Editor's Note

I've noticed that a few "spam" items were posted as comments in a recent blog entry. If you see any of these in the future, please disregard them, as I am working to clear them out. Not sure how they got on there in the first place. Thanks for your understanding and acknowledgement that I wouldn't want any spam for penis enlargement products on the RPR. Thank you.

The Barbershop, Part 2

Many of you will remember my haircut story from the beginning of July. (See the July 12th posting in the archive) Well, here we are about 7 weeks later and time for another haircut. So I was going to go over last night, but didn't make it there on time. I rememebered that either Monday or Tuesday they stayed open later, and it turns out that Monday they close at 7pm and Tuesday they close at 8:30pm. Of course tonight, I get there too late again. We had an outing to Opus (the classy afterwork bar) for a guy who is about to retire. So I get to Sweeney Todd's at 8:15pm, run in there real quick, and the lady at the desk says, "Sorry we're closed." I said, "I thought you're open until 8:30pm." She responds with, "We are, but we're already started to pack up for the night."

What a load of bullshit. As I drove away, I'm thinking to myself, "F this, I'm going to the other barbershop." The other barbershop, which ranks very high up on the scale of sketchiness, is over in the mall, and so I knew they'd be open because they run on mall hours. No problem, had plenty of time.

So I go over to the barbershop, and as soon as I walk in this big Puerto Rican guy yells at me "Sir, would you like a haircut? Step right over here." Sounds good to me - prompt, yet intimidating, service. So I sit down in the chair and he begin to cut my hair. Now this guy was too busy talking to me (in English) and everyone else in this place (in Spanish), and I was conerned that his attention was being drawn away from the task at hand. Anyway, I'm sitting there and I look over and who is cutting a man's hair right in the chair next to me: none other than Yolanda. I can't get away from this lady. Now I didn't get the whole story as to to why she was in the barbershop rather than Sweeney Todd's, but I overheard some kind of conversation which eluded to her being there "on loan for a few weeks". Again, very sketchy. Luckily, Yolanda didn't recognize me because then I would have received the fifth degree as to why I came to this place and why I chose to sit down in this guy's chair. "Um, because the big Puerto Rican guy told me to sit down...that's why."

I think the 2 establishments are somehow colluding with each other because both of their Monday/Tuesday special rates went up from $12 to $14. I can't win. This guy cuts my hair, takes him all of 7-8 minutes, and I pay $14 + $3 tip. What a pain in my ass. This whole thing is getting out of hand. I like the old days at home when the price never changed and there weren't as many politics with getting my haircut.

In the end, 3 positive things came out of the experience:
1) I ended up with a haircut that is no better or worse than normal.
2) Neither Yolanda nor Puerto Rican man beat me up.
3) I basically gave Sweeney Todd's a big "F You" by going to the other barbershop since I got there 15 minutes before they closed and they told me they were already closed.

Expect the next phase in this story around the end of October. We'll see what happens at that time. Back on Wednesday night with more...

PSU Football Preview

As promised in the last post, we have a guest columnist this evening, one of the senior year roommates, Andy Franson. Andy is a longtime fan and supporter of the Ross Press Release, and is leading the Central PA headquarters for all RPR operations. He requested a PSU football preview the other night, but since I know he is closer to all of the news, and the ins and outs of the team this year, it seemed as if he'd be able to produce a better article than I. So, without further ado, Andy Franson's No Frills 2005 Penn State Football Preview:
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I am probably the wrong person to write an article about the Penn State football team, for I am both an avid fan and the worst pessimist you have ever met... just ask Ross. At the beginning of the season, I will brag about how they are going undefeated, and that "This is the year", but the first time they turn the ball over, or start to lose, I will damn the entire team. But we’ll see how it goes….

First off, let me first apologize to all of you readers/PSU Alums/avid PSU Football fans. I feel slightly responsible for the losing seasons and lack of a bowl win since the end of the 1999 season. I had been going to all the games and sitting in the alumni section since I was a child, and once I sit in the student section, the team goes to hell. There is still inconclusive evidence on whether or not it was my fault, or the arrival of Eric Steinberg, because they went hand and hand. BUT…the only game I sat in the Alumni section in the past 5 years, was the blowout of Michigan State to finish the season…so that has to be promising for the team. ANYWAY…

OFFENSE
This could be where PSU surprises some people this year. Not only will they surprise the fans by actually be able to move the ball down the field, but I predict big things from their fresh faces on the offense. The O-line is pretty much intact, minus EZ Smith who felt it was a good idea to shoot arrows in his dorm room. The running backs are Tony Hunt and Austin Scott. Tony was pretty solid when the line made holes for him, and Austin is an adequate backup. Don’t be surprised if one of the two, if not a newcomer, breaks a few games open with a couple huge runs. Receiving is one of the question marks on the offense. They have Terrell Golden, who is the lone receiver to have caught any passes last season. Plus they have a group of talented freshman who I will talk about later, along with a bunch of no name guys who will have no impact on the team. Quarterbacks are where PSU is going to shine. Along with Michael Robinson, who developed into a nice quarterback in spring practices, they return the sophomore sensation Anthony Morrelli. I feel that they will use Robinson for running options, and for defenses that suck against the run. For the games where they need to get the ball downfield, this is when you will see Morrelli. He is the quarterback of the future for this team, and he will prove it this year.

DEFENSE
Not much can be said about the defense. They will be tops in the nation again this year due to the fact that they didn’t lose anyone that mattered. In addition to the guys they kept, they have recruited some excellent young secondary specialists, namely Justin King.

ROOKIES MAKING AN IMPACT




Don’t recognize him? Well that young man could be the best wide receiver in the country within the next couple years. His name is Derrick Williams and he will immediately impact this offense that lacked a big play receiver last year. Expect him to start every game and lead the team in receiving. The next rookie of mention is Justin King. He was a highly sought cornerback out of Pittsburgh. I look for him to return kicks, replace Anwar Phillips in the secondary, and even come in as a wide receiver. I can’t remember when a player has played both ways for PSU, but I think you will see history made with this kid. There are some other freshman, but since Joe has not ruled out redshirts, and has not discussed this option, I will not discuss the rest.

My Thoughts: Look for a solid season from this team. I think that a lot of the Big Ten teams will let their guard down this year and the Nittany Lions will run all over them. I predict big things from the freshmen, as well as Michael Robinson. Look for the defense to hold every opponent under 21 points again this season, and for the offense to average 34 points per game. You heard it from me…9-2 with a trip to a very good Bowl game. See you there.


JoePa is all business this year. And so is Andy.

People Waving from Boats, Gary Coleman, and the Real OC

Ladies and Gentleman, back in action after the weekend and have plenty of things to update you on. First of all, I'd like to direct your attention to the right sidebar where the counter will show you that I now have over 1,000 hits on the Ross Press Release. Or, as I like to think about it, it's the same 20 people who have checked this site once a day for 50 days. Either way, 1,000 hits isn't too shabby so thank you to all of my loyal readers.

So this past weekend took the Jessica and I out to the North Fork of Long Island in a beach town called Southold, NY. Alison and Reza have a lake house there, but you could also call it a beach house because the beach is only a 2 minute walk away. And I guess I should mention that it's not really Alison and Reza's house, but Alison's parents' house. Regardless, that's where we went. You can see from the map that it's quite a hike, but those smart people in Connecticut and New York decided to make a ferry that goes across the Long Island Sound from Bridgeport, CT, to Port Jefferson, NY. And for $15 each way, it's definitely worth it to sit on the ferry rather than to sit in traffic. Here's what I don't get about the ferry though. As we're pulling out of the dock, there was another ferry that was pulling in. So all of the people on the other ferry feel the need to wave to us. I don't get it. Just because I'm on a ferry and you're on a ferry means that we have to wave to each other. What am I? A bus driver? A cop? If I'm walking and I pass by another pedestrian, do I wave to them as well? I'd be waving hello all day. It's a nice gesture, but completely overrated and I won't find myself doing it any time soon.

