with $26 million in cash reserves?
Well Bill Gates is officially retired from Microsoft and despite their dominance in PC operating systems - how are they going to keep being profitable as Google and PC alternatives are thriving in a web based world?
For now, I'll stick with Dude. He's all I could want in a computer and more! Not to mention super dependable! Maybe PC's will become more innovative and less vulnerable to virus' post-Gates... right.
6.30.2008
6.29.2008
Good turns Great
Despite the on again off again clouds and rain, what I thought was going to be a good, fun weekend, turned out to be fan-f'n-tastic. I had basic plans, and there were some pretty sweet extras that really made the weekend.
Friday's Plan: Party at Serge's Condo.
Friday's Bonus: 75 cent beers and 2 free rounds of shots at Sidebar for happy hour. Late night Mexican.
Saturday's Plan: Errands and then out to Toyota Park to watch Segal compete in the SCORES tournament, tailgate and then the Chicago Fire game. Well I woke up with a severe charley horse in my left leg so I didn't exactly get out and going like I had planned.
Saturday's Bouns: Not feeling ill despite warnings about other people's reactions to El Presidente food! Getting to sit in the suite at Toyota Park and going out after with Ambar, Zsuzsa and the guys from Deloitte's SCORES team at Villains.
I truly enjoyed myself all weekend. I got errands done today and more soccer enjoyment with the Euro Cup Finals. I think it's time to go to the bar and watch the cubs/sox and get some wings :)
Friday's Plan: Party at Serge's Condo.
Friday's Bonus: 75 cent beers and 2 free rounds of shots at Sidebar for happy hour. Late night Mexican.
Saturday's Plan: Errands and then out to Toyota Park to watch Segal compete in the SCORES tournament, tailgate and then the Chicago Fire game. Well I woke up with a severe charley horse in my left leg so I didn't exactly get out and going like I had planned.
Saturday's Bouns: Not feeling ill despite warnings about other people's reactions to El Presidente food! Getting to sit in the suite at Toyota Park and going out after with Ambar, Zsuzsa and the guys from Deloitte's SCORES team at Villains.
I truly enjoyed myself all weekend. I got errands done today and more soccer enjoyment with the Euro Cup Finals. I think it's time to go to the bar and watch the cubs/sox and get some wings :)
6.26.2008
It's about time
for my watch to die. Today I was surprised when I walked into the elevator and I noticed the minute hand was around the 30 minute mark. I knew I was moving slow today (my legs are extra sore) and swore that I was running behind and it had be closer to 9. Well sure enough it was, it was about 8:50. And my watch still said 10:30 or something. I reset it and nothing.
So now I have to venture out and find myself a jewelry place that can ship my watch out to get tuned up. This happened once before - about 4 years ago, approximately 4 years after I bought it in Switzerland. So I guess it's about time...
So now I have to venture out and find myself a jewelry place that can ship my watch out to get tuned up. This happened once before - about 4 years ago, approximately 4 years after I bought it in Switzerland. So I guess it's about time...
6.25.2008
You don't have to be Britney Spears
to screw up your kids these days. I really appreciated this article this morning because being raised by an elementary educator, I feel I was blessed to be encouraged to play, create, and imagine. I can relate a little to the over protectiveness as well, but all in all I think that this trend has been a long time coming. I've heard a lot from my mom and other friends in education about the crazy things parents are doing to get their kids special attention. The rise in drugged (ritalin) kids and autistic kids certainly is a huge concern as I expect that I will be a parent in the next 15 years.... I do not look forward to the day of having to raise my children amongst all the crazy people in our world.
6.24.2008
Foster Wins All
(Beware this is more than a little long)
This past weekend was the 6th annual weekend bash at Foster's lake house. The highlights from this year were Friday's Survivor Challenge, and Saturday's Sixth Annual Foster Classic Beer Pong Tournament.
I don't know many people who have friends who put together such elaborate parties, let alone, get more and more outstanding each year. I consider myself very lucky to be a part of it.
