Don

Three Nights in August is a great book. Thanks for reminding me. Buzz Bissinger is just a fantastic writer. The level of hate that LaRussa has for J.D. Drew in that book is hilarious too.

Five Guys is good, but it's nowhere near INO in my opinion.

I think you mean Chris Hardwick.

That's probably why he hasn't tipped anyone since.

I still watch Mad Men, but it's fallen off quite a bit story wise. It developed way too wide of a story, and they can't really find a way to bring it together in any sort of sensible manner. The acting, cinematography, and dialogue are all still top notch though.

0 this morning when I went to work. 0 when I left work. 0 now. Looking forward to 28 tomorrow afternoon though.

I really enjoyed The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst. Great book on minor league life. And I'll go with the crowd here as far as loving Ball Four. That book destroys any arguments that baseball in the 60s or 70s was a pure, clean, or glorious game. Greenies, man.

All true. I was pointing out my buddy's case as an exception because a single guy in his 20s making $50-ish an hour in rural Iowa (his current location) can do his own investing and buy his own health insurance at that rate and live a pretty nice life. Most contract workers don't make nearly that much and get screwed by the lack of benefits. Add a couple kids into the mix and things could get very scary very quickly.

I've been through Hooker, Oklahoma, several times VHF. Last time I went through (April of 2013) I actually got pulled over for doing 4mph over the speed limit.

I think it's pretty complex, but out of my peer group (friends and family my age, college buddies, etc...) the majority of us are in that situation. The tradititional hiring model that most 40 or 50 something's remember isn't nearly as prevalent anymore. It still exists, but I know plenty of well-educated, experienced people around my age that just bounce from contract to contract in their fields. For some it's super stressful and for some it's actually pretty great. One of my best friends works as an engineer specializing in assembly line technologies and just takes three month or six month contracts for a ridiculously high hourly rate and spends about a third of his year travelling. I know far more though that have just been bouncing around for years looking for something permanent and stable. Living in the Midwest, I can get by on a lot less than what I made in SoCal, but I've had plenty of job offers here that were just insultingly, laugh out loud low. "Hey, you've got a degree and a few years of experience... Want to come work for our marketing department for $12/hr?" I've been lucky enough to not have to take anything like that, but there are plenty of people that get forced into that sort of position and can't build up much of a financial base. In the end, I just want to tell every 12 year old I see to either train themselves to become a kickass programmer/developer or learn a skilled trade.

They're all available on HBO Go. If you already have an HBO subscription, you can get the app on just about any device.

And Brandon works in a Slim Charles reference. One of my favorite character names ever.

My mom and sister are getting here from SoCal on Tuesday. The high is supposed to be 9 that day. They're in for a shock.

In my opinion, it's the single best thing ever filmed. Movies, TV, docs, whatever. The Wire is at the absolute peak, especially when looking at it as an entire, complete piece.

Heat of the moment, scared, and holding a semi-auto, I could see 14 rounds happening. Depending on how it went down, that could've been 3-4 seconds of firing.

I just started doing whey protein and almond milk shakes for breakfast again. You guys should be glad I'm 1600 miles away from you.

Lol. Thank you for saying what needed to be said.

Yeah, my cousin worked as an assistant baseball coach at a HS in SoCal for years on a season stipend basis. They eventually asked him to get a credential so that he could take over as head coach and teach some PE classes.

39 in Omaha. First time we've been above freezing in two weeks. 39 suddenly feels like about 70.

No doubt on that. When I didn't have insurance, I went to a doctor my brother recommended to get a prescription written. A nurse weighed me, took my blood pressure, and sent me into the doctor's office. I explained what I needed, got the RX written, then left. In and out in under 10 minutes. Total cost? $320.

Watching someone Google bukakke on their smartphone in front of a group of people is always funny.

Dude has been in decline for a couple years, has no speed or defensive value, and is probably the worst athlete in MLB not named Bartolo. He might have some value as a DH against lefties, but that's about it. Nice pick up, Beane.

If McPherson had stayed healthy, I think he would have turned into a left-handed Mark Reynolds.

Don't take anything from weather forecasts more than about 72 hours out. They're just not accurate, and not worth getting your hopes up or down over. It's like trying to figure out which ten year old kid will be an NFL linebacker twelve years from now.

Yeah, I don't get what happened to him. You'd think that even if he "missed" as a prospect, he'd be coming off of someone's bench putting up a .240/.310/.420 line as a backup SS/3B/LF or something.