I have my found my retirement spot.
I subscribe to the Lonely Planet podcast series. The latest entry concerns the remotest island in the world-Tristan Da Cunha. It's a British protectorate about halfway between Montevideo, Uruguay, and Cape Town, South Africa. You have to take a supply ship out of Cape Town to get there, and the populaton is only 269 people. Taxes amount to about 3 pounds sterling per islander (US$4.50 at the current exchange rate), and lobster is abundant and about 80p (US$1.20). The island derives most of its living from crayfish and lobster. They have all the modern amenities; an internet newspaper, British Forces Television (from the Falklands), and a hospital. There is virtually no tourism. Sounds good. The downside, you ask? The weather can be brutal, so brutal that the Cape Town supply ship sometimes has to turn around and head back, and passengers can't disembark. Oh, and the island is volcanic. It last erupted in 1961, and all of the islanders were evacuated to the mother country. Despite their exposure to London in the swinging sixties, all of them came back eventually. And who would blame them? There is no crime on the island, you don't need a car, and you can make a living off fishing. It's like being Robinson Crusoe, but still having civlization within a reasonable distance. I'm going to start looking for property.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Chevy Rock 'N Roll 400, IRL Season Finale, 30th Birthday, San Diego
(This entry was previously posted on Yahoo!)
Well, it's been a while since I've written an entry. A lot has been going on lately.
On Saturday the 9th, I went to the Chevy Rock 'N Roll 400 at RIR. As usual, we stopped at Pierce's BBQ for lunch. It's in Williamsburg, and I highly recommend it. Usually Virgnia BBQ isn't very good, but this could make an Al-Qaida sleeper's mouth water. Mmmmm, forbidden meat. You can find them on the web here.
So we spent most of the day at the Catepillar hospitality tent, which was stocked with BBQ, hot dogs, brats, and plenty of booze. I asked where the PBR was, and I got strange looks. Hey, it's not NASCAR without PBR!
The weather was great, much cooler than the IRL race in June. I took the new firm beach bag that we were all given. I'm going to take it to all the races in the future. It has a see through mesh section that made it a breeze to show to security, plus it's not as bulky as my messenger bag.
We were "treated" to a concert by Barenaked Ladies. Last year, it was Trapt. I never got into BNL, and I was surprised that NASCAR will allow a Canadian band to sing the national anthem. Not that I have anything against Canada or Canadians...but the typical NASCAR fan would have been pissed had they known. I don't think they're core listeners of BNL, so a riot was averted.
The race was typical Richmond action. Denny Hamlin made a great start, only to fall apart towards the end. Kasey Kahne made the most impressive jump, leading and finally finishing third, earning his way into the Chase. The California boys, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, got their usual abysmal reception, and both did poorly. When the driver introductions were taking place, a guy two rows down from us yelled "GO BACK TO CALIFORNIA!" at both of them. Kevin Harvick, one of the other California boys, ended up winning, a move that pushed him into the points lead over Johnson. I had a blast, and left Richmond a tired man.
That wasn't a good thing.
I mulled over packing for my trip to San Diego that morning, on the rationale that my clothes would be more wrinkled if they were packed for a whole day. I didn't plan on going to sleep that night, because my flight was at 6:30 the next morning. I got home about midnight, packing most of everything, and then falling asleep on the couch with ESPN still on. I woke up about 4:15, and got to the airport about 5:15. Everything went smooth, even though I got padded down by the TSA goons. After the London scare, I think it's justified. I did notice one thing that didn't sit well. I flew on Delta, and the flight to Cincinnati was a Comair flight-there was a crash there a few weeks back. I tried to sleep on the plane, but that seemed to stick with me the whole time. But we landed safe and sound, and I headed off to Starbucks for a well-earned caramel macchiato and apple danish. Those snacks on the plane don't do anything for me.
The flight to San Diego was pleasant. They showed X-Men: The Last Stand, but I opted out of the $2 headphones, because I already knew it sucked. I got some sleep on the plane, but once we begin the final descent, I like to see the surroundings and count down until the wheels hit the ground. I was totally surprised to find the airport so close to downtown. Once I checked into the hotel, I saw a commercial for a proposition to move the airport further into San Diego County. They have a proposition for everything in the People's Republic of California.