2007 was a great year with BeerFest - complete with Das Boot and drinking games. How was that going to be beat? With several great (creative) minds and 6 months to plan, Foster & Co. created an unbelievable day of challenges, deception, and drinking. Outlast. Outplay. Outdrink. Survivor Green Lake 2008.
A few days before we all got to the lake we were divided into two tribes - Piwo and Kalja. Crazy names huh? What do they mean you ask? Beer, of course! In Polish and Finnish, respectively. We were also given instructions on what to wear (swim suits, good water/running shoes) and bring (our favorite drinking glass). I also supplied the camcorder for the confessional that ran through out the day - mostly used to brag or bitch. Just like the show survivor - we competed, we worked at camp (drink 3 cans of beast that has not been refridgerated), and eliminated members from the losing tribe.
I was on tribe Piwo - and it served me well. I'm a pretty competitive person and with a little adrenaline and my puzzle solving expertise, I helped Piwo win the first 4 challenges. We were proud of our immunity trophy, and even signed it after our 5th win in 6 challenges. Here's a summary of some of the challenges (and my roll) from the first part of the day:
#1 - I was a puzzle solver in this weight moving challenge. A variety of gym weights and dumbbells were at the starting line. 2 weight movers had to move all of this weight (total of 200+ lbs) about 30 feet where the remaining people were haulers who then had to haul (either by hand or
the provided sled) .25 miles up the road to the boat launch, stopping to drink a beer on the way. The two puzzle solvers were alread en route to the boat launch to drink their own beer before they could see the puzzle. Mrs. Foster handed us our puzzle once we were done with our beer and we then had time to memorize a series of 14 numbers - representing the weights. We only had until our haulers showed up with all the weights to memorize this before we all headed back the .25 miles where we then had to recall the order of weights, and the first team to get it all in order wins. PIWO wins! Immunity for us (which just so happens to come in the form of a REALLY cool Foster Trophy!)
#2 - Memory - rather than cows, chickens, and pigs, we had nice confusing geometric configurations that we had to match in the yard. Ultimately, Piwo wins with 8 matches!
#3 - Another puzzle game.
We had one director who gave directions to 5-6 people in the field who had to move around obstacles to find puzzle pieces made of wood. Once all the pieces were returned to the director, the 2 puzzle solvers (me again) had to put these puzzle together in a certain configuration. Piwo won by a landslide! I believe that we also won a bowl of fruit as a reward. So far this is the only food to be eaten yet today - we were all cut off at 11am from food/drink (except for work).
#4 - Water Tag. At this point, Kalja had to vote off 4 of their tribes-people (one double elimination) and they had given the boot to their 3 females, Piwo's 3 females sat out this round in hopes of not giving Kalja an advantage. The Fosters have a water trampoline out in the lake, and this challenge involved someone from each tribe getting on the tube around the trampoline and having to "tag" the opponent. Now if you fell off or fell into the trampoline part you were also out. This was a Best of Seven competition, and Piwo won, again! Things are looking good!
#5 - Beer Can Relay. Another water challenge. And we had some good swimmers on our team, and we needed some strong guys too. The problem - our strong guys (Nick and Matt Bryan) were not as strong as Kalja's strong guys(Russ and Sam). Essentially, this was a relay to get 2 cans of beer from the bucket out at the trampoline, to be brought back and passed up on land - where I (because I was tall enough to reach the buckets) could put one in each bucket that Russ and Sam were holding above their heads. The goal to get enough beer fast enough to weigh down the buckets so much so that the strong guys would drop them. Well Kalja started playing dirty and everyone was bitching about one thing or another. And in the end- Foster and Matt dropped our buckets so that they didn't over exert themselves. Fine by me, let them have one. We still had a full team and they had lost 5.
Piwo's first Tribal Council. Jeff Probst (played by Curtis Whaley for Piwo TC and Nick for Kalja's) informed us that we had to vote off 2 people. As we went into the room to vote - we explained to the camera who we were voting for and why. I can't wait to see that video bc even though I didn't get voted off, I got 3 votes, and that surprised me. Should I keep working my butt off? I'm tryin gto make alliances, but am I being double played? Interesting developments after the first elimination. We returned for the next challenge to find that Kalja defaced the immunity trophy with their body paint, and we were bound and determined to get that back.
