Well, one of the other signs that the end of busy season is near is also here. IRL is back! But like Formula 1, some things don't change. Here's the highlights of the action at Homestead:
Everyone is running 100% ethanol. Yes, while the N-word just switched from LEADED GASOLINE last season, IRL is once again cutting edge in choice of fuels, and is still the safest series out there. This is what Paul Dana wanted, and it's tragic that he never got to see it come to fruition.
Sparks flew on the first lap. At first I thought it was some sort of terrorist attack, but it was because the cars were so weighed down with fuel, they were actually dragging the track. It made for a dramatic opening.
Danica is now with Andretti Green, and she was clearly not happy starting 10th, and let everyone know it. While the pouty bit might look cute to her husband, it annoys me. Put on your big girl panties on and start driving like you mean it! She held her own, but crashed into the wall during a pit stop after a steering malfunction.
Sarah Fisher is back. Dreyer and Reinbold Racing brought her back, along with Buddy Rice, who was fired from Rahal Letterman. Sarah surprised me by actually finishing the race, three places ahead of Danica. However, she was three laps down.
Marco Andretti was surprisingly the first car to go out due to tire problems. I chalk this up to being a fluke, as he will go to F1 in two years and make everyone say "Scott who?"
Tomas Scheckter (my favorite driver)actually finished the race 8th and surged as far as 3rd at one point. I think the move to Vision Racing will pay off for Tomas this season.
A.J. Foyt IV is back. But is he driving for his grandfather? Hell no. Super Tex has brought back Darren Manning, the Geordie no one can understand. These two collided early on and went out. I can't say I was surprised.
Dan Wheldon took the whole pack to school by leading 170+ laps, with teammate Scott Dixon right behind. Sam Hornish finished third with a strong showing. So, the song remains the same. It comes down to Target Chip Ganassi vs. Penske. And those guys couldn't be happier, or friendlier. Last year, when the rains in Pennsylvania flooded out Penske's Reading IRL shop, Ganassi offered the Captain his Charlotte N***** shop until they could get everything set up in Detroit. I shudder to think what the 2006 season would've been like had this natural disaster ended the competition between those two. It turned up being a race down to the last lap for the title.
I'm hoping 2007 will be just as exciting. Guess we'll find out Sunday at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix. I got two new people hooked this weekend. Now I think they know why I love this stuff so much. It's like crack!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
300 Review
I finally got to see 300 this weekend. The latest release from the WB/DC partnership brings Frank Miller's classic graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae to the big screen. I have been looking forward to this for quite some time, as I immensely enjoy most of Miller's work: Ronin, The Dark Knight Returns, and Batman: Year One. You'd think this one was only a comic that a history geek could love, but you'd be wrong. Only Miller could take an obscure ancient historical event and make it into a sweeping saga. The movie did not disappoint.
300 gets most of the story correct. Sparta was one of the ancient Greek city-states that pioneered democracy. Spartans prided themselves on their independence and fighting skills, their principles of equality, and the rule of law. From the East comes a menace to the principles and freedom of Sparta: emissaries from the Persian king Xerxes. Xerxes fancies himself as a god whose destiny is to rule all he surveys. His campaign has taken him as far as Greece. Leonidas, king of Sparta, has undergone the same training and hardships as the lowliest of his soldiers, and he is not easily shaken by Xerxes' messenger. Leonidas has enemies within however, and not everyone in Sparta's council shares his courage. At every turn, he is hamstrung by corrupt religious leaders and council members, who will not commit Sparta's army to the coming conflict. Leonidas is forced to compromise by selecting 300 "volunteers" to block the Persian advance at the pass at Thermopylae, the only road to Sparta and other Greek city-states.
The movie is visually stunning. The only other movie I can compare it to in terms of style is Sin City. Action takes place in slow motion and fast forward. We see a Spartan run a Persian through with his spear, and the scene slows down to show the gory details of the event. It is a very violent movie, even more so than Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan. It no doubt is a realistic dramatization of the battle as it really occurred, but there are some more sensational characters and scenes where Miller took artistic license. The so-called "Immortals" of Xerxes look like ninjas from a really really bad Hong Kong action movie; there are also some characters that would look more at home in Lord of the Rings than the ancient world. But on the whole, the fighting scenes are realistic, right down to the way the Phalanx operates.