I was able to watch the IRL season finale. This has been the most exciting season since I started following the sport in 2001. Each lap finished meant a point earned for the top four, but even though Dan Wheldon won the race, Sam Hornish Jr. edged him out just barely for the championship. Dan, of course, was a gracious loser, just as Sam was a humble winner. I'm not a particular fan of Hornish or Team Penske, but I do respect Sam and the way he carries himself. There are very few American drivers in the IRL these days, but the ones we do have are class acts. I'm looking forward to next season already, keeping my fingers crossed that the series will return to RIR.
On Monday, the 11th, after observing the moments of silence and some introspection, I ventured out into San Diego. Like Norfolk, San Diego is a Navy town, and there are plenty of attractions that celebrate its maritime heritage. My first stop was the Maritime Museum, with two sailing ships and one retired Soviet Foxtrot-class diesel submarine. I have some great pictures of these ships on the Flickr photostream. One of the sailing ships turned out to be the HMS Surprise, which the 2003 file Master and Commander was filmed on. I had no idea any of this stuff was there, so it was a pleasant surprise.
The USS Midway Museum was a complete surprise too. Norfolk has the battleship USS Wisconsin as a floating museum, so San Diego got the aircraft carrier Midway. I got there too late in the afternoon to tour the island, but I got to see just about every other part of the ship. I have some pics taken from the outside on the Flickr page as well.
On Tuesday, our class started, with people from all over the country. There were three other CPAs there, and eight people from financial insitutions or data processors. The class was very interesting and held my attention. The food was wonderful, which was a shocker. I don't think I've ever eaten so well in my life. It's a good thing I did so much walking around to burn it all off.
No sooner did we get out of the class that everyone wanted to go out. Since I had the previous day to get familiar with the city I knew where a lot of the good places were. San Diego has a great trolley system that's clean and even goes all the way to Tiajuana. I expected it to get a little freaky at night (after all, it IS California), but there weren't any more weirdos than you'd see on the DC Metro, or the MARTA in Atlanta. We settled on a Hawaiian restaurant in the Gaslamp District, where I had my first mai tai. It was really good. I felt completely safe walking around San Diego at night, not to mention the gorgeous weather. 70 degrees, very little humidity, not a cloud in the sky. And it stayed that way just about all week.
Thursday was my birthday, and I decided to celebrate at Outback. That's exactly what I would have done if I were home. Friday we took our exam and got out of class early, so I decided to go to Coronado and check it out. The Hotel Del Coronado is a turn of the century hotel where the bellboys wear vests and bowlers just like they would have 100 years ago. There are all kinds of shops in the basement, and there is access to the beach facing San Diego Bay. I had a lovely salmon dinner with a gin and tonic, a perfect ending to a wonderful trip. I got back to the hotel and packed, because I needed to leave the hotel no later than 8 on Saturday. I decided to get breakfast in the room, figuring I wouldn't have a decent meal until I landed in Atlanta. And I was right-we got the same snacks we had on the flight to San Diego. I wonder if I'll ever have a decent meal on a flight again. They showed Poseidon as the in-flight movie, which I thought was poor judgment. Why would anyone in their right mind show a disaster movie on a flight? Why not show us United 93? I didn't watch it, instead I read one of the books I bought at the Maritime Museum. When we landed in Atlanta, I was greeted with 89 degrees and overpowering humidity. Welcome back to the East Coast. I had a great time in San Diego, and I'll definitely be back.
Well, it's been a while since I've written an entry. A lot has been going on lately.
On Saturday the 9th, I went to the Chevy Rock 'N Roll 400 at RIR. As usual, we stopped at Pierce's BBQ for lunch. It's in Williamsburg, and I highly recommend it. Usually Virgnia BBQ isn't very good, but this could make an Al-Qaida sleeper's mouth water. Mmmmm, forbidden meat. You can find them on the web here.
So we spent most of the day at the Catepillar hospitality tent, which was stocked with BBQ, hot dogs, brats, and plenty of booze. I asked where the PBR was, and I got strange looks. Hey, it's not NASCAR without PBR!
The weather was great, much cooler than the IRL race in June. I took the new firm beach bag that we were all given. I'm going to take it to all the races in the future. It has a see through mesh section that made it a breeze to show to security, plus it's not as bulky as my messenger bag.
We were "treated" to a concert by Barenaked Ladies. Last year, it was Trapt. I never got into BNL, and I was surprised that NASCAR will allow a Canadian band to sing the national anthem. Not that I have anything against Canada or Canadians...but the typical NASCAR fan would have been pissed had they known. I don't think they're core listeners of BNL, so a riot was averted.