#6 Eating challenge. Again a best of 7 event, before it got started, it had to be determined who was going to eat and who was sitting out. I wanted to be strong and do my part for the team especially after accumulating votes in the first tribal council. So I stepped up and took my spot - 4th in line. In hopes that it wouldn't come down to me to decide the game. I believe I was the only girl competing in this competition and man was I worried when the first three plates consisted of live earthworms, pork hocks, and sardines, resepectively. I also was racing a rather big guy, but I didn't let that get the best of me (in the past I had actually taken russ down with rather big splinter in his head). Well I got lucky, what was on my plate had never been part of anything that was once any type of animal. It was a plate full of hot pepper/gardina mix. I don't do hot peppers usually, but with all that was at stake, I got those babies down in no time. Every last piece. I beat Russ, and helped my team tie it up after 4 with 2 wins a piece. I just had to deal with the burning sensation all around my mouth and on my hands from the oils the peppers were in!
After these first six challenges, Kalja was down quite a few tribes people so it sparked a reorganization. We all met in the yard after they voted off their most recent person, and tossed our buffs in a pile. Who knows why (especially with my work in the challenges) but I was the last one chosen when the teams picked, and I felt that my time might be coming soon.
I did my best at on the next challenge, but by the time it got to be my part, the other team finished. It was a combination of flip-cup and washers for the first 5 people. Me, being the sixth had to take numbers on the bottom of the last 3 flipped cups and put them in some order to open a combination lock. Well back at camp, we did our work, and nick confessed to me that I was probably going to be going 'home.'
Sure enough. I was voted off. I learned much later that it was due to the 'vegas' alliance. There was nothing I could have done all along. WTF!?
Well the outcasts got to come back after the 2 tribes had whittled down to 10 people in total. I made it on to tribe outcast with Mary, Sabrina, Eric, and Brett. We got to compete in a challenge and if we beat the other two tribes, we had the opportunity for 2 people (chosen by random) to make it back into the survivor game. Well it was a swimming and puzzle game and alas, we won! So Mary and Sabrina made it back into the game. I was happy for them b/c they were voted off first and third from Kalja way early in the day. So they got to have a bit more fun...
And as the title states - Nick Foster - creator, competitor, and master manipulator of the game, won it all. Fair or not?! It was one heckuva day.
Now, let's talk Beer Pong. This has been a staple in fosters party since year one. The guys have crafted the best beer pong table ever and the much coveted trophies and competition get better each year. I've worked my way up from towel gal to making my highest showing ever back in '06 with Kimball on team "squash that bug." I think that's also the year I put that gigantic sliver in Russ' head with my hip check! I digress... This year Foster got paired with Curt and they became team "more than meets the eye" and competed in the finals against the "super squirrels" - Dilcos and Mary (C's sister) It was quite the match, I was video person this year and got it all on film. It had to have been the best match I've seen, MTMTE made a great come-back despite all the heckling from the fans and took it all for the championship. I guess Megatron and OtimusPrime can put their differences aside and work together for the greater good! Yes my friends are dorks, and I love them.
Nick has never won his own tournament before, and he cleaned up pretty nice this weekend. I guess next year we'll look for Dilcos or Jansen to take the title back. ;)
This past weekend was the 6th annual weekend bash at Foster's lake house. The highlights from this year were Friday's Survivor Challenge, and Saturday's Sixth Annual Foster Classic Beer Pong Tournament.
I don't know many people who have friends who put together such elaborate parties, let alone, get more and more outstanding each year. I consider myself very lucky to be a part of it.
2007 was a great year with BeerFest - complete with Das Boot and drinking games. How was that going to be beat? With several great (creative) minds and 6 months to plan, Foster & Co. created an unbelievable day of challenges, deception, and drinking. Outlast. Outplay. Outdrink. Survivor Green Lake 2008.