We hung out on the beach on Saturday, and the one thing that is vastly different about the Long Island beaches is that they are very rocky. I'm talking half sand and half rocks. And the water was friggen cold -- clean, but cold. Luckily, for the first time in many trips to a beach situation, I came away without a sunburn. I guess that's a significant win for me, to say the least. One thing some of you may not know is that Long Island also has several wineries out in its eastern end. We checked out 2 of them and I have to admit that they were pretty cool. I was never a huge fan of wine, but have more of an appreciation for it after the trip with the Jessica to Napa Valley in May, 2004, and also since the Jessica is a wine-o and often forces it upon me. (Just kidding!)

First place (Bedell Cellars) had a very nice tasting room, and for $5 we were able to taste 5 or 6 different wines. Some were enjoyable and others I didn't really care for. Really, it's for the experience and to try something new. The second place we went to (Osprey's Winery) was a different scene - live music and cheap wine. So we all split a bottle for $6.50 and enjoyed a bunch of middle-aged men play classic tunes from the 70's while middle-aged women danced around with a wine buzz. Everyone had a ball.

Had some time to kill before dinner, so we went to see "The 40 Year Old Virgin". If you want a funny movie, you have to see this one. I'm a fan of Steve Carrell from his recent work with "The Office", and let me tell you - he was hilarious in this flick. We all love some raunchy humor, and we love it even more when a movie takes it a little too far. We were laughing our asses off for 2 hours straight. What was also funny was the old folks who walked out about 20 minutes into it. (They need to learn how to research what a movie is about before they pay $10/person to see it.) The old folks who stayed enjoyed it about as much as we did. I know I didn't give much in the way of a detailed review, but I'd recommend you see it for yourself. You'll laugh,and let's be honest, funny movies are always worthwhile, no matter how stupid they may be.

Excellent dinner at the Frisky Oyster on Saturday night and then we were pretty beat so didn't too too much else. On Sunday, before we took off, we took a little ride around the island and realized that Long Island has some nice scenery, and in fact, much of the area is preserved very well. You don't see too much trash, the land/ocean is all very clean. Far cry from New York City, that's for sure. Overall, a fun trip and if anyone ever has the chance to get out to the eastern portion of Long Island, I'd recommend it. Of course, I've never been to the Hamptons, which is down on the South Fork, so that extravaganza of wealth might be another story. Regardless, North Fork is a good time.

Other comments: So last Thursday night, I was watching preseason NFL on ESPN - Atlanta vs. Jacksonville. They are interviewing Jacksonville QB Byron Leftwich, and I'm thinking to myself, "He looks like an older version of Gary Coleman" from "Diff'rent Strokes". Check out the comparison, let me know if you agree:




Laguna Beach Update: So I caught last week's episode and tonight's episode all at once. All I have to say is "Jesus H. Christ". I think the show is beginning to piss me off with how ridiculous it is and how stupid some of these kids are. I mean, come on...who has more balls? Jason, who has a girlfriend, for going to the Winter Formal with that girl, Alex...or Alex, for asking Jason, who has a girlfriend. They both ought to be socked in the face. And Jessica (Jason's pseudo girlfriend) needs a good smack upside the head as well for sticking with this shmo for as long as she did. Even I was getting sick of hearing her bitch about him for 10 minutes of every episode. When I saw that Stephen and LC would be back in tonight's new episode, I knew things would be good. So it's Valentine's Day and Stephen decides to make a trip home to go out with Kristin, "Just because it's Valentine's Day and you need to have a Valentine". So he drives 500 miles home for the weekend to be led on by bitchface Kristin. Then, Stephen decides to be get flowers and chocolates for LC and drop them off 1 hour before he heads back up north. He made the mistake of telling her he was in town the night before because they she starts wondering where the hell he was with his flowers and chocolates on Saturday night rather than Sunday morning. Smart move there, cuz. Jason finally decides to break it off with Jessica, which we all saw coming for about 5 episodes now. Who says they'll be back together within the next 2 episodes? Things keep getting crazier and crazier in Laguna...

Big week for sports: First off, how about that 64 yard TD pass from McNabb to Owens on Friday night? I don't care if they never say a word to each other as long as they connect on plays like that throughout the season. This week: Phillies play the Mets for a 3 games series beginning Tuesday night. I will be watching the games Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Then, Thursday night, Eagles final preseason game vs. the J-E-T-S, Jets! Jets! Jets! which I am also lucky enough to watch on the TV and scout the young guys who are fighting for a roster position. Also, first PSU football game on Saturday vs. South Florida. I'll be in the city to watch that game. Exciting week, can't wait!

Speaking of PSU football....a good friend of the RPR, Mr. Andrew Franson will be a guest columnist this week as he is kind enough to write a PSU football preview article. He has some great insight to the team's potential this year and has a few other theories which will be put to the test this fall. Be on the lookout for that one.

Enjoy the week...

I need to come up with more creative titles for these posts

Getting a late start here on Thursday night, but at least that 8:45am meeting on Friday got cancelled. Not too much to report on tonight, but let's see what we have...

- Went out tonight after work for the first time in a while. One guy we hang out with is leaving the company (big surprise, someone leaving the company) and so we all went out to Opus. In Armonk, NY, there's only 2 places that we go out after work: Opus and the Ram. Opus is the nicer of the two. It's a bar on the main level and a fairly decent restaurant on the upper level. We go there when we want to feel classy, and have Chuck the bartender hook us up with $4 bottles of Coors Light. Classy, indeed. Now, let me tell you about the Ram. It's actually the bar connected to the Wellesley Inn, but it used to be a Ramada Inn like 5 years ago. So they shortened it to "The Ram" and thus the name stuck. This is the dive joint where we go and Cooke (black waitress with the mini-fro, tinted glasses, always approaches that fine line between English and Ebonics) hooks us up with like 10 pitchers for like $20 or something ridiculous, but then we end up giving her a $30 tip because everyone feels the need to cheap in $5 a piece. They run a clean business, I swear. But don't cross Cooke - you go up to the bar and order from the bartender or another waitress....whoa, watch out....you are blacklisted and we go back to being charged regular price. Again, another classy joint.

- You know what I am a big fan of? Breakfast for dinner. What an amazing concept. Some of you may know me as a creature of habit, and I'll admit to this. One of my habits is that I like to have eggs on Sundays for breakfast or brunch. Omelettes, scrambled eggs, whatever. But sometimes I don't get a chance to get my Sunday eggs, one night during the week, I'll put together a breakfast for dinner: mushroom & cheddar cheese omelette, 2 hash brown patties, and a bagel with butter (Dr. Atkins is rolling over in his grave over this carbohydrate-filled meal). Omelettes are one of the few food items that I feel I've mastered the art of. I make a mean omelette and will put mine up against anyone else's - I am that confident. Anyway, I did the breakfast for dinner meal tonight, and it turned out great, especially when you want to get away from the normal routine of meat & potatoes type meals or just making some pasta with sauce. Gotta switch it up a little. Who else is with me on this concept? I can't be the only one.

- Great reader comment from todays' Bill Simmons "More Cowbell" entry:

I recently started trying to eat more healthy (I figured Taco Bell 5 times a week isn't the best way to be nice to my body). This has lead to an increase in actually looking at nutrition labels on the food I eat. And here's my question: Why does corn have calories? It is in the same state going out as coming in. That's idiotic. It seems to me that it should have negative calories because the body uses more energy to push the stuff through than it gets out of "digesting" it.-- Chris, Urbandale, IA

- I'll be away this weekend, but I'll check in afterwards to catch up. Enjoy the weekend, there aren't too many more where it's sunny and 82 degrees outside.

Wednesday's Commentary

I need to start writing earlier so I can spend more time on telling a story or something. Instead, I sit down to write at midnight, and then I get tired and don't write too much. It's a lose-lose situation. Anyway, let's make this short and sweet.

- I think Wednesday is the worst night of the week for television. Honestly, can't the networks get together and find something decent to air? The best they can come up with is "So You Think You Can Dance?" and "Teen Brat Camp" or whatever it's called. I was so bored, I watched a baseball game, and then watched ESPNews over and over again. At least the Little League World Series is on. I'll tell you - these kids are good. I mean come on, 12 years old and they are on there way to becoming solid ball players. I respect them because I was never any good at playing baseball...in fact I think I once went a whole season without collecting an official base hit. Either way, it's just a shame that their goal is make it to Williamsport, PA. If you've ever been there, you know there isn't much to see. Hey, Owen, remember "The Circuit"?

