Diva in Davis Square. It was phenomenal!! On Sunday I was at home most of the day looking at pictures and then decorating Christmas cookies with my roommate. It was a very relaxing and fantastic weekend. Tonight I have my second to last Spanish class followed by BoCaNO tomorrow, work holiday party on Friday, Sunday River on Saturday and then going to see Jen in the Nutcracker on Sunday with Auntie Babe. The calendar sure does fill up fast at this time of year.

Have a great day,
Keegan

Isn't my face proof enough?

Yesterday was the last day of the month, which means I had to go and buy a T pass for December. So we went down to the Washington Street concourse and stood in the sixty person line. Thankfully it moved along rather quickly and after about fifteen minutes I made it up to the window. I asked for a Subway Plass and then corrected myself. Next I gave my credit card and license to the woman behind the glass. The reason I gave both was because my signature has worn off of my credit card, probably due to excessive use. The woman gave the card back and asked me to sign it before she processed the transaction. Now this seems kind of silly because now my signature is definitely going to match the card, not much security gained there. I tried to sign it, but what it can't be written on and handed it back to the lady. She gave me a receipt to sign, I signed it and gave it back. She then said, "In the future to make it easier for us could you please make your signature on the receipt look more like your license signature." I nodded and then walked away in awe of this woman. I figured my picture on the license was enough proof that I was me. I mean if my signature didn't match she could look at my face and see that it was me. Ahhh how aggravating.

So December is here and its raining again. I looked at the radar for New England and Maine seems to be getting soaked again. After the rain up there on Sunday and then again last night and today. Its like one step forward and two steps back. Hopefully by the end of early next year they will have more than six trails open. It has to get cold eventually right. On the bright side they may open two more trails (33% increase in run count) this weekend (Lazy River and American Express) bringing the true grand total up to 8 runs. I think at this point in the season you can't go on the trail count because it is inflated. For instance Sunday River says they have 11 trails open but in actuality only four runs are truly open. What variety!!!

Entry Finished

Well it took me a good twenty four hours to get back to updating this, so here we go. It is now the day before Thanksgiving and in just a few hours I will be leaving work picking up Jen, Melissa and Bailey the beagle for the long commute down to Connecticut. Yep that's right I am spending the holiday weekend with Jen's family. I can't wait its going to be fun.

The ski season started two weeks ago and I have skied three times. I started on telemark and last weekend due to a random overnight injury had to alpine. The cold weather really hasn't been around much up there and they haven't had a chance to really make much snow. Hopefully a cold spell will come soon and make it worthwhile to drive all the way up there. I am sure Mother Nature will have more than a few surprises up her sleeve over the coming winter. The house Kate and I rented is great. There are several different rooms so you don't feel squeezed in with everybody in the house, you can really go into another room and just do your own thing.

Work has been hectic the last few days while I have tried to get a special project completed by today so I get Friday off. It seems to be working okay as of noon today, lets just hope nothing crazy happens between now and Friday. I will be on call though, so if something does go wrong I can help patch things up from CT.

Spanish class at the BCAE (Boston Center for Adult Education) is great. I have refreshed my memory on so many topics its tough to keep track. We are halfway through the class and I am already beginning to remember the preterite. Ahhh not that!!!! The class is very laid back and the Argentine teacher is hilarious.

Can you believe how everything Christmas is out already? Macy's was putting things out in the middle of last month and now have full displays set up. It won't be long before they just leave stuff up year round.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!!! Gobble, Gobble!!!!

Somebody's Out of Shape

Well I learned one thing for sure yesterday, I am not in shape. I went up to the mountain yesterday morning for my first day of skiing. Instead of taking the easy route, I decided to push myself and brought my tele gear. Let's just say after two runs I was so sore I couldn't ski more than fifty yards without stopping. Now I could have gone to the car and put on my alpine skis for a bunch of runs, but I am not one to give up and stuck it out for a few more runs. I know it makes my ski days shorter for the time being, but after a few more weeks of this I will be able to tele for much longer then if I had given in to my alpine skis.

Let's go back to Friday. Work wasn't nearly as bad as on Thursday and I was able to get out on time to go see a Boston Chamber Music Society concert with Jen. It was great especially the last performance, which had two people playing Stravinsky's Rite of Spring on one piano. It was an intense song and the pianists were even more intense. On Saturday we drove up to the Portland Museum of Art. It was nice, much smaller than some of the places I went to in Europe, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. We walked around the Old Port for a little while and then drove up to the Outpost for the night. I took a bunch of random pictures.

BoCaNO Funny Faces
First Weekend Up North

Career Discover

I began the Career Discovery program at State Street. Basically they give you a few surveys and help you figure out what you want to be when you grow up. Here are the primary and secondary motivators for me. Do you think they describe me?

Intellectual/Physical Challenge
For those with this Career Driver, the one thing that matters most is being challenged at the highest possible level. Success is defined in terms of winning the war, the game, the contract or the sale, overcoming obstacles, being the best, being first, beating the competition, reaching for their highest, surpassing previous goals, and so on. This Type sees the area of work or the specific job to be performed as secondary to the experience of challenge. The challenge can be intellectual or physical, and occasionally both (planning an ascent of Mt. Everest or putting out oil-well fires in Kuwait). The challenge may be defined by the stakes-a big contract, a major gamble on a new product, or a complete reorganization of the company. These people often seek variety in their careers (and lives in general) and, in the absence of challenge, become highly dissatisfied. They are often initiators of imaginative projects. Easy things are boring for them, as is the long-term, repetitive nature of ongoing project or team management.

Professional Excellence
Those driven by Professional Excellence are most motivated by being very knowledgeable and producing highly effective work in some field of specialization. They are primarily motivated by the content of the work they perform and the form of the results they achieve. These people tend to identify strongly with their field of expertise, and their self-concept is dependent on their ability to succeed and be recognized in their area of specialty. Professional Excellence may lead to a managerial position, as many companies promote people who are good at what they do, rather than because they have managerial or people skills. But, people with Professional Excellence as a Career Driver are only satisfied if they can manage within their discipline and would avoid promotion if it meant leaving their specialty and losing their connection with that field. People with this Driver are seldom satisfied in a generalist position. Every occupation and organization has its professional achievers who are capable of making outstanding contributions when they are allowed to develop and use their expertise. It is usually of great importance to people with this Driver to be recognized for their achievement and contribution by others in their field whom they respect.

Roller Coaster Tuesday

Yesterday was a real roller coaster, I had a good morning until we had a fire drill and had to stand outside in the cold. Afterwards on a whim I went to the Morale Committee meeting for our group. It was interesting and I was able to find out when they might have the Holiday Party. The work part of my day was very boring. Lunch was good I ate Jay-Bo pizza for the first time in a while. At three we had a meeting that lasted an hour and a half. It was comical, but very long.

After work I went to Spanish class on Comm Ave. Oddly enough I wasn't too nervous about it and it turned out there was no reason to be anyway. The class has about 15 people in it. I am probably one of the youngest people in there, but most people are in their late 20's or early 30's. I couldn't believe how quickly it all came back to me. We are pretty much required to speak in Spanish for the entire two hours and about 95% of the time I knew what everybody was saying. It was funny to hear somebody make a mistake, like when this guy walked in and the teacher asked his name and he replied, "Good." Haha. After finding out one guy had two dogs, one large and one medium sized another student asked him which dog was the boss and he definitively said, "Yes, they do run the house." Haha that was the same guy who was supposed to read the role of Sr. Gonzalez in a dialogue, but he ended up reading Sr. and Sra.'s parts. It was crazy. I am looking forward to the next five weeks.

I went home and played a little Donkey Kong Country. I had never played it before and I am not too impressed with it. I know at the time everybody was raving about it, but the play control is horrible and it seems too easy. I am sticking with Mario games.

I did witness something funny this morning while watching TV. I flipped to a channel and somebody was reading letters about people who had made money or received a promotion after a $58 seed. The read letter after letter of success stories after $58 seeds. Finally the camera pulled back and it was some sort of religious guy trying to sell membership into this club of 3000 people. I can't believe people actually send money to this organization. How dumb can people be? I then realized those are probably the same people who voted for Bush last week. What is wrong with this country?

Wonderful Weekend

Once again I spent a weekend in the Boston area, but still it was a wonderful weekend. On Friday night, Scottie came in to Porter Square on the commuter rail and we went to eat at the Spirit Bar. Afterwards on the way to my housewe stopped by the liquor store and picked up a bottle of razberi stoli, Sprite and cranberry juice. We played a little Super Mario Brothers and I quickly learned that the more you drink the worse you are at video games.