A few days before we all got to the lake we were divided into two tribes - Piwo and Kalja. Crazy names huh? What do they mean you ask? Beer, of course! In Polish and Finnish, respectively. We were also given instructions on what to wear (swim suits, good water/running shoes) and bring (our favorite drinking glass). I also supplied the camcorder for the confessional that ran through out the day - mostly used to brag or bitch. Just like the show survivor - we competed, we worked at camp (drink 3 cans of beast that has not been refridgerated), and eliminated members from the losing tribe.
I was on tribe Piwo - and it served me well. I'm a pretty competitive person and with a little adrenaline and my puzzle solving expertise, I helped Piwo win the first 4 challenges. We were proud of our immunity trophy, and even signed it after our 5th win in 6 challenges. Here's a summary of some of the challenges (and my roll) from the first part of the day:
#1 - I was a puzzle solver in this weight moving challenge. A variety of gym weights and dumbbells were at the starting line. 2 weight movers had to move all of this weight (total of 200+ lbs) about 30 feet where the remaining people were haulers who then had to haul (either by hand or
the provided sled) .25 miles up the road to the boat launch, stopping to drink a beer on the way. The two puzzle solvers were alread en route to the boat launch to drink their own beer before they could see the puzzle. Mrs. Foster handed us our puzzle once we were done with our beer and we then had time to memorize a series of 14 numbers - representing the weights. We only had until our haulers showed up with all the weights to memorize this before we all headed back the .25 miles where we then had to recall the order of weights, and the first team to get it all in order wins. PIWO wins! Immunity for us (which just so happens to come in the form of a REALLY cool Foster Trophy!)#2 - Memory - rather than cows, chickens, and pigs, we had nice confusing geometric configurations that we had to match in the yard. Ultimately, Piwo wins with 8 matches!
#3 - Another puzzle game.
We had one director who gave directions to 5-6 people in the field who had to move around obstacles to find puzzle pieces made of wood. Once all the pieces were returned to the director, the 2 puzzle solvers (me again) had to put these puzzle together in a certain configuration. Piwo won by a landslide! I believe that we also won a bowl of fruit as a reward. So far this is the only food to be eaten yet today - we were all cut off at 11am from food/drink (except for work).#4 - Water Tag. At this point, Kalja had to vote off 4 of their tribes-people (one double elimination) and they had given the boot to their 3 females, Piwo's 3 females sat out this round in hopes of not giving Kalja an advantage. The Fosters have a water trampoline out in the lake, and this challenge involved someone from each tribe getting on the tube around the trampoline and having to "tag" the opponent. Now if you fell off or fell into the trampoline part you were also out. This was a Best of Seven competition, and Piwo won, again! Things are looking good!
#5 - Beer Can Relay. Another water challenge. And we had some good swimmers on our team, and we needed some strong guys too. The problem - our strong guys (Nick and Matt Bryan) were not as strong as Kalja's strong guys(Russ and Sam). Essentially, this was a relay to get 2 cans of beer from the bucket out at the trampoline, to be brought back and passed up on land - where I (because I was tall enough to reach the buckets) could put one in each bucket that Russ and Sam were holding above their heads. The goal to get enough beer fast enough to weigh down the buckets so much so that the strong guys would drop them. Well Kalja started playing dirty and everyone was bitching about one thing or another. And in the end- Foster and Matt dropped our buckets so that they didn't over exert themselves. Fine by me, let them have one. We still had a full team and they had lost 5.
Piwo's first Tribal Council. Jeff Probst (played by Curtis Whaley for Piwo TC and Nick for Kalja's) informed us that we had to vote off 2 people. As we went into the room to vote - we explained to the camera who we were voting for and why. I can't wait to see that video bc even though I didn't get voted off, I got 3 votes, and that surprised me. Should I keep working my butt off? I'm tryin gto make alliances, but am I being double played? Interesting developments after the first elimination. We returned for the next challenge to find that Kalja defaced the immunity trophy with their body paint, and we were bound and determined to get that back.