There are also some political themes that run through the story. The Spartan belief in freedom is a sharp contrast to the force of Xerxes, who are numbered entirely by slaves and the conquered. Free men are apparently better fighters, and the Persians cower in their presence, and must be whipped to charge the Phalanx to their gruesome deaths. The Spartans are all fit, manly men who laugh in the face of the overwhelming Persian army, and relish the idea of dying in glorious defense of Sparta. The Persians are all unattractive cowards, and Xerxes himself is the most androgynous king (dare I say queen?) I've ever seen. I thought people nowadays had too many piercings...you could have another gold rush on this guy alone. Art imitating life...this whole movie seems to be about the US being the only country to stand up to Iran's nuclear ambitions (Iran = modern-day Persia). Even if this is the case, 300 is a movie you're not likely to forget anytime soon.
300 gets most of the story correct. Sparta was one of the ancient Greek city-states that pioneered democracy. Spartans prided themselves on their independence and fighting skills, their principles of equality, and the rule of law. From the East comes a menace to the principles and freedom of Sparta: emissaries from the Persian king Xerxes. Xerxes fancies himself as a god whose destiny is to rule all he surveys. His campaign has taken him as far as Greece. Leonidas, king of Sparta, has undergone the same training and hardships as the lowliest of his soldiers, and he is not easily shaken by Xerxes' messenger. Leonidas has enemies within however, and not everyone in Sparta's council shares his courage. At every turn, he is hamstrung by corrupt religious leaders and council members, who will not commit Sparta's army to the coming conflict. Leonidas is forced to compromise by selecting 300 "volunteers" to block the Persian advance at the pass at Thermopylae, the only road to Sparta and other Greek city-states.
The movie is visually stunning. The only other movie I can compare it to in terms of style is Sin City. Action takes place in slow motion and fast forward. We see a Spartan run a Persian through with his spear, and the scene slows down to show the gory details of the event. It is a very violent movie, even more so than Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan. It no doubt is a realistic dramatization of the battle as it really occurred, but there are some more sensational characters and scenes where Miller took artistic license. The so-called "Immortals" of Xerxes look like ninjas from a really really bad Hong Kong action movie; there are also some characters that would look more at home in Lord of the Rings than the ancient world. But on the whole, the fighting scenes are realistic, right down to the way the Phalanx operates.
There are also some political themes that run through the story. The Spartan belief in freedom is a sharp contrast to the force of Xerxes, who are numbered entirely by slaves and the conquered. Free men are apparently better fighters, and the Persians cower in their presence, and must be whipped to charge the Phalanx to their gruesome deaths. The Spartans are all fit, manly men who laugh in the face of the overwhelming Persian army, and relish the idea of dying in glorious defense of Sparta. The Persians are all unattractive cowards, and Xerxes himself is the most androgynous king (dare I say queen?) I've ever seen. I thought people nowadays had too many piercings...you could have another gold rush on this guy alone. Art imitating life...this whole movie seems to be about the US being the only country to stand up to Iran's nuclear ambitions (Iran = modern-day Persia). Even if this is the case, 300 is a movie you're not likely to forget anytime soon.
Kimi Wins Down Under (Or, the more things change...)
Well, I was sitting with great anticipation on Saturday night for the season opener Australian Grand Prix. As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, Kimi Raikkonen took the pole in his first outing for Ferrari. Even though you might call me biased, I wasn't surprised. Kimi is an excellent natural driver and all he needs to succeed is a reliable car. You can say the same thing for Alonso, but he only qualified a disappointing 7th. I wasn't surprised by that either. In the last season, Kimi wasn't hamstrung by his own driving, but by the car itself. Put the world champion in a substandard car and you won't win races. But, as so many other things in Formula 1, qualifying can be deceiving.