On Saturday I spent most of the day at home, watching tv, playing video games, strumming the guitar and reading my book. I have now finished two of the books I bought at the book sale a week ago, "All Quiet On The Western Front" and "Brave New World". Now I am tackling the biggest so far, "Lord Jim". In the evening Jen and I went out to dinner at Cambridge Commons, which was very good. After dinner we drove to Waltham for a party at Scott's house. It was great, there were a bunch of people there and he had just bought a new video game thing with 76000 games in it. I played Contra and 1942, very cool. Unfortunately, the extra life code in Contra didn't work so I had to play with the standard 5 lives. Jen had never heard of the code and thought I was weird, I reassured her that I was in fact normal and that every guy in the room knew the code. So I asked and they all knew, at least the essence of the code. Do you know it?

On Sunday we just stayed in all morning and decided against our planned drive to Provincetown. Instead we walked to the T and went into the city for a little shopping and lunch in the North End. The lunch was fantastic and we followed it with coffee and dessert. Yummy!!!! We walked back to Charles/MGH took the T to Harvard and then walked the rest of the way home because it was such a nice day.

Next week ski season starts. Who's going up? I will be there on Sunday for a little while to see if my legs are strong enough for another year of abuse. I am thinking about switching my tele bindings to my shorter skis, because this year will mainly be on tele. I won't do the Bust 'n' Burn on them, so I will need to find another shorter pair before April, but Tele is the way to go this year.

Thursday Morning

Its been a while since I last updated, so here is a little update about what I have been up to. Well last weekend was very lazy, which is something I needed. I seem to have been going going going for the last couple months and it was nice to slow down for a little while. Jen and I went to Newburyport on Saturday for a book sale at the public library. It was my first used book sale and at one dollar a bag I couldn't have picked a better place to start. I ended up with over ten books, most were classics since I need to get a good base before I really start to experiment with new authors. Afterwards we went over to Starbucks and had coffee, I finally got to say "For Here" before the order so I would get it in mugs. Afterwards we went to my mom's house and then over to Flatbread for an late lunch. I really appreciate that place more now since I have been much more adventurous with my food choices. Sunday was such a beautiful day, we opened all of the windows up and did some cleaning and organizing. In the afternoon I met up with Andy for lunch at Pizzeria Uno, yes I know pizza two days in a row who would have thought.

Monday and Tuesday were tough days at work because of good ol' expenses. I made it and I am currently working to solve the problem well for at least the next six months. After work on both days I had to drive up to Amesbury and drop my car off for service. It was just an oil change, but I really like my dealership and don't want to switch down here just yet. I voted on Tuesday in Amesbury, but unfortunately I wasn't able to get my presidential choice selected. What is the deal with the people in the South and Midwest? Last night BoCaNO went to see the latest Warren Miller offering at the Somerville Theater. It was okay, I am just not as in to these movies as everybody else is. It does get me excited for skiing, but only about as much as when I see the first snowflakes of the season. Besides that not much is going on. Everything is very well and I am very happy.

Peace out,
Keeg

In Memory

Tiffany Staelin Slideshow

Obituary from the Toledo Blade

Myster Science Theater 3000

Last night was Amy's annual pumpkin party. Jen and I carried are pumpkins on the T and then walked down Newbury Street. We were both exhausted, which caused me to be extremely hyper and Jen to be overly giggly. Thankfully we kind of settled down by the time we got there. As always everything was set up when we got there including the food, pumpkin carving tools and the table cloths we sit on to carve. Everybody showed up within the next half hour and we began carving pumpkins. I decided to just use a pattern this year because I couldn't really come up with any good ideas on my own. We carved them while watching Survivor, which was interesting because Mark had never watched a full episode before. I think he is now confident in his decision to not watch it ever before. Once we completed the carvings and lit the pumpkins up it was time for a little Trivial Pursuit: The 90's and a little drama care of me. Haha, you people didn't think I would let it rest after just twelve hours did you.

We split up in to two teams one with four people the other with five. At around nine o'clock the game got under way with our team rolling first. It took us a couple of turns but we finally landed on a pie piece question for the Wired category. The question was about a Science Fiction television show that underwent major changes or something in the early 90's. My first instinct was Myster Science Theater, so I checked with my team and it seemed to be the correct answer.
So I said, "Myster Science Theater."
The other team then said, "What is the number after it?"
I looked at my team and we discussed for a minute. We had it narrowed down to 2000 or 3000.
In a complete guess I said, "2000."
The other team apologetically replied, "Oooh I'm sorry its Mystery Science Theater 3000."
I came back and said, "Come on that is close enough."
Diligently they retorted, "No its not if it is for a piece of pie."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Somehow we had magically been transported to the Trivial Pursuit World Championships and only the exact answer was going to get you anywhere. Now don't get me wrong I am all for accuracy, but seriously is it necessary to be so particular about the most insignificant part of the answer. The game of Trivial Pursuit typically takes a long, long time to complete. Now it was already late and I think if there's anything we can do to make the game move along faster, go for it. Its not like we answered with Horror Sci-fi theater 3000. Nobody would agree with me so we went on playing. At first I passive aggressively gave everybody a hard time about their answers, making sure it matched exactly to the answer on the back of the card. It was truly all in good fun and while I was still a little bitter about the incident I really just wanted to keep playing.

Fast forward a few turns back and forth and my opponents were up for a piece of pie. The category once again was wired and I volunteered to read the question. Basically the question said What destination did Jennifer Ringley create using webcams? They pondered the question for a while and then answered JenniCam. I asked if that was their final answer, they affirmed and I said in a completely serious tone, "No, I am sorry its JenniCam.com." I didn't say anything else and was ready for our roll of the die, but not more than two seconds later people are making comments about how I am still bitter. At this point I flipped out. I was just trying to play the game by the rules they had established thats it, I wasn't trying to be vindictive, but they apparently thought so. I don't see how my adherence to the standards they set up make me a bitter person. I just said they were wrong using my judgement solely based on a precedent that had been set. Would I have given it to them using my rules? Of course, you got the point, one out of ten times the questions are poorly worded anyway. Did I overreact? Well yes a little bit, but I felt like I was being attacked after just playing by the rules and I was extremely tired. Will I ever play again? Yes only if we have a third party judge who completely understands the rules as determined prior to the game.

Curse Reversed

Keith Foulke fielded the ground ball ran towards first base and nervously threw the baseball to first ending a lot more than just the inning. Once the ball landed in the glove of Doug Mientkiewicz it was the end of the inning, the game, the season, the World Series and the Curse. It had been 86 years since the Red Sox last clinched a World Championship, year after year people have watched this team religiously only to be left disappointed and waiting for next year.

So I am left to question, why now? Why should I be so lucky to get to experience this especially at such a young age? Unlike some of the older fans I have only had to live through two major disappointments the '86 World Series and the '03 ALCS. The World Series loss was difficult because I was only nine at the time and it was probably one of the worst things to ever happen in my life. Fast forward to last year, I was 17 years older and unfortunately had experienced a few things worse than the Buckner incident of '86. It was still a tough night watching them lose to the Yankees, on the Boone homerun, and had a major impact on how I watched this year. Over the last few weeks it has always been in the back of my mind that they could easily lose it all even though they were doing so well. It was difficult, because as much as I wanted to watch the game and see the drama unfold, it was still scary to think of the drama actually unfolding and the impact it would have on my poor stomach. I would make jokes about how they would not lose the ALCS in four games because it would be too easy on us. Later I felt them winning the first three games of the World Series was just a giant teaser to the biggest let down yet. Always lingering in the back of my mind, as was the case with most in Red Sox Nation, was the thought of the impending possibility of failure.

We all tried to counteract this anxiety with crazy superstitious actions. For instance, when the playoffs first started I wore my Red Sox hat on game days, but once they started losing to the Yankees I stopped wearing it and made a point of grabbing a different hat on the way to work. Other superstitions I witnessed over the last few weeks included watching games at the same bar, sitting at the same table, not paying the bill until the last out, anger towards people counting outs to go and the list could go on and on. It was strange to see people in this day and age having their behavior influenced by otherworldly forces. I guess with a history like this you need to think outside the box and try anything no matter how small and insignificant the gesture may seem.