- Other sports updates: Somehow, some way, the Phillies have themselves right in contention for the wild card spot. It amazes me because they have completely flown under the radar for the last 2 months. I remember they were playing well in mid-June, then next thing you know, they are in the basement of the NL East. Now, they are back in 2nd place in the division, and are right near top spot in the wild card. Unbelievable. It's a shame that I've already hit that point in the season where I am focused on football only, but have to admit that if by some chance the Fightin Phils make the playoffs, I will be sure to watch...while they get swept in the Divisional series against a team like the Cardinals.

On the Eagles front, RB Correll Buckhalter will miss his second consecutive season, and this will be 3 seasons out of the last 4 that he's missed with knee injuries. Hey Correll, better call it a career, brother. In an unsurprising move, the Eagles put in a call to 35-year old Dorsey Levens, to bring him out of retirement for the 18th time.

- So I do a lot of thinking while I'm in the car, and tend to think about things like "What should I eat for dinner?" and "Should I do the laundry tonight or tomorrow night?" You know - tough questions that revolve around my exciting life. Usually, I come up with some good blog material while I'm driving home from work as well. Tonight, I came up with a great music poll that I'd like to hear people's thoughts. When you're driving, and a good song comes on the radio, and before the song is over, you've reached your destination. What songs would you sit in the car for several minutes, just to hear the end of? And I'm not talking, "I'll just hear the last 30 seconds". I'm talking, "I just sat in the car for 3+ or 4+ minutes listening to the rest of that song, just because I had to".

My Top 5 (all tend to be longer songs and most are in the classic rock genre) :

5) The Doors - "Light My Fire"
4) Guns 'N Roses - "November Rain"
3) Bob Dylan - "Like a Rolling Stone"
2) Queen - "Bohemian Rhapsody"
1) Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird"

This is by no means an all-inclusive list...rather what came to me off the top of my head. Let me know what you guys think about this one.

I'll check in on Thursday night.

Comments for your Enjoyment

Quick comments here on this Tuesday evening...

- Eric wanted me to mention that a bird shit on him this afternoon while he was on his way back to work from lunch. He started to ponder, "What's the point of birds? Is there only purpose on this Earth to shit on people and cars?" Granted those are valid questions, but I'm not about to get into the purpose of various creatures on this planet. I did mention to him that many people believe that getting shit on by a bird is good luck. My mom always said this, but then again, my mom still tells me plenty of "old wives' tales" as they call them. You wouldn't think that having a bird shit on you is good luck, since it isn't all that pleasant. I was a lucky recipient of a present from a bird back in senior year of high school. While we were on our senior class trip in DisneyWorld, a bird crapped on my shoulder while we were walking around Epcot. I was pissed at the time, although it wasn't the end of the world, and come to think of it, I don't remember having any extraordinary luck after that either. Regardless, I think someone made up the good luck story to make people feel better about getting crapped on.

It is amazing that birds have such great aim. I always have bird crap on my car. And you always hear stories like Eric's, where people are their target. But think about all of the potential areas where it could land, but it always manages to hit something. I think the birds have a vendetta out against the human race and all of our vehicles. Birds are pretty pointless: The seagulls in any beach town drive me nuts, and pigeons in the cities also enough to make you crazy. We do need more of the cool looking tropical birds like you'd see at the zoo... like toucans, or condors. I also wouldn't mind seeing more blue jays, cardinals, and orioles, just to prove the point that Major League Baseball had a purpose in naming their teams after these type of birds. It's unbelievable that I was able to write this much commentary on birds, but if nothing else, I proved to myself that I can write about anything given a specific topic request. You are all now stupider for having read my nonsense.

- Saw a car tonight with an Alaska license plate. Gotta wonder what he's doing in Stamford, CT, and how long it took him to get here from there. I've also seen Hawaii license plates on occasion. I have to believe that the Pacific Ocean is one obstacle that's tough to cross. I'd like to pull up next to these cars and yell, "What are you doing here and how did you get here?" just to see what the response is. Does anyone else wonder about these things?

- Actually caught that "Tommy Lee Goes Back to College" show again tonight and I have to say that it's not that bad. Again, there's nothing else on at that time that I'd rather watch, so I may keep coming back to it, just to see what happens next. Also, watched "The Office" which may be one of the funniest TV shows I've seen in a while. Steve Carrell is absolutely hilarious (side note: I still need to see "40 Year Old Virgin". Heard that was damn funny as well.) I can't say that I've seen the original "The Office", which would be the British version, so that may be worth looking in to. For me, British comedy is hit or miss. Sometimes I find it funny, and other times it just doesn't do it for me.

- Finally, big news on the family front: My sister, Jamie, heads up to The Pennsylvania State University on Wednesday morning to move in for her freshman year, thus continuing the Weisbrot family legacy that I began back in 2000. I pleaded with her to take me with, but odds are that I wouldn't fit anywhere given the limited space in the East Halls dorms and the massive amounts of clothing/hair products she is taking with her. Freshman year was great - new experiences, meeting new people, finding your niche at school, learning the ropes of college...oh man. Now look at me, working in corporate America as my "reward" for 4 awesome years in Happy Valley. My vote is that we all go back to school and do it all again. Who's with me?

(There's Jamie...she looks pretty damn excited if you ask me)



On that note, I'll be back tomorrow.

Just Checking In...

Long day at work today...gotta go in early tomorrow, but just wanted to check in. Couple of quick items:

- So I realized that it's the end of August, and ask, where the hell did the summer go? I mean honestly, the summers in between college years went by rather quickly, but when you are working straight through the year, they go even faster. Summers just don't have the same excitement surrounding them when you're stuck inside the office all day regardless of how nice it is outside. But at least I can keep cool in the air conditioning (and remain pasty white without a tan).

- Currently in the CD player in the car: Alice in Chains "MTV Unplugged" from 1996. It has been decided by the rock music gurus (Eric Steinberg and myself) that this is the best MTV Unplugged ever and there's no arguing it. If you argue, that means that you (a) have never heard this Alice in Chains performance; or (b) do not appreciate this acoustic brilliance. I will put Nirvana's Unplugged at #2 and the Eric Clapton performance at #3. I am willing to hear your top 3 MTV Unplugged shows...leave a comment.

- Jared told me some great stories about when he met Lance Armstrong a few times in the last couple of weeks. He mentions that Lance is a very cool guy, down to earth, loves to joke around, and even made fun of his New York accent. He even took Lance's Subaru for an oil change at the Jiffy Lube (Lance got the car for free from a sponsor). Additional highlight: meeting Sheryl Crow the other day as well. I think it's safe to say that Jared wins the contest for "Coolest Internship" of anyone I know.

- I just realized that I completely missed Laguna tonight. Not sure how that happened. I was in a daze after coming home late from work, and then I got caught up in watching preseason NFL. Anyone want to fill me in? It would be greatly appreciated.

Back on Tuesday night...

Weekend Wrap-Up

Back after the weekend in New York City, which as always, was very enjoyable. Here's the rundown:

As mentioned before, the Jessica and I hung out with Crystal and Brad on Saturday afternoon, since they came in for the day all the way from Lancaster, PA. We checked out a street fair down in Union Square, and of course it was the usual craziness. These street fairs amaze me in how some of the vendors descend on NYC from all over the country to sell their junk each weekend, and with all of the people that pass through the area of the fair, they are bound to do some decent sales. The whole idea is ingenious, because we all know that the public loves to buy cheap stuff...especially in New York City, where not many things are cheap.

Saturday night took us down to the Lower East Side to check out a comedy club, The Laugh Lounge, with Alison & Reza, and Danny & Wendy. We had been talking about attending a comedy show for quite some time now, but like many other things that we set out to do, they don't always occur right away. Relative to other comedy clubs, from what I'm told, this place wasn't terribly over-priced, but they do get you for a $10 cover charge + 2 drink minimum. I'd say it was pretty worth it because you get about 2 hours of comedy over the span of 5 comedians. All of the comedians have been traveling around the comedy circuit trying to hit it big, and I'll say that some of them were pretty damn funny, and others need to go back to the drawing board. Regardless, when we left, they gave us passes for free admission if we come back within the next 2 months, so that's incentive enough for me to return.