Kimi maintained the lead throughout the race, save a few laps after making a pit stop. Alonso made the most remarkable lead, finishing second and giving Kimi a run for his money. We had the usual hits and near misses-David Coulthard nearly decapitated Austrian rookie Alex Wurz by sideswiping and then flying over Wurz's car. Christian Albers didn't last long, along with British rookie Anthony Davidson. But the most surprising and brilliant performance has to go to British rookie Lewis Hamilton, who led the race for the few laps and finished third. Unlike a lot of the other rookies, Hamilton's not shy. He can be as aggressive as the most veteran driver. That seems to be the biggest thing for these guys to overcome. I think everyone is impressed with Hamilton, and he will be watched closely. I don't think it's possible for him to be watched more closely than he already is, being Britain's first Afro-Caribbean driver. I don't think that should be a factor; Britain deserves a good driver, and let's face it, Coulthard and Button don't quite cut it. Just to be fair, I feel the same way about Scott Speed. Winning a contest doesn't make you a good driver. I can't wait for Marco Andretti to go to Formula 1 to give us Yanks the driver we deserve.
Yes, I'm happy that Kimi won. I predicted he would do well after the Ferrari announcement. Even though we may have a new champion this year, one thing hasn't changed much: Ferrari is still a dominant force in Schumacher's wake.
Kimi maintained the lead throughout the race, save a few laps after making a pit stop. Alonso made the most remarkable lead, finishing second and giving Kimi a run for his money. We had the usual hits and near misses-David Coulthard nearly decapitated Austrian rookie Alex Wurz by sideswiping and then flying over Wurz's car. Christian Albers didn't last long, along with British rookie Anthony Davidson. But the most surprising and brilliant performance has to go to British rookie Lewis Hamilton, who led the race for the few laps and finished third. Unlike a lot of the other rookies, Hamilton's not shy. He can be as aggressive as the most veteran driver. That seems to be the biggest thing for these guys to overcome. I think everyone is impressed with Hamilton, and he will be watched closely. I don't think it's possible for him to be watched more closely than he already is, being Britain's first Afro-Caribbean driver. I don't think that should be a factor; Britain deserves a good driver, and let's face it, Coulthard and Button don't quite cut it. Just to be fair, I feel the same way about Scott Speed. Winning a contest doesn't make you a good driver. I can't wait for Marco Andretti to go to Formula 1 to give us Yanks the driver we deserve.
Yes, I'm happy that Kimi won. I predicted he would do well after the Ferrari announcement. Even though we may have a new champion this year, one thing hasn't changed much: Ferrari is still a dominant force in Schumacher's wake.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Formula 1 Season Opener!!!!
Ah, at long last, it begins again.
The high-pitched whine of turbocharged engines. The shimmering heat on the track. The smell of high octane fumes. Well, only if you're at the track. The winding curves, near misses, collisions, and photo finishes. Oh, did I mention scantily clad grid girls?
That's right, Formula 1 is back. The biggest excuse to drink and yell at the TV since the Super Bowl has arrived! Qualifying begins on Friday for the Australian Grand Prix, held at Melbourne's Albert Park. I look forward to seeing how the mix-up affects everything. 2006 didn't see much driver turnover, but 2007 is chock full of changes. Alonso at McLaren, Raikkonen at Ferrari. But there is reason to rejoice:
NO MORE SCHUMACHER!!!!!!!!
(unless you count Ralf...and who does???)
Gentlemen, start your engines!
The high-pitched whine of turbocharged engines. The shimmering heat on the track. The smell of high octane fumes. Well, only if you're at the track. The winding curves, near misses, collisions, and photo finishes. Oh, did I mention scantily clad grid girls?
That's right, Formula 1 is back. The biggest excuse to drink and yell at the TV since the Super Bowl has arrived! Qualifying begins on Friday for the Australian Grand Prix, held at Melbourne's Albert Park. I look forward to seeing how the mix-up affects everything. 2006 didn't see much driver turnover, but 2007 is chock full of changes. Alonso at McLaren, Raikkonen at Ferrari. But there is reason to rejoice:
NO MORE SCHUMACHER!!!!!!!!
(unless you count Ralf...and who does???)
