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SubscriptionsSites I Read
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| In order to curb my spending on iTunes, I've turned to free podcasts to entertain me during my morning and evening commutes. I know, you might think podcasts sound lame, who wants to listen to a bunch of people talk and talk and talk? Well, since I love talk radio to begin with, podcasts and me were made for each other. I'm addicted. And not just audio podcasts, but video podcasts too. Plus, I've kicked my habit of buying extraneous amounts of music on iTunes and supplementing that with material that's really worthwhile...at least in my opinion.
Here are my top 5 podcasts that I listen to on a regular basis (in no particular order):
Audio
- Catholic Answers LIVE - really great for apologetics and learning about the Catholic faith. I know that even though I've been in the renewal for 11 years, there is still so much to learn about my faith.
- Dave Ramsey Show - The Truth About Life & Money - if you're in debt and are serious about making some serious changes in you financial life, this show is great! It combines tips on financial counseling and money management with inspiration and encouragement.
- B.S. Report with Bill Simmons - not only do I get to read his stuff on ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine, but now I get to hear him have 45 min. long conversations with Michael Wilbon, David Stern AND Alton Williams from RW Las Vegas. Can't beat it.
- Fantasy Focus Baseball - baseball and fantasy sports. awesome.
- Joel Osteen Audio Podcast - every Monday morning I listen to him and his inspirational preaching. Joel's ability to share the Word of God, his love for Jesus and his encouraging words helps me get through an entire week of arrogant surgeons.
Video
- Best of YouTube - self explanatory
- National Geographic Video Shorts - nature and science
- Discovery Channel Video Podcasts - myth busters, man vs. wild and planet earth shorts
- Onion News Network - political and social satire
- Anderson Cooper 360 Daily / Larry King Live - two journalists whose work I both respect and enjoy
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On a lighter note, I'd be doing my bro a great injustice if I didn't mention my newfound respect for him. I don't know what got into him, but apparently, he's developed a knack for interior decoration.
I came home the other night to find this in our communal bathroom (a boy's bathroom, so you can imagine the shape it was in).
 new towels for the towel rack. the green one is my face towel, the blue one is glenn's and the one in the middle is the communal hand towel. wow, right?  our toiletries, placed neatly into our new, very own plastic bins. as you can see, we won't misplace our stuff.  our magazine rack, normally it's messily stacked with books and magazines. the other night, this: extra toilet paper, clean towels and neat stacks of books and magazines.  and lastly, what every bathroom needs - something to make it smell nice after taking a deuce. my brother's - grownsed up! | | |
| OK, so even at my old age, i present yet another post that is dominated by my TV viewing habits. Not that I have to give anyone a excuse, but you should all know that watching all this TV is being supplemented by a healthy dose of activity, such as the gym and playing tennis with the new racket. not to mention, it's free and i'm saving money...
So with all that said, as my TV season comes to a close, let me just say that last night's 2 hr. episode of Lost was amazing. i taped it and didn't get to watch it until 11pm and it was one of those endings that kept me up well after it ended. so many questions, so many revelations, so many theories, so much water-cooler talk (even tho i hate that absolutely NO ONE at work watches this show, or TV for that matter). last year's season finale ended in similar fashion, but season 3 framed the drama and suspense in a such a way that season 2 never could. season 2 left me frustrated and i nearly gave up on this show, as brilliant and unique as it is. for those of you who gave up in the middle of season 2, do yourselves a favor and netflix/blockbuster/buy it because last night's episode proved why Lost was the #1 drama in 2007. and you are welcome, because unlike other Lost bloggers, i don't spill the beans and ruin plot twists.
So with the Hiros, Lost, The Office, Grey's (surprisingly good season finale), GG ( ), 24 (i have yet to even watch the season finale...i didn't even DVR it...and after speaking to some of my fellow disgruntled 24 fans, i have about...oh...ZERO motivation to watch it) and House seasons complete, my focus and attention shifts to...
 Look, I know this season in particular was WRONG on so many levels, but it was by far the best RW ever. even more enjoyable than RW Seattle, and i hold that cast in high reverence. And 5 years later, for some unimagineable reason, all 7 Vegas cast members have decided to come back and do it all over again. damn i just farted with excitement. OK, off to Virginia this wknd. The next time I go back there, I'll be moving ms. maia back home  . it's funny, after almost 3 years, things are kinda coming together and I can just feel God's hand in it all. it's exciting and scary all at the same time. anyways, enjoy the long weekend! | | |
| here's what my life's been like in the flash of a pan...or in bullet points:
- let me go out on a limb and say this - the year in tv for 2007 has to be in consideration as the best ever...for me, at least. Although 24 has unfortunately been a HUGE disappointment this year, Heroes has captivated me like no other show has. it's somehow captured the whole superhero genre and placed the premise on a very hopeful, human level. The Office has been the show that I most look forward to watching every week. It's taken its comedy to a whole different level after a stellar season last year, while mixing in romantic subplots without missing a comical beat. But for me, the most satisfying show has to be Lost. i mean, following last season's debacle should've been easy, but the mystery and intrigue of the characters and this freaky island has me hooked! Still watching Grey's, but sometimes the frickin drama ruins the medical/operating room aspect of the show, which is what really got me into it, anyway. And yes, I will admit it, I will miss Gilmore Girls. All you male readers, stop your hating, even tho maia got me into it, i gotta thank her for getting me to watch what is probably the smartest show (dialogue wise) i've ever watched. ok, i need a life...thank God the season finales are winding down, now i can get out more...