I don't know if all of our little oddities worked together or maybe, call me crazy, the Red Sox were just a well skilled team of baseball players, but it doesn't really matter now. We can finally rest easily and not worry about hearing the 1918 chant at Yankee Stadium anymore. I might not have emotionally earned it, but I am going to take it and enjoy every minute of it. I am going to enjoy it for all of those who went through years of pain and never got to experience the thrill of victory. For people like my grandfather who watched more baseball than anybody I know, although he was around for the 1918 World Series (when he was three years old), he still endured all of the other heart aches. It was funny as I was watching the celebration on television last night, Tim Wakefield came on the screen and the first thought I had was of my grandfather cursing at the television because he couldn't stand how slowly Wakefield delivered his pitches. I was happy to know that he had been with the franchise long enough for this connection.

Now we must look ahead to the winter and reflect back on this monumental victory. I don't think it has sunk in for many of us yet, it is a much different feeling than the pain of losing. I think in losing you feel the pain immediately and it slowly fades, but in winning the joy comes in waves. There is an immediate joy when the final out is called, but then it subsides only to reappear at the most random of times. Thankfully the joyous times will occur, now and then, for the rest of our lives always with a nearly equal amount of joy. I look forward to being an old man climbing a mountain somewhere and being briefly reminded of the year the curse was broken and how I was so lucky to be a part of such an amazing event. I am sure there will be more Red Sox disappointments between now and then, but I will always remember the 100th World Series when the Red Sox did the impossible and came back from a 3 game deficit in the ALCS against the Yankees only to move on to the World Series and sweep the St. Louis Cardinals. We all "Kept The Faith" and were rewarded with an "Unbelievable" performance by a bunch of "Idiots".

LJ Entries of major BoSox games of yore
'03 ALDS LJ Entry
'03 ALCS LJ Entry

Sunset --> Moonrise

For a little change of pace last night I went back home and stopped by the Salisbury Beach State Reservation for a few pictures. It had been a while since I walked the beach and enjoyed the waves pummeling the shore. It was a long drive up from Somerville, but I got to the beach just in time for the sunset. The sky was very clear and made for a beautiful end to a long day. After taking in the last few rays of light from the sun I turned my attention seaside and took pictures of the moon. It was nearly full and looked wonderful over the extremely rough ocean. After enjoying the ocean I had a little beach pizza before going home to visit my mother. I hadn't seen her for a while so we caught up for quite a while and then the baseball game was on. I watched some of the game there and then drove home. Jen was driving through my neighborhood, just as I got home, so she stopped in for a little while. After she left I turned the television on and saw the BoSox had won their third game in a row against the Cardinals and now are only one win away from the World Championship. It is just unbelievable. I am glad Pedro had such a strong outing. He really deserved to have a good start for such a special game. Let's hope D-Lowe can pull through tonight and make magic happen. THE CITY WILL COME ALIVE!!!

BTW The All For One Ski Pass is still available on the website even though October 25th has come and gone. American Skiing Company is such a scamming company. Next year I am skiing at Mt. Cranmore or Gunstock, no more ASC.

Commuting Annoyances

I know it has been over twelve hours since this happened, but I am still annoyed by it a little bit. This morning while riding down the escalator in Porter Square towards the trains I noticed a huge mob of people lining up at the turnstiles. Some were running other were impatiently waiting behind somebody who couldn't seem to get their T pass to work. Who was this conglomeration of annoying commuters? The commuter rail riders. I have a love hate relationship with Porter Square, I love that it is so close to Boston, I love that it is close to my apartment, but I hate the steep stairs and the annoyance of it being a commuter rail stop. Everyday they appear out of nowhere just messing up my commute and forcing me to wait for yet another train. The worst thing about them though is how impatient and in a hurry they always seem to be. I have never seen so many people running for trains as I have here. Somebody should let them in on a little secret another train will be buy in a matter of three minutes, there is no need to run. Ahhhhhhhhhhh they drive me crazy.

Series Set To Begin

The St. Louis Cardinals were crowned the NLCS champions yesterday after 5-2 vicotry over Roger Clemens and the Astros. In honor of there victory here is a link to My St. Louis Trip Slideshow. I went a few months ago for a Dave Matthews concert and thought it was a good time to put back the pictures of the Gateway Arch.

Go BoSox!!!

Question of the Day
"What flies when on and floats when off?"

Unbelievable

They did it!!! The BoSox are going to the World Series for the first time since 1986. I don't even know what to think anymore. Last night we watched the game at Johnny D's in Somerville. I was still recovering from my wisdom tooth extraction, which probably wasn't great since I think the high blood pressure from the game has prevented my mouth from clotting. Anyway they won and became the first team ever to come back after being down 0-3. During the game I was so nervous especially once they had scored a bunch of runs because there is one thing the BoSox do best, losing big leads. I refrained from cheering too much during the game until the very end when it almost seemed certain. Okay I am going to stop writing since these sentences are very incoherent. I think I might go home because I am really not feeling well.

Go BoSox!!!

BoSox ALCS Game 7 Again?!?!

Its true the BoSox are going to game 7 of the ALCS again and will once again be playing the Yankees. After Saturday night's blowout, like many other citizens of Red Sox Nation I vowed to not watch game four. Unfortunately I missed a good game. Fast forward ahead two games and 21 innings later and I have witnessed some of the most stressful, but successful baseball to date. I just can't believe they have come back from a three game deficit to tie the series at three. Unbelievable!!!! I actually never intended to watch Game 5, but Jen had it on so I decided to watch the rest of it. Little did I know it was going to go until the 14th inning. Finally, all of the stress I felt last year was back in place, including the cold sweats and nervous Francona'esque rocking. When Ortiz hit the double I almost had a heart attack. Tonight I was on the fence about watching the game, on the one hand I knew it would be difficult, but I also needed to feel the anxiety. It has almost become like a drug, the constant need for an adrenaline rush. Being a BoSox fan is like participating in an extreme sport, the only difference is that while the risks are high in both only in being a fan do you guarantee you will get hurt. I prepared myself as best I could and went over to Melissa and Ben's to watch the game on a fat projection HDTV. Oddly enough we went ahead, but of course the Yankees slowly clawed there way back. Curt Schilling pitched a spectacular game, the perfect set up for the let down we have all come to expect. I will cut to the chase and go right to the ninth inning with Foulke on the mound. After a couple horrendous calls by the umpire there were men on first and second with the game winning run at the plate. The wind up and the pitch, strike three the Red Sox win and force a game 7. You heard it right, here we go again the roller coaster ride we have all been excitedly dreading.

Go out there boys and show Tim McCarver how his statistics are irrelevant. After tomorrow night I want him to have to say only one team has come back from being down 0-3 to win the ALCS and that was the Red Sox in 2004.

More Apple Picking

A bunch of us (Mark, Kate, Amy, Jen and I) went apple picking up in NH. We made some pies and then had a nice dinner at the Winnen's. Afterwards we watched the sad sad showing of the Red Sox. In the morning we went out to breakfast and then Jen and I went to Vermont to see her cabin. It was very busy and I am too lazy to update a complete story right now, but there are pictures and they are worth one thousand words. Enjoy!!!
Vermont Cabin Pictures

Thursday

Yes I know the BoSox lost again last night. I don't think Pedro did too bad, the problem seems to be the hitting. What happened to the offensive machine that was the BoSox? Thats all I have to say about that for now.

Now I want to talk about the newest telvision show I am hooked on called Lost. It is about a commercial airliner that crash lands on a remote island. The survivors have to do the best they can to make it on their own. Okay I know what you are thinking, "What a boring show?", they are probably going to be saved in a number of hours. It turns out for some reason they had their transponder turned off and the rescuers are looking in the wrong place. I have really fallen in love with this show, for many reasons, but the number one reason is the need to know more information about the characters and the island they are on. I would say there are about twenty survivors and every week we learn a little more about them and better understand the motives behind some of their actions. Just when you think you have somebody figured out, you learn something new about them to completely blow you away. The island itself is also a character you learn about in this way. So far we know there are some very odd and large creatures, a polar bear, an outgoing distress signal that has been broadcasting for 16 years and some sort of magical man that appears and then disappears just as quickly. Yes it is a bit strange, but through the entire hour I am constantly looking at the timer on my VCR wishing there were more than just ten minutes left. The only problem I have with the show is it feels a lot like a movie and I can't take the stress of seven days in between scenes in this movie. I am also nervous about this show because it seems like one of those amazing critically acclaimed shows that will be cancelled due to lack of viewers, like My So Called Life, Once and Again or Freaks and Geeks. I just don't want to invest in a great show that won't end properly. Bottom line is its a great show and you should try to watch it on Wednesday nights at eight.

