Blame it on the Grammy's

This year's Grammy Awards show was actually quite entertaining for me.  I can't actually recall how long it's been since I watched the entire show.  But this past Sunday night, that's exactly what we did (save for the commercials).  I thought the mix of performers was great.  The fact that I knew them all and are fans of many was a huge plus.  I also appreciate the Grammy's because it invigorates me and often inspires me to check out new music and artists [Hello - Esmeralda Spalding? Who saw that one coming?].

It's because of the Grammy's that I rekindled my May-December romance with Mumford & Sons and The Avett Brothers.  I downloaded a handful of songs from the former and just the song performed from the latter.  Mumford & Sons' performance was cool; maybe it was the banjo player, whom I swear was humping his banjo, that really caught my eye.  Whatever it was, I took a fancy to them again, beyond the Little Lion Man.  "The Cave" and "Awake My Soul" are great pieces.  But it's because of the Grammy's that, as I approached the incline on the San Mateo bridge this morning, I was belting out the following words:

But it was not your fault but mine
And it was your heart on the line
I really fucked it up this time
Didn't I, my dear? (x2)

Super Bowl 2011

Thoughts on the big game this year.  I have only a handful.

The national anthem:  Admittedly, it sounded off when Christina Aguilera started singing the second line (wrong, btw) instead of the fourth, but I have to say that I was preparing my stopwatch to time how long it took her to sing the note of the word "brave".  ;-)  Anyways, performance for me wasn't Christina-esque. Or, maybe it was and I just wasn't feeling it.  FAIL.  

The game:  Just okay.  Maybe it's because I had no real allegiance to either team, but I found the game rather boring.  There were a few show stopper plays, but the game itself I couldn't really get into.  It should be noted that I was rooting for Troy and Clay whenever they or their team had a good play.  And no, I wasn't rooting for Aaron Rodgers.  Not because he went to Cal (although that would be a valid reason), but because I'm still bitter after all of these years.  Bitter because - and it still hurts to even say it - he could have been a Niner.  :: sigh ::

The commercials:  Again, just okay.  I thought the etrade commercial was cute.  "Shh.."  Lol.  And the Doritos ones were kinda funny.  A handful more garnered a chuckle out of me, but since I can't recollect them right now, they obviously weren't that great.  My absolute favorite commercial, one that I'm sure millions of people will agree on, is the Volkswagen Darth Vader commercial with that little kid.  Best! 



The halftime show:  Now, I know a lot of people drank haterade during the halftime show because hella people were complaining afterwards.  The Black Eyed Peas are known for their dance beats and sometimes that just doesn't translate live.  I think Fergie sounded off, and could someone explain to me what the eff the sound engineer was doing..!!  Seriously, the sound mixing was awful and really took away from a decent performance.  Slash = cool, Fergie "singing" along = FAIL.  Usher = awesome.  Bringing back the running man = A+.  Tron-like theatrics and dance pumping beats.  It was a solid "B".

Post-shows:  Glee was actually not half bad.  And the 'Don't Stop Believing' SF Giants special was really cool.  Great to re-live those memories, especially the day after Fan Fest (oh, don't even get me started on that..).

A Bit Cozy & Creepy at the Same Time

It's been awhile, kiddies. My first post of 2011 comes to you on the MLK holiday.. from my desk at work. Yeup, we are one of the rare few companies that do not observe the holiday. Most people's initial reaction is, 'Aww. That sucks.' And while it takes some getting used to, considering that I had all bank/federal holidays off at my previous job, I guess I can be half-full about this.

First off, in lieu of the MLK holiday, we did get the day after New Year's Day off. Which, for obvious reasons, was okay by me. [I'll take an extra day to recover any time.] Secondly, traffic was quite blissful this morning. I clocked in my morning commute time at 37 minutes. Not quite beating my record of 35 minutes, but damn close. The only comfort in my head as I lay down to sleep was, 'Well, traffic should be nice tomorrow morning.' It's sick, I know. It should be noted that that sentiment didn't do much to help me actually go to sleep. Not unusual for a Sunday night, my mind & body were not ready to shut down for the night at 10:30. And they didn't. After two rounds of Diner Dash and a glass of milk, I estimate my sleep time at 11:40ish. I've been doing my best to sleep early, and despite my best efforts, it just doesn't happen all of the time. C'est la vie.

This morning's commute was FOGGY. Right out of the garage, I was met by a thick fog. Well, this should be fun. Luckily for me, it wasn't all too bad. It probably helped that there maybe 50% less cars on the road. I will say that crossing the bridge this morning was an experience. The thick fog just enveloped the bridge. I'd never seen anything like it. Turn to the left, turn to the right, look straight ahead -- FOG. It felt a bit cozy and creepy at the same time. Cozy because it felt like the fog was hugging the bridge.. Creepy because it felt like Lenny [from Mice & Men] was the fog and the bridge (and by extension the cars on it) was that little mouse that Lenny 'loved'. 