While we were down in the Lower East Side, we had to check out a landmark made famous by the Seinfeld episode where Kramer gets lost and ends up at the "nexus of the universe". Yes, we made a special trip to the corner of 1st Street and 1st Avenue, where apparently "the same street intersects itself". Coincidentally enough, there's a bar right at the corner called One and One, so we had to stop in for a drink, just because we were down there. This is a semi-worthless story, but just had to mention it for any Seinfeld fans out there.

In sticking with the theme of the weekend (supporting the arts), we ended up going back to the Museum of Modern Art. Jessica and I had checked out the MoMA back in the winter time, and since I can get myself + 4 guests in for free (since Big Blue is a corporate partner with the MoMA), we decided to go back with Jen and Jordan. Now, I have never been the biggest fan of art, but do appreciate the occasional museum and the talented work that it houses. The photography, painting, drawings, sculptures, and architecture are all quality work in my mind. But there are some items that I just don't get. See, with modern art, you can create anything you want and call it "art". Of course, there's no rule as to what art is, so that's why these clowns can get away with it. For example, one "artist" puts a piece of bright blue cloth on a big hanger and calls it art. Another "artist" puts a fluorescent pink light in the corner of one room and calls it art. Yet another "artist" throws a bunch of different colored paints on a canvas and calls it art. An elementary school student could create a similar piece of work and wouldn't have a chance in hell to display it in a premier museum in New York City, but instead would make it as far as a prime location on Mom's refrigerator. I question the extent of the definition of art, but again, I have never been an art connosieur, so who am I to judge?

Many of you may know that Bill Simmons (a.k.a The Sports Guy) of ESPN.com Page 2 is my favorite journalist. He has a few types of articles that he'll write every now and again that showcase his journalistic genius. The NBA draft diaries every June are a favorite, as well as his commentary on any trip that he takes to Las Vegas. I'm also a big fan of the "Mailbag" articles that he writes about every 6 weeks or so, where he responds to actual letters from readers. Another column that also shows his great sports and humor writing abilities are the "Ramblings". I invite you to read the latest Ramblings so you, too, can enjoy the unmatched greatness of the Sports Guy.

I have received word that the new season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" returns on September 25th. When I moved, they never hooked the HBO up in the new apartment, but this is reason enough to re-subscribe. Just thought I'd pass the news along...

Also forgot to mention that throughout the weekend, Jessica and I finally finished off the "Arrested Development" Season 1 DVD. This has been a work in progress for several months now, and I have to say that this show is absolutely fantastic. Again, this is the work of Executive Producer, Ron Howard, and you can never go wrong when it comes to the guy who played Richie Cunningham in "Happy Days". Of course, I was behind on watching Season 1, and subsequently missed out on Season 2 in its entirety as well. So that's next on the agenda. Of coruse I hear that its Season 3 is starting up next month as well. I just can't win.

That's it for now. I'll be back on Monday night...

No new report this evening

Folks, I have nothing to report tonight, but thought at least I'd post my commentary on the lack of a new post, just so the "I read Ross' blog in the morning at work" crowd has something new to see.

The only piece of news is that I have completed the coffee table. I had to ad-lib a little bit and omit just one screw out of 12, but I assure you that the coffee table is sturdy and wouldn't qualify as a safety hazard. Right now it is sitting right in front of the sofa, and is home to 4 magazines, one TV remote, and a few pieces of mail that I can't decide if I should throw out or not. I can also assure you that this is worthless information to all of you, but I did feel obligated to report the outcome since I so candidly bitched about the "do-it-yourself" Ikea furniture construction last night.

I will be back in the New York City this weekend, and although we don't have much in the way of definite plans, it should be a fun weekend. Crystal and Brad will be in the city on Saturday and we may check out a street fair and go to Jackson Hole for burgers (one of my favorite burger places in the city). Also, the Jessica tells me that we may have the honor of hanging out with Miss Alexis on Saturday night, so I should have some good material to write about when I get back, whether it be her crazy stories or just heckling her.

Enjoy the weekend - I'll be back on Sunday night with the weekend report.

New Penn State football video

Thank you to the Jessica for sending me the link to the new 2005 Penn State football video, and yes, it is "blog worthy". This is another well-made and inspiring video, and gets me very excited for the season to begin. Only 16 days until kickoff!

2005 Penn State Football

Cheap Swedish Furniture is Cheap for a Reason

I'm a big advocate of Ikea. Decent looking furniture that holds up throughout the years (in any apartment not located on a college campus) and at reasonable prices. In fact, when I moved up to this area last year, I basically furnished my entire apartment with Ikea products: sofa, kitchen table, chairs, end tables, lamps, and so on. I made so many trips to Ikea, that for the first time in my life, I didn't feel like I was going to get lost in the maze of a showroom they have there.

So I haven't been to Ikea much in the last year, mainly because I haven't been back in Philadelphia all that much, and because I didn't really need anything else from there. (Note: they do have an Ikea about 45 minutes away in New Haven, and there are a few in North Jersey, but let's be honest, who wants to intentionally go to North Jersey?) Then I moved into this new apartment. I'm privileged to have a larger living room, and one that is worthy of a coffee table. Additionally, I don't have that counter/ledge space I had in my old place where I'd put all sorts of junk (mail, papers, miscellaneous junk). Point of the story is that I went to Ikea this past weekend and bought myself a "nice" coffee table to complement my other Ikea furnishings. I bring it back up here with me on Sunday, and of course the box sits up against the wall for a few days until I decide to tackle the "put it together" process this evening.

What an absolute bitch. Those damn Swedes decided not to make some of the holes big enough for the screws, thus making it quite difficult to attach the legs to the top of the table. I was turning the screwdriver so hard that I got a blister on the palm of my hand. I wish I had a power screwdriver, because then I'd probably be in good shape and would have had the whole thing put together at this point.

Reason I tell you this story is because I'm tired and frustrated from putting together my supposedly "simple to put together" coffee table. It'll be Ross vs. Coffee Table, Round 2, tomorrow evening when I re-gain the strength to build this thing properly. Maybe I should have shelled out extra money for a coffee table that was already put together? Regardless, I will not back down from our Scandinavian lumber workers and I succeed by following a set of directions with pictures and no words. The little man in the pictures looks like those people from the Red Bull commercials, yet I can't figure out what his gestures mean in about 75% of the drawings.

I'm calling it a night. By the way, the TO news from Wednesday morning was very uneventful. He showed up, had a 5 minutes meeting with Andy Reid, and then went to practice. Still isn't talking to McNabb thought. That is one thing that must change, that's for sure.

Lastly, there's room on my site for a good Mike Tyson quote:

"I just talked to a gentleman named Jimmy, whose involved with club Jenna, you know Jenna Jameson. They said they were interested in getting me involved in that kind of business as well."-- Mike Tyson when asked about his career options after boxing.

Tuesday Ramblings

Throwing out some thoughts on my mind on this Tuesday evening...

- Up here in the New York/Connecticut area, they are real big on the whole "Pedestrians have the right of way" idea. Now, I normally have no problem with this, except it did take some getting used to. See, back in the Philadelphia area, even thought the traffic laws will tell you otherwise, the cars actually have the right of way. If you are a pedestrian, it's in your best effort to wait until there are no cars coming to cross the street rather than just crossing when you have the walk sign. Anyway, point of the matter is that when people cross the street, they take their good old sweet time, and have no regard for the line of cars trying to make a right turn during rush hour. Honestly, at least make a little bit of effort to move your ass a little faster, rather than moseying like you have all damn day. When I become the leader of the free world, things like this will change.

- I just realized that I can listen to 610 WIP-AM (Philadelphia sports radio) over the internet! Holy crap, I can take in even more TO coverage than I've already gotten. I may have to listen tomorrow morning to see how his meeting goes with Andy Reid. Whose money is on TO showing up, and then getting kicked back out of camp? Oh boy, can't wait to see how this one turns out...

- A few CDs that haven't left my car in about 6 months since they are that good:

Arcade Fire - Funeral
Green Day - American Idiot
Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake It's Morning
The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow

Leave comments with yours...