#6 Eating challenge. Again a best of 7 event, before it got started, it had to be determined who was going to eat and who was sitting out. I wanted to be strong and do my part for the team especially after accumulating votes in the first tribal council. So I stepped up and took my spot - 4th in line. In hopes that it wouldn't come down to me to decide the game. I believe I was the only girl competing in this competition and man was I worried when the first three plates consisted of live earthworms, pork hocks, and sardines, resepectively. I also was racing a rather big guy, but I didn't let that get the best of me (in the past I had actually taken russ down with rather big splinter in his head). Well I got lucky, what was on my plate had never been part of anything that was once any type of animal. It was a plate full of hot pepper/gardina mix. I don't do hot peppers usually, but with all that was at stake, I got those babies down in no time. Every last piece. I beat Russ, and helped my team tie it up after 4 with 2 wins a piece. I just had to deal with the burning sensation all around my mouth and on my hands from the oils the peppers were in!
After these first six challenges, Kalja was down quite a few tribes people so it sparked a reorganization. We all met in the yard after they voted off their most recent person, and tossed our buffs in a pile. Who knows why (especially with my work in the challenges) but I was the last one chosen when the teams picked, and I felt that my time might be coming soon.
I did my best at on the next challenge, but by the time it got to be my part, the other team finished. It was a combination of flip-cup and washers for the first 5 people. Me, being the sixth had to take numbers on the bottom of the last 3 flipped cups and put them in some order to open a combination lock. Well back at camp, we did our work, and nick confessed to me that I was probably going to be going 'home.'
Sure enough. I was voted off. I learned much later that it was due to the 'vegas' alliance. There was nothing I could have done all along. WTF!?
Well the outcasts got to come back after the 2 tribes had whittled down to 10 people in total. I made it on to tribe outcast with Mary, Sabrina, Eric, and Brett. We got to compete in a challenge and if we beat the other two tribes, we had the opportunity for 2 people (chosen by random) to make it back into the survivor game. Well it was a swimming and puzzle game and alas, we won! So Mary and Sabrina made it back into the game. I was happy for them b/c they were voted off first and third from Kalja way early in the day. So they got to have a bit more fun...
And as the title states - Nick Foster - creator, competitor, and master manipulator of the game, won it all. Fair or not?! It was one heckuva day.
Now, let's talk Beer Pong. This has been a staple in fosters party since year one. The guys have crafted the best beer pong table ever and the much coveted trophies and competition get better each year. I've worked my way up from towel gal to making my highest showing ever back in '06 with Kimball on team "squash that bug." I think that's also the year I put that gigantic sliver in Russ' head with my hip check! I digress... This year Foster got paired with Curt and they became team "more than meets the eye" and competed in the finals against the "super squirrels" - Dilcos and Mary (C's sister) It was quite the match, I was video person this year and got it all on film. It had to have been the best match I've seen, MTMTE made a great come-back despite all the heckling from the fans and took it all for the championship. I guess Megatron and OtimusPrime can put their differences aside and work together for the greater good! Yes my friends are dorks, and I love them.
Nick has never won his own tournament before, and he cleaned up pretty nice this weekend. I guess next year we'll look for Dilcos or Jansen to take the title back. ;)
6.19.2008
Vote for Mario
Mario Mario that is...(not to be confused with my trainer, Mario!) Just the other day Jeff and I were talking Nintendo and got on the topic of why Mario and Luigi are referred to as the Mario Brothers. Well sure enough - their last name is Mario. Who would have thunk it.
Well check out what I found today on thinkgeek. Even though it's not Mario and Luigi Mario.... it's still pretty darn fun.
Well check out what I found today on thinkgeek. Even though it's not Mario and Luigi Mario.... it's still pretty darn fun.
Maybe a good idea in theory...
but I couldn't do it. Not even close. For those of you who have helped me move, lived with me, or have just seen my place, know that I like my stuff. Books, Board Games, SHOES, jeans, etc. I try really hard to eliminate things that have been over-used and have become worthless, and under-used and may benefit someone else. I don't consider myself materialistic, but I'm certainly no minimalist either!
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