The race was typical Richmond action. Denny Hamlin made a great start, only to fall apart towards the end. Kasey Kahne made the most impressive jump, leading and finally finishing third, earning his way into the Chase. The California boys, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, got their usual abysmal reception, and both did poorly. When the driver introductions were taking place, a guy two rows down from us yelled "GO BACK TO CALIFORNIA!" at both of them. Kevin Harvick, one of the other California boys, ended up winning, a move that pushed him into the points lead over Johnson. I had a blast, and left Richmond a tired man.
That wasn't a good thing.
I mulled over packing for my trip to San Diego that morning, on the rationale that my clothes would be more wrinkled if they were packed for a whole day. I didn't plan on going to sleep that night, because my flight was at 6:30 the next morning. I got home about midnight, packing most of everything, and then falling asleep on the couch with ESPN still on. I woke up about 4:15, and got to the airport about 5:15. Everything went smooth, even though I got padded down by the TSA goons. After the London scare, I think it's justified. I did notice one thing that didn't sit well. I flew on Delta, and the flight to Cincinnati was a Comair flight-there was a crash there a few weeks back. I tried to sleep on the plane, but that seemed to stick with me the whole time. But we landed safe and sound, and I headed off to Starbucks for a well-earned caramel macchiato and apple danish. Those snacks on the plane don't do anything for me.
The flight to San Diego was pleasant. They showed X-Men: The Last Stand, but I opted out of the $2 headphones, because I already knew it sucked. I got some sleep on the plane, but once we begin the final descent, I like to see the surroundings and count down until the wheels hit the ground. I was totally surprised to find the airport so close to downtown. Once I checked into the hotel, I saw a commercial for a proposition to move the airport further into San Diego County. They have a proposition for everything in the People's Republic of California.
I was able to watch the IRL season finale. This has been the most exciting season since I started following the sport in 2001. Each lap finished meant a point earned for the top four, but even though Dan Wheldon won the race, Sam Hornish Jr. edged him out just barely for the championship. Dan, of course, was a gracious loser, just as Sam was a humble winner. I'm not a particular fan of Hornish or Team Penske, but I do respect Sam and the way he carries himself. There are very few American drivers in the IRL these days, but the ones we do have are class acts. I'm looking forward to next season already, keeping my fingers crossed that the series will return to RIR.
On Monday, the 11th, after observing the moments of silence and some introspection, I ventured out into San Diego. Like Norfolk, San Diego is a Navy town, and there are plenty of attractions that celebrate its maritime heritage. My first stop was the Maritime Museum, with two sailing ships and one retired Soviet Foxtrot-class diesel submarine. I have some great pictures of these ships on the Flickr photostream. One of the sailing ships turned out to be the HMS Surprise, which the 2003 file Master and Commander was filmed on. I had no idea any of this stuff was there, so it was a pleasant surprise.
The USS Midway Museum was a complete surprise too. Norfolk has the battleship USS Wisconsin as a floating museum, so San Diego got the aircraft carrier Midway. I got there too late in the afternoon to tour the island, but I got to see just about every other part of the ship. I have some pics taken from the outside on the Flickr page as well.
On Tuesday, our class started, with people from all over the country. There were three other CPAs there, and eight people from financial insitutions or data processors. The class was very interesting and held my attention. The food was wonderful, which was a shocker. I don't think I've ever eaten so well in my life. It's a good thing I did so much walking around to burn it all off.
No sooner did we get out of the class that everyone wanted to go out. Since I had the previous day to get familiar with the city I knew where a lot of the good places were. San Diego has a great trolley system that's clean and even goes all the way to Tiajuana. I expected it to get a little freaky at night (after all, it IS California), but there weren't any more weirdos than you'd see on the DC Metro, or the MARTA in Atlanta. We settled on a Hawaiian restaurant in the Gaslamp District, where I had my first mai tai. It was really good. I felt completely safe walking around San Diego at night, not to mention the gorgeous weather. 70 degrees, very little humidity, not a cloud in the sky. And it stayed that way just about all week.