- I'm flipping through channels tonight, and I come across the new show on NBC, "Tommy Lee Goes to College". Is it safe to say that NBC is bordering on FOX territory with this ingenious reality TV idea? Basically, Tommy Lee goes to the University of Nebraska and does the whole college experience. He lives in the dorm, goes to classes and parties, and even tries out for the marching band. First off, I'm not sure how the University of Nebraska agreed to participate in this extravaganza, and I'm not sure why NBC chose Tommy Lee. I have to say that the show was pretty amusing, watching him "study" late at night, sit in large lecture halls, and hit on the hot blonde tutor. Unfortunately, it's network television, so the footage is rather tame. If this show were on HBO, then it might be another story. The Ross Press Release bottom line: If I happen to remember to watch this show next Tuesday night at 9pm, then I probably will. Otherwise, "Tommy Lee Goes to College" won't make it into my regular TV repertoire.

2 Posts in 1 Night!?!?

Holy crap, 2 posts in 1 night! A few of you bitch at me because of the lack of the weekend posts, so I will try to make up for it with a couple extra minutes of wasting your time on Tuesday morning when you get into work.

First off, the Eagles game tonight. Besides the fact that I may have had a heart attack if this was a regular season game, there were some bright spots in my mind. Other than the crappy special teams (specifically the kick coverage), I was impressed with a few of the young guys. How about my new favorite player, WR Reggie Brown? He looked pretty good, along with Greg Lewis and Billy McMullen. I mean come on, these are your future household names for the Eagles receiving corps. The way I see it, if they catch the ball when McNabb throws it to them, then they're in good shape. Otherwise, I like the rookie RB Ryan Moats (very Brian Westbrook-like), but disappointed that no one on defense really stood out. The game ended up being relatively interesting, and by relatively, I mean for a preseason game. I was expecting a final score in the ballpark of 13-10, but instead got a 38-31 shoot out. Again, the game is worthless other than some practice and finding which young guys are making the team. Can't worry too much about the flaws otherwise. Still have about a month to iron them out...

In between the game, I found 30 minutes to watch Laguna Beach. I spoke with Andy F. tonight, and I learned that he is a fellow Laguna fan. Glad to know that I'm not the only 23 year old who enjoys watching MTV's high school dramas. Here's tonight's rundown:

First up on my shit-list is Jason. If Jessica doesn't rid of this Jason character, then something is truly wrong with her. She's bitches him out at dinner, he can't even give a good answer to any of her questions, and all he can do is start making out with her to make her shut up. Then, he stands her up a few nights later by going out on a double date where neither of the girls are his girlfriend. Does this sound a little odd to anyone? Next up on the shit list is Talan. He pours his heart out to Taylor last week, and you almost think he's being truthful, until you realize that he's a manwhore and is going after Kristin. So, sure enough, this week rolls around and he's out to dinner with Kristin, pouring his heart out to her. It even looked like he was going to cry at some point. What a fruit. Then he has the nerve to call himself a "nice guy". Last time I checked, "nice guys" weren't out leading 2 girls on at the same time. Instead, we'd call them "bastards". Highlight of the evening was the conversation Talan had with his friend, JP, at the skateboard park. Well, let's just say it doesn't look like JP comes from the intelligent crowd. He gets his 90 seconds of fame and proceeds to use the word "like" about 45 times in trying to communicate his thoughts about Talan and Kristin. I'm still not sure that he said anything that remotely made sense during that segment. The show is beginning to go around in circles, and it's proving that the real drama lies with Stephen and LC, so my vote is to bring them back into the limelight.

If you like Arcade Fire, check out another Canadian band, Stars. You can take a listen to 2 of their albums through the website. I really enjoy their sound - little bit of pop, little bit of rock and roll, very catchy tunes. I really enjoy their first disc, "Heart", but need to hear the newer one, "Set Yourself on Fire" in its entirety. Anyway, check it out and let me know what you think.

Back to write more on Tuesday night. And remember, you can never get enough T.O.

"Don't say I don't get along with my teammates. I just don't get along with some of the guys on the team." -- Terrell Owens

Quick Thoughts

I wanted to jot down a few thoughts from the ride home tonight...

- Yesterday, Jessica and I were discussing something and we used the saying, "Kill two birds with one stone". It prompted us to wonder, at some point in history, did people actually try to kill birds with stones? Were they successful at all? Even if they were successful, what are the odds that you'd kill two with one throw? Yes, these are the things we think about during a 3 hour ride from Philadelphia back up to my place in the CT.

- Listened to Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' Greatest Hits tonight. File this one under "Every single song is great" category. Honestly, you never realize how many great songs Tom Petty has until you listen to this 17 song collection. Still annoyed that I've never seen him live - it needs to happen.

- I'll never understand the point of putting a spoiler on the back of a car. Especially one of those gawdy spoilers that sits about a foot off of the trunk. What purpose does this thing serve? Will it make this pimped-out Honda Civic more aerodynamic? I don't get it.

-Looking forward to seeing how the new guys on the Eagles look tonight. I know it's the first preseason game and it means absolutely nothing, but you can still do a little scouting. The TO situation is still completely blown up within the media, and it's a lose-lose situation at this point, I've decided. I am looking forward to what comes out of this little meeting he's going to have with Andy Reid on Wednesday.

Back with more later on tonight...

All T.O., All the Time

I've heard a few comments on the lack of a post yesterday, and I apologize. Work has been a bitch this week and I wasn't in the mood to sit in front of the computer after doing so all day long. Just wasn't happening. Any case, here's some material for you on your Friday before we embark on another weekend. This weekend takes me home to visit the fam - and read/hear all about the TO situation on the news and 610 WIP! Excellent segueway to this evening's topic: Terrell Owens.

Sorry if you aren't a big sports fan and don't want to hear me go on and on about the Eagles' favorite wide receiver, but I've taken the situation in and now it's time to weigh in with my thoughts. For those non-sports fans or people who live under a rock for the past couple of days, Terrell Owens decided on Wednesday that he was going to work out in the afternoon on a field separate from the rest of the team. He was running routes and catching passes from some of the trainers, while testing out his injured groin. So after the practice, Eagles head coach Andy Reid makes the comment that if TO is well enough to practice on his own, why can't he practice with the rest of the team. An argument ensues and Andy Reid kicks TO out of camp until next Wednesday.

Well, what a debacle. Between the contract dispute and now this disruption, I'm not so sure what to think about TO's positive impact on the team this year. He hasn't proven to be anywhere near positive in his few days at camp, and simply brings a media circus with him wherever he goes. After leaving Lehigh on Wednesday, he went to his home in South Jersey, where reporters were camping outside of his house, and there were even helicopters above the house to take in the whole scene. And if TO does in fact return to the team on Wednesday, I'm sure he'll bring even more of a media rodeo (it's gone beyond a circus) with him at that time.

Now, I'll be the first to tell you that I love TO. The guy helped the Eagles make it to the Super Bowl last season and he is a key part of the team if they want to return to the Super Bowl this year. Of course, I'll also be the first to tell you that I'd probably hate the guy if he weren't a member of my favorite team. His personality drives me nuts. He's self-centered, egotistical, obnoxious, and cocky. But he's a hell of a player, which nullifies all of the other items when it's gametime.



At first, I secretly wished that the Eagles would just cave in and re-negotiate the contract. Do something for the guy to shut him up. Promise him extra money after this season. Re-work the contract for several years in the future while keeping his earnings for 2005 the same as before. Do something...anything...to ensure that this guy is on the field on Monday, September 12th at 9pm when the Eagles open up the season in Atlanta. But now it's too late. The Eagles have held their ground long enough to convince everyone that they're serious and all business. How can they give in now? The front office would let TO win and be considered hypocritical for allowing him to be a special circumstance unlike any others. So they won't give in, and that is fine. I applaude them for keeping their stance. As Jerry Rice mentioned the other day, "You aren't bigger than the team". This is solid point that TO's gotta realize. He can act professional and play for the team, but he's already hurt his relationship with Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid, the two most important people in the franchise.

Something's got to be done next Wednesday when TO (hopefully) returns to the Eagles. If he continues to pout and cause problems, he won't end up being a positive contributor to the team. He's gotta lighten up and give in because the team surely won't. The Birds has the chance to be one of the league's best, but without TO, I'm not sure they have the offensive firepower to make it as far. McNabb and Westbrook are key players. The offensive line will hold their own. The defense will be solid as usual. But it's not enough. I'll say it - the Eagles need TO. But TO has to want to be there and put in 100% effort, otherwise the season will not live up to expectations, and the team's ties with TO won't last any longer than a middle-school relationship.

