omg this is so funny - I just bought a laptop that will run the new Vista software - if it ever does come out - as far as I'm aware, it was posted first on slashdot.org (great site by the way).
and as a huge fan of the old monty python sketches...

User: I wish to make a complaint!
Ballmer: (hurriedly) Sorry, we're about to ship Vista.
User: Never mind that, my lad. I wish to complain about this web browser, what came bundled not five years ago from this very operating system.
Ballmer: Oh yes, IE, ah, version 6. What's, ah... W-what's wrong with it?
User: I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. It's dead, that's what's wrong with it.
Ballmer: No, no, It's ah... it's undergoing a security upgrade.
User: Look, matey, I know a dead browser when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.
Ballmer: No no, i-it's not dead, it's... getting its user interface upgraded!
User: User interface?
Ballmer: Y-yeah, the UI. Upgradin'. Remarkable browser, IE, isn't it, eh? Beautiful layouts!
User: The layout-complete build don't enter into it. It's stone dead!
Ballmer: Nononono, no, no! 'E's bein' upgraded!
User: All right then, if he's bein' upgraded, I'll run 'im!
(starts typing)
IEXPLORE.EXE! C:\MYDOCU~1\HELLO.JPG
Looky looky looky! Happily rendering the Goatse Guy! Hey, IE, I've got lots of lovely RAM for you if you're running, Mr. Internet Explorer!)
(pounds keyboard)
Ballmer: There, the page refreshed!
User: No, he didn't, that was you clicking reload!
Ballmer: I never!!
User: Yes, you did!
Ballmer: I never, never....
(pounding Ctrl-Alt-Del on the keyboard again)
User: HELLO, WORLD! HELLO TASK MANAGER! PLEASE WAKE UP!
Now that's what I call a dead browser.
Ballmer: No, no.... No, it's just running a signed ActiveX Control in the background.
User: A ACTIVEX CONTROL!?!?
Ballmer: Yeah! You invoked an ActiveX control, just as it was wakin' up! Believe me, IE runs those easily, major!
User: Look my lad, I've had just about enough of this. That browser is definitely deceased, and when I booted its PC up after buyin' it not half an hour ago, you assured me that the PC's total lack of computational power was due to it being tired and shagged out after a prolonged virus scan.
Ballmer: Well, he's... it's, ah... probably needin' activation and authorization with Windows Genuine Advantage.
User: WINDOWS Genuine ADVANTAGE?!? What kind of talk is that? Look, why did the OS crash flat on its back the moment I plugged it into the router?
Ballmer: The Norwegian Bluescreen prefers kippin' on its back! Remarkable UI, though, isn't it, guv, eh? Lovely layout-complete screenshots!
User: (coldly) Look, I took the liberty of examining that browser cache when I got it home, and I discovered the only reason that the PC had anything to run on its hard drive in the first place was that it had been bundled in there along with the spyware and the DRM.
Ballmer: Well, of course it has DRM there! If I hadn't bundled that browser and nailed everything down with DRM, all the content would have nuzzled up to those wires at the back, bent 'em apart with its little bits, and VOOM!
User: "VOOM?" Look matey, this browser wouldn't "voom" if you put four thousand kilobytes of W3C standards through it! It's bleedin' demised!
Ballmer: It's not! I-It's just authenticating!
User: It's not authenticatin,' it's passed on! This browser is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker! This is a late software release! It's a stiff! Bereft of RAM, it rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed it to the system with DRM and your monopoly it'd be pushing up the daisies! Its spawned processes are of interest only to historians! It's hopped the twig! It's shuffled off this mortal coil! It's run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible! This.... is an INACTIVE X!
Ballmer: Well, I'd better upgrade it, then.

home from football practice, catching some time to myself. My girl has gone to bed already, she's not the night owl that I am. I do feel spoiled tho- she waits up for me, has something ready for me to eat... does it get much better? I don't get much of it (time) so I wind up staking awake far into the night and drag my butt around the next day. I get up at 6, so if I don't get to bed until 2 or so... you do the math. Then I start all over because i seem to get my second wind at about 7pm or so, so i stay up late and drag my butt around the next day...

got a scrimmage this weekend - i love it! i get tired of practicing so long without a game, that's the only problem with the beginning of the season... waiting for the games to start.

on a whole 'nother topic... I'm a hawk democrat and my girl is a republican to her core - we don't talk much politics just to keep the peace in the house. The only thing we seems to agree upon in that arena is that we're both pro-military, me being a USMC vet and all. But miracles do happen once in a while... we both think that W must be having a melt down or something. Are we the only ones who think he's gone off his rocker with his stand in illegials??? worker amnesty? wtf?

damn, has it been that long? ever since they put in the new firewall at work, I haven't been able to check in as much. I'm burning my candle at both ends, so to speak. Football practice, putting together game day programs, getting the team into uniforms, keeping up with my gym workouts, keeping my relationship happy and my employer demanding 10 hours of work in an 8 hour day has been running my ass ragged. I get about 5 hours of sleep a night and by frinday, I'm so tired I can hear my hair grow. But the good news is that studies are out that show that people who sleep less live longer than those who get 8 hours a night. I'll live forever.