Well, then.. onward and sideways.. Happy New Year..!

Mental Exercise

This morning, I recited the alphabet backwards.  Immediately following, I realized that taken out of context it would appear that I was practicing for the next Saturday night D.U.I. checkpoint stop. Hehe. 

Kaiser Permanente ran an ad about exercising your brain and getting rid of that excess flag. It goes onto suggest doing activities out of the ordinary and engaging in mental challenges.  Sodoku is my go-to daily brain activity.  It's wholly addicting and neverending sometimes.  The level of difficulty is insane sometimes.  I then thought of the website mental_floss, a site "Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix". It's always a lot of fun to read, IMHO. So many random stories, fun facts and trivia. 

So, my tip of the day: Brush your teeth and/or eat your cereal with your other hand. [Now, if you're ambidextrous, sorry - I got nothin' for ya.]

I slammed my hand on the steering wheel. "Man, it never fails. I just can't catch a break." 

So, I stayed in Hayward last night.. a welcome break from the hellish morning commute that has somehow taken over my life.  Typically, it's smooth sailing - get on the bridge and fly all the way to work.  But this morning - nope.  Just as I was nearing the end of the bridge, I was greeted by flashing brake lights. Lovely. My one day to have a traffic-free commute, thwarted again.  *sigh*  In hindsight, I guess I shouldn't be complaining. It took me 25 minutes to get to work today, including the alternate route I had to take.

25 minutes is nothing compared to what I've had to endure then past couple of weeks.  September signals the start of another school year and another season.  What I'm slowly starting to realize is that it also brings about a plethora of parents who've forgotten how to drive.  And thus, my commute into work has been at least an hour.  Three weeks ago, my commute was between 50 minutes and up to an hour.  Now, it's an hour and then some.  I'll never forget the shock I felt one morning when I did a time check and realized that an hour had passed and I still was not even at the toll plaza.  Ugh.  It's been brutal, I tell ya. 

I realized the other day that I think I might be getting burnt out by this commute already.  I'm going to start considering coming into work wicked early.  I consulted with another co-worker who lives in the same area as I do.  He leaves the house at 6:15.  I'm sorry, but most of the time I'm still struggling to get out of bed at that time.  But I'll give it a go.. next week.  Gotta try getting to bed by 11.. and stick to it.  My sanity's depending on it. ;-) 

Inagural Post + Happy Anniversary

So, today marks the date of two occasions.  The first -- my first post on my newly created blog. w00t.  The second, not quite as exciting, but still notable -- 7 months as a commuter.  I guess I'd say that makes me official.  Officially crazy, maybe. ;)

In any case, of the two events occurring today, it's safe to say that the former fed from the latter.  I had been meaning to start a "commuter's" blog for quite some time now.  It seems that thoughts run through my head even more abundantly when I'm on the road.  And I'm on the road a lot.  Sure, many people have worse commutes than I do.  But in my life prior to this, my "commute" was a 15-minute drive door-to-door.  Needless to say, I was spoiled.  I knew I'd never have a better commute, unless I found a job right down the street from my house. Obviously, no such luck.

But - glass half-full, my job is rather enjoyable.  It makes commuting a lot more tolerable.  And truth be told, I don't mind driving.  I actually enjoy long drives on occasion.  What irks me.. what really gets to me.. is the TRAFFIC.  Ugh.  I'll save that topic for a different post.  Maybe on a day when it's really bad. Hey, it just might provide better commentary (heh. just sayin'..). 

Hmm.. so let's go over some stats this morning.

STATS

Alarm succeeded: 5:30a | Up and in the shower: 5:45a
Breakfast: Eggwich (turkey ham + egg) on a Spinach Asiago Bagel from Bagel Street Cafe
Coffee: Sm. half-caff (blend of hazelnut coffee & decaf coffee) from Bagel Street Cafe
Out the door: 6:35a | Pulled into parking spot: 7:56a
Mood: Not too shabby.  One of those It's-Tuesday-but-feels-like-a-Monday days. Might be a long one. We'll see. Head feels a tad bit foggy. Sipping on morning coffee and ice water.  [Wish that line read: Sipping on gin and juice. Ah well.]

Well that's all I have for today.  Thought I'd peep in and say Hullo! But, alas, the grind is calling.  I hear the faint call of client meetings and data analysis.. (sigh)  Is it Friday yet..?