What else was there? Oh yeah the new google desktop. Hopefully by now you have all downloaded the Google deskbar and the Google toolbar and if you haven't then you should. The latest advancement out of the Google labs is called Google Desktop. Basically what it does is runs on your computer and scans your files and stores the information. You can then do a google search of everything on your computer. It will search emails, text files, Office files, IM chats (optional), or just plain old files. It is super fast and its amazing how much stuff it comes up with. Try out the Google Desktop

Autumn Weekend

What is more Autumn than apple picking and eating cider doughnuts at Cider Hill Farm? Well thats just one of the things I did this past weekend. The weekend kicked off with the BoSox game at John Harvard. I am sure most of you watched and know it was a crazy game. The highlight of the night was definitely Mark yelling at Terry Francona for putting Foulke in so early with the score tied. I thought it was hilarious, well everybody else there was a bit frightened. Haha, oh yeah Ortiz's home run was also pretty cool.

On Saturday Jen and I went to Peabody for the Real Sale at The Limited. So we went clothing shopping for a couple hours and also ate a nice lunch at Bertucci's. Afterwards we drove out to Halibut Point State Park to see the quarry and sit at the seashore. It was a bit cloudy, but the it was warm enough that it was quite enjoyable. I got a bunch of pictures and even a couple decent sunset pictures. The new tripod my dad gave me is fantastic and makes my life a lot easier. After the beach we drove back to Somerville and rented two movies, "Safety in Objects" and "The BFG: Big Friendly Giant". We watched Objects, because the giant movie is actually for Jen's third grade class. SiO was really weird and a little bit depressing, but it was the best thing left at 7:30 on Saturday night at Blockbuster Video.

At eleven we picked up Ben and Amanda for an afternoon of Autumn activities. The first stop was Cider Hill Farm in the 'Bury. We climbed up the hill and began picking apples. Jen was quick to climb into the trees and grab apples from the top branches while we stayed down on the ground catching her pickings. We ended up with ten pounds of apples, I don't know what we are going to do with them, hopefully some sort of apple dish will be in my future. After picking it was time for some apple cider doughnuts, which of course didn't disappoint. After a brief pit stop at Burger King we went to the Topsfield Fair. I forgot how expensive that stupid thing costs. The ticket to get in was $12 per person and the parking was $7. Once inside it was the same as it has been for the last fifteen years. It was great to be back for the first time in years, but I don't think I will be back next year. After walking around for ten minutes it became apparent that we did not fit into the demographic range of the fair. We were too young, too thin, don't eat half of the food they offer and don't have awful Boston accents. My favorite quote, "Where is that lahhgest pumpkin?" We made quick work of the place and then went home. Mark I took several pictures just for you so you can see what you missed.

The week is now beginning, and with it brings the stress and emotional difficulties of another ALCS series with the Yankees. Everybody find a wishing stone and toss it in to Boston Harbor and wish for an end to the BoSox drought.

Keegan

Mario!!!

I now have a Super NES up and running in my apartment thanks to my cousin OJ. I drove up to Amesbury last night and tested out my system and it didn't work, so I borrowed OJ's until I get my second console from the ebay seller. I got home last night and popped in Super Mario Kart for a little Mushroom Cup Grand Prix action. It didn't take long before I was jump sliding the turns and leading Koopa Troopa to the Gold. It was strange how quickly it all comes back, similar to hearing a song on the radio you haven't heard in years and you remember all of the words. Next up was F-Zero, which once again I got the hang of after only one lap. When I woke up this morning the first thing I did was begin playing Super Mario World and had finished the first world before leaving for work. My goal is to start at Super Mario Brothers and go through each level of each game without using a warp. I don't know how long it will take me and I am hoping it will take weeks.

While sleeping last night the heater was loud once again, but I am beginning to get used to it. It just makes some really weird noises. I have noticed a problem lately now that the sun rises later it is hard to tell when I wake up whether the night is over or if it is still the middle of the night. I have a really bright street light outside my window that is actually brighter than the dawn light.

I missed BoCaNO last night because I was really tired and didn't feel well. I also never ate dinner, which is an ugly pattern I keep falling into right now. Hopefully I can turn that around because while it is great to only weigh 158 pounds I'd rather be closer to 170 pounds. I need to eat more pizza.

Nobody Told Me

I was just searching for Amesbury High School, because I wanted to look at the academic calendar, but why is unimportant. So I came upon a page for Amesbury Pride Homecoming Weekend. I didn't know we had a homecoming weekend. There is also a soccer game on Saturday for alums to play in vs. the current varsity team. Anybody from the 'Bury going to this thing.

In other news, my new Super Nintendo finally arrived in the mail yesterday and of course as is my typical luck it didn't work. So now I have to send it back across the country or find one on craigslist that is in the Boston area. All I want to do is play my Super Mario Brothers and be done with it. Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! WTF!!!!

On The Streets of Philadelphia

It was road trip time this weekend and we made the most of it. On Friday morning, Andy, Kate, Mark and I piled into the car and drove to Penn State for the first Vote For Change concert featuring Dave Matthews Band. The drive down was great and relatively traffic free. I was able to do some reading and crossword puzzles I had been storing for a few weeks. Once in State College, Andy gave us the walking tour of campus including a visit to Old Main the building that houses the President's office as well as a tower which overlooks the campus. We went up the tower and took some pictures, before going to the President's office for some desserts. The next stop was a bar Andy used to frequent "when he went there". The beer was cheap even if they only offered Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light and Miller Lite on tap. We then left for the Bryce Jordan Center to catch the show. On the way there we passed several Bush supporters and Kate was quick to take off her sweater and show off her Kerry '04 shirt. Andy and I went to our seats in the fifth row and enjoyed Jurassic 5 and Ben Harper. Shortly afterwards DMB came on and played an amazing set. After the show we went to the Ramada and went to sleep, despite Andy's request to go out again.

In the morning we were rudely awoken by a soccer team dragging their luggage down the stairs of the motel. After dropping Andy at the airport, Mark, Kate and I made our way towards Philadelphia. Unfortunately, we missed a turn and ended up driving through the ghettos of North Philadelphia. It was scary, but eventually we found our way to Tiffany and TJ's. We had a little lunch and then hung out for a bit before going for a walk along the river. We saw a bunch of cool statues and went up to the Frican art museum. The view of the city was great, as can be seen above. It was time to eat again and we went to a really cool restaurant that had a very European feel to it. They also had a bunch of Belgian beers, which made me consider drinking, but in the end I knew I would still end up not enjoying it. It was a cool place to eat and hang out, I wish it was in Boston. After dinner we went back to the house and played Cranium, boys vs. girls style. We really did well and the girls struggled on the trivia questions. It was a lot of fun hanging out and just having a relaxed night.

We woke up on Sunday and had a yummy breakfast of french toast. Next up it was time for some touring of the Old City. We hopped in the car and drove downtown to Independence Hall. We got tickets and waited for our tour. Andy showed up from Scranton and joined us right before the tour. We saw the Liberty Bell and then had our tour of Independence Hall. It was really cool to see such an important place in our history. Once back in the car I requested that we drive by the Real World house(bank). I snapped a picture and we were on our way back to the house. We left in the afternoon around two. It was so nice of TJ and Tiffany to host us for the two days we were there. Thank you guys so much we all had a great time.

The drive back was fairly smooth except for our stop at a rest area on the NJ turnpike. For starters my coffee from Starbucks was a dollar more than usual. Mark was hungry, but the two food options were Roy Rogers and Nathan's, which are two of the nastiest fast food restaurants you can eat at. He decided to pass and we went to get gas. Now it is a law in NJ that all of the gas stations have to be full service. This caused lines similar to those I have seen from the gas shortage of the 70's. The station had 12 pumps, but only six of them were turned on and three men were working the six pumps. It took forever to get through the lines. We finally made it out of that god awful state. We finally made it back to Boston at around nine. It only took about six and a half hours to get home. I will admit for the last hour we were a little crazy, talking about the Frican museum, my idea for a fantasy hurricane league for next year, a parrot voice, the beeping of Philadelphian car horns, listening to the same CD over and over again and many more things.