lots of great women's rugby going on right now - the chula vista camp is coming up in march - 65 invitees this year - and i'm too busy to enjoy anyof it. of course, since I live in the south and especially since katrina, there is zero women's rugby near me. the closest i can get is atlanta - a five hour drive. the new orleans halfmoons are gone - i'm afraid to say, probably forever. don't forget about them - new orleans, the mississippi gulf coast. some of them, the hard working regular people, are still living in tents. don't forget the Halfmoons. they were a great team, a team with history that gave women's rugby everything a team could - they held tournaments - they trained new referees - they promoted fitness and most of all, they promoted fun. and after all, if women's rugby wasn't fun, why would be even do it. Tracy Moens and Michelle Carrone (both of them were the heart and soul of the Halfmoons) are still giving to women's rugby as fitness coaches for the Eagles. If you see them, say thank you. and please say hello from me.

wow - busy or what!!
and then on top of that - my server at work has blocked blogger with the firewall - not the actual blogs mind you - just me being able to edit my blog so I'll have to do it from home (like now) or figure something out.
more later - just spent 4 hours in the airport waiting on a flight that got iced in in dallas!!!

Great college women's rugby game this weekend - Sunday Jan 15 at UCLA, UC San Diego (last seasons team to watch) vs. UC Los Angeles. 2005 is the first year of the full conversion from club side to college side for UCLA. At any rate, this should be a great game.

Stars & Stripes
It's officially a crime for a servicemember to solicit a prostitute. You mean to tell me that it wasn't a crime before? It's even a crime in the public sector - and they're usually much more stringent than the military...
welcome out of the dark ages.

Belmont Shore Landsharks - WRFC
In recognition of their 30th year anniversay as a club, I have posted a link to their site. I played the majority of my seasons in Southern California and had to play these gals every season. Their 80's team was a ball buster - tough and talented. Their 90's team had some of the same players but a whole new bunch of rookies had put on jerseys as well and they weren't quite the powerhouse they one were. Women's rugby in general took a real big hit in the 90's. Clubs were folding left and right - people just weren't willing to sponsor a team ("what the heck is rugby?") and the cost of playing soared. At any rate - fun site to see - great old photos!

Whew - the holidays are over. It seems like Christmas begins in November and doesn't end until New Years. Have you noticed that they already have the big ol' valentines day heart shaped boxes of chocolates in the store? Try to drop a few of those pounds from eating so damn much stuff and it's immediately thrown back in front of you. It's no wonder that there are so many obese people! It takes a very concentrated effort to stay focused on being fit.

[women's rugby]This is my blatent self promoting tag. I really enjoy the technorati site so much that I want to be a part of it. On another note, I hope your holidays are special.

Now & Then It always looks different when it's suddenly in your own back yard....

RealEstateJournal | Architectural Theft Adds Insult To Injury in Old New Orleans It was bound to happen...

The Women's USA National team departs for the UK on January 17 for a series of test matches. Finally. That's all I can say. I think these ladies have trained far too hard and for far too long to be sitting around not getting some international competition. I hope it's a successful tour for them, not just in victories, but ultimately for development into a team that can win the world cup. The US has, in my opinion, always had the talent and levels of fitness that it takes but because of logistics, in the past several years, has not gotten the chance to develop into a real team. After all, there's only so much you can accomplish at camp. There is nothing like the pressure of real competition to find out where your strengths and weaknesses lie.

US team: Hedwig Aerts, Kirsten Aerts, Kristin Baja, Suzanna Barth, Claudia Braymer, Jamie Burke, Laura Cabrera, Erin Carter, Annie Collier, Kate Cox, Jen Crouse, Ashley English, Heather Hale, Tyshawn Henry, Patty Jervy, Jen Joyce, Ellie Karvoski, Lee Knight, Phaidra Knight, Pam Kosanke, Annie McClain, Laura McDonald, Kelly McMahon, Pat Neder, Meredith Ottens, Jen Sinkler, Chris Trucano, Mari Wallace, Keenya Warner, Kristin Zandancewicz

Reserves: Stacey Bennett, Brenna Costello, Heather Jennings, Kim Magrini, Katie MacCallum, Sara Merritt, Danielle Miller, Kate Pope, Christy Ringgenberg, Liz Snodgrass, Eve Tryals, Kate Turpin, Heidi Whitman

Staff: Kathy Flores, Head Coach; Candi Orsini, Assistant Coach; Anne Barry, General Manager; Sara Shouse, WNT Manager; Katie Peterson, USA A Manager; Katie Wurst, USA Rugby.

2006 Churchill Cup So you think that USA Rugby might give the Women Eagles enough money so they can attend THIS one???

ESPN.com - NCF/BOWLS05 - 41 percent of bowl teams miss academic standards Then why are they being allowed to play? It just proves one more time that college football is simply the minor leagues of pro football - why do we even still pretend that the division 1-A teams are playing with academics as a priority. Don't get me wrong - I love football... I just hate bullshit.

Wile I say thank you to ESPN for the coverage, I also ask, why this article is in the "more sports" section instead of the "football" section?

USA Rugby - Competition Brackets - Women's All-Star 15's Or as us old timers call it, ITT's are this weekend in southern Florida. I'm looking for rosters and will post them when I find them.

Cunningham - scum bag Ok, I realize I am stating the obvious as a former California Democrat (still a democrat, just not in California anymore) that this guy is a scum bag, but political parties aside, I have always thought this guy was trash. I have never liked his way of doing business from the very start - so unfortunately for the people of California that he represents, I have proof that my instincts are still good.

Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch - 6,644 still missing after Katrina I had no idea that this many people were unaccounted for...