- so for the first time in my life, i'm so happy where i am, professionally. at first, working at my hospital absolutely kicked my arse and i was doubting whether or not i could hack working with spoiled surgeons and cranky nurses for a living. but i've learned so much in my 10 months here. i get to assist in some amazing surgeries on a daily basis, work with incredibly gifted (albeit absolutely spoiled) surgeons and staff and i work in what is some of the best ORs in the country (so i'm told).
- june is around the corner and my better half is coming home :) so long, i-95!
- the yanks are in trouble. just watched them lose tonight's game against the mets. it's just a disappointing start all around. and let me tell you something...if the yankees don't go 3-3 or 4-2 in the next two series (against the Mets and the BoSox), then Cashman is gone...if not Cash, then I could see the door closing in on the Torre era. I'm serious. i've been spoiled the past decade, rooting for a team that was an outright automatic for october. i know it's only may 18, but their pitching, their hitting, the body language, their age...it's just not looking good. i'm hopeful, but cautiously hopeful. because a decade's worth of yankee scrutiny no doubt awaits me if the yanks aren't playing past oct. 2.
- congrats to mel, for the first time she beat me in something - becoming the first nurse in our family! hehe jk...i'm proud of ya.
- congrats to the happy couple in seattle...R.I.P. B.O.Y. haha!
- and lastly, after 5 years of trying to imitate my idol pete sampras with a beaten down racket, i finally got a new one...it's mine! my preeeeeecious!!!!
 isn't she a beaut?? what should i name her?
there it is. the flash in a pan.
in the words of michael scott and that other guy edward r. murrow, "Good Night and Good Luck."
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| You can say what you want about adult praise ministry, but nothing beats watching them lead an entire congregation in a wild rendition of the medley consisting of "Let Your Spirit Rise Within Me / I Will Arise / Let God Arise".
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your love, for Your mercy, for Your compassion, for Your peace and for Your Most Holy Spirit!
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| allow me set the scene...
i pull up to the gym as the top of the ninth ends with Mo' striking out an O's rookie named Bynum. so I rush in to catch the bottom of the 9th, cuz I know that Jeet and Abreu will be up. i throw my jacket into a locker and run out with my iPod headphones which are plugged into the tv that hangs above the first available elliptical machine that i see. i haven't been to the gym much, but i sure do love the 15" LCD TVs that hang over several treadmills and elliptical machines.
anyway, i start to pedal and see that Jeet's up with two outs with cano on first. the captain manufactures a walk after swinging through a pitch that actually nipped his fingers (double ouch on a cold, blustery april day) and then O's closer Chris Ray (intentionally) hits Abreu to not only load the bases, but set up another gut wrenching A-Rod moment.
i turn around and there are like 5 dudes behind me, hovering around another treadmill watching the game. i pull off my headphones and give up on michael kay to join my commrades as we nervously watch as A-Rod steps to the plate. i say out loud to no particular person, "this guy is always up in these situations," which was followed by another guy saying, "yeah, i hope he doesn't choke again and strike out."
the count is 1-2 on the much maligned future hall of famer. the crowd of guys has grown to at least a dozen, and i look around and several of the females near adjoining treadmills have turned the dial to the Yes network.
there is no volume on, just the picture. we see a-rod hit what looks like a routine fly ball. a reactive groan. cut to the next frame where we see O's CF corey patterson sprinting towards the warning track. It's over his head. A white speck bounces off the black seats. Gone.
Pandemonium. Guys collectively forgetting where we are and instantly there are brazen high fives being thrown about everywhere. Someone yells, "Is he a freakin yankee yet???"
A-Rod's got a smile a mile wide as he rounds the bases. His helmet is thrown in the air as he's mobbed at the plate. The crowd wants a curtain call and the once indifferent captain Jeet shows a softer side and pushes his former best friend out of the dugout to the delight of the A-Rod fans...well, at least for today.
It's 37 degrees outside on Day 6 of the 2007 baseball season. 158 more of these games to go...
Moments like these...this is why I love baseball.
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