I want to disappear

Ahh today at work has been so stressful and crazy. My boss also told me I could leave early, which in most cases would be fantastic. Unfortunately, he doesn't realize I can't leave because I still have one more project to finish. I wanted to post a picture of me trying to hide from people here. Its not working, but oh well.

btw last night at BoCaNO, Kate and I had our own trivia team called KeKa and we battled against our cronies. It was a tie until the final round, but we were able to pull ahead on a question about the animal that is responsible for the most human deaths in the US each year. The answer, which I am all too familiar with is deer. Woohoo, go KeKa!!!!

Some Funnies

Matt found some funny comic strips today. For you office workers this will all make sense

Enjoy,
Keegan

Kayaking

Friday night I took Jen out to the Parrish Cafe for her birthday dinner. It was very delicious, I even tried Polenta, which is a cornmeal bread topped with tomatoes, mushrooms and mozzarella. After dinner we walked to the Public Garden and then joined her sister for dessert at Finale. It was excellent.

We woke up on Saturday morning and went up to Newburyport to go kayaking. I was a bit nervous since I had never kayaked before but after being in the river for a minute or two I quickly got my bearings. We paddled out towards Joppa Flats and even went up the river towards the Plum Island bridge. At one point we just stopped along the marsh and watch these tiny little birds running along the shore. It was so very peaceful.

The tide was still going out, but instead of waiting for it to change we made our way back up river against the tide and wind. It turns out to have been a good idea, because we barely made it across the Flats before it was a giant sandbar. It was a tough paddle back, but after a couple stops and some cormorant chasing we made it back to the ramp. It was an amazing four hours and I can't wait to go out kayaking again.

After kayaking we headed straight for Salisbury beach and I introduced Jen to Christy's pizza. As one would expect she loved it. Next stop was Dairy Queen and then back to Somerville for my housewarming party. I only had a few people show up, but I was grateful that they did. We kept to ourselves most of the night and watched the baseball game. It was a good time though.

Yesterday I went up to Amesbury to visit the family and then drove out to Plum Island to read and enjoy the beautiful weather. I took some pictures and here they are Plum Island on a sunny day

What are you trying to say?

I just went to CVS to stock up on candy, because for some reason I was feeling the sweet tooth. When I got back up to the office I noticed something funny about the coupon they gave me on the bottom of my receipt. It was for a $1.50 off Oral care products. Now I know at the supermarket they sometimes give you coupons for certain products. Do you think I got this coupon to counteract all of the candy I just purchased. Very strange. Here is a Photo of my receipt

Have a good weekend everybody. Housewarming party at my house Saturday night at 6 PM. Be there or be square.

Happy Birthday Jennifer!!!

Bowling

Last night for BoCaNO we went bowling in Davis Square. It was lots of fun and was followed up by a nice dinner at RedBones. Here are some pictures from BowlCaNO. So has anybody else been up late at night watching Keith Foulke single handedly cause me intense stress. I don't know if my nerves are ready for another extra inning game seven playoff game. These games are taking time off of my life.

Tuesday Afternoon

Okay so I wanted to update my LJ, but first I need to apologize for any spelling errors or accidental use of homophones, such as their and there OR threw and through. I rarely if ever read over my entries before hitting the post button, because it is usually early in the morning and I have to get to work. So please forgive me. My mother was very upset and embarrassed when reading my entry from a few days ago. I promise to try and read before dumping things out on to the interweb.

Next up... I am sick and tired of being inundated with free newspapers when I go to work in the morning. The Metro is fine because it is small and you can read it on the train, but for the last couple weeks they have been giving out the Boston Globe too. Now don't get me wrong I am not being ungrateful, but seriously I only have so much time to read the paper every night. I just can't see people reading the Globe on the train because it just involves way too much work. Why couldn't they have done this when I was commuting to Salem? On the bright side I can now finish the crossword without looking at the answers.

Here's a question for you. In the picture below what emotion am I expressing? Please answer so I can prove Jen and her sister wrong. I know it must be a NewYorkTexasOhioCaliforniaConnecticutan thing.


Check out the new poster I made at work for our new PC team work response system. PC Team Poster Aren't I just the most creative creature you ever met.

Rain Out

Lots of big plans for the weekend, but most were rained out on Saturday due to the crazy rain in the area. My mom, who I was unable to get a hold of all weekend, would certainly have said, "If this had been snow we would have over two feet on the ground." I can't even imagine how great that would have been, snow in September. Actually I guess it wouldn't really do me much good since I don't even have a ski pass yet. On Friday night I went out after work for Chris Hayes' going away outing at Foley's. A ton of people showed up and it was great to hang out with some former State Street crew members. On Saturday morning the rain prevented us from going on a hike, so instead Jen and I stayed in for a while before braving the rain and going to IHOP in Revere. We then picked up some piping at Home Depot for her new portable washing machine (more on that later). After a chill and relaxing afternoon, where I slept for a couple of hours, we went down to Quincy for a pizza and movie rental with Mark and Kate. We rented The Station Agent a quirky comedy about a dwarf. It was one of those movies that is different from the norm and in the end not many lose ends are tied up, but it was fantastic and very funny.

Sunday morning Mark, Kate and I drove up to Mount Osceola for a day hike. The sky seemed great in Somerville, but the closer we got to the mountains the cloudier it became. When we got out of the car it was fifty degrees and cloudy, perfect for hike with a view, NOT! It was a brief hike and unfortunately we couldn't see anything from the chilly summit. We did see our first ice of the season, you can see it in one of the pictures. After getting back down four hours after leaving the car we drove back towards Boston. We stopped at Not Your Average Joe's for dinner. One highlight of that was when Mark tried to flip his straw around in his mouth without using his hands. We all proceeded to give it a try with me being a complete failure, the only way I could get it to work was by chewing up the straw and spitting it back out.

Once I returned from Somerville and hung out at my house a while I drove over to Jen's house. When I got there she was washing her first load of laundry, but it would not do the spin and drain cycle. It would fill with water and then it would agitate, but right when it should have started to drain and then spin it just stopped. We played around with it for a good three hours, which included us manually draining it three times. Of course since I have no idea how to do anything around the house I was unable to fix it. Jen did figure out that her landlord had tested it and so it must have drained since she bought it. Hopefully he will be able to help us out.

Oh yeah and Mark the whole caliber thing with regards to bullets was the diameter of the bore of a firearm. See the definition of Caliber. .45 caliber is 45 hundredths of an inch in diameter and an 88 mm gun has a bore that is 88 millimeters in diameter.

Wine Anyone?

Last night Jen threw a little cocktail party at her house and invited some of her friends as well as some of my friends. I arrived at her house around 5 and we immediately began preparing. I made a fantastic vegetable platter with carrots, celery, mushrooms and tomatoes. It looked great if I do say so myself. A bunch of people showed up and I will spare listing them all for fear that I will most likely spell their names incorrectly. It appeared that a fun evening was had by all. The clean up was even fun. Since I never really use dishes at my new place, it was nice to get into the sink and just wash a ton of dishes. I even took a sip of wine because I didn't want to waste or mess up my dish water. I don't know whether it was linked to the wine, but afterwards my face broke out in a little rash. It was strange since I have never had an adverse reaction to food before. Hmmm very interesting.

Looking forward to Chris' going away party tonight at Foley's. Tomorrow will involve a hike somewhere up in NH of some mountain over 4000 feet. Sunday is the day Jen's sister moves to Somerville, which is very exciting. Busy weekend ahead. Hope y'all have a good one.

Meredith's Top Ten Favorite Things About Southerners

Asperger's Syndrome Information Apparently it occurs in both boys and girls. I guess that means score one for Meghan and the girls team.

Funny Advertisement making fun of Bush

Oh W

In an apparent misstatement while speaking of medical liability for OB-GYN doctors, the president said, ""We've got an issue in America. Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country."

On Saturday I went hiking up Mount Adams with Mark and Kate. We went up the King Ravine and I must say it was absolutely beautiful. Of all the 4000 footers I have done so far it has to be my favorite. The ravine was huge and made me feel as small as dust next to the giant rocks and the steep headwall. If you ever want to go on a somewhat difficult, but amazing hike try this one out.

Mt Adams Slideshow

I was surprised to find it so nice out yesterday. It was definitely what the meteorologists call a top ten day. I spent most of the morning recovering from the hike and then met Jen's parents out in Sturbridge. They were great and I think they even might have liked me. Lunch was hilarious there were all of these elderly people at the Sturbridge Bistro and they were just classic old people. One of the women was having the worst time trying to use a video camera so Jen went over and helped her out. I must say though it was frightening when they all left because each little old woman hopped into a different car and they kept backing up all over the place. I thought for sure I was going to get hit.