Thursday was my birthday, and I decided to celebrate at Outback. That's exactly what I would have done if I were home. Friday we took our exam and got out of class early, so I decided to go to Coronado and check it out. The Hotel Del Coronado is a turn of the century hotel where the bellboys wear vests and bowlers just like they would have 100 years ago. There are all kinds of shops in the basement, and there is access to the beach facing San Diego Bay. I had a lovely salmon dinner with a gin and tonic, a perfect ending to a wonderful trip. I got back to the hotel and packed, because I needed to leave the hotel no later than 8 on Saturday. I decided to get breakfast in the room, figuring I wouldn't have a decent meal until I landed in Atlanta. And I was right-we got the same snacks we had on the flight to San Diego. I wonder if I'll ever have a decent meal on a flight again. They showed Poseidon as the in-flight movie, which I thought was poor judgment. Why would anyone in their right mind show a disaster movie on a flight? Why not show us United 93? I didn't watch it, instead I read one of the books I bought at the Maritime Museum. When we landed in Atlanta, I was greeted with 89 degrees and overpowering humidity. Welcome back to the East Coast. I had a great time in San Diego, and I'll definitely be back.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Robotech Is Back!
(This blog post was previously published on Yahoo!)
Well, I haven't posted anything since my politically incorrect Christmas Day entry. That's becuase once again, things have kicked into high gear. I'm happy to say that busy season is progressing quite well, we've done better than we've ever done on the banks and their returns. We've still got some kinks to work out, but having staff under me that are capable of doing the work has really helped out. I did pass the one part of the CPA exam that I took, so I'm psyched about that. It was the shot in the arm that I needed.
There are a few things that happen every busy season that brighten up everyone's life. For me, it's the start of the F1 and IRL seasons, sometimes a movie or two. Last year, it was V For Vendetta, but the most anticipated movie in a long while has been Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles.
How do I explain this? It's like being a Star Wars fan, growing up with the original trilogy, but having to wait 6 years longer for a follow-up. The difference with Robotech is that before the Shadow Chronicles came out, there was plenty of filler-comics and novels. We had the Sentinels comics to bridge the gap between the destruction of the SDF-2 in the Macross Saga to Dana Sterling's graduation in the first Masters episode. And thanks to Jack McKinney, we had End of the Circle, which wrapped up the whole series. We thought we know what happened to the SDF-3, Admiral Hunter & Co. We discovered the secrets of Robotechnology, and whether we liked it or not, we had an ending that gave us closure.
We were wrong.
Ever since Robotech.com was started in 2001, we've discovered that the McKinney novels are no longer canon. I equate this to finding out that Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny are a massive conspiracy by parents to make you behave. I wasn't exactly happy with the End of the Circle, but I accepted it. I loved the Sentinels comics, because I was there from the start (I got into Robotech after it went off the air). Even with these preconceived notions about what a sequel should be like, I remained open-minded. Last year, Robotech.com previewed a trailer of the Shadow Chronicles that gave me goosebumps. I was very excited-I think it's the most played video on my iPod.
On Tuesday, it was finally released on DVD. Some lucky fans who live in larger cities got to see it on the big screen. It wasn't even close to Norfolk-not even DC, Baltimore, or Philly got it. I watched it last night, I had to brave Wal-Mart to get a copy, so that shows how dedicated I am!
2044 AD-The movie opens with two Alpha fighters on a patrol over Earth. They're stationed at Moon Base Aluce, which has become a rally point in the Third Robotech War against the Invid. As the pilots converse, we discover one of them is Marcus Rush, sister to Marlene Rush, the late fiancee of Scott Bernard. Marcus enlightens us about the ill-fated attempt of the REF to take Reflex Point, the battle in which his sister and maybe even Scott himself were killed. Marcus doesn't know that Scott is still alive and had led the resistance against the Invid. He carried with him a hologram locket, similar to the one that Marlene gave Scott. Seeing that gave me goosebumps. Marcus and his wingman, Alex Romero, return to Moon Base Aluce, to be briefed by General Reinhardt about the impending offensive on Reflex Point. Reinhardt has been in contact with Admiral Rick Hunter, who is just about to fold back to Earth and join the assault. General Reinhardt informs his pilots that should their offensive be turned back, the REF will have no choice but to use the new Neutron missile brought back from their mission.
There is much dissent about this move, but Reinhardt makes it clear that the Invid must go at all costs.
At this point, we're "re-introduced" to Vince Grant. Vince Grant is the brother of Claudia Grant from the Macross Saga, who along with the rest of the SDF-1 crew, was killed in Khyron's suicide run in the final episode of the Macross Saga. Vince is also Bowie Grant's father. Captain of the REF ship Icarus, Grant has returned to join the fight against the Invid. The two officer have a brief videoconference with Admiral Hunter. Rick's hair is completely white, and he has a small scar on the right side of his face. The conversation doesn't last long, as the signal breaks up and it appears that the SDF-3 has been attacked, but Reinhardt receives his marching orders: Don't wait for the SDF-3. Grant is distraught; he wants to help fight the Invid, but he feels an overwhelming duty to find and assist Admiral Hunter. After pleading with Reinhardt, he gets permission to take the Icarus on a rescue mission, under the condition that only his crew can know the mission. With Masters veteran Louis Nichols in tow, Grant takes off in search of his old friend.