A very happy birthday goes out to RPR fanatic, Jared Melzer who celebrates his 23rd birthday on Friday, August 12. Jared Melzer, famous for being Commissioner of the NFL Betting pool and a key member of Team Yellow (Lance Armstrong) will be spending his birthday away from Austin, by taking a little trip with the Sarah Bushner to some other place in Texas. It is a big state so I won't begin to act like I know exactly where it is they are going. Regardless, Jared, I wish you a happy birthday weekend and I appreciate your frequent comments on the RPR.

I'll be in Philadelphia this weekend. Look for the next update on Monday night if I don't get a chance to write before then. Remember, I write posts and you write comments. I need my audience to live up to their end of the bargain!

Tuesday: Not as bad as Monday, but still very far from the weekend

Cleaning up some loose ends before I call it a night....

Julie left me an IM regarding this new show reality show on ESPN, where NFL Hall of Famer, Dick Butkus coaches the football team at Montour High School somewhere outside of Pittsburgh. I have to say that it looks pretty interesting, and since I am an overall fan and supporter of reality television, I will have to check it out. (Debuts on September 20) You can read about
"Bound for Glory" in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. After the show comes on, I'll give a better assessment, so stay tuned.

So I'm driving home tonight, and I'm sitting at a red light while some guy in an old Mitsubishi Eclipse is sitting in the lane next to me. I can feel my body shake from the thumping bass so of course I give this guy the "I don't need to hear or feel your music" look. Anyway, so a couple of lights later this guy zips by me and I notice that he has a TV on his sun visor. By the next light, I could pretty much see the picture perfectly, although I'm not sure what this guy was watching. Now, I've seen these things on MTV's Cribs, but didn't think they were all that common. But the fact of the matter is this...all of these states are cracking down on people driving while talking on their cell phones because it is a potential hazard and has been known to cause several accidents. But the last I checked, talking on a phone didn't impare your eyesight and attention as much as a TV screen right in between you and your windshield. The cops should be cracking down on this nonsense because I have to imagine that Eclipse guy is paying more attention to his DVD player than the traffic in front of him. I think we have to file this one under "I don't get it" status.

Personal Advertisement for the RPR
If anyone is ever interested in writing a guest column, just let me know. If you have any kind of rant, story, a plug for anything you're involved with, your thoughts on any movies/sports/music/TV shows, I'd be willing to post your write-up for all to see. Just contact me in any way you know how. We love audience interaction here at the Ross Press Release.

Ladies & Gentlemen: The Newport Weekend Wrap up

Hey, so we're back as promised after the long weekend. I was pretty damn tired last night and didn't feel like typing. Combine that with having to be at work early this morning and all you got was a couple of paragraphs. That's ok, since you get what you pay for here at the Ross Press Release. Now, a more detailed version of the weekend wrap up, and some other random comments for your reading pleasure.

As mentioned, we took a long weekend to Newport, R.I. and it was quite enjoyable. Not sure how we came up with the idea to go to Newport, but my guess is that it was between my harping on going somewhere in New England since we're significantly closer than we ever were bef0re, and also my Dad mentioning to me how great Newport is and that we had to visit. (Dad had a 6 month stint in Newport about 35 years ago during his Navy days.) So we put the trip together (Thank you to my Jessica for being out travel planner!) and got Abby and Eric to buy in on the idea. We took off on Friday morning, but not before we had to wait for the delivery of my chairs. See, when I moved a couple weeks ago, my parents realized the day after that they didn't remember seeing 2 of my chairs make it into the new apartment. Sure enough, I called the moving company and they had been left in the truck. Since it was their screw up, they would deliver it at my convenience. Of course, you tell them to be at your place at 10am on Friday, and they don't show up until 11:15am. Way to go, delivery man Fred, who had no idea how to get to my apartment. This is all besides the point and completely irrelevant.

We took off for Rhode Island, and the first thing you notice is that when traveling about 100 miles on I-95 North all the way across Connecticut, that it isn't very exciting. Other than a few spots around Bridgeport and New Haven, the scenery was pretty dull and you don't see a whole hell of a lot. It wasn't any more exciting once we crossed the border into R.I. but as we approached Newport, then we had a nice view of the Naragansett Bay, and all of the sailboats, yachts, and so on. Let me tell you, this place is high society.

The place we stayed at, the Seaview Inn was a quaint motel about one step below a Bed & Breakfast. The amazing thing was that I think the girls who cleaned up the rooms were also the ones who helped out with the nice breakfast buffet each morning. Either way, their English wasn't too good and just looked at you when you asked a question and responded with Immigrant smile. By the way, two thumbs up to the breakfast, which was one notch about your typical continental breakfast and gave us a good start to the day. If you ever go to Newport, I'd recommend this place (which is actually in Middletown, the next town over, but only a 5 minute ride from downtown Newport). Ask for Sam....he wears a short-sleeved, striped button-d0wn shirt and bermuda shorts and works at the front desk. We're not sure if his name is Sam or not, but that's what we called him all weekend.

Since Newport is, as I like to call it, "high society", all of the famous families back in the day, used to head up there from New York City during the summer time. So they all had mansions, with one of the most famous being "The Breakers", which was the summer home to the Vanderbilt family. Never seen anything like it. Bath tubs made out of marble. Gold and silver on the walls and ceilings. Famous artists and sculptors coming from Europe just to decorate the house. It was ridiculous. And imagine the crazy parties they must have had in that place. Tour guide Bill did a nice job, although his schpiel sounded a little scripted at times.

I know I sound like a tourism plug for Newport, but I gotta be honest, this is a cool place. Especially if you like seafood. In the words of Barry Melrose, "Oh Baby!" Fried Clams and Scallops at Flo's Clam Shack (no luck in finding Flo though). Baked Stuffed Shrimp and Lobster Bisque at the Red Parrot Restaurant. Seafood Linguine at the Clarke Cooke House. Clam "Chowdah" at basically every place we went. Oh man, I was in heaven. I even tried Jessica's sushi! (...Overrated) When you eat seafood in a town like this, it raises the bar for all others. I didn't even get any allergic reactions (Editor's note: for those of you who have heard my escargot story, you understand the reference).

I made it through the weekend only getting slightly sunburned. I am a pale and pasty son of a bitch, and no matter how much sun block I put on, I always manage to miss a spot and get red. Without a doubt, my shoulders and upper chest took the beating of the sun, but it could have been a lot worse, because we were outside a lot. I'm not used to what we call "the outdoors" since I usually sit in the damn office for 10 hours per day. I sometimes forget what the sun looks like or does. The weather was gorgeous, and so we took advantage of the beach (Go to Second Beach for better water and First Beach for better sand - that's Abby's new mantra), tossed the frisbee with Eric near the motel, walked the Cliff Walk (where the ocean meets the land at 30-50 foot cliffs) and even took a bike ride. It may have been the first time I've been on a bike since I've had a driver's license. The old saying is true, "It's like riding a bike" and I didn't forget nor fall off.

Downtown is very cool. If you ever go, check out Thames Street and America's Cup Avenue where all of the shops/restaurants/wharfs are. Lots of people walking around, crazy shops to check out, and of course, the food - which I've already gushed over. Overall, Newport gets the famous Ross seal of approval, for providing a great weekend. If anyone thinks about making a trip up there, talk to me, as I am now the expert.

Other news: NFL is underway after the opening preseason game in Tokyo, and the Hall of Fame game this evening in Canton, Ohio! I am very excited for football, as we have reached the point in time during the summer when I begin to care less about the Phillies. They have disappointed me once again, and so I turn my attention towards the beloved E-A-G-L-E-S! First preseason game is next Monday, 8/15 on ESPN at the Steelers - boos go out to Andy F. and Julie. Good news from Eagles training camp: Brian Westbrook showed up. Bad news: TO has groin problems. Good news & Bad news: Todd "Alligator Arms" Pinkston is out for the year and we can throw a young receiver in the mix who will go over the middle and take some hits. I don't wish the guy any harm, but you can't be a wide receiver in the NFL and not have the least bit of toughness in you. Come on, guy, show some "intestinal fortitude". I heart football.