Gentlemen, start your engines!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Funny Story (I need it)
Ok, I pull this one out every blue moon when I've had a really bad day, week, month....and it never fails to make me smile. Enjoy!
For all of you who occasionally have a really bad day when you just need to take it out on someone….don't take that bad day out on someone you know, take it out on someone you DON'T know!!!
Now get this. I was sitting at my desk, when I remembered a phone call I had to make. I found the number and dialed it. A man answered nicely saying,
"Hello?" I politely said,
"This is Patrick Hanifin and could I please speak to Robin Carter?" Suddenly the phone was slammed down on me! I couldn't believe that anyone could be that rude. I tracked down Robin's correct number and called her. She had transposed the last two digits incorrectly. After I hung up with Robin, I spotted the wrong number still lying there on my desk. I decided to call it again. When the same person once more answered, I yelled:
"You're a jackass!" and hung up. Next to his phone number I wrote the word "jackass," and put it in my desk drawer. Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills, or had a really bad day, I'd call him up. He'd answer, and I'd yell, "You're a jackass!" It would always cheer me up.
Later in the year the phone company introduced caller ID. This was a real disappointment for me, I would have to stop calling the jackass. Then one day I had an idea. I dialed his number, then heard his voice,
"Hello." I made up a name.
"Hi. This is the sales office of the telephone company and I'm just calling to see if you're familiar with our caller ID program?" He went,
"No!" and slammed the phone down. I quickly called him back and said,
"That's because you're a jackass!"
The reason I took the time to tell you this story, is to show you how if here's ever anything really bothering you, you can do something about it. Just dial 823-4863.
[Keep reading, it gets better.]
The old lady at the mall really took her time pulling out of the parking space. I didn't think she was ever going to leave. Finally, her car began to move and she started to very slowly back out of the slot. I backed up a little more to give her plenty of room to pull out. Great, I thought, she's finally leaving. All of a sudden this black Camaro come flying up the parking isle in the wrong direction and pulls into her space.
I started honking my horn and yelling,
"You can't just do that, Buddy. I was here first!"
The guy climbed out of his Camaro completely ignoring me. He walked toward the mall as if he didn't even hear me. I thought to myself, this guy's a jackass, there sure a lot of jackasses in this world. I noticed he had a "For Sale" sign in the back window of his car. I wrote down the number. Then I hunted for another place to park. A couple of days later, I'm at home sitting at my desk. I had just gotten off the phone after calling 823-4863 and yelling,
"You're a jackass!"
(It's really easy to call him now since I have his number on speed dial.)
I noticed the phone number of the guy with the black Camaro lying on my desk and thought I'd better call this guy, too. After a couple rings someone answered the phone and said,
"Hello." I said,
"Is this the man with the black Camaro for sale?"
"Yes, it is."
"Can you tell me where I can see it?"
"Yes, I live at 1802 West 34th street. It's a yellow house and the car's parked right out front." I said,
"What's your name?"
"My name is Don Hansen."
"When's a good time to catch you, Don?"
"I'm home in the evenings."
"Listen Don, can I tell you something?"
"Yes,"
"Don, you're a jackass!" And I slammed the phone down.
After I hung up I added Don Hansen's number to my speed dialer. For a while things seemed to be going better for me. Now when I had a problem I had two jackasses to call. Then, after several months of calling the jackasses and hanging up on them, it just wasn't as enjoyable as it used to be. I gave the problem some serious thought and came up with a solution: First, I had my phone dial Jackass #1. A man answered nicely saying,
"Hello." I yelled,
"You're a jackass!” but I didn't hang up. The jackass said,
"Are you still there?" I said,
"Yeah."
"Stop calling me." I said,
"No." He said,
"What's your name, Pal?" I said,
"Don Hansen." He said
"Where do you live?"
"1802 West 34th Street. It's a yellow house and my black Camaro's parked out front."
"I'm coming over right now, Don. You'd better start saying your prayers."
"Yeah, like I'm really scared, Jackass!" and I hung up. Then I called Jackass #2. He answered,
"Hello." I said,
"Hello, Jackass!" He said,
"If I ever find out who you are..."
