Sam's Blog

posted by Sam @ 8:49 AM 0 comments

It was a rainy week in Seattle last week. So, when the weekend came, we were ready for some sun and fun. We weren't disappointed by the weather. It was a georgeous weekend with highs in the mid-70's.

We didn't take advantage of the beautiful weather on Saturday. It was a study day for me. Up at 7:30, study until 9:00, watch the kids while Lisa goes to the gym and the store, and study from 11:00-3:30. Lisa had a girls party to go to at 4 on Saturday. So, I was home with the kids. I planned to take them to the park after dinner but, by the time I finished cleaning up, it was pretty late. The kids were having fun playing anyway... After the kids went to bed, I studies a little more...

We took the kids to the zoo on Sunday. By 10:00, it was shorts and t-shirts weather. Mitch actually enjoyed watching the elephant this time but would have no part of the walrus - aside from imitating the noises the walrus makes. He also enjoyed the beluga whale and the "hugging sea urchin." Aly liked feeding the goats and sheep. She really didn't seem to enjoy any of the other animals though...

After the zoo, it was nap time for everyone. The kids and dad were tired and mom was feeling the ill effects of Saturday evening's girl party. After the naps, we barbequed some steaks and went to the park.

I did poorly on my workouts last week. So, the them for this week is workout and study!

Raiders Update:
I wore my Raiders colors last week and boldly proclaimed that they would not lose last weekend. I used to hate the bye weeks...

posted by Sam @ 11:33 AM 0 comments

Lazy Weekend...

It was overcast and raining on-and-off this weekend. Plus, the kids were sick (Lisa had a hint of sickness too). So, we pretty much hung around the house - getting out for store trips, a workout at the gym, a walk around the block, or a quick trip to Baskin Robbins...mmmmm....

The highlight of the weekend (other than the ice cream...mmmmmm....) was the rodent incident. We were lounging outside yesterday when Lisa noticed Cassie acting strangely and chewing on something. Lisa yelled then yelled for me to grab the pooper scooper (Lisa has this industrial strength pooper scooper that is more like a 2-1/2 foot bionic arm extension. Besides the obvious uses, she uses it to dispose of slugs and anything she can't identify). It turns out that Cassie captured a mouse and had injured it pretty badly. Lisa grabbed the rodent with the spring-loaded pooper-scooper (which probably finished the job since it also has teeth), put it in a plastic bag, and disposed of it.

I spent much of the day yesterday studying for my ITIL Foundations certification test. It was a very productive day of studying... A few more of those and I'll be ready for the test. Then, it's back to CCIE studying, which will gake several long study days for the written exam and tons of hours for the lab...

Raiders Lost
Well... The Raiders lost again. At least this time, their defense didn't look too bad. They made several good plays and holding the Ravens to 28 points was a Herculean effort considering the field position that the turnovers and special teams gave them. The offensive line was horrible again. I have to place the blame for the fumbled snaps on center Jake Grove since both QBs dropped two. Our play calling on offense still stinks. The defense is the one shining light (sort of...). They are ranked 10th in the NFL - 2nd against the pass but 30th against the run. Regardless...we're 0-2...

posted by Sam @ 9:02 AM 0 comments

The Weather's a-Changin' ...

The average temp has dropped about 10-degrees over the past few days and the clouds are rolling in. So...we've been taking the kids to the parks as much as possible (I think we went every day this week). When it gets to the rainy season, we'll have to take advantage anytime it's not coming down...

Well...now that we're sending the kids to the petrie dish that is preschool, Lisa, Aly, and Mitchell are sick... I have this big office... So...a cot and a sleeping bag..........

The Raiders are taking on the Ravens this weekend... If we couldn't score against the Chargers' defense, I don't see how we'll be able to do anything this weekend... I hate to say it but we could start the season off 0-2 with zero points scored in the first 2 weeks. We do have a bye in week 3 so I have that to look forward to....

posted by Sam @ 8:38 AM 0 comments

First Day of School and Puyallup Fair...

posted by Sam @ 8:56 PM 0 comments

Darn Raiders!!

Oh, man! One game into the season and I'm already prepared for a long one... Where's my paper bag. Commitment to Excellence? I need some convincing...

My assessment of the embarrassment:
*No adjustments on offense - before or after halftime. They were bringing the heat on defense. The way to combat that is:
- Screens and draws to slow down the rush. I don't remember a screen pass. What about a QB draw...? How 'bout a WR screen?
- Quick short passes. They threw 3 to Moss which were very successful...then they went away from it. TE Courtney Anderson should give back last week's salary after dropping everything that came his way. Next…!
- Run through the holes between the tackles - not into the tackles...

*I mentioned the 3 successful short passes to Moss. The Chargers were ripe for a fake of the short pass then run a streak or a corner.

*The offensive coordinator hasn’t coached an NFL game in 7 years? Really? How could you tell?

*Gallery - first round pick? He needs to be able to minimize a Shaun Merriman.

*7 sacks?

*QB (Phillip Rivers) with no NFL experience - of course San Diego was going to run Ladanian Tomlinson. The defense should have been geared to stop him (they did - but only in the 3rd quarter).

*Moss is the team's superstar - you have to get him the ball. 10-plays per game minimum. Write them up. Maybe, script 6 or 7 in the first 20 plays.

*Lamont Jordan? I'm not sold on him at all. Why not pick up Ron Dayne? Najeh Davenport? Too late.

*So...we trade Doug Gabriel to New England for an undisclosed draft pick...and the Seahawks get Deion Branch for a first rounder...? Who is our GM (and what happened to his brain?)?

*I’m still P***ed about Aaron Brooks being the big off-season move… Julian Peterson? Edgerrin James? John Abraham? LaVar Arrington? …

So…the good news:
*Although I definitely think we should have picked up QBs Leinhart or Cutler in the draft, our first round pick Huff seems to be doing pretty well.
*Sapp didn’t look to bad. Plugged some holes. Although, I think he should have made some stops in the first and second quarters…
*Terdell Sands looks good at DT.
*Thomas Howard looks good at OLB.

Baltimore next week.....

posted by Sam @ 6:17 AM 0 comments

Happy Birthday!!!

To my brother, Bob!!!

(having problems posting pics again...so...I recycled last year's)

posted by Sam @ 11:05 PM 0 comments

First Day of School...

Well... Aly and Mitch had their first day of school yesterday. We took them to the school and dropped them off (almost) according to the procedure (the teachers removed them from the car seats and escorted them into the school). Since it was the first day, we parked the van and went inside to see how they were. Both were playing and having a good time. After a short while, they rang the bell and started out with a little dance. Aly an Mitch were VERY into the dancing (although Mitchell may have inherited my two left feet...). After the dancing, the director read a Clifford book then they moved on to some structured activities. That's when Lisa and I said bye to the kids and ducked out.
We headed over to Shari's for breakfast. Lisa got the 5000-calorie special while I had the eggs benedict (Lisa did run in the morning...). :-) We headed back to the school at 11:00. The kids were playing outside when we got there. They really seemed to enjoy their first day and were exhausted by the time we got home. They start calculus next week followed by statistics the following week (what are the odds of that? OK, dumb statistics joke...).

posted by Sam @ 8:02 AM 0 comments

Even More...

posted by Sam @ 8:57 AM 0 comments

More...

posted by Sam @ 12:57 PM 0 comments

Seattle Aquarium

posted by Sam @ 12:55 PM 0 comments