Weekly Laguna Beach Rant: Talan is a manwhore who is going after 2 chicks at once: Taylor, his best friend since 6th grade who is really sweet and they get along sooooo well; and Kristin, the brat who kept saying "Talan, we have to hang out more" about 10 times in the last 5 minutes of the episode. Can't to see how this mess unfolds. So LC takes Stephen and those other 2 characters who didn't really factor into the segment, to Rosarito, Mexico for her birthday. Well, LC was loaded the entire time and basically falling on Stephen the entire time as well. And how about the sexual tension between those two? It's so thick you can cut it with a butter knife. My favorite part: After they come back on that last night in Mexico, and Stephen puts the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the hotel room door and slams it with authority as they go to commercial. Priceless. Again, my name is Ross, I am 23 years old, and I love teenage dramas on MTV.

Hey, I found this picture of pregnant Britney. I'm not sure I can come up with a comment worthy enough for this picture. (Picture courtesy of Stereogum)

That's it for tonight. Enjoy the week and if you are one of my "bored at work so I read Ross' blog to keep me entertained" people, then leave a comment or two while you're at it. It's the least you could do for this site. Thank you.

Just checking in

I'm back after being away since Friday afternoon when Jessica, Eric, Abby, and I decided to take a trip up to Newport, RI. Yes, we intentionally visited Rhode Island, the smallest state in this large country we have here. And let me tell you, Newport is one great town. The food, the scenery, the beaches, it was all unbelievable. And after a few hours in the car and some sunburn later, I'm back in town and have a new work week staring right at me. Thrilling. As for now, I am exhausted.

I'll be back on Monday with some more details from the weekend. Plenty of good stuff to tell you guys about.

A Plug for Jared's Football Pool

I promised Jared I would give a plug for his annual NFL betting pool, and since he felt weird tooting his own horn, he asked that I give a write-up of my own. The pool began during the 2002 NFL season with 10 kids from Penn State, created by our very own, Jared Melzer. Not sure where Jared got the idea, but it turned out to be a very fun thing to be involved in every fall. Basically, we are picking the winner of every NFL game each week during the regular season, based on the point spread. There are winners each week which get a cut of the total money pot, and cumulative points are also earned for overall prizes at the end of the season.

I have to say that although my luck has not been that great in the initial 3 seasons of Jared's pool, it does give you a vested interest in each game that is played during the weekend. For example, would I really care who wins in the Arizona vs. San Francisco game? Normally, no, I could care less. But, if SF is favored by 4 points, and only wins by a field goal, I'm a happy camper if I picked Arizona. Of course, I like to find the trends in making all of these selections, and have been unsuccessful thus far. (How do you think the Vegas bookies stay in business?) Then others just make selections off the top of their heads, and end up winning 12 out of 16 games. Unbelievable.

Of course, we all expect Brandon to be in contention for the top spot, because he seems to have some crystal ball that gives him some sort of insight that no one else has access to. He claims he doesn't spend that much time researching the games, but I lived with him for 2 years at school, and I saw the list of sports websites in his Internet Explorer Favorites. So, Brandon, you are full of crap. Other predictions for the season include Jared's friend, Andrew Franklin, being in contention for the lead, with the sketchy trend of picking 75% underdogs each week, and never picking the Eagles. Jared, you tell Andrew that I'm on to him. And he's gotta break down and pick the Eagles if he wants some more wins this year. Picking against them with the spread is a bad move. I also know that Josh Bushner (brother of the Sarah Bushner) will make a cocky remark about the Cowboys about every other week, and then proceed to crawl into a hole after he realizes that there's nothing Parcells can do to turn that team around.

We can put good money on Eric Steinberg winning Week 1 (he has won the first week in each of the last 2 seasons) and then went on to win basically nothing else the rest of the way. A rule of thumb, as I like to say, is that you can make one pick each week with your heart and not your brain - and that is for your team. So each week, Brandon and I will pick the Eagles regardless of spread... Eric/BGriff/Andrew Franklin will picks the Giants (dumb move), but BGriff will be disgusted and pick against the Giants by Week 8 (smart move)... Jared and his pops, Shane, will pick the Raiders (and they'll probably start to pick against them by Week 11)....Andy Franson will pick the Steelers.... Gregg will pick the J-E-T-S, Jets! Jets! Jets! and all the rest of the people will pick their teams. Pretty standard stuff, but just thought I'd mention it because its one of the few trends you see week to week.

Overall, the pool has grown a lot in 3 seasons, from 10 participants to 16 to 24 last season. Jared mentioned that he expects close to 30 members this year, which makes winning tough, but provides a nice payout if you have a solid week and put up 12 or 13 points.

If you are interested in joining the pool and would like more info, drop Jared a line at jmelzer@mail.utexas.edu and he'll brief you on all of the rules and regulations. (Believe me, Jared runs a tight ship. He's got this thing down to a T).

Shameless Plug:
Additionally, if anyone out there is tech savvy, please read on... Jared is looking for someone who is good with web design or programming to make a website for the pool. What he is looking for is this: A website where he can post the lines for each game, and then have an application created where each person can go and make their picks online, and be consolidated/posted for others to see after the deadline has passed. We're sure it's possible, just not good enough with web applications to make it happen. So, if you are interested in making a few bucks (Jared said he would offer some form of monetary compensation), again, please contact Jared at the email address listed in the paragraph above. Thank you.
End of Shameless Plug

Quotes of the day from fans attending Eagles training camp in Bethlehem, PA --

"We're gonna give you hell, but we still love you, T.O."

"This ain't San Francisco. You ain't bigger than this team. Shut up and play."

I heart Philadelphia fans!

Tuesday on the Island, Not much going on...

I was watching an old Seinfeld episode the other night, and you know the parts at the beginning, middle, and end where Jerry does his stand-up comedy...there was one routine that I thought was very fitting for those of us who work in an office. It's something to the effect of this:

"Why is it that when you work in an office, that you are constantly saying hello to the same people each time you see them throughout the day? You come in the office in the morning. At the 8:30am meeting, you say, 'Good morning, Bill, how you doing?' and 'Hello Jane, how are you today?' Then, by 10am, you pass by the same people in the way hallway and give them the 'How ya doin?' as you walk by. You just said hi to them an hour ago! Nothing's changed since then. They aren't doing any better or worse since the last time you asked them."

Granted you have to hear the bit for yourself, but I find it to be very true. You have to say hi or at least give a smile and the headnod each time you pass by the people at work, no matter how many times during the day it is. Similar situation...you see someone before you leave at night. You give them the standard, "Hey, John, have a good night', and you realize they are leaving too. After the obligatory pre-departure trip to the restroom, you see the same person and walk with them out to the parking lot, not sure if to continue the conversation, or not even bother because you've already said "Have a good night" 15 minutes and 100 yards ago. Then, when you go your separate ways, you have to come up with a new line such as "Well, I'll see you in the morning" or "Back to the same old bullshit tomorrow" because you've already used the "Have a good night" and sound like a broken record. I need to write a book about social norms and etiquette. It's fascinating to me.

Speaking of social norms, I broke one this evening - I went to the movies by myself. That's right. Reason being: I really wanted to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but my usual movie date, the Jessica, had already seen it about 8 days ago on a bootleg copy from one of the Chinatown crazies. She thought it was weird and told me I was on my own if I wanted to see it. I got home at decent hour and decided that tonight was as good as any to get over to the theater and check out Tim Burton's rendition of this classic. Now, I remember reading the Roald Dahl book back in 3rd grade, and as I've come to find out, many people tell me that they've never actually read the book. Well, 3rd grade was quite some time ago, and I don't remember the nuances of book, but all of you have seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory enough times to know the story. I've seen Willy Wonka so many times that it's ridiculous, so seeing the remake was a must.

Back to the point about going to a movie by yourself. Now honestly, I know it's a social thing to go to the movies, but it's not like there's any interaction with the people you go with, whether it's one other person or 10 other people. You sit there next to each other for 2 hours staring at a screen and not saying a word. And nobody would think twice about watching a movie by themselves at home, right? So I went to the movies cause I wanted to see the damn movie. And I thoroughly enjoyed it.