"You'll what?"
"I'll kick your ass."
"Well, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now Jackass!" And I hung up. Then I picked up the phone and called the police. I told them I was at 1802 West 34th Street and that I was going to kill my gay lover as soon as he got home. Another quick call to Channel 13 about the gang war going on down W. 34th Street. After that I climbed into my car and headed over to 34th Street to watch the whole thing. Glorious! Watching two Jackasses kicking the crap out of each other in front of 6 squad cars and a police helicopter was one of the greatest experiences of my life!
For all of you who occasionally have a really bad day when you just need to take it out on someone….don't take that bad day out on someone you know, take it out on someone you DON'T know!!!
Now get this. I was sitting at my desk, when I remembered a phone call I had to make. I found the number and dialed it. A man answered nicely saying,
"Hello?" I politely said,
"This is Patrick Hanifin and could I please speak to Robin Carter?" Suddenly the phone was slammed down on me! I couldn't believe that anyone could be that rude. I tracked down Robin's correct number and called her. She had transposed the last two digits incorrectly. After I hung up with Robin, I spotted the wrong number still lying there on my desk. I decided to call it again. When the same person once more answered, I yelled:
"You're a jackass!" and hung up. Next to his phone number I wrote the word "jackass," and put it in my desk drawer. Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills, or had a really bad day, I'd call him up. He'd answer, and I'd yell, "You're a jackass!" It would always cheer me up.
Later in the year the phone company introduced caller ID. This was a real disappointment for me, I would have to stop calling the jackass. Then one day I had an idea. I dialed his number, then heard his voice,
"Hello." I made up a name.
"Hi. This is the sales office of the telephone company and I'm just calling to see if you're familiar with our caller ID program?" He went,
"No!" and slammed the phone down. I quickly called him back and said,
"That's because you're a jackass!"
The reason I took the time to tell you this story, is to show you how if here's ever anything really bothering you, you can do something about it. Just dial 823-4863.
[Keep reading, it gets better.]
The old lady at the mall really took her time pulling out of the parking space. I didn't think she was ever going to leave. Finally, her car began to move and she started to very slowly back out of the slot. I backed up a little more to give her plenty of room to pull out. Great, I thought, she's finally leaving. All of a sudden this black Camaro come flying up the parking isle in the wrong direction and pulls into her space.
I started honking my horn and yelling,
"You can't just do that, Buddy. I was here first!"
The guy climbed out of his Camaro completely ignoring me. He walked toward the mall as if he didn't even hear me. I thought to myself, this guy's a jackass, there sure a lot of jackasses in this world. I noticed he had a "For Sale" sign in the back window of his car. I wrote down the number. Then I hunted for another place to park. A couple of days later, I'm at home sitting at my desk. I had just gotten off the phone after calling 823-4863 and yelling,
"You're a jackass!"
(It's really easy to call him now since I have his number on speed dial.)
I noticed the phone number of the guy with the black Camaro lying on my desk and thought I'd better call this guy, too. After a couple rings someone answered the phone and said,
"Hello." I said,
"Is this the man with the black Camaro for sale?"
"Yes, it is."
"Can you tell me where I can see it?"
"Yes, I live at 1802 West 34th street. It's a yellow house and the car's parked right out front." I said,
"What's your name?"
"My name is Don Hansen."
"When's a good time to catch you, Don?"
"I'm home in the evenings."
"Listen Don, can I tell you something?"
"Yes,"
"Don, you're a jackass!" And I slammed the phone down.
After I hung up I added Don Hansen's number to my speed dialer. For a while things seemed to be going better for me. Now when I had a problem I had two jackasses to call. Then, after several months of calling the jackasses and hanging up on them, it just wasn't as enjoyable as it used to be. I gave the problem some serious thought and came up with a solution: First, I had my phone dial Jackass #1. A man answered nicely saying,
"Hello." I yelled,
"You're a jackass!” but I didn't hang up. The jackass said,
"Are you still there?" I said,
"Yeah."