E5. Miss!!!!

I rarely make entries where I poke fun at somebody I dated or give an account of a bad date (remember the farewell email from the girl with the priority list), but Mark brought an interesting article to my attention this morning. Now for a little background, do you see the girl on the left in the picture above that is Emily aka E5. We met up at Sunday River last winter, we hung out a couple of times, but nothing materialized. One funny thing I remember distinctly was finding out she was a Republican after I saw her gym bag with a Bush/Cheney '04 sticker. I couldn't fathom how anybody would seriously posess one of those stickers unless it was for a joke. I could go on and on with a bunch of ridiculously funny stories, but none will comepare to what Mark found in the New Yorker. Apparently she has been busy with the presidential campaign and the New Yorker was great enough to interview her at the RNC last week. Here is the New Yorker Article Emily's interview starts in the third paragraph. All I have to say is Newportant?!?! WTF!!! Absolutely!!!

Here is the Slideshow from February 16th, 2004. Look at how long and crazy my hair is in that picture. Our pizza party isn't exactly like a British High Tea Party.

Rainy Day

I forgot all about updating this thing and so here you go. It was a very exhausting and busy Labor Day for me. I rollerbladed on Friday night and then dealt with a Red Line shuttle bus. Saturday involved a trip up to the 'Bury to do laundry and see my dad and grandmother. I left there and drove down to Plymouth to hang out with the pond people. It was so nice to be down there for sadly the last weekend of the year. We played wiffle ball in the hall at midnight. I felt like a kid again, just goofing off and making up different games. After a long Sunday in Plymouth I went back to Somerville to see Jen. Monday was super relaxing, we just hung out, walked to Davis Square for a Starbucks, did some shopping and then went to Ben's BBQ. A great way to end a superb weekend. However I am now completely exhausted and really need to get some rest. I have been running every weekday so far in September. Only two months to go until ski season starts. Woohoo!!!

Simple Update

It was a day of several good things:
I got out of work at four o'clock which is good.
I brought my other guitar (the one Scott gave me) to the repair shop and they fixed the tuners for only five bucks (well four because thats all I had on me)
Met up with my bestest friend in the whole world, Kate Harvey!!!
Talked about how my mind can sometimes drive me crazy with its constant thinking about things. One, two, three, RELAX!!!!!
Walked the bike path from Davis Square to Alewife.
Ate at Anna's Taqueria for the first time. It was pretty good. Not as yummy as Qdoba, but half the price.
Played with my newly repaired guitar. A much different sound than my other guitar.
Wrote a letter using the classic nib pen and ink. Boy writing cursive is hard.
Went to Jen's and saw all of her new school clothes, including 8 new skirts. Haha I have like six pairs of pants total.
Realized how lucky I am to have great friends, live in a super apartment in a fun city, the basic ability to play a guitar, a job (okay I am working on that), a wonderful family back up in the 'Bury and an amazing girlfriend who is a true match (pun intended).

Have a great Labor Day weekend everybody. I'll be in Plimoth all weekend. The Chowdah race is tomorrow.
Keegan Willis Sands

Argh Republicans

I was walking to the train this morning and the nice Metro guy handed me my daily copy. On the front cover is a big picture of Dick Cheney with a giant grin on his face and it really irritated me. Why was I irritated? Because he knows as do I now that Bush will win the election in November. Let's face it I don't want him to win, but that is the way the insane rest of our country feels. I just don't appreciate the whole rubbing it in, because they are so certain and know there is nothing that can be done. It's amazing what money can buy. Of course the democrats aren't exactly putting up a fight. I don't think I could be less excited about John Kerry. Is he even running for president because it certainly doesn't feel that way. The Democrats should have picked somebody that at least had some chance in the South. He also doesn't look presidential, the phrase always a senator never a president definitely come to mind when thinking of him. I don't want to discourage anybody from voting, because it is obviously not a done deal, but its beginning to look that way. Our country is just plain, DUMB!!!!

Does anybody else see a likeness between Dick Cheney and the Penguin?

September Is Here

It is now September 1st and the weather has changed accordingly to a comfortable coolness that lets you sleep through the night. It was so refreshing waking up to such nice weather. I also began training for ski season this morning by going for a half an hour run. I don't know how far I ran, but i would estimate somewhere around two and a half to three miles. I did okay, well considering I haven't run in quite a while. I was considering the gym, but for the time being I am just going to try and run everyday and maybe start the gym in October. I don't know, we'll see how it goes.

So I didn't buy my season and decided to hold out because I knew they would still be offering the pass after the date they said. I was right they have now extended the deadline to October 25th and added $30 to the price of the pass. So now I get to wait and definitely won't have to put it on my already mountainous credit card debt. While on the subject I have decided now that I have less rent to pay I am making a focused effort to dig away at the mountain. I have vowed that by this time next year, September 1, 2005. I will be in a completely different situation with a mountain of savings, so if I have to move I will be able to something more effective with my money than just paying rent. September 1st this year is like everybody else's January 1st. I have so many New Year's resolutions. Now it is just a matter of following through. I know I will definitely have support so I am not worried.

Learn about American cheese
White Bread vs. Wheat Bread
The Air Sign Libra

Oh Boy!!

So as anybody who has spoken to me in the last couple of days knows I am sick. It is just a head cold, tight chest, runny nose and a cough, but in this weather it is completely unbearable. I think I am not alone in saying I wish it was Autumn already. If we have to deal with it getting dark around eight o'clock now we should at least be blessed with some cooler, drier weather. Hopefully it will be drying out in the next couple of days, I just can't take this much longer. Yesterday was a perfect example of how the humidity makes me more stressed. I went to work early to do some expenses work and was able to leave early. Unfortunately I wasn't able to enjoy the day because the night before I had received a cable bill stating that I owed $300 because of unreturned equipment. So when I got home yesterday I pulled the cable box and modem out of the closet, but quickly realized I was missing the remote control. For the next twenty minutes I tore through all of my belongings, in my scorching hot room, looking for the stupid remote. No luck! Time was running out because I had to drive all the way to Salem by five to drop it off and every minute I spent looking the traffic was getting worse. I cut my losses and jumped into the car. Luckily I made it to Salem with a half hour to spare, but I couldn't find the place. It was hot and sticky while I called Ken at work to have him run a google search for me. Five minutes later I was standing in the Comcast office while the annoying clerk was talking on the phone. She never hung up the phone and kept chatting while returning my equipment. Fortunately she didn't say anything about the remote and I made it out of there with an $18 credit balance. Woohoo, that will show them.

Spotsylvania Battle Information
Civil War Battle Naming

Two words to live by challenge and reinforce.

Ahhhh Vacation!!!

Let me start by saying it was a lovely vacation. I won't go into full details because it would be rather boring to everbody but here is a list of all of the places we went.
Day One: I-93 and Franconia Notch
Bought the new Mraz live CD.
Played a round of miniature golf. I came back from being down three strokes to win by one. Woohoo!!!
Clark's Trading Post to see the bears.
Snuck into the Flume Gorge from the real hiking trails.
Bought sandwiches at some random sandwich shop, where the lady at the counter proceeded to give Jen a hard time about wheat bread and just how bad it was for you.
Ate lunch at the Basin while watching tourists from all over the globe.
Hiked up the Falling Brook trail to check out the cool waterfalls and warm up for the big hike on Day Two.
Ice cream at Dairy Queen.
Went to the house in Newry and tried to use my Somerville key on the door.
Ate dinner at Suds. As good as ever.
Day One Photos
Day Two: Mount Jefferson
Drove to the base of Mount Jefferson.
Hiked four hours up to Edwards col. A col is a low point between two ridges.
Made a push for the summit of the third highest peak in the Northeast. Elevation 5,716 feet.
Beautiful views from the top, with the exception being a few random clouds passing below us.
Long and somewhat tricky hike back down via the Castle trail.
Shopping at Shaw's.
Pat's Pizza for dinner.
Laundry.
Day Two Photos
Day Three: Camden
Woke up in Newry and drove two and a half hours East to the coast.
Saw the cleanest gas station bathroom ever.
Walked around Camden and had some lunch.
Checked in at the bed and breakfast.
Rested a bit before driving up to a mild hike.
Hiked up Mount Megunticook and enjoyed the views from the top. It was lovely.
Joyously hiked back down the mountain.
Cleaned up before a fantastic flatbread dinner at the Frogwater Cafe.
Spoke with a couple from Pennsylvania at the bed and breakfast before bed.
Woke up the next morning and had breakfast with an amazing array of people. Old married couples, newlyweds, a German guy, a couple from Malta, an expecting couple of from Boston and other people I didn't get to meet.
Explored the shops of downtown Camden.
Drove around a looking for the Children's Chapel. Finally found it to see the garden was beautiful, but the chapel was eh.
Southbound for Freeport.
Stood in line to get a piece of my backpack replaced for an hour or so.
Ate lunch and had Pesto for the first time. I think it would have been good if there wasn't so much cilantro.
Took a drive up Mt. Agamenticus.
Couldn't let go of the vacation and drove 1A along the coast.
Went to 39R so Jen could meet the family.
Of course mom wasn't there so we waited and had dinner before going to Hodgies.
Finally got back to Somerville completely exhausted.
Day Three Photos