Alex and Marcus head out to their Alpha fighters. Marcus is intrigued by a pretty female pilot, but doesn't have the nerve to speak to her, except to say that the skull on her flight suit looks good on her. He immediately regrets it, as she digs at him by saying, "Maybe one day, you'll be good enough to have one of these." Thoroughly embarrassed now, Marcus straps himself in to being the assault.
As the fleet makes its way toward Earth, Invid sensor arrays detect their activity. Not since the first episode of New Generation have we seen so many clamships racing up towards space. The battle that ensues is magnificently rendered. Imagine a battle scene from Star Wars, but only animated, and you can grasp how beautiful it is.
As the Alpha fighters break through the atmosphere and being to attack Reflex Point, an old hero emerges. Scott Bernard sees his former love, Ariel, heading back into the hive. Landing his Alpha, he talks with her. She feel she must intercede with the Regis to end the conflict. She pleads with the Regis, who leaves Earth, not because she understands Ariel's take, but because she notices that this new REF force employs Shadow technology, a science used by an enemy who drove the Invid from Optera many generations ago. The Regis leaves Ariel with a warning: staying with the humans will only bring destruction from the Children of the Shadow. Ariel doesn't know (nor does Scott ) what exactly this means, but the Invid flee Earth. Though the cost to the REF has been high, Earth is free. Alex and Marcus cannot help but feel as if something is wrong. There is not much celebration.
After the battle, Alex and Marcus discover that the pretty young female pilot is half-Zentraedi, and her name is Maya Sterling. She is the third daughter of Max and Miriya Sterling (Dana being the first, and Aurora being the second), and we discover a little more about the Shadow technology from Janice Em, an android partially created by the Haydonites, who assisted the REF in their fight against the Masters and the Invid after the First Robotech War. Louie Nichols, the nerd that he is, is very interested in what Janice can tell him about the Haydonites and their technology.
Meanwhile, Grant and the Icarus have found the SDF-3. It was attacked and never able to conduct a space fold. It is dangerously close to a black hole, and the Icarus attempts to maneuver close enough to envelop the SDF-3 is its fold sphere. As the Icarus begins fold operations, she is attacked by an unknown enemy. Grant to forced to abandon his old friend for the sake of warning the fleet of this new enemy. He suffers a broken leg, but this doesn't compare to the hell he is enduring for abandoning Rick. Vince has realized what has gone wrong. The REF have been double crossed into using the Shadow technology of the Haydonites, who want nothing more that to monopolize the use of Robotechnology and protoculture throughout the universe. Now that the Invid are gone, the REF must defend Earth against the Haydonites.
Overall, I give the movie a 3.75 out of 4. The animation is fantastic, the voice actors are great, and there are so many elements of the original series that make you smile. Especially Janice singing the Minmei song in the bar. The music, especially the new version of the main theme, will give you goosebumps. The lack of original series characters brings the plot down. We have no Lisa, no Max, no Miriya, no Minmei, no Dana, no Bowie. Where is Rand? Rook? Lunk? We don't really find out what happened to Rick and the SDF-3. While the ship was close to the black hole, Vince harbors a hope that somehow they survived. And the fight with the Haydonites is far from over. I'm hoping that the Shadow Chronicles is the first in a series of DVDs that revives the Robotech franchise. From what I saw and heard on the documentary blurb, I think I'm right.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Free At Last, Free At Last!
Ok, so I haven't blogged in a few weeks, many things going on with the end of busy season, but now the end is here, and holidays will soon be taken. So much has taken place in the past few weeks, where do I begin?
Well, Monday I was in the Suffolk office to meet with a client, and on my way back to Norfolk, I hear on the radio that there's been a shooting at Virginia Tech. This was around 11 or so, and they didn't have many details yet. I get back to the Norfolk office to find out that 32 people have been killed, and the gunman killed himself before police could apprehend him. I was in utter shock, as I think most people were. This massacre now surpasses the famous Texas tower sniper, Charles Whitman, who in 1966 took up post in a tower on UT-Austin's campus and killed 16 people before police finally stormed the tower and killed him.