"Stop calling me." I said,
"No." He said,
"What's your name, Pal?" I said,
"Don Hansen." He said
"Where do you live?"
"1802 West 34th Street. It's a yellow house and my black Camaro's parked out front."
"I'm coming over right now, Don. You'd better start saying your prayers."
"Yeah, like I'm really scared, Jackass!" and I hung up. Then I called Jackass #2. He answered,
"Hello." I said,
"Hello, Jackass!" He said,
"If I ever find out who you are..."
"You'll what?"
"I'll kick your ass."
"Well, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now Jackass!" And I hung up. Then I picked up the phone and called the police. I told them I was at 1802 West 34th Street and that I was going to kill my gay lover as soon as he got home. Another quick call to Channel 13 about the gang war going on down W. 34th Street. After that I climbed into my car and headed over to 34th Street to watch the whole thing. Glorious! Watching two Jackasses kicking the crap out of each other in front of 6 squad cars and a police helicopter was one of the greatest experiences of my life!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Every day is exactly the same...
Well, maybe not, but it's starting to feel that way. Nothing really exciting happened today, mostly just a struggle with returns and audits. This is the part of the year where I start to really feel the effects of tax season. I'm in bed by 9 or 9:30. Time for a nightcap before I hit the sack. Later.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Same $#!+, Different Day
So this is the first of my daily posts. I'm making a conscious effort to post every day in this thing. I think the reason why nobody paid attention to my Yahoo! blog was that I didn't post often. Maybe this will be healthy for me, a catharsis for this stressful time of year.
This week we hit the first hurdle for busy season-the March 15th deadline for corporations and S-corps. It's also the time when we have to have all the bank audits wrapped up for the audit committee meetings. This year, we should be able to wrap up everything by the end of this week. But even with all that behind me, things still crop up that frustrate me. I really didn't have to be in the office for that long on Saturday, but one of our tax partners had major surgery in January and has been out of commission for most of busy season. I asked him if he needed help with anything, and he gave me this corporation (I've got a lot of experience with corps) and just asked me to work up an estimate. Well, for me to do that, I had to do the whole return almost. I was there until 6, and I still wasn't done, because there are all kinds of funky issues associated with it. I was hoping to go in today and wrap up a small audit I in-charged last week, but I only spent an hour on it. It's little things like this that ruin my day. Jack Daniels, take me away!!!
Still, I have something to look forward to this weekend. Formula 1 officially kicks off Saturday night with the Australian GP in Melbourne. I haven't had time to keep up with all the gossip, so I don't know how Kimi is faring in the Ferrari. I think I'll go see Breach and 300 this weekend too, and maybe wash the car. The things you don't have time to do when work runs your life.
More tomorrow.
This week we hit the first hurdle for busy season-the March 15th deadline for corporations and S-corps. It's also the time when we have to have all the bank audits wrapped up for the audit committee meetings. This year, we should be able to wrap up everything by the end of this week. But even with all that behind me, things still crop up that frustrate me. I really didn't have to be in the office for that long on Saturday, but one of our tax partners had major surgery in January and has been out of commission for most of busy season. I asked him if he needed help with anything, and he gave me this corporation (I've got a lot of experience with corps) and just asked me to work up an estimate. Well, for me to do that, I had to do the whole return almost. I was there until 6, and I still wasn't done, because there are all kinds of funky issues associated with it. I was hoping to go in today and wrap up a small audit I in-charged last week, but I only spent an hour on it. It's little things like this that ruin my day. Jack Daniels, take me away!!!
Still, I have something to look forward to this weekend. Formula 1 officially kicks off Saturday night with the Australian GP in Melbourne. I haven't had time to keep up with all the gossip, so I don't know how Kimi is faring in the Ferrari. I think I'll go see Breach and 300 this weekend too, and maybe wash the car. The things you don't have time to do when work runs your life.
More tomorrow.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Please allow me to introduce myself...
This is my first post. I used to have a blog on Yahoo! 360, but have abandoned it like a prom night baby (yes, I watch Family Guy). I will attempt to explain everything you can know about me in my profile. Look for more posts soon.
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