Day Five: Plymouth
Drove to Plymouth in the morning and hung out with Mark and Kate.
Talking and swimming at the Lafavers.
Ate lunch and fixed some computer problems.
Watched the race from the boat with Kate.
Mark finished fifth in a tough field of sailors.
I played guitar on the dock while Kate and Mark went to a meeting.
Ate dinner at BBC.
Drove back to Somerville, took the wrong exit and was slightly lost.
Went home unpacked and passed out, until my coughing woke me up twenty minutes later.
Sailboat Race on Long Pond Photos

A Fantastic Weekend

Now typically I only put one picture up, but I really wanted to show something strange that I didn't really notice until I was looking at the pictures at home. The first picture was taken around 2:30 PM and the second was taken a few hours later, but notice the dramatic change in the water level and color. Notice how in the top picture there is some shoreline visible on the far side of the river and it has disappeared in the bottom. Okay that is all of my observations on the waterfall.

Jen and I left for Letchworth State Park (1 hour southeast of Buffalo) on Friday afternoon and began the long drive westward. I was pretty psyched because for the first time in a long time I got to be the passenger, which I must say was good for a few hours, but then I got way to antsy. It took us seven and a half hours to get there including a couple stops for gas, food and a mysterious thumping noise. We pulled up to the inn, which looked like a saloon/hotel from the old West. We walked in the door and I felt like I should have had a six shooter on my hip. Fortunately there weren't any mean cowboys playing poker inside, but instead there was a large array of antiques including a collection of chamber pots. A very classy touch. We got the key and walked upstairs to find our room among the huge doorways, but couldn't find number 22. There were all the other numbers, but not ours. Finally, we gave up and went downstairs to ask for help. The woman said with a thick Irish accent that our room was outside. She pointed us toward the back of the hotel and said walk that way until a light turns on and you will see the room. We followed the directions and came to the random outbuilding, which was decorated like an old 70's style hotel room. I said the place felt haunted and no sooner had my mouth closed and there was a knock at the door and Jen screamed and jumped. I laughed as she got her keys from the lady from the Iobby. Too funny!!!

The next day we had to go to the wedding at Letchworth State Park. It was a beautiful wedding at a fantastic spot. The ceremony was right near a giant waterfall, quite impressive. I finally got to meet some of Jen's friends and they were great and too funny. After watching them interact for a little while it occurred to me that they could easily be cast in a Friends like show. Everybody had so much in common, but all had very distinct mannerisms and qualities to create a perfectly balanced and well rounded group. Just an odd observation I made, probably because I watch way too much television. The reception afterwards was fun, and I actually got out there and tried my hand at dancing. Let's just say I was really cutting up a rug. Ha!!!

Sunday we woke up and got right out of there because there wasn't anywhere decent to have breakfast in the area. The drive back was fine and we stopped in Northampton to break it up. The weather was so nice yesterday and quite a change from when we left on Friday afternoon. Alright I have to get to work now. Just know it was a great weekend and I am looking forward to my vacation coming up on Wednesday. Woohoo, I love Maine.

Wedding Slideshow


Soap Opera Definition
Letchworth State Park, the "Grand Canyon of the East"
I-90 West to 93 North? (Maybe its not the most right I've ever been) The two missing exits are I-93 South to I-90 East and I-90 West to I-93 North. In case any of you were wondering I-90 West does provide direct access to I-93 North. Oops!

It was a great day

I am very busy today, but wanted to put some albums out here in honor of Clemence's last BoCaNO for now. We played soccer in the park and then went over to John Harvard's for dinner. It was very yummy.

Clemence's Last BoCaNO for now

Clemence's First BoCaNO

I also had a nice afternoon of shopping in the city with Jen. I bought new brown shoes yes I know this is quite a rarity for me. I also bought some new nice clothes because I can't really go out anywhere dressed in my ripped or marked up khakis I wear to work. They were selling fresh apples and cider at City Hall plaza. It was nice to have my first cider of the year, I am very excited for Autumn to begin. Cider Hill Farm donuts will soon be in my belly.

I have been really bad at keeping up with this, but I really want some record of what has been happening with Jen. First of all it has been over a month since our first date at Dali. A few days after that we drove up the coast of NH to Odiorne Point State Park and then at dinner at Margarita's followed by a night cap at her house. She was busy over the next week and then went to the Cape nannying for a week. We kept in touch though and would talk often and for long periods of time. Haha looking back it seems so long ago that I was talking to her on the phone in my apartment in Salem. She came back from the cape on the same day I moved (August 1st). I was supposed to see her that night, but due to my moving troubles I wasn't able to.

However the next day she came over to see me. When she got here I had just started playing the guitar and played my first two songs for her, Big Eyed Fish and Too Much. We left and went to Boston to go to the Aquarium. It was nice to go on a date without taking the car for a change. I needed to get a T pass so we went to South Station and then walked around to the Aquarium. We stood in line and had our picture taken, because they require it to buy a ticket. We got our ticket and went inside to see the Jellyfish exhibit. It was amazing and we also learned about copapods. We watched the penguins for a while and then went to the Imax theater. The movie was good especially the dramatic tone of the narrator. Afterwards it was clear that we needed to eat and walked over to Faneuil Hall for lunch at Bertucci's. We were both extremely hungry and glad to get something in our stomachs. We both had margheurita pizzas and were full afterwards. The waitress was rather peculiar and actually butted in to a conversation we were having about credit cards. Very strange, but also something fun to laugh about. We went back to the Aquarium and saw everything else we missed on the first visit. Slowly winding are way to the top of the giant tank things were going very well. I felt very close to her and was having a really fun afternoon. The top of the tank was a good place to stop and take a break for a little while and learn about the different fish in the tank. Our curiousity got the best of us and we played in the gift shop for a good half hour before returning to the oppressive heat of the outside. In our travels we ended up in PO Square, where we just laid on the grass for an hour or so just talking and enjoying each others company. Playing in the fountain was also fun. It was getting late so we went back to Somerville and stopped by my house. We sat on my bed talking and I played the guitar for her for about an hour or more. It was hot and I was sweating from being so nervous about it, but she really seemed to like it, which I of course loved. She went home late that night and I was glad to say the third date was just as much of a success as the first two, if not even better. Oh I almost forgot when she came over I gave her a mason jar full of wishing stones, shells, sea glass and snails I had gathered on the beach in Salem. She loved it.

On Monday, we gathered an impromptu BoCaNO crew together and went to The Burren. It was Jen's first time meeting everybody so we were both nervous, but of course everybody thought she was wonderful and they were very happy for me. She fit right in with the group especially Clemence. Unfortunately she couldn't stay long, so I walked her outside and gave her a kiss good night. I was so happy to have my friends meet her and even more excited that they liked her so much. It was strange having a girl with me in front of my friends, but also nice because I could just talk to her at points and leave the group for a while. So once again another success with Jen. My happiness just keeps increasing.