I don't even know what to say...this appears to be a colossal clusterfuck on the part of the VT administration. This guy had a history of problems at the school, but this all seemed to get lost in the shuffle. Had the police reacted quicker, only two people might have been killed. But VT cops, or Hokie Smokies in the vernacular, are not equipped to handle such situations, apparently. They're probably better suited to handling unruly fans at sporting events, and breaking up the occasional party in the dorm. I thought 9/11 brought everyone to their senses about this sort of stuff, but apparently memories are short.
In lighter news, I have really been enjoying the past few race weekends. While watching the St. Petersburg Grand Prix on a Canadian satellite feed, I was treated to hearing Kosuke Matsuura say how "fucking disappointed" he was that he wrecked early on. Woohoo for no 7 second delay! Of course, we paid for it later on in the day when the dish crapped out and we were forced to resort to live timing and scoring on indycar.com. I wish we hadn't lost the dish, we could watch IRL, F1 and Champ Car on American cable, but now we lose all the good NHL playoff coverage! Arrrrrgh!
Speaking of F1, how about that Lewis Hamilton? Capturing the pole at Bahrain, he still ended up finishing second after Felipe Massa, who had the pole at Sepang, but ran off the track after a psyche out by Hamilton. Kimi did well and finished third, but Mr. Hamilton is on fire. I think he'll win a race before the season is out.
In ChampCar news, Sebastian Bourdais is back on top over his disappointing wipeout at Vegas, winning the Long Beach GP. ChampCar is now on ESPN and NBC, as opposed to being solely on SPEED, which is a step up. Hopefully, this will be a boost for open wheel racing vs. the N word. IRL is on both ABC and ESPN and gets higher ratings. Maybe one day those two will kiss and make up and we'll have one open wheel series again.
Now that busy season is over, I'm going on Her's Majesty Social Service for the next month. There will still be blog entries, hopefully more than in the past few weeks, for all those who have nothing better to do with their time than read.
Well, Monday I was in the Suffolk office to meet with a client, and on my way back to Norfolk, I hear on the radio that there's been a shooting at Virginia Tech. This was around 11 or so, and they didn't have many details yet. I get back to the Norfolk office to find out that 32 people have been killed, and the gunman killed himself before police could apprehend him. I was in utter shock, as I think most people were. This massacre now surpasses the famous Texas tower sniper, Charles Whitman, who in 1966 took up post in a tower on UT-Austin's campus and killed 16 people before police finally stormed the tower and killed him.
I don't even know what to say...this appears to be a colossal clusterfuck on the part of the VT administration. This guy had a history of problems at the school, but this all seemed to get lost in the shuffle. Had the police reacted quicker, only two people might have been killed. But VT cops, or Hokie Smokies in the vernacular, are not equipped to handle such situations, apparently. They're probably better suited to handling unruly fans at sporting events, and breaking up the occasional party in the dorm. I thought 9/11 brought everyone to their senses about this sort of stuff, but apparently memories are short.
In lighter news, I have really been enjoying the past few race weekends. While watching the St. Petersburg Grand Prix on a Canadian satellite feed, I was treated to hearing Kosuke Matsuura say how "fucking disappointed" he was that he wrecked early on. Woohoo for no 7 second delay! Of course, we paid for it later on in the day when the dish crapped out and we were forced to resort to live timing and scoring on indycar.com. I wish we hadn't lost the dish, we could watch IRL, F1 and Champ Car on American cable, but now we lose all the good NHL playoff coverage! Arrrrrgh!
Speaking of F1, how about that Lewis Hamilton? Capturing the pole at Bahrain, he still ended up finishing second after Felipe Massa, who had the pole at Sepang, but ran off the track after a psyche out by Hamilton. Kimi did well and finished third, but Mr. Hamilton is on fire. I think he'll win a race before the season is out.
In ChampCar news, Sebastian Bourdais is back on top over his disappointing wipeout at Vegas, winning the Long Beach GP. ChampCar is now on ESPN and NBC, as opposed to being solely on SPEED, which is a step up. Hopefully, this will be a boost for open wheel racing vs. the N word. IRL is on both ABC and ESPN and gets higher ratings. Maybe one day those two will kiss and make up and we'll have one open wheel series again.
Now that busy season is over, I'm going on Her's Majesty Social Service for the next month. There will still be blog entries, hopefully more than in the past few weeks, for all those who have nothing better to do with their time than read.
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