List update
After realizing that the post containing my birthday wish list had rolled off the front page, I did some research and managed to figure out how to put the list on this page just like my ThinkGeek list is. So over there on the right you can see the whole list at any time. Before ordering anything though, make sure you click on the main list link, so that it takes it off the wish list for others, you can make sure no one's bought the item yet, and Ellie gets credit for her college fund!
NCHS girl wins McDonald’s All-American dunk contest!
Candace Parker, who attends Naperville Central High School, my alma mater, won the high school dunk contest against five boys! Not too shabby. You can read all about it here and watch it on ESPN tomorrow night, at 8pm! I went to school with her brother, who was a year behind me and played in the NBA for a while.
Second loss, and we’re done
After a great run Friday and Saturday, we ran out of gas, and ran into a good team Sunday morning and just missed making the 4th event finals. We started off really badly, letting them get out to a 3-0 lead. But we came back over the next two to tie the score. Unfortunately, we let them steal 3 big points in the 7th end and went into the last one trailing by four, and couldn't make up the deficit. But we ended up with a winning 3-2 record and our heads held high knowing we had a great weekend.
Third win… but first loss
Two very exciting games today. The first one this morning was back and forth the entire way, until we finally managed to grab two points to turn the momentum our way. The other team was very good, and we were playing their kind of game all the way to that point. Once we had the lead though, we were able to settle in and play better. So, on to the First Event semifinals!
We were up against a very good team, another local team from Potomac. Two of their players just got back from curling in the Mixed National Championships! We struggled early on, and let them get out to a big lead, 6-1. But we got a big break when we managed to fight back and score three points twice, sandwiched around a single point from them. That meant that we had to play an extra end, just like it sounds, extra innings, winner take all. Unfortunately, they had the advantage of throwing last. We did our best to make life hard for them, and their skip had to throw a good shot right to the middle for the win, and she made it. I was very happy that we came back from such a big hole and made the game competitive.
So, this drops us into the Fourth Event semifinals, which is kind like the consolation bracket, at 9am tomorrow. If we win, we would play again right away at noon. Either way, we're playing on Sunday, and that's a good goal for any bonspiel. If you play on Sunday, you must have been doing something right!
Second Cherry Blossom win!
Wow, two in a row! Potomac 3 is now in the quarterfinals! Plus, we're guaranteed at least a .500 record, but it would be nice to win 3 more... 
We played a bit worse this game, but very conservatively. It was a close game all along, trading points each end, until we managed to get two points about midway through the game. We held on to the lead for the win. Next up, Team Aruba (yeah, we're pretty sure that's a joke) at 10:15am tomorrow.
First Cherry Blossom win
Got to the club at the lovely hour of 7am for our 8am game (you never can tell with traffic around here, it would have easily taken me that extra hour to get there). We won fairly easily against a group of ladies from Ontario. Due to a schedule change we played them instead of the original schedule that had us playing at 12:30, as I mentioned before. So now we're on to a 5pm game against a team from another semi-local club, Chesapeake. Should be fun. If we win tonight, we will get to play an extra game over the three game guaranteed minimum, which is an accomplishment anyway... Believe me, I have no delusions of winning the whole thing, but it would be nice to play on Sunday again. It's been a while since I had the chance to do that.
Learn something new: UK’s TV Tax
So a buddy of mine is moving to London later this year. Of course everyone knows about the problems with different TV formats, and different electrical plugs. But did you know that the UK charges a TV tax? Crazy enough, but it's true. It'll cost you almost $200 a year, per TV! Ouch! Well, at least we here in the USA can enjoy shows like "The Office" without paying a tax...
Birthday wish list
For those who have been asking what I want for my 30th (ahem) birthday, I've updated my Amazon
wish list. It's nice that they let me prioritize now too. But for clarification, I want all the items on the list, but the ones rated "must have" are more coveted. But don't feel bad about getting stuff from the bottom of the list, I'll appreciate them as well.
Also, if you use the link provided here, not only do I get stuff I want, but you contribute a little bit of money to Ellie's college fund thanks to the Amazon Associates program! Cool!
For those on more of a budget, or who just don't want to get me geeky stuff, I also need new khakis (size 32x34, I like the ones with the expandable waistband, and need beige more than blue).
Curling again this weekend
The Cherry Blossom Bonspiel is this weekend. Not skipping this time, actually just the opposite, I'll be lead (the guy who goes first). I'm just hoping we have some fun. Our first game is against a team of current and former Potomac Curling Club members, who are pretty darned decent, so we'll see how we do.
Oh, and some pictures from the last bonspiel are up on the club's web site I only found one that I'm in though... But you can get a good idea of how fun these things are...
Saw Doctors!
My ears are still ringing from the Saw Doctors concert last night at the Birchmere last night. Instead of playing in the normal sit-down mellow area of the Birchmere, which is more suited for the likes of Norah Jones, etc, they played in the band shell area, with a much larger dance floor area surrounded by tables and chairs. By the end of the night, only the older crowd was left in the chairs, and most people were happily dancing about. I'm pretty sure we ended up standing right at the nexus of the speakers, and our ears got blasted pretty good. It didn't help that it was the most rockingest show of theirs we've been to (and this was number 3).
Lisa's parents got me their DVD for my birthday as well. They were actually able to find it at the local Border's, so take a look at your local store and see if you can find it. It's definitely worth seeing them perform live (even on DVD). They are one of the best live bands out there right now, and while the music on CD is very good, it just doesn't capture the energy of their shows. So go get it!
Books
My Goodreads ListAmazon Wishlist
Kids of Catan