Our next official date was on Friday, August 6th, the day after I had my wisdom tooth pulled. I went to Jen's bright and early for the beginning of what would be known as the Tour De New England. Within a couple hours we were up at the end of the Kancamagnus. We stopped briefly for drinks and to use the bathroom before heading down "The Kanc". Within a few minutes we stopped at an overlook and took some pictures with our sweaters on. It was beautiful and she was seemed very happy to be outside in nature. I was excited that she brought her camera and was taking pictures. We drove some more in the car and just kept talking and having a great time until we got to Rocky Gorge. We got out again for some wandering and picture taking. The sun was now shining down and it was nice to just lay there and bask in the light. It was getting near lunchtime and we were both hungry. The nearest grown up place to eat was a local pub, so we went in and I had a bowl of chili because of my tooth. A nice lunch overall and a good way to break up the day. We originally intended to drive up Mt. Washington, but the weather was less than desirable and instead we stopped at Glen Ellis Falls. Once again Jen was excited about seeing the falls, which made me extremely happy. It was such a peaceful spot and we stopped there for an hour just enjoying the serenity and each others company. I wanted to show her my parents house in Bethel so we drove east into Maine. When we got there Noelle's sister's boyfriend was there and kept asking us if we wanted to join his BBQ. We graciously declined despite his persistence. The house was different, but still just as nice and the river behind was beautiful, capping off all of the wonderful nature spots we visited. It was starting to get late and we had a long way to go. Next stop Amesbury. I had to grab my bike for the triathlon the next day so we had to stop. Only Jon and Zach were home so they got to meet Jen. Hunger had set in again and what better place to go on your first trip to Amesbury than Hodgies. Jen ordered a quarter kiddie on a cone which was huge, but she managed to finish most of it without making too much of a mess. Our final stop on this long trip was Salem, where I had to pick up my deposit from Jesse. We tried to keep it short and then made it back to Somerville, thirteen hours after we left. Needless to say I was exhausted and when we got upstairs I passed right out. After a little rest I regained my strength and was a little bit more awake. We went to bed and only slept a few hours because we had to get up for the triathlon the next day.

Triathlon in Plymouth
Jen went to Maine for the week although we talked every day and became even closer
She came back on 8/16 and I went to her house and then dinner in the North End and then a sleepover
On Monday night she came over to plan our trip next week to Maine.
Tuesday night we talked on the phone and then couldn't resist a sleepover
Wednesday we met in the city and did shopping for the wedding this weekend. Stopped at the chocolate dipper, bought cider and apples and just had an unbelievable afternoon together

More Dentist

So I went back to the dentist and for those of you keeping score at home this is the third time in three weeks. I sat there for a while waiting to be helped and then finally was seated in a room.
The techician said, "Are you ready for your root canal."
I responded, "Ah I am only here for an exam."
She realized her error and moved me to the correct room. Now this is the second time this has happened, but in some odd way I feel it means I belong at this dentist.

So I had my X-rays done and the doctor came in to look at my mouth. So here is the break down I need two fillings replaced, my three wisdom teeth extracted, a cleaning and to have a section of my tongue looked at further to make sure it isn't cancerous. Overall a good day for me here in Boston. Now I have an appointment for a cleaning next Tuesday and another one for the oral surgeon to check out my wisdom teeth and my tongue. That will be five visits in four weeks, it means I will have been to the dentist more in the last five weeks than I had in the prior eight years. Still two more to come after next week too.

On the bright side they haven't told me it would be easier to just remove all of my teeth and get dentures. My weekend away and vacation next week will not come soon enough.

Enough

I can't do it anymore, I can't just sit here at work and put on a happy face. It has become too much to bear and I am ready to explode. Now I know certain people are going to say go back to school or apply for the big 90,000 dollar a year job at IBT. First let me answer the school comment, I would love to go take classes and learn new things, but I don't even know what I want to do anymore which makes it kind of wasteful and in the past when I took classes it just turned out to be a big fat waste because I never was able to use any of the knowledge I actually gained. Secondly I don't want to be a financial analyst, I don't want to be the guy who watches people work, writes it down and then passes it off to somebody so they can do the only part of it I actually enjoy. Yes its a lot of money, but well now money is great, but I am not about to go further from what I like to do just to make some more money. Besides since I have an inability to save money, it would just end up being rather wasteful.

The saddest part about the whole thing is I used to be positive working computers was where I wanted to be, given their logical manner and the constant problem solving. After sitting behind this desk for five years, I am beginning to question even this fundamental certainty I have had for years. Now have my feelings for this career changed because I don't actually enjoy it or is it because this job has caused me to view computers in a different light. I would like to think I truly do enjoy this field, but doing meaningless Access projects has sucked my will to code. Furthermore working in this giant grammar school like environment hasn't helped my feelings much.

Coming out of college I had this idea of a big corporate office being structured and very rigid about things. Nothing would be completed without proper documentation and written approval. A system where you could easily see goals, make movements upward into new positions because a heirarchy existed. Now I find that I work in a middle school where people interrupt you, destroying any bit of focus you may have had to answer a trivial question. I thought it was bad when people asked me to go out back for more oranges at the supermarket or asked where the apples were. At least they had the excuse that they might not be educated and weren't necessarily familiar with the store. The idiots at work just come up to me like I am their bitch and ask the simplest questions that, given five minutes of thought, they could have figured out themselves. Insead I sit back here put on a happy face and take care of their ridiculous request, while they go back to their desk to continue reading the latest news story about the Boston Red Sox. It gets worse if I do not respond to their request in a timely manner not only do they get irritated, but they go back to their desks surf the internet and complain about me. Of course when I walk by its all smiles and hellos, so the next time I will help them, but I know what is really going on in their heads.

Now this morning I have a meeting with my boss about possibly becoming the lead PC person, which means really nothing. I will make the same I am doing now, do the same tasks as right now, but for some reason it will officially rest on my shoulders and not his to do his job. If I say I don't want to do it, I will be doing it anyway and if I do decide to do it they will probably try to rope me in for another year. I keep telling myself October 26th is just around the corner and I will be able to post out of this group and November 15th is soon after that when I will finally be vested. Its possible there is a light at the end of the tunnel, the question is whether I can make it to the light. I have to fight the urge to just quit and go back to stocking produce at Shaw's, at least there was a variety of stupid people there instead of the same stupid people day in and day out.

"In a world of uncertainty, logic is only a spectator." - KWS

2004 BBQ

It was another successful BBQ thanks to everybody for showing up. I made my signature watermelon fruit salad with a twist this year. Instead of making a basket I carved little waves into the side in honor of the hurricane. The pictures can tell a better story than I ever could. We did do a bunch of fun things like swimming, hacky sacking, frisbee, eating, egg tossing, basketball, pinata beating, and Hodgie's ice cream eating. I personally enjoyed more than last year's because I was much more relaxed and not nearly as stressed about making sure everybody was happy. New things this year were the Hodgies afterwards and my set on the guitar. Yes its true I actually played for real people out in the pool area. It was really dark and I could barely see the strings, but I managed to muddle through a few songs.
Here is the setlist for record keeping purposes:
(Dressed In Black) -->
Big Eyed Fish
Angel From Montgomery
Song That Jane Likes
In My Life
Too Much
-----------------------------
All Along The Watchtower

( ) indicates partial song
--> indicates segue

Haha how lame is that. It was fun to play, I am not sure how fun it was to listen. For the first time I wasn't nervous playing in front of people. It was a nice change. The pinata was next and once again it broke off of the string and we had to resort to the softball pitch to bust it open. Hodgies was great especially because it was hilarious watching Amy eat her ice cream like a five year old. Hahahaha. When we got back the collge girls had arrived. It was nice to see Emily and Nissa for the first time in like six months. I gave Britt, Sara, Vanessa and Amy a ride back to Boston and made it home by midnight. A long but fun and great day. What will next year's BBQ bring?
Brendan sent me a couple of his pictures, complete with captions:
Drop
Huh?!?!
Kate
MEP


Here is a link for 2003 BBQ Album for a nice look back.

Yesterday the weather was so poor I just stayed in most of the morning reading a book and then I read the newspaper. I picked up super glue for my bowl, which I conveniently dropped on the floor Friday night. It is now together, but I don't know if it will hold milk. We'll see tonight. Jen came back from vacation yesterday and we went to dinner at a nice grown up restaurant in the North End called Bricco. It was really nice, one of those places that still serves bread and they even put the napkin in your lap for you. I tried squash blossoms for the first time and they were very good. My main course was a pasta dish shaped like a drum. On top of the drum is a giant blob of mozzarella and inside was penne and veal. It was covered in a red sauce and petite meatballs. Although somewhat difficult to eat it was also scrumptious and filling. Unfortunately it left little room for dessert and so we weren't able to go to a cafe afterwards.

In case you were wondering here is a page with the information about the difference between crickets, katydids and grasshoppers.