First of all, Johnny Depp was great. A little creepy, and in the words of Jessica, "He looked like Michael Jackson." I remember a few years back when I heard that a remake was being done, I wondered who they would get to play Willy Wonka. I mean, Gene Wilder just couldn't be replaced. But Depp was the perfect match. I found the sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek comments to be extremely funny, and I may have been the only one laughing at some of the snide remarks he made throughout the factory tour. I think the graphics and scenery were very well-done and seemed very much like a more modern version of the original. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about the new versions of the oompa loompa songs, but again, I thought they were excellent. Very catchy tunes, for that matter. (For those of you who saw it, tell me you didn't come out of there humming the "Willy Wonka" theme song?) Supposedly the story line was more like the book, which I had no problem with, and overall think it worked out. After all, it wouldn't be that exciting to just make an up-to-date version of a movie from 30 years ago and not change anything around. Ultimately, it gets the Ross seal of approval. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a little off the wall at times, but I have always taken a liking to movies of this sort. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Lastly, on Wednesday, August 3rd, I would like to wish Happy Birthdays to 2 of my favorites from the Penn State Lion Ambassadors - my buddy, Lindsday Bayliss (big 22) and my grandbuddy, Bryant Covelli (big 21!). Now isn't that quite a coincidence that they have the same birthday? Someone play 803 on the lottery or something. Happy birthday Bayliss and BBC!

Laguna Beach update

Another excellent episode of Laguna Beach this evening. Kristin and her little friends still piss me off. That girl Jessica still needs to drop that guy Jason because he's a real prick. Speaking of, you know how Jason has that beard going where it wrap from ear to ear by outling his jaw? Do you know anyone who has that beard who isn't an asshole? The guy ought to just grow a full beard and then just shave "Asshole" into each cheek. I'm placing my bet on the fact that we will have to wait until the season finale before LC and Stephen hook up. Mark that one down. In case you haven't seen it, Lo apparently has a Webshot gallery which is floating around the internet. It's a little disappointing because the names in the captions aren't the same as the names on the show, which leads me to believe that the show may not be real. Well, I just don't buy it. Any case, check out the gallery for yourself: Lo's Webshots

Catching Up...

As promised, we're back up and running here at the Ross Press Release after the cable company decided to show up this morning to hook up my cable and internet. They were supposed to come last Thursday but decided not to follow my directions and then wondered why I wasn't here. The story goes like this: My building has a security guard, but the desk sits in the lobby of the office building next door. They have a waiver that I signed which allows the security guard to let all utility companies in my apartment to do service, so that I don't have to sit around waiting for them and miss work. Well, that is fine with me. So, the cable company decided not to go to the security desk last week, then called me wondering why I wasn't there. In the meantime, I was sitting in a meeting at work, with the cell phone turned off. Then I called them up on Thursday night and bitched at them until they were able to reschedule for Monday morning. That's right bitch, I have blogging to do and I'm bored out of my mind without any internet or TV. The good news: I was able to catch up some of my Seinfeld DVD's and read some magazines.

Yes, so the move wasn't too bad. The folks came up to assist in the proceedings and I got a couple of movers to help with the pieces of furniture that I have that would break my back and my father's back if we tried to move it on our own. So you ask, "Ross, why do you need movers if you are just moving down the block?" Because of convenience factor, these guys know what they are doing, and I don't have a vehicle large enough for my desk, sofa, kitchen table, etc. So Antoine and Barrett came from the moving company and they were damn good. Barrett was one funny guy, he had the do-rag and everything. Some of his comments were about my dad ("Yo, he's one funny guy with all them crazy stories he be tellin me"); comments about my new apartment ("Yo, Ross, man, you best be gettin all the hunnies up in this bachelor pad"); and on TO ("Man, he's lookin for booka money in his contact!") although I'm not sure what "booka" money is, but I'll take his word for it. These guys were efficient and well worth the money.

Just need to purchase 2 new items for this apartment. An area rug for the living room (this place has hardwood floors vs. the carpeting in the other joint) and I need a coffee table. Coffee table will be an Ikea purchase. Taking suggestions if anyone has any good ideas where I can get a reasonably-priced 9' x 12' area rug.

This weekend: Drove into the city on Friday night because we had Alison & Reza's wedding out in Long Island (yes, that's "in Long Island" not "on Long Island") on Saturday. So I battled the crazy drivers and actually found street parking right near Jessica's apartment. I almost got hit by a few cabs, almost hit a few people myself, but it all worked out in the end. Big crowd hung out in the quasi-Mexican bar on the Upper East Side. They had Dos Equis on tap, so that's a positive in my book.

Saturday took us out to the Long Island in the afternoon, but we first had to battle traffic in order to get out of Manhattan. There was a street fair on 2nd Avenue which obstructed our path to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. Finally made it onto the Long Island Expressway (LIE) after about 30 minutes of battling cabs, pedestrians, and other concrete jungle animals.

Now, let me digress for a moment about the LIE. Now I understand that there aren't too many ways to get out to points in Long Island from the city. But when they were building it, you'd think they would have created more than one option. Then after more and more people started migrating to the LI and more suburbs popped up, they still only made certain routes to get into and out of the city. All of a sudden you have about 2.7 million people living in Long Island with limited options of getting into the city, where I'm sure, many of them work. Of course you have the Long Island Railroad and so on, and there are other expressways and parkways that take you to varying points, but I just don't get it. It's like if you had an island filled with criminals and they all moved in one direction each day as the prison guard let them out into the prison yard for recreation hour. So the mass of people all migrate in the same direction and of course, you are going to encounter so back up on the way to the free weights and license plate making machines. And then after the rec hour is done, everyone's gotta take the same route back into their cells and will encounter the same backup again. This is the same situation as you see with rush hour on the Long Island Expressway. (I look to my good friend and native Long Islander, Eric Steinberg, for comment on this topic)

The wedding was a good time on Saturday. Very nice little service, right to the point while cutting out all of the bullshit. Then we went straight to cocktail hour, where I was very impressed with the selection of hors d'oeuvres and name brand liquor. (Let's hear it for the stuffed mushrooms, scallops wrapped in bacon, and shrimp tempura to go with my whiskey sour and 7&7. mmm.) The wedding reception was also very nice as I continued to enjoy the food, music, and the company.

(Hey there's the Jessica and the Ross!)

Julie and Ellen get a shout-out as well!

Other highlights of the wedding reception included Reza's Aunt Mimi who was quiet a character, Alison's little cousins ripping it up on the dance floor with killer moves, and the DJ who couldn't get enough of Men at Work's "Down Under", so he decided to play it twice. After the party was over, we made our way to Wicker's, which was some bar/restaurant not to far from the reception, where all-star Ellen decided to yack into a plastic CVS bag while sitting in the Wicker's parking lot. Ellen - easy on those Tanqueray and tonics next time. Furthermore, kudos goes out to Meredith, who yacked into a plastic bag on Sunday afternoon during the ride back into the city. I should mention Meredith's extremely efficient yacking. She yacked into a bag while I drove through Queens looking for the Queensborough Bridge, and managed not to get any yack on the seat or floor of my car. Meredith, job well done.

Other notables:

- If you like Radiohead, check out the band, Muse. Their record, Absolution, is full of excellent songs and you'll be scratching your head for quiet some time as to the eerie similarity between the lead singer's voice and that of Thom Yorke.

- I'm planning on going to see "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" this week. Heard some good feedback on it, but feel free to leave your comments if you've already seen it.

That's it for this evening. I'll be back tomorrow night for sure.

Back up and running

I had a small hiatus due to moving and the cable company screwing up my original appointment last week. But, as of this morning, I am back online in my new apartment, and I can assure you that I will do some new posts this evening. I'm at work right now, and probably shouldn't waste my time writing while at work, but I wanted to let everyone know that I'm still alive.

Hope you survived the days since I last wrote anything, and my apologies go out to the loyal readers who check this site every morning when they arrive at work. Hope you were able to supplement your time-wasting by reading other things on the internet.

Anyway, check back later tonight and I'll give some updates from the move last week, and from the weekend. I may also thrown in a Laguna Beach update since we all love the show.

Also, big day today in that Eagles training camp officially begins. All veterans are to report to camp in Lehigh by 7pm this evening. Supposedly, TO may show up, but you never know with him. My personal feeling is that he will show up, because he requested a meeting on Tuesday with the Eagles front office, hopefully to put an end to this whole off-season debacle, admit defeat, and promise not to be a disruption. But then again, that would be in an ideal world, not reality.

Regardless, less than 6 weeks until the regular season begins!

Back later with more. Enjoy the day.